Bad Idea! ✐ FRERARD

✩ BAD DAY CLASSICS ✩

      "IERO!" HURLEY YELLED at a dazzled Frank who in turn snapped his head up.

His eyes were still fuzzy with sleep as he tried to focus on his C.O, who didn't look too impressed as everyone in the room stared at Frank.

Ray nudged him, almost telling him to apologise, but Frank's mind was still half off so of course he didn't catch that. Instead he let out a grunt and rested his chin on his palm, glaring at the screen in front of him.

"Anyway," Hurley said slowly, making it a point to look exclusively at Frank who blinked blankly in response. "As I was saying, there's been a break in near the Angelika, so I want Ross and Iero to scope out the place."

Iero barely had a chance to nod before he was zoning out once again.

He wasn't always a great listener, he could definitely acknowledge that, but he swore this time it wasn't his fucking fault. Some dude had just moved in next door to his and Bob's apartment, and he was fucking loud. He drilled and listened to music all night and sometimes made it a point to listen to TV at a high fucking volume at ungodly hours.

Frank wasn't exactly a fan, and Bob had to keep him from going over there and kicking his ass various times. Though Frank swore to himself that one more disruption would mean the guy getting his ass handed to him. Frank didn't care if he had to play the 'cop' card or not.

They hadn't actually met the fucker, but oh did Frank intend to.

Once the briefing was over, Frank followed the rest of the officers out of the room. Though quite quickly he winced when he caught sight of Bert clutching his coffee mug so tight his knuckles were white, the cup seconds away from shattering in his iron grip.

Frank obviously couldn't give a single shit regarding why he was pissed off, because he himself wasn't in the best mood, but he figured he may as well ask before he breaks his damn coffee mug and Frank has to listen to Hurley lecture him about it.

"You good, McCracken?" Frank asked, trying to sound just the least bit charismatic but his disinterest was very clear.

Bert grumbled something Frank didn't hear, but he just nodded anyway, making Bert raise an agitated eyebrow.

"You've been cheated on before?" He asked curiously, and Frank half kept himself from smacking the shit out of himself.

Why did he nod to a question he didn't fucking hear in the first place?

What was worse though, was that as much as he didn't want to be having this conversation at that moment, or ever really, he found himself nodding slowly. Actually having understood the question that time. Because truth be told, Frank had been cheated on. A lot. By a multitude of partners.

Though Frank had to admit after the third time he stopped being surprised, because he came to the conclusion that dating and trusting anyone who could hurt him like that, was honestly beneath him.

Frank wouldn't blame his horrible dating history on him being a complete dick at times, but it did play a somewhat large part. Believe it or not, Bob and Ray had both known Frank before he became the coldhearted asshole he was today. Frank used to be quite the optimist.

He loved his job and was proud of it too, because he wasn't exactly aware of the whole 'ACAB' thing at the time. But now he was. And now he wasn't the proudest, or happiest about his life either. Although there was just something so damaging about being cheated on, he had to admit his coldness did come mostly from how the public viewed him.

It was hard being happy with himself when he knew just about everyone hated him, for reasons completely beyond him. He was a good cop, or that was what he told himself anyway, and he hoped he was a passably good person, but sometimes that just wasn't enough. Like when he had first moved to the city, he didn't have a car so of course he used the subway. But he soon just started walking home because every damn time he came onto the subway with his badge out or in uniform, people would avoid him, or curse him out, or in one case, try to clock him.