Death-Wish Kids

21.

We weren't even through the first set of doors before Ms. Taya was stopping us. She called after us and hurried over in her slipper shoes with a smile on her face. "I'm glad I caught you," she stated, putting her hands on her hips, "I wanted to properly introduce myself before you left and thank you for coming. It's great to have some young parents. It completely changes the atmosphere in the room."

"No problem," I replied, offering a tight lipped smile, "Micah really enjoyed it and I think that's what matters most of all."

She nodded eagerly. "Oh of course. That's the whole reason I started the class. He's definitely a cutie-pie. Those cheeks are just to die for." She practically swooned, reaching out to touch her thumb to Micah's flushed cheeks.

"Personally, I think he looks more like me," Gerard said, causing me to elbow him in the side, "Cy doesn't see it, but he's definitely more me than her."

Taya took a moment to compare my son to the man and then nodded slowly, squinting. "I think I agree," she said, looking at me like she'd just betrayed me, "He's definitely got more dad in him than mom."

Gerard smirked. "Come on, Cy, you can't disagree with that. He looks nothing like you." He was referring to Mitchell, despite never meeting him. He was basing it solely off the fact that Micah looked opposite to me.

"He acts more like me," I stated, refusing to let it go the other way, "We don't want Daddy's personality shining through. That would be travesty."

Ms. Taya chuckled, thinking I was being sarcastic and referring to Gerard. "Well I don't know about that," she rebutted, "He built quite the block tower today."

Gerard held his hands up. "That was all Miches and Teddy. I had nothing to do with that," he said, using the same nickname for my son that he did with his younger brother. He chuckled and gave the instructor a relaxed smile. "We have to get going," he concluded, nodding towards the door, "It was nice meeting you."

I nodded, agreeing with the older boy.

"I hope to see you three back next week," Ms. Taya said as we turned to go, "Maybe then Micah can draw the Mona Lisa all on his own."

Gerard looked back over his shoulder and winked. "He is a genius so I wouldn't be surprised." He laughed and we headed out of the doors to the main room and then outside to the car. We weren't the first to leave, but most had parked in the back parking lot and come in through the gym doors rather than the front.

As I buckled Micah back into his carseat and cracked his back window so he could get a little air flow and cool down, Gerard looked back at me. "What do you say about getting something to eat?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at me.

"I should probably get Micah home," I said, closing the back door and opening my own. I got in and started the car before continuing my sentence, "Plus, my dad will be ticked if I'm not home soon. He will kill me if he finds out you came with today."

Gerard rolled his eyes and rested his ankle on his knee, crossing his legs. "How's he going to find out? It's not like he'll be calling here to check up on you."

I stopped pulling out and gave Gerard a pointed look. "He might if you don't stop saying things like that," I stated, continuing out of my parking spot and onto the road, "but I really should drop you off and then get home. It's already getting kind of late."

Gerard gave me the same look I'd shot towards him just minutes ago. "It's barely after six," he said unemotionally, "Are you ready for a nap or something? You're seventeen, shouldn't you be eager to get out of the house?"

"I'm a mom," I reminded him, taking a left towards home, "Not just a seventeen year old."

"You're allowed to be both," he said, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his seat, "You can have a little fun too." He paused and thought for a minute before he turned back to me and grinned. "You should come over tonight. Get your dad to watch Micah and come hang out."

"No." I headed towards the street that would take me back to the school and back to Gerard's car.

He groaned and covered his eyes with his hand. "Come on, Cyren. You know you want to come over. My parents are out doing something tonight. They make Mondays their date night so Mikey always goes over to Frank's so that he won't be forced to cook for himself or starve, so they won't even be there to be jealous that you've spent the afternoon with me, not them."

"That's not what I'm worried about," I rebutted, not turning my gaze away from the road as I headed back to the school, "My father will never let me just dump Micah on him like this and he certainly won't let me get away with not coming home at all."

"Cyren," he stated, "Just call and tell him that a couple of moms invited you out to get to know you better and that you'll be home by nine. I swear to god, if he won't let you hang out with responsible old women then he's seriously worrying too much."

"Shut up, Gerard," I mumbled, pulling into the empty school parking lot and heading to my typical spot where Gerard had parked after school today.

"I'm serious, Cyren. Micah can nap, we'll watch a movie. You just need to get out of the house more." He didn't say it loudly or forcibly. He just said it like he believed it and he wanted me to, too. He rested his head back against the seat and looked over at me, his eyes soft and his eyebrows raised. His hair was getting longer and fell just barely above his dark eyebrows but still managed to hold no color at all, even at the roots. I knew he must've been dying his hair every couple of weeks to keep his natural hair color from showing.

I looked away from his stare now that I was parked next to his car and then looked back, groaning when he didn't look away. "Fine," I grumbled, knowing that I'd never win anyways, "I'll call him." I unbuckled my seatbelt and pushed my door open, startling Gerard.

"What are you doing?" he asked, leaning over the center console to look at me as I got out and stood on the blacktop.

"Calling my dad, obviously," I replied before shutting the driver's door and leaning against it.

Gerard quickly got out and shut his door, resting his arms on the hood of my car as he leaned on it. "Why did you get out?" he asked, his eyebrows raised and forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"I don't want Micah to hear me lie to his grandpa," I stated, flipping through my phone until I found the number I was looking for, "Now shut up, because if he hears you he'll hunt us both down and murder you."

"You do realize that Micah won't remember this, don't you?" he asked, completely disregarding my last statement, "He's not even a year old. You could kill someone in front of him and he wouldn't know."

"Cyren, what's up?" my dad answered, causing me to stand up straight and Gerard to instantly stop talking and watch silently.

"Hey, Dad," I greeted, pulling the phone from my ear so I could check the time before I held it back and continued, "One of the moms from Micah's class invited me to get dinner with her. I was just calling to let you know and make sure that it's alright."

He was quiet for a minute and then he asked, "A mom? How old is she?", probably thinking she was a teenage screw up like me.

"I don't know." I shook my head. "I didn't ask but probably somewhere around thirty. She has a one and half year old son named Teddy and he really likes Micah so we were just going to grab something to eat after class."

"Do you have anything for Micah?" he questioned, "What restaurant are you going to? I doubt they'll have anything for him and you don't want him in there hungry and upset."

"I'm not sure where we're going," I answered, shrugging my shoulders even though he couldn't see, "Somewhere low key. Alana is really relaxed and really cool so it'll probably just be some little diner or something. And yeah, I've got plenty of stuff for Micah in his bag and I'm sure she brought stuff for Teddy, so if Micah gets cranky there's enough to fill him up."

Another pause. "Well when do you think you'll be home? I don't want to have to wait up all night for you and I don't want Micah out until late."

I stayed quiet and pretended to think as Gerard grinned at me over the hood of my car. "Maybe like nine," I said finally, trying to sound unsure, "It won't be late at all. She has to put her son to bed and I have to do the same with Micah. We just want to get to know each other a little better." I paused again and then said honestly, "It's nice to have someone to hangout with who isn't bothered that Micah is always going to be tagging along. She understands."

"Okay, Cy," Dad gave in, hearing the sincerity in my voice, "I want you home by nine and Micah bathed and in bed after. It's a school night and you have homework."

"I know, Dad," I replied, "I have to go. I'll see you later. Thanks." I hung up the phone and smiled at Gerard, causing him to stand up and walk around the back of the car so that we were both standing between my driver's side and his passenger's.

He leaned back against his car and just looked at me, making me slightly uncomfortable under his gaze. I crossing my arms over my chest and asked, "What?" frowning at him.

"Nothing," he replied, shaking it off as he stood up, "I just didn't think you would actually listen to me and break the rules. You're such a stickler for those I was beginning to think you were a pussy."

My jaw dropped at his language and insult and I shoved him back into his car. "I am not," I replied, recrossing my arms in anger this time rather than nervousness, "I just can't afford to make any mistakes. Micah is the most important thing now and I can't do anything that's going to screw that up."

Gerard was grinning and he nodded as my words met his ears. "I know," he said, "Get in your car. I'll meet you at my house." He walked around the back of his car and unlocked it before getting in. I got in mine and waited for him to pull out before I did the same, following him out of the parking lot and through the back roads of our neighborhood to his house.

All the lights were off when we pulled up and the garage door opened on his command and he pulled into the empty spot. I parked behind him in the driveway and shut the car off, the garage lights replacing my headlights.

Micah wasn't sleeping, but he was on the verge as I lifted his entire car seat out and into the garage where Gerard was waiting at the kitchen door. The garage closed when Micah and I were inside and Gerard pushed the house door open and motioned for us to maneuver through before he followed quietly and closed it behind him.

He slipped past me and led me across the kitchen to the basement door just behind the kitchen table. He opened it and apologized that there wasn't a light for the stairs. I felt his hand on my arm, guiding me down just in case I were to trip with Micah's bulky seat in my arms.

When we got to the bottom, Gerard flipped on the ceiling light and I was surprised at what I saw. The walls were covered in posters and drawings and other papers I couldn't place. My eyes lingered on the mash-up of colorful and gruesome drawings that were tacked to the ceiling and the rows and rows of shelves that built evenly into the walls, housing books, movies, and magazines alike. His bed was messy, as expected, but there wasn't much on the carpeted floor. A desk sat across from the stairs, a dresser on the left wall and a door on the right.

Across from his bed, a pretty large TV hung on the wall above a shelf that was haphazardly filled with DVDs and his closet was just on the other side of the stairs, open and overflowing with typical Gerard clothing.

"Bedroom, bathroom," he said, playfully giving me a tour of his room. The door on the right wall led to his own bathroom and he dropped down onto his bed, kicking his shoes off and dropping onto his back.

"Micah can hangout where ever," he said, looking up at me from the tangled mess of sheets, "Is he sleeping already? He must've took that page out of your book."

I rolled my eyes and set Micah's seat down on the round chair next to Gerard's bed. It fit perfectly without teetering and Micah closed his eyes again, comfortable and tired.

"He's getting there," I replied, stepping out of my shoes and pushing them under the chair, "He'll be out soon and nothing will wake him up." I glanced up the stairs at the open door and frowned, hoping that Donna and Don wouldn't come home anytime soon. It would be one thing for them to find me in their son's room alone, but a whole other thing for them to find me with Micah.

Seeing my glance, Gerard got up from his bed and tackled the stairs two at a time. The door closed with a bang and he came back down and went right back to his spot. "Relax," he said, searching for his remote in the blankets, "Nobody is coming home until after eleven. Mikey will probably even just stay at Frank's tonight. He usually does."

I sat down on his bed and pulled my feet up to sit cross legged, looking down at Gerard from a strange angle. "How come?" I questioned, glancing at the TV as it turned on and Gerard began flipping through channels. He stayed silent as he got up and put a movie in the DVD player before flipping the light off, letting the TV illuminate the room just enough.

"Babies should have darkness when they sleep," he said, dropping back down onto the bed.

"You didn't answer my question," I replied.

I could barely tell that he shrugged, but he did and then huffed and tossed the remote into his pillow as he rolled over onto his stomach to be able to look at me. He was softer in his own room. The smirks were gone along with the loud, giggly laughter. He smiled and his fingers landed on my hand.

"He just doesn't like having to fend for himself," he said, using the same excuse as last time, "Plus, if he was home I would definitely have him making me something to eat."

I blinked towards the stairs. "We can go find something if you want," I offered, peering back at him.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Maybe later," he said offhandedly. He sat up straighter and crossed his legs. His proximity to me surprised me when I looked up, and I leaned back just barely. His eyes met mine and the tone in the room altered automatically. My lips parted in surprise and I watched him form words on the tip of his tongue.

"Cy," he said mostly to himself as he peered past me, "There's just something about you..." he trailed off, meeting my eyes as he did, "I know it's fucking crazy for me to feel attached to you already, but you're gorgeous and smart and I don't know why the hell I can't just leave you alone and get on with my life." He looked confident in his words despite his confusion, and his eyes showed just how strong he was.

I faltered for a moment, and then shook my head. "I should probably go home," I said, partially leaning away as if I was about to get up.

Gerard shook his head too and reached out for my hand again, not surprised to find that I'd moved away from him. "Don't go," he rebutted, his tone lightening as he folded his arms in front of him, "I know this all sounds really dramatic, but it's not hard to tell that you like you me too, for whatever insanely stupid reason."

"How do you know that?" I asked, resting my elbows on my knees and leaning forward just slightly.

His grin was back but it was less smirky and more cocky. "Because I kissed you and you still let me get in your car and play with your son," he said, shrugging his shoulders like the answer was obvious. "Either you like me or you just like kissing me."

I pressed my lips together as excitement shot up my spine. I wasn't sure which was the true answer, but it was one of the two. Gerard climbed up and sat down with his knee pull up to his chest, sitting beside me, facing me. "What if I just like kissing people in general?" I questioned, but then added, "You're a asshole, by the way," referring to his kissing experiment in my garage.

He rolled his eyes but the smile on his face slowly slipped away as he formed his words. "I wish this was easier," he murmured. His eyes moved back to mine and he inched closer. I didn't know what he meant by "easier". Perhaps it was too hard for him to like me and accept it knowing I'd been pregnant and had someone's child, but as Gerard clenched his jaw and moved just subtly closer, his fingers tracing the veins up my arm, I didn't think that it was too hard at all.

I leaned forward and kissed him without thinking about it too harshly. He instantly pressed harder, moving his fingers around to the back of my head and pulling me in. I cupped his jaw with my right hand and practically gasped when his fingers found the the inch of skin under the bottom of my shirt and just above my jeans.

I fell backwards as he switched positions and brought his body down just barely on top of mine. He rested on his right elbow while his left hand moved under my shirt to rest on my side and my arms wrapped around his neck, holding the twenty year old from backing away from me.

In the dark, I was aware of every breath he took as we delved deeper into what we felt. And as he moved his mouth to my neck, I opened my eyes and stared through the dim light at the ceiling that was holding drooping hand-drawn photos that were incredibly old. I could barely make out the face a little boy through the darkness, but as Gerard brought his hot mouth up to mine and breathed against my cheek, I knew it must've been an image of himself. I could see it in the eyes. The child's held the same sadness as the man kissing me.

It was heartbreaking to realize Gerard was aware of that emotion in his eyes. I wasn't sure if anyone else had noticed it, but he did. He slid over me softly, one of his knees on either side of my hips and his face replaced what I could see of the self-portrait. He wasn't smiling but I could see the intensity on his face and I reached up and trailed my thumb along his bottom lip as he looked down at me.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered in the dark, shaking his head like he almost couldn't believe what he was looking at.

I didn't argue with him, but from where I was, he was the most beautiful person I believed I'd ever see. "Gerard," I said, my words just whispers but cutting through the space between us all the same.

He dipped his head in a nod, waiting.

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and pressed my fingers into the back of his head, bringing his mouth back down to mine. I didn't need to express that I felt the same about him, it was obvious in the way I reacted to him. There was still part of me trying desperately to hide it from him, to keep from being vulnerable, but the confidence he felt in his own emotions moved into me when his skin was on mine.

I felt him smile into the kiss, realizing that I just enjoyed the way his name felt on my lips.
♠ ♠ ♠
Second update!
Thank you for the two really amazing comments that I got. I love to read comments that tell me why you like the story, not just that you do. I hope that when I get up in four hours to do my homework, it'll have been worth skipping it & sleep to write these for you.

The story is now taking off and I hope you loved these last two chapters like I do.
Comment please! Thanks guys. :)

& also, I haven't edited all of this yet because it's 2:30 AM & I have to be up in just a few (four) hours to do my homework. :P