stronger together//frerard

chapter six

On Friday night, Frank surprises Gerard by getting into the bathroom when he's in the shower. He wants to try every possible approach to either get Gerard hard or get a reaction from him. Tonight, they wash each other off, but Frank gets really sensual while doing it. He wants to test Gerard's body.

Frank drops to his knees and washes Gerard's legs, eyes locked on Gerard's fretful gaze, then moves both hands over his ass, massaging his muscles and grasping them tight. Moving forward to his crotch, Frank semi-closes his eyes and drops small kisses on Gerard's stomach as he lathers the soap softly. Frank's hard afterwards, but Gerard is just blushing and avoiding Frank's touch. Gerard is not hard at all.

It has crossed Frank's mind that maybe Gerard's problem was affecting his ability to get hard, but could that be the actual problem? Could Gerard be so cold with Frank because he can't get hard? As far as Frank is aware, men are known for this kind of problem after a certain age, so it isn't uncommon, but he understands that it can be embarrassing. He realizes that it's a powerful reason to make Gerard believe that he no longer is good enough for Frank, since Frank is only twenty-five and has always been very fond of sex. With that image from the past in his mind, of loving Gerard in bed for hours, Frank wants to take matters into his own hands.

They have two more weeks at home alone, so he will either get Gerard hard by being persistent, or he will make Gerard admit what's wrong by pushing his buttons. Talking about it will be a big step for Gerard, since he rarely admits that something is wrong with him until it's either fixed or unavoidable. For now, though, they lie in bed and when Gerard falls asleep after only a few minutes, Frank lies there wondering how he can push Gerard into talking about his problems.

do anything until Sunday night. They've been at home for a few hours, after they spent the weekend at the beach. Frank told his mother he wanted to go to the house his parents have bought by the shore years ago, where they used to spend their summers when Frank was a kid, and Gerard was agreeable. It was meant for them to be alone in a place that wasn't their apartment, but it was rather uneventful.

So on Sunday night, Frank takes a shower last and, when he leaves the bathroom, Gerard is in the office. The door is closed, so Frank goes to the bedroom and waits for him there, reading his book. When Gerard finally gets to the room, rubbing the back of his neck and yawning, in shorts and a t-shirt, Frank closes the book and smiles at him. He asks, "Are you coming to bed?"

Gerard yawns again and hums, before he says, "It's late and I'm tired from driving back from the beach. We might not have done much at the house, but it feels like it was exhausting." He sits down on the bed and rolls his shoulders uncomfortably, groaning, and Frank has an idea.

"Let me help you relax," he says in a low voice, getting up on his knees. He approaches Gerard from behind and places his hands on Gerard's shoulders, massaging them softly.

"I'd rather go to sleep," Gerard kind of whines, but Frank knows better and shushes him.

"Don't say that, Gerard. We don't have to be so cold. Let me love you like this. Our summer vacations were always about us, being alone, staying in bed, going to the beach, but this year you're different," Frank says in a soft voice, trying to relax Gerard's soul as he massages his muscles. He might not know a lot about this, but he can feel how tense Gerard is and he does know how tiring driving for hours can be. Frank offered a million times to drive as soon as Gerard started showing signs of exhaustion, but he'd always refused to let Frank get behind the wheel, so it's pretty understandable why he's so tired. Frank is, however, willing to help Gerard feel at least a little better. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

They don't say anything else as Frank massages Gerard's shoulders and the back of his neck and down his back, but Gerard does hum appreciatively once in a while. He sounds rather pleased and Frank doesn't stop until he's rather drowsy himself. He hopes Gerard has used this silent moment to think things through, because that's the way he's always been.

In the morning, though, Frank realizes just how much Gerard has considered his issues. When they go jogging together again, they sit down at the park and Gerard says, "I thought about us last night and I have something to tell you, Frank."

After a small pause, with Frank staring into his eyes quite attentively, Gerard sighs and continues, "There is something wrong with me, I can't lie about that anymore. I will never be able to fool you, and I don't want to. But this issue that I'm currently dealing with — it's personal and complicated and, combined with the stress of teaching a senior class, it was straining me, driving me crazy. Now that I'm off from work, I want to tell you about it, but I need to gather up enough courage first."

"That's good enough for me. I just hate when you keep everything to yourself, because you don't have to carry any burdens on your own. You should open up to me about everything. That's the way we always said it would be, right?" Frank intervenes with arched eyebrows. He just wants to show Gerard that he cares and that he will do anything to support him. They've been together for a while and this relationship is very important to Frank. It's the only relationship he's ever been in and he would hate to see it fade away or just disappear. So he concludes by saying, "We're a duo."

duo," Gerard agrees, looking down at his lap.

Frank follows his eyes and smiles when Gerard lines up their hands and holds Frank's in his. His much larger palm feels safe and reassuring, and Frank has always loved how they have both always talked with their hands. Gerard's have not only made Frank feel beautiful just from their touch, but they've also been a shelter when he needed to cope with something difficult. With that thought in mind, Frank nudges Gerard's jaw with his nose and asks, "There's no reason to be awkward with me, Gerard. You can trust me."

Gerard nods, solemnly, but he's also smiling. "I know."

"Good," Frank says honestly. He really means it. He wants Gerard to be comfortable with whatever trouble he's coping with right now because Frank will be here for him whenever he needs. "Let's go home. I want to prepare you a nice, big lunch."

Smiling and holding hands, Frank and Gerard get up and walk back home. Frank is glad that Gerard is finally taking a step forward, admitting that something is bothering him.