Gerard walked down the street to Ryan's house, being dragged along by his brother. Mikey Way had a look of determination on his face, despite his brother's earlier protests.
"You are not missing your last highschool party to draw!" Mikey exclaimed again as Gerard muttered a soft excuse, "Ryan is already expecting you, anyway."
"Mikey, come on." Gerard scowled, "I never forced you to go to any highschool parties."
"You never had to! I actually went willingly" Mikey flashed a grin back at his brother before continuing forward.
Gerard sighed. He wasn't getting out of this one. His brother was far too enthusiastic over parties... That, or his girlfriend was sneaking over tonight and he wanted Gerard out of the house.
"You graduate in two days." Mikey spoke up, sincerely. "Friends spread around! We saw that with Pete and the guys..." A soft sigh escaped his lips, "I don't want you to have any regrets by not hanging out with everyone one last time."
"You still miss him?" Gerard asked, feeling their pace decrease in speed.
Mikey shrugged, but the look on his face said it all. A disappointed furrow in his brow. Gravity successfully pulling down the corners of his lips. That longing look in his eye.
"Maybe you'll see him again, sometime soon." Gerard attempted to reassure his brother. He knew that Mikey and Pete had been close, but never positive at just how close.
Mikey let a small smile spread on his lips. "There's always hope."
The two continued to walk along quietly until they reached Ryan's house. Mikey knocked on the door before pulling Gerard up alongside him. Gerard stuck his tongue out at his brother, who flipped him off in response.
"Mikes!"
"Ha!"
The door was suddenly pulled open. Ryan stood in the doorway with a tilted head. A floral scarf was wrapped around his neck, nicely accenting the brown vest he was wearing over a striped shirt with sleeves that went to his elbow.
"You made it." Ryan grinned, straightening up when he saw Gerard. He turned to Mikey. "Are you coming too, Mikey?"
The blond shook his head. "Nah, I've got finals to not study for." He let out a laugh as he began to backtrack away from the doorway, "You guys have fun!"
"I'll make sure he does!" Ryan replied before grabbing Gerard's arm and pulling him inside.
Gerard stumbled slightly from the sudden, unexpected movement. He managed to balance himself, however, as Ryan shut the front door. He spun around to face Gerard, gesturing to his outfit.
"How's it look?" Ryan asked, "I'm feeling very hippie-esk."
"The look suits you." Gerard replied with a laugh, "I didn't really dress up."
"Do you want to?" Ryan inquired as he moved towards his home's staircase, "We can run back by your house real quick."
Gerard laughed, shaking his head. "Mikey would murder us both. I'm good in my jeans, tee shirt and jacket."
Ryan shrugged. "Suit yourself." He gestured Gerard over, "C'mon, I've got those new colored pencils you can use on your sketches before we go."
Gerard followed Ryan up the staircase leading to the second story of his friends home. Gerard's own colored pencils had all either been worn down or stolen from his locker a week earlier. Since there was a good chunk of time before the house party one of their friends was throwing, it was nice that Ryan was letting him work on his comics and character design.
Ryan's room was just off to the side of the stairs. The hippie boy hurried in first, flipping on the light and rushing to jump on his bed. Gerard laughed, following Ryan into the room.
"Pencils are at the desk." Ryan said as he kicked his leg in the air before rolling onto his back.
"Thanks." Gerard grinned, walking over to the desk. The wall behind Ryan's metal desk was decorated with different tacked polaroids and photos. Gerard could recognize his own face in some of the memories, as well as, several of their other friends. Though the relationship hadn't lasted, due to the older boy having already graduated, there was even a photo of Patrick taking the photo while Ryan kissed his cheek.
"Do you feel like walking or driving?" Ryan asked, stretching out with a yawn.
"We can walk." Gerard shrugged as he pulled out his artwork to work on. There was a small cup full of colored pencils poking up, inviting Gerard to use them. "Brendon's house isn't that far, right?"
"A block and a half away." Ryan replied almost automatically. He let out a soft 'aahh' as if he shouldn't have let the information slip so quickly. "I mean, yea, not too far..."
"Cool." As he spoke, Gerard spread several of his artworks across Ryan's desk. Some were completely colored in, while others were either spotted with color or half done. "Can you check these things out for me?"
The speed at which Ryan was off the bed and leaning over Gerard's shoulder made the red head jump. "Jesus, Ryan!"
"Whatchya got?" Ryan asked, ignoring Gerard's exclamation.
Gerard shook his head. He reached for his finished, colored sketches and passed them to Ryan. "Josh, Tyler, and Frank. Or, as their characters are called: Ghosted Disturbance, Silent Strike, and Fun Ghoul."
Ryan nodded, taking the pictures from Gerard's hand. As he began to look through them, Gerard reached for the colored pencils that were calling his name. His fingertips danced against their points as he considered the color for his next character. A dark, navy blue color stuck out to him. He slid it out from the rest of the colors, ready to take it to his character 'Desert Hurricane'.
Her design was based off of Breezy. Her dark hair was already colored in, pulled back in a ponytail with a set of bangs that were swept off to the side, covering half of her face in a stylish way. A masquerade mask was tied around the top of her head, which was the first thing Gerard thought to match with the blue in his hand. Her outfit was a loose tank top under a leather jacket with several patch marks that went to her midtorso. Her pants were form fitting and ripped at uneven leg cuttoffs. The higher leg cuttoff revealed a gun holster with a gray weapon already sat in it. Gerard assumed blue for her mask and tank top, while a gray for the rest of her outfit.
"This one's Frank?" Ryan asked, holding one of the drawings out as Gerard connected the colored pencil to the paper. The one he held out was indeed Frank, as well as, one of Gerard's favorite character designs so far. He wore a jacket that had yellow sleeves and a green body. The sleeves had black stripes that matched the long dark hair that hung in his face. He was wearing dark pants that were tucked into tall, lace up shoes. He was shooting finger guns with a winking grin, ducking his chin into an American flag bandanna around his neck.
Gerard nodded, looking away from the picture. "Yea... He really liked it."
"I can see why." Ryan nodded, "If only he knew how much you liked him to go into all this detail.
"He has Jamia." Gerard sighed. The pencil trailed across Desert Hurricane's mask rather half heartedly as he spoke, "I don't stand a chance."
"Never say never!" Ryan exclaimed, setting the artwork in his hands down on the table before hugging Gerard from behind. "Maybe someday you'll get your shot. I threw mine away after Brendon and Sarah broke up." He sighed, "Don't be a homewrecker, but don't give up."
Gerard shook his head. "They're too into each other. I'm just hoping that my crush fades once we're out of school."
"I feel you there..."
The two boys grew quiet. Gerard continued to move the pencil along his character's mask. Ryan eventually released Gerard and moved across the room, back to his bed. The sound of Ryan typing onto his phone filled the air alongside Gerard's pencil strokes. For awhile, that's how it was.
It was a comfortable silence, however. The two were good enough friends that they didn't need to keep constant chatter between them to enjoy each other's company.
About an hour and a half after first arriving, Gerard sighed, setting the colored pencil down. "Should we head over to Brendon's?"
Ryan looked over at Gerard. He glanced over to his window before responding, "Yea. It's finally starting to get dark, and you know how Brendon likes his strobe lights."
Both boys laughed as they rose to their feet. Gerard slid his artwork into protected binder sleeves before turning to face Ryan. "Ready to go."
"You sure you shouldn't leave that?" Ryan asked, pointing at the binder Gerard was tucking under his sleeve. "Brendon is known for spiked punch just as much as he is for strobe lights."
"It'll be fine." Gerard assured Ryan, "I won't let it out of my sight."
Ryan shrugged. "Alright." A smirk crossed over his face. "Let's go."
The boys made their way down the steps and to the front door. Ryan grabbed a set of keys from a hook off to the side of the door, shaking it in his hand. "When the cats away, the mice will stay out late." He said with a laugh.
"I'm gunna tell your mom." Gerard rolled his eyes as Ryan locked the door behind him.
Ryan just laughed again, "Which one?"
The two boys set off down the street. The sky was dimming with hues of oranges and purples. Gerard watched the colors as he walked in awe. Sometimes he wondered if his colors could ever compare to the colors that nature painted with everyday. Those beautiful blends that were never quite the same as each new day passed...
"Gerard!"
Gerard heard the exclamation too late as his body collided with another. He was sent to the ground, landing on his butt and dropping his binder. Papers spewed out from its sides, spreading across the sidewalk. Gerard scrambled to pick them up while muttering a flurry of apologies.
"Oh dear, I'm terribly sorry!"
Gerard looked up to see a bald man bending down to help gather some of the papers that Gerard had his artwork on. An impressed look crossed over the man's features as his eyes scanned over the work in his hands. Gerard noticed that it was one of his action panels for his comic. "Did you boys draw this?" He asked with a tone that matched his expression.
Ryan shook his head. "Just him, sir." He said, reaching down to pick up the binder before offering a hand to help Gerard up.
The man rose at the same time with a nod. "You're very imaginative, young man." He commented. He looked over the comic for another moment before holding the picture out to Gerard, "That's quite a talent."
"Thanks, sir..." Gerard replied, taking his artwork back from the stranger. Although it was a compliment, there was an uneasy feeling that swept over Gerard with the words. "I'm sorry for bumping into you, I wasn't paying attention."
"I saw you looking up at the last minute." The man nodded, "The sky gives a certain inspiration, doesn't it?" He chuckled at Gerard's timid nod, "Looks like you've had plenty for that artwork."
"Told you it was good." Ryan muttered, lowly, prompting Gerard to stomp down on his foot. He would prefer moving past the stranger rather than continuing conversation. He was getting a strange feeling from the stranger and he didn't like it.
The man's bro furrowed in confusion. "You doubt yourself?" He asked, making Gerard swear in his mind. Now it would be rude to just walk away from the conversation.
"I don't think I've built a strong enough world for my characters is all..." Gerard shrugged, turning his binder nervously in his hands.
The bald man's left brow raised. "You don't?"
Gerard shook his head, trying not to let his discomfort show.
The bald man nodded. "I think you'll learn to." He said. Without another word, he stepped to the side of the sidewalk to move past the two boys. As he passed, he patted Gerard and Ryan's shoulders.
A strange feeling spread through Gerard. He couldn't describe it, but his vision seemed to brighten for an instant after. He blinked rapidly, taking in a sharp breath before looking at Ryan.
Ryan seemed dazed. He shook his head as his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Ryan?"
Ryan turned to Gerard, but his confusion dropped from his expression. He had a normal look on his face as he blinked at Gerard. "Yea?"
Gerard turned to look at the space behind them. The man was fairly far down the street for the short amount of time since he had passed them. He turned back to Ryan with the shake of his head. "Just... Nothing." He forced a smile, "Let's just hurry to get to Brendon's, please?"
Ryan grinned, as if there had been nothing strange about Gerard's glance back, or the experience with the man. "Let's get moving then!"