My Chemical One Shot Collection

"C'mon Frank run!" I screamed, reaching for and grabbing his hand to pull him along. We were both panting and out of breath but we couldn't stop running. Our lives depended on it and we both knew it.
"Fuck! I'm almost out of bullets!" Frank yelled, panic clear in every word. I shot him a scared face. I only had six shots left, and those weren't going to last long. We needed to get somewhere safe fast.
"Shoot only if you have too!" I instructed with difficulty due to my lungs burning. I was beginning to regret not going out for track in high school. I mean I had never expected any of this to happen, but still. I guess this was some sick form of karma. Gerard didn't do track? Oh let's throw him into a zombie apocalypse! What really sucks is that I use to be obsessed with this kinda stuff. Zombies, vampires, werewolves, you name it. Now it just made me sick.
The moans of the dead got louder behind us and we pushed ourselves to run faster. We weren't going to last for much longer. We had been running too hard for far too long. If we didn't find shelter soon we were going to get bit and turned. I'd seen it happen before to everyone I loved. Mikey, my parents, Ray, Bob, Lindsey. All of them were gone now. All I had left was Frank.
Out of nowhere a zombie appeared and jumped on Frank, knocking him to the ground. He cried out and I rushed over, pulling out my hunting knife and driving it through the back of its skull. It collapsed, dead once more on top of Frank who had become frozen in shock.
"Frank c'mon!" I knocked the zombies corpse to the side and pulled him off the ground. He shook his head, trying to shake off the shock and looked at me slightly dazed. "You good?" I asked gripping his shoulders and looking him in the eyes. He slowly nodded. "Good, good, good," I mumbled. "Now let's get out of here."
We took off running once more. It seemed like this was all our lives were anymore, just running. I suppose in a way it was. Running from the undead. Running from the memories of loved ones. Running towards any future there might be.
"I...think we lost...them," Frank panted out five minutes later, sinking down against a brick wall until he was sitting. I joined him, neither of us speaking, just trying to catch our breath. We were currently located in some nameless city. Usually we tried to stay away from any cities, but we were running low on supplies. Unfortunately there were a lot more zombies than we had been counting on, leading to us running frantically for our lives.
"We need to keep moving." I stood up as I spoke, adjusting the straps on the backpack I wore. My whole life now filled that backpack, and I felt a wave of nostalgia as I remembered my room back home. It had been filled with CD's, comic books, and countless drawings of mine and art supplies. None of that had been brought with me in this new world, with its new ways of living; bring only what you need to survive. Since you can't kill a zombie with a Doom Patrol comic, it had to stay.
Frank simply nodded, looking up at me with weary saddened hazel eyes, like he knew something that I didn't. His clothes were ripped and blood spattered, matching his dirt covered face. Even with all of this though I still thought he was the most beautiful man in the world. I guess at the moment that wouldn't be the best comment, but it's the thought that counts.
I gripped his hand and pulled him up. He stumbled to his feet and he locked eyes with me, his starting to fill with tears.
"Shh Frankie," I soothed, placing my hand on his cheek and stepping closer to him. "We'll find some place to stop for the night and you can talk to me then alright?" He brought his hand up to meet mine and I leaned in and kissed him on the lips. I pulled away far too soon. "We need to keep moving for now," I reminded him gently. He nodded and we took off running once more.
It took us two more hours, and nearly all of our bullets to get outside the city and find a place to stay. It was an old abandoned barn a couple of miles out of the city limits. The whole thing was painted a teal color that was fading and peeling. The roof had a gap in it, letting sunlight stream down into it, helping to light the inside. Besides the overall appearance of it, it did seem like it was rather sturdy and would do for the night.
I pushed the heavy wood door open and we entered, too tired to speak. The inside contained a couple of empty stalls, some hay, and a loft. I motioned tiredly with my hand in the direction of the ladder to the loft and Frank nodded. He walked over and began to climb up with me right behind.
It was a well known fact that zombies couldn't climb, so the loft was a perfect place for us to spend the night. It was warm and isolated with hay, and up far enough that no zombies could reach us. That meant that we could both sleep tonight and not have to worry about shifts.
"How many bullets do you have left?" I asked breaking the silence and checking my own. Frank pulled out his ammo clip and studied it for a second before reloading it into his handgun.
"One," Came his grim reply. I looked at him hopelessly.
"One," I responded jerking my head towards my own gun. His eyes widened and then filled with tears. I rushed over and pulled him into a hug.
"Shh calm down Frankie. We'll figure out something. It'll be okay," I promised rocking him back and forth. He clung to me and sobbed into my chest.
"Gerard...I'm not gonna make it," He whispered into my worn beaten down t-shirt. I hugged him tighter.
"Don't talk like that ever! Of course you're gonna make it! I promise you-"
"Gerard stop!" He yelled suddenly startling me. His words though angry, proved to be nothing, as his eyes held a sad tortured look. He grabbed my hands and looked me in the eyes as he said each heart breaking word. "I'm. Not. Going. To. Make. It."
I looked at him in confusion. He sighed sadly and pulled his hands away from mine, placing them instead on the hem of his shirt. He took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut before pulling it up, exposing the pale flesh underneath.
A small gash ran across his stomach. In the old world this would have meant a band aid and a kiss on the cheek. But in this new frightening and terrible world it meant death in the worst possible way. I felt my eyes tear up as I looked at him, my heart plummeting in my chest.
"Y-you g-g-got...bit." My vision clouded as I choked on the words. Seconds later they tumbled freely down my cheeks. Not Frank. Not him. Losing Frank had been a nightmare of mine ever since we started dating in the old world. Of course it had taken a new form in the past year, but it had always been there. And now it was coming true. I was gonna lose him from my life forever.
"I-I'm so sorry Gerard!" He cried out falling forward in my arms and sobbing. I cried with him, the impact of how little time I had left with him fully hitting me. Once a person got bitten they had forty eight hours to live. Frank's time left had been limited to two days.
"I'm scared Gerard. So scared. I don't wanna leave you!" He confessed. I hugged him and kissed his forehead. There wasn't much I could say or do. We both knew that nothing was going to change the inevitable, no matter how hard we tried. I could only hold him closely as we cried together.
~~~
"Gee you're staring at that new kid again," Mikey pointed out nudging me playfully, "I think you have a crush on him."
I felt my cheeks burn as I tried to brush off his teasing and return to my lunch. We were in the cafeteria for our lunch period. The new kid, I didn't know his name yet, was standing in the middle of the crowded cafeteria trying to find a place to sit. I would call him over, but I was too shy. Mikey smirked at me knowingly and waved at the kid, catching his attention. The kid's eyes widened and he glanced behind him before pointing at himself as if asking me? Mikey nodded and waved him over. The boy grinned and began to approach our table.
He sat down gingerly across from me, almost afraid that if he moved to quickly he would scare us off.
"Hi, I'm Frank. Frank Iero." He blushed and looked down shyly. He really was cute. His hair was cut short and dyed black, with one strip of fringe hanging down over his right eye. He had a lip ring that he played with which I was pretty sure was a nervous habit. He was short, a couple of inches below me, but it only made him cuter in my opinion. There were two things about him though that really fascinated me though. One was his striking hazel eyes. They were the kind of eyes that caught you attention and stuck out. I loved them. The second was the tattoos that he had littered across his arms and fingers. He even had two on his neck. I was terrified of needles so I would never get any tattoos or piercings, but Frank's fascinated me. They were like miniature works of art on him, and they seemed to fit him perfectly.
I guess I had been staring at him for too long because Mikey cleared his throat and elbowed me. I let out a small gasp at the gesture, but soon blushed bright red.
"Oh uh, nice to meet you Frank. I'm Gerard, or Gee as some people call me." I wiped my clammy hands on my pants, trying to relax myself. Mikey had been right. I had a crush on a kid who's name I had just learned thirty seconds ago.
Mikey stood up to leave, about to leave me and Frank alone. I looked up at him terrified and he just smirked. "You'll thank me later," He bent down to whisper in my ear. Straightening back up he grinned at Frank.
"Nice meeting you Frank! Sorry I have to leave so soon. I have to go talk to the math teacher" Bullshit he does. Then he walked over to Frank's side of the table and whispered in his ear, causing him to turn an even brighter shade of red and look at me wide eyed before staring at his lap. Mikey simply laughed and walked away to dump the rest of his lunch.
"What did he say?" I asked, only half wanting to know the answer. He glanced up at me nervously, fiddling with his napkin.
"He uh...he...well..." He gulped and blushed again. I swear this kid blushed a lot, but it was adorable. I chuckled at his slight awkwardness though.
"It's okay you can say it. Mikey says lots of stuff that may or may not be true. Any which way I won't mind," I told him honestly. He sighed but seemed to take it as encouragement.
"He said you're gay..." His gaze went straight to the table while I choked on my food. That little shit that I call a brother.
"He what?" I choked out feeling the blood rush for my face. Frank look up startled and seemed to regret saying anything.
"No! No! It's okay! I don't believe him!" He reassured me, thinking that that was the reason for my reaction. I saw a look flash across his eyes as he apologized, maybe...disappointment. I rubbed my neck awkwardly.
"No it's not that..." I mumbled and he looked confused. "Mikey was right, I just didn't think that would come up in first meeting that's all," I explained nervously, sending Frank small glances to see if he was okay with it.
"Oh...Oh!" Realization dawned across Frank's face and it lit up with a smile. "Well so am I so it's okay." I mentally fangirled at the information, but on the outside I kept my cool. Well I would've but I honestly didn't have any cool to keep. I just smiled at him softly, a gesture in which he returned.
The bell rang suddenly, dragging us out of the little bubble that we had created without meaning too. I stood up grabbing my tray while Frank mirrored my actions.
"What class do you have now?" I asked letting my food slide off the plastic tray and into the garbage.
"Uh, art," He said looking over his schedule. I grinned.
"Cool, I have the same class!" He grinned and we began walking towards it together. And my heart jumped every time his hand brushed against mine.
That had been the first time I met Frank. I remembered being so annoyed with Mikey at first. But he was right, as usual, because in the end I did end up thanking him. The little bastard was so smug about it too.
"What are you thinking about?" Frank asked from his position, curled up in my lap. I kissed his forehead and rubbed circles on his back.
"I was thinking about when we first met in the school cafeteria." I told him. He laughed weakly, remembering the day.
"I still remember Mikey whispering in my ear that you were gay, and inside I was doing like a happy dance." Frank's eyes took a dreamy look to them as he recalled the memory. It was short lived and they regained their sad hopeless look again.
"I miss those times," He told me playing with a hole in my shirt. "When we didn't have to fight for our lives on a daily basis, and the worst thing to defend ourselves from were bullies and homophobes." I sighed and rested my head against his.
"I know Frankie I miss it too. I miss having movie nights with pizza and sneaking kisses when we thought Mikey wasn't looking, and laughing when he caught us." Frank nodded, a smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"We were gonna start a band remember? Just you, me, Mikey, Ray. and Bob. All five of us out on the road making music." He paused for a second before looking up at me with pleading eyes. "Sing for me? One last time?" I felt tears prick my eyes again.
"I'll sing to you all night if you want," I promised kissing him on the lips. We kissed for a minute before I pulled away and began to sing one of the songs we wrote.
So long to all my friends
Everyone of them met tragic ends
With every passing day
I'd be lying if I didn't say
That I miss them all tonight
And if they only knew
What I would say
If I
Could be with you tonight
I would sing you to sleep
Never let them take the light behind your eyes
One day I'll lose this fight
As we fade in the dark
Just remember you will always burn as bright
I sang the entire song with Frank as my audience. He listened to the whole thing, his jaw agape and his eyes wide. I finished singing and looked at him nervously, a slight blush playing across my cheeks.
"Fuck Gee! That was amazing!" He leaped forward and engulfed me in a hug, causing shivers to run up my spine at his touch. I eagerly hugged him back. "Did you write it for someone?" He asked curiously pulling away from me. I almost whined at the loss of contact.
"Uh...well yeah," I admitted running a hand through my hair, a nervous habit I had. Frank noticed and he prodded me in the side with his pointer finger.
"C'mon just tell me!" He pleaded, a mishivous gleam to his eyes. "Is it for someone you like?" My face lit up tomato red and he laughed in glee. "Who is he?!"
i shook my head vehemently not wanting to come out and confess my huge crush on him.
"I swear I won't tell a soul," He crossed his heart and held out a pinky finger. I laughed.
"You're being childish," I told him. He crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at me.
"Well so are you!" He pouted. "Acting all like a little school girl and refusing to tell me who you like." He suddenly brightened. "If I tell you will you tell me?" My stomach twisted at the thought. I didn''t want to know what guy he liked that wasn't me.
"Um-"
"Okay deal!" He gave me a smirk and I glared at him. "I like this guy he has black hair, an amazing personality, is really talented, and is really hot" I wrinkled my nose and he stared at me shyly.
"Pete Wentz?" He let out an exasperated sigh and I looked at him annoyed. "What it was a fair guess!" I defended myself.
"Yeah, sure whatever. You're so slow!" He threw his hands up in the air before pacing back and forth in front of me, confusing me. Suddenly he stopped short and looked me with a calculating face. He seated himself back on the floor in front of me on my stool and rested his head in his hands.
"We're friends right?" He asked out of nowhere. I frowned slightly, wondering where this was going.
"Yes...?"
"Best friends," He corrected himself. I nodded still confused. He turned silent again and studied the floor. "Would you ever leave me for something I did?" His eyes were glued to my carpet and I couldn't read the emotion behind them.
"No of course not!" Why would he even ask that?
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"Okay then..." He stood up and crashed his lips to mine. I made a startled noise and pulled away in surprise, falling off my stool. I sat on the floor for a couple of seconds, dazed and wondering what just happened. It took me a second to register the crestfallen Frank above me.
"I better go," He whispered his eyes tearing up. He turned to leave but I grabbed his leg, slowly hauling myself up.
"No wait." I stood up and faced him, placing my hand on his cheek. "I like you, I really do. The song was meant for you. You just kinda surprised me there. I wasn't quite prepared for that." I chuckled nervously and he met my eyes, hazel on hazel.
"You mean it?" He asked timidly, as if afraid I was lying. Instead of replying I leaned down and kissed him. The kiss turned heated within seconds, and we soon had to pull away for breath. He laughed then and hugged me closer. "I guess you did."
I awoke to Frank whimpering and crying in his sleep. He had fallen asleep in my arms not long after I had started singing, and I was quick to follow. I gently nudged him to wake him up. His eyes flew open and he sat up gasping. He turned to look at me, his pupils dilated and his mouth opened in a silent cry. He flung himself on me and began sobbing into my shoulder.
"I don't wanna die Gee. I don't want to go! I'm not ready!" I felt my heart breaking as he sobbed, and I wished with all my heart that I could trade places with him. But I couldn't. I couldn't even tell him that everything was going to be alright. Instead I grabbed his hand and squeezed it three time. I. Love. You.
"Gerard..." His voice was oddly calm all the sudden, and it worried me slightly. He also had this faraway look in his eyes, and when he turned to look at me, I knew he wasn't actually seeing me. "In my dream I was one of them. I was tearing you apart and eating you. And you were just crying out and begging me to stop and that you loved me. But I couldn't stop, and I watched as you slowly died because of me and-" His voice cracked and he began crying once more.
"Frankie it was only a dream." My voice cracked as well, but I tried to keep it together for him. I could only imagine what was going through his head right now. He was going to die within a matter of hours and there was nothing I could do to save him. He must be terrified right now. I know I was.
"But it'll be real soon! We both know what happens when you get bit. You die but then you come back to life as one of them and you feed off of people!" He was looking at me desperately.
"Frank-"
"No listen. I know it's selfish of me, but when the time comes I want you to use one of the bullets on me. Please Gerard. If you love me don't let me turn!" He pleaded with me. My heart crumbled and I kissed him hard before pulling away in tears.
"Frankie...I don't know if I can," I cried.
"Please Gerard. You have to. Don't let me be like them! I want my last thoughts about you to be how much I love you, not that I'm going to kill you!" I felt my soul shatter as he sat before me, begging me to end his life before the infection did. I imagined myself in his place, knowing what I would do to innocent people. Slowly I felt myself nodding, agreeing to help end him, the only boy I have ever loved.
"Thank you," He said quietly.
"On one condition." He glanced up at me. "You use the other bullet on me. We pull the trigger at the same time." He gasped.
"Gee no!" I grabbed his hands in mine and pulled them into my lap. I only let go for a second to brush away the tears on his cheek.
"Frank Anthony Iero, I am in love with you. I have been for a while. You keep me alive, and without you I see no point in living. There is nothing out there for me. All I have left is you, and if you're gone, I'm afraid to walk this world alone. If you go down we both go down, because I don't want to live a day in this world, or the old world without you." He gasped out a sob, but kept his eyes connected to mine.
"Okay..." He consented sadly. "We both go down." I had just limited my own time left on this world, but strangely I felt relieved. Living a moment without Frank had been a terrifying idea.
"I love you Gee," He whispered still crying softly.
"I love you too Frankie,"
~~~
"We should come up with some way to say I love you like during class so that we don't get made fun of or laughed at," Frank suggested. We were at a park near my house. The sun had set not too long ago, but long enough for the stars to come out and shine brightly above us. We were laying down in the soft grass on our backs, eyes toward the sky, fingers linked together.
I pursed my lips. "Like what?" I asked. He frowned, thinking to himself.
"I don't know. Something." We both knew that we weren't embarrassed by each other, but rather afraid to show affection in public. Both of us were bullied on a daily basis, and there was no need to go make it worse by coming out as gay. Graduation was coming up soon, and after that we would go public. Until then only us and our families knew.
"Uh maybe like a code word?" I suggested lamely. He shrugged.
"We'll think of something," He assured me, squeezing my hand.
"Wait a second..." I mused. I experimented, squeezing his hand three times, one time for each word. He looked confused at first but then he picked up on it, and a huge grin spread across his face.
"Aah Gee! It's perfect! And if we can't hold hands we can tap it out!" He leaned towards me and kissed me.
"Come on now," I teased pulling away and smiling at him. "We're here for the view of the stars."
"The only view I need is you," He grinned down on me from where he had moved on my chest so that he was lying on top of me.
"Oh you're a cheesy motherfucker." I giggled and pulled his lips back down to mine.
"Gerard!" Frank cried out suddenly and squirmed out of my arms. He looked up at me with frightened eyes. "I can feel it coming. It's time." He looked so scared that I just wanted to take him in my arms and shelter him and protect him.
"Okay Frankie. It's okay." I hugged him tightly as we both began to softly cry again. I stood after a moment and went to go find the guns. They were where we left them by the bags. I gingerly picked them up off the floor and carried them back over to Frank. He was trembling and staring at the floor. I lifted his chin up with my thumb and forefinger so that he would meet my comforting glance. We just stared at each other for a moment before he shivered and pulled his gaze away.
"It's gonna sound so sick, but I'm glad you're coming with me," He whispered guiltily. "I'm a little less afraid now if you're by my side."
"It's not sick Frankie. And I'll be with you always till the end. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you and I can't imagine not being with you. There's so much I wish I could say to you but I don't have the words to express myself. You're beautiful and amazing and I'm so glad I met you."
"Gee I love you so much it hurts. And as much as I wish it didn't have to end now, I'm glad that you're here with me." We leaned in and kissed before I got an idea.
"Frank this is a new world. We get to make the rules. So I'm asking you now. Frank Anthony Iero. I love you with all my being. I know this is not ideal whatsoever, but will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me? Our world our rules, all you have to say is I do." He stared at me with so many emotions in his eyes; love, fear, and even a bit of hope.
"I do," He whispered softly.
"So do I." I leaned in and kissed him again, trying to show him how much I loved him without words.
"We're married," He whispered in awe. "Frank Way..."
"Even in death we won't part," I promised. As if on cue he lurched.
"Gee it's time." I nodded and handed him his gun. He gripped it in his hand and grabbed my hand in his other. We moved so that we were kneeling across from each other, our knees touching. We raised the guns to the opposites temples. I leaned in for a final kiss. All of our sorrow and pain and love seemed to be communicated in that moment.
"I love you Gee," Frank cried out, tears streaming down both of our faces.
"I love you too Frankie. Forever and always." I whispered back against his lips. "Three squeezes?" I asked. He nodded, understanding what I meant. We leaned it one final time, deciding simultaneously to go down kissing.
Three squeezes.
I.
Love.
You.

We both pulled the triggers.

Notes

What. Did. I. Do....
I'm gonna admit it now, I cried while writing this. I feel really kinda sad now...