Here's part two. I hope you enjoy.

Mikey's starting to get truly annoyed. He's been staring at his Physics sheet for three hours now and he can't even write down his name on the top of the paper. The tapping is becoming unbearable and Mikey grips his pen tighter. His nails are digging into his palm.

"Stop it." He snaps. The tapping stops for a moment, before starting up again faster. The beating echoes along the walls straight towards Mikey's left ear.

After taking a shaky breath, Mikey closes his eyes for a second to open them again. He stares at the wall of the dining room and clenches his jaw. The tapping mocks his hearing and it takes every forte in himself not to attack. His phone flashes with 5:25 and it isn't a surprise when he turns around to see Gerard staring at his painting of Frank, tapping on the easel with his thin paintbrush.

"I have homework to do." Mikey says with a sigh. He's only seen Gerard with that expression once, when Barbara left for vacation and called it offs. And it didn't turn out well. Mikey still remembers having to hold his older brother while he cried in the basement. Not a pretty sight. And Gerard was only twelve at the time.

Now Mikey is just dreading. Dreading for the moment Gerard will snap and cry harder that usual for not losing one, but two friends on one go.

"I know." Gerard responds in monotone. His eyes trace Frank's every feature. His painting has been finished for two weeks now.

"I would appreciate it if you let me finish it." Mikey replies solemnly. Gerard blinks and stares at Frank's lips for a couple seconds, flashbacks of those same lips tracing his hipbones that one night he did not remember before, blocking his sight.

"What's stopping you." He mumbles.

Mikey's eyes narrow and he slowly moves around Gerard's sitting form on the living room leather couch. He slowly moves in front of Gerard, blocking the painting. Gerard doesn't even blink.

Stretching towards the loveseat, Mikey grabs hold on the soft blue pillow, moves rapidly and hurls it Gerard's way. Gerard snaps his head up and glares.

"What the fuck, Mikey!" He yells. Mikey snorts and walks back to his seat on the dining room table, plops into the seat and grabs his black pen.

"You're fucked up." He says. Just as he starts to right the M on the top the pen is taken out of his hand and soon the sound of plastic hitting the wall sounds familiar.

Mikey swirls around and glares at his older brother, who's staring at him challengingly. "What the fuck!" Mikey yells, throwing his hands in the air. It's only times like this where Mikey looses his composure.

"Did you know?" Gerard says all of the sudden. Mikey's eyebrows relax and pull down once more, but in confusion.

"Huh?" He manages.

"Did you know?" Gerard repeats, accusingly still glowering down at the seated blonde. Mikey's eyes slightly widen in realization and so he stands in front of him on his feet, sizes to Gerard's level.

"Of course not! Why would I keep something like that from you? Sure, it's your fight to win but I wouldn't do that to you."

Gerard blinks a couple of times and then comprehension hits him on the back of his head, making him feel dizzy for a second. Did he just accuse his brother? Gerard shakes his head and sighs, holds the bridge of his nose between his finger and wonders what the hell has become of him. He asks just this aloud.

Mikey shrugs. "You've been passing through some rough times, Gee. It's only logical you haven't been able to feel grounded every since Grandma left."

Gerard flinches, because he still isn't used to anyone mentioning Elena so nonchalantly. But yet, it's no surprise coming from Mikey, who is so blunt and doesn't knowledge the fact that now when they want to visit their Nana they have to cross a gate that says New Jersey Cemetery.

"Ray hates me. Frank surely won't talk to me again." Gerard mutters, lowers his head so his chin is touching his chest. Mikey sighs.

"Maybe they won't talk to you in a long time," Mikey starts, and Gerard feels worse because this isn't making him any better, "But only if you don't try to fix it. Ray doesn't hate you, though. After having so many years being friends, all ruined with one simple mistake? Sure, he's good friend of Frank, but even Frank himself doesn't have the heart to ignore you."

Gerard looks up and is surprised when he sees Mikey's head on his shoulder. His brother wraps his thin arms around Gerard's middle and squeezes. Gerard buries his face into Mikey's neck, and for the first time in six years, he cries.

~.~.~

"Maybe," Bob starts, "It could have been buried really fucking deep on Lothlórien. No one would have found it."

Gerard rolls his eyes and briefly looks up to stare at Bob, who's busy trying to rip open a damn bag of Doritos. He sees a blur, since his position of his cheek resting on his hand while it's on the lunch table makes his see pink.

"Keeps calling Sauron, and they could easily dig it out." He replies in monotone. Bob frowns.

"But it's deep, dude. The cries can't be heard and besides, it's Lothlórien. They can't have it easily."

This time, Mikey rolls his eyes and steals one of Pete's French fries, who is ignored when he pouts in response. "Elven helpers, remember? He could have totally made it. And dirt doesn't make its call any lighter."

"What about with Gollum? The motherfucker didn't let anyone touch it and it was safe with him before." Bob continues, happily plops a chip into his mouth and hums in content when the cheesy sensation hits his taste buds.

As Ryan passes by he comments on Bob's porn star noises casually with his tray in his arms. Practically empty. Fucking anorexic flower boy. Ryan's friends, Gabe and William snigger and Bob just flips them off. Brendon looks up hopefully in Ryan's way. Ryan fleetingly smiles at him. The bleak kick Andy gives him on the shin under the table makes Brendon look away abruptly.

"Technically, Gollum lived underground before all the commotion about Sauron appeared. They would have found the Ring and killed him either way. Especially if Sméagol kept wearing it." This time it's Brendon that responds for them, mouth full of a churro he'd bought from Cosco the day before. Bob lets out a noise of frustration and everyone's surprised he hasn't slammed his fist on the table yet. Maybe Bob's patience is getting better after all.

Fat chance.

"All I'm trying to say," Bob starts, frustrated, "Is that there could have been other fucking ways to get rid of the motherfucking ring instead of having to travel across Middle Earth."

Mikey snorts and decides to take another of Pete's fries blindly, bites it with his eyes on Bob as Pete watches hopelessly at his stolen fry.

"It's not that easy to take care of it." He replies. Bob frowns.

"Can't you just throw it in a river, lake or something?" He asks, "So after time it's bury into the dirt and no one would find it."

"No." Gerard says shortly.

Brendon grins and bounces in his seat as he gazes at Bob, who's still enjoying his Doritos (which are now completely showered in salsa). "That's how Sméagol found it in the first place."

Bob grumbles something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like 'Fucking geeks' but no one comments. Because with Bob it's never good to comment. Suddenly though his eyes catch on something behind Gerard, Mikey and Brendon's side of the table. He blinks once and uninterestedly turns down to stare at Gerard.

"Get ready." He counters.

Gerard doesn't have time to process it and is about to answer with a stupid 'Huh?' when, "Hi."

It's Frank. Gerard doesn't turn around, just freezes. Mikey glances up and sees Frank with his tray squeezed in his hands, eyes cast on the ground. Mikey sighs as he sees his older brother in a similar position. Eyes on the floor, hands under thighs.

Bob pats the empty chair to his right, in front of Mikey and Frank smiles weakly, glances at Mikey and Gerard for approval. Mikey shrugs and Gerard's doesn't even notice, still too busy burning holes into the linoleum.

Frank cautiously sits down and stares at his lap. Everyone stays quiet and have nothing to say at all. Everything from their mind from before disappears and everyone wishes they could come up with something to make everything less awkward.

"What about the elves?" Bob continues coolly, "It'd be a fair fight. Elves against elves and an evil spirit."

Gerard doesn't even get to ask himself where Ray is.

~.~.~

Gerard's chewing gum when he walks back into the Way household, house keys dangling between his fingers. The sound of squishing rings throughout the room obnoxiously, Gerard's mouth wide chewing.

"Mikey, I'm ordering pizza." He calls from the kitchen, dialing the familiar 'Francachela' number. There's shuffling coming from the living room and Gerard finally notices the distant sound of guns, meaning Mikey's playing Xbox again.

"Get a vegetarian." Mikey yells back, voice making Gerard wince at his younger brother's yell over the gunshots.

Gerard's eyebrow raises and his mouth twists in confusion. "Vegetarian? What the fuck, since when do you want to be a motherfucking vegetarian?"

"'S not for me." Mikey replies, followed by the sound of someone from the game crying in pain.

Gerard looks more than a little confused, leans on one foot and contemplates asking before reminding himself who he'd be asking and realizing Mikey's answers never gives his doubts closure.

He skims around the island of the kitchen, grabs a banana and peels it. He waits until he's stepped behind the couch to take a bite. The first thing he notices it a ball of black hair besides his brother's blonde one. Gerard's surprised, to say at least, so to express this sentiment he says Frank's name in confusion, or tries to anyway.

It comes out more like, "Mramnf?"

In response turns around, sees Gerard and tenses. Gerard can see Frank's trying to calm down when the younger boy smiles unsurely. Gerard doesn't smile back, because honestly Gerard forgot how to. At that moment Gerard pretty much forgot to do anything, really.

"I wanted someone to play videogames with," Mikey starts without turning around, taking advantage of Frank's distraction, "And you were too focused on sulking and staring at your painting, so I invited Frank over."

Mikey doesn't say he's sorry, or give Gerard a reassuring smile even. He doesn't use his telepathic powers, to send an apology of sorts, Gerard and him swore they had when they were in the second grade. He doesn't even glance at him. Instead, he lets his fingers slide expertly over the glowing controller that cost Gerard a fortune and slices Frank's head off.

"Painting?" Frank asks and looks confused, wondering how he didn't know Gerard painted. He knows Gerard is in Art but there can be a difference.

"Yeah, Gerard's in art, as you probably know, and draws like a motherfucker. Want to see it?" Mikey asks, completely ignoring the fact that Frank's forgotten about his controller and isn't fighting back, fingers lying lazily over the colorful buttons.

"Mikey." Gerard hisses. Mikey ignores him and pauses the game to stare at Frank, who seems to be staring with wide eyes at the wall behind Gerard.

"Painting?" Frank repeats. Mikey shrugs.

"You want to see it or not?"

Frank looks up and stares into Gerard's eyes, making the other boy freeze for a long moment. Frank's eyes question and Gerard finally sighs.

"If you want to." He mumbles. Frank seems nervous, biting on his bottom lip and nods, gets up from the couch. He seems curious enough, Gerard thinks, but I guess we both know it'd be a good moment to talk. He can't run forever.

Gerard leads the way and Mikey stays on the couch, concentrated on changing the game to Mortal Kombat, trying out the fatalities he's practiced a million times already.

"Uh, over here." Gerard says while tilting his head towards his bedroom door. Frank nods, already have been in Gerard's room a bunch of times before to watch the best gore movies.

"So-" Frank starts awkwardly.

"I don't know if you'll like it," Gerard interrupts quickly, "I tried to make each detail exactly how it is but I'm sure it came out like a fail. Sorry if you feel offended or something, but you know, I tried." Now Gerard's the one that seems even more anxious. He shifts his weight from one leg to the other and stares into the ground.

"I don't get it," Frank replies slowly, "Why would it matter what I think and why would I feel offended?"

Gerard lets out a puff of air and points to the easel in the corner. Frank starts walking towards it and sneaks a glance at him before turning it around. Setting his eyes over the masterpiece in front of him, his breath catches him in his throat.

"Yeah, uh, sorry." Gerard says softly, almost like a whisper.

Frank looks up. "You did this?"

Gerard nods, eyes worried. Frank eyes the painting once again and blinks in order to try to take it in.

"I- It's-" Frank is troubled to try to utter a simple sentence. A simple word, "Wow."

When Gerard doesn't respond he continues, "I just- Gee, you realize you're a huge artist?" Gerard softens up at the mention of the nickname, smiles only a bit, and so Frank gathers up the confidence to ask, "But- why me?"

Gerard opens his mouth, seems to have an answer prepared but closes it again. The action repeats itself a couple of times before he finally manages to respond.

"I don't know."

Frank deflates and frowns, seems to be disappointed. Gerard flinches at the sight and sees the difference between the laughing green eyes of the painting and the sad ones as the original.

"I mean, I know I'll repeat what you already know but I'll say it anyway. For Art I had to draw a stranger. One I see on the street, in school, anyone I don't talk to. With a few glances I'm supposed to memorize their features. Try to improvise with those I'm not sure of. So- the first time I saw you, Frank. Well, where I remembered you-" Frank cringes at these words and Gerard quickly replaces those words with words that just appear in front of his eyes and that don't give him time to realize what they are. So he just blurts out, "I dreamt of hazel eyes."

At this Frank look up, eyes wondering and curious. Gerard sighs in defeat and slowly sits on his bed. "I dreamt that they laughed, I saw their color and shadow perfectly. I dreamt of a scorpion tattoo soon after. Then I saw you in Art. I didn't see any link to your eyes with those because I didn't see what I was drawing. My hand did it, not me. My eyes were elsewhere. And then- I kept dreaming of a mysterious someone."

"And then?" Frank whispers. Gerard smiles sadly, full of despair.

"I dreamt of many other tattoos all over someone's body. Music flared in the background and I woke up with the word 'And' in front of my eyes." By this time Gerard's staring back into the ground, lips twitching at the memory of his lips tracing that same word.

"Do you regret it?"

Gerard chuckles darkly and shakes his head at the wooden floor. "No."

Gerard listens to the sound of footsteps moving, and is ready to hear the bedroom door opening and then slamming, instead realizing they aren't walking away. Frank isn't leaving yet, but Gerard thinks soon he will. The shadow that stops in front of him tells him otherwise.

Soon Frank is tilting his head down to take a look at Gerard's own face that is miserably trying to hide behind his long black bangs. Frank glances down and before Gerard's has time to process anything that is going on, soft lips with cold metal press against his own.

He doesn't know what the fuck to do, just staring into Frank's closed eyes but before he lets Frank pull away he raises his hand to curl against the back of Frank's neck. His eyes are tight and he harshly kisses back, making the kiss not sweet or soft, but stark and full of desire. Gerard should feel embarrassed that he's already got a boner, but considering Frank's hard-on presses on his thigh he smiles.

Frank pulls back and breathes onto his face, stares into Gerard's eyes, who is breathless as well.

"You don't regret it." He states. Gerard smiles slyly.

"I suppose you don't either."

"I didn't think you'd care."

"I didn't think you'd not hate me."

Frank smiles and Gerard's pocket vibrates. Gerard sighs and takes his cellphone out, sees 'Mikey' flashing in black. Gerard is confused on why'd he call and not just walk in.

Going to Pete's house to watch some movies. Text me when you and Frankie are finished. Don't forget to wash your bed covers.

Frank sees the message and grins after seeing Gerard's uncomfortable reaction at his brother's antics to just know fucking everything. He grabs Gerard's cellphone and throws it on the floor. Before Gerard could protest he has Gerard's legs press against the bed, pushes him and so then when Frank falls on top of him Gerard mouths at his neck, uses his tongue to guide him around the form of the scorpion. Frank moans and presses his erection against Gerard, rocks back and forth with sharp takes of air.

By the time Frank's on his knees, pulls on Gerard's pants without breaking eye contact, Gerard is gone.

~.~.~

Mikey arrives holding Pete's hand and kisses him goodbye. Brendon sends everyone photos of his new boyfriend, Ryan Ross. Suddenly Gerard doesn't hate him so much anymore.

~.~.~

For graduation Gerard is annoyed by Linda as she takes about a million photos of him holding Frank's hand, who grins happily at the camera. As they dance in the gym chamber half an hour later (which has been transformed into a whole ball scene full of pastel ballons) Gerard catches Ray's eyes across the room, and for the first time ever since the incident, Ray smiles.