Maybe ten years from now we will meet again at a coffee shop down the road and start over.

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The coffee shop was nearly deserted when Gerard entered it. Granted it was eleven am on a Wednesday that wasn't very surprising. Every one over the age of twenty five was working. Every one younger than that was in school or college. Except, of course, you were a thirty three year old with a bachelor degree in comic books, that couldn't keep a decent job for more than two months and had just lost his sixth job in little over one and a half years.
“Morning, Gerard.”, the barista greeted him already starting to make the coffee he always ordered.
“Morning”, he mumbled as a reply sounding just as miserable as he felt. “Would you mind making that an extra tall one, Ray?”, he asked sitting down at the bar.

There was a dark haired guy sitting two seats away from him writing something but he couldn't care today. Normally he would have just found himself an empty chair somewhere no one was sitting but this place was the closest to the coffee machine and that is where Ray would be most of the time so Gerard sighed and lowered himself to the bar stool. Who has bar stools in a coffee shop anyways? That just didn’t make a lot of sense.
“Bad night?, Ray assumed and placed the huge cup in front of his friend.
“More like bad week.”
“Got fired then, I'll guess.”
“Clever boy”, Gerard hissed sarcastically when his phone started to ring. Clumsy as he was it took him a few seconds to get it out of the pocket of his way to tight jeans and check the caller ID. Mom, it said. Three letters, that made Gerard let out an exasperated grunt and push the button on his phone that would mute the ring tone. When she finally gave up the locked screen lit up again to remind him of just how many times he had muted her calls in the past days. Missed calls: Mom (27)

“That doesn't look very good either.”, Ray remarked and Gerard could only agree. The only reason she would have to call him was because he lost his job, again. Now, that again would imply that Mikey had told her. A thing he would only do if he were worried about his older brother, which was simply ridiculous. He was fine. He surely didn't lead the dream life but overall Gerard was fine. He had an apartment and...well that was it but who needed more. Although he couldn't be sure he would still have that apartment next month. He didn't have the money to pay the rent, actually he wasn't too confident that he even had the money to pay for his coffee right now but that was a thing to worry about later.

“I know.”, he said taking a sip from his coffee looking at the guy sitting next to him. Still writing. For some reason Gerard really wanted to know what it was he was writing but he didn't dare ask. “She probably is calling because I lost my job and now wants to lecture me but I think at the age of thirty three I am no longer legally required to pick up when she wants to talk to me so...”, he trailed off when a text message popped up.
'Just answer the fucking phone already, Gee. It's not about the job believe me.
- Mikey'
“The fuck?”, he said to himself showing the message to Ray.
“What's Mikey got to do with that?”, his friend wanted to know.
“No fucking clue.”
“Maybe you should just pick up the next time she calls. Can't be too bad.”

Gerard shot him a glare to shut him up when his phone started ringing again and oh, what a surprise it was his mother calling. Just as Gerard was about to mute the call again Ray took the phone from his hand and answered the call. Gerard stared at him as if he had just murdered his firstborn but Ray didn't seem to care.
“Hello, Mrs. Way.” “Yes, he is right next to me, I'll hand him over.” Grinning a little too much he pressed the phone back into Gerard's hands, who proceeded to contemplate whether it was worth to punch his best friend right now but then lifted the phone to his ear.
“Mom, hello”
“Gerard Arthur Way, why do I have to call you a hundred times before you pick up the phone once?”
“Twenty eight times”
“What?”
“You had to call 28 times and I didn't even pick up voluntarily.”
“I don't care if you picked up by your free will or not.”
“Good, now that that's settled, no mom I will not endure a lecture about responsibility so if that is why you are calling you might as well hang up now.”
“I know, that you lost your job, Gerard, your brother told me but that is not the reason I wanted to talk to you.”
Gerard sighed, so Mikey had told her about the job. Honestly he should stop telling him things. He was completely fine, no need to worry.
“Well it's part of the reason”
Again, Gerard felt like slamming his head onto the bar in front of him. He was fine! Why did people not get that?
“You know that Micheal only tells me that sort of things when he is worried about you.”, there was a pause at the other end of the line as if she was expecting her son to say something, which he wasn't going to do.
“Anyway”, she continued after some time. “Your job is your business. As long as you can afford a place to stay I will not interfere but Gerard you are thirty three and unattached.”
“What's the problem with that?”
She completely ignored his question and started to speak again, “I talked to an old friend of yours recently. Well, not directly. I talked to his mother and she says he doesn't have anyone either.”
“Oh great, now my mother is trying to set me up with someone I probably haven't spoken to in years because she thinks I'm a miserable loner.” Gerard could see the guy next to him look up but couldn't be bothered.
“I'm not trying to set you up with anybody it's just that I know he lives in the same city as you do and-”
“Oh, what a coincidence, how many people are there living in New York again? Like a billion?”
“Gerard, I just think maybe you should go pay him a visit, talk to each other. Could be nice, maybe go out again.”
“Could be nice but also could be the worst night of my life that's no valid argument. Who are you talking about anyways?”
“Frank Iero.” Gerard almost spit out the coffee he had just taken a sip of.
“Frank Iero? Are you fucking kidding me? We are talking about the same guy here, are we?” He could definitely sense the guy next to him watching him now. Maybe he was gay and just realized that Gerard's mother was trying to find him a boyfriend. On second thought he looked remarkably attractive and Gerard made a mental note to ask him about his writing after he endured his mother. He loved writing himself and maybe they could have a coffee together later.

“Yes. Yes, we are. Listen to me, Gerard, the two of you used to be so close.”
“Yes and then we started high school and he turned into the biggest asshole on this planet and shoved me into my locker dumping a slushy over my head. Repeatedly. Do you recall that or do you have Alzheimer's?”
“I am aware of what happened but why don't you give him a chance?”
“Why would I do that, mom? That guy hates me and I hate him. If you remember he is the reason I got depression and attempted to fucking kill myself in eleventh grade I don't want anything to do with him. And it's not as if we were together before that. He was my best friend nothing more.”
“Now, we both know, that that is not quite true. The two of you did kiss.”

“We were like seven when that happened! We didn't even know what the hell that meant at the time. And that was 26 years ago! That was enough time for him to transform into everything I despise and am disgusted by on this earth.”
Gerard's mother attempted to say something but was cut of by him continuing his rant, “I know you thought we were in love. I'm aware that literally everyone thought we were in love. Hell, yes even I hoped that he was in love with me for some time because I definitely was in love with him but it doesn't matter what I felt like twenty years ago, things change. High school changes people. That guy is a stranger to me now and I am fucking glad it is that way, mom. I hate him, okay?”

“You don't even know what he is like today. People also change after high school. And there must have been a thing about him that made you like him before.”
“I don't care what it was that made me like him in fucking kindergarten I must have been delusional or something. I still don't get why you are so determined to set me up with him don't you realize that I clearly am not interested?”
“I am just trying to help you Gerard”
“I don't fucking need your help!”, he almost shouted. Thankfully the only other people in the coffee shop were still the old lady in the back and the guy, that was still staring at him. By not it was kind of creeping Gerard out.

His mother carried on her part of the conversation and Gerard was seriously getting sick of it. “Okay, to hell mom, what will make you shut up?”
“Just let me give you his address and promise you'll go see him”
Gerard stopped himself from making a snide remark and simply said “Alright.”, without any intention of actually going to the guys place.
“Do you have something to write on?”
“Yeah.”, he informed her grabbing his napkin and leaning over the counter to find a pencil.
After she had given him the address he handed Ray the pencil and stuffed the three lines of words into his pocket. “Just know, that this will be all your fault. And”, he added, “I won't even recognize the guy. He could be sitting right next to me. I haven't seen him in fifteen years and actually do not want to any time soon. He is the reason I didn't go to class reunion you know that. Well, the main reason at least. But that doesn't matter. I don't even know who he is, what he does, fucking hell I don't even know what he looks like!”
“So, you'll find out soon enough”
Gerard let out a dry laugh, No, I won't.
“Whatever. Goodbye mom.”
“Bye, Gerard.”

Gerard hang up the phone and looked at Ray full of exasperation. “What the fuck was that about?”
“That my dear, was my mother trying to set me up with Frank fucking Iero aka my ex best friend who turned into the biggest bully at high school.”
Ray looked at him confused for a couple of seconds before he started laughing.
“What's so funny?”
“I'm just imagining her so desperate to find a boyfriend for her thirty three year old, four years sober, unemployed, suicidal son, that went to fucking art school, that she wants him to date his arch nemesis and if you don't find that tremendously funny then I don't know what is.”
“Oh, wow thanks, Ray. Spill out all my dirty secrets so I don't have a single chance with the guy that has been staring at me for the past five minutes anymore. And I am not suicidal!”
“What do you have that therapist for then?”
“As if you would understand but if you really want to know, there is this thing called anxiety and depression both of which are legit things you can have without being suicidal.”

“Alright, Gee. So you wanted a chance with that guy over there?”, he nodded towards the one that had been writing when Gerard had entered the shop, who now fast turned away, probably in embarrassment. Gerard couldn't resent him.
Ray kept looking at him and asked, “I noticed your staring too. I think Gee over there at least deserves to know your name then.”
The black haired man looked back up and seemed extremely self-conscious. “Ehm...”
“You don't have to, really. After what you just heard about me I wouldn't want to give my name either.”, Gerard told him and he meant it.

“No, it's not that, it's just...I...I'm...”
Both Gerard and Ray were observing him now.
“I..I'm Frank Iero.”
The entire city fell silent for a long moment after what Gerard had just heard.
“You- what?”
“I'm Frank Iero. The Frank Iero. The one you were talking about.”
Gerard continued to stare at him not believing what the guy had just said. “You? Are Frank Iero? The guy, that out of nowhere started to bully me once we were freshmen?”

“Yes, I...look Gerard I- I'm sorry, I-”
“Oh, no you don't get to apologize. Not now, not here. I never wanted to see you again and I have successfully done that till today so you don't get to apologize. Not ever.”, the shock was falling off of Gerard and now he was furious. How did he dare fucking apologize fifteen years later for all the shit he had put Gerard through.
“Gerard, please, I know I was horrible to you and I heard what you just said about me” Dammit, Gerard thought, of course he had heard everything. The part where I said he attempted suicide but also the one where he confessed being in love with him. “I just want to make it right.”
“I don't fucking care what you want, Frank. As you just said, you heard what I said about you. I don't know maybe you forgot the part where I said I hate you!”
“I know and I understand that, Gee-”
“Don't call me that!”
Frank nodded looking hurt and why, why on earth did he have to be so attractive? “Okay. But really I am so fucking sorry for what I did and if it's any condolence I felt the same way about you, Gerard.”
That struck Gerard like one of the footballs Frank had thrown at his head in junior year. “Then, why the fuck did you do all that, Iero. You don't make any sense at all. I don't even know why I am talking to you right now, I should just go this is ridiculous.” Gerard got up but Frank grabbed his wrist.
“Please.”, he looked him in the eyes with a firm grip on the taller ones arm. “Please, just give me a chance, Gerard. I know no apology can make right what I did and you don't have to forgive me. I just want to explain. I still don't know what made me do all that. I was confused, angry at myself for falling for my best friend, and God I was scared as hell. Scared of the other boys, of them making fun of me. Scared of high school, of life in general and that just made me...something. Something I never wanted to be and something I am deeply sorry for. I was just a teenager hopelessly in love with his best friend, that didn't know what to do. Please, please stay. Just for a minute. Let me try to make it right”, his voice sounded so desperate it made Gee cringe.

Gerard was standing there barely three feet away from the person he had spent hating most all these years and he had no idea what to say. He now had an explanation for everything that had happened but he couldn't define how he felt about that. Frank Iero had been in love with him. Legit in love. All the time in high school he had tormented him, that was because he was in love with him. Gerard knew, that that wasn't a good excuse, actually no good at all but he felt the tears trying to escape his eyes anyway.

“Look, Frank, I don't give a shit what you felt or how scared you were. You made my life hell, you bullied me, you made me want to kill myself and I am never, never going to forgive you for that.”, Gerard managed to say. It was one of the hardest things he had ever done but he had to. People hurt him far to often and if he let him, Frank would surely do it again. He couldn't have the feelings he had had growing up ruin his life once more. “I do not want to talk to you or see you ever again. I don't care if it helped you conscience if you apologized to me. I was in love with you and you decided to become everything you never wanted to be so fuck you! Fuck you and fuck your feelings for me. I got over you a decade ago and I'm done!”

He forcefully pulled his wrist free from Franks grip and turned around not looking back. He slammed the door to the coffee shop behind him and started running. Where, he didn't know. When his legs started to ache he found himself just around the corner of his apartment so he walked the last couple of feet and then dragged himself up the stairs. He locked the door and went into the kitchen where he stared at the refrigerator. Moments later he ripped the picture of ten year old him and his best friend at the time off it and threw it into the bin. Slowly he sunk to the floor and covered his face with his hands and started to cry.

Maybe Mikey had been right after all. Maybe he wasn't alright. Maybe he never had been fine. Maybe he had just told the only person he had ever loved to go fuck themselves.

Notes

My very first My Chem fanfiction so I would appreciate any comments
Also if there is anything wrong with my English I'm glad for corrections as it's not my first language.

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