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When Frank entered the trailer, he couldn't see Amy at first and thought she had gone to the bathroom. But after he took off his vest and threw it on the sofa, he saw her crouched in the armchair. He frowned and watched her briefly.
"Hey," he said finally, his voice rough but a little gentle. "You did well." Hadn't they just settled that? Amy didn't respond, and Frank sat up. "You wanna be alone?" He felt awkward. He had never had to comfort a sixteen-year-old before. It was different with a child or an adult woman. But with a teenager, every word could be the wrong one.
Amy shook her head but still didn't say anything.
"Okay." He rubbed his hands together a little, then got up to wash them and put the kettle on. "Want some coffee? Or something to eat?"
"No," she finally said from the corner as Frank poured himself a cup of coffee. He returned to the sitting area with the mug and placed it on the table.
"Okay, then ... I'll just sit here, right?"
"Fine."
Frank hesitated. "Listen, you're not a different person than you were before. You’re just defending yourself."
She looked at him. "Yes. I know. But you ..."
He exhaled amusedly. "Neither am I, why d’you think that?"
"I don't think that. I think more ... You're ... decent. And you do things like that."
Now Frank laughed openly. "So, you think I'm decent?"
"You protect me. And you only hurt those who deserve it."
"Well, then I guess I'm decent," Frank replied amusedly and drank half of his coffee. "So, if you don't mind, I'm going to hit the hay."
Amy shook her head but glanced at the coffee cup he had emptied. Frank didn't respond. If the stuff had any effect on him, he wouldn't drink it in every situation. He needed steady hands to aim. But he was caffeine-resistant, which had sometimes been really impractical during extra-long assignments. He had usually compensated for this with adrenaline, staying awake, taking risks. And even back then, he had noticed that he had a talent for survival.
~.~
Frank had been lying in his bunk for about half an hour when he heard Amy go into the bathroom, leave again, and walk over to her sleeping area. But strangely, the footsteps came closer, and a moment later he felt the mattress sink and her crawl onto all fours next to him. Frank raised an arm and she snuggled up to him in a spooning position. He frowned. She had never done anything like this before, had never sought his closeness. Of course, she trusted him, and that was a great relief to him; she probably liked him, too, but something like this? He couldn't hide the fact that her search for protection triggered a feeling of tenderness in him, and he kissed her on the back of her head.
"It got to you, huh?" he said softly, his voice sounding rough.
"I don't want to do this to anyone," she whispered, her voice almost breaking.
"Shhh," he said. "You don't have to. That's my job."
She pressed herself against him and pulled his arm tighter around her and against her chest. "I don't want you to get killed." And now it was clear that she was almost crying.
Frank hugged her a little helplessly. It had been a long time since anyone had shown him so clearly that they cared about him, that he meant something to someone. The last time was probably Karen. "It's okay," he whispered. He sounded a little choked up. "I won't, don' worry. I always survive."
She sniffed. "Do you have superpowers?" She seemed to mean the question seriously, which was no surprise in this world of strange superheroes, mutants, and who knows what else.
He laughed softly. "No. I'm jus’ used to pain. But Billy doesn't have any either. And that means I'll defeat him. I've done it before."
"But the Schultzes and the ones who are after me ..."
"They're jus’ as mortal. And I'm going to kill them."
"Good." She exhaled and seemed to relax slowly. Frank expected her to move away or perhaps leave, but she remained exactly where she was, and after a short while she grew heavier, her breathing more even. She felt safe with him, and Frank considered it a small miracle that this girl, who had seen his brutal side, was now seeking protection from him and trusting him not to hurt her.
~.~
Frank woke up in the middle of the night because he felt unusually warm. Normally, he woke up because the ground was hard, uncomfortable, or it was damn cold, because he was sleeping somewhere you wouldn't normally sleep. But now it was comfortable, soft, and cozy, and at first he thought he was at home in bed with Maria. The next moment, he realized that his body apparently thought so too. He hadn't woken up with an erection in ages – except in the morning, of course, but that rarely went hand in hand with actual desire. He opened his eyes and saw the warm, heavy figure lying on one of his arms and clutching the other in the semi-darkness. He buried his nose in her hair and breathed in deeply. She smelled familiar, but not like Maria.
Amy.
Fuck.
Frank rolled onto his back and tried to pull his arm out from under her.
"It's okay," Amy said suddenly, sleepily but clearly.
"What?" Frank felt a slight panic rising. Why was she awake?
"Your ... boner. It's okay."
Frank laughed and pulled his arm back forcefully, causing Amy to slide down and roll onto her back as well. "No. Not at all." He reached down between his legs and realized with discomfort that his damn boner had no intention of going away.
"D’you want to ... use it?" Amy asked curiously, turning to face him.
"No?!" Frank replied vehemently and moved away until he was lying against the trailer wall. There wasn't much room. His cock twitched, making it very clear that he completely disagreed.
"It's okay," Amy said again. "I'm not a virgin, if that's what you're thinking."
"Oh, that's a relief!" Frank exclaimed sarcastically. He was damn glad they were both wearing underwear and T-shirts, even if that only marginally improved the situation.
In response, he suddenly felt Amy's lips on his mouth. Horrified and surprised, he let it happen for a moment, but then he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away.
"What are you doing, kid?!" he growled, but in the next moment she was sitting on his lap, pressing her warm, hot middle against his much too hard erection. "Damn it, Amy!" He grabbed her hips and pushed her away, throwing her onto her back and coming over her. The girl grinned at him as Frank glared at her, which was apparently too difficult to see in the semi-darkness, because she wasn't impressed. "Stop it!"
"Why?" she asked with a giggle. "I'm old enough for this."
Frank growled. "Don't act like a slut!"
"I'm not," she replied seriously. "I don't want just anyone."
Without meaning to, he sank down onto his elbows, pressing his erection against her midriff as she spoke, and with slight movements he indicated what he wanted but shouldn't. She placed a hand on his face.
"Do it, Frank. I know you want to," she whispered, lifting her head and capturing it again with a kiss. And this time, his brain, still foggy from sleep, made him hesitate less, and he gave in, returning the kiss and savoring the taste of her mouth, the softness of her lips. She rubbed her center against his, and he put his hands on her sides, pushing her T-shirt up to touch her breasts, sending a pleasant shiver through her. Frank was surprised and grateful at the same time, feeling a heat building inside him that he had felt before, not so long ago, but that also made him greedy, greedy for her body, her flesh, her lust. After sleep, his primal instinct had taken over, one of two: one to kill, the other to fuck. And this one had been asleep for too long.
He pulled his T-shirt over his head, then hers, and leaned toward her to take in the scent of her skin, the taste and the feeling he had missed for so long. She, in turn, placed her fingers on his chest, tracing his ribs and muscles, more shyly than she usually was, but her touch was so sweet that Frank was moved, covering her hand with his and bringing it to his mouth to kiss it.
"Amy ..." he whispered, running his thumb over the back of her hand. "Are you sure you want this?" His voice was rough, almost a whisper.
"I want to give you something back," she replied, and he faltered.
"You don' have to give me anything back. You don' owe me anything!" He sat down on his heels, but Amy followed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her mouth close to his ear.
"I want to," she whispered. "I've been wondering for a long time what someone like you is like in bed." She licked the edge of his ear, sending shivers down his spine. "If you're as decent as you seem." He could hear the grin in her voice and grabbed her to push her away a little.
"You should hope I am, Amy!" he said fiercely, hearing a soft laugh.
"Can I wish you're not?"
He pressed his hand over her mouth and grabbed her by the neck. "No!" he growled, even though his cock had sent him very different signals when she spoke. And that was despite the fact that he enjoyed carrying women on his hands in bed; he simply didn't have enough opportunities to enjoy sex, so he did it when he could. He had hardly had time for another side to Maria, even though they had occasionally had more intense, almost rough sex, which they had both enjoyed.
He pushed Amy back onto the mattress and placed his fingers on her center, feeling through the fabric of her panties how wet she was, and groaned.
"Yes, Frank, I want it!" Amy confirmed again and pressed herself against him. And he moved his fingers, gently at first, then with a little more pressure, until she moaned louder and louder, writhed, and eventually grabbed his wrist and sat up a little. "If you don't fuck me now, I'm going to get angry!" she growled at him, and he responded by grabbing her face with both hands and kissing her roughly, pushing her back onto the mattress before sliding her panties aside with one hand. Then he pulled his boxer shorts down a little and felt her wetness on his cock, twitching, and he couldn't hold back. With a deep thrust, he sank into her, eliciting a surprised moan from Amy. He had to thrust a few times before he calmed down, but Amy seemed to welcome it. She bent her legs and buried the back of her head in the mattress.
Finally, Frank paused, breathing heavily. "Shit," he said quietly and opened his fists, which he had pressed into the cushion on either side of her head. "I don't have a condom," he realized.
She opened her eyes. "It doesn't matter, I'm on the pill," she replied, reaching for his neck to pull him toward her, but Frank resisted.
"Bullshit." He would have noticed if she had. "I've been with you every day for weeks and you haven't taken anything or bought a new pack."
"You don't watch me 24 hours a day!" He could hear the roll in her eyes from the tone of her voice. And on the one hand, that made him angry, but on the other hand, he just wanted to believe her, this cute little sixteen-year-old who was now moving her hips invitingly for him to continue. She stroked his arm. "And even if I did, my ... um, fertile days are at a different time anyway." She spoke quickly, as if she just wanted to distract him, but Frank wasn't going to let her get away with it.
He grabbed her wrists and held them above her head. Amy grinned and lifted her pelvis so that he slid even deeper, and an involuntary moan escaped him. His hips reacted automatically with a matching movement, and his eyelids fluttered until he regained control and stopped.
"I'm not going to risk getting you pregnant, kid!" he said quietly but clearly in her ear, but she just turned her head and licked his earlobe, his cheek, worked her way to his mouth and sucked on his lower lip until he joined in, their kiss deepening, becoming more intense, their tongues fighting each other, and he let go of her hands so she could push herself up and press against him until he was sitting on his heels. Then she sat down on his lap, let him slide deeper into her, and moved skillfully. Her breasts pressed against his bare skin, her fingers slid over his back, and he couldn't help but meet her, touch her, feel her soft, delicate body, and finally press her against him.
Amy raised and lowered herself on him, clawing her fingers into his hair, and he grabbed hers, pulled her head back and licked her neck, kissed her cheeks, eyelids, her mouth, while her movements became faster and faster and she let out soft little cries. Frank reached between them and continued to stimulate her clit through the fabric with his thumb. He should have taken off her damn panties. But it was enough, enough to make Amy's cries louder, so that he now thrust harder, and she became more and more uncoordinated.
"Yes, Frank, keep going!" she gasped, while he also felt it building up inside him, his desire becoming more urgent and he could no longer hold back.
"Fuck!" he finally exclaimed as the wave crashed over him and Amy's insides contracted. She exhaled, collapsed, held only by his arm, twitching, and he let her slide onto the bed, immediately bending over her to give her a gentle kiss and gasp for air.
Amy was breathing heavily, but she felt for the place where they were connected and smiled with her eyes closed. "There you go, you believed me after all," she mumbled. "Pass me a tissue."
Frank reached for a towel hanging on one of the cabinets next to the bunk and slid out of her to catch the fluid. "Was that a trick?" he asked weakly, not having the strength to get upset with her, but at least wanting to know.
"No, I just wanted sex," she replied wearily. "And you obviously did too." With that, she turned on her side and fell asleep.
Frank looked at her for a few seconds. He didn't feel like worrying about whether this night would lead to something neither of them needed. But he knew he would be very restless for the next few weeks until she could show him a negative test.
~.~
"Why are you acting so weird, Frank?!" Curtis demanded to know. They were sitting in Curtis' car the next morning, supposed to be discussing the situation with Billy, but Frank was in no condition to concentrate. He had been drinking coffee since five o'clock when he had gotten out of bed and fled from Amy's trailer, and had been wandering around the neighborhood ever since, asking Curtis to come over at seven. And now he was sitting here and still couldn't get his act together.
Frank slammed his fist on the dashboard. "Shit," he said, rubbing his jaw, "something happened yesterday, Curt. Something ..."
"What happened? Is the kid okay?" Curtis was immediately alarmed.
But Frank laughed. "The kid ... yeah ..."
"What about her?" Curtis looked at Frank sharply. "What about her?!"
"She's fine. Yes. She's fine."
"But?"
Frank laughed again, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Well ..."
"What's with all the guesswork, Frank, what's going on with you?!" Curtis struck an insistent tone. That always worked with Frank. And in the end, he couldn't keep it to himself anyway. He had never done anything so wrong before.
"Well, I ... she ... I mean ..."
Curtis suddenly became very quiet and looked at Frank sideways. "Wait. You're acting ... You're acting – did you sleep with her? With the kid, with Amy? The ... the teenager?"
Frank grimaced as if Curtis' words hurt him. And in a way, they did. "Yeah, y’know ..."
"Don't tell me it just happened. How does sleeping with a sixteen-year-old just happen? You of all people? You don't do things like that!" Curtis said exactly what Frank thought he was like. But apparently, he wasn't like that anymore.
"She was in my bed," he said, but Curtis just snorted indignantly. "And I woke up and my body ... y’know …"
Curtis furrowed his brow. "You of all people want to tell me you lacked self-control?!" he snapped at Frank.
"She ..." Frank closed his eyes and lowered his head. "She ... wanted it, started it ... I don' know!"
"You're the adult!"
Frank just nodded. He knew it. He knew it, damn it. And he had been cursing himself ever since she had fallen asleep. He didn't even know how he could look her in the eye again. What did she think, what did she want from him now?
"But you thought with your dick," Curtis stated, leaning back in his seat.
Frank nodded again, raised his arms to his face, his hands behind his neck. His leg bounced up and down. "Shit," he muttered. Then he slapped his thigh. "Fuck!"
"Okay," said Curtis, as if that settled everything. "What d’you want to do now?"
"Find Billy. Kill the Schultzes."
"Good, and what about Amy?"
Frank looked over at Curt. "What should I do? What can I do? I have to protect her."
"And stop sleeping with her."
"I’ll never do that again!" He closed his eyes briefly. "I really don’ know how that could’ve happened," he added calmly and so clearly that Curtis finally seemed to notice his helplessness.
"You should talk to her. Tell her it can't happen again and stuff."
"Yeah." Frank ran his fingers through his hair. "The main thing is that she doesn' run away because she expected something different now."
"Do you think she’s blinded by you?" Curtis asked with a grin, and Frank punched him on the shoulder.
"Bullshit! But she’s a teenager. Teenagers get strange ideas." Like seducing Frank Castle, for example.
"If she freaks out, send her to me, maybe I can talk some sense into her. You tend to overreact. Maybe I should be there anyway," Curtis suggested, staring at the entrance to the trailer.
"I need coffee." Frank opened the passenger door and marched over to the trailer without another word. There was no point in putting it off, and it was probably a good thing that Curtis was out here.
~.~
"I'm making breakfast," Amy greeted him as if it were perfectly normal for him to come in from outside in the morning.
Frank paused for a moment and watched her set the table with the few things they had for breakfast. Then he glanced at the coffee machine, which was already running for the third time that morning. He sat down on a bench and rested his forearms on his knees until Amy came over and pressed a coffee cup into his hand. He pointed to a seat across from him, and Amy understood immediately. With raised eyebrows, she sat down.
"Is this the 'it was a mistake' and 'we can't be together' conversation?" She sounded a little annoyed, but also amused. Frank looked up at her. "Listen, it's okay that you don't want to cuddle after that, I didn't think you were a cuddler," she said, sounding very rational. "We can still try it next time."
Frank felt a shiver run down his spine and ran his hand through his hair. "Amy, it ... fuck, I mean, we ..." He wiped his face. "That was a one-time thing, we ..."
He was interrupted by her laughter and looked at her in confusion. "Don't get so worked up, Frank, I'm not fourteen!" she said cheerfully. "That was a joke, you know? A joke! I know how things work. Besides, I don't want anything from you ... at least not in that way. It was just ... a little fun. But we don't have to do it again. Okay?" She made a move to get up.
"Are you sure?" Frank asked, rubbing his chin. "What if you change your mind?" He didn't quite trust her. It was too easy.
She rolled her eyes. "Really, do you think you're so irresistible?" she teased him. "I'm not a child, Frank. I can have casual sex. And really, yesterday was a ... special situation. I'm fine." With that, she got up, took the bread out of the cupboard, sat down at the table, and started eating.
Frank took a sip of coffee and wondered how he had gotten away so easily. It didn't feel right. And no matter what Amy said, it hadn't been right, and he would have to digest that first.
Even though he had to admit that it had felt damn good. He looked over at her and tried to see the helpless girl again she had been yesterday. But unfortunately, last night she had become a woman to him.