on thin ice [karen/frank - marvel]

twenty four: 01/31/02

[trigger warning: depictions of violence and domestic abuse mentions]

Frank suffocated himself with a jersey overnight whilst he slept next to Karen. It was comforting. It covered what she couldn't know. And that was comfort enough. He rolled in the bed painfully, grimacing before he saw Karen sat up in bed next to him reading a book. "How can you sleep in that thing?"

She didn't look at him when she spoke and for that he was grateful; he wouldn't have been able to mask the pain. He told her the truth because he figured it would become a regular occurrence around there. He tried to smile, Karen's bedhead amusing him. "It's comforting"

The corners of Karen's mouth lifted a little as she took one hand off her book and placed it on Frank's head, stroking him. Her hands were soft against his rough and bruised skin, he wondered why she had stooped so low. "How are you feeling?"

"How come you're not mad?" Frank blurted, his throat raw and in desperate need of water. He croaked as he spoke and Karen frowned a little as he did. He cleared his throat before speaking once more. "It's bizarre, Karen. I'd have flipped my shit if I was you"

Karen finally placed her book down, tearing her eyes away from it and looking at Frank. He kept the duvet up toward his chin even though he was sweating like crazy underneath. He couldn't risk her seeing. "Cause I know that you have a version of events that I don't know about. You just have to tell me"

Frank quickly avoided her eyes, shifting again in the bed. His back was aching worse than ever but he had learned to mask things. Academy training taught you how to mask just about anything in front of the right people and in exactly the right times. "That's a bad idea"

Unfortunately, Karen had learned. She had begun to pick up on when he did it and questioned him about it. "Don't you trust me, Frank?" She asked, turning on her side and folding her arms as she looked at him.

"Of course" Frank replied, with minimal hesitation. He didn't even trust himself sometimes but he definitely trusted her. It was almost like a given, her aura and loving nature manipulated you into it in a good way. A safe way. "Of course I do"

"Then why won't you tell me anything?" She persisted.

Frank hesitated for a while, looking back up toward her finally. He just sighed, shaking his head. The worry in her eyes resembled his sister's, his mother's. Frank had a long list of people he didn't want to hurt but unintentionally did. Karen's persistence was going to earn herself a place on it. "Because I fear it will hurt you, way worse than it hurt me"

Karen placed the book on her bedside table before shuffling back into bed to level with him. "I've had my fair share of pain, Frank. You have way too much. It's not fair when you save yourself from a hurricane but leave someone else stranded"

Frank stared at her as she stroked his face, running her fingers across the bruise forming under his eye and the stitches on his cheek. He took a deep breath, steadying his voice as he had done way too much crying recently. It felt odd.

"My Father died when I was 18" Frank said, swallowing at the fact he had admitted it aloud. He hardly talked about it unless it was basically compulsory - in situations like this. "I didn't live in a wealthy neighbourhood, we couldn't afford to file suit against the guys who did it. My rep in High School was the only thing I had going for me"

Karen frowned, "Hold on, the guys who did it? He was murdered?"

Frank nodded. "Shot in the middle of the street whilst he walked our dog" He found himself smiling at the thought of the dog; his floppy ears and fur that could warm you in an instant. "He came running back to the house, dragging my Ma and I into the street. Gabby was at a friends house"