I Will Protect You (A Frerard neko Au)

Nightmares

Gerard
As soon as the door to his room closed, Gerard started to pace. His room. He still couldn't get over the fact that he had his own space. Somewhere warm and dry. Somewhere he could be alone. Just him.
Nothing was making any sense. Frank was being so kind. And yet he expected nothing. Didn't he understand? That was how it worked. He would receive food and shelter in exchange for serving and pleasing his master. It didn't matter how much food he was given or how much dignity he had, if any. He was an inferior!
Listen to me! I'm being cared for and respected yet I'm still so ungrateful!
But he had to be beneath Frank. What if someone came over and saw Gerard being treated well without doing anything? They'd yell at Frank and force him to work. Or worse, they'd keep him for themselves. Or send him back. His breathing picked up and the thought of returning to those men. Of what they would do to him.
Still trembling a little, he climbed into bed, relishing in the softness of the sheets, the cleanliness, but most of all the solitude. The fact that he was in a bed: alone. He let his head fall back on the pillows and fell asleep in moments.

He was running. To where, he didn't know. His mother had screamed to run. They'd been discovered, and all those years of joy were mere seconds from being stripped away. He could hear the men in close pursuit as he weaved in and out through the trees, the branches scratching his skin. He heard a scream and looked in the direction of the sound. Mikey had been caught and was crying out for him desperately.
Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed his tail. He screamed at the sudden pain and frantically tried to get free. But he was dragged backwards and strong arms trapped him, a hand covering his mouth.

"GERARD!"

His eyes flew open and he saw a face. He frantically tried to get away and yowled as he fell off the bed and landed on his tail. His ears flat against his head, he scrambled into a corner and flung his shaking arms up to shield his face from the upcoming punishment.
Instead, he felt a warm pair of hands move his arms aside and heard a soft voice.
"Gerard. It's Frank."
He looked up slowly and sure enough, Frank was crouched next to him, looking not angry, but... Concerned.
"You were screaming."
Gerard finally caught up with reality and he turned his gaze to the carpeted floor, shrinking further into the corner.
"I'm so sorry for waking you sir... I-it won't happen again, I promise... P-please don't be mad."
Frank placed a hand on his shoulder. "Gee."
He looked up in shock. He hadn't heard someone call him that in years. Only Mikey ever called him that, and for a moment, his mind was floating between fantasy and reality.
"Gee, I'm not mad, I was worried."
Gerard blinked a little. "You... You were?"
"Nightmare?"
He nodded. "M'sorry."
Frank moved forward and wrapped his arms around him. He was tense for a moment. His bottom lip shook, and he broke down, burying his head in Frank's chest. Frank didn't even seem to mind the tears soaking his shirt, but instead rocked Gerard gently, rubbing his back soothingly.

Frank
He was exhausted. It was practically midnight and he'd been going over everything from financing to marketing with his co-workers for the past three hours. Why didn't his parents have another child?!?!
They did. I can't lock him away forever. Just open the bloody door!
No! I locked him up for good. Stop thinking about it.
Now he was arguing with himself. This world of business was crushing the life out of him with a tight grip. Tighter that his tightest pair of skinny jeans.
As the final call ended, he sat at his desk and ran a hand through his mildly greasy hair. Everything was so overwhelming.

The sound of whimpering made him sit up. Suddenly, the whimpering turned to screaming. He burst out of his office and flew upstairs. He ran into Gerard's room to find him thrashing about, trapped deep in a nightmare. Not sure what to do, he grabbed his shoulders and tried to pull him out of his mental hell.
"Gerard wake up! GERARD!"
Gerard's eyes snapped open and he shot back, falling off the bed and yowling as he hit the floor before scurrying into a corner and curling up as though he expected to get hit. Frank hated to watch it. He slowly walked over to him and knelt down in front of him. He gently moved his arms aside and lowered his voice.
"Gerard. It's Frank."
The neko opened his eyes and looked up at him, still terrified.
"You were screaming."
Gerard's eyes grew and he stared at the floor, pressing his body against the wall. "I'm so sorry for waking you sir... I-it won't happen again, I promise... P-please don't be mad."
"Gee."
Frank hadn't intended on the nickname, but it seemed to trigger something in Gerard and he looked at him with a mixture of shock, nostalgia, and sorrow.
"Gee, I'm not mad, I was worried."
Gerard blinked a little. "You... You were?"
Well of course. Who wouldn't be worried if they heard someone screaming?
"Nightmare?"
He nodded and looked sad. "M'sorry."
Frank paused, before moving forward and wrapping his arms around him. He felt Gerard tense up for a moment and break down. He pressed his head into Frank's chest and wept. He gently rubbed circles on him back and rocked him in his arms.
Frank felt his own tears start to fall. How? This poor, poor boy was so deeply broken. He wanted nothing more than to wash all those scars away and rip those torturous memories to shreds. This sweet, beautiful little creature deserved none of this. He deserved love, and care, and kindness, and adoration, and everything else like that. Not... This.

As Frank calmed himself, he found that Gerard had gone very still.
"Gee... Gee"
He looked down at him and pleasantly found that he'd fallen fast asleep. Smiling, he scooped him up, being both surprised and horrified at how little he weighed. Taking care not to wake him up, he carried him over to the bed and gently laid him down, pulling the sheets over him.
And he didn't know why, but he found himself kissing his forehead before he left.