Fluff. So much fluff...
And also maybe some angst.
LESH DO DIS POTATO WAFFLE WITH LÉ FRERARD (Friends to lovers)
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It was midnight, and I so happened to be staying up for most of the night. A comic that I've been working on has kept me up, as this has been a usual routine for me. I'd sleep for only two to four hours per day at the most. Frank kept trying to encourage me to go to sleep, but once I start a habit, it won't go away for quite some time.
Getting up from my desk, I rubbed my sore eyes and decided to grab a cup of coffee and maybe some chips to keep me awake. Heading down the hall and down the stairs that led into the kitchen, I saw a small silhouette of a person leaning into the bright light of the fridge. Hearing my footsteps, he turned around, giving me a polite grin and put away a carton of orange juice back onto the door of the fridge.
"Can't sleep? I mean... you always stay up late. 'Guess that I caught onto your habit, hm?" He said, his smile faded, slowly turning into a frown. "It's unhealthy, Gerard. And- being a friend that so happens to live with you... I worry about you. So don't say that you're alright, because you haven't been able to get a good night's sleep in a while. Ever since you joined Dark Horse you've changed, you've seemed more stressed. You don't watch movies with me anymore, even your favorites- you just stay cooped up in your room, not talking, not moving anywhere. I miss the old you, Gerard. What happened to the Gerard that I wasn't afraid to talk to? What happened to-"
"I haven't changed." I said. "It's just- it's just that I'm just busy. I have things to do, this is the first job I've had in ages-"
"Listen to me, Gerard." Frank almost yelled, just raising his voice as he looked at me sternly. "I'm your fucking friend, and I'd die for you. You never spend time with anyone anymore, not even your brother. Haven't you seen your phone? He's worried sick about you, he's called you at least fifty times, and texted you a lot more than that, like a hundred times more! Why don't you ever come out of your room, besides the fact that this is the first job that you've ever had? Are you afraid of something? Huh? What are you afraid of?"
"Nothing! I'm not- I'm not afraid of anything!" I yelled out, pulling a chair out from the table, sitting down on the padded seat. "I don't have anything else that's really worth it, I have nothing else to pay attention to."
"That doesn't mean that you have to push everything and everyone away because of what you think, Gerard! Do you not think that when I just met you, that I thought that you were the coolest, nicest person that I've ever met? Do you not think that the reason why I stuck around and listened to you sob about your ex-boyfriend was because I was your best friend? Because I cared for you? Because you meant the whole world to me?!" Frank was now sobbing, tears running down his pale cheeks as he confessed everything. "You were my only friend- my only best friend that I've ever had in a while! Bob, he left to go make some solo album without us... something about 'persuing his musical dream, his musical career.' He didn't even take me with him. I begged for me to come with him because he was my only friend. Now, because of him, I don't want to lose you. I don't want to go through loss again, not now, not ever. Please, Gerard."
I got up from my seat and pushed it back in, heading over to where we stood about a foot apart from each other and asked him, "It's more than getting your feelings hurt, it's more than just being 'friends', isn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
"From the corner of my eye, I know that you look at me when I turn around, I know that those hugs that we exchange last longer that it should, and when we talk to one another, you always look down at my lips then back to my eyes. I notice these things when I've lived with you for five years, Frank. I am not stupid." I said, looking down at him. He had a deer in headlights look painted across his face. "I know that I'm hurting you. I know that I'm- I'm just pushing everyone away. But it's for a good reason."
"You can't possibly have a good reason," he crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. "And- look, you want me to go? Is it about me?"
"Yes," I started. His eyes started to water as he uncrossed his arms and headed for his room, but I stopped him by catching his wrist. "Wait."
I wiped the tears that already started to drip down his cheeks and off his chin. Cupping his face in my hand, I pushed my lips onto his, tasting the salty taste of his tears but not caring nonetheless. After pulling away, he was stunned, just staring at me in awe. "That's why... That's why I was afraid to tell you. To tell anyone. Everyone knows you, and... they say bad things, and-"
"Sh," Frank said, pecking my lips once more just to shut me up. "It's okay. It's fine. I was just craving for something to eat earlier, now all I'm craving for is for you to just... stay with me. Sleep with me. Just for a night, please?"
I smiled, nodding. "Okay."
