ONE: Vanilla on My Hands

14: It's Not Always About Coming Early

He stood under the stream of hot water and closed his eyes, tempted to go back to sleep in the warmth of the water. He scowled and opened his eyes, grabbing the body wash and his sponge. He scrubbed himself clean and decided that this scrubbing would also be symbolic. He visualized himself scrubbing off the foul mood that wanted to settle over him. He didn't want to be nervous or annoyed as to why he had to take this new job. He wanted to think of it as a bright new opportunity that he could flourish in and show his full potential.

He told himself to expect bumps in the road today and to accept it. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked out into the bedroom. He didn't expect the first bump to bitch-slap him so soon. His confidence wavered ever so slightly as he stared into his closet at his clothing, a small 'ah fuck' leaving his lips as he put his hands on his hips. He could feel the water dripping from his hair and usually, he would dry it but right now it was low on his list of worries as he scowled at his clothing. It wasn't even seven in the morning yet and he was on the verge of full-on panic.

He realized that he had absolutely no idea about how he was supposed to dress for his job. He had plenty of clothing and he knew it. He had an abundance thanks to his boyfriend that loved to go shopping. But his job had a casual aspect to it thanks to the fact that all Frank had to do was sit at a desk and write- Occasionally go out to interview people. He could usually get away with sneakers and skinny jeans with a button-up at the paper. This job was probably not as blasé about the dress code. This was a serious job with a serious boss and Gerard hadn't told him what he should wear.

Frank couldn't remember if Way had told him what the dress code was or if there was some sort of uniform. Had he mentioned it? Frank was ninety-nine percent sure that he hadn't, but there was the one percent of his head that was uneasy. Frank continued to search and dig through his clothing, scratching for anything that was even remotely suitable for his first day. He couldn't find anything. Ryan had entered the bedroom to find Frank standing by the wardrobe, in one hand he held a shirt, looking at it like he was trying to decode it and in the other hand he held onto a pair of black jeans.

"You okay over there?" Ryan chuckled as he walked over to Frank's bedside table, setting his coffee down for him before he perched himself on the bed. He watched Frank curiously, narrowly missing the jeans when Frank threw them onto the bed as he cursed under his breath.

"More than okay." Frank lied. He wanted to have this completely under control. Internally he was freaking out because he didn't know what to wear. Jeans with the knees all scuffed up? No, not a good thing to wear. Frank threw them onto the bed along with the other pair of jeans he had discarded moments before. Ryan could clearly see that Frank wasn't okay, but he knew that he couldn't step in and help because Frank was stubborn.

"Okay." Ryan nodded, getting up from the bed because as much as he knew that he could watch Frank rummaging through the wardrobe for God knows how long, he too had to get ready for work. He had to be somewhere and he had offered to drop Frank off on his first day. He went about his usual routine, getting ready for work while Frank continued to silently panic, looking through everything he owned. If only it was simple. If only Frank could pick something out as easily as Ryan had just done. He was already pulling on his mustard-yellow slacks when Frank looked over his shoulder to check what Ryan was doing. That made Frank groan, getting more and more worked up until he knew that he had to say something. He knew that if he kept quiet then he wasn't going to get anywhere, "You sure you're okay?"

"Does it look like I'm okay?" Frank finally said. His voice was full of panic and sheer fear. He was so worried. What he wore today was going to make up break him. He wanted Way to look at him and believe that he made the right choice by hiring him, "Ry, I have nothing to wear today."