Frank Castle x HighSchoolSweetheart!Reader
Summary: Before war and murder and vengeance, Frank existed as⌠well, Frank. Young, wary of the world, but determined to make an impact. And thenâŚ? Then came you. Ah⌠to be 18 again.Â
Warnings: Huge non-canon timeline, set around the 90âs for funsies! Frank and reader are both 18 years old, consenting adults, in their senior year of high school. Reader has family trauma, mentally unstable dad but not abusive. Hints of reader enduring poverty/experiencing hunger. 1 hinted joke about an ED but not really a joke. Pulled pieces from comic canon Frank. Misunderstanding. Light bullying. Micro is there. Makinâ out. Cute shit. First love type shit. Fluff. Good vibes. Frank is such a good boyfriend. Might make this a series? Lemme know. 18+ only, MDNI.
Advanced Biology. First row. Table by yourself.Â
Fuckinâ beautiful, Frank thinks. Ainât sure why no oneâs sittinâ with you.Â
Goggles too big on your face. Gloves too big on your hands when Frankâs got on double-XLâs special ordered fâhim. Leaned over the frog like the smell of death donât bother ya, ainât no problem gettinâ in it.Â
Frank forgets all about how it fuckinâ reeks of formaldehyde, the dead frog crucified on a cutting board in front of him, scalpel and tweezers hoverinâ the poor guyâs insides.Â
âYou ever gonna talk to her,â David Lieberman prompts, muffled by the hand he squeezes over his mouth to keep the gagging quiet. âor just keep starting in that totally not creepy I-look-like-Iâm-going-to-murder-you-but-itâs-actually-sexual-yearning kinda way?âÂ
âFuck off, Lieberman,â Frank gruffs, mop of dark hair falling over his forehead to disguise the blatancy of his stare. âYou gonna help me cut out this guyâs lungsâr just stand thereân bitch, huh?âÂ
âNuh-huh. Nope. All you, big guy. Iâll write the paper, you choppy-choppy the amphibian sacrifice.âÂ
Frank grunts, head bent to play the part. Focus on the dissection. Big hands clumsy with small fuckinâ tools, a swell of anger in his veins âcause⌠what? They just farm these slick little fuckers? Kill âem so a bunchâa fuck ass kids can play around in their guts and pretend it means somethinâ?Â
Davidâs comically small next to Frank. Wiry facial hair more like weedy sprigs, hair unruly with curls. Puny. Dweeby. Easy target for bullies. Sâhow he and Frank got to be here. Someone shoved Liebermanâs head in the toilet? Frank saw. Clogged it with theirs instead âtil the water ran red.Â
âOoooh, this is so fucking gross,â David whines, writhing where he stands. âOh, god. Oh, Jesus. Gross, the fucking smellââ
âSmelt worse. Donât be a pussy.âÂ
âYou donât wanna know.â
âJesus, Frank,â David gives him a skeptical once-over. âJust keep your ominous extra curriculars to yourself instead of the vaguely threatening secrecy, okay? Okay.âÂ
âSoâŚâ A line creases Frankâs brows. Uses the forceps to gently peel apart the frogâs skin, pink muscle exposed. âCanât figure somethinâ out.âÂ
Lieberman steps a slow circle to angle towards Frank, hand still clamped over his nose and mouth. ââŚWhat?âÂ
âShe ainât got any friends. Canât figure out what thatâs about.â
Lieberman glances around for whatever the fuck he just missed, apparently? ââŚWho?âÂ
David blinks at Frank, who ignores the look. Blinks at you. Then Frank. Then you. Then laughs. âYou. Asking about friends. You. The person who has exactly two friends and Iâm here by survival instinct.âÂ
Heat rushes up Frankâs thick neck. âYouâre the class creep,â he bites back. âFigured you know somethinâ, huh, smartass? Why that is?âÂ
Lieberman shrugs a smug shoulder, lips taut with arrogance as his nose takes to the air. âPerrrrrhapsâŚâÂ
With a grunt, David leaps onto the stool. White New Balances propped on the spindles, he twists back and forth, back and forth, grating Frankâs patience. âWellllll,â he drawls out and Frankâs gotta tighten his grip on the scalpel so he doesnât punch him in the head instead. âSheâs doesnât stay anywhere longânot like thatâs her fault, yâknowâdad served in the marinesâŚâ
David hints at Frankâs future aspiration. Somethinâ he shared months ago, once. Frank doesnât acknowledge.Â
âAlright, he served, so what?â Frank scoffs like he doesnât care, though he keeps askinâ. âWhy all the movinâ around?âÂ
âIf youâd let me finished⌠he served, and was dishonorably discharged about a year ago. Iâm shocked you didnât hear about it, Francis. It was a huuuuge debacle, I mean, huge.â Liebermanâs laughinâ, hands spread wide to show how huge. âClaimed he found out the United States Military was shipping nuclear weapons to hostile nations for oneeee pretty penny.âÂ
Frank stills. Forceps pinchinâ what he guesses is some kindaâŚÂ fuck, he doesnât know, doesnât matter. âGovernment lies,â he argues. âHe woulda been dead if thereâs any truth to it, though.âÂ
âAlright, but again, Frankie-boy, you didnât let me finish.â
âGet to the fuckinâ point before I stab you in the throat.âÂ
âJeez, okay, yeah, stab the guy you get your intel from. Sheesh. See? My point exactly. That is why you donât have any friends.â
âGod damn you talk too much.âÂ
âSo!â David continues, plopping to his feet with flourish. âThe little apple of your eye over there has an insane dad. He thinks radio tower sites emit mind-altering transmission frequenciesââ
The room starts to quiet as David spews his research.Â
Frank tenses, eyes darting under his goggles as attention builds. Murmurs hush. Blades clink down. Heads turn.Â
âLiebermanââ Frank hisses.Â
âClaims theyâre Satanic, too, by the way,â David laughs, gettinâ louder. âSay the shape resembles some worshipped occult figure. Not to mention he thinks thereâs a fucking island, dude, where theyâre cloning pop stars. Pop stars! Can you believe that? Like, why? Ohhhh, good stuff. Yeah. Either way, whatever happened to him overseas got him booted back with a laundry list of mental disabilities. Kinda sad, really.âÂ
âLieberman. Shut-the-fuck-up.âÂ
Itâs dead silent. Every fuckinâ breath coulda been heard if David wasnât preachinâ. No stoppinâ David when heâs showinâ his fuckinâ ass. Frank tries, though. Gives him a swift kick in the ankle.Â
âFuck! Ow! You big bitch,â Lieberman scoffs, jumpinâ around on a foot. âYouâre the one that asked about her! So, that answer your questions about the new girl, Frank?âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ What?âŚâŚâŚâŚ. Why do you look like youâre gonna barfffooooh my god she heard all of that. Ohhhh my god everyone heard all of that.âÂ
Everyoneâincludinâ youââs lookinâ at the two fuckinâ asshole outcasts in the back of the room.Â
Frankâs heart drops straight to his stomach the moment he sees your face. Through the sweat-fog of his goggles, he meets your stare. Mortification dyes you red. Hurt screws your damn mouth shut, and he ainât sure if youâre holdinâ back tears or a good old fashioned ass chewinâ.
His mouth dries. Shameâs palpable rot on his tongue. Gloved fingers peel his goggles from his face, leavinâ indents behind. His lips part, but fuckâ whatâs he gonna say? That it wasnât like that? All just a big misunderstanding?Â
All forty-somethinâ students put the spotlight on you, eyes movinâ from Frank to you. Christ, he wishes he could change that. Get them off, away. Fuckinâ gossip vultures. Uptight assholes, like they donât got their shit to stir.Â
You look like you wanna say somethinâ. To him. Frank. Your silenceâs worse. Cuss me out, he thinks. Câmon. I deserve it. Give it here.Â
The flare of rage wilts from your face. Frank watches it, real time. A slow, painful drop of emotion off you. Your eyes find the ground. You lookâŚÂ Jesus, so small⌠So small, alone, at the front âa the room with no one there with you. Your feet shuffle in. Your arms slink around yourself in an empty hug.Â
No. No no, Franks thinks. Donât do that. Donât let âem make you small. Theyâll eat you alive. Donât let me make you small.Â
Guilt shrivels his insides. A hey gets lodged in his throat. Nothinâ comes out.Â
David presses his fingers to his mouth and turns to face the wall muttering an, âooooh my god, weâve ruined any chance she ever hadâŚâÂ
âOh my god,â someone cries, âthe new girlâs a fucking freak!âÂ
And the room splits into laughter.Â
Been a few days since the incident in bio.Â
Nothinâ more said, or done, but you lost someâa yourâŚÂ light.Â
Frankâs noticed in every class you got together. WhichâŚÂ is a lot.Â
Biology (C). Pre-calc (donât wanna talk âbout that grade. Stupid ass class anyway). Sociology (D). US History (B+). Gym (B, for beinâ too physical, what the fuck ever).Â
Gym smells like dirty balls and dirtier pinnies.Â
End of the lesson meant end of the bullshit scooter hockey Frank physically couldnât play. Too fuckinâ big, scooterâs too fuckinâ small. So the educators had the bright idea âa sittinâ him in the goalie box to use his body as a fuckinâ blockade. It worked. Always won. Frank didnât move. Just sighed. Let the plastic pucks thunk into his chest. Goddamn embarrassing since heâs the fourth line winger on the varsity team. Brute force, wild aggressionâ whatever. Besides the point.Â
Frank stands at the three-point line, basket at the back of the gymnasium. Dribbles lazily. Shoots lazier. The net swishes. No talent, all height.Â
âFuck ass sport,â he grumbles.Â
The ball pings away. Lieberman strolls along after it, lookinâ like a skeleton wearinâ a blue pinnie.Â
Frank wipes a hand over his red one. Grimaces when itâs crunchy. âFuck ass uniform.âÂ
David bounces the ball back to Frank, one touch to the ground. âBout as athletic as David gets.Â
Frank spins the basketball in his palms. Rough ball on rougher calluses. Readies his hand, thenâ
âDude,â David elbows Frank, gawking in the opposite direction. âSheâs staring again. New girl.âÂ
He freezes, ball in his hands. Ainât no way heâs lookinâ back.Â
âNo she ainât,â Frank scoffs. âProâlly lookinâ at you. Heard about that horse dick you sling âround.â
âMmm, nope,â David shakes his head, mouth tight and set in his observation. âSheâs definitely looking at you, big guy. And sheâs so new she probably doesnât even know about it Frankenstein Francis. That, my friendââ David stuffs a strawberry poptart in his face hole he got from somewhere. ââis in your favor. Oh, waitâ ohhhh, noooope. Nope nope nope. She looks pissed, dude. I totally forgot we told half the class about her head case dad.â
Frank cringes. âKnew I shoulda stabbed you in the fuckinâ throat.â
âOh, shit⌠shit, shit, shit.â David repeatedly slaps a hand against Frankâs arm, eyes âboutta pop outta his head.Â
âJesus. What?â Frank turns, looking for the source.
ââŚOh, shit,â Frank agrees.Â
Itâs you. And yeahâyouâre pissed.Â
Of course heâs an asshole, you think. Just look at him! No one like that is a nice guy.Â
Heavy calves under his white socks. And god, heavier thighs, mesh short seams hugging the middle of those trunks. Heâs a fucking tank. And heâs standing there, shirt rumbled and untucked, basketball palmed in one hand, looking so pathetically, mockingly scared he looks stupid. Like a big, dumb, stupid puppy.Â
Beside him? That green-bean pole tattle-taleâDavid Lieberman, his shirt tucked into his shorts like a dork, but heâs not your target.Â
Frankâs the one that asked.Â
Heâs gonna be the one you corner first.Â
Your size doesnât matter compared to his. Words wound, fists still hurt.Â
After so many years of staving off bullies in new schools, youâve learned how to end them quick⌠even if it results in you crying after. You do what you need to do, especially since no one else will.Â
You storm across the polished wood, tennis shoes squeaking your indignation. Â
Neither of them move as you carry the heat of hell and its wrath with you.Â
David looks like heâs going to piss his pants.
Frank looks- well-Â he looks-Â UGH. This stupid, kicked puppy stupid, those dark eyes big and brows raised.Â
As you close in, zero relent, David ducks out of the way. Good riddance, smart boy, move.Â
âYou,â fiery accusation just in one word, you stab your finger into Frankâs chest. âYou keep my name out of your mouth!âÂ
Frank jolts taller somehow, wide eyes blinking down at the finger you keep drilling into his dense pec. âEasyââ
âEasy!? You and your no-nuts friend just aired my dirty laundry out to a bunch of flesh-eating assholes!â You snarl, stalking forward to force Frank back.Â
âWasnât like thatââ Frank fires back, tone sharp and defensive.Â
You slap the basketball out of his hand. It goes flying, hits David straight in his actual nuts with a gasped sob.Â
Frank jars again, staring down at you with wild eyes like no oneâs ever stood up to him before. Maybe no one ever dared. Itâs not fear, exactly, an infuriating amount of intrigue as he lets you push him around.Â
The wall acts as his secondary spine, holding him up as you slap your palm against his chest. âWasnât like that!? Oh, really!? Because it sounded a lot like shit you donât understand, using biology as your soapbox to scream it to the masses! You asked. You asked, your friend even said so. I heard him. So explain that, Francis Castle.âÂ
Slap. Slap. Slap. Slap slap slap. Little thunks on meat that do nothing.Â
âYeah, whatever,â Frank grits, chest flexing to eat the weak blows. âKeep slappinâ. That make you feel better, huh!? Make you feel biiiig? Strong? Do it,â he jerks his chin at you. âJust fuckinâ do it. Do what you got to. Here, how âbout I bend down, huh, short-stack? Here, lemme give you a fair shotââ
Frank starts to lean down.Â
You start to rear a fist back.Â
Both of you bare teeth, fire in your bellies, fighting for different reasons.Â
âUhhhh, guys, hello?â David stammers, unable to wedge himself between you two, but his hands hover out like thatâll do something. âStill here, hey, hi, letâs not kill each other in gym class?âÂ
âSHUTÂ UP, LIEBERMAN!â You and Frank both shout.Â
David scoffs, hand slapped over his chest. âYou know what? Okay, fine. Kill yourselves. See if I care! Youâre both just too stubborn. Frank youâre a pussy. You, new girl, youâre just- just aggressiveâ he likes you, dingbat. But yeah, hey, fuck me, right? He didnât ask to be a dick for once. He asked because heâs too much of a sissy-boy to talk to you himself.âÂ
âJe-zuz, Lieberman,â Frank rolls his head with the pain of the confession.Â
âIâŚÂ what?â you squeak, hostility swallowed by another round of shame.Â
âJesus Christ you guys suck,â David keeps on his tangent. âYâknow what? IâM OUT.â With the dramatic swirl of his hands, David dips.Â
Leaves you and Frank in the aftermath of heated confrontation, tension loaded and taut in the precise one inch of space between your bodies.Â
Your finger weakens on his chest, noticing now, in your clarity, how warm he is. Sweat-hot shirt, stinky gym pinnie, nowhere feels safe to look and the only thing in front of you is the broad definition of his chest, rising and falling with aggravated breath. Â
âIs thatâŚâ you gulp down air. âIs thatâŚÂ true?âÂ
Frank shrinks into his shoulders, eyes on the ceiling with a tight jaw. âWasnât tryna be an ass fâonce,â he dodges, ears beet-red.Â
âOh⌠so, umâŚâ you recollect your accusatory finger with your other hand, cradling it to your chest. You shift one step away, opening the space so you smell something other the heat of exertion rolling off him. âSoâŚÂ okay. Weâre⌠good then?âÂ
âYeah.â Comes out scratchy. Frank clears his throat. âYeah. Weâre good.âÂ
âWell, I guess IâllâŚâ you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, face hot, staying tucked into yourself. âSee you around?âÂ
Neither of you look anywhere remotely close.Â
Frankâs still plastered to the wall, nodding fervidly to usher his escape along. âYeah, short-stack. Somethinâ like that.âÂ
And Frank realizes somethinâ.Â
Frankâs got half a sandwich crammed in his mouth and mustard on his bottom lip when you plop down beside him on the lunch room bench.Â
Soemthinâ weird happens. Sucks when he shoulda swallowed, wad of meatân cheese shootinâ down his windpipe all wrong. He busts out coughing, turning his mouth into his shoulder to muffle the sound.Â
You lean over, brows over your head. âUm⌠are youâŚÂ okay?âÂ
He flashes an unconvincing thumbs up and you paw his water bottle to him.Â
Nodding a thanks, Frank takes it. Gulps it down âtil the bottleâs drained and plasticâs collapsed.Â
âJesus,â he grumbles, wiping a dribble of water from his mouth with the back of his hand.Â
âDo youâŚÂ usually do that?â you prod, eyeing him, the insanity of his lunch, the empty bottle.Â
Frank finally looks over, clocking every empty seat at his table besides yours. Spaces thatâve stayed empty all four years âtil now, gotta double check he ainât fantasizinâ again. But youâre missinâ somethinâ.Â
ââŚYou already eat?â Frank gestures his half-eaten sandwich at empty space in frontâa you.Â
âWhat? Oh, that, no. I mean, Iâm not hungry, no, thatâsââ then your stomach rats you out. Growls a deep, alarminâ rumble. You clutch it to quiet it, cheeks fullâa color again.Â
ââŚSound hungry,â Frank side-eyes you. âWhy didnât you get a lunch? Got oneâa those eatinâ things?âÂ
âNo, I donât have an eating disorder, my god.â You roll your eyes and almost wish it was the case. âForgot my lunch money. Theyâre real assholes about it.âÂ
âYeah,â Frank agrees, rootinâ a hand in his brown paper bag. âThey are.â He drags out four more sandwiches. Bagâa chips. Half a sleeveâa Chips Ahoy. Nudges it all between you two without dramatics, nothinâ really, no problem.Â
âHoly shit,â you gawk at the food. âWhat are you, Scooby Doo?âÂ
He meets your stare. Your floored eyes. He just shrugs.Â
âHeh, uh⌠My maâs got a heavy hand, huh?âÂ
âThatâs an understatement.â Your fingertips test the edgeâa the table. Test your pride.Â
âEat,â Frank says. Simple command. High efficacy. âGot plenty, yeah? I wonât waste away. Ainât sure âbout you, though.âÂ
You huff, take a sandwich. Peel open the baggie.Â
The look when you see it, though⌠Just a sandwich. Nice sandwich, but still. Just a sandwich. Your brows mess up. Somethinâ hurts you. Face pales while you file through the contents. Salami. Ham. Turkey. Cheese. Mustard. Mayo. Lettuce. Fat stacks of fresh bread from the Italian market in Queens.Â
âMaâs a pusher,â Frank says, smoothinâ over the look you wear. Looks like lack. Wonât let you feel bad about that. âAlways overdoinâ it. Sheâs, uh, too much, yâknow? Damn good cook, though. Miracle I ainât obese. Guess thereâs still time fâthat.âÂ
That sandwichâs still got your attention. Sâalright. Frankâs justâŚÂ tryinâ. Your lips part, wobble once, both hands holdinâ it closer.Â
Frankâs seen hunger. Pops never let it happen in the Castiglione household, though, even if they didnât have much money.Â
Frank has to look away when you take the first bite. Feels like you need privacy to enjoy it. Probably been awhile, he guesses, and thatâs alright. Wonât be the case if you stick with him, though. Canât let that happen to someone that canât help themselves.Â
âYou werenât kidding,â youâŚÂ light up a little. Just a tad. But your eyes find his, bright with appreciation, cheek puffed with food. âThis is- this is⌠really wonderful. And⌠really nice of you to offer. SoâŚÂ thank you.âÂ
âYeah,â he licks a glob of mayo from his thumb. âNo problem, doll. Eat up.âÂ
Comfortable silences. Smart-ass jabs. An argument for the last cookie that ends with him givinâ in, âcause⌠shit, how can he say no?
Frank kicks the front door shut behind him, hockey duffel slung over a shoulder, hair a wet clump fallinâ over his forehead. Sweat funnels down the frontâa his shirt, carryinâ stink on him from hours of practice.Â
House smells hearty. Thick with authentic Italian herbs, homemade pasta Ma rolled herself. Nothinâ outta the ordinary for seven oâclock on a weeknight.Â
âHey, Ma!â Frank yells out through the house as he makes for the stairs instead of the kitchen. âCan you do somethinâ fâme, Ma? Need more food in my lunch!âÂ
âWhat!?â Louisa snaps back, muttering a sling of Italian over the clamor of the kitchen. âMore lunch? Francis, you eat for three men, where is the food going?âÂ
âWhere it should go, Ma!â he calls back, a foot on the first stair. âPlease?âÂ
She gives a noncommittal huff, whacks a wooden spoon on a pot, and Frankâll take that as a yes. âGo get cleaned up for dinner. Itâs almost ready. Your father will be home soon.â
Frankâs already halfway up the stairs, only thing on his mind?Â
Frank led prayer. Ma patted his back after he, unprompted, asked that the hungry find food and the poor find means to survive. Pops grunted and dug in, hands still dirty from work. Little conversation followed. Frank ate fast.  Washed his plate. Stamped a kiss to his momâs head and bolted back upstairs.Â
Slumped back on his bed in sweats, hoodie pulled over his head, Frank reads by lamplight. Book with a cracked spine only his hands made. 1984. George Orwell. Classic.Â
âFrancis!â Ma yells from the bottom of the stairs. âC'è una chiamata per te!âÂ
His brows knit. Looks up from the page. Heâs got a callâŚ?Â
âWho is it, Ma?â he yells back, their voices screeching through the house.Â
Sicilian tones. Totally normal, yeah?Â
âShe says sheâs a girl from school, Francis!âÂ
Whoa, Ma ainât about that.Â
Frank shoots up. Throws the book. The lamp crashes over. A cat in the alley yowls.Â
He barrels out his room, only touchinâ two stairs in the flight as he whisks the phone outta his momâs hand.Â
âThanks, Ma, all good. Just, uhhhâŚÂ school stuff. You know. That stuff you tell me tâtake more seriously, yeah?â Layinâ it on thick, Frank kisses her temple to shoo her out. Away. Get.Â
Phone cord stretched to the max around the corner, Frank flattens himself against the wall and brings the receiver to his mouth.Â
ââŚYeah?â he answers, eyes darting as his pulse ramps.Â
Jesusâ Itâs- it is you. Thisâs gotta be a fuckinâ dream.Â
A stunned breath answers first. A lopsided smile tips his face. âIâ? Hey. Hey, howâd you get my number? I, uh⌠Maâs a little strict on the wholeâŚÂ girls.âÂ
âCrap, am I gonna get you in trouble?â
âPsht, nah, just gotta kiss a little more ass. What, uh⌠You⌠you all good?â
Youâre whisperinâ now. Frank matches the secrecy, back to the hall Maâs definitely listeninâ from.Â
âOh, yeah, Iâm good. Iâm fine. Yeah,â you ramble.
âAlright. Yeah. Good.âÂ
âSo, uh⌠howâŚ?â Frank trails off. Ainât much of a talker. Girls donât call him, let alone wanna have conversation.
âListen, I wanna ask you something, Frank. Before I lose my nerve.âÂ
Frank rubs the back of his neck, pacing a relentless circle as the cord wraps around him. âSure. Alright. Shoot.âÂ
âWould you⌠Well, thereâs the drive-in. Did you know that?âÂ
âYeah. Course. And?âÂ
âWell theyâre playing a movie there on Saturday. Two, actually! Two per ticket. So, you know, you get two back-to-back movies with your ticket.â
ââŚAlright. Sure. Math ainât my strong suit, but itâs addinâ up. Sounds like a good deal.âÂ
But he doesnât get it.Â
Frank barely hears it over his heartbeat.Â
âWould you⌠want to?â you whisper.Â
âFrank. The drive-in. Do you wanna go to drive-in with me this Saturday to see the movies? Theyâre playing Childâs Play and The Lost Boys.âÂ
âDamn, you like those shitty scary movies, huh?â His grinâs toothy, stupid.Â
âI mean, not really, I like The Lost Boys, the killer dollâs a little freaky, butâ wait, weâre getting off track. Frank. Do you wanna go with me or no?âÂ
âHells yeah,â he nods profusely into the phone.Â
âFRANCIS! Language!â Ma scolds from the next room over.Â
Frank cringes. Doesnât touch the giddy jump in his veins.Â
âReally!?â you say. âOh-okay! Great! Great, thatâs perfect. Pick me up a little before so we can get a good parking spot?âÂ
âCount on it, doll.âÂ
âAwesome,â your words soften. âIâll see you then?â
âOkay, yeah! Iâll talk to you later, Frank. And Iâll⌠see you Saturday. Itâs⌠a date.âÂ
And Saturdayâs just a few days away.Â
When the call ends, Frank celebrates. Dumb grin, teeth digginâ his bottom lip, fists shaking the air.Â
Frank Castleâs got a goddamn date with the same goddamn girl that wanted to punch him.
You hold his attention more than the damn movie. Back of Popâs rusted pickup, hard bed layered in the blanketsân pillows you supplied, cool breeze burrowinâ you both down at the drive-in. Tub of popcorn between your hips, the same blanket over your legs.Â
Spent half his paycheck to look at you under the stars and blue flickered glow of the projection, gawk at the popcorn butter lining your lips. You, thoughâŚÂ you watch, engrossed in the cheesy-ass killer dollâs bloodbath. So fuckinâ dumb, Frank thinks, then looks at you and does a one-eighty. So fuckinâ perfect.Â
Halfway through the movie, youâre cowerinâ, and he means cowerinâ. Limbs tucked in a ball, spine curlinâ as your body instinctually seeks a fetal position, your head just one goddamn inch from his neck where youâre both propped up on pillows. If you turn your head quick enough, youâll find him, meet the sensitive, delicate skin over his pulse. And Frank doesnât know what the fuck heâd do if you touched him there, doesnât know what innate reaction heâd learn.Â
But he wants to. Wants to know how itâd feel. How youâd make him feel, find out how his body responds to your touch. Ainât supposed to think those things. Not âtil marriage, Maâd say, and swat him with a rolled paper.Â
Thought tightens his musculature beside you, this undeniable tension radiating from his body. So close. So damn close his warmth rolls off of him in an invitation, and your heart hammers at the question: what does he feel like? Body big and built, twice the size of any grown man you knowâ how would he feel? Crisp, clean cologne wafts when he shifts. Doesnât really move closer, justâŚÂ squirms. You arenât sure if itâs the tachycardia or the delectability of his scent dizzying you, but you taste your heartbeat.Â
Keeping your eyes on the safety of the screen, you tip your mouth in his direction to whisper a half-truth. âIâm scared, Frank.â
Sights on the popcorn bowl, whisper loud because of the depth, Frank clears his throat. âYou, uh⌠wanna leaveâr somethinâ? âF itâs too much, we canââ
âCan I justâŚ?â You scoot closer and Frank blacks out. âCan I just⌠put my head on you? If⌠thatâs okay? I think Iâll be less scared that way.â
Mouth dry, heart doing something dangerously berserk, Frank sits stone-still for five long seconds. Plays your question over in his head. Can I just put my head on you? I think Iâll be less scared that way.Â
I think Iâll be less scared that way.Â
I think Iâll be less scared that way.Â
âFrankâŚ? Is it⌠not okâ?â
âNah, sunshine. Sâalright.â He props his elbow up on a pillow. Offers you safety in an extension of himself. Pretends he isnât lightheaded at the idea you find comfort in him.Â
Frank counts down the seconds to detonation.Â
Your shoulders shimmy down, relieved.Â
You nestle in, jacket you wearâhis jacketârasps his shoulder.Â
A contented hum, oblivious to the rig of his body, you rest your temple on the round of his shoulder. Light, testing at first.Â
Frank explodes silently.Â
Warmth blooms in his chest, bottoms out his stomach. Â
Is he sweating? Jesus Christâ he shifts his other arm to check. Yup. Thatâs sweat. HeâsâŚÂ sweating. Fuckinâ great.Â
Your scentâ fuck. Drives him crazy. Sweet, buttered, you. Youâre warm tucked into him. Your hair tickles his stubbled jaw.Â
âBetter?â he asks, head tipped down to check. Â
A second snack on his breath, popcorn salt and black coffee, the only person you know who can ingest lethal amounts of caffeine and still sleep at night, beckons you without that being the intention. Hum sleepy and content, you raise your head. And god⌠there he is. Soft dark eyes. Big, hunched nose. And his mouth⌠soft lips, parted a bit like he forgot what he was gonna say. When you drag your eyes up, meet his, you get why.Â
Heâs looking at your mouth, too.Â
Your breath hitches. Your hand fists into the sleeve of the jacket, nails biting your palm. Swallowing the nerves bouncing in your throat, you raise a tentative, shaking hand. The very tip of your fingerâsame finger you tried to stab him withâskates the knobbed bridge of his nose. âI really like your nose,â you whisper.Â
His lashes flutter, willpower keeping them open. A crease between his brows. âThat fucked up thing?â he whispers back, sinking into your gravity.Â
âYeah, that,â your finger slips from the tip of it, eyes sliding back down, down, down⌠his mouth, so you can watch how it forms words. âHowâd⌠it happen?â
âHockey puck,â softer, rougher, rushed, leaning in.Â
âPerfect shot,â you tease, jacket sleeve over your hand as you reach for his face.Â
He leans into your touch with a stuttered breath. âThought you were gonna break it again few weeks ago.âÂ
âI thought I was too,â you admit.Â
That pulls a noise from him, something youâve never heard before. Quiet, guttural, straight from the depths of him. Free hand goes to you, fingers heavy and careful as he pushes hair back from your face. âStill scared?âÂ
âYeah,â your whisper thin, pulse strangling. âAre you?â
âYeah,â he mutters, âme too.âÂ
âDonât make me ask this time.â
The smallest tilt of his head nudges that perfect nose against yours. You inhale, sharp, expectant.Â
Someoneâs getting murdered on the big screen. Screams erupt. Wet squelches of stabbing. Youâre both immune to it, lost in each other.Â
âYes, maâam.â Obedient from the start, loyal to the bone, Frank listens. Surrenders. To you, your mouth.
His lips find a gentle slot against yours. Experimental at first, featherlight, a graze instead of a full lock, and it sends a violent rush of excitement through you. He tastes salty from the popcorn, his mouth warm where youâre freezing, and itâs delicious. Heâs delicious.Â
You separate in a soft click of mouths, one last shared breath. You pull back, but donât go far. Your forehead rests against his, eyes shut to preserve the moment, memorize the weight of him on your lips.Â
âThat, uh⌠alright?â he whispers with a huffed breath like a chuckle, lips quirked.Â
âMaybe, uh, just maybe⌠another? For good measure?âÂ
âMm. Mhm. Yeah. âM thinkinâ so, sweetheart.âÂ
âUh-huh, yeah, me tooâ Mmph!âÂ
Anything past the first is easier.Â
Firmer, eager to learn, your mouths fit with a flush confidence. Languid, four hours worth of movies, Frank guides your lips in unhurried grabs. Gentle, slow smooches. Longer, deeper embraces. Your hair fans the pillow. You lay back in his jacket, cheeks hot, lips swollen red. Frank props on an elbow above you and never ventures lower than your mouth. Never gouges you with his tongue, just slips the tip of it in as a little introduction to yours. Still sweet, still claiming without the heat and speed of desperation. Because thatâs not what this is, you and Frank. Itâs patience. Fully seeing the other, learning from organic means instead of David fucking Lieberman. By the time The Lost Boys is on, youâre kiss-drunk. Absolutely giddy. Your smile interrupts the make-out session, and Frank smiles against your teeth. A little sheepish, a lotâŚÂ happy.Â
âWe should only ever see two movies in one night,â you tease.Â
âAinât even watchinâ the movie,â Frank grumbles, coming up for air, opening his eyes for the first time in an hour.Â
Cool air blankets your skin where he once was, grin so big you bite your bottom lip to calm it. Itâs no use.Â
âSure your dad donât mind you beinâ out so late? Ainât trynaâ get on his shit list before I meet âim.â
Below Frank, your smile falters, an incomprehensible flicker. âHe doesnât mind,â you assure, your arms slinking around his neck to pull him back in. âWeâve got all night, Frank Castle.âÂ
âHell yeah. Goinâ fâice cream after this, hm?â
âWeâve gotta get the swelling down somehow.âÂ
âNot a chance in hell.âÂ
Laughter melts between your mouths as he kisses you again.Â
âCause youâve got all night and heâs gonna make the most of it.Â
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