A World So Small

Band(s): My Chemical Romance
Pairing(s): Frank/Gerard
Word Count: 30,943
Rating/Warnings: R (contains sex, morbid themes, and Wikipedia-researched history)
Summary: Victorian AU. When Frank, a sickly young man, is advised by his doctors to leave London for the country, he makes arrangements to stay with his friend Michael, who just so happens to be in possession of a large, old, and somewhat creepy manor house. What Frank has no idea of at the time is that Michael has an older brother, whose presence in the house he conceals. Gerard is an eccentric recluse who spends most of his time hiding in the attic and avoiding any kind of interaction with people, but he finds himself fascinated with Frank, who in turn realizes that the house has secrets, and becomes determined to uncover them. When he finally does discover Gerard, their first meeting is only the beginning of their story.
Notes: Hey, look, I wrote a historical AU! I'm sure you're all shocked. On the list of "Things I've written that are incredibly self-indulgent", this one ranks pretty high--it started off as me wanting to play around with Gothic romance tropes, and ended up a little bit Jane Eyre and a little bit Secret Garden, only minus all the things that make those classic works of literature and plus a lot of Frank and Gerard being loser weirdos in love. Many thanks to shoemaster and strobelighted for beta-ing, and, as always, to everyone who, for whatever reason, continues to encourage me to write down all the ridiculous stuff I come up with. I hope it's as fun to read as it was to write.

Standard disclaimers apply: these representations of real people are amazingly fictional and not for profit, I should in no way be mistaken for an expert on the Victorian era, and I think all the books mentioned are in the public domain, but if any of them aren't, they belong to their respective authors' estates, not me. The title comes from the song "Now Three" by Vienna Teng.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Epilogue

Bonus Tracks/Enhanced Content

Fanart:
"Frank reads" and "Gerard in moonlight", by allyndra


Fanmix(es):
Things Found in the Dark by fleurdeliser
Fanmix by summerslaughter

I was lucky enough to get two fanmixes this year, and I adore them both. It's always amazing to me when someone can take something I wrote and find a song I've never heard before that fits it perfectly, and both my mixes are full of examples of that. Thanks so much to both my mixers! ♥

( Things Found in the Dark, by fleurdeliser )

( Fanmix by summerslaughter )