Castle to my Knight

Frank Castle doesn't do friends.

He doesn't do attachments. He doesn't do second chances. And he certainly doesn't give strangers access to a phone number that no one was supposed to have.

Then "Grace" texts him.

She thinks she's texting her number neighbor.

He knows better.

What she doesn't know is that they've already met.

Once, briefly, in the alley behind the hospital

She saved his life.

Now she's slowly becoming part of it.

Neither of them is looking for this.

But some people become important long before you realize you've let them in.

And the next time their paths cross, neither of them will be walking away unchanged.

Story info:

Canon: MCU / Netflix
Timeline: Post-The Punisher S2 → Daredevil: Born Again era
Pairing: Frank Castle × Inara Knight
Rating: Mature
Genre: Slow Burn / Angst / Action / Friendship / Romance / Comedy
Status: Ongoing
Tropes: CoincidentalNumber, Number Neighbors, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Found Family, Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Frank Castle, Age Gap

*Author's Note*
First time writing so I have no idea how this works

This is a very slow burn.
Like... painfully slow.

The relationship is meant to develop over time, beginning with a coincidental encounter then a coincidental text, an awkward friendship, and two people who have absolutely no idea what they're doing.

Frank will remain Frank. He's guarded, difficult, suspicious, emotionally constipated, and not suddenly going to become a soft romantic hero because he met a woman.
Inara is not going to magically fix him either. She has her own struggles.

Their relationship is built through small things: routines, conversations, inside jokes, quiet moments, trust, and the kind of attachment neither of them notices happening until it's already there.

So if you're here for the payoff, please enjoy the suffering first. ❤️