I waited until everyone had left the classroom before going over to the door and locking it. Gerard glanced up from whatever he was doing, his tired eyes landing on me and watching me walk towards him.
"Aw, baby," I said, brushing his hair from his face. "you don't look well."
"I'll be fine. Just got a headache, is all." He attempted a smile, but he still looked ill.
I pressed a kiss to his forehead, finding a clear space on his desk and sitting on it. "You're burning up. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, I promise."
"You should still go home, anyway. I can come over after school and tuck you into bed and all that." He laughed, but it turned into a coughing fit. Once he'd finished coughing, I ran the backs of my fingers over his flushed cheek. "Please, Gee? For me?"
"Okay, okay, I'll go home. I do feel kinda sick anyway."
He stood up, and I kissed his cheek, despite him protesting that I'd get sick too. "Hey, shut up - I'm gonna be getting into bed with you later, so I'll get sick anyway."
He shook his head in amusement and began packing up his things. "Go on, sugar. Your friends will be wondering where you are. Come over later, okay?"
I nodded and he kissed me quickly, dismissing me with a wave of his hand. I rolled my eyes, picking up my bag and heading towards the door, calling a 'bye, Mr Way!' on the way out.
As predicted, Brendon was waiting for me, Patrick obviously elsewhere. He linked arms with me and we walked down the corridor together.
"So how is he?" He asked, nudging me suggestively.
I elbowed him back harshly. "He's not feeling too good, so I told him to go home."
"Oh, are you going there after school?" I nodded, and he smirked evilly. "Are you gonna dress up in one of those slutty nurse uniforms? Are you gonna put a thermometer in his mouth, but the thermometer's your - ow! Stop! Your elbows are really pointy!"
"Well it wouldn't hurt if I had pudgy elbows, would it?"
"Yeah, but..." He rubbed his side, wincing. "You're a bitch."
I smiled. "I know."
We went to the cafeteria, and found Ryan, Pete and Patrick. It was weird without Ray. Music was, well, dull. I mean, Pete was still there, but Ray was the one who got Pete and I actually working. I missed spotting his 'fro in the corridors, and having his easy chatter in the cafeteria. He was someone to talk to when Brendon and Ryan were doing whatever, and when Pete and Patrick were bickering like an old married couple.
There was some kind of pasta thing that Gerard had made me bring to school today, but it had found its way to the bottom of my bag. That meant that I had to take various items from my bag and place them on the table, despite how disgusting the surface was.
"Ooh, what's this?" Brendon said from beside me, and I looked up to see the nosy shit pick up a brown envelope.
My eyes widened. If he so much as opened that envelope, let's just say that Ryan would have to find something else to put in his ass. "Brendon, give that to me." I demanded.
"Why?" He smirked. "What's in it?"
The other three had tuned in on us, and I felt my face begin to flame with what I knew would be a furious blush. "I can't say. Just please give it to me." His fingers went to open it. "Brendon!" I hissed.
"Is it something naughty, Frankie?" I glared at him, wishing serious pain upon him with my eyes.
"They're...photographs." I told him, holding my hand out for the envelope. I would've grabbed them from him, but I doubted that Gerard would want torn photographs.
He opened the envelope and peered inside it, his eyes widening and his mouth dropping open. "Okay, you can have them back." He handed it to me and I smiled smugly, despite the fact that I was blushing furiously, and Brendon had - oh my God he'd actually looked at the photographs.
I peered into the envelope myself to see which was the first photo, and it was the first one I'd taken, of Gerard standing by the mirror. Meaning that Brendon knew exactly who I'd been taking photos of. I kept hold of the envelope as I retrieved the pasta, shoving everything else - along with the envelope (though I was careful with it) - back in my bag.
"Frank has a boyfriend?" Pete and Patrick cried.
"What did you just tell them?" I said to Brendon, who shuddered, a smirk at his lips.
"Just that you've been taking pictures of your boyfriend...who wasn't wearing a lot in the way of clothing." He leaned closer to me, and whispered in my ear. "I hope you realise that I'm never going to be able to look at our art teacher in the same way ever again, right?"
I snorted. "You should see the rest of the photos."
~
"I'm up here!" Gerard's hoarse voice called out as I closed the front door, and I took my shoes off before heading upstairs.
He was in bed, his head propped up on a few pillows, with his arm lying across his forehead. I placed my bag on the floor and climbed onto the bed, moving his arm and pressing the back of my hand to his forehead.
"Poor baby." I murmured, dropping a kiss to his temple.
"That makes me feel about five." He chuckled, and I shrugged.
"You're still my poor baby." I brushed his hair back from his face. "Do you want a drink or anything?"
He thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Can you get me a glass of water?"
"Sure." I stood up. "Anything else?"
He shook his head, and I went downstairs, getting him a glass of cold water. I took it to him and he sat up a little higher, sipping at it carefully before placing it on the nightstand. He then patted the space beside him, and I dug out the envelope from my bag, climbing into bed with him.
"Brendon got hold of this." I told him, handing him the envelope, and his eyebrows rose. "He took one look inside it and gave it back, though."
He smiled, opening the brown paper and taking the photographs out. "I'm not sure whether to be offended or not."
"I think I'm offended." He just laughed, looking through the photos one by one, handling them as if they were worth a million dollars.
"I like this one." He said quietly, showing me. In the photo, his face was turned towards his upper arm, his left hand tangled in his hair. He was biting down on his lower lip, his eyes closed, and the top of the corset was just in shot. I nodded in agreement, and then he went onto the rest. "I have really girly legs, don't I?"
"I like your legs." He scoffed. "No, I do. I wish I had legs like yours."
"But you're a skinny little squirt." He squeezed my thigh beneath the sheets, his thumb rubbing small circles. "So you have skinny little squirt legs that are perfect for you."
"Shut up about my skinny little squirt legs." I nudged him, and he put the photos back into the envelope, placing that on his nightstand with his glass of water.
"Thanks, baby." He said, lying down.
"You're welcome." I lay down beside him and stroked his hair, and he pushed his lips against mine.
We were busily - and heavily - making out when the doorbell rang, and Gerard broke the kiss. He reached behind him to check his phone, and swore.
"I forgot my mom was coming over!" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can you go answer the door for me while I get dressed?"
"What if she asks who I am?"
"Tell her you're my boyfriend, silly."
"Is that wise?"
"No, but whatever."
I rolled my eyes and tugged my sweater tighter around myself, heading downstairs. When I opened the door, a woman with blond hair, the same kind of pointed nose as Gerard's and a kind smile stood there.
"Oh!" She said, clearly surprised that a teenage boy had answered the door instead of her adult son. "Where's Gerard?"
"He's just coming." I said. "He told me to answer the door." Her eyebrows rose as I let her in, and I closed the door behind her. "I'm Frank. Gerard's new boyfriend."
Her eyes widened as she sat on the couch, with me beside her. "Oh, you're Frank? He's told me so much about you!"
"He - he has?"
"Hey, Mom." Gerard appeared from nowhere, making me jump. Jesus, he really did look ill. His hair was limp and tangled, and his nose was a little red. His lips were chapped, and he was only in a t-shirt and pajama pants, whereas his mom and I were dressed for the winter weather...ish.
"Gerard!" His mom stood, pulling her son into a hug. "Why didn't you tell me you weren't well?" He just shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "Go on, you - get back to bed. You can stay off of work tomorrow, too."
"Mom, I'm fine." He protested, rubbing his eyes. "Do you want a coffee or anything?"
At the mention of coffee, Mrs Way was easily distracted. It probably ran in the family, judging by Gerard's daily caffeine consumption. I turned to his mom, who was watching me carefully.
"Has Gerard always drank coffee like it's the only thing he's allowed to drink and he'll die if he doesn't drink more than three hundred gallons a day?"
She snorted laughter, and nodded. "Ever since he was fourteen or something, yeah. It's a fucking nightmare. Seriously, sweetie -" she turned to face me, pointing her knees in my direction. "- if you're ever planning on moving in with him, stock up on coffee now. I don't know how he goes through it so quickly, but he does. His smoking's just as bad."
"Watch your mouth, Mom." Gerard said, coming in with two coffees. He handed one to his mom and one to me, shooting me a cheeky wink before going back to the kitchen.
"Yours is just as bad!" I called out, hearing him laugh in response.
"That's true." His mom agreed, and he came back in, perching on my lap.
"Ow, babe." I grumbled, poking his side.
He giggled, standing up and making me stand too. He then placed his coffee and my coffee on the coffee table before pulling me down to sit on his lap. I could feel him nuzzle his face against the back of my shoulder, and I scowled.
"You'd better not be wiping your snot all over my favorite sweater." I said, and he just shook his head, so I rolled my eyes, turning to his mom once more. "What has he said about me?"
"Nothing!" Gerard said, before she could speak.
"He's always telling me how pretty you are, and how much he likes you, and all that usual gooey stuff. I'm sure you've heard it all before." She smiled.
I looked at Gerard, raising my eyebrows, and he shrugged. "You have, give or take."
His mom stayed for an hour or so, talking about anything and everything, and when she left, Gerard breathed a sigh of relief. Why, I didn't know - his mom seemed like a lovely woman, and if my mom was half as mom-like as his, then I'd be at least okay. It made me wish that my mom gave a shit, not because she had to, but because she genuinely did give a shit.
"Gee, you're freezing!" I frowned, noticing him shivering.
"Nah, I'm okay." He lied, and I rolled my eyes.
Ten minutes later we were curled up on the couch, underneath several blankets, with his head on my shoulder and his hand resting between my legs. Some kind of documentary on animals was on the TV, but I wasn't paying much attention to it; my arm was around Gerard's shoulders, my fingers running through his hair. Every so often he'd blow his nose, which, for some reason, I found adorable, and he liked to shuffle closer to me, even though there was already no more space between us.
Remembering what Brendon had said earlier, I breathed a laugh, and he raised his head, a confused expression on his pretty face. "What?" He said, his voice sounding tired.
"Just thinking about a rude comment Brendon made earlier." His eyebrows rose. "I told him you were ill, and he started saying that I was going to dress as a slutty nurse and use my dick as a thermometer."
He rolled his eyes. "It's kids like him that make me want to quit being a teacher."
"I'm surprised I haven't decapitated him yet." He put his head back on my shoulder, his left hand in my lap as well as his right. "How many days?"
He sighed. "I'm not sure. Forty, I think."
I decided to change the subject, because I'd get upset otherwise. "How are you feeling?"
"I wanna curl up in a ball and sleep forever." He croaked, and I kissed the top of his head.
"Go to sleep then; I'll be right here."
"Promise?"
"'Course, baby. Unless I need to pee or something."
I continued to stroke his hair, slowly and carefully, and soon he fell asleep. His body was cool and comforting against mine, his long legs curled beneath him on the couch. I quickly decided that cuddling him was ranked high on my list of favorite things, and I decided that as long as he was in my arms, I was happy.
He slept for several hours, and when he woke up, it was getting dark, and I was in the bathroom.
"Frank?" He called out, and I washed my hands before hurrying downstairs. The blankets had ended up on the floor, and he was rubbing his eyes, his hair sticking up everywhere.
"Are you okay?" I asked, sitting beside him and kissing his forehead.
"Yeah, I - I didn't know where you were." He leaned up and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me gently, as if I was the one who would break.
"Sorry. I needed to pee." He smiled, and I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in the crook of his neck. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I might go up to bed though. Join me if you want." He pulled back, grabbed a tissue, and sneezed into it. It was a dainty, feminine sneeze, and I couldn't help but burst out laughing. He smiled, wiping his nose, and then he poked my arm. "Shut up, I may be ill but I can still kick your ass."
"Oh sure you can. You probably can't get up the stairs without holding my hand."
"No, because I like holding your hand, dumbass. C'mon."
I took his hand and gathered up the blankets, and he followed me upstairs to his room. He climbed into bed and I joined him, wrapping my arms around him and letting him lean his head against my shoulder.
"Frank?" He mumbled, just when I thought he'd fallen asleep.
"Yes, baby?" I replied, as he shifted against me.
There was a pause, and I thought he'd fallen asleep this time, but he spoke, his voice barely audible. "Je t'aime."
I didn't know any French, but I'd memorised this particular phrase, so I could say it to him without being as embarrassed as I would be if it was in English. And I smiled, my cheek against his hair, glad that, for once, I knew exactly what he meant.
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This chapter hurts my heart, but in a good way, so it's all good :) ahhhh the feels, the feels...
Sorry if it's not long or great, it's kind of a filler really, tbh *shrugs* idk, I didn't know what to write xD
Might not get a chapter up tomorrow, I'm getting a lil stuck on this now, but I'll see what I can do xD I'm this far, I refuse to give up ;)
As always, I love you guys, thanks so much for everything <3
So long and goodnight,
-xocharr <3