Gerard stood there staring at Frank's door for a few moments, trying to recall the last time he had actually used that entrance instead of Frank's window, which was hidden around back. It had been ages; in fact, it was probably the very day Frank's father had caught them kissing in his room.

When Gerard really thought about it, it was sort of ridiculous that he was terrified to even knock on Frank's front door, and in a perfect world, it wouldn't be that way.

But this wasn't a fairy tale land, and Gerard knew that all too well, but for a short time, he wished that they could at least be seen together without constantly looking over their shoulder for Frank's father.

Gerard wondered what it would be like if Frank had a normal, supportive family, who actually loved him, and welcomed Gerard into their home with open arms. Frank deserved that, and even though Gerard's family had tried to provide Frank with what his own parents couldn't, they were gone now too, and Frank was left with nothing expect for pain from his father and ignorance from his mother.

That was going to change though, and Gerard would make sure of it. Frank would have a proper life with him, including holidays spent with his family, and Gerard would do everything in his power to make sure that Frank got all of the experiences he had missed out on for so long.

Shaking his head to clear it, Gerard quickly strode away, just in case Frank's father happened to look outside for some reason or another, even though it was much too early for him to be awake; he usually slept off his hangover late into the afternoon.

Unlocking the gate which led into Frank's backyard, Gerard snuck around the side of the house, making sure to keep his footsteps light just in case someone did happen to be up and about at this hour.

Once he reached the window, he peered in with eager eyes, desperate for a glimpse of Frank, even though he had just seen him yesterday, it had still been too long in Gerard's opinion.

Frank lay fast asleep on his bed, still wearing the same clothes from last night, and he looked relatively unscathed. At the moment, he was curled into a ball, and Gerard couldn't help the small smile that stretched across his face as he watched Frank's chest rise and fall gently with every breath he took.

Frank looked so beautiful when he slept, like a fallen angel, and Gerard found himself reluctant to wake him, but he had to hear his voice; he wanted to look into his gorgeous eyes and be reassured that everything was going to be okay, because Frank always had the power to do that for him, even though it should be Gerard comforting Frank, and not the other way around, but Gerard needed Frank more than he would ever admit.

Gerard knocked softly on the window pane, but Frank didn't stir at all, and on closer inspection, Gerard noticed that the latch had been left unlocked, so he opened it silently before pulling himself up the small distance and into Frank's room.

Frank still hadn't moved, and Gerard couldn't resist the temptation to snuggle up in bed with him, so he did just that, wrapping his arms around Frank's small frame before pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Frank's eyes scrunched up at the unexpected contact, and Gerard knew he was finally starting to wake up.

"Good morning sugar," Gerard whispered, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't alert Frank's parents to his presence.

"Go away..." Frank mumbled sleepily, trying to bury his face back in the pillow to block out the morning light that was starting to break through the dark cloud cover.

"But it's time to wake up," Gerard cooed in a teasing voice, earning himself a playful swat on the shoulder from Frank, but he did open his eyes, even if it was only to glare at his boyfriend in mock annoyance.

"Hey baby," Frank smiled before a yawn cut off the rest of his words, and Gerard couldn't get over how adorable Frank looked in that moment. Frank burrowed himself even deeper into Gerard's arms and attempted to fall back asleep, but Gerard wasn't going to let him.

"Please wake up Frankie?" Gerard begged, putting on his best puppy dog eyes, but Frank failed to notice because he currently had his face buried against Gerard's chest.

Feeling a bit devious, Gerard began to tickle Frank lightly, and it wasn't long before Frank snapped his eyes open again and sat up in an attempt to avoid Gerard's relentless hands.

"Fuck you Gee. I'm awake - happy?" Frank crossed his arms and tried to look stern, but Gerard didn't miss the way his lips twitched as if he was holding back a grin.

"Yes I am," Gerard giggled quietly, holding his arms out in invitation, and Frank gladly responded, snuggling up against his boyfriend's chest with a soft sigh of contentment.

Gerard leaned down and captured Frank's lips in a loving kiss, humming softly to himself as Frank clutched tightly to him as their lips moved together in perfect unison.

"I could get used to waking up this way," Frank grinned once he and Gerard finally broke apart.

"So could I - actually, that's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What do you mean?" Frank questioned curiously as he reluctantly pulled away from Gerard so he could change out of his day old clothes now that he knew he wasn't going to get the chance to fall back asleep any time soon.

"I want to take you out of here. I'm not going to let your father hurt you any longer, and I know you are going to give me a thousand reasons why it's a stupid idea, but I have everything worked out, and I'm just asking you to trust me," Gerard pleaded in a low tone of voice, watching as Frank paused with his shirt halfway over his head so he could give his boyfriend his full attention.

"Baby...I can't leave, you know that. He will find me, he always does..." Frank shuddered softly before returning to his search for clean clothes.

"I know, but I promise I won't let him get you this time. I'm going to sell my house, and we can get a nice little apartment somewhere on the other side of town. I can choose classes that won't coincide with your school schedule so I can always pick you up and drop you off, and it will all work out perfectly. He will have no idea where you are, and you will be eighteen soon, so even if he did take me to court, you would be legal before anything could happen."

"Gee, you can't sell your house - it was Elena's. I would never ask you to do that for me," Frank argued back, but Gerard wasn't giving up this time.

"Frankie, you know I would do anything for you, and in the end, it's just a building, and Elena would want me to be happy, and I am never happier than I am when I'm with you."

"Gee..." Frank whispered softly, and Gerard could tell from the look on his face that he was seriously considering his offer.

"I don't want you to be here anymore sugar. I get so scared, and if something were to happen to you again, I don't know what I would do," Gerard admitted quietly, wringing his hands together in his lap as he awaited Frank's answer.

"Okay - let's get out of here," Frank agreed in a shaky tone of voice.

Gerard tried to hold back his sigh of relief, but he couldn't stop it from escaping his lips. He had been terrified that Frank would be too scared to take this plunge with Gerard, but Frank had more courage than anyone Gerard knew, and even though he could tell that he was still afraid, he was finally leaving his family behind, and Gerard was so proud of him in this moment.

"I won't fuck up this time Frank."

"Don't say that Gee, you never fuck anything up, and I trust you. I wouldn't be running away with you if I didn't." Frank pulled Gerard in for a quick hug before digging under his bed for a bag to put some things in.

"I love you baby," Gee smiled as he watched Frank dart around his room, trying to decide what to take with him.

"I love you too, fuck - I really do. This is crazy, I can't believe I'm actually going to get to live with you. It almost seems too good to be true."

"I know, I kind of feel the same way. Do you need some help packing?" Gerard asked, because he wanted to be gone sooner rather than later so they could avoid any confrontations with Frank's father.

"No, but I want to take my guitar and amp, and I don't know if I can carry this all in one go. We might have to make two trips." Frank frowned as he glanced over at his beloved instrument, but Gerard already had an answer to that problem.

"I'll just go get my car really quick, we can pile it all up in there so we won't have to lug it down the street."

"That's perfect. I should be finished packing by the time you get back." Frank's voice came out muffled since he was half buried in his closet, trying to pick through his massive pile of clothes for what he actually wanted to bring with him.

"Don't worry about anything that isn't super important Frankie. I can take you shopping for clothes and all that stuff later on." Just the thought of going out with Frank to buy him things for their place had a broad grin stretching across Gerard's face.

"Yeah, okay - I just need to make sure I get everything that means something to me, because my dad is probably going to wreck my room when he finds out I am gone," Frank spoke causally, but Gerard flinched at his light tone. At least it would just be Frank's possessions getting destroyed this time, and not Frank himself.

"I'm just going to go get the car okay? I'll be right back." Gerard waited until Frank lifted his head and nodded in acknowledgement before jumping out the window and striding down the street back toward his house at a brisk pace. He probably should have brought his car with him the first time, but he hadn't really been sure if Frank would agree to this or not, and Gerard preferred walking over driving for the most part.

As he hurried home, Gerard had to constantly look down to make sure his feet were touching the pavement, because it sure as hell felt like he was floating. His heart was bursting with happiness, and it didn't seem completely impossible for him to soar into the sky, not with how light and relieved he was feeling now that he knew Frank was finally going to be safe.

Gerard still had a lot of work to do to make sure Frank continued to be protected; he hadn't even put his house on the market yet, but he hadn't wanted to start the process of selling it until he was one hundred percent sure that Frank was willing to do this. He wasn't lying when he said he would do anything for Frank, but Gerard didn't want to give up Elena's home only for Frank to back out on him at the last minute, but Gerard didn't think that was going to happen this time.

Gerard could still barely believe that Frank had agreed to come live with him, and he hadn't even needed that much prodding, which had come as a surprise. Gerard had been prepared for Frank's to dig his heels in, but his easy acceptance made Gerard wonder how much worse things had been getting at home, and how many beatings Frank had been hiding from him in order to spare his feelings.

It didn't matter now though, because Gerard was taking him away, and this time, he wouldn't let his father drag him back, no matter what happened.

Hi guys.

I have literally nothing to say, so yeah - love you <3

This chapter is dedicated to 2Human4Nature for reading this slightly less shitty version of my first fanfic, and it makes me really happy that you keep commenting and voting on it.

((((boring author's note vibes))))

<3 starr