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Frank Castle ([info]coffee_and_ammo) wrote in [info]avengers_logs,
@ 2018-03-11 11:04:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:-complete, frank castle, matt murdock

Who: Frank and Matt
What: Old friends back from the dead.
When: Sunday early afternoon.
Rating/Warning: Green (maybe some bad language from Frank)



Frank had been putting off one thing since he arrived here. He'd gone around and collected all of his weapons, checked his safe houses- he didn't know if he'd need them still, but it was good knowing everything was where he expected it to be. An odd piece of normalcy to cling to, sure, but everything else in this New York was messed up.

And in his old New York, apparently. Frank was still reeling from what Karen told him about Matt, as much as he was trying to play it off. His lawyer, his blind lawyer, was also his Red. Red. Not his. Daredevil. The pain in his ass. The man he'd told his whole life story to. Combined, now, Matt Murdock and Daredevil knew more about him than anyone else in the world. Except Micro, maybe, but given the choice Frank knew who he'd rather be locked in a room with.

They were still there. Their grave. He thought they would be, he hoped they would be, but it was still like a punch in the chest. Frank touched his fingers to the smooth marble of the headstone, and not for the first time he wondered why he wasn't in there with them. After everything, everything he'd been through, so many close calls, he should be with them-

One war was over. Another was starting. Round and round they went.


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[info]craftydevil
2018-03-11 04:47 pm UTC (link)
Matt stood over his father's grave, his face impassive. He hadn't been expecting not to find it right where he'd left it. For all the talk of alternative realities, nothing in this one seemed to have changed in any significant way for him. Matt leaned down and pulled up a few of the longer weeds threatening to take over the otherwise plain stone on which his father's name was engraved.

He tossed the plants onto the grass beside the grave so he could dust off his hands. As he raised his head up, he took in the cemetery around him. A few scattered figures moving between the rows and rows of headstones were not out of the ordinary for a Sunday, but one caught his attention more than others.

One figure on the edge of his senses seemed so familiar to him. Matt took off towards the silhouette, his white cane sweeping left and right across the path in front of him. The closer he got, the more sure he was of who he had identified. Frank Castle. It was Frank bloody Castle. Of all the places in New York for him to be... Then again, he knew about Frank, and he knew what the other man was here for. He paused for a moment. He'd never had a chance to thank Frank for what he'd done for him the last time he'd seen him...

He was fully prepared to move up next to the stoic silhouette and pay his respects until he remembered that as far as Frank was concerned, he was just a blind lawyer. How would a blind man know Frank was there? He quickly redirected so he was walking down the path running parallel to the grave of Frank's family. Perhaps he could bump into him some other time when it was a little more logical. A time when he was wearing the horns.

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[info]coffee_and_ammo
2018-03-11 05:34 pm UTC (link)
Standing in the graveyard, standing in silence, Frank was only vaguely aware of the noises around him. The leaves rustling in the trees, birds singing, cars passing distantly.

So when that rhythm changed he was very much aware of it. The smooth swish-swoosh of something on the grass and then the gravel of the path.

Frank tipped his head, glancing in the direction of- He let out a breath. Speak of the- goddamn.

It was difficult to marry the two together, but he could kind of see it now that he knew. The height, build, voice. It made sense.

"Hey, Red," Frank said softly, knowing full well that the other man would hear him. A smirk tugged softly at the corner of his lips, his hand dropping from the headstone and tucking itself into the pockets of his hoodie.

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[info]craftydevil
2018-03-11 06:55 pm UTC (link)
Matt's gait faltered at the familiar nickname. No one else had called him that, and Frank had only used that name to address the Devil. He wanted to keep walking, to pretend he hadn't heard, but he'd already given himself away.

He turned his head in the vague direction of Frank's voice, and wondered if it was worth playing dumb. "Are you... talking to me?"

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[info]coffee_and_ammo
2018-03-11 09:52 pm UTC (link)
Frank huffed a little laugh. Daredevil and Matt Murdock. Red and his lawyer.

“Yeah, you know I am,” he replied, still quiet, reassured that the other man could hear, regardless. He cast one more long glance st the headstone, then ambled slowly over toward Matt. “Karen told me. Day I got here. I kinda- man, I was pissed. You were a terrible goddamn lawyer, but Red-“

But Red...

Frank paused a few feet from Matt, wondering what he was giving away without knowing.

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[info]craftydevil
2018-03-12 02:13 am UTC (link)
"So much for a secret identity," Matt said with a resigned sigh. He turned with a slightly guilty grin on his face, "Remind me not to trust Karen with my darkest desires."

He leaned on his cane and raised his eyebrows, regarding the other man as he sauntered toward him. Frank was no less intimidating than he had been when they'd last met. If anything he'd bulked out a little more, honed himself like an axe. He walked with calm purpose and was most definitely not the sort of guy you wanted to run into when you were on his bad side.

"I'm not a terrible lawyer. You just... happened to get caught at a bad time in my life. I'm sorry I couldn't do more. Though, really, you can't blame me for everything that happened," Matt pointed out, his tone light. He could tell Frank didn't hold any grudge over that. Water long since under the bridge.

His head turned slightly as he tried to take in more about the other man. His heartbeat was like the sound of a bass drum, keeping a marching rhythm in his broad chest.
"How's life been treating you Frank?"

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[info]coffee_and_ammo
2018-03-12 08:24 am UTC (link)
“Yeah, probably for the best,” Frank replied, surprising himself with the easy smile that crossed his face for a moment. “Though your man Stark could do with a couple lessons in subtle too. I guess people thought I knew, which is flattering cos I feel like a dumbass for not-“

Because it really seemed obvious now. Maybe Matt wore slightly looser clothing, less clinging kevlar, but he was still solid, still pretty much Frank’s height. His voice as the same, and maybe Frank would have realised that if he hadn’t had so much else going on when he’d met the Murdock half. His mouth was the same.

“Nah, I don’t blame you. I mean, I’m kinda pissed that-“ that you know so much about me. That I shared so much with you and you still weren’t there. That I didn’t notice. That I shared so much with you-

Frank cleared his throat, looking down at the unkept grass beneath his feet. “It’s been- it’s been a ride, Red. CIA’s hushing it all up but... I don’t even know if you’d believe me if I told you. Nearly died a couple more times. Oh hey, I heard you did, too.”

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[info]craftydevil
2018-03-12 02:31 pm UTC (link)
Matt lifted his head slightly as Frank cut himself off, but he didn't push for the rest of that the other man wanted to say. There was something subtle in Frank's body language that gave it away. The man needed secrets. Everyone needed secrets. Telling something to a stranger in a mask was sometimes easier than telling it to someone you could identify.

"If the CIA are involved I'm guessing there was a lot more than what Karen originally dug up," Matt said thoughtfully. Curiosity pricked him, but he pushed it away. Frank was not the sharing type. He ignored the comment about his death. The less he thought about it the better in his opinion.

"I'm sorry for what happened. But.. well.." He shifted slightly, turning as if glancing away, though he couldn't stop 'seeing' Frank if he tried. The man was an imposing figure in his senses. "I never got a chance to thank you... for helping me on that rooftop. So.. well, thanks."

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[info]coffee_and_ammo
2018-03-12 05:02 pm UTC (link)
“Lot more than even I thought,” Frank replied. “Shit. Well- shit maybe I’ll tell you one day, yeah?” Maybe one day. For catharsis. The devil might not agree with him, but he was a good listener.”

He shrugged his shoulders in a little dismissive gesture, his gaze back on the other man. “You’re good. No hard feelings,” Frank replied, tongue wetting his lips for a seconds. The ninjas. Yeah. That felt like years ago sometimes. “And you’re welcome. I know you hated me but I figured you’d probably do the same for me. Or maybe I’m just a nice guy beneath all this-“ he made a vague gesture to himself that still felt weird to do in front of a blind man. And now he was curious. Because this guy was a great fighter, but he was blind. Frank didn’t doubt that for a second. But it didn’t seem like the right time. If there would ever be one.

“Congratulations on your lawyering, too, man. Whatever you did has Stark singing your praises, and I get the feeling that ain’t a thing he does lightly. So-“ he nodded. “So yeah. I guess- guess I’ll see you ‘round, Red?”

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[info]craftydevil
2018-03-12 06:02 pm UTC (link)
Matt frowned and shook his head. No matter that Frank rushed over what he said, the words struck him more than anything else he said.
"I don't hate you Frank. Never did," Matt said firmly, "I might not have agreed with you but.. I never hated you." Hate the sin-

He hesitated for a moment, reluctant to let Frank leave. It was odd, but this felt like possibly the first open conversation he'd had with anyone in a while. With Foggy still angry about him taking up the horns again, and Karen angry at his silence, Elektra brought up a million things he'd rather not think about. Matt was running thin on close friends. This felt.. easy. There wasn't any pressure with someone like Frank.

"Yeah, I guess. Though..." He cleared his throat and offered Frank a friendly smile, "After I visit my dad I like to head by Josie's bar and get a drink. Wash the taste of the cemetery away. You're, er, welcome to join me if you'd like?"

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[info]coffee_and_ammo
2018-03-12 07:53 pm UTC (link)
Frank huffed again, but he wasn't exactly rushing to disagree. Who did he have now? Karen? Not Micro. He couldn't find Curtis. Matt didn't hate him. That kind of felt good. "Feelin's more than mutual," he murmured. Matt - Red - it was easier to think of the man he'd fought rather than the man who'd breezed in and out of every room Frank was in - didn't take any shit, and Frank liked that in people. There was a reason he'd kept looking at the sky, at the rooftops when he'd been wandering through the Kitchen. There was a reason he'd called his name across a graveyard.

And a reason why he felt a little jump in his chest at the offer of a drink.

"Oh now," Frank grinned almost bashfully. "You askin' me on a date now, Red?" he teased, hands shoved his his pockets, boots scuffing in the dirt. "A'ight. Yeah. C'mon- let me at least look like a gentleman."

He stepped forward and offered his arm for Matt to hold, to keep up his pretense.

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[info]craftydevil
2018-03-13 01:36 am UTC (link)
Matt grinned slightly bashfully, though he couldn't have said why. He chuckled and shook his head, "I already said I didn't hate you. Taking you on a date to Josie's would definitely make you think otherwise."

He hesitated at Frank's offer. Pride made him want to ignore it and walk away, but he managed to put it aside. He reached out and placed his hand on Frank's forearm. Part of him was surprised at Frank's apparently softness, but he reminded himself that this wasn't The Punisher he was talking to. He was just Frank Castle now. At least, Matt assumed so. He gently led the way, making sure to keep up the illusion that Frank was in control as they walked side by side out of the cemetery and back to Hell's Kitchen.

"Josie's is that little hole in the wall over there," Matt said, tilting his head slightly toward what could easily have passed for a bar that had closed down and been left to corrode, if it weren't for the dim flickering neon lights betraying the fact it wasn't completely abandoned. "What do you drink? First one's on me, since I asked you on this date."

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[info]coffee_and_ammo
2018-03-13 08:23 am UTC (link)
“Oh, Hell, I believed you. But it’s this, or I stay standing here, or I go wandering off round the city until I crawl back to Karen’s,” Frank shrugged. “But I guess all this- this supernatural stuff ain’t so new to you, huh?”

That was as close as he was willing to let himself get right now to asking what exactly was going on with this guy. He wasn’t exactly easing himself in anymore, not since Peter, but this was kind of personal.

The walk to Josie’s was quiet, though the silence was more companionable than awkward. Matt’s hand on his arm was a warm, steady presence, the tapping of his cane oddly soothing. Then-

“Jesus, Red. And I thought I drank in some dives,” Frank snorted, though it really was his type of place, the teasing made him feel a little more at ease. He opened the door for Matt, hand going to the small of the other man’s back as though guiding him here still necessary.

“I’ll take a whiskey, no preferences. And soda,” he added after a thought. “I’ll get a table. Gimme a shout if you need to Marco Polo your way over.”

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[info]craftydevil
2018-03-14 12:05 am UTC (link)
"Well what can I say? The decor really appeals to me," Matt grinned playfully as he folded up his cane to tuck into his pocket. The bar itself was relatively empty, though he knew it would fill up more as the day went on. Josie's attracted the late-night crowd.

Josie was happy to take a whiskey and a bottle of beer to the table, trusting Matt would be able to find his own way. He always had, she'd never questioned it. When they were alone, after Matt had sipped his drink, he gave Frank another quick sweep with his senses, just to take him in. Broad, deep chest, slightly in need of a shave but not to the point he looked unkempt. The skin on Frank's fingers was slightly rough - Matt could tell from the sound as Frank gripped his glass - but that seemed to be the callouses of hard work more than anything else. He thought he detected some lingering bruising on Frank's ribs but couldn't be sure. He pulled himself out of the focus before he ended up giving Frank a full physical.

"So.. Ninjas aside, I'm not going to pretend that this 'supernatural' stuff as you put it is... a little difficult to get used to," He offered by way of conversation starter, "Though I guess maybe I count as something supernatural to you?"

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[info]coffee_and_ammo
2018-03-14 08:22 am UTC (link)
Frank meandered his way towards a table that was reasonably tucked away. If they were going to talk it would probably be a conversation that didn’t need people listening in. It wasn’t so bad a place, the floor wasn’t sticky, the tables were clean, and aside from a few shady looking characters it was pretty normal-

He watched Matt at the bar. Watched him move and smile and talk to the woman he assumed was Josie. Watched the little hesitant movements that still suggested he was blind. Frank was fascinated. He had no real issue with the deception, it was just that vulnerability that had really gotten to him.

Even with Josie walking towards him with their drinks Frank didn’t look away, watching Matt follow.

“Thank you,” he murmured, glancing up to meet the woman’s amused gaze as she lingered for a moment after putting down the drinks. Odd. Frank frowned. But then she was gone and replaced with Matt. “And thank you,” he added, tapping his tumbler against the side of Matt’s bottle.

It was inevitable that there’d be some silence between them, but it wasn’t anything awkward. It was just as comfortable as it had been before.

The question Matt posed was certainly something Frank had to consider. “I guess maybe you do, yeah,” he said softly after a pause. “You got- super powers, huh? You can see shit. Or sense stuff somehow. Or both? Ain’t none of my business, really. You don’t have to tell me. Pretty sure you didn’t offer me a drink to tell me all your secrets-“

He sipped his, then sighed, free hand rubbing over his jaw as he thought. “I kept looking for you, yknow? After. I went away from the kitchen for a while but- I dunno. I thought I’d see you. I dunno. Shit, I really don’t know-“

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[info]craftydevil
2018-03-14 03:50 pm UTC (link)
"No I can't see," Matt answered softly, "lost my vision when I was a kid. But my other senses are... Enhanced."

He took a swig of his beer as he considered how much he really wanted Frank to know. There was always a chance they'd end up on opposite sides again. Still, seemed like Frank had retired his guns. At least for now. The smell of gunpowder was a distant memory on the other man's hands.

"They say everyone who loses one of their senses has the rest step up to compensate but mine are... Well let's just say I know which fabric conditioner you use," he shrugged be left it at that. Keep a few secrets. Like how he could sense if Frank was lying and how he'd been able to smell the other man's adrenaline the last time they'd fought.

"You didn't see me cause I quit. For a while. Karen and Foggy they, well, they didn't like the idea of me running around fighting bad guys," he said, then with a grin added, "Plus some maniac shot me in the head."

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[info]coffee_and_ammo
2018-03-14 05:11 pm UTC (link)
“Okay,” Frank nodded. Superpowers. Okay. That was fine. Enhanced senses. Fine. “Okay. So you, what? Use radar or something? To know where you’re goin’? To know where I’m gonna hit or- where I am?” The comment about his fabric conditioner made him uneasy, though. Just a little something in the back of his mind questioned whether or not it was just synthetic things Matt could smell, and that little something was convinced it probably went a lot deeper than that. How well could he hear? Could he hear Frank’s heartbeat? Could he hear it from a distance?

“The fabric conditioner is Karen’s. I don’t usually go for scented stuff-“ he replied instead, swirling his whiskey around in its glass. “They care about you,” Frank added. Karen especially, but that didn’t seem like his place to say. She’d been good to him, too. He couldn’t forget that.

He managed a little laugh at the end, a half-chuckle, genuinely feeling lighter for the moment. “I’m sure if that maniac had wanted to kill you he wouldn’t have missed. I reckon he might’ve thought you were kinda annoying but definitely one of the good guys. Some maniacs have a heart,” Frank added, grinning.

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[info]craftydevil
2018-03-15 07:12 pm UTC (link)
"Is that a fact?" Matt smirked, "there was me about to say he was just a bad shot. Good to know I wasn't on the receiving end of one of the intended bullets."

"I guess my ability is a little like radar. Not completely though. I'm not.. I don't click like a bat. It's a combination of sound, the feeling of the air moving, the way your muscles tense as you move your stance or you inhale to brace. I can paint a picture of you from that," Matt replied, barely realising that he was openly telling Frank. Usually the only time he spilled his secrets was when being grilled by his friends.

The mention of Karen made Matt clear his throat slightly, clearing the questions that had desperately rushed up from his stomach. But he didn't need to ask if Frank was seeing Karen. Yeah, he could smell her, but not all over Frank in the way someone did when they were lovers.

"They care but.. They don't understand. They hated me for getting involved again but they don't know what it's like to hear, well, everything going on in these streets," Matt fell silent for a moment, his finger tip tracing the label of his beer.


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[info]coffee_and_ammo
2018-03-16 09:20 pm UTC (link)
Frank snorted. "A bad shot? Wasn't that the same asshole who was picking off ninjas from a rooftop like, a hundred metres away from you?" he joked back, tapping the rim of his glass with his finger.

He settled, listening to Matt speak, head lifting slightly, eyes settling on the other man as he described- Frank licked his lips and let out a breath. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what. It wasn't exactly... it was intimate. That description. How Matt saw the world. It was intimate. It should feel invasive, Frank was sure he should be uncomfortable. He didn't.

"Yeah," he spoke finally, his voice a soft rasp. "Yeah, she reprimanded me all the time, told me I shouldn't get involved in stuff. Told me to stop killin' people," Frank smiled, because really, that was sound advice, just not advice he could take. "She doesn't get it. But you can't have it every way."

He finally brought his drink to his lips to sip it, careful not to make too much noise doing so. Which surprised him.

"They must be proud of you now?"

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[info]craftydevil
2018-03-18 01:08 am UTC (link)
Frank's attempt to stay quiet as he lifted his glass did almost the opposite, drawing Matt's attention to the variation in the usual sound. He listened to the liquid as it passed through Frank's lips and the soft exhale after he swallowed. The whiskey mixed with the faint scent of coffee on Frank's breath, and once again Matt realised he'd slipped into the fine details of the world around him.

He shook his head slightly to bring himself back from the brink of sinking into the smallest sounds around him. He made a mental note to spend more time meditating and focussing on his senses. Too often now they seemed to get out of control.

"Er, oh, no," Matt said clumsily, failing to hide his distraction, "No, they're.. well they're both a little pissed off at me for not immediately telling them I was alive. Which, you know, I understand? I guess. They'll come around eventually."
He took a swig of his beer and turned his head a little more toward Frank, offering the other man a soft smile, "And what about you huh? You retired now? Did Karen get to you?"

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[info]coffee_and_ammo
2018-03-22 09:52 am UTC (link)
"Well yeah, I get that, I seen friends of mine not too pleased with me showing up out of the woodwork after a few years of nothing, but all that stuff you did for Stark's got to mean something, right? Liar or not, from what I've read you're a pretty big deal right now."

He raised his eyebrows, wondering if Matt could see that, then turned his head to meet the other's- gaze? "Not Karen, no," Frank replied. "Uh. Some people wanted me dead, after I found out some more stuff about...what happened. Then my best friend tried to kill me a couple times to cover it up, it nearly worked. Homeland finally blew the whole thing open. They let me go, got a different name- Now I got nothing else to fight, so-"

Frank shrugged, lifting his whiskey but not drinking it. "Now I'm here."

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[info]craftydevil
2018-03-25 04:58 pm UTC (link)
Matt listened with raised eyebrows, at at the end of the abridged story he took a swig of his beer, as if to wash the taste of the conspiracy from his mouth. Karen had been right that it went deep, but he doubted anyone imagined just how far. Poor Frank. His heart burned for the man who'd lost so much to other people's greed and apathy.

"Well, er," He started, a little lost for words, "I'm glad it's all out now. I'm glad you're a free man. I hope you.. I hope you find something that makes you happy Frank, I really do. Until then-"
He lifted his bottle, "well there's always beer and whiskey right?"

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