Not happening!...(edited)

Gerard Way wasn't surprised in the least when he found himself stuffed in his locker with a bloody nose and a split lip, after all, it was the fourth time it had happened in just this week. There were two things that made this time different from most though-

1. His phone had fallen out of his pocket when he received his most recent beating, so he couldn't call the one person he could always rely on to rescue him in these situations, Mikey, his younger brother.

And 2. Mikey was off sick today anyway, so he wouldn't even be able to come find Gerard when he didn't show up to lunch. So now he was stuck here for goodness knows how long.

With his legs cramping up in the tight dark space, Gerard tried to fight back the tears that had threatened to fall ever since the black haired boy had grabbed him on his way to math class and dragged him into the boys toilets~

"Hey there fairy..."

Guess it's better than fag.

"You been avoiding me?..."

Gerard shook his head quickly and stared at the grimy floor.

"Well, I think you're lying."

And then Gerard's nose was bleeding, and his lip, and he thought he may have a cracked rib or two...and then he was being dragged out of the small smelly room, and being shoved into this little metal coffin....

Gerard shuddered at the thought that this could be where he would take his last breath. It wasn't that he was afraid of death, in fact some days he'd gladly welcome it, but the thought of dying in a locker at school...well, that was just sad.

The tears were falling now, accompanied by heavy painful sobs that stretched his possibly broken ribs and just made him cry more. God he wished Mikey was in school today, or that he had a friend who could help him...or even just an acquaintance. But he didn't...no one would give him the time of day apart from to give him grief since he was 7 years old, that's half his lifetime ago, when he'd told the little black haired boy, who was his best friend at the time, even though he was two years older than Gerard, that he liked him as more than a friend...and then kissed him.

The little black haired boy hadn't taken it very well though...he'd punched Gerard in the eye, told him he hated queer little fags like him, spat on him, then proceeded to tell the whole school that Gerard had tried to touch him, therefore loosing him the few other friends he had at the time. And so, the years of beatings, wedgies, swirlies and being shoved into lockers began.

Gerard was starting to find it a little hard to breath now, what with the close quarters and his potentially damaged ribs, so now he was really starting to get scared. He'd been in there quite a while and each time he'd heard footsteps or voices, he'd banged and shouted for help but none ever came. He did hear a few giggles and sniggers from just outside his prison, and one nasty bastard banged back, causing Gerard's ears to ring for a good five minutes afterwards, but not a single person came to his aid, not even a teacher.

It had been quiet for a while now, longer than an hour definitely, and that could only mean one thing...school had ended. Everyone had gone home and Gerard had been left in this small metal box, sobbing and gasping for breath...and worse than that; it was Friday. The whole weekend stretched out ahead, with no hope of rescue and it wasn't like his parents would care if their "stupid fag" son didn't come home, actually, they'd probably be happy about it.

Fuck, he hated Frank Iero sometimes...but the rest of the time, he couldn't help but still love him...the little shit! No matter what he did, he would always be Gerard's little black haired boy.

Frank Iero sat on the end of his bed, strumming away at his white Les Paul guitar and thinking about the events of the day.

When he'd seen Gerard headed toward his second class that morning he couldn't resist. All he really wanted to do was get close to him, but after beating him up for pretty much the last 7 years straight, he couldn't face the humiliation that would come with making such a huge u-turn...so he'd done it again, then put him in his locker, a thing he'd done on many an occasion. It was ok though, cause his little brother always got him out. He'd be fine...right?

"Gerard...Sound off boy."

Oh fuck, Dad. Gerard screwed his eyes shut and momentarily wondered if it might not be better to just stay where he was and die in the dark, probably not though.

"DAD...DAD, IN HERE!"

He shouted, pounding on the inside of the locker door. He wanted out, he just wished someone else had come to find him. Seeing the red metal door shaking, and hearing the voice coming from within, Don Way sighed deeply and shook his head...stupid little fag needed to toughen up, grow some balls and snap the fuck out of this phase. Perhaps he'd have to kick him out of it...or kick it out of him!

Using the combination Mikey had given him, Don opened the door and let Gerard fall awkwardly onto the floor at his feet.

"Get up boy..."

He grunted, not particularly bothered by the obviously injured state of his first born.

"Now."

And then he turned and marched away, leaving the clearly traumatised Gerard to drag himself to his feet and follow after the Lieutenant General, his head hanging low and an arm wrapped tentatively around his damaged ribs. When they reached the car, Gerard winced as he climbed into the rear seat. Don tutted.

"Weak little freak."

He muttered as he started the army-green truck and put it in gear, Gerard turning sad eyes to stare out the window. How much would it hurt if he were to open the door and jump out?...would it be enough to kill him?

As they arrived home, Gerard unclipped his seatbelt, climbed painfully back out of the vehicle and trailed his father up into their house. Mikey was sat on the sofa watching TV, with a blanket draped over his lap and a large mug of hot chocolate warming his hands.

"Gee...you ok?"

He asked as his brother shuffled inside, still clutching his ribs. Gerard shrugged, his eyes glued to the faded brown carpet.

"Answer your brother, boy."

Don demanded gruffly, clipping the teenager round the back of the head, maybe a little harder than strictly necessary. Gerard stumbled forward at the blow, a small yelp leaving his lips before he righted himself then did as he was told.

"I'm fine..."

He said quietly, though it was fairly apparent that he was lying.

"Thank you Mikes."

Mikey frowned as he looked between his dad and his brother, then smiled softly.

"Come watch Dr. Who with me..."

He suggested, knowing Gerard had a thing for David Tennant.

"I just started watching 'Tooth and Claw'...please?"

Gerard's face lit up, he loved his little brother and watching Dr. Who with him was one of his favourite pastimes.

"Ok."

He nodded, starting toward the sofa. Don huffed.

"Don't you go turning Mikey gay, you little shit."

Then he stomped off into the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. Gerard's lip quivered as he joined his brother under the blanket, Mikey wrapping an arm comfortingly around his shoulders.

"Ignore him Gee..."

He whispered.

"He doesn't know shit!..."

Gerard giggled a little through his tears, Mikey always did know how to cheer him up.

"You want to tell me what happened?"

Gerard's head dropped to rest on Mikey's shoulder.

"Not really."

He murmured. Mikey understood, he knew that the older boy would tell him eventually, and he also believed that he already knew exactly what had happened...Frank fucking Iero, as always!

God...why did that thug always have it in for Gerard? What did he ever do wrong?

**Phone call**

"Hey Ray."

"Oh, hi Frank. What's up?"

"Nothin much. Just wanted to ask ya something."

"Yeah? What's that?"

Frank hesitated.

"You're friends with that Mikey kid, right?"

"You mean Mikey Way?"

"Uh, yeah."

Ray frowned.

"Yeah...why do you ask?"

Frank was sweating now.

"Just...I didn't see him today and I...err...I needed to speak to him."

Yeah, that sounded believable...idiot! Ray was quiet for a moment, and Frank started to wonder if he'd hung up...then he spoke.

"He wasn't in today. Off sick"

Oh...shit!

"R-really?"

Frank stammered, his voice becoming high and pitchy.

"Yeah. Flu or something..."

Ray coughed, he really should stop smoking.

"Look dude, I gotta go. Was that all you wanted to ask me?"

"Uh...yeah, yeah thanks man. I'll see ya Monday?"

"Sure. See ya."

And with that, Ray hung up.

"FUCK!..."

Frank threw his phone across the room, frowning as it pretty much disintegrated upon impact.

"Shit..."

If Mikey Way wasn't in school today, then that meant that Gerard would've probably been left in that locker all day, cause Frank knew that no one else would bother to rescue him, not even the damn teachers. And what if he'd been left after school? Oh God, and it was Friday!...he could be in there all weekend...

"FUCK!"

Decision made, Frank grabbed his Misfits hoodie and keys then headed out the door. When did it get dark? Frank looked at his watch and gasped...9:30pm. If Gerard was still ther, then he'd been stuck in that box for over 12 hours. He had to hurry. It was only three blocks from Frank's house to the school so he ran all the way, his grubby red converse slapping harshly against the sidewalk. When he reached the building he liked to call "Hell", he suddenly realised that there was a problem, it was 9:35 at night, and all the doors were locked.

"FUCKFUCKFUCK!"

God, this was so bad. Rattling the front door, Frank felt hot tears begin to stream down his face. Why was he such an idiot? Why couldn't he be normal?...Why couldn't he just tell Gerard that he was in love with him?

Feeling sick, Frank slid down against the door and cried.

"Gee...I'm s-sorry."

He sobbed. Would Gerard ever forgive him for this?...he wasn't so sure.

Frank knew that there were always detentions held on Saturday mornings, (he'd had to attend enough), so the doors would be unlocked at about 7am. Frank pulled his hood up over his head and buried his hands in his pockets, then got as comfy as he could in the cold doorway. He'd be there when the doors were opened and he'd finally tell Gerard the truth. Sobbing quietly, he just prayed he wasn't too late.

The weekend went by fairly uneventfully, with Gerard holed up in his bedroom alone, avoiding his dad and blasting Fall Out Boy through his headphones as he sat at his desk drawing.

His pictures always fell into one of three categories.

1. Mikey. He loved his brother, and drawing him always chilled him out.

2. Death. He was kinda obsessed with anything dark and scary, sort of like his life.

3. Frank.

He'd been drawing Frank for as long as he could remember, despite how the older boy treated him, cause he was just so beautiful and so good to draw. Who did he think he was kidding?...that wasn't why he drew him so much, like ten times more than either of his other subject matters...it was really because he was completely, undeniably, and uncontrollably in love with the little jackass.

But now it was Monday morning and that meant school, and school meant six excruciatingly long hours surrounded by morons who all, with the exception of Mikey, wanted him dead. It had been that way since 2nd grade, and he was pretty sure it would never change.

Now at the age of 14, he should've been a Freshman, but because he was a bright spark and because he had no friends, therefore he had more time to study, he'd been skipped ahead two whole years, making him a Junior...and that unfortunately put him in Franks year, and in most of his classes. Fuck...how he wished he were an idiot like everyone else sometimes.

Slipping on his cheap knock-off Vans and adjusting the sleeves of his Green Day hoodie, pulling them down to hide the ugly pink scars that littered his forearms, Gerard grabbed his school bag, a black cloth messenger bag that he'd customised with pictures of zombies, vampires and other assorted dead folks that, if you looked close enough, all bore a striking resemblance to Gerard himself, and headed out the door, pausing only briefly to call his brother to hurry the fuck up.

With Mikey trailing a little behind him, still half asleep and dragging his feet, Gerard walked toward the bus stop.

Gerard hated the bus...all those little fucktards that treated him like shit every day would spend the entire 20 minute ride to school, hurling insults and spit bombs at him, punching him if they were sat close enough, and on the occasions when Mikey wasn't with him, they would drag his sorry ass to the very back of the bus, often gagging him with someone's stinky gym sock, then beat the crap out of him.

On more than one occasion they'd stopped him from getting off the bus on the way home and he'd ended up having to walk the two and a half miles back from the bus depot, usually in the pouring rain.

In conclusion, riding the bus sucked...but as their dad refused to drive them the three miles to school, saying that riding the bus was "Character Building", or some shit, they didn't really have a choice.

Reaching the bus stop, Gerard checked the time. The bus should be there any minute and then, Hell would begin.

Mikey leaned against Gerard's shoulder, yawning as they waited.

"Gee?..."

The older brother hummed to indicate that he was listening.

"Are you ok?...I mean...after what happened Friday and all...I just...are you?...ok?"

Gerard turned to look at the younger boy. The kid was so thoughtful, so protective even if he couldn't physically protect Gerard, at least he tried to emotionally.

"I'm fine Mikes..."

He lied.

"Don't worry about me."

Mikey smiled down at him, even though Gerard was a year older, he was also a whole inch shorter.

"Liar."

He muttered after a moment, turning as the bus chugged around the corner. Gerard hung his head, he never could fool Mikey.

As the big yellow school bus pulled up next to them, Gerard had an almost overwhelming desire to run away and had to practically force himself to climb on board instead.

Looking around, making sure not to make eye contact, Gerard paled at the realisation that there were only three single seats available and none of them were together...meaning that he couldn't sit with Mikey and that he'd have to sit next to one of the many assholes that attended their school.

Mikey made his way quickly to sit next to a girl that Gerard thought was called Alice or Alicia or something like that, and immediately struck up a conversation with her. How did he do that?

"Well?...sit down boy."

The driver huffed. Gerard realised that he had been standing there staring for a good minute or so, and now everyone was laughing at him. Head down and sighing resignedly, he headed toward the nearer of the two seats, narrowly avoiding being tripped no fewer than six times over the short distance, and sat down next to a boy with a huge fluffy brown fro. He was trying not to hear the comments that were being tossed at him...

"Emo!"

"Fag!"

"Loser!"

...but they were loud and close and someone kept tugging hard on his longish black hair and there was a sharp sting on his neck, which as he raised his hand to it, he realised was a cigarette burn, and he just couldn't take much more of this...and he cried, and that of course just spurred the nasty bastards on.

"Look...the little freak's crying."

One boy jeered.

"Perhaps he'll go cut his wrists."

Another joined in.

"Yeah...why don't you go kill yourself, you pathetic waste of air."

And that just made everyone laugh louder. Sobbing desperately, Gerard didn't notice as hands delved into his bag and pulled out his note book, flicking through some of his most personal thoughts until a loud male voice started to read from the book...

"I wish I were dead. He'll never love me back. He hates me. Why can't I just cut a bit deeper..."

The boy mocked Gerard's voice.

His heart suddenly in his mouth, Gerard leaped to his feet and grabbed for his precious book.

"Gimme it..."

The book was thrown over his head. Gerard spun and grabbed again.

"Please."

Then the book was being passed down the vehicle towards the front, out of reach and Gerard was being shoved to the ground and trampled on as the bus reached it's destination and the hoard of youths stampeded off toward the school.

Gerard lay on the dirty floor, arms over his face and knees pulled up to his chest, trying to catch his breath as the last kids kicked, stepped over or even on him in their bid for freedom from the confining space, until only one remained...Mikey.

"Oh Gee..."

He shook his head sadly, bending down to hoist his brother upright.

"Let's get you cleaned up, ok?"

Sobbing against Mikeys shoulder, Gerard allowed himself to be lead off the bus and into the building. Guess he'd be spending first period in the toilets now, sorting out the cuts and bruises he'd just acquired, oh and that fucking cigarette burn. He never bothered going to the school nurse anymore. She was a bitch and spoke to him with nearly as much disdain as the students did. Mikey was his nurse now.

"M-Mikey?"

"Yeah Gee?"

Mikey murmured as he dabbed a wet tissue against a cut that ran from Gerard's eyebrow to his cheekbone. It wasn't deep, but it bled like a bitch. Gerard closed his eyes, tears rolling down his face.

"What are they gonna do with my b-book?"

Mikey frowned, stopping what he was doing to look at his brother. He sighed deeply.

"I don't know Gee...nothing good."

"Teenagers scare the living shit outta me."

Gerard mumbled, dropping his head to stare at the grubby bathroom floor.

"Me too bro, me too."

After a moment, Mikey continued to clean and dress Gerard's wounds until he was all fixed up.

"There you go Gee...all done."

Gerard smiled weakly and hugged his brother.

"What would I do without you? Huh?"

Mikey chuckled.

"Well, I guess you'd have to learn how to bandage yourself up..."

Gerard snorted quietly at that.

"But you're not gonna have to find out...I'm not going anywhere."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while until the bell for the end of first rang. Gerard sighed.

"Let's get this over with."

Mikey stood up and helped his brother climb painfully to his feet, then grabbed both their bags and walked him to his class. Mostly they were ignored on the way there, just a few words and the occasional attempted trip that Mikey managed to steer them around. Gerard took his bag back when they arrived, thanked Mikey and said he'd see him later, then walked into second period art, his favourite class except that he had to share it with all these dickwads, and one in particular, a certain little black haired boy that, as he thought about it, he hadn't actually seen yet today.

Sitting in his normal spot in the back left corner, he observed the class...no Frank. And as the teacher began taking attendance he realised that maybe Frank wasn't in today...and he just wanted to cry again cause no matter how rotten Frank was to him, his smile still made Gerard happy to be alive...and without it...well what was his life really worth anyway?...Nothing if you asked him. Absolutely nothing.

Frank coughed painfully as he tried to sit up, groaning as his mother pushed him back down.

"And where do you think you're going?..."

She demanded, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"You have a temperature of 102 degrees. You're staying in bed."

Frank huffed miserably.

"But Maaa..."

He moaned.

"No buts Frank. You're sick, and it's your fault..."

She frowned at him.

"Whatever possessed you to sleep on the school doorstep anyway?"

She'd been asking him the same question ever since the policemen brought him home in the early hours of Saturday morning, she hadn't even realised that he'd gone out. The officers had said they'd found him asleep and all he'd tell them was that he needed to get into the school...and now, he wouldn't tell her why.

"Doesn't matter Ma..."

He hung his head. Nothing mattered now. If Gerard was still in that locker...well, he didn't want to think about that. Frank hoped that Mikey was back in school and could therefore rescue his brother, actually, he really hoped that the boy had been found before the weekend...but he wasn't too sure how realistic that was.

"Ma?"

"Yes Frankie?"

She asked absentmindedly as she picked up his dirty clothes from the floor and stuffed them in his hamper.

"Can I borrow your phone? It's break time and I wanna call Ray."

Linda frowned, she'd get wrinkles at this rate.

"Ok, but don't disturb him when he's in class...ok?"

Frank nodded, a sweet smile on his lips that said 'I can do no wrong'. Linda sighed deeply then handed over her cell.

"Don't talk for too long, or you're gonna be paying the bill."

Smiling and ruffling his hair, earning her a scowl from the annoyed teen she turned and left his room to continue her housework. Frank typed Ray's number into the old phone, marvelling at the fact it was too old to get internet, and listened to it ring. After 5 rings, he thought Ray wasn't going to answer and was about to hang up when the other boy's voice sounded down the line.

**phonecall**

"Hello? Who's that?"

"Oh, hey Ray..."

Frank turned his head and coughed violently for a moment before returning to the conversation.

"It's Frank."

"Frank?..."

Ray looked at the screen on his phone and frowned.

"New number dude?"

"What?...oh, no. I kinda broke my phone, so I'm using my Ma's."

Ray laughed loudly.

"How'd you break it dude?"

It was Frank's turn to frown.

"I...I threw it at the wall..."

He mumbled quietly, eliciting another fit of laughter from Ray.

"Hey, I was angry ok?"

Ray chuckled but calmed himself down.

"So squirt..."

Frank hated that nickname.

"What's up? Why aren't you in school?"

Frank coughed again, taking a sip of the drink his mother had brought him before he replied.

"I got flu man. You know my immune system's shit..."

He sneezed, wiping his nose on his hoodie sleeve.

"But look...I just wanted to know if Mikey Way was in today?"

He tried to hold his breath, but that just made him cough again.

"What's your obsession with Mikey Way all of a sudden?..."

Ray chuckled.

"You fancy him or something?"

"Fucker!..."

Frank grunted. Ray laughed.

"No dude. I just need to know."

"Huh, whatever. Uh, yeah...yeah, he was in. Think I sat next to his brother on the bus this morning actually."

That peaked Frank's interest, though he tried not to sound too excited.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah..."

Frank could almost hear Ray frown.

"I don't think he enjoyed the ride though. Load of juniors and seniors gave him major grief the whole time. I'm guessing he ended up pretty beat..."

Ray sighed, pausing a second or two.

"Dude, I know you hate that kid, and after what he did I really don't blame you...but I kinda felt sorry for him..."

Ray trailed off, his voice growing quiet. Tears slipped from Frank's eyes as Ray spoke again.

"I...I saw his left wrist, when he tried to grab a book someone took..."

Frank felt his blood freeze. Please don't let him say what he thought he was gonna say.

"There were scars dude...like lots, and recent too..."

The sound of the school bell rang through the phone.

"Look dude I gotta go. Feel better, ok?"

Then he was gone. Frank stared at the disconnected phone with wet eyes. Was that his fault? Had Gerard cut because of him? Oh God...he had to fix this. He Had to save Gerard...from the bullies, and from himself. He just needed to shake this damn flu first, then he'd tell the truth, to Gerard and to everyone else.

HE would probably end up hated by the whole school after this, but he thought it was no more than he deserved anyway...not after the years of torture he'd put poor sweet, kind, gentle Gerard through.

No, he couldn't let this continue, and even if Gerard never forgave him, at least he would've tried.

Gerard's day was even shittier than expected. His book had fallen into the hands of someone who had a strange affinity with the school photocopy machine, and had wallpapered pretty much the entire first floor with excerpts from his private thoughts. Everyone had seen them.

Every student had apparently been made aware of the book and who it belonged to, and because they already hated him, this just proved to be fuel for the flames. They all took every opportunity to trip, push, kick and hit Gerard, so by the time lunch arrived, he kinda missed the inside of his own locker, and wished someone (Frank) would come along and shove him in there, just so he could have some peace.

But Frank wasn't there. Frank was off sick and Gerard was currently being dragged into the boys' changing rooms by three seniors who were being a damn sight rougher than Frank had ever been. When they reached the room, throwing the already bruised boy to the ground and locking the door, Gerard tried to scramble away from them on his hands and knees.

"Where the fuck do ya think you're goin'...freak?"

One goon spat at him, lunging forward and grabbing the frightened boy's ankles and hauling him back toward the group. Gerard's arms gave way beneath him as he was dragged backward, his shirt riding up and his belly and chin scraping across the dirty concrete floor, grit burrowing into his pale fragile skin.

"No...p-please. Stop...p-p-please."

He whimpered. His cries fell on deaf ears as one of older boys grasped the waistband of Gerard's skinnies and started to pull them off his hips and down his slim legs. Absolute terror raced through his body as he realised what was happening. Gerard thrashed and screamed, desperate to escape their painful grips but they just started hitting him til his struggles became weak and unfocused.

With his mind becoming blurred, everything took on a slightly surreal and detached feel. His jeans were gone, his legs pushed far apart, someone was behind him now. He heard a zip, hands gripping his narrow hips, lifting him, then...pain...horrifying, atrocious pain and someone was screaming, loud and high, and...oh my God...it was him!

The pain was so bad that he was certain he was being ripped in two and just as he thought it was over, the monster backing out and collapsing against the wall with a grunt...the second one took his place...and after that...the third...

Then they started all over again.

By this point Gerard's voice was gone and he didn't have an ounce of strength left with which to struggle, and about half way through bastard number two's second attack, Gerard's consciousness finally left him. As he slipped into the darkness, one thought crossed his mind...Frankie...help me...and then...nothing.

When Mark, Terry and Jeff had all finished their fun, they zipped back up, unlocked the door and left the room. Not one of them looked back.

There were no gym classes that afternoon. No one was coming to save him this time.

When the end of the school day arrived, Mikey Way was still searching for his missing brother.

Knowing that Frank wasn't in today, he thought it unlikely that Gerard would be in his locker as that seemed to be a Frank Iero trademark move, and no one else would do it...but he checked anyway.

He checked the library, the space beneath the bleachers, the art rooms and the music rooms. He checked every place he thought Gerard might hide, and every place he thought he may have been put.

Exhausted, scared and annoyed, having missed his last three classes and used up nearly $7 of phone time texting and calling Gerard, (every call going to voicemail) he headed toward the last place he could think of, the one place Gerard would never go willingly...the boys, locker room.

Pushing open the door Mikey stepped inside and saw...nothing! There was no sign of Gerard, just like everywhere else he'd looked. Mikey plopped down on one of the benches and put his head in his hands, where the fuck was Gerard?

At about that time, maybe a few minutes later, in a small curtained cubicle in the E.R of the local hospital, Gerard Way was slowly coming around.

"Well hi there..."

A light and friendly female voice said to his left, as he groaned quietly and tried to sit up.

"Woah kiddo, slow down..."

He felt two hands restraining him, gently pushing down on his chest.

"You need to rest."

Succumbing to her gentle tone and soft touch, Gerard let himself be guided back down. Even with his eyes tight shut he could tell where he was. He could smell disinfectant and puke, lovely combination! (Sarcasm...cause killing people is illegal!) and he could hear the soft *beep beep beep* of a heart monitor nearby...though luckily it sounded like it was too far away to be connected to him...which meant his condition wasn't that bad.

But thinking about it, what exactly was his condition?...cause try as he may, Gerard couldn't remember what had happened to put him in here...this time.

The other half-dozen times he'd landed in the E.R had been from Frank related injuries, but he had a weird feeling like that wasn't the case today.

The nurse, he presumed that's who she was otherwise they had a bad security problem around here, had left his side now, apparently leaving him alone. Carefully opening his eyes to the stark white room and blindingly bright fluorescent lights, Gerard blinked a few times to adjust, then realised he wasn't actually alone...someone was sitting next to his bed.

"Hi..."

A slightly squeaky voice spoke to him. Gerard turned his head towards his visitor and was more than a little shocked when he saw who it was.

"Err...hi."

Sat at his bedside, munching on skittles, was the boy with the big curly hair. What was he doing here? The boy grinned.

"I'm Ray. How you feeling?"

Gerard groaned slightly, squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing his hand over his face, wincing as his fingers met the grazed skin.

"Just peachy, thanks..."

He said quietly, but with a wry smile touching his split lips.

"What even happened?"

He asked, opening his eyes again to look at his visitor. Ray studied his hands, a small frown spreading over his face .

"I don't know for certain..."

He muttered, keeping his eyes down.

"I found you on the locker room floor..."

He finally met Gerard's gaze.

"You were pretty messed up dude."

Gerard screwed his face up as he tried unsuccessfully to remember what had happened. He recalled what happened on the bus, his book being taken, the photocopies being plastered all over the place for everyone to see. And he remembered being tripped and kicked and hit, a lot more than usual...it was almost like, when Frank was there everyone else backed off...but why would that be?

"Err, Ray?..."

Gerard began timidly. The older boy raised his eyebrows, signalling for him to continue.

"You're Frank's friend, right?..."

Ray frowned, then nodded.

"It's just...he hates me, so why are you helping me?..."

Ray looked back at his hands and blushed slightly. Wait, what?

"Also..."

Gerard had to ask.

"Why does everyone seem to push me around less when he's there?"

The words came out in a bit of a rush, but he thought they made sense, right? Ray sighed deeply, his head still bowed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingertips, before returning Gerard's gaze.

"I don't exactly agree with the way Frank treats you. I mean he has his reasons I guess, but I would've forgiven you by now..."

Ray scratched his chin, a thoughtful look coming over his face.

"And the others...well thing is..."

He hesitated, like he wasn't sure if he should go on or not, then appeared to decide that it was for the best.

"Frank kinda made it known a long time ago that you were his to mess with, no one else's. I guess they figured that as he wasn't in today, they got a free pass or something."

Gerard took in this new information, spinning it around in his head. So Frank kept the other worse bullies at bay?...Why? If he hated Gerard as much as he seemed to, why not just let everyone have a pop at him? Gerard's head hurt. This was too confusing.

"Ray?"

"Yeah?"

Gerard smiled slightly.

"Thanks for helping me..."

Ray grinned back, shrugging one shoulder at him.

"And for staying...you didn't have to."

Ray blushed again...and again, what?...but didn't turn away.

"I wanted to..."

He murmured, his eyes meeting the younger boy's.

"What happened to you, it...it shouldn't have, cause you're nice and sweet and..."

Ray swallowed and looked back at his hands nervously.

"...and cute."

The last two words were little more than a whisper, but Gerard heard them and now it was his turn to blush.

"You...you think I'm...cute?"

He breathed, face burning cherry red. Ray looked up through his curls, a sly smile spreading over his face.

"Yeah, I do..."

He reached over and carefully took Gerard's hand in his.

You're very cute."

Gerard giggled, he couldn't help it and instantly felt mortified, eyes wide and hand slapping over his mouth. But Rat thought it was the most adorable thing he'd ever heard, and grinned wide at Gerard's shyness.

"Err, Gerard?..."

He asked, his nerves starting to kick in now. Gerard just stared back at him, cheeks still flushed pink

"I know we never actually talked before this..."

Gerard nodded in agreement.

"But I was wondering..."

He swallowed hard.

"Would you go out with me?...like on a...date?"

Gerard felt a few butterflies fluttering around in his belly as his cheeks started to heat up again. Ray was sweet and kind...and sure, he wasn't quite as cute as Frank, but that was never gonna happen, so perhaps it was time to let go of his stupid, childish crush. Perhaps it was time to move on now. Gerard took a deep breath in and looked into Ray's dark brown eyes. Yes, time to let go. Releasing the breath and with it, years of longing and pining for Frank fucking Iero...Gerard smiled.

"I'd like that..."

He all but whispered.

"I'd like it a lot."

Ray beamed a 100 watt smile at him, before leaning forward and gently pressing his lips to Gerard's. The kiss was soft and sweet...just lips, no tongue. When they pulled apart, keeping their fingers entwined, Gerard smiled shyly.

"That...that was my f-first kiss."

He whispered. Ray's jaw dropped.

"Really?...cause you're very good at it."

He smirked, laughing softly at the way Gerard's cheeks turned pink. Gerard rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but giggle along.

Just then, the nurse returned.

"How are we doing in here then?..."

She asked cheerily, getting smiles and giggles in reply. She smiled back.

"Well, I need to get some details from you..."

She looked at Gerard.

"Like your date of birth, and your parents' contact number?"

Gerard scowled.

"I don't want them here."

He muttered, staring down at his and Ray's interlaced fingers. Ray squeezed his hand lightly.

"Babe?..."

Gerard glanced at him.

"You ok?"

Gerard felt tears gathering in his eyes. He really, really didn't want to talk about it.

The nurse, who'd introduced herself as Jasmin, spent the next ten minutes trying to get Gerard to give her his parents' contact details. He refused. Eventually she gave up and left with an exasperated sigh, looking briefly at Ray as if to say "You try."

The two boys were left alone, sat in a slightly awkward silence, Gerard scowling at the ceiling, while Ray tried to figure out what to say.

"Err...Gerard?..."

He began after a few minutes. The younger boy turned watery eyes toward him. Ray swallowed and stared down at their joined hands.

"Why don't you want your mum called?..."

Gerard returned his gaze to the ceiling without a word. Ray frowned.

"What about Mikey?...I could call him for you, if you'd like?"

Gerard considered this for a moment. Mikey was probably worried about him and if told not to, he wouldn't tell their parents where Gerard was. Relaxing slightly, Gerard turned to face a hopeful looking Ray.

"Ok..."

He murmured.

"Call Mikey, but tell him not to tell mum and dad where I am. I don't want them here."

Ray smiled and leaned forward, gently kissing the younger boy's soft lips.

"I'll be right back babe."

He waved his cellphone at Gerard to say he was going to make the call, then quietly left the room. Gerard lay there waiting for his new...boyfriend?...to return.

He'd never had a boyfriend before...Hell, he hadn't even had any normal friends except for Mikey since he was 7, but...boyfriend?...that was something he never thought could happen.

The closest he'd ever came to one was that jerk Robert, who'd approached him after gym two years ago and grabbed him inside his boxers...but he guessed that constituted more an assault, than a relationship.

Gerard hadn't thought about Robert or what he'd done for a long time. It had been pushed to the deepest, darkest corner of his mind, shoved in a box, and buried six foot under...so why had he thought of it now?

Shuddering in revulsion, Gerard tried to lock the memory back up...problem was that it kept resurfacing...digging its way up like a zombie climbing from its grave.

Gerard looked toward the door. What was taking Ray so long? It was only a phone call for fuck sake.

The memory of Robert, a senior at the time so what the fuck he was doing in the locker rooms with a bunch of Freshmen was anybody's guess, played like a sick movie through his head...

Robert walked up to Gerard, towering over him by at least a foot and crowding him against the lockers. Frightened that he was going to get hit, cause that's what usually happened, Gerard closed his eyes and braced for the impact. But instead of striking the thin, cowering boy, Robert slapped one hand over Gerard's mouth, insuring his silence and pinning his back to the cold metal locker door while the other hand slid down inside the terrified boy's underwear to wrap around his soft dick. Tears of pain and humiliation streamed down the 12 year old's face as the older boy, practically a man, touched him and whispered dirty things in his ear, while his 14 year old classmates stood and laughed at him...not one of them trying to stop the assault.

Snapping back to the present, sweat and tears dripping from his face, Gerard attempted to slow his rapid, panicked breathing. Why?...why were these memories invading his mind now?...what had happened to bring them all back?...was it what had landed him in this hospital bed?...what the fuck had happened to him...and why couldn't he remember?

Digging his fingernails into the palms of his hands, his heart racing and his head starting to spin, Gerard felt his stomach clench harshly and then he was retching, and gagging, and throwing up the tiny amount of food in his belly, all over the side of the bed.

And then, everything went black.

When Ray returned after calling Mikey, he was shocked to see a nurse, not Jasmin, leaning over Gerard's bed and attempting to wake the boy...and there was the vile smell of vomit, lingering in the air.

"W-what happened?"

Ray stuttered out, concern raising his voice an octave. The nurse, a girl with mousy brown hair and a slightly lazy right eye, turned to look at the tall boy with the impressive fro.

"Puked and fainted."

She said bluntly, turning back to her patient and checking his vitals for a second time, before just walking away. Ray gawped after the standoffish nurse for a moment, then realising that she wasn't coming back, went to sit beside the unconscious boy.

"Gerard?...babe? Come on, wake up."

He leaned forward over the bed and held Gerard's hand in his. When this didn't gain the desired response, Ray huffed and sat back in his seat.

A few minutes later, a girl that didn't look older than 15 and who was wearing a pink and white candy striper's uniform, came wandering over to the bedside and proceeded to clean up the small amount of sick that the nurse hadn't even bothered with. Despite her face showing disgust at the job, it also looked like she was used to it,and removed the offending mess without a word, then left.

A bit bored, Ray pulled out his iPhone and opened the Fruit Ninja app. He'd become a little obsessed with this game lately and was quickly so engrossed in fruit chopping fun that he didn't realise that Gerard was waking up.

"Urgh...w-what happened?"

He groaned, mouth tasting like something died in there. Ray looked up from his game and grinned.

"Hey babe. Nurse said you, and I quote...'Puked and fainted'..."

He chuckled at the look on the younger boy's face.

"How you feelin'?"

"Like I been chewing on a dead rat. You couldn't get me a coffee, could you?..."

Gerard looked up at the older boy with pleading eyes.

"Pleeease?"

Ray rolled his eyes then grinned.

"Sure, no probs. I called Mikey by the way."

"And?"

Gerard prompted.

"He's on his way. He'd spent half the day looking for you."

Ray frowned, standing up to go fetch the drink. Should he have called sooner?

"Actually I'm here..."

Mikey's voice came from the doorway. Gerard and Ray's heads snapped around.

"My God. What the Hell happened to you Gee?...I was so worried when I couldn't find you."

He crossed the room quickly and pulled his brother into a bone-crushing hug.

"Fthdfhvjjjg..."

Gerard mumbled, his face buried in his sibling's chest. Mikey held him out to arms length and cocked an eyebrow in question. Gerard sighed and looked at the floor.

"I don't know what happened...I don't remember..."

Mikey frowned at him like he wasn't convinced.

"Honest Mikey...it's like...a black hole. Nothing."

Actually, that wasn't entirely true. He hadn't remembered before...but now, it was starting to come back to him. The humiliation, the fear...the pain. Oh God the pain! But Gerard wouldn't let on. He was supposed to be the big brother, not the weak one who needed taking care of. And he could imagine how upset Mikey would be if he knew the whole truth. No, he wouldn't tell. No one needed to know this and he could cope on his own...right?

Mikey sat on the edge of Gerard's bed, one arm wrapped protectively around his brother's thin shoulders while they waited for Ray to return.

"Sooo..."

Mikey began. Gerard turned wide eyes his way.

"Ray, huh?"

Mikey smirked. Gerard blushed pink and looked anywhere but at his nosey little brother.

"Well, I thought it was time to move on..."

He murmured quietly, then looked up at Mikey.

"You keep telling me to forget about Frank."

Mikey smiled and shook his head sadly.

"Like you're ever gonna do that..."

He squeezed Gerard to him.

"Ray's a good guy though. You could do a lot worse."

Gerard knew that was true, but he'd spent so long pining over his little black-haired boy that he wasn't sure he was really ready to let go just yet. Just as Gerard started to imagine life without his Frank obsession, Ray returned with three Starbucks take-out cups.

"Coffee in this place sucks..."

He explained, handing the brothers a cup each.

"...so I went across the road.. What did I miss?"

Notes

Hi there chipmunks, how's you?

If if you've not read this before...enjoy.
xxx