The Name of the Game

Chapter 7

Frank rolled over Gerard, maneuvering his hands so that they still held Gerard's face against his own. As he adjusted, he felt something jab him in the side. He made an "mmph" sound and pulled away from Gerard.

"What is it, babe, what's wrong?" Gerard asked.

Frank moved to the side and looked over. He saw the seat belt holder sticking out of the seat, as if it was just waiting to dig into someone's side. He sighed.

"I'm getting sick of having to make out in cars," Frank said. He put a hand on Gerard's face. "Are you sure your parents won't let us in? I want a bed, or at least a couch."

"Well I can take you to an Ikea," Gerard said. Frank just laughed. Gerard wrapped his arms around Frank's waist, and Frank sighed happily.

"I love your lip."

Gerard looked confused. "My lip?" he asked. "Frankie, you know I have two of those, right?"

Frank laughed. "I know that," he said. "I meant that thing it does. Where it doesn't move with the rest of your mouth."

Gerard grinned and kissed him. "You like my nerve problems, huh?" he said. "Well, you'll be delighted to know that the tip of my left pinky finger was once cut in a tragic kitchen accident, and now I can't feel a thing right there."

Frank laughed again. "Oh, stop," he said. He pulled Gerard in for another kiss, but Gerard pulled away after only a moment.

"I have an idea!" Gerard said. "What about your house? Would your parents let us in?"

"Actually, maybe," Frank said slowly. "How would you feel about meeting my father?"

Gerard froze for a split second, then shrugged. "I hadn't considered that," he said, faking calm. "I guess I could if you wanted me to."

Frank smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way!" he said. "Maybe then, my parents would let us make out indoors."

Gerard laughed. "That'd be nice," he said. "But I have to go home right now. You wanna talk about this later?"

Frank gave a large sigh and sunk into the car seat. "I guess," he said, dragging out the words.

Gerard smiled and kissed Frank again. "I'll take you home, okay?" he said. "A little more time together."

Frank grinned. "Sounds great."

Gerard barely paid attention the entire way back to Frank's house. He wasn't focused when Frank dragged out a goodbye kiss, and he didn't see the road on the way to his own house.

He walked into his house, avoiding his parents and going directly upstairs to his bedroom. Mikey, not surprisingly, was napping on Gerard's bed. Gerard didn't say a thing. Rather, he went straight to his desk and sat down. He sat for a moment, then dropped his head, slamming his forehead on the wood.

Mikey jumped to attention, grabbing to the side for his glasses. He eventually got them on and looked over at his brother. "Gee, what is it?!" he cried. "What happened?!"

Gerard sighed, slow and heavy. "Frank asked me to meet his parents," he said.

"Oh." Mikey leaned back onto Gerard's pillows. "You woke me up for that?" he asked. "That's not a big deal!"

"Mikey, I really like him," Gerard said. "And I mean that! It's just... we've only been seeing each other for a little while. We've only been on two dates."

"So what?" Mikey asked. "Aren't you guys exclusive?"

"Yeah, but still, don't you think it's a little soon to be meeting his dad?"