And One thing Lead To Another

“Just be conscious of it Mikes. If anyone sees it, they’ll freak!”

“Jesus Christ Gerard, would you calm down? The wrist bands are thick as. No one is gonna see the bite, alright?” Mikey was beginning to get sick of his older brother’s anxiety over the subject. It didn't really help, especially not at the mention of the wristbands. Bands he had bought for his brother for playing the bass guitar, not to hide injuries he'd inflicted upon his younger brother!

Gerard would be holding Mikey’s shoulders to get his point across if he wasn’t driving, but that didn’t stop him from inspecting Mikey’s arm.

“Fuck, are those bruises?” He exclaimed, his wide eyes staring at Mikey’s arm.

Mikey looked down at his forearm and spied the newly formed bruises left by Gerard’s long fingers. “Yeah, probably,” the younger Way shrugged nonchalantly, “no one is going to care Gerard. Pete isn’t observant. You know that.” Mikey looked over at his brother and did a double take when he realised Gerard still wasn’t watching the road. “Eye’s on the road, ass!”

Gerard flicked his eyes back on the direction of travel, swerving around someone opening their car door.

“Sorry. God, I'm so sorry,” Gerard mumbled in a small voice.

"For the millionth time Gerard, it's fine. It doesn't even hurt that much."

Gerard grimaced and turned to apologise again, but Mikey knew exactly what his brother was going to say and shut him up with a warning look.

Gerard looked back at the road, “Are you sure Pete won’t notice?” He asked quietly.

Pete had been Mikey’s only friend since middle school. Mikey said he didn't care, everyone else in the grade was just a chapter in his life that would soon have no impact on him. Why should it bother him that his only buddy was Pete? That and, not that he would ever admit it, but he had trust issues. However, Gerard suspected that it did bother Mikey from time to time, but he was proud of his younger brother because he stuck with the friend that mattered.

Pete was a different kid, always cracking a joke. Mikey was grateful to have him as a friend. Not only was the boy easy to talk to, but his ignorance, something that annoyed most people meant he didn’t suspect a thing or even get weirded out at home around Gerard and Frank.
It wasn’t their fault, it was just as if being supernatural meant people seemed to be more on edge around them. That was Mikey’s theory anyway. Gerard suspected it was because he was technically a predator and put human’s fight or flight setting on high alert, even if it was subconscious.

“No, of course not Pete won't notice. You’ve met the guy,” Mikey chuckled.

“Well, what’re your teachers going to think when they see those? They know you don't get in fights at school. They know you live with me...” Gerard trailed off, thinking about all the ways today could turn into a disaster.

They’d arrived in the school carpark and had more than a few stares. The white 1978 Pontiac Trans Am was sure to turn heads itself, but Gerard’s driving would do that in any car.

He wasn’t a bad driver, on the contrary, he knew how to do many manoeuvres that would make even the fastest of rev-heads in town stare. Many thought it was because he was ignorant. Some said he didn't know what he was doing. Sure, Gerard hadn't initially, but he hadn't had to worry about getting hurt - one of the few perks of becoming a vampire. How did he learn to these manoeuvres? Well, let’s just say he got really good at “borrowing” working cars from the junkyard. Hey, the cars were sentenced to a crushing, no one would care if it was a crashing instead. Besides, being a vampire meant he could concentrate on multiple things at once perfectly.

So yes, him driving into the school carpark and parking flawlessly in the student lot, only slightly slowing down off the street, turns heads. You’d expect someone to crash into him, but he always seemed to time it exceptionally. This time, however, he hadn’t slowed down at all and had come to a screeching stop in the very middle park spot.

“Bloody hell Gerard! You can’t get hurt, but I fucking can!” Mikey yelled, grateful for the closed windows and speakers blasting Metallica.

“Relax Mikes,” Gerard replied, smirking and rolling his eyes as he turned the music down a notch. Not much, but enough so Mikey could hear him without him having to yell. Yes, Gerard could focus on many things at once, but it also meant he could get easily distracted. Music being the biggest culprit, even if it was songs he'd heard hundreds of times before.

“Seriously, you need to slow down.”

“I’ll think of slowing down when you tell me what your gonna say about those bruises,” retorted Gerard, changing back to the original subject.

“Ugh, fine. I’ll wear a hoodie most of the day. If anyone asks about the bruises, I’ll... I'll say I was babysitting the cousins and was used as a human jungle-gym.”

“They do use you as a human jungle-gym.”

“Perfect,” Mikey huffed, “then they’ll believe me.” He grabbed his bag from his feet and checked he had everything, yanked his faded black hoodie over his head and hopped out of the rumbling car.

Gerard shook his head at his brother and looked around the lot. Most faces were still turned their way, and Gerard knew why. His supernatural hearing enabled him to hear the gossip of the morning. Himself. However, Gerard was the talk of it whenever he arrived. Especially when he would get out of the car at the school. Sometimes girls were insufferable.

Gerard looked back to his brother and grinned. Mikey had an exasperated expression on his face as he looked in through the passenger window, knocking on it repeatedly. Gerard lowered the passenger and driver's side.

“Now would you slow down when you drive? We only just got this car.”

It was true. Frank had won the car in a bet with a werewolf acquaintance of his a while back and it had only arrived last week while the two were away. The guy bet that Frank and Gerard wouldn't stay together for more than seven months. If the couple won, they got the guys Trans Am and he didn't get to say a thing about their relationship ever again, otherwise he was gonna end up with a broken nose. Frank wasn't the one who would throw the punch. In fact, it wasn't even apart of the bet. Gerard had just had enough of the asshole and decided that's what he would get. If the other werewolf won - which the two knew would never happen - Gerard had to give him his motorbike. A Triumph Bonneville his uncle had restored after finding it in Gerard's grandmother's garage. It wasn't old, it had just been in an accident. Gerard loved that bike and didn't want to see it go. The dick also got to make fun of their relationships for the rest of their lives. But considering Frank and Gerard were planning on being together for as long as they lived, the guy wasn't going to win. And of course, he didn't.

So now, Mikey didn't have to walk to school or ride on the back of a motorbike which scared the living shit out of him.

"Please? This car is too nice to wreck," continued Mikey.

“And what about me?” Gerard asked, feigning hurt.

“I wish I could hurt you for driving this car like you do.”

Gerard laughed and shook his head once more. “Love you too bro. Keep the arm hidden, be good, I’ll pick you this afternoon.” He cranked the music back up causing more heads to turn thanks to the rolled down windows.

“Yeah, yeah. See ya’ asshole. Slow down. Don't hurt the car!” Mikey yelled after Gerard.

Most figured it was too late to hear, Gerard had already sped off. But Mikey knew his brother had heard him. Maybe it was because he knew Gerard’s hearing capabilities… or perhaps it was the middle finger that was pointed out the driver’s side.

Gerard was going to get him into trouble at school sooner or later. Mikey knew it.

****
Gerard had arrived home in no time. He knew that driving around the way he did gave most people a scare, but the older Way knew what he was doing. Well, now he did. Thank god because the vampire was getting really sick of escaping wreckages. Besides, he always made sure to abide by every rule and law… he just liked to drive fast. Not that he went over the speed limit, he just took corners at practically the same speed and sped off as fast as possible when he had stopped.

So yeah, maybe he was a little unsafe, but no one complained, and he suspected it was because he unsettled people. He could tell. He could hear it in their pulse, see it in their eyes, smell it on their skin.

He made people nervous and knew they didn’t know why. Gerard knew… well, liked to think he did. Mikey always said it must be the effect of the supernatural presence. Gerard disagreed. He believed it was the fact that he was the predator. The monster. Frank insisted that mustn’t be it, they didn’t get anywhere near as unnerved around him and he was a monster too after all. Gerard would always just nod but he didn't agree. Frank wasn’t the one feeding on people. Although sometimes unsettling people was a good thing: no complaints about his reckless driving.
Not yet anyway.
As Gerard walked inside, he could hear Frank’s steady heartbeat. His boyfriend was in a deep sleep… and still on the couch. As the vampire turned the corner, he was met with a scene he could only call adorably ridiculous.

Frank’s head was near the edge of the couch, his arm dangling off the side while his opposite leg was draped over the top of it. Open mouthed, quiet snores escaped his throat followed by soft, unrecognisable mumbles. As a raven-haired Gerard watched Frank, he could smell that the shorter man’s open wounds must have been healing. The smell of werewolf blood was less potent.

If Frank were human, Gerard would be holding his breath for as long as possible and trying to avoid the scene, but werewolf blood wasn’t the same. Whether it was smell, taste or sustenance, it just wasn’t the same.

Vampires must feed off of humans. Animals don’t cut it. The taste is horrible anyway, but it doesn’t hold anywhere near the appropriate amount of, let’s say nourishment, that is required. It doesn’t matter how big the animal is or how much is ingested, it is simply burned too quickly. Werewolf blood was much the same. It had a musky scent and still smelt of blood, but it's aroma didn't have the same, mouthwatering quality as human blood did. Gerard liked to compare it to drinking musky-smelling water if you hadn't eaten in days. You can smell it in a sense, and taste it, but if your famished, it’s not going to do much.

It got on Frank’s nerves that he couldn’t help his boyfriend in that way. It’d be so convenient. Vampire bites take only a day to heal for humans but for a werewolf, it takes only minutes thanks to the combined healing abilities and vampire venom. The euphoria also seemed to be much more intense and longer lasting for a werewolf. How did the two know this? Well, let’s just say, when specific actions were undertaken, things got a little heated and Gerard bit Frank. It was indeed an intense feeling for both parties as the… intensified pleasure also found its way to Gerard.

You see, usually, when a vampire bites a victim, a small feeling of contentment runs through them. Once they taste blood a frenzy of sorts begins. As feeding continues, pleasurable tingles run through the vampire, spurring on the predatory urges; the desire to feed until the kill becoming increasingly overpowering. Once finished, whether the victim is drained and dead or alive and “blissed out”, the vampire enters what Gerard liked to call a “blood daze”.
It’s as if everything is intensified but tainted with the hunt. They hear everything and nothing, see more detail and a giant blur all at once not to mention the overwhelming and escalated smell and taste of blood that floods the senses. The severity of the blood daze depends on how long a vampire fed.

So this morning for example, as Gerard drank off of Mikey, he had entered the blood daze, and thanks to the long interval between last feed, it was running stronger than if he hunted regularly. His blood daze had made him stumble to the kitchen as he smelled Mikey’s still bleeding wound. It would heal, sure, but Gerard’s self-loathing for almost being consumed by blood-lust would not.

Gerard was pulled out of his thoughts when Frank shifted, causing his head to balance precariously on the edge of the couch. The raven-haired vampire walked over and lifted Frank into his arms, cradling the sleeping man to his chest. He smiled as his partner mumbled incoherently when he was picked up. Gerard carried the exhausted werewolf to their bedroom, barely stirring Frank from unconsciousness thanks to the supernatural strength and fluidity of movements.

As he laid Frank down on the bed, he thought about how he was going to feed tonight. Hiding in the shadows of an alleyway as he waited for a random bypasser? As a pretend lover in a bar, trailing kisses down the neck until he arrived at the unsuspecting victim’s jugular vein? As a person affected by some form of injury or imitated intoxication asking for help and letting himself fall into a victim’s arms? The options were endless really, but he never enjoyed any of them.

Hiding in an alley truly made him feel like a monster, and he always got reckless when his patience ran thin. He hadn’t used the bar trick since before dating Frank, he still felt like he was cheating even though Frank said it was fine because he wasn't actually doing anything. Besides, it always felt wrong, playing with some unsuspecting drunk’s emotions... That and Gerard could taste the alcohol in the blood making it much less enjoyable and him slightly tipsy, not that he would ever admit it. Meanwhile, attacking some poor soul who was only trying to help seemed downright evil. But Gerard didn’t have a choice, and being a Monday, said endless options were going to be limited. He’d have to ask Frank.

****
Mikey shoved through the overcrowded hallways to get to his locker. Sometimes the treck was easy, and he could get through the sea of students unnoticed. Other times he got the few shoves and less than kind words because he was "in their way". It didn’t really bother him. Why should he care of people didn’t like him? It didn’t affect what was going to happen to him and his future, besides, he had one of the greatest friends anyone could have. Sure, Pete was loud and a little ignorant and exceedingly naive at times, but he was loyal and never wanted to start shit. Like clockwork, the very same person appeared as Mikey slammed his locker shut.

“Sup dude!”

“Shit! Jesus, Pete. Would you quit doing that?” Scolded Mikey, picking up the book and pen he had dropped.

“Hey, sorry man. Didn’t realise you’d get such a fright,” laughed Pete, “you’re not usually so jumpy.”

“Yeah well, Gerard’s driving got me on edge this morning. I guess I’m still recovering,” Mikey explained with a shrug as they walked down the hallway to their homeroom.

“Oh yeah, I heard some girls talking about him screeching into the carpark with “scary music” playing,” Pete snickered, adding air-quotation marks at scary music.

“Yeah well, he drove in a little faster this time.”

“Yeah, I heard that too. Also heard about the new wheels. I'm so checking that out tomorrow by the way. Oh yeah! Also sounds like some heats gonna come down on your bro sooner or later though. Same girls were saying their parent’s had complained. And that was about the motorbike. I can't imagine what that car's gonna bring down.”

“Ugh, terrific,” groaned Mikey.

The two boys entered their classroom and sat at their usual spot in the back-left corner. Mikey couldn't help but fiddle with the wristband and checking to see if the bandage was completely covered. He didn't need people thinking he was doing anything harmful to himself.

“Hey, stress less. It’s Gerard that’s in shit, not you.”

“Yeah, but the teacher’s end up hating on me because of it.”

“Well sucks to be you, huh?”

“Shut up,” Mikey laughed as he shoved Pete who shoved in return.

Mikey was about to ask what exactly the girls had said since Pete tended to overexaggerate at the best of times but was interrupted by him whispering, not so quietly, “Who’s the new weirdo?”

Mikey looked in the direction Pete had nodded to see a hunched over boy wearing a light grey hoodie, plain jeans and ratty sneakers following their homeroom teacher.

“I dunno, but he looks pretty shy,” replied Mikey. That wasn’t all, he looked beat up. Under the hood, Mikey could see the boy’s eye was black and also sported a busted lip.

“Alright kids, calm down. We’ve got a new student today. His name is Tyler. Try to make him feel welcome would you?” Silence permeated the air. Miss Joneson, their homeroom teacher, sighed and rolled her eyes, “I mean, would some of you kindly move around to Mr Joseph here have a seat too?”

The silence was filled with groans and protests throughout the room from all the student's bar Mikey and Pete. The two boys exchanged a knowing look. This kid was going to get shoved hard if they couldn’t help it. Sure, they weren't the most popular kids in school, but they weren’t at the bottom of the “fool chain” as Pete liked to put it.

“It’s a mix between school and food, it works perfectly!”
“Yeah, but you’re saying fool.”
“Uh, duh. Schood sounds ridiculous and besides, everyone here who cares about status, are fools. But I named it, and you're my associate, so we don’t count as the fools.”

Mikey rolled his eyes as his friend stood up abruptly, hand in the air.

“Yes, Mr Wentz?” Joneson asked over the ruckus in the classroom.

“We’ll take him… ahem, I mean, he can sit here.” Pete corrected when the teacher raised an eyebrow.

“Very well. Tyler, take a seat with the boys at the back.”

Tyler glanced “at the boys at the back”, nodded and shuffled forwards until he was in front of Mikey and Pete.

“Hi!” Pete exclaimed, “I’m Pete. Pete Wentz. We know you’re Tyler. Where are you from? I haven’t seen you around anywhere before. But it’s a big place, I guess I wouldn’t rec-”

“Pete! Slow down. You’re scaring him,” Mikey interrupted a rambling Pete and gestured towards a wide-eyed Tyler.

“Oh. Sorry,” said Pete, running a hand down through his fringe.

“Excuse him. He doesn’t know when to shut up,” explained Mikey, receiving a wack on the back of the head. He ignored Pete and rubbed the back of his head while sticking his other out to Tyler. “I’m Mikey. Mikey Way.”

Tyler smiled shyly and shook hands with the other boy.

“Tyler Joseph. And yeah, I only just moved here,” he answered quietly, looking at Pete.

The three boys got into a flow of meaningless chatter, mostly directed by Pete. As the day went by, Pete and Mikey began to realise Tyler was actually a pretty funny guy. He lived with his uncle now since his parents died in a car crash.

“Shit man, I’m sorry,” exclaimed Pete.

“No. It’s okay. You weren’t driving the other car. Really, it’s okay, but can we talk about something else. Please?”

And the three began to talk more. Eventually, Mikey had asked Tyler if he wanted to come around this afternoon.

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to be any trouble for your parents.”

Mikey retrieved his backpack from his locker and turned to Tyler.

“I actually live with my older brother and-”

“Oh! Sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“What? No! No, I could live with my parents, but I prefer living with my brother.”

“Oh. Right,” replied Tyler, eyebrows furrowed as they walked down the hallway to leave the crowded halls for another day. “May I ask why?”

“Uh, sure. My parents were dicks to my brother and kicked him out of the house. I told them it was keep him or lose us both. They weren’t happy, but I snuck out anyway. Gerard – my brother – did try to tell me to stay with them but, ugh.” Mikey shivered at the prospect.

When Gerard had come out to their parent’s, they'd been furious. They went mad and said the didn’t want a “faggot” in the house. Well, their Dad had while their mother did nothing but watch. In the end, they let Mikey go.

“Oh. Okay… are you sure it’s okay?” Tyler asked, not wanting to pry on his new friend’s home life. The last thing he wanted was Mikey to begin to snoop on his. But that seemed more something Pete would do, Mikey was quieter, more reserved.

“Please,” Mikey rolled his eyes, “Gerard and his partner have to deal with Pete every few nights. Trust me, you’ll be fine.”

The two boys arrived at the front gates and waited, Mikey, explaining Gerard can pick him up now.

“Oh, and just a warning before you get in the car, my brother’s a bit of a rev-head. He doesn’t speed, but he doesn’t slow down much either.”

Tyler simply nodded and leant against the fence next to Mikey, waiting for this mysterious older brother, Gerard. He wasn't sure to expect and wasn’t sure if this was even a good idea.

Was this alleged speedster going to be a classic bad-boy who revved the car too loud to get girls attention? Was he kind to his brother and a dick to others? Tyler began to internally freak out, terrified he’d be a burden.

Only minutes later, a white car sped around the corner and came to an almost screeching halt out front of the school. He could hear some heavy rock music playing from inside the dark tinted windows.

Mikey shook his head and wrenched the door open, causing the music to waft into the street and more heads to turn.

“Gerard, what did I say this morning?” Mikey asked, irritation obvious in his voice.

“And what did I say? I said I would think about it. And I thought about it… it was a no.”

Tyler was surprised at the voice that came out of the car. It was higher than what he had imagined, making it harder to picture the intimidating man he was expecting.

“Ugh, whatever. I’m having a friend over, but he needs a lift to ours and probably back to his. That’s all good, right?"

Gerard laughed, again something Tyler wasn’t expecting. It was such a unique… giggle?

“Ya’ know you don’t need to ask of Pete can come over right?”

“No. Another friend. His name’s Tyler.”

“Oh! Cool. Yeah, of course, that’s fine. I’ll just get the chair down so he can climb into the back.”

Gerard wasn’t sure if it was okay at all. A faint breeze was blowing into the car and the scent of dried blood along with it. It seemed Mikey’s new friend might be a little bothersome for his senses at the moment. However, he wasn’t about to shove Mikey’s new friend away. Not since it was his second one in years.

Gerard exited the rumbling car, clad in a long black overcoat, black ripped jeans and worn black and white converses. This definitely was not the brother Tyler had been imagining. Gerard moved swiftly, almost gracefully, but was slightly hunched over. His hair was on the longer side, and in a disarray of unorganised raven black strands, yet he made it work.

“Hello,” Gerard greeted, nodding and raising a hand in greeting, almost shyly, to Tyler.

“Hi,” Tyler croaked as he watched Gerard lift the seat back so he could get in the car. Tyler couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something strangeling unsettling about the older Way. Maybe it was the way he walked. His movements were unnaturally fluid and graceful. But there was something else. Something he couldn't put his fingers on. Tyler shook his head and crawled into the back of the vehicle and was locked in by the seat. Mikey climbed into the front seat, buckled up and turned to face Tyler.

“As I said, brace yourself. Gerard’s a speed-freak,” Mikey warned, looking back at Tyler after he had gotten in the front seat.

“Oh c’mon Mikes, it's not that bad,” defended Gerard.

“Yes. It is," deadpanned Mikey, staring directly into his brother's eyes.

Gerard rolled his eyes and revved the car before speeding off. Mikey was right. Gerard was terrifying when he accelerated and even more so around corners. He also weaved in-between traffic more than necessary when someone was even just slightly slower than himself.

The longer Gerard drove, the more he could smell the dry blood on Tyler. He didn’t know where it was and it wasn’t as potent as the fresh stuff, but it still put him on edge and made his mouth water. He should have fed before going to the cabin. Then it wouldn’t be anywhere near as bad! What hadn't helped was that Mikey had protested when Gerard tried keeping the windows down.

“Gerard, it’s too cold to do that. Can we please just keep the heaters on? Not all of us are immune to the cold.”

“Mikey,” Gerard warned, flicking his eyes to Tyler’s reflection in the review mirror, trying to convey a pleading look.

“Gerard,” Mikey mimicked.

“Ugh, fine.” Gerard didn't really want to try to alert Mikey to him having any difficulties. It made him feel weak. So he let it go.

From then on, the heaters were on and the scent of blood circulated through the car. It was going to be a long afternoon.

Notes

I figured making long chapter's wasn't a bad idea. So here you are.
Hope you enjoyed it and know that comments are always appreciated. Don't be afraid to subscribe.

KayXx