CATEGORY: Fluff (mostly)
FEATURING: it has frerard, what more do you want from me okay
TRIGGER WARNINGS: A sad Frank Iero
PROMPT: Frank loses his beloved dog, Phoebe, and Gerard just happens to find her.
WORD COUNT: idk
POV changes a lot, sorry.

(FRANK'S POV)

Frank couldn't believe this had happened.

He had just come home from work and gone to the yard to fetch Phoebe. Phoebe was a black...well, Frank didn't know her exact breed. He'd gotten her from the pound about six months ago, and the workers had just said she was a mix. She was about the size of a lab, and she was black, but her ears stuck straight up on her head, and her tail was extra thick and fluffy. She also had longer, thinner legs than a lab would.

Frank lived in an apartment, and thankfully, it had a fenced in yard that he could let Phoebe roam through while he was at work. Frank's landlord, like Frank himself, loved dogs, and so he'd let his own dogs out there too. Phoebe would play with them all day long, and Frank could be rest assured that she'd be alright.

After work, Frank would go into the yard and fetch Phoebe to bring her back into his apartment. She would always bring a smile to his face when she ran up to see him. 

However, that day, when Frank went into the yard to fetch Phoebe, she wasn't there. He called her name, and searched all around the yard, but she just wasn't there.

In the corner of the chain-link fence, he found a hole, too small for the landlord's big German Shepherds to fit through, but just big enough for Phoebe.

Frank was so worried. Phoebe had likely gone through the hole in the fence and wandered off. She was probably lost, out on the streets right now!

He hurried out of the yard and out onto the sidewalk, calling for his beloved dog. He just hoped he could find her before she got hurt.

(GERARD'S POV)

It was a typical Wednesday evening for Gerard. He had just gone to his favorite Chinese takeout place for dinner, and now he was carrying his food home.

Gerard worked at a local hardware store, and right next door just happened to be a great Chinese restaurant. Sometimes after work he would head over and pick up food for dinner, as he was that night.

It was around six PM, so it was dark. There weren't many people out on the street, and so Gerard was careful to keep his guard up. He certainly didn't want to get mugged.

He suddenly stopped, hearing a strange sound. Nails, clicking against the sidewalk. He turned back quickly, and was a little surprised to see a medium-sized black dog walking alone. It had a narrow muzzle, pointy ears, and a fluffy tail. The dog's ID tag, along with the bell on its purple collar, made a pleasing jingling noise.

Gerard wasn't a dog person; he preferred cats. But the dog looked so sweet and friendly, he couldn't resist. He leaned down and petted the dog, and she wagged her tail harder. Her collar read the name Phoebe. 

Phoebe seemed like a nice dog. Gerard glanced around, but didn't see anyone else on the street. "Hello?" he called. "I, um, found your dog?" He was met with only silence.

He didn't know what to do. He couldn't just leave Phoebe out here by herself, she'd get picked up by the pound, or hit by a car. He had found her, and he felt responsible. Gerard didn't even know if she's follow him, but when he started walking again, she trotted after him.

So, he headed home, with one more companion than he'd left with.

- - - - - - -

(FRANK'S POV)

Frank was heartbroken.

His beloved dog was gone. His only friend, practically, was gone.

His landlord felt terrible about what happened. He'd apologized again and again for the hole in the fence, not knowing it had been there. He'd gotten it fixed right away, and even offered to pay for the fliers Frank had been putting up around town.

LOST DOG
Phoebe
Purple collar, with name on tag
If found, please call (xxx)-xxx-xxxx
REWARD

The flier also featured a picture of Phoebe, happily sitting in Frank's lap. He'd taken the picture just after he brought her home, and it hurt to look at now.

He'd taken the day off of work to search for her, walking all around town, calling her name, putting up fliers. So far, nobody he'd talked to had seen her, and he was scared he'd never find her. She'd been absent less than a day, but he already missed her so much.

At ten o'clock, he finally went home. He made himself a sandwich for dinner, in his silent apartment. Normally after dinner, he'd watch television with Phoebe. They'd sit there on the couch together, her on his lap or cuddled against his side.

Frank didn't feel like watching television. He went to bed, but just couldn't sleep.

(GERARD'S POV)

Gerard didn't have any dog food, but he did have his Chinese food. It probably wasn't good for her, but he didn't have any better ideas. He mentally planned to buy some more dog-appropriate food tomorrow.

Phoebe didn't seem to look at all emaciated; if she had run away or gotten lost, it was pretty recently.

He put some blankets and towels on his bedroom floor for her to sleep on, but just as he turned to climb into his own bed. Phoebe hopped up onto it. She sat there, wagging her tail at him and giving him those innocent eyes.

Gerard sighed at her. "You were supposed to sleep on the floor."

She just sat there, wagging her tail.

He sighed again, but didn't make her get up. "Alright, fine." Crawling onto the bed, he lifted up the covers and slipped under them. Phoebe laid down next to him, resting her head on her feet.

Gerard reached out, turned off the lamp, and fell asleep, feeling an odd sense of comfort.

- - - - - - -

(FRANK'S POV)

Frank spent the next two days searching for Phoebe. Thankfully, it was Labor Day weekend, so he was able to spend his days off of work looking for his dog.

He searched all over town, put up fliers in every store that would let him, and stopped by the pound every day to see if they'd picked up Phoebe by mistake. So far, nothing.

Frank was becoming more and more dejected every day. It was silly to some, maybe, but God, he missed that damn dog so much. He wanted to see her happy, panting face when he came home from work. He wanted to cuddle her on the couch, and take her on walks.

He was starting to lose hope he'd ever see her again.

(GERARD'S POV)

Gerard woke up on his third morning with a dog to Phoebe licking his face. He groaned and pushed her away, burying his face in his pillow again, but Phoebe started licking his head, persisting. He sighed in defeat, and sat up.

Phoebe sat there on the bed, tail wagging and eyes bright, as if she was proud that she'd been able to rouse him from his slumber.

"Good morning to you, too," Gerard said, with a hint of sarcasm. He just sat there for a bit, scratching behind Phoebe's ears and relaxing.

After a few minutes, he got out of bed and went into the bathroom. He used the toilet and washed his hands, glancing up at the mirror in front of him. His short black hair was messy and hung in his eyes, which had faint dark circles under them. His pajama pants and t-shirt were wrinkled, and lightly coated in dog hair.

Gerard left the bathroom and went into the kitchen, with Phoebe trotting after him. He was hungry, and his shift at work didn't start until after noon, so he had the whole morning to himself. Well, himself and Phoebe. He poured himself a bowl of cereal, and gave Phoebe her bowl of dog food as well. 

The day after finding Phoebe, Gerard had gone to the pet store to get some basic things he would need: a leash, dog food, dog bowls, and dog treats.

He'd gotten into the habit of taking the dog on a walk after breakfast, and he'd begun to enjoy it. Gerard had never been a morning person before, but he had grown to appreciate the early hours over the past few days.

After Gerard and Phoebe had both eaten, Gerard got dressed, putting on a pair of black skinny jeans, dark gray converse, a dark gray shirt, and his favorite olive green parka. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times, not bothering to brush it, and grabbed Phoebe's leash from the coffee table.

Gerard was still no closer to finding her owner. He'd been keeping an eye out for lost dog fliers on the street whenever he was out, and when he got to work he would always check the bulletin board. But so far, nothing.

Walking out into the hallway with Phoebe, Gerard nearly ran into someone. It was a girl with shiny black hair, a black skirt, fishnet stockings, black boots, and a black long-sleeved shirt that read 'ART IS THE WEAPON' in big white letters. Bright red lipstick adorned her lips.

"Hi, Gerard," the girl said with a friendly wave. She looked to Phoebe with a slightly surprised look. "I didn't know you got a dog!" The girl bent down to Phoebe, letting the black dog sniff her hand curiously.

"She's not mine, Lindsey," Gerard explained to his neighbor. "I found her out on the street a couple nights ago. Couldn't leave her out there all by herself, of course. Still looking for her owner."

"Well, she's very cute." Lindsey scratched behind Phoebe's ears, and the dog wagged her fluffy tail happily.

- - - - - - -

(FRANK'S POV)

It was Monday, the day before Frank had to go back to work. He had spent the morning contacting the newspaper about putting a missing dog ad in the classifieds section. Now he was out and about town again, carrying his diminishing handful of fliers.

He turned the corner, heading into an ACE hardware store. Frank noted that there was a large bulletin board near the door, by the plastic shopping baskets. He walked through the store, finding the customer service counter and ringing the 'please ring for assistance' bell.

A man with fluffy brown hair and a friendly smile came out of the back room at the sound of the bell. "Hi, how can I--" he broke off his greeting when he saw who it was. "Hi, Frankie!"

"Hey, Ray," Frank said to the man. Frank and Ray had been friends since high school. Despite having near-opposite personalities--Frank was tough, while Ray was kind--they got along well.

"What brings you here? Are you actually shopping, or did you just stop to say hi?" Ray questioned, resting his arm on the counter.

Frank swallowed. He didn't feel like talking about what had happened with Phoebe. "Is it okay if I put up a flier on the bulletin board?"

"Sure, my boss won't mind," Ray said, waving his arm in the direction of the board. "You looking for a new job or something? We've got an opening."

Frank chuckled a little. "No, thanks." The landline phone on the counter suddenly rang, and Ray picked it up.

With his friend distracted, Frank went over to the bulletin board, taking a few tacks from the board and putting up his flier. There were several other fliers for different things: someone was selling their car, and someone else was looking for a person who could fix their motorcycle.

Frank felt sad, looking at his flier. The picture on the front with him and Phoebe together made his heart pang.

He felt Ray's hand on his shoulder. "I didn't know. I'm sorry, Frankie."

Frank just nodded his head, standing there and staring at the photo.

(GERARD'S POV)

After his walk with Phoebe, Gerard let her loose in the yard his apartment complex provided. Luckily, he lived in a pet-friendly apartment, with a secure wooden fence. He made sure to give Phoebe a treat before heading off to work.

He walked to work, which wasn't too far. It was a slightly chilly day, and Gerard wished he didn't have to work so he could stay home and binge-watch Supernatural--it was the perfect day for such a thing. Unfortunately, despite it being Labor Day, Gerard didn't have the day off. The hardware store was having some big 'Labor Day Weekend' sale, and so he actually had even more work than usual.

Heading into work, Gerard walked into the back room, where the employees' red vests were kept. He reluctantly took off his parka and put the vest on over his t-shirt, sighing. He hated the vests, but at least everybody had to wear them.

One of Gerard's coworkers, Ray Toro, walked into the room. "Hey, Gee."

"Morning, Ray." Gerard put his hands in his pockets and turned to face his friend. Ray looked unusually sad; he almost always had a friendly smile on his face, but that day it was absent.

Ray sat down. "My friend Frankie came in today to put up a flier, and he was really sad. He lost his dog a few days ago."

Gerard perked up at the word 'dog'. "He did?"

"Yeah. He loves his dog a lot, and so he was real tore up about her being missing."

"This dog wouldn't happen to be a black one named Phoebe, would it?"

Ray looked up, surprised. "How did you know?"

Gerard smiled brightly. He took off his vest, and put his parka back on. "Tell the supervisor I have something important to do."

- - - - - - -

(FRANK'S POV)

Frank was out on the street when he got the call.

He had decided to take a short break from work, to eat some lunch. He was at a McDonald's, eating a cheeseburger and French fries, along with a diet coke.

He didn't have that big of an appetite, but he knew he should probably eat anyway.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang, vibrating. Its plastic cover made a clattering sound against the table.

His breath caught in his throat. Was it news of Phoebe? There was only one way to find out.

With trembling fingers, he picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Pete, where are you?" a male voice on the other end asked.

Frank's heart sank. "Sorry, wrong number." The man on the other end apologized at least a dozen times before hanging up.

(GERARD'S POV)

Gerard tore down the flier from the bulletin board and hurried home. He'd found Phoebe's owner at last!

He felt a bit of sadness at having to lose her; she was pretty nice, for a dog. But he knew she'd been happy to be with her owner, and her owner would likely be happy, too.

He went into the yard, greeting Phoebe with a treat. She wagged her tail and ate the treat happily, sitting at his feet as he took a seat in one of the plastic lawn chairs. Gerard looked at the flier.

LOST DOG
Phoebe
Purple collar with name on tag
If found, please call (xxx)-xxx-xxxx
REWARD

Along with the information on the flier, there was a photo of a man and his dog. Gerard recognized the dog as Phoebe right away, but the man was unfamiliar.

He had shortish black hair, and brown eyes. Tattoos covered his arms, there were black gages in his ears, and he was completely clad in black. Despite the tough-looking physical appearance, the man was smiling widely, with Phoebe sitting in his lap.

Gerard dialed the number.

- - - - - - -

(FRANK'S POV)

Just as Frank was walking out of McDonald's, his phone rang again. He stopped just outside the fast food restaurant, leaning against the wall and crossing his fingers as he picked up. "Hello?"

"Hi, um, is your dog missing?" The voice on the other end of the phone was kind, sincere.

Frank's heart skipped a beat. "Yes, do you have any news about her?"

"I found her, actually." The guy chuckled.

Frank held the phone away from his face for a moment, then pumped his fist in celebration. "YES!"

The guy was laughing as Frank held the phone back up to his ear. "I totally heard that."

Frank laughed too. He was so happy. "I don't even care. When can we meet up?"

"As soon as you want."

"I'll text you my address?" Frank was so excited that his hands were shaking; he didn't trust himself to drive.

"Sounds good, I'll be there soon."

(GERARD'S POV)

The guy, whom Gerard remembered Ray had referred to as Frankie, texted Gerard his address. It was a little far away from where Gerard lived, but he didn't own a car, so he was just going to have to walk it.

Before long, he and Phoebe had set out. It wasn't too bad outside; though it was a little overcast, it wasn't terribly hot or muggy, like it can be sometimes during the summer.

Even though the weather was nice enough for short sleeves and maybe even shorts, Gerard wore his jeans and parka, because he liked it that way.

Phoebe seemed to grow more and more excited as they drew closer to Frankie's neighborhood, as if she recognized it. Gerard recalled with a smile how happy Frankie had been when he had given him the news. 

Soon, Phoebe and Gerard found Frankie's apartment building. It was decently nice, with several stories and only slightly outdated architecture. When they reached the top of the stairs, Phoebe's ears perked up, and she yanked hard on her leash, practically dragging Gerard down the hall.

Suddenly one of the hall doors opened, and Phoebe charged right into the figure standing there, yanking Gerard with her. The trio collapsed together on the floor.

"Phoebe!" the figure, Frank, laughed. It was definitely the guy from the flier. The dog was in his arms, licking his face and barking excitedly. Gerard had never seen a happier man or dog.

Frankie hugged Phoebe tight to his chest, smiling widely at Gerard. "Thank you, thank you so much!"

Gerard's heart fluttered. This guy was, in all honesty, rather cute. "It's no problem at all."

After hugging his dog tightly again, Frankie stood up and offered his hand to Gerard. Blushing, Gerard took it, and the man helped him up, opening the door to his apartment again. "Come on in, have some coffee."

"I'd love to, but I really should get back to work." Gerard smiled at Frankie, then lowered his eyes shyly.

Frankie paused. Phoebe was at his side, wagging her tail hard. "Well, at least let me take you out for dinner after your shift is over." He suddenly looked shy.

Gerard blushed. "I would love that."