⋆⁺₊⋆ Chérie ⋆⁺₊⋆
Matt Murdock X Frank Castles sister
Summary: What happens when Mercedes Castle looses her brother and sister, all within a year? What happens when she tries to re-connect with Frank while, then, meeting an oh so familiar lawyer.
TW: DEATH, mentions of depression and suicide. Mentioned abuse, (if can get triggered by any of these subjects or subjects related. PLZ DO NOT READ. it is an ongoing theme.) Smut, but that will be later. ;) ;)
Wattpad Link for cast & playlist(s):
"They say this house is haunted
But all these ghosts I've grown with
I still hold on hopelessly
I lay my head to sleep and say goodnight"
Playlist Recommended for reading:
MERCEDES CASTLE WASN'T A BAD PERSON. She just wished she saw the world through rose pink tinted glasses.
It would have been nice if Mercedes thought that everyone was innocent until proven guilty. Rather than seeing innocence, she saw guilt until proven innocent.
It was a harsh way to see life, but god did give her charcoal gray tinted glasses. It wasn't her fault. Lord, did she want to take them off for one day. For one day, she hoped she would rip the glasses off and see people for the good they truly had inside.
Though sometimes god would let Mercedes take those glasses off, and when she did oh lord, did she see good. Christ, was she attracted to it.
When she saw goodness, grace, and hope— she wanted to bottle it up in a jar, put it on a shelf, and just take a look at it every day just to remind herself that it still existed.
As Mercedes drove her knuckles into the punching bag, she wondered what truly kept the world spinning.
Was it love? love was something that kept her afloat. Maybe some people, but love to Mercedes was like happiness. She didn't have it all the time.
If love didn't keep the world spinning, what was?
As Mercedes watched her world move positively and negatively, she realized how grace affected it.
Grace and her's relationship was complicated because— grace kept Frank out of jail. But grace also forgave Billy when he murdered her sister.
Grace was there when god gave Yanelis a second chance at being happy, but grace wasn't there when Yanelis couldn't protect herself from hate.
Grace was there when Yanelis and frank were in the front lines, but, grace wasn't there for Maria, Lisa, and Frank Jr.
Good or bad, grace kept the world spinning.
Well, at least her world.
It was funny because being a detective she saw grace being tossed around to everybody. She saw it being given to murderers, adulterers, predators, the list goes on— Until it was needed, Grace was given to everyone.
Grace didn't go to her sister when she died a year ago.
Grace didn't go to her sister-in-law and nephews.
As Mercedes drives her foot into the scarlet plastic-covered bag, "Mama" by My Chemical romance plays in the background.
Silently, she whispered the lyrics to herself.
if Yanelis were alive, this wouldn't be happening. Instead, her and Mercedes would be binge-watching "Gilmore Girls" for the billionth time. Then after watching five or six episodes, Yanelis would play an old murder documentary and have Mercedes pinpoint everything wrong that was done, and why they didn't catch the murderer the night after. But instead, Yanelis was gone, and she was in an abandoned gym driving her knuckles into a plastic bag.
Frank didnt care. Maybe if he bothered he could be there with her— but, hell he was dealing with his problems. Frank didnt even show up to Yanelis Funeral. Instead, he showed up a week later at her tomb... what a guy right?
Frank was gone, murdering drug dealers off in hells kitchen and Yanelis was— Yaenlis was six feet under.
And then, Mercedes was just there.
This wasn't how their lives as siblings was supposed to go.
As Mercedes sweat falls down the curve of her forehead, the faint scent of lavender shampoo fades and its overcomes by the harsh scent of water, salt and blood— which fills the room entirely.
In a crime scene, its not really ideal to leave your blood on the premises, so she usually cleans equipment. hence, why a certain man has never noticed.
Crime had been low in Hells Kitchen. there was no need for a Daredevil, or a punisher. Now, the police were actually taking care of it. Sometimes Daredevil would be seen in alleyways but that was only if something truly needed to be taken care of.
Now, Daredevil spent his nights in fogwells, and his days in a law office.
The problem with Matt coming to Fogwells tonight was that rock music was played by millions of people at three o'clock in the morning, so her doing so wasn't something new.
As Matt placed his hands on the rusted doorknob, he listened for her heartbeat.
He heard the golden cross that was hung around her neck, bounce off her chest as she drove every punch and kick to the bag.
As he unlocked the door, he heard the muscles in her neck shift towards his direction.
Matt didn't carry a cane, but by the time he entered the complex, he had already folded it. By the time he was up the stairs, the glasses that hung on the tip of his nose were in his duffle bag.
With the one glance she got, Mercedes noted:
Male: white, five-eleven athletic build- seen at fogwells gym at three o'clock in the morning.
Under the shadows she could tell this wasnt his first time here. Or, first time doing this.
As Matt sat down the duffle bag on a bench, he noted where he assumed the light was coming from. Though, three wasn't much light because it had been raining. So the light that radiated through the glass was more of a moonlight. He wouldn't want her to see his eyes, so he stayed within the shadows.
With another glance at Matt, Mercedes saw the silver cross that hung in the middle of his chest, the black tank top that gripped his torso, and the gray sweatpants that hung loosely down his legs. Though, as she looked down, she saw how his socks were carefully tucked into his pants.
As he walked closer towards Mercedes, the scent of fish and foil increased tremendously.
Though, with blood along her knuckles, she kept in contact with the bag.
"You're bleeding, aren't you?" Asked the man.
She looked back at him, and noted the bruises that nearly wrapped around his forearms.
Her eyes went back on the bag, and ignored him.
"You should probably stop."
His voice was raspy, something as if he had been yelling for too long... or maybe he hadn't spoken in a while.
In a low tone, he said, "This is probably the best time to stop."
Matt heard her heartbeat calm, and her knuckles slowly retract from the bag.
As she paused, she stretched out her fingers and noticed the tissue that hung out of her knuckles, the tape that used to be wrapped around her knuckles was now only hanging on by a thread. as cold air slowly entered in her flesh, she silently cursed at herself.
she bit her lip as the pain registered in her brain, and then walked over to the phone, she squatted down and paused the music.
As she remained squatted, she looked over to where the man was and said, "Thanks."
she hoped he at least gave a slight grin, but from where he stood, she could only see his silhouette.
As she remained on the floor, she grabbed some leftover black tape and began wrapping her knuckles.
Matt heard her silently say, "fuck" as she wrapped her knuckles.
"Sorry, I knew that probably other people came here, I just... lost track of time... place is all yours."
As she tightened the tape around her knuckles, she said to the shadow:
"I'm Camilla" Usually when someone provided their name to a stranger, it made the other one feel comfortable around the other one.
Though, her electric heartbeat gave away her lie.
He nodded, and said, "Matthew."
Mercedes pressed her lips into a fine line and mumbled; "...Biblical"
"Yea well, I just dont go to church on easter, if thats what your insinuating."
She paused as she registered the tone of his voice. She noted how it reminded her of someone who she had heard of before. maybe at work?
"Never insinuated anything. Just noted that you could be named after a bible character. Just like how how you could have insinuated that i'm named after Prince Charles's mistress... just an observation.. nothing to be taken seriosly."
She continued to wrap the tape between her fingers.
She took in a deep breath, her mind then traced for a story as to why her parents named her 'Camilla'.
"My dad had just broken the news to my mom that he had gotten another women pregnant... she didn't take he news very well, but she had my sister and she wanted my sister to have that experience of meeting her baby sister. So, when my mom and sister got to the hospital, my dads mistress asked my sister what her baby sisters name should be. after waiting a couple minutes, my sister couldn't think of anything that wasn't related to elmo, so my step mom said to my sister, 'why not Camilla?'. My sister liked the idea, but she just didn't know the meaning."
Matt heard her heartbeat escalate as every word flew out of her mouth.
Boy did she know how to lie.
"The meaning?" asked Matt as he began to walk over to the ring.
"Well, I broke the family. Just like Camilla."
He noticed her hadn't buzz as she finished tying the tape around her fingers.
"are, if you mind me asking— are you okay?"
Her eyes deviated from the tape at the thought of the question.
her eyes went back to the tape as she continued to wrap it, she replied; "I'm not a fan of lying."
a moment passed as Mercedes contiuned to wrap her knuckles, slowly the aroma blood and sweat escaped, and the scent of salty tears entered....
The trim of her lash line clumped up her tears as the man said, "You dont have to answer."
from the showdown, she saw his knuckles. They were too also painted with blood.
His neck, which was bare from any bruise, had a stubble creeping from the mid of his neck, the up his jaw.
though his jaw was loose, it was— relaxed.
She couldnt see his eyes, but from what she felt, she knew they were calm.
no pain circled them, and no creases were formed.
"You caught me on an off day."
Matt heard the tear drip down her cheek as he said, "if you come here, you probably have more of 'off months'"
the tips of her mouth curled as she thought: Its not like he's wrong.
as she went down on her knees, she unzipped her tote and took out a white cloth.
from the scent of the towel, Matt knew that the cloth had seen better days.
"it's been an 'off year'." She said as she began to wipe the bag.
she continued to wipe the bag, now noticing the amount of blood she shed in the time that she was there.
No wonder you're feeling dizzy
"Family... um, problems."
she contiuned to wipe down the bag and said, "...sister died about a year ago."
"I'm sorry." said Matt as his nose twitched at response to inhaling the scent of the room.
There was no indication that she was there, or had ever been there.
she wiped it perfectly, not a single implication that she was there.
No blood had dripped on the wooden floors, not even a drop of sweat.
All her sweat and blood stuck to her sports bra, which was made out of some material that rubbed against her skin so hard that now rashes were being formed on the sides of her back. those rashes made he muscles tense, but she'd been used to it.
"Since we're getting all 'forgive me father for I have sinned'.. Ikilled her. well," she paused and said, "I was the reason why she died."
he listened for her heartbeat.
He heard her fingers tug the material of her short down, now they were covering a bruise she got from the bag.
"Couldnt get to her on time."
"your a nurse?" he asked.
"No, um, ex military, detective and psychologist sort of three in one deal"
He nodded as he crossed his arms around his abdomen and Mercedes said, "he wasnt treating her... right and I kept my mouth shut because-"
she thought about it: if that didn't say red flag, she didn't know what did.
"My sister um.. she had depression, an and i only saw her truly happy when she was with him. so, i—"
her eyes defocused, and soon her eyes were being covered by the palms of her hands.
In agony she continued saying, "didn't say anything" her voice was muffled. "then, he killed her."
she paused for a second, now her eyes were not aligned by tears but filled with them.
though her voice being covered by the palms of her hands, she said, "when you study to be a detective you're taught to not let your emotions get in the way of your judgement but i— i only saw my sister being happy so i didn't say anything.. and now, now, my sister—" she sighed, "she died because I didn't say anything."
his mind traced back to a year in time when he was crashing into a girl's apartment because he heard screams, but when he got there, that girl was dead.
Both of them didn't make it in time.
From experience after experience, Matt silently said to her, "dont kill yourself in attempt to bring her back to life."
"I killed her." she tugged at her lip and said, "for one year I've only heard one thing, 'Agent Ante, your sister has been murdered by one Billy Russo.'"
As she tried to continue, her voice became strained, "He killed her, and he's still out there— christ, he got innocent in the fucking courtroom!"
Tears overwhelmed her eyes as they began to fall down her cheeks.
"I couldn't save her." she said, "I. Killed.Her."
Her head shook, making the the curls that framed her face fly in different directions.
sweat fell from the strands and they dissolved in the air as she then said, "this is stupid, i'm talking to a stranger about my problems. sorry— I should be going."
"No." he said. He spoke softly, clamly, and steadily. "You put more tape on your knuckles, right?"
With hesitation, she responded. "...yea"
As she wiped the tears away from her face, she said, "how do I know your not going to kill me?"
He bobbed his head from side to side and said, "Don't kill."
"Bullshit. How do I know that."
"Just because you have a cross around your neck doesn't mean I'm going to trust you. How can I trust you?" She walked over to the ring and slipped herself through the bands.
"Don't I look trustworthy?'" asked Matt as he did the same.
"Maybe." said Mercedes. As they both got into first position, "But, I can't judge because i haven't even seen you yet, because your doing some batman shit—" she swung at his jaw with her foot and said, "and standing in the shadows."
He laughed as they landed in opposite directions of the ring. However, he still stood in the shadow.
Fe felt the blood trickle in his jaw as she came back at him with quite a few more punches.
He slowly fought back. he noticed she was trained for combat.
He assumed by the way she fought, she wasn't just fighting to let steam out. she was there to train, or to maintain.
He noticed the way her legs hit his torso that they were not just muscular but built for one on one combat.
When her arms hit his chest, they were used to holding weapons, they were meant to kill, meant to hurt.
but then, she realized that when he maneuvered between his moves that he was trained as something other than for self-protection.
more like self preservation.
his body was trained to defy gravity, to slice, to torture in the most unexpected way. he fought almost as if a string were being attached from his head, though he was the one pulling it.
In the midst of slashing against one another, he pinned her down. He listened for her heartbeat but it was overcome by loud her breathing was. .
"You okay?" he asked. He slipped his hand around her waist, wrapped his arm around her troat, and pulled herself close to him.
"Never better," she said as she wrapped her hands around his head and slammed him down to the opposite side of the ring.
By the time his senses picked up her location, she was already on top of his torso, laying all her body weight on him, along with both of her hands pressed against his throat.
she visibly saw him lose air, concentration, sense.
She nodded his jaw tense, the sweat trip from his temples.
his forearms, now tense and fixated on her next move but, she let go, legs between each side of his shoulder, she stood up, and put her hand in front of him, "game?"
his body relaxed, his eyes now focused, his breath suddenly now on tempo.
He grabbed her hand but then kick her feet to which she was now on the ground and he was in the same position he was.
With a smirk and a buzz fro her heartbeat, he replied; "game."
It was in that moment where Mercedes realized that the guy whom she fought was daredevil.
