Diluted ☻ FRERARD ONE-SHOTS

Delivery Boy

Gerard doesn't get up to much when Mikey isn't around. Playing Mario Kart solo when your teenage brother is getting laid is depressing enough in itself but there's one thing that can cure all hardships: pizza. It helps that the new delivery boy is cute.

🥀✨🥀

Mario Kart just isn't as appealing when Mikey isn't around.

Gerard tiredly tosses the Wii remote on the sofa and flops down after it. He turned the TV on, set up some snacks and fizzy drinks, the whole lot, really, but after hollering up the stairs to realise that his younger brother Mikey's out with his new idiot of a girlfriend - like always, God knows how he stands her - Gee disappointedly had to clear everything away. One doesn't play Mario Kart by their lonesome.

It's summer, it's hot, and Gerard is frustrated in every sense of the word. The little town where he's been stuck since college kicked him out of his dorm - three years ago, actually - holds nothing of interest for anyone. The residents never smile. There are no men interested in other men, either, which is mainly what Gerard would appreciate. He's twenty-two and he's never been with anyone, not even a girl. Well, he doesn't particularly have a preference, apart from now, because he just wants to cuddle up to a warm body and trace his fingers over a boy's chest and feel their hands run through his hair and down his cheekbones. And, of course, he wants to destroy them in Mario Kart because he never beats Mikey.

"I could go for some pizza," he mumbles to himself, the thought of food cheering him up a little. The closest place, Iero's Pizza Parlour, do an amazing Hawaiian - well, they do an amazing everything.

Gerard dials the number he's sadly memorised and is greeted by a chirpy male voice he's never heard. "Hello, thanks for choosing Iero's Pizza Parlour! ... Unless you've dialled the wrong number, in which case I'm disappointed you've... Right, anyway, sorry, what would you like to order?"

Gee barely holds back a laugh at the poor boy's enthusiasm and stumbling and replies, "a ten inch Hawaiian, please."

"Cool! ... Oh, yeah, right, your address?" Gerard tells him the address, then the boy continues, "I'm embarrassed to say it but... I think I'm missing something. It's my first call and I-um- uh—"

This time Gerard can't help but laugh lightly before he helps the clueless kid out. "Name, maybe?" he suggests.

"Of course! Frank Iero."

He must be the owner's newly-employed son.

"Actually, I meant my name, but go right ahead," Gerard teases and hears 'Frank' groaning on the other end of the line at his mistake, "Gerard Way. Ten minutes?"

"Seven if I can help it," boasts Frank, then he clears his throat, "sorry, again. I'm not - um, I'll see you soon?" His voice breaks and raises at least an octave at the end.

Gerard twirls his finger around in the air as if the phone has a cord and smiles. "See you soon, Frank." And hangs up.

The poor boy must be mortified. Gee knows he would be after such a conversation, but since he knows all about being awkward and lacking social skills, he can relate and luckily only finds it quite cute how Frank was stammering and all flustered.

"Cute?" He makes a face at himself. "I haven't even met him."

Then he has the most brilliant idea - getting the pizza delivery boy to play Mario Kart with him! It's so cliché it might just work. He's dying of boredom, hunger and lack of companionship, so maybe all of this is exactly what he needs. He'll offer the promise of a substantial tip and drag his new buddy to the sofa where he'll most certainly win against him at the game.