Hate (I Really Don't Like You)

It’s sometime around eight when Gerard finishes up on preliminaries. He checks with Brendon, and waits for him to finish up with the paper on his desk, but Brendon assures that he’ll be done in just a minute and tells Gerard to go on ahead of him. He does, and walks to the elevator to find Frank waiting for it as well.

Frank doesn’t turn to look at Gerard until the elevator dings open, and he looks around to see if anyone else is getting on.

The instant he sees Gerard he grimaces a little and walks forward, and somehow manages to make the gracious jutting out of his foot to keep the door open, seem rude.

“Well Frank I have nothing to say other then I really do not look forward to working with you, and I hope you transfer soon,” Gerard says.

Frank smiles snidely, “likewise, but if you think for one second that you’re going to get me to leave just because you have it out for me than you are very wrong.”

“Well I hope you know that from now and up until you leave this department I am going to give you hell. You’re now the designated surveillance footage watcher. And paper filer. I’m going to insure that you never get to leave this office if it’s the last thing I do.”

Frank wrinkles his nose, “I know our job is to solve murders and violent crimes, but I feel like such a hypocrite right now because I want to push you into the ocean with an anchor tied around your ankle.”

“Then it looks like we have that in common.”

“You know what I don’t get Gerard? Why do you hate me so much?” Frank asks, before he gets on the elevator.

“You’re arrogant, and a douchebag. Rude and pretty damn cocky. You think you’re smarter than everyone else here, and you’re quick to judge. You undermine my every order even though I’m your boss, and you disobey everything I tell you to do.”

“Wow, don’t hold back,” Frank says.

“Trust me, I did.” Gerard walks past Frank and gets on the elevator, which Frank’s foot is still stopping from going anywhere, and the kid gets into the contraption with him. Frank neglects to give a retort, but Gerard doesn’t ask for one anyway.

Gerard holds the door open for Brendon to catch up and they see the tall man walk over a few seconds later looking tired and happy to be leaving.

They all get on and finally let the doors close, sending the small room into a cold hush.

“Awkward silence,” Brendon says in a singsong voice.

Gerard says nothing in response, but waits for the elevator to move slowly down the building and hears an audible breath escape from Frank’s mouth when they get to the bottom. Gerard is just as glad to get out of their as Frank is though. He walks silently out to the parking garage with Brendon and Frank walks near them. He doesn’t walk with them, but he’s close to them and walking.

Gerard is more than okay with letting Frank leave without another word, but Brendon calls after him once they stop at Gerard’s car, and Frank keeps walking.

“See you tomorrow!” Brendon shouts cheerily to Frank.

“Tomorrow bright and early, Frank,” Gerard says, “I don’t care that it’s Saturday tomorrow. You know what you signed on for.”

It’s true, they really don’t have as many days off as other people, because the average number of days off for them is about one every ten days. All of them except Hayley are working tomorrow.

Frank scolds him and Brendon rolls his eyes, “Jeez Gerard. Frank, he comes in late on Saturday’s and Sunday’s so you can sleep in an hour or two.”

“Why did you tell him that?” Gerard hisses.

“Because you’re being a dickhead about it,” Brendon shrugs, and sighs, “see you later Frank.”

He and Gerard get into Gerard’s car because Friday is their hanging out night, and Gerard lets out an annoyed huff.

“You really must hate that guy,” Brendon laughs.

“You have no idea,” Gerard says.

Brendon rolls his eyes, “what do you think you want to do then? Movie or-“

The loud revving engine of a motorcycle interrupts him, and Gerard wants to pull his ears off. His least favorite sound in the entire world, is a noisy motorcycle. Call him picky or unreasonable, but you try living next to a guy with a motorcycle from the ages of five to eighteen who wakes you up at three in the morning every night because of the goddamn noise from his pimped up bicycle. The noise that thing used to make still sticks in his mind all these years later.

Wouldn’t you know it, the ass-hat on the motorbike is none other than Frank.

“I. hate. Him,” Gerard says. “No Brendon, I wanna get hammered. I want to forget about how much I hate that kid.”

“Humph, fine, but let’s go to the bar near your apartment so that I can drink too.”

He and Brendon have a system where they crash at each other’s places whenever they go out drinking because it’s easier than getting a cab home, and this means that they generally go to a bar near the respective apartment, so that they can both participate.

“But I want to go to the bar near your place,” Gerard moans childishly. Brendon knows why, and Brendon hates that bar because of it, but the one near his apartment is a gay bar. Gerard prefers that one for that very reason.

“I am not spending a night getting hit on by dudes just so that you can get out your moping about how much you hate Frank,” Brendon says.

He frowns, “Alright, okay. But if I get lucky you’re taking a cab home.”

“Deal,” he says, and they pull out of the spot.

Gerard is given time to dwell about his mutual hate for Frank while the two of them get stuck in slow moving traffic. It’s not awful considering it’s later at night, but there are at least more people than would be ideal.

It is now that Gerard makes an oath to himself. He may be physically attracted to Frank but there is no way in hell he will ever like the guy. It’s one thing for Gerard to dislike the new guy, but it’s a whole different thing to hate the new guy. There is just something about Frank that makes him want to pull his own hair out, and then assist Frank in ripping his hair follicles out as well. He just loathes Frank so much.

He makes the vow now and here that he will never ever like Frank. He will only ever put up with Frank because his job demands it, but he won’t be happy about it.

What an idiot he is, Gerard, the stupid fucker, to think that’s even an option.

Notes

The next chapter has the summary for our next installment though it has not been written and we don't know when it'll be finished.