Echoes of Eclipsed Fears (Frerard)

1. Shiver the Whole Night Through

"Why don't you come inside," he offered.

Frank hesitated. Should he? There was something mildly off-putting about the house in the forest. Another clap of thunder reverberated around them, causing Frank to shudder violently. He took the man's hand.

"Y-yeah man, thanks."

The house was cold inside, but the warm lighting made up for that. Frank's eyes shifted about, taking in the dark-washed walls, which were tinted orange by the lamps which hung from the high ceiling. He stared at his feet, which were squelching about on the maroon mat by the door.

"Christ, I-I'm so sorry, man," he stuttered, shivering. "I'm dripping all over your carpet."

"I'm Gerard," the taller man replied, not seeming to care. He extended his hand again.

"F-Frank," he stammered back. He hadn't noticed Gerard's hand yet. "Oh!" He reached for it, grasping it firmly. "Nice to meet you. Thanks again, r-really."

Gerard just smiled.

"How about you get under a hot shower, Frank?" He offered. "I can wash and dry your clothes, if you'd like. In the meantime, I can find something else for you to wear."

Frank's eyes widened at the unexpected kindness. Not only was this guy letting him into his home during the storm, but he was also offering Frank a shower and dry clothes?

"Oh! Thank you, really?" He beamed up at the man, who simply nodded. "Thank you so much."

Gerard guided Frank up the stairs to a bedroom, which had an ensuite bathroom off to the side. Wow, Frank thought. An actual fucking ensuite? He must be dreaming. He shut and locked the door behind him, peeling his drenched shirt and jeans off and stepping under the shower. Frank turned the taps and was surprised to hear the shower shudder and groan at first. That was odd; he'd expected a bathroom this flash to have fantastic water pressure. Eventually, the shower warmed up to him, both in temperature and usability, and he sighed as the water sprayed all over his body. If only the pressure was like this at his apartment! Frank's hair could've done with a wash, but he didn't dare abuse Gerard's kindness any further. He wasn't going to break into this guy's shampoo and conditioner, geez. Instead, he just hastily scrubbed his face and torso with body wash before shutting off the water. He retrieved a towel from the cupboard under the sink and dried off, peeking his head out the door and into the bedroom. Gerard was nowhere to be seen, but the clothes he told Frank he'd lay out on the bed were there, folded and fresh. Frank grabbed them and took them back into the bathroom to get changed; he didn't want to risk anything. Gerard was still a stranger, after all, and although it was really cool to have a house out in the middle of the woods, Frank was still wary about that. He pulled the loose black tee over his head and fumbled with the tie on the grey sweats. They were a little too loose, but what the hell. Half his clothes back at home didn't fit anyway; he hadn't found the time to alter them after buying them from the thrift store. Frank hung up his towel and padded out into the hallway, looking for Gerard. The man appeared from another room in seconds.

"Thank you so much," Frank said again. "I uh, I put my wet clothes in the bathtub so they weren't dripping everywhere. I can go get them, if you don't want me to leave them there..."

"Not at all," Gerard said warmly. "I'll go wash them for you."

He marched past Frank and into the bedroom, retrieving the saturated clothes from the bathroom and carrying them away. Frank watched in awe as Gerard glided down the stairs to the lower level. What was he supposed to do, just wait here? He nervously followed the man, unsure of where he was and wasn't allowed to go inside the spacious home. Gerard emerged from what Frank assumed to be the laundry, smiling. Frank went to thank him again.

"Don't," Gerard protested, holding one finger up to Frank. "Don't thank me, truly."

Frank just gazed up at the man in wonder. He was so... benevolent. Frank had never encountered someone this helpful in ages. He wondered if they could become friends. Probably not, Frank thought. He would be too embarrassed to ever invite Gerard back to his place. That had never changed, had it? Frank's mind wandered back to his childhood; all the times that he'd ever hung out with Ray, it was never at Frank's house. He was just that kid. He could never invite kids back home; there was nothing to do - no pool, no backyard. Hell, his parents weren't even around to supervise them, which was just a no-go, given how overprotective Ray's mom had been. And now, fifteen years on, he was still that person. Frank could clean his apartment a dozen times and still feel embarrassed about bringing someone back home from a club or a bar. That didn't stop him, but he still felt guilty as he led them through the drab apartment to his bed or his couch.

His train of thought was interrupted by Gerard clearing his throat.

"Is your home far from here?" The man asked. Frank looked up at him; the dim lighting of the living room was casting dramatic shadows over Gerard's face. He looked rather striking, Frank thought. He wondered how old Gerard was; the man couldn't be older than twenty-five. Frank shook his head abruptly when he remembered that Gerard had asked him a question.

"Oh! Uh... I mean, it's not too far?" He squeaked, his voice cracking slightly. "I mean uh, I wouldn't go there on foot right now..."

Gerard chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, then," he smiled. "You can stay here for the night."

Frank's eyes lit up all over again.

"Really?" He beamed. "That would be fantastic, man, honestly. Really, oh my god, thank you."

Gerard just smiled.

"That's no problem at all, Frank," he practically purred. Frank shuddered slightly at his tone. Maybe he should decline the man's offer. "You should go to bed, though, because it's past twelve-thirty. You're welcome to sleep in that spare bedroom I showed you earlier. There's a lock on the door; feel free to use it, if you'd prefer."

Frank nodded. He had stayed in dodgier house shares before, and his only condition back then was that his door had a lock, so it couldn't be any worse than that. He thanked Gerard again before heading up the stairs to say goodnight. He walked past the many doors that lined the upstairs hallway; which one led to the bedroom again? Frank didn't want to open the wrong one in case it was a private room.

"It's this one."

Frank nearly jumped out of his skin. Gerard had appeared behind him, reaching across to get the door for him.

"Sorry, I should have left the door open for you earlier. They all look the same," he chuckled. Frank laughed nervously. He hesitated for a moment, peering into Gerard's dark eyes.

"Well... Thank you," Frank said again. Gerard's arm was still stretched across the doorframe. Frank could have ducked under it, but he wasn't sure what would happen if he did. Gerard's demeanour had shifted ever so slightly, and Frank found it off-putting. He raised an eyebrow curiously at the taller man, feeling uncomfortable when he could hear him audibly inhaling deeply though his nose, shuddering at something.

"Uh, Gerard?" Frank asked, peering into the man's eyes. There was a certain glint to them, one that dazzled Frank. He fell speechless as Gerard... how could he describe it, smouldered at him? The man was quite attractive - tall, dark and handsome, precisely Frank's type. Nevertheless, Frank was starting to wonder if his instincts were truly right after all. He should have trusted his gut. Gerard was leaning in and Frank found that he didn't have the wherewithal to retreat backwards. He was planted there, eyes fixated on Gerard's cold gaze. Frank smiled unintelligently, tipping his head backwards to... to what? Gerard's cool breath was tickling the flesh of his neck. Why was Frank giving in like this? It finally clicked in his brain when Gerard parted his lips, bearing his small, even teeth. His canines were particularly pronounced.

He's a fucking vampire, Frank thought. Oh God, he's a vampire and I'm in his fucking house and he's going to kill me.

Either that or Gerard was just insane. Frank stood, frozen on the spot, being held there by Gerard's strong, cold grip and even colder eyes. Gerard leaned forward to graze Frank's neck with his teeth, pausing to inhale his skin one more time. He sunk his teeth into his neck. Frank winced.

Definitely a vampire.