All That I've Got

Just as he reached one of the far walls of the club, where he could actually see the fanatic DJ at his booth, Frank caught sight of something.

It was a boy, looking slightly out of place, weaving through the crowd. It was a flash of black hair and pale skin. Of dark clothes and swooping lips.

It wasn’t the man he was looking for. It wasn’t anything Frank had expected.
It was Gerard.

Frank couldn’t breathe when he felt the other boy’s eyes land on him.

Gerard stopped his weaving suddenly, and they both just stared at each other over the thumping air and bouncing heads.

Every space that wasn’t filled with the music was packed with words Frank needed to say as he watched his own name form on Gerard’s lips.

Before another breath, the beast swept Gerard away and Fate’s puppet-strings now had Frank, hurling him back into the heart after the boy.

Gerard seemed to have mastered moving between the bodies, but every time Frank thought he’d lost him, something tugged him a direction and he’d catch sight of Gerard again.

They were halfway across the floor when Frank realized Gerard was leading him somewhere. He sped up, pushing between sweaty limbs and trying to shake off the hands that tugged at his clothes.
Just then, the lights went black again, as they seemed to do every new song. The room inhaled, and suddenly the whole place practically exploded when the beat hit. Frank could physically feel the air moving, and then the strobed kicked in worse than before, and everything became that jerky-drug world.

He’d truly lost Gerard this time, and the world felt like it had been turned upside down. Suddenly the strobes were too much, and Frank felt disconnected from his body as he someone swept him into their arms danced against him before passing him to another person.

Then suddenly he ended up with someone’s arms around his waist and he looked up to find olive eyes and fate. It was Gerard, in the flesh.

The boy spoke, and Frank watched his mouth to decipher the words. “Frank, I need you to come with me.”

Of course I will, Frank thought. He would follow Gerard to the end of this universe, and fall with him into the next.

Gerard grabbed Frank’s hand and together they maneuvered through the beast’s blood, through hands reaching and dancers smiling and pills tempting. But nothing could keep Frank from the raven-haired boy now.

The ended up in a corner, so far back into the depths of the club that the music was muffled and the ground was visible.

As soon as they got to where they could hear each other, Gerard tugged his hand from Frank’s and stepped back a good foot.

The purposefully-put space made Frank’s heart clench, but before he could ask why it was there, Gerard began to speak.

“Listen, Frank, I’m not Gerard. I don’t know if you remember me, but you need to come back home and to Gerard. He’s a mess, he’s a shade of what he used to be, even worse than when Mikey was gone. His love for you is literally consuming him, Frank. Please come back, I can help you avoid the UAI. Just . . don’t be gone forever, or Gerard will be too.”

It was the same high, raspy voice from the phone, but the words required stitching into sense before Frank could react.

When he did, he was sure his face was comical. “Who’re you? And why the fuck do you look like Gerard?”

He was about to ask ‘what are you’, when the Gerard-person began to shimmer. The features that made Frank’s heartbeat fast began to move and melt, until a person Frank had never seen before stood before him.

“Who are you?!” Frank echoed again, stepping back from the dimly lit corner a step.

“No! Don’t leave, Frank,” the kid (it really was just a kid) said. “Listen, I used to know you before you left. I’m Mark. I live with Gerard.”

Frank froze, and now the boy’s image sort of clicked somewhere in Frank’s brain. “So that’s your ability? You change into other people?”

Mark nodded, his blonde hair falling into his eyes. Frank suddenly realized that if anyone saw them, they’d get kicked out for being obviously underage. He moved in front of Mark more, hoping to block the kid from anyone who happened to pass by.

“Yes, that’s my ability,” the kid’s eyes flashed. “I thought you wouldn’t remember about abilities?”

“My friends told me,” Frank replied. “Wait, does that mean you know why I can’t remember?”

Mark tried to avoid looking at Frank for a second, but he cracked. “Gerard’s brother, Mikey, made you forget. Gee just wanted you safe from pain, he didn’t want you trying to find him and putting yourself into danger. He did it because he loves you, but I know it was the wrong choice. There’s no place in our world for martyrs. You need to keep your guard up, and the things you love close.”

Mark finished, and Frank was shocked how much sense this kid made. Frank was stupid for thinking Gerard would be better without him. Gerard needed him just as much as Frank needed him.

And that’s when Frank truly realized he loved Gerard. More than anything, more than the changing seasons, and more than music, and more than the way rain sounds as it hits the window.

“I’ll come with you,” Frank said simply.

They shared beyond-happy looks for a moment.

“But, wait,” Frank suddenly thought of something, “how’d you get here?”

Mark looked sheepish, like he didn’t want to answer. “Your phone call. I- I did some research to find you, after Gerard completely lost it when you hung up. It really wasn’t that hard to get up here and follow you. . .”

Frank shook his head in disbelief, unable to comprehend that a fucking kid had managed to track him down so easily. Before he could say anything back, Frank’s phone pierced the air with its shrill beeping, though.

Frank answered. “Natalie?”

“Frank!” came Natalie’s voice. She must’ve been somewhere like they were, because Frank didn’t have to struggle to hear her.

“Listen, I’ve found him. He’s at the bar. Frank, I’m going to get him to the women’s bathroom- don’t make that face I know you’re making. Anyways meet me there in ten minutes, I’ll need your help.”

Natalie hung up without a goodbye, and Frank whirled to Mark.

“You need to wait for me. I have something I absolutely have to do.”

Frank knew what Mark was going to say before the words left the boy’s mouth. “I’m coming with you.”