Chapter Twenty Two: Let me break this awkward silence.

There was a knock on Gerard's door, that's what woke him up.

"Gerard, it's for you!" His mum shouted, rushing from the front door back to the kitchen making sure not to burn Mikey's breakfast. Gerard stumbled out of his room, throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt whilst walking. He opened the front door.

"Hey Gerard." Frank smiled awkwardly. Gerard almost took a double take at the small spiky haired boy stood in front of him.

"Hey Frank," Gerard returned the awkward smile, "shall I, I don't know, like walk with you or something? I don't want them hearing anything if you don't mind." Gerard threw his thumb over his shoulder pointing at Mikey and his mum. Frank nodded awkwardly.

"Yeah, err yeah that's okay." He ran his fingers through his hair. Gerard ran back in, told his mum that he was going for a walk with Frank and grabbed his jacket, it had white arms with a matching coloured collar and a black body.

The two boys walked down the street, their breaths visible from the frost hanging in the air.

"Hi." Frank mumbled, watching his step as parts of the pavement were dotted with patches of ice.

"Hey." Gerard murmured, following the same careful routine because of the ice.

"How are you?" Frank said, his warm eyes glancing up at Gerard's.

"Okay I suppose, I mean I'm not great, but y'know, I'm, yeah," Gerard broke off, looking down at the icy floor, "you?".

"The same I suppose." Frank pulled his thick, red, woolly scarf tighter around his neck. An awkward silence fell as the two slowly walked along the pavement.

"I miss you Frankie." Gerard spoke softly after a while.

"I know. And I miss you too Gerard." Frank mumbled, almost slipping on a patch of ice. Eventually Frank stopped and grabbed Gerard's arm.

"Look, do you want to go back to mine? I don't like all this ice, especially not when I have to walk all over it." Frank held Gerard's arm.

"Err, okay?" Gerard spoke, slightly puzzled at Frank's forwardness. The two began to slide their way to Frank's house, Gerard repeatedly having to grab Frank's arm to stop him from slipping and falling over. Eventually they reached his house. Frank dived into his pocket looking for his keys and finally found them, slotting them into his lock and turning, allowing the door to swing open.

"Do you want a drink?" Frank asked out of simple politeness, allowing Gerard to walk in and shut it behind him.

"I'm fine thanks." Gerard muttered removing his jacket and placing it over his arm like that of a waiter.

"You can hang it up y'know." Frank chuckled lightly, standing and waiting for Gerard to hang his jacket up. Eventually Gerard did so, his pout making Frank chuckle.

"Bear with." Frank held up a finger and ran into the living room, flicking a switch which promptly made a pipe above Gerard's head groan.

"What the..." Gerard muttered, looking up at the groaning ceiling.

"It's the pipes, y'know, for the heating." Frank mumbled, motioning for Gerard to come through into the living room and sit down.

"Your, calm." Gerard muttered whilst slumping down onto the sofa.

"I know." Frank mumbled back, placing his head on his knees which he'd pulled up tight against his chest. Gerard glanced around the room, trying not to look at Frank and make the silence even more awkward.

"Do you mean it Gerard?" Frank queried.

"Mean what?" Gerard looked puzzled at the small boy curled up in an armchair.

"Do you love me?" Frank asked, his eyes full of innocence and staring at the dark haired boy sat across from him.

"That's a ridiculous question Frankie." Gerard muttered.

"Is it?" Frank sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"Yes. Because you know that I love you. I always will Frankie." Gerard ran his fingers through his hair.

"You can't though, you said you loved me last time," Frank pointed out, "then you slept with him." Gerard sighed.

"We've been over this Frank. I did it for drugs, nothing else, just drugs. I'm off them now, so nothing can ever happen between me and Bert. Ever." Gerard began to worry thinking that this conversation would become a fight, probably leading into Frank never wanting to see him again.

"I love you." Frank whimpered. Gerard looked up into his eyes, trying to understand if he was being serious.

"Did you just say... You. You love me? After what I did to you?" Gerard was trying to come to terms with what Frank had just said. It went against everything he'd said two days ago.

"Yes. Of course I love you Gerard, even after what you did to me. You may have put me through hell for a while but your worth it." Frank smiled sweetly at him, using his tongue to play with his silver lip ring.

"I... I love you too Frank," Gerard's smile widened showing his milky white teeth, "I... I'm sorry." He looked down at the floor.

"What now?" Frank asked, warily but with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"For hurting you. If, y'know, you never want to speak to me again, I'd understand." Gerard began to play with his hands.

"You're an idiot Gerard." Frank sounded deadly serious but when Gerard looked up in shock he saw Frank was smiling.

"Wha- what do you mean?" Gerard asked puzzled.

"You're an idiot for thinking that I could never speak to you again." Frank chuckled lightly.