April 19th, Monday
"Hey Mikes," said Frank, nodding at the lanky boy as the bounded forward, his face set in a poker face, "Where's you brother?"
Mikey glanced around, frowning when he couldn't find the boy-in-black. "No idea. Have you seen him at all today?"
The shorter boy blanched. "I thought he had a different schedule," he muttered. He spun around, almost doing a pirouette, and scanned the empty halls. He had been waiting for ten minutes now; he had a right to be worried.
Gerard groaned as he tried to turn his neck and felt the muscle stretch uncomfortably. Luckily, his nose had stopped bleeding hours ago, but the throbbing had gotten progressively worse. His knees ached for the ability to bend again, but every time he tried, they'd hit the locker door with a painful thump. Times like these he really wished he hadn't denied the offer to get him a phone. He couldn't hear anyone in the halls anymore, so he assumed the day was over. But his friends wouldn't leave him in the locker all night. Right? He hoped not; his left arm had fallen asleep about two hours ago. Isn't that one of the symptoms of a heart attack?
Way to freak yourself out, Gerard.
Just-- congratulations.
But then he heard voices. Familiar voices saying familiar words.
"Frank! Mikey! I am in locker 134!" called Gerard as he banged his fist on the door twice. The voices got louder and the sound of feet on linoleum comforted him. He slipped the sheet of paper with his locker combination out of the slots in the doors.
When Frank and Mikey approached the locker, they were surprised to see big, hazel eyes peeking out through the slots, making them freeze in their steps. Who gets off on this? Shoving some kid into a locker on his first day? "Assholes," Frank murmured, retrieving the paper off of the ground and twisting the lock this way and that.
The door swung open and Gerard stepped out slowly, wincing when his joints popped. The two boys gasped at the sight. His forehead had scraps littering it and a pretty sizable bruise planted in the middle. He had dried blood running from both nostrils and down his neck, coloring the collar of his shirt a dark red. He blinked rapidly and grinned at his friends, revealing blood on the front of his teeth, making him look even more like a vampire than normal.
"That's not how it is going to be every day, is it?" asked the pseudo-vampire. Mikey frowned at his brother and patted his hair down. He waved his hand, as if to dismiss a fly.
Frank simply sighed and hugged the boy. "Do you know who did this? When did it happen?"
"Er, all I know is that his fist was bigger than my head and it was after second period," answered Gerard, squeezing Frank slightly at the memory of sudden black. It had taken him several moments to figure out exactly what the fuck happened; he thought he was dead.
"C'mon, Gee, let's go home," said Mikey, pulling both of the boys out of the corridor and through the door. Frank latched onto Gerard's hand, who didn't protest at the comforting gesture. He grinned down at the tattooed boy and swung their hands. Frank found his constant contentedness adorable; it reminded him of a young boy, someone completely innocent and oblivious to the darkness around them. Frank knew that wasn't the case though; Gerard knew about the darkness. Hell, he'd lived the darkness for years. But he didn't let it bring him down, which Frank found increasingly attractive and inspirational.
When the trio found their way home, Juliet was there, holding a tray of still-warm cookies and coffee. She immediately set everything down and attacked Gerard in a frenzy of motherly love and concerned questions. His brother could tell he was loving it, soaking in the affection he so craved for so many years.
What Gerard found funny was the fact that he hadn't even known he wanted the affection until Frank found him and showed him what having a friend was like. Now that he found that the attention felt amazing, he didn't want it to ever disappear, even if the attention was gained by a negative experienced.
Another thing Gerard found amusing was the fact that he wasn't even angry at the kid who punched him. He saw it as a growing experience; he learned something about society and the negativity of differing appearances. He didn't really understand it, nor did he really want to, and he wasn't going to change for it, but he knew now what to expect when he arrived at school the next day. He wasn't at all discouraged by the events of the day. The pain in his face was fading, thanks to the frozen package of peas resting on his face as he now lay on the couch on his back.
Frank was not at all surprised by what they had done; it had been done to him on his first day of school as well. It had stopped after that, though. It seemed to be something of a right of passage there. But what had surprised him was the who that they did it to. Gerard's story had already been in the news media; they even had an interview with him booked in a week, just days before the local trial. He had gained the sympathy of the state without even lifting a finger, and yet kids still disapproved of him.
He sat with Gerard on the couch, lifting his head into his lap and running his fingers through the tangled black hair. He could see the small smile on Gerard's face around the bag of peas. Mikey sat with them, alternating between watching the two boys on the couch and watching the television.
"It'll get better, okay Gerard?"
"I know, Frank."

Notes

I think after the trial, and deciding what happens with the Way estate, the story will end. But you know what's cool about this situation? Gerard get's two death certificates! Granted, he'll only get to see one, but it's still fuckin' cool!
If you guys really like this story as much as you say you do, spread the word! The affection is nice.
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-Stitches