FicWad

A/N: Okay, this is going to be a bit different in terms of what I usually do. But it'll be fun, I promise. I know because I have everything mapped out already.

Puppet Boy and everything else is still being continued and everything, but I'm having a bit of trouble getting things going on something, and I thought maybe starting this story would help, since it kind of gets it out of the way.

Mad World

(Subtitle: "A Story By Me Where Nothing Horribly Bad Happens To Gerard")

Chapter One: The Offer

Gerard scrambled on the bus, desperate for shelter and safety. Not from apocalyptic catastrophe or brain eating zombies, but from the grips of his rabid fans as they clawed and screamed at him. It had been just another show on the World Contamination tour, but the fans seemed particularly crazed this evening. Gerard had for a moment thought he would be engulfed into a lake of teenage girls, never to emerge again.

Panting, he looked upon his sympathetic band mates as the door shut behind him.

"You okay bro?" Mikey grabbed Gerard's shoulder as the singer was doubled over, trying to catch his breath.

"...fucking fans... fucking ambushed me..." was all Gerard could make out.

"Yeah dude, it's like they planned it tonight." Frank nodded. "I've never seen so many people."

Gerard looked down at himself and frowned when he saw that his shirt had been torn slightly. "Fuck!" he yelled in exasperation, "I really fucking liked this shirt!"

"I'm sorry dude." Ray shook his head. "Here, have something to take the edge off." He handed Gerard a styrofoam cup filled with a clear liquid that smelled strongly of alcohol.

Mikey shook his head in disapproval. "Nu-uh, that's too strong for him."

"Oh c'mon Mikey..." Frank intervened. "Look at the poor thing, he's dying! You don't want your brother's head to explode do you?"

Gerard only then realized that Frank and Ray themselves had already had a few, as there were subtle slurrs to their sentences. The ever sober Mikey still stood his ground however, looking irked at both of them.

"Just to get a little buzz going." Ray winked "You don't have to get shitfaced."

"It's therapeutic." Frank chuckled.

"Gerard..." Mikey stared at him with a look that pleaded him not to do it.

Gerard was at a loss. He didn't want to go against Mikey, but he really was in need of something to keep him sane tonight. Just a few sips. Just a little buzz. Just to get him through the night. And since Frank and Ray were already intoxicated, he surely did not want to be left out of the party.

Averting his eyes from Mikey's no doubt disappointed expression, Gerard grabbed the cup from Ray's hand and took a sip.

A sip turned into a few more sips. A few sips turned into a big gulp. A gulp turned into multiple gulps, and well --- you get the idea. Ray and Frank were too trashed to notice anything. A thin lipped Mikey tried to hide behind a comic that he was obviously not really reading. No one saw just how drunk Gerard was getting, not even Gerard himself.

Gerard was guzzling down jugs of Finlandia and Jack Daniel's like no tomorrow. While back in his hay day this was perfectly normal, Gerard seemed to have forgotten all about the idea of loss of tolerance. The alcoholic Gerard might have been able to stomach all the booze, as he drank alcohol on a constant basis --- but present day Gerard had not drank alcohol for some time. So naturally, it wasn't long before Gerard was tucked away in a dark corner, feeling insanely delirious and ill.

That was when he saw him.

Now mind, Gerard was at the point where he would find it perfectly acceptable for an elephant to start walking through their tour bus. So when a random man sat down next to him, Gerard did not find it strange at all.

"Not feeling so good?" the man asked him in a pleasant voice.

Gerard shook his head, and regretted it instantly. Nausea had begun to attack him already.

"Rough night ay? Those fans of yours can be some really crazy fucks..." the man laughed.

Gerard held his head as he muttered under his breath. "I hate them..." This was not necessarily true, of course, but it certainly felt that way at the time.

"They shower you with money!" said the man.

"I don't care...." Gerard was really beginning to sweat, "I don't want the money... I don't want the fame... I just wanna be left the fuck alone..."

"How much do you want it?"

Gerard looked up at him curiously, painfully.

"Why?" he asked.

"What if I can take it all away? All the money, all the fame? What if I could give you a perfectly normal life, without all the craziness?" the man offered. There was something about this man that Gerard trusted.

"Then I'd love you forever..." Gerard laughed.

"So you agree?" the man asked.

"Yeah sure, whatever..." Gerard was beginning to lull into a state of sleep. A few minutes later, he completely knocked out. He thought he heard someone calling his name just before he slipped away.

~

Gerard awoke with a start. Daylight hit his eyes, and he felt blinded for a moment. He tried to blink himself awake, then yawning and stretching. It was then he realized he was not on the usually stiff mattress of his bunk bed. No, this bed was far too soft and comfortable.

Now more alert, he looked around. He was in a medium sized bedroom. It was quaint, and cozy. Not at all resembling the fancy, high techy bedrooms of many of his friends. No, he did not recognize this bedroom at all. It had pinstriped, orange wallpaper. Chestnut dressers and drawers, and one long one with a vanity mirror. No photos.

What had happened last night? Did they end up staying over someone's house? Had they been kidnapped?

Looking to his side, it was only then he realized there was someone in the bed next to him. He had to lower the blankets a bit to see -- and when he did, they unveiled a sleeping Frank Iero.
Gerard shook him awake.

"Frankie! Frankie!" Gerard prodded, trying to keep his voice down.

Frank mumbled slightly, evidently coming out of his slumber. He blinked his eyes open and stared up at Gerard.

"Yeah Gee, what is it?"

"Where are we?"

"What?"

"What happened last night? Where are we? Whose house is this?" Gerard fired questions rapidly at a very confused looking Frank.

"Sweetie, are you feeling okay?" Frank asked, and then placed a hand on Gerard's forehead as to check for fever.

"Yeah..." Gerard contemplated, "Well I remember not feeling good when I drank after the show last night, but.."

"Show? What show?" Frank raised an eyebrow at him, now looking genuinely worried.

"The show we played?" Gerard shot back at him.

"We were just up watching TV last night..." Frank told him. "...you didn't drink at all. Are you sure you didn't dream this?"

"I..I..." Gerard was at a loss for words.

"Well you look a bit flushed. Maybe you are coming down with something." Frank remarked, "I told you to wear your sweater last week. I'll prepare us breakfast, then."

Frank then got up and put on an outfit Gerard had never seen before --- and Gerard had seen all of Frank's outfits. As Gerard looked down at himself, he saw that he did not even recognize the pajamas he himself had on.

Then, Frank walked over to Gerard and quickly kissed him on the lips. Gerard tensed. Frank gave him another concerned look, picked up what looked to be a cell phone from the dresser, and then left the room.

Gerard was left with his mouth dangling open from shock. What had just happened?

After a while of just sitting there, Gerard finally decided to investigate further. He got up from bed and first look around to see if there was anything he owned laying around. He looked for his iPhone but could not find it at all, noticing there was an Android phone being charged on the dresser instead. As he looked, he spared a quick glance at the vanity mirror. He jumped to see his brilliant red hair missing. His locks were black once more. Although he was even more shaken then, he decided it was the least of his troubles.

After finding absolutely none of his possessions , Gerard open the door to find himself facing a staircase.

Along the staircase, he noticed framed photos on the wall. Gerard decided this might be a good start. He walked down it, staring at each photo.

He had a similar staircase in his and Lindsey's house in Los Angeles, that was decorated with awards that My Chem had received. This one however, was instead aligned with family photos. HIS family photos. Pictures of Donna and Donald Way. There was a picture of Gerard and Mikey --- except Mikey looked different. He still had glasses and his natural hair color, but he looked older and more mature. There were also pictures of Mikey with some blonde man Gerard did not recognize. And then, Gerard recognized some photos of Frank's father and cousins.

At the end of the line, Gerard was met with photos of himself and Frank. Gerard inspected them. They were professional photos of both of them in suits. In each one , Gerard could be seen holding Frank's hand.

These were wedding photos.

This had to be some crazy dream. This just had to be.

He heard noises coming from the nearest room, and the aroma seeping through its passageway told him this was the kitchen. Now nearly shaking, Gerard went inside it.

Frank was frying up some eggs in a pan. He spun around when he heard Gerard come in.

"Hi baby, I'm just making some eggs. I was going to bring them up to you but since you someone's impatient..." Frank poured the eggs from the pan to a plate.

Gerard sat down at the table uneasily, and Frank placed a meal in front of him. As he stared at his food, he frantically tried to remember what happened the night before.

Eventually he did remember the mysterious man and his mysterious offer. Yet everything was so fuzzy -- he could not have remembered what the man looked like or any other details. Anyhow, there was no possible way that that man had really sent him into some alternate existence.

Still, the green eyed boy in front of him was telling him otherwise. Gerard thought for a moment that maybe it was a prank that the guys were pulling. And then Frank turned around to retrieve some orange juice from the fridge.

No scorpion tattoo.

~

Next chapter: A confused Gerard meets the mystery man again, and learns about what his life could have been.