Salvation
Chapter 17
The moonlight filtered through a gap the curtains and turned everything in the room a pale, delicate sliver. It was by this light that I finally got a chance on Sunday night to read the letters I had stolen from Frank’s bag.
The message of them was simple: the test results were in after the simple operation and Frank was in the clear when it came to the cancer, though he would be sick and weak for about a week or so. The cancer was gone. Frank hadn’t mentioned the operation to me but there had been two days in the week when Frank had told me he was staying with his mother. Those lonely two days must have been when he was in hospital. The relief I felt that Frank was going to be okay was overwhelming but I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t told me.
I sighed and placed the letters on the bedside table, ready for me to return to their place in the morning. Then I lay down and wrapped an arm around Frank’s waist as he instinctively curled closer into my warmth. With my free hand, I gently moved his hair out of his eyes and kissed the top of his head.
“You have no idea how thankful I am that you’re not leaving me alone Frankie,” I whispered into his hair before I let the tendrils of sleep creep into and take over my mind.
...
Like usual, Frank was home from work before I was and was sat at the kitchen table marking books when I entered. He looked up and grinned at me as I hung my coat up.
“You’ve got a bit more colour in your cheeks,” I observed quietly as I sunk my teeth into an apple I grabbed from the fruit bowl.
“Yeah, I managed to eat today and keep the food down so…Gerard, why do you look so sad?”
“It’s my date with Abbi tonight that my mother forced me to arrange. I don’t want to date her! I want to date…” I trailed off, afraid of the words that would follow if I continued to speak.
“So maybe you have to make her not want to date you.” Frank shrugged, not looking up from his marking.
“How do you mean?”
“How long before you have to leave?”
“A few hours.” I was really confused by this point. He snapped the final book shut and placed it on the pile before resting his chin on his hands and watching me. Then suddenly he stood up and grasped my hand, throwing the apple core in the bin, grabbing my coat and pulling me towards the door.
“Come on loser, we’re going shopping.”
...
Frank had dragged me around multiple shops, making me try on clothes that had disgusted me for the past fourteen years. But I began to understand his plan and I had honestly really enjoyed going around the shops with him, though I tried not to show it.
Now we were in my room and he was deciding which combination of clothes we had bought me would put Abigail off me the most.
“Here, put these on,” Frank instructed, throwing me a pair of tight black skinny jeans. I held onto them, waiting and when I didn’t move right away he looked expectantly at me.
“You’re still in the room,” I explained awkwardly, looking at my hands.
“It’s fine Gerard, it’s nothing I haven’t had my mouth around,” he winked at me and I couldn’t help but smile. I slid of the trousers I was wearing and worked to tug on the tight denim. When I finished and looked up I saw Frank admiring me with a playful smirk on his lips.
“You need a belt.” He remarked, handing me a studded piece of leather, which I fed through the hoops and tightened.
“What t-shirt?” I asked him, already undoing the buttons of the white shirt I had been wearing for work.
“Um…I’m thinking this one.” He came over and pressed the material into my waiting hands, but they didn’t leave once I gripped the shirt. “Actually…” He took the shirt back from me and manipulated my arms so they were raised above my head. Then he gripped the bottom of the shirt and began to pull it over my arms and torso, his fingertips trailing almost sensually down my arms and sides until they reached the top of the jeans where the lingered, hooking into them slightly.
“Frank…”
“Shush,” he instructed, leaning forward so slowly more and more of us was pressed together until finally, our lips met and I melted into him.
The kiss was over before I was ready and I wasn’t sure how to react apart from kissing him again, so I turned away to look in the mirror at which shirt he had picked. I was surprised how different and how much younger I looked. The shirt was black and said ‘I heart zombies’ but instead of the word ‘heart’ or a picture of a heart, there was a brain that appeared to have chunks ripped and bitten out of it in the shape of a heart and was dripping blood and gore.
“She’s going to hate it,” Frank remarked, coming to stand behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“What do you think?” I asked quietly.
“I think you look fucking gorgeous Gerard.” He told me firmly, but equally as quietly.
“Have you got a jacket for me then?” He nodded and I immediately felt lost as his arms left my waist. But instead of going to the pile of new clothes as I expected him to, he went to my wardrobe and pulled out a black dinner jacket.
“Here; that will make the whole thing look a bit smarter.” He handed it to me and then went to the bed, returning with a new pair of black converse and a small pencil with a cap on it.
“What’s that?”
“You’ll see, sit down and put your shoes on and then I’ve got two more things to do before you’re ready.”
“What things?”
“The first one’s a secret, the second’s something I want you to drink to calm your nerves.”
“It’s not alcohol is it?”
“No, will you please just put your fucking shoes on?!” I bit my lip to hide my smile and obeyed. “Thank you, finally! Okay, I need you to look up and keep your eyes open.
“Why?”
“You do ask a lot of questions, don’t you? We’re going to put some eyeliner on you.” My eyes grew wide in surprise and he took the opportunity to swipe the black pencil under both eyes before I could react, smudging it a little with his thumb and messing my hair up until he was happy with it.
“Okay sexy, let’s go and sort out that drink then, shall we?”
...
Two and a half hours later and I was unlocking the door to my house after dropping Abigail home. The dinner this time was just as, if not more, torturous than last time.
“Frank! Get your ass down here!” I yelled, slamming the door. I heard his mischievous giggle and then he appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Why Gerard, whatever is the matter?” he giggled in a girlish voice.
“What did you do?!” I demanded. He snorted.
“I might have, just maybe, put Viagra in that drink I gave you.” He collapsed into fits of laughter and it took all my willpower not to start laughing myself.
Frank stumbled down the stairs, clutching his sides and wrapped his arms around my waist again, looking down to admire my still-tight crotch, obviously trying desperately to hold in the laughs that were still trying to escape.
“I’m so glad you find it so funny Frank,” I said dryly.
“Did she notice? And what did she say about your clothes?”
“She was suitably appalled at…that. She didn’t mention the clothes but I got a disapproving look though. I don’t think it put her off though.”
“We can’t have expected it to after just one night. So, um, Gerard…are we just going to let that go to waste?”
“I’m sober Frank Iero.”
“And?” He whispered, leaning forward to kiss me. I held one finger against his lips before he could.
“One, I hate you for what you do to me, and two, we’re not going all the way.” He grinned at me, a strange look in his eyes.
“I know Gerard, don’t worry.” And with that, I caved, my finger leaving his lips so they could come crashing onto mine, my hands going to his waist as his moved up to lock behind my neck.
The message of them was simple: the test results were in after the simple operation and Frank was in the clear when it came to the cancer, though he would be sick and weak for about a week or so. The cancer was gone. Frank hadn’t mentioned the operation to me but there had been two days in the week when Frank had told me he was staying with his mother. Those lonely two days must have been when he was in hospital. The relief I felt that Frank was going to be okay was overwhelming but I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t told me.
I sighed and placed the letters on the bedside table, ready for me to return to their place in the morning. Then I lay down and wrapped an arm around Frank’s waist as he instinctively curled closer into my warmth. With my free hand, I gently moved his hair out of his eyes and kissed the top of his head.
“You have no idea how thankful I am that you’re not leaving me alone Frankie,” I whispered into his hair before I let the tendrils of sleep creep into and take over my mind.
...
Like usual, Frank was home from work before I was and was sat at the kitchen table marking books when I entered. He looked up and grinned at me as I hung my coat up.
“You’ve got a bit more colour in your cheeks,” I observed quietly as I sunk my teeth into an apple I grabbed from the fruit bowl.
“Yeah, I managed to eat today and keep the food down so…Gerard, why do you look so sad?”
“It’s my date with Abbi tonight that my mother forced me to arrange. I don’t want to date her! I want to date…” I trailed off, afraid of the words that would follow if I continued to speak.
“So maybe you have to make her not want to date you.” Frank shrugged, not looking up from his marking.
“How do you mean?”
“How long before you have to leave?”
“A few hours.” I was really confused by this point. He snapped the final book shut and placed it on the pile before resting his chin on his hands and watching me. Then suddenly he stood up and grasped my hand, throwing the apple core in the bin, grabbing my coat and pulling me towards the door.
“Come on loser, we’re going shopping.”
...
Frank had dragged me around multiple shops, making me try on clothes that had disgusted me for the past fourteen years. But I began to understand his plan and I had honestly really enjoyed going around the shops with him, though I tried not to show it.
Now we were in my room and he was deciding which combination of clothes we had bought me would put Abigail off me the most.
“Here, put these on,” Frank instructed, throwing me a pair of tight black skinny jeans. I held onto them, waiting and when I didn’t move right away he looked expectantly at me.
“You’re still in the room,” I explained awkwardly, looking at my hands.
“It’s fine Gerard, it’s nothing I haven’t had my mouth around,” he winked at me and I couldn’t help but smile. I slid of the trousers I was wearing and worked to tug on the tight denim. When I finished and looked up I saw Frank admiring me with a playful smirk on his lips.
“You need a belt.” He remarked, handing me a studded piece of leather, which I fed through the hoops and tightened.
“What t-shirt?” I asked him, already undoing the buttons of the white shirt I had been wearing for work.
“Um…I’m thinking this one.” He came over and pressed the material into my waiting hands, but they didn’t leave once I gripped the shirt. “Actually…” He took the shirt back from me and manipulated my arms so they were raised above my head. Then he gripped the bottom of the shirt and began to pull it over my arms and torso, his fingertips trailing almost sensually down my arms and sides until they reached the top of the jeans where the lingered, hooking into them slightly.
“Frank…”
“Shush,” he instructed, leaning forward so slowly more and more of us was pressed together until finally, our lips met and I melted into him.
The kiss was over before I was ready and I wasn’t sure how to react apart from kissing him again, so I turned away to look in the mirror at which shirt he had picked. I was surprised how different and how much younger I looked. The shirt was black and said ‘I heart zombies’ but instead of the word ‘heart’ or a picture of a heart, there was a brain that appeared to have chunks ripped and bitten out of it in the shape of a heart and was dripping blood and gore.
“She’s going to hate it,” Frank remarked, coming to stand behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“What do you think?” I asked quietly.
“I think you look fucking gorgeous Gerard.” He told me firmly, but equally as quietly.
“Have you got a jacket for me then?” He nodded and I immediately felt lost as his arms left my waist. But instead of going to the pile of new clothes as I expected him to, he went to my wardrobe and pulled out a black dinner jacket.
“Here; that will make the whole thing look a bit smarter.” He handed it to me and then went to the bed, returning with a new pair of black converse and a small pencil with a cap on it.
“What’s that?”
“You’ll see, sit down and put your shoes on and then I’ve got two more things to do before you’re ready.”
“What things?”
“The first one’s a secret, the second’s something I want you to drink to calm your nerves.”
“It’s not alcohol is it?”
“No, will you please just put your fucking shoes on?!” I bit my lip to hide my smile and obeyed. “Thank you, finally! Okay, I need you to look up and keep your eyes open.
“Why?”
“You do ask a lot of questions, don’t you? We’re going to put some eyeliner on you.” My eyes grew wide in surprise and he took the opportunity to swipe the black pencil under both eyes before I could react, smudging it a little with his thumb and messing my hair up until he was happy with it.
“Okay sexy, let’s go and sort out that drink then, shall we?”
...
Two and a half hours later and I was unlocking the door to my house after dropping Abigail home. The dinner this time was just as, if not more, torturous than last time.
“Frank! Get your ass down here!” I yelled, slamming the door. I heard his mischievous giggle and then he appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Why Gerard, whatever is the matter?” he giggled in a girlish voice.
“What did you do?!” I demanded. He snorted.
“I might have, just maybe, put Viagra in that drink I gave you.” He collapsed into fits of laughter and it took all my willpower not to start laughing myself.
Frank stumbled down the stairs, clutching his sides and wrapped his arms around my waist again, looking down to admire my still-tight crotch, obviously trying desperately to hold in the laughs that were still trying to escape.
“I’m so glad you find it so funny Frank,” I said dryly.
“Did she notice? And what did she say about your clothes?”
“She was suitably appalled at…that. She didn’t mention the clothes but I got a disapproving look though. I don’t think it put her off though.”
“We can’t have expected it to after just one night. So, um, Gerard…are we just going to let that go to waste?”
“I’m sober Frank Iero.”
“And?” He whispered, leaning forward to kiss me. I held one finger against his lips before he could.
“One, I hate you for what you do to me, and two, we’re not going all the way.” He grinned at me, a strange look in his eyes.
“I know Gerard, don’t worry.” And with that, I caved, my finger leaving his lips so they could come crashing onto mine, my hands going to his waist as his moved up to lock behind my neck.