The Mask
She was intoxicating to say the least, her perfume filling his nose before she even stepped foot into the alleyway. He couldn't help but despise her in a way that made him want her- whatever her name was. She was cocky and full of herself, always making snide remarks towards him and taking out the guys he was so close to knocking out.
But damn did they ever work well together.
"Hey handsome, having fun?" she teased, punching a guy in the face without looking in his direction. Matt couldn't help but let a smile cross his face as her voice warmed his heart. As much as he didn't like her, the sound of her voice brought him a comfort he never knew possible.
"Oh so I'm handsome now? Yesterday I was an annoying prick." He jabbed back, driving his fist into a guys face as the man swung at him with a rebar.
"Well yesterday, you gave the final blow to someone I was fighting," she huffed, her long ponytail swinging around her head, missing him by an inch.
"Well maybe you should have been faster," a light laughed escaped his lips as he turned to face her. He could smell the combination of her shampoo and perfume- mango and roses- along with the fact that she had orang chicken and rice for lunch.
"Ya know, I hope one day I have to save your ass so that you can kiss mine."
~~~~
The alarm clock on his bedside table chirped, pulling him from his dark and fleeting slumber. His side ached as he leaned over and pushing in the top of his clock, the robotic voice yelling out the time just as his phone began to ring.
"Hello?"
"Good morning Matty, I'm halfway dressed and about to come over. Are we still doing breakfast?" Sage's cheerful voice came through the speaker.
Matt groaned as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. He knew there were no cuts, but god damn some of those guys hit hard; those bruises were deep and would take days to heal.
"Matty, you better not be entertaining someone else! I thought I was your only!" Sage feigned shock, and he could hear the way her hand flew to her chest.
Such a tease that woman was; but he couldn't help but to admire her.
"Listen, Flower, you are my one and only," he teased, pushing himself off the bed before making way towards his closet. He could practically hear her getting ready next door, hear her words before they would come through the speaker. He could hear her grabbing herself- and him- a bottle of water, the hot New York sun already warming up his apartment and he knew it would be a warm one.
"Ugh, Flower. Don't make me swoon Matt," she laughed before the call dropped. Sliding into his pants, a knock sounded at his door just as he wrapped his tie around his neck. The front door opened a half a second later, the sounds of heels clicking against his tiled floors alerting him that she was near.
"I really really hope you aren't decent Matty!" she yelled, his ears ringing slightly due to her high pitched. Forcing out a laugh, he emerged slowly from his bedroom, his tie hanging from either sides of his neck.
"Come here and let me help bub." Her heels clicked as she made it to him in three quick strides. She made hasty work of his tie, making sure it wasn't too tight for him before patting his chest.
"You know, Flower, everyone talks and they all suspect that we're dating." he teased, his heart racing at just the thought of calling her his for the rest of his life.
"Well that's too bad because I do have my eye on someone."
"That's right," he sighed, dropping his head before picking it back up and smiling at Sage. Offering his arm for her, she placed her hand in the crook of his elbow before pulling him towards his door, grabbing his cane just before the door clicked shut.
"So where were you last night, I heard you get home pretty late last night." he asked as the pair gingerly made their way down the apartment stairs. He could hear her heart race for a few beats before settling back down. Puzzled, he turned towards her.
"Couldn't sleep so I went out on a...a walk." Her heart rate was eerily steady for the way she had hesitated, and Matt couldn't figure out if she was lying or not.
"Did you get a new perfume?" He questioned, trying to change the subject as the warming scent of homemade bread filled his nose. Sage hummed while she opened the door to the cafe, a smile spreading across her painted lips as the pair made their way to the line.
The quaint cafe was on their way to work and it was Sage's favorite breakfast nook. The cafe held a wide range of coffee's and breakfast foods like sandwiches, wraps and homemade breads.
"Good morning Ms. Hockley, Mr. Murdock. The Usual?" The barista asked, already reaching for two cups that sat to her left. Confirming that all they wanted were their usuals- but this time iced- Sage handed the barista the money before leading Matt to the far side of the counter.
"Yeah I did get new perfume. My sister sent me a box of samplers that she's collected and just sent them all to me," she chuckled, squeezing her body closer to Matt's as someone tried to grab their coffee.
"It's nice, I like it. What is it?"
"It's a sage one. Figured I would own up to my name." Matt smiled as he inhaled once more to take another smell of her perfume. It fit her.
"Hockley! Murdock!" The barista called out. Whispering for Matt to not move, she walked toward the counter and placed the cinnamon bread slices in her purse before grabbing the coffees. Making sure Matt had hold of his cup, the pair made their way back down the street towards the office.
"You think Foggy and Karen are gonna be upset we didn't get them anything?" Sage laughed, knowing damn well that their two friends would feign hurt.
They would do this almost every day; Sage and Matt would walk in together with some kind of breakfast food and a coffee, Foggy would always make some sort of comment pertaining to the lack of food for him.
Or it was a comment about if Sage and Matt were officially a couple or not.
And Karen would always laugh, always played along. There was always something going on in the back of that girl's head and as many times as Sage told her that she was there for her, Karen always fought her battles herself.
"Oh yeah for sure!" he replied, his own laugh falling from his lips. He always loved being around Sage, there was something about her that made it feel like home.
"Oh god how dare you two get coffee without getting us some!" Foggy yelled, almost on cue as his jaw dropping in mock shock when Sage and Matt walked through the old rickety door of their firm. The hinges whining for oil as Sage pushed it shut behind them. The frosted glass hiding anything from the outside hallway.
"Well maybe if you walked with us, you might-"
"Hey guys...I think you all need to see this." Karen interrupted, her eyes glued to her laptop screen. The faint sounds of a news segment could be heard playing over the dinky speakers, although Matt could hear every word said almost as if the reporter was standing next to him.
"...Two masked individuals were seen last night in an alleyway beating up gang members. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen was seen along with a woman wearing a black laced with gold mask that appeared to cover the lower half of her face."
"Eye witnesses say that they exchanged playful banter while throwing punches, kicks and apparently chunks of wood and rebar. The Masked Man and Woman are now both being tracked down by the police."
Closing her laptop, Karen turned around in her desk chair, glancing between her three friends.
"Do you think we're in danger?"
"Pft! I doubt they'll come after us! I mean I cry when I see a stray dog sleeping in the streets! We're harmless Karen." Sage replied, waving her hand in the air to dismiss Karen's concern.
Matt could hear her heart rate start to pick up; she was worried, anxious. Something that the reporter had said worried her.
What was she hiding?
"....Right Matt?"
"What?" He asked, lost within his own thoughts he forgot to pay attention to what they were all saying.
"The masked people won't come for us," Sage reiterated, her fingers on her right hand moving the fabric of her shirt back and forth, the noise irritating his ears.
"Yeah oh yeah no they won't!" He reassured, quickly turning on his heels as he dragged his hand along the desk and then the wall to make way to his office.
Finding his chair, he made himself comfortable before pushing out a sigh; how could he have been so careless last night? He knew he was distracted, but enough to leave a witness?
"...Matt?" Picking his head up towards the voice, he raised his eyebrows in question as a silent way to ask what they had said.
"Someone's a little distracted today," Sage teased, a heavenly laugh falling from her lips.
"It's cause you're here, Flower." Holding his hand out for her, he waited as her heels clicked against the floor. Placing her hand in his, he brought her knuckles up to his lips and left a butterfly fly kiss across them.
"Such a tease. Anyway, Karen had gotten a call before we had arrived. A man being accused of murdering a whole bunch of people at a bowling alley. He also bashed a guy's head in with a bowling ball," her voice trailed off as she read Karen's notes, her hand not once leaving his as he drug his thumb across the back on her hand.
"Well, when should Foggy and I go meet him, Flower?
~~~~
"Ah Rose-"
"Rose? Where the hell did you get that name?" she asked, a chuckle filling the air. He could smell her perfume from three blocks down as he also listened to make sure she didn't need any help beating up that guy who seemed twice her size.
"Well, you uh...you wear a rose perfume." he tried to defend himself, standing up tall as she walked closer to him. He never realized that she wasn't much shorter than him, maybe a few inches.
"My name is Athena, dumbass," she whispered, a smile coming across her face, although her mask hid it well.
"Athena. Isn't that also-
"The Goddess of Wisdom and Military Victory? Yes. My parents were heavy into Mythology. So, what do I call you now that you know my name?" she pried, her tone flirtatious.
"Well apparently I've earned the name The Devil of Hell's Kitchen," he shrugged, not really one for names as he turned his head down to the street.
"So you're telling me, I need to call you The Devil of Hell's Kitchen every time I need help or some shit?" she laughed, their body's closer than they have ever been outside of a fight. His heart began to race as he took in her perfume and shampoo. He hated how she had this effect on him.
"You got a girl back home, Devil?"
"Now why would I tell you that?" A smile made its way to his lips, and Athena couldn't help but swoon. She knew very little about the masked man in front of her, but thank all the gods he was as handsome as the Devil himself.
"Well maybe I wanted to-" he cut her off as his hand wrapped around her face to shush her. Turning his head towards the noise, he listened to what was happening below them.
"What do you hear?" she whispered, his grip loosening on her lips just enough for her to talk.
"Six guys, a child, he's yelling for his dad to save him," Matt whispered, his head leaning towards the sound of the child screaming for his father. The van doors slammed shut as the engine hit over four thousand RPMs; they were trying to get away fast.
Matt stayed silent as he continued to listen, tracking the van as much as he could before a gunshot broke his focus.
"Shit, lost them on 46th. Gang snatching up a child. Large van, heavy duty, probably bullet proof." he explained, tightening his gloves before making sure his mask was on tight enough.
"You ready?"
"Am I ever. Let's go kick some ass."