Listen to the above song while reading.

My hands wrapped around the stick shift

Swerving on the 405,

I can never keep my eyes

Off this

"Fuck this," you huffed, angrily slamming your laptop closed and pushing it off of your lap and onto your bed, "fuck that," you scrunched up the paper containing rough drafts from the book you were trying to write, "fuck everything!"

"Hey, now," Gerard cooed, getting up from his seat on your couch and walking over to you, taking a seat next to you and wrapping a comforting arm around your tense shoulders, "it'll be okay."

"No, it won't!" you argued, hanging your head in your hands, "Do you know how much I've been able to write in the past week? One sentence. One fucking sentence." You groaned loudly and pulled at your hair; Gerard quickly placed his hand over yours and tugged it away from your head before you could rip your hair out. "I'm a failure."

"You're not a failure," Gerard countered, furrowing his brows, "You just need to take a break. You're working yourself too hard."

You scoffed. "I'm not working at all!" you exclaimed, tearing up even more paper.

"Okay, that's it," Gerard hastily stood up before motioning for you to do the same, "Get up," he commanded, making you arch your brows in surprise.

"Why?"

"We're going for a drive."

~

My neck, the feeling of your soft lips

Illuminated in the light,

Bouncing off the exit signs

I missed

"You wanna tell me where we're going?" you enquired, slouching down and crossing your feet on the dashboard.

Gerard shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" you gave him a sceptical look. "You're just driving me out to the middle of nowhere?"

"Think of it as an adventure," he offered, turning the heat up to combat the chilly night air, "It seems like you could use one."

You gave a conceding grunt in response, settling even lower into the passenger seat. In all honesty, you didn't at all mind being stuck in a car with Gerard for who knows how long. In fact, one could say that it was like a dream come true for you. Perhaps tonight would provide an opportunity for you to finally admit your feelings to him.

All we do is drive

All we do is think about the feelings that we hide

All we do is sit in silence waiting for a sign

Sick and full of pride

All we do is drive

The two of you spent the first hour or so of the drive singing along to classic rocks songs, and the next hour was largely spent playing various road trips games. You could tell that Gerard was doing his best to keep you preoccupied and get your mind off of your writer's block, and you were tremendously grateful for that.

As you and Gerard continued on the road out of California, you felt yourself relax as all your troubles melted away. The entire scenario was offering an escape from your mind, and you more than happy to oblige. And the fact that you were with your favourite person in the world made it that much better.

And California never felt like home to me

And California never felt like home

And California never felt like home to me

Until I had you on the open road and now we're singing

"Thank you, Gee," you said softly, giving him a weak smile as you rested your head against the window and slumped down in your seat, "It means a lot to me."

"Anytime, my love," he answered, turning his head to give you a quick smile.

Exhaustion was beginning to take hold of your body, and you yawned, eyes drooping slightly. You looked over at Gerard's side; the moonlight was streaming through the window, highlighting his beautiful face impeccably.

"You have such a pretty face," you purred, another yawn escaping your mouth.

An adorable laugh flittered through his lips, and he smiled shyly. "Thank you. I think that yours is prettier, though."

"Debatable," you replied, sighing as you shifted to get more comfortable. You must've gotten really comfortable, because you ended up falling asleep.

Your laugh echoes down the highway

Carves into my hollow chest,

Spreads over the emptiness

It's bliss

Looking over at you in your peaceful state of slumber, Gerard felt an insurmountable surge of love and adoration, and his heart swelled. He carefully reached over and took your hand in his, tenderly brushing his thumb against the back.

Things stayed like that for the next little while, until Gerard pulled over at a diner. He shut off the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt before gently ruffling you awake.

"(Y/N), wake up."

"Mm?" you mumbled, eyes struggling to open as you raised your head.

"You in the mood for a milkshake?"

A smile immediately graced your face. "Always."

~

Giggling, you watched as Gerard leaned in to take a sip from the giant milkshake, pulling away with a smidge of cream on the tip of his nose.

With a small yelp of surprise, he attempted to wipe it off, but ended up making it worse instead.

"Here," you giggled again, "let me."

Leaning in, you placed a tentative kiss on the tip of his adorable nose before wiping the remainder of the cream off of his face. You pulled away with a smile, and once he got over the initial shock of the situation, he smiled at you too.

Then, the both of you realised how close you were to one another, and your smiles faded. Both of your gazes were locked on one another, and it was as if you were the only two people in the room.

It's so simple but we can't stay

Overanalyze again

Would it really kill you if we kissed?

Without even realising it, the both of you started leaning in, and not three seconds later, your lips were locked in a passionate kiss.

"Gerard," you mumbled against his lips as you continued kissing, "I-"

"I know," he cut you off, kissing you harder, "I know. Me too."

Pulling away, you looked at him and laughed incredulously; he smiled and pulled your lips back to his.

All we do is drive

All we do is think about the feelings that we hide

All we do is sit in silence waiting for a sign

Sick and full of pride

All we do is drive

And California never felt like home to me

And California never felt like home

And California never felt like home to me

Until I had you on the open road and I was singing

_______________________________

Thank you for reading x