Young and Doomed | Frerard

Chapter Twenty-Five

"We're getting on a bus?" Frank asked Gerard incredulously, gaping up at him as they reached the bus stop, marked by a red metal sign. Gerard shrugged in reply. "They were all out of flying carpets." He grinned, watching Frank resist the urge to hit his shoulder. It was quite entertaining, actually.

No one had questioned the two of them as they'd left the hospital, but Gerard enjoyed watching Frank glance suspiciously (and maybe nervously) at everyone they passed.

"Are you sure we should do that? Isn't this illegal?" Frank hissed at him, earning a few wary glances from strangers at the bus stop. Gerard's expression warmed with amusement. "Why don't you say that a little louder for the people in the back?" He teased, before reassuring Frank. "No, it's not illegal; I have some bus cards."

"Two cards?" Frank asked disbelievingly, and Gerard nodded. "Two."

"Wait, how? Oh," Frank paused, wrinkling his nose. "Who'd you steal them from?"

"Uh, no one. But thanks for your faith in me," Gerard feigned hurt, before laughing. "I had a pass today, I got them from Lindsey. They've been in the office since she brought them from home, and I picked them up earlier."

"You planned this?" Frank turned to Gerard as the bus pulled up, and Gerard grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the door. "Yep."

"Then why did we sneak out?" Frank follow Gerard stiffly up the steps of the vehicle, and the two took their seats, pausing only when Gerard scanned the cards. "Life's more fun that way," Gerard replied, grinning.

As they sat Gerard let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, and turned to Frank. "Hey, look, you survived!" Gerard nudged Frank's shoulder, moving slightly closer to him, but Frank looked away. "Barely," He snorted sarcastically, folding his arms tightly.

"Is everything okay?" Gerard asked, and Frank nodded, taking his gaze away from the window and back to Gerard. "Yeah, yeah, sorry." He said quickly. "I just feel kind of gross, I didn't mean to sound like a dick, though."

"Gross as in sick?" Gerard asked nervously. Shit, that couldn't be good. Had Frank skipped some medication while he'd been gone with Gerard? That could be dangerous. "Should we go back?" He said worriedly, and Frank looked at him, eyes round with surprise. "Fuck no!" Frank replied instantly. "I'm not going back there a moment sooner than I have to."

Gerard grinned, but added sternly, "If anything happens, you better tell me right away. You are not allowed to die today."

"Dually noted," Frank said aloofly, in a tone that told Gerard that he would do the exact opposite. Suddenly, Frank spoke up, asking, "When did you ask Lindsey bus cards?"

"Awhile ago," Gerard admitted. "But she's pretty rich, so it wasn't a big deal."

"Awhile ago?" Frank repeated. "How long have you been planning this trip?"

Damn, Frank was smart. Gerard's spur of the moment 'idea' may have just been slightly exposed, but he supposed Frank would have figured it out sooner or later.

"Since before the floor meeting." Gerard said unhelpfully, before finishing, "Okay, maybe for like, a week. But I didn't have a specific date in mind, and your birthday seemed as good a day as any."

"Why did you ask for two?"

Gerard let the question hang in the air for a moment, before shrugging. "Because I like you, and I wanted to hang out with you. And it kind of seems like the feeling's mutual?" He added hopefully, and Frank snorted. "Bold assumption."

"Well, you may have also mentioned the possibility of us kissing earlier," Gerard added.

"That doesn't mean I like you!" Frank shot, but he was laughing. Once he'd composed himself, Frank asked, "Are we actually going to your house?"