"You'll bring me the Killjoys, dead or alive!" Spat Korse as he pushed the Draculoid out of his way. "I need Ghoul to have fun with." He cackled.
"Yes sir." Saluted the Draculoid before he marched out of the room, leaving Korse alone with his thoughts. He played with some buttons on his screen before a taping of his time with Fun Ghoul came up on the screen, the screams turning Korse on. Korse dropped his pants as sat at he desk, stroking himself as he watched what he did to Ghoul, the screams of agony music to his ears. Korse threw his head back as he came, whoreish moans leaving his lips.

---

Gerard grabbed his gun and placed in the holster strapped to his thigh. Ray and Mikey stood either side of him, looks of horror on their faces. "What happened?" Ray shouted. "What the fuck did you do Gerard?"
"I didn't do anything. I tried to explain but he didn't listen. It's not my fault he wants to kill himself."
"No, but it's your fault you let it get that far, that's why you're going into the zones while Frank's back there fighting for his life." Mikey ranted, his eyes on his older brother.
"I thought Damon stopped him." Gerard whispered.
"Yeah, sure, like Damon is gonna babysit him when you're the one that got everyone into this mess!" Ray yelled. "Now go and get the fucking medical supplies because I will not stand by and watch Frank die while you mope about like a twat!"
"Look I didn't know he was gonna slice his arms open did I? I didn't know he was gonna force any chemicals he could get his hands on down his throat! I didn't know he wanted to die, not really." Gerard yelled, his voice fading off towards the end.
"He does though Gerard, so you better go and get those supplies so you can tell him why he has to stay with us." Mikey reasoned, glaring at Ray for being insensitive.

---

"Is he gonna be okay?" Damon asked as he stood next to Frank's bed, one hand in Frank's, the other clutching Missiles.
"I don't know Damon. I just know that he's killing himself, and not just physically. Everything he's hiding in his mind is tearing him apart and he won't be himself much longer." Doctor Death Defying explained as he stuck another needle in Frank's arm, taping it in place as he attached it to a tube of key medicines. "He might not even wake up, not if his mind is that broken."
"He has to. Is there anything we can do to help him?" Damon asked as he watched Missile, her hand reaching out to scratch her bandages.
"Frank has to talk about whatever is bothering him and if he doesn't, he will die."

Damon nodded as he let go of their hands and left the room, walking slowly to the main room of the diner. Ray and Mikey were stood in the center, in the middle of a heated discussion when he walked in, their heads shooting up when he cleared his throat. "Gerard's gone to get medical supplies."
"Alone?" Damon asked, cocking his eyebrow at Mikey.
"No. He took Evangeline with him." Mikey replied.
"Good. It gives me a chance to say what I need to say." Damon paused and motioned for them both to sit down. "Dr D doesn't think Frank'll wake up. He thinks this is it because whatever he has in his mind is forcing him to give up. He reckons that if Frank does wake up, he won't be the same. Basically, if he does wake up, we have to force him to talk because he can't go on like this, killing himself because it's not just himself he's hurting. If he doesn't wake up, which is looking like the reality at the minute, then we have to prepare ourselves for that, and that doesn't mean blaming Gerard, okay?" Ray and Mikey both nodded, their faces grim.
"We'll do whatever needs to be done." Mikey promised.

---

Gerard gunned it down the main street of battery city, his hands tight on the wheel and Evangeline made sure that they had all the medical supplies they needed. "We've got em." She said as she aimed her gun out of the window, shooting at a Drac who decided to get too close to the car.
"We have everything we need to save him?" Gerard asked, making sure she checked the bag again, not risking anything.
"It depends what's wrong with him, but yeah." Evangeline sighed.
"Good." Gerard whispered as they settled into silence, the only noise being the engine and the squeal of the tires on hot tarmac every time Gerard turned a corner.

"Why do you care if he lives or dies?" Evangeline asked out of the blue. Gerard looked at her, his eyes hard as he worked out best to reply.
"Because he's the best soldier we have." He replied.
"You liar." She stated. "That's not why you care. I can tell."
"Why do you care why I care?" Gerard snapped, wrenching the wheel to the left as a rock appeared in their path.
"Because you're my leader, I don't want you to be fucked up." Evangeline sassed.
"I care because he is one of my best friends and I did this to him." Gerard explained. "That's why I care. Because I'm trying to show I'm human."
"And you love him." She pointed out. Gerard glared at her again, his jaw set. "What?" She asked shrugging her shoulders. "It's obvious you do."
"I don't." Gerard replied bluntly, turning his eyes back to the road.
"Don't lie, you wouldn't have played tonsil hockey otherwise."
"I'm not lying. I don't love him."
"Really?"
"Nope, don't love him. Not one bit of love." Gerard responded as he pulled up outside the diner.
"You can delude yourself and maybe ever Frank, but everyone else can see it." Evangeline chuckled as she grabbed the bag and climbed from the car, leaving Gerard to stew in his thoughts.

He walked into the diner, straight past everyone else and into Dr D's office. "Is he okay?" were the first words out of his mouth, further cementing Evangeline's ideas.
"I've already said this to Damon, and I'll say it to you." He stated. "It doesn't look like he's going to wake up. He is going through some pretty bad emotional trauma which is making his brain shut down. That, coupled with the physical pain he put himself through, is lowering his chances of survival. If Frank ever does wake up, he needs to talk about what's locked up in his head otherwise it will kill him."
"Thanks." Gerard whispered as he sat next to Frank.
"Do you want some time with him?" Dr D asked. Gerard nodded, waiting until he had left the room before opening his mouth.
"You are worth it. You will always be worth it." Gerard whispered. "If you don't want me to say it, then I won't, but I mean it Frank. I really do. You have to wake up because everyone needs you. I need you Frank. The kiss wasn't just because I wanted to know what it felt like, it's because I really wanted to. I have wanted to kiss you for god knows how long. I just... I didn't realize it would affect you this way." He reached out and grabbed Frank's hand, running his skin over the pale skin. "I don't want you to die Frankie. I can't let it happen. I would trade places with you in a second if it meant you got to live because I care so much about you and I just want you to open your eyes." Gerard took a deep breath, tears splashing onto the grubby bed linen covering Frank's body. "You can't leave. I lose everyone I care about and losing you would just be like the final nail in my coffin. If you died, it would prove to me how much of a failure I am. Don't leave me Frankie."

---

Korse raised his head when a Drac walked in the room, confusion spreading across his features when he saw him pants round his ankles, his hand and thighs coated in his own cum. "What happened?" He asked the Drac who kept their eyes averted.
"You, uh, watched the tapes from your session earlier." The Draculoid replied.
"Oh." Korse whispered as he pulled his pants up, not even bothering to clean himself off, wiping his hand down the pant leg as he climbed to his feet. "What news do you have for me?"
"Party Poison and and unknown Killjoy were spotted stealing medical supplies from Battery City hospital. It seems one of their ranks has been poisoned, maybe even dying from the amount they had taken." The Draculoid explained.
"Was there any indication as to which Killjoy is ill?" Korse questioned.
"No sir. Not unless you look at the fact that Fun Ghoul is usually with Party Poison when he comes into the city."
"Thank you." Korse said. "You are dismissed."

---

Mikey sat down next to his brother, brushing the hair out of his face as he slept. "He's awake Gee." Mikey muttered. "He said to tell you that he could never hate you, but this is goodbye. I'm sorry Gerard." Mikey wiped a tear out from under his eye as he waited for his brother to wake, to ask if the words he spoke were true, knowing that he would break his heart when he said they were. Mikey knew that Gerard would hate him for relaying the words, but he knew it was safer for Mikey to do it, instead of someone else doing it. "He said to say he was sorry that he couldn't say it himself Gerard."
"He'll wake up." Gerard muttered in a breathless, sleepy whisper. "He has to."
"Gerard, that's just it. He is awake, but he doesn't want to be. He said it was goodbye."
"I won't let him go." Gerard whispered as he sat up. "I can't let him go."

Gerard skidded to a stop in the doorway of Dr D's room just as Frank was discussing with him ways of making it painless. "No!" Gerard shouted.
"I'm sorry Gerard." Frank whispered, refusing to meet his gaze.
"No, I'm fucking sorry, now look at me." Gerard ordered, his hands on his hips. "Frank Anthony Iero, you look at me right this second!" Frank's head snapped round, a scowl on his lips.
"Can't you accept that I just want to die Gerard, that's it. I just want to die." Frank muttered.
"No. I can't accept that. Do you want to know why? Because everyone cares about you. You have saved our asses so many times that I can't let you give up."
"Gerard, shut the fuck up and listen to me for once in your life. Listen to what I want." Frank paused, wincing as Doctor D pulled a needle free of his skin. "I want to die, no-one can fucking deny that, everyone knows. This isn't how I want to go though. I thought it was how I wanted to die, but it isn't. I want to die protecting people I care about. I want to die when I take down Korse, blowing his fucking brains out when I die because he's hurt everyone I care about. So yes, I want to die, but I want to do it like a hero."
"Frank..." Gerard began, unsure of what to say.
"No Gerard. Piss off. I don't want to talk to you right now, I just want you to leave me alone because then there's no hope of you kissing me again." Frank snapped, turning to face Dr D again.

Notes