Things Change // Frerard + Petekey [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 7

Pete was the only one of Frank's friends who knew where he lived, and his parents were never home, yet the dark figure on his porch didn't surprise him. Why would it, when he could smell the rotting flesh and dry blood before he could even see the house?

"They finally buried me," the figure said, the monotone of his voice almost painful to hear. "They wanted to cremate me, make sure I never walked again. I was in the morgue for so long. It felt like eternity, but it must have only been a few weeks. They buried me with a packet of blood from the hospital above my grave. I had to dig my way out, starving. The little packet was barely enough. I'm so hungry again."

Frank looked him up and down. His hair was no longer just greasy, it was now filled with dirt and small stones that got caught in the tangles, dimming the bright shine it had last time Frank had seen the man. The bruises on his face had faded, but new cuts have been added, some so fresh they looked like they had just stopped bleeding. His entire right side was covered in dried blood. His clothes were covered in cuts and holes, as well as fresh dirt. He was ghastly pale, even more so then he had been two weeks back, possibly more than he had been when they first found his body.

"You look like shit," was the only thing Frank said. He wasn't lying; Gerard Way really did look terrible.

Frank wasted no time unlocking his door and walking into his house, muttering a quick "come in" to Gerard. He speed walked into his kitchen and opened the fridge. It was empty, except for a plastic water bottle, half filled with a thick red liquid, laying on its side. Frank poured the bottles contents into a large mug and put it in the microwave, letting it heat up for ten minutes before taking it out and handing it to Gerard, who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He took the mug gratefully and immediately started gulping down its contents, not stopping for breath.

"You're lucky they buried you after sunset," Frank said. "They could have left you to hatch in the sun."

Gerard looked down at his feet. Something was on his mind, but Frank couldn't tell what it was.

"That was the last of it," Frank gestured towards the empty cup Gerard held in his hands with his head. "We're going to have to go out tonight."

"We?" Gerard asked, surprise clear in his voice.

"Yeah, we," Frank answered. "You came here after hatching, without knowing where I live, which means you were drawn here, which means you belong to me, which means you have to help with getting food. You'll stay here during the day until you get strong enough to leave. You can still stay here after, but I won't stop you leaving. Also, I would advise you to stay away from your pack."

"They're not my pack," Gerard said, sounding bitter. "They never were, never will be."

"Well, stay away from them anyway," Frank said. "Just staying in the same town is risky enough."

Gerard looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it.

"The shower is upstairs. You'll stay in the basement," Frank stated, not giving him another choice. "Take a shower before we leave. Oh, and Pete will be here tomorrow, so don't come out unless I tell you can, though I suspect you'll be sleeping anyway."

Gerard turned to leave the kitchen. But then stopped and turned back.

"Pete's the emo one, right?" He asked.

"Look who's talking," Frank replied, rolling his eyes.

"I mean the one with the eyeliner," Gerard said. "The one who wants in my brother's pants."

"It's really that obvious, huh?" Frank chuckled. "Yeah, that's the one."

Gerard nodded and then really did leave the kitchen, leaving Frank to stare after him, his mind lost somewhere else. Frank finally snapped for his daze when he heard the running water, and he suddenly realized that Gerard didn't bring anything with him, which means he probably didn't have any clothes. He cursed silently and went up the stairs, turning left to the bathroom and knocking on the door, hearing the water stop.