heya, frankie.

Pairing: Erik Killmonger x Reader

Word Count (thus far): 625

A/N: Umm so this is a thing! I was really interested in exploring an alternative plot where Erik grew up navigating the worlds of both Wakanda and America and, surprise of all surprises, he actually made a friend (?) Wild, I know. This is basically just an excuse to write a series of random fic about you (my lovely reader) and Erik, getting together. It’s a slow-ish burn. Lmk what you think!

…

You palm a fruit from a nearby stand, twisting smoothly out of view as the merchant turns to look over their wears. The shade is a welcome reprieve to the punishing swelter of the sun, darkness settles over your skin and brings with it a cool breeze. You sigh and bring the apple to your lips as you lean back against a vibranium pillar, quietly observing the city from your little alcove. 

“You shouldn’t steal,” a voice reprimands. The apple cracks under the pressure of your teeth, juices dripping down your chin before you get the chance to wipe your forearm across your face. 

You tilt your chin to the left to observe your intruder, smiling to yourself when you find Erik seated on a stone step a few paces away. 

He’s dressed in what you have coined his street clothes, soft dark robes falling across the shape of him like water. You very pointedly don’t stare at the space where his neck is exposed, feeling the heat of the afternoon burn up the sides of your neck and face. 

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were stalking me,” you respond, nonplussed. You take another hearty bite of the apple and spit out a seed. 

Erik’s eyes don’t quite meet yours, staring out at the calamity beyond, where the world is a loud hum of noise and excitement. The sound thrums through the alcove like static, over your skin and through your very marrow. 

You’ve been to plenty of cities. 

Big ones, small ones, ones with skyscrapers that faded into the clouds and others with ravines deep enough to unsettle the core of the earth, but nothing beat home. 

Nothing compared to Wakanda. 

“You could’a just bought it,” Erik continues, that all too familiar American slang twisting at the corner of his lips. “Doubt anyone would say no to a Dora.”

You want to counter and say that you saw him steal a mango just the other day but there’s a mischievous glint to his eyes that tells you he’s already anticipating the remark. 

“Wake, Beloved. I need you,” Erik whispers from behind you.

He buries his face into your neck and peppers kisses down toward your shoulder blades. A large hand runs down your side and grips your thigh lightly.

You stir, groaning and desperate to stay asleep but getting the sense that whatever Erik needed of you was important. He knew you hated to be woken up, he wouldn’t be waking you without reason. You feel him sit up next to you and, sitting up, you rub the sleep from your eyes. You offer a sleepy smile and ask what he requires of you so early.

“Beloved…help me pick which sneakers I have to wear to smoke T'Challa’s ass on the court today.”

Erik and reader being super clingy to each other after they both come home from work.

Reader: babe?! E?! *walks into bedroom, watching him remove his tie and dress shirt*

Erik: hey beautiful, I just got in like…10 minutes ago.

*sits on bed, removing his dress shoes*

Reader: How was work? Did you get anything done?

Erik: barely. We had two long ass meetings today, and then on top of that we have new hires and I had to show them around and shit because no body else wanted to *shakes his head* how about you baby girl? How was your day?

Reader: just as damn stressful. I had a pile of paper work to do and I didn’t even put a dent in it yet. Then my boss has the nerve to cuss me out because I’m “moving too slow” *rolls your eyes*

Erik: So he messing with my baby again? He must want me to come up there.

Reader: *smiles* Don’t stress on it baby, all I want right now is for you to hold me.

Erik: *laughs* that’s all I want right now too. I just wanna smell you and feel your warmth.

Reader: *kicks off heels and unbuttons top, exposing bra* C’mere big guy.

Erik: *walks over to you, picking you up, putting his arms around you through your shirt* you are so warm and soft.

Reader: You too, I miss these big arms. *rubs chin on his shoulder*

*erik backs up to the bed, putting you down gently while he rests his head on your chest*

Erik: *massages hips* can I just, lay here? That’s all I fucking want.

Reader: you can lay as long as you want. I like the feeling of your hair on my skin. It tickles in a good way.

Erik: rub my scalp beautiful. please baby.

Reader: *rubs scalp*

Erik: Damn, I love your fingers.

Reader: can you whisper to me? You know I love that shit. *blushes*

Erik: *lifts up to your face, playing with a curly strand of hair* you’re so fucking beautiful.

Erik: *whispers* I love you, you’re my precious little baby.

Reader: *blushes* you drive me crazy

Erik: *whispers* you drive me crazy

Reader: can we snuggle? I wanna feel your bare chest

Erik: aight princess.

*removes his shirt, lifting the covers back*

Erik: Lay on top of Daddy

Reader: * smiles* okay daddy.

*pulls you close, bringing the covers over you both*

the adventures of helen cho: a series where helen cho goes around the world saving the world with science 

where in the world is nakia?: nakia fights international crime and still manages to have a steady wash day routine 

jabariland: a dramedy about the daily lives of the jabari tribe

sons of odin: a sitcom about teenage thor and loki getting into shenanigans and constantly dancing around the idea of fratricide 

howling commandos: please

the bad place: wacky adventures in the soul stone

brooklyn boys: mockumentary style series where bucky and sam navigate the high rent and high stakes of being occasionally retired in new york with wacky neighbors

mj on the case: michelle’s true crime investigative blog takes her into dangerous situations and spider-man is always “just there” “coincidentally” to save her 

steven yeun as iron fist: steven yeun as iron fist

You’re practically burning up under all your layers and you mentally curse yourself for bundling up as much as you did this morning. But the weather outside is ruthless and the afternoon forecast shows nothing but snow. You can feel the remnants of frost under your clothes, the cold biting at your skin even as the heat from your impromptu run makes your face burn hot.

Fucking winter.

“I’m so sorry,” you say, pushing your hat up on your head with a sweaty palm. You try to regulate your breathing but it’s easier said than done. “My class ran over and I-“

He crosses his legs in his leather chair, eyeing you thoughtfully from over the frames of his glasses. He takes in the state of you with a careful eye, his face giving nothing away. You try your best not to fidget under the scrutiny and pray to god that you don’t look as much of a mess you feel. Your eyes go down to his hands, steadfastly splayed over mounds of paperwork, and you admire the deftness of them, can’t help but trace the lone pink scar running over the knuckles of his right hand with your eyes and wonder where it might’ve come from.

“Please,” he says, startling you out of your reverie. His voice is hardly more than a whisper, low and rumbling in a way that makes your skin burn albeit in a different way than before. “Have a seat.”

“… What?” he asked before slowly opening his eyes.

I shrugged and chuckled to myself. “Nothing.”

“Yer starin’.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re paranoid.”

“Why ain’t you sleepin’, hm?”

“Why aren’t you?”

“Do I ever?”

“… Fair point.”

“You gonna tell me whatchu were starin’ at yet or what?”

I grinned to myself and ignored the question. “What were you imagining when you closed your eyes?”

“What, like, what was I dreamin’ about?”

“I don’t think you were dreaming; you have to sleep to dream. I mean what I said.”

“I couldn’t think o’ much with you starin’ holes into me-”

“-Oh my- Would you shut up about the staring already?”

He chuckled a tired laugh before taking an arm from behind his head to lazily drape it over my shoulder. I moved closer to him and rested a warm hand on his chest. “Was thinkin’ about dinner.”

My brows scrunched slightly. “You still hungry?” I was amazed; I just sat and watched him work his way through two large servings of spaghetti with meatballs and nearly half a baguette of garlic bread.

“Well, I was thinkin’ about you cookin’ it.”

“What about it?”

He shrugged. “Been awhile since I watched a woman cook dinner for me is all.”

“You were watching me?” I asked as I wrapped my finger in one of the drawstings of his pajama pants.

“S’at alright with you?”

“… Can I ask why?”

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I don’t know, it… I guess I find it relaxing.”

I looked up at him. “Watching me cook relaxes you?”

“It’s… well shit, I don’t know, Y/N-”

“-No no no, come on. It’s what?”

He sighed with agitation. “Jesus Christ.”

I smiled to myself before reaching up to pinch his chin, forcing him to look down at me. “What is it? You watchin’ me cook makes you all warm and fuzzy inside?”

“So you keepin’ me up just to tease me, hm?”

“I wish you knew how ridiculous that sounds: big, scary Frank Castle talking about being teased, as if anyone could ever.”

“Ya know I wasn’t always this… menacing.” At that I chuckled. “I’m serious. I didn’t bulk up ‘til right before the Marines; middle school and high school I was just a big-eared, tall, goofy lookin’ thing. Couldn’t scare a damn fly.”

“Oooh, what I’d do to go back in time and see a tiny Frank Castle,” I wished before I was interrupted by my own laughter. Okay, maybe I was teasing him a little, but just the image of him being the complete opposite of the brooding mass before me was enough to warrant some laughter. He was bringing it on himself at this point! “I-I’m sorry-”

“-Mhm, I can tell-”

“-I am!”

“Yeah yeah,” he said before making me the one getting their face grabbed and redirected. He stared at my mouth and my laughter soon faded. “S’much as I enjoy that sound…”

“Not when it’s at your expense?”

“Bingo.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re no fun.”

“Think you had enough fun for a night. Sleep.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to. Not yet.”

“Why s’at?”

I traced a thumb along the lining of his bottom lip. “You came here tonight. You brought an overnight bag with you, and I saw it and still didn’t believe it. I mean, I didn’t believe you’d stay, thought you were gonna change your mind and leave after dinner or after I fall asleep.”

“Hmmm… So you think if you close yer eyes I’m gonna dash outta here like a bat outta hell?”

“Well I did… until you put on pajama pants,” I said with half a smile. “I never knew you slept in pants; it’s usually lights out after you’ve been, uhhh, indisposed.” He squeezed my shoulder slightly with a disapproving groan. “I mean, when you don’t put your boxers back on, at least.”

“Yeah yeah. Still haven’t said what’s keepin’ you up.”

I shrugged. “I just… wanna enjoy the moment.”

“What? Me stayin’ here got you feelin’ all warm an’ fuzzy inside?” he mocked.

“Oh, shut up,” I said with an eye roll before turning over, or at least trying to. The moment I went to roll over he grabbed me and forced me on top of him. “So you’re teasing me now-”

“-Oh what, alla sudden yer ready to sleep? Hm?” His arms wrapped like boas around my waist before he took a hand to grip my neck, his thumb rubbing its way up and down the side. “Not so fun when the shoe’s on the other foot, is it?”

“Congrats, you proved your point.”

“I take this bratty reaction o’ yours as me bein’ right?”

“Well no shit, I like you staying here!”

“Hey now. If you’re nice, I might stay more often.” As much as he tried to hide it I saw a smile playing at his lips.

“You can be a dick when you wanna, you know that?”

“You want me to leave?”

“If I said yes?”

“Well shit. Guess I packed the overnight bag for nothin’ then.”

I slapped his hand away from my neck to rest my head on his chest. “You’re full of jokes tonight, aren’t you? You win. We sleep now.”

“Do we?”

“I mean, unless you wanna fuck? Again…” I hesitated a second before glancing up at him. He pondered the thought before letting out a low, deep groan and letting his eyes shut. “Again: you’re a dick.” He chuckled to himself as he held me tighter, hugging me closer to his body that ran at constant temperature of, oh I don’t know, at least 375. I could bake a sheet of cookies on his chest. “It’s like hugging a furnace.”

He reached over to my bedside table, grabbing the remote to my ceiling fan and turning it on. “Same dance every time.”

“I thought I’d be used to it by now.”

“Hm. Maybe after a couple more sleepovers.”

I couldn’t help but feel my face warm at the words. Whether or not those sleepovers actually happened we’d have to wait and see, but just the idea that he was finally making himself comfortable enough to humor the thought of spending more nights with me. Hell, even if this was the only time he’d do it, I would still be over the moon. That’s why I wasn’t sleeping: I was jumping like a school girl on the inside. I didn’t think this night would come but it hit me like a smack in the face when Frank strolled in the living room after our usual post-sex shower in pajama pants and an undershirt.

“Now I got somethin’ to dream about.”

“You dream about me? Huh?”

“A real lady doesn’t dream and tell,” I replied with a sleepy smile, my eyes already shut for the night.

“Fine with me. If I wake up in an hour to you dry humpin’ my leg-”

“-Excuse the hell outta you! I am not Max, alright?”

“Pssh, my Max? He’d never; that dog’s a bigger gentleman than me.”

“You’re not lyin’.”

“Go ahead an’ hop to dreamin’ about yours truly. More like a nighmare, ya ask me…”

“More like one of the sweetest dreams a dreaming girl could ever hope to dream.”

And finally a silence fell over us. I focused on the whirring of the ceiling fan and the steady rise and fall of Frank’s chest, and before I knew what hit me I was in lala land. Of course, not before wrapping an extra secure arm around Frank’s torso for good measure.