So Little Time (Frerard)

18: When All Is Gone The Only Loss Is To Not Have Loved At Every Cost

Gerard sighed in contentment as the hot water from the shower head rained down around his body, breathing in the steam that filled the air gratefully, because even though Gerard wasn't the cleanliest person in the world, he still enjoyed the feeling of washing the grime of the day off of him, and he had been neglecting simple tasks like this in favor of watching over Frank.

Frank had been insistent that Gerard take some time for himself though, complaining that he smelled, which - whatever, maybe he did, but spending time with Frank was much more important than showering, and Gerard would have been fine waiting until Frank fell asleep later tonight to clean himself, but he could tell that Frank wanted him to take care of himself as well, and even though Gerard didn't want to leave his side, he knew it would make Frank happy if he did, so Gerard had reluctantly agreed.

Reaching for the bottle of apple scented shampoo, Gerard squeezed a decent amount into the palm of his hand, massaging it into his long locks absentmindedly. His hair was almost past his shoulders now, and it was due a trim, but that was just another thing that Gerard was going to put off for now, because there was no way he was going to drag Frank out of the house just so he could get a haircut.

Gerard began considering doing it himself, it couldn't be too hard, but the thought of possibly fucking it up held him back, because even though Gerard wasn't vain, he really liked his hair, and he didn't want to walk around with uneven ends, even if he was the only one who would probably notice.

But all thoughts of do-it-yourself haircuts flew out of Gerard's head when a soft sound reached his ears over the falling water, and even though Gerard wasn't sure he had heard correctly, it sounded like Frank - it sounded like Frank calling for him, and even the possibility of that had Gerard hurriedly rinsing the last of the shampoo out of his hair, his hand shaking slightly as he turned the water off quickly, wrapping a towel around himself haphazardly before darting downstairs as rapidly as possible.

"Frank?" Gerard called out, slowing his pace once he reached the bottom step, because he didn't want Frank to know that he had literally sprinted down here to check up on him. Frank wouldn't take kindly to that, especially if he hadn't actually been calling out for Gerard's help.

A quick glance around the room showed it empty though, which was not what Gerard had been expecting. He had left Frank downstairs on the couch, and Frank shouldn't have been able to move very far - it wasn't impossible to think he had relocated, but it would have been difficult for Frank, which would explain the sound that had caused Gerard to end his shower prematurely.

Maybe Frank had tried to head into the bathroom, and Gerard had heard him knocking into something, maybe that was where he was now, and he would walk out any moment with a proud smile on his face because he had accomplished the task all by himself.

"Frankie...you okay?" Gerard asked one more time, straining his ears for any answer from his boyfriend, but when the house stayed silent, almost suspiciously so, Gerard felt his heart beat sped up in his chest and his palms began to grow damp with a nervous sweat.

And when Gerard took another step forward, revealing the entire living room to his searching gaze, Gerard found what he was looking for, but in the worst way possible, because there was Frank, lying on the hardwood floor in an awkward heap, his limbs sprawled around him at uncomfortable angles, his left cheek pressed against the ground, his eyes shut tightly, and his face lined with pain.

Gerard's vision flickered slightly, and for one moment, Gerard was back in the past, his mind transported to almost two months ago when he had first found Frank on the floor of his old room, in his old house, with plans of running away fresh in his mind, but his position was the same, unconscious on the floor, his breathing shallow and his face unnaturally pale.