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Those few cases they had gotten after putting Fisk away had spawned more cases, suddenly they were so busy that Matt and Foggy were spending more and more nights at the office. Thankfully their days at university had taught them how to survive on almost no sleep and still appear to be relatively intelligent. Matt even took material out Daredeviling, one ear tuned to information about their case and one tuned to the streets which were much quieter now that things had settled down. Of course the peace wouldn’t last long, it was the calm before the storm, or perhaps the eye of the storm, regardless it was quieter than normal.
Several times Foggy or Karen had to remind Matt to shave, Karen received more than one reminder to actually go home and sleep, change, before coming back in. A lot of people were hurt by Fisk and his money was being shared out between them, which meant a lot of cases that they couldn’t refuse. They kept reminding themselves of that when they realised it was growing light outside and they’d missed sleeping time for another night or they’d find someone asleep at their desk. Once Karen managed to fall asleep standing up waiting for a pot of coffee, no one dared joke about it.
One night Matt was out as Daredevil to collect some information which he would turn over to Brett who Foggy would get the information from for their cases. It was a complicated procedure but one that was necessary to prevent a connection being made between Daredevil and the Nelson and Murdock firm. So far as anyone would be able to tell Daredevil knew they weren’t crooked, presumably by evidence of being very new and small. A tenuous connection, if someone were to really dig, would be seen through Karen’s connection to her previous employers, to Ulric, nothing concrete, not enough to think Karen might know the devil.
Anyway, Foggy had made some excuse about making Matt sleep, given he’d pulled an all night research binge it was pretty believable, and even partly true, after Daredevilling he was to sleep. Karen had nothing to do at the time but they were expecting a client to drop by in the next hour so she was staying until then at least, she could make sure he had everything they needed from him for his case. In the meantime she was standing behind Foggy while he worked.
It had started as mutual shoulder massages, they were tense all around and Karen had just about purred like a cat when Foggy had kneaded out a knot or two from her shoulders. In return she’d done the same for him and now she was just playing with his hair, idly pushing the strands around.
“You know, you’re hair is getting a bit too long, do you want me to cut it?” Karen offered.
“Can you cut hair?” Foggy asked slightly absently from the soothing effect of his hair being played with and the boring paperwork he was stuck doing as the seeing member of Nelson and Murdock. If there was one way to de-stress him and turn him into a pile of very agreeable goo it was to play with his hair, a dirty trick Matt had learned their first year.
“Depends how you like your layers, I can do wicked gradual layers.” Karen offered.
“Hmm, I think I’ll grow my hair long and develop long hair powers.” Foggy decided. “I don’t suppose you have a spare hair tie for now, just to keep it out of my face?” He asked hopefully as she chased a strand that refused to stay out of his face.
“I have some bobby pins.” Karen offered and started doing something that was very soothing for Foggy’s poor overworked brain. There was a slight tugging that travelled a little, then she drew fingers through a bit of his hair and the process repeated, slowly moving from just behind his left ear over the top of his head.
By the time Matt walked in, having disregarded the order to sleep for at least a few more hours, the lovely tugging and carding sensation had moved right around his head, past his left ear again, but further back this time, and she had just reached his right ear and was doing some fiddly pokey thing that involved at least one bobby pin. Foggy wasn’t paying attention anymore, in fact, he’d pretty much stopped reading and might have even dozed a little.
“Here Matt, run your hand over this and tell me if he looks pretty.” Karen asked causing Matt to slow his steps, approaching cautiously as though afraid of what she’d done to poor Foggy.
“Pretty? I don’t care what you’ve done to my hair I am handsome as a fearsome lion!” Foggy grumbled.
“Well now your mane is braided and if I can find some flowers you will be the prettiest lion.” Karen trailed off, giggling at Matt’s face, he’d stopped bothering with glasses around her and she was finding how uncannily well his eyes could add to his expression, window to the soul indeed.
“You braided his hair?” Matt asked, unable to keep himself from reaching out to see what it felt like, he didn’t really remember what braided hair looked like but he could feel the twisting weaving pattern well enough to imagine it. “How long has his hair gotten?” Matt couldn’t help but ask when he noticed two rows of braid at the front. Either it took a lot less hair than he was imagining or Foggy really needed a haircut before they were due in court.
“I’m going to get mystical powers soon.” Foggy stood up, ending the inspection of his hair to fetch coffee, it was his turn for an all night mission.
“Normally he doesn’t let it grow past his shoulders but it’s probably an inch past his shoulders now.” Karen offered.
“Foggy, you should get your hair cut soon, I know it’s a stupid thing but you can’t go to court with hair that long.” Matt said gently, and Karen took a seat realising this was a sensitive issue.
“I’m not going to adhere to some archaic and sexist standard of dress and grooming that dictates that men must have short hair and wear boring colours.” Foggy declared passionately, this was clearly an old discussion.
“I know, and you know I support you in flouting those expectations, I don’t really care what you look like, and neither should juries or judges, but they do, and so I occasionally remind you to at least give them a token effort, at least while we’re new and need every advantage we can get.” Matt sighed.
“But my mystical powers.” Foggy sniffed. “I’m turning puppy dog eyes on you now, they are cute and undeniable, how could you say no to such a pleading look.” Foggy declared, pulling the puppy dog eyes and even trembling his lower lip just slightly.
“Oh wow, those are the most effective puppy dog eyes I’ve ever seen.” Karen offered for Matt who sighed again, and rubbed his forehead. “I’ll teach him to do super professional and manly looking hairstyles, we can sue anyone who complains for discrimination or something.” She offered.
“She’s also giving you puppy dog eyes.” Foggy mentioned as he returned to making drinkable coffee.
“There’s no point, I’m not the one who made social norms. Foggy, we need to look professional, you can bend that further than most but we agree, shoulder length but no longer. Or would you like to tell Mrs Meek that the reason the jury decided she was guilty of the thing she obviously didn’t do is because we didn’t look the part of professional lawyers?” Matt argued, it was too late for this shit.
“Mystical powers, I could be a superhero and hang out with the Avengers like a decent superhero.” Foggy whined, he’d long ago resigned himself to not having opportunity to keep his hair at the length he preferred, he didn’t mind so much anymore.
“You must occasionally get a haircut even if it tampers with your powers.” Matt said in full seriousness.
“Can I make that a rule? You said it in a ‘making a rule’ voice.” Karen asked, already shifting through her drawers for the rulebook.
“Sure, why not.” Matt agreed with a smile. “Now can someone help me find my glasses and reader since Foggy’s gone and moved my desk.” He asked sweetly and Foggy grumbled about them tampering with his future Samson-like powers as he found the two things and watched Matt escape the office for some much needed sleep.