#hellsguardiandevil

Weeks without sunlight had completely wrecked her internal schedule and Daisy would find herself becoming drowsy at odd hours. Not that it really mattered when there had still been little leads on finding the rest of her team. It was hard not to feel frustrated or hopeless, and in an attempt to feel some kind of useful she had found herself parked on a familiar old street. In front of a place in any other circumstance she would have been perfectly happy to never see again. So far, nothing had happened, only the normal (whatever that was) foot traffic that allowed for dark eyes to fall closed. 

It went against her training and Daisy could only imagine what May would say to be caught so off guard. But there was nothing but static on the radio at the moment and it would do no good to run the battery dead on her borrowed car of the week. It wasn’t long before she’d slipped into a fit of restless sleep, only to be jolted awake by a firm knock on her window. 

@hellsguardiandevil​

After who knows how long, she felt the sting of something against her cheeks. No longer numb to the world around her she felt the drops of cold rain falling on her face from the dark overcast sky stretching out in every direction. At some point the banshee had taken hold and she could only see others for the haze grief or impending death surrounding them, except him.

Standing in what appeared to be a lush rooftop garden she watched the rain trail off walls of damp ivy and tried fruitlessly to retrace her steps. Drifting forward she felt the drag of warmer water around her waist and realized she was standing in a swimming pool of polished marble. Expensive taste, but not hers. She didn’t know how much time she’d lost or even how long she’d been standing in that spot. Now that she could feel the air temperature dropping she’d need to find some clothes before she could start trying to figure it out.

But first-

Turning on her heel cut off the most pressing question forming in her mind, the sight of familiar shoulders peeking above the waterline but his back was to her. Her mind swiftly clamped down on the instinct to call his name not wanting a repeat of the last turn. The clawing at the back of her throat was gone and she could feel the world beneath her feet now, more like normal although her mind resisted that word these days. With an involuntary shiver she reached out to let her fingertips brush his shoulder.

Matthew. There hadn’t been time to talk about anything. Not his time prison, or Murdock, or the lines they’d only just started to cross before he’d been taken. Maybe without the devil in him driving his tastes it was possible his perspective had shifted. A problem for later, once they were out of the rain.

@hellsguardiandevil @elektralivesagain

Frank had been doing his self-appointed patrols when he noticed people still venturing down into the subway.  Some quick recon told him he was going to need backup.  Though it was likely there were a great many people capable of such things, there was only one person he could trust to watch his six without keeping a watch on him.

The world returned not softly, but spinning out of a dark vacancy. Elektra lay somewhere out in the stretch of endless water, she didn’t know where. The shallow water lapped her skin and for a long time there was no way to orient herself, trapped watching the radial blur of the stars that lived in the scar across the sky. She was pinned in the chaos of it, head throbbing and her stomach clenched until finally everything relented back to a gentler darkness of unconsciousness.

At least unlike the void of death, in this place it was still possible to dream. Not solely a dream, but one of few memories that still haunted her when sleep could hunt the Assassin down.

------

The dorm room was aesthetically unforgivable, not that he would notice. They lay together at the center of a dreadfully uneven futon mattress. Aside from the background noise of an old movie there was a contented silence, and the smell of now room-temperature pizza lingering from a cardboard box beside them. Her fingers raked through his hair and she was certain she liked him best like this, mussed with that smug afterglow smile that begged to be kissed off his face. Which she did, slowly, again and again. “Are you comfortable?” He nudged lighly, seeming to shift against her a little self-conscious. “I know it’s not the sort of night out you’re used to.”

She pulled herself up onto her forearms and he almost seemed to startle, as if worried he’d broken the magic by questioning it. “Matthew...” Wrapping an arm around him she perched her chin on his chest with an adoring smile he couldn’t appreciate. “... mon coeur, I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.” His head settled back onto the mattress with a tepid smile. “You’re sure?” He asked, a sort of hopefulness in his voice that felt crushing. Beautiful Matthew, she didn’t didn’t know what to do with that earnest touch of his. Her fingers pulled through his hair again and she kissed at the sweeping line of his collarbone. “Do I sound like I’m lying?” She shot back, waiting for him to do what came naturally to him, to reach inside her and under the skin and know her in the ways she doesn’t let anyone know her. “No.” He smiled, pulling her over him and finding no resistance. His eyes are a kind of hazel and she felt no shame in how much time she spent staring into them purely for her own benefit. Her head tilted and leaned in to pour her words across his neck. “Je veux être avec toi pour toujours.” Sealed with a gentle bite and a kiss.

“What’s it mean?” His smile stretched wide and prideful, but also just a little tentative at it’s corners. For a moment the usual playful lilt of her voice felt shaken and she replied almost secretively.

“... You’ll just have to figure it out.”

Bruce was once again glad that though he'd gone to medical school his work goal was research. This seemingly endless parade of people that were either injured, sick, or dealing with problems related to the cold was wearing him down. The fact that his symptoms were getting worse wasn't helping. He'd taken to wearing a surgical cap or knit hat at all times to disguise his hair loss. For practical reasons he'd shaved his head. He would hook himself up to an IV to keep hydrated as well as make it easier to inject medication to control the nausea and vomiting.

When patients needed seen he had to set aside his own issues. Apparently the particular patient was carried in by 'a hot looking Xena warrior babe' which could either be Valkyrie or Sif. Bruce told the young man to be very careful about saying that where the woman in question could hear him.

Since Bruce didn't recognize the lady he assumed it was Sif. He let her out and was glad to get his patient's first name. "Hello, Matt, I'm Dr. Banner. If you want to call me Bruce that's fine," he said after closing the door. He moved over to a rolling stool and sat down. "Normally I'd ask more questions before launching into an exam, but since you were exposed to the cold for an unknown period of time I want to check your feet and hands for signs of frostbite right away. It might ensure you get to keep all your digets."

Frank Castle had been in some real shitholes before, but this place was working really hard at taking first place. It was starting to make the kind of stuff he saw when he went to sleep look like sweet dreams. At least he still had his gear with him, made dealing with the bone chilling cold a lot easier.

Course the fact they no longer had caves to shelter in meant he could find his own space. He'd never been much of a people person. In this place alone was when his ghosts found him. He remembered telling Karen that his wife brought on the pain, that was cranked up to 11 and playing all the time now.

He found ways to deal with it until the rage and hate started filling him up inside. It burned so hot he swore his skin should be blistering with it. After long enough he had a plan. He'd told Russo that the man would know pain. Now it was time to end it. Put that asshole down so hard he never got up again.

   in his sense of direction , he’s trying to scope the place out while he’s got a good chance.  the general logistics , location coordinates.  all the things he thinks is gonna be crucial to his knowledge when he needs it.  something he can pull out of his back pocket just in case.  but what he sees right now paints the whole picture for him. and he really can’t help but laugh.        “ jesus christ ─ y’know for someone who believed , wore hope like a second skin and walked around like some patron saint .. you taste the medicine yet , red ?  “   frank pauses , eyes glazing over the medical tools , the kind of limited set up that takes him back.  he looks at the other , first question in his head was why. 

    though he wasn’t about to  admit he started praying to whatever god was up there , the moment he ended up in the place ; he’d never hear the end of that one. 

   “ never thought you’d get stuck in this shithole purgatory huh ?  yeah , through and through. “  frank let that ring in his head a bit , though he never fully believed he’d see him there.   he couldn’t lie and say there wasn’t even a slim sense of relief ; if there was someone he’s gonna run into , had to be this guy.  it doesn’t take much for billy russo to set back into his mind , giving frank one more reason to go after him and his bullshit.   “ i’ve only been here , let’s say .. maybe a few hours - and you’re the one tryin’ to find solace in a makeshift medical room. tell me how that is ─ how the hell are you here ?  “