Heroine ϟ Marvel [3]

10.7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Where Are They?

- - - - -

SQUARE DINER
NEW YORK
FIVE YEARS AFTER THE SNAP

Ana chewed on the paper straw that was against her lips, anxiously staring up at the analogue clock on the wall opposite her. She hoped Matt would have shown up before she had finished her iced latte and now she sat in the diner needing another dose of caffeine to keep awake. At this rate, they'd have to skip lunch and have an early dinner. Bell, the waitress who always seemed to keep an adoring eye on the two whenever they visited the eatery, sent Ana an apologetic look from her place behind the counter. This may have happened more than once. Ana returned it with a nervous smile and lowered her head, opening up her phone. She tapped on Matt's contact and pressed the device at her ear, hearing it ring. He answered on the second tone.

"I know. I know. I'm late. I'm sorry."

"Matty, I just got back from being in the middle of a space war and I'm starving. Where are you?"

Ana frowned when she heard the sound of a fist meeting bone. Matt groaned over the line. "Ow, uh, just sorting out a little hiccup at the bank. I'll be there in five minutes." There was a struggle on his side of the call when his opponent smacked the phone out of his hand. The line went dead and Ana stared at her phone with a sigh.

"Home sweet home." She mumbled to herself, scrolling through the endless notifications that filled her screen now that she had connected to the wireless internet at the diner. Her eyes brushed over a few emails from the utility companies in charge of her home ammenities telling her there were bills that were yet to be paid. She clicked her phone off and rubbed at her eyes, puffing out the air from her cheeks. She would deal with that later.

Ana hadn't slept in a few days. Space was a disaster. The systems were still disoriented and paranoid of the next possible threat looming amongst the stars. Aliens species had to leave their worlds behind when it couldn't provide them with enough sustenance or hope for the future. Treaties were broken. Refugees were taken hostage. Some killed in the name of sacrifice — for Thanos' dream. Ana never showed any kindness to those who looked to carry on in the Mad Titan's name. The call back to her last mission made her eyes darken. A rogue Kree militia intent on carrying on with the old ways were rounding up scattered Skrulls, enslaving the strong and executing the weak. Carol Danvers intercepted one of their biggest bases with S.W.O.R.D.'s help. Ana and Richard were the pair in charge of clearing out the refugees before Carol could light the whole place up. There were issues during the mission. Ones Ana didn't want to revisit. She shook her head to clear the images burned into her mind and leaned back into her seat by the window.

Outside, a figure dropped onto the sidewalk from the roof. He straighten up his tie, suit jacket, and once he was satisfied no one saw or heard him, proceeded to walk into the diner with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a walking stick in the other. The moment Matthew Murdock stepped inside the cool environment, he was overwhelmed by the sweet scent coming from the far end of the window booths. He let the perfume guide him down to the booth where his date was impatiently waiting with a hint of a smile on his lips. There were seven or so heartbeats in the diner altogether, but Matt was only interested in the one that spiked the moment he laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Hi." He greeted quietly with a grin.

Ana's head whipped to the side, and she glanced up at Matt, relaxing her shoulders. "Hi."

Matt raised his brows and tilted his head slightly, silently telling her he made it. Ana ran a hand through her side bangs and shimmied out the booth to stand up in front of him. All Ana had to do was place a hand on his right bicep and Matt snaked both arms around her waist, leaning down to kiss her lips softly. He inhaled deeply, the scent of her messing with his other senses. The mix of jasmine, cardamom, carnation and lemon drove him wild. Ana could tell by the way he kissed her that she had done something right, and couldn't help but smile against his lips. She wasn't really one to buy perfumes, but ever since Matt revealed how sensitive his senses could be to certain smells, she started paying more attention to the ones he liked. They pulled away at the same time and Ana took a moment to look at him properly. And she chuckled.