When Frank got home he was thinking up every possibility of what Mikey needed to talk to him about. If he knew about the woods, and what was in them, then Frank wanted to hear it now rather than later. And would he and Gerard be okay? Mikey had said so, but who really knew? Frank knew what Gerard was like, and this seemed like more than just one of their petty arguments. But Frank thought that every time they fought, so he was almost sure this wasn't any different; they would be fine. They always were.
He sits up at the kitchen counter, swinging his legs as he watches his mom cook dinner. She glances at him, and Frank smiles.
"You okay, honey?" Linda says, eyes focused on slicing vegetables. Frank nods, and she barely catches it out of the corner of her eye. "You feel alright? Your head isn't hurting or anything?"
"No, mom," Frank giggles. "I'm good, honestly,"
"Alright, dinner should be ready soon so will you set the table?" She hears Frank jump off the counter and the slide of the cutlery drawer and smiles.
It's way past sunset when Mikey calls to tell him he's outside. It's just gone eleven, and his mom is still awake downstairs, so he has to climb out the window and down the pipes. Luckily, Linda is in the study at the back of the house and Frank has the bedroom at the front.
He can see two figures sat in a shitty car out front, and he realises that it's Gerard's shitty car and Mikey's in the passenger seat. Well fuck. He sighs to himself, swinging his legs out the window and reaching out to grab onto the pipes that run down the house. He tries not to look down, and fails.
"Fuck, what am I fucking doing." He hisses to himself, fixing his foot onto the thin hooks that hold the pipes to the house. He can feel the Ways watching him, and ignores them. He needs to focus on not falling and breaking his neck.
"Frank?" He hears a whisper below him and there's Gerard, watching him worriedly. "Just jump, I got you okay?"
"No, dude are you fucking insane? I'll crush you!"
Gerard rolls his eyes. "Suit yourself."
Frank huffs, pressing his foot onto the hook a little more and then balancing his weight onto it when it doesn't break. It holds for a few seconds before it gives out under him and he lets out a loud, embarrassing cry as his hands scramble for something to grab onto.
The next thing he knows is another yelp, not his own, and then his body hitting the floor.
"Okay, shit, you're fucking heavy," Gerard groans from underneath him, and then pushes Frank off him onto the grass. "I think you broke my ribs."
"Fuck you," Frank elbows him and then slowly stands up. "We gotta go before my mom realises I'm gone, c'mon," He helps Gerard up and then lets the older lead him to the car.
It's safe to say it's completely awkward and silent from there.
The walk through the woods is quiet too, only the brothers talking quietly to each other about directions as Frank trailed behind like a third wheel. He really wished he'd said no to coming out now, he would rather be asleep right now.
"Frank? Dude, you listening?"
Frank looked up at Mikey, who was stood in front of him frowning. Frank raised a questioning eyebrow, shifting his weight from foot-to-foot. What was the hold up?
"What, Mikes? What did you need to show me? It's fucking cold and I shouldn't even be here." There's a long pause where Frank realises that Gerard's no longer in sight. "Hey, where's Gee-" He's cut off by a cry of pain nearby and then cracking, the cries continuing before becoming a low hum and growls.
"Mikey," Frank whispers, staring at the dark shadow by a tree, where the growls were coming from. "Mikey is that-"
"Yeah," Mikey smiles sadly, sighing. "It's Gee." Frank stares at the eyes twinkling back at him, and his mind recalls the black wolf, fierce and protective as it lunged at the brown one. "Pete's the one who tried to attack you,"
"Pete?"
"Wentz."
"Pete Wentz is a fucking wolf? Since when?"
"Since he got bitten, dickwad."
"By Gee?" Mikey nods. "So, like... They're pack?"
"Yeah, Gerard's alpha. He thinks it was stupid that Pete even tried coming near you," Mikey laughs when Gerard lets out a bark, padding closer to them and Mikey reaches out to run his fingers through the tangled fur between Gerard's ears.
When the wolf turns to Frank, he lets out a soft yip and Frank reaches his hand out. He thinks the wolf smiles slightly, if that was even possible, and then licks his hand. Frank snorts and the wolf barks again before running into the woods.
"I'll pick him up in the morning." Mikey murmurs before turning back towards the path that leads back to the car. He jingles the keys between his fingers. "You wanna drive?"
Frank grins.
