Exhibitions- Gerard Way

Sleep

Warning: I am NOT promoting alcoholism or addiction in this next paragraph, simply just trying to create a bit more of an in-depth back story to Gerard's character lol 

A sharp pain shoots down Gerard's neck, waking him up from a surprisingly deep sleep. Becoming sober was the best decision he's made in his entire life, however it came with its consequences. Many he got over in a matter of months, but sleeping was a different ballgame. Alcohol would make all of the problems in his head vanish, numbing the pain of anything and he would often crash out completely without a thought behind his eyes. However being sober means that every night he has a million thoughts rushing around his head, mostly good ones but every now and then some anxiety would appear, sometimes completely out of nowhere. Gerard's a confident person, but his anxiety is one of the aspects of himself that he wishes he could get rid of. It wasn't often that he would become panicked, especially with his job as a painter being so time consuming and distracting him. But when he has a panic attack, it's pretty bad, granted this hasn't happened in a long time. Regardless, with Maxine nearby he slept considerably well, even whilst sitting upright on the sofa. Although his neck clearly didn't appreciate the lack of a pillow, sending fast and sharp pains as if it's a warning sign. 

He slightly shuffles in his seat, trying his hardest not to wake Maxine up. She looks so peaceful when she's asleep, like a flower field on a hot summers day. He watches as her freckle-kissed cheeks tighten and her eyes begin to open, revealing that deep blue colour that he loves. The sun shines through his tall, open windows, enhancing the tiny specks of green and brown that are mixed in with the ocean blue colour of her eyes. Maxine inhales deeply and lets out a long sigh and her face relaxes again. 

"You're so beautiful Max." His deep and raspy morning voice alerts her and she slaps her hands over her face, going shy again. Maxine never really understands how to take compliments, and Gerard being the one who delivers those words makes her heart skip a beat. Gerard holds her hands and pulls them away, once again revealing the gorgeous face that he can't believe he got to see when he woke up. She smiles at the small gesture as he traces his thumb around the back of her hand. 

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep in your lap I was just so tired and-" She blurts out but Gerard interrupts her, caressing her cheek, "No, I enjoyed you being here with me. Don't apologise sugar." 

Maxine sits up and turns to face Gerard. The light beams show a slight shine in his ruffled hair which is pushed back in some sections whilst other strands of hair fall messily over his forehead. His eyes look like honey glowing in the sunlight which compliment his small pink lips and pale white skin. Maxine gently touches his hair and brushes it to the side slightly, she admires how perfect he looks even when he's just woken up. 

Today is the last day before Maxine needs to go back home so she plans to make the most of it, having a full day with Gerard and then hopefully stopping by to see Daisy again before she leaves. Gerard goes to stand up but Maxine pulls him back down and rests her head on his shoulder. "Can we just stay like this for a minute?" She cooed, Gerard can't resist. He pulls her up onto his lap again and she presses her head against his chest, feeling his body heat radiate onto her skin. 

"What do you want to do today?" Gerard asks softly. 

"Just be with you." She replies, making him laugh. "No seriously, what can we do?" He asks again.

"We can stay here? Maybe watch some TV or play some games?" She suggests. Gerard is pleased with the idea.

He picks her up and carries her through his apartment to his bedroom. His bedroom is almost as big as Maxine's entire flat, with a large black double bed in the middle. His wardrobe is lined with dark clothes with the odd red popping out here and there. He has floor to ceiling windows all along the back wall behind the bed and there's even a TV on a stand opposite the bed. There's a few guitars hanging on the empty wall adjacent to the windows, also surrounded by music posters. It's like a mix of a grungey teenage boys room and a very well-off business mans room. He gently lowers her onto his bed and begins digging through his wardrobe. He pulls out a black t-shirt which has a red and white skeletal graphic design on the front of it and passes it to Maxine along with a pair of his boxers. The boxers might seem too soon and maybe slightly odd but she's so small and fragile that nothing else would fit her legs without looking ridiculous. "Here put these one, you'll be more comfy!" 

Maxine looks down at the interesting choice of clothes which are typically not her style before heading into the bathroom to change into them. Gerard stares in adoration as she comes out in his clothes, the t-shirt is really baggy on her which makes her look even more small and innocent than she already is. Maxine is enjoying wearing his clothes, it makes her realise how much taller he is than her which she finds extremely attractive, and of course they smell like him. Being covered in his scent gives her another sense of security. 

"I didn't know you play guitar?!" She walks over to the three guitars on the wall, two acoustics and one electric. There's a cherry red Gibson that catches her eye as it perfectly represents Gerard as a person, the classiness of art with the vintage aesthetic that his style emits. Gerard follows her and wraps his arms around her chest from behind, taking in the fresh scent of her hair then leaning down to rest his chin on her shoulder. This catches her off guard, but she quickly sinks into the hug. He slowly sways side to side and softly sings into her ear, sending a smile across her face as she closes her eyes.

Gerard lets go and sits her back down on the bed. He picks up one of the acoustic guitars and plucks at a few strings in a random chord pattern. He puts it back down onto the floor. "Ahh I mean I can't really, I'm more of a song writer when it comes to music. Like telling stories and stuff. I was actually in a band when I was in high school, but they kicked me out because I couldn't play Sweet Home Alabama." He explains, giggling at the last part of his story. Maxine loves how passionate he is about portraying narratives, not only does he do it really well within his artwork, but he even tells it in music. "I've written a few songs but I don't know, I'd rather try and get this comic book thing off the ground first." 

"Come on, play me something." Maxine sits down on the bed, patting it for him to sit down next to her. 

"It won't be very good-" He laughs, "I'm not really good at playing and singing at the same time." 

Maxine shakes her head and insists that he should play something. They go back and forth until he finally caves in and picks up the black acoustic that's hanging next to the Gibson. 

"I don't really know what this is yet, it's like a story I've written from the perspective of a cancer patient." He plucks at the strings on the guitar slowly as he starts singing. Maxine's jaw immediately drops at his voice. She heard him singing in the car the previous day but the music was so loud and this song is a completely different genre which suits his voice so well. The rawness and roughness accompanied by his softer tones create an overwhelming mixture of emotions. Maxine feels a tear run down her face as he comes to the end of his song which she quickly wipes away, hoping he won't notice. Her grandad died of cancer which obviously Gerard doesn't know yet, soon enough the waterworks fully start. Gerard drops his guitar and quickly embraces her, rubbing the back of her head.

"What's wrong sugar?" He asks as she sobs into his shoulder. She stays silent for a minute.

"I probably should've told you, my grandad died of cancer." She cries between trying to control herself. "Shit I'm so fucking sorry Max, I would have played a different song if I-" 

"No it was beautiful, honestly you're so talented." Maxine pulls away and wipes her face. Gerard caresses her cheek and wipes her tears with his thumbs. "Do you wanna talk about it?" He asks. "You know I'm always here to listen." 

"Thank you, but it's okay. There's nothing much to it really. It was ages ago and I've gotten over it now. Obviously I'm still going to get upset about it but that's not your fault." She looks up at him and cracks a small smile.