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"Gee, wait up!!" Called out Mikey, running to try and catch up with his older brother, who was much farther ahead of him, being three years older and all.
"Mom said for you to stay out of the forest, Mikey!" Gerard finally stopped to let his smaller brother catch up.
"Then why are you goin' in?" He took an oppositional stance. If he couldn't go in, why could Gee?
"I got permission, duhhh." He retorted with his tongue sticking out. "I told mom I wanted to draw some o'the trees and she said I could go in as long as I can still see the shed."
Little Mikey pursed his lips. "Then why can't I go in with you?" To which Gerard threw up his arms in defeat.
"I don't know! Go ask mom! I'm gonna go draw." That seemed to work, as Mikey turned and started running back towards the house to go ask.
Gerard turned his attention back to the woods and entered into the tree line, checking behind him every now and again to make sure he could, in fact, still see the shed as he had been told. He found a quiet little spot and set up camp, laying out his sketchpad and colored pencils, his main mechanical pencil stuck behind his ear.
He sat on the damp earth and leaned back against the trunk of a rather large tree, looking about and wondering what he should draw first. He picked up his sketchpad and decided on a small flowering plant nearby. It was purple and rather pretty, and he thought maybe his grandmother would like to see it. She always liked to see whatever Gee drew.
He was coloring in his outline when something caught his eye, just off to the side. It was blue, and it seemed to sparkle in the brief moment he'd seen it. It looked like a butterfly, he thought, but not quite. Before finishing the flowers, he grabbed his mechanical pencil and started drawing what he thought the wings he'd seen looked like. He had finished one wing when he thought he saw it again, a little clearer and a little bit closer. He cocked his head to the side and scrunched his brows together. He soon went back to work on his drawing, adding a body that looked rather like a person's, and finishing it off with the second wing. He looked it over and decided it wasn't his best work, but chalked it up to not being able to really see what he was drawing properly. He signed it in his youthful scrawl, dating it "1987," and decided against coloring it in. The only blue he had was much too dark for the colors he'd seen. He wasn't sure what it was he'd drawn, but he thought maybe it would want to see the finished project. He wasn't even sure the creature was still around, let alone whether it would care about some ten year old's drawing of it. He carefully ripped it out of his sketchbook anyway, leaving it next to him at the base of the tree, and went to finish his drawing of the purple flowers for his grandmother.
Mikey never came back, so Gerard guessed that mom had told him no, but eventually it got too quiet in the woods, and Gee stood up to start going back home. He gathered his things and looked at the drawing of the strange butterfly creature, considering taking it with him. He shook his head to himself, but decided he'd come back out tomorrow and see if it was still there. He ran back home and went through the back door, taking his shoes off after setting his art supplies down on the small table just inside.
"Draw anything good?" His mom called out, having heard the back door open and shut.
"Yeah! Some pretty purple flowers, I thought grandma would like 'em." He called back. "Where's Mikey?" He asked. He wanted to tell him about the butterfly-thing.
"He passed out on the couch," his mom said, coming into view.
"Oh. Hey mom, have you ever seen a human butterfly?"
"A human butterfly?" She parroted, an expression of confusion on her face.
"Yeah, like, a tiny person with butterfly wings. I think I saw one today in the woods."
Her expression changed to one of recognition. "Oh... You mean a fairy?"
"Fairy..." Gerard repeated quietly. "That's what they're called?"
His mother nodded. "Mhm, but they're make believe, Gerard. It was probably just a regular butterfly."
Gerard scrunched his face. There was no way he'd seen just a regular butterfly. This was Belleville, he'd seen regular butterflies, and they never sparkled like that before. Gerard took a seat at the kitchen table, opening up his sketchbook.
"Those flowers are lovely, Gee," his mother remarked.
"Thanks." He looked at the clock. Darn, it was already past five. "Hey mom, can we go to the library tomorrow?"
"Sure, I don't think we're doing anything else. We'll go in the morning, okay? Go get you and your brother ready for dinner."
Gerard nodded and stood to go wake Mikey and wash his hands.
::::
Gerard and Mikey practically ran into the library the next day, Mikey heading straight for the comic books where he and Gee usually hung out, but pausing when he realized his brother was looking for something else. “What’cha lookin’ for, Gee?” he asked quietly as his older brother thumbed through a number of books in a section labeled “mythology.”
“Uh, something about fairies...” he replied, pulling a book off the shelf and continuing to look through the rest.
“Whats’a fairy?”
“Here, look,” Gerard sat on the floor and opened one of the books, flipping through the pages until he found something that he thought looked right. He pointed to a drawing of a little winged person sitting on a flower. “They’re like tiny butterfly people. Mom said they aren’t real, Mikey, but I saw one!” he whispered excitedly. He read the page as Mikey looked at the picture.
“Why would mom say they’re not real if you saw one?”
Gerard shrugged. “She probably hasn’t seen one. Apparently most people haven’t,” he responded, referring to what little he’d read already. “Hey, I’m gonna go read this stuff.” Gerard said, standing with the couple books he’d picked out. His mother said she’d be back in an hour, so he had plenty of time, and the librarians knew them here.
“I’m gonna go look at the comics an’ stuff.”
“Okay! I’ll be at our table.”
Gerard read as much as he could in an hour, Mikey sitting next to him reading comic books the whole time, occasionally leaning over and asking if there was anything cool.
“Yeah, I wanna try some of this stuff in here. It says fairies like sweets. Do we have any sweets at home?”
Mikey nodded. “I think mom’ll give you one of the cookies from last week if you ask.” Gerard smiled. “Just don’t tell her it’s for fairies, Gee. If she don’t believe in them, she’s not gonna start.”
“Didn’t plan on it.” He looked up at the clock on the wall. “Mom’ll be here soon, Mikey.” Gerard stood and went to put his books back, then heading over to the comics and picking out a few to bring home.
::::
Some time after lunch, Gerard gathered together his art supplies in a small backpack he usually reserved for school. He found his mother at the kitchen table, undoubtedly looking over the finances like she usually did in that seat. “Hey mom, can I go draw in the woods again?”
“You’re going stay where you can see the shed again, right?” she asked, to which he nodded.
“Same spot as yesterday.”
“Sure, Gee. Come back before dinner, okay?” she smiled at him.
“Can I have a cookie for snack?” Gerard remembered just before he turned to leave. His mother stood and reached into their cookie jar, taking out two cookies and handing them over.
“Have fun, honey.”
“Sure thing!” he called out as he ran out the back door, back to where he’d been the day before. He first went to the tree, where he had left his drawing. To his dismay, it hadn’t moved an inch. But as he looked, he noticed what seemed to be tiny footprints stamped into the paper. There were only a few trails, two or three, but they were unmistakably footprints. His eyebrows raised in curiosity. Maybe they really are real.. he thought. He sat on the earth, facing the tree, and took to pulling out his supplies from his bag. This time, just in case, he brought a light blue crayon along with his regular colored pencils. He drew a few more pictures of the fairy he thought he had seen, coloring them in this time, and deciding he needed something to bring home, drew a big picture of the great oak in front of which he was sitting. It was just starting to get dark out when he finally felt satisfied. He left the pictures of the fairy, along with one of the cookies, broken up into little pieces.
I hope they like cookies...
He gathered the rest of his things and ran quickly back to his house, just in time to get ready for his favorite spaghetti made with his grandmother’s sauce.
::::
It was a couple days before his mom let him back into the forest, since the weekend had ended and he’d had homework, among other things. When he finally, after what felt like forever, returned to that spot beneath the big oak near the purple flower, he found the drawings were gone and the cookie had clearly been eaten, or at least nabbed by a wild animal. He looked at the spot he'd left them, noticing a small unusually colored pebble that he was pretty sure hadn't been there before. He picked it up into his small hands, looking it over. From a certain angle, he thought, it kind of looked a lot like a clear pink heart. It was really pretty, and he scrutinized it for a while before deciding to draw it, setting it back down onto a small mossy patch of ground, thinking it would make a pretty green background to contrast the light clear pink of the stone.
As he drew, he thought he saw colors fly by the corner of his vision every now and again. It was when he pulled out his colored pencils that he felt a very light weight settle on his shoulder. He glanced over with his eyes, afraid to frighten whatever it was, and saw a bright teal glow and little feet, human-like in nature. He smiled warmly but decided to focus on getting his drawing done, hoping to not disturb the small creature that had so generously decided to give him its company. He finished his drawing as the sun started to set, signing it hastily, putting "Gee" in quotes as a nickname, and packed his stuff up to leave. As he started to move, he felt the weight lift off his shoulder, and he thought to turn to it, but whatever-it-was had already flown off and out of sight.
"If you're there," he said quietly, "and you understand me, um... If you left that rock for me, thank you. It's pretty."
He left the drawing in place of the rock, feeling sorry he didn't have anything else to leave behind, and gently put the rock in his jacket pocket before heading home for dinner. It didn't matter to him he had nothing to show his mom. He could tell her he had fallen asleep. He just couldn't wait to show Mikey the rock.
::::
It wasn’t until that Saturday Gerard was able to return once again to the woods behind his house, and, much to his chagrin, he only had an hour before he was to go back home. He had whined that an hour was not nearly enough time to draw, but his mom didn’t budge. Grandma Elena was having them over for an early supper, and his mom was always very punctual. Still, he wandered back to his favorite spot, wondering what became of his most recent drawing. Surprisingly, it was still in it’s spot, and for a moment Gerard was disheartened. As he looked again for little footprints, he noticed instead that someone had added to his drawing. Next to where he had written his nickname, he saw the lettering was repeated, in a very small, nearly not-english scrawl. “Gee,” he breathed as he read his own nickname in what was most certainly not his handwriting. To the right of it was a small heart, a little lopsided.
“Y-you like the drawings?” he said outloud, unsure if anyone, or anything, was around to hear. Still, he was elated. He smiled brightly and looked around, trying to remember things he had read while in the library almost a week before. He gathered some twigs, big leaves, acorn caps, and other little supplies and set to work on something he thought he could get done in the hour he had. It didn’t take long before he was satisfied with his work.
He looked over the tiny home he had built, hoping it wasn’t too small for a fairy to enter, and smiled with some small amount of pride. It looked pretty good, for not having any floorplan.
“I- I hope you like it.. it’s no home, but maybe you can play in here? I like playing in little pretend houses with my little brother, Mikey.” Okay, maybe he was really just talking to himself, but he’d had fun doing it, so no harm done. He looked around, hoping to find a small hint of blue somewhere, but saw nothing.
“I’ll try to come back tomorrow, okay?” he said to nothing in particular, and trudged along the path he had started to make back to his house.
::::
He did indeed come back the next day, sitting next to the big tree with a couple of comic books. He didn't really feel like drawing today, and his comics were going to be due back at the library soon. He didn't have anything for the fairies today, much to his chagrin, but after some time spent reading, he again felt a light weight settle on his shoulder.
This time, Gerard wasted no time in trying to talk to it. He allowed himself to turn his head, gently, and his eyes settled comfortably on a warm glow. It couldn't make out any features, though, something inexplicable obscuring his vision from focusing properly.
"H-hi.." He breathed, barely even a whisper. He saw the blue glow brighter, almost as an affirmative, in recognition of his greeting. The small creature flit off his shoulder and onto the ground below.
“Are.. Are you a fairy? A real fairy?” He breathed out the question with hushed excitement, and again the tiny being glowed in affirmation. Gerard smiled wide, and despite his bubbling curiosity, he managed to keep his voice calm.
“Did you like the little playhouse..?”
The fairy beamed happily and waltzed over to the little structure, opening the door and entering, its light shining through the holes and cracks.
Gerard giggled softly under his breath. “Good, I’m glad.”
Gerard asked the fairy innocent yes or no questions for a good half hour, which the small blue creature seemed more than happy to respond to. The fairy was a "he," though Gerard had found out that that didn't mean he was a boy. He wasn't sure what that meant, but the fairy seemed pretty adamant about not being called a boy. The fairy liked Gerard's art, and upon further questioning, liked Gerard in general. Gerard left for home beaming, and with a promise from the fairy that they would get to talk more next time, and a promise from Gerard that he would bring more snacks.
::::
“Next time” came a few days later, in the evening, and Gerard brought with him a couple of slices of banana bread his mom had made him. He got to his usual spot, only to find the little fairy play house gone, and a circle of mushrooms in its place. He frowned at his missing handiwork, concerned about what happened to it, where the pieces had gone. He’d put a lot of effort into building that, and seeing it disappear was just plain disheartening. He sat against the tree, slumping himself over in vague defeat. After a minute or two of moping, Gerard sprang as he heard someone clear their throat somewhere close by. His eyes shot wide open, ready to run for home, but he saw a familiar blue glow emanating from behind a tree. It was brighter than normal, though, and he soon saw why.
Gerard instantly recognized the being that stepped from behind the nearby pine as his small fairy friend, only he wasn’t small anymore. He was tall, much taller than young Gerard, and suddenly his features were fully visible to the boy, and he no longer glowed, though his bright blue wings remained. He was lithe, muscular, dressed in a simple, yet noticeably high quality cotton garment. Gerard thought it looked a bit like a robe, or a dress, maybe something in between the two. The fairy’s hair was long, and he carried with him an essence of regality. Gerard stared in awe. This was his friend? The fairy just smiled, and then bowed slightly in Gerard’s direction. Gerard stood in stunned silence.
“Gerard Way,” the fairy spoke. “It is my honor to speak to you in your language.”
“H-honor..?” Gerard stuttered out. The fairy nodded, then knelt before the now-mildly-terrified boy, meeting him at eye level. The fairy’s eyes were calm, blue like his wings, and Gerard knew somehow he was safe.
“You’re a great human, Gerard. With much potential. For good, for bad, possibly both. We do not claim to know your future,” the fairy spoke softly. “Fairies care not for alignment. As children of angels and of demons, we choose our own paths.”
Gerard nodded in understanding. Alignment, like, lawful good or chaotic neutral, he could relate to that. He wasn’t sure if that’s quite what his friend meant, but it made sense to him, he supposed. “B-but why are you telling me this..?” Gerard asked, quietly, curiously.
“Gerard, I have neglected to introduce myself properly. I have no name in your tongue, I fear, but I stand before you as king of the Fae.” Gerards eyes widened considerably. He was in the presence of magical royalty, and he’d been giving him cookies. He suddenly found himself very self conscious, a small ten year old kid from New Jersey, nothing special, giving cookies and crayon drawings to a magical king.
The king smiled at him warmly in understanding, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “It’s alright, young one. You have broken no conventions. I speak to you to give you an offering. There are not many fae these days with hearts like yours, and very few humans give us offerings without expecting something in return.”
Gerard blinked. He had read in that one book that people who still believed in fairies would give offerings in hopes of receiving blessings or avoiding mischief. Gerard had given what he had because he wanted to, asking for nothing in return. It wasn’t much, Gerard supposed, but it was what he had. Time, art, his mother’s cookies, the small play house, that was the culmination of his ten years’ possessions.
“Your heart is pure, child, open to possibility, your bones ache to create,” the king began. “And if you would accept this offer, many opportunities will be open to you.”
Gerard hesitated. “Wh-what’s the offer?”
The king smiled. “If you would accept, I would have you be one of my successors, a prince to all of the Fair Folk. A mortal turned fairy, given access to our greatest of abilities, with understanding that one day you may be called upon to take my seat at the throne. Not born into our kind, you would not be bound by our social conventions, never forced into society, excepting your coronation. You would be allowed your human life, growing, aging, again excepting coronation, when your immortality will be sealed to you in the age you are crowned.” The king explained. “There is more, of course, child, but this is all you must know to accept or decline. Prince of the fae, the strongest of magical prowess at your behest, the freedom of a life lived amongst humans, with the unlikely clause of becoming king in your lifetime.”
This was a lot for Gerard to take in. “Unlikely?” He wanted clarification. He might just be a kid, but he knew a big decision when he saw one. His momma didn’t raise no imbecile. He wanted to be sure he knew what he was getting into if he said yes.
The blue winged king just nodded. “I have been king for hundreds’ years’ time. It is my responsibility to have at least one successor to the throne in the event of my demise. I have three adopted sons, much like you would be, but they begin to age in their human forms, and I must prepare for their departure. The chance you will be called upon to take the throne is unlikely, but I cannot pretend it is impossible.”
Gerard just nodded, and took some time to gather his thoughts. The king had returned to standing at his full height, ever patient as Gerard thought through his offer. He was in no way attempting to trick the child, he was earnest in his desire for a young successor, and he saw in Gerard a spark of something important. After some time, Gerard looked over to the king, balling his fists and standing firmly on the ground.
“I accept your offer,” Gerard said without hesitation. This was a good thing, He was sure of it. He’d thought it through, and the offer seemed safe enough. All of the perks of being a fairy, none of the responsibilities, unless he had to become king, which was incredibly unlikely, especially with three other princes in line for the throne before him. The king smiled, and held out his hand in offering, palm facing upwards. Gerard put his own hand in the fairy’s, palm down, and the king took it, bowed, kissed it, and told him to return again, and it would be made final.
“But until it is final,” the king warned. “It is imperative you tell none of the deal you are making. You will know, after, who is safe to tell by the feeling in your soul. But until then, you can trust no one with this.”
Gerard nodded. “I won’t tell anyone, promise.”
The king smiled. “Good, child, now return home. It is late, and your mother is waiting.”
Gerard smiled, thanked the king, and ran all the way home, excited about what may come.
::::
Gerard did keep his promise, he spoke to no one, not even Mikey, concerning what the fairy King had told him. When we went to go back to the woods, Mikey had tried to follow him. Thankfully, their father saw Mikey stalking after Gerard and yelled for him to come back inside, that they could all explore the woods together in a few days. Gerard silently cheered, though he felt bad. He wanted Mikey to be there. But he felt in his heart that it was not for Mikey to see. He realized he felt connected to these woods, that they were, almost, his to look over. He walked slowly back to his spot, taking his time and looking curiously at the plants. There seemed to be more flowers blooming than last time, which was odd. Fall was well on its way, after all, and the leaves were just starting to turn.
He stood in front of his great tree, wondering where the King would be, wondering how any of this would happen. He looked up, peering at the sky through the boughs of the trees, when he felt a warm presence behind him. Startled slightly, he turned around, only to be face-to-chest with the tall King.
"You've returned at last," the King said kindly, taking a step back to look better at Gerard. The boy nodded his head with as much conviction as he could muster. "I made a promise," he said clearly.
"You are prepared, then?"
The boy nodded again. The King smiled warmly.
"We shall begin, then. It will be quick."
The King extended his hand to Gerard, who took it hesitantly. He was filled at the touch with a buzzing sensation coursing throughout his entire frame. The King led him deeper into the wood, and Gerard, even distracted, could make out faint shining colors here and there, like someone sprinkled multicolored Christmas lights throughout the trees. They stopped at last beneath a great oak, far greater than the one Gerard had sat beneath before. The King took his hand and placed it on the tree, palm against the rough bark. He set his hand over Gerard's.
"Close your eyes young one, and feel the life and the magic around you."
Gerard took a deep, brave breath and shut his eyes. The warm buzzing grew quickly, and as he tried to focus he became aware of things he could not have imagined. He felt the life all around him, felt the tree in front of him, the fairies all around, the King beside him; he could point their direction without opening his eyes, he could tell they were there, he could tell their standing in the hierarchy, could feel the strength of their abilities, and he didn't even know their names. He breathed in deeply, and the air tasted clean, almost sweet. The gentle sugary scent of the magic in the forest.
He opened his eyes to look at the King, his superior, only to see him simply glowing, smiling at Gerard.
"Child," he said almost reverently. "You are welcome in our world. You answer to no fae, save myself and your elder brothers."
Gerard nodded in understanding. It was a lot to comprehend all at once, and the King understood. He smiled all the same, learning quickly, magically, about what he now was. He was still human, partially. He knew he was not a full fae- that would be impossible, his parents were mortal, and neither demon nor angel. He had, however, been granted the second highest rank in their society, and all of the abilities that came with it. His blood was imbued with magic, and there was no turning back. Which was fine, because the ten year old boy had no second thoughts anyway.
He turned to look at his surroundings once more, catching a shimmer of golden orange flitting behind his back. It should have been a shock, to have wings. But he had been expecting, or rather more hoping for something as cool as these. He fanned them forward, tracing their edges with his eyes. They looked a lot like the leaves of their state tree, he thought. Perhaps they were supposed to.
"You will accomplish great things in your future," the King smiled. "Good or bad, I do not know. We do not concern ourselves with keeping track of what is 'good' and what is 'bad'. Do what feels right to you, Gerard Way. And you will find your path."
Gerard bowed in deep admiration, and the King returned the bow in full. "Thank you.." The boy said breathlessly. The world had shifted slightly. Magic floated all around him, he could feel it seeping from his pores. He could see the gentle aura of the King framed just inside the blue glow. When he got home, he would see Mikey's aura, too. It would be all happy yellows and bright creative pinks. He would tell him all about the woods and magic and he would know Mikey would trust him, would keep his secret safe. He would know not to tell his parents, know not to tell anyone for a long time, for years, until one day, not very long after Ray would find out, Gerard would meet Frank, and he would know inside of him that Frank could be trusted. He had a long journey ahead of him now, and it was all about to start. Young Gerard smiled one last time at the King, turned, and ran all the way home.