14. surprises

☆ ゜・ 。。・ ゜゜・ 。。・ ゜★

The class was dismissed, students running out of the door since it was the weekend, they want to go out with their friends, go to parties, but me, I have to stay here, grade papers and probably eat some expired chips from the vending machine.

I hunched over, reading glasses on, reading every paper about the Salem Witch Trials. Paper, after paper, I gotten tired but these need to graded by the weekend for finals week.

"Ms. Von." The doors opened but i didn't look up, too focused the paper.

"Not going to round your 55 to a 98 Kevin, nice tr-" I looked up and saw Matt standing there all giddy. I stood up, taking off my glasses. "Matt."

"Surprise." He puts a bag of Chinese food on my desk and drinks. "You busy?"

"Not many more." I pulled up a chair for him and started out with putting the food on our plastic plates I stole in the teachers lounge. "What brings you by?" I kicked off my shoes and rested my arm on my knee.

"I know you're having a hard time with finals coming up, just wanted to cheer you up." He takes a bit of his eggroll and smiles. I didn't want to question him on exactly why, because i knew this was a set up or something. We laughed and talked about my jobs and the kids I have, honestly having Matt here was great, its been a while since I actually talk to someone who wasn't Sersi or Phastos or Makkari.

"Matt," I clapped my hands together. "Why are you really here? You bought me my favorite food from the Chinese restaurant i like down the street, coming all this way from Hell's Kitchen to sit with me in a student desk and chat about finals, whats going on?"

"I've been caught." I let out a chuckle. "I just wanted to say that im sorry that was asking too many questions about your life, I didn't want to seem-"

"I mean, its my fault. I barely talk about my life. I've been here what? 2 years now and you all dont know me."

"Hey, at least you're not hiding something." I nearly choked on my drink, coughing it up. How in the hell does he get some of these right? Was he on to me? Does he know what I am?

"Haha why would I?" I just shoved some food in my face just to shut my mouth because I know I will say something I will regret. "Oh my god, Matt!" I dropped my plate and saw the cut on his face. I walked up to him and examined the cut. "What happened?" He grabs my hand and gently holds it.

"Im okay." I shook my head. It wasn't the first time, he would come in with bruises, cuts, and it would scare us. "Celeste, im fine." But I wasn't. He made me worry too much, too much that it pains me. "Im fine." I sighed and sat back down at my desk and continued to eat. "You don't have to worry about me."

"We have a problem there." I wiped my mouth. "You kinda signed up for that the moment we met."

"At least I have a caring-" He was looking for a word.

"A caring??"

"Friend." He smirks. Matt had something that I fell to like. Its been years but I knew I couldn't and it wouldn't happen. A human and a eternal, Arishem would have me dead. "Why are you such a great friend?" I shrugged at the question.

"I had my fair share. I care a lot, sometimes is so awful but sometimes its awesome." Matt smiled at the answer. "But caring too much has its own problems."

"Same here. But after my dad died, it all went away." My face sadness. Jack Murdock, Matt told me that he was shot and killed. It was a sad story when he told me, he did sound like he really cared for Matt.

"I bet your dad would be so proud of the man you became." My phone started to buzz. I took another bite before answering. "Hello?" Matt sits back, chin on hand.

"Celeste?" I know nobody and whoever this is, who has my number is literally scaring me. Only 5 people have my number and Matt is one of them.

"Depends, who's asking?"

"Its Ikaris." My heart started to beat faster. Ikaris. Matt sat up, noticed the shift in the air. "We need to talk."

"Not right now." I stood up from my desk and paced around. Why was he calling me? What for?

"This is serious, we need to talk about A-" i just pinched my nose and cut him off.

"Ikaris, im busy. Call me-"

"Celeste im not playing around, if you dont come and meet me I swear to you, I will beam you." He's acting tough, cute. Glad to see that he hasn't changed.

"Aww, go to hell." I hung up the phone and headed back to my desk. "Sorry about that." We cleaned up for the night.

"Ikaris, your ex?" I busted out laughing.

"If he was, kill me. He was Sersi ex husband, still a pain in my ass after so many years we've never seen each other." He holds my arm and we walked out of the school. We decided to go to my place since I was in a baking mood, and Matt was my taste tester.

"You look beautiful Celeste." Said a man with golden eyes. I stopped walking, looking back at the man. Matt was pulled back.

"Druig?" I whispered. I patted Matt's arm, telling him I'll be back. I caught up with the man and made him turn to me. "Druig-" the mans eyes were back to normal. "Im sorry, i thought you were someone." I headed back to Matt and kept turning around to the guy, because I swore Druig controlled him. But how? How did he know where I was?

I was glad that Matt didn't get to see me using my powers, it made things easier, teleportation was difficult but it worked time to time. I had Matt sit there as I mixed and the other ingredients floating around him. He just smiled away.

"Okay last one." He said as he claps his hands. I turned around and looked at the finishing cupcakes.

"Okay, red velvet with chocolate chip or strawberry lemonade?" He thought about for a bit, took a while but said it.

"Strawberry lemonade." I handed him the pastry and he took a bite. He nods his head. "This, this is a damn good cupcake."

"Well thank you Mr. Murdock." I cleaned up the table and took Matt to the door. "Thanks for dinner, and sorry about Ikaris, he's been a pain in my ass for years."

"Anytime Celeste." I placed a kiss on his cheek before he left. I cleaned up the place before I head to take a bath and relax.As my body hit the warm water, it made me feel sleepy, my eyelids fighting to stay open. Maybe just 10 minutes, thats nothing.

Everything was calming as I slipped into the water, flashbacks of me back then, hanging out with Princess Diana, Stevie Nicks, Lydia and the kids, all so happy memories.

"You are stronger than you think." Ajak.

"You're nothing." I heard Ikaris voice. I started to frown. "You always have to mess up everything. You only care about yourself."

"Go Celeste! They're here to take you away!" One unfamiliar but i knew the voice from somewhere popped in my head. "Cel, Zeus and father planned this!" Zeus? Father?

"My sweet Celeste." I shot up from the water, coughing. Druig voice brought me back, as if he was here. It was so clear. I rain my hair back, wiping the water from my eyes. Alone, again. Great. I rested my chin on the tub, waiting for the burning sensation on my nose to go away.

THUMP

The ruckus came from Matt's apartment. Sounded bad. I quickly hopped out, putting on a oversized shirt and ran upstairs to check up on him. The door was unlocked and I head in.

"Matt?" I scanned the room before I did anything, my powers danced around my hands, until I saw him on the floor. "Oh no." I raced to his side, he was out of it, bleeding. "Come on Matt, wake up." I picked his head up, laying it on my lap.

"Celeste..." he managed to say with a raspy voice. I let a sigh of relief out, checking out his wounds.

"You're bleeding, you're hurt." He had some bad cuts, possibly a knife. I managed to get him on the couch and start looking for some supplies to stitch him up. As I found the box, a helmet, a familiar helmet that I see every night on the news, that saved me one day, was on the floor. Matt Murdock was Daredevil. I tried to stay calm, he was probably dying on his couch.

I didn't say a word to him, what would I say? How dare you not say anything? You will be killed if you go on with this. I wasn't mad, i was more betrayed in a way. Matt sits up, groaning in pain. I threw away the trash and sat down next to him. Waiting.

"I got jumped." Liar.

"I see that." I pushed myself off the couch and walked up to the window. Matt shuffles behind me.

"You're mad." He whispers. I turned to him.

"Of course I am." Should I tell him I know? Or should I let him tell me instead? Would I put myself in danger if I even knew? Daredevil has enemies, a lot of them. I dont want Matt to go extreme measures for me. "What if worry about you?" He takes my hand.

"I would tell you that im a big boy and not to be." He chuckles. "You know, dont you." I didn't say a thing. He lets out a sigh and brings my hand to his lips, placing a light kiss. "I was going to tell you, Foggy, Karen, but me telling you all would be a risk I cant take. You three are the most important people in my life, if something happens to all of you, you, i cant risk that." I placed my hand on his cheek, studying his face, he genuinely looked concerned and scared.

"I had my fair share, I know how to take care of myself, but you Matt..." he wasn't like us, I didn't have Ajaks ability to heal him from every fight. He will never come back one day. "You need to be careful, there's so much in those shadows you dont want to mess with." My hand fell on his chest, we were closer. "I cant stop you, i just need you to be safe." There was a banging on the door, frightened us both, i covered my mouth as Matt tried to listen.

"Its Foggy." I head over to hide the helmet and Foggy walks in. He turns to Matt.

"Was I interrupting something?" My face turns red and I head to the door.

"I was just leaving." I looked at Matt before I left and he nods. I headed to my bed and stayed up staring at the ceiling. Matt was Daredevil and nobody could stop him, even if they try to put up a fight.