Ready to Suffer, Ready to Hope *Matt Murdock* (book three of Damned-3b) x Arrow

10) Friends like these

She grabbed her phone, quickly writing a text.

Please come. I don't care how many people or what you'll do here, just come here. She sent it to Felicity and Oliver both.

That was definitely her being a whiny little coward, but she didn't care. She knew they were coming back to New York tonight and there was no way of avoiding being alone with him there, not to mention the feeling of familiarity would only urge the compulsion to ignore that she was hurting. She knew facing him alone was inevitable, but if she could postpone that for few more hours, she would take it.

We'll be there in about an hour. Survive?

Vera snorted at Felicity's response, biting her lip when she realized Matt could probably hear that. So be it.

---

Matt was cautious as well, she could tell. He had no idea where the border between them started and ended and how much he could afford to push it; so he stepped out of the bathroom fully clothed, his hair less of a mess and his gait unsure. They were still alone. Well, shit.

She cleared her throat, rising from her spot on the bed. She had changed from her improvised pyjama, but had camped on the bed anyway. "How do you feel?"

Matt stopped few steps from her, face plain confusion, body tense. Vera realized how that sounded and mentally kicked herself.

"I mean... your injuries. The cuts-" - I've seen in the shower we were in together, kissing and stuff, before the revelation and my abrupt escape - "-you had. Bruising."

"Good. Yeah, they're... okay," he said slowly, an approximation of a smile flashing on his lips for a moment. It was a tiny tight thing and it didn't quite reach his eyes, but it was there. "You?"

"Me?"

That startled a chuckle from him. "Yeah. You. You were fighting— fighting ninjas too."

"I don't think they were ninjas. Not the... ninja ninjas," she muttered and she noticed his painfully obvious tension slightly resolving. The tension was replaced by something different; his fingers curled up into loose fists repeatedly, rubbing each other. Less alert, but still very nervous.

Yeah, that was about how she felt.

"Roy, uhm... Roy said you were doing good. Really good, even... even with billy clubs."

Vera snorted. "We apparently have a different idea of 'really good'."

"Well, you're still here."

He seemed to realize his mistake when she inhaled sharply at the sudden twist of her insides. She tried her best to ignore the feeling. They would have to talk about it eventually. Maybe this was how – easing their way into it, baby steps.

She shrugged as casually as she managed.

"I guess. I... I had a good teacher." The rubbing of his fingers stopped. She lowered her gaze. "And Roy was there, looking out for me. He said you sent him."

"Yeah, I... I felt like you would need him more than we would... I... I was... worried," he said in the end, the word much heavier than its usual meaning. 'Worry' was an understatement, she was sure.

"I was... worried too." Scared shitless. Terrified.

"Good thing you knew who to call," he offered, the tiny smile returning. This time, she couldn't resist and smiled too.

"Yeah."

"But you didn't answer the question."

If she didn't know better, she might even think he was amused at her deflecting, seeing their roles switching. Also, he was right.