Capo Dei Capi │a mafia frerard fic

10

Mikey left early in the morning not long after Gerard finally fell asleep. He was reluctant to leave, he knew Gerard was in pain and scared and didn't want to leave him that way, but Frank promised him that Gerard would be safe and that he would take care of him. Mikey didn't doubt that Frank treated his brother like royalty because even though at work he was this stone-cold boss, he had seen the way he was around Gerard when it was just the two of them.

Frank didn't sleep; he just listened to Gerard breathe and brushed his hands through his hair and down his spine, making sure that Gerard knew Frank was still there even if he was asleep. Frank made sure to keep his injured cheek from touching anything, keeping Gerard's head on his lap facing outward so that the cheek couldn't accidentally touch anything. They stayed on the sofa; Frank couldn't bring himself to wake Gerard and take him to their room, so he kept his head in his lap with the blanket covering Gerard. He wasn't sure if the main living room had been cleaned up yet and wasn't about to go and look.

Gerard woke with a jolt, he'd only managed to have a few hours of sleep, but it was better than nothing. He whined as he tried to sit up and Frank helped him, softly taking his arms and pushing him against the back of the sofa. The room was dark, but Frank could see Gerard's face. It was a lot worse than yesterday, his eye and jaw sporting dark bruises and his cheek was was a darker red, meaning it was starting to heal.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Frank asked. Gerard looked sad, and Frank could understand, but he hated seeing him like this. Gerard opened his mouth slightly to speak but closed it again as soon as he opened it, making a distressed face. "Does your jaw hurt?"

"A little," Gerard spoke, looking uncomfortable as he did. "Only if I open my mouth too far."

"Keep your mouth closed, tesoro*. You need to eat something though, is yoghurt okay? Do you want some Tylenol?"

*'sweetheart.'

Gerard nodded, eyes sad. Frank didn't want to move, and he could tell that Gerard didn't want to either, but he also didn't want to leave him alone. Frank took hold of Gerard's hands, holding them on top of his legs.

"Can you come into the kitchen with me?" Frank asked, and Gerard pouted but nodded unenthusiastically. They both stood up, and Gerard stayed close to Frank, who kept a hand on the small of his back. They passed the living room, doors shut thankfully, and made their way into the kitchen. Frank could see Gerard's face better in this lighting, the way his bruises stood out, and his face was puffy in certain areas. The first aid kit was still on the island from yesterday, so Frank took out two pills and filled a glass with water, dropping a straw in the cup. "I'm gonna need you to open your mouth to take the pills, only a little."

Gerard made a face and Frank walked towards him, pills and water in hand. Gerard hesitated before opening his mouth an inch, looking in pain as Frank placed the pills into his mouth. Frank stroked his hair as Gerard closed his mouth around the straw, downing the water.

"You're okay, Gee," Frank murmured and kissed Gerard on the forehead, hands secured around his head and pulling him to his chest. "Which hurts more?"

Gerard pointed to his eye; it was bruised pretty badly. His undereye area was a deep purple, yellow around the edges and puffy. Frank moved away from Gerard and towards their freezer, pulling open drawers before finding what he was looking for and then found one of Gerard's favourite yoghurt's.

"Hold this to where it hurts the most, it helps. You don't have to open your mouth too far, but you need to eat," Frank said, handing the ice pack to Gerard who brought it to his right eye. The cut on his cheek was on the other side, but the jaw bruise was also on the right side, making the right side of his face puffy and painful. His jaw wasn't as bruised as his eye, a much lighter purple on the curve of his jawbone. Frank opened the yoghurt, scooping a small amount onto the spoon and bringing it to Gerard's lips. Gerard opened his mouth, less than he had before and allowed Frank to feed him. "Does it hurt?"