Stockholm Syndrome (Frerard)

You Can't Just Leave Me, Gerard

"Frank, I need to tell you something, but you have to promise me you won't get upset".

Frank looked up from his coffee mug with concerned, worried eyes. The early morning, dim light seeped in through the kitchen window filling the dull room, yet it didn't fix the slowly building tension forming. There was a long pause as Frank began to nervously tap his foot under the table.

"Say it. Say it. Just fucking say it," Frank thought.

"Frank, I'm leaving..."

Frank felt his eyes began to water. He knew this was coming. He had sensed it for weeks. He wasn't blind. He noticed Gerard's house become emptier and emptier as the weeks went by. He didn't bring it up to Gerard though. He didn't want to believe it. 

Through his cloudy eyes, Frank could see Gerard's unhappy face, surrounded by his bright, gorgeous hair. Why did he have to be so pretty?

"Y-You're lying to me," Frank stammered, desperately trying to pretend this was all just a bad dream. 

"I told you not to get upset..." Gerard sighed sadly. He was beginning to regret starting this whole conversation. 

"How could I not get fucking upset, Gerard! You can't just leave me here by myself! You're my best friend!"

"I know it's sudden, but I have to do this, Frank. My art career could take off in unimaginable ways if I go through with all of this. It's the most amazing art school in all of Europe, and I can't possibly let this offer go. All my hard work finally paid off and I was noticed!" Gerard explained, avoiding eye contact with Frank. 

"I know, you've told me how much this art school means to you, but it's so far away! I wouldn't ever be able to see you again..."

"Frank, that's not true. I'll be back in a few years... and in the meantime we could always call or FaceTime-"

"-Facetime! That's not the fucking same, Gerard!"

"Frank, calm down-"

"No, fuck you and your goddamn art career. I don't care!" Frank abruptly stood up and stormed out the front door letting it swing wide open. It slammed against the wall making Gerard jump a bit in his seat. Slowly, he got up and watched Frank angrily walk down the street back to his home. He knew it was no use trying to stop him when he was like this. Eventually, Frank would calm down and apologize like he always did. It probably wouldn't take long either, because Frank was so fond of Gerard.

Gerard remained in the doorway letting the cold breeze flow past him. He really should've told Frank about the whole moving situation sooner. It was quite sudden to be honest, as he was leaving in less than a month. His house had already been sold and he had packed up most of his belongings. He had tried to keep it secret from Frank too, because he didn't know how to break the news to him. But today, Gerard had finally built up the courage to tell him the truth. That's why he had invited him over for coffee that morning, hoping that he would easily be able to tell Frank. It wasn't as easy as he had originally thought though. If only he hadn't put it off for long.

...

When Frank arrived home, he ran straight up the staircase to his room, purposely slamming his foot down on each step as we went like a little kid throwing a tantrum. No one else actually lived with Frank, so there wasn't really a point to it, but his anger often made him do unpredictable and sometimes stupid actions. When he made it too his bedroom, he slammed his fists down on his bed and collapsed, sobbing. Anger and sadness surged through him the more he thought about Gerard.

"My only friend I ever had is moving to the other side of the earth, leaving me behind like I'm some sort of bad disease. And I'm suppose to just be okay with it?"

Frank's thoughts were beginning to overwhelm him, and he knew that he needed to calm himself down before his anger made him do something he'd most likely regret. He slowly lied down onto his bed, staring at the blank ceiling with hopes of clearing his mind of Gerard.

...

Suddenly, Frank opened his eyes and once again found himself staring up at his ceiling. He rolled over and checked his digital clock resting on his desk. It was noon apparently- he must've fallen asleep. He groaned as he sat up remembering the events that had taken place that morning. If only he could go back into his dreams where things were peaceful and he could escape reality. He wasn't ever upset in his dreams either. It was nice. 

Then, Frank's small wooden desk caught his attention. Well, not really the desk itself, but what was laying on it. Frank walked over and picked up a pile of paintings Gerard had made and given to him. Gerard loved art, and it was so obvious. Painting was his favorite. He always painted things for Frank even though Frank never asked him to. Frank didn't mind though, he loved when Gerard made things for him. He especially loved the sweet, innocent smile Gerard wore when he gave Frank a piece of his art. It was fucking adorable, and it filled Frank's heart with joy. 

But how was Frank supposed to experience more moments like those without Gerard with him anymore? There had to be some way that he could get Gerard to stay. Begging would never work, unfortunately. It would just make Gerard feel guilty and upset. That's not what Frank wanted. And he couldn't just force him to stay. Or could he...?

...

Later on, after spending most of the day relaxing at home, Frank finally decided to apologize for the way he had acted. He picked up his phone that he had left charging in the kitchen all day and suddenly noticed his it had been flooded with notifications from Gerard. He must've been worried about Frank all day. How sweet of him... Frank instantly felt guilty and immediately dialed Gerard's number. 

Frank waited patiently listening to the dial tone, that surprisingly, didn't last long. Gerard picked up right away. 

"Frank! I was worried about you... I thought you would've called me sooner. I was considering coming over and checking on you, but I wasn't sure if you were still mad at me or not," Gerard sighed with relief. He continued, slowing his voice down to a calmer pace, "Look, I'm sorry about everything. I really should've told you sooner-"

"No, you don't need to apologize to me. I was the one who yelled at you and left so suddenly," Frank took a moment to think before continuing, "You just mean a lot to me, Gerard. I couldn't possibly imagine a life without you in it".

"Fuck don't make me blush..." Gerard laughed nervously, "But it's really hard for me too, you know. You'll always be my best friend though. No matter what".

"So you mean, if I was some sort of psychopath, you'd still like me?" Frank asked jokingly.

"Of course I would! Like a said, you'll always be my friend no matter what," Gerard laughed along with him. 

Neither of them had anything else to say to each other after that, so they said their goodbyes and hung up. Frank had important things he had to get done anyway.

...

The next morning, Frank got up bright and early. He quickly freshened up and went downstairs to make coffee. He decided to text Gerard while he was waiting for the coffee to finish. 

"Good morning Gee, hope you're doing well. I'm busy all day, but maybe we could hang out sometime this week?" Frank texted. Hopefully this way, he wouldn't bother Frank during the day. As much as Frank adored Gerard, he couldn't afford him seeing the "groceries" he was going to buy that day. He most likely wouldn't think much of them, but Frank wanted to play it safe just in case. 

Gerard didn't answer, which was expected, due to the fact that he was most likely still asleep. It was about 9am now, but Frank knew Gerard always slept late on the weekends. Frank put his phone away and quickly drank his coffee. Then he grabbed his favorite jean jacket from the closet and headed outside to start his exciting day out shopping.