what they wouldn't do | DAREDEVIL

twenty

Chapter Twenty: Preparing

The first thing Sarah's mind registered as she woke up was that her sheets felt significantly softer than usual.

Not thinking much of it, she lazily stretched out under the covers with a low whine, keeping her eyes closed as she wondered how much more time she had before her phone's alarm clock went off. She ran a hand through her tangled hair before finally opening her eyes—where she was met with the jarring sight of an unfamiliar ceiling.

Sarah sat up with a jolt before her still half-asleep mind caught up with where she was. She squinted at the nightstand, where she could see a Bible and a small white pyramid that, according to its label, was a talking alarm clock. Between that and the sheets, there was little question as to whose bedroom she was in. She groaned and leaned her head against her knees as she realized that—on top of having an embarrassing breakdown—she must have fallen asleep at Matt's place last night. Actually, she corrected herself, she had fallen asleep on Matt's couch. So how was it that she had woken up in his bed?

She checked the time on her cell phone, which had been placed on the nightstand next to her; it was still early, which gave her plenty of time to go home for a shower and change of clothes before work. She slipped out from between the covers, automatically smoothing them down again behind her before quietly padding over to the bedroom door and peering out into the living room.

Her eyes immediately landed on a familiar vigilante stretched out on the couch. He had a blanket thrown over him and his arm was curled under the pillow he was using. Sarah shook her head ruefully at the sight; she could never quite call when he would do something as oddly old-fashioned as ensuring he took the couch instead of her.

She began to quietly make her way over to where her shoes were sitting near the arm chair, but her attempts at stealth were interrupted by the loud, harsh ringtone of her morning alarm. It went off for a few long seconds before she managed to fumble with the lock screen and turn the alarm off.

"Your ringtone is horrible," came a low, scratchy voice from the direction of the couch.

Sarah jumped, glancing over at Matt guiltily. He was still stretched out on his back, but his unfocused eyes were open and directed up at the ceiling.

"I sleep right through all of the quieter ones," she explained, her voice barely above a whisper. "Sorry I woke you up."

"It's alright. I had to get up soon anyway," he said, sounding deeply unenthusiastic about the prospect.

"You don't sound very happy about it."

"M'not much of a morning person," he mumbled, sitting up with a low groan. Sarah cracked a small smile at the sight of his hair sticking up in odd directions.

"That's weird. It's not like you stay out every night until the crack of dawn or anything," she pointed out lightly as she slipped her shoes on.

Matt's chuckle was still gravelly from sleep. "No arguments here."

She couldn't help but think that sleeping on the couch surely couldn't have helped make the early morning wake-up more bearable. "I didn't...mean to fall asleep here last night. I was just going to close my eyes for a minute while you were on the phone with Foggy. You could have woken me up."

"Why would I do that?" Matt asked with a yawn.

Sarah caught sight her bag sitting under the side table next to the couch, and skirted around the coffee table to grab it. As she leaned down to pick up the bag, Matt shifted a little to sit up straighter, though his legs remained stretched out across the couch. The blanket slipped away from his upper body, and a barely perceptible wince crossed his face as he reached for the sweatshirt that was slung over the top of the couch. As he zipped the sweatshirt up, a dark, painful looking bruise covering the skin of his torso caught Sarah's eye. It looked to be brand new from the vivid coloring, and it was large, spreading across his sternum and out of view behind his partially-zipped sweatshirt.