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Frank is sick of this shitty club. The bass line of some terrible techno song is ringing in his ears, the red and blue flashing lights give everyone a sickly tinge and make it hard to see, and the cigarette smoke makes everything look hazy. The air is filled with the mixed odors of smoke and beer and sweat, and if Frank tilts his head just so he can catch a small whiff of pot from that group of lanky teenagers slouching against the far wall.
He can feel a headache building up.
He kind of wishes he hadn't offered to stay behind and bring Gerard home, but Ray had promised to take his shift at driving tomorrow, and besides, it's not like he really minds taking care of Gerard.
It's kind of weird not drinking when he's at a bar, but he thinks Gerard will get drunk enough for the both of them. Besides, he's not really in the mood to get drunk tonight. There's no doubt he'd just end up picking a fight with someone, and he really doesn't need any broken bones or bloody noses right now.
The cranberry juice he's been nursing all night is too warm and the cup sticks to his hand, but he drains that last bit of it and slams the cup back on the counter. He stands up purposefully, eyes scanning the mass of people for Gerard.
He finally spots him in one of the shadier corners, laughing along with two guys and a girl. The girl has her hand resting on Gerard's arm and they lean easily into each other. Frank quashes down the twinge of jealousy. Gerard is probably just drunkenly swaying and using the girl as support.
Frank makes his way over to them and tugs gently at Gerard's sleeve.
"Hey, Gee," he says, leaning close to speak in Gerard's ear. "Come on man, it's late. We gotta get out of here."
"Hey Frankie!" Gerard's smile is wide and toothy, and he steps away from the girl to give Frank a messy hug, like he hasn't seen him in forever. Frank can't help but feel a little smug at the disappointed look on the girl's face and the fact that Gerard doesn't exactly move away when he pulls back.
"Yo man, who's your friend?" asks one of the guys, looking Frank up and down.
"Oh, this is Frank," Gerard says brightly. He turns to Frank. "These are my new friends. They're really nice."
"I'm sure they are," Frank says, smiling. He's not sure if it comes off as pleasant or not, but he's pretty tired and all he wants is to get Gerard out of here so they can go back to the hotel and crash out in actual beds.
The girl's eyes narrow slightly, but she just turns to the guy who hasn't spoken yet and continues their previous conversation, something about dogs and swimming pools. Frank doesn't really care. He tugs again at Gerard's arm.
"Come on, Gee, let's go."
Gerard blinks slowly at him, opening his eyes wide and still smiling that crazy drunk smile of his.
"Oh yeah, sure," he says finally, and turns back to the rest of the group. "See you later, dogs. It's been fun."
The others wave their goodbyes. The girl gives Frank a quick, dirty look, but he ignores her and pulls Gerard after him towards the exit.
--
Gerard stumbles out after Frank, and giggles to himself as he almost trips, catching himself at the last moment on the collar of Frank's hoodie.
"Sorry," he says. His smile is replaced by a worried look as he notices Frank's discomfort at almost being choked. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Frank bats his hands away and readjusts his hoodie into a more comfortable position. "Don't worry about it."
He starts walking then, breathing in the clean, night air. Well, not exactly clean, but cooler and easier to breathe than it had been inside. Frank usually loves clubs, loves dancing and smoking and drinking and being close to people, invading their personal space and having them invade his. It's just that tonight, he's not in the mood. He'd felt slightly off kilter and weird all day, and all he wants is a good night's sleep on a soft surface.
He stops when he realizes that Gerard is no longer behind him, and turns around just in time to see Gerard double over, retching into the bushes lining the sidewalk. He hurries back quickly, places a hand on Gerard's back to steady him while pushing the hair out of his face with the other. Gerard just shakes his head, spits out a few times, and stands up.
"I'm okay," he says, making at face at the taste of vomit in his mouth. "At least I didn't throw up on myself this time." He glances down at his shirt, poking at what looks like a dirty, wet patch near his stomach and frowning slightly. "Someone else did though."
"Ugh," Frank says. "I hope you're planning to take a shower when we get back."
Gerard giggles as he almost trips over his shoelaces again as he starts walking.
"I don't know if I'm coordinated enough for that," he says.
Frank sighs.
"I'll help you," he says resignedly.
--
It takes two times almost walking into a pole, several elbow scrapes, three cigarette breaks, and five minutes fumbling with the keycard for Frank to finally get Gerard into their hotel room and inside the bathroom. He has Gerard sit on the toilet while he tests the water to get it hot enough and puts the plug over the drain.
Gerard is swaying precariously when he turns back around.
"Come on, Gee, let's get you out of these clothes," he says, pulling Gerard's jacket down over his arms and throwing it under the sink. The shirt underneath is wet with beer and juice and god knows what else and sticking to Gerard's skin. He peels it off slowly as Gerard lifts up his arms and throws it on top of the jacket.
"Now stand up," Frank says, pulling on Gerard's arm to get him to comply. Gerard smiles wide at him, letting himself be pulled up. Once he's on his feet though, he tilts forward, arms going around Frank's neck as he leans his head against Frank's shoulder.
Frank staggers a bit at the unexpected weight but manages to keep his balance. He reaches in between them, fumbling with the button and zipper to Gerard's pants, and pulling both those and the underwear down in one quick motion.
"Hey, can you kick your shoes off?"
Gerard nods against Frank's neck but doesn't say anything. He stumbles some more, tripping over the pants around his ankles, trying to get one sneaker off, and Frank's arms come up around his waist to support him. He finally manages after several tries and kicks them away. Frank helps Gerard step out of the pants, placing a supporting hand on his back as he guides him toward the bathtub.
It's about half full, and Frank leans over to turn the tap off as Gerard stretches out slowly.
"Mmm, this is good," he says, leaning his head back on the edge and closing his eyes. His eyelashes are dark against his pale skin, and his hair sticking to his neck in sticky looking clumps. It probably hasn't been washed in over a week, Frank thinks.
Frank grabs the washcloth from the pile of towels on the sink and kneels down by the tub. He picks up the soap and proceeds to wash Gerard, over his chest, down his arms, rubbing over his belly. Gerard doesn't help, but he doesn't protest either, letting Frank lift up his arm to was his sides and making contented noises as Frank splashes water over him.
He does fine until he gets to washing Gerard's dick. Gerard lets his legs part slightly wider and lets out a sigh.
"Mmm, Frank," he murmurs. Frank closes his eyes, reminds himself that this is not the time or place for this, not when Gerard is drunk and sleepy.
He quickly washes his inner thighs and behind his balls before telling Gerard to sit up so he can get his back. Gerard complies, propping his elbows on his knees and letting his head droop down between them.
Luckily, the shower has a detachable head, so Frank stretches up to get it and turns the water on again. He holds it over Gerard's head, letting the water soak through his hair and run in thick rivulets down his back. He grabs the tiny bottle of hotel shampoo and squirts about half of it in his hand. His hands are gently as they rub the shampoo gently into Gerard's hair. He massages the scalp, running his fingers through the hair to get the tangles out, careful not to get anything in his eyes.
Gerard is quiet, only letting out the occasional sigh escape as Frank washes away the accumulated layers of grease and dirt and sweat.
When he's done, he pulls the plug and watches the water spiral down the drain for a minute. Gerard stays in the same position, with his head between his knees, but his breathing is starting to slow down and Frank can tell he's falling asleep.
"Come on, Gerard," Frank says, standing up and grabbing Gerard gently by the arm. "The bed's more comfortable."
Gerard stumbles out of the tub slowly, supporting himself by leaning on Frank's shoulders. Frank places his hands on Gerard's waist to make sure he doesn't slip and fall.
When Gerard is finally out, Frank leans over to grab a towel from the rack and wrap it around Gerard, who is still standing with his arms wrapped around Frank's neck. He's warm and loose-limbed, and leans his head down until his forehead is resting against Frank's.
"Frank," Gerard says. His eyes are closed, and Frank can see each individual eyelash from this close. He feels Gerard's warm breath, soft on his face. "You're... you're amazing," Gerard says, his fingers playing idly with the short hair at the nape of Frank's neck.
Frank swallows hard. He can't seem to tear his eyes away from Gerard's lips, which are slightly parted. He can see a hint of tongue peeking out to lick quickly at the corner of his mouth, and Frank draws in a sharp breath. He can't let himself do this, not now. Not when Gerard has been drinking all night and is probably out of his head with exhaustion.
It takes a massive effort, but Frank manages to pull himself away from Gerard's embrace. He grabs the towel and brusquely rubs Gerard down, determinedly not thinking about all that skin under his hands and Gerard's willing attitude.
When he finally gets Gerard in bed and under the covers, Gerard drops off to sleep practically as soon as his head hits the pillow. Frank stares at him for a moment, half formed wishes and thoughts flying through his head. He quickly discards his own clothes, which are now slightly wet from giving Gerard that bath. He burrows under the covers of his own bed, closes his eyes, and falls asleep to the image of Gerard's contented smile.