Sensing her hesitance, the slip of her fingers over the glass of the bottle, Matt imagined what could be on her mind before Karen spoke, gaze falling down as his lips twitched in nearly a smile. "You don't have anything to be sorry for, Karen," she really didn't, at all, "it made sense, and even if it wasn't reality, I'm glad you at least had a reason, at the time, for why I was being an ass."
Which he really had been, even if his intentions to the cause of fighting crime in the city had been pure. They weren't, though he'd felt like they had been.
He edged in a little closer to her, not thinking about it, only happy to have her approaching him rather than the opposite.
His face stayed turned to her when she began explaining, already hearing the wealth of comments she intended to include in her sentences. That was good, honestly. He needed to hear them; she needed to speak them.
His jaw did go tight when she told him not to cut her out of what was essentially blame for the situations she'd gotten into too. He didn't like what she was saying, but he couldn't deny it. It was simple, easier, for him to shoulder blame and work his ideas around that. Still. She knew what he was thinking, even if he didn't realize it. He was fine, blaming himself, and apparently, she wasn't going to let that fly.
Even he could be grateful for that, with his eyes that wanted to press further on that so much more could have been prevented, if only. If. He wasn't going to get hung up on the word, nodding lightly after she finished those thoughts.
Then, she was asking for more clarification. He was happy to give that to her too. She deserved to know the big whys.
With his free hand, he waved out into the air a little, though his arm was low and near his body anyway, the gesture small. "Not all of it would've happened the same way if I'd let you both in sooner." Okay, one tiny 'if' statement. He'd needed to say it at least, since that was largely what he'd meant.
As for her questions, his lips pressed together before he continued, taking another drink before went on. "I know, I know he did, you did, Castle did." He wasn't so sure what all would have been different if he'd been there during the court proceedings, but still, "I should have been there. I know that."
With a hard press of his teeth together, he honed in on those last words she'd spoken, rewinding to them enough to really see how her hands were so tight together. If some key events in the past several months had gone differently, then he could've reached out for her hand, but instead, he touched fingers against her shoulder for a few seconds. "I don't think any of us are the same either, Karen, but we're still us. And I never want you to hide, or to pretend to be anyone, anything, never." A weak, lopsided little smile before his expression turned serious again.
"Those people?" The ones whose names she likely didn't know, probably didn't care to know, Stick and Elektra. He was glad she couldn't hear his heart, guilty for even thinking so in that moment, because it skipped a beat when his chest tightened at the thought of the woman who had decided to be good in the very end. She hadn't deserved to die. "They're not more important. I was tied up in business. With her, stuff I couldn't talk to you about at the time because I'd made the choice not to tell you about everything yet, and then that business exploded into," a heavy breath, a shake of his head, "what could've been a literal hell in our part of the city, and I needed to do what I could to stop it. But, Karen -- I wanted to do both, tried to, I mean it I really," a pause, more tightness in his chest as he blew air out, "I thought I could do both." Obviously, he'd been wrong. "I'd never meant to not be there for Foggy, for you, the case."
Re: Karen Page | Daredevil
Which he really had been, even if his intentions to the cause of fighting crime in the city had been pure. They weren't, though he'd felt like they had been.
He edged in a little closer to her, not thinking about it, only happy to have her approaching him rather than the opposite.
His face stayed turned to her when she began explaining, already hearing the wealth of comments she intended to include in her sentences. That was good, honestly. He needed to hear them; she needed to speak them.
His jaw did go tight when she told him not to cut her out of what was essentially blame for the situations she'd gotten into too. He didn't like what she was saying, but he couldn't deny it. It was simple, easier, for him to shoulder blame and work his ideas around that. Still. She knew what he was thinking, even if he didn't realize it. He was fine, blaming himself, and apparently, she wasn't going to let that fly.
Even he could be grateful for that, with his eyes that wanted to press further on that so much more could have been prevented, if only. If. He wasn't going to get hung up on the word, nodding lightly after she finished those thoughts.
Then, she was asking for more clarification. He was happy to give that to her too. She deserved to know the big whys.
With his free hand, he waved out into the air a little, though his arm was low and near his body anyway, the gesture small. "Not all of it would've happened the same way if I'd let you both in sooner." Okay, one tiny 'if' statement. He'd needed to say it at least, since that was largely what he'd meant.
As for her questions, his lips pressed together before he continued, taking another drink before went on. "I know, I know he did, you did, Castle did." He wasn't so sure what all would have been different if he'd been there during the court proceedings, but still, "I should have been there. I know that."
With a hard press of his teeth together, he honed in on those last words she'd spoken, rewinding to them enough to really see how her hands were so tight together. If some key events in the past several months had gone differently, then he could've reached out for her hand, but instead, he touched fingers against her shoulder for a few seconds. "I don't think any of us are the same either, Karen, but we're still us. And I never want you to hide, or to pretend to be anyone, anything, never." A weak, lopsided little smile before his expression turned serious again.
"Those people?" The ones whose names she likely didn't know, probably didn't care to know, Stick and Elektra. He was glad she couldn't hear his heart, guilty for even thinking so in that moment, because it skipped a beat when his chest tightened at the thought of the woman who had decided to be good in the very end. She hadn't deserved to die. "They're not more important. I was tied up in business. With her, stuff I couldn't talk to you about at the time because I'd made the choice not to tell you about everything yet, and then that business exploded into," a heavy breath, a shake of his head, "what could've been a literal hell in our part of the city, and I needed to do what I could to stop it. But, Karen -- I wanted to do both, tried to, I mean it I really," a pause, more tightness in his chest as he blew air out, "I thought I could do both." Obviously, he'd been wrong. "I'd never meant to not be there for Foggy, for you, the case."