ooh, for a prompt: inimitable with Karen and Peter. Idk how they interact? But just Pete's pete-ness and Karen dealing with Matt, she has a different handle than like Wade or May or Tony, you know? also I love everything you write and am about to read the sprawl update.
Karen called him, distraught, and said that she needed ahero.
Peter did not ask where her usual hero was because he valuedhis current mode of being. He told her he would be there as soon as he couldand to hang on tight. He threw on some clothes which were not sweats and swungout the door.
He arrived to Karen’s apartment and the door slammed open beforehe could even knock.
“I CAN’T FIND IT ANYWHERE. FOGGY IS JUST LAUGHING AT ME.”
Peter could hear Foggy dying. Through the thing in Karen’shand. You know.
“I will help you find the phone,” he said robotically to thesound of Foggy wailing and then choking on the other side of the line.
“Thank you,” Karen said, pressing at her heart. With thehand holding the. Er.
“Have you checked your bed?” he asked, trying desperately tocontain the desire to scream.
“I did. I checked it twice. I had Frank check it before heleft.”
Guys. This was cruel. Hisphone chirped. A text from Matt that just said, “Do not tell her, so help megod.”
Guys, no. She deserved to know. She was digging through the banker’sboxes on her table, whimpering about photos she hadn’t transferred over yet.
“Hey Kare,” he said. “I’m just—I’m gonna uh. Do a sweep,okay?”
“Of course, that’s fine, do whatever you need to,” Karensaid, rearranging her boxes frantically. Digging through them one-handedly.
Peter wondered when the last time she’d slept was. He snuckdown and pretended to be looking under the coffee table. Karen made some distressednoises behind him while Foggy wheezed tinnily in the background. He ducked hishead, dialed Castle, and then ducked down further.
“Frank, Karen’s lost it,” he whispered.
“You guys are fucked up,” Peter whispered. “She has not slept.”
“Nope. And that’s her decision,” Castle said. “Tried to gether to nap, but God help us if we did anything to make ourselves feel better.”
He winced and peeked over his shoulder to call, “No, I thinkyou’re just a little tired, Kare. That’s all.” Then he hissed into thereceiver, “Frank. She is literallytalking to Foggy.”
“Oh, trust me. I am aware. She was talking to me first.”
“You’re horrible, gotta go, bye,” Peter said, then ended thecall and stood up innocently to see Karen staring at him, face frozen in awide-eyed grimace.
Foggy was no longer audible on the other line. He wasprobably just shaking.
“I’m HOLDING IT,” Karen screeched far too calmly at far toohigh a volume.
“Er. Yes, ma’am,” Peter said.
“HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN HOLDING IT?”
Her neighbors were probably so confused.
“Um. How—how long have you been talking to Fogs?” he askednervously.
“Peter,” she said a little weakly. “Do—do you think I shouldsleep?”
Karen reached for him, unseeing, and kind of patted tenderlyat his face.
“You are such a good boy, do you know that?” she asked.
“I’ll call Castle for you.”
“Such a good boy.” So many pats. Most of them missing thetarget. It was fine. All the feeling was there.
“Good night,” he said, watching her kind of zombie-staggertowards her bedroom.
“Yes.” Karen said, nodding to herself. “Yes. Night.”
Her door closed. Peter waited a few seconds to make surethat she didn’t pass out on the floor or anything. He went and locked the frontdoor and then texted Castle that she was good and out. He said he was an hourout. Peter looked at the door and then settled in on the couch and tucked hisfeet under himself.
