Sing

Chapter 11: On the Hood of a Car

I flipped the radio over in my hands, inspecting it intently.

"Still looking at that thing, huh?"

I looked up and found Gerard leaning against the corner of the house. I grinned and nodded. "I can't help it," I said. "I mean, when's the last time you saw one?"

He shrugged and walked towards me. "Do you mind if I...?" He pointed at the car and I shook my head. I moved over on the hood of the car so that there was room for him.

He sat down beside me and looked at the device with me.

"So Steve has a radio station?" I asked. Gerard nodded. "I think so," he said. "It's a pirate station, though. I hope he doesn't get caught."

Woah.

That didn't sound like Gerard at all. Normally he would say something like, "He's going to get caught."

He usually didn't have that much faith.

"Yeah," I said. "Me too."

We sat quietly for a while. We weren't doing anything, just sitting. It wasn't awkward or anything. It was nice. Quiet was a good thing in the situation we were in.

"Frank?"

I jumped at his voice. "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?" Oh, so that's why he'd been being civil. He wanted information.

"Yeah."

"Mikey and Ray," he said slowly. "Are they... A thing? I mean-Do you know what I mean? I don't know what I mean. It's just that-"

"Gerard," I said. "You're rambling again. Look, I don't know anything about Mikey and Ray's... potential relationship."

"So they are!" he said.

"I didn't say that!" I cried.

"It was the way you said it!" Gerard said. "'Potential relationship.' It's totally a thing, isn't it?" I sighed. I wasn't going to say anything. It was none of my business.

Gerard exhaled. "Now what? We're going on this super secret thing, and I have to worry about them."

"No you don't," I said. "Just relax. It's not like if they were a thing, which if Mikey asks, I didn't tell you about, they'd be making out while we were running into the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit. They'll be fine."

"But if Ray dies-"

"Let's not think about that," I said gently. Gerard stared at me for a second, then leaned back against the windshield.

"So it's me and you, huh?" he said. I nodded. "Me and you."

"You got anything against me?" he joked. I laughed. "Well..."

Gerard swatted my arm playfully, both of us laughing.

"Nah," I said. "You're nicer than some of the other assholes out there. But you're still an asshole." Gerard shrugged. "Can't argue that," he said, grinning at me.

I sighed and leaned back. "Why is it so hot out here?" I asked. He shrugged again. "Hasn't it always been hot here though?" he asked. "Like, even before BL/ind?"

I rolled my eyes and turned my head on the windshield to look at him. "That's not... Never mind," I said. I couldn't help smiling, though. He was so literal sometimes.

"What?" he said. "What is it? What'd I do?" I started laughing as he began pestering me. "Come on, tell me! I wanna know!"

He was laughing, too.

We started messing with each other, reaching out to tug on a lock of hair or get in a little smack.

I still don't know how I ended up on top of him.

My fingers were tangled in his hair, holding him down. He tried to sit up, but I laughed and shook my head. "Nope," I said, gently putting his head against the windshield.

"Aw, Frankie," he said, a smile on his face. "No fair!"

"It's totally fair," I argued. "You just don't want to fuck up your precious hair."

He rolled his eyes. "No, I don't want to get scalped!" I laughed. "I'm not that strong, Gee."

"I don't know," Gerard said skeptically. "I think you have a lot of things you're hiding." I grinned. Without thinking, I reached up and flipped my hair over my shoulders. Gerard took the opportunity to flip me. He pinned me with my back against the hood.

"And you have the nerve to say I don't play fair," I said. Gerard gave me a sinister grin. "It's totally fair," he mocked. I rolled my eyes.

Him holding me down like this gave me an opportunity to really look at him. I had never actually looked at his face very well. He had nice features, honestly. His hazel eyes could melt anyone if he wanted to. His nose was different, but in the best way possible. His lips seemed to be stuck in some sort of permanent sexy smirk.

"You alright down there, Frankie?" Gerard asked. "Not having a heat-stroke or anything, are you?"

I shook my head. "I'm completely fine," I said. "How about you?" He grinned. "Absolutely golden."

He scrunched up his face. "Golden, huh?" I teased. "Whatever," he said. "My nose just itches."

"Why don't you scratch it?" I asked. "I'm not that stupid," he said. I smiled. "Damn."

"Why don't you scratch it for me?" he asked, a devilish glint to his eyes. "What are you suggesting?" I asked.

Gerard leaned down and rubbed his nose against mine. I knew I was as red as one of those fire engines, but I didn't care.

"Ger-OH MY GOD!"

Gerard pulled his face away from me and we looked over to where the voice had come from. Mikey was standing there, his hands over his mouth.

"It's not what it looks like!" Gerard and I cried. "Oh my God," Mikey said again. "Oh my fucking God. Fucking Hell. F-"

"Okay, Mikey, we get it!" Gerard snapped. "You're in shock. But we weren't making out on the hood of a car!"

"Then what were you doing?" Mikey asked. "Because I'm not going to be upset if you two are all... involved."

Gerard and I exchanged glances, thinking the exact same thing.

"He was-" Gerard stopped, knowing exactly how weird his explanation was going to sound. "Scratching my nose with his nose...?"

"You really expect me to believe that?" Mikey scoffed. He rolled his eyes. "But you know what? If you don't want anyone to know, I'll keep my mouth shut."

He walked back into the little house. Gerard and I looked at each other and sighed.

We said it together, just like we always did when something went wrong.

"Fuck."