Frank forced himself to keep his eyes trained forward, focusing all of his attention on the monster in front of him instead of his husband, or the other winged beings which were grouping together for one final assault, or the fear that was corroding away at his insides, because he couldn't become distracted, not now when everyone was depending on him to make this last blow count.

Frank's palms ached where they were gripping the sword of Michael even after Billie's healing, his fingers clasping onto the metal as tightly as possible so he wouldn't make another blunder like earlier and end up dropping it. He had been caught off guard initially, not expecting the Leviathan's blood to be acidic in nature, but that wasn't an excuse for his clumsiness, and he couldn't afford a repeat of that mistake, not when his weapon was the only chance they had of defeating this creature.

Frank's throat began to close up the closer he got to the beast, because despite the brave words he had spouted to Gerard earlier, he was so fucking scared that he wasn't going to make it out of this alive, but he couldn't let his fear show in front of Gerard, so he swallowed back the bile bubbling in his esophagus determinedly, needing to remain strong for his love, not to mention the rest of the world.

That didn't mean that Frank wasn't terrified though, because he was. Frank didn't want to die, he couldn't fathom being separated from Gerard again, because even if he didn't remember his husband once he reached the final death, he had experienced firsthand the agony Gerard would suffer through without him there. The six months after Gerard's death at Lucifer's hands had been the worst time of his life, and he couldn't condone the person he loved most to that dismal state of existence, but what was he supposed to do?

The Leviathan needed to be brought down, and it had to be done now. If Frank backed out of this, the world would pay for his selfishness, and both he and Gerard might perish either way during the destruction the Leviathan was sure to unleash on the earth once it was fully coherent again.

In the end, Frank knew he didn't have a choice either way. He had to do this, because he couldn't let Gerard take the risk, or anyone else for that matter. If the person who took his place died attempting to perform the task he was supposed to complete, Frank wouldn't be able to live with the guilt that would follow him for the rest of his life, so he had to trust in his abilities and Gerard's speed, and maybe they would make it out of this - they had to.

"Everyone is in position, are you ready Frank?" Brendon's voice filled Frank's mind, snapping him out of his thoughts and back into the present.

"I am...and Brendon?" Frank paused both in his mental speech and his rapid flight, waiting for the angels surrounding the Leviathan to attack so he could fly inside its mouth unhindered.

"Yes?" Brendon asked, and even though Frank couldn't see his friend from where he was hovering, he could imagine the look of concern he was sure Brendon's face was carrying by his tone alone.

"If something does happen to me, can you take care of Gerard? He is going to need someone to be there for him if I can't be, and I - I just need to make sure that he won't do anything stupid like trying to join me or whatever."

Frank glanced behind him then, his gaze locking with his husband's teary eyes for a brief moment, and even though Frank ached to pull him into his arms and comfort him until the last possible second, he knew he would lose the small amount of courage he had managed to muster if he gave into that desire, so he kept his limbs firmly pressed to his side instead.

"Of course Frank, we will all watch over him, I promise, but he isn't going to handle it well if you don't survive, so try your best to make it out of there alive yeah?"

Frank knew that Gerard would take ages to bounce back from Frank's death, if he ever did that is, but still - receiving the assurance that Brendon would do everything he could to help him heal just like he had done with Frank all of those years ago calmed his racing heart by a small fraction.

"I will, and you better as well, I want to see you and Ryan as soon as this fucker is dead."

Frank knew they had been insanely lucky that almost everyone had made it through this battle with only minor injuries, but he was aware that the longer this dragged on, the more danger his friends would be in, which was another incentive for him to do this, even if it ended in his death.

"Of course, you won't be able to get rid of us," Brendon chuckled, "now let's kill this son of a bitch."

As soon as Brendon's voice faded from his head, it returned at a much louder frequency, meaning that it was being projected to every angel in the area.

"On my mark, attack as close to the head as you can, get the Leviathan to open its mouth in three...two...one...go!"

Frank watched attentively as the winged beings surrounding the creature launched into a flurry of activity, distracting the beast from its previous forward motion as it tried to twist away from the puny nuisances. Its teeth had stayed closed so far, but Frank hoped he would get his chance soon enough.

"You remember what to do right love?" Frank asked softly, fluttering back a few feet so Gerard could hear him without having to raise his voice.

"Yes," Gerard replied, his voice emitting in a quivering fashion that Frank knew meant he was doing everything in his power to keep his composure even though he was seconds away from breaking down.

"Stay close, but don't put yourself in harm's way. Once I land the killing blow, you come get me out, and then make your way to the healers as fast as you can," Frank repeated what Billie Joe had told them previously, not that he thought Gerard needed to hear it again, but if he didn't keep talking, he might start crying at any moment. "Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it, Brendon and Ryan are hanging close by, and they'll be able to hear you if you call out their names."

"Okay." Gerard nodded stiffly, and even though Frank swore he wasn't going to give into his instincts, he found himself pulling Gerard into a swift hug, their lips meeting briefly before Frank spun himself around rapidly, gesturing for Gerard to follow him as they inched closer to the Leviathan which was being assaulted on all sides by both angels and demons.

Frank caught sight of Bob hovering near the creatures wounded eye, his clawed hands extended outward as he alight atop of the scaled ridge protecting the delicate organ. Frank winced as he began tearing at the damaged flesh, a phantom sting resonating across his fingers when he recalled how terribly the Leviathan's blood had burned him, but Bob continued his attack, yelling at the few demons near him to help when they came within earshot.

It was only seconds later that the beast seemed to have enough, it's sinuous body shaking back and forth in an attempt to dislodge Bob from his position, a loud roar of pain ripping through the atmosphere as Bob continued to cling to the iris stubbornly.

This was the opportunity that Frank had been waiting for, because its mouth was wide open now, the jagged rows of teeth hedging the space pulling outward to create a gap that was more than large enough for Frank to fit through with room to spare.

Frank moved without thinking, pumping his wings as quickly as could, his small body crossing the short distance in a matter of seconds. Frank didn't allow himself to look back and check if Gerard was following him, because he didn't need the visual confirmation to know that his husband wouldn't fail him in this.

If only Frank carried the same conviction in his own abilities, but he pushed all of his self-doubt aside, because it would do nothing but hinder him in this monumental task that he couldn't afford to fuck up.

Frank made it inside of the Leviathan's gaping maw without incident, a rancid stench that seemed to be a combination of fish and horrendous morning breath assaulting his senses instantly, but he ignored the unpleasant odor which only got stronger the deeper he went.

The creature seemed oblivious to Frank's presence so far, but he wasn't sure how long that would last, so he didn't waste any time in heading toward where he hoped its brain would be situated. It was hard to tell his exact position in the darkness of its mouth, but Frank followed Billie Joe's advice, making his way back to where he thought he could see another opening which could only be the Leviathan's throat.

Frank wished so badly in that moment that Gerard was an angel so he could send him one last mental farewell just in case he was about to take his final breaths, but they had already said their goodbyes, and Gerard knew that he loved him, which was what he would end up telling him if they could communicate inside of each other's minds anyway.

Still, those three words were running through Frank's head as he braced himself, holding his sword high above his head before pushing off of the Leviathan's tongue, launching his body upward with his mantra of adoration for his husband playing on a repeating loop in his brain as he felt the tip of the blade penetrate the soft skin coating the roof of the creature's mouth.

Frank continued to shove harder even after the first rivulets of blood began dripping down his arms, his teeth gritting together as the harsh burning sensation assaulted his nerve endings, but he couldn't stop now, he hadn't gone deep enough, so he pushed the pain away through a supreme effort of will, pretending it was nothing but a minor annoyance even though it was quite easily the worst thing he had ever felt.

His wings pumped furiously as his vision began to white out from the agony his body was in, propelling his weapon further into the Leviathan's skull. Frank's hands were stinging so badly that he wasn't even certain if he was still holding his sword anymore, but after a few moments that felt like years in his mind, the resistance the blade had been meeting gave way entirely, allowing Frank to shove the weapon upward until it was sheathed to the hilt inside of the monster's head.

The resounding scream the creature let out was so deafening that Frank swore it had the power to shatter his bones, the vibrations filling his already pain wracked frame until he was sure he was going to crack open from the intensity of it all, but it didn't matter, because that cry had been a death shriek if Frank had ever heard one, which meant he had succeeded even with all of the odds stacked against him.

Frank lost his grip on the weapon then, falling a short way until he landed on the creature's spongy tongue, the soft impact hurting more than it should given his current state of suffering. Frank didn't know how serious his wounds actually were, and he really didn't have the time to stop and take an assessment of his injuries, which was probably a good thing considering the fact that a visual representation of his pain would only make his agony worse than it already was.

Frank tried to make himself head toward the light of day that his straining eyes could just barely make out, but his wings didn't seem willing to cooperate with the commands his mind was giving them, and when Frank focused his gaze downward, he saw that they were coated with a layer of black blood that was now raining down around him, the acidic nature of it burning his delicate pinions and leaving him incapable of flight.

Frank fought through the pain, trying to stay conscious so he could escape just like he swore to Gerard that he would - wait, where was Gerard? He had said he was going to get him out, he promised, but it seemed to have been hours since Frank had landed his lethal blow, or maybe it had only been seconds, Frank had no idea, his concept of time had been eradicated completely under the strain of everything else.

Frank called out both mentally and physically, his ruined hands attempting to pull his mangled body forward as the wet muscle he lay upon twisted and writhed, but Frank could no longer tell up from down, and despite his best efforts, the world was growing dark around him and he could feel his body sinking down into the blackness that was quickly overtaking the edges of his vision.

Frank thought he heard something then, his name maybe, but it could have been a hallucination caused by his delirious state. It wasn't until he felt soft hands pulling him upward that he knew he had been found, that Gerard had come for him after all, and the relief he felt at that realization almost overpowered the unbearable amount of agony he was in.

Frank wanted to say something, to kiss Gerard, to celebrate in their victory, but his eyes seemed to be glued shut along with his lips, and he couldn't do anything but cling to Gerard with his seared fingers, taking comfort from his closeness and putting his faith in his husband to get him out of this safely before he succumbed to his wounds that were already dragging him downward into a world of oblivion that Frank was afraid he wouldn't be able to escape from once he was there.

This was shorter than usual but I don't have much time to write lately so I think the next few chapters will probably all be around this length so I can tie this story up quicker.

Btw I am sorry I keep leaving these on cliffhangers but my goal is to have this entire story finished by the end of the week so I promise I won't keep you waiting too long for the next update.

Votes and comments are lovely as always.

Chapter dedicated to LetsNotLabelOurselfs

I'm a pain in women's clothes

xo starr