[Bandslash, Multi-band] As Good as It Gets (2/3)
Part One
A few months back, Ray and Patrick got together and decided to start their own recording studio. Gerard's not sure if it was part of a well-thought out plan between them, or the result of one of their weekend jam sessions. Either way, they've thrown themselves into it, and it's the only place anyone can find them with any sort of reliability lately.
The studio doesn't look like much from the outside, and it isn't exactly in the best neighborhood, but they seem to be doing all right. Even with cheery little faces painted on the windows facing the street laying claim to the best bagels in the city.
“Where the hell are we?”
Gerard sighs and looks at Iero's reflection in the rearview mirror. He's slouched down in the backseat, arms crossed and looking for all the world like a sullen teenager.
Gerard twists around in his seat, and freezes when he sees something across the street. Mikey coughs, and when Gerard looks over at him Mikey's trying to look innocent and utterly fails.
“You knew they were here?” Gerard asks, and Jesus, now is really not the time for this kind of shit.
Mikey shrugs and turns the ignition off. “Ray's been asking me if I know anyone who'd come in and talk to them.”
Iero sits up, less sullen teenager and more worried client. “What? What's going on?”
“Nothing to worry about,” Mikey reassures him, but it's not working because Iero's scowling.
He's also looking around while trying to look like that's not what he's doing, and it isn't working out so well for him.
Shaking his head Gerard pops the locks and gets out of the car. He scans the street before moving to the back passenger side and opening Iero's door. Mikey gets out and checks the area out while Gerard waits for Iero to get moving.
There's nothing to worry about when it comes to Iero's life, but his sanity? Definitely.
Iero's watching Gerard warily, and Gerard shakes his head again. “It's safe.”
Safe enough, at any rate. Gerard should probably warn Iero about what's in store for him once they get inside, but Gerard's not that nice of a person, and Iero deserves what he gets.
“Yeah, and your earlier reaction was completely normal,” Iero mutters.
Still, he either trusts Gerard to know what he's talking about, or he still doesn't think someone's really out to get him because he gets out of the car and follows Mikey past the front doors and around to the back of the building.
Iero looks less and less impressed as they make their way through a narrow alley strewn with garbage. He grimaces at the crumbled cardboard boxes and crushed soda cans among the recognizable detritus, even though Gerard knows for a fact he has to have seen worse in his life if he grew up in Jersey.
Mikey leads them to a pair of metal double doors and knocks, standing back to wait.
Gerard pulls the collar of his jacket up against the cold, glancing at Mikey who doesn't seem to be affected by the weather, but he also has roughly a hundred layers of clothing on. Iero looks around, eyes following the graffiti scrawled across the brickwork when they hear a series of locks being disengaged and Ray shoves the doors open.
He looks the same as always with that fucking amazing mess of hair all over the place. He's smiling his stupid huge smile, and Christ, it's been too long since they've seen one another.
Ray steps back to let them in, ignoring the way Iero's staring at his hair because he's used to people staring, and unless someone says something he pretends he doesn't notice.
“Hey,” Gerard says, giving Iero a push to get him moving. “Thanks for this.”
It's inadequate as hell as far as thanks go, but there's never really been a need for any to start with between them.
Ray shrugs and looks at Iero.
Iero glares at Gerard over his shoulder and squeezes past Ray, following Mikey down the hallway. Gerard watches him go, not worried because Mikey's keeping an eye on him and there's no safer place for Iero to be at the moment.
At least until the Alexes catch wind of his presence, at which point all bets are off.
“They still have that eyesore of a van?” Gerard asks, pulling the doors shut behind him with a jerk when they stick.
Gerard knows all too well what it's like being young, stupid, and lacking any kind of sense, but this. This is like an entirely new level of young and stupid he never even knew existed.
“It drives, or so I've been told,” Ray says, ambling down the hall after Mikey and Iero. “I don't think they care all that much beyond that.”
Gerard's about to ask Ray another question, but Ray's standing perfectly still, and when Gerard draws even with him he sees why.
Iero's pressed against wall in the warm-up room holding one of Ray's guitars in front of him like a shield with the Alexes crowding around him. Mikey's sitting on a stool at the back of the room watching with amusement and making no move to help whatsoever.
DeLeon's the one in Iero's space, but he's holding on to Marshall's arm like he needs the moral support, and Marshall's holding onto Johnson to keep from being sucked into DeLeon's insanity. Johnson, bless his black heart, is the sanest looking of the group, even though there are times Gerard honestly thinks he's planning world domination.
“I don't think he's going to do them a lot of good if they terrify the shit out of him,” Gerard points out, glancing at Ray.
Ray shrugs and crosses his arms, watching as DeLeon says something they can't quite hear, waving his free hand all over the place and smiling so wide it makes Gerard's cheeks hurt just watching.
“I've heard Iero's band and they're pretty good,” Ray says. “They broke into the music business the hard way, so he'll have useful information for them, not the bullshit the labels try to sell.”
Gerard's going to have to take Ray's word on that. He watches them for a moment, taking in the way Iero slowly begins to relax when he realizes DeLeon's harmless. Manic, maybe, but harmless.
“Is DeLeon still feuding with Colligan?” Gerard has no idea what the hell is going on between DeLeon and Colligan, just that it's a major headache for Brian that amuses the hell out of Mikey and Ray.
Ray shrugs again, leaning against the wall to watch Iero and the others. “Ian thinks things are cooling down, but DeLeon swears it will never be over.” Ray looks at Gerard and grins. “So, you know, pretty much the same as ever with those guys.”
Gerard rolls his eyes because having to deal with the five of them, well, two, really, since the others aren't actually insane or assholes, is like watching a teen drama. He's continually amazed someone hasn't offered to buy the rights or create a show based on their lives.
“I needed to talk to you about this one, anyway. I know Brian's looking into things on his own with Worm involved, but have you heard anything about it?”
Ray sighs and scratches his head. “Where do you want me to start? There's always some kind of news floating around a band like that, especially with the death threats and the attempt the other day.”
They could have gotten an address for a safe place to stash Iero over the phone or through an e-mail, but Gerard needed to talk to Ray about whatever's going on with Iero. The folder Brian had given him had been helpful, but most of it had dealt with Iero's personal quirks and not so much with an actual reason someone would want to kill him.
“Anything, everything. I have a bad feeling about this one,” he says, when Ray looks at him. Gerard can't quite pin down what it is, but it's making him uneasy as hell.
Ray looks at Iero, still talking to DeLeon and the others before he says anything. “The only big thing has to do with the band being involved in a contract dispute with their label, and by all accounts it's gotten pretty ugly.”
While that bit is news to him, it's not really unheard of for bands and record labels to get into contract disputes, and Gerard sighs, making a mental note to find out more when he can. “What about his book? Mikey said some people didn't like it.”
“It's about the band,” Ray says. “He doesn't pull his punches, though, and even though he doesn't name names, it's not that hard to figure out who he's talking about in it. I guess he wanted it to be a warning for struggling bands out there or something, you'd have to ask him about it yourself if you really want to know.”
Gerard scowls at Ray and the unspoken, 'Or get off your ass and read it yourself, slacker,' when Ray grins at him, bright, friendly, and completely fake.
“Thanks,” Gerard mutters, trying to fit the new information together with what he already knows about Iero.
Ray shrugs. “I could look into it a little more if you want.”
“If it's not too much trouble, I think I'm going to need you to.” Gerard doesn't want to be surprised by anything, and Ray's his best shot at that.
He sighs and looks over when DeLeon makes a noise that's frighteningly close to being an honest to god squeal. Johnson looks amused and Marshall has a hand over his face, smile peeking through his fingers and - Jesus.
Iero's laughing, seriously fucking laughing, and goddamn. Gerard's in so much fucking trouble.
Ray clears his throat and Gerard looks at him, eyes narrowing at the little smile playing on his lips.
“Don't even.”
Ray laughs and holds his hands up, still smiling like an idiot, and Gerard half-heartedly flips him off.
“Mikey says you might know a place?” Gerard says, desperate to change the subject before Ray starts in on how Gerard's well past the age to settle down. Like he has room to talk.
Ray grins. “Gerard, I always know a place.”
====
====
Ray gives him the address to another hotel they can use and Gerard feels it's safe enough to leave Iero at the studio with Mikey, Ray, and the Alexes while he goes ahead to check things out. It's more to let Iero have some time in a safe, somewhat familiar environment in the hope that it will help calm him down. If nothing else, maybe Ray's guitars will keep him happy enough to keep him from making Gerard and Mikey's lives harder than they need to be.
The hotel is more secure than the previous one. Retired or not, Ray's too much of a professional for the place to be anything else, and Gerard's relieved to see that there aren't any fire escapes. He knows that's not a guarantee Iero isn't fucking insane and won't hesitate to scale the side of the building if he wants to make a run for it, but it's something.
The hotel staff are all polite and professional, and when Gerard mentions Ray's name they give him a suite on a mostly unoccupied floor. He's still feeling uneasy, so he goes up to have a look around, some of his restlessness easing when he sees the layout, marking down points of entry and escape routes.
By the time he's done almost an hour has gone by, and he does his best to hurry back to the studio. He calls Mikey to let him know he's on his way back and to tell him to have Iero ready to go when he gets there. As soon as he pulls into a spot in front of the studio Gerard takes his call phone out and calls to let them know he's waiting outside.
Gerard feels better when Mikey and Iero come around the side of the building, the Alexes following behind. Iero looks calmer, less irritated and annoyed, maybe. Gerard hopes that means he's going to be more willing to listen to reason.
Iero gives him a wary look when he gets in the car, but doesn't say anything. Mikey's practically oozing smugness, which is strange and a little worrying, and the Alexes -
“Christ, wave to them,” Gerard mutters, settling his sunglasses in place and turning the key in the ignition.
Iero shoots him a look and waves at the Alexes. He seems equally amused and perplexed by them, which is pretty much the norm when it comes to the three of them.
“So where are we going?” Iero asks, when they pull into traffic. He's making an effort to be, if not polite, then not an annoying little shit, so Gerard returns the favor.
“A hotel.” Gerard smiles when Iero scowls at him. “Ray found us a hotel that should be up to your standards, and unlike the one you were staying at earlier, they have good coffee. No need to run off in the middle of the night without telling us first.”
Iero's scowl darkens, and it makes him look very much like he'd love to punch Gerard's face in.
“Gerard.”
It's entirely possible that Gerard is still frustrated with Iero.
“It's nice,” Gerard says. Ray knows what he's doing.
Gerard doesn't know what happened when he left Iero and Mikey with Ray and the Alexes, but apparently Ray still knows how to make friends with just about everyone in the entire world because Iero. Iero doesn't exactly light up at Ray's name, but he does stop scowling.
“Where did you find him, anyway?” Iero asks, leaning forward. “He's. God, he's fucking amazing on guitar.”
Gerard thinks he knows part of the reason Mikey's been so damn smug now, and he doesn't blame him. Ray doesn't exactly get the attention he should, that he damn well deserves.
“You should ask him yourself,” Gerard says. It's not his story to tell, first off, and secondly they're going to need to find ways to keep Iero from going nuts, or driving them crazy. They might as well take him someplace that is not only safe, but he seems to like.
That gets him a suspicious look from Iero, and Jesus, Gerard doesn't know why he always has to be the bad guy. “Unless you'd rather not go back?”
Iero actually seems surprised that Gerard's asking his opinion about something, which only makes Gerard feel more like a shit than he already did. It's been a few years, but he does remember what it's like being in Iero's place.
“Ray likes you,” Mikey joins in, looking back at Iero. “He wants to work with you on that song you were playing when you have the time.”
Gerard tunes the two of them out for the rest of the drive to the hotel when they start talking about chord progressions and god only knows what else. It's a strange sort of relief that Iero sees Mikey as an ally in all of this. It will make their job easier if he's only fighting one of them.
====
====
A few hours after they get settled into the new hotel, Iero gets a phone call that he takes into the bedroom he claimed. Gerard can't make out who he's talking to or what he's saying through the walls, but it sounds like it might be part who knows of the same argument he was having the previous day.
It starts out loud and gets worse, turning vicious towards the end. Gerard's half expecting Iero to start throwing shit around, but things just. Things get quiet, and that's possibly even more troubling.
Mikey's already asleep in one of the bedrooms, and since Gerard's job is to keep Iero safe even from himself, he drags his ass out of the armchair he's been sitting in and knocks quietly on the door of Iero's room.
Iero doesn't answer right away, so Gerard waits a few moments before knocking again, just a little louder. Iero jerks the door open, looking pissed off and almost like he wants to tell Gerard to fuck off, and seriously, Gerard really isn't sure why the hell he's even bothering.
“You didn't eat earlier.”
Not the best way to start off, but Gerard still isn't completely convinced he won't end up punching Iero for being a dick at some point.
Iero stares at him. “Wow. How observant of you.”
Gerard has no idea why he's bothering, but Mikey seems to like Iero, and Mikey's usually a good judge of character. Usually.
“Okay, then,” Gerard says, giving Iero his best fake smile. “Have fun starving, I'm sure it's all the rage.” Gerard turns to leave, but Iero's frustrated sigh stops him.
“Wait, okay. Just. Wait,” Iero says. “I'm sorry. You just got me at a bad time.”
When Gerard glances back at him, Iero looks tired, angry, and more than a little. Not quite sad, maybe disappointed would be a better word. Whatever it is makes him look less like an asshole and more like an actual person.
“Room service?” Gerard asks, because Iero looks like he hasn't eaten real food in far too long.
Iero stares at him, the corner of his mouth pulling up into a small smile. “Yeah, okay,” he says. “That's. That's probably a good idea. Blood sugar levels and shit.”
Gerard raises an eyebrow, but lets Iero have his excuse. “Right. Blood sugar levels.”
====
====
“I need to talk to the label,” Iero says, after room service brings their food up. He's poking at his food, tired, stressed, and angry.
“Didn't you just do that?”
Iero shakes his head and looks at Gerard. “No, I need to talk to them face to face. I've been talking to them about this over the phone for weeks, and nothing ever gets resolved. Maybe if I go down to the office, maybe - “ Iero shrugs, stabbing his fork into whatever the hell he ordered viciously. “Maybe we can finally get somewhere.”
Gerard eyes him, wondering if he's going to have make Iero go through a metal detector before he lets him anywhere near the record label's offices. “Is that a good idea?”
Iero laughs, but it doesn't sound anything like amused. “God, no,” he says, “but I need to do it.”
If nothing else Gerard can respect someone who does what needs to be done even if it's the last thing in the world they want to do. “Fine. We'll go in the morning, but you need to eat first.”
“What are you, my mom?” Iero asks, but his smile looks real enough to Gerard. He even gets bonus points for eating, which.
Gerard has no idea when he went from being Iero's bodyguard to his babysitter. “Shut up and eat your fucking food.”
====
====
Mikey doesn't say anything when Gerard tells him about the trip out to the label offices, but that might have more to do with him inhaling his coffee than anything else.
“Jesus, is that normal?” Iero asks, watching in awe.
Gerard doesn't answer because he's working on his second cup of coffee.
Iero doesn't seem worried about Gerard and Mikey being coffee addicts, although he does hug his own coffee to his chest protectively.
“Shut up,” Mikey grumbles, shoving his empty cup at Gerard. “More coffee.”
“It's as normal as we get,” Gerard admits because it's nothing short of the truth.
Gerard makes sure Iero and Mikey eat real food before he will let either of them out of the suite. Mikey goes along with it, and Iero grumbles but gives in a lot easier than Gerard was expecting.
Iero tenses up when Gerard puts his sunglasses on and leads the way to the elevator. He sees Mikey give Iero a look to reassure him, but it doesn't seem to do much good. Iero doesn't say anything in the elevator, or when they cross the parking lot to the rental.
They're not the only people in the parking lot, other hotel guests and staff heading to their cars or carrying luggage.
Gerard goes to open to open Iero's door for him and looks up when he hears the sound of an approaching car. He pushes his sunglasses up to see better, and catches Mikey saying something out of the corner of his eye a moment before gunshots go off.
Mikey grabs Iero and pulls him to cover as the rental's back window shatters, bullets pinging off the car's body as the shooter tracks them.
Gerard ducks behind the open door of the rental, sunglasses flying as he scrambles back and around to cover. He sticks his head up hoping to get a look at the car's occupants or a license plate number, but the shooter starts laying down cover fire to keep them pinned down.
People are screaming, someone's fucking shrieking, and the shooter takes another shot at them as the car speeds away, tires squealing.
Gerard breaks cover before the echoes from the last gunshot dies down, running to Mikey and Iero, heart in his throat.
Mikey has Iero behind another car, both of them flat on the ground when Gerard rounds the front of the car. Mikey's getting to his feet to help Iero, and they both seem all right.
Iero stares back the way the car went, and Gerard breathes a little easier when Mikey meets his eyes and shakes his head. Gerard's eyes narrow, but Mikey shakes his head again, and Gerard turns to survey the damage.
The rental's a mess. An arcing line of bullet holes starting along the passenger side, windows blown out. Gerard takes a step towards it and stops when something crunches under his foot. When he looks down he sees part of his sunglasses, the frame bents and twisted, lenses cracked and sighs.
“Inside,” Gerard orders, catching Mikey's eye when he looks over at him. “No arguments. We can wait for the police there.”
Iero starts to say something, but Mikey takes his arm and walks him back to the hotel as security guards come rushing out, one of them escorting Mikey and Iero back inside while the rest hurry over to him and the other people still in the parking lot.
Gerard sighs again, and looks back at the rental, wondering what the hell Brian's gotten them into this time.
====
====
By some quirk of fate, or maybe it's just Gerard's shitty luck, Gabe and his people are the ones who handle the investigation.
Gabe's all smiles and easy charm when they get there, and Gerard's actually grateful when Iero stops looking so damned shell-shocked. Gabe gets Mikey and Iero's statements and then lets them go, Mikey taking Iero to a corner of the hotel lobby.
Gerard stays behind, watching Suarez and Novarro going over the scene with their techs gathering evidence and taking prints while Asher and Blackinton talk to the hotel guests and staff who might have seen something.
“Couldn't stay away?” Gabe asks, looking out at the parking lot and the police tape blocking off the crime scene.
Gerard glances over to where Mikey and Iero are sitting, Mikey saying something to Iero who isn't talking back, just nodding and starting to look mildly pissy.
“I owed Schechter a favor.”
Gabe makes a non-committal noise and writes something down in his notepad, frowning and overdoing the thoughtful, 'No, I'm listening, really, go on' face.
“Still an ass, huh?” Gerard asks, smiling faintly when Gabe flashes him a grin.
Gabe flips his notepad closed. “What can I say? I have complete faith that you'll tell me everything I need to know in a timely manner because you have a deep and abiding respect for the law.”
Gerard does his best to look like an upstanding citizen. “Of course I will, Gabe. You know me.”
“You have someplace to go, or do you need help?” Gabe's watching Mikey and Iero, and he's not kidding anymore. “You know - “
“We're good, Gabe.” Gerard likes Gabe, but more importantly he trusts him. As much as he'd really like nothing better than to wash his hands of the mess Brian's gotten him and Mikey into, it's still a job.
Gabe snorts, looking back at Gerard. “You sure you're okay? My guys are good for this.”
They always are, and maybe Gerard should do the smart thing for once and let the authorities handle things, but. He sighs and watches Mikey and Iero, the way Iero's hands are white-knuckled where they're resting on his knees, and Jesus.
Fucking Brian.
“We're good, Gabe.”
Gabe stares at him, but lets it be, opening his notebook again to get Gerard's statement. “Fucking idiots, all of you.”
Gerard can't really argue that one.
====
====
When Gabe and the others finish getting their statements and lets them go, Gerard puts in a call to Ray who gives them address to an apartment complex a friend owns. The apartment they get is a sparsely furnished two bedroom in a building undergoing renovations, which Gerard thinks has to be code for tearing the damn place apart since it looks like that's exactly what's happening.
The building is at the back of the complex, and while they have working electricity, running water, and other essentials, the apartments around it are empty. Lumber and other construction supplies are stacked and piled in a corner backed up against a fence, and there are cranes and bulldozers parked beside them while tarps cover gaping holes in the side of the building and roof.
The construction crews aren't due back to work for at least a week thanks to a SNAFU regarding an order form, according to Ray. With the closest tenants in an entirely different building there's little chance of them running into other people, which makes it perfect for their needs.
Gerard sends Mikey out for food and supplies after they've had a chance to look the place over. Mikey makes a face about it, but catches the keys to the replacement car the rental company gave them readily enough.
Iero's still spooked although he's trying to hide it with his pissy diva rock star act and while it's getting old Gerard doesn't call him on it. What he does is throw a towel at Iero's head and point at the bathroom.
“Take a goddamn shower if you're going to bitch about having dirt in your hair.”
From what he'd found in the file Brian had given him and Ray's vague hints, Gerard knows that Iero's had worse shit in his hair when the band was still trying to make it, but this isn't about being dirty so much as it is about almost being dead.
Iero glares at him, and slams his way into the bathroom. Gerard waits until Iero's in the shower with the water running to call Brian.
"Brian, what the hell is going on? Someone took potshots at Iero at the hotel.”
Brian sounds like he's at the end of his rope, stressed out and pissed the hell off because no one's giving him the answers he wants. “I don't fucking know, Gerard. The police are giving me the run around and none of Iero's people are talking.”
Gerard leans back to make sure the bathroom door's still shut and rests his head on the back of the couch to wait.
“This. Something's going on,” Brian says after a minute, and he sounds just as tired as Gerard feels. “I'm going to - “
“No.” Gerard knows Brian wants to call them off, get someone else better qualified to handle things, like the police, but. “No.”
“Gerard - “
“Brian.”
Gerard stares at the ceiling, listening to the water running and Brian's breathing as the seconds tick past.
“I thought you couldn't stand Iero,” Brian finally says, and he still sounds tired, but there's an edge of amusement in there too.
Mikey's probably been calling Brian or texting him to keep him updated.
“I can't.” That isn't completely true, but Gerard can't just hand the little shit over to the cops for safekeeping and go on his merry way like he doesn't give a damn. “Mikey likes him, and you know how Mikey gets.”
He can almost hear Brian rolling his eyes at that one. “Right, of course.”
“He's a kid, Brian.” Gerard's not that much older than Iero, but Gerard's not the one someone's trying to kill, and Mikey honestly does like Iero. Ray likes him too, but then again Ray likes everyone. Gerard's not even going to start with the Alexes.
Brian comes back at him with, “Iero's twenty-six, Gerard. That hardly makes him a kid.”
Iero comes out of the bathroom then, towel around his waist and wet hair dripping down his shoulders and back. When he notices Gerard watching him with a raised eyebrow, Iero scowls and slams his way into one of the bedrooms.
“Of course it doesn't,” Gerard says, fighting a smile. “He just acts like one.”
“What about Mikey?”
That wipes the smile off Gerard's face and he rubs his eyes because it's been a long day. “I don't know, Brian. He's a stubborn fucker, and you know he's not going to want to back off now.”
He won't, because Gerard's not backing off, and Gerard's not backing off because Mikey's not backing off. It's a vicious fucking cycle, and the only thing keeping it going is their combined stubbornness, and goddamn, Gerard's never realized so much stupidity could run in one family's bloodline until now.
Brian doesn't say anything to that even though Gerard can pretty much imagine what he's thinking after years of association with Brian and his methods.
Brian sighs again, like he wants Gerard to know that he's directly responsible for all the personal suffering Brian goes through, and probably every run of bad luck he'll ever experience. “I'm not going to pay for your funeral.”
“You always say that,” Gerard says, stretching out a kink in his back.
It feels weird, strange, that after the day they've had Gerard feels like he can breathe, take a moment to finally relax. He thinks it might have something to do with the fact that the tension of waiting for something to happen is gone now that something has happened, and even that doesn't make it feel less fucked up.
“That's because you always pull shit like this.” Brian's definitely annoyed, and Gerard can hear him shoving things around on his desk, trying to act like he's not worried as hell. “Just don't fucking die, okay? And tell Mikey to stop e-mailing me those goddamned cat macros.”
Gerard listens to the dial-tone for a few seconds after Brian hangs up until the bedroom door opens and Iero comes out. He's dressed this time, and his hair's still damp, the collar of his shirt clinging, and goddamn Ray anyway.
“Where's Mikey?” Iero asks, standing at the edge of the room as if he's not sure of his welcome.
“Out,” Gerard says.
Iero rolls his eyes and walks into the room, looking around before he takes a seat on the other end of the couch from Gerard, tucking his feet under him. He stares straight ahead, where the television would be if there was one.
They sit in vaguely uncomfortable silence, although Gerard thinks the uncomfortable part of that is more on Iero's part than his. Iero's fidgeting, fingers tapping on his knee, the arm of the couch, pretty much everything he can reach.
Gerard has his cell phone and the games that came with it. At the moment he's sucking rather spectacularly at the bowling one, and while he may never understand the deeper meaning and glory behind bowling, it's something to do.
Iero switches from random finger tapping to what Gerard thinks might be the theme to some 90s sitcom.
“What now?” Iero asks.
When Gerard looks up from his game Iero's looking down, fingers still. He looks like he's waiting for Gerard to say that this is the part where Gerard and Mikey cut their losses and call in the cops, which. Gerard hadn't even thought Iero actually liked them, or him, really, seeing as how Iero's calling Mikey by name.
“We wait for Mikey to get back with dinner,” Gerard says, as if that much should be obvious.
Iero makes a face and shifts around until his back is against the arm of the chair and his legs are stretched out, half a cushion away from Gerard's own. “How'd you get into,” Iero shrugs and waves a hand at Gerard. “You just. You don't really seem the type.”
Even though he doesn't actually say it, Gerard knows Iero's thinking the same thing about Mikey, which is fair. They really aren't the norm when it comes to bodyguards, or close protection officers or whatever people are calling it that week, and it's mostly due to Brian.
“I had a shitty high school guidance counselor,” Gerard says, ending his game and scrolling through until he finds the space shooter one.
Iero scowls at him and Gerard smirks.
“Hey, I'm trying to create a rapport between us, here, asshole,” Iero says, crossing his arms. “The least you could do is co-operate.”
Gerard pauses his game and squints at Iero. “This isn't a kidnapping situation, you know,” he points out carefully. “You're free to go anytime you want.”
Iero's eyes narrow, and Gerard smiles brightly because his day hasn't been any better than Iero's, and he's not feeling up to talking about his and Mikey's personal lives just then.
“I like Mikey better.”
Gerard nods and goes back to blowing the shit out of asteroids and alien spaceships because Iero's regressed to sullen teenager with a touch of pouty toddler. “That's what most people say.”
Several more minutes pass of sullen silence on Iero's end and explosions on his, before Gerard ends his game by crashing his ship into a cluster of asteroids. He flips his phone shut and puts it away, watching Iero who has his arms crossed and he's trying to. Gerard has no idea what he's trying to do, only that apparently it involves staring.
“You really want to know?” Gerard asks, eyebrows going up in surprise when Iero nods.
It's tempting to give him another asshole answer, but Iero's not putting up a front or being an asshole himself, and that probably means it's Gerard's turn to make an effort if he expects Iero to be less of an asshole. Something like that, anyway.
Gerard sighs and scratches his chin, frowning. It's. It's really fucking complicated, and he honestly doubts that Iero wants to hear all the details, especially the parts involving crawling through sewers because he never wants to hear about that again, but.
“It was a case of mistaken identity and being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Gerard finally says, getting to his feet when someone knocks at the front door in a familiar pattern.
He waits a beat for the second half of the pattern, and checks the peephole. Mikey lifts a hand to flip him off, not looking even the tiniest bit happy, and Gerard grins as he undoes the locks and pulls the door open. Mikey shifts his hold on the bags in his other arm and shoves them at Gerard, pushing past him into the apartment.
“You owe me for dinner,” Mikey tosses over his shoulder as he heads into the kitchen while Gerard locks the door before following.
He pauses next to Iero and bumps his shoulder with one of the bags. “Come on,” he says, “Mikey's back.”
Iero sits up and studies him, head cocked to the side. Gerard raises an eyebrow at him and Iero gives him an unimpressed look. He obviously still thinks Gerard's an asshole, but it's not like he's far wrong.
====
====
“You never really told me how you got into this business.”
Gerard sighs and looks over to see Iero staring at him. “What?”
Mikey's asleep in one of the bedrooms and Gerard's. Gerard's really trying to figure out what the hell is up with Iero all of a sudden. He's also doodling on a notepad he found lying around trying to stave off boredom while his phone charges and Iero. Iero just keeps staring.
He came out of his bedroom a few hours ago and plopped himself down on the couch next to Gerard, which was fine with him since Iero started out by staring at the ceiling. Somehow, thought, in the hours following that Iero's attention ended up focused on Gerard, and Gerard has no idea what the hell he did to deserve that.
Iero claims he can't sleep, and as there isn't a television and no internet connection, it's obviously Gerard's job to keep him entertained.
Gerard would suspect cabin fever, but it's only their second night at the apartment. Unless Iero has a condition no one thought to tell them about, he should be fine.
“I said,” Iero leans forward, wrapping his arms around his knees, “you never really told me how you got into this business.”
Gerard considers lying, but Iero's still staring and Gerard really doesn't feel like coming up with a lie to cover with. It might have something to do with the look on Iero's face or the fact that Gerard's never been a big fan of being lied to himself.
“I kind of did, actually,” Gerard says, because he really did. “It was bad luck all over.”
Iero sprawls out over the couch. “You're not going to tell me, are you.”
Gerard makes a noise of agreement and flips to a new page in the notepad. “Not really, no,” he admits, trying to find a comfortable position. “Ask Mikey about it when he wakes up.”
Iero looks thoughtful at that and Gerard groans inwardly because Mikey still thinks the whole thing is hilarious. Iero will be able to get the story out of him in no time, and then Gerard will have kill both of them just to shut them the hell up.
“What about you?” Gerard asks, scrutinizing his sketch. “What made you want to be a rock star?”
There's no answer from Iero, and Gerard looks up to see if he's asleep, but no, Iero's watching him. Watching his hands.
“Iero?”
Iero blinks and looks at Gerard. “Frank.”
“What?”
Iero shakes his head and points at himself. “Frank,” he says, still pointing at himself. “Fraaank.”
Right. Gerard almost forgot. Iero - Frank - isn't a complete stranger to asshole moves himself.
“Fine,” Gerard mutters. “Fraaaaaank, is there a problem?”
Frank's eyes dart to the notepad and back up to Gerard's face. “What did you do before you got into this?” he asks, flapping a hand at Gerard.
Given what he's doing at the moment it should be easy to guess. Gerard's sure Mikey or Ray must have mentioned something, but it's a fairly harmless question and there isn't much else for them to do.
“Art,” Gerard says, and sighs when Frank cups a hand to ear and leans forward, eyebrows half-buried in his hairline. “I was an artist.”
There's a lot more to it than that, and most of it is Gerard's own fault. Lack of faith in himself, not believing strongly enough, or maybe he just quit too soon, he doesn't know, but it is what it is.
He has Mikey and the others, and even though he still has days when he looks around at all of it and wonders how the hell it happened, it's his life, for better or worse. He'll take it over the alternative any day.
Gerard looks down at his sketch and rubs at a section with his thumb, softening the lines. He doesn't look up for a moment, and when he does Frank's settled back against the arm of the couch again, a loose tangle of limbs and hint of a smile.
“Cool.”
Gerard goes still for a moment, waiting for the usual reaction from the assholes he's known, but Frank starts humming, one of the new pop hits, and Gerard relaxes enough to go back to his sketch.
“My grandfather plays the drums,” Frank says quietly, smiling to himself. “It kind of started there, I guess.”
Gerard pauses in what he's doing and looks over at Frank, and Frank drops his gaze to meet his. “Hey, you asked, right?”
Frank's smile widens. It's not an asshole smile, and he isn't being a dick. It belatedly occurs to Gerard that this must be the guy everyone seems to like so damn much, and Gerard's dismayed to realize he can see why.
“Yeah,” he says, looking back down at his sketch. “I guess I did.”
Frank laughs and starts talking about watching his grandfather play, picking up the guitar, and everything between then and now while Gerard listens and tries to work on his sketch.
He only manages to do one of those things with any sort of success.
====
====
Gerard's sleeping when the smoke alarm goes off.
He has the blankets thrown back and is halfway to the bedroom door when he makes out Mikey 's voice and someone laughing, and stumbles to a stop. A look at the alarm clock on the end table shows that he's had a grand total of three hours of sleep, and someone is going to pay.
They've been at the apartment for three days, and things have settled into a routine of sorts.
Mikey gets the day shift while Frank tries to keep himself busy, and it's a mixed blessing that the band's taking a break to write their new album because Gerard's sure he would have killed someone by now if they had to follow Frank on tour.
He's been on the phone to his label once or twice, and every single time it's ended in yelling. Gerard doesn't think things are going all that smoothly between the label and Frank. Frank's talked to his band and Nestor a few times, and so far has kept his word and hasn't told any of them where he is.
Frank seems happy enough with his laptop and guitar, although that doesn't stop him from pestering the shit out of Gerard when Gerard has the night shift.
Frank, apparently, doesn't need sleep because he's always awake. Either in his bedroom working on songs or elsewhere in the apartment talking to Mikey or sitting on the couch staring at Gerard and trying to get him to talk.
Gerard understands, he really does. It sucks being stuck in one place with people you don't really know who are responsible for your safety and well-being, but Jesus. Frank takes it to a new art form, or maybe he's really just that fucking bored.
Gerard runs a hand through his hair before opening the door and going down the short hallway into the living room.
Frank's sitting at the kitchen table laughing his ass off while Mikey stares down at a hissing, steaming pan in the sink with the water running.
Gerard's not sure he wants to know.
“Mikey.”
Mikey squares his shoulders and turns to face Gerard, reaching back to turn the water off a moment later.
“Mikey, what the hell?”
Mikey crosses his arms and shoots Frank a dirty look. “Genius over there tried to cook breakfast.”
Gerard looks at Frank who's slumped over the table, still fucking laughing and Jesus, Gerard is seriously not getting paid enough to put up with this shit.
This, Gerard thinks, watching as Frank slides out of the chair and onto the floor laughing so hard that he doesn't even notice, is how Brian must feel most of the time.
“I. You know what? I don't care. If you two burn this place down you have to explain it to Brian.”
The warning, and it is a warning, just sets Frank off again. He's fucking howling with laughter and Gerard sighs and turns on his heel. He doubts he'll be able to get back to sleep, but anything beats having to listen to Frank's demented laughter.
====
====
Gerard wakes up again a few hours later, still tired but he managed to get back to sleep and he'll be up to speed after he gets some coffee.
The door to Frank's bedroom is shut when he passes, but he can hear the faint sound of a guitar coming from inside, so he doesn't worry about accidentally waking him. Mikey's curled up at one end of the couch, laptop open in front of him.
“Any more adventures in cooking while I was asleep?” Gerard asks, leaning over the back of the couch to get a better look at what Mikey's doing.
Mikey plants one of his hands in Gerard's face and shoves him back. “No. He settled for Pop-Tarts.”
Gerard slaps Mikey's hand away and goes into the kitchen looking for coffee. While he appreciates the fact that the apartment building's still stranding even after Mikey and Frank spent several unsupervised hours in it, he's more than ready for this job to be over.
Mikey looks up when Gerard wanders back out into the living room with his coffee and a Pop-Tart. “Ray called. He said he has information, but doesn't want to talk about it on the phone.”
Gerard nibbles on his Pop-Tart.
“Also,” Mikey turns his laptop so Gerard can see the screen. “Brian e-mailed me this.”
Gerard looks up at Mikey. “It's a drawing,” he says, which doesn't even begin to describe it. It's a drawing of a stick figure hanging from the gallows. There's an arrow pointing to it with Gerard's name next to it.
“Brian's not happy,” Mikey explains unnecessarily.
Gerard got the basic gist.
Mikey turns the laptop back around and stares at the screen. “Oh, and Frank has an interview tomorrow.”
“What?”
Mikey peers at him over the top of his laptop screen. “It's about his book.”
Gerard takes another sip of his coffee and eyes his Pop-Tart. “His book.”
“The one that some people have problems with, yes.”
Fucking hell.
Gerard sighs and drains the last of his coffee, pushing his mostly uneaten Pop-Tart at Mikey who could always stand to eat more.
“Did you talk to Brian about it?” he asks.
Mikey shakes his head. “Apparently Frank's been trying to get onto this show for a while now, and since his book's been getting so much attention lately they're interested.”
Gerard sighs because things just get better and better. If Frank's been working on these people for an interview, he's definitely going to fight to go to it.
“What's his book about, anyway?” Gerard asks, because he keeps hearing about Frank's book, and he still has no idea what the thing is about.
Mikey looks at him, gaze sliding towards the hallway leading to the bedrooms. “Maybe you should ask him yourself.”
====
====
Frank stares at him, all prickly defensiveness and Gerard has no fucking idea where the hell it even came from. All he did was take Mikey's stupid advice.
He probably should have known better than to think that Frank didn't see him as the enemy anymore, or maybe just the fucking hired help. Cabin fever does crazy shit to people all the time, after all.
“You want to know what my book's about,” Frank says, looking at him as though he's trying to figure out what Gerard's angle is, and that's just. Unexpected isn't really the right word for it, but Gerard will go with that for the time being.
“It would be helpful, yes.” Gerard's trying for patience, but he's pretty sure he's not quite there yet.
“The music industry,” Frank says, and looks back down at the strings of his guitar. “My book's about the music industry.”
Gerard can tell there's more to it than that, but doesn't push. “Fine, but you're not doing the interview,” he says, waiting for the coming argument.
Frank's head snaps up. “What?”
“Re-schedule it.”
“Like hell I will,” Frank bites out. “I've been trying to get on this show for over a year.“
That was what Gerard was afraid of.
“Someone's trying to kill you,” he says, taking a step forward. He wants to make sure Frank really pays attention to what he has to say. “Worm's in the goddamn hospital, and whoever's trying to kill you obviously isn't afraid of making an attempt in broad daylight. Just because nothing's happened since then doesn't mean they won't try again on live television.”
Frank's eyes narrow. “No.”
“Frank - “
“No.”
Gerard's trying, he really is, but he has fucking limits, and Frank's almost there.
“Your life isn't the only one at risk, Frank. I'm not going to let you put Mikey in danger just so you can promote your goddamn book.”
“I didn't ask you to,” Frank says, and he's not looking at Gerard, which he knows is a bad sign. Bad, bad, bad. “And maybe you should rethink your line of work if you don't want to put Mikey's life in danger.” Frank looks up then, smirking as he throws Gerard's words back at him. “You know, consider the consequences of your actions and all that.”
Gerard has no fucking idea why he's trying so hard to keep Frank alive, or just see common sense, favor or no favor, Mikey or no Mikey.
“Maybe I should,” Gerard says, wondering how pissed Brian would be if Gerard hauled off and punched Frank right then, “but you're still not doing the fucking interview until this is over.”
Frank glares at him, and Gerard knows, he knows, that Frank's going to say something to push Gerard over the edge into throwing the punch that will end in Brian yelling at him and another lawsuit on his hands.
So maybe Gerard's shitty luck has taken a turn for the better when Mikey knocks on the bedroom door and opens it without waiting for an answer. He takes one look at them and clears his throat.
“Gabe called. They caught the guy.”
Gerard stares at Mikey, who rolls his eyes.
“The guy who shot at us the other day?” Mikey says. “The police found him.”
Part Three
A few months back, Ray and Patrick got together and decided to start their own recording studio. Gerard's not sure if it was part of a well-thought out plan between them, or the result of one of their weekend jam sessions. Either way, they've thrown themselves into it, and it's the only place anyone can find them with any sort of reliability lately.
The studio doesn't look like much from the outside, and it isn't exactly in the best neighborhood, but they seem to be doing all right. Even with cheery little faces painted on the windows facing the street laying claim to the best bagels in the city.
“Where the hell are we?”
Gerard sighs and looks at Iero's reflection in the rearview mirror. He's slouched down in the backseat, arms crossed and looking for all the world like a sullen teenager.
Gerard twists around in his seat, and freezes when he sees something across the street. Mikey coughs, and when Gerard looks over at him Mikey's trying to look innocent and utterly fails.
“You knew they were here?” Gerard asks, and Jesus, now is really not the time for this kind of shit.
Mikey shrugs and turns the ignition off. “Ray's been asking me if I know anyone who'd come in and talk to them.”
Iero sits up, less sullen teenager and more worried client. “What? What's going on?”
“Nothing to worry about,” Mikey reassures him, but it's not working because Iero's scowling.
He's also looking around while trying to look like that's not what he's doing, and it isn't working out so well for him.
Shaking his head Gerard pops the locks and gets out of the car. He scans the street before moving to the back passenger side and opening Iero's door. Mikey gets out and checks the area out while Gerard waits for Iero to get moving.
There's nothing to worry about when it comes to Iero's life, but his sanity? Definitely.
Iero's watching Gerard warily, and Gerard shakes his head again. “It's safe.”
Safe enough, at any rate. Gerard should probably warn Iero about what's in store for him once they get inside, but Gerard's not that nice of a person, and Iero deserves what he gets.
“Yeah, and your earlier reaction was completely normal,” Iero mutters.
Still, he either trusts Gerard to know what he's talking about, or he still doesn't think someone's really out to get him because he gets out of the car and follows Mikey past the front doors and around to the back of the building.
Iero looks less and less impressed as they make their way through a narrow alley strewn with garbage. He grimaces at the crumbled cardboard boxes and crushed soda cans among the recognizable detritus, even though Gerard knows for a fact he has to have seen worse in his life if he grew up in Jersey.
Mikey leads them to a pair of metal double doors and knocks, standing back to wait.
Gerard pulls the collar of his jacket up against the cold, glancing at Mikey who doesn't seem to be affected by the weather, but he also has roughly a hundred layers of clothing on. Iero looks around, eyes following the graffiti scrawled across the brickwork when they hear a series of locks being disengaged and Ray shoves the doors open.
He looks the same as always with that fucking amazing mess of hair all over the place. He's smiling his stupid huge smile, and Christ, it's been too long since they've seen one another.
Ray steps back to let them in, ignoring the way Iero's staring at his hair because he's used to people staring, and unless someone says something he pretends he doesn't notice.
“Hey,” Gerard says, giving Iero a push to get him moving. “Thanks for this.”
It's inadequate as hell as far as thanks go, but there's never really been a need for any to start with between them.
Ray shrugs and looks at Iero.
Iero glares at Gerard over his shoulder and squeezes past Ray, following Mikey down the hallway. Gerard watches him go, not worried because Mikey's keeping an eye on him and there's no safer place for Iero to be at the moment.
At least until the Alexes catch wind of his presence, at which point all bets are off.
“They still have that eyesore of a van?” Gerard asks, pulling the doors shut behind him with a jerk when they stick.
Gerard knows all too well what it's like being young, stupid, and lacking any kind of sense, but this. This is like an entirely new level of young and stupid he never even knew existed.
“It drives, or so I've been told,” Ray says, ambling down the hall after Mikey and Iero. “I don't think they care all that much beyond that.”
Gerard's about to ask Ray another question, but Ray's standing perfectly still, and when Gerard draws even with him he sees why.
Iero's pressed against wall in the warm-up room holding one of Ray's guitars in front of him like a shield with the Alexes crowding around him. Mikey's sitting on a stool at the back of the room watching with amusement and making no move to help whatsoever.
DeLeon's the one in Iero's space, but he's holding on to Marshall's arm like he needs the moral support, and Marshall's holding onto Johnson to keep from being sucked into DeLeon's insanity. Johnson, bless his black heart, is the sanest looking of the group, even though there are times Gerard honestly thinks he's planning world domination.
“I don't think he's going to do them a lot of good if they terrify the shit out of him,” Gerard points out, glancing at Ray.
Ray shrugs and crosses his arms, watching as DeLeon says something they can't quite hear, waving his free hand all over the place and smiling so wide it makes Gerard's cheeks hurt just watching.
“I've heard Iero's band and they're pretty good,” Ray says. “They broke into the music business the hard way, so he'll have useful information for them, not the bullshit the labels try to sell.”
Gerard's going to have to take Ray's word on that. He watches them for a moment, taking in the way Iero slowly begins to relax when he realizes DeLeon's harmless. Manic, maybe, but harmless.
“Is DeLeon still feuding with Colligan?” Gerard has no idea what the hell is going on between DeLeon and Colligan, just that it's a major headache for Brian that amuses the hell out of Mikey and Ray.
Ray shrugs again, leaning against the wall to watch Iero and the others. “Ian thinks things are cooling down, but DeLeon swears it will never be over.” Ray looks at Gerard and grins. “So, you know, pretty much the same as ever with those guys.”
Gerard rolls his eyes because having to deal with the five of them, well, two, really, since the others aren't actually insane or assholes, is like watching a teen drama. He's continually amazed someone hasn't offered to buy the rights or create a show based on their lives.
“I needed to talk to you about this one, anyway. I know Brian's looking into things on his own with Worm involved, but have you heard anything about it?”
Ray sighs and scratches his head. “Where do you want me to start? There's always some kind of news floating around a band like that, especially with the death threats and the attempt the other day.”
They could have gotten an address for a safe place to stash Iero over the phone or through an e-mail, but Gerard needed to talk to Ray about whatever's going on with Iero. The folder Brian had given him had been helpful, but most of it had dealt with Iero's personal quirks and not so much with an actual reason someone would want to kill him.
“Anything, everything. I have a bad feeling about this one,” he says, when Ray looks at him. Gerard can't quite pin down what it is, but it's making him uneasy as hell.
Ray looks at Iero, still talking to DeLeon and the others before he says anything. “The only big thing has to do with the band being involved in a contract dispute with their label, and by all accounts it's gotten pretty ugly.”
While that bit is news to him, it's not really unheard of for bands and record labels to get into contract disputes, and Gerard sighs, making a mental note to find out more when he can. “What about his book? Mikey said some people didn't like it.”
“It's about the band,” Ray says. “He doesn't pull his punches, though, and even though he doesn't name names, it's not that hard to figure out who he's talking about in it. I guess he wanted it to be a warning for struggling bands out there or something, you'd have to ask him about it yourself if you really want to know.”
Gerard scowls at Ray and the unspoken, 'Or get off your ass and read it yourself, slacker,' when Ray grins at him, bright, friendly, and completely fake.
“Thanks,” Gerard mutters, trying to fit the new information together with what he already knows about Iero.
Ray shrugs. “I could look into it a little more if you want.”
“If it's not too much trouble, I think I'm going to need you to.” Gerard doesn't want to be surprised by anything, and Ray's his best shot at that.
He sighs and looks over when DeLeon makes a noise that's frighteningly close to being an honest to god squeal. Johnson looks amused and Marshall has a hand over his face, smile peeking through his fingers and - Jesus.
Iero's laughing, seriously fucking laughing, and goddamn. Gerard's in so much fucking trouble.
Ray clears his throat and Gerard looks at him, eyes narrowing at the little smile playing on his lips.
“Don't even.”
Ray laughs and holds his hands up, still smiling like an idiot, and Gerard half-heartedly flips him off.
“Mikey says you might know a place?” Gerard says, desperate to change the subject before Ray starts in on how Gerard's well past the age to settle down. Like he has room to talk.
Ray grins. “Gerard, I always know a place.”
====
====
Ray gives him the address to another hotel they can use and Gerard feels it's safe enough to leave Iero at the studio with Mikey, Ray, and the Alexes while he goes ahead to check things out. It's more to let Iero have some time in a safe, somewhat familiar environment in the hope that it will help calm him down. If nothing else, maybe Ray's guitars will keep him happy enough to keep him from making Gerard and Mikey's lives harder than they need to be.
The hotel is more secure than the previous one. Retired or not, Ray's too much of a professional for the place to be anything else, and Gerard's relieved to see that there aren't any fire escapes. He knows that's not a guarantee Iero isn't fucking insane and won't hesitate to scale the side of the building if he wants to make a run for it, but it's something.
The hotel staff are all polite and professional, and when Gerard mentions Ray's name they give him a suite on a mostly unoccupied floor. He's still feeling uneasy, so he goes up to have a look around, some of his restlessness easing when he sees the layout, marking down points of entry and escape routes.
By the time he's done almost an hour has gone by, and he does his best to hurry back to the studio. He calls Mikey to let him know he's on his way back and to tell him to have Iero ready to go when he gets there. As soon as he pulls into a spot in front of the studio Gerard takes his call phone out and calls to let them know he's waiting outside.
Gerard feels better when Mikey and Iero come around the side of the building, the Alexes following behind. Iero looks calmer, less irritated and annoyed, maybe. Gerard hopes that means he's going to be more willing to listen to reason.
Iero gives him a wary look when he gets in the car, but doesn't say anything. Mikey's practically oozing smugness, which is strange and a little worrying, and the Alexes -
“Christ, wave to them,” Gerard mutters, settling his sunglasses in place and turning the key in the ignition.
Iero shoots him a look and waves at the Alexes. He seems equally amused and perplexed by them, which is pretty much the norm when it comes to the three of them.
“So where are we going?” Iero asks, when they pull into traffic. He's making an effort to be, if not polite, then not an annoying little shit, so Gerard returns the favor.
“A hotel.” Gerard smiles when Iero scowls at him. “Ray found us a hotel that should be up to your standards, and unlike the one you were staying at earlier, they have good coffee. No need to run off in the middle of the night without telling us first.”
Iero's scowl darkens, and it makes him look very much like he'd love to punch Gerard's face in.
“Gerard.”
It's entirely possible that Gerard is still frustrated with Iero.
“It's nice,” Gerard says. Ray knows what he's doing.
Gerard doesn't know what happened when he left Iero and Mikey with Ray and the Alexes, but apparently Ray still knows how to make friends with just about everyone in the entire world because Iero. Iero doesn't exactly light up at Ray's name, but he does stop scowling.
“Where did you find him, anyway?” Iero asks, leaning forward. “He's. God, he's fucking amazing on guitar.”
Gerard thinks he knows part of the reason Mikey's been so damn smug now, and he doesn't blame him. Ray doesn't exactly get the attention he should, that he damn well deserves.
“You should ask him yourself,” Gerard says. It's not his story to tell, first off, and secondly they're going to need to find ways to keep Iero from going nuts, or driving them crazy. They might as well take him someplace that is not only safe, but he seems to like.
That gets him a suspicious look from Iero, and Jesus, Gerard doesn't know why he always has to be the bad guy. “Unless you'd rather not go back?”
Iero actually seems surprised that Gerard's asking his opinion about something, which only makes Gerard feel more like a shit than he already did. It's been a few years, but he does remember what it's like being in Iero's place.
“Ray likes you,” Mikey joins in, looking back at Iero. “He wants to work with you on that song you were playing when you have the time.”
Gerard tunes the two of them out for the rest of the drive to the hotel when they start talking about chord progressions and god only knows what else. It's a strange sort of relief that Iero sees Mikey as an ally in all of this. It will make their job easier if he's only fighting one of them.
====
====
A few hours after they get settled into the new hotel, Iero gets a phone call that he takes into the bedroom he claimed. Gerard can't make out who he's talking to or what he's saying through the walls, but it sounds like it might be part who knows of the same argument he was having the previous day.
It starts out loud and gets worse, turning vicious towards the end. Gerard's half expecting Iero to start throwing shit around, but things just. Things get quiet, and that's possibly even more troubling.
Mikey's already asleep in one of the bedrooms, and since Gerard's job is to keep Iero safe even from himself, he drags his ass out of the armchair he's been sitting in and knocks quietly on the door of Iero's room.
Iero doesn't answer right away, so Gerard waits a few moments before knocking again, just a little louder. Iero jerks the door open, looking pissed off and almost like he wants to tell Gerard to fuck off, and seriously, Gerard really isn't sure why the hell he's even bothering.
“You didn't eat earlier.”
Not the best way to start off, but Gerard still isn't completely convinced he won't end up punching Iero for being a dick at some point.
Iero stares at him. “Wow. How observant of you.”
Gerard has no idea why he's bothering, but Mikey seems to like Iero, and Mikey's usually a good judge of character. Usually.
“Okay, then,” Gerard says, giving Iero his best fake smile. “Have fun starving, I'm sure it's all the rage.” Gerard turns to leave, but Iero's frustrated sigh stops him.
“Wait, okay. Just. Wait,” Iero says. “I'm sorry. You just got me at a bad time.”
When Gerard glances back at him, Iero looks tired, angry, and more than a little. Not quite sad, maybe disappointed would be a better word. Whatever it is makes him look less like an asshole and more like an actual person.
“Room service?” Gerard asks, because Iero looks like he hasn't eaten real food in far too long.
Iero stares at him, the corner of his mouth pulling up into a small smile. “Yeah, okay,” he says. “That's. That's probably a good idea. Blood sugar levels and shit.”
Gerard raises an eyebrow, but lets Iero have his excuse. “Right. Blood sugar levels.”
====
====
“I need to talk to the label,” Iero says, after room service brings their food up. He's poking at his food, tired, stressed, and angry.
“Didn't you just do that?”
Iero shakes his head and looks at Gerard. “No, I need to talk to them face to face. I've been talking to them about this over the phone for weeks, and nothing ever gets resolved. Maybe if I go down to the office, maybe - “ Iero shrugs, stabbing his fork into whatever the hell he ordered viciously. “Maybe we can finally get somewhere.”
Gerard eyes him, wondering if he's going to have make Iero go through a metal detector before he lets him anywhere near the record label's offices. “Is that a good idea?”
Iero laughs, but it doesn't sound anything like amused. “God, no,” he says, “but I need to do it.”
If nothing else Gerard can respect someone who does what needs to be done even if it's the last thing in the world they want to do. “Fine. We'll go in the morning, but you need to eat first.”
“What are you, my mom?” Iero asks, but his smile looks real enough to Gerard. He even gets bonus points for eating, which.
Gerard has no idea when he went from being Iero's bodyguard to his babysitter. “Shut up and eat your fucking food.”
====
====
Mikey doesn't say anything when Gerard tells him about the trip out to the label offices, but that might have more to do with him inhaling his coffee than anything else.
“Jesus, is that normal?” Iero asks, watching in awe.
Gerard doesn't answer because he's working on his second cup of coffee.
Iero doesn't seem worried about Gerard and Mikey being coffee addicts, although he does hug his own coffee to his chest protectively.
“Shut up,” Mikey grumbles, shoving his empty cup at Gerard. “More coffee.”
“It's as normal as we get,” Gerard admits because it's nothing short of the truth.
Gerard makes sure Iero and Mikey eat real food before he will let either of them out of the suite. Mikey goes along with it, and Iero grumbles but gives in a lot easier than Gerard was expecting.
Iero tenses up when Gerard puts his sunglasses on and leads the way to the elevator. He sees Mikey give Iero a look to reassure him, but it doesn't seem to do much good. Iero doesn't say anything in the elevator, or when they cross the parking lot to the rental.
They're not the only people in the parking lot, other hotel guests and staff heading to their cars or carrying luggage.
Gerard goes to open to open Iero's door for him and looks up when he hears the sound of an approaching car. He pushes his sunglasses up to see better, and catches Mikey saying something out of the corner of his eye a moment before gunshots go off.
Mikey grabs Iero and pulls him to cover as the rental's back window shatters, bullets pinging off the car's body as the shooter tracks them.
Gerard ducks behind the open door of the rental, sunglasses flying as he scrambles back and around to cover. He sticks his head up hoping to get a look at the car's occupants or a license plate number, but the shooter starts laying down cover fire to keep them pinned down.
People are screaming, someone's fucking shrieking, and the shooter takes another shot at them as the car speeds away, tires squealing.
Gerard breaks cover before the echoes from the last gunshot dies down, running to Mikey and Iero, heart in his throat.
Mikey has Iero behind another car, both of them flat on the ground when Gerard rounds the front of the car. Mikey's getting to his feet to help Iero, and they both seem all right.
Iero stares back the way the car went, and Gerard breathes a little easier when Mikey meets his eyes and shakes his head. Gerard's eyes narrow, but Mikey shakes his head again, and Gerard turns to survey the damage.
The rental's a mess. An arcing line of bullet holes starting along the passenger side, windows blown out. Gerard takes a step towards it and stops when something crunches under his foot. When he looks down he sees part of his sunglasses, the frame bents and twisted, lenses cracked and sighs.
“Inside,” Gerard orders, catching Mikey's eye when he looks over at him. “No arguments. We can wait for the police there.”
Iero starts to say something, but Mikey takes his arm and walks him back to the hotel as security guards come rushing out, one of them escorting Mikey and Iero back inside while the rest hurry over to him and the other people still in the parking lot.
Gerard sighs again, and looks back at the rental, wondering what the hell Brian's gotten them into this time.
====
====
By some quirk of fate, or maybe it's just Gerard's shitty luck, Gabe and his people are the ones who handle the investigation.
Gabe's all smiles and easy charm when they get there, and Gerard's actually grateful when Iero stops looking so damned shell-shocked. Gabe gets Mikey and Iero's statements and then lets them go, Mikey taking Iero to a corner of the hotel lobby.
Gerard stays behind, watching Suarez and Novarro going over the scene with their techs gathering evidence and taking prints while Asher and Blackinton talk to the hotel guests and staff who might have seen something.
“Couldn't stay away?” Gabe asks, looking out at the parking lot and the police tape blocking off the crime scene.
Gerard glances over to where Mikey and Iero are sitting, Mikey saying something to Iero who isn't talking back, just nodding and starting to look mildly pissy.
“I owed Schechter a favor.”
Gabe makes a non-committal noise and writes something down in his notepad, frowning and overdoing the thoughtful, 'No, I'm listening, really, go on' face.
“Still an ass, huh?” Gerard asks, smiling faintly when Gabe flashes him a grin.
Gabe flips his notepad closed. “What can I say? I have complete faith that you'll tell me everything I need to know in a timely manner because you have a deep and abiding respect for the law.”
Gerard does his best to look like an upstanding citizen. “Of course I will, Gabe. You know me.”
“You have someplace to go, or do you need help?” Gabe's watching Mikey and Iero, and he's not kidding anymore. “You know - “
“We're good, Gabe.” Gerard likes Gabe, but more importantly he trusts him. As much as he'd really like nothing better than to wash his hands of the mess Brian's gotten him and Mikey into, it's still a job.
Gabe snorts, looking back at Gerard. “You sure you're okay? My guys are good for this.”
They always are, and maybe Gerard should do the smart thing for once and let the authorities handle things, but. He sighs and watches Mikey and Iero, the way Iero's hands are white-knuckled where they're resting on his knees, and Jesus.
Fucking Brian.
“We're good, Gabe.”
Gabe stares at him, but lets it be, opening his notebook again to get Gerard's statement. “Fucking idiots, all of you.”
Gerard can't really argue that one.
====
====
When Gabe and the others finish getting their statements and lets them go, Gerard puts in a call to Ray who gives them address to an apartment complex a friend owns. The apartment they get is a sparsely furnished two bedroom in a building undergoing renovations, which Gerard thinks has to be code for tearing the damn place apart since it looks like that's exactly what's happening.
The building is at the back of the complex, and while they have working electricity, running water, and other essentials, the apartments around it are empty. Lumber and other construction supplies are stacked and piled in a corner backed up against a fence, and there are cranes and bulldozers parked beside them while tarps cover gaping holes in the side of the building and roof.
The construction crews aren't due back to work for at least a week thanks to a SNAFU regarding an order form, according to Ray. With the closest tenants in an entirely different building there's little chance of them running into other people, which makes it perfect for their needs.
Gerard sends Mikey out for food and supplies after they've had a chance to look the place over. Mikey makes a face about it, but catches the keys to the replacement car the rental company gave them readily enough.
Iero's still spooked although he's trying to hide it with his pissy diva rock star act and while it's getting old Gerard doesn't call him on it. What he does is throw a towel at Iero's head and point at the bathroom.
“Take a goddamn shower if you're going to bitch about having dirt in your hair.”
From what he'd found in the file Brian had given him and Ray's vague hints, Gerard knows that Iero's had worse shit in his hair when the band was still trying to make it, but this isn't about being dirty so much as it is about almost being dead.
Iero glares at him, and slams his way into the bathroom. Gerard waits until Iero's in the shower with the water running to call Brian.
"Brian, what the hell is going on? Someone took potshots at Iero at the hotel.”
Brian sounds like he's at the end of his rope, stressed out and pissed the hell off because no one's giving him the answers he wants. “I don't fucking know, Gerard. The police are giving me the run around and none of Iero's people are talking.”
Gerard leans back to make sure the bathroom door's still shut and rests his head on the back of the couch to wait.
“This. Something's going on,” Brian says after a minute, and he sounds just as tired as Gerard feels. “I'm going to - “
“No.” Gerard knows Brian wants to call them off, get someone else better qualified to handle things, like the police, but. “No.”
“Gerard - “
“Brian.”
Gerard stares at the ceiling, listening to the water running and Brian's breathing as the seconds tick past.
“I thought you couldn't stand Iero,” Brian finally says, and he still sounds tired, but there's an edge of amusement in there too.
Mikey's probably been calling Brian or texting him to keep him updated.
“I can't.” That isn't completely true, but Gerard can't just hand the little shit over to the cops for safekeeping and go on his merry way like he doesn't give a damn. “Mikey likes him, and you know how Mikey gets.”
He can almost hear Brian rolling his eyes at that one. “Right, of course.”
“He's a kid, Brian.” Gerard's not that much older than Iero, but Gerard's not the one someone's trying to kill, and Mikey honestly does like Iero. Ray likes him too, but then again Ray likes everyone. Gerard's not even going to start with the Alexes.
Brian comes back at him with, “Iero's twenty-six, Gerard. That hardly makes him a kid.”
Iero comes out of the bathroom then, towel around his waist and wet hair dripping down his shoulders and back. When he notices Gerard watching him with a raised eyebrow, Iero scowls and slams his way into one of the bedrooms.
“Of course it doesn't,” Gerard says, fighting a smile. “He just acts like one.”
“What about Mikey?”
That wipes the smile off Gerard's face and he rubs his eyes because it's been a long day. “I don't know, Brian. He's a stubborn fucker, and you know he's not going to want to back off now.”
He won't, because Gerard's not backing off, and Gerard's not backing off because Mikey's not backing off. It's a vicious fucking cycle, and the only thing keeping it going is their combined stubbornness, and goddamn, Gerard's never realized so much stupidity could run in one family's bloodline until now.
Brian doesn't say anything to that even though Gerard can pretty much imagine what he's thinking after years of association with Brian and his methods.
Brian sighs again, like he wants Gerard to know that he's directly responsible for all the personal suffering Brian goes through, and probably every run of bad luck he'll ever experience. “I'm not going to pay for your funeral.”
“You always say that,” Gerard says, stretching out a kink in his back.
It feels weird, strange, that after the day they've had Gerard feels like he can breathe, take a moment to finally relax. He thinks it might have something to do with the fact that the tension of waiting for something to happen is gone now that something has happened, and even that doesn't make it feel less fucked up.
“That's because you always pull shit like this.” Brian's definitely annoyed, and Gerard can hear him shoving things around on his desk, trying to act like he's not worried as hell. “Just don't fucking die, okay? And tell Mikey to stop e-mailing me those goddamned cat macros.”
Gerard listens to the dial-tone for a few seconds after Brian hangs up until the bedroom door opens and Iero comes out. He's dressed this time, and his hair's still damp, the collar of his shirt clinging, and goddamn Ray anyway.
“Where's Mikey?” Iero asks, standing at the edge of the room as if he's not sure of his welcome.
“Out,” Gerard says.
Iero rolls his eyes and walks into the room, looking around before he takes a seat on the other end of the couch from Gerard, tucking his feet under him. He stares straight ahead, where the television would be if there was one.
They sit in vaguely uncomfortable silence, although Gerard thinks the uncomfortable part of that is more on Iero's part than his. Iero's fidgeting, fingers tapping on his knee, the arm of the couch, pretty much everything he can reach.
Gerard has his cell phone and the games that came with it. At the moment he's sucking rather spectacularly at the bowling one, and while he may never understand the deeper meaning and glory behind bowling, it's something to do.
Iero switches from random finger tapping to what Gerard thinks might be the theme to some 90s sitcom.
“What now?” Iero asks.
When Gerard looks up from his game Iero's looking down, fingers still. He looks like he's waiting for Gerard to say that this is the part where Gerard and Mikey cut their losses and call in the cops, which. Gerard hadn't even thought Iero actually liked them, or him, really, seeing as how Iero's calling Mikey by name.
“We wait for Mikey to get back with dinner,” Gerard says, as if that much should be obvious.
Iero makes a face and shifts around until his back is against the arm of the chair and his legs are stretched out, half a cushion away from Gerard's own. “How'd you get into,” Iero shrugs and waves a hand at Gerard. “You just. You don't really seem the type.”
Even though he doesn't actually say it, Gerard knows Iero's thinking the same thing about Mikey, which is fair. They really aren't the norm when it comes to bodyguards, or close protection officers or whatever people are calling it that week, and it's mostly due to Brian.
“I had a shitty high school guidance counselor,” Gerard says, ending his game and scrolling through until he finds the space shooter one.
Iero scowls at him and Gerard smirks.
“Hey, I'm trying to create a rapport between us, here, asshole,” Iero says, crossing his arms. “The least you could do is co-operate.”
Gerard pauses his game and squints at Iero. “This isn't a kidnapping situation, you know,” he points out carefully. “You're free to go anytime you want.”
Iero's eyes narrow, and Gerard smiles brightly because his day hasn't been any better than Iero's, and he's not feeling up to talking about his and Mikey's personal lives just then.
“I like Mikey better.”
Gerard nods and goes back to blowing the shit out of asteroids and alien spaceships because Iero's regressed to sullen teenager with a touch of pouty toddler. “That's what most people say.”
Several more minutes pass of sullen silence on Iero's end and explosions on his, before Gerard ends his game by crashing his ship into a cluster of asteroids. He flips his phone shut and puts it away, watching Iero who has his arms crossed and he's trying to. Gerard has no idea what he's trying to do, only that apparently it involves staring.
“You really want to know?” Gerard asks, eyebrows going up in surprise when Iero nods.
It's tempting to give him another asshole answer, but Iero's not putting up a front or being an asshole himself, and that probably means it's Gerard's turn to make an effort if he expects Iero to be less of an asshole. Something like that, anyway.
Gerard sighs and scratches his chin, frowning. It's. It's really fucking complicated, and he honestly doubts that Iero wants to hear all the details, especially the parts involving crawling through sewers because he never wants to hear about that again, but.
“It was a case of mistaken identity and being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Gerard finally says, getting to his feet when someone knocks at the front door in a familiar pattern.
He waits a beat for the second half of the pattern, and checks the peephole. Mikey lifts a hand to flip him off, not looking even the tiniest bit happy, and Gerard grins as he undoes the locks and pulls the door open. Mikey shifts his hold on the bags in his other arm and shoves them at Gerard, pushing past him into the apartment.
“You owe me for dinner,” Mikey tosses over his shoulder as he heads into the kitchen while Gerard locks the door before following.
He pauses next to Iero and bumps his shoulder with one of the bags. “Come on,” he says, “Mikey's back.”
Iero sits up and studies him, head cocked to the side. Gerard raises an eyebrow at him and Iero gives him an unimpressed look. He obviously still thinks Gerard's an asshole, but it's not like he's far wrong.
====
====
“You never really told me how you got into this business.”
Gerard sighs and looks over to see Iero staring at him. “What?”
Mikey's asleep in one of the bedrooms and Gerard's. Gerard's really trying to figure out what the hell is up with Iero all of a sudden. He's also doodling on a notepad he found lying around trying to stave off boredom while his phone charges and Iero. Iero just keeps staring.
He came out of his bedroom a few hours ago and plopped himself down on the couch next to Gerard, which was fine with him since Iero started out by staring at the ceiling. Somehow, thought, in the hours following that Iero's attention ended up focused on Gerard, and Gerard has no idea what the hell he did to deserve that.
Iero claims he can't sleep, and as there isn't a television and no internet connection, it's obviously Gerard's job to keep him entertained.
Gerard would suspect cabin fever, but it's only their second night at the apartment. Unless Iero has a condition no one thought to tell them about, he should be fine.
“I said,” Iero leans forward, wrapping his arms around his knees, “you never really told me how you got into this business.”
Gerard considers lying, but Iero's still staring and Gerard really doesn't feel like coming up with a lie to cover with. It might have something to do with the look on Iero's face or the fact that Gerard's never been a big fan of being lied to himself.
“I kind of did, actually,” Gerard says, because he really did. “It was bad luck all over.”
Iero sprawls out over the couch. “You're not going to tell me, are you.”
Gerard makes a noise of agreement and flips to a new page in the notepad. “Not really, no,” he admits, trying to find a comfortable position. “Ask Mikey about it when he wakes up.”
Iero looks thoughtful at that and Gerard groans inwardly because Mikey still thinks the whole thing is hilarious. Iero will be able to get the story out of him in no time, and then Gerard will have kill both of them just to shut them the hell up.
“What about you?” Gerard asks, scrutinizing his sketch. “What made you want to be a rock star?”
There's no answer from Iero, and Gerard looks up to see if he's asleep, but no, Iero's watching him. Watching his hands.
“Iero?”
Iero blinks and looks at Gerard. “Frank.”
“What?”
Iero shakes his head and points at himself. “Frank,” he says, still pointing at himself. “Fraaank.”
Right. Gerard almost forgot. Iero - Frank - isn't a complete stranger to asshole moves himself.
“Fine,” Gerard mutters. “Fraaaaaank, is there a problem?”
Frank's eyes dart to the notepad and back up to Gerard's face. “What did you do before you got into this?” he asks, flapping a hand at Gerard.
Given what he's doing at the moment it should be easy to guess. Gerard's sure Mikey or Ray must have mentioned something, but it's a fairly harmless question and there isn't much else for them to do.
“Art,” Gerard says, and sighs when Frank cups a hand to ear and leans forward, eyebrows half-buried in his hairline. “I was an artist.”
There's a lot more to it than that, and most of it is Gerard's own fault. Lack of faith in himself, not believing strongly enough, or maybe he just quit too soon, he doesn't know, but it is what it is.
He has Mikey and the others, and even though he still has days when he looks around at all of it and wonders how the hell it happened, it's his life, for better or worse. He'll take it over the alternative any day.
Gerard looks down at his sketch and rubs at a section with his thumb, softening the lines. He doesn't look up for a moment, and when he does Frank's settled back against the arm of the couch again, a loose tangle of limbs and hint of a smile.
“Cool.”
Gerard goes still for a moment, waiting for the usual reaction from the assholes he's known, but Frank starts humming, one of the new pop hits, and Gerard relaxes enough to go back to his sketch.
“My grandfather plays the drums,” Frank says quietly, smiling to himself. “It kind of started there, I guess.”
Gerard pauses in what he's doing and looks over at Frank, and Frank drops his gaze to meet his. “Hey, you asked, right?”
Frank's smile widens. It's not an asshole smile, and he isn't being a dick. It belatedly occurs to Gerard that this must be the guy everyone seems to like so damn much, and Gerard's dismayed to realize he can see why.
“Yeah,” he says, looking back down at his sketch. “I guess I did.”
Frank laughs and starts talking about watching his grandfather play, picking up the guitar, and everything between then and now while Gerard listens and tries to work on his sketch.
He only manages to do one of those things with any sort of success.
====
====
Gerard's sleeping when the smoke alarm goes off.
He has the blankets thrown back and is halfway to the bedroom door when he makes out Mikey 's voice and someone laughing, and stumbles to a stop. A look at the alarm clock on the end table shows that he's had a grand total of three hours of sleep, and someone is going to pay.
They've been at the apartment for three days, and things have settled into a routine of sorts.
Mikey gets the day shift while Frank tries to keep himself busy, and it's a mixed blessing that the band's taking a break to write their new album because Gerard's sure he would have killed someone by now if they had to follow Frank on tour.
He's been on the phone to his label once or twice, and every single time it's ended in yelling. Gerard doesn't think things are going all that smoothly between the label and Frank. Frank's talked to his band and Nestor a few times, and so far has kept his word and hasn't told any of them where he is.
Frank seems happy enough with his laptop and guitar, although that doesn't stop him from pestering the shit out of Gerard when Gerard has the night shift.
Frank, apparently, doesn't need sleep because he's always awake. Either in his bedroom working on songs or elsewhere in the apartment talking to Mikey or sitting on the couch staring at Gerard and trying to get him to talk.
Gerard understands, he really does. It sucks being stuck in one place with people you don't really know who are responsible for your safety and well-being, but Jesus. Frank takes it to a new art form, or maybe he's really just that fucking bored.
Gerard runs a hand through his hair before opening the door and going down the short hallway into the living room.
Frank's sitting at the kitchen table laughing his ass off while Mikey stares down at a hissing, steaming pan in the sink with the water running.
Gerard's not sure he wants to know.
“Mikey.”
Mikey squares his shoulders and turns to face Gerard, reaching back to turn the water off a moment later.
“Mikey, what the hell?”
Mikey crosses his arms and shoots Frank a dirty look. “Genius over there tried to cook breakfast.”
Gerard looks at Frank who's slumped over the table, still fucking laughing and Jesus, Gerard is seriously not getting paid enough to put up with this shit.
This, Gerard thinks, watching as Frank slides out of the chair and onto the floor laughing so hard that he doesn't even notice, is how Brian must feel most of the time.
“I. You know what? I don't care. If you two burn this place down you have to explain it to Brian.”
The warning, and it is a warning, just sets Frank off again. He's fucking howling with laughter and Gerard sighs and turns on his heel. He doubts he'll be able to get back to sleep, but anything beats having to listen to Frank's demented laughter.
====
====
Gerard wakes up again a few hours later, still tired but he managed to get back to sleep and he'll be up to speed after he gets some coffee.
The door to Frank's bedroom is shut when he passes, but he can hear the faint sound of a guitar coming from inside, so he doesn't worry about accidentally waking him. Mikey's curled up at one end of the couch, laptop open in front of him.
“Any more adventures in cooking while I was asleep?” Gerard asks, leaning over the back of the couch to get a better look at what Mikey's doing.
Mikey plants one of his hands in Gerard's face and shoves him back. “No. He settled for Pop-Tarts.”
Gerard slaps Mikey's hand away and goes into the kitchen looking for coffee. While he appreciates the fact that the apartment building's still stranding even after Mikey and Frank spent several unsupervised hours in it, he's more than ready for this job to be over.
Mikey looks up when Gerard wanders back out into the living room with his coffee and a Pop-Tart. “Ray called. He said he has information, but doesn't want to talk about it on the phone.”
Gerard nibbles on his Pop-Tart.
“Also,” Mikey turns his laptop so Gerard can see the screen. “Brian e-mailed me this.”
Gerard looks up at Mikey. “It's a drawing,” he says, which doesn't even begin to describe it. It's a drawing of a stick figure hanging from the gallows. There's an arrow pointing to it with Gerard's name next to it.
“Brian's not happy,” Mikey explains unnecessarily.
Gerard got the basic gist.
Mikey turns the laptop back around and stares at the screen. “Oh, and Frank has an interview tomorrow.”
“What?”
Mikey peers at him over the top of his laptop screen. “It's about his book.”
Gerard takes another sip of his coffee and eyes his Pop-Tart. “His book.”
“The one that some people have problems with, yes.”
Fucking hell.
Gerard sighs and drains the last of his coffee, pushing his mostly uneaten Pop-Tart at Mikey who could always stand to eat more.
“Did you talk to Brian about it?” he asks.
Mikey shakes his head. “Apparently Frank's been trying to get onto this show for a while now, and since his book's been getting so much attention lately they're interested.”
Gerard sighs because things just get better and better. If Frank's been working on these people for an interview, he's definitely going to fight to go to it.
“What's his book about, anyway?” Gerard asks, because he keeps hearing about Frank's book, and he still has no idea what the thing is about.
Mikey looks at him, gaze sliding towards the hallway leading to the bedrooms. “Maybe you should ask him yourself.”
====
====
Frank stares at him, all prickly defensiveness and Gerard has no fucking idea where the hell it even came from. All he did was take Mikey's stupid advice.
He probably should have known better than to think that Frank didn't see him as the enemy anymore, or maybe just the fucking hired help. Cabin fever does crazy shit to people all the time, after all.
“You want to know what my book's about,” Frank says, looking at him as though he's trying to figure out what Gerard's angle is, and that's just. Unexpected isn't really the right word for it, but Gerard will go with that for the time being.
“It would be helpful, yes.” Gerard's trying for patience, but he's pretty sure he's not quite there yet.
“The music industry,” Frank says, and looks back down at the strings of his guitar. “My book's about the music industry.”
Gerard can tell there's more to it than that, but doesn't push. “Fine, but you're not doing the interview,” he says, waiting for the coming argument.
Frank's head snaps up. “What?”
“Re-schedule it.”
“Like hell I will,” Frank bites out. “I've been trying to get on this show for over a year.“
That was what Gerard was afraid of.
“Someone's trying to kill you,” he says, taking a step forward. He wants to make sure Frank really pays attention to what he has to say. “Worm's in the goddamn hospital, and whoever's trying to kill you obviously isn't afraid of making an attempt in broad daylight. Just because nothing's happened since then doesn't mean they won't try again on live television.”
Frank's eyes narrow. “No.”
“Frank - “
“No.”
Gerard's trying, he really is, but he has fucking limits, and Frank's almost there.
“Your life isn't the only one at risk, Frank. I'm not going to let you put Mikey in danger just so you can promote your goddamn book.”
“I didn't ask you to,” Frank says, and he's not looking at Gerard, which he knows is a bad sign. Bad, bad, bad. “And maybe you should rethink your line of work if you don't want to put Mikey's life in danger.” Frank looks up then, smirking as he throws Gerard's words back at him. “You know, consider the consequences of your actions and all that.”
Gerard has no fucking idea why he's trying so hard to keep Frank alive, or just see common sense, favor or no favor, Mikey or no Mikey.
“Maybe I should,” Gerard says, wondering how pissed Brian would be if Gerard hauled off and punched Frank right then, “but you're still not doing the fucking interview until this is over.”
Frank glares at him, and Gerard knows, he knows, that Frank's going to say something to push Gerard over the edge into throwing the punch that will end in Brian yelling at him and another lawsuit on his hands.
So maybe Gerard's shitty luck has taken a turn for the better when Mikey knocks on the bedroom door and opens it without waiting for an answer. He takes one look at them and clears his throat.
“Gabe called. They caught the guy.”
Gerard stares at Mikey, who rolls his eyes.
“The guy who shot at us the other day?” Mikey says. “The police found him.”
Part Three