run ((ON HOLD))

speed of life

"It's small and shitty, but hey, it works."

Lindsey looked around the apartment, smiling. Jimmy was right; the place was cramped and was so bare and sterile-looking that it reminded Lindsey of a mental hospital, but it was a blank canvas. Jimmy said it was a fixer-upper and they could do what they liked to it. It had the basics and gave them a starting point, but the two would have to work to make it anything special. The wheels were already turning in her head, though, and she could already see the ideas coming together.

"It's a lot better than I expected," Gerard admitted, adjusting the bag looped over his shoulder, "It'll need work, but Linds and I can cover it. Right?"
"Mmhmm," she murmured, lost in her thoughts and plans. Gerard chuckled.
"She's already planning and thinking. So, what's pricing?"
"Well," Jimmy started, "with minimum wage being four twenty-five an hour and you guys being students, I'll say 400 bucks a month is a start. We'll lower if needed."

Gerard whistled, rocking back and forth from heel to toe. He popped his gum and glanced to Lindsey.

"What do you think, Linds?"
"I don't know. I mean, we'd both have to work our asses off and I really want to make this work."
"Three-hundred," Jimmy said, "I like you guys and I really don't want you to end up in some shitty deal. It's not often we get kids with a brain and good taste in music. And there is some shitty people out there that would take advantage of a couple of kids like you."
"Are you sure you're not taking advantage of us?"

Jimmy gave a snarky laugh at Gerard's quick-witted comment. The teen raised an eyebrow in reply.

"See, that's why I like you two. Three-hundred a month and I'll look around to see if we have anything in storage to help you spruce this shithole up."
"And help us get a job," Lindsey added, knocked out of her daze.
"Fine."
"Then I think we got a deal," Gerard said, holding out a hand. Jimmy shook Gerard's hand.

"Deal," he replied.

Gerard nodded, as Jimmy reached in his pocket, pulling out a set of keys. He flipped through before taking a slightly-rusted key off the ring and handed to Gerard. He looked to Lindsey, who tossed him his own keys. He looped it on the ring, smiling.

"You guys can get settled. I'll look for some extra paint or something. Bring it by in the morning."
"Got it."

Jimmy left Gerard and Lindsey in silence. The two stood quietly for a moment, before Lindsey jumped into Gerard's arms, him lifting her up and spinning her around. The two met in a fit of giggles and laughter, hugging each other tightly.

"We're home, Gee! We have a home!"

She grinned, gazing into Gerard's eyes. He couldn't help but give her a huge smile at her happiness and excitement. A lot of things he had done since knowing and meeting Lindsey were for her happiness, her health, and her safety. He didn't know how many times he would cover for her when she got in trouble or how many times he packed a snack or some cash for McDonald's knowing that he would go to pick up Lindsey who forgot to eat breakfast. She was a hurricane, whipping though life and bringing chaos and trouble wherever she went. Gerard was the clean-up team, making sure everything got put back on the shelf. Sometimes, the roles would be switched. They'd had their share of times where it was Gerard that was causing trouble and Lindsey cleaning up after him. Of course, his issues were quite different. Where as her outgoing and spunky attitude got her into trouble, it was his social anxiety. Lately, he had broken out a bit. "Fake it until you make it", they always said. Lindsey gave him that support and was (for the most part) always there with him to help him. Before that, his social skills, or lack of thereof, got them into tricky situations. He would stumble along with his words and panic when put on the spot. Lindsey would always be there to fill in the details or kick him under the table as needed. That was just them being them. Everyone always laughed about how close the two were. "Just like brother and sister," all the adults would joke, "You can't separate the dynamic duo." And it was true. No matter what they did, they did it together. And if that meant running away, then hell, they would run away together. And it turned out amazingly. They were standing in an apartment, their apartment, and they were going to make it. They were going to do this.

"I'm thinking we paint the walls a bright sunshine yellow, to brighten the place up," Lindsey said after a few minutes, pulling away from the hug. Her hands lingered on his arms, before she started making gestures with her hands as she described her plan, "The white against the yellow might look really nice. It would break things up from the constant and bland white. I don't know how the hell anyone would be able to find that much white furniture, but they did it. I like how the living room and kitchen are connected. Maybe we could carry the yellow theme through out the area, maybe throw it up in the hallway-"
"I never thought you'd be much of a homemaker."
"Shut it. If you were left in charge, it would look like Satan threw up in here, then tried to clean it up with his shit."
"This is one of those things that come out of your mouth that I literally have no reply to."
"Aw, you know you love me."
"Sometimes, I question why."

Lindsey made a loud 'pfffft' noise in reply, dragging it out and gently punching him in the shoulder. Gerard laughed loudly, smiling at Lindsey.

"Dork," he joked.
"Bitch."
"Jerk."

The two laughed, before Lindsey settled down.

"Now, Gerard," she said, "There's going to be some rules around here."
"Mmhmm?" he replied, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow, "No shitty music? No Star Wars marathons at three AM?"
"No," she replied, "I'm serious. First rule? You have to eat."
"Excuse me?"
"Gerard Arthur Way, I know for a fact you skip breakfast and lunch, and heaven forbid, you better not be skipping dinner."
"Linds, I'm fine."
"No, you aren't. Where's the little chubby boy I used to know? The one who didn't look like a walking skeleton? The one who didn't remind me of a vampire?"
"I wouldn't talk, Linds. You aren't in the best shape yourself."
"And I know that. And I'm going to take care of that. And you should too. You're going to fucking eat."
"Fine," he replied, "I'm going to head to bed."
"Alright," she replied, ruffling his hair, "I'm doing the same."

Lindsey grabbed her bags and headed down the hall, picking the first bedroom. It was, like the rest of the place, sterile white. She sighed and shrugged. It would do. She dropped her bags, searching through them until she found the old Bowie T-shirt that used to belong to Gerard. She could still remember how she got it: sophomore year of high school, she left school sick. Gerard offered to take her home with him, so she could avoid her mother's wrath. She ended up staying the night, and Gerard gave her clothes to wear for the night and the next day. She kept them, without her mom knowing, and brought them with her. And she was dressed in boxers and that old Bowie T-shirt, curling up in bed and pulling the blankets up. She was in the bed of the apartment she and Gerard owned, the place where they could be them. No mom telling her what to do and how useless she was. No more selling out to get what she wanted. She was her. And as she lay in that little single bed, she realized she would need to go shopping soon because she was out of clothes.

But she was lonely in that bed. Because she would either sleep in her own bed with the big Teddy bear Gerard got her for Christmas or next to Gerard. Either way, she wasn't used to sleeping alone. Lindsey rolled over and got up, pushing open her bedroom door and heading across the hall, knocking on Gerard's. She heard Gerard reply with a muffled "come in", aned she pushed open the door. He sat crosslegged on his bed in his boxers and an oversized Star Wars T-shirt, reading a comic book. He looked up at her with a smile.

"Hey, Linds, you okay?"
"Can I sleep in here tonight?"
"Sure," he replied, scooting over. Lindsey shut the door and jumped into the bed, climbing up next to him and snuggling up against him. He smiled at her, covering her and himself up with the blankets.

"You comfy?"
"Yeah," she mumbled, huddling down to sleep, "Thanks."
"Don't worry about it. You can sleep in here anytime you want."

Lindsey smiled at him.

"Goodnight, Gerard."
"Goodnight, Lindsey."