1. downtime in the evening
While you would‘ve liked to claim that a movie night was your idea, it had actually started as Foggy‘s suggestion. One of the many nights at Josie‘s had, like so often, led to Foggy regaling you and Karen with colorful tales of his and Matt‘s past at Columbia Law.
„Movie nights with Matt are the worst, actually, and you can trust my word on this.“ Foggy slurred after finishing - yet another - beer, and he comradely wrapped an arm around you to press you into his side. He would protest that it was fake, but he for sure faked a sympathetic pout and patted you on the back.
„Okay, but I don‘t trust you.“
„That‘s your loss.“ Foggy let go of you - sending you half stumbling into Karen, who despite being drunk managed to hold both of you upright - and grabbed onto Matt, poking his chest accusingly. „Matty here, is an absolute movie wizard and he will not hesitate to spoil everything. You can try and tape his mouth shut but he will find a way to ruin it for you.“
Foggy‘s truly hurt tone made you and Karen burst into a fit of giggles, to which the man only scoffed. Matt shook his head and tapped Foggy‘s chest with his white cane.
„In my defense, Foggy, you chose movies that were very easy to predict.“
„No, Matt, you don‘t get to defend yourself here, I‘m right, you‘re wrong, end of discussion.“
„Objection, that is unfair.“
„Overruled, do not make this a law thing Matty, this is a best friend thing that I have been silently suffering under-“
As the two bickered amongst each other, you and Karen howled with laughter, barely able to catch your breath. Seeing the two interact like this was always a riot, especially when drunk. It made you happy to see Matt happy.
Foggy pointed his accusatory finger back at you both, looking so much like a disappointed mother that you almost fell off your chair with laughter. Karen didn‘t have it any easier and you used each other to stay upright, giggling and cackling with no pause for breath.
„Oh I am so glad that my misfortune causes you such joy! Go ahead then, have a movie night and see for yourself! And don‘t come crawling back for my forgiveness when you see I‘m right!“
And that is how you were now wrapped in your favorite fluffy blanket in Matt‘s bed, with him next to you in that one hoodie of his that you adored - the soft blue one that he always wore when he was too sleepy to dress properly. He looked so comfy and happy in it that you couldn‘t help but love it.
Your laptop was precariously balanced on your knees and Matt had made himself comfortable with his head on your thighs. His unfocused eyes were cast somewhere onto the ceiling as he listened to the movie playing from your laptop. It was some random action flick that you yourself could barely pay attention to, not when Matt was so much more entertaining - you had your hands buried in his hair, twirling around the strands and gently massaging his scalp.
Stil…
„He‘ll die by the end.“
„Matt!“
That insufferable smirk on his lips made you groan. You had half a mind to grab a pillow and smother him with it right now, but you refrained. Foggy needed his partner in…. Well, not crime. Partner in law?
„I‘m just saying. It‘s gonna be a heroic sacrifice I bet.“
„Shush already!!“
„Never.“
The idea with the pillow seemed more attractive by the minute. Especially when every single prediction was right. Not only had he correctly guessed the end, no, he had continuously guessed the whole goddamn plot since the first second of the movie. The plot, the plot twist, who gets the girl, who dies, who lives, who comes back - everything had been accurately pointed out by Matt seemingly hours before it happened.
The laptop had long since been placed on the nightstand alongside the few snacks that Matt allowed in his bed. He was sitting up now, holding a very grumpy you in his arms with the most shit-eating grin on his face that you were not in the mood to see. You pressed your face in that impossibly soft sweater of his and groaned.
„I can‘t believe Foggy was right. You're awful.“
„You‘re exaggerating.“
You nudged your elbow into his side and he huffed.
„I‘m never having a movie night with you again.“
Instead of answering you, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head. He continued peppering your head with kisses until you shifted and he could reach your face. He placed tiny kisses on your forehead, your cheeks, your temples, your jaw, your chin and even your nose - he was smiling all the while, hands sneakily crawling under your shirt to rub your back.
„Is this your attempt at an apology?“ You whispered, right before he could place a well awaited kiss on your lips.
„Is it working?“
„Mhm. I don‘t know...“
He chuckled and finally kissed you for real, lips still pulled up in that adorable smile of his. You broke apart and couldn‘t help but smile too.
„It‘s not working. You should try again.“
„Liar. It‘s totally working.“
You faked a gasp. „So you‘re depriving me of my kisses? How dare you.“
Matt fully laughed at that one, and graced you with another sweet kiss. And another, and another, and another - until your cheeks hurt from smiling and you were too tired to stay upright. You both slid down the pillows until you were nestled comfortably with your head on his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around your body. One of your arms was wrapped around his neck, and the other placed next to your head right on his chest.
You silently toyed with the zipper of his hoodie, listening to his heart beat right beneath your ear. He could hear your heartbeat no problem, no matter where you two were - but in this position, you could finally experience just the tiniest part of his world. You understood easily why he liked listening to your heart so much, the steady rhythm was not only comforting but also surprisingly relaxing.
„I don‘t wanna tell Foggy that he was right…“ You murmured sleepily, a defiant attempt at not being lulled to sleep by your lover‘s heart.
„Then don‘t. I doubt he remembers, and even if he does you can just lie. He won‘t notice.“
Curse Matt for sounding so awake.
„But thats‘s-“ You yawned, nuzzling Matt‘s chest a little. „That‘s mean…“
„Well, then tell him.“
You whined, maybe a bit childish of you, but you were tired and still a tiny bit grumpy. Matt laughed at your antics and pressed one last kiss to the top of your head.
„Just go to sleep for now. I‘ll handle Foggy.“
„Mhmmpf…“
You followed your boyfriend‘s advice and only seconds later, you slipped into sleep, leaving Matt to listen to and guard your steady heart.
2. christmas decorating
Maybe you were kind of a Christmas fanatic, but could anyone really blame you? Christmas meant childhood, it meant winter and snow and all that came with it, it meant friends and family and gifts and good food. You simply adore the Christmas season and all it‘s corny decorations - which, right now, you were planning on scattering in Matt‘s apartment.
You had brought your decorations to his apartment, since honestly, you were spending most of your time there. You would still decorate your home, of course, but if you weren‘t there the majority of the time, your decorations would make a lot more sense in Matt‘s home than yours.
You were practically vibrating from excitement as you sat and waited on the couch. Matt had insisted on taking a shower before decorating with you, of course not without joking about how little help he‘d actually be, being blind and all that. You had waved him off and told him that the ‘doing this together‘ mattered more to you.
You jumped off the couch when you heard the bathroom door open and watched Matt shuffle out in his sweater and sweatpants. Oh god, you still loved that sweater. He looked so comfy and adorable in it…..
„Your heart rate spiked, sweetheart. Why?“
Damn him for having such good hearing. Your cheeks warmed and you cleared your throat.
„Cause you look really adorable in that hoodie, now get over here, we have some decorating to do.“
Matt laughed at your deflection, but, indeed joined you at the couch and ‘looked‘ at you questioningly. You leaned down to the cartons full of decorations, picked out the big christmas gnome and simply placed it in Matt‘s hands. He felt around a bit to guess the shape and-
„A gnome?“
„Yes. His name is Gingersnap. Don‘t drop him, he‘s breakable. He can guard the door.“
Matt chuckled at your explanation. „You‘re adorable.“ The blush returned in full force when he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of your mouth before carefully carrying Gingersnap to his designated place at the door.
While he did, you grabbed some more plush gnomes and placed them either on the little coffee table or the kitchen counter - you made sure that they wouldn‘t be sitting in the way, of course. A wooden recreation of the Nativity scene was also placed in the kitchen - while you may not have been religious, you know that Matt was a proud Catholic.
Speaking of that…
„How do you feel about Advent wreaths?“ You asked as you pulled out yours from the boxes. It was a pretty one for sure, a ring of pine branches adorned with white stars, fake snow and four candles, three of them violet and one rose.
„Why do you ask?“
„I heard it‘s a protestant thing or something? I don‘t know, do you do that?“
„I‘ve never even actually decorated. If you want to put it down, go for it.“
You smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek, before placing the wreath on the living room table.
Over time, you placed more corny decorations such as tiny santas, a winter train or even a tiny house that could light up and play Jingle Bells. It wasn‘t nearly as much as you would‘ve placed in your home, but it was a compromise. Matt needed a bit of space to move around and do things, more than you needed, so you couldn‘t clutter everything with your Christmas cheer.
The tree, as well, was a compromise. It was a fake one made of plastic, since a real one would overpower Matt‘s nose with how heavy it smelled of pine needles. And it was quite small, because of the space issue. Not a problem to you, a decorated tree was perfect all on its own, no matter the size or material.
You decided on a red and white theme, picking out the correct ornaments and discarding the rest. Either they were simple christmas balls, sometimes with glitter designs on them, or tiny stars and angels. You even had some more extravagant ones, like a winter sparrow, reindeer or a rabbit. Each of them was carefully placed in the branches of the tree by you and Matt, with you sometimes telling him stories behind some ornaments.
Such as the sparrow.
„That one was a gift!“
„A winter sparrow?“
„Yeah. A friend of mine saw it and thought I‘d love that, so she gifted it to me when we did Secret Santa. It‘s missing one of its earmuffs though, cause I… immediately dropped it when decorating the tree that year.“
Matt chuckled at your tale and hung the little bird right in the middle of the tree, while you stepped backwards a little to admire your work.
„It looks great. Perfect.“ You clapped your hands a little in celebration. The whole apartment looked perfect if you were being honest, you had succeeded in spreading a little bit of Christmas cheer once again.
Matt joined you, wrapping an arm around your side to pull you close and press a kiss to your temple. „I‘m sure it does. Thank you.“
„Mhm. There‘s something still missing though..“
„Oh, really?“
„Really.“
You knelt down in front of the boxes and rummaged around in them for a hot minute, before pulling out your desired object. With a devious giggle - to which Matt only raised an eyebrow in amusement - you skipped over to the sliding door that separated his bedroom from the rest of the apartment. Considering that he left the door open most of the time, you assumed that this… innocent mistletoe wouldn‘t get in the way, so you hung it up right in the doorway.
„What did you do?“ The suspicion in Matt‘s voice made you laugh again.
„Come over here and see for yourself.“
„Alright. I‘ll ‘see‘.“
„Oh, shut up.“ You lightly nudged his arm once he came over.
„Hey, don‘t hit the blind guy.“
You snorted. „Shut up.“
He laughed along with you and wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you close. A slight smile played on his lips as he asked:“Well? Why am I here?“
„I think you can guess.“ You leaned closer to press a quick and innocent kiss to his lips. You leant back just as quickly, and fought hard to repress a laugh at how desperately he chased you. His expression looked adorably confused.
„For a kiss?“
„Kind of. Come on, Matty. Why do people kiss during Christmas time?“
A few, silent seconds filled with what you guessed was intense thinking passed, until a metaphorical light lit up in Matt‘s head. He angled his head upwards slightly, ‘looking‘ at the innocent twig hanging above your heads.
„Did you hang… mistletoe in my apartment?“
„Yes. It‘s my guarantee for my many needed kisses.“
His laugh made your heart flutter. How could this man just sound that cute? It was getting unfair.
„You could‘ve just asked.“ Before you could reply, he captured your lips in yet another kiss. He did so numerous times, and warmth blossomed in your chest with each one. This man would one day be the death of you, you thought to yourself as he pressed one last peck to the corner of your mouth.
„I love you.“ He murmured against your lips, and you whispered it right back to him. You stood in silence, your arms wrapped around his neck and face pressed into his chest, while he held you tight against him and rested his head on yours.
Until…
„Do you think I could hang up mistletoe in your office?“
„Please don‘t.“
3. patching him up
The rain made itself known with a gentle pitter-patter against the glass of the giant window in Matt‘s living room. The bright light of the billboard right outside it illuminated the room in a reddish hue, and it almost seemed like someone had painted it.
Painted with blood, a morbid voice in your mind provided, and it made sense why you would think that.
Matt stood across from you, though ‘stood‘ was maybe a bit of an overstatement. He leaned heavily on the countertop of his kitchen, back bent, head hanging low, a shaking hand clutching the scarf he used as a mask. Thick, red blood covered his torn shirt, his hair, his hands - and his body was littered with new cuts and bruises.
„Matt-“
„I‘m okay.“
His answer came automatically, a useless, empty phrase to ease your constant worries. But you knew he wasn‘t okay; he could barely keep himself together.
„Oh, Matty.“ You breathed out a sigh. „You and I both know that you‘re not.“
His wince made your heart ache and you quickly rushed to him, wrapping an arm around his side to help him stay somewhat upright. He recoiled from you almost immediately and you stumbled away, hands in the air.
„I‘m sorry, I‘m sorry-“
„It‘s okay, I‘m okay, I.. I think I bruised a rib there.“
You breathed out a heavy sigh, pressing a quick kiss to Matt‘s jaw. „I‘ll go and run you a bath.“ You murmured against his skin and turned on your heel, rushing into the bathroom. You decided against any products, like always - Matt‘s nose could barely handle his own shampoo sometimes, so extravagant bath salts and the like were shunned. Not that you minded, since they usually made your skin itch.
Matt came shuffling in after you, already halfway to undressed - he‘d left the mask and shirt somewhere in the living room, but you could handle that later, once he was taken care of. You unbuckled his belt and gently helped him out of his jeans, throwing them into the hamper for later.
Getting him into the tub proved to be another challenge, though, with how injured he‘d gotten once again - however, with you holding his hand (and, frankly, his entire body weight at one point) you managed to get him in a comfortable position in the warm water.
„I‘ll let you soak for a minute.“ You murmured, as to not disturb the peace, and decided on grabbing the essentials - first-aid kit, towel, new clothes. Of course, you had to pick the hoodie, the one he always wore when he needed comfort.
At some point you‘d have to throw together a vigilante care pack, first and foremost: the sweater. Actually, that didn‘t sound half bad… no, no, stop. Matt was more important now.
You mentally bookmarked the thought for later and came waddling back into the bathroom, holding your mountain of supplies - which were immediately neatly placed on the toilet lid.
„You comfy?“
Matt looked comfortable, at least, sprawled out in the tub with his limbs hanging out and his head leaning against his shoulder. He gave only a slight nod, but that was enough of an answer for you. You grabbed a stool and sat down right beside Matt‘s head before grabbing the washcloth you brought, wetting it with the water. Gently, you started to scrub his skin, though ‘scrub‘ sounded a little harsh - you simply tried your best to remove all the blood and grime from his skin.
Matt let you do as you pleased for the most part, and that fact worried you. He hardly ever let you take care of him, and if he did, it meant he was so drained he simply couldn‘t do it himself.
With a quick sigh you leant down and pulled the plug, watching the water run down the drain before passing Matt the towel. The wash cloth was discarded into the hamper like his jeans. He dried himself off with slow, hesitant movements - but, like always, you waited patiently, ready to help whenever he needed you to. But it seemed that you wouldn‘t this time; he managed to put on both underwear and sweatpants on his own.
You had him sit on the toilet lid after moving away the hoodie and first-aid kit that you had placed there earlier. You weren't done just yet - those nasty cuts still needed to be bandaged. If he wouldn't get them checked out by a doctor, your basic first aid skills would have to be enough for now.
You never asked the specifics of what happened during his… meanderings in the night. You simply cleaned and dressed the wounds he gathered, just as you did now - still, you worried about him, naturally. Mainly the cut on his bicep made you frown. Hell, you would have sprinted to the nearest clinic with a wound half as bad as that one, but Matt was stubborn and secretive, which was a hellish combination sometimes.
"Okay. I'm done." You whispered after placing the last bandaid on his forehead, to which he actually frowned. You assumed the worst, until…
"And where's my kiss?"
You snorted and quickly placed kisses to each wound that you had bandaged up before - his arm, his shoulder, his stomach, his forehead. You leant back and still found him frowning.
"You missed one."
"Oh, yeah? Where?"
He tapped the slightest cut on his lip and you laughed. It was comforting to know that he was okay enough to make jokes like he usually did.
"You are… so stupid." Still, you pressed a quick peck to his lips - barely enough for him, you knew that - and rushed out the bathroom to put the first-aid kit back where it belonged. You heard Matt's exasperated sigh and giggled to yourself.
You closed the cabinet door and turned, only to find - somehow - Matt was already standing behind you. You would‘ve jumped away, but he had already caged you. He grabbed your hips and pulled you into a real kiss, one that made your heart flutter and your knees weak. You pulled away, out of breath, and he leaned his forehead against yours.
„You‘re supposed to rest, you know. Not follow me for kisses like… a ninja.“
Matt shrugged. „It‘s your own fault. You didn‘t kiss me.“
„I did! You liar!“ You nudged him, completely forgetting about his rib and he groaned in pain. „Oh my god I‘m sorry-“
„No, no, that.. I deserved that one.“
„Maybe. Still, I’m sorry.“
He gave a lopsided grin - yes, the one that should be ILLEGAL for how cute it was - and stole one last kiss from you before going back to the bathroom to put on his shirt. You wouldn‘t mind him walking around shirtless, and he knew that too, but you supposed that it would be better for him to not be cold right now.
With a big yawn you teetered into the bedroom, flopping onto the bed and stretching out your limbs. The clock on the bedside table read 3:43am.
„Christ, it‘s late.“
„Language.“ came the chiding remark from the door and you huffed.
„It is way too late for you to play good Catholic boy, Matt. Just get over here.“
Matt chuckled but he did finally crawl into bed with you. Before you could turn, he had already spooned you, legs tangled with yours and his face pressed into your neck. You listened to him breathe for a moment. Honestly, you couldn‘t judge him for just breathing you in, you supposed that it grounded him as much as it grounded you on some days.
You placed your hand on one of his, the one that was wrapped around your middle, and gently caressed the back of it with your thumb. „I never asked,“ You murmured. „Are you okay?“
„I‘ll be fine.“ He whispered into your neck and placed a quick kiss there, making you squirm from how much it tickled.
„I wasn‘t talking about your wounds.“
You expected the sigh he gave.
„I know. And I‘ll still be fine, I‘ve got you.“ He squeezed you playfully.
„It is also too late to be that charming, Murdock.“
„Don‘t call me that.“ You could feel the grin against your skin. „Don‘t tempt me.“
„Oh, shush. Go to sleep.“ You turned in his arms and kissed him good night, tucking your head beneath his with a small yawn. You felt him kiss your head once (or twice) before pulling up the blanket to cover you both. You would be happy with just his sweater against you, but you wouldn’t complain about the added warmth the blanket gave.
And like so many other nights, you fell asleep first, as Matt waited and listened until your breathing grew steady. He would always guard your sleeping form until his own body gave out.
Most people had a guardian angel, but you? You had a guardian devil watching over you.
4. baking
Christmas carols filled the room, produced by your phone currently propped up against the kitchen wall. You slid across the floor on fluffy socks - and maybe a whole lot of spilled flour - grabbing butter, sugar, and eggs in a frenzy. While baking was fun for sure, especially in this season, it was not your strong suit.
„Oh, for fuck‘s sake-“ You cursed as yet another eggshell fell into your dough. You had half a mind to throw the next egg against the wall, but you refrained. You could still save this. You removed the eggshell with a sigh, and of course, half of the egg white came with it.
Okay. Maybe you couldn‘t save this.
„Bullshit, this is bullshit, I‘m just trying to have some fun and make something delicious to gift to people, but no, of course that doesn‘t work, because why should it work?“
In your endless rant, you had missed hearing Matt come up behind you. He wrapped his arms around you from behind, chin on your shoulder as if to look at what you were doing. Instantly, your body relaxed against him, almost literally going slack - thankfully, Matt held you up. You willfully ignored the feeling of his shit eating grin against your skin.
„Breathe, sweetheart.“
You scoffed. „I am, thank you very much, because if I wasn‘t I would die."
You knew he was trying not to laugh at your misery, and honestly, you couldn‘t blame him - but you were grumpy, so you did. You turned in his arms and buried your face in his chest with a whine. Matt sighed, amusement very clear in his voice, and started pressing kisses to your head. As he did, he started swaying along to the music still coming from your phone.
„What are you doing?“ You muttered, voice muffled by his sweater. He still heard you, of course he did, but he didn‘t give an answer nor did he cease his movement. Quite the opposite, Matt took your hands in his and began gently pulling you along in what could only be described as a rudimentary waltz. A soothing sway from left to right, and the occasional step backwards or forwards. It was barely in tact with the music, but the longer you danced, the more you found you didn‘t care.
As the song came to an end, you found yourself smiling, having completely forgotten about your previous distress. You kept your head pressed against his chest though, the faint sound of his heartbeat thrumming in your ears.
„How do you know how to dance?“
„I don‘t. I was improvising.“ He laughed. „I thought it would calm you down. Did it work?“
„It did. You‘re an angel.“
Matt smirked, eyebrow raised, and you snorted.
„You know what I mean.“ You huffed and turned back to your actual task. The kitchen looked like an absolute mess - whatever joy you had just experienced immediately launched itself out the window again. You took the bowl and stared down at the mediocre dough, contemplating on what to do until Matt stepped beside you.
„What were you trying to make?“
„Something edible but this… this is definitely not edible.“
„Dump it. Just try again.“
You looked at him and blinked owlishly. „…dump it?“
Matt shrugged. „It’s better than trying to save this one.“ He took the bowl from you, doing exactly what he had said - he dumped your dough in the trash and set the bowl in the sink. „I‘ll help you.“
And, truly, with Matt‘s help things went much better. Maybe you simply needed his calming presence to stay focused on what to do, or maybe he was just better at baking than you were - nevertheless, you even changed your whole approach, deciding on baking something different. Sugar cookies were much easier to make and screamed Christmas, so they were perfect. And while you didn‘t have cookie cutters, a simple Google search later you had made shapes out of paper and traced them onto the dough with a knife.
While they didn‘t look as pretty as you had hoped, they at least looked edible and… somewhat presentable. You turned on the oven after pushing in the last tray and sighed in relief.
You leaned against Matt‘s side and he was quick to wrap his arm around you.
„Thank you… so much, Matty.“ You murmured; and you were surprised at how exhausted you sounded. „Couldn‘t have done it without you. Literally. You saw how that went.“
„Mhm. I saw.“
It took you a minute, but you groaned when you got his little joke.
„Shush. I keep being stupid like that. Sorry.“
„Don‘t worry. It‘s all in good fun.“ He smiled and kissed your forehead, taking your hands into his again. You could tell where this was going - you hadn‘t turned off the music just yet, and he had already started swaying with you again. Not that you minded, honestly, you started to love it. You began humming along to the song as Matt swayed with you, and before long you were actually fully dancing.
Well, maybe you weren‘t dancing per sé but you were moving to the beat! Matt twirled you once, twice, and laughed as you stumbled over his feet, almost literally crashing into him. You laughed with him, pulling him into a spin - but with how much you were laughing, you lost your balance, tumbling onto the floor. Matt somehow managed to stay upright.
But not for long. Feeling mischievous, you tugged on his arms and dragged him onto the ground with you. He literally yelped and barely caught himself before falling onto you; leaving you trapped beneath him and caged in between his arms.
„That was not nice of you.“ He huffed out.
„I‘m not known for being nice.“ You countered, leaning up to steal a kiss. He allowed it, though not without nipping your lips afterward. You gasped. „Well, that wasn‘t very nice of you!“
„I‘m not known for being nice.“ He echoed your words back to you and you pinched his bicep.
„The long, long list of cases you did pro bono say otherwise.“
„Shush.“
Matt changed his position, balancing his weight on his elbows - to be closer to you. He angled his head and caught your lips in a kiss, one that left you melting. You cradled his face in your hands, holding him close to you so the kiss would never end. No matter how often he kissed you or you kissed him, you were always overcome with an overwhelming fondness, feeling as if your heart was soaring above the clouds. When you eventually broke apart, since breathing was unfortunately a necessity, you were both panting just the slightest bit.
You kept him close to you, lips still occasionally brushing against each other, which just led to more kisses. You were about to kiss him again, for real this time, when the beeping of your phone timer went off. You blinked a few times and sighed heavily, cursing under your breath.
„I totally forgot the cookies,“ You admitted as Matt climbed off of you, letting you get up and turn off the oven. As you pulled out each tray, Matt came up behind you and started kissing your neck. It made you squirm, almost dropping the last tray.
„You‘re distracting.“ You murmured fondly.
„I‘m not sorry. You‘re irresistible.“
„And you‘re an idiot.“
„Yeah, but at least I‘m your idiot, right?“
You laughed, leaning your head back onto his shoulder and Matt instantly took advantage of it, moving to kiss your exposed throat. His hands started wandering under your shirt, and you quickly placed your hands on his to stop him.
„You‘re being way too handsy. I still need to decorate the cookies.“
„They have to cool first. We have time.“
And without waiting for an answer, Matt picked you up, threw you over his shoulder and carried you off into the bedroom, while you screeched and laughed at his antics.
5. your apartment
„Well, uhm. Welcome to my humble abode.“
You stood awkwardly in the middle of your tiny apartment, watching as Matt stepped inside. While it made no sense, even to you, you were immensely anxious about the messy state your home was currently in. First of all, Matt was blind, and even with his other heightened senses there was a very high chance he wouldn‘t notice and second of all, you knew that if he did notice, he just wouldn‘t care.
While both of you preferred his apartment, seeing as it was much bigger than yours, Matt had to literally take refuge in your apartment. There was construction going on right outside his building, and by God did it piss him off. Of course, you understood perfectly - construction noises were already awful to you, but to someone with hearing as good as Matt‘s it must be hell. So, the moment you found out about his predicament you had offered your home to him.
And why wouldn‘t you? You spent most of your time at Matt‘s, more so than in your own apartment, so returning the favor was only fair.
„It‘s kind of small and cluttered so, uh, you might need to be careful-“
You watched as Matt placed the gym bag in which he brought some of his clothes next to the door, along with his white cane. He turned his head towards you and smiled gently. You were about 80% sure that Matt could handle himself, with his… echolocation and all that, but you just wanted to be sure. He should be comfortable in your home as much as you were in his.
„I‘m sure I‘ll be fine, sweetheart.“ He stretched out his hand towards you and you quickly took it, letting yourself be pulled against him. You sighed, toying with the sleeves of his sweater. You had insisted that he wear something comfortable for the first time in your apartment.
„But if you want to help… lead me around?“
Well, that came unexpectedly. You glanced at him. „Seriously?“
„It‘ll help. And it‘s fun.“
Well then.
You linked your arm with his, intertwining your hands as well - for good reason, too: you just liked holding his hand. You first led him to the bathroom, since it was closest to you at the moment - just to the right of your tiny entrance hall. Truthfully, your whole apartment was a little cramped, but it was just the right size for you - that is, until you experienced the luxury of Matt‘s loft.
Nevertheless, your home was your home and you liked it.
„I don‘t… really have a shower, it‘s just a bathtub, but- it‘s really comfy and you get used to washing your hair on your knees I promise.“
Matt snorted at your words but didn‘t say anything, so you went on to the living area. Like in his apartment, the kitchen and living room had been fused into one and were separated from the entrance hall by a sliding door. Which, of course, had it‘s own problems attached to it.
„Sometimes the door just… slides open on it‘s own and it‘s horrifying at night. You‘ll… you‘ll get used to it, someday.“
It felt awful to have to explain this many cons but, you couldn‘t really afford a better apartment than this one - both of you would have to make due until Matt‘s apartment became bearable again. Thankfully, Matt only smiled at your ramblings, letting you lead him around without any objections.
Next was your bedroom, which was about 80% bed with how small it was. You were thankful for your little walk in closet or even you would have trouble walking around in this tiny room if you had needed to add a wardrobe. You playfully pushed Matt onto the bed and then collapsed right on top of him, snuggling into the softness of his sweater. Matt only wrapped his arms around you, the dopey smile that he had since the beginning of your tour never leaving his face.
You giggled at his expression. „Matty, are you okay?“
Matt hummed in response - that type of noncommittal noise you made when you really weren‘t listening. You frowned.
„You sure?“
You poked him a little and he finally seemed to come to.
„Sorry, it… this apartment is very… you.“
„… I would hope so, since it is mine.“
„No, I mean-“ He propped himself up on his elbows, making you shift a little on his lap to accommodate the change in position. He sounded so spaced out that it made you laugh again. „It‘s a lot of you. All I can smell is you and it‘s… overpowering. It‘s amazing.“
Oh… my god. That made you blush furiously, your whole face so warm it made you think you had developed a fever in seconds. Matt had seriously admitted to being high off of… you, basically. You buried your face in his chest to hide, as if that wasn‘t completely pointless.
„Matty, you can‘t say stuff like that!“ You whined. „It is so unfair.“
„How is it unfair?“ He sat up fully and wrapped his arms around you, holding you in place on his lap. „You floor me by just existing.“
„Stooop!“
Matt grinned. He nipped at your ear playfully before moving down to press gentle, soft kisses to your jaw and neck. You squirmed in his lap, burying your face further into his chest.
„I don‘t get how you‘re so effortlessly charming.“
„I just say what you make me feel. If anything, I‘m being honest.“
You lifted your head to glare at him, even if he couldn‘t see it. You hoped he would feel it somehow. „Now you‘re just being cheeky.“
„Maybe.“
You decided you had enough of his mischievous behavior. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. He clearly did not expect it, but he wasn‘t complaining - quite the opposite, he immediately melted into you, his hands slowly wandering beneath your shirt.
You pulled away and squirmed, pulling his hands out from under your shirt.
„No. Not this time. Bad Matty.“
Matt‘s smirk made you realize your… unfortunate choice of words and you groaned.
„You are… unbelievable.“
„I know. I love you, sweetheart.“
You grumbled, hiding your face in his chest again. Matt huffed and nipped your ear again, making you nudge his stomach. Only when he fully bit - well, not bit exactly, more like… nibbled - at your jaw did you raise your head and mumble out an „I love you too.“
Matt‘s triumphant grin made you smile too, despite your kind of grumpy mood. You couldn‘t help it - you loved to see Matt smile, especially in that sweater of his. He looked truly happy in it, and what else could you want if not your very happy boyfriend smiling at you all dreamily?
You pushed him a little, and he seemed to get the memo, letting himself fall onto his back again and pulling you along. You sprawled out on top of him, resting your chin on his chest and just… admiring his pretty face in silence for a while. Matt seemed to be content like this too - while he did let his hands wander again, he stayed reasonably well behaved. You could stay like this for all eternity if it were up to you.
But alas…
„Oh!“ You sat up just the tiniest bit, making Matt frown and pull you back down. You giggled. „Before I forget… You notice anything about the sheets?“
Regrettably, Matt removed one of his hands from your skin to feel the sheets. His previous frown instantly morphed into a bashful smile, and you swore you saw his cheeks turn the slightest bit of pink.
„You got silk sheets? Seriously?“
„I did!“ You declared proudly. „I want you to be comfortable here. I know cotton feels bad for you, and I do like the feeling of silk too, plus they weren‘t that expensive. I just thought I‘d, you know, try and-“
Matt interrupted your rambling by pulling you down further, catching your lips in a hungry kiss. You squeaked in surprise, this time it was you who hadn‘t expected it. When Matt pulled away, you felt the blush from earlier returned full force.
„I love you.“ He whispered. „So much.“
„And I love you, Matty.“
plus one - picking him up
It was in times like these that you thanked God that Foggy was not such a workaholic as Matt was. Enhanced senses or not, Matt had the tendency to lose himself in cases and miss the way his phone announced a call. (You‘d call it tunnel vision, but alas.) That was when you called Foggy, and usually he would pick up and get Matt to go home - but today was not such a day. You frowned, hanging up the fourth time and deciding to try and call Karen. You dialed her number and listened to it ring for a while.
Not even Karen picked up.
Your frown deepened as you stared down at your phone. How big was this case they were working on now? Matt hadn‘t told you much about it so far, so you didn‘t think it would require this much work. It was almost 11pm, by now Matt was usually already out doing things… outside of the law.
You looked up and stared at the forgotten meal you‘d made earlier, still sitting on the stove. You‘d made it when you still thought that Matt would be home… way earlier than this.
Sighing, you untangled yourself from the mountain of blankets you had previously wrapped yourself in, deciding that this required drastic measures - you would have to go and pick Matt up. You shuffled into the bedroom towards the closet, picking out your favorite of Matt‘s sweaters - it was cold outside, and after all, who didn‘t like stealing their boyfriend‘s clothes? Especially when they were as fluffy and comfortable as this one was…
You tugged the sweater over your head, taking a moment to breathe in the scent and revel in it. God, it smelled so much like him… You shook your head and also picked out his sweatpants, because why not - you should at least complete the outfit. And, well, they actually were much more comfortable than yours.
With a sigh you grabbed your phone and keys off the kitchen counter before rushing out the door. While sure, the weather wasn‘t ideal, you weren‘t in the mood of waiting for a taxi nor were you in the mood of getting a taxi with a questionable driver, so you decided on walking - it wasn‘t that far, thankfully. The walk went quick, and soon you were pushing open the door to the building and skipping up the steps to the law firm.
The lights were still on, naturally, and you could see the vague outline of Matt hunched over the desk and Foggy leaning against it, while Karen rushed around the room to grab files and folders. You watched in silence for a moment, no, honestly you were just tired and kind of dozed off for a second. That is, until Foggy suddenly opened the door.
„Knew it.“ He sing-songed. „Murdock, your partner is here.“
You snapped out of it immediately and huffed as Foggy quickly pushed you inside. Matt was quick to stand and pull you into a quick hug, pressing a kiss to your forehead. „God. I‘m sorry, sweetheart, I… we didn‘t realize how late it got.“
„What do you mean ‘we‘? I‘m not your mother, you can decide on your own when you go home.“ Foggy butted in. After a second, he added:“But, yeah, we totally forgot the time.“
You snorted. „Yeah, I kind of noticed.“ You leaned against Matt, who kept his arms wrapped around you protectively. „I made you dinner.“ You jabbed a finger into Matt‘s chest, who feigned hurt, but you didn‘t miss the small smile on his lips. Of course, you weren‘t actually mad or anything, you fully understood that the occasional late night came with his line of work.
With both of them, you mused.
„They are both totally lying.“ Karen joined you three, finally, hands on her hips. „I tried to send both of them home but they wouldn‘t listen.“
„No, you are totally lying Karen, you forgot as much as we did. Do not believe anything she says.“
Karen scoffed and hit Foggy on the back of his head with the folder she was still holding.
„Ouch! This is workplace harassment, I‘m gonna call HR.“
„We do not have HR. We don‘t even have a working printer.“
„No, but we do have Matt. Matt, she hit me.“
You assumed that Matt hadn‘t really been listening, you could tell how zoned out he was by the way he absentmindedly caressed the small of your back or how he buried his face in your neck. By now you‘d gotten so used to him that you could tell apart the little differences in his behavior.
It kind of made you proud.
Matt raised his head a little and shrugged. „I‘m staying out of this. You started it.“ And there he went again, face buried in your neck again. You could feel his breath on your skin and you squirmed.
„Okay, that is not staying out of it, Matt! I did not start this, I was only stating facts.“
„What facts?“ Karen raised the folder threateningly. „You were making up complete lies.“
You laughed at their antics and quickly raised your ends to calm the two. „Okay, okay, calm down. I believe you.“ Dramatic pause. „Foggy.“
You expected a lot, but not the enthusiastic cheer that Foggy let out. He punched the air with a triumphant grin towards Karen. Karen completely ignored him and held a hand over her heart, sighing deeply.
„How dare you, I thought we would stick together.“
You shook your head apologetically. „I would‘ve believed you Karen, but not even you answered your phone, so…“
She went quiet for a few seconds. „That is true. Still rude.“
You simply shrugged before focusing your attention on Matt. The poor man looked like he‘d fallen asleep just standing there, wrapped around you. You untangled yourself from him and gently ran a hand through his hair. Matt literally melted into your touch.
„I better get Matty home or he‘ll fall asleep on me.“
„I will not.“
„Doubt it.“
Both Foggy and Karen agreed on calling it a day, packing up whatever files they still had lying around haphazardly - they needed to get back to it tomorrow anyway, so why bother cleaning it up perfectly at such a time?
You said your goodbyes, more like hugged your goodbyes - as did Matt - and even waved your goodbyes as you began the walk back to Matt‘s apartment. You had your arms slung around his, somewhat guiding him as he walked. He didn‘t actually need it, you knew, but you both liked the contact. And a part of you did worry a little about him while he was this exhausted.
It was a silent walk, but it was that comfortable silence that fell over you two regularly - you just enjoyed the other‘s company.
Almost immediately when you were back in Matt‘s apartment, you collapsed on your mountain of blankets on the couch. You rolled onto your back to see Matt shrug off his suit jacket, dropping it on one of the armchairs.
You threw an arm over your face and yawned. „You still hungry?“
Matt paused for a moment, head tilted up and you could practically hear him thinking. „I don‘t think so.“ Automatically, you lifted your legs and Matt plopped down on the couch. You laid your legs over his lap and peered at him from under your arm. His hands began trailing up and down your legs, lightly pushing up the sweatpants to reach your skin.
„You‘re not… going out tonight, right?“
Matt, again, paused. He angled his head towards you, his expression so vulnerable even with his glasses that you almost winced. No reply came from him and you frowned.
Pushing yourself up into a sitting position, you carefully removed the glasses from his face and placed them on the coffee table. You cradled his face in your hands, caressing his cheeks with your thumbs. Like earlier, at his firm, he melted into your touch.
„I‘m sorry.“ He murmured but you quickly shushed him with a kiss.
„Matty, you need to rest. You are exhausted. I can‘t just…“ You took a breath. „I can‘t just watch you go when you‘re like this. You can barely keep your eyes open.“
As if to protest against your statement, Matt ‘stared’ at you defiantly. You wanted to groan at his stubbornness.
„Matty-“
„I have to,“ He interrupted. „I have to, you know I do. I can‘t just… not do anything.“
„You are already doing something, Matt. Every other night.“ You inched closer, fully onto his lap. „But you need to rest once in a while too. Noone can work 24/7 non-stop, not even you.“
You had had this conversation before. Multiple times, actually. And it always ended the same way - Matt went out and came home twice as beat up as usual, but you never complained or insisted you had been right. No, you simply patched and cleaned him up as ‘normal‘.
A silence fell over you. You let go of his face and tucked your head under his chin, playing around with the buttons on his shirt. Matt kept his arms loosely wrapped around you, gently trailing his fingers over your arms.
„You‘re wearing my sweater.“ He stated after a while. He was deflecting, and you both knew it. You decided to let it slide - for now.
„I am. It‘s very comfy and warm. It‘s my favorite sweater of yours.“
„I know.“ Matt grinned smugly. „I hear your heartbeat spike everytime I wear it. It‘s… adorable. And flattering.“
You felt your cheeks heat up at his admission. You puffed out your chest and crossed your arms. „Well! You do look really adorable in that sweater! I‘ve told you that before!“
Matt laughed and squeezed you gently, resting his head on your shoulder. You deflated and cuddled up against him again. You would love to stay like this forever - but you knew that you couldn‘t. Not yet. For one, Matt was still dressed in his work clothes and secondly, you hadn‘t settled your earlier issue yet.
But you wouldn‘t be the first to breach that topic again. He wouldn‘t forget about it, that was for sure, but maybe you could prolong the inevitable. Have him take a nap at least. You crawled off his lap and stretched once you stood.
Matt raised an eyebrow at you, but you simply took his hand and tugged him towards the bedroom. You flopped onto the bed and watched as he stood at the edge, seemingly debating with himself.
You had known since the night you had first found out about his vigilante side that you wouldn‘t know peace with him. Matt was a whirlwind, a hurricane if you will, and while he had his peaceful moments you knew that he was constantly restless, constantly aware of everything. You had woken up to him on the brink of unconsciousness, crawling in through the fire escape, more times than you liked to admit.
But, even through all that you told yourself that you would stay. The good outweighed the bad, maybe not always, but enough times for it to be worth it. You didn‘t ask questions, you didn‘t stop him - for better or for worse. Occasionally though, your worry grew too big for you to ignore his recklessness and you stepped in.
Like tonight.
„Join me?“ You whispered, and even in the low light you could see Matt tense up.
Instead of answering, Matt began unbuttoning his shirt. He shrugged it off and let it fall to the floor, his pants and socks joining soon after. Then he stood there again, at the edge of the bed, ‘looking‘ down at you while locked in an internal conflict, no, an internal war.
You waited patiently, as the seconds passing turned to minutes, until eventually Matt moved. Hesitantly he crawled onto the bed, towards you, until he laid his head onto your chest. He mirrored the position you usually slept in when he wore the sweater you now wore.
You wrapped your arms around him and winced when you felt how tense he still was. Even now, next to you, he could barely let himself relax. He looked so fragile that you thought your heart might break. You shifted the slightest bit to press a kiss to his forehead and you felt him shudder.
„Sleep, Matty.“ You murmured against his skin. „It‘s okay.“
You didn‘t know why this night was so bad, but you could hazard a guess - he had already worked so long on the case, and you assumed that neither he nor Foggy nor Karen could find an adequate defense, making him already feel like he was failing. Mix that with his guilt and exhaustion? You could easily deduce that that was quite the unhealthy concoction that poisoned his thoughts.
It was your turn to guard him now, and you did. You listened as his breathing turned steady and the lightest snoring filled the silence in the room.
Matt liked to joke that you were his angel and that he, the devil, had tainted you. And in nights like these, his joke held some truth.
You were his angel - his saint. His savior.