maskormenacelogs | she tied you to a kitchen chair

Entry tags:

she tied you to a kitchen chair

WHO: frank castle & lil crawley
WHERE: residence #002
WHEN: thursday evening
WHAT: beard removal
WARNINGS: lil "what are boundaries" crawley

[ lillian crawley is on a mission.

even with her, there's a limit for some things. and the more time she spent taking care of frank, the more she'd started to notice how completely wild the man's appearance had become. maybe he didn't care, but she occupies a fair amount of her time looking at him. after a while, she finally reached the conclusion that he absolutely had be groomed -- whether he liked it or not.

she comes home from the store with a razor and shaving cream, dropping these items off in the bathroom before she goes to get frank. on finding him, her greeting is wry: ]

Y'look like a damn hobo. We gotta fix it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ It's a trial, sitting in this house. He knows his limitations: he's not going to do something stupid while he's injured like this. However, patience is proving difficult when he's been sitting on his hands -- and there's a criminal right under this roof.

Lil finds him in rare repose. He closes the book in his hand when she speaks, turning to look at her with his lips curved down.

She has a point; his appearance has become rather slack, for a soldier. He won't tell her that, though, since she'd never let it go. ]

That your priority?

It is right now.

[ she responds pointedly, coming around to push his wheelchair herself -- in case he has any doubts that there is no longer any choice in the matter. absently, she cards her fingers through his hair from behind before nudging them off in the direction of the bathroom.

it's always tricky maneuvering inside (neither of them is a small person by any means, and it's arguably a small space), but she manages to get him situated on top of the closed toilet seat after a few minutes. they're getting better at coordinating -- the first few times were utterly worse.

lil sighs, putting her hands on her hips as she considers him. after a moment, she leans to loosely grasp his face, running her thumbs over his beard before pressing a lingering kiss to his mouth. pulling away, she remarks dryly: ]

There. Y'better say your good-byes too, 'cause it's about t'come off.

[ This is what he likes even less than the forced leave. Lil is getting too content with the entire situation. He did accept her help; it isn't imposed without his consent. However, she's showing too much comfort. She doesn't ask before touching him, moves him as naturally as anything without forewarning or modesty. That may simply suit her personality, but between the two of them it's growing too close.

The kiss that follows proves it, and his frown deepens. ]

Would just grow it back if I missed it.

[ the very same thing that makes him discontent is what pleases her now, making her affection easy and her mood infinitely less temperamental than it had been in the past several months. she definitely hasn't tried to break his nose again. but maybe it's worse that she's become so comfortable. the woman does have a somewhat insensitive personality at times -- and absolutely no respect for a person's personal space.

that part of her's started to show more and more, the longer they share living space, but at least right now, he gets a little reprieve as she gets ready. she runs the water in the sink, letting it get warm before soaking a towel. after wringing the cloth out, she hands it over to him to press to his face. ]

Yeah? Well, if y'wanna grow it back, you'll have t'work at it. I got a proper razor, not the plastic kind. Figured I might as well. [ a supermodel's salary is a nice perk anyway. ] Don't look so grumpy about it. It ain't like you're hidin' any secrets under that beard.

[ Frank accepts the towel wordlessly, wiping his face to dampen the skin. It may be a good idea to change; his appearance in the City is getting too known like this. It was scripted out in that file they handed to him, and who knows how far that intel spread. It's better to change his look now, and blend again, before he gathered too much attention -- especially given the state of his legs.

Given Lil's choice of words, he assumes she also intends to hack away at his hair. Even if it's at the risk of encouraging her, for the sake of making less of a mess, he pauses to drag his shirt up over his head, casting it aside. ]

Sounds like a threat.

Me, threaten you? Never.

[ she doesn't hold back on a tone of mockery when she replies, but the taunting edge of her words is softened by distraction, her eyes following the movement of his arms and shoulders as he pulls his shirt off. it's a lucky thing she's a capable enough multitasker, and her hands keep themselves busy regardless. she lingers at the sink to get the shaving cream ready, working a bit of it into a thick lather with the shaving brush. ]

I'm kinda lookin' forward to it. I ain't ever seen you without your beard. [ she pauses, approaching to tip his chin up a little with her hand before applying a generous amount of the cream. it is, after all, an impressive beard. ] 'Course, maybe that ain't sayin' much, 'cause up 'til recently, I hadn't seen y'without your clothes on either.

[ There are little things which he is unused to. Frank used to keep company that was more lighthearted. With Linus, it had been shared. With Henry, he did not reciprocate it, but the boy was determined in his humor. Now, with Lil, it's a shade different. Her happiness means something more, and it is not a situation he can easily diffuse.

He keeps his silence as she lathers his face. He only speaks when she finishes. ]

Lose the novelty soon. [ After all, she is the one helping him in and out of the chair, with everything he can't do, on a regular basis.. ]

[ truthfully, she enjoys it. but even she knows better than to say that out loud too blatantly. it's just that a part of her always craved being able to care for someone, especially in the little ways. it's what she'd wanted when she'd married her husband -- these kinds of quiet moments. she'd always felt robbed of them. she'd been an incredibly lonely wife. ]

That's your wishful thinkin'.

[ her tone stays mild as she picks up the razor. he's lucky she's got a steady hand. wryly, she asks: ]

Any last words?

[ He doesn't comment to that. He can't discourage her with words so easily; she's proven that by now. So, it's better to keep quiet. This is a truce, in a matter of ways. She offered her help, so he repays with holding his tongue -- at least to a certain measure. ]

Would cut me if I said them.

[ That's all he offers as he tips his head back. ]

[ but her voice stays mild -- she stays mild, as if the domesticity of this situation tames her somehow. ]

I won't hurt you.

[ she gets a little shaving cream on her index finger, just to smudge it on the tip of his nose before finally getting to work. despite having been separated from her husband for the majority of the last decade, the woman apparently knows how to efficiently rid a man of his beard -- or maybe it's confidence that does it, instead of experience.

either way, it's painless, if a bit painstaking. she only pauses to nudge his face this way or that now and then. but besides that, she lets him have a little piece a quiet, focused on the task at hand. she bites her lower lip in concentration, deft enough with the razor that it might seem like avoiding provocation while she's holding it is a good idea after all. ]

There. Almost done.

[ It's an unusual circumstance, having someone else be afraid that they would hurt him. Even superficially, it always seems like an absurd idea. It's especially something to hear it coming from Lil, an invulnerable woman -- or, at least invulnerable to the physical. Emotion is another story altogether.

That shows in the way she smiles and teases, leaving cream on his nose. Attached. Vulnerable. She's broken his nose before, and that seems like a better option than this. He'd rather her violence and scorn; he could endure that. He can bear hatred without flinching, and it guarantees that no harm would come to her by association. It's the better choice.

But he can't convince her to see that, nor can he scare her away with threat or reason. She's too stubborn for that, and she already knows death waits for her; the looming threat doesn't seem make any difference when she already feels the guillotine above her.

Frank has to decide what to do about Lil Crawley.

Despite how he feels risk in this dynamic, he does trust her. She saved his life, and that isn't something to take lightly.

He lets her work without speaking. He trusts she knows what she's doing, which she proves that she does -- and that makes him wonder. ]

Done this before?

Hm?

[ she makes a little hum of a noise when he speaks, glancing at him before she returns to the task at hand, leaving smooth skin behind with careful movements of that razor. ]

Well, sure. I've been married a long time. At first, when we tried settlin' down, lettin' go of the hero life an' all, I really tried hard t'take care of my husband. I wanted t'be a good wife.

[ she'd turned out to be a terrible wife -- and madison, a terrible husband. marriage may have been the worst thing they'd ever done to each other. but even now, talking about loud about that man softens her face unconsciously. she still cares for him, or the memory of him. he represents all her hopes and all her regrets.

lil is quiet then, not offering anything more until she finishes, stepping back to clean off the razor and offer frank the damp towel back for whatever shaving cream remains. ]

[ He doesn't comment on that. It's too far to remark too much on the subject of her married life. It isn't his place, and if she grows comfortable enough to trust him with intimate details like that, she'll have come too close.

He wipes his face wordlessly. She's done a good job; a sweep of his palm across his cheek reveals nothing but smooth, soft flesh. There are no nicks, no spots overlooked. She was thorough. ]

Appreciated.

Ain't a big deal.

[ lil takes a moment to finish cleaning up and putting things away before finally standing back to get a good look at him. her hands rest on her hips a moment as she considers him, tilting her head this way and that before finally delivering her verdict with a mild sigh: ]

Well, damn. You're still handsome. Was startin' t'wonder if y'were hidin' somethin' under that beard.

What were you expecting?

[ He doesn't wait for her answer, or her assistance. He can grab the chair from here, and he drags it closer, intending to pull himself into it. ]

I dunno. You're a mysterious kinda guy, Frank.

[ it's automatic, the way she comes to help him, careful but firm with her hands. she hardly thinks about it anymore. ]

Even livin' with y'like this, I barely know you.

[ He doesn't protest to her help. He won't be ungrateful, or spurn her, not when he clearly needs the help. He will, however, continue making efforts on his own.

Lil isn't the only stubborn one. ]

Nothing to know.

[ truthfully, she doesn't really dislike it -- his stubbornness. despite how quick to temper she is, it's almost a little refreshing to have someone push back against her now and then. she prefers it over avoidance and being ignored. she hasn't felt so real in years.

she nudges him out of the bathroom, exhaling lightly. ]

More like there's nothin' y'want me t'know. Right? Arm's length, ain't it?

You know everything there is.

[ He won't elaborate. She knows why he does what he does, and who he is; that is all there is to him. Anything else is a minor detail in a lifetime that no longer exists, and is no longer relevant. ]

Nothing else to say.

[ she could push. he probably wouldn't even be surprised if she did -- he knows her well enough to expect that kind of confrontational behavior by now. but she's pleased with her handiwork and calmed by the nature of their recent arrangement. apparently her aggression towards a man is dramatically reduced when she always knows where to find him.

instead, what she gives him is more of her usual mild taunting: ]

Sure, sure. Nothin' else t'say, huh? I'd ask y'about things y'like an' such, but I already know what you'd say. [ in poor mimicry, she lowers her voice mockingly: ] "I don't care about anythin'."

Edited 2014-01-29 08:08 (UTC)

Catching on.

[ That's all he offers. She's already getting too much of him as it is.

So, he changes subject: ]

They've been making you work?

[ she pauses, like she knows he's changing the subject and is trying to decide if she'll let him. but after a moment passes, she concedes. ]

It ain't that bad. All they do is take pictures. [ there's a light, easy shrug of her shoulders. it's definitely not as hard as being a superhero was. waitressing before that was certainly a more thankless job. ] Y'should come sometime. I'll take y'with me, get y'outta the house.

[ He isn't sure what he thinks of that offer. There isn't much work he's capable of doing in this condition, even simple recon is limited to where the chair can take him. If he did go with Lil, he could at least get an idea of what they were doing with imPorts in their 'workforce.' ]

Keep it in mind.

[ No promises. ]

Yeah?

[ she might be surprised that he didn't outright reject her. she'd grown used to that -- to him saying no to her. lately though, he's been more lenient somehow. a dangerous thing, with a woman who would go a mile, given two inches. even now, her affection comes too easily, gradually becoming habitual, like how she reaches for him now, lightly patting his face as she teases: ]

Maybe they'll try an' snap a coupla pictures of you too. Y'clean up nice. [ her hand moves to his hair next, combing it back with a little sigh. ] God, your mop's gettin' long too though. I should've picked up some scissors. Next time.

Doubtful. [ That's the only reply her teasing gets. He pliantly tips his head when she touches his hair, though his lips remain curved downward. ] Past regulation.

Should do for now.

That your way of dismissin' me?

[ her voice comes a bit wryly, her hand absently finding one hip as she tilts her head at him. her attention is still lingering on how he looks now -- both familiar and unfamiliar at once, still unfairly good-looking for a man who couldn't care less. ]

Y'got somewhere t'be or somethin'?

Haven't seen much of the city yet.

[ It isn't natural for him to be so restrained. It's not exactly restless; he knows patience, but this much alien territory does not sit well for him. ]

Too many unknowns.

Well, y'shouldn't go by yourself.

[ she exhales lightly. you never know what kind of trouble a man can get into on his own, especially without a woman to look after him. ]

Last thing I need is some asshole comin' around an' shovin' y'into traffic.

Plenty risk of that here. [ Dent seems to be keeping to himself, but that's hardly something to trust. ]

Either way: probably just come back.

[ Or so he assumes. How different is it from the City? Not something he should risk. ]

"Probably?"

[ she puts her hand on her hip again, pursing her lips at him. ]

Not sure if it's the same. Might be different here.

Worth investigating.

[ Among other things. ]

[ she exhales. ]

Fine. Y'do what y'want then -- you're gonna anyway. [ impatience sharpens the edge of her words as she turns her head away, making her annoyance obvious in the same way she always does. ] Try not t'break anythin' else while I ain't around t'rescue you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

she tied you to a kitchen chair

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject