In the end Frank just gives Mikey a small nod, and then heads for the front door.
“He’s not the monster you think he is, you know.”
Frank pauses and looks back at where Mikey is still watching him. “What?”
“He really cares about you, and he’s not like the rest of them.”
Frank just stares at him.
“He’s only like this because of me,” Mikey adds in a small, sad voice. “He was only saving me.”
Frank swallows and nods, before he’s out of the door, his heart aching in his chest.
***
“So,” Linda says, taking a seat next to Frank on the sofa. “Heard you getting in this morning…”
Frank stills, but keeps his eyes on the television. He doesn’t say anything, just keeps watching Michael C. Hall roll out some more plastic wrap.
“Frankie,” his mother says gently, and she lays her hand on his arm. “You’re a big boy, and I know you have your own life.” She lets out a little breath, and Frank finally looks at her. “I don’t expect you to tell me everything, baby, but…if you’re gonna stay out all night, I’d like to know in the future, okay?”
Frank swallows and just stares at his mother for a few seconds. She looks tired, and Frank hadn’t noticed it earlier. He nods and says, “Yeah…sorry, I didn’t…I didn’t realise I’d--”
Linda smiles and shakes her head. “It’s okay, just…let me know in advance, okay? So I don’t sit up all night thinking the worst.”
Frank nods. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Linda squeezes his arm, then turns her attention to the television. Frank does the same, and they sit in silence for a while.
Eventually Linda speaks up again. “So, what’s his name?”
Frank turns his head so quickly he feels dizzy for a second. “Wh-what?”
Linda rolls her eyes before she looks at him. “Frankie, I’m old, not stupid.”
Frank just blinks at her for a few moments before he says, “No one. It’s…it’s nothing, just…something stupid.”
Linda purses her lips and stares at him for a few seconds before she sighs and pats his thigh. She gets to her feet and looks down at him. “You don’t have to hide anything from me, baby. I’m not gonna judge you. I just want you to be happy, I don’t care about anything else.”
Frank just watches as she walks into the kitchen, and he groans, sliding down against the sofa cushions. He covers his face with his hands and shakes it a little.
“Fuck my life,” he mutters to no one.
*
It’s around eleven pm when the doorbell rings. Frank’s still on the sofa, now slumped across it watching Friday the 13th Part Four. He looks up as his mother appears from the kitchen, a confused look on her face.
“Are you expecting anyone?” She asks as she wipes her hands on a dishcloth.
Frank shakes his head and leans up a little as his mother opens the door.
It’s Gerard.
Frank’s heart starts beating a little too fast for his liking, and his eyes widen as his mother says, “Hello?”
“Uh, hi,” Gerard says. He’s ducking his head a little and looking up through a curtain of black hair. “Uh, is Frank home?”
Linda cocks her head and turns to look at Frank with a raised eyebrow.
Frank doesn’t say anything.
“Sure he is,” Linda says. “You must be…?” Frank knows she’s giving Gerard that look that says, ‘oh, you must be the mystery boy I know nothing about’.
“Gerard,” Gerard says, and he brings his hand up to push his hair from his face. “Gerard Way, ma’am. I’m sorry to come ‘round so late…”
Linda smiles and shakes her head. “It’s fine.” She steps back for Gerard to come inside, and he takes a small step but stops at the threshold. He looks at Frank who’s leaning up on his elbows, watching him. He makes a pained expression, and Frank’s chest tightens a little.
“Come on in,” Linda says, and Gerard steps over the threshold, an exhausted expression on his face.
Linda closes the door and says, “Gerard, would you like something to drink?”
Frank’s eyes widen, but Gerard just shakes his head.
“No, but thank you, Mrs. Iero,” he says, offering her a small smile.
“Linda,” Frank’s mother says, and she pets his arm. She turns to Frank and raises both eyebrows and Frank just rolls his eyes. “I’ll be upstairs, give you boys a little privacy.”
“Mom,” Frank says, but she just smiles sweetly then disappears up the stairs.
Frank watches her go before he looks at Gerard, who’s just staring at the floor. Frank sighs and swings his legs around to sit back against the sofa.
They’re silent for what seems like an eternity before Frank says, “So, you need to be invited?”
“Kinda,” Gerard says, and Frank looks up. Gerard sighs and shifts on the spot. “We can, it just…hurts? Like, it weakens us, I guess. I don’t like doing it.”
Frank bites on the inside of his cheek. That’s a new one.
“Why are you here?” Frank asks. Gerard doesn’t look up.
“I just…you left so fast I didn’t have a chance to talk to you. And I didn‘t know if you‘d be out tonight.”
Frank swallows, but doesn’t say anything, just stares at Gerard.
Gerard looks up and it hurts Frank’s stomach, the sad look on his face.
“The vamp last night,” Gerard says. “I’ve seen him before.”
“What?” Frank snaps.
“I wanted to tell you last night, but after we killed him…” Gerard trails off and rubs the back of his neck. “Well, I didn’t get a chance.”
Frank just breathes and closes his eyes for a few seconds then opens them again. “Okay. Tell me.”
Gerard chews on his bottom lip for a few seconds, still rubbing at the back of his neck. “He knows who you are.”
“I guessed that when he knew my name,” Frank says.
“Yeah, well…he came to my house.” Gerard says, and Frank’s eyes snap up to him.
“What?”
Gerard nods. He takes a step towards the sofa then stops, and Frank practically rolls his eyes. “You can sit down, you know. Or do I need to invite you to take a seat?”
Gerard shakes his head and sits down on the opposite end of the sofa.
“When you…when you didn’t come out,” Gerard says, and he’s hunched over himself a little, playing with the drawstrings of his hoodie. “He must have followed me home or something. He said he knew who I was, and he knew all about you…and that the boss wasn’t happy.”
Frank’s eyes narrow. “The boss? Who’s the boss?”
Gerard shrugs. “I think…I think it’s The First.”
“The First?” Frank repeats sarcastically, and Gerard looks up, nodding.
“Yeah. I don’t actually think he is The First, but that’s what people call him. I’ve heard talk of him before, and…they all do what he tells them.”
“So, big boss Dracula is after me?” Frank says, and he slouches back against the sofa.
Gerard gives a sad laugh. “I guess.”
“Well, he can come and get me,” Frank says as he folds his arms across his chest. “I can take him.”
Frank tries not to notice the way Gerard’s looking at him with worry in his eyes.
“Frank, this isn’t just one vampire we’re talking about, it’s like…like--”
“The undead mafia,” Frank snorts. “Just like I said.”
“Frank, this is serious,” Gerard says, and he shifts closer on the sofa, just a little. “There’s gonna be people after you now, after--”
“People?” Frank says. “Monsters, you mean.”
The way Gerard drops his head suddenly makes Frank feels sick, but he doesn’t take it back, no matter how much he thinks he should.
“Okay,” Gerard says quietly. “There’s gonna be vamps coming after you. You gotta be careful, and not just for yourself.”
“What?” Frank says, confused. “Would they hurt you?”
Gerard looks up, eyes wide. He looks a little confused as he says, “I meant your mom. They could go after your mom.”
Frank swallows and nods. He feels a little embarrassed that his first thought was Gerard’s safety. Then he gets filled with dread. “Mom.” He says, and Gerard just nods.
“It’s unlikely they’ll do anything in the daylight,” Gerard says. “Of course they can, but it’s not very likely.”
Frank rubs his face and screws his eyes closed. Shit.
“Is there anything I can do to keep them out?” Frank asks through his hands.
Gerard is silent for a few seconds before he says. “Just the silver, really.”
Frank pulls his hands away and breathes out. “The silver?”
Gerard nods and rubs his chest, and Frank’s stomach clenches, because he knows under Gerard’s clothes there’s a little silver cross burned into the flesh. “If you put silver at the windows and doors, I don’t see how anyone could get in.”
Frank nods. “Okay…like…rings and shit? Jewelry?”
Gerard nods. “I don’t see how it wouldn’t work. They can’t bear to touch it, it burns.”
“Okay,” Frank breathes. He can do that. There’s his great-grandma’s good silverware, he can line the doors and windows at night, and then he has a few silver chains, and--
“Frank. This is serious,” Gerard says, and Frank snaps out of his thoughts. “They’ll…they’ll kill you.”
Frank just stares at Gerard and swallows. “Not if I kill them first.”
***
Frank doesn’t go out the next night. He spends the afternoon after school pulling out the silverware, and tipping out his drawers in search of silver bracelets, chains, anything. His mother gives him a few strange looks, but she doesn’t stop him when he starts laying out the silver objects along the window sills and in front of the doors.
“So,” Linda asks as she watches him from the sofa. He’s laying silver forks along the window sill, making sure there’s no space. “How does this work? Is this like the salt thing from Supernatural?”
Frank pauses and turns to look at her. “Huh?”
She nods at the silverware. “The silver. Does it keep like, demons out? You know, like in Supernatural.”
Frank bites his bottom lip for a second, then shrugs. “I guess. Only this is vampires.”
“Vampires,” Linda says, both eyebrows raised. She takes a sip of her tea and smiles. “Well, at least you’re getting yourself prepared, huh?”
Frank nods and goes back to work. “It should stop them getting you anyway.”
“Aw, my little brave vampire hunter,” Linda jokes. “Looking after your mommy.”
Frank gives a sad laugh. If only she knew.
*
The next day Frank wakes up before his mom. He pushes her bedroom door open slightly and peeks in. He watches for a minute, just to make sure her chest is rising and falling normally, then he makes his way back to his own bed.
He lies there for what feels like forever. He’s reached a point in his life where he feels like he has no control anymore. Over anything.
Once, there was a time when the vampire hunting thing was just…just a job, really. A duty. It was just something Frank did, and that was it. He could go to school and forget all about it until it was time to go out again. It wasn’t a hobby, it wasn’t something he enjoyed, it was just there. It was something he did because it quelled the hole in his chest that had been empty since he was eight years old. It made the hurt go away for a little while.
But now…well, Frank doesn’t feel like he has any control anymore. He always thought he could just stop when he wanted. He always thought that one day he would have a life away from the vampires, away from the creatures of death, and he wouldn’t need to think about it.
Of course, Frank now knows he was wrong. Deadly wrong.
They’re pissed off, the vampires. Frank had never once thought about the idea of the vampires being organised. The very thought gives Frank an ache in his stomach. It makes things that little bit more real.
But that’s not the only thing of the undead variety that is playing on Frank’s mind.
Frank doesn’t know what to think about Gerard. He doesn’t know how to feel. But he knows he feels something, and he doesn’t like that. He doesn’t like that Gerard’s the last image behind his eyelids when he goes to sleep at night. He doesn’t like that when he’s sitting in class, he can’t concentrate on his English work because he’s wondering if Gerard’s awake or sleeping.
None of this would bother him of course, if it weren’t for the fact Gerard was a vampire. Before, when Frank had no idea, he was quite happy with the idea of having someone, a friend, more than a friend, that knew all about the evils of the night. But now…what is he supposed to do when that person, that person Frank wants to be more than friends with is actually one of the evils of the night?
Frank’s dragged from his thoughts when he hears his mother moving around. With a sigh, Frank drags himself back out of bed and starts to get ready for school.
***
Frank’s lying on the sofa staring at the window when the door bell rings. Then rings again. And again.
Linda walks out of the kitchen, a confused look on her face, but Frank’s on his feet and at the door before she gets anywhere near it.
“It’s for me!” Frank says, trying to shoo his mother away.
Linda raises an eyebrow at him, then shakes her head. “If it’s Gerard, I don’t want you staying out all night, you’ve got school in the morning!”
Frank nods and shoos her away, before he finally looks through the peephole in the door.
It’s not Gerard. It’s Mikey.
Frank unlocks the door and pulls it open. Mikey’s standing there with his hood pulled up and a strange look on his face.
“Uh, Mikey?” Frank says, and Mikey just looks at him. He’s not really making a real facial expression, not really, but there’s justsomething that makes Frank reach out and pull the boy inside.
“Mikey, what’s wrong?” Frank asks, his heart suddenly beating a little too fast for his liking.
Mikey sniffs and rubs at his eye under his glasses. “They took him.”
Frank swallows. “Who took him?”
Mikey shrugs but keeps his eyes on the floor.
“Mikey,” Frank says, and he puts his hands on Mikey’s shoulder. Mikey looks up at him and the tears in the boy’s eyes make Frank’s chest hurt. “Who took him?”
It’s a few seconds then Mikey’s face crumples a little. “I don’t know, they were vampires, I just…I didn’t know who else to go to, I’m sorry…” A tear slides down his cheek and Frank finds himself pulling Mikey into a hug. Mikey’s only a year younger than him, but he’s much taller.
“Tell me what happened, Mikey,” Frank says in a low voice as he pulls back.
Mikey sniffs. “I don’t know, I just…there was a noise, and then he locked me in the basement, and there was yelling and banging, and when I got out, he was gone…Frank, I’m scared.” Mikey says, and Frank’s chest hurts again. “This is my fault, if I--”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Frank says. “How the fuck is this your fault?”
“It’s my fault he’s a vampire, it’s my fault he got--”
“Mikey,” Frank says, and he squeezes Mikey’s shoulder. “None of this is your fault, okay? If anything…” He trails off when it hits him in the gut.
It’s his fault. They took Gerard because of him. Frank was the one killing the vampires, and Gerard was helping him. They obviously knew enough about Gerard and Frank’s…relationship, so it was Frank’s fault. Not Mikey’s.
“Mikey,” Frank says, and Mikey looks at him intently. “I’m gonna get him back, okay? But I need you to do something for me, okay?”
“What?” Mikey says, squinting at Frank.
“Just…do as I say, okay?”
Mikey swallows but nods.
“I’ll bring Gerard back, I swear.”
Mikey bites on his bottom lip before he says, “Promise?”
Frank takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “I promise.”
***
Frank’s not sure how he knows where to go, but he just does. Really, he couldn’t imagine this happening anywhere else.
Frank pauses and cracks his neck. He rolls his head on his shoulders, then reaches up and unclips his silver chain from around his neck. He knows this is a stupid idea, and he’s probably going to get himself killed, one way or another, but it’s the best he could come up with at such short notice.
He rubs the little silver cross in his hands and then raises it to his mouth.
*
The old warehouse doesn’t look very different. For a few seconds just after Frank’s stepped inside, he feels like he’s eight years old again. The stench of fish is still there, even if the warehouse doesn’t get used anymore.
There’s graffiti on the walls and plenty of broken crates, but it’s still the same old warehouse that’s haunted Frank’s nightmares for years. He takes a shaky breath and steps forward, not taking any care to be silent at all. He needs them to hear him. He needs to face them.
It’s not long before Frank hears the footsteps, the fluttering of bodies moving in the air at a speed Frank’s became accustomed to.
Within seconds, they descend.
*
Frank doesn’t really get knocked unconscious, but it sure as hell feels like it. He keeps his mouth closed, and he tries to make as little noise as possible as he feels his ribs crack and feels the burn of bruises forming on his skin. His eyesight is fuzzy, but as soon as he’s dropped to his knees, he tries to focus on the sight in front of him.
He can see Gerard. He looks fuzzy, but he’s coming into focus. There are chains around his wrists, raised aggressively above his head. His head is hanging down, face obscured by his ratty hair. For a few seconds Frank’s confused, because Gerard could break through those chains, but then he realises -- the chains are silver. The flesh around Gerard’s wrists look so burnt and damaged that Frank feels sick. He doesn’t say anything though, just keeps his mouth closed.
“Well, well, well,” a voice says, but Frank keeps his eyes on Gerard. “If it isn’t little Frank Iero. All grown up.”
Frank stops breathing in that second. He doesn’t want to look up. He doesn’t want to see the source of the voice. He doesn’t want to see that smile. That smile that tore his world apart.
But things never work out as we want them to.
A vampire drops to his knees in front of Frank, and Frank just closes his eyes. There’s a sound of feet, and Frank knows they’re circled around him, watching him like prey.
“Come, come now, Frankie,” the voice says. “Don’t act like we’re not friends.”
Frank’s always imagined what the voice would sound like, the voice that matched that grin. It’s not what he thought, not as diseased and hateful. It sounds human. Frank swallows then hisses, his eyes springing open.
And there it is. The smile. The eyes. Everything that Frank’s wanted to see for ten years, yet wished he’d never see again.
“We go way back, don’t we, Frankie?” The vampire says, reaching out a hand to cup Frank’s cheek. Frank wants so much to pull away, but he can’t, he can’t move. “Probably as far back as little Gerard and I.”
“Frank?” A voice croaks, and almost everything in Frank shatters as he tries his hardest to not move.
“Oh, looks like your little boyfriend’s awake,” the vampire says, and he gets to his feet. Frank looks past him to see Gerard warily lifting his head. Frank breathes in slowly as he stares at Gerard’s face. His eyes are ringed red, and there’s bruising along his jaw line.
Something in Frank’s chest seems to growl, and it takes everything to just stay where he is.
“And you didn’t think he would come for you,” the vampire mocks at Gerard. Gerard swallows and just stares at Frank, who doesn’t say anything.
“Well!” The vampire claps his hands. “We shouldn’t waste anymore time, should we?” He kneels down next to Frank and plants his hands firmly in Frank’s hair. Frank hisses a little as his head’s tugged backwards. “You’ve been killing my friends,” the vampire sneers. “That’s not very nice.”
Frank doesn’t say anything, just squeezes his eyes closed.
“We can’t be having any more of that,” the vampire says, and then it happens.
Frank’s eyes shoot open as teeth break through the soft skin of his neck.
“No!” Gerard screams, and Frank can hear him pulling at the silver chains around his wrists. There’s a crackling sound, like burning, and at first Frank thinks it’s Gerard, but then he realises it’s not.
With a hiss and a shriek, the vampire is reeling away from Frank, shoving him away. Frank falls to the ground, trying so hard to breathe through his nose. He twists his head to look at where the vampire is crawling away, blood dripping from his mouth. The other vampires are flocking to their fallen leader, and Frank takes the opportunity to run to Gerard.
“Frank,” Gerard says almost breathlessly. “How…how can you…”
Frank just shakes his head and tries not to swallow against the pain of his neck as he pulls at Gerard’s bonds. It takes a few seconds, but Frank’s always been good at knots. He gets the chains untangled and Gerard practically falls into his arms. Frank sets him down on the ground and takes Gerard’s hands into his own. He runs his fingers over the black, burned flesh of Gerard’s wrists and looks up at Gerard with earnest eyes.
“Get him!”
Frank turns quickly to see the three vampire cronies rounding in on them. He only needs a few more minutes, five maximum. He looks around quickly, and he spots an exit just a few feet away.
Frank prods Gerard and points at the exit.
“What?” Gerard says. “No, I’m not fucking leaving you, you’re--”
Frank whines and Gerard just stares at him confused. Frank points at the exit once more then back at Gerard before the vampires are on them.
Frank shoves Gerard in the direction of the exit and turns back to the vampires. The leader is still on the ground, grasping his throat, blood spewing from his mouth as the flesh around his lips cracks red and sore.
Frank gets a knock to the chin as he stares. He groans then throws his own fists, not even caring where they connect. He can feel it when the three of them are on him, and he just wishes that--
“Frank!”
Frank looks up. The exit is open and he can see Mikey wrestling Gerard out.
Frank gives a groan of thanks and kicks his way free of the vampires. As fast as he can, Frank runs for the exit. He almost doesn’t make it, but he and Mikey get the doors closed before the vampires get to it.
As Mikey picks up a rusted tin can and starts to cover the door in gasoline, Frank finally opens his mouth as Gerard steps up in front of him.
“Frank?” He says, putting his hands on Frank’s shoulder.
Frank shakes his head and steps back, and at first Gerard looks hurt, but as Frank sticks his fingers into his mouth, Gerard stares at him in horror.
Slowly, wincing, Frank starts to pull his silver chain out of his mouth. There’s blood covering it and spitting out of Frank’s mouth as he tugs it as gently as he can. It takes a few seconds, but soon Frank is pulling the end of the chain and the silver cross on the end of it out of his throat.
Frank chokes and bends over, spitting blood onto the dirty ground. He knows he’s done some serious damage to the inside of his throat, but at this point he doesn’t care. He’s just glad the silver in his blood worked.
Frank straightens up and takes a deep breath. There’s shouting inside the warehouse that tells him the vampires have smelled the gasoline.
“Mikey,” Frank croaks and Mikey looks at him. He nods then sticks his hand into his pocket and then throws a Zippo lighter at Frank.
Frank catches the lighter, then wastes no time in flicking it open and striking up a flame. The flame is bright in the darkness of the night, and Frank just throws it at the door.
There’s a gasp from Gerard as the door lights up in flames instantly, spreading along the wall and up to the roof.
As the yells inside get louder, Frank takes a deep breath.
“That’s for my dad,” he croaks.
Gerard turns to look at Frank, then steps up close to him. He stands close to Frank, almost touching him, but not really. Frank hangs his head, and reaches out a little, slipping his hand into Gerard’s.
“And for you,” he barely whispers.
*
Frank’s sitting on an old barrel when his mom gets there. Mrs. Way has been there for ten minutes already fussing over Mikey. Gerard had to flee as soon as the police showed up -- he’s registered as dead, Frank realises. He can’t be caught walking around a burning dock.
“Frank!” Linda cries, almost slamming into Frank as she wraps her arms around him. “Frankie, what happened?”
Frank pushes her back gently. “I’m okay,” he croaks.
Linda’s eyes water as she reaches a hand up to wipe at the dried blood around Frank’s mouth. “When the police called…I thought…they said the docks, and I thought…” She closes her eyes and wraps her arms around him. “I couldn’t handle that again,” she whispers, and Frank squeezes her tight.
“It won’t happen again, mom,” he says in a raspy voice.
“What happened?” Linda asks, and she looks around at where Mrs. Way is standing with two police officers and Mikey.
“Some assholes,” Frank says. “Mikey and I…we were just hanging out, and they…they started shit. We got out and then the fire broke out…”
Linda stares at Frank. She knows he’s lying, and Frank knows she knows. Frank also knows she won’t question him.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Linda asks, and she gets to her knees in front of him. She rubs her hand on his ankle. Frank reaches out and takes her chin in his hands and lifts her face.
“I’m fine, mom,” he says.
Linda nods and gets back to her feet. She looks around at Mikey and his mother again.
“That’s your friend?”
Frank nods. “It’s Gerard’s little brother.”
“Gerard?” She says. “Your boyfriend?”
Frank just stares at her for a few seconds, then wraps a hand around the silver chain in his pocket.
“Yeah.”
***
EPILOGUE
“I can’t believe I made it to graduation,” Frank says.
He’s sitting in a tree house in Bob Bryar’s backyard. From where he’s sitting he can see almost all of his classmates, all drinking and dancing. He can see Ray Toro, who Frank had dragged along to the party. Mikey’s down there somewhere too (but Frank lost track of him once Gabe Saporta had shown up).
“I knew you would,” Gerard says, and he leans his head on Frank’s shoulder.
Frank smiles and presses a kiss to Gerard’s temple.
It’s been three months since the fire. Three whirlwind months, Frank thinks. Three months of healing, parental introductions and night time dates (because no matter how much sun block Gerard wears, Frank still gets a little paranoid).
Now Frank’s ready for summer vacation. Two months with Gerard before Frank’s off to college and Gerard starts night school (under the alias of Garry Way -- Frank kinda loves that Ray doesn’t ask too many questions when Frank has unusual requests for forged documents). Frank’s ready to spend the next two months in Gerard’s basement (or Frank’s bedroom, he’s not too fussed), watching bad horror movies and kissing the little cross shaped scar on Gerard’s chest.
“Frank,” Gerard says, sitting up straight.
Frank turns his head to look at him. “Hmm?”
“I think I love you,” Gerard says, and he ducks his head.
Frank stares at him for a few seconds before his face breaks into a smile. “I love you too, Gee.”
Gerard looks up, eyes so innocent. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Frank says, and he leans forward to press his lips against Gerard’s. “Took a while, you know?” Frank says in a lazy voice. “The whole dead thing was a bit weird at first, but I think I can handle it.” He scrunches up his nose as Gerard shoves at him. “But seriously. I do.”
Gerard smiles and ducks his head again.
They sit in silence for a few minutes, and Frank just watches as the crowd of newly graduated teenagers move below them.
“I could make you immortal.”
Frank stills, and then looks around at Gerard with a confused look. “What?”
“I mean,” Gerard says quickly, not looking up. “I know you don’t…I know you don’t like vampires, and I know--”
“Gerard,” Frank says, and he reaches out to lift Gerard’s face up. Gerard’s eyes meet his, and they look so worried that Frank can’t help but smile. “I love you, and you’re a vampire. I know you’re not all the same, okay?”
Gerard nods and swallows. “But…?”
Frank smiles and shakes his head. “I don’t want to be a vampire, Gee. I don’t wanna live forever.”
Gerard closes his eyes and nods. “I know.”
“I couldn’t do that to my dad,” Frank adds quietly, and he drops his hand.
“No, I know.” Gerard says. “I shouldn’t…I’m sorry, I just…didn’t think…sorry…” Gerard babbles, and he gets to his feet, to no doubt disappear off into the night.
“Gerard?” Frank says before the older boy gets a chance to leave.
“Yeah?”
“Will you still love me when I’m old?”
Frank doesn’t look up, but he feels Gerard sit down again. “What?”
“When I grow old, and you don’t…will you still want to be with me?”
Frank can feel Gerard staring at him. “Frank, I--”
“I know you’ll live forever,” Frank swallows. “And I know that’s why you asked…but…will you still love me?”
There’s silence for what seems like an eternity before Gerard says, “Of course I will.”
Frank nods. “But what about when I die?”
There’s almost no pause before Gerard says, “I’ll join you.”
Frank gives a small, sad laugh. “Vampires can’t kill their own. Suicide doesn’t work, remember?”
“I’ll find a way,” Gerard says.
Frank looks up at him and Gerard just stares at him with a determined look in his eyes.
Frank sucks in his lips and nods, then links his fingers with Gerard’s.
Дата добавления: 2015-09-29; просмотров: 33 | Нарушение авторских прав
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