It starts early on Wednesday - Valentine's Day, but Karen doesn't register the date until later in the day.
She wakes up early, shouting violently at her alarm as she smacks the screen of her phone. She is not a morning person. Not until she's had her coffee, at least.
Eyes still closed, as if she can pretend the day hasn't started if she can't see it start, Karen rolls onto her side, looking for Frank and hoping he will convince her to play hooky from work. She knows he won't, but maybe she can get a morning orgasm to start her day instead. She pats his side of the bed, eyes opening relatively quickly when she realizes he's not there.
It's not entirely strange to wake up to an empty bed. Sometimes he gets restless in the dark and needs to go for a run. She doesn't blame him - only holds him tight when he bursts through the door, sweaty and red faced and haunted eyed.
What is strange is the handful of silver wrapped Hershey's Kisses resting on his pillow.
Karen hums in curiosity and then grins, reaching out to snag them all up in one swift motion. They're cold in her hand - he had to have left them recently and they must have been stored in the freezer, just the way she likes them.
Struggling briefly with the sheets and comforter, Karen sits up against the headboard. She pulls her legs to her chest and unwraps one of the Kisses.
Chocolate is the third best way to start a morning, as far as Karen is concerned. It loses only to sex and coffee.
She polishes off three of the Kisses before she actually, truly has to get out of bed if she doesn't want to be late. The remaining Kisses get dropped into the large black leather tote bag hanging from her closet door to be enjoyed later.
A quick peek out the window gets Karen frowning. It's snowing a little and the sky is horribly grey. Typical middle of February weather for New York city,
"Comfort it is," she mutters, pulling a maroon knit sweater dress from her closet. The outfit is paired off with opaque tights and ankle boots. The outfit is darker than something she might usually wear and Karen smiles a little to herself when she realizes that's probably Frank's influence in her life.
She snags her bag, her jacket, and the travel mug of coffee left on the counter before running out.
On the way, she types a text message with one hand - *thx 4 my kisses xx*
The Bulletin office is never quiet - there are always reporters and secretaries and sources wandering around, carting loudly. Which is why it's absolutely bizarre when the bullpen goes mostly silent as Karen breezes in.
She looks around, confused, but no one seems to want to meet her eye. Karen shakes her head - chalking the weird behavior up to a reaction to one of her pieces - and heads for her office. The whispers pick up the farther away she gets from the bullpen and Karen ignores them. It's nothing new - having people whisper behind her back. When your brother and parents all die while you're in high school, it's par for the course.
The door to her office is slightly ajar and Karen nudges it open the rest of the way with her hip.
"Oh!" her mouth drops open in surprise when she catches sight of the huge bouquet of flowers sitting in the middle of her desk. It's Valentine's Day, she realizes somewhere in the back of her mind.
Dropping her bag and - thankfully - empty travel mug, Karen kicks the door shut behind her as she rushes forward to smell the beautiful mix of red and pink roses, gardenia, blue hyacinth, and hydrangeas. It smells absolutely wonderful and Karen can't help the bright grin that spreads across her face.
There's a note nestled in between a rose and a hydrangea and Karen plucks it from the bouquet. She knows exactly whom these flowers are from, but that doesn't stop the butterflies in her stomach.
*thought that messy office of yours could use some brightening up. x p*
He uses the initial of his fake name, but the romantic gesture is all Frank Castle. Karen shakes her head affectionately at the message and snaps a quick picture of the bouquet - messy desk in the background.
She sends the picture along with a heart eye emoji and laughs when he responds right away with *i can see it did nothing for the mess*
The snort of laughter Karen lets out is entirely unladylike. She shifts the flowers, trying to find the research for her latest story.
"New boyfriend?" Ellison asks, coming into her office entirely unannounced.
Karen looks up from her desk. She debates how to answer her boss, because Frank isn't exactly "new" and he's more than her "boyfriend", but if she answers yes, the entire office will know within twenty minutes and half the secretaries and reporters will want to meet him.
"There is a man... in my life," she hedges.
Ellison rolls his eyes. "Page, you're the most secretive journalist I've ever met."
Karen shrugs, "Hazard of the job, I guess."
"He treat you right?"
"Yes," Karen replies simply, thinking of all the ways Frank took care of her. A small smile forms on her face and Ellison shakes his head.
He points at her, "Now that's settled, I want a draft of your latest on my desk by 5 p.m."
"Yes. sir," Karen laughs and waves a little as Ellison leaves her office. He closes the door behind him, but Karen can still see that her coworkers are peering in to catch sight of the bouquet on her desk.
She smiles to herself and brushes her fingers against the soft petals of one of the roses. They really are beautiful and she knows they'll have her distracted throughout the day as she works on her story.
As it turns out, Karen becomes so involved in her draft, she doesn't look up from her computer until the dull pain behind her eyes tells her it's time for her afternoon caffeine hit.
"Ughhh," she groans and checks her watch - 1:22. Definitely time for more coffee.
Karen grabs her jacket, phone, and wallet and sneaks out of the building. She needs like twenty minutes of silence and if Ellison's secretary, Ruth, sees her leave, she'll for sure want to join Karen on her walk.
It's still grey out, and cold, but not snowing anymore so Karen's thankful for that. The fresh air actually feels good, so she doesn't hurry to Starbucks as much as she normally would have. When she gets there though, the line is practically out the door - dozens of young interns and stay-at-home moms ordering the limited edition cherry mocha - and Karen wishes she had sped up a bit to avoid the crowd.
She passes the time by texting Foggy and asking about his plans with his girlfriend. She reminds him that she'd like to meet her one day soon.
Before long, Karen's at the front of the line, smiling at the young barista. "Can I get a trenta hot, unsweetened with half and half?"
The girl starts going through the motions of making Karen's drink before stopping and squinting at her. "Are you Karen Page?"
Karen's defenses went up. She narrows her eyes - the teenager doesn't seem like a threat, but those are always the ones to be wary of. "Depends," she replies vaguely, "Why?"
"Oh!" the girl's eyes widen in surprise. "It's nothing bad. It's just..." she turns away and grabs something off of the counter behind her. "A man came in earlier and said to give you this when you came in."
She sets Karen's hot trenta coffee and a small pastry bag on the counter. Karen eyes the food warily - she's an investigative journalist, it wouldn't be the first time someone tried to poison her. But then she catches sight of the blocky handwriting on the side of the cup and a smile splits her face.
"Bulky guy, beard, long hair?" she asks the barista, already picking up the coffee.
"Mhm," the teenager smiles a little dreamily. "Really handsome and a totally sweet!"
Karen smiles at the girl's obvious crush on Frank. He seems to have that effect on people.
"You're all paid for too," the girl says, smiling at Karen.
"Thanks!" Karen replies, having already figured that Frank paid for the treat. "Happy Valentine's Day!"
"You too," the girl waves a little, already turning to the next customer as Karen takes her drink and snack.
As she leaves the coffeehouse, Karen tucks the pastry bag into the pocket of her jacket and turns the coffee cup in her hand to read Frank's message.
His handwriting in black marker stands out sharply against the white cup.
*enjoy! try not to crash too hard*
He's even drawn a little heart next to the words - mildly uncharacteristic of Frank, but it makes Karen smile all the same. She sips at the drink slowly, relishing the warmth and jolt of energy it gives her. Halfway back to the office, she remembers her snack and stops to see what it is.
Karen grins when she unwraps a thick brownie with a layer of chocolate frosting. There's a post-it note stuck inside the wrapping too.
*don't even think about eating only this for lunch. grab a sandwich or a salad, Page*
The note is so Frank; Karen barks a surprised laugh and rolls her eyes. She pockets the note and heads for the nearest Chop't, even though she was just going to mainline the caffeine for lunch.
The bag holding her salad swings from Karen's wrist as she strolls back into her office.
She feels impossibly light today.
Valentine's Day had never been an important day for her. She'd had a few boyfriends on the holiday when she was younger, but nothing serious. The past five years, she'd been single in February so she was used to passing the day with no fanfare.
But then Frank came into her life.
Frank Castle, the secret romantic.
All of the little surprises throughout the morning made her wonder what else he had planned for her.
She's so lost in thought that she doesn't notice the small stuffed animal on her desk chair until she sits on it.
"Oh!" she yelps, jumping back up and turning around.
The stuffed pitbull is small - just about the size of an iPad - and surprisingly realistic looking. Karen smiles as she picks it up. The blue-grey fur is soft and Karen laughs to herself. Frank had been talking about getting a dog recently. She doesn't quite think this is what he meant.
*his name is fred* she sends the text along with a picture of Fred nestled next to the flowers and coffee cup.
She wonders how he got the stuffed animal into her office without anyone noticing. She definitely would have heard about it if a random man came into her office while she was gone. All that stealthy Punisher training, she figures.
Frank doesn't reply to her text this time, but Karen is so involved with trying to finish her story by 5, she doesn't notice.
Karen is out of the Bulletin's office by 5:06. She hits send on her email to Ellison and runs like a bat out of hell. She wants to get home to Frank.
The apartment smells amazing and Karen nearly swoons when she walks inside.
"That smells ridiculous," she grins, stepping out of her shoes and padding barefoot into the kitchen.
Frank is standing at the stove, carefully scrutinizing something in a pan. He turns at the sound of her voice and offers up a smile. "Makin' dinner," he says, a little redundantly.
"I can see," she leans up to kiss him softly. "Who would've guessed, Frank Castle, master chef."
Frank shrugs, his free hand resting on Karen's waist. "'S nothin' fancy."
Karen ducks around him and opens the oven door a crack. Her mouth falls open in slight disbelief. "Frank! Lamb chops are fancy! Stop being so modest."
He waves her off to the bedroom to get changed, the tips of his ears pink with embarrassment at her praise.
Dinner is ready and steaming on two plates by the time Karen comes back into the kitchen dressed more comfortably. Frank hands her a glass of wine and she kisses his cheek before taking her seat.
"This looks amazing, Frank," Karen grins slyly. "You've spoiled me today."
"You deserve it," Frank says simply, cutting into a lamb chop. "Not like I did anything elaborate."
Karen disagrees. Waving her fork in the air to punctuate her point, she says, "You left me chocolate this morning, sent flowers to the office, correctly preordered my afternoon coffee, and brought Fred into my life. All the sneaking around and planning constitutes elaborate in my book, Mr. Castle."
She mock glares at him, daring him to disagree with her.
He laughs and holds up one hand in surrender. "Sure, I did some plannin', but s'not like I used skills I don't already have."
"You made lamb chops and risotto for dinner, Frank," Karen says plainly. "You're a romantic and I didn't even get you a card."
"Hey, don't feel bad," Frank shakes his head. "Didn't do all this for recognition. I just wanted to do somethin' nice, since it's Valentine's Day and I love you and all."
"Oh," Karen says softly. She looks at him and bites her lip. His face is open and oh, does she love this man.
"Yeah, oh," Frank laughs. "Now stop talkin' 'bout me spoilin' you and tell me about your day."
"Okay," Karen agrees easily. She tells him about her story, about the crush the Starbucks barista apparently has on him. She also tries to get him to tell her how he got Fred into her office without anyone seeing him, but he doesn't budge.
After dinner, Frank clears the plates and brings more wine and a small chocolate lava cake to the table.
As Karen digs into the dessert, Frank grunts. "Ah, forgot about somethin'," he mutters as he gets up and goes to his jacket hanging by the front door.
He produces two folded up pieces of construction paper from his jacket pocket and hands them to Karen.
"What - oh!" she smiles as she reads the cards. They're Valentines from Leo and Zach Lieberman. "These are adorable!"
Frank smirks at her. "Yeah, apparently those two love you as much as I do."
Karen holds the cards to her chest - a little tipsy. "They're such sweet kids. David and Sarah did such a good job with them. You saw them today?"
"Yeah," Frank agrees. "Ended up I needed Lieberman to look into somethin' for me. Brought the Valentine's cupcakes to school cause Leo forgot them."
Karen swoons in her seat - the mental image of Frank Castle bringing pink frosted cupcakes to the school's main office is just too much for her to bear. She drops the cards to the table and jumps up from her seat to grab his face and kiss him hard.
Frank's hands come to rest on her hips and his tongue traces her lower lip.
They break apart, foreheads resting together. Karen whispers against his mouth, "Didn't get you anything, but you can unwrap me."
There's silence for a beat and then they both laugh at the cheesiness of her line.
"That was terrible, Page," Frank grains against her mouth.
"I know," Karen replies. "I guess there's only room for one romantic in this relationship."
"A girl could get used to being spoiled," Karen breathes, relaxing against Frank's chest after her fourth orgasm of the night.
Frank's laugh rumbles in his chest and his hand tangles in her hair. "Spoiled brat."
Karen nips at his skin in retaliation for being called a brat. Frank pinches her ass in return.
"Not my fault," she says. "You're the one who spoiled me - I wasn't expecting anything."
Frank reaches his arm over for his night table drawer and pulls out a small jewelry box. He rests it on his chest, just in front of Karen's eyesight. He sees her eyebrows raise and chuckles a bit.
"S'not an engagement ring. Dunno if I'm ever gonna be there, but..." he trails off and shrugs as well as he can with her resting on him.
Karen lifts onto her elbow and looks Frank in the eye so he knows she's serous. "I love you, Frank Castle, and I'm in this, no matter what. I don't need a ring or a piece of paper."
"Good," Frank grumbles. "Now open it," he nudges the box closer to her with one hand while he other traces circles on Karen's lower back. She pressed a kiss to his cheek before snatching the box and cracking it open.
"Oh! Frank, it's beautiful," she exclaims, eyes open wide.
The ring in the box is small and delicate. The rose gold shines in the low light of the bedroom and the two tiny stones – an amethyst and a topaz, for their birthdays, Frank tells her – are nestled right next to each other in the setting.
"S'nothin'," Frank shrugs again and kisses her neck. "I know you like all that delicate stuff."
"I love it," Karen says, slipping the ring onto her left index finger – it's a perfect fit. She cups his face in her hands, "and I love you."
"Good," Frank grins mischievously, "Hold onto that love, 'cause we're babysittin' Leo and Zach this weekend so Lieberman can take Sarah on a belated Valentine's date."
Karen laughs, "Were all my surprises today a bribe so I would babysit with you?"
"Nah," Frank waves off her joking suggestion. "Guess I'm just a romantic at heart."
A/N: Here we go, 3k of pure Kastle Valentine's fluff! I've been writing this for like a week and a half since school sucks up all of my energy, but this was super fun to write!
Flower meanings: Red roses - deep emotions of love; pink roses - gentle emotions of admiration, joy, or gratitude; hydrangea - heartfelt emotions; blue hyacinth - constancy (the quality of being enduring and unchanging or faithful); gardenia - purity and sweetness/secret love/joy
My polyvore (pstdk) has a set of what Karen's outfit looks like for the story!
Please, please drop me a review and let me know what you thought of the story :)
Happy Valentine's Day! xo