Our Dwindling Night (A Vampire Gerard/Frerard Fanfiction)

Chapter Four

"After all the things we put each other though"

The intermittent drone of the dial tone filled Gerard's ear as he waited nervously. Without thinking he had punched Frank's number into the phone, eager to hear his voice again, but now as he waited for him to pick up, nerves began to take over. What if he didn't actually want to be friends? What if he was drunk that night, and wanted nothing to do with Gerard now? The thoughts whirled in his mind and as he slowly drew the phone away from his ear to hang up, there was a beep and then: "Hello? Who is this?" from the other end.

"urm..um..it's Gerard" he mumbled quietly, as if saying it any louder would scare Frank away. There was silence as Frank frowned in confusion on his end. "From the other night" Gerard continued shakily.

"Oh!, yeah uh, sorry! I didn't recognise the number" Frank exclaimed, the suspicion going from his voice and his tone brightening. "I'm glad you called" 

Gerard sighed with relief and smiled to himself.  "You are?"

"I am" Frank confirmed solidly.

"Um, so what are you doing?" Gerard proceeded

"Oh" Frank laughed "I'm watching a talk show about this guy with two heads, its disgusting!"

"Oh I..I..can call back" 

"Uh, no! Are you kidding?" Frank exclaimed, fumbling around on his bed for the remote and turning his small TV off, focusing purely on the Gerard's soft, uncertain voice. "What are you doing tonight?" he asked

"...nothing...nothing really" 

"Ah well, my band is playing at the Space Lamp later, would you come see me?" Frank suggested hesitantly.

"Yeah what time?!" Gerard jumped at the idea, he loved music. Back at school he had played Peter Pan in the school musical, some of the teachers had commented positively about his voice.

"We go on at 10, I'll pick you up"

"Yeah sounds great!" replied Gerard

Frank got up from his bed and rummaged though this chest of draws for some paper. "Where do you live?"

"seven and a half, state street"

"and a half?" Frank questioned as he scribbled it down

"yeah..its a basement unit"

"Oh, of course" Frank understood "I'll be there soon!"

***

A few hours later, Frank arrived in his busted Ford Fiesta, having told the rest of Pency Prep and their van to go ahead.  Walking up to the darkened no.7 and glancing and the concrete stairwell to the basement rooms, he began to feel nervous. He pressed the buzzer for Gerard's apartment.

"Hello?" he answered immediately

"I'm outside"

"Oh, Um...you're early" Gerard stated awkwardly as he stood in his towel with messy wet hair.

"Yeah I know, I'm sorry. I can wait if you're not ready?" Frank answered kindly. "Or, we could have a drink before the show?"

Gerard hastily shrugged on a shirt and followed it with a hoodie while pulling up some dirty jeans as Frank was talking. "uh, okay, all I have is whiskey."

"Sounds great"

Gerard cursed to himself as he scanned his tiny living space, it was filthy, strewn with take-away and food containers, wrinkled clothes and stagnant cups of tea. He was also aware that the air must be stale and thick as the room was poorly ventilated, something he had grown used to but would be awful for a visitor. He quickly stuffed some of the most offensive garbage into a small bin and hid it in a kitchen cupboard while also throwing his discarded clothes into a pile in a dark corner of the room.  He pressed he button to let Frank into the basement complex and then hoped for the best as he opened the door to his apartment.