Imagine If You Assembled the Avengers: Volume 1

Awkward & Adorable (Matt Murdock x deaf!reader)

"You're not listening to a word I'm saying!"

"News flash, Karen, I'm deaf," you said as your hands also signed the words in front of you. "I'm sorry, but I never listen to you."

"Shit, (Y/N), I'm sorry! Bad choice of words. God, I'm so stupid. I did the same thing to Matt...well, not exactly the same, he's blind, not deaf...but anyway, I told him to look at something as if he actually could and I felt like such an idiot like I do right now-"

"Woah, slow down," you interrupted, "I can't read your lips when you talk that fast. All I caught was that Matt's blind and you're an idiot."

When she threw her head back and squeezed her eyes shut in a laugh, you wished that you could hear the noise that matched such an animated expression. You had heard it many times during your childhood together, growing up as neighbors and best friends, but all it took was one long and mismanaged illness during high school to take the joy of that sound from you.

"Well, I suppose that's all you really needed from it anyway," she smiled, glancing over your shoulder and waving to summon her friends over to join you. "Hey, guys, you're late."

"It's not my fault! Someone couldn't find their other shoe and insisted that they didn't need help," Foggy laughed and nudged Matt with his elbow. "I bet this is the first time you've been late to meet a girl, and all over some stupid loafer."

"Well, I wanted them to match. She might think I'm colorblind too," Matt deadpanned, disappointed with the lack of laughter in response. "Really? I thought that was pretty clever."

You turned to see Karen's friends, one of them a bit shorter than the other with shaggy hair and an older suit coat, the other tall and slender with sunglasses and a white cane held at his side. When she stood to welcome them both with a hug, you stood with her and extended your hand, smiling at the shorter man as he stepped up first.

"Hey, I'm Foggy, nice to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm (Y/N)," you said, "Karen has told me a lot about you."

His eyes flicked from hers to yours quickly before he grabbed your hand for a firm shake. "That's not a terrifying idea," he smirked sarcastically. "I'm sure none of it was true."

"I'm Matt," he interjected almost urgently, holding his hand out and waiting for you to release Foggy and take it. His skin was rougher than you had expected, and his grip was solid; much more solid than that of his friend. You could see a slight hint of his eyes behind the lenses as the sunlight shone through them, and you could see that he was staring at you. You knew he couldn't see, but you couldn't shake the feeling that you were being studied.

"Hi," you sighed, a little breathlessly from the intensity that he naturally exuded. "So, you're the 'Matt' that she never shuts up about. I can see why."

"Hey! That's not why!" she gasped. "I mean, I do not!"

When the two men started laughing, you looked back at her and smiled at the growing pink flushing her cheeks and felt a little bit bad about embarrassing her in front of them, but not so much that you felt the need to apologize. She told you that Matt was attractive, but she had downplayed it far too much and deserved what she got.

"I'm flattered," he said quietly with a small smile. When you didn't respond to him, Karen pointed behind you so that you knew he was talking to you again.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I have to be looking at you to read your...lips." Realizing what you had just said, you groaned and squeezed your eyes shut with mortification. "But you can't see that I wasn't looking at you..." you mumbled to yourself, "nice, (Y/N). Real nice."

"It's okay, it happens a lot. I'm sure you have similar things happen." With your eyes still shut, he slowly reached out and tapped you on the shoulder to get your attention. "I'm sure you have similar things happen," he repeated, taking the seat next to you.

"Case in point," you chuckled quietly. You turned away and looked into your empty cup and decided that you would need a refill, grabbing Karen's as well. Without saying anything, you stood and pushed your chair back slightly, catching Matt's attention. He stood to be gentlemanly and pull it away, but since you didn't hear him it caught you off guard and made you jump, dropping both cups to smash on the ground. Your foot slipped to avoid the shattered glass and you fell back against him, pushing him back into his chair. His arms quickly wrapped around your waist, seating you securely on his lap.

"So that's how he does it," Foggy said to Karen, "they just fall into his arms and bam!, he's the hero they can't resist."

"Shut up, Fog," Matt snapped.

"What? She can't hear me..."

"But I can see your lips, genius," you groaned, pulling yourself upright.

"Oh, I like her," Matt nodded in agreement and mouthed silently to Karen, still forgetting that you couldn't hear him.

'I like him', you signed to her, thankful that he couldn't see. You sat back down on your chair as you waited for the server to clean up the shattered cups, apologizing several times for your clumsiness. Karen kept looking over your shoulder and talking, but she was covering her mouth in such a way so that you couldn't make out her words. After a moment, she stood and smiled at you with her hand out to keep you in place.

"Okay, so our job here is done," Foggy announced, taking Karen's hand, "you kids have a great time. Remember, take it slow, and safety first."

"Fog..." Matt huffed, "that's a little rude."

"I meant because you're blind and she's deaf! You're an accident waiting to happen, clearly. What did you think I meant, ya dirty old man?" he laughed, turning to walk away; after he was out of ear shot he leaned in to whisper to Karen with a wide grin. "He's right though, that's exactly what I meant."