A Kiss and I Will Surrender

Breakdowns in the Basement

(A/n: I don't know if it's just me but I feel like this chapter is pretty intense.)

"Hey Gerard I-"

Frank gasped when he saw Gerard huddled up in the corner of the basement, hugging his knees close to his chest with his head dropped down while he sobbed loudly. 

"Oh my god Gerard, what happened?" Frank rushed forward and crouched down next to Gerard, he reached a hand out and carefully placed it on Gerard's shoulder.

"Don't!" Gerard shouted through his tears, pushing Frank away. 

"I'm just trying to help you!" 

Gerard looked up at Frank, the tears streaming down his face. "Just stop! You don't know anything about me so stop acting like you do!"

"I wish I knew more about you but I don't and I can't find out when you only say two words to me in every sentence! What did I do?" Frank shouted, feeling himself get frustrated because he didn't understand why Gerard was crying and yelling at him.

"You keep trying to get into my life which I didn't ask for, you don't even understand." Gerard let out a choked sob.

"Then explain it to me!" 

"Just go away, I don't want you here!" Gerard wailed, the only other time Frank had heard Gerard speaking this loud was during his night terror.

Frank was stuck between being angry and confused, he really didn't know why this boy he'd only known for a few days was suddenly attacking him when all he'd try to do was help him.

"What the fuck did I do, Gerard? You're yelling at me for no reason and I don't appreciate it." Frank huffed, crossing his arms angrily.

Gerard scowled at him. "I don't appreciate you getting involved in my problems and trying to force me to eat when I don't want to!"

"Force?" Frank laughed humorlessly. "When did I ever force you?"

"The other day you grabbed my thighs and tried to undress me!" Gerard shouted, the tears falling faster.

Frank furrowed his brows in confusion. "Firstly, I didn't know you didn't want me to touch you and secondly, I did not try to undress you. All I did was caress your hips because I think you're beautiful and I thought something was happening between us. I'm sorry for misreading the conversation!" 

"You're not allowed to touch me!" 

"I fucking won't then. What the fuck's wrong with you?" Frank gasped when he realized what he just said, and the hurt, tear-stained look on Gerard's face proved how badly he fucked up.

"Oh my god, Gerard, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Leave me the fuck alone!" Gerard screamed, running out of the room as fast as his legs would carry him. Frank sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, he'd messed up really bad and now Gerard hated him, with good reason. What didn't have a good reason was all of Gerard's anger that was directed at Frank for a reason he didn't know, Frank understood that Gerard didn't like being touched but he didn't understand what the big deal about eating was. Gerard made it seem like Frank had actually forced the food down his throat when he was just trying to help Mikey and make sure Gerard ate enough. 

But Frank felt terrible because he didn't mean any of the messed up things he had said to Gerard, it was simply the intensity and anger of the whole situation that made him blurt it out. Now Gerard hated Frank because he had targeted his biggest insecurity which was all the many problems and flaws he had, and Frank didn't know what to do.

"Gerard- just wait-" 

Frank heard Mikey's voice coming from upstairs and next he saw Mikey come barging into the room.

"What the fuck did you do?" Mikey growled, walking right up to Frank and pushing him against the wall. "I trusted you."

"I didn't do anything, I-" Frank tried to form a sentence but the way Mikey was pinning him against the wall and how every inch of his face showed anger was very intimating.

"Well you clearly did because Gerard locked himself in a closet and he's busy having a panic attack. You knew his emotions were fragile and yet you still hurt him. What did you say?" 

"I didn't-"

"What did you say?" Mikey repeated through clenched teeth, Frank thought it was odd to see Mikey being so angry because he was usually very expressionless and calm.

"I tried to get him to eat toast this morning then he refused and he was making a big deal about you telling me about his problems, then I found him crying here so I tried to ask him what was wrong. Then he exploded and shouted at me for all these reasons like how I touched his thighs the other day even though-"

"You can't touch him." Mikey hissed. "I told you he doesn't like being touched."

"I didn't know that yet!" Frank yelled, trying to defend himself. "Then I got so frustrated that I said something mean and then he ran out."

Mikey narrowed his eyes, holding Frank against the wall even harder. "What exactly was the mean thing you said?"

Frank bit his lip and looked away, he knew Mikey was going to go crazy when he told him what he'd said. "I said something like 'what's wrong with you' but I realized that was a mistake and I tried to say sorry but he didn't want to listen."

"What's wrong with him? What's your fucking problem, obviously it was a mistake to think you would care about Gerard." Mikey let go of Frank and balled his fists up in anger.

"I do care about Gerard, probably more than I should." Frank had trouble maintaining Mikey's glare.

"What does that mean?" Mikey tilted his head slightly.

"I'm crushing so hard but he hates me now so it's pointless." Frank shrugged sadly.

Mikey's brows knitted together in confusion and he was about to say something but Linda came running in, her expression panicked and worried.

"Frank? Oh my god baby, are you okay?" Linda asked, checking her son for any injuries besides his eye. 

"Why wouldn't I be?" Frank wriggled out of the hug Linda had pulled him into.

"Gerard kept on saying your name while crying in the closet, so I was worried you had hurt yourself. What happened?" Linda looked to Mikey and then back to Frank.

"Nothing, don't worry about it, mom." Frank muttered, trying not to get her involved in everything.

"Frank made Gerard have a panic attack because he made Gerard feel like a freak." Mikey said bluntly, not caring about Frank in any way. 

Linda gasped and stared at Frank with shocked eyes. "This isn't how I raised you, Frank Anthony Iero, you need to go and apologize to Gerard."

"I tried to and he wouldn't let me." Frank said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Well I wouldn't either if I was him." Linda mumbled, her hands on her hips as she shook her head. Before any of them could say anything else, Donna came running in with a very distraught look on her face.

"Gerard passed out."