FicWad

We'd been driving for about an hour when Gerard's car made an ominous noise and stopped working altogether. I sent Gerard a panicked look. He returned the look and got out of the car, opening the hood and rummaging around for a minute. He walked back to the car and sighed. "Um, Frank, the car kind of died," he mumbled, glaring at his car like it was the reason for world hunger or something. I giggled a bit at the thought and Gerard switched his glare to me. I gulped and smiled at him.

"So, um, what are we gonna do? I understand if you, like, want me to get a ride with someone else," I told him, looking up at him from under my fringe.

"No, no, it's cool. I mean, we'll probably have to walk to a motel and stay there for a couple days until my brother can pick us up, but if you're in a rush or something, I won't be offended if you don't want to," he explained, pointing in the direction of the nearest motel.

"I, um, I can't really afford to stay anywhere right now," I mumbled, staring at my black converses. He smiled sympathetically at me.

"Frank, it's fine, I can pay for you, these motels are fuckin' cheap anyways," he said, nodding his head.

"Really? Thanks, man!" I chirped, smiling widely at him and jumping out of the car. He grabbed his phone and started walking in the direction he pointed out. I stayed where I was and stared at him. Was he crazy or something? Just leaving his car? When he noticed that I wasn't following him he turned back towards me.

"What?" He asked indignantly, putting his hands on his hips.

"You're just leaving your car out in the open?" I asked incredulously.

"It's a rental. The place will find it eventually. Now hurry the fuck up, I'm starving," he ordered, rubbing his stomach. I laughed at him and began walking.

"So, are you going to tell me why you need a ride to Belleville?" Gerard asked me, the corners of his mouth tilting up. I stared at him for a couple of seconds.

"You're not a homophobe, right? Because, like, if you are, I can just leave, I don't mind," I rambled, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly.

"No, Frank, I'm not a homophobe. It'd be really hypocritical if I was. I'm gay," he told me, flashing me a smile. He had really small teeth, I noticed. But they suited him.

I smiled thankfully at him. "Well, this morning I decided to tell my parents I was gay. It didn't go so well. They're pretty homophobic people, but I thought that if it was their own son who was gay, they'd accept or even learn to deal with it, but they started telling me how wrong it was and stuff, and then when I told them that I can't help who I'm attracted to, they basically told me I 'turn straight' or get out of the house. So I packed my shit and left. And my grandmother lives in Belleview, but the last time I saw her I was seven, so I'm just hoping that she'll, I don't know, like take me in or something," I explained, taking a huge breath when I was done.

Gerard stopped walking and stared at me for a long time. Suddenly, he threw his arms around me and was hugging me tightly, rubbing my back. For some reason, it wasn't awkward or creepy; it was just comforting and homely. I relaxed into the hug almost instantly, and wrapped my arms around his middle. We stood like that for a long time, until we got hooted at by a random car. Gerard let go first, and when he did he smiled sheepishly at me. "Sorry about that, I just know what it's like to not be accepted. I mean, with me it wasn't that bad, it was just my step-father that didn't accept it, and my mom told him to get out of the house and that they were over, and some of my friends left me, too. It just sucks, and I'm sorry," Gerard said sincerely.

"It's okay; I've kind of dealt with the fact that my parents want nothing to do with me. As much as it can be dealt with, anyway. I mean, yeah, it hurts and I don't think it will stop hurting, but life's just a bitch," I mumbled, staring into the distance. He nodded, and we walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence.

Eventually we arrived at a seedy looking motel, and Gerard asked for a room. The only room available was a room with a double bed, and Gerard grabbed the key and sent me an apologetic glance. We walked up the stairs and found our room. When we got inside, I fell face first onto the bed and sighed. Gerard giggled at me and poked me in the sides. "Tired, Frankie?" He asked. I smiled into the duvet at the nickname, no one had ever called me that before, but I liked it.

"Just a little," I mumbled, getting up and turning around. "You wanna order room service or something?" I reminded him, my stomach growling quietly.

"Fuck yes; I'm so goddamn hungry," he announced, picking up the telephone and dialling in the number. "What do you want?" He asked me, twirling the cord of the phone around his finger.

"Um, anything vegetarian will do," I smiled gratefully at him before jumping back onto the bed and curling up on the pillows.

"Sure thing," he said before ordering a vegetarian lasagne for me and a chicken and mayonnaise toasted sandwich for himself.

He put the phone down and jumped on me playfully. I squealed and giggled, squirming under him. "So, tell me, Gerard, how old are you?" I asked, grinning up at him.

"I'll be twenty two on the ninth of April," he told me, making a face. "I know, I'm getting old," he added as an afterthought.

I laughed at him. "You are so not old. And I'm seventeen, by the way," I told him, smiling.

We stared at each other for a long time before we leaned into each other, Gerard straddling my waist. Right before our lips collided, a knock on the door made us jump a foot in the air, and Gerard got off of me quickly. He answered the door and accepted the food, smiling sweetly at the old lady who had brought it.

He handed me my lasagne and we ate in silence.