This Wasn't What I Signed Up For
Title: This Wasn't What I Signed Up For
Author: vulgar_vogue
Length: one shot
Fandom: My Chemical Romance
Pairing: Gen/None
Rating: R
Genre: Angst
Disclaimer/Claimer: I do not own My Chemical Romance or anyone mentioned in this work of non-profit fiction.
Summary: This was not what any of them had signed up for. How could they have expected that things would turn out this way?
Notes: Warning! Contans mentioned character death, and deals with the subject of war.
This was originaly for mychemicaltest but my word count was too low so I'm just posting it here without entering the contest.
The two men were silent. The nurse had told them what to expect but they were still unprepared. They turned the corner and walked into the long hallway, Bob behind Frank and Frank following the nurse. The huge hallway was filled with people, soldiers. Injured soldiers. Dying soldiers. Bob was trying not to look but the groans and moans of the soldiers were piercing his eardrums. He concentrated on watching Franks’s feet. Left. Right. Left. Right.
“Mr. Toro,” The nurse said. Franks’s feet stopped moving. “You have some friends here to see you.”
“Hey there, Ray,” Frank said. He moved closer to the bed and took a seat next to Ray. Bob saw Ray give a weak smile. Frank then turned to him and gave him a nod telling him to take a seat.
Bob looked at Ray, his friend. He looked terrible and smelled awful. The whole place smelled disgusting. And the sounds of the men groaning and screaming from pain were stinging Bob’s ears. Fresh injured bodies were being rolled by. “Bob?” He couldn’t take it any more. Almost stumbling over his own feet Bob made his way quickly out of that place. He dashed out of the building and as soon as he was outside he collapsed to the ground panting.
Bob closed his eyes. There was no way that this was happening. This was not how it was supposed to be. Memories flashed through Bob’s mind. It used to be happier. Now Bob was visiting his beaten up friend in the Army’s pathetic excuse for a hospital. When did it all change?
“I can’t believe that you are going to get your head shaved,” Gerard said with a mischievous grin on his face.
“Neither can I,” Mikey added.
“Please let me say goodbye to it,” Frank said as he reached over to Ray a nuggie.
Ray just stood there with a grin on his face.
Bob leaned back on his knees and looked up at the sky. People passed by him but no one bothered to give him a second look. They had seen it all before.
“Who are you and where did Ray Toro go?” Gerard exclaimed causing all five of them to laugh.
“I can’t believe it’s really gone,” said Frank.
“You look like a totally different person,” Mikey added.
Again, Ray just smiled and shrugged it off. Then someone had the great idea to take a group picture to celebrate their shaved heads and joining the army.
Bob reached into his jacket and pulled out that picture. It was a little faded now from being passed around, and there was a little spot of blood on the back of it. Gerard had been the last one to hold on to the picture. It was peaceful out. He had taken the photo out and was smiling a sort of sad, bittersweet smile. He must have been thinking of Mikey again; his little brother who had fallen dead, shot in the head, just two weeks ago. All of a sudden a shot was heard. Gerard would not survive that attack. Bob closed his eyes and gripped the photo tightly. He could remember that day clearly. He remembered looking over and seeing Gerard’s lifeless bloody body on the ground. He remembered pulling apart Gerard’s fingers and taking the photo from his still warm fingers.
Looking at the photo again Bob felt like he did not know who those people were. They felt like strangers. He could no longer recognize the carefree, happy boys in that photo.
“Bob.” Frank kneeled down next to his friend. He took the photo from Bob’s hand and looked at it for a moment. “What are you doing out here?” He finally said after a moment of uncomfortable, familiar silence. “Ray needs you right now.” His voice was barely above a whisper. Frank grabbed Bob’s shoulder and squeezed it.
“Okay,” Bob nodded. Together the two stood up and quietly walked back to the building. When the two of them were back inside they both took a seat next to Ray.
“Ray,” Bob said as he gave the other man a pat on the shoulder.
Ray smiled. “Where’d you go man?”
“I just went to get some fresh air,” Bob replied smiling back.
Ray gave him a look before answering. “Sure.” Bob shrugged and looked away. “So, they say that I’ll be discharged soon.”
“That’s great,” Frank said.
“Yeah,” Ray smiled. “Then I can go home and see my girl.” Bob and Frank shared a worried look. “I’m going to ask her to marry me.”
“But… Ray,” Frank said.
“Before I left she kept begging me to marry her.”
“Ray…” Bob whispered.
Ray looked over at him and smiled. “Yeah?”
Bob opened his mouth but no words came out. He could not believe it. Did his friend really not remember?
“She broke up with you,” Frank said softly. “Remember, Ray?”
Ray looked over at Frank with a confused look on his face. “What are you talking about?”
“The letter,” Frank answered.
“What letter?” Ray asked looking back and forth from Frank to Bob. “Oh, I know,” Ray chuckled. Bob couldn’t help but think that his laughter sounded a bit odd. “You guys are jealousy that I’m going to be married.” Bob looked over at Frank with a confused look on his face. “Don’t worry. We’ll still be friends. Nothing will change.” Ray reached over and patted Bob’s arm.
“Ray. She broke up with you,” Frank said slowly.
Ray shook his head. “What the hell man?” Ray was angry now. “What are you saying?” He was screaming now. He was not making any sense. Ray tried to sit up all while screaming at Frank. Bob did not know what he was saying any more. It sounded almost hysterical to his ears. He could not believe that his friend was acting this way. This wasn’t Ray at all.
Frank was trying to get Ray to calm down and lay back down. Bob was faintly aware of someone, probably a nurse, coming over to help calm Ray down. Bob stood up from his chair. Frank was pushed to the side as another nurse came over.
Bob was beginning to feel a little over whelmed by all of the chaos. He started to move backwards but accidentally tripped and landed on the end of the bed.
“My leg!” Ray shouted. “Get off of my fucking leg Bob!”
Bob looked down, and true to what he felt; there was nothing there.
“My leg!” Ray kept shouting. “It hurts!”
One of the nurses guided Bob off of the bed as more nurses came to help. Bob saw one of the women holding a needle trying to find a place to inject it into Ray. Bob looked over at Frank. They both had the same disbelieving, terrified look in their eyes. What had happened to their friend? This was not what they had signed up for. This was not what they wanted.
Author: vulgar_vogue
Length: one shot
Fandom: My Chemical Romance
Pairing: Gen/None
Rating: R
Genre: Angst
Disclaimer/Claimer: I do not own My Chemical Romance or anyone mentioned in this work of non-profit fiction.
Summary: This was not what any of them had signed up for. How could they have expected that things would turn out this way?
Notes: Warning! Contans mentioned character death, and deals with the subject of war.
This was originaly for mychemicaltest but my word count was too low so I'm just posting it here without entering the contest.
The two men were silent. The nurse had told them what to expect but they were still unprepared. They turned the corner and walked into the long hallway, Bob behind Frank and Frank following the nurse. The huge hallway was filled with people, soldiers. Injured soldiers. Dying soldiers. Bob was trying not to look but the groans and moans of the soldiers were piercing his eardrums. He concentrated on watching Franks’s feet. Left. Right. Left. Right.
“Mr. Toro,” The nurse said. Franks’s feet stopped moving. “You have some friends here to see you.”
“Hey there, Ray,” Frank said. He moved closer to the bed and took a seat next to Ray. Bob saw Ray give a weak smile. Frank then turned to him and gave him a nod telling him to take a seat.
Bob looked at Ray, his friend. He looked terrible and smelled awful. The whole place smelled disgusting. And the sounds of the men groaning and screaming from pain were stinging Bob’s ears. Fresh injured bodies were being rolled by. “Bob?” He couldn’t take it any more. Almost stumbling over his own feet Bob made his way quickly out of that place. He dashed out of the building and as soon as he was outside he collapsed to the ground panting.
Bob closed his eyes. There was no way that this was happening. This was not how it was supposed to be. Memories flashed through Bob’s mind. It used to be happier. Now Bob was visiting his beaten up friend in the Army’s pathetic excuse for a hospital. When did it all change?
“I can’t believe that you are going to get your head shaved,” Gerard said with a mischievous grin on his face.
“Neither can I,” Mikey added.
“Please let me say goodbye to it,” Frank said as he reached over to Ray a nuggie.
Ray just stood there with a grin on his face.
Bob leaned back on his knees and looked up at the sky. People passed by him but no one bothered to give him a second look. They had seen it all before.
“Who are you and where did Ray Toro go?” Gerard exclaimed causing all five of them to laugh.
“I can’t believe it’s really gone,” said Frank.
“You look like a totally different person,” Mikey added.
Again, Ray just smiled and shrugged it off. Then someone had the great idea to take a group picture to celebrate their shaved heads and joining the army.
Bob reached into his jacket and pulled out that picture. It was a little faded now from being passed around, and there was a little spot of blood on the back of it. Gerard had been the last one to hold on to the picture. It was peaceful out. He had taken the photo out and was smiling a sort of sad, bittersweet smile. He must have been thinking of Mikey again; his little brother who had fallen dead, shot in the head, just two weeks ago. All of a sudden a shot was heard. Gerard would not survive that attack. Bob closed his eyes and gripped the photo tightly. He could remember that day clearly. He remembered looking over and seeing Gerard’s lifeless bloody body on the ground. He remembered pulling apart Gerard’s fingers and taking the photo from his still warm fingers.
Looking at the photo again Bob felt like he did not know who those people were. They felt like strangers. He could no longer recognize the carefree, happy boys in that photo.
“Bob.” Frank kneeled down next to his friend. He took the photo from Bob’s hand and looked at it for a moment. “What are you doing out here?” He finally said after a moment of uncomfortable, familiar silence. “Ray needs you right now.” His voice was barely above a whisper. Frank grabbed Bob’s shoulder and squeezed it.
“Okay,” Bob nodded. Together the two stood up and quietly walked back to the building. When the two of them were back inside they both took a seat next to Ray.
“Ray,” Bob said as he gave the other man a pat on the shoulder.
Ray smiled. “Where’d you go man?”
“I just went to get some fresh air,” Bob replied smiling back.
Ray gave him a look before answering. “Sure.” Bob shrugged and looked away. “So, they say that I’ll be discharged soon.”
“That’s great,” Frank said.
“Yeah,” Ray smiled. “Then I can go home and see my girl.” Bob and Frank shared a worried look. “I’m going to ask her to marry me.”
“But… Ray,” Frank said.
“Before I left she kept begging me to marry her.”
“Ray…” Bob whispered.
Ray looked over at him and smiled. “Yeah?”
Bob opened his mouth but no words came out. He could not believe it. Did his friend really not remember?
“She broke up with you,” Frank said softly. “Remember, Ray?”
Ray looked over at Frank with a confused look on his face. “What are you talking about?”
“The letter,” Frank answered.
“What letter?” Ray asked looking back and forth from Frank to Bob. “Oh, I know,” Ray chuckled. Bob couldn’t help but think that his laughter sounded a bit odd. “You guys are jealousy that I’m going to be married.” Bob looked over at Frank with a confused look on his face. “Don’t worry. We’ll still be friends. Nothing will change.” Ray reached over and patted Bob’s arm.
“Ray. She broke up with you,” Frank said slowly.
Ray shook his head. “What the hell man?” Ray was angry now. “What are you saying?” He was screaming now. He was not making any sense. Ray tried to sit up all while screaming at Frank. Bob did not know what he was saying any more. It sounded almost hysterical to his ears. He could not believe that his friend was acting this way. This wasn’t Ray at all.
Frank was trying to get Ray to calm down and lay back down. Bob was faintly aware of someone, probably a nurse, coming over to help calm Ray down. Bob stood up from his chair. Frank was pushed to the side as another nurse came over.
Bob was beginning to feel a little over whelmed by all of the chaos. He started to move backwards but accidentally tripped and landed on the end of the bed.
“My leg!” Ray shouted. “Get off of my fucking leg Bob!”
Bob looked down, and true to what he felt; there was nothing there.
“My leg!” Ray kept shouting. “It hurts!”
One of the nurses guided Bob off of the bed as more nurses came to help. Bob saw one of the women holding a needle trying to find a place to inject it into Ray. Bob looked over at Frank. They both had the same disbelieving, terrified look in their eyes. What had happened to their friend? This was not what they had signed up for. This was not what they wanted.