Crimson Reflections | Ferard

IX

A/N: I'm not spoiling anything, but I think I've written my favorite character so far in this story. Look out for her. She's small with freckles, but so badass even Frank couldn't stand before her ;)

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See, everywhere I go I got a million different people tryna' kick it, but I'm still alone in my mind

...

Frank was laughing like an idiot for the first time in forever.

Ray wasn't even saying anything particularly funny, but he has been going on and explaining about barbecue sauce for the past fifteen minutes, mentioning their pros and cons so unironically that Frank couldn't hold it in any longer.

Thankfully, Ray didn't seem to have gotten offended. He just smiled at Frank like he wasn't sure if the other man was okay or not, but Frank was okay. He was just fine. It was just that Ray was talking about barbecue sauce like it was the most exciting thing. Honestly, barbecue sauce.

"What's so funny?" It was Christa, having come over when she's must've seen Frank doubling over with laughter, Ray standing by him, holding the sauce bottle and smiling uncertainty.

"Apparently, barbecue sauce is funny for some reason." Ray didn't say it in a way to convey that he was annoyed, more confused really which for some reason got Frank to laugh harder.

It occurred to Frank that he was really pushing it. His friends have invited him over for dinner and he was grateful. They had gone all out with the food and the wine and everything. Frank couldn't say he's loved them more than that moment when they invited him over, because with the way his life's been working the past few days, he would've driven himself mad with thinking. They were now in the kitchen because Frank insisted that there was no way he wasn't helping with this like some guest and it has been going okay for a while.

That was until Frank decided to have a fit apparently, laughing like he has never laughed before. He. couldn't. stop. laughing.

Frank was wheezing now but managed to silence himself before his friends decided to have him admitted to a psych ward.

"I'm sorry," he said now, reaching for Ray's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Ray. It's just—" he started laughing again but this time he could see the worried looks exchanged between his friends, "you're a like, a sauce wizard now."

Ray laughed in response, it wasn't as loud or enthusiastic as Frank's but was defiantly a nice change form the sole sound of Frank's breathless giggles, "I get it, because of the hair?"

Christa laughed and turned to turn the stove off, "I think it's because of your extensive knowledge and wisdom of the arts of sauce, Ray."

Ray looked confused for a second and Frank was on the verge of another fit, but he stopped himself though and nodded, wiping the tears out of his eyes.

...

Frank was shooed out of the kitchen.

Well, it wasn't like he got kicked out, or at least that was what he was trying to convince himself of. Anyway, at some point Christa had to make one of her recipes and Ray was still working on something, and they needed someone to keep an eye on Owen so the task fell to Frank, having nothing particularly useful to do in the kitchen.

Owen was better company anyway. The toddler was becoming his favorite person to hang it with, and that was really saying something. He picked him up and raised him in the air and the kid started giggling instantly.

"I bet you don't keep secrets, Owen, do you now?" Frank asked the giggling boy who only giggled further as a response, "Yeah, that's what I thought." He answered himself mirroring Owen's giggles.