Pray - a Frerard drabble
Gerard loved watching Frank pray.
Watching him kneel by the side of the bed, clasp his hands together and close his eyes, then murmur silent words of thanks, worries, and occasional requests. He seldom heard what Frank was whispering, but when he did, it was rare that he didn't hear his own name.
There was something beautiful about the way he prayed. The way he just sat there, eyes closed, whispering his secrets, completely vulnerable. He never prayed aloud on purpose, just mouthed and whispered the words. But sometimes he would get lost in it, and end up speaking properly. It was like he was having a one-sided conversation with God, ending each request or regret with a 'thank you', as if God was granting his wish, or as if Frank was thanking God for listening.
Frank believed in God, of course, and so did Gerard. But Frank had been brought up by a Catholic family, and had attended a Catholic school. He had been taught to pray every night, even when he had nothing to pray for, and, well, old habits die hard, he guessed.
Gerard stood in the doorway of the bedroom, leaning against the doorframe and watching his husband pray.
He wasn't sure how long he had been standing there – he had kind of gone into a daze watching Frank. So when Frank whispered 'amen' and his eyes fluttered open, Gerard barely had time to process it then run away and pretend he hadn't been staring at Frank like he usually did.
Frank unclasped his hands, his new gold wedding band glinting in the light and making him smile, and he turned around. "Hi," he said softly.
"Um. Hey."
"Have fun watching me?"
Gerard blushed and shrugged. "You're pretty when you pray."
"You're always pretty."
Gerard licked his lips and grinned playfully. "I know."
Frank slapped his arm and rolled his eyes. "It's a good job I love you, you know. Because I wouldn't let anyone else watch me pray."
"Good job, too. With the amount of times you mention me, anyone else would feel incredibly left out."
"Shut up," Frank laughed, elbowing Gerard in the ribs.
"Sorry," Gerard ducked his head, and smiled.
Frank climbed into bed and pulled the blanket up to his neck, and Gerard slid in beside him. Gerard tugged on the duvet, trying to get more on his side, but Frank kept a tight grip on the blanket.
"Give me the blanket," Gerard complained.
"No."
"Why?"
"This is what you get for staring at me without my permission."
"What? But you–"
"I have spoken, Gerard."
Gerard sighed.
Meh. He was still going to watch Frank pray tomorrow.
