So Long, Not Goodnight

Chapter Eighteen

"...and when I woke up, it was all sunny and bright, her grave undisturbed, and everything was back in my bag," Gerard picked at the cracked wood below him. "I was there for a whole day. I went home and my family were sitting in the living room and stared at me like I had been missing for years. My mom was crying, my dad holding her, and Mikey was pacing. I knew that Mikey would have contacted Ray, asking if I were there, so I just went with having car trouble and having to spend the night in my car and wait until daylight where I was able to tinker with it just enough to get back on my way."

Frank had his eyes focused on the small ovals of Gerard's nails pulling at the grain of the bench they both sat upon. He didn't know what to say, except to point out the obvious. "So, you brought her back to life?"

Gerard contemplated his response, his brows knitted in thought. He was stacking the small toothpicks of wood that he pulled out into a star. "I don't know..." His voice sounded as if it were teetering on the edge of breaking down. "What I do know is that after that night, weird things started happening. I used to feel her presence before, but now things would move, lights would turn on themselves, my car - I remember one time when I was driving, the steering wheel just haphazardly thrust side to side and it was so strong I didn't think I could gain control back, but I was able to regain control right as an oncoming car rushed past. Now... I don't know what I've done for her to do all of this. It just gets progressively worse and worse as time goes by."

Frank stared at Gerard, head down and shoulders slumped, beginning to shudder at the memory. He scooted closer to him and encircled his arms around his shivering body. Gerard winced at the contact, but then collapsed into him burying his face into Frank's shoulder and sobbing. "I've wanted to tell someone for so long, but I never thought that I could..." 

"Baby, it's going to be alright," Frank hushed. "It's alright... It's alright... I'm here and I'll keep you safe."

"Frankie," Gerard forced himself away, wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands. "Don't you understand? I brought you into this and... And I don't know how this is going to end."

Frank tilted his head to the side and stared down at his hands kneaded together, pulling the left corner of his mouth in. "Whatever happens," he reached over and intercepted one of Gerard's hands in his own and squeezed. "We'll do this together... We'll figure something out."

Frank's lips tightened at the corners and he warmly smiled down at Gerard. With his free hand, Gerard tucked his rogue pieces of hair behind his ear and weakly smiled back. The rainbow of the stained glass glowed over their faces and blended together as Frank leaned down and pressed his lips to Gerard's and in that second, Gerard was reminded of all the pleasure that existed outside of his grief and let himself feast on it greedily. They held onto each other in the warm sunlight that spilled down onto them. Their foreheads touched and Gerard felt Franks lipring brush up against his top lip in a smile, both of their breaths still tinged with smoke. The high of Frank's kiss gave Gerard so much more than any amount of nicotine ever could. "We should get cleaned up and get outta here." 

"Where would we go?" Gerard worried out loud.

"I don't know," Frank sighed. "But I don't think it's a good idea to stay here another night."

Frank led Gerard from the pews and back to the small room where they both wiped themselves somewhat clean with a damp towel. As Frank was finishing up in the bathroom, Gerard pulled open the chest of drawers and the wardrobe and found black dress pants, black button downs, and a single red tie. There were also black socks in one of the smaller drawers that he reluctantly pulled a pair from. He extracted a pair of the pants and one of the shirts and the tie. The slacks felt perfect as he pulled him over his legs and bare crotch. The dimples at his hips accentuated by the dark contrast and sharp fit of the waist. Pale feet poked out at the ends of the straight legs, a complete yin and yang. The shirt oddly felt warm as it fit against his arms and the collar fell onto his shoulders, his chest still exposed and the cuffs of the sleeves flared out from his wrists. Gerard used one hand and then the other singularly to push the opposite's twin buttons through their openings that were pressed directly onto his pisiform bones. Each front button found their place, stitching up the rest of his bare skin all the way to the hallow of his neck. His fingers unfolded his collar as he brought the tie around it's groove and began to loop the silk around itself, pulled half of it through another piece, and pulling closed the knot up until it bobbed against his throat. "Jesus. Fucking. Christ."

Gerard's hands spasmed away from his neck and spun around on his heels to find Frank, completely naked, wiping off his hands on a towel in the archway of the bathroom door. The pupils of his eyes spread his irises thin in their dilation. Gerard playfully swished his hair and jutted one of his hips to the side placing a hand on it and bit his tongue, scrunching up his nose before collapsing onto the bed in his hiccupy laugh. Frank threw the towel aside and flopped down next to him on the bed. "This really suits you, Gee." Frank stuck his tongue out.

Gerard rolled his eyes and fake laughed. "But really," Frank eyed Gerard up and down and back up again. "You look like a silver screen vampire."

Gerard balanced his upper, back teeth on his tongue, snarled his upper lip exposing his eye teeth, and hissed up at Frank. "Fuck, Gee," Frank's tone grew deeper. "You're turning me on."

They met in the middle as their mouths fell into each others and they pushed and pulled into themselves as Frank snapped his lips free. "We gotta get outta here first, baby." He winked and rose up from the bed, trying to hide his growing desire. 

Moving the same path as Gerard, Frank gathered another set of clothes and found a stack of underwear that he reached towards. "Don't do that, Frank!" Gerard reached out towards him.

"What?" Frank shrugged and then his eyes glittered down at Gerard's. "So... You're going commando right now?"

"Well," Gerard blushed. "I have to draw a line somewhere and that's another guy's underwear."

"Personally, I don't give a shit," Frank closed the drawer empty handed. "But I can get behind one less thing to have to remove later."

Gerard sat up on the mattress and finished putting his socks on as Frank outfitted himself, only having to roll up the ends of his pant legs about an inch. They both found their shoes and slid them on and tied up the laces. Outside, from the window, was a brisk sunshine day. They took one last look around the chapel as Gerard collected the bible that he was taking notes in. Frank slid his hand into Gerard's as they made their way to the vestibule. Before they stepped into the sun, Gerard pulled free from Frank's grip. "Hold on," he turned and disappeared back inside the church. "I forgot something..."

What was there to forget? They had nothing but the clothes that they wore and whatever was in their pockets which was already collected. The broken crystal on the door cast prisms onto Frank's shirt that flickered and spun as he moved uneasily around, antsy for Gerard's return. After a few minutes, Gerard reappeared in the doorway, making his way towards Frank. Gerard's fist was cinched closed in his right hand as his left collected Frank's hand once again. Frank leaned forward and noticed a small strand of black beads looping back into his palm; her rosary. "I just can't leave this behind," Gerard confessed before Frank could question him. "It could help us figure out what to do next."

"Or kill us," Frank whispered to himself. 

"Let's hope not," Gerard kissed the top of his head.

They both pushed open the doors leading out to the cemetery like a newlywed couple, hand in hand. As they made their way down the stone path and past the statue of Mary, Frank was surprised that they hadn't began to smoke and dissipate in the sunlight. Just a little surprised.