#partially because i dont recall her husbands name

[axvwriter]

Trash That Threaten

Characters: Xia-lin, Betts

Warnings: Mentions of threatened animal violence, no animals are harmed though. Mentions of humans getting drugged.

Please scroll past if any of this may upset you.

—~—

“Xia-lin! Xia-lin!” Betts cried out upon seeing her friend approach her own home. The girl ran over before her friend could enter. Xia-lin paused, looking distressed by the shouting. Betts’ friend turned and met her half-way.

“Why are you shouting? …why do you look so upset? What happened?” Xia-lin held Betts by her shoulders, keeping her back from fully embracing her.

“Th-these guys… these guys said they’re going to come k-k-kill my animals. Wh-what do I dooo?!” Betts cried out hysterically, forcing herself closer to hug her friend.

“. . . We tell my dad. If they really come, he’ll dispose of them.” Xia-lin frowned, slowly moving her hands to wrap around Betts. “When did this happen… and where?”

“I-I was just walking home fr-from school… and th-these men saw me… th-they started telling me how I don’t belong here and how I should… should… I ignored them… and I-I guess they know where I-I live be-because they s-started des-describing my-my farm ani-animals!” Betts bawled out. Xia-lin had to soothe her for a little longer before Betts could tell her where exactly this happened.

“…wait here, I’ll go tell my dad.”

~~~

Xia-lin found herself staying up late, constantly looking out her window and towards her neighbor’s plot. Her mother sat nearby, stress practically rolling from her.

“Mother… Should we call Father back in?” Xia-lin quietly asked. Her mother responded with a clack.

“No. They could very well decide to try striking at night.”

“How idiotic would they have to be to do that? Nearly all monsters can see way better than humans can during the night. Do they think they can threaten someone and not have them be on their guard?” Xia-lin seethed.

“…Your father has told me that there’s a lot of stupid and fool-hardy humans out there. …Xia-lin you should sleep. You have school. Your father isn’t the only one up tonight.” Xia-lin’s mother stood up, helping her stand up as well.

~~~

Xia-lin waved Betts off, telling her not to wait. Betts reluctantly left, clearly not wanting to walk alone. It couldn’t be helped. Betts needed to learn how to be strong. Plus Xia-lin always stayed behind to use the school’s lab. Though this time she had a change of plans. One that would start once she approached the cornerstone that Betts had been harassed at.

So once Betts was out of sight, Xia-lin left to take Betts old path to and from school. The jerks had never approached last night, which only peeved her more. Such lowlifes wouldn’t even try to carry out their threat? Or did they find it fun to keep her parents and her neighbors awake with fear at night? Like Xia-lin didn’t already have enough on her plate.

She pulled her hoodie up over her head before she got within sight of the small, dingy store. Xia-lin surveyed the area, almost scoffing when seeing the men that Betts had described. Were they waiting for the girl to pass by again? What idiots they were. The perfect ones to stone.

Xia-lin went to walk past them, purposefully stumbling as she dropped a candy bar. The guys noticed, but waited until she was gone to investigate further. One snatched it up, noticing that it seemed to be an unopened plain chocolate bar, and teared open its wrapping.

“Dude, give me some.” The second man complained. Xia-lin watched from afar, exasperated at how the three men childishly fought for the bar. Though that was perfect for her, having all three of them partake in it meant she wouldn’t have to tail them all day to sneak more drugged candy to them.

Now she only had to tail them to see if the serum she conducted worked as planned.

~~~

“Thank you again, Xia-lin’s dad for walking us here.” Betts beamed, still clutching Xia-lin’s hand. If Betts didn’t have the same condition as her, Xia-lin was sure Betts would be squeezing hard enough to leave a bruise.

“Well, after hearing about what happened a couple of days ago… I couldn’t help it. I know the city often overlooks… but… nevermind, don’t worry about it. If anything I might get to petition to the city to be more aware of what’s going on with its citizens.” Xia-lin’s father responded before reluctantly leaving.

Xia-lin huffed. Betts just had to see the news and tell her parents about it. At least her parents and Betts were just as dumb as everyone else. Betts had identified the men that fell into comas were the same men that threatened her farm. The news seemed to think it was a drug overdosage and warned people about meeting with shady dealers.

At least they were smart enough to know that if it was an attack from a monster, there would be clear signs of that being the case. Now she had to keep an eye out for any news on the coma patients dying or not. Xia-lin had pre-maturely tested her stasis sleep medicine on them after all.

[2-d-ents]

1-100 >:)

DAMN WEL THANK U OMG this is going under a read more after some bc damn this is a lot i love u thank u

1. the meaning behind my url

2d! stuart pot! 2 dents in his wee head!

2. a picture of me

the face behind the mask of tons of pics of 2d and noodle

3. how many tattoos i have and what they are:

none :( my parents wont help me pay for college if i get any facial piercings or tattoos, so i’m being patient. i’ve got a jar full of coins that i’ll some day exchange for money and use that for tattoo funds!

4. last time i cried and why

yesterday night after telling my dad i can’t come up with the money in time to pay my medical bill lol

5. piercings i have

just my ears i’m so boring lol

6. favorite band

i really like the band SALES, they are very calming. but i also like gorillaz (obviously), lullatone, K.I.D, best coast, the smiths, and the velvet underground

7. biggest turn offs

shoes???? this sounds stupid and idk why i do this but i dislike wearing tennis shoes on the daily. on a lighter and more understandable note i dislike people who are full of themselves even in the slightest? confidence is like really important and is completely different that conceitedness.

8. top 5 (insert subject)

i’m doing gorillaz songs bc why not.

 faust 

slow country

out of body

el manana

on melancholy hill

9. tattoos i want

already answered!

10. biggest turn ons

LEGS. like nice legs. idk what kind they are (short, skinny, plumpy, long) they are just GOOD u know u look at them and ur like GOOD. they are just aesthetically pleasing sometimes i guess more of like nice for the eye than a turn on. i like choking. ngl.

11. age

i’m 19, 20 in february next year!

12. ideas for a perfect date

planning one now actually! in october i have my one year with my boyfriend so we’re going to rent a hotel in chicago and go around the city for shopping, museums, and plays!

13. life goal

already answered!

14. piercings i want

MY SEPTUM

15. relationship status

dating a really weird hippie kinda dude named jacob lol

16. favorite movie

already answered!

17. a fact about my life

i weirdly own a lot of things with stitch from lilo and stitch on them and gudetama. i told my aunt when i was like 5 that i liked stitch and for some reason in japan there is a lot of stitch stuff like notepads and water bottles. same with gudetama. she just won’t stop sending them. 

18. phobia

already answered!

19. middle name

maura. lol. my mom is mad all her kids have middle names bc japanese people don’t have them

20. height

5 foot 2. i’m sadly kinda short. 

21. are you a virgin?

nope 

22. what’s your shoe size?

women’s size 5!

23. what’s your sexual orientation?

already answered!

24. do you smoke, drink, or take any drugs?

occasionally drink beers with just my dad, not too much of a party drinker

25. someone you miss

my sorta grandma in japan who passed away recently. my real grandma died before i was born so this lady is my mom’s sister’s husband’s mom but she lived with my aunt so i saw her a lot. she like to make lots and lots of crafts and give them to me!

26. what’s one thing you regret?

spending so much money before i found out i had to pay a 400 dollar medical bill lol

27. first celebrity you think of when someone says attractive

already answered!

28. favorite ice cream?

already answered!

29. one insecurity

my thighs :(

30. what my last text message says

“then stop textin bihhh!!!” to my sister when she said “stop distracting me”

31. have you ever taken a picture naked?

no, but someone has taken a picture of me naked lol

32. have you ever pained your room?

not myself no :(

33. have you ever kissed a member of the same sex?

yes!

34. have you ever slept naked?

only after sex so like, napping

35. have you ever danced in front of your mirror?

all the time omg all the time

36. have you ever had a crush?

duh? i am dating boy

37. have you ever been dumped?

like once or twice, i doubt three times.

38. have you ever stole money from a friend?

i think accidentally once? she left 20 in my car and i thought it was mine but i’m pretty sure thinking back on it it was hers but i hate her now so yeah that 20 got spent on a good trip to the cinema

39. have you ever gotten in a car with people you just met?

too many times this month to count

40. have you ever been in a fist fight?

thank god no. i would lose so fast

41. have you ever snuck out of your house?

surprisingly no? my parents never ask where i’m going and never really have all my life. i would walk to taco bell in middle school at like three in the morning at times and in the morning they would be like “oi how was the quesadilla” 

42. have you ever had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back?

now what kind of person would i be if i went through 13 years of general schooling and didn’t have an unrequited love?

43. have you ever been arrested?

nope! never plan to be lol

44. have you ever made out with a stranger?

NOPE NEVER WANT TO

45. have you ever met up with a member of the opposite sex somewhere?

this is a vague question that i feel is meant to be like shocking. yeah, i met up with me boyfriend at subway earlier does that answer the question

46. have you ever left your house without telling your parents?

like. every single day lol they don’t seem to care

47. have you ever had a crush on your neighbor?

nah all my neighbors are antisocial

48. have you ever ditched school to do something more fun?

in senior year i left school in the first hour to drive to canada and drink the day away with friends 

49. have you ever slept in the same back with a member of the same sex?

another question that’s meant to be shocking. i slept in my sisters bed last night

50. have you ever seen someone die?

no but does a cat count 

51. have you ever been on a plane?

too many times

52. have you ever kissed a picture?

i swear i have but i can’t recall of when or of what

53. have you ever slept until 3?

yeah, even 5

54. do you love someone or miss someone right now?

my boyfriend i suppose? i’m used to technically living together and sleeping in the same bed every night so yeah i miss him right now

55. have you ever laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by?

it’s a game called “find the dick in the sky”

56. have you ever made a snow angel?

when i was really young i only remember bc we have pictures

57. have you ever played dress up?

i was a tom boy when i was younger so no

58. have you ever cheated while playing a game

THIS MAKES ME FEEL GUILTY WHO HASNT

59. have you ever been lonely?

what kind of question is this of course i have felt a basic human emotion

60. have you ever fall asleep at school/work?

only at school never at work

61. have you ever been to a club?

no, i don’t really party

62. have you ever felt an earthquake?

yeah, living in japan makes you like never worry about them lol

63. have you ever touched a snake?

get that away from me its cute to look at but no way

64. have you ever run a read light?

only by accident

65. have you ever been suspended from school?

almost once but no

66. have you ever had detention?

saturday detention for dress code once

67. have you ever been in a car accident?

only when others are driving

68. have you ever hated the way you look?

all the time?

69. have you ever witnessed a crime?

i used to sit on the arm of my dad’s computer chair while he used to burn dvds we rented

70. have you ever pole danced?

ONCE there was one in my friends apartment and i gave it a whirl i love it

71. have you ever been lost?

my sister hates relying on technology so once it took us an hour and a half to get home from something that was only 20 minutes away

72. have you ever been to the opposite side of the country?

yep! went to nevada and arizona once. 

73. have you ever felt like dying?

can we not lol but yeah

74. have you ever cried yourself to sleep?

what teenage girl doesn’t

75. have you ever sang karaoke?

its a big thing in japan so definitely!

76. have you ever done something you told yourself you wouldnt?

duhhhhh one of those things was to never have sex

77. have you ever laughed until something came out of your nose?

yeah its uncomfortable dont do it

78. have you ever slept with someone 5 years older or younger?

no no no no ew

79. have you ever kissed in the rain?

yeah! not too special there are better places to kiss.

80. have you ever sang in the shower?

i used to a lot, never anymore

81. have you ever made out in a park?

no :(

82. have you ever dreamed you married someone?

ugh i hate those dreams so much

83. have you ever glued your hand to something?

yes :(

84. have you ever got your tongue stuck to a flagpole?

nope! that’s gross!

85. have you ever gone to school partially naked?

is this a crack at dress code lmao

86. have you ever been a cheerleader?

nope and im ok with it

87. have you ever sat on a rooftop?

when i was little my pal let us climb on her roof and was like “i do it all the time”!!1 and then someone called the cops on us

88. have you ever brush your teeth?

what

89. have you ever been too scared to watch a scary movie alone?

every single one? i am a wuss

90. have you ever played chicken?

YEAH THAT WAS MY CHILDHOOD

91. have you ever been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on?

no and good because that means people are considerate about your phone being on you lol

92. have you ever been told you’re hot by a complete stranger?

one time outside a mac demarco concert a pimp would actually not leave me alone and kept asking me to become one of his girls so i guess so? his name was papa schoolboy and he made me take pictures with him on my phone

93. have you ever broken a bone?

NO AND I NEVER WANT TO

94. have you ever been easily amused?

… all the time?

95. have you ever laughed so hard you cried?

yes

96. have you ever mooned/flashed someone?

only my friends mom because she flashed me

97. have you ever cheated on at test?

in high school yes

98. have you ever forgotten someone’s name?

okay who doesnt wtf

99. have you ever met someone who didn’t seem real?

mac demarco

100. give us one thing about you no one knows

but if i give it someone knows

[rpf-bat]

The Ghost Of You

Pairing: Gerard Way x Reader

Genre:  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Summary: Request fic for @bipolardonnie. “okay! can i request a non-sad oneshot about ghost!reader and revenge gee? i dont have any specific ideas in mind so anything is good! xx”

A/N: Not sure if I delivered on “non-sad”, but here ya go. 

“Wow, this venue looks like it’s really old,” commented a loud voice, drawing your attention.

So another group of musicians had come to the place you had called home since your death. There hadn’t been a show here in a while. The throng of young, living people here for the concert tonight would certainly make your haunt less lonely.

“Yeah, this bar was originally a speakeasy in the 1920’s,” the owner of the building said informatively as he unlocked the door.

“That’s so cool,” another voice said excitedly. “So, why isn’t this space used more often?”

“Well,” the owner confessed as he opened the door, throwing bright sunlight into your dusty abode, “some people say it’s haunted.”

“…..Haunted?” repeated the first speaker as he walked in. He was an oddly dressed man, with a partially shaved head and a bulletproof vest. Was this the fashion in the land of the living nowadays?

“Yeah,” the owner said nervously, entering second. “Why, does that make you want to reconsider performing here tonight?”

“Not at all,” grinned the second man you’d heard speak, and your eyes widened when you saw how handsome he was. He had long, black hair, and he wore a black suit with a red tie that was much more in line with the fashions you remembered. “We all love horror movies, so haunted’s a plus!”

Movies, you thought. Those had been a new invention when you’d died. Were they still silent? Or could actors talk in them now?

“Think we’ll see any ghosts tonight?” wondered a third man, who wore glasses and a nervous expression, as he entered the building.

You very much doubted it. Nobody had ever been able to actually see you. For the first fifty years or so, this had frustrated you immensely. You’d wanted to communicate, to tell people that you were here. But, most of the people you’d known in life were dead now. They had rushed onwards to the Other Side, not sticking around as you had. It was a lonely afterlife – but, by now, you were used to it.

“We don’t have time to chase ghosts,” a fourth man, with wild, frizzy hair, said as he entered. “We have to get started with soundcheck.”

“I’ll get onstage in a second,” the handsome one shrugged. “I gotta fix my makeup first, though.”

Makeup? you thought curiously. In your day, makeup was not something worn by gentlemen. You weren’t against the idea – you just wondered how much times had changed since your demise.

“All that white face paint makes you look undead,” the loud man chuckled.

“Yeah, that’s the point,” the dark-haired man grinned.

This comment perplexed you. Why would anyone aspire to be undead? You were undead yourself, you supposed. A soul that had died, but hadn’t moved on to peaceful rest. Some might even call you damned.

You hadn’t wanted to haunt this place for eternity. When you’d died, you thought you would find nothingness – an absence of all feeling. That was what you craved. You hadn’t believed in life after death until you saw it. If you had known you’d end up stuck here, perhaps you would have tried harder to cling to life.

As the other men left the backstage area where you sat, carrying their equipment towards the stage, you watched the handsome brunette as he applied face powder in the mirror. You’d used this mirror yourself, many years ago. Now, the cheeks you’d fastidiously kept soft and rosy had long since rotted, leaving only a skull behind. You shuddered when you thought of your body in the cemetery across town, vacant of the soul that still remained in the room where you had breathed your last.

“Ooh, it’s cold in here,” the man muttered to himself as he opened a palette of eyeshadow and placed the brush in a red hue.

Was it? you wondered. Neither cold, nor heat, nor pain had touched you in decades.

That was one of the advantages of being dead, you supposed. Another was that you could stare openly at handsome strangers without being caught. You drew closer to the man, waving a hand in front of his face. He didn’t blink. You weren’t surprised.

You looked him up and down as you watched him brush the shadow onto his eyelids. He had large hands, and what looked to be a strong body. If you were alive, you were sure your face would’ve become flushed.

“Hurry up, Gerard,” shouted the man with the glasses.

So, his name is Gerard, you realized.

“Sorry, I’m coming, Mikey,” Gerard apologized, walking out onto the stage. You floated behind him, following him. You remembered the jazz bands you’d watched perform on this stage once. You’d foxtrotted merrily across the dance floor, having the time of your life.

Those were good days, you thought nostalgically. I wish I’d lived to see more of them.

The music the strange men began to play as they checked to see if their instruments were working was nothing like the tunes you remembered. But, as you listened, you found that it was still rather beautiful.

“This night, walk the dead….,” Gerard crooned as the band launched into another song.

You have no idea, you thought to yourself with a wry smile.

“…..In a solitary style, and crash the cemetery gates,” Gerard continued to sing, “in the dress your husband hates….Lay down, mark the grave, where the searchlights find us drinking by the mausoleum door…..And they found you on the bathroom floor!”

It was coincidence, surely, but the irony was that you had been found dead on a bathroom floor. The floor of the women’s restroom in the back of this bar, to be precise.

It wasn’t a very dignified place to die, you considered in hindsight. You wished you had chosen a better one.

“I miss you,” Gerard sang. “I miss you so far…..”

You became melancholy, for a moment, as you wondered whether there was anyone left alive who still missed you. You were aware that your younger sister had died ten years ago, at the age of eighty-six.

You tried to distract yourself from these thoughts by listening to the rest of the band’s practice. A lot of their songs, you noticed, seemed fixated on the concept of death. It troubled you – as someone who had experienced it personally, you didn’t find death to be all that appealing.

“Hey, boys,” the owner shouted to the band when they were done. “People are going to start arriving soon, so if you’re done rehearsing, you can go backstage for a while until the show starts.”

“Alright,” the peculiarly-dressed man from earlier shrugged, setting down his guitar. “Wanna have a beer with me before the kids get here, Gee?”

“In a minute, Frank,” Gerard replied. “I gotta talk to Jim about something.”

Jim, you remembered. That was the owner’s name. You really should know this by now, but he came around the building so seldom. Even less than his father, or his grandfather (the original owner of the building) had done. Perhaps he was scared of ghosts. If he was, that was silly – you couldn’t even muster up the energy to make yourself visible, let alone perpetrate poltergeist activity. Not that you wanted to hurt anyone, anyway. Mostly, you just wanted someone to talk to.

You hovered curiously by Gerard’s side, wondering what it was he and Jim needed to discuss.

“You said this place was haunted, right?” Gerard asked.

“That’s right,” Jim nodded. “There hasn’t been that much ghost activity here, to be honest, though. People mostly just say that because a young woman died here, back in 1924.”

“Oh, yeah?” Gerard raised an eyebrow. “What was her name?”

They’re talking about me, you thought. It was nice to hear someone ask your name first. Normally, people’s very first (and often only) question was, How did she die?

“They say her name was Y/N,” Jim explained. “She was real young when she passed, too. It was a tragedy.”

“Did she work here?” Gerard wondered.

Jim had to think about this. He was used to being asked about the grisly details of your last day, not about the regular circumstances of your life. Part of you kind of hated that almost all of what people remembered about you anymore was how you’d died – not how you’d lived.

“Yeah, I think my grandpa said she was a cocktail waitress,” Jim recalled.

You hadn’t originally planned to be a waitress your whole life. You’d wanted to eventually leave that line of work for a more glamorous career. Maybe if you’d lived a little longer, you would have.

“She was dating a singer in one of the bands who performed here,” Jim illuminated.

“Like me,” Gerard smiled.

“Nah, nothing like you, son,” Jim shook his head. “He was in the Mafia, I think. A real bad fella.”

He was a jerk, you frowned. You hadn’t realized this until long after your death. When you were alive, you’d loved him – and you’d thought he loved you.

“He got angry, because Y/N had brought a guy friend ‘round to the bar, and he thought Y/N and this man were sneaking around together behind his back,” Jim revealed.

We weren’t sneaking around at all! you thought angrily. We were just friends! Why wouldn’t he just trust me when I said that?!

“Did he kill her out of jealousy, or something?” Gerard asked, alarmed.

“No,” Jim said sadly. “He killed the young man, and, well…..Y/N thought it was her fault. She couldn’t live with herself after that happened, and so, one night, she went into that washroom over there, and well……she took her own life.”

“That’s so sad,” Gerard gasped. He looked like he was legitimately about to cry.

“Well, it was a long time ago,” Jim said, patting Gerard on the shoulder. “In fact, since it’s 2004 now….it’ll be eighty years ago this year.”

Eighty years, you thought, stricken. Have I really been dead for eighty years?!

Jim walked away, but Gerard remained alone on the stage, looking out towards the dancefloor like he was trying to imagine you, and your best friend, and your awful ex-boyfriend, standing there.

You saw him wipe his eyes on his sleeve, and you realized he really was crying.

“Why are you crying for me?” you muttered softly. “You didn’t even know me……”

Gerard’s head jerked up, as if he’d been shocked, and his eyes went wide. “H-hello?” he stammered, clearly unnerved.

Wait a minute…..No. There was no way.

“Did you just……hear me?” you gasped.

Gerard’s eyes darted around the room, like he was trying to find the source of your voice.

“…………Y/N?” he asked finally, almost not willing to believe it.

“Yes,” you said softly, in shock. “It’s me. Hello.”

“……Hi there,” Gerard greeted, still looking freaked out. “Um…..my name’s Gerard?”

“I know,” you said softly. “I heard the others talking to you.”

“Oh, umm……ok,” Gerard said, trying to figure out how to possibly converse with a ghost as if it were perfectly normal. You were surprised he hadn’t run away screaming. Or run to tell his friends that he’d heard a voice from beyond the grave. Instead, he seemed to be legitimately trying to communicate with you.

It was a surprise – and it was all you ever wanted.

“Where are you?” Gerard asked. “I still can’t see you.”

“I’m standing right beside you,” you confessed.

Gerard whipped around, looking to his right.

“On your left,” you chuckled.

Trembling, Gerard glanced to his left side. He seemed to look right through you. You didn’t doubt that he saw only the dusty curtains behind you.

“It’s alright,” you shrugged. “Nobody’s ever been able to see me before.”

“Has anybody been able to hear you, like this, either?” Gerard asked.

“No,” you answered. “You’re the first one.”

Gerard sat down on the floor of the stage, as if he were still trying to process this. “Lucky me,” he murmured, running a hand through his jet hair.

He stuck a finger into his ear, like he was trying to clean it. “……..Maybe I’ve gone nuts,” Gerard said to himself. “Or maybe just done too many damn drugs.”

“You’re not nuts, Gerard,” you insisted. “I’m real.”

“And the story Jim told me? Is it true?” Gerard demanded.

“It is,” you frowned. “Every bit of it.”

“But, you probably don’t want to talk about that,” Gerard said immediately. It amazed you how he just understood.

“You’re right,” you agreed. “Let’s talk about music. I thought your band sounded really good.”

“Thank you,” Gerard said sincerely. “I wasn’t sure if you would like our genre, since you died a bunch of years before it was invented.”

“What do you call this type of music?” you wondered.

“Um…..I guess you would call the music we make post-hardcore?” Gerard surmised. “Though that label probably doesn’t mean a heck of a lot to you, since you died before regular hardcore really became a thing, either, huh?”

“I’m not familiar with the term,” you admitted. “But, I like the way it sounds.”

“I’m glad,” Gerard smiled. He had such a cute smile. You wanted to talk to him more……

But, suddenly, the frizzy-haired man from before walked out onto the stage. “Gerard, who are you talking to?” he asked.

“You can’t hear her, Ray?” Gerard asked, standing back up.

“Hear who?” Ray said with a confused look. “Are you ok, man? I heard you out here, talking to yourself, when there’s clearly nobody here. Are you……on something?”

“I’m not high,” Gerard snapped. “I was……”

He looked to his left again, as if he were wishing you would suddenly appear, so he could prove that what he’d heard wasn’t simply in his head.

“……Nothing,” Gerard said finally. “I’ll be backstage in a minute, ok?”

“Alright,” Ray shrugged, and walked back off the stage.

“Why do you think you’re able to hear me, when Ray, and the others, can’t?” you asked Gerard, perplexed by why he was different.

“Maybe it’s because I’m closer to the Other Side than they are,” Gerard confessed sadly.

“What?” you gaped.

“That is…..” Gerard took a breath, as if he were unsure whether or not to admit this. “I’ve been thinking about dying a lot lately.”

“Like……hurting yourself?” you guessed.

“Yeah,” Gerard confided. “I just…..I got all these kids depending on me, telling me I’m their inspiration. It’s a lot of pressure. And they all want me to be this crazy, debauched rock star. And so I try to be who they want me to be, and, well….getting into character for these songs means focusing on everything negative and bitter in my life. I already struggle with depression, so that’s not helping it. Not that you probably know what depression even is, Y/N. I don’t think they had a word for it when you were alive.”

“I know how it feels to want to make your life end,” you said sadly. “I know, because I did. I want you to know, Gerard, something I’ve never been able to tell anyone……I regret it. A lot. I wish I’d lived. I wish I had done more with my life, instead of throwing it away. I don’t know if you even care to listen to some dead stranger’s opinion, but…..I don’t think you should do it.”

“I think your opinion does count,” Gerard said, like he was beginning to think hard about this. “Because, you’re the only one who can actually tell me if it’s worth it. If I’ll get to see the people I love, like my grandma, when I die. If I’ll still be suffering, on the Other Side.”

“I haven’t really been to the Other Side, myself,” you admitted. “I just stayed here. There’s no guarantee you’ll be able to cross over, ether.”

“If I got stuck here like you,” Gerard considered with a bitter smile, “maybe we could be together. Maybe I could finally see your face.”

“No,” you shook your head, although you knew he couldn’t see it. “As nice as it would be to have a companion, you don’t belong on my plane, Gerard. You belong with the living. You’re just beginning to do the things you’re meant to do in this world. I can tell.”

“You really think that?” Gerard asked vulnerably.

“I really do,” you said. Your eyes would have been wet with tears, if you were still capable of such physical sensations.

“Ok,” Gerard decided. “If a dead girl’s telling me death ain’t a good look on me, I’ll listen.”

He got up, and strode off the stage, leaving you to your eternal quiet.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

You watched him as he talked with his bandmates. He didn’t say a word to them of what he’d experienced with you. It was like your little secret.

Soon, the room was filled with teenagers in rebellious clothing, with Xs on their hands. They cheered as Gerard and his friends took the stage.

“We are My Chemical Romance!” Gerard shouted, pumping his fist in the air. “And this song goes out to Y/N! Your memory will carry on, sugar, I promise you that!”

The crowd and his bandmates alike stared back at him, as if wondering who the hell he was talking about. But, you were touched.

Ignoring the confusion he’d caused, Gerard began to sing again.

This night, walk the dead…….