I'm the Last One That You'll Ever Remember

Right before Poison and Masika pulled to his home where his family reside inside, Frank was rapidly pacing the open floor of his living room and dining room in wait for his husband to return to him. He was in his pajamas, a short sleeve band T-Shirt and flannel trousers, as he went back and forth across the hardwood floors, trying not to bite his nails in fear of where his husband could be. He had only stopped pacing when their newborn twins woke up for their feeding and changing, and after he tended to their needs and rocked them back to sleep did he return downstairs to pace some more! He couldn’t seem to keep himself still. Every time he forced himself to take a seat, he’d jump right back on his feet and resume his pacing all over again.

The sound of keys shoving in the front door’s lock before it clicked open halted Frank’s pacing directly in front of the hallway where his husband would have to come through. His heart was now hammering in his chest, and his nerves were completely frazzled and all over the place as he stood there like a statue. Suddenly, he recalled that his husband wouldn’t be coming home alone tonight. In his company were only more Killjoys. Bracing himself for that as he heard footsteps coming towards him from the dark hallway, Frank wrapped both arms around himself, needing someone to hold him up on his feet for once.

Gerard appeared all in black with an arm around Masika’s waist and her arm around his neck. He helped her to the nearest couch, the two glowing lamps illuminating the many scratches on her face and neck from her escape from the Killjoy household. Dressed in dark shades like him, Gerard switched on another lamp to get an even better look at Masika as hovered over her to check on her wounds. “Let me see.”

“I’m fine, Gee.” Masika tried to assure him through her exhaustion, but the man wouldn’t listen to her and proceeded to check her like a Mother hen. She was almost tempted to strip herself naked to appease his worries but the man was gonna be her future brother-in-law and was happily married.

From the quiet background, Frank watched his husband tend to this woman who looked like she’d been through hell at least five times in a row tonight. His hazel eyes flickered to the female then his husband who was still looking her over for injuries in case there was any he missed. There was such a profound level of concern in Gerard’s behavior when it came to Masika, it was enough to tell Frank that she deeply meant something to his husband. It was a surreal moment for him because he’d never seen Gerard give a damn about anyone but him and their gang of children. What should have been an endearing moment because his husband finally had a friend he cared about was beginning to appear more of a threat to the beautiful lives they’d created together with their kids.

If Gerard cared so damn much about this woman, Masika, did that mean he would one day forsake their own family for her?

If not then what about his own brother?

An ice cold shudder ran through Frank’s entire being making him tighten his hold around himself to fight it off. The mere thought of it was…absolutely terrifying. Needing somewhere else to be away from this charming sight, Frank quietly strode into the kitchen to acquire a glass of water. It wasn’t for him though which he found odd. It was for Masika. He had no idea why he was in his own kitchen filling a glass of water up for her. As far as he was concerned, she was likely a threat to their family simply by being here in his home! And yet he was fetching her a refreshment?

Lord, I’m such an idiot, Frank told himself. Or maybe…he wasn’t an idiot. Perhaps it was just his heart being the idiot here, not exactly himself as a whole. His frightened and possessive heart was the one leading him to believe his own husband, the father of his six children, would potentially leave his family for Masika or Michael. Squeezing his own hazel eyes shut, Frank took a minute to take in a couple of deep breaths in order to shoo his fears away before taking the cold glass out into the living room. As soon as he entered, he overheard the two whispering amongst each other before he saw them.

“Gee, you have to go back there. You have to go back to the house.” Masika begged Gerard under desperate shimmering eyes as she clutched tightly onto his hand with both of hers. She needed him to listen to her because…she simply couldn’t go with him. She swore once that nothing could keep her from going back to the Killjoy house and rescuing her man, but the exhaustion was too much and the fact that she was pregnant…she had to take care of herself or else the hassle of it all could hurt her baby. “You have to save Michael from the others.”

Frank was cognizant that the ‘others’ meant Killjoys, but that mention of them caused him to freeze in his steps anyway. Once again he was merely in the background, but this time there was a glass of fresh cold ice water in his hands.

Placing his hand over Masika’s from where he was crouched right in by her feet, Gerard made a vow to her. “I will. I’m gonna go back there and find him and bring him home. I promise you.”

Hearing Gerard’s oath to Masika made Frank’s heart seize in his chest. He was basically promising her that he was gonna walk himself into the face of danger to risk his life for his brother! The glass in his hand shook with his trembling.

Rising to his feet, Gerard spoke to Masika. “Until I return, you stay right where you are, okay? I’ll be back before you know it.”

And without even acknowledging Frank’s existence, Gerard let go of Masika’s hand, spun on his heels and raced up the stairs to the second floor. The younger lover watched his husband go, tears threatening to overflow his eyes as he did the only thing he could think of to do. He mutely walked over to Masika on unsteady legs to hand her the glass of water he poured.

“Thank you so much, Frank.” Masika thanked Frank as she quickly took the glass from the fragile boy and smiled graciously. On the outside she looked sweet, but on the inside her stomach was getting nauseous at all the trouble she was causing her friend’s husband. Taking a sip of the refreshing cold water, Masika eyed Gerard’s husband over the rim of her cup. Poor Frank was deathly pale, almost like he’d pass out any minute now. Masika could understand why that was. Right now, he was pretty much housing a murderous Killjoy in his own home where his children slept while his husband was upstairs, likely plotting to murder even some people tonight…or get killed himself in the efforts to do so. Wanting to console him and his worries, Masika set her glass on the small end table beside her and clasped her hands in her lap. “Hey, everything is gonna be okay, you hear me? Gerard is gonna come back and he’s gonna come back alive. No one can stop, and the people who have tried before have all clearly failed.”

Unable to comprehend how to speak right now, a mute Frank busied himself by taking the throw blanket folded over the back of the couch and offering it to Masika next.

“No, thank you.” Masika declined, holding out a hand to stop the clean blanket from touching her. Glancing down at the state of herself, she frowned at how dirty she was. What a disgusting stain she was in Frank's beautiful home. “I don’t wanna be too much trouble, but…is there a shower I could borrow?”

Frank simply nodded and gestured with a nod down the hall they’d come where the guest bedroom was.

“Ah, thank you so much!” Masika praised him before getting up from the couch and limping in that direction.

Frozen where he stood, Frank stared down at the place where Masika had been sitting before. Her clothes had left a bit of dirt on the blanket folded underneath her. Gathering it up in his arms, he took it to the laundry room. As soon as he got back, Gerard was finally coming down the stairs, only he wasn’t his husband anymore. He was dressed as Poison of the Killjoys. The sight ripped a gasp from Frank’s lips and caused him to jump back, stumbling into the end table and over the couch, nearly knocking the lamp onto the floor. His hazel eyes were large with fright as he scrambled away from Poison like he feared for his life.

Charging forward with the purpose of helping his husband back up, Poison asked him with concern in Gerard’s voice. “Baby, you okay? What’s wrong?”

Frank is gasping for air as he stares up at his husband and his offered hand. In a flash, everything was coming back to him. Their first meeting, his first kidnapping…just everything. It was almost like he repressed it all when he fell in love with this man, but now that he was seeing Poison again it was all coming back to him.

Following his husband's eyes to his uniform, Gerard let out a forlorn sigh. “I…I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. Not for you. Not for our kids. Not even for myself.” Locking his eyes on his husband’s frightened face, Gerard was practically choking on the guilt he felt. “Look, I know everything is terrifying right now, but…very soon I’m gonna make it right for us again like before. I’m just gonna go out to get my brother right now and…well, I don’t want you to wait up for me, okay?”

When Poison reached a hand out to Frank’s cheek, he visibly and instinctively shrunk back from the man he loved. The Killjoys winced at this but then strode out of the house, not able to deal with it tonight.