*above picture is of Gerard's outfit*

The rest of the time at Frank's house went smoothly, much to Gerard's relief, and even though he hadn't been harboring high hopes for the evening, Gerard was truly happy that he had decided to spend time with Frank's friends, his previous reluctance erased entirely by Rainne's kind words and Brendon's instant acceptance of him into their little group.

After Gerard's talk with Rainne, they had decided to hit up a few bars before calling it a night, and even though Gerard was nervous about being around alcohol with Frank in the nearby vicinity, he knew he could control himself, and he wasn't nearly as high-strung as he had been when he decided to drink himself into a stupor back at Frankie's show all those weeks ago, so everything was going to be fine - right?

But Gerard began to doubt himself when he entered Frank's room to find him pulling on a skirt, because holy fuck - he had not been expecting that, and his deeply buried - well, more like halfheartedly covered attraction for Frank reared its head at the sight, freezing Gerard in place as he did his best to stop himself from drooling all over his friend, even though that was a battle Gerard was doomed to lose from the start.

Gerard had seen Frank dressed in woman's clothing before - obviously, but this was different somehow, because Frank wasn't completely dolled up, he was just wearing an oversized Rolling Stones t-shirt with the neck cut low, coupled with a tight black mini skirt and dark grey leggings. His hair had been straightened a bit, the long locks brushing his shoulders every time he moved, and he had kept his makeup minimal, so his true gender was obvious underneath the feminine clothing, unlike when he was Frankie.

And fuck - Gerard found Frank's outfit so fucking hot for some reason, he forgot how to breathe for a few moments as he stared at Frank, his eyes roving over every inch of him hungrily, and it was only when Brendon snapped his fingers in front of Gerard's face that he managed to shake himself out of the trance Frank had put him in.

"Do you like it?" Frank asked, spinning around so Gerard could see the outfit from all angles.

"Yeah - fuck yeah," Gerard stuttered out, his reoccurring blush making another appearance when Brendon started laughing softly. "But...why, I mean, uh..." Gerard was trying to ask Frank why he had decided to dress this way tonight, because before today, he had only seen Frank in woman's clothing when he was on stage. It wasn't like Gerard was complaining, he was just curious as to Frank's reasoning, and luckily for him, Frank was able to decipher his poorly formed sentence into the question Gerard had meant to form.

"I just felt like it, I don't do this all the time, but when I go out, I usually like to dress more feminine, it makes me feel more attractive," Frank shrugged, pulling a fitted coat over the outfit, obscuring his inked arms from Gerard's stare.

"Oh," Gerard hummed, his eyes drifting to Brendon, who had remained in the clothes he had arrived in, and then back to Frank, but he had to look away just as quickly when he felt his pants tightening slightly and his mouth beginning to water.

"Do you want to wear something else, I don't know if my clothes will fit you, but you can try some stuff on if you want?" Frank gestured to the pile of skirts and tops that were flung carelessly over his bed, and even though the idea of going out dressed like Frank tempted Gerard immensely, he couldn't do it now - not yet, he had already opened himself up too much tonight.

"Uh - no...I'm good."

"Okay." Frank's face fell a tiny bit, but Gerard knew that Frank wasn't actually upset with him, he just wanted to continue helping Gerard to feel more comfortable in his own skin, but he also knew when to drop the subject, much to Gerard's relief.

~~~

Gerard couldn't keep his eyes off Frank the entire night, even though he did his best to constrain himself, especially since he knew that Rainne was starting to catch on to his secret, but fuck - Frank just looked so gorgeous, so carefree, and the fact that he didn't give a fuck about going out in public this way had Gerard even more in awe of him than he already was.

And yes - Frank obviously had a lot of experience with dressing this way, but this was different to his drag queen persona, because on stage, he was almost a separate person, his body molded and shaped to look like a woman's, his face painted and contoured to the point of being unrecognizable, and even though Gerard found Frankie beautiful, there was something amazing about seeing Frank walk around looking like his usual self in a skirt, his smile unobscured by lipstick as he grinned up at Gerard every now and then.

Once Gerard had gotten home, he instantly called Lindsey - after jacking off furiously of course, because fuck - he had been hard all night, and he was lucky he hadn't come in his pants with the amount of times Frank had innocently brushed against him - begging her to bring him any old clothes that she didn't want anymore. Luckily for Gerard, he and Lindsey were almost the same size, which saved him from the horrors of having to actually go out and attempt to shop for skirts and such, even though Gerard knew he would never be able to work up the balls to walk into the woman's department on his own, so having Lindsey in his life was his saving grace.

After his night with Frank, Gerard felt the urge to wear feminine clothing burning away at him stronger than ever; Frank's confidence in himself had given Gerard a shot of his own, and even though he was nowhere near as brave as Frank, he wanted to try and work his way there slowly. Lindsey didn't disappoint him, bringing him a full bag stuffed with oversized sweaters, pleated skirts, and everything in-between the very next day.

"Lindsey, are you sure you don't want any of this...it's so much," Gerard gasped, ogling the various articles of clothing as he laid them out on his bed one by one.

"Of course, I was actually going to take this stuff down to goodwill sooner or later, but you are sort of a charity case, so I still get points for being a nice person," Lindsey had chuckled fondly, placing a hand over her heart when Gerard shot her a faked look of hurt.

"All insults aside - thank you, seriously, I can't wait to try some of these on."

"Of course Gee, I am more than happy to be your dealer in woman's clothing," Lindsey giggled again, obviously finding herself hilarious, and Gerard couldn't stop himself from laughing along with her.

~~~

Every day after he got home from work, Gerard changed into an outfit that Lindsey had provided for him. He didn't stay in them for long, just in case Frank came over and caught him dressed like this, not that Gerard would particularly mind letting Frank see him this way, but he wanted to pick the time and the place, and he wasn't ready for that to happen just yet.

After another two weeks had passed, Gerard finally worked up the guts to show Frank his favorite outfit; it was similar to the one Frank had worn out that had captivated Gerard so strongly, with some slight alterations. It wasn't anything special or over the top, just a grey and white striped off the shoulder sweater, which Gerard had coupled with a very short mini skirt and black leggings, as well as a pair of ankle high combat boots, but Gerard loved the way he looked in it. The entire ensemble made Gerard feel beautiful - sexy even, which was not a sensation that Gerard experienced very often.

So Gerard had called up Frank, asking him if he wanted to come over, not letting on to what he was going to reveal to him, and Frank had agreed readily, leaving Gerard with nothing to do but wait, during which time he did his best to fix his hair and apply a thin coat of eyeliner.

Gerard wasn't sure where this boost of courage had come from, but Gerard wanted Frank to see him this way, he wanted to find out if Frank would like it as much as Gerard did. Gerard was changing, slowly but surely; he might not know exactly what his gender was yet, and he might not be one hundred percent comfortable with himself, but thanks to Rainne, and especially Frank, Gerard was feeling more self-confident than he had in years.

And that feeling only increased once Frank arrived, Gerard steeling himself as the familiar chime of the doorbell rang out, but he wasn't as nervous as he thought he would be, his hand barely shook as he grasped the brass knob, yanking it open quickly, and fuck - Gerard really wished he had a camera with him when Frank caught sight of his outfit, because this was a moment he wanted to capture forever; Frank's jaw literally dropped as Gerard giggled shyly under Frank's scrutiny, and Frank honestly looked as if he had won the lottery or some shit, which was a much better reaction than Gerard had hoped for.

"Holy fuck Gerard - shit, you look amazing, no - stunning, that's not even a good enough word for you, but wow - just wow," Frank gasped, and there Gerard went blushing again, but this time it was from pride instead of embarrassment.

"I know you have been wanting to see me like this for a while, and you have been so patient and understanding, so yeah..." Gerard trailed off, trying to withstand the urge to squirm under Frank's penetrating gaze.

"Thank you - fuck, I knew you would look good, but this...holy shit, you put me to shame," Frank gushed.

"Shut up, no I don't," Gerard laughed lightly, but even though the compliment was obviously an over-exaggeration, it still warmed Gerard's insides and caused small bubbles of joy to dance around in his stomach. "Oh shit, you probably want to come in." Gerard stepped aside suddenly when he became aware that Frank was still out in the chilly weather.

"No - seriously, I cannot believe how beautiful you look." Frank's hands twitched as he stepped over the landing into Gerard's apartment, as if they wanted to reach out and touch Gerard, but he clamped them into fists at the last minute, keeping them firmly glued to his side.

"Thank you Frank," Gerard smiled genuinely, Frank's reaction boosting his self-esteem another few notches. "So...what did you want to do, I didn't really plan anything, I was too nervous about showing you this." Gerard motioned to his outfit as he spoke.

"I have an idea," Frank grinned, and oh fuck - he had that twinkle in his eye that Gerard had come to learn usually meant bad news. "Why don't we go out, grab a bite to eat at this new cafe that just opened up, I hear they have amazing coffee."

"That sounds great, just let me go change -"

"Don't," Frank cut Gerard off, his hands coming up to encircle Gerard's wrists when he attempted to dart off into the bedroom. "Please, stay like this."

"Frank...I - I can't, I trust you to see me this way, but if I go out there, people will laugh at me," Gerard whispered, his limbs shaking slightly as he considered stepping outside looking like this, but despite the fear he was feeling, there was also a tendril of excitement coiled among the other negative emotions.

"They won't honey, trust me. No one will even notice, you look so feminine right now, you even have curves," Frank pleaded, his eyes widening slightly in that puppy dog way that Gerard both loved and hated.

"I - I don't know Frank, I'm not as brave as you," Gerard hung his head, fighting an internal battle with himself as Frank continued to gaze at him intently.

A part of him did want to go out and show off his ensemble to the world, but it was a very small part, and only Frank's presence even allowed it to have a voice. The rest of Gerard was a mess of nerves and worries, because he knew someone would notice he wasn't a girl, then he would be ridiculed, and it would be terrible. Gerard wouldn't be able to stand the snickers and stares he was sure to receive, it would set all of his progress back to where he had begun, and he didn't want to risk losing the new sense of confidence that he had only just gained.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to Gerard, but I promise you, no one will make fun of you, and even if they do, I'll punch them in the face for you. We can pretend you are my girlfriend, and I'm your overprotective boyfriend, and if anyone so much as even looks at you funny, I'll make sure they don't do it again," Frank smiled, shaking his fists in a joking manner, the teasing lilt to his voice releasing some of the tension in Gerard's stiff muscles.

"No one will buy that Frank," Gerard argued back, trying to ignore the way his heart rate sped up at the simple mention of Frank being his boyfriend, even if it was just an act.

"Of course they will, I will hold your hand, and put my arm around you, I'll pick up the check for dinner, it's foolproof," Frank exclaimed, his eyes dancing happily as he tried his best to convince Gerard that everything would be just fine.

And even though Gerard had a sinking feeling in the pit of his gut about this, and he just knew something was going to go wrong, Frank looked so excited, and Gerard always had a problem saying no to Frank, so before he could second-guess himself, Gerard found his lips forming the words that Frank so desperately wanted to hear.

"Okay - I'll do it," Gerard nodded, neglecting to tell Frank that the main deciding factor in this had been that Frank would be pretending to be his boyfriend, but really - that was the only reason that Gerard had agreed to partake in this crazy plan so readily.

"Really? That's amazing, and I promise Gerard, I won't let anything bad happen."

And for some reason, Gerard trusted Frank, even though he was well aware that Frank had no control over how other people reacted to his crossdressing, but maybe Frank was right, maybe no one would notice, and even if they did, it might just be worth it to see Frank's eyes light up the way they had when Gerard said yes.

And even if everything went to shit, and Gerard was called out and degraded, he knew Frank would protect him, he knew Frank would take him home and do everything he could to cheer him up afterward, so maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all, no matter how things ended up turning out.

So this chapter was sort of short, but I still like it.

If you didn't notice the picture up top (god I hope it showed up), that is sort of what I imagined Gerard's outfit to look like. I think I am going to go back and add some more media pretty soon to some older chapters, because I have all these vivid images in my head of what everyone is wearing, but that will only be if I can find good enough pictures.

Also, I know I said stuff was going to happen in this chapter, but it was getting too long, so the thing I was hinting at will happen in the next one.

My Netflix is being a whiny little bitch, so I might actually pump out the next update later on today, I just need to work on my chapter of The Whore and the Virgin first.

Okay, I'm rambling again, someone shut me up.

((((happy vibes))))

<3 starr