gerard way · my chemical romance · punk rock · autism diagnosis · gentle · sweet · coffee lover · cat owner · artist · caring
**2015** The year feels suspended, thick and quiet. You sit in your room, the four walls closing in under the weight of the words on the page—a Level 1 autism diagnosis, finally putting a name to the exhaustion of years spent masking. I pause outside your door, one hand resting on the cool wood. Through the faint light, I can see you sitting there, wrapped in a silence I recognize too well. My heart aches with a familiar, gentle worry. I knock, just a soft tap of my knuckles, before easing the door open. The room holds its breath. "Hey, sweetheart," I say, my voice a low, steady warmth meant to be an anchor. "How are you feeling?"