Fic: Babysitter
title: Babysitter
pairing: none, Frank+Gerard gen
rating: PG
words: 1760+
summary: Frank Iero: an obnoxious little shit since birth.
warning: kidfic (I don't have specific ages in mind, but they're pretty young), a few curse words
disclaimer: I'm fairly sure that the boys didn't know each other when they were kids, and that Bob didn't live in Jersey.
a/n: BECAUSE I CAN, and this is what my brain does when it's three in the morning and I'm bored. Also, unbetaed, but there's honestly not much here and it's all kind of off the cuff. Take it at face value. Inspired by this picture, though Frank's a bit older than that in the fic.
“Um… just go draw, or something,” Gerard mumbled, handing out crayons and gesturing to a stack of plain white paper. Mikey rolled his eyes, but dutifully started covering his page in dark blue, using careful, tiny strokes. Bob took the yellow and green and drew a sun, and Gerard figured next would be a hill or a tree or something.
Frank nudged in between them, snatched a purple crayon out of Gerard’s hand and ran, giggling, to the opposite corner of the room. He lay down on his stomach, feet kicking up in the air, and scribbled forcefully on his piece of paper. A minute later, he ran back, gave Gerard the purple crayon, and grabbed the red one. He did the same with black, orange, pink, and teal, and then he stole Bob’s green.
Bob looked heartbroken. Gerard glanced down at his drawing; the scraggly green grass was only covering half of the sheet.
“Frank,” Gerard began with a frustrated sigh. He stood up and walked to the middle of the room. Frank stared up at him, feet waving in the air. “You can’t just take other people’s crayons without asking,” he said wearily. “Go give it back and apologize to Bob, okay?”
“No.”
“Frank.” Gerard clenched his fists and breathed out slowly. Mrs. Iero was paying him good money to babysit this brat. He didn’t play nice, he didn’t share, and he always managed to hurt himself, no matter how closely Gerard watched him. “Be nice,” he finally said. “Give Bob his crayon back.”
“It’s not his,” Frank replied petulantly.
“Yeah, well, it’s not yours either, and he was using it. Give it back and say you’re sorry.”
“No!”
“I’m gonna tell your mom you’re being an annoying little shit.”
Frank started giggling madly. “You said a swear.”
“Shut up. Frank-”
“Gee,” Mikey cut in quietly. “Bob said he doesn’t care.” Gerard looked back at the other two and found Bob coloring in his sky with Mikey’s blue crayon, and Mikey drawing yellow spirals on top of his solid blue paper.
“It’s the principle of the thing,” Gerard muttered under his breath. “Apologize for taking it without asking,” he said to Frank.
“But I need it!” Frank cried, the giggles ceasing instantly. He clutched the green crayon tightly in both hands.
“Fine!” Gerard said, throwing his hands up in frustration. “Whatever! Just don’t bother anybody. Mikey, I’m going to draw in my room.”
“Mom said you have to stay in here with us,” Mikey replied sourly.
“Well, don’t tell her.”
“Gee, you promised.” Mikey looked quickly at Bob and had some kind of silent conversation with him. “You’re not allowed to leave Frank alone.”
Gerard rolled his eyes. “Fine, just don’t… come near me.” He retrieved his marker set from the craft cabinet and spread out several sheets of paper on the floor. He was in the middle of drawing a face when Mikey shouted at him.
“Frank’s drawing on the walls!” he said, pointing.
Frank turned around guiltily and held his green crayon behind his back. “No, I’m not.”
There were green scribbles at Frank’s eye level; he was obviously lying. “Frank!” Gerard shouted.
“It was Bob!” Frank cried back.
“He stole my crayon,” Bob shot back grumpily.
“Mikey, go get a washcloth. Frank… What the hell, Frankie? You need a time out or something.”
“Can I draw with markers?”
“What? No! You do enough damage with crayons.” Mikey came back with a ratty old washcloth and tugged Gerard’s shirt to get his attention.
“Me and Bobby are gonna play in my room.”
“Don’t make a mess,” Gerard said distantly. “Frank, sit in the corner.”
“No.”
“I’ll tell your mom.”
“She doesn’t make me sit in the corner.”
“No, she just gives you to me,” Gerard grumbled. “Now, sit!” Frank sat. “Stay.” Frank crossed his arms and pouted, but didn’t move. Gerard smirked down at him. “Good doggie.”
He set to work scrubbing the crayon off the wall. He managed to get most of it off, though there was still a suspiciously green smudge. Gerard thought he might be imagining it, though. Or maybe it was the light. Frank glared at him the entire time, until he was sitting back amongst his papers and marker set.
“Can I draw with you?” he asked hopefully.
“No, you have crayons. For paper, not the wall.”
“I want markers.”
“I said no, Frankie. Finish your drawing.”
Frank seemed to give in. He fell silent and hunched over his paper, scribbling with great concentration. His dark hair hung over his forehead, long enough to get into his eyes, but he didn’t care. At least he was actually drawing on the paper this time, instead of half on the carpet. Gerard turned his attention back to his own drawing, coloring in the hair framing the face.
“Gerard?”
“What?”
“Can I have sparkles?”
“What?” Gerard looked up. Frank was still looking down at his paper.
“Sparkles. It needs sparkles.”
“Um… Okay.” Gerard shuffled over to the craft cabinet. There was a little tub of glitter, but no way was he opening that with Frank around. He thought he had some sparkly glue, but he couldn’t find it. He finally settled on a silver crayon, from his special set. He brought it over to Frank. “Does this work?”
Frank inspected it closely and gave Gerard a vigorous nod. Gerard handed it to him.
“Thank you!” Frank chirped.
“Be careful with it,” Gerard couldn’t help adding. “You’re welcome.”
This time, he kept glancing up at Frank instead of working on his own paper. Frank was being careful, he was pleased to see, adding short strokes to his drawing and humming tunelessly, completely absorbed. Gerard watched as he tilted his head back and forth, stuck his tongue out the corner of his mouth, and rotated the paper as he drew.
When he wasn’t being an obnoxious little brat, Frankie was kind of adorable.
Gerard concentrated on his own drawing again.
“Gerard, Gerard, Gerard!” Frank bubbled excitedly, sprinting over and flapping his hands in Gerard’s direction.
“What, what, what?” He glanced down at his watch. “Oh, crap, your mom’s going to be here soon. You ready to go?”
“No, look! Come and look, come and look,” Frank replied. He grabbed Gerard’s hands and yanked him to his feet. “Look, look, look!”
“What?”
Frank led Gerard over to his corner and snatched up his paper, bouncing happily and thrusting it under Gerard’s nose. “Look!”
“Hold still, stupid.”
Frank took a step back and held his drawing up under his chin, beaming. There were three teeth missing from his wide smile. “Do you like it? Gee? I drew it for you. Do you like it?”
It looked… It looked like a rainbow puked all over a piece of paper. With some black and sparkly silver thrown in for variety.
Gerard gave Frank a weak smile. “Yeah, I love it,” he said unenthusiastically. “It’s… great.”
Frank threw his head back with happy, high-pitched giggles and jumped up and down a few times before latching his arms around Gerard’s neck and hoisting himself up.
“Jesus,” Gerard mumbled. “What are you doing?”
Frank clambered around until he was on Gerard’s back. “Up, up, and away!” he shouted right in Gerard’s ear, pointing towards the stairs.
“Fucking monkey,” Gerard muttered.
“You said a swear,” Frank giggled. Gerard carried him out of the basement, grumbling all the way.
“Yeah, well, it’s ‘cause you’re so annoying. Mikey, Bobby, come down!” He deposited Frank on one of the chairs around the kitchen table.
Bob and Mikey tumbled in with pillowcases tied around their necks like capes. Bob was holding a paper towel tube as a sword.
“I want a cape!” Frank cried instantly.
“There’s only two.”
“Mikey, don’t be a shit,” Gerard sighed.
“Well, it’s true,” Mikey said snobbishly, crossing his arms.
“Gee, I want a cape,” Frank said again.
“Your moms are going to be here soon,” Gerard said, stalling. “Maybe next time, okay?”
“But Gee!” Frank slapped his hand down on the table. “I want a cape!”
It was late in the afternoon, Frank hadn’t napped at all while they watched a movie, and Gerard could sense a temper tantrum. “Okay, okay, okay, I’ll find something!”
Gerard rummaged around in the kitchen, searching. Frank watched him grumpily, lips pursed in a maximum-strength pout. The washcloths and dishtowels were too small, and Gerard couldn’t very well tie a rug around Frank’s neck. Then he saw the roll of aluminum foil and grinned.
In seconds, Gerard made a crown and stuck it on Frank’s head before he could protest.
“How’s that?” Gerard asked hopefully.
Frank flung his arms around Gerard’s neck and clung on tightly, grinning like he hadn’t almost broken down into tears over a pillowcase cape. He didn’t even let go when the doorbell rang, and Gerard had to carry him awkwardly into the front hall.
He opened the door to Mrs. Bryar, Frank still hanging limp from around his neck, feet not even close to touching the floor.
“Looks like you boys had a good time,” she said. “Bobby, it’s time to go!”
Bob scampered around Gerard, flinging off his cape, and pounced on his mother. “Bye, Mikey!”
Mikey waved.
“See you next week.”
Ray rang the doorbell about ten minutes later. “I thought you were getting rid of the kids at five?” he asked when he saw Frank sitting in Gerard’s lap, still wrapped tightly around his neck.
“His mom’s late,” Gerard replied, rolling his eyes. “And he won’t let go of me.”
“He made me a crown,” Frank said cheerfully to Ray.
“I see that.”
“Mikey didn’t get a crown.”
“I can make my own crown, if I wanted to,” Mikey said haughtily.
Ray shook his head. “I can’t believe you do this willingly,” he said to Gerard.
“They pay me. A lot.”
Ray and Gerard started talking, Mikey watching them quietly, as Frank grew heavier in Gerard’s lap. Finally, the doorbell rang. Frank didn’t move. He was asleep. Ray jumped up to let Mrs. Iero in.
“Aww, sweetie,” she said when she came into the kitchen. “Must’ve worn him out, huh?”
“He didn’t sleep earlier,” Gerard murmured.
“He wasn’t too much trouble, was he?”
Gerard paused. Frank was breathing softly in his ear. “Nah,” he answered. “He was pretty good.”
Mrs. Iero gently lifted Frank out of Gerard’s lap, and Frank wrapped his arms around her neck immediately. “You know he looks forward to this every week,” she said quietly.
Gerard gave her a half-smile. “Yeah, I kind of figured. I’ll see you next week. Bye, Frankie.”
fin.
pairing: none, Frank+Gerard gen
rating: PG
words: 1760+
summary: Frank Iero: an obnoxious little shit since birth.
warning: kidfic (I don't have specific ages in mind, but they're pretty young), a few curse words
disclaimer: I'm fairly sure that the boys didn't know each other when they were kids, and that Bob didn't live in Jersey.
a/n: BECAUSE I CAN, and this is what my brain does when it's three in the morning and I'm bored. Also, unbetaed, but there's honestly not much here and it's all kind of off the cuff. Take it at face value. Inspired by this picture, though Frank's a bit older than that in the fic.
“Um… just go draw, or something,” Gerard mumbled, handing out crayons and gesturing to a stack of plain white paper. Mikey rolled his eyes, but dutifully started covering his page in dark blue, using careful, tiny strokes. Bob took the yellow and green and drew a sun, and Gerard figured next would be a hill or a tree or something.
Frank nudged in between them, snatched a purple crayon out of Gerard’s hand and ran, giggling, to the opposite corner of the room. He lay down on his stomach, feet kicking up in the air, and scribbled forcefully on his piece of paper. A minute later, he ran back, gave Gerard the purple crayon, and grabbed the red one. He did the same with black, orange, pink, and teal, and then he stole Bob’s green.
Bob looked heartbroken. Gerard glanced down at his drawing; the scraggly green grass was only covering half of the sheet.
“Frank,” Gerard began with a frustrated sigh. He stood up and walked to the middle of the room. Frank stared up at him, feet waving in the air. “You can’t just take other people’s crayons without asking,” he said wearily. “Go give it back and apologize to Bob, okay?”
“No.”
“Frank.” Gerard clenched his fists and breathed out slowly. Mrs. Iero was paying him good money to babysit this brat. He didn’t play nice, he didn’t share, and he always managed to hurt himself, no matter how closely Gerard watched him. “Be nice,” he finally said. “Give Bob his crayon back.”
“It’s not his,” Frank replied petulantly.
“Yeah, well, it’s not yours either, and he was using it. Give it back and say you’re sorry.”
“No!”
“I’m gonna tell your mom you’re being an annoying little shit.”
Frank started giggling madly. “You said a swear.”
“Shut up. Frank-”
“Gee,” Mikey cut in quietly. “Bob said he doesn’t care.” Gerard looked back at the other two and found Bob coloring in his sky with Mikey’s blue crayon, and Mikey drawing yellow spirals on top of his solid blue paper.
“It’s the principle of the thing,” Gerard muttered under his breath. “Apologize for taking it without asking,” he said to Frank.
“But I need it!” Frank cried, the giggles ceasing instantly. He clutched the green crayon tightly in both hands.
“Fine!” Gerard said, throwing his hands up in frustration. “Whatever! Just don’t bother anybody. Mikey, I’m going to draw in my room.”
“Mom said you have to stay in here with us,” Mikey replied sourly.
“Well, don’t tell her.”
“Gee, you promised.” Mikey looked quickly at Bob and had some kind of silent conversation with him. “You’re not allowed to leave Frank alone.”
Gerard rolled his eyes. “Fine, just don’t… come near me.” He retrieved his marker set from the craft cabinet and spread out several sheets of paper on the floor. He was in the middle of drawing a face when Mikey shouted at him.
“Frank’s drawing on the walls!” he said, pointing.
Frank turned around guiltily and held his green crayon behind his back. “No, I’m not.”
There were green scribbles at Frank’s eye level; he was obviously lying. “Frank!” Gerard shouted.
“It was Bob!” Frank cried back.
“He stole my crayon,” Bob shot back grumpily.
“Mikey, go get a washcloth. Frank… What the hell, Frankie? You need a time out or something.”
“Can I draw with markers?”
“What? No! You do enough damage with crayons.” Mikey came back with a ratty old washcloth and tugged Gerard’s shirt to get his attention.
“Me and Bobby are gonna play in my room.”
“Don’t make a mess,” Gerard said distantly. “Frank, sit in the corner.”
“No.”
“I’ll tell your mom.”
“She doesn’t make me sit in the corner.”
“No, she just gives you to me,” Gerard grumbled. “Now, sit!” Frank sat. “Stay.” Frank crossed his arms and pouted, but didn’t move. Gerard smirked down at him. “Good doggie.”
He set to work scrubbing the crayon off the wall. He managed to get most of it off, though there was still a suspiciously green smudge. Gerard thought he might be imagining it, though. Or maybe it was the light. Frank glared at him the entire time, until he was sitting back amongst his papers and marker set.
“Can I draw with you?” he asked hopefully.
“No, you have crayons. For paper, not the wall.”
“I want markers.”
“I said no, Frankie. Finish your drawing.”
Frank seemed to give in. He fell silent and hunched over his paper, scribbling with great concentration. His dark hair hung over his forehead, long enough to get into his eyes, but he didn’t care. At least he was actually drawing on the paper this time, instead of half on the carpet. Gerard turned his attention back to his own drawing, coloring in the hair framing the face.
“Gerard?”
“What?”
“Can I have sparkles?”
“What?” Gerard looked up. Frank was still looking down at his paper.
“Sparkles. It needs sparkles.”
“Um… Okay.” Gerard shuffled over to the craft cabinet. There was a little tub of glitter, but no way was he opening that with Frank around. He thought he had some sparkly glue, but he couldn’t find it. He finally settled on a silver crayon, from his special set. He brought it over to Frank. “Does this work?”
Frank inspected it closely and gave Gerard a vigorous nod. Gerard handed it to him.
“Thank you!” Frank chirped.
“Be careful with it,” Gerard couldn’t help adding. “You’re welcome.”
This time, he kept glancing up at Frank instead of working on his own paper. Frank was being careful, he was pleased to see, adding short strokes to his drawing and humming tunelessly, completely absorbed. Gerard watched as he tilted his head back and forth, stuck his tongue out the corner of his mouth, and rotated the paper as he drew.
When he wasn’t being an obnoxious little brat, Frankie was kind of adorable.
Gerard concentrated on his own drawing again.
“Gerard, Gerard, Gerard!” Frank bubbled excitedly, sprinting over and flapping his hands in Gerard’s direction.
“What, what, what?” He glanced down at his watch. “Oh, crap, your mom’s going to be here soon. You ready to go?”
“No, look! Come and look, come and look,” Frank replied. He grabbed Gerard’s hands and yanked him to his feet. “Look, look, look!”
“What?”
Frank led Gerard over to his corner and snatched up his paper, bouncing happily and thrusting it under Gerard’s nose. “Look!”
“Hold still, stupid.”
Frank took a step back and held his drawing up under his chin, beaming. There were three teeth missing from his wide smile. “Do you like it? Gee? I drew it for you. Do you like it?”
It looked… It looked like a rainbow puked all over a piece of paper. With some black and sparkly silver thrown in for variety.
Gerard gave Frank a weak smile. “Yeah, I love it,” he said unenthusiastically. “It’s… great.”
Frank threw his head back with happy, high-pitched giggles and jumped up and down a few times before latching his arms around Gerard’s neck and hoisting himself up.
“Jesus,” Gerard mumbled. “What are you doing?”
Frank clambered around until he was on Gerard’s back. “Up, up, and away!” he shouted right in Gerard’s ear, pointing towards the stairs.
“Fucking monkey,” Gerard muttered.
“You said a swear,” Frank giggled. Gerard carried him out of the basement, grumbling all the way.
“Yeah, well, it’s ‘cause you’re so annoying. Mikey, Bobby, come down!” He deposited Frank on one of the chairs around the kitchen table.
Bob and Mikey tumbled in with pillowcases tied around their necks like capes. Bob was holding a paper towel tube as a sword.
“I want a cape!” Frank cried instantly.
“There’s only two.”
“Mikey, don’t be a shit,” Gerard sighed.
“Well, it’s true,” Mikey said snobbishly, crossing his arms.
“Gee, I want a cape,” Frank said again.
“Your moms are going to be here soon,” Gerard said, stalling. “Maybe next time, okay?”
“But Gee!” Frank slapped his hand down on the table. “I want a cape!”
It was late in the afternoon, Frank hadn’t napped at all while they watched a movie, and Gerard could sense a temper tantrum. “Okay, okay, okay, I’ll find something!”
Gerard rummaged around in the kitchen, searching. Frank watched him grumpily, lips pursed in a maximum-strength pout. The washcloths and dishtowels were too small, and Gerard couldn’t very well tie a rug around Frank’s neck. Then he saw the roll of aluminum foil and grinned.
In seconds, Gerard made a crown and stuck it on Frank’s head before he could protest.
“How’s that?” Gerard asked hopefully.
Frank flung his arms around Gerard’s neck and clung on tightly, grinning like he hadn’t almost broken down into tears over a pillowcase cape. He didn’t even let go when the doorbell rang, and Gerard had to carry him awkwardly into the front hall.
He opened the door to Mrs. Bryar, Frank still hanging limp from around his neck, feet not even close to touching the floor.
“Looks like you boys had a good time,” she said. “Bobby, it’s time to go!”
Bob scampered around Gerard, flinging off his cape, and pounced on his mother. “Bye, Mikey!”
Mikey waved.
“See you next week.”
Ray rang the doorbell about ten minutes later. “I thought you were getting rid of the kids at five?” he asked when he saw Frank sitting in Gerard’s lap, still wrapped tightly around his neck.
“His mom’s late,” Gerard replied, rolling his eyes. “And he won’t let go of me.”
“He made me a crown,” Frank said cheerfully to Ray.
“I see that.”
“Mikey didn’t get a crown.”
“I can make my own crown, if I wanted to,” Mikey said haughtily.
Ray shook his head. “I can’t believe you do this willingly,” he said to Gerard.
“They pay me. A lot.”
Ray and Gerard started talking, Mikey watching them quietly, as Frank grew heavier in Gerard’s lap. Finally, the doorbell rang. Frank didn’t move. He was asleep. Ray jumped up to let Mrs. Iero in.
“Aww, sweetie,” she said when she came into the kitchen. “Must’ve worn him out, huh?”
“He didn’t sleep earlier,” Gerard murmured.
“He wasn’t too much trouble, was he?”
Gerard paused. Frank was breathing softly in his ear. “Nah,” he answered. “He was pretty good.”
Mrs. Iero gently lifted Frank out of Gerard’s lap, and Frank wrapped his arms around her neck immediately. “You know he looks forward to this every week,” she said quietly.
Gerard gave her a half-smile. “Yeah, I kind of figured. I’ll see you next week. Bye, Frankie.”
fin.