GSW
"Listen Zaray, the perfumes are amazing but there's way too many of them!" Sage laughed, slamming her apartment door shut as she threw her papers onto the table. The cheap pine covered in past and possible cases for Nelson and Murdock to take.
"I have more and then I'll be done I promise! Hey so how is all of that crime fighting shit going?" she asked, her tone falling grim as she changed the subject. Sighing, Sage flopped onto her couch, her curls falling towards the floor.
"Oh you know, stressful as all hell."
"Then stop doing it! Ya know, just a suggestion." Sage knew her sister hated what she did, but she also knew that she tried to support her as much as her heart could handle.
"You know I can't do that Z. This town needs me. It needs Athena."
Zaray sighed on the other line, the room falling silent before a knock sounded at Sage's door. Still on the phone, she made her way to the front door only to find her best friend on the other side.
"Hey sis, I gotta go. Sami brought me dinner." Laughing, she bid goodbye to her sister before letting Sami in.
"You know, you don't have to always bring me dinner."
"I know. But after seeing on the news those two masked maniacs roaming the city, I wanted to check on you, make sure you're okay." Placing the cartons of chinese food on the counter, Sami turned towards her best friend and smiled weakly. Leaning against the cheap granite, Sami's gaze started to become more and more empty, her mind drowning in her own thoughts.
"Earth to Sami! We'll be fine dear. From what it looks like, those masked people only go after bad people." Sage reassured, her heart racing as she tried not to give away what she had done last night.
Looking back up to Sage, Sami smiled and nodded before handing her a carton of orange chicken and a carton of rice. "Well, let's hope we're safe. Oh I almost forgot, I left a bottle of wine in my car. I'll be back." Running out the door, just before it clicked shut, a cane was stuck in between the frame and the door itself.
"Hello Flower." Matt's deeper tone vibrated through her core. God, she loved when he greeted her like that.
"Hello Matthew," a smile spreading across her face as she made way towards her friend, stopping inches from him. "I would love to come to your place for dinner, but Sami is over." she whispered, her hand trailing up his chest.
Placing his hand over hers, a soft smile made way to his face as he pulled her closer. "I wasn't here to ask you to dinner again, Flower. I came here to tell you good night. I'm going to bed early."
Sage's heart raced within her chest as she took him in, his warm and citrusy cologne made way to her nose, making her smile wider.
"Oh- Sage I didn't know you had a boy-,"
"Not boyfriend Sami. I uh...goodnight Matthew. I'll uh...uhh." her mind went blank as she tried to push him out the door. She hated to even admit that she had a crush on Matt, but god damn this man was not only handsome as hell, but also the biggest gentleman she'd ever met.
"Goodnight, Sage. Don't be up too late." Removing his glasses, Matt winked at her before making his way to his apartment door. Disappearing into his apartment, Sage sighed as she turned back around to face Sami.
"Not my boyfriend. We just..."
"Flirt because you want to fuck him more than you want to breath?"
"Sami!" Both girls erupted into fits of laughter as Sage poured them glasses of the cheaper wine.
~~~~
The cooler summer air brought goosebumps to his skin as his tight black shirt did little to protect him against the wind. Crouching down on the edge of the roof, he listened closely to the chaos below; police sirens wailing as they responded to a bar fight call, taxi's being hailed by drunken patrons and the occasional bound of laughter coming from a group of drunk girls.
"Hello, Devil." Athena's smooth voice rang through his ears as he stood. Walking towards her, Matt took her hand in his and bent down onto one knee.
"If I knew you were a goddess, I would have greeted you as such," he whispered, kissing the back of her hand as he tilted his head up towards hers. A soft laugh escaped her lips as a blush crept across her cheeks. Squeezing his hand, Matt stood as a smile made way to his lips.
"You're such a flirt, Devil."
"Well, I am in the presence of a goddess so why wouldn't I flirt?"
Pushing him away, Athena laughed again before making her way to the edge of the building to look over her city.
"Did you hear the news?" she asked, not looking back to him as a lump began to form in her throat. Never in her life had she been that close to being caught, and here she was, now in the public eye.
"Yeah. How are you handling it? I've been in the public eye for awhile now. Doesn't bother me as much," he chuckled, trying to keep the situation light. Athena sighed as she watched to make sure a blonde woman got into her home safely. Shaking her head, she looked to him with wet eyes.
"Honestly Devil, not super good. Only one person knows that I do this, and now all of Hell's Kitchen knows." she whispered. Placing a hand on the lower curve of her back, he held it there as a reassurance that he knew what she was feeling.
Taking a deep breath, Athena pushed it out as she turned towards him again. "But, we have a job to do Devil, and I know that we haven't found that kid yet. Can you hear him?" Turning his head towards the busy streets below, Matt tried his best to tune his hearing to where he had last heard the kid.
"Abandoned factory, down by the wharf? It's too loud but I can heard him crying."
"Well let's go then, I'm itching for a fight." she said, making sure her mask was on tight as Matt was already on the next rooftop.
"Come on Goddess, don't be so slow!" he teased, doing a side flip over a sky light. Following in his steps, Athena was quick to get to the next rooftop, her foot slipping slightly as her hands caught the edge. A screamed left her lips before she caught her footing again, looking back up towards Devil, he stood still in his spot, listening as she stood back up and caught up with him.
"Are you okay?"
"Perfect. Lost my footing for a second," she chuckled, racing to the next rooftop, leaving him in the dust.
"Oh come on, Goddess, you can't leave me to catch up with you!" Matt smiled before sprinting across the cement roof, trying to now keep up with Athena.
Their race was quick to end at the wharf, just as they had wanted. "Now Athena, there's....fifteen men in there, two by the door and four patrolling. Think we got this?"
Humming, Athena took a deep breath before she jumped down from the boat house, lading softly on the balls of her feet. Jumping down next to her, Matt grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind crates, hiding from the security guard that came walking by seconds later.
"You and your hearing." she chuckled. Staying crouched down, Athena and Matt were quick to take out the security guards at the door. Doing her signature move, Athena ran up to one of the guards and jumped up to wrap her legs around his head. Using her body weight, she was quick in taking him down.
All while Matt took his time in punching the other out, hitting him over the head multiple times before the man fell down, unconscious to the world around him. Snatching one of their key cards, he handed it to Athena to have her swipe it.
A beep sound as the heavy door clicked open. "Don't get caught." She whispered, running into the warehouse. The sounds of men yelling and shouting before falling silent filled the air, along with the grunts of Athena as she started to become more and more outnumbered.
"It took you ten seconds to start getting your ass handed back to you," he whispered, a chuckle falling from his lips as he ran into the building to help her. Men charging at him within seconds, swinging knives and broken chair legs.
The sound of a the hammer being cocked suddenly caught his attention amidst all the chaos of the fight. "Athena! Gun at two!" he yelled just as the trigger was pulled. Her scream ripped through the air and was cut short just as the scent of copper filled the air.
"Athena?"
"It's fine Devil, I'll be fine," she groaned, her hand covering the wound in her shoulder, the sticky substance seeping through her fingers as she picked up a broken chair and threw it at the man who had shot her.
"Bastard," she mumbled, her breathing starting to pick up as adrenaline coursed through her body.
The sounds of fighting happening in the room over warmed her heart; she could tell that Devil was mad, angry, and it showed heavily in the way he fought.
As the grunting and screams subsided, the door on the far end of the hallway creaked open, and no more than two minutes later, he appeared in the room she had been sitting in.
"Goddess, are you okay? Can you walk?"
"Yeah I can walk. Got the kid?" she asked, standing up slowly, her right arm felt dead as it hung at her side.
"You've been shot,"
"I'll be fine, let's get the kid back to his dad."
~~~~
The smell of copper filled the room as he carried her into the hotel room, her blood staining her suit and his hands. Setting her on the toilet seat, Athena groaned as the sudden shift made the bullet in her shoulder move.
"Shh it's okay, Goddess. I'm going to help you but this is going to hurt like a bitch," he warned, handing her a rolled up towel before pouring the antiseptic onto her shoulder. Her muffled screams filled the bathroom, her face twisting in pain as the liquid bubbled, killing the bacteria within the wound.
"I have to dig it out, Athena. Stay still for me." he encouraged her. Humming in acknowledgment, he grabbed a pair of tweezers and slid it into the hole in her shoulder. Biting down onto the towel, Athena's hand flew to his other arm that was steadying himself on the back of the toilet.
Stilling himself, he took a quick deep breath before intertwining his fingers with hers. Squeezing her hand once, he continued to dig around before producing the bullet and dropping it into the sink.
"I have to clean it once more and then we're done okay?" he reassured. Not hearing a response, he continued to wait. "Use your words, Goddess. Remember I'm blind." he chuckled. Hearing a hum, he nodded before pouring more of the antiseptic onto her shoulder.
Her muffled screams broke his heart as he poured the liquid into the wound, the grip on his hand becoming tighter. Once he could hear the liquid not fizzing anymore, he set the antiseptic down and grabbed the gauze and tape from beside him.
"Hold this, tight," he instructed, waiting until he felt her hand leave his and hold onto the gauze. Grabbing the tape, he was quick in wrapping it around her shoulder. "Does it feel secured?" Removing the towel from her mouth, she confirmed that it was tight enough.
"Thanks Devil. God, that really did hurt like a bitch," she chuckled, not risking moving her shoulder in fear that it would make the glue from the tape move.
~~~~
Matt's alarm chirped as he rolled over and hit the top, the robotic voice yelling out the time. Rolling onto his back, he waited for Sage's call. But it never came. Puzzled, he picked up his phone and dialed her number.
One...two...three...four...
"Hello?"
"Flower? Is everything okay?
"Yeah uh, I had a rough night last night. I went out for a late night walk and ended up getting jumped and shot," she explained, a groan coming from the speaker.
"I'll be over in a bit. Do you need help with anything?"
"Just having you here is enough for me." she retaliated, and he knew she had a smile on her face. Matt smiled as he reiterated he would be over in a second, hanging up the phone, he hurriedly got dressed before grabbing his tie and making way across the hall.
Knocking on the rickety door, Sage called for him to come in as it was open. "Flower?"
"In the bathroom!" she called, hear the water turn off, Matt stood outside the bathroom door. Blind or not, he knew she needed her privacy.
"Matt?"
"I'm out here, Flower. Do you need any help?"
She paused, almost as if she was weighing her options. "Yes please."
Walking into the bathroom, Matt took in the steamy room, the warmth wrapping itself around his body.
"I uh, just need help clipping my bra together." she whispered. Turning her back to him, she held the clasps and hooks in one hand, the two ends barely meeting. Reaching his hands out, his palms wandered around momentarily before grabbing the two ends of the bra.
"Do you feel the hooks? There should be three rows of loops as well. I need it in the farthest from the end. Do you understand?" she instructed, Humming in understanding, she could feel his rough hands lightly run across her back as he tried to take in her instructions.
Shivers ran down her spine at his gentle touch. His hands were rough, calloused, but they way they ghosted across her smooth skin made her almost crave them elsewhere. She could feel him clasp her bra closed and her heart broke, she didn't want this moment to end.
"Thank you Matt," she whispered, turning around to face him. She smiled when she realized that his tie was draped around either sides of his neck; she wasn't sure if he actually knew if he could tie his tie, but she was more than happy to do it for him.
"Do you need help with your tie?"
Nodding, Sage reached out as far as she could and began to tie it for him, taking another half of a step closer when her arm began to ache. The warming scent of his cologne making her forget everything that had happened last night.
"I'll uh...leave for you to get dressed," he whispered, his deep voice resonating within her soul. Pressing her hand against his chest, Sage's heart raced as her palm coasted across his torso.
"Matthew I..." She could feel his heart racing as well, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath he took to try and steady himself.
"Sage?! Are you in there? Your sister said you weren't answering and wanted me to check on you!" Sami's voice rang throughout the apartment as she walked into the kitchen.
"Shit, uh...Yeah Sami I'm fine! Just got out of the shower so don't come in I'm naked!" she called out, pushing Matt towards the linen closet. "Stay here until I come back okay?" Closing the closet door, she wrapped the towel around her body before quickly leaving the bathroom.
"Sage oh god what happened to you?!" Sami yelled upon seeing the gauze on her shoulder. Retelling her lie, she tried her best to tell Sami that she was getting ready for work, and would call her once she got home.
Finally leaving, Sage raced back towards the bathroom to let Matt out of the linen closet. "Oh god I am so sorry. Help me get ready for work and we can go?"
"Yeah...I'd like that."