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The world was on fire.
And so was his eyebrow.
The metallic scent of copper invaded his senses as he sat down in his office chair and reached the small first aid kit he hid in his desk. The jackass may have busted his left eyebrow open, but he was the one lying unconscious in the streets- the memory of the Daredevils words the only thing to soothe him as he woke.
Truth be told, ever since Fisk’s capture things had been relatively mild in Hells Kitchen. There was always something going on, but it was a one-man job and an easy take down so to say he was getting bored would be wrong, and he’d never wish for another Fisk-Fiasco, but…
But with all this time on his hands he began to notice things.
Noticed things like the way Foggy had the smell of perfume on him some mornings and how the office’s air conditioner needed to be cleaned. He noticed things like Karen’s slight, broken humming in the mornings.
Noticed how he liked it.
Noticed how he noticed Karen.
Matt shook his head slightly and reached to open the first aid kit. He’d rather be doing this in his apartment but the kit he’d had there was now only stocked with some hydrocortisone ointment; the gauze, steri-strips, and antiseptic wipes long gone. He rooted around the small box and grabbed a few squares of gauze and pressed it to the cut above his eye and flinched. It was a big cut, but he’d known that before feeling it. Deep and could probably use stitches but he could get by, about an inch in length. It’d scar.
His senses picked up on her as she opened the downstairs door. She was wearing her hair down, and she wore a light perfume today. She’d be at the door in a few moments. There was no point in him trying to hide from her. She seemed to come in earlier some mornings, and he could tell that it was because of the night before. She was jumpier on days like this.
Karen opened the door and walked in, oblivious to the small light that radiated off of his desk. She felt… distracted. Matt pressed his lips together and made a small noise to signal his being there. A few beats later her voice was closer, a tad rough but still smooth like cashmere against his skin, “Morning.”
“Morning.”
“Matt-“ She wasn’t too distracted to notice the cut, apparently. She came closer around his desk and pressed a light finger under his chin to raise his head to her. He went easily. “What happened?”
He swallowed and clenched his jaw, putting on a flaccid smile, “I was blinded when I was nine.”
She scoffed, a light laugh bubble from her throat, “I’ll note that. But I meant with your eyebrow.”
Matt pulled his chin away from her fingers, but the warmth refused to fade, “I tripped.”
Karen moved to sit on the edge on his desk and crossed her arms over her chest as he began to work on the cut. Her heart was beating a bit stronger; almost-concern. He felt the corners of his lips tug into a small smile but kept searching for what he needed.
After a moment she sighed, “Just- Matt, let me.”
His natural instinct was to say no. He could do it himself. He knew that but, so did she and that’s probably why he pushed slightly away from the desk so she could move in closer. Karen walked in front of him and grabbed the gauze; antiseptic cream and butterfly strips then leaned back against the desk. He rolled forward in his chair so that their knees were almost touching.
Her light touch on his chin signaled for him to look up. She sat the medical tools beside her and said, “I’m going to, uhm, wipe the blood, okay?”
He nodded once and she continued, wiping gently down. She took her time and when she’d gotten the blood off everywhere else she moved to the actual laceration. He sucked a breath in at the slight burning but didn’t do anything else because really, she was gentle.
She was being gentle, and her soft, light, warm touches on his skin felt good. He leaned slightly into her fingers and could tell that she smiled slightly at the gesture. A cute splay of blood rose on her cheeks. He wished he could see it.
“We should pay you more,” He said.
“You should pay me at all,” She said in a serious tone, the smile cutting the effect.
“Right.”
But, they had been paying her what they could. Business had risen a little since the summer had started, it was promising, but slow.
Her heart rate picked up, “Matt, I know I shouldn’t, but sometimes I just… Worry you know? You come in with these cuts and bruises and ‘falls....’ I… just. I want you to know you can call me.”
She pushed gently at the cut and moved to put some ointment on another gauze before turning back and looking at him. She had her mouth in a line and her eyes narrowed slightly as she assessed what was in front of her. She cleaned the cut some more.
And damn if he just kept noticing her. She was sweet and kind and genuine. Foggy didn’t have to tell him that she was beautiful. He’d known that since that day he’d met her. She was smart too- really smart. The cogs were always turning. And he’d be lying if he said he didn’t know that when he got her all alone her blood pumped quicker in her veins.
She leaned in closer and blew against the cut, her breath sent goose bumps up his spine. The image of her lips forming to blow on his cut became the image of her lips finding his. Soft, pliant…
He pulled away slightly and furrowed his brow, sending a shock of pain right above his eye.
“Sorry! Sorry- did that burn?” Her voice higher.
“No,” He blinked, “Sorry I just… Sorry.” He relaxed back in his chair again and she tucked her hair behind her ears. She cupped his chin again and some how her touches became even gentler. After a final swipe of the antiseptic she moved on to the butterfly strips.
“This could probably use stiches,” She said.
“Probably.”
“But you’re not going.” It wasn’t a question. She’d known about his no-hospital policy but she’d cracked it up to being white-coat syndrome.
He shook his head softly in her hand. He could feel her warm smile as she tsked. He loved it when she smiled. Loved it even more when he was the one making her do it. Silently, he told himself that maybe he would try to make her smile more often.
She pressed the butterfly strips along the cut of his eye and when she was finished she rubbed her thumb against them and then leaned back. She folded her hands in her lap and looked at his brow then at his whole face. “Remember what you said about me being safe?”
A pause, “And how I said you should take your own advice?”
He smiled at her, “I’m more of a giver than a receiver.”
She rolled her eyes at him and stood up with a sigh, turning to pick up the used packages of gauze and band aids. Matt stood and began to help her, their arms brushing. She was warm and soft.
How was she so damned soft?
She bumped into his arm and muttered a sorry before crunching all the papers in her hands and tossing them in the wastebasket. He followed suit shortly after. She moved to stand in front of his desk and waited until he was sitting to talk again.
“Well, if you don’t have any other gaping wounds to attend to?”
He shook his head with a smile and he put his glasses back on, “No, not quite yet. I’ll let you know.”
She stood there for a second, just looking at him, and then nodded as she glanced down at her feet. She turned to leave and her hand brushed the frame, “I’ll just be out here.”
“Alight,” He said with an edge of softness he hoped she’d pick up on. Which was weird. But… he wanted her to hear it. He really did. Because he noticed things that he liked about her.
Noticed that she liked him too.
And she was easy to be with and her passion was almost contagious. He admired her in a different way than he admired anyone else; more that he wanted to stand next to her- almost show her off, rather than be like her.
Well, maybe even more so, he just wanted to be next to her again. Next to her softness. Matt licked his lips and smelled the air, the scent of her light perfume still clung around his desk. The pattern of her heartbeat still thrummed in his ears.
He casted his eyes downward as he rubbed his hands against his thighs, letting out a small huff of air. He wanted to feel something good again, and Karen? Karen made him feel good. And why should he have that?
He wasn’t normally a self-deprecating man, but he knew that with his life- his choices, that he shouldn’t. He would be putting them both in line of hurt and heartache. But…
“Hey Karen?”
She popped her head into his office, “Yeah?"
“Are you hungry?”
He felt her smile as she took a step into the room, leaned against the doorframe. “What? Are you thinking about repaying me with breakfast?”
“I thought maybe you could buy?” He said with a smile.
She laughed and shrugged, “I could eat.”
He nodded and stood, reaching for his cane. He grabbed it and moved towards her, taking her wrist. She moved out of the doorframe and into the lobby, “Where to?”
“You choose,” He said.
“Free breakfast and I get to choose? Must be my lucky day.”
Matt felt himself shake his head once, and inevitable smile tugging at his lips. He squeezed her wrist softly, “Must be.”