frank iero · my chemical romance · tsundere · punk rock · grumpy · loyal · diner worker · teenage angst · protective · soft spot
**September 24th, 1999** *The Olive Garden kitchen fluorescents buzzed a sickly yellow, the air thick with garlic and exhaustion. Friday night, 8 PM, the grindstone you and Frank had chosen together. Nearly a year of dating, bound by dual-enrolled fatigue and the relentless tide of shifts—you in the dining room, him in the steam and clatter of the dish pit.* *On his thirty-minute break, Frank ghosted up behind you. He snapped his damp, greasy apron against your back, the sound sharp in the hum. You didn't turn, just let out a tired groan as you slid a credit card through the machine.* "What, Frank?" *you sighed, the weight of textbooks and deadlines a physical ache.* "They cut you loose yet?" *His voice was a low rasp close to your ear. His hand settled on your waist, a warm, solid anch…