Echoes of Eclipsed Fears (Frerard)

16. A Rose Under the Sun

The following week saw the days blur into one, a flurry of exchanged smirks and seemingly unintentional-yet-purposeful touches. Frank's feelings still weren't on par with Gerard's; he found Gerard attractive, of course, but his sentiment fell short of reciprocating Gerard's deeper affection. Unbeknownst to Frank, Gerard was starting to fall for the boy. Their dynamic began to unfold as that of two friends with a platonic relationship, tinged with a slightly sexual undertone. Gerard would casually ruffle Frank's hair or rest his hand on his shoulder, and Frank, in turn, would gently graze past Gerard when he went to greet the vampire first thing in the morning.

"Want to come and get groceries with me today?" Gerard asked Frank one lazy Sunday. Frank nodded, wiping his hand on the back of his mouth after he downed a glass of water.

"I thought your fridge refilled itself," he joked, though he was unsure of how Gerard always had food on hand when he'd never seen the vampire go grocery shopping before.

"I go out when you're asleep," Gerard said. "For a twenty-two-year-old, you go to bed pretty early."

"Gotta get my beauty sleep," Frank muttered, standing up and stretching his legs. "Wanna go now?"

Gerard nodded, extending his hand in the direction of the door.

"After you," he grinned, placing his hand on the small of Frank's back once the shorter boy had passed him. Frank blushed slightly, his skin prickling at the prospect of Gerard touching him. The pair got their shoes on and stepped outside into the grey autumn air.

Gerard opened the passenger side door for Frank, letting him get situated before shutting the door and making his way around to the driver's side. Frank bit his lip, grinning slightly at this gentlemanly act.

Snap out of it, Iero; he mentally cursed himself. Gerard slid into the driver's seat, lazily starting the engine and dropping the handbrake. The gravel driveway crunched under the wheels of the black Lexus as the pair turned out of Gerard's driveway and in the direction of the town.

"Which store have you been going to for groceries?" Frank asked casually as they sped down the motorway.

"Walmart," Gerard replied. "Sometimes SuperFresh." He turned to face Frank, who had straightened up in his seat significantly.

"Aw man, I can't go to Walmart with you! That's where I used to work!"

"Oh," Gerard chuckled. "Can't get me an employee discount?"

"They'd probably think you kidnapped me," Frank muttered before realising what he'd just said. Gerard had kidnapped him; what was he thinking? He sniffed abruptly, turning to stare out the window. He'd completely forgotten about his old work, his manager, Brian. Life just seemed so carefree now that he lived with Gerard.

Don't say that, he told himself. You're only young; you can't make this your whole life. Frank couldn't let himself be dependent on Gerard for the rest of his life.

"What do you do for a living?" Frank blurted out. He'd never known Gerard to go to work, but that didn't mean that the vampire had no source of income at all, right?

"Ah, I never told you," Gerard began, flicking his indicator to exit the main drag. "I had a few jobs in my early years of being a vampire, nothing special, though - just enough to build up a nice, secure fund for myself. These days I just rely on strategic investments."

"What do you mean? Do you know exactly which companies to invest in?" Frank asked, bewildered.

"I have my sources," Gerard muttered teasingly. "A vampire friend of mine has a strong sense for what's going to happen next. We can only assume that she gets tonnes of premonitions, but she usually keeps them to herself. She doesn't want to impact the natural chain of events, she says. But there's one thing she's never gatekept from us - the stock market trends."