"to burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves."
- Federico García Lorca
Staying out of trouble is not Frank Castle's strong suit. But is Jenavieve Howlett more trouble than The Punisher can handle...
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"..the day i met you, i just wanted to protect you." - ilomilo, Billie Eilish
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I play with my breakfast, poking my spoon around my bowl of granola and yogurt, while I'm lost in thought.
"You alright?" Frank asks, bringing me back to the now.
I rest my spoon against the edge of the bowl, placing both hands on Madani's glass dining table as I look up at Frank sitting opposite me.
"I want him dead." I declare.
After ruminating on Frank's advice about taking the fight to Stryker for the past hour, this is the conclusion I've reached.
Frank nods approvingly.
"No more hesitating?" he asks.
"No more."
His eyes narrow at my response. "You still got some doubt there, I can see it. What's holding you back?"
I frown down at my bowl. "I was with my mother and brother when they were murdered. And before my brother died, he said.. 'Don't be what they made you.'" Speaking aloud the words that have plagued my mind for weeks leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but I continue. "..I don't want to disregard his dying wish."
Aside from one singular chew of his food, Frank is still. "What did they make you?" he queries.
I stare at him, wishing I could bite my tongue, but it's too late for that now.
"I was the best at what I did. But what I did best.. wasn't very nice." I say, before laughing under my breath. "..Guess I'm preaching to the choir, huh?"
Only, Frank truly is the best. He gets shit done, without any hesitations, without any enhancements.
I tense briefly as keys jingle at the front door, until I realise it's Madani.
"You're still here?" she asks, when she enters and sees us at her dining table.
"Yup." Frank says. He sucks a bit of yogurt off his thumb and leans back in his chair. "Shitty-ass health food of yours nearly drove us off, but, you and I, we had a deal."
I smile down at my bowl, remembering how annoyed Frank was scouring through her cupboards this morning, searching for anything other than what he deemed to be no more than bird food.
"Yeah? You want a pancake breakfast, find me Billy." Madani counters, dropping her handbag on the kitchen bench.
I flick a glance at Frank, our eyes meeting briefly as we both recount our pancake breakfast after our night, and morning, of passion. I feel my cheeks warm and when he looks back at Madani, I blush at the fact that I'm blushing.
