TO

You survived losing your parents. You survived building a life on your own. You thought you’d finally found something close to normal. Then you brought home the wrong thing. Now an international trafficking ring wants you dead, and the only person standing between you and the people hunting you is Frank Castle. The Punisher doesn’t do rescues. He doesn’t babysit civilians. And he certainly doesn’t get attached. But when he finds you fighting to survive in the middle of an ambush, injured and refusing to give up, something changes. Frank becomes your protector. Safehouses. Motel rooms. Midnight gunfire. Endless arguments. Close calls that leave you bruised, bleeding, and wondering how either of you is still alive. And eventually, the roles reverse. Frank takes a hit meant for you, leaving you to keep him alive. For the first time, Frank realizes you’re not someone he has to carry. You’re someone who would carry him too. Peter Parker—your best friend and practically your little brother—isn’t thrilled about the terrifying vigilante suddenly watching over you. Especially when he starts noticing the way Frank looks at you. Because this isn’t just protection anymore. It’s attachment. It’s trust. It’s something neither of you is brave enough to name. Frank tells himself he’ll disappear once the threat is over. But the longer he stays beside you, the harder it becomes to imagine walking away. And when the people hunting you finally come for everything you have, Frank has one choice left: Finish the job and leave you behind… or admit that somewhere along the way, protecting you became the one thing he couldn’t walk away from.