Ficlet: Pretty Boy
MCR ficlet for clumsygyrl.
Like always, it happened fast. Gerard almost missed it. He'd gone down to tie a shoelace and when he stood back up Frank was saying, "Yo, what'd you just say?" with a dangerous edge to his smile, already walking toward the two dudes on the other side of the parking lot, so that Gerard had to scramble forward to keep up.
"Hey, hey," Gerard said, hauling on Frank's shoulder and getting hold of the seam of his denim jacket.
"No, no, I just want to--I missed it, assholes, come on, you can shout at me from across the street but can't say it to my face?" Frank still had that friendly smile on his face, but Gerard could feel him starting to shake a little bit, ready to do something.
"Want a piece of us, pretty boy?" the larger of the two dudes said, hand coming down to cup his groin, and Gerard had time to think, ah, fuck, right before Frank ripped free with a low growl, and then he didn't have time to think much of anything.
*
The thing about it, Gerard thought later while lying flat on his back on the back bench of the van, was that Frank was pretty. He shifted the bag of frozen corn Ray had gotten him off his mouth and pressed his tongue gingerly to his swollen lip, then ran it back around his gum line to check his teeth. They all seemed to still be there.
Frank was pretty, but he wasn't really used to it, and that was the problem. Gerard hadn't been pretty in his life, or at least not once he'd stopped wearing diapers and grown hair, but he recognized the signs. Pency Prep Frankie from Rutgers with the bad dreds and baggy jeans and t-shirts and baby fat around his face didn't really exist anymore, but New Frankie hadn't seemed to figure that out yet, because he kept getting surprised, getting mad when people gave him shit. New Frankie was real noticeable, and Gerard was getting kind of tired of getting punched in the face from fights that Frank always started.
"Can't you just ignore these assholes?" Ray was lecturing from the front passenger seat, twisted sideways to lean over the back.
"Whatever, I'm not just gonna let assholes be assholes," Frank said. "Fuck them. They wanna call someone a pretty fucking faggot, maybe they'll think twice next time."
"Oh, Jesus," Gerard heard Ray moan.
"Hey, though," Frank said, "Thanks for getting in the way of that one guy's fist, Gerard. I really appreciate it."
Gerard stuck his hand up above the top of the seat in front of him, middle finger waving, and Frank laughed that irrepressible giggle that got him out of half the shit his temper and bull-headedness got him into.
"Motherfucker, see if I do that again," Gerard mumbled against cold plastic. He blinked slowly up at the stained ceiling of the van, and when he opened his eyes again, Frank was looming over him.
"Here, let me see," Frank said quietly, reaching down for the plastic bag, and Gerard let him take it away. "Wow. That's real swollen." He touched his finger to Gerard's cheek close to where the skin started to feel hot and tight and pulsing. Gerard sucked in an anticipatory breath, but Frank stopped just short of pain. "Want me to kiss it better?" he teased, smile coming sharp and bright, and Gerard maybe wasn't used to the New Frank either. He nodded, and Frank took his hand away to brace it on the other seat back, so that he was hovering above Gerard, still smiling, and then he ducked his head down to press his lips gently to the corner of Gerard's mouth, light and dry as a butterfly kiss. His hair stroked across Gerard's cheek as he moved up and pressed a firm kiss to Gerard's forehead, then pulled away to rest forehead to forehead.
"Thanks for having my back," Frank said solemnly.
"Yeah," Gerard said, feeling a little bit like Frankie had stolen all his oxygen. Frank's lips curved again, so close Gerard could almost feel them, and then he kissed the other side of Gerard's mouth and pulled back up, leaving Gerard still lying on his back and staring at the tattoo that curled up the side of Frank's neck and was half-hidden by the collar of his jacket. Gerard put out a hand. His fingers lined up against Frank's skin, which was warm and a little bit damp under his hand, and Frank leaned into them, eyelids lowering over his eyes. New Frank liked to be touched, would sleep on anyone in the van, and pretty much always felt cold. Gerard didn't actually know if that was a change, or just Gerard noticing it. Old Frank hadn't looked like someone Gerard could touch.
"Hey, pretty boy," Gerard said creakily, mouth pulling painfully in a grin, and Frank laughed and pulled away.
"No more kisses for you," he said, but his fingers were gentle when he put the ice pack back on Gerard's lip, and he brushed his mouth over Gerard's forehead one more time before he left. (at AO3)
Like always, it happened fast. Gerard almost missed it. He'd gone down to tie a shoelace and when he stood back up Frank was saying, "Yo, what'd you just say?" with a dangerous edge to his smile, already walking toward the two dudes on the other side of the parking lot, so that Gerard had to scramble forward to keep up.
"Hey, hey," Gerard said, hauling on Frank's shoulder and getting hold of the seam of his denim jacket.
"No, no, I just want to--I missed it, assholes, come on, you can shout at me from across the street but can't say it to my face?" Frank still had that friendly smile on his face, but Gerard could feel him starting to shake a little bit, ready to do something.
"Want a piece of us, pretty boy?" the larger of the two dudes said, hand coming down to cup his groin, and Gerard had time to think, ah, fuck, right before Frank ripped free with a low growl, and then he didn't have time to think much of anything.
*
The thing about it, Gerard thought later while lying flat on his back on the back bench of the van, was that Frank was pretty. He shifted the bag of frozen corn Ray had gotten him off his mouth and pressed his tongue gingerly to his swollen lip, then ran it back around his gum line to check his teeth. They all seemed to still be there.
Frank was pretty, but he wasn't really used to it, and that was the problem. Gerard hadn't been pretty in his life, or at least not once he'd stopped wearing diapers and grown hair, but he recognized the signs. Pency Prep Frankie from Rutgers with the bad dreds and baggy jeans and t-shirts and baby fat around his face didn't really exist anymore, but New Frankie hadn't seemed to figure that out yet, because he kept getting surprised, getting mad when people gave him shit. New Frankie was real noticeable, and Gerard was getting kind of tired of getting punched in the face from fights that Frank always started.
"Can't you just ignore these assholes?" Ray was lecturing from the front passenger seat, twisted sideways to lean over the back.
"Whatever, I'm not just gonna let assholes be assholes," Frank said. "Fuck them. They wanna call someone a pretty fucking faggot, maybe they'll think twice next time."
"Oh, Jesus," Gerard heard Ray moan.
"Hey, though," Frank said, "Thanks for getting in the way of that one guy's fist, Gerard. I really appreciate it."
Gerard stuck his hand up above the top of the seat in front of him, middle finger waving, and Frank laughed that irrepressible giggle that got him out of half the shit his temper and bull-headedness got him into.
"Motherfucker, see if I do that again," Gerard mumbled against cold plastic. He blinked slowly up at the stained ceiling of the van, and when he opened his eyes again, Frank was looming over him.
"Here, let me see," Frank said quietly, reaching down for the plastic bag, and Gerard let him take it away. "Wow. That's real swollen." He touched his finger to Gerard's cheek close to where the skin started to feel hot and tight and pulsing. Gerard sucked in an anticipatory breath, but Frank stopped just short of pain. "Want me to kiss it better?" he teased, smile coming sharp and bright, and Gerard maybe wasn't used to the New Frank either. He nodded, and Frank took his hand away to brace it on the other seat back, so that he was hovering above Gerard, still smiling, and then he ducked his head down to press his lips gently to the corner of Gerard's mouth, light and dry as a butterfly kiss. His hair stroked across Gerard's cheek as he moved up and pressed a firm kiss to Gerard's forehead, then pulled away to rest forehead to forehead.
"Thanks for having my back," Frank said solemnly.
"Yeah," Gerard said, feeling a little bit like Frankie had stolen all his oxygen. Frank's lips curved again, so close Gerard could almost feel them, and then he kissed the other side of Gerard's mouth and pulled back up, leaving Gerard still lying on his back and staring at the tattoo that curled up the side of Frank's neck and was half-hidden by the collar of his jacket. Gerard put out a hand. His fingers lined up against Frank's skin, which was warm and a little bit damp under his hand, and Frank leaned into them, eyelids lowering over his eyes. New Frank liked to be touched, would sleep on anyone in the van, and pretty much always felt cold. Gerard didn't actually know if that was a change, or just Gerard noticing it. Old Frank hadn't looked like someone Gerard could touch.
"Hey, pretty boy," Gerard said creakily, mouth pulling painfully in a grin, and Frank laughed and pulled away.
"No more kisses for you," he said, but his fingers were gentle when he put the ice pack back on Gerard's lip, and he brushed his mouth over Gerard's forehead one more time before he left. (at AO3)