Gerard called Lindsey immediately, his hands shaking with nervousness and excitement. He put the call on speakerphone and a smooth, sweet voice said: "Ballato."

"Hey, Lin, it's Gerard!" He said. He and Lindsey had been drinking buddies in college, which transferred over to Lindsey helping him find guys. Usually, when Gerard called Lindsey, it meant he was looking for cheap booze and a good fuck. Not today, though.

"Hey, Gee!" She cried happily. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Gerard nodded. "I have a favor to ask you."

"Fire away."

"You're aware of how I don't find women sexually appealing?" Gerard asked and Lindsey made a sound of agreement. "Well, my dad is coming into town, and he doesn't really support it. I have a boyfriend, so obviously I can't let him meet Dad, and I was wondering—"

"If I would masquerade as your girlfriend for the night to get your dad off you back?" Lindsey finished.

"Exactly," Gerard answered.

Lindsey pretended to think about it for a few seconds before saying: "Of course I'll help, Gee. I'll do just about anything for you."

"Oh my God, Lin, thank you so much," Gerard breathed. "You're a lifesaver."

"Don't mention it," Lindsey said. "What time? I'll just swing by your house."

"Six," Geratd said.

"Okay, six works," Lindsey said. "So, what are you currently doing?"

"Having coffee with my lovely boyfriend," Gerard said and kissed Frank's cheek, making the younger blush. "We woke up pretty late; restless night."

"Oh, restless," Lindsey said and clicked her tongue. "Right, got it."

"No, really. I kept having these really weird dreams."

"Hey, whatever story floats your boat, kid," Lindsey said. "Since you're being horrifically domestic and mundane, I'll tell you about my exciting morning. So, first I woke up at my band member's apartment, my mouth tasting of cheap whiskey and cigarettes that were also not very expensive. My fishnets were ripped to hell, and my lipstick was smeared across my cheek. On the two block walk to my apartment, I was mistaken for a prostitute three times. All I desired when I was at Kitty's place was ramen and a hot shower but, now that those things are at my disposal, the thought revolts me."

"It's not even 10 o'clock and you're already getting mistaken for a hooker," Gerard said and Lindsey laughed. "At least tell me they thought you were high class."

"I doubt it," Lindsey said. "I mean, ripped fishnets, dirty All Stars, red lipstick all across my face, my breath reaking of morning and whiskey? That screams high class."

"For some people, that is high class," Gerard argued jokingly.

"Yeah, but no one I'd want to nail," Lindsey said bluntly and Frank giggled. "Hold up, who was that? Whoever that is, are they a stoner?"

"No, he's not a stoner," Gerard said. "Not at the present moment. No, that was my adorable boyfriend, Frank. Say hi, Frankie."

"Gee, I'm not five," Frank said and smiled, kissing Gerard's cheek. "But, no, I'm not a stoner."

"Holy shit! I know you!" Lindsey cried. "You're Frankie of Pencey Prep! Goddamn, you can scream. It's impressive, kid. Gee, why didn't you tell me you were boning Frankie?"

"Well, see, the thing about that is that Gerard isn't the one doing the boning," Frank said and Gerard was glad that his mother wasn't in the room. "In fact, he's only ever topped twice before."

"I always knew it," Lindsey said.

"'So' he said, changing the subject," Gerard said. "What're you doing currently?"

"I'm sitting on my couch on nothing but a Metallica shirt and frilly panties, watching reruns of Cribs whilst eating Fruit Loops."

"Putting that art major to good use, I see."

"I actually am. Yep, my diploma is hanging on my wall, covering a bit of drywall that got punched out."

"That sounds exhilarating, Lin," Gerard said.

"Living the dream," Lindsey said. "So, I'm sure you expect me to get all pretty to meet your dad?"

"Yes. Brush your teeth."

"Okay, Mom," Lindsey said. "See you soon."

"Alright, later," Gerard said and Lindsey hung up. "And that's a basic introduction to Lindsey Ann Ballato."

"She sounds amazing," Frank said.

"She really is," Gerard said. "She's pretty badass, too. She plays bass in this rock band called Mindless Self Indulgence and— God, I love this story— when she auditioned, she didn't know how to play. She only got the job because she took a shot of Bacardi and breathed on a match and almost set the place on fire."

"Wow."

"And she does this amazing thing where she'll be, like, playing and she'll do this backbend and her head'll almost touch the ground," Gerard fawned. "And she has tattoos and she's just the funniest person ever. You'll love her."

Frank wasn't sure what to expect of this Lindsey Ballato, but what he got was not at all what he thought she would be like. She had tan skin and dyed-black hair pulled up into pigtails. Her red plaid skirt was a bit wrinkled, but the color perfectly matched her embellished vest. Her coffee-colored eyes were lined with thick, black eyeliner brought out to a point, and her lips were painted a glossy red. She was only about an inch shorter than Gerard, factoring in the heeled boots she had on. There was no denying that Lindsey was beautiful— even Frank had to admit it.

"Holy shit, it's really you," Lindsey laughed when she saw Frank lounging on the couch. "Okay, honestly, you were amazing in Pencey."

"Thank you," Frank said and stood up, hugging Lindsey. Once they pulled away, Frank examined Lindsey once more and said: "Your sleeve there's pretty badass."

From on her shoulder to the elbow on her left arm, Lindsey had a full sleeve of technicolor ink. She also had a small embellishment on her thigh, but it was barely visible through her fishnet tights. "Thank you," Lindsey said. "Your scorpion's pretty badass."

"It's my newest one," Frank said. "I got it in October."

"Tattoos really suit you," Lindsey said. Frank noticed that she stood in a very confident manner, her back straight, her hands on her hips, chin held high.

"As do they on you," Frank said and Lindsey smiled.

"Alright, so I'm gonna steal Gee away from for the next two hours, and return him at 8:30 to 9:00-ish. That cool?"

"You can keep him," Frank said as Gerard pulled on his jacket.

"Ew, no, I don't want him," Lindsey said, wrinkling her nose. "He's weird."

"Not any weirder than you, Miss 'I-Have-A-Coat-Hanger-Tattoo'," Gerard argued.

"Shut up," Lindsey laughed and examined Gerard. His skin was a big paler than her own, and his neck was littered in day old lovebites. His black hair hung a bit above his chin, tucked behind his ear and accentuating his sharp jawline. His hazel-green eyes held the same amusement as they always had, despite the somewhat subtle mood change. Gerard wore a white dress shirt underneath a dark blue sweater, paired with black jeans and Converse the same color as his sweater. "You look pretty good, kid," Lindsey said, gently pushing his shoulder.

"Thanks, Lin," Gerard said, blushing slightly. "Where's your coat?"

"I am impervious to the cold," Lindsey said. "C'mon, we should get going. Don't want to leave Dad waiting."

As it turned out, Gerard and Lindsey were the ones doing the waiting. "He's 25 minutes late," Gerard grumbled. "God, would it kill him to be on time for once?"

Lindsey examined the restaurant for a few seconds before nodding her head in the direction of the door and asking: "Isn't that him?" Gerard looked up from his lap to see his father across the room, and waved slightly to catch his attention.

Donald Way made his way to their table and Gerard hugged him tightly. "Hi, Dad," Gerard said, trying to will away his anger. He pulled away and Lindsey stood up, hugging Donald as well.

"I'm Lindsey," she introduced herself. "It's really nice to meet you."

"The same with you," Donald said politely. The three sat back down, Lindsey next to Gerard, with Donald across the table. "You've got yourself a real looker here, son," Donald said and Lindsey blushed, looking down at her lap in an attempt to act shy.

"Thank you, Mr. Way," she said, smiling a bit.

"No, baby, don't do that," Gerard said and gently lifted Lindsey's head up, like Frank had done with him the day before. "You're too beautiful to hide your face."

"Thank you, Gee," she said and pressed a kiss to Gerard's cheek.

"So, how long have you two been dating?" Donald asked.

"September," Gerard said. "Then we took a break in October so that Lin could tour with her band, and we got back together in November, so right around three to five months."

"That's impressive," Donald nodded. "How did you meet?"

This question brought tension to the table. Gerard couldn't tell the actual story of how he and Lindsey met: a drunk night at the bar that resulted in Gerard concluding that he did not, in fact, like women; nor could be tell the story of how he and Frank met: after a Pencey show, resulting in Gerard concluding that Frank was an innocent puppy dog.

"We got paired up for a project in art class," Lindsey lied quickly. "I had seen Gerard on the other side of the room, and I always thought he looked pretty nice." Just as she was finishing her sentence, she jerked slightly and pulled her phone out of a pocket of her skirt. The screen read Jessicka, and the thing was vibrating. "I'm really sorry, but I have to take this," Lindsey said and gave Gerard's cheek another kiss before sliding out of her seat.

Once she she was out of earshot, Donald asked: "Have you been thinking about marriage?"

"We've only been dating for three months," Gerard said. "That's a bit rushed, isn't it?"

"I only dated your mother for four months before j asked her to marry me," Donald informed his son. "In any case, I'm glad you grew out of the Rocky Horror phase you were going through in high school." It took Gerard a few seconds to understand what his father meant by 'Rocky Horror phase' but, when he did, his fists clenched under the table.

"No, I haven't been thinking about marriage," Gerard said, changing the subject back to try to subdue his anger. "I'm not sure if I want to marry Linds—"

"Son, if you want to marry her, marry her," Donald said. "She's already yours— I saw the hickey on her neck, don't pretend. Just ask the question and she'll undoubtably say yes."

Gerard hadn't even noticed the red mark high up on Lindsey's neck, almost below her ear. In the years that he had known her, he had grown to look past the mouth-shaped bruises on her body.

"Are you saying that if I want to have sex with a girl before marriage, I can, but if I do the same with a man, I'n going to hell?" Gerard asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

After thoroughly weighing the outcomes of his next words, Gerard said: "Do you know who David Cassidy is?"

"I don't believe I do," Dinald answered.

"He's a musician, was in the Partridge Family," Gerard said. "Mikey says I'm a lot like him. I don't see it, but I do know one big difference."

"What would that be?" Donald asked.

Gerard leaned forward in his seat, lowering his voice: "I suck way more dick that David Cassidy."

"Gerard Arthur Way!" Donald exclaimed.

"Yeah, my Rocky Horror phase? I never grew out of it," Gerard said, his voice still at a whisper. " I like guys, Dad. I have a boyfriend; his name's Frank."

"Gerard, you stop it right now," Donald demanded.

"I love Frankie, Dad," Gerard said. "He's so perfect. He's smart and funny and he's gorgeous... And he tastes like heaven." Gerard knew he was pushing the boundaries, but fuck boundaries. "I don't usually like things inside of me, but Frankie... He feels so fucking good; fills me right up."

"Your mother would be horrified."

"She already knows," Gerard said. "Hell, I still live in the basement. Every night, she hears my mattress squeaking; my screams; my name on Frank's breath. All of it."

"I'm really sorry about that," Lindsey said, sitting back down. "Jess would not shu—" she stopped talking when she noticed the death glare Gerard was giving his father. "Gee, baby, what's wrong?"

"I thought I raised you better than this," Donald said.

"See, that's the thing," Gerard said. "I was born like this. I was born to fuck guys."

Lindsey's eyes widened and she awkwardly said: "I'll be back... Have t'call Jess again..." She left the table again, leaving the two alone once more.

"Frankie'll leave beautiful marks all over my body," Gerard said, his voice still low, as to not let the neighboring tables hear what he was saying. "All over my chest and hips and stomach; down my legs and neck. I'm convinced Frank's mouth can work magic."

Donald didn't comment; he just frowned.

Gerard was spurred on by Donald's reaction. "He feels so perfect when he's inside of me. I can't help but feel amazing when Frankie's fucking me. And his fingers are works of art, they feel so good when they're inside me. I've only ever bottomed; never topped. It's so much fun to bottom— your g-spot gets hit every. Fucking. Time."

"That is enough," Donald said firmly. "It's bad enough that you aren't following God's way, but you seem to have the world wrapped around your finger—your mother, your brother. Lindsey, Frank." He spat Frank's name at Gerard.

"I could ride Frankie all day if I wanted to," Gerard breathed, not bothering to listen to his father's opinions. "And he has these tattoos on his chest and neck, God, they taste so nice. So sweet... Just like his cum."

"That's it!" Donald said and abruptly stood up, drawing the attention of the tables around them. "I have had it with you, Gerard."

Gerard hoped his acting was as good as he thought it was. "Dad, please," he whimpered, trying to look like a bigger victim than he actually was. "Please, just listen—"

"Listen?" Donald scoffed. "You lost that right when you went against my rules. Think about your poor mother— she has to deal with having you as a son."

"Dad, I'm sorry," Gerard said, letting fake tears roll down his face. "But I love Frank."

"As long as you love that man, you are not my son," Donald hissed. "I don't want any association with a dirty faggot like you."

"I love him," Gerard said, his tears suddenly becoming real.

"Like hell you do," Donald said and leaves a less the table, taking Gerard's shirt collar in his hands and lifting him up to meet his face. "You will break up with Frank, tell him that you don't love him anymore. Do you understand me?"

"Please, no!" Gerard sobbed. "I can't do that to Frankie, I can't do it!"

"Do you understand me?" Donald boomed and Gerard whimpered, nodding his head quickly. Donald let go of Gerard's shirt, letting him plummet back to his seat.

As Donald walked away, Gerard buried his face in his arms, gasping sobs escaping his throat. his father's words bounced around inside his head, making him cry harder. Raised you better than this... Dirty faggot... Tell him you don't love him anymore.

"Gee?" A soft voice said and Gerard looked up to see Lindsey standing there, watching him sadly. "Are you okay?"

Gerard sniffed and stood up, hugging Lindsey tightly. "No," he said, still crying. "I'm not o-fucking-kay."

---

---

Gerard got home hours later, exhausted from crying. He hung up his jacket and shoved his hair out of his face, making his way to the basement.

"I thought you'd never come back," Frank said once Gerard enter his room. He got off the bed and hugged him tightly, kissing Gerard's neck. Gerard took fistfuls of the Smiths shirt that Frank wearing and tore it over his head.

"Frankie," Gerard breathed. Frank wore nothing underneath the oversized shirt, and he pressed himself against Gerard, still fully clothed. "I love you, Frankie."

"I love you too, Gee," Frank said and pulled Gerard's sweater off, quickly undoing the buttons on his shirt. He pushed the shirt off of Gerard's body and immediately got to work on getting Gerard's pants off as well.

"Hold on, baby," Gerard said once Frank started to pull down his underwear. "I... I need to tell you something."

"Are you okay?" Frank asked.

"Not really," Gerard said, placing his hands on Frank's bare hips. "I... Came out to my dad tonight and he, umm... told me that I wasn't his son, so long as I loved a man. He made me promise to break up with you, but I can't do that to either of us."

"Who does he think he is?" Frank asked.

"I don't know, but I know that he won't stop until he gets what he want," Gerard said. "Frankie, I'm afraid for your life. It would be best for everyone if we just stop seeing each other."

"No!" Frank said defiantly. "Gee, I love you too much. I'm never leaving you, not even when death is staring me in the face."

"I love you too, Frankie," Gerard said, squeezing Frank's thin hips. "Now, weren't we about to do something?" Gerard asked with a smirk and Frank eagerly reconnect their lips, pushing Gerard back so that he was trapped in between the wall and his naked boyfriend.

Fuck it if it's sinful, Gerard thought, Frank kissing every inch of his body he could reach. It's damn heavenly.

Notes

xoøli