Born To Lose (Frerard)

Chapter 4: Search For The Strength To Walk The Line

Chapter Title Credit: Rise by A Skylit Drive

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Third Person P.O.V

Gerard's mood immediately changed as soon as he crossed over from the sidewalk and into the dirt path of the cemetery. It was as if all those dead bodies beneath him were dragging him down, telling him it was his time to go.

He wandered the winding path like a lost soul, moving slowly and silently as he drifted towards his Grandmother's grave in the dark.

 Gerard stopped mid-stride, tuning in to a soft sobbing coming from the back of the cemetery. The bottle was up at his lips, ready to take another drink but he decided against it and paused his music.

 At first, he thought he had imagined the cries but as he continued on they came again,  louder this time.

But who would be in the cemetery this late during the day?- Other than himself of course.

 Probably someone crying over a loved one who recently passed away, Gerard told himself. Still, Gerard couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was very wrong. After a moment of debating with himself whether to go and check on the stranger or not, he started to follow the crying.

This is a stupid idea, he thought to himself, who knows though- maybe it's a ghost.

To his surprise, he found himself being led by the noise to the back of the cemetery.

As he rounded a corner, his eyes grew wide at the scene before him.

A boy sat atop the old rusty fence next to a giant oak tree. What had made Gerard's heart stop was the thick rope tied around the boy's delicate throat connecting him to the tree. 

Gerard slowly approached the kid, not wanting to startle him and make him fall- literally- to his death.

The boy was unaware of the new presence until Gerard stepped on a fallen branch, making a 'crunch' sound. Gerard screamed a silent 'fuck' in his head as the boy's tear streaked face snapped up, locking eyes with Gerard's.

His intense hazel eyes held so many emotions it was hard for Gerard to distinguish whether the boy was doing this out of anger or sadness. 

Even in dark, Gerard could tell the kid looked like he had been through hell and back.

"Go away," the words were laced with venom, but they also shook with emotion; This was supposed to be his moment- NOBODY was going to take this control away from him. Not again.

Gerard shook his head in an attempt to clear it. He had never been faced with a situation like this before- Normally he was the one on the edge.

After a moment of pondering what the best course of action was, he started climbing the fence, sitting next to the boy; It was pretty difficult considering Gerard had already finished a quarter of the liquid that made him uncoordinated and would surely shorten his life span.

"I'm not coming down, so you might as well leave," the boy practically snarled as Gerard finally managed to get settled next to him.

Gerard shrugged, offering the bottle to the short, emotionally wrecked boy. The kid practically snatched it from his hand, chugging the liquid down and ignoring the burning in his throat.

Gerard watched unamused as the boy downed about half of what was left in the bottle in a few seconds, handing the bottle back to Gerard when he was finished.  

Gerard fiddled with the bottle, staring out at the cemetery. He took in each individual gravestone before forcing words to leave his lips, having a bit of trouble in the process, "I tried to kill myself here too," Gerard admitted, glancing at the boy.

"Why are you still alive then?" the boy asked harshly but Gerard didn't mind the slightest. Maybe it was the effect of the alcohol that coursed throughout his system. Or, perhaps it was because he knew the boy was hurting.

"My younger brother found me. I was so close too," Gerard whispered the last part to himself but the boy had heard.

He softened his expression and was close to a whisper, "Why did you want to end it?"

"There's no reason to stay. Things are just better if I go," Gerard shrugged again, looking down at his chewed nails, scraping away the chipped black nail polish, "You?"

After a few moments, the boy shared his reasoning, "My dad is an asshole- He's under investigation for abuse. I'm being shipped off to a new family. Once they realize how fucked up I am, I'm going to be tossed into the foster care system. I just wish it would all stop."

Gerard looked down at him, raising an eyebrow, "What's your name?"

"Frank. Frank Iero... why?"

Oh.

OH.

SHIT.

Gerard scanned the boys arms and sure enough there was a white and blue hospital band around his left wrist.

It's a small fucking world.

"I'm Gerard Way. My mom-"

Frank's eyes widened, "You're Nurse Way's son?!"

Gerard nodded, studying Frank closely for the first time. This was the boy he had to give up his privacy for?

Not what I was expecting.

His features were completely perfect in every way possible as cliché as it sounds.

He had a silver nose ring and a lip ring on opposite sides. His black hair hung in his face like Gerard's, almost hiding his hazel eyes from the world.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the hospital?"

Frank grinned crookedly and Gerard's heart skipped a beat, "Yeah."

Gerard chuckled, "How did you manage it?"

"I just put on the clothes I had on when I got there and walked out when my nurse was in another room."

A moment of silence fell between them and Gerard passed the bottle back to him.

"You know... my mom's planning on making us share a room. If you wanted to you could just stay in bed all day and never leave unless you need to eat or use the bathroom- that's what I do."

 Frank chuckled staring at the ground.

 "So... what do you say? Come home with me?" Gerard held out a hand to Frank, smiling reassuringly- a gesture that he hadn't done in a long time.

Frank frowned and nibbled on his lip ring anxiously.But...

"C'mon I don't smell that bad!" Gerard pretended to be hurt.

Frank slowly moved his hands to untie the itchy rope from his neck.

Damn it. Damn this red haired emo kid.

Frank gave Gerard's hand a small squeeze Thank You before they both turned and climbed off of the fence.