Prompt: Frank doesn't realize he uses endearments w Karen. They fall from his lips so naturally. It starts w a polite 'Ma'am'. When he saves her in 2x10, & again in 2x11, it becomes Sweetheart. In 2x13, after he says, "See u 'round, Red." He looks down as Karen looks up at him & reverently whispers, "See you soon Sweetheart." By Punisher 1x02, 1x05, 1x09 & most definitely 1x11 - it becomes 'Baby'. P.S. Micro totally notices how utterly whipped Frank is when it comes to Karen.
I know this is not what you wanted, but it came over me a few minutes ago while I cooked dinner, out of nowhere, and I figured I took long enough as it is.
Hope you like this, even if it’s not what you asked for.
Much love ♥
Names
He calls her Maria, once.
It’s an accident, of course it is. He’s distracted, they’re packing for their very first weekend away together, he’s checking if they have everything, if he’s not forgetting anything, and he asks if she knows where the spare keys to his car are.
She doesn’t hear him, going over her own list, her suitcase opened on the bed.
He calls her by name, but he’s not even looking her way. It just slips.
Maria.
There’s a silence, and even the dog looks at him like he’s asking, “who?”
Frank freezes on the spot, a curse stuck on his throat, and Karen looks at him, a side smile on her face.
“Shit”, he says, not knowing what to feel or what to do or how to act. “Sorry. I didn’t-”
“Frank.”
“It just slipped, I’m-”
“Hey, hey. Frank.”
He looks at her, finally, and she’s smiling, shaking her head at him softly.
“It’s ok. Don’t worry.”
“No, it’s not, it’s…”
He takes his hands to his face, and he admits. He’s tired. Madani’s been riding his ass, lately, they have to get on the road before dawn tomorrow, it’s the first time they do anything like this, he’s nervous, stressed, he’s…
He was used to do this with his wife. They’ve been on little road trips like this one a million times, sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with the kids, sometimes more people. They had a rhythm, they had a system, they knew how to do this.
Muscle memory, he figures. He got to that headspace, maybe. And her name just slipped off his tongue, as if she was standing right there behind him, ready to ask if he had packed shampoo.
“Frank”, Karen says again, taking a step to him, closing her own hands around his wrists to lower them from his face. “It’s fine, stop.”
Frank looks at her, and she smiles at him again.
“Please don’t worry about it. Ok? It was bound to happen.”
She’s right, of course. It was. Even if he doesn’t even use her own name that much anymore. She’s Karen sometimes, sure, but, more often than not, she’s some sort of pet name.
‘Sweetheart’, mostly. ‘Babe’, when it’s just the two of them. ‘Baby’, but rarely. ‘Ma’am’ if he’s being cute. There’s a variety of them, variations of her own name, but the full ‘Karen’ is the one he uses less.
“Look”, she says, sweetly, when looks at her all guilty. “You loved this woman. With your whole heart. Right? And she was taken from you, very suddenly. If you call me by her name, it means, I think, that you kinda like me, too?”
He chuckles, lifting a hand to caress her hair.
“Yeah? And that you’re comfortable enough around me to not be so on guard. Right? It means, I think, that maybe I’m digging my own space inside that heart of yours.”
He kisses her, soft and gentle.
“You have already. You know this.”
“I do know it. So don’t worry about it. Ok? Honestly, I’m surprised it took you this long.”
They talk about his late wife that night. She knows the basics, knows their history, has an idea of how his family came to be and how it worked. But Frank never really actually talked about Maria with her, about her personality and what defined her.
She asks, when they’re getting ready to settle for the night, if she reminds him of her in any way, and he nods, resting his head on his pillow.
“Yeah, actually.”
And then he tells her about how she was stubborn, like Karen. Strong willed and full of opinions, a very defined sense of what was right and wrong, an easy sense of humor, a contagious laugh, and how she would call him on his bullshit every time.
“So you got a type, huh?” she teases, pinching his arm, and he smiles, pulling her to settle against him.
“I guess.”
They drive away from her apartment the next morning, before the sun is up. Karen immediately opens a bag of chips, and he thinks of the clear contrast of the sour cream smell from the carrots, celery and apple slices Maria used to pack them - especially after the kids were born.
“Johnathan”, she says right before they leave the city.
“What’s that?”
“Boyfriend I had when I was 17. Hot head, impulsive, very handsome in a bad boy sorta way. I figured if you’re gonna call me by a different name, I should have one for you, too.”
He pokes her waist and she wiggles away, giggling, ticklish thing she is.
“Very funny.”
He puts his hand back on the wheel and she moves to place a big kiss on his cheek, just like-
He doesn’t call her by any other name again. At least not to her. In his head, the two women that managed to steal his heart right out of his chest sometimes get mixed up.
It’s a different kind of love. It’s the same kind of love. It’s love, and Frank Castle counts his blessings that he was lucky - smart, blessed, destined - enough to find it, twice.
And before they go back to the city, he starts thinking if Karen wouldn’t like to go by another name. Her own name, but, maybe… With his to follow it.
She smiles and kisses him and tells him she loves him, and he decides he’s gonna ask.
I’m not sure if you’re taking fanfic prompts and if you’re not I apologize but I was wondering if you could do a slight AU of Karen at that college party she was at in her centric episode but Frank is there watching and they meet, the rest is up to you!
First of all, don’t ever apologise for sending me prompts. that you trust me with your ideas will forever humble and thrill me, so it is, truly, an honor.
Second of all, about the story: since we don’t know the exact timline of Frank’s life, this is set, as prompted, during that night Karen is shown partiying, and, for Frank, it’s a few months before he meets Maria.
I hope you guys like it. And thanks, Anon, for trusting me with it.
Much love.
Permanence
This is stupid.
Could be fun, Bill kept saying. And it’s not that he was against fun, in general, but this right here? Stupid.
These people were, 90% of them, tripping their balls off. And, again, he’s no angel, but this is a situation that could, so easily, go to shit.
They had to leave in two days. The guys wanted to blow off steam, they were in this little town in Vermont, there was a college party, Billy knew a guy, here they were, here he is.
And then, suddenly, there she is.
It’s not the first time he’s seen girls going wild. Really, not even close. He has run this circuit before, he knows the drills, the parties, the booze, the drugs, the music, the guys, the girls.
He doesn’t remember a girl quite like this one, though.
She’s dancing on top of a table, she’s pouring liquor down this ice sculpture thing, she’s sort of making out with this girl, she’s barely wearing anything.
Frank has seen this picture before, he’s done this before.
Still, he can’t look away, the beer sweating in his hand, eyes accompanying the sway of her scantily clad hips. The scene was not new to him, but this? Her? Someone just like her? No, not even close.
He’s looking at her and she’s dancing, but then she’s looking somewhere right over his shoulder. To his left, Frank sees a guy motioning her over with his chin, and sees the sigh she barely represses.
The girl - barely a woman, what is she, 19, 20 tops? - bends to pick up something, a backpack from behind the table she had been dancing on, and makes her way to the guy.
On her way, she brushes her shoulder against Frank’s, but doesn’t really acknowledges him.
“Lighten up, Frankie”, Billy is saying, suddenly, on his right, arm over someone’s shoulders. “Don’t have to look so glum all the time, y’know?”
“Yeah, yeah”, he says, suddenly aware of the people around him, swaying to this god awful music, this blue light, the low ceilings making him feel like he might suffocate on air any second, now. “Don’t overdo it, Bill.”
“Only way I know how to do anything, my friend”, he says, pulling the girl on his arm closer to him, and she smiles big, her face pressed right against his neck. “Hey. I’m serious. Have some fun.”
“Yeah, man”, the girl interjects, making a mock grumpy face at him. “Turn that frown upside down.”
“I’m gonna turn you upside down”, Billy tells her, and Frank has to laugh, because how does this shit actually works?
If he had his face, he muses, he would be able to get away with ridiculous lines like this, too.
They leave, and Frank looks over to where the table girl had disappeared to. Of course, she’s not standing there anymore.
He walks to the spot he had gotten his beer, to maybe get a fresh one, and someone directs him outside, which is a relief.
“I don’t know what to tell you”, he hears while his hand is inside the bucket full of ice and beer bottles.
There she is, this time wearing jeans and a shirt, putting her hair up in a knot.
“That’s very easy”, says the person she’s been talking to, a different guy than the one who had called her before. “Tell me you got something for me.”
“I just told you, I don’t have it. Very sorry.”
“What am I supposed to do, then?”
“I don’t know. Take it up with Todd, he might have it.”
“Usually you have it.”
“Well, today I don’t.”
There’s a beat, and the guy sighs.
“You not holding out on me?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Don’t know. Maybe you’re still mad about that other time.”
“Hmm. Yeah. But, as it is, I don’t have anything for you. Go see Todd.”
“I don’t wanna see Todd, that dude’s a douche. I rather deal with you.”
That’s when Frank turns around and, with a look to her face just to make sure, steps in.
“Hey”, he says to her, and the guy, that has been taking a step towards her, stops and turns to look at him. “Ready to go?” Frank asks her, and she looks confused for half a second before realizing what he’s doing.
“Yeah.” To the guy, she says again. “Sorry, man. I’ll see you later.”
And then she walks past him, towards Frank, and they walk towards the back entrance of the frat house - only Billy would ever be able to drag him to a fucking frat house party, really.
“Thanks”, she says, looking over at him. “He can be persistent.”
She smiles at him, pleasantly and politely, and Frank tries not to stare too hard at her.
She’s a looker, this one.
“Don’t think I’ve ever seen you before”, she says after his “you’re welcome”.
“Just passing through”, he says, taking a sip of his beer. “That happen a lot? With the guy?”
She shrugs, not trying to change the leisure pace they had set. “You know. Yeah. Frat guys, not much to expect there.”
They end up sitting on this bench on the front porch, sipping beer and talking. For hours and hours, they talk. About being from a small town, in her case, and from Queen, in his, and a big sister and an only child, about on and off boyfriends and being “tragically detached” - her words for his situation. They talk and he doesn’t lie to her. Not once. And she doesn’t lie to him, he can tell. Their truths coming out as easily and organically as breathing.
Her name is Karen, but he calls her Blue Eyes. She laughs, but doesn’t protest. She is not really, actually, a student here. She tells him, vaguely, about not having decided what she actually wanted to do for a major, about taking a break, and asks him what he’s doing there.
“We’re flying out two days from now”, he tells her. “My buddy knows someone here, kinda dragged me along with him.”
“Flying out where?”
He tells her, casually, about the Marines, and the way her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, her lips barely-almost-imperceptibly curving up, make him feel proud, like it’s something to boast about.
“So, it’s your last night of unrestrained fun before you go out to protect and save us all?”
She’s sitting really close, and he’s kinda turned towards her, and they’re sharing a beer. It’s dark out, so they’re sitting close, and he feels… Good. Relaxed. The party is raging behind them, but he has forgotten all about the crappy music, infuriating lighting and stoned people.
“Pretty much.”
“Well, then, Mr. Marine.” Getting up, she picks the beer from him with one hand and, while taking a swig, reaches out for him with the other.
“We going somewhere?” He asks, taking it and getting up.
“It is my duty, as an American, to make sure our troops get to work feeling good. Relaxed. Come on.”
They end up smoking a pretty amazing joint while walking towards somewhere he doesn’t know, but doesn’t really care. Honestly, she could just walk him round and round the block in the cold, he’d be fine with it.
But they end up in front of a big building, not too distant from the first one, he could still hear the beat of the music.
It’s big and dark, and pretty obviously the campus’ gym.
“Last year’s elections were pretty competitive, so we got a lot of improvements around town. This right here was pretty much abandoned, and the athletes had to share the high school gym, all the way across town. The mayor really went for it, and now there is state of the art equipment, a soccer field over there, basketball court, and… A heated pool.”
“And how do you suppose we get in there?”
“Small town, Marine”, she says, turning to look at him over her shoulder, and he can almost feel his knees giving out. “More often than not, things are just left… Unlocked.”
Amazingly, she turns the doorknob and pushes, and the big door moves, and she steps in.
“Come on.”
Soon, she was in her underwear again, shedding her clothes like it’s nothing, and soon he is, too, and she’s pulling him to the water, and he’s almost moaning, because, shit, it feels good.
Frank doesn’t know how long they stay there, with only their heads above the water, circling each other, and she comes close, sometimes, right up to his face, and he catches her hand in his, and she runs hers over his arms, fingertips tracing the dips and swells of muscles, and then she swims away, whole body floating in the surface, and they talk, and he watches her, and she comes close again. Time goes by and Frank forgets it, forgets himself, suddenly there’s only blonde long hair floating in warm water, blue eyes looking up at the domed ceiling, fingertips against his.
“I wrote a book, once”, she tells him, floating, belly up, arms stretched out, grasping his hand, letting go, grasping it again. “When I was eleven.”
“What was it about?” He asks, watching the water twist and swirl around her skin.
“A girl that went to sleep wishing she could see more than what she sees everyday, and, on her way to school the next day, she finds a portal that will take her to different dimensions and realities.”
“Wow. Were you published? How many copies? Translations?”
With a side smile, she splashes water towards him.
“Three copies. My mom had the original, my grandma asked for a second one, and I took one to school. Got a prize, you know?”
“It sounds like a good story”, he muses, taking a step closer to her, and her hand closes around his wrist, sliding further along his arm as he reaches to touch her back underwater. “A bit biographical, maybe?”
“Oh, for sure.”
He’s standing behind her, now, her head on his shoulder, and the water is steaming around them.
“Ever since I was old enough to understand anything, I wanted to get out of here. The book was just… the closest I ever got to actually doing anything about it.”
“At the tender age of eleven.”
They fall silent for a bit, and Frank runs his fingers over hers while she floats there with her head on his shoulder, legs stretched out in front of them.
“Your brother might have a point there.”
She had told him how her younger brother kept saying she needed to go away, make a life for herself, and she kept saying she couldn’t, there are too many things here, her father would not make one day without her.
“Yeah?” She asks, moving to stand in front of him, her hair slick back, face wet, such blue eyes shining against the pool lights. “We could trade, you and I. You stay and manage the business, keep an eye on old Paxton and Kev while I go on adventures around the world.”
“Adventures?” He asks, advancing against her, and her smile is cheeky and almost daring. “Is that what you think I do?”
“I guarantee it’s more exciting than serving coffee to the sheriff.”
“Maybe. Coffee is safer, though.”
“Safety is overrated.”
“You say that now”. He’s so close, and she doesn’t back away, so he reaches for her hands again, and then places his on her waist. “Splashing around a heated pool in the middle of the winter, dancing on top of tables in your underwear…”
“Smoking pot with a mysterious grumpy Marine.”
“Am I mysterious?”
Pressing her lips together and running her eyes over his face, she nods.
“Probably the most mysterious person to ever walk the streets of our little town.”
“Hmm. What about this girl?” Here, Frank pulls her to him by her hand, and she lifts the other one to his face when he puts his arm around her waist. “With blue fire in her eyes and something wild, sweet and special about her?”
The way she looks at him, honestly. He just might get on his knees and say yes to whatever she asks and demands, just because of that look.
“Isn’t she full of mystery and everything grand?”
He has both arms around her, now, and watches as drops of water run from her hairline to her chin, dripping back to the pool one by one. One of her hands on his shoulder, the other one caressing his face absent mindedly, but he feels as if she’s seeping magic into him.
“There’s nothing special about me, Marine.”
“But there is.”
She’s warm and tasting of chlorine when he kisses her, slow and soft, full of something that he doesn’t know what it means, it can’t really mean anything, can it, he knows this girl for five minutes, but he knows it does, he feels it does, it means something huge, it makes something inside him stir when her tongue slides against him and he hears the little sign she lets out.
His hand is raising from her waist to the back of her head, she’s kissing him deliciously for less than a minute when the door bursts open and she flinches, and Frank sighs when he recognizes the voice that echoes on the high ceilings.
“You in here, Frankie?”
She giggles silently against him when he mutters a curse under his breath, and puts both hands on his face, placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth while Billy and the girl from before make their way inside.
“Been looking for you, man. We gotta go.”
Frank looks at him from inside the pool, and Karen is already swimming towards the pool ladder.
“What d’you mean we gotta go?” He asks Billy from inside the water. “Now?”
“Yeah, man. They called, we lift in three hours.”
“Shit.”
Climbing out of the pool, he steps to where Karen is putting her clothes back on, and she gives him a soft smile.
“Let me drive you home”, he offers, because, now that he’s paying attention, the sun is already out, the blue of the sky getting lighter and lighter as morning advances.
“I’m actually late, so I’m gonna accept.”
They put their clothes on quickly, and, a strange feeling inside him, he reaches out for her hand when they’re ready to go.
With a contemplating look about her, she takes it, and they walk out towards where he had parked the car, Billy and the girl making noise while leading the way, and Frank, with the heat of her hand against his, wishes they never find the truck.
She rides shotgun with him, and he doesn’t let go of her hand the entire way to Billy’s date’s place, she draws simple patterns over his knuckles.
They don’t say anything while Billy walks the girl to her door and makes a show of trying to suck her lips off her face.
When it’s her turn, Karen guides him through the streets until they arrive at a diner.
“Ma’am”, Billy says to her when she descends the car and he moves to take her place. “Pleasure to meet you.”
She offers him a short, polite smile, and looks at Frank, walking around the car to go with her to the entrance.
“It was nice to meet you, Frank”, she offers, and he feels as if he’s losing something. Something amazing he never got the chance to have, only a glimpse, but he feels its loss nonetheless.
“Send me a copy of your next book”, he tries, a lame joke to delay his departure, and she smiles, bright and conformed. “And don’t forget to sign it.”
“Tell you what”. She takes a step towards him and tugs on the lapel of his coat. “I’ll dedicate it to you, how does that sound?”
There’s a side smile on his face when he pulls her to a hug, pressing a kiss to her temple, and she breathes in deep against his shoulder.
“You’re fucking special, Blue Eyes.”
It’s not longing, that he feels. Not quite. But something pulls and tugs on his heartstrings, and it’s a nagging feeling and he wishes, for his own sake, that it would go away.
Karen moves, letting go of him with a sigh.
“I’m gonna miss you, Marine.”
She walks backwards towards the entrance of the diner, looking at him.
“Try not to forget me too quickly.”
He shakes his head at her, telling her without words that he won’t, and she smiles before turning and climbing the four or five steps, opening the door, taking one last glance at him before walking in, and Frank walks back towards the car, where Billy is waiting for him.
“Ready to go, Romeo?”
“Shut up, Bill.”
.:.
Karen hears his name and something lights up in the back of her mind.
She reads it on the files Tower slips her and it bugs her.
His hospital records, his military history, the x-ray of his bullet wound, close range, right side of his head.
And then, the photographs in his home. The smell of the place, the medal on the mantel, pictures of his family and pictures of official ceremonies.
It’s so far away, but it’s there. Like a tiny stone lodged in the recesses of her conscience, too small to pick up, but solid enough to make her shift her weight around it.
She tells herself it’s because there are too many holes to the story. Tells it to Matt, to Foggy, and even to the nurse that saw him coming back to life after one minute of being officially dead. Tells it to herself when she breaks into his house.
The stone is there. All along. Tiny and solid.
Until she walks into his hospital room and sees him strapped and cuffed to a bed, red tape on the floor marking him as dangerous, and she has to let go of Matt’s hand, tries to get a hold of herself while he walks to the bed and starts talking, memories of a night, so long ago, flooding back, making her lose her breath.
Here, standing not so far away, she recognizes him at last.
He won’t remember. Over ten years, now, almost fifteen, there’s no way he can… No way he has kept that locked inside, like she has, a glimpse of maybe something, the promise of something grand, too fleeting to actually be something.
There’s no way.
But he does. Not right away, he’s a mess of wounds and scrapes and injuries, there’s trauma so evident, covering every inch of his skin and coating every word that leaves his mouth, and even she forgets herself, because he has already given up. So she gets to his face, shoves a picture of his family under his nose, and holy Christ in heaven, it is him, she can practically taste the one quick kiss from ages ago, beer and pot and chlorine, just like she had then, when it lingered on her tongue even after she got back together with Todd, disappearing only when the taste of her own blood suffocated her, when it had dripped into her mouth while she screamed in an upside down car, in the worst night of her life.
When she shows him that picture, he really looks at her, and she can see recognition in his eyes. Far away and slow, like it had been for her, and then Matt is pulling her away, Reyes is kicking them out, and she’s actually glad, because she can lean against a wall and breathe, time swirling around her, shifting, rearranging, old memories and buried emotions flaring back up, fighting against experiences that left no place for them.
There’s a case, there are crimes, death and destruction, there is Matt. Matt smiling and being sweet and kissing her in front of an elevator, Matt lodging himself into her heart, faster and faster.
But then the elevator door closes, he’s gone and she has work to do, she goes back in with Foggy, and Frank is staring at her, and she knows he knows. She knows he remembers, she remembers too, like it was yesterday, warm water and warm hands against her skin, soft lips of a young, good man against hers.
He asks to be alone with her, and Foggy is quick to say no, but she says yes, and then her friend is walking out.
The room is silent and full of tension, she has his legal case in her hands, a barely cooked strategy his only hope of… something.
And then he sighs, and his eyes soften, and she lets out a long, slow breath, and lifts her eyes to his.
There’s too much. Way too much to say, way too much to unpack, a thousand things and none, over ten years since a night that happened so quick that it could barely count as happening, but it had, it did, a fixed point in her life that had changed nothing, or maybe it had changed everything.
He recognizes her. And she knows what he’s gonna say before he says it.
“Hi, Marine”, she starts.
There’s a beat, and maybe one layer of air is lifted out of the sterile hospital room.
Here lies another beggining of the year indulgent thing.
I have written fix-it fics and AU’s before, but none, I think, as sticky-sweet as this one. But it is also a lil smutty. So be warned.
The first fic of 2019 had to be bright, given what Netflix and Disney are hell bent on doing to us all.
Here it is. I hope you like it. Please let me know. The writer needs affection/validation.
Much love. Happy 2019 to all of us.
(Also #SaveDaredevil while we’re at it)
Frank caused a commotion the first time he visited her at her office.
She had not been expecting him at all. He was supposed to be in Florida with his kids, a Disney World event for Lisa’s 9th birthday. His flight was not scheduled to arrive until eight that night.
But then there he was, at 11 in the morning.
“Hey”, he called from her door, that voice full of gravel that still made her skin shiver, almost a year into their relationship.
“Oh”, she let out, looking up from her computer, surprised to see him. “Hi!”
Frank has this thing about him, that no matter what he put on, he looked good. It can be a bit infuriating, actually, especially on those days that she couldn’t decide what to wear or what to do with her hair. Frank just threw on a hoodie and some jeans and those boots he would wear to bed if he could, and he was ready.
Walking into her office, he made his way to her and she realized her strategy of not thinking about him during the week he spent away had worked. She had focused on everything but Frank Castle and everything she had to do so as not to think about him and, consequently, miss him too much, but now that he was here, placing the white roses that he always presented her with behind her pencil case, she felt the tightness in her chest that told that she had missed missed missed him but now was so glad that he was here.
Oh, she just knew this office was about to implode because of him.
He bent over her desk to place a kiss on her lips, and she angled her face up, but as soon as he backed away, she got up to close the door and shut the blinds, ignoring the protests of her nosy coworkers.
“I thought you were supposed to fly back tonight.”
“Yeah”, he started while she shook her head at Arlene through the window, who was making faces and mouthing “oh my God??” at her. “Leave it to those kids to not follow the plan.”
Turning to him, Karen smiled and moved to better greet him after a week of texts and quick calls to say good night.
“What happened?” She asked after a proper kiss and a tight hug, pulling him towards the couch, moving to sit sideways on his lap.
“We got a dog.”
She was on her way to kiss him again, but stopped and moved back to look at his face.
“You got a- the dog you were planning on getting Frankie?”
“Nope, not that one. Well, now, I guess, yeah.”
He had been planning on getting a dog for his son for his birthday, two months from now, in order to maybe teach some responsibility to the young boy that, unlike his sister, that took to their father and developed her organization skills from an early age, was truly content on being the spoiled youngest sibling, leaving a messy trail wherever he went.
“I took them to dinner last night”, he started to explain, one arm behind her, hand on her hip, the other caressing her thigh over her jeans.
Karen has never been happier to have a private office.
“We went to this sea food place-”
“You got a dog at a seafood place?”
“Almost. We get there and I’m looking for a parking spot when these two little maniacs yell ‘SHELTER!’ and hop off the car.”
Karen smiled, knowing exactly what he meant. They had picked this up a while ago, under the impression that, as long as the car was moving very slowly and they loudly announced why they were exiting the vehicle and where they were going, it was ok to simply unbuckle and leave.
“So I park the damn car, and when I get there they go ‘daddy daddy please!’, thrusting this puppy on my face.”
“What breed?”
Here, he sighed.
“A pitbull.”
“Oh, these kids are good.”
Frank loves pitbulls. Everyone that knows him knows this. He had forfeited the privilege of having one when he married Maria, who is very allergic to dogs, leaving the one he already had to live with his parents. Old Max had died soon after Frankie was born, and Frank has been puppy orphaned since then.
“Yeah”, he says, softly, as he always does when talking about his children, picking on a seam of her jeans. “I made it a little difficult, though, made them promise all kinds of things about taking care of it, going for walks and shit, but Lisa hit me with the birthday bribe thing, and Frankie said he never wanted anything more in his entire life, even if he had met the dog three minutes ago.”
With hands on his face, Karen bent to take her kiss, and the familiar warmth of him made her want to go home.
“So now you have a dog.”
“Now I have a dog. Its technically the kids’ dog, but he’s gonna live with me full time, so yeah.”
Weaving her arms around his neck, she pulled him for a hug, aware that someone was going to knock, any second now.
“I’m happy for you”, she said, feeling his arms tighten around her. “And I’m also glad you’re home a whole nine hours earlier.”
She had been right. Right when he was weaving his fingers inside her hair, opening his mouth to her kiss, someone knocked on the door, and she got up from his lap.
“Yeah, come in.”
Simone and Andre, of course. Everybody had been asking about Frank, wanting to meet him, but these two have been the worst.
“Hi-i, excuse us”, Simone sing-sang, walking in as Frank slowly got up from the couch. “We just wanted to know if you’re gonna join us for lunch. Hi, I’m Simone.”
Frank moved to shake her hand, and Andre stood there sizing him up.
“Frank Castle.”
“Ah, the famous Frank. I wish I could say we’ve heard all about you, but this one has built a mystery”, Andre said, taking his turn in shaking his hand. “She doesn’t say anything, no matter how much we beg.”
Karen would have sent them away, but it was a little fun to watch Frank squirm under her coworkers’ scrutiny.
He smiled his polite smile, and touched a hand on the small of her back.
“I’m afraid I came to steal her away for lunch.”
They tried to convince him they could all have lunch together, but he explained that he had just touched down in New York, his suitcase was still in the car, he had his kids waiting for them back home.
After a lot of probing, a lot of insistence, Alex and Sam joining them in the office, she managed to shoo everybody away and, finally, pull him by the hand to the elevators.
“I feel like The Bachelor or something”, he whispered to her while they waited, mouth to her ear, and she put one arm around his torso.
“They’re a bunch of reporters, and I have been retaining information about you for almost a year. You’re lucky they’re not dissecting you over my desk.”
The door pinged and opened, and they stepped into the empty elevator. Frank kissed her discreetly, a sweet hand on her face while they descended to the lobby for his car.
“Sorry for showing up unannounced”, he said against her cheek. “I thought I’d surprise you.”
“It’s ok. I’ll have to hold a press conference in the break room when I come back, but it’s worth it.”
He smiled against her face, placing a lingering kiss on her temple just as the doors opened to the lobby.
She asked about the trip on the way to his apartment, a hand on his hair while he drove, and he told her about long lines and kiddie rides, but how it was worth it, just to see the kids so happy. How they had to smuggle the puppy to the hotel, and Lisa forfeited a day in Sea World so they could go back home early and how they almost cried along when the puppy whined in the plane, the loud noises hurting his little ears.
When he parked in his usual spot, Karen tugged on his sleeve before he even started gathering his stuff to get out of the car.
Unbuckling, she leaned to kiss him and, after quickly bunching up her skirt to her hips, moved out of her seat and maneuvered herself on top of him, laughing out an “ouch!” when she banged her head on the car ceiling in the process.
He was smiling when she moved to kiss him, hands eager on her, going from her face to her hair, down her neck, over to her back and down her hips until he was gripping her ass firmly, kissing her slow and deep, making her sigh against his lips.
“I missed you”, she whispered when he dove to kiss and nibble on her neck, arms around his shoulders, feeling warm and tingly from his kisses.
“Fuck”, he sighed against her skin, looking up again to catch another kiss. “I missed you more.”
Frank had his hands full of her and everything was already spinning when she took her hands from his face, lowering them down his chest.
“The kids are gonna sleep over?”
“Yeah”, he said against her neck while she pushed his shirt out of her way.
“Well then”, she said, closing her eyes when he pressed a chunk of her skin between his teeth, a reaction to her fingers unbuckling his belt. “We’ll have to make do.”
It’s not that they never had sex with the kids in the house. He shared custody with Maria, 50/50, and they’ve been going out 10 months, now, of course they had to make sure the door was locked and try to be as quiet as possible.
But he was just coming back from a week away, if they went upstairs right away, she would have to wait until bedtime to get her fill of him.
So the car it was.
“Hold on, hold on”, he breathed, one arm around her, leaning off the seat to start the car again, setting the air conditioner on high.
Frank came back to her with renewed gusto, and she kinda liked the rough fabric of his jeans scratching her bare thighs.
It had to be quick. No time or space to draw out anything. Plus, his windows were tinted and the garage was underground, but this was still a public space.
She groaned into his mouth when he slipped inside her, bracing a hand on the ceiling right above her head, rolling her hips on his, the vents of his (very impractical) Mustang blasting cold air on her back.
He had ripped the buttons out of one of her shirts, once, on a drunk encounter where he knocked on her door after drinking with his buddies, and as exciting as it had been at the time, she had warned him not to do it again, she couldn’t exactly afford this habit of his. So now he was always careful, going button by button every time.
This time, he stopped just after three, when her bra was exposed enough, and pushed the lacy fabric aside to attach his mouth over her breasts, hugging her to him, making her moan at what the movement did, he was just so good at this.
Oh, his hands. Frank knew just how to handle her, his fingers applying just the right amount of pressure. A little bit over comfortable, not enough to hurt, just enough to make her shiver, guiding her over him, pressing and kneading, and they have to hurry, the kids are waiting upstairs, one of his neighbors could walk in any minute, there might be a security camera or two registering as his car bounced.
“Now, Kare’, come on”, he growled in her ear after just a few minutes, dipping his hand between them and bucking his hips up towards her, and she pressed her lips together to keep the scream in, moaning loud against his face, the air conditioner too loud to let anyone outside the car hear her.
Frank let go just after her, face pressed against her neck, and she hugged him to her, moving her hips to and fro slowly as they both came down, sweating a little bit in spite of the cold air coming out of the vents.
“One fucking week”, he said, all mellow, head resting against the seat, a hand on her face, and she kissed him slowly. “Away from you. I never wanna do that again.”
They took a few more minutes to put themselves together and look around before exiting the car.
Upstairs, opening the door, they found the Castle kids on the living room floor, playing with their new puppy.
“Hi, you guys!” She greeted, and both Lisa and Frank got up from the floor, excitedly talking over each other, showing her the dog, trying to tell her all about the trip to Florida in less than a minute.
“Ok, ok, hey, calm down”, Frank said, closing the door behind them. “Take a breath.”
The plan had been for them to go out, and they would drop her off at work after they ate, but she ended up sitting on the floor with the children, playing with the new family member, trying to come up with a name for him, so Frank ordered in.
“He looked straight at us when we came in”, Lisa was telling her, sitting by her side playing with the puppy while Frankie sat, technically, on the floor, but with his back against her chest, her legs crossed around his small frame while he played on her phone. “The lady told us he was born less than a week ago. We were the very first to come in and see them.”
“He has three sisters”, Frankie piped in, not looking up from the phone. “I wanted to bring them all home.”
“Yeah, in your dreams, buddy”, Frank said from the couch.
“But daddy, you love dogs”, he argued, calm as cucumber. “You would love all of them.”
“I think it’s good that you only got him”, Karen said, pushing the boy’s hair away from his forehead. “One dog is already such a big responsibility, can you imagine four?”
“I agree”, went Lisa, rubbing the puppy’s belly. “We would be totally overwhelmed.”
Nine years old and such big words.
“Right. Totally overbelted”, echoed her brother, sort of.
“By the way”, Frank said from his spot on the couch. “What’s this guy’s name?”
They thought about names for a few minutes, laughing while she and Frank suggested names like Tiberius or Leandrenous.
“Frank Jr Jr!” Suggested an excited boy.
“That’s too many Franks in one house”, argued his sister, shaking her head solemnly.
The food arrived and they jumped to set the table, babbling away about Disney World and how they couldn’t wait to be old enough for the “big rides” while Frank opened the door and payed the delivery guy.
They sat down at the table to eat and, while Frank served rice to Lisa, Karen spotted a stain on his neck, right below his left ear.
Lipstick. Hers, from the car.
Dropping her fork, she reached out to clean it, or, at the very least, smudge it away before the kids saw it. He looked at her, a question in his eyes, and she moved her hand to show him the soft pink tinge in her fingers.
She had to breathe deep not to laugh at the smug expression on his face.
“No chicken for me, daddy”, Lisa said. “I’m a vegetarian.”
He fixed her with a look.
“Since when?”
“Since today. I just saw on TV how they make burgers and chicken nuggets, so I’m not gonna eat meat anymore.”
“You could have mentioned that before I ordered chicken and steak, maybe?”
“Sorry. I’ll have rice and fries. And I guess I can have some cauliflower.”
They ate and the puppy whined, begging for food while Frankie listed all the disadvantages of being a vegetarian and Lisa listed the benefits.
“They eat dogs in China. Did you know that?”
“No they don’t!”
“They do, too! And in India, cows are sacred. So us having burgers is just as weird for them. You wouldn’t eat a dog, would you? So why should I eat a cow?”
There was a moment of quiet, while Frankie thought about it and Lisa tried not to make a face at the steamed vegetables she was munching on.
“What else do they eat in China?”
.:.
After teaming up to load the dishwasher, they all got into their shoes again, to go out and drive Karen back to work. They needed to also stop at a pet store, to buy the newest member of the family some proper food.
“You’re sleeping over, right?” Lisa asked from the back seat when Frank pulled over in front of the Bulletin, the dog on her lap.
“Yep”, she confirmed, twisted around to look at the girl.
“Good. We still need to tell you about the rest of the trip.”
“And I need to show you my new comic books”, Frankie - now also a vegetarian - added.
“I want to hear and see it all”, she smiled at them. “Bye, you guys.”
Moving back, she looked at Frank, who leaned in to collect a kiss.
“We can come pick you up.”
“No need. I have a Skype interview, don’t know how long it’ll take. I’ll get a cab, or something.”
“Ok. But call me if you want me. I’ll come running.”
She took the kiss, and whispered just for him.
“I always want you.”
.:.
As she expected, the office was holding its collective breath waiting for her return. She had barely walked out of the elevator when Simone got up and started to follow her.
“You sneaky bitch”, she said, pinching her arm and Karen smiled. “You were hiding that all along?”
“I wasn’t hiding anything. Or anyone.”
“Karen”, said Sam, catching up to them. “That is your boyfriend? Jesus Christ, he’s so yummy.”
She didn’t say anything to that because, well, yes, he is.
She didn’t mean to keep Frank a secret. He wasn’t, really. But things had started very uncertain, with them.
He was married, when they first met. Just starting on his divorce process, and he was not in a very good place then. Neither was she, really, what with the break up with Matt and Wilson Fisk waging war on her over the exposè she wrote on him, Nelson & Murdock handling the case, it was a mess.
But then they met again, and she wrote a story on him, they teamed up to bring some corrupt CIA officials down, he became a source, she became his one woman database, he saved her life, and suddenly-
Suddenly they were in love. Crazy, stupid, inexplicable love, theirs was a completely new thing, for her.
Karen had boyfriends before, she had been in love before, but what she felt for Frank and what he felt for her was beyond her own comprehension. She’s a respected journalist, and she doesn’t have the words to describe it.
She’s his and he’s hers. That’s it.
But she never had envisioned herself falling so hard for a man as complicated as Frank Castle. A man whose divorce papers were still warm from the printer, the ink from the judge’s signature still fresh. A man whose job she couldn’t even understand right, so covert everything was. A man with two children (and a pretty spectacular ex wife, if she’s being honest. It was pretty much impossible not to fall in love with Maria Castle) and more redacted record files than she thought was healthy.
Still. There she was, ten months after the first time he kissed her, unable to imagine her life without him, anymore.
But if she was anything, it was a pessimist. Her own life and history too punctuated with heartbreak for her to be anything other than that.
So she kept him a mystery. Not telling her coworkers she was dating, at first, and then evading questions about him when it became obvious that she was indeed seeing someone.
Plus, it felt good, to keep him all to herself.
During that time, she had also developed the purest form of love for little Lisa and Frank Jr.. She met them after a few months of dating, and the kids took to her with ease, embracing Daddy’s new girlfriend with a warmth that, honestly, choked her up a little bit.
She loved Lisa and her curious mind, sharp wit and enormous heart.
She loved Frankie and his tenacity, his sweetness and his bravery.
And, Lord above, she loved Frank. All of him, even the parts that made her want to yank her hair out in frustration, sometimes.
They were, both of them, more than a little bit broken when they first met. The way they put each other back together made them stronger everyday.
“Come on”, Alex was saying as she put her hair up for her interview. “Dish.”
“There’s nothing to dish”, she lied. “Now shoo. I have a call with Tony Stark, if you don’t mind.”
They only left after she promised happy hour next Monday, so they could question her about her relationship over tequilas and margaritas.
And, while she waited for the call to connect, she conceded: that didn’t sound so bad.
.:.
Dinner was somewhat tricky.
Lisa was standing her ground with this whole vegetarian thing, and the last thing Frank wanted was to curb any of her impulses - especially when they were rooted in something valid -, even if they didn’t last long, so he had no choice but to adapt.
When she got there, they were, Frank and Lisa, in the kitchen, trying to make a cheese and broccoli soup.
“Tomorrow”, Frank started while he supervised the kids brushing their teeth after dinner, already dressed for bed. “We’re gonna go to the vet, get that little guy all the vaccines he needs to be healthy.”
“Can we go to the park after?” Frankie asked, standing on a little stool step to make him reach the sink, foam spilling out of his mouth.
“Depends on what the vet says.”
“We should get him a trainer”, Lisa said after rinsing, drying her face. “Like the one Kim Kardashian got. You know, to house train him.”
“I doubt I can afford Kim Kardashian’s dog whisperer.”
They said goodnight while Karen rubbed moisturizer on her face and Frank walked to tuck each of them into their own beds, maybe read with them a little bit. The dog - who still didn’t have a name - was going to sleep in Frankie’s room tonight (he had won the coin toss).
She was already in bed, browsing her phone when he walked in, turning the lights off and closing the door behind him, carefully turning the key.
Karen locked the screen and reached to put the phone on the nightstand, smiling when Frank reached the mattress and got a hold of both her ankles, yanking her to him, she giggled and bit on her lower lip, watching as he quickly shed his shirt and threw it behind him.
He bent to place kisses and nibbles on her belly, moving her own shirt out of his way, until he was pushing it over her head and lying down on top of her, his kisses slower than the ones they shared earlier in the car, but not any less intense.
Karen likes the weight of him on top of her. Likes to raise her legs and wrap them around his torso, feel the muscles of his back with her hands, tug on the longer strands of his hair. And she loves everything he does to her, he never disappoints.
But she felt him a little different this time. While his right hand holding her hips up for him was nothing new, the left one on her jaw, angling her face up so he can kiss and lick and nibble on her neck, lower, a tiny bit more intense than usual, was.
(Not unpleasant, by any means, but new.)
“Fuckin’ craved you all week”, he says against her navel, hands busy busy busy on her, and Karen feels violent shivers running all over her. “Missed the taste of your skin.”
This is what her coworkers meant when they said “dish”. They wanted the details of how Frank performs in bed, how his body feels on top of her, how thoroughly he fucks her and how expertly he eats her out, but that is something she was determined to keeping for herself.
She didn’t want to share how he makes her arch her back off the bed when he dips his head between her legs, or how he makes her shiver with the way he works his mouth on her, how she trembles while trying to be quiet, biting on her lip and seeking leverage on his hair.
Karen was not even a little bit eager to describe how he makes her come on his tongue, her skin erupting in goosebumps when he slides up to whisper how much he loves the taste of her, or how he is so good in reading her body that he knows just how to touch her to have her shivering for him all over again, or how perfectly he fits between her legs, how perfectly he fits inside her, her perfectly he moves within her.
This is just theirs.
But, maybe, depending on her mood, she can imply the way he rolls them around and perches her on top of him, and how very good she is at riding while his eyes inspect her, hungry and loving.
Maybe, just maybe, if the drinks are good and the mood is right, she might even tell them how hard he takes her from behind, and she has to scream into a pillow to avoid waking the kids, but even then he doesn’t stop, how he can go for so long she ends up dizzy.
Karen would never soberly admit how she begs for him, how he commands and she obeys, because this is the best she’s ever had, or how he tells her that he loves her so so so much while fucking her silly.
Her nosy and curious coworkers sure would like to know about the shower they shared after that, because they worked up quite a sweat, and maybe Sam, the hopeless romantic, would sigh if she told him that the way Frank looks at her makes her heart spread warmth all over her.
But she thought that it was private, just like the fact that her favorite position is when he’s fully lying on top of her and she is all tangled around him, or that is how the start and end most of their encounters, except when they’re too eager to make it to the bed.
Maybe she’ll tell them. We’ll see.
.:.
Frank is usually the first to wake up, so he’s the one that starts breakfast. Eggs and waffles with honey and jam, fruits, fresh juice for the kids and coffee for himself and the woman who stole his heart. A decent breakfast for a Saturday morning.
This morning, though, he had company. While he cracked eggs on top of melted butter, a tiny little puppy wobbled his way to the kitchen, no doubt following the smell.
After the table was set, Frank picked the dog up, feeding him a little treat, and walked back to the bedroom, to pick wake the rest of the house up.
And honestly. This boy is almost seven years old, now. Maybe it was about time he stopped climbing into his parents’ beds? He would have to talk to Maria about that.
Not that he didn’t like that his son felt safe and comfortable enough around Karen to sneak into bed with her and pass back out while Frank was in the kitchen, sleeping starfish style in the middle of the mattress, one of his feet on top of her stomach, his little chest rising and falling as he breathed.
(Good thing Karen insisted on changing the sheets last night after their enthusiastic reunion. Even tired as she was, she had the presence of mind to predict his kid’s behavior.)
“Go on”, he whispered to the dog, placing him on the bed, watching as he walked towards Frankie’s face to sniff and inspect.
Frank walked to the window and cracked the curtains open, letting a little sun in before lying back down on his side of the bed, moving the kid so he could fit.
“Morning”, Karen greeted, stretching, eyes still closed, moving her face towards his for a kiss. “Something smells good.”
“I made breakfast”, he said softly as the dog sniffed Frankie’s face and the boy turned away, groaning and rolling until he was lying on his stomach. “Hey there, buddy. When’d you get here?”
Soon, Lisa padded out of her bedroom and joined them, hair a mess, also woken up by her nose.
They walked to the table and Frank carried his youngest like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder, placing him on the chair and laughing at his sleepy face while he blinked awake, staring at the plate in front of him.
Deep sleeper, Frank Jr.. Barely ever cried when he was a baby. Slept through the night from the beginning. Unlike Lisa, whose lungs capacity had humbled her parents and their neighbors alike.
Finally sitting down on his own chair after making sure everybody’s plate was full, Frank watched his daughter make plans with Karen about next year’s birthday, when she would be old enough for some of the bigger rides at Disney.
He thought he lost his family when he got divorced. Had night terrors about becoming one of those estranged fathers, alone and unloved for the rest of his life.
Instead, he never even had time to miss his kids. He just got a new dog, and there was a ring burning a hole inside the safe in his office.
Hello, it’s me, bypassing my prompts for something that wouldn’t let me sleep.
I am suffering from Kastle withdrawal. This would be, I suppose, my fix.
It contais a few tiny spoilers for season 3. But you have to really look for it.
Much love.
It’s funny how fast you can get used to some things.
She tried for almost a year, to get used to the habits of her roommate when she first moved to New York. Her demons seemed adamant that she needed solitude, though.
For four months, she tried to adapt to the mattress that came with the place she rented after she moved out of Michelle’s. Lumpy and thin, she ended up spending almost a whole month’s payment on a new mattress - the one she still slept on to this day.
She never got used to the noise of honking so early in the morning. She never got used to the taste of eggplants, no matter how many times and how many different recipes mom tried.
She never got used to not having her little brother.
Nevertheless, Karen became pretty good at adapting. The things she had to twist over and bend around just to go day by day were too much to count. The things that agreed with her were rare and scarce, but they quickly became precious to her.
And this, so quickly, one of them.
Her head was pounding when she woke up. It was still dark, still quiet, but the ache on the back of her head told her she would need some pills to get through the day.
But it was warm. Warmer than usual in the early months of fall, but not in an unpleasant way. The feeling was familiar.
Just like the scent of the aftershave.
Opening her eyes, he crowded her vision immediately. Not a small man, Frank Castle.
“Hey”, was the first thing he said, and strangely - absurdly -, she wanted to close her eyes again and hide against him, let the world forget she existed, let him keep her there against him.
Just like this.
“Hi”, she said back, in a whisper, not moving from the position she was in, on her side, hands tucked against her own neck and chest. “What are you doing here?”
She liked that kind of chuckle that he let out, sometimes. It allowed her a glimpse of the non tortured version of him.
But, she liked this version better. Softer, in the dark, close enough that she could feel the heat waving off of him.
“Came here to yell at you, actually.”
Even smiling, it pulled on her muscles and it made her head throb.
“Can you get me some Advil before you do?”
It was dark still, but she saw his mouth curving, sweetly, slow.
“I had a bunch of things to say, you know? Like why the hell you didn’t call me, for example.”
She didn’t really have an answer for that. She did have reasons, but she was pretty sure he would not buy any of them.
“Or why you seem physically incapable of staying out of trouble for once in your life.”
All this, sweet as ever. Worried, like he cared, and she felt herself slipping, letting herself sink in that, get comfortable with it.
“But you’re no victim, are you?”
His hand found her arm, and the warmth nearly melted her skin off. Or set it on fire. One or the other.
“Guess I should have known by now, right? You run towards the fight, but you have a mean right hook.”
Still she lied there, facing Frank, feeling his hand on her arm, over her shoulder, smoothing her hair back.
“Do you have to walk right into the fire every chance you get?”
“If it has my name on it…”
He laughed, a huff of humorless chuckle that told her it was the wrong thing to say.
“Not when it’s Wilson Fisk, you don’t.”
She closed her eyes. She was done arguing with Foggy and Matt about it, and was not eager to start with Frank.
“‘If it has my name on it’.” He echoed, sarcastic and annoyed. But still sweet. “Right.”
“At least a bomb didn’t blow on you this time.”
“You think that makes me feel better?”
Not quite screaming, but no longer whispering either.
“I’d rather be blown up than hear from the news that you were-”
He stopped himself, and Karen understood that she messed up, right then.
Frank had done so much, to keep her safe. And she didn’t want to involve him, didn’t want to risk
him, there were so many reasons why she put the phone down right after picking it up to call him. She forgot to consider what would it feel like for him to hear about things from anyone else but her. How she would feel if the roles were reversed, and she had to find out from a reporter going live that people were trying to kill him again.
Not a nice feeling.
“Ran into Murdock”, he went on, his tone going back low, even if there was an edge to it. “Of all people.”
Karen was definitely curious about that. But she was feeling queasy again, so she just closed her eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly.
“You tell me you’re done with that shit.”
“What shit?”
“This shit, Karen, this trouble magnet thing, you have to be done with that.”
“It’s kinda in the job description.”
He could wait until tomorrow to learn that the job itself was new. Again.
Frank didn’t say anything, but she could hear it, loud and clear.
“Then at least promise me you’re gonna call me.”
“Frank-“
“Don’t Frank me. I can’t go through this again, you hear me?”
Opening her eyes, she looked at him and saw him staring back at her.
Lord, why this man?
“Ok.”
“Right”, he said after a few seconds, raising his hand and running his palm over her face, to the back of her head, catching her hair through his fingers, just as he had done once, when their ears were ringing after an explosion. “Ok. You sleep now”, the pad of his fingers massaging her scalp, his thumb on her cheek.
Frank doesn’t say much about Karen. And David doesn’t ask.
Because there is no need for any sort of explanation, really.
He knew there was a storm coming the moment he saw the news - the Bulletin had been attacked, and employees of the paper were among the multiple fatal victims -, and he was right. He had barely managed to contain Frank, and even Sarah had to help, half soothing half scolding him into calming down, not act without information, wait a little bit.
Thank God for his wife, honestly. Frank had just sat down on the couch, his head in his hands, knee bouncing up and down uncontrollably while David tried to track Page’s phone, when she called.
“Karen?” Frank picked up, urgently, and Sarah sighed, a “thank God” leaving her while she got up to walk to the kitchen. “Jesus, are you ok?”
Soon, they were in the bunker (Sarah’s word for his and Frank’s new… Office) and he was working on upping security of the place, and Frank was grilling Karen about what had happened.
“It wasn’t him”, she was saying, sitting on the chair Frank usually occupied when he wanted to bug David to hurry up, while the man himself sat on David’s own chair, who had to make do with a stool from the kitchen area to work. “He was dressed as Daredevil, but it wasn’t him.”
Her voice had a shaky quality to it, and David turned to offer her some tea while Frank shook his head.
“You don’t have to tell me that”, he said when David got up to put the kettle on. “That doesn’t sounds like him at all.”
“Oh, God, all those people”, Karen said into her hands, losing a battle against the tears that had been threatening to fall since Frank got her there, and, David suspected, even sooner. “They got killed because of me, I should never have-”
“Hey, hey, hey” Frank interrupted. “You stop that, you hear me? Right now. That was as much your fault as it was Red’s. You can’t take responsibility for some lunatic’s actions, Karen.”
“But it was Fisk”, she said between tears and controlled sobs. “He was there for the witness, and if I hadn’t-”
“That son of a bitch will get his. He’s responsible for this, not you. You were trying to do the right thing.”
David saw as she lifted her head to look at Frank and nodded, her face and eyes red.
“I was.”
“I know”, his friend said, sweeter than he ever saw him, even when he was talking to Leo, lifting his hand to wipe her tears from her face. “I know you were. That’s what you do.”
David put the chamomile tea bag in Frank’s ‘Drama Queen’ mug he had gotten him as a birthday gif/joke, but then thought better of it and chose the plain one from the cabinet.
Karen thanked David when he came back with her tea, reaching her hand for the steaming mug, but Frank took it from his hand and gave it to her himself.
David shook his head, sitting back on the stool that didn’t allow him to move at all, to continue working on the feed of the particular traffic and security cameras they would need surveillance of from now on.
.:.
He was back in his chair when he finished the order for the cameras that Frank would install around Karen’s place. She had gotten up to use the shower, since her clothes were stained with blood, and David used this opportunity to claim his swivel chair back, almost sighing in relief when he wheeled back and forth to his monitors.
Frank had given her one of his shirts, and she was wearing one of Sarah’s leggings, from her gym bag that she had left on David’s car a few days back.
The place smelled heavily of Frank’s shampoo, the one he kept there. Since her hair was much, much longer than both of theirs, it wafted the scent as she walked around.
It was quiet, now. She took some time to calm down, but, eventually, the day caught up to her. And she must have believed Frank when he promised her that he would keep her safe, because she sat down on the couch by Frank’s wall of guns, where the light from David’s work station wasn’t so harsh, and, soon, fell asleep.
He could see from the corner of his eye as Frank looked down at her, her head resting on his leg, one of his hands on her hair while the other ran from her shoulder to her elbow over and over again.
“You want an alert in your phone in case someone breeches her security perimeter?” He asked, lowering his voice, not wanting to startle her.
Frank looked up at him, nodded, and then turned his focus back to her, as if he needed to literally watch her sleep to make sure she’s ok.
“You think it was luck, today?” He asked, even though he knew the answer already. “That she made it out ok?”
Frank’s hand made its way from her shoulder, down her arm, past her elbow and to her wrist, until he picked her hand up, carefully and slowly.
“It was a warning”, he said, and David knew him long enough to recognize the murder in his voice, even if he was speaking softly as not to wake her.
“What does Fisk want with her?”
Frank shook his head, still watching her as she slept.
“It’s something to do with Red. Daredevil. I don’t know the whole story yet.”
David wanted to ask if he thought Karen knew who Daredevil was, and, come to think of it, if Frank did, or if it maybe it had something to do with the fact that she used to work for the lawyers that put Fisk in prison, if it had something to do with Frank at all, but his questions would have to wait.
Looking over, he saw as Frank ran his knuckles over her cheek, and touched the hand he still held in his to his chest.
He looked both tortured and entranced. David felt as if he was intruding on a intimate moment, so he hurried to finish the code to link Karen’s building’s not-that-great alarm system to Frank’s phone, wishing to give them some privacy for a bit.
Before he opened his mouth to ask what kind of security kit he wanted for Karen’s apartment, he saw as his friend took the woman’s hand that was pressed against his chest, and lifted it to his mouth, placing a kiss that David knew exactly what it was about: relief.
It was the same kind of kiss he pressed to his children’s forehead once he was reunited with them, the exact same kiss he shared with Sarah when she saw he was alive and he saw she was unharmed.
A kiss only someone who feels deep, rooted and unselfish love is capable of.
He could almost feel the waves coming out of Frank’s body as he sat there with the woman that probably meant more to him than he even knew.
But David knew. He could see it, plain as day.
Finishing up as quickly as he could, he left the system running.
“You gonna crash here tonight?” He asked Frank, getting a nod in return. “Alright. Security’s up, we should be getting the kit for her place some time tomorrow. You need me to stay or…”
“No, go home. Sarah and the kids must be worried, you go.”
“Fine. But call me, though, if you need anything.”
“Yeah.”
Maybe it was a Marines thing, maybe it was just Frank, maybe it was that Karen was bone tired, but she didn’t even threaten to wake up as Frank picked her up from the couch to place her on the twin bed that came with the place, that they would take turns sleeping in when they needed to pull all nighters, here and there.
.:.
He was back in the bunker first thing in the morning, almost before the sun rose, since he had to go back home to drive the kids to school - it was his turn in the carpool chart.
It was rare, for him to catch Frank sleeping. That only happened when he was injured or dozed with something, and it has been a while, now, since someone managed to get the jump on him to drug him with anything.
When he punched in the code and opened the door, though, the place was still dark and quiet.
Walking carefully, he moved to peek at the living area where the bed sat.
There they were, fast asleep. Karen nestled between Frank and the wall the bed was settled against, both his arms around her, her face tucked under his neck. One of her arms rested over his middle, hand pointing towards the mattress.
Doing his best to make as little noise as possible, David made his way over to his computers, checking the feed from the night.
Quiet.
Scribbling a note to Frank, he silently made his way back out, after a quick stop to the kitchen, arming the alarm again.
Best to let them rest. God knows they need it.
.:.
Karen was still asleep when Frank walked to check the outside cameras, but he could tell she was about to wake up. Her sleep had been restless, and he had to plead for her to take a sleeping pill after she woke up gasping for the third time. She had clinged to his shirt the whole night.
It was quiet outside, and it has been the whole night. He did see the footage of Lieberman’s car driving in and off an hour ago, but he hadn’t stayed long.
Looking at the desk, the pad had a note on it. After reading it, Frank shook his head and walked to the kitchen, dismissing his friend’s attempt of a joke.
I don’t know why I’m answering your ask on the same day you hit me in the face with a masterpiece of a fic. How I’m supposed to follow that is beyond me.
But I figured it has been long enough. So here it is, lovely, I hope it makes you smile a lttle bit. It is a humble attempt of a sequel to your wonderful piece from earlier.
It’s short. It’s too early after season 3 for me to compile anything longer than this. I still have to dwell on the new information we got.
Much love ♥
I see you running
She’s sitting on the floor when he walks in, her hair up in a knot on the top of her head, twisted in a weird angle, a rag in her hand, trying to wipe in between the shelves of an old looking book case. He can see the cord of her earbuds, connected to a device in her back pocket.
He almost tumbles at the sight of her. The breath leaves him and it takes his strength with it.
She’s ok. She’s alive. She’s fine.
Frank opens his mouth to call her name, but his voice doesn’t come. Instead, he locks his knees and stands there on the doorway, watching as she twists and moves her arm, wiping the piece of furniture he is almost sure she picked up from a flea market somewhere.
He knows she is gonna be startled when she puts her arm down and straightens her back, letting the rag fall on the floor beside her, and moves to get up.
Her name leaves him in a breath the same time she stands up and turns around towards him.
“Karen”, he hears his own voice, and it feels like a prayer.
She coils, sucking in a breath, her arm lifting, stumbling back onto the shelf she had been cleaning.
But it only lasts a second.
Karen recognizes him instantly, and all his strength is back, suddenly, there’s blood running through him again, making his legs move, and he takes a step towards her.
She runs to him, the small space of the miniscule apartment stretching for miles and miles, and he stretches his arms to catch her, and maybe he’s religious again. It’s the uptenth prayer that he finds himself saying ever since she picked up that phone at four in the morning.
Karen nearly knocks him over, but his feet are planted on the ground, his arms are around her, his hand on her hair, her own arms around his shoulders, and she’s sobbing against him.
“I got you”, he says, squeezing her so tight, thanking the God he stopped believing long ago for her, solid against him. Finally. “I got you, I got you.”
She sobs and holds him right back, clinging for dear life, and he promises, right there, that he would never let go again. Not ever.
He can’t do this without her anymore. This, life, going day by day, it’s not worth it if he can’t call her and look at her and feel and see and hear her right there in front of him, tangible, close, with him, with him, with him.
There’s no him without her.
“You never do this again, you hear me?” he tells her, putting her back down and holding her face with both his hands, making her look at him, her face wet with tears, eyes big and red, and the sniffs make his heart tighten. “You never, ever, vanish on me, ever again. Yeah?”
She blinks and nods, hands closing around his wrists, his thumbs wiping the tears that keep on falling.
“Jesus Christ”, he breathes out, leaning in to press his forehead against hers, just like once upon a time. “You near damn killed me, you know that?”
“Sorry”, she says, and her breath smells like coffee.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“I- I don’t know, I’m- I was scared, I didn’t want to involve you, I don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me, Frank, I couldn’t do that to anyone else, I couldn’t do that to you-”
And her voice breaks one more time, the sobs choking out of her, and Frank pulls her to him, to feel her warmth, to reassure her, to feel her heart beating against his and let her feel his beating right back.
His mouth touches hers, urgent and fierce, and he feels right, for the first time in forever, the world stops turning, twisted, around him, it stands still.
He tastes the salt of her tears, the coffee she had not too long ago, feels the give of her lips under his.
Once he moves back, she sniffs again, and her face follows his, her hands in fists, his coat caught in them, and he opens his mouth this time. Lets his tongue taste her, lifts his hand to cradle her head, the other holding her tight against him.
Frank takes a few more moments before letting her go, reassuring himself, over and over, that she’s here, he has her, she’s ok, he’s ok.
They’re ok.
Her eyes are filled with tears still, when he looks in them again. His hand on her cheek, he silently pledges his life to hers.
The water is warm against her skin, but it’s his presence that makes her cheeks tinge red.
Karen doesn’t really remember when was the last time she took a long bath, but this was the only way she could see herself doing it again. On a Saturday morning, with him sitting on the floor, his back touching the porcelain, her hand over his shoulder, nails dragging lines over his chest and collarbone while he makes a grocery list.
She had been rather popular on Friday, for some reason. Ellison had invited her over for another dinner. Foggy had suggested going out for drinks, Matt said it would be a good idea.
She politely declined dinner. Sweetly, she turned down the drinking night with the boys. Opted out of the bar crawl plans from the Bulletin group text. Quietly ignored the email for the opening of some rooftop bar. Said a satisfying no to the date the architect that lived across the hall charmingly suggested when she bumped into him at the deli across the street.
The world would have to make do without her that Friday night. Her plans involved locking the door, two bottles of wine and the ingredients for pasta carbonara in her shopping bag.
And him.
Her first glass was half empty when he arrived, and a wave of shivers made her arch her back into nothing after she buzzed him in, anticipation running through her, deliciously.
Karen walked to the door before he knocked, and opened it wide, leaning against the frame, swirling the wine inside the glass.
It had happened that Monday. He was about to leave, and she didn’t want him to, but was running out of excuses to make him stay.
“Please be careful”, she had pleaded, standing on this very spot, watching him make his way to the stairs. He disappeared for a few seconds before she heard his boots climbing back up and there he was again, striding to her decisively, catching her face in both his hands and kissing her soul out of her body. She welcomed him back in and didn’t let him leave again.
The sun rose on Tuesday and she had barely slept a wink, rolling around with him in bed, kissing her way over his body, working hard on convincing him she wanted this, she wanted this, she wanted this, so much it almost hurt her, she wanted him so much she could barely think.
She left work before the sun even set on Wednesday, something she haven’t done in months. There was a single white rose sitting on her desk, from him, and she had forgotten it on her haste to leave so she could see him again.
He dropped her at work on Thursday, and she never wanted to stop kissing him. He promised to pick her up for lunch, and after lunch he promised to be there when she was ready to leave. She had to make him wait until after seven, but he was there when she walked out, opening the passenger door of her own car for her. But he couldn’t stay with her for the night, and she had to settle for something quick and intense, he was gone before midnight, promising he would be back, leaving kisses and the memory of him behind.
Friday had lagged, the day dragged on and she felt both giddy and anxious, light as a feather at the same time her skin buzzed with impatience, counting the minutes until she could see him again.
He called around four, his voice low and mellow on the other side, and she tried her best not to melt in her chair.
He wanted to see her, he needed to see her, when could he see her, and Karen’s toes curled inside her shoes, her teeth chewing on the inside of her cheek.
She said she wanted to cook him dinner, and he promised to take care of breakfast.
“For the whole weekend?” She had asked, spying outside her door, not wanting anyone to intrude on this moment, her moment with him.
The chuckle he let out had made her smile like an idiot, and she tried to stop it, tried to act normal, but alas.
“For as long as you want”, was his reply.
The seconds stretched while she waited for him to climb the stairs to her, and Karen thought she saw movement behind the architect’s door across the hall, but then there he was, a figure in black, backpack on his shoulder and a sweet curve of lips for a smile on his face.
Frank crowded her in the best way possible, swaggering to her, taking his time, a charming half smile the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes and his forehead touched hers, her back pressed against the door frame, his lips sliding on her face while her free hand made its way up his chest.
He breathed against her skin, and she angled her face towards his, wishing she had put that wine glass down before opening the door, humming against his skin, the hand she had on him closing around the collar of his shirt, and he bent his knees slightly to put his arms around her waist, and suddenly her feet were not touching the floor anymore.
Frank sighed inside her hair, holding her tight to him. She fit inside his arms as if she had been molded to him. The hand on the back of her neck and his breathing against her skin nearly made her cry.
Masturbation Monday: Accidentally walking in on each other while changing/naked/etc.
I cheated.
He reached for her even before he opened his eyes.
There was a chilling breeze coming from her open window, and the morning light hit the wall by the bed, which was enough to wake him up.
His fingers touched skin and he reached further, sliding his hand on her back, following the line of her spine to the base of her neck, and then back down.
When he reached the curve of her hip, he turned his head towards her, hand opening on her belly, and pulling her on her back, under him, both of them breathing deep, not yet fully awake.
Opening his eyes was something of a chore. That had truly been the best sleep he had in ages, her bed and her sheets and her company doing wonders for him.
Still, he had to look at her.
It was a somewhat different face than the one he knew. No makeup, cheek marked by the pillowcase, eyes and lips puffy from sleep.
Karen rubbed her eyes and sighed, making room for him between her legs, and he dropped his face to plant a kiss on her mouth before making his way down her neck, pulling the loose tank top out of his way.
He sighed when her hands touched his shoulders, gently scratching their way to his back, into his hair.
They hadn’t planned any of this. It was supposed to have been a friendly coffee, that’s all. He had shit to do, she had shit to do. They were busy, it was just coffee, a “make sure we’re both ok” kinda thing, and then see you later.
Coffee turned to a stroll, and they would have walked to Los Angeles if they could. Suddenly, it was night, they were smiling too much, standing too close, he was touching her way more than necessary.
Frank had a lock of her hair between his fingers when he asked if she was hungry. Her eyes were big and bright on him, her expression shy, flirty and happy all at once when she nodded, and he offered to buy her dinner.
“Ok”, she had said, tugging on his coat to make him follow her when she started on the direction of her apartment. “Let me just change out of these clothes, I smell like office.”
To which he leaned closer, touched his nose to her temple, and inhaled a deep breath.
“You smell like you”, said low in her ear. “But ok”.
She told him to make himself at home when they walked into her dark apartment. He kinda liked that she never had all the lights on, just two lamps, and it was nice, cozy, warm and comfortable. He relaxed every time he walked through the door.
Frank had sat on her couch, and watched as she walked to her bedroom, leaving her heels behind and the door wide open.
Resting his back on the cushions, he wondered, just for a moment, if she had maybe forgotten to close the door. But then she stood right on his line of view, another lamp giving him not too much light to see her, but just enough.
It was very fast, that the shadows and contours of her hypnotized him. She started by letting her hair down from the half up do she had it in. He watched as it fell and splayed around her back. Next, she took her hands behind her and lowered the zipper of her skirt, and he found himself taking a deep, slow breath in while it fell to the floor, her naked legs stepping out of it and then bending to pick it up and throw it towards somewhere he neither saw nor cared.
Frank’s leg was bouncing up and down while she spent a few seconds standing there, her hands in front of her, no doubt unbuttoning her shirt - taking her sweet time doing it.
He told himself to calm the fuck down when she slid it over her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground and, this time, leaving it there.
“Jesus Christ”, he whispered to himself when she reached behind her and unhooked her bra, unable to take his eyes from her, his heart hammering inside his chest.
Karen walked away from the spot she had chosen to put on her show, and Frank wanted to tell her to come back. Instead, he closed his eyes and breathed deep again, trying to put his thoughts back in order. She had effectively melted his brain with her little strip tease session.
When she came back, his eyes zeroed in on the length of her body. She was a careful, calculating little thing, exposing all of her back and hiding her front, which, of course, made him want to see more, even while he enjoyed her back immensely.
Fuck, he did enjoy it.
She had something draped over her elbow, a dress, or a skirt, and stood there, putting her hair back up, all of it this time, and he had an unobstructed view of her back, bare and lean and smooth, his hands itched to know the texture, to know all of it, all of her.
He wasn’t really sure if she was deliberately slow of if time had started to lag, or if it was him, maybe he was hallucinating, but it was almost as if she was moving under water.
Fuck, she was beautiful, fucking, fuck fuck fuck.
When the long blonde strands were twisted into a loose knot, she lowered her arms and unfolded the garment in front of her. Lowering it, she lifted first one leg, then another, stepping into it, and shimmied her hips while pulling it up, and Frank had to bite the inside of his cheek, unable and unwilling to take his eyes off her.
When the simple blue dress was settled over her hips, she moved to put her arms through the short sleeves. His hand was curled tight around a throw pillow, his skin was hot, he didn’t even know what was going on around him anymore, why was he there, why was she putting on that dress, how did he get here?
Her shoulders were hidden from his view when she lifted one of them and tucked her chin against it, turning her head to look at him.
His eyes met hers and he was vibrating and she blinked at him.
“Come here and zip me up”, she said, soft and mellow, as if anything louder than that would break whatever spell it was that she cast on him, on them, on this place, this moment.
When she looked ahead again, he got up from the couch and took slow steps towards her, crossing the small hallway that separated the living room from her bedroom, stepping through the door and giving up on pushing it closed. It was just them, after all.
Just them.
Upon reaching her, his left hand rose and he dragged it from the small of her back and up, closing his fingers around her waist, squeezing when he heard the hitch on her breath. His eyes were scanning the bare skin of her back when his right hand found the zipper. Taking a small step towards her, he tugged on it to raise it, taking his time.
Frank saw as her arms raised in shivers when he let go of her waist and tugged on the knot in her hair, releasing it, letting it fall through his fingers on their way down. With an exhale that felt like surrender, he dropped his face, touching his mouth to the curve of her neck, nuzzling his nose under her ear when she moved to let him do it, left hand pulling on her sleeve while the right one yanked her zipper back down and he reached to put his arm around her torso.
Her back touched his chest and she moved to free her arms from the dress while he reached for her hair again, using it to guide her face to the left, so he could run his lips on the length of her neck, and then towards his own face, so he could get her bottom lip between his teeth while she moaned in his mouth.
When the dress fell to the floor, she turned inside his arms, reaching up to put her arms around him while he leaned forward, angling his head, opening his mouth, kissing her hard and deep, her tongue curling around his in a way that shot bolts of electricity through him.
He felt like a live wire, current running through him, making him vibrate, his fingertips on her skin doing nothing to soothe, only waking up, charging up, making him press her body to his, vaguely aware that her own hands were running around him, hair, neck, back, shoulders, arms, tugging on his shirt, runnin down his chest, trying to lift while she kissed him so openly, goddamnit, he wanted to give her the world, lay it down at her feet and worship the ground she walked on.
His hands lifted to her hair again when she pushed him away slightly, to pull his shirt up his chest, over one arm, his head, and then the other arm, throwing it behind her and coming back to him, strangled cry against his mouth when he kissed her again, telling him without words she was aching for this, for him, just as much as he was for her.
She breathed his name against his mouth and he hummed against hers, letting her know he was listening even though he wasn’t, not when he had his hands full of her, not when hers were on his waist and her fingers were undoing his belt, not when his tongue slid against hers so good, shit, it was so good, he had to actively stop himself from gripping her too tight.
He did bite on her ear lobe pretty hard when she undid his pants and sneaked her hand inside, but, judging by the nails that tried to dig their way into the skin of his back and the sound she let out, she didn’t really mind.
It was mechanical, when he stepped out of his pants and turned them towards her bed, getting a hold of her by her waist and hoisting her up when they reached it, glad when she put her legs around him instantly, allowing him to lower them to the mattress without having to let go.
If he was being honest, he hadn’t imagined it to happen this quickly - and he did imagine it, at length. Often. In his mind, he would have taken his time, discovering the things that made her tick, experimenting, learning, gauging, watching, shit, he had planned on watching so much before he actually acted. Delayed gratification was a common subject in his Karen-centered fantasies.
There was nothing being delayed in reality. He groaned and she let out a noise that was half moan, half cry, adjusting her legs around him, trying to rise her hips up towards him even as he held her as tight as he could without hurting her, his face pressed against the spot under her ear.
His right arm was around her waist, hoisting her up and tight against him, and his left one reached up to tug on her elbow, making her let go of the tight grip she had on his hair and lacing his fingers with hers, pinning her hand to the pillow, by her head, using that as a leverage point to thrust down, deep, but slower than he would have liked, just to hear her make that sound again, that unrestrained whine, and there it was, towards the ceiling, making his toes curl and his blood boil and his control to slip.
Not yet, though.
He liked the hand she had on his back, nails digging on his skin, scratching him nice and hard, he just knew he would love to look at those lines in the mirror later. Frank let go of the grip he had on her waist when she sighed his name in his ear, letting her sink on the bed, feeling her body against and around his, skin warm, and moved his free hand between them, making her moan, making his way up her body, above her belly button, closing it quickly around her breast, spending some time there when she sighed and tugged on his hair, moving it up after a beat or two, following the natural path of her chest, collarbone, shoulder, forcing her to take her other hand from him so he could catch that one in his, too, and also pin it by her head.
He didn’t hold her there long, though. While he kissed her - he loved to kiss her. He would never stop kissing her if he could -, he relaxed his grip, feeling his way down her arms, and up to her hands again, down to her elbows, past her shoulders and into her hair, and she arched her back against him, and Frank looked at her, looking like some sort of celestial entity there under him, her eyes closed for him, breathing hard over what he was doing to her, with her.
Her hands reached out to him and she opened her eyes, looking up at him, a smile stretching her lips in response to his own, but then he bore down with his hips, grunting as she gasped, eyes locked, and he kissed her, soft, quick, encouraging, moving, dragging his motions, wanting to tell her to open her eyes when she closed them, but she bit her lip, licking her legs around him, and stretched her neck, exposing it to him, to his mouth, and she tasted amazing.
Letting go of her hair, he kept his mouth on her neck, kissing and biting and tasting, and reached down to get a hold of her hip, moving it like he wanted, bringing her up for him a bit, and she gasped.
“Yeah?” He asked, smiling at her response.
Karen nodded and tightened her grip on him, hands on his back and on the nape of his neck.
“Tell me.”
“Mmm, like that, like that, right there”, she whined, voice so different from her usual defying, firm tone, that challenged him every step of the way.
Well. Not here, not right now.
He breathed in her ear, trying to get a grip on his own pleasure, his own sensations, using more than a few techniques he learned on how to sustain torture, trying to keep this going, he would go forever if he could, he would never let go of her, never allow her away from him.
She chanted his name when he sped up, hooking his arm under her knee, his hand closing around the covers, The free one doing the same with her thigh, trying to center himself while keeping the speed and rhythm, sabotaging himself with the taste of her skin on his tongue.
He was about to lose it, this felt too good, he wasn’t ready for that to happen just yet. With a deep breath, he rolled to his right, hand right on her hip, bringing her with him, making her gasp, adjusting on his back while she used his chest to center herself on top of him.
The feeling was incredible, and the view made it a whole lot better.
Frank let his hands roam, moving slower than before, keeping a soft pace, and she didn’t complain, breathing in and out deeply, moving along with him, her hair falling in front of her eyes, skin glowing on the halflight.
He jerked his hip up once, just to see her reaction, and the expression on her face made him do it again, the moan, the shiver he saw running through her, it made him keep doing it, trying not to squeeze her too hard with his hands, and then sit up to kiss her, pull her against him, he just had to feel all of her, feel her heart beating against his chest, her breathing against his mouth.
She was shivering all over, again and again, moaning in his kisses, holding herself against him tightly, her movements jerking a bit, so he reached a hand behind him, supporting his upper body on the mattress, and moved for her, let her take what she needed, took the time to watch her, engrave in his brain what she looked like in the throes of pleasure, pleasure he gave her, pleasure she took from him.
“That’s it”, he coaxed, not stopping, letting it go through him, keeping his eyes on her, bringing her closer to him by her waist when she cried out and threw her head back, his mouth on her neck before he laid them down once again, kissing her while she whimpered, moving faster, now, a bit harder, building it up slowly, wanting to bring her with him, he wanted to see that one more time, wanted her nails on his arm again, that sting, he wanted that to carry him through his own peak.
“Is that a habit of yours?” He asked, building speed and strength up gradually. “Putting on a show for your guests?”
Karen chuckled and placed her hands on his face, making him lift his head so she could kiss him.
“No”, she said, her legs still around him, rolling her hips in a wide circle, following his movements, bucking up against him. “Just for you.”
“Just for me?”
“Just for you.”
“Is this just for me, too?”
She moaned in his mouth when he squeezed the flesh of her ass and brought her hip sharply against his again.
“Yes”, she breathed out.
“Yeah?”
“Yes, Frank, yesyesyes”
“Show me, then.”
He watched as she rose up again, and didn’t restrain himself anymore, moving like he needed against her, only waiting for that wave to crash against her to follow, feeling his muscles sting and that pulse of warmth wrapped in cold go through him, following her, kissing her, grunting in her mouth, slowing down, coming back slowly, enjoying that high, her body wrapped so good against him.
Frank kissed her face while she breathed in and out, descending to her neck, licking a path between her breasts, coming back up when she tugged in his arm.
“See what you did?” He asked while she kissed him and she smiled, moving lazy and long.
“It was kind of a desperate measure.”
He moved to lie by her side, and she turned to face him. They stayed there, quiet and tranquil, looking at each other for almost a minute, his fingertips tracing her figure when he heard her stomach growling, and she blushed, tucking her lips between her teeth, fighting a smile.
“We never did make it to dinner”, he said, leaning in to run his lips on her face. “Want me to cook you something?”
“I would love that”, she said. “But there’s nothing to cook. I just have a bunch of grapes.”
“Then grapes it is”, he said, sitting up, because he was actually hungry, too. “While we wait for take out.”
.:.
That had been last night. They ate grapes and made out and he ordered food. They ate in the kitchen because he refused to eat in bed, and he watched her while she pranced around the apartment wearing nothing but his shirt, long legs exposed for his eyes.
She was putting the plates back on their cupboard when he came back from taking the trash out. While he washed his hands, she took the shirt off and made her way back to the bedroom.
“Are you coming, Frank?”, because she, apparently, wanted for his head to explode.
That was last night. It was morning, now, and she had decided that he would spend the night again, and he had asked her not to work, and she had pouted and pretended to think about it, just to hear him say ‘please’, and shower her with kisses, and reclaim his place on top of her.
By eight, they were sweaty and sated, and she was resting her face on his back, fingers tracing the contour of his arms while he called Curtis to tell him that he would not be able to meet him for lunch, after all.
“You’re getting laid, right?” His friend teased and Frank fought a smile, reaching to catch Karen’s hand, who had put her arm around him, her hand on his chest, lips on his shoulder. “If you’re ditching me, you better be getting laid.”
He guessed she could hear that, since she clicked her tongue and reached for the phone.
“Give me”, she asked, hand outstretched.
“What?” He mouthed.
“Give me the phone.”
“What? No-”
She took the device from his hand and stood on her knees, straddling him.
“Hi Curtis.”
“Karen!” His friend exclaimed, and yes, Frank could hear him just fine. “I get it, now. I’d ditch me, too.”
“Thanks”, she smiled. “But get your head out of the gutter. He’s having grapes.”
Curtis laughed and Frank smiled up at her and she winked at him.
“Oh, ok.” Curtis said on the other line. “I’ll put ‘grapes’ in the books as code for ‘Frank’s getting some.’”
Quick with the pleasantries, Karen hung up and threw the phone towards the end of the bed,
and Frank let himself be pulled back to bed, where she wrapped them with the covers, and they went back to making out and then to sleep, the whole day ahead of them.
