breathe out the sound until the world comes calling
bob/frank // 1030 words // pg schmoopiness // marie-ange wanted some thanksgiving fic in our kitten verse.
==
"Am I putting names on scraps of paper and throwing them in the air or what?" Frank settles across Bob's legs and waits until he wakes up enough to answer him.
"Please don't throw things in the air. And get off me so I can move."
He scoots up, and Bob rolls them so he can use Frank as a pillow. Frank isn't quite as good a pillow as Bob; he moves around too much, but he's got the head scritching down. It always makes Bob squinch up his eyes.
"Okay. Why are we throwing things?" Bob asks him after a while.
"We are in demand, Bryar, me and you. We've been invited everywhere for Thanksgiving. Are we going home to Chicago? Your mother has called twice, by the way, or are we going to the Ways First Family Function As Smug Marrieds, or are we going to my mom's? Or stopping by Denny's with my dad? Or are we staying here and making those tiny pizzas you like and watching Charlie Brown all day?"
Bob lifts up to look at him for a long minute before putting his face back in Frank's chest. He starts mumbling and Frank knows he's not supposed to figure it out yet. He's supposed to be figuring out what he wants to do, but honestly, none of the options sound horrible, and Frank would be okay with any of them as long as they all went together.
"I don't want to go home." Bob says without looking at him. Frank doesn't ask. They've had this conversation before, and they will have to go home some time. Frank knows that Bob isn't embarrassed of him. He knows that. Bob completely settles him, and Frank knows it's the same for Bob. He's not worried.
"So we'll go home for Christmas. And then we'll knock Christmas, me, and your birthday out all in one go." Bob tightens his arm around Frank's waist but doesn't say anything.
Frank doesn't need him to. He thinks about how being with Bob is just sometimes so easy, how at first it was scary because it was too easy, and Frank knew it would fall apart. He blames that on Gerard. Being best friends with someone like Gerard doesn't prepare you for someone like Bob. Gerard jangles him up, makes him hurt really good most of the time. If Bob is hurting him, it's because he's been hurt. It's because Frank deserves it. Bob doesn't hurt him very often.
He moves down so he can look Bob in the face. "Hey."
Bob blinks twice at him and then keeps his eyes open. "Is your mom making that tofu bird thing for you?"
"We can take the pets. I don't want to leave them here in case we spend the night. You know how Ma is about driving home after midnight on a holiday. And yeah. It's a tofurkey."
Bob scrunches up his nose.
"You don't have to eat it. She'll make you lasagna." Frank runs his pinky finger over Bob's nose, unscrunches it.
"Mashed potatoes. And we have to put Peppers in her crate. And borrow that cat carrier from Mikey. Slippers hasn't been on a trip before. She won't claw up my damn truck." Bob's warning eyebrow looks ridiculous from their sideways position on the bed.
"She hates that crate and my mom's house isn't that far." Frank kicks Bob in the knee. He tries so hard sometimes to rile him up on purpose. And he's never sure why.
"But you won't keep her in that doggie seatbelt you bought, so. Crate it is. Is it just us with your mom? Should we bring something?" Bob pushes his hand through Frank's hair and holds the back of his head. Frank doesn't look away from Bob's eyes and the questions about going to see his dad after and how they plan on getting through the holidays without the usual people around.
Frank nods. He leans forward and kisses Bob thanks, small and slow. "Ma said if we stopped by to bring pie, whatever you'd like since she isn't sure. And I think Uncle Gio and Aunt Bette are coming. Maybe Marvin from down the road. Ma always invites him. Maybe we can pick him up on the way for her."
Frank turns into Bob and breathes into his t-shirt. He really just wants to stay in bed for four days with Bob and their dog and their cat and talk about all those things Bob won't let him talk about when the lights are too bright in the living room and there's Halo to play.
"We can plan on staying over. Lindsey and Gerard are on the way home from your mom and you know Ray will need a ride out of there the next day." Bob pushes back from him to look at him seriously. "We don't have to dress up like church, do we?"
Frank laughs at him. "No, Bob. Jesus. Have you ever met my mother?"
At the sound of Frank's laugh, Peppers comes out from her nest under the bed and hops around until Bob rolls over and scoops her up, puts her on Frank's pillow. Frank can't find Fuzzy Slippers, but that's only because Bob is on top of him and he can't really see past him.
"Should I shave? Will your mom like me better?" Bob rubs his chin on Frank's cheek.
"Don't you dare. She has to love you just the way I do." Frank tries to laugh and breathe at the same time and pushes ineffectually at Bob's shoulder. Peppers hops onto his head like it's a game, and Frank catches a frizzy cat tail almost land in Bob's mouth out of the corner of his eye.
"We should probably get up, go to the store, then. Call your mother." Bob must be rubbing the cat's belly. Frank can hear her purring.
"Let's never move again." He reaches over his head to play with Peppers' ears.
"Yeah, that's a plan, too," Bob says low, next to him.
Frank tangles his feet with Bob's, closes his eyes, and shuts out the rest of the world.
==
"Am I putting names on scraps of paper and throwing them in the air or what?" Frank settles across Bob's legs and waits until he wakes up enough to answer him.
"Please don't throw things in the air. And get off me so I can move."
He scoots up, and Bob rolls them so he can use Frank as a pillow. Frank isn't quite as good a pillow as Bob; he moves around too much, but he's got the head scritching down. It always makes Bob squinch up his eyes.
"Okay. Why are we throwing things?" Bob asks him after a while.
"We are in demand, Bryar, me and you. We've been invited everywhere for Thanksgiving. Are we going home to Chicago? Your mother has called twice, by the way, or are we going to the Ways First Family Function As Smug Marrieds, or are we going to my mom's? Or stopping by Denny's with my dad? Or are we staying here and making those tiny pizzas you like and watching Charlie Brown all day?"
Bob lifts up to look at him for a long minute before putting his face back in Frank's chest. He starts mumbling and Frank knows he's not supposed to figure it out yet. He's supposed to be figuring out what he wants to do, but honestly, none of the options sound horrible, and Frank would be okay with any of them as long as they all went together.
"I don't want to go home." Bob says without looking at him. Frank doesn't ask. They've had this conversation before, and they will have to go home some time. Frank knows that Bob isn't embarrassed of him. He knows that. Bob completely settles him, and Frank knows it's the same for Bob. He's not worried.
"So we'll go home for Christmas. And then we'll knock Christmas, me, and your birthday out all in one go." Bob tightens his arm around Frank's waist but doesn't say anything.
Frank doesn't need him to. He thinks about how being with Bob is just sometimes so easy, how at first it was scary because it was too easy, and Frank knew it would fall apart. He blames that on Gerard. Being best friends with someone like Gerard doesn't prepare you for someone like Bob. Gerard jangles him up, makes him hurt really good most of the time. If Bob is hurting him, it's because he's been hurt. It's because Frank deserves it. Bob doesn't hurt him very often.
He moves down so he can look Bob in the face. "Hey."
Bob blinks twice at him and then keeps his eyes open. "Is your mom making that tofu bird thing for you?"
"We can take the pets. I don't want to leave them here in case we spend the night. You know how Ma is about driving home after midnight on a holiday. And yeah. It's a tofurkey."
Bob scrunches up his nose.
"You don't have to eat it. She'll make you lasagna." Frank runs his pinky finger over Bob's nose, unscrunches it.
"Mashed potatoes. And we have to put Peppers in her crate. And borrow that cat carrier from Mikey. Slippers hasn't been on a trip before. She won't claw up my damn truck." Bob's warning eyebrow looks ridiculous from their sideways position on the bed.
"She hates that crate and my mom's house isn't that far." Frank kicks Bob in the knee. He tries so hard sometimes to rile him up on purpose. And he's never sure why.
"But you won't keep her in that doggie seatbelt you bought, so. Crate it is. Is it just us with your mom? Should we bring something?" Bob pushes his hand through Frank's hair and holds the back of his head. Frank doesn't look away from Bob's eyes and the questions about going to see his dad after and how they plan on getting through the holidays without the usual people around.
Frank nods. He leans forward and kisses Bob thanks, small and slow. "Ma said if we stopped by to bring pie, whatever you'd like since she isn't sure. And I think Uncle Gio and Aunt Bette are coming. Maybe Marvin from down the road. Ma always invites him. Maybe we can pick him up on the way for her."
Frank turns into Bob and breathes into his t-shirt. He really just wants to stay in bed for four days with Bob and their dog and their cat and talk about all those things Bob won't let him talk about when the lights are too bright in the living room and there's Halo to play.
"We can plan on staying over. Lindsey and Gerard are on the way home from your mom and you know Ray will need a ride out of there the next day." Bob pushes back from him to look at him seriously. "We don't have to dress up like church, do we?"
Frank laughs at him. "No, Bob. Jesus. Have you ever met my mother?"
At the sound of Frank's laugh, Peppers comes out from her nest under the bed and hops around until Bob rolls over and scoops her up, puts her on Frank's pillow. Frank can't find Fuzzy Slippers, but that's only because Bob is on top of him and he can't really see past him.
"Should I shave? Will your mom like me better?" Bob rubs his chin on Frank's cheek.
"Don't you dare. She has to love you just the way I do." Frank tries to laugh and breathe at the same time and pushes ineffectually at Bob's shoulder. Peppers hops onto his head like it's a game, and Frank catches a frizzy cat tail almost land in Bob's mouth out of the corner of his eye.
"We should probably get up, go to the store, then. Call your mother." Bob must be rubbing the cat's belly. Frank can hear her purring.
"Let's never move again." He reaches over his head to play with Peppers' ears.
"Yeah, that's a plan, too," Bob says low, next to him.
Frank tangles his feet with Bob's, closes his eyes, and shuts out the rest of the world.