FicWad

"Bye, darling." Gerard Way's three-year fiancée kissed his cheek hurriedly and watched as Gerard clambered out of the car door, slamming it behind him and then turning with a concerned look to see if he'd shut it too hard. But the woman was driving off, and he began to make his way across the street, head down to shelter him from the heavy rain. He wasn't sure exactly where he was going - but he knew there was only one tattoo parlor in the area, and they were generally pretty obvious buildings.
He was right - a few minutes later he reached 'TOMMO'S TATTOO'S,' a surprisingly classy tattoo studio in comparison to some he'd seen before. He stepped inside, a garish bell ringing out awkwardly in the silent, still shop.
"Ah!" somebody sprang out before Gerard and he leapt back in fright, jumping right out of the shop again.
"Surprise!" the man said, giggling. "You've only been here half a second and I've already scared you out."
Gerard looked through the doorway at his attacker, and saw a walking, talking tattoo. Well, maybe that was a slight exaggeration, it could be worse - but he had a scorpion crawling up his neck, and his arms and hands were just coated in the stuff. He wasn't a bad looking guy, Gerard thought, but as his girlfriend would say - he'd totally ruined any potential he'd ever had.
"I'm Gerard." he spoke, attempting to formalise the situation and enter the shop again. "I'm new today, is your manager here?"
Frank burst into excited, bitter laughter. "No, idiot, boss's never here. Well, he turns up some Tuesdays and maybe some afternoons when he 'gets in the mood.' It's only his own fucking shop, Tommo's Tattoo's, why should he do any work?" Frank shook his head, obviously permanently angry: it was a rant he'd probably been through many times before.
"So...are you gonna show me through everything, Mr...?" Gerard prompted after a few seconds' silence. He didn't like the idea of spending the whole day with this guy, so he was pretty certain working would be the only way he could get through this.
"Iero. Frank Iero.' he paused, looking him up and down sceptically. "Man, do you even like tattoos? Why're you here?"
Gerard shrugged. He didn't really know - he'd needed money and it was the only job he could find. His girlfriend wasn't happy; she totally disapproved of body art. In any form. But he'd had experience in it before, right after college - not that he'd ever tell her that, she thought he was starting fresh - but it'd do to keep him going for a while.
"Need the money." Simple, withdrawn, explanatory.
"God, no...you've gotta be passionate about this shit, you've gotta believe in it, or your tattoos are just...empty." he sighed, looking extremely sorry for Gerard, which just wound Gerard up.
"It's just a picture and a needle. I don't need anything except my steady hands and concentration."
Frank giggled, passing him a pen. "Bet that's what you say to all the guys."
Gerard rolled his eyes dismissively. "Don't swing that way. What's the pen for?"
"This form, you've gotta fill it - oh, sure you do, don't deny that from me! My gaydar's the best motherfucker in town. What is it, your boyfriend worried that hot little Frank Iero will hit on his lover?" he laughed, a little over the top, obviously finding himself highly amusing. Gerard, on the other hand, found himself going red and heating up, embarrassed.
"No, you dickhead, that kind of thought hasn't even crossed my girlfriend's mind. Fianceé, actually." he turned away, using the form as an excuse to avoid Frank's piercing eyes. Why did this guy think he was gay? Did he give off that kind of...impression?
"Aha! There's a wife in the equation! Gosh, this is exciting. And you better not be fucking homophobic or I can show you straight to the exit. Or alternatively, I can show your face the floor."
Gerard sighed heavily: this guy was such a fucking idiot. "Am I gonna have to spend every day here with you?"
"Yep!" Frank grinned, obviously enjoying the torture. "And I'm gonna get this closet open if it's the last thing I do."
Later that day Frank had decided that Gerard wasn't trustworthy enough to work on the inking for a long time yet, so he'd spent the day 'shadowing' him, basically watching how Frank interacted with the customers (a lot more personally than Gerard would ever have considered) and the way in which the tattooing process worked, 'in case he'd forgotten.' It also involved a lot of Frank winking at Gerard and then falling about laughing when Gerard went red by way of response. At about half three the door rang, and the manager turned up; obviously something Frank hadn't been expecting.
"Tommo!" he said, attempting to hide his shock as the man well over 6ft hunched under the door frame and into the shop. He had a surprisingly high pitched voice for such a massive man, and Gerard had to stifle the urge to giggle, despite the level of annoyance that was running through his veins at the idiot that was Frank.
"Hey, you're Gerard, right? Gerard Way. Nice to finally meet you." The manager stretched out his hand; definitely a more polite greeting than Frank's, Gerard thought. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it today, we'll go through your requirements and everything tomorrow, if that's alright? You get off at half 5 today. Has Frank been showing you around fine?" He smiled intimidatingly at Gerard, who nodded, sniffing awkwardly.
"Yeah...it's been fine."
He was much too much of a coward to face an Angry Frank, or witness an Angry Manager, but when he saw Frank's face sneering at him in the background he wished he'd said that he'd been a complete idiotic bastard. He didn't say that, of course, but he continued to 'exchange pleasantries' with the manager until he exclaimed loudly that he had to leave due to 'personal business.' He left the shop again, and it was suddenly silent now that the man's massive presence had left the room empty.
Frank suddenly made a squarking noise, a chicken noise.
"Cooooowaaaaard." he grinned. "Why didn't you tell him that I'm winding you the fuck up? He knows I am anyway. I wind everyone up. It's who I am."
At that moment a young girl walked in with ridiculously big hair and and excessive enlargement surgery. Frank bit his lip and sidled over to her. "What can I do for you today?" he asked, his voice suddenly lowered an octave or two.
Gerard screwed up his eyes, confused - he'd thought Frank was gay himself. In fact, he'd been certain of it. If the eyeliner and hair wasn't enough, it was the way he spoke and the way he moved and the way he'd flirted with Gerard all day - wasn't that a bit of a giveaway?
But here he was, throwing himself all over some cheap plastic woman. For some reason Gerard felt like he didn't want to watch, so he turned away and waited for them move into another room, or for the woman to leave. Neither happened before his girlfriend turned up, knocking hurriedly at the door like a parent collecting a child. It was almost embarrassing to Gerard, but he assured himself that it was all part the relationship, and that she was just being considerate.
"Frank, I'm going now." he said casually, off-handedly, as he picked up his bag and opened the door to his pristine fianceé. "Hey, honey." he said, smiling.
"Bye Gerard, baby!" Frank called. Gerard spun round and hit Frank with a pleading look, mentally asking him not to do anything stupid, which only made Frank giggle even harder. "Don't give me that look, Way, I have actual puppies for that wide-eyed thing. See you tomorrow. And can you wear some jeans tomorrow please? Preferably tight ones. That's the dress code from now on. You better fucking stick to it." he grinned and bit his lip, twirling the woman's hair between his fingers and keeping his eyes glued to Gerard.
His girlfriend peered round the door, scrutinizing, and took big long look at Frank.
"Oh hey Mrs. Way. Wow, that rhymes! I really like your husband, I think he's gonna be great here. Veeeeery useful." he said, tapping his nose knowledgeably.
"I'm not...we're not, Frank, I'm not her husband." Gerard was obviously flustered, and his words weren't coming out properly.
"Yet." his wife said, sharply. It could've come out as a joke or something affectionate, but it didn't, and suddenly the room was silent and awkward. Gerard smiled, trying to ease the tension. "Not yet, honey, but soon!" he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the door, muttering a quick 'bye' to Frank and the woman who was still there, obviously the odd one out in the situation, sat there awkwardly. Seductively. Seducing Frank. Gerard didn't particularly want that to happen.
No, wait, he just didn't care.

A few seconds later and he was in the car with his girlfriend again.
"Who was that man?" she asked.
"Oh, he's just...his name's Frank Iero, he works at the tattoo place with me. He looks like a walking tatto-"
"Exactly what I was thinking. Glad you haven't lost your perspective already, Gee." she smiled, and Gerard took her hand again, squeezing it. "I won't, I promise." he said. "I've never liked tattoos like that."
"And I'll never like that man." she replied. "He thinks he's much too good, and he er, obviously seems to like you, Gerard."
"Oh no, you should've seen him with that woman, he was all over her." It felt weird saying that. Kind of like lying...but it wasn't really. It was just not telling the entire truth.
"Well. Just be careful around him, okay? I don't think I trust him."
Gerard nodded. "I will." he said submissively... just so she'd be quiet about it.

-

The next morning Gerard walked into work in the weak sunlight, pleased that the rain was calming down but annoyed at the prospect of being poked and probed by an intriguingly irritating Frank Iero all day. No, not intriguingly, just damn annoying. Right.
"Surprise Gerard! Wait, no, I bet you expected that. Too fucking smart." he said, when Gerard didn't jump back in shock. "How did your wife react when you got home last night then? Does she like me? Does she fucking like me? I want to know. Tell me everything." He jumped on the closest stool and leaned forwards - Gerard honestly couldn't tell whether he was taking the piss, because he looked so incredibly camp.
"She thinks you're alright." Gerard shrugged, backing out of the truth, knowing it would cause less reaction in Frank if he lied.
"Liar!" he pointed, giggling, and then dropped his voice a little. "Stop covering everything up. She doesn't like me, does she, she thinks I'm gonna steal you from her. Well, don't worry about that, I don't want any of silly little Gerard, I'm not gonna take any of her wondrous Gerard cake and eat it for myself. She doesn't like me though, does she, she thinks my tattoos are ugly and wrong and that I'm gonna have a bad influence on vulnerable little baby Gee!"
"No, that's not what she thi- well, yes it is. She thinks your tattoos are disgusting, which they are. She's my fucking girlfriend, stop talking shit about her, you don't know anything." Gerard found his feet, and stood solid.
"Then tell her to stop judging me because I've got a bit of shit drawn on my body. She judges, I judge, that's how it works. Honestly, society these days..." Frank shook his head disapprovingly.
"Shut up." Gerard said. "Shut up. Can we just get on with it? I want this day to be over already."
"Oooh, someone's standing up for themselves." Frank smirked, but he didn't say anything else. Maybe he was being kind, or maybe he was saving it up for later: most likely the latter, Gerard thought.

~so if you've actually read it, rate and review and I will be so so so so so unbearably grateful. :)