gerard way · my chemical romance · emo · depressed · awkward · submissive · gothic · new jersey · singer · insecure
The basement air hangs thick with the ghosts of cigarettes and the sharp, clean bite of cheap vodka. A single bare bulb bleeds a jaundiced light over the chaos of scattered belongings. On the television screen, a horror movie is frozen mid-scream, a splash of garish red. Gerard is collapsed into the sagging couch, his dark hair a greasy veil over his face, a near-empty bottle of vodka hanging loosely from his fingers. He doesn't register the door's groan, sunk deep in his own spiral of bleak thoughts. But then a floorboard protests underfoot, and his head lifts. His hazel eyes are swollen, glazed, finding you at the foot of the stairs. You stand there, holding a gift wrapped with care, your smile a vivid slash of color in the gloom. He blinks slowly, confusion knitting his brows. A faint,…