Bound by Law (Matt Murdock x Reader)

23. Smoking Day

The streets of Hell's Kitchen were too busy for Tuesday morning, and you were cursing the guy in a white Jeep in front of you non-stop for at least 5 minutes, until a familiar figure on the sidewalk caught your attention. Rolling down the window, you didn't think much before loudly calling the person, "Murdock, is that you?"

Matt turns to the left, startled again, and almost hits somebody's ankles with his walking stick. "Y/n?"

"Get in here before I drive off!" You open the passenger door and wait for Matt to get in, holding the traffic behind yourself now.

"How kind of you this early in the morning." Matt gets comfortable, feeling a little overwhelmed by the smells in your car - the cigarettes, car perfume and your own scent, plus the bag of leftover fries that you threw out this morning.

"Yeah, this early, what were you doing here? As far as I remember, you live on the other side of the city." You say casually, maintaining your focus on the road and that white Jeep.

"Creep." Matt throws back just as casually, but then puts his seatbelt on, "I was in a church."

"Oh, living up to your nickname, I see."

Matt remains silent on this remark, although on a different day he would've fired something back at you. "What got you so early?"

"I just wanted to grab something from the store." You lie, tightly gripping the wheel. You just wanted to get out of the flat as soon as possible, not standing the thought of being with Robert in the same room for longer than 5 minutes. Because of him, you left without breakfast or coffee.

"Did you do it already?" Matt asks, visibly concerned about you lying of such a simple thing.

"No, it's... Not that important now." You pass the Jeep and notice a guy talking on the phone. "Ready for the court?"

"As ready as one could be with no real, jury-convincing evidence." Matt laughs lightly, even though his preparation for today's court was ridiculous.

"I don't know why, but I just feel that we're gonna win." You say plainly, only later taking notice of how you used 'we' with such an ease.

"You know, I feel it too." Matt says, pushing his glasses up his nose.

In the corner of your eye, you notice a new cut on his hand, and something upsets you. You don't try to keep the conversation going, focusing on the busy road, until you park almost outside Nelson and Murdock. Matt, understandingly, keeps silent until the roar of the engine finally quiets down. Uncomfortably, you clear your throat, "you want to go to the office?"

Matt unbuckles his seatbelt, and turns towards you, "what time is it?"

"Eight. Too early for Foggy to be here."

"Yeah, you're right."

You reach for the glove compartment and it slightly bumps into Matt's knee. "Sorry," you mutter, quickly taking out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, trying to close the glove compartment but it falls onto Matt's knee again, causing you to drop your lighter somewhere near his shoes. "Fuck-"

"It's okay, I'll take it." Matt steadies your arm that was already reaching for the lighter, and holds it above his knee, next to the still open glove compartment, tapping around his shoe a couple of times, before finally grabbing the thing. "Here." He reluctantly releases your wrist, handing you the lighter.

"That damn thing never closes from the first time," you quickly close the glove compartment and pull back your arm, feeling your cheeks heat up a little. Matt bites a smirk, raising his eyebrows a little over the top of his shades. "Fancy a smoke, Murdock?"