Work Text:
Karen had been at her desk at the paper for about an hour when Jessica showed up with her camera to give the memory card to Ellison so he could pick photos with the Editor for the latest edition of the paper. She was wearing yoga pants and a oversized sweatshirt when Jessica popped by her desk.
"Seen Colonel Sanders today?" Came her smug voice and Karen blushed and looked up at her. "Uh no. He doesn't work on Tuesday's." She mumbled out, slightly embarrassed that she had his work schedule memorized. Jessica smirked at that, Karen regretted telling her about Frank kissing her cheek the previous week but Jessica also, mercifully didn't tease her too much. She must have known that Karen needed the win after the stunts Matt and Elektra had both pulled on her at the coffee shop on different days.
"I'm gonna burn all of that bitch's designer clothes." Jessica had hissed at Karen after she had told her everything that had happened. "And then, I'm going to knee him in his balls every time I see him from now on." She muttered to her. Giving a faint smile when she saw Karen fingering her latest coffee cup with Frank's newest note on it and smiling. "But... This is good news for you and Colonel Sanders I guess."
"Page!" Came Ellison's voice and he was mentioning for her. "Gotta run. Got class in 10. See ya later." Jess told her roommate and darted out. "Bye!" Karen called back and went over to Ellison. "Yes sir?" She asked him. "I have an assignment for you." He told her. Karen typically, wrote the 'heavy hitting' pieces for the paper. "Our usual sports writer is out sick and I need someone to write the player profile one." He told her. Karen nodded. "Sure, who's the player?" She asked him as Ellison was passing edited articles back to various writers. "Frank Castle."
Karen stared at him and blushed. "I um.... Sure. When am I doing it?" She asked him softly, worried that he would see her blushing like a mad person. "After practice today. So in an hour and a half." He told her and Karen nodded wordlessly, going back to her desk to gather her things. Her heart was doing flips at the idea of seeing Frank today after all. She looked down at her clothes. Shit, she had to change. There was no way in hell she was interviewing anyone.... Let alone Frank Castle in her yoga pants. She hurriedly stuffed her notebook and such in her bag and slung it over her shoulder.
Racing back to her dorm, she tossed her bag on her bed and opened up their closet and eyed all of her clothes. She wanted to look cute, but not that she was trying to hard. God, she hated this. A dress or skirt seemed too much for an interview. Even for Frank. She sighed and pulled out her phone.
[text: Trish] Come to dorm ASAP? 911! She texted her friend, thankful Trish lived in the same building and 5 minutes later Trish knocked and entered. "Hey girl. What's up?" She asked Karen concerned.
Karen turned and looked at Trish with a panicked look on her face. "I'm interviewing Frank in like an hour for the paper. You know, the football player profile?" She asked her. "A-And I don't know what to wear." She admitted and sighed. "Help me please?" She begged her.
Trish gave her a knowing smile and patted her shoulder. "Relax Kare, you take care of your face and hair. I'll pick out an outfit." She assured her softly. Karen smiled and nodded at her.
"Thanks Trish." She sighed as she brushed her hair until it shone and then fixed her makeup. Putting on some mascara and blush just enough to make her blue eyes pop and Trish laid out her outfit on the bed.
A white lace top, flare jeans, heels and a floppy hat for the wind. Karen looked at her outfit and threw her arms around Trish. "Thanks. You're the best." She mumbled to her friend.
"Anytime babe. Get dressed, I'll pick out some jewelry." She told her and Karen hurriedly changed so she could make it across campus in time for the interview. Finally, she was dressed and Trish placed a necklace around her neck and then tilted her head. "What?" Karen asked her nervously.
"It's chilly. You need a jacket." She told her and grabbed a dark grey cardigan duster with white lace at the shoulders. "Perfect. He won't be able to take his eyes off you." Trish told her with a smile. "Now go get him." She encouraged Karen calmly and handed her her book bag.
Karen smiled at her and gave her another hug before grabbing her phone and dorm keys. "Thanks!" She called to her as she darted out of her room and hurried across campus.
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She made it to the practice just as it was wrapping and Karen approached the coach. "Hi, I'm Karen Page with the Columbia Daily Spectator. I'm here to interview Frank Castle for the player profile." She explained nervously, hoping the coach wouldn't be able to see her blushing.
"Oh, yes.... Right this way." He escorted her off the field and back toward's where the locker room was. She was fiddling with her hands now. "I'm interviewing him in the locker room?" She asked him softly. "Yup." The coach responded and opened the door for her.
Immediately, she was staring at about 10 guys, all fit and shirtless and sweaty or wet from a shower.
She blushed and looked around. Her eyes meeting Luke's and he walked over to greet her. "Nice to see you again Miss Page." He told her kindly. "What brings you down here?" He asked her as he kept his shirt on for now.
"Oh.... I'm doing this month's player profile on.... Frank." She explained with a blush.
Luke smiled knowingly, Frank had told him all about what went down between them.
"I think you overreacted Frank." Luke told him calmly. "What?" Frank scoffed at him as he cooked dinner. "Does Karen seem like the type of girl to go back to a guy who broke her heart that badly?" Luke asked him simply. Frank stopped what he was doing and looked at Luke. He hated how wise and logical Luke was sometimes. "No...." He admitted and cursed under his breath. "Just.... Don't blow it. She's a nice person." He told his friend before going to feed Max for Frank.
"He's in the shower but he'll be out in a sec." Luke told her and went to get his shower in.
"Thanks." Karen murmured out to Luke's retreating form and stood there awkwardly until a very attractive guy approached her. He was good looking, but too put together for Karen's tastes. He had a smug look that didn't sit well with her either.
"Well, well, well.... You're a pleasant sight for sore eyes." He told her charmingly. "Ummmm.... Thanks." She muttered to him as she started fiddling with her phone to avoid chatting with him.
"Billy Russo." He introduced himself and held out his hand. Karen sighed and looked at him, reluctantly shaking his hand for politeness' sake. "Karen Page." She told him and went back to fiddling with her phone while she waited for Frank.
"You um.... Got a boyfriend?" He continued on and Karen was getting annoyed now. "You literally just met me and you're already wanting to know about my relationship status? Classy." She quipped at him sarcastically and out of the corner of her eye, caught a glimpse of Frank.
Her heart racing at the sight of him. Bare chest, glistening with water from the shower, waist wrapped in a towel and god, did he look sexy. "Ma'am?" He asked her with a smile and Karen immediately left Billy, not glancing at him. Her eyes fixed on Frank.
"H-Hi Frank." She greeted him breathlessly. Hands fidgeting with her small notepad she used for interviews.
"What brings you here?" He asked her with a smirk as he toweled his hair dry.
"Oh.... I'm filling in for a sports writer and well.... You're the player profile for this month's edition." She explained nervously and bit her bottom lip at him.
"Tell the paper I'm flattered." He teased her with a smirk.
"I um... I will." She stammered out at him, incredibly distracted by his fit and chiseled body. "So.... Where do you want to do it?" She asked him, blushing bright red when she asked him that. "I mean... The interview." She hastily explained and blushed again. "We can.... Do it.... Right here." He teased her and mentioned with a wink to the benches so Frank could get dressed.
"Ask me what you'd like." Frank told her as he pulled out some sweatpants and pulled them on under his towel. Karen was distracted by the knowledge that he apparently went commando.
"Oh um... Right. Well.... Was there a specific person that got you interested in football?" She asked him as she started her phone's recording app and made notes at the same time. Determined to not let him distract her too much. This was work after all.
"My pop. He uh, he played in high school and college. Grew up playing football. Just have always loved playing." He admitted and glanced over at Karen as he tossed his towels in a nearby hamper and straddled the bench where Karen sat and made a point to not put his shirt on just yet.
"That's great." She told him with a smile and blushed at him, staring at her so intensely.
"Tell me more about your family." She said interested and poised her pen.
Frank smiled at her. "Mom and pop have been married for.... God, twenty-five years now? They're Mario and Lousia. Got a baby sister. Her name's Olivia. She's a Junior in High School." He smiled fondly at the mention of his baby sister. He adored her. And was protective of her, any boyfriends she had, he made sure to meet them. "They all live in Queens." He explained.
"You adore her, huh?" She asked him with a smile. Frank chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah... She's trouble though. You'd get along with her." He said with a smile.
"Yeah? Maybe I'll get to meet her someday." She murmured out and blushed at the idea of meeting his family.
"They'd like to meet you I'm sure." He told her, voice rumbling in his chest.
"So um.... Do you have any football idols?" She asked him, trying to get the interview back on track.
"Well.... I love the Jets. But I grew up loving Jerry Rice. He was my all time favorite." He admitted and Karen smiled and nodded at him.
"Any pregame rituals?" She asked him and he shook his head. "Nah, not really. Just listening to music really. I have a playlist I listen too." He explained.
"Great, any chance you'll tell me what's on that playlist?" She asked him with a laugh.
"If you play your cards right, maybe one day." He told her seriously, Karen hadn't noticed how close Frank had gotten until she looked up and he was inches from her face.
"Oh...." She breathed out and bit her bottom lip and blushed. "Here's hoping." She murmured out and turned off her phone's recording app. "I-I think I have everything I need for the interview." She told him, extremely flustered now from Frank's blatant flirting.
Frank smiled at her, clearly she was into him and that pleased him. "Hey.... Off the record?" He asked her, gaze looking for hers intensely. "I-I'm sorry about last week. My yellin' and shit. I wasn't.... I mean... I shouldn't have done that." He told her softly.
Karen looked up at him and smiled at him. "Thanks. I um... I'm sorry too. It was all just a big misunderstanding." She insisted to him, scooting closer to him. "Really, it wasn't what you thought." She promised him.
"It's okay." He assured her, hand gently moving to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, causing her to shiver. "You don't have to explain anything to me. But I believe you." He told her with a small smile.
She sighed in relief and smiled back at him as she tucked her things back in her bag. "I'm really glad to hear that." She admitted to him, she liked that talking to him was becoming easier and easier.
"Me too." He told her simply and they just sat there, staring at each other for several long moments.
"I um.... I should go. I have to work on this article and I have homework to do." She admitted softly, not really wanting to go.
"Yeah, I need to head to my Chem Lab anyway." He told her with a sigh.
"Alright, well.... Bye." She reluctantly got up and shouldered her bag turning to leave.
"Hey um...." Frank's voice got her attention and she turned to look back at him as he tugged a thermal tee over his toned torso and Karen bit her lip.
"Yeah?" She asked him shyly and smiled softly at him.
"I'm going to the Phi Gamma Delta frat party on Friday night.... Ya know. Should be a pretty fun night if you’ve got nothing to do” He told her with a shrug that he hoped came across as casual.
"Yeah?" She asked him with a bright smile on her face. "Can I bring some of my girlfriends?" She asked him shyly.
"If you want." He told her with a smile and picked up his bags.
"I'll try to make it then." She told him as they walked out together.
"Hope to see you there Page." He whispered to her and smiled as they parted directions. "You look pretty by the way." He called back to her with a smirk and turned back to head to the science building and Karen blushed at him.
"Thanks." She murmured back to him with a small smile as she headed home. Already plotting her outfit for Friday night. Shit, she would definitely need Trish's help for that outfit. This was almost a date of sorts.
He had invited her after all. She smiled the rest of the way back to her dorm.