Gerard’s POV:
I’ve had an idea for the past couple of days now, but I wasn’t sure how to bring it up with Frank. We were now in the month of December and Frank was a little under the weather since he found out that winters in California were nothing like winters in Jersey. California very rarely got snow--at least where we were living--and the temperature barely dropped. We were still sitting on a comfortable 70 degrees (Fahrenheit) and the beaches were still warm. The only difference was that the nights got colder, but it was taken care of with a few extra blankets.
We were up bright and early on a Saturday morning before the kids were even up, which was odd for the both of us--or at least me. Usually I got up around noon on the weekends and everyone else was already up and dressed and getting on with their day. When I woke up, Frank was already sitting at the table with a newspaper in his hand, his phone was somewhere unknown since yesterday, but it’s not like he used it very often besides a few Twitter and Instagram updates. So, when I dropped into the kitchen, Frank just set the newspaper down and stared at me, "You’re up early."
"Mmph," I groaned,"S’early."
Frank laughed, "Yeah, that it is. There’s coffee on the counter over there and the kids will be up in about thirty more minutes. They think I don’t know that they’re already up and playing with toys and stuff, but I do."
I just smiled sleepily and made my way over to the coffeemaker. Frank picked up his newspaper and resumed whatever he was reading. Once I poured myself a cup, I sat down at the table across from Frank. He set the newspaper down and shot me an amused look. I chose to ignore it before he frowned slightly, "How good are we on money?"
I set down my mug and concluded that it was way too early to be talking about money, but I wasn’t complaining. I’d had enough saved up and from selling comic books and whatnot. Plus, I had money stashed away from when we were a band and that wasn’t even mentioning the few art pieces I sold every now and then. I shrugged, "I’ve got enough for us to sit on for a while, why?”
"I haven’t been doing much since, well, you know, and I think it would be productive for me to get a job or something. Even if we don’t need the money, I feel like it would keep me busy and give me something to do while the kids are at school." Frank played with his fingers as he talked, "Yesterday, I heard one of our songs on the radio and I realized that I haven't been playing guitar anymore. I haven't been doing much of anything really and I want to. I don't want to spend my life doing nothing productive. I want to play again; I want to get outside again."
I nodded and finished the last of my coffee, "Frank, Frankie, you're allowed to do whatever makes you happy. If you think that getting a job will benefit you, then do it. I'll stand behind you the whole way. Also, the guitar thing can be taken care of if you just call Mikey. He knows a ton of studios around here. Plus, he plays at his house all the time."
"Gerard, I honestly don’t think you know how awesome you are!" Frank got up from the table and hugged me. His shampoo wafted in my direction and it smelt amazing. I just smiled and we stayed in that position until a loud thud sounded from upstairs along with a ton of hushed giggles. Frank pulled back, his cheeks tinted red, and he rolled his eyes at me with a big smile on his face.
"So, when are you going to start looking for places and whatnot?"
Frank blushed an even darker red as he went to sit back down in his seat, "Well, I’ve been thinking about this for the past couple of days, really. I started calling around and I have an interview in a couple of hours, which is why I brought this up." Frank looked down at his hands, his unreadable.
I stood up the table, "That’s amazing, Frank! What are you doing down here then? Get your cute--get your ass upstairs and get ready! I’ve got something planned for the kids anyways."
Frank threw himself at me one last time. His smile was the brightest I had seen it in a while. I felt my heart stutter in my chest, flickering and fluttering before he let go and disappeared from the room. It was barely after that the kids all stomped downstairs together. Bandit already had her hair up in a sloppy ponytail. Nowadays, she wouldn’t let anyone touch her hair without throwing a fit and talking about needing to learn on her own. I respected her for it, but sometimes it looked really tangled and like it hurt to brush. Cherry and Lily always had the best bedhead I had ever seen. Their long hair was truly wild in the morning and it took those odd detangler sprays in order to do anything with it, but they didn’t complain too much unless it hurt. Miles, well, he had the best hair ever. He went to sleep with it flat and woke up with it flat. On the worst mornings, all he had to do was comb it with some water and then it dried without waving or curling.
They all scrambled up to the counters and I realized that I was going to have to make something for them. I started digging around in the freezer for something easy to make when Frank stuck his head around the corner, his hair combed neatly and presentable, "I made something earlier this morning. It’s in the microwave and there’s smoothies in the freezer."
I opened the microwave and smiled at the vast amounts of food on the plates. While I was busy pulling everything out, I heard the door close and then Bandit get off the stool to check, "Daddy, where’s Frank going?"
"He’s got an interview for a job, so after everyone is done eating, we’re going to go up into my office and paint." I said it so casually that the kids didn’t catch on at first. I waited and stared at them until Cherry’s eyes widened comically.
"We’re going to paint in your office?" Cherry yelled loudly.
Bandit’s eyes widened in surprise and happiness next and she was bouncing adorably in her seat, "I thought we weren’t allowed to go in there!"
"Well, for today, since Frank is going to be out, I decided that it would be okay. Plus, having an office that’s mostly white for painting isn’t even that fun. So, what do you all have to say?"
The kids started talking excitedly as I served their food. Miles was beaming incredibly largely and all I saw for a second was his resemblance to Frank in that smile. I ruffled his hair lightly and he hugged me. I felt my heart melt in my chest as he did so. I smiled back at him and kissed his forehead like I would to Bandit.
Once they were all situated, I climbed up the steps into my office and looked around. There wasn't much to cover besides my desk, the chair that went with it, and the work that was on my desk. I ended up rolling the chair into my bedroom down the hall and then shoving my work into a filing cabinet that I rarely used anymore. I moved the desk into the corner of the room by the window that looked down onto the backyard and then wrapped it in an old white sheet that I found in the linen closet.
Afterwards, I grabbed the long black material I usually used when painting and spread it to cover the entire floor. I used the special paint tape to keep it in place before deciding that the kids would move around a lot more than I did and stapled the material securely to the wall. After that was finished, I tacked white giant amounts of paper on the walls and then stepped back to admire my work. It didn't look too bad, if I did say so myself.
I poked my head downstairs and could still hear the clanking of dishes along with their muted conversations. I shrugged to myself before going into the storage closet and pulling out bucket after bucket of paint but leaving the brushes safely tucked away in their packaging. Finger painting alway seemed to be the most fun kids could imagine and I was pretty sure I had every color except gray because I had run out of it last week. It was on the grocery list even though Frank hated when I put non-food related things on the grocery list. He'd get used to it sooner or later though.
Finally, I changed from my pajamas and slipped on all white clothing. I never understood why painters chose to wear white clothing when they painted, but I had to admit that it looked pretty cool all stained up and colored, and it was because of this conclusion that I went into each of the kid's rooms and picked out every white article of clothing they owned and laid it out on their beds for them. I couldn't decide whether or not Frank would be amused by this.
When I stepped back out into the hallway, I could hear the sink water running and I rushed downstairs to make sure they weren't flooding the house or anything. It turns out that my rushing was for no reason though. What I saw was beyond adorable. Bandit was standing on the bathroom stool Miles used in order to reach the sink to brush his teeth and was taking the kid's dishes when they were finished and rising them off. Once they were thoroughly rinsed off, Bandit would pass the wet dish to Lily and Lily would stick it in the dishwasher. Cherry was standing next to Miles and they were both holding the soap for the dishwasher and reading the back of the box for the amount of soap that was needed. Miles was holding the measuring cup while Cherry pointed at something she read. When Bandit finished rinsing, she stepped down from the stool and started helping Cherry to match the directions on the box with the measurement on the measuring cup. I watched as Lily helped Miles hold the cup steadily as Cherry poured the powdery soap inside. Bandit was bending over and told Cherry when to stop. Miles then carried the measuring cup over to the dishwasher where Lily opened the slot and Miles dumped it inside.
It made my heart burst with happiness as they tried to remember what buttons to press and what dials to turn. I wished I had a camera just to keep this moment in time captured forever, but I was afraid that if I moved I'd miss it all. They started bickering slightly over it until I stepped in, scaring them all, and turned the right dials and pressed the right buttons. They were all watching calmly as they did so, their faces beaming as they saw me smiling rather than getting angry at what they had done. Sure, I knew it wasn't safe to let your kids mess with the dishwasher, but come on! How many parents in the world got to see all of their kids working together and doing chores on their own without even being asked? My guess was that there wasn't very many.
Once the dishwasher was running I turned to them, "That was pretty impressive. I'm really proud of all of you, but I have to say that it's pretty dangerous. Next time tell me when you want to load the dishwasher and I'll stand back and watch."
Lily shrugged, "It was Bandit's idea. We all just wanted to help."
"Yeah," Cherry added, "It was supposed to be a surprise for you because you and daddy always have to do the dishes and stuff."
"Gerard," Miles said as he tugged on my pants.
"Yeah, little man?"
"Did you see me put the soap in the dishwasher? Bandit said that I had to be very careful not to drop it and Cherry said I would drop it, but I didn't! See, Gerard! I didn't!"
I couldn't wipe the smile off my face even if I tried, "Heck yeah I saw that! I was pretty impressed, too! That stuff is tough to carry and strong boys like you sometimes have trouble with that!"
"Not me, Gerard! I carried it!"
Bandit smiled at Miles, "I told you that you could do it, too!"
I was about to say something else but Lily beat me to it, "Hey Gerard?"
"Yeah, Lily?"
"When can we paint?"
I pretended to think about it for a long while and tapped my chin. I even started pretending to rub my fake goatee when Miles started cackling like a hyena and Bandit rolled her eyes and whined loudly, "Dad, when are we going to paint?"
"Hmm," I replied slowly, "How about now?"
Cherry and Lily screamed loudly and started rushing up the stairs to see my office. Bandit and Miles weren't too far after and I yelled after them, "Go change into the clothes I put on your beds first!"
***
After everyone was changed into their white attire, we crowded into my office and I let the kids look around for a while. They stood in awe at the room, chatting happily amongst themselves, blown away. They talked about what they wanted to paint and what colors they wanted. I stood near the back and started pulling the lids off the paint cans. I stacked the discarded lids on the sheet covered desk and then clapped my hands together. They turned around simultaneously, bright-eyed and curious.
"Well," I said, placing my hand on my hip, "who's ready to paint?"
After that, they all rushed towards the paint, dipping their fingers in the dense liquid before choosing their own spots on the wall and getting to it. It was already too early to tell what they were painting but I wasn't worried.
I disappeared from the room just to grab the stereo and hooking it to a plug that was down the hall. I connected the cord to an extension and propped it up near the door to my office. I figured a little music wouldn't hurt. I turned on the latest CD and smiled as Bouncing Souls, one of Frank's favorites, started blaring through the speakers.
When I stepped back into the room, I saw Bandit and Cherry already dancing together, clasping their paint covered hands together. Black and pink looked great together and I laughed as their white clothes inch by inch started disappearing into something more, something better. It wasn't long after that Miles started dancing, taking Lily with him. They were giggling even as Miles accidentally touched his own face and got a green and blue handprint colored on it. Before I knew it, we were taking turns dancing and painting.
During the few times I looked around, spinning Lily, Cherry, Miles, and occasionally Bandit, I could see the walls filling up. There were boats, pirates, princesses in tall towers, hearts, houses, sunsets, dogs, barns, Harry Potter and his friends, and other characters that were from cartoons. It wasn't until I was spinning Cherry around, getting dizzier and dizzier until we were almost tipping over, that I noticed what Lily and Bandit were painting together. There were six stick figures together standing outside of the house. Cherry and I twirled around again, slowing down as Miles called her over to help him work on an airplane in the clouds. When Cherry and I broke apart, I stood still for a long time trying to get the world to stop spinning long enough to see what Bandit and Lily were working on. I leaned heavily on the sheet covered desk and what I saw was confusing and yet tear inducing.
There were six stick figures standing together. Two of them were men, three of them were girls, and one of them was a little boy, clearly younger than the rest. The four children were colored in various colors and as I got closer, I realized that you could tell the difference between each child because each child was painted according to their favorite color. Bandit was in a dark red color that was almost maroon. She was standing next to Cherry who was a bright and vivid pink. Cherry was standing next to Lily who was painted a lime green color. Lily was holding hands with Miles who was a sky blue color that matched the block airplane in the sky. As my eyes moved over the picture, I looked over at the two male adults. The first male adult was clearly Frank with his short brown hair spiked up on his head. I smiled when I followed down his arm and saw that his hand was linked with the stick figure that was clearly me. This figure had dark black hair that almost looked feminine in the picture, but was just shy of being girly. We were both smiling in the picture and I was mesmerized by it until Bandit stood in front of the picture, her hands freshly dipped in the red paint. I was confused as she painted with her back facing towards me, but when she pulled away I saw a bright red heart painted above mine and Frank's heads. I opened my mouth to question it, but just then Frank entered the room, distracting everyone and everything.
I heard the kids cheering loudly and then they tackled Frank onto the ground. He was laughing loudly as they continued to get their paint splattered hands all over his white t-shirt and his expensive dress pants. He didn't seem to mind, though. Actually, he started tickling them until they all got off him. He caught my eye for a second and smiled just barely before grabbing a whole paint can and calmly walking up to me. I raised my eyebrow in question just as Frank beamed brightly.
"Close your mouth and hold your breath."
I was confused for a second until Frank brought the paint can back and then swung it forward, dumping its contents out all over me. I stood there for a while afterwards, drenched in the paint before laughing and grabbing my own paint can. The war was on.
It wasn't until much later that I realized this, but it had been the same red Bandit had used to draw the heart over mine and Frank's heads.
***
Hours later, every single bit of us was drenched in so many colors of paint that there wasn't a way to tell the colors apart. The paintings on the wall had been drenched with the paint splattering and there were body imprints on the walls from when someone leaned against or cowered against it. We had been laughing so hard that our tears were mixed in with the paint.
When I finally got a mirror, I had bits of every color clumped in my hair. There wasn't any skin available that I could see and my clothes were stuck and clinging to my body. I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed this hard and it was a big relief to just get it all out. It made me even happier as I set my clothes out on the floor to dry. I had told everyone to just let their clothes dry out and Frank had even agreed that he'd save his clothes but needed a new suit.
When I stepped into the shower, I watched the colors bleed off my body and out of my hair. I was almost sad to see it go after such an amazing day, but it was a memory that I'd carry to my grave. After Frank had drenched me in the red, I had grabbed the closest can of yellow and rubbed it all in his hair. Then, Miles, avenging his dad, dumped green on Bandit. Bandit stood there in shock for a long time afterwards until Lily casually walked by, dumping a whole other can on her. After that, no one was safe. I had gotten plastered by each of the kids and Frank alike. At one point, we had all even teamed up on Frank, but then he won them over and they got me good. I smiled as I watched the last of the red dripping down and escaped through the drain.
***
It was almost midnight before the kids starting nodding off on their own. Frank and I figured since it was Saturday the kids were free to stay up as long as they wanted to as long as they weren’t grumpy the next morning. Frank and I bet that Miles would be the first to sleep, but he surprised us both by staying up long after the girls had gone to bed. He had been sitting comfortably between us, resting his head on my arm and watching the late night cartoons that I usually sat around and watched on nights I wasn’t painting. Frank was yawning hugely and his eyes watered up each time. I wasn’t much better, but I wanted to make sure that Miles didn’t sleep on the couch because the noise of our morning shuffling would wake him up before he was ready.
Finally, around twelve-thirty Miles got up from the couch, his hair flattened from leaning on my arm, and rubbed his eyes, “I’m going to go sleep now. Goodnight, Daddy. Goodnight, Gerard.”
Frank started shifting to get up from the couch while I called out my goodnight to Miles, but surprised us both again, “Hey, Daddy?”
“Yeah?” Frank asked as he stretched.
“Can Gerard take me to bed and tuck me in tonight?”
Frank paused and we met each other’s eyes in shock, “Yeah, sure, Little Man. You all right?”
“You won’t be upset, Daddy?”
“Nah, why would I be upset? You go get some sleep. I hear Gerard has one of the best bearhugs around.” Frank replied, still sounding a bit shocked, but smiling nonetheless.
Miles beamed at me and I couldn’t help but return the smile. I followed him up the staircase and when I looked back at Frank he mouthed ‘what just happened?’ at me. I could only shrug.
When we reached Miles’ room, he crawled into bed and I started tucking him in as I would to Bandit. He kept smiling at me, opening his mouth to say something, and then closing it again. Finally, I just sat at the end of his bed, “What’s up, Miles?”
The little boy shrugged, “I was going to ask you something, but now I don’t want to.”
I frowned, “Are you sure you don’t want to still ask me? I promise I won’t be mad or anything.”
Miles just smiled and shook his head. I stood up from the foot of the bed and wrapped him in a giant hug. He giggled, “Daddy was right!” I winked at him before kissing the top of his head. I was almost out the door again when I heard Miles’ voice again, “Gerard?”
“Yeah, Miles?”
“Can you tell dad that I love him?”
I felt my heart explode in my chest, “Of course, Little Man.”
When I returned back downstairs, Frank was sitting on the bottom of the steps. I dropped down next to him and he bumped me with his shoulder gently. I bumped him back and he smiled at me, “What was that all about?”
I shrugged, “I honestly have no idea. He said he had wanted to ask me something, but he didn’t. Maybe he’ll tell one of us later?”
“Yeah, maybe.” Frank sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly, “Today was a really long day.”
I placed my arm on his shoulders and he leaned heavily against my side, “How’d your interview go?”
Frank groaned, hiding his face on my chest. His ear was close to my heart. I wondered briefly if he could tell that it was beating a little faster than normal. Instead of asking though, I get tightened my grip on him until the tension drained out of his shoulders, “Horribly, it went horribly.”
I started tracing patterns on his shoulder blade and waited for him to continue, “They said a bunch of shit about a reputation and me needing more job experience. Being in a band, I guess, wasn’t enough. I mean, I’ve had experience before, but not in a long time. Anyways,” I kissed the top of his head as a comfort gesture and ignored the way my heart sped up a tad bit more, “I was really pissed off afterwards. I didn’t want to come home all pissed off and ready to burst, so I got my ass over to Mikey’s because I remembered what you had said about him playing at his house. When I got there, he didn’t even act surprised to see me there. He just ushered me inside and we played for a long time. I told him about today’s job disappointment and he was very calm about it, very contemplative.”
Frank lifted his head up, almost hitting the back of his head on my nose. I could tell that he was smiling before he even looked up, but the curve of his lips only confirmed it, “Mikey offered me a job at the studio he works at. I work Monday through Friday and can set my own hours as long as I actually get my work done.”
I felt myself giving off the same smile that Frank was giving me. It was almost like we were two mirrors facing each other, reflecting off what the other saw, “That’s fucking amazing, Frank!”
He laughed and then yawned again, making me yawn afterwards, “Yeah, I think so, too.”
“You nervous?”
“Nah, just tired.”
I laughed and lifted the two of us off the stairs. I flipped the final light switch off and then we made our way up the stairs side by side. When I reached my door, Frank was almost gone in his. I called out to him, “Frank?”
He opened the door wider, sticking his head out, “Yeah?”
I had what I was going to say in my head but all that came out was, “Miles said that he loves you.”
Frank just grinned before nodding and closing the door.
@TragicDeathStar