Noir AU. 001.

[trustinthedevil]

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.

Comments

[thegoodbad]

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."

[trustinthedevil]

"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.

[thegoodbad]

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?"

[trustinthedevil]

"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.

[thegoodbad]

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."

[trustinthedevil]

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?"

[thegoodbad]

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?"