Hardest Part (Frerard)

Friends And Enemies Pt 2 (Ch 17)

Chapter 17-Friends And Enemies Pt 2 (Gerard's POV)

Collage was so much better than high school. There was way less class time, and almost all my classes just involved art. Along with that, my new roommate was extremely awesome. His name was Bert, and we were into a lot of the same things.

Obviously, I missed Frank an incredible amount, but I was really enjoying my time at my new collage.

I know I promised weekly visits, but I had a lot of work to catch up on, and had been unable to make it back home for a few weeks. However, I was planning a surprise trip for the weekend. It would be our christmas break, so I was planning on staying for the two weeks we had off.

I was really excited to spend some quality time with the most amazing boyfriend I could ever ask for. I couldn't wait to hear about what he had been up to.

Bert walked through my bedroom door, his black hair, which was surprisingly even longer than mine, dangled over most of his face.

He offered me a can of beer, which I respectfully refused.

A few years back, in high school, I had gone through shit and turned to alcohol. I tried to drown my demons in liquor, showing up wasted to my classes, and refusing to even go a day sober. That all changed when I met Frank. I quit for him, and there was no way in hell I was going back. He was all I needed to stay sane, all I needed to feel happy.

Bert sat down beside me, leaning over my shoulder to look at what I had been drawing. I had been working on a realism piece for one of my classes, of course choosing to draw Frank's perfect face.

"Who's that?" He asked, pointing at the half done portrait.

I smiled, continuing to sketch.

"His name is Frank." I spoke softly, adding some highlights to the portraits eyes. It was beginning to look quite a lot like the small boy, and I was actually quite proud of how it was turning out.

"Who's Frank?" Bert replied, grinning.

"My adorable boyfriend," I began, "who means the entire fucking world to me."

"Wow, looks like big, emo Gerard isn't as tough as everyone thinks." Bert joked, lightly pushing my shoulder. I held back the urge to slap his hand, not wanting my art to get messed up. "Who knew you were such a softie?" He continued, pointing out the blush on my face.

I laughed, pushing a strand of hair out of my face.

"Don't push your luck Bert, I would seriously fuck anyone up." I sassed, "Well, except for Frank that is."

"Okay, whatever you say softie." He played.

I flipped him off, before returning to my drawing. He watched me, studying my movements and techniques.

Bert hadn't quite reached my skill level yet when it came to art, so I often helped him out. The two of us had also been writing some songs together, for we had the same taste in music and decent voices.

Surprisingly, Frank hadn't called me in a few days. I hoped he was all right, he seemed a little off the last time we talked. I brushed it off, thinking he was probably just busy with schoolwork and hanging out with his friends.

Though I was happy Frank had most likely made some good friends, it pained me to know he would be hanging out with people besides me.

God, I cared about that short kid way too much.

It took me about another hour to finish my sketch of Frank, and surprisingly Bert watched the entire time. I had to admit it felt a little weird knowing someone was watching me draw, but I didn't mind too much. Frank used to watch me for hours, admiring the small comic strips I would create. He would also help me come up with storylines, adding text to the small scenes I drew out for him. We hadn't done that in quite a while, and I was beginning to notice how much I missed him.

"So, how did you meet Frank?" Bert spoke up, breaking the pleasant silence.

"Uhh," I began, not wanting to disrupt Frank's privacy. Even I didn't know an awful lot about his past, only that his parents had died, and he had been thrown into the foster system. I supposed it would be alright to tell him a little about how me met, leaving out a few details. "He was in foster care, and they treated him like shit. I met him walking one day, and he was awful upset. After that I suppose I just kidnapped him, and he came to live with me."

Bert looked slightly confused as he tried to comprehend what I had just told him. "How long ago was this?"

I thought about it for a moment, "Almost two years now, why?" I replied.

"Why was Frank stuck in the foster system if he was already an adult?"

Oh.

"Frank isn't exactly an adult yet." I blushed, suddenly finding the floor to be very interesting.

"Well, how old is he?" Bert pushed, wanting to know way too much about our relationship.

This was the reason I wasn't open about Frank and I. I was absolutely terrified if I told someone, that they would send him back into foster care. I couldn't handle loosing Frank, he was mine, and I would never let him go.

"He's 17." I answered simply, resisting the urge to nervously bite my lip.

"Oh shit Gerard!" He laughed, "You're dating some fucking kid?"

Kid? He wasn't just some kid. He was Frank. Frank Iero. He was my Frank Iero.

"You're just jealous that I actually have a boyfriend, loser." I spoke, sending him a playful glare. 

he returned it, tapping my shoulder. "When do I get to meet this kid?" He smirked, tugging on the sleeve of my shirt.

"I guess you could stop by our apartment to meet Frank over the christmas break if you would like." I offered, packing away my pencils.

He smiled, walking out of my room and into the kitchen. He turned on the coffee machine, which I was extremely grateful for. I joined him, taking a seat on one of the bar stools. I had a nice dorm, complete with a bathroom, two bedrooms, and a small living room and kitchen.

Bert handed me a mug as my phone rang. I held it up, smiling at the familiar contact name.

"Hey Frankie!" I grinned, missing the kid's voice greatly.

There was a small pause, which concerned me, until he spoke. His voice was sweet and simple, causing my smile to widen. "Hey Gee,"

I didn't even know where to start, I was worried after our last conversation, but had been too preoccupied to call him back. That was a mistake, Frank should always come as my first priority.

"How has school been?" I asked, wanting to know how he was doing.

He sighed, probably running a hand through his hair. He did that often, play with his hair, generally when he was stressed. "School is school, Gerard." He spoke, sounding slightly disappointed with his own answer.

Bert poured some of the rich, black liquid into my mug, giving me the everything okay? look.

I nodded, taking a sip. I almost spat it out, forgetting to let it cool.

"What's wrong, baby?" I cooed, earning a smirk from Bert.

He sighed again, procrastinating his answer. I didn't want to push him, but I needed to know he was all right. He means the entire world to me, fuck, he means the entire universe to me, and I wanted him to be as happy as I could possibly make him.

"Please- Just, let's not talk about it, okay? I'm fine."

He was very obviously not fine, but I didn't push it. I simply complied, changing the subject. "You excited for the Christmas break?" I asked.

His tone changed almost instantly, I could practically see his smile through the phone. "Fuck yeah!" He yelled, and it was only then that I realized something.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school, Frank?" There was no way he could be that loud, especially considering it wasn't break. Frank should be in class, learning and chatting with his friends.

He didn't respond, and it was then I knew something I desperately wished hadn't been true.

Frank was not okay.