Gerard woke up in a hazy manner as the loud banging of his front door shot bullets through his head. He pulled himself out of the bed, feeling his stiff muscles ache as he wished they would just go away and let him sleep. He stumbled through his apartment. Finally, his hands found the door handle, it took him far too long to unlock the door but the thumps of whoever was knocking was certainly not helping him. The lock clicked and he swung the door open, revealing who he was going to punch in the face.

"took you long enough," Said Lindsey, pushing past him and stepping into his apartment before he could even get his first word out.

"Why are you here so early?" He groaned, shutting the door behind her. She looked shocked at the words early before quickly telling him.

"Well if early is one in the afternoon then yes, early. I'm here because you have a date and I'm here because I'm awesome," Gerard stood there, was it seriously 1 pm? His lips pulled up into a tired smile, the best he could manage after just waking up. Almost as if she'd read his mind, he could hear the kettle bubbling away. "You need coffee, you look brain dead," she called from the kitchen as she searched the fridge for milk and sugar for her own, quickly realising that all she could find was microwave noodles and mould which she didn't want in her coffee.

Gerard fell back on to the couch with a grunt, eyes falling to the slim window on the wall parallel to him, showing the houses and other shops just outside of his door. The only other person he knew was the owner of the corner supermarket Mrs Glenfield who was a frail old woman who adored Gerard as though he were her son as she never had any herself. He didn't mind it, he drew her pictures and she would hang them up proud. He loved that woman. His daydream was cut short by a certain dark-haired friend flopping on the couch next to him with two mugs of hot black coffee in her hands. She passed the mug over to him which he happily accepted, feeling his fingertips burn on the porcelain mug. He sniffed the dark liquid, humming as the bitter smell reached his nostrils.

"You're going to burn your tongue if you drink that," she tried to warn him as Gerard pushed the edge to his lips, taking in a mouthful, she just stared in bewilderment. "You Gerard Arthur Way will always manage to surprise me," Lindsey simply said as she blew cold air over her's first.

"My date is still in eight hours, what's the point of you coming so early?" He asked after swallowing his second gulp of caffeine.

"Well because Gee, I need to give you a makeover and take you shopping and give you tips on what to do and what not to do," Gerard rolled his eyes.

"Linds, I'll do fine. Do you just want to stay here and maybe watch movies or draw with me?" Lindsey childishly pouted and Gerard knew something was up by her quirked eyebrows.

"Then will you mind that I bought..." she quickly opened her oversized handbag, pulling out a black button up and unripped jeans. Now it was Gerard's turn to be in a state of bewilderment as no handbag should be able to fit that much in it. She lay the clothes down on the couch. " movies and art would be good though," Gerard sculled the rest of his coffee before checking out the new outfit Lindsey had bought him, wide eyes the whole time. It seemed to be all the right size and he was absolutely loving it. It was something he'd never truly considered wearing before, something she referred to as 'smart casual' to his 'probably shouldn't smell that for too long'. He grinned as he held the outfit in between his worn hands, feeling the freshness of the outfit straight from the store.

"How much was this?" he gaped, searching for a tag or some form of an answer to his question that fed him some form of anxiety. He never wanted her to spend so much on him. Lindsey just sat there with a large smile, budging in no way to tell him. Once he realised it was hopeless to pry he leant over to her and wrapped his arms around her much smaller frame in a bear hug. He could feel her smile buried into his shoulder. They slowly pulled away, Gerard now positively buzzing from the idea of a date and not just the coffee.

"Bert should be coming soon, in less than an hour. If he's late do you give me permission to lecture him for no reason?" She said, going through her TARDIS of a bag. He shrugged, knowing his answer wouldn't change the fact that she would still do it. She pulled out three movies from her bag. "These are some perfect examples of what to do and what not to do. Also known as Lindsey Ballato's top Romance films. We've got 50 first dates, How to Loose a guy in 10 days and my personal favourite, Ten things I hate about you," she handed over the movies for Gerard to pick.

"You literally gave me three bad romcoms and you expect me to choose anything other than the one with Heath Ledger?" Lindsey rolled her eyes, taking the other two away. She quickly put the movies away before pulling out her laptop. Things were getting seriously crazy up in that bag.

"It's the best movie ever created and I think you should show some respect Gerard Arthur Way." Gerard scoffed as She opened up her brand new company laptop, opening the disk slot and sliding the disc in. The next knock at the door stopped Lindsey from pressing play. He knew who it was, as Lindsey's knock was high, quick and annoying. This knock was low and slow, telling him it was, in fact, his other friend. Gerard opened the door to Bert holding out a booklet to him. He looked at it with his face awkwardly contorted as he read the title. "What to do on your first date,"

"Lindsey's idea. She told me to pick it up on the way here," Bert explained, sliding the hardback into this hands and walking through. The door slammed shut and Bert and Lindsey greeted each other.

"We're watching ten things I hate about you," Bert rolled his eyes, taking a seat on the opposite side of the couch to her, leaving room for Gerard to squeeze in between them. It was nice in an uncomfortable sort of way. His friends sat warmly pressed against him making him feel less lonely than he had felt only the other night.

Lindsey pressed play and the movie started leaping right in. As much as he hated to admit it, by the end he was fully invested. He shipped Katrick and Cameranca the two main relationships, Bert still looked sceptical at the movie but Gerard honestly decided he was just a cranky man when it came to love and relationships. The time was nearing three and Lindsey was desperate to fit in another movie. She chose how to lose a guy in 10 days, which Gerard can successfully say he fell asleep to halfway in.

He was knocked awake by Lindsey, once again only this time it was because it was just passing 6:00. His date was in 3 hours. He lay awkwardly spread across the lounge with his head drooping half off of the armrest

"you snore you know," She said and watched as his eyes burst wide open. Lindsey laughed and Bert had to cover his mouth. "i'm kidding Gee," Gerard playfully glared at her as she just sweetly smiled. Gerard sat up properly on the couch, wiping his mouth from the saliva that had managed to dribble down his chin in his sleep.

"What else do I need to do?" Gerard's speech slurred together as his head sat limply on the couch.

"Do I seriously need to pump you full of caffeine so you function like normal human being?" She said, poking Gerard in the face to save her a trip of more coffee making. He shoved her hands away.

"Linds, seriously. What else?" At this moment Bert walked in, holding a plastic bag with unknown items weighing it down. Lindsey looked over her shoulder at him and nodded. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as this felt like something out of s torture scene he'd watched only a couple nights ago. Bert sat the bag on his desk before reaching into it and pulling out what it contained. Shampoo, conditioner, a comb and scissors. Gerard sat there gobsmacked as he stared at the items that now sat on his desk, staring at him.

"You, Gerard Way, are going to get into the shower and use both products and once you come out. Lindsey and I shall cut and comb your hair." Bert explained as Gerard's eyes darted between them as if they had just committed a home invasion. They both just stared back, Bert with a stone blank face and Lindsey with her classic quirked eyebrow. Finally, he broke, standing up from the couch and accepting his fate as he felt the bottles fit into his grasp. Slowly, one foot after the other he made his way to the bathroom door.

"Hasta la vista baby," He said, opening the door and slinking in. He stood in the room. His back almost immediately pressed up against the sink with the shower in front of him and the toilet by his side. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it onto the sink before following with his underwear till he could feel the coolness of the tiles radiate from the room. The frosted glass of the shower shone a distorted image of himself back as he reached forward to the brass handle. He opened it and stepped in. Gerard may or may not have hated showers, and especially washing his hair. After his traumatic fall and rush to the hospital after he fell in the shower had scarred him for life he lived in a constant state of slight paranoia about showering. Washing your hair only prolonged the torture. He pulled the bottles in after him before turning the hot tap to the far left. The pipes groaned and creaked but pretty soon slightly colder than room temperature water spluttered out. The drops hit his back like small bullets as he quickly half-heartedly scrubbed his body with his hands and the small block of soap. Finally, it was time. It wasn't as scary as he had lead himself to believe as he began to froth up the shampoo that was sitting in his hair. It was almost relaxing. He rinsed before throwing in the thicker stuff, conditioner. He stood counting till a minute under the mildly warm stream before rinsing the product from his hair and turning off the tap.

Once he stepped out mostly dry and half dressed he was met with cheers from his friends.

"I never thought I'd see the day!" She dramatically exclaimed, pretending to faint on to Bert who caught her. Gerard rolled his eyes at his friends, then he noticed the setup. There was a chair in the middle of the room on top of newspaper. He walked over to it and sat down without a fuss which made Lindsey extra giddy about being able to cut his hair.

"I've always wanted to cut your hair," she giggled, holding a pair of small curved metal scissors in her hand, "don't worry, I won't do anything drastic. Just a trim." She playfully snipped the scissors before really getting into it with a comb in hand. Gerard sat there as she combed through his tangles, wincing as she tugged at the knots and worked around his scalp. Soon he could hear the snipping of scissors and he knew pieces of his hair were falling to the newspaper floor. it wasn't as daunting at washing his har but it was still pretty scary to trust Lindsey with a pair of scissors, or any blade for a matter of fact. Lindsey went through his hair one more time, taking out any hair that hadn't fallen and to check it's length. "Tadaa" she announced, handing Gerard her compact mirror to check how he looked. He was glad she'd kept to her promise of just a trim because it made his face look fresh like he'd found new life but no, he was still a moderately sad and lonely art store owner. He smiled at his reflection before standing and hugging his best friend.

"I love it Linds," He told her as she playfully ruffled it for fun, he looked over to Bert who just gave him a big smile and a thumbs up. It had taken an hour and a half and he could feel the antsiness in his shaking fingers.

"Time for a wardrobe change!" she announced, throwing the clothes at him. "Change you lucky man," Gerard took the clothes and retreated back to his room. He quickly stripped once again, throwing on his freshly washed underwear. Buttoning up the shirt was a nightmare with his unsteady hands, missing a button or just not being able to get the button through. He sighed for a minute, trying to catch his breath after that and then realising that he really needed to work out more often, or at all. The skinny jeans seemed to not want to get over his thighs, he pulled and shoved his body around until they sat snug around his waist where he buttoned them. He checked himself out in the mirror, admiring the image of a new man. The jeans cupped his legs in all the right places, framing his butt and giving him delicate curves in places that seemed more like lumps. God women's jeans were great. Except for the non-existent pockets. He left his bedroom and Lindsey and Bert were once again left in shock.

"If I were gay I'd tap," Bert said, almost as if he were daydreaming which sent Gerard's face bright red.

"if you weren't gay I'd tap," mumbled Lindsey after as they both stood there admiring their handy work. Gerard just paraded around, fluttering from the compliments. "we've still got an hour," She said once out of her weird trance.

"coffee?" Bert suggested.

"Coffee." both Lindsey and Gerard replied. Bert disappeared into the kitchen leaving Gerard and Lindsey to flop on the couch.

"I'm so nervous," he blurted out as his but sank into the old couch, she looked at him and offered a smile for comfort.

"I'd expect nothing less, dates are always going to be nerve-wracking and they're especially going to be daunting if you have never really... dated," He nodded, taking in the comforting information as Bert returned juggling three mugs of boiling hot coffee, trying to keep a straight face and not appear as if the coffee was scalding his fingers. He quickly passed the mugs to the other two, visibly relaxing.

"too hot Bertie?" Lindy joked as she blew on her steaming coffee, Bert just shot her a look which just made her smile. It was funny, as intimidating as Bert seemed, he could never scare Lindsey. She just thought it was funny, he full-heartedly admired her bravery. They sipped their coffee in a comfortable silence (except Gerard who'd almost sculled it within the first few seconds and was now positively buzzing).

"this whole date could be a complete disaster," He said, still holding his empty mug.

"it could," Bert said, sipping his coffee and ignoring the glare he was getting from the female on the couch.

"Bert's just a grump, it'll be fine. Right, Bert?" Her teeth gritted at the last words but all Bert did was give her a shrug. Gerard's fingers fiddled with his favourite mug, hoping to ignore the anxiety inside him by counting how many chips he could find or how many paint stains he could find, every time he lost count he started again. It didn't help that much, it only pushed his worrying to the second in line which only made it grow quicker till it was pushing away any other thoughts. It was almost sickening, the back of his throat feeling like he was about to throw up from the amount he was worrying.

"Gerard, are you okay?" Bert's voice rang through his ears as it took him a moment to even realise he was being spoken to. He looked over at his blond friend and gave a forced smile as he tried to ignore the sick feeling that was still building. "I think it's time to get going," His face paled as he heard those words, he even checked his phone time to make sure Bert wasn't playing a trick on him but it was time. 8:45. Walter's Pine was a nice bar, it was new and apparently great from what he'd heard when it'd had opened. Bert would be driving him as he didn't own a car. Everyone stood from the couch and followed each other out of the door. The wind was colder than he remembered and Lindsey passed him his coat as she wished them goodbye and Gerard good luck.

* * *

When Bert dropped him off he was a couple minutes late and he hoped that it would be considered 'fashionably late'. The wind assaulted his freshly cut hair as he moved towards the entrance, pulling his coat close as a safety precaution. It was heavenly as he entered the bar. Its warm contemporary feel flooded his senses as he smelled the air for the crackling fire that sat ablaze nearby behind a pair who seemed to be enjoying it as well. The bar was filled with indistinguishable chatter from the patrons of the bar who were scattered around the building nothing loud, a background hum in his mind. His eyes scanned the many faces as he shrugged his coat off. His eyes wandered from the white tiled and whitewashed bar counter and to the seating area that was used when dining nearby that had a few members sparsely spaced out. His heart leapt out of his chest when he saw a certain dark haired man sat on one of the candlelit tables. Frank's confident aura was different as he noticed the man's shaking leg and unsettled hands. It made him smile knowing that his fears were reciprocated in his date. Gerard threw his coat over his arm and stepped forward to the table, feeling his feet clank on the wooden floors as he neared. It was an indescribable feeling when Frank's hazel eyes met his and he noticed Frank's eyes widen and his worry disappear. Frank stood up to greet him with an awkward hug that was still happily accepted by Gerard.

"Nervous?" Frank spoke first as they settled into their seats, Gerard nodded unsure of where to place his hands. He ended up resting them on his lap. "Yeah, I heard this place was good," they both went quiet as they looked around, it was weird.

"So Frank, what's something you've always wanted to do?" Gerard asked when he decided it had been quiet for way too long. He seemed to be happy about that as Frank's body language relaxed into his chair.

"I've always wanted to tour with my band." That perked Gerard's interest as he leaned forward, arms resting on the table instead.

"Really? what kind of band are you in?" Frank's eyes shone as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Well we're called Frank Iero and the Patience, we're kind of like a punk, alt-rock or whatever band. We just do what we want. We're not too big but I don't mind. It's really fun because music's always been a big part of my life as I've been playing the guitar for as long as I can remember. It's also kind of therapeutic to get all my emotions out into music," He blushed when he realised he'd just rambled on about his music. "sorry about that..." Gerard quickly shook his head.

"don't be silly, I love it when people talk about what they're passionate about," They smiled at each other for a moment.

"What's something you've always wanted to do?" Gerard bit his lip as he thought.

"release a comic," Frank looked surprised but said nothing. waiting for Gerard to explain himself. "I've always been in love with comics and for the past few years I've been developing a story of what I want to create so maybe one day if I get it published or maybe a career out of it I can sell the store and start pursuing it full time,"

"That sounds amazing," He told him honestly which Gerard gratefully smiled at, it was weird. The fact that they could talk to each other. It was awkward but Lindsey had told him that all dates start out awkward. "So Gerard, what's your music go to?" Frank asked, fingers fiddling with each other.

"Well I like a lot of music but i'm a big fan out punk, but i'm a bitch for Britpop," They both laughed together as a waitress neared their table, dressed in the Bar's uniform of black.

"Hi, How may I take your order?" The girl smiled as her pen hovered over the slip, Gerard stopped laughing and turned into a deer in the headlights, he'd not even so much as glanced at the menus in the middle of the table.

"We haven't decided yet, give us 10 more minutes," Frank said, saving Gerard from that situation.

"You know you were really kind of like, cocky in the store. Especially with Bert and all," Gerard mentioned as he pulled a laminated menu from the holder in the middle. Frank seemed to tense at the name, eyebrows slightly furrowed. He didn't notice this, instead, he scanned the sheet for something good as Frank looked over at him.

"Yeah, I uh. I was trying to impress you." Gerard's gaze lifted over the edge of his menu and at Frank in slight shock. He was also kind of glad that arrogance was more showing off and not who he was. "I get very flaunty when I try to impress someone," Gerard nodded in understanding as he continued to read the small printed words.

"What are you having?" He asked once he couldn't make up his mind.

"Just the Vegetarian burger with an on tap beer, any idea what you want to eat. After we can really 'get drinks'" Frank said as he placed his menu back to where it was.

"I'll have the Caesar Salad I guess, and maybe a Lemon Lime and Bitters," he finally chose after a small eenie meenie game in his head, just in time too as the waitress appeared only moments after.

"Ready to order?" She asked, enthusiasm still dripping from her body. Frank nodded before saying.

"I'll have the Vegetarian burger with whatever's on tap and my very beautiful date here will have the Caesar salad with a lemon-lime and Bitters," Gerard shot him a playful glare when he heard him call him beautiful. The waitress repeated back the order to them before leaving once it was cleared.

"You didn't need to tell her," Gerard complained looking at him with betraying eyes that said he was flattered.

"Well it's a date Gee, I'm going to treat you well," He blatantly smiled at him, despite the fact he was supposed to be mad, he really couldn't help it. Frank made him feel special and nice. He was fun to talk with and knew just what to say for Gerard to smile.

"I'm paying then," he tried to argue but Frank just shook his head.

"I'm the one that asked you out. By dating law I have to pay,"Gerard's head tilted to the side as his eyes narrowed, a ghost of a smile present.

"You just made that up," Frank just shrugged. "Frankie," he groaned.

"Gee," Gerard shook his head, giving up on trying to convince a very stubborn man.

"Fine, next date I'm paying," Frank's brow twitched upwards, similar to what Lindsey's does.

"So you're saying there'll be a next time," Gerard just smirked, giving him a shrug instead of an answer like he had only a few moments ago. "Touché Gerard. Touché,"

They talked until their food came, Frank, explaining how he was an only child in his family and Gerard going on about Mikey and his parents. They had things in common which was amazing. They both liked the same or similar shows, music, drinks and activities. Once their food was laid out they talked all through eating (not with food in their mouth) about what they planned to do later in life. It was interesting talking about what they saw in their future. Finally, their meal came to an end, of course, Frank paid, and they migrated to the bar.

"Are you driving home?" Frank asked as they took a seat on one of the stools.

"No, Bert dropped me off," he quietly nodded before alerting the bartender.

"A shot of Baileys to start," Frank said before turning back to Gerard. "And maybe we can end with a blowjob," Gerard's face twisted into shock as Frank laughed at the reaction. "The drink Gerard." The bartender slid two shots of Baileys over which they both happily accepted. They clinked their glasses together.

"Bon voyage," they said at the same time before tipping the drink back, feeling it go down their throat. They drank for a while, talking about much looser things than they had at the table and laughing harder than they should've at things and the surprising this is. They did end on a blowjob. The drink of course.

The both tumbled out of the bar, leaning against each other as they stood in the blistering cold as the night began to strike 10 past midnight. The streets were pretty awake as it was the nightlife of Jersey. People huddled in lines under the clubs electrifying neon glow, casting a red filter over the men and women's bodies as they waited to go into the clubs while others like Gerard and Frank stumbled around the bitter pathway looking for a ride. Gerard had called Bert around 15 minutes ago to pick him up and he knew he was on his way. Frank was standing next to his taxi facing Gerard.

"I had a great time, we should do this again," Frank's hazy words kind of jumbled together but Gerard just happily smiled at him.

"Yeah, we should." What happened next shocked him. One minute he was speaking and the next he felt a pair of warm lips against his chilled ones. It was a sweet goodbye kiss but it meant a lot to him.

"Bye sweetheart," Frank said gently touching the side of his face before stepping into the taxi. Gerard waved as he watched the yellow cab take off down the street, leaving him alone in the cold but it was weird. He'd never felt so warm or happy in almost forever but the trace of warmth on his lips filled his with a smile and a drizzle of hope that when they saw each other again that feeling wouldn't go. Bert pulled up less than a minute later a smile still wide on his face. The car ride passed in mostly silence, Gerard's head leant up against the window as his breath fogged it up as he lazily daydreamed inside his own liquidated mind. Bert kept looking at him every few minutes from his peripheral, checking to see if Gerard was still conscious or he'd somehow managed to fall asleep to the racket the car was making.

When he was dropped back home in the early hours of the morning he expected to see Lindsey there ready to pounce on him for details but as he stumbled into the entry he found it devoid of anyone. His apartment was layered with a ghostly glow from the moon, covering his apartment in a cool blue. He stumbled over his own feet as he struggled to undress, almost completely falling over as he tried to take off his shoes and his button up was much harder when the buttons were moving in his fingertips. Finally, it was just him and his underwear.He carried himself over to his bedroom, slightly dazed and his body happily slid into the sheets of his bed, still slightly humming but his body was exhausted from the unnecessary nerves so when his head hit his pillow he was out.