Welcome to the Pride Parade [Frerard AU]

Part III: Chapter 16

          

CHAPTER 16 – NOW

From Frank Iero: Gerard

I opened my phone to this cryptic message at dinner, halfway hopeful I knew what would follow but also a little apprehensive because he had texted instead of calling like he usually did.

From Gerard Way: ?

Send a cryptic message, get one back, I thought.

From Frank Iero: I did it

I made an audible sound of surprise, earning me some looks from the rest of my family. I quickly excused myself and sprinted to my room to get some quiet for the conversation to come.

From Gerard Way: Did you?? Frank, that's awesome!! <3 <3

From Gerard Way: I am beyond proud of you right now.

From Gerard Way: How did you do it? Did she read it yet?

Considering I'd been so excited that I was cool with triple-texting, it wasn't much of a surprise when it took him a while to reply to it all.

From Frank Iero: I did. I'm pretty proud of myself too :) She hasn't seen it yet, I don't think. While I was doing laundry, I just put it on top of her stack of clothes. Then I took my own stack to my room and that's where I am now. I'm kind of afraid to leave my room at this point, but until I absolutely have to, I think that's okay. I'm kind of shaking writing this because I'm so full of adrenaline and anticipation but I'm kind of excited, I don't know why.

From Gerard Way: Nice. I really hope it all goes well! What you wrote was just about perfect. And now we play the waiting game.

From Frank Iero: Actually, I didn't tell you this before, but I added something else.

My instinct was to panic at this, considering my lack of control over what he wrote. All the same, it was his mom and his life and his situation, none of them mine. I couldn't make the judgment for him.

Therefore, I kept my response neutral.

From Gerard Way: What did you add?

I thought through what we might have left out. We had been so meticulous about it, so precise, and we'd been careful that he would include everything he wanted to say. Shoot, he didn't add an apology, did he? Did he catch something vital, or rather, did he sign the whole thing off as a prank just in case she got angry? I prayed he wouldn't do that. Not after all this effort and anxiety. It better be worth the price.

From Frank Iero: Well... I told her about you. I told her you've encouraged me through everything and that I'm a truly happier person when I'm with you. That we are just two men as God had made us. I wanted you to get some credit for if it does go over well, because I'm not sure I would have ever come out at all if you hadn't pointed out that they might find out another way.

From Gerard Way: Wow. First of all, I'm actually blushing. Really. You should see me right now. Second of all, consider me impressed. I thought you wanted to say one thing at a time, but... you got it ALL out there. That's awesome. Did I mention I'm proud of you?

From Frank Iero: I also figured that if she knew I was seeing someone, it would explain where I was going. I know you said that writing the letter was close enough to a confession that I didn't need to apologize, but the thing is, just knowing my sexuality doesn't exactly explain where I keep going. For all I know, she thinks gay people are just lusting over their own gender. I had to avoid that misconception, too.

From Gerard Way: That's true. I didn't think of that. I can't believe you actually did it. Hopefully she says something soon!

From Frank Iero: I'm both dreading it and hoping it comes as quickly as possible.

From Gerard Way: I'm kind of feeling the same way.

***

After that conversation, I found myself checking my phone for missed notifications multiple times in a minute. I knew it was ridiculous and that I would certainly know as soon as he got any update, but the nervous habit didn't go away all day. Everything else I did was about waiting for him to reply, setting up my phone so I could see it at all times, even when it got in my way. This was my priority now.

Three days later, the only texts I got from Frank were something along the lines of "Nothing yet, but here's an interesting thing about my day." It kept conversation going, which I was grateful for, but in the back of both of our minds was always this unopened letter.

"Gerard!" my brother's voice carried down the hallway around noon on Wednesday. "I'm going to band rehearsal. Can you believe there's less than a month until we perform?"

"That's exciting!" I agreed. "Have fun; don't crash the car on the way there."

"That's the goal. Hey, I'll be licensed soon!"

I chuckled to myself as I heard him close the door behind him, happy to have the house to myself now. Of course, what to do with that amount of freedom was an interesting choice to try to make.

I reminded the group chat of the show on his behalf, making sure they all planned to come.

From Gerard Way: Under a month until Mikey's band performs... I expect all of you there.

From Ray Toro: all two of us. you can count on it

From Frank Iero: That's coming up really fast! Is he ready for it?

From Gerard Way: I have no idea. From what I can hear with his practicing in his room, it sounds pretty smooth. He's on his way to band practice right now

From Mikey Way: I think it's going really well actually

From Gerard Way: Don't text and drive have you learned nothing

From Mikey Way: Calm yourself I'm already there

From Gerard Way: Good good

From Ray Toro: how exactly did they find you to play guitar?

From Mikey Way: A few guys from school heard my song when they played it at prom I guess and decided thats what they wanted in their band

From Mikey Way: Also, it's a bass guitar, to be specific

From Ray Toro: a guitar is a guitar isn't it

I let them keep discussing the precise differences between types of guitars, watching Mikey get excited about someone actually wanting to know.

Now that I was pretty much alone, I found my sketchbook on my desk and flipped through, hoping to finish at least one before the night was over. But as I scanned my drawings – they'd gotten a little less moody over the past few weeks – none of them looked like ones I wanted to complete. Against my better judgment, I started on a new page, pressing charcoal to the paper and creating a vague outline of four people, all positioned differently.

I didn't know how long Mikey planned to be out, and though he wasn't answering my texts, I figured it didn't matter all that much. It only surprised me that he was home so long after dark, so long after that our parents had already gone to bed. I was on the way there myself. The only reason I heard him come home was because he went straight up to his room and continued playing his bass well into the night.