FicWad

"I didn't think you'd be awake, have you been up a while?" Gerard asked smoothly, still hugging him.

Frank shook his head. "Why-Why were you?"

Frank expected to hear something about a weird scream from the direction of his room, but Gerard just sighed. "Fuckin' nightmares.. not sure why. For some reason I always sleep better during a storm."

The storm, Frank remembered as a far off rumble sounded outside. Was it ending? He looked down and responded. "Nightmares, I hate storms." He shivered, glancing about he room.

"Why? I mean, yeah thunder but lightning; badass." Frank cracked a small smile and sniffed, accidentally rubbing against his nose. "Oh, um-um-"

"You don't have to say if you don't want to, Frankie." Gerard smiled and loosened his hold. "Were you gonna sleep in here or something? I could put you back in bed if you want?"

Frank shook his head, hoping his embarrassment wasn't so obvious in the dark. "I-" Frank almost cried. "I can't sleep in there once I wake up, I try, I-I can't so I go in here." He made a small motion with his hand to the small couch.

"Oh," he nodded. "It's looks so uncomfortable, though. Would you- fuck, I'm just putting this out there, but- would sleeping closer to me be a little better?"

Frank couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was everything that gave him crippling anxiety this fucking simple?

"What?"

"Well I mean- I could sleep on the floor or something, or would you rather stay in here? It's, it's no big deal Frank, honest."

Frank knew that Gerard felt how tense he was, even without touching him. Or getting near him for that matter.

"You-You're kidding-" Gerard didn't kid about Frank. "You'll let me stay?" Frank asked in a voice Gerard strained to hear.

"Well obviously." Frank saw Gerard's blush in the dark. "You wanna take my bed, it's fine, I'll use the floor or-or something," he repeated.

Frank breathed deeply and tried to avoid looking directly at him because that's not how he wanted things to go. He knew he liked Gerard, more than in a savior or best friendship kinda way. Gerard was the type of guy to be friends with you for existing, or kill you for hurting him.

"I-I just.." Frank paused and was thankful Gerard didn't know how to finish his sentence this time. But he didn't know how to say that.

Stay with me the night?

No, can you sleep with me?

Frank didn't finish his sentence.

"Here, I'll lead the way." Frank followed Gerard regardless, staying close since this was more of him he'd get to see or feel in a while.

Gerard sometimes got touchy with Frank. Small knee bumping or a pat on the shoulder. But it had been getting less and less frequent now for some reason. No Frank, now's not the time to be thinking that.

Gerard pushed open the door, and Frank found the room smelled more like him than the actual apartment. With Gerard holding his hand, Frank found himself sitting on the bed with his friend at the closet looking for a blanket.

What was he supposed to say? "Gee.. Gee, I.."

Gerard looked back at him, struggling with the sheets that were about to fall off a shelf. "Yeah?"

"Gee," Frank muttered again, trying to make a vague motion with his hands. Gerard wandered back over to the bed, and sat with him.

Frank sighed. This was the closest he's even been to Gerard. A long minute passed before Frank finally got the guts to reply. "You don't have-have to sleep on the floor," he said just above a whisper.

He refused to look at Gerard; he wasn't even sure he heard him. Frank didn't get a reaction from him for a long moment. "You mean, um, stay with you?" Gerard bumped Frank's shoulder vaguely, a small mannerism he does when he's nervous.

Weird, maybe he really didn't want him there at all. Frank held his breath as he nodded; if he breathed he was afraid Gerard would hear his breath catch. And no, Frank was not about to fucking cry.

"You-I've wanted to, alright? Like, fucking-I don't know how to say this without sounded like a complete stalker, Frankie." Frank looked back at Gerard expectantly. There was nothing, to Frank at least, that he couldn't understand without a bit of explantation.

"I miss you; I mean, like. Being as close as possible, mentally and whatnot. Not the reliance as much as feeling like I can protect you or-or something." By the end of his ramble, Gerard was slouching and beet red, even in the dark.

Frank just felt weird and nervous on a different level than before. With Gerard, sure he was nervous at first; meeting him, he was mortally terrified. It felt like that, but more intense.

Frank had never had someone say they wanted to protect him; maybe once from his mom, maybe. "Okay."

Gerard scuffed his feet and sat up straight. "Okay? What's that mean?" In one of those rare times, he swore Gerard sounded scared of someone else's opinion.

Frank shrugged, unsure of how to reply. "I miss you- the things you stopped doing, I mean."

Gerard blinked before he realized, nodding and nonchalantly bumping their knees together. "Like that?" Frank could hear the glee in Gerard's tone. "Me too. You-um, sleep?"

Frank nodded and watched his friend move and untuck the sheets in the dark of his room. Frank sensed the niggling of paranoia again, but thank fuck for Gerard, lightly tugging him down to bed.

Soon after awkward bumping and shuffling over getting comfortable, the two faced either sides of the room. Frank realized numbly it was Gerard breathing next to him, Gerard shifting the sheets, Gerard.

Half of Frank never wanted this quiet moment between them end, but the other half scolded him. Gerard wouldn't hurt Frank, never.