FicWad

Frank's POV.
3 months later.

Frank nervously ran his fingers through his already perfect hair, chewing on his lip in a nervous reflex he only just realised he had developed. Or maybe he had always done it, and only just realised? Or maybe he just feels like- okay, just shut up, Frank told his over active brain. I don't need you butting in on things. He sighed and checked his watch, staring at the door in anticipation. He felt as though everyone in the cafe was watching him as his leg twitched up and down under the table. He wondered again if he looked okay. Was the amount of time he spent in front of his mirror obvious? He hoped it wasn't- oh God, what if he had taken the whole meeting the wrong way and he was overly dressed up and he just looked stupid? The teenage girl inside of Frank was having a breakdown. Remembering he was in fact a man- and 20 something years old, at that- he settled down and watched the door over his mug of coffee. Just as he had calmed himself down suitably, the bell rang above the door and someone entered the cafe- Frank nearly dropped his coffee on the floor. It was Gerard, but he looked so- God, he looked AMAZING, Frank thought to himself. This, he supposed was Gerard before Frank met him-before he arrived at the institute. His hair was dyed a bright, shocking red, and trimmed out of the shoulder-length waves Frank had seen before. It was crazy and drastic and made Gerard appear slightly like a mad scientist - but Frank loved it. Gerard had lost his pallid skin tone, too- there was a slight wash of tan on his cheeks which were no longer hollow but slightly chubby and red from the fresh air. But the most important change were his eyes- they were no longer dull and tired but gleaming and full of life, smiling along with the rest of his face. He looked absolutely gorgeous. Frank grinned as Gerard spotted him and made his way towards the table, a steaming mug of coffee (which Frank hadn't noticed him order, oops) in his hands. He sat down across the table from Frank and smiled at him over his coffee. Both men spent a minute working out what to say, before Frank put his evident English skills to use with; 'Um. Wow, er you look.. you look really great.' He kicked himself mentally for that- way to go, Romeo. Gerard smiled back, a lopsided, comical little grin showing off his small teeth. 'Thank you. You do too.' Frank felt himself blush as he smiled back at Gerard. 'When did you do that?' He gestured vaguely at Gerard's hair. ''Bout a week ago,' the older man replied, playing with a strand he caught between his finger and his thumb. 'Is it too much?'
Frank grinned then. 'Nah. I love it.' Gerard smiled back at him, and the two sat in a slightly more comfortable silence. Then, 'So, how's the hospital?'
Frank was silent for a moment before answering. 'I left.'
He looked up to see Gerard with a slight frown on his face. 'When?'
'Last month,' Frank replied, running his fingers through his dark brown hair.
'And what inspired that?'
Frank shrugged. 'Just realised I hated it, I guess. Wasn't what I wanted to do with my life, and it wasn't making me happy. So I quit.' Frank smiled up and Gerard. 'I'm glad I did it though. Soon as I left I got in touch with my friend Bob in Chicago. He works as a music tech guy, yano? He said hes gonna try his best to find me a job of some sort, in the music industry. Said he 'knows people''. Frank smiled to himself as he remembered how happy his blonde friend had sounded on the phone when he told him he'd quit his job at the hospital. Bob always knew Frank was unhappy there.
'Thats great Frank!' Gerard said grinning. 'Wow, what other drastic changes have you underwent?' Frank giggled slightly, and replied 'Nothing major... although,' he added as an afterthought, pulling off his jacket and displaying his recently tattood arm. Frank watched Gerard's mouth fall open at the sight of the brightly coloured Virgin Mary on his forearm. He reached out a long, spidery, artists finger to trace the design on Frank's arm, causing a pleasant shiver to run down Frank's back. 'When did you get this?'
'Couple of weeks ago. You like?'
'I LOVE,' said Gerard vehemently, grinning at the younger man. 'Wish I wasn't so afraid of needles, tattoos are amazing.' Frank smiled back at him, and another silence fell upon them. This time, Frank broke it. 'Look, Gerard, about the day you left-'
Gerard raised a pale hand as if to silence him. 'You don't have to apologise.'
'No,' said Frank, 'but I want to. I did come to say goodbye, honest I did, but it took me so long to work up the courage to tell you how I actually felt, yano? I'm so bad with that kinda thing, its ironic I suppose given what I used to work as, but I just didnt know how to tell you and I was so afraid to say it and I-'
Frank was cut short as Gerard leaned over the table and placed a sweet, chaste kiss on his lips. Sitting back in his chair, he smiled his lopsided smile and said, 'I forgive you.'
Frank relaxed after that, and the pair spend another hour and half in the cafe, Gerard showing Frank his comic books designs as he promised he would- ('Her there, yeah, she's my favourite', 'I'm not too sure how its gonna end yet but I think I have a few ideas, yano,') and Frank ooh'd and aah'd suitably over each of them. Gerard's drawings were amazing, and Frank could tell just how enthusiastic Gerard was about his art- his eyes sparkled as he described each and every one of his characters as though he knew them personally. Frank supposed, in a way, he must feel like he did. As Frank walked Gerard back to his appartment that night, Gerard chatting away about his mother, his father, his younger brother; how much better he felt on his new medication; how he planned to go to art school; Frank felt his chest swell with pride. And as Frank kissed him goodbye on his doorstep in the rain, a slow warm kiss that said a thousand things he would never be able to, and a promise to call him the next day, Frank felt he had never been so happy in his life.