Girls Night
"Karen come on, I'll host the girls night, my best friend will come along and the three of us can just relax finally." Sage pleaded, laying on the desk to prevent her friend from working. Karen laughed lightly, leaning back in the shitty office chair while pushing her blonde hair back away from her face. Sage was right, she did need to relax in some way.
"No boys?" she joked, looking towards Foggy and Matt as the two of them sat in the next room, both too engulfed in their readings. Nodding, Sage sat up as she glanced towards their friends.
"No boys. Just a couple of girls having a fun night to decompress." she promised, holding her pinky finger out for her. Smiling shyly, Karen hooked her pinky with Sage's. Jumping off the desk, Sage sauntered towards Foggy and Matt and leaned against the doorframe with her good arm.
"You two okay if we leave early? Karen needs a damn break," she laughed. She watched as Matt picked his head up slightly, turning towards her voice with a smirk on his lips. Fiddling with the hem of her shirt, Sage felt her face and neck heat up before Foggy's voice brought her back to reality.
"Yeah, you girls go. Matt and I will close up." He said slowly, not once looking up at the two girls. Sage watched as Matt pushed his chair away from the table, throwing his headphones down, not caring that they fall onto the floor.
Sage stood frozen as Matt made his wy to her, dragging his hands along the walls and table. Stopping in front of her, He cupped her cheek and leaned down to be even with her. Closing her eyes, her heart raced as his thumb caressed the high point of her cheek.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do, sugar," he breathed into her ear before standing back up to his full height and making way back to his chair. Pushing out a shaky breath, Sage looked to Karen who only had a knowing smile on her face before she dragged Sage away.
"You are whipped for that boy," she teased, slipping her arm into the crook of Sage's a the two made their way down the building stairs. The old creaky stairs making her worry at just how many days left the building had.
"And what makes you say that, Karen?" She laughed, watching her step as the stairs began to dip due to being so worn over time. As their heels landed against the cement flooring of the lobby, Karen shot Sage a knowing look, as if she didn't just witness Matt wanting to kiss her.
"You are absolutely delusional you know that." Pushing open the swinging doors, the bright sun warmed her skin as the sidewalk was bustling with people. "You clearly can't see just how bad he wants you. No man does shit like that just for fun. Jesus, and he's the blind one!"
"It's all in good fun Karen. Nothing serious," Sage dismissed, leading her friend towards the liquor store. Walking into the small store, the pair were instantly greeted by a woman with longer black hair. Her rosy pink lips spreading into a wide smile, the lipstick contrasting harsly agasint her hair.
"Sage! Karen! I'm off in five, are we ready for the best girls night ever in the history of girls nights?!"
~~~~
"No no you should have seen the way he looked when he tried that man's cig for the first time. Poor Foggy was trying to be all tough and ended up coughing up a lung," Sage recalled, her words getting louder as laughter filled the apartment.
A bottle of wine in each girls hands, their third for the night as each of them shared stories, both about their childhoods and about recent events. Not a care in the world was shared between the three girls as each of them reached the a slice of pizza, the gooey cheese stretching far enough to make Sage lean back to try and break it.
"What did Matt say about all of this?" Karen giggled, taking another long drink of her Moscato.
"Matt called him a pussy and tried for himself only to in turn-"
Their bouts of laughter were quickly ruined by the sound of Sage's wooden door splintering as a heavy boot came into contact with the shitty lock.
"Nobody move!" the man yelled as him and two more men entered her apartment, swinging their guns around the room as the girls screamed. Their bottles of wine crashing to the floor, the sweet liquid spilling into the cement. Huddling together near the couch, Sage tried to find ways of fighting the men, trying to find ways to get them out of her house.
But they all involved giving away her secret.
"Tie 'em up!" one of them barked, his black ski mask moving with his words. Within seconds, another one of the men made quick steps towards the girls. Grabbing Karen, the scared woman shrieked as he harshly pulled her upwards.
"Hey! Be careful with her asshat!" Sage yelled, pushing herself up off the ground and striding towards the man who was twice her size.
"Sit down!" the man yelled, pulling his own gun out again from near his hip. Pointing the barrel right towards Sage's head, she stared the man dead in the eyes, watching as his blue eyes filled with a storm full of anger and rage.
"If you don't sit down in the next ten seconds, I will blow your brains out," he growled, pulling the hammer back on the pistol.
"Sage please," Sami pleaded behind her. Snarling at the man, Sage complined and sat down as the man tied her wrists together, not caring for her shoulder that was still in the sling.
"Where is it?" the first man growled, storming over to the group of women.
"Where's what?" Sage deadpanned, not amused with having her home broken into.
"The jewelry! The tv! The valuables!"
"Hey dickwad, in case you haven't noticed: I am poor! My only entertainment is my-" Her tirade was cut off as the man ran the butt end of hsi gun to the top of her head. The world going black around her.
~~~~
"Matt," Foggy called just as Matt wrapped his hand around the brass doorknob. "Karen just called. She was in tears. Sage's apartment got broken into and she was knocked out. She's not waking up."
Matt's blood ran cold as he turned towards Foggy's voice. "How fast can we get there?" he grumbled, tightening his grip on the doorknob as anger coursed through him.
"If we get a cab...Maybe ten minutes." he guessed, shrugged as he slipped his jacket on.
"Let's go then."
The ride over to his and Sage's apartment complex had to be the longest taxi ride in his life. Everything and anything running through his head, from her being shot again- but this time fatal, to her never waking up,and he might have just lost the woman he admired.
Clearing his throat to try and rid it of the tears that were suffocating him, he adjusted his tie just as the cab stopped. Jumping out of the cab, he could hear Foggy calling for him to wait, but he refused. Taking the outside steps as fast as he could, the second he knew he was inside, he took the stairs three at a time.
He could hear the girls before he got to the top floor, their crying and begging for Sage to wake up. Running down the hall, he stopped just at her door; reaching out, his finger was quick to catch on a splintered piece of the jamb, imbedding itself into his finger. Slowly pulling the sharpened wood out of his hand, he made way into the apartment, promptly running into an over turned chair.
"Sage? Sage? Where is she?" he called out, trying to navigate her now messy apartment. He knew that she kept her apartment clean and organized, knowing that these asshats not only caused her harm, but made her living space the worst hell; they were going to pay fro that.
He was going to find them, no matter what it took, and make them pay for what they did.
"Matt, over here," Karen called, her voice weak. Using his cane to try and navigate, he was quick to make way to the two girls as they tried to do everything they could to get Sage not only comfortable, but to also wake up.
"What happened?" he asked softly, his hands ghosting over her head until he found the cause; a large gash near her hair line. Her blood still seeping out of the wound.
"We were just having fun. Drinking wine, eating pizza and talking, until some guy kicked the door in and demanded we stay put. There were two others too, three in total. And they complexly ransacked the apartment. They wanted us tied up, and they grabbed Karen first. Bit to harsh too and Sage stood up and demanded they be gentle, guy but the barrel of his gun to her head and said if she didn't sit down and shut up he was going to blow her brains out."
"They asked where the valuables were and in classic Sage fashion, she smart mouthed them. They didn't like it and hit her over the head with their gun. Took whatever else they wanted before leaving," Sami recalled, her voice flat as she stared at a spot on the floor, her eyes wide as she recounted everything.
"Oh Flower," he whispered, combing through her hair as tears began to suffocate him once more. He strained to hear her heart beat; it was faint, but at least it was still there. "We can't always be the bigger guy, Flower." He chuckled softly.
"Karen, want to try and see if she has a first aid kit and..."
"Sami."
"Right yes, Sami. Would you be okay with getting a washcloth and running it under warm water?" he asked. As both girls confirmed they were going to do as they were told, Matt heard Foggy making his way into the apartment.
"Jesus christ," he mumbled, looking around the room. His eyes going wide as he slowly picked up what he could around her apartment. Matt listened as Foggy picked up all her dining room chairs and swept up the broken glass. Not a word was said as Foggy flipped her couch upright, his heart racing as he stood in front of him and Sage.
"Is she...alive?"
"She's breathing, Fog. Just hit in the head hard it seems," Matt mumbled just as Karen and Sami came back with the supplies that Matt requested.
"Is her head elevated at all? We also need to get her off the floor. Where's her couch?"
"Here buddy, let me." Fogy said, stepping in and wrapping one arm around her back while hooking his other arm under her knees. Placing her on the couch, Karen was gentle in placing another pillow under her head.
"She'll be okay. She's a tough woman." Sami said, dabbing Sage's forehead with the warm cloth. Matt fell silent, he knew Sami was right, but from what he could tell, this was serious.
"I want her in my apartment once she wakes up. I'm not leaving her side until then."
And he never did. For the day and a half that Sage was out, Matt never once left her side- aside from using the bathroom, but he was quick in coming back. Every hour and a half, on the dot, he would detangle her hair and wipe her forehead down. He started dabbing the cloth across her neck and arms as well, in hopes of helping to clean her up.
He was getting used to the silence within her apartment, aside from the plastic covering the door that would move with any sort of slight breeze. He could hear the people of Hell's Kitchen needing his help, and Athena's- where ever she was- but he had more important things to take care of.
"Matt?"
"Flower! Oh thank god, how are you feeling?" he asked, smiling as he pushed stray strands away from the bandage on her forehead. "I thought I was going to lose you, Flower."
"Can't get rid of me that easy, Matty," she chuckled, pushing herself more upright. Looking around her apartment, her heart fell as she started to remember what had happened.
"Don't worry Flower. I wanted to wait until you woke up again. You'll be staying with me for the next few days until we can get someone to fix your place up." he reassured, resting his hand on her shoulder.
Leaning into his touch, Sage smiled weakly as she rested her hand on top of his.
"Does this mean I get to see you naked finally?" she teased. Chuckling, Matt shook his head before helping her up off the couch.
"Unfortunately not yet, Flower."
~~~~
"Now, from what I understand about my living room, I'll be taking the couch," Matt called as he dragged her bags into his entryway. Looking around, Sage noticed that his apartment had a very similar layout to her own, although his ceiling and living room was much bigger than hers, due to him having the access to the roof.
"Are you sure Matty? I can-" Closing the distance between them, Matt took his glasses off and tossed them onto the couch before lifting her chin to meet his gaze.
"Don't argue with me, Ms. Hockley. Just take the bed for the next few days." he whispered, running his thumb across her chin. He loved the way he could hear her heart rate started to pick up, and the way her breathing started to become more heavy.
"Y-yes. Okay," she stuttered, nodding against his touch. "M-may I use the bathroom?"
"You can use whatever your heart desires, sugar. My home is your home." Clearing her throat, Sage stumbled her way through his bedroom and into the bathroom, his whole home smelling of his cologne, which made her heart flutter.
"I can't be doing this, he's my boss. My best friend," she mumbled to herself as she turned the water, steam quickly filling the small room as the warmth engulfed her body. But she couldn't deny that he had some effect on her; the constant flirting and the times they almost kissed, they were all she could think about.
Gingerly stepping into the stream of water, she let the warmth fully engulf her body, allowing it to wash away everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours. All the grime and dirt, but it couldn't wash away the full past.
Humming, Sage stood in the water as she grabbed his body wash, allowing the musky scent to engulf her fully. She had always been close with Matt, his charismatic nature drawing her towards him when they first met in college. She wasn't even studying law, but rather business management.
So when Matt and Foggy approached her with the idea for their firm, of course she couldn't say no.
"Are you doing okay in there, Flower? It's been about half a hour. i made dinner," Matt called through the door, breaking her train of thought. Turning the water off, she wrapped a towel around her body before stepping out and into his bedroom; her clothes were laid neatly on the bed, from her favorite flannel to a pair of short shorts.
"Nice shower?"
"I swear you have better water pressure than I do and you just live across the hall from me," she joked, poking the last button through the hole on her flannel. His home now filled with the warming scent of stuffed peppers; the beef and tomatoes with rice and onions, the meal made her heart sing.
"Matty, you really do know your way to my heart don't you?" she praised as he set her plate in front of her. Running his hands through her hair, he leaned down to be even with her ear.
"Like I've said before, I'll do anything for you Flower."