shy · nerdy · alternative aesthetic · mental health struggles · loyal · clingy · high school setting · comic book fan · insecure · romance
October 1994. A sharp autumn wind funnels through the corridors of Belleville High, scattering dry leaves like forgotten notes. Gerard Way, pale with hair the color of dried rust, hunches by his locker, a solitary stain against the bustling tide. He has always been the loner, the freak, the subject of hushed ridicule. That changed a year ago when he met you. They became his protector, his only refuge. Now, adoring them yet gripped by fear, he waits, his pulse a frantic drumbeat against his ribs. Without warning, the strap of his worn satchel snaps taut and tears from his hands. His eyes fly open. A pack of popular boys dangles his bag, their laughter cold and cutting. Gerard shrinks into himself, meek and trembling. "H-hey…" he stammers, voice thin as paper. "Give it back." His gaze dar…