Bound

It’s 12:00 a.m., and Gerard’s lying awake in bed, thinking about a lot of things, but mostly Frank. Gerard nearly jumps out of bed when he hears Frank’s voice from the top bunk ask,
“Gerard?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re awake, right?” Frank questions tentatively.
Gerard giggles, “Well, if I was, I’m not now.”

Frank chuckles, and Gerard has to control the urge to laugh with him when he hears Frank’s girly laughing.
“So, Gerard,” Frank continues. His voice is serious as he asks, “Why’d you stick up for me today?”
Gerard shrugs, answering honestly, “I don’t know. I guess that when you see injustice it’s your primal instinct to put a stop to it.”
Frank nods in the dark, and adds, “Well, thank you. Really, it means a lot.”
“If it makes you feel any better,” Gerard begins. “I thought you looked really cute in your underwear.”
Gerard can almost sense Frank’s blushing. Frank is quiet for a while, but finally mumbles,
“You never told me you were gay.”
“That’s because I’m not,” Gerard replies.
Gerard can practically see Frank’s confused face, it’s just so obvious. “What… but…”
“I’m pansexual,” Gerard tells. “So, I like boys, I like girls, I like anything in between, and I like anything outside of that gender wise.”
Frank questions, “Well, isn’t there only boys and girls?”
Gerard laughs, replying, “Oh, Frankie, you have so much to learn about self-identity.”
“I don’t like to label myself,” Frank decides. “I don’t care. I am what I am and I don’t give a damn.”
Gerard again giggles, admitting, “That was pretty good. But I like to be labeled, personally. I need to be able to characterize things in order to process them.”
“So you’re the technical thinker, huh?” Frank asks. “My mind’s a bit more subjective.”
Gerard nods, and after a while suggests, “Frank, do you know what we should do?”
Frank sits up in bed, peeking out over the railing and into Gerard’s bunk. “What?”
Gerard giggles at Frank’s head hanging upside down like that, but manages to continue,
“We should go out to the lake.”
Frank frowns, cocking his head. “I thought you hate swimming.”
“Well, not really,” Gerard murmurs. “I actually really like it.”
Frank knits his brows, asking, “Then how come you refused to the first day?”
Gerard shrugs, admitting, “I knew you’d call me fat or something.”
Frank is quiet, and apologizes, “I’m sorry about all that, really. I just…. I told you, I get mad.”
“Don’t take it out on me anymore,” Gerard orders. “I’m not going to let you fuck with me again.”
“Fair enough,” Frank decides.
There’s a pause, and Frank recoils back onto his own mattress because the blood had begun to rush to his head.
“So are we swimming, or what?” Gerard questions.
Frank giggles, and climbs out of bed, heading down the ladder. Gerard swings his legs over the side and stands, following Frank outside into the dark.
Frank pulls his phone from his pocket, using its light as a guide as they make their way across the campground.
As they step out onto the dock, Frank warns, “Careful, at the fourth board it creaks.”
Gerard raises a brow. “You’re done this before?”
“Well, yeah, with this other kid,” Frank confesses.
“Where are they now?” Gerard wonders.
Frank’s mind flashes back to Aubrey texting him and then dumping the phone in the toilet. “That’s not important.”
Frank begins to strip, peeling off his shirt, which was stuck to his back with sweat. He slips out of his pajama bottoms as well, balling them up and tossing them to the side. He’s standing there in his briefs, watching Gerard hesitantly step out of his pants, leaving him in his t shirt and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle boxers.
“Don’t you want to take your shirt off?” Frank questions.
Gerard grips the hem of his shirt, then drops it, shaking his head. “No. I’m fine, really.”
Frank shrugs, muttering, “Suit yourself.” He proceeds, “But these bad boys are going away,” as he slides his briefs down to his ankles.
Gerard turns crimson, practically breaking his neck as he snaps it away so fast, and slapping a hand clumsily over his eyes. “Why, why?!”
Frank stands there grinning, kicking his leg up to let his underwear go flying. “I’m not getting my clothes wet. This way, when I’m done swimming I have something dry to get into.”
“I…. I don’t want to swim naked,” Gerard stammers.
“Who said you have to?” Frank points out. He smiles, and goes sprinting off the dock, jumping into the lake.
Gerard opens his eyes slowly, gazing out at the water. He watches Frank surface, sees him, even in the dark, run a hand through his sopping hair.
“C’mon, Gerard, the water’s not bad!” Frank insists, swiping a wave towards Gerard, who has to hide a shriek when he’s hit by the cold.
Gerard inches towards the end of the dock, dipping a few of his toes into the water. He lowers himself gradually, sinking further and further into the lake. Finally, he’s all in, and he begins to wade around, whispering, “Frank?”
Frank surfaces once more, spitting a stream of water at Gerard. “You rang?”
Gerard wipes his face and dunks Frank, letting the smaller boy go as soon as he begins to struggle.
Frank pops back out of the water, gasping slightly. He grins, flinging himself at Gerard, sending both of them beneath the gentle waves.
They come up sputtering, but giggling at the same time.
Gerard suddenly becomes all too aware of the fact that Frank is naked, and he turns away to hide his reddening cheeks.
Frank doesn’t notice; he’s floating on his back, his prince parts fully exposed. He either doesn’t realize this or doesn’t give a shit, and Gerard would put a good amount of money on either bet.
They hang out for a bit more, until finally, Gerard pulls himself out, shivering in the night’s coolness. He huddles up as much as he can, wrapping his arms around himself for some warmth.
Frank pouts and swims over, asking, “Are we done already?”
Gerard, teeth chattering, responds, “Y-yeah.”
Frank begins to hoist himself out of the lake, and Gerard does the favor of looking in the other direction until he’s stepped into his clothes.
They make it back to the cabin shivering, dripping messes. Frank immediately takes off all his clothes once again, and Gerard whispers as he screws his eyes shut,
“Frank you’re stripping like you’re getting paid to lately.”
“I’m not?” Frank jokes, crossing the room bare assed. He gets to his dresser, putting on some fresh underwear and pajama bottoms. He remains shirtless, yawning. “I’m going to bed.”
“I’m still cold,” Gerard murmurs, ducking his head. He pries his sticky wet t shirt off, hanging it up from the dresser knob. He puts on a clean one as fast as he can, and a sweatshirt, too. He goes to the bathroom to change underwear and put on some lounge pants, and he wanders back into the main room, climbing up the ladder to Frank’s bed.
“Frank?”
Frank gazes over sleepily, his hazel eyes droopy and blurred. “Mmm?”
“Can…. Are you warm?” Gerard asks.
Frank nods, mumbling, “I’m really hot, actually, hence the no shirt.”
“Would it be alright if I lay with you?” Gerard questions. He gets embarrassed, and adds, “Just… you know, just until I’m warm.”
“S-sure,” Frank stammers. “If- if you’re cold, well, we’ve got to get you warm somehow.”
“Right,” Gerard agrees, easing into bed with Frank.
The two lie there, at first as far apart as the bed frame allows, and then with the tips of their toes touching, after that, their legs are twined together, and finally, ribcage to ribcage as they cuddle.

Notes

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