Reality and Those Hellish Dreams

Third Person.

Gerard and Frank both lay sleeping in the double bed of their cream-walled bedroom. The room was quiet, as it usually was for the lovers. A few rays of sunlight slipped into the room falling over both of their bodies and highlighting their faces so you could see the soft features of the two men. Gerard's flawless face and Frank's inked skin contrasted against each other, perfectly. Pictures were littered around the room, friends, family, and both Gerard and Frank together. The perfect couple, everyone would say. They were... In reality at least.

Both of the men had been having dreams as of late. Neither of the men had spoken to one another about the dreams, but it had strained their relationship once they had woken up. Usually, the dreams would consist of fears between them, their relationships, friendships, and fears of being inlove with one another. You could say this was just proving to both of the men that they couldn't live without one another.. They needed each other.

When Gerard would wake up crying each morning, Frank would hold him and whisper to him sweet nothings.

When Frank would wake up screaming or thrashing around, Gerard would hold his face in his hands and softly place kisses to his lips in an attempt to calm him down.

They needed each other, even though they were tearing each other apart.

A soft buzzing filled the silent room with noise and both men stirred slightly, their hands finding each other and linking, a smile forming on each mans lips as both of their eyes opened and they greeted with a small kiss. Gerard unlinked his fingers with Frank's to reach under his pillow and turn the alarm on his phone off and place his phone on the bedside table. His hand found Frank's again.

"How'd you sleep, Baby?" Frank whispered to Gerard. Gerard took a moment to think of how he could reply... Was it time for him to confess his nightmares to Frank? Would Frank think he was crazy? Would he still love him?

".. Uhm.. " Gerard paused. He looked deep into Frank's tired eyes. Could he really break Frank's heart like that? "I slept well. A lot better than usual. How did you sleep?" Gerard asked. No, apparently he couldn't tell Frank.

"Me? Same old." Frank laughed awkwardly. 'Yes, same old nightmares, being cut open, stabbed, you know.. The usual.' He thought bitterly. A rush of guilt then waved over him. It wasn't Gerard's fault he was having these dreams. At least, he thought it wasn't Gerard's fault. Gerard was just lucky he wasn't having them. Frank sighed.

"Do you want to go downstairs for some coffee, Babe?" Gerard asked him curiously gazing into his Frank's eyes.

"Sure. Give me a minute though, Yeah? I just need to doodle something down in my notepad. Ideas and all, you know?" Frank said, a small smile falling onto Gerard's lips. Gerard did know. Frank would write down any ideas for songs or riffs or chord orders in his little notepad. Gerard let out a small breathy laugh and kissed Frank softly on the cheek before getting up and out of the room. A smile still remained on his lips as he walked down the stairs. 'At least Gerard's happy.' Frank thought, curling back up and closing his eyes, but not going to sleep. Oh no, he couldn't.

***

Gerard, oddly enough, also had this thought in his head as he entered the kitchen. 'At least Frankie's happy.' He smiled to himself, boiling the kettle and making his lover a cup of coffee to eventually drag him out of bed with. Gerard's smile seemed to never cease as he glided around the kitchen, opening the blinds and letting light pour in and illuminate the room, but only softly. Gerard's smile never ceased because this had been the first time in a total of 10 nights that neither Frank or himself had been woken by the other with tears, violent nightmares or screams and cries of pain. Both had woken, peacefully and things had gone back to normal. Well, almost normal, at least.

Gerard had been the first of the two men to experience one of the horrific dreams both men had been having for the past 9 nights. Gerard couldn't recall what the dream had been about, but he remembered the one he had the night after. It had been voices, speaking and shouting at him. "No ones here forever! You're pathetic! They all leave eventually!" and "Can't you feel that knife in your back yet!?" had all been phrases from that night. The dream had confused Gerard and caused him to awake, crying, shaking and desperately trying to be as close to Frank as he could. The next night, though, rolls had changed and Frank had been the one to awake screaming. Everything seemed strange to Gerard. It didn't make sense... He couldn't see both sides.

***

Frank sat in bed, looking at the small bottle of white pills in his hands. He played with the bottle, swapping in from his right to his left hand and then back again. He re-read the side effects list.. again.

'May cause extreme nightmares or night terrors.'

Frank sighed heavily. He didn't think they would be that bad. They never had been before... Maybe it was the stress? Sure, stress could make the side effects worse, right? Frank thought to himself. The little bottle of white pills were Gerard's 'happy pills'. Basically, they worked for his depression and helped him with suicidal urges and such. The last time Gerard had been to see his doctor a few weeks ago, Frank had spoken to Chloe without Gerard, requesting a stronger dosage of the pills because Gerard had gotten significantly worse in the past week or so. Gerard had started drinking again and coming home covered in cuts and bruises from fights he had picked with people clearly an awful lot stronger and smarter than him. Gerard never told Frank why he had started drinking again. He just did.

Gerard coming home drunk had put a lot of pressure on Frank. Afterall, Frank had been the one to drag him out of his depression in the first place. Frank felt like it was his duty to take care of the man he loved, and knowing Gerard had turned away from him told Frank that he wasn't doing 'his job' correctly any longer. This caused Frank to also get depressed and to be tempted by the little white pills he controlled.

And Frank had no will power when it came to things he was in control over.

The same day Gerard had taken the first dosage of his new happy pills, a nightmare had overcome his dreams that night, but when he had woken up, he had never smiled so much in his life. Gerard had been terrified in his own head, but all Frank saw was the smiling Gerard that he remembered. Frank couldn't see into Gerard's head, and Gerard hadn't shown any side effects to the little white pills. The following day, Frank had taken his first pill.

This, was a very wrong decision to make.