As soon as Patrick is home, he heads to his room and collapses in bed. He doesn't say a word to Gerard when he walks in the door at three in the morning. Doesn't do anything but hug his sweater close and trudge into his room and fall into bed. He doesn't even see Gerard. He's far too tired. Too many people pounding into him, too many hands on his hips and in his hair. Too many people biting down on his earlobe and telling him how pretty his dancing was. He danced three times.

Patrick shuts his eyes and tries to take the image of them out of his mind.

Pete's the only one that manages to erase it all. The sharp teeth dragging against the side of his neck, they drew blood and Melanie got a little worried at it. Patrick just told her it was fine and brushed it off.

Patrick runs the pads of his fingers over the mark, feeling the clean cut and he wonders how it could be so clean.

It's so weird.

***

A week passes.

Patrick wakes up Saturday morning to Gerard setting a plate of eggs and toast on his bedside table right beside the lamp. Patrick squeezes his eyes open, hands weaving into the bedsheets and his back arching as he stretches. The pain has gone away for the most part, thank god, but there's still a dull ache echoing through his hips and lower back. Especially after last night. The only difference is, his customers are required to lube and rubber up and prep. Rapists aren't limited to anything.

Gerard presses his hands in his pockets softly, blushing and clearing his throat. The boy sits up and pulls down his hoodie a little as he gazes across the dish.

"The fuck?" Patrick starts, confused and dazed from just waking up.

"A simple thank you would suffice," Gerard murmurs.

"I thought you didn't have food." Patrick had been buying his own food for the past week so for Gerard to out of nowhere make him breakfast really surprises him.

"I didn't. I thought you would appreciate if I made you food or something," Gerard replies with a shrug, "you probably had a long night last night."

Patrick pulls the plate into his lap with the fork and knife and he almost smiles when he notices a small container of strawberry jam on the table, "how much did you pay for this?"

"Doesn't matter."

"I thought we agreed if pay you for food," Patrick replies, looking up with a confused expression.

"We did. You can pay me back at the end of the month. And that 300 a week changed to 300 a month, by the way," Gerard replies, "You need the money more than me."

Patrick frowns, "okay, whatever about the food but I don't care. I got 50 dollars last night alone a-and-"

"Only 50?"

"I-I mean that was in the tips I was allowed to keep. I get paid 12 an hour..." Patrick bites his lip, "And I get paid in cash... I mean..."

Gerard gives him a sad look and finally just sighs, "They don't give you much, do they?"

Patrick shrugs. Gerard bites his lip and looks away. He wants to cheer the boy up. Or make him realize things really aren't as bad as they seem... "You wanted to see how I can fly...?"

Patrick nearly drops his plate in surprise, a mouthful of toast in his mouth.

"Whut!" He chokes.

"I asked if you wanted to see how I can fly. It's been a week... I mean..." Gerard bites his lip and looks away, "If you still want to."

Patrick immediately sets down the plate and searches Gerard for some kind of reluctance. The man shows none.

"Okay so...? How do you do it?" Patrick swallows eagerly as he sits up and looks across Gerard. The raven-haired boy scratches the back of his head with a small chuckle and finally just begins pulling off his jacket, unzipping it and letting it fall to the ground, followed soon after by his shirt.

Patrick begins to get a little uneasy when nothing happens, but that's when he sees a wing appear from behind Gerard. From his back.

Patrick nearly screams in surprise but manages to hold himself together. It's tall and black, as dark as Gerard's hair, even and it's wide. Gerard winces as he spreads it out far, at least a good seven feet, then watches as he spreads the second as well. Patrick's eyes are wide and his mind is racing. Where did Gerard get those? Why are they black? How does a human have wings? Are they real? How did they stretch out like that? Can he touch them? What if they fell off? Is that how he flies? Is it easy to fly with them? What do they feel like?

Gerard sees Patrick's look of shock and chuckles a little, smiling, "You can touch them."

Patrick doesn't move, too shocked or... impressed or... he really can't tell. But this man has wings. What the hell.

Gerard moves his right wing closer to Patrick and the boy finally lifts his hand, petting over the smooth feathers and feeling the dip under his fingers. He gasps at the feeling.

"Bullshit, what the fuck was in that toast?" Patrick says.

"It's not bullshit," Gerard chuckles, "It's just... the truth..."

Patrick presses a hand to his mouth, "how... how is this possible?"

Gerard smiles, "That's a question for another time. I'm sorry. It's really complicated but I'll tell you someday."

Patrick chuckles a little, hiding his smile with his hand as he stands up and examines them carefully. Gerard feels him walk around him, and then a swift pluck and he yelps, quickly shrinking his wings away from the boy when he sees a long, black feather between his fingers.

"Be careful there, Man," Gerard warns, "What was that for?"

"Just wondering if you could feel it," Patrick replies, resting the feather down on his bedside table as he looks back across the wings, "What does it feel like?"

Gerard shrugs, "It feels like wings."

"Yeah but... is it like hair? Was this from some kind of birth defect? Is your dad a chicken? Is your mom a chicken?"

Gerard smirks and rolls his eyes, pulling Patrick closer with his wings and placing his gloved hands on Patrick's shoulders.

"I'm not a chicken."

"Are, too."

"Are not."

"What the fuck, how else does something like this just... happen?" Patrick whispers, turning as the wings pull them closer together until Gerard's chest is touching Patrick's back. He jumps at that, especially more so because Gerard is extremely cold and half naked and only then does he turn back around.

"That's a question for another time," Gerard chuckles, "finish your breakfast and sleep, we're going out tonight."

"Why at night?"

"Because I said so," Gerard replies with a small smirk.