Book Wørm (Frank Iero AU)

Partners.

I part my eyelids from the early morning sun peering through the window, and am greeted by the sound of the shower running in the bathroom, which was going to be my first task, but it seems like Frank already beat me to it. I gently walk into the bathroom, calling his name softly. "Why don't you come in, princess?" He mumbles over the running water. I was already nude from my last activity before passing out, so I just opened the curtain and then stood under the warm water, letting it run all on my hair as Frank embraces me, making my heart feel full. We both sway together under the water for a few more minutes, and then I kiss him quickly on the lips, "you need to shower on your own, Frank" I smile as I exit the shower. "You're too distracting. I'll get in when you're done" I wrap a towel around my body and sit in Frank's room for a few minutes before I grow bored. So I walk downstairs and then turn on the tv, the world could have ended days ago for all I know, I've been so preoccupied with Frank. The early morning programs are so boring and dull, so I click on the news channel, where I'm immediately greeted by banners and flashing words and news anchors urgently saying: "we've got the latest info on the jersey bookstore shooting" My heart sinks.
I see all of the victims are my old co-workers. As I watch further, more things get less 'fuzzy'
I cover my mouth with my hands and then tears roll down my eyes. I remember how I passed out in the library, it was Frank. He lost it and strangled me until I blacked out because he caught me snooping. Frank killed my co-workers, too, I knew it. I sprint up the stairs and burst into the bathroom, where Frank had just exited the shower, a towel wrapped around his hips. "Hey, hey, HEY" he yells as I shove him off of his feet, making him fall into the bathtub, staring at me in shock. "Was that you?!!" I scream. "What, was what-what the fuck!?" He looks up at me, still sitting where he fell. "The fucking shooting at my job, SHIT, I was supposed to work today.." I trail off as I gasp and anxiously press my forehead into my palms. "But it's not like it matters NOW.." I sit next to the bathtub and sob into my knees. Frank slowly steps out of the tub and sits next to me, then wraps his arms around me and rocks me side to side.
"I had to, sweetheart." He says sweetly, moving his lips to my ear.
"I'm taking care of you, you don't need a job, you don't need one that's bad for your mental health, either. I know is hard, but did they really mean all that much to you?"
I sniffle and try and respond, "I only saw them almost every day, Frank."
"I know, but I'm here to make you happy, and that's what will happen in the long run." I remember my other realization and yell it in his face, "oh yeah and I remembered you fucking choking me out when you caught me in the library!!"
He just acts confused again, "what?? I didn't do that?" He looks like he's actually telling the truth.
"I didn't fucking choke you, I love you, why would I suffocate you?!"
"You tell me!" I sarcastically shrug my shoulders, tears in my eyes.
"Chance, I didn't. Yes, I found you in the library. Yes, I got mad. But then you fell to the ground, and I got on top of you to try and hold you still, you started freaking out after I threw a few things." The honest tone in his voice actually makes me doubt my sense of reality, "I..I thought I remembered.." My mind goes through a million thoughts, as I'm not even sure what's happening and what's not anymore.
"I'm sorry I snooped in on your stuff.." I gently say.
"You had every right to get mad. I believe you, Frank, I believe you know what's right and what's wrong, even if it's to the extreme." He seems to break down a little and pulls me close on the bathroom floor, the two of us wrapped in towels. "I had to, Chance. I did it for you, now you don't have to go to work. Now you don't have to leave me." He sets his head on my shoulder and moves it to the crook of my neck, and I brush my fingers through his damp hair. After a few minutes of silence our lips press together into another kiss, then I press your foreheads together, still running my fingers through his hair, "I'm sorry it took me this long to realize the person you really are. I don't care what you do, or what you've done. I don't care who you kill or what you steal, as long as it means we're together, I trust you."  My voice fades to a whisper towards the end.
He looks me in the eyes, "you trust me?" I respond with a "yes"
"Then get dressed, come on. I'll show you" He helps me up and we quickly get dressed in his room. I slip on jeans and one of his shirts, and he puts on jeans and quickly pushes a black hoodie over his head, that has one simple yet vulgar word on it: "cunt". I don't know what's coming next but whatever it is, I'm ready.
He grabs my hands and sprints down the stairs with me, quickly turns the corner and then swings open a normal looking coat closet door, what's inside, is not. Guns line the walls, are piled in boxes, and a few are scattered on the floor. That's where the guns were..I remember another thing before I passed out. "You found my ammo, not my guns. I keep them separate so that if I want to use a weapon, I have to go through a lot of trouble to load it, so I have time to think before I act." I nod silently and take the unloaded guns in my hands as he hands them to me, listing them off by their hard to understand names, all of them sounding like different letters paired with numbers. "Are you alright, princess?" He slows down to look at me. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry baby I zoned out." I grin and he grins back, chuckling a little, "you're always zoning out." He grabs a box full of guns and then sets it by the front door, "prop the bigger guns against the wall, please" I do as he says and then he runs upstairs, you following close behind. "Frank" I interrupt him sorting through the ammo box, "hm?" He looks up. "What are we doing with all of this..?" "Oh! Right! I'm sorry Chance" he tosses a few gun magazines on the round couch. "We have to go on the road, it hasn't even been 48 hours and the cops are probably going to be close to the answer in the next 6 if we don't" he says it casually, like it isn't  a big deal. "We're running??" I scowl. "Yeah, I'm gonna pack my truck, we're gonna go make a withdrawal so we have money, then we're gonna get out of here. Go grab my box with the smiley face on it" he points to it and then puts the ammo he's collected into a smaller box. I grab the box while he adds more stuff to the pile by the door. When he comes back upstairs he hands me a bottle of water and then takes the box full of his drugs. "Where'd I put.." He looks through the small baggies and then pushes up the couch cushion, finding what he wanted underneath it. "ahh" he grins as he pulls out two small baggies and plucks two pills from them, then hands me one. You look at it, it's pink and says "fuck" on it. His is green and looks like it had a butterfly on it. "What is this?" I stare at him. "Breakfast. Take it." I nod, take a sip of water and then swallow the pill. He borrows my water bottle and then downs his pill. "It was Molly, it'll make us work faster. We have a lot of work to do before we leave tonight" he smiles, "we took it on an empty stomach, so we should be feeling this really soon, hey- can you carry that box of ammo down?" I nod and follow him down the stairs.
After piling a few more things by the stairs, everything seems great, absolutely great. In fact, I'm actually excited to leave with Frank. I end up telling him how I can't wait to go and then grab his face and plant a kiss on his lips, then we laugh and hold each other. "You're definitely feeling it" he giggles.
The next few hours consist of nothing but pure happiness, and then I just feel like I want to do anything fun I can, full of energy. and Frank and I prepare for tonight, laughing and making jokes, not acknowledging the dark things we're preparing for. I gather anything that has his name on it from the house, his journals, his license, and anything that has to do with violence.
When I feel like I'm coming down, Frank and I sit on the couch and watch the news, the newest stories about the shooting, while eating ramen noodles. "You need to learn how to shoot" he leans his head on my shoulder sweetly. "I've never shot a gun, I'd miss."
you giggle. "Well, I'll make sure I get you some target practice"
"Oh, I forgot something important" We leave our empty bowls behind and head upstairs. I catch up to Frank and find him rummaging through a desk drawer with his back towards me, the setting sun turning the room orange, "I think..I think I have an extra one of these. These are what I use when I make withdrawals"