Trade Mistakes Chapter 11
Title: Trade Mistakes Chapter 11
Author: shadowoftheday
Rating: R-ish (language)
Pairing: Adam Lambert/Tommy Joe Ratliff (also featuring Gerard Way/Frank Iero, Mikey Way/Mat Devine and Gerard Way/Tommy Joe Ratliff)
Summary: After being dumped by an insecure Adam, Tommy Joe spent a whirlwind few months touring with My Chemical Romance before returning to LA to give things with Adam another try. Everything seems to be going well, but as Tommy soon learns, what happens on the road doesn't necessarily stay on the road.
Disclaimer: All fiction, entertainment purposes only, don't own, please don't sue!
Warnings/Notes:Story title belongs to Panic! At The Disco, cut lyrics belong to Kill Hannah. Thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter, that was a pretty epic response from you guys, and I really appreciate it :)
This story is a sequel to Burning in The Skies, which can be read here
Trade Mistakes Chapter 1
Trade Mistakes Chapter 2
Trade Mistakes Chapter 3
Trade Mistakes Chapter 4
Trade Mistakes Chapter 5
Trade Mistakes Chapter 6
Trade Mistakes Chapter 7
Trade Mistakes Chapter 8
Trade Mistakes Chapter 9
Trade Mistakes Chapter 10
You all remember Brian Molko and Steve Forrest, right? :)
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Tommy Joe stood silently beside Gerard, clinging to the singer's warm hand like it was a life jacket as they stared up at the departure board at the airport.
"So Tommy Joe, where in the world do you want to go?" Gerard asked, turning to Tommy with a soft smile.
"I don't know...I loved London," Tommy replied with a shrug. Gerard's smile widened into a slow, seductive smirk.
"You loved Laurence," Gerard pointed out, reminding Tommy Joe of the night they had spent with My Passion front man Laurence Rene. Tommy winked, leaning into Gerard's side with a blush. "But, London is a good idea," Gerard agreed. "I know someone we can stay with for a while."
"London it is," Tommy said, letting Gerard lead him to the ticket desk.
* * *
"You did what?"
Adam glanced up at Monte as his friend sat down on the chair tilted to face the couch where he'd been sitting alone all night.
"I cheated on Tommy," Adam repeated, his voice frayed at the edges with exhaustion.
Adam had spent all night thinking about how to tell Monte what he had done. Monte was one of Adam's oldest friends, but he never looked at Adam through rose tinted lenses. He was always honest, even brutally so, and he was really fond of Tommy too.
"Oh, Adam," Monte sighed, leaning forward to place a hand on Adam's shoulder. "Dude, you fucked up. Where is he?"
"Gone."
"Gone?" Monte repeated. "What do you mean, gone?"
"Gerard showed up last night, told Tommy he needed to get out of LA. Tommy was going to go with him, he was waiting for me to come home to ask me if I wanted to go too," Adam explained, his voice cracking. "I know he's been all over the place recently, but...he was still waiting for me."
"So Tommy left with Gerard?"
"I guess," Adam shrugged, reaching for the half empty bottle of whiskey to top up his glass.
"And you let him?"
"What was I supposed to do, Monte? Lock him up?" Adam demanded, whiskey sloshing as he slammed the bottle down.
"Adam, Gerard has been heading to self destruction-ville at top speed for weeks, now he's got a freshly heartbroken Tommy Joe in tow? It's like the blind leading the blind, we can't just let them disappear together!" Monte pointed out.
"There's just no coming back from this, Monte," Adam murmured, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. "I don't know how we can come back from this."
Monte just sighed again, rubbing soothing circles on Adam's back as the singer started to sob.
* * *
Tommy stared up at the London town house, taking in the gorgeous little wrought iron balcony on the second floor and the bright red front door. It had a small, well tended garden with a neat flower bed full of what appeared to be a range of herbs.
"Gerard, where are we?" Tommy asked as Gerard led him up the paved pathway.
"You'll see," Gerard replied with a grin, knocking once on the front door.
A moment later, the door swung open revealing Brian Molko, wearing nothing but fitted black boxer briefs and what looked like an over sized vest with "give the drummer some" printed across it.
"Well well, Mr Way," Brian smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "What can I do for you?"
"Tommy Joe and I are looking for a place to stay for a while, still got that guest room?" Gerard asked, his long dark eyelashes fluttering in a way that still made Tommy Joe weak at the knees.
"For my favourite Killjoys? Of course I do," Brian replied, opening the door wider and gesturing for them to come inside.
Tommy followed Gerard into the foyer of the house, a long corridor painted a deep, warm blue, the walls lined with black and white photos of what looked like life on tour with Placebo. Brian led them to the living room where a young blonde man was draped across a pristine, elaborately carved white chaise lounge wearing nothing but a towel hung low around his hips.
"Hey Brian, who was at the door?" The man asked, craning his head to see who had just walked in.
There was no mistaking the blonde man's Californian drawl, so Tommy assumed he was Steve Forrest, Placebo drummer and Brian's boyfriend. Brian had told Tommy a lot about Steve when he first came to pick Tommy up at LAX at the end of his tour with MCR - Tommy knew there was 13 years between Steve and Brian, that Steve had come along when Brian had given up on relationships, and that the young American had pursued Brian for a while before the singer let their relationship really develop.
"Baby, I think you're going to need to get dressed," Brian said as he crouched down in front of the chaise lounge, pushing Steve's blonde hair back from his face before kissing him quickly.
Steve pouted, leaning forward to chase Brian's mouth as the dark haired singer rocked back on his heels before getting to his feet and tugging the drummer up with him.
Tommy could feel his eyes widening as his gaze raked over the younger man. Steve was well muscled, but not in a way that looked unnatural or obscene, and his skin was covered in tattoos. He was a walking, talking, breathing, pouting piece of art.
"Wow, nice ink," Tommy said before he could stop himself. Steve smiled at him, sudden and bright.
"Thanks," he said, stepping forward to offer Tommy his hand. "I'm Steve."
"I'm Tommy Joe, this is Gerard," Tommy replied, shaking hands with Steve and watching while Gerard did the same. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, you're all Brian talks about."
Tommy's statement earned him another happy grin and a bashful shrug. Brian was beaming, clearly glad that Tommy, Steve and Gerard were getting along.
"I'll show you darlings the guest room while Steve gets dressed," Brian said, stepping between Tommy and Gerard and offering them each a hand.
Brian led them up a winding staircase, stopping at the first door on the right and opening it with a flourish.
Tommy should have known that even Brian's guest room would be decadent, but he couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath. The room was a deep, dramatic red with matching curtains and lush carpeting. The bed was a massive four poster affair, made from dark wood with floor length red gauzy drapes around it.
"Dude, this is your guest room?" Tommy sputtered.
"Well, Steve's so laid back, I couldn't decorate our bedroom this way, but I needed to have a red room," Brian explained with a smile. "You guys don't mind sharing the bed, do you? The chaise looks amazing, but it's not comfortable enough to sleep on. And you know London, two bedrooms is a luxury."
"Brian, it's fine," Gerard assured him, reaching out for Tommy's hand.
Tommy nodded, not trusting himself to put his feelings into words. He would have ended up crawling into Gerard's bed anyway, no matter where Brian put them - he wanted to be close to Gerard for a while, needing the wordless warmth and comfort that Gerard offered.
"Ok, cool," Brian grinned impishly at them both. "I'm going to make sure Stevie isn't fully dressed yet."
Tommy laughed, leaning out the door of the guest room to watch Brian practically skip down the hall way to what he assumed was the bedroom door. Brian turned to wink at him before disappearing into the room with a giggle.
Gerard tugged Tommy further into the room, dumping his bag on the red velvet window seat before kicking off his boots and flopping down on the bed. Tommy followed suit and soon they were both lying on top of the duvet, facing each other, fingers laced together.
Tommy took a moment to just look at Gerard, drinking him in after going so long without seeing him. Gerard didn't look much different - his hazel eyes were still bright, his lashes as long and dark as Tommy remembered, although there were smudges bruising the pale skin under his eyes, hinting at heartbreak and sleepless nights. His little cupid's bow mouth was still as pink and sweet as it had always been.
"I really fucking missed you, Gee," Tommy breathed, untangling their fingers to wrap his hand around Gerard's hip, pull him closer. "I was going out of my mind."
"I'm really sorry, Tommy. I didn't want anyone to worry, I just...couldn't go on living that life without...well, I just couldn't. I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back to the way things were."
"Just, promise me you'll call Mikey, alright? He's...ok, I don't want you to feel like shit, or panic or anything, but I think he's literally worrying himself sick. He needs to know you're ok, Gee."
"I will," Gerard promised, nodding. "I know he won't agree, but this is something I need to do on my own. Mikey's pulled me back from the brink before, but it shouldn't be his job to do that, you know? At least if I'm not around, he doesn't have to see me this way, it hurts him too much."
"You miss him?" Tommy asked quietly, rubbing soothing circles into the pale skin of Gerard's hip.
"So much," Gerard replied, his eyelashes casting shadows across his face. They were so close, Tommy could feel them fluttering against his cheeks.
"We'll be ok, Gee."
Gerard chuckled softly, trembling ever so slightly under Tommy's careful touch. Tommy let his hand wander to Gerard's back, clutching at Gerard's leather jacket as he pulled the dark haired singer even closer, pressing a grateful kiss to Gerard's neck.
"I'm so sorry, Tommy," Gerard murmured. "About Adam, about everything..."
"Ssh," Tommy said. "What happened with Adam wasn't your fault."
"It was, it was and we both know it. You have every right to hate me, you know, or at least be a little angry."
"It hasn't really hit me yet," Tommy confessed. "I'm just so exhausted, I think I'm a little bit numb. And I'm just so glad you're here."
Tommy pulled away, pushing some of Gerard's black hair back from his face and tucking it behind his ear. Their eyes met, Gerard's eyelashes damp against his blushing cheeks. Tommy swept a thumb across his cheekbones, drying the skin that was warming under his fingers.
He didn't know who leaned in first, but he didn't stop to think about it. Gerard's mouth was warm and soft against his, gentle and sweet despite the growing heat between them.
Gerard pulled away first, tracing Tommy's bottom lip with his thumb. Tommy nipped at it, making Gerard smile.
"I feel like a real bastard for dragging you into this with me, and I know it's selfish to say it but I am so glad you're here, Tommy Joe," Gerard admitted, lacing their hands together again.
"I'm glad too," Tommy said, really meaning it.
* * *
It was dark by the time Tommy woke up, the house silent and his phone flashing with a notification of a text message. Groaning, Tommy leaned across the bed and grabbed his phone from the bedside table.
went out to dinner with stevie didnt want to wake the sleeping beauties :) tons of food in the kitchen if you kittens are hungry will be back late xxx b
Tommy smiled at Brian's message, rolling on to his back to scroll through the rest of his messages. He had two from Monte - where are you man we need to talk and not going to plead adams case I promise just wanna know you and gerard are ok.
He tapped out a quick response - we're fine, don't worry, talk soon and continued reading. He had seven messages from Adam. He wanted to delete them without reading them, but his curiousity got the better of him.
I don't know if I'll ever be able to apologise enough baby x
I know things haven't been quite right between us, but I know that is no excuse for what I did x
I really love you, Tommy Joe. I couldn't stand the thought of losing you, I still can't. Please come home x
Tommy ignored the tightening in his chest, his natural instincts telling him that Adam was hurting and he should do all he could to comfort him. He took a deep, steadying breath, letting his anger wash over him - he couldn't forgive Adam.
He read through the rest of the messages - they got shorter and shorter as Adam realised he wasn't going to get a response, as Adam gave up hope.
Tommy had flicked on the little bedside lamp, and it bathed the bed in a golden glow.
Gerard was sleeping on his back, his pale skin glittering in the lamp light. He'd taken his shirt off at some point, the red duvet resting across his hips, and Tommy took a moment to appreciate the view. The singer looked peaceful, his mouth slack with sleep, lashes fanned out across his cheeks, his dark hair like a splash of ink across the pillowcases.
The bed sheets were rumpled, Gerard had been tossing and turning a little bit. To the casual observer, it looked like they had done more than nap together. Feeling cruel, wanting revenge, Tommy aimed his phone at Gerard and took a picture.
He attached it to his only response to Adam, typing a vicious fuck you to go with the picture.
He hit send before he could reconsider, curling up against Gerard's side, his head pillowed on Gerard's chest as it gently rose and fell. He listened to Gerard's heart beat, steady and real, and started to sob. Hurting Adam hurt him, but he couldn't help himself. What Adam had done tore at Tommy's insides and he thought making Adam hurt too would balance it out, make him feel better.
It didn't.
Tommy didn't realise Gerard was awake until his pale fingers started raking through Tommy's hair, his touch calming Tommy instantly.
"We're going to be fine, Tommy Joe," Gerard mumbled, his voice still thick with sleep.
Tommy closed his eyes and tried his best to believe him.
Author: shadowoftheday
Rating: R-ish (language)
Pairing: Adam Lambert/Tommy Joe Ratliff (also featuring Gerard Way/Frank Iero, Mikey Way/Mat Devine and Gerard Way/Tommy Joe Ratliff)
Summary: After being dumped by an insecure Adam, Tommy Joe spent a whirlwind few months touring with My Chemical Romance before returning to LA to give things with Adam another try. Everything seems to be going well, but as Tommy soon learns, what happens on the road doesn't necessarily stay on the road.
Disclaimer: All fiction, entertainment purposes only, don't own, please don't sue!
Warnings/Notes:Story title belongs to Panic! At The Disco, cut lyrics belong to Kill Hannah. Thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter, that was a pretty epic response from you guys, and I really appreciate it :)
This story is a sequel to Burning in The Skies, which can be read here
Trade Mistakes Chapter 1
Trade Mistakes Chapter 2
Trade Mistakes Chapter 3
Trade Mistakes Chapter 4
Trade Mistakes Chapter 5
Trade Mistakes Chapter 6
Trade Mistakes Chapter 7
Trade Mistakes Chapter 8
Trade Mistakes Chapter 9
Trade Mistakes Chapter 10
You all remember Brian Molko and Steve Forrest, right? :)
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Tommy Joe stood silently beside Gerard, clinging to the singer's warm hand like it was a life jacket as they stared up at the departure board at the airport.
"So Tommy Joe, where in the world do you want to go?" Gerard asked, turning to Tommy with a soft smile.
"I don't know...I loved London," Tommy replied with a shrug. Gerard's smile widened into a slow, seductive smirk.
"You loved Laurence," Gerard pointed out, reminding Tommy Joe of the night they had spent with My Passion front man Laurence Rene. Tommy winked, leaning into Gerard's side with a blush. "But, London is a good idea," Gerard agreed. "I know someone we can stay with for a while."
"London it is," Tommy said, letting Gerard lead him to the ticket desk.
* * *
"You did what?"
Adam glanced up at Monte as his friend sat down on the chair tilted to face the couch where he'd been sitting alone all night.
"I cheated on Tommy," Adam repeated, his voice frayed at the edges with exhaustion.
Adam had spent all night thinking about how to tell Monte what he had done. Monte was one of Adam's oldest friends, but he never looked at Adam through rose tinted lenses. He was always honest, even brutally so, and he was really fond of Tommy too.
"Oh, Adam," Monte sighed, leaning forward to place a hand on Adam's shoulder. "Dude, you fucked up. Where is he?"
"Gone."
"Gone?" Monte repeated. "What do you mean, gone?"
"Gerard showed up last night, told Tommy he needed to get out of LA. Tommy was going to go with him, he was waiting for me to come home to ask me if I wanted to go too," Adam explained, his voice cracking. "I know he's been all over the place recently, but...he was still waiting for me."
"So Tommy left with Gerard?"
"I guess," Adam shrugged, reaching for the half empty bottle of whiskey to top up his glass.
"And you let him?"
"What was I supposed to do, Monte? Lock him up?" Adam demanded, whiskey sloshing as he slammed the bottle down.
"Adam, Gerard has been heading to self destruction-ville at top speed for weeks, now he's got a freshly heartbroken Tommy Joe in tow? It's like the blind leading the blind, we can't just let them disappear together!" Monte pointed out.
"There's just no coming back from this, Monte," Adam murmured, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. "I don't know how we can come back from this."
Monte just sighed again, rubbing soothing circles on Adam's back as the singer started to sob.
* * *
Tommy stared up at the London town house, taking in the gorgeous little wrought iron balcony on the second floor and the bright red front door. It had a small, well tended garden with a neat flower bed full of what appeared to be a range of herbs.
"Gerard, where are we?" Tommy asked as Gerard led him up the paved pathway.
"You'll see," Gerard replied with a grin, knocking once on the front door.
A moment later, the door swung open revealing Brian Molko, wearing nothing but fitted black boxer briefs and what looked like an over sized vest with "give the drummer some" printed across it.
"Well well, Mr Way," Brian smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "What can I do for you?"
"Tommy Joe and I are looking for a place to stay for a while, still got that guest room?" Gerard asked, his long dark eyelashes fluttering in a way that still made Tommy Joe weak at the knees.
"For my favourite Killjoys? Of course I do," Brian replied, opening the door wider and gesturing for them to come inside.
Tommy followed Gerard into the foyer of the house, a long corridor painted a deep, warm blue, the walls lined with black and white photos of what looked like life on tour with Placebo. Brian led them to the living room where a young blonde man was draped across a pristine, elaborately carved white chaise lounge wearing nothing but a towel hung low around his hips.
"Hey Brian, who was at the door?" The man asked, craning his head to see who had just walked in.
There was no mistaking the blonde man's Californian drawl, so Tommy assumed he was Steve Forrest, Placebo drummer and Brian's boyfriend. Brian had told Tommy a lot about Steve when he first came to pick Tommy up at LAX at the end of his tour with MCR - Tommy knew there was 13 years between Steve and Brian, that Steve had come along when Brian had given up on relationships, and that the young American had pursued Brian for a while before the singer let their relationship really develop.
"Baby, I think you're going to need to get dressed," Brian said as he crouched down in front of the chaise lounge, pushing Steve's blonde hair back from his face before kissing him quickly.
Steve pouted, leaning forward to chase Brian's mouth as the dark haired singer rocked back on his heels before getting to his feet and tugging the drummer up with him.
Tommy could feel his eyes widening as his gaze raked over the younger man. Steve was well muscled, but not in a way that looked unnatural or obscene, and his skin was covered in tattoos. He was a walking, talking, breathing, pouting piece of art.
"Wow, nice ink," Tommy said before he could stop himself. Steve smiled at him, sudden and bright.
"Thanks," he said, stepping forward to offer Tommy his hand. "I'm Steve."
"I'm Tommy Joe, this is Gerard," Tommy replied, shaking hands with Steve and watching while Gerard did the same. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, you're all Brian talks about."
Tommy's statement earned him another happy grin and a bashful shrug. Brian was beaming, clearly glad that Tommy, Steve and Gerard were getting along.
"I'll show you darlings the guest room while Steve gets dressed," Brian said, stepping between Tommy and Gerard and offering them each a hand.
Brian led them up a winding staircase, stopping at the first door on the right and opening it with a flourish.
Tommy should have known that even Brian's guest room would be decadent, but he couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath. The room was a deep, dramatic red with matching curtains and lush carpeting. The bed was a massive four poster affair, made from dark wood with floor length red gauzy drapes around it.
"Dude, this is your guest room?" Tommy sputtered.
"Well, Steve's so laid back, I couldn't decorate our bedroom this way, but I needed to have a red room," Brian explained with a smile. "You guys don't mind sharing the bed, do you? The chaise looks amazing, but it's not comfortable enough to sleep on. And you know London, two bedrooms is a luxury."
"Brian, it's fine," Gerard assured him, reaching out for Tommy's hand.
Tommy nodded, not trusting himself to put his feelings into words. He would have ended up crawling into Gerard's bed anyway, no matter where Brian put them - he wanted to be close to Gerard for a while, needing the wordless warmth and comfort that Gerard offered.
"Ok, cool," Brian grinned impishly at them both. "I'm going to make sure Stevie isn't fully dressed yet."
Tommy laughed, leaning out the door of the guest room to watch Brian practically skip down the hall way to what he assumed was the bedroom door. Brian turned to wink at him before disappearing into the room with a giggle.
Gerard tugged Tommy further into the room, dumping his bag on the red velvet window seat before kicking off his boots and flopping down on the bed. Tommy followed suit and soon they were both lying on top of the duvet, facing each other, fingers laced together.
Tommy took a moment to just look at Gerard, drinking him in after going so long without seeing him. Gerard didn't look much different - his hazel eyes were still bright, his lashes as long and dark as Tommy remembered, although there were smudges bruising the pale skin under his eyes, hinting at heartbreak and sleepless nights. His little cupid's bow mouth was still as pink and sweet as it had always been.
"I really fucking missed you, Gee," Tommy breathed, untangling their fingers to wrap his hand around Gerard's hip, pull him closer. "I was going out of my mind."
"I'm really sorry, Tommy. I didn't want anyone to worry, I just...couldn't go on living that life without...well, I just couldn't. I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back to the way things were."
"Just, promise me you'll call Mikey, alright? He's...ok, I don't want you to feel like shit, or panic or anything, but I think he's literally worrying himself sick. He needs to know you're ok, Gee."
"I will," Gerard promised, nodding. "I know he won't agree, but this is something I need to do on my own. Mikey's pulled me back from the brink before, but it shouldn't be his job to do that, you know? At least if I'm not around, he doesn't have to see me this way, it hurts him too much."
"You miss him?" Tommy asked quietly, rubbing soothing circles into the pale skin of Gerard's hip.
"So much," Gerard replied, his eyelashes casting shadows across his face. They were so close, Tommy could feel them fluttering against his cheeks.
"We'll be ok, Gee."
Gerard chuckled softly, trembling ever so slightly under Tommy's careful touch. Tommy let his hand wander to Gerard's back, clutching at Gerard's leather jacket as he pulled the dark haired singer even closer, pressing a grateful kiss to Gerard's neck.
"I'm so sorry, Tommy," Gerard murmured. "About Adam, about everything..."
"Ssh," Tommy said. "What happened with Adam wasn't your fault."
"It was, it was and we both know it. You have every right to hate me, you know, or at least be a little angry."
"It hasn't really hit me yet," Tommy confessed. "I'm just so exhausted, I think I'm a little bit numb. And I'm just so glad you're here."
Tommy pulled away, pushing some of Gerard's black hair back from his face and tucking it behind his ear. Their eyes met, Gerard's eyelashes damp against his blushing cheeks. Tommy swept a thumb across his cheekbones, drying the skin that was warming under his fingers.
He didn't know who leaned in first, but he didn't stop to think about it. Gerard's mouth was warm and soft against his, gentle and sweet despite the growing heat between them.
Gerard pulled away first, tracing Tommy's bottom lip with his thumb. Tommy nipped at it, making Gerard smile.
"I feel like a real bastard for dragging you into this with me, and I know it's selfish to say it but I am so glad you're here, Tommy Joe," Gerard admitted, lacing their hands together again.
"I'm glad too," Tommy said, really meaning it.
* * *
It was dark by the time Tommy woke up, the house silent and his phone flashing with a notification of a text message. Groaning, Tommy leaned across the bed and grabbed his phone from the bedside table.
went out to dinner with stevie didnt want to wake the sleeping beauties :) tons of food in the kitchen if you kittens are hungry will be back late xxx b
Tommy smiled at Brian's message, rolling on to his back to scroll through the rest of his messages. He had two from Monte - where are you man we need to talk and not going to plead adams case I promise just wanna know you and gerard are ok.
He tapped out a quick response - we're fine, don't worry, talk soon and continued reading. He had seven messages from Adam. He wanted to delete them without reading them, but his curiousity got the better of him.
I don't know if I'll ever be able to apologise enough baby x
I know things haven't been quite right between us, but I know that is no excuse for what I did x
I really love you, Tommy Joe. I couldn't stand the thought of losing you, I still can't. Please come home x
Tommy ignored the tightening in his chest, his natural instincts telling him that Adam was hurting and he should do all he could to comfort him. He took a deep, steadying breath, letting his anger wash over him - he couldn't forgive Adam.
He read through the rest of the messages - they got shorter and shorter as Adam realised he wasn't going to get a response, as Adam gave up hope.
Tommy had flicked on the little bedside lamp, and it bathed the bed in a golden glow.
Gerard was sleeping on his back, his pale skin glittering in the lamp light. He'd taken his shirt off at some point, the red duvet resting across his hips, and Tommy took a moment to appreciate the view. The singer looked peaceful, his mouth slack with sleep, lashes fanned out across his cheeks, his dark hair like a splash of ink across the pillowcases.
The bed sheets were rumpled, Gerard had been tossing and turning a little bit. To the casual observer, it looked like they had done more than nap together. Feeling cruel, wanting revenge, Tommy aimed his phone at Gerard and took a picture.
He attached it to his only response to Adam, typing a vicious fuck you to go with the picture.
He hit send before he could reconsider, curling up against Gerard's side, his head pillowed on Gerard's chest as it gently rose and fell. He listened to Gerard's heart beat, steady and real, and started to sob. Hurting Adam hurt him, but he couldn't help himself. What Adam had done tore at Tommy's insides and he thought making Adam hurt too would balance it out, make him feel better.
It didn't.
Tommy didn't realise Gerard was awake until his pale fingers started raking through Tommy's hair, his touch calming Tommy instantly.
"We're going to be fine, Tommy Joe," Gerard mumbled, his voice still thick with sleep.
Tommy closed his eyes and tried his best to believe him.