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Mattie smirked to herself as she lifted her cane off the ground and snuck up behind her friend Jessie. He was staring at his phone, paying precisely zero attention to the world around him. Opening himself up to a sneak attack by a blind girl with super senses. The blind redhead crept closer, then, with a small shout, caught Jessie’s shoulders in a death grip then released them as the dark-haired man whipped around.
“Do that again,” he threatened, glaring at her despite the fact that he knew she couldn’t see it, “And I'll punch you so hard you see.”
Mattie laughed. “Yeah,” she said, “I don't doubt that, Jess.”
Jessie had super strength, so if he ever did punch Mattie full force, odds were (provided she survived) she would be able to see, even if only for a moment. Mattie could almost smell the looks that passers-by gave them. A shocking amount of people thought she and Jessie were heartmates (romantic soulmates), instead of simply being platonic soulmates. Not all soulmates were romantic. Only heartmates were romantic. Saltmates were a thing, too! Everyone had at least one soul mark, the first words that that soulmate said to you, written in their handwriting. Mattie had exactly three. Foggy was her first soulmate, the words “This is, who you looking for?” written in the stocky blonde's handwriting across the back of her neck, and she knew that the words “Is, uh, this Francine Nelson’s dorm?” were scribbled in Mattie’s childlike handwriting on Foggy’s shoulder. The way you knew you were heartmates was if your marks were in the exact same place. Foggy had read Mattie the two other marks on her, Jessie’s reading “You’re my lawyer? Prove it.” on her lower back, and the final, unknown mark saying only one simple word written in a confident scrawl across her collarbone, “BANG.” Mattie would occasionally wonder what she would say to that soulmate, and where it was written on them.
Jessie offered her his arm. She took it and let him guide her to their usual café. Yes, she could navigate via her super senses, but it was tiring and she preferred it when people didn't just assume she could see. Sometimes it was nice to just let go and ignore the blaring sirens of the police cars and firetrucks, and just be normal for once.
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Mattie groaned in frustration. Jessie and his girlfriend Lucy were dragging her to a costume party. They said that she needed to socialize with other people. Mattie hated other people. And parties. Strangers often assumed she didn't have a job and/or couldn't do things without help. Parties were loud and full of drunk ableist morons. The louder the music, the more it would echo in painful ways and hurt her ears. But Jessie had promised that it wouldn't be too loud and that she could stay on the balcony where it was quieter. Or the roof. Jessie knew she loved sitting on the roof.
And that was how Matilda “Mattie” Murdock was standing I n her living room, wearing the devil costume Jessie had bought for her. It was, as he'd informed her the night before when helping her cut her hair (they always used the longest guide for the razor to cut her hair [Mattie found it easier than letting her hair grow out and not know what she was doing to it]), dark red, it wasn't too tight up against her, nor was it too revealing. It was basically just a red bodysuit. With, as Jessie put it, a cute little devil tail. Jessie had also helpfully provided her with also pair of (presumably red) combat boots, since he knew she wouldn't be caught dead in the red hooker heel boots that came with the costume.
Mattie sighed as she put on the mask that covered half her face and had devil horns. She didn't want to go to this Halloween costume party, but her only friends were going and she didn't want to be left out. Plus the odds of Danni getting herself arrested were significantly slimmer if she went, and they were all tired of bailing her out after she did stupid things.
The blind woman frowned at her friend sitting on her couch. He had told her that he was going as a vampire, and in reality, had only put in fake fangs and, as Lucy told Mattie, a white shirt that had the word “vampire” on it in blood red letters that looked like they were actually dripping down the shirt.
"So you're dragging me to this party,” she began, “And you're not even putting any effort into your costume? After making me dress like this?”
Jessie nodded, “Yep. Pretty much.”
Mattie huffed. Fine. If Jessie wanted to be an ass, he could be an ass.
"Fine,” Mattie grumbled, stuffing her phone and keys in her pocket as she headed for the door, “Let's get this over with.”
The walk to the party was uneventful. The party itself Mattie found equally boring. Until a gruff-voiced woman arrived, and joined Mattie on the roof.
"BANG.” The woman had said, pointing what was (thankfully) not a real gun at Mattie when she'd accidentally snuck up on this woman. It still made a loud sound that startled Mattie, and made her jump and stumble back. She tripped over her own foot and fell back, hitting her head. She heard the woman getting up from her perch on the ledge and racing over to her before she blacked out.
When she came to, they were still on the roof, but Mattie was in a sitting position. She grunted, reaching up to rub her head. Huh, the mask was still on. That was confusing.
"Why didn't you take off my mask?” Mattie asked. She heard the other woman's heart beat faster, and only then registered the slight throb in the word on her collarbone. Well, then. Wasn't that one hell of a way to meet a soulmate.
The woman laughed, “Figured you might like your privacy.” She stood up, walked closer to Mattie, and outstretched her hand. “Name's Frankie.”
Mattie took the woman's hand and let her haul her to her feet. "Mattie,” she supplied. “Erm, uh this is a kind of personal question, I know, but, um, do, do you have a soul mark, that says ‘Why didn't you take off my mask?’”
Frankie’s heart stuttered in shock in her chest. And then a laugh bubbled up and she pined the bridge of her nose.
“Lemme guess,” Frankie said, “Your's says ‘bang’?”
Mattie could feel herself starting to laugh, too. The blind girl nodded, and the duo found their way back to the ledge. They spent the rest of the evening there, sitting and talking. As it turned out, Francine Castle was an ex Marine, honorable discharge, and even a couple medals for bravery. She also had two kids, but it was her ex’s turn with them. Frankie didn't even flinch when Mattie told her how she lost her sight, there was no awful pity, no patronizing condolences for something that happened two decades ago, no sudden change in behavior or offers to do things for her. It was… refreshing, to say the least.
The two talked until Lucy and Jessie came looking for Mattie. Before Mattie and Frankie went their separate ways, they put their numbers in each other's phones and agreed to meet at this one hole in the wall coffee shop the next Sunday. Then they left, both smiling wide, Frankie hiding hers better than Mattie, and they did see each other that next Sunday. And the next, and the next. After that, they started having dinner in restaurants on Fridays.
Two years later, Frankie was laying on Mattie’s couch, gently stroking her blind girlfriend’s hair as the lawyer slept. Their lives were stressful, yes, and they'd both been grabbed by their ankles and dragged repeatedly through hell, but they'd come out on top of it all.
And honestly, Frankie would give up everything, just to see Mattie’s rare, real smile.
Fin.