𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎 - the kiss

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𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐒 Matthew laced his formal tie around his neck, and in her opinion tying it rather sloppily. She could judge, she was the one to tie Derek's ties every time he had to wear one as apparently, her brother had been rather cack-handed as a teenager; well, apart from when he played basketball, of course.

Matthew had agreed to turn himself over to the FBI, as long as Jasper would tell his story about Wilson Fisk and what really happened at the prison.

Olivia pushed herself off of her bed and made her way over to the vigilante as he tried to slip into his suit jacket, by the sharp inhale he took, he was obviously still in pain.

She made her way behind him and took the jacket into her own hands and held it open to allow him to painlessly put it on. He shrugged it on carefully before facing the wolf, "Thank you."

Before she could reply her ears twitched at the sound of light footsteps, she spun to see Sister Maggie entering the room, a shocked and rather pleased smile lighting up her features. "Hallelujah. So you can dress like a normal human being." The nun teased as she tossed something his way, "Clean socks."

"Thank you."

"Well, it warms my heart to see you going out to do something other than beat someone up."

"How do you know?" Matthew smirked lightly as he took a seat, "Could just be adding style to my beatings."

Olivia snorted, unable to hold back her amusement at his comment, and apparently Sister Maggie couldn't either.

"Did you... did you just make a joke?" The nun breathed, "You look ready to smile, which I'm sure in your case means... Well, I don't know what it could mean, the only time I've seen that look is when Olivia's either bullying or flirting with you."

Olivia chuckled as she moved to stand next to the nun, her grin growing at the thought that even through everything, she could get him to smile. "She's right Matty, you do only smile when I flirt with you, is there something you want to tell me?" She teased.

He let out a hearty chuckle, the sound causing both women to smile, "You're the one flirting with me, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Touché." Olivia tilted her head as she tapped her lips with a finger before dropping it, "He's actually seeing Foggy and Karen."

The Sister hummed thoughtfully, the knowing look on her face fading into a small smile, "I see. Well, this one can get you to smile and they can get you dressed up. Miracle workers."

"We really are." Olivia chuckled.

"It's nice to see you reconnecting."

Matthew cleared his throat as he pulled on his shoes, lacing them up. "Wait, I'm... They're helping me one last time."

Olivia rolled her eyes. She knew that Matt wouldn't be able to stay away from them and vice versa. They were too close, it wouldn't happen. And, if she had any input, Olivia wouldn't let it happen.

"It's not a criticism, Matthew. Calling you an idiot for believing that friends make you weaker rather than stronger? That would be criticism."

"Thank you for clarifying that."

"Anyway," The Sister turned on her heel, walking to lean against one of the walls. "Where are you off to?"

"Gotta turn myself into the FBI."

"You must be joking. You need a suit for that?"

Matt shook his head as he smoothed out a wrinkle in his suit, "I've been falsely accused. Gotta clear my name."

"You mean Matt Murdock's name." Sister Maggie commented, a sly grin growing on her face as she and Olivia shared a look. "If you're leaving him behind, why does it matter?"

"My life is complicated enough without being a wanted fugitive. And there are... other people involved."

"Other people? Your friends?" The nun finished with a smile. She had made her point loud and clear, telling Matthew in her own way that as much as he tried to push his friends away and distance himself, it wouldn't happen.

Olivia smiled as she approached Matthew who had a pout on his lips, "She got you there, you have to admit."

"She did."

"Well, even if you are turning yourself into the FBI, you do look handsome." She walked closer, her eyes locking onto the tie as she took it into her hands, readjusting it, "Except for this, you can't tie for shit."

Matt slightly lowered his head in thought before reaching a hand up to grasp one of the woman's wrists that was still busy fixing the accessory, "Thank you."

Her eyes snapped to the hand clamped around hers before she dragged them to his face, "You're welcome."

"Are we gonna keep doing this?"

Olivia blinked at his serious tone, "Doing what?"

"You know what, Olivia." He spoke with a small eye-roll, "Let's not kid ourselves, neither of us are joking anymore; I can hear your heart, and you can hear mine."

She shuddered slightly as his breath ghosted her lips. It felt the entire room had shifted, the tension was thicker than ever, and with those two, that was a feat and a half. "You're right." She breathed, watching the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. Her eyes narrowed as she ran her tongue across her teeth before leaning closer, bringing her free hand to the back of his neck, "So? Are you gonna kiss me or what?"

He chuckled at her ever-bold words and brought a hand to rest on the side of her face, the one that had been holding her wrist fell to her hip bringing her closer as he kept his lips hovering above hers for a moment longer before Olivia rolled her eyes and used the hand on the back of his neck to bring him forward, finally connecting their lips together.

They continued on, his grip on her waist becoming tighter and the hand on the back of his neck wandered into his dark and soft hair before she finally pulled back, "I don't like waiting." She whispered, her lips curling into a slow smile.

The smile on his lips mirrored hers as he slowly swiped a thumb across her cheekbone, "Me neither." he lowly responded before pulling her back to him, connecting their mouths once more in a long and slow kiss; one that finally let out the feelings they had both kept behind bars for the past few months.

Matthew pulled himself back for breath as he listened to her heart. Slowly a cocky smile grew on his swollen lips, "So, back at Midland Circle when you said you weren't going to kiss me?"

Olivia grinned at his comment as she lightly smacked his chest, "I really wish I did throw you in that hole."

"No, you don't"

The hand she had resting on the back of his neck fell to lightly grasp his shoulder, her eyes flickering over Matthew's face; his lips still plumped and reddened from the kisses they had shared, before they trailed to his eyes that were softer than she had seen them, "No, I don't."

"Well." She breathed softly as she leaned back and brought her lips to place a quick kiss to his cheek, "Good luck."

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Olivia's well wishes for luck most certainly didn't do the trick.

Matthew had been gone for less than an hour and in the midst of a pleasant conversation with Sister Maggie, Olivia's ears pricked at the sound of police sirens. The ever-grating noise turning her brain into jelly.

"What is it?" Sister Maggie questioned as she watched the wolf's head tilt and her eyes narrow.

"Police sirens, and a lot of them."

"An hour after Matthew leaves, I hope that's just a coincidence."

"It never is," Olivia muttered as she stood to her feet and swiftly made her way to where she and Matt were staying. She pulled out her laptop and immediately found the live broadcast of the news; her eyes blowing wide the second the screen showed the building that the masses of police had gathered at: The Bulletin.

"Oh God," Olivia whispered to herself as she listened to the reporter's voice, trying her best to tune out the screams, yells, and incoherent mumbles of the others in the background.

There had been a shooting that had sent multiple people to the hospital, those were the ones that were fortunate to have kept their lives.

"But what we do know is that, according to several eyewitnesses, the brutal attack on the Bulletin staff has been carried out by none other than Daredevil."

Olivia's brows pinched together. There was no way in hell that Matthew had done that. He was reckless and impulsive and at times he was incredibly dangerous but he would never do that.

The glaring red and blue lights of the police cars flashed on the and Olivia couldn't help but slam the device shut, her eyes darting around manically before she pushed herself up, nabbed her leather jacket and bee-lined for the stairs.

She didn't exactly have a plan. She couldn't go to the Bulletin and she had no idea where Matthew actually was. Her heart thumped in her chest as panic clawed at her the way she did at others. Olivia had absolutely no doubt that Fisk was involved.

Her rushed steps paused as the sound of someone grunting in pain filled her ears, the unmistakable metallic scent of blood filling her nose.

Without an ounce of hesitation, she followed the invasive scent. There he was; Matt, covered in blood, more seeping from the wound on his chest, and the relief that had filled her upon seeing him alive slowly evaporated into thin air.

Olivia rushed forward, helping to steady the man, "Jesus, Matt!"

He could hear the worry in her voice and could only imagine how he looked. He couldn't smell anything other than his own blood. Matt inhaled deeply as he tried to focus on the feeling of Olivia's arm wrapping around him, trying his best to block out the agonizing pain that radiated from the fresh stab wound on his chest.

Olivia used her strength to support him, calling out for Sister Maggie as she almost carried the bloodied vigilante towards their makeshift room.

The moment Olivia had managed to rest Matt against one of the brick walls Sister Maggie came rushing in, a deep sigh escaping her as she took in the vigilante's state.

His white shirt was almost entirely crimson as blood continuously spilled from the picture in his chest. Bruises littered his skin, decorating his face alongside the older, healing bruises. The nun's dark eyes glossed over Olivia and noticed the blood that stained her hands, she jerked her head towards the stairs as she addressed the panicked wolf; "Would you get the supplies on my desk?"

Olivia nodded hastily before tossing one more glance to Matthews pain covered face and made her way out of the room.

It may have seemed like she was overreacting; her heart stilling at the sight of him, anxiety flooding her veins. But everyone she had ever been around was like her; her family could heal, a majority of the teenagers she had been fighting alongside those years ago, could heal. Hell, Olivia had genuinely thought that Jessica was just too stubborn to get hurt. She had gotten shot, bled everywhere, and simply asked for a bag of beef jerky.

But seeing Matt clutching at a wound that had blood trailing from it like a damn waterfall made her feel... afraid. In a way, she hated that, she hated that a part of her didn't want Matthew to fight because he could bleed and he couldn't heal, not as she did.

But she supposed that's what made him who he was. He didn't care about the blood, bruises, and pain. He cared about helping and saving people, no matter the cost. Just like her.

Odd how it took finding a person who had traits far too similar to her own to realize the pain that her family and friends would feel when she had charged headfirst into the line of fire time and time again. But that's what made Olivia herself too.

It didn't take Olivia more than three minutes to race through the halls, up the steps, and into Sister Maggie's office. Her hands grasped the small kit that the nun had preserved specifically for Matthew and she had bolted her way back down, her breath coming out in huffs as she entered the room once again, though she believed her lungs were struggling through the anxiety, not the small jog.

"You're missing the point. He didn't just find someone to wear my suit. Someone as fast and skilled as I've ever seen, and I couldn't take him." Matthew yelled as he clutched a rag to his would, trying to still the blood flow. "He found someone to kill me."

"Matthew..." Sister Maggie tried; a small glance of thanks directed toward Olivia who handed over the medical supplies.

Matt didn't stop, he continued to pace as more blood left his body, his voice harsh, "I was stupid enough to think that I had Fisk cornered. He knew I'd find the witness, and I just brought the sheep to slaughter. Jasper Evans is dead. He's dead and he leaves a son behind, that's on me!" He shouted, Sister Maggie swallowing harshly as he did whilst Olivia took tentative steps closer. "I was so sure that I finally was out in front of this bastard. And Fisk, he knew I thought that. He was waiting for me."

Olivia approached carefully as if she were trying to calm a wild animal. And though someone approaching the devil should have been scared; she was sad, seeing him in such a state, almost witnessing Foggy being taken from him and being framed for killing an office full of people. He didn't deserve it and it made her teeth grit painfully that Wilson Fisk was getting away with it. "Matty."

But Matthew didn't relent, "Foggy and Karen both could've been killed. And there would have been nothing I could have done to stop it. Nothing."

Olivia sighed, her head dropping slightly as she listened to the erratic thudding of his heart. She knew the adrenaline had worn off and every thud was a pulse of anger, anger directed towards the man who had committed heinous crimes and yet sat comfortably in a penthouse, guarded by the FBI.

"You're losing blood. I need to stitch you up." The Sister stressed as she took a step forward, stilling as the vigilante's onslaught of hate-fueled words continued.

"I listened to you. I listened to you, and they almost died. God damn it. I'm such an idiot."

"No. I'm the idiot. I told you to involve your friends, and I made things worse. I'm used to putting on a brave face when people bring their troubles to the church and I find they don't just bring their troubles, they bring their answers, too, if you let them talk enough."

Olivia carefully laid a hand on Matt's arm and took his silence as an opportunity to help sit the man down on the stairs just behind him. Thankfully, he allowed her and she most definitely caught the man's face scrunching up in pain, so she sat herself next to him, the cold steps sending a slight chill up her spine as she reached out to unbutton the cuff of his shirt sleeve. Olivia rested her hand on his revealed skin and slowly let herself absorb the pain that pulsated through his body and watched Matthew slowly loosen.

Sister Maggie watched the interaction as she continued to soothe with her words, "But... what you're dealing with is so far beyond my experience that, well, all I can hope to do is help keep your wounds stitched and your head clear. So you can be safe. And, I'll be more careful about giving advice to the Devil. And occasionally, possibly, I'll try to keep my mouth shut."

"Could I get that in writing?" Matt spoke up with a twitch of a smile, his voice almost entirely level as the agonizing pain dulled to a barely noticeable ache. "Look, I know you were just trying to help."

"Now, can I please see to those wounds, Olivia's magical pain relief won't fix a hole in your chest"

Olivia sighed as she helped Matthew to his feet, the black veins still littering her skin. His eyes were closed, relishing in the relief before her hand slowly pulled away. The wolf moved so they were face to face and slowly unbuttoned his shirt, red staining her fingertips.

Surprisingly, Matthew let out a small and hoarse chuckle as he thought back to the flirting that had started in his apartment from the same action, "Again?"

"Oh, stop it." Olivia smiled as she shook her head, moving to pull the shirt off entirely. She kept the ripped and bloodied fabric in her hands as she whispered in his ear with a mock scold, "There's a nun in the vicinity."

She bit her lip to control the laugh that bubbled in her throat as Matthew choked on his own, groaning as it disturbed his pulsating wound.

Olivia poked her tongue against her cheek as her lips tried to stretch into a grin and tried her best to innocently shrug as Sister Maggie returned from sorting out the supplies Olivia had fetched. The nun rose a brow as her eyes glanced from Matthew, who was still recovering from choking, to Olivia's face that looked about as innocent as Peter Hale, just in general.

The Sister shook her head, at the two as she approached the bleeding man, eyes zoning in on the wound as she did her best to clean it gently, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"What if you stopped this fight, took time to heal... and let other people like you go after Fisk?" Sister Maggie's head tilted slightly to move her gaze towards Olivia, something Matthew obviously caught.

"This isn't their fight. Hell, it isn't her fight."

Olivia shook her head as a huff left her. "The day you managed to weasel your way into my life is the day it became my fight, Matt. I told you I'm not letting you do this alone and you know me, stubborn as a mule."

Matt sighed, though a small twitch tugged his lips upwards. Of course she would say that, of course she would stay. Olivia was one of very few that had stayed. "Yeah, you are." He chuckled softly as a hand reached out to squeeze hers, and Sister Maggie's eagle eyes caught the action, as well as the minuscule smiles dusting their lips.

Matt cleared his throat and swallowed as his brows furrowed, "The problem is, he's always five steps ahead of me. I don't know if I can beat him. And I don't know if I can beat the man he sent to kill me."

"You won't know for certain till you find him." Sister Maggie spoke, her eyes regaining focus on the wound she had been cleaning. "You two make quite the team, I have faith in you both."

"I thought you were gonna keep your thoughts to yourself."

"You really want me to do that?"

"No."

"Wait." Olivia frowned as she held her hand out for the items the nun needed to pass her. "You said he was wearing your suit?"

Matthew nodded silently, his face scrunching in pain as the Sister continued her work. Olivia took to taking his pain once again as her brain whirred, "Well, how close of a copy was it?"

"It was perfect."

"You told me some guy made it specifically for you. So..." Olivia drawled out as she watched a metaphorical lightbulb light up Matt's features, the clenching of his jaw becoming more profound.

"So, the man who made my suit, made the copy."

"Exactly, he should know who's wearing it."

"You're going after him, aren't you?" Sister Maggie spoke as she finished covering Matt's wound, giving him a small pat on the other side of his chest to signal that she was finished. "I'm going to make you two have a day off."

"You need a day off. Let me finish." Olivia chuckled as she handed the nun the bandages, swapping them for the damp towel that Sister Maggie had been holding.

"Be careful." She stressed before pointing a finger towards Matt, "Especially you."

Olivia chuckled as the nun made a swift exit and turned to Matt, raising the towel to clean the masses of blood from his chest and face. Her actions paused as she noticed the small and defeated frown on his face after she had cleaned the blood from his lips. "Hey." She spoke softly as she brought a hand up to his cheek, the stubble pricking at her palm, "We'll fix this. We'll beat whoever is in that suit and we'll beat Fisk."

He listened to the way her heartbeat stayed steady. Not even a tick out of tune. "How can you be so sure we'll succeed?"

"Because..." Olivia sighed as her thumb caressed his cheekbone, being sure to avoid the small cut that rested just above. "I think you could do it without me, you just don't have to."

Matthew felt his body relax, even if it was only slightly, at her words. At that moment she reminded him of Foggy; standing by his side whether he needed help or not. It was a compliment, comparing her to Foggy. His own hands reached out; one wrapping around her to land on the middle of her back, the other resting at the back of her head as he leaned forward, connecting their lips for the third time.

Olivia responded instantly and couldn't help the small smile that overtook her lips as she kissed him, a smile that pulled one out of the man in front of her. After a moment or so Olivia pulled back, Matthew's forehead coming to rest on hers as their lungs regathered the oxygen they had lost.

"As much as I'd love to continue that..." Olivia whispered teasingly, their lips brushing with each word. "We have to see a man about a suit."

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27-08-2020