FicWad

Frank smiled as he lay against Gerard’s chest, purring like a kitten as the ringmaster played with his hair. He splayed his fingers over Gerard’s chest, which by now was free of clothes since the two men were relaxing in bed, and traced patterns over the bronze door.

Gerard’s eyes were closed but a soft smile was playing about his lips, his fingers in Frank’s hair letting the younger man know he was still awake as they lay in comfortable silence. Moments like these were usually preserved for after sex, but Gerard found it surprisingly nice to be lying like this despite not having orgasmed himself. It was good to just hold Frankie close and feel his warmth in his arms.

“Mm... This is nice Gee.” Frank commented quietly as he closed his own eyes, his soft eyelashes tickling Gerard’s collarbone. Gerard smiled and nodded his agreement, his hand dipping lower to cup around Frank’s waist.

“I’m so glad you’re not mad at me anymore.” He purred, turning his head to peck Frank’s hair for a moment before a loud knock at the door disturbed them from their peaceful moment.

“Ugh... For God’s sake.” Gerard groaned in annoyance, expecting it to be Cain, knocking just in case Gerard and Frank were still busy, and Gerard mentally cursed him for coming back so soon in the first place.

Frank leaned up a little with a confused expression on his face, biting his lip as he looked at the door. “I wonder who that could be...” He mused, Gerard sitting up with a scoff.

“It’s probably Cain or Silver. Hold on, I’ll get rid of them.” He sighed, sliding out of bed and patting down his hair as Frank giggled.

“Okay...” He smiled, lounging back serenely on his elbows and watching his lover open the door to tell whoever was outside to get lost. Frank had never felt happier in that moment, he had a boyfriend who he adored and was incredibly gorgeous. And they were having a loving moment in bed, it was so good to feel like this. He knew that Gerard still had to break up with Maria but after his amazing orgasm Frank had conveniently forgotten this.

He quickly remembered though when the bearded lady’s head poked around the door to stare at him with accusing eyes.

“So, I was right!” She snapped, her eyes brimming with tears and her crimson lips trembling behind her facial hair. “And after I let you make me believe you were loyal!” She all but screamed as she turned back to Gerard, stood shirtless in the middle of the wagon. His lack of clothing mixed with Frank’s total nakedness beneath the sheets was all the confirmation the bearded lady needed.

“Well!?” She demanded as Frank and Gerard just looked at her. “Try to deny it!”

“There’s no point.” Gerard shrugged calmly, not at all bothered by his girlfriends presence it seemed. Though Frank was shaking in the bed, his teeth clamped over his bottom lip as he picked nervously at a thread on the blanket.

He supposed they should have wondered if it was Maria at the door but he had been feeling so happy he just hadn’t thought about it, and now he was paying for it. He was desperate for the lady to go outside, feeling terrified with her in the tiny cabin with them, so tall she had to stoop. Frank knew that nothing he could say would justify what he and Gerard had done, and the fact he had tried to stop it for a time would mean nothing now.

“What?” Maria’s voice was dripping with ice and black olive eyes grew wide in surprise before narrowing as her fists clenched. “What do you mean? You don’t deny that you have been sleeping with him behind my back!?” She whispered dangerously, Frank almost hoping Gerard would deny it because it seemed not denying it might kill them both.

“Why should I deny it?” Gerard shrugged, apparently not feeling the same fear Frank was. “It is plain to see I think. I won’t insult your intelligence by trying to suggest otherwise.” He said innocently, Maria looking stunned again for a second before her face fell, the pain clear to see and Frank was hit by guilt so painful it was crippling.

“So you admit it then?” She whispered, this time her voice wounded and Frank could practically feel her heart breaking himself.

“I admit it. In fact, my dear, your timing is impeccable. I believe it is about time I stopped doing this behind your back and let you move on to find a man who will truly love you.” Gerard smiled serenely at the clearly devastated woman before him, Maria starting to shake her head but Gerard paid no attention to it. “I think it is about time we broke up, don’t you think?”

Frank looked at Gerard with the same look of hurt shock as Maria, his heart twisting with pain no doubt mirrored by hers. He couldn’t believe how calmly and coldly Gerard said this to the woman he had been with for however long, could act as if it meant nothing. Did he honestly expect her to just smile, agree and leave? Frank suddenly felt angry at the ringmaster for being so cruel to her.

“B – Broke up?” Maria eventually repeated dumbly, looking as if she was going to collapse at any moment as Gerard regarded her with calm, indifferent eyes. “You’re breaking up with me?” She whispered hollowly, Frank sitting up as the urge to go over and comfort her suddenly grabbed hold of him.

“I think it would be best.” Gerard replied with a sad smile. “I’m afraid my feelings have turned in another direction and I can’t seem to stop myself from feeling something much stronger for Frank than I’ve felt for anyone else.” He said simply, Frank looking at him with a small frown. The words should have made his heart flutter but the cool, rehearsed way he said them just made him ache.

“Gee?” He mewled, Maria snarling and making Frank look to her again.

“So you’re leaving me for him are you?” She growled, her eyes turning to look at Frank at last and the dark orbs were swirling with rage. Frank’s heart missed a beat and he gulped as he looked at her, his cheeks tingeing pink and he tried to scuttle further back in the bed but he couldn’t move quick enough.

Within a second Maria had lunged at him, her arms outstretched and fingers curled like cat claws. Frank didn’t even see it coming before she was on top of him, her hands scratching and clawing at his face. Her knees pinned his hips down, dangerously close to his crotch and he cried out in shock as he tried to grab her wrists and throw her off him.

“Maria!” Gerard roared, rushing forward to stop her as her nails dug into Frank’s face and ripped out pieces of flesh. Frank screamed and wailed loudly, kicking his legs and shaking his hips as he tried to throw her off, Gerard grabbing her around the waist and pulling with all his might.

“YOU BASTARD! YOU BASTARD!” She screamed as Gerard dragged her back, her hands still scrabbling at Frank’s face even once he was out of reach and Gerard yanked her out of the cabin.

Frank sobbed harshly as he rolled onto his side and curled up into a ball, cradling his bleeding face with his hands. It felt like he had just been attacked with razors but he knew it probably wasn’t so bad. He gingerly pulled his hands away to look at the blood on his palms but there was only a few tiny spots so he knew it was okay. It didn’t stop him from hiding beneath the covers anyway and crying softly as he heard yelling and screaming from outside.

Gerard shoved Maria away from him as he stepped out of the wagon, his face full of rage. He grabbed her wrists again when she tried to lunge at him but he overpowered her with ease and threw her back so forcefully she almost fell to the floor.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” He roared at her, his voice so loud it carried across the field and a few of the circus hands poked their heads out of their wagons and came out from working in the big top to see what was going on. “How dare you attack him! He has done nothing wrong!”

“He’s the reason you’re leaving me!” Maria shouted back, getting over her surprise of being handled so roughly by her lover – ex lover – and she found her voice again. “He deserved everything he got!”

“You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about!” Gerard yelled, raising his hand as if to hit Maria but then he became aware of the audience they were attracting and he slowly lowered it again. “Frank was against me and him being together from the start, he was always talking about how he didn’t want to ‘break your heart’. Ha, as if you ever even had one.” He snarled softly, keeping his voice low so that the people watching wouldn’t hear everything. He wasn’t ashamed of what he had done and he didn’t care if they knew about it, he just had more pride than to broadcast their argument to the entire circus.

“If he cared that much then why did he still sleep with you?” Maria hissed back, choosing to ignore the heartless comment. “If he didn’t want to hurt me then why is it I found you two in bed together?”

“That was my fault.” Gerard said simply, his voice still laced with anger. “I can be persuasive when I want to be – you know that. He is a wonderful, kind, loving person and he would never have done this if I hadn’t been so persistent. And whether you choose to accept it or not, he is everything I want right now and you need to get out of this circus and out of my life.”

A small gasp made its way around all the people watching, starting slow and then building as more people registered what Gerard had just said. Maria herself still looked stunned, certain she had misheard but then when she realised Gerard was being serious she screamed and tried to slap him around the face.

Gerard caught Maria’s wrist with ease and held it in a painfully tight grip, clenching his teeth as he glared at her.

“Just stop Maria! It’s over!” He snapped, Maria’s eyes teary as she tried to tug out of his grip.

“You can’t do this to me! You can’t leave me and kick me out like this. If you want to be with that cheap little mechanic then fine! But you can’t fire me just because you’ve found some new toy, you have no grounds to fire me!” She insisted, wrenching free of Gerard’s grip and smoothing down her clothes as she lifted her head high, trying to reclaim some of her dignity but Gerard only scoffed at her.

“Come now Maria you have more sense than that.” He laughed cruelly, making her hesitate. “I am not firing you because I’m breaking up with you. I’m firing you because you attacked Frank, and surely you have learnt by now that if there is anything I won’t stand for in my circus then it is violence.”

Maria fell silent as a soft murmur of agreement went through the crowds of circus folk watching and her face fell. She was suddenly surrounded by glares and she knew that she wasnt going to get anyone there backing her up. Of course she knew about Gerard’s feeling’s on violence, and as she stared at his naked torso and the bronze door shining on his chest she knew that there was nothing she would be able to do now to fix what had happened.

“I... I...”

“You have until tonight to pack up your things and leave. Tomorrow we leave to a new town, and you won’t be joining us when we do.”

With this final word Gerard turned and walked back into the wagon where Frank was waiting, leaving Maria looking shocked and hurt on the grass outside with everyone watching her with wide eyes and open mouths.

At the back of the crowd Cain started to rush forward so that he could speak to Frank and Gerard about what was going on but Silver gently stopped him, shaking his head and sighing as Cain bowed his head and turned to walk with him to go back to the eating tent so that the ringmaster and the mechanic could have a while alone.

>X<

Back inside the wagon Frank was crying gently into Gerard’s chest as the ringmaster cradled him close. Gerard had examined his face and left for a moment to collect some things from his own wagon before returning to Frank. He had brought with him a bottle of witch-hazel and a clean rag and was now gently tipping Frank’s face up to dab at the scratches all down it.

“I’m so sorry this happened Frankie.” He whispered, wiping the younger mans tears away as he gently dabbed the damp end of the rag over the wounds to his face. The scratches weren’t deep and only small sections of each were bleeding, and even then the blood only slightly peppered the wounds, not even enough to run freely. Mostly the harm was mental though, Frank still shaking as he clutched tight to Gerard’s forearms.

“I – It’s not your f – fault... I d – deserved this...” He whimpered, wincing as Gerard wiped at the scratches and gently pecked his lips.

“Shh, don’t say that. If anyone deserved to be hurt then it was me.” He sighed, Frank shaking his head but Gerard hushed him again before he could think about saying anything. “It’s true,” He insisted. “I’m the one who was sleeping around behind her back, I’m the one who made her angry, she shouldn’t have hurt you.”

“I d – don’t care as long as you’re here...” Frank mewled quietly with a casual shrug, trying to stem his tears as he looked up at Gerard and offered a tiny smile. He didn’t want to talk about Maria anymore, didn’t even want to think about her. He just wanted Gerard to take care of him and make everything perfect again.

Gerard smiled softly as he met Frank’s eyes and he used the pad of his thumb to gently wipe the last of his tears away. Frank’s smile became more genuine and he pouted his lips softly as Gerard leaned in to kiss him for a moment, a tiny shiver worming through them both as their hearts seemed to flutter in sync. When they broke apart they met each other’s eyes and for a second both were stunned by the sight of the other. It was as if a strange second of understanding passed between them and Frank smiled giddily as Gerard smirked and quickly went back to dabbing at his scratches.

Frank smiled softly and closed his eyes, letting Gerard tend to him without either of them saying a word. A comfortable silence settled over them and Frank sighed happily. He still felt as if they should have somehow done things differently, that the pain they had caused Maria could have somehow have been lessened but they couldn’t change anything now and as selfish as it might be, Frank was thrilled that Gerard was now all his.

Gerard too was feeling a strange happy sort of calm as he gently dabbed over every scratch his ex girlfriend had inflicted upon his lover. He was hurt and angry that Maria had taken her upset out on Frank, but knowing that within twenty four hours he would never see the bearded lady again it was easy to forget about his negative feelings. In fact, he found it hard to even figure out why he hadn’t broken up with Maria sooner. He supposed he had just liked the status it gave him, the strange sort of power he felt when he was seen with her. She was incredibly beautiful and exotic and it had just seemed fitting for a ringmaster as charismatic and mysterious as he was to date a woman such as Maria. Gerard had always been a sucker for image.

That was all changed now though. He smiled dreamily as he put down the rag and put away the bottle of witch-hazel before just cupping his hands around Frank’s face. The mechanic was incredibly handsome, but in a warm, real sort of way. Cain and Silver were both beautiful men, but they both – Cain especially – had a strange sort of surrealism to them. They were so flawless, so beautiful it was like they weren’t human. But Frank had a touch of the average about him, looking at him he came across as but a man... and to Gerard that was the most gorgeous thing about him. He was human... he was real.

“Are you staring at me?” Frank whispered with a fond smirk, his eyes still closed as Gerard tenderly caressed his face. The ringmaster smirked back at him and shrugged, gazing with some amusement at the younger man.

“I might be...”

Frank slowly opened his eyes and smiled back at the older man, his cheeks tingeing light pink when he saw Gerard really was staring at him. His heart skipped a beat and he raised a hand to rest over one of Gerard’s now stroking along his jaw and he sighed happily.

“You’re so handsome.” Gerard smiled, taking Frank by surprise for a moment and making him blush even more. The sight made Gerard chuckle and he leant forward to tenderly peck Frank’s lips, sighing as the mechanic leaned forward to sink into his arms and curl up in his lap.

“Gee... you make me so happy.” He mewled, wrapping his arms around Gerard’s neck and cuddling in close to him. He could hardly even feel the scratches on his face anymore, his heart swelling with joy as Gerard tangled a hand into his hair and massaged the nape of his neck gently.

“Mm... You make me feel happy too sugar.” He purred back, touching his lips to Frank’s temple and closing his eyes as they held each other. In that moment everything felt perfect, everything felt right, and neither man expected that anything bad could happen to them now.

>X<

Maria was furious as she paced angrily back and forth outside her wagon.

Pierre had brought her horse back from the local stables and attached it to her wagon for her, keeping silent the whole time but his eyes had given his feelings away. Every time Maria met his gaze she found him staring at her with hurt, angry eyes. She knew he adored Frank, everyone in the circus was always talking about how wonderful the mechanic was, so she was fully aware that Pierre was not the only person who would be feeling animosity towards her for attacking the man.

It angered her to know it, feeling betrayed to the fullest. All these people she had travelled with for years, and now they were going to turn against her just for this one thing? And it wasn’t even like she had been unjustified – Frank had deserved what he’d got and much more. He had been having sex with her boyfriend! He deserved to die for what he did.

No... No Maria. She silently scolded herself, pausing in her pacing to stroke her beard thoughtfully. It wasn’t Frank she should be angriest with, she supposed. It was Gerard who had been completely in the wrong. Frank had simply been weak, easily seduced. And Gerard was gorgeous, she knew that.

But Gerard... What was his excuse? He shouldn’t have made a move on Frank in the first place, he should have been loyal. He should have been happy with her and no one else!

Maria grew angry again as she thought about it, her eyebrows furrowing and her fists clenching. How dare he treat her like this, and to kick her out too! This was her home, if anyone should leave then it was him for being unfaithful. She belonged her, if he wanted to fool around and cheat on people then he should leave and do it somewhere else.

The more she thought about it the angrier she became and soon Maria stormed into her wagon so that she could grab a hand decorated cushion and scream at the top of her lungs into it. She hated Gerard. She hated him. After all she had done for him – and she was beautiful. She had had plenty of men in every town they visited coming after her but she had always shot them down in flames, she had always belonged to Gerard and now he was just throwing her away like she meant nothing. Well... fine. If he didn’t want her then she couldn’t change it. But she sure as hell could punish him for it.

>X<

Gerard gave Maria till that night to move out, so that she wouldn’t be in the way when the rest of the circus left for their next destination in the morning. He had ignored her presence when everyone had been eating that night, Maria left in her own little corner to eat alone, a true outsider now.

During that evening’s meal Frank had sat with Gerard, practically in his lap, and people had come up to them all through the evening to congratulate them on their new relationship and tell them they were all so pleased for them. It had made Maria’s skin crawl to see it. People must know that they had been fucking each other behind her back, and no one even cared? Everyone just acted as if Frank and Gerard had been childhood sweethearts and had finally plucked up the courage to tell each other their true feelings. No one gave a damn how she felt.

By the time she had finished eating and finally left the tent she had felt sick to the stomach and even more convinced that Gerard had to somehow pay for what he was putting her through. She knew what she was going to do too, she just wasn’t sure when. She had to decide fast though, she was expected to leave within the next few hours.

Sighing she made her way back to her wagon and turned round on the top step to look out over the darkened grounds and the brightly coloured gypsy wagons. For the first time since she had found out she was going to be leaving... hell, for the first time ever she realised how lucky she had been to live here at all. She hadn’t realised how beautiful the circus was until she knew she had to leave it behind.

For a moment Maria felt like she was about to cry, but then she spotted Frank and Gerard walking together in the distance. She couldn’t hear them but she could see that they were laughing, prancing about together and capturing each other in their arms between playful kisses all the way to Gerard’s wagon. She scowled deeply and her stomach felt as if it rattled with rage, as if a snake was inside her hissing its disapproval. With a soft snarl she turned back and stormed into her wagon, slamming the door shut and drawing all the curtains.

Maria forced herself to remain calm as she quickly lit the candles and lanterns in her wagon, filling it with flickering light before she wrenched open her tiny wardrobe and began hunting for something different to wear.

After only a minute or two of deliberating she drew out a short, pleated skirt, one that when worn fell right above the knee. She was the only person in the whole world as far as she knew who wore skirts so short but she could pull it off, living in a circus one got away with a lot of things normal people would consider unacceptable. And Gerard had always loved to see her legs.

Maria stripped from her clothes down to just her corset and slowly shimmied into the tiny skirt. It was one she had made herself, skirts this short simply weren’t for sale but she smiled at the way her already long legs appeared even longer once she had changed. She then selected a loose fitting white blouse that she rarely wore to go over the top. She knew it was Gerard’s favourite blouse on her but she preferred to wear tighter clothes, she compromised though by tucking it into her skirt so that her figure could still be seen, the puffed up sleeves a nice touch she decided.

With her outfit changed Maria began to feel calmer. She had composed a lot and she even smirked a little as she sat down at her little table and used a hand mirror to paint her lips red. She sighed once she was done pouting in the glass and ran her fingers through her long, black hair; working out any knots and making sure it was silky smooth and lying perfectly down her back before she sauntered to her bed and sat down to slide on her stockings and pixie boots.

Once she was completely ready Maria turned to face the chest of drawers pressed tight against the bed. She slid open the bottom drawer and moved everything inside it away so find the item hidden beneath it all.

Gerard had hated all weapons, and had been strict on his orders that no one had any weapons other than those necessary for their job. Maria however had a beautifully ornate knife, long and sharp with a handle encrusted with diamonds. She had seen it in a market only a month or two after joining the circus and had fallen in love with it, and had kept it hidden from Gerard ever since she bought it. Tonight though she’d be sure he saw it.

For another hour or two Maria simply looked about her wagon, slipping a locket she had been given from her mother around her neck but leaving everything else. She loved her beautiful wagon and she didn’t want to leave it behind but it would only slow her down so she had no choice.

Once the night was late and everyone was sleeping Maria slipped out of the wagon to free her horse from its place attached to the mobile home. She sighed as she saddled it up and took it by the reigns, leading it to a point not far from Gerard’s wagon.

With her knife stashed beneath her garter she was ready.

>X<

Frank was fast asleep curled up into Gerard’s side with a soft smile playing about his lips. He had spent the evening just lying in bed and sharing soft kisses with his boyfriend and getting used to the fact that he and Gerard were now, finally, a couple. Curled up in the ringmasters arms he had never felt happier and he slept deeply with nothing to trouble his mind.

Gerard too was heavily sleeping, his arms wrapped loosely around Frank’s waist as he lay on his back, his lips slightly parted as he mumbled softly in his sleep. He was dreaming about Frank even as he held him, dreaming about a future together that lasted forever, each day just as perfect as the last. It was incredibly cliché but Gerard had wanted a relationship like this all his life, he had just never thought they really existed.

Both men were practically unconscious, the emotions and the stress of the day had left them both exhausted so they didn’t so much as stir when the door slowly opened and a tall figure stepped into the wagon. Gerard never locked the door when he was in the wagon, he trusted everyone in the circus fully and he was usually such a light sleeper, he had never seen any need. Of course that had made entering the wagon a whole lot easier for Maria.

Now that she was inside the bearded lady took a moment to just look at the sleeping couple. Seeing Frank resting so serenely against Gerard’s side made her blood boil, but this time not for the mechanic. Even in the dark she could see the scratches down his face and though she didn’t feel sorry for what she had done she decided that was about all he deserved. After all, it wasnt his fault Gerard was too gorgeous to deny.

No... the real punishment would have to go to the man who should have known better.

Maria was quiet as she slowly slipped her hand beneath her skirt and drew the knife from its resting place against her thigh. She kept her eyes fixated on the bronze door in Gerard’s chest, glistening in the moonlight seeping in through the windows. The door was solid and wouldn’t be pierced, that much she knew, but there was the key... resting so conveniently around his neck.

Maria smirked as she moved forward and crawled onto the bed. Her weight made the mattress dip a little and she tensed, waiting to see if either men stirred but they both continued sleeping soundly, oblivious to her presence. She breathed out a sigh of relief and continued forward, gently nudging Frank aside, biting her lip and praying he didn’t wake.

Frank stirred a little and grunted in his sleep as Maria pushed him across the bed. It took a long time for her to do it, holding her breath and watching him carefully into finally he sighed and rolled over so that his back was facing Gerard, hugging one of the pillows rather than his lover, though still sleeping just as serenely.

Maria waited a moment to make sure Frank wasn’t going to wake up before she turned back to Gerard. He was frowning slightly now that Frank was no longer resting against him but Maria didn’t care. She was transfixed as she gazed at his handsome face, moving to straddle his waist with her knees on either side of him.

Looking down on him now it was hard to come to terms with what she was planning to do, and she almost had second thoughts about it, but then Gerard’s hands – searching for his lover – slid up her knees and he sighed softly.

“Frankie? Mm... Frank...” He sighed quietly in his sleep, Maria’s fists clenching and her grip on the knife tightening as she scowled. Her insides squirmed with rage and she grabbed the key around Gerard’s neck.

Within a second Gerard was awake, quicker than a candle going out in a hurricane he was sat up and his hand was clamped around Maria’s which was still gripping the key. Even in such deep sleep a part of Gerard was always aware of the key around his neck and he snarled as he dug his nails into the back of Maria’s hand. He was tired and disorientated but he knew almost instantly what she was trying to do.

“Maria, get the hell out of my – AGH!”

Gerard’s eyes went wide and his grip on Maria’s hand slackened as she yanked the knife from out of his chest and struck again. There was no shock for her, no horror of what she had done, only a frantic need to cause as much damage as she possibly could. She had wanted to open the bronze door and go directly for his black heart but as soon as he’d woken up she knew that wasn’t a possibility.

Gerard gasped and choked as he tried to scream, his hands scrabbling at Maria’s as shock coursed through him. He could barely register what was happening, the knife barely pushing into his chest for a second before it was out and striking at another section. There was no methodology, no plan, it was just erratic, desperate stabbing.

Though she didn’t realise it Maria now too was screaming, sobbing at the same time as she plunged the knife over and over into Gerard’s chest, blood covering her hands and making the knife slippery, glass smashing and green viscous liquid mingling with the blood. She barely even noticed, didn’t even know she was making any noise, too consumed by her blood lust to notice that Frank had woken up.

Frank was given barely a second to react as he opened his eyes, confused to what the noise was he could hear and to why he wasn’t on Gerard’s chest like he had thought he was. But then he saw his lover, sprawled on his back with hands weakly trying to defend himself from a crazed bearded woman.

“GEE!” Frank gasped, sitting up and lunging at Maria before he even had time to think. One second he was trying to get a better idea of what was happening and the next he was on the floor wrestling a knife from Maria. His mind felt as if it had shut down and he was running solely on instinct, the knife clattering across the floor and he cried out in horror at the sticky red blood on his hands.

“Oh God... O – Oh God...” He wailed, helpless to stop Maria as she threw him off herself and practically fell out of the wagon. She was still crying as she ran across the grass, her vision blurred by tears and her feet slipping in her haste. Her heart was racing erratically in her chest but despite her desire to just fall to the ground and scream she managed to keep it together long enough to jump up onto her horse and send it flying through the jungle of gypsy wagons.

Loud, heart wrenching screams pierced the air, coming from Gerard’s wagon as the young mechanic inside shrieked and sobbed for all to hear, and as Maria’s horse disappeared from sight, her along with it, the first of the circus hands began wandering out of their wagons and rushing towards the ringmasters to find out why Frank was screaming from within.

Inside the wagon Frank was doing his best to compose himself and stay calm so that he could help Gerard, but he felt like he was about to pass out he was so afraid.

Gerard was silent as he lay on his back, his hands shaking violently as he tried to take hold of Frank’s. The mechanic was quick to place his hands into his lover’s, kneeling beside him as tears flooded down his cheeks. The whole of Gerard’s torso was smothered in blood, the little orb where the green liquid should have been was smashed and empty, making Frank feel even more afraid as he clutched Gerard’s hands.

“Gee? G – Gee, you’re gonna be okay honey, I – I’m here and I’m gonna get you help. Just hold on for me okay? You’re gonna be fine.” Frank sobbed softly, Gerard simply gazing at him with wide, slightly surprised eyes. He was clearly in shock, his skin already tingeing grey and his entire body shaking, but his hands the most as they clutched weakly at Frank’s.

“Oh God... Gee... Gee please talk to me, tell me you’re gonna be okay.” Frank whimpered, beyond himself with fright but Gerard didn’t give him any assurance, didn’t say anything at all, he simply slumped back into the mattress and tried to give Frank a smile before he began to choke and blood shot from his throat and down his chin.

Frank fought back the urge to cry out in horror, needing to be calm so that Gerard didn’t panic either, but the ringmaster’s grip on his hands grew weaker and weaker and as Frank desperately tried to hold onto them they slipped from his hands just as the door to the wagon burst open.

R&R? xo