[Bandslash, MCR] The Beauty of Time
Title: The Beauty of Time
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: None (Gen)
Disclaimer: This is all completely made up, except for the part where these people actually exist.
Summary: He's only a few pages from the end of the book when he hears a shocked gasp and someone saying, "Ohmigod! It's Gerard Way!"
Notes: For pearl_o's XKCD fic challenge. Based (loosely!) on this comic she gave me as a prompt, the rumors of Gerard moving to Portland, and certain bookstore encounters. (I haven't actually been to Powell's in a while, so the children's section may have changed since then.)
He's only a few pages from the end of the book when he hears a shocked gasp and someone saying, "Ohmigod! It's Gerard Way!"
Gerard groans and looks up to see Frank standing a few feet away, hands covering his mouth, eyes wide with feigned surprise. "Can I have your autograph?"
He can't really help laughing, but the muttered "Motherfucker" slips out by habit, and he looks around to make sure there aren't any kids close by. It would suck to get kicked out just when he's managed to get comfortable.
Frank giggles and turns around to pick up the coffee sitting on a bright pink bookshelf and sits down next to him. Gerard watches him as he takes a sip of his coffee, forehead furrowed in a thoughtful frown as he takes in the brightly painted bookshelves and posters hanging on the walls.
Gerard looks at the windows facing the street and watches people walking past outside, the sky the same dark gray it's been the entire time they've been in town. It isn't actually raining at the moment, but that doesn't really mean much when the weather forecast calls for more rain later that night.
"So this is the place, huh?"
Gerard sets the book in his hands down on the cushion beside him and stretches out a hand and waggles his fingers. Frank heaves a put upon sigh and hands the coffee over. "Oh, yeah. I'm thinking of putting another couch over there, and maybe some curtains - "
"Fucker." Frank elbows him in the side and leans back, careful not to overbalance the couch. It's tiny, sized for toddlers, and is already making ominous noises beneath their combined weight. "What are you doing hiding out in the kid's section anyway?"
Gerard doesn't answer right away, hands wrapped around the paper cup in his hands, savoring the warmth as much as the aroma. "Five year-olds never ask to have their picture taken with me."
"No, but their parents might." Frank says, squirming a little as he tries to get comfortable.
"There's a Starbucks on every corner," Gerard says as he takes another sip of coffee. "No more coffee emergencies."
Frank snorts, and Gerard's smile widens a little.
"Seriously?"
"No, but that would be awesome."
Frank thinks about it for a moment, steals the coffee back from Gerard. "That would be kind of cool."
Gerard grins and kicks at Frank's ankle. Frank kicks back, but his heart's not really in it.
"It's nice."
"Safe." Gerard says, thinking about statistics and crime rates.
Frank grunts and kicks him again, a little harder this time. "You know you're supposed to buy those and then read them, not the other way around, right?"
Gerard frowns and looks over to see Frank pointing at something. His brain feels almost like it's working at a slower rate than usual, fuzzy and content, so he doesn't protest too much when Frank climbs over him to get at the stack of books on the floor by his feet.
"Goodnight Moon? Stellaluna? Wow. Heavy reading."
Gerard laughs and rubs a hand over his face. "Fuck off, Frank."
"No, really. It's a great way to work up to those really hard books. I hear some of them don't even have pictures."
Frank pokes his side and tries to get a look at the book Gerard's practically sitting on now that there's two adult-sized people sitting on a couch meant for four and five year-olds. "What else are you reading? Do you need help with the big words?"
"Oh my god, shut up."
Frank's smiling. Big, wide, and earnest. "I can so totally help you out. I've been reading Dr. Seuss."
He's trying not to laugh, but it's Frank. Sometimes that's the only explanation needed.
"Fine. Here." Gerard hands the book over, careful not to crease the pages. Reaches for the coffee and takes a sip while Frank turns the book over in his hands.
"The Giving Tree?"
Gerard doesn't say anything, and after a moment he feels Frank's shoulder brush against his when he leans back. The couch creaks, and they both freeze for a minute, waiting to see if it's going to collapse. When another minute passes and the couch stays standing, Frank settles in to read. Gerard drinks his pilfered coffee and enjoys the quiet, Frank warm against his side.
"You seriously going to move here?" Frank asks after a while, turning another page.
He frowns a little as he thinks about it. They're getting older, touring isn't getting any easier, and some of them - most of them - are getting married or plan to in the near future. It won't be too much longer before kids become an issue, and after that...
"It's safe." He says, remembering what it was like growing up. Not being able to go to the playground some days, not being allowed out after certain hours. "Safer."
"Better." Frank says. Gerard glances at him as he closes the book and balances it on his knees.
"Not better, different.” It feels a little too much like the two of them are in an After School Special when he actually puts it like that, but it's the truth. Jersey made him, all of them who they are, and he'll always love it for that, but.
But.
There's a moment or two of silence, and Gerard can almost hear it when things click together in Frank's head.
“Damn straight.” Frank says, and kicks him. This time Gerard can tell his heart is in it because it fucking hurts. “You know we're going to be visiting all the time right?”
Gerard knows.
“We'll be over here so much you're going to get sick of seeing us and build that stupid cabin in the woods for that hermit thing you've always wanted to do.” Frank pauses, like he's giving serious thought to something. “You could even try to grow a beard.”
“Fuck you.” Gerard's smiling as he says it, though, and Frank's leaning against him and laughing into his shoulder when someone clears their throat.
“Excuse me?”
They both look up to see a woman smiling uncertainly down at them, a little girl crowding behind her legs.
"I hate to bother you," she starts, and the little girl presses closer to her. "But my oldest daughter's a big fan, and I was wondering if I could get your autograph for her?"
Gerard can see Frank smirking at him out of the corner of his eye and stands, hauling Frank up after him without looking back.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: None (Gen)
Disclaimer: This is all completely made up, except for the part where these people actually exist.
Summary: He's only a few pages from the end of the book when he hears a shocked gasp and someone saying, "Ohmigod! It's Gerard Way!"
Notes: For pearl_o's XKCD fic challenge. Based (loosely!) on this comic she gave me as a prompt, the rumors of Gerard moving to Portland, and certain bookstore encounters. (I haven't actually been to Powell's in a while, so the children's section may have changed since then.)
He's only a few pages from the end of the book when he hears a shocked gasp and someone saying, "Ohmigod! It's Gerard Way!"
Gerard groans and looks up to see Frank standing a few feet away, hands covering his mouth, eyes wide with feigned surprise. "Can I have your autograph?"
He can't really help laughing, but the muttered "Motherfucker" slips out by habit, and he looks around to make sure there aren't any kids close by. It would suck to get kicked out just when he's managed to get comfortable.
Frank giggles and turns around to pick up the coffee sitting on a bright pink bookshelf and sits down next to him. Gerard watches him as he takes a sip of his coffee, forehead furrowed in a thoughtful frown as he takes in the brightly painted bookshelves and posters hanging on the walls.
Gerard looks at the windows facing the street and watches people walking past outside, the sky the same dark gray it's been the entire time they've been in town. It isn't actually raining at the moment, but that doesn't really mean much when the weather forecast calls for more rain later that night.
"So this is the place, huh?"
Gerard sets the book in his hands down on the cushion beside him and stretches out a hand and waggles his fingers. Frank heaves a put upon sigh and hands the coffee over. "Oh, yeah. I'm thinking of putting another couch over there, and maybe some curtains - "
"Fucker." Frank elbows him in the side and leans back, careful not to overbalance the couch. It's tiny, sized for toddlers, and is already making ominous noises beneath their combined weight. "What are you doing hiding out in the kid's section anyway?"
Gerard doesn't answer right away, hands wrapped around the paper cup in his hands, savoring the warmth as much as the aroma. "Five year-olds never ask to have their picture taken with me."
"No, but their parents might." Frank says, squirming a little as he tries to get comfortable.
"There's a Starbucks on every corner," Gerard says as he takes another sip of coffee. "No more coffee emergencies."
Frank snorts, and Gerard's smile widens a little.
"Seriously?"
"No, but that would be awesome."
Frank thinks about it for a moment, steals the coffee back from Gerard. "That would be kind of cool."
Gerard grins and kicks at Frank's ankle. Frank kicks back, but his heart's not really in it.
"It's nice."
"Safe." Gerard says, thinking about statistics and crime rates.
Frank grunts and kicks him again, a little harder this time. "You know you're supposed to buy those and then read them, not the other way around, right?"
Gerard frowns and looks over to see Frank pointing at something. His brain feels almost like it's working at a slower rate than usual, fuzzy and content, so he doesn't protest too much when Frank climbs over him to get at the stack of books on the floor by his feet.
"Goodnight Moon? Stellaluna? Wow. Heavy reading."
Gerard laughs and rubs a hand over his face. "Fuck off, Frank."
"No, really. It's a great way to work up to those really hard books. I hear some of them don't even have pictures."
Frank pokes his side and tries to get a look at the book Gerard's practically sitting on now that there's two adult-sized people sitting on a couch meant for four and five year-olds. "What else are you reading? Do you need help with the big words?"
"Oh my god, shut up."
Frank's smiling. Big, wide, and earnest. "I can so totally help you out. I've been reading Dr. Seuss."
He's trying not to laugh, but it's Frank. Sometimes that's the only explanation needed.
"Fine. Here." Gerard hands the book over, careful not to crease the pages. Reaches for the coffee and takes a sip while Frank turns the book over in his hands.
"The Giving Tree?"
Gerard doesn't say anything, and after a moment he feels Frank's shoulder brush against his when he leans back. The couch creaks, and they both freeze for a minute, waiting to see if it's going to collapse. When another minute passes and the couch stays standing, Frank settles in to read. Gerard drinks his pilfered coffee and enjoys the quiet, Frank warm against his side.
"You seriously going to move here?" Frank asks after a while, turning another page.
He frowns a little as he thinks about it. They're getting older, touring isn't getting any easier, and some of them - most of them - are getting married or plan to in the near future. It won't be too much longer before kids become an issue, and after that...
"It's safe." He says, remembering what it was like growing up. Not being able to go to the playground some days, not being allowed out after certain hours. "Safer."
"Better." Frank says. Gerard glances at him as he closes the book and balances it on his knees.
"Not better, different.” It feels a little too much like the two of them are in an After School Special when he actually puts it like that, but it's the truth. Jersey made him, all of them who they are, and he'll always love it for that, but.
But.
There's a moment or two of silence, and Gerard can almost hear it when things click together in Frank's head.
“Damn straight.” Frank says, and kicks him. This time Gerard can tell his heart is in it because it fucking hurts. “You know we're going to be visiting all the time right?”
Gerard knows.
“We'll be over here so much you're going to get sick of seeing us and build that stupid cabin in the woods for that hermit thing you've always wanted to do.” Frank pauses, like he's giving serious thought to something. “You could even try to grow a beard.”
“Fuck you.” Gerard's smiling as he says it, though, and Frank's leaning against him and laughing into his shoulder when someone clears their throat.
“Excuse me?”
They both look up to see a woman smiling uncertainly down at them, a little girl crowding behind her legs.
"I hate to bother you," she starts, and the little girl presses closer to her. "But my oldest daughter's a big fan, and I was wondering if I could get your autograph for her?"
Gerard can see Frank smirking at him out of the corner of his eye and stands, hauling Frank up after him without looking back.