Friday I'm In Love

△𝐓𝐰𝐨 △

THE CEILING wasn't that interesting, a soft cream color that had been worn by time and the leakage from the apartment above. Jeremy and Kate from upstairs had been arguing for hours by the time Frank had climbed into bed - too exhausted to go upstairs and tell them to shut up. They seemed to argue every night, or at least when they'd been drinking, but the screams often faded by one o'clock - if he was lucky.

 Annalise from opposite had turned Iron Maiden down the minute Frank reached his door, they'd developed the ability to do that over the years by recognizing footstep patterns and the sound of keys in the door. Annalise was nice. Hotheaded, but unlike old Mrs. Smithers who used to live next door and listened to The Beatles on loop, she had a nearly identical taste in music to Frank.  They hadn't seen each other in months. Annalise worked through the day at the art gallery a few blocks away and Frank was juggling jobs. Last he'd seen her, her hair was a shocking shade of highlighter yellow that was sure to kill the old woman from the first floor.

 Frank sighed, exhaling the sharp night air as the traffic passed outside and the floorboards creaked above. The faint hum of speakers pierced his peripherals as he turned to look at the dying clock on his bedside table - 03:02. Pete wouldn't be home for another two hours at best, three at worst. The night shifts were always the toughest due to clashing working hours. By the time the both of them were home, they were too tired and sore to do anything. The longest time they spent together was sleeping and the moments they had were few and far between. Frank rolled over in bed, looking across at the empty space beside him with a sinking heart, reaching out towards where Pete usually lay to grasp the sheets. 

His phone rang a few seconds later, the screen flashing with UNKNOWN NUMBER. 

 Frank jumped upright and lunged towards his nightstand. The slim device slipped through his fingers as he juggled to grasp it in his hands. What idiot would call him at three in the morning? It couldn't be Pete, he had Pete's number. He squinted down at the screen contemplating the possibility of a spam call so late into the night before swiping it and answering.

"This is Iero?" Frank said hoarsely, rubbing his eyes as he sat back into his the bed and held the phone to his ear. "Who the fuck is this?"

A pause, a shuddering breath.

"Hey, Frank, It's Mikey. Mikey Way? You were friends with my brother in high school." an unfamiliar voice began quietly, hesitant, as Frank pressed the phone closer. 

Frank's eyebrows shot into his hairline. God, Mikey Way - that skinny little kid with huge glasses. How could he forget? He must be around twenty-five if Frank was doing the math correctly. How had he even got Frank's number?

 Mikey continued, "I know we haven't spoken for... ten-ish years, and you probably don't really remember us, but our mom died half an hour ago. And... and I'm not sure what we're going to do." he croaked, his voice quavering dangerously towards tears as a group of people passed him. Frank was speechless, blinking in shock as the man on the other end of the line cleared his throat. "I don't know why I'm calling, hell, I don't even know if this is your answering machine I'm talking to but— but the house number is 182 Greenbank boulevard. Mom would want you to be here so... bye, I guess." he trailed off before hanging up, leaving Frank with a dead line and a hell of a lot of information to process.

◆◆◆

Pete stumbled home at seven o'clock, with bleary eyes and a warm smile as he set his backpack down beside the shoe rack. Frank threw his arms around him, squeezing tight as he buried his face into Pete's shoulder, causing Pete to stumble backward as his arms wrapped around Frank's body. Frank's eyes slipped shut, clutching Pete's back as he massaged Frank's waist soothingly as they swayed together. Pete's body was warm, soft, and welcoming as Frank pulled him into a tight hug. He smelled like Axe body spray and sanitizer but he was home. Pete pulled him closer, his hands resting at the small of Frank's back as he rubbed circles soothingly.