Stop Me Going Home (REVAMPED)

Chapter 18

Both boys are super tired, but the coffee seems to be doing its job, keeping them awake into the late hours of the night. The tv continues to play its shows, but neither pay attention at this point.

It's been another hour, now close to three in the morning, and Frank still isn't home.

"Mikey?" Gerard asks, breaking their silence. His brother looks to him.

"I don't think we should wait until later to report him missing. I want to do it as soon as the station opens," Gerard says. Mikey doesn't argue or try and convince him to wait.

"Okay," He replies. They're both rendered quiet again. Gerard switches the channel to cartoons, but he's not able to pay attention to anything on the screen. He's too worried about Frank. He's so scared that something bad happened to him. Mikey starts standing up, and he grabs his coffee mug.

"I'm gonna make some more. Do you want some?" He asks. Gerard hands Mikey his mug.

"Yeah, thank you," He replies. He looks down at his phone. He doesn't know if Frank read his messages, but he decides to write another.

(2:56am)-come home. i need you here. i need you. i love you.

Gerard thinks that the message goes through because the error doesn't show up, but he has no ways of knowing whether or not Frank's reading them. He hopes he is. His heart aches not knowing what's going on.

The house starts to smell like coffee again, and soon enough, Mikey returns with two cups of coffee, handing one of the mugs to Gerard. He sits down next to him.

"You don't have to stay up," Gerard says. Mikey shakes his head.

"I'm his friend, too. I know you and him are different with each other, but I care for him just like you do," Mikey replies. He doesn't sound offended, only tired. They're both super tired, but neither of them seem to want to give up and go to sleep. Gerard takes a sip of his coffee.

He knows he's got a caffeine addiction, but he doesn't care. If it keeps him running, it keeps him running, and the consequences don't matter. Coffee is good, anyway. Mikey drinks coffee too, but he's more into flavors and creamer, and Gerard could chew on the beans and call it good.

Gerard glances over to Mikey, situated on the opposite side of the sofa. He's sipping on his coffee, staring at the tv, though it's obvious he has no genuine interest in what's going on, he's just trying to pass the time. Seconds feel like hours.

Gerard's about to say something about changing the channel, but he hears something over by the front door. He then remembers how he left it unlocked, and he looks over in the direction of it, ready to jump up to his feet if need be. Mikey is watching the door just as intently.

The handle slowly turns, and the first thing they see is a hand sticking out of a black sleeve. By the time the person makes their first step into the house, Gerard is a hundred percent sure that it's Frank. He's quick to his feet, walking over to his boyfriend. Frank fully enters the house and closes the door behind himself, not looking up at the scene in from of him just yet. A hood covers his head, and Gerard stops a few feet in front of Frank. Frank lifts his gaze up, and their eyes meet.

He looks tired. That's the only way to describe him. His hair is a mess and he's got bags under his eyes. It looks like there's dried blood on his face, but given how dirty he looks, Gerard doesn't really know. He looks like shit, but he's here in the flesh, and that's all Gerard wanted. Frank looks scared and exhausted, and maybe he didn't see the texts that Gerard had sent, and that truth is confirmed when he pulls a broken phone out of his hoodie pocket, and gives it to Gerard with a shaking hand. Gerard sees the tears in his eyes as he takes the phone and sets it on the counter.