Chapter Thirty: Are you thinking I'm the one?

Gerard walked to school in his usual silence, his headphones placed upon his head blasting out music - Lostalone to be precise. As he looked down, Gerard noticed his face being reflected in a long puddle stretching across the pavement... and a few steps behind him was Frank, looking rather out of breath.

"Hey!" Gerard turned, startling Frank.

"Hi Gerard." He huffed, grateful that Gerard had stopped.

"How long have you been behind me?" He laughed as the spiky haired boy buckled over out of breath.

"A while," he panted, "I saw you about three streets back and tried to catch up but I fell over." he chuckled lightly, moving his leg so Gerard could see the long rip in his trousers.

"Jeez ... haven't you ever heard of shouting?" He chuckled to himself.

"I did! But you had your bloody headphones on!" He screeched, his breathing restored to normal.

"So apart from the nice little morning run you just did, oh and the ripped trousers, how's it hanging?" Gerard asked, laughing lightly as Frank scowled.

"Low as usual," he laughed loudly before proceeding with a serious answer, "I'm fine," he smiled brightly at Gerard, "erm, I was wondering if you wanted to come over for something to eat tonight?" He grinned hopefully at Gerard.

"I was actually going to take Mikey into town to get a new string on his bass," he paused taking in Frank's dampened expression, "but I suppose you could come along? And we could go back to mine afterwards if you like?" He grinned as Frank's expression became one of pure excitement.

"Yeah! Yeah that'd be awesome!" Frank practically squealed with glee. The two boys walked the rest of the way to school chatting about Gerard's younger brother Mikey, Frank's walk happened to be more of a skip due to his happiness.

"Mikey! It's me! Are you ready to go get that string for your bass?" Gerard hollered up the stairway of his home.

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" Mikey screamed down the stairs, bass in one hand, poptart in the other.

"Oh yeah and Frank's coming with us." Gerard added on as Mikey paused at the bottom of the stairs, looking cautiously at Frank.

"Gerard! I left you two some bus money on the side! I've given you enough for his bass string and extra for snacks," Gerard's mother shouted, walking through the living room doorway and into the hallway, "oh, hello Frank." She smiled sweetly at the small boy stood awkwardly next to Gerard in the doorway.

"Hi Mrs Way." Frank smiled awkwardly at Gerard's mother.

"Just call me Donna hun," she smiled, "I take it your going with these two then? Good luck, trust me, you'll need it." She laughed as she walked back through into the living room.

"C'mon then Mike, unless you don't want your new bass string?" Gerard teased the small blonde boy who barged past his brother, slinging his bass onto his back. Frank and Gerard followed the young blonde towards a nearby bus stop, shouting their goodbyes to Gerard's mother as they left the house.

"You still wanna come round to mine?" Gerard smiled at Frank as they walked away from the bus stop.

"Of course!" Frank beamed, laughing as Mikey squealed with excitment about his new string.

"Are you sure? He's gunna be extra hyper now he's got what he wanted Gerard chuckled as Mikey ran ahead of the two of them and burst into his house, screeching about his bass.

"Yeah, it'll be funny to watch you try and cope." Frank giggled as Gerard scowled at him.

"Hey mum we're home!" Gerard shouted into the hallway as they walked through the front doorway.

"She's not in." Mikey mumbled as he walked by with half a poptart in his mouth.

"How the hell do you know?" Gerard asked, confused.

"Note." Mikey mumbled, spraying crumbs across the hallway as he handed a note to Gerard before running up the stairs with his bass. Gerard flicked his eyes across the scribbled handwriting spread across the note by his mother.

"Gone to my grandmas," Gerard muttered, "but she left money for pizza." Gerard turned his head grinning manically.

"Oh dear." Frank whimpered under his breath as Gerard ran to the phone.

"Batman!" Frank squealed.

"No! Thundercats!" Mikey screamed.

"Oh Jesus." Gerard mumbled, switching the tv to Thundercats to shut Mikey up.

"Hey!" Frank whined.

"We can go to my room stupid," Gerard pointed out, "that way we don't have to put up with Cousin It." Gerard pointed at Mikey and laughed.

"Hey! Just go to your stupid room then." Mikey scowled, crossing his arms and glaring at his brother.

"Okay! Okay!" Gerard sighed, holding up his arms as if in defence. He signalled at Frank to follow and skipped off to his bedroom, leaving Mikey to watch his previous Thundercats in peace.

"Still a mess then." Frank laughed, pointing at the scattered papers across the floor.

"What do you take me for? Some kind of clean freak?" Gerard laughed, clearing all the paper from his bed onto the floor.

"Definately a freak," Frank laughed as Gerard scowled, "but your my freak I suppose." He slumped himself down onto the bed next to Gerard and stroked his cheek.

"Hmm that's okay then." Gerard chuckled lightly, smiling at Frank.

"Is that the new Green Day album?" Frank squealed with excitment as his eyes stared past Gerard's head to a rack of CD's handing precariously on one of Gerard's walls.

"Yeah," Gerard chuckled, "want me to put it on?" He winked before sliding off the bed and placing the CD from the album into his CD player and pressing play. Frank squealed with excitement as the first song began to play.

"Are you always this easily excited about songs?" Gerard laughed, sitting down on the bed next to Frank.

"Only when it's songs I really like." He grinned.

The two of them sat in silence for some time listening to the album before it finally ended.

"Want me to put it on again?" Gerard smiled at the spiky haired boy.

"Hmm, maybe after you do me one thing." Frank smiled nervously at Gerard.

"And what's that then?" The black haired boy asked.

"Erm ..." Frank stared into space trying to think of the correct words before he shrugged and crawled the short distance between himself and Gerard.

"I think you know what." Frank smiled awkwardly, leaning slightly in towards Gerard's face.

"Oh right, well just tell me so I can be double sure." Gerard smiled playfully, looking down into Frank's warm eyes.

"Ugh you can be really-" Frank started his sentence but was interrupted as Gerard leaned in close so their lips were almost touching.

"Really what?" Gerard asked playfully.

"Really..." Frank trailed off, staring into Gerard's eyes. Smiling, he placed his lips on Gerard's gently. Wrapping his arms around Gerard's neck, Frank pulled himself back so he was lying on Gerard's bed.

"Oh are we playing this game?" Gerard asked playfully, leaning over Frank, his long dark hair brushing against Frank's neck.

"I don't know what you mean Gerard." Frank giggled as Gerard growled.

"You know perfectly well what I mean." Gerard leaned in, pressing his lips against Frank's who moaned lightly. Frank sat up slowly, running his fingers through Gerard's fine hair.

"I can be really what then Frankie?" Gerard asked, hovering above Frank.

"Really ... amazing." Frank giggled before pulling Gerard back down again and smashing their lips together. Gerard slowly moved his lips across Frank's, downwards then planted kisses across his neck. Frank reached up to unbutton his shirt, almost ripping the material from his back to show his pale bare skin. Slowly, he unbuttoned Gerard's shirt and pulled the material away from his skin. Gerard carried on kissing Frank's neck who moved his hand slowly across Gerard's back and around his waist before stroking his crotch. Gerard sucked in a sharp breath, caught off guard.

"Are you," he paused, breaking away from Frank, "are you sure Frank?" He asked the chocolate eyed boy who simply looked Gerard straight in the eye, nodded and pulled him back down towards his lips. Before Gerard fully knew what was happening, Frank was pulling off all of their clothing, stripping them down to their bare underwear.

"I'm getting a sense of déjà vue." Gerard chuckled as Frank revealed his Joker underwear, the same ones he had been wearing (well at least for a while) the first time the two of them had seen one another naked. Frank chuckled and almost burst out laughing when he saw Gerard's underwear.

"We're made for each other!" He quoted the Joker as he spotted Gerard's Batman underwear. Gerard chuckled before Frank rolled him over, leaning over him.

"How much do you love me?" Frank asked Gerard, a note of seriousness touching his voice. It took every ounce of Gerard's will power not to respond with "why so serious?" like the Joker would have done.

"Are you seriously asking that question? You know how much I love you Frankie." Gerard smiled, stroking Frank's cheek lightly.

"Yeah but..." He drifted off, his mind trapped on something else.

"Yeah but what?" Gerard asked, sitting up and making Frank slide off him.

"Nothin'." Frank muttered, trying to avoid the new conversation he had accidentally started.

"No go on." Gerard sat glaring at Frank impatiently.

"It doesn't matter." Frank whimpered.

"It's about Bert isn't it." It wasn't a question, more of a statement. Frank looked away.

"I knew it," Gerard threw his hands up in the air, "you don't trust me do you?" Gerard began to stand up before Frank grabbed his wrist, pulling him back down onto the bed.

"Of course I trust you, I just. I just worry that's all." Frank muttered.

"Well don't." Gerard hissed.

"I can't help it!" Frank exclaimed, letting go of Gerard's wrist.

"I-I'm sorry Frankie," Gerard paused to grab hold of Frank's hand, "I just, I hate myself for what I did to you because of him. I hate what it's done to us." Gerard mumbled, still holding onto Frank's hand.

"Please don't hate yourself Gerard." Frank whispered softly.

"How can I not? You don't know what it gets like when your not here Frank. I mean, just look at me!" Gerard pointed to the relatively fresh scars just months old on his arms. Frank gasped in horror.

"Oh god Gerard not again! Please for Gods sake don't do that stuff to yourself!" Frank whimpered, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Hey I'm sorry Frankie." Gerard whispered, grabbing hold of Frank and holding him tightly against his chest.

"Promise me Gerard, promise me that no matter how bad you feel you won't cut yourself?" Frank begged.

"I, I promise Frank." Gerard spoke softly, still holding Frank against his chest. "I promise." Gerard whispered softly into Frank's hair.