GRAYVERSE

Today, he's going back to see Frank.

Unlike last time, he's smiling as he walks through the entrance. His last visit had been solemn faced and guilt ridden, but today feels much more positive. Riding on this, Gerard feels his coffee kicking in as he heads to Frank's room with a spring in his step. Before that, he quickly signs in and notices that it's the same nurse as last time behind the desk. She gives him a rude look, but Gerard smiles her off and gives her a quick wave before heading up the hallway. When he gets to the familiar door, he pauses, and takes a step back. He straightens his shirt, and fuck - does he feel like he's about to meet his girlfriend's parents. A nervous gulp and a hair flick later, Gerard walks in.

He's still smiling, wanting to come across as in a good mood when he steps forward. With his hopes already set so high however, he feels his stomach drop when he sees the empty bed.

Frank has disappeared.

Maybe he's taking a bathroom break, Gerard tries to tell himself. Maybe this is the wrong room.

But Gerard recognizes the view of New Jersey from this particular window, and he can see the bathroom door open, leaving it unoccupied. Feeling awkward and lonely all of a sudden, Gerard jerks back as he retreats from the room. He bumps into a nurse, and whips around to meet him.

"Sorry," he mutters, cursing himself for his clumsy behavior. "Um, do you know where the ah, Frank is?" he asks, giving him a polite smile as his hands fidget together.

"Amnesia John Doe? Sorry sir, we - we don't know where he is." He sounds anxious, as if something bad has happened. Gerard's frown deepens as any hint of a smile is washed from his face.

"What do you...?" he starts, confused. "You mean he's gone? He just... left?" Gerard feels more panic than necessary swarm around his guts. Frank is gone.

The nurse gives him a tight-lipped look of condolence, and nods his head sadly. "I'm afraid so. We've contacted the police and there is a notice going out to the public. Poor kid is clueless, he might get himself killed out there."

Gerard walks away at that, not giving the nurse another inch of his time. While the flashing lights on the ceiling are still blue, and the sneakers he wears are still red - Gerard can't be sure how long this will last. He needs to find him.

//

This kid could be anywhere. The thought makes Gerard feel anxious as he climbs into his car, trying to ignore the indentation marks on the side from where he'd collided with Frank. Worry floods through his body as that damn responsibility kicks into his system. He's supposed to be looking after this boy. It's Gerard's fault he's been left with no memory, so he then must receive the burden of keeping him safe. Where Gerard should feel annoyed by this weight, he feels almost grateful for it. But letting Frank wander off into the middle of nowhere is not what he had in mind.

Maybe just once in his stupid, pointless existence, Gerard could do some good. He's fucked up before. He's fucked up so badly - breaking Lindsey's heart, becoming a disappointment of a son, running some poor kid over - he needs to turn this around. Finding Frank is the first step of this.

Internally, he debates whether or not he should call Mikey and Ray. They'd help. They're his best friends, and Gerard knows he can trust them, but he feels something pulling at his instincts, telling him that he's on his own this time. The last twenty three years of his life have came with support, and hell - he still lives in his mom's basement. He needs some independence. He's going to find Frank, and he's going to do it by himself.

He thinks as he drives, does this color-soul-mate thing come with a built-in GPS? It sure would be useful. Then again, it would be taking away people's privacy. Hell, Gerard doesn't even understand what it even means at all. He'd been taught about it in class as a teenager who never paid attention, but he remembers snippets of his biology lessons. Something along the lines of it being a way to mate with the perfect match to yourself, creating healthy offspring. The whole evolution thing with the natural selection. Gerard recalls the teacher mentioning some kind of hormone being released in your body as a signal that you'd seen the chick you're supposed to fuck senseless. What Gerard doesn't understand, is how it works for homosexual relationships. Maybe it's God's way of saying that gay is okay. If Gerard had been born 200 years ago, he'd have been drawn and quartered over the kid he'd seen color for.

Hell, maybe Gerard is still kind of scared that something like that will happen. Homophobes are everywhere, claiming that gay people are fucked up. They can't have kids, which is supposed to be the main reason this color shit exists, therefore they're freaks that shouldn't walk this planet as they're a waste of space. The concept makes Gerard feel sick to his stomach.

He arrives at his house, and enters cautiously, knowing that his mother will be back from work today. She shouldn't be here until late, but Gerard knows that she can be rather spontaneous at times. After throwing his keys on the couch, he treads down to his basement, meaning to start up his laptop right away. Maybe he can do some research, like they do in the movies, that will somehow lead him to working out Frank's whereabouts. Surely he couldn't have gone far - with the head injury he'd sustained, maybe he'd have even passed out in the middle of the street. Gerard bites his lip, praying otherwise.

Running a search through the missing person's list is the first thing he does. Eyes flickering across the screen, he reads the description beneath 'JOHN DOE' and identifies him quickly as Frank. 'Black hair, brown eyes, around 5"4. Last seen around the area of Belleville's west park, wearing a hospital gown and bandages around his head. Age is unknown but estimated to be around 19.'

This new information hits Gerard hard. West park - an original name, and not too far from here. Gerard had drove past it briefly on the way back from the hospital, and it's about a ten minute walk from there to his house. He hadn't seen Frank, but he can't be too far. The website suggests that the kid went missing at around 3 AM last night, and was sighted at the park about two hours ago. He probably got distracted feeding the ducks or something.

Gerard decides he'll start there. He closes his computer and heads back upstairs, grabbing his keys on the way. After taking a packet of smokes and shoving them in his pocket, he makes his way to the door. His hands are shaking, and adrenaline is making him feel active but jittery. Fuck - things like this never happen to him. The closest to this was probably the time everyone at a gig had to search for Bert because he'd passed out drunk in the bathtub upstairs. Unlike this though, Gerard had been drunk and it had been hilarious. Today he's nervous and worried.

He let's himself out, but stops halfway through the action, realizing his door step is blocked. Gerard blinks three times, then takes a step backwards as shock covers his face. The keys drop drop his hand.

Frank is stood there, his expression hard as stone. "Hello, Gerard."

It takes a good few minutes for the older man to react appropriately. He stares, trying to figure out just what the fuck is going on. As the website had said, Frank is still in his hospital gown, his hair ruffled and dirty. His bandages must have fallen away, or he'd pulled them off himself, as they're nowhere to be seen. In turn, Gerard can see the ugly stitches running from his hairline down to his temple. "Frank?" He tries his name, the word lined with surprise. "Frank, what the fuck are you doing here? I was just coming to find you I-"

"There's no time," Frank then says, cutting him off bluntly. "The men in blue are aware of my absence, and I need a place to hide." He then pushes past Gerard, entering his house without much of a warning.

Gerard continues to stare as he closes the door, dumbfounded. "Men in blue huh. So that's what we're calling doctors nowadays." He turns to follow Frank, who trods on down to Gerard's basement of his own accord. "How did you know where I live?" Gerard frowns, moving a confused Frank out of the way to unlock his bedroom door.

Frank clears his throat, and again, he's so fucking close. "I... found your signature under the clip board at the front desk. Your address was also beside it, and I spent the next few hours trying to find this residence." He stops, then slips away from Gerard to enter the basement. "You're the only person I can trust." His voice is low, and his face is serious when he turns to face Gerard once again. "You said you were my friend."

"And I am your friend, Frank. But what the fuck are you doing here? Don't you realize that you were in the hospital for a reason? Y'know, so you wouldn't die?" Gerard tries to put an emphasis on his words, but he receives the feeling that it will mean nothing to Frank.

"I hate white places," the raven haired boy tells him, his voice toned down a little. "They didn't have any intention of letting me leave, either. I heard the doctors. The men in blue shirts."

Gerard sighs. "They're called scrubs, Frank."

Frank then looks down at his own unique clothing, a look of disgust on his face. Gerard rolls his eyes and walks over to his wardrobe, before pulling out a surprisingly clean PIXIES shirt, along with a pair of faded torn jeans and a thin-ish dark green jacket. "Put these on, you look like a patient at a loony bin. I'll go find you some shoes." He throws the outfit on the bed, and quickly jogs upstairs to receive a pair of neglected gray converse. When he comes back down, Frank is shirtless, trying to pull the zipper on his jeans into place.

"Gerard, it won't go up," he grunts, and Gerard is left feeling uncomfortable and unwilling to take a step forward.

The older man clears his throat, then sterns his gaze. "I'm not your mother, Frank. Just pull the goddamned thing up - no, no don't open it! Fuck, turn around and do that. Man, you're fucked up." Gerard shakes his head as Frank turns his back. It's now that the oldest of the two notices the ink on Frank's back. "Hey, you've got tattoos?" Gerard moves toward Frank, who is now zipped up.

"I don't believe I was ever branded with such a mark," he says, trying to twist around to see the art. He fails, and Gerard places a hand on his shoulder as he leans in to inspect his ink.

"These look pretty new - did you get them like, last month? Also, it looks like you're either a Jesus freak or you're into Bon Jovi." Gerard finds himself nodding in approval at the 'KEEP THE FAITH' stained into Frank's skin, just above a huge Jack o' Lantern. He lifts an eyebrow. "Think you were born on Halloween or something? There's a big ass pumpkin on your back."

Frank stiffens, and his head lowers as he reaches for the shirt on the bed. "I've never heard of Bon Jovi, and I am aware that Halloween is a celebration of things such as pumpkins with faces carved into them."

After he's dressed, Gerard opens his mouth to ask the next question he has in mind, but stops when he hears the front door slam.

"Men in blue," Frank whispers, and Gerard hisses at him to shut up.

"Gerard? Mikey? Hello...?" His mother's voice echoes around the house, and Gerard's face is re-aligned with panic.

"Fuck," he murmurs under his breath. "Mom is back, um... stay here." Gerard gives Frank a look of warning, putting some trust in the boy. "I'll just be one minute." He slips out of the room, and locks the door behind him before bounding upstairs.

His mom is in the kitchen, fixing herself a cup of coffee. "Gee!" she cries out when her son walks into the room. "Look, I'm awfully sorry. I can't stay long - I've been called up on a job in Kansas. I don't think I'll be back until next week." She pulls him in for a quick hug, and Gerard blinks twice once released from the embrace. The blonde woman is just about to take a sip of her coffee, when her phone begins to blare.

"Hello?" she says after pressing the device to her ear, then she smiles. "Yes, okay. I'm on my way, I was just telling my son that I- what? Oh, of course. I'll be right there."

"Mom?" Gerard ducks his head in.

She shakes her head, heading out of the room. "I'm sorry sweetie, can't stay. Tell Mikes I'll be back around Thursday. I'll see you later, and don't you dare let this house turn into a shit hole!"

A few more seconds, and then she's gone.

"Well that was... quick," Gerard mutters, shrugging to himself before grabbing a few granola bars from the cupboard, and a Dr Pepper from the fridge. He trails back downstairs.

When Gerard re-enters his room, Frank has his nose deep into a porno magazine, his face filled with concentration. Gerard gulps, feeling scarlet rush North. "I don't understand," Frank mumbles. "Why would a woman wish to fornicate with a plastic stick? She's very beautiful, I'm certain she could easily seduce a man, which would be much more enjoyable."

Gerard groans. "Gimme that," he snatches the porno, and throws it into the bin. It wasn't a very good one anyway. "You're too damn innocent, I don't wanna be here when you get your first post-amnesia boner."

Frank looks down. Gerard refuses to let his eyes follow, and finds his laptop. He takes it to the bed and sits on the edge, Frank right by his side. The older man's insides swell, and he swallows. Hard.

He opens up the computer, and he is led straight to the page he had last viewed. Frank frowns, leaning in. "My name is not John Doe," he remarks, tilting his head to the side.

"Yeah, yeah, Frank. I know," Gerard reassures him. "It's just a... saying kinda thing. When the police don't know someone's name, they become John Doe or Jane Doe." He thinks this information is right, but he's not sure. He's judging his knowledge on the crime drama he watches every now and then. A thought suddenly strikes him, and he looks back to Frank. "You got a surname?"

"Frank," Frank says.

Gerard lets out a snort of amusement. "Frank Frank, yeah sounds batshit delightful. You don't have to have one if you don't want. I mean - I can't exactly imagine you applying for university or anything."

A look of peace waves over Frank's face, and he closes his eyes for a brief second before opening them once again. "Well then I wish to remain as Frank. Just Frank."

Gerard shrugs. "Whatever floats your boat, man." He opens a new tab on his internet browser, and begins a nationwide search on missing persons over the last three months. He quickly closes it, as he finds a result for over 3,000 people. Brilliant.

"I don't have a boat."

Gerard frowns. "Huh?" He'd been lost in his ridiculous search, that he didn't realize Frank had been talking.

Frank's eyes peer into his, like the younger boy is staring straight into his soul. "You suggested I float my boat. I don't own a boat."

With a sigh, Gerard closes his eyes and lets himself fall backwards onto his bed. "It's an expression, Frank. Just an expression." He locks his hands together behind his head. "Boy, do you have a lot to learn."

Notes

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