Chapter Text
BEEP! BEEP! BEE—
Frank hit the mute button on his alarm clock so hard he swore he heard a crack sound. Whatever. It’s not like it matters. He couldn't seem to get over the fact that Gerard was very possibly not single, and it was pissing him off.
He showered, got dressed, brushed his teeth, and left for work. Honestly, he looked like shit. His tie was all messed up, there were extremely visible wrinkles all over his button-up, and he hadn’t bothered to do his hair. It’s not like there was someone he needed to impress.
When Frank officially got to work, his car having been dropped off at his house by his friend at some unholy hour that morning, he didn't know if he wanted to say hi to Gerard. It felt rude not to, but it was rude of Gerard to have a boyfriend. Frank isn’t being dumb and jealous. Gerard’s the one in the wrong. So, Frank walked in, and barely greeted the secretary.
“Hey, Frank!” Frank noticed Gerard do a double take at how much disarray Frank was in. “You sleep alright?” There was genuine concern written all over Gerard’s face, but Frank’s a terribly petty person.
“Yeah.” Frank mumbled, and he walked away without another word.
Frank immediately started to regret his decision to be an ass towards Gerard. Sitting at his desk and overthinking about how Gerard might be feeling won't do anything. He should just rip off the bandaid. Maybe Frank can ask what day Gerard’s taking off then very slowly shift the conversation to who he’s taking it off for. The moment Frank had officially decided he was going to abandon his desk to desperately mend his relationship with the secretary, a cup of coffee was placed softly on his desk.
Of course, when Frank looked up to see who it was, it was no other than the aforementioned secretary.
“You seem like you need some caffeine in your system. Let me know if you want anything special in it.” Gerard smiled softly as if Frank didn't just give him the cold shoulder.
His voice giving away how stunned he was, Frank almost stuttered out his words. “Oh! Um. Thank you. I don't need anything in it.” Frank panicked out. Gerard smiled genuinely once again and clicked off back to his desk in his heels.
Okay, so, Gerard is the nicest man on this planet. Frank has been an ass to him all morning, and Gerard just brought him a cup of coffee AND offered to add anything extra that Frank wanted. Frank never gets his coffee plain, but he couldn't bring himself to ask for anything else.
Frank felt honored, until the jealousy came back. Whoever Gerard was with was really lucky to have a guy like that.
Lunch was surprisingly not awkward. Ray rambled about how he used to dream of making a band as a kid and play every single Iron Maiden song known to mankind on his guitar. Gerard just had to give himself more cool points for being so happy at purely the mention of Iron Maiden. Not long after, both of them decided to pester Frank about his childhood, which he didn't give in. All he brought up was a dog he used to have that he loved and made them shut up when he wouldn't stop talking about how much he loved New Jersey.
At the end of the day, unfortunately, it wasn't raining. Even if it was, Frank can't exactly lie about his car with it clearly in the parking lot. On his way out, he stopped by the secretary's desk.
“Hey. Thanks for the coffee.” He sighed, still nervous due to how the morning had gone.
“It’s really nothing. You didn't seem in a good mood, so I got you some coffee. That always makes me feel better.” Gerard chuckled, not looking away from his computer screen. Frank decided to finally put his idea into play.
“So, are you actually going to be taking a day off?” He leaned on the counter and watched Gerard’s fingers tap away at the keyboard before halting. When Frank looked up, he met Gerard’s eyes.
“Yup. It’s probably going to be tomorrow actually.” He smiled slightly weakly.
“What are you going to be doing all day?” Frank put a hand on his chest to act offended when he spoke. “You know, since you’re abandoning me.”
Gerard cackled, slightly folding in on himself and scrunching his nose. It was adorable. “I know, I know! I’m sorry! My brother has been begging me to spend time with him, so I just decided to get it over with.” Gerard turned his attention back to the computer. Frank, however, was frozen.
“Brother?” He muttered. Unfortunately, it was barely loud enough for Gerard to hear.
“Yeah?” Gerard laughed softly once again. “Did I not mention I had one?”
“Well, no, but I just thought…” Frank’s sentence drifted off. It was dumb to finish his sentence, but when was Frank ever making good decisions?
“I just thought you had a boyfriend or something.” He muttered. Frank could feel the heat climbing up his neck.
He couldn't bring himself to make eye contact until it was far too quiet for too long. Frank met Gerard’s eyes. Oddly enough, he seemed surprised too. He only took a second before his face went back to normal and he smiled. Something about his smile looked mischievous, though. It’s that look someone gives you when they’re about to say something you’re not prepared for.
“Really? Why? Were you jealous?” Gerard laughed softly. He didn't break eye contact. He was waiting for an answer. Frank can't keep his big mouth shut.
“I mean, like, um. Kind of.” He scratched at his neck nervously.
Gerard, being much more smug than Frank would have ever expected, simply giggled and turned his attention back to his computer. “That's cute.” He let his words float in the air before speaking up once again. “Do you need a ride? I will warn you, I’m going to stay a while later because I’m taking tomorrow off.”
Frank shook off his nerves and sighed. “No, I should be good. My car’s back up and running.” He fidgeted with his hands. How is Gerard being so calm after what the hell just happened?
“That’s great.” Gerard smiled warmly and stood. “Here, let me see you out.” He walked around the desk and grabbed Frank’s items off the couch he had haphazardly tossed them onto.
Frank couldn't deny the offer, so he walked with Gerard to his car. It was a short walk, but it meant so much to him. They talked about hanging again some other time. Gerard specifically mentioned wanting to watch Dawn of the Dead with Frank, and Frank happily accepted the idea of spending time together. Right when they got to Frank’s car, Gerard handed him his things and smiled. “See you later, Frank.” When Frank replied with a goodbye and turned to get into his car, Gerard spoke up again. “Oh! Wait! By the way, do you have a boyfriend? I don't want to bother your partner with our constant date-like behavior.” He laughed.
“Nope.” Frank couldn't help but laugh. “I’m not that special, so don't worry about spending too much time with me. Anyway, see you later.” He chattered, almost nervous at the topic of a partner.
Gerard smiled and pressed a kiss on Frank’s cheek. “See ya, Frank!” He quickly rushed inside, waving as he almost ran back into the building.
What.
Frank felt his brain short circuit. Did Gerard just kiss him? Did the hot secretary that he has been head over heels for since day one just kiss his cheek? This can't be real.
Frank sat in his car and stared into the distance, still absolutely stunned. Was he awake? He pinched, slapped, and twisted his skin just to make sure. That was real. This is real. He took a few deep breaths before driving home and plopping himself down on the couch.
Fuck, he can't do this. He doesn't even have Gerard’s number. Frank has been staring into space and overthinking everything for a while now. It wasn't until about an hour that he realized he knew where Gerard was. It was worth a shot. If he wasn't there then Frank would just have to wait a whole day to see him. No biggie. Frank’s brain said, “Fuck it” and he quickly got dressed and rushed to his car. He wasn't going to let this eat at his brain for a whole day . He was going to confront Gerard, and they will figure things out (make out).
When he got back to the office, Frank felt insanely relieved to see Gerard’s car still in the parking lot. He wasn't kidding when he said he was going to stay late. So, Frank practically rushed in and froze in the middle of the front office with the secretary desk in view. Gerard’s head snapped up and a smile immediately filled his face.
“Hey, Frank! What are you doing back here? Is everything okay?” Gerard stood, motioning for Frank to fully walk up to the desk.
Instead, Frank ran. He swiftly went around the desk and stopped right in front of the secretary. Frank huffed as he stayed still. He spoke almost hushed.
“Why’d you kiss me in the parking lot?”
Gerard smiled. “Because I wanted to. I thought it was cute how flustered you were over being jealous, and it really just got worse from there.” He giggled.
Frank wanted to say more, but he couldn't find the right words. He simply moved ever so slightly closer and spoke even softer.
“Can I kiss you?” Frank whispered.
Gerard didn't even bother to respond. In one swift movement, he brought his hands up to cup Frank’s face and pulled him into a kiss. They both stood there for a moment just melting against each other's lips. It felt magical. Soon, Gerard barely pulled away just so he could speak.
“You should really head home.” He smiled and laughed when Frank gave him a look. “I’ll see you in a day or so, okay?”
Frank muttered out a quick okay and brought Gerard into another kiss. Frank was the first to pull away this time. “Could I have your number?” He asked. Gerard’s eyes practically sparkled as turned to the array of stationary on his desk. He grabbed a Post-It note and scribbled down his number. To confirm the number, Frank typed it in and texted a simple “hi!”
They shared a few more kisses and quiet conversations about work before Frank told Gerard to text him sometime and skipped off back to his car to head home. Despite how happy he was, he was out like a light the moment his head hit the pillow. He couldn't remember the last time he was this happy.
He has a boyfriend !