It was Chicago for a moment
Title: It was Chicago for a moment
Author:
alles_luege
Pairing: William/Gabe, William/Gerard (Everyone loves everyone, because I’m just that kind of writer.)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: William is seeing a ghost and who else can he ask about shit like that than Gerard Way?
Warning(s): boykissing, implied threesome.
Author’s Notes: So, yes, that IS a ghost story. Title from The Dandy Warhols.
Word Count: 3.399
Beta: tygermine
Disclaimer: Don’t know, don’t own, not real.
~1~
He doesn’t know where he is.
Just another nameless town.
They are blurring together in his mind. Like commercials, forgotten as soon as the next starts.
It rained before and the streets are glistening wet. Puddles of black water in a black world. Maybe that is his melancholy speaking again. Doesn’t matter. Fact is; it’s night, cold and he is lost. Well, kinda lost. He could just call someone to get him. He isn’t sure why he is here anyway. Alone.
He gets his cell out, his fingers running along the numbers, it’s warm in his hand, but cooling rapidly. He sighs, leaning against the nearest wall, which happens to be brick, gets out the cigarettes but doesn’t light one. He doesn’t smoke. These aren’t even his.
He looks up and there she stands. In the deserted street. Her hair fluttering softly in the wind, her black coat flickers. Her face is pale, nearly white. He can’t see her eyes, everything about her is shadows, either alabaster white or pitch black. He blinks and she is gone.
And maybe that’s the reason he is here, he thinks. To see her again. On a rainy night like this, in a town he doesn’t know the name of.
He leans his head against the cold, wet stone and closes his eyes. It’s not the first time he’s seen her. He’s sure it will not be the last.
“The Cobra is listening…”
“Come and get me,” William says rolling his eyes at Gabe’s standard, stupid greeting. He hears laughter on the other end of the phone.
“Where are you?”
“I don’t… know…” he answers slowly, looking around for a street name. Finding one, he tells Gabe and waits to get picked up.
It starts to rain again, but he doesn’t move from his spot. He wants to go back to the hotel, he wants to forget her. Seeing her. Here. Of all places.
“The hell?” Gabe asks, as William silently shakes his head and climbs into the backseat of the taxi. “You’re wet.” Gabe looks at him, something like worry flickering over his face.
“It is raining,” he points out softly. He doesn’t look at Gabe: he looks out of the window. In hope of seeing her again. In fear of seeing her again.
“You could’ve found a bar or something…” Gabe says.
“Yeah,” he answers, but he isn’t really listening.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Gabe is starting to get a little nervous around his unusually quiet friend.
“Do you believe in ghosts?” William asks suddenly. He can see Gabe’s face in the car window. A reflection of real life…like her. But not.
“No…do you?”
“Maybe,” William says, leaning his head against the cold glass. The rain is drumming against the window as they’re heading to the hotel. To normality.
“Really, what’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
“Do you want to talk to Patrick?” Gabe asks already pulling his cell out.
“No,” William answers smiling a bit. He doesn’t think Patrick will have an answer to this, even if Patrick usually is the oracle of answers. Because Patrick doesn’t believe. Pete might.
“Okay. We get you to the hotel and then we get you drunk,” Gabe says.
“That’s not the solution.”
“Pot then…Travis says it’s the solution to any problem…” Gabe answers. William laughs, because honestly!
~2~
It’s a few weeks later and he isn’t lost, he’s just standing outside a club, breathing. Just catching some air. And there she is again. He looks at her, she looks back - maybe. He isn’t sure. He is never sure with her.
Her hair isn’t fluttering, because there is no wind. She wears the same clothes, she always does. He shivers in the cold autumn air. And she is gone.
Of course she is; she never stays long.
“Where have you been?” Gabe wants to know, his voice is too loud, too cheery. He’s drunk.
“Outside.”
“What for?”
“Air,” William answers shortly. Gabe looks at him.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asks. William realises he can’t answer that question. Because there is nothing wrong with him. It’s her. “Talk to Patrick,” Gabe says again, already dialling Patrick’s number and pressing the phone into William’s hand. He wants to protest, but Gabe glares at him, so he just takes the phone outside.
“Yes?” Patrick’s voice sounds tired. “Gabe?”
“No…”
“William.”
“Yeah…” William says and doesn’t know how to continue from here.
“What is it?” Patrick wants to know.
“I’ve seen a ghost.” William states.
“Okay…have you been with Travis again? You know what Pete thinks about it…”
“This was a bad idea.” William mutters.
“What?”
“Gabe said I should talk to you, but I knew you wouldn’t believe me…couldn’t help me at all.” He sighs leaning against the cold wall.
“You’re serious about this?” Patrick asks. William nods, remembers that he is on the phone, and says yes. “Maybe you should talk to someone else about this.”
“Like who? Who would believe that?”
“Gerard.”
“Patrick…” William whines. Almost.
“William. He believes in vampires and ghosts and shit like that. I think it runs in the family, cos Mikey has this thing about unicorns.” Patrick begins rambling.
“Patrick!” William is getting annoyed. “There’s got to be someone else.”
“Have you spoken to Gabe?”
“Gabe? He thinks I’m insane.”
“Right. And that’s why you are talking to me right now and not Gabe.”
William sighs, but asks for Gerard’s number anyway.
He doesn’t call until he sees her again. Outside the venue. Through the window. She’s just standing there, like always. Like a reminder of something he can’t remember.
“Yeah?” Gerard’s voice sounds curious.
“Hi…it’s William?” This shouldn’t be a question at all. He winces. He’s such an idiot. What is he doing?
“Patrick mentioned you might call.”
“Yeah…well, about that…” he doesn’t know what to say. He feels so stupid for calling in the first place. He shivers, grabs the phone tighter.
“So…” Gerard’s voice is soft, inviting him to spill all his secrets. William takes a deep breath.
“I’ve seen a ghost.” He says it in a rush and waits.
“What does it look like?”
“It’s a girl…woman, I don’t know. I can’t see her face. I can never see her face…”
“What does she do?”
“She just stands there. In the dark. Looking at me.” William answers.
“What does she want?”
“I don’t know. Should I?” He sounds a little bit desperate.
“How many times have you seen her?”
“I don’t know…honestly. I wasn’t counting,” he answers a little bit frustrated. “I’ve seen her before…”
“Before what?” Gerard asks. William can hear him exhale. He’s smoking.
“Before…this. I was a kid…well fourteen or something. The first time was after a Midtown show.”
“Hmmm…”
“Hmmm?”
“I’m thinking.”
“Right.”
“I’ll call you back,” Gerard says after a while of painful silence.
“Okay.”
~3~
She keeps haunting him and he doesn’t know why. Neither does Gerard.
“William?” Gabe says and William looks up from his book. He’s lying on the bed, Gabe sitting next to him.
“Yeah?”
“What’s wrong with you?” Gabe is starting to sound like a broken record.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s something,” Gabe says, his voice firm.
“You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
“Try me.”
“I’m seeing a girl…”
“Mazultof.” Gabe says, but he doesn’t sound that happy. William slaps his arm. “What was that for?”
“You’re such a moron. Really. I’m seeing the ghost of a girl.”
“Well,” Gabe shrugs. “Everyone has their kinks.”
“I said you wouldn’t believe me,” he answers a little bit frustrated.
“I do.”
”No, you’re just being patronising. That’s not the same.”
Gabe keeps silent. It’s true and he can’t lie to William, they know each other just too well for that kind of shit. He settles for stroking William’s back and petting his hair until they fall asleep.
William remembers her. Remembers the exact day he’d seen her the first time and then forgot about her for years. It was autumn and cold outside. Rainy. Dark. She was standing across from him on the other side of the street. Her hair was fluttering in the wind and light rain. Her face was pale, but not the shade that it is now…
He opens his eyes and blinks. Not the same shade. He climbs over Gabe’s sleeping body and grabs his phone.
“Yeah?”
“She wasn’t dead!” William says exited.
“The first time you saw her.” It’s a good thing he is talking to Gerard. Because Gerard is weird like that. He just simply gets it. No matter what ‘it’ is.
“Yes!” William answers, even if that wasn’t a question at all. “I remembered her…she was there all those years ago. She was at this show…she was standing on the other side of the street. Looking at me. I think she smiled…I don’t know. What does she want now?” He sits down on the floor and shivers; it’s cold. He would be rather in bed, even with Gabe there. But he needs to find out what she wants. He wants her gone. He can’t look at her soft, sad face anymore.
“To tell you something.” Gerard says.
“That’s a guess, right?”
“Yes,” he laughs softly into the phone.
William shivers. What’s with this voice? It’s like a vine made of smoke or velvet or something. Twisting its way around him. He shakes his head. Melancholy again…poetic desperation…
“Do you think I can talk to her?”
“You can try. What harm can it do?”
“Ever seen ‘Poltergeist’?” William answers. Gerard laughs again.
“Yes, but I don’t think that’s what you’re dealing with.”
“Maybe.” He leans his head against the wall and closes his eyes.
“William?”
“Yeah?”
“It will be alright.”
Strangely enough William believes him.
“Why are you sitting on the floor?” Gabe asks.
He’s standing in the doorway, looking dozy and his hair is a mess. He’s scratching the back of his head and that doesn’t help the hair situation at all.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“That doesn’t answer why you’re sitting here on the cold floor, clutching your phone like a lifeline.” Gabe answers.
“I…was talking… to Gerard.” He says and feels like he’s betraying Gabe. And that doesn’t make any sense at all. He sighs.
“Gerard Way?”
“You know any other?”
“Plenty,” Gabe says with a smile. “Want coffee?”
William can only nod in reply.
“You need to go back,” Gerard says.
William is standing outside a coffee shop in the cold autumn air. Shivering and talking to Gerard again, because he’d seen her last night.
“To Chicago?”
“Yes, that’s where you saw her the first time after all.”
“Chicago…I can’t, I have shows to play…” William says.
“Well, you don’t have shows every day, do you?”
“No…”
“Chicago. I have this weekend off. Wanna meet there?”
“You want to come?”
“Why not?”
“You’re never seen a ghost, have you? And you think now is your chance…”
“Maybe. Maybe I want to see you?” William can’t tell if Gerard is teasing him or not. He swallows. Hard.
“Right. Meet me at the airport.”
“See you there.”
William can hear Gerard’s soft, velvety laugher long after he disconnected the call.
“You’re flying to Chicago? To meet with Gerard Way?!”
“No!”
“That’s what you said a few seconds ago,” Gabe says.
“I’m flying to Chicago to see the girl’s ghost.” William tries to explain.
“Riiiiiiight.” Gabe’s not buying it. Not for a second.
“Fuck you.” William bites out. A little pissed because what business is it of Gabe’s what he does with Gerard - or doesn’t? Because he doesn’t do anything with Gerard Way. They just talk.
“William…” William can almost hear Gabe roll his eyes.
”No, I need to do this.” William cuts him off.
“In that case, I need to go pack.”
“You…what?”
“I’m coming with you. No way am I leaving you alone with Gerard Way and a dead girl…”
“Ehm…”
“I’ll meet you at the airport.” Gabe says and ends the call.
William stares at his cell. Right. What was that all about? Sometimes he doesn’t get Gabe at all. Really…like he’s from another planet or galaxy or some parallel universe.
~4~
He sees Gerard the second he steps outside the airport. He’s leaning against a pillar smoking. Sunglasses on. All in black. And surprisingly free of fangirls.
“Hi.” William says. Gerard nods. “We’re just waiting for Gabe…”
“I know. Why did he want to come?” Gerard asks. He just sounds curious. He takes a deep drag from his cigarette as he waits for William to reply.
“I don’t know…said something about not leaving me alone with you and a dead girl…Like I was in danger.” William answers with a laugh.
“Maybe you are.” Again, William isn’t sure if Gerard is teasing him or not. He prays it is the former.
“Didn’t you say you don’t think it’s a Poltergeist-thing?”
“Not from her.” Gerard says quietly. William is confused for about three seconds before his brain catches up with what Gerard said and his face turns a light shade of red.
“Funny.”
“Who said I was kidding?” Gerard asks with a smile. William prays harder.
William would never admit it, but Gabe saves him. Drapes himself all around William from behind, kisses his cheek or tries, misses and plants a kiss on his neck, just above his scarf.
“Gabe!” He exclaims.
“Yep. Gerard.” He says in Gerard’s direction. Gerard nods.
The ride to the hotel is a silent affair. And William is very aware that something is going on here, because Gabe isn’t silent. Ever. Not with him, not…EVER.
They check in and then meet in a coffee shop for brain storming, as Gabe calls it. Even if he doesn’t believe a single word about the ghost-girl.
“So?” he asks.
“So, what?” William asks back, sipping his latte.
“So, what are we going to do now?”
“We’re waiting for the rain.” Gerard says. Gabe looks at him as if he were insane. And that is rich William thinks, because honestly! Who claims to have seen a Cobra-Starship?
Pot? Kettle? Black?
“I’ve only seen her when it rained.” William explains.
“Okay. Will it rain this weekend?”
“Yes.” Gerard answers.
Gabe sighs because, come on, is Gerard like a secret meteorologist as well?
“When?”
“Tomorrow night. Today maybe…it’s autumn and we’re in Chicago.” Gerard answers.
“Right. So what do we do until then?”
“Hang out.” Gerard says.
“Great.” Gabe sounds a little bit frustrated.
They watch a movie, drink some wine, well, Gerard has some Mountain Dew, and eat Chinese takeout.
Gabe is draped all over William again, because he always is. Gerard sits on his other side; his knee is touching William’s. It’s nice. He likes it. He’s pleasantly drunk and tired. He leans into Gerard and Gabe follows his movement. Everything is nice, warm. He yawns, closes his eyes and stops thinking altogether.
As he wakes his neck is stiff and Gabe’s breath on his skin is too hot. Gerard is kinda crushed under them. His head on a pillow on the armrest of the couch. His right hand on William’s thigh. He rolls his neck and shoulders carefully and disentangles himself from the mess of limbs. Gabe grabs sleepily his wrist, but his hand slips away a few seconds later.
William breaths deeply in relief, and goes over to the window. It’s dark outside and it’s raining. He has the urge to wake Gerard or even Gabe…but he doesn’t. They look really peaceful tangled in each other on the couch. He smiles and thinks: What the hell am I doing?
He leans his head against the cold window class and listens to the rain.
“William?” a soft voice asks behind him some time later. He doesn’t know how long he stood there, listening to the rain.
“Yeah?”
“Are you alright?”
“I think I’m not…” he says and is surprised that he said it. He wanted to lie.
Gerard is silent, William can hear him lit a cigarette and wants to say that he can’t smoke in here, but he thinks that Gerard wouldn’t care. He’s a fucking rock star after all.
Before he knows it Gerard is at his side. Looking at him, while leaning against the window and smoking his cigarette.
“The girl?”
“Maybe…don’t think so.” William answers.
“What then?”
“Gabe…you.” He answers, still not looking at him. He is aware of the warmth Gerard’s body is radiating, but they aren’t touching at all.
“I see.” Gerard says and William believes him.
“I don’t know…why did it take me so long to realise that?” William mutters. Gerard is silent again. “What do I do now?” He sighs; his breath leaves an oval shape on the glass.
He’s waiting for her Saturday night. Just stands where she stood all these years ago. It’s raining, but just slightly. The club is long gone and the alley is deserted, garbage littering the street and the front doors, the steps.
She appears out of nowhere. And she smiles.
“So, you fell in love with him?” He asks, she nods. He doesn’t know why he asked that particular question. Maybe, because he’s too aware of his own feelings right now. “And you were never able to meet him?” She nods again. “And now I’m in love with him…and you…you wanted what? To show me that I am?” He isn’t sure what he’s doing, but she is smiling and nodding. He smiles back at her. “So I shouldn’t waste my time, hmm?” She laughs, without making a sound, and fades away. He doesn’t think he will see her again. He takes his cell out and calls Gerard’s number.
“I think I will miss her…” he says, Gerard laughs his velvet, smoke laugh that makes William shiver.
“So she’s gone for good?”
“I think so…”
”What did she want?” Gerard asks.
“Me to realise what I’m feeling, not to waste time…like she did. I think,” he answers.
“Must I come pick you up?”
“Yeah.”
~5~
The first thing he does when he steps into the suite is kiss Gabe. Slow and sensual. And just a little bit desperate. He’s dripping rainwater onto the carpet and he doesn’t care.
“What was that for?” Gabe asks, but he’s smiling. William shrugs.
“He’s not wasting time, because life is short,” Gerard answers. Gabe looks at him, his gaze flickers from William’s hand on Gerard’s wrist to Gerard’s calm face.
“Did ghost-girl tell you that?”
“Maybe…” William replies.
“And that…?” he asks pointing at their joined hands.
“That…” William is at a loss. He doesn’t know what to say, even when life is short, that still can’t be right. It just happened…he didn’t intend to fall for Gerard. He really didn’t.
Gerard looks at Gabe. Just looks and Gabe…William doesn’t know what Gabe sees.
“So, life is short and that’s what you want?” He asks turning his head from Gerard’s gaze to William.
“I…”
“Life is short and that’s how it is.” Gerard says quietly. He lights another cigarette.
William isn’t sure how it happens, but suddenly he’s crushed between Gabe and Gerard, the cigarette lies on the ground. They sure as hell will need to pay for the damage on the carpet.
“I’m not sure I like you.” Gabe whispers in Gerard’s ear. William can feel and hear Gerard laugh.
“That’s okay.” He answers.
He’s warm and comfortable between Gabe and Gerard, he’s drifting in this nice place between sleep and not, on the shores of dreams to come. And he remembers. Not just her. He remembered her before. He remembers him. He opens his eyes and searches in the dark for Gerard’s hand. Grabs his wrist hard as he finds it.
“What?” Gerard asks sleepily.
“You were there too…” William whispers; he doesn’t want to wake Gabe who is snoring softly on his other side.
“What?” Gerard isn’t the fastest when he hasn’t had any coffee. And it’s in the middle of the night.
“That day in the club, you were there too.”
“I never…oh yeah, we played a show with Midtown…back in the days.” he says slowly.
“You were there.” William whispers smiling.
“Maybe physically…”
“Yeah. I remember that too. You threw up over the amp. It was disgusting. But, yeah. Here we are. I’m gonna shut up now…” William says as he realises he’s bubbling.
“Okay,” Gerard says turning, kissing William’s shoulder and burrowing his head in William’s hair. A few minutes later William can hear the rhythmic breathing that indicates Gerard is asleep.
~end~