Incisions to Corrupt a Mind

One month later

“We could run away, you know.”

Frank laughed; and as he was pulled from his daydreams he turned his gaze from the window to Gerard, where the older boy was hovering slightly, tracing fine lines in sharpie on the younger’s arm. He figured he would play along, because he knew Gerard liked it when he did, so he laughed again and said, “Well, where would we go?”

“I don’t know,” Gerard muttered, and he diverted his attention from his artwork on Frank’s skin to Frank himself, and said, “Anywhere. We could go anywhere,” and he smiled, softly.

“Yeah, I guess we could.” The corner of Frank’s mouth quirked up a bit and he sighed, and when his hazel eyes met Gerard’s, he asked, “But why?”

The older boy’s expression faltered for merely a second, but he responded with a clear voice, “Because I want to run away with you.”

Frank’s heart fluttered slightly, but he remained poised as he reached over to entwine his fingers in the older boy’s own. “But you have me right here,” he said, in confusion. “We wouldn’t need to run away…”

“But I don’t, though,” and the boy’s gaze fluttered down to what he had drawn previously on the younger’s arm. “I don’t have you on the days that you’re sick, or I’m drunk; and I don’t have you with me each time I say goodnight to the sun; and I don’t have you when all I think about is you, alone, because you, Frank Iero, have changed my life.” And Gerard held up Frank’s arm for him to see what the older boy had drawn there; and it was chibi zombie!Gerard indeed, holding cartoon vampire!Frank’s hand as they ran off into the sunset, and the caption was, “I really, really like you.”

“Gerard?” The name wasn’t much more than a whisper, and Frank left it hanging in the air, almost a question. “I–”

Gerard gripped Frank’s hand tighter, and he blushed when their eyes met. “I don’t know what it’s like, being in a relationship, because I’ve never tried… and I’m scared. But I know I want to try with you, because you’re kinda the only thing that’s been keeping me sane lately, even though I’ve kind of been going crazy in the process over anything you could have said to this, and I guess I really haven’t given you a chance, I’m sorry, I’m just some creepy art loser in second senior year and I live in my basement and oh, God I’m rambling and I’m sorry, and I don’t even know what people do in relationships–”

But the younger boy cut him off with a smile, and he let his hand fall from Gerard’s grip to the older boy’s cheek, and he said, “I do,” and brought his lips ever so gently to Gerard’s…

…and Mikey walked in.

“Hey, you guys– aw, oh, oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” and the younger Way faltered in the doorway for a bit, until Gerard pulled away from Frank and glared at his brother, who squeaked out, “Just, I’m gonna go with Pete, uh, have fun!” and dashed away from the doorway.

“I hate him so much sometimes,” Gerard groaned, and he fell back onto the bed in defeat. Frank giggled from his spot next to the older boy, and he let his hand find Gerard’s again, so that he was now turned to face the younger teen.

Gerard blushed, ever so slightly, and he said, “See, if I ran away with you, people wouldn’t be walking in every five seconds,” and Frank giggled, and pressed the tip of his nose to Gerard’s.

“I’ve never done this, either, so I don’t know what to do, really… but I’ve been wanting to do that since forever ago, so I knew it had to be the right thing…” He trailed off and bit his lip, and Gerard sighed in pine for the younger boy’s mouth to be on his again.

“You could stop talking and kiss me,” he interrupted, and Frank blushed; but the younger boy leaned in again, and pressed his parted pastel lips to Gerard’s own, just barely chapped and indented from all the biting he did to them, and he let out a sigh, and it was perfect.

And his phone buzzed, in his front pocket, and it startled him so much he jumped away, and then sat back, frowning as he pulled it out and hit ‘Accept Call’.

“Brendon, what do you want?”

“I got laid,” the older boy chuckled from the other end of the line.

“Yeah, and?” Frank asked, rubbing at his temple in frustration. “Ryan made it sound like you guys do that a lot, should I be impressed?”

“Well, Ryan’s a liar, because we don’t,” Brendon stated, as if it was obvious. “Well, we didn’t,” he then added, and, “It was fucking great, Frank. You should try it sometime. Not with Ryan though, or me, sorry, just need to clarify… Gerard, though, maybe?”

Frank hoped Brendon could feel his glare from where the older boy sat, giggling stupidly into Frank’s ear. “Yeah, no, I didn’t think you meant you or Ryan, Bren,” and he sighed. “But I am kinda busy with Gerard right now, so if you could kindly just… not? That’d be great.”

“Wait, you’re boning him right now?” Brendon squealed. “Holy shit, whoops, sorry! Well, yeah, then I better leave you to that.”

“Brendon, no I’m not having sex with him right no–” But the older boy cut him off with a, “You can tell me all the dirty details tomorrow,” and hung up the phone.

“Please tell me you heard none of that conversation,” Frank begged, and when he turned back to Gerard’s wide, amused eyes, he knew he was out of luck.

“So that’s Brendon,” he giggled. “Well, you don’t suppose we should give him something to hear about tomorrow, then?” and Frank didn’t think he’d ever felt his face that hot.

“Gerard,” he whined, and the older boy laughed.

“I’m just teasing you…” but he trailed off, and sighed, heavily, and said, “It’s not like I want to go to jail, or anything.” And oh, that’s what Gerard had meant when he’d said to Frank that he couldn’t have him, and oh, that’s why he wanted to run away; and Frank suddenly wanted to run away as well, somewhere in the world where no amount of police officers, religious guilt, or his mother’s wrath could find them.

“Oh,” he said, softly, and then, “Well, fuck.” And he turned to Gerard, who looked so downtrodden he couldn’t help but kiss him once more, and when he pulled back, there was a rainbow-sized gleam on his face.

“What?” Gerard asked, confusion heavy in his tone, and Frank said, “When do we run away?”

The End