FicWad

Frank and Gerard wandered around the mall, checking out stores that they'd never buy from
and hunting for a comic store. After a few hours, they left the mall with a few bags each and, in Gerard's case, a coffee from Starbucks.

Gerard took a large gulp of coffee and sighed happily. Frank spied the foam mustache on his upper lip and snorted.

"What?" Gee demanded.

In answer, Frank reached up and wiped the foam away with his finger. "You were starting to look like Yosemite Sam," he said when Gerard raised his eyebrows.

Gee blushed. "Bet that looked smooth."

Frank shrugged. "Just a little."

An awkward silence settled between them, broken only by Frank sneezing. Twice. 

'Great,' he thought. 'Why don't I just scream into a megaphone that I hate puppies. First the mustache and now I'm sneezing my brains out!'

They passed the cemetery, which was looking like it came from a vintage horror movie in the sunset. Frank looked over at it and shivered, remembering the feeling he'd had earlier. To his horror, Gerard noticed. 

"Scared?" Gee asked, grinning mischievously.

"N-No," Frank stuttered, mentally cursing. Of all the things to be afraid of, why did it have to be a cemetery? "Maybe," he sighed. "It's just... I sometimes get the feeling that someone's watching me." He grimaced. "Is that weird?"

Gerard stiffened for a moment and avoided eye-contact. 'He does think it's weird!' Frank thought, his heart sinking. 'First day after five years and I managed to scare off my best friend!'

"Look," he said, exhaling heavily. "If you want to just ditch me, I wouldn't bla-"

Frank saw Gee take a step closer, and his voice died in his throat. Gee was so close, their noses were almost touching.

"I don't want to ditch you, Frankie," Gerard breathed. "You don't know... I've waited so long..."

Frank thought he was going to drown in the dark pools of hazelish-green that were Gerard's eyes. His lungs wouldn't expand, wouldn't take in air, wouldn't let him breathe...

"Gee?" he asked in a choked whisper. "What are you doing?" 

Gerard closed his eyes and kissed him.

From the second their lips touched, Frank was frozen. It felt as if lightning was moving between them, tying them closer until there wasn't any room left. His eyes were open, but Frank couldn't see anything but the man kissing him, his best friend from long ago, Gee...

His stomach was in knots, his skin alive. He felt the sudden urge to howl, to bare his teeth at anyone who touched him other than Gerard, because he was Gerard's, and Gerard was his...

And Gerard wasn't human.

Frank gasped and pulled away. His heart slammed into his ribs, desperate to escape. He was suddenly aware of everything. His eyes were sharper, his sense of smell stronger, he could run a marathon without getting tired, fight a tiger and never lose.

And Gerard had done it. Somehow Gerard had slipped him a drug or something. While they were at Dairy Queen? During the kiss? Had his best friend drugged him?

Frank felt tears prick his eyes. "Wha-What did you do to me?" he demanded. "Why am I...? What did you do?!"

Gerard backed away, his eyes wide. "I swear, Frank! I didn't mean to! It just... It just happened!"

Frank slapped him, hard, across the face. There was so much force behind the slap that Gerard's head snapped to one side. The cry of pain that came out of Gerard made Frank hate himself, but he was just too angry to apologize.

"YOU BASTARD!" he screamed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

Gerard was crying too now, touching the red handprints on his cheek. "Frank!" he pleaded. "Just listen for a second, okay? It's the damn moon!"

Frank's head snapped up. "What moon?" he snarled. The sky was inky-black, with only a few stars scattered across. 

Gee looked desperate. "It's a new moon! It does things to people!"

Frank knew he was lying. "Good-bye, Gerard!" he snapped, whirling around. He stormed to his front door, feeling torn apart.

'How could Gerard do that to me?' he wondered, swiping angrily at his tears. 'I trusted him! And what does he do? He fucking slips me a drug!'

"Frank..." Gee called weakly. Frank winced at how broken he sounded. He longed to run back, to apologize, to kiss him again.

But he couldn't. He had to be stronger than that. 

So, choking down his sobs, Frank slammed the door shut on Gerard's agonized form in the street.

With every step he took away from Gerard, it felt like Frank was leaving pieces of him behind. It was physically wrong to be angry at Gee, no matter how justified that anger was. 

His parents took one look at him and quickly looked away. Frank felt sick. Was that how bad he looked? He let the tears flow freely now, not caring if anyone saw.

Almost screaming in pain, Frank trudged into his bedroom and shut the door.

That night, Frank was tormented with nightmares. In one, he was walking hand-in-hand with Gee through the cemetery. The moon was full, and Gerard was howling. Wolves surrounded them, adding their voices until Frank was nearly deafened by the eerie sound.

In another, Frank was running through the woods. Men were chasing after him, guns in hand. A brownish-black wolf with black paws and a lighter underbelly was leading him to a lake. Frank skidded to a halt next to the water, not at all surprised when his reflection showed a black wolf with green eyes.

The third one was the worst. In it, Frank was being stalked by a massive gray wolf. He was completely aware of it, but for some reason, his legs wouldn't move. The brownish-black wolf came out of nowhere and launched itself at the gray wolf, only to have its throat ripped out. Frank was forced to stare at those sightless hazel eyes before the gray wolf leapt at him.

When morning came, Frank was exhausted. Although it nearly killed him to do so, he dragged himself out of bed and looked out of his window at the cemetery.

Mikey Way was perched on a headstone, staring at him with anger-filled eyes.

-- HoWL --