When We're Both Thirty

[Insert Whimsical Chapter Title]

After seven hours of scrambling to find someone who is halfway decent and also available, Gerard finally finds someone that might be able to put up with Frank. It's hard finding people who are as attractive as him though, because it's not like Gerard has Joseph Gordon-Levitt on speed dial. He wishes, but unfortunately no such luck.

So the evening comes and then it goes. Frank sends him a text saying that this potential was about as interesting as a thumb tack and that he needs to try harder. Gerard calls him some creative insult which Frank than combats, and it's all very regular.

Wednesday turns into Thursday. Thursday turns into Friday, and an ever deepening dread fills his gut when he realizes that they only have twenty six more days. He's so exhausted with this whole ordeal though, and Gerard just really wants to go out and get himself laid. That's what he wants. That's it.

He's not asking for much. All he requests is some disposable guy to fuck to take his mind off of Frank. Or maybe he can find a really hot guy who ends up falling in love with him and all this shit can be put into his rearview mirror. That would be nice.

He really needs a break. He needs a break from the insults and the deprivation. He needs a break from Frank, and from his joblessness. He just needs to take a vacation from his life.

"Mikey," Gerard groans when he refuses to go with him. Something about not needing to have the visual of his brother trying to seduce anything with a pulse. To be fair, he does have a point.

"Go away," Mikey says, shooing him out of his apartment.

"Why?" Gerard asks, "You're not doing anything tonight!"

"I don't want you to think I'm just always free on a Friday night to hang out with you. I have a life too!"

"No you don't! Since when?"

"Just get out," Mikey replies, about as whiney in tone as Gerard.

"What if I give you incentive?" Gerard asks.

"What kind of incentive?" Mikey asks, which is his way of saying 'I'm listening.'

"I don't know. What do you want?" Gerard asks, "A pony, a dinosaur, a Charizard, a yellow submarine?"

"Gerard, you don't even have enough money to print out a piece of paper with those four things written on it."

"Ugh, well what do you want then?" Gerard implores.

"Well," Mikey says in a tone that scares the shit out of Gerard over what he's about to say next. "You know Frank?"

"Oh god, what is about to come out of your mouth?" Gerard asks, looking panicked.

"If you let me invite him, then I will come along."

"Mikey!" Gerard says obnoxiously, "you can't be serious. You know I hate him. Why would I want to spend any time at all with him?"

"Well, my reasoning is that you totally have the hots for him, right? So my guess is that if you two spend enough time with each other, one of you is going to make a move, and then some shit happens, and I get to be best man at your wedding!"

"You have got to be kidding. I hate him. No, I loathe him. You hear me, Mikes? I loathe him. Like, whenever I see him I just wanna, like, rip-"

"His clothes off?" Mikey suggests, and Gerard hits him in the arm.

"No! Not rip his clothes off. I was going to say I want to rip his heart out and throw it against a wall."

"Yeah whatever, so do we have a deal or not?"

"Ugh, Mikey! I just want to go out and have sex. It's a Friday night, I feel like I deserve to just go crazy for a night. The last thing I need is for Frank to be on my shoulder badmouthing me to everyone I meet," Gerard says. He really doesn't know how to tell Mikey that he's not dicking around here, and honestly just wants a day off. There's no way to translate his thoughts into words. He wants to just be someone else for just tonight, and that's all he's asking for. That's it. Mikey can't understand him unless they're conversation is filled with sarcasm though.