"Frankie?" Gerard asked quietly, gripping Frank's arm. "I'm scared."

"You don't need to be," Frank muttered, carefully kissing Gerard's hair. "They'll ask you a few questions, then they'll check you for injuries and take some samples to look for STDs. You'll be fine."

"I know what they'll do, but I'm still scared," Gerard said quietly. "Will they send Bert to jail?"

"They might," Frank said quietly. "I think they can."

Gerard nodded as the door opened to show a man with dark hair in a blue uniform. "Gerard?" He asked, and Gerard looked up from his lap. The man had a British accent and he continued talking. "I'm Doctor Howell. Can you, in your own words, describe what happened to you this morning?" Dr. Howell sat down in the rolling chair, clicking his pen and readying it over a piece of blank paper.

"Umm..." Gerard started. "Well, I was asleep and my boyfriend— Frankie, here— was sleeping at his own apartment. The doorbell rang and I thought it was Frankie, so I got out of bed and answered the door and-and he was there."

"Do you know who your attacker was?" Dr. Howell asked as he scribbled on the paper. "That would help us tremendously in persecuting him."

"My ex-boyfriend, Robert McCracken," Gerard answered. He cleared his throat and continued his story with a shaking voice. "He-he kissed me, but I told him not to. Then, he... P-pressed me against the wall and forced me to take some pills that I don't know what they were."

"Antidepressant," Frank supplied. "I asked Bert after I started your bath and he said he gave you antidepressants and cocaine."

"When did he give me coke?" Gerard asked, every muscle in his body tightening.

"Oh God," Frank whispered, rubbing Gerard's back. "Bunny... Jesus."

Dr. Howell wrote it down and, prompting him to continue, said, "Gerard."

"So, after he drugged me, I was too... I dunno, out of my mind, I guess, to fight him," Gerard finished. "Once I realized what he was doing, I tried to yell and cry, make noise, anything I thought would get my neighbors attention, but he hit me and I was so shocked, I couldn't say anything else. After that, I don't remember much. The first thing I remember is Frank climbing into bed next to me."

"Alright..." Dr. Howell said and finished writing. "Did your attacker ever show any signs of sexual abuse when you were dating?"

Gerard nodded. "He did this to me before, in early December. It's why we broke up in the first place."

"Alright, I know you said that you don't remember the actual attack," Dr. Howell started. "But do you know if your attacker used protection?"

"I don't think so," Gerard said, shaking his head. "I doubt it."

"Were you sexually active before the attack in December?" Dr. Howell asked.

"No," Gerard said, ducking his head. "December was my first time, then I didn't have a partner until the first. The last time Frankie and I did anything was... Friday night."

"Have you ever been under the influence of drugs or alcohol during any of these encounters?"

"Friday, Frank and I were both drunk," Gerard said quietly. "Frank more than me. But that was it."

"Alright, Gerard," Dr. Howell said as he finished writing. "So, now, we need to take samples to make sure you aren't at risk of an sexually transmitted disease. We'll swab your mouth and your rectum, then we'll test them and get you the results. It shouldn't take more than about an day or two."

Gerard tightened his grip on Frank's arm. "You... You have to put something in me?" He stuttered. "No. No, no, no."

"Gee, it's okay," Frank whispered, rubbing his back through the shirt. "Don't worry. The swab will be in you for just a few seconds, then it won't be there anymore. I'll be here the whole time, I promise."

"No," Gerard mumbled, pressing his forehead against Frank's chest. "I-I can't, I can't do it, Frankie."

"Look at me," Frank whispered. He lifted Gerard's face to look at him, and kissed the end of his nose. "It won't hurt you. It's going to help you, I promise. I'll be here, and I can get Janelle or Kristin of Brendon down here if you want, anything to make you feel better." He looked to the doctor for approval, and Dr. Howell nodded. "And Dr. Howell, he knows what he's doing, he won't hurt you."

"You'll be perfectly safe with me, Gerard," Dr. Howell said, wheeling himself closer to the examination table. "You won't experience any pain, hell, you might not even feel it. Honestly."
Finally, Gerard whispered, "Okay. Just... Do it fast."

"If you would rather a blood test than a rectal sample, that would be possible," Dr. Howell offered, and Gerard shook his head violently.

"No needles," Gerard said quickly. "No. I-I'll take the sample."

"I'll go get you a paper gown to put on, then I'll give you a minute to prepare," Dr. Howell said, standing up. "I'll be back in a moment." He left the room and, as soon as the door closed, Gerard took in a small gasp and hugged Frank tightly.

"No, Frankie, I can't do this," Gerard whimpered.

"Babe, you'll be fine," Frank said. "You'll be okay, I promise. Trust me."

Gerard nodded silently and buried his face in Frank's shoulder. "I wanna sleep," he mumbled. "I'm so tired."

"You can once the samples are taken," Frank said. "You can sleep on me if you want."

Gerard nodded as the door opened. Dr. Howell stood in the doorway and he passed a folded-up paper gown to Gerard, pulling the curtain around the door closed. The door made a small sound as it shut and Gerard shakily pulled off the warm pajama pants and his shirt, his face flushing red as he tied the strings on the side.

The door opened and Dr. Howell called out, "Gerard? Are you ready?"

Gerard took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm ready," he said meekly. He took Frank's hand as the curtain opened and the doctor came back into the room, crashing a small plastic covered tray. He set the tray on the desk and opened it, pulling out a cotton swab that looked to similar to ones that were used to test for strep throat; Frank was more than familiar with the instrument from his weak childhood immune system. Dr. Howell pulled on a pair of rubber gloves and said, "Okay, this will be easiest if you lie on your side, in a sort-of relaxed fetal position."

Gerard bit the inside of his cheek and assumed the desired position, tears pricking at his eyes. "Gee, it's okay," Frank said quietly, getting off of the table and crouching onto the ground so that he was level with Gerard's face. He cupped Gerard's face in his hand and ran his thumb along Gerard's bruised cheekbone; the bruise wasn't there before, was it? "Stop crying, you'll be fine. Look, I'll give you a countdown, okay?" Gerard pinched his eyes shut and nodded, taking Frank's hand and gripping tightly. Frank took this as an opportunity to mouth 'one' at the doctor, who nodded.
"Ready?" Frank asked, rubbing Gerard's hip. "Relax, sweetie. Everything'll be okay." He gripped Gerard's hand tighter and said, "One."

Gerard let out a yelp as the swab was pushed in, then pulled back out almost immediately. "What happened to two and three?" He whined, curling up in a small ball on the paper-covered bench.

"You did it, bunny," Frank said. He pushed himself back up on the table and pulled Gerard into his lap, kissing his forehead. "I'm so proud of you. See? You're fine, you're okay."

Gerard nodded weakly, not saying anything else.

"That was good, Gerard, really good," Dr. Howell said, putting the swab in a bag and sealing it. "This next one, I just need to swab the inside of your cheek. Just open your mouth, and it'll be fine."

Gerard repositioned himself so that he was facing the doctor but still in Frank's embrace. He opened his mouth and the doctor quickly swabbed the inside of his mouth, immediately bagging that one as well. "I'll go send these to the lab, then we'll get some pictures of your injuries to help in your court case against Robert," Dr. Howell said. "I assume you will be pressing charges, as soon as we can positively identify that it is Robert that attacked you?"

"It was, I swear," Gerard whimpered.
"I completely believe you, but the police might not," Dr. Howell told him. "You said that you were drugged and that you don't remember the encounter. They'll need physical evidence to be able to do anything."

"Do you know what the consequences for rape are?" Frank asked.

"I don't," Dr. Howell said sympathetically. "I'm sorry. Anyway, I'll be right back. You can put your pajamas back on, Gerard."

He left the room again and Gerard reached his neck up, gently kissing Frank's jaw. "I'm so proud of you for doing that, bunny," Frank told him. "Here, you're cold. Let's put on some pants."

The pictures seemed torturous. He had bruises on his hips and his thighs, as well as around his neck and multiple bruises on his face. They stood out along the paleness of his skin, and, every time the camera went off, Frank felt as if he wanted to throw up.

It seemed hours later that everything was over and done-with, and Gerard was finally able to sleep. He knew that, once he did fall asleep, his dreams would be plagued with Bert, but he hoped that Frank's presence would help expel that.

Thankfully, that's exactly what happened. Gerard was allowed to go home, as long as he had a caretaker with him, which was a position Frank was happy to take. After being in the cold hospital for so long, both of them were thankful for the warm bed and heavy blankets. "Gee?" Frank whispered just as Gerard was about to doze off.

"Frankie..." Gerard muttered, acknowledging that he heard Frank.

"You know that I love you, right?" Frank asked. "I love you like crazy, and nothing will ever change that."

"... Love you too," Gerard whispered, kissing Frank's chest through his shirt. "Love, love, love."

"Gee, I have work tomorrow," Frank realized. "I can call Ray and tell him that I won't be coming in—"

"No, no," Gerard whispered. "I'll get Kris down here. Go to work."

"Are you sure?" Frank asked. "I don't have to go—"

Gerard kissed him to shut him up, smiling softly. "I'm sure," Gerard whispered. "It's almost four, you gotta clock in in three hours. Try to sleep a little bit."

Frank yawned when they pulled away and nodded. "Ya know, now I really gotta protect you."

"Shut up, asshat."

---

"Are you sick?" Ray asked when Frank walked into the record shop. "You look like ass."

"No," Frank said. "Tired."

"Were you two—"

"We were not having sex," Frank groaned, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm not really supposed to tell you this, but you're my best friend, so..." He trailed off for a moment, pushing himself to sit on the counter, crossing his legs. Now, he was a few inches taller than Ray. "Alright, so Gee has this ex, right? Well, Friday night, his ex was at my show and he punched me. Well, the next day, he showed up at Gerard's house and, like, kissed him— I don't think there's any more to that element of the story— then, last night, I tried to stay at my own place but I couldn't do it and I went to Gerard's place and his ex answered the door and... He had taken advantage of Gerard. I had to take him to the hospital, and we're still waiting for results from tests to make sure he doesn't have an STD."

"Shit, Frank," Ray sighed. "Holy... Goddammit, that's a lot to go through. Does he have someone there with him now?"

"The hospital let him go home," Frank said. "And his brother's girlfriend is there right now."

"Why not his brother?"

"His brother is in the Soviet Union."

"That makes sense."

Frank sighed and nodded, placing his head in his hands. "I know that Kristin's gonna take care of him, and that he's probably just sleeping, but I'm so fucking worried about what he's gonna dream about. He already has horrible dreams— like, ones where he's shaking and crying and I have to wake him up sometimes because he's literally scaring me— and being raped, I'm sure, doesn't add any good experiences to dream about."

"Go home, Frank."

Frank looked up from his hands. "What?"

"I said 'go home'," Ray repeated. "You look like shit and there's no real reason for you to be here. Just go."

"No, I need to stay," Frank argued. "I'll just keep worrying and worrying until I go out of my mind, and I need to do something to get my mind off of him."

"Frank, I'm saying this as your best friend," Ray said, gently placing his hand in Frank's knee. "Go home. Gerard needs you right now, and I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to see you."

"But—"

"Go home."

"Ray—"

"Frank Iero, either you go home on your home or I drag your happy ass to his house. One way or another, you're not staying here, not when he needs you."

Finally, Frank nodded. "Fine," he said quietly. "See you Wednesday."

"Nope," Ray said as Frank left the shop, shaking his head.

It took almost no time for Frank to get back to Gerard's house, nervously bouncing on the balls of his feet as he knocked on the door.

The girl he remembered as Kristin answered the door. He had briefly met her about an hour before, and she smiled when she saw him. "You're so adorable," she told him. "He's still sleeping. He's fine, I promise you."

"I know, I'm just..." Frank started and laughed nervously. He leaned against the wall of the entry way and rubbed his forehead, as if that would make the unfinished sentence fragment come to the surface. "This has never happened to me, ya know, so I'm on edge."

Kristin nodded and chewed on her bottom lip. "He's been saying your name," she said finally. "He must be dreaming about you."

Nothing more had to be said. Frank made his way down the hall, silently, pushing the door open and hoping the creaking wouldn't wake Gerard up. Thankfully, it didn't, and Frank watched Gerard from the door.

He was more-or-less the same as when Frank left, the only difference being him with his arms wrapped around a pillow and not Frank. His hair was thrown around his head and his eyes were closed, but fluttering, as if he might wake up at any moment. Frank took off his jacket, shoes, and jeans, and carefully removed the pillow from Gerard's arms, slipping himself back into his place.

It only took a moment before Gerard snuggled closer to Frank's body, a sleepy smile spreading across his face. "... Love you," he mumbled, kissing Frank's chest.

"Love you too, bunny," Frank whispered, rubbing Gerard's back comfortingly. He pressed his mouth to Gerard's hair and gave his hair a small kiss before letting his head rest on his own shoulder, quickly falling asleep.

Notes

hopefully i'm starting a new story tonight!!
thank you to everyone who was concerned about me while i was gone i had a LOT of personal stuff going on that i had to deal with but i'm a lot better now
xoKristin