Chapter Text
“Gerard, I’m going to work!” Mrs. Way called down the stairs at 6 am.
After she heard a groggy, “Coming!” from the basement, she wandered to the front door and put her shoes on. When her son came up from his room, she turned around to give him a hug. Her son embraced her, nuzzling at her cheek and neck. Giving her a final peck on the side of her face, he said, “Have a good day at work, ma.”
“You have fun with whatever you get up to,” she laughed as she closed the door behind her. Gerard went back down to the basement to turn in for the day. Since it was a weekend, he didn’t have to repeat the ritual with Mikey.
_
After a couple weeks of observing the vampire’s ‘ritual’, Frank took Mikey aside to ask about it.
“Why whenever anyone comes or goes in the house, Gerard’s all over them? You guys even tell him when you’re leaving or when you’re back from whatever so he’s right there, what’s up with that?” Frank asked.
“Oh, that?” Mikey giggled. “Have you ever seen a cat rubbing up on somebody?”
“Yeah…,” Frank answered, not sure where the conversation was going.
“Well,” Mikey explained, “You know what the cats are doing, right?”
“Besides getting hair all over you?” Frank wondered. “No idea,” he concluded.
“They’re marking you!” Mikey laughed. “The cats rub their scent on you so other cats know you’re already ‘owned’; and if another cat rubs on you and you come home, your cat is not a happy camper.”
Frank thought for a minute before uncertainly asking, “And it’s the same principle here?”
“Yep,” Mikey said, smiling.
“Oh, so vampires have territory and stuff?” Frank questioned.
Mikey nodded, explaining, “Gerard’s turf is the house and the backyard, he just mostly makes sure other vampires don’t mess with family, you know?”
“I guess,” Frank shrugged. He didn’t know much about vampire behaviorisms, but he figured it made sense.
Because of the nature of the conversation, a thought popped into Frank’s head.
“Would… would he ever do that to me?” he asked warily, not sure if he wanted that or not.
Mikey contemplated with a smirk on his face. He decided, “I don’t rightly know! You’ve spent a lot of time in the basement, and that’s got his scent all over the place, so maybe you don’t need it? Have you ever borrowed clothes from him?”
“Some sweatshirts, yeah,” Frank blushed.
“There you go, you’re covered in eau de Gee!” Mikey cackled.
“Shut up,” Frank groaned, hiding his red face in his hands.
“Oh my God, Frank,” Mikey wheezed, slapping Frank on the back, “Go have a crush on my brother somewhere else!”
“Stop, I’m begging you,” Frank said miserably. So what if he had a teeny tiny crush on the basement dwelling creature of the night?
Frank walked down to the basement, still a little flustered from the events that took place upstairs. He collapsed onto Gerard’s bed, curling up with the older boy.
“Hi Frankie,” Gerard mumbled contentedly.
“Hi Gee,” Frank repeated.
Gerard draped himself over Frank, burrowing his face into the younger smitten boy’s neck. “Nap with me?” he asked sleepily.
“Sure Gee, go back to sleep,” Frank whispered softly. With a sigh, Gerard fell right back into unconsciousness.
Frank laid there, thinking for a while, before drifting into a light sleep.