needles • frerard

twenty five

two days later

It's late, probably close to 3 am. One of them is sound asleep.

The other? Shaking, twitching, whimpering. Terrified. Trapped in a nightmare that he hasn't had in months.

His heel knocks hard against Gerard's shin. The taller one rolls over, his eyes slowly opening. When he sees Frank's trembling frame he sits up a little, fingers pressed into the soft mattress. "Frankie?" His eyebrows are creased in confusion, eyes half-lidded and voice scratchy. Frank lets out a weak cry. "Baby, wake up." Gerard mumbles, gently rocking his shoulder.

"Stop..." Frank groans.

"Stop!" The second time he says it, it's close to a scream and his eyes are opening. Gerard pulls his hand away. Frank bolts upright, looking around with wide eyes.

"Hey, hey, you're okay. It's just me." Gerard says softly. Frank inhales shakily, his chest heaving. "Breathe, sweetheart." He yawns, running a hand through his scraggly hair.

"Wh- Wh- Uh, wh-" Frank stutters rapidly. "You had a nightmare, but you're safe now." Gerard replies.

"No I'm n-not, I-"

"Yes, you are, you're with me. He's in jail, no one's gonna hurt you."

The smaller boy shudders. "Look at me" Gerard says. Frank glances over at the artist, even though he can barely see in the pitch-black room. "Everything's alright, darling. Just breathe." He tries to breathe, tries to forget the previous horrors entrenched in his REM cycle.

Frank's heart is pounding so hard he can hear it in his brain, pulsing in his fingertips and throbbing behind his eyes. "You okay?" Frank hears the soft voice from beside him and hesitantly nods. "I th-th-th-think so." He mumbles, the words catching on the sharp edges of his crooked bottom teeth like a fish on a hook, coming out mangled and choppy.

"C'mere, sweetheart."

The gentle words motivate his limbs before his brain, and before Frank can blink he's wrapped in Gerard's arms. He kind of wants to cry, it's all very overwhelming. "I'm sorry." He says quietly, still trying not to cry. "It's okay, everything's okay." Gerard repeats. Frank presses closer, breathing in the scent of cigarettes and cheap cologne. He's still not used to affection, not used to someone holding him so tight, kissing him and making everything ok. "You're safe, baby. I promise." The smaller one nods, taking in a shallow breath. "I-I'm sorry for w-w-waking you up." He says. "It's not a problem, angel." Gerard murmurs, stroking Frank's hair soothingly.

"Okay." He replies, not really believing it but too exhausted to protest.

"You need anything? Melatonin?"

"N-No. Just... y-you." Frank breathes, his heart rate slowing to it's regular pace. The two pull away and Gerard lays back down. Frank curls up against his side, appreciating the warmth. Gerard has one arm around the black-and-red haired man, the other bent to rest on his chest, where Frank holds his hand timidly. His head is nestled in the crook of Gerard's neck, safe and sound.

"I love you." Frank says, barely more than a whisper, as he pushes his ankle between Gerard's. He's almost as close as he can get to the older one, their legs tangled and their hearts beating against one another.

"I love you too." Gerard responds sleepily, his eyelids growing heavy.

Seconds later, he's asleep again.

Frank envies that. He knows that when Gerard closes his eyes, he's not reliving the last time he had the life beaten out of him.