You were stretched out on your bed, half-listening to whatever was playing on your phone, when Gerard shifted beside you. He’d been quiet for a suspicious amount of time, his head resting comfortably on your stomach, fingers idly tracing circles like he didn’t have a single thought in his head.

Then suddenly—he sat bolt upright.

“BABE,” he gasped, eyes wide like he’d just discovered a huge secret. “There’s a water drought in California.”

You blinked. Once. “Okay…? But we live in Cork”

He stared at you, offended. “And that means we need to conserve water. It’s our civic duty.”

Before you could respond, he was already yanking his shirt over his head and tossing it aside dramatically.

“What are you doing?” you laughed.

“Being responsible,” he said, with a cheeky grin. “We should shower together. It’s the environmentally conscious thing to do. You know, saving the water so there is more in California”

You snorted. “Gibs, neither of us was even planning to shower.”

He froze mid-movement, eyes narrowing as his brain rebooted. He grabbed a pencil off your nightstand and scribbled nonsense lines across your arm, then dragged it across his own chest.

“There,” he announced proudly. “Now we’re dirty. Emergency situation.”

You stared at him, unimpressed, while he stared back with the most dramatic puppy-dog eyes you’d ever seen.

“Please,” he whispered, scooting closer. “Think of the planet.”

You laughed, shaking your head. “Just admit you wanted an excuse to shower together.”

He sighed, flopping back onto the bed. “You’re ruining my genius plan,” he muttered. “I was trying to be romantic and environmentally friendly.”