Echoes of Eclipsed Fears (Frerard)

12. Cover Me, Unwanted Clemency

Frank gradually opened his eyes to the sound of the oak front door groaning on its hinges. He rose from his position slowly, feeling a headache creep into the front of his mind.

"Gerard?" He called out croakily.

"Just me, Frank," Gerard said warmly.

Frank tensed up slightly, remembering the events from before. He curled up on the couch just as Gerard rounded the corner to the living room.

"Feeling okay, Frank?" Gerard asked, dropping a plastic bag on the floor to make his way over to Frank. He reached out to touch Frank's head, causing the man to recoil slightly.

"I'm fine," Frank said defensively.

"I brought you food," Gerard said, gesturing to the bag on the ground. "Do you eat Thai?"

Frank shrugged.

"Is it vegetarian?"

Gerard smiled thoughtfully, nodding.

"How did you know I was vegetarian?" Frank asked. He didn't recall telling Gerard about his lifestyle.

"You've been here for three days and haven't asked for anything with meat in it yet," Gerard explained. "I wasn't sure, so I just guessed. I knew a human guy who was vegetarian back in the day, and he always used to have veggie fried rice. I hope you like it."

Frank smiled, accepting the bag from Gerard.

"Should I eat this at the table? So I don't accidentally spill something on your carpet..."

Gerard shook his head.

"You deserve to rest," he smiled. "If you want, though, I can put this in a proper plate? And get you some cutlery."

Frank smiled.

"That'd be great, thanks."

Gerard nodded, zipping through the house to the kitchen. He poured the steaming rice into a bowl, bringing it back to Frank.

"Are you feeling alright?" Gerard asked tenderly, as if he hadn't been the one to bite Frank in the first place. Frank rolled his head around on his shoulders, stretching slightly.

"A bit sore," he grimaced. He accepted the bowl from Gerard and poked his fork around, stirring up the rice so it would cool down faster.

"I'll get you some Tylenol, if you want," Gerard offered. Frank smiled graciously.

"Yes, please."

Gerard left for a moment, returning with a tall glass of water and a foil strip of painkillers. He popped two into Frank's outstretched hand.

"About before..." Gerard began, "I'm sorry. I was just upset, and really tired. Using my powers like that exerts me."

Frank bit his lip. He didn't want the vampire to pick up on his fear.

"What are your powers?" He blurted out. Gerard smiled sheepishly.

"Well, it's hard to put into words, but I have a few different... abilities. The best way I can describe it is..." He trailed off, looking for the correct words. "I was very empathetic in my human life, to the point where it suffocated me. My empathy was my biggest strength and my biggest weakness. And I think that it sort of carried on to my immortal life, only in an amplified way."

Frank stopped poking at a piece of broccoli to look up at Gerard.

"What does that mean?" He asked, confused.

"Well, most vampires each have a unique power of their own - on top of the usual strength, speed, enhanced senses, etcetera. And their special power is typically a manifestation of the strongest quality that they possessed in their mortal life. For example, I know a vampire who, even before he got turned, he was this big buff guy. So his unique ability is that he's even stronger than the average vampire."