It’s dawn, the first light creeping through the gaps in the blinds as you lay curled up beside Gerard in his cramped dorm bed. His room at SVA is as chaotic as always—sketchbooks spilling off shelves, clothes strewn across the floor, a lingering scent of cigarettes and weed hanging in the air. You’ve lost count of the nights you’ve spent here, tangled up in each other, drifting somewhere between dreams and reality.

Gerard shifts beside you, his warm, lazy breaths brushing against your skin as he stirs. Slowly, he opens his eyes, their hazy green catching the morning light, and lets out a sleepy yawn. His hair’s a mess, all tangled and sticking up at odd angles, and he looks at you with that familiar soft smile he saves for moments like this, when it’s just the two of you in the world.

“Sugar…” he mumbles, voice rough and quiet, “my roommate’s gonna be back soon.”

But neither of you move. It’s like there’s a silent agreement to savor just a little more time before reality seeps back in. He shifts his arm, wrapping it tighter around you, pulling you closer into his warmth. You feel his heart beating steadily against yours, his fingers tracing gentle circles along your back.

There’s a sweetness in these early morning moments, something that feels almost fragile, like a secret just for the two of you. You know his mornings will start soon with art classes and sketching deadlines, and you’ll slip back into your own life, cameras and photos to edit. But right now, in this quiet space, with the sun barely risen and his sleepy gaze on you, it feels like all the time in the world is yours.