My Devil, My Shadow

My Devil, My Shadow

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Prompt - ‘Because losing her would mean losing yourself.'

The first thing Matt took notice of as he walked back into his apartment was the pulsing on the neon from the billboard outside before he focused in on you. He could hear your heartbeat and your breathing both keeping a steady pace that let him know you were asleep. Hearing you shift as the door shut gently, Matt chuckled to himself, no idea how you could fall asleep with the light show outside seeping into his living room.

He hadn’t been gone long either, only stepping out for five minutes to walk Claire down to the street after she had, once again, helped him out. The two of them exchanged words before he headed back up to you.

The Devil and you had crossed paths long ago, first before Fisk had been arrested and since then the two of you teaming up happened regularly enough that a friendship had been formed…ok so maybe Matt wanted more than just a friendship but how could he not? How could he listen to your laugh, a laugh that was able to flip his mood in a matter of seconds, a laugh that felt like a summer's day, how could he listen to you ramble on for hours on stake outs and not fall for you?

He didn’t need to see you to know you were beautiful. Matt didn’t have a mental picture of you in his head, not one like he wanted as he hadn’t had the chance to trail his fingers delicately across your features, the chance to cup your face in his hands, a chance to feel the way you smiled under them. He couldn’t even ask Foggy what you looked like as every picture captured of you showed the suit you wore, like him your face was hidden from the world, the all black fabric helped you blend into the night so the media had, rather creatively, dubbed you Shadow.

Matt remembered the first time you had been written about, how you waved the paper in his face as you told him the name you’d been given.

“Shadow?” You laughed as the two of you sat together on a rooftop, legs dangling over the edge as the sounds of the city passed. “I mean out of all the names they could have chosen, Shadow? A bit on the nose, right?”

“I don’t know,” Matt said, grinning ahead, “It does suit you, I mean now that I think about it you are like my own shadow.”

He was fully prepared for the smack to the chest he received for that one but Matt didn’t need to see you to know you were smiling too.

Tonight had been bad.

Matt hadn’t heard from you for a few days, the two of you had burner phones with only the other's number saved to it. Most nights you found each other in the middle of a fight or perched on a rooftop. After three or so days Matt had begun to worry that you had gotten hurt, surely you would have called him though?

After a bit of digging he finally got a lead, apparently you were investigating a human trafficking ring that had recently popped up in the Kitchen and they didn’t like that you were getting too close.

Nobody had seen you since.

It hadn’t taken Matt long from there to get a location, panic running through him but he pushed it down and focused all his senses on finding you. He couldn’t lose you, not when he had gotten so little time with you. His blood ran cold at the thought of finding you dead, no grounding heartbeat for him to listen to, no laugh or small touches.

Frank’s words about Matt being one bad day away from turning into him seemed to hit a bit too close right now and he forced the words from his head.

Matt shook his head, forcing himself to focus as he took out the guards at the front of an abandoned building. He could count at least ten more heartbeats inside and froze for a moment, titling his head as he listened to each one, desperately hoping that one of them was yours.

There, he thought, it was unsteady and weak but it was yours. You were still alive but Matt could hear your breathing was also laboured and with that he made quick work of taking out the rest of guards before following your heartbeat.

Matt found the room you were in and didn’t hesitate to push the door open with a loud bang, shocking the lone guard who had been left with you. He used the man's shock to his advantage and with a quick few punches the man was out cold.

He didn’t waste any time turning his attention to you, kneeling down in front of you and untying your hands. At this point you could barely keep your eyes open, it hurt to breathe but you pushed through the pain to look at the Devil who rescued you.

“It’s good to see you, D.” You whispered, voice strained from screaming.

Matt let out a wet chuckle as he heard your breathing, determining you had at least three cracked ribs. He finally let his hands trail your body starting at your wrists and wincing at the cuts, he gently ran his hands up your arms, feeling more cuts and forming bruises, before he came to your shoulders.

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again.” He said just as softly, voice thick with emotion as he let himself touch your face.

He started by placing his hands on your jawline before moving up to cup your cheeks. He felt your lips twitch into a smile followed by a hiss of pain and a metallic smell that told him you’d reopened your split lips. Before he pulled away he let his thumb trace your cheekbone, smiling himself as he felt you lean into the touch.

“Let’s get out of here.” He said, gently helping you to stand before taking your weight as he led you from the building, burner phone already in his hand as he called for Claire.

“Didn’t I stitch you back together yesterday?” She asked as soon as she picked up the phone, causing Matt to smile.

“It’s not me this time,” Matt told her, frowning as you let out a soft groan.

“You found her?” Claire asked.

“I found her,” he confirmed, “my place is closer if you-”

“I’ll meet you there.” She told him before saying goodbye.

Thankfully it wasn’t a long walk and the fresh air was helping you come to faster. Once you were completely aware of your surroundings you froze causing Matt to stumble slightly as he still had you leaning heavily against him.

“Shadow?” He asked in concern, tilting his head as he tried to determine if you had aggravated any of your injuries.

“My mask,” You said, still looking at Matt. Matt’s eyes widened under his own mask as he too realised that you thought he could see your face. “You know who I am.”

And what was Matt supposed to say? Actually your identity is still a secret because I’m blind but please don’t freak out, yeah that’d go down well. Though part of him did want to tell you who he was, part of him had been thinking about taking the mask off for a while now. He liked you and he didn’t just want to know you as Shadow or have you only know the Devil, he wanted you to incorporate yourself into every part of Matt Murdock’s life and him into your life, he wanted to know everything about you, starting with your name.

Once you were better, Matt promised himself, once you were better he’d tell you who he was. Now his only priority was getting you back to his apartment and into Claire’s hands.

“I’m fine really.” You insisted, watching as the Devil smiled and Claire rolled her eyes.

“If I don’t stitch the wound, it’ll just keep bleeding and you’ll get an infection, trust me you want to deal with this now.” The nurse told you, ignoring your pout as she leaned closer to you and began closing the wound.

You let out a cry of pain as the needle did its work but Matt sat on the floor next to the sofa, your hand in his, and kept up a steady one-sided conversation that helped distract you.

“A couple of blocks away there’s a group celebrating a birthday, it’s the boys 21st. They’re all singing to him and it’s not bad considering the amount of alcohol in their system,” Matt felt you shift on the sofa so that you were facing him and smiled to himself.

“Two floors down a baby is crying, she’s hungry but her mom is really stressed out. She doesn’t know what to do so she’s trying to rock her to sleep. About five blocks to the right a group of students are out drinking after finishing their finals, one of them is sober and making sure another doesn’t wander off.”

This was something the two of you had done since you found out exactly what Matt’s abilities were. On the quieter times of your shared moments together you always asked him to tell you about the city and Matt was always more than happy to comply, the two of you laying on a rooftop somewhere and the words whispered only for you to hear. He felt your breathing soften, no longer focused on Claire stitching your torso but solely on Matt’s words, he couldn’t fight back the smile as he squeezed your hand.

Claire watched on with a raised eyebrow. It had been so long since she’d seen Matt like this, oftentimes he was far too stressed and pushing himself to the limit but since this Shadow, since you, came onto the scene Matt had started taking it easier, still doing his job but there was a softness to him now. So when he showed up bruised, beaten and bleeding but determined to get back out there she had been scared for him. Finding out you had gone missing was enough to send Matt spiralling so she hated to think just how he’d react to finding you dead.

She wasn’t sure Matt would survive that.

It wasn’t long before Claire was pulling off her gloves and giving you care advice that she just knew you wouldn’t follow, not if you were anything like Matt.

“Keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn’t rip her stitches.” Claire told Matt as she packed her bag.

“I’ll keep her safe.” Matt told her and she didn’t doubt those words for even a second. As far as she was concerned you held a lot of power over Matt, if something happened to you that might be the push he needed to cross the line he never wanted to cross.

She watched as you smiled up at Matt, it was a tired smile but my god was it blinding. Claire knew then that as far as you had gotten Matt wrapped around your little finger he was just as tightly wound around yours.

“I’ll walk you out,” Matt told her before turning to you, “Will you be okay?” He asked softly and Claire almost felt bad that Matt couldn’t see just how you were looking at him.

“For the few minutes you’ll be gone, I think I can manage to stay alive.” You grinned up at him causing him to roll his eyes. “Thank you, Claire.” You said, waving at her as the two of them left the apartment, leaving you alone to sink further into the sofa.

You shut your eyes tightly as thoughts of the men who attacked you filled your head and accidentally ended up falling asleep.

“She likes you, you know?” Claire told him as they walked down the stairs.

“You think?” He asked, sure he could feel your heartbeat and the way your cheeks flushed but could you like him, was it possible for you to feel the same way he did? “Trust me, if you could see the way she looked at you, you’d have no doubts,” Claire said and the steady beat of her heart showed she meant the words, filling Matt with hope. If Claire didn’t think he stood a chance with you she would have told him no matter how much it’d hurt. “You ever going to show her the person under the mask?”

Matt stayed silent as they descended down another flight of stairs before speaking.

“When she’s better. She’s been through enough. The last thing I want is for her to panic over the whole,” Here Matt paused to wave a hand in front of his face, “blind thing.”

“She knows what you can do.” Claire told him and Matt nodded because sure you knew his abilities but finding out a blind person could do the things he could, it would come as a shock and then you’d panic over him before calming down.

“She does,” he agreed easily, “but even without that I can’t just go up and tell her now, she can’t get up and walk out of my apartment if she wanted to.”

“Matt, listen to me,” Claire said as they came to the door, turning to face him as she spoke, “She isn’t going to leave when you take the mask off, I promise you. Plus she’s going to be a pain when it comes to healing and cleaning her stitches so she’s going to need something to take her mind off it. I say you tell her first chance you get. You deserve to be happy, you, Matt Murdock.”

Matt gave her a shaky smile because it was exactly what he needed to hear. There was a part of him that felt selfish but Claire was right, he deserved to be happy and nothing could possibly make him happier than you.

“Thank you, Claire.” He said softly.

“I’m glad you found each other.” She told him, tone matching his, and with that she left the apartment building leaving Matt alone with a grin on his face.

As he reentered his apartment, taking in the neon pulsing through the billboard outside and your soft, even breathing, he paused in the entryway, leaning against the wall and just let himself listen to you for a moment. He listened to you breathe, letting him know you were alive, he had saved you before they could do anymore damage. Despite the stitches and the bruises you were ok, you would be ok.

Matt would make sure of it.

With soft steps he made his way over to the sofa and picked you up in his arms, smiling as you curled into him, murmuring words he couldn’t catch. He was gentle as he placed you on his bed and wrapped the blanket around you, hesitating for only a moment before he allowed himself to lean down and kiss your head.

Claire was right because of course she was and Matt vowed to show you the man under the mask, vowed to tell you how he felt because he had come too close to losing you.

-

The next morning you woke up with a groan, hand going to your side before pausing and remembering the stitches. As you shifted your eyebrows knitted together as you felt the softness of the sheets and opened your eyes to see what was most definitely not your bedroom.

Hadn’t you fallen asleep on the Devil’s sofa?

With a shrug you pulled yourself into a sitting position, wincing at the ache in your torso, before the smell of food invaded your senses and it hit you just how hungry you were. It took a few attempts for you to stand up but you managed and padded out of the bedroom and saw the Devil cooking breakfast.

“Morning.” You said softly.

The Devil turned to smile at you, that smile always made your heart beat faster and never failed to put a smile on your own face. It was one of the first things you’d loved about him.

“Good morning,” He said as he placed the pan on the counter before making his way around to you, hand hovering over your wound before you nodded at him, that was the permission he needed to gently examine the stitches before he pulled away and pulled a chair out for you. “Breakfast will be ready soon.”

It wasn’t long before you and Matt were sitting next to each other with a plate of food in front of you. You dug in, not having eaten anything of substance for however long you were captured.

Matt made light conversation though he knew you had picked up on his nervousness. He figured it was best to rip the bandaid off and tell you as soon as possible.

“There’s something I wanted to tell you, something I should have told you months ago, something that shouldn’t have taken me nearly losing you to admit too.” He began and he felt your heartbeat quicken as he did, he didn’t know whether it was a good sign or not but he’d started now. “I really like you, Shadow, I have for a long time now. Being with you makes everything feel so much better, you make everything easier. I want you in my life, not just the Devil’s but in mine.” And with that Matt let his hands reach for the mask, your eyes widening as he did, before he gently pulled it off and placed it on the table.

It was silent for far too long in Matt’s opinion, your heartbeat hadn’t settled down yet and he could sense your mouth moving but no words came out. He was just about ready to jam the mask back on and pretend all this hadn’t happened when you spoke.

“Y/N,” You blurted out and Matt could tell it wasn’t what you had meant to say but still you continued, “My name’s Y/N.”

“Matt.” He told you and, God, didn’t his smile look even better now that you could see his whole face, see the way his eyes crinkled and his face lit up. “So,” Matt began but you cut him off.

“Sorry, sorry, I like you too, Matt. I have done for so long and I-I’m so glad it was you who saved me last night, I wanted it to be you so bad.” You told him, smiling as he leaned forward and cupped your cheek in his hand.

“Can I kiss you?” He whispered, feeling you nod and with that he leaned forward softly pressing your lips together.

The kiss started off slow and soft but eventually it heated up, the kiss conveying all those months of hiding your feelings, making up for all the times you could have kissed but didn’t.

Eventually Matt pulled away but didn’t didn’t go far as he rested his forehead against yours. The silence spread for a long while, the two of you more than happy to stay in your own little bubble where the other was safe.

You broke it though once something clicked in your head now that you had gotten the confession out of the way.

“You’re blind.” You told him watching as he pulled away from you.

“So I’ve been told.” He chuckled, feeling slightly self conscious now that he didn’t have the mask to cover his eyes but hearing your laugh was enough to push those feelings aside.

“Shut up,” you laughed, “Matt I’ve seen what you can do-”

“And you know how enhanced my other senses are,” He told you, gently cutting you off. “I don’t need sight to see, my other senses make up for it. Like right now I don’t need to see you to know that your eyebrows are furrowed together or that you're biting your lip to hold back a smile. I don’t need to see you to know that your cheeks are flushed making you look even more adorable.” He said, taking great delight in both your giggle and the gentle smack to his chest.

“You really can’t see?” You asked in amazement.

Matt was right you had seen what he was capable of, the man could do things that people with fully functioning sight couldn’t do. His enhanced senses allowed him to easily beat groups of people up without a single gun. You were in awe of his fighting style before, how he always seemed to be two steps ahead of his opponent but now you were even more amazed.

“Not conventionally.” Matt said, causing you to laugh.

“You’re incredible.” You told him before leaning in to kiss the smirk off his lips.

“You know I’ll keep you safe right?” Matt asked softly as the two of you pulled away, Matt’s face shifting with the words, he felt you reach up and cup his cheek, recalling the words Foggy used, Matt Murdock wore his emotions on his face. You could see how determined he was to keep his promise, how much it had scared him when you’d gone missing.

So instead of telling him you were more than capable of protecting yourself, something you had always told him when you’d first met before you finally let him past your walls, you nodded.

“You watch my back, I watch yours, right D?” You questioned back instead because that was the way things were between the two of you, had been for as long as you’d been working together. You protected your Devil and he, well he would…

“Always protect you, my shadow.” He murmured before pulling you in for another kiss that conveyed just how much he meant his words.

_______

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Just Hold On

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Febuwhump Prompt - blood loss

Prompt - ‘A world without you seemed impossible.’

You found yourself pacing the length of the room, getting lost in the repetitive motion of back and forth, back and forth. The dread of what was to come invaded your mind, you were unable to think about anything else. It felt like every time you closed your eyes all you could see was a pale, lifeless body lying there covered in blood.

You felt yourself shuddering as the image assaulted your mind once more.

You couldn’t say how much time had passed before a hand on your shoulder startled you. Your head snapped around to see Rick standing there, a kind smile on his face that did nothing to hide his own worry.

“He’s gonna be okay.” He told you but you could see how he doubted his own words.

Shaking your head, your bit your lip not wanting to direct your anger and fear at the wrong person. You’d seen Daryl hurt plenty of times, you’d been with him since the beginning, you’d seen him bleeding from deep wounds or simply covered in bruises but this…this was different.

This time you didn’t know if he’d survive.

Inside the clinic Denise worked hard to sew him back together, desperately doing what she could without an entire hospital supply room to support her. You and Rick had long been kicked out of the room, distracting her as you watched every move she made.

“You don’t know that.” Was all you managed to say, eyes flickering over to the closed door.

Daryl and a small group had headed out that morning on what should have been an easy supply run and returned hours later laying a bloody Daryl on the floor as they called for help. At that point you couldn’t see the injuries that were hidden by clothing but there was no hiding the blood that had stained most of his shirt.

You had watched as the gates opened, stood frozen once you saw him before running over to the growing group as fast as you could, cupping Daryl’s cheeks in your hands, desperately pleading with him to wake up. Rick was the one who pulled you away so they could get him up to the clinic.

Watching as he was stripped had you turning pale and your stomach twisting as you saw the wounds. There were deep slashes scattered across his torso, bruises forming in the shape of boots. You choked on a sob as Rick cupped the back of the head, hiding your face in his chest as you continued to cry.

It wasn’t long until the two of you were told to wait outside and neither of you were planning on leaving any time soon.

The hours dragged by, you’d gone from restless and pacing to collapsing into the chair beside Rick, the man smiling sympathetically at you as he wrapped an arm around you, pulling you into his chest.

The two of you sat in silence, neither having any comforting words for the other as you waited for any news on the man you both loved. Despite everything you’d been through since the apocalypse started you could honestly say this was one of the worst moments, completely helpless and not knowing whether the man who had been by your side since the beginning, the man who was the only reason you had survived this long, the man who had grumbled and muttered when you followed him from the walker infested warehouse but had somehow along the way ended up falling for you, would survive or not.

A world without Daryl Dixon seemed impossible.

The door to the clinic opening pulled you out of your thoughts as your head snapped up to see an exhausted looking Denise standing there, her mouth opening and closing a few times but no words came out.

You felt your blood run cold, mind jumping to one conclusion at her lack of words. Your eyes pooled with tears but thankfully Rick spoke up before you could spiral much further.

“Denise,” He prompted softly, not sure if he wanted to hear the next words out of her mouth either.

“He’s stable,” She started with causing you to let out a sob of relief, your hand covering your mouth. “But I can’t make any promises, Rick. He could be fine or it could be touch and go.”

You blocked out the rest of her words, the only ones you needed to hear were that he was stable, he was alive. That’s all that mattered. Daryl wouldn’t die, he couldn’t…he’d be fine.

He had to be fine.

“You can see him now.” You heard Denise say, Rick and you both standing before making your way into the room.

You paused in the doorway, more tears falling from your eyes as you looked at him. He looked completely lifeless, skin almost grey as he lay there, shirtless and bandaged up. Needles poked into him as they gave him what he needed to stay alive.

You forced a shaky smile up at Rick as he lay a comforting hand on your shoulder before you walked further into the room and took a seat on the edge of the plastic chair next to the bed.

You’d never seen him like this and you were terrified, hesitating as you lifted your hand, scared that one touch would be all it took before the heart monitor beeped to nothing. You closed your eyes and gently took his hand in yours, waiting for something to happen and breathing out a sigh of relief as nothing did.

“Daryl,” You whispered, leaning down and resting your lips against his hand before pressing a lingering kiss to them. “Please wake up, you have to wake up.” You pleaded with the unconscious man, aware your words would have very little effect but needing to say something.

You looked up as you heard another chair scrap on the other side of the room and watched as Rick sat opposite you, mirroring you as he took Daryl’s hand in his.

“You heard the lady,” Rick smiled, “You gotta wake up, brother.”

You and Rick sat together in near silence for the night, neither one of you wanting to leave the other or Daryl alone. It was a long night and lonely night when Daryl failed to move but you were glad to have a friend.

Days continued to pass without a hint of movement from Daryl. The whole time you refused to move from his side, Rick had to after the first night, too many duties to attend to but if it were up to him he’d have been in that room with the two of you. Though he did stop by often enough to make sure that you were taking care of yourself.

Which you weren’t.

You weren’t holding up and as each day passed you felt yourself losing hope. Food wasn’t even a thought in your mind and if it wasn’t for Rick stopping by several times a day with food then you knew you wouldn’t have eaten anything, even with Rick’s help you only had a few bites at most a day.

Thankfully some of the colour had started to return to Daryl’s face even if he had yet to wake up, Denise said that was a good thing, his body was working on healing itself. It showed Daryl was fighting.

He was also taking to the blood transfusion that she had had to administer. She spoke about red blood cell transfusion, gave you the rundown of the procedure but you tuned her out, could hardly stand to listen to her talk about how much blood Daryl had lost, about how he might still take a turn for the worst.

You spent most of the day just watching him, watching the weak rise and fall of his chest, watching his heart beat on the monitor, watching his eyes to see if there was even a flicker of movement. If you hadn’t had Daryl memorised before you did know, you knew the man like the back of your hand, hell better than that.

There hadn’t been a day that passed in which you hadn’t cried. Everyday that hope faded more and more until it felt like you were drowning. You refused to let go of Daryl's hand, praying that you’d feel it twitch one of these days, praying he’d curl his fingers around yours. Daryl’s hand in yours felt like an anchor, the one thing that kept you holding on.

“How’s he doing today?” Rick asked as he walked into the clinic, smiling sadly as you didn’t even look up at him.

You only had eyes for Daryl.

“Same as yesterday and the day before.” You said bitterly, wanting him to get better so you could leave and get your hands on the Saviours.

Rick watched your emotions play out on your face, understanding what you were feeling all too well. He wanted to rip the face of every saviour, wanted Negan’s head on a stick but he knew they had to be smart, knew that if they struck now they’d lose. Negan would be expecting them.

Rick was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard you let out a surprised gasp, he looked to you, a question on his lips when he paused, watching as your eyes lit up for the first time in nearly a week.

“Hey,” You said, huffing a laugh of absolute disbelief, “You’re ok, you’re ok,” You repeat like a mantra.

The feeling of Daryl’s fingers tightening around your own was just about the best feeling in the world. The complete feeling of relief that ran throughout your body made you feel lighter than you had in days, like a weight had been suddenly and breathtakingly removed from your back.

Rick watched in amazement as his best friend scrunched his eyes closed hard before he tried to pry them out, Y/N watching his every move like a hawk. It took a few attempts before Daryl managed to open his eyes, blinking against the harsh lights before his eyes settled on you.

At this point your eyes were filled, yet again, with tears but this time they were tears of disbelief, tears of happiness, tears of fear as you realised how close you’d come to losing the most important person in your life.

“Y/N,” He managed to grumble out before he started coughing, causing you to move, quickly grabbing your cup of water and guiding it up to his lips, helping him get the water down carefully.

Once he was finished you put the cup back and moved yourself onto the bed, being careful of his torso as you did so. He looked up at you, immediately noticing the dark circles under your eyes and the worry that was written across your face plain as day.

“Ya need t’sleep, baby.” He croaked out causing you to let out a watery laugh, the man nearly died and here he was still more worried about you than he was himself.

“Needed to make sure you were ok.” You told him, letting your hand gently reach up and cup his cheek, smiling shakily as he leaned into the touch.

“M’okay.” He assured you, turning his face into your palm and placing a soft, barely there kiss upon it.

“You nearly died.” You told him with a choked sob, desperately trying to swallow down tears.

Daryl’s gaze shifted from you over to Rick, who stood forgotten by the door feeling like an intruder. Rick shot him a shaky smile which was returned weakly before Daryl turned his attention back to you.

“S’gonna be ok, gonna get the bastards.” He told you, watching as laughed and nodded along with his words. “But you gotta sleep, darlin’.”

Those words had you falling in love with the man all over again, this idiotic, absolutely selfless man who put you before him every single day, even when he was practically on his death bed only days ago.

You couldn’t help but smile at him, a smile that was only reserved for him, eyes soft and lips upturned with a tilt of your head. It was the smile Daryl loved most, one only he could draw from you.

Carefully you leaned down, your lips brushing against his so softly. It was exactly what you needed, the feelings of his lips moving against yours, proof he was alive. You could finally breathe properly.

Eventually you pulled back, resting your forehead on his, causing him to smile up at you. He managed to lift his hand up, barely hiding a wince from you, and rested it on your cheek, letting his fingertips run along your cheekbone.

“I love you,” you whispered, swallowing hard around the lump in your throat, he was ok.

“I love you too, darlin’.” He told you, just as softly, the two of you in your own little world, so absorbed in each other you didn’t notice Rick slipping out of the room with a smile of his own, glad that his two best friends had found each other whilst the world around you went to hell.

__________

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I'll Always Find You

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Febuwhump Prompt - Kidnapped

Prompt - ‘Some things you don't have to promise. You just do.’

The city lights blurred together as you sat in the car, unsure exactly how you ended up there, unsure how you had let Karen talk you into heading upstate with her and Ben. She hadn’t told you much, told Ben even less from the sounds of it, but you knew it involved Fisk and that was enough for you.

Ever since that man had come onto the scene it felt like everything around you had started falling apart. Matt had become distant, everytime Fisk’s name was brought up he’d turn away from the conversation and shut himself off. You knew something was wrong with him, hell it didn’t take a genius to piece that together what with all the bruises and cuts and the sneaking around.

Maybe that’s why it hadn’t taken much convincing on Karen’s half to get you to tag along to some care facility.

Meeting Fisk’s mom wasn’t what you had expected from the visit though, neither was finding out that Fisk had murdered his own father but you knew the information was useless, whilst Karen excitedly chattered on about how this was the edge you needed to bring Fisk down you sat in the back of the car knowing full well the information from an old woman with dementia was unusable.

That didn’t mean you were going to give up but you knew that getting anything on Fisk wouldn’t be legal and as much as you loved Matt and Foggy you didn’t believe in their plan to take fisk down using the law. It was shockingly easy to find the right people hanging around in shady areas, even easier to get them talking, though the firm of Nelson and Murdock would definitely be seeing an influx of criminals seeking their promised legal representation.

You already knew a fair bit about Fisk from what Ben had collected with the help of the Man in the Mask and even though the people you had spoken to tonight hadn’t given much new information, they had fit a few of the missing pieces together for you.

Night had fallen, the streets of Hell’s Kitchen felt eerily silent as you made your way through them. On the walk back to your apartment you frowned but resisted the urge to turn around when it felt like somebody was following you.

You took a deep breath in an attempt to control your breathing before making a detour and decided to head to Matt’s apartment instead, it was closer than yours and you knew he wouldn’t mind you showing up, especially if he knew you didn’t feel safe.

As you walked you pulled your phone out of your pocket as casually as you could and typed a text to Matt, if you were being followed you didn’t want them to know you were onto them.

I think somebody is following me - five minutes from your apartment.

You hadn’t passed a single person and nothing seemed out of place but yet you couldn’t push the feeling of being watched away and practically melted in relief as you ran across the street over to Matt’s building.

Just as you grabbed the door handle you let out a hiss of pain as you felt yourself being pressed against the door, somebody grabbing your arm and bending it painfully behind your back before placing a gun on the small of your back.

“Let’s take a drive,” A voice said in your ear before you were dragged back and a piece of white cloth was being held to your mouth and try as you might all you could do was breathe it in.

You didn’t know how much time had passed from you being drugged to waking up though you had yet to open your eyes, trying your best to figure out your surroundings without alerting anybody who was in the room that you were awake. It was impossible though, the room was silent, no groans of pipes, no echos for you to try and figure out what size room you were in.

Finally you opened your eyes, blinking harshly against the sudden dizziness.

“You’re awake,” A steady voice said from opposite you causing you to pry your eyes open to see the man who had come to Nelson and Murdock however long ago, the man you now knew to be Fisk’s right hand man.

You swallowed against the lump in your throat, trying to show you weren’t scared but not doing a great job hiding it, desperately hoping Matt had gotten your text and realised something had happened.

“You’ve been very,” Wesley said, trailing off with a wave of his hand, “troublesome regarding my employers- excuse me Mr Fisk’s cause.”

You couldn’t help but smirk at that, long nights researching into Fisk, getting files that weren’t exactly legal and noticing money trails, hell if Karen hadn’t found those files on his mom first it was only a matter of time before you found them yourself.

“Can’t say I’m disappointed to learn that.” You told him smugly, moving your hands against the restraints tying you to the chair.

“No, I didn’t suppose you would be.” Wesley told you, “You realise there isn’t a version of events where you leave this room, don’t you?”

You chuckled to hide your fear because though he didn’t look like much there was a calm in Wesley’s eyes that set you on edge. Fisk trusted this man for a reason and you really didn’t want to find out just how far Wesley would go to protect Fisk.

Come on, Matt, you begged silently, not exactly sure what Matt could do to help but knowing he was your only way out of this situation.

“I like my chances.” You told him boredly, desperately shoving your fear and anxiety away.

Wesley chuckled at you, he had to admit you were pretty convincing but he could see the terror you were trying so hard to hide. He watched as your eyes widened, barely noticeable but he was watching closely, as he pulled a gun and placed it on the table, watching you look from it to him.

“Let’s have a chat, shall we?”

Matt had finally finished convincing Melvin to make him a suit, promising protection he hoped he could keep before he finally made his way home, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. It didn’t take long before he was entering his apartment from the rooftop entrance and pulling the mask off.

He grabbed his phone from the bedside table where he had left it to charge before heading out in the mask and clicked through it, sitting on the bed and having a text message read aloud to him.

Y/N, 11:42PM, I think somebody is following me - five minutes from your apartment.

Matt felt his heart stutter as he practically smashed his hand on the talking clock on the table, his heart practically stopping when the clock told him it was currently 12:30 AM.

“No, no,” Matt said, standing up with a shake of his head as he wracked his brain for where you could be and hated that he was coming up empty.

Since the Fisk business the two of you had drifted apart and Matt took full responsibility for that. He knew Foggy was right, knew you deserved to know about the Mask but he couldn’t bring himself to tell you and now you were gone.

“Foggy,” he said into the phone, desperately hoping his friend had any information.

“Matt, wha’time is it?” Foggy asked groggily, squinting his eyes closed as he tried to wake himself up.

“Where has Y/N been the last few nights?” He asked.

“Y/N, I don’t know man, um-” Foggy began but Matt cut him off.

“Think Foggy!” He snapped, feeling bad but also more worried about you than anything.

“Matt, calm down, tell me what’s going on.” Foggy said calmly, sitting up as he did.

“Y/N’s gone, Foggy, and I don’t know where.” Matt told him, breathing unsteadily as he paced the room.

“Shit,” Foggy cursed, suddenly feeling more awake, “Um, ok, well I know her and Karen went somewhere the other day but Karen didn’t tell me where and I thought it was odd because you know they don’t get on but I figured maybe they were-” Foggy told him, rambling slightly.

“Foggy,” Matt cut him off, “She was with Karen?”

“Yeah, crap you think they did something to piss Fisk off?” Foggy asked in fear, knowing how determined the two of you were to get something on Fisk.

“Yeah I do,” Matt said, fear and rage running through him, “You should go to Karen, make sure she’s safe.”

“What will you do?” Foggy asked, already moving off the bed and throwing some shoes on.

“I’m going to get Y/N back.” Matt said in a cold, determined tone.

“So who were the people you took on your little adventure?” Wesley asked calmly.

You swallowed again, there was little doubt in your mind that Wesley knew exactly who had visited Fisk’s mom but you weren’t about to give him the satisfaction of confirming it.

“It was just me,” You told him, easily lying with a shrug, enjoying the way his face darkened for a second before falling back to its neutral position.

“Yes, well, Mrs Vistain remembers you which is rather surprising considering her illness.” Wesley said with a sympathetic nod, “she also remembers the pretty blond lady and a man.”

“I was the only one who had the pleasure of meeting her,” You said, fighting back a smile, “You know how it is, memories get muddled around and she thinks she remembers more people than there were.”

Wesley chuckled as he brought his hand to the gun, toying with it as he looked at you. You took a steadying breath as you began to twist your wrists against the restraints, trying to find a way to slip out of them.

Then all you had to do was grab the gun even though the thought sent a shiver down your spine.

“She was quite sure, actually,” Wesley said, “I’d take a guess that you were there with a Ms Karen Page and Mr Ben Urich, am I correct?”

You smiled at him, suppressing a wince as your wrist cut against the restraints.

“I assure you, I don’t go anywhere with Karen Page and as for Mr Urich was it? Well I’m afraid I’m not acquainted with him but I do know of his work, I was especially fond of his piece on Union Allied.” You told him, watching as he shifted in his seat, hating that he wasn’t getting what he wanted out of you.

“Well as a precaution I’ve already had them dealt with.” You felt your blood run cold at that, not sure if it was just a bluff or whether Karen and Ben really were dead.

“What do you want with me, Mr Wesley?” You asked, shifting in your seat and feeling blood trickle from your wrists.

“What do I want?” He asked back, raising an eyebrow at you.

“You said yourself that I don’t leave this room alive and yet here I am, still alive. I’d be dead if you didn’t want something, so tell me what do you want?”

You didn’t know how long you’d been here now but you knew you didn’t have much time left before Wesley realised that you weren’t giving him whatever he needed. You needed to buy yourself time, time for Matt to do something from the outside and time for you to free yourself from the restraints and find a way out of here.

“I did say you won’t leave this room alive but perhaps that wasn’t true. You’re determined, skilled and you could be a worthy ally.” Wesley told you and this time you couldn’t control your facial expressions as you raised your eyebrows at him with a scoff before realisation set on your face.

“Fisk doesn’t know,” You said with a laugh, “you haven’t told him I went to see his mom.” It wasn’t a question and you watched as Wesley's eyes narrowed as you laughed again in disbelief.

“He doesn’t know you’re here.” You realised and you fought not to let your eyes flicker over to where Wesley had left the gun on the table again.

You rotated your wrists, feeling the blood that was rushing out of the cuts, almost got it.

“He does not,” Wesley forced out through a fake smile. “And he doesn’t have to know you were involved, should you agree.”

“You want me to work for that man? The man who wants to see Hell’s Kitchen, the real Hell’s Kitchen, burn to the ground? I think I’ll take a pass on that offer.” You said, trying to keep the pain off your face as you pulled at your wrist, feeling whatever was holding them to the chair cut deeply into your hand, just below your thumbs.

“Mr Fisk loves this city,” Wesley told you, “Me, I don’t care for it much though, the crush of the unwashed garbage stacked on the sidewalk, the air that seems to adhere to your skin, the layer of filth you can never completely wash away but Mr Fisk he loves this city and I would do anything to help him accomplish his goals. The only thing that comes close to his love of this city is perhaps the love he has for his mother. So I will give you one final chance, pick a side.”

As Wesley was talking, distracting himself, you bit your lip and with a harsh tug managed to free your hands. They bled and ached but you knew you had one chance and you couldn’t mess this up.

As his speech came to an end you quickly reached out and grabbed the gun, aiming it at him, pushing yourself out of the chair and standing up, looking around the room without taking your eyes off of the man opposite you who looked shocked before he relaxed his face.

“You really believe I’d bring a loaded gun in here?” He asked you with a raised eyebrow.

You jutted your chin out as you clicked the safety off, fingers on the trigger.

“Yeah, I really do.” You said, tone hard as you swallowed around the lump in your throat trying not to show him how scared you are.

“I promise you, Y/N, there are no bullets in that weapon so you might as well just drop it,” Wesley told you, trying to look bored.

“Not happening,” you told him with a huff of laughter, taking a step away from the table and watching as he went to stand. “One move and I pull the trigger.”

Matt lost count of how many people he’d punched and threatened that night, becoming more and more desperate as the minutes ticked by. Eventually he found somebody, who knew somebody who heard about a place Fisk had.

Matt practically flew over to the location, bounding across roofs and leaping over gates and a few blocks away he heard a voice causing him to pause and tilt his head as he listened to the words.

“I did say you won’t leave this room alive but perhaps that wasn’t true. You’re determined, skilled and you could be a worthy ally.” No doubt that was Wesley, Fisk’s right hand man.

Matt felt the fury coursing through his veins as he went to move again but was frozen in place as he heard you.

“Fisk doesn’t know,” He heard you say in disbelief before you laughed, “you haven’t told him I went to see his mom.”

You’d gone to see Fisk’s mom? Matt finally started moving again, quicker than ever as he thought about all the ways he was going to kill you himself once he finally got you back.

As he ran across rooftops he continued listening to your conversation, fear spreading through him, scared Wesley would kill you at any moment, terrified he’d be too late.

Just as he made his way down the fire escape he heard the sound of the safety clicking off a gun and felt his blood run cold. He quickly but quietly made his way over to a window, climbing through it and making his way over to the only door in the room, thankful that there were only two heartbeats.

“One move and I pull the trigger.”

Wesley clearly wasn’t afraid as he stood up and took a step towards you.

Matt was quicker though and had Wesley on the floor just before you pulled the trigger, once, twice, three times. He didn’t look over to you as he made quick work of punching Wesley several more times than needed in order to knock him out and only then did he stand and turn to you.

You were still standing there with the gun raised, both hands clutching it. You felt like all the blood had drained from your face as tears filled your eyes and you let out a panting breath as you stared ahead, not even noticing the Man in the Mask until he was in front of you and placing his hands over yours.

“Hey,” He said, soft and low, “You didn’t kill him.”

Matt felt his heart ache as he listened to you gasp for breath, your heart beating so fast Matt was worried it’d be right out of your chest. He heard you choke on a sob as the tears fell down your face uncontrollably and he could smell the blood from your wrists.

“Look at him, Y/N/N, you didn’t kill him.”

You did as the Mask said, looking over at him and choking out a relieved sob as you let the man take the gun out of your hands slowly and placed it on the table before he turned back to you and pulled you into his chest, thoughts of secret identities out of the window as he felt you against him, sobbing into his chest.

“You’re good, I’ve got you Y/N, you did good.” He continued to murmur praise until you had your breathing under control and pushed away from him to rub your eyes and you sniffed.

“You ok?” He asked softly.

But you didn’t answer. Instead you looked up at him with furrowed brows and calculating eyes, tilting your head slightly because even without the Man in the Mask using your name, how many times had you been held against that chest, how many nights had you spent curled up against that chest?

Your mouth opened with a silent gasp as you looked up at him in disbelief before you lifted your hands, grimacing at the blood caking your wrists and fingers before you rested them on the edge of the mask.

Matt tensed, his own hands coming up to rest on your arms, not wanting to touch your wrists. He cursed himself for not being more careful, cursed himself for completely disregarding his identity but you were safe and that had been the most important thought in his head.

He felt you shift under him and he let you pull the mask off of his face, listened to you huff of disbelief as you stared up at him without saying anything. Moments passing in silence before Matt spoke.

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” He began but you cut him off by wrapping your arms around him, tighter than you had before and began sobbing into his chest again.

Matt froze, unsure of what was happening because out of all the outcomes he had pictured over you finding out he was the Man in the Mask this reaction was never one of them.

“I knew you’d find me.” You whispered against his chest and Matt’s heart fluttered at the words that were spoken with such sincerity.

“I always will.” He promised as he let his hand come up to rest on the back of your head, holding you close until you had calmed down again. “We have to get out of here.” He told you as he gestured towards Wesley.

“Thank you for getting here in time.” You told him quietly and Matt had no words for that, so he just kissed your hair before he pulled away and grabbed the gun that was covered in your prints.

It wasn’t long before you and Matt got back to his apartment. There were barely any words spoken between the two of you as you made your way back but Matt’s hand rested in yours, his thumb gently brushing against the skin that wasn’t cut.

“Take a seat,” He told you, gesturing to the sofa as he grabbed the first aid kit.

He cleaned the cuts as gently as he could, whispering apologies as you winced against his touch and didn’t speak until he was wrapping your wrists.

“What were you thinking?” He asked softly, causing you to hum questionly at him. “Going after his mother.” He clarified and heard your heart speed up as you stared at him.

“How do you know I went after his mom?” You asked him, pulling back slightly.

“I heard you and Wesley talking,” He told you quietly, finally realising this is when the other shoe dropped and you gave him the reaction he was expecting.

“You heard that and you waited until I had the gun to come in?” Your voice was shaky as you stared questioningly down at him.

“No,” Matt said, clearing his throat as he sat back on his knees, “I heard you from two blocks away.”

“Two blocks?” You asked, watching as he nodded. “Impossible.”

Matt felt his lips twitch into a smile at your statement but quickly dropped it as he began to explain himself.

“It’s true, I heard him tell you that you could be an ally, work for Fisk and I heard you tell him exactly what he could do with that offer.” Despite everything Matt couldn’t help the pride he felt for you, how well you’d held your own against Wesley.

“How could you have possibly heard that from two blocks away?” You asked him, thoughts running wild.

“You know how I told you about the accident,” He said, gesturing vaguely up to his eyes and he waited for you to nod before he carried on, “It did more than just blind me, Y/N. It gave me these…abilities. Suddenly it was like, I don’t know, I was blind but I was seeing the world differently, I could hear everything, I could smell everything.”

“What does that mean, you can hear everything? You heard a conversation two blocks away, what else can you hear?” Confusion and fear were the two main emotions you were feeling right now and they only got worse as Matt carried on talking.

“I can hear more than two blocks away, I would have heard you sooner but I was more focused on getting there than listening. I can,” Matt began but cut himself off as he remembered Foggy’s reaction to him being able to hear a heartbeat.

“Matt,” You prompted gently, hesitating before taking his hand in yours.

“I can hear a heartbeat from across the room,” He confessed quietly, hearing your own get quicker and quicker. “Helps determine threats in the room or when I need information I know if they’re being honest.”

“You know when people are lying?” You asked, voice small as you thought back to all the times you hadn’t been honest with Matt, “You knew every time I was lying to you and you never said anything?”

“Yeah.” He told you honestly, his own eyes welling up with tears.

“Matt,” You breathed out but nothing else came out.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” He managed around the sudden lump in his throat.

“I’ve heard about what the Man in the Mask does, Matt. Are you-” You started but had to pause to push down more tears, “Are you really blind?” You finally managed to ask.

“I’m blind,” He told you, not going down the world on fire route he had with Foggy because that didn’t end well, “but my other senses, they allow me to see more than any seeing person could ever hope to.”

You let out a shaky breath as you nodded, taking in his words. Yes, you were shocked and you were so, so scared for him but ultimately you were really glad it was him in that mask tonight because you don’t think you would have managed without him.

“Does anyone else know?” You asked him quietly.

“Foggy, he-uh he found out recently,” He told you with a nod, “and um-Claire knows, she’s a nurse and she found out when I landed in her dumpster, half dead. She’s been patching me up ever since.”

You nodded too, glad, relieved, that Matt had somebody looking out for him. You were shocked Foggy had only recently found out but then again you knew Matt and you knew the guilt he carried around and that made it easy to figure out why he hadn’t told either of you.

“I’m really glad it’s you in that mask.” You told him quietly and he heard your heartbeat settle into that steady rhythm that never failed to ground him.

He couldn’t help but smile up at you, huffing out a small laugh as he did.

“You’re taking this better than I thought you would.” He said, shifting so he was sitting next to you on the sofa instead of on the floor.

“I nearly killed a man tonight, finding out your Daredevil is second on my list of things that I should probably freak out over.” You told him, leaning into him and relaxing as his hand cupped your cheek.

“You did good.” He told you again, leaning down and giving you plenty of time to move away before he brushed his lips against yours.

You happily kissed him back, soft and slow, feeling the stress melt from you as you did.

“You did good,” He repeated as the two of you pulled away, him resting his forehead against yours causing you to smile.

“I knew you’d find me.” You told him and he smiled as he listened to the comforting drum of your heartbeat.

“Always,” He promised, “C’mon, you need to sleep.”

It wasn’t long before the two of you were wrapped up in silk sheets, your head tucked under Matt’s as he held you close, not planning on letting you out of his sight any time soon.

_____________

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Don't Stop Believin'

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Febuwhump Prompt - "How Long Has It Been?"

Prompt - ‘Don't you stop believin', once you do there ain't any damn hope for the rest of us.’

The night seemed to pass in silence and by morning it was no better, though what could anybody say? People had died, good people had died. Your gaze shifted over to Andrea who had yet to move from Amy’s body before you turned to look at Daryl, wincing as he brought a pickaxe down on another walker’s skull.

You heard the group talking, worried for the woman, and watched as the new guy, Rick, walked over to her, speaking gently only to have a gun pointed to his head.

“Hell,” You heard Daryl say as they continued discussing what to do, “I’ll take the shot from here.”

You rolled your eyes as you stood up, the statement was met with angry outbursts as expected.

“C’mon,” you said to him, grabbing his upper arm and pushing him away from the small group that was gathered only for him to shake you off with a glare as he marched over to Glenn, picking the axe up again only for a teary-eyed Glenn to start shouting at him about where the dead went.

You went to follow him but were stopped as a hand grabbed your arm. You felt your eyebrows pull together as you looked from it and up to Shane who shook his head at you. You glared at him before looking back to Daryl and pulling your arm out of Shane’s hold with a grunt, turning away from both men.

It wasn’t long before the arguing started up again, you glancing over when you heard Daryl shout.

“Y’all left my brother for dead, you had this comin’.” He told them.

“Hey,” You started but were cut off by Jacqui’s yell, all of you looking at her, eyes widening when she told you Jim had been bit. T-dog stepped forward, grabbing the man in his arms as Daryl lifted his shirt and upon seeing the bite he took moved over to you, gently pushing you back as he placed himself between you and Jim.

“I say we put him out of his damn misery right now,” Daryl said as the group argued over what to do next.

“You’d want that, would you?” Shane asked with a scoff.

“Yeah, and I’d thank you for it.” Daryl shot back, taking a step closer to Shane.

“I hate to say it, but Daryl’s right-” Dale began but Daryl cut him off.

“Thank you, someone with some damn sense.” He said before he launched himself at Jim, pickaxe swung and ready to kill but he was stopped when a gun was aimed to his head causing you to take a step forward.

“We don’t kill the living.” Rick said, causing you and Daryl to let out a joint scoff.

“He says with a gun to a man's head.” You said, watching as Rick turned to glare at you.

“Get him out of here.” He said to you, and you rolled your eyes at the man before you grabbed Daryl’s arm and pulled him away.

“You need t’calm down,” You told him as you pulled him away from everyone, watching as he looked at you in disbelief, “I know you’re pissed as hell for Merle, you have every right to be but now isn’t the time.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Daryl said with an eye roll as he swung the pickaxe down on another walker.

Eventually the group decided to head into the city and towards the CDC on nothing but a theory. The next morning you were all packed up, shoving your bag in the bed of the truck next to Daryl’s bike, the two of you leaning against it as the rest of the group said their goodbyes to the family who decided Birmingham was a better option, you couldn’t say you blamed them either. This CDC business didn’t seem like a sure thing, hell even Shane hadn’t been sold on it, but Daryl was going and that was good enough for you.

Shane gave the group a nod before he told them they should get moving. You climbed into the car with Daryl, glad it was just the two of you as you’d had enough of the constant arguing between the group.

You glanced over at Daryl as he drove, staring straight ahead and chewing on his thumb. You knew he was worried about Merle and hated that you had no words to say to him for the first time since he’d saved you.

Daryl had been out hunting alone one day and came across you, alone and tired and about to be bitten by a group of walkers. You only had a knife and couldn’t deal with them all, so with an eye roll Daryl lifted his crossbow and took them out easily leaving you panting and looking up at him with wide eyes.

From that moment on you’d become Daryl’s own shadow, a permanent fixture in his life, worming your way in without his permission. And it was without his permission because that man had put up every wall, snarled and snapped at you, tried to put as much distance as he could between the two of you, but you were nothing if not persistent and somehow Daryl found himself accepting that you were there to stay, accepting and finding that he didn’t mind.

Merle had found it hilarious, this girl who in the other world wouldn’t have given somebody like Daryl Dixon another glance was hanging around him like he was fucking Brad Pitt or whoever it was these days.

You couldn’t help but smile as you remembered Merle’s words, remember the slight pinkness that spread across Daryl’s cheeks as he shoved his brother's hands off of him with a grumbled ‘shut up’.

“What you smilin’ at?” He asked as he glanced over at you.

“The day we met.” You told him, watching as he looked away from the road and at you with a scoff.

“The day you nearly died, ya mean?”

“I had it under control.” Was the rehearsed response he expected, you’d been saying it since that day even though the pair of you knew it wasn’t true, without Daryl you would never have lasted this long.

“Sure ya did,” He chuckled, turning back to the road.

You turned in your seat, bringing your legs up to cross them together as you faced Daryl. He glanced at you questioningly but you stayed silent for a few moments.

“I’m really sorry about Merle.” You told him quietly, looking away from him and down to your hands, fiddling with your fingers.

“Don’t be,” Daryl said, tone hardening before he shook his head, “He’s a tough sonofabitch, he’ll be alright wherever he is.”

“We’ll find him,” You promised him, laughing softly at the doubtful look he shot at you.

It took a little over four hours before you arrived at the CDC, climbing out of the truck and scrunching your nose up at the smell of the dead. You walked over to the pavement, sticking with Daryl with your knife raised.

As you walked closer to the building the smell became worse, everyone coughing and you gagged, smiling gratefully as you took the red bandana from Daryl and held it to your nose, choosing to breathe in Daryl’s scent over this any day.

You watched, feeling any bit of hope you had leave you, as Rick banged desperately against the shutters, begging to be let into no avail.

“We gotta go, now.” Daryl said, turning around and grabbing your arm as he pulled you back in the direction of the vehicles.

“He’s right,” Lori said, “Rick, we can’t be in the city at dark.”

“The camera moved.” He said before he went back to banging at the shutters, Shane grabbing him around the neck and pulling him away, but you all froze as the shutters lifted and the door opened.

You let out a huff of disbelief, looking up at Daryl who raised an eyebrow down at you.

It wasn’t long before you were all sitting around a table, actual food and alcohol spread out before you. Daryl sat next to you, happily sharing a bottle between the two of you as everybody laughed and talked.

After getting some food, Jenner showed you all down to where you could sleep and shower causing you to all laugh in relief. Everybody went their separate ways, Daryl followed you and the two of you paused outside of one of the rooms.

You both turned to face each other, words on the tip of your tongues but nothing coming out.

“Together?” You managed to ask because something about sharing a room was different to sleeping close together outside.

“Together.” Daryl murmured and opened the door, holding it open for you to enter.

You laughed loudly as you flopped down onto the sofa, letting your eyes fall closed as you savoured the soft feeling underneath you, missing the way Daryl’s lips turned upwards as he watched you from the door before he shook his head.

“You want to shower first?” You asked as you sat up, gesturing towards the bathroom.

“S’all yours.” He told you softly.

That night you tried to offer the sofa to Daryl but he was adamant about sleeping on the floor, blanket bundled around him as he lay in your eye line.

“You think there’s a cure here?” You mumbled tiredly, the hot shower and alcohol running through your system were doing their best to make you sleepy.

Daryl scoffed into the darkness; arm flung over his eyes as he thought about your question.

“Nah, I don’t.” He told you, just as quietly as you had spoken.

“Me neither.” You admitted causing him to open an eye and squint over at you, out of the two of you, you were the hopeful one, the one with wonder and belief in a better future.

“Don’t you stop believin’,” He mumbled, and you barely caught the words but managed to make them out, a smile spreading across your face, “You stop believin’, ain’t no damn hope for the rest of us.”

“How long has it been?” You asked him quietly, “since you gave up on a cure?”

“Hell if I remember, Y/N/N, I knew the world had gone to shit long before damn walkers started roaming ‘round.” He told you honestly, practically feeling the frown he couldn’t see through the dark and for some reason he wanted to say something else, something to make you happy. “Then I met this dumbass who nearly got herself killed in the woods, damn walkers tryna take chunks outta her. The same dumbass got me believin’ that there must be somethin’ good left in this damn world.”

“I had it under control.” You told him after a few moments had passed, voice soft and a smile clear in it.

“Nah, you didn’t,” Daryl told you with a chuckle, “don’t matter though, I’ll deal with them all, gotta make sure you stay alive.”

“I’m terrified,” you confessed quietly, “of walkers, of there never being a cure, of what’s to come but there’s this part of me that’s glad for the damn end of the world because I wouldn’t have met you otherwise.” You told him with a laugh, letting your hand dangle off the edge of the sofa, stretching in Daryl’s direction.

You fell asleep that night with a smile and a warm feeling in your stomach that had nothing to do with the alcohol in your system and everything to do with the hand in yours.

Good things never lasted though and that warm, happy feeling was replaced with sickness and dread as you stared at the screen showing how the disease infected the brain, watched how the brain stems became active again though the human part remained dead. You felt your eyes tear up as you struggled for breath, looking over to Daryl who looked as unnerved as you felt.

“You’re not listening to him,” Andrea said, back against the worktable, “There’s nothing anywhere, no scientists, no cure…nothing.”

Her words sent ice through your veins, turning your blood cold as anxiety turned you sick and you struggled to hold back tears as you stared at the screen, watching as the walker was put down.

“Man, I’m gonna get shit faced again.” Daryl said into the silence causing you to let out a startled and slightly manic laugh.

“Count me in.” You said and followed him out of the room.

The two of you sat together on the sofa, the room sombre as you passed a bottle back and forth between you.

You didn’t know how long you sat there before an alarm sounded and the lights went off for a moment before the emergency power set in. You turned to Daryl with wide, scared eyes and he hated it. He hated that you always turned to him because he didn’t have an answer, all he knew was he had to get you out of there.

“We’re gettin’ out of here now.” Rick shared the sentiment it seemed and you all made your way down to the computer room, seeing Jenner sat there.

“What’s happenin’, doc?” Daryl yelled just before the door shut, sealing you all in the room.

Your eyes widened in panic as you looked from the door to Jenner and then to Daryl.

“You sonofabitch!” He snarled, lunging for the doctor. Rick barely caught the man before he got there and shoved him over to you, you catching him by the arm and digging your nails into his skin in fear.

“Jenner, open the door.” Rick demanded.

You listened with dread as Jenner explained exactly what the CDC was, just how many secrets it held, how many dangerous things that were contained within the walls.

“V.I, what’s H.I.T.S?” Rick asked and you let out a shuddering breath as she explained it, closing your eyes as tears escaped them.

“High-Impulse Thermobaric fuel-air explosives consists of a two-stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen between 5,000° and 6,000° and is used when the greatest loss of life and damage to structures is desired.” The voice explained.

You choked on a sob as you turned into Daryl’s chest, the man tensing for a moment before he wrapped his arms around you.

“It sets the air on fire, no pain, no grief, just…nothing.” Jenner said and you felt Daryl tighten his grip on you.

“Open the damn door.” He said, his voice scarily calm.

“It’s better this way.” Jenner told you and you felt Daryl let go of you and picked the pickaxe up before making his way over to the door and began trying to break it open.

“It won’t work,” Jenner told him, voice devoid of emotions, “that door is designed to withstand a rocket launcher.”

You watched as Daryl flew down over to Jenner, pickaxe raised to swing down on him.

“Yeah, well your damn head ain’t.” He snarled but was, once again, held back and dragged away from the man.

“This is our extinction event.” The scientist said and your nose flared as you tried to keep the tears at bay but his words turned your blood cold.

You jumped, stepping closer to Daryl as Shane started shooting computers, sparks flying from them as Rick wrestled the gun off of him.

“You done?” He asked and Shane looked up at him in defeat.

“Guess we all are.” He said coldly.

Jenner started talking about test subject 19, his wife and you almost, almost, smiled as Daryl rolled his eyes before he picked up the pickaxe again and made his way over to the indestructible door and began hitting it.

You followed him over, taking a seat on the railings as you watched him.

“Daryl,” You called softly, and he paused for a second to look over at you,

“Could help, ya know.” He mumbled as he turned back to the door.

“Took us dying for you to let me use the pickaxe?” You asked, finding it wasn’t as hard as it should be to smile.

Daryl went to reply but before he could the door opened and relief flooded your system. Daryl grabbed your hand tightly, pulling you off the railing and out of the door, not sparing a glance back.

“Yeah, it did,” Daryl said, causing you to look at him questioningly before he tossed a pickaxe over at you. “Get ‘em open.” He gestured towards the windows.

You barely caught the axe but did as he said, running over to the windows and trying to smash them.

“Who throws a pickaxe at somebody?” You asked with a grunt, fear taking over as they didn’t crack under the pressure.

Pretty quickly the others joined you and Daryl trying to get out of the building, smashing anything they could find at the windows, firing bullets at it and finally Carol pulled a grenade out of her bag causing everybody's eyes to widen.

Daryl grabbed you and practically threw you onto the floor seconds before Rick set the grenade off, you all watching in relief as the windows shattered and quickly ran over to the truck, climbing in and looking over at Daryl.

“Holy shit.” Was all you could manage causing him to chuckle breathlessly as the two of you watched Dale and Andrea stumble out of the building.

“Get down,” Daryl yelled, and you did as he said just as the building exploded, watching in horror as the fire engulfed it and realising how close you were to being in that.

Daryl panted next to you, eyes darting over to you to assure himself that you were here, you were fine, you were alive.

He’d gotten you out, he’d gotten you out and you were safe.

__________

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Stitches & Shivers

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Febuwhump Prompt - Hypothermia

Prompt - ‘But we only ever need you, Matt.’

Notes - I'm sorry this is late but I'm so sick so this isn't one of my best

Matt didn’t remember much from after he dove out of the window, leaving behind a burning Nobu, Fisk and his men. He remembered his body hitting the water and remembered the cold, it was so cold. He remembered hearing his own heart beating so loudly in his ears, remembered thinking it was going to beat right out of his chest. He remembered the pain that spread through his whole body as water mixed with the cuts.

What he didn’t remember was just how long he stayed in the water for, feeling lifeless, he didn’t remember dragging his bleeding body out of the water and he didn’t remember how he managed to get home.

He didn’t remember Foggy leaning over him, pulling his mask off, he didn’t remember you watching from behind, he didn’t remember your gasp in shock and horror, didn’t remember Foggy’s confused call of his name or fighting him against calling anyone but Claire.

What he did remember was waking up the next morning, shivers racking his body, sending shots of pain through his stitches. He remembered feeling what must have been every single blanket in his apartment wrapped tightly around him doing little to protect from the coldness that ran through his veins.

You, however, remembered every bit of that night.

You remembered going to Matt’s apartment with Foggy after spending most of the night in Josie’s. You remembered Foggy calling for Matt through the door, telling how they couldn’t lose hope now.

Then you remembered the bang that sounded from inside, remembered the look you shared with Foggy as you both ran up the stairs, using the roof access to enter Matt’s apartment. You remembered Foggy picking something up as you both assumed an intruder had broken in.

You remembered the figure, dressed in black, standing for a second before he toppled over, falling onto the floor. You remembered looking at him, something familiar you couldn’t quite put your finger on and then you watched Foggy pull the mask off to reveal Matt.

You let out a choked gasp, taking a step back and hitting the wall behind you as you looked down at Matt, more than half dead and still bleeding out.

“Matt?” Foggy asked, voice soft in confusion as he looked up at you questioningly. You shook your head, eyes not leaving Matt.

“You need to call an ambulance,” You said shakily, “Now.”

Suddenly Matt shot up, catching Foggy’s wrist in his hand when the man pulled his phone out again. Both you and Foggy froze, watching the pain spread across Matt’s face.

“No hospital,” He managed to grit out, his free hand somehow pulled the burner phone from his pocket, “Claire.” Was all he said before he promptly passed out and caused you and Foggy to shoot each other looks of confusion.

You and Foggy waited for Claire in silence, not knowing what to say. What could you say when you’d just found out your boyfriend and best friend was The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen? You watched as Matt’s body shivered against his wet clothes and wondered just what the hell had happened tonight.

Eventually there was a knock at the door and Foggy was the one to stand. You continued to sit on the chair, not letting your eyes leave Matt, focusing in on the way his breathing seemed slow, too slow, the rise and fall of his chest was barely there.

Foggy seemed to ask a million questions when Claire stepped into the apartment, helping her get Matt onto the couch as she knelt next to him, starting in on the stitches like she’d been doing it forever.

All of Foggy’s angry demands for answers were ignored, Claire stayed silent other than to tell you that it wasn’t her place to say anything.

“Matt can tell you when he wakes up.” She had said, causing you to finally look away from Matt and to her.

“Will he wake up?” You asked, voice small, barely there.

Claire’s face softened as she looked at you before she focused back on Matt.

“He always seems to pull through.” She told you.

She worked for another forty or so minutes before she leaned back and looked at him questioning, watching how the shivers hadn’t subdued. At first she’d chalked it up to shock, those wounds weren’t regular knife wounds afterall but now she noticed how pale he was, which again could’ve just been a factor from the blood loss, but there was also the fact his lips had a blue tinge to them.

“Shit,” she said, causing you and Foggy to look to her, fear flooding your system.

“What?” Foggy asked urgently, “What is it? Is he ok?”

You watched as she scanned the room before settling on Matt’s wet pile of clothes and cursed again.

“Did neither of you think to tell me he was soaking when he showed up?” She snapped.

“Sorry I was a bit more concerned with the blood loss.” Foggy replied sarcastically causing her to roll her eyes.

“I need every blanket he has, now.” She told him before turning back to finish the stitches.

You were on the edge of your seat as you looked at Matt in fear. The urgency in Claire’s tone and the movement of her hands had you desperately begging anybody who would listen to just let him be ok.

“What’s wrong with him?” You asked as Foggy returned.

“Hypothermia,” She said, biting her lip as she stitched one of the smaller cuts.

“Hypothermia?” You asked, looking up at Foggy and seeing he looked just as worried as you.

“He probably would have been fine if it was just the water, he’d have a hell of a cold but he would’ve been fine but you mix the coldness of the water with the freezing air and you're practically asking for the hypothermia to set in. It’s what's causing him to shiver so bad, well that and the blood loss.” She explained but you just huffed in disbelief as you settled further back onto the chair.

Claire worked in silence from there, none of you knowing what to say after that.

Once she was done she sat back and tugged her gloves off, looking Matt up and down before she grabbed the bundle of blankets Foggy had found and started placing them on top of him, making sure he was wrapped up tightly before turning to the two of you.

“I have to go,” She told you, raising her hand as the two of you went to protest, “I have a shift at the hospital, I can’t stay here all night. He should be fine but if anything changes, call me immediately.”

“He should be fine?” Foggy asked, raising an eyebrow at the nurse.

“He’s shivering, right, that’s good, it means his heat regulation systems are still active. We can’t put him in the shower because of the stitches so you need to make sure he stays warm, keep him covered, when he wakes up give him hot drinks, soup, energy drinks. Something tells me one of you is gonna have to run to the store whilst he’s out.”

And with that Claire finished packing up her bag and left you and Foggy alone with an unconscious Matt.

Hours passed but eventually Foggy stood up, telling you he was going to grab some supplies for Matt. You nodded, not really listening to him as you continued to look at Matt, with the bundle of blankets you couldn’t see the rise and fall of his chest but you still refused to look away.

Foggy patted your shoulder sympathetically before heading out.

At some point you ended up sitting on the floor next to the sofa, your hand finding its way under the blankets and taking Matt’s in yours, brushing your thumb against his skin periodically. You relaxed a bit as you could hear the soft breaths telling you he was still alive.

“How can you be him?” You asked softly, eyes running across Matt’s face before resting on his closed eyes. “I always said you could see more than most people could but shit Matt.” You trailed off, remembering all the things you had seen and heard about The Devil.

“Wake up Matt, please just, just wake up.” You whispered, letting your head rest against the sofa as you tried to hold back tears.

Foggy quietly entered the apartment on the off chance you had managed to fall asleep but smiled sadly as he watched you sit on the floor whispering quiet words he couldn’t make out.

“I got some stuff,” Foggy said, still keeping his voice quiet as he sat on the chair and began putting drinks and tins on the table. “Soup, some hot chocolate because chocolate is meant to-”

“Why didn’t he tell us?” You asked, cutting Foggy off.

Foggy looked at you, frowned at your red eyes before sighing and slipping off the chair to sit next you.

“I don’t know, Y/N/N,” He told you honestly because that was one of the thousands of questions that kept running through his head - why? Why hadn’t Matt trusted him, why hadn’t Matt trusted you? The three of you had been friends since college and now Foggy was questioning everything. “I really don’t know.”

Hours passed in silence, Foggy closed his eyes next to you but neither of you could fall asleep despite how tired you were. The fear that something would happen to Matt whilst you slept had you forcing your eyes open every time they blinked shut for longer periods of time.

The neon lights were replaced with a golden glow as the sun rose. Foggy groaned as he stood up and headed to the kitchen. You heard the fridge open and then the sound of a bottle lid being popped off before the sound of water splashing against Foggy’s face filled the silence.

You tensed when you felt Matt’s hand tighten on yours before he shifted and tried to sit up.

“Wouldn’t do that if I was you.” Foggy told him before you could say anything and you watched as Matt looked around the apartment, trying to pinpoint where the voice had come from whilst a violent shiver ran through his body. “Then again, maybe I would. The hell do I know about Matt Murdock?”

“Foggy,” You started softly but Foggy cut you off with a glare.

“Don’t Y/N,” He said, voice frighteningly calm, “don’t you dare defend him right now.”

“Y/N,” Matt asked, tightening his hold on your hand once more, you returned the squeeze before pulling your hand out of his and stood up, sitting on the arm of the chair.

“You stitched me up?” Matt asked, looking in Foggy’s direction.

“Nope, that was your nurse friend.” In all the years you’d known Foggy you had never seen him like this, it was eerie and you found yourself looking away from him.

Foggy and Matt spoke about Claire before you shook your head and asked quietly, eyes tearing up at the question,

“Are you really blind?” You hated to ask it but the things The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen could do, there was no way it could be Matt but you had the proof laid out before you.

“Y/N,” He said softly, turning wide eyes onto you.

“Answer her, Matt.” Foggy demanded calmly.

And Matt did, he told you all about his senses, a world on fire, how he got his heightened senses. He told you everything and you and Foggy could do little more than sit there and listen to his every word.

“So you can see?” Foggy asked after a moment of silence passed.

“Foggy,” He sighed, “you’re not listening to me.”

“No I am, world on fire, I got it.” Foggy snapped and you frowned between them. “I thought we were friends, Matt. You lied to me since the day we met, you lied to Y/N, hell you’re dating her and you didn’t even tell her.”

“What did you expect me to say, Foggy? Hi, I'm Matt. I got some chemicals splashed in my eyes when I was a kid that gave me heightened senses.” Matt said sarcastically causing you and Foggy to roll your eyes.

“You don’t lead with it, Matt,” You finally spoke up, voice soft as you did, “But at some point you should’ve known you could trust us.”

“I didn’t even tell my dad, Y/N/N.” He told you, eyes begging you to believe him.

“But you told the nurse.” You said, raising an eyebrow at him, sure he could sense it.

“I didn’t tell her, she found me in a dumpster, all right? Half dead. She didn’t tell you anything about all this?” Matt asked as he shifted, freezing despite the blankets but doing his best not to focus on that right now.

“She didn’t say anything, refused to tell us.” You told him.

“She seemed nice,” Foggy added with a smile and shake of his head.

“Did you blow up all those buildings?” You asked after taking a shaky breath.

Matt huffed out a pained breath as he looked at you with watery eyes.

“Do you really even need to ask that?” He said, hurt bleeding into his voice.

“Yeah, Matt, I think we do.” Foggy said coldly and Matt started talking about Fisk and Nobu and ninjas. Foggy blew up at him again but was interrupted by the ringing of Matt’s phone.

Karen, Karen, Karen.

It took some pleading from Matt and a nod from you before Foggy caved and lied to her.

“You tell us everything, Murdock and don’t leave a damn thing out.”

Matt spoke for what felt like hours telling you about Russians, the Chinese, how Fisk was working with all these people to build his empire. He told you about a man called Stick, a war that was coming, he told you how he was trained. As you listened you just shook your head. You didn’t care about Fisk or his plans.

You cared about Matt.

Matt who was running around the city, no protection, no amour, nothing but his fists going up against gangs and ninjas.

You looked at him as you spoke and hated feeling like you were looking at a stranger.

“...you haven’t showered since yesterday morning but you rinsed your face in my sink. Y/N’s wearing the perfume I got her for her birthday last year and she was crying before, there’s smudges of mascara under her eyes. I know the more I say the faster both of your hearts beat.”

You looked over at him with wide, scared eyes as you took in his words.

“Oh my god, that means,” You said, trailing off but Foggy seemed to pick up your train of thought.

“Everytime we lied to you, you knew and what you just played along?”

“Basically.” He said, causing you to let out a huff of disbelief as you stood up.

“If you weren’t half dead, I’d kick your ass, Murdock.” Foggy told him and you couldn't help but agree with the sentiment but at the same time all you wanted to do was make sure he was ok.

You hated the fact he lied to you but you couldn’t imagine the burden on his shoulder from carrying that secret.

Foggy looked at you, he could tell you were going to forgive Matt a hell of a lot quicker than he deserved but he couldn’t blame you. Since you started dating you and Matt had been closer than anyone he knew. He could see how it was taking everything in you to stay away from Matt right now, wanting to be angry at him but seeing the shakes and remembering the blood…well even Foggy had to admit it was hard to be angry.

When Matt told them about the little girl and her father you felt your eyes tear up and shut them, not letting any tears fall but you made your way over to Matt and took a seat back on the floor. You watched as Matt relaxed as you took his shaking hand in yours and rested your head on the blankets, careful not to catch his stitches.

“Did you ever stop to think about what would happen if you went to jail? Or worse?” Foggy asked, causing you to take a steadying breath because you couldn’t think about that, not after seeing Matt laying there last night looking like a corpse. “You really think people would think I didn’t know? That Y/N didn’t know?”

“This city needs me in that mask, Foggy.” Matt told him, tears welling up in his eyes just like they did in Foggy’s.

“Maybe it does,” He told him whilst shaking his head, “But I don’t, Y/N doesn’t, we only ever needed you, Matt.”

The silence passed for a moment or two at his words because what could Matt say when he knew Foggy was right.

“I wouldn’t have kept this from you, Matt, not from you.” Foggy said quietly and coldly.

“You don’t know that.”

“Yeah, I do.”

And with that Foggy headed out of the door with a resounding slam leaving you and Matt alone in silence.

“Y/N,” Matt said but you shook your head and pulled away from him.

“You need something warm,” You told him, standing up and busying yourself with making some soup.

Matt closed his eyes and listened to you, fear, regret, shame, all those emotions and more filled his stomach and for a second he feared he’d throw up but managed to swallow it  down.

You helped Matt sit up when he asked and took over feeding him when his hands shook too badly.

“It’s not that I didn’t trust you,” Matt said once he was done and the two of you sat side by side, Matt shaking like leaf, “I just, Y/N, you mean everything to me and if you knew- I couldn’t bring you into this side of my life, couldn’t risk you.”

“I get it, Matt, I do but I’m allowed to be pissed at you.” You told him but your tone was soft and gentle as you shifted the blanket around him.

“You are.” Matt agreed, hissing as his body shivered violently, sending a wave of pain down his body. Now that there was no arguing, no telling his version of events, nothing to focus on except the pain that was his whole body.

“Can you help me to the bedroom?” Matt asked and you raised a worried eyebrow at him.

“Claire said-”

“Please Y/N, I promise once I’m there I'll stay.”

Despite the warning from Claire you helped Matt up from the sofa and slowly made your way over to the bed, settling Matt on it before heading back to the living room to grab one of the energy drinks and the pile of blankets.

It wasn’t long before you had Matt tucked up and held a bottle up to his lips.

“Thank you for staying.” Matt told you quietly, fiddling with one of the blankets.

“As if I’d leave,” You smiled, “I might be scared for you, might be hurt you didn’t tell me but like hell I’d leave you.”

“I really am sorry.” He told you, eyes wide and watery.

“I know.” You replied, blinking harshly against your own tears.

“I know I don't deserve to even ask but will you lay with me?” He was right, he didn’t deserve to ask but you found yourself carefully crawling into bed next to him, wincing at the coldness of his body before you ran your hand up and down his arm, making sure to avoid cuts and stitches.

Matt practically melted as he felt your body heat, moving closer to you and wincing as the cuts on his back shifted against the silk sheets.

“Careful,” You murmured as you lifted your hand and brushed some of Matt’s hair from his forehead, smiling despite yourself as he leaned into the touch.

You and Matt sat together in silence, Matt’s head resting against your chest as you wrapped your arms around him, trying to provide as much warmth as you could. He had long since closed his eyes and you started to think he’d fallen asleep until he spoke.

“Are we going to be ok?” He asked, voice quiet and small.

You didn’t respond for a good few minutes, the silence hanging heavily in the room as Matt waited for your answer.

“I don’t know,” You eventually told him honestly, “I don’t know, Matt.”

But for today you’d stay with him because you couldn’t bring yourself to leave the bed, to leave him.

_____________

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Only You

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Febuwhump Prompt - failed rescue attempt

Prompt - ‘I hate to make everything about me but what am I supposed to do without you?’

You were still half asleep as you stumbled onto the jet, flopping down into the seat next to Hotch, letting your head rest upon his shoulder. Hotch looked down at you, face softening as he watched you close your eyes. By the time the rest of the team had trailed onto the jet you were fast asleep against Hotch.

The plane ride was only a short one so by the time you were in the air Hotch was gently shaking you awake, you groaning as you turned your face further into his shoulder before pulling away and rubbing at your eyes.

“Morning princess.” Derek grinned, way too energetically for four in the morning. You glared at him as Hotch nudged you and pressed the tablet into your hands, information already loaded up for you just as Garcia’s voice filled the jet.

“Police just responded to the scene of another body, same markings on the victim.” She told you all, causing you to look down at your notes to see the markings she spoke of.

You raised an eyebrow as you saw each woman had three crosses carved into their skin, one large one on their chests and then small ones on each inner arm. As well as that there was a diagonally cut along their face starting from the temple right down to their jaws.

“The crosses seem to be done post mortem, they’re too clean and haven’t scabbed over whereas the cut to the faces seem to be done whilst the victims are alive if the jaggedness and blood pattern is anything to go by.” Spencer informed everyone as you continued to skim through the information.

So far three bodies had been found, four now including the latest victim, all found spread out in public places. You looked up just in time to see Rossi and Hotch glance at you before sharing a look with each other but when you raised a questioning eyebrow at Hotch he just shook his head.

“Tell them to leave the body as it is, Garcia, we’ll be there soon.” With that Garcia disconnected the video call leaving you all to look through the notes and talk about potential unsubs.

“Y/N I want you with me at the latest crime scene. JJ, Dave head down to the station and see what they have, Reid go with them and see if you can narrow down the geographical profile. Morgan, Prentiss go to the lab and see if they have anything for us yet.” Hotch instructed as the jet landed and you all headed your separate ways.

As you and Hotch walked the crime scene, trying to figure out how somebody could plant and position a body without being caught even considering the early hour, you felt uneasy. Your head whipped around as you surveyed the scene but other than the press and officers nobody was there.

“You ok?” Hotch asked as he watched you look around.

“Huh?” You questioned, turning back to him with a shake of your head, “Yeah, I’m fine.” You told him, forcing a smile on your face as he nodded and turned back to the body.

You glanced around once more before doing the same.

It wasn’t long before you were all at the station, nothing coming up from your walk at the crime scene, Morgan and Prentiss hadn’t found out much from the ME. The only person who had had some luck was Spencer who was gesturing to different places on the map and rambling on about the most likely places the unsub could be.

You felt bad for zoning it out but geographical profiles had never been your forte. Instead you turned your attention to Hotch who was listening to Spencer whilst rubbing his temple, trying to push away an oncoming headache.

You stood up and headed out of the room, Hotch turning to you as you did but you weren’t gone long, heading out to the kitchen area to pour yourself and Hotch a drink. Hotch shot you an appreciative smile as he brought the cup to his lips.

“So all we know is that the unsub is somewhere in that area and is consistent in victimology and that only gets us so far, short of looking the same these girls are as different as you could get.” Derek said as he threw his folder onto the table.

“He’s right, they never went to school together, never shopped at the same stores, hell I doubt these girls had anything connecting them.” Emily said.

“There’s something we’re missing, get Garcia to keep looking into them.” Hotch ordered as he stood up to take a call.

“Reid, are you able to pinpoint anything about where he’s finding these girls?” Rossi asked, leaning back in his chair and fiddling with a pen.

It was only hours later that you were informed of another body. You, Spencer, Derek and Hotch headed to the scene to see if you could find anything useful. It was more than obvious that the unsub was devolving, two bodies in one day. The crosses on the latest victim were clearly done when she was alive, all of them jagged and messy.

As Spencer and Hotch examined the body and Morgan interviewed the woman who had found the body you looked around and noticed an alleyway not too far from the body, it seemed like the only place that an unsub would have half a chance at not being caught from.

You glanced back to the others and saw they were still busy so shrugged and headed over, with the way this case was going it was probably just another deadend. But yet when you headed into the alleyway you got the same feeling you did at the last crime scene, you felt uneasy as the hairs on your neck stood up, a shiver running down your spine as you looked around but nothing was there.

As you turned to leave you came face to face with a man much taller than you and before you had the chance to scream or pull your gun he immediately smothered your face with a rag. You tried not to breathe in but were forced to and it wasn’t long before you slumped against the man who wore a sleazy grin.

“What do you mean she's gone?” Hotch snapped as Derek informed him you were nowhere to be found.

“I don’t know man, she’s not here.” He watched as Hotch stepped away, pulling his phone out and listening for a ringtone to sound from somewhere around him but it never came. The car was still here and there weren’t many places you could go.

“Get Garcia to track her location,” Hotch said to Derek, “Now.”

The tone of Hotch’s voice had Derek obeying the order instantly, no flirting with Garcia as he snapped at her to do what he asked.

“It’s off.” Garcia told him with fear running through her veins.

“What?” Hotch snapped into the phone that was now on speaker.

“It’s not on, I can’t track it.” Garcia repeated, her thoughts spiralling.

Hotch bit back a series of curses as his team and the officers looked to him for guidance and he hated that he didn’t have an answer.

They somehow ended up at the station, each of them trying to create a profile that would lead them to you. Hotch paced up and down an empty interview room, hair messed up as he continued to run his fingers through it cursing himself for letting you come along to the crime scene in the first place.

“You need to calm down.” Rossi told him as he entered the room.

“Calm down?” Hotch questioned with a look of disbelief, “Calm down?! It’s my fault she got taken and you want me to calm down?”

“It’s not your fault.” Rossi told him, voice even despite the worry he felt for you. Somebody had to keep a level head and it clearly wasn’t going to be Hotch.

“Not my fault? Dave, she matched the unsub’s victimology, I knew that and I still let her come to both crime scenes, I never shou-” Here Hotch cut himself off as he remembered something.

“What is it?” Rossi asked, following Hotch out of the room as he stormed over to the one the team had been given.

“Get Garcia on the phone.” He demanded and his order was fulfilled in seconds, Garcia’s worried voice filling the room.

“What can I do?” She asked.

“I need you to pull up video footage from the McAdams crime scene,” He told her, mind racing.

“On it, what am I looking for?” The sound of typing filled the room as Hotch thought back to the look on your face.

“The unsub was at the crime scene. Y/N knew it, she knew he was there.” Hotch told them.

“She knew the unsub was there?” JJ asked.

“She didn’t know who it was but she knew something wasn’t right. The look on her face-” Hotch trailed off as Rossi led him to an empty seat.

Nothing any of them said would stop the man blaming himself, not until he had Y/N back.

The team sat in silence as Garcia flipped through footage after footage desperately looking for anything that would help lead the team to you, trying not to think about what the man was doing to you right now.

It took near on forty minutes of scrolling through video feeds before Garcia found something. It wasn’t the clearest footage but the guy definitely gave her the creeps.

“Sir, I think I found him.” Garcia said, causing Hotch to sit straighter in seat as he stared at the phone waiting for her to continue. “If you’ll direct your attention to your tablets,” she said as she sent the blurry images to all of them. “I’m working on making it clearer and getting a face ID as we speak.”

“Fast as you can, Garcia.” Hotch ordered.

“Yes sir, I’ll let you know when I’ve got something.” Because she would get something, no way was she letting anything bad happen to you.

Hotch was a mess as he paced around the small room, setting everybody's nerves even further on edge, if it were possible. They hadn’t seen Hotch this worried for as long as they could remember. The only thing running through everyone’s mind was that they had to find you.

Everybody’s attention turned to Hotch as his phone pinged.

“Aaron?” Rossi asked, standing up as he watched his friend pale drastically. “Hey, whoa, take a seat.” He said, watching as the man’s legs turned to jelly and pushed him into a chair.

As he took the phone from Hotch he saw exactly what had caused the reaction, there you were, strapped to a chair with a cross carved onto your chest, blood pouring from the wound as tears fell down your cheeks.

“We have to find her.” Hotch said quietly, his own eyes filled with tears as the image of you burnt into his mind.

“We will.” Rossi told him before turning to the team, “Call Garcia, tell her to track the phone.”

With some luck Garcia managed to get a location on you before the phone was switched off again. The unsub was hiding away in an abandoned warehouse thirty minutes away from them.

Hotch drove like a mad man, with the way the unsub was going he wasn’t sure if you had thirty minutes. He pushed that thought out of his head as he blinked back tears and tightened his grip on the wheel.

He couldn’t think like that. He couldn’t because then he’d have to think about everything he would regret, the number one thing on that list would be not telling you how he felt about you. How you were one of the few good things in his life and how he never wanted to be without you. He’d regret not taking the risk, not crashing his lips into yours.

He thought back to all the dinners the two of you had together or the times you spent the night at his place, nothing ever happening but sometimes cases got too much for you and you needed somebody safe. You had told him he was your safe place and he still hadn’t bit the bullet and kissed you. He should have told you then and there he was in love with you, how every time he pictured his future you were always there with him, at his side.

He swore to himself he’d tell you now.

He’d tell you now.

They arrived at the warehouse, blue and red lights lighting the place up as everybody stepped out of their cars, guns drawn as they split up and entered. Hotch had done plenty of rescue missions before but this one was different, this one was you.

They weren’t prepared for the size of the place, more rooms than they could count and you could be in any one of them. Hotch felt himself going crazy as they opened door after door only to find nothing.

“Hotch,” Derek’s voice sounded in his ear, “You need to get here quick,” He was told the room number and that was it.

Hotch practically sprinted across the warehouse, fear flooding through him as Derek refused to tell him whether you were ok or not. He pushed through the door, Spencer and JJ right behind him, before freezing, the other two barely stopping themselves from crashing into him.

Because there you were on the floor, medics surrounded you as they performed CPR in a desperate attempt to get any sign of life from you.

Hotch staggered backwards, knees giving out as he fell to the floor. Derek made his way over but what could he do? They all watched on as the medics continued working on you, the blood loss was way too much though.

One medic shook their head causing Hotch to let out a sob as two other medics brushed past the group and it wasn’t long before you were being carried out to the ambulance.

“I’m going with her.” Hotch said as he tried to climb into the ambulance but was pushed away by one of the medics.

“I’m sorry sir but you can’t.” She said with a sympathetic look.

“I’m going with her.” He repeated harshly, Derek placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down but he shook it off.

“Agent, I’m going to be honest with you she might not even survive the ride to the hospital, the only people in that ambulance are going to be her and the people who might be able to save her life, you wanna stand here and continue this conversation or can I go and save your girlfriends life?” She asked bluntly, she felt sorry for the man but there wasn’t time for this argument. “Meet us at the hospital.” Were the last words said before the ambulance doors closed and the sirens sounded.

“She has to be ok.” Hotch said to himself.

“It’s Y/N, she’s gonna be fine.” Derek told him but all that blood had him doubting his own words.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the hospital, forced into a private waiting room and offered no information. Hotch couldn’t sit still and instead opted to pace the length of the waiting room praying to anybody that would listen that you would be ok, you had to be because he didn’t know what he was supposed to do if you weren’t.

Four hours later a nurse finally came out to see the group of anxious agents. Hotch immediately turned towards him begging for some good news but the look on his face had Hotch’s blood turning cold.

“I’m sorry,” he started and Hotch just about felt his world end, “She’s still in surgery. Her heart stopped three times but we managed to get a heartbeat. It’s still weak and unsteady but it’s there. I can’t make any promises to you but for the moment she’s stable and we’re doing all we can to help her pull through.”

Hotch didn’t know how to react and felt himself collapse into a plastic chair, the nurse giving him a sympathetic look before leaving.

“She’s doing well, Aaron.” Rossi said, taking a seat next to him.

“She died, three times. They don’t know if she’s going to make it.” Hotch said, his voice breaking as tears fell down his face because saying it outloud made it real. “I can’t lose her Dave.”

“She’s a strong kid, she’ll pull through.” Was all Rossi said before the waiting room fell silent again.

“Hey baby girl.” Derek said as he stood up to hug Garcia, both of them needing it right now,

“How is she?” She asked anxiously, sniffing slightly.

“No news yet.” Spencer said quietly from his seat.

“How’s he?” She asked just as quietly gesturing over to Hotch who sat alone in the corner of the room.

“He’s not doing so well.” Emily said, smiling sadly at her boss.

Everybody knew how Hotch felt about you, it wasn’t the best kept secret. Hell, even you knew how he felt and they all knew you felt the same. The only reason you hadn’t acted on it was because you didn’t know if he would be willing to start a relationship with you as his subordinate. As far as the rest of the team was concerned the two of you had been dating for years, you had dinners together, you slept at his place more than your own at this point and on rare days off you still spent your time with each other.

Everybody knew both of you were crazy for each other and watching Hotch not know if he was going to have the chance to tell you how he felt himself was breaking their hearts.

Fourteen hours later a tired doctor stepped through the doors of the waiting room. Everybody turned their attention to him as they waited anxiously to hear anything about you.

“She’s stable,” He told them, smiling softly at the collective sigh of relief that spread throughout the room. “You were told she flatlined three times, correct? Unfortunately she crashed once more but we were able to get a heartbeat. I can’t make promises but as of right now she’s looking good. Obviously we’re going to keep her for at least a week, though that could be longer if things go downhill but I’ll make sure you’re all kept up to date.”

“Thank you so much, doc.” Derek said and everybody else echoed the sentiment.

“Can we see her?” Hotch asked and the doctor gave him a sympathetic look, the man looked like he’d been through hell.

“One of you can,” He agreed, really nobody should but the man looked like he needed to see her and hear a heart machine confirm she was alive, “For five minutes.”

The rest of the team nodded at Hotch who mouthed a thank you to them before he followed the doctor out of the room and over to you.

When the doctor pushed the door open Hotch froze as he saw all the different tubes and wires attached to you, helping you stay alive. His eyes filled with tears as he made his way into the room and sat down in the chair next to you, carefully taking your hand in his and bringing his mouth down to press a kiss to your knuckles.

“You’re going to be ok, Y/N/N,” He told you, eyes on the heart monitor that showed a weak but beating heart rate. “You have to be ok because I have so much to tell you but the most important thing you have to know is that I love you,” He told you, tears falling down his cheeks, “I love you so much, baby. You’ve got to get better so I can tell you that.”

He looked up when he heard a knock at the door, the doctor giving him a sympathetic look. Hotch nodded at him before standing and taking one last look at you, gently leaning over and placing a barely there kiss on your forehead.

“I love you.” And with that he made his way back to the waiting room.

It was four days before there was any movement from you and then they wished they never heard anything. Alarms sounded and the team watched as a flock of doctors and nurses made their way into your room but despite the open door they couldn’t see what was happening.

“Chest compression now, she’s going into cardiac arrest!”

Those words sent a sliver of ice down everybody’s spine, Hotch staring wide eyed at the door, not daring to take his eyes off it like that would somehow help you.

“Defibrillator!” Another doctor called and then he was counting before they shocked you, “Nothing, again!” “Clear!” “Again!”

The words merged into each other as Hotch leaned against the wall for support, his own heart beating out of his chest as he heard them continue to shout how there was nothing.

“We have a pulse!” One doctor finally called and Hotch sobbed, Rossi barely catching him as his knees gave out and pulled him into a tight hug.

“She’s being transferred into the ICU,” the doctor informed them after several hours had passed, “we’ve put her into an induced coma to allow the body to heal but she should be awake in the next two days.”

Those two days seemed to drag, there was no news about you but at this point no news was good news. Everybody else left and came back to the hospital but Hotch had yet to leave once, refusing to leave you alone here even if you weren’t aware of where you were or his presence.

He barely slept and was on edge the whole time you were in the coma, dreading every time a nurse or doctor came close to the waiting room.

“Agent Hotchner,” the doctor greeted as he stepped in, it was still early and the others were back at the hotel.

“Doctor Smith, how is she?” He asked, dread filling his stomach but then the doctor smiled and he felt a weight fall of his shoulders at the words -

“She’s awake.”

Hotch just about kept himself upright as he was led to your room, letting out a sob as he saw you awake through the window.

“Before you go in there’s some things I have to tell you,” the doctor said, Hotch nodding as he did, “she’s going to be extremely weak and tired for a while, her body has been through a lot of trauma in a short space of time. Give her time. I can’t promise you she’s out of the woods yet but we’re doing everything we can. The only advice I can give you is spend as much time with her as you can.”

And with those comforting words the doctor patted Hotch’s shoulder and walked away.

Hotch took a deep breath before he stepped forward and entered your room, smiling at you as your eyes flickered over to him. He made his way around to the chair next to your bed, taking your hand gently in his, careful of the needle.

“It’s so good to see you awake.” He said, leaning down to kiss your hand.

He watched as you gave him a weak smile and a barely there squeeze of the hand. It was the best thing he’d seen in his life, he thought as he choked back a sob.

“I’m so proud of you,” He told you, “You’re doing so well.”

You felt your lip quiver as you took in his words, your body was aching despite all the drugs in your system. Everything hurt but Hotch was here, Hotch made everything better.

You slowly managed to squeeze his hand again, watching as he smiled down at your joined hands.

“You’re going to be out of here before you know it, yeah?” He asked, watching as you blinked tiredly at him. “We can go to that new restaurant that just opened and then maybe see if there are any good movies on?”

You tried to smile but you’re pretty sure all that happened was a brief purse of your lips but you watched Hotch’s face light up anyway.

Hotch continued to talk about all the things the two of you could do once you got better and you couldn’t think of a better way to fall asleep.

It was a while before you were finally discharged from the hospital, the rest of the team had been forced back to Quantico but Hotch took every bit of holiday time he had and used it to stay with you. Thankfully since your cardiac arrest you had been doing better though you still felt drained more often than not and had a few problems with dizzy spells but the doctors had explained how that was normal after both the cardiac arrest and blood loss.

You and Hotch had to stay in a hotel for three extra weeks as you weren’t cleared to fly until then. In the meantime Hotch and you shared a room, it was easier that way for him to check on you and honestly you didn’t want to be alone right now and Hotch was the only person you wanted to be with.

The two of you lay on the bed, his arms wrapped around you, holding you close as you rested your head on his chest. It was only early, around five pm, and despite the nap before you could still barely keep your eyes open.

“I’m so glad you’re ok.” Hotch murmured suddenly into the silence causing you to look up at him. “There were so many times I thought that was it, that you were gone and I just- I couldn’t-” He cut himself off, blinking back tears as he tightened his hold on you slightly.

“I’m ok.” You reminded him softly.

“You’re ok,” He repeated, “I can’t lose you, Y/N and this isn’t exactly how I wanted to tell you but I think we’ve waited long enough,” He told you with a chuckle, causing you to smile up at him softly. “I love you, Y/N, so much. I can’t picture my life with anybody else and honestly, I don’t want to, I just want you.”

Your smile widened as you listened to his words.

“I love you too, Aaron. I don’t want to picture my life with anybody else either.” You told him softly, shifting slightly so you were looking up at him and Aaron took that as all the permission needed to lean down and softly brush your lips together.

It was a kiss long overdue but neither of you rushed it, both content to show how you felt for each other in soft, slow movements, Hotch’s hands cupping your face as you smiled into the kiss.

When Hotch pulled away he didn’t go far, leaning his forehead against yours.

“I love you so much, sweetheart.”

“I love you too.” You smiled before leaning up to capture his lips again.

As far as rescue missions go, it wasn’t the greatest but the ending was pretty great.

___________

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