Daredevil

          𝐘𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦, even if she knows he can’t actually see her doing it. Though, she will commend him for being a skilled vigilante, considering he’s blind… Sitting on the floor, since it’s the easiest position to get herself into, Yelena watches him maneuver around the room before coming back to her side with a first aid kit. How he knew that’s what it was? She’ll never know, but as long as her wound is tended to, that’s all that matters to the tiny blonde at the moment. ❝ Alright, ❞ comes her huff before she’s tacking on, ❝ too bad you can’t really enjoy it, ❞ as she lifts her shirt enough for him to take care of the stab wound.

!!        he could see the evil thoughts of torturing him on Matt’s face, jabbing a finger silently in his direction as he pulled his jacket back on over the pink shirt he had chosen that day, Foggy let his shoulders lose all the tension in them; he was happy to buy the drinks for the meantime. Raising an eyebrow, he considered texting Marci before shaking it off and moving to stand next to his friend and offering out his elbow, ‘ greasy cafe a few blocks over or you got somewhere else in mind bud?   ’

She doesn’t need the lights on to know he’s living in the most stereotypical, dull, low-end lawyer bachelor pad style apartment. And she is not far off once he flips the lights on, greeted with muted shades of red and brown and black. It takes everything in her to stifle a groan of annoyance at how right she would be-though the bed that opens to the living area was certainly……a choice.

 “I brought you something,” she says once she’s done surveying the place, “A thank you for getting me out of trouble and keeping Mycroft from getting his way. Both are equally important to me.” Anthea sets the very expensive, very old bottle of red wine on the counter in his kitchen area. “I’m curious how you did it.”

      matt can tell that she’s judging her apartment just from the way he can hear the soft huff of breath that leaves her lungs, but he doesn’t really care. he doesn’t have to look at it, and it has everything that he needs in it, so that’s all he really needs. when she turns back toward him, says that she got him something, his brows lift a little bit in surprise. in truth, he thought she was here to tell him off for something or other.  

      He settles around her just like that, soft and clean, fresh bruises coming into color in the low light. Beautiful, messy. It’s a little overwhelming, how such small comfort fills her up. Doesn’t feel small. For a moment, Elektra has the urge to open her mouth and murmur to him that she’s changed her mind. That yes, she’ll marry him. She’ll take this forever. If not for the sense that their luck won’t last, maybe she would. If not for the constant flux of their reality, if not for the feeling that something’s waiting to split them in half at the first opportunity. The list goes on. But she doesn’t care to think about it that long.

     Her reply is delayed a few heartbeats, shifting to brush against her cheek to his hair for a second. “I love you too, Matthew,” she murmurs softly, watching his closed eyes. Simply resting, simply being the one he relaxes and falls asleep with. Having him as a place to lay her own burdens aside, too, where it feels nothing can get to them here. Her head knows they’re bound to repeat the past, but her heart doesn’t want to believe it. Never wants to lose him, or this. She adjusts to keep him a millimeter closer, though it’s a vain gesture when she gives up looking at him, eases, and shuts her own eyes to go after sleep.

      the next evening when matt returns home from work, he’s already tempted to ask her what her plans for them this evening are exactly. but sometimes surprises can be good, so he refrains. instead, he steps through his apartment to where he can hear her moving around the bedroom, and though she doesn’t turn he knows that she’s aware he’s behind her. still, he doesn’t initially say anything as he steps up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her back against him, lips pressed against her cheek.  ❝ hey, you. ❞

     As he explains, there’s a slow-curling smile on her lips that bubbles into a small laugh at the squeeze, briefly from the top of her throat. She’s not regretting taking them away from the private confines of his apartment, but her mind is beginning to think about his hands elsewhere. The question prompts an obvious solution, if he could just feel how well it fits. Maybe he knows that already, somehow. “You mimed me?” she surmises, amused. A little impressed, even. The image makes her chuckle again, a bit more. “Well, it’s better than roses.” The smile’s still clearly in her voice, but she can’t possibly give him too much credit yet. Instead she drags his hand a few inches higher, past a bump of a scar or two to where the fabrics conflict at her hip. Keeps her hand on his for a moment, a quiet sign of approval, then slides down his forearm for a more casual hold. “Certainly… unexpected,” she rumbles lower after a pause, abandoning ambiguity in favor of actually conveying how much she likes the gift.

.

      matt can only imagine how she must look right now, but he really does believe that she must look phenomenal.  ❝ i did. ❞ he answers honestly, rolling his shoulders in a light shrug as his smile remains on his lips. her comment about the roses makes him laugh, and his brows lift a little as he rolls his shoulders in a shrug.  ❝ well, i learn pretty quickly. ❞ not a mistake he would make again. fingers curl around his hand, inching it higher, and she guides it up until he can feel the lingerie through the silky fabric of her dress. his hand flattens, fingers shifting to feel it beneath the dress, and he hums softly.  ❝ unexpected in a good way, right? ❞ he teases, because he can tell she likes it, he just isn’t sure it’s the best thing that he could’ve gotten her for valentine’s. though, she’s the kind of woman that just buys whatever she wants, so perhaps it is. his fingers shift to admire the contrast between the fabrics, his thumb dipping along her hip. 

          Mori reaches out to shake the proffered hand, firm, warm. “Work. I am…” Tracking the sale of a stolen, magic-imbued object for a well-paying client? “Attending a conference.”

     Her eyes flick to his face briefly to read his reaction as his fingers draw over the fabric and she finishes with his tie, a small smile briefly curving her lips in satisfaction. Lace and lines underneath, interrupting her skin and the softness of the dress. Rather likes the contrast as she moves, herself. Elektra merely looks back over her shoulder on the way out, flashing a grin behind her at his laugh. She waits for him to catch up in the hallway before heading down. She wasn’t lying— a car is waiting for them. Once inside she sits in the middle to be right next to Matt, her knees bumping his a little. It’s all been arranged, and the driver just pulls off without a single direction from her. “Tell me how you went shopping?” she asks him after a moment, a small lilt of burning curiosity in her voice. Elektra can only imagine how the conversation went with whatever shop assistant had to deal with him, or how he managed to get it sized so well, and she doesn’t want to only imagine.

.

      he grabs his keys on the way out before shutting the door, joining her in the hallway to head down to the car. he’s not surprised when she doesn’t scoot in all the way, allowing an easy smile to ease onto his lips as he settles in next to her. he reaches his left hand out to settle on her thigh, just above her knee, and laughs a little at her question.  ❝ it was... pretty awkward. ❞ he admits, thumb stroking against soft fabric for a moment, enjoying the contrast against his calloused hands.  ❝ i explained what i wanted, how i wanted it to feel, and the lady was nice enough to let me handle a few pieces to see how they were under my hands. ❞ he tilts his head toward her, a slight smirk pulling at his lips now.  ❝ if you’re wondering how i sized it... ❞ he trails off, giving her thigh a playful squeeze.  ❝ i know your body pretty well. i just kind of... held my hands out, and she measured it from there. how does it fit? did i get it right? ❞

     “Aw, too bad,” she fakes a little ironic pout in her voice. Yes, what a bummer they’ll be sharing. She wanders into the kitchen for a moment, grabs a pair of water bottles from the fridge and tosses him one. Pauses to give him a quick peck on her way to the bathroom, brushing her fingers to his chest, there and gone. She doesn’t linger in the shower. Getting a bit tired herself after such a long day, and nothing sounds better than curling up with him for a rest.

     It feels like a little punctuation mark at the end of her… not apology, but the existence of her regret that she doesn’t see the point in getting married. Denying him something that’s rather innocent and lovely for him to want, and the subsequent feeling that she needs to show some assurance of her love for him. For tonight, anyway. She trades her towel for a comfy tank top and underwear, then climbs into bed after him. A moment later, relatively settled under the covers, she tugs Matt to her in a familiar way, pulling him to her heart and wrapping around him to set her chin in his hair.

.

      his lips tilt upwards for a moment at Elektra’s teasing, and then she’s moving away as Matt rolls his shoulders, easing the tension from his frame now that he finally feels like he can relax. a bottle of water is tossed his way, and Matt catches it instinctively, tipping his head down into the kiss that she presses to his lips. he lingers only a moment before following her, and as she heads for the bathroom he crosses to the bed.

“ okay, i do apologize, i should have maybe popped in on the other side of your door and knocked. ” the timedoor disappeared behind him and mobius tucks the tempad away.

“ let me begin by saying i know who you are, mr. murdock, and what you’re capable of, and i didn’t come here to get my ass kicked. my name is mobius, i work for something called the time variance authority. are you willing to hear more or should i go out the way i came in? ”

      he wants to say that he would’ve noticed the strange arrival either way, unless he’d done it a few blocks away, but he doesn’t. instead, a muscle in his jaw ticks as the man starts to explain that he knows who he is. what he does.

     It isn’t fair how far from alone they are. How his dorm room at Columbia feels miles away, and her place is completely out of bounds. This feels stolen, and it kind of is. Adds to the thrill of it, if she’s honest. Elektra’s never concerned about someone seeing or judging them, not when what’s between them is so much more important, not when she wants to kiss him now and can. Everyone should know they belong together. In a few months time this place won’t matter at all. A breath she’s holding in her chest stumbles out when Matt pulls her right to him, encouragingly, and she surges with him in eager answer. Whenever she’s pushed for a little more, Matt’s said yes, and she loves him for it. Sparks like a flint in her every time, feels like her skin is singing i love you on repeat. “Easy on the hair, darling,” she pulls back just to mutter as much on his lips, a bit husky and quick, nosing his cheek with a soft sound exhaled from her throat. Wishes she didn’t have to care, wishes he could pull it all loose and plunge his hands into it. She pecks the other side of his cheek, the other corner of his mouth, then gently bites the plush of his bottom lip before nudging in again for more, her arms crossing tightly behind his neck.

     A couple of brushing kisses, it’s a start to soothing the desire she’s had to be close to him like this since they left the rink. Elektra’s hum of delighted agreement is muffled as he pulls her tighter. Yes, she had wanted something to that effect, and seeing Matt take it upon himself so readily was more satisfying than anything she could’ve done. After a few seconds, her kiss shallows out, only to tilt her head the other way and nuzzle up, planting light smooches and smudges of lipstick near the corner of his mouth. Her fingers climb the sides of his neck and pull him down gently as she kisses him, slow and deeper, slipping further from reality. All around is like white noise beside the cold softness of his skin and heat beneath. She can’t really feel it, just knows it’s there under layers of coats and sweaters. Ought to stop. There is a small voice in the back of her mind saying nothing more can come of this moment, but Elektra ignores it, chasing instead a buzzing feeling along her skin growing stronger the longer they hold onto each other, not unlike the adrenaline from before. A rosy bloom finds her cheeks, a tingly warmth instead of a wintry numbness. Her hands grip Matt a little harder as her heart thrums, kiss turning insistent, wanting, and the weight of her presses against him as if to stumble him backwards. 

    ❝ -- who the hell are you? and how’d you get in here? ❞ might be slightly giving himself away, but his surprise has admittedly gotten the better of him. the man had appeared through some strange energy source Matt hadn’t been able to pinpoint.

          her breathing is uneven.  hands wringing together nervously.  tongue dampening her lower lip as she feels herself cling to all her anxious habits.          ❝ i – water .. yes ❞          lowering herself down to sit.  covering her mouth with trembling fingers.          ❝ i don’t want to go to prison ❞

          “Ah— Mori.” Half-amused, accent thick. “Morinko for long. I should remember this sooner, no?”

     She leans a little closer as he takes up her hand. Things between them feel better than when they parted ways on the roof, like a warmth breathed back into the room, and she’s only done by half. Good. “You? Ruin it?” Elektra can’t help the disbelief and sudden softness in her voice, taken by surprise. It makes a strange smile break across her face for a moment. There’s a brief clutching feeling in her chest and she holds his hand a little better, too. She’s been the one to ruin them, and probably will again. His stubbornness aside. But even she can sense how speaking the ridiculousness of his idea aloud would sound much too self-disparaging.

     Elektra hums a small, closed kind of chuckle to brush past it. “We’ll have a good time tomorrow,” she says, pressing her weight forward more to nuzzle nearer. It’s not the most comfortable position though, so after a moment she straightens back up, undoes and discards her coat across the back. It’s very late. “Sleeping out here tonight?” she asks, a dry tease. She still needs a shower after the fight and being in Melvin’s greasy workshop for hours. 

      Matt feels his brows lift a little when he notes the disbelief in her voice, but he can sort of understand why. in truth, he’d thought that coming on so strong might have pushed her away. her reaction hadn’t exactly been what he’d expected, after all. still... maybe he should have. it wasn’t just the heat of the moment, he’d thought about it before-- but voicing it... shouldn’t have happened. still... he doesn’t want to dwell on that, now, so he just shrugs lightly.  ❝ glad that i didn’t. really, i am. ❞ because he doesn’t think he could cope with losing her again. not when things have been going as well as they have. 

It was like a dance, and she knew all the moves by heart. 

The fluidity of it; the way he would move, every step he took, every punch thrown, and dodge made. This was a dance nestled deep within her, thrumming in her blood, and causing heat to crawl against her skin. 

In her lifetime she had fought both by his side and opposite him more times than she could count. And it had rarely ever been for fun, like this was. This was a welcome distraction, a rare moment between them that wasn’t fraught with the tragedy of their lives. They were here together, forgetting the outside world and their places within it. If only for a short while.

Elektra feigns on her jab to his ribs, using it as a distraction to hook her foot behind his ankle and twist, dropping him to his back. She’s quick to follow, trapping him between her thighs as she catches his wrists in hers and lowers her head close enough that she can feel his heavy breath fan against her cheeks. 

Neither of them had gone easy on the other. 

“ I win. ”

      he’s not really surprised when his back hits the mat beneath him. he’s fought her enough times to know that they can best each other. instead, he releases a low laugh when he finds himself pinned beneath her, his chest rising and falling quickly for a moment as he catches his breath. 

       they’ll go again, probably. they don’t tend to give up until the score is even, or something else calls them away. for now, Matt allows himself to be held in place so that he can stop his chest from heaving, that idiotic smile still very much in place.  

he’s worried about her ? already dripping down to a knee, picking up the black bag he’d dropped when they’d collided. she snorts, “ ego’s bruised more than anything,” she normally wasn’t the clumsy type. “ here.”

.

    ❝ thank you. ❞ he hums, accepting the bag back as he offers her a smile.  ❝ sorry for colliding with you-- usually i’m pretty good at dodging people. ❞