Strong-Willed (Matt Murdock x Reader)

Collision

The next morning feels incredibly weird. My routine is all screwed up and I have to figure out what to do so I can be at least a little productive today. What do people normally do on their days off? Go to the mall, a park, or somewhere else fun, but none of that is exactly thrilling.

Deciding to go to the mall anyway, I dress and head out. The day is nice, so why not walk there instead of taking a bus? I can ride the bus on the way back.

I pull my phone from my pocket and type the name of the mall into my Maps app. As I go to hit the "Start" button, something in my peripheral vision turns toward me and I smack into it. Hands grab the sides of my arms and hold me steady, slowly pushing me away. I look up at the person I collided into. He's dressed nicely (I hope I didn't get his suit dirty, I can't afford dry cleaning!), round sunglasses resting on his nose, and....oh no...a white cane. I just walked into a blind guy.

"I am so sorry," My words are rushed as my mind fills with guilt and embarrassment. "It's fine," He releases my arms and fixes his tie, "just a mistake." Before I can say anything else, he steps around me and continues on his way.

I should have never left my apartment. I should have gone to work anyway. I should have been watching where I was going. Oh my god, I can't believe I did that!

I go on and make it to the mall, where I buy myself a new outfit from some little department store and some fun pairs of earrings from Blaire's. Say what they will about Blaire's being a store for little girls, but they do have some really fun earrings. Also, the earrings are buy 3, get 3 free. It's a great deal.

Nothing else exciting happens the rest of the day, but at least I have some new things to wear that didn't cost me a lot.

I go back to work the next day, trying keep myself busy by taking on as many different jobs in the store as I can to show my boss that I like working and don't want him to tell me to stay home again.

One particular night after I've gotten back to my apartment, I have trouble falling asleep. I stare at my ceiling, wide awake. Even with my routines and my job, I know something is missing. I just don't know what it is.

Still unable to fall asleep, I change out of my pajamas and into something warm. I take a walk around the block, grabbing a hot chocolate from a 24-hour convenience store. I sit in one of the nearby alleys, enjoying the quiet with my hood up and hot chocolate in hand. Every now and then, a stray cat comes walking by and glares at me before continuing on its way.

A sudden, loud bang startles me out of my peace. I jump to my feet, meaning to leave before any trouble finds me, but I'm too late. A man is sprinting in my direction, a gun in his hand. Whatever he's running from can't be good, so I know I should do the same.

The man notices me when he gets close and aims his gun at me. That's the moment I realize that he is the threat and not likely whoever is chasing him. The man and I make eye contact and I panic, doing the only thing I can think of at the moment.

"Keep running past me," The man obeys my order and runs right past me, not pulling the trigger.

Before I can feel relieved, I notice the second man chasing after the first. Unlike the first man, who was dressed in street clothes, this one is dressed in all black, with a black mask covering the top half of his head.