He showed up at the church a little later than he anticipated, being enraptured by a drawing of a little girl with a hard stare and a bored expression that he'd fondly entitled Missile Kid. He hadn't realized how much of a striking resemblance it bore to little Evie Addams until she appeared before him, walking in with all the other children.

He had been hurriedly setting up the snack table with the help of Sister Margaret when she snuck up on him. She managed a simple hello to bring his attention to her, those ocean eyes unknowingly grilling him as she looked up at him from where she stood, that bored expression never faded. That's when his picture from earlier floated up into the front of his mind, making itself known that he had oddly drawn the quiet girl from his church. He wasn't sure if he felt creeped out by that or not, seeing as she was only twelve and he, well, wasn't.

She was tall and lanky, not fitting into her body yet – she reminded him so much of Mikey that it was startling. Her honey colored hair was up in a high ponytail, basic t-shirt and leggings covered her frame. She was a mystery to everyone that met her, he could already tell that once she grew up, she was going to take everyone head on. He held back the smirk that threatened to lift at the quiet quirk of her brow when he failed to say hello back to her as fast as she would've liked. Well, maybe she reminded him of himself a bit too.

“Hello, Evie. I'm glad to see you could join us today.”

She nodded, looking around the basement of the church that had been fashioned for kids to spend time in. There was a craft table, some games, a television, comfortable chairs and couches, and a snack table – which they were standing in front of. Gerard was smiling down at her, the very hint of a smirk hiding at the corners of his lips. His dark hair was coiffed up, just as it was yesterday and every sunday before that – she really wondered what it looked like down, would it hang around his face? He was dressed simply in black pants and a black button down shirt, no tie, no collar. He looked almost normal, like he wasn't the cute Preacher boy-man. Like he was just a normal, cute boy-man.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

Gerard couldn't help smiling down at her, he liked her almost near-expressionless nature, her vaguely sarcastic remarks. She was pip and vinegar – as his father would say.

“So, you get to help me keep these kids in line. Enthralling, I know.”

She gave the barest of smiles at that – good, he was getting to her.

“Well, uh – Father? Preacher? Mr. Way? – what do I call you anyway?”

He gave her a chuckle, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Gerard, is fine.”

“Okay, Gerard,” She felt weird saying it out loud, almost like she wasn't suppose to. “What do we do first?”

He started walking away from the snack table, she just trailed on behind him like she knew he meant for her to do. “Well, over here we have the game table, Sister Helen usually helps with that – she's pretty intense when it comes to Clue. Then we have the small toy section, kids have to write their name down on the card that accompanies the toy so we know who has it. Over here are the books and movies, it's the same policy as the library for these, really. And finally the craft table, this is usually my domain. I'm kind of an art wizard.”

She couldn't help the small, snorting laugh that escaped her at that, she hadn't been expecting him to be honest with her, or funny. She wasn't sure what she had expected, polite kindness maybe? Certainly not that.

He gave a real smile at her laugh, feeling accomplished that he'd made her at least a little bit more jovial. He gestured to the table and she moved around to sit down at it, he sat beside her.

“So, art wizard, huh?”

She was smirking now, he mirrored it. “Yup. I'm pretty much the shit.”

Was that too much? Had he gone too far? The lovely smile that spread over her young face told him no, he was just glad none of the other kids heard. Those hard, ocean eyes looked dead straight into his, that smirk still on her mouth. “Prove it.” She said.

He liked that she had just challenged him, he made a mental note to himself to get Mikey to hang out with her as he grabbed a blank sheet of paper from the table. He didn't have any of his good pencils or pens, but he grabbed a sea-green colored pencil and began to draw. He felt her peering over his shoulder, he absolutely loathed when people did that to him, but he wanted her to see what he was drawing, so he let it slide. He drew the basic outline of Missile Kid, knowing that she'd see the resemblance and take it as herself – which, it basically was. He drew in his regular, comic book-y style, her big eyes the first thing he started on after the outline was finished. He put in as much detail as he could without it looking convoluted and heavy, it was a simple detailed sketch of her in the Missile Kid garb he had come up with earlier. He had captured her bored stare and her piercing eyes, peering over at her from time to time. When he finally slid the picture over to her, her face was in total awe.

She picked up the paper and fingered the drawing, completely unbelieving that he had managed to capture her so precisely. She brought her awed gaze back up to his slightly smug one, “This is amazing.”

He shrugged, it wasn't his best work, but he'd never tell her that. “You can keep it, it's yours.”

She gave him this look he couldn't quite read and just muttered a quiet, “Thank you.”

They sat there at the art table for a while, he introduced her to the Nuns – who she knew from church – and the kids, pointing out all their names and ages. She was surprised he remembered all that, that he remembered every single person. She guessed it came with the territory.

The allotted after-school time passed by quicker than she'd hoped it would, but she knew her mother would say that just meant she had a good time. Which, she had.

She had shadowed Gerard the whole time, helping him refill the snack table, retrieving more cups with him from the supply closet, walking with him as she checked on the children, and sitting with him as he manned the art table and helped a few of the younger children with crafts. He was interesting and intriguing and not at all like how she had first imagined him. He was just as polite and charming as he'd always been, but now that she was up close, now that she could see those olive eyes clearly, there was a darkness to him that she hadn't noticed before, that most people didn't notice.

Not an evil, no, Gerard was far from evil, but there was a slight edge that wasn't noticeable during sermon. He was crass, and snarky, his eyes narrowed a lot as he smirked. She liked it. And she liked him.

It was hard for her to walk away from him at the end of the day, when her mother arrived at the specific pick up time to retrieve her. But, she knew that she'd see him tomorrow and that he'd give her the same cheeky smirk, with his olive eyes slightly narrowed, and that made it a little less hard.

She had thanked him again for allowing her to help him, and bid him good bye. He had just smiled at her and said he'd see her tomorrow. As she got into her mother's car and pulled on her seatbelt, it hit her. She had a crush on Gerard – Preacher Way. And a big one.

---

The weeks had past quicker than she had expected. Every day after school she would take the bus to the church and spend her time with Gerard. She had learned many things about him in the weeks they'd spent together, little things that added up over time. She had learned that he loved art, he enjoyed singing, black was his favorite color, green coming in second, he drank his coffee with too much sugar, and she was one of the only kids that called him by his first name.

That last one wasn't something he'd actually told her, it was more of something that she'd noticed. Most of the kids referred to him as Preacher Way, Mr. Way, or sir. It seemed that she was one of the very few that called him by Gerard.

She tried not to let the swell of girlish smiles rise in her chest, she had a reputation to maintain.

She thought about the things he had learned about her in turn, how she disliked lemon, and loved movies. How she believed in the supernatural and hated smiling for pictures. They had talked a lot during their time together at the church, and on sundays he always caught her eye and smirked at her from where he sat onstage. He'd even introduced her to his brother, Mikey – as he preferred to be called – would sometimes come and hang out with them in the church basement, ignoring most of the other kids and playing twenty questions with Evie.

She liked Mikey, he was effortlessly awkward and interesting. But, he smiled easily and his eyes were soft. They got along better than she would have thought, Mikey was quiet but vivacious, and pulled her out of her shell enough to make them both laugh. They had a lot in common as well, they both loved movies and tv, they listened to some of the same music, and Mikey had hated the same teachers when he was in the middle school. She enjoyed his company, liked that he made her laugh.

As the months wore on, bringing her closer to her thirteenth birthday, she held a sneaking suspicion that Gerard was attempting to hookup her and Mikey – in a totally non romantic way. A friend hookup, he wanted them to become best friends. It made her internally laugh. Gerard thought he was being sneaky by leaving the two of them at the art table and letting them get to know each other, but she could see right through him. She knew what he was up to. And, she thanked him for it.

She didn't have many friends. It was more by choice than anything. She'd had school friends and friends that she'd grown up with and would probably always keep in touch with, but she didn't have many close friends. A handful or two. She liked it that way, she chose for it to be that way. It meant that any close friends she did have were just that, close. It meant that she didn't have tons of meaningless friends that would drop her in an instant to be popular or to kiss that cute boy they'd been eyeing for some time.

But, she appreciated the way Gerard was looking out for her. She enjoyed that he thought he could see through her walls and to the loneliness he assumed he saw there.

She wasn't lonely. She just chose to be alone.

It was a notion that she knew most people wouldn't understand, but she didn't expect them to.

Mikey seemed to, though. He seemed to understand. Which was why she thanked Gerard, and why she found herself becoming closer to the slightly older boy.

On a rainy day in April, Evie found herself pushing through the wide double doors of the church, shaking off and making her way downstairs to the basement. It was loud, as it always was, and she thought nothing of hanging her coat and dropping her book bag in it's usual spot, ignoring everyone and heading over to the art table.

Gerard and Mikey were standing with their fronts to the table, murmuring softly to one another in heated whispers. She wouldn't call it fighting, but there was a lot of eye rolling and annoyed faces being made. But, after all the time she'd spent with the two boys, she knew that was just them. Just how they treated each other. There was love there, immense love, but there was also sarcasm and rudeness. It made her ache for a sibling, and curse the fact that she had been born an only child.

“Hey.” They had spun around quickly, trying to seem natural and nonchalant. It hadn't worked. “What's going on?”

“Nothing.” Mikey stated, his shoulders and head moving quickly, giving away that he had been doing something he didn't want her to know about. “Why do you ask?”

“Why are you acting like Ross from Friends?” She was referring to his quick and jerky movements, it pulled a smirk and a chuckle from Gerard, which made her stomach turn. God, she really needed to fucking get over this crush. “What are you two hiding?”

They looked at one another before side stepping away from the art table, she gave them one last suspicious look before turning her gaze to the table. She felt her heart still and her breath pause. On the table was a small box of cupcakes – clearly store bought – with a single candle in the center cupcake. A small card the read, Happy Birthday Eevee! sat behind the box, a terribly drawn Eevee Pokemon beneath it. And two wrapped presents sat beside them.

The boys held out their hands in a ta-da! motion as they faced her, wide smiles on their face. She didn't even know how to respond. She didn't know how to react. This was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her, outside of her parents. She looked at the two older boys in front of her, Mikey all awkward and charming, and Gerard. His eyes were narrowed slightly, in that way he did when he was smirking at her. She noticed that it was different from when he smiled at others, or smirked at his brother. It was different. She was different.

“I... I don't even know what to say.” She was at a loss, grasping for words and emotions that she wasn't always keen on expressing. “How did you know it was my birthday?”

Gerard rolled his eyes playfully, “It was on your registration card for the after-school program.” He leaned forward a bit, coming into her space, she felt her breathing quicken. She looked at his eyes this close, she could see the deep green of his olive eyes, the small ring of amber close to his pupil. She felt faint. “You can start by saying, Thank You.”

He leaned back and she felt more like herself, her breathing evened out and she rolled her eyes at him. “Thanks, asshole.”

Mikey gasped in mock appall, before breaking character and chuckling at her curse. Gerard however shook his head and narrowed his eyes in stern playfulness. “We are in a house of God, young lady. You best watch that tongue.”

She held his gaze for a few moments, before they both broke and gave way to the smiles that had threatened to take hold of them. He sent her a wink and she smiled back, turning to Mikey and smiled as well. “Thank you guys, seriously. You didn't have to do this.”

Mikey rolled his eyes, “Of course we did. How could we see you on this shitty tuesday afternoon and not celebrate your birthday? Did you expect us to just play checkers and talk about Jesus?”

“Pretty much.” She nodded.

“Get over here.” Mikey pulled her over to the table where her “Birthday Celebration” was located. She looked across the cupcakes; chocolate with chocolate frosting. “We couldn't actually light the candle, Sister Patrice was being a bitch about it.” He said in a low tone. “But, blow it and make a wish anyway.”

Evie leaned forward, hovering over the box of cupcakes, over the unlit candle in the center, and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what she wished for as she blew, but she was sure it had something to do with the Way boys, and that was good enough for her. They clapped and cheered as she blew out the imaginary flame, patting her on the back and taking a cupcake for themselves.

She picked up the card instead, examining it. The words had clearly been drawn by Gerard, but the wonky Eevee was definitely drawn by Mikey. She smiled at it, at the small signatures at the bottom that wished her a happy birthday and welcomed her to teenagedom. These boys were special, she had never been more glad in her life that her parents had made her come to church.

She moved to the small, terribly wrapped present on her left, and lifted it up. Mikey smirked, “That one's from me.”

“I could've guessed.” She said, referring to the packaging. He rolled his eyes as she laughed, unwrapping the soft present. She pulled out a pair of knee-high socks with little Eevees all over them. She couldn't help but smile. On one of their first meetings, he had said her name over and over and finally when she asked him why he was saying it, he replied that he was wondering when she'd evolve into Vaporeon. He was such a nerd. “I should have known. Thanks, Mikey.”

He bowed slightly, “You're quite welcome, Vee.”

She smiled at the nickname and moved on to Gerard's present. He was eating another cupcake and swallowed thickly before nodding at the slender, light package in her hand. “You're gonna like that.” He took another bite of his cupcake. She tried not to swoon.

She opened the envelope and pulled out a thick piece of paper. She already knew what it was going to be as soon as she'd opened the envelope, but she hadn't expected what was actually drawn on the paper. It was a portrait. Of her. She felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of herself on the paper. It was hyper-realistic in his comic-book style, her eyes catching her attention more than anything else. Her paper eyes bore into her own in such a way, that it felt like she was looking into a mirror.

The picture itself was simple, it was just her from ribs up, a true portrait. Her hair was down around her shoulders, she was wearing the black and white polka dot shirt she favored, and she looked real.

She looked up at Gerard, who was trying to pretend like he wasn't studying her gazing over the picture intently. “Thank you. This is amazing.”

He simply lifted up the corner of his mouth in a little smile. Not a smirk, not a charming broad smile, just a little side one that was meant only for her. She returned it, her eyes still piercing, but they were softer now. Mikey, of course, couldn't help but ruin the moment before long. “Not more amazing than mine, though. I mean, come on, Eevee socks? I'm a genius.”

She turned away from Gerard's soft, penetrating gaze and smirked at his brother. “You are a genius, Mike. I'll wear those socks with pride.” She high fived him and slipped the portrait back into the envelope, not wanting it to get ruined. She picked up a cupcake and smiled at the two boys beside her. This was by far the best birthday she'd ever had.

They spent the majority of the afternoon finishing the cupcakes and talking about comics, who they would be if they were X-Men, and what they were looking forward to this weekend. Her pleasant time was cut short by her mother arriving earlier than normal, her parents had gotten off work early today to take her out for a birthday dinner. She appreciated the gesture, and was excited to eat at her favorite restaurant, but a part of her was sad to leave.

She didn't want to leave Gerard and Mikey, she didn't want to break out of the little cocoon they'd made for themselves here. She realized with startling clarity that they had become her friends. Real friends. She wasn't a charity case that they felt bad for, she wasn't just some girl that was hell bent on tagging along, they weren't just there because they were bored. They were friends, they liked her and she liked them.

When had that happened?

She parted ways with them, giving them each a hug after she'd gathered her things. They smiled as she walked up the stairs from the basement where her parents were waiting upstairs for her. They wished her a good birthday and goodbye. They said they'd see her tomorrow.

She sat through dinner at her favorite restaurant, ate her chicken and penne, smiled when her mother took pictures, and enjoyed herself. But, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about the portrait that was in the car. About the boy who'd drawn it of her and for her.

Was he a boy? Could she even call him that? Or had she already established that he was a man? A man that she had no right thinking about in the way she thought about him.

Her thoughts turned to Mikey. Sweet, young, awkward, lovable, Mikey. Why couldn't she have a crush on him? He was someone she could like, that she could eventually date and kiss. He was free from the ties to God and the Church, he was young like her and they could be best friend-lovers like she saw in the movies. Why couldn't she like Mikey instead?

Thoughts of deep olive eyes entered her mind. A smirk and a gentle side smile. Charming words flowed from a naturally crass mouth. His handsome face and gentle, but withering, soul.

She couldn't like Mikey because she already liked Gerard. She actually liked him. She sighed. This was turning out to be much more than a crush.

Notes

Time will be moving quicker now, these were just more of introductory pieces. Up next, Evie starts High School, Gerard gets some interesting news, and Mikey is forced to make a bold decision. Let me know what you think, what you like, what you don't. Thanks for reading!