Hell's Kitchen-4:30 AM
"You're back." He said from behind her. He could smell her perfume, hear her heartbeat. Both were things Matt Murdock never thought he'd do again.
"I'm back." She replied, and he nodded.
"Why? Not that you're not welcome, I just...Why here? Why now?"
Claire Temple sighed, turning and facing the man she had patched up more than she cared to think about. More than once, she had thought herself insane. She wished he wasn't wearing his mask. Then again, she was the one who had sent him a text asking to meet here, on this rooftop. The rooftop she had helped him interrogate that gangster all those years ago.
"Honestly...I missed the city. The light and the noise. The people. You."
"I've missed you too Claire." He replied quietly.
He had missed her. More than once he'd picked up the phone to dial her number. He had missed her voice, her advice, her laugh. He had missed her so much that it hurt, and when he had been fighting Fisk, it wasn't Karen or Foggy he'd been seeing. He'd been fighting to stop Fisk and save his friends, save his city. But it had been her face he'd seen. The idea of Fisk threatening her had been more than Matt could bear. He couldn't allow it.
"Matt I...I'm sorry. For leaving, for-"
"Claire, stop. If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I pushed you away when I should have been holding you close. I have regretted that decision for so long."
He thought about the moment that he saw Danny, Jessica and Luke all disappear like dust in the wind. The loss of his friends had hurt, and even knowing what had happened hadn't made the last five years any easier. Hearing about Peter had made it worse. That was the hardest conversation he had had with Natasha. But as much as the loss of his friends hurt, seeing Claire's name amongst the missing had brought him to his knees both literally and figuratively. The moment that he read her name something inside him had broken. Matt Murdock had broken in a way he never had before. He had finally realized how much he needed her, when she was no longer there to hear it.
He had become more brutal after that. He never killed, but many of the scum he put in the hospital wished he had killed them. And he hadn't stopped at Hell's Kitchen. New York had become the Devil's house. He patrolled the entire city. He had put fear into the hearts of criminals, ignoring what it was doing to his body and mind. Honestly, if there hadn't been so few lawyers to choose from, and if he hadn't still had Karen and Foggy, he probably wouldn't have had a law office given he spent more time as Daredevil than Matt Murdock.
"We've all made mistakes. But that is in the past. We can't turn back the clock. All we can do is move forward." She said, bringing his mind back to the present.
"Together?" He asked, and she smiled. Then she kissed him.
"Together."
Later that night, or morning depending on who you asked, Matt held Claire in his arms as she slept. He remembered a quote he'd heard as a child.
You only live once.
In this case, Matt disagreed. He and Claire had been given another chance at a life together. They had been born again. Matt was determined that this time, things would be different.
A/N:So we did it! Daredevil is back on Disney Plus! Now, while I doubt we'll get Claire back, I couldn't resist writing this one shot to celebrate Daredevil's return. I hope you all enjoyed it!