Work Text:
"Shit..." Gerard holds his head in his hands, his forehead drenched in sweat and heart thumping. He does his best to calm down, but finds it too difficult. Another terrifying nightmare, this time containing only his bandmates. He can hardly remember anything that happened, although they might've been trapped in a cave filling up with water and he had to watch each of them drown one by one right before his eyes. Okay. He does remember it. Vividly. Gerard turns on the lamp on his nightstand, the darkness he is surrounded by not helping one bit.
It's been ten days since they started staying at the mansion, and the experience so far has been the most unsettling situation they'd ever put themselves in. Bob is getting more annoyed as his things keep moving around his room when he's not looking or when they're not in the house, but his anger is really masking his own well concealed yet steadily growing fear. Ray's been talking about hearing or seeing things when he's alone, in his room, in the halls, or even when he's with the four of them. Everyone is concerned for Mikey, who seems to be getting the worst out of staying here. Gerard seriously regrets letting him stay here, because his brother's depression appears to be getting even worse the longer they stick around. Gerard himself has been having some increasingly disturbing nightmares over the course of the previous week. He doesn't know what brings on the onslaught of terrors but he can't do anything to prevent them.
Truthfully, the only person who's had the least troubles here is Frank. The shortest member hasn't really said much about out of the ordinary events happening around him. Maybe it's because he was born on Halloween. He's probably used to hearing creepy shit. Then again, he'd surely say something if he saw how troubled his bandmates are starting to get, especially Mikey. Frank should be seriously grateful to whatever force is protecting him that the worst he's gotten is doors slamming in his face. After what happened with the painting above the fireplace, everyone started to get on edge, more weird things ocurring as time passed. Yet Frank is surprisingly as okay as you could get in this mansion. Gerard thinks that maybe the mansion is affecting Frank's mind like Mikey, but Frank is doing extremely well at hiding it. The band knows he hides a lot of bad thoughts in his head, so that's more likely.
Gerard picks up his phone off the nightstand and checks the time. 5:13 a.m. The band had been up until midnight recording, and had planned to wake up at noon to continue their exhausting work schedule. He has to get back to sleep so that he's ready for another long day of work. His head won't shut up though thanks to tonight's dream and the thoughts that accompany it. Seeing the faces of his friends as they slowly drowned in front of him would definitely leave a mark, since this is not the first time he's seen them meet their deaths during their stay. Gerard knows that he'll have a hard time falling asleep again, so he just leaves his lamp on and hides himself under his blanket like a child. This mansion is just so fucking creepy, and the lead singer, along with the rest of the band, can't stand it here. Even his room right now is eerie as hell despite his lamp being left on, the light casting more shadows in the corners of the room it couldn't reach. Gee is glad that he's under the covers, because his mind would surely start to hallucinate things the more he looked around his room.
His phone lights up with a text notification, and he's grateful that he left it on silent since the sudden noise in his eerily quiet room would've given him a heart attack. He unlocks his phone and looks at the new text.
Can't sleep.
He exhales quietly, thankful that he isn't the only one awake at the moment. He types out his response and sends it, waiting eagerly.
I can't either. Had a nightmare again.
Ah. I'll be right over.
Well, he certainly didn't expect that. Gee decides not to respond, waiting to see if his friend is really coming to his room. He hears the sound of his door clicking and slowly being opened, and he doesn't move.
"Gerard?"
He sighs in relief at Frank's voice. "Under the blanket." He hears the soft sound of footsteps coming closer and feels the bed dip.
Frank pokes his hip and says, "C'mon, scooch over and let me under there."
Gerard shifts over a bit and lifts the blanket, Frank taking a hold of it and moving himself underneath it so that he's now lying face to face with Gee. The lead singer lets go of his blanket, effectively covering them both. He stares at the other man and asks, "Why'd you come here?"
Frank shrugs. "Thought you might need some company. Not just because of the nightmare though. This place is scaring the shit out of us all. Hell, I was freaking out just walking over here. The halls are a thousand times creepier at night, man. Feels like you're in a real horror flick. Don't recommend goin' out."
"So... you're staying?"
"Definitely. I'm goin' back to sleep anyway. No point in walking back when I can just sleep here in a couple of minutes. Besides, I think you seriously do need someone nearby."
"Hm." The two of them stare at one another in silence, comforted by the other's presence. Gerard's glad to have Frank here with him, because he thinks he wouldn't survive the night all by himself. "You alright in your room?"
"Fuck no, I keep hearin' shit like Ray and Mikey. Bob sleeps like a rock, but the three of us hear all kinds of things. It sounds like someone's talking in the room above or next to me, and I think there might be a branch or something scratching my window from outside, 'cause there's definitely something scratching somewhere in my room. I could be paranoid."
"You're not the only one. We're all slowly going out of our minds."
"Gotta keep a closer eye on Mikey too."
"Yeah, absolutely." The older Way frowns, thinking about Mikey's current situation. "Should've given him a different room."
"Gee, we had no idea that it would be the most haunted one when we first showed up. We just have to be there for him while he's like this. We're gonna take care of him."
"I hope so, 'cause I can't stand seein' him like this." Gerard huffs and has his gaze to the space between them. "This place is fucking with our heads. It's screwin' us all over. From the sounds to Mikey's depression to the voices and the night terrors-" His hand near his chin curls, his fingers clawing a little at the mattress. Frank moves closer to him, their faces a few inches apart.
Frank puts a hand on his shoulder and looks directly in his eyes. "Don't worry Gee. It's all gonna be fine, I swear. We should spend more time away from here, as a group. No one's left here all alone. We're sticking together for as long as possible so that no other bad shit happens without being seen by another pair of eyes." His hand tightens around Gerard's shoulder. "And we'll make sure you forget about those nightmares when you're awake."
Gerard's lips flatten into a line and he moves faster than Frank can comprehend. Gee shifts his body lower, curling himself against the other man with his left arm around Frank's side. Gerard rests his face against Frank's chest, his eyes closed and breathing deeply. His other arm is also against Frank, his hand gripping his shirt the slightest bit.
The guitarist had stilled when the singer had moved so suddenly, but he recovers and slowly wraps his arms around the other body in a warm embrace. Frank moves his head so that it rests close to Gerard's ear. "We're still here. I'm still here." He feels the singer's head move back and forth a little, as if he's nuzzling into Frank's chest. Frank smiles, feeling content in their position and forgetting where they really are for a moment. His hand cradles the head of white hair delicately.
Frank feels Gerard's lips move, and he says something so softly that even in the dead silence Frank can't make out what it is, so he simply chuckles quietly and tightens his hold on Gee's body, as if it were even possible for them to get any closer to each other. "Heh. Just sleep, Gerard." And the two men fell asleep like that, Gerard held in Frank's arms. He doesn't have another nightmare for the rest of the night, his mind too busy concentrating on the warmth emanating off of the other body that held him securely.
"Rise and shine Gerard!" Ray shouts as he bursts into the room, waking the sleeping pair. He notices that the blanket is covering something too big to be the singer. "Uh... Gee?"
A yawn comes from under the covers. "Sorry Ray, guess I overslept by a couple minutes. I'll be out soon."
"Frank wasn't in his room when me and Mikey went to wake everyone up, so I can only assume that he's in bed with you, right?"
"Yup," Frank confirms.
"Oh, that's great guys. We suffer all by ourselves in our rooms and you two got to do God knows what in here," Ray jokes, laughing a little at the distressed noise Gerard makes in response.
"Not what you think Ray! We just... cuddled," Gerard answers, his blood rushing to his cheeks. 'Cuddled' is a rather accurate description (to him at least) of what he had done to Frank.
"Before or after?"
"Ray."
"Yeah yeah, see you guys in a couple of minutes!" Ray exits the room, and Frank and Gerard can hear him laughing as he walks down the hall.
Gerard lifts his head from Frank's chest and looks up at the other man with a smile. "Thank you."
Frank stares at him, returning the happy and content look on Gee's face. "You're welcome." He moves his head down and presses his lips to the singer's forehead, pulling back and saying, "Let's go. Don't want to make anyone think we're doing 'other things'." He's the first to move away, and Gerard instantly misses the guitarist's warmth, feeling the cold rush in around him and reminding him of where they're staying. Oh right, they're in the Paramour Mansion, a definitely haunted mansion that is tormenting My Chemical Romance.
He forgot about that, all thanks to a certain guitarist. Sure, he'll get that fact hammered into his brain all over again while they stay in the mansion, but it was nice to forget that for a couple of hours, when he was in the arms of his... friend. His best friend, Frank.