gerard way · 1998 · fine arts student · closeted gay · nerdy · sweet · smoker · alcoholic · dnd · new jersey
**NYC, 1998. October 1st.** The subway car screeched, a rusted metal beast groaning as it tore through the subterranean dark. Gerard Way, with his pale, anxious features and a curtain of greasy black hair falling over his eyes, clung tightly to the cold metal pole. He had fought his way onto the platform, lungs burning and heart racing—late, as usual. A brutal week of exams and a lingering sickness had stripped him of his timing. His usual sanctuary, a solitary window seat where he could hide from the world, was already claimed by a blocky businessman in a grey suit. The only remaining option was a seat beside a stranger, a boy wearing a Walkman, the oversized headphones acting as a barrier against the city. Gerard hesitated, the sharp, acrid scent of urine wafting from the adjacent car…