Frank lay on his bed with his eyes squeezed tightly shut, wishing that when he opened them, all of his problems would have magically disappeared, and he would be back with Gerard, with no hateful father hanging in between them, and everything would be perfect.

But even without his vision, Frank could still feel every ache and pain that was caused by his father's beating once he had allowed himself to be led home on reluctant feet. Frank had wanted to stay with Gerard, but he became paralyzed when he was faced with his angry father, and standing up to him only made it worse.

Frank knew the best thing to do was to just keep his mouth shut and take whatever his father was going to deal out to him that day, and Gerard had learned that lesson the hard way when he had attempted to fight back. Frank's heart clenched when he remembered the way his father had hit his boyfriend; it was even worse than receiving the punch himself, and he wished Gerard would just let him deal with this on his own.

He loved Gerard's protective nature though; he just hated the fact that it had gotten him hurt in the process. Frank was worried about his boyfriend, that blow had been brutal, and he had hit his head on the coffee table pretty hard, but at least he had been conscious when Frank left. He might have a concussion though, and Frank felt so guilty that Gerard had suffered because of Frank's disobedience.

Frank wanted to go check on him; his father had barricade the door so he couldn't get out that way, "just in case he was tempted to run back to his faggot boyfriend" to use his father's words, but he hadn't even considered blocking the window. Frank's aching head was keeping him immobile for the time being though, and he didn't think he could move just yet, even if the room caught on fire.

Leaving the house right now was out of the question with this migraine, but Frank still needed to text Gerard to let him know he was all right. He would become frantic if Frank didn't message him soon, Frank knew that from experience.

But when Frank attempted to sit up to retrieve his phone, his temples felt as if they were splitting open, and the pain was so intense, Frank became paralyzed. Maybe if he stopped moving, the agony would cease long enough for him to retrieve the device.

Frank had no idea why he was suffering so much; his father hadn't even hit him in the head, but this ache was absolute torture, worse than any wound his father had ever dealt out to him multiplied by a thousand.

He had been having numerous migraines lately, and he knew he should be concerned about their frequency, not to mention the intense levels of pain he was experiencing, but he had bigger problems on his mind right now, and his next doctor's appointment wasn't until August for his yearly physical - maybe he would mention it to his physician then.

Lying back down on the bed carefully, Frank tried to take deep even breaths, but his discomfort only increased as time passed. Tears began to form behind Frank's closed eyelids, and he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to stand this.

Fuck - it hurt so badly; he needed this torture to end, but his migraine medicine was stored away in the bathroom, which meant he would have to beg his father to let him out of his room to get it. If his mother was home, he could probably convince her to retrieve it for him, but she was working late tonight.

Frank wished his mother was here right now - he needed her, or Gerard preferably, but neither of them were available to him at the moment. Frank didn't feel the same bitter hatred toward his mother as he did his father; she wasn't really a bad parent besides her perchance to turn a blind eye to Frank's father's abusive nature, and he truly did love her - which he couldn't say anymore about his father, the one-time affection Frank had carried for the man had been knocked out of him a long time ago.

Frank knew he shouldn't let his father treat him the way he did, but it was so hard to find the courage to actually do something about it. He was aware that if he called the authorities, his father would most likely be arrested on the spot, but that would destroy Frank's mother; she still loved the asshole somehow, and Frank didn't want to hurt her. In five more months, it wouldn't matter anyway, and he would be free to run away with Gerard and start a new life - just the two of them.

Frank ached to hear Gerard's voice; he always managed to take the pain away, even if it was just for a little while, but when he groped blindly for his phone, the small movement wracked his entire body with another rush of fiery agony. It was as if his migraine was spreading down his spine, and all of his nerves had become over-sensitized and painful.

Giving up on any more attempts to reach the device that would connect him to Gerard, Frank tried to stay perfectly still, stifling small groans of pain as his head pulsed wildly.

It will pass...it always does, Frank told himself over and over again, hoping that if he repeated the phrase enough times, it would end up coming true.

---------------------------------------------

Gerard paced his room impatiently, indecision plaguing his mind and threatening to drive him insane. Every few seconds, he glanced over at his all too silent phone that lay on his bedroom dresser. Frank should have called by now, or at least texted, he always did, just to make sure Gerard knew he was okay - even though he really wasn't.

Gerard's anxiety was spiking badly now; he felt so helpless and weak, and every minute that ticked by with still no word from Frank intensified the sensation.

Gerard was tempted to swing by Frank's house, just to make sure he was all right, but with his father there, that was too big of a risk to take, and Frank would end up paying the price if Gerard was seen.

Gerard kept telling himself that everything was fine, it had to be. Maybe Frank's father had taken his phone away as punishment; it was a likely scenario, even though it had only happened once before.

But what if that wasn't the case, what if Frank's father had gone too far this time and beaten him to the point of death? Frank could be hurt; lying on the ground in pain, bleeding, calling out for Gerard at this very moment, while Gerard was just sitting here doing nothing to help him.

Gerard's mind continued to assault him with worst case scenarios, and he knew he was rapidly spiraling out of control. He hated the way he let his dark thoughts consume him, but his brain was his own worst enemy, and it seemed hell bent on driving him insane.

Rushing to the kitchen, Gerard quickly swallowed his prescribed anxiety medication, drumming his fingers against the counter as he begged the drugs to take affect soon.

Once he had calmed down a bit, Gerard returned to his bedroom, sending Frank another text, just in case he hadn't heard his phone go off the first five times.

Another fifteen minutes passed with still no reply, and Gerard knew there was nothing else he could do - not tonight at least.

Tomorrow, he could go see Frank - fuck the consequences, and if Frank's father found them together, Gerard would do a better job of standing up to him this time, or maybe he would take it one step further. He could whisk Frank away and hide him somewhere his father would never find him, permanently fixing the problem for good, instead of just letting it happen.

Gerard delicately fingered the lump on his head from where he had hit the coffee table after being punched by Frank's father; it was sore and raised up from the rest of his scalp, but it was nothing compared to the contusions Frank received on a daily basis.

Gerard didn't want Frank to have to suffer from his father's abuse ever again; no one deserved to be treated that way, but especially not Frank.

Tomorrow, Gerard would save him, and if Frank's father threatened to call the cops on them because of their age difference, he would just turn the tables on him and report him to CPS, which is something Frank should have done a long time ago, but he had convinced Gerard to drop the topic every time it was brought up.

Gerard knew it would be hard to convince Frank to leave, but he was confident in his abilities that he could do it. After last night, Frank had to see that they couldn't wait five more months to remove himself from his father's hurtful presence; he might not even survive that long, and Gerard would be damned if he just sat by and watched while Frank went home every night to that monster he called a father.

Gerard had been doing that for long enough, and it had to end. He had tried his best to respect Frank's wishes, but Frank's father was only getting worse, not better, and Gerard had to step in and do something.

He could sell this house, even though it would pain him to lose his last physical connection to Elena, it would be worth it to keep Frank safe. They could move away - not too far, they both still had school to consider after all, but somewhere that Frank's father wouldn't be able to reach them. Frank would understand when Gerard explained it all to him - he had to.

With a plan in mind, Gerard somehow managed to drift off to sleep, and he dreamed about how perfect his and Frank's lives would be when they could finally be together without Frank's toxic family ruining everything.

I am having so much fun with this rewrite, this is awesome. I literally just updated yesterday, but I couldn't resist posting this tonight.

This chapter actually ended up being pretty short, but it was mostly just a continuation of the last one, and I am trying my best to follow the flow of the previous story as much as I can.

Literally like no one is reading this, but that's okay, because it is a huge weight off my chest to finally produce a decent version of this book.

((((satisfied vibes))))

<3 starr