Porcelain ♡ Frerard

Chapter 7

"You're always ahead of the pack, I drag behind.
You possess every trait that I lack by coincidence or by design."
— 'Drag', Placebo.

While walking towards the front gates of the school, Frank's balance decided to give up on him as the toe of his shoe rammed into the parking block while misjudging the distance between paces. Frank's eyes bulged open wide in a panic as he wobbled to keep his balance, but ultimately reigned unsuccessful as his knees buckled while trying to grab onto the empty air filled with fluttering snowflakes melting before they made a landing impact on the ground. He fearfully stared towards a deep puddle he beforehand avoided stepping into and realized he was about to land inside it; before miraculously being captured by pale hands that seemingly materialized out of thin air. They clamped around his waist, and solid arms pulled him back from the looming puddle vowing to douse him in icy water if he collided with it. Frank made an odd noise and batted at the air, his heart flinging out of his chest and into his throat.

When he was balanced, the arms securing him onto the ground slipped away from where they circled around his waist. Frank's head snapped up and he pivoted to see whoever caught him with sickening intuition grazing his senses. His eyes locked with a pair almost sheepishly gazing at him, pale lips pressed into a thin line with the faintest frown across them. Snowflakes tangled into the windswept black locks framing his delicate face like pearls dotting the strands. Gerard shoved his hands into the black coat buttoned around his frame, taking the smallest step backwards as if he found their proximity too close despite not touching in the merest sign of contact. Although Frank was startled in the beginning, it faded quickly to identity the one rescuing him from toppling into a puddle and humiliating himself. Only Gerard could defeat time and normal speed in order to prevent Frank from waltzing into disaster's arms.

"Am I the only one getting deja vu here?" Frank commented rather dryly. Despite the knot of emotions tightening in his throat, Frank was still miffed by his interaction with Gerard the previous day. Most of the passionate disliking shriveled away, but the sour taste of the ashes lingered. Frank wasn't sure if he could trust Gerard.

"Your lack of balance is amusing." Gerard's murmur danced on the tails of the amusement he claimed to come across whenever he took note of Frank's ungraceful way of clambering through life. The surprise of the twist left Frank's eyebrows raising high.

"Are you going to be nice today?" Frank asked, half joking and half seriously.

Instantly, as Frank should've expected, Gerard's lightheartedness dissipated. His lips twisted into a frown resembling a scowl more than anything. Frank's eyebrows fell back into place and a huge sigh heaved out of him, and he swore his irritation formed a raincloud above his head.

"I guess not." Frank wrapped a tight hand around the strap to his bag. "Thanks. Have a nice day."

Frank sharply turned on his feet to march away with his dignity intact, but he was stopped by a light tug at his bag, a soothing voice softly requesting for him to stop. Frank's hairs rose like electrical wires traveling across his skin, tiny teeth digging into pores with microscopic tears. Simultaneously, an odd pooling of warmth swarmed through the inside of Frank's belly, pushing upwards, curling deep into the center of his chest. Startled by its apparition, Frank sucked a stream of air through his teeth. He clamped his mouth into a line and squeezed his eyes shut to gain some control, but alas, the instinctive urges of his body caused him to slowly turn in Gerard's direction. His eyes flashed open and his cautious stare steadily looked into Gerard's crumbling with regret. Frank's hands gripped tightly onto the straps to his backpack digging gently into his shoulders, not knowing what else to do with them as his insides roiled.