This Is Our Second Skin (Frerard)

13: In Which Frank And Gerard Argue Over The Color Of Frank's Guts

*above picture is of what I imagine Frank to look like when he isn't performing*

With Frank back in his life once more, Gerard felt renewed, invigorated, inspired even, like a machine that had been missing a small part, not enough to stop it from working completely, but it's absence was noticed, and more than that - it was missed, but now all the cogs were aligned, everything was running at optimal speed, and Gerard knew for a fact that he would break if Frank was ever taken from him again, so he was determined to do everything in his power to prevent that from happening.

After Frank showed up at Gerard's apartment, and Gerard had finally fucking apologized for being the world's biggest idiot, everything went back to the way it was before. Frank took him out the very next night to a pizza place that had Gerard salivating as soon as the large pie was placed at their table, forcing Gerard to admit that Frank definitely had an exquisite taste in cuisine, and even if Gerard hadn't been head over heels in love with Frank, he probably would have continued to hang around him for that reason alone.

Over the next few weeks, Gerard spent an absurd amount of time with Frank, so much so that he was worried that Frank would quickly tire of his presence, but as the days passed, and Frank seemed just as excited to see Gerard as the very first night, Gerard's fears began to fade, and he found himself seeking Frank out instead of waiting for the older man to call on him.

They branched out from simple dinner dates quickly, even though they weren't dates, because Frank and Gerard were just friends - nothing more, but although Gerard still ached for Frank to be his one day, Frank's companionship meant the world to him, and it was enough, more than Gerard could ever hope for actually, and the closer they got, the harder Gerard tried to convince himself that he could keep his feelings for Frank buried for the rest of his life.

That was a lie though, but if there was anything Gerard was good at, it was making himself believe in falsities, so he kept at it, even when Frank made it so fucking difficult to keep his mouth shut, and god - Gerard really thought he deserved a medal for lasting so long without throwing himself at Frank and begging him to fuck him.

Frank was just so physical, and Gerard wasn't certain if that was how he was with everyone, or if it was caused by a special bond that the two of them shared, but either way, Frank was constantly touching Gerard - nothing sexual of course, just tiny brushes of the hand here and there, hugs that lasted a little longer than friends would embrace, calling him 'honey' with increasing frequency; they had even cuddled on a few occasions, Frank seemed fond of leaning into Gerard's side when they were watching a movie at one or the other's apartment, and each time one of these things occurred, Gerard would blush crimson, his breath catching in his throat and his palms sweating nervously as he tried to pretend he wasn't on the verge of a heart attack whenever Frank initiated something.

Frank rarely noticed Gerard's reactions though, and if he did happen to spy Gerard's red cheeks, he would always laugh it off, remarking about how adorable Gerard was when he got flustered, which did absolutely nothing to help Gerard calm down at all, causing Frank to find even more humor in Gerard's discomfort.

It was all worth it though, and Gerard would gladly put up with the embarrassment if Frank's smile came with it, and eventually, Gerard got better at controlling his body's tendency to turn into a human volcano whenever Frank so much as winked at him, even though the small gestures never failed to awaken the family of butterflies Gerard was unwillingly renting his stomach out to.

Another Saturday had rolled around, and Gerard wasn't at all surprised when Frank showed up at his doorstep sometime around noon; Frank rarely called and asked if it was okay for him to come over anymore, because Gerard always said yes, and they usually discussed beforehand if Gerard had made plans with Lindsey. Gerard had noticed that Frank was hardly ever busy, except the nights of his show of course, and that led to Gerard to wonder if Frank didn't have many friends, or if he simply preferred his own company over others most of the time.