Frank was just sitting on the little brick wall that outlined the garden when he heard s bang. He looked around the small playground of his elementary school and found nothing that would have been the sauce to the cause.

“Now I have no food,” Frank heard someone say. He turned around and there, that was what happened. A boy that was Frank’s age who had shoulder length hair – girl’s hair – and had hazel eyes so bright that Frank had to stare at him last week when he saw them.

As his mom would say if Frank did something creative “that’s very pretty, Frank”, Frank thought Gerard was very pretty. But now, today, he had milk all over his black shirt and Derek had pushed his food to the floor and shoved Gerard’s shoulders.

No, Frank wouldn’t let this happen to Gerard. They have never spoken but Frank shall still become his knight in not-so-shinning-but-really-dirty-and-mom-should-wash-it Frankenstein shirt.

Frank jumped off from the wall and stormed over to where this was all playing out.

“Leave him alone, Derek, he didn’t do anything and now he has nothing to eat because of you,” Frank said.

“What are you going to do about it, dwarf? Go and tell snow-white to come save you?” Derek did not know who he was messing with.

“Oh and how do you know about who is in snow-white, Derek? Does your mommy read it to you before you sleep?”

Gerard, Derek and Derek’s friends all gasped at Frank’s come-back, making Frank grin; proud of himself.

“Stay out of this, midget,” Derek says completely ignoring Frank’s totally awesome come-back now.

Derek then pushed Frank out of the way and pushed Gerard to the ground causing laughter to sound out around the little group that has started to form.

Frank helped Gerard up and smiled at him before turning back to back Derek. He lunged himself at the taller boy and flung his arms and legs around him, hitting him wherever he could lay his hands. At one point he bit Derek’s shoulder.

“Frank Iero, get off Derek this instant,” Mrs Charles yelled.

Frank didn’t get off though, he started kicking and screaming, telling Derek not to hurt Gerard again or he will kill him. Frank and Gerard still don’t even know each other though so it’s all a bit confusing for Gerard, watching Frank with admiring eyes.

When the teacher finally managed to pry Frank off of Derek and take him to the nurse, Frank and Gerard were being led to the principal’s office.

“Does someone want to tell me what happened today in the playground?” Mr Johnson asked the two small boys in front of him.

Gerard shook his head causing his hair to hide his eyes which were starting to get shinny and wet, indicating the little boy might cry soon.

Frank looked over at the taller boy and screwed up his face in thought of how to put the story without embarrassing Gerard.

“Well, you see, Mister, Derek was being all mean to Gerard and put is food on the floor and as you can see,” he points to Gerard’s shirt, “poured his milk on him. He had no food and I’m pretty sure he called him rude names.”

“So how did you get involved, Frank?” Mr Johnson rubbed his eyes. Frank was always in his office and he told the stories of why he was in the fight in such a way it could be either cute or tiering.

“Well you see I was sitting by them flowers when I heard the whole thing. I’s went over there and told him,” he put on a voice for himself, “leave Gerard alone. Then he tolds me,” a voice for Derek, “no, midget. So I got mad and then he pushed Gerard and I attacked him. Mom says I’m like dad and have a short temper and I make her life difficult” Frank was grinning at that statement as if making life difficult was what he wanted to do in life. It probably was.

“Is this what happened, Gerard?” Mr Johnson asked the bigger of the boy. All he got was a nod in return.

Mr Johnson sighed and told the boys to wait outside while he called their parents.
“I’m Frank,” Frank said, bouncing on the balls of his feet slightly.

“Gerard,” Gerard says shyly even though he knows Frank knows his name and he knows Franks. It’s kind of hard to miss an overly energetic small boy in the small elementary school.

“Are you okay, Gerard?” Frank asked, frowning at him in concern. Gerard nodded and pulled his fists into his jumper more.

“You wanna come to my place after school and play games with me?” Frank asked positively beaming at the other kid.

Gerard smiled and nodded at his new friend, “I’ll have to ask my ma, but I would love to.”

“Good!” Frank said and his grin – if you can believe it – stretched even wider. Frank was so happy to have a new, pretty, damsel in distress friend that he hardly noticed when his mom walked in through the door.

“Frankie, why do you always have to get into fights?” She asked her small son as she bent down to kiss him on the forehead.

“Mom, can Gerard come over after school today? I really want to have my friend over,” Frank asked with his puppy dog face – as mom called it – in full swing.

“Frankie, I should very well say no as a punishment for getting into a fight,” she looked over at her son’s new friend and he too was pulling an unbearably cute puppy face. “Ugh, we’ll have to see if his parents are okay with it first though.”

Frank grinned and kissed his mother’s cheek before turning around and hugging his also smiling friend.

*

After Donna had arrived and talked to Linda about letting the boys have a play date, they were called in Mr Johnson’s office for a word.

When they came out, not upset with the boys as Gerard didn’t do anything and Frank was only protecting him, Linda took the boys to the Iero house.

“Come on, Gerard,” Frank giggled and pulled his friends hand and hopped up the driveway to the front door where he started bouncing up and down so fast he was almost a blur.

“I’m right behind you, Frankie, you haven’t let go of my hand, I can’t get away even if I wanted to,” Gerard giggled behind him.

Frank grinned and tugged his friend up the stairs and into his room after Linda had opened the door.

“Wow, your room is so cool, Frankie,” Gerard said as he turned around and took in the poster of Elmo above the bed which had batman covers on it.

“Yep and when I grow up and get taller, I’m going to become an Elmo Batman,” Frank explained to his friend.

“Really?” Gerard asked eyes wide at how cool his new best friend is. Frank hummed and walked backwards and sat down on his bed, patting the spot next to him for Gerard.

Gerard smiled and walked over, but tripped and fell over a toy of some sort and went face-first into the ground.

“Oh no!” Frank cried out rushing to his friend’s side and helping him up. “Are you okay, Gee?”
Gerard nodded and dusted his pants off.

Linda, who heard the thud, came up stairs to see what was going on and to make sure she didn’t have two children but one pulse.

“I’ll protect you, Gerard, always,” she heard Frank say. She smiled and poked her head in the room just in time to see Frank kiss Gerard’s cheek.

Both boys grew red in the face and smiled at one another. Linda’s heart swelled at the sight of the two boys.

*

“Are you nervous, man?” Ray asked Gerard as he helped straighten up his bow tie. Gerard nodded but struggled to contain his smile. After all, in about half an hour, he was going to his own wedding and he was going to be married to his best friend who saved him from bullies all those years ago in elementary school.

Notes

Thanks for reading this, I know that I'm not that good of a writer but I gave it a shot. Let me know what you think, okay? xoxo