Marvel/Peter Parker One Shots!

The Devil's Advocate

A/N Written by @Beguile.

The envelope is delivered straight to Matt's old apartment. Left on the floor outside the door.

"TO THE 3 STOOGES," it says in an angry scrawl across the front. Jessica carries it inside, because she's the only one wearing gloves. Luke calmly states that they report it to the police and is halfway to calling Misty when Danny rips it open and starts into it.

Inside is a notebook, about a hundred pages. Edges frayed from wear. A stained ring from a coffee mug on the front cover next to a title written in thick black Sharpie, "RE: THE DEVIL OF HELL'S KITCHEN." Danny flips through the contents, all of them handwritten. The occasional diagram halts his progress, but he continues examining the pages.

"It's about Matt," he says, "All about Matt. His armour, his fighting style, his motivations..." He flips back to the first page. The inside of the cover bears an introductory note.

"Does it say who it's from?" Luke asks, immediately worried about a threat.

Danny shrugs. "F.C.?"

Jessica tears the notebook away from him and rips open the front cover. She points at the initials at the bottom of the note, thinks for a second, and then states, "It's Frank Castle. You remember. The Punisher guy."

"The one who took out the Irish?" Luke asks.

"And the Dogs of Hell. And a bunch of other guys."

"What's he have to say?"

Jessica sighs. God damn it, she has to do fucking everything. "To the 3 Stooges of Hell's Kitchen," the sarcasm in her voice is as much her own as this guy's, "I leave this as a reminder that your recent actions at Midland Circle are a fitting disgrace in a disgraceful city. Because of your inaction, your apathy and stupidity, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen - oh, Jesus." She slams the notebook shut and is about to rip it in half when Luke calmly takes the book away from her. "He says it's our fault Matt died. Like we were the ones who made him stay in the building."

Luke sighs. He parses through Castle's scrawl. "Because of your inaction, your apathy and stupidity, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen was left to die under an imploding building while you and your allies fled to safety.

"This kind of -" Luke edits out the curse word, "-stuff cannot and will not stand. You want to fight with the devil, you better make sure you know how to do that. You don't enable or encourage him to do stupid-" again with the cursing, "-stuff."

Danny is livid. Frank Castle may as well be in the room from how worked up he's getting. "Matt knew what he was doing. He said as much when he asked me to protect the city. He knew the building was coming down and didn't come with us."

"What the hell were we supposed to do?" Jessica demands.

Luke sighs. "Evidently more than we did. Castle's note goes on."

Jessica snarls. "What the hell else could he possibly have to say? Matt's dead."

"The following must be made clear," Luke continues reading from the note, "Number one: the Devil is not dead."

"Oh, Jesus..."

"Your failing to produce a body is proof enough."