Don't Give up on Me (Please)

Gerard arrives in California at nine in the morning. He slept most of the journey so he's wide awake and bouncing on his heels as he walks out into the building from the plane. He looks around frantically to see Frank and his children and his face falls when he sees no sight of them. His shoulders slump and his whole body slumps too. His mood has gone from 110% to -0.5% within seconds.

He finds a row of seats and slides down onto one sighing, leaving his suitcase by his feet and resting his elbows on his knees, head in his hands. 'They're just late,' he thinks. 'Just late. They'll be here soon.'

It's nearly ten now and Gerard's ended up falling asleep, but he's woken up by the slight movement of his suitcase against his shins. He rubs at his eyes and looks up slowly to the sight of Frank standing above him with the cheesiest grin on his face.

"Frank!" he yells, jumping up and wrapping his arms around the shorter man, pulling him into a hug. "I thought you forgot! I-I thought you weren't coming! I got here at nine and I waited a--"

"Nine? Gee, the kids are in school now. I had to take them to school." Frank looks at Gerard and giggles at the shocked, wide eyed expression on his face.

"So-- So I can't see them yet?" Frank shakes his head but tells him there's photos he can see for now, and he can surprise them when they come in from school. "They don't know I'm coming? Oh, God. Frank, I-- Orion wont even know me! He wont have a clue who I am!"

"I've explained," Frank mumbles, shrugging lightly. "He knows what you look like, that you're his dad, that you live in another state. He did ask why you weren't here and why we weren't together anymore but I just said that something came up. Thankfully he hasn't said anything since."

Gerard nods and licks his lips. "Right, uhm, shall we get off then?" Frank grins and nods as Gerard picks up his suitcase and drags it along beside them both. "Ooh, coffee!" he squeaks and rushes towards the small Starbucks kiosk. Frank giggles and shakes his head, following slowly behind.

~*~

Frank and Gerard are both in the kitchen when the kids come back home from school. Orion and Phoenix rush in first, kicking their shoes off and running straight upstairs, feet pounding on the wooden panels. Max shuffles his way in, slipping his shoes off and slumping his way into the kitchen. "Frank, I gotta ta-- Holy fuck! Shit! Uh-- Uh, I mean-- Dad?!"

Gerard grins sheepishly and waves lightly, biting his lip afterwards. "Hey, Maxie."

Max doesn't move. It's as though his feet have been glued and nailed to the floor. His fingers twitch and and his bottom lip begins to wobble. "D-Dad," he whimpers, feet finally able to move as he launches himself forward and latches onto Gerard, fingers gripping at his jacket and face buried into his chest as he sobs.

Gerard wraps his arms tightly around his son and closes his eyes, resting his chin on the top of his head. "Max," he sobs, pulling him closer to him. "I'm so sorry, baby."

"A-Are-- Are you staying? F-For good?" he whispers and rests his chin on Gerard's chest, eyes watering and dripping down his cheeks and onto Gerard's shirt.

Gerard glances at Frank and bites his lip, rubbing Max's back. Frank shrugs lightly and sighs quietly, shuffling on the spot. "Yeah," Gerard smiles. "I hope."

~*~

"Rion, Nix, get down here! Your dinner's done!"

If Gerard wasn't nervous before, he sure as Hell is now. He's wondering if Phoenix will even remember him since she was only three when they left. He hears them thundering down the stairs, bickering with eachother about who sits closest to the wall. He squirms in his seat and whines quietly up at Frank and Max shuffles closer to him. "They'll love you, honestly."

Orion gets shoved in by Phoenix and he twists round to face her, scrunching up his face and pointing his tongue out at her. "Mom, she pushed me again!"

Phoenix giggles and keeps shoving at his shoulder. "Baby Rion going to mommy again every time he gets bullied? Awh, poor ba--" Her breath hitches when she sees Gerard sitting by the window and her eyes grow wide. "Mom... Mom is that--"

"Yeah baby," Frank bites his lip and smiles as he sets the food down on the table. "It's your dad."

The whole room is quiet for a couple of seconds until a near ear piercing squeal fills it. Within seconds Phoenix is practically ontop of Gerard, arms and legs wrapped around him as she cuddles into him. "Daddy!" she grins, pulling off of him and bouncing on her heels. "Mom, it-- How-- What--"

"He's back, Nix. He's staying."

"So," she frowns lightly, sitting in her own seat at the table and poking at her food. "You're back together?"

The two men share a look, both shrugging at eachother and looking back at their daughter. "I, uh," Frank starts, looking at Gerard again. "I don't know yet. We don't know yet." He sits at the table beside Gerard and grins at him, then Max, then Phoenix, then Orion. His grin fades to a frown when he stops at Orion who's standing by the table and frowning at Gerard. "Rion, what're you frowning for?"

"Nothing," he shrugs before climbing over Nix as awkwardly as he can and sitting by the wall, grinning and smirking at her. He looks back at Gerard and tilts his head. "He just-- He's shaking. Why's he shaking?"

Frank looks at him again and sees that he is in fact shaking and twitching. "Gee, you okay?"

Max, Nix and Orion all look at him again. Gerard squirms under their gaze and shoots up from the chair. "I need to-- uh, b-bathroom." Frank watches with a frown as he darts out of the kitchen and up the stairs.