I'm the Last One That You'll Ever Remember
Chapter 205: Love In It's Rawest Form
“Oh no, you don’t have to reduce yourself to congratulating me. I won’t let you.” Michael declined Frank from where he sat across from him, cocked back in his seat. After many passing words, he managed to get the petite man to sit down with him at the Cafe in his brother’s bookstore. Now that he had him where he wanted him, Michael was gonna make him listen to reason for the sake of Gerard. “I’d prefer you taking this time to have coffee with me instead so we can talk like two civilized individuals. So I heard you and my brother tied the knot?”
Nodding silently, Frank forced himself to open his mouth and actually speak to the Leader of the Killjoy, his husband’s brother. It was what his husband would want him to do. He wanted the two most important men in his life to become friends. Frank didn’t want to. He couldn’t see himself befriending the other man responsible for his kidnapping. Although, if Michael hadn’t then Frank would have never met his husband in the first place. Perhaps he owed Michael this small conversation at the very least. “Yeah…we’re married.”
“For how long?” Michael inquired nonchalantly as he plucked up his coffee to take a sip.
Summoning up that most glorious moment of his life as clear as day, Frank answered back while keeping his eyes on the neglected coffee in front of him. “The day I turned 18.”
Michael chuckled to himself as he looked at Frank over the rim of his cup. “Damn. Couldn’t wait, huh?”
Not liking what that chuckle was possibly insinuating, Frank shook his head and glared at the man across from him with disdain. “No! We’ve actually wanted to get married for a long time now.”
“Well, that’s cute either way.” Michael ceded, lifting both hands in surrender, not wishing to provoke the young man anymore than he already was. He came here today knowing he’d run into Frank cause his brother told him he’d be visiting. Hatred was expected from the young Iero. Michael had vowed to keep a level-head throughout their talk. That was if there was one. He knew he should be lucky the boy didn’t walk out on him yet, and planned to keep everything as mild as he could for it. However the thoughts of meeting his nieces and nephew was plaguing him. “When can I meet my nieces and nephews?”
Without warning, Frank shot out of his chair like a bullet, drawing in the other customer’s eyes in the process. He wasn’t able to get far before a hand across the table snatched his, keeping him prisoner.
“Sit down, Iero. People are watching and I’m not done.” Michael ordered him sternly, holding onto the last thread of his temper that spiked the moment the young man tried to take flight.
With his heart hammering in his chest and ears, Frank complied with Michael’s demand and dropped back down in his seat. He was pissed beyond control and leaned forward to demand through gritted teeth. “How the FUCK do you know about my kids, huh? You got your murdering flunkies spying on us at every second of every day now!? Is that how?!”
“You’ve never been farthest from the truth, Iero.” Michael denied with a wave of his hand, releasing his hold on Frank’s wrist. “Those imbeciles have been fighting amongst each other back at our headquarters. I, and I alone, hunted Gerard down myself and came across him at a Grocery store with Milo and Jovani. Your husband had nothing to do with this, so don’t go blaming him for our meeting. It was all me.”
“I don’t believe you or a word you say!” Frank snapped out at him before lowering his voice so those walking past their table wouldn’t hear them.
“Why not?” Michael inquired, arching a brow inquisitively.
“Because of the threatening letters you and your Killjoys have sent my family, that’s why!” Frank brought up. It’d been a long time since they’d received any more of those letters, yet and still he had never been able to forget them. “Why should I believe a damn thing you say after you threaten to harm them!?”
Michael sighed and rolled his eyes at the reminder of those letters. They’d given not only him a bad rap, but the Killjoys as well. Sure, they were a group of savage killers, but they weren’t responsible for threatening Gerard’s family. If they had, Michael would have personally seen to their elimination himself. His brother may be out of the Killjoys but that didn’t mean he’d condone anyone messing with him while he lived the life of a normal simpleton. “Frank, I swear on my fiance, that neither I nor the Killjoys had anything to do with those letters.”
“That’s a bunch of horseshit!” Frank rebuked, his hands curling into fists on the tabletop.
“I swear on my grandmother’s life that it isn’t. I swear on Gerard’s life that it isn’t either.” Michael swore, trying to reach the humanity in Frank’s heart that he knew was there. “I’ll agree with you that I’m a lot of awful things, but I would NEVER do something like that to my big brother. He’s the only family I have left on this planet, Killjoy or not. If I were to send those kinds of letters to you and your family it would be an unforgivable act to Gerard. So why would I jeopardize my relationship with him like that, or my life?”
“I’ll tell you why, because your brother is married to me now!” Frank said, bringing forth his own theories. “And you’ve never approved of that because it meant him leaving the Killjoys!”
“Oh please, not with this bullshit again. Frank, I don’t give a damn that you two are together!” Michael exclaimed after a heavy sigh. “I seriously don’t give a rat’s ass!”
“That’s real funny, because you clearly had a problem with it before when you had me kidnapped!” Frank disputed, his hands now gripping the edges of the coffee table as if he was about to flip it over.
Leaning his head back in his chair, Michael let out an obnoxiously loud sigh before straightening himself up in his chair to look Frank dead in his eyes. “Okay, listen to me, Iero. You need to mentally step out of this entire situation and try not to look at it through your own feelings and what you think you know. Just try to understand where I’m coming from here.” Michael instructed him, pointing to himself. “As leader of my band of merry men, I’ve laid out meticulously strict rules for my team that I expect as their leader for them to follow to a T. It’s not only for my protection, but also their protection. Anyone who doesn’t follow my rules, gets snuffed out. My brother, Gerard, your husband, has always followed these specific sets of laws, he never deviated from them. That was until he met you. In the short time that you and I knew each other, I had to look out for my brother since the idiot fell head over heels for you and wasn’t listening to anyone or anything. The last thing we needed was for him to get himself or the others harmed all in the name of his foolish fleeting obsession over some kid from New Jersey.”
“But it didn’t turn out to be a fleeting obsession, did it? It became more!” Frank protested Michael’s belittling description of his relationship with Gerard. Feeling smug that he won the older Way over, he leaned back in his chair with a conceited smirk, his arms crossed over his chest. “And you clearly hated that!”
“You’re right, I did.” Michael admitted with a careless shrug. “From the beginning before you even entered the picture, it was me and my big brother. And then, all of a sudden, the dude was disappearing on me like some modern day Houdini to chase your ass across the whole fucking country like a lost puppy. Of course, I didn’t like the idea of the two being together! This obsession he had was gonna get him killed! And since all this happened, I’ve come to realize that what he has for you isn't some fleeting obsession, but…love in its rawest form.”
Taken aback by Michael's shocking response, Frank stuttered out. “W-What?”
“It’s true.” Michael told him with honesty. “It took me experiencing love myself to understand Gerard and to have patience with him.”
“Thank you for that.” Frank whispered after a long moment of silence.
“The question is can you have patience and understanding for me now.” Michael inquired softly.
“I-I don't know. I need to think about this.” Frank sighed, covering his face with both hands.
Accepting that advancement, Michael grabbed a napkin and a pen from his pocket. Writing his number on the napkin, he slid it across the table to Frank. “Hey, I get it. This is my personal number, no Killjoy nonsense. If you change your mind, you can reach me here.”
“Thanks.” Frank told him as he took the napkin, folded it and stashed it in his jacket’s pocket.
“Gerard will be back soon. Tell him I had to run.” Michael asked him as he stood up from his chair.
“I will.” Frank replied with a nod, his face barren of any thoughts or emotions.
“See you around.” Michael waved goodbye before making his exit from the bookstore.
Nodding silently, Frank forced himself to open his mouth and actually speak to the Leader of the Killjoy, his husband’s brother. It was what his husband would want him to do. He wanted the two most important men in his life to become friends. Frank didn’t want to. He couldn’t see himself befriending the other man responsible for his kidnapping. Although, if Michael hadn’t then Frank would have never met his husband in the first place. Perhaps he owed Michael this small conversation at the very least. “Yeah…we’re married.”
“For how long?” Michael inquired nonchalantly as he plucked up his coffee to take a sip.
Summoning up that most glorious moment of his life as clear as day, Frank answered back while keeping his eyes on the neglected coffee in front of him. “The day I turned 18.”
Michael chuckled to himself as he looked at Frank over the rim of his cup. “Damn. Couldn’t wait, huh?”
Not liking what that chuckle was possibly insinuating, Frank shook his head and glared at the man across from him with disdain. “No! We’ve actually wanted to get married for a long time now.”
“Well, that’s cute either way.” Michael ceded, lifting both hands in surrender, not wishing to provoke the young man anymore than he already was. He came here today knowing he’d run into Frank cause his brother told him he’d be visiting. Hatred was expected from the young Iero. Michael had vowed to keep a level-head throughout their talk. That was if there was one. He knew he should be lucky the boy didn’t walk out on him yet, and planned to keep everything as mild as he could for it. However the thoughts of meeting his nieces and nephew was plaguing him. “When can I meet my nieces and nephews?”
Without warning, Frank shot out of his chair like a bullet, drawing in the other customer’s eyes in the process. He wasn’t able to get far before a hand across the table snatched his, keeping him prisoner.
“Sit down, Iero. People are watching and I’m not done.” Michael ordered him sternly, holding onto the last thread of his temper that spiked the moment the young man tried to take flight.
With his heart hammering in his chest and ears, Frank complied with Michael’s demand and dropped back down in his seat. He was pissed beyond control and leaned forward to demand through gritted teeth. “How the FUCK do you know about my kids, huh? You got your murdering flunkies spying on us at every second of every day now!? Is that how?!”
“You’ve never been farthest from the truth, Iero.” Michael denied with a wave of his hand, releasing his hold on Frank’s wrist. “Those imbeciles have been fighting amongst each other back at our headquarters. I, and I alone, hunted Gerard down myself and came across him at a Grocery store with Milo and Jovani. Your husband had nothing to do with this, so don’t go blaming him for our meeting. It was all me.”
“I don’t believe you or a word you say!” Frank snapped out at him before lowering his voice so those walking past their table wouldn’t hear them.
“Why not?” Michael inquired, arching a brow inquisitively.
“Because of the threatening letters you and your Killjoys have sent my family, that’s why!” Frank brought up. It’d been a long time since they’d received any more of those letters, yet and still he had never been able to forget them. “Why should I believe a damn thing you say after you threaten to harm them!?”
Michael sighed and rolled his eyes at the reminder of those letters. They’d given not only him a bad rap, but the Killjoys as well. Sure, they were a group of savage killers, but they weren’t responsible for threatening Gerard’s family. If they had, Michael would have personally seen to their elimination himself. His brother may be out of the Killjoys but that didn’t mean he’d condone anyone messing with him while he lived the life of a normal simpleton. “Frank, I swear on my fiance, that neither I nor the Killjoys had anything to do with those letters.”
“That’s a bunch of horseshit!” Frank rebuked, his hands curling into fists on the tabletop.
“I swear on my grandmother’s life that it isn’t. I swear on Gerard’s life that it isn’t either.” Michael swore, trying to reach the humanity in Frank’s heart that he knew was there. “I’ll agree with you that I’m a lot of awful things, but I would NEVER do something like that to my big brother. He’s the only family I have left on this planet, Killjoy or not. If I were to send those kinds of letters to you and your family it would be an unforgivable act to Gerard. So why would I jeopardize my relationship with him like that, or my life?”
“I’ll tell you why, because your brother is married to me now!” Frank said, bringing forth his own theories. “And you’ve never approved of that because it meant him leaving the Killjoys!”
“Oh please, not with this bullshit again. Frank, I don’t give a damn that you two are together!” Michael exclaimed after a heavy sigh. “I seriously don’t give a rat’s ass!”
“That’s real funny, because you clearly had a problem with it before when you had me kidnapped!” Frank disputed, his hands now gripping the edges of the coffee table as if he was about to flip it over.
Leaning his head back in his chair, Michael let out an obnoxiously loud sigh before straightening himself up in his chair to look Frank dead in his eyes. “Okay, listen to me, Iero. You need to mentally step out of this entire situation and try not to look at it through your own feelings and what you think you know. Just try to understand where I’m coming from here.” Michael instructed him, pointing to himself. “As leader of my band of merry men, I’ve laid out meticulously strict rules for my team that I expect as their leader for them to follow to a T. It’s not only for my protection, but also their protection. Anyone who doesn’t follow my rules, gets snuffed out. My brother, Gerard, your husband, has always followed these specific sets of laws, he never deviated from them. That was until he met you. In the short time that you and I knew each other, I had to look out for my brother since the idiot fell head over heels for you and wasn’t listening to anyone or anything. The last thing we needed was for him to get himself or the others harmed all in the name of his foolish fleeting obsession over some kid from New Jersey.”
“But it didn’t turn out to be a fleeting obsession, did it? It became more!” Frank protested Michael’s belittling description of his relationship with Gerard. Feeling smug that he won the older Way over, he leaned back in his chair with a conceited smirk, his arms crossed over his chest. “And you clearly hated that!”
“You’re right, I did.” Michael admitted with a careless shrug. “From the beginning before you even entered the picture, it was me and my big brother. And then, all of a sudden, the dude was disappearing on me like some modern day Houdini to chase your ass across the whole fucking country like a lost puppy. Of course, I didn’t like the idea of the two being together! This obsession he had was gonna get him killed! And since all this happened, I’ve come to realize that what he has for you isn't some fleeting obsession, but…love in its rawest form.”
Taken aback by Michael's shocking response, Frank stuttered out. “W-What?”
“It’s true.” Michael told him with honesty. “It took me experiencing love myself to understand Gerard and to have patience with him.”
“Thank you for that.” Frank whispered after a long moment of silence.
“The question is can you have patience and understanding for me now.” Michael inquired softly.
“I-I don't know. I need to think about this.” Frank sighed, covering his face with both hands.
Accepting that advancement, Michael grabbed a napkin and a pen from his pocket. Writing his number on the napkin, he slid it across the table to Frank. “Hey, I get it. This is my personal number, no Killjoy nonsense. If you change your mind, you can reach me here.”
“Thanks.” Frank told him as he took the napkin, folded it and stashed it in his jacket’s pocket.
“Gerard will be back soon. Tell him I had to run.” Michael asked him as he stood up from his chair.
“I will.” Frank replied with a nod, his face barren of any thoughts or emotions.
“See you around.” Michael waved goodbye before making his exit from the bookstore.