Chapter Text
As Frank predicted, the hangover the next day was excruciating. At this point in his morning he’d already drank five bottles of water and still felt like his brain was throbbing against his skull, his body felt deflated like one of those anti-drug campaign commercials. He watched tv in bed until noon rolled around, when he finally managed to pry his aching body out of bed to take a shower.
The scalding beads of water soothed his weary body, and helped him wake up. When he returned to his room, his phone rang. It wasn’t a number he’d recognized, “Hello?”
“Well it’s good to know you’re safe, Frankie”
Fuck, it was Gerard. Frank had completely forgotten about the text he received last night and forgot to save Gerard’s number. Not that he’d ever need it, except for situations like this where he’d at least get a head’s up for calls to decline. He sighed heavily as he sat on his bed, “What do you want, Gerard? I’m not playing into your weird game.”
“What game?”, Gerard asked, faking innocence, “Oh - like the game you tried playing last night? When you called me a floozy and then practically eye-fucked me at the bar?”
“Gerard. I’m with Mikey. I wasn’t ‘eye-fucking’ anyone. Give it a rest”, Frank huffed and rolled his eyes.
“You’re not with Mikey, you said so last night. And I know you’re not physically with him cause he just left in an Uber”, Gerard said comically in a sing-songy tune. Frank could hear the smirk in his voice, and could hear a lighter spark in the background.
Frank didn’t know if he should really believe Gerard about Mikey taking an Uber. Where would Mikey even be going? His schedule was clear on Saturdays and outside of spending time with Frank when possible, he normally played tennis in his family’s private court or caught up on schoolwork in his room. Frank wanted to ask Gerard desperately where his brother had gone, but he knew that’s what he wanted; Gerard was playing a twisted game and Frank couldn’t figure out what he was getting out of it. “It’s none of your business”, Frank said as calmly as he could.
“Well it is my business, considering we’ll finally be seeing a lot more of each other”, Gerard scoffed.
“What are you talking about!?”
Gerard made a tsk tsk tsk sound through his teeth, “Funny, contrary to what my parent’s might think, you never struck me as dumb.” Frank’s body stiffened at the memory of the cruel words and insinuations made by Don and Donna Way. “Frankie, we’ve been going to the same places for over a year - the only difference is now you pay attention to me.”
“I don’t pay you any mind, Gerard.”
“Paid enough attention to approach me last night”, Gerard laughed. Frank’s face went red, he was running out of responses, “Gerard. What do you want from me?”
“Why did you and my brother split?”
“That’s none of your business! You can ask him yourself if you’re that nosey!”, Frank exclaimed.
“Awe, but where’s the fun in that, Frankie?”, Gerard cooed.
Frank had had enough, “Gerard. I’m going to ask you one more time, and if you avoid the answer I’m just going to block you: What do you want from me?”
“Woah, fine, chill out. I have a proposition for you”, Gerard rushed out. Frank sighed into the receiver as he got up to get dressed. “You’re obviously hung up on my little brother and clearly this isn’t a normal fight. Soooo, how about I help clear that mess up?”
Frank coughed in surprise, “Why would you help me and Mikey?” Gerard scoffed again, “Not help Mikey. Help you with Mikey.” Frank felt like he shouldn’t be so trusting of the older brother, but was desperate to dig his relationship out of the hole that ended it. “What do you get out of it?”, Frank asked suspiciously.
“Book a few shows with The Used. Pencey is on the uprise here and The Used could really use some recognition on the East Coast. Bert and the guys are from out West and struggling here, but they sound amazing”, Gerard said - no conceited twist, no sarcasm or mocking. He was serious.
“Wait, you just want me to book a few shows with your boyfriend’s band?”, Frank asked, holding back a chuckle. “He is not my boyfriend!”, Gerard exclaimed in defense, “Anyway do we have a deal or not? You really drain the fun out of everything.”
Frank tried to think over the pros and cons quickly, before hesitantly agreeing. At this point, what did he have to lose?
~~~~~~
A few days had passed since the phone call with Gerard. Still not a word from Mikey, and Frank was trying to remind himself how stubborn Mikey was - he wasn’t captain of the Debate team for nothing, he could be spiteful and stubborn and the past had shown getting a genuine apology from the man was like getting blood from a stone; he hated admitting when he was wrong, his pride was a blessing and a curse as it kept him confident but hard headed as all hell. But as per Frank and Gerard’s deal, they were going to meet in a coffee shop after Frank had finished his shift at the diner, to go over The Used and Pencey’s schedules. Frank hoped Gerard would see his sincerity and willingness to help out Bert’s band as motivation to truly help reconnect him and the younger brother.
Frank looked up as his GPS told him he’d reached his destination. He’d never seen or heard of the cafe before, and it looked more like a floral shop than a cafe. It was called Dahlia’s and the front window was slightly tinted, an array of floral decals spread throughout. He stepped inside and cringed at the small bell that chimes at the head of the door above him, two tables with couples looked up at him. The cafe had a very cozy, Mom-And-Pop feel to it. It wasn’t very big, only a handful of small wooden tables and several booths. It was definitely plant themed, a small vase with fresh flowers displayed on each table, and Frank was surprised that the mix of fresh flowers and coffee beans was so pleasant. He heard someone clear their throat obnoxiously and looked over to his right; Gerard was staring at him from a booth along the wall.
Frank had walked over and was surprised when Gerard made a hand motion towards the mug in front of the empty booth seat in front of him. He sat down and thanked him for the coffee. “I’ve never heard of this place - or even a cafe with such a strong floral theme”, Frank said, desperate to start a conversation to hide his sudden nervousness. Gerard looked at him as if he were stupid, “The owner and her partner run one of the most popular nurseries in North Jersey..Did you not notice all the arrangements in the fridges?”, Gerard stated plainly as he pointed to the many fridges on the opposite wall closer to the register. Frank hummed in acknowledgement, “Still kinda random idea.” Why would he know about nurseries? As much as Frank liked flowers, he’d never received them and Mikey complained anytime he was given them early into their relationship. Gerard rolled his eyes, “Flowers trigger dopamine and oxytocin, they make you happy. Plus they sell arrangements, makes for perfect dates.”
“So why’d you have me meet you here then?”, Frank blurted out. Gerard rolled his eyes again and shrugged, “I’m a regular, the coffee’s great and they’ve got the strongest fuckin espresso in Jersey. Plus...who doesn’t like flowers?” Frank scoffed under his breath, “Your brother doesn’t.” Gerard ignored the comment and started digging through a large book bag that sat next to him in the booth. He pulled out an organizer with dozens of colorful post-it note tabs sticking out from all different directions, before opening to an empty page in the back. “So when’s Pencey available to play? The Used are heading back to Utah for a bit in two months”, Gerard said. Frank was so set on fixing things with Mikey, he’d completely forgotten to check in with his band. He quickly sent out a text to their group chat before looking back up to Gerard, who was very clearly awaiting an immediate response, impatiently. Frank told him the availabilities when he’d received replies from his bandmates and watched as Gerard’s tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth while so seriously focused, writing down dates as they fell from Frank’s mouth.
They chatted a bit about the best venues to book and The Used’s sound. Gerard spoke very highly and animatedly and Frank couldn’t understand why Gerard was so hell bent on helping them out. “Why do you want to help them so bad?”, Frank asked as he finished his coffee. “They’re great and they deserve it. They work really hard and they’ve been trying to plan out a huge tour; they’ve got a lot of the West Coast covered, but they needed to expand further”, Gerard replied as he put his planner away and took another sip of his second refill.
“So you’re doing all this to help the guy that’s quote unquote not your boyfriend?”, Frank thought aloud. “Yes. Bert is my friend and I want to help him, not everyone in my family is focused on their own gain”, Gerard’s tone soft, but an irritable gleam in his eyes. “I just don’t get it, you’re going above and beyond for his band, as far as sneakily getting my number, for a guy who’s just your friend..but you’re always with him and hook up with him?”, Frank smirked, finally feeling he had the upper hand again. Gerard’s eyes narrowed, “Since when is who I sleep with any of your business?”
Frank swallowed dryly, “Wait, you’re supposed to help me with Mikey.” Frank had almost completely forgotten that Mikey was the only reason he was even spending time with the older brother.
Gerard looked at his phone before grabbing his bag, “Look, sorry I gotta go.” Frank hoped after all of his invasive questions that he hadn’t offended Gerard to the point of not following through with his end of the bargain. “Gerard, wait. You know I need your help”, Frank said as he grabbed Gerard’s wrist to keep him from leaving once he stood up. Gerard shook his head at Frank quickly, “I’ll text you later and we can meet up again. I really gotta go though.”
But before Frank could mutter out another word, he was already watching the way Gerard’s hips swayed on his way out of the cafe. He hated that he found the older Way brother so attractive when his heart belonged to the younger. For once he was hoping to actually hear from Gerard sooner than later, each day that passed without speaking to Mikey made Frank’s heart break. He really needed Gerard’s help figuring out how to get back with Mikey, he was desperate.