#*sigh* back to skyler tagging

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Cooking Up Love, Chapter 3

Pairing: Chef!Matt Murdock x F!Journalist!Reader

Rating: T (for now, might change, might not)

Story Summary: Here

Warnings/Tags: Hallmark levels of fluffy, cheesy goodness (and speed that their relationship develops, lol), no use of Y/N, Matt is not a vigilante, more tags to come as the story develops

Word Count: ~2500

A/N: Thanks again to everyone who has liked/commented on/reblogged this so far! Enjoy this next installment!

(And extra thanks to @theradioactivespidergwen for the divider!)

(Also cross-posted to AO3.)

Tag List: @yarrystyleeza @hailey-murdock @mattkinsella @bellaxgiornata @danzer8705 @chezagnes @shouldbestudying41

You were in the break room at the Bulletin the next day brewing your morning coffee and wondering how you were going to tell Ellison that you had bombed the interview with Chef Murdock when Skyler, your work BFF who handled the Lifestyle section of the paper, poked her head in. "There's this incredibly hot guy out front asking for you," she said excitedly. "Do you have a secret boyfriend you haven't told me about?"

You shook your head with a light laugh, wondering who it was that had come to see you. "No, definitely not. Bring whoever it is to the conference room and tell them that I'll be there in a second, will you, please?"

"Sure thing!"

After Skyler left you finished making your coffee then headed to the conference room, freezing in the doorway as you spotted the absolute last person you had ever expected to see again. "Chef Murdock."

Chef Murdock's head turned towards you, the red lenses of his glasses reflecting your look of shock at seeing him. Today he was wearing jeans and a light gray T-shirt, which made him seem vastly more approachable than the red chef's coat and black pants of the previous afternoon… and inexplicably even hotter.

"Um, hi," he said. "May we talk?"

You nodded warily. "Sure."

You shut the door behind you, purposely not asking him to sit. "So, come to berate me some more?"

Chef Murdock had the decency to look chagrined. "Actually, I came to apologize for my behavior towards you yesterday and ask if you'd be willing to reschedule our interview."

Your eyebrows raised. "You came to apologize ?"

Chef Murdock nodded and held a covered container out towards you. "This is for you."

You took the container and peeked inside. "You brought me tiramisu?"

Chef Murdock shrugged, a shy smile forming on his face. "I was kind of hoping you'd accept it as a peace offering."

"It's not poisoned, is it?"

Chef Murdock chuckled. "Let me just say that I'm pretty sure I didn't accidentally dust the top with cyanide instead of cocoa powder when I made it this morning."

You couldn't help but smile at Chef Murdock's joke. "Well I'm no expert on poisons, but I'm pretty sure cyanide isn't supposed to be brown."

Chef Murdock's expression grew serious as he said your name. "I was extremely rude yesterday and my actions towards you were uncalled for, and for that I am very deeply sorry and hope you'll forgive me."

You studied him for a moment. He seemed genuinely contrite, despite you not being able to see his eyes.

Finally you sighed and set the container on the conference room table. "In that case, I accept your apology… and your 'sorry for being a pompous asshole' tiramisu."

Chef Murdock huffed out a laugh. "Thank you."

"Will this afternoon work for you for our interview? Same time as yesterday?" 

Chef Murdock nodded. "Yeah, that'll work."

"Great." That would actually give you time to prepare.

Chef Murdock hesitated. "So I'll… see you this afternoon, then?"

You nodded. "Here, I'll walk you out. Let me just put this in the refrigerator first."

You quickly went to the break room before returning to escort Chef Murdock back to the elevator. "Want me to just call the restaurant when I get there?"

"Oh, actually, let me give you my cell number," Chef Murdock replied. "You can text me when you're nearby."

"Okay." You pulled out your phone and added Chef Murdock as a contact, typing in his number as he recited it to you. "I'll see you this afternoon, then."

Chef Murdock nodded. "Thank you again."

"No problem."

You waited until Chef Murdock left then went back to your desk to begin your research. 

Skyler immediately ran over to you. "So who was the hottie?"

You glanced up at her. "Oh, that was the chef Ellison asked me to interview yesterday. Something had come up so he needed to reschedule."

Skyler huffed out a laugh. "I wouldn't mind sampling his cuisine, if you know what I mean."

You shook your head with a smile. "I've gotta get some research done for my article, so I'll talk to you later, 'kay?"

"Yeah, I've gotta run anyway. I'm covering some fancy meeting that some rich old ladies' society is holding this morning and I don't want to be late."

As Skyler went to grab her purse from her own desk you ran another internet search on Chef Murdock, scrolling through the search results and pausing as you found a link to an old Bulletin article.

Local Boy, 9, Seriously Injured in Heroic Rescue Attempt

An attempt at saving a life changed another forever yesterday when Matthew Murdock, age 9 of Hell's Kitchen, was seriously injured after he prevented another person from being hit by a vehicle. Witnesses say that the boy came to the rescue of a man when a chemical truck overturned, causing an as-yet-identified substance to splash into the boy's eyes.

"He's a hero," said one eyewitness. "Didn't even hesitate, just jumped right into action to push that man out of the way."

"He should be commended," said another, "and his parents applauded for raising such a brave young man."

The boy's father, local boxing legend 'Battlin' Jack Murdock, declined to comment other than to say that his son is in critical, but stable, condition. 

You remembered Chef Murdock saying that his father had passed shortly after his accident, so next you looked up Jack Murdock, sucking in a breath at the news headline on your computer screen.

Local Boxing Legend Killed In Apparent Mob Hit

You quickly scanned the article -- apparently Chef Murdock's father had been beaten and shot after a boxing match against Carl 'Crusher' Creel and his murder never officially solved, although it was suspected that mob boss Roscoe Sweeney had been behind the hit.

You huffed out a breath. How awful. It was no wonder that your statement about how proud Chef Murdock's parents must have been of him had touched a nerve.

You made a few more notes and wrote down some other questions to ask Chef Murdock, looking up as Ellison stopped by your desk. 

"How'd the interview go yesterday?" he asked.

"Actually, something came up while I was there and Chef Murdock asked me to reschedule," you replied, deciding to leave out the details of what exactly had happened. "I'm meeting with him this afternoon instead."

Ellison nodded. "Okay, excellent. Let me know how it goes."

"Will do."

You finished up some other articles that you had due so you could focus your attention on Chef Murdock, completing the last one right as it was time to leave.

You grabbed your tiramisu out of the staff refrigerator and told Ellison you were leaving to go to Daredevil. 

You made a quick stop at home to drop off your dessert since it was on your way then headed to the restaurant, feeling much more prepared than you had the previous day. 

"So how'd it go?" Foggy asked as Matt entered the kitchen at Daredevil. "Were you able to reschedule the interview?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah, we're meeting this afternoon. Same time as yesterday."

Foggy huffed out a relieved breath. "So how much did you have to grovel?"

Matt chuckled. "I made tiramisu for her this morning."

Foggy whistled. "Wow, pulling out the big guns."

Matt moved to wash his hands and put on an apron. "Come on, we've got a lot of prep to do for tonight's service."

He and Foggy set to work prepping ingredients for that night's dinner service, Matt's mind occasionally wandering to you and his upcoming interview. 

He had spent a few hours after dinner service the night before listening to transcripts of previous articles you had written, and he could tell that his initial assessment of you had been completely wrong. Your attention to detail in your articles showed that you clearly took pride in your work and had painstakingly researched each and every subject you had written about.

"...If you keep cutting up that basil you're going to get pesto," Foggy said suddenly.

Matt stopped cutting, realizing that the basil he was supposed to be chiffonading was now pretty much macerated. "Shit. "

Foggy chuckled. "You okay, buddy?"

Matt shook his head, trying to clear it. "I'm fine, I'm just…"

"Nervous?"

Matt remained silent.

Foggy patted him on the shoulder. "Just turn on that Murdock charm of yours and you'll be fine."

Matt's phone chimed in his pocket. "New text message."

Matt fished his phone out and tapped at the notification.

"Hi, Chef Murdock, just letting you know that I'll be by the restaurant in about 5 minutes, " his phone read out to him.

"I'll finish up here," Foggy said. "You got this, Matty." 

Matt huffed out a breath. "I hope so."

He took his apron off and went to wash his hands again, then headed up front right as you were walking up.

He unlocked the door and let you in, noticing your heartbeat pick up nervously. "Hi, thanks for coming."

"Hi," you replied.

Matt gestured to a nearby table. "Here, have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

"Um, some water would be nice, please."

Matt nodded. "Sure thing. Just a second."

He returned to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of water glasses and a bottle of cold, filtered water before returning to you.

He poured some water into one of the glasses before setting it in front of you. "Here you go."

"Thank you," you replied.

Matt poured himself some water before setting the bottle down on the table and taking the seat across from you.

He could hear you tapping at your phone screen. "Um, do you mind if I record this? It helps me with direct quotes and stuff."

Matt shook his head. "No, that's fine."

"Okay, great." You tapped at your phone screen and stated your name, the date, and the time. "Interviewing Chef Matthew Murdock at Daredevil, take 1."

You cleared your throat. "Chef Murdock, thank you for taking the time to meet with me."

"It's my pleasure," Matt replied.

"So to start, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself."

"Well, I was born and raised by my dad here in Hell's Kitchen," Matt said.

"He was a boxer, right?" you asked. 

Aha. Definitely did her research today. "That's right, 'Battlin Jack Murdock'. He didn't have the best fight record, but to me he was the greatest boxer of all time."

"So what made you want to be a chef?"

"I was in an accident when I was 9," Matt said. He wasn't sure how much you knew about the details of it but decided to just go ahead and give you the full story -- well, almost the full story. "A chemical truck collided with a car and overturned, and there was this old man who would have been crushed if I hadn't pushed him out of the way. Unfortunately while I was pushing him out of the way I fell and some of the chemicals got into my eyes, which blinded me."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," you said sympathetically.

Matt shook his head. "My palate became very… sensitive after that and nothing anyone else ever made tasted right."

His other remaining senses had also become extremely sensitive, but that wasn't relevant to the current conversation. "Anyway, my father died when I was 11 and I was sent to live in an orphanage run by the local diocese." He smiled wryly. "You can imagine how the food was there."

You let out a light laugh. "Oh I can guess, especially for a picky eater."

"Well the nuns quickly got tired of dealing with my dietary needs, but then again they weren't going to let me starve so eventually they hired someone to teach me how to make my own meals."

Stick had taught Matt how to cook using his instincts and use his remaining senses to identify the freshness of ingredients but had abruptly quit when Matt had made him a cake as a thank-you. Clearly you're not learning, he had said after tasting it, in which case I have nothing more to teach you.

Matt shook his head. "I started developing my own recipes after that, then after I graduated high school I decided to enter culinary school, where I met my business partner.

"After we graduated we were both offered positions as line cooks at Landman & Zack over in Manhattan, but we decided to open a restaurant together instead. We stayed open a few years then closed it and reopened as Daredevil."

What he didn't say was that Nelson and Murdock had been a mild success until one bad review had nearly tanked both Matt's reputation and his friendship with Foggy. 

"Daredevil is a very interesting name for a restaurant. How did you come up with that?"

"One of my college professors referred to me as a 'daredevil' chef once, and it kind of stuck with me." Matt's lips quirked up into a smile as he waved a hand around. "And after all, we are in Hell's Kitchen…"

You huffed out a light laugh, your demeanor becoming more relaxed. "That's very true."

You continued asking him questions, both of you relaxing more as the interview went on.

Matt was telling you a story about the time one of his culinary school classmates almost set their hair on fire while trying to flambé some bananas for a bananas foster cheesecake when he heard Karen walk up.

"Hey, Matt," Karen said. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we're opening in 10 minutes."

You let out a slight gasp. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize how long we had been talking. I didn't mean to take up so much of your time, Chef Murdock."

Matt shook his head. "It's quite alright, I finished most of my prep work before you arrived." 

You stopped your recording and gathered your things. "Thank you for your time."

"It was my pleasure," Matt replied honestly. "Let me know if you need anything else from me for your article."

"Okay, I'll be in touch if I do."

"Have a good evening."

"You too."

Matt waited as you left, your heartbeat growing fainter the further you got from the restaurant.

Karen turned to him. "Now, was that so bad?"

Matt shook his head. You had been professional, yet warm and welcoming -- which he still wasn't sure he deserved after the way he had treated you the previous afternoon. "No, actually, it wasn't."

Karen nudged him with her elbow. "See? I told you. Now come on, let's get ready to open."

[skyler-bane]

Ok guys, step aside, we want a review for our half-hiatus/half-hyperactive year.

I posted 935 times in 2022

472 posts created (50%)

463 posts reblogged (50%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@sharpenurdamnknife

@brokenblondeprincess

@amourpoetique

@ayakoito

@xseen2muchx

I tagged 926 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#ooc: it's art again - 98 posts

#hc:skyler - 61 posts

#answer:skyler - 58 posts

#meme - 58 posts

#answer:ooc - 54 posts

#fc:skyler - 42 posts

#skyler:piper - 32 posts

#95180:why won't you die? - 27 posts

#skyler&piper // you should go and find someone — i hope that you don't find no one but me - 27 posts

#rp stuff - 23 posts

Longest Tag: 129 characters

#ian&althea // still find my fathers shrapnel buried beneath my skin but i’ve begun to heal in all the places your hands have been

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

*it's happening everybody stay calm gif*

sooo I’m starting a new job tomorrow; I’m a bit stressed and excited, and I might not be around as much as I’d like. I’m gonna need some time to get adjusted and them I’ll be able to focus on all the fun tumblr stuff again lol

such a chaotic and stressful month ugh but it’s gonna be better now. wish me luck and be patient, thank you, love you, etc. 

12 notes - Posted June 30, 2022

#4

definitely not my year but we’re not giving up without a fight anyway. feels like problems and sad news keep piling up, so i’m just tired, to say the least. if you want to plot or talk i’m more or less active on discord, and (again) i should be back soonish. 

13 notes - Posted February 10, 2022

#3

@angelsgonnahell​

"No, that’s not how we do it in this household, Effy. People come to give money back – we say thank you, take the money, close the door. People ask for money – we say fuck you and close the door. Why didn’t you tell that guy to fuck off?”

16 notes - Posted May 17, 2022

#2

“Fuck no, you shouldn’t see the other one. He looked much better after he’d kicked my ass and therefore, we’ll scratch him from my story.” Skyler smiled bitterly. He could joke about it and laugh that bruise off, but his ego suffered more than his ribcage did. Would he learn anything from that and stop starting such unnecessary fights? Of course not. The lesson would be gone even before his bruises had a chance to heal. 

16 notes - Posted February 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

My idea here is he wants to use your character and plant some device/steal something he needs, but doesn’t necessarily have to be this kind of plot.

He almost jumped at the sound of her voice. Sudden noises in the middle of the night were his least favorite – one could never prepare for that inevitable mini heart attack. With a quiet, bored sigh, Skyler turned around, smiling a little apologetically. “Sorry I woke you up. Everythin’s under control. I’m just lookin’ for-... Uh, never mind, go back to sleep.” 

28 notes - Posted April 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[the-stray-storyteller]

Find the Word Tag

The very talented @isabellebissonrouthier

WIP: Defenders

Plump:

Ivy pressed her hand down into the soil, letting her fingers slip into it and closed her eyes. She let the world fade away and she felt the energy of the plant flowing up her fingers like a little stream of water. She spoke to it softly under her breath asking the tomatoes to grow. When she opened her eyes the unripe tomatoes had turned plump and red. The plants had grown half a foot taller and the grass around her feet had become wilder.

Freckle(s):

Ivy let out an annoyed groan when nothing came out of the foundation bottle no matter how much she squeezed it. She still had to cover up the ghastly amount of freckles on her arms. She looked into the bathroom mirror, a sigh escaping her body. Even after a couple of months of learning how to wear foundation the twelve-year-old still couldn’t get it right. She wasn’t sure if it was the shade of the foundation, the brand or just her skill; she couldn’t get it to look right on her skin. She threw the empty bottle into the dustbin and walked out of the bathroom.

Blue:

There was chatter all around the place. Men and women in blue uniforms and gleaming batches walked around the crime scene. She watched as a forensic scientist leaned down towards the dead body. 

“Is everything alright?”

Venatrix looked up at the sound of the voice. The woman had a hard jaw and curls of brown hair coming out of her ponytail. Her grip on Venatrix’s shoulder was firm and comforting. The assassin felt the officer’s hand fall off her shoulder as she took the seat beside her on the couch.

Gaze:

 Venatrix could feel the pressure of someone's gaze on her. She turned, and the woman who was yelling into her phone was now directly looking at her. Venatrix watched as the woman typed something into her phone. Then the gazes multiplied the pressure turning tighter and heavier. She ran. They found her, whoever they were.

Star:

Skyler leaned back into the front seat of the car, wind whipping through the window and straight into his face. He watched the golden sunset, the liquid gold sun rays pulling back from the sky leaving the parts closest to the star a luscious orange and the distant ones faded into a bruise-like purple. The golden wheat fields swayed back and forth in the wind. Their stolen car smelt of the Chinese takeout they had for an early dinner. 

Tagging: @on-noon @calloumii @master-of-the-pigeon-religion @idreamofhamandcheese @aohendo @ehlaaaaaaaa @gracien-system

Your Words: Wilder, Empty, Gleam, Tight, Bruise

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Cooking Up Love, Chapter 11

Pairing: Chef!Matt Murdock x F!Journalist!Reader

Rating: T

Story Summary: Here 

Warnings/Tags: Hallmark levels of fluffy, cheesy goodness (and speed that their relationship develops, lol), no use of Y/N, Matt is not a vigilante, idiots in love, Kelsie is her own warning 😈

Word Count: ~1k

A/N: Super short but super important chapter here! This is setting up our Mega Angst for the story, which will be coming next! 👀

As always, thanks to @theradioactivespidergwen for the stellar divider! 🥰

Tag List: @yarrystyleeza @hailey-murdock @mattkinsella @bellaxgiornata @danzer8705 @chezagnes @shouldbestudying41 @thepunisherfrankcastle @mattmurdocks6thscaleapartment @roseslovedreams

Ugh, why isn't this coffee kicking in, you thought to yourself while you sat at your desk attempting to proofread several articles for the Thursday digital edition of the paper later that morning. I've read this same sentence no less than 5 times.

You shook your head, trying to clear it. The unusual quiet in the normally bustling office definitely wasn't helping your sleepiness. Maybe some stronger coffee will help.

You stood up and walked towards the break room.  Skyler had brought a bag of espresso roast coffee in the previous week and you were pretty sure there was some still left. 

You paused as you spotted Ellison at the Keurig. "Copier's on the fritz again," you said, walking over towards the cabinet that held the coffee mugs. "Thought you should know."

Ellison nodded as he waited for his coffee to finish. "Hopefully there'll be enough money in the budget to replace it next year. Damn thing's probably older than I am."

He looked over at you and squinted. "No offense, but you look like shit."

You huffed out a laugh. "Gee thanks, Mitch. You sure know how to make a girl feel special."

"Rough night?"

You shook your head. "Just tired. I only slept about an hour last night." 

Ellison studied you for a moment. "Look, why don't you take the rest of the day off? Go home and get some rest."

You opened your mouth to protest, then thought better of it. You were still exhausted and a nap honestly sounded wonderful at the moment. "Are you sure?" you asked instead. "I was just going to get some more coffee and try to power through the rest of the day."

Ellison nodded. "Absolutely. It's been a slow news day, and besides, you've been working your ass off lately and deserve a break."

You smiled. "Okay. Thanks, I appreciate it."

Ellison shrugged. "Eh, don't get all sappy on me. I just don't want you burning out on me, otherwise who else would tell me if my editorial column sucks or not?"

You grinned. "Oh I'm sure people would be lining up for that privilege."

Ellison chuckled. "Seriously, go get some rest."

You nodded. "I will. Thanks, Mitch. Really. I'll see you tomorrow."

You walked back out to your desk and gathered your things, then stopped by Skyler's desk. "Ellison gave me the rest of the day off, so I'm heading home. I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"

Skyler nodded. "Okay. Get some rest."

As you headed down to the first floor and out the door, you considered stopping by Daredevil on your way home so you could apologize to Matt in person.

You headed towards your apartment building, sighing happily when you finally walked in the door.

You shook your head. You were so tired that you honestly weren't even sure if you could come up with a coherent apology. I'll talk to him after my article is turned in.

You peeked in your pantry and refrigerator, wrinkling your nose at the paltry options you had for dinner that evening. Instead of a choice between boxed pasta, instant ramen, or leftover Chinese takeout you wished you had Matt's spaghetti carbonara, pesto-parmesan linguine, and tiramisu. Maybe I could order something for delivery later, try something else on the menu.

You headed into your bedroom, changing into something more comfortable before climbing into bed. 

Your mind drifted to your article. You really didn't want to have to replay the last few minutes of the blind tasting yet again, but you needed to add a bit about it at the end so you could give it a quick read-through then send it to Ellison.

You sighed. You were a professional, dammit, and no matter your feelings, you were going to write a damn good article about Matt… Even if you never spoke to him again after it was all over.

I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night… No, take responsibility for your actions, Matthew. 

I'm sorry for trying to kiss you last night… Actually, no, I'm really not.

I apologize for my behavior last night. I must have misread the situation and… Ugh.

Matt sighed as he rode the elevator up to the Bulletin offices, wishing he would have had time to make a fresh tiramisu for you. 

He stepped off the elevator, unable to detect your now-familiar heartbeat among those of the rest of the Bulletin staff.

"Can I help you?" said a woman's voice to his left.

"Uh, yeah." Matt turned towards her and asked to speak to you.

"She's not here."

Matt sighed. Damn it. He probably wouldn't have time to come back later and based on what Foggy had said about you looking miserable he wasn't sure if you would be willing to come by the restaurant either. "Do you know when she'll be back?"

"Actually ," the woman continued, "she's out on assignment for the rest of the day. You know those investigative types, always looking for their next big scoop."

Matt furrowed his brow. That had been the exact opposite of the type of stories you had told him you were interested in writing. "I thought she was in Features."

"Oh, yeah, she is, but she really wants to be an investigative journalist, you know, digging up the dirt on people, finding out their deepest, darkest secrets and publishing them for the world to see." The woman paused. "Nothing nor no one is going to stand in the way of her and a good exposé… even if she has to make one up."

She made a dismissive sound. "Anyway, would you like to leave a message for her? I'll make sure that she gets it."

Matt shook his head. "Oh, uh, no, that's okay. I'll… catch up with her another time. Thank you."

"Sure thing. Have a nice day!"

Matt walked back to the elevator then headed down to the first floor. He had thought that he was getting to know you, but after that surprise revelation from your coworker he wasn't so sure.

He shook his head. Could you have been lying to him this whole time?

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Cooking Up Love, Chapter 10

Pairing: Chef!Matt Murdock x F!Journalist!Reader

Rating: T

Story Summary: Here 

Warnings/Tags: Hallmark levels of fluffy, cheesy goodness (and speed that their relationship develops, lol), no use of Y/N, Matt is not a vigilante, idiots in love being idiots

Word Count: ~3200

A/N: Here we are with the next chapter! I have to prep for an important work event on Saturday that will more than likely cut into my writing time, so there may not be another update until next week, but until then enjoy our pining dumbasses!

(As always, thanks to the fantabulous @theradioactivespidergwen for the divider!)

Tag List: @yarrystyleeza @hailey-murdock @mattkinsella @bellaxgiornata @danzer8705 @chezagnes @shouldbestudying41 @thepunisherfrankcastle @mattmurdocks6thscaleapartment

"Come on , you stupid thing," you grumbled at the Bulletin's ancient copier as it sputtered and creaked. "I know it's early, but work , damn you."

You weren't in the best mood this morning -- you hadn't slept well, your mind choosing to replay your almost-kiss with Matt from the previous evening every time you closed your eyes.

You looked over at the doorway as the sound of footsteps neared. "Oh, hey, there you are," Skyler said as she poked her head in the doorway. "You have a visitor."

Your heart leaped. "Who is it?"

Skyler sighed wistfully. "The future father of my children. He didn't give his name but he's a really hot blonde-haired dude."

Part of you wished that it had been Matt, but after the way you had run out on him the previous night you supposed that would've been too much to hope for. "Okay, thanks."

Skyler stepped fully into the copy room, her brow furrowing. "Hey, are you alright?"

You shrugged. "I'm fine."

Skyler crossed her arms. "No, you don't look happy. Did something happen with Chef Hottie last night? Because I don't care how many Michelin stars he has, I'll go kick his ass if I need to."

You huffed out a soft laugh and shook your head. "Not necessary. I'm just tired."

Skyler nodded and uncrossed her arms. "As long as you're okay."

"I am. Thanks for your concern, though. I really appreciate it."

Skyler gave you a quick hug. "Of course. You're my bestie, I'm not going to let anyone mess with you."

You gave her a hug back. "Ditto. I'll tell you all about last night as soon as I deal with whoever this is, 'kay?"

Skyler nodded, then winked. "You'd better." 

You followed her out of the copy room and into the bullpen, your eyebrows raising as you spotted your visitor. "Chef Nelson." 

Chef Nelson raised his hand in greeting. "Hi. Is this a bad time?"

You shook your head. "Oh, no, I was just fighting with our copy machine, but I can let someone else have a turn trying to battle it out. What can I do for you?"

Chef Nelson bit his lip. "Can we talk?"

You nodded. "Sure."

You turned towards Skyler. "By the way, Sky, this is Chef Nelson, Chef Murdock's business partner. Chef Nelson, this is Skyler. She's our Lifestyle writer here at the Bulletin ."

Skyler reached out to shake Chef Nelson's hand, a broad smile spreading across her face. "It's nice to meet you, Chef Nelson."

"Nice to meet you too," Chef Nelson replied with an equally broad smile. "And please, call me Foggy -- uh, both of you."

You smiled to yourself. You could practically see the cartoon hearts floating above both Foggy's and Skyler's heads. 

You nodded. "Sure."

You turned towards Skyler. "I'll be in the conference room. Foggy, you can follow me."

You led Foggy to the conference room, your heart twisting as you remembered doing the same thing with Matt not even a week earlier.

You closed the door and gestured to a chair. "Make yourself comfortable. Can I get you anything to drink? Water, coffee… tea?"

Foggy shook his head as he sat. "No, thank you."

You sat across from him. "So what can I help you with?"

Foggy took a deep breath. "I um, I just wanted to apologize for interrupting you and Matt last night. I had no idea that he, uh, had company at the restaurant and didn't mean to intrude."

You shook your head, your heart beginning to thrum nervously in your chest. "No, you weren't intruding. I was just there to taste some new recipes that Matt had said he was thinking about adding to the menu. We had already finished and were just talking when you came in."

Foggy huffed out a laugh. "Seemed like a pretty important conversation."

Your face heated. You weren't sure what exactly Matt had told Foggy about your evening together. "Nothing he and I couldn't talk about later."

You licked your lips nervously. "By the way, how, um, how is Matt this morning?" 

Foggy shook his head. "I don't know, I haven't talked to him yet today. We start prepping later on Tuesdays since Matt's always experimenting in the kitchen until really late on Mondays."

"Oh." You couldn't help but wonder if Matt had ever had anyone else over to the restaurant for a 'blind tasting'. "Okay."

Foggy studied you. "You know, I really do appreciate you giving him a second chance after you two started off on the wrong foot. Not that I'm trying to make excuses for him, but he's been through a lot in the past couple of years and is still dealing with some stuff."

You shook your head. "It's not a problem. And there's no need to apologize for last night, I promise."

"Thanks so much." Foggy stood. "I should get going -- I have a couple of errands to run before I head to the restaurant, but thanks for taking the time to talk with me."

You nodded. "Of course. Here, I'll walk you out."

You opened the door to the conference room and ushered Foggy out into the bullpen, stopping by Skyler's desk. "You know, I actually really do need to get back to my battle with the copier, so Sky, would you mind walking Foggy out?"

Skyler shook her head. "No, it'd be my pleasure."

"Thanks." You turned towards Foggy. "Thanks for dropping by."

Foggy nodded, his eyes firmly on Skyler. "Sure."

Skyler stood. "Right this way."

You shook your head with a smile as Skyler and Foggy headed towards the elevator. There was no denying the chemistry between those two and you would've been shocked if Skyler didn't come back with Foggy's phone number at the very least, if not a date.

You headed back to the copy room, determined to beat the copy machine at its own game.

You had finally gotten it to cooperate when Skyler came in, sighing happily.

You grinned over at her. "You're welcome."

She playfully shook her finger at you. "Girl, why didn't you tell me Chef Hottie's business partner was even hotter than him?"

You huffed out a laugh. "I only met Foggy one time before last night, which reminds me…" 

You grabbed your copies. "Come on, let's go get some coffee and I'll tell you about it."

You walked into the break room, pointedly ignoring Kelsie, who was talking to another one of your coworkers. 

"James surprised me with tickets to this very exclusive wine tasting event upstate  this weekend," she was saying. "Only the finest vintages will be served."

You rolled your eyes. You had never met Kelsie's boyfriend and knew absolutely nothing about him (nor did you care to), but you had certainly heard his name enough times to already be tired of hearing about him.

Kelsie sneered over at you. "Well, I guess I better go get started on my Restaurant Week coverage since someone stole the feature story from me."

You sighed to yourself as they left the break room, grabbing the bag of coffee you kept at work and filling the permanent filter pod for the office Keurig before popping it into the brewer.

" God , I can't stand her," Skyler muttered. "Anyway, tell me about last night."

You filled a cup with some water and poured it into the reservoir before placing the cup underneath the Keurig and setting it to brew. "Okay, well, Matt was waiting in the lobby to unlock the door for me when I got to Daredevil," you began. "I was supposed to watch him cook again, but instead he sat me down at a table near the kitchen then went to get some water and crackers."

You bit your lip. "After he came back he, um, he pulled a blindfold out of his pocket and asked me if it was okay if we did a blind tasting."

"He blindfolded you?" A small smirk appeared on Skyler's face. "Kinky."

You huffed out a laugh. "It wasn't like that! Matt just wanted me to be able to understand how he develops his flavors and have me judge a dish using my non-visual senses."

You shook your head. "Anyway, he brought out the first dish, which was a butternut squash risotto with pancetta that both smelled and tasted amazing ."

Skyler hummed. "Ooh, that does sound delicious."

You nodded. "It really was."

"So how was it trying to eat without being able to see your food?"

You huffed out a breath as your coffee finished brewing. "Honestly, it was really disorienting. Matt had to help me find my spoon for the risotto and since he had me eat a cracker and drink some water in between dishes so I wouldn't still be tasting what I had just eaten when he brought out the next dish I was terrified of spilling my water all over. Luckily I made it through without making a mess."

Skyler smiled softly at you as she took a turn at the Keurig. "Something tells me he would've been understanding even if you had accidentally spilled something."

You nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway, the second dish wound up being a beet hummus, which I'm afraid to say was awful ."

You grinned at the memory. "Luckily Matt tasted it and agreed with me that it was terrible, that it was definitely a no for the menu."

You continued telling Skyler about the different dishes Matt had you try, including the pesto-parmesan linguine that you were still thinking about. "Finally he brought out this blood orange cremé bruleé that he had been working on and a blood orange mimosa to go with it, and oh my god, Sky, it was so damn good."

You took a sip of your coffee. "I made a joke about it replacing Matt's tiramisu as my favorite dessert and it actually turned out that he had also made some tiramisu and wanted me to try it since he had tweaked the recipe. He also said I could take the blindfold off then asked if I wanted some more champagne since he had opened a new bottle for the mimosa and there was no sense in letting it go flat."

Skyler took a sip of her own coffee. "I'm sure that wasn't the only reason, but go ahead."

"The tiramisu was even better than the first one he had made for me, so he said since it had my approval it was ready to go on the menu." You bit your lip, second-guessing whether you should tell Skyler about the rest of your evening. "I, um, I asked him to tell me when it was added to the menu so I could be there to order it as soon as they opened, and Matt joked that he'd have it ready for me when I arrived, so I asked if he'd bring it out to me personally and he said yes, that he'd make the time to come say hi… and then he asked me what I looked like."

Skyler's eyebrows raised. "He did?"

You nodded. "He said that he'd had a blank picture of me in his head all week so he had been curious then he said that he could picture people based on physical descriptions alone but could more accurately picture them if he felt their facial features, so after I described myself to him I told him he could feel my face if he wanted."

"And did he?"

Your face heated at the memory of Matt's fingertips softly gliding along your skin, his brow furrowed in concentration as he painted a mental picture of you. 

You nodded. "He said I was beautiful… then he leaned in to kiss me."

Skyler gasped. "You kissed him? "

You winced and quickly shook your head. "Right before we did Foggy came in from the kitchen and startled me, so I jumped back. He apologized for interrupting and I said that it was fine, that I needed to go anyway, and then I grabbed my stuff and practically ran out of there."

Skyler groaned out your name. "Girl. Why? "

"Because I'm an idiot, that's why." You sighed. "I panicked. "

"And that's why you couldn't sleep."

You nodded. "I kept replaying it in my head over and over, trying to imagine different scenarios and ways it could have turned out if Foggy hadn't shown up or if I hadn't bolted. That's actually why he came by -- to apologize again for interrupting me and Matt last night."

You bit your lip as a thought struck you. "He said that Matt had been through a lot in the past couple of years, so what if Kelsie is actually right? What if Matt is just pretending to like me so I'll write a positive article about him that'll help him rebuild his reputation?"

Skyler shook her head. "Do you even know what could have happened to where Matt would need to rebuild his reputation?"

You shook your head in response. "No."

"Then don't listen to Kelsie. I'm sure she's just making shit up."

"I hope so, because I really like him. I haven't felt this way about anyone in a really long time, Sky, so if it turns out he's been playing me this whole time…" You trailed off with a sigh.

"Hey, if he has been then that offer to kick his ass still stands." Skyler smiled at you. "No matter how hot his business partner is."

"Oh, shit, yeah." You shook your head to clear it. "How was walking Foggy out? You seemed pretty happy when you came back."

Skyler grinned. "Well, that's because I have a date Saturday morning. Foggy and I are going to go have coffee before he has to get to the restaurant."

You smiled. I knew it. "That's great. I'm really happy for you."

Skyler studied you. "So what are you going to do about Matt?"

You shook your head. "I'm just going to wait until my article is turned in and see how it goes."

You finished your coffee and rinsed your cup out. "I need to start going over these printouts."

Skyler gave you a brief hug. "Hey, I'm sure everything is going to be fine."

You nodded. "I hope so."

You really hoped so, because with the way you were starting to feel about Matt you weren't sure if you could handle a broken heart.

"Combine properly, damn it," Matt growled at the dough he was trying to prepare for the night's supply of dinner rolls. "Why aren't you cooperating?"

"Because you're being mean to it," Foggy said as he came into the kitchen. "Well, that or the fact that your yeast is still sitting over here on the prep counter."

Matt groaned then dumped the dough into the trash. "Shit ."

Foggy chuckled. "Good morning to you too, buddy."

Matt turned his head towards him as Foggy passed him to go wash his hands. "You went by the Bulletin this morning. I can smell newsprint on you."

Foggy hummed in the affirmative. "As a matter of fact, I did. And before you ask, yes, she looked just as miserable as you do."

Matt could feel his friend studying him. "I'm not miserable , I'm just tired. I got less sleep than usual."

"Are you ready to tell me what happened last night?"

Matt nodded. "Originally the plan was for her to come watch me work on developing those new dishes for the menu, but I decided to make it a blind tasting instead in order to try to make it a bit more… personal."

Foggy chuckled. "You mean romantic."

"Yeah, okay, romantic." Matt sighed as he began to re-make the dough for the rolls. "And it seemed like it was working, too -- she was responding positively to my hints that I'm attracted to her."

He shook his head. "Everything was going great -- she gave me some really good feedback on the dishes and was joking around with me about the cremé bruleé surpassing the tiramisu as her new favorite dessert of mine, so I asked her to taste the final recipe before she made that distinction.

"She loved it, of course, and said to let her know when we added it to the menu so she could be the first one in line to order it once we opened that day, so I told her that I'd have it ready for her when she arrived, and she asked if I'd bring it out to her personally and I said of course, that I'd definitely make the time to come say hi to her."

Foggy huffed out a laugh. "Wow, you two are not subtle."

Matt shook his head as he mixed all of the ingredients and began to knead the dough together. "It's been driving me crazy not having any sort of clue what she looks like, so I asked her. She seemed a bit surprised at the question, which honestly was understandable since I just kind of threw it at her out of nowhere, but I explained how I can "see" people by touching them, so after she described herself to me she offered to let me feel her facial features."

He smiled to himself as his mental picture of you floated into his mind. At least he managed to get that before everything went to shit. "I told her she was beautiful, and that's when I tried to kiss her."

"And when I walked in and ruined the moment."

Matt shook his head. "It's not your fault, really. Obviously I had misread something between us somewhere and trying to kiss her made her uncomfortable." 

He covered the (now correctly prepared) dough and put it in the refrigerator to rise. "I spent all night replaying everything in my head trying to figure out exactly where I screwed up. She's the most incredible woman to ever come into my life, Foggy, I don't know what I'd do if it turned out she was just using me like Elektra did."

"I honestly don't think she is, Matty, but speaking of meeting incredible women…" Foggy huffed out a happy sigh. "I'm pretty sure I met my future wife today."

Matt chuckled as he moved to the sink to wash and dry his hands. "Well at least one of us is sure. Who is she?"

"Her name is Skyler -- she's the Lifestyle writer at the Bulletin ."

Matt nodded. "Oh, yeah, I met her the other day. She seemed nice."

"We're going out for coffee on Saturday morning, so I might be a bit late getting here depending on how well things go."

Matt patted Foggy on the back. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks." Foggy paused. "So what are you going to do about everything?"

Matt shook his head. "I don't know yet. Probably just wait until the article comes out on Monday and go from there."

Foggy sighed. "Well no matter what you decide, I'm here for you, buddy."

"Thanks." Matt began dicing tomatoes for the marinara sauce, his mind drifting back to you by his side as you cut up tomatoes for the salads at Clinton Church.

He really hoped you weren't just using him, because he was pretty sure he was already falling for you.

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Cooking Up Love, Chapter 8

Pairing: Chef!Matt Murdock x F!Journalist!Reader

Rating: T

Story Summary: Here 

Warnings/Tags: Hallmark levels of fluffy, cheesy goodness (and speed that their relationship develops, lol), no use of Y/N, Matt is not a vigilante, idiots in love, love confessions (but not to each other 🫠)

Word Count: ~2650

A/N: Short little filler chapter here to move the plot along, but next up is the big "recipe testing" dinner!

Thanks as always to @theradioactivespidergwen for the divider!

Tag List: @yarrystyleeza @hailey-murdock @mattkinsella @bellaxgiornata @danzer8705 @chezagnes @shouldbestudying41 @thepunisherfrankcastle @mattmurdocks6thscaleapartment

"So? How was it?" Skyler said as soon as she saw you in the staff break room the next morning.

You laughed and shook your head. "Can I at least make some coffee before you start interrogating me about my brunch?"

"Oh, I already took care of that." Skyler turned and handed you a to-go cup from your favorite coffee shop near the office. "I know how much you hate Monday morning staff meetings and figured I'd get something for you while I was getting my own coffee."

You took a sip and sighed blissfully. "You are an angel, you know that? I owe you one."

Skyler took a sip of her own beverage. "So spill, girl, spill! How was Chef Hottie's cake?"

You shook your head with a grin. "Ok well first off, it's Chef Matt , and secondly, his crepes were excellent once again, as was the omelet I ordered. You really should check the restaurant out for Sunday brunch at the very least, although I'm sure their dinner menu is amazing too."

Skyler took another sip of her coffee as you walked into the conference room together and sat. "How was the rest of your day? Hopefully you did something more exciting than watching a bunch of senior citizens play bingo."

You nodded, smiling to yourself as you thought about your afternoon and evening with Matt. "Actually, yeah. Matt invited me along on his after-work errands yesterday afternoon so I could observe him outside of the kitchen."

"Ooh, so you got to spend the whole afternoon with him? Lucky. So what did you two do together?"

"He volunteers to cook for the soup kitchen at Clinton Church on Sundays after the restaurant closes, so I helped him out with that, then I watched him work out at the gym for a bit, then he asked me if I wanted to have dinner with him."

Skyler's eyes grew wide. "He asked you out on a date ? Way to bury the lede!"

You shook your head. "No, not a date , he just invited me to have dinner with him at his apartment as a thank-you for helping him out at the church, that's all."

"You went to his apartment? " 

You opened your mouth to tell her that it wasn't a big deal but was interrupted by Ellison walking into the conference room. "Okay, let's get this show on the road," he said. "First order of business: Kelsie, welcome back. Glad to see you're feeling better."

You glanced over at Kelsie, who was sulking at the other end of the table.

Ellison looked at his notes. "Okay, so assignment updates! Skyler, how was the fundraiser for the senior center?"

"Great," Skyler replied. "I sent you my article last night."

"Okay, good. Mark, what's going on in sports this week?"

Mark, who wrote the sports column, sat up in his chair. "I've got an interview with Coach Calhoun on Wednesday and Coach Dempsey on Thursday, so the article about the big rivalry between PS 114 and PS 118 will be ready to go for Friday's edition."

"Excellent." Ellison said your name. "How's the Restaurant Week feature coming?"

"It's coming along great," you replied. "Chef Murdock has been really open and cooperative, so it'll be no problem getting that article to you by EoD Wednesday."

Ellison nodded. "Fantastic. Okay, new assignments. Skyler, you're covering the music festival this weekend. They'll have a press pass for you at the gate. Kelsie, since we switched up the Restaurant Week feature you're now going to be handling the daily report on what each participating restaurant is featuring. Everyone else, you know your assignments. Let's get to it."

You stood and picked up your cup of coffee.

"Not enough to steal the Features position out from under me, was it?" you heard Kelsie say from behind you. "Now you're going after the lead story for Restaurant Week too."

You turned and raised an eyebrow. There had been a (one-sided, in your opinion) rivalry between you and Kelsie ever since you and she had both been up for the Features position six months earlier. "Oh damn, you caught me. I made sure that you would get food poisoning just so I could swoop in and steal the Restaurant Week feature when I know nothing about the culinary industry and had never met Chef Murdock until a few days ago after the article was assigned to me. And as for the Features position, I won that promotion fair and square. It's not my fault that my article was better and that you bombed the mock interview, just like you would've tanked this one."

Kelsie scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'm sure he would've been extremely 'cooperative' with anyone interviewing him -- as long as they were female and had a pulse."

You shook your head. "What are you talking about? Chef Murdock has been nothing but professional towards me the entire week."

Kelsie smirked. "Oh didn't you know? Matthew Murdock will do anything -- and any one -- to try to salvage his reputation, so there must be a reason if he's not hitting on you."

Before you could respond she turned and flounced out of the conference room.

"What a bitch," Skyler muttered under her breath.

You shook your head. "I'm not worried about her. Ellison knows what I'm capable of."

Skyler sighed. "Anyway, I want to hear all about your not-date with Chef Hottie. Lunch later?"

You nodded. "Sure."

"Great. I'll swing by your desk around 11:30."

"Okay."

You went back to your desk, dutifully ignoring the daggers Kelsie was continuing to shoot your way, and worked on your other tasks until it was time for lunch.

You looked up as Skyler stopped by, purse in hand. "Ready?"

You nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

The two of you walked down the street to your favorite food truck. 

"Okay, so tell me everything ," Skyler said once the two of you sat down at a nearby table with your food. "Like how you went from going to Daredevil for brunch to a private dinner with the chef."

"There's not much to tell," you replied with a light laugh. "But okay."

You took a breath. "I had told Matt on Saturday that I was planning on coming back to Daredevil for Sunday brunch because the crepes he had made during the cooking demo he did for me were really good, so he told me to get his staff to let him know that I was there and he'd come say hi."

A small smirk graced Skyler's face. "So he was willing to drop everything in order to come talk to you, got it."

You shook your head. "He wound up bringing my order out to me, so while we were talking he asked me if I would be interested in seeing how he develops his recipes so I agreed to stop by Daredevil tonight after work for another cooking demo. Then he asked me if I wouldn't mind accompanying him on his after-work errands since he thought that it would be beneficial to my article for me to spend some time with him outside of the kitchen."

Skyler huffed out a laugh. "Right, beneficial to your article, sure."

You smiled and shook your head. "We went by Clinton Church first to cook for the soup kitchen--"

Skyler held up a finger. "Wait a second. So he asked you to spend the afternoon with him out of the kitchen, then brought you to a different kitchen to watch him cook?"

You shrugged. "I didn't mind. He usually cooks at Daredevil and just brings everything over to the church, but he asked me if I wouldn't mind coming over early and he'd just do his cooking for the church over there instead."

Skyler raised an eyebrow. "Mmhmm, so he could spend even more time with you."

" Anyway, after we finished up at the church we headed to his gym since he frequently goes after service to unwind."

Skyler grinned. "Ooh, so you got to see him all sweaty?"

You nodded. "The arms on that man, let me tell you…"

"And the ass." Skyler did a chef's kiss. "You can't tell me you didn't check out his ass."

Your face heated. "Well… maybe a bit."

Skyler gasped. "You did! I knew you were interested in him!"

You groaned. "He's so handsome and sweet and funny and genuine, not to mention an incredible chef… but I'm writing a story about him for the paper, it's completely unethical for me to be thirsting after him -- even though it's absolutely unfair how good he looks in a tank top and a pair of sweatpants."

Skyler shook her head. "Your story's due, when, Wednesday? After that you won't have to worry about journalistic integrity or whatever's stopping you from jumping his bones. So how'd you wind up going home with him?"

You wrinkled your nose. "Don't say it like that, you make it sound so… clandestine ."

Skyler rolled her eyes playfully. "Okay, fine. Having dinner, happy?"

You chuckled. "Yes. After he was done at the gym I asked him where to next and he said that was all he had left to do so I said okay and that I'd see him later, but then he asked if I'd like to have dinner with him as a thank-you for helping him out at the soup kitchen. I agreed, so we stopped by his plot at the Clinton Community Garden to pick some fresh basil then headed to his apartment."

Skyler waved a hand at you to go on. "Where you…"

You shrugged. "Where I drank some wine and ate some delicious carbonara, then sat and talked with Matt for a bit on his sofa before I went home."

Skyler's eyebrows raised. "Wait, you were serious? Nothing happened between you two?"

You shook your head. "I mean we hugged before I left, but that was it."

Skyler shook her head with a sigh. "Girl, if you can't see what's going on…"

Your brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"He's clearly interested."

"What? No he's not."

"Oh come on. He invited you to his apartment for dinner."

"As a thank-you, I told you that."

Skyler took a sip of her drink. "I'm telling you, girl, the man is into you! He's probably holding back because he thinks you're not interested."

You shook your head and stood. "Come on, we need to get back. I'm sure Kelsie is looking for any excuse to report us to Ellison."

Skyler groaned then stood as well. "Yeah, you're right. But I am too, and you know it!"

You threw your trash away and started back towards the office, your mind racing.

Skyler had to be mistaken. Matt couldn't actually be interested in you… could he?

Matt grinned to himself as he headed towards Clinton Church. He had spent the morning finalizing his plans for your "recipe tasting" dinner and was eager to get started on prep, but he needed to pick up his supplies from the church's activity center first. 

Father Lantom had left him a voicemail that morning saying how appreciative everyone had been of the hot meal and how nice it had been to meet you. 

Matt's mind drifted back to the previous day. While you obviously wasn't as quick and skilled in the kitchen as he was, Matt had still been touched by your willingness to help out however you could, even if it meant doing menial tasks such as slicing up tomatoes and cucumbers and dividing salad dressing into servings. 

God , he had wanted to kiss you when your fingers had brushed against his while you were handing him his measuring cups, then again when you had hugged him at Fogwell's after he had told you about his dad, then again in his apartment when you two stood listening to the rain by his window, then again when you were getting ready to leave…

He sighed. Hopefully everything went according to plan tonight.

He stepped into the office at Clinton Church. 

"Matthew, hello," Sister Maggie, one of the nuns from the adjoining convent, said.

"Hi," Matt replied. "I'm here to pick up my culinary supplies from the activity center." 

"Oh, yes. Father Lantom did say that you'd be dropping by to pick up your things." Sister Maggie took a set of keys out of a drawer. "He's out on an errand at the moment, but I can let you in."

"Great, thanks."

He followed her out to the activity center.

Sister Maggie unlocked the door. "How is the restaurant doing?"

Matt shrugged. "It's… surviving so far. We're not doing nearly as well as I'd hoped we'd be by now but I'm hoping that the article that's going to be in the Bulletin next week will help drum up some business."

"Oh, the restaurant is being featured in the Bulletin? That's wonderful."

Matt shook his head. "Moreso me than the restaurant, but yeah. We're going to be on the front page of the Restaurant Week kickoff edition."

He paused, smiling softly as he thought about you. "Actually the reporter from the Bulletin who's doing the story on me was here with me yesterday."

Sister Maggie hummed. "Oh, yes, Father Lantom did say a young woman was assisting you, but he was under the impression that you two were seeing each other."

Matt shook his head. "What? No, we've only known each other for a few days, although…"

He sighed. "There's something about her that… I don't know, she makes me feel comfortable around her. She's kind, and gentle, and caring…" And beautiful. I have no idea what she looks like, but I know she's beautiful. 

Sister Maggie hummed. "She sounds lovely."

"She really is."

"What's her name?"

Matt smiled as he said your name.

Sister Maggie gave a hum of recognition. "Oh, yes, she's the one who does all of those lovely human interest stories, right? I do enjoy reading those each week."

Matt nodded. "Right."

He bit his lip. "I wanted her to get to know me outside of the kitchen -- for her story, of course -- so I, uh, I took her to Fogwell's after we left here yesterday and wound up telling her about Dad. She already knew about his murder -- she had done some research before our interview -- but I told her about growing up with him and how he always encouraged me to get an education."

Sister Maggie reached out and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go. "Your father was a good man, you know."

Matt nodded. "I know."

She sighed. "I know I haven't always been there for you in the ways you've needed me, Matthew, but for what it's worth, I'm really proud of you."

Matt nodded. "Thanks… Mom."

"So what are you going to do?"

Matt furrowed his brow. "About?"

Sister Maggie said your name. "She's not seeing anyone, is she?"

Matt shook his head. "I don't think so. At least, she hasn't mentioned anything in that regard."

He gestured towards the kitchen. "She's actually coming by the restaurant tonight to taste-test some new recipes for me, so I better get going so I can get started on everything."

He headed into the kitchen to get his cart.

Sister Maggie gave him a hug as he came back out. "Goodbye, Matthew."

Matt hugged her back. "Bye."

He headed towards Daredevil, his mind swirling. He knew you were attracted to him -- at least physically -- but there had been something holding you back. Could you be seeing someone?

Matt had assumed you were single based on your availability over the weekend, but just because you were available didn't mean you were available. 

He shook his head. He remembered overheating your conversation with that other reporter who had greeted him the day he had brought tiramisu to the Bulletin, during which you had said that you didn't have a boyfriend.

…So then what was it?