Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Of Comics and Coffee
Of Comics and Coffee
1 reviewAfter TCFSR, MCR goes on hiatus leaving Gerard running a comic store. Little does he know how much trouble his new employee will be.
2Original
A tinkling bell sounded off from the direction of the glass door at the front of the shop. Gerard looked up from the inventory list and placed the highlighter pen down on the counter. The tall and lanky customer approached the counter and rested his pale clammy palms on the glass display case. Gerard cringed momentarily at the future smudge marks and looked up at the hallow face before him, “What can I help you with today?”
“I'm looking for something like Miller meets Gaimen,” Gerard tried hard not to roll his eyes but instead nodded in thought while his eyes flicked over the shelves of graphic novels to the right. “Well... which books did you like best by them?” Already the customer was shaking his head.
“None, but I like dark stuff I just don't want to read the popular stuff, you know? I want something unique and actually original; the good stuff!” This time Gerard turned away in order to roll his eyes. He walked over to a shelf of older editions and grabbed a book.
“Here,” he handed the rare find to the taller kid.
The teen brushed his fingers over the paper cover, “Watchmen...” If Gerard was right, this kid wouldn't know what he was looking at.
“So this is really old...” He turned it over in his hands a few times. “Yes,” Gerard replied, not wishing to embellish his statement.
“It's not very popular?” Gerard smirked, the kid really had no idea what he was looking at. “No, this edition isn't very popular at all. Hard to find but a great read,” with any luck he'd make the sale out of the older edition and hopefully a few more. “Ok,” the teen nodded his head slowly after flipping through the pages, “I'll take this.”
Gerard smiled, “Let me ring it up for you.” He took it over to the register and after a few more recommendations and a work out for all his skills in sales he put the total of $65.91 into the cash register and smiled in satisfaction.
He wished his latest customer a good day and leaned back against the rear counter. With a sigh of relief he ran a hand through his hot rod red hair and glanced at his faint reflection in the shop window. A lot had changed since Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. The second album had got his band a substantial fan base but after two weddings in the band, a creative dry spell, inability to find a suitable drummer, and good old exhaustion the band had decided to go on hiatus and pursue other interests that they always had. For Frank it had been a hardcore band called Leathermouth, for Mikey a scouting position at their record label, for Ray it was producing film scores, and for Gerard... well he had always passionately loved comics so he did what came as naturally to him as music. He wrote Umbrella Academy, won his awards and from there wrote another best seller: The Black Parade. His fame in the comic industry skyrocketed as fast as his popularity in music decreased.
This was something he was more than comfortable with. He led a comfortable and obscure life, got in physical shape, dyed his hair more times than even Frank, and opened his store in a great location at the center of a university town in Los Angeles. He was almost unrecognizable from his MCR days and after avoiding them for the first year the paparazzi now completely ignore him. He had not married unlike Frank and Mikey, but he was content and happy to wait however long to find the right girl. IF he ever found her...
He shook his head in annoyance and tried to refocus his thoughts on more pleasant things. He was still in his twenties so it was not like he was running out of time. Also, he had to focus on his current problems, like finding another employee to fill out his small staff at the store. The help wanted sign had been in the window for five days and there had yet to be any applicants.
The bell rang again and he watched a mother and her young son walk in and immediately head over to the Marvel section, this was not their first visit and he was always happy to see them. When he moved to help them the bell rang yet again and stopped him before he left the counter. A local student, by the looks of it, walked in with a look of anxiety and discomfort on her face. Her dull brown hair was pulled tightly away from her pale face and her brown eyes darted about before finally settling on him.
He waved and she replied with a nervous smile before walking over to him, the fingers of her left hand fiddling with the hem of her university sweatshirt. Her other hand clutched a small cardboard box that she rested on the counter before him. “What can I help you with?” His jersey accent leaked out through his smile.
She tapped the box briefly before removing the lid and showing him the contents, “I heard that you buy comics and I was wondering how much you'd give me for these.” She handed the precious items over to him and his eyebrows shot up nearly to his red hair line.
“First edition Star Wars comics... is this #1? Wow... They're in great condition too,” He fondled the plastic encased books with awe together they were worth close to $7,000. “Where did you get these?”
The girl bit her lip nervously and kept her eyes on the comics, “They were my dad's. He gave them to me when I left for college. I don't read comics but I always like watching Star Wars with him... only sci fi I liked...” She snapped her eyes up to when she realized that she had been rambling.
“So...” Gerard flipped through the stack again, “Why sell them?”
“Starving college student, can't find work, you know the deal,” she shrugged it off like it was nothing but he could tell she was not happy to part with them.
“Didn't you see the sign?” He nodded to the window on the right while he placed the comics back into the box. Her eyes followed his direction and her lips formed a silent “oh!'. But she was soon shaking her head, “But I don't know anything about comics!”
Gerard shrugged, he would've been happy enough just to have someone watch the store and help run it. It was also an added bonus, he thought, to have a somewhat pretty girl working in a place frequented mostly with guys. “You can learn fast enough. Tell ya what,” he put the lid back on the box and pushed it towards her, “keep the comics and come in for an interview this weekend. If I don't hire you I'll take them off your hands but I'd rather not take something that means a lot to you.”
Her eyes widened in surprised and she opened her mouth to argue but he interrupted her before she could. “Read this before the interview and be ready to tell me what you think of it,” he handed her volumes 1 and 2 of Blackest Night from the nearby display case. “What's your major?”
She took the hardcover comics from him with shaking hands and had to snap out of her daze to answer the question, “Literature with a minor in music.” His smile broadened and he gently guided her to the door, “Great! Then you'll know a good story when you see it!”
He held the door open for her and she got halfway through before he stopped her again, “What's your name again?”
“Lauren,” she squeeked.
“Nice to meet you, Lauren! I'm Gerard!” He ushered her the rest of the way out the door and closed it behind her after a cheery farewell. He turned and walked back to the counter, grabbing down the help wanted sign on the way. He had a feeling that this girl would be perfect here.
A/N: Why on EARTH am I starting another story??? We shall see where this one goes! If you like it, let me know. If you want more, let me know that too! Thanks for reading!
“I'm looking for something like Miller meets Gaimen,” Gerard tried hard not to roll his eyes but instead nodded in thought while his eyes flicked over the shelves of graphic novels to the right. “Well... which books did you like best by them?” Already the customer was shaking his head.
“None, but I like dark stuff I just don't want to read the popular stuff, you know? I want something unique and actually original; the good stuff!” This time Gerard turned away in order to roll his eyes. He walked over to a shelf of older editions and grabbed a book.
“Here,” he handed the rare find to the taller kid.
The teen brushed his fingers over the paper cover, “Watchmen...” If Gerard was right, this kid wouldn't know what he was looking at.
“So this is really old...” He turned it over in his hands a few times. “Yes,” Gerard replied, not wishing to embellish his statement.
“It's not very popular?” Gerard smirked, the kid really had no idea what he was looking at. “No, this edition isn't very popular at all. Hard to find but a great read,” with any luck he'd make the sale out of the older edition and hopefully a few more. “Ok,” the teen nodded his head slowly after flipping through the pages, “I'll take this.”
Gerard smiled, “Let me ring it up for you.” He took it over to the register and after a few more recommendations and a work out for all his skills in sales he put the total of $65.91 into the cash register and smiled in satisfaction.
He wished his latest customer a good day and leaned back against the rear counter. With a sigh of relief he ran a hand through his hot rod red hair and glanced at his faint reflection in the shop window. A lot had changed since Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. The second album had got his band a substantial fan base but after two weddings in the band, a creative dry spell, inability to find a suitable drummer, and good old exhaustion the band had decided to go on hiatus and pursue other interests that they always had. For Frank it had been a hardcore band called Leathermouth, for Mikey a scouting position at their record label, for Ray it was producing film scores, and for Gerard... well he had always passionately loved comics so he did what came as naturally to him as music. He wrote Umbrella Academy, won his awards and from there wrote another best seller: The Black Parade. His fame in the comic industry skyrocketed as fast as his popularity in music decreased.
This was something he was more than comfortable with. He led a comfortable and obscure life, got in physical shape, dyed his hair more times than even Frank, and opened his store in a great location at the center of a university town in Los Angeles. He was almost unrecognizable from his MCR days and after avoiding them for the first year the paparazzi now completely ignore him. He had not married unlike Frank and Mikey, but he was content and happy to wait however long to find the right girl. IF he ever found her...
He shook his head in annoyance and tried to refocus his thoughts on more pleasant things. He was still in his twenties so it was not like he was running out of time. Also, he had to focus on his current problems, like finding another employee to fill out his small staff at the store. The help wanted sign had been in the window for five days and there had yet to be any applicants.
The bell rang again and he watched a mother and her young son walk in and immediately head over to the Marvel section, this was not their first visit and he was always happy to see them. When he moved to help them the bell rang yet again and stopped him before he left the counter. A local student, by the looks of it, walked in with a look of anxiety and discomfort on her face. Her dull brown hair was pulled tightly away from her pale face and her brown eyes darted about before finally settling on him.
He waved and she replied with a nervous smile before walking over to him, the fingers of her left hand fiddling with the hem of her university sweatshirt. Her other hand clutched a small cardboard box that she rested on the counter before him. “What can I help you with?” His jersey accent leaked out through his smile.
She tapped the box briefly before removing the lid and showing him the contents, “I heard that you buy comics and I was wondering how much you'd give me for these.” She handed the precious items over to him and his eyebrows shot up nearly to his red hair line.
“First edition Star Wars comics... is this #1? Wow... They're in great condition too,” He fondled the plastic encased books with awe together they were worth close to $7,000. “Where did you get these?”
The girl bit her lip nervously and kept her eyes on the comics, “They were my dad's. He gave them to me when I left for college. I don't read comics but I always like watching Star Wars with him... only sci fi I liked...” She snapped her eyes up to when she realized that she had been rambling.
“So...” Gerard flipped through the stack again, “Why sell them?”
“Starving college student, can't find work, you know the deal,” she shrugged it off like it was nothing but he could tell she was not happy to part with them.
“Didn't you see the sign?” He nodded to the window on the right while he placed the comics back into the box. Her eyes followed his direction and her lips formed a silent “oh!'. But she was soon shaking her head, “But I don't know anything about comics!”
Gerard shrugged, he would've been happy enough just to have someone watch the store and help run it. It was also an added bonus, he thought, to have a somewhat pretty girl working in a place frequented mostly with guys. “You can learn fast enough. Tell ya what,” he put the lid back on the box and pushed it towards her, “keep the comics and come in for an interview this weekend. If I don't hire you I'll take them off your hands but I'd rather not take something that means a lot to you.”
Her eyes widened in surprised and she opened her mouth to argue but he interrupted her before she could. “Read this before the interview and be ready to tell me what you think of it,” he handed her volumes 1 and 2 of Blackest Night from the nearby display case. “What's your major?”
She took the hardcover comics from him with shaking hands and had to snap out of her daze to answer the question, “Literature with a minor in music.” His smile broadened and he gently guided her to the door, “Great! Then you'll know a good story when you see it!”
He held the door open for her and she got halfway through before he stopped her again, “What's your name again?”
“Lauren,” she squeeked.
“Nice to meet you, Lauren! I'm Gerard!” He ushered her the rest of the way out the door and closed it behind her after a cheery farewell. He turned and walked back to the counter, grabbing down the help wanted sign on the way. He had a feeling that this girl would be perfect here.
A/N: Why on EARTH am I starting another story??? We shall see where this one goes! If you like it, let me know. If you want more, let me know that too! Thanks for reading!
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