POISON

mr and mrs iero

At around four o'clock in the afternoon, Frank had picked Gerard up from his apartment.

From the corridor balcony, he could see the car parked on the curb as he walked to the stairwell, and it had instantly put a smile on his face. They almost hadn't seen each other at all over the past week – Gerard hadn't gone into work since he'd had Sebastian most of the time, then the day after he'd been out with Jamia, he'd slept all day.

It was just over an hour's drive through the city to his parent's house.

Other than relaying how their weeks had gone, they'd had music on in the car – different albums that Gerard didn't know of to introduce him to new music, and he'd ended up loving whatever Frank had chosen. Even though it was rock, the tempo had been slow rather than the high-energy they were used to, and it had helped keep Gerard's nerves at bay.

For the occasion, Gerard was wearing a tame – for him, anyway – outfit; black jeans and a formal shirt with the red tie he'd bought, loosely tied, and his red leather jacket. Even though Frank adored Gerard's stage outfits, it was refreshing to see him dressed up in a smart fashion.

On the other end of the scale, Frank was dressed no different to what he usually wore; his biker jacket, a band shirt, and grey-washed jeans with chains hanging from the belt, as well as a small cross pendant on a leather cord around his neck.

They arrived at five o'clock, in time for dinner.

"You're gonna have to let me borrow that album." Gerard said, slamming the car door shut. At his apartment, he had an old CD player, which was in dire need of some use. "You could bring it when you come to stay over at mine."

Eyebrows raised, he smiled, "Oh, yeah?"

"Definitely," he assured. "Just don't hold me when that'll be."

After he'd locked the car, Frank led the way and Gerard walked a little behind, hiding almost.

The house was huge with its own driveway, where two cars were already parked, and a garage towards the rear of the property, a wooden hinge gate cutting it off from the drive. Hedges surrounded the property, a metal gate at the path through the front garden. It wasn't particularly posh, but it was fairly intimidating.

Unkempt, the flowers and plants in the garden were overgrown, climbing up the brick of the house, some of them blocking the path at their feet. The front door was wooden with stained glass windows and had a brass knocker, which Frank completely ignored as he rang the doorbell on the wall instead.

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching behind him to take Gerard's hand in his, leading him to stand shoulder to shoulder.

"Scared – in a good way. I can't wait to meet the people who raised you, y'know, 'cause you're so fuckin' sweet, so I can imagine how nice they're gonna be." Gerard smiled, looking up at him to study his expression. He prayed his assumptions weren't entirely wrong. "You okay, sugar?"

"Of course." He ran his thumb over the back of Gerard's hand. "I'm glad you're here."

Seconds later, the door swung open – Gerard swore his heart temporarily stopped beating – to reveal a woman with short white hair.

Upon seeing them, she smiled, "Hello, you two! Come in, come in." She stood aside to let them past, ushering them inside.

The hall was wide, the floors tiled. On one side, there were coat hooks; Gerard kept his jacket on, and Frank shrugged his off to hang it up, which Gerard was secretly pleased about because it meant he could admire his tattoos. On the other side was a long mirror that had postcards and notes displayed around it. The staircase was straight ahead, the dining room to the right of it, and the living room door was close on the right too.