whoops this one is a bit long too
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dead cats
~[|]~
Gerard's eyes were close to shutting as he gathered up all of his things, well, his hoodie and his bag that contained only a comic book and his wallet and keys. He let out a relaxed sigh as he sat down by one of the booths towards the far end of the diner, wanting nothing more than to just relax.
It was the end of his shift now, around three in the morning to be exact, and he had bargained with Bryar to get a day off for the remainder of the week if he promised to clean the toilets without dispute. It was only Friday so it shouldn't have been that big of a deal, but Gerard would do whatever it took to make sure he could stay in bed for three consecutive days.
He rubbed his ankle through its brace gently, having felt it tense up uncomfortable. He shut his eyes, hoping to just rest them for a few seconds before going back to his apartment.
The infamous bell rang on top of the door, but he didn't bother to even open his eye. His shift was over, whatever happened now was Brandon's and Ray's problem.
"Hey, is Gerard here?" And Gerard would have cared that it was Frank speaking, he would have cared that he sounded almost desperate, but he didn't. Only because he was sick and tired of thinking about Frank and wanting know what exactly he was thinking at any given moment- and just being infatuated by him.
He was fucking done.
"Uh, I think he just left." Brendon said uncertainly, "He's got a few days off."
Gerard crawled further into the booth and away from their line of eyesight as he continued to listen- because although Gerard didn't necessarily care, he was still a nosy bitch.
"Oh." Frank said, sounding almost disappointed.
It was silent for a bit, and Gerard assumed Frank was leaving, well until Frank's voice filled the air again.
"Could you maybe tell him to meet me at the bar? He'll know which one." Frank said, and Gerard raised an eyebrow even thought he wasn't even in the conversation.
Why the fuck did he need to go to the bar?
"Um, sure, yeah I can do that." Urie said uncertainly, clearly confused.
"Okay, cool. I'll um, yeah, see you." Frank said before leaving the diner, which was confirmed when the little bell dinged above the door.
Gerard sighed quietly as he got up fully now, stretching his back before limping to the door.
"Bye, Bren." Gerard said, and happy he could use a nickname since he wasn't working anymore.
"Oh, Way, there was this guy looking for you-"
"I know." Gerard interrupted, waving at him before leaving.
He couldn't fight the small smile on his face, if Frank wanted him to go to the bar, he'd just have to do anything but that, and Gerard could feel an evil laugh coming on as he realised what an evil fucking genius he was.
Too bad he wasn't too smart because two seconds later he found himself tripping with his injured ankle over an uneven sidewalk.
Well, fuck.
- -
Gerard didn't believe in popular sayings, well, he didn't used to believe in them, but he had to admit that that weird expression about curiosity killing the cat, well, it was fucking accurate. Because not two days later he found himself in one of his father's infamous large zip-up hoodies, walking through the bar's stingy wooden doors.
It was a Sunday night, the last night before he was back to working his sorry ass off, and he was wasting it on this stupid meet-up he had promised he wouldn't go to. But maybe it would be worth it, maybe somehow him and Frank would turn friends again and his misplaced anger would evaporate into thin air like his father's sweaters did.
Gerard ran a hand through his knotted bright hair, keeping his head down as he walked slowly over to the same stool he sat at last time.
He played with the hem of his sweater as he waited for Frank to notice him, and he knew it was Frank there since he'd seen him on his way in. He was wearing a white ripped T-shirt that looked soaking wet.
Gerard could have laughed at the way some of the guys in the back looked at him too, but Frank just seemed to make a blow job motion with his hands and laugh at them.
"Hey, can I get you anything?" He asked Gerard absently as he cleaned the inside of a jug. He clearly hadn't noticed him yet, that, or he was well drunk and too shitfaced to notice anything in fifty feet of him.
"Just a beer please." Gerard muttered, keeping his head down.
Gerard didn't look up, but he could see Frank freeze through the corner of his eye, immediately looking up to face Gerard.
"Gerard?"
"The one and only." Gerard said with a snicker, looking up.
He was still pissed off, of course, and was totally not in any way shape or form in a good mood from seeing Frank. At all.
"Didn't think you were gonna come." He said passing Gerard a cold beer bottle.
"Me neither," Gerard muttered, hiding a small smile, "but I was curious as to why you went all the way to diner, just to tell me to come here."
Gerard took a large sip of his drink, playing with the top of the bottle with his finger tip, something he found himself doing quite often.
Frank let out a small chuckle, but his eyes seemed nervous and they kept shooting up and down. His lip was between his teeth and Gerard could tell Frank was really anxious.
"Why the fuck are you so nervous, Frankie?" Gerard asked with an amused laugh, taking another bitter sip of his drink.
"I'm not." He defended.
"Yes you are."
"No, I'm not." Frank insisted angrily.
"Yes, you are." Gerard laughed. He thought they were joking around, at least Gerard was, but Frank's responses were getting more and more aggressive as time passed.
"Just fuck off, Gerard." Frank finally snapped, and Gerard's once small smile faded immediately.
What was so wrong with Frank?
Why was he being so rude lately, he never used to snap at Gerard and they'd been "friends" for a little over two months.
Gerard didn't speak up, he refused to always be the one starting and saving conversations. It wasn't his job, right now he actually wanted to be rewatching Sherlock Holmes with coffee right by his side- not watching Frank pour drinks in a busy bar that was filled with people that would pay top dollar to beat the little shit up.
"'M sorry." Frank finally said, "I didn't mean to snap."
"You don't seem to mean a lot of the things you've been doing lately." Gerard found himself saying, and the anger that had fizzed away when he came in was resurfacing quickly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Frank asked in a defensive tone.
Gerard rolled his eyes, he was absolutely done.
"I'm not gonna keep spelling it out for you," Gerard said bitterly, "if you don't want us to have any sort of relationship, then fucking stop coming to my workplace, dipshit."
"What-?"
"Drop the act, Frank!" Gerard finally yelled, tired and just overall done with this stupid back and forth thing they had going.
"We almost kissed two weeks ago, and if you can't be adult enough to tell me you don't care about me then just leave me the fuck alone."
Frank stayed quiet, looking down with flushed cheeks.
Gerard scoffed, practically throwing his money at Frank and grabbing his beer bottle.
"Have a nice fucking night, Frank." He mumbled at him before he rushed out of the bar once again.
Rest assured, curiosity did kill the cat, and the satisfaction of knowing Frank was a indirectly ruining his 'lust for life' did bring it back. But it didn't make Gerard any less miserable.
- -
"Way, I've had four complaints about you being rude to customers." Ryan sighed.
Ryan had been put in charge since Bryar was on vacation to Rome. Ryan wasn't at all a tightass- he actually did like to have fun, but he also knew that the more of these complaints he let go unwarned the more Mr Bryar would rip him a new one.
"They can suck my dick." Gerard mumbled as he put the seven bucks in his hands into the cash register.
Ryan let out a loud groan, "Gerard, stop taking your emotional baggage out on paying customers. This is seriously your last warning."
"Fine." Gerard said, looking up to show Ross that he was serious.
"Great," Ryan smiled, "and please, fix your shirt. It's on backwards."
Gerard let out a loud groan when he looked down and realised Ryan was just messing with him. "You're such an ass, Ross."
"That's Mr Ross to you, Way." Ryan giggled, skating off to wipe down a table.
Gerard could really feel his brain decomposing as he shut the register and leaned against the counter. He had his roller skates back now, since his ankle had made a full recovery. Well, it wasn't actually fully healed but he was fucking done with the brace and the limping and the fact that a little boy had called him handicapped.
The door opened, and Gerard mentally psyched himself up for human contact. He opened his eyes, that had been shut in order to block out all the shit around him, and he was almost bored when he saw Frank standing there with a cut forehead a bruised cheekbone.
"I-"
"Get out." Gerard said in a monotone manner, "I don't have time for you and your shenanigans today, Frank. We're packed."
Frank swallowed thickly and nodded, but didn't move.
"I need to speak to you." And it seemed like in the week since their last encounter Frank had had surgery to remove both his ears and his brain.
"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Gerard sighed, he skated slowly around the counter and head towards a booth with a couple that had just sat down.
"How can I help y-" Gerard was interrupted by someone yanking his elbow towards the door, and he frowned when he saw it was Frank.
"What the fuck are you doing? I'm gonna get written up, assface." Gerard groaned, snatching his arm back once Frank had stopped pulling him.
They were now outside the diner's doors, and it was well past dark outside and the Autumn breeze wasn't doing much for the cold Gerard had been trying to avoid. His teeth had already begun chattering as he hugged himself.
He was only in his pastel uniform of course, because he was a good employee damnit.
"Look," Frank said seriously, "I- I need you to let me talk and not interrupt, okay?"
"Fine." Gerard said with a grumble, "But make it quick, Ross is gonna roast my ass if he sees me skipping work."
"Okay." Frank said, and a small smile seemed to be shining through his words.
"I- I didn't actually have to go home on the Tuesday we um, we almost kissed."
"No shit Sherlock-"
"Hey, you said you wouldn't interrupt." Frank said in almost a pleading tone.
Gerard nodded and shut up, waiting for Frank to start talking again.
"I didn't need to go home, I just needed to go to work." He sighed.
"I got a call from my boss after you left and you might not know this, but I skip work all the fucking time to come here. My boss fucking hates me." Frank laughed nervously.
Gerard was silent for a moment.
"Why couldn't you just tell me that- why couldn't you just say that instead of making me think you left because of me?" Gerard asked, his eyes sad.
"Because I didn't want you to know I lied about having this much free time. You would have thought I was an obsessed serial killer or something if I'd said that I prioritise our meet ups over my job." Frank muttered, his cheeks taking on a pink colour.
"I wouldn't have- I don't... think that." Gerard said, and he could feel his heart begin to beat faster his chest
He felt like a complete asshole- Gerard felt so ashamed. How could he make Frank seem so horrible when in reality he sacrificed his job to spend time with him. Obviously he didn't know, and assumed from the distant behaviour that that was the case, but fuck he was wrong, and he felt horrible.
"Frank, I'm-"
"And then when you came to the bar with your brother, I thought you'd met someone or something, and you were so mad at me and I didn't get it but I did at the same time and then that guy kept hitting on you and I got so frustrated and jealous and-" Frank rambled.
"Why?"
"Why what?" Frank asked with furrowed eyebrows.
"Why were you so frustrated and jealous over that guy just putting his hand on my shoulder?" Gerard asked quietly, tightening his arms around himself.
"Because, Gerard, I- I like you." He said with bright cheeks which Gerard assumed were from the cold.
It took Gerard a few seconds to process what Frank had said, because sure they'd almost kissed and they'd once accidentally fallen on top of each other, but this was different, because there weren't mixed singles or hidden meanings behind misplaced feelings- it was a blunt statement.
"Why did you ask me to go to the bar?" Gerard asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I wanted to see you again, but I um, I still hadn't found a good excuse for Tuesday and how I acted on Sunday so I started getting nervous and when you noticed I guess a flick just switched and I got angry." He said sheepishly, looking disappointed in himself.
"I didn't want to tell you my feelings when we were both mad because I wanted it to be the right moment, a moment we were both happy in- but it's been so long since I've seen you without you being upset so I decided fuck it and... decided to do it now." Frank rambled, his voice becoming quieter towards the end.
Gerard was silent again, and Frank took it upon himself to speak up again.
"I don't need you to say it back," Frank whispered, "I just don't want you to be so mad at me, Gerard."
Gerard's mind had stopped working- he was on fucking autopilot for God's sake- and he couldn't even comprehend what he was doing because the next thing he knew was that his lips were on Frank's and that his teeth had finally stopped chattering.
Frank was taken by surprise and didn't kiss back for the first few seconds, but when he did, God Gerard would never get used to the feeling. His lips were warm against Gerard's, and his hand was soon on Gerard's cheek and hip as their slow movements ensued.
Gerard was grinning to himself as he placed his hands on Frank's jacket-covered chest. The kiss lasted just a few moments longer before the both pulled away slowly.
Frank smiled brightly at Gerard, his eyes glistening in the artificial light coming from the diner's windows, his black hair flowing around in the harsh wind.
"I like you too, Frank." Gerard smiled, pulling Frank into a bone crushing hug.
Frank laughed and hugged him back with just as much force, stroking Gerard's hair calmingly.
"I'm so sorry I was such an ass." Gerard said softly, "I thought you-"
"It's okay, Gee. I get it." Frank mumbled.
"No, it isn't, and I get if you want to just-"
"Gerard," Frank interrupted, pulling back slightly from their embrace, "you're rambling."
"Fuck off." Gerard mumbled with a blush, giggling in quite a girly fashion.
"Only if you watch." Frank waggled his eyebrows in possibly the most painfully unnatural way possible, earning a playful punch from Gerard.
"So, we're good?" Frank asked after a moment of happy silence.
"Yeah, yeah we're good, assface." Gerard giggled pulling him into another kiss.
Well, a short lived one.
"Way! Stop kissing customers and get your sorry ass back in here. You're cleaning the shitter next." Ryan yelled out of one of the windows, but it almost seemed like he was suppressing a dopey grin.
Frank and Gerard pulled away giggling, Gerard absently flipping Ross off.
Maybe that stupid dead cat was worth all of the satisfaction.
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hey,
the last chapter was a bit of a bummer and i wanted this story to be happy and smiley so of course my dumb little ass had to turn it back into fluff :)
comments are always coolio, if there's any feedback or things you suggest then feel free to let me know!
sorry for any mistakes and
till we meet again fellas