Echoes of Eclipsed Fears (Frerard)

10. And I'll Admire Your Expensive Tastes

"No, I didn't mean it like that! I meant it as, like, a requirement when you're getting to know someone new. If you're to live with me, we've gotta watch it together."

Frank smiled. Scream was one of his favourites, after all.

"Alright," he said.

"Later," Gerard agreed. "I still need to show you the library."

"You have a library?"

Gerard nodded, swiftly leading Frank further into the house until they reached two large, wooden doors. He slid them apart to reveal a room absolutely lined with books. Frank's mouth hung open in awe at the sheer number of books which adorned the walls, from rich hardcovers to battered, dog-eared paperbacks. There was even an entire half-wall dedicated to comic books. Gerard grinned at Frank's expression; he had always been proud of his library - the shelves that spanned from floor to ceiling, the ladders on tracks that could be slid from one end of the room to the other. It was the only room in his house, aside from Gerard's bedroom, that he had a hand in making himself.

"Oh!" Gerard said. "I forgot to tell you; I brought your books here. You can leave them in the library or have them in your room, whichever you'd prefer."

Frank's eyes travelled to the small stack of books that rested atop a low coffee table. His collection of books wasn't nearly as impressive as Gerard's; he only brought a few titles with him when he moved out of his parents' house.

"They can stay here," Frank said. Gerard nodded, gesturing to an empty space on one of the large bookshelves.

"Put them there, if you'd like."

Frank obliged, picking up his books. He began to move them to the gap in the bookshelf when Gerard stopped him.

"Can I see them? I'm a huge bookworm, in case you couldn't tell."

"Sure thing," Frank chuckled, setting his books back down on the table. "I get it, I'm a huge bookworm too."

Gerard sifted through Frank's books. He nodded thoughtfully as he turned over Lord of the Flies, 1984, and The Catcher in the Rye.

"This is my favourite," he said eagerly, holding up the dingy paperback. Frank grinned.

"I really liked Catcher in the Rye, too."

"Do you have a favourite out of all these?" Gerard asked, nodding towards the rest of the books which lay on the table. Frank bit his lip.

"Well, apart from Catcher in the Rye, probably Junk." He reached across Gerard to pick up a sickly green-coloured book, the spine cracked and the edges battered. "It was my favourite book as a teenager, taught me to not do drugs."

Gerard was pleasantly surprised to see a book that he did not recognise. He took it from Frank and turned it over in his pale hands, eyes sweeping over the blurb.

"Sounds interesting," he mused. "Mind if I give it a read sometime?"

"Uh, no! Not at all," Frank stammered.

They sat in silence for a while as Gerard examined the rest of Frank's books. He had read the majority of them before, except for Junk and The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

"I'm still reading that one," Frank said as Gerard read the blurb. "It's pretty good so-far, same guy that wrote Tuesdays with Morrie."

Gerard nodded, setting it back on the table.

"Did you like 1984?" He asked Frank. Frank nodded.

"It was great, honestly. You've read it?"

"I have a copy of it," Gerard began, "but I must admit... I've never finished it."