Thank You For The Venom (Frerard)

14 - Basement Eyes

14 - Basement Eyes

Gerard woke up late the next day. He'd stirred briefly early on, but then through his sleepy haze had remembered that it was a day off, meaning no soundcheck to rush around for. At that point he'd happily burrowed into Frank's arms and rolled back into sleep within moments, enjoying the warmth he radiated around him. 

There was nothing like sleeping next to someone like that to make you never want to have to sleep alone again. With Bert, it had always just been a consequence of the night before, but with Frank it felt different. Especially when he did finally wake up to feel Frank's calloused fingers running up and down his arm. 

"Gee" he mumbled "it's nearly midday. I feel like one of us should surface soon."

"Mmmh" Gerard groaned and buried his head in the crook of Frank's neck "it's a day off, it can wait."

"Come on" Frank chuckled "we said we'd do something today and as comfy as this is, it would be really nice to get off this bus and see somewhere that isn't another dressing room or parking lot."

"Make me coffee and I'll think about it" Gerard forced open his eyes and looked up. Frank shuffled so they could see each other face to face. 

"Fine, but you better get up whilst I'm making it" he leaned down and kissed him briefly, but Gerard felt his hands automatically move to Frank's neck and hair in an attempt to pull him closer.  Frank just chuckled against his lips and pulled back, smirking down at him in a way that was certainly making any form of sleepiness vanish from Gerard's mind. "Come on" Frank moved, shuffling backwards in the tight bunk so that he could swing his legs over the side and push back the curtain. 

Gerard heard him jump down and pulled the duvet around himself tighter, not wanting to get out of the warm cocoon but also feeling the cold space where Franks' body had been. He could hear his muffled conversation with Ray in the next room and knew the smell of coffee brewing would soon hit. 

He sighed into his pillow as he recalled the previous night and his inability to recognise when it was time to stop drinking and go home. He just didn't get how everyone else managed to do it so effortlessly. Sure, there were times when the other guys fucked up and ended their night puking in a bush or getting blackout and passing out on the sofa, but they were rare. When they did happen, it would take them a while before they drank heavily again. But not with Gerard. He struggled to recall the last time he had a drink that didn't end with him slurring words and stumbling to bed, or a time when he'd thrown up and actually been put off alcohol enough not to be back on it within a few days. 

What was wrong with him that he couldn't apply any brakes? The cynical voice in his head said maybe he was just an idiot, whilst a more lenient side of him wondered if he did just have a genuine problem...

"Hey!" his spiralling was interrupted when Frank drew back the curtain completely, a cup of coffee in his hand "okay, you can only have this if you get up so I've left yours in the kitchen."  

"Thank you" Gerard smiled, pushing back the covers and jumping down from his bunk "now that's an offer I can't refuse."

"Yeah, yeah" Frank rolled his eyes "just go get ready so we can head out, okay?"

*

"This whole fresh air business is overrated" Gerard grumbled, arms folded across his chest as he pulled his jacket tighter around him. 

"Okay, so the weather could be nicer" Frank rolled his eyes and turned back to look at him from where he stood a few paces ahead. "But at least we're not in a parking lot or on a bus that smells of sweat, you can't argue with that logic."