The Wrong Way - Epilogue
Part IV
3 years later
The couch groaned as Frank dived headfirst over the backrest and barely avoided hitting Mikey in the face with his elbow. He had put a little too much force into his jump and, if it hadn't been for Mikey wrapping an arm around his middle, Frank would've rolled off on the other side.
"Hi." Frank grinned up at Mikey from his upside-down position, half lying in Mikey's lap and half off the couch.
Mikey wrinkled his nose. "You stink like elephant."
Frank's grin widened. "Yeah, I totally got to wash Ziggy and Safi with Alicia today!"
Mikey didn't look like he got what the excitement about washing elephants was about, but he patted Frank's hip affectionately. "That's great, baby."
Frank rolled forward and pressed his face into Mikey's stomach, humming. He fucking loved his job. After a row of office jobs that had left him exhausted and unhappy, Bob and Alicia had managed to get him a job interview at the zoo. Frank had been working there for two years now and he loved every minute of it. Fine, he mostly had to do all the cleaning and other disgusting stuff, but he got to be with the animals all the time and Bob had promised him that he could help feed the lions soon. In Frank speak that meant 'tomorrow' but in Bob speak it probably meant 'next month'.
Sighing Frank rubbed his cheek against the cotton of Mikey's shirt, soft from wear. His day had been exciting, but now he was ready for a nap and private-time with his boyfriend. Not necessarily in that order.
"Can you please not do anything gross while I'm here?"
Frank turned his head a little and peered at Gerard, who'd just emerged from the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hands, as always. His expression was one of blank horror, as if he'd just walked in on them having kinky sex on the couch. After that one time when Frank had gone to Gerard's because he'd forgotten his mobile phone charger and had gotten a glimpse of Gerard and Pete in the kitchen (seriously, unsanitary, okay?) Frank thought he had no ground to stand on.
Giggling, he turned his head again and buried it in Mikey's belly, sinking his teeth into naked skin where Mikey's shirt had slipped.
"Ow! Frank, stop biting me!"
Gerard made a spluttering sound as he presumably choked on a sip of coffee and Frank giggled again, muffled against Mikey's skin.
"I'm serious, stop it or I won't tell you about the surprise," Gerard muttered petulantly, spilling coffee on his shirt and hand as he flopped down on the chair next to the couch.
"Surprise?" Frank turned and promptly fell of the couch. Within two seconds he was sitting up again, unconcerned about his fall. "What surprise?"
Gerard sniffled haughtily and licked the spilled coffee from his hand, taking his time.
"Tell me. C'mon. Tell me. Tell me."
"He can keep that up for hours. Better tell him," Mikey threw in, pulling his shirt down to cover his stomach.
"Fine," Gerard sighed, giving up all pretence of pouting. "You've been here for three years, and well, Ray did some research and as it turns out there is, like, a time limit, which yeah is kinda convenient. I mean, I wasn't sure if you guys would be okay with it, but I went ahead because I thought hell, you've been living together for over two years and that's, like, a really long time if you consider it. And I don't think you guys are going to break up anytime soon, or-"
"Gee," Mikey sighed, one eyebrow twitching upward.
"Oh, right. So the point is." Gerard sat up straighter and leaned over to the coffee table, grabbing a folder. "Here're the divorce papers."
For a few seconds nobody said anything, then Frank threw himself forward at Gerard.
"Are you serious?"
Gerard barely managed to put his still half-full mug down on the ground before he had a bundle of Iero clambering all over him.
"Does this mean what I think it means?"
"Yes."
"We're not married anymore?"
"As soon as you sign them, no."
Frank's lips hurt, he was grinning so hard. He wrapped his arms and legs around Gerard before pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek. "That. Is seriously awesome."
"I know, right?" Gerard was grinning himself, and for a second Frank felt bad thinking that Pete and Gerard were the weirdest couple ever, as far as teeth were concerned.
"Mikey, you hear that? We're not living in sin anymore!" Frank tilted his head back, giving Mikey an upside-down grin.
"Hm, pity. No more sneaking around," Mikey replied, voice monotone as always, despite the smile on his face.
Frank laughed, leaned forward and gave Gerard and Eskimo kiss before he let go and bounced over to the couch again.
"Hello, Mikeyway." Frank flopped down next to Mikey and waggled his eyebrows at him. "I'm a free man now, wanna live in un-marriage with me?"
Mikey stared back at him, then looked at Gerard, who raised his hands. "He's all yours now."
Mikey sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Dork."
Frank giggled. So America? Was kind of fucking awesome after all.