"Last night, Police showed up to an abandoned warehouse where calls flooded in claiming a man was being burned alive. CCTV caught the Man in the Mask leaving the building before disappearing into the night." The reporter said, her tone heavy with disgust as his nickname fell from her lips.
Shutting her phone off, Adalynn shook her head before turning her head upwards to face Matt as he came from the kitchen. "Can you believe this guy? He set someone on fire!"
The sound of her phone hitting the table made him jump as he sunk into the chair next to her. Cradling the cup of tea in his hands, he curled up as best as he could without tearing his stitches.
"I doubt it was on purpose," he tried to brush the topic away in hopes that she wouldn't continue to pursue it. The last think he needed was her knowing that that was him.
"Pft as if! This man probably liked killing the poor man. And I bet he did nothing wrong!" her voice drew farther away as she walked into the kitchen. The sound of the fridge door's suction being released told him that she was looking for something to snack on.
"You don't know that, love,"
"Well neither do you darling." He could hear her heart rate picking up as her tone became defensive. Biting into an apple, she sunk back into the chair on his left, the springs creaking under the sudden pressure placed on them.
He knew he had to be careful with what he might say; one wrong move and he could either out himself or lose her.
"Are you trying to dismiss the fact that this man murdered an innocent person?"
"No, what I'm saying love is that the news might not be reporting the full story,"He tried his best to stay calm as Adalynn grew silent, seemed to contemplate what he was saying.
"Or maybe you're working for him,"
"Addi, love, why would I-"
"I don't know Matt, why would you work for him? Maybe you're the guy in the background telling him to go out and beat these people up or go out and to kill these innocent citizens of Hell's Kitchen!"
"Adalynn you're wrong, I can't even work a computer," Her irritation was rising with each passing second as he tried his best to remain calm. Reaching his hand out towards her, she pushed it away from her gently, not wanting this conversation to be dismissed.
The tension between the two was thick, he felt on the verge of tears at just the thought of losing her. He knew some people when he was a kid that after a large argument, they were done, and for good.
"Oh you're saying I'm wrong. Well then tell me Matthew, why are you defending this sorry son of a-"
Loudly setting his cup on the table, his chair screeched across the rug laden floor as he stood. "Because I'm the Man in the Mask! I'm the Devil of Hell's Kitchen!" His words echoed off the stone walls, spittle flying from his mouth as his teeth bared. Silence falling between the two as he heard her heart slow.
"You-you're the Man in the Mask?" Her voice came out in a squeek, her hands shaking as she took small steps away from him.She felt as if the whole world was closing in on her, the air around her suffocating her lungs and heart. All the times he would come home with bruises, cuts, bloodied clothes wasn't because he had fallen or gotten jumped, but because he was beating people up...and killing them.
"For how long?"
"Addi-"
"No! You lied to me, hid this from me!" A lump in her throat formed as she took a step away from him. His outstretched arms fell to his sides, his head dropping in shame; she was right, he had lied to her, but it was for her safety.
"My love, I kept it from you for your safety. I promise if I could have told you, I would," he tried to reason, taking a step towards his girl.
"But you still lied to me Matthew." Hearing his full name fall from her trembling lips hit him right in the heart.
He shouldn't have lied, shouldn't have kept that huge secret from her. She was his rock, and he let her down.
"I'm going to Foggy's for the night." She choked out, her bare feet padding against the hardwood floor heading towards the bedroom. Matt felt as if his whole world was crashing down; he didn't mean to tell her his biggest secret, and in a way like this.
"I- I don't know how long I'll be," she whispered, stopping in front of him. Cradling her face in his hands, her cheeks were wet while tears continued to fall from her eyes.
"I love you more than life itself, Adalynn Wren," he whispered, leaning down halfway.
"I love you Matthew Michael, I just need a breather." Meeting his lips, the kiss was soft and gentle. He knew that she loved him, but he also knew that this kind of news could make or break them.
~~~~
"Foggy, I hate to be a bother, but I'm coming to spend the night," Adalynn spoke into the receiver as she sat in the back of a taxi, already on her way to his apartment. Her voice quivering with each word that spilled from her lips.
"I'll get the air mattress set up. Is everything alright, Sunshine?" More tears streamed down her cheeks like waterfalls, the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness consuming her.
"Uh yeah. Matt and I got into a fight and I need time to breath," Foggy hummed on the other end of the line as rustled filled the background. Adalynn didn't know what else to say; did Foggy know? Karen? How long has he been doing this? Six months? A year?
"Adalynn? Are you almost here?"
"Uh, yeah Fog. I'll uh be there soon," tearing the phone from her ear, she rapidly tapped the red circle, ending her call with Foggy.
"Everything alright Miss?" The driver called back, his eyes shooting up to look into the rearview mirror. Meeting the driver's line of sight, she was greeted with beautiful green eyes; just like Matt's. Nodding, she looked out the window, holding the handle of her duffle bag tight.
Pulling up in front of Foggy's apartment, Adalynn silently thanked the driver, gave him a tip and quickly jumped out of the cab. Foggy was quick to meet Adalynn at the front door and engulf her in a tight hug.
"Shh, it's okay Addi. I'm here," he whispered, ushering her inside as sobs wrecked her body. Foggy's heart broke at the sight of her; her longer curls tied up in a messy bun, her blue eyes stained red with tears. And in that moment, Foggy resented Matt for the first time since he met him.
~~~~
He swore he could hear his own heart breaking in the moment, in the way that Adalynn had told him that she was going to Foggy's for the night. He was upset, angry, almost in denial over what just happened.
"God DAMNIT!" He screamed, tearing his arm across the table. Napkins, salt and pepper containers, and that weird metal thing Adalynn insisted on having as decor went flying to the wall opposite.
His tirade continued as he spun around and swiped all their spices and over the counter meds onto the floor, the million pills scattering across the shitty wood.
He was going to lose her, he was convinced. This was a big thing for her, and he kept it from her. The one woman he knew would support him in anything in life; why didn't he tell her sooner?
"Hey Siri," the sound of Siri being activated echoed quietly throughout the apartment as he contemplated what to say next.
"T- Call Claire,"
"Calling Claire, Mobile,"
One...two...three...four... The ringing of the phone taunted him as he contemplated hanging up; his finger hovering over the red circle just as a voice came through.
"Mike? Are you hurt? Is everything okay?"
Forcing out a laugh, Matt shook his head. "No, I just... I got into a fight with my girl. Can I come see you?"
"Well, I," She hesitated, pushing a sigh out before the sound of a heavy door closing could be heard. "Meet me at my place in twenty." Three low beeps signaled that she had hung up.
A pit began to form in his stomach; was he really about to do this? About to go seek out another woman for comfort? Well she did, she left and went to Foggy's, he should be able to go see Claire then.
Grabbing his glasses and cane, he was quick to leave the building and walk the rather long distance to her apartment. He knew what he was doing, and that the pit feeling in his stomach means it was wrong.
But part of him wanted to be near her, to smell that same warm vanilla without the overwhelming scent of antibacterial. He wanted to be in the quiet of her home, where it felt small and cozy.
The walk to her place got him thinking; is this considered cheating? It can't be, he was merely meeting up with a friend.
His cane hit the bottom of cement steps on his left side, and he knew he was where he wanted to be. "Excuse me, I'm uh meeting a friend, Claire. She didn't tell me what floor she was on and I.. well I can't see," he explained to a passerby, a light laugh escaping his lips.
"Of course, come here," the woman encouraged, taking his elbow and leading him up the stairs. Taking his hand, she was slow in leading his fingers up to the directory. Quickly finding Claire's apartment, Matt flashed a smile towards the woman.
"Thank you uh..."
"Alana."
"Alana, thank you." Ringing the buzzer, the door swung open and Matt slipped inside. He was slow in making his way to the top, having to stop at each flight of stairs to make sure he was on the right one.
Grumbling to himself about hating how he didn't know where he was, and how this was a stupid idea, when a soft voice made its way to his ears.
"Mike?" Turning around, Matt caught a whiff of her vanilla perfume, a smile spreading across his face.
"I uh, didn't know where I was going. Last time I left was through the window," he joked, his face flushing red.
"Come here," her laugh was soft, like that of the sunshine warming his face after a cold spell. Walking towards her voice, he was stopped by her palm on his chest. Jamming her key into the lock, she grasped his wrist and led him inside.
"Care for a beer before you tell me why I chose to leave work early for you?" throwing her coat onto the couch, she was quick to kick her shoes off before making her way to the kitchen.
"Yeah, I could use a beer,"
Handing him a cold glass bottle, Claire sunk deep into the corner of the couch, as far away from him as possible. "So, why are you here,"
"My girl and I got into a fight. She left to go spend the night with a friend and I...I needed to be with someone,"
"So you came to me?" Matt nodded as he downed half his beer, the malted alcohol bringing warmth to his soul. The pit in his stomach grew while he gripped the cold glass bottle, his leg bouncing up and down with fever; he felt like he was doing something wrong.
"She found out I was the Devil of Hell's Kitchen." Claire hummed in understanding, the room falling into an eerie silence. Matt's thoughts continued to consume him, that pit now growing into a small crater.
"And I'm assuming she didn't handle it well?" A soft no left his lips before he downed the rest of his beer. His thoughts flashed back to their fight; the parts of her features that he could make out hurt him more.
The way her lip stuck out into a pout and her forehead creased into lines he had only ever seen once. He hated that he was the cause of all of it.
"Hey, stay the night. I'll make some stuffed peppers and mashed potatoes and we can watch cheesy rom coms all night," Claire's voice was soft as she sat up straighter. Leaning over her crossed legs, she puffed out her chest just enough.
"I- I don't know Claire. I should probably go home and-"
"Come on Mike, one night won't hurt."