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In typical Matt Murdock fashion, he didn’t call Frank to tell him he was stopping by his apartment, and rather he just showed up unannounced. Frank was used to that, Red just coming in through the window while he was sleeping and, more often than not, falling in the process, which would always wake Frank up and they’d have coffee or toast while Frank tried to patch up whatever wounds Matt would have. Frank had done this to Matt enough times to make it even, but this time, there was something distinctly different about the situation.
Instead of one set of footsteps shuffling through his apartment, Frank could hear at least two sets, and that of course put him on high alert, and he grabbed the pistol from under his pillow before creeping to the door with the lights still off. He peered through the crack in the door and into the living room of his safehouse, his dog Maxie right beside him, letting his guard down just a bit when he saw that familiar red suit leaning over something, or someone, on his couch.
“The fuck’s goin’ on, Red?” He asked as he came into the room, tucking his pistol into the back of his jeans and flicking on a light. As he walked closer to the couch, he saw a pair of legs sticking out from behind where Red was, blue and red spandex with black lines spread on the fabric. Maxie sniffed whoever it was, her lack of a growl making Frank relax a bit more. She had a knack for knowing good people from bad people.
“Oh, thank God. Frank, this is Spiderman, he’s an associate of mine from Queens, he’s hurt. Bullet wound, just below his left shoulder. It missed anything important, thank the Lord, but he’s bleeding badly, and the other minor injuries don’t help. He heals faster than others, so he should be okay, but the bullet’s still in his shoulder, and if we don’t get it out, he could get lead poisoning. That’s why I came here.” Red told him, motioning to the other masked vigilante on the couch, who was waving weakly.
“Hi, Mr. Punisher, sir. Awww, doggie!” Spiderman said, the mask muffling his voice a bit, but not enough that Frank didn’t notice when it cracked. Jesus, Spiderman was just a kid, no older than Lisa or Frankie would be right now, and he was bleeding all over Frank’s couch while trying to pet his dog.
“He’s kinda loopy right now, he’s got a high pain tolerance, but he lost a lot of blood.” Matt explained, taking off his cowl and setting it on the coffee table as Frank went over and knelt next to Spiderboy.
“Christ,” Frank sighed, shaking his head once he saw the bloody hole in the kid’s shoulder, “Alright, Red, go get my med kit and put on a pot of coffee. What’s your name, kid?”
“Peter Parker, sir.” The kid said, holding out his hand for a handshake. Frank ignored it.
“Alright, Peter, sit up and take your mask off, then tell me how to get your suit off.” Frank said, holding a hand behind Peter’s back to keep him steady.
“There’s a zipper in the back, sir.” Peter said, tossing his mask on the table next to Matt’s. Frank found the zipper and pulled it down, then helped Peter get his arms out of it.
“Alright, kid, now lay back down. And quit callin’ me sir.” Frank said as Matt returned with the med kit. Frank opened it and pulled out a small sedative, just enough to knock the kid out for about ten minutes, long enough to get the bullet out of his shoulder and bandage the wound. Frank told the kid to relax and stuck the needle in his arm, and within a minute, the kid passed out on his couch. Just about that time, Matt came back with two mugs of coffee in his hands and put one on the table for Frank, then sat on the other end of it. Maxie sat next to him, her head resting on his knee and begging for pets.
“You really thought it was a good fuckin’ idea to bring this kid to me instead of a damn hospital? He’s like 14 for fuck’s sake!” Frank asked as he began to clean around the shoulder wound.
“First of all, he’s 16, and second of all, regardless of his age, he’s still got a secret identity, and I’d be a hypocrite if I took him to a hospital and exposed him like that. Besides, he’ll be healed up in a few days, I just couldn’t dig the bullet out of him myself.” Matt said, sipping his coffee and stroking the dog’s head.
“Listen, this kid is 16, he shouldn’t be out there messing with the scum that infests this city. He should be worried about homework and who he’s gonna take to the prom like every other kid his age! Not bleeding out on my couch because of running around trying to be a fucking vigilante!” Frank said, going in with the tweezers.
“You’re right. I hate it when he comes along on missions, but he’s gonna go out whether I like it or not, so I figured I could at least try my best to keep an eye on him when he does.” Matt replied.
“Fuckin’ kids,” Frank rolled his eyes, finally getting the bullet out of the boy. “How’re you planning on getting him home? His parents are gonna be shitting themselves with worry when they wake up tomorrow and he’s not there.”
Matt wanted to say something, but held his tongue. It wasn’t his business to talk about, so he settled on saying, “I’m gonna handle that.”
“You better not be planning on making him jump across rooftops all the way back to Queens! I don’t care if he does heal fast, kid’s in no shape to be scaling buildings and shit.” Frank said, getting the bullet out finally and putting a bandage over the wound once he cleaned it again. He held the tiny hunk of metal in the tweezers as he chugged his coffee, then dropped it into the empty cup to get rid of later.
A few moments later, the kid woke up, still loopy but at least not in much pain.
“Whoa! I can’t believe I get to meet the Punisher! Please don’t kill me, sir, but you’re, like, so cool! My best friend Ned won’t believe I got to meet you! He always says that you’d probably be scarier in person, but I don’t think that’s true. You’re about the same amount of scary as when I see you on the news.” Peter rambled, Frank not being able to tell if it was a side effect of being doped up or if the kid was just always this talkative.
“I told you not to call me sir. And listen, kid, you can’t go around telling people that I’m alive, let alone that you met me. I’m supposed to be dead.” Frank said, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood.
“Oh, yeah, sorry. But Ned’s really good at keeping secrets, he was the first person to find out that I was Spiderman and he’s never told a soul. He wouldn’t tell anyone that you were alive in a million years, although he might beg me to get your autograph for him. And he’d probably go nuts if he knew you had such a cute dog.” Peter said, holding his hand out to Maxie to sniff.
“Jesus, kid, don’t you ever get tired from talking so much?” Frank sighed, ignoring Red’s snort of laughter.
“Sorry, sir- I mean, Mr. Punisher,” Peter said, and Frank rolled his eyes.
“Whatever, kid, you hungry? I don’t have much, but you gotta eat. You lost a lot of blood and it’s not healthy to go running around the city’s rooftops on an empty stomach.” Frank said, going over to his fridge and yanking it open. There really wasn’t a whole lot in there, but he had to give him something. The kid was already as thin as a rake, and after the night he had, he was probably hungry anyway.
“You really don’t have to make me anything, sir,” Peter said, then looked at Matt, “I should probably just call Aunt May and head home now.”
“I’ll call her. Frank’s right, you should eat, and then I’ll take you home.” Matt said, pulling out a burner phone from a hidden pocket on his suit.
“Like Hell you will! I told you, I’m not letting you take the kid jumping over rooftops. I’ll drive him.” Frank said, not even turning to look at them as he began to crack some eggs. He beat them with some milk in a bowl and then poured them into a hot buttered pan, scrambling them and popping a few pieces of bread in the toaster, pushing the handle down. He left the stove for a minute and went into his bedroom, coming back with two pairs of sweatpants, two t-shirts, and two sweat jackets.
“You’re stick-thin, kid, so these are gonna be huge on you, but go get changed out of your suit while the food cooks. Red, you left these here last time.” He said, handing out the clothes to the other two. He went back to the stove and moved the eggs around in the pan while Matt and Peter went to the bedroom and bathroom respectively to change. They both came back a few minutes later and Frank served the food, pouring a glass of orange juice for the kid and more coffee for Matt and himself. They sat around the small kitchen table, Maxie curled up at their feet, and ate in silence, until a few bites in when Peter decided to speak up again.
“So, please don’t take this the wrong way, either of you, but, like, are you guys dating?” He said, making Frank choke on his eggs.
“Frank, you okay?” Matt asked as he hacked up a lung, pounding on his chest with a fist until he could breathe regularly again and gulping down some coffee to make sure his airways were clear. Maxie was right beside him again, whining until Frank was okay and then resting her head on his thigh.
“Yeah, Red, I’m good.” He said.
“Okay. What makes you think that, Peter?” Matt turned to the kid.
“It’s just, well, you obviously know each other really well, his dog even knows you right away, he calls you a pet name, and you keep some of your clothes here, so I just thought that might be it. Plus, you argue like an old married couple.” Peter said, his face getting red as he spoke.
“Whether or not we’re dating isn’t any of your business, kid,” Frank said, though not harshly. He didn’t want to embarrass him any more than he already was, and hey, the kid wasn’t far off, really.
When all of them finally finished eating, Frank put Maxie’s leash on her and the four of them made their way to his van. Frank got in the driver’s seat and Matt slid into the passenger’s seat, Peter and Maxie sitting together in the back. Judging by how fiercely her tail was wagging, Maxie was loving the extra attention Peter was giving her, and if his laughter was anything to go by, Peter was just as happy to give it to her. After a few minutes, though, the noise in the back died down, and when Frank glanced in the rearview mirror, he couldn’t help but smile. They were both asleep, Maxie’s head resting on Peter’s leg and his hand still on her belly.
“They’re asleep, right?” Matt asked as they waited at a stoplight.
“Yeah.” Frank replied, sighing and continuing to drive as the light changed to green.
“Good. Peter’s a good kid, but sometimes I wish he’d just stay home and get a good night’s rest instead of coming out with me on missions. He’s incredibly bright, and he’s a really sweet boy, but I guess he feels like because he has his powers, he has to be out helping people. I suppose I should be glad he’s using them for good instead of becoming a supervillain at 16, but I still wish he’d be out with his friends at the movies or something til one in the morning instead of using that time to come out and beat up arms dealers with me.” Matt said, rubbing his hand over his face.
“Yeah. But he’s a kid. He’s gonna make the decisions he wants no matter what anyone says. That’s just how teenagers are.” Frank said, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.
“True. Lisa would’ve been his age now, right?” Matt asked.
“Yeah. She’d be turning 17 in September,” Frank said, “Peter doesn’t have parents anymore, does he?”
“No. His aunt has been taking care of him ever since he was about 6, when his parents died in a plane crash. She knows about what he does, and she’s not exactly happy about it, but she knows that he’s not gonna stop, so she just tries to help him be as safe as he can, and she knows I always try to look out for him when I can. I think that helps to ease her worries.”
“Please, she’s been raising him for the past 10 years, nothing's gonna ease her worries. Not if she loves him as much as any other parent or guardian should love their kids. Even if my whole squadron was with them, I’d still worry about just letting Frankie and Lisa walk to their bus stop to get to school. I can’t even imagine if one of them got superpowers and became a vigilante or even a mainstream hero. God, I’m a nervous wreck just thinkin’ about it.” Frank replied, shaking his head.
The rest of the ride was silent, but comfortably so, and by the time they got to the address Peter had given, Matt was asleep, too. Frank pulled up on the curb, parked the van, and sighed. He got out of the car and went to the opposite side door, swinging it open and reaching over Peter to unbuckle his seatbelt. Maxie stirred as Frank nudged her off of Peter, whining a bit at the loss of her pillow, but putting her head back down and curling up again as Frank picked up Peter and carried him away. He grabbed the bag with Peter’s suit in it and shut the van door, then carried the sleeping teenager up the six flights of steps and knocked on the door to his apartment. A woman with brown hair and glasses came to the door, wearing what Frank assumed was her pajamas, and sighing with what he guessed was relief.
“You May Parker?” Frank asked.
“Yes, and I assume you’re the friend Matt told me was helping him with Peter.” May said, moving aside to let Frank in.
“Yeah, Frank. It’s a pleasure to meet you, but I’ll skip the niceties, I’m sure you just want to get to bed. If you could just show me the way to Peter’s room, I can get out of your hair.”
“It’s just down the hall on the right, with the blue walls. Thank you so much for getting him home safely, I was worried sick about him ever since Matt called to tell me he was hurt.” May said, watching as Frank walked down the hall with her nephew. Frank put him down in his bed, removed his shoes, and pulled the blanket over him, then left and followed May to the door.
“I figured you would be, but he’s gonna be okay. He’s a good kid, and as long as you keep the bandages clean, he should be fine.” Frank said, then left the apartment, only turning for a moment, “You have a good night, ma’am.”
He left then, waiting until he heard the lock click on their door to actually descend the stairs and head back out to his van. Red was still asleep, and he stayed that way until Frank pulled up to his building and parked the van again. Frank carefully shook him awake, smiling when Matt groaned and curled into himself in protest.
“C’mon Red, we’re at your place, and I already carried the kid up 6 flights, I can’t do it with you, too.” He teased, shaking Matt a bit more.
“Ugh, fine.” Matt said, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He stretched as best he could in the van, then got the bag with his suit from down at his feet and opened the car door. “You gonna come up with me?”
“I’ve got Maxie in the back,” Frank said.
“And? She’s invited, too, you dumbass.” Matt smiled, but that made him yawn again.
“Alright, if you say so.” Frank said, and he got out, too. He got Maxie out of the van and the trio walked up to Matt’s apartment, then inside, and once Maxie was off her leash, she jumped onto the couch and curled up.
“She took my spot.” Frank smiled, and Matt rolled his eyes.
“You know very well that your spot is next to mine, you jackass.” He said, and pulled Frank by his sweatshirt to the bedroom, where they both collapsed into bed.
“Y’know,” Matt said as he began to fall asleep again, “You were great with Peter earlier, you handled the situation very well. You’re a good person, Frank.”
“Thanks, Red,” Frank replied, “Now shut up and go to sleep.”