Echoes of Eclipsed Fears (Frerard)

10. And I'll Admire Your Expensive Tastes

Gerard smirked softly as he leaned against the doorframe of Frank's bedroom, watching wordlessly as the man darted around the place. Frank was organising his belongings into the chestnut dresser that rested against the wall.

"You only brought my good clothes," Frank said plainly. It wasn't a complaint; it was simply an observation. "How did you know what clothes to take?"

"You wrote a list," Gerard said sheepishly. Frank smiled.

He seemed happy enough, Gerard thought. He knew he shouldn't have given Frank that horrible vision, but he needed the boy to fear him before earning his trust. Whilst Frank wasn't one hundred percent sold on the idea of living with a vampire, he seemed extremely pleased to be staying in such a luxurious bedroom. Gerard's mind wandered back to Frank's desolate apartment: the drab walls, the faded carpet and broken furniture.

"Are you pleased with your room?" He asked casually.

"I- Of course!" Frank stammered. "I mean, it's really amazing. You, uh, you have a really lovely place."

Gerard smiled warmly at that. He took a lot of pride in his house; it had been his dream to live in the woods ever since he was a mortal.

"If you'd like," he offered, "I could show you around later? So you can get to know the place."

Frank nodded curtly, pausing for a moment.

"That would be nice," he smiled.

Gerard could still sense the man's unease, which was understandable enough. Frank would become acclimated soon enough, though. He guided the human down the stairs, figuring he should begin his grand tour on the ground floor.

"You've obviously seen the kitchen," he explained. "It's quite basic, since I don't cook for myself, but you're welcome to help yourself to food at any time. Just tell me what you eat, and I'd be happy to buy it for you."

"Thank you." Frank felt his cheeks turn pink slightly; he would never get used to people buying things for him. That reminded him that he still had a job of his own. He wondered how angry Brian would be when Frank failed to show up to his next shift. Would Brian worry? Would he stop by Frank's apartment? Perhaps Brian and his landlord, Brad, will piece together his disappearance and get the police involved. Frank could only hope that someone would look for him.

It was more likely that no one would notice; no one would care.

Frank was interrupted from his thoughts by Gerard leading him to the next room - the lounge. Frank's eyes swept over the black leather couch that stretched across the back wall. Opposite the couch was an enormous television mounted above a cosy, stone fireplace.

"I rarely use that," Gerard said, gesturing to the fireplace. "It's more for decoration, though I do enjoy a fire sometimes."

Frank nodded, not fully registering the man's words. He was too busy admiring the bookshelves; rows upon rows of DVDs adorned the walls, from horror, to box sets of old sitcoms, to what appeared to be some old, black-and-white classics.

"Big movie buff?" Frank asked. Gerard chuckled.

"Yes, I love my movies."

Gerard strolled towards the shelf, eyeing his collection carefully.

"Do you have a favourite genre?" He asked, his back still turned to Frank.

"Horror," Frank replied. He watched as Gerard ran a thumb over a row of DVDs. The vampire pulled a number from the shelf, holding it up for Frank to see. Frank recognised it as Scream.

"Everybody's gotta watch Scream, it's like a requirement," Gerard said.

"I've already seen Scream," Frank scoffed.