"Thanks, Frankie"

"So, it's a one bedroom." The landlord had a clipboard against his waist. "We take care of the gas, but the electricity and water bill is on you."

Frank had both hands in his pockets as he followed through the apartment. "Rent and bills is due on the fifteenth. No building curfew, but no excessive noise after midnight or before ten a.m."

Frank nodded.

"You can't use nails and you can't paint the walls." The landlord pushed the bathroom door open. "Security deposit and last month's rent need to be paid before you can move in."

"Okay." Frank smiled, sweeping his hair out of his eyes. "I'll take it."

"Yeah?" he jotted something down on his clipboard. "You want to meet me in the office to sign some paperwork?"

"Sure." Frank nodded, taking one last look at the apartment before following the landlord out the door and down the steps.

"Oh, and one more thing about the place." The landlord locked the door behind him. "The next-door neighbor is my brother. Try not to pay him too much mind. He likes the attention."
Frank didn't get to ask him what that meant.

"Just sign here." The landlord pointed to a line on the paper work as he flipped through the bills Frank had given him. "You don't deal drugs or anything, do you?"

Frank looked up, having scrawled his signature. "No, sir."

"Don't call me 'Sir'. Just call me Mikey." The Landlord looked over the papers. "People don't usually just hand me cash like this, though."

Frank shrugged. "I figured it'd be easier that way."

"Would ask what your job is, but I don't care." Mikey stood. "Alright, Mr. Iero, you're free to start moving in. Call me if you need anything." He handed over a set of keys. "Don't need anything."

It wasn't long before Frank figured out what Mikey had meant about his neighbor. The first time he saw him, Frank had been bringing up a bag of groceries when he saw the man standing outside the door of the apartment next to his. His lighting red hair hung in his eyes and he wore an impossibly tight pair of red jeans and a holey black and grey striped tank top.

Frank couldn't help but gape.

The man turned and smiled at him, tipping his head and tossing his hair from his eyes. Oh, god, his glittering hazel eyes.

"Like what you see, sugar?"

Frank cleared his throat, looking down and trying to hide his blush. "I...um..."

"You must be the new neighbor my brother mentioned." The red-haired man stepped closer, nearly in Frank's personal space. "I'm Gerard, but most people call me Gee."

Frank swallowed. "Frank."

"Little Frankie. That's cute." He smiled. "Perhaps I'll see you around."

He stepped away before Frank could respond. Frank, who was always bouncing off the walls with energy. Frank who was shy, but never nervous like this. Frank was befuddled by his new neighbor.

Frank didn't run into Gerard often, but he could always hear him coming back early in the morning and going late in the evening. Sometimes he'd catch glimpses of the him through the window, smoking on their shared balcony, wind tousling his hair. Frank had been trying to work up the nerve to go out and have a smoke with his gorgeous neighbor.

The few times they did bump into each other, Gerard would always smile and wave, but something about it felt off about it. Almost as if it were for show.