Echoes of Eclipsed Fears (Frerard)

9. I Can't Find My Way Home, But it's Through You

Crisp sunlight cut through the crack in the curtains, illuminating the dust motes that swirled about the room. Frank rolled over in bed, his hand lazily moving to cover his eyes. He was so comfortable, so warm. Frank yawned, casually lifting the covers off of him. His sheets seemed... quality.

Oh fuck, that's not right. Where was Frank's tattered duvet; his flattened, yellowing pillow? Frank sat up, eyes scanning the room. He felt some serious deja-vu begin to gnaw at him as last night's events came flooding back. This was the second time that he'd woken up in Gerard's house and mistaken it for his own bedroom. He felt the alarm set in, panic twisting in his stomach. Frank tumbled out of bed and staggered towards the door. He thought back to last time - he'd escaped here before without alerting Gerard, right? Perhaps the vampire was sleeping; it was daylight, after all. Frank slowly cracked open the bedroom door and tiptoed down the hallway. He began to descend the staircase, clutching onto the ornate golden handrail with an iron grip.

"Sleep okay?"

Frank just about jumped out of his skin, losing his footing and tumbling halfway down the stairs. He yelped, landing with a thud. Gerard chuckled, leaning against the bannister with an amused glint in his eyes. Frank scrambled to his feet, fuelled by a mix of panic and determination. He turned to bolt down the steps, colliding head-on with Gerard. It was as if the vampire had materialised effortlessly in front of him.

"Easy, Frank," Gerard said warningly. He placed a strong hand on Frank's shoulder, attempting to soothe the boy.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" Frank yelled, shrugging out of Gerard's grip. He drew his arm back, delivering a powerful punch to the vampire's jaw. Frank felt a jolt of pain surge through his fist upon collision, followed by a dull, aching numbness.

"Fuck!" Frank seethed, flicking his wrist to try and get rid of the dead-arm sensation. It was as if he'd punched a brick wall instead of a man; his hand felt so heavy and numb. Gerard's hand flew to Frank's head, grabbing a fistful of the boy's black hair and tugging so that he was looking up to the man's face. Frank winced as Gerard's free hand gripped his jaw, his cold touch bruising his skin.

"That wasn't nice," Gerard huffed. Frank flinched, feeling the man's eyes bore into him. He felt an unsettling force seep into his brain, unearthing all the bad things that he kept buried and hidden. Frank gasped, feeling old memories flash past and swirl around inside his head like a vortex of shadowy phantoms. He heard his mother scold him as she threw him in the basement. He felt the sick snap of his schoolyard bully's fist against his nose. He was the bottle that his father slammed against the countertop and the train that shattered Ray's body into a hundred pieces. He was the avalanche that buried his dreams under an overwhelming cascade of despair, and the echoing silence that followed.

He came back to the real world sniffling and sweating. Frank panted, looking up at Gerard. He felt like he was about to throw up. Gerard grimaced slightly, loosening his grip on Frank's hair. His other hand was still firmly locked around Frank's jaw, pinching the boy slightly.

"Just because I don't want to hurt you," he growled, "doesn't mean that I won't hurt you."

Frank nodded meekly, shuddering as Gerard released him.

"What was that?" he gasped, catching his breath. Gerard simply shushed him.

"You won't have to worry about that again, Frank," He said firmly. "If you stay with me, I can keep all the bad things away."

Frank looked up at Gerard, half inquisitive, half pissed-off. Gerard reached out to brush the boy's sweaty hair from his pale face. Frank felt an overwhelming sense of comfort rush through him, though the warmth he experienced didn't quite align with the vampire's cool touch. He leaned into Gerard's hand slightly, a barely audible sigh escaping his parted lips.