Clinging onto the metal bars high up, observed you, your targets. You watched at least ten men walk around the warehouse. Wooden crates were scattered around. One of the men in suits, pointed at one the crates. A slimmer man revealed a crowbar, breaking the wooden panel. Intrigued, leaned you a bit forwards to get a better look. The man was grinning, taking out a weapon. So that was what they were shipping. Of course these were Kingpin’s men. Sudden grunts caught your attention as they came from somewhere in the back. You gasped seeing an injured man being crashed against one of the crates. Kingpin’s men started shouting, drawing their guns.
It didn’t take any seconds for the warehouse to be noisy with gunshots. A dark figure came in sight, moving stealthy. From the way he was moving, knew you he was interfering. – “Oh, no you don’t!” – said you to yourself, getting up to your feet. You clamped onto the first metal bars, setting your foot on the third one. You helped yourself up, setting your two feet on top. Beneath you was the other vigilante having his way. Blocking gunshots and kicking kingpin’s men. You set yourself off, doing a backflip. Landing on your one knee, struck you a pose, cause why not. Some of Kingpin’s men shouted, pointing firmly at you.
You got up with not a scratch. Shots were fired at you, making you avoid them by staying low to the ground. Getting back up, stood you before the guy. You had taken a hold of his weapon, pointing it firmly up. He tried to work his way through your force with no help. You winked at him before throwing a blow against his stomach. Your hands releasing a bit of energy. The guy flew across the room, crashing into the wall that left a large crack from where his body hit. – “Oops.” – said you innocently, holding his gun sloppy in your hand. You threw it away with a mischievous smile. Another henchman came running over to you as you firmly grabbed him by the throat.
You easily lifted him up from the ground, his feet dangling. The devil was caught off guard, suddenly a new sense overwhelming him. He moved his head a bit to the sounds, trying to listen in. He had clearly heard the blow against the wall. He inhaled sharply, hearing another heartbeat. Steady and calm. Clenching his jaw, knew the devil that he wasn’t alone anymore. Someone had shown up, trying to steal his work. Grunting agitated, grabbed he a guy by his throat, smacking him to the ground. It pissed him off that someone else was trying to play hero.
You ignored Hell’s kitchen’s devil, working your way through Kingpin’s men. Shots were fired as you did a few backflips, avoiding them. With no way of seeing where you were going, straightened you your back again, bumping into someone. – “Sorry!” – you called out, peeking over your shoulder at the red leather fabric of a suit. You only heard a clearly annoyed sigh, followed by him grabbing a hold of your shoulders. You shrieked it out, getting thrown over his shoulder, falling onto the ground. – “Stay down!” – breathed he at you, his chest moving heavily with his deep breathing. You shuddered in pain, rolling over to your side. Damn the devil had some moves.
The devil turned himself around as you swung your leg over the floor at him. It hit his ankle, sending him falling flat forwards. He pushed himself up with a deep groan. Touché thought you. He was clearly agitated now as he was ready to teach you a lesson or two, was it not for the few remaining men of Kingpin that required his attention. They were making an escape for it with some crates. You saw him turn his head to the direction of the sounds, without actually looking it. It was more like his ear needed to see then his eyes. He spurted away, going after them as you slowly pulled yourself up. Brushing some dust of your sleeves, allowed you him to take down the last men.
You saw it coming but let him have his go on it. He pushed you with his elbow against the wall. You chuckled in pain from the impact. – “Who are you?” – called he out, pushing his arm deeper onto your throat. You weren’t letting him intimidate you. – “Who’s asking.” – replied you, moving your lips closer to his. He could feel your breath on his lips, making him shudder away. – “What are you doing here?” – asked he then. – “Same as you.” – answered you calmly. He didn’t answer back, just looked at you. observed you. He moved his head a bit to the side, so that his ear was closer to you. You swallowed a bit, finding the silence a bit tense.
He suddenly smiled, turning his head towards you again. He let go of you, turning his back on you. – “Hell’s kitchen has no place for you!” – stated he, making very clear to you that he worked alone. You removed yourself from the wall, creeping up on him. – “I wouldn’t mind dancing…” – started you, coming to stand behind him. Very close that your chest was almost touching his. Moving your hand up, wanted you to let it slide down his shoulder. – “with the devil.” – finished you in his ear, your hand hovering over his shoulder to go towards his chest. With a quick grip had he his hand around your wrist. It startled you a bit, catching you off guard. He spun himself around, a dark grin on his lips. He took a step closer to you, his face inches away from your head.
You breathed out slowly, feeling his breath on your jawline. – “Believe me…” – whispered he to you. – “You couldn’t handle a night with the devil.” – your entire body shuddered from the tension he was releasing on you. It made him smirk, your heart pounding like a maniac. Before you knew it had he reached one of the broken windows. He sat on the frame, looking over his shoulder to you. – “Stay out of it!” – called he out to you, disappearing into the night. You puffed loud, crossing your arms. – “Who does he think he is?” – called you out loud, speaking to yourself and some unconscious men. – “As if he is the only one with a vendetta against Kingpin.” – scoffed you out. Hearing sirens in the distance, took you, your leave as well. Disappearing into the night. For it would not be your last night. No one was going to stop you, not even a devil who had such dare.
***
With heavy rain in your face, were you running stealthily over the rooftops. A guy who moved like a freaking ninja in pursuit. You jumped over a metallic pipe, slowing your tempo a bit down. The guy in pursuit, almost flew over it, making you gasp loud. You ran up to the end of the rooftop, being surprised by a fall to death. You gripped onto the edge, looking down at the deep alleyway below. Of course there was the fire-escape hanging on the side of the building, but it was too low for you to reach. You quickly turned around, standing face to face with one of Kingpin’s trusty men. He pointed his knife at you, luring you out. You took a few steps closer to him, readying yourself to fight him. You motioned for him to approach you as you were ready to take him on.
Just as he was about to run over, was he suddenly gone. The devil standing in his place, grunting loud. You saw Kingpin’s man rolling over the rooftop, being hit by the devil himself. – “I told you to stay out of it!” – called he out, pointing at you as his face was still facing Kingpin’s man on the ground. – “And I decided to ignore that stupid ass decision.” – replied you, hearing him chuckle. – “I’m not going to ask you again! Back off!” – yelled he out, this time turning his head towards you. – “We’ll see about that.” – said you, running up to him. You kicked him in the stomach, releasing a blow of energy on him. The devil got throw almost across the rooftop, smacking against the other edge.
You tilted your head a bit to the side, focusing your attention on kingpin’s men. – “We weren’t finished yet.” – said you, cracking your knuckles. You readied your fist, feeling the energy flow through your veins, building up in one spot. Your hand started to glow in a shade of white. You screamed it out when you received a blow against your cheek. You stumbled down, seeing the devil hover over you. – “What are you?” – asked he of you, clearly still trying to figure you out. You got up to your feet, calling it out as you lashed out to him. He easily blocked your punch, standing face to face with you.
Pulling yourself away, went you for another round. He easily blocked it as well. You threw in a kick, making him catch your leg before it could hit his body. You hadn’t been storing any energy in those limbs, so your punches weren’t as strong as before. He suddenly pushed you away from him just as kingpin’s man waved with his knife in the direction of both of you. His knife landed in the space between you, leaving the devil to grab his arm. With a punch of his elbow, released he his grip on the knife. You gritted your teeth, not finished with the devil, throwing a punch at him. He easily predicted what you were going to do, pulling the guy before him like a human shield.
You hit him in the stomach, sucking the air out of his lungs. The devil then tossed him aside, kicking you back. You stumbled backwards against the edge of the rooftop. – “You really want a go at this?” – asked he, motioning with his hand for you to come closer. Wiping your nose with the back of your hand, got you back up. – “I do!” – spitted you back, not wanting to give him the pleasure. He curled up a smile, readying himself. You did the same, walking in a circle with him. Almost like a dance. You clenched your hand, collecting your energy in your fist.
You noticed a slight change in the devil’s body language as if he sensed what you were doing. You called it out, going for him. The devil did the same, ready with his fist. The two of you were about to clash when Kingpin’s man made his debut again. You quickly staggered back, missing his knife by an inch. The devil kicked him in the face. The guy stumbled your way as you punched his other cheek, sending him wobbling back over to the devil. – “We make quite the team.” – breathed you out. You swore you could see a tiny smile on his lips. – “Don’t push it!” – replied he, kicking the guy in his sheen. He sunk to the ground, calling it out in pain.
The devil went after you again. He wanted to make it clear to you that he worked alone. Taking much pride in it. He grabbed you by the shirt, your back leaning over the edge. – “I’m not saying this again!” – called he out, pushing your back firmer on the edge. You took a hold of his wrist, wanting to be sure that he wouldn’t suddenly let go. If he did, you would simply tip over the edge into the darkness. – “I don’t need you!” – the tone in his voice firmly as he spoke every word out slow and with a deeper meaning. Your heart rate went up at the sudden sense of danger. You were hanging on the edge, your life in the hands of another. – “Do you understand!” – continued he.
In a split second fell you weightless. Your body being held by feathers, your scream caught in your throat. Your mouth was wide open as your hands clawed desperately in the air, no sounds coming out of it. The devil had widened his eyes, feeling that his hands were empty. He came leaning over the edge, listening to your heartbeat. It was racing up in high speed, making him clench his jaw. Kingpin’s man had punched him with the back of his knife between his shoulders, releasing his grip onto you. You managed to hold onto a bar of the fire escape, breaking your fall a bit. The sudden snap made you release your grip, landing on the lower platform of the fire escape, squealing in pain. The devil jumped over the edge, landing on the highest platform.
He then made his way stealthily down, constantly focused on your heartbeat. He made it to where you were, kneeling beside you. – “Are you hurt?” – asked he worriedly. You gave him a push against his chest, not knowing what kind of charade he was putting on. – “You dropped me!” – yelled you at him. – “I…I…I didn’t meant to.” – answered he. You seated yourself down, putting pressure on your back. – “Right! How am I supposed to believe you didn’t just wanted to paralyze me, so I was out of your way.” – groaned you out, inhaling sharply from the pain.
“I’m not that cruel.” – responded he. – “Playing with the big boys is harder than it looks, right.” – added he with a slight bit of mockery towards you. You punched him in the shoulder to act out on him. You tried to stand as he quickly came to your aid. – “I don’t need your help!” – bit you at him, throwing his hand off your arm. You took a hold of the stairs, groaning in pain as you tried to make your way down. Your movement got pulled to a stop by a hand around your arm. – “Look you can’t be walking the streets like that!” – pointed he out, making you exhale deep. You spun around to him, sighing loud for him to hear. – “Well what would you have me do then?”
A large panel got slide aside as it functioned as a door. He gave you a small nudge in your shoulder, telling you to enter. You stumbled forwards as he pulled the ‘door’ to a shut. – “Make yourself at home.” – said he, walking casually around you. – “Who are you?” – questioned you, looking upon the most normal apartment. – “What, you think I lived in a cave or something with knifes hanging on the walls.” – chuckled he out, making you roll your eyes. – “No.” – answered you, stepping deeper into his apartment. – “just… different.” – you swallowed, moving slowly, biting through the pain. – “Sit!” – demanded he off you, pointing at his sofa. You limped your way over to it, letting yourself fall into the comfy seat.
You exhaled relieved, feeling some pressure released from your spine. He returned to you with a pack of ice, handing it over to you. – “You really gonna keep the mask?” – asked you curious. He pressed his lips together, turning his back to you. You shrugged your shoulders, placing the pack of ice against your back. You immediately shuddered in both pleasure and pain. He made his way over to his table, hesitating to take his mask off. He exhaled deep, bringing his hand to the back of his head. With one pull, tore he his mask off his face. Exposed and feeling a bit weird, breathed he out deep. Placing his mask down, was he still doubtful if it was a right thing to do.
Without thinking much further, walked he back over to you. He seated himself down. You noticed him, gulping silently at his handsome face. You had expected a messed-up face, scratches, and scars all over the place. Instead were you staring at a handsome young man with a clean face. - “A face! Does the face has a name as well?” – called you out loud, seeing him crack a tiny smile. – “Mine is Y/n if you were wondering.” – said you as first, letting him off the hook a bit. – “Matt.” – answered he. – “How’s the pain.” – asked he, pointing at you without looking away from the wall he was facing. – “It’s… it’s alright…” – replied you with a slight narrow of your eyes.
There was definitely something off about him. – “Why are you doing this?” – continued he to ask. – “I mean playing vigilante.” – you moved a bit uncomfortable, clenching your jaw at a sting of pain. – “I…I…” – you exhaled deep, looking down at your own lap. – “Kingpin hurt someone close to me…family… I’m not letting him get away with it that easily.” – Clenching your hand, channeled you subconsciously energy at your hand. Matt sensed it again, inhaling sharply. – “What is up with that?” – you blinked surprised, looking at your own hand as if seeing it for the first time. – “Oh…” – breathed you out. – “I’m… I’m what you call a mutant. I can channel any kind of energy through my body, releasing it with a good blow or so.”
“What’s up with you.” – shot you right back, wanting to know his deal as well. Matt swallowed slowly. – “I’m blind.” – confessed he. You hummed baffled. You leaned a bit closer holding your hand out. You wanted to poke him in the cheek with your finger to see if he truly was what he said he was. Before your hand even reached his cheek, had he his grip around your wrist. Not even moving an inch with his head. He pushed your hand down, getting up. – “You can spend the night here, but then you leave, Y/n.” – you watched him go into another part of his apartment.
Exhaling deep, sunk you deeper down into his sofa. Before the morning light were you gone already. Matt slowly awoke from his alarm. He stretched out, remembering he had let you in yesterday. He got out of his bed, walking into the grand living space. He couldn’t hear another heartbeat, making it certain that you had left. He exhaled deep, feeling a bit disappointed that you had left already. Frowning at his own thoughts, laughed he loud. He should be glad you were gone, for the devil works alone.
***
You jumped into an alleyway, thinking you were there first, but Matt landed in the same alleyway as you at the same time. – “You’ve got to be…” – mumbled you out, seeing Matt turn his head in annoyance at your presence. – “I told you to stay the hell away!” – called he out. You walked over to him, pausing close to his ear. – “I don’t listen very well.” – whispered you at him, continuing to strut away. Matt inhaled sharply, coming after you. You were making your way over to the building when a grip around your ankle, made you fall flat forwards. Matt walked past you, shrugging his shoulders.
Clenching your jaw, pushed you, your fist against the ground. Getting up quickly, ran you around the corner. Matt stood in the doorway, waving at you as he closed the door before him. It made you groan out loud annoyed that he kept getting in your way. The door wouldn’t budge as he must have blocked it. Letting all the energy flow towards your hand, clenched you, your grip. Wanting to make an entrance, punched you the brick wall. Clapping your hands together, walked you in, stepping over the crumbled bricks. – “Honey I’m home!” – called you out loud, wanting Matt to hear you.
You stood a bit lost in the dark room, wondering if there was even a fight going on. It wasn’t until you heard clear punches being sold, that you smirked. You made your way quickly up the stairs, seeing Matt already busy in the fight. He punched a guy in the face, making him stumble on his feet. You grabbed the guy by his shoulder pulling him towards you. Handing him one of your own punches, fell he to the ground. Matt turned to you stunned, like a lion that had just been stolen his piece of meat by a hyena. He turned his head swiftly to the side, listening in as someone approached him. He diverted him, allowing him to crash into you. You fell to the ground with the man laying on top of you.
“Huh, I guess not fast enough.” – joked he out with a deep chuckle. You pushed the man off you, wanting to punch him as Matt pressed his foot on the man’s stomach. He swayed his finger from side to side at you, telling you no. You called it out in annoyance that he kept proving to be better then you. You got up, walking away, letting Matt have his way with him. Matt felt a bit disappointed that he couldn’t taunt you anymore. You dodged knives and punches with such swiftness it almost seemed graceful. Matt and you were both stubborn in your fights, constantly trying to proof to be better than the other one.
Almost out of breath, delivered you a final blow. You turned your head, widening your eyes at a sudden heavy weapon. – “F*ck.” – breathed you out, seeing the weapon point at you. It was like a rocket launcher, ready to fire. Matt sprinted up to you, tackling you just when the rocket was launched. You smacked to the ground, rolling over with Matt’s arms around you. The rocket hit the wall, blowing a huge piece of the building up. Matt was laying on top of you, holding his head down, his lips close to your jawline. Crumbled pieces of building fell on top of him, shielding you from it. A wave of dust made its debut as well, coating the both of you.
Matt coughed loud, lifting his head a bit up, his lips inches away from yours. He froze, hearing your heart beat loud and clear. It was speeding up as he couldn’t ignore his own heart racing up as well. – “You okay Y/n?” – asked he, his breath against your lips which felt so intimate. You slowly nodded, answering afterwards as Matt couldn’t see what you did. He pulled himself up, leaving you breathless. He held his hand out to you as you took it, letting him pull you up. The guy with the rocket launcher threw the weapon away as it only had one hit. Matt puffed his chest up, clenching his jaw. He made his way over in a very intimidating way.
You followed close by, wiping some dust off your face. Matt grabbed the guy by his shirt. He smacked him against the wall, dragging him along it. He then released his grip onto him, sending him rolling on the floor. He made his way over, kicking him in the stomach. It turned you a bit on at how brutal he was handling him. When blood was gushing out of his nose, called you him to a stop. He stopped, his blooded fist, hovering the guy’s face. He let go of him as you moved by his side. You stared at Matt, feeling a sudden urge wanting to kiss him. He must’ve felt the same as he grabbed you.
He moved his hand to your shoulder, moving your hair up as he tried to reach your cheek, kissing you firmly. Your body shuddered at his kiss that felt so violent on your lips. Pulling him closer to your body, kissed you him deeper. Matt moved his thumb up towards your nose, trying to feel more of your features. Both of you pulled away out of breath. You nudged him with your hip. – “Does this mean we’re a team Matt?” – questioned you with a smile. Matt shook his head with a silly smile on his lips. – “I’ll think about it.” – whispered he out, cupping your cheeks to kiss you again.
summary:life isn’t all that bad as a former black widow turned hit woman. that is, until you meet a certain pain in the ass vigilante.
and end up needing his help.
word count:3.3k
warnings: ANGST, injury, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt no comfort, claire cameo my beloved!, matt makes bad decisions because he feels guilty, mentions of black widow traumas (mainly abuse & human trafficking)
author’s note: yes, my update schedule is every other week now, but i’m feeling generous today. also a little more matt pov, because the reader’s feelings are not completely one sided. enjoy this angsty chapter.
The sound of your steps pacing across the hardwood floor of Matt’s apartment. The second you hung up with Foggy, you were on your feet, knowing you couldn’t sit still until you knew your boyfriend was home safe. You supposed that was just the life of a lover of a masked vigilante.
But tonight… Tonight was especially bad. You wouldn’t have known - you avoided the news like the plague on nights that Matt patrolled - but the second Foggy’s name flashed across your screen, your heart dropped to the floor.
There had been a fire by the docks, where you knew Matt was set to be tonight. It was bad, and so far there didn’t seem to be any survivors. You knew, logically, that there was a good chance Matt had gotten out unscathed. It was what he did most nights, sneaking around in the dark, getting out of life threatening situations. But if there had been any civilians in the area, you didn’t trust him to put his life first.
You didn’t know how much time had passed since you stood from the couch, the only indicator of time was the changing of the neon billboard just outside the window.
Blue, red, orange, pink. Repeat. One minute. Again and again, until you finally turned to see Matt standing in the doorway to his bedroom, mask off and staring at you in that way that only he could. Of course he had snuck in without you hearing him. That’s what he was best at.
“Matthew,” you breathed, practically launching yourself at him. He caught you with ease, wrapping you in the scent of soot and coppery blood.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he whispered back, tracing the lines of your face as if he had forgotten it in the hours he was gone. He sounded so calm, it almost put you at ease until you pulled your hand away from him and it came back black like ash.
“What the hell happened?” You were already backing away from him, just enough to pull off the skin tight black shirt and examine his body for wounds. This was your routine, your little bit of first aid training coming in handy to patch him up when a hospital wasn’t an option.
The front of him looked fine, the typical bruises and scars that littered his skin every day. It wasn’t until you turned him and saw the broad expanse of his back that you stopped every movement.
The skin on his back was uneven, a thick stripe of burn in a diagonal, as if something had caught fire and then fell on him. The skin around the burn was bruised and caked in both fresh and dry blood, the wounds trying to heal and reopening as he made his way back through the city to you.
You had seen through every: stab wounds and paper cuts and all the mess in between. But this was enough to shake you to your core.
“Would you believe me if I said it was a really rough night?” He tried to play it off as a joke, but you could hear the pain in his voice that he tried to hide from everyone else.
But not from you. Never from you.
You led him to the kitchen table, helping him take off his boots and pants, leaving him in nothing but his boxer briefs and scars. “You could have died, you asshole. Stop joking around.”
He could hear the fear in your own voice; you knew you couldn’t keep that from him, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he grabbed your wrist as you brushed past him to get your first aid kit, pressing a kiss to the soft skin before letting you go.
It was a thank you and an I’m sorry and everything else he had such a hard time putting into words.
When you returned to the kitchen, he was already positioned so his back faced you, and you set to work patching him up. Luckily, it really did look worse than it was - an argument he loved to use frequently - and less than an hour later you had coaxed him with pain pills and a glass of water before sliding into his silk sheets beside him.
As you listened to his breathing even out, finally falling asleep as the sun crept over the horizon, you let out a deep sigh and folded yourself into his side, content to let yourself breathe easy for another night.
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Part 13 of the omega Fratt x alpha reader! Uh- Matt and Foggy interactions- The boys getting jealous, and Stephen getting magically hurt- pack™ interactions as always- Enjoy <3
Also, uh- Foggy isn’t going to be the best of friends in this fic, and I would like to make it clear that I love Foggy but the plot kinda requires him to be a slightly shitty (but well meaning) friend-
Foggy saw Matt more often. There was the fact that Matt showed up more frequently near where he worked, but there was also the fact that Foggy took the time to look for him in the crowds.
Although Foggy didn’t outright speak to Matt- he was still mad at him, after all- he watched as the man walked with confidence in his steps, cinnamon scent curling around the room whenever he stepped in. He watched the way some officers nodded towards Matt with small smiles on their lips- and he watched as some of the workers in the café handed him his order whilst vehemently refusing payment-
From time to time, Foggy would see Matt walk the busy streets with his hand gripping on another man’s forearm- the cinnamon scent mixing with the mint coming from the man guiding him along the way. Foggy could hear the way the two men spoke Spanish- he had stared at them for a while, but the mint scented man had caught his gaze- and the man had snarled- the sound so low and threatening- and so protective made his inner alpha bristle horribly. The sound had also caught the attention of the others around them-
But Matt had easily made the other alpha stop with a low, warning hiss of ‘Jake-’ and Matt had given him a small smile before apologising for the other man’s behaviour. And before Foggy could say anything, the two of them had left- leaving Foggy behind with more questions.
Some days, he would see Matt conversing with Spiderman- who had apparently popped his head over to Hell’s Kitchen- as the red and blue wearing vigilante? superhero? dropped a container into his hands. And Foggy had watched, gobsmacked, as Matt laughed at something Spiderman said- a laugh, so genuine and sincere- one he hadn’t heard from Matt in months-
Frequently, he’d see the honey scented woman Karen had spoken to him about. She always had her arm looped around Matt’s and he’d bump into her shoulder in a relaxed, joking manner. He had used to do it to Foggy-
Sometimes, he would see a tall raven-haired woman walking beside him, her head held high, making people part way for the two of them. And for some unsettling reason, Foggy felt his inner alpha shiver and cower when her unnaturally green eyes skimmed past him- There was something off about her- Something that shook him to the core-
One time though, Foggy had seen Matt with Stephen Strange- the guy he had drunkenly argued with in one of the parties back in college- And the man had locked eyes with him, and Foggy couldn’t help but flinch back at the pure iciness of his blue eyes. And Foggy had no choice but to watch as the previously esteemed doctor wrapped an arm around Matt to pull him away from the road.
Most times though, Foggy saw Matt with either Castle or you. Castle chuckling lowly when Matt pressed a soft kiss onto his cheek- You pressing a chaste kiss onto Matt’s cheek as he purred- Had Foggy ever heard Matt purr recently? Back in college, Matt used to purr almost nonstop whenever he leaned against Foggy. He used to purr at the smallest contact Foggy would give him.
But after the whole man in the mask fiasco? During the Frank Castle trial? Foggy hadn’t heard even the quietest purr from him.
Matt had been the one to push him and Karen away. He had been the one to be too immersed in his Daredevil work- not considering the worry that ate up at Foggy every night- He had completely disregarded his life as Matt Murdock- Foggy knew Matt first, before Daredevil. It hurt him to see his best friend lose himself to the Devil-
Foggy knows he didn’t respond in the best way. His inner alpha- as well as his naturally strong protective characteristic made him react in a more aggressive manner than required. He had yelled, and- and in the heat of the moment, he had told Matt that he would get hurt because he was an omega-
“Jesus, Matty.” Foggy breathed out, a glass of whiskey in his hand, as he gazed out the window, his eyes fleeting over the lights of the buildings in front of him. “Where did we go wrong?”
~ ♥~
This was supposed to be a fun night out- with you and Frank and Matt grabbing a drink at Josies before going back home. But-
“Come on- you seem like a nice, strong alpha-”
You sipped your drink again, silently regretting your decision to wear one of Steven’s turtleneck sweaters today- but in your defence, it was cold- And everyone- every regular, at least, knew that you, Matt, and Frank were exclusive- so flirting had nearly never been a problem before.
“I told you.” You said, glaring over at the omega leaning seductively? against the table. You crinkled your nose slightly at the pure intensity of the scent- it was so obvious that the tactic had worked on other alphas. “I’m not interested. I have bondeds.”
“They don’t have to know,” the omega purred out, as a finger grazed at your hand- you were quick to snatch your hand out of the omega’s grasp- snarling in warning-
“They said no.” A low hiss. And a familiar hand circling at your waist. The scent of cinnamon with a tinge of ash. “And our sweetheart here said that they already have bondeds.”
Another familiar presence slipped to your other side, and a rough, callused hand wrapped around your own, squeezing. Your other lover’s scent, more gunpowder than lavender, wrapped around you.
You couldn’t help but breathe out in relief as the unwanted sickeningly sweet scent of the omega was overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of your lovers’ mixed scents.
The omega looked at your lovers up and down before making an expression similar to one of disapproval.
“Ohhoney, you could do so much better-”
You snarled, letting your enraged scent circle around you. The omega immediately flinched back, overwhelmed by how furious your scent smelled. You wrapped your arms around both your lovers’ waists and tugged them towards you so that they were pressed firmly against you.
“I said no.” You hissed out, as your grip on your lovers tightened. “Numerous times. Politely- Because I didn’t want to make a scene.”
You bared your teeth at the omega, smiling with no happiness at all. And your inner alpha, infuriated at the implication that your chosen bondeds weren’t good for you, wanted nothing more than to claw at the omega’s throat-
But, as if sensing your inner alpha’s aggressive thoughts, Matt was quick to tug down the turtleneck part of the sweater to expose your bond mark and pressed a quick kiss onto it.
Frank, however, made no move to calm you down- and when you glanced at him from the corner of your eye, you could see him darkly glaring at the uninvited omega, who flinched even more at the scowl playing on his lips.
“But you came here, overstepped when I repeatedly told you no. Then you had the audacity to insult my mates? My bondeds?”
“Leave.” Frank lowly growled out, and you saw the way his fists clenched and the way his jaw flexed. “Now. Or I can’t promise you’ll get to unscathed.”
The three of you watched as the omega nearly scampered away- and you melted into the warmth emanating from your lovers.
“We’re sorry we’re late, sweetheart.” Matt murmured, as he pressed his lips against your temple. “We knew you had everything under control- but me and Frank here- we could tellthat you were getting increasingly frustrated.”
You hummed softly as you allowed Frank to grip your chin gently to lift your gaze towards him. His eyes- which was once dark and furious- had softened considerably. He was tender in the way he pressed a kiss onto your forehead.
“You’re too attractive for your own good, baby.” Frank muttered, a hint of mirth in his voice. “Me and Murdock here leave you alone for one minute-”
“Uh-huh.” You rolled your eyes at Frank’s words. “Did you already forget all those times I had to step in because some alphas- and betas- and hell, even the omegas- were drooling all over the two of you?”
“I mean- we are pretty attractive.” Matt said, a sly smirk on his lips. “Or so I’ve been told.”
You scoffed at Matt’s words whilst Frank simply chuckled and nodded in agreement.
“The two of you are insufferable,” you said, your words dripping with a certain fondness and affection.
“But you love us,” Matt responded nonchalantly as he passed you a glass of your usual drink. You took a sip of your drink and laughed.
“But I love you.”
~ ♥~
Loki was surprisingly comfortable with the young endir.Peter, the child, had been the one to hold him to most when he was a cat. And it appeared as though that fact allowed the child to be more open with him. More…accepting.
The child loved physical contact. Always greeting you and your other packmates with a hug- sometimes even pressing soft kisses onto the older pack members’ cheeks. El-Faouly and you always reciprocated, Matthew sometimes responded similarly, whilst the others simple ruffled his hair or rolled their eyes.
But, Loki had also noticed how the child would shy away from other touches- skirting away from touches that were not his pack or his aunt. Being more restrained with his physical contact.
Loki had, however, noticed that the child was less inhibited with touch with him- despite the fact that Loki was not a pack mate or even a fri- an ally.
But here he was, with the child babbling on and on about some magic theory, as the child had his head on Loki’s lap, his brown eyes looking up at him with a certain awe.
“-and I’ve heard from Stephen that your magic is different from his- Mr. Loki sir- could you show me how yours works?”
Loki couldn’t help but chuckle at the eagerness of Peter’s words- the young one reminded him of when he had been a child- interested to learn about the realms- interested about how everything worked-
“Of course, little one. And Loki is sufficient enough. There is no need to add any titles.”
Although Loki instinctively stiffened at the vanilla scent as well as the excitement in it, he was quick to relax.
You and the rest of your pack have been helping to ease him into the scents of the fyrir and the endir.Slowly exposing him to stronger and stronger scents-
The first scent Loki had been exposed to was of the Sorcerer Supreme’s oceanic scent. And Loki had been completely fine with that. He had felt surprisingly soothed by it- By the way his scent reminded Loki of the oceans- of freedom- And he couldn’t push away the contentment the Giant part of him felt when the man’s lips barely grazed above the top of his head- Loki shook away those thoughts.
The next scents he had been scented with were of the endirsthe soft cinnamon from Matthew. The sweetness of lavender from Francis. And the pureness of vanilla from Peter. Reassuring, calming, and caring. As the endirs surrounded him with their scents, Loki had been surprised by the fact that he didn’t feel the urge to throw up- or the bile rise up to his mouth.
‘This is what it’s supposed to feel like.’ Matthew had told him. ‘Comfort. Care. Compassion.’
And Loki had echoed back the words in a questioning awe.
The last scents he had surrounded himself with were those of the fyrirs-You, Steven, and Layla. The three avatars. Steven’s sharp mint scent washing over him as the man uncertainly draped his sweater on him. Layla’s honey scent as she played with his long hair- reminding him of the times he had spent with his mo- Frigga.And your scent. Strong but not dominating- not oppressive. Wrapping around him protectively-
Loki focused back to the present and flicked his wrist, as the room melted away to show Peter and himself the universe. He felt the familiar warmth of his seidr engulf his hands.
“Wow.”
“Wow indeed, child.” Loki basked in the universe his seidr had created. It had been the first trick Frigga had taught him. To get him interested in the art of magic. “The good doctor’s magic has many uses, but it is nigh impossible for it to create illusions like this.”
“It’s beautiful,” Peter said breathlessly. Loki couldn’t help but chuckle at the young endir’s expression. The child really did remind him of himself, back in the simpler times.
And Loki tried something he had not done before- something he didn’t have the courage to do.
He tentatively reached down to Peter’s head, and caressed a lock of his soft brown hair and reached out with his scent-
A sharp inhale coming from the child on his lap made Loki panic and pull back his scent and his hand. Did he do something wrong?
But Peter gripped his wrist with surprising strength and pulled Loki’s hand back to his hair, purring.
“I like your scent, Loki.” The child muttered as he closed his eyes. “’s nice.”
And Loki couldn’t help but think- maybe he does like his scent too.
~ ♥~
Foggy did not expect to see Daredevil slumped against a wall of an alley at- he looked down at the watch on his wrist- three in the morning. Foggy had been walking from a late night at work when he heard loud banging- and he had recklessly stumbled in, his bag clutched close to his chest.
“Matt?”
“F-Foggy?” The man in red- his best friend- rasped out, as he tilted his head to gently thump against the brick wall. “What- What are you doing here?”
“I heard banging- Jesus Christ, Matt- what happened?”
The ashen scent- a signature of the Devil of hell’s kitchen- oozed out of him. And Foggy couldn’t help but think- Matt definitely didn’t have that scent when he last saw him-
Foggy could see his lips purse, as if he didn’t want to tell him.
“Matty-”
“For fuck’s sake, Matt.” A low, slightly growly voice cut Foggy off and he couldn’t help but gape at the white cladded man dropping down from the sky? “I told you to be careful.”
Foggy watched, as Matt relaxed when the man’s feet touched the pavement.
“Fuck you Spector- this is not the time to tell me that-” Matt wheezed, and Foggy almost instinctively moved to steady him but-
The man, smelling distinctly of mint- strong and dominant and protective- was quick to grab him. And Foggy had a feeling the man was glaring at him.
“They’re gonna be pissed- I think you promised your bondeds that you won’t get hurt this time.” Foggy watched as the white cladded man shifted Matt in his arms, slinging his arm around his own shoulders. And Foggy watched as Matt melted into the other man’s grasp, sighing softly. “Steven tells me to tell you that he’s mad- and worried sick. Jake’s calling you-”
“-anidiota, I know.”
The man in the white barked out a laugh, and Foggy couldn’t help but feel as if he were intruding on something more… private.
“Foggy”- Matt called out, and Foggy immediately looked at him- “can you get back home safely?”
“Uh- yeah. Yeah, buddy I can.”
“Then go.” The mint scented man said, his voice dropping back down to a growl. “And go before you run into trouble.”
But Foggy hesitated.
“Matt- Call me sometime?” Foggy asked, voice quiet- and he could see how Matt’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Please, Matty? Just to meet up for a talk?”
Foggy only left when Matt nodded.
~ ♥~
“Where is he?” You snarled out, scent rolling off of you, causing most of the betas of the sanctum to flinch back. All except for Wong, who simply stiffened at your enraged state. “Wong-”
“He’s upstairs. And so are your pack members. Loki’s working on pulling him out of the spell.”
You hissed once more before stomping up the stairs. But before you could get very far up, Stephen’s cloak of levitation flew down towards you, wrapped itself around your shoulders before quite literally lifting you from the ground and flying you towards where you assumed Stephen was.
You ran over to the bed the moment the cloak set you on the floor. A soft wounded noise escaped your lips when you saw your pack mate- skin littered with ominous purple writing- body shaking and spasming and skin too pale-
Loki was in her more feminine form, her slender fingers pressed onto Stephen’s temples- her green seidr seeping into his skin as the Sorcerer Supreme let out low pained sounds.
Jake was pacing around the room, muttering something quickly- and incomprehensible. You assumed he was talking to Khonshu. Layla was sat next to Loki, and you could see that she was in her divine outfit, gifted to her by the goddess Tawaret. Layla was holding onto Loki’s hand, and you could feel the divine energy flowing from her to the deity of mischief.
Peter was next to Stephen, his hand gripping onto the older beta’s and when he noticed you enter the room, he had let go to run over to you, burying his face into your body as he shook.
You cooed softly, as the young omega- his vanilla scent brimming with panic and distress. You gently led him back to where Stephen was and passed him over to Matt, who took the younger omega in his arms, scenting him and reassuring him.
Frank held Stephen’s other scarred hand, pressing it against his cheek as he looked up to lock eyes with you. His scent was void of distress or panic, but you knew he was worried too.
“You’re here, fyrir.” Loki murmured, her eyes closed, and sweat dripping down her forehead. “Help me.”
“How?” You asked, fleeting immediately to her side. “How can I help?”
“Put your hand on his temple. Paregoros will guide your power if you do. Trust her and trust your powers.”
You nodded and reached over to gently press your fingers onto Stephen’s head and was about to pull back when you felt him whine and jolt violently-
But-
You felt it- the creeping darkness within him- something that shouldn’t be there. Encroaching Stephen’s mind-
‘Hello, my child. It appears as though you need my help.’
“Paregoros,” you breathed out, as the familiar warmth washed over you. You could feel a warm hand cover your own.
‘Your pack mate is in a bit of a bind, is he not? And although I do not hold a fondness for Loki, I can see that she is doing her best.’ You could hear the smile in your patron’s words. ‘Let’s help her out, shall we?’
You let out a stuttering breath when you felt heat wash over you- spreading from your heart and flowing to your hand- pushing back whatever had invaded Stephen’s mind.
“You are doing a phenomenal job, fyrir.” Loki’s voice was back to being masculine. “I can see the markings turn golden. Just a bit more-”
Although your eyes were open, you weren’t really seeing what was in the material world. You didn’t know how to explain it- it was a sight that you, as a human, should not have seen- and you really couldn’t comprehend what it was.
Sensations- colours- seeing objects which should be familiar to you, but being somehow not- Foreign sensations flooding your body-
You felt like you were burning from the inside- and you could feel your hands tremble from all the divine energy coursing through your body.
A trembling hand pulled your hand away. And you could feel the world crash down on you again. You breathed out and it hit you. You could taste blood on your lips- and you could feel liquid dripping down your nose.
You blinked, and focused on the open, icy blue eyes of the beta in your pack. He had your hand in his, and he rubbed circles onto your palm with his thumb.
“Alpha.” He said, voice fatigued and raspy. “Alpha.”
And at his words, your pack was on him- Peter leaping into the Sorcerer Supreme’s arms, rubbing his head into the older beta’s shoulder, shaking- Jake rushing over to grab Stephen’s face in his hands- Layla cooing softly as she took his other scarred hand and resting it on her cheek- Matt moving nearer to you to support you- his hand patting Stephen’s leg reassuringly- Frank cursing lowly in relief as he brushed a strand of hair away from the beta’s face-
“Loki.” Stephen whispered, making all your other packmates look at the man. Loki seemed to squirm slightly at all the eyes on him. “I- Thank you.”
Loki flippantly waved his hand.
“It was nothing- your fyrir did all the work anyway-”
“Get in here, Green.” Frank muttered, as he reached out to grab Loki’s sleeve. “You saved pack-”
You could see Loki hesitate- rocking on the back of his heels.
“Please, Loki?” you asked, and you smiled when he relented, falling into the arms of your pack.
~ ♥~
Matt sat in the café quite uncomfortably- with Foggy sitting in front of him. He didn’t know when Foggy became less of a comforting presence and more of a source of distress. He thinks the start was when Foggy found out he was the man in the black mask.
It had been then- the moment his strong bond with Foggy started to fray. Matt had tried to hold onto it for as long as possible- because even as a repressed omega, he knew- he knew that he would not survive without a single bond.
“So- Matty. How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. My pack’s been taking care of me.”
Matt couldn’t help it- maybe it was Layla rubbing off on him- he couldn’t help but take a slight jab at Foggy- the unspoken ‘unlike you’ must have reached him because Foggy’s heart stuttered slightly.
Matt immediately recoiled, and an apology was on the tip of his tongue- But a bitter laugh cut him off.
“Taking care of you? Matt- they’re indulging you with your bad habits- they’re letting you sink further and further into your life as daredevil- Buddy, you pack might not be the best for you-”
Matt’s inner omega bristled immediately. What? How could Foggy say something like that? His pack members- you, Frank at the beginning, Peter joining later, then the Moon Knight system and Layla, to Stephen and now maybe Loki- were the ones to pull him from his spiral- the ones to help him accept his omegan tendencies the tendencies neither Foggy nor Karen knew he was repressing-
A low warning hiss erupted from his throat, and his cinnamon scent soured and mixed with his ashen one. Foggy didn’t even know that Matt hadn’t been through a heat before- He could hear Foggy take in a sharp breath.
“Shit- Matty- I didn’t mean-”
“My pack-” Matt snarled out, as he stood up abruptly from his seat- “My pack helped me through all the shit I’ve been through. They understand- about what I have to do- what I need to do.” He took in a deep breath, trying to control his anger. This was still Foggy. A well-meaning alpha, but one who doesn’t really understand. “Thanks for the coffee, Fogs. But I’ve got to go.”
“Matty-”
“Matthew.” A smooth, confident voice called him. And he felt cool slender fingers wrap around his forearm. “Your lovers were getting worried. They sent me to take you back home.” Matt could hear Foggy’s heart speed up once more. “If you are done here, allow me to escort you back home.”
“Wait- Matt-”
“I believe you were done here.” Loki said, her tone sharp and unyielding. Her scent, although distinctly betan and lacking the dominance, still was as strong as most alphas- maybe it was due to her less human biology. “I am escorting a…friend back to his home. So I suggest you back off.”
With that said, Matt allowed Loki to pull him away from Foggy- and honestly speaking, he didn’t know how to feel about it. Sad that he and Foggy drifted away beyond repair? Angry that they no longer shared an understanding? Empty?
“Relationships are hard, Matthew,” Loki said, as she placed her other hand above his, which had been clutching at her forearm.
“I know that.”
“They come and go. If it was decided by the Norn’s, you might reconcile with him. If not-” Matt felt her shrug- “you have your pack. And me.”
“Right. Of course. Thank you.”
A beat of silence.
“I’m a Catholic though- I don’t believe in the Norns-”
summary:life isn’t all that bad as a former black widow turned hit woman. that is, until you meet a certain pain in the ass vigilante.
and end up needing his help.
word count:3.3k
warnings: ANGST, injury, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt no comfort, claire cameo my beloved!, matt makes bad decisions because he feels guilty, mentions of black widow traumas (mainly abuse & human trafficking)
author’s note: yes, my update schedule is every other week now, but i’m feeling generous today. also a little more matt pov, because the reader’s feelings are not completely one sided. enjoy this angsty chapter.
Your fingers trembled against the thin slip of paper. Its vague, yet incredibly daunting words had made your head spin— but that could’ve been the blood loss. You pulled your lip with your teeth in a futile effort to keep it from wobbling, and ignored the growing stinging in your eyes as tears threatened to bubble to the surface.
“What is it?” Matt questioned as he closed the door behind you softly as to not disturb the neighbors or draw any suspicion to you.
“Nothing, just… eviction notice.”
“Mhm,” he agreed dryly, navigating the obstacle course of your living room to set you down on your couch. “Read it to me.”
“It doesn’t even matter,” you dismissed despite the shaking of your voice betraying your cavalier words.
“Remember, I can tell when you’re lying.”
“Matt, please…” you trailed off weakly, as you sunk into your couch, groaning aloud quietly in a mixture of exhaustion and pain from your run in with the random hitman, and the growing crushing feeling on your chest from the threat of the note.
For a second, you wondered if the note referred to your more recent work in the city, but the sign-off of a spider told you everything you needed to know. Somehow, you’d prefer the threat of exposing your more recent night job to your time as a Black Widow. Your past would truly never stop haunting you.
Yet, you supposed that it was really only a matter of time. Part of you knew, deep down, that you would eventually have to pay for the crimes that you’d performed under someone else’s order, but that other naive part of you had just a sliver of hope that you had been worried for nothing.
You were becoming more and more light headed by the moment, a mixture of blood loss, the reservoir of adrenaline from the fight finally running dry, and now the final punch of imagining the new life you’d built for yourself crumbling before your eyes. Your vision was obscured by a vignette of darkness, making the design of your ceiling fade in and out of your line of sight until everything went black.
-
Your heart rate was slowing down, and it was slowing down quickly. Matt mentally scolded himself for not calling Claire sooner as he opened his burner phone and clicked the one and only contact, before setting the phone on speaker and placing it on your coffee table.
He kneeled down by your side and pressed two fingers against your pulse point, not that he needed to be any closer to hear your heartbeat, but feeling your pulse against his fingers gave him an odd sense of comfort. You were okay for the moment. Well, maybe not okay, but not dying just yet.
Scolding himself once more for wasting time, Matt went right to work with what he could do while he waited for Claire’s more expert assistance. With the already ripped fabric of your pants, Matt attempted to make a tourniquet to slow down the bleeding as much as possible.
After the third ring, Claire picked up the phone. “What’s wrong?” she slurred sleepily. Clearly, Matt’s ringtone had woken her up from her slumber.
“It’s not me this time. I’m going to send you my location, and I need you to get here as fast as you can.”
“Shit,” she murmured, the phone barely picking up on it. “Okay, give me a bit.”
-
“Did you meet each other at fight club?” Claire asked as she got to work unloading her rather extensive emergency kit.
“Something like that,” Matt murmured as he paced back and forth through your living room. To say he was on edge was an understatement. His ears were flooded with the sound of blood continuously pouring out of your wound, his mouth metallic with the taste of the soaked and hastily made tourniquet, and the scent of copper assaulted his nose. The instruments of Claire’s kit sounded far too canny for his liking, and his clothes were practically clawing at his skin with every second that your rather large wound remained open. Though he knew it was unlikely, the thought of you dying on that couch was making his stomach do acrobatics.
“What happened, Matt? Really,” Claire questioned as she began to clean your wound.
“It’s a long story,” he dismissed, not interested in divulging your complicated history, with the knowledge that he’d be asked to explain some of his more questionable decisions.
“You called me because a random woman was stabbed and bleeding out; instead of, I don’t know, bringing her to an emergency room, or calling 911. I think you can tell me what happened.”
Matt finally stopped his pacing and sat down in a stiff, slightly scratchy chair. “It really is a long story, Claire. I don’t want to distract you,” he offered.
“I’ve dealt with worse distractions than a little story,” she shrugged, threading a suture. “So what’s her deal?”
“She set me up one night to kill me. She’s uh, a contract killer, but I haven’t smelled death on her in a while. We kept having run-ins at night where she would try to kill me, and I would try to stop her, but she started pulling her punches more and more.”
“Jesus, Matt. That’s- why are you helping someone who’s been trying to kill you? Did you stab her?”
“No! And it’s more complex than just that. We accidentally met outside of our nighttime gigs. It was, uh, a mutual friend, which obviously complicated things-“
“Let me guess, things like your feelings?” Claire quipped as she began to work on you.
“Things like not murdering each other,” he grit out. Sure, it wasn’t the complete truth. Matt had only stooped to considering murder when it came to Wilson Fisk. With you, it was much more complicated. He’d grown to enjoy your little game of Cat and Mouse, liking sparring with you like his life depended on it— because it did. Yet, there was a palpable change in you following the exchange where you could’ve killed him, but didn’t. That exchange, mixed with you being the friend that Karen had so much to say about, had begun to create all sorts of problems for Matt. Problems that he didn’t particularly care to think about, let alone get into with a former lover.
“That was maybe a few months ago,” he shrugged. “We’ve seen each other less and less frequently since then, but I was out patrolling tonight and I heard distress. Distress from her, specifically. I came as fast as I could, and there was another hitman trying to get her for not getting me.”
Claire nodded quietly as she cut a stitch. “And she’s a no hospital girl, like you?”
“Yeah,” Matt breathed out. He noticed a spike in the previously steady pattern of your breath as Claire began to work on another suture, and suddenly words were slipping out of his mouth, “be careful.” Heat flooded his face. Of course she would be careful. This was herjob, and she’d patched Matt up more times than he could count. But for some odd reason, Matt was frightened for you.
Claire shot Matt a death glare. He could practically feel the daggers pressing into his skin based on the sharp intake of breath and the shift of muscles within his face.
“Sorry,” he added.
“I understand. You finally get a girl around who’s as crazy as you, and you want to keep her. And keep her safe. I promise she’s in good hands.”
Matt wasn’t a fan of how heat was rushing to his cheeks at her unfairly accurate statement. In a weird way, you both were oddly compatible, but Matt didn’t want to give that train of thought too much power.
-
Claire finished stitching you up not too long later as Matt held an ice pack close to your burning forehead. He could practically feel your skin from all the way in the kitchen, and he was well aware of how uncomfortable you must’ve been feeling from your own radiating heat. He would be concerned for infection due to your fever, but he didn’t smell any of the telltale signs, which made him believe you were in the clear.
You seemed so defenseless laying there as Matt hovered over you. Your breathing was deep, yet strained, sweat had been pouring out of you, and the smell he’d come to know as a stress hormone was ever present on you. It was so odd to perceive you like this, almost intimate. Matt couldn’t deny how his heart ached for you, despite him writing it off as sympathy for a hurt person.
Claire shuffled around as she picked up and disposed of used items, eventually pausing when she picked up a sticky note that was sticking out from under your torso.
“What’s this?” she asked aloud out of pure reflex. Matt’s head snapped up from you to Claire, curious to know what the note truly said.
“I’m not sure. She wouldn’t tell me before she passed out.”
“It just says ‘We know what you really are. And it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the world does too,’ and it’s signed off with a drawing of a spider. Whatever that means.”
“Hmm,” Matt grumbled aloud, not really sure what any of it meant. Maybe she’d finally been caught for her various hits. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that either, but he didn’t want to voice his thoughts in an effort to not get Claire involved in anything messy and unnecessary. “Thank you Claire, again. You really don’t know how much I appreciate this.”
Her lips parted in what Matt could only assume was a sweet smile. “I know, Matt,” she gave his shoulder a squeeze. “I don’t need to hear heartbeats to know how you feel. Try not to self-sabotage this one too, okay?”
Matt rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t completely deny it. “Goodbye, Claire.”
“Night, Murdock. I’ll see you next week when you break your ribs in three different places.”
“Ha ha,” he laughed dryly as Claire approached the door, sending off one final farewell as she left.
Matt sat down with a huff on the same seat that he’d waited on while Claire stitched you up, his mind laser-focused on Claire’s words and implications. At first, she’d been teasing about the two of you being together, but by the time she’d left, she was dead serious about whatever it was that was going on between you two.
Matt no longer did relationships. That was a luxury that he’d proved time and time again to himself that he could not afford. Silk sheets, artisan desserts, one night stands, and friends were already pushing it, but real relationships only caused trouble. While it certainly didn’t help that romantic relationships were the most distracting of them all, he somehow always ended up putting himself or his partner in serious danger— Claire was kidnapped, Elektra died… twice, Karen had been kidnapped and had absolutely gone through the ringer, and if tonight was any indicator, you would fall into that same trap. Pursuing anything more with you would only end in tragedy.
Matt ran a stressed hand through his hair. This little thing between you had to end tonight. He was going to find out who sent you the note to see if it would help him figure out who wanted him dead, then leaving.
He’d never been so sure of anything. He needed to extinguish anything that was there with you, and do it as soon as humanly possible.
-
When you woke back up, your brain felt like it was filled with lead. The world around you was foggy and buzzing, and for the life of you, you couldn’t grasp onto a single coherent thought. Slowly, things began to come back to you. Through your windows, you could tell that the sun was high in the sky. It was day, likely the afternoon. You were on your couch, but you weren’t sitting on its typical soft microfiber, rather than a harsh and loud piece of plastic. Your leg was stiff—likely from being stretched out for so long—and throbbing—likely from being stabbed in the thigh not too long ago.
You winced at the pain
“Matt? Why are you… What?”
“You were too injured for me to handle, so I had a friend over,” he passed you a glass of water and a gel Advil pill. “Drink. Your tea is cooling off on the coffee table.”
He sat down on the side of your couch by your extended leg and sighed softly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?” you asked, genuinely confused.
“What the note said. My friend, she’s sighted. She described the note to me after she was done stitching you up.”
“Oh,” you said plainly. The note. Your heart dropped once again as your memory was jogged by that dreaded piece of paper.
“You didn’t ever stop and think that your actions have consequences? That if your job is to commit felonies-for-hire, you won’t eventually be stopped in your tracks?”
“I really appreciate the lecture after I almost died, like a few hours ago.”
“And you didn’t die thanks to..?”
“Your sighted friend, apparently. Stop being a smartass. The note isn’t about that. It’s about…” you hesitated. You weren’t particularly in the mood for a stroll down memory lane, but it seemed more likely now than ever that Matt was going to need to know the full story in order to represent you in court. “Listen. I lived a very different life once. Not by choice.”
You inhaled deeply, shifted uncomfortably on your crinkling plastic-lined couch, and braced yourself for whatever might fall out of your lips next.
“I was just a girl when they took me to the Red Room. I never had parents, I didn’t know any better, and I fell right into every trap they set for me. I hadn’t even reached double digits before they began training me to be a Black Widow. I guess my body count reached the double digits before I did. It was like I was constantly living through a nightmare. I mean, what kind of eight year old knows the most effective way to slit a man’s throat? Or slip toxins into a mark’s drink?” your hands trembled as you spoke, and you set them on your stomach to attempt to ground yourself. “I should’ve been playing with dolls, or my friends. Instead I was spending every waking hour of the day training, or on missions.”
“But I was raised only to be a killer, nothing more. Not a kid, not a woman; a weapon, to be manipulated and used at anyone’s disposal. I was brainwashed more times than I could count, and it seemed like every time I managed to snap out of it, they’d pull me right back in. But the final time, er- most recent time, Natasha Romanoff, TheBlack Widow, y’know, the one who works with the Avengers, was able to free my mind, and take down the Red Room, where they trained us, in doing so. Her and her sister helped me get set up here, to live a normal life, or whatever,” you sighed, fighting back the stinging feeling behind your eyes and the growing knot in your throat.
“You see how well that worked out. I’m sorry Matt, for what I did to you, for how things played out between us. I guess doing hits was like muscle memory for me, it was almost nostalgic, in the way that people miss all sorts of fucked up things from their childhood. I figured it was fine, I was only getting people who really deserved it. I stopped countless abusers, rapists, and human traffickers, and I was getting paid along the way,” you frowned and fiddled with your fingers. “In fact, the only reason that I stopped myself from getting you too when I had the opportunity was that you were taking out the same people as me. If I killed the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, how many other girls just like me would have the same fate as me? Or worse? How many innocent people would have to suffer because I wanted to make my life easier.”
A tear escaped past your eyelid, and you expertly caught it before it had the chance to roll down your cheek.
“I guess that doesn’t matter right now. Someone knows that I was a Widow, and they’re going to make my life hell for things that I did when I had not one ounce of autonomy over myself. That’s what that letter meant. The DA’s gonna prosecute me, Matt,” the dam seemed to have broken as tears continued to slide down your cheeks. You didn’t bother wiping them, it wasn’t like Matt was going to see. “I can’t do this without you Matt.”
He was silent for a moment, his teeth gritting. You couldn’t believe that you’d bared your soul for him, only for him to meet you with silence.
“I’m sorry,” he began after far too long. Your heart sank like a million pound anchor to the bottom of the ocean. “I’m sorry, but this has already gone too far. You need to find someone else.”
His words felt loaded, as if they weren’t only related to your potential case, but to whatever had been blossoming between you two.
“Please, Matt, you’re the only one who understands,” you pleaded. Feeling hurt and desperate were understatements. Never in your life had you been so vulnerable with anyone— you’d given your body to Matt, and now the pain of your past that you hadn’t shared with anyone before. He knew about your more secret life, and you were more than aware of his. Matt was the only person who really understood you, the good and the bad.
But maybe, that was the problem.
You’d heard murmurs about Matt’s tumultuous dating life, along with his somewhat inconsistent friendship habits. But you weren’t coming to Matt as a romantic interest, or even a friend. You just needed him to save you, one last time.
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t. It’s Foggy, he’ll never-“
“Don’t pin this on Foggy, Matt. Just say it. You don’t want to take on this case. That’s fine but.. just claim it yourself.” It only hurt more that Matt would take the coward’s way out on something as important to you as staying out of jail for things that you weren’t even sure you were completely lucid doing.
“I’m sorry, Y/N. I really am.
“Stop it,” you attempted to hiss it out, but you were sure it was far more pathetic sounding than you wanted it to be. “Stop saying that you’re fucking sorry. If you were really sorry, you would help me.”
You wiped the tears off your cheek with your arm in one fluid stroke. “Fuck off, Matthew. I can’t even… I can’t even look at you right now,” you were at war with the lump in your throat. This hurt so much more than a broken promise, or the idea of having a shitty public defender. You’d bared your soul to Matt, and he had no other reaction than empty apologies for deciding that you were a complete lost cause. “You need to leave.”
Matt didn’t protest as he got up from your couch, he didn’t even react when you threw the mug of now lukewarm tea at him. He just quietly walked to your door, as if he was completely unfazed by everything that had gone down between the two of you in your apartment.
“You promised me, Matt,” you quietly murmured out, knowing he would be able to hear. Matt continued past the door, not bothering to acknowledge you, or your parting words at all.
“You promised,” you whimpered out one last time, completely hopeless and dejected just moments after your door had closed.
Matt willed himself to ignore your shaky whimpers and the taste of salt from your tears as he exited your building. This was what he wanted, wasn’t it?
