A Case of Unknown Identity

“I just kind of want to talk to you all the time,” Gerard says.

“I know. I already know all there is to know about you from online, but I feel like I need more,” Frank answers.

“Well ask me anything, then,” Gerard answers.

Frank shivers and looks at him, with concentration. He and Gerard are sitting outside in the cold winter weather wearing only thin layered jackets. The bench behind the Way house is freezing, and Gerard may or may not have frozen his ass to it, but it’s worth it, because Frank is perfect.

The night is already dark but they had to go outside because Brendon and Mikey wanted to watch a movie, while the two of them just wanted to talk.

“Is your hair the same color as Mikey’s?” Frank asks.

“A little darker, but it’s close. Why?,” Gerard replies.

“Just wondering. What’s your favorite memory?”

Gerard thinks for a long time, before saying, “Well... that’s a pretty big question, I have a lot of memories.”

“Pick one.”

“Um, I saw a marching band once, that was cool.”

Frank spends a while thinking up another question until he finally says, “What are you thinking right now?”

“I’m thinking... that I want to kiss you,” Gerard says, and he looks at Frank cheekily. Frank smiles and leans into kiss him. Gerard’s breath is misty and white in the frozen air, like steam. And Frank can feel it against his jaw as the only source of warmth in the cold.

“I cannot believe I am kissing Watchman,” Frank giggles.

“I hear he’s cuter in person,” Gerard whispers back, pulling away to look into Frank’s eyes.

“Meh, he’s alright.”

“Well I happen to know for a fact that he thinks Pansy is pretty adorable,” Gerard answers.

Frank smiles back and then shakes when a gush of wind sends a colder chill into the air, but Gerard seems unfazed and keeps looking at Frank.

“You know what I mean, how this is surreal? Like I can’t believe we’re together?” Frank exclaims.

“Yeah, it does feel kind of fantastic. I’m not going to question it though.”

“Neither am I, as long as you don’t mind that I keep pinching myself.”

The glass sliding door opens behind them and Mikey pops his head out to look at their hunched together bodies, “did you guys know that it’s fucking cold out here?”

“Really, Mikes?” Gerard says raising an eyebrow, “and here I was thinking it was summer.”

“If that’s going to be your attitude then I will lock you out,” Mikey says warningly.

“What do you want, anyway?” Frank asks.

“Brendon asked me to check and see if you two were sucking face, and as long as you promise not to, then you can come back in,” Mikey responds.

“We came out here of our own free will, you didn’t kick us out,” Gerard corrects him, “and we can come back in any time we like.”

“Not if I lock you out, you can’t.”

Gerard eyes him evilly, “if you do that, then I will come into your room very late at night and destroy something you love.”

Mikey rolls his eyes, “just get back in here, it’s freezing, and I do not want to blow dry your fingers apart.”

Frank doesn’t think too hard about it before standing up, and he walks towards the door. His legs are stiff because they’re practically frosted over, and his nose could win a Rudolph lookalike contest, but other than that he’s okay.

Gerard walks in behind him and brushes snow off his head like dandruff because his jacket didn’t have a hood.

“You two snog long enough yet?” Brendon asks, not looking up from his seat on the couch. The movie they were watching is paused so he looks kind of stupid just lying there staring at the screen.

“It’s cold out there, we’d have frozen to each other,” Gerard yells back.

“I wouldn’t have minded that,” Frank answers.

Mikey pulls the door shut after them and looks at Frank with a face like repulsion, as he wrinkles up his nose.

“We’re going to go upstairs,” Gerard says and he takes Frank’s hand and pulls him toward the staircase.

“You know mom and dad are home, keep it quiet,” Mikey says.

“We weren’t going to do that,” Gerard assures him, “I just wanted to show Frank my room.”

“Yeah, whatever you say,” Brendon hollers suspiciously.

Frank’s eyes widen a little bit and his cheeks feel warm so he says, “Seriously, jeez! You guys are the worst.”

Mikey rolls his eyes and walks back over to the couch, with a resigned huff, and Gerard drags Frank up the stairs two at a time.

When he’s sure they’re gone, Mikey looks over to Brendon and says, “I’ll bet you ten bucks that they do it.”

Brendon weighs the odds for a second, “No way are they going to with us only a floor away. You’re on, man.”

Gerard final gets him all the way up the stairs and then closes the door to his bedroom behind him, and peers over at Frank standing awkwardly near his desk.

The last time Frank was in here was when he snooped around to find out that Gerard was Watchman.

“It’s a lot warmer in here, why didn’t we just come up here in the first place?” Gerard asks.

“Because you said you liked looking at the stars,” Frank answers.

“What stars? Who am I kidding, we live in New Jersey! The only stars in this state are found in bowls of cereal and Nintendo games.”

“I think it was an excuse to put your arm around me,” Frank shrugs. Gerard chuckles at Frank’s statement, not knowing he was really that transparent.

“I’m not sure I want to use an excuse this time,” Gerard answers and he walks over to Frank. He doesn’t put his arm around him, but rather both hands on either side of his face.

“Would it be overly cliché to tell you you’re beautiful?” Gerard asks.

“Overly cliché? Probably, but I was thinking the same about you so I’ll let it slide if you do,” he answers.

Gerard doesn’t give a response, instead he pulls Frank up slightly, and ducks down a little himself to kiss him. Frank is awfully short when he stands next to Gerard, but he doesn’t mind it all that much.

He laughs under Frank’s lips all the same, making him pull away questioningly.

“You’re short,” he says, batting his eyelashes so that Frank will know he’s goofing around.

“Well then let’s sit down.”

Franks pulls himself away from Gerard, and waits for him to move. Eventually the redhead figures out that Frank’s waiting for a signal to move, so he walks over and sits on the edge of his bed, then scoots back.

Gerard’s bed is propped against the wall so that you can sit against it, with your feet out, so Frank mimics Gerard’s position, and puts his head on Gerard’s shoulder.

“I bet Mikey things we’re having sex,” Frank sighs, making Gerard snort out a laugh.

“Probably does,” Gerard answers.

“What are you doing for Christmas?” Frank asks. The holiday is only a few short days away now, and he’d forgotten to ask.

“Nothing, really. Staying in. What are you doing?”

“Same pretty much. Christmas’ are kind of weird because go I with my mom to my aunt’s house for lunch, and then to my grandma’s, with my dad, for dinner.”

“You get shepherded around on Christmas of all days?”

“That’s what happens when you’re parents aren’t together. They have to compromise. It’s a good thing that both sides of the family are in the state, only a few minutes away from each other, because if not then it would be much harder.”

“We should hang out on Christmas. I want to see you Frankie.”

Frank smiles but doesn’t move his head from Gerard’s shoulder.

“If I sneak out after we get back from my Grandma’s then I can come over here at about ten?” He suggests.

“I’d like that,” Gerard answers, and he kisses the tops of Frank’s head.

“It’s a deal then,” he answers.

The two of them talk for a little while longer until they’re eyelids begin to droop, and their lulled to sleep by the sound of the little internal creaks in the house. Everyone’s house has an occasional rasp now and then, but when his body is pressed against Gerard’s, Frank honestly couldn’t hear anything but the sound of his heartbeat.

He’s falling in love too fast, they both are, but the view is amazing, so he’s content with gliding along.