Status: In Progress
Last Chance
Chapter Six- Where I Left You
When Frank woke up, he immediately wished he hadn’t. His entire body hurt like he’d fallen down the stairs, and his head felt like someone had scooped out his brain with a rusty spoon. Worse, he had no fucking clue where he was.
Frank tried to move enough to take in the room he was in, but it felt like he was slamming his head into a wall. He could tell he was on a bed, and there was a faint beam of light painted across his face, making his headache crash against his skull with each blink.
The light was the watered-down pink of early mornings, so Frank figured it must be a bit after dawn. He needed to find his phone, and he needed to get home right now.
Frank could feel panic bubbling in his chest, and it was shortly followed by embarrassment. Suddenly, Frank could recall the night before- how he’d spent the majority of it throwing up in Gerard’s bathroom, with Gerard sitting by his side and looking uncomfortable and concerned. He could remember Gerard’s gentle hands helping him out of his trashed clothes, and practically tucking him into bed. He remembered Gerard brushing the fading bruise on Frank’s cheek, then Gerard being gone and Frank being too tired to wonder where.
Now Frank didn’t even care about how hungover he was, or how much it hurt to move, he need to get out of here. He couldn’t take facing Gerard.
Gerard had been the perfect distraction and the perfect revenge last night. Now, he was just someone who would ask questions. He’d obviously found out Frank was underage (Frank’s own fault), and Frank didn’t know how to handle that now that he was sober.
So Frank found himself forcing his aching body up and out of the bed. The room he was in was obviously Gerard’s. It had flaking beige walls that were covered with posters and sticky notes, some parts of the walls looking literally wallpapered by them. The ground was littered with papers and books and clothes, and at one point, Frank’s bare feet stuck to the hardwood where something had obviously been spilled and not cleaned up.
Frank almost wanted to giggle at the disaster that the room was. It was completely Gerard, messy and rushed and innocent. Like an idea half-finished.
Frank shook his head minutely, and went to search for his clothes. His jeans had been on the floor by the bed, and his phone was off and in the front pocket of them. Frank had huffed them on, wincing with every movement. He found his jacket and his shoes by the door, and both smelled like throw up and booze.
Next came the difficult part. Frank had to get out of the apartment. He had no idea where Gerard was, or even what the rest of the flat looked like. He just had to hope he could move fast enough to get out before Gerard could stop him.
Frank slipped out of the bedroom, and found himself in an open living room of sorts. Windows on one wall faced out onto the street from the night before, and a TV hushed static into the room from the other corner.
Gerard was asleep on a couch in the middle. He was still in his clothes, and his hair was sticking up wildly where it was crushed against the sofa’s arm. Those sunrise pink lips were open slightly, and the dark fringe of Gerard’s lashes were stark against his pale skin.
Frank felt guilt choke him for a moment. Gerard hadn’t signed up for any of this, and yet he had sat patiently and unassumingly by Frank’s side through the night. He hadn’t brought up Frank’s age again, and even though Frank had been a sorely disappointing hookup, Gerard had smiled sweetly through it all. And now Frank was sneaking out without an explanation or goodbye.
So much for manners , Frank thought, then he swept clumsily through the apartment and to the door. He made sure to shut it completely before he stumbled to the stairwell.
He was down half a flight of stairs when he heard Gerard call his name sleepily from above. Frank’s heart pinched, but he continued down the steps until he was out of the complex and into city air.
Taking off down the dawn shaded street, Frank glanced back at the building one last time, and couldn’t help the grin that split his face at all that had happened. It was gone by the time he found the nearest subway station, and instead Frank’s entire body was filled with dread. He had no idea what would happen when he got home.
Frank tried to move enough to take in the room he was in, but it felt like he was slamming his head into a wall. He could tell he was on a bed, and there was a faint beam of light painted across his face, making his headache crash against his skull with each blink.
The light was the watered-down pink of early mornings, so Frank figured it must be a bit after dawn. He needed to find his phone, and he needed to get home right now.
Frank could feel panic bubbling in his chest, and it was shortly followed by embarrassment. Suddenly, Frank could recall the night before- how he’d spent the majority of it throwing up in Gerard’s bathroom, with Gerard sitting by his side and looking uncomfortable and concerned. He could remember Gerard’s gentle hands helping him out of his trashed clothes, and practically tucking him into bed. He remembered Gerard brushing the fading bruise on Frank’s cheek, then Gerard being gone and Frank being too tired to wonder where.
Now Frank didn’t even care about how hungover he was, or how much it hurt to move, he need to get out of here. He couldn’t take facing Gerard.
Gerard had been the perfect distraction and the perfect revenge last night. Now, he was just someone who would ask questions. He’d obviously found out Frank was underage (Frank’s own fault), and Frank didn’t know how to handle that now that he was sober.
So Frank found himself forcing his aching body up and out of the bed. The room he was in was obviously Gerard’s. It had flaking beige walls that were covered with posters and sticky notes, some parts of the walls looking literally wallpapered by them. The ground was littered with papers and books and clothes, and at one point, Frank’s bare feet stuck to the hardwood where something had obviously been spilled and not cleaned up.
Frank almost wanted to giggle at the disaster that the room was. It was completely Gerard, messy and rushed and innocent. Like an idea half-finished.
Frank shook his head minutely, and went to search for his clothes. His jeans had been on the floor by the bed, and his phone was off and in the front pocket of them. Frank had huffed them on, wincing with every movement. He found his jacket and his shoes by the door, and both smelled like throw up and booze.
Next came the difficult part. Frank had to get out of the apartment. He had no idea where Gerard was, or even what the rest of the flat looked like. He just had to hope he could move fast enough to get out before Gerard could stop him.
Frank slipped out of the bedroom, and found himself in an open living room of sorts. Windows on one wall faced out onto the street from the night before, and a TV hushed static into the room from the other corner.
Gerard was asleep on a couch in the middle. He was still in his clothes, and his hair was sticking up wildly where it was crushed against the sofa’s arm. Those sunrise pink lips were open slightly, and the dark fringe of Gerard’s lashes were stark against his pale skin.
Frank felt guilt choke him for a moment. Gerard hadn’t signed up for any of this, and yet he had sat patiently and unassumingly by Frank’s side through the night. He hadn’t brought up Frank’s age again, and even though Frank had been a sorely disappointing hookup, Gerard had smiled sweetly through it all. And now Frank was sneaking out without an explanation or goodbye.
So much for manners , Frank thought, then he swept clumsily through the apartment and to the door. He made sure to shut it completely before he stumbled to the stairwell.
He was down half a flight of stairs when he heard Gerard call his name sleepily from above. Frank’s heart pinched, but he continued down the steps until he was out of the complex and into city air.
Taking off down the dawn shaded street, Frank glanced back at the building one last time, and couldn’t help the grin that split his face at all that had happened. It was gone by the time he found the nearest subway station, and instead Frank’s entire body was filled with dread. He had no idea what would happen when he got home.