Chapter Text
Five Years Ago, Battery City
Meet me at my house in 10? I got something to show u
Gerard smiled at the message on his comm device. Ray had bought two of them off a juvie hall for him and Gerard to communicate outside of school. They weren’t supposed to have anything like this, afterall non-sanctioned friendships and relationships only provided a distraction.
Yeah! I’ll be there as soon as possible :)
Gerard shut the device off and grabbed his white backpack and a white hoodie. He packed his device and secret sketchbook(that was filled with colors from pencils Ray had found him) into the bag and quickly left, shouting back to his robotic parents he was heading out. He shut the door quietly and made his way to Ray’s house down the street; calm, collected, and robotic as if he was the same as every other citizen.
The Way parents trusted their oldest son; he was 15, on track to do something well with his life(maybe not a scarecrow, but definitely something important for Better Living Industries), and was the perfect citizen. He was polite and didn’t go outside the city’s expectations or norms set for all their citizens.
They didn’t know that no rule or norm was worth anything in the solitude of Ray’s room, where Ray had hid forbidden music and instruments and colors, ones he shared with Gerard as if it was his also.
Gerard knocked politely on the Toro’s door a few moments later, their houses weren’t far from one another, more out of the expectation to be polite than actually wanting to. He had to look the part of the perfect citizen to convince everyone else he was. It couldn’t be known that he never took the mandated pills, that he was anything but the same robot as everyone else.
“Hello, Gerard,” Ray said stoically, almost as if he was on the mandated pills. Gerard knew better by the lift in his voice and the light in his eyes, “Come in. Are you having a good day?”
Gerard rolled his eyes but played along, “It’s good. What about you?”
“Better now,” Ray led him up to his room and shut the door, “God, I fucking hate the formalities. Too bad my parents are home.” He sighed and sat down on the floor by his bed, running a hand through his short curls. Ray would have to cut his hair again soon, Gerard realized. It was getting close to being out of code. Ray leaned under his bed and pulled a scratched up, dirty, shoebox out.
Gerard nodded in agreement, though he looked at the box curiously, “What’s that?”
“Music,” Ray smiled and pulled out a tape, one that’d fit into the little tv in Ray’s room that showed all the mandated and approved channels.
Before pressing play on the little box, he made sure to turn the volume down almost to zero. Gerard sat next to him, watching curiously.
A low, rumbling guitar played out quickly. Ray had once said something sounding like that was a bass, though Gerard couldn’t imagine the physical instrument. The only reference he had was thinking of Ray’s guitar as having 4 strings. The guitar he’d bought off some killjoy using years of savings. He couldn’t play it often, not when his family was home, and even then he had to play it quietly just in case.
“She told me this band is called Anthrax,” Ray commented as the song ended and another one began, “They’re from before the wars!”
“For real?” Gerard looked at him in surprise, it was difficult enough to get non-sanctioned music in the city. Even more so to get something from before.
“For real,” Ray confirmed, nodding excitedly as they continued to listen, “God, I can’t believe we’ve gotten away with so much shit.”
“Yeah…” Gerard started, looking back at the small, square tv, “You should slow down with the smuggling, though. You’re gonna get caught.”
Ray snorted, “Like they’d be able to catch me. Plus, I’m too good for re-education. They’d never make me change.”
Gerard wished he could believe him, he wished it would be certain Ray would be able to resist reeducation. Gerard’s eyebrows drew together in concern, “Ray, if something happens we can’t run together. You gotta lay low for at least a little longer. Please. At least until we have an escape plan,” Gerard practically begged, no one was above BL/ind. No matter how confident Ray was, it wouldn’t stop them.
“We will, I promise,” Ray said sincerely, “How about this; if something does happen, to either one of us, the other takes Mikey and runs.”
Gerard looked hesitant, “I don’t think I could leave you behind…”
“You’ll have to,” Ray said sternly, “there’s no chance otherwise. We’ll just have to hope the other is able to escape.”
Gerard leaned his head against Ray’s shoulder and sighed. The music continued playing, “Fine, but if something happens to you I’ll spend the rest of my life worrying.”
Ray giggled, “I know. But don’t linger on me if something happens.”
“Then move on if something happens to me,” Gerard said softly, hoping more than anything that in less than a couple years time the three of them will be gone and truly living. They’d be surrounded by colors and freedom and the excitement of truly living.
“I can’t promise that,” Ray leaned his head on top of Gerard’s, he placed his hand gently on top of Gerard’s, “I don’t think I’d ever be able to.”
-
One Week Ago, The Diner
Party Poison stared longingly at the old communication device, wishing more than anything it’d magically fix itself. That it’d suddenly turn on after four long years of nothing. Maybe Ray had left them hundreds of messages, or maybe none at all.
They couldn’t decide which fate would be worse. Leaving behind a shell of Ray, or leaving behind a Ray that had returned to his old self and now had no one.
In the back of his mind, Party heard steps approaching from behind. The lightness of them only registered in his mind as Kobra’s steps.
“Hey,” Kobra sat down gently next to them. He always moved quietly.
“Hey,” Party didn’t look up at him, merely staring intently down at the device.
“Ghoul’s opening up some power pup right now, figured you’d want to eat,” Kobra never brought up Ray whenever ever Party got like this, or at all. Party never talked about him. They both knew Party couldn’t bare anything more than the mere thought of him. They couldn’t stand anything but reminiscing alone in their head, they didn’t want to discuss what had happened or where he was now.
“Alright,” Party closed his eyes, squeezing the device one last time before placing it softly in their brown, scrappy messenger bag. They stood up and turned around, Kobra following suit.
The two of them headed back into the diner they’d grown to call their home over the past few years, though it was messy and old and deteriorating it was far more lively and comfortable than anything the city had to offer. It had more color and character than the entire city combined.
Party’s life was pretty good, by their standards. They got to terrorize a government that had caused them suffering their entire life, they got to live in color with their vibrant, truest emotions. They had their little brother and Ghoul.
Still, something was missing. Party knew exactly what it was. They didn’t know how to fix it.