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modern-vellichor · 2 years

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Make No Mistakes.

summary: you can't get distracted. When you're distracted, you make mistakes. Mistakes get you killed. warnings: illinois. other than that, none <3 a/n: Sylvian Reynard, Gabriel's Inferno

Frank Castle was a force to be reckoned with. He frightened you, not that you would let him know that. You were a brilliant liar. And lying was the only constant in your life nowadays.

You stared out the window into the dark. Lampposts rushed by. Your head was pounding. You couldn't sleep. And so you just watched as the world sped past the window.

Frank was in the driver's seat. One hand on the wheel, the other holding his head up. You were both exhausted, him even more so. Even though he scared you, you trusted him more than anything. He was keeping you safe. You owed him your life. Frank trusted you, too. He didn't trust many, and you were one of them. You were almost honoured.

"Pull over," you mumbled. "You're falling asleep, let me drive."

"No."

Frank was also stubborn as all hell. You two must have been made from the same mold, because all you did was argue. You were the same. You held the same standards, same morals. You had the same favourite book, and knife. You had all the same mannerisms. You even shared a slight facial tick when either of you were aggravated - which was almost always.

"Yes, Frank," you sighed. "Pull over, now. I'm not going out in this piece of shit because you fell asleep at the wheel."

He wasn't in the mood to argue. And so he pulled over. You got out of the car and waited by the hood. Frank ran a hand over his face and cursed. He yawned, got out of the car. You put a hand on his chest as he approached you. That hand trailed up to his face, moving it so that you could examine him in the light of the headlights.

"You look like shit."

"I know," he laughed.

"State lines to Indiana are about twenty minutes away," you mumbled, hand still cupping his cheek. "If I drive for long enough I can hit Illinois before sunrise."

"Sounds good."

You got behind the wheel. Sometimes all you wanted to hear was Frank's voice telling you that you had done good. He was the only decent thing you had left. He was everything to you. Frank leaned his head against the window and snored quietly. He looked so peaceful like this. It was unfamiliar. Peace was not something either of you took for granted.

Things had been going so well recently. No one had been stabbed, no one had been shot. Although you threatened to kill each other nearly daily. You would never follow through with it. Threats were your love language. Nobody was chasing after you. But you have to be careful, nonetheless.

Frank woke up when you hit a particularly deep pothole. He grumbled as he was shaken awake, cursing at your terrible driving. You argued about that for a while. The Illinois state line was so close. You had been driving for three hours. You only had about half an hour to go. You told Frank this, and he had never looked more relieved.

"I figured maybe we should skip Chicago, head deeper into the state, maybe Peoria?"

Frank nodded.

"We should look for a nice motel, stay for a few more days than usual. We deserve some rest, Frank."

He opened his mouth to argue, but the thought of a good nights sleep was too inviting. He just nodded. You said it was another three hours to Peoria. You didn't look too bad. You looked tired, but not anymore so than usual. At some point you stopped for a bad gas station coffee. You put too much sugar in it and bought a very dry sandwich. You filled the tank, too, all while Frank slept soundly.

You ate while you drove. And you finally got a chance to catch up on your podcast. Frank didn't like listening to any of your true crime conspiracy podcasts. He said he got enough of that on the day to day. And so you fell behind. But nights like these, when Frank slept so deeply, and it was just you and the radio. You laughed along with the banter, not too loud. Please God do not wake Frank, not now, not when he looks so peaceful.

You pulled into the parking lot of a decent looking motel. You parked the van. The sun was up. You shielded your eyes from the sun and approached the main office. You got a nice room and stomped back towards the van. You opened the passenger door and placed a hand on Frank's shoulder.

"Frank, sweetie," you murmured. You gently shook him. "It's time to get up. You just gotta make it to the room, Frank, and then you can go right back to sleep. I can't carry you, babe, come on."

Frank grumbled again as he got out of the car. The way you spoke to him, it made everything easier. All the loving nicknames, it made this life easier. No one had been this nice to him since Maria. He appreciated it. He appreciated you, but he'd never let you know that. And so he shook your hand off his shoulder and shuffled into the room.

He collapsed onto one of the beds as you put the 'do not disturb' sign on the door. You unlaced his boots and pulled them off his feet. Frank buried his head into the pillow. He heard your footsteps fade as you opened and shut the door. You were only gone a few minutes. When you returned, he perked up at the familiar rustling of a plastic bag. You had gotten food.

"Woman, you are a life-saver," he grinned as you chucked the bag at him.

You smiled. He stretched out on the bed, leaning against the headboard. You curled up on the opposite corner, taking up as little space as possible. This was Frank's bed, this was his space. You weren't to invade. And so you curled in on yourself and kept quiet.

Frank stared at you. You dared not meet his gaze. You stared at the can of coke in your hands. You focused on bringing it to and from your lips. Your lips. Frank stared at your lips. He shook himself. Now is not the time.

"You okay?" He asked, quietly. His voice was softer than usual. He was being nicer than usual, more caring. You must have looked like shit.

"Tired," you chuckled.

"C'mere," he held out a hand.

Now that made you look. Your gaze shot up to meet his. Your lips curled into a confused smirk, one eyebrow raised. You just stared at him in disbelief. Frank rolled his eyes, hand still extended, and chuckled awkwardly.

"Don't leave me waiting, just come here, asshole."

You shook your head and giggled nervously. You awkwardly stood up, not wanting to crawl up the bed. You sat next to Frank, keeping as much distance as possible. Frank just gave you side eye. He didn't pull you closer to him, he just reached for the remote for the tv. Eventually, you fell asleep. You collapsed into Frank's lap. He just let you sleep. He followed suit soon enough.

When you woke up, it was dark again. You stretched and wriggled out of Frank's grasp. You tried not to wake Frank, but he opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry," you rubbed your eyes and yawned.

"For what?"

"Waking you, I didn't mean it. You need all the sleep you can get. Go back to sleep," you moved to stand.

Frank's hand shot out. He grabbed your wrist. You stared at him, half in shock. You raised your eyebrows and pulled your wrist. He wouldn't let go.

"Where are you going?" He grunted, pulling you back towards him.

"My own bed."

"Stay," he gave another harsh tug. You looked into his eyes. They were pleading, looking at you in a gentle, begging way. Your heart nearly broke. "Please."

You didn't say anything. You stood up, pulled back the covers, and tucked yourself in. Frank copied your actions and you turned your back to him. He sat up in the bed. You felt his hand on your hip, he was hesitant. You made no move to push him away, and so Frank relaxed. This was the most relaxed Frank had been in a while. He was being vulnerable, emotionally.

You didn't want to indulge him. As much as you were scared of him, you cared for him more. Some would say you loved him. If you indulged him now, someone could make a mistake. Someone could utter three fatal words, and ruin this whole dynamic. You could get distracted. Distracted people make mistakes, and in a life like this, mistakes get you killed.

You heard Frank calling your name. You must have zoned out. His voice got louder as you collected your thoughts. He was shaking you lightly.

"Come on, sweetheart," he begged, voice soft. "Don't ignore me, look at me, please."

You sat up and turned to face him. He smiled at you. You hadn't seen him properly smile in so long. His gaze fell to your lips. his breathing hitched. He pulled himself together. But you noticed.

Make no mistakes. Mistakes get you killed.

"Why'd you wake me?" You asked, you had never really been asleep.

"I don't know," Frank answered honestly. "I guess I missed you."

You blushed. You moved closer to Frank so that you could rest your head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around your waist, fingers playing with the hem of your trousers. He pressed a gentle kiss to your temple, and you lifted your head. This time he kissed your cheek. You turned to face him, a kiss on your forehead, another on your cheek. A light, chaste, experimental kiss on the corner of your lips.

Make no mistakes. Mistakes get you killed.

Your eyes fluttered closed. You placed a hand on his chest. Frank pulled you closer to him. You laughed as he pulled you into his lap. How else were you supposed to react. Frank chuckled lightly, shaking his head. His hand trailed up your spine to hold you by the nape of your neck. He pulled you into a kiss.

The kiss was slow, experimental. You were both hesitant, both apprehensive. You both knew that this could go so wrong. But neither of you really cared. Apprehension was lost to your surroundings and was replaced by passion that seeped off of you in waves.

You sat up on your knees so that you could tower over Frank. He knew he was still in control. His hand still gripped your neck. You curled your fingers into his hair. Frank was like putty in your hands.

Frank trailed his lips down your neck. He bit and nipped at your collarbone until you were humming contentedly.

"Fuck, Frankie, right there," you mumbled.

Frank blushed. The praise only spurred him on. You noticed. Of course you noticed. You supposed it made sense in your head. He was always telling everyone what to do. It was a psychological thing. You were thinking too much. The haze of lust cleared from your mind. You were getting distracted. The sound of a car parking outside cut through the fog.

"Shit."

you stood up, suddenly. This was a mistake. You were wading in water that was way too deep. This was far too risky. Frank swung his legs off the edge of the bed. He gazed at you longingly. His eyes were tired, his lips were kiss-swollen. He looked perfect. He looked like yours. You opened your mouth, protests dying on your tongue. You moved to stand between his open legs. His hands came to rest on your hips. Your hands stroked his cheeks. You uttered quiet words of praise under your breath. He blushed, not daring to break eye contact.

"you blossom under kindness, don't you? Like a rose."

"Don't start with all that love-drunk shit," Frank laughed. But he couldn't hide the blush.

"I'm right, you can't lie to me."

You heard a car door open, and then a few moments later, it was slammed shut. You hurried over to the window, staring out into the blackness. Two men were approaching your lot of rooms.

"No ones after us," you jumped at the feeling of Frank's hands on your hips. He swayed gently, his chin resting on your shoulder. "We've been good, you said it yourself, we deserve some rest."

You turned to face him, hiding your face in his chest. His arms wrapped around you, holding you against him. He pressed featherlight kisses against your forehead. You stayed there, swaying in his arms for a long time.

"Are you still tired?"

You shook your head. Adrenaline was still pumping through your veins. You were anxious. You were hyperaware. You were nervous. Frank could see it in you. You couldn't sit still. You were shaking.

"I think we should go. We've gotten more than twelve hours sleep. Let's just pack up."

Frank just nodded. You stayed silent as you packed everything back up. Frank wiped down the room on your request. Just to be safe. You double checked that you were leaving nothing behind. You and Frank were ready to go after fifteen minutes. Frank's hand was on the door handle when he felt your hand on his cheek.

You kissed him. You just held him there. You were both too scared to move. Neither of you wanted to be the one to break the kiss. Eventually you pulled away and held out your hand expectantly. Frank raised his eyebrows, a bemused grin on his face.

"What?"

"Keys," you demanded.

"No way," he laughed loudly, swinging the door open and walking towards the van. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"I drove us here!"

"You nearly killed us!"

You were both laughing as you climbed into the passenger seat. The atmosphere was light and friendly as you set off into the night. Neither of you mentioned the events that happened in the room, but neither of you could ignore it. Not for long.

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