Chapter Text
Two months. Two months of tour until Frenchie could see Izzy in person again. That doesn't mean they couldn't talk until then.
Frenchie and Izzy got into the habit of talking every day. They texted each other throughout the day and called when they could. The topics ranged from things that happened or that they saw that day, to random questions like what was your favorite toy when you were a child, ifyou were an animal, what do you think you would be", Do you think Jack could fit in with Rose on top of the wreckage of the Titanic?They traveled between useless and light themes and between more personal stories about childhood, family, opinions on politics or important events.
It was a good feeling, getting to know someone and allowing someone else to get to know you. Frenchie wasn't a person who liked to share personal sh*t, but even so he felt comfortable enough to tell Izzy many details about himself. Maybe because Izzy was sharing equally, and Frenchie was eager to get to know more about him. Yeah, maybe.
So when the tour was over, Frenchie came home just to get some things in order, pick out some other clothes, and check with Izzy when he could come over. In the end, he spent two days at his own house before boarding another plane to meet Izzy. Maybe he was investing too much in this relationship, but honestly? You only live once, and they won't get younger or less busy, so f*ck it.
And so Frenchie found himself spending the day together until Izzy had to go work at the bar. Sometimes Frenchie would even go to the bar at the end of Izzy's shift, to accompany him home.
Okay, maybe Frenchie would have fallen hard this time. Frenchie could spend an afternoon talking to Izzy, or watching Izzy paint and thinking about lyrics and melodies about it. He had a notepad on his phone that was filling up with lyrics, sequences of musical notes and audios of Frenchie humming tones that appeared in his mind at these moments.
He was going to keep these ideas to himself for a while longer before showing them to the rest of the band. If they release a new album, that means they'll probably go on a new tour, and Frenchie wanted to make the most of his free time.
Frenchie was cuddling up to Izzy, lying in his bed and stroking Izzy's hair when they heard someone knocking on the front door. Frenchie offered to answer and headed for the door.
What he found was a man with long, gray hair, looking at Frenchie in surprise. The man looked around the street and neighboring houses to make sure he had knocked on the right door.
"Yes?" Frenchie asked, hoping the man would apologize for bothering him and go knock on the right door.
"Where's Izzy?" the man asked in a low voice that clearlyshowed he wasn't happy about seeing Frenchie.
"He is sleeping. But I can give him your message or ask him to call you." The man's face went from a surprised expression to a sour one. He simply walked through the door, ignoring Frenchie's presence.
"Izzy!" the man shouted walking into the living room.
Frenchie had no idea what to do, so he just closed the door and started heading to the bedroom to call Izzy. He didn't get that far because Izzy was already arriving in the living room, wearing only a t-shirt and underwear, messy hair and a worried expression on his face.
"What the f*ck are you doing here?"
"What the f*ck is hedoing here?" He pointed at Frenchie. "I didn't know you were some kind of whor* now!" The man shouted and Izzy winced.
"What I do is none of your f*cking business, Edward", Izzy hissed between his teeth.
"So what, I have to watch you act like a slu*t and think it's cute?" He lowered his voice but was still shouting.
"I'm my f*cking problem, not yours!"
"Don't tell me that you're not my problem, you know that's a f*cking lie!"
Izzy sighed and closed his eyes "Say what you want and get the f*ck out of here." Izzy sounded defeated. Frenchie had never heard him like that before. "You know what? I don't give a sh*t, get the f*ck out of here now."
"You're f*cking strangers in our bed and I'm the one in the wrong here?"
"Mybed, Edward. My bed, because I had to get rid of ourafter I found YOU f*cking Stede f*ckingBonnet in it!" Izzy shouted back. "Just like this house is only mine now and you have no rightto stay here when I'm saying to you f*ck off! Now get out." Izzy said firmly. Edward stared at him in disbelief. "OUT!" Izzy shouted again.
Edward snorted and looked down at him with disdain before turning on his heel and heading for the door. Izzy remained serious until he left. When Edward was finally out of the house, Izzy's breathing started to get faster. Izzy sat on the couch and covered his face with both hands, elbows pressed into his lap.
Frenchie was stunned. "Babe," Frenchie sat next to Izzy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Everything is fine. He's gone, I'm here with you." Izzy was crying. He buried his face in Frenchie's chest and started sobbing. Frenchie held him close and waited for him to calm down.
This took a while.
Izzy held Frenchie's shoulders and tried to breathe. After several minutes, he was finally able to breathe without his head and chest hurting. "Sorry", Izzy said. His voice was even hoarser than normal after all the crying.
"It's not your fault", Frenchie hugged him tighter and kissed his forehead. "It's okay", he ran his fingers through Izzy's hair.
"I didn't think he would come back here", he held Frenchie tighter. "I'm sorry you saw this, I-" He managed to speak before choking. "f*ck, I thought this was f*cking over and suddenly he appears as if he were my f*cking owneragain and-"
Again? Holy sh*t, there's some heavy stuff there, isn't there? Frenchie didn't know what to think or what to say, so he just held and squeezed Izzy's hands while he waited for him to keep talking.
"We were horrible to each other, Frenchie. We brought out the worst in each other. Our relationship was a nightmare. I don't want to go through that again, I don't want to bethat person again. That was pure sh*t. I need this to be over." Izzy wiped the tears from his face. "I didn't want to talk about it so soon", he couldn't look Frenchie in the eye. "I'm so sorry."
"Everyone went through sh*t" Frenchie said lovingly as he wiped a tear from Izzy's cheek with his thumb. "I'm sorry for what you lived together... The important thing is that the darkest times are in the past now", Frenchie cupped one side of Izzy's face with his hand. "We're going to build something better for ourselves, okay?"
"Do you still want..." Izzy couldn't finish the sentence. He was silent until-
"Be with you?" Frenchie completed it for him. "Of course I still want it, i'm not f*cking crazy. I haven't had this much fun in a long time, and when I'm with you I feel like it's so... easy?" He sighed with a smile. "Everyone has a history and knowing yours doesn't make the good times we have any less valid. In fact, I think bad things are what help us realize the good things we have now. And what we have is definitely damn good, so why give it up if we're happy?"
Izzy was finally looking into his eyes, looking for something. After a moment, he looked down to where their fingers were intertwined in Frenchie's lap. "Promise you'll tell me if that ever changes?" He's voice was almost a whisper.
"Promise", Frenchie said with the confidence that perhaps he would never have to do it at all.
Izzy lifted their hands and kissed Frenchie's knuckles. "Good."
