on thin ice [karen/frank - marvel]

nineteen: goosebumps and silver fields

It was cold when he woke and he wasn't used to it. His eyes ached, the box of pills was coming into focus on his bedside table. He grabbed it, holding it there for a minute before sitting up and removing two from the packet. He swallowed them down with a glass of water. It tasted stale and slightly warm and Frank grimaced, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

The clock on his kitchen wall said 18:58 meaning that he had two minutes till he had to leave. He knew Karen would knock one minute early so he sat on the couch and waited. He stared at the blank TV, having spoken to nobody since he went to the doctors' office with Scott. He didn't even tell Karen.

Scott said he would regret it and maybe it could cause friction between them but Frank felt better keeping her out of it when she had so much going on in her own life anyway. He could handle it on his own and she didn't need something else to worry about when she essentially couldn't do anything.

She knocked a few seconds later and Frank stood from the couch slowly. He was sent into a small dizzy spell as he stood and grabbed onto the wall to balance himself. He didn't know how he was going to stay standing at a party all night. His pills still hadn't kicked in as he grabbed the keys off the counter and headed over.

She was beaming as he opened the door but her face dropped as she looked at him. Frank sighed heavily, looking at what she was wearing and how spectacular she looked compared to him. Compared to how he felt at that very moment. "Why aren't you ready? We have to leave soon"

He shrugged, heading back into the apartment as she headed inside after him. It was the more comfortable option to walk around with a slight limp but he didn't want Karen to notice that something was initially wrong. He masked it with a bad mood which always worked. Masking something negative with something negative that you're good at just about switches people's attentions elsewhere. "Just woke up"

She placed a bag on the counter. Frank noticed she carried a wine bag and had obviously forgotten to mention that Mike was indeed fructose intolerant and his sister would probably end up drinking it all anyway. "You just woke up? Didn't you have work today?"

"Yeah. I had a nap when I got back. I was wasted" Frank replied, turning around to face her before he sat on the couch. He took another look at her and she frowned a little as she followed his eyes down her flowing red dress. She finished it off with black heels. Frank smiled, looking up toward her once again. "You look so beautiful"

Karen walked over toward him, joining him on the couch as she faced him with a frown. Frank subconsciously moved away, edging down the couch just a tiny bit, hoping she wouldn't see. She placed a cold hand on his leg, forcing him to look up at her. "What's wrong?"

Frank shook his head, leaning back a little to scratch the back of his neck, realising halfway that it hurt more than ever. When were the pills going to kick in? "Nothing, I'm just coming out of the sleep daze. You know how it is"

She nodded, crossing her arms as she stared at him cautiously. He smiled at her lazily, leaning forward and rubbing her arm a little. "Are you going to get ready or not? We don't want to be ridiculously late to your own family's party"

Frank then pushed himself off the couch slowly, Karen doing the same. Frank found himself walking closer toward her and frowning at how they were almost the same height because of Karen's heels. She just laughed, smiling at him. He smiled back, rubbing her arms once more with his ridiculously overheated hands. "Ten minutes. Then we'll go"

--

Frank pulled up outside the address Gabriela had given him earlier in the day, having made a stupid excuse as to why he was driving if he was going to drink. He claimed they'd get a lift back with his Mother in a cab as she was getting too old to drive far distances now.