Another Way | Adopted by Gerard Way (Book Three)

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"Have you ever gone to the Santa Monica Pier?" Mason asked, one hand on the steering wheel, wind pushing back his black hair through the open car window.

"No," Harley said, holding her hat down so it wouldn't fly away. "Oh my god, is that where you're taking me?"

Mason looked over at her briefly, smiling, "If you want to," he said, "but we're already halfway there."

"Yeah, I want to. That sounds rad!"

"It is rad. We could go on the Ferris wheel, to the arcade, the aquarium—"

"Maybe not the aquarium," Harley said quickly. "They're so bad for the animals. It makes them all stressed out and the stuff they use to clean the tanks hurts them. Also, the tanks are way too small for them; they should be in the ocean where—"

"Okay, okay, no aquarium," Mason cut it. "I didn't know you were so horny for animal activism."

"Well, I don't know if I would say horny... It's just how I was raised," Harley said casually with a shrug. "I've been vegetarian since I was four, my parents never took me to any aquariums or zoos 'cause they don't believe in them, and my mom doesn't really want any pets, but if we get one we have to adopt from a shelter."

"Back up a second. How does a four year old decide to be a vegetarian? Did your mom and dad put you in front of the TV while playing those disgusting documentaries about how McDonald's really makes their chicken nuggets?"

It was then that it occurred that Harley that she'd never opened up about her past to Mason, not that she really wanted to. She couldn't even open up to Gerard about most of the things that bothered her, so she couldn't see how she was meant to casually tell this boy that both her biological parents were dead. He didn't even know she had two moms.

"That's just when my parents switched my diet to vegetarian, I guess," Harley said without thinking about it too hard. It wasn't a complete lie, she supposed. But it wasn't exactly the truth either.

"Isn't that kind of like—"

"If you say 'child abuse' I'm jumping out of this car no matter how fast you're driving."

Mason pursed his lips and turned up the stereo and, to Harley's surprise, House of Wolves by My Chemical Romance replaced the tenseness in the car. She smiled, despite everything.

About twenty minutes later, Harley didn't resist when Mason's slender fingers intertwined themselves with hers as they walked in stride, Harley needing to take longer steps than usual to keep up with his long legs. She gripped back, but pretended not to notice as she attempted to ignore the hundreds butterflies that hatched in her stomach at his touch. She occupied herself by looking around at her environment. They'd parked a ways away from the Pier because, as Mason explained, it was easier to find a parking spot if you're not right in the fucking middle of where everyone wants to be.

"So, I was thinking we could get some food and then decide on what to do next while we eat," Mason suggested.

"Yeah, sure, sounds good," Harley said, not fully absorbing Mason's words as she craned her neck to look at a sign across the street that said "Black Diamond Tattoo." Underneath the sign was a smaller one with the words "This Month's Guest Spot" and a logo that looked familiar to Harley, but she couldn't place it from so far away.

"What do vegetarians eat?" Mason asked, which brought Harley's attention back to him. She thought she detected a hint of condescension in his voice, but she dismissed it.

"We can go wherever you want and I'll find something. It's easier that way," she said.

"Okay," Mason said with a shrug.