Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Mad World
Chapter Three: Common People
Frank informed him that they would be seeing the neurologist in 3 days. Which gave Gerard 3 days to either get the hell out of here somehow, or piece everything together.
He had gone upstairs and grabbed the Android phone on the dresser. Logic told him that this was most likely his phone. He wondered why he would get an Android, as iPhones did not essentially cost very much either way, but he shrugged it off.
Sure enough, he turned it on to see that there was picture of Frank as his background. Although, it was a very cute picture of Frank. He unlocked it and went straight to his contacts. Gerard wanted to know who still knew him.
His contact list was indeed very different from that which was on his iPhone. There was no Bert McCracken, no Billie Joe Armstrong, no Leto brothers, no Grant Morrison, no Lindsey Way. The only names he recognized on the list were Mikey's, his mother's, his father's, Frank's, and a few people he knew before the band. Gerard wondered if he even knew Ray in this reality.
Gerard hesitated, but then decided to call Mikey. He might freak Mikey out just as he did Frank, but Mikey was probably the best start to helping him piece his life together again. Plus, he had to know how his little brother was doing.
The phone rang a few times, and his nervousness increased with each ring. Finally a voice broke through the other end.
"Hello?"
Gerard smiled at the sound of Mikey. He almost felt a bit more at home, just hearing him.
"Hey Mikes."
"Hey Gee!" Mikey perked up. "What's up? I haven't heard from you in quite a while."
Gerard's smile faltered a bit. It did not occur to him that there was a possibility that Mikey might not be as close to him as he was in the real reality. In fact it would make sense -- if the band never existed, then Mikey and Gerard probably never went through the trials and tribulations of drug addiction together. They would have never been crammed together in buses and hotel rooms for months at a time, having nothing but each other to keep themselves sane.
"Um...I was wondering if you could come over?" Gerard hesitated. It had also just occurred to him that he had yet to check what state they were in, let alone if Mikey lived in the same one.
"Why? Are you okay?" Mikey sounded worried. The real Mikey would never have asked. He would have just said yes, hung up, and headed over. Gerard felt a sense of disappointment.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Gerard lied. "I just um... felt like catching up."
"Oh.. um.... well... that's a bit random, but yeah. I could probably be over in about 2 hours. I just need to wait for Ryan's laundry to finish."
"Oh, okay thanks. I'll see ya?"
"See ya then, bro."
Mikey hung up, and Gerard put down the phone. He collapsed onto the bed, wondering who the fuck Ryan was. He then noticed a laptop perched on the night stand. He grabbed it and turned it on.
The wallpaper again was another picture of him and Frank, their arms wrapped lovingly around each other. Gerard wondered if they were like those really lovey dovey couples that were obnoxious and annoying. He certainly hoped not. He was definitely not some bitter, unromantic person --- but he certainly still liked to keep a certain sense of dignity in a relationship. He and Lindsey were never like that. They were always pleasant, but subtle. And that was just the way Gerard liked things.
He opened Firefox, which took him to Google. Instantly, he typed in the words "Mindless Self Indulgence".
The results page looked no different than what would have happened had he typed it in the other reality. He browsed their main website and did notice that the band was still quite active, whereas in the real reality, the band was in fact dead. He then noticed that they were on tour. He checked the dates, and there were quite a few of them. All of them in America as well. Gerard frantically tried to find a way to figure out what state he was in. Luckily, he found a green wallet in the first drawer of the nightstand. He opened it and pulled out the driver's license. It was his. He scanned it and found the word: Vermont. They lived in Vermont.
He looked at the tour page again desperately, and low and behold: Killington, Vermont was indeed in their plans. Excited, he wrote down the address.
~
A more properly dressed Gerard came downstairs after the doorbell had rang. Frank seemed to have gotten it first, and was looking rather confused as to why Mikey Way was on their doorstep. Mikey looked a little confused as well.
It was odd, seeing him without the crazy, professionally done hair. Mikey just looked very -- average. His hair was its original light brown. He still wore glasses. He looked like Mikey did in the Three Cheers era, except older and with a bit more acne. And a very preppy looking attire.
"Hey Mikey." Gerard greeted him. Mikey smiled back. "You wanna go get some coffee?"
"Sure." Mikey nodded. "You got some?"
"I meant... go out to get some. Like at Starbucks."
Mikey made a face. "I don't know, Starbucks is kind of expensive..."
"I'll pay." Gerard sighed. "Let's just go yeah?"
"Well.. alright." Mikey shrugged.
Gerard turned to Frank and said "Bye." before started out the door. But as he turned, he heard Frank loudly clear his throat. Gerard looked at him, not understanding what he wanted.
"Well where's my kiss?" Frank looked at his oblivious husband.
"Oh, right." Gerard blushed before placing a kiss on Frank's notably soft lips. It felt very strange kissing Frank, especially since Gerard was not sure if the kisses were supposed to be romantic or casual. His kisses with Lindsey were always more casual. So with Frank, they just came out kind of awkwardly.
Frank however, still looked a bit cross. He turned towards Mikey. "Watch out for this one, will you? He's been acting kind of weird."
Mikey nodded in a way that said "Yeah, I kind of got that."
An embarrassed Gerard followed Mikey out of the door, feeling as though the day ahead of him was indeed going to be a long one.
~
They were in line for Starbucks. The blonde woman that was ahead of Gerard placed her order and left her spot, allowing Gerard to step up to the cashier. The teenage girl behind the cashier looked at him expectantly. He stared at her for a very long time. The girl began tapping her foot. Gerard continued to stare, also as though he were waiting for something.
"Dude. What are you doing?" Mikey finally asked him from behind.
Gerard came to his senses, then shook his head at his own stupidity. Celebrity Gerard Way could go into Starbucks and get handed his free coffee -- but not this Gerard Way. Not him.
"One regular coffee." Gerard sighed, as he got out his wallet.
Once they both had their drinks, although Mikey got a cappuccino and chips instead, which made Gerard wince, they sat down and faced each other in awkward silence for over a minute or two.
"So um, do you like the band Mindless Self Indulgence?" Gerard asked suddenly. Mikey thought for a moment before replying with, "I've never heard of them."
"Oh." Gerard frowned. "Well they're really good. And their coming to town in about a week for a show in Killington. I was wondering if you'd like to go with me?"
"Why don't you take Frank? Isn't he always your little concert buddy?" Mikey said as he threw a chip in his mouth.
"Oh... um... he's busy." said Gerard, realizing that that was a really poor lie.
"Oh." Mikey said, "Alright well give me a CD. I'll probably go unless they totally suck."
Gerard laughed. After that little ice breaker, the conversation was much more comfortable. Mikey continued to yap on about Ryan. It soon became clear that this Ryan was some sort of lover of Mikey's. Whether boyfriend or husband, Gerard did not know. He felt the impulse to ask if Mikey spoke to anyone named Alicia, but he bit his tongue. He already had one person thinking there was something wrong with him. So for most of the conversation, he kept quiet, hoping that Mikey would let slip bits of information about people he knew. When he asked Gerard how he had been, Gerard replied with a simple "Good.".
"Hey." Mikey's tone dropped suddenly. "Well thanks for calling me over. It was nice, really. Finally getting to catch up. I worry about you, ya know? I'm glad to know that you're doing okay."
"Why --- why don't you come over more often?" Gerard braved.
"I don't know Gee. It's partly my fault, I know. After Ryan and I got married, I just got so wrapped up in trying to build this life with him. But hey --- you know you have the tendency to vanish on us a lot. You're always shutting everyone out. And with Andrew coming into our lives soon, that's going to have to change. I want to be a part of my nephew's life too Gee, don't forget that."
Andrew? Is that the child they were adopting?
"I won't." Gerard simply smiled at him.
"Promise?"
"Promise. And we'll hang out more. We have to. I can't imagine life without you." Gerard told him, with more meaning to those words than this Mikey could ever know. Still, Mikey seemed to understand to some degree.
"Feeling's mutual, Gee." Mikey said as he rustled Gerard's hair.
~
Next chapter: The doctors and going back to work.
Frank informed him that they would be seeing the neurologist in 3 days. Which gave Gerard 3 days to either get the hell out of here somehow, or piece everything together.
He had gone upstairs and grabbed the Android phone on the dresser. Logic told him that this was most likely his phone. He wondered why he would get an Android, as iPhones did not essentially cost very much either way, but he shrugged it off.
Sure enough, he turned it on to see that there was picture of Frank as his background. Although, it was a very cute picture of Frank. He unlocked it and went straight to his contacts. Gerard wanted to know who still knew him.
His contact list was indeed very different from that which was on his iPhone. There was no Bert McCracken, no Billie Joe Armstrong, no Leto brothers, no Grant Morrison, no Lindsey Way. The only names he recognized on the list were Mikey's, his mother's, his father's, Frank's, and a few people he knew before the band. Gerard wondered if he even knew Ray in this reality.
Gerard hesitated, but then decided to call Mikey. He might freak Mikey out just as he did Frank, but Mikey was probably the best start to helping him piece his life together again. Plus, he had to know how his little brother was doing.
The phone rang a few times, and his nervousness increased with each ring. Finally a voice broke through the other end.
"Hello?"
Gerard smiled at the sound of Mikey. He almost felt a bit more at home, just hearing him.
"Hey Mikes."
"Hey Gee!" Mikey perked up. "What's up? I haven't heard from you in quite a while."
Gerard's smile faltered a bit. It did not occur to him that there was a possibility that Mikey might not be as close to him as he was in the real reality. In fact it would make sense -- if the band never existed, then Mikey and Gerard probably never went through the trials and tribulations of drug addiction together. They would have never been crammed together in buses and hotel rooms for months at a time, having nothing but each other to keep themselves sane.
"Um...I was wondering if you could come over?" Gerard hesitated. It had also just occurred to him that he had yet to check what state they were in, let alone if Mikey lived in the same one.
"Why? Are you okay?" Mikey sounded worried. The real Mikey would never have asked. He would have just said yes, hung up, and headed over. Gerard felt a sense of disappointment.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Gerard lied. "I just um... felt like catching up."
"Oh.. um.... well... that's a bit random, but yeah. I could probably be over in about 2 hours. I just need to wait for Ryan's laundry to finish."
"Oh, okay thanks. I'll see ya?"
"See ya then, bro."
Mikey hung up, and Gerard put down the phone. He collapsed onto the bed, wondering who the fuck Ryan was. He then noticed a laptop perched on the night stand. He grabbed it and turned it on.
The wallpaper again was another picture of him and Frank, their arms wrapped lovingly around each other. Gerard wondered if they were like those really lovey dovey couples that were obnoxious and annoying. He certainly hoped not. He was definitely not some bitter, unromantic person --- but he certainly still liked to keep a certain sense of dignity in a relationship. He and Lindsey were never like that. They were always pleasant, but subtle. And that was just the way Gerard liked things.
He opened Firefox, which took him to Google. Instantly, he typed in the words "Mindless Self Indulgence".
The results page looked no different than what would have happened had he typed it in the other reality. He browsed their main website and did notice that the band was still quite active, whereas in the real reality, the band was in fact dead. He then noticed that they were on tour. He checked the dates, and there were quite a few of them. All of them in America as well. Gerard frantically tried to find a way to figure out what state he was in. Luckily, he found a green wallet in the first drawer of the nightstand. He opened it and pulled out the driver's license. It was his. He scanned it and found the word: Vermont. They lived in Vermont.
He looked at the tour page again desperately, and low and behold: Killington, Vermont was indeed in their plans. Excited, he wrote down the address.
~
A more properly dressed Gerard came downstairs after the doorbell had rang. Frank seemed to have gotten it first, and was looking rather confused as to why Mikey Way was on their doorstep. Mikey looked a little confused as well.
It was odd, seeing him without the crazy, professionally done hair. Mikey just looked very -- average. His hair was its original light brown. He still wore glasses. He looked like Mikey did in the Three Cheers era, except older and with a bit more acne. And a very preppy looking attire.
"Hey Mikey." Gerard greeted him. Mikey smiled back. "You wanna go get some coffee?"
"Sure." Mikey nodded. "You got some?"
"I meant... go out to get some. Like at Starbucks."
Mikey made a face. "I don't know, Starbucks is kind of expensive..."
"I'll pay." Gerard sighed. "Let's just go yeah?"
"Well.. alright." Mikey shrugged.
Gerard turned to Frank and said "Bye." before started out the door. But as he turned, he heard Frank loudly clear his throat. Gerard looked at him, not understanding what he wanted.
"Well where's my kiss?" Frank looked at his oblivious husband.
"Oh, right." Gerard blushed before placing a kiss on Frank's notably soft lips. It felt very strange kissing Frank, especially since Gerard was not sure if the kisses were supposed to be romantic or casual. His kisses with Lindsey were always more casual. So with Frank, they just came out kind of awkwardly.
Frank however, still looked a bit cross. He turned towards Mikey. "Watch out for this one, will you? He's been acting kind of weird."
Mikey nodded in a way that said "Yeah, I kind of got that."
An embarrassed Gerard followed Mikey out of the door, feeling as though the day ahead of him was indeed going to be a long one.
~
They were in line for Starbucks. The blonde woman that was ahead of Gerard placed her order and left her spot, allowing Gerard to step up to the cashier. The teenage girl behind the cashier looked at him expectantly. He stared at her for a very long time. The girl began tapping her foot. Gerard continued to stare, also as though he were waiting for something.
"Dude. What are you doing?" Mikey finally asked him from behind.
Gerard came to his senses, then shook his head at his own stupidity. Celebrity Gerard Way could go into Starbucks and get handed his free coffee -- but not this Gerard Way. Not him.
"One regular coffee." Gerard sighed, as he got out his wallet.
Once they both had their drinks, although Mikey got a cappuccino and chips instead, which made Gerard wince, they sat down and faced each other in awkward silence for over a minute or two.
"So um, do you like the band Mindless Self Indulgence?" Gerard asked suddenly. Mikey thought for a moment before replying with, "I've never heard of them."
"Oh." Gerard frowned. "Well they're really good. And their coming to town in about a week for a show in Killington. I was wondering if you'd like to go with me?"
"Why don't you take Frank? Isn't he always your little concert buddy?" Mikey said as he threw a chip in his mouth.
"Oh... um... he's busy." said Gerard, realizing that that was a really poor lie.
"Oh." Mikey said, "Alright well give me a CD. I'll probably go unless they totally suck."
Gerard laughed. After that little ice breaker, the conversation was much more comfortable. Mikey continued to yap on about Ryan. It soon became clear that this Ryan was some sort of lover of Mikey's. Whether boyfriend or husband, Gerard did not know. He felt the impulse to ask if Mikey spoke to anyone named Alicia, but he bit his tongue. He already had one person thinking there was something wrong with him. So for most of the conversation, he kept quiet, hoping that Mikey would let slip bits of information about people he knew. When he asked Gerard how he had been, Gerard replied with a simple "Good.".
"Hey." Mikey's tone dropped suddenly. "Well thanks for calling me over. It was nice, really. Finally getting to catch up. I worry about you, ya know? I'm glad to know that you're doing okay."
"Why --- why don't you come over more often?" Gerard braved.
"I don't know Gee. It's partly my fault, I know. After Ryan and I got married, I just got so wrapped up in trying to build this life with him. But hey --- you know you have the tendency to vanish on us a lot. You're always shutting everyone out. And with Andrew coming into our lives soon, that's going to have to change. I want to be a part of my nephew's life too Gee, don't forget that."
Andrew? Is that the child they were adopting?
"I won't." Gerard simply smiled at him.
"Promise?"
"Promise. And we'll hang out more. We have to. I can't imagine life without you." Gerard told him, with more meaning to those words than this Mikey could ever know. Still, Mikey seemed to understand to some degree.
"Feeling's mutual, Gee." Mikey said as he rustled Gerard's hair.
~
Next chapter: The doctors and going back to work.
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