words_unravel | better late than never...

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518 words // PG // gerard/brendon
[written for

fallingfortruth for that selfish meme that was, you know, months ago. better late than never, right?]

10...
Gerard's section of Aesthetics of the Human Body is really popular. Most of the time it's just hormonal young adults wanting to get a free pass to ogle a naked body, but Gerard manages to weed most of those out. But still, he hasn't found a model for this portion of the semester yet.

Enter Brendon Urie.

9...
The kid in front of him has so much contained energy, he practically vibrates. He also makes Gerard want to pick up a brush for the first time since Frank left him. Gerard will need to watch out for that...

It's a dangerous feeling.

8...
"You do realize that you'll have to be still, absolutely still for fairly long periods of time?" Gerard's not really sure why he's even giving the kid a chance, but there's something there.

It kind of surprises them both when Brendon actually pulls it off.

7...
Gerard knows better. But the first touch of Brendon's mouth, hesitant and trembling, against his own still makes the breath catch in his throat. And he doesn't say no when Brendon's hands ask Can I touch?

He knows better. Frank taught him that.

6...
The fine hairs at Brendon's nape are incredibly soft. Gerard won't admit it, but he loves the time, towards the end of the night, when Brendon will pretty much curl up in his lap. And Gerard will stroke them, ease the tension out of Brendon's neck until he's nearly purring against Gerard's belly. Gerard tries not to smile at this.

He usually fails.

5...
He finds a picture of Frank tucked inside a book Brendon's been reading. Gerard thought he'd gotten rid of all of them, but this one has been handled frequently, the edges are worn. Brendon finds him staring at it, minutes, hours? later.

He tucks his face into Gerard's neck and leaves his own questions unasked.

4...
Gerard wants to ask sometimes, when they're lying in bed and Brendon has the desperatetentative hold on him, what exactly happened. Why he's here, in this moment, what brought him to Gerard in the first place.

Instead, he usually ends up running his fingers through those soft hairs again, until Brendon moves over him, until Gerard doesn't get to think about unasked questions anymore.

3...
Gerard paints Brendon in shades of blue. Not the dull ones, though, he paints him in hues that bounce light in blinding brilliance. A splash of red here and there, a grey so pale as to be white is hinted at if you turn your head just right.

The paint stains their sheets and this time Gerard finds himself curled against Brendon in the morning.

2...
There's this one kid. Ryan, Gerard thinks, his name is Ryan. There's talent there. He's watched the boy's hands move over paper. They're artist's hands - the fingers long, slender, callused from hours of drawing. Ryan studies Brendon like he wants to pull him apart and then reconstruct him.

Although they've never even talked, Brendon can't help but stare back.

1
Gerard smokes a cigarette and doesn't answer his phone when it rings.