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Ryan's not sure how he got here.
('Here' being his own sofa, in skeleton pyjamas, with Gerard Way outlining the virtues of Back to the Future, lit cigarette waving around as he gestures)
(Gerard's pyjamas, it must be noted, are mummy bandages print)
He'd turned up forty minutes ago, thrust the pyjamas at him and said “get changed, we're doing this properly,” and Ryan doesn't think he's stopped talking since.
Gerard pauses to find somewhere to stub his cigarette out and Ryan takes the opportunity to ask
“Why are you here?”
Because there's no reason in the world Gerard should be here, and Ryan's still not sure he's not hallucinating.
“I heard you might need someone to talk to,” Gerard says. He gives up looking for an ashtray and pinches the cigarette out, wincing.
“How do you even know where I live?” Ryan feels like he's missing something vital here.
“Ways and means,” Gerard's smile shows all this teeth, because he's exactly the kind of person, Ryan realises, who'll make stupid puns and then laugh at them.
It's kind of refreshing.
“I don't know what you mean,” Hobo licks at his hand and he picks her up and put her into his lap.
“You were wearing pyjamas at 3pm,” Gerard says.
“I'm wearing pyjamas now,” Ryan points out.
“But these are,” Gerard waves a hand, “therapeutic. So we're going to watch this, and if you think of anything you want to say, you can go straight ahead.”
Ryan doesn't quite know the procedure for kicking the subject of several adolescent fantasies out of your house, so he just sits back and lets Gerard press play.
It's kind of nice, having someone here, even just for background noise. He's been alone with his thoughts too much.
After Marty demonstrates Chuck Berry at the enchantment under the sea dance, Gerard turns to him and says.
“Don't give up.”
“I'm not going to-” Ryan says, because he's not going to do anything stupid.
“No, no,” Gerard shakes his head and his newly-dyed hair falls into his face. “I mean with the band.”
“I had two give up on me,” Ryan says, and hears the bitterness in his voice.
Gerard's arm is round his shoulders now and Ryan thinks for one moment that he is day dreaming, although the last time he dreamt this his was much younger, and still had a band. He lets himself go, resting against Gerard. He smells of smoke.
“You give good hugs,” he mumbles. He's missed the contact.
“It's a Dad thing,” Gerard says.
“I wouldn't know,” Ryan says, and Gerard's arm tightens further.
“It's still there,” Gerard says after a few minutes. “You can start again.”
“Can I?” Ryan says stubbornly, because at the moment there doesn't seem to be much point. Northing lasts.
“I think the actual question” Gerard says, over the laughter from the TV screen, “is whether you can not do it. It's who you are and that doesn't change. I can guarantee you've got songs in here somewhere.” and he taps the top of Ryan's head. “You might want to think about sharing them with someone again.
Ryan snorts.
“Still saving lives?” but he doesn't move out of the circle of Gerard's arms.
“Hey,” Gerard says “ Not everyone gets the personal service you know. Now, I think you should heat up that pie I bought. We've still got two more movies to get through.”