The Tattoo Guy (MCR FIC)

Chap 3: Age 18- 23

Chapter 3:

Age 18:

Gerard lost everything.

Gerard gained everything and it changed his life.

Mikey stayed disappointed and Frank never showed Gerard his tattoo.

His sketchpad that year held only 1 piece of artwork.

‘Cute?

Don’t pull my whiskers kid.

My claws can kill.’

It was fitting for that time. In a way it was a metaphor, in another way it was just a haiku about cats; the way some of Gerard’s family saw it was a suicide note. 

Age 23

(Gerard’s P.O.V)

We woke up late due to totally forgetting to set the alarm when we came in late from my mom’s after dropping off from my new piece revealing at the gallery last night. Luckily all my new meetings were scheduled for later on in the day and with some stupid... no not stupid they pay my bills... with a gallery specialising in Sci-Fi and graphics-y stuff but  I was used to drawing random things for random people back for Cartoon Network.

Stupid ideas had been in my head all night and they got so frantic and flowing that I couldn’t sleep and then to top it all off Ivy crawled into my bed crying from a nightmare, we snuggled up and warmed up the bed even though it was the middle of summer, with her lay cuddled up on my chest like she did when she was a baby we fell asleep straight away.

I rushed to change into my work clothes which was basically black skinny jeans, a planet of the apes t-shirt and an old black denim jacket I had in 7th grade and was only able to wear it when I lost my weight.

I rushed to get Ivy her breakfast and lunch whilst she got dressed for preschool so she could eat it in the car and then helped her put on her matching jacket she pleaded for me to take her shopping to find one, I tied her converse that were more worse for wear but she was a scruff pot like me and didn’t care. I grabbed her hand with everything else whether I needed it or not and headed out the door locking it and running to my silver Subaru.

We ran to the school entrance and through the white and grey corridor to her class, her long light milk chocolate brown hair bounced on her shoulders and her matching hazel eyes looked urgently at me to open the door and apologise for being being late as I stood shyly at the door peaking in at all the kids waddling around dazed obviously no clue what to do with themselves or not woken up fully to know where they were.

“Daddy just go in already or we will be super duper late.” Her sweet small voice showed a little bit of Jersey as she clutched onto my hand more still bouncing on her feet scrunching up her pointy up nose making her too cute to say no to.

“Fine.” I huffed and opened the door to the multicoloured classroom filled with drawings and charts pinned up on the walls and cushions strewn everywhere and anywhere they could fit to sit on. Ivy pulled on my hand as she lightly tapped the extra soft padded carpet with the tip of her shoe. “Where’s your teacher V?” I asked looking around in search of a responsible adult, one who got to work on time and probably didn’t have a 5 year old kid to look after on their own, to speak to.

“Right there silly.” Ivy rolled her eyes looking like Mikey in a weird way and pointed to a smaller than average guy stood in front of a row of pegs hanging up some of the kids jackets and bags who had obviously just been dumped on him, his arms were tattooed where his long sleeves were pushed up and the inks melted into one another in beautiful images of art work and otherwise dressed in the same as I was minus the planet of the apes t-shirt to switching for a... misfits t-shirt.  He looked too young and too punk to be allowed to be a teacher I mean yeah I’m glad he was ‘cus he looked like a cool guy but I was surprised that the school board let him in with the tattoos.

He turned around and I was absorbed into his beautiful brown green eyes melting together like moss and bark and his short silky black hair stuck up in random places drew me in making me want to touch it or run my pale slightly chubby fingers through the little wisps.

I had never seen Ivy’s teacher, being caught up with work and finance and stuff that I had no idea why he looked so familiar and I felt like I already knew him... he looked like he had something different to him.

“Hi I’m Mr. Iero it’s a pleasure to meet you finally, are you ummm Mr. Way?” he held out his hand and I realised he had came closer to us while I had been letting my mind wonder off into space.

Iero... that sounded so familiar yet I couldn’t quiet grab where I knew it from.

“Yeah, call me Gerard, sorry we’re late had a stressful night and stuff.... whoa... um... okay... I.... umm... yeah.” I stuttered like an idiot as my hand left his and the flash of tingles disappeared from up my arm.

“It’s no problem honest, I guess I’ll see you after school then, Gerard.” He smiled at me his cheeky and friendly grin as I nodded and turned my attention to my adorable rosy cheeked daughter who was tugging sweetly on my other hand eager to say goodbye and join her friends... obviously picked up from her mother seeing that I was the unsociable kinda kid back in the day and practically had 1 friend and a little brother to hand out with... but girls were meant to have lots of friends, it was part of their nature right?

“Okay sweetie have fun and behave, I’ll be back at the end of the day okay?” I asked crouching down to her level straightening out her jacket she had put on wonky in a mad rush.

“Okay daddy and don’t forget no more trouble at work or else, I love you.” Her voice soothed my body and her little face warmed me up as she turned from sincere to loving in a flash acting the complete drama queen... wonder who she got that from?... I couldn’t help but wonder what I’d have done without her or what would have happened if I hadn’t – I was pretty sure I’d have killed myself a long time ago- my little wake up call.

“No more trouble, I promise, I love you too beautiful.” I smoothed down her hair that had gone wild from bouncing before she gave me a peck on the cheek and ran to her friends giggling and in a lot of ways her friends were like her... I mean, all in skinny jeans with converse and band t-shirts, pretty normal and they all seemed excited to see each other it reminded me of my senior year when I all of a sudden gained all my friends- from the help of Mike and Ray who knew everyone.

“She’s really cute, you look like two peas in a pod, I hope to see you around more you’ve always been too busy to drop in.” Mr. Iero was still watching me smiling.

“Yeah I know works so hectic, I’d love to stay but I better go, see you later.” I turned and headed back out the school to my car but I couldn’t get his face out of my mind, I couldn’t think to where I knew him before.

At work I was informed I was going to get $13,480 for the Sci-Fi pieces which contained a few panels and one large canvas with a random design of night sky blue twirling in a wisp with blobbed colours blended in for like a different galaxy or something that was due in for Tuesday which meant I had 3 and a half days to do it. I also had a late meeting with a random tattoo firm who liked my old work; I was the tattoo guy again.

Bert a random jock back in high school had one of my wolves tattooed and as he got more ink he decided to set up a parlour which ever since he’d been getting these old high school guys coming in and asking if they knew where I was then BAM they found me again. Bert had asked if I’d like to do some sketches for the boards and for free style costumers I was delighted to do it so I said why not. I spent most my afternoon drawing up designs with them, talking about what happened after high school... he didn’t know about Ivy but my office and studio was pretty much plastered with her cute little face that it was hard not to notice she was my daughter.

*The Haiku is mine so no stealing!