Break the Law For Me [completed]

t h i r t y n i n e

No, he didn't see him at school. Gerard wasn't there when he arrived, and he never showed up for the last two days of the school year.

Either Gerard didn't want to see Frank, therefore was avoiding him, but he thought that sounded a bit ridiculous, so he scrapped that idea. The next one he'd come up with was that Gerard was either too tired, or couldn't be bothered. The last assumption he could make was that Gerard was ill, or something similar. Or perhaps he hadn't been in lessons, but had been in the building.

Anyway, Frank was curious, and a little worried -mainly that it might have been his fault. It'd been absolute shit starting the academic year with Gerard there, and ending it with him having disappeared.

Obviously, Frank had sent him texts, but he'd gotten no reply. Except on Wednesday, a couple of hours after he'd left Frank's, he had texted him about how he'd managed to get his car serviced, though that was it and hardly meant anything.

The holidays had started now, four days in, and still nothing, so Frank was panicking that he'd driven him away or upset him. Rather than ghosting him, Gerard would have said something if he was annoyed -he wasn't one to be rude.

Frank had successfully developed in to a total hermit because he hadn't left the house at all. Anyway, it wasn't like he had a reason to. Brendon was busy, as was Ryan, and, being the painfully shy boy he was, he had no other friends.

-

Later that week, Frank received a knock on the door, which interrupted his very important tv show binge. Sighing, he untangled himself out of the blankets he'd buried himself in at some point earlier that day. He despised answering the door, but he was hoping it was the postman with the hair dye he'd ordered, though it seemed a bit of an odd time to call round.

"Hey."

"Gee?" Frank gasped.

Hugging his long coat around himself, Gerard was stood there, streaks of eyeliner trickling down his cheeks, red hair utterly dishevelled, clothes mismatched like he'd gotten dressed blind, and he had a bruise forming around his neck and collarbone.

"Can I come in?" He asked casually, like everything was normal.

"Yeah, of course." Frank held the door wide open for Gerard to shuffle in. "Are you okay?"

Nodding silently, he headed straight for the sofa, then collapsed on to it on his side, allowing his eyes to flutter shut.

Concerned beyond comprehension, Frank knelt beside him, tucking his hair behind his ears. "Gee?"

"I'm. . . I'm awake." He breathed, smiling at Frank, who managed one back. "I'm just. . . I'm tired. Can I sleep here for a bit?"

"No. I don't want you staying here all night." He rose to his feet, holding his hand out. "Come on, you can sleep on my bed."

Slowly, Gerard stood up, swaying a little as he gripped Frank's shoulder. "Thank you."

Frank guided him upstairs, because Gerard was falling asleep while walking, so he really must have meant it when he said "I'm tired." Once they were in his room, Gerard climbed on to the bed, curling up in to a ball. Just a tad shocked at what the hell was going on, Frank took a few seconds, watching Gerard drift to sleep as he remained leaning against the door, a perplexed expression on his features.

Apparently, he hadn't been fully unconscious, so when Frank finally moved to sit at the desk, Gerard raised an arm. Eyes still closed, he whispered, "Lie with me?"

The mattress dipped as Frank settled next to him, and he wrapped his arm around Frank's waist, pulling him closer, which Frank didn't object to, in fact, he intertwined his fingers with Gerard's.