trustinthedevil | Noir AU. 001.

Noir AU. 001.

It's not Matt's first time to this particular station. Having lived in the area his whole life, he's been in for a few things. Fighting when he was a kid, talking to police after his dad was shot, picking up things for cases when he was a junior partner. He hasn't had to come around in a while.

Now, he's his own boss. His firm is doing well, though he hasn't had enough important cases to make people really notice (Matt, however, is fully that he has to work a little harder to make people take him seriously). By chance, a case has ended up in his lap. It's easy enough on the outside but Matt knows how the city works. If he doesn't have an iron clad case, the judge will be too easily bought off and the guy's walking. Which is why he's here. Matt needs to make sure that the statement made by the arresting officer is correct, that it can hold up in court.

He's been told to sit in the main area and wait. Frank Castle is busy, or maybe they just make everyone wait, or maybe (and Matt is leaning towards this) they're just going to blow him off but are trying to be nice about it. He keeps his feet close in so people don't trip and he listens. Nice shoes clicking along the floor. The smell of cigarettes and too much perfume making the inside of his nose tingle. The odd slowing of pace as people glance his way. He just smiles. Gives them a nod or a quick hello, tapping his finger absently on the top of his cane while he bides his time.

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Frank's eyes narrow some as he regards Matt, studying his expression, his stature. Matt seems like a confident man who knows exactly what he's in for, and that's honestly refreshing. Frank can't work with the arrogant lawyers who are in over their heads but never admit to it, taking on cases for a quick buck whether they win or lose. Or maybe Frank's just had scummy experiences.

There's a brief stretch of silence after Matt's words and then Frank's leaning forward in a similar position, hands clasped over some files, and he chuckles under his breath. "Look, I don't always agree with these cases or the people involved. I don't always think they even deserve a chance at getting off. Most lawyers I deal with feel the same, that's why they take these near-impossible jobs." A drum of fingers on the desk and there's a smile in Frank's voice when he continues: "It's good to know there's still some foolhardy people out there willing to do the job regardless."

"I'd like to say I do it all by choice. The fact of the matter is, people don't really want a man like me for a lawyer. I get the reject pile. For the record, Detective, I haven't lost a case yet."

He'd even locked away the notorious King Pin, not that it did much good in the end. He turns his head as a car backfires on the street, smelling the engine all the way up here, then turns it back towards Frank.

"They're going to push to get this to trial as soon as they can. I need more time to build my case. Is there any way you can stall them for me?"

Hasn't lost a case yet, huh? Frank admires the man's confidence. It'll come in handy when they're being screwed over by the legal system, but if he's going down with anyone then Frank supposes it's best to be with a man who believes in his ability. There are so many sorry lawyers assigned to cases by the government who've become jaded and don't give a damn anymore. Matt is still bright-eyed.

"I mean, I could..." his voice trails off. Frank grabs his mug and takes a quiet sip of his coffee. "It isn't completely bonkers for sudden new evidence to crop up just before trial... or to get contaminated." In theory, of course.

In other words, that's a yes.

Matt understands the implications. He has his own personal qualms about playing dirty, but he knows what they're up against. His opposition won't care. Then there's the matter of Frank risking his own job for it. The Devil, however, can do a little footwork. Keeps both Frank and Matt out of trouble.

"Just try not to compromise yourself, Detective." He stands up, holding out his hand. "I need you on my side."

Frank's up on his feet with him and his hand grasps onto Matt's, giving him a firm shake. This was a brief understanding of the main picture. There will be many nights between the pair of them going over numerous pieces of evidence to help build Matt's case, as well as solve this mess once and for all. Frank truly wants to do some good.

"Well, you've already got me," he confirms, hand still in Matt's, and with one last squeeze he lets go. "Stop by again tomorrow morning if you can. We'll go over more of the evidence."

He imagines he'll be seeing a heck of a lot of Mr. Murdock here.

Calloused hands. Matt imagines that Frank is no stranger to a gun, judging by where the rough patches are. Comparatively, Matt's own hands are smooth (except for around the knuckles).

"I'll make sure to. Thank you again. I really think we can do some good here."

He doesn't bother asking for help out. He almost forgets his cane, actually, but grabs it last minute. He needs to stop leaving them behind places. It's easy enough to navigate out of the bustling work room and down on to the equally bustling streets. There's a whole day to get through, but he manages, and when dusk sets and New York is plunged into night, Matt's got his night work to do.

The Devil can get information Matt Murdock can't on his own.

Frank watches him go with a nagging curiosity to learn more about this man he's forced to work with. Murdock doesn't seem too bad but there is something about him Frank's gut says he should watch out for or look into. The man (for lack of better term) has "seen" some shit. He can tell. And a good cop always follows his instincts.

For now though his focus is this case. If stalling is what Matt needs then he'll do his best to provide him that in the meantime. When the clock strikes 5:00 and most people leave for the day, Frank stays at his desk, coffee mug refilled, and pours over reports and evidence, trying to come up with more ideas to help with this case. More connections, more leads. At the end of the day, whether he likes it or not, he has to work with others as a team. It doesn't mean he won't do some extra credit though.

When he finally leaves it's around 7:30. Not the worst he's stayed for overtime. Frank grabs his hat and suit jacket, and heads out into the busy streets, people still heading home or out and about for dinner, dates, and the such. Frank has no one to go home to but his dog.

After circling the block a few times he instead decides to head out onto the mafia's turf and see if he can scope out any possible leads. The night is still young and Frank has his own civilian car to cover any tracks leading suspicion his way. All seems quiet... until he hears some gunshots and ruckus down one alleyway, and without thinking about the repercussions, he bursts forward with his own piece, headed right for the sounds of struggle.

The gunshots don't start until Matt arrives. He's been tracking these guys for almost an hour, knowing their ties to the mafia. They're not in enough to be useful, but one person always leads to another, and at the end of the day they still help launder money.

The first gun fires after one of the men gets a club to the back of his head. The bullets are sloppily aimed but there are a lot of them, enough to keep Matt on his toes, but dressed in black and in the shadows, he's got the upper hand. Until he hears the footsteps of someone else and his first thought is civilian. Some stupid person who should be at home and not exercising concern. It's enough to distract him that he gets the butt of a gun in the face and it takes him down.

Walking in on a situation like this, Frank isn’t sure what to anticipate. This is not the best part of town and gang violence is the norm, but men dressed in black and looking like something straight out of a comic book is not. Is this a new gang? A new threat to worry about? From the initial look of things the man in black is outnumbered here and lacking weapons beyond a baton, so Frank’s first concern is taking care of the ones with the guns.

“Freeze! NYPD, put your weapons down!” he barks immediately, ready and willing to put these men down if they retaliate. They seem surprised at first, one jumping, the other letting out a oh, shit! while the man in black is crumpled on the ground.

Frank is about to take a step forward to initiate an arrest when the braver of the two holds his gun up toward Frank instead, and it’s out of sheer experience and some luck (or maybe terrible aim) that he dodges the shot, popping a bullet of his own into the man’s knee, then shoulder, undeterred by the screams.

Detective Castle. Matt is equal parts grateful and wishing it were anyone else. The gun to his head has left him dizzy as he stands, bracing himself on the wall. There are more gunshots, and Matt's not sure who it is - Frank or the other guy - until he hears the cry of agony.

The man goes down and Matt manages to kick his gun away, swaying a bit. "Don't shoot," he says, holding up his own hands. "I'm -" Not a civilian. "On your side. I swear."

Of course Frank doesn't put his gun down, approaching with caution. The one man on the ground writhes in pain but he'll live, albeit with injury. The other has his hands up, giving in, and Frank is quick to drag him into handcuffs.

The third asshole looks like he's ready to go to a costume party.

Frank roughs up the one in handcuffs, holding him against the wall as he pats him down, eyeing the third in black with scrutiny.

"What're you doing out here? Why were you fighting?" He tells the asshole to sit down while he approaches the man he doesn't realize is Matt Murdock, not yet offering a hand. He's too suspicious.

Matt doesn't retreat. He doesn't approach, either, because he didn't want to give Frank cause for alarm. He just stands with his hands up in a show of vulnerability.

"They were planning a hit on someone in one of these brownstones." It's not a lie. If they'd spent more time doing their jobs and less time talking about it, they might not have crossed paths with the Devil. Lucky for Matt. "I was stopping them."

They also happen to be members of the same gang as the man Matt and Frank are trying to keep behind bars. The more people Matt can bring in for questioning, the more chances they have of someone squealing.

He'll have to call the station or get these bozos there himself. Or to the hospital. Damn it. This third mysterious person is an outlier he wasn't expecting. He doesn't know what to do with him.

It takes Frank a moment but then he scoffs, lowering his gun and putting it away. "So you're a vigilante. I should turn you in for that too."

But he won't. He isn't moving forward to arrest him.

"In the legal sense, yes."

His own hands come down when he hears Frank lowering his gun. Matt cocks his head to the side, for any possible interruption. When he hears nothing, he moves a little closer. A sign of trust.

"Thank you."

The trust doesn't go both ways because the moment the masked man steps closer, Frank's backing up, hands still locked on his weapon, even if he isn't pointing it at the guy.

"Don't. I'm taking you in for questioning." Because that's his job. Because he has to. "I can't just let you walk away from interfering with assholes like these. You know who they are."

Edited 2017-09-21 23:22 (UTC)

"You don't want to do that, Detective."

Matt stops moving forward. He hears Frank retreating and if he needs to make a get away, it's easier with distance between them. He just has to gauge if he has enough time to move before Frank thinks to shoot.

"I'm friends with Murdock," he says. Matt's not sure if it's the right move, but it might help him out. He'll have time to think of what to say to Frank next time they see each other, time to explain it away.

That admission is enough to startle him and Frank stops, blinking, confused and blindsided by it. Murdock? How the hell is he involved with a vigilante like this?

"What?" is the first thing blurted out of him, squinting and suspicious, but the masked man's plan does work to some extent. Frank's less inclined to shoot him now, though he wasn't planning on it anyway unless entirely necessary. "How do you know him? How do you know I know him?"

"I know that the case you two are working won't ever see the light of day if people don't start talking. Bad people won't answer for their crimes, they'll keep walking the streets and innocent people will keep getting hurt. Murdock is a good lawyer - he can't do his job when there's no one on the stand."

Hopefully that's enough to get Frank off his back. Hopefully, vigilante or not, Frank sees that this is the only option to push their case forward.

It still doesn't answer his question about how this guy knows Murdock, but he knows enough about the case to be disconcerting. He's going to have words with the lawyer tomorrow, that's for sure.

The man he shot groans on the ground and Frank nudges him with his foot to shut him up, making a disgusted sound.

"Help me get these idiots in my car, and maybe I'll let it slide." Which he follows with holstering his gun and reaching for the more wounded man, roughly picking him up by the arm. "I just had my back seat cleaned. Damn it."

Matt cracks a smile, but does a good job holding back a chuckle. Detective Castle is a tough son of a bitch with a tough reputation, but Matt likes him. Matt can tell he's a good man.

He hauls up one of the other guys, and soon enough the backseat is full of two-bit mobsters.

"Anything else you need?"

The two idiots in his backseat will live, unfortunately, but Frank's doing his job by taking them in. He has his own ideas of what justice should be despite being a cop, but he's never acted on it. At least not while on the job.

He looks up at the masked man and frowns to himself, unsure how to handle this guy. He's been helping and knows Murdock, two points that make Frank less inclined to arrest him.

"What's your name?"

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Noir AU. 001.

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