Gravity Don't Mean Too Much to Me

Bandit sat waiting anxiously for the door to open.

It was now six o’clock on the dot, and Bandit was bouncing in her chair with excitement. Her mother sat in the corner with a worried expression on her face as she watched her daughter grow more nervous by the second, and she wished Gerard would walk through the door soon.

Ten past six came and there was still no sign of her husband. Her daughter had begun repeatedly asking her where her father was, and every time Lindsey would tell her to be patient. She began checking her phone every other minute to expect to see a text or a missed call, and every time she saw that she had none, she grew even more impatient.

Bandit sighed and walked over to her mother with a pout on her face. When her mother saw her coming towards her she opened her arms in a gesture for her daughter to hug her. She ran to sit on her mother’s lap eagerly, and Lindsey began combing her hair with her hands.

“Maybe dad isn’t coming.”

Lindsey looked down at her daughter to see her eyes filled with tears. It was half past six and he still had not arrived. Lindsey knew that he was probably just caught up in traffic or trying to avoid fans after the concert, but Bandit was making herself upset every time she looked up at the clock.

“Or maybe your father is just caught in traffic, huh Lady B?” Lindsey tried to soothe her.

“Or maybe he ran out of petrol and can’t come until morning!” Cried Bandit, with a tear making it’s way down the little girl’s face.

“No, no honey! It’s only been half an hour, I’m sure daddy will be home soon.” The older woman assured her, checking her phone once more.

“Or maybe” came a voice from the doorway; “he’s standing right here ready to give you a hug.”
Bandit squealed with happiness and ran towards her father, almost knocking him over with a hug. Lindsey grinned and sprang from her chair, ready to welcome her husband after Bandit had released him.

“I’ve missed you B.” Gerard told the little girl as he held her tightly in his arms. He kissed her forehead and let go of her, grinning whilst wiping away the tear that was still visible on her tiny cheek. “Why were you crying? You know I’d never let you down now, would I?”

Bandit smiled and gave her father another quick squeeze before allowing him to make his way towards Lindsey.

“Don’t think I didn’t miss you too.” He smiled, pulling his wife into a hug. She smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth, although she desperately wanted to do much more. Whenever Bandit was around they preferred to keep the kissing to a minimal.

“Lady B here has been bugging me for half an hour. She thought you weren’t gonna show up for a minute, didn’t you B?” Lindsey put her arm around her husband; she had missed him so much whilst he had been away. She couldn’t help wondering when Bandit would go to bed, so that she could really welcome him home.

Bandit nodded shyly. Gerard laughed and picked her up in his arms, so that both he and Lindsey could hug her. “You know I’ll always be here for you, B. I’ve missed you both so much.”

“Don’t leave me out, where’s my hug?” Called a familiar voice from the doorway, and Frank peered through the door with a grin on his face, carrying two heavy bags of luggage. “Thanks for that Gee. I love carrying your luggage for you, it’s not a problem.” He said sarcastically, dropping the bags on the floor.

“Uncle Frankie!” Cried Bandit, running and grabbing his leg.

“Whoa, you’re gonna knock me over kid!” He laughed, trying to unhook her from his leg. “You’ve gotten stronger Lady Sunshine; you must’ve been fighting bad guys again! Who did you fight this time? Ninjas? Monkeys?” He teased the small girl, picking her up.

“No, I was defeating Korse! He had Fun Ghoul and...” Bandit cut off with a look of confusion on her face. “You are Fun Ghoul, how were you in two places at once? Is that one of your super powers?”

“Sure. You know, I can be in hundreds of places all at once. I can split into millions, how cool is that?” Frank joked, but the little girl’s face was serious.

“You can? That’s so awesome! Oh, can we play Killjoys now Frankie? Please?” She was buzzing with excitement, and her eyes lit up as she turned to look at Gerard. “Please can you play too, dad? Mom said you’d help me fight the bad guys when you got back!”

Gerard grinned at his wife and she shrugged; “I did say you would.” She confirmed, and Bandit jumped with excitement.

Frank looked at Gerard for approval and he nodded his head. “We’ll play with you, B. Go upstairs and get ready for bed and we can all fight bad guys together.” Gerard instructed her, but she looked annoyed when her father had mentioned going to get changed.

“But I want to stay down here with you! I’ve missed you!” Complained Bandit, running back over to Gerard and giving him another hug.

“He’s still gonna be here when you get back, B. Do as you’re told and then we can fight those bad guys as soon as you’re done.” Chuckled Lindsey, and with that, Bandit ran upstairs in a hurry to get changed as quickly as she could.

Lindsey looked into her husband’s eyes for the first time since he had got back. They were beautiful, and had always taken her breath away every time she had looked into them. He looked back at her and smiled; only he seemed to be staring at her lips. Lindsey smiled and leant towards him eagerly, ready to give him the kiss she had wanted to give him earlier. Their lips collided and she tangled her fingers with his, making the kiss last longer by fiercely grabbing the back of his hair and pulling him closer towards her. He let out a small groan and grabbed the side of her face, kissing her neck and jaw. She smiled and mumbled; “Forever.” To which he mumbled; “And ever.”

By the time they had finished their kiss, Bandit was running down the stairs hurriedly, obviously not wanted to waste any time she had with her father. Lindsey scanned the room and noticed that something was missing, or rather, someone.

“Frank?” She called worriedly. They had completely forgotten about the small man during their exchange, and she blushed at the thought of him watching.

“I’m in here.” He called from the living room, now pushing himself off from the couch, with Bandit tagging eagerly behind. “I thought you might need some privacy.” He winked at Lindsey making her go even redder, and Bandit giggled, holding up her action figures.

“Can we play now?” She asked impatiently. The question was mostly directed at Gerard.

“Of course we can.” He replied happily. “Who have you got there?”

The little girl held up her first action figure in her hands. “This is Spiderman. You all know who he is, right?” She waited for their nods and continued; “This is Aqua Man, and this here is his side kick...”

Bandit continued to name all her action figures to the three adults in front of her, and they all listened with genuine interest. Gerard and Frank loved to read comics, and so didn’t have to pretend to be interested at all. Frank would even correct the girl when she got an action figure’s name wrong, and the girl would send him a look of annoyance before continuing to list their names.

Once Bandit had let them all know which figures she wanted to be, she let them choose their own each.

At around ten o’clock the little girl had begun yawning and looked as though she would fall asleep any second. Lindsey suggested she go to bed, but every time Bandit would tell her mother she was not tired, and would pretend to be completely into the game they had been playing for hours now. However, once half past ten had come, Bandit had fallen asleep on her father’s lap.

“I’ll take her up to bed.” Whispered Gerard, lifting the girl carefully from his lap and holding her gently in his arms.

“No, let me.” Frank offered, gesturing for Gerard to hand her to him. Gerard hesitated, but then handed the girl over to the smaller man.

“Thank you.” Lindsey and Gerard said in unison, and they smiled at each other, finally being able to talk openly to each other now that Bandit was asleep.

“She takes after you, playing with those action figures of hers all the time.” Lindsey chuckled, picking up the toys her daughter had left messily on the floor.

Gerard began picking the figures up too. “Yeah, well. She’s a smart kid. It’s only natural she play with action figures, it shows she’s got an active imagination. She could be an author when she grows up.”

Lindsey raised her eyebrows playfully. “Oh, so you’re saying you’re smart then? You used to play with these all the time when you were younger.” She teased, holding the figures up.

Gerard playfully grabbed her hand and kissed it. “You’re the one that said she took after me. I was just stating a fact; our daughter is smart.”

“She sure is.” Lindsey agreed.

She looked into her husbands eyes, and he began softly kissing up and down her arm. She smiled with delight and began brushing through his hair with her fingers, and then brushed her hand lightly across his cheek, kissing every spot she touched. He grinned and kissed her neck, working his way up to her chin, where his lips finally met hers. She felt his tongue brush her bottom lip and she moaned with delight, kissing her husband now more fiercely than before.
He grabbed her waist and pulled her up against his body, sliding his hand down to the studded belt she wore, and began slowly unbuckling it.

“Frank’s upstairs.” She whispered, pulling on Gerard’s belt too, mirroring his actions.

Gerard sighed, but then a grin spread across him handsome face. He let go of Lindsey, walking towards the living room door, closing it. Lindsey had a look of confusion on her face; Frank would still be able to walk in. Gerard laughed at her expression, and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a chair from the table. He pushed the chair under the door handle, testing his work by moving the handle to see if it would move. It didn’t.

He walked back towards his startled wife, grabbing her waist and pulling her close once more.

“He’ll leave when he sees that he can’t get in. He’ll understand.” Lindsey blushed at her husband’s words, picturing Frank trying to get through to the living room.

“What about Bandit?” She asked him, as he began kissing her shoulders, making his way back down to her belt.

“She’s asleep. She’ll be fine.” He assured her, undoing her belt and sliding it out of her jeans. She mirrored him and took his belt off, smiling as she did so. Lindsey slid her jacket off with ease, revealing her vest top she had been wearing underneath.

“Why are you still wearing that?” She asked, sliding Gerard’s jacket off, making him push her onto the couch. Their mouths met again, this time the kiss became much faster, and Gerard was now kicking off his shoes, whilst Lindsey undid his zipper. Gerard pulled his trousers off eagerly, pulling his top of with it. Lindsey marvelled at the beauty of her husband. He didn’t have much muscle, but his body was beautiful nonetheless. He still wore his underwear, and Lindsey playfully stroked the top of them, making Gerard groan.

“I’ve missed you.” He whispered, as she began shedding her own clothing. Once they had taken off every item of clothing on their bodies, they began kissing, if possible, even more fiercely. Their skin touched as Lindsey pulled Gerard against her, and that was when she felt it.

“Welcome home.” She grinned. The two of them didn’t do much sleeping that night.

Bandit awoke to find she had been placed in her bed, and she looked around confused, trying to remember how she had gotten there. Before she could remember however, she saw a note at the end of her bed, and she rushed to read it.

Lady Sunshine,
Thank you for last night, your skills fighting those Draculoids were almighty. How you managed to defeat seven in one go still remains a mystery to me, no matter how many times you insist that you did not get help from Party Poison.
When the battle were about to come to an end, you fell asleep, and I had to carry you all the way to your bed. You’re heavier than you look you know, for such a small little girl. You owe me for that one. But don’t worry; tomorrow I shall bring two of the best fighters at my disposal, Cherry and Lily Iero.
I look forward to seeing you again,
Fun Ghoul.

Bandit giggled. Her uncle Frank always referred to her by her killjoy name, and she loved it when he left little notes just for her. Cherry and Lily were great friends, and Bandit loved playing games with them. They sometimes talked in unison, being twins, but Bandit loved it when they did.

It was then that Bandit realised she had fallen asleep last night. She cursed herself for being so stupid; she had wanted to stay up all night so that she could spend time with her father. Making a mental note to never do that again, Bandit began getting quickly dressed, and was downstairs in no time.

She knocked on the living room door to receive no answer. She shrugged and pulled on the door handle, pushing as hard as she could. After a few minuets of trying to get in, she still had no luck. That was odd. Maybe she was meant to pull it open, not pull. She laughed at her own stupidity, and pulled the door as hard as she could. It still wouldn’t open.

She began to get worried. Where were her parents? “Mom? Dad? Why won’t the door open?” She called, putting her ear against the door. She could hear someone shuffling around in there. What was going on? The noises continued and she heard something bang against the door, making her jump. Pressing her ear back against the door, she tried to listen more closely.

“Gerard, give me a few seconds!” Hissed her mother, and she heard her father chuckle.

“I’m letting her in now.” He whispered back, and before Bandit could move away from the door, it opened. She fell forward, and Gerard caught her in his arms. His short black hair was ruffled and his clothes were screwed up.

He laughed at the sight of her. “There you are B. We were wondering when you were gonna wake up, weren’t we Linds?” He turned to look at his wife, who was now turning red.

She cleared her throat. Bandit noticed that her hair had been messed up too. Why had her parents slept downstairs? “Yeah, it took you a while to wake up Lady B. Would you like some breakfast?”

“Why wouldn’t the door open?” Bandit questioned suspiciously. To which she heard her father chuckle.

“We really should get that handle fixed; your mother and I had been trapped down here all night. Looks like you rescued us.” He responded before Lindsey could, and Bandit smiled, obviously pleased that she had helped her parents.

“Can we have bacon for breakfast, mom? I did just free you and dad. Otherwise you could have been stuck in here all day!” Gasped Bandit. “I saved you.”

Lindsey felt guilty lying to her daughter, or at least, letting Gerard lie to her. But it was for a good cause. She hadn’t gotten around to giving Bandit the talk yet, and she smiled at Gerard as if to say thank you. She didn’t want to face that yet. Her daughter was still far too young to know about these things in her opinion.

The three of them began making their way to the kitchen, and Lindsey began putting the bacon in the oven.

“So, your Uncle Frank called me earlier.” Began her father, and Bandit grinned at the mention of him. “He told me he’d promised to bring Cherry and Lily round later, how would you feel if we invited little Ross Toro to come round too?”

Bandit squealed with happiness. “Yes please! Can we invite Elena and James round too?” She begged, and her father nodded, with a big smile on his face.

“I’m sure Mikey wouldn’t mind dropping them off later on.”

Ross was around the same age as Bandit, although two years younger. She hadn’t met Ross too many times, but she had loved him from the moment she had met him. He was a great friend, and he was just as talented as his father when it came to playing guitar. He had brought his acoustic guitar around a few months back, and he had tried to teach Bandit how to play a few chords. She had been pretty good at it, inheriting her mother’s talent, and she wished she had a guitar of her own to practice on. Elena, named after her father and Uncle’s grandmother, was only five years old, and so Bandit had to be careful when playing with her. She was very little. James was nine years old, and so got along with Ross quite well. He could play the guitar skilfully too, and he was the spitting image of his father when he was younger. He had big black specs that he wore at the end of his nose, and a light brown fringe that always got in his eyes.

Ross had his father’s hair, yet it was much shorter. He had black, frizzy hair that curled mostly at the sides, and Bandit loved his hair. She had once tried to brush it, and it had frizzed like a bush, but Ross had forgiven her and even laughed when he had seen what she had done attempting to style it. Elena looked like her brother, with long black hair however, that reached well past her shoulders. She had her mother’s eyes, whilst James had his father’s.

Bandit buzzed with excitement thinking about her friends. She couldn’t wait to see them all again.