Subway Train ➫ Frerard

chpt. twenty-five ➫ therapy

frank didn't talk to gerard as much as he used to. gerard didn't want to bring up the kidnapping, he felt it was a sensitive topic to frank. he was worried that he was always going to act like this now.

"hey frankie." gerard smiled as he stood at his bedroom door. he noticed that frank was sitting at the dining table, just staring.

frank snapped his head towards gerard. "hi gerard."

gerard walked over to frank and kissed him on the head. "are you okay?"

frank nodded. "i'm fine."

"you've just been staring at the dining table."

frank closed his eyes. "can i... can i go to therapy?"

gerard made a shocked look on his face, but rested it soon after. "alright."

"i don't know, gerard. i just-i just don't feel right." frank said to gerard as he watched him pick up his phone to call someone.

gerard nodded at frank as he began speaking.

--

gerard had scheduled frank an appointment with the therapist the next morning. he told frank to get dressed and do all the necessary morning things. gerard was kind of scared for frank, he had gone to therapy himself before and it was pretty good - but nerve-wracking. gerard was never that good with people, so he thought it would be a struggle.

"let's go?" gerard asked frank as he began to open the door.

"yeah." frank nodded as he shoved his phone in his back pocket.

the two took a taxi to the therapist's office, which was a long drive from their apartment.

am i going to be okay? possibly, frank thought. am i going to start feeling better? possibly.

when they arrived at the office, gerard went in before frank did. frank stepped in shortly after gerard went in, and he already started feeling nervous. 

"gerard!" a doctor in a white coat and brown, curly hair walked up to gerard as he shook his hand.

"dr. toro! it's been a long time." gerard smiled. "this is frank."

frank looked at toro as if he knew him, but he couldn't have. "nice to meet you, frank. i used to be gerard's therapist." dr. toro laughed as he patted gerard on the back.

frank just nodded shyly. 

gerard cleared his throat as he signed papers for frank, though frank could've done them himself.

"alright, mr. iero, please follow me to my office." dr. toro said as he smiled, waving gerard off.

"frankie, i love you." gerard stopped frank while he was following dr. toro.

gerard pecked frank on the lips and smiled as he left the building. "i love you, too, gerard."

gerard was going to come back for frank later. in the meantime, he decided to visit a bookstore he remembered going to when he used to go to therapy.

(a/n, i'm not putting in frank's therapy session because i have no idea what going to therapy is like)

he walked into the store and breathed in the scent of oscillating fans blowing the smell of paper, coffee, and sweat around the room. he remembered this smell, oddly enough.

"my, i don't believe it." the man at the counter walked up to gerard and took a good look at him. "gerard way?"

gerard looked at the man. "yes, that's me."

the man walked back to the counter soon after observing gerard. "you're the guy who almost got his painting up in that museum, right?"

gerard chuckled. "ah, yeah. that's still news?"

"it just became news." the man held up a newspaper in front of gerard, and he took it and scanned it.

"Artist Gerard Way SCREWS UP Chance to Be In Museum's Art Gallery! Pg. 15"

"what the hell." gerard laughed at the photo on the front cover. he noticed that the photographer took these photos, the same one that had bumped into him that day.

it was a photo of gerard mid-trip, grabbing onto the curtain which covered the painting. mrs. thompson looked so upset, gerard thought.

"yeah, sorry, man." the guy at the counter said.

"it's alright. for me, that's old news." gerard returned the newspaper to the man and walked around the store. 

he looked around for any good ones that caught his eye. he was attracted to doom patrol by grant morrison, as well as the dark knight returns by frank miller. gerard picked up one issue of both comics and checked them out.