Over the next few weeks, I struggled to resist the allure of the blade. Now that I had done it once, it had become an addiction, and I craved the way it made me feel.

With Frank's help, I managed to stay mostly clean though, with only one or two instances where I couldn't get a hold of him and I ended up giving in to my sick mind. I always felt terribly guilty afterward, but Frank never berated me or got angry about it. He was so caring and gentle with me...I still couldn't believe that this amazing person was actually my boyfriend.

"So are you excited about your birthday Frank?"

Tomorrow was Halloween - also known as the day Frank would turn fourteen, and lessen our age gap a bit. I know I was looking forward to it; luckily tomorrow was Saturday, which meant no school to interrupt our time together, and I had an amazing date planned for Frank - he just didn't know it yet.

"Hell yeah I am, I can't wait to go trick or treating!"

"Aren't you a little old for that?" Mikey questioned.

"I will never be too old for free candy - are you crazy? Plus I am so short that people assume I am still twelve," Frank giggled.

"Do you have anything else planned?" I pried while silently begging that he didn't. I probably should have made sure that he wasn't busy before today, but I hadn't wanted to ruin the surprise.

"Nah - both my parents have to work overtime, so I will probably just hang with you if that's okay?"

"Perfect." I grinned to myself, this was going to be the best Halloween ever.

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

I awoke unusually early; a typically weekend involved me sleeping in until noon - if not later, but I was just too excited about seeing Frank today to keep my eyes closed.

Instead of lying in my bed and staring at the ceiling, I decided to get dressed and face the day; I couldn't remember the last time I had seen the world at nine in the morning, besides when I was in school - maybe it would be interesting.

After pulling on my favorite pair of skinny jeans and my Misfits shirt, I attempted to calm down my messy hair, and I even added a touch of eyeliner; I wasn't ashamed to admit that I was trying to look better than usual to impress Frank.

When I headed downstairs, Mikey was already awake as well...crazy kid didn't know the joys of sleeping in.

"Holy shit...the world is ending - Gerard Way has awoken at a decent hour!" Mikey teased me.

"Hardy har har..." I responded sarcastically.

"Seriously bro - why are you awake?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to see what my lame brother does on a Saturday morning."

"Well unless you are going to come to my track meet, then you won't be able to observe the rare Mikey in his natural habitat." I chuckled to myself at his reply. I swear my brother and I were overdosed on sass when we were born.

"Nah - I'll pass, I have plans with Frank later."

"Have fun on your date!" Mikey called out as he ran upstairs to change into his uniform. I winced at his loud tone, but thankfully mom was still asleep, so she didn't hear.

Frank didn't make his way over to my house until about one in the afternoon, and by that time I was sequestered in my room, blaring my music louder than was probably healthy for my poor ears, but that was just the way I liked it.

So of course I didn't hear the doorbell ringing, and apparently Frank took it upon himself to come right on in and basically give me a heart attack by jumping on my bed and scaring the shit out of me. After my heart rate had returned to normal, I pulled Frank into a long hug and kissed the top of his head.

"Happy birthday baby." I smiled to myself as he snuggled deeper into my arms.

"So what are we doing today?" he questioned me eagerly.

"It's a surprise, but I know you will love it."

"I love surprises!" Frank shouted, sounding like a five year old in a candy store, which was one of the most adorable things ever.

"Come on - let's go." I grabbed Frank's gloved hand and basically dragged him out the front door.

We had to walk; even though I had a license, I was missing a car, which was a necessarily component involved in driving, but I didn't mind since it gave me more time with Frank.

We chatted about everything and nothing as we made our way toward the destination I had hidden from him, and I soaked up every word that fell from his lips. I was falling so hard for this boy - it was almost scary.

Finally the sounds of small children laughing became audible, and the edge of a massive corn maze came into view.

"Oh my god Gerard - no fucking way, is this what I think it is?" Frank squealed excitedly. I nodded my head in response, and he attacked me with a hug.

"I have wanted to go to a pumpkin patch all month, but my mom didn't have time to take me, and she said I was too old to go this year anyway - thank you so much!" he basically yelled into my ear since his arms were still wrapped around my neck.

"I thought you might like it."

"Like it? I love it!"

So Frank and I spent the day terrorizing the pumpkin patch. We got our faces painted, and spent forever trying to get out of the surprisingly complicated corn maze. Frank even got a pony ride, but I refused because the horse wouldn't stop looking at me funny.

When we eventually left, we were both grinning like idiots and clutching the pumpkins we had picked out to take home and carve.

"That was the best birthday present ever Gerard," Frank gushed on our way back home.

"The day isn't over yet Frankie, you still have to open your real presents."

"Aw Gerard, you didn't have to get me anything!"

"Too late - I already did." I stuck my tongue out at him as he tried to punch me in the arm, but he almost dropped his pumpkin in the process, and I skipped out of his reach.

Mikey had returned from his track meet when we arrived home, so we all went over to Frank's house to carve the pumpkins since my mom wanted to rest before she had to work her night shift at the hospital.

Mikey lugged over Frank's presents since my hands were still full of pumpkin, but despite Frank's pleading, I refused to let him open them yet. Instead - we gave faces to our orange friends; I made mine into a vampire, and Frank attempted to make his look like Jack Skellington, but it ended up looking like a creepy fat man by the time Frank was done.

Darkness had fallen by this point, but I wasn't feeling tired at all, even with how early I had woken up.

"Can we go trick or treating now?" Frank begged.

"It's your birthday, so we can do whatever you want," I gave in, even though the thought of asking my neighbors for candy made me feel ridiculous.

"Hurray! Just let me go change - I think I might even have some extra costumes for you guys too."

Mikey shook his head and said he was going to call it a night, but I grudgingly agreed, and that's how I found myself traversing around the neighborhood in a batman costume with Frank, who had dressed up as a zombie. He made one adorable dead person, and I had to control the constant urge to grab his hand or press a kiss to his cheek; I didn't want to give our nosy neighbors anything to gossip to our parents about.

When Frank had collected enough candy to put him in a diabetic coma, we finally returned to his still empty house.

"Where are your parents, shouldn't they be home by now?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Mom is working late again, and I don't know where my stepdad is...probably out at a bar or something." Frank's tone was light, but I could sense the hidden loneliness behind his words.

"Well - I will stay with you until your mom gets home. Plus...you still have to open your presents."

"Oh yeah - I can't believe I almost forgot about that."

Frank pounced on the wrapped packages and began ripping the paper off the one Mikey had gotten him. It was a Black Flag t-shirt that we had noticed him eyeing when we walked around the mall last weekend.

"Oh wow - I love it! Remind me to thank Mikey when I see him next."

Frank then moved on to the package I had gotten him, leaving the largest one for last of course. The look of delight when he opened the gloves I had picked out - which were designed to look like skeleton fingers - left a bubbly warmth in my stomach.

"Gee - they are perfect!" Frank pushed me back onto the couch with the force of his embrace, and I couldn't contain my grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"I hoped you would like them since you are always wearing gloves."

"Your timing is amazing, because these ones are on their last leg." He immediately replaced his tattered black gloves with the ones I had bought him, and I loved the way they looked on his small hands.

"Go on, open your last present. It is from all of us, including my mom."

Frank's breath hitched in his throat when he finally removed the wrapping from the final present. He turned to me with a wide eyed stare, his mouth opened and closed, but he seemed to be struck speechless.

"Is this really for me?" he stuttered out.

"Yep, your mom told us you had been dying to have one, and we all chipped in on it. Do you like it?"

"Hell yes - oh my god, I can't believe you guys did this for me!"

He opened the box lovingly and cradled the white Les Paul guitar to his chest. Experimentally - he played a few notes before gently setting it back down. Beaming with joy, he pressed a kiss to my lips, and I melted against him.

"This has been the best birthday ever Gerard. Thank you so much," he whispered when we finally broke apart.

"You deserved it Frankie."

"You want to know what my favorite part was?"

"The guitar?" I guessed.

"No silly, it was getting to spend the entire day with you."

That was the final push over the ledge that I had built around my heart, and I knew - without a doubt - that I was in love with Frank Iero.

So this chapter is basically just some more pointless fluff, but hey it was cute right?

I am getting a little bit bored with this story right now, so I am sorry if I am not updating as much.

If you guys like my writing, check out my other book called Tell Me I'm an Angel. I update that one way more frequently, and I think it is a lot better than this fanfic *shamelessly promotes myself*

So anyway, I think I am just going to skip over most of the childhood stuff, and just hit on the big events, since I don't really know what else to write, and I have more of a solid idea in my head for the adult parts of the story. There might even be some smut later on, I just didn't want to add any right now because I made Frank so young.

Okay I am going to go now. Hopefully I won't make you guys wait too long for the next chapter...but don't hold your breath because you will probably suffocate lol.

Love you guys

<3 star