Blush.

Early the next morning I was woken by rays of light shining on my face from my window. Frank was sitting on the end of my bed staring down at the carpeted floor. I really didn’t need this right now. I closed my eyes and tried not to move or do anything to notify him that I was awake.

“Gerard, I know you’re awake,” he whispered. Fuck.

“How?” I grumbled.

“You’re breathing,” he answered, looking over at me seriously. I chuckled.

“That doesn’t sound stalkerish at all, Frank.”

“Whatever. Look, we need to talk like I said last night.”

“About?” I asked, not wanting to talk with him at all. I sat up, my blankets falling off my bare torso to fall and bundle in my lap. Quickly, I made sure that they were covering up to my waist.

“I’m back!” came a call from the kitchen and I swear if Frank wasn’t in the room I would’ve gotten down on my hands and knees and thanked someone. Frank groaned when he heard Quinn walking along the hallway towards my room.

“We need to talk later then,” he whispered quickly, before Quinn burst into the room, chocolate and tissues in hand.

“Oh, hey Frank,” he said, obviously a little surprised that Frank was in here.

“Was just leaving,” he answered, getting up and walking past Quinn.

“What’s his problem?” Quinn asked, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. I shrugged.

“Well, anyway, I have chocolate and tissues and I demand you tell me about last night.”

I laughed at his serious, pouty expression, “Okay, okay! I’ll tell you, just don’t hurt me!”

Quinn poked his tongue out at me and threw himself on the bed, accidentally squishing the box of tissues beneath him.

“Good one, dumbass,” I snorted, still happy that he’d walked in when he did.

“Shut up,” he mumbled, retrieving the box from underneath him. He took out all the tissues and threw the box to the other side of the room before turning back to me expectantly.

“Quinn, it’s not that exciting, you know?”

“I don’t care. Start at the beginning.”

“Well, it all started when my Mummy and Daddy loved each other very much–”

“Gerard!”

“Fine, fine,” I grumbled, running a hand through my dark hair, “Well, I got to Mikey’s and…”

I told Quinn the whole story, from Mikey yelling at me to me leaving and telling Mikey where I worked. Quinn listened intently, occasionally popping a square of chocolate into his mouth uncannily like a girl. When I finished he was silent a moment, obviously taking everything I’d said in.

“Wow. So you guys brought up what happened? Or…?” he asked, confused.

“I don’t know. I guess we did. But it was more like tip-toeing around the edges of the subject,” I answered, thoughtfully.

“Nope. I reckon it was all up and in the open even if you two didn’t exactly talk about it. It was still there,” he countered, licking one of his fingers that had some melted chocolate on it.

“Whatever, Dr. Phil.”

“Shut up,” he grumbled, poking his tongue out at me. I returned the favour. “We’re a weird little group. Don’t you think, Gerard?”

“Personally, I think we’re a family. So, in answer, we’re a weird little family,” I answered, smiling a little at the prospect of being part of a family again.

Quinn smiled back, “Yeah, I guess we are, aren’t we?”

I wanted to ask Quinn about Frank but I was afraid that I would break the mood. I did anyway.

“Have you talked to Frank lately?” I asked, looking down at my hands in my lap.

“No, why?”

“Just because he said he wanted to talk to me,” I answered.

“Probably about what’s going on between you two. Quite frankly, I want to know what’s going on between you two. I gather you two have kissed and whatnot but is there something between you?” he asked calmly.

Quinn’s question surprised me and I was a little taken aback, “Uh…I don’t know really. I admit he and I have kissed and I know there is something between us but I don’t know anymore. He seemed so intent on getting me to ‘surrender’, so to speak, and when I finally did, he goes all sad on me and says we need to talk.”

“Well, Frank’s really lonely. He wants someone special to love him and vice versa. I know he’s got a…funny way of showing it but that’s how he feels,” Quinn informed me, looking deep into my eyes, probably to prove his point.

“How do you know all this?” I asked, astounded at how much he knew.

“Frank used to have a diary. It mysteriously disappeared when he caught me reading it one time,” Quinn answered, with a small chuckle.

“You’re so mean.” I snorted. Quinn just grinned back at me, a little impishly I might add. “You better leave so I can get dressed though; I’m still in my boxers.”

Quinn shook his head, “Whatever, man. I need to go and get some more chocolate anyways. Later.”

I watched Quinn leave the room, shutting the door behind him, before quickly throwing the covers off to reveal my bare, naked and un-boxered body. Darting across the room, I searched through the pile of clean washing on the floor.

After finally locating a pair of boxers, I threw them on and relaxed; no one could walk in on me now. I dressed quickly, hoping to get out of the house before Frank realised that I was alone.

I wasn’t fast enough.