FicWad

Hey guys, just a quick note to apologise for taking so long with this chapter. I thought I'd posted it last week but had actually forgot to finish the chapter. Oops. I've had a pretty bad week so my head was not as straight as it could have been, but all is well now.
In other news please check out this fanart Liva made for me - it's incredible beautiful and absolutely made my whole life. I could gush over it for ages but you'll see for yourselves how wonderful it is http://livawhatever.deviantart.com/art/feels-like-drowning-370861329
And with that enjoy the chapter!
xo


“So, where do you want to start?” Gerard looked at Frank with a warm smile, stood with him outside the apartment block in the bright sunshine of another summer’s day. All evidence of there ever being a storm had vanished, the town once again baking in the heat. Summer storms were not uncommon here, but the one that had brought Frank to the town would probably be the last of the summer.

“I… Where do you think would be best?” Frank asked back, gazing around in quiet amazement through the sunglasses Gerard had lent him. Due to the hot weather Gerard had given him a pair of cut-off jeans to wear, the material ending at his knee. Frank quite liked the feeling of having his legs exposed, and the sun pouring over them made him feel warm and happy. He almost didn’t want to look for Jamia in favour of just sitting somewhere and watching the humans walk about.

Gerard shrugged in response to Frank’s question and looked about for a moment, as if the answer would suddenly appear before him. “Well…” He said slowly, running a hand through his hair. “I guess we could start at the harbour since that’s where I found you.” He offered, though he wasn’t sure what he expected to find there.

Frank nodded and agreed without question since he had no better ideas himself, smiling as he followed Gerard across the street and then down the road. He chatted to the older man brightly, but kept at least one step behind him at all times so that he could watch the way his body moved as he walked. Frank found the movement of his legs fascinating, though he couldn’t stare too long before he became conscious of his own walking method and would begin to feel like he was stumbling. When that happened he would gladly move his gaze to Gerard’s backside instead, enjoying watching that even more. Frank wasn’t even sure what it was that made him like it so much… but he really did.

Every now and then Gerard would glance over his shoulder at Frank and smirk when he’d catch him looking. He tried not to make it clear that he was aware of Frank’s gaze, not wanting to make the younger man shy away from doing it. Gerard found it flattering that Frank wanted to watch him, though he tried not to get his hopes up over what it might mean.

“Since it’s a nice day we could have lunch out if you wanted.” He suggested as they walked towards the harbour. “It might be nice to sit outside somewhere.” He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but he really hoped Frank would say yes. He knew it was important they found his friend or at least made sure she was safe, but Gerard really wanted to spend more time getting to know Frank; The sun was shining and it truly was a beautiful day, Gerard just wanted to spend at least a little of it relaxing with the strange man that had appeared in his life.

“Sit outside somewhere?” Frank repeated, grinning widely at Gerard when he paused to look at him. “I’d really like that!” He beamed, his enthusiasm all too clear. Gerard couldn’t help but grin back at him, thrilled to see that Frank had liked his suggestion and his heart gave a small flutter in his chest.

“Great. I’ll take you to lunch later then.” He grinned, adding a flirtatious wink that made his heart race but Frank only continued smiling warmly at him, clearly oblivious to the flirting. Gerard sighed but smiled softly, gesturing for Frank to come and walk beside him as they carried on their way.

He was still trying to get used to the younger man, not entirely sure what he understood and what he didn’t. But he could tell Frank was trying to get used to everything too. Though he chattered away casually Gerard was not oblivious to the way he gazed around with great interest, taking everything in as if he had never really seen any of it before. Gerard wished he knew where he had come from, if Frank would just tell him a little more about his past maybe he’d have a better idea of how to help him.

The walk to the harbour wasn’t long, Gerard had deliberately made sure he lived close to it when he had been looking for an apartment to rent. He loved the sea and he had the same romantic notion of most people who lived inland, that moving to the coast would somehow make him feel more inspired. Although it hadn’t exactly worked at first, he was feeling much more inspired since his painting session with Frank, and he didn’t regret his move to the coast one bit. Even if it hadn’t proved to be the muse he had hoped it would, it was still incredibly beautiful and walking along the harbour always made him feel better even if it didn’t give him any inspiration.

Frank stepped closer to Gerard as they started to walk along the harbour path, the area busy and full of people already. The sunny day had brought everyone flocking to the sea front and Frank stared about in amazement and intrigue at the many men who wandered around shirtless, and the women who wore nothing but shorts and bikini tops, leaving most of their flesh exposed.

The harbour was alive with noise and energy, through the crowds children darted about, laughing and screaming as they played. Frank had never seen anything like it. The town he lived in was small, merpeople didn’t live in high populations like humans did and seeing so many people was making Frank both nervous and excited.

Gerard glanced at the younger man and smiled, gently placing his arm around his waist to keep him close when he sensed some tension. He wasn’t a huge fan of crowds either, but he had expected the harbour to be busy on such a bright day. Frank relaxed into his hold, smiling gratefully at him and tucking himself closer to his side as they moved slowly through the throngs of people along the harbour wall.

Gerard gazed about attentively, looking for anything that might help him find Frank’s friend. He doubted they’d have much luck on such a busy day though, the only way they could find her here is if she showed up and Frank spotted her, but Gerard didn’t know how likely that was.

“Do you remember where exactly you lost your friend?” Gerard asked Frank gently, the younger man also staring around with an intent gaze.

“Mm… Over here.” Frank took hold of Gerard’s hand and began to lead him through the crowds of people, gazing around all the while. Gerard followed obediently, mostly watching Frank as he hurried alongside the harbour wall.

“We were just out there.” Frank stopped suddenly and turned to point out into the harbour, indicating a spot near a boat which he remembered being close to just before the storm became too much and he was thrown inland. “She could have gone anywhere, the waves were huge.” He sighed, placing his hands on the wall and leaning over to gaze at the green water below. His brow furrowed as worry hit him; being here and remembering the storm was making him fear even more for Jamia. He wished he could know that she was okay.

“Well, I found you just over there.” Gerard turned and pointed a little further up the path where a concrete bench was stood, it had people sitting on it then but when Gerard had come to the harbour the morning he had found Frank there had been no one else around to see his naked body beneath the concrete. “If Jamia was thrown out of the water too then she wouldn’t have been too far, but she would have been found by someone by now of course.”

“Of course.” Frank nodded his agreement, still staring down into the water. It was becoming increasingly obvious that they had no chance of finding Jamia here. She wouldn’t still be on the harbour three days after the storm. “What should we do?”

Gerard turned to look at Frank then, watching him lean over the wall and wondering himself what their next step should be. He didn’t have any idea of where Jamia could be or how to find her, their only hope was to file a missing persons report and get the word spread around so everyone could look for her, but Gerard knew Frank didn’t want to get the police involved.

“I can’t lie to you Frank, I really don’t know what we should do.” Gerard sighed honestly, looking sadly at Frank as he slid down from the wall and turned to face Gerard. He didn’t look surprised to hear that the older man was as lost as he was, but his expression was still saddened.

“I can’t give up on her…” He said slowly, bowing his head and staring down at his new, human feet. “I have to find her and make sure she’s okay.”

“I understand.” Gerard said softly, stepping closer to Frank and gently touching his shoulder. He wished he could comfort him somehow, he wished he was better at knowing what to do. He was worried about Jamia too, he didn’t like to think that anyone had drowned in the storm, but he was beginning to wonder if that was what had happened.

“Look,” He sighed, forcing a smile and tilting Frank’s face up to look at him. “We won’t give up okay? We haven’t even been out an hour, we can’t lose hope just because we didn’t find her in the first place we looked. I mean, we knew she wouldn’t be here really, didn’t we?”

Frank gazed at Gerard for a moment before he smiled, relaxing slightly and giving a small nod. Gerard spoke sense, and hearing him say that they would keep looking did make Frank feel better. At least he didn’t have to do this on his own, at least he had a friend. He hoped that Jamia was safe, and that perhaps she had met someone just as friendly too.

“I guess…” Frank sighed, smiling softly and tiptoeing up to hug Gerard quickly. He didn’t know why but it just felt like the right thing to do. When Gerard wrapped his arms around his waist in return and squeezed gently it just further confirmed in Frank’s mind that it had been a good move and he sank against the older man’s chest with a contented sigh. Gerard’s arms felt good around him, firm and warm and secure. Frank had never felt better.

“Thank you Gerard…”

“Hey, don’t thank me yet.” Gerard chuckled quietly, smiling as he squeezed Frank for a second before letting him go. “Thank me when we’ve found your friend okay?”

“Okay.” Frank grinned, taking hold of Gerard’s hand again as they turned to keep walking. All they could do was search the town around the harbour and hope that some news would appear that would help them find Jamia.

*

Jamia kept close to Bob as they left the police station, tears still in her eyes and her hands still shaking. She was being swamped by an over large police gym shirt, Bob in a matching one along with a pair of shorts each that the cops had lent them. Jamia didn’t think she had ever been so afraid in her life, and as they stepped out into the bright sunlight she wanted nothing more than to be back in the ocean.

She and Bob had left the water in the dead of the night, creeping up onto the shore and waiting for their legs to appear before sneaking onto the harbour wall together. Jamia had been clinging to Bob’s arm to keep upright, unused to human legs and feeling sick with nerves at the whole strange situation. They had been looking for a place to go where they might find some clothes and a place to stay for the night when the police car had appeared at the side of the road and they’d been taken to the station.

Jamia knew that humans didn’t walk around naked, as did Bob, but they hadn’t had much choice. She certainly hadn’t known it was illegal and she had been incredibly frightened as they were arrested and taken to the station.

The police had been kind to them, but it had done nothing to stem Jamia’s anxiety. They had wrapped them in blankets until they could find clothes for them, and then had kept them over night in separate cells. It was only thanks to Bob that they had been released that morning. They had been charged with indecent exposure but when it had come to filling out the forms and they had been unable to offer any information other than their names it was only by Bob telling them that they were homeless that they had avoided some serious questioning.

The police had given them hot drinks and food that morning before handing them an address for a homeless shelter and then sending them on their way. Bob had tucked the piece of paper with the address on into one of his pockets, telling Jamia it might come in useful later on if they ended up stuck for a place to sleep.

Jamia didn’t really want to go anywhere where it might mean interacting with more humans. She had already decided she disliked the creatures, and she hated being one even more. She couldn’t get used to her legs and she kept tripping and stumbling whenever Bob walked too fast. The sunlight was too bright and the buildings too large. She felt heavy and clumsy and every little thing terrified her… the human world was lively and noisy and she didn’t like it.

“Oh Bob…” She sighed, stepping closer to him and clinging to his arm with tears in her eyes. “I hope Frank is okay. What a horrible place this is.” She whimpered, shying away from any person they passed.

Bob sighed and nodded, patting Jamia’s hand in what he hoped was a reassuring manner though mostly he wasn’t listening. He had come to the human world to mate as all merpeople did, but he hadn’t ventured on land like this before. He was nervous himself but he wasn’t as afraid as Jamia. He understood that all they had to do was adapt and try to act like the humans did and they’d be fine. Their main problem at that moment though was knowing where to start looking for Frank.

“I can’t stand this.” Jamia continued to complain, her grip on Bob’s arm tight. “I don’t understand anything that’s going on.”

“Just ignore it then.” Bob snapped, stopping and frowning at Jamia. He didn’t mean to get angry at her, but he had had no sleep that night and he was nervous about how they were supposed to find Frank. He was worried about him and he didn’t want to have to be worrying about Jamia too. “You said you wanted to come with me and here we are, we’re looking for Frank so just concentrate on that and stop worrying.”

Jamia looked at Bob in quiet surprise, her eyebrows raised and tears building in her eyes. She could understand why he had snapped but she still slowly released his arm and stepped back to give him some space. She hadn’t meant to anger him, she hadn’t realised how much she had been whining and she sighed as she bowed her head.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered meekly, staring down at her feet and just wishing she was back in the ocean. “I just… I’m just really scared for Frank.”

Bob sighed and felt a stirring of guilt in his chest. He hesitated a moment before gently taking Jamia’s arm and hooking it around his own again. He hadn’t meant to upset her, he supposed being on land was just making them both act out of character.

“It’s fine… I’m sorry too.” He said gently, forcing a smile and trying to relax. “We’ll find him okay? I’m sure of it.” Bob tried to sound like he meant it, though deep down he wasn’t even sure that Frank was here let alone that they would find him if he was. But he had to be positive for both their sakes.

Jamia smiled warmly and nodded, feeling better at Bob’s words and she squeezed his arm gently. “Let’s get searching for him then.” She suggested, Bob forcing a smile as he nodded too and they began to continue walking down the street. It was clear the only thing they could do was roam about the area and hope they would see something that would take them to Frank.

*

Frank sighed as he sat down with Gerard at a small, round table and turned his gaze to the harbour to stare out at the sea.

The two men had spent the morning walking around town searching anywhere there might be a sign of Jamia’s whereabouts. They had been to the local hospital and a few cheap motels. They had considered the police station but Frank had shook his head at the idea when Gerard had reminded him would mean having to get the police involved. They had walked down every street and asked around the pubs near the harbour but no one could help them.

They had now stopped for lunch as Gerard had promised they would. He had taken Frank back to the harbour to sit outside a traditional tavern style pub restaurant with homemade food and an outdoor seating area that looked out at the boats. The sky was still cloudless and the day should have been something really special, but Gerard couldn’t relax when he could see Frank was growing increasingly more worried throughout the day.

“Hey…” He forced a smile and gently touched Frank’s hand after they had ordered their food and were left with their drinks. “We’re gonna find her okay?” He promised him softly, Frank forcing a smile as he nodded though it was clear he was starting to lose hope.

Frank looked at Gerard’s handsome face for a long moment before simply sighing and turning his face away to look out over the boats instead. He moved his hand out from beneath Gerard’s and idly stirred the ice cubes in his glass with his straw. He had never seen ice cubes before, but he wasn’t interested in them when he was so worried for Jamia.

As he stared out over the ocean he wondered if she had somehow made it back to the town and was actually perfectly safe. He wished he had some way of knowing. He was discovering more and more about the humans as time passed and had found out about telephones and cell phones. He wished the merpeople had something like that, how useful it would be to be able to simply dial a number and have Jamia speaking to him, telling him if she was alright.

Gerard sighed as he watched Frank staring at the sea and felt his heart twist in sadness. He wished he could be more helpful but there was nothing more he could do. He had promised they would carry on searching after lunch but if they didn’t go to the police then Gerard doubted they would ever find the lost woman.

He slid his hand away from where it was still resting next to Frank’s, sensing that the younger man just wanted to be alone with his thoughts right then. Gerard was glad that he had decided to pick up a newspaper on their travels. He had wondered if it might help them and he decided to read it whilst they waited for their food so that the silence didn’t feel so awkward.

Gerard skipped past the first few pages, blushing slightly as he flicked the page over with the page three girl on and hoped no one had seen it. He had picked a paper that would be more gossip than actual news stories in the hope it would have some kind of article on a woman seen wandering around lost or something. He wasn’t expecting to find much, if anything at all, and he mostly just skimmed through each page so that he would look like he was doing something.

After only a few minutes though Gerard turned the page and immediately his gaze was drawn to a blurry, camera photo of a naked couple strolling down the harbour. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and leant closer, trying to make out the couple more clearly. It was obviously a man and a woman, but the resolution was so bad not much could be seen other than the fact they were wearing no clothes whatsoever and that it was night time.

Gerard’s heart began to race as he looked to the caption beneath it. The story was small, only a small column down the side of the page but Gerard read it extra slowly, digesting each word carefully before he gasped.

“Frankie! Frank listen to this!” He hissed, Frank glanced at him in confusion before turning properly as Gerard spread the paper out on the table and indicated the photograph. “Do you think this could be your friend?” Gerard asked, looking anxiously at Frank’s face as he leant close and squinted at the picture. Gerard wasn’t sure if Frank knew how to read or not so he read the article for him.

“Look, it says: At roughly midnight last night a naked couple were seen walking the length of the harbour at Southport. The man and woman, as yet unnamed, were witnessed by a taxi driver on the way home of his last shift. The driver, Mr Graybell, took this picture on his camera phone and alerted the police. As of yet all that is known is that the police came to the sight and arrested the couple but have released no statement.”

Gerard looked at Frank with hope in his eyes, wondering if this could be the lead they needed. Frank had been naked the night Gerard found him too, maybe his friend had gone swimming again with a different man and had been caught this time.

Frank stared at the grainy photograph, biting his lip gently. His heart was pounding as he took in the picture, certain that it was Jamia though he was unable to make out her facial features. It was difficult to be certain when she had legs, and he hadn’t been expecting to see her with another man.

“I…” Frank hesitated before slowly laying his hand across the bottom of the picture in order to cover up the legs of the couple. As soon as he had he was sure that he was right. “I think it’s her.” He breathed, hope igniting in him. “I think she’s with Bob.”

“Bob?” Gerard repeated, looking at the man in the photo, his legs still covered by Frank’s hand though Gerard didn’t see what covering their legs would do. “The guy?”

“Yeah… He’s a friend.” Frank nodded, smiling as he continued to stare at the photo and felt more and more certain the longer he looked. “It is… It’s definitely them.” He insisted, happiness clear in his voice and Gerard grinned, relief pouring through him.

“Really?” He beamed, Frank nodding as he slid his hand off the paper and looked to Gerard with a wide grin. “Well… Thank God, at least we know they’re not hurt.” Gerard sighed happily, picking up the paper and closing it. “All we’ll need to do now is go to the police and say that we know them and ask where they are and that’s it.”

“Yeah?” Frank smiled softly, though a tinge of worry started to cloud his happiness. “Well I… Now we know they’re okay I guess we don’t have to do that.” He said softly, blushing when Gerard looked at him in confusion.

Frank had been worried for Jamia because he hadn’t known where she was or if she was hurt or safe or who she was with… Now he knew that she was unhurt and with Bob no less he no longer had any reason to worry about her. It was clear the only reason they were on land was to look for him, and though Frank felt guilty about making them worry he didn’t want them to find him. They would want to make him return to the ocean straight away and he wanted to spend more time with Gerard first.

“You don’t want to go look for them?” Gerard asked in response to Frank’s words, his eyes full of shock. “But… But Frank we can be with them by the end of the day if we go to the police straight after lunch. It’s really no trouble I don’t mind at all I –”

“Thank you but…” Frank cut Gerard off before falling quiet himself, not quite sure what to say to make it seem acceptable that he was abandoning his friends. “I just… Now I know they’re okay I don’t have to worry about them.” He explained quietly, looking to Gerard with a small smile. “And if I do see them, they’ll want me to go home with them right away and I… I don’t want to go home yet.”

Frank whispered the words so quietly that at first Gerard wasn’t sure he had heard him right. He looked at him with a small confused smile for a moment, biting his lip as he let that sink in. He still wished that he knew where home was for Frank exactly, but he knew that even if he asked Frank wouldn’t tell him.

“I… I see.” Gerard said slowly, biting his lip as he gazed into Frank’s hazel eyes and felt his insides melting. It was ridiculous and cliché to feel like he was falling for a man he hardly knew, but if Frank wanted to stay with him a while then he certainly wasn’t going to complain. “So you… You want to um… You wanna stay with me for a bit?” He asked quietly, hoping he had interpreted Frank’s meaning correctly.

Frank smiled warmly at Gerard and nodded, his heart missing a beat though he wasn’t sure why. “If you don’t mind…” He said softly, not wanting to intrude or take advantage of Gerard’s hospitality at all. But he had been under the impression that Gerard wanted him to stay too. “I’d like to get to know you more and… Maybe I can help you paint some more.”

Gerard’s eyes lit up as he smiled warmly, nodding and feeling just completely… seduced. He had never felt like this around anyone before and he wasn’t sure how it could be happening now; but he did know that he wanted Frank to stay.

“I would like that.” He nodded, his voice dropping to a soft whisper. “I’d really like that…”

Frank grinned and nodded, going to say that he would like it too when they were interrupted by the waitress bringing their food. Frank blushed but smiled warmly, thanking her softly when Gerard did before he turned his eyes onto the plate of food in front of him. His eyes widened at the amount and his mouth watered at the delicious, new smells. He had read the menu but hadn’t really known what any of the food was except for all the types of fish they sold. He hadn’t been sure he wanted to eat fish though… Merpeople did, they hunted for food just like humans used to, but Frank had never eaten fish cooked before…

In the end Gerard had ordered for him when he had seen him struggling, getting him the same thing he had – A ‘veggie’ burger. Frank had been utterly confused to what that was, but from reading the description he understood that it was meatless. He had heard about vegetarians before and wondered if Gerard was one. He didn’t really know what a meat burger looked like though so as far as he was concerned the concoction that had been placed in front of him looked nothing short of majestic.

“You want any salt and vinegar?” Gerard asked, smirking when he saw Frank staring in amazement at his plate. Gerard couldn’t understand how Frank was so oblivious to every day food, but he could tell that the younger man was a little embarrassed about it so he didn’t point it out.

Frank looked at Gerard at the question, glancing at the items he was offering him. Frank knew what salt was alright, and he immediately took it. Maybe it would make his food taste more like the sea. He wasn’t so sure about vinegar but he had seen Gerard shaking it over his chips so he did the same. He just wanted to be normal, and the only way he knew how to be normal was by copying Gerard.

The scent of the vinegar was a shock to Frank and he almost choked at the sharp fumes that rose into his nostrils. He wrinkled his nose up and quickly put the bottle down back into the centre of the table where Gerard had picked it up from, pretending to be fine as he gingerly picked up a chip and looked at it.

Beside him Gerard was trying not to stare as he began eating his own food. Frank glanced at him and then looked away quickly, blushing fiercely when he realised Gerard was watching him. He could feel that the food was hot, burning his fingers as he held it and so he acted like Gerard and blew over it first before taking a small bite.

At first Frank wasn’t sure he liked it. The vinegar was sharp on his tongue and it made him wince, but as he chewed and the salt and the potato mixed with it he was introduced to the crunchy then fluffy texture of good homemade chips. He sighed in delight and smiled slowly, stuffing the rest of the chip into his mouth once he had swallowed the first bite and picking up another ready for round two.

Gerard couldn’t help but laugh a little at Frank’s changing expressions and he smirked as he watched him. “Good?” He asked, Frank meeting his gaze and nodding eagerly.

“Mhmm… You humans have really good food.” He beamed, turning back to his plate to continue eagerly eating his chips one by one as Gerard continued to stare at him.

Gerard’s smile had faded quickly and as he stared at Frank his face was a picture of confusion. He knew that Frank might have just had a weird vocabulary error or something, or maybe he had been trying to be ironic. But he had been speaking English as fluently as any other person in the town up until then and he had seemed to be deadly serious when he had used the term ‘humans’.

Gerard frowned slightly as he tried to ignore what he had heard and carry on eating his own food, but though he chewed through his meal automatically he couldn’t stop replaying Frank’s words through his head… He had sounded almost as if he had meant he wasn’t a human himself, but that was just so ludicrous it would be ridiculous for Gerard to consider something like that.

But… wouldn’t it explain a lot? Wouldn’t it explain why Frank didn’t know about any food or what wine or coffee were, or why he had never painted before and why he had been found with no clothes and why he wouldn’t say where he was from… Gerard knew that he was something of a comic book nerd and that he had always let his imagination run away with him ever since he had been a child but Frank being something other than human just made sense.

Gerard idly picked up his burger and took a bite out of it, noticing how Frank waited to see how he ate it before he took picked it up with his hands and began to eat his own. He looked like he was in seventh heaven and he ‘mmm’d with every bite, gazing out over the ocean with a soft smile on his face. He looked content and happy and Gerard just couldn’t stop staring at him.

He knew he was probably reading way too much into what Frank had said and that he should just forget it as a freak occurrence. But… What if… Just what if… Frank was an alien.

As soon as the thought had entered Gerard’s head he couldn’t banish it away again. It just made perfect sense and he almost dropped his burger in shock as he gazed at his younger companion. Maybe Frank wasn’t from around here… Maybe he wasn’t from Earth at all… Gerard had been heavily into sci-fi in his teen years and admittedly he had imagined countless times about what it would be like if aliens came to Earth… and okay admittedly he had had a few moments when he was young and horny and friendless when he had fantasised about seductive, incredibly attractive men coming down from space eager to learn all about humans and their ways… how they would go to Gerard for help and would end up falling for him and they would have kinky alien sex for days on end…

What if Frank was such an alien? He was incredibly attractive, and Gerard did feel a little seduced by him…

Gerard didn’t realise he had stopped eating until Frank turned his gorgeous, honey eyes on him and raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“Um… Are you okay?” He giggled, blushing at how Gerard was just staring at him, half eaten burger still in his hands. He looked as though he had just had an epiphany or something and when Frank spoke he jumped and blushed before smiling quickly and nodding.

“Yeah! Yeah I’m fine.” He quickly grinned, going back to his food quickly as Frank raised an eyebrow at him. The younger man got the distinct impression that Gerard was having something of a ‘moment’ and he politely looked away and finished off his meal in case having a nervous breakdown was a common human occurrence.

Once both men had finished eating and the bill had been paid for Gerard offered to take Frank home. His heart was racing and he felt nervous as he gazed at him, unable to stop thinking about aliens and space and kinky sex. Frank only gazed at him with his sweet, innocent eyes and a calm smile on his face.

“Can we paint some more when we get back?” He asked brightly, Gerard nodding with a soft smile as he tried not to undress Frank with his eyes.

“Of course.” He smiled, offering Frank his hand again and feeling almost dizzy as they walked back to the apartment, Jamia and Bob completely forgotten about for both of them.