Cerucci, I'll probably let Phil handle the birds and bees talk.. They would look amazing in dresses. My boys randomly pop up in drag anyhow, lol. I know some.. the rest I'm just coming up with as I go. M.j's place, I too would love a picture of Gerard in those Grumpy pajamas. I'll make it up to Philly. Thank you. LadyDragonsblood, they are cute. I'm now considering hunting mine out of storage. It's not that they're not normal because Gerard wouldn't understand, Adam just doesn't want him hurt. Adam's alright for now. Thank you, hun. takers dark lover, Phil will figure something out. I think Adam was just trying to see if Gerard felt threatened. Guest, thank you. Someone scary was probably on the phone.

The Darkest Corners;
Chapter fourteen/ 'No More Missed Opportunities'
Rated; M/ L, S (sexual tension, unintended groping, persuaded groping)

It was the next day that Phil decided to drop by. He had drove past Copeland's house twice before parking in the driveway and sitting there for a minute or two. He wasn't sure if he was just wanting to be stubborn, or was just a chicken shit, but he needed to let both go. He couldn't abandon Gerard, he wouldn't, even if they could never have anything other than what they had now. He couldn't let him go. He still wanted and loved him, that wasn't going to change, so he just had to deal with it.

Before he lost his nerve, Phil got out and stalked up to the door, knocking. He hugged himself as he waited, wishing he'd opted for a thicker jacket. It was cold this morning. It felt more like winter right now than it did fall. "C'mon, Copeland! I'm freezing my balls off here."

Adam opened the door before the sentence was completed. "Good, you don't need them."

Phil wanted to retort, he wanted to have a really good one too, but had nothing. "I wanna see him. Please."

Adam sighed and nodded. "Okay." He stepped aside to let him in and closed the door, shuddering from the draft. "He asked about you last night. Wondered why you stopped visiting."

"Really?" That meant Gerard did remember him when he left. Of course he knew he had to anyway, Phil wondered why he doubted that he did. "What'd he say?"

"He thinks you're mad at him. Cuz of our argument. I told him you were mad at me. Look, I still feel incredibly uneasy about this, but I don't want to argue no more in front of him. Okay? It's not good for him."

Phil nodded. "Yeah." He watched Adam walk off and moved out of Chris's way as he started to leave.

Chris nodded at him. "Causing trouble?"

"Hey, man. You gonna scold me too?" Phil gave a friendly smirk.

"Nah. I know you care about him. So all I ask is that you don't upset him." Chris grabbed his jacket and left for work.

Phil wandered to the living room, finding Gerard in the floor, watching cartoons while he colored. He didn't look up as Phil got down next to him. "Hey there..? What're you doing? You been good?"

Gerard didn't answer him, he kept his eyes on his book as he moved the crayon back and forth on the paper.

Phil sighed. "Don't do that.." He reached out to touch his hair, but Gerard scooted away. "Please.." He saw Gerard's jaw clinch. "I'm sorry."

"Not been here. Don't like me no more." Gerard still didn't look up. He didn't know why Phil was here now. He didn't have to be. He probably didn't want to be here, he was obviously done with him. He thought Phil hated him.. least the way he was now, he had to hate it. Gerard couldn't remember how they once were, how he once was, he couldn't be that again. They couldn't be that again.

"Oh, baby, that's not true.. not at all.." Phil tried to grab his hand, but Gerard jerked it away. "Don't."

"Done wiff me." Gerard whined, lip quivering. His chest hurt. He felt like crying, he didn't want to cry. "Cuz I.. I'm not normal no more.. hate me cuz I'm bwoken.. can't 'member.. you don't want me like this.."

And that pang of guilt returned. How had Gerard got this in his head?

"What? No. No no. Stop." Phil pulled him close and held him. "No. I don't care about any of that, okay. I don't care. And I could never ever hate you, understand me? Don't you ever think that again. I love you. I love you so much, you're my best friend. Did you know that? I couldn't leave you. I should have never left you.." He knew Gerard probably thought he meant the last time he left this house, but Phil knew he meant the day of the attack. "I'm so sorry, Gee. I just want you to know I'm so sorry. I never meant-" Phil sighed and held Gerard's head to his chest, listening to his even breathing.

Gerard had his fingers curled in Phil's shirt. He sniffled. Phil had said he loved him. There was some kind of strange warmth with that. To Gerard love meant that you wanted to be around a person, they made you happy. He was told there were different types of love, but he didn't know them yet. Just love for Adam and Chris, for Heath and Jay. But if Phil loved him, why did he go away and not want to be around? "Why'd you s'op coming around then?"

"I just needed a few days to think is all. I'm sorry. I never wanted to not come back. I couldn't bear not being able to see you again." He pushed Gerard back, taking his head in his hands and caressing his cheeks with his thumbs, looking at him and wiping the faint tears away. "You're beautiful. Know that?"

Gerard shook his head, flushing. "Not normal."

Phil chuckled. "Baby, you were never normal. But you're perfect." He kissed his nose, then his forehead.

Gerard smiled and tilted his head up, puckering his lips. He wanted a kiss. It was that moment that Phil wondered why he ever thought he could give up seeing him. Phil smiled back and kissed him lightly on the lips. Then Gerard was wrapping his arms around his neck and pushing him back to crawl in his lap as he attempted to deepen the kiss. Phil obliged him. Okay, so maybe Gerard didn't completely understand it, but he liked it and it felt good.

Adam came down through the hallway, cringed and used every bit of will he had to bite his tongue just this once. He swore he'd deal with the kissing. Nothing else, but he'd deal with the kissing. Then he heard Phil giggling.

"Looky, we made Mama twitch and turn colors."

Gerard looked at Adam with concern and then back at Phil. "Mama sick?"

"No, sweetheart. Mama's fine." Adam plopped down in the chair and grabbed his book. "You two play while I read." He glared at Phil. "Not that kind of play, I can hear you thinking."

"But, I wasn't.." Okay, that was a lie. He so was thinking. Adam didn't just have a dirty mind.

Gerard twisted a strand of his hair around his finger. "Kinda play?"

Phil shook his head. "Nothing, baby."

Gerard huffed. Why did people do him that way? He wasn't stupid.

As if reading his mind, Phil said, "Just play."

That wasn't a good enough answer, but he'd let him have it. Since obviously there was some other kind of touching and playing and special toys they didn't want him knowing about. Gerard nibbled his lip. "You.. you wanna play wiff me?"

Phil's lips quirked as Adam twitched behind his book. This was going to be so much fun, a twitchy Copeland was funny. Very coolly he said, "Why yes, I do want to play with you." He ran his fingers up and down Gerard's arm, causing him to shudder. "What do you want to play?"

Gerard shook his head, eyes wide and expectant. "I don't care. Jus' no tickling." He wanted to make that clear. "Not today."

Phil hummed, pretending to think. "Okay, no tickling." He agreed, slightly confused when Gerard held up his pinky.

"He wants you to pinky swear." Adam said from behind his book. He peeped over every now and then. He probably hadn't understood a damn thing he had read. Someone had been murdered and a suspect was being interrogated or whatever.

Phil nodded. "I don't think I'm supposed to be swearing." He did it anyway. Adam's eye-roll stay hidden behind the paperback.

Gerard smiled. "I want another kiss, pwease."

Phil pecked him on the lips and Gerard giggled.

"Again."

So Phil kissed him again, lingering this time. He'd rather have Gerard giggling and making the happy noises he was making than upset. He never wanted Gerard angry with him again. He swore on one of those awful days in the hospital just waiting for him to wake up and be alert that he'd never make him angry again.

Gerard had his hands placed lightly on Phil's chest. He felt those delightful little tingles again when Phil's tongue slid past his lips. Gerard mewled when Phil kissed down his jaw and neck, nibbling lightly on this one certain spot that felt so nice. He shifted and swallowed. "I feel something poking me."

At that point Adam closed the book and sat it on the end table, giving up.

"Those are just my keys." Phil said.

Adam snorted. "When in doubt, use a cliche."

"No, they really are my keys." And that was true, Gerard had managed to wiggle around and sit on his actual keys in his pocket. That wasn't to say that he wasn't hard, but that wasn't what Gerard was sitting on currently.

Gerard perked. "Ooh, keys. I like keys. Mama won't lemme play wiff his keys cuz he mean." The keys jingled and Adam's keys had a little thing on it that when you pressed it it lit up. He started for Phil's pocket to seek out the keys, but Phil stopped him.

"Ah, no." He took a breath. "Mama won't let you have them, I can't override him."

Gerard blinked. "Jus' wanna see 'em." He pouted.

Phil sighed and took out his keys, shaking them and watching Gerard's eyes light up. At least like this he was easy to entertain. "See? Nothing special about them."

Gerard took them and examined them. "They light up..?"

"No. Don't put them in your mouth, they're dirty."

Gerard nodded. He wasn't, he knew they didn't taste very good. But they were shiny. He shifted again. "Something's poking me again."

Phil grunted. "Let's just say it's my phone." He moved the boy off his lap.

"Phone! You got your phone? Lemme see, it has a light."

"You're not getting my phone. Last time you got a hold of it, you called someone I didn't know and they weren't happy with me." Phil remembered them being very rude, in fact.

Gerard looked at Adam and whined. "Mama!"

"You have toys with lights. Why don't you go get them and play?"

Gerard nodded and hurried to his room to get them.

Adam glanced over at Phil. "Please tell me that really was your phone."

Phil grinned. "My phone's in my back pocket." He shrugged. "What? We haven't done anything in over a year and a half, can't blame me. And the very last time we did.. it was just a quick little sleepy thing and he had been irritated at me. It wasn't even face to face, and I'm not even sure he came. I think he just let me use him that night." Phil sighed, his grin long gone. "I'm sorry. I know you don't like me. I appreciate you putting up with me."

It seemed foreign coming from Punk. Adam just sat back, he didn't know what to say. Phil Brooks could love, was human. "Don't you have to go to work?" Adam asked, trying not to sound like he wanted him gone.

Phil shook his head. "Not today. I can go if you want. Just let me t-"

"No, you can stay. You can watch him while I clean up." Adam stood and gave him his best stern look. "Just no tickling."

Phil shrugged. "I pinky swore."

Gerard came out with his toys as the bathroom door shut and looked around questioning, then at the shut door. "Mama..?"

"Mama's cleaning up." Phil told him.

Gerard heard the shower running and nodded, heading over to Phil. They played throughout the morning and evening until Phil was tired. He was happy when Gerard finally decided to rest and watch cartoons. Adam had made them snacks and they ate. Then Gerard relocated to Phil's lap on the couch, nibbling his fingers as his focus remained on the bright colors and silly antics on TV.

"Know what you're going to be for Halloween?" Phil asked.

"Hm..?"

"You know, what you're going to dress up as for Halloween."

Gerard looked at him and shook his head. He hadn't thought about it.

"Maybe Mama can take you and let you pick something out." His fingers lightly caressed his arm. Phil wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer, moving his hair away from his shoulder to softly kiss his neck.

Gerard squirmed and took a breath, Phil had his hand under his shirt, rubbing his side. He was kissing his neck like that again, on that spot. Adam was doing laundry and had been mostly as busy as a bee. And yeah, Phil knew he couldn't do anything.. and maybe he shouldn't tease, but he liked it, that little cheap thrill. At least he'd have something to think about when he got back home.

"Philly..?" Gerard said in the smallest voice ever. "I feel funny."

Phil stopped and frowned, feeling his forehead. "How? What's wrong?"

Gerard shook him away. "No.. I mean.. down.. down there.." He looked down at his lap. "And my tummy.. and all over.. I tingle.. why?"

Phil swallowed. "It.. it just means you're happy and feel good.." He regarded the hallway and pondered if he could get away with taking him to his room. How much longer would Adam be before he stumbled upon it and killed him?

That far away look in Phil's eyes scared him. "Philly, what's wrong? You okay?" Gerard nuzzled him. Had he asked the wrong question? He couldn't ask Adam either. Maybe he should stop asking.

Phil blinked out of his thoughts and cleared his throat. "I'm fine, Gee.. um, I'm gonna have to go in a few minutes, okay."

Gerard frowned. "Leave?"

"Yeah," Phil petted his hair. "I gotta go home. But I'll be back tomorrow, okay. I promise you, whenever I leave you, I will come back. No matter what, I will come back to you. Understand? Trust me?"

Gerard thought for a minute and nodded, hugging Phil's neck. "I twrust you, Philly."

"Good.." Phil regarded the hallway and wet his lips, rubbing his back. "Do you, uh.. do you like those tingles?"

Gerard looked at him for a moment before slowly nodding. He kind of did, it was just "they're strange.. but nice.."

Phil's hand moved back down to slip under his shirt, feeling skin. "They feel good?"

"Uh-huh.." He brought his hand up to nibble on his fingers and squirmed.

Phil inwardly groaned, he was squirming right against his crotch. Now the mature thing would be to tell him to stop, but he simply didn't have the heart. All he really wanted to do was thrust up into the friction. He removed his hand from under his shirt and wrapped his arm around him, pulling him close and burying his nose in his hair. Naturally Gerard took that as his cue to stop moving altogether. Phil swallowed.. he had promised he wouldn't tickle him.. but damn, he wanted him to wiggle again.

Gerard huffed and moved around. "I feel your phone 'gain.." He grabbed at it before Phil could stop him.. grabbed something anyway..

Phil gasped and startled because he hadn't been expecting it and moved Gerard's hand away. Really he just wanted to keep it there and make the little shit rub him off for grabbing him. Could he really do that to him? Could he take that kind of advantage of him? Fuck, he was throbbing.

Gerard's eyes had widened and he flushed because they both knew it wasn't a phone or keys he grabbed. "So-sorry.. I'm.. I.." The way Phil was staring at him made him uneasy. He wasn't angry looking or embarrassed, he was staring at him like he was hungry.

Phil still had hold of his hand, he rubbed his thumb across the back of it. Gerard's eyes batted as he stared at him, looking all embarrassed and confused. It made him harder. "It's okay, baby.. let's put your hand back there, okay.." Phil said huskily as he moved Gerard's hand back to cup the bulge in his pants, holding it there. He waited to gauge the boy's reaction, but Gerard simply closed his eyes for a second. "Now just rub.. right like that.." He breathed, helping him move his hand, groaning when Gerard started rubbing tentatively. "Yeah.. wiggle your fingers.. squeeze a bit.. ah, yeah.."

And fuck, he was just frustrated enough that it felt good. It didn't beat skin-on-skin, but it had been so damn long it was good enough for now. What he was doing, how wrong it was, that he could get caught, how Gerard watched him with a mix of worry and curiosity.. it only added to it. He would not last long, but that was good since Adam was still busy.

Gerard wasn't really sure what to think. It felt wrong and weird that Phil wanted him to rub him there, and it scared him a little how Phil looked like he was hurting. But his lips would quirk every so often, so he must like it. "Ph-Philly..?" His voice cracked. He felt Phil's fingers in his hair, petting down to the nape of his neck. Phil buried his face in his neck, panting against his throat.

"What, baby..? It's okay.. just a little more.. so good.. little harder.. oh, yeah.." His lips brushed against his throat, arching up into Gerard's hand as he rubbed his dick through his pants.

Gerard swallowed, Phil was kissing that spot again. Phil came at the sound of that sweet little mewl, groaning and literally shuddering. Gerard had tried to take his hand away out of concern, but Phil held it there, riding out his orgasm before letting go. Gerard hadn't pulled away from him at least, just sat there as Phil came down, breathing heavy. He had ruined his pants, but he was too happy to give a fuck. He'd go home, take them off, shower and do laundry.

When the shame of what he done made its wretched appearance, he brushed it off. Gerard didn't freak out or say no. It's not like he wouldn't know how to tell him no. He just looked really confused and, fuck, that was hott.

Gerard had really wanted to ask what had happened, but didn't. Every time he asked, things got all frustrating, so he just let Phil hold him and kiss him.

"Keep this between me and you, okay? Don't tell anyone, don't tell Adam. This is just between us. Our secret, okay?"

"Okay, Philly." Gerard answered quickly, but unsure. He'd ask another time, he would. Maybe.

Adam came through the hallway at that time, too busy taking clothes to his bedroom to pay them attention. Phil was just loving on him anyway as far as he could tell. He tried to stay busy, give them time together. Watching Phil like a prison warden was starting to drain him.

Phil pushed Gerard back and slid him off his lap. "Be good. I gotta go. I'll be back tomorrow." He kissed his head and headed for the door. "I'm leaving, Adam." He called before doing so.

Adam mumbled something in reply. Gerard fidgetted, gnawing his fingertips. It wasn't like that other time. Phil loved him, Phil was his.. his boyfriend, that's what he told him. Gerard shook it from his mind and got up to calmly pick up his toys and take them to his bedroom. Mama was going to get him ready later to get his hair cut when Daddy came home. He didn't much care for the idea, but that was the task he'd focus on. He'd worry about Phil later.

Only took me till chapter 14 for Phil to molest him. (sighs) How Phil took this whole fucking chapter, I'll never know. (shakes fist at the little shit as he laughs at my lack of will-power) This really isn't as pervy as I want to get..