FicWad

Lily cleared her throat, tugging her shirt down,
"Isn't it weird that it was both planes? Scary, huh?" she asked, struggling to maintain Gerard's eye contact.
Gerard nodded, breathing through his nose; nostrils flaring as he exhaled.
After a moment of silence his eyes focused,
"It's nice to see you." he said, forcing a smile.
Lily's face cracked into a nervous grin,
"Yeah, you too."
Suddenly Bert cleared his throat loudly, causing Lily to turn sharply, eyes wide.
Bert was leaning forward, arms draped over the seat in front of him, gloved hands dangling carelessly,
"Its nice to see you too, Gerard. What have you been doing lately?" Bert asked, eyes seemingly dark, face twisted into an almost taunting expression,
" Hanging out with fuckin' lepers, feeding starving children in Africa; Find the cure for cancer?"
Gerard's jaw dropped slowly, tongue resting inside his cheek. He let out a small laugh, barely a breath, and took a step forward. Lily spun around, preparing to throw herself in the middle of a possible scuttle.
"Shut the FUCK up, Bert."
Lily searched the plane for the owner of the tired and angry voice,
turning to see Frank, who had seemingly suddenly appeared. Bob, Mikey, and Ray were already seated; Frank was putting his luggage into an upper compartment.
"Yeah Rob, CAN it." Will added, slight tinge of contentment in his voice.
Bert glanced at both of them....the side of the plane in silence.
It was only seconds of silence but it seemed like minutes..hours under the heavy tension.
Lily shattered the silence with awkward words,
"Only a couple hours guys...that's it." she said, staring at Bert with pleading eyes.
She turned to Gerard,
"Hmm?" she asked, brushing his hand slightly.
Gerard nodded, turning around to take his seat next to a glaring Mikey.
Ryan caught Lily's gaze, widening his own eyes and raising his eyebrows as if to tell her, in silence, how crazy and horrible the situation had been.
She sighed and took her seat next to Bert gingerly, digging through her purse once again for her cellphone; beginning to play the Tetris demo once more.
They sat there in silence until the plane landed; My Chem going their own way...The Used and Saint Lily staying behind.
=============
Lily grabbed her bag, elbow popping under the weight as her arm extended.
She stepped into the aisle and paused, staring at the carpet.
Suddenly, she looked up at Bert, who adjusting his backpack.
"What the hell?!" she asked, pulling her sunglasses over her eyes,
"I mean honestly, WHAT the HELL?" she repeated with a sigh of disgust.
Bert laughed and rolled his eyes,
"You saw the way he fucking looked at me. You heard what he said, he was obviously asking for it. I'm not gonna put up with that shit..." Bert defended.
Lily put her hand to her forehead,
"Great Bert...and now I'm in the middle of it. Fabulous...FUCKING FABULOUS." she said, throwing her arms in the air.
"Hey, he fuckin' started it." Bert grumbled looking at the ground with a shrug, thumbs hooked under his backpack straps.
Lily groaned loudly, running her hands over her face,
"O-----kay Bert. Oh kay..." Lily said with a sigh, crossing her arms as Ryan and Adam stepped into the aisle, luggage in hand.
"Now he's going to be mad at me. And I don't even know what he's like when he's mad.." Lily began, visibly flustered "Well, I guess I do now...ah GOD." She grumbled, stomping off the plane.
============================

Lily stepped off the plane, spotting Gerard in the distance. She could see his shoulders hunched, leaning forward under the weight on his back.
Will caught up to her, reaching out and patting her head gently.
Lily gave him a small smile, continuing walking; her eyes on the figures in the distance.
Her mind was like a photo-album, flipping through the past year. Flashing stills, moments in time, as she turned her eyes to the pavement.
The nights spent in chain restaurants, Bert and Gerard at the table. The buzz of new people...
The roar of the crowd as she stepped on stage...the echo of her voice across a sea of bodies. And the look in her eyes as they sang along, the smiles on their faces as she spoke into the microphone...
Bert pulling her on stage the first time to sing..
The way Gerard smiled that first year..that sweet, small smile that crinkled his sweet little nose..and the wrenching feeling in her heart every time he laughed...the sweetest laugh she had ever heard...
And his mouth...the way he grinned from across the room..that cheeky smile that made her cheeks burn and she had to turn away from it,
hair brushing across her face as she tried to catch her breath, hand placed across her mouth to keep from smiling and burning up like a match....
Lily swallowed..gaze still fixed on his back.
"Hey, Lil, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to get you- " Bert began, stepping up to her side.
But before he could finish, she ran off, body bouncing awkwardly from all the weight she was carrying...bag dangling from her hand, purse jingling against her body.
She swiftly slid between Gerard and Frank, heart pounding against her ribcage...
But not from the run..but from the memories..
"Hey." she said, grabbing his hand, "Can I talk to you?" she asked in a breathy voice.
Gerard looked down on her, newly cut black hair falling across his forehead.
"Yeah...sure" he nodded.
Lily could've sworn he had squeezed her hand slightly.
"Hey guys, be right back. Meet you at the bathrooms, ok?" Gerard said as they broke away from the band.
Lily led, or more so pulled, him into a desolate hallway, lonely drinking fountains shining in the soft light.
As suddenly as she stopped, she spun around, grabbing his neck and pulling him to her in a kiss.
Gerard's eyebrows raised in surprise as her mouth met his...as she wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled him closer, causing them to stumble against the wall in a soft thud.
His face softened as their lips met again and again, his arm gently pulling her body close to his...her waist, her curves, her collarbone...her body that smelled so sweet even in 90 degree weather..he wanted it close to him. His hand rested against her cheek as his mouth caressed hers, softly pressing his eager lips against her, legs trembling slightly from the feelings soaring through his veins..the blood and testosterone raging through his body...
And as suddenly as she had kissed him, she pulled him to her in a squeeze, draping her arms around his chest; resting her head on the crook of his neck,
"I don't want you to be mad.." she mumbled into his sweatshirt.
Gerard's eyes softened and he put his arms around her,
"I'm not mad at you, Lily."
"Just...stop fighting with Bert..?"she said, sentence lingering slightly.
Gerard's body seemed to tense,
"I can't make any promises."
======================

Lily threw her bags down onto her new bunk. Their new bus smelled of carpet cleaner and looked recently vacuumed. She walked around to the back, peeking around the corners.
A few moments later, she and Will searched through the cabinets and mini-fridge, already stocked with the essentials...
"YESSS...capri-sun!" Ryan cried, opening the long cardboard box aggressively.
Lily grabbed a pack of Oreos and stepped outside into the warm sun. There was a slight breeze...a cool summer breeze, that rustled her hair slightly.
She hummed a song under her breath and took a seat on the bus steps.
She sat silently as Bert approached her, crunching a cookie in her mouth...she could feel it sticking to her teeth.
Staring at her feet, she waved a hello, holding a half eaten cookie to her lips.
"Hey.." he mumbled, hands in pockets.
Lily stared at his black converse..his white socks..he seemed to wear the same thing a lot...
"Hey.." she mumbled, extending the pack of Oreos.
"Thanks" he said, taking out a couple; shoving one into his mouth.
"Are you mad at me or something?" Bert asked, chewing slowly.
Lily shook her head, looking up at him,
"No." she said softly, eyebrows furrowed.
"....ok." Bert replied, shuffling his feet.
Lily swallowed, dusted the oreo crumbs from her hands and legs, and placed the pack of cookies next to her on the steps,
"I didn't like the way you acted on the plane today. I know you and Gerard have some issues-"
"I already said I was sorry- " Bert began.
"I know you did, but I'm saying..." Lily stood up,
"I'm your friend Bert. And I'm his too. Don't bring me in the middle of this. It's not my fight."
Bert sighed, cookies in hand, "I know it's not."
Lily crossed her arms, "Ok good." she stated, almost stubbornly,
"And I'm not choosing sides. You're both my friends and-"
"You're dating him, aren't you?" Bert interrupted quietly.
Lily furrowed her brow and looked at the ground, arms tightly around herself. Her eyes narrowed slightly,
"What?" she asked softly.
"You're dating him." Bert repeated,
"You're dating Gerard, aren't you?"
Lily bit her lower lip and looked up at him,
"Yeah..yeah I am." she said softly, almost gently.
Her eyes lingered on his own.
Bert looked away; to the pavement, to his feet, to the cookies in his hands..
to anything but her.
He smiled a small smile, and chuckled almost inaudibly,
"Alright." he said, bringing his head up.
"Thanks for the cookies." he said with a nod,"See ya."
Lily nodded slowly. She bit her lower lip as Bert's gaze seem to penetrate her,
"Yeah...bye" she said, voice wavering.
Bert nodded and turned and left, throwing the Oreos onto the pavement as he walked out of sight.
Lily sat on the steps of her bus, with her head in her hands, and cried.