Chapter Text
It had been a while since Matt had seen Frank. A few stiff run-ins, arguments, and fights here and there, but he had not heard anything about him in Hell’s Kitchen for a while until a few weeks ago. There had been some shootings in Hell’s Kitchen where the crime scene had a similar appearance to that of Frank's. It took a few days for him to get confirmation it was Frank because no one tends to walk away from Frank and live.
Realistically, Matt knew he could not stop Frank, but he could try and at least get him to stop killing in his city. After working with him one too many times, Matt started to see him differently. More as someone he wanted to save rather than stop. He saw the error in Frank’s ways, but he also saw something else he could not put a name to.
After working on a few odds and ends on a case with Foggy and Karen, he put on the suit and headed out for the night with anticipation to see Frank again. It was cold and raining. Matt had gotten used to the rain, but it always was loud and harder to hear in the rest of the city. But Matt liked that. He liked that every now and then when everything was drowned out for a few peaceful hours.
The first guy he came across did not give him anything, and after a quick call to the police and a threat to come after him if the criminal does not confess, Matt was on his way. It took him a few more hours until he got anything useful. He got a lead on a possible hide out of the criminal organization in suspension of smuggling military grade weapons into the hands of the Hell’s Kitchen’s crime syndicate.
It was a longshot, but Frank hated these kinds of smugglers. Matt guessed this new organization taking their business to Hell’s Kitchen is what probably brought Frank…more like the Punisher back out and on the streets killing. Maybe if he got rid of them he could get rid of Frank.
Matt landed on a rooftop adjacent to the warehouse he was given. He listened for heartbeats particularly one with a heavy thud and steady rhythm he was familiar with. He did not pick up anything, but he could smell the crates of not only guns, but grenades, and high powered weapons that used self sustaining energy like the kinds he heard about from the Avengers. Matt definitely did not want those in his City. Regardless of Frank being there or not he leaped off the top and shot his billy club out in time to swing until he was on top of the warehouse where he got his club back, landed on his feet, and rolled until he was safely on the warehouse. He listened again now that he could get more input through the rain. Ten people, and they were all armed. There were some packing the boxes with the weapons into two large trucks while the others stood gaud, and that's when he heard it.
Lubdub. Lubdub.
Frank was on the other side of the warehouse on the ground. He just britches the building.
Matt needed to act fast if he wanted criminals to be put to justice and these weapons turned over to Mahoney and possibly back to the Avengers too.
Matt leaped out and swung in breaking the glass and getting the attention of the armed men. He landed on one of the trucks and shot his clubs at the nearest men standing guard.
The two men grunted in pain before hitting the ground. Matt rolled off the top of the truck and landed on his next victim. He was between the trucks and used them for covers.
“Pack the rest of these trucks and get the hell out!” A man spoke while Matt was taking the next guy out with quick punches and a swinging kick to the jaw.
“What about you, sir?” A man frantically said as he loaded the last box and shut the truck.
“I’ll handle this.” He picked up one of the energized weapons from what Matt could tell.
He walked over to Matt as the weapons turned into some kind of punching glove. Dread filled Matt’s body at the thought of finding out just how much those hurt, but he charged at the man non the less.
The truck was taking off from what Matt could hear, but that was quickly shut down by fast headshots taking out the drivers and passenger.
“Frank, no!” Matt yelled with his attention divided. That's when the heat hit his side. The pain shot through his entire body. God that hurt. The man that hit him quickly took cover behind the second truck as the rest of the men that Matt did not take out scramble next to their boss. With the second truck still open the man that hit Matt swifted grabbed something small from one of the boxes. Matt was in too much pain to decipher what it was.
“Frank, don't do this. We can bring them to justice!” Matt tried to reason as he was on his knees still clutching his side.
“Out of my way, Red.” Franked walked past Matt, but before he was out of reach he grabbed his leg causing Frank to fall.
On the other side of the truck he could hear them.
“We can’t take both of them, Sir!”
“We don’t have too. They will take each other out. Follow my lead!” The small object Matt heard early was somehow loaded onto the glove. Too many small moving parts with buzzing electricity for Matt to distinguish.
“Damnit, Red.” Matt was brought back to his present as Frank kicked him in the face before he lined up a shot from under the truck. Matt lost track of the criminals as pain shot through his nose. Matt then hears gunshots from Frank as he takes out a few ankles.
A smoke bomb went off, Matt figured it must have been from the man because it was not from Frank. It disoriented only Frank which gave Matt the perfect opportunity to disarm Frank before he could kill only one else.
Matt got up, kicking the gun out of Frank’s hand. “You don’t have to kill anyone, Frank!”
There were screams from the men Frank shot, and Matt could hear them loading into the truck with limbs and grunts.
“We can stop them, Frank.” Matt was desperate to get through to him.
“Only one of us wants to actually stop them, Red-”
“Look out!” The small object was shot at them from the high powered glove. Matt with one hand pushed Frank being the only one that could see it coming through the smoke. Frank, not wanting to get shot, let himself get pushed. There was a loud bang before this goop from out of nowhere shot out. It covered most of Matt’s hand. Matt could hardly tell what it was or how it got there. He cursed the Avengers for letting this kind of technology get into the wrong hands. As the smoke clears so does the truck. It skirts away. Matt knew he could track it now there he got a smell of those distinctive weapons he would have no trouble locating them all. Frank on the other hand, he could feel that he was pissed. His heart was hammering in his chest. His sweat was cold, and his breathing was heavy. If Matt did not know him he would have thought Frank was going to kill him. Matt listened as the truck pulled away and Frank got to his feet after being pushed with everything happening in seconds.
“Son of a bitch ! Now those weapons are on the street, Red! Happy? And what the fuck is this shit?”
Oh yeah, he was mad.
Matt barely had time to register the frustration in Frank’s voice before he felt the resistance—the strange, sticky substance clinging to his hand like hot tar, stretching between them in a thick, rubbery strand. He turned his head sharply toward Frank, his attention dropping from the truck speeding away into the night. Whatever got on him was on Frank too, the connection between them holding fast.
Frank wasted no time. His arm jerked back as he tried to wrench himself free, muscles coiling with effort. The attraction caused Matt to be pulled forward. Matt frowned at the unwanted movement.
The goop strained but didn’t break. Instead, it elongated between them, stretching to about two feet before locking in place with an unnatural elasticity.
“Whatever it is, it’s solidifying fast,” Matt said, tilting his head slightly as he focused on the faint, unsettling sounds it made—wet squelches turning into high-pitched creaks, like glue hardening under pressure.
Frank growled under his breath, his fingers curling into a fist as he yanked harder. His entire body was engaged now, legs braced, veins bulging in his forearm. It didn’t matter. The substance gave for a fraction of a second before snapping back, forcing Matt a step closer toward him. Matt quickly got his footing again as his anger began to raise.
“Stop pulling, Frank. It’s not helping.” Matt’s tone was level but firm, even as his own arm tensed involuntarily from the strain.
“Oh, you wanna talk about helping?!” Frank’s voice was razor-edged, his breath coming fast and hot through his nose. “What the hell was that back there? I had been tracking them for weeks! I could’ve had those weapons off the street tonight —”
“You could have had ten bodies on your hands tonight, Frank!” Matt snapped back, stepping forward just enough to drive the point home. The forced closeness made the tension between them almost unbearable.
Frank’s nostrils flared. His jaw clenched so tight it looked like he was about to bite through steel. “Let me tell you something, Red,” he said, voice low and dangerous. His fingers flexed against the unbreakable bond trapping them together. “All the destruction those things cause… that’s on you.”
Matt’s lips pressed into a thin line. “It is not that simple, and you know it.”
Frank’s laughter was sharp, humorless. “No, I actually think it’s pretty simple.” He leaned in just enough to make the moment even more suffocating, his breath brushing against Matt’s mask. Matt did his best to try and match the intense eye contact. “Stay out of my way, Red, or next time, I’ll be blowing your goddamn kneecaps off.”
Matt didn’t flinch. He didn’t need to hear Frank’s heartbeat to know he meant every word.
The tension between them was thick, neither willing to break eye contact. They stood there, locked together by the strange substance, stubbornness practically radiating off of them.
After a few seconds, Matt exhaled sharply. “I need to call this in.”
“No, what we need to do is figure out how to get this off.” Frank lifted their entangled hands and like Matt was the idiot for even thinking about anything else.
“We?” Matt let out a dry laugh.
Without hesitation, Frank pulled out his gun and fired a shot straight at the center of the goop. The bullet ricocheted off with a sharp ping , embedding itself into a nearby wall before bouncing again, zipping past their heads.
Both men ducked.
“Damnit, Frank!”
“Well, I don’t see you trying to do anything.” Frank stood back up, unfazed.
“There’s nothing we can do here. Now give me one freaking second before you have another one of your bright ideas.” Matt pulled out his phone, sighing through gritted teeth. “Call Mahoney.”
Frank raised an eyebrow. “You talk to your phone?” Frank shook his head and looked away with a smile of disbelief and annoyance at the whole situation.
Matt ignored him. The call rang a few times before picking up.
“Detective Mahoney speaking.”
“There’s been an incident,” Matt said, pausing just long enough for Mahoney to recognize his voice.
“That’s just great. With you, that could mean anything .”
“There was a weapons trade. High-tech stuff. When you send your men, tell them to be careful. They’re not just dealing with guns.” Matt instinctively tried to flex his tangled fingers.
Mahoney’s tone shifted to immediate concern. “What do you mean by that—?”
Matt cut him off with the address and hung up before Mahoney could ask more questions he wasn’t in the mood to answer. He shoved his phone back into his pocket awkwardly, adjusting to using his left hand. When he turned back, Frank was watching him, arms crossed—well, as much as he could cross them with one arm shackled to Matt. His impatience was practically vibrating off of him.
Matt sighed. “Look, these weapons are probably from the Avengers. Due to recent laws, all their gear has to be registered. Which means, with some research, I can figure out what this is and how to take it off.”
Frank said nothing.
Matt’s irritation spiked. “Or we can try shooting it again,” he added, voice dripping with sarcasm, punctuated by a small, strained laugh.
Frank exhaled through his nose. “Fine.” He grunted under his breath, turning toward the exit—and jerking Matt forward with him before Matt could give another sarcastic comment.
“Frank! Okay, we need some kind of system or plan before we continue.” Matt yanked back, stopping Frank in his tracks.
Frank turned, unimpressed. “Thought we already had a plan?” Frank said firmly as he jerked Matt back towards him.
Matt hated being jerked around. His jaw was tight and he was just about ready to punch him. He decided to cross the arms together instead, but it just made their stuck hands fold awkwardly against his chest. After a moment of dealing with Frank’s relentless attitude, he sighed, dropping them along with his anger. He grounded himself and spoke again.
“Frank, if we don’t figure out how to move together , we’re going to keep tripping over each other.”
Frank grinned. “You got two left feet, Red?”
Matt clenched his jaw. “You literally walk like a battering ram, Frank. We can’t both lead.”
Frank yanked the bond again, pulling Matt forward—this time, they were almost chest to chest. “Fine. I’ll lead.”
A small laugh left Frank’s mouth, clearly amused by Matt’s futile attempt to gain control. Matt could feel the vibration of it, Frank felt too close to him.
Matt dug his heels in, resisting. “No, you won’t.” He pushed against Frank’s chest, needing space from the furnace that was Frank.
The humor in Frank’s face dropped at the contact, and he immediately yanked against Matt again.
They both pulled in opposite directions with all their strength, stretching the bond between them. For a brief moment, it felt like a victory, like they had finally created some distance.
Then, the tension snapped.
They crashed into each other, colliding hard—Matt’s forehead smacking against Frank’s cheekbone.
Before he could steady himself, they toppled. Frank hit the ground first, and Matt followed.
“Son of a—!” Frank snarled as Matt landed right on top of him.
Matt’s breath hitched.
Frank was solid beneath him. Matt could feel Frank's chest rising and falling under his own.
He swallowed hard and shoved himself up, forcing more distance than necessary. As he sat up his knee brushed the inside of Frank’s thigh. Matt felt heat shoot to Frank’s face, but it was not anger it was..before he could think further on it, Frank pulled his stuck arm away from Matt before connecting it with Matt’s face sending Matt off of him with a thud, but with his swinging momentum he got pulled towards him again.
Matt grunted, rubbing his head. “Yeah. Great plan.”
Frank’s patience had run out. He quickly got up to his feet and tried jerking Matt to his knees and off the floor attempting to get the upper hand, but Matt anticipated it. He pivoted, using their bond to twist Frank’s momentum against him. Matt pulled and laid on his back. As Frank was put off balance, Matt took the opportunity to put both feet on Frank’s mid section and kicked him above his head. Matt listened as he collide with the floor behind him.
It was clumsy, messy, and—most of all— frustrating.
Frank was quick. He recovered fast and whipped around. Frank almost had Matt in a headlock, but the bond snapped them back again. Matt used the momentum to kick Frank’s legs out from under him, but Frank dragged him down with him before he could land the takedown properly. They hit the ground with a thud , still tangled together. Sloppy punches and kicks were thrown on each side leaving both in pain and frustrated.
After about 5 minutes of them wrestling on the floor most of their anger dissipated, Matt finally spoke up breathing heavily. Matt grumbled, “This is ridiculous. ”
Frank, flat on his back, stared up at the sky, then exhaled sharply. “Yeah.” A beat of silence. “Gonna be real annoying dragging a corpus everywhere.” Frank joked breathlessly.
Matt huffed a short annoyed laugh just exhausted from the whole situation.
Frank smirked. “Still think I should lead.”
Matt groaned, letting his head drop back against the pavement. This was going to be a long night.
“Fine. I am done arguing with you anyway.” Matt helplessly let out as he laid on the floor catching his breath.
“Done arguing? I didn’t think the day would come,” Frank muttered, catching his breath as he lay sprawled on the floor.
“Don’t worry, I’ll find a reason soon enough,” Matt shot back, rolling his eyes behind the mask, sarcasm laced in his voice.
This was going to be a very long night.
Frank eventually relented, leading Matt to one of his safe houses. It was better than staying out on the streets, and at least gave them a base of operations. Not that Matt had much of a plan yet he just knew he did not want to go back to his place. He didn’t want to reveal his identity, didn’t want to give Frank another potential weapon against him, but he also had no idea how he was going to do any research while bound to the man. All of his equipment was either at his apartment or at the office. By the time they reached the safe house, the sun was creeping up over the horizon, casting dull light into the grimy windows.
The moment the door shut behind them, exhaustion slammed into Matt. He tilted his head, listening to Frank’s breathing, the subtle shift of his weight. Frank was also drained, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
“Frank, maybe we should—”
“Sleep first? Yeah, no.” Frank let out a short laugh, moving deeper into the room. “We got a problem, Red.”
Matt exhaled sharply, throwing his free hand in the air. “Frank, I just pulled an all-nighter. Unlike you, I worked all day and all night. I need sleep.”
“Do whatever you want, but I’m gonna start looking into this thing,” Frank said flatly, already done with the conversation.
Matt clenched his jaw, his shoulders tense despite the exhaustion dragging at him. “You don’t even know where to start.” Frank pulled Matt deeper into the room as he spoke and shot him a dry look. “Like you said, it should be a registered weapon. That’s a start.”
Matt let out a frustrated breath stopping in his tracks, the sound slipping into something dangerously close to a whine. “Frank, this isn’t how this works. You can’t just expect answers to fall into your lap. You need to know where to look. You don’t even have the skills to—”
Frank arched a brow, unimpressed. “I think I’m fine.”
Matt huffed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Jesus, you’re impossible. I’m telling you, we need a plan—”
“No, you need a plan,” Frank cut in, voice edged with finality. “I just need results.”
Matt bristled but didn’t fire back immediately. Instead, he wavered for half a second, his breath a little uneven. The fight was draining out of him, leaving something rawer in its place—something tired and fraying at the edges.
Frank noticed.
And Christ, he was done listening to Red whine. If he had to sit through another exhausted argument, he was going to lose his goddamn mind.
Frank’s gaze flicked over Matt, taking in the curl of his shoulders, the way of exhaustion drug at his frame. His hand, usually so steady, flexed slightly at his sides, betraying the fatigue he was trying to push through. There was a faint tremor in his breath, barely noticeable, but Frank caught it. The fight had drained out of him.
Frank just stood there, jaw tight, something unreadable passing through his expression. Frank did not like this side of him. As much as he found him annoying he did not want this whining, tired, hurt side to Red. Then, with a quiet sigh, he shifted his weight, the tension in his stance easing—not surrender, not quite, but something close.
He exhaled sharply, scrubbing a hand down his face as he saw something in Red.
“Come here.” Frank said with an unusually quiet tone.
Frank knew he had to put Red to sleep before he kept throwing more tired fits. Frank tried not to think about his family. His daughter definitely took after her mother. Both of them would get grumpy when they were tired. He knew the best thing to do was to put them to sleep before he kept getting in trouble for this or that. Frank sighed trying to get the thought of them out of his head. He did not want to be responsible for Red’s wellbeing but the resemblance was making him feel a sort of guilt he did not expect.
Not wanting to seem like he cared or wanted to take care of Red, Frank still ever so slightly pulled him in the direction he wanted to go.
Matt stiffened at the unexpected gentleness in his tone. It wasn’t a command, not like before. Warily, he followed, feeling the shift in power as Frank led without force for once, but Matt knew he had won. Matt let a sigh of relief leave his lips.
Frank moved through the space, an uncharacteristic awkwardness in his motions. He grabbed a cot, setting it down near his desk. Then, with one hand, he fumbled around, gathering a pillow, blanket, and a few other things. The safe house was small, cluttered. A bedroom behind one door, a main room filled with a small kitchen, a table, a couch, and now a cot. Guns lined the walls, sat on every available surface. A police scanner crackled quietly in the background, and dim yellow lights cast long shadows.
Matt followed, keeping track of each movement until Frank finally settled, dragging a chair up to his desk.
“Here. You can sleep here.”
Matt hesitated. This was weird.
“What, need me to tuck you in too?” Frank taunted, already turning on his computer.
Matt huffed, muttering a “thanks” before dropping onto the cot. His body ached, exhaustion weighing him down. Normally, he wouldn’t dare sleep in front of Frank—but at least like this, he could make sure the guy didn’t run off and kill anyone.
He turned on his side, facing Frank, unwilling to show his back. The entire situation was surreal, and he had no desire to deal with the awkwardness when he woke up. But then, just as his eyes started to slip shut—
Foggy.
Shit.
Matt groaned inwardly, rolling onto his back. He needed to let Foggy know he was alive, but also not coming into work. He fished his phone from his pocket, making sure the volume was off so it wouldn’t speak back. Something he does when he's in court. With a quick command, he called his emergency contact.
Frank went still. Listening.
The phone rang a few times before a groggy voice picked up.
“Matt? Why are you calling so early? It’s, like, 6 AM.”
Matt winced. “Yeah…sorry, but I won’t be able to come in today.”
There was silence then a shuffle of sheets. “What? Did something happen?” Foggy sounded more awake now, concern sharpening his tone.
“Um.” Matt hesitated. “Kinda. But I’m not hurt. Just… incapacitated.”
“What does that even mean? Look, I’m coming over.” More rustling.
“No,” Matt cut in quickly. “I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”
“Goddamnit, Matt. You promised no more secrets. Now if you don’t tell me what happened right now, I swear to God I’m tracking your ass down!”
Matt groaned, rubbing his face. Frank definitely heard that last part of Foggy’s yelling.
“Fine,” he muttered. “I was taking down some guys. Then Frank showed up. I tried to stop him. In the process, I got shot at with this weird rubber substance. It’s all over my hand, and it won’t come off.”
Silence.
Then—
“ Frank?! God, Matt, why do you keep going after him? He’s dangerous . Do I need to remind you what happened the first time you met?”
Matt exhaled sharply. “No. Please, I just want to sleep. It’s been a long night. I’ll call you tomorrow after I do some digging on how to get this shit off. ”
Another beat of silence. Then, reluctantly, “Fine. But you better call me tomorrow, or I’m coming over.”
“Thanks. Goodnight.”
Matt ended the call and dropped the phone on the floor next to the cot.
Frank let out a low chuckle. “That’s some worried boyfriend you got there, Red.”
“He’s not— I don’t have— He’s not my type,” Matt snapped, not sure why he said that last part. He was exhausted and not in the mood for this.
Frank grunted in response, finally letting him be.
Matt shifted, pulling the blanket over himself, tucking his hands near his chest. He could feel Frank’s presence beside him and his arm limb against his side giving Matt room. He could feel the way he worked at his computer, the subtle sound of a drink being lifted and set down.
It was strange. Almost peaceful.
After a few moments, Frank glanced at him, watching the way the tension had finally drained from his body, the way his breath evened out. He looked different like this—not the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, not a man looking for a fight. Just a guy curled up under a blanket, dead tired with small horns poking out from the fabric. He looked so peaceful, Frank thought, and harmless. Frank thought that maybe he should have given him something to sleep in because he could not be comfortable. But it's not like he could take the suit off with how the substance is stuck to it so he decided to let it go. Looking after someone brought Frank an unexpected calm, a quiet fulfillment he hadn’t realized he’d been missing.
And it coming because of Red was the last thing he thought would happen.
Frank exhaled, shaking his head and looking back to his computer.
Yeah. This was gonna be a long night.