THE SOFT MUSIC coming from Frank's phone rang around the kitchen as he made his omelet, deciding on this rare Sunday morning to try and start the day without skipping breakfast and then lunch consecutively.
Besides he could hear Bob and Ellie having a bit too much fun, getting up and all of that, so he decided he may as well be a good roommate, and friend, and make Bob and his girlfriend some breakfast.
Which also coincidentally distracted him from the very disgusting noises he didn't need to be hearing.
He was getting out three plates when he heard giggling and footsteps, Bob and Ellie appearing soon enough.
"Don't you have work today?" Bob asked as the two of them sat down by the counter, and Frank shook his head.
"Nah," He said quietly, putting the plates in front of them before placing pieces of omelet on each.
"I didn't know you could cook.." Ellie said with a laugh, and Frank offered a mocking smile before getting forks.
It wasn't that he exactly hated Ellie, because honestly, Frank couldn't exactly afford to hate very single person he ever met. That would be a lot of negativity and hate in his system, even for Frank. Ellie was just such a phenomenon to Frank, she was this small thing with faded blue hair and a mouse-like voice. She worked as a chef in some restaurant uptown, but Frank just couldn't wrap his head around her and Bob's relationship. Not that he exactly wanted to, he just found it strange.
Bob was always vulgar, bragged about sometimes getting on people's nerves and had the tendency to not really do manners, and Ellie was just so damn quiet and fragile and probably hadn't even pissed off a fly. Frank had to admit at times he wondered when they would just call it quits, but it had been a good three years and the two of them seemed perfectly content, which made Frank feel good that his friend had something good in his life.
Since god knows he himself didn't.
"Dude," Bob said to Frank, clearly not pleased with Frank's response to his girlfriend's comment.
Frank hesitated with a sigh before looking up a nervous Ellie and putting on the best believable smile he could. Which, honestly, wasn't all that great or convincing.
"Yes," He said softly, "I can cook."
She nodded awkwardly as Frank turned back to the fridge to grab a beer, not caring at all about the fact that it was ten in the morning and that he had originally made food for himself too. He frowned when he noticed it was the last one, but shrugged it off.
"Frank, c'mon it's ten AM." Bob said with a sigh, having wrapped an around Ellie who was staring down exclusively at her plate.
Frank ignored him and opened the cap with his teeth, spitting out the metal cap on the counter before taking a large gulp of the cold drink. The buzz was barely there, but he felt better after the alcohol set in his system.
"This is really good," Ellie mumbled quietly as Frank nursed his beer and bob ate his food.
Frank kept his lips on his bottle as he responded, "M'glad."
It wasn't long before Bob and Ellie were retreating to the living room, Frank simply nodding at the two before going to take another gulp of his beer when Bob forcefully yanked it off of him.
"What the fuck?" Frank asked, annoyance more than evident as he wiped the spilled beer around his mouth and chin with his hand.
"Oh quit bitching, you shouldn't be drinking this early in the day anyway. I'm doing you a favor." Bob said as he walked off, throwing Frank's beer bottle in the recycling.
"You're such an ass, Bryar." Frank called out as he saw Bob disappearing through the hallway of the apartment.
Well, Frank thought, now he had to go out and buy more.
✩ ✩
"I'm gonna need to see some ID." The man behind the counter said simply as Frank had his wallet out to pay for his pack of Budweiser beer.
Frank resisted the urge to reach over and grab him by his shirt collar and instead took out his ID card, smiling in the most ingenuine way when he nodded at Frank.
He snatched his beer and practically stormed out of the store, muttering curses to himself as he slowed his fast paced walking to a slow one, taking a few minutes to look around, taking note of the sky dominated by tumbling greys, smoky and silver clouds. It was a bit cold, though not cold enough to the point Frank actually gave a shit. Though it did look like it would rain soon which only slightly pissed Frank off.
Frank could see his car in the distance, but has he felt the weight of his beer on his left arm, and spotted the foul looking bench few meters away from him, he decided maybe he'd just wait around before returning to the torture chamber that consisted of Bob and Ellie having sex and his beers getting stolen off of him. Yeah, he'd enjoy his new batch of beer all by himself, because Bob was a fucking maniac if he thought he was gonna have one after the stunt he pulled that morning. Of course he wouldn't open any of them yet, because that was still in fact very illegal, and as much of an asshole Frank could be, he was more of the practice what you preach kind of guy.
And Frank was probably being very petty about the whole Bob fiasco, but Frank was an adult man, he deserved to drink alcohol before breakfast and he deserved at least a fucking thank you for cooking a whole omelet for the two of them.
Frank noted that the bench was a bit cold as he took a seat to the left of it, setting his beer down beside him as he let out a soft breath.
He liked this, the quiet and the fresh air. He even liked the cold bench, and the stash of beer to his right. Frank even found himself smiling a little as he looked around the small, mostly empty park in front of him. The trees were dressed once again in the rain drops of last night's storm, the silver and glimmer of the passing winter. The earthy hues of the branch and trunk stood almost like weak and worn down flags in any sky. Frank loved that about winter, everything was just the right amount of dull and vivid, Frank once again breathing in the freshly calm air with that hint of an earthly aroma, the fragrance of homeliness.
"I am the passenger," Frank's attention was immediately brought back to the people around him, as his eyes trailed around the park in hopes of identifying the voice ringing through the empty space.
Frank gaze was unwavering and unabashed as his breath caught in his throat, those same autumn eyes catching Frank's concentration. Frank's eyes didn't travel down Gerard's small frame, his body seemingly wrapped up in a mud brown coat that went to above his knees, but his eyes followed him as if they were really focusing on something a couple of feet further away. And maybe it was Frank's introspective nature that lead him to be locked in his thought as he observed, it was hard to know. But he made no gesture of recognition, no raised hand or stiff nod as the man walked down the park's small trail.
The path laid out in front of him containing the uneven slabs that have a rainbow sheen - all that was left of a kids game of hopscotch. The outline was still there, a ghostly shadow of what it was before the heavy rain that had pounded the city last night.
"And I ride, I ride," His gentle, almost soothing voice rung through the park- directly into Frank's unprepared mind, "I ride through the city's backsides"
Frank began feeling creepy again, he felt like maybe he shouldn't have been staring at him like he was, but his singing and overall almost calming presence made his mind buzz more than the beer could ever have hoped of doing.
Though Frank noticed it then, the black Nikon camera attached to the batman-decorated strap wrapped around his neck.
Gerard didn't seem to notice Frank at all as he walked slowly to one of the glistening trees, decorated in almost confetti-like rain droplets
Frank watched as he lifted up the dark camera, holding it up to his usually warm eyes, that always seemed so cold when he was around Frank. Though this time they didn't. They looked blissful, a few notches down from euphoric even. And the sight did make Frank feel almost delicate, softer than usual. Like he was holding onto a fragile, almost paper thin flower petal between his fingers, rubbing it carefully just to feel its softness— but not to damage it's delicate nature.
"I see the stars come out of the sky," Gerard stopped as an almost missable clicking noise filled the park, and Frank began to wonder why he was out doing this in the first place.
Of course Frank had his own reasons to be sat on a wet and cold bench in an abandoned park, but Gerard seemed to be on some sort of mission. Or that was what Frank was getting from the way his fingers worked around the camera and his body shifted to various positions.
"Yeah, they're bright in the hollow sk-" Gerard's singing came to a stop as his eyes landed on Frank.
Frank's body seemed to freeze as their eyes met one another, his mind completely unprepared for the chance Gerard would actually recognise him. Honestly he had been a bit preoccupied actually taking him in, to think of the consequences of doing so.
Gerard's limbs moved as if some inexperienced person was controlling them remotely, his eyes are wide and looking right at Frank, but not really. He shifted on his two feet before finally shifting over to Frank, who watched him with the upmost precision.
"You were staring at me." Gerard said, leaving no room for Frank to deny anything. Not that he was really going to, he wasn't too big a fan of dishonesty.
Frank didn't answer, just kept silent as he waited for Gerard to tell him to fuck off, or maybe that he was in his right to request a restraining order of some kind. But it never came.
Instead Gerard just stared right back at him, his eyes glossed over with confusion as he still clutched his camera.
"You heard me sing too, didn't you?" Gerard asked, this time sounding less sure of himself.
And Frank noticed that when he spoke, his voice trailed slowly, like his words are unwilling to take flight.
"Uh, yeah," Frank cleared his throat, glancing down at his hands momentarily, "yeah I did."
And just like that, Gerard's airy and seemingly surprised demeanour vanished, replaced by an eye roll.
"You sure are a fucking creep of a cop." He said, now looking down at his camera and going to look through his shots Frank assumed.
Frank scoffed, his own awkwardness decimating as he looked at him.
"Well, this is a very public park so really, you're the fucking creep. You and your camera." Frank retorted, giving into their childish back and forth.
Gerard laughed at that, though it seemed like a genuine, light laugh.
"You might not be working, asshole, but some of us still are." He said, still clicking on buttons and not focusing back on a now completely unrelaxed Frank.
"Oh yeah? You take pictures of bark for a living?" Frank asked, his eyes turning colder the longer their conversation went on. Or rather, the longer their bickering went on.
"Not that it matters, Shit-ero, but yeah. I fucking might as well." Gerard said, finally looking up as Frank's mouth twitched into an angry frown.
"And here I thought you actually had a job." Frank said, crossing his arms as he leaned more against the mossy bench.
Gerard rolled his eyes, moving over to take a seat next to Frank, his beer separating the two of them.
Gerard ran a hand through his hair, "Well, either way I'd still get paid more than you, detective."
Frank shook his head, hating himself for letting out a genuine laugh. Because as much as he hated to admit it, Gerard was quick with his words. Maybe not so much with his feet but definitely with his words.
Gerard's lips quirked up into a small smile, "Didn't know you had it in you to smile."
Frank glanced over at him before forcing his lips back into their prominent frown, now starting to feel just a tad bit self conscious of the emotion he displayed.
"Aw, and now it's gone again." Gerard mock pouted, his nose scrunching up as a small rain droplet landed on his nose.
"Shit," He said, Frank watched as he glancing up at the sky with squinted eyes, "I can't get my camera wet."
Frank didn't say anything as Gerard stood up and tried to tuck his camera in his jacket that he looked like he was drowning in. The jacket itself definitely a few sizes too big for him.
And Frank didn't know why a part of him sagged in disappointment at how Gerard stood up, ready to leave. Though he quickly rearranged his face into something he hoped was nonchalant and casual looking, not needing the extra grief of Gerard's smug and boyish behaviour.
Gerard stepped forward, looking back at Frank momentarily as he bit his lip slowly, looking up at the sky that was surely enough starting to darken a bit again.
"Y'know," He started, his voice sounding a lot less sure than a few moments ago, "You and your sad box of beer could come get a cup of coffee with me?"
Frank stared at him blankly, not letting his inner emotions show, because honestly not even he himself knew what he was fucking feeling at that moment. And Frank didn't even know how his mouth managed to spit out his airy reply.
"Uh, sure."