on thin ice [karen/frank - marvel]

fourteen: calissa marriott

[trigger warning: alcohol and domestic abuse mentions]

His phone buzzed in his pocket, causing him to jolt rather harshly. Realising where he was after a few seconds, he turned and checked to see if he woke Karen. She lay facing him, her mouth parted slightly and tiny snores escaping. Frank realised he had been laying in an awkward position, on top of the duvet and that he ached a little.

The phone kept buzzing and he rummaged around in his jean pocket looking for it. He snoozed the alarm set for 6:15 AM, placing his phone on his lap before leaning back against the bed and shutting his eyes. He covered his face with his hands, rubbing his eyes before running his hands through his hair.

Now that he knew he was in a strange place, he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. It was just a thing he'd had since he was young and he couldn't get rid of it. Karen was so peaceful next to him and Frank's mind had already switched onto work and how he had to be there in two hours.

Being careful not to wake Karen, he pushed himself off the bed and exited the room. He looked around the still apartment, noticing the stain on the beige couch from a drink Karen had the night before. He knew she'd probably be angry at herself so Frank noted to try and clean it up. He also spotted a bookcase in the corner of the room and headed over.

The first thing he noticed was that all the books were of a reasonable size, none of them would be thinner than 400 pages at the least. He figured that's where her articulate tongue came from, all her reading. Frank ran his fingers across the books, feeling the different covers and how worn they were or not.

Frank had never had an interest in reading, High School being the place he had to read most and where he had done it the least. He picked the smoothest one along the first shelf and pulled it out. Audrey Niffenegger. He frowned at the name, turning to the back and beginning to read the summary.

"I didn't know you read"

Frank jumped, almost dropping the book as he turned around. Karen stood in the doorway to her bedroom, gripping onto the frame to steady herself. She was still fully clothed and it was an odd sight to Frank, even though he was fully clothed too. He also had stayed the entire night at Karen's.

"I don't" Frank replied, shoving his hands into his back pockets as he turned to look at her properly. She hesitated on the spot, almost wondering whether to approach him. Frank was the same and he felt almost childish for it. They were both adults. He dismissed his thoughts, going back to the topic of the books. "Have you read all of these?"

Karen walked over to him whilst rubbing her head as Frank put the book back on the shelf, pressing it in with ease and satisfaction that it fit neatly back onto the shelf. They both stood side by side looking at the case and her body only radiated warmth toward Frank's cold torso. Even though he slept fully clothed, a duvet would have been nice. However, he didn't want to step over the boundaries. "I have"

"Impressive," He replied, looking at all the books once again. His eyes flickered toward her as she eyed them, scanning the shelves which she had so clearly spent hours organising, and he smiled at the way she admired her collection. "Which one is your favourite?"

Karen hesitated, reaching down to the third shelf and pointing to a book slap-bang in the middle of the row. The thinnest one on the shelf. She pulled it from its place, smoothing over the cover before handing it to Frank. Their fingers touched, her skin just as delicate and smooth as the book's surface and Frank took it from her hesitantly just to feel her warmth for a little longer.

"On Death and Dying" Frank read aloud, looking down at the cover and the odd illustration. He smiled a little at the fact this book was Karen's favourite. Out of all the other books on the whole of her shelf. "Sounds delightful"