The Doll Shop [7/?]
A hundred different thoughts were running through Frank’s head as he lay awake. Though he radiated no body heat, Frank could feel Gerard sleeping next to him.
They’d finally quieted down, conversation replaced with drowsy silence.
It had taken Frank ages to convince Gerard that he was going to be sleeping with him, demanding the boy sleep in his bed, rather then on the floor.
When the Doll had finally given in, he had told Frank, with a perfectly straight face that he wouldn’t stand for any “in-appropriate” behavior from the smaller boy.
Frank had then hit Gerard with his pillow and called him an idiot.
War broke out then.
Yelps of surprise and bursts of laughter had echoed around the room, thumping pillows a constant undertone.
Frank laughed quietly to himself as he remembered what the other boy was wearing.
A jumpsuit with a skeleton printed on it.
He couldn’t stop laughing when he had seen it. He had thought Gee had looked soooo cute.
Frank had cooed until Gerard had pouted and promptly ignored him for what seemed liked ages.
Frank hadn’t been able to stand the silence for long, and had said he was sorry and tickled the taller boy mercilessly until the silence was finally filled with Gerard’s pleading for him to stop.
That’s when they had collapsed, Frank with his head on Gerard’s chest, Gerard’s fingers twining and fiddling with Frank’s hair.
Frank had felt his eyelids growing heavy as he felt his whole body relax. He hadn’t wanted to move, but he knew that if he didn’t, he would have fallen asleep wrapped around Gerard, and that’s not how he wanted it.
Gerard was a friend…
Just a friend.
Frank slipped from the bed then, picked up an old shirt he pulled it on over his head, hiding his sparrows.
Gerard had whimpered and frowned sleepily when Frank moved away, Frank resisted the urge to coo, knowing that his Gerard…
He shook his head, where the hell had “his Gerard” come from?
Shaking his head again he tried to forget about it.
“Don’t worry Bumble-Bee…”
Frank had lent over and gently kissed the pale boy on the forehead.
The crease between Gerard’s eyebrows disappeared and a small sigh escaped causing Frank to smile.
He slipped back into bed.
He couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
He was so happy.
Frank couldn’t believe it.
Closing his eyes, Frank could feel sleep reaching out to cradle him and carry him into un-consciousness, but he was startled awake when a loud thump caused the house to shudder as the front door banged against the wall.
Muffled voices and laughter could be heard through the floor.
Frank shook his head and moved towards the door.
Bare feet padded silently on carpeted floor, hushed whispers filtered up the stairs.
“Mum?” Frank called from the top of the stairs.
Drunken giggles and failed attempts at staying quiet caused Frank to roll his eyes.
Frank ground his teeth as he watched his mother’s new play thing slip his fingers under her shirt.
“Yes Frank?” Her sparkling eyes locked onto his and she giggled.
Frank sighed.
She was drunk.
“Nothing, I just wanted to know if it was you…” He trailed off. She wasn’t really paying attention.
“Yes it’s me, Frank darling.”
“And Mark!” A muffled voice called.
Laughter tinkled from his mother’s lips like glittering jewels.
“Yes, and Mark.” She echoed.
Frank watched as his mother’s lips became pre-occupied with… other things.
“Going back to bed.” He called down to them.
His mother waved her hand absent mindedly in his direction.
Yes, yes, her hand seemed to say.
Go away now.
Frank shook his head and slowly made his way back to his room, shoulders tense, face drawn.
This wasn’t anything new.
He bit his lip.
Nope, this defiantly was not something new.
Closing the door behind him, Frank lent back against it using it for support.
He willed his legs to hold him steady. He tried to quell the raging emotions within him.
Stumbling footsteps and hushed voices filtered through the door as his mother and “Mark” headed past towards her room.
Frank bit his lip again and tilted his head back against the door.
Forcing the tears back.
Not again.
No more tears.
Please, no more tears.
He pushed himself from the door, and moved to put on a CD.
Turning it up slightly so that all he could here was the pulsing beats of The Misfits and not the sounds coming from his mother’s room down the hall.
He shuffled back over to the bed, and slipped back between the sheets.
Gerard stirred.
“S’you Frankie?”
Frank smiled slightly.
“Yeah it’s me.” He whispered as he kissed the pale Doll on the cheek.
Cold flesh warmed beneath his lips.
“Go back to sleep.”
Gerard murmured something unintelligible before shifting so he was facing the smaller boy.
Drowsy hazel eyes tried to focus.
“You okay Frankie?” he whispered.
Frank nodded and pounded his pillow into a more comfortable position.
“Liar.”
Frank’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Why’d you put music on if you were okay?”
A pale finger appeared from beneath the blanket and traced his bottom lip, pulling back to reveal a dark liquid.
“Why is your lip bleeding if you’re okay?”
Frank licked his lip, hissing slightly when his tongue ran over the cut.
He shrugged.
“Music helps me sleep, and I frequently bite my lip… you know that…”
Gerard frowned, and opened his mouth to argue further.
“Please Bumble- Bee,” Frank pleaded, “Please just leave it alone.”
Gerard shut his mouth and nodded slowly.
Frank felt himself relax slightly.
“Thanks.” He whispered.
Gerard just nodded once again, eyes searching Frank’s for answers/
The smaller boy turned, afraid of what those hazel eyes would find.
He could hear the Doll sigh and shift behind him, before he settled once again.
Frank closed his eyes, letting the music chase away all his thoughts and replace them with meaningless pounding beats.
He could feel sleep reaching out for him once again, cradling him and drawing him down into the weightless void of sleep.
He didn’t even react when he felt two strong arms wrap around his waist and pull him close.
He didn’t even flinch when cold lips pressed against his cheek, or even move when soft words filtered into his sleep muddled mind.
Words of love and vows to protect.
Frank just let himself be held.
All he could think as sleep finally took complete control, was how warm and safe he felt, how he wanted to feel like this every night and how he no longer wanted to be alone.
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“Franklin Iero what the hell is going on here?!”
Frank shot awake to find his mother standing at the edge of his bed, looking down at him.
A grumble of complaint was heard from the pale boy lying behind him.
Frank tried not to laugh at how cute he was, turning to his mother Frank tired hard to focus on her.
Her hands were on her hips, expression stern. She was wearing a grey suit that hugged her in the all the right places. She looked okay, considering she had been drunk the night before. She didn’t look hung over. Maybe she hadn’t been as drunk as he had first thought. Or she could just be wearing a hell of a lotta make up.
“Hey mum.” Frank croaked.
She glared down at him.
“Don’t you ‘Hey mum’ me Franklin, what the fuck is going on here?” Her eyes smoldered.
Frank swung his legs over the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through his hair.
He took a deep breathe.
“Mum this is Gerard, Gerard this is my mother.” He waved his hand feebly back and forth indicating who was who.
His mother glared at him, he could feel Gerard shifting behind him.
“He’s a Doll mum. He was given to me yesterday.”
Tired eyes locked with furious ones.
She opened her mother, ready to fill the silence with more scathing remarks.
“Would you just relax mum? We were just sleeping.”
His eyes pleaded with her.
Her lips pressed together.
“Just sleeping.” He repeated.
“Get up Frank. I’m going out.” She fiddled with her hair and smoothed away invisible creases on her suit.
“I don’t know when I’ll be home.”
Frank nodded and slowly carded his fingers through his hair once again.
“I might be gone all weekend, I’m not sure.”
Frank nodded again.
This wasn’t any more unusual then her coming home late on a Friday night with a different boy stumbling in next to her.
Her eyes flickered and rested on Gerard for a few seconds, taking in his mused hair, skeleton jumpsuit and the pillow crease imprinted on his cheek.
She looked back to Frank.
He had his head cradled in his hands, eyes downcast searching the floor for… what ever it was that boys like him searched for.
“I need to speak to you outside now Frank.”
Frank nodded and ran his hands down his face.
He turned to the pale boy behind him.
He allowed a small smile to slip through his neutral expression, reassuring the pale boy.
“Be right back.” He whispered.
Warm fingers enveloped cold toes and squeezed gently.
Frank sighed quietly.
Steeling himself for the impending lecture, or verbal abuse, which ever you prefer.
Frank stood and walked towards the door.
Gerard’s gaze on his back unwavering the whole time.
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Chapter Eight.