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When Gerard steps back into their hotel room, they’re a little on edge. They force a deep breath, trying to ignore the nerves that crawl through their chest as they pick up their duffel and start digging around for their pajamas and their iPod.
They’ve just gotten back from dinner with Ray, – whom they’re sharing a room with tonight –Frank, and Mikey. The latter two are also sharing a room next door, which if everything goes to plan, should end in a very interesting morning. Gerard almost envies Otter, with a whole room to himself. Lucky bastard.
Sharing a room with Ray isn’t new. Ray and Gerard room together pretty frequently, they all room together pretty frequently. Hell, they were practically piled on top of each other when they were living out of that van, having a bus with bunks let alone a hotel room is a massive improvement, really.
It’s just… Things have felt a little different with Ray recently. A little weird. Maybe a little flirty. Gerard’s not an idiot, and Ray isn’t subtle. Vice versa. There are glances that last a little too long, looks of understanding, touches on hands and shoulders and backs that feel burned into Gerard’s skin, big smiles from jokes that really aren’t that funny… it’s a lot.
Again, Gerard isn’t stupid. They know this isn’t nothing, they aren’t just making this up in their head.
When the two were discussing hotel arrangements in the bus, Ray was off. They could see the way he tried to hide his blush and swallow his nerves. It wasn’t an insane thing to ask, considering how much they room together, but the way he stuttered, voice quivering and eyes avoiding Gerard, the way his face went red and he ran a fidgeting hand through his curls… Ray was nervous.
He even made an excuse, saying Otter would want his own room and forcing Frank and Mikey to a room would be beneficial for their… situation.
It was unusual, to say the least. Considering how casual and easygoing Ray usually is, the anxiety behind his eyes kinda freaked Gerard out.
A million thoughts ran through their head as they checked into the hotel and got ready for a quick dinner. Ray was hiding something, obviously, he’s pretty bad at hiding he’s hiding something. But Gerard couldn’t really pinpoint what.
It became a little more obvious when they got to dinner. It was a small, shitty place, obviously nothing fancy because they are a broke band touring America. As Gerard sat next to Ray, they would catch him staring, looking away from them the second they noticed. They’d notice the blush creeping up his cheeks whenever they touched him or even looked at him.
Gerard thinks that the only human being actually present during that dinner was Frank. And that’s saying a lot. Gerard almost felt bad, the way Frank was trying to make conversation while Mikey was ignoring him (to Gerard’s annoyance,) and Ray was barely able to hold eye-contact.
“I’m gonna take a shower.” Ray’s still shaky voice gently takes Gerard out of their thoughts. They mumble an acknowledgement and nod, keeping their head down as they hear him rush into the bathroom.
Gerard barely stifles the sigh of relief that exits their mouth. They can still feel the tension whenever they’re next to him and it’s almost painful. They quickly change into their skeleton pajamas and slip on their headphones, tucking themself into the covers of the hotel bed and sitting against the headboard.
Trying to relax proves pretty difficult when their thoughts are being occupied by their best friend who seems worryingly nervous about sharing a room. Their mind seems to race, unable to focus on the music playing into their ears.
Gerard has liked Ray for a while. They’ve always admired the man, watching him play guitar is like watching God create Earth, for fuck’s sake. Not to mention just how quickly the two clicked, able to understand each other on a different level than Gerard has ever really experienced. It’s like Ray is reading their damn mind sometimes.
And a few months ago, Gerard realized they were sort of… obsessed with him. Frank and Mikey can attest to this, having both sat through likely unbearable rant sessions about Gerard’s interest in Ray.
He’s just… perfect. He’s gorgeous, amazing at everything he does, sweet and lovable… Gerard can’t think of what not to like about him. It’s almost annoying.
They’re sure he’s caught them staring, or noticed the way their heart starts racing whenever he so much as puts a hand on their shoulder. Honestly, the way they look at him on stage should be obvious enough.
They’re just not sure if Ray returns the feeling. From what Gerard has noticed, all points go towards yes. But who knows? Maybe Ray actually wants to talk, to tell them that they’re alone in these feelings and they should back off. Maybe he was so nervous because he doesn’t know how to let Gerard down softly.
At this point, Gerard would have to agree that there’s probably no easy way to do that. They’re standing on the edge of a building, knowing that they’re about to fall and knowing that it’s going to hurt.
But they’d like to think there still might be a chance that they can be pulled back.
It’s painful, the way Gerard wants it all. They want Ray’s eyes on them, they want to be the reason Ray smiles so big, they want the hands on their shoulders and resting on their back and wrapping around their torso. They yearn for it. The absence of it, even for just a day, feels torturous.
“Hey.” Ray’s voice is just loud enough to come through the music in Gerard’s headphones. They drop their headphones around their neck and look up at him.
“Hi.” It’s meek and pathetic sounding.
Ray looks beautiful. It’s frustrating how gorgeous he can look with such minimal effort. He’s getting out of the shower, he shouldn’t look this… appetizing. For the lack of a better word.
His curls are wet, drooping down from the weight. He’s wearing a band tee and his favorite blue and black pajama pants, decorated with little guitars all over them. Around his neck is a small towel, catching the water still dripping from his hair.
Gerard wants to bash their head into a wall.
They have to slap their hand over their mouth to prevent themself from saying something deeply unsettling and insane.
Ray tilts his head, then begins putting his dirty clothes away and preparing to get into his bed. Gerard holds their breath, just staring at him.
“Do you want to…” The words come out before they can think about them. Shit. Too far now, they guess. Gerard sighs, then continues as Ray’s head perks up, looking at them curiously. “Do you wanna sleep in my bed?”
It’s out of pure desperation. The need to be close to him overcomes their rational thinking.
Ray blinks at them for a moment, eyes wide and almost confused.
“Y-Yeah. Yeah, sure, Gee.” Ray nods quickly, stuttering the words out. “You okay?” He adds, as if a second thought as he approaches the bed.
“Mhm.” It’s a lie. Gerard is not okay. They desperately want to kiss their best friend on the mouth and just invited him to sleep in their bed without a valid reason. No ‘okay’ person does that.
Ray is gentle as he climbs into the bed and under the covers next to Gerard. Even the presence, the body heat next to them eases the sickening feeling in their chest. But there’s still a tension between them, words that are waiting to be spoken, hanging in the air over them like a ticking timebomb.
Gerard lies down, trying to ignore it. They stare at the ceiling and wait for the feeling to pass.
It doesn’t.
After a few seconds, they hear Ray turn, now lying on his side and looking at them with tired and soft eyes.
“You gonna tell me what’s bothering you?”
Says him. He’s the one who’s been bothered all day. “It’s nothing.”
“Yeah, right.” Ray scoffs. He certainly seems a little less timid than he seemed earlier.
Gerard just huffs, still looking at the ceiling. Then, a hand rests on their arm. They try not to jump, but in the quiet, still atmosphere, the way they flinch is obvious.
Ray removes his hand as quickly as he brought it, flinching back himself at the reaction. Gerard instantly mourns the contact and looks towards Ray.
They make eye-contact for a few terrifying moments. Ray looks almost worried. Then, steadily, he brings his hand back to their arm. Gerard relaxes, sighing and shutting their eyes for a moment.
“Do you need to cuddle?”
“Wh– What?” Gerard’s eyes snap open, Ray’s words catching them off-guard.
“Look, it’s fine, Gee. Just, c’mere. You clearly need it,” Ray says softly, squeezing their arm.
Gerard just stares for a moment. They do need it. They feel it in their bones, the way they want to tuck themself into his arms and live there forever.
Before Gerard really notices that anything happened, they’re in his arms. Whether that was of their own volition or Ray’s is a mystery.
It’s just as comforting and warm and relaxing as they thought it would be, if not more. Ray’s strong arms wrap around their back, holding Gerard close to his chest as they tuck their head into his neck. His wet hair, now pressed against Gerard’s face, smells of really nice shampoo. Their hands land on his waist, and for a moment, feeling Ray tense under them, Gerard feels like they’ve made a mistake.
But then, he relaxes, holds Gerard tighter, and sighs into their shoulder.
It’s really, really nice. They could fall asleep and forget everything they were worried about.
But, despite Ray’s calm demeanor, Gerard can feel his heart racing. If they didn’t know any better, they’d mistake it for their own. So they’re both a little nervous then.
“Um…” Ray breaks the silence tentatively, “Did you… Were you gonna say something earlier?” His voice is quiet and soothing next to them, but Gerard can still sense that underlying quiver that makes this all the more nervewracking.
“What– What do you mean?” Gerard swallows.
“You, like, slapped your hand over your face.” Ray backs his head away hesitantly, making eye contact with them. “Did you want to say something?”
“Oh.” Gerard blinks. “I–” They try to speak, but Ray’s stupid big brown eyes are looking at them with such intensity, they can barely even think.
He blinks at them slowly, not breaking eye contact as he tilts his head. A strand of hair falls over his face and Gerard feels their heart swell.
“You’re really cute,” Gerard blurts out, not having time to consider what they wanted to say. “Fuck,” comes out next as their eyes widen. A nervous laugh bubbles through them as they cover their face with their hands.
Ray lets out a similar giggle, “You– I’m cute?” It sounds shocked, like he hadn’t considered that a possibility.
“Shut up– I’m… Sorry. I’m…” They trail off, tucking further into themself as the embarrassment rushes through their body.
“It’s okay, Gerard.” Gerard can hear the smile through his words, “For the record, I, uh, think you’re pretty cute too.”
The entire world seems to stop, the air is still, the two of them are frozen in place, and Gerard doesn’t even breathe.
Is he being serious? The silence between them feels deafening.
“You’re just saying that.” They huff, the words coming out a little more vulnerable and fearful than they were intending.
“No– no, no, Gee, I swear.” A small, anxious laugh escapes as he speaks. “I’m not… I don’t know how to– I didn’t think I was actually gonna…”
Gerard just peeks out from their hands, looking at him confused, brows furrowing. Ray himself looks a little frustrated, like he can’t form his words properly.
“Let me start over. I… I really like you.” Ray slowly removes a hand from Gerard’s back, bringing it to their hands, peeling one off of their face and gripping it tight. “I don’t know how to… say this. Clearly. But, you’re just… really cool and pretty, and–”
Before he can say another word, Gerard feels themself surge forward, pressing a kiss to his lips. They barely even register that they’re doing it. It’s quick, messy, and not prepared in the slightest.
When they pull back, the shock in Ray’s eyes nearly makes Gerard shoot out of bed and run. If Ray wasn’t holding them there, they probably would have.
“Oh my– I’m so sorry, Ray, really, I should’ve asked or–” Gerard stutters through an apology.
Then, there’s a hand on their face, gently holding their cheek and grazing it softly. “It’s okay.” Ray says, clearly restraining a smile.
Then, his lips are on theirs again. It’s softer this time, slower. Everything about Ray is so sweet. His lips, the way he holds them, the little breaths he lets out in satisfaction. It’s all so sickeningly sweet.
When they both pull away again, Ray is looking at them with a warmth in his eyes Gerard wants to experience every day for the rest of their life.
“God, I was so scared.” Ray lets out a relieved laugh, “You have no idea.”
“I kind of do,” Gerard reasons. “You were acting so weird all day, I didn’t know what was up with you.” They flash a small smile.
“I wanted to… talk to you about, uh, this. Wanting this. But I was so scared… I think I accidentally avoided you.”
“Kind of.”
“Sorry.” Ray smiles guilitly.
“It’s okay. We can talk more in the morning, kay?” Gerard presses a quick kiss to the tip of his nose, then revels in the way his face goes red. “I just want to… kiss and cuddle and sleep. If that’s good with you?”
“Y-yeah. Perfect.” Ray nods quickly.
Gerard gives a soft smile, then tilts their head towards Ray again, connecting their lips softly. It’s soft and slow and sleepy, but they seem magnetically pulled to each other, not wanting to break away.
Eventually, after what feels like hours, they do. They wrap into each other, covered by the hotel comforter, and shut their eyes, only listening to the other’s breathing as they fall asleep.
Waking up isn’t as slow or comforting as falling asleep. Still surrounded in Ray’s arms, Gerard turns their head and groans into their pillow as loud banging sounds from their door. Ray seems to jolt awake at the fourth incessant bang, almost jumping from Gerard entirely.
“Shit– One second!” Ray groans, yelling far too loud for Gerard’s early morning ears, “I’ll be right back, Gee.” He scrambles out of bed and stumbles towards the door.
Gerard mourns the loss of their Big Warm Ray, grumbling into their pillow. Whoever is at that door is going to pay.
“Frank?” Ray sounds confused as he opens the door. “Wh– Why are you… It’s so early, man.”
Gerard wants Frank dead.
“Only 9.” Frank responds from the door. His voice is like nails on a chalkboard. “C’mon, I asked Mikey to come hang out, but he’s tired as hell and wants to take a nap–”
“Are you sure it has nothing to do with what you’re wearing?” Ray chokes out.
Gerard perks up. Not another one. They scramble out of bed and bolt to the door, standing on their tippy-toes to peek over Ray’s shoulder.
“Oh my God. Frank.” Gerard groans and drops their head onto Ray’s shoulder after they read the shirt. Their brother must be an idiot. Frank must be an idiot.
“What? It’s fine– look, I just need someone to come hang out. Either of you. You know how I get when I have too much energy.” Frank bounces on his heels, looking anxious to get going.
“Like a hyperactive dog.” Gerard rolls their eyes. They sigh, give a quick kiss to Ray’s neck. “You got this one, big boy,” they say, turning and stepping back towards their bed.
“Excuse me?” Frank nearly screeches.
“Shh! Shut up!” Ray rushes, “You– Stop.”
Gerard snickers.
“You guys are–”
“I said shut up.” It’s incredibly cute to hear Ray get so flustered about he and Gerard.
“I’ll shut up if you hang out with me.”
“That’s a lie and we both know that.”
“Yeah. Still. Please, C’mon, I just wanna walk around NYC.” Frank is basically begging at this point. Gerard is getting back into bed.
“Can we go to that one comic store?”
“Yeah, of course, man.”
“Okay.” Ray sighs deeply. “I’ll meet you in the lobby in a few minutes, kay? I need to get dressed.”
“Okie dokie.” Ray lets out a small giggle at that.
“Don’t get into too much trouble, Frankie.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Frank says, his voice getting further away.
Gerard hears the door shut and watches from their place curled up in bed as Ray walks back into the room, heaving a sigh. He looks generally thrown off, maybe a little upset that he didn’t get to have a slow morning with Gerard. Gerard agrees.
Ray steps towards the bed, leaning over Gerard and bracketing their head with his hands. Gerard feels themself flush as he leans down and presses a few quick kisses to their lips. When he backs away, they’re both smiling.
“Better go get ready. Frank’s waiting.” Gerard smirks.
Ray groans. “Yeah.” He presses a kiss to their forehead and starts getting ready.
He changes his clothes, not bothering to hide himself from Gerard whatsoever, earning a good few blushing glances, then goes into the bathroom to brush his teeth and tidy up his hair. When he comes back out, he gives a few more kisses to Gerard, whose face screws up at the sharp minty taste of his lips.
Gerard sits up, guessing they should do something with their day if not go out with Frank and Ray. As Ray opens the door, about to leave, Gerard hears yet another voice from the door.
This time, he immediately recognizes their brother’s squeaks. Ray seems a little thrown off. Before long, he rushes past Ray and into the room, right at Gerard.
He looks flustered. He looks… well, he looks like a mess. He’s red in the face– Gerard is unsure if it’s a blush, with anger, or if Mikey paced too hard again. It could be all three, really. –and he looks exhausted. Definitely does not look like he was taking a nap, that’s for sure.
“What?” Gerard lets out a yawn. They catch Ray’s eyes, looking a little disappointed as he gives a small wave and exits the room.
Mikey explains what Gerard had seen earlier, something Gerard is just now realizing was not a weird sleep-induced hallucination. The ‘I love losers who listen to The Smashing Pumpkins, straighten their hair, and wear grey beanies’ shirt, is real. Unless them and Mikey have some sort of weird sibling-specific hallucinations, that is.
Gerard does their best in assisting him, taking jabs at Frank when they can, but mostly just telling Mikey that this definitely isn’t an accident.
There’s a silence where Gerard can just tell that Mikey is finally taking in his surroundings, something Gerard has always noticed. He always rushes into somewhere and it’s like his brain takes a little longer to load in the graphics.
Gerard feels their heart drop as Mikey stares at the other bed in the room for a little too long. They are just now noticing how un-slept-in it looks. Shit.
Mikey snickers, “Does Ray make his bed? Or does he just sleep like a…” Mikey trails off and Gerard watches his brain compute, loading in new information and connecting it together slowly but surely.
When he whips his head around to look at Gerard, they feel themself go red with embarrassment. Mikey looks appalled.
“Oh my God. No.” He stands, looking at the bed he was just sitting on with wide eyes. Gerard just puts their head in their hands. “You didn’t,” Mikey says, almost breathless.
“We didn’t do anything!” Gerard’s shoulders tense up, nearly reaching their ears. “We just… We didn’t sleep together. We just… slept together. Literally.”
Mikey starts to pace not seeming to notice the sound of the door clicking open, “Here I am complaining about my boy problems when you are the one sleeping with–”
“Ray!” Gerard can’t stop themself from announcing as they see Ray standing just behind Mikey. Ray looks… shocked, to say the least. He looks between the two of them with a blush, almost scared.
“I um… I forgot my wallet.” Shit, Gerard had seen it on the table when he was leaving earlier. They forgot to remind him. “Everything okay?”
“Yes,” Gerard squeaks.
“You’re getting a shovel talk later,” Mikey says, just encouraging Gerard’s urge to slap him.
Ray blinks for a moment.
“Understandable.” For a moment, Gerard wonders how on Earth it is understandable.
Then in a quick moment, Ray grabs his wallet, presses a kiss to the top of Gerard’s head, and bolts out the door, barely even saying goodbye. Mikey lets out an offended squeak.
When Gerard spares a glance at Mikey, his jaw is dropped. Gerard smacks him on the arm. “Fuck you!”
“No, fuck you!” Mikey retaliates, slapping their hand away. “Are you guys like…”
Gerard is regretting not going out with Ray. “I dunno! Stop asking. We were talking about you.” They shrug.
Eventually, after enough redirecting, Mikey leaves them alone, off to actually take a nap, leaving Gerard in their room alone. They sigh at the silence, the first time they’ve been alone with themself since Ray was showering the previous night.
They collapse into their bed and try not to freak out about kissing Ray. They fucking did it. The thing they’ve been dreaming about for months now, finally a reality.
They’ve definitely been pulled back from the edge.
When Ray finally returns to the hotel room, Gerard is busying themself with comics and music. He doesn’t return alone, because of course not. Can’t get a second alone with someone in this band.
“So like, do you think that’s a good idea?” Frank’s voice comes through as Gerard watches them both walk into the room.
“I’m not going to answer that. Do what you think is a good idea,” Ray responds as if he’s said this a lot in the past few hours. “Go ahead, ask Gerard.”
Frank turns to Gerard, eyes wide like an overeager puppy. Gerard sighs, setting down their comic and tilting their head at him.
“Can I use your lipstick?” Frank blinks innocently. Okay. Not what they were expecting.
“Uh… yeah? Sure, man. Just be delicate, that shit is expensive,” Gerard says, still a little curious. “It’s in my little bag in the bathroom, y’know the one.”
“I do.” Frank nods, “Thanks, Gee! I’ll bring it back, I promise,” Frank says, rushing straight into the bathroom.
Ray looks at Gerard as they both listen to Frank rummaging around in their bathroom. He makes direct eye contact, unmoving, and slowly blinks. Gerard has to keep themself from bursting into laughter.
“Found it!” Frank yells, then they hear him open the door, “Bye!”
“Bye!” Gerard yells after him. The door clicks shut.
Ray slumps over himself, letting out a sigh. “I forget how energetic he is. He never fucking runs out,” he groans, head drooping down and looking at the floor.
“He’ll tire himself out one day.” Gerard nods solemnly.
Ray picks himself up, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, maybe when he’s fifty.”
Gerard giggles. Ray turns around towards the empty bed, picking up a small bag. He turns back to Gerard and shows them the bag. “I got you and I some comics!” He smiles.
“Ooh! Score!” Gerard smiles.
“Found some good Transformers stuff for me, and uh… I forgot what it’s called, but some niche weird shit I thought you’d like. Reminds me of your drawings.” Ray pulls the comics out.
Gerard scans the cover. They don’t recognize it, but it does look right up their alley. Gorey. Weird. Good shit.
“Hm. Thanks, Toro.” Gerard smiles up at him. Ray smiles back. It’s sweet. Ray presses a small kiss to Gerard’s forehead. “What was that for?” Gerard snickers.
“You’re cute.” Ray shrugs, turning away and setting the comic bag back on the other bed. Gerard watches carefully as he finds his pajamas, clearly not wanting to go back out any time soon. He starts changing again, just like he had that morning, just slower, more tired and less rushed.
“Hmm. You’re the cute one.”
Ray turns, shirt still off. He lets out a small laugh, throwing his shirt into his bag. He looks around for a moment, searching for something.
“Gee, where’s my shirt?” He blinks, making eye contact with them.
Gerard stays completely and utterly silent for a moment, watching Ray raise his eyebrows expectantly. “I dunno.” They lie.
“Really? You don’t know?” Ray steps closer. He looks right at the shirt they’re wearing. “Gee, this isn’t what you were wearing this morning.”
“Uhh…” Gerard looks away from him, holding back a laugh. They did steal his shirt. While he was out with Frank, Gerard saw it and… y’know, it makes them feel closer to him, so why not, right? Totally normal.
“You’re wearing my pajamas.” Shit. Caught.
“And so what if I am?” Gerard raises their eyebrows.
Ray laughs genuinely, nearly doubling over. “You’re weird, man.” He’s smiling as he says it. Then, he rounds the bed and climbs into his own side. “Guess I wont be wearing a shirt to bed. Thief.”
“Oh no. What a travesty. What will I do now?” Gerard deadpans. Ray snickers.
“So you did this on purpose.” Ray raises his eyebrows, getting comfortable against his pillow as they both settle on their sides, facing each other.
“What can I say? Smells nice. Like you.” Gerard just shrugs, smiling. That earns another laugh out of Ray.
“So weird.” He doesn’t even try to hide the glee on his face. There’s a moment of silence before Ray rests his hand on Gerard’s face, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to their lips. “Cute kind of weird, though.”
“You really think I’m cute, huh, Toro? You keep saying it.”
“‘Cause you are. I think about it all the time, I just never had the chance to say it.” He kisses the tip of their nose. Gerard lets out a small giggle.
“I feel like we’re an old married couple.” Gerard clears their throat and puts on a voice, “So, how was your day, dear?”
Ray snorts, then clears his own throat, putting on his own silly voice, “Hm, it was just swell, honey–” Gerard tries to ignore the butterflies that flutter through them at that petname “--Would have been better if I didn’t have to listen to the romantic musings of a young boy all day.”
Gerard cackles at that, breaking character, “He really pissed you off, huh?”
“God, he would not stop talking.” Ray groans, back to his normal voice, putting his head in his hands. “He was just yapping on and on about how somehow Mikey wasn’t noticing the shirts.”
“HAH!” Gerard exclaims, “Oh, trust me, he is noticing the shirts.” They emphasize.
“I tried to tell him that!” Ray shrugs, “He just wouldn’t accept it! Just spent the whole day complaining about how Mikey was stupid and wasn’t getting the message.”
“See, I’m pretty sure he’s getting the message, it’s just that the message is confusing. Mikey is stupid but he’s not that stupid.” Gerard reasons.
“That’s what I’m saying! Like, dude, you’re the one cryptically communicating through t-shirts. Just tell him like a normal person.”
“Like us.” Gerard shrugs.
“Exactly! Like us!” Ray agrees, then lets out a quick exhale, rolling his eyes. “That’s the other thing. Frank would not stop asking about us.” Ray groans again.
“Oh? And what was he saying?” Gerard grins mischievously, perking up.
“The usual stuff, really. Are you guys dating?” He raises his voice a pitch, “How long has this been going on? Why didn’t you tell meeee? And– oh.. Uh, a lot of particularly invasive questions about the possibilities of us… sleeping together.” Ray turns his head away and covers his eyes at that, clearly blushing. Gerard giggles.
“Uh-huh?” Gerard snickers.
“Shut up. He was being so loud, too. Asking me questions no reasonable person would ask in public. In New York City.” Ray groans.
Gerard thinks back to the first question Frank supposedly asked Ray. “So… what’d you say?” They hadn’t really established anything. They wanted to talk this morning, but they got rudely interrupted.
“A-About sleeping together?” Ray whips his head back towards Gerard, eyes wide.
Gerard snorts, “No- no, I meant… about dating?” They give him a little smile.
Ray’s eyes soften, turning fully towards them. “Uh– well. I mostly just… ignored him. Since we haven’t really talked about it or anything I didn’t wanna– uh… I dunno. Assume.” Ray laughs nervously, eyes seeming to search Gerard’s.
Gerard nods carefully. “Do you want to? Date?”
Ray stills, staring at Gerard softly. Gerard holds their breath, watching as Ray processes and forms a response in his head. It’s interesting to watch the gears turn in his head.
“Yeah. Yes.” Ray nods. “If– If you want to do that. I’d really like to.”
Gerard smiles, pressing a quick kiss to Ray’s lips. Ray brings a hand to their head, gently pushing hair out of their eyes and behind their ear as they back away. Gerard raises their eyebrows.
“Are you going to… propose something? Maybe something required for dating?” Gerard chuckles, noticing Ray’s hesitation.
His eyes seem to light up in realization. “Oh– Right, uh… Gerard Way, will you do the honor of going to dinner with me?” He rubs his thumbs against their cheeks gently.
“Why, I’d love to, Ray Toro.” Gerard grins, pressing another kiss to Ray’s lips. They both smile into it, little excited kisses turning into barely contained giggles.
“We’re stupid.” Ray grins, squeezing his eyes shut and dropping his forehead onto Gerard’s.
“Yeah. Not as stupid as Thing 1 and Thing 2 in the other room, though.” Gerard snorts.
Ray giggles again, “Definitely not as stupid.”
“I’m gonna be pissed if they haven’t figured it out by tomorrow morning.” Gerard sighs, facing into their pillow dramatically.
“I might force their faces together. Like barbie dolls.” Ray nods, mindlessly fiddling with strands of Gerard’s hair. “Oh, full disclosure, Frank’s shirt for tomorrow will most definitely end this if it doesn’t end tonight.”
“Jesus. What is he wearing?” Gerard groans.
“You’ll see. Probably.” Ray chuckles.
“Ugh.”
“You might kill him.”
“I will.”
“I’ll make sure to warn him before you do.”
“No, don’t. That’ll take the fun out of it,” Gerard whines, looking up at Ray.
Ray just laughs, pressing a kiss to their forehead.
Eventually, they wrap around each other again. It’s safe, warm. Gerard tucks themself into Ray’s embrace. Even though it might take them a while to admit, especially to Ray’s face, they love him. That’s all that matters right now.