The Flame (Avengers Fanfiction)

22-Seven Wonders

It's almost a month before I see Matt again.

I didn't go back to New York until Tony and Pepper came back moderately healthy. They both felt equally guilty about everything, including leaving New York. I told them not to worry and as soon as the plane landed, I kissed their cheeks and left, flying myself to a little apartment in Hell's Kitchen.

You can call me all the names you want if you're mad that I left my brother, newly without his arc reactor, and his girlfriend, who was newly without Extremis powers. I spent a month going through Maya Hansen's notes, trying to find Pepper a cure for her powers. During that month, I also closely monitored my brother, making sure he was healing nicely.

I deserve a break with the year I had. Aliens, missions, Clint, the miscarriage, my siblings, Tony's presumed death, the Mandarin, Tony exploding all of his suits, him removing the arc reactor from his chest, Pepper's powers-it all takes a toll.

So I flew myself to his apartment, ran up the stairs, and waited impatiently outside his apartment; I had left my key to his place in a haste. I knocked on his door. I was about to lift my hand up to knock again when the door swung open.

After everything that had happened, he was a sight for sore eyes and I was incredibly impatient. I wrapped my arms around him, kissing him. Matt's arms carefully wrapped themselves around my body, walking me inside of his apartment. I kicked the door shut and he pressed me against it. He cupped my cheek as he pulled away, breathing hard.

"Hello." Matt murmurs softly, a smile gracing his face. I smile, leaning my head into his hand.

"Hi. Hope you missed me." I murmur back and he chuckles. This is my favorite sight of him, when he laughs or grins. It makes the skin around his eyes crinkle. It's so mundane, but it's my favorite.

"Of course I did." His voice is soft as his other hand cups my other cheek, his thumb brushing against the healing cut on my forehead. His smile disappears. Most of my injuries had healed (like the split I had or my various bruises) expect for a few (apparently cracked ribs take a while to heal. Who would've known).

"Apparently getting thrown into a metal crate causes some injuries." I murmur as his thumb carefully runs across it. His lips are pressed together and his eyebrows are drawn together. The light coming in from the street outside coats us both in its yellow color. It's the only light in the dark hallway.

"Foggy told me what happened and I picked up bits and pieces when I could. You guys-it was a lot." Matthew struggles with his words. I sigh.

"It's a lot different than from that you do at night. It always is." I look up at him. I didn't mean to downplay what he does, but it's just different. Matt Murdock dressing in all black and cleaning up the streets of Hell's Kitchen is far different from Tony, Rhodey, and I taking down Aldrich Killian and his Extremis infected followers-don't even get me started on the Extremis-

"Hey, hey, breathe." Matt says soothingly, pulling me out of my thoughts. His hands resting on my shoulders, his face tilted downwards to me, "Why don't we go sit down, okay?" He helps me take off my coat, hanging it up as I take off my shoes. I let him lead me to the couch. I sit down and as soon as he sits down, I curl up against him, letting Matt wrap his arm around me.

It still worried me how similar Killian's powers were to mine. Of course they were not as strong and they were not attained in the same way, it was still worrying. Killian even made comments that made it sound like he was inspired by my powers. He's gone. Extremis, the Mandarin, it's gone. He didn't try to kill me. He tried to kill Tony and Pepper. He didn't fight me until I provoked him. It's over.