Gerard and Frank spent the rest of their meal working out the semantics of their new relationship, discussing things from what Gerard was comfortable with and what he had done before, to his skype videos, which Frank really didn't mind if Gerard continued although the younger man wasn't sure if he would yet or not, and everything in between.

It still hadn't quite hit Frank yet that Gerard was his boyfriend, it seemed too good to be true, but he was. Ryan hadn't been wrong, and Frank couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy.

Gerard walked with Frank back to campus so he could retrieve his car, and although Gerard tried to refuse, Frank insisted that he drive him home.

They held hands the entire ride, and although the act had never been particularly exciting to Frank before, he found himself marveling over the soft texture of Gerard's skin, his thumb constantly skating over the back of his knuckles as he followed Gerard's instructions carefully.

"This is it yeah?" Frank asked when he pulled up in front of the address Gerard has rattled off earlier, his fingers squeezing tighter around Gerard's as if he could keep him there just a little while longer with the pressure of his grip.

"It is, thank you for the ride," Gerard smiled gratefully, his torso leaning closer to Frank's as he spoke, the car door going completely ignored as Gerard's gaze flickered to Frank's lips briefly.

"This okay?" Frank asked as he leaned closer, his hand cupping Gerard's face gently as Gerard pressed forward eagerly.

"Please?" Gerard whispered quietly, and that was all that Frank needed to hear before he was connecting their lips with a bit more force than he had originally meant to, but now that he had permission to touch Gerard, it was hard to hold back.

Everything that had been building inside of him was finally being released, the hidden desire, the buried affections, the fragile hope for something more that he hadn't dared nurture, but now it was erupting into a roaring flame.

Frank poured his heart into the kiss, moving his lips against Gerard's with an equal mixture of tenderness and need. A soft sound left his mouth when Gerard began licking past his teeth eagerly, his nails digging into Frank's shoulders as he clutched onto him, bringing their bodies as close as they could get in the small vehicle.

Frank had no idea how long they stayed in that position, it felt like years had passed and also only seconds, but eventually, Gerard pulled away for air. His chest heaved visibly as he stared at Frank, his pupils already dilating widely as he tried to regain his breath.

"Do you - fuck, do you want to come in?" Gerard panted. "My brother isn't home."

"I..." Frank trailed off, his conscience warring with his cock as Gerard continued to peer at him with pleading eyes, "after graduation," Frank finally managed to spit out.

And really, Frank wasn't sure why he wasn't taking Gerard up on his offer, because he wanted him - god, he was aching for him, but also, this had all happened so fast. Frank didn't want Gerard to assume that he was just in it for the sex, or even worse, regret this in the morning when he had more time to think.

Frank refused to ruin things by rushing ahead blindly, because Gerard was special, and he deserved nothing but the best, so Frank was going to make himself wait, even if it was only a few more days until graduation. That way, Gerard would no longer be his student, and he wouldn't have any guilt to contend with, leaving him free to focus entirely on Gerard, which was how it should be.

"Promise?" Gerard asked shakily, and although he did look a bit disappointed, he didn't appear to be upset, and Frank was reassured that he had made the right decision for the both of them.

"I'll take you straight back to my place after the ceremony if you want," Frank grinned, his fingers tangling in Gerard's hair as he pressed another quick kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"I'm holding you to that."

~~~

"Frank!" Gerard called out from somewhere among the sea of students.

Frank couldn't see him from his position near the doors, but he only had to wait a few more seconds before Gerard barreled his way over to him.

Frank tugged at the sleeves of his nicest suit when he noticed a tall, skinny man following behind Gerard slowly who Frank could only assume was his brother Mikey.

"Congratulations baby," Frank whispered, keeping his voice pitched low so no one but Gerard could hear, his stomach flipping over when Gerard beamed even brighter than he had when he'd received his degree.

"Thank you," Gerard continued to smile even as he introduced Mikey to Frank officially, his hands shaking slightly either from the adrenaline rush caused by walking the stage or the anticipation of what was to come, Frank wasn't quite sure.

Mikey took his leave not long after Frank had shaken his hand, shooting Gerard a sly wink as he went, which Frank assumed meant he knew what Frank was to Gerard, which was fine of course, although he had no idea if Gerard's brother approved of him dating a previous student, but he hadn't seemed malicious at least.

Either way, all thoughts of Mikey flew out of Frank's head when Gerard sidled closer to him, his hand discreetly resting on Frank's hip as he bent down slightly, placing his mouth directly above Frank's ear.

"So you're taking me home now yeah?" Gerard murmured, the eagerness coloring his tone leaving Frank slightly dizzy and out of breath.

"If you want baby, we don't have to do anything you aren't ready for," Frank reiterated.

They had gone over this yesterday actually, after Gerard had come out of little space for a bit when Frank stopped by to help him deal with his nerves.

The anxiety that had been induced by his approaching graduation had aged him down briefly, giving Frank his first experience with the younger version of Gerard. If Frank had to guess, he would say Gerard seemed about six, and he had loved spending his afternoon coloring with him instead of being alone in his too large house.

And not that Frank had doubts at this point, but seeing Gerard in that state had truly reinforced that he was really a little. He had believed him when he said he was of course, but it had been nice to have it confirmed, and he hadn't realized how much he had missed being able to care for someone before yesterday.

They had spoken about today before Frank had left, and once Frank had assured Gerard that he wouldn't trip over his gown, and if he did that Frank would be there to catch him, he had mentioned that Gerard didn't have to come over afterward if he had any misgivings.

Frank didn't want to pressure Gerard in any way, so he felt like he had to make that clear, but Gerard had simply laughed, telling Frank that the thought of returning to his was probably the only thing that would let him walk the stage without puking, but still - Frank was going to give Gerard as many opportunities to back out as he possibly could.

But once again, Gerard seemed one hundred percent sure that this was what he wanted if the roll of his eyes and his barely heard scoff meant anything that is.

"It's like you don't want me after all," Gerard whined when Frank didn't say anything else, which - no, fuck, that was not what Frank meant by his precautions, and he hoped that Gerard was only teasing him.

"Of course I do," Frank quickly backpedaled, "believe me, I have been thinking about this for weeks, but we have only been together for a few days and..."

"And I haven't been fucked in ages, so I'd like that to change by tonight," Gerard cut Frank off. "Seriously though, I've known you for a year, and honestly, I'm surprised I held out as long as I did, so please take me home so I don't have to settle for my hand again."

"Whatever you want baby boy," Frank chuckled, his worries draining away as Gerard all but dragged him to his car.

The little's excitement was leeching into Frank through their conjoined hands until he could barely focus on driving since his mind was entirely occupied with thoughts of Gerard, but Frank wouldn't have it any other way.

This is a bit shorter than the other chapters are but it's mostly just a lead up to the next part which will be the finale.

Thank you all for being here and reading this.

Chapter dedicated to frnklyiero

I love you so get much xxx

((((content vibes))))

- starr