Pyre (Frerard, Rikey, Ryden, Petekey)

15: How Could Anyone Hate Ray Toro - Oh Wait Pete Could

Gerard was running again, because he was a coward, and even though every muscle in his body was pulling him back toward Frank, he was stubbornly ignoring the sensation; instead, he forced his reluctant legs to carry him even farther away from the unforgettable man.

It wasn't that he didn't want to see Frank again, because he did - more than anything, but he was scared that Frank would reject him, and if he fucked things up with Frank, he didn't know what he would do with himself after that - probably lay down and wait for the sun to rise, even though that did seem a bit dramatic, but Frank had become everything to him ever since he had first looked in his eyes.

So Gerard had fled from Belleville before he could rethink his actions. He probably should have gone back to the church and waited to see if Mikey and Ray turned up, but in his panic over escaping the allure that was Frank, Gerard had managed to forget about his brother entirely.

Well not really forget; he could never forget about Mikey, but he had definitely succeeded in pushing him to the back of his mind once again. Frank seemed to be an expert at making everything else that didn't involve him irrelevant, even when he wasn't actually present.

Deep down, Gerard was truly worried about Mikey and Ray, but he was in no state to search the town for them, and he knew if he even attempted such a thing, he would end up back at Frank's clinic within thirty minutes, which was the one place he was trying to avoid.

Gerard just needed to get away, because maybe some distance would lessen the feeling of Frank's emotions in his head. They were a jumble of confusion right now, laced with worry and a little bit of fear. Everything was coming through sort of fuzzy to Gerard, but if he had to guess, he would say that Frank was drunk.

Which of course, made Gerard wonder why he was drinking, and what he was doing that involved alcohol. Maybe he was out with friends, or a boyfriend, maybe even a girlfriend. Gerard wished he was the one sharing a cup with Frank, but he had run away, and he was determined to stick with his decision to leave Frank alone for the night.

Gerard had no idea where he was going, but he knew he wasn't truly leaving; he couldn't abandon Mikey and Ray, so for the time being, he was just wandering aimlessly throughout the forest which blanketed the outskirts of town, trying to distract himself by observing the wild scenery with an idle eye.

Putting a few miles between him and Frank had helped a bit, but he still couldn't stop thinking about him, no matter how hard he tried, and it was getting to the point that even a stupid leaf reminded him of Frank; its hazel brown color bringing his eyes to mind, and Gerard sort of wanted to smash his head against a tree until he started acting like his normal self again, not this sappy mess he was turning into.

Gerard knew he had decided to try and pursue some sort of relationship with Frank last night, but he had no idea how to do that. He was pretty sure that humans typically went on dates to get to know each other better, but working up the courage to approach him would have to happen first, and Gerard's limbs were trembling at the thought.

Gerard didn't know if he could pass himself off as a regular human, he had never even considered such a preposterous thing before, but he would attempt it for Frank - he would try to fly if that was what it took to make Frank love him.

But that would only work for so long, and eventually, Frank would begin to question why Gerard could never go out during the day, not to mention it would be hard to resist the allure of Frank's blood if they spent any extended amounts of time together, but what else could he do? Gerard couldn't just waltz up to Frank and casually announce he was a vampire, that wouldn't go over well at all.

Even the task of pondering this was beginning to make Gerard feel sick, his stomach was roiling, and a light sweat had broken out on his brow.

Actually, now that Gerard noticed, his entire body was shaking, and it wasn't just because of nerves. A wave of dizziness overwhelmed him, and he was forced to sit down before he fell over.