No, no, no, was all Matt could think while he held the slowly deteriorating body in his arms. No, Matt thought to himself, Not a body, he’s not dead yet. Matt reached for his burner to call Claire but before he could there was a hand over his own. Their fingers intertwined sloppily, the blood making everything slippery and wet. Matt gaged at the smell, almost pulled back from the feeling, but Frank needed him so he held on.
“I need to call Claire, okay?” Matt pretended his voice didn’t quiver and instead focused on the heartbeat that was growing slower and slower. Matt vaguely registered Frank shaking his head.
“We both know it won’t matter, so just…” Frank trailed off, seemingly distracted by something before coming back when Matt squeezed his hand. “Just...stay?” Frank posed it as a question, gave Matt a way out so he didn’t have to be there when Frank died.
Matt shook his head, “No, you stay with me okay? You’re not going anywhere. You’re not allowed to die!” Matt could feel a bloody hand come up to his cheek to swipe away tears he hadn’t noticed he’d shed. Matt put a hand on Frank’s chest, feeling his heartbeat that had always let him relax was slowly becoming something he didn’t recognize anymore. “No, please. Stay with me Frank, please.” Matt was becoming desperate as he felt Frank’s body heat slowly slip out of his body. Matt pulled him into a tight hug, hoping he could give Frank his own heat, trade his life for Frank’s if he had to.
“Yeah Red, I’ll stay. I promise, I’ll stay.” Lie. Frank hugged back weakly, his strength was going and eventually his arms slipped to the ground so Matt hugged tighter. It wasn’t until the cops(when did they get here?) pulled Matt away from Frank’s body that Matt realized he was praying, desperate for anything to help. When the cops got there, putting hands on Frank’s body, Matt went into a frenzy, not allowing anyone to touch Frank. Someone restrained Matt and suddenly Mahoney’s voice was shooting through Matt’s ears.
“Hey, hey! What are you doing Daredevil?” Mahoney was keeping him against a wall with an arm against Matt’s chest while two other cops held his arms.
“Don’t touch him!” Matt growled out and leaned towards Mahoney, trying to bite him, do anything so he could go back to Frank. When he was kept on the wall Matt calmed down and instead whispered, “Just let me stay with him, please.” He could tell he must sound and look devastated because Mahoney weakened his hold and his heart rate slowed, in sadness? In worry? Matt didn’t care, just wanted to be back next to Frank. Mahoney stepped back and must have gestured to the others because his arms were free. Matt rushed back to Frank. Matt dropped to his knees when he got next to Frank, already knowing it was too late. Matt grabbed Frank’s hand, his heart sinking when the hand didn’t hold his back.
“You promised, you promised to stay.” Matt brought Frank’s hand up to his lips, gently kissing it and frowning at the irony taste from the blood. “You fucking promised!” Matt was openly crying, not caring about the whispers from the cops behind him. Matt was shaking as he grabbed Frank’s body and slowly stood up.
Mahoney grabbed his shoulder, “Hey, what’re you doing?” His voice was soft but his words were strong. Matt wasn’t getting past him if he tried.
“He’d want to be with his family.” Matt looked down, pretending to look at Frank’s face. Mahoney turned to his guys, said something and suddenly Matt was in an ambulance, still holding Frank. The paramedics had confirmed that he was dead but Matt didn’t need them to know that. He sat silently with Frank’s nose brushing against his neck, but there was no warm breath to accompany it. If he had to answer any questions they were only simple sentences, he kept his head down and tried not to vomit. He must not have been successful because there was a trashcan next to him that smells vaguely like puke, but he didn’t remember puking. Matt moved his hands on Frank so he wouldn’t touch any cold skin, it made him sick when he remembered how warm it once had been. When the ambulance drove over a speed bump it jostled Frank’s body so his cold motionless hands rested against Matt’s chest. Matt leaned over and puked again.
Matt was now standing over a fresh grave, when he ran his hands over the words he could tell it read out “Frank Castle”. Matt yanked his hand away, tears already building up in his eyes. A hand was on his shoulder and he turned into Foggy, burying his head into his best friend’s shoulder. Foggy patted his back, allowing Matt to let out his tears. Karen joined their hug and Mahoney stood in the back. Matt didn’t know who to call, who was close to Frank in the “I don’t want to kill you” type of way? There was so much Matt never knew about him, things he’ll never know now. Matt cursed the world and those who did this to Frank.
When the devil came out that night he was brutal. He hunted those that had been there and left them bloody and broken, sure they would never walk again, but was still alive. When he got to the one who took the shot Matt punched him, then punched him again and again. One bad day, Red. That’s all it’ll take for you to become me. Frank’s voice rang in his head and Matt leaned over and puked again, forcing himself to stop before the guy under him was dead. He went home bloody and limping. He didn’t check what was bleeding, just went to bed. He sighed into the sheets that still smelled like gunpowder and coffee. He rested his head on Frank’s usual pillow and went to sleep, his own tears tainting the smell. He hoped he wouldn’t wake up, maybe everything will get silent, no more things to wake him, no more cries for help, no more reasons to get up.
Matt woke up in the morning. He stayed in bed, Foggy had told him to take a few days off. He turned and the alarm went off, the alarm for Frank. Matt cried himself to sleep again.
When he woke up again it was cold. Matt hit the clock and it said 1:38am, Matt suited up and left for the night. This continued for days and with the news that The Punisher was dead more criminals came out. But bad news for them because now the Daredevil was worse. Word got around that the Daredevil was going for shots that crippled, not just knocked out. Matt was out more and more, from sundown to sunup. His friends worried so instead of going home he went to some of Frank’s old hideouts. He never slept long there, always woken from nightmares where he held a cold body. One night Matt took on to many, no one here to watch his back, not anymore.
“Where’s the big bad Punisher now? Oh yeah, he’s de-” Matt punched him in the nose, knocking him out. Matt felt a bat connect with the back of his head and he crumpled to the ground. “Get his mask!” One of the goons sneered and Matt felt his mask being pulled away, he didn’t fight it, too tired. His head was pulled back and he attempted to make eye contact with the man in front of him. Matt rolled his eyes at the gasps of surprise from the realization that the Daredevil is blind. Matt leaned forward, resting his head on the cold metal of the gun in front of him. He silently asked the man to pull the trigger and when he didn’t he voice it aloud. When he still hesitated Matt decided to jeer at him, hoping to make him angry enough to pull the trigger. It must have worked because now everything was quiet. Matt could feel the ground under him as he drifted into a never ending sleep. When sleep fully took over he could feel an arm around his torso, a nose in his hair, warm breath against his neck. He smiled as a single tear rolled down his check, he was finally home, finally with Frank again. The familiar heart beat lulled him to sleep and Matt was finally getting a good long rest.
“I’m here to stay this time.”