FicWad

Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. I have updated two days after the last chapter! I was inspired and I thought you guys deserve it after putting up with me for so long and my endless hiatuses! I love you guys and thank you for sticking around!



Chapter 25

You Can Fight This All You Want, but Tonight Belongs To Me

July 23, 2002

CBGBs, Trenton, New Jersey

"Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws and will result in Gerard coming to your house and sucking your blood." I raise a quizzical eyebrow and I stared at Gerard, while reading the disc from inside my copy of I Brought You My Bullets, Your Brought Me Your Love, “Are you serious with this disclaimer?” I can’t help but to giggle.

Gerard peaks up at me from below the stage where he was helping run wires for our equipment, he grins sideways at me and runs a hand through his shaggy hair, which now had red dye in it on top of his already black hair. “Too much?”

Ray walked by swiftly, carrying an amp to the side of the stage he and I share and answered, “Just a little bit, man.”

I roll my eyes at them and slip my CD back into the pocket of my messenger bag. I picked up my Fender and began to tune it for tonight’s show when- “FUCK!” I cried as I popped a string. “Son of a-“

“Language!” Blaine cut me off.

I glanced up to see his gelled hair and brown eyes meandering toward the small stage that I was parked on, Indian style.

“Did you break one?” Blaine asked while looking up at me from the mosh pit area.

I nodded in frustration, “UGGGGGHHHHHH! I don’t have any extra cause I forgot to grab them from Jamia’s!” I tear the strap over my head and slam my guitar on the stage floor.

“Jesus, Trist!” Frank whined, “Don’t hurt the poor thing! If you did that to Pansy, I would punch you square in the face!” His face looked hurt, like he actually had feelings for MY guitar.

“Do you have any spare strings?” I choked back a sarcastic remark and opt for a question instead.

“Just the ones I just put on my baby,” he said while stroking his guitar as if were an animal or a woman.

Fucking dumbass. I shook my head at him and tried to think of what to do.

“I could give Nate a call real fast to pick you up some. He just left to pick up Priscilla and Taylor,” Blaine chimed in before I could even come up with another plan.

I gave him a quick smile and he ran off to make the call. Thank God, for great cousins!

I got up off the ground and walked across to stage right to help Frank wire the amps and pedals, “No, motherfucker! You are doing it wrong!” I shoved him over to make run for my small frame and rewired the whole thing within minutes, and, of course, proving him wrong.

“Dammit, Tristan, go help someone else,” Frank frowned and pointed me toward Mikey and a new person. A young girl, with dark red hair about shoulder length and parted on the side, hiding half of her face. She had these golden brown eyes that looked as if you were looking in the sun and dark grey makeup on her eyes. She was dressed in converse, fitted dark blue jeans, and a dark grey fitted t-shirt. She was curvy, just a few inches taller than Taylor and me, and beautiful. Who are you?

I wandered over to Mikey and the mystery girl, near the drum kit, which I had setup because Matt was a no show as of yet. Really?! Dick-face! After I saved your ass!?

“Tristan, hey, um can you um grab this shit!” Mikey hollered and thrust a bundle of cables into my hands.

“Ok, Jesus Christ,” I huffed as I stood there with the cables wondering what to do with them.
I stood there like a dumbass as Mikey and the girl fiddled with the other cables, before she smiled at me and said, “Oh hi, I’m Baily.” She stuck her hand out for me to shake, but I just stared at it for a moment before gesturing that my hands were full. “Shit, sorry!” She laughed nervously, while taking the cables from me and dropping them on top of Mikey, who was now sprawled out on the ground, guiding a few cables along the floor to their ends.

“Baily!” he choked and eyed us. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to look innocent, but he saw straight through that charade.

Baily finally turned back to me and stuck her hand out once again, this time I took it and smile, “Tristan. Frank’s little sister,” I let go of her hand, “So…where did you guys meet?” I asked trying not to be too noisy. Mikey, are you dating already?

Baily turned a deep shade of red, “We work at Barnes and Noble together. Just friends, you know the drill,” she stammered and then smiled an embarrassed grin.

“I didn’t mean to imply-“

Mikey cut me off, “Tristan, Baily and I are just friends miss noisy pants.” Both he and Baily cracked up. I just looked offended and downright, hurt. Bastards!

Before I could muster up anything else to say I heard, “TRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNKKKKKKKKKEEEETTTTTT!” Come from behind me, near the entrance to the club.
I turn around to see Taylor running at full speed toward the stage with arms spread out. I love this girl.

I hopped down off the stage in time to be nearly tackled by the short British girl, “Trinket!!! I missed you!!” I hugged her back and tried not to fall from being hit so hard. This girl is crazy!

“Whoa whoa,” Gerard said from behind us, “You almost fell on me,” Gerard was on his knees next to the stage and had his arms up above his head, touching my back to keep us from falling into him. He looked up at me with a mischievous look on his face. I gaped at him.

Taylor let go, “Sorry, Gee,” she giggled and I just took her hand and led her away from the mess next to the stage.

“You got anything for me?” Taylor asked as I looked at her with a confused expression.

I hugged her again, awkwardly, “Um…hellooo,” I was so confused.

Taylor put her hand on her hip and gave me a sideways look. Then it dawned on me.

“Shit! Sorry!” I called as I shot away from her and toward the bar where the merch was sitting. I grabbed one of the CDs and a permanent marker. I signed my name across the cover in silver and proceeded to make all the boys do the same, save for Matt.

I walked up to her, handed her the signed copy of our album, and said, “I’m an idiot,” I chuckled, “Here you go!”

Taylor grabbed it and hugged it to herself, “The hug was nice, but yes, this is what I was referring to.”

I grinned, “Hey, um where’s Nate?” I asked just thinking of the broken strings on my guitar.

“HERE! HEADS UP?!” Nate cried while tossing me the box containing my precious strings.

“You’re a life saver!” I didn’t waste time on restringing my guitar.


“M-C-R! M-C-R! M-C-R!” was being repeated by the crowded club, as the six of us stood in a circle, most of us drunk or had been drinking, listening to the chanting of the crowd.

“Ready for another song?!” Frank asked before we dispersed toward the stage, we all said ‘yea’ or nodded, just all completely overwhelmed by the response from the crowd. We had played the entire set and they crowded was calling for an encore.

Gerard pulled me to him, quickly and planted a rough and wet kiss on my eager lips before the six of us went back for another round of rocking the Trenton, New Jersey club.

I played my heart out, just like Gerard, Mikey, Ray, Frank, and even Matt. I searched the crowd for familiar faces. Priscilla, Blaine, Nate, Jamia, and Baily were near the front, just cheering us all on like they were our biggest fans. I scanned the crowd again and found Gerard and Mikey’s parents were both there standing next to-

I swallowed hard and did a double take, still being about to see my mom and dad in the middle of a New Jersey club, watching Frank and I play in our band. What are they doing here?

I felt supported in my art. The art that gets me through my day. The art that brought me closer to the man I love and I still haven’t found the guts to tell him so.

We finished our last song and vacated the stage and the DJ started their round of music for the crowd.

I found a towel and wiped the sweat off my face before we all were made to take a group picture by Gerard’s mom.

We all put our arms around each other’s shoulders; my feet were dangling off the ground because I was between Gerard and Ray and they held me up.

I felt so high on life. We now had an album out in the universe for all to listen and judge. For all to listen and love. For all to find something worth holding on to and never giving up.


Weeks went by in a blur of countless shows and van break downs. The six of us traveling the Northeast coast of America for the last couple of weeks made the days just slip through our fingers. There was a lack of privacy, causing Gerard and I to slow down in the intimacy department, but we were enjoying being on the road, even if that meant cold ass showers at three in the morning at truck stop bathrooms and sleeping on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. This life was made for us. It was now the middle of August, 2002.

August 15, 2002

Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey

“We’ll shoot back holy water like cheap whiskey,” I sing as we all take shots after another successful show.

The crowds were getting a bit bigger and we were being approached by all kinds of people about being signed. We would tell them thanks, but no thanks and just let us be a band. There was such a signing frenzy happening in Jersey that it scared us a bit when it came to bigger labels and management; which is why we were skeptical of this guy that was sitting with us at that very moment named Brian Schechter.

“So, I just flew in from being on tour with another band after I heard you demo. I was told you guys were playing here tonight and I just had to see for myself.” Brian took another swig of his vodka on the rocks and eyed each of us.

I didn’t know what to say. I mean, this guy flew in to see us play. Us. Not any other band or person, but us. I was in dumbfounded amazement over this.

Gerard was skeptical, as was everyone else, but we listened to him tell us about his management style and how he could put together tours with other bands for us.

We all listened and drank shot after shot until the place closed down and we walked him out to the street and thanked him for his time.

“I’ll be seeing you guys again,” Brian said as a matter a fact ally and hailed a cab back to the airport; leaving us all in awe from his cockiness.


We just left a truck stop from a potty break and have been on the road about twenty minutes or so when my emergency cell phone rang.

Gerard grimaced at me as I sat up, leaving him alone laying in the back seat with bed head and looking grumpy as I flipped the phone open, not recognizing the number, “Hello?” I had been asleep and Gerard was trying to go back to sleep. It was around four in the morning and all of us were exhausted and heading home to Belleville.

A familiar voice says, “Hey, Tristan, um you guys think you might have missed something?”

I scrunched my eyes and looked at Gerard like what the hell is going on. “Ray?” I questioned wondering why he was calling me while we were both inside the van. I looked around the van, searching for him and not finding him. “Where are you?” I asked in a half asleep groggy voice.

Ray chuckled, “Well, you tell me.”

I was still confused when Gerard grabbed the phone from me and asked, “Ray? What are you doing?”

Ray laughed again, “Man, I’m at the truck stop.”

Gerard let that register for a moment and then his eyes widened in horror, “OH SHIT! Dude, oh my god! We’re coming back,” Gerard handed the phone back to me and shouted to Mikey, “Fucker! Turn around! We left Ray at the last stop!”

Mikey gaped and whipped a quick U-turn and mouthed son-of-a-bitch before speeding back down the road.

I was still confused, “What? We left Ray where?”

Gerard took the phone back, “We’ll be there in a few. I’m so sorry, man.”

Ray shook his head and said, “I’m not going anywhere.” And hung up.

Then it finally hit me, like a freight train, “WE LEFT RAY AT THE TRUCK STOP?!”

Gerard stared at me for a second, looking like his face might crack from how still he was then he busted out laughing, “Oh my god, Trist, you need your bed, stat!”

I rolled my eyes, “I’m sorry I had a blond moment.”

“Your hair should be white after a remark like that!” He was laughing so hard he had tears going down his cheeks.

I shoved him, “Stop laughing at me,” I whined then went to pouting.

Gerard stopped laughing as hard and pulled me against his chest, “I wasn’t laughing at you,” he stopped, “Yes. Yes I was laughing at you but it was because you were so damn cute and so lost.”

“It’s not funny,” I pouted some more.

Gerard tensed up and his voice became raw, “Please stop making that face.” He took a deep breath as I gazed up into his eyes, which were shimmering as if they were filled with fire; lust, it made my breath hitch. And I realized I had this man in the palm of my hand, so I continued to make that sad pouty face and biting my bottom lip, causing him to let out a low carnal growl, “Trist, stop. It makes me want to-“

“Guys…boundaries!” Frank’s voice came out of nowhere up ahead of us.

Neither of us said anything, but we did laugh.