Work Text:
As the elevator comes to a screeching halt, Karen has the fleeting memory of another day. Another crisis. Another elevator.
The stop jolts her towards the only other person in this metal box: Frank.
He’s bleeding. Again.
“Shit,” he breathes, eyes darting to each corner of the elevator. Karen knows he’s trying to strategize, find another way to get them out.
Get her out.
Before he can voice his new plan, Karen lets her hand fall to his shoulder. It’s different from last time. They’ve had the time, the experiences that let them lean on each other. To trust each other not to disappear.
Frank stares at Karen’s fingers. He doesn’t look at her.
Feeling suddenly self-conscious, she drops her hand back to her side. He doesn’t move, but Karen feels the way the air changes between them.
“Karen,” he says softly. “I have to get you out of here.”
“I know, Frank. I just –” She touches her fingers to her lips. She’s not even sure what she wants to say to him. She just knows that there’s something sacred about this space, this moment. It’s like a do-over. A second chance at a missed opportunity. And if they leave it behind without talking about it, things will go back to whatever normal means for them.
And sure, that’s all fine. They’re friends now. Real friends. She can call him and he can come by her office for lunch and they can grab coffee. And sometimes, when one of them really needs it, they can hold each other together.
It’s comfortable, or at least as comfortable as a friendship with a vigilante can ever be.
The one thing Karen can always rely on is Frank’s honesty. She knows she’s going to test it if she pushes him now, but she has to try. She has to know.
“Karen. Please.” He’s begging now, his voice breaking on the words. His eyes are bright, desperate. “I can’t…I can’t let anything happen to you. I won’t.”
She doesn’t quite know what to say to that. There are so many things she could say, her head is spinning. Frank reaches for her, hand closing around her wrist gently.
It’s because she trusts him that Karen reaches for him again. She rests her hand on his, feeling his pulse thundering through his body. His heart is beating as hard as hers, and the sensation grounds her.
“Just tell me something, Frank.” He nods, almost imperceptibly. “If I…if we…”
“Yeah?” He shifts closer to her, and Karen can feel the way his pulse stutters, the way his hand flexes against her skin.
Karen takes a deep breath through her nose. “If we went out…to dinner sometime, would that be okay?”
“Dinner?” His brow furrows, like the idea is totally foreign to him.
“Or something. Drinks, dinner, dancing, whatever you want. Or we can forget the whole thing and pretend I never brought it up and just get out of here.”
The look on Frank’s face resembles that of a man who just had freezing water thrown in his face.
Karen can feel her cheeks burning scarlet and tries her best to backtrack. “Just forget it. Let’s get out of here.”
She goes to pull her hand back, but Frank catches it. His calloused fingers trace over her knuckles, so gently it sends shivers down her spine.
“You mean it? You want to?”
HIs dark eyes are burning into her now, and the temperature seems to be rising by the second. Karen almost doesn’t hear the question, and when it finally registers, she can’t believe what she’s hearing.
“Yes, Frank. I want to. Not right this second, obviously, but sometime. Yeah.”
“Yeah?” He leans even closer. Karen’s breath catches in her throat and she freezes. She’s afraid to move, in case they lose this moment.
Frank’s eyes dart down to her lips, then back up to her eyes, and Karen can’t look at him anymore. She pushes closer to him, but before their lips can touch, the elevator jolts again and they’re on the move.
Frank shifts away from her, but doesn’t let go of her arm. As soon as the doors open, he has her out of the building and around the corner. He pulls open the door of a black van, and helps Karen inside. It’s only as he closes the door that his hand leaves hers.
When he gets into the driver’s seat, he takes a long breath, flexing his fingers on the steering wheel.
“You still want to get dinner?” he asks softly.
Karen almost laughs, but when she sees the look in Frank’s eyes, she holds it in. Instead of laughing, she nods, expecting him to start driving.
Instead, he leans towards her again. He doesn’t hesitate, except to cup her cheek and tug her towards him.
When his lips touch hers, Karen swears the world stops. Even though they’re still in the middle of the city, she can’t hear anything but the roaring in her ears.
Frank tastes like gunpowder and black coffee and Karen feels intoxicated with it. She’s a little dizzy when he breaks the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers.
A shy smile plays at his lips and Karen lets out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding.
“Order in tonight?” he asks, smile growing.
“Let’s go.”