Frank on a Leash

"Hey, how about we get out of here?" Frank asked softly, his fingers still combing through Mikey's hair slowly. The bell for sixth period--signaling the end of lunch and the end of their time together-- was about to ring and Frank wanted to spend the rest of the day with Mikey. He wasn't sure if Mikey would be up for it, with him being the excellent student that he was and all, but if he wasn't then Frank would just have to persuade him.

Mikey's eyes had been drooping ever since he found this comfortable spot nestled in Frank's arms, dozing slightly as Frank petted him. He felt like he could go to sleep like this, outside and in front of the world but not caring. He felt rather than heard Frank's voice, only knowing he had spoken be the vibrations in his throat. Mikey tried to understand the words Frank had said, but his mind was too fogged up to be of any use right now. He let out a barely audible 'Hm?' before finding himself a more comfortable place to rest his head on Frank's shoulder. After much fidgeting, he decided the crook of Frank's neck was the best and moved the rest of his body a little bit so he wasn't crushing the boy under him.

Frank couldn't help but grin at Mikey as he curled himself up in his arms with his eyes closed. It was fucking adorable how Mikey could think this was an acceptable place to nap, out here with all the students and teachers. Not that anyone was paying mind to the two boys, they had their own lives to occupy themselves with.

Although he didn't want to--he was perfectly content to sit here and watch his love sleep peacefully in his arms--Frank gave Mikey's arm a little push to wake him up.

"Mikey, wake up. Lunch is almost over." He'd hunched down close to Mikey's ear to divulge this piece of information, almost close enough for his lips to touch his ear. He could probably sneak a kiss if he had the guts.

This time the words registered in Mikey's ears and he let out a groan. Even though his brain was mucked up from the physical contact that he was experiencing, Mikey knew Frank was right. He couldn't stay like this. Plus, it was probably uncomfortable for Frank, with all the cuddling Mikey was forcing on him. He pulled himself out of Frank's arms and sat up straight. His hands flew to his hair, trying to smooth it down because he knew it looked like shit even though he couldn't see it. He was really starting to get annoyed with having long-ish hair. Maybe he'll get it cut.

"Sorry about that..." Mikey mumbled as he struggled to get himself sorted. Frank smiled and batted Mikey's hands away from his hair. He went to work smoothing down the hair that he'd messed up by playing with it.

"About what?" Frank asked absent-mindedly. He knew Mikey was apologizing about sleeping on him, but what was there to be sorry about? It's not like he was unwelcome in Frank's arms.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep on you," Mikey sputtered, eyes glued to the ground. Now that he was fully awake the reality of the situation snapped into his mind, propelled by Frank's small ministrations to smooth down his hair and the awake feeling he had. It was like when the teacher was lazy and let the class watch a movie. All the students emerge from that class better rested than before and awake. And they'd each have a red line on their face or arm where they laid their heads down, marking then as the lucky few who got the hung over teacher who sat at her desk and sipped black coffee while the TV did her job for her.

"It's okay, Mikey." Frank, satisfied that Mikey's hair was as smooth as he was going to get it, let his hand drop to Mikey's face. He swiped his thumb under Mikey's eye gently, ridding it of the last of the smudged eyeliner.

"Do you wanna skip the rest of the day? We can go back to my house and nap if you want." The prospect of having Mikey in bed with him brought up loverly scrumptious visions for Frank. He knew that none of them would happen, of course. No one would be pushing anyone up against the walls in his room, the posters making crackling sounds as body weight was applied to them. The faces of Henry Rollins and Danzig thumbtacked high above his bed would not be seeing free porn any time soon. Not from Frank and Mikey, at least.

Mikey had no idea whether Frank was being serious or not. He wanted him to be serious so bad. The thought that he could waste the rest of the day curled up in Frank's embrace was heaven to him. He hated his next two classes something fierce, and if he had a choice, hell yes he was spending the day with Frank! It made him giddy. It made him want to lean over and press soft kisses to Frank's dark pink lips, made him want to hug him and never let go. But of course he didn't do these things. He couldn't.

"You mean it?" Mikey asked.

Frank grinned as wide as he ever had in his life. He knew he must look like such a desperate tool, grinning like that and nodding his head vigorously, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered other than the fact that he was getting Mikey all to himself.------------------------------

Frank smiled down at the mess of a boy curled up in his arms. Yeah, Mikey had fallen asleep again. This time it was during a movie that Frank had popped into the VCR player in his living room. The movie was over, the screen just showing that static-y jumble of black, white, and gray dots battling it out for dominance of the screen, but Frank stayed put. He could care less about the movie, hadn't paid attention to one scene despite it being one of his favorites. How could he be expected to care about Christian Bale's desire to chop up Jared Leto with an axe when Mikey chastely laid his head on Frank's shoulder, looking up for permission just in case Frank didn't want him doing it? Or when Mikey had squirmed around in his seat so much that Frank had to put both of his arms around his waist and pull Mikey into his lap, the other boy molding to his body without complaint and so perfectly that it couldn't be coincidental.

No, Mikey was much more interesting to watch than a movie. When his glasses slid down his nose to hang precariously at the end, threatening to fall off, Frank gently slid them from his face and placed them on the coffee table beside the couch. When Frank's mom came through the door loudly, he shushed her and glanced down to make sure Mikey was undisturbed.

He was a little worried about what his mom would think after she saw him cuddled up with Mikey. Would she figure out that he liked a boy? It was pretty obvious. How would she react to that? He really didn't want his mom to hate him just because the person he likes happens to not be a girl.

Maybe she will like Mikey if she meets him and sees how happy he makes Frank. Then again, she might be sickened at the thought of her son being gay and never speak to him again. Frank hears about it all the time on TV, about how no one likes gay boys. But gay girls are alright as long as they aren't ugly and let straight boys watch. It's a double standard.

Frank decided not to worry about it right now. since his mom just said 'sorry' quietly and went into the kitchen, not seeming to mind the boys.

She thought just as long as Frankie was happy, it wasn't a big deal that he liked to hold Mikey like that, like her husband used to before his music took him away from her. It was actually very sweet the way he watched over the sleeping boy protectively, both arms curled around his waist snugly like he was afraid someone woud take him away.--------------------------

Frank deicded that he should wake Mikey up when he looked at the clock hanging on the wall and realised that it was almost 4. They'd wasted the whole afternoon sleeping.

Frank glanced down at Mikey, still soundly asleep with his fingers grasping at the front of Frank's shirt and his nose pressed up against Frank's collar, his slow breath tickling his neck. His pale pink mouth was slightly open and his thick dark brows were relaxed for once, not furrowed in frustration behind glasses that magnified his dark, needy eyes.

Frank leaned down and pressed his lips to Mikey's temple, knowing this was the only chance he would get. He half-wished that Mikey's eyes would flutter open, startled, catching Frank in the act just to see what he would say.

It didn't work that way, Frank couldn't rely on Fate to bring Mikey and him together. This was something that he was going to have to work out on his own, no act of Serendipity or Destiny was at work anywhere in the world. The movies and the books are all lies, just useless tools we use to help us believe that something will help us when we fall. Why can't humanity as a whole help itself? Is it fear that if something doesn't work out, there's no one to blame but yourself? Is it lack of any real desire?

It must be.

But Frank was scared. So he gently shook Mikey awake and just watched his pretty boy blink his eyes sleepily and gaze up at Frank with dreamy doe eyes.

Mikey loved waking up like this, limbs entangled with Frank's and their bodies melded together with their body heat like metal wires sautered together in intricate twists to make the works of art you can see on the streets in upscale New York.

"Mmmm..hello, Frankie," Mikey breathed against Frank's collar, his breath hot and muggy and sending shivers throughout Frank's body. "I suppose I fell asleep again...I'm sorry."

Frank chuckled as he reached a hand out to retrieve Mikey's glasses from the table. He slid them up Mikey's nose to rest where he always saw Mikey wear them.

"It's okay, Mikey. It's just like getting a really long hug, and you know I'm a hug whore."

Mikey laughed and let his head drop to the comfortable area in the crook of Frank's neck. A sigh escaped his lips sofly and his hands busied themselves playing with a few stray locks of Frank's hair as it curled up from underneath the beanie he was wearing.

"You're too comfy. I don't want to get up now...and I'm sorry if I'm crushing you, just tell me and I'll move."

"You're too skinny to crush me, Mikey," Frank said with a smile on his lips. He nuzzled his face into Mikey's hair, breathing in the scent of his shampoo. He had no idea what it was but he adored it. It certainly wasn't the Axe crap that Frank and every other guy in the world wore. It was all those dumb commercials about girls hanging all over you and trying to get at you that made most guys want it. But Frank wasn't interested in getting action from any girls. He wondered if there was some sort of reverse Axe...

Axe for gay men. Hmmm...

"What's a good name for reverse Axe?"

"Exa," Mikey answered without skipping a beat. He hadn't been anticipating that question at all, but he did expect Frank to ask something. He always does during those pregnant silences where normal people would fret over what to say, while he just pops off with whatever he wants.

Mikey lifted his head to grin at Frank after answering. Frank giggled at Mikey's smart-ass comment and his cheesy but oh-so-fucking-adorable grin that showcased his unusually pointy canine teeth.

His hands wound their way to the back of Mikey's neck, twirling a strand of his glossy black hair around his index finger. Frank rested his forehead against Mikey's so that their noses were touching and their lips were so close.

"Pft, you're such a weirdo, Michael," Frank said, giggling again at the mock-hurt face that Mikey pulled. Frank stuck out his botom lip and dropped his arms to where they were circling Mikey's waist in a hug. "Aw, I'm sorry, Mikey. But it's the truth."

Mikey snorted and gave Frank a mean face that just set him off into another fit of giggles.

"Hey, I don't have to take this, Frankie, I could just leave," Mikey threatened. It was a threat that he really didn't want to go through with. He was too happy like this, being with Frank and kidding around with him, not worrying about anything in the world. He didn't give a shit that he missed a Chemistry test, didn't care that he would get home late and would have to explain where he'd been, he wasn't even worried that Frank didn't like him like this. In fact, Frank seemed perfectly happy like this. As soon as his threat of leaving passed through his lips, Frank gave a little cry of protest and tightened his arms around Mikey.

"Nooo, don't leave..."

"But I have to."

Frank grumbled as Mikey slid off of Frank's lap and stood up. Like before, as soon as he was away from Frank's arms, the reality of how he had been acting horrified Mikey. His judgement was marred every fucking time he got near Frank! Why can't he control himself around him, why do his limbs turn to jello, why is he completely comfortable and happy?

Frank stood up and walked Mikey to the door somberly. He was seriously considering just holding Mikey hostage forever in his room. From what he gathered of Mikey's family, they wouldn't miss him. At the door, Frank steped forward and hugged Mikey once more. He buried his head in Mikey's chest and hoped they could stay like this forever.

Mikey completely melted in Frank's arms just like before. He found himself seeking out the warmth and the smells and the sounds and everything that Frank offered. If he had a choice, he would live in Frank's arms. But he regained his composure and just smiled and returned the hug warmly.

"Another hug, Frank?" he asked softly, lowly, close to Frank's ear. Close enough to notice that he had them gaged when he didn't notice before.

"Mikey, if you walk out that door and get stampeded by a herd of buffalo and die, I want to know that I hugged you, and it had damn well better be a good one. So I always mean it when I hug you," Frank murmured.

The smile stayed on Mikey's lips as he snatched Frank's beanie off of his head and ran his hands through his hair. Frank was practically purring from the touch that sent shivers down his neck and spine, down to the floor where he was surprised it didn't trigger an earthquake, and he curled his fingers tightly into the back of Mikey's shirt.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Frank," Mikey said.

And just like that, he was one, out the door, leaving Frank behind on the other side of the door. Dejected and needy.