Status: Completed, after a three day mad rush trying to get this finished as a friend's birthday present.
Thank You for the Coffee
~ 19 Days Until Hand In ~
Things had gone relatively back to normal since the night Frank had visited Gerard’s house. Joe had returned the following day, happy that Gerard’s binge was apparently over, and Gerard hadn’t missed a night at Westside since, having needed to feverishly work his ass off to catch up on the five days in which he’d done no work and devoured more units of alcohol than should have been possible. He hadn’t touched a drop since, feeling vaguely ill whenever he wandered through the alcohol aisle on his weekly shop.
Neither of them had mentioned the kiss, yet Gerard intrinsically knew that they weren’t avoiding the subject out of embarrassment. It simply didn’t need to be talked about, and if anything their relationship was better for it. Gerard had a sneaking suspicion that Beth knew what had gone on, because every now and then he’d catch her looking at the two of them whilst they were talking with a particularly romantic look upon her face.
It was a little nerve-wracking every once in a while when Gerard remembered that Frank knew he had a crush on him, but he wasn’t cruel about it at all, which was a heady relief. He had been afraid when he came in that following Monday that he’d be able to feel the difference; Frank distancing himself in case Gerard tried to mount him or something. Thankfully that wasn’t the case.
“I’m having second thoughts about the course” Frank said as he approached Gerard with a slice of cake. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for studying again. I mean, I was never really that great at it to begin with.”
“Will you shut the hell up?” Gerard smiled. “You’re going to be fantastic, okay? You can’t keep milking me for compliments like this, I’m gonna run out soon. Gimme the cake.”
Frank slid it over, taking a seat at the booth and resting his chin in his hand.
“Haven’t even told Mom yet.”
“Wh nngh?” Gerard mumbled through a mouthful of cake.
“Well I mean, Music? It’s a bit of a leap from English Lit.”
Gerard gulped.
“Yeah, but she’s your Mom. She must know how heartbroken you were after Pencey. It’s a healthy way to deal with the shit that went on, and you’ll know exactly how to play it to stop it from happening to someone else.”
Frank hummed noncommittally, as he usually did when this subject came up. He still wasn’t entirely convinced, and Gerard had to fight him on it practically every night. He’d keep doing it, though. He knew in his gut that Frank was going to make a difference. The Jersey scene would benefit from him, as soon as he got that degree and the resources to hash a label together.
“I’ve been thinking” Frank started, clearing his throat. Gerard wasn’t oblivious to the way Frank was scratching at the tabletop with one of his fingers and raised an eyebrow. “You...like me. Right?”
Gerard coughed self-consciously, pulling apart his remaining bit of cake into crumbs.
“You already know that” he said quietly.
“Well” Frank took an audible breath. “Maybe we should hang out or something. Y’know, outside of the coffee shop.”
Gerard’s stomach danced about recklessly and he was embarrassed at how his heart rate had picked up. He felt a little nauseous as he replied, trying to make it sound as casual as possible.
“Yeah, okay. ...Maybe you could come back to mine one night.”
He flushed as he ground the cake down into the consistency of a brownie with his thumb, still unable to look up and meet Frank’s eye.
“Sounds good” Frank said tightly with a smile, clearly just as embarrassed.
He rose from the booth then, holding his hand out for Gerard’s plate. Moving to pass it over their eyes met finally, and Frank’s grin was giddy and infectious. He pushed some sweat-soaked strands of hair from his forehead and slowly let his gaze slip down to Gerard’s mouth and back up again. Gerard’s eyes flew open, remembering that night, how right it had felt even through the drunken haze. Frank smirked, meandering happily back to the kitchen to fix the fryer.
Neither of them had mentioned the kiss, yet Gerard intrinsically knew that they weren’t avoiding the subject out of embarrassment. It simply didn’t need to be talked about, and if anything their relationship was better for it. Gerard had a sneaking suspicion that Beth knew what had gone on, because every now and then he’d catch her looking at the two of them whilst they were talking with a particularly romantic look upon her face.
It was a little nerve-wracking every once in a while when Gerard remembered that Frank knew he had a crush on him, but he wasn’t cruel about it at all, which was a heady relief. He had been afraid when he came in that following Monday that he’d be able to feel the difference; Frank distancing himself in case Gerard tried to mount him or something. Thankfully that wasn’t the case.
“I’m having second thoughts about the course” Frank said as he approached Gerard with a slice of cake. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for studying again. I mean, I was never really that great at it to begin with.”
“Will you shut the hell up?” Gerard smiled. “You’re going to be fantastic, okay? You can’t keep milking me for compliments like this, I’m gonna run out soon. Gimme the cake.”
Frank slid it over, taking a seat at the booth and resting his chin in his hand.
“Haven’t even told Mom yet.”
“Wh nngh?” Gerard mumbled through a mouthful of cake.
“Well I mean, Music? It’s a bit of a leap from English Lit.”
Gerard gulped.
“Yeah, but she’s your Mom. She must know how heartbroken you were after Pencey. It’s a healthy way to deal with the shit that went on, and you’ll know exactly how to play it to stop it from happening to someone else.”
Frank hummed noncommittally, as he usually did when this subject came up. He still wasn’t entirely convinced, and Gerard had to fight him on it practically every night. He’d keep doing it, though. He knew in his gut that Frank was going to make a difference. The Jersey scene would benefit from him, as soon as he got that degree and the resources to hash a label together.
“I’ve been thinking” Frank started, clearing his throat. Gerard wasn’t oblivious to the way Frank was scratching at the tabletop with one of his fingers and raised an eyebrow. “You...like me. Right?”
Gerard coughed self-consciously, pulling apart his remaining bit of cake into crumbs.
“You already know that” he said quietly.
“Well” Frank took an audible breath. “Maybe we should hang out or something. Y’know, outside of the coffee shop.”
Gerard’s stomach danced about recklessly and he was embarrassed at how his heart rate had picked up. He felt a little nauseous as he replied, trying to make it sound as casual as possible.
“Yeah, okay. ...Maybe you could come back to mine one night.”
He flushed as he ground the cake down into the consistency of a brownie with his thumb, still unable to look up and meet Frank’s eye.
“Sounds good” Frank said tightly with a smile, clearly just as embarrassed.
He rose from the booth then, holding his hand out for Gerard’s plate. Moving to pass it over their eyes met finally, and Frank’s grin was giddy and infectious. He pushed some sweat-soaked strands of hair from his forehead and slowly let his gaze slip down to Gerard’s mouth and back up again. Gerard’s eyes flew open, remembering that night, how right it had felt even through the drunken haze. Frank smirked, meandering happily back to the kitchen to fix the fryer.