frerard one shots | ✔️

eighty-four ~ a short night out

He'd only read a few pages, but Frank was buried in the book. One of his hands was holding the book open, and the other was resting on a shelf he'd just reached up and plucked it from. He took his arm down from the high shelf to flip the page, and then leant on the shelf absently, hands curling around the paperback. He was just about to close the book when he heard someone clear their throat. He looked up from the book, and there Gerard was, arms crossed and a smirk creeping up the side of one of his lips.

"Hey handsome," he whispered, and Frank felt his cheeks flush horribly.

He reached out and touched Gerard's shoulder, drawing him in a little. "Hey, beautiful," he whispered back and savoured the smile that cushioned Gerard's slender face.

"Sorry I'm a little late, I got on the wrong train at the Tube and had to walk back a few streets."

"That's alright, I didn't notice," Frank replied, and squeezed Gerard's shoulder before letting go. "I found what I was looking for anyway, but if you wanna browse..."

"That's alright. I'm pretty hungry, how about you?"

"I am too," he said. "Where do you wanna go?"

"I'd love some Greek," Frank murmured, and nearly smiled when Gerard's fingers tangled with his own.

"Perfect. It's on me tonight."

"But—"

"You paid last time, don't worry about it," Gerard promised, and they made their way towards the cash register.

Their favourite Greek place was just a few doors down, and unsurprisingly, there was a queue. It was only five people, and the restaurant owners worked fast, so the pair had their falafel wraps sooner than they expected. They opted to eat in, and they sat in a corner at a worn plastic table; the place wasn't fancy, but the food was some of the best Greek they'd ever had and they'd go every few weeks.

"Busy day?" Frank asked, and Gerard nodded.

"As always," Gerard said, but the tiredness was melting away from his eyes with each bite. "This commission I'm working on is crazy. The canvas is twice as tall as me. I'm going to fall off my ladder and break my arm or something."

"Come on, it's never happened before, give yourself some credit," Frank poked. "Your last ten-foot piece was beautiful. I hated to see it go."

"I'll make you a tiny version for your birthday," Gerard joked and took another bite. "How was work for you today?"

"The gym or the shop?"

Gerard paused. "The gym is always more interesting to hear about."

"Actually, not much happened today. But we always get more people on Fridays," Frank said. "You should come to one of the classes and try it out. I think you'd like it."

"Cardio is not for me," Gerard spluttered. "And besides, we can't both be ripped."

"I'm not—"

"You literally have a six-pack." Gerard shut him down, smiling lightly as he rolled his eyes. "It's hot. And I'm not doing personal training or HIIT classes. Especially not ones you teach."

"Whatever," Frank said, a little pink. "The morning shift at the bookstore was really nice too."

Gerard grinned. "Did Greta come back?"

"Always," Frank said, letting something near a smile slip past his lips. "Dickinson this time. She's on a poetry streak."

"Cute," Gerard hummed. "Do you want to walk for a little bit? The weather's nice."