it was him. frank.
"oh...frank im so-"
frank silenced gerard. "ive missed you, gee." frank walked around the counter and grabbed his hand.
"you don't look surprised to see me.." gerard trailed off, letting franks hand go.
"i knew you worked here. since the band broke up."
"why didn't you come get me! find me! talk to me!" tears started filling up the taller mans hazel eyes. "i never got over you. you knew all this time.."
"its not like that," frank said, not breaking eye contact with gerard. he wiped a tear from the other's cheek and whispered, "i thought you didn't want to see me. i didn't know. you never asked me for my number, anything."
gerard felt a pang of guilt shoot into his stomach. "im so sorry frankie. i just.." he trailed off. he didn't know why he never asked.
"i know i didn't ask either," frank continued. "but i just didn't want to seem like a creep." he pulled gerard closer. "i know im a bit late...but you want to go out for dinner sometime?"
gerard bit his lip. "tomorrow maybe..." he looked down.
"tomorrows good." he smiled that perfect smile that brightened up every room gerard was in.
"still im just so sorry and i want to make it u-" frank cut off gerard by putting a hand over gerards mouth.
"listen. i need a place to stay tonight. if im gonna stay here." frank still hadn't broke eye contact. "i have my car..its full of literally all my stuff..i lost my apartment. i don't have a job. when the band broke up i lost my hope for everything. hope that id find you. i got so depressed i stopped showing up," he paused and realized his hand was still over gerards mouth, so he gently put his hand at his side. "and then i got fired. urie isn't working there anymore, theres a new guy, jared, and he isn't very nice." frank laughed to himself.
"you can stay with me." he looked deep into franks eyes. "please stay with me. i never want to lose you."
..
they drove back to gerards in complete silence. except for the quiet radio playing iron maiden, just louder than the buzzing of franks car.
"you turn in here.." gerard pointed to the sign that read "meadowcreek apartments".
..
when the two got into gerards apartment frank was shocked. "you really don't have anything...do you?"
"nope. i never really saw the point. i don't have any friends other than Mikey. but hes my brother so it doesn't really count."
"oh." frank grabbed gerards hand and pulled him closer. "its getting pretty late. do you wanna go to bed?"
"sure.." gerard blushed faintly and gazed at the smaller man in front of him. "i'll show you where mmy bedroom is."
the raven-haired gerard led frank to his small bedroom filled with nothing but an open and almost empty closet, a bed, and a desk scattered with paper, pencils and crumpled up sketches. a few paints lay nearby the chair for the desk, unopened and unused.
"classy. no dresser, no alarm clock, no nightstand, nothing," frank teased playfully. "you don't even have a bed frame."
"shut up, faggot," gerard teased back punching frank lightly in the arm.
they made their way to gerards little bed, gerard climbing in first. "wow a quilt. i haven't seen one of these in years. and i mean A LOT of years." frank laughed to himself.
"i need it. it gets cold in Michigan." gerard cuddled up to frank, smiling. "but you wouldn't know."
"actually, ive been to Detroit once. with an old friend of mine, he wanted me up here for a summer. still didn't need quilts in summer."
"good for you," gerard whispered, giggling.
"whats so funny?"
"nothing," gerard said slowly. "i just missed you. your voice. your hair. your smile. i just missed you." gerard felt himself start to cry.
"ssshhh...its okay. im here now." frank stroked gerards soft messy black hair. "and im never leaving." he leaned down and kissed gerard.
"goodnight, frankie."
frank closed his eyes and smiled. "goodnight, Gee."
..
gerards alarm went off at 10AM. he turned it off, climbing over the sleeping frank next to him, and went down sitting at his desk.
grabbing a clean sheet of paper, gerard wrote a note.
"frank,
im running to the store real quick. i don't work weekends, just so you know. i'll be back in 20
xoxo g"
he pulled on a black pair of pj pants and the iron maiden shirt, grabbed his shoes and raced out the door.
he wasn't going to the store. he was running to mikeys. he raced over across the street, down the road, took a right, went up the 3 steps, and pounded on mikeys door.
the door clicked open. "what is it gee? i just woke up." he waved for gerard to come in, telling him to be quiet because Kristen was sleeping upstairs still. "so? why the fuck are you banging on my door at 10AM on a saturday?"
"youre never gonna believe this," gerard was bouncing his leg up and down, a nervous habit. "frank is at my house, sleeping in my bed. right. now."
"are you fucking kidding me?" mikey looked angry. not happy. "hes not staying. hes going back to his fucking florida happy little shit apartment you've told me so much about."
"why?" gerard stood up, towering over his brother.
"this isn't good for you. plus, where has he been all these years, huh?" mikey stood up too, now taller than gerard although he was younger.
"he thought i didn't want to see him again!" gerard was almost yelling. "i thought youd be happy for me!"
"if he loves you so much, why didn't he call? or come any sooner?!" mikey was yelling in gerards face.
"i didn't give him my number! it never came up! he thought i got over him, didn't even like him!" gerard screamed back.
"hes just gonna leave you again!"
"he didn't leave me, i left him! and its something i'll never forgive myself for. i thought youd be happy for me. apparently i made a mistake!"
mikey threw a punch landing on gerards jaw. gerard stumbled backwards, tripping over a coffee table.
"you bastard!" gerard lunged at mikey, jumping and tackling him. "you take everything for granted! you say you want to help me but all you do is call and talk!"
mikey threw another swing at gerard, hitting him in the nose. "its not my fault you've felt so sorry for yourself after your shitty band fell apart that you don't even have any money left or a good job!"
gerard screamed and punched mikey in the eye. "you have a nice house, a lot of money, and a wonderful life! you have everything i could've wanted! for Christ's sake, you have a band! a successful one!" mikey threw gerard off, gerard hitting his head on the fireplace. "but youre too fucking selfish and self absorbed to realize that i need more help than just a phone call every day." gerard ran out crying in pain. his nose was dripping blood and his jaw was already bruising, and the back of his head was stinging too. he didn't even care.
gerard ran back to his apartment, slammed the door shut, and put his back to the wall, sliding down, tears streaming down his pale cheeks.
"gerard!" frank ran over, kneeling beside him. "what happened?"
gerard looked up, pain glazed in his eyes. "i went to tell mikey about you..and we got in a fight.. and.." he started sobbing.
"sshh." he wrapped gerard up in his arms, holding him in his lap. "its fine now. youre okay. lets get you cleaned up, okay?"
he picked gerard up and carried him bridal-style to the bathroom, setting him on the countertop. "the rags are in the closet right be-"
the noise of a slamming door silence the beaten gerard.
"so im selfish huh? i'll show you selfish you piece of shit!" mikey stormed through the hallway. he held a baseball bat in his hand.
frank ran out to where mikey was. "get the fuck out!" frank kicked mikey in the gut, and mikey stumbled backward but regained balance. he took the baseball bat to the window, smashing it out.
"what the fuck!" gerard had come out of the bathroom by that time.
"you know i don't being insulted gerard! you made a pretty bad move!"
he smashed another window. frank ran over to the thin tall man, and decked him in the face. he was much stronger than gerard, so he fell backwards.
"youre that douchebag gerard was rambling on about!" mikey stood up, grabbing the bat and swinging at frank. he missed.
"mikey stop!" gerard ran for mikey again, to be hit with the metal bat. he fell to the ground, screaming in pain.
"what the fuck!" frank ripped the bat from mikeys hand.
"i wont let you ruin my fun, frankie." mikey kicked frank in the shin, grabbing for the bat when frank went down. frank kicked it before mikey could get to it, then pulling mikey down to the ground.
"you fucking crazy bitch!" frank heaved himself up holding mikey in a pressure-point hold, his arms locked behind his back. "struggle and i'll snap your fucking neck you fucking piece of shit," he whispered into mikeys ear.
mikey tried to wriggle out of franks grasp, frank then kneed him in the gut extremely hard.
"fuck you, frank. ive been wanting to do this for a long time, and you just had to ruin it, didn't you?"
"shut up, bitch!" he threw mikey out the door, slamming it and locking it tight.
frank ran over to gerard, who was laying on the ground, curled up and crying in pain. "gee? you okay?"
gerard didn't answer.
"gerard!" he lifted gerard up a little, seeing gerards mouth. blood was spilling out of it, pooling on the floor. "fuckfuckfuckfuck" frank started to panic. he left gerard standing there, running to the bathroom and back with a rag in hand. "put this where the blood is coming from."
he scooped gerard up and carried him down the steps, skipping down every other step.
"youre gonna be okay," frank whispered to gerard over and over. they drove down to the ER and frank rushed in carrying gerard in his arms still.
the white rag was now stained completely red. gerard got taken into one of the rooms in the back.
..
mikey had broken gerards jaw, and a tooth on the bottom left got knocked out. there had been so much bleeding gerard passed out, but he was fully awake now.
gerard saw a door open in the room he was in. it was frank. "hey gee...how are you?"
gerard tried to answer, but he couldn't open his mouth. it hurt to try. his lips could come apart but his teeth wouldn't budge. he started to panic. gerard looked around the room trying to find a mirror.
frank looked startled, wondering why gerard wasn't answering him.
gerard pointed to his mouth with eyes as big as the moon, looking terrified.
"what is it? you okay?" frank looked him in the eyes.
gerard showed frank his teeth.
"they stapled your teeth together!" frank said, shocked.
gerard froze. of course they had, hed broken his jaw. hed been so stupid.
"looks like you wont be able to talk for a while," frank laughed. "i did talk to Kristen, in think her name was..she came to the hospital. shes mikey girlfriend i guess. she said she saw you two fighting this morning. and found mikey all battered up," frank sighed. "she said she was sorry for mikey and she was gonna pay for the like three windows he broke. and the hospital bill."
