#fic is on the mind because its ROSY BIG WRITING WEEKEND

[rosyredlipstick]

mariah carey is soooo conchell-coded

[carry-the-sky]

we drew a map to a better place

Two years after he comes back into her life, Frank asks Karen a question.

this is set in the same ‘verse as my kastle christmas fic, and it’s probably the fluffiest, most ooc thing i’ve ever written, lol. things are more than a little unsettling in the world right now, so writing this was a nice distraction from all of that. i hope everyone is staying safe and healthy, and i am sending my love to you all. <3 (the fic is also on ao3! special thinks to @ninzied for reading parts of this over!!)

He’s gone when she wakes up.

Frank’s an early riser. It’s not unusual for him to be out of the apartment before the sun is up, even on the weekend. Karen reaches toward his side of the bed out of habit, fingers sliding through empty air. The sheets are cold—he’s been gone for a while.

It isn’t until she sits up that she sees the folded up piece of paper on his pillow. She stares at it for a minute before her sleep-fogged brain registers that she should probably pick it up.

She recognizes Frank’s handwriting as soon as she opens it, and panic blooms in her stomach. Her mind jumps immediately to worst-case scenarios—his cover as Pete has finally been blown, someone's coming after him, he needs to leave town—

Her eyes skim the first lines. First things first, don’t worry. I’m fine.

Karen huffs a laugh, relief flooding through her. He knows her too well. She keeps reading.

Thought we’d try something different for our anniversary this year, maybe take a trip down memory lane. I’ve hidden a few more letters around the city—you remember the place we met to talk about a certain ex-NSA analyst?

 Frank

 P.S. Bring Lucy.

Karen blinks. She reads the letter again, digesting each word. He’s sending her on some kind of scavenger hunt—that explains where he’s been all morning. It’s an unexpectedly soft surprise, and her heart clenches in her chest.

There’s a thin whine from the other side of the room. Karen glances at the clock on the nightstand—it’s a little after eight, which means she slept in longer than she usually does.

“Sorry, Luce,” she says, sliding out of bed. After adopting Lucy, they had initially tried to sleep with her at their feet, but after multiple nights of her attempting to claim Frank’s side of the bed, they decided to buy her a dog bed for their room.

Lucy is curled up, but scrambles to her feet as soon as she sees Karen.

“Morning, girl,” Karen says, planting a kiss on the bridge of her dog’s nose. She slips into her robe and grabs Lucy’s leash and collar from the hall closet. They’ve been in the new apartment for over a little over a year, and it’s finally starting to feel like home. It’s a bit smaller than her last place, but it’s closer to Frank’s work, and there are no breed restrictions.

It’s far from perfect, but it’s theirs.

Once outside, Karen walks Lucy over to a small patch of grass. It’s unusually warm for this time of year—most of the snow that blew in over a week ago has melted, and the sky is a bright, cloudless blue. It’s a perfect day to be out and about in the city.

“What’s your dad up to, huh?” she asks Lucy, ruffling her ears. Most of Frank’s letters must be within walking distance of their apartment, because he’d told her to bring their dog along. Karen pulls up a mental map of their neighborhood, trying to determine which locations might be fair game—

She smiles to herself. It’s a welcome change of pace, using her investigative skills for something a bit less heavy than her work. That must have been one of Frank’s goals in setting this up for her. Her stomach churns with familiar anticipation, the thrill of chasing down a lead. At least she knows that something good is waiting for her at the end of this one.

Thirty minutes later, she and Lucy have both eaten breakfast, and she’s changed into comfortable walking clothes. They set off in the direction of the harbor.

The area is just as she remembers it. She rounds a corner and sees the two benches, and she stops for a moment. It feels like a lifetime has passed since the two of them were here—she had just found out that he was alive, and David Lieberman had him scared shitless. The thought makes her smirk. Frank has told her stories from their time spent living out of the bunker, and she knows that he now considers David one of his closest friends. So much has changed.

Lucy is eyeing a few seagulls that are perched near the water, but she comes when Karen gently tugs at her leash. There are a lot of places to hide a letter here, but Karen’s fairly sure she knows where it is. She crouches down, peering beneath the closest bench—

And sure enough, there’s an envelope taped to one of the legs.

Karen’s stomach does a pleasant little flip as she opens it and pulls out the piece of paper within.

Step carefully, the letter reads. And keep the coffee coming.

It takes her a second to piece it together. Step carefully—New York is infamous for its sidewalk grates, but most places in the city have them. That’s not particularly helpful in narrowing down a specific location—but she does know a place that serves endless coffee.

Three blocks later, she and Lucy arrive at Rosie’s Place. The local diner is a five-minute walk from Frank’s work site, and Karen has lost count of how many times they’ve met for lunch here. There’s a large metal grate leading up to the entrance, and Frank is always giving her a hard time about having to navigate it in her pumps. The infinite amount of free coffee refills makes up for that.

For a moment, she pictures another diner. She pictures Frank, bruises smudged below his eyes and the low rumble of his voice.

Karen shakes her head, and the memory dissolves. Now that she’s here, she’s not sure where to start looking. She and Frank have a corner booth they usually try to snag, but that doesn’t seem like the best place to hide a secret letter. There’s no guarantee that someone else wouldn’t find it first. Maybe he left it with one of the waiters? They’re on a first-name basis with a couple of them. It wouldn’t hurt to pop inside to check. Karen glances around, looking for a place to tie Lucy’s leash—

She stops, looking down at her dog. He told her to bring Lucy along for a reason.

Rosie’s has a small outdoor sitting area, used mostly for happy hour when the weather is warmer. Karen makes her way over to it. It’s empty now, but she notices a small water bowl by one of the chairs. Of course—she’d forgotten that the outdoor space is dog-friendly.

Lucy noses the bowl, then tilts her head, tongue lolling out of her mouth in a classic pitbull smile. “What’d you find, huh?” Karen asks, tucking a finger under Lucy’s collar and scratching at the soft patch of fur there. She lifts the water bowl gently, retrieving the envelope that has been tucked under it.

Still think I can rock a hipster beard? Look for a familiar face.

Below these words, there is a sketch of roses in a window.

She has no idea who the familiar face is referring to, but the hipster beard and roses—it’s her old apartment. He’s taking her to all the places that mean something to both of them, pieces of the city that represent the different facets of their relationship. After he came back from the dead that first time, her apartment was where she decided to help him. Even before he pulled out the roses, she knew what she would do. He was okay, he was alive—she would’ve done anything he asked to see him again.

Karen takes the long way there, sticking to main streets. The sun is warm on her skin, and she allows her thoughts to wander. Until now, she hasn’t really stopped to consider where all of this is leading, but her gut is telling her that it’s something big. She doesn’t want to get ahead of herself—she knows that Frank loves her and is committed to her, but she’s honestly never considered the possibility that marriage is something he might want again. Their life together isn’t a replacement for the one he lost, but those wounds run deep.

Karen crosses the street, and the apartment comes into view. The building looks different, maybe because it’s not her home anymore. Lucy sniffs the air, and Karen remembers with a pang that this is where she first found the dog, hungry and cold. It’s where Frank found her too, the night of New Year’s Eve. Karen gazes down at her dog fondly. She isn’t sure exactly how old Lucy is—there’s no way of knowing how long she was out on the streets—but in many ways she is still a puppy, all energy and innocence. Karen’s never been the parental type, but she thinks she’s maybe starting to understand it now. She would do anything to keep Lucy safe.

Dogs aren’t allowed in the building, so Karen knows that the letter can’t be inside, and Frank wouldn’t have left it in her old apartment if there was a new tenant. That must mean that it’s somewhere near the complex itself. She peeks down the alleyway where they both found Lucy. It’s too exposed—there’s nowhere to leave a piece of paper without it either blowing away or being seen by someone else.

Karen eyes the fire escape warily. It does seem like the type of place Frank would leave a secret note, but there’s no way she can climb it with Lucy—

That’s when she spots a poster taped to the side of the building—a poster of Foggy Nelson’s face. It’s from his campaign for District Attorney, as an official candidate this time, not just a write-in. Business at Nelson and Murdock has really taken off, but he’s been talking about making this career change for a while. Foggy is already a kickass lawyer, and Karen can only imagine the good he would do for the city in a position of authority.

She beams at his poster. He’s wearing one of his fancy suits, and he looks so professional—Karen can’t believe he’s the same goofy, shaggy-haired guy who introduced her to Josie’s and spent a night drunkenly wandering the city with her. Now that she’s looking closer, she sees the corner of an envelope sticking out from behind the poster. “Thanks, Fog,” she says, tugging it open gently.

Remember where you said you wanted an after for me? Meet you there.

Karen drags a thumb across the words, her heart painfully full. There was a time when she thought he had chosen the war for good, when she thought that the next time she saw him would be his face on the news, or in an obituary. He deserved more—she knew it, but she couldn’t force him to see it. He had to make that choice for himself.

It wasn’t an easy one. Karen knows how hard it is to live with your pain, tread its waters instead of drowning in them. But they’re both here, making that choice every single day—together.

Lucy barks, eager to keep walking. She looks hopefully up at Karen, the distinctive heart marking over her eye shining in the sunlight.

“Okay, girl,” Karen says. “Let’s go find him.”

.

He’s standing by the railing with his back to her. She takes the opportunity to study him, the familiar slope of his shoulders and the way the thin breeze teases his hair. It’s grown out a bit, curling slightly under his ears.

The bridge looks different in the daylight. It’s still a striking piece of architecture, arcing toward the opposite harbor. Karen lets her eyes shutter, remembering the lights reflecting on the water, the soft press of his lips to her cheek. She thinks she knew even then—what she felt for him went beyond friendship, even if she didn’t have the words to describe it yet.

Lucy pulls at the leash—she must have seen him—and Karen blinks her eyes open. Frank is still looking out over the water, but he turns as they approach.

“Hey,” he says, drawing her in to kiss her on the forehead. “Was wondering when you were gonna show up.”

She elbows him in the ribs. “So I slept in a little later than I meant to. Sue me.”

“I know just the guys for that,” Frank mutters, stooping to give Lucy some attention.

Karen leans back against the railing. “So—I found all of your letters.”

“Not all of them,” Frank says, patting Lucy’s stomach one last time before standing. “You’ve had one with you the whole time.”

Karen frowns, instinctively checking the pockets of her jeans—but Frank couldn’t have known which clothes she’d put on this morning. Her gaze falls to Lucy. When she looks back at Frank, he’s grinning.

“No way,” Karen says. She kneels down, pivoting slightly as Lucy attempts to lick at her chin. “You’ve been holding out on me, huh?”

Her hand goes to Lucy’s collar, where a small heart-shaped locket dangles. She gently eases it open, and a thin piece of rolled-up paper falls out onto the ground. She opens it slowly.

Both hands, remember? Turn around.

For a moment, she forgets how to breathe. Something is taking shape in her chest, something warm and buoyant-bright, and she feels like she might burst if she holds it in any longer.

She turns.

Frank is down on one knee. He’s holding out a ring, a simple band broken by a white rose.

“Yes,” she says, without hesitating.

Frank blinks. His mouth hangs open, as if he’s unsure of how to make it form words.

“Shit, I’m sorry—” Karen swallows a laugh, shaking her head furiously. She clears her throat, attempting to rearrange her expression into something resembling calm. “Were you going to ask me something?”

Frank makes a sound that’s halfway between a grunt and a laugh. “Gotta admit, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“What?” Karen says. “All I did was turn around like a normal person, and then I was absolutely silent. I said nothing.”

Frank is smiling again, and she thinks it might be the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. He ducks his head, and his eyes are a little wet when he glances up at her again.

“Karen.” His voice catches on the word. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she breathes, and before she can blink, he’s moving. His arms slide around her waist and her hands bracket his face, and then he’s pressing his lips to hers. His mouth is soft and warm, and she doesn’t care that they’re in a very public place surrounded by strangers—none of it is real, nothing exists beyond the feeling of his arms around her, the taste of salt when she parts her lips and kisses him deeper.

Lucy has other ideas. She threads between their legs, wedging them apart slightly as if to say, hey, pay attention to me.

Karen laughs, rubbing her ears. “Yeah, yeah, mom and dad are making it official. It’s very exciting.”

She meets Frank’s gaze. His lashes are rimmed with tears, and it isn’t until he sweeps his thumb across her cheek that she realizes she’s crying, too. He slowly reaches up to grab her left hand, and she watches him slide the ring onto her finger. The white rose catches the light, as if it’s winking at her.

“I love you,” Frank says, brushing his lips against her knuckles. “You know that, yeah?”

Karen tips her forehead to rest against his, pouring everything into that simple touch.

“I was starting to wonder,” she says with a smile, and kisses him again.

fun fact: i actually based this off of my own proposal! it was fun to try and apply the same idea to frank and karen. thanks so much for reading! <3

[blasphoeme]

71 for jonerys kiss prompts ❤

A Gentle “I Love You” Whispered After A Soft Kiss, Followed Immediately By A Stronger Kiss

This prompt is super fun to write hehe. Mainly because it fits this idea that I already had planned for future use hehehe. But thank you so much mama, @adecila for suggesting this, for making me start on actually developing this plot bunny hehe! I hope you like it! This little fic of mild angst with a lovely ending ^3^

PS: a plot like this one will come up sometime in the future yes.

“I love you.”

For so long those three words had hovered at the back of his throat. He never dared say them aloud, not even to himself, so afraid that uttering them would tarnish its beauty. It meant more if they were kept inside, tucked away in a space within his heart. That way, he could feel the emotions those words carry much more acutely if they lived right by his now thundering organ within his chest.

“I love you.”

He couldn’t hear anything over the roar of blood rushing to his head as he froze, watching his best friend’s eyes as they grew infinitesimally wider and wider. He watched as a slender pale hand rose to touch her plump lips, fingers gingerly tracing the imprint left from his own. 

He could always read her. Dany’s eyes told him everything he needs to know about her. How she felt, what she was thinking, what she wanted to do. But now? He couldn’t see pass the impassive shroud over the windows of her soul.

Those three little words had the power to cause irreversible damage, he knew that too. The only good thing remaining since the news of her engagement broke out was her promise to him that they would always be the best of friends. Had he squandered everything they had? Was he about to lose the only link he had with the love of his life? A sharp jolt of panic shot through his chest.

What had he done?

So ashamed of how he felt, so embarrassed by his unfortunate boldness, Jon ducked his head. His chin digging into his chest as his unruly bangs fell forwards over his eyes. A blessing it was for he couldn’t face the woman who held his heart from the very moment he had met her as that little girl with her pile of books, under her lemon tree. This woman with a heart that was not his to covert. It would never be his now.

The soft touch of her fingers to his cheeks had his flinching. He wished that she would just tell him that she was sorry and that she was already in love with someone else. He didn’t need her to pity him. Scrunching his eyes shut, he curled his fingers inwards. The sting from his nails forced him to stay still, to not let the burn in his heart and the tears in his eyes to slip out.

To his utter astonishment, Dany stepped closer to him, right up to him until their fronts were pressed seamlessly together. Ensconced between the tree behind his back and the solid weight of the woman in front of him with her arms around him, he had no place to escape to. His traitorous heart pounded away within his chest, longing so badly to reach for hers. She was so close now that he couldn’t evade her gaze anymore. Slowly, he brought his gaze up to meet hers. Peering into her eyes for a few moments, searching for that rejection he was so sure would come. All he could see within them shocked him to the core.

In them, he saw no hatred, no anger or animosity. Instead, to his confusion, he saw pure unadulterated adoration. In the twinkle of her intelligent eyes, he found himself falling for her once more. A flicker of a flame called hope came to life in his chest. Nothing could have prepared him more for what came next.

A pair of soft lips found his in a kiss that sucked all the breath out of his lungs. She was kissing him!

Hard.

Jon’s mind momentarily stalled. The softness he felt earlier seemed ten times more acute. His soft peck from before couldn’t compare to this. All his senses were honed onto the gentle yet incessant pulsing of Dany’s petal like lips against his. Hesitantly, he pressed his lips to hers in return. Another jolt of surprise zinged through him, he could practicality feel her lips morph into a smile. She seemed glad that he was kissing her back. 

Jon didn’t know what was happening but boy did he kiss her back. He could no longer hold back his desire for this woman in his arms. She knew how he felt and yet she hadn’t fled for the hills! Those fingers clenched so hard to his sides loosened and before he knew it, one of his hands had meandered up her side and into her wavy silver curls while the other was pressed to the small of her back, pushing her closer to him.

Tilting his head for a better angle, he flicked his tongue across her bottom lip. A silent request for her to grant him entrance. A request to taste her for the very first time. A request she granted with a quiet sigh. Like a man parched, he dove in. He took his time to savour her, every happy moan of hers was a song to his ears and a melody for his heart to dance to.

What Jon was oblivious to when it came to Dany was that she felt the same way for him. Have since the age of fourteen when Jon’s body started filling out his brother’s hand me downs and his voice started to deepen. The weird flush to her cheeks and the staccato beating of her heart told her that he was different to when they were little, something had changed. Chalking it up to teenage hormones, her rational mind forced her to push all those feelings away, in time they would pass and she would be back to tumbling with her best friend down the grassy hill behind her house again.

Unfortunately, the days of rough play and rolling around never came back. Both of them were more occupied with new friendships and for her, her studies and for him, his family’s farm. They drifted apart when she went to college in the big city but she always, always kept her weekends free for him. She drove back home to visit, she wrote letters and called him whenever she could and he did the same.

That strange feeling she felt when he was near never lessened with time. So much so, that she had learned to live with it. She associated them with her Jon. Her best friend, her confidant, the boy and the man who always came to her. With a simple “I need you” spoken over the phone, he would be there as soon as he could to hold her, to lend her a shoulder or a listening ear.

She never knew how to define the strange sensation that came over when she was in his presence. Not until she found herself in a relationship with a co-worker from work. Sure, he was sweet and nice enough but every time they held hands or swapped kisses, there was never a spark or a flutter in her belly. 

Something was missing. 

In the nights when Jim was asleep and there was nothing to occupy her mind, her thoughts would always drift to her Jon and those strange sensations he aroused in her when they were together. She missed him so much. When she started working, he hardly ever came to visit anymore what with the family farm now his to run entirely after his father’s death. It was on one of those nights that she had an epiphany. What if the thing missing in her relationship with Jim wasn’t missing, she just had the wrong man!

But by then, Jim had already asked for her hand. Jim was a safer choice and she could tell how hard he was working at loving her, so she stayed. Maybe she could learn to love him back. She couldn’t ditch her future in the department for a slight chance that an old friend might love her back. What if Jon was already happily married to someone back home?

Oh how silly she was! Who knew all it would take was her coming back to the place she grew up for a visit to her family and break the news of her engagement for the tides to turn?

Both of them yearned for their kisses to last but sadly, they were only mortals who required oxygen to live. Pulling back from him, she smiled an indulgent smile at his adorable glassy eyed expression. Now, in her Jon’s arms, she never felt happier as her heart thudded away and her cheeks were no doubt a rosy pink. She knew now that this was where she truly belonged.

Brushing a curl away from his face, still enclosed in his loose embrace, all she said to him was, “I love you too.”