"I do." She speaks strong and clearly. The tattooed man looks at his soon-to-be wife. Her coal colored hair tied up in a bun for the occasion.
"And do you, Frank Anthony Iero, take Jamia to be your wife?" The priest asks. Frank's mind is running rapid with ideas. To run away, to say no and turn back to his old life. But he couldn't do that. His mom already went through all the trouble of setting up the wedding, he didn't want to ruin it; no matter how much he wanted to.
"I do." He answers back, weaker than she had. The situation unravels in his mind before the priest says the next words, the tattooed man cringes at hearing.
"You may now kiss the bride." Jamia stands up straighter and wraps her arms around his neck, kissing him forcibly. The man doesn't know what to do. He just got married to a woman he didn't love. What to do now, he did not know. But all he knew was that he was in for a lot of shit later on in life.
*3 years later*
Frank reminisces in the old scrapbook just how he fucked up his life. Wedding pictures flooded the page. One was of him and Jamia standing under the altar, Jamia radiating happiness while he is doing the exact opposite.
He turns the page.
And what he sees shocks him.
Was it really him? Did he really have pictures of the boy?
Frank stares intently at them just to make sure they are of who he thinks they are. Raven, shoulder length hair, cute short teeth, tipped up nose...Yes! It was him! Frank finds himself staring at the pictures, the last memories he will have of his best friend.
Of his true love.
And the funny thing is, he could've had him. He could've actually been happy with someone he loved. But no, he did the complete opposite. In fact, he remembered the exact day all of that happened...
*Le flashback*
They walked home, Frank's hand holding the taller man's the way only best friends could hold them.
"Ugh, Gee. Are we almost there?" Frank asked. Gerard let out a small chuckle.
"Yeah Frankie. About 10 more seconds." He replied. In that amount of time, they came upon a small (yet content) brick house. They walked inside, kicked of their shoes, and went to Gerard's basement room after saying hi to Mikey (Gerard's baby brother).
"So Frank." Gerard starts, plopping down on the bed with a soft 'thud.'
"So Gee." Frank mocks, sitting on the ground in front of the other man.
"What do you want to do?" Gerard questions.
"I don't know. Watch a dvd or something?" Frank replies. Gerard nods, getting off the bed to put in a classic; Dumb and Dumber. Gerard falls back on the bed, this time Frank crawls up next to him. They lay there, watching the movie. Until Frank's focus slips onto the hand that now rests on his thigh. He pays no mind to it, and continues watching the movie.
Just as the movie is almost over, Gerard's head is leaning against Frank's. Frank rides it off as just a best friend thing.
Boy was he wrong...
*Le present*
"Frank! Have you seen my shoes?" Jamia calls from upstairs, cutting into his memories.
"No!" He yells back.
"Found them! I'll be back soon sweetie!" She calls back. Thank god, he thinks. Sometime alone.
A few minutes after the car is out of the driveway, Frank leaves the house. He locks the door and pulled up his Iron Maiden hoodie. He smiles at the jacket, for Gerard got him this. He heads down to the local bar, taking shortcuts through alley ways.
When he hears a crash behind him in a dark alley, he picks up his speed. Footsteps follow him. Frank, in all his confusion and fear, takes a wrong turn and finds himself at a dead end. The footsteps grow louder. Frank whips around to face his follower, but finds no one.
"Frank..." An eerie voice echoed throughout the alley.
"Who are you?" Frank yells. "What do you want?"
"Frank..." It sounds again. This time right near his ear. He turns and again finds no one.
"What do you want?" He yells again.
"Love." The voice states. All of a sudden, a man appears behind him. "Hello." The raspy voice says. This time when Frank turns around, he sees the man.
"Who are you?" Frank asks. The man chuckles.
"Oh, you should know that one Frankie." The voice says.
"How do you know my name?" Frank is officially scared and is contemplating running. But he never had good stamina, he wouldn't get far.
"I'm hurt that you don't remember me Frankie." He says. Frank has an epiphany.
"Gerard?" The man chuckles at Frank's confusion.
"Yes Frankie." Frank is surprised, but strangely excited to see his best friend since...that happened.
"Gee!" Frank screams and runs to the taller man. Gerard chuckles.
"There's my Frankie."
"Gee, where have you been?" The tattooed one says. Gerard stiffens, but is quick on his feet.
"Around." Is all he answers. Frank doesn't push him any further, he's just happy to see Gerard. They stay hugging for a while, before Gerard breaks the silence.
"I have to go Frank." He states.
"No! I haven't seen you for 10 years Gerard. Please, stay?" Frank pleads.
"I'm sorry. But come back here at 12 tomorrow and I will be here." Gerard says.
"Ok." Was all Frank replies. Gerard turns and leaves, and Frank turns to do the same. When Frank turns around again to say a proper goodbye to his friend, he is no where to be seen.
*The next day*
Frank slips on his black converse and walks out the door. His wife just left to go spend the night with her mother. Good, I can have more time with Gerard...Frank thinks. After a while he comes upon the alley where he last saw Gerard. The taller is waiting there, arms crossed, back against the far wall. He smiles at Frank when he wraps his arm around him.
"I missed you Gee." Frank speaks into Gerard's chest. He is cold, but Frank has always loved cold things...
"I know Frankie. I'm so sorry. So very sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" Gerard shakes his head.
"It doesn't matter now." He answers. He squeezes Frank in his strong arms.
"So Gerard. Where have you been these past years? Can you actually give me more details this time?" Frank asks.
"I've been here." Gerard confesses.
"But, I haven't seen you around." Gerard stiffens as he slides down the wall, Frank following his actions.
"I don't go out much." He lies. He wishes he could tell Frank the truth, but it would break his heart.
"Oh. Well I'm glad I could see you now Gee." He says, and snuggles up to Gerard's side, resting his hand on the others thigh. Gerard freezes at the action, but soon settles into it. He needs to soak up all the power he has as if it were his life source. Which it probably is at this point...If only Frank knew. They stay like that for a while, cuddled up together as the cold nips at their noses. Gerard doesn't want to go, but his power is running weak. It won't come back for a while...
"Frank." He nudges the smaller. He smiles when he realizes that he has fallen asleep in his arms. He chuckles softly. "I'm going to miss you." He kisses his head and finally gives into the other side, beckoning him to give up some of the power only few can control well. He uses the very last of his power to lay Frank down and make him wake up.
When he does, he is confused as to why Gerard isn't there. But Gerard has thought of this, and wrote him a note. Frank picks it up off the cool concrete and reads it:
I'm sorry
xxxx- g
He feels trickle down his cheeks. Why does he keep apologizing? Frank should be the only apologizing for what he did all those years ago...
*Le Flashback again*
After the movie, Frank and Gee stay up to talk about anything and everything.
"When did you find out you were gay?" Frank asks Gerard.
"When I got hard over some guy changing in the locker room." He answers and blushes.
"Who was the guy? Maybe I kno-" Frank is cut off by Gerard kissing him. Frank immediately pulls away.
"What the fuck Gerard!?" He yells.
"What?"
"You just...and I'm not...oh god." Frank says as he guts up off the bed and gathers up his things.
"Frank, where are you going? Its 1 am." Frank quickly turns around.
"Anywhere but here! You thought I was a faggot like you? Boys aren't supposed to love other boys Gerard." Tears are threatening to fall out of Gerard's eyes. He didn't have to go and be so rude.
"Why Frankie?" Is all he asks.
"Because thats not what god intended, you sick fuck." Frank runs up the stairs and out the front door, making a point by slamming it.
*Le present*
Frank is torn from his harsh memory by his phone ringing. It's Jamia.
"Hello?" He asks.
"Frank! I'm glad you picked up. The Ways came over to my mom's. Everyone wants to see you." She states. So that's where Gerard went!
"Ok. I'll be there in 30 minutes." He hangs up and runs over to Jamia's mom's house.
"Hey Frank." Mrs. Way cheerfully says when he walks through the door. "Mikey's out back if you want to see him." Frank nods and walks out back. When he gets out there, Mikey is sitting on the porch, cigarette in between his lips.
"Hey." I calmly say, walking over and plopping down beside him. He gives me a death glare.
"What?" The blond asks harshly.
"Um, where's Gerard?" Frank asks, earning a smack across the face from Mikey.
"How DARE you. Look Frank, just leave me alone." He yells. Frank is shocked. Why had Mikey just smacked him? He just asked where Gerard was...what harm was in that?
"What did I do? I just wanna see Gera- AH!" Frank yells as Mikey tackles him, pinning the shorter under him easily.
"Look, we are adults now, don't play this shit. You know damn well what happened, and you caused it!"
"What are you talking about?" Frank asks, Mikey's grip loosens.
"You really don't know...do you?" Frank shakes his head in reply. "Oh god. The dip shit doesn't even know what he did." Mikey says, talking to himself more than Frank.
"No, mind telling me?"
*Le flashback*
Gerard lays on his bed, stunned. Did that really just happen? All it took was a simple kiss to ruin a friendship that had been going for 15 years?
No doubt Frank wouldn't speak to him again. This thought broke Gerard. He walks over to the bathroom, and searches for something he's seen too many times. He finds it under the sink, and lifts up his sleeves. Seeing the old, healed cuts, his grip on the blade tightens. Without giving it a second thought, he slashes at his arms, ripping through the arteries that keep him alive.
Gerard falls to the ground, and blacks out, never to wake up. Mikey hears the thud, and goes down to check on his brother.
"Gerard?" He asks as he enters the bedroom. Then he goes to the bathroom.
*Le present*
"He killed himself cause he couldn't live without you Frank." Mikey speaks. It takes a minute for Frank to process the information. He decides not to tell Mikey about seeing Gerard. He couldn't be dead if he had just seen him this morning. He does the most rational thing. He runs. He goes back to the alley.
"Gerard Arthur Way! Get out here!" He screams. A note lands on his feet.
'Make a deal to save' it reads. He thinks for a moment, before going through with what the note tells him. He can't believe what he's doing. Not just the fact that he was about to make a deal with the devil (or god, for that matter), but that fact that he believes it might bring Gerard back.
"I, Frank Anthony Iero, give you my soul." He speaks. Strong gusts of wind come from no where, and there is a man in a black cloak in front of him. He has the hood pulled up, so Frank can't see his reaches out a hand, and Frank takes it. 'Death' Frank decides takes his hand and places it over his heart. Frank screams in unbearable pain for a few moments, and drops to the ground.
The man removes the hood, and kneels down beside the dead body.
"Your soul was delicious sweetie. Thank you." He speaks. Suddenly, another man appears beside the other one. He pats the others shoulder, and turns to face him. He is muscular, and has a hood as well. But now, his fro is out and bouncing around in the wind.
"You are the best in the business Gerard." He speaks.
"Thanks Ray." Gerard doesn't take his eyes away from the dead body before him.
"I know how much he meant to you..."
"Not anymore."