She Always Hated The Cold.

“You weren’t coming back, were you?” I asked, my eyes wide. I was ready to accept all of the information he would give me. We sat on my semi-comfortable bed, a modest distance from each other. My door was closed, keeping Renegade, and whoever else’s prying eyes, out of my business.

“Can we take a walk? Outside? I feel like we could both use the air.” He requested. I nodded, and put my mask on as we headed outside. He did the same. The air was warm. Dry. Quiet. A typical day in Zone 8. Our boots crunched under the rough gravel beneath our feet as he organized his thoughts. “No, I wasn’t coming back… at first. I landed, and recuperated with my mom, although Mikey remained unchanged. She was just glad I was safe, albeit a little mad at you for taking me from her. I got together with Frank and Ray, and just caught up. Talked. I missed my friends. Day Two Away began, and I felt a very small nagging in my stomach I didn’t recognize. That was when the bombs started to fall. And they didn’t fucking stop. Amazingly, most of us survived, but we did things we aren’t too proud of… We wandered aimlessly until we heard word of some sort of safe house for us. For killjoys. But it was in Zone 8. I wasn’t even remotely near the zones. It took us months to get here. People died. We’d started off with 14 people… You saw how many made it. I thought you were dead. The nagging got worse until it kept me up at night. I missed you, and I felt guilty for being so stand-offish before I left. It put a fire in my belly. The fact that those bombs killed my mom only made it raise higher, and the fact that I had to... t-to kill people I've known since pre-school." His eyes grew steely. "But I had Mikey, I had my friends. We were surviving, whatever it took. Then, after hoping we were going in the right direction, we stumbled upon your little facility, only we obviously didn’t know it was yours until we saw you. I nearly had a fucking heart attack. I could tell just by looking at you that you were colder… darker. And then you fainted, and they took you from me again.”

“It’s a hell of a story…” I said quietly, my mind racing to process everything he'd told me. “But technically, no one took me away from you the first time. That was all you.” I said, trying my best to keep the venom out of my voice.

“You’re right.” We said nothing for a few minutes. “What are you thinking about?” He asked.

“Everything. The war, thinking for sure that you were dead… I used that too, to keep me going. But it was a mixture of me missing you, and me being pissed at you. I was so, so angry, Gee.” I clenched and unclenched my jaw.

“I’m sorry.” He said somberly, as a wondering drac came into view. He looked like he might be tripping out really hard on something, because he couldn’t properly lift his gun to shoot us, and he was staggering really hard. “They’re coming to get you, Barbara…” Gerard said to himself, shooting the drac down. I cracked a smile, and stifled a giggle at the reference, but didn’t let him see. We turned and headed back to the facility. He took my hand in his. I held it, but wasn’t sure how I felt about it. About this. About him. I couldn’t trust anyone anymore. Not even him. Especially after he’d just reappeared into my life after 13 months. We walked silently. I had so much to say, but had no idea how to voice my thoughts.

I settled on a simple. “We’re different. Everything is different.”

“Very different.” He agreed.

“Damaged.” I whispered.

He nodded.

“But I’m not going to let that stop me.” I stopped firm in my tracks. “The world as we know it is completely different, and may never be the same again. And if it does go back to normal, we won’t. So I’m going to make the best out of this.” I cupped his face, stroking my thumb against a slight scar on his cheek. He nodded, and leaned his forehead to rest against mine, his eyes asking permission. Looking in his eyes… felt… mesmerizing… I felt strangely safe. I hesitated a moment, then shook my head in approval. He kissed me softly, tenderly, and I SWEAR fireworks were going off.

“Ew!” Frank groaned.

“What are you doing out here?” I asked, breaking the kiss, but staying close to Gee.

“I needed some air.” He said densely, leaning against the facility. “But looks like I’m just in time for a show.” He grinned. "Like the one you got." Frank shot up his brows and laughed quietly in reverie.

“C’mon man.” Gerard sighed, running his hands through his hair. “I just got her back.” He said desperately. Frank’s face grew serious.

“Sorry man.” Frank apologized. I grabbed Gerard’s rough hand, and led him inside. I paused as we passed Frank.

“By the way,” I started. “I’m happy your alive, asshole.” He cracked a grin that I returned. Gerard and I walked through the halls on the way to my room. When we arrived, I let go of his hand, and sat on the edge of my bed, and twiddled my thumbs. “It’s so strange having you here.” I said quietly as he shut the door, and sat next to me, resting his head on top of mine.

“Why?” He asked, wrapping his arm around my waist lightly. The simple contact was so familiar, and I felt more at home right then than I’d probably ever feel again.

“Because you remind me of the past. The past I’ve tried so hard to forget.” I said, ending in a whisper.

“Why are you trying to forget the past?” He asked, confused.

“Because,” I explained. “I have to live in the now, or I can’t function. But it’s good having you here. Some of the memories I really needed. Some of them are cloudy, or completely erased thanks to those pills.”

“You took the pills?” Gerard asked in surprise, looking at me full-on. “Isn’t that the point of all of this?” He gestured to the building, waving his arms around. “Aren’t we supposed to be getting rid of them?” He asked.

“Of course. But see, after the war everything was completely terrible. I was alone, and scared, and everything was in complete and utter ruin. I was so depressed. But I’m not one to give up, and I wanted to see how long I’d last. I bet myself I couldn’t last more than a week.” I giggled. “I had no food, limited water, and no shelter. So I wandered, until some Dracs found me. Took me to the city.” I remembered. “Gave me food, water, a roof under my head that was all mine, and of course, the pills. They explained them to me, and I wasted no time in taking them. You have to admit, it’s a pretty amazing product, and with the world as it is, I could see no reason not to take them. It seemed pretty stupid not to. I felt amazing, and when that feeling faded, I took another pill. This went on for a couple months. Until I noticed my bass: dusty, neglected. I stared at it for a long time, wondering what to do with it. I had absolutely no desire to play it whatsoever. None. So I tossed it out. Then I realized: I used to love bass. What happened? I played it in the wreckage of the world to get me through, so what changed? This city, these pills. I noticed little bits of me start to disappear. My favorite color used to be violet. Now? Who the fuck cares about all the fucking colors? I only wear them so I don’t look like those fucking Dracs.” I clenched my fist, and unclenched it. I took a deep breath. Then another. “But let’s not talk about any of that anymore. I’m much more interested in the present.” I said, taking his hands in mine. He had a decent amount of calluses. “Gerard Way,” I whispered. “I missed you so, so much, and I am so fucking happy you’re alive.” I smiled.

“Ditto, babe.” He said, sealing our lips in a short, sweet kiss. “How about some sleep, yeah?” He murmured, holding me close. I didn’t want to move. It was obvious that during my time unconscious earlier that he’d taken advantage of the showers. His hair wasn’t dirty, like it had been when he’d arrived, and his natural scent was evident thanks to our soaps, shampoos, ect. They were scentless. “Come on, honey. Lay down.” He coaxed me into a laying position, and brought the covers down over us. I buried my head in his chest, and he held me close. That same tune from long ago returned to my mind, and I was out like a light in seconds.

“Frank! Stop it!” I squealed, trying to free myself from his grip. He held me tightly over his shoulder, preparing to jump. “I don’t want to get wet!”

“Oh, baby, relax. It’s just… A little… JUMP!” He said, propelling us both into the crystal clear water. I gasped as I resurfaced. I had to admit, I was a lot cooler. It was unseasonably hot for September, and myself and Frank were enjoying a nice dip in the pool. He resurfaced soon after she did.

“You’re a jerk!” I giggled, smacking his shoulder. “But you’re right, I feel a lot better!” I admitted.

“See?” He hummed, bringing me close. “You just need a little more adventure in your life.” He grinned. “And I’m more than happy to help.”

“More adventure?” I scoffed. “How exactly is being forced into a pool adventure?” I countered.

“Well, obviously you weren’t planning on jumping in. You were just going to sit and watch. Where’s the fun in that? But now, there’s more possibilities.” He explained. I grinned.

“You’re right! Like this!” I said, sinking a little more under the water, and removing my bathing suit top, and tossing it onto the hot concrete. He looked at my water-distorted chest, then to my eyes.

“Yes,” He grinned. “But you realize this is a public pool, and anyone can come whenever they feel like?”

“Of course. Adventure.” I smiled, removing my bottoms as well, them joining my top. “But it hardly seems fair that I’m here, completely in the nude, and you,” I ran my fingers along his waistband. “Still have these.” I ended in a throaty whisper. He swallowed hard.

“Yeah, I guess that’s a good point…” He replied, his shorts joining my suit.

“Much better.” I chirped, reaching my fingers down to stroke his member. He inhaled sharply.

“Are you serious?” He whisper-yelled.

“Oh, baby, you need more adventure in your life.” I kissed him, stroking him quicker, applying more pressure. He moaned into my mouth, causing me to grin in satisfaction. “Seems to me you’re enjoying yourself…” I hummed. A few minutes later, he arched his back and released his load. “And now, we can leave.” I nodded.

“But our clothes are over there.” He pointed out.

“I’ll get them.” I said, getting out of the water, ass-naked, and started to retrieve our clothes. I tossed Frank his shorts, and bent over to grab mine.

“Damn, I come out here, planning on just walking to the corner store for more cigarettes, and I get this instead.” A voice whistled. I gasped, and covered myself, blushing bright red.

“Get the hell out of here, Gerard!” I yelled.

“Dude, what the fuck?” Frank yelled.

“Sorry, man. Just enjoying the view. I’ll be on my way.” He held up his hands in surrender, and carried on his way. "Although," He called. "It is a public pool." When my suit was back on I turned to Frank, face still burning bright red.

“No more adventure for a while, ok?”
-

I woke up in a cold, confused sweat. Why did I just remember that? My mind filled with confusion. It seemed as though Gerard being here was stirring up old memories, but why those of me with Frank, when I was so happy with Gee, and hosnetly was no longer interested in Frank?

Notes

Points if you understood the reference Gerard made.
And HOLY SHIT. Finally I got this up. I hit writer's block really hard for the past couple of weeks, but since it's Senior Skip Day, I decided to give it a go, and got this shit finished.
So my guess is that there will be one more chapter after this, than the last chapter, than the epilogue. So three more. Then, I'm gonna extend the story a lot more. I've skipped over a lot, that should probably see the light of day.
THEN, I've had one particular lyric stuck in my mind that I want to write a one-shot, possible story about. We'll see how that goes.