F*ck and Run

“So can I tell Jamia?” Frank asked as soon as he’d gotten home from work the next day.
Gerard looked up from the sketch he’d been working on half-heartedly and frowned thoughtfully.
“No.” He answered, almost on reflex.
“Or…” he amended quickly, taking in Frank’s dark circles, paired tragically with that hopeless look he was shooting Gerard. He even had… a fucking briefcase? Gerard wasn’t sure when he’d gotten one of those or what the fuck he needed it for, but it made the overworked band-manager look ten times more professional, and ten times more… well, overworked.
“You can…” Gerard offered hesitantly, “But I’d prefer if you found a way to not out me as well.”
Frank dropped his briefcase on the coffee table and collapsed onto the couch next to Gerard.
“You’re fucking kidding right?” Frank sort-of-laughed.
“No?” Gerard answered softly.
“She knows something’s up.” Frank explained, “I’ve tried to deflect her all I can but she thinks… she thinks we’re fighting. She said I’ve been acting weird since I got back from upstate. She wants me to stay with her for a couple of days. She’s getting all… motherly.”
“Well just… make something up?” Gerard offered easily, “There’s an art to lying about it, Frank. It gets easier with practice...”
“Have you ever tried to lie to a woman like her?” Frank sighed, “She sees right through everything I throw at her...”
“Are you trying to tell me you’ve never lied to your mom?” Gerard asked innocently, holding out the remote to turn down the volume on the TV, “I’d be happy to give you some pointers...”
When Gerard glanced over at Frank he just glared back, unamused.
“What if, um…” Gerard mused, “Ok. What if you invited her over after work one day? That way she could see how… good things are? Between us, I mean.”
“Are things good between us?” Frank asked, scrubbing his hands over his face, “How can you even tell?”
“I think they are.” Gerard defended gently, “Come here... “
Gerard set his sketch pad down on top of Frank’s briefcase and tugged on Frank’s wrist until he gave in and inched closer. Frank tried to melt against his side, but Gerard caught Frank’s jaw with his fingertips and pulled him in for a slow kiss.
“You smell amazing...” Gerard said, pulling away enough to speak.
“Doubt it.” Frank countered.
“Like… instant coffee, and files, and…” Gerard paused, trying to put words to the familiar scents he was picking up on, “...You.”
“Gross.” Frank teased, “I swear I left my desk long enough to get an actual cup of coffee today.”
“Starbucks is basically as bad as instant.” Gerard argued.
“Fuck you.” Frank shot back.
“‘Kay...” Gerard breathed.
~

The next morning Frank woke up with a tickle in his throat. By midmorning his voice was hoarse and he felt heavy and weak. By noon he was feverish, and nothing tasted right. He declared himself sick before the end of the workday, but powered through the list of e-mails he had to send out before the clock could strike midnight in the U.K. God Bless those fucking e-mails, too. Frank was too busy to Google what the fuck was going on with his body.
As if the worried texts from Gerard weren’t enough already. Jamia only seemed more concerned about Frank as soon as she saw the state he was in. It was honestly pretty far down the list of Frank’s problems, but having a tiny, fiery, punk woman glaring right through him from across his desk for the entirety of the lunch hour he didn’t have time to take wasn’t helping things at all.
“I’m not making excuses. I really can’t go out tonight. Feel my forehead.” Frank said, narrowing his eyes at her. And okay, maybe he dramatized the cough that had been tickling the back of his throat since she’d walked into his office.
“I don’t want your sick germs.” She said, but she seemed somewhat satisfied by Frank’s excuse. It helped that he was actually sick.
“Tequila’s the last thing I need right now, J...” Frank insisted fondly.
“Fine...” Jamia caved.
“Come back to Gerard’s place with me on Friday after work… We can work on the guest list for the showcase together. Besides, he said he wants to hang out with you.”
Which, okay, was sort of a lie, but Jamia didn’t need to know that. And neither did Gerard.
Frank swallowed hard when she agreed, and oh God, it hurt to swallow.

It was nerves that had Frank making his way down to Mikey’s office 20 minutes before the end of business hours. He hesitated a moment before knocking on Mikey’s door.
“What?” Mikey asked from the other side of the door, “Unless the fucking building is on fire it’ll have to wait ‘til tomorrow.”
“Um… it’s me.” Frank rasped.
Frank listened carefully while Mikey shuffled papers around and cursed loudly. The door swung open a moment later.
“Oh. It’s you…” Mikey said, eyeing Frank up and down, “I’m not doing this right now. Talk to your fucking boyfriend about the fairytales, okay? Management will kill me if I don’t have these reports over to the U.K. by midnight. Their midnight.”
“But I’m sick...” Frank said simply.
“Great.” Mikey retorted, “That means you can go home early and stay the hell away from me and everyone else.”
“No, Mikey.” Frank said, shaking his head, “You don’t get it. I’m sick.”
Understanding colored Mikey’s features as Frank’s insinuations registered.
“...Do you have the fever?” Mikey asked.
Frank nodded, clearing his throat painfully.
“Fuck.” Mikey said, running a hand through his hair.
“What the fuck do I do?” Frank asked, biting his lip.
“Um…” Mikey faltered, “Okay. This is… fuck.”
“Yeah.” Frank agreed.
“This is fine.” Mikey nodded, “This is okay. It doesn’t mean- Look, I really have to turn this shit in. I’ll come over to Gerard’s after work, okay? Just, go straight home. Don’t bite anyone or cough on anyone or share cups with anyone… just go straight the fuck home.”
“Okay.” Frank nodded.
“And don’t tell Gerard yet.” Mikey added, “He’ll freak the fuck out.”
“He’s already freaking the fuck out.” Frank pointed out, “He was the one who figured it out, actually.”
“Why didn’t he- oh, nevermind.” Mikey grumbled, “Just… let me get these reports out and we’ll… figure this out. Somehow.”
Frank nodded again and turned to head back to his office to pack up his things.
Getting back to Gerard’s apartment was sort of a blur. Frank knew he was on the verge of freaking the fuck out, but somehow, he was oddly calm on the surface. There were a lot of things that would suck about being a werewolf. Like the fact that he totally didn’t have time to be a werewolf.
But there were so many things he couldn’t help but find sort of appealing. He’d literally be one of the awful monsters he’d daydreamed about so many times as a teenager. And there was no way he could make escaping the city once a month to run around the woods with Gerard all night and fuck him in the cabin all daysound bad. It sounded like exactly what Frank needed.
~

Gerard tried to make it seem as though he hadn’t been anxiously pacing up and down the hallway in his tiny apartment, impatiently waiting for Frank to come back from work. He froze when he heard the key sliding in to unlock the deadbolt. He failed to find some way to look busy, though somehow, he knew Frank wouldn’t buy whatever front he put on anyways. As soon as Frank was through the door, Gerard steered him onto the couch, helping him out of his coat and shoes. Before Frank could let out even one pathetic little wheeze, Gerard was gently piling blankets on top of him. Frank just let him do whatever he wanted, mostly relieved he could stop having to think for himself for five minutes. He’d been having to think way too much in general lately and it was definitely taking it’s toll.
Frank opened his mouth to say something, maybe ‘thank you’ or maybe even just a ‘hello’ but Gerard just shoved a thermometer between his lips before he could get anything out. He blinked up at Gerard as the thermometer beeped.
“Do you want me to make you some tea?” Gerard asked, “What do you like in it? Honey? Lemon? Oh wait, honey isn't vegan, is it?”
Frank just shook his head.
Gerard perched himself on the edge of the coffee table and bit his lip, considering Frank carefully.
“So listen, I’ve been thinking...” Gerard said, pausing to recollect himself, “I got you into this mess… and as far as I know, there’s no way for me to get you out. Well, I mean, I guess you could kill me? I’d be fine with that. It’s not like I don’t deserve it.”
Gerard closed his eyes to keep himself from getting side-tracked by Frank’s obscenely pretty eyes. It wasn’t fair someone could look so pretty when they were so obviously sick. He knew his words sounded rehearsed, there was no way for them to not sound rehearsed. He’d rehearsed them.
“But… the point I’m trying to make right now.” Gerard amended, “Is that I promise I’ll do the best I can to… take care of you, no matter what happens. It’s the least I can do.”
Frank nodded, trying to glare at the thermometer between his lips without crossing his eyes. He knew he was running hot, but he hadn’t taken his temperature at all and couldn’t deny his curiosity.
Finally the thermometer beeped and Frank pulled it out, squinting at the little digital numbers.
103.1
“One oh three point one.” He announced hoarsely.
“Fuck.” Gerard sighed, running his hand through his hair, just like Mikey had back at the office. Another one of those Way-Things, Frank decided.
“Do you need anything?” Gerard asked, smoothing Frank’s hair back away from his face. It was starting to get sort of long, he noticed. It had always been sort of shaggy, but now it was long enough that he could actually card his fingers through it. It was even coiling into gentle almost-curls at the ends.
“Just… stay here with me? I don’t wanna die alone.” Frank said.
Gerard’s heart skipped a beat at the suggestion. He almost wanted to argue, but the smug grin that spread across Frank’s lips shut him up. Frank was only joking.
Frank curled himself up under the blankets so there was room for Gerard on the end of the couch. Gerard let Frank adjust the blankets until some of them were sort of covering his lap, too. He leaned forward to grab the remote and pass it to Frank.
“Victim gets control over the TV.” Gerard offered sarcastically, “House rule.”
“Bad dog.” Frank rasped, “Don’t call me a victim. I was warned. I knew the risks and I kissed you anyways.”
“People who willingly jump into fires are still considered burn victims.” Gerard offered, side-eyeing Frank for the dog joke.
“I almost wish I had jumped into a fire...” Frank scoffed, “At least everyone knows how that works. You don’t have to pick through google searches looking for answers, you just call an ambulance.”
Gerard frowned. Frank wasn’t wrong, but Gerard didn’t like that he was right.
“Oh, by the way, Mikey’s coming over when he’s done at work.” Frank added, breaking into a coughing fit.
Gerard just nodded, pursing his lips as he watched Frank struggle to breathe.
“It happened so fast. You were fine this morning.” Gerard commented, “Last night you were more than fine.”
“I know...” Frank wheezed.
Gerard reached for Frank’s hand and pulled it up to his mouth to press a kiss against Frank’s feverish skin.
“You still think all this is romantic, huh?” Gerard asked.
“Wow. Fuck you...” Frank glared pulling his hand away and folding his arms around himself.
Gerard immediately felt guilty as he gazed worriedly at his boyfriend. He’d picked the worst possible time to make a dig on that and now Frank was going to hold it against him.

Frank managed to keep the silent treatment up until Mikey arrived, wheezing as he stared vacantly at the TV. The younger Way let himself in to the apartment. The sounds of the grocery bags he was carrying in his hands broke the silence.
“Did you even know they make vegan chicken noodle soup?” Mikey asked, wandering into the room.
Gerard looked up, noticing the second set of footsteps following behind Mikey. Alicia had tagged along, apparently.
“I did actually.” Frank retorted. He wasn’t even going to pretend he wasn’t in a bad mood, Gerard realized. Frank was still moody as ever while practically on his fucking death bed.
And fuck, Gerard was so fucking gone for him.
“Well I got you some...” Mikey said, “And some other cold medicines and stuff. Alicia thought they might help… with the symptoms anyways. Didn’t really know what was wrong with you, so we sorta got everything.”
Mikey crossed the room and dropped onto his knees in front of the couch. He peered down at Frank with heavy curiosity.
“Are you sure it’s not just your awful fucking immune system?” Mikey asked gently, poking Frank’s forehead, “I mean, when was the last time you were sick like this? You’re overdue for a cold like this, aren’t you?”
Gerard tried to swallow the sudden jealousy he felt towards his younger brother. It stung to think that Mikey might know Frank better than he did in any way, even if there was a perfectly logical reason for why that was.
“This doesn’t feel like the regular thing… I’m not achey all over.” Frank offered.
“The puppy really does look sick.” Alicia chimed in, leaning over the back of the couch to join Mikey in staring down at Frank.
“Don’t call him that.” Mikey insisted.
“Yeah. Don’t call me that.” Frank warned, sticking his tongue out.
“Sucks, doesn’t it?” Gerard mumbled.
Frank kicked at him under the blankets.
“Wait a fucking minute!” Frank said, trying to sit up quickly and failing under the delirious weight of his fever, “Fucking- Alicia knows about this?”
They all fell silent. Gerard bit his lip trying to decide how to answer. He glanced up at Alicia, who was staring right back at him. She gave him a hopeless look and glanced over at Mikey.
“Mikey can tell the girl he’s been dating for five minutes, no offense Alicia,” Frank amended dryly, “...But I can’t tell my best fucking friend? What the fuck is that shit?”
“I know how tempting it is...” Mikey said, clearing his throat, surprising everyone by answering first, “But you should hold off until we’re absolutely sure. No reason to get her unnecessarily involved. If you haven’t actually been exposed, so to speak, you’d essentially just be outing Gerard.”
“What’s Jamia gonna do about it, though?” Frank argued, raising an eyebrow, “You guys told me and everything’s fine. Alicia knows and everything’s fine. It’s fine.”
“We didn’t tell you…” Gerard argued incredulously, shaking his head, “You fucking-”
“In situations like this, the less people who know, the better.” Mikey interrupted, derailing Gerard’s point, “Until we know for sure what’s going on with you, it’s not your secret to tell.”
Frank frowned, but seemed to consider Mikey’s logic with some sincerity.
“I still think it’s bullshit and you guys are totally ganging up on me here, but okay.” Frank sighed. The act of breathing deeply sent him into another coughing fit.
“Alright so coughing, fever…” Mikey said, and Alicia started digging through the grocery bag containing some of the medicine they’d brought.
“Gerard, go make some tea.” Mikey ordered.
“But I don’t like tea.” Frank said, eyeing Gerard longingly as he slid out from under the blankets and ghosted towards the kitchen.
“Nobody likes tea. It’s basically just dirty hot water.” Mikey scoffed, “But can you even taste anything right now?”
“Well, no...” Frank said.
“Problem solved.” Mikey smiled.
“Non-Drowsy or drowsy?” Alicia asked, reading the back of one of the many packages.
Frank answered “Non-Drowsy.” right as Mikey answered “Drowsy.”
“You need sleep.” Mikey insisted, narrowing his eyes at Frank.
“I already feel like a zombie, I don’t need any help.” Frank complained.
“Wrong curse.” Mikey scoffed.
“Technically zombie outbreak was a virus not a curse.” Frank pointed out.
“But the curse of the wolf is transmitted like a virus.” Mikey countered, “Isn’t that literally the problem here?”
“I can’t believe you two are actually arguing about this right now.” Alicia said, handing the nighttime cold medicine over to Mikey.
She turned to run her fingers over the spines of the books on one of the many bookcases.
“Gerard has a lot of fucking books...” She commented.
“Yeah. It’s sort of hard to get bored here.” Mikey agreed.
“Well, yeah, but that has nothing to do with his fucking books...” She scoffed.

A few moments later Gerard returned with a steaming mug of tea. He set it on the coffee table and folded himself back into his place beside Frank on the couch. Frank was still vehemently opposed to taking any cold medicine that might make him the least bit sleepy.
“What’s that Ramones song, Frankie?” Gerard asked, squeezing Frank’s leg.
“What Ramones song?” Frank asked, narrowing his eyes.
“‘Howlin at the Moon?’” Alicia offered.
“No.” Gerard said, giving her a warning look, “‘I Wanna Be Sedated.’ Isn’t it punk to wanna be… sedated?”
“Oh my God…” Frank said squeezing the bridge of his nose.
“What?” Gerard asked obliviously, making Frank smile.
“Nothing. Just, if you’re going to dose me just fucking do it already.” Frank demanded, “Put me out of my misery.”
“Your wish is my command.” Gerard said, grabbing the box of cold medicine from Mikey and tearing it open. He pulled several tablets off the line of blister packets and popped them out into his palm.
Frank frowned as Gerard handed them over, but he tossed them into his mouth without a fight. He made grabby hands at his mug of tea until Gerard passed it to him.
“Thank you, Nurse Way.” Frank deadpanned, swallowing a mouthful of tea and pills and leaning back against the couch cushions, looking defeated and resigned.
“Jesus Fuck. Wait ‘til I leave.” Mikey warned.
Frank just smiled innocently, holding the mug under his chin to breathe in the steam rising from the surface of the tea.
“So, are you experiencing any other signs that you might’ve…” Mikey trailed off.
“I don’t… really know what I should be looking for?” Frank thought out loud.
“Gerard?” Mikey prompted.
“I don’t remember feeling any different after I got bitten?” Gerard said, “I remember thinking it was weird how not-different I felt… considering I’d been fucking attacked and shit. I don’t remember getting sick? Then again, I was kinda always sick back then. Hangovers and stuff.”
“The forums seem to suggest the symptoms are a little different for everyone.” Mikey supplied, “Are you experiencing any strange cravings? Changes in sleep habits? Feelings of aggression or possessiveness?”
“Kinda?” Frank answered, meeting Gerard’s eyes, “I don’t know.”
“It’s still too far from the moon to know for sure...” Mikey tutted.
“You mean they don’t carry home testing kits for this kind of thing at the pharmacy?” Frank asked, “It’s not like-”
“So okay…” Gerard said, changing the subject, “Let’s just say… I mean, I don’t want to jump to any conclusions here but like, let’s just say Frank’s been exposed. What are we going to do with him?”
“The same thing we do with you.” Mikey answered simply, “I’ll lock him up at the cabin. That cage is more than big enough for both of you.”
“But what if we… hurt each other?” Gerard pointed out.
“Somehow I don’t think that’ll be an issue.” Alicia smirked.
Gerard tossed her another warning look.
“We could let you out in the woods and put Frank in the basement if you’re worried about it.” Mikey offered, “I trust you to come back.”
“Wait you’d really… do that?” Frank asked incredulously.
“You got a better idea?” Mikey asked, quirking a curious eyebrow.
“Well, no.” Frank admitted.
“Then that’ll be the plan for now. Gerard’s right, it’s good to have a plan in place, just in case.” Mikey sighed, “Even if the moon isn’t for three weeks. And I’m still not fully convinced you haven’t just overworked yourself into a stress-induced sickness coma.”
“I told you. This doesn’t feel like the regular thing.” Frank insisted.
“We’ll just have to see...” Mikey shrugged, “Anything else you two need from me this evening or can I go take my girlfriend out to dinner?”
Gerard and Frank glanced at each other, both not sure how to answer.
“You’ve been dating for a week and you already have to consult each other before answering basic questions.” Mikey observed, “Great.”
Mikey lifted himself off the floor and beckoned for Alicia to follow.
“I always wanted dogs...” Alicia said, smiling first at Frank, then at Gerard.
“They’re not dogs, Alicia.” Mikey corrected gently, “They’re fucking monsters.”
Alicia frowned at Mikey’s stubbornness and floated towards the door.
“On that note, google ‘pack politics.’” Mikey said, “I don’t fully understand them, in part because Gerard’s never been involved with other wolves before… but I think, if he bit you that might make him your pack leader.”
Frank nodded, pursing his lips as he watched the couple let themselves out.
“Call me if anything changes.” Mikey said.
“Thanks, Love you two.” Gerard called out after them.
“Yeah, yeah.” Mikey mumbled, “Love you two, too.”
The door swung shut after them with a familiar thud and then, Frank and Gerard were alone again.

“So… Pack.” Frank said quietly, setting his mug down and pulling the blankets up around his chin.
“I said we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.” Gerard said.
“Kay.” Frank said, letting out a humorless laugh that made him cough a few more times.
“You should get some sleep.” Gerard insisted, leaning towards Frank to place a hand on his forehead.
“I still have a fever.” Frank pointed out bitterly, “It didn’t go away in the last 20 minutes...”
“Just wanted an excuse to touch you.” Gerard explained.
Frank’s frown broke. He looked thoughtful as he gazed up at Gerard. Gerard wished suddenly, desperately, that he could read Frank’s mind.

“Do you want me to be a werewolf, too?” Frank asked.
“No.” Gerard answered quietly, “Not at all.”
He hadn’t thought about it before answering, but he didn’t need to.
“But you wouldn’t be alone anymore...” Frank said.
“I’m not alone anymore. Not right now.” Gerard said, shaking his head, “I have you.”
“But wouldn’t you like it if I was like you?” Frank asked, “We’d be in this together.”
“I like you as a human.” Gerard said, “It’s not worth it. You don’t know what it’s like, Frank. It hurts. It’s not tattoo-permanent. It’s curse-permanent. It’s misery. It’s a fucking curse.”
“I don’t get tattoos for their permanence.” Frank defended, “You sound like my fucking mom.”
“I feel like a fucking mom.” Gerard said, “I don’t know why I’m still trying to convince you this is bad.”
“I’ll drop it, but... you really haven’t thought about turning me at all?” Frank asked
“No.” Gerard lied, “That would be selfish.”
“I think selfish things about you sometimes.” Frank admitted, “It’s okay.”
“Well I haven’t thought about it. And I’m not going to. And you shouldn’t either.” Gerard insisted, “Because you’re fine. You’re just sick.”
Frank shrugged.
“You’re lucky I’m officially too tired to argue with you.” He wheezed.
~

It got worse before it got better. Frank called in sick the following day and spent most of the day curled up on Gerard’s couch fast asleep, beside a mountain of crumpled tissues. When Gerard got home from work he could barely force Frank to down more cold medicine and tea. “Dirt Water” as he called it. He complained about it more than he drank it.
As the days progressed, Frank’s fever seemed to go down, which meant he was back at work during the days, and on Gerard’s couch replying endlessly to e-mails at night. With his benefit showcase looming in the distance, he barely let himself relax enough to sleep.
“I swear you care more about my health than I do.” Frank said one evening, after Gerard had managed to pull him away from his laptop and into the bed.
“Well someone has to.” Gerard answered, refraining from any mention that he felt entirely responsible for the state that Frank was in.
“Still… thanks.” Frank yawned.
Gerard reached over to turn off the lights and curled himself around Frank.
“Aside from the sickness, does anything else feel wrong? Different? Off?” Gerard asked, planting a kiss behind Frank’s ear.
“I don’t know. I feel kinda weird?” Frank answered, “What am I supposed to be looking for?”
“Tingling under the skin is sort of the main thing....” Gerard said, “Tickle at the back of the throat. Overwhelming need to fuck and eat everything.”
“You want to eat me when we’re…?” Frank trailed off curiously.
“No.” Gerard corrected, fighting a laugh, “No no no. The fucking and eating are separate. Not at the same time. I meant-”
“You said ‘fuck and eat.’” Frank pointed out.
“That’s not what I meant.” Gerard protested.
“Mmhmm, sure.” Frank yawned.
~

Though the bad head cold seemed to be subsiding, Frank wandered into Gerard’s apartment Friday evening looking worse than ever. He dropped his briefcase on the kitchen counter and melted against Gerard.
“How was work?” Gerard asked.
“Don’t wanna talk about it.” Frank mumbled against the fabric of Gerard’s shirt.
The moon was still another two weeks out but Gerard was already starting to feel the first irritations. Among other things, Frank just smelled so fucking good. Gerard curled his arms around the punk and breathed him in. Their lips met in an innocent ‘hello’ kiss. Gerard held it a few seconds too long, relishing in the sweetness of Frank’s breath.
“Jamia’s coming over in an hour.” Frank informed, once their lips had broken apart.
“You don’t sound excited.” Gerard observed.
“Shut up.” Frank mumbled, “I am, I’m just… in such a bad mood.”
He pressed himself up against Gerard again and Gerard held his breath. It was awful timing, like always, but that didn’t stop Gerard from thinking about how nice it would be to just-
“When was the last time you had a cigarette?” Gerard asked, swallowing hard, trying to distract himself.
“It’s uh, been a couple days?” Frank offered, “I quit whenever I get sick...”
“That’s probably why you’re in a bad mood.” Gerard said.
“You’re right. It couldn’t possibly be anything else.” Frank offered sarcastically.
“Are you sure you don’t wanna talk about it?” Gerard asked.
“Office stuff. It’s boring.” Frank sighed.
“I don’t mind if it would make you feel better.” Gerard offered.
“I don’t wanna talk. I just…” Frank trailed off.
“I think I have a solution.” Gerard said.
“If it’s a cigarette, I’m not interested.” Frank warned.
“It’s not a cigarette.” Gerard promised, “In fact, it might take your mind off of the cravings for a bit.”
Gerard leaned forward and pressed his lips against Frank’s cheek. Once his lips were against Frank’s skin again he couldn’t tear them away. He trailed kisses along Frank’s jaw, down to his neck.
“Aren’t you worried about me getting you sick?” Frank asked softly.
“I don’t get sick.” Gerard said simply.
“You’re fucking kidding, right?” Frank breathed.
“Nah.” Gerard said, wrapping his arms around Frank’s waist and pulling him closer. He trailed his lips back up to Frank’s mouth and paused at the corner of his lips, trying to get a read on him. He was frozen in place, letting Gerard take the lead, and Gerard was still sort of iffy about leading these things.
“Do we have time?” Frank asked.
“How much time do you need?” Gerard asked, pulling away enough to smirk at Frank. “Bet I could make you come in less than five minutes.”
Frank’s lips parted a little as he regarded Gerard with an open, curious stare, silently begging Gerard to kiss him again. Gerard wasn’t about to make him wait for it.
Or on second thought, he totally was about to make him wait. He sunk to his knees and started on Frank’s belt. He could feel Frank’s halfie through his jeans as he tugged on Frank’s zipper. This was Frank’s only pair that didn’t have holes in the knees. Frank’s boss had been on his case about that for some reason lately. They were solid black and tight in all the right ways, but of course, that meant they were a little harder to get off. Gerard eased the tight, dark fabric down by the belt loops.
“Wait, you really wanna do this in here?” Frank asked, grabbing one of Gerard’s wrists.
“I don’t know? We’re already here.” Gerard pointed out, “Where would you rather do it?”
“I don’t know.” Frank shrugged.
He still seemed sort of awkward though, so Gerard got back on his feet and pulled on Frank’s arm.
He’d meant to lead them to the bedroom. He felt like Frank was still sort of delicate from his recent illness. The bed seemed safe, comfortable. But as soon as he saw the bathroom, Gerard got an idea. He pulled Frank into the small tiled room and closed the door behind them. He flicked on the lights and pulled his sweatshirt up over his head.
“Um. In… here?” Frank asked.
“Hang on.” Gerard said, spinning around to turn on the shower. He adjusted the knobs to where he thought warm might be and spun back around to face Frank.
Frank had pulled his phone out and was biting his lip as he scrolled through the menu.
“What are you doing?” Gerard asked.
“Setting a timer.” Frank explained.
“For what?” Gerard asked.
Frank flipped his phone around to face Gerard.
4:58, 4:57, 4:56…
“You said five minutes.” Frank smirked.
“You already started it?” Gerard asked, “We’re not even…”
“It’s not like I was gonna give you a head start.” Frank said, rolling his eyes.
The room was already starting to steam up and God, Gerard wanted to wipe the smile right off of Frank’s face. He closed the distance between them and pulled Frank’s phone from his hand so he could set it on the counter.
“Five minutes.” Gerard said, pecking Frank on the lips, “Alright. What do I lose if I can’t get you off that quick?”
“I haven’t decided your punishment yet.” Frank sighed.
Gerard kissed him again, all desperate and meaningful. If he was going to do this right, he’d have to work quickly and thoughtfully. Gerard pushed him up against the door and licked his mouth open, sliding a hand down to palm at Frank’s dick through the fabric of his boxers. Still half-hard. Gerard could work with half-hard.
Frank kissed him back, slow and sweet, breath coming a little uneven. Gerard slid his hand under the waistband of Frank’s boxers and curled his fingers around Frank’s cock.
“Fuck, I can’t kiss you like that.” Frank said letting his head fall back and bump against the door, “I’m still kinda sick... I can’t breathe through my nose.”
“That’s okay.” Gerard offered encouragingly, jacking Frank off slowly, evenly. Frank’s hips were starting to twitch in time with Gerard’s movements. He dragged his teeth over the skin of Frank’s exposed neck, biting down gently.
“Fuck you.” Frank breathed, now totally hard and defenseless in Gerard’s arms.
“Your phone will make some kind of noise when we get to five minutes, right?” Gerard asked.
Frank nodded weakly.
“Good.” Gerard said, running his tongue over where he’d bitten Frank to soothe the skin.
“Did you just turn on the shower for show or are you gonna…” Frank trailed off.
“Whatever you want.” Gerard leered, squeezing Frank’s dick.
Instead of speaking, Frank just acted. He took a step away from the door, and pushed Gerard back so he had the space to pull his shirt off. Gerard pulled off his own, as well and made quick work of his jeans. He was naked way before Frank, thanks to Frank’s fucking skinny jeans. Gerard would remember to check what Frank was wearing the next time he threatened the punk with a good time. He used his precious time advantage to adjust the way-too-hot water pumping out of the shower head before pulling Frank in with him.
They kissed heatedly under the warm spray. Gerard leaned back against the cold tiles and pulled Frank up against him. It felt so nice to be skin on skin, Gerard almost forgot they were in a hurry for a moment.
Frank tore his lips away after a moment and took a deep breath. Right. Head cold. No making out. Gerard carefully lowered himself onto his knees again and licked a stripe up the underside of Frank’s cock.

Frank let out a soft gasp as Gerard swallowed him down. Gerard glanced up at his boyfriend, satisfied when he saw the way Frank was biting his lip as he stared down at Gerard intently. The contrast between his inked arms and the white of the shower curtain was distracting in the best way possible. He brushed Gerard’s half-wet hair away from his face and brought his hand up to his mouth to bite his knuckle in an attempt to supress another moan.
Gerard set an even rhythm, bobbing his head forward and back, as he spread his palms out against the backs of Frank’s thighs to steady him.
“No fucking gag reflex, Gee, I fucking swear.” Frank gritted out.
This was about to be the easiest bet Gerard had ever won. Frank was totally losing himself in Gerard’s mouth.
“Wait.” Frank insisted pulling back.
“I’m trying to win a bet here.” Gerard complained, voice hoarse from the abuse.
“Just… c’mere a second.” Frank begged.
Gerard rose to his feet and let Frank pull him in for another kiss.
“I’m gonna let you win, don’t worry.” Frank said, turning in Gerard’s arms so that he was facing away from him. The water ran in between them, where Frank’s shoulderblades met Gerard’s chest.
Frank grabbed Gerard’s hand and slid it down over his dick, still slippery from having been in Gerard’s mouth. He pressed himself up against Gerard as Gerard started to jack him off. Gerard let out a low growl at the much-needed friction. He ran his tongue over Frank’s neck tattoo and trailed his lips up to nip at Frank’s earlobe.
Resting his head against Gerard’s shoulder, Frank reached a hand behind himself to start stroking Gerard off.
“What happens if we both come in less than five minutes?” Frank asked, smirking as Gerard tried to stifle a groan.
“Nobody loses.” Gerard suggested breathily.
“Everyone wins.” Frank corrected.
“Whatever.” Gerard shot back, “God, Frankie.”
“Mmmm, what Gee?” Frank hummed.
“You taste so fucking good.” Gerard said.
“Oh yeah?” Frank asked, letting out a breath of a laugh, “You wanna eat me?”
Gerard hesitated for a moment, opening in his mouth to argue when a thought popped into his head. He withdrew his hand from Frank’s cock and slid it around to squeeze Frank’s ass.
“Yeah, I wanna eat you.” Gerard drawled into Frank’s ear. Frank froze, hand still wrapped idly around Gerard’s dick.
“Wanna taste you...” Gerard went on, sliding two fingers between Frank’s ass cheeks, “If you’d let me...”
“I’d let you.” Frank breathed in quick reply, remembering where his hand was and continuing to jack Gerard off.
Gerard gently teased Frank’s ass with his fingers. Why was the lube so far away? Come to think of it, why was the only lube he had water-based? They didn’t have time to be taking it this direction anyways. Gerard had a bet to win.
“Next time.” Gerard promised, “Any fuckin’ time you want.”
Frank moaned weakly in agreement. Gerard snaked his hand back around to Frank’s cock and started jacking him off more intently. Frank had to know how hot it was when he moaned like that, all low and desperate. Gerard almost wanted to accuse him of only making such sounds in an attempt to push Gerard over the edge. He bit down on Frank’s shoulder to regain control of himself, trying to willfully ignore Frank’s hold on him. He felt Frank tense up in his arms, and at first he thought he’d bitten too hard, but he soon realized Frank was just trying to fight it.
“Don’t worry about the time.” Gerard purred against Frank’s ear, “It doesn’t matter. Just… relax.”
“Fuck you.” Frank gritted out, hips twitching in time with Gerard’s hand.
It only took a few more seconds for Gerard to win. Victory was so much sweeter when it was accompanied by Frank’s heavy breathing. He spun to face Gerard again and kissed the shit out of him, all slippery and spent. They were still kissing when the timer finally did go off. Frank tried to step out of the shower to turn it off, but Gerard pulled him right back in.
The shower ended up taking much longer than planned, and by the time they were out and drying off they found themselves racing to get dressed.
“Do you have a hairdryer?” Frank asked, pulling one of Gerard’s t-shirts over his head.
“No, why?” Gerard replied, fumbling to button his shirt as quickly as possible.
“We both have wet hair. Jamia’s gonna know we...” Frank trailed off, scrubbing at his hair with his towel.
“Why would that matter?” Gerard asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.
“I guess… it wouldn’t? I forgot it’s okay to be open about this.” Frank mused, gesturing a hand in between the two of them, “It doesn’t have to be a secret.”
“Was it ever a secret?” Gerard asked.
“I don’t know.” Frank shrugged, “I guess I thought it was supposed to be? It kind of was at first, right?”
“We have enough fucking secrets as it is...” Gerard sighed, “I have enough for the both of us.”
Frank nodded in agreement.
“I think it’s fine if she notices.” Gerard added, “I mean, doesn’t she think we’re fighting or something? Isn’t the whole point of her coming over to highlight how not fighting we are? Handjobs in the shower are like the opposite of fighting, aren’t they?”
Frank nodded again, fighting a smirk.
They quickly finished getting dressed and Frank hurried into the kitchen to search for Gerard’s wine opener. Apparently he’d found the time on his lunchbreak to buy a bottle of wine to take the edge off their last minute party planning session.
“So… um,” Gerard said, clearing his throat, as he “How do I make her like me? Or just like, help her not hate me?”
Frank opened his mouth to reply right as the intercom buzzed.
“Just be yourself.” Frank answered quickly, flying over to the intercom to let Jamia in.
“I love you, so she’ll love you.” he explained.
“That’s… incredibly unhelpful.” Gerard said blankly, watching as Frank disappeared around the corner and headed for the front door to wait for Jamia in the hallway that connected the other apartments.
Gerard found he was sort of nervous, suddenly. He felt weird about tricking Frank’s friends into thinking he was in any way good for Frank. He was still a monster, who’d lied about being a monster. He wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to move past that one. Ever.
“You didn’t say it back.” Frank said, and Gerard glanced up from the spot on the kitchen floor he’d been staring at.
“Huh?” Gerard intoned.
“I said ‘I love you...’” Frank pointed out, “‘So she’ll love you.’”
“I love you, too.” Gerard promised, trying to blink away his surprise. He’d never be able to move past the fact that he was a monster, but even more so he’d never move past the idea that Frank wanted to be with him.
Frank smiled and shook his head, backing out of the kitchen again to greet his friend. Gerard heard another voice join Frank’s in the hallway, and then Jamia was there. He followed their voices into the living room and dropped into the old wing chair by the couch.
She and Frank had settled on the couch. Jamia smiled and waved but continued to listen to whatever Frank was saying. He was talking about some guy named Sam that Gerard guessed they both worked with. And Sam was in trouble with some guy named Brian, and they both had fallen from the good graces of some guy named Bob. And Gerard totally couldn’t focus because he had know idea who any of these people were.
“Gee, could you go find the corkscrew?” Frank asked, looking over at Gerard and smiling, “I still don’t know my way around your kitchen.”
“Sure.” Gerard said, lifting himself out of the old chair, happy to have a reason to leave the room.
He found the corkscrew easily, in the only drawer Frank hadn’t checked, and was blessed with the forethought to grab a few glasses. He didn’t have wine glasses, so regular drinking glasses would have to do. He balanced the glasses and corkscrew and brought them back into the living room, setting them on the coffee table within Frank’s reach. Frank had already gotten out his notebook and the wine, and was quickly flipping through the pages.
"Good Dog." Frank said quietly.
Gerard dropped back into his chair and folded one leg over the other, still feeling sort of robotic and awkward, and only a little mad at Frank for the dog comment.
“So, while I’m still capable of taking this seriously. This is what I have so far for the guest list.” Frank said, handing his notebook to Jamia.
She scanned the list with her index finger, squinting at Frank’s penmanship
“Her?” she asked skeptically, tapping a name.
Frank leaned over the notebook to inspect.
“Dude, I heard she has a friend who has a friend who’s friends with Courtney Love’s stylist. We have to put her on the guest list.” Frank gushed.
“Ugh.” Jamia grumbled, rolling her eyes, “Of course she does.”
“Just because we put her on the guest list doesn’t mean you have to be nice to her.” Frank pointed out.
Jamia smirked and continued running her finger through the names. Frank reached for the corkscrew and started working on the cork.
“How the fuck did you forget Bob’s girlfriend?” Jamia asked.
“I didn’t forget her, I just hadn’t gotten to staff associations yet.” Frank defended.
He turned to look at Gerard, biting his lip as he inched the cork out of the wine bottle.
“This is gonna be boring for awhile. You don’t have to hang around with us. You can if you want, though.” he explained.
“Alright.” Gerard nodded, getting up again and stretching. It was sort of nice to not feel obligated to sit there, but at the same time he didn’t know what to do with himself.
“You want some wine, though?” Jamia asked.
“Maybe later.” Gerard smiled, “I’ll let you guys get a head start.”
Both of them seemed satisfied enough with this answer, and Gerard slipped into his office. He stared for a moment at the drawing pad on his desk before reaching for a book instead.
He crept from his office into his room, trying not to eavesdrop, but still vaguely curious.
“At least I don’t have to find a date for tomorrow night.” Frank was saying.
“Wow. Way to rub it in, asshole.” Jamia countered, “It’s not like Mikey has an unlimited number of cute, single brothers to set people up with… or does he? Are there more Ways? Like, straight ones? Should I be calling Mikey right now?”
“I think Mikey’s had enough excitement for the week...” Frank said.
“It’s not like he’s spending his Friday night configuring a guest list.” Jamia scoffed.
Still feeling awkward and out of place, Gerard crawled onto his bed.
He was still sort of love-drunk from the shower. And his hair was still damp. He couldn’t focus on his book. He could hear Frank and his friend laughing in the other room, pulling him out of his head every time he’d settled on the words he was reading.
Maybe it had been a test and he’d failed. Maybe he was supposed to stay and pretend to care about a bunch of people he hadn’t met yet.
He let out a yawn and closed his book, drifting off uneasily to sleep.
~

He stirred when he felt the mattress beside him dip.
“Did I wake you?” Frank asked.
Gerard hummed in response, nuzzling against the pillows so he could drift back off.
Frank was all up in Gerard’s space though, breath laced with hints of red wine.
“I told Jamia she could crash on the couch. Is that cool?” Frank slurred.
“Yeah.” Gerard answered groggily, “You don’t have to ask permission, Frank. It’s-”
Gerard paused, waking up enough to choke on his unfinished thought. He could just ask Frank if he wanted to stay. Right now. He felt more confident in the darkness. And Frank had obviously had a few drinks. If Frank said ‘no,’ Gerard could easily tell Frank that he’d been half-asleep and he hadn’t been serious. A drunk vs. sleep-drunk miscommunication.
“Can I ask you something?” Gerard asked.
“Anything.” Frank purred, snaking an arm around Gerard and snuggling up to him.
Gerard hesitated for a moment.
“Um.” He started, “Do you…”
“What?” Frank asked.
“Do you think Jamia thinks I’m okay for you?” Gerard chickened.
“Yeah. I told you she’d love you.” Frank said, “I thought you’d hang out more, though, sleepy.”
“Sorry.” Gerard said.
“That’s okay.” Frank said, “Next time.”
“Yeah.” Gerard agreed, “Definitely next time.”
~

Notes

wowwwwww i'm a sinner. ::::::::::)
there was so much more i wanted to write tonight but i needed 2 post SOMETHING before bed cause i have been feeling so guilty about not updating yknow.
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