Working the second shift was something that deducted quality time away from Gerard and Frank's relationship. The older of the pair worked two in the afternoon, to twelve at night. It's something that, at the beginning of their relationship, they had their doubts that it would work. Though in the long run this proved to be inaccurate, as their love for each other motivated them to work through anything.
Frank was a local musician, and time not spent in the studio or writing music at home was spent at local venues and coffee shops where he shared his music with anyone that cared enough to show up, or whoever happened to be there.
They saw each other for a few hours everyday throughout the week, though they fell asleep next to each other every night, and that was enough for the two.
On Easter Sunday, as Frank lounged around the house alone, he couldn't help but feel even more eager than usual for his boyfriend to return home from work. The hours felt as if they were dragging on as slow as possible, and Frank became anxious.
To pass time, and occupy himself from his nerves, Frank decided to clean the entire house. Not only would his surprise have Gerard fomented, but a clean house would simply be icing on the cake.
After the grueling hours had passed, Gerard would finally be arriving home.
Gerard felt exhausted. Both mentally and physically, he felt drained. It was a Sunday- Easter Sunday, at that- and he was finally arriving home where he would be able to curl up to his boyfriend's warm, sleeping form, and get a good night's slumber before he had to be in the next day.
As he pulled in to the driveway and removed his keys from his ignition, he had to physically force himself to keep his eyes open. Today's work day was more tiring than the rest, for some reason unbeknownst to him.
Though as he approached the modest home he shared with Frank, he noticed a dim glow coming through the windows. He frowned in confusion, though tried his best not to allow his mind to jump to the irrational conclusion that Frank had set something on fire inside of his house.
He subconsciously held his breath as he twisted his key in the lock on the door, and released it immediately as he took in the sight before him. Frank had indeed set something on fire inside of the house.
Candles.
There were tea light candles illuminating the stairway that was accessible immediately from the front door. Gerard couldn't help the grin that graced his features as he processed that Frank had been up to something.
Upon taking a closer look, Gerard realized there were rose petals donning the stairs, leading up to an unknown location. He dropped his bag carelessly and kicked off his shoes, his eyes roaming the house as he realized the room he was occupying was spotless. It took a weight off of his shoulders, as a clean environment took away from the regular stress in the older man's life.
"Frank?" Gerard called to his boyfriend, not knowing where he was in the house. His voice cracked through his name, though he was too tired to care. He had hoped Frank wouldn't have been careless enough to leave candles burning before he went to sleep, though it seemed like Frank definitely had something planned.
After waiting a few silent moments and receiving no response, Gerard began ascending the stairs. He took his time, as he didn't want to lose his balance from the exhaustion that clouded his brain. He ran his fingers along the petals that dusted the stairs and couldn't help the way his cheeks burned with the strength of his smile.
He reached the top of the stairs and rounded the corner, being met with a nearly pitch black hallway. It wasn't completely dark, though, as there was a gentle glow coming from the crack underneath his bedroom door, which he could only assume was more candles. "Frankie?" he called again as he approached the door.
