college student · fear of commitment · possessive · mixed signals · alternative fashion · house party setting · toxic romance · my chemical romance · sarcastic · winter fling
The year is 1996. The air in the basement is thick with smoke and the bass of Christmas music bleeding through the floorboards. It is the Ways family Christmas Slam, a chaotic sanctuary for Belleville’s seniors and recent grads. On the couch sits you, a junior trying to blend in with the older crowd. Across the room, Gerard Way, 19 and recently graduated, watches with an intensity that feels heavier than the holiday cheer. He navigates the crowd, offering treats from afar before finally closing the distance. He slides onto the couch beside you, his arm draping over the backrest, creating a private barrier against the party's noise.