I'm the Last One That You'll Ever Remember
Chapter 170: Marry Me
“Mmm, that was amazing, Gee!” Frank sighed gleefully, leaning back in his chair with his eyes shut. A hand was rubbing over his gorged belly with gratification. The breakfast his boyfriend cooked up for him hit the right spot within the black hole he dubbed his stomach. For at least an hour he’d remain satiated. “I swear you cook better than me.”
Rising from his chair, Gerard reached for the pitcher of orange juice and filled his and Frank’s cup to wash down the last of their breakfast. “I’m glad you think so. I honestly had no idea I could cook until I moved in with you.” With a grin, he set Frank’s cup by his plate and leaned down to procure a kiss from those curved lips. “I’ll take the dishes to the kitchen. You just relax here, okay?”
“Baby, I don’t think I could get up even if you wanted me to.” Frank laughed up at his face, handing him his empty plate. Frank watched him go with hearts in his eyes. He loved that man so much it was a wonder how the world hadn’t imploded yet from the sheer magnitude of it. Sighing romantically to himself, Frank lowered his eyes to where his plate had been and gasped at what he saw. His eyes magnified on the small black velvet ring box in front of him. “Oh my god!” He exclaimed to himself.
Looking up towards the kitchen, he heard the dishes clattering but saw nothing. His hazel eyes flew back to the ring box, and with hands that quaked, he plucked it up. He skimmed the ring box, turning it up and down, and side to side. He postponed opening it for reasons he didn’t know, but it did build up the suspense so that when he finally did pop it open, he nearly fell out of his chair. Tears saturated his eyes as he gasped down at the black opal engagement ring. “Holy shit…”
From the kitchen entryway, Gerard watched the watery smile stretch across Frank’s face as he sniffled. This made him smile too as his boyfriend reached into the ring box to extract the ring. Seeing his cue, Gerard stepped into the dining area and took the ring from a transfixed Frank and lowered down to one knee beside his chair.
Frank’s glazed eyes widened all over again when they discerned Gerard next to him, his mouth opening and closing at first as he turned in his chair to face him. “Gee, I-I…”
“Shhh, it’s okay, baby.” Gerard hushed him, holding the ring up between this thumb and index finger so it was between them. “Frankie, my world from the moment I was born has always been black. All I’ve ever known is darkness. It’s become so familiar to me, like breathing. I never questioned why it shrouded me and no one else. I’ve lived in it for so long I was certain I’d never see the light of day. But then one Halloween night, I came across something I never knew existed. Something that existed only for me, and I for it. I saw the first rays of light in a world of darkness, and it came from you. Naturally, I was curious about this beam of light that illuminated the darkest reaches of my life I’d never seen the details of before. It felt like...what I believed to be described as warm, safe and loving according to the books I’ve read.” Gerard conveyed, tears blurring his vision as they spouted to the surface. The last image of his boyfriend was of him listening closely while fighting to keep his own emotions in check.
“I was instantly obsessed with this light and planned to keep it all for myself. Eventually, I learned that it was wrong of me to do so I had to let you go. More like I’ve TRIED to let you go. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t ever seem to do it.” Gerard shook his head to himself, his eyes lowering to the ring he held between them still, a symbol of his love for Frank. “I’ve existed in darkness all my life and it took only one sliver of light for me to become addicted to it. It took me losing that light for what I thought would be forever to get me to understand how vital it had become. I was willing to give up anything and everything that I’ve ever known for this light. And I have willingly.”
Lifting his eyes to a red face Frank who had both hands clamped over his mouth, Gerard hurried to wrap his speech up so the poor boy could breathe. “This ring is going to be living proof of that, baby. Everything you’ve ever wanted, I’ll get for you. Anything you’ve ever needed, I’ll get for you. I’ll risk my life just to keep you and our family safe, and happy for the rest of my days.” A single tear fell from Gerard’s cheek, but he played it off as if he hadn’t noticed it at all. “Stay with me forever, Frank Anthony Iero. Take my name, and I will be more than happy to take yours. Have my children, and be by my side as we watch them grow together. Marry me, Frankie, please. Marry me.”
Unable to help himself, Frank broke down into sobs so strong his form hunched over from the force of it. They shook his entire frame as he covered his face. With tears soaking his cheeks, he straightened back up to give his awaiting boyfriend a keen nod. He couldn’t trust himself to say the words comprehensibly. Launching himself out of the chair, he fell against Gerard’s frame and snaked his arms around his neck to sob in his chest. Grinning, Gerard felt his own face scrunch with emotions as his arms looped around Frank’s waist to haul him closer. On the dining room floor, his boyfriend wept against his chest while he buried his face in his hair and released his own tears. Their bodies shuddered in each other’s hold as their emotions washed over them.
Once he felt better under control, Frank nuzzled his face against Gerard’s shirt and raised his head to whisper. “I-I love you so much, Gee. You’ll never be able to grasp how much. Of course I’ll marry you, baby, in this life and the next. There’s nothing in life I could ever want more than to have you and our family together forever. I love you so much! God, I ca-”
Gerard cut off his rant by quashing his lips with his own in a deep kiss. He felt the younger man disintegrate into the kiss before retaliating with his own hunger. Gerard didn’t need to hear Frank’s tender words because what he felt for him was mutual. They were the reflection of each other. It was not necessary to go into details.
Unfortunately, their need for oxygen became necessary, and so their red kiss-swollen lips parted. They breathed heavily as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Without breaking eye contact, Gerard slipped the ring on Frank’s finger and watched as the tears began to gather in his eyes again. It made him smile again. “Don’t cry, baby.” Gerard soothed him, cupping his face before descending his mouth to his again.
The couple didn’t stop kissing even when the grandparents returned back to their house with the grandbabies. They hailed out as they entered the dining room area, releasing the twins to go scurrying off to their parents. “Hey, what’s going on here, you two?”
“You two, alright?” Frank Sr. demanded, his eyes narrowing on their teary eyes from their position on the floor.
Frank managed a nod before extending his hand out to them for them to see his ring at the same time Lorenzo flung his arms around his neck.
“OH MY GOD!” Margo shrieked, accidentally startling the baby Milo awake and making him cry. Setting the car seat down, she cooed at him while simultaneously speaking to her only child. “Oh baby, I’m so happy for you!”
Frank Sr. lowered Jovani to the floor to go greet his parents too. “So when is the wedding, you love birds? Next fall? Next summer?”
“Tomorrow!” Gerard answered, needing their son to legally be his as soon as humanly possible.
“Tomorrow?!” Margo exclaimed, not understanding what he just said.
“Yeah! We can go to the courthouse and get married there!” Frank gushed with excitement, his eyes sparkling up at Gerard. “It'll be super quick!”
“And maybe somewhere down the line we have an proper wedding if we still want to.” Gerard added, grinning back at him.
“There won’t be a wedding anytime soon.” Frank Sr. cut in, shaking his head in displeasure. “It’s just not possible.”
“What!? Why not!?” Frank balked with outrage, thinking his father was going to impede.
“Pumpkin, you’re only 17 years old.” Margo reminded him, finally getting Milo under control again. “You’re too young to be married at this age by law. You two will have to wait until you’re 18.”
“Sonof-” Frank cut himself off, reminding his children were around. Huffing, he sulked with a pout. “I guess we have no choice here. We’re gonna have to wait.”
“Don’t worry, love, you’ll be 18 soon.” Gerard soothed him, caressing a finger down his cheek. “The second you are, we’re taking a field trip straight to the courthouse.”
Rising from his chair, Gerard reached for the pitcher of orange juice and filled his and Frank’s cup to wash down the last of their breakfast. “I’m glad you think so. I honestly had no idea I could cook until I moved in with you.” With a grin, he set Frank’s cup by his plate and leaned down to procure a kiss from those curved lips. “I’ll take the dishes to the kitchen. You just relax here, okay?”
“Baby, I don’t think I could get up even if you wanted me to.” Frank laughed up at his face, handing him his empty plate. Frank watched him go with hearts in his eyes. He loved that man so much it was a wonder how the world hadn’t imploded yet from the sheer magnitude of it. Sighing romantically to himself, Frank lowered his eyes to where his plate had been and gasped at what he saw. His eyes magnified on the small black velvet ring box in front of him. “Oh my god!” He exclaimed to himself.
Looking up towards the kitchen, he heard the dishes clattering but saw nothing. His hazel eyes flew back to the ring box, and with hands that quaked, he plucked it up. He skimmed the ring box, turning it up and down, and side to side. He postponed opening it for reasons he didn’t know, but it did build up the suspense so that when he finally did pop it open, he nearly fell out of his chair. Tears saturated his eyes as he gasped down at the black opal engagement ring. “Holy shit…”
From the kitchen entryway, Gerard watched the watery smile stretch across Frank’s face as he sniffled. This made him smile too as his boyfriend reached into the ring box to extract the ring. Seeing his cue, Gerard stepped into the dining area and took the ring from a transfixed Frank and lowered down to one knee beside his chair.
Frank’s glazed eyes widened all over again when they discerned Gerard next to him, his mouth opening and closing at first as he turned in his chair to face him. “Gee, I-I…”
“Shhh, it’s okay, baby.” Gerard hushed him, holding the ring up between this thumb and index finger so it was between them. “Frankie, my world from the moment I was born has always been black. All I’ve ever known is darkness. It’s become so familiar to me, like breathing. I never questioned why it shrouded me and no one else. I’ve lived in it for so long I was certain I’d never see the light of day. But then one Halloween night, I came across something I never knew existed. Something that existed only for me, and I for it. I saw the first rays of light in a world of darkness, and it came from you. Naturally, I was curious about this beam of light that illuminated the darkest reaches of my life I’d never seen the details of before. It felt like...what I believed to be described as warm, safe and loving according to the books I’ve read.” Gerard conveyed, tears blurring his vision as they spouted to the surface. The last image of his boyfriend was of him listening closely while fighting to keep his own emotions in check.
“I was instantly obsessed with this light and planned to keep it all for myself. Eventually, I learned that it was wrong of me to do so I had to let you go. More like I’ve TRIED to let you go. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t ever seem to do it.” Gerard shook his head to himself, his eyes lowering to the ring he held between them still, a symbol of his love for Frank. “I’ve existed in darkness all my life and it took only one sliver of light for me to become addicted to it. It took me losing that light for what I thought would be forever to get me to understand how vital it had become. I was willing to give up anything and everything that I’ve ever known for this light. And I have willingly.”
Lifting his eyes to a red face Frank who had both hands clamped over his mouth, Gerard hurried to wrap his speech up so the poor boy could breathe. “This ring is going to be living proof of that, baby. Everything you’ve ever wanted, I’ll get for you. Anything you’ve ever needed, I’ll get for you. I’ll risk my life just to keep you and our family safe, and happy for the rest of my days.” A single tear fell from Gerard’s cheek, but he played it off as if he hadn’t noticed it at all. “Stay with me forever, Frank Anthony Iero. Take my name, and I will be more than happy to take yours. Have my children, and be by my side as we watch them grow together. Marry me, Frankie, please. Marry me.”
Unable to help himself, Frank broke down into sobs so strong his form hunched over from the force of it. They shook his entire frame as he covered his face. With tears soaking his cheeks, he straightened back up to give his awaiting boyfriend a keen nod. He couldn’t trust himself to say the words comprehensibly. Launching himself out of the chair, he fell against Gerard’s frame and snaked his arms around his neck to sob in his chest. Grinning, Gerard felt his own face scrunch with emotions as his arms looped around Frank’s waist to haul him closer. On the dining room floor, his boyfriend wept against his chest while he buried his face in his hair and released his own tears. Their bodies shuddered in each other’s hold as their emotions washed over them.
Once he felt better under control, Frank nuzzled his face against Gerard’s shirt and raised his head to whisper. “I-I love you so much, Gee. You’ll never be able to grasp how much. Of course I’ll marry you, baby, in this life and the next. There’s nothing in life I could ever want more than to have you and our family together forever. I love you so much! God, I ca-”
Gerard cut off his rant by quashing his lips with his own in a deep kiss. He felt the younger man disintegrate into the kiss before retaliating with his own hunger. Gerard didn’t need to hear Frank’s tender words because what he felt for him was mutual. They were the reflection of each other. It was not necessary to go into details.
Unfortunately, their need for oxygen became necessary, and so their red kiss-swollen lips parted. They breathed heavily as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Without breaking eye contact, Gerard slipped the ring on Frank’s finger and watched as the tears began to gather in his eyes again. It made him smile again. “Don’t cry, baby.” Gerard soothed him, cupping his face before descending his mouth to his again.
The couple didn’t stop kissing even when the grandparents returned back to their house with the grandbabies. They hailed out as they entered the dining room area, releasing the twins to go scurrying off to their parents. “Hey, what’s going on here, you two?”
“You two, alright?” Frank Sr. demanded, his eyes narrowing on their teary eyes from their position on the floor.
Frank managed a nod before extending his hand out to them for them to see his ring at the same time Lorenzo flung his arms around his neck.
“OH MY GOD!” Margo shrieked, accidentally startling the baby Milo awake and making him cry. Setting the car seat down, she cooed at him while simultaneously speaking to her only child. “Oh baby, I’m so happy for you!”
Frank Sr. lowered Jovani to the floor to go greet his parents too. “So when is the wedding, you love birds? Next fall? Next summer?”
“Tomorrow!” Gerard answered, needing their son to legally be his as soon as humanly possible.
“Tomorrow?!” Margo exclaimed, not understanding what he just said.
“Yeah! We can go to the courthouse and get married there!” Frank gushed with excitement, his eyes sparkling up at Gerard. “It'll be super quick!”
“And maybe somewhere down the line we have an proper wedding if we still want to.” Gerard added, grinning back at him.
“There won’t be a wedding anytime soon.” Frank Sr. cut in, shaking his head in displeasure. “It’s just not possible.”
“What!? Why not!?” Frank balked with outrage, thinking his father was going to impede.
“Pumpkin, you’re only 17 years old.” Margo reminded him, finally getting Milo under control again. “You’re too young to be married at this age by law. You two will have to wait until you’re 18.”
“Sonof-” Frank cut himself off, reminding his children were around. Huffing, he sulked with a pout. “I guess we have no choice here. We’re gonna have to wait.”
“Don’t worry, love, you’ll be 18 soon.” Gerard soothed him, caressing a finger down his cheek. “The second you are, we’re taking a field trip straight to the courthouse.”