Been a legal adult for many years now (I'm well over 30). She/Her. Multi-fandom, mainly Daredevil/Charlie Cox, but also other MCU movies/TV, The Rookie, Stranger Things, and Supernatural, among others. You can also find me & my writing over on AO3. Masterlist
(Note: this should go without saying, but I'm not your mother and therefore it's not my responsibility to police what you read, so if you're under 18 I'd appreciate you sticking to the T & under stories.)
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installment list / previous chapter / next chapter
word count: 4,094
chapter summary: in which you and BB make your first big move against the Fisk administration / or in which you learn that Daniel might actually have feelings for you...
content warning for (canon) drug and alcohol use. mention of drug effects and vomiting.
It wasn't until later in the day that you saw BB again. She had gone out looking into a story while you met with Daniel and that chase took her the majority of the afternoon. You were making dinner when you heard the locks on the door turning as she inserted her key, calling out when the door opened, "Hey, BB! In the kitchen!"
"Hey!" she said after taking her shoes off and hanging her bag over one of the hooks by the door. She peeked her head over your shoulder and looked at what you were cooking on the stovetop, commenting, "That looks and smells delish."
"Why, thank you," you replied. "I'm hoping it's a preemptive celebration dinner… Did Daniel text you?"
"He did," she said, gently shoulder-checking you in thanks.
"And…?" you dragged out, impatiently awaiting her answer.
"I've got an interview with Fisk tomorrow morning!"
"Hell yeah!" you cheered, waving your wooden spoon in the air in celebration.
BB laughed before settling back against the counter, telling you, "I don't know what you did to soften Blake up, but whatever it is, keep it up. It didn't even take much persuading on my part."
You shrugged in response, saying, "A little flirting goes a long way with guys like him. The way he talked about his position, he seems pretty close with Fisk, all things considered. Maybe it isn't too much of an ask, who knows."
"Well, all that matters is that the meeting is a-go."
After you had gotten everything plated up and on the small dining table, you and BB continued the conversation, with you asking, "So, what exactly do you plan on asking or getting out of Fisk during this meeting? He isn't just gonna give you information you want. I think you'll have to at least offer something of substance before he'll tell you anything, really."
"Well, it's a good thing I spent the majority of the day chasing a rumor I heard the other day," she said with a slight mysterious tone to her voice.
"Oh? Do tell."
"So, the other day when I was out chasing a different story, I heard some police officer mention that he heard that Commissioner Gallo was talking about stepping down because of Fisk. I went to a source I have in a different precinct and they said that what I heard is true. Gallo's been talking with some of the captains of certain precincts to test the waters on what the reaction would be if he stepped away."
"And?" you asked when she paused, not even realizing that you had started to lean in closer to her as she spoke.
"Let's just say that if Commissioner Gallo steps away, Fisk would be in a huge bind. The people love Gallo, the police love Gallo. Best case scenario, the cops protest and Fisk loses support of the people."
"Well, best case for people like us who want him out," you pointed out.
"Exactly." She took a bite of her meal as she thought, saying afterward, "But if there's threat enough of losing support, there's a chance that he'll make changes that are of benefit to people like us. People who don't support him."
"And what if he doesn't take the bait?"
"Then…things stay the same as they are. Then I'll find something else. Get another interview. Rinse and repeat until something big enough comes up and we're able to boot him out. At some point, someone's gonna screw up or slip up. They have to. And I think our best bet is-"
"Daniel," you finished for her with a nod. "He's proud of his position and he seems loyal as hell to Fisk for whatever reason. He got like…two thousand signatures to get him onto the ballot for election."
"Then you'll have to be extra careful," BB warned. "If you're dealing with someone that loyal to Fisk, then if you slip up, it's your head on the chopping block. We can't risk that. It can't happen. Not…not again."
"I know. I'll be careful, BB. Promise."
The meeting with Fisk didn't turn out as fruitful as BB had hoped, her short five minutes ending even sooner than she wanted when she was promptly kicked out after mentioning Mrs. Fisk. It wasn't all for naught, though. Daniel and BB had a meeting to discuss the BB report and how she keeps the attention of the audience she does before inviting the two of you out to the club the next evening.
As the two of you got ready, BB commented, "Depending on how tonight goes, we might be able to get some information out of him."
"Alcohol tends to have that effect on people," you said with a laugh. "What are you hoping to get out of him?"
"Don't know, don't care how big it is, but I just need something," she replied as she pulled her purse over her shoulder. While the two of you headed for the door and you grabbed your keys, she asked, "Are you sure you're okay with being the DD? I wouldn't want to put you out or anything. Plus, how much fun are you really gonna have if you're stone cold sober?"
"I'm sure I'll have plenty of fun, even without alcohol. It's honestly sometimes more entertaining to see you drunk than anything," you smarted off. "Plus, if Daniel does blab about something, one of us has to be sober enough to remember it. That's kinda the whole point of this."
"Sounds like a plan. Let's get this party started!"
The night went on without a hitch, with BB even reconnecting with an old friend from college while out at the club. The two were desperate to continue the night, even when Daniel finally - at around four in the morning - decided that he needed to call it. When he made the announcement, BB groaned. No matter how much liquor she had encouraged into him, he still hadn't spilled anything. In an attempt to keep him longer or force something out of him, BB said, "Oh come on! Fisk is riding you way too hard! This whole in by eight thing-"
"Seven, actually!" he corrected, looking at his watch, his eyes closing with a sigh as he realized the time. "So, I gotta go."
"See! This is exactly what I'm talking about! Any normal job, we'd take a few more shots, hit up that spot on twenty-third, sleep on the train, take a shower, go to work, and do it all again the next night!"
"What kind of normal routine is that?" he asked, shaking his head. He pointed to you as you were sipping on your…who knew how many...fifth of sixth virgin cocktail of the night. "She's got a normal job and I definitely don't see her doing this on the regular." He pointed to BB as he asked you, "Does she do this a lot?"
You couldn't help but laugh a little as you nodded, telling him, "Yes, and there are some days I worry about her! Some nights she isn't even back by the time I'm taking off for work."
"Oh, don't you start now, you Debbie Downer!" BB told you with a playful roll of her eyes. "College changed you!"
"Becoming a healthcare professional changed me," you told her while digging out your keys.
"Whatever! Come on, you two! Let loose and live a normal life!"
"Again, there's nothing about this," he said, gesturing to his watch and the club, "that's normal!"
"And working for Fisk is?"
"Listen, I dunno what to tell ya, I love the guy!"
"God…" BB's friend groaned, stealing the shot from Daniel's hand and taking it.
"I'm for real! We have this real important meeting this afternoon that I can't miss! I need at least some sleep for it, especially if-" When Daniel cut himself off, he looked over your shoulder and said in a slightly aggressive tone, "Hey! Back off!"
You snapped around, trying to see if someone was after you, but you didn't see anyone anywhere close. Daniel, however, continued to advance toward you, wrapping an arm protectively around your waist. With your eyebrows furrowed, you looked at BB with a confused look on your face. She looked just as confused, so you wiggled around in Daniel's grip and said, "Hey, look at me."
"But-"
"Daniel. I said look at me. Let me see your eyes," you said softly, reaching up and putting gentle pressure on his jaw to make him turn his attention to you. When you finally got his eyes on you, you saw that his pupils were absolutely blown out, so much that you could barely see the brown of his irises. "Did you take something?"
"I- It's just-"
You kept your voice gentle as you said, "I don't care if you did, I just need to know. I'm not judging you."
"Yeah…" he admitted, his eyes flicking away from yours for a moment. "Someone at the bar had some Super K and I just…I dunno why I took it, I just did, and-"
"Hey," you said with a quiet laugh, "it's okay. Let me get you home?" The wolf whistle from BB's friend brought you out of the conversation, suddenly realizing how close the two of you still were. He seemed to notice too a few seconds later, his reaction time delayed by all the liquor and drugs in his system. When you pulled away, you jingled your car keys and said, "We're gonna head out. You two coming or are you going to get food?"
"Food," BB said as she wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders. She gave you a pointed look as Daniel went to the bar to pay his tab, telling you, "Keep trying. Call me on your way. Maybe he'll slip when there's less people around. Find out what that meeting's for."
"I got it. No prob," you said quickly, stopping the conversation as Daniel returned.
BB and her friend began turning in a different direction from the parking garage you had found earlier in the night, her friend letting out yet another wolf whistle and calling out, "Go get you some!" before drunkenly giggling with BB.
"Sorry about them," you mumbled as you found your car and unlocked it. "In college, it was always the two of them that would stay out the longest."
"Don't worry about it," he said as he settled into the passenger seat, his movements uncoordinated as he went.
Before you pulled out of the spot, you reached into the backseat of the car, your hand returning with a bottle of water and offering it to him. "Drink. It'll help everything clear your system faster."
He simply nodded, cracking the bottle open and beginning to work on it as you started the car and turned the radio on for some background noise. You made sure that your phone wasn't connected to the bluetooth before discreetly dialing BB and putting her on speaker. Now that the two of you were alone, it was time to see if he'd slip.
"Where to?" you asked when your tires hit the asphalt of the one way road the club was on.
"Oh, you can just get me to the Staten Island ferry."
You shot him a concerned glance for a second, telling him, "Absolutely not. You aren't getting on a ferry by yourself while you've got ketamine and a shit-ton of liquor in your system."
"I'll be fine, don't worry about me," he said with a shrug.
"No, I will worry about you. Remember that list of things I won't do or take precautions for because of my job?"
"Oh, come on, don't quiz me now…"
"I'm being serious! You could fall over the side of the ferry and into the water, get assaulted, lost, among so many other things."
"I have a feelin' you aren't gonna give this up, huh?"
"Not a chance. You're stuck with me for now."
Although you couldn't hear it because you turned the radio up the slightest bit to listen to part of the song on the radio that you liked, Daniel commented under his breath, "I wouldn't call it stuck…"
A few minutes of comfortable silence passed before you finally asked curiously, "You said you had an important meeting this afternoon? You could have rain checked, you know."
"Nah, it's all good. I never really need an excuse for a night out." Especially with you… Daniel shook his head before saying, "But yeah, we've got this real important meeting with this company called the Clean Green Haulers. They're a new tech company with a dope recycling idea!"
"Oh really? That could be cool. Less stuff in the landfills. Maybe help clean out the Hudson a bit, too," you replied, your heart skipping a beat as you realized that you might be onto something.
"Exactly! You get it! And it'll help decrease garbage output in the city! It's genius!"
The first thing that came to mind when he mentioned the decrease in garbage output was something your dad had said to you years ago, even years before he got sick. Listen kid, he had told you, Everyone around here's got a job and a purpose, even if it's something that you don't think is that great. The bodega workers keep everyone stocked up on their odds and ends, the street cleaners keep things looking as nice as they can, the garbage workers make sure the dumpsters don't dirty up the alleys too much. Everyone's got their role to play to keep this city running, and if just one thing changes, the whole damn thing could go belly up!
A huff of air left your nose as you remembered the conversation, offering up the counter, "The only thing with that is the unions. One thing goes out of whack and the whole operation goes belly up. Least, that's what my dad would say to that."
Daniel brushed you off, asking, "Ahh, don't worry about that. That's why we're startin' in the ports! Dual jurisdiction and all that. Mayor Fisk's got it all under control!"
"Right. Fisk can fix it," you forced out in a chipper tone, your eyes flicking to the screen on your smart watch to make sure BB had heard all of that on the call. Sure enough, right as your eyes landed on the screen, the call ended and you got a text that said, You're AMAZING! That was what I needed!
When it felt like it was inevitable that Daniel was going to fall asleep on the car ride to Staten, you got the address from him and connected your phone to the car in order to navigate to his place. By the time the car came to a stop in front of the building, he was stirring awake. "Morning," you said as he stretched as much as he could in the car. Something about the sudden wakefulness and the stirring of muscles made Daniel nauseous, his face twisting as the feeling overwhelmed him. "Okay, let's get you inside!" you said, noticing his face get impossibly paler as his body threatened to hurl.
You made your way over to the passenger side of the car, pulling the door open just in time for him to lean over the side and puke on the sidewalk. It was by sheer experience that you managed to dodge the spray, your shoes coming out of the encounter clean. Daniel had a look of complete and utter embarrassment on his face when he sat back up, his apology immediate as he said, "Oh my God, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to-"
His words were interrupted by another bout of vomit making its way out of his mouth. When he came up again, you rubbed his back lightly, joking, "You think it's out of your system now?"
"Ha, ha, very funny," he said as he took the hand you offered to help him up. When he glanced down, he noticed that a bit of the vomit from the second bout had gotten onto your shoes, an embarrassed groan passing his lips as he said, "God, I'm so sorry…"
You looked at the shoes, not the ideal ones to clean up, but you shrugged nonetheless, telling him, "I've cleaned up worse. Just another day in the office for me."
"You're a goddamn saint, you know that?" he asked as you opened the rear passenger seat door to dig through a bag you had back there. When you returned to your full height on the sidewalk, you gave him something before crouching to start wiping your shoe off with a cleaning wipe. As Daniel turned the small silver package over in his hand, he asked, "Isn't this stuff prescription?"
Tossing the soiled wipe into a nearby trash can, you shrugged, telling him, "Yeah, but it's just Zofran. It's not like I'm giving you-"
"Ketamine?" he asked, finally cracking a smile while holding back a laugh.
"Not where I was going with that, but I think that's funnier than what I was about to say," you replied, shaking your head at his antics. You gestured toward the front door, adding, "Come on. Let's get you inside and cleaned up. Take a shower and then I'll drive you back." You checked your watch and nodded. "If we leave right after your shower, we should be able to make it to City Hall at a decent time so you aren't late."
Daniel said your name as you helped him balance on the way up the steps, telling you, "You really don't have to do that. I've already taken you so far out of the way."
"You're my charge right now. I'm gonna make sure you're sober enough before going into work," you told him as he unlocked the door to let the two of you in. As you both crossed the threshold into the cozy home, you added, "See, if you would have gone on the ferry, you might've gone overboard. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I knew I could've prevented that."
Before he could smart off, Daniel heard footsteps approaching from his mother's bedroom, a groaned out, "Ah shit…" leaving his lips.
You could tell the woman was still tired by the way she yawned and rubbed her eyes, her voice still a little groggy as she said, "Oh, Daniel, baby! You brought someone home with you!" Before Daniel could stop her, she plowed forward, saying, "Oh, you must be that girl Daniel hasn't stopped talking about! The, uh… I'm sorry, I'm blanking, it's so early… The, uh…" She snapped her fingers trying to jog her memory as you looked on with an entertained grin. "The ICU nurse!"
It was impossible for Daniel to hide the red flushing his cheeks and neck as he mumbled, "Yeah, she's the ICU nurse, ma. Can I go now? Can she go? I'm sure we'd all be more comfortable anywhere but here…"
"Go ahead," she said, shooing him up the stairs that he took slowly with his hand gripping the railing the whole way up.
When you were left alone with her, she introduced herself. "It's so nice to finally meet the girl who's made my Daniel so happy lately! I'm Gloria."
You gave her your name before telling her, "You have a lovely home," trying your best to ignore the part about Daniel possibly having feelings toward you. You would have to tell BB about it when you both got back to the apartment for the day. Sure, you had been flirting with Daniel in order to see if he would let any information on Fisk slip, but you didn't intend for this to happen.
"Thank you, sweetheart! Lots of love in this house!" she said. "Can I get you a coffee? While you sip on that, I can pick your brain on something!"
"Oh, sure!" you said in surprise, following her toward the kitchen where she began brewing a pot of coffee.
The strong smell was heavenly as it wafted through the kitchen and you knew that she had some quality coffee on her hands. As the smell got stronger, she asked, "Have you ever heard of Vital Spectrum?"
With your eyebrows furrowed a little, you shook your head as you replied, "I can't say I have."
Gloria scoffed, reaching into the cabinet for mugs, filling two as she said, "Haven't heard of- Well, I think you're in for a treat! How do you take your coffee?"
"Sweet and strong."
"Ahh, so you like your coffee like you like your men, I see," she said off-handedly as she put some sugar into your mug. You couldn't help the flustered blush that made its way onto your cheeks, but were glad to ignore the comment as she said, "Anyways! Vital Spectrum! It's the vitamin and supplement company I work for! We've got all sorts of goodies to keep you running in top shape, but I just wanted to pick your brain on the specifics so I know how to best advertise to customers."
"Hit me," you said as she handed you the mug of steaming coffee.
By the time Daniel emerged back down the stairs from his shower, you were deep in conversation with his mother about Vital Spectrum and the benefits of certain vitamins and minerals. As he prepared himself a to-go cup of coffee, Daniel groaned, saying, "She got her claws in you, didn't she?"
"Oh, stop it, Daniel. This is a conversation between two professionals about the benefits of nutrition!" she countered, staring at him over her mug.
He laughed good-naturedly as he checked his watch, telling her, "Well, we gotta go. I've gotta be at the office soon. It was good to see you this morning, ma." He gave her a hug as you stood from your chair and grabbed the Vital Spectrum bag full of vitamins you had purchased from her.
When the two of you were heading back to the car, Daniel gestured toward the bag as he said, "You didn't have to do that, you know. She gets a little crazy about that business."
You shrugged, telling him with a smile, "I needed to restock on vitamins anyway. With work, sometimes it's hard to eat right. A lot of the time, you're just eating between checking on patients or helping someone else. So, vitamins go a long way in helping make sure I'm not malnourished."
"Jesus, that's intense," he said as he settled into the passenger seat once more.
"It is, but I'm doing what I love, so I don't mind it all that much," you told him, offering him another bottle of water and a handful of the vitamins his mom had sold you. After he looked at the handful of pills, he gave you an incredulous look that you responded to with, "I can't exactly give you an IV and banana bag in my car. This is the next best thing."
"You two are teamin' up on me!"
"Just looking out for you," you countered as he took the pills and you started up the car.
The clock read 7:04 by the time Daniel got into the office, a little winded from his run to get in. He had wasted precious time thanking you and fishing for some cash to give you for gas and to get some breakfast, but giving you that cash was non-negotiable to him, even though you were reluctant to take it until you realized what time it was. "I am so sorry I'm late, I didn't mean to be! I was out with this girl and then-"
Buck gestured for him to begin walking to the car awaiting them as he said, "Daniel, I really don't need the details of your affair."
"Affair? Hey, wait, no, she doesn't have a boyfriend as far as I know. Besides, it isn't like that. Not yet anyway…" he said as he adjusted his jacket and tie once more. His tone was off-handed as he said, "I've just gotta be patient. Think I can-"
The two came to be in step with Mayor Fisk and Sheila as Buck cut him off once more, telling him, "As fascinating as your love life is, we've business to attend to."
"Right. Sorry…" he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck as he trailed behind the others, who all walked with a purpose to the car awaiting their arrival.
a/n: okay this one was so fun to write, especially the interaction with Gloria! oh, how i love her! i hope you enjoyed!
as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! until next time! xo! <3
Story Summary: The aftermath of the Karen Page trial, from Reader's PoV.
Tags/Warnings: Canon Typical Violence (if you've seen the S2 finale you know what happens), Rated M only because of language and violence (I think, who know if these two will want to get frisky at some point)
A/N: Welcome to the beginning of The End! This was supposed to be a one-shot like all of the other installments in the TPatB series, but Buck decided he'd rather suffer than see me end this series. That being said, I'm going to try to update every few days until we reach our conclusion!
If you're just joining us, I suggest you start here.
As always, thanks ever so much to @waywardxrhea for the medical knowledge!
Shit. Shit, shit, shit, you thought to yourself as you sat in shock in the courtroom where the Karen Page trial had just been dismissed.
Not only had Miss Page been acquitted on all charges, but Matthew Murdock had just reduced your father's entire enterprise to rubble once again while simultaneously revealing himself to be Daredevil. What the fuck is happening?
You angrily stood, intending to go give Mr. Murdock a piece of your mind but were immediately pulled back down by Buck, who was seated next to you. "You don't want to do that, darling, trust me," he murmured lowly into your ear.
You sighed and sat back. Buck was right — getting into it in a public courtroom with the man who had not once, but now twice demolished your father's business endeavors would just make matters worse and was therefore not a good idea. At least that explains how he knew so muxh.
Buck took your hand as your father walked past you to leave the courtroom. "Come now, let's regroup."
You stood — calmer, this time — and let him lead you out of the row to the aisle.
The two of you followed the departing crowd and exited the courtroom just in time to hear the governor saying, "…Oh, and attempted murder of a government official. Your assassin lived. He has a lot to say."
Assassin? Mr. Murdock had no actual proof of any wrongdoing besides testimony from him and Jessica Jones (which could've easily been dismissed as a continued personal vendetta against your father), but now the governor was accusimg him of attempted murder?
You just prayed Buck hadn't been involved.
Your father looked over at you and Buck but said nothing before looking back at the governor.
"This is the part where you resign," Governor McCaffery continued.
"There's a process for which you propose," your father replied. "I suggest you start that up. If you'll excuse me."
The governor nodded and stepped out of your father's way.
"Interesting to see who you've aligned yourself with, Miss Jones," your father added as he passed Jessica Jones before turning to face her.
"Watch yourself, Kingpin," Miss Jones replied.
You and Buck stepped around the governor and Miss Jones to accompany your father as he departed, followed closely by the Task Force.
In addition to the firearm training you had received earlier in the week, you had also reluctantly agreed to have a Task Force member assigned as your security detail when in public with your father.
"I will do my utmost to keep you safe," Buck had told you. "But in the event of an emergency I would feel better if you also had extra security."
You had sighed. "Fine. But only when I'm out in public with Dad. And not Powell if it can be helped."
Buck had nodded. "That can be arranged."
You followed behind Buck as he escorted your father back towards the entrance of the courthouse, slowing as Matthew Murdock and his entourage came around the corner from another hallway.
"Where you going, Daredevil?" your father sneered as your groups came face-to-face. "You going to hide?"
"Accept defeat gracefully, old man," Mr. Murdock replied.
"Matthew Murdock… Daredevil… Defeat? You've only weakened me some."
Mr. Murdock scoffed. "You've lost the city."
Your father shook his head. "I've lost nothing."
You heard Powell mutter something under his breath before yelling, "Sir, it's a trap!"
You barely had time for the words to register before Buck pulled you behind him and stepped in front of your father right as a gunshot rang out.
"Buck! No!" you screamed in horror as the love of your life fell to the ground.
You lunged for him but was pulled back by North, your assigned security detail for the day. "Let me go," you cried, fighting against North's grip and only relenting when you saw two other uniformed Task Force members helping Buck up.
North handed you over to another Task Force member. "Makes sure she gets to safety," he instructed.
You were ushered back down the hall to the courtroom from which you had just come, following closely behind Buck, who (to your great relief) was conscious and at least able to walk with assistance.
You waited as the Task Force members who had been assisting him carefully lowered him into a sitting position in front of the judges' bench before kneeling down and pulling off the cardigan you wore over your blouse.
Buck grunted as you pressed it against his wound in an attempt to stanch the flow of blood coming from where he had been hit in his stomach.
Heather crouched down next to you. "Can I do something to help?"
Buck nodded. "See if you can find a first aid kit, will you, please?"
Heather nodded as well. "Sure thing."
Buck raised a hand to caress your face as Heather left. "Are you okay, darling?"
You huffed out a watery laugh. "Am I okay? You're the one who's been shot!"
Buck shrugged, then grimaced. "It's alright, it's not like it's the first time."
You sucked in a breath. You'd never noticed any kind of scars or anything on Buck that could've possibly been from a gunshot wound. "What?"
Buck chuckled, then winced. "Just — ah — just kidding, love."
You shook your head and pressed your cardigan harder against his stomach. "Not funny, Cashman."
"—Here you are."
You looked up at Heather as she returned with a first aid kit. "Thank you."
Heather nodded. "You're welcome."
Buck grunted again and sat up a bit. "Okay, darling, I need you to see if there is any gauze and medical tape in there."
You nodded and began rummaging around in the kit as Buck took over holding your cardigan against his stomach.
You sighed in relief when you found the items you were looking for. "Got them."
Buck nodded. "You're going to need to tape as much gauze as possible against the wound as tight as possible, yeah?"
You took a deep breath. "Okay."
You tugged Buck's shirt out of his pants and unbuttoned the bottom few buttons so you could expose his stomach and see the bullet hole.
Buck was still bleeding, but to your untrained eyes it at least appeared to be slowing a bit.
You opened the pack of gauze, cursing when your hands shook and you dropped it. "Fuck."
Buck put his free hand on yours. "Hey, it's alright, love. You've got this."
You took another deep breath and picked up the pack of gauze again, this time managing to hang on to it. "Okay, we're going to swap this out in 1, 2… 3!"
Buck hissed in a breath and flinched as you pulled your cardigan away and firmly pressed the gauze against him.
You winced. "Shit, I'm sorry, sweetheart."
Buck shook his head. "No, no, it's — it's alright, love."
You taped the gauze against Buck's stomach as tight as you possibly could. "Is this tight enough?" you asked.
Buck nodded. "Yeah. Good job, darling."
You rebuttoned Buck's shirt before sitting next to him, finally taking in your surroundings.
Darkness had fallen over the city, leaving the courtroom dimly lit. Your father was currently seated at the witness stand, cameras trained on him as he prepared to address the citizens of New York.
"New York is in a state of emergency," he began. "Following today's miscarriage of justice, we were once again attacked by a vigilante. My… aide… has been wounded."
Your heart clenched as Buck let out another small grunt of pain. You had done all that you could to help him and just hoped that it was enough until you were able to get him to a hospital.
"Right now," your father continued, "we are under seige. As we speak, our enemies are assembling — masked, hidden, and they're coming for all of us!"
He paused briefly. "I want to make myself clear to you. I will not abandon you. I swore an oath, and I intend to honor it. I will stand and fight."
His voice wavered slightly. "Will you?"
The courtroom sat in silence as your father finished speaking and the camera light turned off. You felt uneasy — while you appreciated his conviction, you weren't sure if a call-to-arms was the right move. Those still on the side of the vigilantes would certainly follow suit, especially since their de-facto leader Daredevil had been revealed to be a humble (in their opinion — you personally found the man to be cocky and overzealous), blind attorney from Hell's Kitchen.
You mentally shook your head. You shouldn't have been surprised — after all, you knew Enhanced people (like Miss Jones or some of the Avengers) existed, so it wasn't much of a stretch that the perpetual pain in your father's ass presumably was also Enhanced.
You sat quietly, looking at Buck every few minutes for signs of distress (although you had no idea what you could possibly do in such a situation) until your attention was diverted to the window as blue and red lights began to flash outside. "What's going on?"
One of the bystanders who had been locked in the courtroom with all of you looked outside. "The NYPD is here. And lots of people wearing red, it looks like."
Your father harrumphed. "Task Force, up front."
Your father stood as the Task Force gathered at the front of the room. He walked over to the window, looking out at the scene before sighing and walking over over to you.
He kneeled down to check on Buck, who gave him a reassuring nod.
Your father gently patted Buck's shoulder, then cradled the side of his head before standing.
"Whatever happens tonight, to them, to me, to you," he said, "Matt Murdock and Karen Page never leave this building alive. Now, go do your jobs."
"Sir," one of the uniformed Task Force members said weakly. "Murdock's not alone."
"Oh," your father said before glancing at you and Buck, who looked pale in the dim lighting.
You rolled your eyes. If you weren't absolutely refusing to leave Buck's side you'd grab a gun and go take care of Murdock yourself. He's not bulletproof.
Your father smiled at you, then turned back towards the Task Force member who had spoken. "Well, if you're feeling challenged by your responsibilities feel free to tender your resignations."
The Task Force member who had spoken hesitated momentarily, the exchanged a look with the Task Force member next to him, a petite woman who seemed to silently say don't be a wuss.
He nodded, then the Task Force began to move out.
You rolled your eyes again as you heard Task Force Wuss say, "We'll take care of it, sir."
Your father had just returned to the witness stand when suddenly there was the buzzzzz of a ringing phone.
Sheila pulled her phone out of her pocket and swiped to answer. "Sheila Rivera speaking," she said. "Yes. Yes, right away."
You watched as she walked up to your father. "It's the Attorney General," she said, handing your father the phone. "He'd like to speak with you."
Your father looked at the phone, then hung up and set it down roughly.
Sheila took the phone back and sat down, a frustrated look on her face.
You turned back to Buck and wrapped his suit jacket around him. He was looking even more pale than he had been a few minutes ago and was starting to shiver.
You stood. "I'll be right back, okay?"
Buck nodded.
You stood and walked over to District Attorney Hochburg.
The D.A. said your name.
"Give me your jacket," you replied.
The D.A. looked confused. "Oh, wha— it's a Canali."
You gestured back over at Buck before looking back at the D.A. "He's shivering. Give it to me."
The DA heistated momentarily, then sighed before taking his suit jacket off. "This is madness. I know Mayor Fisk is your father, but there's no reason you should burn with him."
He reached up and caressed your cheek. "You know, I've always found you attractive. Why don't you and I get out of here?"
You saw red. How dare he?
You punched him in the throat. "Don't you ever fucking touch me," you seethed as he dropped to his knees.
You walked back over to Buck and covered him with the jacket before pressing a kiss against his temple, which felt cool to your touch even though he was sweating.
Buck gave you a weak smile. "That's my girl."
You sat back down next to him. You had no idea how long your father planned to keep everyone barricaded in the courtroom, but you were getting increasingly worried about Buck and needed to get him to a hospital as soon as possible.
Sheila's phone buzzed again and she swiped to answer. "I'm here."
She sighed. "Okay."
You watched as she walked up to you father again. "It's the office of the AG… again. Final offer he says is to tender your resignation and leave the city."
"Leave New York?" your father replied. "And there I thought I had your support, Sheila."
Sheila shook her head slightly. "The office of the Mayor has my support."
You looked over in alarm at the courtroom doors as you heard shouting coming from down the hall. Oh, shit. The rioters outside made it in.
"Renouce your citizenship, go into exile, and the AG promises not to prosecute," Sheila continued as the angry mob started banging on the courtroom doors.
"No," your father said, standing angrily. "I won't leave them!"
"Speak to him," Sheila pleaded. "This is the best offer you are going to get."
Your father pointed at the doors of the courtroom. "Open that door."
Shelia said your name. "Please, talk to him."
You shook your head. You just wanted this to be over so you could get Buck to safety. "Dad, take the deal—"
Your father either didn't hear or just flat-out ignored you as he stormed towards the back of the courtroom. "OPEN IT! OPEN THAT DOOR!"
You startled as the doors flew open.
"Boo!" your father yelled, then punched some unsuspecting rioter in the face before walking out into the fray.
You instictively clung to Buck, terrified that the angry mob outside would start barging in.
Thankfully, your father managed to hold the rioters back until the doors were shut and barred once again.
Sheila walked over to you and Buck. "How is he?"
You shook your head. "I need to get him to a hospital, but I don't know how we're going to manage to get him out of here."
"—I do."
You looked over at an older woman seated in the gallery, vaguely recognizing her as the court reporter from the trial.
She stood. "There's a false bookcase in Judge Grimes's chambers that hides a door to a hallway leading to the alley outside. We can use that to get out."
You huffed out a relieved breath. "Can you take us there?"
The woman nodded. "Yeah, of course."
"Shelia, call 911, tell them to send an ambulance to the alley at the back of the courthouse, would you please? My phone is dead." You turned back to Buck as Sheila did as you had instructed. "Think you can stand if I help you, sweetheart?"
Buck nodded weakly.
"Okay, then." You stood, then crouched down to put one of Buck's arms around your shoulder.
You looked over in surprise as D.A. Hochburg did the same for Buck's other arm.
The D.A. shot you an apologetic smile, then shrugged.
You shook your head. Now wasn't the time. "On three. Ready, one, two, three—"
Together, you and the D.A. managed to get Buck into a standing position.
The court reporter opened the gateway behind the judge's bench. "This way."
You and the D.A. carefully assisted Buck in following her back into the judge's chambers, trailed by Heather, Sheila, and the rest of the people who had been barricaded in the courtroom.
"How did you even know about this?" you asked the court reporter as she opened the hidden doorway.
"Oh, people use it as a shortcut to go smoke in the alleyway when court's not in session," she explained. "It's faster than having to go all the way around the building."
You made it outside into the alleyway, which thankfully was empty of protesters.
"Just hold on a little longer for me, okay, sweetheart?" you said to Buck, who you were now having to brace just to keep upright as you made your way to the street. "Ambulance is on its way."
You could hear sirens in the distance. Please, please hurry, you thought, letting out a sigh of relief when you realized that the sirens were getting louder.
About a minute later, an ambulance pulled up and two paramedics jumped out.
One jogged over to the back of the ambulance to get a stretcher while the other hurried over to you, Buck, and the few people that hadn't fled the second you had gotten outside.
"Call about a gunshot victim?" she said.
You nodded at Buck. "Here, my boyfriend. He was hit in the stomach and I managed to bandage his wound, but we've been barricated inside the courthouse for the past couple of hours."
The paramedic nodded as her partner came over with the stretcher. "GSW to the stomach, probable psychogenic or hypovolemic shock," she said.
Her partner nodded. "Any neck or spinal injury?"
You shook your head. "No, I don't think so. He's been able to walk with assistance."
The paramedic with the stretcher looked at Buck. "Okay, sir, we're going to get you to the hospital, just hang tight for us."
You and the D.A. sat Buck on the stretcher then took a step back as the paramedics took over getting him settled.
You hurried alongside them as they wheeled Buck back to the ambulance, then climbed in after the first one while the second went to the front. "I'm coming with you."
The paramedic nodded and pointed at a bench on the right side of the ambulance. "You can have a seat there."
You sat, watching nervously as she worked to get Buck ready to transport to the hospital and answering her questions about his medical history — any medications? Pre-existing conditions? Allergies?
She unbuttoned the bottom of Buck's shirt to check his wound. "No active external bleeding," she said. "That's good."
Buck shivered. "Cold," he said weakly.
The paramedic grabbed a blanket and put it over Buck. "We're going to warm you up, okay, sir? Just stay awake for us."
Buck nodded, then mumbled your name.
You took his hand, which felt clammy. "I'm right here, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere."
You kept an eye on Buck the entire ride to the hospital, hoping against hope that you weren't too late in getting him help.
The finale of the The Princess and the Bodyguard series (aptly titled The End) is turning out to be way longer than I expected (it's well over 4k and nowhere even remotely close to the actual end), so it is going to be split into chapters. At the moment I'm anticipating for it to be no more than 4 chapters, but we'll see depending on how much I want to make Buck suffer 😈 if things go according to plan.
With that being said, expect chapter 1 in the next few days!
(Also, thanks so much to @waywardxrhea for letting me ask you a ton of medical questions! 💜)
installment list / previous chapter / next chapter
word count: 1,966
chapter summary: meeting for coffee with Daniel to promote the BB report
"I'm on my way out!" you called through the apartment as you hooked your bag over your shoulder, getting ready to leave for the morning.
BB poked her head out of her bedroom door as she asked, "Remember the plan?"
You nodded, reiterating for what felt like the millionth time, "Because of how vague I was about my job before, he's likely gonna bring that up first. We'll talk about that for a while before I bring up his job. I won't give any hints that I know who he is or what his position in the administration is. At some point he's gotta bring up how he's useful for the younger demographic of New Yorkers and that's when I will bring up my lovely best friend practically since birth and tell him that you run a blog that's very popular with that exact demographic. I think if I just sweet talk him some more and maybe promise another - as he's likely to call it - date, I'm sure you'll be on your way to an interview with Fisk within the week!"
"You got it," she replied, a quiet sigh of relief passing her lips as she leaned against the door frame to her room.
"Oh come on, have a little faith in me!" you said, checking your bag one last time for all of your necessities before leaving the apartment.
"I do, you know I do, it's just-"
"It could be dangerous, I know," you finished for her, sending a small smile in her direction. "That's why we've got our text codes. To anyone else, it'll look like a normal text, but…"
"If you text me asking what movie we're watching later, I'll know you're in danger."
"Right. Now, I'm gonna go get you one step closer to an interview. Talk later!"
"Be safe!"
"Always!"
As you walked up to the Starbucks Daniel requested to meet at, he greeted you with a wave and a bright smile. "Hey!" he said, holding the door open for you as you approached. "It's nice to see you in, you know…normal lighting!"
"If you're trying to call me pretty, I'd refine the compliment a little," you joked as you brushed past him, your fingertips ghosting over his own as you did.
"I didn't wanna come on too strong," he admitted as he joined you in the line heading toward the counter, the baristas working quickly to get through each order.
"You say to the girl who made the first move by buying your drink at the club," you teased, gently bumping your shoulder into his as you laughed lightly.
The two of you made small talk throughout your time in the line, hitting the usual topics of the Mets season, the weather, and foot traffic on the sidewalks to get to the shop. The conversation was interrupted when you got to the counter and were greeted by the barista with a smile. You returned it before saying, "Hey! Could I get a venti iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso with two extra shots? And then a…double-smoked bacon, cheddar, and egg sandwich?"
"Of course! Anything else?" she asked, turning her attention to Daniel, who stood slightly behind you.
Before you could take a breath to say anything, he told the barista his order and pulled out his wallet, paying for both of you. As he paid, you huffed out a quiet laugh before saying, "Thanks, Daniel. You didn't have to."
"'Course I did! What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't?" he asked as the two of you made your way over to a table in the corner of the bustling shop.
When his name was called for the order, Daniel made his way to the counter to grab everything, careful not to drop anything on his way back. As he sat the drinks down, he eyed the label on your drink, his eyes going wide as he said, "Holy shit that's a lot of espresso! You're gonna be bouncin' off the walls all day!"
You laughed before taking a sip of your drink, the flavors melting in your mouth as deliciously as they always did. When you looked back at him, you said, "This has become my normal amount of caffeine to maintain sanity." With a shrug, you added, "Occupational hazard."
"Occupational…? What exactly do you do that needs that much espresso to function?" he asked as he unpackaged his own breakfast sandwich.
"ICU nurse over at Metro General," you replied simply. "Between how understaffed we are and how many people seem to end up in critical condition in this city, I don't think I'll ever be out of the job, fortunately."
"That'll do it," he said, sending you an impressed look now that he knew your career path. After taking a bite of his sandwich, he asked, "What's the craziest shit you've seen someone come in for?"
"How strong's your stomach?" you asked, eyeing his sandwich, a small smirk lining your lips in challenge.
"Like fuckin' iron," he replied. "I regularly eat that shit-ass street food you're so against. I think I can handle a little medical tale."
"Suit yourself…" you said with a quiet laugh. Before starting the story, you look a sip from your drink, the taste somehow bringing back the memories of that crazy day even more vividly. Making sure to keep your voice down to a socially acceptable level, you leaned in a little closer to Daniel across the small table as you told him, "So, there was this one time I had this older guy. He was like…in his seventies at least. Came to us with sepsis and needed to be intubated and put on a ventilator because the infection got so bad his organs started shutting down. Wanna know how he got the infection?"
"How?"
"Dude stuffed a massive," you gestured your hands a good nearly two feet apart, "fuckin' sex toy up his ass and tore through his intestine! Got a nasty infection because of the literal shit in there and he was with us for a good while before he got well enough to send back to the stepdown unit."
You weren't sure if Daniel's expression was from amusement or disgust, but you watched his reaction play out in what felt like slow-motion as he processed the story. Finally, he settled on holding back a laugh as he held his hands out about the same distance you had, asking, "This big? You're kidding!"
"Not kidding and I wish I was," you told him. "Guy had to have it surgically removed. I was told that once he was well enough and working with PT on the floor, he still had a limp!"
"No way!"
"Way," you said before taking another sip of your drink. When you sat it down, you joked, "Moral of the story: always use lube."
"I feel like you're gettin' the wrong moral outta this guy," he said with a chuckle as he shook his head.
"I've got lots of morals from lots of people. They're the main reason I don't take certain meds. Why I won't ever get on a motorcycle. Why I'm so paranoid when walking back to the apartment any time of day, really. Also why I hate open flames and candles."
"Candles?"
"Candles. I've seen some shit."
"Shit as in up the wrong end or…?"
"First of all, there's no correct end for a candle to go in, but second of all, let's just say that you wouldn't ever wanna be on a burn unit," you told him, a shiver running up your spine as you remembered one of the worst burn victims you had ever encountered who had a good night end very poorly because of a candle. When the shudder passed, you shook your head before resting your chin on your hand, saying, "I think that's enough about my job for right now, though. What do you do for a living?"
"I actually work over at City Hall," he told you, a proud look on his face as he started speaking about his job.
"Oh really? What kind of work do you do there?"
"I'm in communications. You know, help run what gets to the press, help draft speeches, manage social media, stuff like that," he detailed.
"That's pretty sick, actually! How'd you go about getting that position? Seems like a pretty important role."
He shrugged casually, telling you, "Well, I got over two thousand signatures to help get the Mayor onto the ballot. That seemed to catch the attention of Fisk's political advisor, so she hired me on. Gave some good advice from this generation's point of view and now I'm in pretty damn close with the cabinet! Pretty sweet gig, if you ask me."
"Sounds like," you said, nodding your head as you processed everything you were just told. You let a few moments of silence pass as you both took bites of your sandwiches before asking, "Are you the youngest on the team?"
"Seems like it," Daniel replied, thinking about everyone else in the cabinet. "I help keep everything balanced, I'd like to think. Fisk and Sheila have their old-school way of doing things, but when it comes to reaching the younger demographic, I'm their main man!"
"You know what I think could help reach even more people?" you asked thoughtfully, keeping your voice casual as you posed the question.
"What?"
"Reaching out to someone who has a large audience of your target population watching and reading in every week," you told him vaguely. You took a pen and sticky note out of your bag as you said, "My best friend is actually journalist with a pretty large following of people our age and younger. If there's something you wanna get out to that demographic and can't because none of us actually buy newspapers anymore, I would definitely reach out to her!"
"Sweet! Thanks!" he said, taking the sticky note from you and putting it in his coat. After pocketing the note, he pulled his sleeve up and checked his watch, sighing a bit before saying, "Shit, I didn't realize what time it was. I gotta get into the office soon."
"Of course. Duty calls," you agreed, beginning to stand up and grab your drink.
As the two of you walked to the door to leave, Daniel held it open for you and asked, "When can I see you again?"
"Well, I work the next three days, then I'm off for two and then back on for three. I'll text you when I know how dead-tired I'm gonna be after those shifts."
"Always keepin' me on my toes, huh?" he asked as he hailed a cab for you.
You shrugged, a small smile lining your lips as the cab pulled up. He once again opened the door for you and while you got in, he slipped the cabbie some cash for your fare. With the constant gestures, you couldn't help but be flattered, so you told him in a quiet voice, "Thank you, Daniel. For everything this morning. It was nice."
"It was. Thanks for coming out of your way to meet me here. I try to stay close in case there's an emergency before I'm supposed to come in."
"You're a good man," you told him. "Have a good day at work. I'll text you later. Don't forget about my reporter friend!"
"You got it. I'll text her now. Have a good day!"
And with that, he shut the door and the cab began the journey back to your apartment. As you settled into the seat for the ride, you were grateful for how smoothly that seemed to have gone. Now you just hoped that he was, in fact, reaching out to BB.
a/n: always use lube, kids, and always use appropriately sized and shaped sex toys! that tale was based on a true story! i hope you enjoyed the humor that comes with writing Daniel! he's been a BLAST to explore!
as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! until next time! xo! <3
I hope he's okay, you thought to yourself as you waited in bed for Buck to come home from his latest 'assignment' for your father. He's been gone for hours.
You looked up as you heard Buck enter your bedroom, your brow furrowing with worry at the look on his face. ""Hey, you're — what's wrong?"
Buck sighed as he unlocked the safe he kept his gun in before setting it inside. "Let's just say that Daniel has resigned his position within your father's administration, effective immedately."
Your heart clenched. Shit, that probably means that he's dead.
You had genuinely liked Daniel — while he had been a bit rough around the edges, he was a sweet guy and had proven himself useful to your father's administration…
…Apparently until now.
You just hoped that whatever he had done, he hadn't gone to the police. While some non-AVTF members of the NYPD were still on your father's payroll, there were others that wouldn't hesitate to investigate if Daniel had had a sudden change of conscience and handed over a bunch of information about your father's dealings in exchange for a plea deal.
If he is dead, it's because he was a threat, you told yourself. He knew too much.
You took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay, just… tell me what you need."
Buck looked down at the floor. "You," he said softly.
You got out of bed and slowly walked over to him, raising one hand to cup his cheek.
Buck raised his head, his eyes searching yours, but for what — Permission? Acceptance? Absolution? — you weren't sure.
You caressed his cheek with your thumb. "Then have me, love, however you need me."
Buck let out a breath, then gave you a soft, chaste kiss. "Robe off, darling."
You untied the silk robe you wore and pushed it off of your shoulders, the material pooling at your feet.
Buck's eyes darkened at the sight of your naked body. "Nothing underneath? Naughty girl."
Your face heated as a wolfish smirk spread across his face. The fact that you were naked under your robe had been sheer coincidence — in your worry about Buck you had forgotten to grab your pajamas before you went to shower, so you had just put your robe on and was planning on getting dressed right before you went to sleep.
Buck took a step back. "You're going to do exactly as I say, understood?"
You nodded. "Uh huh."
"Good girl."
You sucked in a breath. While Buck usually took charge in the bedroom, so to speak, this was a new side of him that you'd never seen before…
…And you kind of liked it.
Buck nodded towards your bed. "On the bed."
You walked over to your side of the bed and got in, waiting for further instructions.
Buck nodded satisfactorily. "Eyes on me, darling."
You licked your lips as he took his shirt and pants off, leaving him in only his boxers. You would never get over just how incredibly hot he was, with his large, capable hands, solid abs, and the smattering of hair across his chest and down his stomach that tapered off below his waistline.
Instead of joining you in bed, like you expected, he walked over to the armchair in the corner of the room across from your bed and sat. "Sit back, darling, make yourself comfortable."
You did as instructed, settling yourself against your pillows.
Buck sat back as well. "Now, I want you to pleasure yourself for me. Show me what it is you do when I'm not here to satisfy you."
You nodded, already hot with desire.
You trailed the fingers of one hand across your collarbones, then slid your hand down to your chest, circling the already-taut nipple of one breast with your index finger before giving it a light pinch.
You closed your eyes and tilted your head back as you let out a small sigh, imagining it was Buck's long fingers touching you instead.
You spread your legs as you traced your fingers down your stomach, putting yourself fully on display for Buck.
He groaned. "That's it, love, keep going. Touch that beautiful cunt for me."
You traced your fingers over your clit, the deep timbre of Buck's voice stoking the fire inside of you.
You used two fingers to spread yourself open, gathering your slick before easing your fingers inside. "Buck…"
"Mmm, such a mess for me already," Buck murmured. "Tell me, darling, do your fingers feel as good inside of you as mine do?"
You shook your head as you slid your fingers out of you, then back in, your eyes still closed. The only thing better than Buck's long, skilled digits fucking you was his long, thick cock. "Uh uh. Love for you to touch me, sweetheart, feel your hands on me, feel your fingers in me. You always make me feel so good, Buck, shit."
"Yeah?" Buck's voice was strained.
You nodded. "Yeah, baby, you do, I —"
"Stop."
Your eyes flew open and you quickly removed your fingers from your core, your mind hazy with both arousal and confusion at Buck's suddenly authoritative tone. Had you done something wrong?
Buck shook his head. "Say that again," he said, softer this time.
Your brow furrowed. "I love it when you touch me?"
"And?"
"And you always make me feel good?"
Buck took a deep breath. "Would you like me to touch you right now, darling?"
You nodded, fresh arousal flooding your system. "Yes. Oh God, Buck, yes, please."
Buck stood and walked to the edge of the bed before climbing in.
He gave you a gentle kiss. "Lie back, my love," he murmured.
You did as instructed, a soft sigh escaping your lips as Buck caressed your cheek.
He made you feel safe — not just because he was your father's personal security or because he had protected you during the attack at the Black and White Ball almost a year ago, but also because you believed that he truly loved you and that he would go to the ends of the earth to prove it.
Buck caressed his way down your body, leaving every inch of you that he touched tingling with desire.
He reached your core, letting out a groan as he slipped a finger between your folds. "Fucking hell, love. You're dripping for me, yeah?"
You nodded, gasping as Buck teased your clit with his thumb. "Uh huh. Need you in me, Buck."
Buck groaned. "I need that too, darling."
He kissed his way back up your body, pausing to lavish attention to your breasts before making his way up to your lips.
You sat up and pulled Buck's boxers down over his hard cock, licking your lips at the sight of it flushed and leaking. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's dripping."
Buck smirked as he finished removing his boxers. "What can I say, darling? Touching you makes me feel good too."
He guided you to lay back down, his expression becoming more serious as he caressed your cheek once again.
You looked at him curiously. "What?"
Buck shook his head, then kissed you as he lined himself up with your entrance. "Gonna need you to tell me if it's too much, okay?"
You nodded. "Okay."
Your breath hitched as he slid inside you with one smooth stroke. He always felt so perfect as he entered you and right then was no exception — in fact, for some reason it felt even better.
Buck hissed out your name. "Fuck, darling, you feel incredible."
You bit your lip. "So do you, Buck. Need you to move, please."
Buck traced your bottom lip with his thumb. "Yeah, love?"
You gasped as Buck gave one small thrust into you. "Yes, shit, you feel so good, make me feel so good."
Buck kissed you. "You make me feel good too, my darling," he whispered against your lips before thrusting into you again, harder this time.
While Buck wasn't exactly rough with you, there was almost a desperation in the way he held you close as he made love to you, as if he was trying to entangle your very souls together.
He groaned out your name. "Please, tell me that you're mine."
You nodded with a gasp as he hit that perfect spot inside of you. "I am. I'm yours, Buck, every piece of me, body and soul."
"Fuck." Buck's breath hitched. "I love you, my darling, my everything, my reason for being."
Tears pricked your eyes at the emotion in Buck's voice. "I love you too, sweetheart, forever and always."
You felt that familiar tug of bliss as Buck began to drive himself even deeper into you, his cock grinding against your clit with every thrust. "Shit, yes, right there," you moaned. "Don't fucking stop, please."
Buck hissed in a breath. "Yeah, love? Gonna come for me?"
You nodded. "Uh huh. So close, sweetheart, you feel so fucking good. Need you to come with me, wanna make you feel good too."
Buck reached down to circle your clit with his thumb, the added pressure exactly what you needed. "I'm right there with you, my love, I've got you," he murmured. "Be a good girl and —fuck, you feel so perfect, darling— and let go for me."
The pleasure inside of you built to a crescendo then shattered, your legs shaking as your orgasm washed over you in waves.
Buck groaned and thrust into you one final time before reaching his own peak, the feel of his cock throbbing inside you as he came prolonging your ecstasy.
Buck gave you a soft kiss as he carefully pulled out of you.
You watched as he opened your nightstand drawer and took out the pack of sanitary wipes you kept in there for the occasions where neither of you felt like getting out of bed in order to get cleaned up after making love.
He took a wipe out of the pack and began to gently clean between your legs.
Your heart fluttered. That was another reason you felt safe with Buck — instead of just rolling over and going to sleep like your previous lovers, he always took care of and cuddled with you after sex.
Buck finished cleaning you up then tossed the wipe into the trash before putting the pack back into your nightstand drawer.
He laid down next to you and pulled you to his chest, briefly closing his eyes as he pressed a kiss to your forehead.
You brushed an errant curl out of his eyes. "Do you feel better?"
Buck nodded.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Buck was quiet for a moment, then he sighed. "There are some things I need to tell you, things about my past."
You sat up, pulling the bedsheet up to cover yourself. A discussion as serious as that probably was best had if you weren't topless. "Okay."
Buck sat up as well. "You already know that I was in the British military," he began. "My regiment — Regiment 22 — was sent to Afghanistan and assigned to night raids."
He looked down at his hands. "Our targets were opium farmers. We were tasked with eliminating all of the men of fighting age — which according to Her Majesty was fourteen and older."
You remained quiet. You didn't want to interrupt Buck while he was opening up to you.
"After my service, I moved to the States with an old squadron mate of mine intending to join a private military company before deciding that I would rather take assignments on my own terms, and so I went freelance instead, which was how I met Wes. We would often run across each other on assignments and occasionally collaborate, and eventually we became friends. One day he contacted me about an open-ended assignment — which I actually didn't complete, but your father was impressed by my ability to think outside the box and brought me on permanently."
"And now here you are."
Buck nodded, his eyes still firmly cast downward.
You took Buck's hand in yours. "I kinda already knew all that, sweetheart," you said gently.
Buck looked up at you in shock. "You did?"
You nodded. "Maybe not exactly how you met Wesley, but the rest of it, yeah."
"How long have you known?"
"Since the beginning." Your lips quirked up in a smile. "You don't actually think I'd date someone who worked for my father and not do my research on them, do you?"
Buck still looked shocked. "Why didn't you say anything?"
You shrugged. "I've just been waiting for you to feel comfortable enough to tell me yourself."
You gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "You know none of that changes how I feel about you, right? I love you, Buck, not because or in spite of your past or because of the things you're required to do for my father, but because of who you are inside — a loving, caring, fiercely loyal man who any woman would be lucky to be with."
Buck shook his head then raised your hand to his mouth for a kiss. "I love you too, my darling."
He paused for a moment, a contemplative look on his face. "Thank you, by the way."
"Of course. I'm here for you, no matter what." You leaned in and pressed a kiss to Buck's lips. "Think you can get some sleep? It's late and I'm sure you have a busy day tomorrow."
Buck nodded.
You reached over and turned your lamp off, plunging the room into almost total darkness except for the faint light streaming in from the street below your window.
You cuddled back up to Buck as the two of you lay back down. "Good night, sweetheart."
Buck pulled the bedcovers back over the two of you. "Good night, darling."
You laid there quietly until Buck's steady breathing deepened into sleep, then you closed your eyes and drifted off to dream of the future.
installment list / previous chapter / next chapter
word count: 2,602
chapter summary: the night your plan is officially set in motion / or: the night you make daniel start falling for you
"How do I look?" you asked BB as you emerged from your shared bathroom, checking your teeth one last time for lipstick stains in your compact mirror before tucking it into your clutch.
"Like a million freakin' bucks!" she gushed, taking in your hair, makeup, and outfit for the evening.
"Awwe, thanks, BB!" you replied, your eyes darting to the ground upon hearing the praise. It was honestly a rare occasion that you got dressed up to go out, even though you lived with BB, who had quite the active social life. Since you had started your journey to becoming a nurse, you spent many late nights studying while BB was out on a story or gathering intel from drunk bar goers. Once you had gotten your license, you spent your work nights relaxing and preparing physically and mentally for the next shift, unable to go out with BB on many of her late night outings. With nearly a week off and a plan to get Fisk out of office, though…
You were snapped out of your thoughts when BB said, "Talking points, let's hear 'em!"
"The Mets haven't had the best last few seasons, but I've just got this feeling they're gonna make a comeback this year," you said with a quiet laugh as you adjusted the strap on your wrist that was attached to your clutch.
"What else?"
"He's a sneaker-head, I just bring up whatever shoes he's got on and I'm set for at least half an hour."
"And if he asks about you?"
"Give him enough to be curious and end up offering his number. Flirt from across the room after excusing myself. If anyone tries to make a move on me, get away and then find him across the room again," you replied, recalling every move you had seen in movies and TV shows over the years that tended to always land.
"What about sex?"
You laughed, telling her, "Tell him he's gotta earn it."
"I think you're ready," BB said, giving your shoulders a squeeze like a proud mother would her child. "Make sure you have your phone on you at all times, don't leave your drink alone, and call me if you need anything, okay?"
"Yes, Mom," you teased with a laugh as she jokingly flipped you off.
As you walked into the crowded club that had music bumping loudly, you breathed a sigh of relief when you saw one of your co-workers standing at the bar, her arm around her partner's waist as they waited for their drinks. "Hey!" you called as you approached her, a bright smile on your lips. You gave both of them a hug, saying, "I'm glad you two could make it!"
"Hell yeah! I didn't know you knew how to let loose, so when you invited us out…" she replied.
After you placed your own order with the bartender and gave him your debit card for the tab, Holly's partner asked, "Did you bring anybody? Or are you looking?"
You turned your back to the bar, casually leaning against it as your eyes turned toward the crowded club, looking for one face in particular. With a small smile on your lips, you told her simply, "Looking."
"Ooh!" they both said at the same time, causing all of you to laugh.
Between talking about annoying coworkers and workplace rumors, you finally saw your target enter the club. He walked in with two friends, each laughing at something he said as they walked over to the bar. So he's funny, you thought to yourself as your eyes trailed after the little posse. You guessed you weren't that subtle with your glances, because before you could even bring yourself back to the conversation at hand, Holly's fingers were snapping by your ear as her partner said, "I think I know who she's got her eyes on…"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to space out," you apologized sheepishly, scratching the back of your neck as you did.
"No, no, spacing out is good!" Holly said, sending you a wink.
Before you could even think, her partner was gently nudging you back toward the bar, telling you, "Go! Go tell the bartender that you're paying for his next drink or something!"
You laughed at their antics as they both shooed you off toward the bar, grateful all the while that you had invited them because you would have been clueless otherwise. You can spout off what you'd seen in movies, sure, but putting it into practice was a whole other beast... After ordering another drink and informing the bartender of your intentions, you made your way back to your coworker, the three of you dancing to the upbeat songs as they came over the speakers.
You kept your eyes on the bar over the next few minutes, trying to spot when the bartender made Daniel's next drink. You suspected that he opted for shots the first round, because the second drink he ordered came rather quickly. You watched as he stood talking to the bartender, who pointed you out across the room. When Daniel turned to look at you, you subtly raised your glass, lining your lips with what you hoped was a sweet, yet mysterious smile.
He didn't immediately come your way after he got his second drink and sent his friends back to the bar for their own second round. Respectful, you thought as you realized that he had only ordered for himself on your dime and not his friends, too. Over the next short while, you kept glancing over in his last known direction, seeing if you were also in his sights. As luck would have it, every time you looked his way, you made eye contact with him before intentionally moving your little group to a different area of the club to see if he would track you.
While you danced with your friends within the sea of bodies on the dance floor, you felt a hand suddenly on your waist. Turning to see who it was, the man hovering behind you wasn't who you'd hoped it was, instead being a guy who looked incredibly wasted and overly confident with himself. "Hey, sweetheart, 'ow's about you and me get out 'f 'ere?" he slurred, pushing his body against yours as his hand began trailing up toward your chest.
"How's about you fuck off?" you said firmly, shrugging him off and shaking your head as the three of you moved yet again to a different area of the dance floor. As you went, you couldn't help the smirk that lined your lips when you saw Daniel's friends hooping and hollering and shoving him toward the bar. You hoped that was a good sign because you were getting close to your limit for the night and you weren't sure how long you could hold out for him to approach you.
After a particularly excited rendition of the Taylor Swift mix that the DJ played, Holly and her partner excused themselves to the restroom, leaving you alone with your third drink of the night and the swimming in your head. You made your way toward a wall to lean against for balance, starting to think that when Holly went to the bar after you, she changed your last order to a double.
You weren't alone for long, though.
As you stood against the wall and people watched, you heard a voice from beside you ask, "Espresso martini, huh? Little fancy for a place like this, don't ya think?"
Turning toward the strong Staten accent, you sent Daniel a smile before saying, "Well, if I'm already gonna have a headache, it might as well not be from caffeine deprivation."
"How's about another? To make up for the drink you got for me?" he asked as he eyed the near empty glass in your hand.
In an attempt to be bold, you lightly brushed your fingertips over his lower arm as you started toward the bar, telling him, "My hope was to get a chance to talk with you, but if I'm also getting a free drink out of it, then I'm in for sure."
As the two of you settled into standing at the bar, he said, "I come here pretty often, if we're honest, and I've never seen you before. What's your name?"
You gave him your first name, watching the smile grow on his lips as you asked, "What about you?"
"Daniel," he replied.
Giving him a quick once-over, you noticed that his outfit was nice, far nicer than the t-shirts and jeans his friends were wearing. It was chic yet casual, but still paired with a nice looking pair of high tops. Bingo. When your eyes met his, you subtly shifted to hold your balance against the bar as you nudged the toe of your shoe against his, saying, "I like your sneakers, they look really cool!"
Daniel's face lit up at the compliment, his voice just as excited as he told you, "Thanks! They're a limited edition run that my favorite brand did a few months back! Super supportive yet stylish! Just what you want in a sneaker!"
"Very cool! What kind of support do they have?" you asked, leaning in a little closer to him as more people gathered at the bar. Your knowledge on sneakers was limited, even with how often you heard one of your coworkers talk about his collection, but you knew about supportive shoes, so you started there.
Just as you predicted, Daniel went on for a good while about sneakers and all the kinds he had in his collection. Between tangents you both got off on during the conversation, you realized how easy it was to talk to him. He was funny, kind, passionate. It was a wonder he was working for someone like Fisk…
You hadn't even realized how much time had passed until Holly and her partner were coming toward you and Daniel as you stood on the outskirts of the dance floor chatting. They both gave you wide smiles before giving you a hug, with Holly saying, "Thank you for inviting us out! It was great! But we've gotta head out!"
Her partner, who had gone the route of taking shots instead of sipping on drinks, giggled and hooked onto Holly's arm, slurring, "And by that, she means head out to our apartment so we can fu-"
"Alright, let's not finish that sentence in front of strangers," Holly said with a laugh and a blush on her face as she wrapped an arm around her partner's waist to begin the walk to the door. "See you next week!" she called over her shoulder as you laughed and waved back.
"Well, she's got her hands full for the rest of the night," you said with a laugh as you watched their retreating backs. When you turned your attention back to Daniel, you asked, "Your friends give you the slip, too?"
He chuckled before nodding, saying, "They went to a different club right after I came to talk to you."
"What friends we have, huh?"
"Yeah, almost like they planned it," he replied.
"Well, the night doesn't have to end because they left," you told him, hoping that he would get the drift and offer to leave the achingly loud club atmosphere.
"You have anything in mind?" he asked as the two of you began drifting toward the exit of the building.
"I'm gonna be honest, as long as there's food and less noise involved, I'm game," you replied, giving the bouncer a small smile as you made your way out the door and into the cool night air. As the air hit your face, you took a deep breath and sighed, closing your eyes as your head finally felt like it wasn't being bombarded with noise.
"Hey, there," came Daniel's voice as he reached forward to balance you when you started to stumble as your sense of sight was temporarily gone.
Your eyes snapped open when you felt his hands on your waist, fumbling out a quick, "Oh, sorry, I- Wow, I guess I'm a little further gone than I thought…"
"I bet some food'll put you right," he suggested, his hands lingering on your waist for a few seconds more before letting you take a few steps on your own.
Despite the hour of the night, Daniel managed to locate a street vendor and bought the two of you a hot dog each, presenting yours to you as you sat on a nearby bench. You eyed the food warily, earning an exasperated, "Oh, c'mon! You can't tell me you've never had a street dog before!"
"The fact that they're called street dogs is what scares me," you said with a laugh as you took the hot dog from him. You sent a look toward the cart and didn't see any steam or grill smoke or anything, so you joked, "I'm off for the next three days, if this street dog is what lands me at work early, I'll never forgive you."
"Ah, don't worry about it! It'll be fine!" he said before taking a bite of his own. He swallowed his bite before asking, "What kind of work do you do?"
"The kind where I've seen enough- Actually, I won't finish that sentence while we're eating…" you mumbled before shaking the thought from your head and taking a bite of the hot dog. When you finished your bite, you said, "I'll have you know that, yes, I have had these before, but it's been at least…seven years since I've had one."
"Seven years?" he asked incredulously, his eyes widening. "How do you live in this city and go seven years without having street food?"
"Find out what kind of work I do and maybe you'll realize," you teased as you stood from the bench and began walking down the sidewalk toward a busier area where you'd be able to flag down a cab.
"Well, if you'd just tell me, then I'll tell you about my job," he bargained as he followed beside you.
You hummed thoughtfully before shaking your head as you said with a smirk, "That sounds like a chat for sober me, seeing as I can barely filter my brain from blurting out things most people don't like hearing about." Right as you finished the statement, you noticed a cab and raised your hand to flag it down, turning back toward Daniel expectantly while you waited.
He looked at you for a moment before getting the hint, handing you his phone to put your number in as the cab pulled up. As you typed it in, he asked, "How about coffee? Tomorrow or the day after? I've got work, so it might have to be a bit early, but… I'd like to see you again."
"Coffee sounds great," you replied as the cab pulled up beside you. Before you could even reach for the handle, Daniel already was, opening the door for you and putting a steadying hand on your waist as you ducked down into the back seat. You sent him one last smile as he went to close the door, telling him, "Goodnight, Daniel."
"Night," he replied, closing the door and watching the cab pull away from the curb. Your phone buzzed moments later with a text from an unknown number that said Thanks again for the drink! As you replied the same in return, he smiled. He hadn't planned on his night ending the way it did, but man, was he happy it did.
a/n: gosh, i love how playful and funny these two are together! and it only gets better from here!
as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! i love hearing from you guys! until next time! xo! <3
Buck checked his phone again for the 10th time in half as many minutes. He had been waiting for the past hour for Daniel to deliver BB Urich to him with no response to Buck's texts of ETA?, You here? or even his final text of simply ???.
He sat on the sofa in the dimly lit room. To be honest, he didn't really care for this part of the job. It was messy and brutal and occasionally involved people who had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, it had to be done.
The door opened. Finally.
Daniel walked up to Buck. "Hey."
Buck looked behind him, disappointed yet honestly unsurprised when he didn't see Miss Urich. "Where is she?"
Daniel shrugged. "She's not coming."
Buck stood and took his jacket off before tossing it onto the couch, then slowly walked up to Daniel. "Where is she, Daniel?"he repeated.
Daniel pretended to think for a moment. "I think she had a birthday party."
Buck sighed, then scoffed and shook his head. This wasn't the way he had planned for things to go — he'd hoped that he would just be able to intimidate Miss Urich into compliance (although he hadn't ruled out eliminating her if she refused), but unfortunately it seemed like he would have to beat her location out of Daniel first.
He sighed again as he took his leather gloves out of his pocket. "Now sooner or later," he said as he put them on, "we both know… you're gonna tell me."
Daniel glanced down at Buck's gloved hands, then back up at his face. "Fuck you, Buck."
Buck took a deep breath. He didn't want to harm Daniel, but clearly the younger man needed to be taught a lesson in loyalty.
He headbutted Daniel, then turned him and threw him down before grabbing him in a chokehold.
He held on as Daniel struggled. "Fuck," Daniel gasped, then bent down to try to loosen Buck's grip.
Buck kneed Daniel in the back and threw him down on the sofa, then began to punch him.
"No, no!" Daniel cried out.
Buck punched Daniel a few more times, then grabbed him and threw him onto the floor. "Where, Daniel?" he yelled, then added in a slightly softer tone, "I don't enjoy this." Tell me and I can let you go.
Daniel groaned. "I don't know where she is."
Fuck. Buck really didn't want to have to resort to more extreme measures, but Daniel wasn't giving him much of a choice.
He took his gloves off and tossed them away, then pulled his gun out of its holster and pointed it at Daniel.
Daniel groaned. "Oh, fuck!"
He whimpered then groaned again. "This isn't Helmand, Buck."
Buck cocked his gun and pointed it point-blank at Daniel's head with both hands. "Last chance." Come on, Daniel, just tell me where she is.
Daniel whimpered and groaned once again. "What is followin' his orders gonna do for you? How long until you're on the floor with a gun pointed at your head?"
He coughed. "Or what if it was Y/N's loyalty getting questioned, huh? You gonna beat the shit outta her too, point a gun at her?"
Buck shook his head and took a step closer. "Don't. Don't you dare bring her into this."
Daniel ignored him and continued. "Does she know about about your past? What about the body we buried the other night? You honestly think she'd stick with you if she knew what you've done, how many innocent people you've hurt or killed?"
Buck hesitated briefly. He had told you about being in the military and how he had met your father, but he had never shared specifics about Regiment 22 or Helmand, or about his time as a mercenary.
He mentally shook his head. Daniel was clearly trying to distract him.
Besides, if Daniel had been able to dig up information about Buck's past in the military, who knew what else he could find? Buck couldn't run the risk of him blowing the whistle on the Mayor and taking down his entire enterprise — and by proxy, you.
Buck fired, Daniel's head jerking as the bullet hit its mark.
Buck reholstered his gun, panting with both adrenaline and exertion, then picked up his suit jacket and stepped over Daniel's motionless body to walk back towards the entrance.
He slipped his jacket on and looked back at Daniel, a deep sense of sadness washing over him in addition to the familiar surge of adrenaline after completing an assignment. He had genuinely liked the younger man and had been hoping that Daniel could work his way up the ladder and succeed him as head of security once Mayor Fisk was ready to hand the keys to his empire over to you (with Buck presumably by your side to advise and support you however you needed).
He sighed deeply once again, then headed outside to prepare for cleanup.
Once the scene was cleaned up and Daniel's body disposed of, Buck drove home.
He parked in your private parking spot and sat in the car, unable to shake what Daniel had said about you from his mind.
He had never even considered the possibility of one day maybe having to choose between his love and fidelity towards you and his loyalty to the Mayor. He had never directly refused orders before, but in that case…
He shook his head. A highly unlikely scenario was the least of his worries.
You finding out details about his past, however…
Buck had killed people, innocent people — children, even — all in the name of Her Majesty as part of Regiment 22. And he hadn't stopped there — after his time in the Special Air Force ended, he had been recruited by a former squad mate to potentially join an American private military company before deciding to go freelance instead, which was how he had met James Wesley, and through Wes, Wilson Fisk… and eventually you.
He let out a breath, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. He had always used sex as not only a method of burning off adrenaline after a successful job, but as a way to distract himself from the memory of his targets pleading for their lives (if they even had time before Buck eliminated them).
There was no way Buck would ever seek relief with anyone but you — you were the only woman he ever wanted to be with for the rest of his life — but he didn't deserve to be allowed to touch you. Not when he was a weapon, only good for causing harm to others.
And he would never harm you.
Buck glanced at his watch, grimacing when he noticed the time. With any luck, you'd be asleep and he could try getting himself off in the shower before going to sleep in the guest room. If you noticed his absence in your bed, he'd just tell you that he hadn't wanted to disturb you at the late hour.
Either way, he couldn't stay in the car all night.
He sighed and got out, then headed to the elevator and up to your apartment.
Buck checked his watch as he hurried down the hall to your office. The Mayor had tasked him with giving you firearm training and he needed to try to catch you before you left for a meeting outside the building.
He slowed as he noticed your office door was open and your light was on. Good, she's still here.
He knocked on the open door. "Excuse me, darling."
You looked over at him briefly and smiled, then resumed typing. "Hi, sweetheart. Sorry, I have a meeting in an hour with the head of BronxWorks and I'm —"
Buck shook his head. "Actually, you don't. The mayor has cleared your schedule for the rest of the afternoon."
He had been relieved when you had agreed to join your father's enterprise — as he had told you earlier that morning, he felt like he could better protect you if you were aware of and involved in your father's business dealings.
However, he also knew that being part of the Mayor's non-mayoral business came with certain hazards, so when he had returned from speaking with you he and Mayor Fisk had discussed possible safety measures, including acquiring a weapon for you and teaching you how to use it.
You stopped typing and looked back over at him, your eyebrows furrowing. "What? Why?"
"Given… recent events, he wishes for you to learn how to properly arm and protect yourself."
You sighed. "Does it have to be now? I have so much that I need to do here."
Buck shrugged. "It's either that or I go tell the Mayor that you decided to go with the option of having a Task Force member designated as your personal security instead. I believe he said something about assigning Powell personally to the task…"
He paused as he waited for you to make your decision. Buck knew Powell made you uncomfortable — he himself had caught the man leering at you on more than one occasion — so he was pretty certain that you would wind up accepting firearm training.
You made a face, then sighed. "Okay, fine. Let's go."
Buck waited as you shut your computer down and grabbed your purse, then he and you headed to the parking garage.
Buck unlocked the car he had reserved and opened the passenger door for you.
"Thank you, sweetheart," you said as you got in.
Buck smiled. You couldn't have been that annoyed at having your afternoon disrupted if you were still using your preferred term of endearment for him. "You're welcome, love."
He shut the door and went around to the driver's side to get in.
"So which firing range are we going to?" you asked as Buck fastened his seatbelt and started the car.
Buck shook his head. "Your father has arranged for private instruction at the Red Hook port facility. Given the protests a few nights ago, he doesn't wish to stoke further dissent by having his daughter spotted taking firearm training."
You nodded. "Ah, yeah, okay, that makes sense."
Buck pulled out of the parking garage and onto the street, then headed towards Brooklyn, glancing over at you as you sighed and looked out the window. "Everything alright?"
You looked back over at him and shrugged. "Just thinking."
Buck reached over and took your hand in his. "I know it's been a difficult few days, love."
You sighed again and shook your head. "At least I slept a little better last night. I wouldn't want to accidentally shoot myself or someone else because I can't focus on what I'm doing."
Buck squeezed your hand in reassurance. "If I didn't feel comfortable with your competence in handling a firearm at the moment, I would have insisted that your training wait until another day. I would never let anything happen to you, my darling. Your safety is paramount."
You smiled softly. "Your safety is important to me too."
You both were silent for the rest of the short drive to Red Hook, your hand in Buck's a comfort. With everything that had been going on — the vigilante trials, the security incident at Red Hook, locating the first mate of the Northern Star, and now the death of your stepmother — the two of you had hardly seen each other over the past couple of weeks, much less spent any significant amount of time together, and Buck had missed you. At least it seems like we should both be home this evening.
He turned into the port and parked.
You looked up at the building as you both got out of the car. "I don't think I've been here since the ribbon-cutting after the renovation," you said. "I guess I'm still in the mindset of 'port dangerous, avoid if possible'."
Buck chuckled and held the door open for you. "After you, darling."
He walked in behind you then led you to the area he had set up as a makeshift firing range.
You looked around. "Will the instructor be here soon?"
Buck shook his head. "My apologies, love, I thought you understood. I'll be training you."
Your eyebrows raised. "You'll be — oh. Okay then."
Buck eyed you curiously. "Is that a problem?"
You shook your head. "Oh no, no, that's fine. I guess I just assumed when you said private instruction that Dad had gotten the head of the NYPD's Firearms Licensing department or someone like that to teach me."
You waved a hand at him. "Ready when you are."
"Okay then." Buck nodded then guided you over to the table of various handguns he'd had sent over. "First task is to choose your armament. I took the liberty of selecting a few that I think might suit you."
"So do I just pick one based on vibes?" you asked as you looked at each gun. "They all look the same to me."
Buck huffed out a laugh. "There's subtle nuances between them that can make a rather large difference in your aim. You don't want a firearm that's too unwieldy — it should feel balanced in your hand."
He picked up the gun he had felt most would suit you and turned the safety off before handing it to you. "Here, try this one."
You took it. "It's lighter than I expected."
Buck nodded. "This one is highly recommend for concealed carry. Hold it up, get a feel for it."
You turned towards the target and pointed the gun at it, gripping it with both hands as if clasped in prayer. "Yeah, this one feels okay."
Buck shook his head. "Second step is learning how to properly hold a firearm. That gun shouldn't have much kickback, but you don't want to injure yourself should you ever have to use it."
He stepped behind you, trailing his fingers down your arms to your hands in order to adjust your grip. "You want your hands a bit closer together."
You took a deep breath. "Like this?"
"Mmm." Buck nodded. "Just like that, darling. Very good."
"What's next?"
"Next is aim."
"Which is point and shoot, right?"
Buck chuckled. "Not quite. Look down the barrel at the target, aim, then fire."
You bit your lip. "Could you show me first? Like, as an example?"
Buck nodded. "Certainly, love."
He let go of your arms and pulled his own gun out of its holster, then stepped up to the firing line he had marked on the floor. "Watch closely."
He raised his gun, aimed, then fired, hitting the figure on the target right in the middle of the head.
He reholstered his gun. "Now, your turn."
You looked at the target. "If I hit it, do I get a prize?"
Buck chuckled. Nothing wrong with a little positive reinforcement. "Sure, darling, why not?"
You raised the gun, looked down the barrel, and fired at the target, hitting it almost dead center. "Hmm, sight must be off."
Buck stared at the target for a few moments in bewilderment, then huffed out a laugh and shook his head. "You naughty little minx. You already knew how to shoot, didn't you?"
You put the safety on and turned back towards him, shrugging sheepishly. "Vanessa took me to the firing range while my dad was in prison, said a girl needed to learn how to protect herself. I don't guess she ever told him, unless he forgot."
Buck nodded. "Well played, darling. Well played."
You walked back over to the table and set the gun back in its case. "Haven't shot a gun in a while, figured I could probably at least use a refresher course."
You wrapped your arms around Buck's waist. "Besides, I thought it'd be nice to spend the afternoon together. I've missed you."
Buck gave you a soft kiss as he wrapped his arms around you as well. "I've missed you too, my love."
You hummed. "Now, I believe I was promised a prize?"
Buck chuckled. "You were. Did you have something in particular in mind?"
You bit your lip. "Pick up something for dinner, then go home to cuddle?"
Buck nodded, a soft smile on his face. "That sounds suitable."
You let go of him and took his hand in yours. "Good, then let's go."
Later that night, as you lay naked and sleeping in his arms, Buck's mind drifted to the engagement ring that was currently hidden in an empty bullet box in his gun safe in your bedroom. He had originally planned on whisking you away to Niagara Falls over the weekend to propose, but with your stepmother's death and the Mayor needing both of you closer to home, proposing would have to wait.
"I already told you, you need to input the population info first, then the stats for each individual borough," you muttered to yourself as you read an email from Starla, one of the analysts that worked on your team. "That's why your numbers are off."
You had just gotten back in the office after taking the previous two days off to mourn Vanessa and was trying to follow up on tasks that had been relegated to others in your department.
You replied to Starla as such and were contemplating going get another cup of coffee when your phone lit up with a text from Sheila.
The Mayor would like to see you, it read.
You sighed. You hadn't spoken to your father since the repast — you had returned home to deal with your own personal business while he had continued to field sympathy and prepare to settle Vanessa's estate, but apparently whatever it was he needed to speak with you about was important enough to summon you.
You picked your phone up. I'll be right there, you texted back, then got up and headed out of your office and to the elevator.
You rode up to the floor your father's office was on, then walked down the hall.
You knocked on his door then opened it, pausing when you noticed that the chair in front of your father's desk was already occupied. "You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Ah, yes," your father said. "District Attorney Hochberg and I were just finishing up, weren't we?"
"Oh, er, yes, of course," the DA replied before standing. "Miss Fisk, always a pleasure to see you."
"Mmhmm."
"I'll see you at the trial?"
You nodded. Karen Page had been captured and taken into custody at the protest in front of City Hall a few nights ago and was being brought to court later that day. "Of course."
You waited until he had left before taking a seat in the chair in front of your father's desk.
"District Attorney Hochberg is a interesting fellow, isn't he?" your father said.
In all honesty, you hated the man. "He's a very… skilled litigator."
Your father harrumphed. "He makes my skin crawl."
You chuckled. At least he technically agreed with you.
"Lawyers," your father continued. "You know, they… use words to twist the truth, don't they?"
You thought back to your father's unjust trial so many years ago. "I think I know what you mean."
Your father nodded. "I imagine you do."
You paused. "I've been meaning to check in with you. How are you, Dad?"
"I don't know. I haven't been asked that." Your father sighed. "I always accepted love as a prison. Not the love between a father and his child, of course, but the kind of love a man has for a woman. I just… never expected to be in it alone."
You nodded. You could never fathom losing Buck the way your father had lost Vanessa. "Condolences are meaningless. Thoughts and prayers do nothing. No one tells you the truth in times like this, which is…"
You sighed. "This is going to hurt. Losing Vanessa for me is not the same as losing her is for you, so we don't know when or even if it's going to end for both of us."
"No." Your father paused. "Well… I uh, I appreciate your words."
He opened his desk drawer. "The reason I wanted to see you was, well…"
He took something out of the drawer and set it on his desk, then pushed it towards you.
Your blood ran cold as you recognized the twin to Vanessa's diamond-and-ruby earring that was still in your purse. "Dad, I am so sorry," you began. "I, uh—"
Your father shook his head. "You don't have to apologize, she would've wanted you to have them. It's just curious, the things we do on impulse — isn't it?"
You chuckled softly to yourself. "I would've liked to have thought I'd have more control over myself than that — or at least have taken both of them so it wouldn't be as noticeable."
"Ah, but you didn't." Your father folded his hands together in front of him. "I know you've always thought of the work I do as… unsavory, but I would hope that since you've been home you might would have changed your opinion and would reconsider joining the family business."
Your eyebrows raised in surprise. "You do?"
"Purely behind-the-scenes," your father clarified. "An… administrative role, so to speak. At least until you became comfortable enough to be more hands-on."
You thought for a moment. You couldn't help but feel proud that your father trusted you enough to ask you to reconsider joining his empire, and besides, you were dating and even living with his most trusted associate…
You took a deep breath. "Can I think about it for a bit? I'd like to talk to Buck before I make a decision."
Your father nodded. "Yes, of course."
You picked up Vanessa's earring and stood. "If that was all, I have some things I need to get back to."
You turned to leave, slipping the earring into your pants pocket.
Your father said your name. "One other thing."
You turned back around. "Yeah, Dad?"
"No matter your decision…" Your father smiled softly at you. "Buck is a good man. Hold on to him."
You smiled back at him, your heart warming. "I will."
You left your father's office and headed back to yours, then grabbed your phone. Are you at City Hall? you texted to Buck. I need to talk to you about something important.
Your phone buzzed with a reply. I'm not at the moment, but will be within 10 minutes.
You looked at the time. Meet me at the fountain?
Okay. See you there.
You grabbed your purse out of your desk drawer and scrawled a note on the whiteboard attached to your office door. Taking an early lunch, back at 12:15 pm.
You texted Sheila to let her know as well then left the office, walking across City Park to the Tony Stark Memorial Fountain before taking a seat to wait for Buck.
While you waited, you weighed your options. If you rejected your father's offer, you could continue to claim plausable deniability as to what exactly he was involved in. If you accepted, however, you felt like you'd be able to figure out how best to protect both him and Buck if things ever went south again.
You smiled as you noticed Buck walking up to you. "Hi, sweetheart."
Buck smiled back at you then gave you a soft, slow kiss. "Hello, my darling."
He sat next to you. "What is it you wish to speak to me about? Everything okay?"
You nodded. "Yeah, I just…"
You paused, trying to figure out how best to word things just in case anyone nearby happened to be listening. "My dad asked me to join his… other administration."
Buck nodded. "And are you considering it?"
"Actually, kinda, but I wanted to talk to you first—" Your eyes narrowed at the nonplussed look on Buck's face. "Wait a minute, you knew. You knew he was going to ask me and you didn't say anything!"
Buck winced. "Your father asked me my opinion on the matter and if I thought you might be open to the idea, but he also specifically forbade me from mentioning the possibility to you because he wanted to speak to you himself."
Yeah, okay, that makes sense, you thought, your irritation immediately evaporating.
You let out a fake huff of annoyance. "Stop being reasonable when I'm trying to be mad at you," you grumbled.
Buck chuckled. "My apologies, darling. Would you like me to vex you further? I can steal your lunch out of the staff refrigerator or leave the toilet seat up at home."
Your lips quirked up in a smile. "Nah, that's okay. So how would you feel if I joined the family business? I'm assuming you told my dad you'd be okay with it?"
Buck nodded. "I did, although I would think that he would have asked you even if I had tried to discourage him. You're a brilliant woman with a head for business and I think you could make your father's enterprise grow even more exponentially."
He bit his lip. "And honestly I feel like I can better protect you if you're fully aware of your father's business dealings."
You nodded. "And you don't want to betray his trust by involving me without his knowledge."
"Exactly." Buck put an arm around you and pressed a kiss to your forehead. "It's entirely your decision, of course, but I do appreciate you asking me about my feelings on the matter — even if I already knew about it."
"Of course. This doesn't just affect me, it affects you as well." You took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I love you."
Buck squeezed your hand back. "I love you too."
He stood. "Are you expected back in the office any time soon? Because the food truck I passed on my way here smells amazing."
You shook your head. "You're in luck — I happen to be on an early lunch break and don't have to be back for another 45 minutes."
Buck grinned. "Well then, what do you say, darling?"
You stood as well and squeezed his hand once again. "I say let's go get in line."
You pulled your phone out of your pocket to text your father as you and Buck walked back towards City Hall together.
chapter summary: you and your roommate are upset over the election of Wilson Fisk as Mayor of New York City and begin planning on how to get him out: starting with a member of his communications team.
"What's got your panties in a twist?" you asked your roommate as you walked into the apartment. Your voice was slightly strained as you hauled your heavy work bag onto one of the hooks by the door, adding, "I mean, besides the shit-ass new reality that we live in…"
"That's exactly what I'm upset about, thanks…" she mumbled, sighing deeply as she scrolled past the same story that had been flooding her feed the entire afternoon.
"What happened today?" you asked, taking your shoes off and dumping them into the designated bin you put your work ones in so they wouldn't touch the others.
"Just fuel added to the fire that Fisk is gonna save the city," she said sarcastically, the look on her face exactly matching her tone.
"Bastard…" you mumbled as you began making your way to your bedroom to change out of your scrubs for the evening. Once you were in your pajamas, you came out of your room, sighing before saying, "I just don't get how people can ignore that the guy was imprisoned for racketeering and elect him mayor!"
"Yeah, not to mention all the murder…" she sighed. "But people wanted change, so that's what they voted for…"
"You still planning on trying to prove it?" you asked, referring to her comment on the one murder you knew was on her mind - because it was on yours, too.
She shrugged, staring up at the ceiling as she replied, "I mean, obviously I want to, but…"
"But nothing! You're BB fucking Urich! Since when have you ever given up on telling a story that needs to be told?"
BB said your name as she sent you a look that showed her emotional exhaustion on full display. "It's been twelve years. If the FBI couldn't find anything or prove that he killed Uncle Ben, how the hell am I supposed to?"
"Put the investigative part of your title to use, that's how," you told her, settling onto your side of the couch with a groan. Your shift had been taxing on your body and the unit was, of course, understaffed, so everyone was helping each other out when it came to patient care. As your tight muscles started to loosen, you said, "Don't get old, kid…"
BB laughed and lightly hit you with a throw pillow, saying, "I'm only a few months younger than you, you ass."
You stuck your tongue out at her teasingly before reaching out your hand and making a come here motion to signal her to give you her phone. "What? Why?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed as she angled the screen toward you.
"Just let me look at what you're seeing that's making you such a black cloud right now. I didn't have time to get on my phone at work today, so I have no clue what happened," you explained, settling closer to her on the plush couch.
"It's just a stupid video of Fisk getting out of his car and ordering a construction team to fill a hole in the road. Then he gave some speech about how he promised to 'get things done' when he was elected…" she told you as she hit play on the video taken from a bystander's cell phone.
"Hashtag Fisk can fix it…" you mumbled while rolling your eyes and shaking your head. As you watched the video loop again, you pointed to someone standing to the side of Fisk, asking, "Who's that?"
"The lady? That's Sheila Rivera. She's worked the political scene for years. Think Ben knew her once upon a time…"
"No, no, the young guy. Looks around our age," you told her, zooming in on the guy in question.
"I…dunno, but I'm sure I can find out. Why?"
"Well, what did Ben always say about following any lead you can?" you asked, reaching back into your memories of when the two of you would sit around Ben's office at The Bulletin when the two of you were out of school and your families couldn't afford daycare.
"What are you implying?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as she looked at you. She gave you that look you had seen more times than you could count since you were young, the one she gave you when she could tell you were formulating a plan founded on lofty goals and aspirations alone, rather than solid evidence and proof that it would work.
"I'm just saying, we get in with Mr. Pale and Mysterious and you might be able to weasel your way into information you need to expose Fisk's bullshit for what it really is: a move to grab more power for his own personal gain. That's how it always is with guys like him."
"We?" BB asked, eyeing you incredulously.
"Yes, we!" you told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Think about it! It's way too obvious if you with the famous blog try to get in with him. But if I hook him, we hang out a time or two and I mention that my best friend is a reporter who would love to get an interview with the Mayor. If the cards are played right, you get the beat on all things Fisk and maybe we can get inside information from Mr. Yet To Be Named, to maybe be called Baby Fisk!"
"Okay, I will be finding out this guy's name immediately so you can stop coming up with nicknames for him…" BB said with a laugh as she gently shoved you off of her. As she typed away on her phone, she asked off-handedly, "By the way, just how do you think you're gonna do this, Miss ICU nurse? When do you have enough days off to help me figure out who this guy is, find out where he hangs out, who he hangs out with, and then chat him up?"
"I'll have you know that sometimes Kaci is generous and I happen to have damn near a week straight off, starting tonight!" you replied smugly, leaning back and cradling your head in your hands.
"How the hell did you manage that?"
"Work the front half of the week this week and the back half of next week. Makes travel easy. That way, if shit hits the fan, I have PTO to fall back on. You just gotta be smarter than the system!"
"It sounds like you're not letting this go, huh?" she asked, rolling her eyes playfully as she scrolled through another search that got her closer to the guy in the video's identity.
"Nope!" you replied, popping the 'p' before laughing quietly. "Mom may have practically forced me out of being a journalist, but I'll never forget everything Ben taught us or what I've seen him do to chase a story and reveal the truth. If there's even a chance that we can help get Fisk out of office, I'm more than willing to take it."
BB stopped scrolling for a second when she finally landed on what she was looking for. Instead of revealing the information, her voice was quiet and reflective as she said, "It could be dangerous. You know that, right?"
"I know," you replied solemnly. You squeezed her shoulder gently as you added with a small smile, "That's why I want us to do this together. You and me against the world. Just like it's always been."
"You and me against the world," BB agreed, a smile finally making its way onto her lips as she nodded once. Right when she finished saying that, a timer started going off in the kitchen and it finally brought your attention to the delicious smell of food lingering in the air of the apartment. As you went to stand to retrieve the food from the oven, you heard BB say, "Daniel Blake."
"Sorry?" you asked, pausing as you passed through the kitchen's threshold.
"The guy. His name's Daniel Blake. Looks like he's working on the communications team for Fisk," she replied.
"You're amazing, BB," you said, pointing finger guns at her as you continued into the kitchen before dinner burnt. Your voice carried through the kitchen and into the living room as you said, "Now all you need to do is-"
"He hangs out at this one club in Midtown a lot it looks like," she interrupted, the smirk audible in her voice as she told you the information.
"What's the name? It sounds like I need to go shopping," you said with a quiet laugh as you placed the baking sheet onto a cooling rack. "Operation Infiltrate the Fisk Administration is a go!"
a/n: and here we go! i've got a lot up my sleeve for this one! it definitely is a little self-indulgent fic that i just wanted to write, but i hope it's enjoyable for you guys! (i say as i'm sure the daniel blake fandom is quite small, but he's my blorbo and i love hiiiimmmm)
anyway! likes, comments, and re-blogs are appreciated! until next time! xo! <3
chapter summary: you and your roommate are upset over the election of Wilson Fisk as Mayor of New York City and begin planning on how to get him out: starting with a member of his communications team.
"What's got your panties in a twist?" you asked your roommate as you walked into the apartment. Your voice was slightly strained as you hauled your heavy work bag onto one of the hooks by the door, adding, "I mean, besides the shit-ass new reality that we live in…"
"That's exactly what I'm upset about, thanks…" she mumbled, sighing deeply as she scrolled past the same story that had been flooding her feed the entire afternoon.
"What happened today?" you asked, taking your shoes off and dumping them into the designated bin you put your work ones in so they wouldn't touch the others.
"Just fuel added to the fire that Fisk is gonna save the city," she said sarcastically, the look on her face exactly matching her tone.
"Bastard…" you mumbled as you began making your way to your bedroom to change out of your scrubs for the evening. Once you were in your pajamas, you came out of your room, sighing before saying, "I just don't get how people can ignore that the guy was imprisoned for racketeering and elect him mayor!"
"Yeah, not to mention all the murder…" she sighed. "But people wanted change, so that's what they voted for…"
"You still planning on trying to prove it?" you asked, referring to her comment on the one murder you knew was on her mind - because it was on yours, too.
She shrugged, staring up at the ceiling as she replied, "I mean, obviously I want to, but…"
"But nothing! You're BB fucking Urich! Since when have you ever given up on telling a story that needs to be told?"
BB said your name as she sent you a look that showed her emotional exhaustion on full display. "It's been twelve years. If the FBI couldn't find anything or prove that he killed Uncle Ben, how the hell am I supposed to?"
"Put the investigative part of your title to use, that's how," you told her, settling onto your side of the couch with a groan. Your shift had been taxing on your body and the unit was, of course, understaffed, so everyone was helping each other out when it came to patient care. As your tight muscles started to loosen, you said, "Don't get old, kid…"
BB laughed and lightly hit you with a throw pillow, saying, "I'm only a few months younger than you, you ass."
You stuck your tongue out at her teasingly before reaching out your hand and making a come here motion to signal her to give you her phone. "What? Why?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed as she angled the screen toward you.
"Just let me look at what you're seeing that's making you such a black cloud right now. I didn't have time to get on my phone at work today, so I have no clue what happened," you explained, settling closer to her on the plush couch.
"It's just a stupid video of Fisk getting out of his car and ordering a construction team to fill a hole in the road. Then he gave some speech about how he promised to 'get things done' when he was elected…" she told you as she hit play on the video taken from a bystander's cell phone.
"Hashtag Fisk can fix it…" you mumbled while rolling your eyes and shaking your head. As you watched the video loop again, you pointed to someone standing to the side of Fisk, asking, "Who's that?"
"The lady? That's Sheila Rivera. She's worked the political scene for years. Think Ben knew her once upon a time…"
"No, no, the young guy. Looks around our age," you told her, zooming in on the guy in question.
"I…dunno, but I'm sure I can find out. Why?"
"Well, what did Ben always say about following any lead you can?" you asked, reaching back into your memories of when the two of you would sit around Ben's office at The Bulletin when the two of you were out of school and your families couldn't afford daycare.
"What are you implying?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as she looked at you. She gave you that look you had seen more times than you could count since you were young, the one she gave you when she could tell you were formulating a plan founded on lofty goals and aspirations alone, rather than solid evidence and proof that it would work.
"I'm just saying, we get in with Mr. Pale and Mysterious and you might be able to weasel your way into information you need to expose Fisk's bullshit for what it really is: a move to grab more power for his own personal gain. That's how it always is with guys like him."
"We?" BB asked, eyeing you incredulously.
"Yes, we!" you told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Think about it! It's way too obvious if you with the famous blog try to get in with him. But if I hook him, we hang out a time or two and I mention that my best friend is a reporter who would love to get an interview with the Mayor. If the cards are played right, you get the beat on all things Fisk and maybe we can get inside information from Mr. Yet To Be Named, to maybe be called Baby Fisk!"
"Okay, I will be finding out this guy's name immediately so you can stop coming up with nicknames for him…" BB said with a laugh as she gently shoved you off of her. As she typed away on her phone, she asked off-handedly, "By the way, just how do you think you're gonna do this, Miss ICU nurse? When do you have enough days off to help me figure out who this guy is, find out where he hangs out, who he hangs out with, and then chat him up?"
"I'll have you know that sometimes Kaci is generous and I happen to have damn near a week straight off, starting tonight!" you replied smugly, leaning back and cradling your head in your hands.
"How the hell did you manage that?"
"Work the front half of the week this week and the back half of next week. Makes travel easy. That way, if shit hits the fan, I have PTO to fall back on. You just gotta be smarter than the system!"
"It sounds like you're not letting this go, huh?" she asked, rolling her eyes playfully as she scrolled through another search that got her closer to the guy in the video's identity.
"Nope!" you replied, popping the 'p' before laughing quietly. "Mom may have practically forced me out of being a journalist, but I'll never forget everything Ben taught us or what I've seen him do to chase a story and reveal the truth. If there's even a chance that we can help get Fisk out of office, I'm more than willing to take it."
BB stopped scrolling for a second when she finally landed on what she was looking for. Instead of revealing the information, her voice was quiet and reflective as she said, "It could be dangerous. You know that, right?"
"I know," you replied solemnly. You squeezed her shoulder gently as you added with a small smile, "That's why I want us to do this together. You and me against the world. Just like it's always been."
"You and me against the world," BB agreed, a smile finally making its way onto her lips as she nodded once. Right when she finished saying that, a timer started going off in the kitchen and it finally brought your attention to the delicious smell of food lingering in the air of the apartment. As you went to stand to retrieve the food from the oven, you heard BB say, "Daniel Blake."
"Sorry?" you asked, pausing as you passed through the kitchen's threshold.
"The guy. His name's Daniel Blake. Looks like he's working on the communications team for Fisk," she replied.
"You're amazing, BB," you said, pointing finger guns at her as you continued into the kitchen before dinner burnt. Your voice carried through the kitchen and into the living room as you said, "Now all you need to do is-"
"He hangs out at this one club in Midtown a lot it looks like," she interrupted, the smirk audible in her voice as she told you the information.
"What's the name? It sounds like I need to go shopping," you said with a quiet laugh as you placed the baking sheet onto a cooling rack. "Operation Infiltrate the Fisk Administration is a go!"
a/n: and here we go! i've got a lot up my sleeve for this one! it definitely is a little self-indulgent fic that i just wanted to write, but i hope it's enjoyable for you guys! (i say as i'm sure the daniel blake fandom is quite small, but he's my blorbo and i love hiiiimmmm)
anyway! likes, comments, and re-blogs are appreciated! until next time! xo! <3
What's the point in loving someone morally confusing? It's not likely, so unlike me... Uh oh, I can't shake this feeling, 'cause I think I'm falling for the villain... ~ PEGGY
hey guys! here's the latest story that's taken over my mind as of late! it's your typical accidental love story, in which you end up falling for the last person you thought you would. daniel blake, newly elected mayor fisk's head of communications. there's some manipulation, flirting, fluff, angst, comfort, and ultimately falling in love. i hope any of you who are daniel fans will enjoy!
ps: shoutout to @loveroftoomanyfandoms for helping me out SO MUCH with this story! it's been a blast brainstorming with you and i can't wait for you to see all the work come to fruition!
Story Summary: Clark Kent knew he loved his best friend before he was even sure what love was, but the distance between the two of them always prevented him from revealing his feelings. Though he tried to move on, his yearning only grew as their friendship also did.
When Y/N finally visits Metropolis, no longer thousands of miles from Clark and his crush-happy heart, he’s ecstatic. But will her physical presence be enough to draw a confession from him?
Tags/Warnings: Childhood BFFs, Pen pals, friends to lovers, Canon Divergent, Jonathan Kent and Jimmy Olsen both Live Because Fuck Canon, That's Why
A/N: We're back! I took a hard pivot back into the Daredevil fandom (and I'm still there) but Clark decided to fight Buck Cashman for my attention and I was able to finish this chapter. The next part is mostly written, so hopefully I'll be able to finish that one pretty quickly.
If you'd like to be added to the taglist for this story, please let me know!
Taglist: @moonjellyfishie @vigilxnte-shit
Clark fidgeted with the zipper of his jacket as he sat on a bench outside the café he and Y/N had agreed to meet at while he waited for her to arrive. He had changed his outfit four times before finally settling on a light blue cable-knit sweater that his parents had gotten him for Christmas the previous year to replace the threadbare one he'd worn since he was a teen, his leather jacket, and a pair of jeans. Maybe I should've worn something nicer.
He was considering zipping home and changing yet again when he spotted Y/N coming up the sidewalk.
His breath caught. Y/N was also dressed casually, in jeans and a black top with a unbuttoned coat over it, but she could've been wearing a potato sack and Clark still would've thought she looked even more beautiful in person than she did over Skype.
Clark stood as she approached. "Y/N, hi."
Y/N stopped in front of him, a bright smile spreading across her face. "Hi, Clark."
Clark nervously reached his arms out towards her. "Is, uh, is a hug okay?"
Y/N huffed out a light laugh and stepped into his embrace. "Of course."
Clark relaxed as Y/N's arms wrapped around him, his own arms tightening around her.
After a few moments Y/N gave him a light squeeze and stepped back. "It's so good to finally see you in person."
"Yeah, same. Only took us, what, 17 years to wind up in the same city?"
Y/N huffed out another laugh. "Something like that. Too long, if you ask me."
"I agree." Clark gestured towards the door. "Shall we?"
Y/N nodded. "Sure."
Clark held the door open for Y/N then followed her into the café.
"Good morning," the seating hostess greeted them. "Table for two?"
"Yes, please," Clark replied.
The seating hostess picked up two menus. "Right this way."
She led them to a small table near a window and set their menus down. "Okay, here you go. Your server will be right with you."
Y/N nodded as she took off her coat. "Thank you."
"Yeah, thanks," Clark added, taking his jacket off as well and draping it over the back of his chair.
"So, do you come here often?" Y/N asked as they sat and the seating hostess left.
Clark shook his head. "Actually this is my first time here. My coworker recommended this place." Which I'll either have to thank or kill Jimmy for depending on how this goes.
"Ah, okay." Y/N picked up her menu. "I just thought maybe you'd have some recommendations as to what was good."
"No, sorry. I usually have breakfast at home or will just grab a bagel with my morning coffee before work."
"Mmm." Y/N surveyed her menu. "Coffee does actually sound good… ooh, or maybe a mimosa."
"Want to split a bottle of champagne then?" Clark asked, looking over his own menu. "Looks like it comes with a complementary carafe of juice to make our own mimosas."
Y/N nodded. "Yeah, splitting a bottle sounds fine."
"Good morning," their server said as he walked up to their table and poured them each a glass of cold water. "My name is Andrew and I'll be taking care of you. Can I get you something besides water to drink?"
"Ah, yes," Clark replied. "We'd like to split a bottle of champagne and add the carafe of orange juice to it."
"Certainly." Andrew jotted down their drink order. "Do you need a few minutes to look over the menu?"
"Yes, please."
"Okay, I'll be right back with that champagne and juice then."
"Thank you."
Clark watched Y/N study her menu as Andrew left to go get their beverages.
Y/N looked up at him. "What?"
Clark's face flushed, embarrassed at being caught staring. "I just can't believe you're really here."
Y/N smiled. "Honestly, me either."
She paused to take a sip of her glass of water. "I'm sorry it took me so long to make it back to Metropolis though."
Clark shook his head. "No, it's alright, it's not like I couldn't have ever tried to come to visit you in California."
Y/N shrugged. "The important thing is that we're here together now, right?"
Clark smiled softly. "Yeah."
Y/N glanced back down at her menu. "So, how are your parents?"
"They're good! Actually, they're getting back from D.C. today and wanted me to invite you over for our weekly family dinner tomorrow if you're not busy."
Y/N looked back up at him with a smile. "No, I'm not busy. I'd love to come."
Great! Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, my coworkers want to meet you while you're here as well."
Y/N's eyebrows raised. "They do?"
"Yeah, I uh, I talk about you a lot — so much so actually that for a while most of them thought I made you up." Clark chuckled. "Sometimes I think they still do."
Y/N nodded with a grin. "That's fair. I've had people not believe you existed too."
"We'll definitely have to get some pictures of us together while you're here then."
"Yeah." Y/N glanced back down at her menu. "We better decide what we want to eat before our server comes back."
"Oh, right." Clark looked at his menu. "I think I might go with the 'build your own breakfast' combo. What about you?"
Y/N hummed thoughtfully. "The stuffed French toast sounds good. Oh, no, wait, I think I want an omelette. Ooh, and maybe some pancakes."
Clark chuckled as Andrew returned with a tray containing a bottle of champagne, a carafe of orange juice, and 2 champagne glasses.
"Here we are," Andrew said, setting the tray down on the empty table next to them.
He moved their champagne glasses to their table along with the champagne and juice. "Okay, are we ready to order?"
Clark nodded. "I'm ready."
"Me too," Y/N added.
Andrew pulled a notepad and pen out of his pocket. "Okay, what can I get you?"
Clark gestured to Y/N with a smile. "After you."
Y/N smiled back at him then gave Andrew her omelette order. "And a side of pancakes, please."
"Certainly." Andrew finished jotting down her order. "And for you, sir?"
"I would like the breakfast platter," Clark began, "with the scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and breakfast potatoes."
"Okay." Andrew wrote down Clark's order. "Can I get the two of you anything else?"
"I'm good," Y/N replied.
"Same," Clark added. "Thanks."
Andrew nodded. "Okay then, let me go put this in for you. I'll be back in a bit."
Clark waited until Andrew picked up the now-empty tray off of the neighboring table and left then said, "By the way, breakfast is on me."
Y/N's eyebrows raised in slight surprise. "Oh, you don't have to do that."
Clark shrugged nonchalantly. "I know, but I wanted to."
"Thank you, I appreciate it." Y/N picked up the bottle of champagne and poured some into her glass. "I'm excited to meet your parents tomorrow."
Clark smiled. "I'll go ahead and let them know that you're coming."
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent his parents a text. Y/N said that she's free for dinner tomorrow night. We'll be over around 3 if that's okay?
That sounds great, his dad replied after a few seconds.
We're so excited to meet her, his mom added.
Clark smiled. I'm excited for you to meet her too. See you tomorrow.
He put his phone back in his pocket. "They're excited to meet you too."
Y/N poured some juice into her glass of champagne. "Do I need to bring anything, like maybe dessert?"
Clark shook his head. "Nope, it's all taken care of."
"How about a bottle of wine then? I'd feel bad if I showed up to your parents' house for dinner completely empty-handed."
Clark's heart warmed. "I promise it's not necessary, but if it would make you feel better, then sure."
"Do you know what we're having? I want to make sure to get something that'll pair well with dinner."
"I think Mom said she was making both chicken and eggplant parmesan."
Y/N nodded. "Okay. I'll stop by the market later this afternoon and get a bottle of wine."
Clark smiled as he began to make his own mimosa. "I'll pick you up around noon, then? It's a pretty long drive to Smallville and my parents will want to visit before dinner."
Y/N bit her lip. "Noon is fine, but can I meet you at your place? I have a couple of things to do in the morning."
Clark nodded. That would give him plenty of time to pick up a rental car before needing to leave. "Yeah, that's fine."
He picked up his mimosa. "How about a toast? To us."
Y/N picked up her mimosa as well. "To us. May our friendship continue to withstand the test of time."
Clark grinned as they clinked their glasses together. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. You're stuck with me for life."
Y/N huffed out a laugh then took a sip of her mimosa. "Good, because I'm actually —"
She cut herself off as Andrew returned to their table with their food.
"Okay," Andrew said, setting Y/N's omelette and pancakes down in front of her. "We have an omelette and side of pancakes here…"
He set Clark's plate down. "And the scrambled eggs with toast, bacon, and breakfast potatoes here. Can I get you two anything else?"
"No thanks, I'm good," Clark replied.
"I'm good too, thanks," Y/N added.
Andrew nodded. "Okay, you two enjoy."
"What were you saying?" Clark asked as Andrew left once again.
Y/N shook her head. "Oh, nothing. Just glad to be here with you."
Clark smiled. "Me too."
He dug into his eggs, realizing as he ate how much he missed regularly having a sit-down breakfast.
Y/N took a bite of her omelette. "Mmm. This is really good."
Clark nodded as he chewed and swallowed. "Mmhmm. I'll have to tell my coworker that this place was a good suggestion."
They continued eating their breakfast in content silence, refilling their mimosas as they emptied their glasses.
"Oh, man," Y/N said once they both had finished eating and the bottle of champagne was empty. "That was great."
"Yeah," Clark agreed. "It's been a while since I've had a breakfast that good."
"Me too."
"Okay," Andrew said as he appeared once again. "How was everything?"
"Excellent," Y/N replied.
Clark nodded. "Yeah, everything was great."
Andrew smiled. "Wonderful! And how will we be splitting the check?"
"One check," Clark said.
"Not a problem." Andrew took a folio out of his apron pocket and set it down in front of Clark. "I can take care of that whenever you're ready."
Clark opened it, gave the bill a quick once-over to make sure it was correct, then took some cash out of his wallet and tucked it inside before handing the folio back to Andrew. "Keep the change."
Andrew nodded. "Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. You two enjoy the rest of your day!"
"You too."
"Thank you for everything," Y/N added.
She waited until Andrew had left then said, "thank you again for breakfast. I appreciate it."
Clark smiled. "You're welcome. Ready to head to the museum?"
Y/N nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
They put their coats on and headed back out into the cool, crisp air.
"Do you mind if we walk?" Y/N asked. "If I remember correctly, the museum isn't far from here."
Clark shook his head. "I don't mind at all."
They headed down the busy sidewalk together towards the museum.
"It's really nice out today," Y/N remarked. "I forgot how early fall comes in Kansas."
Clark nodded. "Yeah, my parents are harvesting the last of the summer vegetables today. Dad said it was a pretty good crop this year."
Y/N smiled. "That's great!"
"By the way, I meant to ask earlier how your parents are doing."
Y/N huffed out a light laugh. "They're fine. I don't know who's enjoying my dad being retired more, him or Mom."
Clark chuckled. Y/N's parents were currently on a 3-month-long tour of Europe. "Where are they this week?"
"Rome — or no, wait, they're on their way to Naples right now." Y/N shook her head with a light laugh. "They're actually talking about moving to Italy."
Clark's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Really? Wow."
"Yeah, they'd been talking about moving somewhere quieter now that Dad's retired and while they were touring Florence last week they saw a house for sale that they felt would be perfect for them. They sent the listing to me along with some photos they took of the house and it's really cute, doesn't look like it needs a whole lot of work." Y/N shrugged. "I'd miss them, of course, but I can always FaceTime them and I'd visit whenever I can. Besides, they're still relatively young and are both in good health. They deserve to enjoy their retirement, wherever it is that they decide to spend it."
Clark nodded. "Yeah, I agree with that."
"What about your parents? Think they're going to retire anytime soon?"
Clark shook his head. "After Mom got reelected they decided to rent out the back 40 instead of using it themselves, but Dad's too stubborn to give the farm up completely."
Y/N nodded. "How's he doing?"
"He's definitely slowed down since his heart attack, but I think taking a step back has helped reduce his stress while still making him feel useful." Clark sighed. "At least the harvest is done for the year. Now all that's left is to can and store everything my parents can't eat in the next week or so and for Dad and I to winterize the farm equipment."
"Does that mean I'll get to see you drive a tractor tomorrow?" Y/N bit her lip. "Or better yet… you can take me for a ride? You always made riding a tractor sound so much fun."
Clark could imagine them riding around the farm, Y/N perched in his lap with her arms around his neck, confessing his feelings for her then stealing a kiss from her lips as the sun set behind them…
Y/N apparently took his silence as reluctance, because she glanced over at him again as they approached the museum. "You don't have to if you don't want to, I just thought—"
Clark shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "No, it's fine, I don't mind."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Clark grinned. "Don't be surprised if you get put to work though."
Y/N let out a light laugh. "I actually wouldn't mind helping out. I always thought it'd be cool to learn how to milk cows and stuff."
Clark chuckled. "Well most of that is automated these days, but I can show you how to do it the old-fashioned way if you want."
"Great!" Y/N grinned. "I can't wait."
Clark smiled at her enthusiasm. "Me either."
He slowed and opened the door to the museum for her. "After you."
Y/N stepped through the doorway. "Thank you."
They walked over to the ticketing counter.
"Good morning, may I help you?" the ticketing clerk asked.
Clark nodded. "Hi, yes, admission for two, please."
The clerk nodded and typed something on her computer. "Okay, that will be twenty dollars."
Clark handed her a twenty-dollar bill.
The clerk took it and handed Clark and Y/N their passes. "Thank you, and enjoy!"
Clark and Y/N thanked the clerk and headed into the museum proper.
"So," Clark asked. "Where to first?"
Y/N shook her head. "I don't know. It's been so long since I've been here that I don't know if they've changed up the layout or anything."
Clark nodded. "Want to start upstairs then work our way back down then?"
Y/N shrugged. "Yeah, that sounds fine."
They headed up to the second floor, where the museum's collection of post-modern art was located.
"Hmm," Clark mused as he and Y/N looked at a photo of a singular piece of corkscrew pasta. "Not exactly sure I'd call that 'art'."
Y/N huffed out a laugh. "I agree, although somebody clearly did since it's hanging in an art museum.
Cllark shrugged. "To each their own, I guess."
They worked their way through the post-modern art into the later 'modern' art, then finally back down through early-modern Impressionism back to the entrance.
Y/N smiled over at him as they left the museum. "This was fun."
Clark nodded. "Yeah, it was. I'm glad we finally got to go."
"Me too."
"So, uh…" Clark rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "We're not far from the Daily Planet, if you want to swing by there and meet my coworkers?"
Y/N grinned. "I'd love to."
They walked the few blocks to the Planet and headed inside.
"Wow, this is really cool," Y/N said as they stepped inside the elevator.
Clark nodded, remembering the first time he had stepped inside the Daily Planet. "Yeah, it is, isn't it?"
They rode up to Clark's floor and almost ran into Jimmy while getting out of the elevator.
"Woah — Hey, C.K.!" Jimmy said. "Didn't expect to see you today."
Clark shook his head. "Y/N and I were nearby, so I thought I'd go ahead and bring her around, introduce her to a few people."
He turned to Y/N. "Y/N, this is Jimmy Olsen, our photographer here at the Planet."
Y/N stuck her hand out for Jimmy to shake. "Hi, nice to meet you."
"Yeah, same here," Jimmy replied. "Clark's been talking non-stop about your visit all week."
Y/N smiled at Clark. "Yeah, I've been excited too."
"Jimmy's the one who recommended the restaurant we went to for breakfast," Clark explained.
Y/N nodded. "Oh, okay! That was a great recommedation, by the way. I really enjoyed it."
Jimmy grinned. "Good, I'm glad. It's my go-to when I want something kind of fancy for breakfast."
"Is Lois around?" Clark asked.
Jimmy nodded, craning his neck to look around for her. "Yeah, she's around here somewhere — oh, there she is. Hey, Lois!"
Clark looked over at Lois, who was walking towards her desk with a cup of coffee in her hand but reversed course when she spotted Clark.
"Hey, wasn't expecting you in today, Smallville," she said as she approached them.
"I wanted to bring Y/N by since we were just around the corner at the museum," Clark explained.
"It's so nice to finally meet you," Y/N said. "Clark's told me so much about you over the years."
Lois smiled. "Yeah, same."
"Hey, so you should come out with us one evening while you're in town," Jimmy said. "There's this little place we all like to go to —"
"Kent!"
Clark turned as Perry appeared behind him. "Hiya, Chief."
Perry harrumphed. "Thought you were out today."
Clark nodded. "I am, but I was just bringing my friend around to meet everyone—"
"Yeah, okay, whatever." Perry waved a dismissive hand. "Since you're here, I have a story for you to cover."
He handed Clark a stack of notes. "I want it on my desk in an hour."
"But—" Clark protested.
Perry walked back towards his office. "One hour, Kent!"
Clark sighed and turned back to Y/N. "I'm sorry."
Y/N shook her head, a soft smile playing on her lips. "It's okay. The news never sleeps, right? Besides, I have some stuff I need to go take care of this afternoon."
Clark nodded. "Thanks for understanding."
"Of course." Y/N gave a nod to Jimmy and Lois. "It was so nice to meet you."
"Yeah, you too," Jimmy said.
"Same," Lois added.
Y/N gave Clark a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
Clark nodded again as he hugged her back. "Yeah."
He watched as Y/N headed back towards the elevator.
Lois huffed out a laugh. "You've got it bad, Smallville."
Clark grimaced. "Is it that obvious?"
Lois shook her head. "I just know the way you look when you have feelings for someone, and you've always looked that way when you talked about her."
She sighed. "Just… tell her how you feel while you have the chance."
Clark nodded. "Thank you."
Lois punched him in the shoulder. "Alrighty, enough sappy talk. You ought to get that article done and get out of here before Perry assigns you another one."
Clark chuckled. "Yeah, you're right."
He sat down at his desk and began to go over the notes. The sooner he got this article turned in, the sooner he could go get ready for tomorrow.
Y'ALL I GET TO MEET LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS IN LESS THAN 4 DAYS!!!
I've been a fan of his ever since I saw him portray Ritchie Valens in La Bamba (I was 2 when it came out, lmao) so this is a check on the ole bucket list!
(Here's a photograph of baby me listening to the La Bamba soundtrack on the plastic Fisher-Price record player my parents got me for Christmas wayyyyy back in the day. That's how deep my love of this movie runs.)
