Frank went home the next morning, because he had to go to work and needed to change his clothes, but he promised to call later.
'You wanna come over tonight?' Gerard had asked.
'And spend all night with you? Is that even a question?' They both smiled, and Frank had pushed him on his back, making him fall on the bed, and then kissed him. 'I was actually thinking about going out on a date?'
'Like an actual date?'
Frank nodded, and Gerard nodded back. 'Then be ready by seven.'
Gerard could still feel Frank's lips on his hours after he'd left, and the heat of his body all over his pale skin. It got so intense, his own skin felt warm, almost alive.
Why did Frank had such power over him?
He slept through the morning and Mikey woke him up before he had to go to work. 'I left some meat out on the garage freezer.'
'Thanks.'
'Are you going back to work anytime soon?'
'I called Mrs. Davis the other day and told her I was feeling sick, and she gave me the week off.'
They stayed in silence for a while, not sure what to say. 'So I suppose things between you and Frank are back to normal,' the younger Way said, playing with a rubber ball he found in his brother's desk.
'Define normal.'
'Okay, whatever you guys have.'
'I guess.' He couldn't help getting a little blushed when he thought of Frank. 'We're going on a date tonight.'
'So that's good.'
'Our first date.'
'Oh.' Mikey paused. 'You're going to need some nice clothes.'
Gerard smiled, touched by Mikey wanting to help. They went through their dad's closet and found a black dress shirt and jacket. They fit just right, but Gerard feels it needed something more. 'You still have that red tie you used at our cousin Joe's wedding?'
Mikey nodded, and went to get it.
Gerard looked in the mirror – that thing about mirrors was a lie too, unfortunately Gerard thought – and fell like he pulled it off.
'Wait,' his brother called. 'One last thing.' He handed him a bat belt.
He had got it as a joke and only used it a couple times. But if there was a perfect time to use it, it was this. 'Nice.'
***
Frank was surprisingly on time.
Gerard wasn't expecting that. He'd been pacing around his room for a while, practicing the moment he'd open the door and say hi. But by the voices coming from upstairs, his mom was ahead of him.
He hurried to the living room, hearing Frank and his mom talking, something about the neighbors and their daughter. 'Mom –,' Gerard said. He hadn't thought about what he was going to say. 'What are you doing? You'll scare him.'
And there he was. His Frankie. He was wearing a tight black t-shirt and jeans, and he was holding a fucking bouquet of red roses.
He heard his mom saying something about the boy having the wrong address.
'No, mom – he's my boyfriend.'
'Oh.'
He ignored her presence and ran to Frank, who was waiting by the door with a smirk on his face, and kissed him. 'You look great,' Gerard said.
'Not as great as you.' Frank was blushing and stuttering. 'Here, these are for you.' He handed him the roses, and kissed him again.
'No one had ever given me flowers.'
'I'm glad I'm the first then.' He ran inside to put them in a vase, and then ran back to the living room. He turned to his mom, holding his boyfriend's hand. 'Mom, this is Frankie. Frank, this is my mom, Donna.'
She was still in shock. 'Nice to meet you, hun,' she said.
'Nice to meet you too, ma'am.'
'I'm sorry I thought you were looking for someone else.'
'It's okay.'
There was an awkward moment of silence, and they just stood there, before Gerard said something. 'Okay. We're going out. I'm not sure if I'll be back tonight.'
They walked to Frank's car, and he held the door open for Gerard, and then drove them to a fancy restaurant. The kind where you had to have reservations to get in. 'Iero,' he told the host when she asked for their names. When she found his name on the list, she told them to follow her.
They walked hand in hand, and Gerard could feel people staring, though he wasn't sure if it was because Frank was wearing a t-shirt and a pink belt and they were wearing all black. But he didn't care anyway.
They gave them a table by the far window, candle lit and with a view of the entire city. 'You're a fucking romantic,' Gerard said, and he'd be blushing if blood still ran through his veins.
'That's me.' And Gerard loved him for that. Yes, he loved him. He wasn't just addicted to him, he loved the heck out of that small wreck of a man sitting in front of him. 'This is the least you deserve,' Frank told him.
They talked for hours. About comics, Frank's job and a new band he went to see with his coworkers. Music in general. Movies. Trivia about vampires, mainly the fictional kind. They ate and talked more.
And Gerard had to get up from his chair and kiss him. 'I love you,' he said, unable to stop himself. 'I love you.'
Blood left Frank's face as he looked up at his boyfriend. He wasn't expecting that. And he almost cried, but he forced himself to smile, before he kissed him. 'I love you, too.'
People in the tables nearby cheered them on, and both Frank and Gerard laughed at that.
Afterwards, they walked back to the car, drunk in love, stopping every other step to kiss each other. Since the parking lot was full, they had to park the car a couple blocks away.
Halfway through, they had to go through a trail that led to the park. And right there, in front of them, there was a dead deer. Both of them stopped on their tracks, not sure what to do. It was a little sad. Probably a car had ran it over and left it by the side of the road. Frank was about to tell him something, when he noticed the expression in Gerard's face.
He had never seen that side of him.
So – hungry.
His eyes were shining and he was almost drooling.
He noticed the smell of blood.
'It's okay,' Frank whispered. 'It's already dead.' He knew what was going on in Gerard's mind. Frank stepped forward, looking around to be sure nobody was looking, and took one of the deer's legs. 'C'mon, help me.' They both dragged it behind a bush, hiding it from view.
'But Frank –'
'Just – it's okay.' And that was all Gerard needed to start feeding off the dead animal, drinking all the blood until it was nothing but a dry carcass.
'Is it weird that I'm turned on from this?' Frank asked, seeing Gerard's face covered in blood. 'You look so fucking hot.'
Gerard smiled, a little dizzy from all the blood kicking in, and just a second later, Frank was pulling him by the arm, running another block to where they left the car parked behind a video store. He pushed Gerard in the backseat, and got in after him. His hands shook as he tried to undo the belt, laughing at it. 'Are you serious? A bat belt?'
Gerard was giggling nervously, and just then he felt his boyfriend's mouth around his erection.
