Kissed All the Boys | Frerard + COMPLETE ! |

➵ FORTY EIGHT

Gerard nearly screamed out in glee as he wrapped his arms around his mother and repeated, "I love you," though those three words couldn't describe just how much he appreciated her.

"I love you too, kid," Donna said, and finally, after eighteen years, a weight was lifted off her chest and she could finally breath fresh air. Her child was happy. And that was all that mattered.

.

Gerard and Donna ate dinner together, snuggled beside each other on the couch and sharing laughs in between bites as they watched Heathers.

Content like a warm blanket, he was so worn out that as soon as he lied down in his bed, Gerard was asleep for the night.

Frank sat in his room and watched out the window until his mom came home, when he hurriedly took as many blankets as he could and ran up to the balcony before she could see him. Though it was unlikely that she would've anyway, for her vision was probably as faltered as her gait as she stumbled up the staircase.

He set up camp on the hard, cold floor, covering himself up with blanket upon blanket. No matter how much he considered it, Frank knew that reacquainting with his mother wasn't worth another meaningless bruise and seeking Gerard for help was only going to add to the list of things he had to worry about. Besides, he could make it through a night or two, right?

.

Sunday came before they knew it, though it was agonizing for both of them. Gerard spent the day helping his mother clean the apartment, a weekly routine they had put in place when they initially moved there. Frank couldn't return home, for his mom didn't have work on Sundays. He wandered the streets of Mackenzie, Oregon all day, familiarizing himself with it. He even stopped by the rock for a rest in the evening and was reminded of the kiss that started it all.

When night fell, Frank returned to his new solitary and barely got any sleep before having to face another day at school on Monday, Gerard the only thing giving him the strength to wake up.