Romantic Notions (Frerard)

Fifteen: Frankie's Secret

"Ow, what the fuck," Frank mumbled as the nurse started the IV in his arm, his eyes lazily fluttering open. "Hey, Gee."

"Welcome back, Frankie," the blonde man giggled, so glad to see him awake and himself that he briefly forgot about the worries darkly clouding the back of his mind.

"Shit, how much blood did I lose?" the tattooed man chuckled once he saw what his IV line was being hooked to, grimacing as he watched the blood slosh around in the bag as the nurse hung it up on the hook.

"You would've made the backseat of the cab look like a crime scene if I hadn't sacrificed your scarf—" Gerard teased, quickly shutting his mouth when the nurse fixed him with an impatient glare.

"Mr. Iero, if you experience any of the following symptoms, notify me immediately: shortness of breath, chills, fever, unusual itching, or chest pain. The procedure should take about an hour or two, and I will be here with you for the duration. Try your best to relax, and it will be over before you know it."

——————

After what felt like literal weeks since they'd entered the E.D., Dr. Ross greeted Gerard once again, pleased to see Frank lively and speaking.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Iero; I'm Dr. Ross, the one whose handiwork is on your forehead right now. I'm here to give you your discharge papers. I just need your signature on a few things for me, and then you and your boyfriend can get the fuck out of here."

Frank stiffened slightly at hearing the word 'boyfriend,' struggling to clear his mind as Dr. Ross explained what consent forms he needed signed and how to clean and care for his stitches. He waited until they were back out on the street before he asked Gerard about it, the embarrassment evident on the blonde man's face.

"I, uh, I didn't know if they'd let me go with you if I said I was just a friend, and I-I, uh, I didn't want you all alone in there," he babbled, too nervous and embarrassed to meet the tattooed man's eyes.

"Well, I think that's pretty sweet," Frank chuckled, hoping to reassure Gerard that he wasn't bothered by the fake title. His main concern was the markers he'd noticed on his hospital bracelet, desperate to know if Gerard had seen and what he'd thought, but also dreading that knowledge. "I need to get out of these bloody clothes... You wanna come to my place for a bit?"

Gerard nodded quickly, unasked questions of his own burning in his mind.

——————

"So, I'm guessing you noticed these, huh?" Frank sighed, heavily taking a seat on the couch. He'd abandoned his stained clothes in the corner of his bedroom, his legs now mostly bare in a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt obscuring his torso. His fingers fiddled with the little white bracelet, his thumb rubbing across the raised yellow stickers. "They give 'em to anyone they know is gay, just because of the risk, but, uh... it's what I know you're thinkin'."

Gerard nodded and bit his lip, eyes wide as he watched Frank and waited for the next words to leave his lips.

"I've been poz for about three years now... It was undetectable at my last check-up, but, ya know—it's serious shit. I was terrified when I got the diagnosis; I was sick all the time as a kid, and I didn't know if I could ever allow myself to be with somebody like that again..." Gerard didn't say a word, his expression stagnant as the tattooed man eventually looked up and made eye-contact with him.

"I-I, I wanted to tell you, Gee, I did, I just—I didn't want you to see me differently like my mom does now. Ray's the only one who knew, and I just figured I didn't need to tell you yet, unless—"

"Unless what, Frankie?" Gerard breathed, unsure if he'd actually spoken the words out loud or if they were only in his mind until Frank started to speak again.

"Unless things were different between us... that you knew that damn letter was about you, and that I only turned down staying at your apartment because I knew I would want to climb into bed with you, and the cheek kiss you gave me after Rocky Horror replays through my mind a thousand times a day, and-and,"

"Frankie—Frank, slow down," Gerard reassured, laughter mingling in his tone. "I wanted your letter to be about me. Even after I saw those little stickers."

No words would leave Frank's mouth, his mind in overdrive, but his lips static as he and Gerard stared at each other. He was the first to move, tackling the blonde man in a bone-crushing hug, arms tightly wrapped around his neck. Gerard hugged him back just as fiercely, happily giggling and pressing a kiss to the tattooed man's cheek. He was met with the taste of something salty, his heart aching as he realized they were Frank's tears.

"Why're you crying, Frankie?" he whispered, gently touching his cheeks after he'd pulled back to look at him again.

"I thought you were gonna hate me, Gee, I-I thought y-you would be too scared of something like this, I never th-thought—"

"My brother has it, too," the blonde man interrupted softly, only making Frank cry even harder. He buried his face in Gerard's shoulder again, his small form trembling with his gasps and little sobs. After a few moments of Gerard rubbing calming circles across his back, his breathing began to slow, the tears gradually beginning to cease pouring from his eyes.

He situated himself comfortably in the blonde man's lap, a grin that looked almost painful in its intensity on his tear-streaked face as he looked Gerard in the eyes. He seemed to be searching for something in them, Gerard's focus on the tattooed man's lips giving him the consent and reassurance he was looking for.

He was achingly gentle as he brought their lips together, the smooth glide of each other's mouths sending warmth all through his body. He couldn't help himself after a moment, all the tension and emotion bubbling under his skin pouring into that kiss, blonde hair curling around his fingers as he pressed their bodies closer together.

Gerard was breathless when he finally pulled away, something unreadable in his expression. Frank picked up on it instantly, clambering off his lap and already rambling apologies.

"No, Frankie, no, hold on a second... I was just thinking about Mitch all alone at the apartment."

"It's not about this, Frankie, I want this, I want you, I want to be with you," he said softly, gently touching Frank's cheek with his fingertips. "But I do think I need to go..."

"Shit, it's almost 3:00 AM, and I know you'll have to go to work tomorrow," the tattooed man sighed, biting his lip as he watched Gerard gather his things to leave. "Will you come see me after work?"

"Of course, I will, Frankie," Gerard giggled softly, kissing his cheek before as he buttoned up his coat. "Gotta make sure my new boyfriend is taking care of his stitches properly."

Frank blushed a deep red, that same wide grin from earlier on his lips as the two men said goodnight and wished each other sweet dreams.

And even all alone in their individual beds, sweet dreams of each other they did have.

~~~~~~

hope y'all aren't mad about this plot development & are just happy they finally kissed lol

i love you guys & i can't believe this story already has 500 reads & over 60 votes

-Bren xo

**disclaimer: hospitals aren't allowed to put any identifiers like that on your bracelet besides like 'fall risk' & whatnot & even those are just a solid colored band that the nurses & staff are trained on the meanings. this was a plot device only, & not a reflection on the american healthcare system because something like that would be a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) doctor-patient confidentiality violation**