Pyre (Frerard, Rikey, Ryden, Petekey)

29: From Bad To Worse

Gerard arrived at Mikey's ceremony a few minutes after it had started, meaning that he wasn't able to congratulate Mikey beforehand like he had been planning on.

His brother was standing in between Lindsey and Ray when he entered the beautiful pavilion, and Bert had already begun to speak, so Gerard decided to leave him be without trying to catch his attention, slipping away to the back so he wouldn't have to speak with anyone else while he was in such a fragile state.

And although Mikey might be a bit worried since he didn't hear from Gerard before the proceedings, he most likely wouldn't think anything of it, at least Gerard hoped he wouldn't. He had known that Gerard was going to see Frank earlier, so he'd probably assume that Gerard had gotten caught up with his mate, causing him to be late, which Gerard truly wished was the case.

It was probably for the best that he wasn't able to talk to Mikey at the moment anyway, because although he was doing his best to keep his emotions contained, Mikey was especially skilled at reading him, so his facade would most likely have been torn down the moment Mikey laid eyes on him. Gerard could always lie of course, maybe tell Mikey he had experienced another nightmare or that he and Frank had gotten in a fight, but now he didn't have to bother with deceiving his brother, at least not yet.

Gerard resisted the urge to hunch down once he had taken his seat, keeping his spine straight and the fake smile he had plastered on earlier glued to his face, knowing that if he let the expression slip, he wouldn't be able to guide his lips back into the proper position.

His show of happiness was a bit unnecessary given the fact that hardly anyone could see him unless they craned their necks around, but Gerard wanted to at least appear joyous and supportive if Mikey happened to glance in his direction, and maybe if he pretended hard enough, some of his internal agony would begin to ebb away.

So far that plan wasn't working though, quite the opposite was happening actually. Gerard swore he could feel his heart disintegrating even further than it already had as he attempted to enjoy the occasion, because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop picturing himself and Frank in Mikey and Ray's place.

That dream would never become a reality though, Lindsey had destroyed that fantasy for him, not that Gerard ever truly thought that he and Frank could have an official mating ceremony since Frank was not a vampire, but still, even after reading about how William and Gabe had been forced to flee because of their love for each other, he hadn't ever truly thought that it would happen to him.

And what if Frank wasn't willing to give up everything for Gerard like Gabe and done for William, what then? Their bond wasn't nearly as strong as William and Gabe's, they hadn't known each other for years, so odds were that if Gerard proposed that they leave town together, Frank would scoff in his face and tell him that he was crazy.

That was the only way that they could be together though, Gerard couldn't come up with any other solution to their current problem. As long as they both resided near Lindsey and this coven, they could no longer see each other, and Gerard was too afraid of Lindsey to risk meeting at other locations, not to mention that Frank was sure to become suspicious if Gerard continued to insist they spend time at odd places.

But even if by some chance Frank was willing to drop all of his ties to this town and follow Gerard somewhere else, that would inevitably mean that Gerard would have to tell him the truth about his vampiric nature. Frank would notice that Gerard could only travel once the sun went down, or that he occasionally disappeared to feed, and even if Gerard could think up some excuses to fend him off, they would only last for a short time.

When it all came down to it, Gerard was beginning to realize that he would have to tell Frank the truth, either that or cut him out of his life completely and try to move on, which was an impossible task. Their entire future rested on how Frank would react, and his willingness to be with Gerard no matter the costs, and sadly, Gerard didn't think that conversation would turn out in his favor.