Gerard made sure to keep close to Frank, his eyes darting around nervously every few seconds as the Leviathan loomed before them. The creature still seemed oblivious to their existence, but Gerard knew that wouldn't be the case for long, and they had to act fast if they had any hope of defeating it.

Gerard could see wyrens emerging from the water as well, but they appeared to be just as confused, if not more so than the Leviathan was. The smaller beings were quickly cut down by the angels and demons that had been assigned that task, but Billie Joe had warned them that more would appear with every increasing frequency as time passed, making the ticking of the clock their main enemy in this situation.

Gerard's wings ached as he tried to keep up with Frank, his husband's speed pushing him to his limits and then some, but he refused to lose sight of Frank in fear that he wouldn't be able to find him again, so he ignored the burn in his shoulder blades as they continued to hurtle toward the serpentine creature.

Gerard was surprised to find that he wasn't as terrified as he assumed he'd be once the Leviathan showed its face, not to say that he wasn't afraid, because he was, but it was buried underneath his intense desire to protect Frank coupled with the rush of adrenaline that was currently pumping through his body, strengthening his limbs and his courage, even when the beast shook itself slightly, its head slowly shifting until they were staring straight into one of its reflective irises.

Gerard belatedly realized that Frank was targeting that specific area for his first attack, which was a good choice given the fact that it was one of the few places on its body that weren't coated with scales that looked harder than diamonds. Small groups of angels were attacking its limbs which seemed to be covered in leathery skin, but from what Gerard could tell from his quick glimpses, they weren't doing much to actually hurt it.

Everything was happening so quickly that Gerard barely had time to process the visual pictures he was receiving before it was hidden from view. It was as if he was floating outside of his body, watching his and Frank's rapid flight pattern without actually being a part of it.

The Leviathan towered over him now, amplifying its huge size and armored body a thousandfold, but the realization that this long awaited confrontation had finally reached its peak still refused to sink in, which Gerard was almost thankfully for, because as soon as it did, he was sure he would start panicking, so the longer he could maintain this aloof state of mind the better it would be for all of them.

The group around them which composed of Brendon, Ryan, Ray, and Mikey broke off suddenly, leaving Frank and Gerard alone with Billie Joe taking up the rear. The others began to fly around the creature's head, keeping it occupied while giving Frank an unobstructed path straight to its pupil.

Gerard held his breath as Frank raised his arm once he was in range, the silver blade he carried glinting in the strong sunlight before Frank brought it down heavily, his arms shoving the steel deep into the dark center of the creature's eye. The following roar of pain that emitted from the Leviathan's mouth had Gerard trembling in shock, his hands rising up to cover his ears even though that did nothing to block out the hideous screech.

The Leviathan was so loud that Gerard almost missed Frank's choked exclamation, but somehow he managed to realize that Frank was in trouble. Ignoring his aching head and the now furious beast, he hurried closer to Frank who had pulled away from the creature hurriedly, his fingers struggling to hang onto his sword which was now coated in a thick layer of dark blood.

Almost in slow motion, Gerard watched as the weapon slipped from Frank's grasp, and before Gerard could second guess his actions, he was plummeting after it, his wings pulling flat against his back as he chased the sword that held their only hope of victory.

The wind battered at Gerard violently, causing his debatably damaged ear drums to ache and his eyes to sting as he kept them firmly trained on the weapon which was steaming slightly for some reason, the blade rotating lazily in the air as it continued to fall, the ocean underneath it drawing nearer with every passing second.

Gerard managed to catch the blade before it hit the water, his claws digging into the gem encrusted metal so it wouldn't escape his palms like it had with Frank, hissing slightly when the sharp stinging sensation began shooting up his arms which happened every time he accidentally touched the weapon. The pain seemed more intense than before for some reason, but Gerard had also never maintained contact with the blade for so long either, so he couldn't be sure if he was just imagining it or not.

Gerard struggled to halt his rapid descent, his skeletal wings not catching onto the air currents as quickly as an angel's would, but even though a large wave soaked Gerard briefly, he managed to avoid hitting the surface of the ocean, his toes skimming the blue water as he turned around and made his way upward once more.

Gerard worried his lip in between his teeth as he tried to find his way back to his original position, because he knew that accidents happened, but even though it was possible that Frank had simply fumbled which had caused him to lose his weapon, Gerard didn't think it had been an act of simple carelessness, even with the handle as hard to grasp as it was. Something had happened to Frank when he had attacked the beast, and now that Gerard had retrieved the sword, he had to make sure his husband was okay.

Gerard paused for a moment so he could tear off the bottom of his undershirt, needing to do something to lessen the pain he was in. Using the strip of fabric as a rag, he rapidly wiped off the black blood that still clung to the handle of the blade, which was much less than Gerard had thought it would be given the fact that the weapon had been soaked when Frank dropped it, but he and the sword had both gotten decently wet, so the ocean had most likely washed off most of it.

When Gerard was done, he wrapped the exposed metal in the stained cloth and firmly grasped it once again, but although his makeshift covering helped with the burning sensation a bit, the weapon continued to protest against his touch continuously, sending hot spikes of pain up his arm every time its position shifted slightly.

Gerard found Frank quickly toward the back of the first line of defense where he must have retreated to once he had seen Gerard catch the sword, a sigh of relief escaping him now that he knew that Frank was unharmed, but his casual exhale quickly turned into a shocked cry as he drew closer, allowing him to decipher why Frank had lost his grip on the sword in the first place.

Frank was hurt - his hands were curled into fists that he had pulled up against his chest, and even from this distance, Gerard could see they had been badly burned; the skin was blackened in some places, and the rest carried angry red welts that had Gerard wincing in sympathy just looking at them.

"Frank - what happened?" Gerard gasped out, all of his own injuries forgotten immediately in favor of focusing on his husband, in fact, he didn't even register that he was still holding the sword entirely for a short while.

"Its blood - it burned me...fuck," Frank cursed, his face scrunching up in agony as he attempted to move his fingers. "Billie's coming to heal me, he got caught up with Ray, guess he got hit in the head with a spine when the Leviathan moved suddenly, but he's on his way."

"That looks awful," Gerard whispered, his free arm hovering in the air awkwardly, his desire to touch Frank warring with the knowledge that he would probably only end up hurting him more.

"Way to make me feel better," Frank chuckled weakly, his eyes squeezing shut when the movement jostled his injured appendages. "It's sort of unfair really, like the Leviathan is already fucking huge and nearly impossible to kill, but then it gets acid blood too? Talk about one seriously overpowered monster."

"What are we going to do then...we have to make it bleed if we're going to defeat it right?" Gerard questioned, his own palm beginning to blister slightly as he tightened his grip on Frank's weapon instinctually.

"I don't know - shit Gerard," Frank shouted suddenly, startling him with the sudden shift in his intensity. "Put the sword in its holster...here." Frank turned so Gerard had easy access to the leather case, obviously only just noticing Gerard's discomfort. A soft sigh left his lips as soon as the blade was no longer touching him, but he knew his own small pains were nothing compared to what Frank was currently suffering through. "Are you okay?" Frank asked, trying to inspect Gerard's hands which he quickly hid behind his back.

"I'm fine, I covered it with my shirt so it didn't hurt me all that much," Gerard lied, not wanting Frank to worry about him when they had bigger problems to deal with.

"Gerard," Frank arched one eyebrow knowingly, "let me see."

"It's literally nothing," Gerard whined, but he did slowly bring his hands into view, tilting them upward so Frank could get a glimpse of the reddened areas that looked similar to electrical burns. "I can't even feel them."

"You need to get those healed," Frank chastised him, his head tilting upward in the middle of his sentence, and when Gerard followed his gaze, he saw Billie Joe winging his way toward them rapidly.

"How about 'thank you for saving my sword Gerard, you're such a wonderful husband'," Gerard teased, trying to distract Frank from the agony he was so obviously in until Billie Joe finally arrived.

"That too," Frank grinned, even though it came out as more of an uncomfortable grimace instead, but Gerard appreciated his attempt. "I can't believe I dropped it, I'm such an idiot...I could have ruined everything."

"But you didn't, because I've got your back," Gerard reminded him, needing Frank to remain confident and self-assured since he was drawing most of his strength from him. "We're a team remember?"

"Yeah - oh thank god," Frank groaned when Billie Joe was finally in earshot. "You gotta heal me Billie, these hurt so fucking bad."

"I'm here now, I'm sorry," Billie apologized as he grasped Frank's hands in his own, the familiar glow of Holy Fire outlining his fingers as he ran them over Frank's wounds gingerly. "I didn't mean to take so long, but Ray was bleeding out and his assigned healer couldn't close his wound, and now we've got hundreds of injuries pouring in because of this damn toxic blood. None of my readings mentioned this, so I wasn't prepared. I should have looked harder though, I can't believe I didn't know about this, it's -"

"Billie, it's okay," Gerard soothed his friend, the fact that he had used a curse word portraying how truly upset at himself he was since they rarely made an appearance in his vocabulary. "Even if you had known, there is nothing we can do about it, but we do need to think of a plan to kill this thing while shedding as little blood as possible."

Billie Joe didn't speak for a short time, concentrating on Frank's hands which were slowly beginning to return to normal. Frank looked better already; his face had lost it pallid cast, and his expression had gone lax the second Billie Joe had touched him. Gerard made sure to obscure his own palms again, not wanting to waste Billie Joe's energy healing such a minor wound, and Frank seemed to have forgotten about it too much to Gerard's relief.

"Thanks Billie, they don't hurt at all anymore." Frank reached out with his now healed appendages, steadying Billie Joe when he faltered in the air slightly, the strain that he suffered after using his healing magic obviously taking its toll on him already. "So is there a way to take this thing down without having that happen to me again?"

"I - I don't think that's a viable option," Billie Joe whispered, his gaze losing focus for a moment as he glanced at the large beast behind them. "Our best shot is a direct hit to the brain, the heart is too protected, and even Frank's assault on its eye apparently didn't reach far enough, its skull is too wide and deep..." Billie Joe trailed off, biting on his lower lip in agitation as he continued to watch the battle that was carrying on without them.

Gerard swallowed heavily, not liking the implications Billie's statement held. He hated the thought of Frank being hurt in any way, and those burns had obviously been exceptionally painful since Frank typically brushed off injuries that would have crippled Gerard, but if Billie couldn't come up with a way to get him out safely, then no one could.

And yes - they could heal Frank as soon as the beast was dead, but Gerard knew that even angel magic had its limits, and if Frank was too close to death by the time they reached him, there would be nothing they could do.

The urge to cry welled up in Gerard's throat as he tried to think of a solution to this new obstacle, because he refused to lose Frank now, but it didn't seem like they had any other choice except to deliberately put his life at risk if they had a chance of winning this battle.

Even though he didn't want to, Gerard found his gaze being drawn to the confrontation that they had taken a time out from, the angels and demons appearing tiny and insignificant next to the might of the Leviathan. Frank's blow had hurt it, and it appeared that the creature couldn't see well out of its eye that was still bleeding profusely, but it wasn't close to death yet, and every second that passed left it angrier and more violent.

From his position, the battle looked completely chaotic with supernatural beings darting to and fro, small groups forming and then breaking off with no apparent rhyme or reason to their movements, but Gerard knew that the angels were communicating with each other mentally, doing everything they could to keep the Leviathan busy for as long as possible without losing too many people in the process.

Gerard could see some of their troops falling when the Leviathan would twist suddenly, its powerful body and clawed feet raking at the air as it attempted to reach the winged beings surrounding it. More wyrens had appeared now as well, but they seemed to be trying to escape instead of fight for the most part. Gerard hoped that Lucifer was keeping to his word and picking them off when they fled in his direction, but even if he wasn't, Gerard was just thankful that he hadn't attempted to sabotage them yet.

As Gerard continued to observe the scene, he saw an angel take a glancing blow that crippled his wing joint, causing his body to plummet into the seething ocean below. His comrade dove in after him, but the sight still pained Gerard, because people were fighting - dying even, and if he and Frank didn't join the fray again soon, it would all be futile in the end.

"What do we have to do?" Gerard asked, his tone harsh and deep even though he did his best to keep it even, his emotions going haywire under the strain of their dismal situation.

"I was hoping to continue to assault its weak points until it bled out or we got the opportunity for a killing blow, but it's obvious that isn't going to work anymore," Billie sighed, ripping his gaze away from the beast so he could return his attention to Frank and Gerard. "We need to finish this quickly, it's already starting to become more aware, which means we have to land a blow to its brain soon before it regains all of its functions."

"And the best way to do that is?" Frank asked, but Gerard had a feeling that Frank already knew the answer if the grimace on his face meant anything at all, and he was willing to bet that he wasn't going to like it.

"You will need to make your way past its teeth and stab directly upward. The roof of its mouth will be weak, and if you get in the back toward its throat, you should be able to reach its brain that way."

"Okay," Frank nodded resolutely at the same time that Gerard shook his head furiously. He couldn't allow Frank to do that, he would be trapped inside the Leviathan's jaws while what would probably be gallons of blood poured down on him, and Gerard couldn't sit back and watch that, there had to be a better option.

"No - Frank please, you'll die...I -" Gerard stammered out, his eyes welling up with tears as he tried to formulate a coherent argument that would make Frank change his mind, but of course his brain was failing him now of all times.

"Gerard, baby...listen to me," Frank pleaded, his hands reaching up to cup Gerard's face, stopping his frantic shaking for a brief moment. "We both knew this was a possibility coming into this, and Billie Joe is right, the Leviathan is waking up quickly, so it's now or never. I'm still going to do my best to make it out of there alive, but I need your help to do that. Once you're sure the Leviathan is dead, you have to come in and get me out. I won't be able to fly, so I'm trusting you to take us to Billie so he can heal us both since you're going to get some blood on you too. If you're quick enough, we'll survive."

"I - can't I do it? I can wield the sword, it won't matter if it burns me anyway," Gerard babbled, his fingers clutching at Frank's wrists desperately when the Leviathan let out another pain filled roar, every one of his nerve endings screaming in denial of this risky scheme even though Gerard was aware that they were out of alternative routes.

"I'm stronger than you love, I have a better chance of reaching its brain." Gerard's heart shattered when Frank's voice broke at the end of his statement, his body physically protesting and his thoughts racing wildly as he struggled to accept that Frank was dead set on following through with this no matter the consequences.

"But you're faster too, you'd fly us out quicker," Gerard tried to reason with his husband, knowing he was being selfish, but the notion of standing by and letting Frank do this was tearing him apart inside. "At least let me go in with you, that way I'll be able to help if something goes wrong."

"Gerard...I'm not letting you do that. I failed you fifteen years ago, and I won't let that happen again. I'll come back to you okay? Somehow, someway, I'll find you, I swear, so you need to trust me and have faith that we can both make it out of this."

"I do - I'm just scared," Gerard whimpered, a soft sob catching in his throat when Frank pressed his lips against his cheek gently, his opposition draining out of him when he glimpsed the stubborn resolution that was firmly etched into Frank's features.

"I know, I am too, but I'm going to fight like hell to stay with you, no matter how badly I'm hurt, I'll hang on somehow, because a world without you by my side is hell to me, and after all of this, I know God won't damn me in that way."

"Frank - we need to move," Billie Joe urged, pointing to the Leviathan which appeared to be making its way toward the shoreline at a slow pace, the ocean churning angrily each time it shifted. "I'll stay as close as I can to you for the time being, and I'll call all the other healers that aren't otherwise occupied. I told the nearby angels the plan, and they are going to attack until the beast opens its mouth wide enough for you to get in unharmed. Send me a mental message as soon as you land a blow, I'll let Gerard know once you do so he can retrieve you, but if we are going to do this, it has to be now."

"I'm ready." Frank drew his sword again, examining it for a moment for any signs of damage, but the blood had mostly evaporated from the metal, leaving no visible marring in its wake, which Gerard now understood was the cause of the smoke he had seen coming off of it earlier. "I love you Gerard, so fucking much, and this isn't the last time I'm going to tell you that."

"I love you too," Gerard choked out, doing his best to conceal the tremors wracking his frame as they made their way back toward the Leviathan who somehow appeared even more intimidating than it had moments ago.

And even though Gerard kept repeating Frank's encouraging words over and over in his head as they picked up speed, they didn't stop the tears from streaking down his cheeks before they were torn away by the wind, and they didn't stop the ache in his heart that was intensifying with each beat of his wings, but he couldn't turn back, and he couldn't stop this, all he could do was pray to God, begging them to protect Frank and hoping that they had somehow heard him.

I never know how to write battle scenes so god knows why I keep making stories with them in it but hopefully this turned out okay. I'm decently happy with it at least.

The next chapter should be the big climax, and then maybe one or two more after that and I think this book will be done.

I'll try to finish this up quickly, but I am working on another fic for some unknown reason it's not like I have enough going as it is but at least I haven't published it yet. That is taking up a lot of my free time though, so be forgiving if my next few updates are a bit slow.

Votes and comments are always lovely if you'd like to leave them.

Chapter dedicated to fewproudem0tional

I'm a pain in women's clothes

xoxo starr (I got bored of the heart)