To the End

Doom Patrol

Gerard shivered as he stepped inside; it was warm and welcoming compared to the chilly Jersey weather outside.
A bell jingled as the door opened, signaling his arrival. He looked around the store, his eyes lighting up at the new display of comics that surrounded him - the store must've received a new shipment of comic books today.
It had become a daily habit for Gerard to spend a few hours at the local comic store. He was unemployed and with his brother working all day, he didn't have much to do other than sit at home.
So, he started going there every day. He would enter the store, welcome whoever was at the front - whom at the point knew all of their names, walk to the back, pick out his favorite comic, and sit in the corner of the store, reading until the sun set and then going home.
Gerard couldn't actually afford any of the comics and the employees knew that, so they allowed Gerard to read them as often as he pleased.
"Good afternoon, Taylor," he greeted and the young girl standing behind the counter smiled warmly and waved back.
Gerard wandered over to his usual spot in the back; the new Doom Patrol had been released and would be back here. Doom Patrol was his absolute favorite and he was dying to read the next issue.
However, when he searched the shelves for the small book, he couldn't contain a sigh of disappointment when there was only an empty space where the issues had once been placed. He would have to wait until the next shipment of comic books to read it.
"Oh...uh, are you looking for the new Doom Patrol issue?"
Gerard jumped slightly as a quiet and slightly reserved voice sounded from behind him. When he turned around though, he was met with quite possibly the most beautiful guy he had ever seen.
He was short - but not much shorter than Gerard, he had dyed black hair with bangs that covered his bright hazel eyes, and was sporting a Misfits jumper and black skinny jeans.
Gerard's voice was caught in his throat. He seemed to be hypnotized by the stranger's shining eyes and couldn't bring himself to speak.
"I - Uh," he stuttered.
"You...okay?" The stranger asked, furrowing his seemingly perfect eyebrows as Gerard continued to stare at him like a deer in headlights.
"Oh!" He finally snapped out of his trance and blinked harshly. "Uh, yeah I was, but they're sold out. Why?"
The man then lifted a comic he had been holding; it was the new Doom Patrol. "I took the last one," he murmured. "But I have enough at home, I don't need it. You can take it," he added, offering the comic to Gerard.
He shook his head, even though his mind was yelling at him to accept it. "You grabbed it first, and I'm too broke to buy it anyways," he laughed nervously. "It's okay, seriously," he added as the stranger continued to push the book into his arms.
At Gerard's final protest though, he stopped and allowed his arms to fall to his sides. "Okay," he smiled and walked away towards the front.
Okay? So...that was it? Gerard stood in the back of the store, completely dumbfounded at what had just happened.
He didn't have much time to stand there like an absolute idiot though, because the stranger returned a few moments later, this time holding a small plastic bag.
Gerard opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything the man shoved the bag into his chest, and he caught it out of instinct, surprised.
The stranger laughed and ran off before he could even react, calling over his shoulder as he went, "Enjoy!!"
Gerard furrowed his eyebrows and glanced inside the bag. The Doom Patrol comic was held inside.
He didn't pull out the comic, but rather slowly walked out of the store and to his car, not even waving goodbye to Taylor as he left, confused as fuck with what had just occurred.
He didn't even get the stranger's name. Gerard smacked his forehead against the steering wheel at the realization, groaning in pain as he did so. He pulled out of the parking lot and began driving home, letting his thoughts run wild.
It didn't even matter that he hadn't gotten the guy's name, it wasn't like he would ever see him again. But for some reason Gerard just couldn't get him out of his head. He wanted to thank the man, something for doing that even though he didn't have to. He wanted to return the small favor, but now he couldn't.
He temporarily considered spending the entire next few days hanging around the store in hopes that he would return, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized how creepy that was and decided against it.
He sighed as he reached the apartment complex and dragged his feet up the staircase, unlocking the front door and collapsing on the couch inside.
The apartment was small; there was a decent sized room that doubled as a living and dining room, a small bar with a cramped kitchen to the left, and a hallway straight ahead that led to the bathroom, laundry room, and his and Mikey's rooms.
It wasn't awful, per say, but it was small and old. They had a worn army green couch, a small black coffee table with a matching dining room table next to the kitchen, a small TV that rested on the floor, and two chipped stools at the bar. His bedroom had a bed with a creaky frame, a black nightstand, and a mirror that hung on the door - which he hated, by the way.
That was it. The carpet was stained, the wallpaper was peeling, the toilet was constantly breaking.
He and Mikey had moved in together after Gerard had broken up with his ex and lost his job. They were currently living off of Mikey's paycheck with minimal support from his girlfriend, but because Gerard wasn't working and now Mikey was having to support two people with his job, they quickly lost the nice apartment they formerly resided in and were forced into a tight budget and had to move into a more affordable - aka a shittier - place.
Gerard opened his bedroom door and collapsed on his bed, groaning in irritation as it shifted and creaked slightly. He stared at the band posters that filled his bedroom walls, then allowed his gaze to fall to the floor where comic books and old, incomplete sketches had been discarded.
Comics. Gerard suddenly remembered the Doom Patrol comic and eagerly leaned over the side of his bed, grabbing the comic out of the bag and shifting more comfortably in his bed as he opened it.
When he did though, he stared at it in confusion. A small message had been scribbled on the inside of the cover on the bottom corner. It read 'text me' with a smiley face and a phone number scribbled next to the message.
Gerard grinned and grabbed his phone, opening up his messages and typing in the number.
'Hey Doom Patrol guy'.
Gerard hadn't even turned off his phone when he received a reply, which he eagerly read.
'Is this the redhead who stole my Doom Patrol comic?'
Gerard huffed and texted back.
''Stole it', more like had it shoved in my hands and didn't have the chance to give it back'.
'Yeah right, whatever you say'.
Gerard smiled and rolled his eyes.
'Yeah, yeah, what's your name anyways? I didn't get the chance to ask before you ran off'.
He wasn't even interested in reading the comic he had been dying to get his hands on for months anymore. This was definitely a guy he wanted to talk to, and definitely someone he could get along with.
Not much later, his phone buzzed, signaling the reply of the stranger.
'Why do you want to know?'
'Well I was going to add you to my contacts but since you won't tell me, I'll just add you as Doom Patrol Guy'.
'Well then I suppose I'll have to add you as Clifford'.
Gerard burst into laughter at that, almost dropping his phone in the process. His cheeks began to tint pink as he typed out a witty response.
'I'd like to think my red hair looks very sexy, thank you very much'.
'Hm...you're right. It is, especially on you ;)'.
The pink tint rose to a dark red as he felt his body heat up at the text. He turned even more red - if that were even possible - at the next text.
'In fact, it's so sexy I'd like to see it again. You up to coffee this weekend? Saturday? Noon?'
Gerard smiled and quickly replied.
'As long as you don't shove a coffee in my hands and run off'.
'As long as you let me pay'.
'Fiiiiiiiiiiine'.
Gerard sent an eye rolling emoji for extra effect, pretending to be dramatic and reluctant when in reality he was itching with excitement at the invite. He couldn't wait for Saturday to come.
'Haha I'll see you Saturday then?'
'For sure :)'.
'Rad! Can't wait :)'.
Gerard placed his phone down and picked up the comic he had since abandoned, a smiled still resting softly against his lips. He would get to see the stranger again after all.
And as he lay there in bed, reading the comic, smiling, little did he know the stranger he had run into had that same goofy grin plastered on his face.
It's still short, but much longer than before haha.
Thank you for still reading even though I'm rewriting it. The book had a lot of potential, but this was the first fanfic I ever wrote, and I quickly started hating the direction it had gone into.
I was originally going to delete it, but seeing the amount of comments and votes and reads it had really motivated me to keep it and just rewrite it instead. So thank you!
Also just a side note: this and like two other small scenes are the only parts that are going to stay the same, so even if you read the original, PLEASE REREAD. THE PLOT HAS CHANGED TREMENDOUSLY.
See you next chapter :)
xoflyinghigh♡