Bubblegum Bitch ♡ Smut Oneshots

Cherry Waves

Hi! Brand new commission here. We have small town rivalry between two high school seniors who accidentally fall into the first stage of love. I hope you like it!
—

When the smooth vintage sound of Gerard's spinning vinyl record encountered a screeching skip, the led to his mechanical pencil snapped before he could complete the sloppy shading on a doodle he idly filled in as he drifted in his thoughts.

Gerard grunted at both the interruption to his peaceful drawing and the dreaded flaw he saw coming due to his excessive amount of listens to that particular record. He hauled himself out of his— surprisingly —made bed and trudged over to the corner where his record player was balanced on the dresser jam-packed with countless issues of comic books and unread horror novels accumulating dust from the times he insisted he'd read them later. There was a single path of cleanliness from his finger passing through the film of dust a day prior to test out the degree of filth. It wasn't so bad, could've been thicker, nothing compared to the rotting Santa Claus figurine his mother hoarded up in the attic.

Gerard sighed with discontent as he inspected his Smashing Pumpkins 'Adore' record. There were no visible scratches, at least not in the poor lighting from his desk lamp. He gingerly slid it back into its sleeve battered around the edges only and nearly tucked it between his crate holding a massive record collection. If you couldn't tell, Gerard had an affinity for collecting things, no matter if he ever got to them or not, it was all about the excitement it brought on and the content feeling gazing at them from across the room. Although, he wasn't the best at maintenance, as one could see from the scattered objects, film of dust, and the nearly overflowing dirty laundry basket sitting idly in the closet, awaiting to be dragged out and greeted by Gerard's disgruntled face.

Padding out of his basement bedroom and up to the kitchen where his mother was bustling around baking a fresh round of pies for the neighbor's dinner they were invited to that evening, Gerard leaned against the counter and inhaled the sweet fumes of the homemade flaky crust accompanied by the appetizing glaze coating the warm cherries underneath. He plucked a fresh blackberry from the rinsed pile resting on the counter intended for the next dessert. Donna Way was deeply proud of her immaculate pie recipes and took up any chance she was given to show off. That night wasn't any exception, but if you asked Gerard, there was an excess amount they wouldn't know what to do with once dinner drew to a close.

"Don't you think you're making too many desserts?" Gerard cocked his head to the side at the assortment.

Donna wrapped up her infamous cherry pie in a layer of plastic wrap and laid it to rest on the spread out towel resting on the granite counter beside her coconut cream pie. "I'd rather make too much over too little."

"I understand that, but —" Gerard cut himself off swiftly. "You know what, go nuts. Make a dozen if you want."

Donna chuckled fondly. "Don't pretend you and your brother don't eat half a pie for breakfast sometimes."

Gerard gave a dopey smile being reminded of the privilege that was having a baker as a mother; scooping leftover pie from the fridge and plucking a fork from the silverware drawer first thing in the morning to retreat to his bedroom to devour it while watching reruns of Buffy. His friends teased his ass for still having an interest in Buffy, but it was less on the scale of being into teen dramas with cheesy dialogue and outdated jokes and more so about drooling over Spike in his leather trench coats and combat boots.

"And I cannot wait to do it again," Gerard stole the can of whipped cream resting on the counter and squeezed a dollop onto his finger to lick it off. "What time are we leaving?"

"Oh, you guys aren't coming with us. You're taking Mikey to that football game they're having at your high school. He told me he wants to go there instead, so I said you'd take him."

Gerard tipped his head back and groaned. "Seriously? The one night I don't want to go to a game, he magically wants to?"

"It'll be more fun for you kids. We don't wanna bore you with talk about work and whatever neighborhood gossip is going around."

"I'd love to hear about Denice Walker's next scandal." Gerard rested a hand over his chest. His mother swatted him on the ass with kitchen towel and he yelped at the sharpness of her strike.

"Those were just rumors, don't go around talking about that like it meant anything." Donna gave him the warning eyes matching the severity of her tone. Gerard held up disarming hands and dropped them at his sides when she turned around again.

"None of my friends are going tonight and I'm sure Mikey's gonna wander off with his. That's great." Gerard sighed deeply.

"I love being such a burden in your life, big brother." Mikey materialized in the doorway and startled the soul out of an unsuspecting Gerard.

"Jesus fu—" Gerard cut himself off as his mother smacked her mouth in disapproval. "God, I'm gonna put a bell on you so I hear you when you're walking around."

Mikey ignored Gerard's frazzled demeanor and plucked a berry from the pile resting on the cutting board. "Did Denise Walker do something again?"

"More like someone." Gerard mumbled under his breath, earning a snort from his brother.

Donna sighed. "No, this town is just nosy and loves to stir up drama. I taught you boys to respect women, so don't add fire to the rumors. Stop eating those berries, I need them for the pie."

Mikey turned to Gerard, giving him a chance to noticed his flat ironed hair was fixed extra meticulously and tucked under the arms of his glasses perched on nearly the edge of his nose.

"Sorry for the change in plans. My friends just really wanted to go to the game today. Pete's gonna be there, same with Gabe and Alicia." Mikey slid his glasses into their proper placement.

Ah, the triangle involving the ghosts of Mikey Way's past crushes and present one, the aforementioned Pete Wentz. It was only Mikey's first year in high school and he went through an assortment of crushes that didn't exactly work out, they all tended to fall into a valuable friendship that couldn't be wasted on a relationship potentially ending on an ill note. It was a wise choice for a kid, Gerard had to say, so he never gave Mikey any shit for it.

"If you give Pete fluttery lashes in front of me, I'm dragging you back home."

Mikey rolled his eyes, though the tips of his ears flushed pink instantly. "There'll be nothing to gag over, I promise you that. Let's get going in a few, or else the snack bar line gets ridiculously long."

—

One thing Gerard adored about the small town he resided in nestled in the not so cozy corner of New Jersey was the beauty of the setting sun. The apricots and pastels blending together in a serene canvas of pale blue. The way it faded into the bruised plums of the night was nothing short of inspiring to Gerard, though lately, the moment he picked up a pencil to sketch, he couldn't muster any sort of image other than upsettingly simple drawings he only forced himself to carry along with in hopes of awakening the more creative portion of the artist gene he carried in him. Fruitless attempts such as those hardly ever worked unless he recently discovered something new that caused inspiration to flourish on whim, spending the new surplus of fuel lapping in the tank before it disintegrated and left his engine sputtering weakly.

Other than the dashing sunsets serving as a faint muse to a young artist, Gerard didn't particularly enjoy living in a small town, nor did he resent it so much. It was a complicated thing. On one hand, Gerard spent his entire childhood there and it was where family and friends settled in. He was accommodated to the chilling winters and muggy summers, the ice cream parlors older than himself and the rundown cinema that refused to touch up on their filthy carpeted hallways wasting away in piles of faded thread. On the remaining hand, a small town was exactly what it was made out to be in televised programs; a running mill of gossip and rivalry where the town was split down the center and handfuls of people were questionably pitted against each other. One portion faring well with a view of perfect trimmed lawns and backyards with built in pools while the other was accustomed to shabby roofs over dated houses, yellowing lawns or flat out dirt lots. Some attempted to plant gardens at the very least if they couldn't roll out fancy sheets of pristine grass.

Gerard lived under one of the houses with a shabby roof and tacky insides because they didn't exactly have the funds to hollow everything out and replace things with modernized furniture and flooring. His floorboards creaked under every step and there was chipping stucco on the ceilings, the kitchen had faded laminated flooring and there was floral wallpaper from the 90's in his mother and father's bedroom. They weren't hurting for money, but they lived humbly in contrast to the other side of town; the east side. They weren't exactly Beverly Hills either, but there was an air of arrogance that followed the upward turn of their noses each time they passed by the others in the middle where all of the shopping centers remained. In return, the more humble batch of civilians from the west side huffed at the sight of the snobs and blatantly ignored them, sparking a silent dispute that wasn't grand enough to need settling, but it was deemed unworthy of repairing either; everyone simply stood out of the way.

Personally, Gerard thought it was a bit petty for grown adults to turn against each other, but another part of him understood after his own rough encounters with imperious east siders who weren't entitled in the slightest bit, it wasn't like they ruled in lavish mansions looking over feeble little Peasantville down below. Even then, it didn't place them at the top of the food chain, there wasn't a real reason for anyone to act as though their status of living gained them superiority.

Arriving to the school football game after the sun finished setting over the hills with a finalizing wink of orange light, Gerard trailed off towards the bleachers with Mikey at his side, fighting not to roll his eyes at the strident voices and booming laughs of the beefy guys from the opposing teams headed towards the opposite side of the field where their bleachers were set up.

"Bunch of fucking meatheads." Mikey mumbled under his breath. Gerard's elbow dug into his side and Mikey flinched away.

"Keep your comments to yourself, those guys try to fight anyone from around here that breathes in their direction." Gerard said the words once the guys were further out of hearing range, keeping his eyes straight ahead.

"You'd think we're living in some Shakespearean universe where someone's gonna take out a sword and point it at our throats."

"It's not anywhere near that bad."

"One day it will be. I'm gonna be the one who pulls out the sword."

Gerard pointedly ignored Mikey's bitter comment about pulling swords on people who were merely an annoyance rather than the whole mortal enemies universe Mikey conjured up in his imagination. However, a little snort escaped him at the mental image of his younger brother wielding a weapon, thinking he could possibly be seen as intimidating, someone as scrawny and typically timid as himself. As a matter of fact, he was only timid in certain social situations, if Mikey accommodated to his surroundings, then a wallflower suddenly peeled away from the secluded shadows and became an enigma with his witty remarks and this strange trait of his that caused nearly half of the female population in his grade level to become infatuated with him. It must've been the charm he inherited from Gerard — the alleged charm, that was. Gerard liked to believe he was a catch just enough so it would manifest itself in reality.

Gerard clambered up the squeaky bleachers just as the game kicked off. He avoided blocking anyone's view and scanned the building crowd in hopes of catching a glimpse of one of his friends, but he came back disappointed to find he'd mostly be on his own since Mikey immediately caught up with his crew before Gerard's ass could meet the worn bench a few tiers up. Mikey looked over his shoulder, guilt creeping up over him to abandon his brother who drove him there, but Gerard simply waved him off with a smile. However bored Gerard would be now that he was condemned to football hell, he couldn't hold Mikey back from spending quality time with his friends and crush. He never bought it when Mikey went to deny his crush on Pete when it was so painfully obvious; Pete pulled Mikey into a half hug and the flush on Mikey's face was bright enough to compete with Tinkerbell's vivid blush.

When Mikey wandered off with his friends to the snack bar, Gerard drifted to the last tier of the bleachers to get away from a couple notorious for snogging obnoxiously in public settings. He huffed, eyes following the football players scrambling across the field and knocking into each other. Gerard couldn't name off a single fact about the functions of football even if there was a gun pressed against his temple and the perpetrator demanded him to do exactly that. He was out of the sports loop, he felt it reeked heavily of testosterone and he assumed he lacked a touch of it since he seemed to be the only male in his school who didn't show any interest whatsoever in any sport. The only thing he could learn to appreciate was the tightness of the leggings footballs players squeezed themselves into; that was a nice sight to follow after if no spark of intrigue came about while getting through the game. He only really attended them to spend time with friends and fuck around on campus, the games were purely an excuse to hang out.

About twenty minutes in and before he could successfully zone all the way out, Gerard's eyes darted over to a sound of something hitting the ground and someone hissing out an exasperated curse. He noticed a stranger's small tub of popcorn had fallen out of their grasp and spilled across the floor in a mess of wasted fluffy kernels. Gerard winced, feeling the secondhand pain of the loss. The kid who spilled the tub sighed melodramatically and kicked at the kernels with a languid swing of his leg. He plopped down on the opposite side of the bench Gerard was propped up on, shoving his hands in the deep pockets of his hoodie and pursing his lips disappointedly.

Admittedly, Gerard most likely wouldn't have noticed him right away if he hadn't spilled his popcorn, but the guy was probably one of the most attractive people Gerard set eyes on in a long while. His hair drew his attention first, a stripe of messy black locks swooping down to his cheek making a contrast against the stain of deep red dying the shaved down sides. His side profile was pleasant to look at, the soft curve of his button nose, the angle of his thin eyebrows over sleepy eyelids, the gentle pucker of lips that were just plush enough to rescue them from being rendered thin. Not to mention the piercings, one hooked through his lower lip and another through his nostril.

All of it was right up Gerard's alley and ticking off boxes on his list of requirements for the boy of his dreams he prayed for since he was fourteen, but there was one flaw. This kid was a snob. His black hood happened to display the opposing team's logo, the bobcats, an unmistakable splash of emerald green and gaudy gold.

Gerard wrinkled up his nose. Already, as he glanced around, others were shooting the kid unwelcoming glances, shifting in their seats. It was obvious no one had enough curtesy to at least tap him on the shoulder and inform him that he was seated on the wrong side of the field. Gerard wasn't exactly comrades with east side, but he was a decent person that couldn't let someone be put in an uncomfortable situation.

Gerard inched across the bench hesitantly. The kid hadn't noticed, lost in his thoughts as he stared straight ahead, a little angry crease between his eyebrows. He wasn't having the smoothest evening, Gerard was willing to bet the spilling of his popcorn was only the cherry on top. He contemplated his approach and tapped his fingers against his thigh. Eventually, he scooted his ass all the way across the bench to gently tap the stranger's shoulder to grab his attention.

The kid flinched, pulled out of his thoughts, his head wheeling around to look at Gerard. God, he was unfortunately pretty, those were the brightest pair of opalescent eyes Gerard had ever seen. He caught traces of caramel blending into a gold, traces of summer green and chocolate brown. Gerard swallowed his tongue for a second, forcing himself to stay on track; there was no way he'd let himself be lead astray from his intentions because of a gorgeous pair of large eyes.

"Hey, uh," Gerard started ungracefully, "I don't think you know this, so I'm just gonna . . . tell you. You're sitting on the wrong side of the field." he pointed down to the design printed onto the stranger's hood.

The kid seemed befuddled at first, pinching his hoodie to glance down at the front. He looked around and the people who were shooting him the side eye rapidly turned their eyes forward, their mouths stiff as their posture.

"That's great," The kid grumbled, "Wasn't my intention to keep my friends close and my enemies closer."

Gerard refrained from rolling his eyes at the enemies tagline. "Just letting you know before they start throwing tomatoes at your head or something."

The east side kid actually chuckled at Gerard's joke, turning his head and raising a perfect eyebrow, one corner of his mouth curling up. "Do you guys usually carry tomatoes to throw at us? That's creative."

"Only on Wednesdays. We're a little less bloodthirsty on Fridays." Gerard surprised himself by playing along. His cheeks warmed and he cleared his throat, rolling his lips together.

The kid's lips curved up all the way, impressed by the easy flow of Gerard's reply. He sucked on the silver ring looped through his bottom lip for a moment contemplatively and held his hand out. "I'm Frank."

Gerard glanced down at the hand held out to him invitingly, darting a look over his shoulder nervously in case anyone was watching their interaction. Some were, as discreetly as they could, but the set of their shoulders wasn't anything close to accepting of it. Gerard wasn't a total asshole, so he hesitantly took Frank's hand, giving it a brief shake.

"Gerard." he introduced himself quietly, yet keeping his tone as modulated as possible instead of showing Frank unjustified animosity the way others from his part of town would.

"Interesting name." Frank's eyes darted across Gerard's face and to his hair. "Almost as interesting as that hair color."

Gerard touched a lock of his hair. "You would know." He gestured to the red dye staining part of Frank's hair, a few notches darker than the bright and bold color Gerard selected for himself.

Frank raked a hand through his hair and rearranged his curling fringe around his cheek as a breeze caught it and it fluttered in his line of eyesight. A knowing smirk curled his pretty mouth, a sparkle entering his eyes. "I'm more blood red. You're . . . —"

"Strawberry Shortcake? Wouldn't be the first times someone's called me that."

"Actually, I was gonna go with cherry. Clearly I'm not creative enough, strawberry didn't even cross my mind." Frank chuckled, and sensing the stares drilling into his back, his smile dissolved in an instant as he glanced over his shoulder, returning Gerard to reality as well. Gerard tore into his lower lip and turned away with a faint furrow to his brow, shaking off the lingering sensation of eyes on him.

"You, uh, better go. It would suck if someone started heckling you." Gerard wiped his palms along the worn knees to his dark jeans, pressing his legs together.

"You really go with the flow of this rivalry bullshit?" Frank sounded heavily disappointed in the fact, as though he had different expectations.

Gerard wavered a bit uncertainty. Had Frank expected for things to be different? Such was their norm, an ingrained social issue overtaking their small town and dividing it into two clashing sections that occasionally met in the middle when it was a requirement.

"It's just wise to stay out of each other's way so we don't run into trouble," Gerard murmured with a faint cringe, "I mean, you sort of hate us anyway, right? You called us your enemies."

Frank's scoff threw Gerard off guard. His hazel eyes flashed as he sharply turned towards the field, his tongue fiddling with his lip ring for a moment. "Only because you guys decided to hate our guts for no reason first. Of course we're not mooning over any of you when you treat us like aliens."

Gerard's defenses flared, a spark of shock hotly working up his spine and fizzling unpleasantly in the contours. "You — the east side thinks they're too good for people like us. It's the whole reason why we stay away from you, you act like you're gonna catch cooties from us or some shit."

"Cooties? Are you in fifth grade or something?"

"I'm no more immature than you and your people on the opposite side of town."

Frank's laughter following Gerard's response was acidic, a bitterness running deep in the harsh pull of it, enough to scald Gerard who looked on with wide eyes. Frank leapt up to his feet, worn Vans crushing the remnants of spilled popcorn spread out on the ground. He turned to face Gerard as he began walking backwards, shaking his head slowly.

"Maybe if you and your townies weren't so ignorant, then you'd know things aren't always what they look like on the outside." With his finalizing spitball of venom, Frank whirled around on his feet and swiftly walked off towards the direction of the opposite side of the field.

Gerard stared after him, stunned solid for a still moment, until a rush of offense followed, spiking hotly in his blood. He tightly shut his mouth which was left agape by the insult Frank left him with, as though Gerard had given any reason to be called ignorant. He wasn't ignorant, he simply went along with what he saw, though he wished circumstances could've been different — that was just how things were and Gerard didn't have the capability to change it. The cards were out of his hands, Gerard merely granted Frank with a warning before more pools of his own classmates filled the bleachers and picked Frank out from the crowd to harass him until he was given no choice but to retreat. Gerard wasn't running on hatred the way they were, but after a pointed insult was flung his way, he grated his teeth together harshly and the building tension in his jaw came from the indignation piling in his chest.

'You and your townies,' insinuating everyone on Gerard's portion of town was ridden with stupidity, an indirect blow to the family and friends Gerard considered some of the most intelligent and compassionate human beings on the planet. Gerard bristled, his anger only building, and he considered stalking off in the same direction to confront Frank, but from the looks of that kid, there was a strong possibility he'd pick up a fight. Gerard stood down against his instincts, glaring straight ahead without focusing on what laid there, his jaw remaining clenched so tight that it ached at the end of the evening when the game drew to an end and Mikey returned, completely unsuspecting of anything that occurred.

For once, Gerard was satisfied by his school team's victory against the east side, hoping Frank was discontent with the loss and that he'd cry about it when he returned to his flashy home.

—

Once the weekend rolled in, Gerard took advantage of his temporary free time to gather his keys and roll out to the center of town to pay a visit to the record store in the pursuit of replacing his Adore vinyl. It happened to be the shop where he purchased his original copy and he hoped it was still available, though he held little doubts it wouldn't be since the shop was notorious for having an abundance of fantastic records to choose from.

That time, Mikey didn't tag along, he decided to head to the skating park with friends despite his inability to balance on a skateboard. Gerard remembered the first time Mikey received a board for his eleventh birthday and he took it out on the street to test it, he fell flat on his face several times before he gave up, discarding the board somewhere in the attic to be forgotten under piles of dust and cobwebs. There was still a shadow of a scar on his knee from the time he skinned it and bared a wound so gnarly that it was difficult to look at when he showed off his battle wounds to Gerard before his mother patched him up.

Entering the record store, the tinkle of the bell strung up above the glass door announced Gerard's entry. He removed his sunglasses and shoved them in the pocket of his leather jacket, his eyes sweeping around the familiar dark red carpet and the collectible band posters pinned to the walls. The front desk was vacant, though Gerard detected noise coming from the backroom, so he assumed whoever worked the cashier was fumbling with items at the moment. He dismissed it and wandered down the rows of music organized by artists in alphabetical order. He mused over a few records first before heading directly to the S section where his desired album would likely reside.

Gerard was flipping through a couple of Blur records when the cashier emerged from the backroom and approached the front desk. "Welcome to Constellation Records, do you need help finding anything?"

"Uh, no thank you, I'm just looking around a little." Gerard said at first without glancing over. He pushed the records he flipped through back into place and sighed lightly, turning his head. Immediately, when their eyes connected, both of them stiffened at the sight of each other.

Out of all the times Gerard visited the record store, not once had he seen Frank wandering around on the job, but of course, since Gerard now had a personal vendetta against him, he magically appeared at the front desk.

"Oh, it's you again." Frank sounded less than thrilled by Gerard's appearance. He lost his friendly smile of greeting and flopped down on the high stool behind the register with a deep sigh, eyes trained on Gerard standing in the middle of the aisle.

"Pardon me for existing." Gerard rolled his eyes and turned his focus back onto the records instead of wasting any more of his breath. He felt Frank's presence heavy in the air, and although it was a bit petulant of him to be so bothered by it, he reminded himself he had all the reason to hold a grudge.

Gerard pointedly ignored Frank despite his nerves being ground down by the sound of him smacking his gum, swearing he did it on purpose to tick him off. Gerard kept his breathing steady despite the irritation tingling under his skin and picked out the record he searched for to cut his visit short. There was no way he was lingering now.

Approaching the register, Gerard composed his expression into one of indifference, making it clear he only entered the building for a quick purchase, nothing more. He slipped up a little and his eyes instinctively glanced over Frank, noticing the pink belt drawn through the loops of his torn up black jeans, the chipping nail polish on his fingers impatiently drumming against the counter. He fleetingly met Frank's large hazel eyes that were slightly narrowed to appear unwelcoming and Gerard averted his gaze, sliding over the record for it to be scanned.

"We have a sale, if you buy one record, you can get the other half off." Frank's hardened voice exclusively meant business.

Gerard shrugged, returning to the aisles to pluck out To Bring You My Love by PJ Harvey, placing it on the counter along with the other. Frank glanced at them, clicking his tongue softly and nodding. Swiping the barcode under the scanner, Frank kept focused on the cover art, his mouth faintly curling as though he contemplated something. Gerard's eyebrows furrowed a bit, wondering if Frank meant to slander his music taste on top of it all.

"These are two of my all time favorite records." Frank awkwardly commented on Gerard's selection, the complete opposite of what he anticipated.

Gerard's furrowed brows now shot up in surprise. Frank refused to look at him, punching in the total with an exaggerated look of concentration. He continued on by asking, "These are for you, right?"

"Yeah, they're for me. They're some of my all time favorites, too. I don't know why I never got around to buying To Bring You My Love until now." Gerard scratched at the tingle of surprise slithering down the side of his neck still partially stained from the fresh touch-up of red dye he applied that morning. "I, uh . . . I listened to Adore so much that my original record messed up. I had to buy a new one."

A muscle in Frank's jaw twitched. For a moment, a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips which were still appallingly lovely, Gerard begrudgingly admitted. Everything about Frank exuded a type of prettiness that appealed to him and there was still that perfectly masculine edge to him that Gerard would be gravitated towards in an instant if it weren't for their poor first encounter.

"Same thing happened to me with To Bring You My Love and The Queen is Dead. Y'know, The Smiths."

Gerard simply couldn't suppress the firework of enthusiasm exploding in a rain of sparkling showers in his gut. "I fucking love The Smiths."

Frank's eyes finally rose and met Gerard's, a sparkle of something magnificent crossing his irises. "What's your favorite album?"

"The one you just mentioned. I could listen to it every day and never get tired of it. I probably have every lyric memorized."

"Perfect for car karaoke, right? Especially when you're by yourself."

"Fuck yeah it is, I have real life experience to back that statement."

"You happen to like Bowie by any chance?" It may have been a trick of the ear, but a hopeful note entangled with Frank's question.

"God, I can't even express how much I adore Bowie. The music and the person. I wanted to be him so bad when I was younger. I'd dress like him and steal my mom's makeup to draw on my face the same way, he's a huge staple in my life." Gerard unintentionally gushed and revealed himself as the ultimate Bowie enthusiast, an artist he'd gladly ramble about all day if he were given the chance. He momentarily forget who he was speaking to, and when reality caught up, Gerard pressed his mouth shut before he could say anything embarrassing.

Gerard suddenly sobering up cause Frank to do the same, the quirk of his lips wilting into a near frown. Frank cleared his throat as the silence blanketed over them and mumbled Gerard's total. Gerard fumbled with his worn wallet and paid for the records, keeping quiet as Frank bagged them up and slid them over the counter to give them away. Their eyes met, hands nearly brushing together as Gerard moved the bag out of Frank's grasp, and for some reason, his breath tangled up.

Gerard was about to step away, but Frank was visibly floundering, his mouth opening and shutting with the desire to say something, but he couldn't cough out the words. Gerard lingered, his feet planted to the carpet below even though he should've walked off without giving Frank the opportunity to utter another word to him.

"Look," Frank breathed out a long string of air ridding of all the tension stored in his shoulders and pressed his hands against the counter to steady himself. "We got off on the wrong foot. I swear I'm not that big of an asshole all the time — well, I'm not denying I'm an asshole, but I was having a really tough day."

Gerard's eyebrows shot up. "I could kinda tell."

Frank's cheeks heated with a flush of pink. "I just get a little defensive about this divided small town bullshit. I defend my friends and family the way you'd defend yours."

Frank had a valid point Gerard couldn't stubbornly peer around to keep up with a petty grudge over something Frank said. The only reason Gerard felt any way towards the insult was for the exact reason Frank pointed out to him as an explanation for his behavior.

"I understand," Gerard said warily, though it was true he understood, "It's just been this way for as long as I can remember. Obviously we both have our . . . biases or something. We're like sheep in a way. Following the herd because it's all we know."

"Yeah, that's exactly it. I just — I'm sorry for calling you ignorant. I get bitchy when I'm having an off day." Frank ruefully lifted up one corner of his mouth in a half smile, his eyes losing their caution and becoming far more gentle. "I guess both sides of town are too proud to move on from this little dispute we have going on."

Gerard chuckled, finding it was easy to melt away the traces of anger poisoning his impression of Frank. Overall, Frank didn't appear pompous the way the east side typically came off, although it was clear he held some sort of resentment, most of it must've stemmed from the ridiculousness of a town division turning its people against each other. It was immature, Gerard admitted, nothing that could've been helped when it was an impression that adults left their children to follow after.

"Well . . . if they refuse to, then we can always form a truce." Gerard suggested.

Frank's plush lips parted over his teeth in a gradual smile, nodding his head. He held a hand out over the counter for Gerard to take. "Wanna make it official?"

Gerard's own lips curved in an involuntarily smile of his own. He clasped Frank's hand in his own for the second time since they'd meet in a renewed greeting he sensed was only the beginning. When a sprig of intrigue bloomed as he drank in Frank again without a trace of apprehension in his gaze, gravity played the role he knew it would now that the tension passed, and Gerard wasn't certain if he was in for a vat of trouble or something brewing with potential.

—

Once a truce was announced between himself and Frank, things began to shift onto a totally different track compared to the one they set off towards. The initial path was rocky and jagged, whereas the new one was smooth, barren of any obstacles, surprisingly easy to drift along. It was impressive how things could change once pride and animosity was taken out of the equation. With nothing to put a damper in things, Gerard was capable of doing something he never imagined he'd do, forming a friendship with an east side kid despite a less than impressive first meeting.

Despite the pleasant feeling of it all, they were in an unspoken mutual agreement that it would be their secret, something to marvel over in private and indulge when they were given the time. They refrained from sharing with others the way Gerard would pay visits to the record shop that grew more frequent in time, visits spent discussing shared interests and musings over things such as art and movie genres, finding that underneath the surface, they were far more similar than either of them ever expected. Gerard once never imagined he'd find someone apart from Mikey who was nearly a mirror image of his soul, but upon meeting Frank, he found it wasn't wise to ever close off to mind to wondering if he could ever stumble across someone who just understood every one of his reasons to adore a certain artist or genre of film. Gerard was quickly drawn into Frank's world as he was drawn into Gerard's.

Only, there was a strange avoidance of personal topics on Frank's part. Whenever Gerard mentioned his own family, he rambled on about how endearing his loved ones were, sharing small fragments of memories Frank openly listened to without wavering interest. It wasn't as if Frank brushed off any questions about his life, he just didn't share much about that aspect of himself despite there being plenty of open opportunities to do so. It left Gerard curious about what laid beyond the impeccable taste in the arts and the kindness frequently exhibited that one wouldn't anticipate from someone with such a dark appearance, piercings and black clothing galore.

Gerard arrived to the record store on Friday evening just as Frank was about to close up. The lights were already partially dimmed and the sign in the front was flipped over to ward off any approaching customers, but Gerard knew the door remained unlocked until Frank exited the building.

Frank was kneeling on the floor folding up empty boxes once containing a shipment of new records he displayed on the new arrivals display up towards the front of the shop. He looked up at the tinkle of the entry bell announcing Gerard's arrival and his incandescent grin took over the look of exhaustion shadowing his face.

"G! I was hoping you'd come in today, how's it going?" Frank blew his fringe aside as it fell into his eyes, huffing as it only fluttered back into the same exact place.

"My mom's inviting her friend over tonight and she always insists on hooking me up with her daughter, so I had no choice but to run away from home." Gerard looked over the new arrivals display with interest. "Can you let a poor homeless kid hide in the backroom until I can get back on my feet?"

"Aw. So cruel of you not to give her a chance with an absolute catch."

"I don't think she really wants a chance considering I know her from school and she's totally a lesbian with a girlfriend," Gerard smirked, "Only halfway out of the closet. I'm saving her the grief of pretending to be interested in guys when her mom's around."

"Ouch. Nevermind then, I'm sure she sobs in relief every time you have mercy on her." Frank finished piling up the flattened boxes and lifted up on his feet with them in his grasp, nodding to the storage. "I'm just putting these away, my boss always likes to keep backup boxes available."

Gerard padded after Frank into the storage room to accompany him as he stacked up the leftover boxes with the rest. As Frank was bent over, aside from marveling over his ass the way Gerard normally did, he snorted at the way Frank's pants hung off his hips despite the pink belt being in place.

"People normally wear belts to keep their pants in place." Gerard leaned on the folded ladder propped against the wall.

Frank stood up, slightly breathless, a grin breaking out over his face and he shimmied his jeans back into place on his hips. "I wear them for fashion purposes. A little touch of pink always pisses off the homophobes."

"Alright. That's like, the fiftieth fruity comment you've made since I've met you."

"Isn't it obvious I suck dick sometimes? I really don't think I need to spell it out at this point."

"Sometimes?" Gerard moved around the small spark of shock erupting in his bloodstream despite having such heavy suspicions about Frank's sexuality that they were practically a solid fact he had no doubts about the more he got to know Frank.

Frank snickered and bumped Gerard's arm while passing him to exit the storage room. "For a bisexual, you sure have a shitty bidar. The bisexual version of gaydar. Actually, that sounds stupid as fuck."

"I kinda knew, just didn't wanna go around assuming things, mind you."

"Feel free to assume anything you want about me. It's probably true." Frank pulled down the metal shutters over the displays windows, turning around and jingling the ring of keys in his hands. "Wanna grab something from Sonic and head to the park?"

"Isn't it closed at night?" Gerard glanced at the clock.

"Like that's ever stopped me. They'd have to build an electric fence to keep me out." Frank beckoned him. "They've got shitty security anyway, it's free domain. Let's take advantage."

After closing up the shop, they took off to the Sonic drive thru to pile up on mozzarella sticks, pretzels twists, tater tots, and blue coconut slushes. Gerard held the bag of food in his lap as Frank drove them to the park which was vacant after closing hour, leaving Gerard with a faint anxious feeling Frank quickly knocked out of him with his unfairly dazzling grin bright enough to serve as another one of the stars twinkling in the ebony sky. They headed out of the car and towards the picnic benches settled near the playground, hopping on top of the table to devour their dinner.

"I could die happy eating these mozzarella sticks." Frank raved as he dunked one into a cup of ranch. "I could die happy eating any mozzarella sticks, actually, they're so fucking good."

"That's how I feel about pizza. God, have you ever made your own pizza at home? My mom has the best recipe ever." Gerard took a drag from his slush, the coolness working down his throat and pooling satisfyingly in his gut.

"No, but I need to now. And I need to try your mom's pizza one day." Frank bit into his mozzarella stick, grumbling in approval at the crispy texture and the gooey inside.

On that note, it had Gerard envisioning a scenario where he invited Frank over to his house. It wouldn't be criminally obvious Frank was from the east side of town, the only way his family would figure it out was by asking who his parents were after realizing they didn't recognize his face. Gerard wasn't certain how it would play out, if awkwardness would drip from the atmosphere after their realization or if they'd brush it all under the rug for Gerard's sake. Frank was kind, he wouldn't act standoffish around Gerard's family since he knew what they meant to him.

Still, it seemed a faraway thing, something Gerard temporarily shook out from his mind. Instead, he was drawn back to what he pondered over earlier, the feeling that he didn't know Frank as well as he knew Gerard. There were some elements left blank that Gerard felt were innocent enough to be filled now that they'd resorted to taking a serious enough liking to each other to have secret meetings such as fast food dinners in the park after hours.

"I was thinking about something earlier." Gerard set down his drink on the bench between his feet, wiping crumbs away from his thigh.

Frank stopped chewing, eyes widening curiously. He swallowed and made a questioning noise at the back of his throat asking Gerard to continue.

"I don't really mean to seem like I'm prying, I guess it's not really a need to know type of thing, but I noticed that you don't really talk about yourself that much?" Gerard grimaced a little, hoping he didn't sound foolish.

Frank furrowed his brows. "But I do. We talk about the things we like all the time."

"I meant things like family, friends, more personal things. I feel like I talk your ear off about that stuff, but I realized I know nothing about you on that part."

Frank's befuddlement faded off into a look of realization as he grasped what Gerard meant. He lips set into a faint frown almost immediately, averting his eyes. His entire demeanor shifted and showed his discomfort, bringing Gerard to regret ever mentioning it.

"I'm sorry. I don't wanna make you uncomfortable, it was just something I noticed. We haven't known each other for that long and this thing we have is still a little new, I get it." Gerard scrambled to piece things back together before Frank entirely closed off.

Frank shook his head rapidly. "Nah, it's nothing like that. I feel like I know you enough and I can trust you. I just . . . I dunno. I don't like talking about that stuff very much."

Gerard's concern was strong enough for it to telepathically communicate. Frank sensed the way it heavily rolled off him and looked up, snorting a little despite the sadness swimming in his eyes.

"It's nothing serious. I wasn't abused or anything of the sort, if that's what you're thinking." Frank brushed off the dreadful theory popping into Gerard's mind first thing like an intrusive thought. "It just makes me unhappy. It's a very unideal situation."

There were a number of things that could count as an unideal situation, but trying to theorize felt invasive, leaving Gerard with the heavy weight of guilt as his mind worked against him and came up with dozens of reasons that could cause Frank to grow unhappy by the mere thought of it. He chewed his lip until it throbbed with distant soreness and sighed.

"I shouldn't have brought it up."

Frank's eyes flitter up and met Gerard's regretful gaze. He smiled weakly, eyes squinting a tad bit to show unvocalized affection glowing from the inside out. "It's fine, really. I knew you'd get curious. You're right, I know all about you and you hardly know about me in that way."

"You know you don't have to tell me anything, right? I'm fine just hanging out like this. Talking about our favorite things and getting away from everything together." Gerard gestured to their dinner and their surroundings, the grand sky full of stars strung up beside the powdery white moon. He was truthfully content with staying where they were, he'd never pressure a friend into sharing anything with him.

"I know I don't. I like hanging out with you because I can forget everything for a little bit." Frank trailed off, picking at the frayed threads of the torn open knee of his jeans. He watched his fingers work for a moment of silence. "But I've been wanting to tell you. Mostly because it's an inevitable thing for you to know, things– they get in the way sometimes. I can't help it."

Gerard valued Frank's trust and repaid him with his patience. He nodded to show his understanding and hoped his eyes came off as encouraging as the way he felt on the side when Frank fleetingly looked up and met them. Frank huffed out a sigh and took a sip from his slush as though it would grant him strength.

"I'm not gonna draw this out. Let's keep it brief just to get it out of the way, I hate lingering. Is that fine with you?"

"Of course." Gerard gave as great yet simple of an affirmation as he could.

Frank nodded slowly, satisfied with his answer. He looked up at the moon, pressing his knees together and rubbing his thumbs over the torn fabric in his pants. "Okay. So. I'm a child of divorced parents, you know how that whole shebang goes. I'm also an only child, which means I coped alone. And my mom's sick."

"Sick?" Gerard asked softly.

"Sick as in we have faith she'll get beat it, but it's the getting through it part that's hard to watch." Frank voice knitted together with a thickness Gerard knew as choked down tears. It was heartbreaking how they came automatically, as if a single mention of it was enough to undo Frank, but he battled against his own instincts.

Gerard's heart fluttered and sank down to the pit of his gut, an aching sympathy filling his now hollow chest. "Fuck. Frank, I'm so –"

"You don't have to say you're sorry. I'm sorry enough for the both of us, I just don't really show it." Frank chuckled glumly. "It fucking sucks. And that's the reason why I think this feud our town's got going is so shallow. Just because I live in a nice neighborhood and our lifestyle is more than comfortable doesn't mean we have it all. Life's not about material things. Someone could hand me ten million dollars right now and it wouldn't change anything."

Gerard recalled the biting words Frank first spoke to him, claiming Gerard and everyone else was ignorant for not seeing past the exterior. Instead of feeling the phantom touch of offense, Gerard came to realize that Frank only spat out the truth. It was a vicious thing to come to terms with, plundering Gerard with guilt for ever thinking a materialistic look on any person meant their life was all put together. Thinking that way about human beings made Gerard feel disgusted with himself for having such a mindset.

"No, Frank, I'm not gonna apologize because of your mom, even though it sucks so much and I wish she didn't have to go through that. I'm sorry for once not considering that you had your own deal of shit going on." Gerard shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm just so used to being looked down at by people around here. I assumed everyone was like that, I just – it's not like that. You guys have every right to hate us for acting like you have everything handed to you on a silver platter."

"There are snobs from my part of town. I've met them and they don't seem to have any valid reason for being cruel to you. But, yeah, not all of us are like that. If you knew about everything that goes on behind the scenes . . ." Frank chuckled mirthlessly.

"Is it that bad?"

"It's not pretty. Even in a small town, people still have secrets, and a lot of us on our side are really good at hiding things. You don't see the broken families, the unfaithful marriages, the sick people and the ones dealing with their past. Of course, we have privilege, we're lucky to have what we do . . . it's just not always all it seems, I guess."

"We really are ignorant after all." Gerard was saddened by the thought. He could learn, listen and accept while changing direction, but not everyone was willing to, a hard pill to swallow.

"You're not." Frank whispered. "No, you're really not, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here with me listening to my sob story."

Gerard looked into his eyes. "It's not a sob story. It's just life."

Frank hummed. He held Gerard's gaze, the corner of his lips turning up. "Brutal, huh?"

Gerard chuckled, agreeing. Frank sighed heavily and shook his head slowly, picking up their abandoned carton of tater tots. He popped one in his mouth and dusted off the crumbs sprinkled on his shirt.

"We're lingering. I said we weren't gonna do that." Frank twisted around to face Gerard. "Let's switch to something lighter. You wanna hear about the time I got kicked out of summer camp as a kid?"

Gerard's face lit up. He was unashamedly excited to learn more about Frank's past, specifically things that brought him fond memories, though he'd always be just as eager to listen in on the dark parts if it meant learning about him. Gerard couldn't remember the last time he felt so compelled to be beside a person and he began suspecting such a feeling was as phenomenal as it was because it was highly possible he never felt that way towards anyone before. Yearning to learn about every facet creating a whole person and finding himself endlessly intrigued by every fact offered as though it was the first detail all over again.

Listening to Frank's high pitched giggle as he recounted a treasure from his mind's memory filled Gerard's stomach with static warmth and it was the first indication that perhaps it wasn't exclusively friendship he sought out anymore.

—

Frank's nineteenth birthday rolled around in the midst of a crisp October chilling the air and carrying a widespread of holiday spirit as the color of the leaves transitioned to amber and fluorescent orange squandering every lingering trace of their prior green. He was born on the day ghoulish faces danced along the damp streets and joyful screeches echoed from the houses welcoming people of all ages inside to revel in the fearful tricks set up under the green and purple lights emitting a frightening allure. Jack-o-lanterns glowed eerily on the doorsteps of houses with their miniature candles flickering on the hollow inside, shining out through carved maniacal grins and wicked eyes.

In celebration, they attended a haunted hay ride, adorned in their costumes and hiding their faces behind masks so they wouldn't be easily recognizable. Blood splattered scarecrows leapt out at them under the flashing lights matching with the sound effects of cracking thunder and bloodcurdling screams layered over the eerie music streaming from the hidden speakers. Frank at times would curl up against Gerard's side in delighted terror whenever another actor would pop out wielding a fake weapon or spitting out a warning to turn back for their own good, breaking into a fit of laughter Gerard gleefully joined in on. With pounding hearts and sore stomachs from the excessive laughter they couldn't hold in, they relished in the freedom holidays seemed to grant their bitter little town, adding a touch of sweetness to the blend to make things differ from the norm. Gerard, hidden behind a mask, could press his side against Frank's and whisper a joke in his ear without wondering if anyone would catch sight of it and be appalled by their mingling.

Stumbling out of the hay ride once their round was complete, they clambered back into Gerard's car with giggles still fluttering out from their throats and split out onto the road to the gas station where they filled their giant cups with coke they planned on spiking once they reached the park again, their hideaway spot.

The pair hopped onto the hood of the car and popped open the lids of their drinks to pour a stolen flask of alcohol into it, swirling their straws through the brew to mix it evenly before taking a long sip, wrinkling their noses at the amount they'd dumped into the soda.

"Did you notice they had real chainsaws, they just didn't have the chains on them?" Frank's raving voice resounded in the vacant parking lot.

"I'm pretty sure everything was real except for the knives those creepy banshee looking girls were lunging at us with." Gerard matched Frank's enthusiasm as adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

"The fake guts looked freakishly real, Netflix horror films should take notes. It's not that hard to get some decent fake blood."

"I dunno, something about cheesy special effects gets me. I have a soft spot for them."

"Ditto. God, I wish every night could be like this." Frank grinned. "I fucking love Halloween. It's even more awesome 'cause it's my birthday, too."

"You've gotta be the coolest motherfucker on the planet," Gerard knocked the side of his cup against Frank's, "A Halloween birthday? That's sick."

"It's always felt like my day, you know? I jokingly call it International Frank Day. Horror movies and spooky shit have always been my thing. Then I get showered with presents and cake on top of it all? Fuck yeah."

Gerard hummed before he swallowed another hearty gulp of his drink, already feeling tingles flourish under his skin from the warmth of the alcohol. "Speaking of presents. I haven't given you yours yet."

Frank's eyes softened. "What? G, seriously, you already paid for the hayride and dinner earlier —"

"I babysat the world's most spoiled toddler for two weeks to save up for this." Gerard jabbed a pointer finger in Frank's direction as he slid off the car's hood. "You can't reject anything I wanna give you, I made you promise not to complain."

Frank sighed in defeat despite the phantom smile lingering at his lips. "Alright, fine. Bring out the beast." He pulled off his Jason mask which he'd pushed to the crown of his head and tossed it to the side beside Gerard's Jigsaw mask.

Gerard went to the back and dug out the thin cardboard package wrapped in blue paper he tucked away in the back pocket of the passenger seat. Every part of him was electric with elated anticipation to finally present the wicked gift he eagerly purchased for Frank, finding it was the perfect addition to his collection and one that would differ from all the others. He knew Frank worked in a record store and had easy access to hundreds of albums, but the one Gerard selected wasn't commonly located in shops that sold records. Because he was the coolest friend ever and leafed through hundreds of gift options until he landed on one that gave him this knowing feeling.

Gerard returned to the hood of the car and slid back on, pressing his lips together tight to reel in the massive grin threatening to split across his face. He set down the gift between them, the streetlights capturing the iridescent shimmer of the bow slapped onto the upper right corner.

"Try not to shit your pants when you see this." Gerard encouragingly pushed it towards Frank who curiously peered down at the square package.

Frank snorted and took the gift in his hands. "I'll do my best. I didn't peg you as the type of person who wraps things nicely."

"I was practically professionally trained since I was a kid. Christmas season was like a sweatshop."

"I just throw shit together and hope for the best." Frank tore into the wrapping, revealing the backside of the record. He shed the rest which fluttered to the ground and turned it in his hands, brows furrowed with intrigue until shock overtook his expression. Gerard's gut flipped and his teeth dug roughly into his lower lip trying to contain his building giggle.

"I — holy shit, Gerard, a glow in the dark Misfits record?" Frank exclaimed. "Where the fuck did you find this?"

"It was a limited exclusive on their website. Not sold in stores." Gerard tried not to seem too cocky, keeping it casual, but his joy bled through into his voice. "It has the logo embedded into the vinyl too, black over neon green."

Frank eagerly ripped open the plastic and gingerly reached into the sleeve to slide out the record between his nimble fingers. In the shadows of the evening, the record glowed to its full capacity, a shining green appearing far more cooler in person than in the advertisement photos Gerard analyzed before purchasing.

"This has gotta be the coolest record I've ever seen," Frank giggled, completely thrilled. "I don't have anything like this, this is gonna be my new favorite for sure."

"So you like it then?"

"Fuck, do I like it." Frank rolled his eyes. "I love it. Thank you, G, this is the best gift ever." Frank carefully tucked the record back into its sleeve before tossing his arms around Gerard and enveloping him in a strangling embrace.

"Happy birthday, ghoul." Gerard seldom used his special endearment for the king of Halloween so its preciousness wouldn't run dry. He knew it meant the world to Frank when the arms around his body squeezed tighter and Frank's face was smushed in the crook of Gerard's neck.

"This is the best birthday ever. God, I just, we haven't been hanging for all that long, but I swear, you're my best fucking friend, and I —" Frank pulled back with sparkling eyes, surprising Gerard with the intensity brewing in them. His breath caught to have Frank's pretty face looming so close to his.

"Really, it's the least I could do. You deserve a whole lot more than this." Gerard resisted the way Frank's nearness made his heartbeat skip over itself, rising up into his throat which suddenly tightened, his breathing becoming shallow.

It was a moment where faces were lingering so close to one another that faint constellations of freckles made themselves known atop of cheeks flushing with blood. They registered the pounding of their hearts banging for freedom at their ribcages, the tips of noses brushing together in a sweet notion, mangled breaths being released from parted lips their eyes couldn't help from flickering down towards.

Before Gerard could draw in a breath and pull back to prevent the risk of destroying their friendship which he valued dearly despite every nerve in his system urging him to kiss him, Frank was pushing himself closer and pressing his lips against Gerard's hard, tasting of sweet soda and the bitter traces of stinging alcohol numbing Gerard's tongue. A tremulous gasp was pulled through their noses, Gerard capturing the enticing scent of Frank's cologne and vanilla infused shampoo wafting from his soft hair, and for a moment, his eyes slipped shut as his lips returned the kiss before reality smacked down again.

Gerard tore away from Frank's lips, despair sweeping cold through his body to be apart from his saccharine warmth and taste, but his fears of the future got the better of him. His large eyes stared into Frank's that were equally huge, his face filling with blood instantly, the color of Frank's shame as he sprung off the car hood.

"I'm so – I'm so sorry, G, I don't know why–" Frank trilled and cut himself off, raking a hand through his hair. "Fuck."

"No! No, it's okay, you don't have to say you're sorry." Gerard anxiously held up a useless hand to stop Frank from feeling mortified.

"I can't believe I just – I just called you my best friend, and then I kissed you. What the fuck." Frank's giggled was warped and ridden with nerves.

Gerard frowned. "I mean, I – I kissed you back."

"That doesn't mean –" Frank's face once bright vermillion paled a sickly shade. "We should go home. Can we just go home?"

"I . . . of course, whatever you want, but Frank–" Gerard attempted to speak after a shellshocked silence where he touched his tingling lips, but Frank swiftly cut in.

"Please. I just wanna go." Frank snapped his eyes shut, the pleading note in his voice not giving Gerard much room to object, to insist they sit down again to further discuss what the hell just happened between them, if it was only a fleeting moment of weakness or if Frank's heart fluttered just the same as Gerard's when they were swallowed up in their personal bubble carrying them away from reality.

Gerard gathered their things, retreating to the car and sliding into the driver's seat. Frank took his vinyl and hugged it against his chest as he sunk deep into the seat, eyes glued to his lap and lips firmly pressed together to show he wasn't willing to open them and speak. Gerard's stomach was a churning turmoil that caused his chest to ache as he dryly swallowed and set the car into drive to return Frank home. The silence devoured them and chewed away at every last one of Gerard's nerves offering him peace of mind. Sleeping that night would not be a feasible task.

Frank quietly thanked Gerard for the wonderful evening, thankfully sounding sincere despite the thickness in his throat, and scurried off quickly before Gerard could even respond, reassure him that his thanks wasn't required when Gerard would've given him more if he were capable of it. He watched Frank hurry back into his house without a single glance over his shoulder and felt the weight of a boulder slowly sink in his gut with every step Frank took that put distance between them.

Gerard took a deep breath, touching his lips still covered in the phantom remnants of Frank's kiss, and slowly drove home, wishing Frank was beside him singing along to the Bowie song playing on the radio.

—

After a full week of awkward silence and obvious avoidance on Frank's part, Gerard didn't have many devices to break away the distance and make things resume as they were. The thing was, after a kiss as passionate as that, Gerard wasn't fully certain if they could return to normal. A kiss triggered a vault of complicated feelings contradicting friendliness, surpassing the comfortably platonic level they should've settled at. It was always a bit difficult to achieve when Gerard clearly didn't view Frank as another brother, he flinched at the word suggesting familial bonds being related to Frank in any way. It wasn't purely friendly if one's eyes were glued to the other's ass most of the time and got a little hot under the collar when the other's tight shirt crept up to reveal a peek of the skin of their hips. Nonetheless, they were good friends that hadn't established they ever wanted more out of each other in the future.

Gerard chewed his nails away wondering if their accidental moment meant Frank would never crave his company again, if he was left with an unsettling feeling in his chest turning his affection for Gerard into a foreign and displeasing feeling he couldn't indulge. A cold, hollow pang resonated in his chest thinking that was even possibility no matter the faintness of the matter, discovering that there would only be a strange vacant place drilled into his heart if he were to allow Frank to slip through his fingers because he was idiotic enough to allow the kiss to happen. He'd only known Frank for not that long, but it was impossible for the kid not to burrow a place in his heart as quickly as humanly possible when he was Frank. It wasn't soul-crushing love, but it could be if they gave it time. It never would reach that point if Gerard let him drift away.

Gerard's hands once abandoned by inspiration were suddenly itching for a pencil and paper, and once they grabbed ahold of both, he scribbled away until every single face resembled or looked exactly like Frank. He unearthed his colored pencils and allowed his imagination to run wild, and when the final result was in his hands, he gazed back at the gleaming eyes of vampire Frank perched atop of a massive pumpkin, a wine glass full of blood in hand as his fanged smirk sparkled maliciously.

That weekend, Gerard tested his luck. Bringing the drawing along with him, Gerard headed into town and followed the roads leading him to the record store where Frank was certainly working his afternoon shift. As he pulled into the parking lot and squinted to see through the glass windows, he caught sight of Frank restocking a few bins running low, tucking the final records from his pile into their designated places and wheeling the cart into the back to grab more.

Gerard took the opportunity and snatched the drawing resting on the passenger seat. Rushing into the store, Gerard swore silently under his breath at the telltale ring of the traitorous bell announcing every new customer's entrance. He looked around with large eyes, holding his breath and waiting for Frank to emerge, but the rustling noises continued and a bored girl sitting at the register greeted him without much enthusiasm.

Gerard scurried up to the front desk, slapping the drawing onto the counter much to the confusion of the girl behind the register.

"It's for Frank. Just — sorry for barging in here just for this, but it's important." Gerard leaned over and whispered so his voice wouldn't carry over very far.

Perplexed as she was, the girl only nodded, not asking any questions. Gerard thanked her silently and whisked out the door, landing back in his front seat to watch through the windows in anxious purgatory as every second suddenly lasted a minute.

When Frank emerged from the storage room with a cart full of more records, his co-worker called his attention and pointed to the drawing resting on the counter. From Gerard's seat, he could barely decipher Frank's reaction, but he held his breath still as he wandered over to the desk and picked up the paper. He analyzed it for at least a full minute, his back turned to the widow, torturing Gerard with the suspense.

Until Frank turned around with the drawing in hand, his eyes sweeping around the parking lot and stilling over Gerard. Gerard almost jerked from the way his stomach swooped, his hand coming dangerously close to clashing with the car horn. He swallowed harshly, holding Frank's eyes for a long moment. Frank turned away and disappeared out of view. He didn't appear again, which made Gerard release a slow breath of acceptance that Frank was hiding away until Gerard left.

But his breath spiked again as Frank came back out, shrugging on a faded denim jacket and saying something over his shoulder to his co-worker who finally gave a hint of a smile. Gerard's heart hammered harder with every step bringing Frank closer, and when Frank popped open the passenger seat door to plop down in the seat, he held his breath again.

Frank smoothed out the drawing on his lap and traced over his illustrated fanged mouth stained with blood. "I'm not that adorable."

Gerard's fingers tightened over the steering wheel. "Yeah, you are."

Frank looked up with a beam. "Wanna pig out at Sonic?"

Gerard released the breath he'd been holding. A relieved smile spread over his face and he pulled the car out of park. "I thought you'd never ask."

—

They were smoking in the park once nighttime caused everyone to abandon the premises until the light of the morning broke through again. The chill of mid-November weather had them curled up under oversized sweaters and jackets they traded, Gerard's signature leather over Frank's tiny frame and Frank's faded denim slightly snug over Gerard, yet it was enough to keep the cold out.

Blowing smoke rings, their legs touched once and chased after each other after the first press. Gerard's lungs were knocked out every time they made that bit of contact as they had been lately, accidental but secretly intentional instances where their hands brushed and lingered, sides pressed together, and Frank's affection became more frequent. Their gazes linked and locked across close spaces, falling down to each other's lips in memory of that one kiss, but they always turned away before they could sink into the same temptation.

Only, it seemed to be worsening the more they denied it. No conversation was had after the incident and the silence that followed it, they dismissed it and resumed, but it burned into their memories and unlocked a soft desire keeping Gerard turning at night. He'd always been attracted to Frank, that was an undeniable fact from the start, but it was going beyond that. He craved. Gerard was never for all of that poetic bullshit until he caught himself in the midst of something artistic in itself.

Gerard blew out a lungful of smoke and watched it dissipate in midair. "How's your mom?"

"Doing better." Frank said, slightly muffled with his lips wrapped around the cigarette. "The treatment seems to be working. She's got bad days, but there's more good days lately."

"That's great, Frankie. I'm happy to hear that." Gerard plucked his cigarette from his lips to speak. "She sounds really sweet. And like one hell of a fighter, that's for sure."

"You're right about that. She's been saying she wants to meet my mystery friend."

"Who?"

Frank snorted. "You, dumbass."

Gerard's flush traveled to his neck and he hid his sheepish grin behind his fist, turning his head to the side. "Shit, sorry. My mind's in pieces right now, my braincells have officially been overworked."

"What's worrying your pretty little head?" Frank meant it as a joke, but it still made Gerard's stomach warm over.

"Just. Stuff." Fighting the urge to wildly makeout with you and fuck you in my backseat. "Nothing too serious. Nothing my pretty head can't handle."

"C'mon. We're high school seniors. The only thing we should be worried about is graduation not coming soon enough." Frank's eyes sparkled humorously in the streetlamp and the rosy lips Gerard couldn't shake from his mind shaped so beautifully around his cigarette.

"Maybe that's exactly the problem. I'm looking forward to summer, that way we can do stuff like this way more often." Gerard breathed out a long curl of smoke. "I wish you lived on my side of town so I could show up at your house any time and eat your snacks just to be annoying."

"Hmm, I'd be throwing rocks at your window at three in the morning so you'll let my clingy ass in."

"So theatrical." Gerard said dryly, chuckling at the elbow digging lightly into his ribs.

"Seriously though, back to what I said back there. I kinda want you to meet my mom. I don't think you'll be slaughtered if you step out of the car for once in my neighborhood."

"You think she'd like me?" Gerard found the discussion felt an awful lot like one between two people in a committed relationship. He kind of liked it.

"She already likes you. She pinned that drawing you made of me to our refrigerator door, I really don't think you have anything to worry about."

"I am pretty charming." Gerard waggled his eyebrows through a smolder and Frank shrieked out a laugh.

"Never give me that look again, please." Frank giggled and leaned forward to suck a lungful of smoke from Gerard's cigarette, releasing it through his nostrils in Gerard's face. Gerard waved off the smoke with a faint cough and got his revenge by doing the same, both of them set off into a string of laughter.

For a moment after when tranquil silence filled the space between them, their eyes locked as they resumed breathing in smoke, triggering that new tension Gerard felt creep up on them each time words faded on their lips and their intense focus was targeted on one another. Gerard was easily hypnotized by the caramel tones of Frank's eyes hiding away the traces of sadness dampening the edges of his otherwise magnificent spirit that shimmered like morning glory against the pitch of July skies. Frank was complex in the beginning, but it became easier to see past his blinding facets to break into his core where the sweetest soul resided, engulfed in warmth Gerard felt encompass him whenever Frank's incandescent grin was elicited by something Gerard did or said. That simple dedication of a grin was enough to keep Gerard's desire building to nearly unbearable degrees. Watching Frank in the cold November evening surrounded by a thin film of smoke, wearing Gerard's jacket with rosy lips and cheeks, it was all a temptation in itself if Gerard excluded the brilliance of the person beneath the skin. He learned to see through the exterior of others ever since he met Frank and it was a true blessing to be gifted with that sort of sight.

Frank ground the end of his wilting cigarette against the foil makeshift ashtray resting on the hood of the car without taking his impassioned eyes off of Gerard. "I really wanna kiss you right now."

Gerard swallowed after the smoke he consumed dispersed in his lungs. He prayed there wasn't a tremble to his fingers plucking the cigarette from the corner of his mouth, grinding the butt end of it against the foil and resting the remains there to disintegrate alongside Frank's. His air felt too dry against his raspy throat, but soothed by the coolness of the air he slowly breathed in through his nose in hopes of calming his thumping heart.

"What's stopping you?" Gerard asked softly, the faintest edge to his voice from the cigarette smoke.

It seemed to be a tantalizing thing to Frank, who shivered in response, his lips parting and pupils dilating in dark honeyed eyes. He stared through his lashes, want written all across his face which Gerard returned in earnest if the pull in his gut and the tide washing through him was enough of a reaction.

Frank fiddled with his lip ring before twisting his body towards Gerard, scooting along the remaining space between them. His cold fingers pressed into Gerard's skin as he cupped his jaw in a tender way that didn't match with the urgency of the kiss he pressed to Gerard's lips which instantly moved in response. Shivers erupted under Gerard's skin and gathered between his ribs, seeping down his body in a heated trail. Gerard's hand reached up to loosely curl around the curve of Frank's cheek and cupped his cheek, thumb stroking along the soft skin that felt startlingly warm in comparison to the chilly atmosphere. Frank keened under his touch and pressed his lips harder against Gerard's, a clever tongue licking at Gerard's lower lip to plead for entry. Gerard opened his mouth to him and moaned softly at the first touch of their tongues touching between their working lips, leaning further into the kiss as Frank grabbed a fistful of Gerard's hair to curl his fingers into the strands, tilting his head further down towards him to lick into his mouth. Gerard tasted the remnants of the hot cocoa they sipped in the car before clambering out to have a smoke, and the residue of bitter ashes blending in with the rich drink felt more intoxicating and addictive than any nicotine he could consume.

It wasn't long before they were making out heavily on the hood of Gerard's car, their heated breath making a fine mist against the cold air each time they breathlessly huffed or emitted a soft noise as Frank's hands wandered and Gerard met his eagerness tenfold. Gerard felt dizzy from the mingled sensations; Frank's sweet taste, the plush velvet of his lips, his hands pawing at him through his clothes and the fingers entangled in his hair to give gentle little tugs sparking hot tingles along Gerard's scalp that didn't help the way he was getting turned on terribly easily.

Frank's hands rested on Gerard's face, cupping around it as he parted from the kiss with swelled lips slick from their heavy kisses. "Fuck. I could do this all night and never get tired." Frank breathed, taking his lips and trailing them past Gerard's jaw to his neck.

Gerard's eyes fluttered shut and he tilted his head back to grant him better access, a soft moan involuntarily rising out of him. His hands twisted in Frank's clothes and drew him closer so Frank scrambled to readjust, crawling into his lap and straddling him.

"God, Frankie, you feel so good," Gerard couldn't resist saying, "C'mere." He grasped the hair at the back of Frank's head and pulled him away from his neck to heatedly reclaim his lips, swallowing down the whimper Frank emitted against his mouth. His hands held Frank's hips, creeping under his clothes and feeling the way his skin jumped under the initial shock of his cool fingers wandering across his skin. Gerard quickly warmed up against the heat of Frank's soft skin and splayed his hands out over his hips, moving towards his abdomen, feeling up towards his chest Frank needfully pushed towards him, desperate for the touch. Frank curled his hands into Gerard's hair and rocked his hips forward, giving room for Gerard to register the way his pants had tented, now rubbing against his thigh in a subtle motion. Gerard's entire body kickstarted into overdrive, his hands instantly gripping tight onto Frank's hips and digging harshly enough into the skin for Frank to give a whiny gasp.

"G, please," Frank tore away from his mouth to gaze at him desperately through hooded eyes, "I need you. Please? I've wanted you so bad, since the day I met you."

"Really?"

"I can't – I can't help myself anymore."

Gerard purred at the brush of Frank's lips moving across his neck as he rocked forward against Gerard for friction. Gerard nodded, gently bracing Frank as he began to scoot towards the front of the car to slide them off. Frank caught onto his intentions and sprung to his feet, pulling Gerard towards him the second he stood and leading him to the backseat on stumbling legs. Gerard tossed open the backdoor, watching with a simmering feeling radiating through him as Frank crawled backwards on the seats with spread legs, beckoning for him to rest between them once his back hit the opposite window.

They collided the second the door was shut behind them. Gerard devoured Frank's mouth with fresh need circulating through his rushing bloodstream and new heat was born in him as he pushed his body forward for their hips to connect, causing both of them to gasp out. Gerard hitched one of Frank's legs around his hip and rolled his pelvis forward, grinding down against Frank, inhaling the sweetness of his gasps and the cut off whines as Frank's hand slapped against the back of the driver's seat to grip tightly onto something against the influx of gritty pleasure rolling through him.

"I really want your dick in me," Frank breathed against Gerard's cheek, reaching between their swaying hips to cup Gerard's cock through his pants. "Honestly, it's not fair how long you've made me wait for this."

"Was I meant to read your mind?" Gerard chased after the feel of Frank's hand.

"Yes," Frank gasped, "It's fine, I forgive you. This is one hell of a way to say you're sorry for making me wait."

Gerard couldn't focus on talking. He needed as many clothes as possible to be shed, already working at peeling off his jacket after kicking off his shoes and going for his sweater next. Frank started stripping off everything until he was left in his boxers on the seats, showing off the tent in them and the wet patch already beginning to form. Gerard shivered at the feel of Frank's hands exploring him as their lips met again in a starved kiss full of tongue and teeth, the hardness of Frank's lip ring pressing into the tenderness of Gerard's lower lip.

"You're lucky I hide all my stuff in here so I have lower chances at getting caught with them." Gerard chuckled with barely enough breath to do so and tore open his middle console, fumbling through the crumbled receipts and used up cigarette cartons to retrieve the strip of condoms and the small tube of lube hidden inside.

"Fucking flavored lube?" Frank quirked an eyebrow after he stole the tube out from Gerard's hands.

Gerard's cheeks heated. "I grabbed whatever I saw first. Someone had to unlock the case for me at the store and she was waiting for me to pick."

Frank smirked. "That'll be useful some other time . . ."

"What do you mean by —"

"You'll find out," Frank tugged his boxers off in a swift motion, his dick springing free and curving up towards his stomach. "Right now, I just want you to fuck me."

Gerard vehemently agreed, saliva pooling under his tongue at the first sight of Frank's hard dick surrounded by a patch of neatly trimmed dark hair that started as the faintest happy trail underneath his navel. Gerard caressed his soft belly and trailed down his hips, kneeling between his legs and bowing downwards to lap at the bead of precome gathered at the tip of Frank's cock. Frank gasped aloud as Gerard's tongue swirled around him slowly, dragging down his entire length towards his balls, licking a long line upwards and wrapping his lips around the tip to give it a harsh suck. Gerard groaned at the taste and the weight, bobbing his head a few times, holding off a bit to tease Frank who writhed under his ministrations. Frank's soft thighs squeezed around Gerard's head as he went nearly all the way down, swallowing hard as his tongue pressed against the thrumming vein along the underside, choking a bit as the tip brushed against the back of his throat. He stroked one of Frank's tense thighs and pulled off with a resonating pop, a string of saliva falling from his wet lower lip. Frank stared at him, dazzled and flushed, yearning for more. Gerard couldn't resist moving upwards to press their lips together, allowing Frank to gather the taste of himself.

When Gerard moved onto prepping Frank, he groaned at the way Frank's hole swallowed up his slick fingers. "You're so fucking tight."

"Been a while," Frank tilted his hips up and gasped, "Feels so good. God, you know I've fantasized about this?"

"Yeah?" Gerard crooked his fingers and induced a long moan from his counterpart.

"A few times, but just – just one of the times, I had to stop touching my dick 'cause it wasn't enough," Frank interrupted himself with a whine, "Had to fuck myself with my fingers and imagine it was you behind me, fucking me."

"Tell me more." Gerard felt a rush of fresh precome spill down his dick as he drew his fingers from Frank's hole once he deemed it prepped enough. He fumbled for the condom to slide it over himself, curling a hand around his cock and stroking.

"I've never come that hard in my life," Frank lifted himself to his elbows and watched with hungry eyes as Gerard slicked himself with lube. "I couldn't stop myself, I – you don't have any idea how badly I've needed you, please. Please, just fuck me already, I can't –"

Gerard softly hushed him, tracing the pad of his thumb along his lower lip and groaning at Frank's tongue drawing it into his mouth to suck. "Push your legs back."

Frank did as told without much persuasion, presenting himself readily. Gerard slid his thumb out from Frank's mouth with a slick pop, the tip of his cock tracing around Frank's stretched hole clenching under the teasing touch. Frank's fingers dug tightly into his thighs he held back to keep his legs in place, his breathing stuttering. Gerard slowly sank in, allowing Frank to adjust as a hiss fell from his lips at the initial stretch. Frank bit his lip hard and tilted his head back, instilling a faint insecurity in Gerard.

"We don't have to if it hurts, we could just do something else."

"No, just – I need this. Give me a sec." Frank huffed, clenching his eyes shut.

Gerard sat patiently despite the wave of heated pleasure swirling through him at the way part of his dick was enveloped. He breathed steadily until Frank lifted his head and nodded, pushing his hips forward to make Gerard slide in deeper. Both of them gasped at the sensation of Gerard's cock pressing in further. Bottoming out, Gerard's mouth hung open as he slowly began maneuvering his hips, astounded by the intensity of being surrounded by Frank in every way.

"C'mon," Frank breathed, "'M not a piece of glass. In all of my fantasies you always – shit – you always fuck me hard."

Oh, Gerard would've said ditto to that, but he was incapable of speaking at the moment. It wasn't as if Gerard had much experience, fucking maybe three times in his life without including his current position with Frank, but he had a whole ring of fantasies he indulged in when he gave into that typical teenage sex drive making him get a boner from the air touching his dick. One of them was fucking Frank into the floor. Gerard felt a trickle of sweat escape his hairline as he swung his hips forward with more force, meeting Frank's sitting bones harshly, and Frank keened in approval underneath him. Frank's fingers scrabbled over Gerard's back and tugged him closer.

It was a hard and fast affair keeping them pulling at the air desperately to keep their lungs filled when they deflated with every heavy exhale and sound their emitted. Gerard kept Frank's legs spread open and pushed back to remain as deep as possible as he hunched over Frank, pounding into him as he desire, tracking down his prostate until Frank's back was arching and his sharp nails practically tore through his skin. Gerard sloppily laid kisses along whatever part of Frank he could reach while fucking hard into him, the seats squeaking underneath them and their breath fogging up the windows chilled from the cold weather. Frank was fucking gorgeous with his wet scarlet mouth and his trembling thighs, his needy noises filling up the space, growing louder each time Gerard hit his prostate.

Gerard's hand loosely curled around Frank's throat for leverage and experimentally squeezed at the sides, a question in his eyes. Frank whimpered and nodded frantically. Gerard eased on and off with the pressure, so fucking turned on by the sight, his body a live wire.

"Mm, if you k-keep fucking me like that, 'm not gonna last." Frank stammered his warning,
words shaking as his body jerked each time Gerard slammed into him.

"Think you could come untouched for me, baby?" Gerard cupped Frank's cheek and pressed a filthy kiss to his obscene mouth, "That would be so fucking hot."

"Fuck yes, I can, just – don't stop," Frank gasped against Gerard's lips, "Right there, keep doing that."

"Right here?" Gerard slowed his pace to grind directly against Frank's spot so his eyes rolled back and his legs trembled violently, "That feels so good, doesn't it?"

"Sh–Shit, Gerard, yes," Frank rocked his hips, "Please, make me come."

Gerard ceased his torturous grinding and resumed his pace, fucking into Frank just as they both pleased. Waves of hot pressure were cresting and crashing against his lower body, his dick throbbing each time he shoved back inside Frank, knowing he wouldn't last long either. He kept pushing forward, hiding his moans in Frank's hair and his neck and sounding far sluttier than his dignity would allow him if he was fully conscious of the noises pouring out of him. He chased after the feeling, faster and faster, until Frank was crying out underneath him and shooting his load without a hand around his dick to push him over the edge. Frank's thighs locked around Gerard's waist and he rocked his hips up hard through his orgasm, the sensation of him clenching around Gerard's dick just enough to shatter the remains of his restraint.

Gerard bit down on Frank's shoulder to muffle his moan as he filled the condom. He pulsed in waves of volcanic heat tunneling through his body in the most euphoric fever he'd ever know. Frank kept clenching around him purposely to make it last as long as possible, to the point where little stars danced in Gerard's blurry vision, his unknown noises mingling with Frank's soft whines. Gerard rolled his hips in time with every pulse, slowing to an eventual halt when he couldn't handle it any longer.

In a sweaty and spent heap, both boys panted hard in the soiled backseat, their body heat causing condensation to dribble from the fogged up windows hiding them from the outside world. Their limbs were tangled together and pressed flush against each other so they were completely encompassed by each other. Gerard, collapsed in Frank's arms, practically purred at the gentle fingers brushing through his hair.

"Was it worth the wait for you too?" Frank's question rasped and sounded so fucking attractive that Gerard's chest seized.

"So worth it." Gerard's nose traced along the curve of Frank's neck which he softly kissed. Frank let out a content chuckle and twirled a lock of Gerard's hair around his finger.

"Time for cheesy confessions in an empty parking lot," Frank leaned down to whisper, "I don't know if it's obvious, but I like you as more than just a friend."

Gerard was so blissed out from the combination of things filling his chest with warmth, but nothing was more perfect than hearing those words leave Frank's lips. He looked up, prepared to return the sentiment, but his eyes snapped open wide at the sight of red and blue lights flashing in the distance.

"The fucking security's here!" Gerard jerked in a sitting position and hit his head against the roof of the car. Frank's eyes flew open and he scrambled up the same.

They fumbled to dress as speedily as possible after weakly wiping the come off their skin with leftover napkins shoved in the glove compartment, urging each other to hurry up. Their clothes were crooked and not everything was thrown on, Gerard certainly didn't have the time to shove his feet back in his shoes. He split out of the parking lot before they were busted by the cops for fucking on closed property, racing away from their hideaway in a direction he wasn't certain where it lead to, it didn't matter as long as they made their escape.

What an escape it was. They laughed until their stomach cramped from it, their cheeks sore and rosy, unbelieving of how close they'd gotten to being discovered. Gerard raced far away and settled on a random quiet street for them to catch their breath properly.

"Oh my fucking god, what would've happened if we actually got caught?" Frank giggled hysterically. "It's so obvious what we did, I mean the fucking condom is in that old fast food bag you threw back there."

"You have come in your hair." Gerard plucked the chunk of hair stained in Frank's . . . stuff, unable to keep from laughing aloud at the way Frank's eyes rounded to the largest size he'd ever seen them.

"Gerard! Don't touch it, oh my god." Frank frantically retrieved another napkin to start dabbing it out of his hair in the mirror of the passenger visor.

"I touched far worst things tonight, I'm not worried about a little jizz."

"I hate that word," Frank wrinkled his nose. "Oh god, this better not be obvious when I go back home. I have to face my mom."

"Don't tell me you regret anything though." Gerard leaned his head against the headrest with a dreamy smile.

Frank's eyes softened. He closed the visor and tossed the napkin into the paper bag in the back holding the rest of the evidence of their escapade. He leaned across the center console to press his soft lips against Gerard, tugging the collar of his shirt playfully.

"I'd do it again a hundred more times if you wanted to," Frank's kiss was surprisingly gentle the next time around, "Even though a bed's way more comfortable."

Gerard brushed Frank's fringe away from his cheek to press a kiss there, his heart fluttering. "I didn't get to say what I wanted to say back there."

"Hmm?" Frank's eyes were barely open.

"I like you as more than a friend too, ghoul." Gerard ghosted his lips over Frank's cheek to the corner of his mouth.

"Maybe we should do something about it." Frank's finger curled around Gerard's shirt collar tightened.

"Maybe . . ." Gerard's lips grazed Frank's. "You wanna be the fair Juliet to my charming Romeo?"

Frank giggled, and Gerard would say stars were twinkling in his eyes, but it wasn't possible when Frank was one of them. "Of course. As long as no one dies in the end, that wouldn't be cool."

"We could rewrite everything. Give them a nice and fat happy ending instead." Gerard proposed and drew Frank into a kiss that made his head swim.

Fuck small towns and their judgmental tendencies. Gerard found everything he needed in a person he thought he was meant to loathe.

——
Okay, so here's how writing this went.

Me: I won't go over 12k this time!
Me: *Accidentally writes 15k and doesn't realize it until the ending*

That's how things go with my writing these days, oops, but more for you to read, I guess! Let me know your thoughts, I hope you enjoyed this.

-rosexo