Chapter Text
November nights are always the coldest.
Not from a meteorological stance, of course, but in the soul, the heart. Sometimes, on late November nights he can hear his little girl's laughter echoing amongst the bland walls of his empty apartment, his little boy's voice blowing in the frigid wind, he can see the ghost of his love's radiant smile in the brightest of these cold days.
Nothing will ever shine again bared to her love.
Even now as he sits in the stark darkness of the night, and can see her smile, illuminating the darkness.
A movement in next building over snaps Frank out of his delusion. The scum he's been chasing after is home. How endearing. Time to put a bullet in him.
Frank adjusts his finger on the trigger, aims for the jugular. Quick enough, yet painful. Frank hopes this piece of shit feels every second of it.
Deep breath,
"One batch, two batch, penny and dime,"
Than he lets her fly.
The precision of the shot is almost artistry, if not for the gory nature of it. The bullet lands exactly where Frank had intended, and his target falls to the ground, choking on his own blood, eyes going wide as he realizes that he is dying, than suddenly still.
Content, Frank started packing away his things. If this scum's death causes the intended impact, his mission is over. The crime syndicate will disassemble at the loss of their leader, and hopefully won't cause any trouble for at least a little while.
He picks up his duffle bag and starts his way down the fire escape. Frank has become unaccustomed to not being follow by a shadow.
He still tends to squint his eyes in the darkness in search of the glint of a red horn. Word on the street is that the Devil is retired, and Frank believes that is bullshit. Red had never been one for giving up suddenly, and Frank is pretty sure that hasn't changed.
Which is exactly why he is currently making his way over to Murdock's apartment. Frank knows he never was the king of good ideas, but he's pretty sure that this one isn't a half bad one.
The apartment building still looks as shitty as it did the first time he came to Red's place, just another building in the center of Hell's Kitchen.
Frank climbs up the treacherous flight of stairs, and knocks on the door of apartment 6A. He hears light footsteps make their way over to the door, and the door opened.
God, he still looks just as pretty as he did a year ago. He is dressed in sweatpants, a T-shirt, and socks. That fluffy hair, and those eyes. Those lost eyes that are always wandering, searching for something that they're never going to find.
"Frank?" Red asks with furrowed brows
"Red."
A beat of silence goes by
"Did you... want to come in?" Red asks quietly
"Yeah."
Red opens the door further to reveal his apartment. It isn't much, it never was, but just the fact that it is Red's does something to Frank that he doesn't want to think about, a little skip in his hear-
"You want a drink?"
Red is already in the kitchen, apparently had moved there while Frank was lost in his train of thought.
"I'm good Red, just came to see if you hung up the horns."
That makes Red freeze. He probably didn't expect for Frank to get right on it. Murdock draws in a deep breath,
"Something like that."
That wasn't something Frank expected to hear. Weird.
"Yeah? You sure about that Red?"
Red comes back with a single shot of whiskey, swallows it down in a single swig. Frank wonders if it would taste better if he licked it off of his plush lips.
"Frank, I'm trying to move on from that part of my life. "
Red seems glum when he says it, like he's forcing himself to. Forcing himself to believe that it is better for him. Frank moves closer to him, leans over and whispers in his ear:
"Are you?"
Frank slides his hand into the fluffy mess, as he cradles Red's head. It is uncanny how he turns into putty under his fingertips so fast.
Frank massages his hair before giving Red a light peck on the lips. A question. The answer is clearly yes when the peck turns into a deep kiss. Frank slides his tongue past Red's pretty pink lips, and tastes the cheap whiskey in his mouth.
It tastes so much better.