I'm Just the Boy Who's Had Too Many Chances

Gerard's next mid-morning wake-up call came that night, but instead of his pillow vibrating, he was woken up by a hand on his face.

He jerked himself into a sitting position when he realized that there was someone in his room. He fell back against his bed when his head collided with something hard. He knew taking the nails out of his door was a bad idea.

Instead of whoever was in his room threatening him, the unknown person said, "Ow! Fuck!"
Gerard knew that voice.

"Frank?" He called out in the darkness.

"Yes, sir."

"What time is it?" Gerard asked, his words still slurred with sleep.

"A little after 3."

"Why are you in my bedroom?"

There was a small chuckle, and the weight of Frank climbing on Gerard's lap. He wrapped his arms around Gerard's neck and pulled him close, and Gerard kissed him greedily.

"You've got a hard fucking head," Frank whispered against Gerard's lips.

"Your fault. What are you doing here?"

Frank chuckled again. "Get dressed," he demanded, and with a final kiss, climbed off Gerard's lap.

"Why?" He asked warily.

"Do you trust me?"

Gerard rolled his eyes. "You know I do."

"Then get dressed. Oh, and bring what you're planning on wearing to school today."

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

"Frank, I'm tired."

"You can sleep in the car. Lets go!"

"Where are we going?"

Frank leaned down and stuck his face in Gerard's. Gerard knew this because he could smell the mint from Frank's breath.

"Gerard Way. I love you, but if you question me one more time, I swear I'm going 'domestic violence' on your ass."

Gerard laughed, and Frank pecked him on the lips.

"Now will you please just trust me and get dressed?"

Gerard rolled his eyes again and climbed outta bed. Frank, on the other hand, sat back down in Gerard's bed. Clearly, he didn't have any intention of leaving so Gerard could change.

Gerard, who had been sleeping in pajama pants and an old t-shirt, was paralyzed for a moment with the thought that Frank was gonna watch him change. Then he relaxed when he realized that his room was pitch black, and Frank couldn't possibly see him. Still, he turned his back to Frank when he took his shirt off.

With a spare set of clothes tucked in his backpack, he and Frank crept their way upstairs.

"Grab a notebook."

Gerard figured it'd be better to not resist, so he grabbed the notebook they kept by the microwave for miscellaneous uses, and flipped it open to the first blank page.

Frank dictated, and Gerard just wrote.

"Ma, went into school early with Frank. I have a huge project due that I wanna get a head start on. I'll see you later. Love, Gerard."

Gerard wrote it down word-for-word, then ripped the page out and stuck it on the fridge.

Frank grabbed his hand and led him outside, to where his car was idling in Gerard's driveway.

~~~~

Gerard took Frank's 'sleep in the car' comment seriously, curling up in the passengers seat, and setting his head on the cold window. Frank kept his radio low so it wouldn't wake Gerard.

When Gerard was woken up, it was from Frank running his hand through his hair.

"Wake up, babe."

Gerard sat up and rubbed his eyes. The first thing he did was look at the clock in Frank's dashboard. It was 4:30.

"Where are we?" Gerard asked groggily.

Frank didn't answer, he just grabbed Gerard's hand and helped him out of the car. There was a warm breeze, which was weird, because it was the middle of November.

"Take your shoes off," Frank ordered, and Gerard did. "Close your eyes."

Gerard did what he was told, and Frank grabbed his hand and led him away from the car. After a few step, Gerard began to feel the grains of sand beneath his feet.

"Where the fuck?"

Frank chuckled, and led Gerard even further. The sand turned wet, sticking to his feet. Frank stopped suddenly, standing behind Gerard and wrapping his arms around him.

He stood on his tiptoes and whispered, "Open 'em," in Gerard's ear.

Gerard opened his eyes slowly, and gasped at the beautiful sunrise he saw across the lake.

"Wow," he whispered, and Frank gripped him tighter. Gerard looked around at the lake. They were in someone's backyard, standing next to a small dock

"Frank, it's gorgeous."

"I figured an artist would appreciate it."

"Shit! I wish we would've brought my sketchbook!"

Frank turned him around so that they were facing each other.

"Another time. Today, we're here for another reason."

Gerard cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

Frank grabbed Gerard's hand again and led him down the small dock, to the very edge.

"Gerard, I didn't just bring you here today for the sunrise."

"Why'd you bring me?"

Frank took a deep breath, blushing fiercely. "Gerard, I love you."

"I love you, too."

"And I'm not trying to insult you or embarrass you. But, I've noticed something about you."

Gerard gulped. "What?"

"Your reluctance to take your clothes off around me."

Gerard sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be! It's okay to be scared. But babe, there's nothing to be afraid about. You're so fucking gorgeous. I still marvel at my luck. You're beautiful and I don't want you to feel self-conscious around me."

Gerard shrugged. "I can't help it. I wasn't the skinniest kid."

"Is that it? Gerard, I don't care about that shit. Do you see me sporting a six-pack?"
Gerard smiled.

"I don't care. Gerard, you are absolutely, hands-down the single most beautiful person I've ever met. And I bet that you are just as gorgeous with your shirt off."

Gerard chewed on his lip nervously.

"So. To get over your aversion to taking your clothes off around me," he trailed off, pulling his shirt off.

"Frank, what are you doing?"

Frank took a step back, and quickly pulled off the basketball shorts he was wearing, and his boxers. Gerard's jaw dropped as Frank ran off the end of the pier and jumped into the lake.

"Are you fucking crazy?" Gerard yelled as he resurfaced. "Anybody could see you!"

Frank shook his head playfully. "This is my aunt and uncle's house. They're in Miami for a month."

"You could get in trouble."

Frank scoffed and floated on his back. "I don't care. My boyfriend says I'm a little too impulsive."

"He sounds intelligent," Gerard said, struggling to keep his eyes on Frank's upper half.

Frank somersaulted in the water, and stuck his head back out. "Are you gonna come in?"

Gerard chuckled, shaking his head. "No. You're insane."

"Oh, don't be so lame! When are you gonna have another chance to go skinny-dipping with me and watch a sunrise on the lake at the same time?"

Gerard couldn't beat Frank's logic. Every part of him wanted to get in the water with Frank. But there was still that part that didn't want Frank to see him naked.

Frank stuck his bottom lip out and pouted. "Please come in the water with me?" His eyes were big and the way his hair looked dripping water down his face was gorgeous.

Gerard sighed, and even though there was still a nagging at his mind, he brushed it off, telling it that Frank loved him the way he was, and that there wasn't anything to be scared of around him.

Gerard peeled off his shirt and pulled down his jeans.

He followed Frank, leaping off the dock, plunging into the chilly water. When his head broke the surface, he almost screamed.

"Jesus, Frank! It's fucking freezing! Were you gonna warn me?"

Frank just shrugged, and swam his way over to Gerard. "This'll make an amazing story to tell GSA."

"No. We're not telling anyone about this. I'm debating on whether or not to give you a lobotomy so you can't tell."

Frank wrapped his arms around Gerard's neck.

"You taste like lake water," Frank said after a long kiss.

"Ew, so do you," Gerard said, chuckling.

Frank kissed Gerard's shoulder as he ran his fingers over Gerard's body. Up his back, down his stomach and thighs, then from the back of his knees all the way up to his shoulder blades.

"Frank..." Gerard moaned.

"So does this mean you're comfortable being naked around me now?"

Gerard smiled, wrapping his arms around Frank and hugging him tightly, fitting their bodies together. He gasped a little at how much of Frank's skin he felt against his own, but he just kissed Frank.

Frank wrapped his fingers in Gerard's hair. "I guess that's a 'yes'," he said, before he captured Gerard lips again in a heated kiss.

~~~~

Thank god Frank had the forethought to bring towels. After a pretty intense make-out in the water, they were both cold enough to get out of said water immediately.

Gerard didn't feel any self-consciousness as he redressed himself. He didn't even care that Frank was watching him as he struggled to pull his clothes over his still-wet body.

He didn't care, because while Frank put his clothes back on, Gerard couldn't keep his eyes off every inch of Frank's bare skin he could see. The kid was pale and shimmering with droplets of water, and Gerard wanted to reach out and run his fingers over every inch of him. So he did, lightly dragging the very tips of his fingers down Frank's chest and up his back, across his collarbone (which was marked purple, because it had become one of Gerard's favorite places to put hickeys), down his arms and back up, down his sides, across his waist where his jeans sat. Frank shivered, just standing still as Gerard memorized his body.

"Are you cold?" Gerard whispered.

Frank chuckled. "No, that feels amazing."

"You," Gerard whispered, pressing a soft kiss to Frank's jaw, "Are perfect. Thank you. I needed this."

"It wasn't completely selfless."

"I know. But still, thank you."

Frank wrapped his arms around Gerard's shirtless back, and hugged him tightly.

~~~~

"What kind of project were you working on?" Donna asked when Gerard came home that afternoon.

"It's a research essay for World Lit. We have to pick one non-American author and write an essay about his life and his writing."

"Oh?" Donna asked, sipping her coffee.

"Who'd you pick?" Donald asked.

Gerard turned away and smirked. Knowing it would annoy his parents, he replied with, "Oscar Wilde," before he walked down to his basement.