sleep tight {frerard}

Chapter 6

"Okay, are you good?" Ellie asked, standing in the door way. Frank was laying in their guest bed, a glass of water on the bed side table next to him. This was probably the best he'd been taken care of in years.

When Frank had arrived at Ellie's house, he was greeted by a mildly distressed woman questioning his appearance at her house. Apparently telling her wife about Frank's arrival had 'slipped her mind'.

"I'm not sure how long he'll be staying, but he needs a home!" Frank heard Ellie cry from the kitchen.

"You realize this is illegal, right? We can't keep him for long, and once someone reports him as missing, we'll be held accountable," Lucy, Ellie's wife, had hissed.

"As always, you have to be logical and a downer." Ellie huffed, and Frank remembered imagining her crossing her arms in annoyance.

"I'm not a downer, I'm right! This is absolutely insane, we can't just house a fucking runaway child. You know I love Frank, but this is crazy," Lucy snapped. Frank had been unsure how to feel; happy because Lucy said she loved him, or dissapointed because he knew she was correct?

"Lucy, we can't just make him leave after he got here. He lives in an abusive and neglectful household with nowhere to go. We can't just- just send him out to live on the streets!" Ellie argued. Frank had felt the tension surging throughout the household, but it snapped with a sigh.

"Fine. He can stay here for a couple of nights, just until he finds somewhere permanent to stay."

The lights were off now in the stuffy, silent guest bedroom. The glass of water was still and untouched, and the soft light of a streetlamp seeped through the window from behind the shades. It was supposed to rain that night, Frank had checked earlier, but so far it hadn't come.

He was so used to the silhouette of a scraggly tree outside, but there was nothing there. It had only been a few hours and he as already homesick.

He was so fucking pathetic. Missing a mother who hit him, missing a home he didn't belong in. He should be greatful for Ellie and Lucy's hospitality. Thankful he has a bed to sleep in and someone to get him a glass of water.

Frank supposed coming to Ellie's house made him realize just how much he had missed out on as a child. He always had to get his own water, tuck himself in and sing himself to sleep. Grow up too fast.

Frank was so tired of growing up. He just wanted someone to take care of him for once, so he could finally just fucking rest.

💀🔪💀🔪💀🔪💀🔪

Gerard arrived at Frank's house. All the lights were off, but he could see the flickering of a television in an upstairs room. He knew that wasn't Frank's room, however, so Gerard assumed it was his mothers.

Stealthily circling to the back of the house, he located Frank's window. He began to scale the the tree next to the house and, once he reached the window, tapped on it with his knife three times.

There was no response, as expected, so Gerard began to open the window. He was surprised to find it was unlocked, not that it would have been a problem for Gerard to unlock it.

He clambered into Frank's room, only to be greeted with emptiness.

Something was missing, and it wasn't just the boy. Gerard narrowed his eyes on Frank's closet and threw it open.