Frank's POV :

He was chasing me and I was desperately trying to run away. He was in the house, I knew it. He's gonna find me !

I felt like suffocating in this wide, completely dark living room. I groped my way out looking for the front door, knowing he was here too. I knew it. And I'm sure he knew I knew. He loved feeling my fear.

Suddenly, I felt it.
A breath on my neck.

If he had a face, I'm sure he would be grinning sadistically, putting on display his bloody, rotten teeth.

I wanted to scream out Gerard's name, to wake him up so he could save me, but no sound would escape my lips. I was mute.

Panicked, I immediately bolted away and locked myself in my new bedroom. It was very dark too. Only the moon pierced through the shutters, bringing tiny strings of silvery light.

The only sound that could be heard was my heavy breathing. Is it... Is it over? Am I safe here?
I took a few step back and froze when the back of my legs met my bed. I could feel each of my blood vessels chill. The silence was just too perfect.

All of a sudden, my ankles were grabbed and tugged so hard that I fell, face against the ground. I felt it. I felt the collision, and his iron grip on me.

I screamed as I lost sight of all light. I screamed my lungs out, like I had never screamed before. I tried to latch onto the floor with my nails but he dragged me effortlessly into his own self-made Hell.

He is, after all, the monster under my bed.

My heart was flying into my chest as I started falling into an absolute void, seeing the light of my bedroom farther and farther away from me along with all hope of making it.
That's when I woke up.

Gerard was in front of me, gripping my shoulders. I was hyperventilating and sweaty, and my heart was pumping so fast it almost hurt.

I looked up at Gerard, still confused and scared. He seemed terribly concerned. He was peering at me intently like he was afraid that I might explode at any second or something.

When our gazes met and he realized that I had calmed down, he sighed in what I guessed was relief and brought me gently against his chest. I was still so stunned and terrified by what had happened that it took me time to process that I was safe, and finally hug Gerard back.

"Shhh, Frankie, everything is alright." Gerard wiped drying tears off my cheeks I hadn't even felt in the first place. He held me safe and warm as I struggled to steady my breath.

"It- it felt so real," I breathed out in horror, hiding in his arms.

"You had a night terror," Gerard informed. "Some sort of power 10 nightmare. These can feel pretty real. Also, you had an... Accident."

Now that I had fully come to my senses, I realized there was something warm, wet and leaky in between my legs. I had wet the bed. Oh no, not again...

I got out of Gerard's grip and got on my knees in front of him. "I-I'm so s-sorry !" I blurted out.

Tears started falling down my cheeks. I ruined everything. Gerard will think I'm a little crybaby who wets his bed for a nightmare and... Oh no, what if he kicks me out?!

I bent down to roll in a little ball and pressed my forehead against the floor. I intertwined my fingers in a ball, holding it at Gerard as to beg for mercy.

"I'm s-so s-s-sorry, that won't happen again, I-I swear ! I-I... Please, f-forgive me !" I begged desperately, hardly forming coherent words though the uncontrollable sobs shaking my entire self.

"Frank, calm down, sweetie. You-"

"-P-please, please don't hurt me !" I cried out, shrinking even more.

Gerard knelt in front of me and picked me up to make me sit back on the bed. I looked away shamefully.

"It's okay, Frankie. You did nothing wrong. Does that happen a lot?"
Gerard's eternally mellow voice actually appeased me a little. He didn't seem so angry at me.

I whimpered and took a deep breath before answering. "K-kinda, but it's been weeks since last time. Please don't get mad, p-please don't hit me..." I ended in a whimper, doing everything in order to avoid Gerard's eyes.

"Frank, I would never hurt you." I felt a finger lift my chin and my eyes met two hazel globes that kind of looked like my own, with the difference that mine were probably much more teary and dim than his.

"Why would I even hurt you?" Gerard asked, snapping me out of my contemplation. "It was an accident. It happens."

I shook my head. "N-nothing.. I-I was panicking," I stuttered.

"Frank." Gerard stared so deep into my soul I'm sure he could tell what I was thinking. He frowned deeply. "What would your parents do when you woke them up or wet your bed?"

I bit my lips and looked at my lap. I remembered the multiple times they had forced me to sleep in my pee-soaked sheets to punish me. To teach me how to be a 'big boy'' and'grow up'. That was so humiliating.

I'd consider sleeping on the floor when that would happen, but it was not so easy to fall asleep on a cold hard floor. Besides, my parents would have punished me if they had found me sleeping on the floor 'like a dog' - as they say.

I think they despised Sweet Pea less than me.

I forced myself to smile the brightest I could at Gerard ; I didn't want him to worry. "Nothing, it's fine. I just didn't want you to get mad."

Gerard frowned but brushed it off. "It's okay. You're in a new environment, away from your parents. It's probably what caused your night terror."

I nodded. Actually, I've been having these nights terrors for a while now but I don't think that's something Gerard needs to know. I'm already enough of a problem.

"Alright. We're gonna change your sheets together and you'll go back to sleep, okay?" Gerard brushed a strand of my hair aside.

I nodded and helped Gerard. Once we were done, I collapsed on the bed. I was lying on my stomach and Gerard crouched before me. He ran his hand in my hair and I felt myself drift to sleep.

"Poor Frankie. You've had a rough evening."

"Can you stay here until I fall asleep?" I muttered.

"Of course, sweetheart. I'll watch over you."

"And can you check for the monster under my bed? To be sure he's gone."

"Sure." Gerard bent and looked under my bed. "There's nothing. I think you defeated the monster. You were braver than him," he stated and sat down on the edge of my bed.

I smiled. "Gerard? Do you ever have nightmares?"

"Of course I do. I'm human, and all humans have fears and nightmares. Some are just more skilled at hiding them."

"And... Do you ever cry?"

"Yes. But the only reason why I would cry is when reality is not as good as I expected it to be. That's it."

I hummed. Gerard resumed petting my hair, which made me smile and quickly fall into a deep sleep.

•••
"Happy birthday, Frankie !" Gerard woke me up. I giggled as I rubbed my eyes with my balled fists.

Wow, I haven't realized I've been staying here for about three months now. Time does fly ! Today was Halloween and I was turning 13.

I wonder if Mom and Dad are thinking about me right now, if they remember that today is my birthday. If they remember me at all.

Probably not. They surely moved on. I wasn't that important to them. I was actually a bit of a burden.

I felt myself become sad, so I tried thinking about something else and brushing these thoughts off.

Gerard had prepared me a chocolate cake. We ate it together, and since it was a Sunday, Gerard could spend all day with me. We watched movies together and played whatever games I wanted !

"Knock knock..." I heard as Gerard stepped in my bedroom with some present crudely wrapped in wrapping paper.

"Oh!" I snatched the present from him. "For me?"

Gerard nodded and I unwrapped the gift. It was a cute, fuzzy, light beige teddy bear. It had little black eyes and a thin, black, velvet ribbon around the neck. Aww...

"It will protect you from nightmares and monsters," he assured.

"That's so cute, thank you so much !" I jumped at Gerard's neck and tackled him in a hug.

Ger hugged back and asked me how I would name it. I held my teddy before me and chewed on my bottom lip to somehow muster all my inspiration.

"Miss Jackson."

Gerard laughed. "How do you know it's a 'she'?"

"Well, she told me ! Besides, look !" I showed Gerard Miss Jackson's crotch. Gerard hummed.

"Alright, I can't argue with that," he sighed. I could almost smell his doubt.

"Thank you so much, Gee. I've never had a stuffie before."

"You're welcome. Now go to bed, little one."

"I'm not little, I'm 13 !" I giggled. "Please read to me."

"Alright, but only because it's your birthday." 

I handed Gerard the first Artemis Fowl and we both lay on the bed. I set my head in the crook of his neck and clutched Miss Jackson close to me.

"Ho Chi Minh City in the summer. Sweltering by anyone's standards. Needless to say, Artemis Fowl would not have been willing to put up with such discomfort if something extremely important had not been at stake. Important to the plan." Gerard read at loud.

I tried to peek at the pages for some reason. The story was so interesting. A black haired, smart kid, trying to steal from fairies.

Gerard kept reading to me for a little while until I started feeling sleepy. I rubbed my eyes and let out a yawn, which Gerard interpreted as the signal to stop reading.

I coiled myself up against him. "You know, one day, I'll marry you," I stated.

Gerard looked down at me, surprised at first. Then he arched an eyebrow amusedly. "Will you now?"

"Mmhm !" I nodded enthusiastically. "We'll have many many children ! Now don't you get married with anyone before I propose to you, huh?"

Gerard laughed. "Sure. Keep that thought for when you're bigger."

I nodded and snuggled into his arms. Gerard pecked the top of my head. I let out a big yawn and closed my eyes. My heart was feeling so... light. I think I was happy.

"I love you, Dad..." I mumbled, the name escaping my lips, and I fell asleep in his arms right after.

______