I Drew You Once in Art Class

Forty-Six

Frank's mom was wrong.

Gerard was a cuddlebug. More like an octopus, actually.

He woke up with Gerard latched around his torso, peaceful and asleep against Frank's back.

Frank tried not to move, so as not to disturb him, but he couldn't stop the smile from creeping onto his face. Last weekend, he'd been completely alone, probably cuddling with Millie. This weekend, he'd had his first sleepover in 3 years and his friend was fastened around him, fast asleep against his back. Frank knew he wasn't going back to sleep, so as carefully as he could, he stretched to see the alarm clock next to his bed, which read 10:03 AM. Gerard couldn't sleep for too much longer, right?

Wrong.

At 10:45, Frank just couldn't take it anymore. He gently unclasped Gerard's hands from around his torso and got to his feet, feeling his joints pop and complain from the stiffness they'd been subject to. He turned to glance at Gerard, whose eyebrows had begun to furrow as he woke up.

His eyes opened, hazel and fresh, the underneaths of his eyes puffy with sleep. He sat up, and his hair rose around him with static, which Frank couldn't help laughing at.

"What time is it?" Gerard asked, his voice scratchy.

"10:48," Frank responded, looking at his clock. "Ah, shit," Gerard said, rubbing his eyes. "I should probably get home. I gotta get the kid breakfast."

"Don't you have cereal or something?" Frank asked.

"No, which is why I gotta go get some. But thanks for having me over."

Frank half-smiled. It was kind of weird, seeing Gerard as his normal mature self talking about buying food for his family when 8 hours ago he had been crying against Frank's shoulder, but I guess that's just how people work.

Gerard pulled himself off the floor-bed and walked out Frank's door, giving him a little wave. He heard him thank his mom on the way out before Frank went to his window, watching the red slug-bug with the dented bumper rumble out of the driveway and go somewhere that wasn't here.