Gerard and Frank sit at the lunch table, neither of them speaking but simply enjoying each other’s presence. The bruises are still prominent on Frank’s face. Ray is passing by when he spots Frank and Gerard. He grins nefariously before gripping the back of Frank’s neck.
Frank squeals in pain and tries, in vain, to wriggle out from underneath the pressure point.
“What happened to your face, Frankie?” Ray smirks. “I want to meet the genius who did it.”
“I- f-fell,” Frank stammers. He’s told this excuse to about twelve people, and not a single one of them believe him.
“Bullshit! Someone’s hitting you at home,” Ray concludes. He puts his mouth right next to Frank’s ear. “Does Daddy rape you? You probably like it, you sick fag.”
“Ray, fuck off!” Gerard spits.
Ray’s smile drops off of his face as he heads over to Gerard, who curls his arms protectively over his head. Gerard is prepared for the worst, eyes clamped shut, when he hears a boy shriek.
“Leave them alone,” a girl’s voice growls. Gerard uncovers himself to see Jamia with a fistful of Ray’s hair, yanking it and bending Ray over to a 90 degree angle.
“Fine!” Ray whines.
Jamia releases him, and Ray flips her off. He walks by Frank, pulling Frank’s hair slightly as he leaves.
Jamia sits down, her brown eyes big with worry. “Are you guys okay?”
Gerard smiles. He can really get used to her being around. “Yeah we’re fine.”
“Good. I don’t want him hurting my baby,” Jamia baby talks, winking at Frank.
Frank looks at Gerard nervously, who stares back with a steady expression.
“Um… J-Jamia?” Frank starts. He fidgets nervously with his tie.
“Yes, Frankie?” Jamia asks.
“I-I-um…. Gerard and me… w-we’re dating,” Frank informs, not looking at her.
Gerard’s engulfed in a bear hug, which he kind of wants to break free from. Jamia pecks him on the cheek as if it’s no big deal. Then she leans over the table, slinging an arm around Frank’s neck and pulling him in for a kiss and a hug as well.
“I’m so happy for you guys!” Jamia squeaks in the high register that only girls can reach.
Frank laughs and kisses her back, and even though Gerard knows it’s just a friendly kiss that means nothing, he can’t stop the flames of jealousy from burning a hole in his stomach.
She pulls back and smiles brightly, looking at Gerard, and then shifting her gaze over to Frank.
“Well I’ll leave you two at it,” she giggles before getting up and leaving.
“She’s a bit too touchy feely for me,” Gerard mutters.
“Well boo hoo. I happen to like being hugged,” Frank sneers.
Gerard and Frank are sitting on the couch watching a South Park marathon when there’s a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it!” Mikey chirps, already galloping down the steps.
Gerard smirks at his younger sibling. “What? Hot date tonight?”
Mikey sticks his tongue out at him. “Maybe. It’s none of your fucking business.”
“Michael James Way! You watch your mouth!” Mrs. Way’s voice shouts from the next room.
Gerard points and laughs at his blushing brother who, in turn, throws himself onto Gerard and delivers a series of weak punches to each of Gerard’s arms.
Gerard shoves him off with a kick and says, “Go get her!”
Mikey flips the bird at Gerard before opening the door.
And at the door, it’s not Mikey’s hot date. It’s Frank’s dad.
“I’m um…. Mr. Iero,” he says, clearly uncomfortable. Everyone in the Way house knows he’s a child abuser, after all. “I’m here to speak with Frank.”
Gerard gets up and grips the door, prepared to shut it. “Frank’s not here.”
Frank stops Gerard, pulling him back by the collar. He stands in the doorway, rolling up his sleeves nervously. “Uh…hi Dad.”
“Frank,” his father begins. “Your mother misses you. She worries about you, you know. She’s hardly even seen this Gerard boy and you’ve left us to stay with him.”
Frank squints. “No, I got away from a broken home to shelter.”
His father grips Frank’s forearm, so tightly that Frank’s knees buckle.
“Son, you’re coming home,” Mr. Iero demands sharply. He begins to drag Frank when Frank breaks free, clawing at his father’s hand and wiggling away. Mr. Iero reels back to hit Frank when Gerard launches himself at Frank’s father, taking the much larger man to the ground.
Frank watches Gerard with worry.
“Frankie, go inside!” Gerard orders. Frank does as he’s told, and Gerard stands and helps Mr. Iero to his feet.
“Sorry sir, but I can’t let you hurt him again,” Gerard tells bitterly, a cold sting in his voice.
“I understand,” Mr. Iero growls. What he really wants to say is, “He’s my son you little shit now let me see him before I punch that stupid scowl off of that feminine little face of yours.”
Mr. Iero leaves, and Gerard doesn’t start back towards the house until Mr. Iero’s car peels out of the driveway and shoots down the road. Gerard enters the house to see Frank sobbing in a ball on the couch.
“I’m so sorry!” Frank cries. “I hope he didn’t hurt you.”
Gerard hugs Frank, and at that moment his boyfriend just seems so small, so vunreable, so fragile. And it sends a couple of tears down Gerard’s face as well.
“Hey… it’s over,” Gerard coaxes. “Everything’s fine.”
Frank sniffles and is finally done crying. He looks up at Gerard, his face stained with tears.
“I’m not good enough for you,” Frank says earnestly. It’s his only way he knows how to thank Gerard, and it sounded like a compliment to Gerard in his head rather than a stab at himself.
Gerard’s brows knit together. His voice is stern as he orders,
“Don’t you ever lie like that to me again.”
That night, Gerard slips into his bed. Frank crawls up next to him, still fully dressed in his school uniform.
“Do you want something to sleep in?” Gerard offers, thinking of how uncomfortable the outfit actually is.
Frank blushes and bites his lip. “Um, I usually sleep in my underwear.” Great, he probably sounds like “Hey I hope you’re not busy but I’m horny and creepy as hell so let’s strip!”
“Whatever makes you comfortable,” Gerard replies. As an afterthought, he kicks out of his Hello Kitty pajama bottoms and rips off his t shirt, dropping both to the floor and leaving him in his navy boxer briefs. He doesn’t want Frankie to feel uncomfortable as the only one in their underwear in the room, and it is fairly hot in room.
Frank undoes his tie and his shirt and shrugs out of them, setting them on Gerard’s nightstand. He pulls of his slacks and adds them to the pile of clothes. In his Batman boxers, he presses up against Gerard, whose back is to him.
Frank wraps his arms around Gerard and gives him a kiss on the shoulder. Gerard grins and turns over to cuddle into Frank, leeching off of his body heat. Even though the room is hot, the two teens snuggle against each other, in a hug, until they fall asleep in each other’s arms.