Frank felt every bit of blood in his body run cold the moment the wooden door to the library swung open. The way his heart dropped was similar to the sensation of falling - harshly landing in his stomach and causing the most awful chill to rush over his entire body. Only once did he feel this horrible sensation and that was the first time he had ridden a roller coaster when he was nine years old. To this day, he was deathly afraid of roller coasters, but he would hitch a ride on one any day if it meant that this dreaded event would be taken away and erased from history.

He felt Gerard cling to him with fear as they both sat up, staring with wide fearful and shocked eyes at the two people standing in the doorway. Their faces that had once been smiling were now staring at Gerard and Frank with equally large eyes, their mouths falling open in pure shock at the sight before them. Frank was still partially on top of Gerard, his shirt only half way buttoned. Gerard's was also half open, showing off the small love bites on his chest. Their hair was a mess, lips swollen from heated kisses and skin glistening with the afterglow of their love making. To anyone, it was obvious what they had done, and from the way they automatically clung to each other when they were caught, it was clear the two of them simply were not here for just sex.

There in the doorway was Lindsey Ballato's mother and of course, Frank's own mother. Lindsey's mother stared with horror filled eyes at Gerard while Linda stumbled backwards, her hand over her heart in pure shock.

"F-Frank? What on earth is going on here?" Linda choked out and Frank felt just a small sliver of guilt run across his spine. He shook it away because, yes, falling in love with a boy and completely lying to your mother about not loving your match was sinful at this point in time, but no matter what he did, he could never bring himself to regret being with Gerard. Not one second did he wish he could take back, not one dream did he want to erase from his brain.

"Gerard. In my own house after my daughter - no, your match's death, you dare pull something so disrespectful? With a boy?" Lindsey's mother's face was flushing red from anger, giving Gerard a glare that caused the latter to shrink back, his eyes immediately filling with tears.

"You are a sinner. A disgrace, mourning over your match is one thing but sleeping with a boy is never the answer." She stepped forward while Linda stood at the doorway, frozen and unscathed by any of the painful words her friend had spewed out.

Frank, on the other hand, was angry. His blood boiled even more when he heard Gerard whimper softly, a warm tear softly splattering into his arm which Gerard clung to. His stomach flipped from such sudden resentment, from the anger aimed at this woman who made his love cry and curl into himself.

"Don't speak about him that way, you are no better for judging someone that way." Frank returned the foul woman's glare and cradled Gerard against him, petting his hair in a comforting gesture to calm the trembling boy. He looked down at him and his expression softened when he gazed into those wide and fearful hazel eyes, his skin paler than it usually was. All he wanted to do was plant reassuring kisses all over his face, hold him close, but he refrained.

"Frank. Let go of the boy. Now." Linda finally spoke up in a low voice that trembled. Usually her voice was cheerful, pleasant to listen to. Now, it sounded as if it had been dragged through beds of nails, barely making it out alive and only mustering enough strength to stutter out words that made Frank's blood chill in his veins.

With eyes now filling with tears and crumbling strength, Frank took in a shaky breath and looked away from Gerard to bring his attention to the two women standing in front of him. Mrs. Ballato was red with fury, fists curled and her posture not going with her elegant dark curls and gown. His mother, on the other hand, looked faint. Like she had seen a ghost, not even her lips held any color. Her eyes were frozen and cold as she stared at Frank, mouth slowly screwing into a tight line when Frank did not immediately obey her.

"Frank." She hissed, causing him to flinch. "Let go of Gerard."

He did not want to. All of his life, the last thing he wanted was to let go of Gerard. He promised him countless times that he would always be there, their friendship and eventual love would never be broken. When Frank was younger, his mother always told him to follow his dreams. To pursue them, embrace them as much as he could and never let them fade away. Taking this advice underneath his wing, he met Gerard shortly after hearing it. For days and nights on end, her words echoed through his head, and when he fell in love with Gerard, he almost did not take it until he decided he needed to chase his dream. His love.

Gerard was his dream. He followed him, embraced him, he did as his mother had said. His heart broke as he realized that his mother was going back on her word, the advice Frank depended on and took by storm.

"You're coming with me, Gerard." Mrs. Ballato suddenly said, reaching out for Gerard with her hand and cold, unforgiving eyes. The boy in Frank's arms gasped, shaking his head frantically.

This was when Frank finally came to life, breaking through the paved stone covering and nearly burying him alive. He suddenly sprang to his feet, daring to stand so close to Mrs. Ballato and shielding Gerard behind him to protect him from the woman coming after him.

"Don't touch him." Frank warned in a low voice just as Mrs. Ballato took a step back and her eyes widened in disbelief. "I won't let you take him away from me."

"Little boy, you made Gerard this way, didn't you?" Mrs. Ballato scoffed and shook her head, curls bouncing slightly. "I ought to call the Services on the both of you!"

Frank pretended not to be affected by this statement. He willed his body not to flinch, his heart not to hammer away, but he only succeeded in the doing the first part.

The Services were the security of Battery City, working alongside the government. They were hellbent on keeping the society as it should be, taking away anyone who dared to disrupt the peace. If anyone reported Gerard and him, they would surely be thrown someplace cold and dark without each other's arms to keep warm. They would be separated forever, only in their dreams could they live and never be able to feel each other's touch and presence ever again. Frank's worst nightmare would be coming true.

"Frank, we are leaving and you are never to see this boy again." Said Linda as she stalked forward, roughly grabbing Frank's arms and sternly glaring at him. "We won't call the Services, but you will never so much as set eyes on Gerard, are we clear?"

"No, please, don't -" Gerard pleaded just as Mrs. Ballato got her hands on him.

Frank panicked when he realized they were being dragged away from each other, their widening eyes meeting and both overflowing with tears as their gazes locked and the gap between them was growing from being pulled in opposite directions.

"No, mother you can't do this!" Frank stumbled and tripped in his steps as his mother yanked him away from his love. His shirt was hanging off of him, but he did nothing to fix it.

"Frank!" Gerard whimpered. He cried freely, wincing when Mrs. Ballato's manicured nails dug into the sensitive skin of his arm.

Frank would not stand for this. He was sure of it, and simply knowing that Gerard was being dragged away from him forever was enough to gather to will to pull the bold move of using his strength and shoving his mother off of him, causing her to stumble back and fall against the love seat sitting far away enough from the wall. Despite the guilt churning in his stomach, he saw nothing except for his love as Gerard himself broke free from from the woman pulling him away, shoving her back and running towards Frank.

Immediately reaching out and gripping Gerard's hand, he looked into his eyes so deeply for one small second in their short time and uttered one word, one that could save them.

"Run."

So they ran, hands clasped tightly together and never wanting to let go. They hurried out the door with Frank kicking it closed behind them, bolting quickly with Gerard right behind him. Their footsteps made loud noises against the marble floors underneath them, but they ran fast enough for them not to be traced by the two older women trying to yank them apart. Frank held Gerard's cold hand in his tight grip, locking their fingers together and never wanting to let go.

Once they reached the ballroom area, they hid behind one of the large marble pillars furthest away from the large crowd. Looking around, Frank spotted Mrs. Ballato and his own mother rush into the room, frantically looking around with flushed faces.

"Where do we go?" Frank asked himself more than Gerard.

"There's . . . there's a cottage Mikey and I went to sometimes. We used to stay there every summer but we don't go there anymore, I know how to find it." Gerard panted softly, looking up at Frank with his messy hair falling into his eyes and his face pale from all the shock taking place this evening.

"Is it far from here?" Frank asked quietly.

"No, but it's hidden away because it's private property. There's a key under the plant I have in front of the door, we can get in." Gerard nodded and squeezed Frank's hand.

"Okay. We're going to be okay, alright Gee?" Frank took one small moment to let go of Gerard's hand and instead cup his face gently in his hands, thumbs stroking the soft skin of his cheeks and eyes searching for any uncertainty in the latter's gaze.

Gerard nodded slowly and swallowed, wrapping his hands around Frank's wrists and leaning his cheek into his right hand. "I'll keep you safe." He whispered, turning his head and kissing the center of Frank's palm. "I promise."

——

The two eventually managed to escape the giant ballroom full of people without rising any suspicion. They slipped out the back door hand in hand despite the commotion of the two women relentlessly searching for them. In the back of Frank's mind, he knew someone would find them, hunt them like animals, but for now all that mattered was the delicate hand desperately clinging to his own and the pumping of their legs as they ran out onto the streets and away from the Ballato household.

"Frank, taxi!" Gerard gasped out and pointed down the street where a yellow cab was driving down the block with its brights, and when Frank squinted, he saw no one sitting in the front or the backseat except for the driver.

The two stopped running and waved for the cab, moving their arms up and down to capture the vehicle's attention. Their panting breaths came out in puffs of white smoke into the cold night air and they shivered from the bitter chill. Their shock was also settling in, causing their fingers to tremble and their hearts to beat tremendously fast.

The cab slowed beside them, the driver rolling down the window and leaning out to raise his eyebrows at the two boys. "Where are you two headed?"

"The Way property on Applewood Drive. I'm the owner's son, I'm taking my friend there with me for the evening." Gerard managed to swiftly say in one breath. Frank only nodded, afraid to interject anything else and spoil the lie.

"Hop in, kids, the drive is only ten minutes from here." The blonde driver with the lip ring gestured to the back of the car with his thumb and Frank felt sweet relief wash over his achingly numb body.

Getting into the backseat with Gerard, the squeaky faux leather seats were cold against Frank's skin. It smelled mildly of Chinese takeout, but he paid little to it. He focused on trying to get his pounding heart under control, at least his labored breaths. His blood felt thick inside his veins, everything except for his heart running incredibly slow and edging towards shutting down. Every time he thought back to the events that took place in the library, his stomach blossomed with love, but that budding emotion was crushed by the heavy darkness of horror and fear. He was close to biting his fingernails off, his fingers twitching with the desire to do so.

But he felt a soft warmth envelop his twitching hand, the sensation of satiny skin rubbing against his and twining their fingers together. A jolt of warmth snaked up his arm before settling in the pit of his stomach, easing the coldness in his blood and soothing a bit of the anxiety tugging at his lungs.

He turned his head and saw Gerard's hazel eyes in the darkness, the streetlights they passed by shining into the olive green and honey gold irises. His pupils were shrunken to extreme levels and the white part of his eyes looked bloodshot, but Frank could see the beautiful soul laying behind them and comforting him as best as he could. The gesture of grabbing Frank's hand was telling him it would be alright for now, that he was there. For now, Frank greatly appreciated this and hoped to soak in it for the short time they had together. Yes, he knew their time was limited, they could not hide away forever without dying. At this point, Frank would gladly die if it was an event taken place in the arms of someone he loved. He would interlock their fingers and their limbs, hold on and say not a word until they both took in their last breath, letting out one final exhale before they shut their eyes and they fell asleep.

At least, to them, it would feel like sleep until they reached another world where they would finally be accepted. Where all was fair and even, where Frank could hold Gerard close to his side and kiss his lips in public without fearing being taken away from him. He could take Gerard out to look at art, to watch people perform on the streets, to kiss him underneath a starry night and a full moon. Place a diamond ring on his delicate pale finger and have people applaud for them. These desires would always be kept close to his heart, desires Gerard shared with him. Perhaps if he held them close enough, the universe would hear him and give him the mercy he longed for.

In fifteen minutes, they arrived at their destination. Frank looked out the window and saw a cottage covered by greenery such as vines and roses, the walls made of large stones and pavement to keep them from crumbling and a door made of maple wood. The windows were made of delicate stained glass, designs of flying doves and lovely butterflies dancing across the thick pane. Frank wished he could appreciate it more, but as he climbed out of the car with Gerard, it hit him that this was the place where they would be cut off by society. He noticed that the cottage has since been abandoned due to the dust and overgrown plants covering the front, the windows in need of a scrub.

"The key is here." Gerard reached out for a potted and shriveled sunflower and lifted it to reveal a bronze key surrounded by dirt. Picking it up and brushing it off, Gerard inserted the key inside the brass doorknob's lock and twisted it to the side until a click was heard and he was able to push the door open.

Inside, it was pitch dark and cold. The wooden floors creaked under their careful footsteps and the stained glass prevented all of the moon's powerful rays to light up the room. Gerard patted the walls until he found the light switch, flipping it on and bathing the room in light from the dim lights ahead.

The yellow light casted a warm glow across the dusty furniture and abandoned walls, flickering once or twice from not being used in such a long time. Frank looked around and saw the light green painted walls still looked brand new. The carved wooden arches in the ceiling were still beautiful as well as the mahogany wooden tables, the chocolate brown four person couch sitting against the wall and the loveseat right across from it. The pillows looked large and soft, so welcoming to a tired head looking for sleep. The fireplace just begged to be used. The dusty shelves above it held thick leather bound books, a few normals ones and a snow globe showing off a snowy city with sky high buildings and a skating rink full of happy people.

New Jersey. The label sported the name in cursive writing.

"I'm sorry if it looks dusty and unused. We haven't been here in four years." Gerard said softly and rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around.

"It's fine." Frank said as he tore his eyes away from the snow globe and instead paid attention to Gerard.

The boy looked so tired. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. He hated the way Gerard's naturally rosy cheeks looked pale and colorless, that his eyes looked red and his lips chapped from the cold. Just moments ago, his face had been full of brilliant color and his lips were swollen and cherry red, so beautiful as he parted them and kissed Frank without a single fear in the world. Frank was sure he looked similar. He felt it in his heart that he did.

"I'm so fucking sorry." Frank whispered. He leaned his forehead against Gerard's shoulder and squeezed his eyes shut.

"What are you sorry for, Frankie?" Gerard asked and wrapped his arms around Frank's small waist to pull him close. Frank eagerly welcome his embrace, huddling into it and soaking up as much warmth as he could.

"I should have been more careful. Us - we are such a delicate matter, Gerard, there isn't even supposed to be an us. I should have protected us more." Frank felt his throat closing up. He stopped speaking and focused on swallowing down his tears. He let out a shaky breath just as Gerard began running his fingers through his hair in a soothing manner.

"None of this is your fault." Gerard softly reassured.

"No, I should have been more careful. At least put something in front of the door to block it."

"You didn't know someone would even be able to unlock the door."

"Still. I'm so sorry, Gee." Frank whimpered and felt his strength falling apart.

"It isn't your fault, Frankie. It's not mine either. Honestly, we should have seen this coming, but I never liked to think about it because all I wanted to do was believe I could be with you without having to fear someone walking in on us the way they did tonight." Gerard tucked his face into Frank's neck, his breath hitching and he hugged the boy closer.

"Just . . . no matter what . . . you're always going to be my beautiful dream boy, okay?" Frank pulled away with watery eyes to capture Gerard's own tear filled gaze. "My love. My heart. I promise you that I'll never fall in love with someone else as deeply as I've fallen for you."

"Amour, this isn't goodbye." Gerard giggled once, a hysterical little sound followed by a hiccup. "We have time before someone finds us. Whether it's days or weeks or luckily months, never say goodbye. We will find each other again, I don't care if we're not Matches, we're connected in a way no pair of Matches ever will be. As long as we both live, we will never say goodbye to each other. Promise?" Gerard brushed his nose against Frank's, warm fanning over his parted lips. Frank was entranced by the hazel gaze of his love just as his words slowly sunk underneath his many layers of skin. They printed themselves like the tattoos he always wanted onto his flesh, coloring him permanently and leaving their mark. They would be there even as he laid down to take his everlasting rest. His ghost would carry them, taking them to the grave and never once forgetting that no natter what happened, even death, he would never say goodbye to Gerard because what they had would never see the end like their bodies would. It was funny how words left a bigger mark in the world than bodies did. Bodies were only masks that souls wore, a suit to keep itself from becoming fully exposed.

"I promise." Frank's voice cracked but his words rang with a finality he would keep close to him until the end came. Though he knew bodies were only masks and lips were simply parts of them, his soul felt everything when he pressed his open lips against Gerard's. Their kiss ignited a fiery passion, setting his soul ablaze and coloring it with an abundance of shades, more colors than the normal rainbow contained. Frank felt like he was falling into a well when they kissed, everything had been changed, but the one thing he knew was that their love was not tainted. If anything, it grew stronger, so strong that he did not mind when they stumbled into a dusty room with an unused bed that smelled of old cotton, falling on top of it and quickly shedding their clothing once again.

He wrapped the both of them in these unused sheets, feeling the material rubbing against their naked flesh as they rolled about in the bed, moaning and making a mess of both the sheets and themselves. The sensations ringing through Frank's body were too much for him to even worry about the state of the cottage or that someone was out there searching for them. He was engulfed in Gerard's beautiful body, in the soft sounds he made and the way he rolled his soft and thick hips. Mostly, he was sucked into the love emitting from the latter, not resisting it and returning it as best as he could by whispering and moaning sweet things into his ear, touching every surface of his skin. Gerard was giving him everything he had, opening his body, his heart, and his mind to Frank. Frank did just the same, laying out his soul and heart for Gerard to take.

He never once worried that Gerard would break him in two.

————
A/N: wow look, an update, and another sob fest :))) sorry about that, but this is really important okay, like very important. I wrote this in under a day I was so eager to get back into this again because I love this fic. Also, I'm gonna write another chapter for Tale As Old As Time because fUCK THE NEW LIVE ACTION BEAUTY ANF THE BEAST TRAILER CAME OUT AND MY BODY IS FUCKIN READY.

Tell me if you liked the update!

"I wanna be the taste on your lips and the curse on your tongue."

-aprilxo