the fears of repeating the mistakes of her past relationships or any nervousness she might have felt that maybe nothing would happen between them disappeared in the instant that their lips met. all she could think about him and his lips on hers, or the way his hands were placed upon her body. it was like an adrenaline rush; a feeling that she could get used to if this is what it feels like to KISS him. and honestly, in that moment, she thinks she might be crazy for not acting upon her feelings earlier.
she wouldn’t expect him to drop everything to have a life with her. hell, she’s not even sure if that’s something she can ever have. while she had thought about it and it’s something she’s always wanted, the picket fence and HAPPY FAMILY isn’t a normal occurrence with people who does what she does. there’s always a bad guy out there, or someone close to them dies, or the world is threatened for the hundredth time. to have a future where everything is NORMAL is a dream of hers, but the only thing she knows she can have right now is a relationship. or … something.
but if there is one thing zatanna knows for sure, it’s that matt murdock is a damn good kisser. her breath is nearly stolen from her as he pulls her closer and kisses her, her body pressing up against his. in what could have been just a simple peck had turned into into an attempt by the two to get closer, as one of zatanna’s hand slide up his neck and into his hair. she forgets all about the mistletoe DANGLING up above her head, for the only thing keeping her attention right now was him. her lips part from him for nearly a second before she kissing him again, his moan only causing her to pull him closer and kiss him hungrily.
——— the christmas decorating could wait a bit longer. she had more IMPORTANT things to do, and she wasn’t about start being festive again after this.
In that moment, his brain is not thinking of anything else; not of the past, not of the present, not of the future – one-hundred percent of his focus is on Zatanna Zatara; the way her perfume mixes with the scent of pine and cedar, the way her skin is hot and feels a thousand degrees against his torso, the way her lips taste against his own. In that second, the center of the universe is in his corner apartment in Hell’s Kitchen - the outside world a complete and total afterthought. It feels so good to experience this again; the refreshing throes of passionate contact with another being.
He’d been so cold for so long - so stuck in the mentality of trying to save the city. She’d reminded him that there was still light in the world, still brightness in the shadows. With Zatanna there was still warmth to cling on to, like the last grips of summer before the chill of fall and winter begins. He’d forgotten entirely that this sort of thing could exist until she came along - and he was so grateful she’d reminded him that there was more to the world than the grit and darkness that Hell’s Kitchen had been more than happy to show him.
Her hands move up to entangle with his hair, the slight tugs causing stifled moans to rumble in his chest. Touch is something so incredibly powerful for him – and this kind of touch is particularly overpowering. His lips part, teeth gently passing over Zee’s lower lip before he pulls back, a soft grin on his face. He’s panting, eyelids closed lightly, and he rests is forhead against hers before tilting her chin upwards with one hand and planting a gentle kiss on her lips. It isn’t that Matt wants to stop - but he needs to breathe, to slow down for at least a few moments.
“That was too long coming,” He says breathlessly, the tone of his voice a low purr. “I’ve been wanting to do that forever.” Christmas decorating could wait – there were other things that needed to be attended to now.
There were legends in Hell’s Kitchen–legends about demons, and blood and the Devil himself. But Natasha had learned, after all those years, that stories were nothing compared to real life. She did not fear the city, nor its reputation, because words were words and they could do no harm.
She could never dip into full skepticism, though, since that would lower her guard and there was no time for such mistakes. Instead, the redhead quietly slipped into the streets, calling little to no attention as rubble cracked under the black stilettos.
Anonymity had become her best friend, especially after going solo. She had figured, right before arriving at Hell’s Kitchen, that this particular case would require much more…prudence. It was a small city, and pulling on the wrong strings meant pulling on all of them. Yet another thing she could not afford.
Gentle, gloved knuckles tapped the door, and the woman in black shifted her weight as she straightened her skirt. It was quiet, and calm, but something lingered in the air, something odd and endearing. It made Natasha weary.
“Hello,” a soft smirk, and a nod, “Nelson and Murdock? Attorneys at Law?”
Hell’s kitchen had been impeccably quiet as of late. He’d expected a surge of crime after the downfall and arrest of Wilson Fisk, but that wasn’t yet to be the case - Matt supposed it was because the groups and syndicates were still rebuilding from the rubble left behind. He knew that new territories would be established and re-created, and soon enough, he’d find himself tackling more than just petty crimes and simple heroics.
He was spending more time working lately than he had before, with the slight downturn in excessive crime giving him some time to work with Foggy and Karen on improving the office. There was an established setup now between offices, conference room, and reception, and a workflow between the three had been established. You could almost call Nelson & Murdock organized.
There was a stack of paperwork on his desk that he’d spent most of a quiet Wednesday attending to, perusing over Braille documents containing varied statutes and points of evidence that would apply to their latest defense case. It wasn’t anything too challenging - a defense for a Hell’s Kitchen woman trying to keep her job after she had to defend herself at work and was fired for physical violence against a co-worker - and Matt was quite content knowing that they had more than enough to take the prosecution down and win the case.
His attention was pulled from his work when there was a knock on the door - Karen and Foggy were both out on an extended lunch break, so he stood from behind the desk to go and greet the visitor.
“That it is. Please come in,” He stepped back, “What can we do for you?”
The recorder caused Stevie to pause for a split second, her bottom lip tucking neatly behind her top teeth and chewed briefly as she considered. “I don’t mind, no,” she began, a crease forming between her eyebrows. “However, I must make it clear that I’m not here to hire your firm, Mr. Murdock. Technically I’m not supposed to even be here at all, but I have a tendency to do the opposite of what I’m told when action needs to be taken.” And action may very well need to be taken to keep Fisk behind bars, especially if Nefaria was involved - if her research was correct, more than a few inmates had walked free from Ryker’s Island thanks to him.
Her fingers curled around themselves for a moment, the tip of her right thumbnail tapping out an erratic staccato on the top of it’s left hand partner while she thinks. “The Maggia are a syndicate of families but the Nefaria are the only ones we have a name for at the moment. Reports are… vague at best, sources unreliable, details compromised. They’re very good at hiding their footprints and operate solely out of the shadows. What we know is that they’re ‘conventional crime’ specialists - things prosecutors would have a field day with if they were able to get anything to stick. It’s like they’re covered in teflon.” Or grease, as slippery as they were.
“I’m not privy to the details surrounding what goes on in the secure facility that Fisk is contained in but if I had to guess, the Maggia have plants inside that they have frequent contact with - one with little to no known links to the syndicate.” Should Nelson & Murdock choose to look into the case, Stevie didn’t envy their task at finding the needle (or needles) in the haystack - but seeing as there was no incentive for Stark and the Avengers’ legal teams to follow those leads she might as well pass it on to people who very well might.
“The files also mentioned something about the Hand but I’m not familiar with them and I couldn’t tell you if they were connected or not.” A pause, brief but followed by a sharp intake of breath as she came to a rapid decision. “I won’t be popular by saying this, Mr. Murdock, but I can offer to have copies of all related information made and sent over - or one of your associates can collect it yourselves. There’s not much, a couple of thin files and a flash drive, but if you wish to pursue this then I will help you gather as much ammunition as I am able to.”
Even if it wasn’t her intent to hire him, Matt knew that getting all the details - and getting them right - was important. It would save him hunting down unnecessary leads later, when it came time to start seeing what else was really going on in Hell’s Kitchen and beyond. He lifted a hand to signal that he understood. “Well and clear, Captain Rogers. The more detail I have, the more I can further investigate this information and ensure that Fisk stays where he belongs.” A cordial nod is made in her directions, and he further listens to her description of the Maggia and their operations.
His brow furrows - this was becoming an increasingly more complicated and dangerous scenario. If the Nefaria were indeed planted inside the prison it was only a matter of time before Fisk walked free; and that, of course, is the last thing Matt wanted for his city. Ryker’s Island may have been a high security institution, but nothing was secure when inside corruption and mafia-type crime syndicates were involved. He should have known that even behind bars Fisk was still a dangerous man with dangerous connection; his conscious shifts for a moment, wondering if he should have taken the other man’s life, even when he did not.
And that was the eternal struggle Matt Murdock faced; his moral ethos steadies his hand and kept him from taking the life of another, but sometimes he wondered – was his ethical stance worth it, when it came to dangerous criminals that would cause chaos again? Was it just his Catholic guilt dragging him down, and preventing him from doing the real work that needed done? In that moment he wondered how Rogers dealt with it; she was a veteran of war. She had seen and dealt with death first hand – did she ever feel the pang of guilt when someone’s last breath was at her final blow? There was a narrowing in his eyes as he contemplated the greatest American hero doing the one thing he could not - kill.
Maybe that was what separated Daredevil from the rest of the contingent of heroic brethren - they were willing to take that extra step when he was not. Did that make him any less than them?
His attention snapped back to the moment. “Any additional information you can provide would be incredibly useful,” he adjusts the recorder slightly, then moves to open the top desk drawr to reveal a small, black thumb drive. “Feel free to use this to transfer any data my way – its triple encrypted. If anything it’ll link back to me, and you’ll be clear from any issues on your end.” Matt slides the drive across the table in Rogers’ direction, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I think that, with this situation, the more information we can gather the better. I’ll spend some time seeing what I can gather on who might be involved inside the prison by investigating Fisk’s other business connections.” Of course, what he didn’t mention was that this would involve using whatever physical force was necessary to obtain said information.
i’m going through some shit right now. i just told the first boyfriend i have ever lived with that he needs to get out and leave, because i can’t live like this any more. our relationship is non-existent and he treats me like a shitty roommate. there’s a huge weight off my shoulders but i’m also a fucking wreck right now. i know that i will still be active, but it may take me a few days to be back in full force. i love writing matt, and i love you all – so don’t worry, i’ll be here. i just might need some hugs. and some alcohol. and maybe some more fluff.
You are beautiful when you are murderous. You have the skin of your enemies between your teeth and their pleadings under your nails and you look like a burning pyre.A silence. Pure. Purifying.”
What I like about fairy tales is that they
highlight the emotions within a story. The situations aren’t real, with
falling stars and pirates. But what you do relate to is the emotions
that the characters feel.
