The Fallen

Frank’s P.O.V

When I finally returned to consciousness, I didn’t open my eyes. My body felt blissfully numb, as though I’d been put on meditative drugs, but my head was pounding. I couldn’t find a reason why until memories washed through me.

It made sense that I hurt; I had been brutally pummeled by a freakish mutant lion-cat. But, as I said, I felt no pain on my body, just my head. I recalled it throwing me against the alley wall and my head hitting it. I wondered if I’d managed to crack my skull.

Only I would run into something like that down a New Jersey alley. Everyone else just gets gang members and thugs. Lucky them.

I wondered where Gerard was. I wondered where I was. I wondered if I was dead and I’d go to Tannin and be an angel and have to live without Gerard for… however long angels live. I did a lot of wondering before I plucked up the courage to open my eyes.

The room I was in was dark, which I thought was good. I was on a bed, in a house I knew… I was back at Gerard’s house. In his bed. I felt so much better knowing he had found me. My eyes roamed, and I finally saw Gerard. I was surprised by the way he looked.

His pupils were dilated; even though it was dark they were slit-like. His features appeared darker, as though he’d been brushed with shadow dust. He looked very disturbed, and I noticed his eyes were trained on my chest, moving left to right as though he was reading something.

“G-gerard…” I croaked, my eye lids still heavy.

Gee’s eyes flicked to me, and they lost the strange glint, “Oh, god, don’t talk baby. Where do you hurt?”

I raised a hand and pointed to my head. He nodded and kissed my forehead before swiftly departing. He returned with Tylenol and a glass of ice water. I accepted the pills gratefully.

I felt Gerard brush a hand against my chest, and my eyes flicked open in time to see him wince.

“W-what…what is it…Gee?” I whispered.

He shook his head, “Go back to sleep. I’ll tell you when you wake.”

~

I woke up once more, much more comfortable and the pain in my head was considerably less. I felt wet though, on my chest and arms. What the hell… I looked over to my left arm to see Gerard thoroughly licking the wounds. That didn’t scare me as much as it should have.

I cleared my throat, causing Gee to pull away from me and blush intensely, “Oh, I’m sorry. I…I thought the numbing will have worn off, so I wanted to reapply my saliva so… the wounds didn’t, uhm, hurt. Please don’t over assume about that…”

I laughed hoarsely, “Honestly, I was wondering why the lacerations felt all fuzzy and nice rather than intensely painful.”

He smiled rather embarrassedly, and I did, too. My smile was more blissful, though.

“Uhm, well, it has something to my spit. There are certain toxins in it like those of a vampire bat that cause the… well, in the most, er, usual cases, the victim, to fell less pain as we…umm… devour their flesh?”

The last part came out a question. I could tell he was terrified I would think him a monster or something. I offered him another smile, “Honestly, Gerard, I don’t care what you eat. As long as you don’t come home to me with a severed head, it doesn’t matter.”

He chuckled lightly, looking heavily relieved that his diet didn’t offend me. Well, it only offended me as much as anyone who eats meat offends me. I’m a vegetarian…

I noticed Gee’s eyes flicking from mine down to my chest. I remembered the cat-thing carving into me.

“I want to see myself, Gerard.” I murmured. I didn’t know the severity of the wounds yet. Lucky for me, my boyfriend is a mutant angel-demon whose spit has magical properties. I did notice him wince. He stood and bent down, putting one arm under my knees and the other just under um shoulder blades and hoisted me up.

“I’m sure I can walk…” I mumbled, pouting.

He gave a real laugh, “Yes, and risk ripping open your wounds? My saliva numbs and helps to heal some, but I’m not god.”

I giggled a little and pressed against his chest. We went to the downstairs bathroom and He shifted me in his arms so I could see what the cat had done to me.

Gerard looked away sadly, but my eyes went huge as I saw what the pattern made.