Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was the third fight that had broken out that week. It seemed like everyone was trying to jump at each other's throats in this place. So far Gerard had avoided the worst of it. He still got shoved into lockers daily, and his stuff was still mysteriously disappearing and reappearing all the time, but he hadn't taken a punch in ages. Ok, so that sounded pretty sad, but then again he wasn't exactly the most popular guy there. The weird kid that wore eyeliner and sat at the back of the class, drawing little cartoon monsters everywhere? He tended to get beat up a lot for that. For being… Different.

But he wasn't the only one. Everyone got beat up at some point, for various different reasons. The jocks practically owned highschool, along with the cheerleaders and who ever else had climbed high enough on the social ladder. Typical highschool hierarchy. They bossed everyone else around and acted all superior. When Gerard first started highschool it used to bother him a lot, but you learnt to keep your head down and your mouth shut in order to survive, a skill Gerard had slightly delayed in mastering. Being invisible was his easiest option. But it didn't always work. Sometimes… People were just looking for trouble.

That's what appeared to have happened on this particular day. Some other kid in Gerard's class—he wasn't quite sure what his name was—was just minding his own business, walking down the hallway, when he knocked into this other guy in Gerard's class, Frank. Frank… Frank was a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a black leather jacket. Like Gerard he sat at the back of the class and kept to himself. Well, he tried to keep to himself, but somehow he just couldn't help but get involved in other people's shit. He talked back in class, he had a knack for annoying almost anyone… He didn't exactly seem like the friendliest guy in the world. And yet, somehow Gerard knew that he wasn't an asshole, not completely. He was relatively new to the school, only started there a few months ago. And, ok, he was cute. He was short, he had a lip ring and Gerard could've sworn that he could see a tattoo on his arm peeking out from under the sleeve of his hoodie. It almost made Gerard forget how irritating he was. Almost.

Anyway, it was a complete accident. Frank was moping about with his head down; the other guy was texting and wasn't really paying attention to where he was going… And they ran into each other. If it had been anyone else, it probably wouldn't have mattered, but it just had to be Frank. The guy tried apologizing to him but Frank was having none of it. He probably thought everyone was out to get him. Just as he was storming off, a couple of jocks came by and shoved him into the lockers. Frank was pretty worked up by then, so he confronted the group. Which inevitably resulted in him getting punched, and Gerard thought he could hear his jaw crack from where he was standing. He had been walking not too far behind Frank when it all happened, and being the complete and utter brainless idiot that he was, he decided that it would be a wonderful idea if he got involved. Not the brightest idea on his part.

He told the head jock (who turned out to be the captain of the football team, James) to back off, that he'd knocked into Frank first. Then Frank, the pretentious douchebag, started yelling at Gerard saying he didn't need his help. When he swung in to punch him Gerard ducked, so Frank ended up punching one of James' cohorts in the chest (he's pretty short and they're freakishly tall, so that's as far as he could reach). Complete mayhem broke out after that, fists were flying, insults were thrown… The whole school seemed to be at war. Until finally, their dim-witted principal Mr. Johnson decided he simply couldn't finish his morning coffee in peace with all the screaming. Gerard, James, his cohort, and Frank were all sent to his office.

 "Stay right where you are!" his voice had thankfully climbed down an octave or two, after shouting at all of them for a good half-hour. "Don't think for a minute that we're done here!" He then turned around, straightened his tie, and proceeded to open the door, calm and collected as if he hadn't been screaming himself hoarse just moments before. "Ah, Mr. Urie! So glad you could make it. And just in time too." He had resorted to just glaring daggers at them now that there was a witness present.

 The man, who Gerard assumed was Mr. Urie, had big, soft brown eyes, prominent lips, and appeared to be quite young. He shook Mr. Johnson's hand, glancing at the four students wearily.

"Am I… Interrupting anything?"

"Oh, not at all! Just disciplining a few trouble-makers." The old, greying principal smiled. Gerard felt sick, the look really didn't suit his face. Frank made gagging noises. "Boys, meet your new English teacher, Mr. Brendon Urie."

They each shook the new teacher's hand. He seemed nice enough, it was certainly an improvement on the old bat they'd had before. She had looked all shrivelled up like a prune and her breath smelt like onions, it was about time she retired.

"Now, if I'm not mistaken… You all have English next period, don't you?" Mr. Johnson continued. "Mr. Urie, why don't you take this lot directly into the classroom with you now? The bell should be going in a few minutes, I don't want them getting into any more trouble during that time." As they all turned to leave, the principal seemed to suddenly remember why they were all there in the first place. "But boys, I want you all to report back here at the end of the day to recieve your punishments." After that they all scampered out from fear that he'd start turning blue again.

James and his mountain of a friend mysteriously vanished before they even reached the English classroom, slipping away quietly. Good riddance Gerard thought to himself. If Mr. Urie noticed that they were gone, he showed no sign of it. He just ushered the remaining two of them into the room. Frank and Gerard were just escaping to the back when he called them up to the front again. Frank rolled his eyes.

"So," he said, facing the two of them, "what are your names?"

"I'm Gerard," Gerard introduced himself. Frank simply glared ahead and didn't say a word. "This is Frank." Another glare, directed at Gerard this time.

"So Gerard, Frank… Why were you in the principal's office this morning? If you don't mind me asking."

Gerard knew Frank wasn't going to say anything, so he sighed and came to terms with the fact that he would have to do all the talking. "Those other two that were in the office with us pushed Frank into some lockers, and since he was already in a bad mood he punched them." Glare number three.

"Everything would have been fine after that if you hadn't tried to stand up for me," Frank pointed out, hositility evident in his voice.

Gerard shrugged. "If I hadn't done anything they would have just punched you again." As much as he hated to admit it, Frank did have a nice face. It would be a shame if it was ruined.

"I can take a punch," Frank grumbled.

Meanwhile, Mr. Urie was nodding in contemplation.

"Does this kind of thing happen often? All this punching and fighting?"

Ok, now he was starting to sound like a therapist. Not that Gerard has ever had one.

"Yeah, all the time," said Gerard. "None of the students really get along, I guess… It's all about being popular." Sadly. Mr. Urie looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Hmm… Maybe there's something we can do about that."

Fuck no. That would take a bloody miracle. Thankfully, the bell rang at that moment and Gerard was free to go hide in the back of the classroom again.  Frank followed, sitting at a desk next to his. Gerard glanced at him, surprised.

Students started flooding in only moments later, the boys eyeing Mr. Urie suspiciously, the girls giggling and flipping their hair as they flounced by. James, much to Gerard's dismay, sat close to him and Frank, his eyes narrowing threateningly as if daring them to so much as even look at him. Great, now Gerard was going to be harassed for a whole hour. He sunk down lower in his chair, wishing the ground would just open up and swallow him so he could escape from this hell-hole. Frank scowled at the back of James' head. Then he started pulling faces, and Gerard couldn't help but giggle (yes ok he giggles shut up), and he tried his best to hide his smile from Frank. Ok, so maybe he's not so bad.

 Gerard shook himself mentally, trying to focus on what was happening in front of him instead of dorky, pretentious little punks with lip rings. Did he mention Frank had a lip ring? It suited him quite well actually…

Gerard realised he was staring again, and quickly looked away.

Mr. Urie stood rather awkwardly at the front, pushing his large black glasses further up his nose as he surveyed the class calmly.

"My name's Mr. Urie." he began, and Gerard started mentally preparing himself for the whole speech thing new teacher's usually gave. "Your principal called me in mainly because he was in need of a new English teacher, but also because he thinks you're all insufferable and uncooperative brats that need a good disciplining, and he thought I'd be the man for the job." 

No one dared interrupt him. It was so quiet I swear you could've heard a fly fart. Even Frank seemed to be paying attention.

"Honestly, I think it’s a load of bullshit." He leaned forward over his desk, letting his words sink in. "None of you look like insufferable brats to me. I think you just haven’t learned how to respect each other, if the fight that broke out this morning is anything to go by. You don't all really get along well, so I've been told."

It wasn't a question, but people nodded anyway. Gerard just tried to remain as invisible as possible.

"Mr. Johnson was right about one thing though. I might just be able to help you." He stood up straight again, unfazed by the students' snickering. They all thought he was full of it. "So I'm going to put in place a project that was designed and established in the last school I taught at. First, I'm going to pair everyone together. No one will know who they're with, except for me." Snickering quickly turned to loud noises of protest. Mr. Urie waited until the noise had died down before continuing. "This project is actually a website. Kind of like a school chat room. Each pair of students is assigned a code to enter the website, and they have to log on and chat to each other anonymously every day for as long as the teacher decides they should. There's a specific aspect of the website that allows teachers to monitor whether students are actually using it or not, without being able to see what students are saying to each other. I can guarantee that you will all have your privacy. The point of this project was to bring people closer together so that they'd be able to respect and understand each other better, so quite often the students we paired together would have almost nothing in common, two people who would normally never get along."

 Oh crap. It was starting to sound like a terrible, terrible idea. It was practically doomed to fail before it even began. Gerard glanced at Frank, who seemed just as unconvinced as everyone else in the room.

Mr. Urie ignored the students' comments; instead, he asked each student for their name and started pairing them together once they grudgingly complied.

Gerard was so relieved when he left the classroom. He just had the rest of the day to worry about now, and then he could finally go home.

"Mom, I'm home!" Gerard called as he walked through the front door that evening. When he entered the living room though, it wasn't his mom waiting there, but his little brother Mikey. He was only like two years younger than Gerard, but still. He was fifteen.

"Where's mom?" Gerard asked him.

"She has to work a bit later tonight down at the store," said Mikey, looking up from the television screen.

Great. Another late Thursday. Gerard's mom owned a music store down in the town. She always said she'd be home early on a Friday evening, but she never really meant it. Gerard didn't blame her, after his dad died his mom had been left to fend for two sons all on her own. The money had to come from somewhere. Gerard just sighed and started walking away from the front door, ruffling Mikey's hair as he passed the couch on his way towards the stairs.

"I'll be up in my room Mikes. You need anything?" He shook his head, eyes still glued to the television screen.

"No thanks Gee, I'm good. I'll call you down when she gets back; she said we can order pizza tonight."

"Awesome, thanks!" Gerard called, already halfway up the stairs.

When he got into his room and closed the door behind him, Gerard dumped his bag next to his desk, grabbed his laptop, and then climbed up onto his bed, switching the laptop on.He figured that he might as well get this stupid chat thing done and over with.

He opened up the website, entered his code, and then he had to choose a username. It couldn't be anything obvious though, you weren't allowed to use your own name or anyone elses name from the class. Gerard chose the name "Batman", comforted by the knowledge that no one else in his class would be caught dead reading comic books at his age.

Soon enough, it showed another person logged in.

 Your conversational partner has connected. Say hi!

Gerard snorted and rolled his eyes. 'Say hi!'

Frankenstein: so I guess we're stuck talking to each other for the next god-knows how many weeks

 He/she sounded like a cheerful individual.

 Batman: nice to meet you too

Frankenstein: you can't be enjoying this

Batman: well you're not exactly making the situation any better

Frankenstein: whatever. this project is stupid anyway.

Batman: who knows it might work

Frankenstein: it won't work

Batman: not with that attitude 

Frankenstein: are you always this annoying?

Batman: depends, are you always this cynical?

Frankenstein: i'm not cynical

Batman: you're also in denial

Frankenstein: and you're a know-it-all smartass

Batman: ok stop, we don't actually know anything about each other

Frankenstein: let's keep it that way

Batman: c'mon we might as well talk, it's not like we can get out of this

Frankenstein: will you at least tell me who you are?

Batman: no

Frankenstein: fine. are you a boy or a girl?

Gerard hesitated.

Batman: boy. you?

Frankenstein: boy

Just then, his brother called up.

"Gerard, mom's home!"

Wow, she was actually slightly early. That was... Nice.

Batman: I gotta go eat now, uh… talk to you later?

Frankenstein: don't you think we've found out enough about each other for one night?

Batman: come on, don't start that negative crap again

Gerard knew he was safe behind the whole anonymity of the situation, so he felt pretty comfortable about being able to say almost anything.

Frankenstein: FINE. jeez you're a control freak

Batman: a control freak? if you knew me you'd know there was absolutely nothing in control about my life AT ALL.

Batman has left the conversation.

Ok, so this Frankenstein dude, whoever he was, didn't seem all that bad. He was a bit on the negative side but… Maybe Mr. Urie was right. Maybe this could work.

Gerard closed his laptop and pushed it to the side, clambering off the bed and rushing downstairs. Hell, he was starving.

"Hey mom." Gerard leaned up to hug her. "How was work?"

She smiled, setting her purse down by the door. "Not too bad, a bit slow going, but nothing I can't handle. Actually, I'm going to need you and Mikey to come work at the shop this week-end for a few hours."

Gerard sighed inwardly. He thought he could finally have a week-end off. Obviously he was wrong. "Sure mom. Mikey said we're ordering pizza tonight?"

"No need, I stopped to pick stuff up on my way back from work." She lifted another bag she'd been carrying and placed it on the kitchen counter. "Eat up!"

Mikey appeared at the doorway just then as they all dived in to grab one of the pizza boxes. Then they went to sit in the living room, their mom flicking through the channels to find a movie for them to watch. Mikey and Gerard traded half of their pizzas with each other, as usual.

Chapter Text

Gerard spent most of the rest of the evening chatting with Frankenstein and finishing whatever homework he had. It was actually really nice, talking to someone that wasn't a complete moron. It turned out that they actually did have a few things in common, which Gerard found strange and oddly nice. He never thought that he'd ever find anyone in the school that he could easily relate to (despite all the negativity). They both liked all the same music, the same movies, and Frankenstein admitted to liking the same comic books… Gerard found himself desperately wanting to find out who he really was. He might finally have a close friend for once.

But he knew it was unlikely that Frankenstein would ever reveal his true identity, and Gerard certainly didn't want to say who he was. He was afraid that when Frankenstein knew who he was, he wouldn't ever want to speak to Gerard again. He didn't want to risk that.

The next day, Gerard didn't mind going to school as much as he usually would. Talking to Frankenstein had apparently put him in a better mood, and it was also friday, which would make anyone feel better. He even smiled as he walked into school, which never happened. Ever. It just felt like today might not be so shitty after all.

All those feelings vanished as soon as he walked past Frank, who was sitting outside the principal's office. That's when Gerard suddenly realised that he'd forgotten to go see Mr. Johnson again at the end of the day to receive whatever punishment was to be dolled out. The realisation hit him not unlike the punch he'd taken to the face the previous day, and it was just as unpleasant. Well, there went his good mood. And quite possibly his life, knowing Mr. Johnson and his usual tendencies.

He sat down quietly next to Frank, putting his head in his hands in despair. He was so dead.

 "Did you forget to come back to the office yesterday?" Frank's voice shocked him out of his daydream.

"Yeah, it completely slipped my mind. Is that why you're here?" Frank nodded. "We are so fucked… Did you see James or the other guy at all?"

"They came out of the office a few minutes ago; all they got was a warning." Franks sighed, rolling his eyes more out of habit than exasperation or annoyance.

 The office door suddenly opened then, making both of them jump slightly. Gerard braced himself for the worst, hoping that the punishment wouldn't be too severe, and he was surprised when he looked up and saw Mr. Urie standing by the door.

 "Oh, good, you're both here." he said, opening the door wider. "Come on in, I was just about to go looking for you."

Well that didn't sound good. Frank disappeared through the door and Gerard silently followed behind. Mr. Johnson was waiting for them, sitting behind his desk and tapping his fingers impatiently against the table. Gerard felt slightly relieved when Mr. Urie didn’t make any move to leave. Surely, Mr. Johnson wouldn’t be so hard on them now that there was a witness?

 "Boys," he started, "I take it you know why you're both here this morning?" Gerard nodded solemnly, and he saw Frank worrying his bottom lip nervously between his teeth. "Mr. Urie and I were just discussing your punishment. Upon your english teacher's request, for the next three weeks you will both be having detention with Mr. Urie at the end of each day."

Gerard was suddenly overcome with a strange urge to reach across and hug the old balding man. Ok so detention was bad, especially for three weeks, but with Mr. Urie? He basically looked and acted like the human version of a puppy. It was better than having the gym teacher for detention, who would make you run laps until time was up or you passed out from exhaustion. Maybe the day was starting to look better again…

Next to Gerard, Frank didn't seem to be taking the news so well.

 "Three weeks?! All the other two got was a warning!" He was glaring defiantly at the headmaster.

"Mr. Iero, I suggest you keep your temper at bay, lest you want me to increase the length to a month. Because I will. Now go, the bell is going to ring soon. And if I catch either of you stirring trouble up again…" He had a pen in his hand and was pointing at each of them in turn threateningly. Gerard quickly grabbed Frank's arm and dragged him towards the door before he could make things worse by yelling again. Mr. Urie followed suit.

 "I'll see you both after class this afternoon. Try not to get in any more trouble." He started to walk away, and then turned back around suddenly. "Oh and Gerard, make sure you keep an eye on Frank and his temper."

 Frank made an affronted noise as Mr. Urie smiled and disappeared down the crowded hallway, grumbling over-dramatically. "I do not need someone to look after me! Or my temper! I swear Gerard if you start cracking jokes, so help me, I will punch you."

Oh my god he could be such a dork sometimes. Gerard started laughing at the comedic expression on his face and Frank shot him a withering look. He tried to stop, he really did, and not just because he tended to sound like a retarded seal when he laughed. Frank was glaring at him now, or well, pretending to glare at him. He shoved Gerard playfully before finally cracking a smile, and then he giggled. Fucking giggled. Like a little girl. The mental image only made Gerard laugh harder, which in turn made Frank laugh harder. It wasn't long until they were in a complete fit of hysterics, so much that people started giving them strange looks as they walked past. It wasn't even that funny anymore, but Frank's laugh was so damn infectious Gerard just couldn't bring himself to stop.

It was the bell ringing that finally put a stop to them. Frank and Gerard walked side by side down the hallway, elbows brushing every now and then, and it was the most comfortable Gerard had ever felt at school in a long time. He was so busy trying to be invisible all the time that he'd never realised that not everyone in his class was a complete idiot. Some people were nice, even if they did have a bit of a temper and a bad attitude.

 It turned out they actually had a lot of classes together. They'd both sit at the back together, Frank messing and joking around as Gerard drew little comic strips. They sat together at lunch, too, and Gerard found that it was getting easier to deal with Frank and his bad attitude. Before he knew it, it was the end of the day. He was smiling as he walked towards the exit, before remembering that he still had detention to serve before he could leave. He groaned and went to go find Frank. He had just got out of art class, one of the few classes they didn't share.

 Frank was already waiting outside the English classroom, and Gerard couldn't stop himself from letting his eyes wander appreciatively over his body as he leaned against the wall. His eyes had just reached Frank's mouth when the classroom door opened, forcing him to tear his eyes away from the infamous lip ring he seemed to be slowly developing an inappropriate obsession over. Mr. Urie held the door open and invited them both in. It was just for an hour or two, Gerard figured that he'd just about survive. At least he had Frank to keep him company.

 "I'm afraid…" Mr. Urie started, "that I'm going to have to make the two of you work. Mr. Johnson said it wouldn't be much of a punishment otherwise. So I decided to have you clean the band room and all of its contents, meaning, all of the instruments. Think you can handle it?"

Gerard sighed but nodded. Frank grunted. Mr. Urie took it as a yes, so he handed Gerard the keys to the band room, obviously not quite ready to trust Frank yet. They left the room and made their way towards the back of the school until they found the right place. Gerard had never been here before, and he didn't think Frank had either. He switched on the lights and went in search of instruments as Frank went to one of the supply closets to get all the cleaning supplies they'd need.

As it turned out, there were actually a shitload of instruments that needed to be cleaned, way more than either Gerard or Frank had expected. The drums and other simple instruments were easy enough to clean, but the more complex instruments like the trumpets and saxophones and other wind instruments took a lot of time and effort.

Gerard was never bored for long though. Every time Frank picked up a new instrument he'd attempt to try and play it, which mostly turned out to be a giant failure on his part. Gerard was pretty sure he might never be able to hear ever again.

 Anyway, Frank basically messed around the whole time. That is, until he found a guitar at the back of the room.

 "Can you play?" asked Gerard. He'd taken lessons before, but he never really wanted to take it any further than that.

"Yeah, I've been playing for a few years now." Frank's eyes lit up enthusiastically and he smiled. It was a change from the sullen, bitter expression that he usually wore. Gerard liked it when he looked like that. "Electric, acoustic… Anything I can get my hands on really. I'm pretty good at it now."

Gerard smiled and pulled a chair up to sit next to him. "Play me something, so I know that you're not all just talk."

He grinned uneasily. "Well I-I've never really played for anyone before, besides, y'know, my parents and my guitar teacher."

Gerard ducked his head down and looked up at Frank with big, round eyes, hoping that he didn't look like a complete idiot. It seemed to work on Frank though, who groaned and finally gave in, messing around with the strings until he was happy with the way the guitar sounded. He looked at Gerard nervously again before starting to play.

 Gerard was pretty sure he recognized the tune, and Frank certainly hadn’t lied when he'd said he was pretty good. He was more than pretty good, he was amazing. After a while, Gerard began humming along to the tune, then making rough harmonies. Altogether, it sounded great. Frank looked up and smiled when he noticed Gerard humming, and his features softened. As cheesy as it sounded, it kinda took Gerard's breath away.

"Gerard?"

Gerard hadn't realised that Frank had stopped playing and that he was staring at him. He blushed and shook his head. "Sorry, what?"

Frank gave him a funny look. Shit, Gerard thought he must have looked like a complete idiot staring at Frank like that. "I think we're done with cleaning all the instruments, we should head back to Mr. Urie's classroom and see if we can leave this shit-hole now," he said.

"Y-yeah, sure, of course."

Just when he thought he couldn't possibly make an even bigger fool of himself, as Gerard was standing up and putting his chair back he tripped over a music-stand left lying on the floor and promptly fell backwards into a set of drums with a tremendous crash.

 "Shit fucking—Goddammit!" he cursed, his cheeks flaring red. Frank was doubled over in laughter next to the door. Great. "Frank, come help me you asshole!"

Frank finally walked over and started pulling bits of drums off of him, still giggling every few minutes when Gerard swore angrily. Then he held out a hand to help him up, grinning cheekily. Gerard scowled at him before taking his hand and Frank pulled him up, steadying him when he was finally back on his feet. He held on to Gerard's hand for a second longer than it was necessary. After that, they finished putting the drum set back together. When they were done, Frank leaned up and ruffled Gerard's hair.

 "Hey, what—Stop, ow, Frank!" Gerard protested, pulling back and laughing as he shook his hair out. "Idiot."

"I may be an idiot, but at least I'm not clumsy," he shot back, smirking. "C'mon, let's see if we can leave now, I want to go home. I can't stand this place." He grabbed Gerard's arm and pulled him towards the door. "Oh wait, one more thing," he paused, his hand dropping away from the door handle. "You have a cell phone, right?"

Of course he did. It was a pretty shitty phone, but it worked. "Yeah. Why?"

"So I can call the fucking pope with it. Why do you think? I want your number, idiot." He grinned. Gerard rolled his eyes, reminded that Frank really was a sarcastic little shit with a bad attitude, despite all his giggling.

Gerard found a pen lying around the room and wrote his number down on Frank's hand.

"Now can we go?" Gerard asked.

 "Hey Gee! How was school?"

Mikey seemed uncharacteristically happy today. "Pretty good actually, thanks Mikes." Gerard smiled and followed him into the living room. His mom was sitting down on the sofa watching tv, and looked up from the screen as he walked in.

"You're late Gerard," she remarked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Yeah I uh… I had detention. Actually, I've got detention for the next three weeks."

Mikey snorted and his mom just looked exasperated. "What did you do to deserve three weeks of detention?" she asked.

"I got into a fight. In my defence, I didn't actually start it, I was only trying to stand up for Frank against these two assholes. They punched me first, and all they got was a warning. Which is so unfair."

"Who's Frank?" Mikey piped up from where he was sitting. "Your boyfriend?"

Oh sure, that got his mom's full attention.

"No!" said Gerard, rolling his eyes. "He's just some guy in my class." Who had asked for Gerard's number. But that didn't necessarily mean anything. Did it?

"So you just stood up for some random guy in your class? Gerard, you hate everyone in the school."

Of course Mikey had to pick this one time to be a wise-ass. Gerard's mom shot him an amused look.

"It's true Gerard. So come on, spill. What's this Frank like then? Is he cute? He must be cute if you risked getting detention for him."

"Mom! I am not having this discussion with you!" Gerard knew he was blushing by now.

"But is he?" Mikey asked curiously. Gerard made an annoyed sound and stormed towards his room. Of course Frank was cute. His mom just didn't need to know that.

Much to Gerard's despair, Mikey trailed after him into his room. At least he'd had the decency to bring food with him.

They sat side by side on Gerard's bed as they started eating, and then they put a movie on. This was usually how they spent their Friday nights, watching movies and chatting together. They were close, Gerard and Mikey.

About halfway through the movie, Mikey decided to bring Frank up again.

 "Mikey…" Gerard groaned. Frank wasn't a topic he was comfortable discussing when when he wasn't even sure if he even felt anything at all.

"Come on, we always tell each other everything." he whined, looking up at Gerard with puppy-dog eyes. Gerard sighed and let his head flop back down against the pillow.

"Yes, he's cute. And he's a great guitar player," he allowed. That was as much as he'd tell him. For now. He knew that Mikey was capable of making him tell him anything.

"So you like him?" he asked.

"No! He's just—He's cute, okay?" What? It's not like that wasn't obvious.

"Ha! You've got a crush on Frank!" Mikey exclaimed, eyes shining. "Frank and Gerard, sitting in a tree, K-I—aggh!" he squeaked as Gerard pushed him off the bed.

"This is why I should never tell you anything!"

Mikey stood up and adjusted his glasses that were sitting crooked on his nose.

"I don't have a crush on him." Gerard grumbled stubbornly.

"It's just a matter of time." Mikey yawned widely. "I'm gonna head off to bed now." He stepped towards the door. "Sleep well, enjoy your dreams about Frank!"

Gerard picked up a shoe from the floor and threw it at his brother, but it only hit the door with a dull thud as he scrambled out. He could be such an annoying twit!

After Mikey left, Gerard kept the movie playing in the background as he reached for his laptop to use 'Mr. Urie's Magical Chat Room' as he now liked to call it. Sarcasm included.

When he logged on, Frankenstein was already there.

 Batman: hey

Batman: were you waiting for long?

Frankenstein: what, like i've got nothing better to do other than waiting to talk to you? Don't flatter yourself 

Batman: a simple 'no' would have been fine

Frankenstein: sorry, i was only kidding. No i wasn't waiting for long

Batman: ok... So how are you? Apart from bitter and resentful

Frankenstein: i'm just going to ignore that and say that i'm pretty good actually, today didn't suck as much as i was expecting. what about you?

Batman: pretty much the same. family started pestering me when i got home though

Frankenstein: sucks for you. what were they pestering you for?

Batman: they were just invading my privacy

Frankenstein: you'll find that most parents actually do that. What's so private that you didn't want to tell them?

Gerard hesitated before typing.

Batman: they were just trying to find out if i liked someone, that sorta thing.

Frankenstein: ah, the dating interrogation. So do you?

Batman: do i what?

Frankenstein: like someone

Batman: why do you care?

Frankenstein: i don't

Batman: then you won't mind if i don't tell you anything

Frankenstein: oh come on just tell me. I don't even know who you are!

Batman: no

Frankenstein: we're finally having an interesting conversation and you just decide to let it all drop

Batman: fine! Now who's being a control-freak?

Frankenstein: oh give it a rest. Do you like someone?

Batman: i'm not sure

Frankenstein: what kind of answer is that

Batman: i don't really know him that well yet!

Shit! Gerard had meant to type 'them' not 'him'. He'd just outed himself to a complete stranger from his class that he barely knew, who could (and would) most likely use it against him. Damn! 

Frankenstein: you don't know him that well yet. is he cute at least? Hell if you don't make a move, i might. There's a shortage of attractive guys in our pathetic excuse for a school

Gerard nearly choked on his drink. He liked guys too. The number of things he didn't know about the people in his school was really starting to get out of hand. 

Batman: you like guys too?

Frankenstein: yes and that's the last thing you'll ever learn about me and i'll kill you if you tell anyone

Batman: i don't know who you are, remember?

Frankenstein: well, not yet. Who's your mystery crush? Don't tell me it's one of those jock assholes

Batman: no he's not a jock and no i'm not telling you his name

Frankenstein: tell me who you are then. Don't be a spoil-sport!

Batman: you're calling me a spoil-sport, mr. i-hate-the-universe?

Frankenstein: what can i say, i'm a changed man

Batman: i'll believe it when i see it

Frankenstein: you'll see it, if you meet me this weekend

Batman: i'm working this weekend

Frankenstein: i'll meet you wherever you work then

When he wasn't busy being a pessimist he could be a real persistent little bastard.

Batman: i don't know if that's such a good idea... Aren't we meant to stay anonymous?

Frankenstein: so we're bending the rules a little... what's the worst that could happen? 

Batman: you won't like me in real life.

Frankenstein: i'm not that shallow. You seem cool enough, apart from the whole control-freak attitude 

Batman: i'm not exactly sure i want to come face to face with your bad attitude either

Frankenstein: like i said, i'm a changed man

Batman: look, maybe we'll meet someday, but not tomorrow. there's plenty of time.

Frankenstein: plenty of time for what?

Batman: for you to change your mind hopefully.

Frankenstein: come on, just think about it... if we actually became friends mr. Urie would be completely over the moon. Wouldn't that call for some kind of reward?

Batman: ah, so meeting up would be all for your benefit

Frankenstein: you'd benefit from it too! You'd be meeting me. I'd say that's a pretty big benefit.

Batman: you are so annoying.

Frankenstein: i know you secretly love it

Ok he kinda did.

Batman: don't flatter yourself. Anyway, i'm gonna go now. I'm exhausted.

Frankenstein: excuses, excuses...

Batman: GOOD NIGHT.

Frankenstein: fine. Sweet dreams princess!

Batman: I will end you.

Batman has left the conversation.

Gerard shook his head in annoyance. Being friends with this Frankenstein guy sounded like it would be frustrating. 

As Gerard was getting ready for bed, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He took it out and flipped it open.

Unknown – hey G, it's Frank. u doing anything this week-end? 

Speaking of frustrating... Frank.

Gerard rather liked the idea of hanging out with him over the week-end. Maybe he liked the idea too much. Ignoring his premonitions that being friends with Frank could only end in bitter disappointment, Gerard typed back:

 hey. I'm just working for a while, but I can meet u some time after that? 

 He saved Frank's name and number to his phone.

Frank – k. txt me in the morning when u can meet. 

Gerard – I will.

He was really starting to warm up to Frank. Like, a lot.

Too much, maybe?

Chapter Text

Gerard's mom came in and woke him up early the next morning for work. Remembering Frank's text from last night, he picked up his phone from where it was lying on his bed-side table.

Gerard – Morning cranky-pants

Not even two minutes later he got a reply back.

Frank – It's fucking 8 on a saturday morning

Frank – Unless the world is about to end or your house is on fire, I don't want to know

Gerard – You're the one that said to text you in the morning

Frank – Not at 8 oclock!!

Frank – Ugh fine. So what time can you meet me at?

"Mom, how long do you need me at the record store for?" Gerard called downstairs to his mom.

"Just until about four. Why?" 

"Does there have to be a reason?"

"He wants to meet up with his boyfriend!" Mikey shouted from his room. Gerard heard his mom laugh downstairs.

"Mikey!" He grumbled and got up to hammer his fist against his brother's door. "He's not my boyfriend! And how do you know i'm meeting him anyway?"

Mikey opened his door up slightly. "The walls are thin and you talk in your sleep."

Gerard felt his cheeks flare bright red. "I do not!" 

"Yes you do!"

"Boys, come down now or we'll be late!" their mom called up. Gerard glared at Mikey through the crack in his door, before turning around to finish getting dressed in his room. He texted Frank as he rushed down the stairs, trying not to fall flat on his face.

Gerard – I finish at 4. Meet me @ the old abandoned theater at around 4.10?

Frank – I think I know where it is. I'll see you there. And I swear if you text me again before 12 I will drown you in a river.

Gerard – ;)


It took them about ten minutes to walk down to the record store. Gerard's mom opened up and they went around setting everything up, putting records back in their correct places and just generally cleaning up. It was routine for them by now. Once they were done, Gerard was left to manage the cash register while his mom did some paperwork in the back of the store. Mikey would just hover around helping customers and answering the occasional phone call. It was nice, really. Familiar. Saturdays always started off slow in the mornings, so there usually wasn't much to do. At some point after twelve it might start getting a bit busier, and then they'd take a short lunch break.

When it was nearly time for lunch there weren't many people around, so Gerard took his phone out and decided to text Frank. It was after twelve, so he figured it was safe enough.

Gerard – Still asleep?

Frank – No, i'm awake. Looks like I can scratch you off the top of my 'to kill' list.

Gerard – Y'know, most people have a 'to do' list

Frank – well, i'm not like most people

Gerard – I noticed. And anyway, you would never kill me. Right?

Frank – nah, probably not. I like you too much.

Despite himself, Gerard's heart soared in his chest. 

Frank – It's nice to finally have a good friend. The world is so full of assholes.

Friend. Of course.

Gerard – It's also full of pessimists, apparently

Frank – Ok i'll admit i'm not the most cheerful person, but I generally don't have many reasons to be cheerful.

'I can be your reason.' Gerard decided not to type that. He wasn't really sure what to say next, but luckily Frank moved on.

Frank – So, you still at work?

Gerard – Yup. Pretty boring right now, not a lot of people here. 

Frank – Where do you work anyway?

Gerard – You know the old record store?

Frank – Yeah. You work there??

Gerard – My mom owns the place

Frank – That is really cool. How are you bored in a record store??

Gerard – I've been in here so long, I guess it's just starting to lose its charm

Frank – maybe I could bring in more charm

Gerard – what?

Frank stopped replying after that. Gerard tried not to let it bug him, but he kept checking his phone obsessively every five seconds, just hoping Frank would text him again. Mikey, being the very observant, very nosey brother that he was, noticed what Gerard was doing and walked over to hover next to him. 

"Sexting with your boyfriend?"

"Mikey! He's not my boyfriend!" Gerard rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"Yeah, because that's the only thing bothering you about that sentence."

"I'm not sexting him!" Gerard hissed in a hushed tone.

"But you're texting him?"

"Maybe." Mikey made a wild grab for Gerard's phone. "Hey! Mikey, don't –"

The bell above the door jingled as someone walked in, interrupting their little scuffle. Gerard slid his phone back into his pocket, shooting Mikey a warning glare. Then, he turned to greet the new customer.

"Frank?" His eyes went wide. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Just bringing the place a little more charm." He smiled. Gerard nudged Mikey in the ribs before he could start making any suggestive comments.

"I suppose you think you're the charm?" 

"Who else?"

"And so modest too. You can just uh... You can take a look around, if you want."

Gerard really didn't know what to do. Did he show him around? Leave him be? He went off towards the back of the store. Mikey stared at him disbelievingly.
"Go talk to him you idiot!" he whispered furiously and shoved Gerard out from behind the counter. "He's come all the way to the store just to see you, and you know it. You are not going to sit around opening and closing your mouth like a brainwashed goldfish!"

"But-but what do I say? What do I do?" Gerard babbled. Messing around with Frank casually was one thing, but actually striking up a conversation? Trying to get to know him better? Talking to Frank was easy when it was just jokes and funny banter. Gerard wasn't sure how long he could keep that up.

 He was starting to panic slightly. Only slightly.

He could practically hear Mikey rolling his eyes. "Just go! Talk about records, comic books, whatever. Just say something!" He shoved him one last time. 

Gerard stumbled his way towards the back, his stomach fluttering nervously. Why was this so much harder than seeing Frank and talking to him in school? 

"Boo!" a voiced hissed right next to Gerard's ear, two hands landing on his shoulders. He didn't scream. He so didn't just scream like a little girl. 
He turned around. "Frank!" 

Frank crossed his arms and leaned against the shelf, smirking. "You scare too easily."

"I do not." Gerard huffed. "You just... Caught me by surprise. What are you even doing here anyway? I thought we were meeting later."

Frank shrugged. "I was bored and couldn't stand being around my parents anymore."

" Yes but what are you doing here, where I work?"

"Ok, I'm starting to feel a little unwelcome..." Frank's smile was fading.

"No that's not it, you just..."

"I caught you by surprise?"

Gerard smiled apologetically and looked at his feet. "Yeah. I'm in the middle of work, it was just enexpected."

"That's why i'm here, to rescue you." Frank smiled and grabbed Gerard's arm, starting to pull him towards the door.

"Wait, what? Frank, what are you–" Gerard froced him to stop. "Frank, I still have to work, I only have a few hours left. My mom will kill me if I leave."

Frank looked up at him with big round eyes. "Come on Gerard..." He pouted. "You're bored, I'm bored... I'll take the full blame, I promise." 

Gerard sighed, melting under his soft gaze. "Fine, I'll go. Just let me go tell my brother, he might cover for us."

Frank let go of his arm and Gerard walked back over to Mikey.

"Soooo, how'd it go?" He was smiling knowingly.

"I'm leaving with him now. Cover for us, please?"

"Only if you promise to kiss him."

"Mikey!" Gerard glanced over his shoulder, hoping Frank was well out of ear-shot.

"Alright, fine! I'll cover. Go run off on a romantic escapade with your boyfriend."

"He's not my–" 

"Just go!" Mikey laughed. Gerard smiled and went back over to where Frank was now waiting by the door.

"Ok, let's go." 

"Fucking finally!" he grinned and opened the door. 

They ended up going to the old abandoned theater they'd planned to meet at in the first place. Gerard hesitated as Frank started walking to the back of the old building.

"You want to go in?" asked Gerard.  

"Yeah. Why, you too scared to follow?" Frank taunted, smiling as his eyes glinted mischievously. 

"Yes!" Gerard wasn't taking the bait. So what if he looked like a complete whimp in front of Frank? He loved horror movies, he just didn't want to end up being in one. If there was one thing he'd learned about old abandoned places it was that they were all haunted. He was not going in there.
Frank walked back over to where Gerard was standing (not cowering), and looked at him determinedly. Gerard didn't like where this conversation was inevitably going to end up.

"C'mon Gee, it's just an old theater... It's not haunted, I promise."

"Nope. Nuh-uh. You are never getting me in there." Gerard shook his head firmly for emphasis.
Frank leaned closer and took his hand, fluttering his eyelashes playfully. "I'll protect you." 

He was doing it on purpose. He was so doing it on purpose. His lips were mere inches away from Gerard's and it took every ounce of Gerard's control not to lean forward and close the distance. Fucking adorable punks and their stupid lip-rings.

"Pleeaase Gerard?" he gripped his hand tighter. "You think i'm not cheerful. Well, old, creepy places make me cheerful."

"You're really fucking weird, you know that?" Gerard groaned. "Fine, I'll come with you into the creepy theater of doom." 
Frank's face broke out into a smile and it made agreeing to go with him almost worth it.

"Do you have any idea what's even in there?" 

"Nope." he smiled and grabbed Gerard's arm. "But that's the best part."

"I hate you. Have I mentioned that I hate you?"

"Shut up, you love me." 

"I barely even know you."

There was a door at the back of the building that was, stangely enough, already open. Not wide open, but the lock and chains on it had evidently already been forced open at some point in time. Inside the theater it was pitch black since all the windows and doors had been boarded up. Almost no light got through making it completely dark even though it was only about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Gerard couldn't see anything in front of him, and he jumped at every single sound, clutching Frank's hand. He only laughed.

"Let's see if the lights still work." he said when they came to a stop in front of what appeared to be a bunch of levers and switches.

"This place is ancient, they couldn't possibly still work."

"No harm in trying." 
Before Gerard could stop him, he reached forward and pulled on a big red lever. Gerard had to shield his eyes as lights suddenly flashed on from all around him. When it was finally safe to open them again, he saw Frank staring at something in wonder. He followed his gaze, and there before them was a massive stage, complete with stage-lights and a large, red satin curtain. 

"It's amazing..." Gerard whispered.

"See? Not haunted." Frank grinned.
 
Gerard let go of his hand as they began walking down the aisle that separated rows upon rows of red chairs, making their way towards the stage. Why had it been abandoned? It was so beautiful. And how in hell did the lights still work?

They reached the edge of the seats and climbed up onto the stage.

"Sing Gerard!" Frank laughed and pushed Gerard towards the middle of the stage. Gerard laughed with him but shook his head.

"Maybe some other time." 

"So there will be another time?" Frank asked, his eyes lighting up hopefully. "You're not too scared to come back?"

"If it's not haunted, I don't mind coming back."

Frank smiled. "Then how about we come back and camp here tonight?"

Gerard paled. "Camp here? At night?"

Frank stepped closer. "Like I told you before, I'll protect you."

"I really don't think we should..."

"I dare you."

Gerard raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to make me want to stay here tonight?"

"You can dare me to do anything after." Frank offered. "Come on, it's not that bad... It's not like i'm daring you to kiss James or anything."

"Yeah well, it's not like i'd actually kiss James anyway. I'm not–"

"Gay? Yes you are. You admitted it to me last night."

"What?" 

Frank stuck his hand out in front of him. "Nice to meet you Batman, I'm Frankenstein."

Chapter Text

Gerard stared at him, then at his hand, then back to him.

"How do you... How did you figure it out?" He said eventually.

Frank drew his hand back and wouldn't look Gerard directly in the eye. "Gerard, you're wearing a Batman t-shirt and you're the only one I know in our school who actually works on a Saturday. It wasn't too hard to figure it out."

Gerard crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Why do I feel like you're leaving something out?"

Frank sighed. "That evening we had detention with Mr. Urie... When you left, he had to bring out some stuff to his car. I offered to help him, because I thought I could find the answers to the test we're having next week. I found a page that looked like it would be useful, but when I took it home and looked at it this morning, it was actually a sheet with the names of all the pairs he made up. He paired the two of us together."

"So...You only found out this morning?" Gerard asked. "Why didn't you tell me when you first came to the record store?" He started to sound accusing.

"There was never a right time!" Frank held up his hands. "I wanted to tell you straight away, I swear!"

 Gerard stayed silent after that, walking away to sit on the edge of the stage. So Frank was Frankenstein... He should have seen it before. Now that he thought about it, it was pretty obvious. Same bad attitude, same type of humour... And the only thing Gerard could focus on was the fact that he might actually have a chance with Frank now.
 Frank came and sat next to him, nudging his shoulder tentatively.

"You're not mad, are you?"

"No, not really."

"What's wrong then?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"You're lying."

Gerard turned his head to look at him, and then sighed. "It's just... I've never told anyone else before. Only my brother and my mom know I'm gay."

"Well, I promise i'll never tell anyone as long as you don't," said Frank, half-smiling. "Or else i'll-"

"You'll kill me, I know," Gerard interrupted, laughing.

"I just don't go around telling everyone. You're... Actually, you're one of the only people that knows."

"Do your parents know?"

He shook his head sadly. "My mom probably wouldn't care, but my dad..." he trailed off. 

Gerard reached out tentatively and squeezed Frank's hand comfortingly. "I'm here for you, y'know... If you need me."

He squeezed back gratefully, uncharacteristically quiet for once. "Thanks Gee."

Gerard smiled to himself. "No problem."

They didn't talk for a while after that, the mood having grown heavier. They just lay back on the stage on their backs, enjoying each other's company. They still held hands, which was nice and made Gerard feel all funny inside, but Frank just needed some comfort. It didn't change anything between them. Gerard was starting to give up any hope of them ever being more than friends, thinking it would be nearly impossible. They wouldn't really be able to be close at school, because most of the people there were narrow minded assholes, and Frank could never tell his parents. It really wasn't the ideal situation.

Frank shook Gerard out of his daydream, standing up and holding out a hand to help him to his feet. They'd stayed there longer than intended, and they'd have to go home soon if Gerard didn't want to get told off. Frank walked Gerard back to his house, despite Gerard telling him that he was fine and could get back on his own in one piece. He insisted on coming with him, in case his mom got pissed in which case he'd take the blame.
So now they were both standing awkwardly in front of Gerard's house, and Gerard was fairly sure Mikey was watching them from his window.

"I had fun today," said Gerard. "Thanks for, y'know, rescuing me. I owe you."

Frank smiled down at his feet. "No problem. You know how you can pay me back?"

"How?"

He looked back up. "Camp out with me tonight."

"Frank..." 

"C'mon, it'll be so much fun! We'll bring snacks and everything!" He was bouncing back on his heels excitedly, eyes wide and pleading. He looked so different when he was excited, Gerard was used to seeing a bitter look on his face or a scowl. He liked this Frank, all bright and happy. So he decided to humour him.

"How are you so good at making me do stuff I don't want to do?" 

"So you'll come?"

"Yes you moron!" Gerard shook his head in amusement. "But my mom will never let me." 

"Lie, just tell her you're sleeping at my house, and I'll tell my parents I'm sleeping at your house. Just... Anything to get out of my own house for a while."

"Ok, ok..." Gerard had run out of excuses, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't really, really want to spend the night with Frank. "I'll camp out."

Frank smiled widely. "It'll be great, I promise."

Gerard smirked. "You promise a lot of things."

Frank hit his arm gently. "I know you'll enjoy it. Now I really gotta go, but I'll text you when I'm leaving so we can arrange to meet somewhere."

"Ok, i'll see you later." Gerard turned to go up the steps to his front door, but Frank grabbed his arm and stopped him, spinning Gerard back around to face him. He leaned up and awkwardly kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks, for earlier. It's nice to know someone's actually there for me."

Gerard didn't say anything. He just physically couldn't. Frank waved goodbye and walked off, and Gerard was left to stumble, bemused, up the steps to his front door.

"How was your date with Frank, honey?" his mom asked as soon as he walked through the door.

"What?" 

"Mikey said you took off work early to go on a date with Frank."

He would say that. He would. Gerard stormed upstairs to Mikey's room, tearing the door open.

"Mikey..." He tried to sound threatening.  

Mikey held his hands up in defence. "You told me to cover for you! I only did what you asked me to do!"

"I didn't ask you to say that we were going on a date! Now what am I going to tell mom?"

"Oh come off it, mom doesn't care if it was actually a date or not. She's just happy for you. Plus," he added, "If it wasn't a date then why did he kiss you?"

"It was just on the cheek!" Gerard knew Mikey had been spying on them. "He was just saying thank you!"

"Ok fine, it wasn't a date. How was your 'day out' with Frank, then?"

Gerard sighed and flopped down on Mikey's bed. "It was amazing. We went into the old abandoned theatre, we talked, we had fun... And he wants me to camp out with him there tonight."

Mikey smirked knowingly. "And I suppose you need me to cover again?"

"Because you were such great help the first time round," said Gerard, and Mikey rolled his eyes. "I was just going to tell mom that I'm sleeping over at Frank's house."

"Ok, your loss. Have... fun I suppose. But not too much fun."

"Ugh, Mikey!" His brother's laughter followed him as he scrambled off the bed to escape from his room. For a straight, 15 year old boy, he could be pretty damn perverted when it came to things like this.
Gerard ran back downstairs to his mom.

"It wasn't a date, exactly." She started smiling in a 'sure honey, whatever you say' sort of way. "It wasn't! We just… Went out."

"As long as you had fun, and you'll make up for it next Saturday, then it's fine by me."

"Thanks, I'll make up for it next week, I swear." Gerard sighed inwardly with relief. His mom thinking that he and Frank were dating was just a whole lot of awkward conversations just waiting to happen. "Oh, can I sleep over at Frank's tonight?"

"Sure thing," she smiled, turning her attention back to the TV. "Just don't stay up too late."

"Thanks mom." He went over to where she was sitting and hugged her. "I'm just gonna go grab a few things, then I'll be gone."

As soon as he got up to his room, Gerard took his phone out to text Frank.

Gerard – My mom agreed to let me go

Frank – Told you. Bring blankets, not a sleeping bag. And drinks if you can.

Gerard – Ok, i'll see you there soon

Gerard packed as quickly as he could, excited now at the prospect of spending the night with Frank. He stuffed comic books and clothes into a large black bag along with some pillows, and grabbed a few drinks from downstairs. Once he was ready, he rolled his blanket up under his arm and went to wait by the door downstairs until Frank texted him to say when he was ready. He didn't have to wait long.


Frank – Ok I'm ready. Where do you want to meet?

Gerard – How about the record store?

Frank – Sure. See you there.

"Bye mom! See you Mikes!"

In no time, he met up with Frank by the record store and they made their way towards the theatre. They got in through the back door again, and Frank had brought a flashlight this time so it wasn't hard finding the lever to turn on the lights. They fiddled around with it for a few minutes until they finally figured out how to dim the lights a bit. How they were still even working was still a mystery.

"Where should we sleep?" Gerard asked Frank, still not quite believing that he was actually doing this.

Frank shrugged, climbing up on to the stage. "How about here?"

"Not without any matresses. The floor's too hard to sleep on."

"Shit..." he swore. "We'll have to figure out something. Why don't we look around? We might find something useful."

Gerard nodded, thinking about it for a second. "There's an upstairs floor, isn't there? To get to the balcony seats. We could start looking there first?"

Frank threw Gerard  a flashlight. "Ok, let's go look then."

The second floor of the building was mostly empty. It looked like it had mainly been used for dressing rooms, and maybe some storage too. Nearly all the rooms they looked into were empty.
They did manage to find the prop room after a while though. Strangely enough, it hadn't been completely emptied, so old props were still either lying around or left in boxes. Gerard ignored them and continued to look for anything useful, when he realized Frank was no longer by his side. He turned around just in time to see him trip over a rather large box full of dust-covered feather boas. He watched Frank struggle in amusement.

"When you said you would protect me, I didn't realize you meant," Gerard picked up a boa, "from feather boas."

Frank rolled his eyes, picking himself up off the floor. He had bits of feathers stuck in his hair, and a pink boa had wrapped itself around his waist.

"Practicing to be a stripper?" Gerard pointed to it, smirking. 

Frank rolled his eyes and tugged the feather boa off, throwing it at Gerard's face. Gerard let out a yelp of surprise, coughing as feathers got stuck in his mouth.

"Some stripper you'd be," he grumbled in annoyance.

Frank raised and eyebrow. "I can't tell whether that's an insult or a compliment."

Gerard laughed and made a face, pulling the last few feathers from his unruly hair. "C'mon, we still need to find a mattress of some kind. You can dress up later." 

The strangest thing happened after that. Once they left the prop room, they walked further down the hallway opening and closing various doors until they came across a promising looking room. The room looked… Not done up or modern exactly, but it looked lived-in. There were posters on the wall, posters of bands that Gerard knew and posters of other bands that he didn't know. There was an old lamp in the corner of the room next to a small table, and a few empty beer cans littered the floor. Frank and Gerard walked in cautiously, and then looked at each other in surprise when they switched the lamp on to see better: just in front of them, in the middle of the room, were two mattresses, both big enough to easily fit two people.

Frank raised an eyebrow and nudged Gerard. "You can see the mattresses too, right?"

Gerard forwned. "Yeah I see them."

He stepped forwards and hauled one of the mattresses up into an upright position. "Maybe we're just lucky?"

Frank shrugged. "Well, never look a horse in the mouth right?"

"You mean 'never look a gift horse in the mouth'?"

"Whatever," Frank rolled his eyes and came over to help Gerard keep the mattress upright.

"So, what do we do with it?" asked Gerard.

"We take it back down to the first floor," said Frank, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What? We can't do that!" Gerard let go of the mattress, leaving Frank to hold it by himself. Frank gave up and let it fall to the floor with a dull thud, scattering dust everywhere.

"It's not like it belongs to anyone."

"But what if it does?"

"Why would someone live in an abandoned theater?"

Gerard crossed his arms. "You're the one that wanted to camp out here. Isn't that kinda the same thing?"

Frank glared at him. "Just help me with the mattress Gerard. If it even does belong to someone, I say we just cross that bridge when we get to it."

Gerard shook his head, leaning forward to help Frank with the mattress. "It's just not normal. The lights still working, and now these mattresses? It's not just a coincidence."

Frank soghed as they began hauling their load out of the room and down the staircase. "Remember what I said about crossing the bridge?"

"Alright, fine!"

They eventually managed to get the mattress down and onto the stage. 

 "Should we go back up and get the other one?" Gerard asked Frank. Frank looked down at the one already on the stage, scratching his head.

"Nah, this one seems big enough for the two of us."

Gerard swallowed nervously. Of course, sleeping in the same bed was the perfect way to avoid any awkward situations. Gerard both cursed and thanked Frank for his genious idea. He walked over to his bag and pulled out his duvet, then dragged it back over and onto the mattress. Frank got some of his pillows, and then Gerard added his own to the pile. He had to admit, it looked pretty damn comfortable.

Frank flopped down into the middle with a big sigh. Gerard picked up the nearest pillow and whacked him across the head with a satisfying thump. He yelped in surprise, rolling off onto the floor.

"What the fuck Gerard?" He stared up at Gerard in shock from the floor.

"It's too early for you to go to bed." Gerard smiled, starting to relax a little. "C'mon, lets do something fun." He wasn't implying anything. No sexual connotations attached to the word 'fun' at all.

"I wasn't going to go to sleep you ass!" Frank protested, getting back onto his feet. "And we are going to have fun. I promised, remember?"

Gerard laughed, crossing his arms. "Ok then, what are we going to do?"

"Read comic books, eat, play games…" Frank looked away pensively. "If only I had my guitar with me…

"Maybe we can help you out."

 Frank and Gerard both jumped in surprise, turning around as two figures stepped into view.

Chapter Text

Gerard didn't say anything. The two strangers that had appeared were both older than Frank and Gerard, probably in college. They were both around the same height, one of them was blonde and tough looking, and the other had a huge mop of curly brown hair.

 "What are you two doing here?" the curly-haired one asked.

"We could ask you the same thing," Frank retorted, hopping down from the stage with Gerard in tow.

Gerard nudged him in the ribs. "Be nice," he murmured under his breath.

He could feel Frank mentally rolling his eyes at him. "We just came to spend the night," he relented at last. "What about you?"

"This is our place," said the tough-looking one. He looked past them and onto the stage. "And that's our mattress. This is our place, we found and broke into it a few months ago."

Well, that explained the lights. 

"Why?" Gerard asked. 

The two strangers exchanged a glance. "We come here to practice," said the curly-haired one. "Music, that is. We had nowhere else to play, until we discovered this place. Sometimes it's used as a venue for unknown bands to play in."

Gerard nodded in understanding. "So the posters in the room..."

"Are flyers and ads for bands that play here. Although it hasn't been used as a venue for a while."

"Cool!" Gerard jumped off the stage and walked up to them. Frank followed behind him, hesitant. "I'm Gerard, by the way." Gerard held out his hand.

"I'm Ray." The curly-haired one, Ray, shook Gerard's hand. "And this is Bob." He pointed to his friend, who also shook Gerard's hand, albeit a bit gruffly.

Gerard realized Frank was hovering silently by his shoulder. "This is Frank," Gerard introduced him. Frank stepped forward and briefly shook Ray and Bob's hands, then stepped back so that his and gerard's shoulders were pressed together. He didn't seem too comfortable around Ray and Bob.

"So, you guys play music?" Gerard asked attempting to break the tension.

"Yeah," Ray smiled, "I play guitar, and Bob plays drums."

Frank allowed a small smile. "I play guitar too." Gerard could feel some of the tension in Frank's shoulders start to loosen up slightly.

"Awesome," Ray nodded in approval. "So, you two said you were here to spend the night?"

"Yeah. We looked around for a while to find something to sleep on and... I guess we stumbled across your mattresses." Gerard tried his best to look apologetic.

Ray smiled lopsidedly. "We don't really use them much anyway."

Gerard frowned. "What do you even need them for?"

"It's handy if we want to practice for a few days in a row or if we have a gig," Ray shrugged. "Instead of having to carry all the equipment back and forth all the time. And sometimes people at the gigs need a place to crash for the night." He glanced at Bob. "But I guess you can use them tonight."

"Seriously?" Gerard smile, relieved. Ray, he had decided, was a pretty cool guy. "Awesome, thanks. We'll leave as soon as we can tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it, you can come back anytime you want. We don't own the place, nobody does; we don't decide who can stay and who can't. Unless it's a gig, of course. That's a bit different. Just bring your own mattresses or something if you decide to stay again."

"We'll remember next time," Gerard smiled at Ray again.

"Are you staying here tonight?" Frank asked.

"Nah, we're just here to drop of some equipment," said Bob, who had remained pretty quiet up until then. He picked up two large, black cases and walked towards the stairs leading up to the second floor. "Ray, you coming?"

Ray picked up the remaining case and another black bag and followed Bob, nodding to Frank and Gerard as he walked by. "It was nice meeting you!"

 When Ray and Bob were upstairs and out of earshot, Frank pulled Gerard by the arm back up onto the stage.

"What do you think of them?" he asked, keeping his voice low for absolutely no reason. There was no way Ray or Bob could hear them from upstairs.

Gerard shrugged indifferently. "I like them; they seem like nice guys. Especially Ray." Gerard frowned when Frank looked away, his shoulders sagging slightly in disappointment. "Why, you don't like them?"

"I don’t know… They seem nice, it's just…" He looked back up, biting his lip. "I just thought this would be our place, y'know? Somewhere that belonged to only us. I've never had a place like that before, it would've been perfect."

"As long as we come here together, it will always be our place," said Gerard, reaching out to lay a comforting hand on Frank's shoulder.

Frank shook his head in embarrassment. "God, I'm turning into you."

Gerard shoved him gently. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"All emotional and embarassed!"

Gerard made an affronted noise. "You're just jealous because I like Ray better than you right now."

"Hey!" Frank frowned.

They both turned their heads as they heard footsteps coming back down the stairs.

"Well, we're just gonna head off now, but we'll probably be back again at some point tomorrow," said Ray when he and Bob had walked back over towards them. 

"I'm not sure how long we'll say tomorrow, but I guess we'll probably see you around sometime," said Gerard, glancing at Frank briefly.

"See you round, then." Both Ray and Bob nodded and turned to leave. "Oh, and Frank?" Ray turned back around to face them. "You're free to use my guitar if you want. It's in one of the rooms upstairs, it shouldn't be too hard to find." After that, he ran to catch up with Bob who had continued to walk away. Frank and Gerard watched in silence as the two figures disappeared from view. 

After they'd left, it was still relatively early in the evening. Neither of them was really tired yet, but they weren't exactly feeling active either. They ended up sprawled across the mattress reading comic books, and Frank had a habit of reading parts out loud. Sometimes he'd even put on funny voices just for Gerard's benefit . It was great fun, and after a while Gerard stopped reading his own comic book so he could listen to him. While Frank was reading, Gerard noticed that he was sitting in the perfect position for him to sketch. So while he wasn't paying attention to what Gerard was doing, Gerard snuck his sketchbook out of his bag along with a few pencils, and began to sketch the outlines of his face and posture.

Obviously, Frank started to notice after a while. He didn't say anything at first, but then curiosity got the better of him and he lay down his comic book to reach across and try to pry the sketchbook from Gerard's hands. Gerard clung to it desperately, caught off guard, and tried to keep it out of Frank's reach.

"C'mon Gee, let me see!" Frank protested, still trying to grab the book.

"No! It's not finished yet, and it's not even that good!" Gerard struggled as Frank crawled over and pinned him down. "Frank, get off me you idiot!" He laughed despite himself.

Frank ignored him and snatched the book out of his hands. "Aha! Got it!" He quickly moved away and flicked through the pages, until he found the sketch that Gerard had just started of him. He sat studying it for a moment, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "This is really good," he said admiringly, eyes shining.

"You think so?" Gerard tried his best not to come across as overly-flustered. Which he was.

"Yeah, you're really talented." Frank looked up at Gerard and smiled.

"Th-thanks," Gerard said, and Frank handed him back his sketchbook. "I was thinking of maybe going to art school after I graduate."

"Cool. I have absolutely no idea what to do after I graduate…"

"What about a career in music? You're really good at playing the guitar," Gerard suggested.

He shrugged. "Maybe. I'd really like to, but…" His smile faded. "My parents don't think it's such a great idea. And it's a pretty hard business to get into."

Gerard edged forward until he was sitting next to him, and tentatively put a comforting arm around Frank's shoulders. "Your parents don't really give you much freedom, do they?"

"Nope," he sighed, then shook his head. "But I'll be free in a few months, as soon as I turn 18. Now c'mon, how do we always end up talking about depressing stuff? Lets do something fun." He stood up and pulled Gerard with him. "I'll be back in just a minute, I'm gonna go find Ray's guitar."

 Gerard watched him as he walked away, smiling to himself. Man, he was really starting to fall for Frank, hard.

 It actually seemed to take Frank a really long time to find the guitar. Almost half an hour had passed until he finally showed up again. Without a guitar. The reason he took so long? Whilst looking for Ray's guitar, he had obviously stumbled into the prop room again, and had apparently stuffed anything and everything he could find into one big cardboard box. The infamous feather boas, hats, glasses, costumes… And what Gerard honestly hoped wasn't a dress.

 "Sorry I took so long!" He was grinning stupidly. Adorably, but stupidly. "I've just gotta go back up to get the guitar, I'll be back in a minute!"

 And he took off once more. Gerard emptied out the cardboard box onto the mattress and looked through everything until Frank finally reappeared. With the guitar this time.

 "Since we're in a theatre… How about we put on a show?" He pulled a chair from the side of the stage out into the middle, and sat down with the guitar.

"A show with no audience?" Gerard raised an eyebrow.

He winked. "Those are the best kind," Frank winked. "Now c'mon, choose a costume, pick a song, perform for me…"

Gerard walked over to the pile of props on the mattress, laughing. "Ok, how about 'I Miss You'?" (x)

"Sure, I know that one." He smiled. "What about a costume?"

"You're ridiculous." Gerard sighed and decided to humour Frank. He went to rummage around for a few minutes, pulling out a few items here and there. He found a top hat, changed into a shirt, waistcoat and tie, and then I turned back around to face Frank.

"Nice…" Frank's eyes skimmed over the outfit. "What about me?"

Gerard smirked and walked over to stand in front of him. He pulled out a tiara and put it on top of Frank's head, and then mockingly bowed. "Your higness."

Frank rolled his eyes in amusement, and started to play the song.

 Gerard lost track of how many songs they played together. Songs from musicals, songs they both loved… Gerard was beginning to see another side of Frank, one that was open and happy. It was some of the best fun he'd ever had. Frank was just so easy to be with, which surprised Gerard. His first impression pf Frank hadn't been all that positive. But Frank wasactually funny, sweet and dorky... He was perfect in Gerard's mind, and Gerard wanted to be with him so badly by now that it was starting to hurt. But would Frank ever really be interested in him in that way? Being friends was just so efortless, would Frank want it to be anything more than that? And even if, by some miraculous chance, they did start dating, things would be hard. Frank's parents, all of the people in school… So many people would judge them and be against them and put them down. And Gerard didn't think he was quite ready for that kind of exposure.

Gerard was lying on the mattress thinking about all this when he heard Frank walking towards him. He'd gone back up to the second floor to put Ray's guitar away.

 "Ok, I think we should eat now and then go to sleep. I'm fucking exhausted, not to mention starving," he said.

Gerard sat up, yawning widely. "Good idea. I'm just gonna change into my pyjamas first."

"Same." Frank pulled a pair of grey sweats out from his bag, along with a plain white t-shirt.

Gerard dug around in his own bag, pulling out his pyjamas.

Shit!

He'd brought the wrong pair. He'd meant to grab a pair of plain black ones from his room as he was leaving, but he'd obviously picked up the wrong ones. What he'd brought was actually a onesie with a skeleton body on it. It was so comfortable to wear and it had been a gift from Mikey but it was so embarrassing. Fuck, Frank was going to laugh so hard.

"Are those your pyjamas?" he asked, pointing to the onesie.

"Yeah, I uh… I actually took the wrong ones."

"Well you're not going back to get the others now, it must be about ten o'clock." He smiled at Gerard sympathetically and then turned around to collapse on top of the mattress. Gerard sighed in despair. The universe had never been kind to him before, so why would it be any different now? He'd just have to wear the onesie. What other choice did he have? There was no way he was going to bed naked.

 Gerard turned his back on Frank and slipped out of his clothes and into his ridiculous pyjamas. He swallowed nervously and turned around, blushing. Frank looked up from where he had been reading a comic book, his mouth twitching slightly.

"Say one word, Iero," Gerard pointed a finger at him threateningly, "and I will throw you out."

Frank grinned, holding up his hands in defence. "Hey, I was just going to say you looked cute."

"Oh." Gerard stood still, blushing, feeling slightly shocked. "Um, uh… Thanks?"

Frank laughed. "You should see the look on your face." He patted the other side of the mattress. "Now come here you idiot, let's eat."

Gerard smashed Frank in the face with a pillow as he sat down next to him. "Asshole." He muttered under his breath, his blush fading. Frank thought he was cute.

Gerard grabbed his bag again and pulled out the large bottle of sprite he'd brought. Frank produced a large bag of crisps and sandwiches from his bag.

Gerard raised an eyebrow. "Sandwiches?"

Frank shrugged. "I made them myself before I left. Hope you like chicken." He offered Gerard a sandwich.

They turned out to be really good, and surprisingly filling. They finished them off along with most of the bottle of sprite, and then stayed up talking until they were both yawning from sheer exhaustion. The room was pitch black now that Frank had gotten up to go turn the lights off, and the only light they got was from the moon shining through a hole in the ceiling. That could cause problems if it starts to rain, Gerard thought absently to himself.

Frank pulled the cover over both of them, and settled his head down on the pillow with a content sigh.

"G'night Gee," he smiled at Gerard through the darkness.

"Night Frank," Gerard smiled back. Hehad just turned around and was closing his eyes when he heard the covers rustling gently, and felt a warm body pressed close against his back.

"Frank?" Gerard whispered frantically.

" m' cold," Frank breathed into Gerard's neck. "You're warm."

Gerard laughed softly, pressing further back into the warmth of Frank's body. "Go to sleep, Frank."

 Moments later, they were both fast asleep. 

Chapter Text

The next morning, Gerard woke up to find that Frank's side of the mattress was empty. He sat up blinking in confusion for a moment, wondering where the hell he could have gone. It seemed way too early to be doing anything. Gerard grabbed his phone from his bag to check the time, and was surprised to find that it was almost half nine. Holy shit, he almost never slept in that late, he was always awake at around eight. He must have been seriously comfortable last night. 
Just as he was about to close his phone, he saw that he had a new message:

Frank – I've just gone to get us breakfast, didn't want to wake you up 

Gerard – hurry back, i'm starving 

Frank – almost done!

He was back about 15 minutes later, carrying a box of pastries with two cups of coffee balanced on top. Gerard rushed forward to grab them before they fell. They walked over to the bed and sat down, and Frank opened the box as Gerard handed him his coffee.

"It smells so good..." Gerard murmured dreamily, the warmth of the coffee spreading through his whole body as he took a sip. "Thanks Frank."

Frank laughed in disbelief. "It's only coffee Gerard; you make it sound as if I've given you the most amazing thing in the world."

"I like my coffee!" Gerard said defensively, clutching the cup to his chest.

"Yeah, I noticed." Frank smiled and leaned forward to take a pastry from the box. Gerard took a few more sips of coffee before eating.

When they were done, Frank gathered up everything that needed to be thrown out as Gerard got dressed. They figured that they should leave soon, since Frank had promised he'd be back home early, so they packed everything up and put the mattress away, along with all the props Frank had brought down. Then, they were ready to go.
It was Gerard that walked Frank back to his house this time, although only to the end of his street. Frank didn't want his parents to get suspicious if they saw the two of them walking home together. He hugged Gerard briefly, stepping back to glance around cautiously at the neighbouring houses. He had told Gerard that the neighbours hadn't been afraid to snitch on him before for whatever reason. It was a very different area to where Gerard lived, even though it was only a few streets away. Frank had also removed his lip ring, Gerard noticed curiously. He asked him why.

"Uh, well... My parents don't exactly know I've got it. I have an older cousin who's friend does piercings, so he brought me to get it done last summer when we went to visit."

"Doesn't it bother you that you have to hide so much from your parents?" Gerard asked.

Frank shrugged and looked away. "I guess. But it'll be over soon, as soon as I finish high school."

Gerard wanted to reach forward and hold him reassuringly, but then he remembered what Frank had said about the neighbours, and he had to restrain himself. It was hard, not being able to do anything about it.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow in school," Frank said when he looked back up.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. I had a great time yesterday," Gerard smiled.

"Maybe we'll get to do it again sometime." Frank smiled back and waved goodbye as he turned to leave. Gerard watched him go, wishing they had more time together. At least at least he'd see him in school tomorrow.

 "Hi honey. Did you have a good time at Frank's?"

"Hey mom." She was just in the kitchen, making lunch apparently. Gerard went over to hug her. "It was great fun."

"I'll bet," Mikey was smirking from the kitchen doorway.Gerard ruffled his hair as he walked past, making his way towards the stairs. Mikey followed him up to his room. "No but seriously, how was it?" he asked, sitting down on Gerard's bed.

Gerard walked around his room, putting stuff away, before sitting down at his desk with a resigned sigh. "Mikey, I think I'm starting to fall for him already."

"No shit, Sherlock." Mikey rolled his eyes. "Ask him out, idiot."

"But I don't even know if he feels the same way!" Gerard groaned and leaned forward over his desk, holding his head in his hands. 

"Well you'll never know unless you ask him!"

"Look, I'll just— it's too soon. I might tell him sometime, just… Not anytime soon. I barely know him! We've only been friends for what... A few days?"

Mikey sighed. "Fine, leave it until it's too late. But you will tell him." He got off Gerard's bed and headed to the door, pausing for a moment to look at him. "Gee, you've got one year left of highschool and then you're probably never going to see him again after that, or very rarely. Make the most of it." Then he left.

He did have a point though… Seeing Frank after highschool was going to be tough, if not impossible. But Gerard didn't want to think about it right now. School had only started about a month ago, so he still had time. Not a lot of time, but it was better than nothing.
Instead of dwelling on the matter, he grabbed a pile of books from his desk and started on his homework, then went down for lunch and finished off his homework after that. By late afternoon, everything that needed to be done was done, so he went up and took a shower before coming back downstairs to watch a movie with Mikey and his mom. A nice, normal, sunday evening.
After the movie it had gotten pretty late, so Gerard and Mikey trudged upstairs to go to bed. As Gerard was just settling down under the covers, he heard his phone vibrate on his bedside table. He flipped it open, and a message from Frank flashed across his screen:

Frank — g'night G, see you tomorrow in school :) 

Gerard — night Frank :)

Gerard really liked getting random messages from Frank. It meant that Frank thought of him enough to want to just text him out of nowhere.
Gerard was asleep in seconds, his phone still held in his hand.

"Gerard, wake up! Time for school!"

Gerard groaned inwardly. He hated Monday mornings. He ignored his mom's call, choosing instead to bury himself even further into his blankets. 

"GERARD!"

Gerard yelled and rolled off the bed. He had not been expecting a voice to be that close to his ear. He picked himself up off the floor, glaring at Mikey. "What the hell was that for?!"

Mikey shrugged. "I thought you were just gonna fall back asleep."

"That was the plan," Gerard yawned. "Well, I'm up now."

When Mikey left Gerard checked his phone for any new messages, feeling disappointed when he saw none from Frank. He rushed downstairs for breakfast after that, getting ready in record time. It wasn't school he was looking forward to, but the prospect of seeing Frank again. 
Ok, this was starting to be a problem.
 
He grabbed his bag from off the floor and headed back downstairs, pausing by the door to put his black, leather jacket on and to say goodbye to his mom. 

"Aren't you going to wait for Mikey?" she asked.

"He takes forever! He can just follow later. See you this evening!"

And with that, he left. 

The road he took to school every morning, he realized, joined on to a street near Frank's house. He was just wondering whether or not to wait and see if Frank took that road when he suddenly appeared at the top of the street. Gerard waved and stood waiting for him. When he finally reached Gerard he smiled and reached up to hug him. Gerard let himself fall into it for a moment before pulling back. He was starting to notice that Frank was pretty physical and didn't mind getting all up in someone's space.

"Hey, I was just wondering whether to wait and see if you came by here or not," Gerard said once they started walking again.

"Well, I usually do. We should wait for each other in the future, it's nice having company walking into school." 

"Sure is." Gerard nodded in agreement. "I hate going to our school, it's full of assholes."

"Judgmental, narrow-minded assholes," said Frank. "It's so hard, not being able to date anyone in highschool."

"Tell me about it." Gerard looked away and blushed. 

They walked the rest of the way chatting idly, bumping shoulders every so often. Gerard elected to ignore it, he'd only get himself wound up if he thought too hard about every little thing that happened between the two of them. They entered the school building and went straight to the english classroom to wait outside. They were slightly early, but it was better than waiting in the crowded hallway with the stupid jocks that were sure to pick on them.
Not five minutes later, Mr. Urie appeared at the door. He smiled and unlocked the door, beckoning for them to go in. 

"Morning Gerard, Frank. You two are early," he remarked as they sat down at the back, next to each other.

"Didn't want to hang around in the main hallway," said Gerard.

Mr. Urie nodded in understanding. He did that a lot. "Well the bell should be going any minute. I've got a special project for everyone to do this week."

Frank and Gerard exchanged worried looks. Special project? That couldn't mean anything good. 
The bell did ring pretty soon after that, and students started flooding into the classroom. Gerard shied away from everyone. He honestly couldn't stand huge crowds of people. He leaned subconsciously closer to Frank, until he realized what he was doing and blushed. He started to apologize and move away, but Frank stopped him and just smiled reassuringly. 
Once everyone was settled down, Mr. Urie stepped to the front of a class, a serious look on his face.

"So, now you've a had a whole week-end to familiarize yourself with your partner. I'm sure many of you had other things to do, which is fine, but I've organized a small... Project for you this week. It's more of an essay really, but not a typical essay. You'll have the whole week to complete this piece of work, and a few more days after that if it's absolutely necessary."

The whole class were exchanging looks. A project that could last longer than a week? 

Mr. Urie noticed their lack of enthusiasm, and smiled. "Did I mention that, for those of you who do well, you get to go on a trip?" That got their attention. "I want to organize a trip to London, for one or two weeks, and those of you that turn in a serious piece of work will get to come along."

One girl raised her hand. "So like, what is this project anyway?"

"The general idea... Is to have each of you write a sort of essay on your partner and what you learned from the experience so far. Only I will be allowed to read them, of course. Whether you've found out who your partner is yet or not is irrelevant, it's the same thing for everyone."

Gerard paled. He had to write an essay on Frank?

Frank nudged his side. "Better write something nice about me," he whispered and winked. Gerard smiled back weakly. He could never say anything bad about Frank.

At the end of the lesson Gerard told Frank to go on without him, and that he'd catch up with him in a few minutes. Frank hesitated for a moment before leaving Gerard behind. Gerard walked over to Mr. Urie's desk, biting his lip nervously as he contemplated what exactly it was that he wanted to tell him. He looked up at Gerard questioningly, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"What is it Gerard?" he asked.

"Uhm, well I was just wondering… about the essay. We can put anything in it, right?"

"Well, within reason, as long as it's something positive and it relates to your experience ao far."

"And you'll be the only one reading it, right?"

"Yes, of course. But this project is more for you than it is for me. I find that writing out your thoughts helps you come to terms with them. Why do you ask, anyway?"

"Well I-" Gerard hesitated, blushing slightly. "Me and Frank-"

"Frank and I," Mr. Urie interrupted. Gerard fought against the urge to roll his eyes at him as he grinned apologetically.

"Frank and I… We found out not too long ago that we were partners, and… I just wouldn't want him to read my essay."

Mr. Urie nodded. "That's just fine. If that's all your questions, I really have to get going now, I've got a meeting with your principle to discuss the trip to London."

"Thank you Mr. Urie. See you tomorrow!" Gerard waved and headed out the door to catch up with Frank.

So long as Frank never saw the essay, everything would be fine.

Chapter Text

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Gerard walked home with Frank after school, pausing at the bottom of his street to say goodbye. He promised to meet Gerard at the same place again the next morning. After that, Gerard walked the rest of the way home. He wasn't surprised to find that his mom was still at work, but he found it strange that Mikey wasn't back yet. He elected to ignore it, picking his bag up and heading up to his room instead. He sketched for a while, and then did some homework. By the time his mom got home, he was just sitting at his desk contemplating whether or not to start his english essay yet. He gave up and went downstairs.

"Hey mom. D'you have any idea where Mikey is?"

"He's just over at a friend's house, but he should be back soon," she said. "Did you have a good day at school?"

"Mom, it's school. I only go because it's the law. I never like going to school."

"Alright, alright, I won't ask ever again." She smiled, holding her hands in front of her in surrender. "Go finish whatever homework you have left, we'll have dinner when Mikey gets back."

So Gerard went back upstairs, only to sit at his desk again and stare intently at a blank sheet of paper lying in front of him. He nearly jumped out of his chair when his phone buzzed.

Frank – Hey G, what are you doing?

Gerard – Just trying to start the english essay

Frank – Already?! You'll have to show it to me when it's done

Gerard – Not a chance!!

Frank – aww :( 

Frank – Fine, you can't read mine then

Gerard – Fine :P

They stopped texting after that, and Gerard made a start on the essay. It was... Strange. That's the only way he could describe it. Mr. Urie had said that it was meant to be "therapeutic", and Gerard came to realize that he was actually right. Writing about Frank, writing about how he felt when he was with him... It felt nice, it helped him sort out exactly what it was he was feeling towards Frank. When Mikey finally got back and dinner was ready he'd written more than half the essay, and he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He slept well and deeply that night, and every night that followed. School was flying by that week, and Gerard was growing even closer to Frank. He texted Gerard on thursday night saying he'd finally finished the essay, and Gerard texted him back saying he'd finished the night before. Frank asked again if he could read it, and yet again, Gerard said no. He'd spilled his heart out into the essay, and he honestly hoped Mr. Urie wouldn't judge him based on it. He didn't seem like that type. So on friday morning They all handed their essays in, and then Gerard just had to wait the entire week-end before getting it back.

But Mr. Urie didn't give them back until the following friday evening. They were all handed back in a hurry since everyone was desperate to get home and start the weekend. Gerard grabbed his and he and Frank rushed home. They'd met up with Ray and Bob again the previous weekend, but this weekend they had no plans. 

When Gerard got home he ran straight to his room and pulled his essay out of his bag. His eyes drifted to the top of the page and then went wide in shock. The essay wasn't his; it belonged to some girl in his class. That meant... someone else had his essay. SHIT! He started pulling at his hair in frustration, but there was nothing he could do until monday. He picked up his phone and texted Frank.

Gerard – someone else has my essay!!!

No reply. He texted once or twice more, but stopped soon after that when there was still no reply, not wanting to be annoying. He went down for dinner, got ready for bed... His head spinning with confusion and dread as he imagined what could be happening with his essay. He went to bed, his stomach churning nervously. So many secrets…

Gerard tossed and turned for what seemed like hours before he was finally able to drift off, only to be abruptly woken up again not long after when something hit his window with a dull thud. He rubbed his eyes groggily and pulled himself out from under the covers, walking slowly over to the window to investigate. He looked out into the garden but couldn't see anything moving at all. He grunted softly in annoyance and went back to sleep, only to be woken up moments later yet again by the sound of his phone vibrating. He snatched it up angrily. Whoever was calling him at this hour had better have a bloody good excuse. He answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear.

"What?" He asked irritably.

"Gerard." 

He did a double take. "Frank?! Why the hell are you calling me at 3 in the fucking morning?" It's not like Gerard minded that he'd called, but come on. There was a limit to how late someone should call. 

"Just come downstairs. I'm here to give you your essay back."

Gerard felt like his heart almost stopped for a good minute. Frank had his essay?! He hung up and rushed downstairs as quietly as he could, praying to every deity he knew that by some miracle Frank hadn't read his essay. He unlocked the front door and slipped out into the chilly night air, and walked over to Frank who was just waiting with his back to him at the bottom of the steps. 

"Hey," Gerard said gently, and Frank turned around to face him. Gerard saw his essay folded in Frank's hands, and it looked worn, as if it had been opened and closed several times. "So, uhh... I guess you read the essay, then," he said awkwardly, half fearing, half anticipating Frank's response.
He got the shock of his life when Frank lifted an arm and whacked him across the shoulder. Gerard blinked at him, eyes wide.

"Gerard, you complete asshole."

"Me?" Gerard was still staring at him, completelt confused.

"Yes you, idiot!" His face broke out into a shy grin. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Maybe because I was scared shitless about how you would react? Because I'm pretty scared right now. You just hit me."

"Well you deserve it! All the stuff you said in the essay, and you were just never going to tell me?"

"What stuff that I said?"

"All of it! Just… There's one bit in particular." He unfolded Gerard's essay and showed him a passage. "I've read it over, and over… And now it's your turn."

"What?"

"I want to hear it from your own mouth." He held the page out to Gerard, and Gerard took it hesitantly. Frank was just watching him, his expression giving nothing away.

"Fine, I'll read it." Gerard gave in and went to sit on the steps. Frank sat down next to him as he cleared his throat, and began to read:

" Highschool doesn't last forever and it's the only thing that's been keeping me going. It will all be over soon, and I'll finally be able to go live a little, I'll finally be able to call my own shots and take hold of my life. Yet recently, I've realized that I might not actually want highschool to end so soon. For the first time in years, I've been able to feel comfortable at school. It's not so daunting anymore, walking into the great big building on a Monday morning, because now I have a reason to look forward to it. The reason? Frank Iero. Our friendship came to be in such a strange way, so strange and perfect. I'd never really noticed Frank much before, and now I can't ever imagine not being friends with him. It's as if my whole life I've been just waiting for the perfect friend to come along, and now I have that perfect friend. Sure, I may not have known Frank for a long time but… It feels like we've been friends for years. We're just compatible, I guess.

But now I have a problem. I'm pretty sure I've developed a massive crush on Frank. Obviously, telling him would be a terrible idea. Why? Because, first of all, there's no way in hell he'd ever like me back in the same way, and secondly: Highschool doesn't last forever. If somehow we ever did end up together, it would only last for the rest of the school year, and then we'd have to go our separate ways. I just don’t think I'd be able to handle it. So I can't ever tell him." Gerard folded the page up and offered it back to Frank, refusing to look him in the eyes. He took it back slowly, as if afraid that he'd rip it, and then they both lapsed into silence.

"I can't believe you were never going to tell me," he murmured quietly.

Gerard shrugged to himself. "I never saw the point, since there's only a year left of highschool.  And how was I supposed to know if you liked me back or not? I still don't know." 

"Well then ask, idiot!" Frank sighed in exasperation.

"Ok, fine… Do you?" Gerard held his breath, his heart pounding loudly in his chest.

"Do I what?"

God, it sounded so stupid. He felt like such a teenager. "Do you like me too?" Gerard asked eventually, blushing as he finally forced himself to look at Frank.

Frank's eyes softened momentarily, and then he looked away. "Of course I do genius." 

Gerard opened his mouth, then closed it again. Had he heard him right? "You do?"

Frank looked back up at Gerard, a small smile on his face. "Yeah," he said softly. "And I was afraid you didn't feel the same way. That's why I was angry that you were just never going to tell me."

Wow. Frank liked Gerard, he actually liked him back. Words couldn't describe how Gerard was feeling.

So Gerard smiled back, and his chest swelled with warmth as Frank hesitantly reached out to lace their fingers together. Everything was right in the world. Gerard pulled him slightly closer and Frank leaned his head on Gerard's shoulder. Neither of them spoke for a while, but in a way, it felt normal and comfortable. They were both lost in their own thoughts.

They started talking again after a while. They talked, and talked, and talked, until there was nothing left to say. Frank glanced down at his watch.

"Shit..." he groaned. "It's almost five in the morning, I should probably go home."

Gerard held on tightly to his hand. "I don't want you to go."

"I don't want to go either," he laughed softly. "But... I have to."

Gerard sighed and let go of his hand, and they both stood up. 

"So uhh... Thanks for coming tonight." Gerard said, blushing slightly. He had no idea how to say goodbye. Did he kiss him? Hug him? Shake his hand?

Luckily, Frank solved Gerard's dilemma for him. He held Gerard's hand again and leaned forward, and his lips brushed against Gerard's cheek softly. "I'm glad I came, it was worth it." He smiled. "I'll call you tomorrow, and we can... hang out." 

Gerard nodded and smiled back. "We should definitely hang out tomorrow."

Frank slowly let go of Gerard's hand and turned around to walk away. He looked back over his shoulder once more to wave goodbye, and Gerard waved back.

Ten minutes later, Gerard was still standing outside staring into the darkness that Frank had long since disappeared into. He still felt the lingering sensation of Frank's soft breath against his cheek, and his words and smiles were still echoing through Gerard's mind.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

Chapter Text

Gerard woke up on saturday morning to the sound of rain dripping down his window. It must have been pretty late, since he hadn't exactly gone to sleep early last night. He sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, looking out distastefully at the lashing rain. Great start to a saturday morning. But then he remembered that he was meeting up with Frank today, Frank, who'd came to his house at 3 in the morning and actually liked him back. At least, he hoped it wasn't just a dream.
Gerard grabbed his phone and went downstairs for breakfast. Frank had said he'd call, so Gerard brought his phone with him everywhere he went. Just in case. Mikey spotted him eyeing it every ten seconds, and raised an eyebrow curiously. Gerard shook his head and mouthed later, then continued eating. He was just cleaning up when his phone rang, and he almost dropped everything he was carrying as he rushed to pick it up.

"Important call?" his mom asked. He was already halfway up the stairs and barely heard her. 

He closed the door behind him when he was safely in his room, and pressed the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Frank."

As if he didn't have caller ID. "Oh, hey Frank." Gerard tried to sound casual.

"I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No, no... I've been up for a while."

"Ok, good." He paused. "So, uhh... Last night..."

Gerard lay down on his bed, chewing on his lip nervously. So it hadn't been a dream. "Yeah, last night... You still have my essay by the way."

Frank laughed softly. "Do you want it back?"

"Not really... Keep it if you want."

"Thanks... I think I will. Just as, y'know, a memory." Gerard could practically hear him blushing through the phone. "So, anyway... What happened last night-are we... I mean, are we dating?" 

Gerard hadn't really thought about it... "Well, yeah, I guess... Neither of us really asked the other out, but we don't necessarily have to, do we?"

Frank stayed silent for a moment. Then: "Gerard?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you go out with me?"

"Well yeah, o-of course--" Gerard spluttered.

"I just wanted to make it... Official, or something."

"Oh! O-ok..." Man this was an awkward conversation. "So, uh, you wanted to meet up today?" 

"Yeah... My parents are out today, you could come round and we could watch movies and stuff, or something."

Or something. Holy crap, alone with Frank in his house? "Yeah, sure. What time?" If Gerard's voice was starting to sound slightly high-pitched it was pure coincidence.

"Anytime. I'll be here all day so... Come whenever."

"Ok, I think I can probably be there in like an hour or so."

"Cool. Oh, and one more thing?"

"What?"

"Your voice sounds really high pitched when you're nervous."

Gerard rolled his eyes, even though Frank couldn't see it. "Goodbye Frank."

"Bye, Gee." 

Gerard smiled as Frank giggled and hung up. Frank Iero, 17 year old boy or 14 year old girl?

Gerard got dressed as quickly as he could, but he actually made an effort this time. He even put eyeliner on for the first time in ages. When he finally felt like he must look somewhat presentable, he went over to Mikey's bedroom and knocked on his door.

"What?" he asked, opening the door a fraction of an inch.

"I'm going over to Frank's house soon, and I'm maybe, sorta, kinda freaking out," Gerard rushed out. He really did feel slightly panicked.

"You're coming to your little brother for relationship advice? Gerard, your life is seriously messed up."

Gerard hit his arm as he let him into his room. "You tend to give really good advice."

"I know." He sat down on his bed, smiling. "So, anyway... You're going to Frank's house." 

Gerard nodded. "We're also, uh, dating." He watched Mikey's facial expressions closely, and he swore his little brother went from normal to surprised to knowing in the space of about two seconds. 

"So you finally popped the question, huh?"

"Mikey, we're dating, not engaged."

"Not yet." Mieky smirked and Gerard rolled his eyes. "No but seriously. You finally asked him out?"

"Well... No. It's a long story, actually."

"Tell me later then. So, Frank asked you out?"

"Yeah."

"So you chickened out?"

"Hey!" Gerard exclaimed. "I would have, but he got to it first!" He kinda had. They didn't have to ask each other out, Frank just... did. Not that Gerard minded in the least.

"Ok, ok! Well, you're going to his house and you're finally dating… What are you so worried about? You've spent the night with him once already."

"Yeah but… That was just camping, in the old abandoned theatre. And we were just friends! But now we're dating, and his parents are out, so it'll just be the two of us alone in his house. I'm just terrified of what might happen."

Mikey shrugged and smirked. "Bring a condom?" he suggested.

"Mikey! That's not going to-I mean, we've only just… We'd never… Mikey!" Gerard glared at him. "Maybe I shouldn't go."

"I'm only kidding! Gerard, if you stay here you know you'll regret it. Seriously, I think you've got nothing to worry about. And if anything does happen, if you feel like it's going to far, just say you want to stop. He'll understand. Come on Gee, you'll be fine. He's your boyfriend for Christ's sake, you can't just ignore him." Mikey smiled reassuringly.

Gerard sighed, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. "Yeah… Yeah, you're right."

"I'm always right."

Gerard rolled his eyes and reached over to hug his brother's skinny frame. "Ok, I'm gonna go now. Thanks Mikey." He made his way towards the door.

"Anytime," he smiled again and returned to reading comics as Gerard left his room.

Gerard went back downstairs after, figuring that he should probably just ignore his doubts and worries and head straight to Frank's house, no looking back. Take a leap of faith, seize the day, and all that kind of stuff. Their relationship had to develop at some point, right? Step by step… Gerard just still couldn't believe they were dating. The idea was so surreal to him. What did he even do now that he had a boyfriend? He wasn't exactly experienced in that department. Hopefully Frank knew what to do. Hopefully.

 Gerard grabbed a jumper and threw it on as he left the house, calling out goodbye to his mom before he shut the door. It was cold outside, and raining lightly, so he shrugged his hood on over his head. The rain eased up as he got closer to Frank's house, and he started to feel nervous again, the feeling only getting worse as he walked up to his front door and rang the doorbell. Frank was there in a heartbeat, opening the door with the usual sheepish look on his face. Gerard noticed that he still wasn't wearing his lip ring, and felt a tiny bit disappointed. He really liked his lip ring.
However, the disappointment disappeared when Frank pulled me forward and shut the door, hesitating for a moment before throwing his arms around Gerard's neck. Gerard laughed and hugged him back. It was nice to see that Frank had a soft side, and that he actually wasn't at all as sour and bitter as Gerard had originally thought.
"It's nice to see you too," he said, his head buried in Frank's neck. 

Frank giggled and drew back. "I'm glad you came. I wasn't really sure if you'd want to come or not." He worried his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Why wouldn't I come?" Yeah, yeah, so Gerard had nearly decided not to go.

Frank shrugged. "I just thought… Maybe it was just so sudden, I mean, we've barely been dating and I've already invited you to my house… Alone." His eyes met Gerard's for a moment, and Gerard suppressed a shiver. "Either that, or you'd probably have somewhere better to be." he continued.

"Frank, I've got nowhere better to be than with you." Gerard blushed and looked down. "I'd pick you over anything."

Frank reached out to hold Gerard's hand, but he didn't reply. He didn't have to. His eyes spoke for him.

"Um, anyway, do you want a tour of the house?" He asked, already pulling Gerard towards a large archway that opened up into the kitchen.

"Sure." He'd drag Gerard around even if he said no. He was persistent that way.

Frank's house, as it turned out, was actually quite big. Well, bigger than Gerard's anyway. He showed him the kitchen first, then the living room (where there was a massive tv), and then the back of the house. There was a downstairs bathroom and I few other rooms that Gerard guessed weren't too important, since they didn't bother going in to any of them.

Next, they went upstairs, and Gerard was just dying to see what Frank's room looked like. They paused in front of a door that Gerard guessed was Frank's, and Frank slowly opened it, as if afraid to show Gerard what was inside. His room was… Ordinary. There was a desk, a large wardrobe and some cupboards, and a large bed.

That could come in handy… Gerard thought before he could stop himself, and he was infinitely thankful that Frank (hopefully) couldn't read minds.

Anyway, Frank's room was nothing like what Gerard had expected it to be. No posters covering the walls, everything was neat and tidy… It just didn't feel right. Gerard's eyes were still drifting over the room when he spotted something on his desk. He walked forward and cautiously stretched out a hand to pick up Frank's phone. It wasn't the phone he was particularly interested in, but more, the charm attached to it. Dangling down the side of the phone was a tiny, black and yellow batman charm. Gerard turned to look at Frank, who tried to shrug it off.

"I've had the charm for ages, and now I guess… I guess I have a good reason to use it."

"It's nice." Gerard put to phone back gently on Frank's desk. "You're room's so… Tidy. And not what I expected it to look like."

"I'm full of surprises," Frank smiled. "C'mon, this is the only interesting part upstairs. Let's go back down and we can watch a movie or something."

When they were back downstairs and standing in Frank's living room, it had started to rain outside again. Hard. Gerard looked over and saw that Frank looked slightly anxious.

"Are you ok?" He asked, concerned.

Frank blinked once, twice, and looked away from the window. "Yeah, fine. Just… I hope the storm passes."

"Scared of a little lightning?" Gerard teased.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows…"

Just then, a loud clap of thunder erupted, making both Frank and Gerard jump slightly. It looked like a proper storm was stirring up.

"Ok, so… How about that movie, then? As long as the power holds up."

"Yeah… How about Batman?" Frank was smiling sheepishly again, back to his old self. He still glanced wearily out the window from time to time though.

"Sure, it's one of my favourites."

"I know." He was full on grinning now. He put the dvd in and started it up, and then went into the kitchen to put some popcorn on as the movie began. Gerard sat down on the sofa, and Frank was back shortly after with a large bowl of popcorn which he set on the table in front of them. Then, he grabbed a large blanket and buried himself under it. He looked so cute and cosy.

 About halfway through the movie (and halfway through the popcorn) Gerard started to feel a bit chilly, and he tugged softly at the edge of Frank's blanket, silently asking him to share. Frank huddled up dangerously close to Gerard, wrapping the blanket around both of them. Rain was still lashing outside, the thunder and lightning still making Frank jump a little each time.

"Why are you so afraid of storms?" Gerard asked curiously.

Frank hesitated before replying. "I got caught in a hurricane once when I was a kid, and I was at a friend's house. His parents had just gone out to do some shopping so we were terrified and all alone." He shivered. "I've just hated storms ever since, I guess. They're tied to a bad memory."

Gerard wrapped an arm around Frank's shoulders, reveling in the fact that he could. "You're not alone now."

"I know." Frank grinned and in one quick motion he flipped them both over so that he had Gerard pinned down on the sofa, in a very compromising position. "And I like it better that way, especially with you."

Was he… Was he flirting? With Gerard? Gerard realised that he really shouldn’t be surprised, since they were dating. Frank was looking at him expectantly. Flirt back you idiot! Why did the little voice inside Gerard's head sound so much like Mikey?

Gerard pulled Frank closer to him by his shirt, and ruffled his hair playfully, laughing as Frank grumbled and shook his head. Gerard sat back up and Frank was forced to crawl off of him.

"We're meant to be watching a film, remember?" Gerard joked. Really, he just wasn't sure how far he wanted things to go, because Frank seemed to be in a terrible hurry to rush things. He was so headstrong and impulsive.

Frank edged back over and snuggled his head into Gerard's shoulder. "Don't wanna watch the movie anymore," he made his eyes look round and innocent when Gerard turned to look at him, and he pouted slightly, like a puppy craving attention.

Gerard blushed and the room started to feel slightly hotter, so he shrugged the blanket off. Frank misunderstood it as an invitation to tackle him back down playfully. For someone so small, he was pretty strong.

"Frank, get off!" Gerard laughed and hit his chest softly.

"Make me." Frank's tone was suggestive, and it made Gerard's heart beat faster. He pushed up with the rest of my body and tried to shove Frank's weight off, but it only resulted in the two of them getting stuck in an even more compromising position than before when Frank pressed forward to hold Gerard down.

"Frank…" Gerard tried again, and the way he must have said it made Frank hesitate for a moment before backing off guiltily.

"Sorry, Gee… I didn't mean to, it's just… You look so good. I just thought we could have fun." He was worrying his bottom lip again.

"It's fine, it's just going a little bit fast, is all." Gerard stuttered slightly, as a result of Frank's compliment.

"What if I went… Slower?" Frank leaned forward slowly. He really couldn't stop himself, could he?

Gerard laughed nervously, but didn't back down this time. Why was he even trying to stop him? He wanted it just as much as Frank did. So he let Frank close the distance. His face was mere inches from Gerard's, and his eyes looked darker. Gerard inched forward ever so slightly, only to jump back again at the sound of the phone ringing. Frank cursed under his breath, and reluctantly stood up to go answer the phone's insistent ringing. Gerard lay back on the couch and breathed out, not even realizing that he'd been holding his breath. It took quite some time until Frank reappeared, and Gerard had only just got his breathing under control again.

Frank looked slightly worried. "I just got a call from my parents. They said they might not be able to make it back by tonight, since the storm is getting worse and some roads might be closed off."

"Oh no…" Gerard gestured for Frank to sit back down next to him, and put a reassuring arm around his shoulders. "Are you ok with spending the night alone?"

He shrugged and blushed. "I-I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? Because I could probably stay over with you, if you want..." What in the hell Gerard? Where had that offer come from?

Frank bit his lip anxiously. "Well I-I mean, if you want to… I just-I don't want to look like a scaredy cat."

Gerard laughed softly. "This coming from the guy who had the two of us bust into an old abandoned theatre and camp there. I'm serious, that place is haunted."

"That's different." Frank giggled. "But anyway… D'you mean it? You'd stay with me?"

"Of course." Gerard looked at him sincerely. Frank hugged him gratefully.

"Thanks, Gee. You’re the best." Gerard smiled at the compliment. "Anyway, uh, before the call… Where were we?"

Almost making out, is what. But… The mood was gone. "We were… Just watching the movie." Gerard picked up the controller and hit play. Frank rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine. Go ahead and avoid me." He sounded a bit hurt.

"Frank…" Gerard pleaded. "I-It's not that I don't want to, it's just… I-I've never done it before."

"Done what?"

"I mean, I've never kissed a boy." Gerard admitted, blushing ashamedly. Yeah, he was 17 and he had still never kissed anyone. It had never mattered to him mich before, he had just never found the right person.

Frank nuzzled Gerard's neck. "Well what are you waiting for then?" he said softly, and looked back up at Gerard.

Gerard didn't say anything, but he made up his mind. He counted to three in his head before he cupped Frank's face in his hands and brought their lips crashing together. And then he pulled back again. Frank looked surprised but pleased. Gerard furrowed his brow in confusion. Was that it? His first kiss. It was perfect. But… Too short. Now that he'd had just a taste of Frnak, he wanted more.

So, he reached out with hid hand to pull Frank gently forward by his t-shirt, and pressed their lips together once more. They both responded quicker than last time, and Frank was now heavily leaning over Gerard's body. Gerard kissed him with slight force, force that Frank was only too happy to reciprocate. Their mouths became desperate and fast, Frank's tongue slipping into Gerard's mouth every so often. He tasted good, and Gerard couldn't believe he'd almost passed up on the opportunity to kiss him. He never wanted to stop now.

After a making out for a little longer, a thought crossed Gerard's mind. He pulled away slightly, much to Frank's protests.

"Frank, what about your lip ring?"

He frowned. "What about it?"

"Well… What's it like, kissing someone with it on?"

Frank shrugged. "I'm not sure… I guess it'd just feel pretty normal. Why d'you wanna know anyway?"

"I was just wondering what it would, y'know, feel like…" Gerard bit my lip.

Frank smirked. "Kinky…"

"What?! N-no, it's just, I-" Gerard spluttered blushing furiously. Frank's lip ring really was sort of a kink of his… He just couldn't stop imagining it, in many different ways that he wasn't exactly comfortable sharing with Frank at the moment.

"Whatever you say, Gee." Frank grinned mischievously and leaned forward to press his lips under Gerard's ear. "Maybe we'll try it out sometime…" he whispered, making Gerard shiver. He pressed down even closer to him, his lips moving gradually down Gerard's neck until he reached the edge of his t-shirt. His hand slid down to tug it off, and that's where Gerard stopped him. He'd found his first boundary.

Frank lifted his head up to look at him, and Gerard shook my head.

"Not yet," he said. "It's still going just a bit too fast." Why was Frank in such a hurry anyway?

Luckily, he backed off, and they reversed to their first position where Frank was leaning against Gerard under the blanket. They realized that they'd left the movie on the whole time, but decided to just let it play until the end. They'd both seen it before anyway.

When it finished, neither of them felt like getting up, so they stayed where they were, chatting and occasionally kissing. Gerard liked it, it was simple, and itwas easy. He wanted to make the most of it, because after the year was over, so was their relationship. Gerard tended to try and avoid thinking about the future though.

 After a while they both got pretty hungry, so they got up and headed to the kitchen to make sandwiches. When they were halfway through eating, Gerard got a phone call from his mom, and excused himself before answering it.

"Hi mom."

"Hi Gee, are you having a good time?"

Gerard blushed, thinking about all the making out. "O-oh yeah, it's great."

"Good to hear it. But I'm going to need you to come home soon. You're babysitting tonight, remember?"

He was what-ing tonight? "Since when?!"

"You promised Mrs. O'Reily from across the street, a couple weeks ago."

Damn. Now he remembered. He sighed. "Ok fine, I'll be home soon." Frank flashed him a look of disappointment.

"Thank you Gerard. Glad you're having a good time, anyway. Love you sweetie!"

"Love you too, bye." And then the call finally ended. Gerard turned back to Frank, who was waiting expectantly.

"So, I guess you've gotta go soon?" he asked, not sounding particularly enthusiastic.

"Yeah, I forgot that I made a promise to babysit this afternoon for one of my neighbours. I'll go when I'm finished eating."

"Yeah, ok." Frank couldn't exactly stop Gerard from going, much as he might want to.

"But you'll be ok staying here on your own, right?" Gerard had said that he'd stay with him... And he still would, if Frank really wanted.

"I'll be fine, it's just a storm. And you're busy anyway so..." 

"You know I'd stay if I could. Like I told you before, I'd pick you over anything."

Frank blushed, and that was something rare. Gerard was always the one blushing and stuttering, not Frank. He looked really cute. "Thanks Gee." He leaned accross the table and kissed Gerard softly. "It's nice to know you're always there for me. 

They finished off their sandwiches in silence, and cleaned up everything afterwards. Gerard went back into the living room to grab his jumper, and then Frank followed him to the door. He shrugged the jumper on over his shoulders, and Frank stretched up to kiss him goodbye. It only lasted for a few seconds, but then his lips were back again, his hands clutching to the front of Gerard's hoodie. Gerard felt powerless to stop him, and found himself eagerly kissing him back. Frank started pulling Gerard towards the living room, and it was then that Gerard had to finally force himself to stop.

"It was worth a try," Frank shrugged and smiled playfully. He kissed him one last time, and then Gerard was finally able to detach himself and head out the door Frank held open for him. He drew his hood up for protection against the lashing rain and waved goodbye, hoping he'd be back with Frank soon.

Chapter Text

When Gerard came home, his mom was waiting for him in the kitchen. Mikey was out, and Gerard was just a tiny bit relieved, because it saved him from his relentless teasing and questions for a few hours. 

"I just got off the phone with Mrs. O'Reily. Her and her husband are heading out in just a few minutes, so you should probably head over now." Gerard's mom was just putting the phone away.

Gerard sighed inwardly. "Ok, I just want to go change into a dry jumper and then I'll go." Babysitting was boring, but at least it was easy. All you had to do was entertain the kids for a few hours, send them to bed, and then you had the rest of the evening to just hang around and watch whatever crap was on TV.

"Did you have a nice time at Frank's?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was great." Gerard said indifferently.

"Good, I'm glad. He seems to make you happy."

"Well, yeah..." Gerard shot her a confused look. Where was this conversation going?

"I'm just saying, you've been in a pretty good mood all day. Ever since you've been friends with Frank, actually." She was looking at Gerard knowingly now.

"H-he's a good friend, and a great guy. He's, y'know... I-I like spending time with him, a lot," Gerard said. Did his mom know? How could she possibly know? Unless Mikey had said something... Which Gerard highly doubted.

She looked at him like she knew he wasn't telling the whole truth. "Gerard, something's up. What is it that you're not telling me?"

"Mom, I... O-ok, fine." He took a deep breath. "Frank is... He's my boyfriend."

Her reaction was a little bit surprising, to say the least. She was meant to be the surprised one, not Gerard. "I knew it!" she exclaimed, smiling.

"Wh-How?!"

"Mothers know everything." She winked, and then left the room.

Gerard wasn't even going to bother asking her to elaborate. His mom always knew everything, and honestly, he'd rather not know how. It must be a mother thing.

Gerard went upstairs and switched jumpers, since the one he''d worn to Frank's was soaked from the rain. He kept his phone tucked inside his pocket, grabbed a few comics and his sketchbook, and then headed back downstairs. 
"Mrs. O'Reily said that they should be back at around ten, so come home after that. If you don't eat over there you can just have something when you get back."

"Ok, thanks mom. See you later!" He went over to hug her briefly, and then turned to open the door and head out into the cold once more.

 It was pouring outside, and the wind was so strong that it kept blowing Gerard's hood down. So much for changing into a dry hoodie. Gerard ran across the street as fast as he could, and got there just as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, closely followed by a loud clap of thunder. Mrs. O'Reily ushered him in, and called for her husband to hurry up.

"Nice to see you again Gerard! Thank you so much for coming over to mind Jessie and Gabe, I really appreciate it," she said, just as her husband appeared by her side.

"It's no problem, really," said Gerard, smiling as he shook his hand. He was a rather quiet man.

"Well, thank you again anyway." She wrapped a scarf around her neck as her husband went outside to wait in the car. "The two of them are just finishing off their dinner, and then you should probably just give them an hour or two before putting them to bed. There's food in the fridge, just help yourself or order pizza if you want. We shouldn't be out too late, what with this storm." She was smiling pleasantly.

"No problem Mrs. O'Reily, I'll take good care of them until you get back."

"I know you will." She opened the door, calling out goodbye to her two kids as she left. Gerard closed the door behind her and went into the dining room, where Jessie and Gabe were just finishing off their pasta, and they appeared to be having a heated discussion about whether Barbie had the potential to be a superhero or not. Gerard laughed to himself as he walked over to the table and sat down.

Jessie turned her bright blue eyes away from her brother, and gave him a big toothy grin. "Gee!" She hadn't quite got the hang of his full name yet, she was only three. Her brother, Gabe, was six.

"Hey there Jessie. How's Fred doing?" Fred was her pet turtle. Well, technically it was Gabe's, but he was quick to loose interest in things. Fred was one of those things.

"Gabe made him a cape, a pink one!" She was bobbing up and down on her chair, her black curls bouncing and her eyes shining. She really was adorable, not to mention hyper. It was almost impossible to get her to go to sleep.

"That was nice of you Gabe." Gabe looked up from his plate as his name was mentioned, smiling shyly. He was like the complete opposite of his sister, with curly blonde hair, big brown eyes and glasses. He was a sweet kid.

"She loves everything about superheroes," he said.

"Yeah, and now Fred's a superhero!" Jessie giggled, clapping her little hands together.

"I'm sure he's a great superhero." Gerard smiled as she nodded enthusiastically. "So, are you two finished eating? How about we watch some TV?"

"Yaaaay!" Jessie jumped down from the table and ran straight into the living room. Gerard laughed and ran after her, just as she reached for the remote.

"Hold on Jessie, wait until your brother's finished."

"Okie dokie Gee." She went and hopped up onto the sofa, swinging her legs back and forth. Gerard went back over to where Gabe was sitting, and as soon as he was done he switched the TV on for the two of them and gathered up their bowls to bring into the kitchen. From then on, it was easy. Just let them watch TV for a while, put them to bed, and then Gerard was done and could have a little bit of 'me time'.

After about an hour of them watching TV, Gerard ordered a pizza for himself before deciding it was probably best for them to be going to bed soon, much to Jessie's protests. When Gabe finally managed to get her to calm down, Gerard brought the two of them upstairs, had them brush their teeth and then tucked them into bed. After that he went back downstairs into the living room. Gabe came back down not even five minutes later, saying that Jessie refused to go to sleep until he read them one of his comic books. She knew Gerard always brought them when he came over, and she loved looking at all the pictures and hearing about all the adventures. So Gerard got up, tucked a comic book under his arm and followed Gabe back upstairs. He sat on the edge of Jessie's bed and read her part of his Captain America comic book, Gabe joining them soon after out of curiosity. It wasn't long until they both started to get tired, Jessie's eyelids drooping and Gabe yawning widely every few minutes. When Gerard heard the doorbell ring downstairs, he set the comic down and said goodnight to the two of them, tucking them in for what he hoped was the last time. It usually was. Then he went down to collect his pizza and pay the delivery guy. Finally, he was able to sit down and watch TV and tuck into the delicious smelling pizza.

 The storm seemed to be growing a bit more intense as the evening dragged on, and Gerard found himself getting distracted as he thought about Frank and how he was coping. Did his parents make it back in the end? Was his power out? Was he worried? The worry got the best of Gerard, and he picked up his phone to send Frank a text:

Gerard – hey Frank… How are you holding up?

Frank – hi G… not bad. Parents aren't home yet, but the power's still on!

Gerard – good :) is it boring, on your own?

Frank – a little bit… I wish you were here

Gerard – wish I was there too

Gerard really, really wanted to be with Frank. As it turned out, he'd grown more attached to him than he thought.

 Frank – can I call you? it’s easier

Gerard – go ahead

Gerard held his phone in his hand, waiting for Frank to call. He didn’t have to wait very long.

 "Hey Frank." Gerard smiled, keeping his voice low so he didn't wake the kids.

"Hey… How's babysitting going?"

"I just put them to bed not too long ago; I'm just having pizza now."

"Nice…" He drifted off into silence, and Gerard bit his lip nervously, desperately wishing that he could be there with Frank.

"Frank… Are you ok?" Gerard asked.

"I'm ok, the storm doesn't seem so bad anymore. And I just… I've just been thinking a lot over the past few hours, trying to keep myself distracted."

"Thinking about what?" 

"You, mainly." Gerard smiled, picturing Frank's face in his mind. "Well… Us, I guess. Just wondering if I'll ever be able to tell my parents."

Oh god… That was an issue, one that Gerard was nervous about confronting. "We'll figure something out Frank, together. They're your parents; they should love you no matter what."

"I know, I know… It's just hard for me."

"Don’t think about it too much yet, not until you think it's time to tell them. Think about good things."

"Good things, like?"

"Um… Things that make you happy, things you enjoy, y'know?"

"Well, I enjoy your company." Gerard blushed slightly, and Frank laughed softly on the other end. "You're blushing, aren’t you?"

"Maybe…" Gerard curled up on the sofa, sitting in a more comfortable position to be able to talk to him.

"That's another thing; I like making you blush."

Gerard rolled his eyes. "Glad you find it so amusing."

"It's not to laugh at you, it's just really cute." Gerard really, really wished he could say that he wasn't blushing again, but… "And it's easy."

"It's not easy!" Gerard protested.

"Oh really?" Oh, oh no. Gerard knew that tone. It was Frank's mischievous tone. Things never ended well on Gerard's part when he used it. "It's so, so easy… I can prove it."

"Frank…" Part of Gerard was screaming at him to stop the conversation while he still could, the other part was curious as to what Frank would try to do. Usually Gerard only blushed when he was around him, and they were only talking on the phone now. What could he possibly do?

"You know Gee… I really do miss you."

"Nice try Frank, but that's not gonna work." Gerard laughed nervously.

"I mean it… I miss your smile, your eyes…" For the record, Gerard still wasn't blushing. "And especially your lips. Our first kiss was perfect."

"It uh, um… yeah, it was." Stuttering, but not blushing.

"I could just lie around and kiss you all day… It's a shame we had to stop so soon. If you were here right now, I'd-"

"Ok Frank, I know what you're trying to do. But just… Limits, I don't want it going too far. Plus, the kids are just upstairs." It's not like they'd hear anything, it just felt wrong.

"I was only messing." Frank laughed. "Told you it was easy. I'll just stop, it's fine."

Gerard took a deep breath. "I-I didn't say you should stop... Just… Maybe not now."

"We might not get another opportunity, Gee. My parents aren’t home; you're not around your family…"

Gerard was so conflicted. He really wanted to, and hd didn’t even know what it was that he wanted. What was Frank even suggesting? A joke that had somehow escalated into almost-phone sex, apparently.

"Maybe it's not such a good idea..."

"Ok, no, you're right, I just… I just thought it would be, y'know, fun. But never mind, if it's still going too fast for you we can just go back to talking about normal stuff."

Gerard breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah-yeah, ok."

"So… Halloween's coming up in a few weeks, are you planning on doing anything?"

"Well, I used to go trick or treating with Mikey, but I guess we've both gotten a bit old for that."

Frank gasped, scandalised. "You're never too old to go trick or treating!" Gerard laughed. "Well if you don't want to do that, we could have a small party at the old theatre… Invite Bob and Ray, and your brother of course. We could all dress up, stuff ourselves with candy, play games… We could watch old horror movies!"

Ok, so that sounded pretty fucking rad. "That sounds awesome! We should definitely do that."

"And you know…" Frank paused. "Halloween's also my birthday."

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah! Didn't I tell you before?"

"No! Dude, you've got the best birthday ever!"

"Well, what can I say… I'm just that awesome."

Gerard laughed softly. "I should start thinking about what to get you, then."

"You really don't have to, Gee."

"I want to. What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

Frank giggled. "You'd still be the best."

Gerard snorted. "We've only been dating for like, two days. There's still time for you to find out how much of an ass I really am."

"Oh come on, I've known you for ages now, you're not an ass. Well, not completely anyway."

"Maybe not, but I'm definitely a shy, awkward idiot."

"Yes but you're my shy, awkward idiot."

Gerard smiled fondly. "Always the charmer." Just then, he heard a key turning in the front door. "I gotta go now Frank, the parents are back."

"It was nice talking to you Gee… I really do miss you."

"Miss you too… But we'll see each other again soon, right?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll text you later."

"Ok; Goodnight Frankie…"

"Bye Gee."

Gerard hung up just as Mr. and Mrs. O'Reily entered the living room. Mrs. O'Reily thanked him once again and paid him, then he shook hands with both of them and he was gone.

 Before he went to bed, Gerard talked with Frank some more. Frank wanted to meet up with him again tomorrow afternoon. Gerard said he couldn't, because his mom needed him and Mikey to help her down and the shop. Frank couldn't go in the morning, and was reluctant to tell Gerard why at first. He finally admitted later on that his parents made him go to church every Sunday morning. So basically, they wouldn't be able to see each other again until school on Monday morning, which sucked royally. But there really was nothing they could do about it. They said their goodbyes, and then Gerard went off to sleep.

Gerard was reluctant to get out of bed the next morning, and Mikey had to practically drag him down for breakfast. As he ate, all he could think about was Frank sitting, bored, in church. It wasn't fair that his parents made him go. To distract himself, Gerard headed down to the old theatre to see if Ray or Bob were around. Ray was, and they spent the morning discussing comic books and movies, and then he taught Gerard a few simple chords on the guitar. Gerard wasn't particularly good at it, and he'd never have the patience to be able to learn it properly, but it was nice to learn a little bit all the same. He told Ray about their Halloween plans and invited him along, just as Frank had suggested.

When Gerard got home, they all had lunch and then it was time to go down to the store. They weren't working, exactly, and the shop wasn't open, but Gerard's mom needed some help with rearranging stuff and also ordering a few things. Gerard and Frank texted back and forth a few times, but that was it. Gerard ached to see him again.

 Monday couldn't come soon enough, and Gerard realized that it was probably the first time in his life that he actually voluntarily got up out of bed on a Monday morning.

"Hey, you! Gerard!"

Gerard stopped and looked around in alarm, and came face to face with a young, exotic looking girl. He vaguely remembered seeing her in maybe one or two of his classes.

"Um… Yeah?" He stared at her, confused. He never really spoke to anyone in school.

"Mind if I walk with you to art class?"

"How did you-"

"I'm in your art class dumbass." She rolled her eyes, and then smiled at him. "I'm Leila, by the way."

"Leila, uh, nice to meet you…" They started making their way towards the art classroom.

"So, I heard you and Frank were planning a Halloween party?"

Gerard stopped dead, only getting more and more confused as their conversation progressed. "How do you know, and why do you care?"

"Ray told me."

"You know Ray?"

She shrugged. "We've known each other for ages. He used to be friends with my big brother."

"Huh… Cool." They arrived just then in front of their classroom. "So uh, you were asking about the Halloween party?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yeah! It's sounds like a great idea – that old abandoned theatre is perfect for Halloween. I never really get to celebrate it with my family, so…" she drifted off.

"Well, uh, I guess you're welcome to come, if Ray wants you there." Gerard opened the door and let her in first; they were both early.

"Thanks. Is it okay if my friend comes along too?"

"Uh… Sure?"

"Thanks!" she beamed, and Gerard couldn't help but smile back. He liked her, she seemed nice. He'd have to tell Frank about all these other people coming along, though. They'd talked about it more that morning and at lunch, and they'd started to make arrangements for food and other essentials. Frank was pretty sure they could get an old projector from somewhere and use that to watch horror films.

 Gerard sat next to Leila and art passed quickly after that. She was really nice and open-minded, and he felt like she'd be a great friend to have. She was amazing at painting as well, which he envied her for. He could sketch and do other things, sure, but painting had never been his forte. She promised to help him with it sometime.

When the bell rang, Frank was waiting for him outside. His face broke out into a smile, which Gerard never grew tired of seeing. He smiled back fondly, and then called Leila over to introduce them.

"Frank, this is Leila. She's a friend of Ray's."

Frank shook her hand. "Awesome, nice to meet you Leila."

"She was uh, she was just wondering if she and a friend could hang out with us for Halloween," Gerard said.

"Sure, why not. As long as you don't get scared easily." He grinned at her wickedly, and Gerard smacked his arm, laughing.

"Be nice Frank."

"I was just talking about the horror movies," he said.

"Scared of horror movies?" Leila snickered. "Please, I love everything horror. My friend might be a little bit more scared though, but we'll be fine."

"Great." Frank smiled. "Looks like you're both coming then."

"Looks like it. Well, I gotta head off now guys, I have a violin lesson. See you later!" She waved at both of them and headed off quickly, leaving Gerard and Frank to walk home together, hand in hand.

Chapter Text

The Halloween party was only a few days away and Gerard still had no idea for a costume. They weren't doing it on the exact Halloween date, but close enough. Frank was going as a vampire, naturally. Gerard really should ask him for help, but knowing Frank, he'd probably regret his decision. Who knew what ridiculous idea for a costume he'd come up with? Gerard wasn't taking any chances. 

He'd been seeing Frank quite a lot over the past few days, and it felt easier when they were together now. Everything felt so right and natural, they just seemed to... Connect. School was a bit of bummer, though. Some people were starting to wonder about the two of them, so they tried to downplay everything a little bit to throw them off. It seemed to be working, but for how long? They'd just have to cross that bridge when they got to it, just like if Frank's parents ever found out (which they probably would. Parents knew everything, somehow). 

Ok, Gerard caved. He gave up and went to Leila to beg her for help regarding his Halloween costume. Luckily, she didn't seem to enjoy tormenting Gerard as much as Frank did. They brainstormed ideas together, until they finally landed on something that they both agreed on: Gerard would go as a sheriff. Not just a typical, old-western style sheriff, either. His costume had to be darker than that. It wasn't great, but at least he finally had an idea. When he asked Leila what she was going as, she said she still wasn't sure, but she'd either go as a genie or a witch. Gerard said he liked the genie idea. It was unique, it was different, and it was perfect for Leila. 

 So Gerard finally had his Halloween costume planned out, and just in time too. The party was the following evening, saturday evening, and Frank was coming round to Gerard's house earlier so they could get ready together and then set up the old theatre. Ray and Bob were bringing food, and they'd hauled a bunch of decorations there already, they just needed to put everything up.

Frank came round late in the afternoon, and Gerard dragged him up to his bedroom quickly before his mom, or worse yet Mikey, could stop and try to talk to him. He shut the door behind them and Frank collapsed onto his bed and made himself completely at home. It looked as if he belonged there, and it was a nice thought. Gerard went over and was finally able to drag him off, although he put up quite a fight.

 "Alright Gee, you haven't told me what your costume is yet. What are you going as?" Frank was rummaging around in his bag for his cape and fangs and… whatever else was required for a vampire costume.

Gerard was pulling clothes out of his closet and turned for a moment to smile at him. "You'll have to wait and see." He bundled his clothes under his arm and made his way towards the bathroom.

"Aw c'mon, tell me…" Frank walked up behind Gerard and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Please?"

Gerard laughed and squirmed out of his embrace as Frank started kissing his neck. "You'll see!" He kissed him softly. "I'll only be a moment."

He winked and disappeared in to the bathroom just as Frank returned to looking through his stuff, grumbling softly to himself. 

Gerard lied. (Hey what's new). He took longer than a moment in the bathroom, because he knew it would drive Frank crazy. He hated not knowing things. So, when he was ready he waited an extra long amount of time until he could hear Frank pacing in front of the door.

 "Are you almost done?" he called out.

"Not quite…" Gerard held back a smile when he heard Frank sigh in exasperation.

"I know you're just doing this on purpose!" He knocked on the door, laughing.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Gerard!"

Gerard laughed and went to open the door. "Fine, I'm coming out now."

Gerard swore he heard Frank's jaw hit the floor when he stepped out. His eyes roamed all over Gerard's body, and Gerard felt his cheeks grow warm.

"Wow…" Frank breathed, "Well, that was definitely worth the wait."

Gerard smiled and looked down, and then back up at Frank again. "It's nothing original or anything…"

He was wearing slim, black jeans and a plain black t-shirt. Over his t-shirt he was wearing a black denim jacket, and he had a red scarf around his neck and another black one was wrapped around his left wrist. He was also wearing a sheriff's badge and eyeliner, of course. It wasn't anything special, but Frank seemed to appreciate it.

"Lookin' good…" he winked and grinned, and Gerard caught a brief glance of his fangs.

He smacked Frank's arm playfully. "Not so bad yourself, Dracula."

"I'm serious, you look amazing," he reached out for his hand and pulled Gerard towards him.

"Tonight's gonna be great..." Gerard leaned in to kiss him, cradling his face between his hands, and Frank wrapped his arms around Gerard's waist. When he moved on to Gerard's neck Gerard could feel Frank's fangs graze his skin, and he giggled softly because it tickled. He pushed him away gently.

"C'mon, we should go now."

Frank nuzzled his neck. "Fine, but this doesn't end here. We'll pick up where we left off at the party."

Gerard rolled his eyes and opened his bedroom door. "I'm sure we will."

"Hi guys!" 

Frank and Gerard immediately let go of each other's hands when they saw Ray holding the door open for them. 

He smiled and waved a hand. "Don't mind me, I'm not a judgmental prick like most people around here."

Gerard sighed in relief and looked at him apologetically. "Didn't think so. It's just a force of habit."

He led them into the main room where boxes of decorations were piled up in stacks on the stage. Bob's head poked up from where he was hidden amongst the seats in front of the stage. He grunted in greeting and returned to whatever it was he was doing.

"What's Bob doing with seats?" Gerard asked Ray.

"He's trying to dismantle a bunch of them in the middle so there's more room for the party," Ray explained, gesturing towards a heap of already dismantled chairs lying close to Bob. Gerard wasn't exactly sure if it was completely necessary since there would only be a few people coming, but it would be easier to walk around with the seats gone.

They followed Ray up to the stage and the boxes, and started dividing them between themselves. There was a lot to go through, and Gerard asked Ray where it had all come from. He and Frank had only brought a few boxes a couple of days ago from what they had lying around in their own houses.

"I work at a comic book store, and we usually decorate it for Halloween," Ray explained. "The owners are away on business this year though, so they gave them to us for the party."

"Nice!" said Frank, pulling out a life-sized skeleton from one of the boxes. 

"That, uh... Bob actually stole that from a school's science room." Bob threw them a thumbs up.

Frank laughed and put it back. "Awesome."

 "Yeah, it's pretty cool. Most of the decorations are great," Ray admitted. "But we still need some music. Bob brought a CD player but... No CDs. He was able to get a skeleton, but not CDs."

 "I'll bring the music," Gerard offered. "I can bring a bunch of records and CDs."

 "Yeah, that would great! I forgot you worked at a record store." Ray smiled greatfully.

 "No problem. Frank, will you come with me?" 

 "I should probably help out around here..." Frank bit his lip. Gerard knew Frank wanted to come with him.

 "I'll text Mikey and ask him to come down and help," said Gerard. "He begged me to let him come tonight and I said yes so he owes me."

 Frank grinned. "Well, let's get going then."

"You have all the best music here." Frank was browsing through a row of old vinyls, picking a few out every now and then to admire them.

Gerard smiled to himself. He really loved the place. They'd had it ever since he was young, because music was so important to his family. When he and Mikey went off college his mom would probably have to shut it down though, and Gerard would miss it a lot when she did. It was so full of good memories.

 "What can I say, I've got amazing taste." 

 "Of course you've got amazing taste. You're dating me, aren't you?"

 "Oh haha, you think you're so funny." Gerard grinned despite himself.

 "I think I'm adorable," Frank shot back, peering up at Gerard through the strand of hair that dipped just in front of his eyes.

 "Can't disagree with you there."

 He smiled softly and pulled Gerard over. "I'm lucky to have you, Gee."

 Gerard kissed him. "We're both lucky to have each other. It almost makes me forget about the future." He was, of course, reffering to the fact that they'd probably be going their seperate ways after highschool. Gerard wanted to go to art school, and Frank still wasn't sure yet, but Gerard knew art wasn't what he had planned.

 "Don't think about it..." Frank pressed his lips to the crook of Gerard's neck. "Not now. We've still got lots of time to spend together, like the trip to London. Let's just make the most of it when we're together."

 Gerard wrapped his arms around him and Frank continued to kiss his neck (he did that a lot. But hey, Gerard wasn't complaining). He'd taken his fangs out so it was more comfortable now and, much to Gerard's appreciation, he was wearing his lip ring. It didn't feel cold like he was expecting it to, but he could feel it drag accross his skin as Frank's lips moved. 

Frank tugged at the scarf around Gerard's neck until it fell to the floor, and his lips continued accross Gerard's collarbone, until they disappeared as they started kissing again. They paused for a moment as Frank led Gerard towards the counter and lifted him up so that he was sitting down on top of it. He put his hands down on either side of Gerard's legs and stretched up to kiss him again. Gerard let his hands wander over his arms and Frank shivered lightly from the contact of his cool, slender fingers over the skin of his forearm. Gerard then moved his hands up to Frank's hair and tugged lightly, and got much more of a response from him. He moaned quietly and pressed up closer to Gerard, as close as he could with the counter in the way. 

Gerard put a hand on his shoulder and nudged him away gently. Frank opened his eyes and looked at Gerard questioningly as he slid off the counter.

"It's not exactly the most comfortable position. And-" Gerard kissed him softly, "we should probably pick out some music and get back to the others to help them out." He picked his scarf up off the floor.

Frank cradled Gerard's face and kissed him back again relentlessly, moving them away from the door.

 Gerard laughed and broke the contact. "You always insist on doing this whenever we have to go."

 "I just like kissing you." It wasn't sexual or flirtacious in any way. Frank said it like it was a fact: he liked kissing Gerard.

 "We've got time for that later." Gerard felt all tingly inside, and he was pretty sure he must have been blushing. Whenever Frank came out with something so honest and natural like that, it gave Gerard the best feeling in the world. 

 It didn't take them long to finish getting the place set up once Bob got most of the chairs out of the way. They dimmed the lights and people started arriving as it was just beginning to get dark outside. The "guest list" went as follows: Gerard & Frank, naturally, then there was Ray, Bob & Mikey, Leila & her friend, and a few people invited by Bob and Ray. It brought them to a total number of about 12 people. So you can imagine their surprise when that number extended to a good 60 people, at least. People from their school, people that knew people that knew Ray and Bob... They were all at the party, and they just kept coming as the night progressed. How they even heard about it in the first place was beyond Gerard. He wasn't very pleased, and neither was Frank. The effect wore off on the others pretty soon, and after a while they just accepted the fact that the party was turning out bigger than expected. Not Gerard or Frank though. They had been looking forward to a night with familiar friends, so needless to say they were a little bit overwhelmed by the crowd and stayed seperate from them. Mikey seemed to be having a blast though, moving on from one girl to the next.

Once he'd had enough of standing around and drinking (some of the party-goers had brought obscene amounts of alcohol with them, surprise surprise), Frank grabbed Gerard's hand and started leading him towards the staircase that lead to the second floor. On their way there they came accross Bob, who was doing his best to stand upright, and Ray, who was doing something that looked like dancing but Gerard wasn't entirely convinced. Point being, whoever had decided to bring that amount of alcohol was clearly stupid, because Gerard was having a hard time picking out anyone sober from the crowd. He was just thankful drugs didn't seem to be involved... Yet. Things hadn't gone exactly how he'd expected. No one was supposed to get that drunk at the party. Gerard hadn't had much to drink, just enough to give him a slight buzz, but he was pretty sure Frank had had much more.

Gerard stopped him just short of the first step leading upstairs. "Frank, if you just want to leave now, we can. It's not like anyone's going to miss us."

Frank shook his head and stubbornly lead Gerard on. Deffinitely a little bit drunk. And like an idiot, Gerard followed him. The staircase was littered with couples too entwined with each other to get drunk, or too drunk to care about anything else. Frank didn't stop until they came across the room where they'd found the matresses the first time they'd camped there (they'd done it again once or twice). They stumbled into the room and Gerard toppled back onto a matress, pulling Frank with him. When Frank crawled on top of him Gerard felt like he should stop him because anyone could walk in at any moment AND he was (they both were) relatively drunk. But truthfully, Gerard had been holding back quite a lot when he was with Frank, and he wanted him so badly at that moment that he had no intention of stopping anything. So he pulled Frank closer to him and crushed their lips together in a sloppy, heated kiss. Frank moaned audibly against Gerard's lips and moved around until he was stradling Gerard's hips. It was Gerard who moaned when he first felt the fricition between them, and he arched his body up for more. Frank grinned and he saw his fangs glint in the half-light. 

"You like that, huh..." He kissed Gerard seductively (as if Gerard wasn't seduced already) and then bit down gently on his neck. It was deffinitely going to leave a mark, and probably more than one judging by the way he bit and nipped again and again, all the way down to Gerard's collarbone. Gerard was starting to lose it completely as Frank continued to move against him, and then he dragged Gerard's scarf off, his jacket following shortly after.

He started to kiss Gerard heatedly again when the door was thrown wide open by another couple.

"What the fuck, man?" That didn't sound like James. That wasn't James' voice, it couldn't be.

Frank stood up and pulled Gerard with him, and then stood in front of Gerard like a shield, his chin held high in defiance. Sadly, it was James that had barged in on them, and some blonde girl was clinging to his arm. He puffed out his chest and stepped closer to Frank, managing to look like a ton of bricks and incredibly disgusted at the same time. An incredibly disgusted brick wall. That would have been funny, had the circumstances been different.

 "What the hell are you doing here?" James' voice was laced with a cruel undertone.

 "What the fuck does it look like, dickbag?" Frank retorted, and Gerard winced. Not a great choice of words.

 James slammed his hands into Frank's chest. "Are you calling me a dickbag, faggot?"

 Frank, to his credit, didn't punch James in the face, much as he probably wanted to. "No, I was talking to the door... Yes, I'm talking to you asshole!"

Gerard pulled Frank back when he saw James' fists clench and his body stiften. He didn't take kindly to insults.

 "Frank, just let it go and lets get out of here," he breathed into Frank's ear.

Frank narrowed his eyes at James one last time, and then sensibly decided to follow Gerard's advice. They stepped towards the door, but James, being the dickbag that he was, had to go and open his big, stupid trap again.

 "That's right, run away with your fag friend. If I have to look at you for another second, I might throw up... And I'm sure everyone in school will feel the same way when they find out!"

 Frank whirled around so fast that Gerard had no time to even understand what was going on, and he slammed James to the floor, making the blonde girl scream in surprise and step outside the door. Frank was able to keep the dumb jock pinned to the floor somehow, despite him being significantly smaller and lighter.

 "Not a word. If this gets out, you'll regret it," he said threateningly. 

At that point, a fight seemed impossible to avoid, so Gerard went to the door and called out to the least drunk, most sensible person. 

 "Leila! I need a little help up here!"

 Thankfully, Leila heard Gerard and was there moments later to jump in between Frank and James, who were now standing face to face. "Frank, I think it's time you and Gerard left now." After a moment or two, Frank stepped down and came to stand next to Gerard . "And you-" Leila jabbed a finger into James' chest. "You let them go. And you had better keep your mouth shut."

 James stared at her, and something in her eyes kept him quiet. Leila turned back around to Frank and Gerard, and Gerard smiled greatfully. He went to grab his stuff, and then he helped Frank down the stairs. They said goodbye to anyone they could find, and Gerard grabbed Mikey along the way to the door. He just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.

Once we were out in the open, Gerard leaned against the wall to catch his breath and calm himself down. The encounter with James had left his heart racing, and he was anxious to get home and just sleep the whole unpleasant experience off.

 Mikey slid down the wall to sit on the ground and Frank leaned against Gerard. He buried his face in Gerard's shoulder and clinged on to his arm.

"I'm sorry Gerard, it was so stupid to go up there with so many people around." He sounded worn out, deflated. He was probably worried that the news would get back to his parents somehow. 

 Gerard sighed and turned his head to the side to kiss Frank's forehead. "It's ok. It was bound to happen sometime. But no matter what James does, we'll get through this together, I promise."

 He gripped Gerard's arm tighter. "Who knows what he'll do... There's nothing really stopping James from telling the whole school, and then my parents will probably find out, and then what? There's no way we can keep this hidden for much longer."

He was beginning to sound more and more distressed. 

 "I don't want to keep it hidden," said Gerard. "I just wish people could accept it."

 "Me too." 

Chapter Text

Frank's birthday was on monday, which was a shame really. A shame because monday meant school, facing another week in hell, and the whole issue with James. Gerard wanted to just skip the whole day with him and celebrate his birthday, but they were planning the trip to London in English that day, so it wasn't exactly the ideal time to skip. They'd just have to face school together, like Gerard had promised. All in all, monday was shaping up to be a pretty shitty day.

Sunday was a shitty day too, because to Frank and his family, sunday meant church and family time. Which meant no time for Gerard and Frank, at all. A few texts here and there, a stolen phone call maybe, but that was it. Sunday was always a hard day for them.

So late on sunday evening, Gerard decided to call Frank in the hopes that he wasn't in the middle of Sunday dinner.

He almost gave up when Frank finally picked up.

 "Hey Gee..."

 He didn't sound good. "Hey Frank... How are you feeling?"

 "Sick,"  he said honestly. "I really don't want to have to face school tomorrow."

 "Me neither." Gerard sighed. "But at least you won't have to face it alone. I'm here for you, always."

 "I know you are, and thanks for that. I don't know what I'd do without you."

 Gerard smiled to himself. "Crash and burn, most likely."

 Frank laughed softly. "Probably."

 "I'm serious though. Whatever James decides to do tomorrow, we'll just have to deal with it. We've got each other and that's all that matters. Who cares what anyone else thinks?"

 "I-I know I shouldn't care about it, but high school's already bad enough as it is. And my parents-" Frank swallowed nervously, "they'll try and take you away from me if they ever find out. I know they won't approve."

 "Frank..." He sounded heartbroken. What kind of parents didin't support their child's happiness? "There's no guarantee that James will tell anyone. And besides, highschool only lasts for so long. Then you'll be away from your parents, and you can do anything you want and be anyone you want."

 "I just have a bad feeling about James… And as for my parents, I know I'll be leaving them soon, but I'll also be leaving you." 

 It sounded like he was crying, or had been crying. It wasn't like Frank to cry. "Frank, what's wrong? What happened?" And why was he getting so worried about everything all of a sudden?

 "It's just-when I'm with my family they make me worry about every little thing that could go wrong. My parents keep going on about how they can't wait for me to go off to college, and to have a future and a wife and kids, it's all they've been talking about since this morning. But I don't want that!"  He realised he was raising his voice and lowered it again. "All I want is you. And even that won't last forever, what with college coming up, and James, and then my parents all over again and-" he choked back a sob.

 Gerard jumped off his bed and scrambled for his shoes. Frank needed him right now. "Frank, I'm coming over. Find some way to sneak out and meet me."

 "You don't have to-"

 "We need to talk, and it can't wait any longer. I'll be round soon."

 Gerard grabbed a hoodie, told his mom he was going for a walk, and then ran all the way to Frank's house.

Frank was waiting for him at the park near his house. Gerard hurried over and wrapped him in his arms, and as Frank buried his face in his neck Gerard could feel his tears burn his skin.

He cradled Frank's face in his hands and wiped away his tears, and then he kissed him tenderly, to show him that he was there for him. After that, they went to lie in silence underneath a tree and a blanket of stars, Gerard just holding Frank until he was ready to talk. Which he wasn't able to do for a long time. But when he was, Gerard was glad.

 "Sorry I'm such an emotional wreck." He smiled feebly.

 "Don't be sorry... Everybody cries sometimes."

 He let his head rest on Gerard's shoulder. "I just want to stay here with you forever." 

 "If only we could..." Gerard ran his fingers through Frank's hair gently. Now that they were finally talking, he was almost at a loss for words.

 "How is this ever going to last? After tomorrow, after my parents, after highschool... I can't lose you."

 Gerard held on to his hand. "Why are you getting so worked up about everything all of a sudden? You haven't lost me yet, maybe you never will, and tomorrow's still just tomorrow. I wish I knew what the future held in store for us, but I don't. All I know is that you're all that matters to me and I'm never leaving you."

 Frank kissed Gerard's cheek and sighed heavily. "I love you..." he murmured. It was the first time he'd ever said it. His eyes widened slightly as if he'd come to a sudden realisation. "I... I love you, Gerard."

 Gerard turned his head so that their foreheads were touching. There was no doubt about it. "I love you too." He reached into his pocket and pushed a small, silver-wrapped box into Frank's hands. "I was going to wait until your birthday tomorrow, but right now seems more appropriate."

 Frank unwrapped and opened the box curiously. Inside the box was a small, crystal heart. Gerard took it out and gave it to him.

 "You'll always have a piece of me to take with you: my heart. No matter what happens, we'll always have each other."

 Frank smiled and put the delicate crystal back into the box, which he then put in his pocket. He turned his head to kiss Gerard. "Thanks, it's beautiful."

 "It's not nearly as beautiful as your heart."

 He smiled and wrapped an arm around Gerard's chest, and Gerard leaned down to kiss him. Neither of them spoke again.

Neither of them had to.

"I can't do this, I'm going home."

 "Frank..."

 "I can't!"

 Even after all the comforting Gerard had tried to give him last night, Frank was still refusing to walk into school. They'd at the end of Frank's road and then they'd walked to school together, but just a few short steps around the corner from the school, he was freaking out again.

 "If he really did tell the whole school, then we have to walk in there and show him that we're not afraid of him and we're not ashamed! C'mon Frankie..." Gerard looked around to check if they were alone, and then leaned forward to steal a kiss. "We're in this together."

 He relaxed long enough to kiss Gerard back for a few seconds, but then got paranoid all over again. Gerard put an arm around him and held him until he was ready. What other choice did they have? There was no running away from what might be waiting for them behind the school doors. If James kept his mouth shut, then great. But if he didn't, then they'd just have to grin and fucking bear it. 

So he gave Frank's hand one last reassuring squeeze, before they let go of each other and walked into the cold, dark building.

 At first, there was nothing. It was just the same old scene from any normal morning in school. But then a wave seemed to suddenly crash, and every single pair of eyes turned towards them. Gerard saw Frank clench his fists anxiously and heard him draw in a shaky breath, but he kept his chin up and stared straight ahead. Gerard narrowed his eyes and held his head up high, searching for James in the large throng of people. Everywhere he looked, cold, judgmental eyes stared back. The hallway seemed to stretch on forever, and it got to the point where Gerard knew that if they didn't get away from it all soon, him and Frank wouldn't be able to hold it together for very much longer. So Gerard did the only thing he could think of and quickly dragged Frank into Mr. Urie's classroom, which was the closest classroom. 

 Mr. Urie, of course, was sitting behind his desk sorting through a pile of paperwork. He raised a curious eyebrow at Gerard and Frank.

 "I'll explain everything, but first you have to promise you're not as judgmental as everyone out in that hallway," said Gerard. 

 "Well, I should think not," he replied, confused. "Tell me, what's wrong?"

 Gerard looked at Frank, silently asking him if they could trust Mr. Urie. Frank must have thought so, because he said: "Gerard and I are dating."

 Their english teacher nodded in understanding. "And I suppose you're in here because the rest of the school found out?" They both nodded. "And how exactly did they find out?"

 "There was a Halloween party two days ago, and someone... Someone caught us making out." Gerard blushed, not quite sure why he was telling Mr. Urie anything, or why he was choosing to trust him like this.

 "Can you tell me who that person is?" he asked. Frank looked unsure. "Because if I had to guess who it was, I'd say James."

 He must have read the truth in their eyes because he just nodded again without either of them having to confirm nor deny his suspicions.

 "We just wanted to escape from everything until class starts," Frank explained.

 "Stay here for as long as you like. We're planning the trip to London today, and since that will probably take a long time, your other classes of the day will most likely be cancelled. So stay as long as you like. Other teachers might not  be as understanding."

 Nobody understands! Gerard hought to himself.

He would have thanked the english teacher but at that moment the bell rung, so he and Frank hurried quickly to the back of the class. Unfortunately, they still got stares as others started filing into the room. From James in particular. Gerard had a feeling it was going to make the day quite unbearable.

 "Right, class!" Mr. Urie stood in front of his desk, holding a stack of papers. "As you all know, today we'll be talking about the trip to London. The school has enough money set aside to pay for the whole thing, so that much is covered. I just need all of you to get these permission slips signed." He had someone pass the papers around. "Now. There are a few specific items you may need to bring with you. You'll need..."

 He went on for ages, listing things they could and couldn't bring, where they were going exactly, where they were staying, what they were going to be doing there... And then he went on to talk about the hotel they were staying at. Everybody had to share a room, so he had everyone choose who they wanted to share with and then write it down on a sheet of paper that was passed around. Naturally, that earned Frank and Gerard suspicious glares from the class.  Gerard was getting annoyed now, so he just rolled his eyes at them.

What a great day it was turning out to be for Frank's birthday.

"I saw how the rest of the class was looking at you two," Mr. Urie remarked to Gerard and Frank when the others had left the room for break.

 Frank was leaning against a desk, and Gerard was right next to him. "They're just so judgmental," he said with a shrug, exasperated. He turned to look at Frank. "Sorry your birthday turned out so... Messed up." He wanted to kiss him and make everything better, but he hesitated because Mr. Urie was standing right there.

 He noticed Gerard's hesitation. "I see students kiss all the time, you know." He sounded amused.

 Gerard still hesitated. "Wouldn't it bother you though? I mean, me and Frank are both..." Gerard gestured between them vaguely.

 He quirked an eyebrow. "Both guys?" Gerard nodded. "I told you, I'm not judgmental. Whatever goes on between you guys is your business and no one else's. The others would do well to remember that. And anyway, I have a couple things to do now and when I get back I'll call the others in, so... If there's anything the two of you want to say-or do-" he cleared his throat "-now's your chance." He grabbed a few things from his desk and was on his way.

 Frank breathed out a sigh of relief and turned to face Gerard. "Well that was awkward. At least he's nice and doesn't really seem to care. What do you think of him?"

 Gerard smiled and didn't reply. Instead he leaned forward and kissed Frank long and hard, his hands sliding down to his waist. They were both out of breath by the time he was done. 

 Frank grinned against Gerard's mouth and wrapped his arms around his neck to kiss him back again. "I really needed that," he said softly.

 "Happy birthday Frank," Gerard murmured back, holding him close. "I wish I could make this day better."

 Frank smiled and kissed Gerard's cheek. "You make every day better for me."

 Gerard laughed and blushed. "And to think, we would have never found each other without Mr. Urie and his chatroom miracle."

 "Which you still haven't thanked me for."

 Frank untangled himself from around Gerard's neck at the sound of Mr. Urie's voice behind then. They stood awkwardly next to each other, not quite knowing what to do. 

 The english teacher smiled. "I'm going to call the others in now, if you'd like to rejoin your places."

 Great. Another torturous few hours stuck at the back of class.

Chapter Text

Leila was in a rage after Frank and Gerard told her what James did, but much as they hated the guy, they convinced her not to kill him. They couldn't change the fact that everyone knew, so their main concern now was trying to keep the news away from Frank's parents. It wasn't going to be easy, because in a small town like theirs everyone knew everything about everybody. Frank was worried sick, and they met up a lot more frequently than usual. Gerard tried to comfort him as best as he could, but it was hard when even he knew that there was no way they wouldn't find out. 

 But then weeks started to pass and still nothing happened. Before they knew it, Christmas was a month away and London only a week. People were getting so excited about the trip that some of them were actually starting to forget about Frank and Gerard. It certainly made school slightly more bearable. Sure, they might still hear a nasty comment every now and then, but other than that they were pretty much left alone.  

Until James happened. Again.

 Clearly, he was afraid of Leila. Frank and Gerard hung out with her all the time so he tended to keep his distance, but one day Leila had to skip school for a violin recital and all hell broke loose. James became a lot more vocal around them and wasn't afraid to get all up and their faces now that Leila was gone. He waited until the end of the day to corner the two of them in the parking lot after school had finished, slamming Frank into the wall as one of his friends did the same with Gerard.

 "Look, I don't want any trouble, so let me make this clear."

 Frank attempted to shove back. "All you do is look for trouble!"

 James only shoved him harder. "You really don't want to mess with me."

 Gerard was struggling pretty hard in his own corner. "What do you want James?"

 "I want you out," he said, spitting the last word out for emphasis. "I want you gone, both you and the other fag."

 Frank couldn't help but laugh at the sheer absurdity of the situation, which probably only made matters worse. "We can't just disappear like some kind of magic trick!"

 "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure..." A smug look flashed accross James' face. "How far away do you think mommy and daddy will be willing to ship you to be fixed once they find out you're going against every christian value they believe in? How much distance do you think they'd be willing to put between you and the fag that corrupted you?"

 Gerard had stayed relatively still up until that point, but hearing someone threaten Frank like that filled him with anger. He managed to get an arm free and lashed out blindly as hard as he could, hitting they guy holding him down square in the chest with his elbow. The guy shouted out in pain and backed away slightly, cursing under his breath. James swore and let go of Frank, shoving him one last time against the wall, hard. He got hold of the front of Gerard's sweater and raised a fist, and Gerard closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact but a voice called out from behind them.

 "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" 

 It was mr. Urie, and at hearing his voice Gerard let out a sigh of relief and opened his eyes again. James let go of him and backed away until he was standing next to his friend. Gerard rushed over to Frank and put a protective arm around him, much to his protests.

 Mr. Urie glared at James and didn't say a word, he only motioned for everyone to follow him back inside. He went straight to the principal's office and told Frank and Gerard to wait outside. He came back out only five minutes later, leaving the two jocks to be dealt with by the principal. He asked Frank and Gerard to follow him into his classroom, and made them sit down in the front row while he leaned back against his desk.

 "Do either of you want to tell me what that was about?"

 Frank glared at him. "I think it's pretty obvious."

 The teacher sighed. "I meant- What did James want from you two? I know that he cornered you and was going to attack you, but I just need to know why."

 "He just hates us!" Frank exploded, clearly hurt. "He's a judgmental prick who hates us and wants us to just disappear."

 Mr. Urie's eyes softened. "Did he threaten you?"

 Frank looked away and nodded. Mr. Urie turned to Gerard for clarification.

 Gerard slumped back in his chair. "He threatened to tell Frank's parents."

 "Your parents don't know?" 

 Frank couldn't meet the teacher's eyes. "How could I ever tell them? I know they'd hate me for it, and if I ever told them they'd probably send me off for therapy somewhere which is exactly what James wants."

 "Therapy? They couldn't do that to you, Frank. They're your-"

 "Parents? Like that even means anything! And yeah, maybe they wouldn't send me off to therapy, but I'm pretty sure that they'd take me away from Gerard and that's a hundred times worse."

 Gerard reached out to hold Frank's hand, hating that he felt like this. "I'd never  let anyone take you away from me."

 Frank blushed, and mr. Urie cleared his throat. "You two obviously care very much about each other... Surely your parents would just want you to be happy Frank? I mean, Gerard... Is your mom ok with it?"

 "Yeah, my mom's pretty supportive..." Gerard smiled. "I'm lucky, really. She knew well before I came out, so she didn't exactly make a big deal out of it."

 "Well my parents aren't like Gerard's mom," Frank said, frustrated. "And all I have to do is get through this last year of highschool and then I'm free to go wherever I want and do whatever I want. So there's no point in telling them, I can keep it hidden for the rest of the year."

 Mr. Urie looked as if he was completely against everything Frank was saying, but he only sighed and looked at Frank with sad eyes. "Ok, I'll understand and respect your decision if that's what you want," he said, "but if you keep getting attacked or verbally abused or just bullied in general, I just think it would be best to alert your parents."

 Frank made a move to stand up, and Gerard mirrored him. "Well, thanks for showing up when you did and for being supportive, but I can handle it on my own for now."

 Mr. Urie went over and opened the door. "You can talk to me about this whenver you want, both of you. And don't worry about James for now, he'll probably be suspended from going to London."

 When they were left alone in the hallway, Gerard smiled ecstatically and pulled Frank into his arms.

 "Two whole weeks in London together, and now James isn't even going to go there... So in a way I guess I'm kinda glad he decided to corner us today."

 "I'm glad you find it all so amusing," said Frank, not seeming to share in Gerard's enthusiasm.

 Gerard kissed him lightly on the cheek. "C'mon, lighten up a bit..."

 "James threatened to tell my parents!" Frank removed himself from Gerard's side as they began to walk towards the doors. "I'm sorry if I'm not exactly in the best mood."

 "Frank, I'm so sorry..." Gerard silently berated himself for being so insensitive, and attempted to lace his fingers through Frank's. He met no resistance.

 "Don't be sorry... It's not your fault." Frank came to a halt once they were back out in the cold. "I'm just so sick of everything."

 Gerard pulled Frank into his arms, letting him bury his face in his neck. "I can't promise that everything's going to be fine, but I can promise you that whatever happens I'll always be by your side."

 As mr. Urie had promised, James and his friend were suspended from going on the trip. Frank seemed reassured enough, he just hoped James stayed clear of his parents while he was in London. Although Leila had to stay behind too, so Frank was pretty sure she'd keep an eye out on James for him. He was looking more and more forward to the trip as the week went on.

 On thursday, mr. Urie had the class get into groups with whoever they wanted to share a hotel room with. It was four people to a room, and boys were seperated from the girls. It made Gerard smile when the class groaned: he was dating a guy, so it was no problem for him. But four people in one room... That might be a problem. He was beginning to get worried about who he and Frank would end up with when mr. Urie showed up at their desk amongst all the loud chatter and chaos. 

 He leaned down and lowered his voice just enough so that they could both hear him. "There's not enough people in the class to make an equal amount of groups of four... So you can have a room to yourselves if you want."

 Gerard blinked at him in surprise and was trying to figure what to say when he got up and walked away to bring the class back to order. He turned to Frank who looked as equally surprised.

 "This trip keeps getting better and better..." Gerard whispered to Frank, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips.

 Frank nudged him, smiling back. "Don't jinx it."

That night, Frank and Gerard called each other so they could help each other pack. It was at times like these that Gerard realised just how many black clothes he owned.

 "Have you packed those tight black jeans you wore on Halloween?"

 Gerard frowned. "No... Why?"

 "You should definitely pack them... I love them on you."

 Gerard rolled his eyes, although he knew Frank couldn't see him. "Fine, I'll bring them if you bring your guitar."

 "Deal. Oh, and do you think anyone would notice if I brought handcuffs?"

 Gerard almost choked, all kinds of images flashing through his mind. "I-I don't think that's, uh..."

 "Relax, i'm only kidding... I'm saving them up for another time."

 "You were brought up in a christian family Frank. What the fuck went wrong?"

 Frank laughed. "I met you."

 "You barely tolerated me when we first met."

 "Doesn't mean I didn't think you were hot... You make me want to do all kinds of things."

 Gerard smiled to himself. "Who knows, maybe one day we can try doing some of those things."

 "Promise?"

 "Frank!"

 "Ok, ok calm down, you know i'm only kidding."

 Gerard smiled to himself. "Is it really cold in London? I don't know how many sweaters I should bring."

 There was silence on the other end. Then: "Gerard, it's London, it's freezing over there! Well, it's just really wet... So bring a rain jacket or an umbrella or something."

 "Have you been to London before?"

 "Yeah, my sister lives there. I visited her once with my parents... I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before."

 Gerard blinked, only vaguely remembering Frank having mentioned about his sister before... Mary? Maria? "Yeah, you said something about her before... What was her name again?"

 "Melissa. She works for some big company there and-" his voice faded briefly and Gerard had to wait a moment before it came back. "Shit, I've got to go Gee, sorry."

 "It's fine. See you tomorrow..." He paused. "I love you," he added after a moment's thought.

 "Love you too. Don't forget the jeans!"

 Gerard laughed and waited for Frank to hang up, and then went back to his packing.

Friday was a complete blur, and then Saturday morning rolled round quicker than Gerard expected. He barely slept the night before out of excitement and anticipation, and he had to wake up at 4 in the morning, so he was completely exhausted when he woke up. He got dressed in record time and dragged his bags downstairs, and wasn't even bothered to have breakfast. He was a little nervous about the flight because it was a really long one and he hadn't flown often before, so he preferred to start off on an empty stomach.

 His mom, and surprisingly enough also his brother, both woke up to see him off. Mikey looked like he'd just woken from the dead.

 "I hope you appreciate me getting up this early just to say goodbye," he said as he hugged Gerard. "I'm never doing it again."

 "Nobody forced you to get up," Gerard pointed out. "It's not like I want to see your face first thing in the morning."

 Mikey slapped him on the arm as he stepped away to let his mom take his place.

 "We'll miss you," she murmured in Gerard's ear, and Mikey snorted behind her. "I hope you have a great time."

 "Thanks," Gerard murmured back. His mom and Mikey followed him as he picked up his bags and headed towards the door. They waved to him as he started walking down the road, and he turned briefly to wave back. Then they disappeared back inside the house and he was alone.

When he got to the end of Frank's street Frank wasn't there, so he figured he might chance walking a little farther up Frank's street. He was about halfway when a large black car appeared and slowed down until it stopped in front of him. He was going to keep walking when a door was opened and Frank stepped out. Gerard smiled and was about to rush forward and hug him when someone else stepped out of the car. It was a woman with short brown hair and she was relatively short herself, only a bit taller than Frank. It must have been Frank's mom.

 Frank smiled uneasily as his mom offered a hand out to Gerard. "Hi, you must be Gerard! My name's Linda, I'm Frank's mother," she said as she shook Gerard's hand. "I've heard quite a lot about you... It's nice to finally meet one of Frank's friends."

 "Nice to meet you too," Gerard said, glancing briefly at Frank.

 "Well, Gerard, would you like a lift with us?"

 Gerard looked questioningly at Frank who shrugged. "Um, yeah, if you don't mind... Thank you."

 Frank's mom pressed a button on her key. "Alright, go ahead and put your bags in the trunk," she said as she got back into the driver's seat. 

 Gerard did as he was told and then got into the back of the car. Frank was sitting in the passenger's seat. As his mother leaned down to look through her handbag that was by her feet, Frank turned around to smile genuinely at Gerard, that private smile saved only for him.

 The rest of the journey passed in similar silence, punctuated only by questions to Gerard from Frank's mom. Gerard tried to answer as correctly as he could, obviously wanting to make a good impression. Not that it really mattered if Frank's mom was never going to know that they were dating. 

"I'm so sorry about that," Frank said as soon as his mom said goodbye and drove off. "I was going to walk down to meet you but my mom insisted on taking me."

 Gerard waved a dismissive hand. "It's fine, it was just a bit awkward. I'm just glad I can do this now," he leaned forward and kissed Frank square on the mouth, snaking an arm around his waist and pulling him closer. Frank made an appreciative sound and kissed him back, his hands fisted into the front of Gerard's jumper. Then they broke apart. 

 "I could get used to that," Frank murmured, pecking Gerard on the lips quickly one more time before they continued walking to the school. Frank's mom had dropped them a block away. 

 When they arrived, the bus that was taking them to the airport was already waiting outside. Gerard turned to Frank and took a deep breath.

 "Two weeks to escape all the bullshit here. Let's make the most of it."