Burn As Bright (Frerard)

44 (Frank)

A blinding whiteness was all Frank could see.

He wasn't even sure how his eyes were truly even open. It was so bright around him, it practically burned.

He couldn't move his body. The brightness was like a pool around him, holding him down and rising up his figure to cover his mouth and keep him from screaming out. He tried, for what felt like forever, to fight it, but it moved with all his attempts, keeping him contained.

Frank dropped his head, pulling in labored breaths through his nostrils. His vision swam with tears as he tried weakly to shake the whiteness off. This couldn't be it. He head to be able to get out... Back to... He shut his eyes. It was so hard to think. He wasn't sure why he had to get out.

This just wasn't right.

He didn't belong here.

There was someone else he had to save.

If he could just save himself.

He reopened his eyes, leaving the faint image of a face curtained by red hair behind his eyelids. His eyes widened as they caught a change in his surroundings. Bubbles were rising in the pool of whiteness ahead of him; black bubbles with rings of moving color. They started slow, but more and more began to follow the bubbles before they popped and spread at the surface like an oil slick.

Frank tried again to pull back from his restraints, but to no avail. He tried to cry out, but no sound could make it through. He kept his eyes on the growing dark pool in front of him, unable to look away. The way the rainbows of color swirled were almost hypnotic, keeping his eyes locked.

The dark bubbles were becoming less frequent now, but still apparent through the brightness. The pool of blackness, which had only spread upon the bubbles popping, began to shake. Frank watched with wide eyes as it pulled up, slowly taking the shape of a person's head, down to their waist, forming in front of him. Half of a human figure made of darkness with moving swirls of color, about his height was in front of him.

And it was looking right at him.

It's eyes were defined by bright rings of color that bore into his own eyes. As he looked back at them, he felt himself stopping his struggle against the binding. He felt his brows furrow. He couldn't look away from the rings of color. There was something about them that he couldn't pull himself from. He wasn't even fully conscious of the form approaching him until he could see a hand extending towards him from the corner of his eye.

That sight broke the spell of his body easing. He began to fight against he binding again, though he still couldn't pull his eyes away from those rings of color.

"Oh, Frank..." the voice was a faint, echoing whisper in his ear, "My darling..."

More tears formed in Frank's eyes, though he wasn't sure why. He blinked, letting them roll down his cheeks as he continued to be caught in the gaze of that rainbow ring of color.

"Let me fight this battle for you." The voice was so faint, yet so loud in Frank's head. He couldn't say anything in response. He could see the hand of darkness still approaching him, though it seemed to move in slow motion towards him.

"She never meant for you to suffer like this." A pool of swirling color filled the eyes in front of him before falling down, following the dark curvature of the face before him. "I'll keep you safe from this."

Frank tried to shake his head. He didn't want anything else to happen. He just wanted to go back to where he had been in the grass, in the open air, the smile of Gerard next to him...

The dark hand pressed against his cheek and he instantly froze. He stopped struggling. His tears seemed to freeze on his face where they had been falling. His breathing even took pause. The dark figure in front of him became slightly blurry for a moment, almost giving away to a human face looks back at him.

"I'm here... It's okay to let go..."

Frank's mind was blank except for those words. He felt his body relax. The whiteness seemed to shake around him, but he was focused on the words melting into him and the soft touch against his cheek. There was something almost... familiar...

"I will keep you safe from what he may do," the voice filled his head again, like the only thought allowed to stick, "I'm free now, I'm here now."

The figure in front of him seemed to be shrinking. Frank still couldn't pull his eyes away, however. He was hooked on every word and locked onto those rings of color that bore back into him.

"Just drop your head and let me back into your heart."

Frank's eyes crossed. His vision became momentary dark, like something he had felt before, but the memory wouldn't resurface. He dropped his head, feeling a swirling sensation in his chest as he did. Something so familiar yet... his vision became coated in darkness as something wrapped itself around him.

"You can rest now..."

The voice was so soft and familiar. Frank shut his eyes, feeling as though he was being pulled into a tight hug. His body continued to relax until he wasn't sure it was even there anymore. He felt like he was floating. Now, surrounded by darkness rather than light.