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"I'm on the verge of shitting my pants, Matt. I don't know if I can do this."

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The night Matt had left Holly's place, Foggy had stopped by to not only drop of Holly's wallet, but to also invite her to a New Years Party.

Holly was hesitant at first. She thought about the fact that Foggy didn't know about her and Matt talking still-let alone almost kissing-and how it would be a struggle to keep in the secret about them being well known 'Acquaintances.' Yet, her nervous energy broke at the sound of the word party, and she agreed to go. 

Two days had passed since that night. Two days since Holly saw Matt. Two days since Matt called Holly's smile perfect.

Holly could feel Matt's lingering touch on her skin. How his warm palms cupped her face perfectly like Ivy and how his thumb would brush her gentle skin. She realized how much his simple touch brought such a beaming glow to her face, and how she craved to be covered in that afterglow. Despite the situation, he made her feel inevitably safe in his grasp. 

So as any excited person would do, Holly bursted like a bubble in front of Mr. James as she told him all about Matt. 

Well, almost all about him. 

"And so I'm going to his party tonight, but my brother doesn't know about the fact that me and him still talk so I have to pretend that I don't really know Matt even though he tried to kiss me the other night." Holly's words where fast as Arthur mentally slowed her mouth down in order to make any sense of her fast blurb of a sentence. "So, yeah. That's been going on." She smiled. 

Arthur saw the smile on Holly's face and joined her with his. "You really like him, don't you?"

"I do." Holly nodded. "A lot. But I'm not sure if he likes me."

"You said he dropped off tarts for you after you stitched him up because of that fall at his place." Arthur countered. "Any man knows that the key to a woman's heart is food. Your key is anything cherry flavored, which he got down to a tee." 

Holly stood as she took the stethoscope from the pocket of her scrubs, remembering she wasn't in therapy, she was at work. "Your right. So you think I should tell him I like him?"

"Holly, darling." Arthur gave Holly a look as she placed the stethoscope up to his chest, mentally counting his deep breaths. "Your overthinking everything. Just let it run it's course, soon or later you will both see that you have feelings for each other."

"Is that what you and Dorthey did?" Holly questioned, taking the stethoscope back from him.

Arthur barked a scoff. "Yeah right. Dorthey was banging at my doorstep threatening me to say I liked her or else she would find someone else." 

Holly laughed as she stood up, moving over to the cart where his paperwork was. "That definitely does not sound like Dorthey." 

"You should have seen her before." His head faced in Holly's direction as she wrote down all of his information. "She was a firecracker. Every guy in Hell's Kitchen wanted her." He pointed to himself. "But I was the only one who brought her cheesecake." 

Holly smiled down at Arthur as she chuckled. "So in conclusion, what your telling me is food is the key?"

"Food is definitely the key." He looked at the clock beside him before reaching for the journal on his side. "Now, you go take care of someone who actually needs it. I have to do my journaling." He waved Holly off as she playfully rolled her eyes at him.

"You never tell me what's in that super secret diary of yours." Holly crossed her arms over her chest. "You planning my assassination or something?"

"You'll find out soon or later, Holly Nelson." He gave her an unamused look as he wore the same playful smile he had before. "Now go do your job. Your gonna get fired and I'll be stuck with another nurse." 

Holly smiled at him as she gave him a half wave. "See you later, Mr. James." She turned on her heel as she walked out the room, leaving Mr. James alone as he began journaling. 

As Holly got ready for the New Years party, she mentally contemplated if she was ready to make a move with Matt. Sure Mr. James had said to wait, but a part of her felt like she couldn't. She felt in a way this invisible string pulling her towards Matt, and that if she didn't follow it, it would snap and break right in front of her. 

Running her hands down the length of her dark blue dress, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looks casual yet chic as she goes to to tie the belt around her waist for security. The same necklace Dorthey and Arthur had gotten her for Christmas resting on her neckline and dangling close to the sliver of skin that was left exposed by the dress.

She admired the glow on her face. Holly noticed the light in her eyes and the natural blush on her cheeks that would form after smiling. 

Turning away at the mirror she hurries over to her entrance, grabbing the heels that where piled up next to the rest of her shoes. She slips them on before grabbing her purse and coat, then heads out the front door and starts her walk towards the bar. 

The walk was relatively short considering what night it was. Streets where piled up from top to bottom, people scurrying across the concrete jungle to find places to bar hop with their friends, and others just getting off of work. 

Snow still fell softly from the air. This was probably their last snowstorm of the season, which Holly was a bit glad about. She had already slipped on ice three times in the past two months and was tired of the constant bruise on her ass. 

When Holly finally made it to the bar, she opened the door as the warm air bursted onto her skin. Loud chatter erupted throughout the crowded scene as she lifted her head, trying to find her group. When she finally catches sight of Matt, Foggy, and Karen she has a smile grow on her face as she walks over. 

"Happy New Year, Holly." Foggy cheers as she makes her way to the pool table they stood around. 

Laughing, Holly pulls her coat from her arms as she places it on the chair next to them. "Happy New Years to you too, Fog." She looks over at Karen, offering an even wider smile. "Hey, Paige!"

Karen smiles as she pulls Holly in for a hug. Karen and Holly had known each other for a while after meeting at Union Allied. Holly was a secretary while she was still in college, gaining enough money to support her life as a nurse and as an adult as well. They had grown close, and become good friends in her time working there. 

"Hey, Holly!" Karen hugged Holly tight before pulling back. "How are you? I'm sorry I couldn't come to the bar on Christmas Eve."

"Don't worry about it." Holly waved her comment off. "I've been good, just busy with work and things like that." 

Foggy cleared his throat as Holly turned back to him. He nodded over to Matt like Holly hadn't been waiting to say hi to him from the second she walked in. 

"Hey, Matt!" Holly gave a half wave, unsure how to go about everything. "Long time no see." 

"Your telling me." a faint smile growing on his lips as he joked. He knew what Holly was doing, so he went along and played right into her lies. "It's nice to see you again, Holly." 

He pulled her in unexpectedly, bringing her close to his chest as he hugged her. His voice was low as he whispered to her, "Your heart is racing like crazy right now. Your a terrible liar, Holly Nelson." He smirked.

Holly couldn't help contain the joking smile that grew on her face. "I'm on the verge of shitting my pants, Matt. I don't know if I can do this." She pulled back as Matt kept his hands on her biceps, her skin being warmed by the gentle touch of his hands. 

"Your doing fine." Matt reassured her, his voice low enough for only her to hear. "Just stick with what I'm doing and maybe we'll make it out alive." He joked, making Holly bite her bottom lip with nervous energy.

Before Holly could even interject, Foggy's voice clouded her thoughts.

"What are you both whispering about?" Foggy playfully asks. 

Matt brushes his question away, and internally, Holly can't thank him enough. It's been a long time since she's found someone she really likes. She didn't want to ruin it by Foggy finding out and getting weird with Matt like he had a tendency to with his other friends when they would start crushing on Holly. 

As the hour went by, multiple games of pool and drinks had been completed.  The bar grew crowded as more people walked in with their friends. Looking around, Holly notices every chair, table, and corner occupied by at least one person. Her eyes follow the string of red lights that float around the place, and the Christmas decorations that have yet to be taken down. 

Looking at Foggy, she hears him let out a loud groan. "Fuck. Damn ball." 

Holly gives a small laugh as she turns in her chair, facing Foggy from the table her and Matt sat at. "Foggy, I told you not to take that shot. That's the third game we've lost now." 

Foggy points at Holly. "I blame this on you." 

Holly chuckles. "I've done nothing!" She defends herself. "In fact I've kept this team afloat."

Matt scratches his jaw as he places his drink down. That same smirk from before forming on his face again. "I think it's time we switch the teams up. Give Holly a chance at being on a winning team."

Foggy's face forms into an upside down frown as he loosely shrugs. "Deal." He points at Karen. "Paige, welcome to the winning team." He pulls her to his side, making her laugh. "And as for you Holly, you get Matt. Let's see if your skills are good enough to keep a blind man winning."

"Last I checked Foggy, I was beating you." Matt counters as he turns his head in Foggy's direction. His hair is messy and his glasses are falling down the bridge of his nose as he speaks. 

Foggy waves off Matt's comment as he turns to Karen again. "We call breaking."

"Deal." Holly said, turning to Matt as her voice lowered for only him to hear. "Do me a favor and use those senses of yours." She smiles, making Matt chuckle and smile back. 

"Suddenly having the blind man on your team seems to be at your favor." He jokes. 

Holly laughs as she hears Foggy call for her and Matt again. She places her hands on his knees and slowly slides herself off the chair to stand between his knees. "We'll see about that." Sipping herself from between him, she walks towards Foggy and Karen. 

She may not realize it at the moment, but when she slowly slid herself between his knees, Matt felt his breathing stop. They where skating on thin ice at this point, and Holly didn't even realize that what she had done would leave such an impact on him. 

He so desperately wanted to hold her close to him and wrap his arms around her waist. But as she walked away, he felt himself close his eyes in absolute agony. He knew that he needed to remain safe with the rules he had come up with, one being staying as far away from Holly as possible, two being to keep things professional, and three being to keep her safe. 

But, after breaking rule number one, he figured breaking rule number two wouldn't be so bad. Right?

As he stood from the chair and edged himself towards his group of friends, he came up with a bright idea. 

Grabbing a cue stick, Holly hands Matt his own as she faces him. "You ready?"

"Oh I'm definitely ready." He counters back. 

During their game, the two of them begin teasing one another as much as possible without anyone else knowing. Maybe it was the amount of alcohol Holly had consumed, but every bit of logical thinking in her mind went in one ear and out the other. She was now playing by the mind of drunk Holly.

Matt did everything he could to throw her off during the game. Matt had insisted on teaching her how to properly hold the stick. Foggy had a small bit of suspicion at first, but not enough to allow him to do anything. For all he knew, the pair was just getting along really well. 

But, little did Holly know, Matt was better at the flirting game then she was. Much better.

His hand softly touches her hip, the fabric of her dress balling up in his fingers as he positions her better. 

"Okay, lean forward a bit." He instructs her, hearing her pounding heart ram against her chest. With his other hand, he carefully fixes her position and lines her up with the ball. His hand moves to her arm as he slides it against her bare skin, leading it to her shoulder where he stopped. "Make sure you keep your eye on the ball. And shoot your shot." 

Sliding the stick forward as Holly bit her lip in concentration, she watches as the cue ball comes into contact with her ball and slides into the pocket.

"Oh for fucks sake." Foggy groans as he throws his head back. Holly can't help contain her excitement. Ever since she was young, her and Foggy had a very competitive sibling sprit, so beating him once again was like music to her ears. 

Holly lifts her arms up as she drops the cue stick, doing a miniature celebratory dance. Karen laughs as she stands up, seeing the absolute agony Foggy is in after loosing once again to his sister. 

Holly turns around, facing Matt as he welcomes her with a large smile and laugh. Without even thinking, Holly wraps her arms around his neck and hugs him. Matt instantly beams brighter then he ever had before, wrapping his arms around Holly's waist he lightly lifts her off the floor. 

Her arms slowly drifted to rest on his chest and his stayed firm on her waist. Both of them were trying hard to not let their breathing give away how flustered they felt and as they stood there in silence, consumed by each of their touches. 

Holly soon realizes what just happened as she looked to Foggy to make sure he hadn't seen anything. Luckily, his head was down on the table as he continued his loosing pout while Karen comforted him with a laugh. 

She turns back to Matt, her hands still on his chest. She balls her fist up, giving his chest a light fist bump that she immediately regretted soon after. "Good game, Murdock." 

Matt could hear the uncomfortable breathing that left her body. She knew she went to far, and despite the fact Matt enjoyed it, she knew that she was risking quite a bit after her encounter with him. He offers her a smile of reassurance, "Good game, Holly." 

Matt and Holly smile at each other before Foggy calls them both back to their table. He is now done with his pout fest, and is willing to talk with the pair again. There is only ten minutes until they ring in the New Year, and Foggy is rounding up customers to join him for the countdown when it starts. Karen watches him as she laughs, leaving Matt and Holly side by side, their shoulders brushing against the others occasionally. 

Matt clears his throat, his whispering voice back again. "I'm glad you came tonight." 

Turning her head in the direction of Matt, Holly gives a closed mouth smile. "I am too." Without even realizing it, she lets out a yawn that is loud enough for Matt to hear. She was never a late night person, so staying up until midnight was rare for her. 

"You tired?" Matt questioned softly.

"Very." Holly chuckles. "But we have five minutes until the ball drops and If I don't stay up Foggy will call me a quitter."

Matt releases a small laugh as he puts a listening ear to the crowd. "Foggy can't see us....if you want, you can uh-" He didn't know if he was going too far, but he was willing to risk it. "You can put your head on my shoulder. I'll wake you up if he starts to come over." 

Smiling, she leans her head onto Matt's shoulder and closes her eyes, allowing herself a minute for rest. She feels his arm wrap around her shoulder, lifting her coat further up her shoulders to keep her warm. 

Matt's lips formed into a small smile as he kept his head down. He didn't bother to rip his arm from her shoulder, instead he kept it there, taking in every bit of her touch as he could.

Matt hated to admit it, but he had fallen hard for her. In the short span of time he had known her, she had made him smile, laugh, and feel better then he has in years. He could already feel the impact she had made on him in their short period together. He had trust for her, and that was hard to find with most people. 

Holly lasts a couple minutes before Matt taps her shoulder, taking his hand from her as he brings it back to the spot on the table in front of him. She quickly shoots her head up, watching as Foggy hurries over. 

"You ready guys?" Foggy questions with excitement. 

"I'm ready." Holly smiles, sitting up in her chair as she faces the TV. Groups of people jump up and down with pints of beer in their hands, shouting with excitement as they watch the screen. 

Foggy is standing on the table, leading everyone in the ten second countdown as Josie shakes her head at him. Before she knows it, confetti is flying in the air and cheerful shouts are filling her ears. 

Holly looks over to Matt, seeing tiny confetti dots lining on his hair. "Happy New Year, Murdock." 

Reciprocating her words, Matt grins back at Holly. "Happy New Year, Nelson."

Before she can say anything else, the two other friends run up to them. Holly and the others celebrate with a hug, toast, and a declaration from Foggy that the new year will bring all good things for Nelson & Murdock.

"Here's to our firm! And Holly not being a workaholic!" He lifts his drink up, the rest of the group joining in with wide smiles and laughter. 

As the night begins to slow, with Karen and Foggy leaving not long before, Holly rubs her eyes with the back of her hand as exhaustion weighs over her. It was already 1 AM and her and Matt had been talking since the New Year rang in. She had planned on telling him that she was ready to leave not long after Foggy and Karen had left but she never did. She was too engrossed by him and their conversation, she didn't want the night to end. But, eventually, she knew she had to.

"I think we should head out. We're about to be the only ones in here." Holly smiles as she lets out a yawn into the sleeve of her coat. 

"Right." Matt nodded, his exhaustion becoming apparent as his drinks began to wear off. He stands from his seat, putting his arm out for Holly which she gladly wraps her hands around.

The pair began walking down the empty streets of Hell's Kitchen, their bodies close to each other as  they occasionally bumped shoulders. They where both quiet. More quiet then they usually where despite their ongoing conversations inside the bar. 

He could hear her occasional groan as she walked, making his head turn in her direction. 

"You okay?" He questioned, stopping their pace. 

"Yeah I'm fine." Holly held onto his arm as she lifted her foot, adjusting the straps on her heel. "It's just these damn heels hurt." Matt beamed a laugh at her irritation. "I don't wear these often if you couldn't tell." 

Matt chuckled. "Yeah couldn't tell at all." He turned to face forward, patting on his back. "Here, get on." 

"Your joking?" Holly scoffed. "I'm not getting on your back, Matt." 

"Just hop on." He bent over slightly to accommodate for her height. "We aren't far from your place and you won't be in pain." He patted his back, making Holly laugh. 

She looked around, sighing to herself as she took her heels off, holding them both by the strap as she hopped onto Matt's back. His hands grasped just under her ass, propping her up as he stood up fully. Holly chucked as she wrapped her arms around his neck, watching as he continued his stroll. 

"Do you do this with all the women you walk home?" Holly questioned, her mouth just a small bit away from his neck as she spoke. Hot air radiating on his cold skin, making it prickle under the smallest feel. 

"No." Matt chuckled. "You would be the first." 

"Well I consider it an honor to be known as the first woman to get a piggy back ride from Matt Murdock." She laughed, Matt's smile beaming on his cheeks. 

Amongst the cars driving past them, the few people walking by, and the dimly lit street lights, they were just two people innocently falling for each other in the middle of the night. From the way it looked, many would probably mistake them for something more then just friends. 

Soon enough, Holly finds Matt leading the two of them to her apartment door. They were trying hard to quiet their laughter to not disturb his neighbors around them. Holly jumped down from Matt's back, her bare feet hitting her doormat.

"Well thank you for walking me home. Or in this case letting me ride your back home." She smiles, her hands gripping the strap of her heels tightly.  

"No problem, It was worth knowing your feet won't be in pain." He joked. Holly snickered as she went to grab the keys from her bag, the clinking metal dropping on the floor as she bent down to grab it. Matt followed suit, lifting the keys up to her. 

When she reaches to grab the keys from him, their hands just barley touch but in that short touch he can feel how flustered she is. It brings a small smile to his face. Neither of them remove their hands, instead they let the burning fire between them grow by the spark in their fingers. She draws a sharp breath as she looks up at him. 

The air between them is so thick, Holly can barley breath. He steps forward, his free hand reaching up to her face as he drops her keys to the floor. She feels his callused hands gently caress her cheeks and underneath her eyes. 

Matt leans down slightly, his forehead pressing into Holly's as he speaks in a low tone. She feels his lips fan against hers, teasing her of the possibility that what she wanted could happen. He breaths in a shaky breath. 

"Holly-"

"Yeah?"

Matt's smile grows inevitably larger. "I wanted to kiss you tonight. Really bad."

Holly feels her cheeks grow as red as they can possibly be. "I wanted to kiss you too." She says in a shaky tone. Her words ramble out of her mouth rapidly as her tone remains quiet, barley resembling a ghost of a voice. "I- I really wanted to kiss you last night, and the night before that too-" She stops herself when Matt's hands run down her bicep and to her wrists as he grips them in his hands.

"What if I told you I want to kiss you right now?" Matt questions, his lips barley grazing over hers. 

Holly can't take it anymore, but yet her mouth continues running. "Say it again."

So entrapped in their lustrous bubble, Matt doesn't even realize her question at first but a second later, it registers. He smiles at her as he speaks. 

"What if I told you I wanted to kiss you right now, Holly?" He repeats, his fingers drawing circles on her wrists. 

Holly finally stops her rambling. Her voice is still shaky as the smallest bit of bravery and truth escapes her lips. "I would tell you the same thing."

Matt moved his lips over Holly's, crashing them together as she slipped her tongue inside. Perfectly in sync, the two take their time with each other. Matt knew Holly didn't want to move fast, so his pace was slow and easy. Calming even. 

He pulls back slowly as a stupid smile forms on his face, his red lips glistening under the light shining above Holly's door. He could hear her pounding heart. The way joy and arousal fumed off her body like sweet honey. "I want to...I really do." 

They where barley apart. His forehead pressed against hers as heavy breathing rose Holly's chest every few seconds. 

Without a second thought, Holly knew what he was speaking about. "But you can't." She said disappointed. Her words where much less then a question, and more of an answer. "Can't you?"

Matt smiled faintly, taking Holly's hand in his. "See, I have this tendency to fuck up things in my life." Holly lightly chuckled at his words, making Matt's beaming smile only grow larger. "Tonight was perfect. It was one of the best nights I have had in a long time and I..." He paused. "I want to keep it that way, so I can come back to this night when everything in my life is falling apart. I'll know I had this perfect night."

Holly nodded, her fingers intertwined with Matt's as her eyes fluttered shut. "I understand." She opened her eyes as she faced up at him. Her smile canvasing on her lips like artwork. "Just one more kiss for the road?"

Matt chuckled before leaning in again, pressing his lips to hers as they let that blissful moment rush over them. His hands gripped her sun bleached brown hair, slightly pulling her head back so he could lean into the kiss even more. Holly let out a pleased sound at that, feeling like she was on cloud nine. 

Before long, Holly pulled back slowly, leaving Matt questioning his decision about leaving with the simple touch she gave to his chest with her hands. 

"Goodnight, Matt." Holly's voice was just above a whisper as she took her hands back, facing up at him.

"Goodnight, Holly." Matt says before she reaches down for her keys and unlocks the door. She walks inside, leaving Matt in the hallway smiling before he headed down the stairs to her place. 

As Holly got inside, she pressed her back to the door and ran her hands through her hair. Every bit of that kiss was running in her mind like a never ending film, one that Holly wished never had to end. 

A/N- I know in the last chapter I made it seem like you would be waiting a while for the kiss, but I couldn't help myself, I love Holly and Matt way too much. 

Things are about to get...interesting to say the least in the next few chapters. A lot more plot, possibly some issues? *wink wink* Stay tuned to find out what happens next :)

Have a great day/ night everyone and stay safe <3

(Oh Ps. I wanted to maybe get a name for our little fandom. Any ideas??? I am open to just about anything lol.)