Humans are confusing creatures. Really, people are seriously mind-boggling. And some, some people are more confusing than others. Frank Iero was one of these exceptionally mystifying people. The minute I promised I wouldn’t leave, he jumped on me. And I mean literally, he catapulted his short body at me, forcing me to attempt to catch him. And when I say ‘attempt’ I really mean ‘fail’. The force of his small frame slamming into me drove me back, so I hit the bathroom door. His arms locked around my neck and he pressed his face on my shoulder. It took me a moment to remember to return the hug, placing my hands awkwardly on his back. He smelt really nice, I have to admit - his shampoo-soap-and-cigarettes smell tickled my nose, so much so that I had to push back a sneeze. He squeezed me a minute longer and then pushed back to look up into my face, a cute little smile lighting it up. “Thanks, Gerard,” he grinned. I raised my eyebrows. “Thanks? For what?” I asked, confused. He giggled. “For promising you won’t run away again!” He said the words as if it should be completely obvious. I rolled my eyes. “You know, Frank, you won’t be thanking me later. I’ll probably stress you out and annoy you more than you could possibly imagine.” I said the word playfully, but there was an undertone of seriousness and worry in my voice. He shook his head fiercely, making the longer part of his hair fly out. “Nope, no way. Give it up, Gerard. You aren’t gonna make me hate you or whatever you’re trying to do. Face it, I like you.” I laughed at his words, and at how they made me feel. He liked me? Damn, I sound like a teenager, but I couldn’t help it. It had been a very long time since I’d felt truly accepted in someone else’s company, but Frank made me feel just that. I didn’t have to lie, I didn’t have to pretend, and I didn’t have to constantly be afraid of being shunned by him. I could just… be myself. Cliché, right? But that’s what it was. I felt a sense of belonging in his presence. At the same time, though, I doubted myself. I was a freak; I’d been told that enough times. A freak that Frank had only just met, at that. How could he really accept me? I felt a wave of… something. The word that came to mind was paranoia, but no, it wasn’t that. That was something the doctors made up to scare me and my family. So what did I feel now? Worry… yeah, I was just worried. Worried that Frank was playing me, or lying to me, only pretending to accept me out of pity or something. Or maybe he just liked to laugh at me. I felt guilty for having these suspicions about him, but I couldn’t help it, they invaded my mind. I suddenly realized I was still stood with him, my hands still on his back. He was watching my face, a sober, focused expression on his face. He seemed to realize that I’d remembered his presence, because he softly asked, “What’s the matter, Gerard?” His eyes were trained on my own, like he was trying to read my mind. He looked extremely concerned. Studying his expression, I felt more doubt. Could this kind-hearted man really be messing with me? I didn’t know what to think of him all of a sudden. He frowned, and I felt his hand press against the sides of my head. “Seriously, Gerard, what’s up?” I didn’t know what to tell him. Well, Frank, I’m just busy wondering if you actually care about me… nope, couldn’t say that. I sighed heavily, and tilted my head back, breaking our eye contact. “I… I’m just confused, that’s all… Why are you doing this for me?” he tried to speak, but I cut him off. “Yeah, I know, you got kicked outta your house and everything, but I don’t see why you put up with me. I’m not exactly… easy to live with. You’re going to an awful lot of trouble for me, and I guess I don’t see why you’d bother. I’m not worth it.” He was quiet for a moment, and I kept my eyes on the ceiling, afraid of what I’d see in his expression. His hands tightened suddenly on the sides of my head, and I mentally braced myself for him to hit me or something. But he didn’t, he pulled my face down until it was level with his own, and before I could say a word he pressed his lips on mine. He kissed me roughly, differently to all the other times. He used a lot more force than he ever had before, and a lot more enthusiasm. He put his arms back around my neck, and held on even tighter than when he’d hugged me. I did the same, until there was no space between us. We stood there for a while, just kissing, before he broke it off. We both gasped a little, I studied him. His cheeks were pink, eyes sparkling and hair a little messy. Hmm, I hadn’t realized I’d done that. He stared straight back, grinning from ear to ear. I was smiling just as wide, my suddenly-warm face aching slightly. “Wow,” he whispered. I laughed and kissed him again, lightly, on his neck. “Wow, indeed,” I giggled. “Took the words right out of my mouth.” He tightened his arms briefly before letting go, much to my disappointment. He smirked at my sulky expression, and said, “I need to make something for lunch.” I rolled my eyes, even though I was pretty hungry. He disentangled himself from me, before taking my hand and leading me down the hall to his kitchen. I followed, still unsure of where we would go from here, but momentarily happy to forget about it.

Notes

Bit of a filler, but I think we needed something a little more lighthearted. Or, as close to lighthearted as I can get :D comment, vote, all that beautiful shit, loves and hugs for all of you! Paranoia Violence out xø