Frankie And Cam Four

Tess O-Meter Green.

Okay, so here's the thing. Some time ago, I wrote a one-off story called 'Dance of Desire'. This led to a second story, in which my original two characters had quite busy part-time roles (Dangerous Liaisons). Then I bought my original two back for a third story (Perfection) which I felt finished everything off quite nicely and the two of them went quiet in my head.

I should have known better. This is, after all, Frankie we are talking about and when did he ever stay quiet? Yep, he's back. In my head, looking cute as hell, flapping his lips up and down, and giving me no peace. I figure if I have to suffer, so do you!

As you can see, I named it F&C 4, because for all intents and purposes that's exactly what it is.

If you are new to F&C, or to me, I don't think you need to have read the previous stories first, necessarily. But if you HATE spoilers, then yes you really should.

This story is set a couple of years after the end of Perfection.

Deep breath...Lip gloss at the ready...Here we go...

-X

Frankie absolutely adored the body currently plastered to his.

Hot as a furnace, sweat slicked skin, trembling with exertion, pelvis hard against his, strong thighs flush.

He could feel muscles trembling in the flat stomach pressed against him, breath rippling through the abdomen. Arms clasped his shoulders, holding him tightly. Soft firm breasts squished against his solid chest.

Okay, the breasts themselves didn't do anything for him, but the heart beating valiantly beneath them sure as hell did.

He hauled Mia to a standing position and they hug-bounced around the studio, yelling happily.

"Nailed it. Nailed it. Finally, we did it."

Mia grabbed his wet cheeks and pressed a smacker to his lips. "Mmwwaaahhhhhh."

Frankie fake gagged. "Oh my God. No tongue. What's wrong with you, girl?"

Laughing she slapped his arm before slipping hers around his waist. They semi-staggered over to the small kitchen area. "Ah. I'm exhausted, Frankie. Are we getting old? Grazie." She added when he passed her towel over.

"No, just doing the fastest Cha Cha that ever was," Frankie confirmed, rubbing his towel over his face and head to soak up some sweat, while he walked blindly towards the fridge, one hand extended in front of him. "Orange Juice?"

"Si." Mia wiped her face again and then the back of her neck, still breathing hard. She grabbed her phone with her free hand and scrolled. Frowning as she saw several missed calls.

"Here you go." Frankie placed a glass in front of her and glugged half of his before scrubbing his head and face again.

"Frankie, can I check your phone?"

He frowned as Mia grabbed his phone and unlocked it (how the hell did she know his code?) before scrolling, her brows drawing together.

"I have six missed calls from Beth. You have five and a text." She passed his phone over and Frankie quickly opened the text. "Oh shit." His dark eyes looked at her, full of fear.

"What?" She grabbed the phone from his lax hand and read. 'We had an accident. Ambulance is here now. Taking us to the Chelsea and Westminster. Meet there. I call with news.'

Mia jumped from her stool, threw back her juice and stripped to her sports bra as Frankie watched her dazedly.

Grabbing her bag she pulled out a long sleeve tee and pulled it over her head, before turning Frankie on the stool and gripping the bottom of his vest top. "Come on, Frankie. Move. Arms up."

He complied, nearly toppling off the stool, and finally got with the programme when she handed him a dry top. "Mia?"

"Drink the rest of your juice," she instructed so firmly he obeyed without thinking, as she swept his phone, keys, and wallet into her bag, along with her own. "Let's go. Taxi."

Biting his lip, grateful for her 'take-charge' attitude, Frankie hurried into the sun. Squinting when he spotted what looked like a taxi on the street. "I'll grab it, you lock up," he threw over his shoulder, before colliding with a solid mass. "Ouch."

"Stop panicking, Frankie," a deep voice said. Hands gripping him firmly.

Frankie looked up, his eyes adjusting. "Robbie? What are you doing here?"

"Here, getting you to A&E. In London, I came up with David and Armenia," referring to his twin and brother in law. "Armenia's judging on Sunday, I wanted to see you all." He towed Frankie towards the taxi as Mia caught up. "I miss you guys."

"Awwwwww." Mia and Frankie said together and made him chuckle.

They hustled into the cab and the driver confirmed, "Hospital?" nodding and pulling away at Robbie's, "Thanks, mate." He turned back to Frankie's frightened gaze.

"I called Beth to try and arrange dinner for us all. Caught her in between trying to call you. David and Armenia have headed to meet her at A&E."

He leaned towards Frankie. Sat behind the driver so he could face them both. "Beth said they have an assisted lift," he raised both hands above his head to demonstrate. "But she went in too fast, realized he wouldn't be able to balance her, she was going to go straight over his head."

He lowered his hands, one hand patting Frankie's knee. "Cam being Cam, basically grabbed her from the air and fell back, pulling her down on top of him."

"He didn't want her to get hurt," Mia said, her hand on her heart as Frankie groaned, his head sinking to his knees.

Robbie nodded at Mia. "Seems like he hit his head and was a bit dazed, or even knocked out briefly. And of course she landed right on his ribs and abdomen. Not ideal."

"How bad is he hurt?" Frankie asked, looking up his eyes full of tears. Mia leaned against him to comfort.

"I'm sorry, Frankie. I don't know until we get there. But he's a big tough guy and he's not stupid. He would have tensed up to take the impact and protect himself."

Frankie blinked and looked out the window as they turned. "We're here."

"Whoa, whoa. Wait till the cab stops, you moron." Robbie released his wrist as the locks clicked. Smiling as Frankie hesitated seeing his credit card. "I've got this. I'm right behind you."

When Robbie got out, Frankie was stood, his hand caught in Mia's as they stared at the numerous people milling about and nine ambulances lined up.

"How do we get in?" he asked, looking lost.

"This way. At least it's quiet today." Robbie smothered a smile as Frankie goggled at him.

He noticed a nurse taking a quick second glance at him and veered away from the desk, dragging Frankie and Mia with him. "Hi, I'm Dr Armstrong. I'm looking for my friend, Camillo Russo. This is his husband. Do you know where he is?" he asked the young man.

"Dr Armstrong?" he looked confused. "I thought you were with Cam?"

"That's Dr David Armstrong, my twin. I'm Robbie, the better looking one. I've sanitized." He held out a hand with a wolfish grin.

"Oh," the nurse laughed a bit and shook before looking at Frankie. "Follow me, but." He looked uneasily at Mia.

"Give me two minutes and I'll thin the ranks," Robbie promised with a wink.

"Appreciate it. We're a bit short of room. There you go," he pointed to where David was speaking with a doctor. Beth sat nearby with Armenia, looking upset.

"You were flirting with him," Frankie accused in an undertone as they crossed the busy room.

"Got results, didn't it?"

"You're not even queer."

"Shame for you," Robbie chirped and made Frankie choke out an unexpected laugh.

David turned and gave Frankie a reassuring smile, pulling him into his side, as Mia went straight to Beth. "Frankie, this is Dr Narayan."

The doctor's bleeper went off before she could speak and she sighed tiredly.

"You know, I can update Frankie if you need to deal with that. It's the third time," he told Frankie with a smile.

"Really? That would be great." She patted Frankie's arm kindly, as he eyed the empty bay. "Cam's just having a scan, but I'm not concerned. I'll be back later with results. Is that okay?"

"It's fine," Frankie said quickly. He would rather speak with David anyway.

David moved Frankie closer to the small group. "A lift went wrong. You know about that?" Everyone nodded.

"So, it seems Cam was knocked out for a moment or two, but he was fully coherent when the paramedics got there. No cut, bit of a bump and he'll have a headache for a day or two. If he's really unlucky it might trigger a migraine, but they've given him some meds to try and prevent that. No one is worried about the head injury, okay?"

His eyes were calm on Frankie's who nodded. Confirming, "Okay," in a small voice.

"Dr Narayan and her team suspect a couple of broken or cracked ribs, but they're not worried about any internal damage other than bruising. Right now he's having a scan to confirm. The scan will be reported straight away in case of bleeding inside, you know how this goes right?"

Frankie nodded again. David had once treated him for something very similar.

"It's going be a big surprise to everyone if there's anything like that going on. Trust me."

"Did they let you examine him?" Frankie asked.

"They did, actually." David admitted.

"Okay then," Frankie visibly relaxed and went to sit with Beth. "Don't you even think about blaming yourself."

"I jumped too fast," Beth moaned, her voice wavering.

"And what? Cam should have let you sail over his head and land on yours?" Frankie smooshed his face through her thick Afro, making her laugh as he kissed her head. She laughed harder when he sneezed.

"Tickles." He grinned and rubbed his nose before finishing, her head now on his shoulder. "You're not to worry. If David says he's okay, then he's okay." He absently played with her hair as she took in a shaky breath, snuggling up to him. "I might grow mine out again," he murmured thoughtfully.

She lifted her head and eyed his short crop. "Yea? Maybe? I like it both ways."

"Might get some short dreads," he mused, wiggling his eyebrows at Robbie, who was famous for having had the same style for decades, then he sat up straight. "Hang on. What about the competition on Sunday?"

Beth shrugged sadly.

"You should dance with Robbie."

Beth rolled her eyes, but Robbie looked thoughtful. He had only retired from dancing six months ago and still taught.

"You could," Armenia confirmed. "With your partner injured you can switch."

"But one day to practise," Beth said carefully.

"No problem," Robbie scoffed and went down on one knee in front of her, kissing her hand with exaggerated lavishness. "Dance with me, fair maiden."

She looked at Frankie.

"Cam won't mind," he told her. "You guys have never danced together. Now's your chance."

She nodded shyly and giggled when Robbie kissed her again.

"Right now though, we need to pick Charlie up from nursery," Armenia said, referring to Beth's daughter. He stood and pulled Beth up. "I'm tagging along to get some diaper changing practise."

"I'll come, I'm not turning down a Charlie-fix." Robbie smiled at Mia. "Shall we drop you home?"

"You go," Frankie told her. "Get some rest. I'll call you later."

"Update me as soon as you have any news." Mia kissed his cheek. "You are staying?" she asked David.

"Right here."

They said their goodbyes and Frankie let out a sigh when he was left just with David.

"Well that gave her something else to think about," David said, referring to Beth. "Doing okay?"

"Yea. I just hate that he's hurt."

David pulled Frankie close. "I know, Frankie. But honestly."

"What?"

"You gonna hate it more when he feels half way better and turns into grouchy frustrated Cam."

Frankie snorted out a laugh. David wasn't wrong. "What was that about nappy changing? Have you and Armenia had news?"

David and Armenia were in the process of adopting the most delicious three year old on the planet. A little girl called Melanie, who was a heartbreaker in more ways than one.

Frankie thought she had the sweetest smile he had ever seen. She also had the most wicked giggle, which made everyone stare in surprise when they first heard it. She was one of those babies who had never met a stranger, her cuddles were just the best.

She also had Downs Syndrome and some brain damage from a difficult birth, plus a heart condition.

Melanie would probably never learn more than a few basic words. Would never be continent and would never be a teen. But Armenia and David were determined to be her dads and to give her the most love, most fun, and most experiences they could in whatever time she had.

Frankie had met her twice, and both times had sobbed in Cam's arms for an hour when they got home. His heart breaking for the beautiful little girl who dealt with so much while smiling.

He had vowed never to cry in front of her though. Never. Never. He never would.

"Couple of weeks," David said, wonder in his voice.

"She's gonna be yours in a couple of weeks?" Okay, so much for not crying!

David took one look at Frankie's expression, looked away and pressed his lips together hard, nodding.

"I claim first cuddle."

"You're way down the list, my friend."

"What? No. I'll fight them off." Frankie raised his fists and tried to look fierce even though his heart was still in his damp eyes.

David snickered. "My dad's twice your size, Frankie."

"Oh your dad. Well that's different." Frankie allowed, tipping his head to David's shoulder. "Scared?"

"Fucking terrified."

Frankie just linked their fingers and they sat quiet for a while, as the madness raged around them.

Some time later Dr Narayan appeared suddenly in front of them, tablet (the electronic kind) in hand. "Where's Cam?" she asked, her eyes darting around as if they had him concealed somewhere.

"Not back yet," David told her.

"Must be a porter issue," she suggested and turned. "Oh, here he is now."

Frankie leapt to his feet as a disgruntled Cam was wheeled into the bay.

"I could have walked."

"And put me out of a job?" the porter winked and checked the back of the chair. "This one's yours," he confirmed, tapping the wheelchair's handle before quickly leaving with a cheery wave.

"Were you giving that poor man a hard time?" Frankie asked, leaning over to claim a kiss.

A low grumble in Italian came back.

"Sweetheart," Frankie crooned, smoothing Cam's hair back. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm sore and my head hurts. Just a headache," he added quickly, seeing concern flare in Frankie's eyes.

"Do you want to move back to the bed, Cam?" Dr Narayan asked.

He gave her a dangerous look. "How long am I staying?"

"Good point," she beamed a sunny smile at him. Then turned to David, handing him a package and some papers. "Discharge summary, medication, and here." He took the tablet she held out. "Two broken and one cracked rib. Any questions?" Frankie looked up surprised, then smiled when she winked at him. Clearly she had the lay of the land and knew Cam would be happier at home in David's care.

David studied the screen, enlarging the image and taking his time. Then he stood and moved to Cam. "Broken here," he held his hand over Cam's side without actually touching him. "And here. Here is the cracked." He glanced at Dr Narayan who smiled in confirmation.

Cam nodded his understanding.

"Any questions, Cam?"

He shook his head at Dr Narayan's question. "No, thank you. I understand."

"Minimum six weeks," she said firmly. Obviously referring to something already discussed.

"Yes."

"This here," David angled the screen for Dr Narayan to see. "This isn't another break?"

"Previously broken the radiologist said. No pain here?" she very gently indicated his abs, towards the right.

"Just sore from the bruise. I broke a rib there when a child, I think."

"You think? Did you not see a doctor?"

"No." Cam's gaze was guarded and Frankie reached for his hand. Cam's childhood hadn't been anyone's bed of roses.

Dr Narayan took the hint and took the tablet back, studying it carefully. "I'm happy," she said finally.

"Me too," David agreed. "I'll get him out of here."

"You know where we are if you have any questions or concerns, Cam. Otherwise, take care and heal up soon."

"Thank you. Can I walk out?"

"Sure, if you prefer. Keep a hold of your husband, you've a lot of painkillers in your system right now."

"Thank you so much, Dr Narayan," Frankie gave the exhausted doctor his brightest smile. "I'll take good care of him."

"I've no doubt," she gave them a weary smile when someone called her, and hurried off.

Frankie and David took an arm each and escorted a lightheaded Cam towards the exit.

-X

Four hours later David finally left them alone, having completed the drug regime and hung around until Cam had showered.

Cam sat, slightly stiffly, on a low kitchen chair and sipped a milky de-caff tea. Putting it aside when Frankie reappeared from his own shower.

"Urghh. Christ, I was rancid," Frankie complained as he moved in and straddled Cam's legs, putting his chest in front of Cam's eyes.

"I like you sweaty," Cam's hands slid around to cup Frankie's ass.

"Don't get me revved up, big guy. You're in no condition to follow through." Frankie peered at the top of Cam's head. "Where's the bump again?"

Cam had winced and cursed his way through a careful hair wash in the shower, but Frankie didn't want to hurt him.

"Here," Cam reached up gingerly and indicated a circle at the back of his head, before thankfully dropping his arm. Resting his hands on Frankie's butt was far more comfortable.

"Goddit," Frankie drawled, and gently sank his fingers into Cam's hair. Working small repeated circles towards the back of Cam's scalp with tender care, without risking going too near the bump.

Cam sighed and let his forehead rest on Frankie's chest. His hands unconsciously kneading Frankie's ass in time with the gentle movements.

Frankie smirked. "You know, you only took five hours to get in and out of A&E. That's practically unheard of," he only got a grunt in response.

Keeping his voice low, he updated Cam on his day. The successful training with Mia. Wondering what Beth and Robbie would pull out of the hat for the competition.

Cam's hands slowly relaxed and slid down Frankie's thighs. His head resting heavier and heavier against his chest, until Frankie had to subtly brace.

Finally Cam took a deep breath and lifted his head. His blue eyes sleepy on Frankie's. "I think I should lie down."

"Is it better?"

Cam's eyes crinkled in a lazy smile. "Ti amo"

"Good. Ti amo" Frankie replied with a kiss. "Come on then."

Frankie settled Cam and then used the bathroom. Moving by the light leaking in from the street as he slipped under the cover.

"Frankie?"

"What? I thought you were sleeping."

"Come closer."

Frankie shuffled forward a little, his legs resting against Cam's. "I don't want to hurt you."

"The bruising's mostly on the left. My shoulder's fine. Please, I need to feel you."

Frankie relented and carefully slipped under Cam's arm, pulling over a pillow so his head was more on that than Cam's shoulder. He curled against Cam's warmth, but then huffed.

"What's wrong?"

"I have nowhere to put my hand."

"Where you always do," Cam sounded bemused.

"No," Frankie ran his fingers gently over Cam's bruised abs. Then inspired. "How about here, there's no bruising here, right?"

Cam winced as he snorted a soft laugh. "No, there's no bruising there." He fell asleep with a smile on his face, his balls lightly cupped in Frankie's hand.

-X

Late the next morning Frankie opened up the studio and led a stiffly moving Cam inside.

He had barely got the patio doors open than Mia came in and stopped dead, a terrifying look on her face at seeing Cam.

"He wanted to go help Robbie and Beth," Frankie told her. "This was a compromise."

Frankie's eyes widened as Mia got in Cam's face and let out a tirade of lightning fast Italian. There was no way he was following that.