B.F.F

Jamia Nestor is, as mostly every night, sitting at the kitchen table after dinner with one of the family’s dogs on her lap. The table is almost completely clean already since her three kids already picked up everything and took it to the counter for their father to do the dishes. The kids had company that night so instead of being around they had already run off to their bedroom.

Her husband, Frank, also had company that night.

She was in a sort of dejavu, flash back kind of state because she’s seen the image before a million times. And as weird as it may sound, it genuinely makes her happy. She knows her husband is, hands down, the best human being on the planet, there’s no doubt on that and she thinks he deserves any happiness he can get. That’s why, she actually kind of enjoys when Gerard is around.

Jamia is not actually paying attention to their conversation, she’s just watching them. Frank is laughing his lungs off at something that, by Gerard’s look he shouldn’t be but Gerard is kind of laughing as well. He then just smiles at Frank who is still laughing with his hands full of soap and he just enjoys the view. There’s nothing more adorable than an Iero laughing and Jamia knows this, she’s got four of them after all.

As Gerard is looking at Frank he catches a glance of Jamia looking at them. He grabs the cup of tea that he had stood up for and sits in front of her at the table.

“I remember when both of you used to be men and drink coffee.”

Jamia teases them. Gerard laughs and Frank half turns around to look at her and complains.

“Hey!”

“I still do though” Gerard adds to the conversation. “but only in the morning”

“I still do too!” Frank defends himself.

“You are very into lattes now…” Jamia teases and Gerard chuckles at it.

“Hey, shut up, no” He finally turns around dripping water all over the floor holding a finger up to defend himself from both Jamia and Gerard. “I can’t help it okay? I will drink any shit with sugar in it. I still drink black coffee.”

“You are old.” Jamia states. “Both of you. But anyway, I gotta go.”

“What? Why?” Frank asks her as he closes the water and dries his hands.

“I made plans with the girls. There’s this band we want to check out.”

“You didn’t tell me.”

“I know. It was kinda last minute.”

“Hey, maybe I should go?” Gerard started to stand up from his sit but Jamia stopped him.

“Don’t be silly Gee. B is here and Mikey is coming to the show so what else are you gonna do tonight?”

“Jami, you don’t have to go.” Frank got close to her and grabbed her arm gently and reassuringly.

“I kinda do. People are expecting me” she smiled at him and kissed his cheek. “I’m gonna go change and say goodnight to the kids. You boys are gonna be alright?”

Frank and Gerard nodded and she turned around and left the room. Frank was feeling terribly guilty and Gerard was feeling the same.

“You want me to go?” Gerard asked.

“She’s not gonna stay if you go so what’s the point? Unless you don’t want to stay. That’s fine, I’ll look after the kids.”

“No, I’ll stay.”

A few minutes passed and Jamia was ready to leave as she said she would and she did. She kissed her husband goodbye and was out the door leaving Frank and Gerard behind. They stood there for a while in silence. Frank wasn’t looking at Gerard; he was just standing near the door with his hands on his pockets just staring at the floor but Gerard was leaning on a wall with his hands crossed on his chest looking right at him, waiting for Frank to make the first move, whatever that was going to be, he didn’t care, he literally just wanted Frank to do something other than stare at his shoes because he didn’t know what he was supposed to do and needed someone to tell him. Gerard had never been big on making first moves or taking decisions and he wasn’t about to start now. After a minute or so had gone by, Frank finally looked up and took a deep breath.

“So…” he says as his first word and he feels very stupid. But Gerard nods.

“So indeed.” He agrees.

They look at each other for a hot second. That is all it takes for them to notice that after being constantly apart by a country, now they had a whole room separating them and it seemed absurd. They didn’t walk towards each other, they launched. They were like two rockets in a desperate need to reach space to slow down. But space was the opposite of what they wanted at that moment. When they reached each other they were quick to find each other’s lips hungrily, desperately. Frank took Gerard’s face between his hands and Gerard slowly walked him backwards to a wall. They looked and felt like one of those teenage couples that can’t keep their hands away from one another. Frank let go of Gerard’s face to push him even closer to himself by the collar of his shirt. Their breaths were loud and in between gasps. Frank even let out a moan or two. His hands were now on Gerard’s hips where he lifted his shirt to put his hands on Gerard’s lower back. Gerard felt every inch of energy and electricity taking over him and he knew that if he left Frank go further he wouldn’t be able to stop him or himself so he pushed him back. Frank opened his eyes not understanding what was happening.

“Frank… no”

“What…?” Frank replayed, genuinely confused. He barely knew where he was or who even, but he knew he didn’t want to be away from Gerard’s lips any more time so he threw himself onto Gerard’s lips again. Gerard still kissed him back but slowly took Frank’s hands in his hands and took them away from his own hips to their sides. Then Frank fell to reality and understood that Gerard was trying to pull him away so he stopped kissing him.

“What’s happening?”

“I… we can’t Frank. We can’t. Not here, not now.”

Frank knew Gerard was right. Their kids were there just a few steps away. They shouldn’t be having a teenage make out session in the hallway but it had always been like that between them. Frank sighed and let go of Gerard.

“You are right.”

“I wish I wasn’t”

“Yeah, me too”

Gerard crossed his hands on his chest again and stared at Frank who was staring back. Frank bit his own lower lip and after a while he spoke again.

“Stop doing that!”

“What am I even doing!?” Gerard tried to defend himself from whatever Frank was accusing him of.

“Nothing. You are… just standing there!”

“I’m… sorry?” What am I suppose to be doing?”

“I don’t know! Something. Whatever!”

Gerard looked away because he couldn’t hear himself think because of how loudly and angrily Frank was looking at him for not kissing him and having a moral in general and after a moment he turned around with a smile that said he had the best idea in the world, like he had just invented pancakes. Frank wanted to kick himself in the knees for how his stomach made a violet u turn inside of him when Gerard turned to him with that smile. A smile he hadn’t seen in a while but that always had that same effect on him.

“Follow me”

Gerard said and took Frank’s hand and dragged him through the house and he was more than okay with that, not eve caring what the outcome was going to be. It could have ended up with Gerard telling him that his brilliant idea was a suicide pact or straight up murder him and he would’ve been more than okay with it. Even if the idea was doing his entire family’s laundry or bathing his eight dogs. He would’ve fine with anything. Of course he was hoping for a better outcome but he was literally ready for anything with that man, which made him want to kick himself again.

They finally arrived to the twin’s bedroom where their kids were playing together. Gerard let go of Frank’s hand before going in and Frank felt as if the world had shifted and he had lost his balance even though he was standing perfectly still.

“Hey guys” Gerard said standing at the door with Frank behind him clueless. “Since it’s just the six of us, how about a sleep over in the living room and we can watch some movies?”

And Frank thought that definitely was even better than pancakes for him. Pancakes were overrated next to this idea.

The kids all screamed yes all together and started running around grabbing their stuff. After a while, they all carried some mattresses to the living room, put aside the coffee table and placed them there. Frank and Gerard were sitting on the couch with Miles who was sitting with Frank and Cherry who was sitting on Gerard’s lap. Bandit and Lily were both sitting on the mattresses on the floor, holding hands because they were absolutely worried about Augustus Glup drowning on the chocolate river.

Cherry suddenly left Gerard’s lap to stand up next to him and she hugged him by the neck and Gerard hugged her back. Frank’s eyes were as big as they could get as he watched them.

“Uncle Gee?” Cherry asked while still hugging Gerard.

“Yeah?”

“You are very pretty”

“Why thank you. You are prettier though.”

Cherry giggled and blushed and Gerard kissed her forehead for it.

“Can I braid your hair?”

Frank tried not to laugh so he ended up snorting but no one else thought that was funny, even less so after Lily’s remark. “She’s a natural, you should let her.” She said as if she had been paying attention all along.

“I don’t see why not then”

Gerard finally agreed to having his hair done and Cherry started very seriously working on it as he watched the movie in front of him nut Frank couldn’t stop looking at the image next to him. Even though he was in awe of what was happening, a very silly thought crawl into Frank’s mind and he thought he was hilarious for it.

“Cherry is gonna be so gay when she grows up.” Frank joked almost whispering into Gerard’s ear.

“Are you suggesting I look like a girl?”

“I would never… suggest otherwise” he shrugged.

“Well, joke’s on you, asshole”

“And why is that?”

“Because you are in love with me.”

Gerard definitely let that out without thinking and didn’t look back at Frank but Frank was looking at him and he could feel it. He was smiling angrily, that’s the only way you could describe what Frank’s face was doing.

They didn’t say it out loud much or really ever but it was the truth; he was as a matter of fact in love with Gerard. They couldn’t say anything to each other because as Cherry was finishing doing Gerard’s braid, taking a bobby pin from her own hair, she joined their conversation and asked.

“Do you love uncle Gee, daddy?”

And now it was Gerard’s time to snort.

“Smooth, thank you” Frank told him.

Suddenly all the kids were paying attention to them. Bandit and Lily turned around to them ignoring Violet turning Violet on TV and Miles that was half asleep, seeing the two girls looking back he looked up to his dad not understanding what was going on.

“Well… yeah.” Frank finally replayed to all the eyes on him. “Yes, of course I love him. He is my best friend.”

Gerard of course, was smiling at this.

“Isn’t mommy your best friend?” Lily added.

“Yes. She is my girl best friend.”

“And you daddy? Do you love uncle Frankie?” Bandit meddled in the conversation for the first time.

“I love him to bits, baby” Gerard told his daughter looking at her straight in the eyes and that’s as much honesty as you can get in this world.

“I love you B!” Lily threw herself to Bandit’s neck and hugged her

“I love you too!” Bandit hugged her back.

“I love you three!” Cherry jumped from the couch to join in the hug with her friends and none of them had a second thought or question about their fathers love for one other.

Frank and Gerard were both looking at the girls and then they shifted their eyes to each other. There was nothing more to add and nothing else to say.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The next morning came and found Jamia coming back home to a beautiful picture of her daughters and Bandit sleeping on the mattresses on the floor and on the couch, Gerard and Frank were lying opposite each other with Miles hugging his dad’s neck and Gerard with an arm around them both.

Jamia smiled and chose to ignore the little voice inside her head that told her how Frank was gonna be broken down after Gerard was gone and she thought that, that was a beautiful family picture.

~

Things just don't feel right

When you're not by my side

This world just seems too big for me when you're not by my side


I need you around.

Notes

Hi guys!

So this is kind of a follow up on Where do we belong but if you haven't read that and don't wanna and just wanna read this, first how dare you? and second no problem at all. Just comment maybe? thanks! Hope you like it.