When I wake up, Gerard isn't beside me and there's a baby crying. I head out to check on the situation and I see Gerard trying to calm Fletcher down without any success. I approach him and take Fletcher from him. I check his diaper and sure enough, that's why he's upset. I change it quickly and Fletcher's crying subsides. I set Fletcher down in his highchair. I walk over to Gerard who has been sitting on the couch since I took the baby. He looks up at me as I sit down beside him.
"How long've you been up?" I ask him. He shrugs.
"Longer than I remember," he replies.
"Where's Mikey?"
"He's just out getting some coffee because we ran out and the stores are closed. I asked him to get you one too. I figured if you didn't wake up, I'd just drink it," he says.
"Too bad I woke up then," I laugh. He rubs his eyes and smiles.
"Why were you awake?"
"Couldn't sleep."
"Well no shit but why not?"
"Stress," he replies.
"What do you have to be stressed about?"
"A lot of things... I'm going Christmas shopping today if you wanna come with me. I already have your gifts so I don't have to make you stay here," he winks at me. I don't have anything for him and I don't have any money to get him anything either.
"What do you want for Christmas?" I ask him.
"Babe, I know you have no money so don't even worry about it. There are others... gifts you could give me," he says with a smirk. I slap him as lightly as possible and he laughs.
-
Mikey gets back with a tray of coffees in his hands and an exhausted look on his face. He pulls a chair from the table and sits near us in front of the TV. He hands me a coffee and Gerard one.
"I take it the doctor said Fletcher was fine or something?" I ask, suddenly remembering that that's where he had been yesterday.
"Yeah, he said Fletcher would be fine," Mikey replies. After that, we sit together, not saying a word as we drink our coffee and stare at 4 am infomercials for a little while. Soon the sun comes up and the normal day channels return.
"We should go," Gerard says shortly after the sun is up and Fletcher's asleep.
"Alright," I reply. He starts touching his chin, feeling the stubble growing there. I never really paid much attention to when he shaved but I know he must've because the hair rarely stayed long.
"Should I shave?" He asks, lifting an eyebrow.
"We're just going shopping," I say, seeing no actual point for it.
"I'll be back," he says and disappears into the bathroom. When he returns, there's a bandage on his chin.
"Nicked yourself with the razor?" I ask and he nods. Gerard and I leave to get a head start on shopping and Mikey goes to sleep after putting Fletcher in his crib.
Gerard never actually takes us to the mall but instead we go to this little neighborhood in the middle of town.
"I'm just going to make a pitstop first... This is where my parents live," he says, pulling over and turning the car off.
"So this is where you grew up?" I ask, looking around at the houses that are decorated with lights and nativity scenes.
"Unfortunately," he sighs. He zips up his coat and locks the car.
"It doesn't seem so bad," I try to lighten the situation.
"It was when everybody knew that you lived in the basement of one of the houses because your family couldn't afford more," he replies. The confidence that always seemed to plague his voice is completely gone and I finally realize what he's doing; he's being vulnerable. He's showing me a different side of him where he isn't guarded. I take hold of his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. He looks at me and smiles a sad smile.
"I think this might be the last time I come here," he says, his voice wavering. The cold wind blows sharply as we walk up to one of the houses on the street. His hand drops mine as he pulls something out of his coat. It's a small box with a red ribbon on the top. He takes a deep breath before knocking on the basement door of the house. His mother opens it and hugs him. Not what I would've expected from the last few times we've met.
"He's right in here," she whispers, urging Gerard and I to go inside. I enter this small apartment behind Gerard and I see a man in a chair, looking frail and sick. Gerard goes up to him and kisses his cheek. The man tries to push Gerard away.
"Look.. Dad... I'm sorry you're sick and I just wanted to say that I forgive you.. If I've learned anything from being in this family it's that nobody forgives each other. We just hold grudges. But I forgive you for everything... This is probably the last time I'll ever see you so I wanted to give you something," Gerard says, tears beginning to spill over. He gives his father the box but it falls to the floor. Gerard's mom picks it up and unwraps it for her husband. I watch as his mother's eyes light up. Her fingers lift the rosary into the air, examining each red bead.
"It's beautiful. Thank you," she says, embracing her son and kissing his cheek.
"I figured it was one of the things he would want at this point. I love you both but i-I have to go," Gerard says, moving towards me. He turns me and pushes me up the stairs and out of his house. He closes the door behind us and walks towards the car but collapses into the ground before we get there. The snow crunches under him as he erupts into tears. I sit down beside him and wrap my arm around him. I kiss his forehead and rub his back. He sniffles and wipes away his tears. He stands up and hugs me, rubbing snow into my hair.
"Was that intentional?" I whisper. I feel a smirk grow on his lips.
"Maybe," he replies, letting me go and bending down to pick up some snow to throw it at me. He bends down to pick up another ball of snow. I throw a snowball at his back and he groans as he turns around, flinging one at me in return. I get closer to him until I have his keys. I unlock his car and get inside. I taunt him as I sit in the car, locking the doors so he can't get me. He puts the snow down and lifts his hands in defeat. I unlock the car and he opens my door. He pulls me out and spins me in the air.
"Put me down!" I screech. The keys go flying in the air. I watch as they fly over somebody's fence and I hear them land in the snow. Gerard puts me down immediately and looks scared shitless. We walk up to the door of the house who has his keys in their backyard.
"You are so in trouble when we get back," Gerard whispers, his voice low and rough. His words send shivers down my spine. He pulls me in closer, his fingers digging into my hips. The door swings open and a woman in a bathrobe opens the door. She has rollers in her hair and lipstick smudged on her face.
"What do you want?" She snaps, crossing her arms over her chest as she scowls at us.
"My uh boyfriend here accidentally threw my car keys over your fence and we were wondering if we could have them back," Gerard says, his voice quiet and afraid. She closes the door in our faces and Gerard's grip on my side loosens. He sighs and closes his eyes but we don't move.
"I'm hoping she's coming back," he whispers, leaning into the crook of my neck to leave a tender kiss. Much to my surprise, the woman returns, dangling Gerard's keys in the air before throwing them at him and slamming the door closed again.
-
We get back to Gerard's apartment and notice that Fletcher and Mikey aren't here and I don't know where they are. He pulls me into the bedroom and pushes me onto the bed. He pulls off my shirt and takes off his own. His fingers trace lines in my skin as his tongue meets with mine. My hand moves up his side and curves around his cheek. His cheeks are warm and his skin is soft. He grinds down into me and I moan. My pants tighten around my crotch as his hand slides down my chest, heading straight for my jeans. He undoes them and slides them off my body. His fingers return to my skin as they trail up my thigh, creeping up slowly. He palms me through my boxers, teasing me before pulling away. He lowers himself between my legs and slides my boxers off, exposing my erection. He kisses my inner thigh, sucking at the skin before moving to my hipbones. He leaves hickeys along the skin near my hips and thighs. He looks up at me and smirks, standing up. He walks over to his closet and pulls out some chains and a paddle. I flip onto my hands and knees, letting him chain my wrists and ankles to the bed posts. His hand slides up my inner thigh before disappearing and being replaced with the paddle. After each hit he rubs the area a little before the paddle descends again. My ass is surely red by now.
"You are such a bad boy," he growls. About twenty whacks later, he sets the paddle down and gives my ass a squeeze before massaging it a little.
"You know, you could tell me if it hurts or I should stop... Sometimes I get carried away," Gerard says, sliding his pants and boxers. I mumble something unintelligible as he pushes into me. I moan as he pulls out halfway and thrusts back in. I feel his breath on my neck as he lays gentle kisses down my spine. His lips are soft and warm and his grip is getting tighter. His movements become more needy as the time spills on. His sweat slicked skin pressed against mine and his nose pressed into the back of my neck as he breathes heavily. I go to reach my arm behind me but I pull on the restraint instead. I can feel his heartbeat pounding against my back. His hips move him in and out of me as his nails dig into mine, leaving scratches around the hickeys. His grip loosens around my hips and his hands tremble by my side. He reaches forward and wraps his hand around my dick. He curls his hand around me and I moan.
"Frank," Gerard groans lowly, his voice raspy as his hand strokes my cock. My voice trembles as I groan, thrusting against his hand. His movements begin to slow down but get harder as he slides in and out of me. He groans, releasing in me as I release in his hand. He pulls out and unchains me before laying down beside me as I collapse on my stomach. I pull a sheet over me and fall asleep.
-
I wake up sometime during the middle of the night and Gerard is still sleeping beside me. If I move at all I'd probably wake him up considering his arms are wrapped around me and his face is snuggled into my shoulder. There's just one problem with this situation; I have to pee. There's no way to avoid this. I could wait it out or I could go fast and get it done with. He might wake up if I wait then I won't be the one who woke him up. I wait a few minutes but he remains unmoved. I wiggle out from his grasp and he wakes up, groaning and rubbing his eyes.
"What are you doing?" He asks.
"I need to take a piss," I reply. He covers his face in his pillow and buries himself in sheets. I go pee and when I get back he's still in the same position that he was when I left; not that shocking though. I crawl back into bed and he moves so he's facing me.
"Did I mention that I have something planned for us for the holiday?" He asks. It's dark and I can barely see his face but I still know what he's doing as he talks. He's talking out of the side of his mouth with his eyes barely open and he's rubbing them.
"No," I reply, laying my head down on the pillow, ready to go back to bed after.
"Well, technically it was Mikey's idea but... You'll see when we get there," Gerard teases.
"Why can't you just tell me?" I whine like a 5 year old.
"It's a secret."
--------------