〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎

𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚝, 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤.ᐣ ——— bulletin reporter.

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

⸺⸺ i'm ( 𝙣𝙤𝙩 ) going to just
𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝
and let it happen to 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒. ✶

[ً @holyaches]

look at me. for once in your entire life， look at me， and see the fangs in my smile. because i was never soft， like you thought. all this time， i was a wolf and you tried to imagine me into a sheep.

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

“ i hadn’t heard from you in a few days, “ is her answer——— she moves around his kitchen, helping him put his dishes away. “ nobody has. consider this a wellness check. “

she pauses, looking back at him. “ do you want breakfast, matt? “

[ᅠᅠ″⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣𝖉𝖾𝗏𝗂𝗅. @godsdevl]

‍ ‍ ‍
‍he’s holding the cup, sip taken to ponder about the answer —— sigh following. “ kind of. ” no details, concise. “ why are you here, karen ? is everything good ? ”
⠀⠀

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

i have nowhere else to go. “

there is a self-deprecating smile that graces her as she says that—— it’s 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵, after all, that she has nowhere else to go.

——her fault she has no home, not anymore.

“ and you? are you leaving hell’s kitchen? “

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

the weight of his gaze settles on her, and it almost feels 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔——

a reminder that this was 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙. he was in her kitchen, sharing a cup of coffee with her. (…)

[⌯⌯ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴜɴɪsʜᴇʀ ⌯⁍ @Castle0fGrief]

a snort, arms folded as he leaned against the counter. those stern eyes had a bit more life to them than usual today.

“ tch, i don't even think 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 wants me these days. . ”

there's comfort in her gaze, something warm and welcoming. it almost pulls a grin from -->

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

( 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴. )

“ i can’t, “ there’s a weary sigh, borne out of bone-deep exhaustion. “ for better or for worse, hell’s kitchen is my home. (…)

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

“ rough night? “ she inquires —— has learned to not pry for answers as to * 𝘸𝘩𝘺, exactly, he was having these rough nights.

( knows she may not like the answer ). “ you know, your bed is only a handful of steps away. “

[ᅠᅠ″⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣𝖉𝖾𝗏𝗂𝗅. @godsdevl]

‍ ‍ ‍
‍a presence he’d always recognize, familiarity doesn’t even make him wonder why she’s at his place —— he groaned, slowly sitting up. “ thanks karen ... ”
⠀⠀

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

——— something about the man kept drawing her gaze back to his; the third time their eyes meet, she decides to say * something.

she’s easing into the seat next to his, a folder tucked under her arm. “ karen page, “ she offers, hand extended.

[🦇. @GOTHAMRODENT]

Suddenly he’s been spotted by 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔢𝔯 while he was among the public, and he doesn’t know whether should he say hi or not……

….so he did nothing.

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

———- yes, maybe she’s had a * 𝑓𝑒𝑤 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑠 and is feeling a little giggly.

( sue her, it’s almost friday ).

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

whatever you’re thinking, the answer is 𝑛𝑜.

[⌖ @telumexitus]

hello karen…

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

——— there’s a coffee cup being slid over the table to him. his * 𝑢𝑠𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟, provided with a wordless arch of her eyebrow.

[ᅠᅠ″⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣𝖉𝖾𝗏𝗂𝗅. @godsdevl]

‍ ‍ ‍
‍*𝘶𝘨𝘩 .. he crashed on the couch last night, not even bothered to make it to bed. a decision he now regrets.
⠀⠀

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

@AUREATESOUL // billy 👀👀

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

bombing a hospital is not 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡.

[⌖ ， 𝕯𝑬𝐗. @n3vermss]

Oh, boo. Party pooper.

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

they thought you were? ( her throat flexes —— a line of agony as her face tightens. )

Some days, I don’t even recognize myself anymore, Matt. ( . . . ) And I don’t—- I don’t 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰.

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

——— Perhaps I’ve had too much to drink tonight. ( she waves a hand ; the crystalline glass in her other hand set down with a heavy, final 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬. )

Does it ever eat you alive? The guilt, of letting them down. Of wondering if . . . perhaps you’re not the person (…)

[Daredevil @ManWthoutFears]

More often than not … yeah, I feel like that. I used to have internal dilemmas over 𝙡𝙖𝙬 before it became about morality ; right and wrong.

That eventually spilled over into the people I may have let down in all that I do.

But what’s got you feeling this way?

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

“ yeah, well. “ she watches him over the rim of her mug——almost in 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧, at the sight of him standing in her kitchen.

she watches him—— quiet, steady. “ i haven’t seen you in months. for all i know , you could’ve been 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝. “

[⌯⌯ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴜɴɪsʜᴇʀ ⌯⁍ @Castle0fGrief]

he ain't going anywhere, 𝘺𝘦𝘵— not without a cup of coffee and a bit of catching up.

“ —you look like you've seen a ghost or somethin' . . ”

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

she’s not most people——she doesn’t want him gone. not now, not ever ;

even if he does frustrate her ( sometimes ).

[⌯⌯ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴜɴɪsʜᴇʀ ⌯⁍ @Castle0fGrief]

⠀
that's a first— usually people want him 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦. .
⠀

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

don’t you 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞.

[⌖ ， 𝕯𝑬𝐗. @n3vermss]

let’s aim higher, how about a hospital .ᐣ

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

what can you do, exactly? blow up another building?

[⌖ ， 𝕯𝑬𝐗. @n3vermss]

aw, don’t be like that. I can be a good entertainer.

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

you might make it worse.

[⌖ ， 𝕯𝑬𝐗. @n3vermss]

Anything I could assist you with, Ms. page .ᐣ

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

—— she’d never admit it, but she quite enjoys the ( reader )’s presence.

[〝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎. ✴︎ @pagestained]

I was just… thinking. Thinking of those… I’ve lost. Do you ever feel like you might be letting the people you’ve loved and lost ( down )?

[Daredevil @ManWthoutFears]

You sound troubled, Ms. Page. A penny for your thoughts?