"Happy birthday, Frankie!" Gerard screams as he runs down the hall leading to the front door, bare feet pitter-patting on the floor until he collided with the six year-old boy, giggling as they topple to the floor. "You're six, Frankie! Six years old!"
"Gerard, be careful," He hears his mom, Donna, call after him from the kitchen. "Don't hurt the birthday-boy." Frank grins, hugging him before pulling them both upright.
"Did you get me a present? My Mom got me a present," Gerard nods quickly, jumping up and disappearing into the kitchen before returning with a little box clutched between his hands. The wrapping paper had Batman on it. "Gimme!"
Gerard sits down, humming happily as Frank tears off the paper, gasping at the contents.
"You like it, Frankie?" Frank squeals in response, hugging Gerard again, though more tightly this time.
"I love you, Gee, this is so cool!" He holds up the Spiderman figure like it's a gold medal, marvelling at the sheer sight of it. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best!" Gerard shrugs, smiling.
"I can bring my Batman one over with Mikey, and then we can have battles,"
"I'd win!" Frank interrupts, holding up the figure with a toothy grin. Frank is sure he would win, Spiderman would tangle Batman up with his web for sure.
"No you wouldn't," Gerard retorts with a frown. "Batman would... would fly away or somethin'," Frank shuffles along the floor nearer to Gerard, putting the Spiderman figure in his hands and pointing to his eyes.
"I think that his eyes would scare Batman away," Gerard giggles quietly. "Dun' laugh at me, Gee,"
"I didn't laugh," He protests as Frank almost snatches the figure back, holding it to his chest. It was his now, nobody else was allowed to touch it. They don't say anything as Frank lowers the figure and fiddles with the arms. "Batman wouldn't be scared of eyes, anyway."
Frank goes to argue but his mom, Linda, is already appearing out of the hall with two plates. Frank smiles. Smiley Faces and chicken nuggets, his favourite. They eat in silence, eyes fixed on Nickelodeon until Frank speaks.
"Do you want to stay over?" He asks with a mouth full of chicken, eyes flickering from the T.V to Gerard. Gerard just nods and Frank smiles, leaning his head on his shoulder as they watch the rest of Spongebob Squarepants.
Donna leaves a little while later, kissing Gerard's cheek and telling him to 'be on his best behaviour for Linda', knowing he wouldn't play up anyway. Frank brings Gerard his own beaten up and scratched Batman figure so they could have battles for the time being, until Mikey came over the next morning. They play until Frank yawns, which makes Gerard yawn too.
"Bed time, boys, c'mon," Linda says with a smile as she comes in with blankets, settling them on the couch at opposite ends before going to bed herself. She leaves the hallway light on, just in case.
It's not long before they start talking in the darkness.
"Gee?" Frank whispers, snuggling under his blanket more until he couldn't see the shadows dancing across the walls.
"What, Frankie?"
"Monsters aren't real, right?" He sniffles a little, voice shaking loudly in the silence.
"I don't think they are," Gerard says confidently, but crawls down to Frank's end of the sofa anyway. He covers Frank's arms with his own and Frank relaxes. "But me and Batman will protect you," They both giggle, talking for a few minutes before their eyelids start dropping, and they fall asleep hugging.
13 Years Later
Frank watches the smoke escape his mouth, the air drawing it apart like ripping the edges of felt. It's there one second, a cloud of it, and gone the next. He sighs, dropping his gaze to the floor. Lusting over someone he couldn't have was just pathetic. Somebody shoves past him, sending his plastic cup of beer out of his hands and onto the floor.
"Fuck," He mutters, looking around, helpless, before pushing through the bodies inside to get another one. He's awkwardly reaching for a new cup when somebody pushes themself right up against him, which makes him turn immediately.
"Frank," Frank glares, balancing his weight onto one hip as he waits for some sort of explanation as to-
"Why the fuck are you here, Tom?"
Tom holds his hands up. "I wanted to see you, baby,"
"Don't fucking call me that," Frank spits. He wants to get out of here, or atleast away from Tom. He needs to feel safe, like he isn't being prowled on by some crazy, stalker, ex-boyfriend. He wants Gerard.
"Oh, Frank, c'mon-"
"No, stop. Get the fuck away from me, Tom, don't approach me again, okay? Just leave me alone from now on." And with that, Frank storms through the crowd, forcing down the sick that was tickling the back of his throat. He glances behind him, hoping, but knowing, that everyone saw their encounter. Everyone heard their encounter.
He sits on the stairs for a while, just watching the blur of people move around him, up and down the stairs. He didn't even recognise most of them. His fingers itch for a cigarette, but he doesn't really want to move, the odds that he'll bump into someone he doesn't want to speak to are high.
Or, you know, they might find him first.
That gets him up and out the front door, so it's atleast a start, but to be honest he wasn't really prepared for what he witnesses when he shuts the door and turns around.
He sees the crowd first, that's all that is really visible, but he can hear and pinpoint the voices quicker than his mind can even process it.
"You treated him like fucking shit, Tom, you expect me to stand by and let you get away with it?" Gerard is up in his face, spitting the words with venom that Frank had never heard before. Fuck. "You really thought you'd get away with hurting him?" Frank is trying to get through the crowd, but struggling. He can't see what's happening, only just about able to even hear it.
"What? Is he your little butt-fuck buddy now?" Tom cackles, and Frank sees him shove Gerard just as he reaches the front, bursting out of the sea of bodies not even a second after Gerard swings for him, knuckles mushing into his nose with a crack.
Frank is there before he can go again, pushing him back whilst darting looks over his shoulder at Tom, who is now holding his nose, shoulders heaving with each breath. His eyes are fixed, burning straight at Gerard as he moves towards them.
"You even fucking touch him, Tom, I swear," Is all Frank has to say for Tom to stop, he stares at them both, eyes softening at Frank before he disappears. Frank lets out the breath he didn't know he was holding, running a hand through his hair and cursing under his breath in Italian.
He looks back at Gerard, who is watching him.
"Why did you even-"
"Frank, don't start-"
"Why, Gerard, of all the things, you punch him? Fucking really?" Frank can't help but feel frustrated. Gerard really didn't need to get involved with his relationships - well, his past ones, anyway. "All of that could've been avoided."
"He hurt you, Frankie." Gerard argues.
"No fucking shit." Frank hisses, sarcasm layering his voice like icing. "And that gives you the right to punch him how?"
"I just. It doesn't."
"Yeah, exactly," Frank goes to leave, his body half-turned to follow the path to the street, but Gerard grabs his hand, spinning him back around before he pulls him toward the wall of the house and practically pinning him there. Frank quirks an eyebrow, feeling the heat rush to his cheeks. And maybe his dick. A little. Okay, a lot.
"Stay. Please." Gerard says softly, gaze almost hypnotic. Frank nods slightly, letting his head drop a little as he takes a silent deep breath. He can feel Gerard's eyes on him, which is really fucking creepy, by the way. "Frank," His voice is strained and that makes Frank look up.
"Voglio baciarti," Frank says, knowing Gerard wouldn't understand. He doesn't. His brow furrows, and he frowns a little. "Voglio che tu mi ami!" He nearly shouts.
You know what, he thinks, fuck it, I've waited years to do this. Fuck this, fuck everything.
"Frank, what-" Frank quickly, and clumsily, stretches up on his tip-topes and presses his lips against Gerard's and he freezes up, which makes Frank break away and try to get out of his hold, but Gerard just shakes his head, eyes wide and hopeful as he reconnects their lips. Gerard presses against him, their bodies flat against eachother. One of Frank's hands cups the back of Gerard's head, fingers tangling in his hair, the other on his shoulder and gripping his shirt to hold himself up.
Gerard tastes faintly like beer, but he knows he's barely drunk two cups. If anything he probably had a few sips and left them somewhere. The rest is Gerard, which Frank just can't get enough of.
When they break apart, Frank rests his head in the crook of Gerard's neck, unable to stop the stupid smile that attacks him.
"Remember that time when we were sixteen and I told you I had a crush?" Frank nods, pulling him a little closer. "It was you," He can't help the quiet snort that shoots from him.
Oh how ridiculously blind they'd been.
"Shh, you need to be quiet," Frank giggles between kisses, stumbling over his own feet. "I have neighbours," Gerard shrugs, steadying himself against the wall as they took their shoes and jackets off before basically crawling up the stairs, laughing like drunk teenagers. They eventually fall onto Frank's bed, still in giggling fits, falling asleep minutes later, curled around eachother.
Voglio baciarti - I want to kiss you.
Voglio che tu mi ami - I want you to love me.