we pull apart the dark

chapter five

"Frank, what's going on?"

The question was repeated again meanwhile, the first one still echoed in his head along with what just happened. Gerard wasn't supposed to find out this way, this wasn't supposed to have happened. Frank shut his eyes and began shaking his head, this was all a dream. He couldn't sleep, but maybe he finally began to lose it and was hallucinating this scenario. Made up this person, this friend, and none of this was real.

Only when he opened his eyes again, Frank could see Gerard still standing in front of him. A look of pure confusion on his face, he didn't look scared though. Just worried. For a moment, Gerard thought maybe he had finally cracked, that he had come up with this... Imaginary person to keep him company now that he was alone and still mourning his younger brother. That's why they had so much in common, why he only saw him at the cemetery, a familiar place. And because he wasn't real, he couldn't make any actual contact with him. That made sense, right?

"Frank," Gerard said cautiously once more, reaching a hand out for his friend, watching as the boy flinched away. He sighed, letting his hand drop back at his side. "What is going on?" He just needed an answer, some sort of reassurance that this wasn't all in his head. "I'm not leaving until you answer me."

"I'm sorry." Frank finally spoke up. He had no way out of this and hadn't even thought up an elaborate excuse for this moment. He didn't think this would happen so soon. "It's.. A difficult situation." He murmured under his breath, not wanting to get into it but he knew that Gerard would never drop it now, not like he could blame him. Sitting back down near the marker in the grass that the toad was still occupying from earlier. Sticking a hand out, index finger inching towards the creature and smiling briefly when he acknowledged the boy's presence and turned to face him and wiggle towards his outstretched digit.

Gerard moved to sit beside Frank again, exhaling noisily. "I mean, it's not everyday you can stick your hand through someone." He tried to joke lightly, shrugging and glancing over at his friend. Seriously, this was bizarre. Frank had to give him something. "You gotta give me some answers, man. I'm a little freaked out, yeah. More confused, if anything. But I'm not going to go anywhere."

Groaning, low and frustrated. Frank pulled his knees back to his chest and rested his forehead on his knees with his hands in his hair.

"Would you believe it was a magic trick I learned while you were away?" The boy asked timidly, hiding his face behind his hands again and peeking out between his fingers.

Eyeing Frank, sitting up on his knees and facing him properly now. He just rolled his eyes, laughing a bit. "You'd have to show me a couple more advanced tricks before I believed that. Not once have you mentioned any sort of interest in magic, anyways. So, no."

The boy groaned again, he had no way out of this now. Might as well get it out, it might make things easier if he explained this problem he had.

"You're always wearing the same outfit, too. Every time I see you.. You haven't changed. Not one bit." Gerard continued suddenly, brows furrowing as he came to the realization about how much was... Off about Frank, staring at the ground just past the boy he spoke. How much he hadn't realized was weird and it all stood out to him now. "And you're always here before me, no matter what time I show up. Like you're waiting for me, You don't leave when I do, either. Where do you go? Do you live around the cemetery? Do you even leave?" He began digging deeper with his questions. Questions Frank so badly wished Gerard could just figure out and answer on his own. It seemed so simple, so obvious. How did he not know?

Frank just stared at Gerard helplessly, his expression absolutely pitiful as he continued. "That day it was raining and we met up, you didn't even have a drop on you. I know you said you got here before the rain but it had been drizzling all day, and yet..  Are you even real? What are you, Frank?" His rant finally came to an end, staring at the smaller boy in front of him expectantly, accusingly.