Getting Over The Differences *.°·*frerard*·°.*

White Rose (New Beginnings)

Gerard opened his shutters, feeling the breeze blow through his hair. He smiled, and looked down at the pleasant street below him. People walked their dogs and went into many of the cute little shops on the street, his being the only one not open yet.

The flower shop was a family business and, as the oldest of two brothers, Gerard was responsible for it. He liked working there, with his apartment right above it and a pleasant little garden of a shop below.

It was the shop next door that worried him. The moving van was parked out front of the open store, and a man with many tattoos was carrying boxes inside. The words 'Tattoo Parlor' decorated the sign above the vacant venue. He looked on rather nervously.

Gerard didn't have any problem with tattoos in general, he actually quite enjoyed the look of them. But it was the people that got tattoos that he was afraid of. His parents taught him that only criminals get tattoos and, while he found this to be untrue most of the time, he was still wary around strangers who happened to have them.

Nevertheless, he now had to sell his flowers right next to a place that welcomed these strangers. Worriedly tying his apron around his waist, Gerard went downstairs to open up shop. As he unlocked the doors and turned the little red sign hanging in the window to say 'open!', he heard someone call over.

"Hey! Redhead!" The man who was moving the boxes called over to him. As Gerard looked him over, he realised he was quite handsome. His jacket sleeves were rolled up to reveal his many tattoos, and still more snaking up his arms. He smirked as he watched the florist look him over "What's your name?" He asked.

Gerard felt his face heat up at being caught checking him out "N-None of your business!" And he stomped back into the flower shop, annoyed at the man. Who does he think he is? Why should he care to know my name?

He busied himself at the register, trying to arrange the flowers in an appealing way on the desk. Gerard did not want to think about his new neighbor, or the shop he had just opened and what kind of people may shop there.

As the day went by people filed in and out, sometimes buying something, sometimes not. Eventually, it was nearing the end of the day and, though the shop wasn't officially closed yet, he started counting the money he earned that day. He heard the bell on the door ding, and almost tuned it out, but remembered to greet the person coming in.

"Welcome to Ways Florist Shop, how may I-" Gerard stopped his pleasant greeting when he saw who walked in. It was the man from next door. The tattoo parlor. He had something hidden behind his back, and he almost went sick with fear "W-What are you doing here?"

The man walked toward the counter looking around at the rows of colorful flowers as he did so, his hands still behind his back "Just came to say hello, introduce myself, check out the shop..." As he neared closer, Gerard braced himself for him to whip out whatever was behind his back. Was it a weapon? A gun? A knife? "...And to give you this."

Closing his eyes, Gerard flinched as the man pulled out whatever it was he was hiding behind his back. Then, he slowly opened his eyes to see, not a gun or knife as he had assumed, but a bright red rose in the strangers hands. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" The man asked, a slight laughter to his words. He still held out the rose in his hands, and all Gerard could do was stare dumbfounded at the gesture "My name's Frank." He said after a while, putting the flower down on the counter.

Gerard cautiously picked it up, not sure what to do with it, then looked at Frank accusingly "Where did you find this? Did you take it out of one of the bouquets? That's not allowed, you know. You can buy single flowers, but you can't take them out of-"

"Are you really gonna make me pay for a flower that I got for you?" He asked, annoyance evident in his voice. Gerard looked back down at the flower and then back up at Frank. Before he could open his mouth, Frank answered his question "Yes, I got it for you. And, since I told you my name, I was hoping you would tell me yours. It's only fair."

He was quiet for a while, contemplating wether or not to tell this possible criminal who he was "M-My name's Gerard..." He finally answered "But don't get any ideas! This doesn't mean we're friends!"

Frank smiled like he just found a million bucks, despite Gerards words "Sure it doesn't." He replied simply, and walked out the door. It was only then that Gerard realised he was still holding the rose, his grip fairly tight, as if it might float away.

Right then, he sort of wished it did and he went to the trash to throw it out. But right before he could, he stopped with his hand hovering over the trashcan. He couldn't just throw it away, it was beautiful and he felt, as a florist, that he was obligated to keep it.

He closed up shop and went upstairs to his little apartment. Once inside, he went and grabbed a vase and filled it with water. As he sat down at his kitchen table, he placed the rose in the water and glared at the bright red beauty. Frank had to have stolen the flower from his shop or was at least planning to, but luckily Gerard had been there to stop him. He was going to have to keep a closer eye on him from now on.

Ayyyyyyyyyy first chapter! So,yes, this is from my Oneshots book and,yes, I changed some things. But this isn't going to play out exactly how that story went. It will have similar elements and themes, but I want to change the story overall.

I hope you liked this preview of what you may see more of from this fic! Stay tuned and thank you for reading!