Gerard’s POV
I shove him over and he tumbles into the water, and then re-emerges, dripping, with his hair plastered to his forehead. His shirt clings to his body and the look of pure shock on his face is amazing. Frank opens and closes his mouth, trying to process what just happened. Then he lunges at me, taking me by surprise and plunging us both into the water. We quickly resurface, sputtering and spitting out water. I grin and Frankie and he grins back at me, his pretty hazel eyes reflecting the glimmering sea.

“The sand’s going to stick to us, you know that right?” I comment.
He just smiles at me, shaking his head. “Not to me, because you’re gonna carry me.”
“What happened to the ‘I have legs you know’?” I say, pretending to be exasperated. He pouts at me until I give in and let him climb aboard. I'm really only playing; I would probably carry him to the end of the world if asked, just like in Lord of the Rings or something. Frankie could be Frodo. He'd be even cuter than Elijah Wood. I heave ourselves completely out of the water and stagger onto the sand. The extra weight of all the water we’re dripping with makes it a bit harder but I get to our shoes anyways. The sand has completely covered my feet, droplets making little rivulets in the layer.

I bend over into my bag and retrieve a picnic blanket and a towel. Frankie is still clinging to my back like a monkey, refusing to be put down until I spread out the blanket. I gently place him down and wrap him in the towel. Then I kneel on the blanket, searching through my bag to find the food and plates I packed. Mrs Iero was awfully kind and when I had told her about my plans for this date had helped me, giving me the blanket, towels and food. It’s handily stored away in a plastic container so that the sand can’t contaminate it. I put the plates and container in between us, and glance up. Though I might be wrong, Frankie seems like he has tears in his eyes. His fringe has fallen over his face so I can't really see. My suspicion is confirmed when I notice little droplets drip down his cheeks.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
He just sniffs in response, and then glances up at me to smile through his tears. “Nothing at all. Everything is just perfect! That’s why I'm crying.” He brushes away the tears, and crosses his legs. The towel draped across his shoulders falls into his lap. I lean over and rub Frankie’s legs with the towel, because wet jeans are not fun to sit in. The light breeze has dried us a little, though my shirt is still gripping my body.
“There’s another pair of pants in the bag if you want.” I offer. Frankie’s hands dart over to the bag, but then pause above it.
“That means I would have to get changed in front of you though…” he says cautiously. I chuckle and place a hand over my eyes.
“I won’t look,” I promise. Luckily, the beach is almost completely empty and where we are sitting is shaded by trees.

After a couple of minutes I ask whether I can look yet. He agrees and I remove my hand to find him folding up the wet jeans. My own jeans are sticky and damp but I don’t mind that much. Once he’s done I hand him a plate, and we start to put together some food. Mrs Iero had given us some bread and various other sandwich ingredients for our picnic.

We eat in mostly silence, enjoying the view. The sunset was just beginning to fade, the once verdant colours slowly turning to more muted, pastel ones. Frankie shuffles over, snuggling up to my side. I cast one arm around him, leaning on my other and pulling him closer to me. Even though our shirts are damp they are warmed from our body heat so it’s not too uncomfortable. The heat radiating from the sand also keeps us cosy.

Frank rests his head on my chest, looking up at me with round eyes and a curved mouth. I lean down and peck his forehead. I lie down to wrap my other arm around him, clasping my hands around his middle. Our silence continues; a soundless appreciation of each other’s presence.

The cool of the early night air slowly starts to flow around us. The sky is darkening, pushing the hues of the sunset nearer to the edge of the horizon. Frankie sits up suddenly.
“We should go swimming at night! Night swimming!” he squeals enthusiastically. I smile at his eagerness.
“Well you will have to go in just your knickers, I don’t have any more pants for you to wear.” I say cheekily. He looks embarrassed, and then narrows his eyes and puts on a brave face.
“Fine.” He says defiantly, standing up and pushing his chest out. In one swift movement he strips off his pants, and then in another whips his shirt over his head. I have to bite my lip to restrain a gasp at the sight of him. God fucking dammit he is so beautiful! Around his waistline he has two swallows tattooed. I really want to brush my fingers over the ink but this is not particularly the time. Or the place. I mean, we are in public right now and it would probably go further than intended. I shake the thoughts from my head to avoid the rather awkward situation that would have ensued.

Frank gives me a rebellious look, seeing me staring at him, and struts down the sand towards the shoreline. His light steps leave impressions of his tiny feet in the sand. He also shakes his hips, which I am sure he is doing on purpose. I laugh at his innocent disobedience, then follow his lead and undress myself. I shiver at the sudden cool, and then jog to join Frankie.

Frank takes my hand in his warm one and we wade into the water for the second time today. Without the sun the water is considerably chillier, but the atmosphere is still balmy from the hot day. I only go out to about the depth of my knees, which is equal to his mid-thigh. I close my eyes, lay back and float in the water, letting the gentle rolling waves rock me from side to side and the water flow over my body. I hold my breath to help me float. Frank lies back next to me, kicking his feet softly to stay afloat. We are still holding hands underwater. I can feel the pads of his fingers starting to wrinkle like they do when they have absorbed too much water.

I open my eyes smile up at the stars. They twinkle back gladly at me, a vivid contrast from the darkening sky. The last trace of light is beginning to fade from the edge of my vision. I'm so glad to be here right now. I say it out loud, too. Frankie squeezes my hand adoringly.

I promise I won’t let them tear us apart.

Notes

@me learn how to update faster plz

- Run Bunny