Candy Hearts ✰ Frerard

.CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

turn that frown upside down
~[|]~

"Gee, could you maybe leave this at that table in the corner?" Frank asked as he finished placing the last shot of vodka on the tray.

The bar was busy, busier than it had been in a while, and Gerard could barley move around on his stool with the amount of people there.

Turns out, Friday nights really are made just for partying. Well, Friday nights and the undeniable fact that there was also a football game on that had peaked the interest of many locals and alcoholics.

Frank was working overtime, so much so that he was working himself into an early grave. Gerard hated it when Frank was tired and exhausted, and if he were in charge he would have let him go home this instant, but alas Gerard didn't work at the bar and he wasn't Frank's boss, but he had still been asked to deliver that tray of shots to that table by the television.

Gerard didn't mind helping Frank, and he knew Frank wouldn't ask if he really didn't need the help.

"Sure thing, Frankie." Gerard smiled, his voice barely audible over all of the chatter.

Frank smiled back at him gently before being yelled at by another costumer demanding a drink, and Gerard could tell by the way Frank had now started gritting his teeth that he was close to snapping and doing something he'd regret.

Gerard carefully lifted up the tray that had eight shots planted on it, and clambered out of his chair, trying his damn hardest not to spill anything. Luckily he was in fact used to carrying trays so it wasn't all that hard for him, but it was just the rough atmosphere that made it hard. The shoving and yelling and sweat.

It wasn't very nice.

"Um, d'you guys order eight shots?" Gerard asked as he approached the table that had five guys and three girls sitting by it.

He shuffled awkwardly as the man closest to him nodded and basically yanked the tray out of his hands.

"Never seen him here before," A voice belonging to another guy at the table said, "he's pretty."

Gerard presented an awkward smile, knowing full well that the alcohol had definitely hit these people and that he was now at the end of drunken, and unfortunately quite insincere compliments.

"Got a nice ass too." The one who had yanked the tray said, and he gave Gerard's form a look over as he did so.

Gerard's eyes widened at that, and he could feel his skin begin to crawl as his mouth fell agape.

"Yeah, especially for a guy." The other said again, and Gerard was only half aware of himself when he felt a fucking slap being delivered straight on his behind, and that's when he felt something deep down crack.

It was like he was that helpless high schooler all over again, or at the end of those catcalls he always got after his shift. Gerard just- he just couldn't deal with these kinds of interaction.

It hurt so bad, it hurt more than those interactions where you get your face caved in, because this one was intended solely on talking about parts of his body that he didn't even want to think about most of the time. He had already discussed with himself how it made him feel to have other people stare at him, but to touch him too, well, that was a whole other situation.