"I'll hear your song, if you want me to. I'll sing along. And it's a chance I'll have to take. And it's a chance I'll have to break. I'm in love with you, I'm in love with you..."

— 'Luna', The Smashing Pumpkins. 

After Frank finished his dinner and the bill was paid, he was whisked out to the car again, hardly glancing back before they were speeding off towards their town again in a blur of color eventually fading into the velveteen of night.

Frank was breathless, vibrating all over knowing the part that came next. His ankle pressed against his newly purchased books he possibly wouldn't need to break into if he gained the rest of his answers that night. Frank still had one question left that Gerard told him he could ask eventually, something he saved until he found something worthy of asking, and now it was hanging on the tip of his tongue just aching to burst free.

Gerard was quiet and brooding over his own theory that Frank would run off once he learned the truth, despite all of Frank's reassurances and fleeting touches. Their hands remained linked during the rest of dinner and Frank couldn't bring himself to draw his hand away when strong security washed over him, the floral sensation of spring flooding his system like a euphoric high almost, only it wasn't intoxicating in a negative sense. Gerard allotted him a full view of how exquisite he was past the ice warding off intruders and Frank laid off the questions for a moment of peace as blissful as slowly drifting off into the warm waters of a river, rocking back and forth in lulling motions.

In the quiet of the evening, Frank ran over all of his evidence again, convinced he was less insane now that he knew Gerard definitely wasn't as ordinary as he pretended to be. If telepathy extended to his family was beyond Frank, but it wasn't about them in that moment, it was about Gerard and Frank obtaining the final piece of the shattered portrait Frank longed to string together since the moment he sensed something out of the ordinary loomed over the gray town of Astoria. Frank unsteadily rolled the dice and bit off the deep breath he sucked in.

"I've done so much thinking. Too much thinking. I've had the freakiest dreams and I honestly started to think I've gone crazy for even considering these things." Frank swallowed hard and tightly knitted his fingers together in his lap. "I'm not afraid the way a normal person should be. I guess you're not fully in the wrong for fearing I'll run away from you. But I'm not scared because you're— you're you."

You're you, and I'm so in love with who you are.

Gerard's jaw was tight as though he was angered by the mere idea crossing through Frank's scrambling mind, but his eyes in the review mirror were petrified. Frank turned away so they wouldn't cut him short and leave him only with the longing to comfort him, to spill out an idiotic confession surviving apart from any tendril of mystery gnawing away at them both.

"I think I know," Frank whispered, "Just, please, I need you to tell me the truth. Be honest with me."

"Honesty can get you hurt."

"I don't care." Frank shut his eyes. "I deserve to know. You owe me this for all the times you've lied to me and I forgave you for it, you know that."

Gerard's silence was arctic. Frank inhaled tremulously and skimmed his clammy palms along his pants, gripping onto his knees for dear life as he braced himself for the things he was about to say. He'd be a mad man or a highly observant one, either one he was willing to brandish the title of if it meant anything would be resolved tonight. 

"I've noticed things. Details that aren't normal or— or human. You've tried convincing me you're not good, that you're dangerous in some way. Despite what you told me, I saw you push that van out of the way before it could crush me. I can't get that legend about you and your family being something more than human out of my head." Frank took a jagged breath once it all poured out.

"And what do you say about all of these things you've put together?" Gerard's voice was fierce and brittle all the same, balancing on the fine line between defiance and fear.

Frank felt the words resting heavy on his tongue like a cloudy liquor beholding all the bitterness of apprehension. Flinging them out wasn't done without a severe amount of difficulty making an unpleasant thrill rush down his spine.

"You really are a vampire." Frank choked out. It clicked into place like the cogs of a broken clock, and suddenly, everything began ticking at too fast of a pace. Echoing through his mind, Frank grasped onto the leather seats, his heart sprinting at hundreds of miles an hour.

Gerard's hands were tight around the steering wheel. When the words reached him, his nostrils flared, a curse slipping out under his breath. Frank held his breath for so long that his head began to swim, everything in him strung tight waiting for an answer.

"Are you afraid of me, Frank?" Gerard's velvet voice was doused in tortured flames. "Are you disgusted by what I am?"

Frank's breath left his body in a sharp gust of wind. "You're . . . are you saying I'm right?"

"Are you afraid of me now?" Gerard repeated sharply, desperation coloring his tone.

Frank was afraid of plenty of things; venomous spiders, pitch black silence, abandoned houses collapsing in on themselves and creaking basement stairs descending into damp spaces. All of them elicited a negative response from him— he felt unsafe, on high alert, his flight instinct grabbing ahold of his throat and bearing down tight.

Beside Gerard, he felt nervous, filled with longing, raging curiosity, the urge to nestle in rather than turn away. He yearned to settle into the crook of Gerard's neck to gather his sweet scent and feel the smoothness of his porcelain skin on his lips, the tickle of his inky hair on his cheeks, the softness of his throat and the prominence of his collarbones making the most enticing curve Frank needed to touch. Even if his eyes were to glitter a deep crimson seeing past Frank's veins into the fresh blood pumping through them, Frank would still pull him closer, pleading him not to abandon him, searching for more within him because not knowing every single endearing detail about Gerard was agonizing to Frank.

"I'm only afraid of losing you." Frank whispered. "Which is a reason why I tried so hard to get to the bottom of this. So you won't leave me behind again and forget about me."

Gerard's frosty expression immediately melted. Tragedy blossomed over his pained gaze, his lips pressing together hard before he eventually loosened them. Frank was braced for rejection, for Gerard to tell Frank how idiotic he was for growing so attached to a vampire, an intended fatal enemy.

Instead, Gerard's silky voice rang through Frank's head with, "Darling. That should be the least of your worries right now." 

A river of thrills past threw him at the utterance of an endearment. Frank had never been called a sweet thing from someone he viewed as a potential lover, but even if it dangled from the lips of another, its essence couldn't compete with the way it danced along Gerard's tongue, pressing to the roof of his mouth for the smallest of second before it pouted his perfect lips. 

"I know you didn't exactly want me to find out. But you allowed it to happen." Frank whispered almost silently, but he suspected Gerard would be able to hear it now that he was given confirmation about what he truly was. 

"Because it was inevitable, wasn't it?" Gerard's smile was rueful, "If I couldn't do the right thing by staying away, then you were destined to find out. There's no use keeping things from you when you aren't nearly as oblivious as I hoped you'd be from the start." 

"The right thing?" Frank caught onto a key fragment sending a hollow pang through his chest. "Are you saying this isn't right?" 

"It's not." Gerard said roughly, fingers curling tighter around the steering wheel. "In what world does a vampire befriend a human? His intended prey?" 

Frank flinched back to be referred to as such. Gerard's words stung more than he was willing to show, especially as he suddenly spun around and admitted his true feelings about their encounters and their friendship as a whole. Frank fought back the stinging feeling of being metaphorically slapped around the face and turned to gaze out the window, swallowing thickly as his defenses flared up. 

"Then you should've stayed away. You should have never been my friend or let me feel certain ways about you." Frank's voice came out raw instead of hard and upset as he intended, causing him to collapse a little inside because he hated how all of his vulnerabilities came to the light when he was beside Gerard. He was thankful yet again that Gerard couldn't dig into his brain to pull out thoughts he wasn't willing to have addressed, let alone known. 

"You don't think I've tried?" Gerard's breathy tone was riddled with passion stunning Frank into pure silence. "All of the ways I've tried pushing you away, scaring you off. All the failed attempts of standing at a distance just because I wanted to see your eyes meeting mine. A longing I should never have, yet I do." 

Frank's teeth gnashed together as infuriation channeled through him. "Stop saying shit like that. There's no point in getting my hopes up and defeating the purpose by telling me how much you hate it." 

"I don't hate it, Frank, but I don't understand how you can look a monster in his face and tell him it doesn't matter if he's killed, if he still does, if being around him is a danger to your life." 

"You're not a danger to my life," Frank snapped back, "How many times have you had a chance to kill me? I've given you too many. You've never even hurt me. Not psychically." 

Gerard groaned in exasperation, torment visible in his face. "You don't understand, Frank. I need you to be aware of just how damning this can be for you." 

"Then why the fuck did you bother following me tonight if you really believe that?" Frank cried, even taking Gerard by surprise. "You told me you're not going anywhere, but it sounds like you don't want to be here, so just leave me the fuck alone instead of being so masochistic to yourself. Save me the heartbreak." 

"Frank—" 

"The only thing wrong about this is how you make me feel sometimes. God dammit, I'm so— I'm just done with how hot and cold you are. You're fucking with my head and I hate it so much, I just wish you'd stop, I wish you'd either give into me or stay the fuck away." Hot tears pricked the corners of Frank's eyes, causing another pained swear to slip under his breath as he struggled surprising them in a feeble attempt. 

"Don't you understand either way would cause us pain?" Gerard's tortured whisper only caused Frank's head to tilt back, eyes large as they connected with the roof of the car, furiously blinking away tears as the microscopic fissures in his heart progressed into tears tainting the flesh of his heart that was once so light that evening. 

"It hurts more to be ignored by you. To wonder each day how you'll act, trying my hardest to be careful with what I say so you won't shut me out again," Frank's voice was broken down and defeated as he felt. "I sure as hell don't have what it takes anymore to pretend that I hate you. I can't hate you, Gerard, I can't." 

"I don't hate you either, Frank." Gerard practically sobbed as softly as ever. 

"I'm in love with you." Frank swallowed harshly against the welling tears clogging his throat as they slipped down his temples and escaped towards his hairline in hot trails. "I can't afford for you to be selfish if you're just going to push me away all the time." 

The swell of silence filling the car was suffocating. The pressure weighing down on Frank's chest caused it to heave with a hiccuping sob he did his best to conceal, though his ragged breathing and small gasps he sucked in gave away his true emotion. Frank was beyond upset at himself for crying, liquid droplets of hurt all on display for Gerard to see along with his naked heart torn from his chest and placed between them. Frank scrubbed away his tears. 

The longer the silence endured, the more wounded Frank became, his lacerations jagged and raw at the edges and he had no idea how he could sew them together. Once a heart was pulverized, it was impossible to gain it back, and he was well on his way to reaching that point. Frank turned his head and shut his eyes tightly to make it impossible for the fresh tears to spill. 

"You don't feel the same way." Frank tremulously sighed out, "It doesn't make sense for you to love me. Maybe that's why it's easier for you to stay away. I just— I can't do this anymore if all you're gonna do is hurt me. Not in the way you say you're capable of, in the way where you break my heart." 

Gerard didn't respond for another moment. It left Frank room to envision a scenario where silence would pile between them and Gerard would bring Frank to his home, quickly speeding away and never uttering a word to him again. Frank imagined the coldness of stone blocking him out as he was forced to sit beside Gerard during class everyday, neither of them sparing a glance at each other even as the sound of Frank's heart shattering was audible.

Frank stiffened as the car slowed on the desolate road surrounded by mountains and trees bare of leaves. Gerard swiftly pulled over, setting the car into park. Frank wiped at the stray tear slipping down his cheek, looking over to find a burning angel in the driver's seat, compassion and adoration alight in his eyes as his floral and honey essence consumed him. Frank looked away from him, fighting a new shuddering sob, and Gerard's fingers touched delicately under his chin, completely stripping away the last of Frank's strength. 

"I'm so sorry," Then Gerard whispered beseechingly, "Look at me, Frank. Please. Look at me." 

Frank resisted until he physically couldn't anymore when Gerard's touch was so cool and tender against his skin, filling him with desire. Frank slowly lifted his head, meeting Gerard's disarming eyes immediately pulling him in. 

"It doesn't make sense for me to love you?" Gerard echoed Frank's statement doubtfully. "Loving you is the only thing that makes sense here. It explains everything." 

Frank's tangling breath balled up in his windpipe, stuttering as he finally forced it out. His aching heart suddenly leapt up and downward again in a plummeting motion leaving him dizzy in his seat. His eyes that widened slowly couldn't break away from Gerard's adoring stare drenched in melancholy. Gerard's thumb sweetly brushed away a tear resting at the corner of Frank's mouth and Frank wished it would travel that one measly centimeter to graze his lips that ached and tingled for him. 

"Then why— why would you make me believe it wasn't even a possibility?" Frank pathetically sniffled. 

"It couldn't happen, not at first. But I was truly a foolish man to have faith that I could stop myself from one thing that was just as inevitable as you discovering my only secret," Gerard  tipped Frank's head back slightly when Frank yearned to drop it down again. "It pains me more than you realize to chase you away, but I thought it was for your own good. I still do, only partially now." 

"I don't see how that could be good for me." 

"I couldn't live with myself if I ever hurt you. It seems I already have in different ways." Gerard's eyes were hooded with sorrow. "Being with me is a risk. I've surprised myself endlessly with my self control." 

"You're fine around other people." Frank's brow scrunched. 

"It's just you, Frank," Gerard gently caressed Frank's cheek and completely melted him, "As I said before this evening, you're wonderfully unique. Everything about you draws me in. It's a temptation I must resist or things will turn out in a possible tragedy." 

Frank's breath was taken away. When Gerard regretfully pulled his hand away and kept his distance as a flare of something dark bled into his irises hardly visible in the faint blue glow of the dashboard, Frank was empty, already yearning to reunite with his touch. He puzzled over how it was possible someone as ordinary as himself could ignite such conflict in Gerard, one leading it to become the struggle of a lifetime to keep away, something he ultimately failed at. Frank knew he tried and succeeded for a brief moment before they always drifted back together somehow. 

"Then don't." Frank whispered. 

Gerard's face screwed up with confusion. "Don't what?" 

"Don't fight it." Frank gulped despite the dryness of his tongue. "I can't stand it when you do. I need you here with me." 

Gerard became a vital factor in Frank's life. When he was absent, his eyes searched for him. When he was present, his heart reached for him, as did his body inching closer by the minute, even as Gerard's essence was enclosed in for caution's sake. Frank pressed his palms against the stone walls protectively drawn up to feel them fall away.  If his demise was at bay, he couldn't sense it, and he was all too willing toy with fate if only he could savor the faintest possibility of Gerard's arms embracing Frank to keep him hidden from other potential dangers. 

"What I've done to you." Gerard sighed sorrowfully, but not regretfully. "I'm afraid I've done it to myself as well." 

"The difference here is that I could never see it as a bad thing." 

Gerard's lips turning up at one corner made for a mirthless picture. "Because you hardly know anything, Frank. You don't know if I tear out throats to keep myself fed." 

Frank flinched back at the graphic image of a fanged Gerard ripping into an innocent victim's throat, their screams gurgling and muffled by the sudden rush of blood lapped up by Gerard's feeding tongue. Frank immediately set fire to the visual and speculated it wasn't a depiction of reality. 

"I know you don't. Otherwise, you'd treat school like an all-you-can-eat buffet." 

"That's not funny, Frank." Gerard said exasperatedly, causing Frank to huff. 

"Then why don't you tell me about the way you live?" Frank suggested instead of bombarding Gerard with questions, though he was tempted to after the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins inspired many things in him. His eyes couldn't tear away from Gerard once there was a confession in the air that wouldn't allow his uneven heartbeat to take a rest.

As reluctant as he was, Gerard didn't deny Frank anything. He maneuvered the car back into drive and set off on the mostly vacant road again, gaining speed rapidly. Frank patiently awaited for information, but on the inside, he wasn't as collected as he made himself appear. His foot impatiently tapped, brushing against the plastic bag settled in front of the seat. 

"We don't drink human blood." Gerard said slowly, eyes darting in a sideways glance. 

"We?" Frank noted, "So, you and your family are all vampires." 

"Yes. We refuse to kill innocent people, so we hunt animals instead and target areas that have a large animal population so we don't cause any damage." 

"I can't imagine that's very satisfying." Frank's nose wrinkled. 

Gerard's jaw twitched. "It's satisfying enough. We feed extra so the hunger ebbs away. Human blood makes a vampire stronger and they won't build an appetite so quick, but it's not impossible to live without it. I'm still plenty strong." 

"Are there a lot of vampires like you and your family?" 

"Unfortunately, no. We're strange to others for our dietary choices. I suppose some simply never knew it was possible to live off animal blood, but others aren't willing to give up their feeding preferences. Once a vampire has a taste of human blood, it's devastatingly hard to convert to animal blood. Many don't have the patience or the self control." 

Frank's dull fingernails scratched along his jeans and he rubbed his hands along his thighs, nerves overcoming him for a split second as a new question was concocted on his tongue. "Have you . . . have you ever fed from a human?" 

Gerard's face hardened, almost causing Frank to take back the question, but Gerard breathed out deep through his nose and responded. "Of course. Every vampire has, even ones like us." 

Frank's blood ran cold. Nonetheless, he couldn't imagine Gerard drinking from someone savagely and without guilt, it wasn't in character of him. "Is this the reason you're convinced you're no good?" 

A hard chuckle passed through Gerard. "It's in combination with many things. But yes, that's a pivotal part." 

Frank slowly knitted his fingers together and attempted to focus on them in the darkness. If he experienced a chill despite the heater being pointed in his direction, it wasn't due to sudden fear of Gerard. He resented thinking there were others out there without the self restraint to settle for animal blood because their taste for blood was something they were too faithful to, like an addiction of sorts. Much like addiction in the human world, it was possible to break it, but some opted not to.

"I don't think it makes you evil," Frank whispered and worked his thoughts around to help Gerard understand. "Your siblings and your parents have tasted human blood. Do you think they're monsters?" 

Gerard froze up. His stiff shoulders were an sign that Frank's perspective changer managed to burrow in his brain and make something click that he denied entry to from the beginning. Frank knew self pity too well, the tendency to not be very fond of one's self, but it was a stubborn habit that could be swept away gradually in time. 

"No." Gerard murmured, almost saddened by his own prior thoughts. 

"Because you know the kind of people they are. They're good, and so are you." Frank's voice took a persuasive tone kept as soft as possible. "Otherwise, you'd never be able to stop drinking from people."

"Darling . . ." 

Frank suppressed chills from how deeply he adored Gerard calling him that so he could continue. "You're not perfect or completely innocent. Well, neither am I. I'm not letting your past change the way I see you now." 

Gerard's face contorted with a blend of sentiment and conflict. His internal meadows opened up and allowed Frank to wander inside to bask in their sunlight coming closer to emulating the spring in California more than a snippet of sun in Astoria ever did. Frank reveled in how it sank beneath his skin and he disintegrated into the seat. 

"It's not just my past, Frank." Gerard's tortured whisper cut off some of Frank's euphoria. "There's so much I have yet to share with you. But I'll need time. This is the only thing I ask of you." 

"Of course," Frank agreed instantly. "I'm not asking you tell me everything right now, I honestly don't think there's enough hours in the night to cover that, just— I only needed enough to confirm everything. To get this heaviness off my chest." 

"Prepare yourself for it, please." Gerard's throat bobbed. "There's no way we can ever go back now that you know." 

Frank knew it was meant to be another thing to shake him or sobering doubt, but he couldn't deny the eruption of butterflies fluttering on his flipping stomach to know he was bound to Gerard in a way now. He drifted further into his meadows as he bled into his aura and wished he could find a way to remove the block on his mind so his own energy could coalesce into the springtime. He could only hope his energy felt as wonderful to Gerard and it would be something he fondly treasured, longing to plaster him to his side and never release him. Eternal rain could befall him in the place he lived now, but he'd never become discontent as long as Gerard's radiant sunset bathed him as though gloomy weather never existed. 

"I don't want to go back." Frank said far more breathily than he imagined he ever would, causing a rush of blood to color his cheeks in a ruddy pink hue. Gerard's nostrils always seemed to flare and his body stiffened each time Frank flushed; assumingely due to the suppressed hunger for human blood. 

Gerard hesitated, glancing at Frank with his glistening obsidian eyes. His hand crept along the middle console and continued on its path until it met Frank's curled loosely atop of his thigh. Frank nearly choked on his breath and tried not to seem so needy as he intertwined their fingers and clasped his other hand around them both to seep warmth into Gerard's cool skin because he hated for him to be cold all the time, how awful it must've felt. Gerard was the most sentimental he'd ever been at the notion and he tried to hide it by staring forward again, unblinking. 

So many questions swarmed through Frank's head, but they'd need to be saved for other times as they swiftly entered town and headed down familiar roads heading in the direction of Frank's house. He sighed quietly with annoyance, not wanting the night to ever end. Gerard noticed this and chuckled softly. 

When the car pulled into the driveway, Frank looked over the front windows illuminated by orange lighting telling him his mother was safe at home and expecting his return. As he glanced at the time, he realized he was a half hour late to curfew, making him pull a hiss through clenched teeth. 

"Ah, shit," Frank mumbled, "If I get grounded for the next ten months, don't blame yourself." 

"We got a little carried away in our conversation at dinner." 

"Yeah . . . and that other thing happened." It was an unforgiving dose of reality after Frank was wrapped up in a bubble of security sitting in Gerard's car. 

"Are you okay?" Gerard asked in a whisper, lightly squeezing Frank's hand. "Aren't you shaken at all?" 

"Of course," Frank sighed. "I just don't want to remember it. Let alone think about what could've happened." 

"Always take caution, Frank. I couldn't stand it if something happened to you." 

Frank's gaze tangled up with Gerard's swimming in the fondness he spoke of earlier when he admitted Frank's feelings were very well reciprocated. Thinking about that portion of their evening caused Frank's heart to leap up into his throat and he spoke with it next time he opened his mouth while leaning into Gerard's orbit.

"About what we said earlier . . ." Frank trailed off, a hopeful silence following where he didn't breathe. 

Regretfully and as if it pained him to say it, Gerard frowned as he told him, "We need to slow down. Everything has yet to come to the light. You'll call the shots from then on." 

Frank's eyebrows darted up. "Me?"

Gerard slipped his hand now warmed by Frank's grip out from between his fingers tenderly clasped around it. His smile was ghostly as his fingertips brushed against Frank's cheek, tucking a lock of his hair behind his ear, making his heart positively pound. 

"I'd be with you in a heartbeat," Gerard whispered, "But we need to be realistic. I know I need to stay cautious, you need to be smart. Not that you aren't already, but you must have a clear head when I tell you the rest." 

"When?" Frank eagerly leaned into his touch. 

Gerard paused a moment in thought. "The day of the winter dance. I'll take you somewhere." 

A sheepish smile spread across Frank's face. "Like a date?" 

If it were possible for Gerard to blush, Frank knew he would've from the way he hid his smile, turning away and bowing his head the smallest bit. "Whatever you'd like to consider it. I'm not very familiar with the idea of dates, but . . . I have somewhere nice I'd like to show to you." 

It dawned across Frank that he hadn't gotten the privilege of knowing Gerard's true age, assuming he wasn't truly eighteen years old despite his permanently youthful appearance. A curious crease formed between his brows. 

"Right, you're probably, um. Older than you look, aren't you?" Frank felt disrespectful speaking the words out loud, groaning as soon as they slipped out and hanging his head in a mixture of shame and amusement bringing a smile to his lips. 

"You're right. I was turned quite a long time ago . . . but it's too big of a story to get into right now. You need to get home, I can hear your mother's impatience." Gerard chuckled as he cocked his head in the direction of the house. 

"Fuck," Frank jerked as he suddenly remembered again, then frowned. "At least give me a number so I can know how long you've been around, old man?"

Gerard's eyes crinkled as he suppressed most of his laughter, but alas, some slipped out in its pure fashion causing Frank's stomach to clench. "Okay, I suppose I can give you a number . . ." 

As Frank waited for the answer with raised eyebrows, his eyes widened gradually and he choked on his breath for a moment as he realized Gerard leaned in towards him, looming as closely as possible without breaking their steady eye contact. Gerard's curved lips came to press the sweetest kiss against the tip of Frank's nose, his fingertip following the path of the bridge to the place where his lips had been. 

"247. That's including the 18 years I lived before that." Gerard's saccharine breath swirled across Frank's face and sent his heart into a frenzy. He nearly surged forward in his desperation to be as close as possible, but Gerard's ginger hands pushing against Frank's shoulders stabilized him. 

"Okay." Frank was dizzy, seeing little dots of color freckling his vision as his face burned with a blush as he still felt the remnants of Gerard's evanescent kiss on his skin that caused his head to completely disregard Gerard's revealed age. The fact that it only required a matter of centimeters for Gerard to travel down and touch Frank's lips with his own drove him wild, the air knocked out of his lungs. 

Gerard drew back much to Frank's disgruntlement. His warm smile was crooked on his mouth, his eyes simmering. "Goodnight, Frank. Have the sweetest dreams." 

Frank was completely separated from his mind for a moment before he slowly drifted back to reality, one that didn't exclusively involve himself and Gerard. He blinked out the remainders of the fog, breathing out a goodnight in return, and grabbed his things to stumble clumsily out of the car. He shut the door behind him with slippery fingers and kept his eyes on the vehicle until it disappeared in the distance, and some part of Frank acknowledged he'd left his heart there with Gerard for him to care for it until they saw each other again. 

Linda wasn't upset when Frank guiltily stepped through the front door. Worried more than anything else, yes, but she didn't hold it against Frank, knowing he'd been with friends and he returned home completely clean of any substance she feared he might've taken advantage of his freedom with. He thankfully wasn't grounded, but he was instructed to head off to bed and rest now that the fun was over. Frank carried the weight of lying to his mother by leaving her with the impression that he'd only been with his friends that evening, but the time he spent with Gerard felt like a sacred thing he shouldn't reveal; not only for the way secrets came to the light, but for the way Gerard kissed Frank's nose, interlaced their fingers, and the way his voice sounded as he admitted he loved Frank. 

Frank discarded his new books on his desk, drawing his eyes back to the pristine copy of the book Gerard gifted him with. He'd placed it down neatly and kindly, the significance it held was too dear to his heart to toss it about. Frank flattened his hand against the cover before he picked it up, the edges of his lips already beginning to lift. 

As Frank pulled back the front cover, he was surprised to find a note written inside the title page, cursive handwriting that was the slightest bit sloppy, jotted down in stark black ink. 

'People can be the same as haunted houses, secretive and harrowing. When met with someone whose soul bares the essence of one, a person can fearfully succumb to its darkness or find the beauty of fascination that comes to life staring down the broken panels and the creaking stairs. I am a haunted house and you are the wanderer who beams at my fissures in the night.' 

Frank exhaled a shaking breath, pressing the cover flat against the title page again. His heart refused to be still as he was drunk on the sweetness of Gerard's scent swimming in his head and the words of his that drove Frank deeper into a fervent emotion he never experienced with anyone before. The force of love was unexpected, yet as it steadily consumed him, Frank believed he wasted years living without it. Love was always present in his life, but none like this.  

Gerard, perhaps at heart, did carry the essence of a haunted house the way he claimed; but the purpose of a home would never be lost despite the shadows that invaded it. Its sole purpose would always be to act as a shelter to those in need of it. A haunted house was more than the sum of its part. Things touched by darkness didn't always necessarily become darkness. 

Frank dragged the book into bed with him that night when sleep ailed him and he devoured the words out of interest, but mostly because Gerard claimed they were some of his favorites and becoming familiar with things that brought Gerard joy drew Frank closer to him. The soul beneath the vampire that counted before anything that became of him. 

When the evening was coming to a close as he floated back down to reality that consisted of exhaustion and hazy aftershocks of things he had yet to fully process, he swam through the fog and found a fragment of clarity to pull together the things he was absolutely certain of. First, Gerard Way was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him, and Frank didn't know of its potentness, that thirsted for Frank's blood. And third, the most pivotal epiphany of them all, he was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Gerard. 

— 

In the morning, Frank felt the tiredness lingering around his heavy eyes dry and pinched at the corners from the lack of sleep and the restlessness he found when he eventually drifted. His dreams were full of bizarre shapes and echoes of memories his brain fought to repress, bringing him chills as he tangled into his heap of blankets despite there being a flush under his skin. He considered he was falling ill and developing an unfortunate fever until he fell off into a deep sleep only an hour before his alarm would tear him from sweet slumber. He felt fine in the morning, all traces of sickness absent from his body except for developing paleness he could thank the lack of sunlight for, but otherwise, fit as a fiddle. A very tired fiddle. 

Then, the memories floated back and Frank considered them all to be an elaborate and strangely detailed dream. Perhaps he was fighting off a fever in the night— one of those rare moments his immune system was successful at doing its one job. As he got ready and packed on the warm clothes with a hitch to his breath each time a new detail resurfaced, he battled with reality and fiction— that was until he heard a loud honk from a vehicle outside. 

Frank ignored it, thinking it must've been one of the neighbors, until it repeated itself. Clicking his tongue and finishing lacing up his boots, Frank padded over to the window to curiously peer out. He swallowed his air when he saw Gerard's car smoothly parked beside the curb directly in front of his home. The window rolled down and Gerard stuck his head out, facing Frank's bedroom window with a crooked smirk inviting Frank to head out and be whisked away. 

"Oh fuck." Frank whispered, shocked out of his mind that he hadn't imagined anything about last night if Gerard was waiting for him. It was like a sledgehammer replaced his heart as it stooped low in his stomach and rammed its way back up to thud heavily against his ribs, so hard it was painful, but an ecstatic feeling tingled in Frank's fingertips to his toes. 

He raced away from the window to brush through his hair an extra time, letting it fall into place without it being prone to tangling so soon. He located a packet of mints and popped two into his mouth, making sure there was nothing embarrassing invading his face like unexpected blemishes or a bizarrely long eyebrow hair outgrowing the rest. Frank breathlessly chuckled at himself in the mirror as he scrambled grooming himself and dashed down the stairs. 

"Frank, how do you expect to go anywhere without your keys?" Linda called out to Frank when he practically tore the door from its hinges. 

He froze in the doorway. "Oh, right. Uh, well I'm not driving myself to school. A friend is taking me, they're waiting out front." 

Frank prayed his mother wouldn't pay more attention than necessary to his bit of information, but luck wasn't on his side as she headed over to the front window and peeled back the curtain to curiously see which friend was offering a ride to school. Frank's face burned as her eyebrows rose in surprise, a laugh slipping from her. 

"A friend, huh?" Linda jested, making Frank squirm uncomfortably as he held onto the door. 

"I'll explain later?" Frank darted a look outside, anticipation swarming through him. 

"As long as he's a decent driver, I don't mind. Go ahead, you're gonna be late." Linda threw her hands up and backed away from the window, turning back around with a knowing smile tugging at her lips. 

Frank immediately flitted out the door and towards the driveway— minding the slickness leftover by the pelting rains that attacked in the gloom of the night— to make his way to Gerard's car. He felt eyes following him up until he opened the passenger door and plopped down into the seat with an erratic heartbeat. 

It felt like returning home when his eyes met Gerard's, especially now that they were bathed in a deep green as though he extracted the exact shades of woodland forests to concoct a color so brilliant to shade his irises in with. The softness inhabiting them invited Frank into a realm of everlasting spring. Squares of winter and ice laid in patches on the ground and frosted the tips of certain leaves, but it was a grand amount of progress compared to the treacherous tides he paddled through in order to get to paradise. 

"Hi." Frank breathed. 

Gerard's smile was gentle. "Good morning, sleepyhead. You look a little tired, was your night alright?" 

"It was okay as it could be. I was just restless, there's nights like that here and there. I'm sure you know." Frank hesitated. "Right?" 

Gerard chuckled at Frank's sudden uncertainty. "I faintly recall sleep, but there's enough of its memory left to understand. I haven't slept in many years." 

"Oh, so . . . you just don't sleep at all." Frank's eyes widened. "Doesn't that suck?" 

Gerard snorted, pulling the car into drive to curve away from the shoulder of the sidewalk. "I don't miss the feeling of fatigue and losing so many hours to sleep. On another hand, I do sometimes wish  I could drift into my own head that way again. Constantly dealing with your own thoughts and the world around you gets overwhelming." 

"I guess it would be pretty cool to never feel tired." Frank's fingertips grazed the shadows under his eyes. 

"I suspected you'd be a bit exhausted. I brought you this." Gerard's eyes quickly darted to the middle console. 

Frank's eyes fell upon the cupholder he hadn't realized contained a white paper cup and lid, an emblem of a local coffee shop stamped on the outside. Surprise sparked through him at its pleasantly unexpected appearance. 

"I was a bit puzzled while ordering . . . I picked out things that I recall hearing from our classmates's minds, things they have an affinity for, especially coffee related beverages. Lately, there's been an uproar for one drink in specific. Something involving, um, apple and cinnamon?" 

Frank refrained from laughing. He could picture the look of confusion on Gerard's face as he entered a parlor he normally wouldn't step foot in, eyes darting all over the menu in distress trying to pick something. Frank was thoroughly endeared as he was amused, plucking the cup up into his hands to soak in the heat. 

"You're adorable. Thank you." Frank's cheeks warmed the way his fingers did wrapped around the sweet smelling concoction laced with the bitter notes of coffee. 

Gerard hid a smile, showing that expression that told of a blush that would never rise to his face. Frank took a sip from the drink, humming in approval at the notes of crisp apple and rich cinnamon accentuating the darkness of the roast. He nestled into the passenger seat while cupping his drink in his hands, not missing the way Gerard glanced at him contentedly as though his comfort put him at ease. 

"I'm guessing things like this don't appetize you at all?" Frank hesitantly brought up the subject, pressing the lip of the lid against his mouth without taking a sip. The warmth overtook the coldness of his lip ring. 

"No. I've surpassed wishing they did . . . To be quite honest, there's nothing more unappetizing to vampires than human food. Water isn't so foul to me, but I have no need for it." Gerard took the question with ease, unexpectedly calm as he answered. 

"Kind of like how the concept of drinking blood is absolutely disgusting to humans?" 

"Not all humans." Gerard's grin was impish, making Frank spill out a laugh, his hand reaching out to lightly bat his arm. 

Despite the nature of their topic, Frank was beside himself realizing how natural it felt to discuss qualities of something supernatural. Maybe he was out of touch with his own kind and too absorbed in all the things that made Gerard the person he was, or maybe he was made of steel, but either way, he should've been shaken to some extent— Gerard had always been right about that part. But Frank wasn't willing to indulge him on it and bring on another round of detachment. 

When they arrived to school, Frank scanned the grounds and eyed all the students passing by to approach the front gate. He never concerned himself with what others thought about him as long as he felt comfortable in his own skin— but that morning, nerves tingled at the back of his neck to imagine everyone's reaction to Frank stepping out of Gerard's car and glueing himself to his side. He'd feel eyes on them if he leaned in closer to quietly murmur things that weren't meant to be heard by others, and if Gerard so much as responded with his soft smile that belong to Frank, rumors would stir like none other in a heartbeat. 

Striking Frank the most was imagining what Gerard's family would think if they weren't already aware of the things that went on between them. 

"What's wrong?" Gerard asked after he drew the keys out of ignition, suddenly still with worry. 

Frank shook his head and looked down at his cup. "Just thinking about stupid shit that doesn't really matter. Well, half of it doesn't. The other half is a little scary." 

"What are you thinking about?" 

Frank took in a wobbly breath and dared himself to meet Gerard's eyes. "Aren't you wondering what everyone's reaction will be when they see that you're giving me rides to school and hanging out with me so often?" 

Gerard's eyebrows knitted together like he hadn't considered that, but his expression cleared up and was replaced with a smile. "I could care less about their opinions." 

"And that's fair. I should feel the same way too, I usually wouldn't care in any other situation. But, um. What about your— your family?" Frank's voice was far more hushed in the end. He swallowed dryly and went completely silent. 

"Frank, I have nothing left to lose. I might as well enjoy my time here since I'm going to hell anyway, right?" 

Frank wasn't given time to respond before Gerard was climbing out of the car and walking around to pop open the passenger door. Frank sat still for a second, dumbfounded, and it took him a moment more to collect himself and close his mouth which hung open. He was flushed scarlet as he stepped out, not being nearly as careful as he should when Gerard stepped forward so they were close enough to touch. His blood pressure must've been at an unhealthy level from the amount of physical responses Gerard drew from him, especially now that Gerard's arm was reaching around him and shutting the door behind Frank, his eyes never leaving his. 

Maybe Gerard had a point. It was even more applicable to Frank since he had such a limited life, running off an expiration date while Gerard remained frozen in time for the rest of forever. Frank should feel the freedom to do whatever he pleased, however he wanted, and in that moment, the thing he desired the most was Gerard. It didn't matter if things wouldn't be quite official until the rest of the truth was revealed, Frank was satisfied enough with what he'd been offered and thought labels wouldn't suit them either, it wasn't something so elementary school, but it wasn't anything that could be explained— they just were, and Frank loved it. 

"Fuck it." Frank muttered, shaking his head. He reached out, taking Gerard's cool hand in his own. "Is this okay for me to do?" 

Gerard's beamed, gently squeezing around Frank's insecure hand and stroking his skin with his thumb in a rubbing motion that made Frank's stomach dip. "That's something you never need to ask permission for." 

— 

As Frank predicted, he was hounded down and cornered as soon as the lunch bell rang by his friends. He hardly got to make an attempt at his escape before their voices were overlapping as they tried to squeeze out information with their questions, making Frank a tad anxious if he was being honest. 

"Everyone shut the fuck up!" Adam yelled out and the group fell silence. He pointed at Frank and poked him in the center of the chest. "You're many great things, kid, but you're also a terrible liar." 

"What have I been lying about?" If Frank feigned cluelessness, they might take mercy on his soul. 

"How many times have you implied you'd rather eat cement than be with Gerard Way?" 

"I never said anything about eating cement." 

"I said you implied it. Don't try to throw me off track, we all saw what happened last night and don't think I didn't see you two this morning." 

Frank's face burst into flames. "Isn't it self explanatory?"

"It sucks to come to a conclusion based on only rumors and visuals. Come on, we're your friends! We're not gonna talk shit behind your back." Kayleigh clicked her tongue. 

"And we're not actually here to accuse you of hiding things as much as we're here to ask what's happening." Frances piped in to Frank's surprise. 

Frank sighed for a long moment, deflating his lungs. He thought about possible things he could share without offering up the details he wanted to keep private, and there were parts that were absolutely forbidden. He didn't come up with much in the end other than lame explanations that would leave his nosy friends with a thirst for knowledge. So, despite knowing Gerard would definitely hear it in their thoughts at some point, Frank was honest without being too honest. 

"I already told you how we met up last night, we just ran into each other. It wasn't planned. Before you ask, it wasn't really a date, he was just being courteous and buying me dinner." Frank waved his hands in the air. "You guys know how I've tried convincing myself I wasn't interested in him. But that didn't work out. He kept coming around and I didn't want that to stop." 

"There's no way last night wasn't a date. Maybe neither of you will admit it, but two people who are into each other going to have dinner together at a cozy restaurant doesn't sound platonic." Kayleigh pointed out. 

"I don't know. It's not so conventional between us. It's still a little unclear, for all I know I probably have stronger feelings than he does." Frank was surprised when he vocalized a forbidden doubt nestled in the back of his head, but it was a saddening detail he didn't like to think of whenever he reflected on the ways he was completely unafraid while Gerard was almost always stuck in apprehension. 

"Are you dating him?" Ray asked, softer than anyone else out of the group. 

Frank turned his head so he didn't need to make eye contact, smiling sheepishly in spite of himself. "You guys really are nosy." 

"It's just shocking. I mean— not just the Gerard thing, how come you didn't tell us you're into guys?" Frances didn't seem offended, just confused. 

"Coming out is awkward." Frank fiddled with his fingers. "It doesn't really matter anyway, does it?" 

"Of course not," Frances clarified quickly, "I just hope you didn't feel like any of us wouldn't take it well." 

"For the record, I already knew." Adam came to Frank's side to sling an arm around his shoulders. "I've been keeping an eye on Gerard in case I need to kick his ass for hurting Frank." 

"Oh, you don't have to—" 

"I'm just kidding, don't look so panicked." Adam waved him off. "But you know you can always count on us in case anything happens, right? We're just a bunch of snoopy motherfuckers because we care about you." 

The group vehemently agreed. Frank was still a tad overwhelmed, but he softened at the reassurance and support he was provided with. He smiled subtly, nodding his head, thanking his friends for their generosity and for being so kind. 

"I know. Well, I guess one thing you guys can do is tell whoever's spreading rumors to shut the fuck up." Frank chuckled. 

"I'll sniff 'em out, no worries." Kayleigh volunteered to Frank's relief. 

Before he headed out, Ray reached out to him to say one more thing apart from the rest of the group. 

"Does this mean that uh, he's gonna hang out with us now?" His eyes were round with fear. 

Frank laughed at his expression. "I don't think so. I don't know about the future, but for now, no. You shouldn't be so scared, I know he puts up a front, but he's actually . . . a really amazing person." 

Ray was relieved, but proud above all things, clapping Frank on the back. "I'm not gonna pry and ask anything else, but I hope he makes you happy." 

Frank's smile remained on his face even as he watched Ray walk back to the circle of friends who waved and shot him thumb's up before retreating to allow Frank to go on his way. 

When he reunited with Gerard, he found him waiting at their lunch table, a tray settled beside Gerard instead of across where Frank usually sat. Frank's stomach fluttered and flipped at the sight of him as he floated over, taking up the seat Gerard reserved for him. 

"Sorry I took a while, my friends stopped me to talk about . . . uh, a few things." Frank cleared his throat lightly, his blush betraying him. 

"Hmm, I know. I can hear thoughts from up to a five mile radius." Gerard sounded a bit subdued, which was odd considering his light mood in the morning. His contemplative eyes rested on Frank, observing him as if for the first time. Frank wondered if the things he listened in on were poorly received. 

"Eavesdropping never does anyone any good." Frank dryly cracked a joke, but from the lack of laughter received, he felt a chill of worry falling over him. He looked to Gerard with concern, catching his eyes and digging into his aura to find a stray glacier blocking him out of the way. Frank couldn't help but he stung by its appearance; he believed they were past the barriers. 

"I was just a bit taken aback by something I heard you say." Gerard offered a touch of insight so Frank wasn't left abandoned on the sidelines the way he feared he would be. 

Frank's eyes widened. "Did I say something stupid? I was just trying to be as brief as possible, I couldn't really tell them everything. It feels really personal to me too, so I— I downplayed it."

"It wasn't stupid at all. I understand, your intent was clear, but I caught onto something that sounded true enough that it won't leave my mind." Gerard's brows knitted together over his eyes casting down onto the table. 

Frank stayed silent, waiting for the quiet to be filled in by a statement following up Gerard's claim. Perhaps it would be better if it was something silly— such as the thing Adam mentioned about Frank implying he'd sooner eat cement than ever be with Gerard. That way, it could easily be laughed off and brushed aside as a foolish comment from a friend who tended to be humorous in nature, nothing harmful. 

"Do you truly believe my feelings aren't as strong as yours?" Gerard finally lifted his eyes to meet Frank's tinted in sadness. 

A pulsing wave of something unpleasant rippled through Frank's chest and sank downward. He couldn't believe he didn't have enough of a filter to keep that comment to himself, especially if he knew the likeliness of Gerard running through the conversation. 

Ashamed, Frank breathed out a little sigh, looking down. "Do you want me to be honest?" 

"Always." 

Frank winced slightly. "If that's the case, then. Yes. Some part of me feels that way." 

Gerard leaned forward, touching gently under Frank's chin so he could meet a pair of eyes gentle and full of melancholy, but no signs of hurt or betrayal. "That isn't true. Not in the slightest." 

Frank's heart convulsed, suddenly aware of all the surprised pairs of eyes falling on them in the center of the cafeteria, but Gerard didn't pay any mind to them, not letting their thoughts invade his tender gestures as though there was only the two of them existing on the planet together. 

"You just have so many doubts. I have none." Frank whispered. "I started to wonder if . . . if you were considering whether or not I'm worth the trouble." 

"I decided you were in a heartbeat long before we were on good terms. The moment I saved you that day in the parking lot, I already knew you were worth risking it all." Gerard's breathy voice struggled to keep smooth, like the words longed to spew out faster and without pauses, but Frank wouldn't be able to understand them if he said it the way he longed to. 

Frank swallowed hard. "Really?" 

"I couldn't let that happen to you." Gerard drew his hand away, but his eye contact never wavered, solid and piercing in a passionate way. "As much as I tried to deny it, to refuse that our fates would intertwine, everything was already decided." 

"How could you possibly know?" Frank didn't think telepathy gave Gerard the ability to know when fate was already sealed; but perhaps intuition like Frank's was at play, a sense of something imminent whenever he looked at Frank. If such was the case, it caused his heart to liquify and drip into his belly, warming his insides and his blood. 

Gerard hesitated. He cleared it away within seconds, leaning closer and lowering his voice into a silky murmur. "I'm not the only one in my family with special abilities." 

Frank's jaw nearly dropped. "What?" 

Gerard chuckled at the way Frank's mouth had popped open. "My sister Kristin. She has visions of the future, the way it changes and decides for itself. Shortly after we met, she saw the way our paths were crossing, there was no way to undo it." 

"She saw us becoming friends?" Frank breathed. 

Gerard softly laid his hand over Frank's resting on his thigh underneath the table. "A bit more than friends." 

Frank's heart positively pounded at the words. It was a romantic notion that the future predicted something unfurling between two strangers before they knew everything behind the face, how it was impossible to prevent it from becoming of them. All of Frank's breath streamed out of him. 

"Oh." Frank battled the urge to flip his hand over and weave their fingers together, to pull Gerard in so he could rest his head at the crook of his neck as his eyes slipped shut and everything around him disintegrated. He imagined the solace it would bring him and almost acted irrationally, his hand twitching, which regretfully made Gerard's hand move away. 

"Unless you decide differently. The future is always shifting, nothing is set in stone because a person's mind can change last minute." Gerard made a poor attempt at concealing the pain in his eyes imagining Frank choosing a different path for them, but he didn't try to persuade Frank to stay on his current track, not beseeching him to keep his heart settled in his palms. 

For Gerard's sake, Frank nodded, knowing Gerard would be better satisfied if he stayed stay open-minded to things changing according to his beliefs about their circumstances. For now, his reassurance was scooting a bit closer, angling his leg for the side to press against Gerard's. 

"So . . . if she can see the future, what can the rest of your siblings do?" Frank inquired in case Gerard's descended down an unfavorable path again, wondering if he was better off staying away. 

"Only Mikey has a cognitive power out of the rest. He has the ability to persuade emotions. Just by looking at someone, he can feel everything they do and manipulate their moods however he pleases." 

"That's like an advanced version of what I can do." Frank brightened. 

"If you were immortal, you'd possibly have the same ability." 

"Being immortal can change things like that?" 

"We all have gifts because we had an ability within us from the beginning." Gerard explained. "Mikey was almost the same as you when he was human. As for myself, I was always able to faintly tell what someone was thinking from their body language, their eyes. Together, we could easily unveil a person's intentions and their true nature." 

Fascinated, Frank leaned in with wide eyes. "I've never met anyone similar to me. Not to this extent." 

"Mikey's ability was fainter than yours as a human. It was more of an intuitive inclination. You, you're able to unmask a person's soul and essence just by meeting their eyes." 

Frank nodded, a faint smile touching his lips. "It's the reason why I needed to learn more about you. I could always feel you, especially now." 

Gerard looked on as Frank trailed off, hesitating over whether he should mention a specific part or not. "Are things different now?" 

Frank fiddled with his lip ring, fighting a flush as Gerard's eyes darted down to his mouth as a result. He chuckled once through his nose and nodded. "It's not as cold. I was always able to tell you had something so beautiful hidden behind this wall you put up. Now that everything's on the table, I can— it feels like you've opened up to me all the way. Now it's warm and . . . the only way I can explain it is by comparing it to spring." 

Gerard seemed surprised. He sat on that for a moment, digesting, his expression going soft in the way that shed his immortal years to show the young man who lived before he met a twist of fate. "I don't feel so warm or welcoming if I take a look inside myself."

"I wouldn't know what I feel like either, someone would have to tell me." Frank cocked his head to the side slightly, frowning. "But honestly, it makes me sad that you genuinely don't think you can be warm." 

"Can vampires be so tender?" Gerard chuckled mirthlessly. 

"Yes, they can." It was Frank's turn to not give a damn about the rest of the world and reach out to brush his fingers along the curve of Gerard's jaw. Gerard froze in a picture image, no breath coming from him as he registered the feeling of Frank's touch upon his face. Frank realized it may not have been wise; he was full of thrumming veins, his pulse hammered in his wrist, and his skin was warm from the blood pumping through him, and Frank was there waving his temptation just underneath Gerard's nose. 

Frank yanked his hand away, shocked. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I get ahead of myself sometimes, I didn't really think about—" 

Gerard snapped out of his paralyzed state and started rapidly shaking his head. He clasped Frank hand between both of his own and effectively made Frank snap his mouth shut. Frank watched Gerard return his hand to his face, curving it around his cool cheek that felt like silk and holding it there. 

"You're amazingly warm." Gerard murmured, his eyes fluttering as Frank's heat soaked into his skin and gradually melted away the coolness. Frank's breath hitched, his eyes wide, and he couldn't believe this was his reality; a world where a gorgeous creature craved the touch of his human palm against his cheek, relishing in the warmth radiating from it as though it was a beam of sunlight emerging from clouds that brought relentless frost and snow. 

Frank was so in love it hurt, it belled through his chest and devoured him wholly. For the first time, he considered himself worthy of being a match to someone as ethereal to Gerard. If his warmth was what he sought out to chase out to glacial caps invading his oasis, then Frank would curl up against Gerard's frigidness and stay adrift with him until they washed up upon the shores of a spring valley. He felt like the only one who was capable of it. 

It sank in gradually as Frank focused on the wave of feeling emitting from Gerard. 

"Oh," Frank whispered. "You do feel just as strongly." 

Gerard's eyes flashed open. They weighed in on Frank's gaze and didn't disconnect, but all the answers he couldn't speak verbally were in that very connection resting heavy between them. Gerard's love was a mirror shine across from Frank's. Frank only hoped holding his breath for the finale wouldn't be cruel to them as they demolished the final line painted between them so he could shut his eyes and fall back into the euphoric embrace of Gerard's arms waiting for him. 

___

Love is in the air! We've smoothly sailed over to a super important part in the series, the next chapter is branching off to another vital part including some suspense and a touch of new mystery. 

I hope you're all liking this so far, I'm always happy when I get to update and write more for this fic. Let me know what you think!

-rosexo