*above picture is of Frankie's dress*

Before Gerard knew it, Wednesday had arrived, and he found himself getting ready to head out to the club after he awoke from a quick nap; work had been especially tiring for him today, and he didn't want to seem sleepy or out of it tonight, especially not when he would be seeing Frank for the first time since their date.

Gerard had been unsure if he should immediately text Frank after their dinner, because even though Frank had explicitly said that he wanted to see Gerard again very soon, Gerard was afraid of coming off as too desperate, especially since it seemed pretty clear that Frank was only looking for a friend right now, the lack of a kiss had attested to that, and Gerard had no idea what the etiquette for friendships was, especially when he was harboring a crush on the other party, so he had let Frank make the first move, or the second move...whatever.

Frank didn't disappoint him, and it only took him two days to ring up Gerard, but Gerard had promised to go out with Lindsey that night, and as much as he wanted to call their outing off so he could see Frank again, Frank refused to let him do anything such thing, reassuring Gerard that they would see each other soon, and that he needed to go out with his friend.

They had ended up talking for quite a while though, and for someone who hated speaking on the phone at all, especially for any extended periods of time, Gerard found himself having a two hour conversation with Frank, leaving him with roughly five minutes to get dressed before Lindsey came over, but it was totally worth it to get to hear Frank's voice again.

Lindsey immediately began asking questions as soon as she walked inside, and without needing much prodding at all, Gerard quickly relayed every detail of what had happened on his date with Frank, starting with the hug/tackle in his apartment, and ending with the disappointing lack of a kiss, and Gerard's confusion over what Frank felt for him, which he was now convinced was only basic friendship.

Lindsey scoffed loudly at Gerard's hypothesis, stating that friends didn't hug like that, especially not so soon, and when Gerard tried to argue that Frank was simply a touchy person, and it had meant nothing to him, Lindsey became determined to prove him wrong.

"Does he have any social media that you know of?" Lindsey asked, ignoring Gerard's protests as she snatched his phone out of his hand.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Gerard whined, because yes - he might follow Frank on Twitter, well, actually it was only her Frankie profile, and Gerard was sure he had a personal one that he was unaware of, but still, Gerard didn't see where Lindsey was going with this.

"Because, people are more honest on the internet than in person, and he probably said something about your date," Lindsey reasoned, and Gerard had to agree, she did have a point, and he felt slightly stupid for not checking Frankie's Twitter earlier, but maybe he had just been avoiding rejection, because if Frank had said something hurtful, or even worse, nothing at all, Gerard wasn't sure how he would react, but tears would probably be involved.

But Gerard didn't have to find out, because when he scrolled through the few tweets Frankie had posted recently, trying to get back to Friday night, he did indeed find a tweet that could only be about him, unless Frank had taken someone else out after he had left Gerard, which was ridiculous, and even Gerard couldn't make himself believe that, so with a soft smile, he handed his phone to Lindsey, basking in the fuzzy feeling that was overtaking his heart as he repeated the tweet over and over in his mind.

"Went out with an amazing guy tonight - I don't know if he feels the same way as I do, but fingers crossed that he does."

"See - he likes you, he just thinks you don't like him," Lindsey squealed, causing Gerard to shoot her a questioning look, because he had been slightly caught up on the words "amazing guy" being applied to him, and the rest of the tweet hadn't really sunk in yet.

"What - that's ridiculous, I was practically drooling over him all night, he would have to be blind not see how into him I am," Gerard exclaimed, because really, Gerard couldn't fathom how Frank could have missed the blushing at every other word, not to mention the constant hand holding, which was basically a neon sign proclaiming his love for Frank, but maybe that was how Frank acted with all of his friends...or maybe it wasn't, fuck - Gerard didn't know, but what else could that tweet have meant?

"Gee, I have seen your idea of flirting, and it is pretty fucking terrible, unless you are drunk that is, so I can totally see how he would get the wrong idea."

"So what do I do?" Gerard huffed, his mind replaying all the events of his dinner with Frank, trying to pick out what he had done wrong, what he would need to change for next time, but he had thought their date went relatively well, and he didn't know what else he could do show Frank he was into him, besides actually speaking the words that is.

"I think that's obvious Gee - you fucking tell him the truth, tell him you like him as more than a friend, tell him you want more, and unless this tweet is a lie, he wants the same thing," Lindsey sighed, throwing her hands up in frustration like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and even though it seemed that way to her, it wasn't to Gerard.

"Oh yeah I'll just walk up to him and say 'hey - so we barely know each other, but I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you, so can we kiss next time, or fuck, whatever' yeah - that will go over well I'm sure," Gerard scoffed, his cheeks burning slightly as he imagined having that conversation with Frank - well, not with those exact words, but admitting his long standing crush to Frank was not something he thought he was physically capable of accomplishing.

But Lindsey was right in a way, and the fact remained that Gerard had somehow managed to friend zone himself, so he needed to fix this before Frank moved on to someone else, but the thought of actually putting his feelings into words was terrifying, and Gerard wasn't ready to do that - not yet anyway, because what if Frank said no, what if Gerard ruined everything, and he couldn't risk losing Frank, not when he had only just started to get to know him - the real him.

But now it was Wednesday night, and Lindsey's words were dancing around in his head as he walked the familiar route to the club, and Gerard couldn't help but wonder if she was right, that if he didn't speak up now, Frank would get bored, Frank would find another man that could express himself in ways Gerard never could, and the thought alone was heartbreaking, so as much as it terrified him, Gerard knew he had to step it up, he just didn't know how.

He didn't get any longer to ponder it either, because as soon as he walked into the dimly lightly club, he spied Frank in the back corner, his eyes immediately drawn to his short frame, which was still dressed in his street clothes. He waved Gerard over eagerly, and Gerard quickly made a path through the other patrons, desperate to be at Frank's side once again.

"Hey - you made it," Frank smiled, his voice slightly raised so he could be heard over the loud chatter that was currently filling the club.

"Yeah I did, I missed you," Gerard admitted quietly, and by the slightly confused expression on Frank's face, he hadn't managed to catch his words.

"Come back to my dressing room, it's quieter in there," Frank gestured with his hand toward a small doorway as he started walking, and Gerard followed willing. He had always wanted to see what was back here, but he never had the guts to approach the performers in the past.

The private area where the performers prepared for their shows wasn't as glamorous as Gerard had imagined, it was actually very plain, with off white walls and brown wooden doors, a few tables covered in miscellaneous items placed in random corners, but it was still fascinating, with drag queens walking around in all stages of dress, from regular clothes to full costume, most of them pausing a moment to say hello to Frank, and one or two even shot Gerard a quick wave, to which he blushed nervously and looked down at his shoes, almost tripping numerous times before he reached a plain door, which Frank pulled open before tugging Gerard inside.

"You okay?" Frank asked, and Gerard nodded quickly, trying his best to control his breathing, which had escalated slightly with the excitement of finally getting to be behind the scenes.

"Yeah, just nervous I guess, I have always wanted to come back here, and it is a bit overwhelming."

"It can be crazy sometimes, but everyone is really friendly, and you will get used to it soon," Frank assured him. "So this is where I get ready for the show," Frank smiled, opening a small wardrobe and letting Gerard get a peek at the numerous shimmering dresses that hung upon metal hangers. "I share the space with Brendon and Rainne, but they go on earlier then I do, so they are probably backstage already, or off fucking somewhere." Gerard hummed absentmindedly, because the names sort of rang a bell, but he was distracted by the excess of fabric in front of his face.

"Wow...this is beautiful," Gerard murmured, fingering the satiny texture of a dark red dress that had caught his eye, one that he hadn't seen Frank wear before.

"You think so?" Frank asked quietly, and Gerard did his best not to jump when he felt Frank's warm body barely two inches behind him.

"Yeah...you look so good in dresses."

"I think that one would look better on you," Frank whispered softly, his arm coming around Gerard so he could lift the dress off the hanger, holding it up in front of Gerard invitingly.

"Oh no, I couldn't, not here...I - I," Gerard stammered nervously, because it was as if Frank had read his mind; he had literally been picturing how he would look in the dark red satin, but he couldn't pull it off anywhere near as well as Frank, and he was much too embarrassed to even try.

"Hey, don't worry about it, it was just a suggestion," Frank shrugged, putting the dress back in its previous place before thumbing through the rest of the selection idly. "Maybe you could help me pick something out for tonight, I'm thinking colorful, but I just can't decide."

"Oh yeah - I can do that," Gerard exhaled in relief, grateful to have Frank's attention turned away from him for the moment. "What about this one - I really like the sheen to it." Gerard pulled out an interesting looking dress, it wasn't quite yellow, but not gold either, and the intriguing shade and flattering fit would make Frank's eyes pop beautifully.

"I forgot I owned this one, I haven't worn it in ages," Frank smiled, pulling it off the rack and laying it down over the long table that dominated the room.

"I think you will look really beautiful in that," Gerard whispered, his cheeks burning red as Frank's eyes snapped up to his face as soon as he started speaking.

"Yeah?" Frank asked, and oh fuck - he was blushing too, he had to be, either that, or he had suddenly come down with a fever, but he didn't look sick, and Gerard was almost one hundred percent certain that he had been the cause of the rush of blood to Frank's face.

"Mhmm," Gerard nodded his head, trying to convince his feet to close the distance between them, to make up for his awkwardness on Friday by showing Frank he was interested in him right now, but before he could gain any forward momentum, Frank began rummaging around in a nearby drawer, pulling out something that looked just like a bra...and panties...oh fuck.

"Well, I've got to get changed, and it's sort of a long process. You can totally stay if you want, but you might be more comfortable hanging out at the bar until I'm done," Frank spoke up, his hands stilling as he waited for Gerard's answer.

And even though Gerard was dying to see Frank transform into Frankie, he could already feel himself getting hard, and there was no way he would be able to keep himself composed if he saw Frank stripping down to nothing, all of his tattooed skin on display for Gerard's eyes only, then he would pull those lacy panties over his ass, oh god - Gerard had to get out of here now before his problem became any more obvious.

"I - uh, I'll go wait at the bar, but I can come back here when you are done right?" Gerard asked, his hands pulling down the edges of his coat in the hopes of hiding the tightening in his jeans.

"Yeah of course, I'll send someone to let you know when I'm decent, oh - and the drinks are on me tonight, the bartender already knows that your tab is covered," Frank smirked, causing Gerard to stop in his backward retreat from the room.

"Frank - no, I can pay for my own drinks," Gerard exclaimed, trying to ignore Frank's amused expression, because he looked really fucking cute right now, and it was hard to stay mad at him when he was grinning like an idiot.

"Too late, plus - you have been coming here every Wednesday for ages, I'm sure you have provided us enough money to remodel the damn place," Frank chuckled, his hands going to the waistband of his dark jeans as he spoke, the button popping easily as Frank moved on to the zipper.

"I - uh, okay, but only this time," Gerard stammered out, closing the door behind him quickly as Frank's pants began to fall to the floor, Gerard's own zipper chafing uncomfortably against his irritating boner.

Gerard slammed his head against the wooden door softly, groaning to himself as he cursed his inability to act like a normal horny guy, because what better way to show Frank that he was interested in him then to be in a room with him as he changed, but as usual, Gerard had fucked up, and there was no way that he could go back in there now, that would be beyond mortifying.

So with a frustrated sigh, Gerard made his way over to the bar, intending to get as buzzed as possible before Frank called him back in, because alcohol seemed to push his anxiety into the furthest corner of his mind, and maybe if he ingested enough liquor, he could tell Frank how he felt, he could explain how much he wanted to be with him, maybe he could even kiss him.

And really, this was a stupid idea, and some part of Gerard's brain knew that as he downed the first shot, because getting drunk wasn't going to solve his problems, but right now, Gerard didn't see any other options, so even though he knew he was probably going to regret this later, Gerard signaled the bartender for another drink, desperate to feel the fuzzy sensation that would soon appear after a few more shots.

Yay new chapter, look at me updating in a somewhat timely fashion, it's a miracle.

I have literally nothing to say, so idk, vote, comment, I love you guys, and I love this fic, I stg this is the only fic I don't nitpick to death and end up hating, idk why.

((((loving vibes))))

<3 starr