coffee dates and other things || frerard oneshots

batman but... not

this is a bit long, whoops

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He held the bat carefully, feeling its soft fur move against his skin as it wriggled in his grasp, heart beating rapidly against the teenagers wrist. Making soothing noises, Frank adjusted the hoodie he'd used to wrap it in and stroked its forehead, his heart melting as the bats large eyes met his. The bat honestly didn't seem frightened by Frank, or by being held, so he assumed the movement was it's attempt at getting comfortable.

This morning, Frank had gone outside to check the mail, and had been alarmed to discover the injured fruit bat huddled beneath a bush. Being the animal lover that he is, Frank had immediately pulled his jumper off and wrapped it up, careful not to put any strain on the torn skin of it's wing. 

As his mother drove them to the vet Frank wondered how the bat had become injured, and whether the vet would want to keep it there, or if the vet would even be able to help. They got there about half an hour after Frank had found the poor creature, and after the veterinarian had carefully examined the creature, she declared that he would be okay. Though she wasn't entirely sure how a fruit bat had ended up in their area.

"Bats with torn wings need care and safety while they heal, at least until they can fly again, but he wont be needing any medical treatment. Just a lot of TLC." She smiled at the teenager as he carefully lifted the bat back into his arms, the small mammal now asleep.

"So, i just take care of him until his wing is healed?" Frank asked, giving his mum a look to see if she was against the idea of him having a bat in his room. His mum gave him a defeated look as the vet confirmed his question which Frank took as a 'yeah you can keep the bat'. The vet gave them tips on how to care for the bat and then had Frank write down his details so she could send through more information when she had time to find it properly. 

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The bat, given the brilliant name of 'Bat', had his own set up in a closet Frank never used. And had been recuperating for a week. He seemed chipper, for a bat, and was usually munching happily on fruit when Frank got back to his room after dinner.

The next week though, Frank started noticing some odd things happening around his room. For example, this morning he had left in a flurry of randomly shoved-on clothes and school equipment, his blanket laying across the floor after it had gotten caught on his leg in an attempt at getting across the room. However, when he got home that afternoon, after a tiring day at school, his duvet was neatly laid over his bed and carefully tucked beneath his straightened pillows.

At first he'd been confused but then he figured that maybe his mum had come home early and tidied up. Which was still kind of weird but it made more sense than his bed just magically making itself.

He dropped his bag on his bed, letting it bounce, and headed for the cupboard to check on his bat. The cupboard door opened with a soft wheeze and the musty smell of rotting fruit and wild animal floated into the room, the underlying smell of nature weaved in among it as Frank peered into the soft darkness. Bat was almost hidden beneath the material of Franks hoodie, wings curled carefully around himself as he blinked sleepily at the teenage boy who'd rescued him. Frank smiled and then checked over the food and water, making sure he had enough, before he carefully closed the door again.

A few hours later, after dinner, Frank sat at his desk staring at his homework hopelessly while Bat chewed on some dates. In the article the vet had sent him, Frank had discovered that fruit bats were social creatures and felt safer surrounded by others of their kind. Unfortunately Frank didn't have another bat so he stuck to keeping the mammal in his lap or wrapped in a jumper. He looked down at the animal and sighed. "You're lucky you don't have to do maths. This shit is hard." Bat continued to chew on his dates, giving Frank a curious look as the teenager continued to mutter under his breath.