**Small Time Lapse**



About two weeks had gone by since I told my friends the news and I started getting to know Gerard a bit more. He spent a lot of time at my house after school (if I wasn’t working) and on the weekends. I was also getting to know Mikey better and Pete, seeing as how the four us spent a ton of time together, too.

Dad finally got home from Dubai, so a few days after he got home I invited Gerard over for dinner to finally meet him. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous having my father meet him, not that I didn’t think dad would like Gerard, but I figured Gerard wouldn’t really like him. Dad is great and all, but he’s also a hard ass sometimes and he comes off as a total douche at first- guess that’s part of the “business man” in him. I brought Gee home with me from school that Thursday and I could tell by his demeanor how nervous he was to meet my dad. I placed my hand over his, which was lying in his lap as we drove towards my house.
“Gee, he’s going to like you.”
“H-how do you know? I feel like he’s going to hate me. He’s gonna sense that I’m gay or something and tell me to get out of his home” I couldn’t help but laugh a little at the scenario he’d formed in his head.
“Why the hell would you think he would do that to you? I mean, sure dad can be an ass but it’s not like he can “smell the gay on you” or some shit. You have to remember too that my parents don’t even know I’m gay so they aren’t looking at you in the “oh this is the guy dating my son” kind of way. They just think you’re my totally awesome new friend who just so happens to be agonizingly adorable as well.” I said smiling. Gerard blushed and gave me a smirk.
“Yeah… I guess that’s true. I’m sorry Frankie, just nervous. I want your dad to like me as much as your mom does.” Over the past few weeks, Gerard had been at my house almost every day, so him and mom had started getting fairly close. In fact, gee was already calling her momma and she referred to him on several occasions as her “adopted baby”. As strange as it was for the boy I’m crazy about to be calling my mom “momma”, for my mom to be calling him “adopted baby”, and my mom sometimes referring to us as “brothers”, I have to admit that I adored how close they had become and that my mom genuinely loved Gerard- I mean, how could she not?

We pulled up in front of my house and I let go of Gee’s hand. We were still working on the “friends before anything” step so we rarely held hands or anything, but his nerves were eating away at him and I knew the contact was easing him a bit. I grabbed my backpack and began getting out of the car, Gerard taking in a deep breath and slowly releasing it before staggering out.
“Stop being so nervous. He’s going to love you, silly”
“I can’t help it! I don’t even know why I’m so damn nervous- guess I just care what they think of me more than I would with anybody else.” Gerard said quietly while looking down at his feet and scratching the side of his nose.
“Why is that? I mean, they’re cool parents and all but they don’t mean that much” I said with a light laugh
“Because Frankie. They’re your parents. If they don’t like me… well… well I don’t know what I’d do” I couldn’t stop the smile that formed and the blush that painted my cheeks.
“Hey, let’s stop saying they. My mom is basically obsessed with you, so we can’t count her anymore” We both laughed
“And dad is just as cool as mom for the most part. I really think you two will get along. Just talk about music and act interested when he tells a story about his work… you’ll be fine.”
We walked through the front door and threw our bags in the basket by the stairs. I heard the TV on in the living room and figured my parents were in there catching up on one of their shows they watched together. As I suspected, they were sitting on the love seat, curled up in a blanket watching NCIS- I hate to admit it, but these two were the cutest damn couple. I cleared my throat as we walked in and mom snapped her head up to look at Gerard and I.
“Hey guys” I said, walking towards the couch with Gerard following behind.
“Hey baby boys! How was school?” mom asked
“It was school mom. Nothing too exciting.” I sat down and noticed Gerard was still standing up and was walking towards my parents.
“Mr. Iero, I’m Gerard Way” He stuck his hand out towards my dad
“Frank, it’s good to meet you kid. I’ve heard many great things about you. I’m Joseph. You have a firm handshake- I like that. A man’s handshake says a lot about him.” Dad said.
“I agree, sir. My mother taught me that at a young age” Gerard beamed, knowing he was already in my father’s good graces.
“She’s a smart woman” Dad smiled.
I have to admit, I was pretty proud of Gerard for speaking to my father first and giving him a handshake. For as nervous as the guy was, that was a perfect first impression for anyone who would meet my dad.
Mom had paused the show and we were all sitting down.
“How about I go make us all some coffee. You guys can talk a little more” mom said, getting up and heading to the kitchen.
“This is why you’re the best, honey” dad said while he watched mom walk away-Ew.
“So Gerard, I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I already know you” Dad said with a laugh.
“I agree, sir. I’ve heard quite a bit about you, too. I’m glad to finally get the chance to meet you. How was Dubai?”
“You know, traveling for work is incredible and I’m a blessed man to get to do it, but it’s exhausting without a doubt. I always feel like I have to sleep for three days when I get home just to feel human again”
“I can only imagine. It’s gotta be rough having to switch between time zones all the time. I couldn’t do it” Gerard said
“Honestly, you get use to it” Dad shrugged.
“So you work for IBM? That’s amazing. How did you end up there with such an incredible position?” Anyone watching this conversation could visibly see how much Gerard was sucking up to my dad. He seemed so intrigued with him as if he were interviewing for a job, but of course dad didn’t realize it- he loved this kind of attention and talking about his job. Gerard knew that from the many times I’ve told him; this fucker was good at first impressions.
They talked for a good fifteen minutes about my dad’s work, his traveling, about how Gerard wanted to travel and their mutual love for exotic foods. Mom finally came back in with the coffee and we all sat there in a comfortable silence, sipping away at our mugs.
“So, did you boys find anything interesting to talk about?” Mom asked.
“Gerard and I were just talking about traveling a bit. Kid knows a lot for never being outside this state hardly.” Dad and Gerard both laughed.
“Yeah, I guess I’ve done my research on a few places I’d really love to go” Gee said
“Oh honey! I was telling Frankie and Gerard the other day that maybe over summer when we take a family trip with you, that Gerard could join us!”
Dad looked between Gerard and I and smiled.
“That would be great if you could join us. I don’t get to be around a lot of the time on trips, so I know these two would love having you come along for some extra company” Gerard was beaming and looked like someone had just told him he won $10,000.
“Really? I mean I’d absolutely love to, as long as you guys were ok with it” Gee said
“Oh baby, stop it. I told you two weeks ago that we would love having you and now that Joe said it was ok, you’re more than welcome!” Mom seemed just as thrilled as I was that Gee could come on our trip. Now all I could think about was spending a few weeks of my summer overseas with, who hopefully would be by then, my boyfriend. We all sat around talking about music, school, how Gerard and I met- again, my work and the people mom encounters up at the boutique.
“I’m telling y’all, women are crazy sometimes. Especially when it comes to a sale” We all laughed and agreed with her.
“Must be why Frankie never has girlfriends; they’re all just a little crazy around here.” Dad said while laughing. I practically choked on my coffee and I can only imagine the look that was plastered across my face. All I could really do is lightly laugh and nod in agreement. Gerard, on the other hand, thought this was hilarious and was laughing his ass off.
“You go that right Mr. Iero. These chicks are crazy!”
“Apparently. And Gerard, call me Joe” Dad said with a smile.
These two were getting along even better than I expected, which was great, but they were annoying as hell together. They had that kind of connection where they’d probably eventually gang up on me at some point and make fun of me- Gerard was making me very grateful to be an only child in this moment.

Mom got up and went to the kitchen to start making dinner and I was getting pretty bored sitting here listening to my dad and Gerard talk. I had been getting to know Gee a lot lately, but I had no idea he knew so much about computers. At one point, dad told him that when he graduated high school and needed a job, he would hire him because his knowledge was “outstanding for such a young man” and “they needed more people like him to help grow the company”. As much as I really loved the fact they were getting along, I was feeling a bit annoyed. Gerard and my dad just clicked and I couldn’t help the hint of jealousy I felt. I mean yeah, dad and I were pretty close and we got along great, but the only thing we could really connect on was music. With that in mind, I excused myself and grabbed my guitar from my bedroom, bringing it back down into the living room- now we could all have a conversation about something the three of us were interested in.
“Ah, Frankie, you have any new songs?” Dad asked as he placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Nah, not recently. I’ve just been doing some covers” that was a lie, but I couldn’t exactly play the song I had been writing seeing as how it was about Gerard.
I started playing “21 Guns” by green day and before I knew it, we were all singing along and having a good time. As I was playing, I listened to Gerard as he sang and I couldn’t help my jaw hit the floor; he had the voice of an angel.
“Holy shit Gee, your voice” I said immediately after the song.
“W-what? Don’t make fun of my singing, Frank!” he laughed.
“No, no I’m not. Your voice is incredible. No idea you could sing like that” I was looking at him in awe.
“I have to admit kid, you’ve got some vocals. Pretty impressive.” Dad agreed.
Gerard’s face was a deep red and I almost felt bad for making him feel embarrassed.
“Mm not that good. Thanks though, guys” He said rubbing his left arm.
“Guys, dinner is ready!” mom called from the kitchen. I sat my guitar against the couch and we headed to the dinning room.
“Smells so good, momma” Gee said, causing my mom to smile.
“I hope it tastes as good as it smells! I tried a new recipe tonight, so if its horrible, we can throw it out and order pizza” As great as pizza would have been, moms new recipe ended up being pretty good.
After dinner, mom and dad wanted to finish their show, so Gerard and I went up to my room, grabbing my guitar as we headed for the stairs. I sat at my desk chair while Gerard sat on my bed and I started strumming a few chords.
“You really haven’t written anything new Frankie? I thought you wrote songs all the time” I felt my heart rate pick up a little as he asked the question because hell, the kid knew me too well at this point to believe I truly hadn’t written anything in over three weeks.
“Uh, y-yeah I have written, but it’s nothing good” I said weakly
“I’m sure that’s a lie. Why don’t you show me?”
I swallowed hard and shook my head
“No, I really shouldn’t”
“Please, for me, Frankie” Gerard purred. He knew I couldn’t say no to that- this man was going to kill me.
“O-ok. But, you cant laugh at me. Please. I can’t believe I’m even showing you in the first place.”
Gerard batted his eyes lashes and nodded in agreement. I took a deep breath and tried to steady my shaky hands, beginning to strum the first chords to my song.
“I wanna try
I wanna live all night
And burn out bright
I want you to know what I can't show the outside
It's why I hide

But your friends say I'm no good for you,
What do they know?
Please don't listen to a goddamn thing they say
If tonight's our night, baby
Just don't hurt me, don't hurt me
I'll give you my heart
If tonight's our night, baby
Just don't hate me, don't hate me
For taking your light

I need a love
I want enough to keep my thirst satisfied
I wanna take your hand
Make you understand my side, and our kind”

I stopped playing and looked up at Gerard who was looking at me the same way he did the first time I ever played for him, except there was a sense of desire in his eyes.
“Frankie… can I ask you something and you be honest?”
“Y-yes”
“When did you write that song?”
“About two and a half weeks ago I started, I finished about a week ago”
Gerard looked down to his lap, then back up at me with tears in his eyes.
“D-did you write that about… about me?”
I looked him straight in the eyes and swallowed hard.
“Yes”
Gerard looked into my eyes with his mouth slightly open for a few seconds before he lunged off the bed and kissed me. I happily accepted his lips on mine and let out a soft moan into his mouth. He grabbed my guitar and gently put it to the side without his lips ever leaving mine, and he climbed on to my lap, straddling me. I grabbed one of his hips with one hand and pushed his soft black hair back with the other; his hands were wrapped around my neck and grabbing at my hair. We made out like this for at least three minutes before he broke us apart. We were both panting and I was positive he could feel the not so subtle bulge in my pants that was pressed against his ass. I opened my eyes to see his eyes were still closed, but he was having the same little problem I was having which caused me to smirk. He pressed his forehead to mine and kept his eyes closed
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lunged at you like that, or even kissed you” Gee said
“Shit, no. Don’t be sorry Gee. I’m glad you did”
“Couldn’t help it, Frankie. That song was incredible. I’ve never heard anything like it. So incredible”
I smiled and shook my head against his.
“You’re just saying that because it’s about you”
Gerard snapped his eyes open and leaned back a little so he was looking at me
“No, I mean yes, but no. Even if it weren’t about me it would still be a beautiful song. It being about me is just a huge bonus” He said with a giggle.
“It’s really about me, though?” Gerard asked biting his lip.
“Of course it’s about you. Who the hell else could it possibly be about?”
Gerard sat in my lap, looking down with a smirk on his face then looked back up to me.
“I’m sorry for kissing you like that, I guess I should get up now” He started standing up and I held onto his hips and kept him in place. He gave me a “what the fuck look” and I grabbed his chin and kissed him.
“Frankie, I-“
“No, please Gerard. Please. I’m sick of acting like I’m not crazy about you. I’m sick of pretending like I don’t want to kiss you every second of every day. I’m sick of wanting to hold your hand as we walk to class together, but not doing it because I’m scared. I’m sick of wanting to hold you and be with you. I have been working so hard on getting to know you and making you my best friend. You are my best friend and I’ve learned almost everything there is to know about you. I know your hopes, your dreams, your fears, what makes you smile, what makes you sad, your favorite music and movies, the kind of food you like and how you like it. I know you have to sit in the same spot everyday at the lunch table or you feel uncomfortable the whole lunch period, I know you have to brush your teeth for exactly two minutes and thirty seconds before you go to bed or you wont sleep, I know so much Gee. I know I’m still learning and hell, I hope I never stop learning things about you because it’s exciting to me to learn every crevice of your soul, but I’m so sick of acting like you and me aren’t a thing, because we are. We care so much about each other and I’m ready to move forward with you. Please, don’t keep me away any longer. I want this- I want you”
I had completely spilled my guts and I couldn’t tell if Gerard’s facial expression was shocked in a good or bad way. He finally pulled his face into a smirk and a tear from his watering eyes spilled over.
“I want that too, Frankie.” Gerard whispered
“I’m ready, Gee. I’ve ben taking my time and going slow like we wanted. But I’m ready to make you mine, as cliché as that sounds. I don’t want to be without you anymore. It’s obviously killing both of us to not be together.” We chuckled
“I have to admit, it’s been pretty torturing to not have you. I just wanted you to be ready, truly ready, before we were anything. You coming out all happened so fast and I wanted us to go slow. I really feel like we could be something special, Frankie.” Gerard said while rubbing his thumb up and down my jawline.
“We are something special, Gee” I gave him a soft kiss on the lips.
“Can I ask you something and you not make fun of me and tell me I’m stupid?” Gerard beamed, probably knowing exactly what I was going to ask.
“Of course, Frankie”
“I’ve never done this before, so don’t laugh, but Gee, would you be my boyfriend?” I asked nervously, even though I knew what he would say.
“Yes. Of course, yes Frankie.” He pulled me in close and kissed me passionately.
There I was, sitting in my bedroom and kissing my boyfriend… my BOYFRIEND. Gah, nothing had ever felt so good to say.

We sat there making out for a while before we finally broke apart to look at the time and deciding I should take Gerard home.
“So when are you going to tell your parents, Frankie? Wasn’t that sorta supposed to happen before anything with us happened?” Way to put a damper on the mood, Gee.
“I don’t really know yet. Soon though, I promise. Not gonna hide you from anyone.” I said walking over to Gerard and pulling him into a tight hug.
“Gonna show you off to everyone and let them see how happy we are”
Gerard was smiling wide and I gave him a quick kiss.
“Lets get you home, Gee”
“Mmm, if I have to” Gerard said pouting.
We went downstairs and Gerard grabbed his backpack. My parents were still watching TV in the living room so it was easy to say bye.
“Thank you for dinner momma, it was spectacular, as usual. Joe, it was a pleasure to finally meet you. I look forward to seeing you again! Y’all have a good night”
“Goodnight my sweet adopted baby! I better see you soon. Frankie, you be safe taking him home” Mom said
“It was great meeting you Gerard. Glad Frank has you around to keep him in check.” Dad said with a smile.
“Of course, Joe. Someone’s gotta do it when you’re not around” Gerard laughed. I rolled my eyes and told my parents I’d be back in a bit. On the drive to Gerard’s, we held hands and couldn’t stop smiling at each other like idiots. I had been waiting weeks for this very moment, just to hold him and call him mine. I pulled up to Gerard’s house and he let out a long sigh.
“I don’t want to go inside. I’m not ready to leave you yet” Gee groaned.
“I don’t want you to go either honey, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I know, but I’m going to miss you. I miss you every time I’m not with you.”
“You’re too cute for your own good, ya know that? But I miss you too when I’m not with you.”
Gerard gave me a half smile and leaned in for a kiss. I let my hand run up the side of his cheek and into his hair. He pulled away and over exaggeratedly pouted, causing me to laugh.
“Goodnight Gee, I’ll see you tomorrow”
“Goodnight baby” Gee said with a wink as he climbed out of my jeep.
He hadn’t called me baby before and it sent an electric pulse up my spine that caused a tingle in my legs- I was so crazy about this guy. I drove home on a natural high I didn’t think I’d ever come down from and I allowed my mind to wander about Gerard. I could hold him and kiss him and touch him whenever I’d like to now. Sure, kids at school would start to notice and know I was gay, but I didn’t care. Gerard was officially mine now and nothing could ruin that. I got home and went inside with a smile plastered to my face that couldn’t be removed; I was so past being on cloud 9.
I walked by the living room and to my surprise, my parents were still awake.
“Frankie, you home now?” mom called. I walked into the living room and smiled.
“Yes. I’m home now, just gonna go to bed”
“You boys have fun today?” mom asked looking between dad and I.
“Yeah, we did. I really like Gerard, Frank. I see why you two are so close. He seems like a great guy” dad said. Dad never commented much on my friends, so I knew he genuinely really liked Gerard when he said this.
“Yeah, he’s pretty awesome. Glad you guys like him. He really likes y’all, too” I said with a huge smile that was probably a little too obvious. I turned around and headed to my bedroom to get ready for bed.
When I got upstairs, I checked my phone to see Gerard had already texted me.

11:24PM From: Gee (:
“So do you think your dad liked me? Honestly”

I laughed at the message because of course he was still worried about rather or not my dad liked him.

11:30PM To: Gee (:
“He liked you a lot actually. More than he’s ever liked any of my other friends. Honestly”


11:33PM From: Gee (:
“I hope so. I liked your dad, too. He was really cool (: Your whole family is amazing Frankie <3”

11:36PM To: Gee (:
“Now when do I get to meet your family?”

11:42PM From: Gee (:
“Soon, I promise. Goodnight baby <3 Feels so good to finally be able to call you that. See you tomorrow, sleep well my sweet Frankie”

11:45PM To: Gee (:
“Goodnight baby. Sleep good, Gee <3”



There were three things I was absolutely certain about. For one, my family loved Gerard. Two, I couldn’t wait for our summer vacation and three, I was absolutely crazy about Gerard Way.

Notes

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