bigbang "High Rollers, Higer Stakes" (3/4)

[finny91]

Frank raced up the stairs and knocked enthusiastically at the apartment door, he waited impatiently, tapping his foot along to a song stuck in his head. He and Brendon had had to beg and plead to get people to cover their respective shifts at the club. One of the day guys, Alex, had agreed to work a double shift to cover for Brendon and Maja and Greta had taken pity on Frank and agreed to work twice as hard to cover his tables.

Everyone at the club was happy that Frank and Brendon had finally taken their heads out of their asses and realized how crazy they were about each other. Their first ‘official’ date had been welcomed by everyone at the club, including Zack, who was sick and tired of catching them making out in dark corners of his ‘respectable’ business.

Jon answered the door, a beer in one hand and the TV remote tucked under his arm.

“Hey Jon, Brendon ready yet?”

“Um, I think you better come in Frank; I think your date’s been cancelled.”

Frank’s expression fell and he followed Jon slowly into the apartment.

“Beer?” Jon asked him, Frank nodded mutely. Jon motioned him over to the couch to sit and handed him the cold drink.

“Where’s Brendon?” Frank asked his voice laced with concern and his stomach twisting nervously. Was Jon breaking up with him, was Brendon too much of a coward to come out and do it himself? With all the work put into setting this date up, was Brendon realizing that being with Frank would be too much hard work?

“He’s in his room; he’s been in there a while. Frank, how much has he told you about his past?”

Frank was a little thrown by the question and now that Jon brought it up, Brendon hadn’t really discussed his life before he met Frank.

“Not much really. Jon, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know if I should be the one to tell you this, Brendon will probably be mad at me, but he needs someone now and he won’t talk to me, Ryan or Spencer. There’s nothing more he can say to us or we can say to him. Maybe a new voice, a new perspective would help him. Frank, Brendon’s first boyfriend seemed like a nice guy and outwardly he was; everyone liked him and he was really taken with Brendon. They broke up just after Brendon turned eighteen; everyone was a little surprised, they had seemed happy enough. Brendon stopped being Brendon. He was quiet for a long time; he moved out of his parent’s house and moved in with me, he stayed in his room and didn’t really go anywhere.

About a year after they split up Brendon had a sort of nervous breakdown; he talked to Ryan. Apparently the guy had been abusive, he never touched Brendon and was never violent; he was more emotionally abusive. He told Brendon he was worthless, that he was too much of an idiot for anyone to care about. He shattered Brendon’s self esteem and it’s taken a long time for him to get back to normal. The thing is he’s not back to how he was; Ryan was right, Brendon scares his boyfriends away. He gets to a certain point, where things are just starting to go well and he freaks out. Most of them can’t handle it and leave. I think you might be different; at least, I hope you are, for your sake at least. Ryan thinks maybe you’ll split.”

Frank sat through Jon’s explanation, nodded his head thoughtfully and hummed when appropriate. He sat for a few minutes, not really saying much; just thinking things through. Jon spoke again after taking a long drink from the beer in his own hand.

“He bumped into that guy today on the Strip today. I think it’s the first time he’s seen him since they broke up. I’ve never seen Brendon look as scared as he did when he got home.”

Frank handed his half empty beer to Jon and asked, “Is it alright if I…?” He pointed in the direction of Brendon’s bedroom.

“Yeah sure, don’t tell him what I told you; if he tells you to leave please respect his decision. I’ll be out here if you need me.”

Frank nodded again and walked down the corridor to Brendon’s room. He knocked gently on the doorframe and pushed the door open. Brendon was lying on his bed in an old faded t-shirt and shorts; his headphones blared music into his ears and his eyes were closed. Frank stopped next to Brendon’s bed and nudged at his side with his fingers. Brendon’s eyes shot open in surprise; he sat up and removed his headphones.

“I thought Jon would tell you to go away.”

“Do you want me to?”

Brendon turned his head away; he looked out of the small window and into the blue sky outside.

“Brendon?”

Brendon spoke, his head still turned away from Frank, “I know I’m hard to take, I get that. I’m an idiot. I’m loud and I hug people far too much; but I’m just me, I can’t change who I am.” Brendon had given this a lot of thought; he turned to Frank finally, his face defiant.

“You don’t have to tell me, but…” Frank started.

“I know Jon told you everything; he’s worried, he worries too much.”

“Oh, okay.” Frank shifted; he wondered if Brendon would kick him out if he sat down. “You are amazing and strong and yes, and idiot… but that’s why people love you.” He grinned and grabbed Brendon’s hand, squeezing his fingers. Sometimes Frank forgot how much younger than him Brendon was, times like this reminded him. Brendon looked like a child, tucked up in bed; his old t-shirt rumpled and his face pale.

“I’m sorry about our date.” Brendon said, squeezing Frank’s fingers in response.

“It’s fine; I can go if you want to be alone.”

“No, stay.” Brendon tugged Frank closer to him, “I’m glad Jon told you, I couldn’t figure out how to bring it up. ‘Oh hey, I’m an emotional train wreck; please don’t hate me if I get all weird and stupid.’ Yeah, that’s a real conversation starter.”

Frank rested his knees on the edge of Brendon’s bed for a few minutes, their fingers still entwined. Brendon had closed his eyes and was rubbing his thumb along the side of Frank’s hand. Frank pulled his hand away slowly, disentangling their fingers and whispered, “I’ll be right back.” He went out into the living room and took his beer from the floor beside Jon’s feet; he drank the rest of the bottle and sighed.

“I think he’ll be okay, we’re going to stay in tonight, maybe watch a movie. I don’t think he’d be up to putting on actual clothes or even getting out of bed.”

“I’m sorry this happened tonight, I know he was looking forward to wining and dining you; he had his outfit picked out and everything, Spencer and Ryan both came over to help.” Jon smiled; he took Frank’s empty bottle and threw it in the trash. He came back a few minutes later carrying a small gray box.

“Here, you might need this.” Jon handed the box to Frank, on closer inspection the word ‘PORN’ was written across the top in bright pink glitter pen.

“Jon, I don’t think porn is the answer right now; maybe later.”

“Open it.”

Frank opened the lid, a small laugh rumbled through him and he smiled at the contents.

“You guys have a super secret stash of Disney DVDs. This is possibly the gayest house I’ve ever been in.” Frank ran his fingers over the familiar titles, lined up in alphabetical order.

“Hey, shut up. My old roommate wouldn’t let me put them on the DVD shelf; so I had to disguise them. The collection’s grown a lot since Brendon moved in. I suggest you start at the beginning, Aladdin’s his favorite. He’ll sing all the songs, but then again something tells me you will too.”
Jon laughed and clapped Frank on the shoulder with his hand.

“There’s cold beer in the fridge and food in the cupboards. The pop tarts and Capri-Sun are in the end one.”

“You’re not staying?” Frank questioned.

“Nah, I’ve got plans with Spencer, dinner with his family or something.” Jon blushed a little and grinned at his own words. He picked up his bag and turned to leave, “Oh and Frank. Don’t let him watch Dumbo; he cries as soon as that baby elephant visits his mom in elephant prison, it’s the song it sets him off.”

Fran blushed and looked down at the box in his hands, running his fingers along the edges.

“You guys are perfect for each other. Here.” Jon handed Frank a family sized box of tissues and waved as he left the apartment.

Frank headed back to Brendon’s room, carrying the box, a packet of pop tarts and a few Capri-sun pouches. He had tucked two beer bottles into his pockets.

“You don’t think Spencer would mind if I borrowed or maybe stole Jon for a while, do you?”

“Um… as long as you gave him back the way you found him and he wasn’t debauched, I don’t think he’d mind. Why?”

“No reason. He’s just kinda awesome.”

They settled down into the bed, sang their way through Aladdin and ended up skipping Dumbo. Frank decided he still hadn’t been on a date with Brendon yet, no sense in letting him see him cry.

**

Frank was running late; for the third time in a month he wasn’t on time for his shift. It wasn’t really his fault; between working at the club, spending time with Brendon and trying to keep up with his friends, he was getting very little sleep and was getting worse at keeping time.

He rushed through the front doors, ducking his head in an effort to avoid being noticed by the boss. The last thing he needed was a reprimand. Frank stumbled quickly along to the staff suite but was stopped by the sounds of raised voices coming from within.

“Don’t give me that bullshit Patrick. You know how I feel about him.” Bob’s words were cut short by Patrick’s angry retort.

“I know fine well how you feel; you tell me every damn day. Why can’t you just give it a rest?!”

Bob responded, his voice quieter than it had been. “You just don’t see it. The way he looks at you, the touches. He flirts with you and you do nothing to stop him.”

“PETE’S STRAIGHT!” How many times do I have to tell you Bob? You’re PARANOID.” Patrick yelled, his voice cracking with emotion.

“Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better; but I don’t believe it. I just don’t trust him.”

“You mean you don’t trust me? Thanks, glad to know where we stand.”

The door to the suite was pushed open and Patrick came through looking harassed and angry. He glared at Frank as he pushed past him without a word. Frank stepped quietly through the door. Bob was standing, fists clenched at his sides; he was breathing deeply in an effort to calm himself down.

“What was that all about?” Frank asked curiously.

Bob snapped; all of his anger towards Patrick was suddenly directed at Frank.

“It’s none of your fucking business Iero!” Bob shouted, pushing Frank out of his way as he exited the room. Frank was left dazed and hurt by Bob’s outburst. Bob’s words had stung; Frank was only being a concerned friend.

**

Over the next few weeks there was a tension hanging over the club; Patrick and Bob had been quiet since their fight, but seemed to have come to an agreement not to discuss it. Things had calmed down; Patrick relaxed more and his smile returned. Bob silently apologized for his outburst at Frank. When Frank entered the club a few days after Bob had yelled at him, Bob stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. Frank had braced himself for more angry words; the slight punch on the shoulder and the sheepish expression Bob had thrown him surprised him. Frank had grinned back and all was forgotten between the two of them.

Brendon had cut his hours down after school started up again. Although he had mostly day classes, he needed to sleep and have time to do homework. Frank was trying to pick up the slack but now that summer was over and fall was approaching the club wasn’t as busy.

Frank had also become a regular at breakfast with Brendon and his friends. He liked Jon and kept threatening to steal him away; the only thing that kept him at bay was Spencer’s steely glare. Spencer, Frank found out, was probably the most talkative of all of them; Brendon obviously wasn’t included in this as he could talk a person to death. Ryan even seemed to trust Frank was sticking around and stopped looking at him like he was about to fling Brendon into the nearest ditch.

**

“You guys have to help me. You know I can’t plan things on my own; I need constant supervision… leave me alone and we’ll end up with a few balloons and no cake. Frank will be sad, and I’ll cry, you know I will.” Brendon pouted his best pout, gave his most earnest puppy eyes and hoped his friends would take pity on him. They were sitting outside of the Starbucks Jon worked at; he was on his break and Brendon had called ‘an emergency meeting’.

“Why you couldn’t just invite us over to your apartment to discuss this beats me.” Ryan said before taking a sip of his venti mocha frappuccino.

“Because, this is supposed to be a surprise and Frank could walk in and hear at our place, plus here we get delicious coffee made by the world’s prettiest barista.” Brendon batted his eyelashes at Jon and lifted his tea to his lips.

“Who has a birthday on Halloween anyway? It’s creepy.” Ryan answered, ignoring Brendon’s perfectly sensible reasons for their meeting place.

“I think it’s cool. We can have like a fancy dress thing since you’ll both be dressed up like furries anyway.” Jon raised his hands to his head and made what looked like bunny ear gestures to Brendon.

“HEY. Not furries, playboy bunnies. Way more classy!”

Spencer grinned, setting his coffee down his whispered in Jon’s ear; Brendon looked over curiously as Jon cracked up, he laughed so hard he could barely draw breath. He turned to Spencer and smiled when Spencer’s hand patted him on the back lightly and rubbed small circles.

“Spencer had the most brilliant idea; you need to get us a spare uniform. We have to dress Ryan up like a playboy bunny.”

**

October thirtieth bled into the thirty-first, Frank’s birthday. The shift at the club finished like every other night; Frank and Brendon waved to their friends as they walked out onto the street, the first rays of sun lighting the morning sky. Brendon held Frank’s hand as they walked down the strip in the direction of Frank’s apartment.

“Happy Birthday Frank,” said Brendon, his lips brushing Frank’s cheek as they walked.

“Thanks. Happy Halloween.” Frank held up their entwined hands and grinned as he kissed Brendon’s knuckles.

Frank was tired but he could still feel the excited tug this day always brought; his nerves seemed on edge and every touch from Brendon sent shivers down his body. They reached the small apartment and pushed through the front door in a tangle of limbs. Frank’s apartment was incredibly small, the front door leading through into the living room that held little more than a couch and the TV; books, newspapers and shoes were strewn about the floor but it didn’t seem messy.

The kitchen connected to the living room and was in the same state of disarray. Frank’s bedroom was sparsely decorated, with a bed and a dresser, clothes were thrown around and there were still some unpacked boxes in the corner even though Frank had lived there for more than six months.

Frank and Brendon kissed as they made their way slowly to the bedroom, stripping out of their clothes as they went. Brendon got his t-shirt stuck over his head, his glasses catching on the material as he tugged it higher. Frank had to help extract him to stop Brendon losing an eye.

“Wait…” Brendon panted, prizing Frank’s hands off his waist. Frank stared at him in disbelief. They rarely got enough time to do this and Brendon wanted to make Frank wait, and on his birthday, that was just not on. He huffed and pawed at Brendon’s ribs with his fingers.

“Stop pouting, I have presents, they’re good I promise.” Brendon turned around and tugged his boxers back into place, Frank had been steadily inching them down over his hips. He walked over to Frank’s dresser and pulled open the bottom drawer; Frank’s jeans and a few t-shirts and other things were stuffed into the drawer and Brendon rummaged around until he produced a small red bag from the back.

Brendon dropped down onto the bed and pulled Frank with him. He handed over the bag and grinned as Frank tore into the first gift. Frank’s expression changed from one of curiosity to excitement, he waved the little bottle of warming lube at Brendon and smirked.

“Best gift ever,” he exclaimed, throwing the bottle at Brendon. Brendon placed it to one side and nodded for Frank to keep going.

“Massage oil?” Frank sounded surprised when he unwrapped the second gift, the bottle of lavender oil gripped in his hand he looked curiously at Brendon.

“Yeah, you’ve been complaining about your back for weeks and I give killer massages; I thought it might be nice.” He smiled shyly at Frank and took the second bottle out of his hands.

There was one gift left in the bag, a small envelope that Frank pulled out hesitantly. He opened it and gasped.

“Brendon, this is too much, I can’t accept it.” Frank looked over the paper; Brendon had paid for Frank to add to his tattoo collection with an appointment with his favorite artist.

“Shut up, yes you can. I expect something equally as awesome on my birthday, just so you know.”

Brendon took the bag out of Frank’s hands and placed it on the floor; he leaned over and kissed Frank’s cheek.

“Lay down.” Brendon kissed his way along Frank’s jaw. Frank pulled off his shirt and crawled onto his bed; he sat with his legs out in front of him and his hands resting on the comforter, bracing himself. Brendon crawled up Frank’s legs and reached around him to fluff the pillows; he sat back, his knees on either side of Frank’s and placed a hand on Frank’s bare chest.

“I said lay down Frank.” Brendon pushed lightly on Frank’s chest and Frank relented; he lowered himself down onto the bed, his shoulders and head resting on the newly fluffed pillows. Brendon smiled down at Frank; he unbuttoned his own shirt and stripped it off, dropping it beside the bed. Brendon unbuttoned Frank’s jeans, “Up” he said, as he raised Frank’s hips off the bed to pull his jeans off. Brendon crawled back up Frank’s legs.

“Brendon, my socks.” Frank lifted up a leg and wiggled his foot around; Brendon looked behind him and rolled his eyes. He grabbed Frank’s foot and pulled off the sock, Frank lifted his other foot so Brendon could get the other one too. Brendon ran his hands up Frank’s legs and shifted closer to him, inching up his thighs. Brendon wriggled, slipped a few times, but managed to take off his own jeans without getting off Frank’s legs.

“Turn over.” Brendon whispered, his face pressed into Frank’s shoulder. Frank complied; rolling onto his stomach, he pulled the pillow under his cheek. Brendon trailed his hands softly down Frank’s back; he was sitting on the back of Frank’s thighs and straddling his legs. Frank closed his eyes and sighed; he tilted his hips back when Brendon’s hands strayed over his waist.

Brendon grabbed the bottle of massage oil and squirted some into his palm; he rubbed his hands together, the fresh scent of lavender filling the air. Frank inhaled deeply beneath him and almost groaned in anticipation. Brendon warmed the liquid between his palms and rubbed his hands over Frank’s shoulders. He rubbed small circles with the tips of his fingers into Frank’s neck and up into his hair line.

Frank wriggled under him and rolled his shoulders. Brendon smiled and moved his hands to Frank’s shoulder blades, working them in a steady rhythm. He moved down Frank’s spine, his fingers digging into the muscles looking for knots. Frank’s lower back had been giving him problems for a few weeks; so Brendon concentrated on the muscles there.

He kneaded the skin, easing the tension in Frank’s muscles until he felt Frank relax beneath his fingertips. Brendon changed the pressure he was using; he worked his thumbs in small circles and then used the palms of his hands to smooth the oil into Frank’s skin. He leaned over every now and then to place a gentle kiss to the back of Frank’s neck.

Frank groaned loudly when Brendon’s thumb pressed into a tight knot in the muscle at the base of his spine. The sound reverberated through Frank’s chest and up through Brendon’s fingers. Brendon whimpered at the sound; he shifted above Frank and tried to get comfortable, he wanted this to be good for Frank, to ease the pain he had been in. Frank groaned again, and it was too much for Brendon.

“Frank… turn over onto your back.”

Frank looked back over his shoulder at Brendon, his eyes questioning. He took in Brendon’s flushed cheeks and half lidded eyes and rolled over.

Frank reached over to the bedside table for the tube, but Brendon beat him to it. Brendon squirted the warming lube onto his fingers and trailed a slick finger down Frank’s chest, marveling at the heat already coming from the sticky substance. Brendon pushed himself onto his knees and prepared himself, inserting one slicked finger and then two. He arched his back at the sensation and bit into his bottom lip as he stretched himself. Frank watched, his hands rubbing a path up and down Brendon’s thighs. Brendon removed his fingers and looked down glassy-eyed at Frank, who was trying his best to relax and not come from just watching Brendon touch himself.

Brendon rolled a condom onto Frank and applied more of the lube; he lifted himself up onto his knees and lowered himself. Frank gripped Brendon’s hips, slowing his movements; he couldn’t stop himself thrusting up.

Brendon set up a slow rhythm, mindful of Frank’s sore back; he circled his hips and gripped at Frank’s arms. He bent over to kiss Frank and only pulled away when Frank’s breathing became unsteady, little ragged breathy moans escaped his lips. Frank’s grip tightened on Brendon’s hips and he thrust his hips erratically; Brendon arched and bowed his back to meet Frank’s thrusts and adjust the angle.

Sweat beaded on Frank’s face and chest, he titled his head back, his breath coming out in loud pants; he could feel his orgasm building in the bottom of his stomach and wanted Brendon to come when he did. He moved his hand from Brendon’s hip and across his stomach, reaching for his erection blindly. He gripped Brendon’s dick and squeezed.

Brendon pushed himself away from Frank’s chest to give him space and wrapped his own hand around Frank’s helping him quicken his pace. Brendon’s hand stilled, his back arched and he came, a high keening sound escaping his mouth. A few more thrusts and Frank came too, the hand still on Brendon’s hip gripped tight enough to leave marks.

Brendon fell forward onto Frank’s chest, their sweat and come mingling between them; he kissed Frank’s cheek and the spot behind Frank’s ear and rolled off of Frank to go clean up.

Frank lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. His eyes were half closed and unfocussed; he felt warm and sleepy again. Brendon padded back into the room quietly carrying a small towel; he handed it to Frank and climbed back under the covers. Frank quickly cleaned himself and tugged the sheet back over his chest. Brendon yawned and snuggled into Frank’s chest, he was asleep within minutes. Frank drifted off soon after, Brendon’s flyaway hairs tickling his neck.

When Frank woke up, his skin was clammy and Brendon was curled around his torso, his leg thrown over Frank’s possessively. He yawned and stretched his muscles. He glanced over at the massage oil Brendon had bought; Brendon gave the best birthday gifts.

The party was organized for Halloween night. It was a fairly busy night at the club so extra staff had been asked to work to cover the amount of customers through the door. Zack had given them all the same specific instructions he did every year.

“I know you just want to have fun tonight guys, but this is still a business, my business, and I want everyone to act like professionals. No stupid costumes, no over the top makeup, no silly joke or games. Save it for when your shift is over.”

Zack had agreed that at midnight everyone could stop and sing Happy Birthday to Frank and eat some cake, Frank didn’t know this though and he was a little down that the rest of his friends had seemingly forgotten his birthday. Brendon and Frank arrived early, changed into their bunny outfits and sat around in the suite waiting for their shift to start.

Frank sighed; he didn’t mean to, he was sitting on Brendon’s knee twirling his fingers through the hair at Brendon’s neck and thinking about his family. He missed spending his birthday with them, he thought too about friends from home and some friends in Vegas that he wouldn’t be seeing. His thoughts flickered briefly to Gerard; he had told Brendon about the guy he moved here for, how they had grown apart in their relationship and how they had finally split. Frank, like Brendon, liked to try and keep the past in the past, and it worked for the most part. They didn’t often discuss it and Frank liked it better that way.

**

“Frankie Iero, what in the hell are you wearing?”

Frank stopped short, he recognized that voice and it made his stomach flutter with excitement. Frank turned slowly; he was faced with a tall slightly skinny guy, his hair fell into his face and his lips quirked into a mischievous smile.

“Holy Shit. Mikey Fucking Way.” Frank lunged forward and tripped over his own feet in his haste and threw his arms around Mikey’s neck. He buried his face into Mikey’s shoulder.

“What are you doing here?”

“I called your mom; she said you weren’t coming home for your birthday. I couldn’t miss it; I haven’t missed celebrating your illustrious birth in years. Happy Birthday Frankie.”

“Thanks. How did you know I’d be here?”

“Only one place in Vegas has bunny people working for them. Honestly Frank, please tell me this is a Halloween costume.”

Frank pulled away and looked down at his body; his skin was flushed from the heat of the club.

“Nope, this is the outfit. It used to be worse; these ears were once pink.” Frank screwed up his face and rolled his eyes. Mikey smiled and touched his fingers to Frank’s bunny ears laughing. Frank looked up at Mikey, his face suddenly serious.

“Is Gerard with you?” His stomach twisted nervously.

Mikey looked back over his shoulder and nodded in the direction of the bar. “Yeah, he’s getting drinks. I didn’t want to come alone man.”

Carrying a drink in each hand, a man only slightly shorter than Mikey emerged from the crowd. He smiled at them both and Frank tried very hard not to stare at him; his dark hair framed his pale face and he had a tired look about him.

“Happy Birthday Frank. You look good, half nakedness becomes you.”

Frank’s hands automatically covered his stomach; he suddenly felt nervous and exposed when he knew he shouldn’t.

“Um, thanks. You too, the looking good part I mean.” He glanced over Gerard’s body; the tight pants and black shirt he was wearing did look amazing on him.

Brendon walked past and Frank stuck his arm out and grabbed him, he pulled him closer to the two men.

“Mikey, Gerard, this is Brendon. He’s my…” Frank struggled for words; although he and Brendon were dating they had never used the term ‘boyfriend’. He took a breath and squared his shoulders, “he’s my boyfriend. Brendon, this is Mikey, he’s an old friend from Jersey; and this is his brother, Gerard.”

Brendon shook hands with both Mikey and Gerard; if he noticed Frank’s use of the term boyfriend for the first time, he didn’t say anything.

“It’s nice to meet you both. You’re here to celebrate Frank’s birthday too?”

“Yeah, I flew in as a surprise.” Mikey replied; he nudged Frank’s arm with his fist, “He doesn’t visit home as much as he should. I figured I could visit Gee at the same time.” Mikey smiled at his brother.

“Brendon, your drinks are up.” Patrick’s voice cut through the crowd and Brendon waved in his direction.

“I gotta go, nice to meet you both.” He looked at Gerard and a slight uneasiness crept across his face. Frank noticed; he nodded reassuringly at Brendon as he left to go wait on his tables. Frank watched him leave before turning back to his friends.

When Frank turned around Mikey was gone; Gerard either didn’t notice or had seen him leave. Gerard raised his glass to his lips and took a sip; he sucked an ice cube into his mouth and crunched it before asking, “So that’s him, huh?”

Frank glanced after Brendon again before smiling at Gerard, his face lit up when he smiled clearly displaying his happiness.

“Yeah, that’s him. You didn’t seem surprised when I introduced him.”

Gerard shook his head slightly, his hair falling around his cheeks, “Mikey told me you were dating someone new. He’s nice. I like him; he’s not the kind of guy I thought you’d go for, but he’s nice and he suits you.”

Frank’s face softened as he leaned closer to Gerard.

“He makes me smile.” He said as a small private smile crossed his lips.

“The kind of smiles I couldn’t?”

“Yes. Something like that.”

Gerard pulled Frank into a loose hug, “I’m glad you’re happy Frank. I thought you might have gone back to Jersey after…”

“After you moved me out here and broke my heart? Nah, I like it here. I mean it’s different, but different isn’t a bad thing.”

part 4