october challenge | frerard | ✔️

ten - tears

ten: why do you let him do this to you?

"Hey, Frank!" Ray grinned as he opened the door to his best friend. "Come on in, I haven't seen you for like a week."

"Hey," Frank said and smiled, coming in and taking his shoes off. "How've you been doing?"

"I've been doing just fine," Ray said and took Frank's coat and then let his jaw drop. "Frank, what the fuck?"

Frank's hand instantly went up to his neck where Ray's eyes were fixated and pulled his turtleneck up further, desperately trying to cover up. "What?"

"Frank, I already saw it, you don't have to hide them," Ray sighed and looked at the ground. Frank let go of his turtleneck and let it slump loosely around his neck. "Those... aren't just hickeys, dude."

"No, they're not just..." Frank trailed off

Ray's hand settled at Frank's lower back and led him to the sofa where there were two steaming mugs of hot chocolate waiting. Frank gratefully took one and settled on the sofa alongside Ray.

"No, they're not just hickeys,"  Frank tried again and sipped his hot drink. "But that's why I'm here, you know."

"But this...," Ray shook his head and whispered, "Is he hurting you, Frank?"

"Gerard treats me well," Frank muttered and avoided Ray's eyes as well as the question at hand.

"Does he hurt you, Frankie?" Ray asked again, gently pushing the question and laying a hand on Frank's knee. "Never, mind, just... let me see them?"

Frank was hesitant, but he took off his turtleneck and then his long (and short-sleeved) t-shirts. Ray ignored the hickeys--those were normal--and instead focused on Frank's back when he turned around. His back was marred, ruined. The red and swollen marks stretched from his neck to his hips, ragged and desperate, completely unintended.

Ray knew he didn't mean it. He knew that it wasn't supposed to be so bad, he knew that Frank's boyfriend wouldn't ever hurt him on purpose. But there needed to be a line.

Ray sucked in a breath. It wasn't something he couldn't fix, but still. "Frankie," he said gently and reached out to touch his hand to Frank's back. Frank hissed and pulled away at the sting of Ray's fingers, and Ray tried to imagine what driving here would have been like.

"What?" Frank said and turned around, crossing his arms.

"There has to be some sort of line... something... anything to keep you from getting hurt this bad. You can't keep doing this, it can't be pleasant... Why do you let him do this to you?"

Frank bit his lip and looked determinedly away from Ray when he mumbled, "I like it."

"What the... fuck," Ray sighed, and then rubbed his hands over his face. "You what?"

"I like it," Frank whispered this time, and then, he started sobbing. His hands were still crossed over his chest, so every heave of his chest, he would stretch out the skin on his back further, irritating the scars further. He sobbed once, letting the tears cascade down his cheeks, and then Ray's arms were wrapped around him, careful to not irritate the scars more. Frank buried his face into Ray's chest.

"You like it?" Ray asked as if confirming it.

Frank nodded and sobbed again. "I like it a lot, but sometimes it's too much, and I don't realise until after. A-and-and my skin just gets messed up... and ugh--" he let out another sob with a heave of his chest.

Ray stroked his hair and whispered 'shh' into his ear and stroked his arms (instead of his back) until he'd calmed down, and then Frank pulled apart and pulled on his shirts and sweater again, leaning his side into the couch and facing Ray.