#i wanna turn it into a comic sometime soon it would be sooo cool

[veloriium]

spotify cover for my little rainbow factory au thats marinating in my brain

[robinrunsfiction]

Swing Life Away

Pairing: Gerard Way x Female Reader Rating: Teen Requested By: None Word Count: ~7,000 Author’s Note: This story is about about what can happen between two people whose lives aren’t turning out exactly how they planned and what happens when they turn to each other.  Inspired originally by the song “Hold On To Me” by Mayday Parade, there is a full playlist here of songs that inspired this story. TWs for mentions of substance abuse and depression. Post Bullets-era AU.

Gerard sighed as he pulled up in front of the convenience store. His well worn hoodie didn’t provide much relief against the New Jersey autumn air as he hurried inside. After checking the amount of cash he had in his pocket, he got a small coffee and headed to the counter. He rocked on his heels as he waited for the person being helped ahead of him to finish. Finally it was his turn.

“Anything else?” The girl behind the counter asked as she punched his coffee into the register, then she looked up. “Oh hey Gerard.”

Hearing her say his name, he looked up as well. “Oh, hey (YN), it’s been a while,” he smiled a little awkwardly.  “Umm, can I get a pack of cigarettes?”

“Yea, sure. How’ve you been? I haven’t seen any fliers for a My Chem show recently, are you guys not playing right now?”

Gerard’s eyes widened for a moment and his mouth went dry. He didn’t think he would be having this conversation today, but (YN) had been coming out to My Chem shows since the beginning and he knew she was a genuinely nice person who deserved to hear the truth. “Umm, I broke it up.”

(YN)’s jaw dropped and she started to blush. “Shit, I’m sorry, I hadn't heard, otherwise I wouldn’t have brought it up,” she replied, nervously tucking at her hair.

“It’s ok,” he shrugged, trying not to let on that he was still disappointed about the whole situation. “Ray and Frank already found other bands to play with and I got a job at the comic book store so I’m back to something else I enjoy, so it’s ok really.”

“What about Mikey?”

Gerard rubbed at the back of his neck. “That’s why I broke it up. He, umm, he's got some problems. He’s in rehab,” Gerard mumbled the last part, barely audible to (YN).

“Fuck,” she breathed, looking down at the counter in front of her.

“Yea, our parents blamed me for the whole thing and kicked me out. I’ve been couch surfing for a while, or just staying in my car,” Gerard nodded toward his beat up old car parked out front. “Sorry, I just kinda dumped that all on you.”

“No, I asked, and I understand. Shit, I’m really sorry about all that,” (YN) said as she took Gerard’s money for his purchase. “Hey, please don’t be afraid to say no because this is a crazy idea I just had, but my roommate moved in with her boyfriend because she got knocked up, and I’ve been looking for someone to split the rent with. If you’re looking for a place,” (YN) trailed off with a shrug.

“Really?” Gerard asked, eyebrows raised. He was surprised at the offer. None of his friends that he had been crashing with had offered to let him stay more than a couple days at a time.

“Yea, I mean, why not?” She shrugged. “Wanna come over and check it out tonight?”

“Sure, that sounds good, what time?”

“I get off at 6, so like 6:30?”

“Yea, I can do that,” he smiled and (YN) felt like a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Cool, here’s the address and my phone number for whatever,” she said as she scrawled the information on the back of his receipt.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he said with a wave after pocketing the cigarettes. For once in a long time, Gerard finally had some hope that things were about to turn around.

~

When (YN)’s shift was over at 6, she rushed home to quickly straighten up before Gerard arrived. She desperately needed a roommate or she’d have to break her lease and be in the same situation Gerard currently found himself in, but she didn’t want to let any stranger move in. At least she knew Gerard a bit; he was always nice and fun to be around when they hung out after shows, plus he had a regular job, which was good enough for her. 

Shortly after 6:30 the doorbell rang and she rushed to answer it. “Hey Gerard, come on in.”

“Thanks,” he smiled, almost a little nervously. 

(YN) gave him the tour through the small house, showing him the open bedroom across the hall from her own, the kitchen, and bathroom. “As you can see, I don’t really have a lot of furniture,” she said when they got back to the empty living room. “My roommate had all that unfortunately, so I just kinda hang out in my room. I don’t have any weird rules or anything, and the neighborhood is safe, sooo yea. Rent would be $600 a month each plus utilities, if you’re interested after all that.”

Gerard looked around again. “Yea, I mean this would be great.”

(YN) let out a sigh of relief she didn’t realize she was holding. “Oh that’s awesome, thank you. I really didn’t wanna lose this place.”

“Oh yea, I understand,” he smiled his lopsided smile. “How soon can I move in?”

“Whenever you want. My old roommate had paid through the end of this month, so we’re ok there. I’ll let the landlord know and do the paperwork stuff.”

“Do you mind if I stay tonight? ‘Cause I don’t have,” he trailed off.

(YN) felt absolutely gutted when she realized he meant he'd be spending the night in his car, as temperatures dropped near freezing. “Oh, shit, yea, I can help carry stuff in if you want,” (YN) said quickly, grabbing her coat from the closet and following him out to his car.

Gerard didn’t have much with him, a few changes of clothes, a blanket, pillow, and a backpack full of cds and comics. He insisted that he was fine to sleep on the floor, but (YN) still gave him an extra pillow and a couple of blankets to make himself a bit more comfortable.

"Thanks again (YN) for letting me move in here and everything," Gerard said as (YN) turned to go. "I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate it."

"I think it's gonna work out well for both of us," she smiled as she closed the door behind her.

~

Gerard retrieved the rest of his belongings that weekend and got everything moved into his room. (YN) tried to give him space while he got settled, but eventually they started talking a bit more, getting to know each other as they got used to being around each other.

A few weeks later, (YN) was sitting on the counter next to the microwave when Gerard arrived home from work, the smell of fresh popcorn greeting him. “Hey, what are you doing tonight?” (YN) asked as Gerard walked into the kitchen.

“Umm, nothing, why?” Gerard asked.

“I was getting ready to watch a movie, if you wanna hang out.”

“Yea, sure,” he nodded. “What were you thinking?”

“I dunno, any of the classics that are easy to watch, like Star Wars or Back to the Future,” she shrugged.

Gerard’s eyes lit up. “I was thinking about Empire Strikes Back earlier today.”

“Well let’s watch that one then,” she nodded, hopping off the counter as the microwave beeped.

Gerard went back to his room and dropped his backpack on the bed. He opened it up and examined the bottle of alcohol he had purchased after work. He wasn’t sure why he did it, he had told Mikey that he’d get sober too, but he had been feeling so depressed lately, he thought it might help to take the edge off.

Instead, he stashed it under his desk and changed out of his work clothes and into some pajama pants and a comfortable t-shirt so he could relax. When he walked into (YN)’s room, he was reminded of the lack of places to sit other than with her on her bed. “I’ll go get my desk chair,” he said, turning to leave.

“Oh grow up, you can sit on my bed with me,” she laughed, patting the spot next to her.

“I didn’t wanna assume,” he said rolling his eyes as he sat down, the popcorn bowl between them. Gerard finally had a chance to really look around her room, and the first thing he noticed next to the modest tv was a bookshelf filled with movies. "Woah, I never noticed your movie collection before, how'd you get so many?"

"My cousin worked for Blockbuster up until a couple years ago. She got all those at a discount and when she moved to Chicago she decided she didn't want them anymore and gave them to me."

"That's cool," Gerard replied, continuing to look around. Against the amethyst walls white Christmas lights were hung, bathing the room in a warm glow. Taped to her wall above her bed were dozens of photos, that appeared to be mainly of friends, parties, concerts, and pink roses. "You have a lot of friends."

"I don't talk to most of them any more," she said, glancing up. "They all moved on with their lives and I stayed here."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Gerard replied. He had been one of those people, he had moved on with his life, until it got out of control and now he was here as well.

(YN) shrugged. “Sometimes I wonder if maybe I should try to move on too,” she said with a nod to the photos. “Stop living in the past or whatever. Anyway, what’s it like working at the comic book store?”

Gerard shrugged. “It’s pretty good. On slow days I can just read comics for my whole shift, and the people that come in are pretty cool to talk to.”

“Do you miss music?”

Gerard looked thoughtful for a moment. “Some days. But as long as I’m doing something I enjoy, I’m happy.”

(YN) glanced over at him and smiled. “That’s good.”

Later that night (YN) had gotten up to go to the bathroom when she noticed a sliver of light coming from Gerard's doorway. When she peeked in, she saw him at his desk, working intently.

“What are you working on?” Gerard heard (YN) ask from the doorway.

“Oh umm, just this comic idea I’ve been working on,” he replied. When he looked back at her, he spotted his clock, reading that it was nearly 4 AM. “It’s so late, did I wake you up?”

“No, I just got up to go to the bathroom and I saw your light on,” she said padding quietly into the room. “Can I see?”

“Sure,” he said, turning the paper toward her.

“That’s really really good. What’s it about?”

“They’re like an adopted family of superheroes. They all have different powers and their father is trying to train them to save the world,” he said looking up at her. To his surprise, she seemed to be genuinely interested.

“You’re really talented."

"It's not that great," he shrugged.

“Pfft, are you kidding? That girl is so pretty, and there aren’t even words yet and I can tell this guy is super mad at this other aloof guy.”

Gerard looked back up at her in awe. “I’ve been struggling all night because I didn’t think it conveyed that clearly enough.”

“Nah, it’s great, you’re doing great,” she replied. “Are you just doing it for fun, or are you gonna try to get it printed?”

“I’d love to get a comic printed, but I don’t know if I ever will.”

“Like I said, you’re really talented, I bet you could make it happen. I’ll even buy a copy and tell people that you were my roommate when you were working on it.”

Gerard laughed lightly. “I’ll dedicate it to you.”

“I can’t wait. G’night Gerard,” (YN) said before retreating back to her room.

~

It was a bitterly cold winter day when (YN) returned home from work to find another car in front of the house. When she came in, she heard another voice she thought she recognized.

“Hey (YN),” Gerard called as she walked into her room.

“Yea?” She called back, dropping her things.

“Mikey’s here.”

“Oh! Hey Mikey, how’s everything going?” (YN) asked, as she walked into Gerard’s room and found his brother sitting on the bed. 

“Good,” he nodded.

She nodded as well. “I'll get out of your hair, sorry to interrupt,” (YN) waved as she ducked back into her room. Gerard had been talking about how well Mikey had been doing since finishing his program, but as far as she was aware, this was the first they had seen each other since he had completed it.

A while later she was in the kitchen getting dinner when Gerard walked Mikey to the door,  exchanging a hug before he left. After the door was closed, Gerard let out a sigh.

“Mikey looked like he’s doing good,” (YN) said as Gerard trudged into the kitchen.

“Yea,” he replied, but the tone of his voice wasn’t happy. “But he doesn’t think he can stay clean here so he’s moving.”

“Really? Where?”

“California. We got some family out there that will keep him straightened out, and keep him away from the people who got him messed up in the first place, like me.”

"Did he say you specifically?"

"No, but-"

“Gerard,” (YN) interrupted sternly. “Just because you started the band doesn’t mean you’re to blame for what he chose to do.”

“I shoulda been looking out for him more. I was such a drunk shtihead I didn’t even know what was happening,” he said running his hands through his hair.

(YN) stepped forward grabbing his arms and pulling them down. “Gerard! I have spent months now listening to you talk about Mikey. You guys both learned some lessons the hard way, but he wouldn’t have kept calling you while he was in rehab and come to visit today if he blamed you. He could have cut you off, moved to California without a word, but he didn’t. That means something, right?”

Gerard looked like he was on the verge of tears but he nodded.

“You guys are both gonna be alright,” she said, letting go of his arms, and wrapping him in a hug.“Sorry, “ just felt like,” she said trailing off with a shake of her head when she pulled back.

“It’s fine, I needed that,” he smiled. “All of it, thank you.”

~

It didn’t seem like enough time had passed when in the late spring (YN) checked the mail and found a letter from their landlord with the paperwork to renew their lease. She sighed nervously as she made her way to Gerard’s room. Now it wasn't just that she didn’t want to have to find a new place to live, it was the fact that she liked living with Gerard. She liked hanging out with him and she had come to care for him as a real friend. She also recently realized that she had at some point developed more feelings for him, but she pushed those aside.

“Hey Gee?” She said knocking on his door.

“Yea?” She heard him call from the other side before she opened the door.

“We got the lease renewal paperwork today. Did you wanna extend the lease for a full year?”

“Yea, sure. I like it here,” Gerard replied with a smile.

(YN) let out a sigh of relief. “Good, I’m really glad to hear that. I’ll leave this with you, just bring it back when you get it signed at all the flagged spots.”

“Ok,” Gerard nodded as he flipped through the packet.

A while later (YN) looked up from the magazine she was reading when Gerard knocked on her door. “I got the lease thing signed,” he said, walking in and handing her the paperwork.

“Cool, I’ll drop this off tomorrow,” she nodded. “I’m really glad this has worked out.”

“Me too,” Gerard said. “Umm, I never mentioned it before, but I had been living in my car for a couple weeks when you offered me this place.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize it was that bad,” (YN) murmured.

“I was in a really low place, like I was almost at my breaking point ya know, but umm, when I say this turned everything around for me, I mean it. I was able to pick up more shifts at work and I could afford to go back to my therapist and get on my meds again. So thanks for saving my life,” he said with a nod before turning to leave.

“Gee wait,” she said getting up.

“Yea?”

“I… I don’t know what to say except I’m really glad that you’re here and you matter a lot to me, and,” she shrugged as her words failed her. She just wanted Gerard to know how important he was, not just as someone to share rent with, but as well as all the complicated feelings she kept bottled up inside.

Gerard stepped back across the room and wrapped his arms around her. They stood silently hugging for a while before he pulled back. “Hang on.” (YN) nodded as he hurried over to his room and then came back with a bottle of liquor. “Here, you can have it, or get rid of it, it doesn’t matter to me. I bought it months ago because… it doesn’t matter, but that night you invited me to hang out and that meant a lot. I started working on my comic again that night too.”

“I remember that,” she smiled, as she took the bottle from him. “You’re gonna do big things Gee. I’m glad I can cheer you on.”

~

“Are you sure you don’t wanna come along?” (YN) asked from the doorway of his room. She was heading out to a party with her friend, but to Gerard, she already seemed a little unsteady on her feet. 

“No thanks, I gotta work in the morning,” he replied. Just then, a car horn went off outside the house.

“That’s Eli. I’ll try to be quiet coming in,” (YN) waved before hurrying out to her waiting friend.

Gerard got so wrapped up in the page of his comic he was working on he completely lost track of time until his phone went off. "Hello?" Gerard answered his phone.

"Heeey, is this Gerard? (YN)'s roommate?" He heard a female voice slur from the other end.

"Yea, why?" He asked, panic striking through him. He glanced at his clock, it wasn't that late, why was someone calling him about (YN).

"Can you come get (YN)? She's like super drunk and I'm gonna go back to this guy's place but I don't wanna leave her here alone."

"Wait, is this Eli?"

"Yea, can you hurry up before she barfs or something, I can't deal with that."

"Yea, yea, text me the address, I'm on my way," Gerard replied, already slipping on his sneakers.

A while later Gerard was pulling up in front of the house where the party was happening. As he got out of his car, he saw (YN) sitting on the front lawn with a girl he'd never met before, he presumed it was Eli.

"Hey (YN), are you ok?" He asked as he approached. He could tell (YN) had been crying, despite how dark it was.

"Yea," she sniffled and got up unsteadily.

"I'll call you tomorrow, ok sweetie?" Eli said, already heading toward a guy who had been waiting in the distance.

(YN) waved her off as Gerard helped her to the car. Other than the radio playing an old Radiohead song, there was nothing but silence in the car.

"I've never seen you this drunk," Gerard suddenly blurted out. "Are you ok?"

(YN) sniffled again. "I haven't really eaten in a few days and then Eli wanted to do shots when we got to the party and now I'm stupid and wasted," she whined.

Gerard pulled up to a red light and looked over at (YN). She had her head against the window and was staring blankly ahead. "Why haven't you been eating much? Do you need money for groceries? I can kick in more."

"Because I wanna be skinnier so you'll think I'm pretty like the girl you drew in your comic" she said so softly it was almost a whisper.

Gerard's heart broke at her words. "(YN), I do think you're beautiful. You don't have to change for me at all," he said looking back at her just before the light turned green. (YN) turned her head to look out the window so he couldn't see her reaction.

A few blocks later pulled up in front of a convenience store. "What's your favorite gatorade?" Gerard asked.

"Red," (YN) mumbled.

"Ok, wait here a sec," he said as he got out.

Gerard hurried inside, grabbing a big bottle of the drink, as well as a couple burritos.

"Here you go," Gerard said as he handed her the bag. "At least try to eat one to settle your stomach."

"Thanks," she replied, staring into the bag. She was too embarrassed to look up at Gerard at that moment. She felt like an idiot for getting so drunk that he had to take care of her. If she ever had a shot with Gerard, she was sure she had blown it now. 

The rest of the drive was just as silent as it had started until they arrived back in the house. Gerard put his arm around (YN) and helped her inside. She was already feeling less dizzy as she sat down on the edge of her bed and pulled off her shoes. Gerard took the bottle of gatorade and set it on her bedside table, plugged her phone into the charger, and brought in the garbage can in case she had to be sick. 

"You'll probably feel terrible tomorrow," he said with a slightly sad smile as she pulled the blankets over herself, not even bothering to change out of her clothes.

"I deserve it," she mumbled as she turned her face into her soft, cool pillow.

Before she could fully register what was happening, she felt Gerard kiss her head. "No you don't," he said before turning out the light and shutting the door behind him.

(YN)'s thoughts were spinning like the world had been earlier until she eventually passed out.

~

The next day (YN)’s phone was vibrating on her bedside table, but the sound felt like a jackhammer vibrating through her skull. Groaning, she opened her eyes to find the offending device.

Hey girl! Call me when u get up so i know ur alive the text from Eli read.

(YN) looked at her clock, it was almost 1 in the afternoon. She dragged herself out of bed, discarding the clothes she had worn the night before, and into the shower, the cold water jolting her awake. Climbing back into bed, she picked up her phone to call her friend.

“You survived,” Eli cheered when she answered the call.

“Oh my god, please shut up,” (YN) winced.

“Oh, you’re really feeling it huh?”

“Yea, I think I got run over at some point last night.”

“No, I didn’t let you run across any roads this time. Maybe Gerard did after he picked you up. How'd that go?”

“I don’t remember,” (YN) groaned. “I remember he bought me food and gatorade,” she said, picking up the bottle of the now room temperature drink.

Eli hummed. “Well he seems like a good guy, he came right to get you no questions asked when I called.”

“Yea,” (YN) agreed, pulling her knees up to her chest. “I just feel so dumb for getting so wasted.”

“It happens. And at least he’s seen you at your worst now. Has he said anything?”

“He’s at work I think.”

“Ah, well at least you got some more time to recover before you have to face him.”

“Why do you have to say it that way?” (YN) groaned as Eli laughed.

The friends talked for a while longer until (YN) heard the front door open.

“Shit, he’s back,” (YN) whispered, her embarrassment flooding back.

“Ok talk to you later, and don’t worry about it!” Eli said brightly before hanging up.

(YN) glanced up and saw Gerard hovering awkwardly by her door. “Hey, how you feeling?” 

“Been better,” (YN) replied, tucking a piece of her half wet hair behind her ear awkwardly. “Umm, I don’t really remember a lot from last night, but thanks for coming to get me and everything.”

Gerard nodded. “It’s no problem.”

“I feel really stupid. I won’t be doing that again anytime soon, I promise,” (YN) laughed dryly.

Gerard laughed a little as well. He didn’t know if he should bring up anything that was said between them the night before since she had said she couldn’t remember much, but he couldn’t help but wonder what she did remember.

~

After a few days, (YN)’s embarrassment at her drunken night finally started to diminish and she and Gerard’s interactions went back to normal. A while later, (YN) was hanging out in Gerard’s room talking about a show they had been to the weekend before when her phone rang. 

"Hello? Oh hi," (YN) answered. "What?! Is he ok?" She jumped up and left the room, but Gerard could still hear her end of the conversation, causing him to grow more concerned. "No I didn't see anything, there wasn't anyone… Ok... Yea… Ok let me know."

The color was drained from her face when she walked back into the room.

"What's wrong?" Gerard asked, his brows knitted together.

"Right after my shift ended the store got robbed. My coworker John is in the hospital and they took all the cash. The store is gonna be closed for a couple days I guess."

"Fuck," Gerard replied, totally stunned.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed," she said blankly before turning back toward her room and Gerard heard the door close behind her.

A while later Gerard got up to go to the kitchen to get another cup of coffee, but when he stepped into the hall, he stopped in his tracks. It sounded like crying coming from (YN)’s room.

"(YN), are you ok?" He asked as he knocked on her door, but she didn't answer. Cautiously he opened the door and found (YN) was sitting on her bed, knees pulled up to her chest, sobbing. 

"Shit," Gerard whispered as he rushed over and pulled her against him, letting her cry on his shoulder.

"It coulda been me. I could be in the hospital or dead right now and no one would even notice or care! Just another loser with no direction in life dead. I've wasted everything, I've ruined my whole life!"

"You haven't," Gerard said, rubbing her back. "I'd care very much if anything happened to you. And you have plenty of time. I had a job at a tv network and gave it up to form the band, and now I'm trying to get into comics."

"But I'm not talented like you! I have no skills, I never went to college because I didn't know what I wanted to do and I still don't. I just don't want to be stuck here the rest of my life waiting to get held up at gunpoint," she sobbed. "I'm just too stupid to get out of my own way long enough to figure anything out."

“No you aren't stupid, sometimes it just takes more time to get it figured out."

Eventually (YN)’s sobs started to quiet and she pulled back. “Thanks Gee. You really didn’t need to do this.”

“Yea I did. I couldn’t just let you be alone when you feel like this.”

(YN) sighed. “Every time I close my eyes I just picture it happening to me. I’m so tired, but I don’t think I’m gonna be able to sleep tonight.”

“Hang on,” Gerard said, getting up. (YN) saw the light from his room shut off, and he came back. “Ok, come here, I’ll keep you safe,” he said as he settled in next to her.

(YN) felt like her heart was going to burst through her chest as she slid down next to him. She laid her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

~

Something shifted in Gerard and (YN)’s relationship that night, although nothing was spoken of it. They started trading off whose bed they slept in, crawling into bed together just to be close to the other. When they watched a movie together, she rested her head against his shoulder. When (YN) was in the kitchen making coffee, Gerard would come in and wrap his arms around her and hold her close while she worked. The day after (YN) had a really bad shift at work, she came home and found a pink rose that looked like it had been trimmed from someone’s garden sitting on her bed.

It was a warm early fall evening when Gerard and (YN) showed up at a party held by a friend of a friend. (YN) had gone off to talk to Eli, and Gerard found himself watching her from across the yard. He wished he was by her side, his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close, that’s where he felt happiest.

"Why are you looking at your roommate like that?" Frank asked, appearing at Gerard's side.

“Jesus,” Gerard muttered under his breath, startled. “What are you talking about?”

“Like you wanna get out here and get on top-”

“Stop, no, it’s not like that,” Gerard shook his head.

“Oh, so you don’t care if I go ask her out then?”

“What? You can’t!” Gerard blurted out. “I mean, what about Jamia?”

Frank grinned and pointed a finger in Gerard's face. “Exactly! So what are you gonna do about it?”

“Everything is fine, we’re fine,” Gerard grumbled.

As the sun began to set more people showed up, filling up the backyard. Without warning there was a shout as two guys started pushing each other, and then punches began to fly. 

(YN) found herself too near the fight and tried to get away from the fray, but more people were rushing to watch or take part in it and she couldn’t get past. Suddenly she felt someone grab her hand, interlacing their fingers with hers. She was about to pull away when she looked up and realized it was Gerard.

“Come on,” he said, pulling her out of the crowd.

“Thanks for not leaving me behind,” (YN) said once they were a safe distance from the fracus. 

“I couldn’t ever leave you behind,” Gerard smiled back at her. 

At that moment she became conscious of how their hands were still intertwined and how closely they were standing. (YN) didn’t want to move and lose the moment, but police sirens started cutting through the shouts of the brawl. “Oh shit," (YN) started laughing. “Let’s get out of here!”

“Here we go again,” Gerard smirked as they took off running, hand in hand, through the backyards until they couldn’t hear any of the commotion any longer. When they finally came out on a side street, they were both out of breath, but laughing. The smell of rain hung in the air.

“I have no idea where we are now,” (YN) laughed.

“Me neither, but,” Gerard trailed off with a shrug as they started walking aimlessly down the street.

(YN) glanced down, not totally understanding why Gerard was still holding her hand, but she still wasn’t planning on letting go. Then she noticed Gerard glancing down as well.

“(YN),” he started.

“Sorry,” she said, starting to pull her hand away, but Gerard held tighter.

“No, it’s not that,” he said, stopping under the street light. A soft rain began to fall around them. "It's that I don't wanna change things between us, but I really want to," he hesitated then took a step closer to (YN). He raised his free hand and gently caressed her cheek before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers.

(YN)'s mind was spinning. She couldn't believe that this was really happening, that Gerard, her roommate, her friend, was now kissing her in the middle of a desolate street. She kissed him back, not knowing if this would happen again, and she wanted to make the most of this chance.

Gerard's hand moved from her cheek to run through her hair, now soaked from the steady rain. He dropped her hand that he was still holding, but only so he could wrap his arm around her and pull her closer against him as he deepened the kiss and she draped her arms over his shoulders.

When they finally pulled apart, the rain had them both soaked and they were laughing together again. “We should try to find our way home,” Gerard said glancing around.

“Let’s go this way,” (YN) suggested with a nod down the street.

Gerard nodded with a smile and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they headed back to find the car.

~

The next morning (YN) woke up in her bed with Gerard holding her tight. She had hoped to spend all morning being lazy with him, but what had woken her up was her phone ringing on her bedside table.

“Hello?” She whispered.

“Hey (YN), I know you don’t work until this afternoon, but we got a call out, can you come in this morning and work a double?” (YN)’s manager asked.

(YN) let her face fall against her pillow and groaned softly. “Yea I guess so.”

“Great, see you as soon as you can get here.”

When (YN) glanced over at Gerard, he was just waking up. “What’s wrong?”

“I wanted to spend the morning with you here, but I got called in for a double shift,” (YN) pouted.

“Damn,” Gerard frowned. “But I’ll be here when you get back.”

“I know,” she sighed before leaning in and kissing him softly. She climbed out of bed and got ready for work. The day seemed to drag by because all she wanted was to go home to Gerard.

“I’m so glad that day is done!” (YN) announced when she burst through the door. She waited for Gerard to reply but didn’t hear anything. “Gee? Are you here?”

“Yea,” he replied forlornly, coming out of his room.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“I’m gonna go out to visit Mikey,” Gerard said.

“Oh cool!” (YN) smiled up at him and he felt like his heart was breaking.

“And when I’m out on the west coast, I’ve got a meeting with Dark Horse Comics about my project.”

“That’s awesome!” (YN) grinned. But when she didn’t see the same level of excitement in Gerard’s face, her own excitement faltered. “Isn’t it?”

“Yea, I guess. I’m just nervous about it. There are a few things they wanna discuss about developing it and stuff. But I might have to move out to the west coast if this all works out.”

“Oh,” (YN) said, surprised. She tried to keep her disappointment hidden. “That’s an incredible opportunity though.”

“I know, but we’ve only just-”

“Gerard, don't you think for even one second about not going because of me,” (YN) interrupted him. “I have wasted my entire life being so afraid that I’ll make the wrong choice, that I let every decent opportunity pass me by. I care about you too much to let you do the same.”

Gerard didn’t know how to respond, other than to take a step forward and wrap (YN) into a tight hug. "Thanks," he mumbled against her neck. 

They stood like that for a while, neither willing to let go. “Come on, let’s order something for dinner to celebrate,” she suggested once they pulled back.

~

The following week, Mikey picked Gerard up from the airport. They put together a list of places Mikey loved to check out the next day.

After stopping at the coffee shop down the street, the comic book store that always had what Mikey was looking for, and the record shop with the friendly owner they went to the beach to kill time before dinner. 

"You ok? Are you nervous about the meetings or something?" Mikey asked. He had noticed Gerard seemed distracted all day, but Gerard just shook his head. "Then what's wrong?" Mikey asked.

"I couldn't sleep last night," Gerard said with a glance at his brother.

"Is the bed uncomfortable?"

“No, it's not that," he paused. "It's that I can’t sleep without her,” Gerard said, looking down at his hands.

"(YN)?"

"Yea."

“How long have you been together?” Mikey asked.

“We haven’t officially, but it’s, I mean...” Gerard stammered, searching for the words to define something that had only just begun and had no definition.

“But you love her?” Mikey filled in the gaps, knowing Gerard better than Gerard knew himself.

Gerard listened to the waves crashing on the shore. He didn't even realize when he had fallen in love with (YN), because it wasn't like a lightning bolt from the sky. It grew out of lazy days talking for hours, nights sleeping in the other's bed just because they wanted to be that close to each other, the way her hair fell in her face, her laugh, her lips, her selflessness, the way she was always pushing him to do more and be better. And now there he was, missing her like crazy, ready to throw away his dream if she asked him to. But she hadn't, and she wouldn’t. She encouraged him to go across the country and chase it down, even if it meant leaving her behind.

“Yea,” he said with a soft smile and Mikey nodded.

Silence hung between the brothers for a while as the sun began to set. “It’s almost time to meet up with Kristin for dinner,” Mikey announced as he got up.

Gerard nodded and followed him back to the car. As they drove away from the beach, Gerard thought about how much he wanted to bring (YN) here. He knew she’d love it. It felt like there were so many possibilities, fresh starts for everyone. He just needed to get them out of New Jersey.

~

(YN) paced outside the arrivals gate, checking the screen with the times over and over. Gerard’s flight was on time, he should be arriving shortly. She had spent most of the day excited that he was coming back today, but now that she was at the airport waiting for him, she felt incredibly nervous.

Gerard hadn’t called since he let her know he had arrived safely. She had insisted that he spend his time with Mikey and getting ready for the meetings and not to worry about her, but that didn’t stop her from thinking about him all the time. The first night she tried to sleep in her own bed, but ended up crawling into his because his pillows smelled like him and it made her heart ache a little less. And it’s where she had spent the rest of the week.

That morning as she sat in his bed, knees pulled up to her chest as she sipped her coffee in the cool morning air, she looked around his space. They’d been living together almost a year now, and the room had become so uniquely his. The comics that were stacked up next to his bed, the drawings that littered his desk, the records in the crate he painted himself. All things that went into what added up to Gerard. She smiled softly as a realization dawned on her as she shivered.

“I love him,” (YN) admitted to herself softly. “I really, truly, love him.”

Now at the airport she glanced up at the screen and saw his flight had arrived. Her heart started hammering in her chest as she started to look around, not knowing how soon he’d appear. What felt like an eternity later, she finally spotted a mop of black hair.

“Gee!” She called as she rushed over to him. Gerard dropped his bag so he could wrap his arms around her in a big hug. He pulled her in for a kiss in the middle of the crowd of travelers.

“I missed you,” he murmured when they pulled back.

“Me too,” she smiled.

"Let's get out of here," he smiled as he took her hand and they went to find her car.

"So how was the trip? How was Mikey? And the meetings, tell me everything!" (YN) gushed as they finally arrived at her car.

"Mikey's doing really good. He has this girlfriend, Kristin, she's super sweet, you'll really like her," he said as he threw his bag in the trunk.

"Oh yea, maybe I’ll meet her one day," (YN) smiled.

“(YN), I wanted to wait until we were someplace nicer than the airport parking ramp, but I can't wait any longer. I got the job at Dark Horse so I’m gonna have to move out west,” he paused, reaching out and taking her hands. “But I can’t leave without you because I love you so much (YN). It’d be a new start for both of us, together. Please?”

It took (YN) a moment to fully process what Gerard said. "Yes!" She finally replied in awe.

Gerard grabbed her face between his hands and pulled her lips to his as tears spilled from behind her closed eyes. He held her close as he kissed her with everything he had. When they pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers. 

“I love you too Gerard,” she murmured. “And thank you for not leaving me behind.”

“I couldn’t ever leave you behind.”

[krizaland]

I've got an idea for Zim x Reader story. Zim lost his PAK and didnt get it back on time which led to his body death. But then Reader found PAK and uploaded Zim's consciousness to a computer. And now both Reader and Zim trying to figure out how to bring Zim back to the physical world. P.S. I know, that PAKs attach to every being availible, but can we just skip this? P.P.S. Sorry if i make mistakes. English is not my native language. P.P.P.S. Your stories are really cool. Thank you.

Thank you for your kind words and your very interesting request! I’ve actually got the perfect idea for this one!

Be warned: I decided to take inspiration from Issues #24 and #25 of the Invader Zim comic series. So there will be some spoilers ahead! If you haven’t read issue #25 then I highly recommend you do so. However, if you’ve already read it or just don’t mind spoilers then read on! Reader will also be hit on by a very gross creep! While, there won’t be anything sexual, things might get very uncomfortable. There will also be some swearing ahead.

Here’s the song I used btw

You let out a groan as you slowly opened your heavy eyelids.

“Oh hey! You’re finally awake!”

You let out a gasp as you were greeted by none other than Fitzoo-Menga!

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you there!” He chuckled as he pressed a few buttons on his chair.

The moment he got closer to you, the most foul odor assaulted your nostrils.

You nearly gagged as you started to cough.

“I take it you....must be...Fitzoo-Menga” You wheezed through your coughs.

“Please call me, Virooz. It’s who I am on the inside!” He purred as he circled you.

“Why did you kidnap me?!” You heaved as you managed to catch your breath.

“Because your Zim’s life mate! At first I was gonna destroy you for making Zim all soft and stuff but you’re actually kinda hot so I think I might keep you around for a while!” Virooz chuckled as he stroked your face.

“Hey! Quit it!” You whined as you tried to turn your head away from him.

“Aww! Playing hard to get I see.” Virooz cooed as he patted your cheek.

“Let me go! I wouldn’t date you even if I wasn’t already dating Zim!” You snarled as you struggled in your restraints.

“Aww, Come on, baby! You gotta be crazy to not want to date a High-Tech qudrillionaire genius!” Virooz pouted.

“Well then throw me in the crazy house! Because I’m not interested in dating someone who smells like he hasn’t showered in 300 years!” You snarled as you shot him a glare.

“Oooh! Feisty! Virooz likey.” Virooz crooned as he wiggled his eyebrows.

“Eww! Stop looking at me like that!” You gagged as you tried to avoid Virooz’s hungry gaze.

“Don’t worry! You’ll learn to love me, baby!” Virooz chuckled with a wink.

You were just about ready to vomit when

BEEP! BEEP!

“Oh! Looks like your now ex boyfriend is nearby!” Virooz sang as he turned to his main computer and pressed a few buttons.

SHOOMP!

Zim was lifted off the ground and sucked up into the ship

PLOP!

Zim fell onto a bright green couch.

“Welcome, Zim.” Virooz crooned without turning his chair around.

“Virooz I presume! Why have you brought this humble janitor to-” Zim asked.

“You’re not a janitor and you didn’t fool anyone with your stupid disguise, Zim!” Virooz’s voice was ice cold as he spoke.

“Fine! I am indeed Zim! Just as you, ‘Virooz’ are Fitsoo-Menga! I’m right about that right?” Zim’s voice shrank a bit as he spoke.

“Yep”

“JUST WHAT IS YOUR GAME, VIROOZ?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY Y/N?!” Zim demanded as he snapped a finger in his direction.

“My game is to make you stop sucking! And as for Y/N? They’re right here! ” Virooz cackled as he spun his chair around and revealed you tied up in a chair.

“RELEASE Y/N! RELEASE THEM OR SUFFER THE WRATH OF ZIM!” Zim roared as he stomped his foot.

“Relax, Zim! I’m not gonna hurt Y/N. I wouldn’t want to hurt my new life mate!” Virooz chuckled as he put his hands on his stomach.

“Eh?! Your life mate?! But Y/N is my life mate!” Zim whined as he gestured to himself.

“Not anymore! Y/N is my life mate now!” Virooz taunted as he patted your head.

“No way! Get your hands off of me you creep!” You snarled as you tried to move your head away from Virooz.

“You know, I was going to like destroy them and stuff but man! They are feisty! Y/N is the only thing about you now that doesn’t suck, Zim!” Virooz purred as he kept stroking your head like a cat.

“GET YOUR FILTHY CYBER APPENDAGES OFF OF MY Y/N!” Zim let out a war cry and lunged at Virooz

SWIP!

CRASH!

Virooz moved his chair aside, causing Zim’s face to kiss the floor.

Zim let out a groan as he peeled himself off of the floor.

“Wow! Even your attempts so save your life mate are lame!” Virooz shook his head as he pushed a few buttons on his chair.

SWIP!

A chair came zooming into the room and knocked into Zim’s legs, causing him to fall into it.

All you could do was watch Zim scream in agony as he was forcibly tied to the chair.

“There! Now that everyone’s here, I think you need a reminder of just how awesome you used to be!” Virooz exclaimed as he pressed another button on his chair.

ZAP!

A large monitor in the center of the room crackled to life and the lights dimmed.

Inside the Irken Dooqbase, Commander Poki was giving the Invaders-in training a lecture on why they should never remove their PAKs.

“…And, as Private Sox is showing us, rookies, that is why you never detach your PAK! The PAK is all that you are as an Irken! It controls your body! It contains your memories! And emergency directions to the nearest snack stockpile.” Commander Poki explained as she held up Private Sox’s PAK.

“There you go, Private Sox! Neurothing on!”  Commander Poki dropped Private Sox’s PAK and pulled out a small pen like device.

“REATTACHMENT PROTOCOL”

And with that, several metal tentacles whipped out from Private Sox’s PAK.  Private Sox’s PAK then scuttled off to reunite with its host.

You hummed as you slowly became invested in the recording. Zim mentioned that his PAK was basically his brain but you never knew that it could come off.

“Enjoying the show so far?” Virooz whispered.

You let out a gasp as you felt his hot, smelly breath burn against your ear.

“Heh. You sure are jumpy.” Virooz teased as his arms slithered around you.

“Get off of me!” You hissed as you tried to shake him off of you.

“Mmm…Keep that fire burning baby.” Virooz purred as he released you.

A shudder ran down your spine as you turned your attention back to the monitor.

As the recording went on, you couldn’t help but giggle. Zim was so cute when he was younger, despite blowing up the entire Dooqbase.

Soon the recording came to an end and the lights came back on.

“That was amazingness, maaaan! The way you blew up that dooqbase? Sick! And your first mission, too!” Virooz gushed as he zipped in front of Zim.

You and Zim exchanged confused glances for a moment.

“Of all your videos that I hacked from the Irken military archives, that is definitely top three. Well, top five. If you don’t include that things with the Electro-slugs and the rubber shorts. That was killer, maaan!” Virooz bailed as spittle begun to fly from his lips.

“So you’re a fan of my work. Great. So am I. Now let me and Y/N go.” Zim growled as his ruby eyes narrowed.

“Fan? Man, I am like all over your work! I mean, yeah, by day I’m Fitzoo-Menga, high-tech quadrillionaire genius. But at night, I am totes into your stuff!” Virooz gushed.

“And sticking cyber-things on your hideous body, it seems.” Zim muttered.

“And being a disgusting creep.” You added.

“Oooh! There’s that fire again! Man, I’m glad I didn’t destroy you, baby! We’re gonna have sooo much fun together!” Virooz giggled.

“Stop calling me that! I’m not your baby!” You snarled as you shook in your seat.

“Yeah! Y/N is Zim’s baby! Not yours!” Zim added as he tried to scoot in front of you.

“Whatever.” Virooz scoffed as he flicked his wrist.

“Anyway, Fitzoo-”  Zim began

“Call me Virooz! It’s who I really am inside!” Virooz crooned as he gestured to himself.

“Well, Virooz-”

“Virooz got your attention by getting GIR to attack you!” Virooz cooed.

“Well, Virooz-”

“Virooz led you inside GIR’s programming to give you the coordinates to Cyberflox!” Virooz chuckled.

“Well, Virooz-”

“Virooz kindapped Y/N and seduced them.”

“No you did not!” You gagged.

“Then Virooz watched your every move on mall security cams!” Virooz squished his cheeks.

“Well, Virooz-”

“And Virooz grabbed you when you figured out the truth! I am Viroooooooz!” Virooz cackled.

“WELL, VIROOZ!!!!! If you will stop blowing your word-hole!!! WHY ARE WE HERE?! Do you want my autograph?” Zim roared as he shot Virooz a glare.

“No way maaaaan! You’re terrible now!” Virooz whined as he pressed a few keys on his main computer.

“Terrible?!” Zim parroted.

“Ever since you’ve been on Earth, you’ve gone totally downhill! Squishing the Earth with Mars? What is that?! Or that bologna serum? And what’s with the big-headed kid?! Who cares about him?!” Virooz complained as gestured to all of Zim’s previous schemes on screen.

“All right-”

“Oh, and now you’ve given up on being an Invader?! Just because you got a totally hot life mate?! Maan, I don’t even know who you are anymore! You’re not my Zim that’s for sure! Why can’t you go back to destroying things?! I’ll bet Y/N would look so much hotter setting off some gigabooms with you!” Virooz pouted as he folded his arms.

“You’re right, he’s not your Zim. He never was! Zim is his own awesome person, who doesn’t exist just to please sweaty man-babies like you! Things change, Virooz! Things change! Zim has indeed changed and he will continue to change whether you like it or not! You wanna know why? Because Zim is growing up! Maybe you should try it sometime!” You ranted as you wriggled in your seat.

“Hot damn! Did you hear that?! Maaan, That was so spicy! What a savage! See, Zim?! At least your life mate is cooler than you!” Virooz squealed as he dragged you closer to him

“GET YOUR CYBER HANDS OFF OF MY Y/N!  And as for your feedback, I will take it….And ignore it! NOW LET Y/N AND I GO!” Zim demanded as he scooted closer.

“Nuh-uh! See, I know how to fix your slump! I’m going to become you!” Virooz cackled as a creepy grin spread across his face.

“WHAAT?!” You and Zim exclaimed in unison.

BEEP! BEEP!

“Oh, look! We’re here, Planet Dooq, site of your first awesome mission” Virooz announced as he  begun to land the ship.

“Well, it was pretty awesome.” Zim admitted.

“Do you know what this is?” Virooz chuckled as he pulled out a large poorly constructed PAK.

“Terrible?” Zim retorted.

“Garbage?” You grumbled.

“It’s my version of an Irken PAK! I designed it myself!” Virooz boasted as he patted his mechanical abomination.

“You designed it terrible.” Zim noted.

“Come on, Maaaan! It does everything the Irken PAK does! Holds your personality. Controls a body. Plus full surround sound speakers!” Virooz beamed as he made the PAK play horrible music.

“So you want me to endorse it?” Zim asked as he tilted his head in confusion.

“Nope! I’m going to dump my mind in it… and attach it to your body!” Virooz squealed as he shoved the poorly constructed PAK in Zim’s face.

“WHAT?! Never!” Zim screeched.

“Yeah! This is insane, Virooz! I don’t even think your underdeveloped brain is even compatible with Zim’s body!” You added.

“Just wait here, duuuuudes. While I get just one sick thing from the wreckage! Oh and one more thing!” Virooz chuckled as he made his way towards you.

SMOOCH!

Virooz planted a sloppy, wet kiss onto your cheek.

“Bye baby! See you real soon! Computer! Lock the hatch!” Virooz purred as the door locked behind him.

You sat gobsmacked for a moment as you tried desperately to hold back your vomit.

“Y/N! Are you alright?!” Zim yelped as he scooted his chair next to you.

“No….Oh god I feel so violated…” You shuddered as a few tears trickled down your cheeks.

“Don’t cry, my sweet, Y/N! I’ll get us free from these primitive chairs!” Zim reassured as he activated a multitool from his PAK.

“At least we’re in this together.” You sniffled as you tried to regain your composure.

“He tied us up with rope! What kind of idiot uses rope?! Now let’s see.. Ion inverter…Transphasic screwdriver…Quarkmonker….Transcranila Binulator…..Polarmonistonic Corkscrew…Lot of stuff in this thing..” Zim grumbled as he searched through his multitool.

“Why don’t you try the-”

“Shh! Not now, my sweet! I need to concentrate!” Zim hushed as he continued his search.

You let out a sigh and shook your head. You loved your boyfriend but sometimes he was just so stubborn!

“Ah ha! Tweezers!” Zim announced as he selected the small pair of tweezers amongst the sea of other gadgets.

“Really tweezers?” You groaned as you raised an eyebrow.

“Yes! Tweezers are the perfect tool for a job like this, sweet Y/N! Now just hold on while I tweeze myself free! Once I’m free of this primitive rope, I can set you free as well!” Zim explained as he begun to tweeze away at the rope.

Meanwhile, Virooz ventured out into the ruins of the Dooqbase and stumbled upon a first aid kit.

“Aha! An Irken Neurothing!” Virooz cheered as he held up the neurothing.

It wasn’t long before Zim was almost free of his rope prison.

“Almost completely tweezed through…” Zim muttered as he got a communicator device from his PAK.

“Zim to GIR! Come in GIR!” Zim screamed into the communicator.

GIR was hanging out in a birthday cake alongside Minimoose who was wearing a purple flowery sun hat.

BRRING! BRRING!

GIR’s head opened up and projected a hologram of Zim.

“GIR! It’s an emergency! I need you to-What are you doing?”

“I’m a birthday cake!” GIR chirped.

“Ohhh-kay. I need you to get the ship and get to my coordinates immediately! Understand?!” Zim commanded.

“Yes, my master!”

“Good! Zim out”

GIR was about to cut the call but Zim stopped him.

“I mean now GIR!”

“Oooh! Ok! Come’ere ship!” GIR chirped.

BOOM!

The ship crashed through a wall and zipped in front of GIR and Minimoose.

“WE GOIN’ TO SPAAAACE!” GIR sang as he hopped into the ship.

“Neyah!” Minimoose squeaked as the ship blasted off into the starry sky.

Meanwhile, Zim had finally managed to tweeze himself free of his primitive prison.

BAM!

Zim burst free and rushed to your side.

“Fear not, my sweet Y/N! For Zim is here to set you free!” Zim sang as he untied you.

You let out a sigh of relief as you felt the rope loosen.

“Thanks, Zim!” You hopped out of your chair and stretched for a moment.

“Of course! Zim wouldn’t leave you with that DISGUSTING Virooz! Now let’s clean your beautiful face free of Virooz’s FILTHY SLOBBER!” Zim pulled out some wipes from his PAK and cleaned your face.

“Victory! I have successfully eliminated all traces of Virooz’s FITHLY SLOBBER!” Zim cackled as he put the wipes away.

“Thank you so, so much, Zim!” You squealed as you rubbed your now clean cheek.

“It was no trouble, sweet, Y/N! I-”

SMOOCH!

Zim was cut off by you planting a much cleaner kiss on his cheek.

Zim’s PAK sparked as his antennas sprung straight up. His face turned a darker shade of green as his worm like tongue hung out of his mouth. He let out a few chirps and purrs as he rubbed his cheek.

You let out a giggle at Zim’s lovestruck behavior.

Zim shook away his infatuation and cleared his throat.

“Now, the door is locked! So we shall escape through the ventilation ducts!” Zim announced as he gestured to one of the ventilation ducts.

“Are you are that’s the best way-”

“Of course it is, sweet Y/N! Now come on! We don’t have much time!” Zim insisted as he ripped off the ventilation duct’s grate and pulled you inside with him.

Zim’s spider legs clicked against the inside of the ducts as he held your hand and lead you along.

After what felt like a few minutes of struggling to navigate through the maze of ventilation ducts, Zim had found an opening.

“AHA! Freedom!” Zim squealed as he burst open the grate and pushed you out with him.

PLOP!

PAF!

You fell flat on your rear as Zim plopped into your lap.

“Hey duuuuudes! Trying to get away? Epic fail!” Virooz taunted as he floated back into the room.

“We did this on purpose! To show you we escaped your primitive rope!” Zim lied as he gently crawled out of your lap.

“Yeah! Seriously? Rope? How uncreative! You claim to be a high-tech quadrillionaire genius and all you had to capture us with is rope?” You added as you got up and put your hands on your hips.

“Primitive? Uncreative? Rope is classic, maaaaan! You’ve gotten so lame you couldn’t even save your life mate and leave the ship, Zim! But hey look what I got! An Irken neurothing! For detaching and replacing Irken PAKs! Killer right?!” Virooz sang as he waved around the neurothing.

You gasped as you stood in front of Zim protectively.

“Move aside, baby! It’s time for me to take over Zim’s body, go out there into the galaxy and restore his former glory!” Virooz cheered as he shoved you aside with his chair.

You let out a yelp as you plopped onto your bottom.

“Y/N! Listen, Virooz! You will never be Zim! I am Zim! Your Zim would be a grubby shadow of the real Zim! Weak as a sickly mweep! Stinky like the rotten fruit of the filth-squeezing filth tree of-”

Suddenly, Zim’s rant was cut off by the sound of the Neurothing activating.  

CLANG!

FLOP!

Zim’s PAK popped right off his back, causing his body to follow suit.

“Even your speeches got dumb!” Virooz groaned as he hovered Zim’s lifeless body.

“ZIM!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?!” You seethed as you rushed to Zim’s side.

“Relax, baby. Zim’s gonna be juust fine!” Virooz tried to sound reassuring but his voice dripped with malice.

A sinister grin spread across Virooz’s face as he pulled out his poorly contracted PAK and tried to jam it into Zim’s back.

“NO!” You screeched as you tried to stop Virooz.

But you were too late.

Virooz had already attached his poorly constructed PAK and hooked it up to his brain.

“Transferrrrr!” Virooz sang as he begun to download his brain into the new PAK.

Virooz screamed in agony as all of his mind and spirt was ripped from his brain.

All you could to was watch in horror as that sweaty man child took over your boyfriend’s body.

Soon, Virooz’s disgusting, sweaty body was left a lifeless husk as the download finished completion.

Soon, Zim’s body begun to shudder and squirm about.

“I AM ZIIIIIM!!!”

You let out a shriek when you heard Virooz’s voice come out of Zim’s body.

“See, baby? I told you your Zim would be just fine!” Virooz crooned as he flopped about in Zim’s body.

“You-You’re not my Zim! Get out of his body, you monster!” You commanded as you backed away form him.

“No way, baby! This is my body now! I’m going to go out there and start a new era! By rolling in the dust of my enemies! C’mon! Let’s go on a rampage together!” Virooz sang as he tried to grab you by the hand, only for his to go limp.

“That’s not your body, Virooz! You don’t even know how to control it!” You seethed as you gestured to his now noodle like arms.

“I’m not Virooz anymore! Didn’t you hear me?! I am ZIM! Don’t worry! I’ll get used to this body in no time!” Virooz insisted as he tried to reach for your hand again only to miss and have his hand wiggle about.

“Give Zim his body back, NOW!” You commanded as you shot him a fiery glare.

“Oooh yeah, baby! Gimme some more of that fire!! Mmm! We are gonna have some fun tonight!” Virooz purred as he continued to flail about in Zim’s body.

“You’re disgusting! Give Zim his body back now, you creep!” You demanded as you snapped a finger in his face.

“How many times do I gotta say this, baby? I. AM. ZIM!!! The other guy you keep talking about is  dead! I’m Zim now and there’s nothing you can do about it! Now, come on! We got a galaxy to doom!” Virooz cackled as he continued to throw around Zim’s body like a rag doll.

“I’m not going anywhere until you return what you’ve stolen!” You snarled.

“Fine then! Who needs you anyway?! I AM ZIIIM! I don’t need anybody! Computer! Lock the hatch!” And with that Virooz stumbled out of the ship as the door locked behind him

“Virooz! Come back!! Zim needs his body!!!” You pleaded as you banged on the locked door.

You slowly slid to your knees as you realized that your pleas weren’t going to be heard. All you could do was sob.

“Zim….I’m so sorry…I couldn’t save you…” You choked out as you picked up the neurothing.

PING!

“EMERGENCY ATTACHMENT PROTOCOL.”

You let out a gasp as you saw several metal tentacles slither out from Zim’s PAK.  Soon the PAK scuttled off in search of a new host.

Luckily, Virooz had abandoned his chair. It smelled a bit but it would have to do.

CLANG!

ZAP!

Zim’s PAK latched onto the chair and projected an image of Zim’s face.

“You cannot defeat me, Virooz! I activated the emergency attachment protocol and attached to… A CHAIR?! I’m a chair now. Great.”  Zim grumbled.

“Zim!! Oh thank god you’re ok!” You squealed as you ran up to the chair and tried to hug it.

“Y/N! Don’t worry! Zim is fine! I’m just…a chair now I guess.” Zim sighed.

“We gotta get you out of this chair and back into your real body!” You yelped.

“Worry not, sweet Y/N! Chairzim will triumph!” Zim insisted as he unlocked the door and took you outside with him.

You activated your special space helmet and held onto Chairzim tight.

“If we’re gonna get your body back, we’re gonna need a better vessel than a chair. Do you think we can find something in these ruins?” You asked as you scanned the area.

“Well…I suppose you make a good point. Let’s see what we can find.” Zim hummed as he floated around.

After a few minutes of searching, Zim let out an excited gasp.

Standing before you and Zim was a MASSIVE mech!

“THERE! The Dunedoomer! The perfect vessel for Zim! Besides my SUPERIOR IRKEN BODY of course!” Zim cheered as he gestured to the mech.

“Holy crap! This is awesome, Zim! But how are we gonna get it running?” You asked as you hopped off of Zim and knocked on one of the mech’s rusty legs.

“Just leave that to me! Y/N? Did you happen to find a neurothing by chance?” Zim asked.

“Huh? Oh! It’s this thing right? Virooz dropped it before he left!” You chirped as you held up the neurothing.

“Excellent work, Y/N! Now on the count of three you will activate the neurothing and I will activate the emergency attachment protocol. Once I’ve activated the emergency attachment protocol, I will attach my PAK to the mech!” Zim instructed.

“You got it, master!” You giggled with a salute.

Zim let out a dopey giggle before clearing his throat.

“Ready? One…Two… Three! NOW MY SWEET!” Zim commanded.

“I love you, Zim! You wailed as you activated the neurothing.

CLANG!

Zim’s PAK fell off the chair and into the ground.

“EMERGANCY REATTACHMENT PROTOCOL”

And with that, Zim’s PAK scuttled off and attached itself to the mech.

Meanwhile, Virooz had stumbled his way into an abandoned weapon chamber.

“Now these are some real weapons!” He giggled as he browsed the weapon rack.

Soon, Virooz’s browsing was interrupted by an all too familiar laugh echoing throughout the room.

“Who’s there?! I got a bazooka and I’m not afraid to use it!” Virooz yelped as he struggled to hold up a large bazooka.

“Let me introduce myself”

BOOM!

The wall burst open to reveal Zim in his new mech body with you sitting on it’s ‘shoulder’.

When the dust settled, Virooz’s floppy jaw hit the ground.

“What the-? Really, dude?! Now you decide to stop sucking?!” Virooz stuttered as he almost dropped his bazooka.

“You didn’t think I was done? Did ya?” Zim sang as he thundered forward.

“Well I just begun having my fun, baby!” The ground shook as Zim continued to show off his new body.

“Some people live for attention, playing the victim. But baby, I was born to do the KILLING!” Zim cackled as he activated his laser guns and burst a hole into an empty slot on the weapons rack.

Virooz gasped and desperately struggled to pull the bazooka’s trigger with his limp fingers.

“I see how you’e going crazy, always thinking ‘bout me baby on the daily! Feed me your negativity! Talk some more about me! I know that you love me. LOVE ME!” Zim roared

Virooz loaded his bazooka and started to fire.

BLAM!

PINK!

BLAM!

PINK!

Every shot ricocheted off of Zim as he continued his song.

“Funny how you think I’m bothered! Know, I’m nothing like the others! You shouldn’t have messed with me ‘cuz I heard that you’re afraid of monsters. MONSTERS!” Zim stomped his foot, causing Virooz to shoot upward for a moment.

Virooz let out a shriek as the bazooka went flying out of his noodle hands.

“Are you ready for the monster?” Zim stomped forward as Virooz picked up a later gun and tried to fire it.

PINK!

“Monster?”

PINK!

“Monster?”

PINK!

Not a single shot even made a dent on Zim’s new body.

“Are you ready for the monster?” Zim continued his rampage, slowly getting closer and closer to Virooz.

Virooz picked up another weapon and tried to fire it.

PINK!

“Monster?”

PINK!

“Monster?”

PINK!

Once again, no luck. Zim’s body was still intact and Virooz ran out of ammo.

“Are you ready for the monster?” A sinister smile spread across Zim’s face as he left tracks on the sandy floor.

Not wanting to give up just yet, Virooz picked up another weapon and tried again.

PINK!

“Monster?”

PINK!

“Monster?”

PINK!

Still no luck. Zim was still standing and Virooz was growing more and more panicked.

“Are you ready for the monster?” Zim had never felt more powerful.

Virooz let out a growl as he kept trying to take Zim down.

PINK!

“Monster?”

PINK!

“Monster?”

PINK!

Virooz had lost once again and scrambled to find more weapons.

“You ain’t ready for the monster. Monster!” Zim cackled.

“Man! Why couldn’t you have been this cool before I had to steal your body!” Virooz spluttered as he frantically rummaged through the debris.

“I’m just being me! Cut out the things that I don’t need!” Zim growled as he begun to follow Virooz.

“But you need me, dude! Without me you’d just keep on sucking!” Virooz countered as he continued his search.

“I don’t care if you disagree! I don’t need no sympathy! Winning the game on my own! Yeah, BABY!”  The ground shook as Zim savored every second of his power trip.

Virooz gasped as he tried to run but ended up falling flat on his face.

“I see how you’e going crazy, always thinking ‘bout me baby on the daily! Feed me your negativity! Talk some more about me! I know that you love me. LOVE ME!” Zim cackled as he loomed over Virooz.

Virooz peeled himself off the ground and kept running.

“Funny how you think I’m bothered! Know, I’m nothing like the others! You shouldn’t have messed with me ‘cuz I heard that you’re afraid of monsters. MONSTERS!” Zim stomped his foot again, causing Virooz to let out a loud yelp.

“Are you ready for the monster?” Zim blocked Virooz at every turn.

“Aha! Got you now!” Virooz let out a nervous laugh as he struggled to hold up a large laser gun.

PINK!

“Monster?”

PINK!

“Monster?”

PINK!

Virooz let out a squeak as he ran out of ammo once more.

“Are you ready for the monster?” You sang along as you gave Virooz the smuggest grin you could muster.

Virooz had finally found another weapon and gave it one last try.

PINK!

“Monster?”

PINK!

“Monster?”

PINK!

“C’mon! C’mon! Don’t die on me too!” Virooz whined as he shook his weapon.

“Are you ready for the monster?”  Zim’s stomps grew louder with each step.

STOMP!

“Monster?”

STOMP!

“Monster?”

STOMP!

“YOU AIN’T READY FOR THE MONSTER! MONSTER!” Zim bellowed.

Virooz desperately tried to search for another weapon but there were none left.

He tried to make one last run for it but realized he was at a dead end!

“Ah, it could’ve been so different between us! But then you went and messed everything up!” The room darkened as Zim’s shadow engulfed Virooz.

Virooz almost found a way out but you jumped off of Zim and blocked his exit.

“Going somewhere, Baby?” You sneered sarcastically.

“You took a knife and stabbed me in the back! Took everything I had! Sat in your chair and laughed!” Zim’s words dripped with venom as he drew closer.

“C’mon! I’m in your body! You wouldn’t want anything to happen to it right? Right?!” Virooz pleaded as he found himself drowning in stolen sweat.

“This is the last time, I’m gonna tell you now! If you try to break me, I’m gonna burn you down! Baby I’m done with you! Not coming back for you!” Zim’s voice was a low growl.

“Please man! I’m your biggest fan!” Virooz pleaded as he shrank down to his knees.

“NOW, Y/N!”

“With pleasure!” You sang as you grabbed Virooz and activated the neurothing.

CLANG!

Virooz’s PAK fell to the ground with Zim’s stolen body following suit.

“Funny how you think I’m bothered! Know, I’m nothing like the others! You shouldn’t have messed with me ‘cuz I heard that you’re afraid of monsters. MONSTERS!” Zim roared as he let you climb back onto his ‘shoulder’.

“Are you ready for the monster?” Zim stomped towards Virooz’s PAK

STOMP!

“Monster?”

STOMP!

“Monster?”

STOMP!

“Are you ready for the monster?”  You joined in and started to clap along to the beat.

STOMP!

“Monster?”

STOMP!

“Monster?”

STOMP!

“YOU AIN’T READY FOR THE MONSTER!” Zim let out a maniacal laugh that rumbled throughout the ruins of the weapons chamber.

“Alright, Zim! Let’s get you back into your real body and get rid of Virooz’s PAK before he tries anything.” You giggled.

“Aww! Can’t I stay in this one for just five more minutes?” Zim pouted.

“Well, I can’t exactly kiss a mech.” You teased as you hopped off of his ‘shoulder’ and grabbed the Irken neurothing.

“Oh, ok! But only because you said so!” Zim huffed.

“Alright! I’m activating the neurothing!” You warned as you hopped onto Zim’s ‘shoulder’ one last time.

“Three…two…One!”

CLANG!

CRASH!

Zim’s PAK fell to the ground with the mech following suit.

“EMERGENCY REATTACHMENT PROTOCOL”

And with that, Zim’s PAK was reunited with its proper host.

“HA! VICTORY! I AM ZIM!! AGAIN!!” Zim cheered as he peeled himself off of the ground.

“I’m so glad you’re you again! Now what are we gonna do with this hunk of junk?” You asked as you held up Virooz’s PAK.

“I think I have an idea!” Zim chirped as he pointed to the sky.

And with that, Zim snatched Virooz’s PAK out of your hands and carried it outside.

“Where are you going?” You asked as you followed Zim.

“You’ll see.” Zim assured as he stopped in front of a large couch.

“Let’s see how he likes his new vessel.” Zim chuckled darkly as he threw Virooz’s PAK onto the couch.

“REATTACHMENT PROTOCOL”

Soon Virooz’s PAK attached into the couch.

“Ugh…What?! I’m still alive?!” Virooz whined.

“Unfortunately.” You grumbled.

“Really, Zim? You’re too lame to properly kill me?! And here I thought you were actually cool again! You really are terrible!” Virooz griped.

“Naaah! I AM ZIM! I AM AMAZING! Anyone who says I’m terrible is just too stupid to see it!” Zim boasted as he put his hands on his hips.

“The only terrible one here is you, Virooz! You harassed me,  tried to possess a body that wasn’t even yours and you were stupid enough to tie us up with rope and to leave the Irken neurothing back on the ship!” You ranted as you punched one of Virooz’s couch cushions.

“OW! How does a couch feel pain?!” Virooz whined.

“Shut the fuck up, you literal couch potato!” You snarled as you stood in front of Zim protectively.

“At least you still have that fire…” Virooz whimpered.

You were about to rip him to shreds when,

ZOOM!

The Voot Cruiser zoomed by and plopped right in front of both you and Zim.

“HI MASTER! HI UNICORN! HOP ON IN!” GIR urged as he motioned for you two to get in.

“Looks like our ride is here, Y/N.” Zim chuckled as he grabbed you and pulled you inside the ship.

“Maybe now that you’e a couch you can finally get laid!” You quipped as GIR closed the Voot’s entrance and blasted off.

Zim, GIR, and Minimoose burst into hysterical laughter as the Voot left Dooq.

“That was glorious, Y/N!” Zim wheezed as he wiped away a pink tear.

“Thanks! God, he was lucky that GIR showed up with the ship! Otherwise Virooz would’ve been all stuffing!” You giggled.

“Now, about that kiss you were talking about earlier…” Zim purred as he nuzzled next to you.

“But of course, master.”

SMOOCH!

[radiant-flutterbun]

The Adventures of Mason and Evan

(Warning: Brief mention of suicide)

Previously: Mason and Evan escaped their world which was being destroyed by demons and entered Sornieth where they were turned into dragons.

One hundred years.

One hundred years Mason had been dead. And with those one hundred years came one hundred missed opportunities. His relationship with his boyfriend was cut short. His friends all had to move on after his passing, and find others who would fill the void he left them.

For one hundred years Mason drifted in the Underworld as a ghost. His only friend was the mortal turned god, Evan Fear.

Now both Mason and Evan were mortal again, but they were human no longer.

Being a dragon was going to take some getting used to by both of them.

Mason was struggling more so than Evan. For Evan is main struggling was learning to walk in the new body. But for Mason he had to learn how to be alive again.

He felt like an infant. He struggled to walk, his tongue could’nt wrap around the strange new dragon language, and he had to be reminded to eat or drink.

Evan looked out for him, just like he did for the last one hundred years.

“Hey Mace, did you eat yet today?” He would ask every once and awhile.

Mason shook his head, slightly jealous how Evan’s Godspeak allowed him to learn every language. There was no struggle of communication for him.

“Alright to the kitchen we go!” He trotted on ahead. Learning to walk in his new body came easier to him than it did for Mason.

Mason tried to trot after his friend, but he tripped over his own feet and landed face first onto the stone flooring.

“Careful, kid!” The clan leader, Nike had to stumble back to avoid stepping on him. Mason appreciated the blind mirror’s kindness toward him and Evan and for giving them a place to stay, but it annoyed him that she insisted on calling him a ‘kid’.

He was an adult. He died at the age of twenty and lived on a hundred years more as a ghost. He figured he was older than all of the dragons in the clan if the hundred years were counted.

“Oh! Mace! Sorry I forgot you’re still getting the hang of walking,” Evan came back “Do you need help?”

“I’m fine,” the words came out awkwardly, as Mason got to his feet. Evan walked next to him as he carefully put one foot in front of the other.

The kitchen was filled with delicious aromas of all times. The main cook, Firespitter was always there cooking up something. He made the best meals for dragons of all kinds.

The mirror cook smiles as he saw Mason and Evan enter.

“Nice timing! I just cooked up some salmon I think you’d like,” He pushed the plate toward Evan and he licked his lips.

“Alright! Thanks dude!”

“And for you,” Firespitter turned to Mason “I got a vegetarian dish.”

“Thanks,” As a skydancer Mason could eat insects too, but the dragons here realized soon enough that their alien friends weren't too comfortable eating the creepy crawlies. It was a good thing none of them were faes.

Immediately after eating his meal, Mason felt better. It was amazing how much of a difference a full belly made when it came to his mood.

“So you wanna go over to Lakra’s for speech therapy?” Evan asked when he was done licking his plate.

Mason shrugged. He didn’t want to go, but it was also a pain not being able to speak fluently. It was almost ironic. As a human he could speak two languages fluently, which was one more than most of his friends could. And with English and Spanish being the two most common languages where he lived very rarely was he unable to join in a conversation.

Now he could barely say more than a word at a time. He was getting better admittedly, but not soon enough.

Practise will only make it easier He reminded himself. I figure it would be best to see Lakra now.

***

Weeks pass and Mason could walk perfectly again. Flying was a different story, but he wasn’t going to think about that just yet. He was learning more and more Draconion everyday and was quickly grasping the language. He wasn’t fluent yet, but could get by.

And as he got better at speaking, he started to want to learn other things as well.

“Hey, Evan?” he was sitting with his friend outside at night next to the cliff. Mason loved the sound of the waves crashing below. Evan looked up at him, his feathered crest rising in interest.

“I kinda want to do art again.”

Evan grinned “That’s awesome Mace!”

“Yeah… I… I just figured it would be a good idea. Now that I’m alive and all.”

“Are you going to make the comic you always wanted to create?”

Mason nodded “Except… I’m probably going to have to completely re-learn how to draw now.”

“We can sign you up for some art lessons with Flare. I’ve heard she’s a good teacher.”

“Yeah me too. Except Muerto is also being taught by her. I don’t want to make things awkward.”

“That’s a good point.”

“Maybe I should what until I’m a little more comfortable being a dragon before I start…”

“Nah you should just go for! This is what you’ve wanted for over a hundred years now.”

“I know… It’s just… Feels a little weird. When I was alive the first time I wanted so badly to create, but when I needed my creativity the most it dried up and died inside of me. I thought dying would fix that. But it still didn’t come back no matter how much i wanted it to. I spent my life wishing I was dead and I spent my death wishing I was alive. Now I’m alive again and I want to stay this way. But what if I still can’t create? What if it’s gone forever? What if the window of opportunity I had to create my comic is gone now? What if the story I wanted to tell falls onto deaf ears?”

“I don’t know what to tell you man, except you should try. And if you think this is a story worth telling then I’m sure others will too.”

Mason smiled “Thanks dude.”

“No problem. Like I’ve said before. I’m here for you.”

***

Art is hard. Mason decided after a few weeks of learning under Flare.

He never thought art was easy but learning from scratch when he knew he could draw decently before was more frustrating than he could imagine.

He wanted to draw his characters again, but all that came out was scribbles. Holding pencils and other utensils was so foreign now.

And if frustrating himself wasn’t bad enough, Muerto sometimes went to the lessons as well, which created an uncomfortable silence between the two of them.

Too much had happened between them in the past that there was no mending the wounds that both of them caused each other. When Mason died Muerto struck a deal with him. He would spare Mason’s Soul from Eternal Punishment and let his ghost live in the Underworld Palace as long as he promised not to interfere with god business.

It was a fair deal considering Muerto was breaking the most important Law of the Underworld.

Mason’s thoughts were deep in the waters of the nasty things he had done to Muerto. He felt a mixture of anger and guilt toward the young god. On one hand Muerto gave him a nasty Curse that was a contributor to his untimely death, but on the other Mason captured Muerto and tortured him.

There was no way Mason could have known that the God of Death was a misguided child. He thought Muerto was playing tricks, that he was only pretending to be a scared little boy.

It’s what the voice feeding him lies told him.

“Sooo…” a green and brown mirror piped up during one of Muerto and Mason’s silence during one art lesson “How’s everyone doing today?” Frankenstein was an odd dragon. From what Mason understood she was an undead creature, and she once almost killed Muerto. She had a hunger that could only be controlled by a powerful spell cast on her by a tundra named Hecate. When that tundra was attacked her spell had broke on Frankenstein and she tried to eat Bubonic and then Muerto. Hecate recast her spell and so far Frankenstein hadn’t gone on any violent rampages.

Apparently she and Muerto made up not too long ago and now considered themselves friends. Franken liked to join Muerto as he painted. It was relaxing for them both.

“I’ve been fine. How about you Franky?” Muerto answered.

“I’ve been great! My sweet Windy sent me the most adorable letter yesterday!”

“That’s great!”

“Oh and Sig and Mori both say hi to you and the clan.”

“Write back and say I say hi too. Oh that reminds me, have you heard what Shamhna has been up to lately?”

“No! What?”

“She moved from Clan Stjerneklart and founded her own clan in the Viridian Labyrinth!”

“Really? That’s incredible!”

They talked like old friends. It was jarring to hear how happy Muerto was when he spoke to her. Was it really possible for the usually distrustful kid to really forgive and even befriend someone who once tried to kill him? Could it be possible that maybe one day he and Mason could be friend too?

Mason shook his head. Being friends with Muerto was a ridiculous idea. It would never happen. There was too much bad blood.

“So Mason, I heard you’re a writer?” Mason’s antennae twitched when Frankenstein turned to him.

“Oh yeah well… Comic artist and writer actually.”

“Oh wow that’s cool! What’s your comic going to be about?”

“Uh… Well it’s going to be a sci fi.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a genre that takes place in the future.”

“Oh cool!”

“And it has like high tech stuff like robots.”

“Sounds like something a Lightning dragon would be into!”

“Oh uh I’m sorry what’s a Lightning dragon?”

“It’s an Element type! Like you’re a Water dragon. There’s eleven different Elements. I’m Plague, Muerto is Ice and Flare is Water like you too! You can tell by a dragon’s eye color. It usually indicates where a dragon was born, but there are exceptions. And with each Element types comes stereotypes. Lightning dragons are known for being into tech stuff.”

“Ah ok cool! Thanks for telling me.”

“No problem!” Frankenstein smiled and then turned to Muerto, showing him her painting.

“That looks amazing!” He smiled. The whole time Frankenstein spoke to Mason he just stared at his canvas.

***

“It’s weird, Evan,” Mason said to his friend one day after his lessons.

“A lot of things are weird, Mace. You’re gonna have to elaborate.”

“It’s weird how happy Muerto is in this clan. I’ve never seen him smile so much in the Underworld than he does he. And he talks so freely to the dragons here. He always frowns when he sees me though, not that I blame him.”

“Yeah. He really does seem more carefree here. Probably because he doesn’t have a job here. He’s not a god or a king. He’s just a kid. I’m kinda feeling the same way. Being a god was cool and all, but it’s nice to be a teen again.”

“... It’s nice to be alive again. Feeling the grass under my feet and the sun on my back… it’s a sensation I never knew I would miss.”

Evan frowned “My nerves are still are wacky. Sometimes I can feel stuff, but other times I can’t. I stepped on some glass earlier and it shred up my foot. I was walking around bleeding everywhere and I didn’t even know it.”

Mason winced “Ouch. Are you going to be ok?”

“Yeah I’ll be fine. It’ll heal.”

“Just… try to take care of yourself, ok?”

Evan grinned and nudged Mason “I said I’ll be fine dude! It’s cool!”

“Alright, well see you around.”

Mason stretched his legs and wandered around the clan’s territory, his mind wrapped in his long lost story.