104A/N: So in doing research for this chapter, I found out a bit about Foggy's family, and I decided to use his birth mother's name in this story instead of his step-mom. So I guess this is technically AU…? But that's it, so enjoy!
It was the end of the summer before their third year and Foggy's family was having a little send-off party. All the extended family was there, cousins, uncles, once removed, twice removed, it didn't really matter. There was beer, good food, and a pool. That basically assured everyone's attendance no problem.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to be here?" Matt asked nervously.
Foggy groaned, "Matt, do we really have to go through this again? You're not imposing, you're not an unwelcome guest. My family loves you, okay? You've been given the Nelson seal of approval, and that's not something just anyone can get. So would ya just relax already?"
Matt nodded, his lips quirking in the tiniest of smiles. "Alright."
Foggy smiled as well, glancing over at his friend fondly. It didn't matter how many get-togethers they went to, Matt was always worried about intruding on Foggy's family time.
The two young men were dressed in swim trunks and baggy old t-shirts. Well, Matt's was baggy, on account of it belonging to Foggy. Foggy's fit just fine.
"Barbeque, and Rolling Rock." Matt nodded in approval. "Nice."
"It still freaks me out that you can do that."
"What? Smell the food cooking?"
"Smell the food cooking from a block away. Not to mention the type of alcohol we're drinking." Foggy shifted the small bag of groceries they'd been tasked with retrieving around. It wasn't a particularly heavy bag, but he'd been carrying it in his left hand the whole way back from the store so it wouldn't bang into Matt's knee as they walked.
"Do you want me to take that for a while?" There was no question as to what it was Matt was referring to.
Foggy glanced down at Matt's hands, right full of his cane and left full of Foggy's elbow. "You grow a third appendage I don't know about?"
Mat chuckled softly, "I was thinking more along the lines of a trade." And before Foggy really had time to protest, Matt had somehow maneuvered his cane into Foggy's hand whilst also relieving him of the grocery bag.
"It's not that heavy you know." Foggy stated as he began to twirl Matt's cane around.
"You've been carrying it for six blocks Foggy, the least I can do is carry it the last thirty feet."
"Alright." Foggy shrugged in defeat. If there was one thing he'd learned about Matt Murdock in the two years they'd been rooming together, it was that the man had a stubbornness streak a mile wide.
His mother stepped out of the house to grab the newspaper just as the pair ambled up. "Took you long enough." She jested. "We were about to send out search and rescue."
"You always overreact, honestly, have ye any faith?"
"In you? Boy what is the guest carrying the groceries for!" Mrs. Nelson demanded, smacking Foggy's arm with the rolled up paper.
"Ow!" Foggy whined.
"Let me just take that from you Matt. And I apologize for my son's lack of manners. How you put up with him for two years is a mystery to the whole family."
"It honestly wasn't a problem Mrs. Nelson. Besides, I took the bag from him."
"Now that is a fine young gentleman." Mrs. Nelson said pointedly to Foggy, causing him to groan and Matt to blush. "And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Rosalind?"
Matt shrugged sheepishly, his cheeks remaining tinted pink. "I'm sorry Mrs.- Rosalind."
"That's more like it. I'd better hurry and finish the food before those savages start eating each other. I'll see you boys inside."
"See," Foggy said, rubbing the sore part of his arm. "She totally loves you man. More than me. She wants us to trade spots, I know it. You be her actual son and I be the friend he brings home on holidays."
"I'm sure that's not true." Matt laughed. "And don't be such a baby, she didn't hit you that hard."
"See, that! That is what I'm talking about. You're like a freaking magician. We should open your own show, your blindness would be a great wow factor. Make a ton of money, pay your way through college."
"I've got a full ride Foggy." Matt reminded his friend.
"Then you can pay my way through college. I am not below accepting money from a blind man."
Matt snatched his cane back from Foggy and started tapping his way inside. "You get right on that."
"I will! I'll make all the publicity posters!" Foggy called cheerfully.
"But you suck at art."
"How would you know?"
Matt just laughed as he made his way through the open front door.
"Seriously Murdock, how would you know!" Foggy demanded, chasing after Matt and closing the door behind him.
Food was eaten, well wishes were given, and stories were told. -"Foggy did what!"- -"Don't make me tell the story about the chipmunk Murdock!"-
But the real fun began after lunch, when the whole family tore outside like a tidal wave and began racing around the backyard. A quick game of football commenced, rival teams having already been formed at past family gatherings. Matt stood off to the side and listened, a huge grin plastered on his face the whole time.
After a while Foggy stumbled his way over, gasping and reeking of sweat. "Hey, we can do something else if you're bored."
"Oh no, I'm fine. I get a pretty clear picture of what's going on just by listening. Your family is very loud."
"Yeah," Foggy groaned. "They also don't know when to quit."
A loud cheer erupted from the makeshift field, signaling the end of the game. Foggy's team had lost but he didn't seem to care all that much.
"To the pool!" It was a battle cry that had a stampede of feet charging straight at Matt and Foggy.
"Did we make it?" Foggy questioned after the last of the Nelson bunch had charged by.
"I believe we're still alive." Matt reassured.
"Sweet! Let's hit the water!" It took a moment for Foggy to realize he was walking solo, and when he glanced back he saw Matt standing in exactly the same spot, scuffing his foot in the dirt.
"Matt, what's up?"
"Nothing. You go ahead and swim." Matt's lips morphed into a large and completely fake smile. Foggy could only tell because he knew Matt's real smile, otherwise he would've been fooled.
"Seriously buddy, what's bothering you?"
Matt sighed and kicked at the dirt, unintentionally uprooting a small weed. "It's just- I'll have to take my glasses off to go in the pool."
"Yeah so?"
There was a long pause in which Matt raised his eyebrows at Foggy and Foggy blinked questioningly before realization struck.
"Oh! Oh shit Matt, sorry!" Foggy groaned and smacked his head. "I'm such an idiot! You could always leave the glasses on."
"They'd fall off if I went under. It's really fine Foggy, you can just-"
"Take 'em off."
Matt blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry?"
"Just take the glasses off. No one here is gonna care man. They just wanna have fun."
Matt bit his bottom lip in nervous contemplation before his shoulders sagged. He sighed shortly, eyebrows knotting upward with worry. "You're sure?" He asked softly.
"Absolutely. Now come on, I'm sweating like a pig."
"Yeah you smell like one too."
"Watch it Murdock, I may just throw you in."
"Foggy, Matt, come on! We're gonna play Marco Polo!" One of Foggy's cousins, Tristen, shouted from the pool.
Matt and Foggy made their way over, easily slipping out of their shirts and sandals. Matt found the small drink table and set his glasses down on it. He still looked uneasy, but a reassuring pat on the shoulder staved off his nerves.
"Okay, steps- three." Foggy warned, making sure Matt didn't slip on the slick tile.
"Thanks. So, Marco Polo?"
"Yeah!" Tristen said happily, swimming over to meet them. "Rock paper scissors to see who's first!"
Another of Foggy's cousins, Joshua, lost the rock paper scissors match. He spun in place a few times as everyone else darted away.
At first Foggy stuck close to Matt, but as the game commenced one fact became glaringly apparent. Matt was good at the game, almost spookily so. He was a nearly silent swimmer, and always found a way to squirm out of seemingly tight scenarios.
Foggy had fifteen relatives in the pool, seventeen total bodies, and everyone had been tagged at least once, some twice, before Matt was tagged.
Foggy thought Matt was good at evading, but he was even better at chasing. He seemed to zero in on exactly where people were, almost anticipating which direction they would dart in to escape. It was especially not fair when Matt chose Foggy as his specific target, letting others go in favor of catching his prey.
Matt had him cornered, Foggy dove desperately to get away but Matt dove with him. The two resurfaced a moment later, a triumphant look adorning Matt's wet face. "Got you." He teased happily.
"How? How!" Foggy sputtered in disbelief.
"Foggy, you splash so loudly I could hear you from the next county."
The pool erupted into laughter. Foggy feigned insult. "That one hurt. Just you wait Murdock, I'm coming for you!"
Foggy eventually ended up tagging someone, but it wasn't Matt. In fact, Matt didn't get tagged again for the entirety of the game. Foggy postulated that the first time had been on purpose but he never called Matt out on it.
"Campfire!" Rosalind called, and in five seconds flat the pool was void of occupants.
"Seriously Matt, you were so good out there!" Chelsey smiled.
"Yeah, that was amazing!" Mark agreed.
Matt beamed happily, and Foggy couldn't help but smile as well.
The fire was blazing but it wasn't terribly uncomfortable for the summer heat. It was the perfect temperature for cooking hot dogs though.
"Here." Foggy offered Matt a skewered hot dog.
"Just point me towards the flames."
Foggy warded off any strange looks he got for giving a blind man a roasting stick with a glare. "Straight ahead. There, hold it! When you hear it sizzling, turn it over."
Matt nodded and leaned forward slightly, cocking his head towards the fire.
Foggy grabbed another roasting stick and stabbed his own hot dog, shoving it into the highest point of flames right next to Matt's. The dogs were cooked in a few minutes and soon both Foggy and Matt were chowing down on the delicious, smoke flavored meat.
"There is nothing better than a hot dog cooked over a fire." Foggy sighed blithely. "Except a s'more cooked over that same fire!"
"I could get on board with this."
"Josh, pass the 'mallows!" Foggy called to his cousin.
"Heads up!"
Matt heard the crumpling of a plastic bag, then its whistle as it soared through the air. Matt could tell it was going to go wide, tracked its steady progress. He could've caught it easily, instead he feigned surprise when the bag landed with a thud next to his leg.
"What the hell!" Foggy demanded.
"Shit man," Josh stammered. "I am so sorry!"
"It's not a problem." Matt said with a smile, bending to pick up the marshmallow bag which he handed to Foggy.
"-throwing stuff at a blind guy." Matt heard Chris mutter, but he ignored it.
"I think maybe I should take over here," Foggy's voice drew his attention back. "Roasting marshmallows requires, well-"
"Eyesight?" Matt offered his struggling friend.
"I was gonna say precision, but yes."
"Alright. You know how I like it."
"Black and crispy."
"Nelson, if you burn my marshmallow there will be consequences."
Foggy just laughed, grabbing a roasting stick and placing two marshmallows over the embers.
More supplies were passed their way and Matt set up the crackers and chocolate before waiting patiently for the marshmallows to roast.
"Here we are, two perfectly golden 'mallows." Foggy stated proudly.
"They smell good."
"They'll taste good too."
The night passed by as such. S'mores, scary stories around the campfire, and the next morning Matt helped keep Foggy company- read: on task- while he packed. Matt's things were already folded neatly in his duffle.
"There. I'm ready!" Foggy sighed happily, collapsing next to Matt on his bed with a small thump.
"And it only took you three and a half hours. That's a new record."
"I live to please! You ready to go?"
"Yes. For the past three and a half hours."
"Oh shut up Murdock, just because your whole room fits in one duffle."
Matt laughed softly, patting Foggy's leg as he sat up. "We should go."
"Yeah." Foggy agreed, but neglected to actually stand.
"Franklin, I will splash water on your face."
"Matthew, you can't see my face."
"And I'll still hit it." Matt stated deviously.
Foggy just groaned. "I know. We should add that to your list of abilities for the magic show."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. A blind man with impeccable aim, that'll attract people."
"Foggy," Matt turned to his friend with a smile, "I will leave you behind."
"No you won't." Foggy scoffed, but the shuffling of feet across carpet spoke otherwise. "Matt? Matt!" With a loud groan Foggy stood, grabbed his bags, and descended the stairs, already looking forward to his third year at Columbia.