NOTE: Just a little note too tell our usual readers that we updated with two chapters today, so if you've skipped to o the last chapter. Go back :)
Frank stood at the front of Gerard's house and fidgeted impatiently, waiting for someone to answer the door, he was nervous but he wasn't quite sure why, he knew he was facing stuff he never had before because he'd never needed to, but right now while he and Gerard weren't getting on for the first time ever and Gerard was upset, now seemed the best time to confront everything and speak to Gerard properly like he probably should have done a long time ago.
The door opened and Mikey was there, stood with one eyebrow raised and his hand on his hip- the exact position Hayley had been in when Frank visited her house the day Brendon kissed him.
"What are you smirking at?" Mikey frowned, and Frank forced himself to look solemn once again.
"Can I speak to Gerard please?" he asked and Mikey sighed "he's downstairs, in his room, Where he has been for the past few days, you might be able to at least get him out of his room for an hour."
Frank frowned, so Gerard had been hiding? Strange.
"I'm going out" Mikey said, walking past Frank "See you later dude"
Frank shut the door behind Mikey and shook his head in bewilderment, it still scared him how quickly Mikey was growing up, it seems like only a matter of weeks ago he was a tiny, ill looking kid with huge glasses and a hell of an attitude, he still had that attitude but he was super tall now with dyed and styled hair and contacts instead of his trademark glasses, and he had a girlfriend, he was growing up far too fast, Frank was pretty sure he hadn't even made the transition from being a kid to being a teenager yet.
Frank headed down into the basement and to Gerard's room, and found Gerard sat on his bed, staring into space. It was only when Frank looked closer he realised Gerard had his headphones in, so Frank edged a little closer and waved at Gerard, trying not to startle him.
But the way Gerard reacted was like Frank had ran up behind him and smacked him over the head with a metal bar. Gerard jumped a foot in the air and fell off the bed, then stared up at Frank wide eyed.
"Oh shit sorry I tried not to scare you, are you okay?" Frank asked, holding his hand out to help Gerard up, but Gerard ignored Frank's hand and struggled up himself, sitting back on the bed and taking his headphones out, placing his IPod carefully on the desk.
"S'okay. What're you here for?" Gerard was doing that fake smile he thought convinced people he was okay, but Frank knew better.
"Am I not allowed to visit you anymore?" Frank asked, frowning, he could usually visit Gerard's at three in the morning and not be questioned.
Gerard sighed and shook his head "Of course you are, sorry Frank"
They both stood in an awkward silence for what seemed a life time until Frank couldn't handle it and decided to be the one to speak.
"Look, Gee I know things have been a little shit between us-"
"Really?" Gerard interrupted, Frank could detect the slightest bit of sourness Gerard was obviously trying to hide.
"I don't think so. Things are fine" Gerard had clearly forgotten Frank had known him since like, the beginning of time and he knew Gerard was playing his little defensive game, pretending nothing was going on and hoping it would go away, Frank also knew Gerard would explode eventually and let everything out, and Frank planned to be the detonator.
"Well there was the whole closet incident at your birthday…" Frank's stomach always did a weird swoop when he thought about that, but it still made him smile a little through the awkwardness, it was an embarrassing memory, but I good one all the same.
Gerard however, went really pale and he looked at Frank like he'd just announced something scandalous Gerard had never known of before.
Frank just frowned and carried on "And, I know I've been ignoring you because of Brendon okay but I-"
Gerard interrupted again, he smiled, but his lower lip trembled and he still looked pale "I don't care about you and Brendon, honest. As long as you're happy Frankie I'm happy okay? You and Brendon…you go well together anyway"
Frank shook his head in total disbelief, Gerard was suffering and Frank hadn't even realised. The Brendon thing had back fired and now Gerard was hurting.
"Gee, Brendon and I aren't together. We never have been or ever will be. I know you saw us in the music rooms but it was all a big mi-" "
You two should be together, it'd be cute, Brendon likes you and you like him so…" Frank sighed and it took all of his strength to hold his temper.
"I swear to god Gerard if you interrupt me one more time I'm going to gag you and nail you to the wall until I've finished speaking! I haven't even admitted I'm gay yet!"
Gerard's eyes shot up into his hairline "So you are gay?" he asked quietly.
Frank hit himself in the forehead. "Well of course I am! It's not exactly a massive secret, Hayley's known since I was ten, apparently"
"I wasn't sure" Gerard half whispered, staring at the bed sheets "We're getting off the point anyway. Brendon and I aren't a couple, it was all a misunderstanding and we're cool now, but it's you I'm worried about."
Gerard looked up and frowned "Why would you be worried about me?" he asked, and Frank rolled his eyes "because I care about you idiot. And only now I'm realising how much I've hurt you. I dropped you, my best friend in the whole world suddenly for some guy you hardly knew…and neither did I, I guess"
Gerard was watching Frank in silence, his eyes were shining with tears and Frank could feel a knot in his throat too "Everything's changing right now. Everything's going to shit and we can't stop it, but we need to stick together, and I guess I sort of forgot that"
Gerard remained silent but Frank couldn't stop now, the words were pouring out of him, like his body had made a deal that as long as the words kept coming the tears would remain behind his eyes "Everything's spinning to fast and I, I don't know what to do. We'll be leaving school soon and all be going to college and splitting up and there's all this shit going on in my head that I don't understand. But I know I need you" Frank made himself look Gerard in the eye. "You always make everything better for me and stop everything from spinning, even if it's just for a while. I need you with me Gee, and that's why I think we need to talk about stuff properly y'know?" Frank took a deep breath and waited.
"There's nothing to talk about" Gerard said, his voice was getting quieter every time he spoke and he'd gone back to staring at the sheets.
"What do you mean there's nothing to talk about!" Frank couldn't help but raise his voice, he'd just poured his heart out the best he could and Gerard was still being a prick.
Gerard suddenly stood up and scowled. Here came the explosion "I mean there's nothing I can talk to you about! Yes, shit is happening and yes what you said is true but I don't even know what's going on so how could I tell you!" Gerard was flailing his hands about angrily and his face was getting red, so Frank waited, he wasn't quite out of steam yet. "Yes, I hate Brendon, and I hated you being around him! I don't even know why but I did! It was like you replaced me and it hurt so bad, then when I saw you kissing I…" Gerard trailed off and hugged himself, taking a step back and shutting his eyes tight.
"Let me get this clear" Frank said slowly "I didn't kiss him. He kissed me, and it was a mistake."
"Oh come on I saw how you two were with each other! If that wasn't flirting I don't know what the fuck is!" Gerard spat
Frank frowned, were they really that bad "do you know why I became friends with Brendon?" he asked.
Gerard shook his head and looked confused.
"Because he's the best damn musician in the school, he's awesome, and I knew you had a lot on your plate and you've most probably forgot about that music performance we have to do in a couple of weeks"
Gerard's expression showed he had forgotten and was currently panicking so Frank continued "So I asked Brendon for his help with writing the song, I don't know shit and I wanted our song to be good, but I guess it got out of hand."
Both boys stared at the floor in silence, until Frank decided to break the silence once again "Y'know I love you Gee, I didn't mean to upset you, I just can't help being a dick sometimes I guess"
"You'd think I'd have got used to it by now" Gerard muttered, then laughed slightly, they both looked up at each other and smiled. For the first time in a very long time Frank had the feeling that everything would be okay.
They both paused again, but this time before Frank could speak Gerard had made it across the room and had pinned Frank against the wall.
And he was kissing him.
Gerard. Was kissing him.
Frank's brain went into an absolute meltdown for a few seconds, then went he caught up his hands were in Gerard's hair and they were still kissing.
It wasn't particularly romantic or amazing, their noses bumped a lot and they were both trying to catch their breaths and sounded a bit like asthmatic seals but to Frank, it was perfect, because it was Gerard.
Everything that had been buzzing around in his head had settled, everything felt perfectly calm and normal and just right.
Gerard pulled away, his hair was all over the place and his eyes were huge but he was grinning "I'm sorry" he whispered "I don't know why I did that" Frank giggled
"I do" he said, and pulled Gerard forward by his collar and kissed him again.
Frank felt on top of the world, he must have been waiting for this for so long but never really realised it, he truly thought everything was really going to be okay, more than okay. Gerard pulled away slightly again and rested his forehead on Frank's, he still had his arms wrapped around Frank's waist and his face mirrored exactly what Frank was feeling.
"You're such an idiot" he said fondly.
Frank grinned "but I'm your idiot" he replied.
"I guess you are" Gerard laughed, then hugged Frank a little closer.
"I guess I'm cool with that."