Danger Days: Before Infamy (Frerard)

Chapter 4: Shadows Aren't Real

        Dinner was, of course, even better than it smelled. Which was not surprising, but became disconcerting when considering the sheer amount of spaghetti a single person (Frank) could consume in one sitting. Frank himself had no problem with this, it was hard to be troubled with health after spending so much time starving. He knew he was underweight, and that just made the food in front of him all the more enticing. His body was bloated and aching from the drastic switch in gears, it would take him a while to settle from fight or flight mode.

Frank made sure to thank Cola, and everyone else at the table, profusely for cooking dinner and in general being so accommodating of him. He couldn't help but feel like deadweight here, but these people tried their best to counteract that while at the same time caring for him far better than he had ever cared for himself. And it wasn't even a struggle for them, they just took him in stride with a pat on the back. If Frank believed in miracles, this would surely have been one, but he didn't and similarly he didn't believe he deserved such a miracle. However, someone surely did, and maybe if he believed in a God he would say as such. But he didn't.

Midway through dinner, the front door flew open. The surprised looks on the faces around Frank told him he wasn't the only one in the dark about this new arrival. A figure sauntered into the room, slinging a backpack off their shoulder and tossing it into the nearest corner. Within the span of a second, the three surrounding Frank at the table had wide smiles on their faces.

"Look who finally decided to grace us with their presence," D said, focusing on the figure. Whoever it was had moved closer, throwing their hood off and leaning against the door frame, crossing their legs over one another. They wore an odd combination of clothing that had Frank's head spinning. A black windbreaker lay unzipped over what looked like a white crop top matched to white leggings with blue polka dots. It was quite the look, one that was intent on making its wearer the center of attention.

The person had short black hair and apparent eyeliner draw poorly under their eyes. They stood casually, a smirk playing on their lips. The self confidence was blatantly obvious, though not entirely obnoxious. They looked slowly around the room, eyes at last landing on Frank and eyebrows raising significantly. Their gaze moved to Cola, then narrowed at Gerard.

"This is Ghoul. Newest member of the family," Gerard said on his behalf. Show Pony opened their mouth, then shut it once more before nodding. They turned suddenly and left the room, returning a moment later dragging a chair in tow. They swung the chair up next to Gerard, then grabbed a plate of spaghetti and sat down, shoveling food down with a rate comparable to Frank's.

"So, where ya stayin' then, Ghoul?"

"Uh, well, for now I was just keepin' my stuff in Gerard's room." Frank glanced at Gerard briefly, noticing the secret smile on his lips. Show made a noise of acknowledgment and continued to eat. From there things began to pick up once again as everyone caught up and Show relayed the details of their trip. Soon enough, everyone had finished and it was late into the night. Cola stood up and stretched, reaching to take everyone's plates.

"I believe we're done here, it's getting late, and I'm sure Show over here is tuckered out," he said to the group. Gerard led Frank and Show back into their small home. Frank looked about through half-lidded eyes, all the socializing of the night making him sleepy. Show called out a 'good night' to them and walked straight into their room, closing the door behind them without a second look. Gerard noticed how tired Frank looked and laughed.

"You ok there, Frankie?" Frank nodded and yawned, reaching one hand up to wipe his eyes. Gerard took that as a cue to pull him by the arm into their bedroom. Frank changed into his baggy white shirt mindlessly and slipped into bed without a single thought. His head had just hit the pillow when he heard Gerard's voice.