A Bullet Through A Flock Of Doves

Twenty Four - Face All The Pain And Take It On

There were a lot of things Gerard hated, but one of the things near the very top of that long list was another person taking care of him.

It made him feel like a child, helpless and useless and dependent on others; and Gerard was none of those things (or at least he liked to believe he wasn't).

So he suffered not just a week of agony from his wound (caused by a careless mistake which he should have prevented), but a week of agony from having Frank clean the wound, bandage the wound, bring him food, bring him drinks, and basically help him with anything else he couldn't do on his own.

They were also stuck in LA for the time being, seeing as when Frank offered to drive again, Gerard vehemently protested and, after calling Hayley to discuss whether staying would be wise or not, decided the best course of action would be lay low for now and wait until the incident of the fire and massacre on 5023 West Magnolia Drive died down. The police had no leads, apparently, since there'd been no witnesses to talk to, and all the video cameras in the house had been caught in the conflagration. Gerard was sure it wouldn't take long until things got quieter, or another crime entirely unrelated to them sprung up somewhere in The City of Angels.

xoxoxo

"Rise and shine, sweetheart," Frank said sarcastically, throwing some gauze at him. "Wrap your damn arm up before that thing gets infected."

"It's scabbing over, fuck you," Gerard moaned, trying to roll away from him.

"Yeah, lucky for you," Frank snapped, huffing and plopping down on the bed next to him. "You are seriously privileged to be able to walk right now, if that bullet that grazed your leg had gone just a few inches to the left-"

"I know," Gerard growled, "you don't have to warn me for the fifty thousandth time."

"The alarm, Gerard!" Frank said in exasperation. "How the fuck do you forget something like a house alarm?"

"Didn't forget," Gerard mumbled into the pillow.

"Oh yeah? So you wanted to get shot and end up putting our sex life on hiatus as a result?"

Gerard paused and looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Is that why you're so irritating lately?" He was faintly amused by this.

"No, I'm irritated because you could've died, you dumb fuck." Frank hit his shoulder lightly and Gerard winced only a little.

"Watch it," Gerard warned halfheartedly. Frank just snickered and jumped off the bed, ambling across the hotel room. Gerard's cell phone started ringing, and they both started. "Can you get that?" Gerard asked, biting his lip as he took off the stubborn ACE bandage on his left arm, tossing it in the trash and replacing it with a new one. There were stitches and he had gotten surgery on the arm to ensure that it would heal, but not at an ordinary emergency room. He'd called Hayley shortly after they'd arrived back at the hotel, and, ignoring Frank's paranoia, took Gerard to her friend Sam, who apparently had experience in wounds and how to treat them. Gerard had been forced to watch a fucking needle go right through his skin, and then he was knocked out with amnesia for however long it took Sam to mend what had been broken.

It didn't take too long - Sam said he was lucky that the bullet didn't hit his shoulder and had been shot from a low-power gun, which didn't allow it to go very deep. Still, he warned, there could be complications and it would definitely scar. This wasn't the first time Gerard had been shot, but it had been awhile. And he was usually more careful with things - he still cursed himself for the whole stupid alarm incident.

"Gerard," Frank called, just as the said man was fastening the Velcro on the bandage. "It's Mikey."

Gerard couldn't help but smile, getting up out of the bed and snatching the phone from Frank's hands. "Hey," he said, cradling the rectangle of metal against his ear and settling down on the bed again. Frank sat next to him, lightly tracing a fingertip over the bandage and the skin surrounding it. He was such a weird guy. "What's going on?"

"Hi, Gee," Mikey said, and Gerard was pleased to hear the genuine happiness in his voice. "Alicia and I were wondering if you're well enough to come out and visit us? I...you promised we could meet up sometime and things have been crazy but...if it's not too much trouble, we found this little diner near our apartment with great burgers."

"And what are you proposing here?"

"That we get some burgers and catch up with what's been happening in our lives."

Gerard's face fell and he felt Frank's finger still on his arm. "You really don't want to know."

"I do, though! Gerard, I don't see why it has to be so secretive. I'm your brother!"

"I'll come," Gerard agreed, "but we're not talking about....the events in my life. It's dangerous for anyone to know them...you know that."

"Yeah, but how long is this going to go on for, Gerard?" Mikey asked desperately. "Seriously, it's been fifteen years - almost sixteen, and I've barely seen you the entire time! Gee, I love you, but-"

Gerard's tone was flat. "Don't say that."

Mikey was quiet. "And why not?"

"Because love makes people weak."

Mikey didn't speak, and when he did, after a long period of nothing but static, his voice was sad. "What happened to you, Gee? You never used to be...like this. Please...why can't you tell me?"

"I just can't, Mikes," Gerard said, voice slightly softer but still with that warning edge to it. "I am sorry."

Mikey sighed. "I just want my big brother back."

"He's a little lost," Gerard admitted, ignoring Frank's stare. "He might not come back, you know." He'll never come back, he thought bitterly, but didn't voice the thought.

"Yeah," Mikey said, sounding a bit defeated. "Do you think he could come to the diner today, though?"

"We'll see," Gerard said. "Noon sound good to you?"

"That's perfect," Mikey said, and Gerard could almost see the strained smile on his face. Gerard felt a little bad, really he did. Mikey didn't deserve any of what he had gone through - what he was going through still. But it couldn't be helped. "The diner's called Tre's. See you then?"

"See you then."

Just before Gerard pressed the END CALL button, he heard Mikey's hastily added, "I'm assuming you're bringing Frank?"

All Gerard said to that was, "Well, obviously."

xoxoxo

Tre's Diner was a small restaurant in the city Thousand Oaks, California, which was where Alicia and Mikey had hidden themselves away from anyone who might be looking. It wasn't as though the government could legally kidnap him again, since he hadn't actually done anything illegal (that was all his brother). His brother was dead, anyway, and it had been assumed that Mikey might have died in the house fire. The bodies were pretty badly burnt anyway, so it would be a long while before they discovered he was still out there, if they did at all.

Even still, Gerard didn't blame them from wanting to stay out of this mess and start a quieter life somewhere else. It wouldn't have been his choice, but then again he and Mikey were very different people.

"Nice city," Frank commented as they drove down one of many winding roads through greenery and perfect looking houses.

The GPS beeped and said, "Turn right," and that was the only response he got.

They pulled up in front of Tre's after only a few more minutes, and while Gerard took his time getting out of the car, Frank bounded up and out, practically vibrating with energy. That kid had ADHD or something, seriously.

Gerard followed him inside with a little more dignity, glancing at the clock on the wall. Sure enough, it was just a few minutes past noon - if Mikey and Alicia weren't here already, they would be soon.

He saw them at once, sitting in a small booth side by side, holding hands and talking in hushed tones. He dragged Frank over, sliding in across from them and raising an eyebrow. "I hope I'm not interrupting something?"

"Oh," Mikey said, looking at Gerard with wide eyes, but not letting go of Alicia's hand, "no, it's...it's fine. I'm glad you two made it." He smiled, and so did Alicia. "Your arm is feeling better, then?"

Gerard smiled, too, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yes, much better. Listen, I...apologize for what happened there, I made a mistake and-"

"Oh, Gerard," Alicia said, and what the fuck, were her eyes actually shining with tears? Gerard was pretty sure that only happened in movies. "Don't be sorry. You brought him back, and that's all that matters."

Mikey frowned a little at her and said, "But a lot of people died!" He glanced at Gerard. "It was a...a massacre!"

"Is that what they're calling it now?" Gerard asked lazily, eyes fixed on a waiter across the room. He had a very nice ass. Not as nice as Frank's though, Gerard would bet.

"Gerard, this isn't a joke," Mikey snapped, his brow furrowed. "I am so grateful for what you did, but did you really-"

"Have to kill them? No. We had to wipe their fucking memories, Mikey, otherwise they would've known Frank and I - and you - are all alive. And if you know a better, sure, foolproof way to do that besides what we did, then please, tell me, because that would come in handy so many times, I can assure you."

"Uh...sorry to interrupt, but can I get you four any beverages?" asked a nervous sounding waiter. Gerard looked up, and sure enough, it was the cute one.

He smiled, sharp and more than a little flirty as he said, "Just a coffee please, handsome."

Gerard felt Frank tense up next to him and smiled even wider. Was he jealous? Silly boy.

"Okay," the waiter said after a pause, offering him a small smile in return before taking everyone else's drink orders. As soon as the guy was gone (his name was Jepha, Gerard knew from his nametag), Frank bumped his shoulder, hard.

"And you call me a whore?" Frank hissed into his ear, hand settling on Gerard's leg, nails digging into his thigh.

Gerard moved quickly, grabbing Frank's wrist and twisting it just enough that Frank pulled away with an exclamation of pain and an ugly look on his face. Gerard's expression was very clear - don't ever talk to me like that, and especially not here, not now.

"So," Gerard said to a slightly worried looking Alicia and a defeated Mikey, "what've you two been up to?"

Alicia brightened. "I got a new job at an office building not too far from here...you know, just as a secretary, but it's enough to pay the bills for our apartment. Mikey's still looking, but a few of his interviews have been very positive so far!"

Gerard looked to Mikey and he nodded. "I was really hoping to get this job in communications at the same place Alicia works...it pays well and it seems interesting enough."

"So how do you know you won't get it?" Frank asked.

He sighed. "They haven't contacted me yet and it just seems like, if they really wanted me, they would've told me right away, you know?"

"Well, you know what they say," Frank replied with false cheerfulness, "no news is good news!"

"That's not true," Gerard cut in. "No news can be very bad news. If there is no news, then something very serious could be happening to the person who usually puts out the news, in which case that thing would be very bad and no news would instead be very bad news-"

"Gerard," Frank said.

"Right. Sorry. I bet you'll get the job, I really do."

There was a long period of silence, during which Jepha the hot waiter came back and gave them their drinks (Frank stole Gerard's coffee, and Gerard drank almost half of his Pepsi in retaliation), took their orders (two orders of pancakes, one omelette, and one burger with fries), until Gerard finally thought of something to talk about.

"So how did you two meet?" Gerard asked Mikey and Alicia, taking a sip of his coffee and looking at them curiously.

Gerard knew it was the right thing to ask when both their faces lit up. "Well," said Mikey, smiling for real this time, "it was actually very romantic, in a way." Alicia nodded and Gerard waited for him to continue. "I used to work at a record store, back in Jersey. I did a lot of record filing...by genre, alphabetical, band's origin, time period...whatever the type of organization it was, it was endlessly boring." Mikey chuckled. "One day I was so fed up with it all, I just...lost my concentration and dropped an entire file, sending the records spilling everywhere. I said to myself, out loud, 'Fucking great, I get to go home late again,' and then somebody said something from behind me." Mikey turned to Alicia, and she grinned before continuing it herself.

"I said to him, 'Not if I help you, you won't,' and he had this ridiculous expression on his face, like he'd never seen a woman before."

"Never seen such a beautiful woman," Mikey corrected.

She flushed. "Anyway, he kind of started stuttering, but I felt bad for the poor guy - he'd obviously had a rough week, and I figured even a little kindness goes a long way. So I helped him clean them up, and he smiled at me because, true to my word, he went home on time that night."

"And every other night after that," Mikey said, smiling shyly. "She kept coming in and helping me with the boring filing, making it not so boring, until finally I told her she really didn't have to keep coming to help me here, and she just said, 'You really don't get it, do you?' and then..."

"Then I kissed him," Alicia said, sounding quite pleased with herself. "His reaction was hilarious, he just kept flailing his arms around."

"Shut up," Mikey laughed.

Gerard tried to ignore the achy feeling in his chest when he looked at them, together like that.

"And that night, he didn't just go home on time - he didn't go home alone." Alicia's eyes sparked with mischief and Mikey went red. "Mikey and I were together in Jersey for five years, and then...then...well, you know what happened, he was taken away to California. I was so confused and scared, but I knew he had done nothing wrong...he wouldn't, he wasn't a criminal."

No, Gerard thought to himself, not like his brother.

"They allowed him one phone call, and he told me what had happened - about you, about everything that he knew, which wasn't much, but it was enough. I took the next flight to LA and tried to find a way to communicate with him, to see him at all. That was when they finally allowed him calls after you...'died,' and he and I came with a sort of code in order to tell each other things. And then he thought he saw you in your car and spelled out your name, and I called you, and...the rest is history."

"That's actually...really sweet," Frank said, and Gerard was a little bewildered to notice that he wasn't joking, not at all - he was completely serious, and his words were genuine. Gerard would have teased him about it, but somehow he felt like that'd be crossing a line. The way Frank had said it seemed almost wistful.

The happy couple beamed. "Thank you!"

"It is," Gerard agreed, looking down at the table.

"How did you and Frank meet?" Alicia asked, leaning forwards a little curiously.

Frank stilled and Gerard glanced up, looking at their inquisitive faces. He cleared his throat, but Frank beat him to it.

"We were in the same prison cell."

The expressions on Mikey and Alicia's faces abruptly vanished, replaced by very blank masks.

"Let's leave it at that," Gerard muttered, and they were saved from talking anymore as the food came.

xoxoxo

"So, it's your birthday," Frank said without preamble the next morning, scooting close to Gerard where he was reading on the bed.

Gerard blinked, a little surprised. "You remembered," was all he said.

"Yup," said Frank, looking pleased with himself. "The Aries with the power-complex."

"The Scorpio with the great sex drive," Gerard shot right back.

"Yeah," Frank said, in this low, whispery way that made Gerard kind of tense up everywhere. "About that..."

"Are you proposing something, Frank?" Gerard asked calmly, turning his face towards the other.

"Maybe."

"Then be clear about it," Gerard snapped. Frank's eyes flashed, but only for a second.

"Alright," he said easily, "well, I want to try something."

"Hm. Keep going."

"I want you to use....one of those things in that bag on me. Whichever one you want."

Gerard's mouth curved upward in a smirk. "A little curious, are we?"

"Shut up," Frank replied. "Anyway, you can only pick one. So make sure it's a good one. And you can't change your mind."

"Will you fight me?"

Frank seemed to undergo quite a bit of inner turmoil in those seconds of silence, until he gritted out, "No. Not unless you want me to."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Gerard considered it. "This could be interesting," Gerard finally said, putting the book on the nightstand and fully facing Frank.

"Is that a yes?" Frank looked fucking excited. Oh, his sweet little whore.

"I haven't decided," Gerard said, rising from the bed just to torture him further. He sifted through a pile of clothes on the ground and finally found what he wanted, hiding it behind his back. Frank watched him suspiciously, and Gerard circled him until he was on the bed behind him, hands bringing the item he'd found on the floor around Frank's face so that it covered his eyes. He tied it tightly in the back and Frank moved his head to the side a little. "A blindfold? Really, that's your one choice?"

"Oh, no," Gerard snickered, "it wasn't in the bag. Therefore, it doesn't count."

"Hey!" Frank protested, bringing his hands up to undo it, "you can't do that!"

"You already made the rules, Frank," Gerard told him, taking his hands away from the knotted fabric of his tie. "You can't just go around changing them, now can you? Because that's not how it works. Now, you're going to hold still and don't even touch that blindfold, you hear me?"

"Yes, Gerard," Frank muttered, bowing his head slightly, though his muscles were tense. "I understand."

Gerard didn't answer him and instead went over to the bag, rummaging through the contents before finding what he wanted and holding it up, thinking this was as good a way to start this whole...thing as anything. He glanced back at the bed, and, sure enough, Frank was holding up his half of the deal, head down and shoulders hunched stiffly, not touching the blindfold even though Gerard could just see his hands practically twitching with the complete and utter need to.

He went back to the other and rested a hand on his back, Frank starting at his touch before relaxing a little, leaning back into it. "Take your shirt off," Gerard said in his special voice, his secret voice only to be used with himself and Frank. "And make sure you don't take the blindfold off in the process."

Frank swallowed and did as he was told, arms stretching up over his head as he carefully wriggled out of the shirt, exposing his inked torso and irresistible skin, shivering when Gerard skated a hand across it, the dip between his shoulders where the words Keep the Faith were written above a leering jack-o-lantern. His birthday was Halloween, Gerard remembered. It suited him, somehow. He took his hand away and said, "Jeans, off."

Frank sighed, unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, and kicked them off, starting to slide down his underwear, but Gerard hit his back, hard, and he stopped immediately. "I only said jeans," Gerard whispered into Frank's hair. Frank nodded, just the smallest bit, but he was impatient, Gerard could tell.

"Good," Gerard said to nobody in particular, running his hands softly over Frank's sides, feather-light touches designed to tease. His fingers curved around the lovehandles at his hips and around the waistband of his boxers, but no lower. "Now, Frank," Gerard said, "get on your hands and knees, at the head of the bed." Frank didn't even hesitate, crawling over to where Gerard wanted him and just waiting for the next command. Gerard licked his lips. "Now you can take your underwear off, Frank," Gerard murmured, hand stretching out to wrap around what he'd taken from the bag. "Don't touch yourself." Frank made a small huffing noise, as though annoyed, but Gerard let it slide...he was being so good already, and he took satisfaction in the fact that this was probably very hard for him to do, being compliant and submissive. And yet he was doing it, for Gerard.

Gerard's fingers closed around the wooden handle, and he looked back at Frank, who had obeyed and was now entirely naked, his hands closed into fists around the sheets, knuckles white from how hard it was for him to hold himself back here. Gerard grinned and drew closer, tracing the side of his palm across Frank's jawbone, pleased when the other tilted his head back in response, mouth slightly open, skin warm to the touch.

Gerard kissed down said skin, licking over the bumps of his spine and ending at his ass, where he pulled away quickly. Frank made a sound which was clearly irritated now, and pushed back against Gerard's face. Gerard frowned and slapped his ass, leaving a red handprint behind and forcing a gasp from Frank's mouth. "Don't you dare," he growled, keeping his hand on the stung area, squeezing a little and making Frank moan softly. "Do you like that?" he asked, not really waiting for an answer. Frank just moaned again, which was as good a reaction as any. "Excellent," Gerard said, "then I think you'll like this."

And with that, he took hold of the paddle and smacked Frank's ass as hard as he could, making the other cry out in shock and the sudden burst of pain. The pale skin was already turning a fair shade of pinkish crimson, Gerard thought with delight. There was a silence after the slap of skin on wood, and then Frank let out a shaky breath and shoved his hips back again, like an invitation. Gerard didn't complain, he just hit him again. And again, and again, and again, until Frank was whining and his knees were shaking a little from trying to hold himself up, and resisting the urge to touch himself.

"You're so red," Gerard hummed, stopping in his assault for the time being, licking a wet stripe over the inflamed area and making Frank whimper. Where the blood vessels had broken beneath the skin, it was hot to the touch, and it just made Gerard want more. He didn't bother asking Frank if he was alright when he was so obviously enjoying this, squirming with a hard-on between his legs. He was a very pretty picture right then, better than any birthday present, Gerard thought.

He leaned down to kiss at Frank's left cheek before slamming the paddle down against it and feeling Frank jerk. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven....Gerard lost count. Eventually, it just fell into a steady rhythm, and then Gerard noticed something.

Frank was still squirming, but now it was like he was desperate and frustrated, trying to get something else, something harder. He kept pushing himself back against it to make it sting more, and the noises coming from his mouth were no longer moans, but broken off little half-curses as he thrashed against the paddle which...just wasn't doing it for him. But Gerard waited until Frank said, "Fuck - fuck, I need...this isn't..."

"Speak up, Frank," Gerard told him, resting the flat of the paddle against his thigh.

"Please, I need...I need more, Gerard," Frank breathed out.

"But you said I could only use one thing from the bag," Gerard pointed out. "Are you willing to change that rule?"

Frank gulped, Adam's apple bobbing as he nodded rapidly. "Yes, yes, please, please."

"Since you asked so nicely," Gerard said, nuzzling the base of his spine, "yes."

Frank exhaled hard and whispered, "Thank you," and Gerard was gone from the bed and beside the bag in mere seconds, finding what he needed at once. Frank was shivering from anticipation, breathing hard and glistening with sweat, but Gerard knew he couldn't see the new tool he planned to use, so he made him hear it, swishing the whip through the air. Both of them heard the snap it produced, and Frank's whole body shuddered in response.

"Okay?" Gerard asked, just to make sure, crawling up behind him again.

"Very okay," Frank whispered back.

"It's a riding crop," Gerard told him, gliding the smooth leather over his back and down to his sore-looking ass. "It's going to hurt."

"Good," Frank growled, and Gerard began.

Frank cried out at the first hit, the second, and the third, and Gerard knew that this was definitely more painful than the little paddle. But Frank...Frank liked it, and that was what made Gerard the most pleased. He hadn't thought Frank would enjoy the whip - not many did - but with every slash of the end across his soft skin, Frank's back arched beautifully and he threw back his head and keened, blindfold still perfectly intact. "Gerard!" he said in a shot voice in between yells, "oh, fuck, fuck, Gerard."

It had definitely been too long since he'd done this.

Gerard felt it the moment that Frank started shaking, gasping out, "Gerard, please, fuck, I'm gonna come," and rolling his head back on his shoulders, his ass clenching when Gerard whipped it again and making the sting all the more powerful.

"Do it, baby," Gerard panted, reveling in the bright scarlet lines across Frank's ass and the backs of his thighs, the whine of the whip through the air and the sound it - and Frank - produced when it made contact.

That did it, and Frank groaned and came without even having to be touched, collapsing onto the bed below him. Gerard was so fucking ready himself, wasting no time in taking off his clothes and shoving into Frank, feeling the muscles contracting around him and gently rubbing his inflamed ass, pounding in and out. Frank's body was limp and entirely relaxed, as it always was after his completion, but he still rocked up to meet the other, whining and moaning softly the whole while. When Gerard couldn't stand it any more, he climaxed with a low snarl and spilled inside of Frank, catching his breath before he pulled out and laid next to the other.

Frank made a small sound and made grabby hands at him, blindfold still on. Gerard kicked the whip and paddle off of the bed and curled next to Frank so he could undo the piece of cloth and see Frank's dazed green eyes. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed them.

"Was that an acceptable birthday gift?" Frank asked, his voice hoarse.

Gerard smiled and put both of his hands on Frank's rear, a possessive gesture which made Frank snuggle closer to him, his palms feeling the warmth still in the skin there. He figured that was answer enough, but added, "I can't wait until Halloween."