who matt murdock & elektra natchios what at least he sees the light~ (aka he can see again) where his apartment/bedroom when after the power swap takes effect warnings PG-13. TW: discussion of (temp. former) blindness, DEFENDERS SPOILERS, Elektra is an auto-PG-13 rating on her own lbr, but a very tame morning after scene for them
Sleeping over at Matthew’s was becoming a habit. Whether staying away from him completely had been the right course, she’d never truly know; all she knew now was that he didn’t want it that way. So, when the stars aligned and they could rendezvous together, it seemed to always end the way it used to before things had been painted in blood she had relentlessly drawn: coiled up with one another and slumbering through the night peacefully.
As soon as she woke to the afternoon sun’s rays, she slid out of the bed and dug around their clothes strewn about the floor. Retrieving one of his shirts, she slid it on and proceeded to venture to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. With dreams largely freed from nightmarish chains due to sleeping beside him, Elektra’s tendency to rise with the sun escaped her.
While the water boiled and the grounds infused the air with a welcoming aroma, she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up some before he would wake. These were the habits Elektra desperately wanted to be normal in her life now, but knew it was only a matter of time until she ruined it with her own darkness.
Matt had been up and at it with Elektra all night long, so by the wee hours of the morning, he was physically exhausted. When he woke up at 9:00 am, he could tell she was no longer in bed beside him, but he could hear her puttering around his apartment: her scent still strong and mingled with freshly brewed coffee, and that made him smile softly to himself. He rolled over on his back, eyes staring blankly toward the ceiling, his fingers lightly breezing across the area of the bed where Elektra once lay.
As far as he was concerned, their relationship was going really well. He could really get used to this - waking up Elektra every morning, coming home from work and being with her every evening. And he was pretty sure Elektra felt the same way. But it was a big step in their relationship, moving in together - was Matt really ready for that? He’d been willing to leave Hell’s Kitchen and go into hiding with her, so he didn’t have a good reason why not. A deep, relaxing breath later, Matt closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep: it was a lazy Saturday morning, they hadn’t made any plans, so there was no reason to get up yet. He’d think about this relationship stuff, later.
How much longer had he slept, Matt couldn’t tell, but what eventually woke him was this irritating light filtering through his eyelids. He grimaced at the interruption, but realized the significance of this a couple of moments later when his groggy brain exclaimed WHAT IS THIS LIGHT?? Matt’s eyes shot open as he quickly sat up in bed, and was immediately accosted by so much sensory information that he had to shield his face with the back of his hand. He blinked rapidly as it sunk in - his eyes… they were working... he could see!
Once his eyes became adjusted, he lowered his hand and stared without blinking at the stark, grey room around him, his mouth agape, and his heart pounding in his throat. The windows in his bedroom were frosted so he couldn’t see through them, but he was overcome with the frenzied need to see everything... the sky, the clouds, the town, the people. He scrambled to get out of bed, but his legs were twisted in the sheets, so he gracelessly tumbled onto the floor with a dull thud. Yes, it hurt, but Matt was so giddy that it didn’t even matter. Joy bubbled from deep within and came out as laughter that couldn’t be checked.
Matt was so overcome with emotion that he didn’t even realize the rest of his senses were no longer heightened.
Back in the kitchen to fill a mug with black coffee, she focused on the steady sound of the liquid trickling down. Transfixed, nothing could have roused her from the moment. Nothing but for the sound of an unusual thud. Instinctively, she reached for a knife and spun around to survey her surroundings. Listening quietly for any further sounds, her training quickly assured Elektra that no one had invaded the home.
That left her relieved for only a moment, as it meant something had happened to Matthew. Discarding the knife and forgoing the coffee, she rushed to his bedroom only to find him strewn about the sheets on the floor. Leaning against the doorway, she covered her mouth to stifle a laugh that quickly quelled as she considered every feasible possibility as to why he fell out of the bed. Matthew may have been the devil of Hell’s Kitchen, but he was not lacking in grace.
Hastily moving to his side, she knelt down and laid a hand against his back in concern. “Matthew, what happened? New memories again?” Elektra had thus far been fortunate not to receive any since arriving, but she feared that it would not remain as such for long.
The door opened and Matt froze: there was a woman standing there who took his breath away. He swallowed hard, then realized that he didn’t recognize her: he couldn’t hear her heartbeat, nor could he detect her scent, however it could only be one person. His madman grin faded into awe as he stared, mesmerized at the sight, but otherwise made no other movement off the floor. He was still staring when she came close, and he raised his hand to cradle her cheek - the sound of his lover’s voice finally had a face to go with it.
“Elektra,” he reverentially muttered, treating the name as pure and holy. He then smashed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss, neglecting everything else, including his comfort. When he pulled back, he was laughing again. “I can see!” he exclaimed. “Oh God, Elektra, I can see!”
Even she could be caught off guard. Eyes wide as he kissed her reverently, she had only just melted into it fully when he pulled back and delivered the news. Of all the things Elektra could have anticipated as a reason to find him strewn about bed sheets on the floor, sight restored had not been one of them. Once again, Tumbleweed proved to be an unusual and unpredictable place to live.
Stunned by the revelation, she forgot she had the ability to move. He could see. Elektra reached out to cradle the side of his face in her hand, dark eyes staring wondrously into his in search of restored light. It was remarkable and tragic, as she immediately knew it was not something that could last. Good things seldom ever did.
“I trust you like what you see?” She ventured, grin tugging at the edges of her lips. Elektra exuded confidence, but for a fleeting moment she had to wonder, almost foolishly, if he would find her beautiful.
Matt’s eyes were wide open, drinking in the sight of her, memorizing every detail of her features. Her question broke his meditation, and he met her gaze to tell her in an awestruck voice, “Better than anything I could’ve imagined.” He smiled before kissing her again, pulling her close.
The click click click of claws of the floor signaled the arrival of Matt’s pokemon, the Jangmo-o, Knuckle, who was curious about what was going on and finally appeared to investigate. It distracted Matt from his kiss, and as he peered over Elektra’s shoulder he began laughing again, delightfully like a child. “Oh my God!” he exclaimed, “Knuckle! Look at you! You’re so ridiculous! Come here!’ He held out his arm to beckon the pokemon, who trotted closer. Once within distance, Matt pulled him close to his chest in a loving, but rough housing manner that Knuckle enjoyed.
That’s when Matt began to cry. He was mad at himself for this display, not because he was afraid of showing his emotion, but because the tears clouded his vision. “Everything’s so beautiful!”
Though her mind was on the tragedy of his sight being once more taken from him, Elektra was genuinely happy for Matthew. If only for one fleeting moment, especially as he embraced her for another kiss, she laughed against his lips and held fast to him. Even with the sudden distraction, she sank into the moment with him. She had no designs on stripping him of any joy that day.
She curled against Matthew’s side, watching the creature revel in the attention. How many moments like these had she shattered while working for Stick? Elektra flinched and immediately dismissed the plague of darkness that would never leave her, not as long as she remained the Black Sky. His tears drew her back to reality, instinctively she slid her arms around his shoulders and pressed her forehead to the side of his head.
“It’s alright, Matthew,” she cooed gently. “Take a moment, however long you need, hmm? I’d say you’ve got even more to look forward to seeing today.”
The smile on Matt's face stretched so wide that it hurt, but it didn't matter - his heart was spilling over with joy, and his mind raced with all the things he wanted to finally see. Nevertheless, he paused to share this moment with Elektra, holding his forehead to hers, closing his eyes and taking a long deep, and satisfying breath through his nose. And that's when it sank in:
"My other senses... they're normal." He took another deep smell to make sure, then turned his head to the side, straining to listen. Compared to the constant stream of noise that he usually had to filter out and ignore, it was deathly silent and still. This caused Matt a bit of anxiety, but when he looked at Elektra again, it dissipated. "Worth it," he said, threading his fingers through her long, dark hair.
How disorienting must it have been to be strangely blessed with a quiet he hadn’t been accustomed to since he was a boy? It was impossible to insert herself in his shoes. Where he had been assaulted by heightened senses, she had been running from her own darkness that threatened to swallow her whole. The day that it finally claimed her, Elektra could only hope it would not take Matthew down, too. Not here.
She cupped his face in her hands then, and smiled in a way reserved only for him. It wasn’t full of mischief or deceit, but of the genuine love Elektra had for him. For all their flaws and toxicity, they had copious amounts of love for one another. She could either lament the fact that it was not enough to save him from her in their world, or embrace the change here and make this third chance, well--worth it.
“I love you, Matthew,” she said, words formed distinctly so he could do more than just hear her say them. He could see them formed on her lips. “Now, let’s get you out of these sheets, shall we? I’ve put a pot of coffee on. Come drink some with me. We can discuss what you want to do with your first day of restored sight.”