Romantic Notions (Frerard)

Twelve: Dramatic Irony

Frank grinned and tugged Jamia's arm as Gerard and Lindsey came around the corner, the blonde man beaming right back at him and waving.

"Riff Raff and Magenta, meet Columbia and Eddie," he laughed as he looked around at the group, pulling out his phone to take a picture of all of them together. "All the disenchanteds in one place." 

"Jeez, Frank, you're so dramatic; you could've been fuckin' Frank-N-Furter," Jamia teased, tucking her hair—well, wig—behind her ear shyly when Lindsey complimented her makeup.

"Only you could make Riff Raff anything less than creepy and weird as hell," he said to Gerard, a tender smile on his lips as he looked the blonde man up and down.

"And you're a much cuter Eddie than Meat Loaf ever was," Gerard complimented, trying his hardest to not just melt under the tattooed man's gaze. His heart fluttered with excitement, the feeling only growing as more people joined the crowd waiting to purchase their tickets.

"Are you nervous, Frankie?" he asked, taking the tattooed man's hand into his own.

"Mostly because of you being here," the tattooed man admitted, Gerard's face falling as he misinterpreted his words. Frank quickly gave the blonde man's hand a gentle squeeze, smiling as he connected their eyes. "I just don't wanna make a fool of myself in front of you."

Before they could say anything else, the ushers filed into the ticket booth, lifting the shutter and beginning to collect money.

"I need to head backstage, but I'll meet you after the show, alright?"

"Frankie—wait! Um, good luck!" Gerard called after him, the palm of his hand cold now that it was empty again. He shoved it in his pocket, digging out his wallet to pay for his and Lindsey's tickets.

The three friends were able to find seats near the front, Gerard grinning behind his popcorn as they claimed their spots in the third row. He was surprised to see Jamia's hand in Lindsey's when he looked over at his best friend, raising his eyebrows at Jamia over her shoulder. He could see a blush begin to tint her cheeks, the lights dimming just in time to hide it.

"Look, Gee; it's me!" Lindsey squealed as Magenta peeked her head out of the curtain, the trademark music beginning to play as the projector screen flickered to life.

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Frank was covered in sweat when he left the stage after the curtain call, the crowd still clapping as the actors filed off stage, Gerard's loudest among them all.

"That was amazing, Frankie!" he squealed, wrapping his arms around the tattooed man's neck in a tight hug. Frank laughed and spun him around, the blonde man's feet lifting off the ground for just a moment. His heart was beating hard in his chest when he was set back onto the ground, adrenaline and pride overflowing within him. He pressed a kiss to Frank's cheek without even thinking, regret settling across his features as he pulled away and saw the startled look on the other man's face.

"Thanks, Gee, I wasn't so nervous tonight; I actually had fun," he chuckled, his voice shaking ever so slightly. He was still trying to process the fact Gerard had kissed him, his brain turned to jelly over the quick peck to his cheek.

"I'm glad, you were awesome," Gerard laughed awkwardly, shoving his hands into his pockets. He forced a smile onto his lips again, thankful for Lindsey taking over the conversation and relieving some of the tension beginning to grow.

His mind kept replaying Frank's change of expression after the kiss, his eye-crinkling smile sliding off his face, and his eyes widening frantically. He just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide, embarrassed he'd acted without thinking and caused awkwardness between them.

Frank had similar concerns, wondering what he'd said or done to make Gerard think he was upset by the kiss. It'd happened too quickly for him to prepare for it, his first reaction overwhelming surprise instead of mere happiness.

He brushed his worries aside as the group made their way out of the crowded theater, doing his best not to lose track of his friends as they pushed through the masses of people in the aisles.

He breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped out into the icy, winter night, smiling to himself as he noticed Jamia and Lindsey unlink hands so they could keep them warm in their own pockets. He hadn't noticed they'd been holding hands until then, flashing his best friend a knowing look and making the poor woman blush just like Gerard had done earlier.

"Wanna come back to my place and hang out for a bit?" Gerard offered, tapping his foot to distract himself from the iciness of his fingers. "We can split cab fare, and—Jamia, you can finally meet Mitch!"

"You know I'd love to meet the little fur-ball, but it's past my bedtime, honey, and I've got to be up bright and early to help my mama move to her new apartment," Jamia sighed, an apologetic smile on her lips.

"I've gotta pass, too, Gee; you know I do that 'music for kids' program down at the YMCA on Saturday mornings," Lindsey shrugged, giving the blonde man a tight hug before catching up with Jamia to wait for a cab together.

"Just me and you, then, huh?" Frank concluded with a small laugh, testing the waters. He hoped the awkwardness between them had faded away by now, relief flooding his brain when Gerard chuckled softly and nodded his head.

"Just me and you," Gerard agreed, hesitating for a moment before looping his arm through Frank's. He might've even dared to try to hold his hand again if it wasn't so damn cold out.

Frost-bitten fingers are both an author's and a guitarist's worst nightmare, so linked arms would just have to do.

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i almost lost this chapter bc i'm a dumbass, so i'm just glad it survived to get uploaded lol
-Bren xo