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IT HAD BEEN a good month since Bob's Uncle had passed away and Gerard had practically babysat Frank.
Frank's legs were pretty much healed completely and he'd somehow fucking managed to pass his psyche-evaluation. Well, he may have passed it but his phobia of actually handling and shooting guns was still very much present. So, he definitely wasn't back in the field at the moment, although he could passively stand to be around guns again which he supposed was an improvement.
Adding to the somehow strange pattern, him and Gerard hadn't really gotten into any fights since the time Frank said he loved him. Which honestly made Frank feel a lot more at ease, which he definitely wasn't fucking complaining about.
He had his moments of frustration just as much as Gerard probably did, but Frank was honestly just hoping they could move on from all of that. Or at least he hoped he himself had— the last thing he needed along with his stacks of paperwork, was a another verbal war with Gerard.
He wasn't exactly fond of them.
Luckily though, at the moment he had just gotten back from work. Which had gone surprisingly well if Frank ignored the fact that Lindsey accidentally tripped Ray who had been holding close to four orders of Starbucks coffee.
Frank rubbed his forehead as he unlocked his apartment door, drained and in desperate need of a shower above all else.
Though he really didn't have a second to even really register what was happening before he felt arms around him. And of course his first instinct was to shove them off, because for all he knew it could have been a drunk Bob, but when he inhaled the sweet scent he'd become so enchanted by, he relaxed.
"Um... hi?" Frank mumbled, wrapping his arms around Gerard's waist. He could feel the vibrations of Gerard's laughter against him, making him almost want to smile.
"Hi, Frankie." Gerard pulled back and kissed Frank's cheek quickly, "I have really good news."
Frank raised an eyebrow but let Gerard tug him further into his own apartment, making Frank wonder how he even got in— or where Bob was.
"Yeah?" Frank asked softly, tiredly walking behind Gerard.
"Mhm." Gerard hummed, pushing Frank down on the couch and straddling him. He took off Frank's sunglasses for him and smiled brightly.
"Guess what?"
"What?"
Gerard rolled his eyes, shifting above him. Which really only made Frank's life flash before his eyes because the last thing he needed was to get a boner while Gerard was supposed to be talking about his good news. Besides it wasn't like Frank had the mental strength to jerk off at the moment.
"You have to actually guess, Frank." Gerard grinned, playing with the buttons on Frank's dress shirt.
Frank swallowed before suppressing a small smile. "You're pregnant?"
Gerard snorted, "We used a condom, dipshit."
"How is that your only reasoning for not being pregnant?"
Gerard shoved his chest with a laugh, "Just guess again."
"Um," Frank looked around his living room, catching sight of Gerard's workbag, which made him realize this matter probably had something to do with Gerard's job. Well, he hoped it wasn't his editing job that was making him this happy since it was supposedly a temporary thing.
And Frank was too tired to really strain his brain any further than that so he just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"You got promoted?"
Gerard shook his head and leant down to kiss him sweetly, "My art's gonna be put up in a photography exhibition... well, a bootleg version of one."
Frank smiled weakly, "That's great, Gerard. That's... really amazing."
Gerard nodded and smiled brightly, "I know!"
"How did that happen?" Frank asked as he let his hands trail up to Gerard's love-handles.
"Well, this guy came in saying he liked some of the shots from the magazine and he said he wanted to see some of my other work and so I took him back to my place and showed him some- and then he said I have potential!" Gerard practically squealed, making Frank laugh. "I'm going by Thursday to check out the place and measure the walls."
"That's amazing, but um, how old is this guy?" Frank asked curiously.
Gerard shrugged, "Late thirties probably."
Frank nodded slowly, "Was he... attractive?"
Gerard stopped fiddling with Frank's buttons as he looked up at him with an almost disbelieving look. "Yes, Frank. So attractive in fact that I actually offered him a blowjob in the first two seconds of meeting him."
Frank rolled his eyes.
"Hilarious. But how much are you paying for this?" Frank asked, wrapping his arms around Gerard out of habit.
"A large amount I guess... but I've been saving up for something like this since I got out of college so, 'm fine." Gerard mumbled, his fingers running across the material of Frank's cotton shirt.
Frank kissed his cheek, "Well, I'm happy for you."
Gerard grinned and leaned down to kiss Frank on the lips, letting them brush together for a few moments before he pulled back.
Gerard licked his lips absently, "You wanna watch a movie?"
Frank flicked his wrist and looked at his watch, sighing. "'M sorry I don't think I'll even be able to stay up long enough to finish it."
Gerard nodded and pecked his lips again, "Okay, Frankie. So, I'll call you?"
Frank cleared his throat before mumbling. "Well, I mean I'm about to shower so maybe we can just... stay like this for a bit?"
Gerard smiled, "You're so cute, Shitero."
Frank ignored that and instead pulled Gerard down against him again so that his head was in the crook of his neck. He let his hands wander to Gerard's back where he rubbed it soothingly, feeling Gerard's own arms wrap around his neck.
"What'd you do today?" Gerard asked softly after a while.
"Just digitalized some paperwork... requested a warrant. Shit like that." He mumbled, "Y'know, I never thought I'd miss working proper cases but... being stuck at the precinct all day with Wentz really put things in perspective."
"I thought you still worked cases though?" Gerard asked quietly.
Frank sighed. "Not really. I deal with misdemeanors now I guess, and small felonies. Which is fine it's just- that's not why I wanted to be a detective, y'know?"
"Yeah... but this is all temporary, Frankie." Gerard said, "You'll be back in the field in no time."
"Will I?" Frank asked, "What if I never get over this fear, Gerard? What if I'm forced to retire and then have to work at a fucking Target or something?"
"Don't think like that," Gerard pleaded quietly, "You need to learn to be more positive, Frank."
Frank sighed with a short nod, staying quiet for a moment. And it sounded completely idiotic, naturally, but it was then that he felt a thick tenderness brush against the inside of his chest, the same lovely -and quite familiar- feeling he often tried to swallow down for the most part, filling him. That was always how things would go whenever he was around Gerard for too long, the soft feeling would resurface and he'd awkwardly stay silent whilst he tried to choke it down until it slowly subsided. Because the last thing he wanted was to ruin their calmness. Though to be fair Frank had told Gerard a few times that he loved him, which had made the feeling calm down a lot more. Besides, every time he did that Gerard's eyes would fill with a certain timidness and he would smile and kiss him, mumbling an "I know."
And Frank supposed this was one of those times for Frank because when the feeling had failed to subside, and instead nestled in his soul and reached out with a clawed hand around his neck, Frank just spoke the words anyway.
"I don't want this to make anything weird right now but I uh, I love you... and thank you for helping me out when I worry a lot." Frank prayed he didn't sound as pathetic as he felt, his prayers seemingly answered when he didn't receive any negative reaction.
Gerard's eyes sparked again, his eyes green at that moment. The kind of green that pushed its way through the piles of heavy snow to reminded you that spring was coming.
"Frankie, you don't have to thank me for that." Gerard said quietly, "Or be so careful about saying something as sweet as 'I love you.' I... I know this apology is really fucking late but I wanted to say that I am really sorry about how I talked to you that night. That's really not how I should have reacted to hearing that and... Yeah, 'm sorry."
Frank smiled a little, kissing the top of Gerard's head, "I-It's alright. Thank you for saying that though... it means a lot."
They were quiet for a moment as Gerard went back to playing with Frank's shirt. Though not too long after Gerard was leaning up to kiss Frank again. "I actually have a question for you."
Frank raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"
"Well, you know how it's been getting a bit hotter recently?" Gerard asked slowly, still aimlessly playing with the collar of Frank's shirt.
"Um, yeah?" Frank answered quietly.
Gerard smiled, "I was hopin' maybe you'd want to go to the beach."
Frank laughed at that, "Gerard, it's like the end of March. That isn't hot enough to go to the bea-"
"Okay but when it is hot enough, can we go? C'mon, Frankie- it's my birthday soon anyway." Gerard pleaded, making Frank only bit his lip in thought. Okay, of course Frank would cave eventually, but he told himself it was because it was Gerard's birthday soon and not because he was actually unknowingly under Gerard's conceptual spell. Of course not.
"I... I don't know. I don't really like going to the b—"
"Please?" Gerard said again, pulling Frank closer to him. "I'll drive."
Frank went quiet as he stared at a begging Gerard.
"... Which beach?"
"The beach in Cape May." Gerard answered quietly, staring intently at Frank who just laughed in disbelief.
"Gerard, that's like three hours away."
"But Frankie—" Gerard begged again with a whine.
"God, Fine," Frank finally mumbled, trying his best to hide his small smile, "We can go- but you better wear something cute then. Gotta have at least one good thing to look at while we're there."
Gerard grinned and nodded quickly, he kissed Frank happily. "Yes!"
It became increasingly hard to keep his smile under control, but luckily he managed. Instead he shifted around, yawning into his elbow after a while. Sure he could have used his hand, but Frank had always been an elbow-yawning kind of guy.
"Tired?" Gerard asked softly, to which Frank just nodded and put his cheek on the top of Gerard's head.
Gerard pressed a small kiss to Frank's clothed chest. "Well, I should be heading back anyway. Don't forget to eat something before you go to bed, okay?"
Frank nodded, watching Gerard sit up from his chest. There were semi-dark circles under his eyes but his face still had lines from grinning fiercely just a few moments before.
"Goodnight, Frankie." Gerard mumbled with a small smile.
"G'night, Gerard. I uh, I love you." Frank said softly, once again ignoring his plan to get himself under control and instead reveling in the small blush that erupted across Gerard's face.
Gerard leaned over to kiss him again, cupping Frank's cheek sweetly before pulling back, "I know, Frankie."
Frank then watched as Gerard got up, grabbing his workbag before smiling one last time in Frank's direction.
✩ ✩
"Frankenstein," Lindsey greeted as she approached Frank who was by the scanner. Frank looked up with a blank stare, "Frank the Tank. Frankster—"
"What do you want?" Frank asked with a sigh, setting a few more pages into the scanner.
"Well," She said quietly, "I... need a favor."
Frank raised an eyebrow, wordlessly telling her to continue.
Lindsey cleared her throat. "Okay, well, I sort of... have a date this Friday- but I told Hurley I'd stay late to help out at some 'think tank' for the community outreach program."
"... Okay?" Frank mumbled uncertainly, "What the fuck does that have to do with me?"
Lindsey cleared her throat again, fiddling with her lanyard that held her keycard.
"I was... sort of hoping maybe you'd take my place?"
Frank looked up at her with furrowed eyebrows. "You want me to help out at this 'think tank?'"
Lindsey nodded quickly, "Yes- exactly. Please, Iero, I've been waiting to go out with this girl for fucking ages and Friday is the only night she has off for a while—"
"Lindsey, I don't know the first thing about community outreach- I don't even-"
"Please?"
Frank looked up, his eyes resting on her and unblinking. And unfortunately for his fucking strong want to do anything but help out at some shitty 'think tank' about community outreach out of all things, when he caught sight of Lindsey's desperation he couldn't help but sigh in annoyance.
"Fine." Frank grumbled, "I'll fucking do it- but only because I feel bad for you."
Lindsey grinned then, pulling Frank into her arms. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Frank stiffened up, not at all a fan of contact like that not just during work but probably ever. The only time he didn't mind contact like that was when it was from Gerard... or maybe even Bob. But not Lindsey, and definitely not at work.
"It's fine." Frank mumbled, looking back down at the stack of papers.
Though only a few seconds later Lindsey spoke up again.
"By the way, not that you bothered to check beforehand but since I'm poor I'm only giving you a verbal favor." Lindsey said, making Frank raise an eyebrow.
"And what's that?"
Lindsey smiled, "Well, I heard from Gee a while ago that you two finally fucked. So, I felt like maybe you-"
Frank's cheeks immediately turned hot as he glared at her, "What kind of fucking invasive advice are you going to give me?"
"Calm down, lovebug, don't get your panties all tangled. Just wanted to tell you a few things for next time. You know, as payback for covering me." Lindsey smiled innocently, whilst Frank practically slammed the scanner shut.
"I'm not fucking talking to you about that, Lindsey." Frank growled, but that only made her smile more. Almost as if she wasn't an almost thirty year old woman.
"Well, sucks." Lindsey said with a smile, "Anyway, Gee's got a thing for hair pulling, right? And edging too. So, really, some ideas for role play could b-"
Frank glared at her as his face burned with embarrassment. "God, please stop talking- I don't need to fucking-"
"Woah, woah, who's talking about fucking?" Brendon all of the sudden appeared by the copier, "Did Iero finally pop his cherry?"
Frank let out a noise of anger as he clutched the files in his hands.
"God, it's like everyone in this goddamn precinct can't mind their own fucking business." Frank grumbled, grabbing his sheets of paper and rushing out of the room with a red face.