Just Don't Burn Your Friends. xXx Ten - Nineteen

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

Chapter 10…//

My eyelids fluttered. I could hear banging around me – today, we were going to be discharged from hospital. On Allie’s birthday.

I sat up, feeling groggy. I hadn’t drank for days, and the withdrawal symptoms were starting to kick in. Oh how I longed for the comforts of a nice tour bus, with a mini-fridge – but no. As our tour bus had gone up in flames, and as Joe had died, we were, once again, being demoted to a van.

I could see Yazz sitting in the bed beside me, grinning. She had been transferred into my room, as we had both suffered the same injuries, and as her room had to be used to keep Joe’s body. Loz was sitting by her side, on a chair, clutching bizarre shape covered in wrapping paper. Around the room, I could see Mikey, Ray, Bob and Zoe seated on chairs. Allie and Frank, however, were nowhere to be seen. Yazz and Loz were grinning devilishly.

‘What’s going on?’ I asked, reaching out for Yazz’s hand, but missing. Loz noticed and pushed Yazz’s bed closer towards my own.

‘Allie’s birthday’ she whispered. ‘Me and Loz have a nice little present lined up for her – all the others have got her a present she can use. They put your name on the tag… we were both kinda out cold at the time they bought it.’ She took my hand and squeezed – a warmth spread through my fingers.

‘Shh, their coming!’ Loz was saying, as she passed the gift over to Zoe. Allie and Frank bustled through the door, her hair a mess, his tie hanging over his shoulder, both eyeliner smudged over their faces. And as soon as they sat down…:

‘Allie don’t want a lot this birthday,
There is just one thing she needs,
She don’t care about the present that we know she’ll love to see,
She just wants him for her own,
More than he will ever know,
Don’t hit him with an army tank,
All Allie wants for her birthday…
Is Frank.’

Loz had her guitar over her knee. She was strumming the notes to “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, as Yazz was singing. By the end, most of the audience were laughing insanely, Frank was a pale pink, and Allie was blushing violently.

‘Thanks guys’ she snapped. ‘Reminds me exactly of the time we performed “All Yazz Wants For Her Birthday Is Gerard” at her thirteenth’.

Yazz went a bright red. I looked at her, amused. She shrugged, as if to say “I didn’t know they were gonna do that! Don’t eat me!”.

I grinned – perhaps a little to broadly, as I nearly choked on my own saliva.

‘Anyways… happy birthday Allie!’ grinned Zoe, thrusting the present into Allie’s lap. ‘We all had to pitch in for it, but we knew it would make you happy… especially after what happened…’

Allie gasped. She carefully tore away the paper, to reveal a white Les Paul sitting in front of her. She fingered the fret board lovingly. ‘Pansy…’ Her eyes swelling up with tears. ‘Thank you all so much…’

She stood up. ‘Well what are we waiting for! Let’s get out of here! We’ve cancelled enough shows already!’

Everybody else followed her – everbody except me and Yazz.

‘Allie, wait!’ She called. Allie turned back, eyeing Yazz under her covers. And then she grinned.

‘Famous Stars, Ordinary, Rockett or Criminal Damage?’

‘I’ll take Rockett and drainpipes – don’t forget the converse’. She was grinning – apparently, Allie had been clothes shopping for us. ‘Gerard?’

’Ordinary, drainpipes and converses’ I said, beaming.

‘You got it’.

[decay;;]

Awwww!
Sweet ^_^
A song for Allie.
TRIM PRESENT TRIMTRIMTRIM!
*is grinning*
Poor Joe.
What was I up to with Frank...
Haha.
Sorta reminded me of your thirteenth eh?
Your thirteenth is gunna be the best.
Practising.
Got Helena, Cemetery Drive, Our Lady Of Sorrows, Romance, most of I'm Not Okay and All Yazz Wants For Her Birthday Is Gerard down.
But alas, enough about that.
MOOREEEEEEEEE!
xoxox *SxPxF*

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

Chapter 11…//

Water was dripping onto my black converses as the clouds overhead turned a murkier shade of grey. We were standing just off of the highway, just over from where Joe had died, awaiting the limo, our hands clutching flowers which would soon scatter the ground as our hands clasped over the casket. Yazz was by my side, quiet and calm, clutching my arm. I knew she still thought it was her fault Joe was dead. And it had been a week since it had happened. We’d performed more, and had a great time – but I knew she was still upset. We all were.

As the shining black paint of the limo drew closer, I felt a rush of bodies around me swarming to the door, as everybody tried to escape the rain on this miserable occasion. Even the weather was reflecting the mood. I held out my hand to Yazz. She took it, and I pecked her quickly on the cheek, smiling warmly, and lead her inside.

Hours seemed to pass before we reached our destination. The grey, stone church in New Jersey was dripping with water as we stepped out into the mud of the graveyard, ready to see Joe for one, final time.

I pushed the wooden doors open. A silence rang through the air, as prayer cards were given out to us, a sweet and sticky scent filling the air, and the lid of the coffin half-pulled back to reveal Joe’s head and shoulders. One other person was already here – we knew Joe wanted a privet affair, but how many people would show up, I wasn’t sure. And this girl was by his side, weeping, running her hand through his hair.

We all sat down next to each other on the front pew. Zoe went to see the girl… I figured she was one of their friends. Yazz was growing restless. Something she hadn’t known must have been rising in her subconscious again. I ran my fingers through her hair, and then took her hand again. She smiled her eyes full of sadness for Joe, and happiness because of what I had done. I don’t know how… but I knew it would make her feel better.

The church was filling up now. On the pew behind us sat Adam, a member of Caution with Joe, way back when they were fourteen. Next to him sat Robbie and Zak… and then Carl. He was totally unrecognisable. Scars were littering his once fresh face, his hair hung limp and uncared for buy his face, and he was quiet. Something he never used to be. Or at least… from what I knew, he never used to be. A vicar was standing at the front of the church, behind the casket, waiting to begin his service.

The funeral was long and tedious. Charlotte, Joe’s girlfriend and the girl crying by his side before the service, was crying all the way through. Zoe was lending a comforting arm to her. Yazz got a little teary, but I put an arm around her waist, whispering comfortingly in her ear. Even Allie wept a little – Frank calming her down with a tender and kind, yet powerful squeeze on the hand.

Yazz was pulling me by the hand. I remembered what we had to do – somebody had to carry the coffin to the graveyard, and it had been Yazz and I who volunteered first. I think she was doing it to try and make it up to Joe. Frank and Allie had also offered to help carry it, as did Loz and Mikey. Ray, Bob and Zoe were busy comforting a crying Charlotte.

We hitched the casket onto our shoulders and trooped out of the church. Chants of “So Long and Goodnight” rang through our ears as the wood dug into mine and Yazz’s shoulders – we had the full weight of the coffin, being at the front, with Allie and Frank behind us.

We lay the casket into a ditch by the ground. Soil flew as Joe’s body was finally laid to rest forever. The marble tombstone was glinting in the wet and miserable sunset, mocking us all. Everybody turned to leave. I signalled that me and Yazz would be with them soon enough.

‘Yazz… you know this wasn’t your fault’ I whispered, rubbing her hand between my own.

‘I still feel like I could of done more… to stop this’ she replied. ‘Everybody dies because of me. I know Allie, Loz and Zoe haven’t been telling me something, Gerard. I know someone else died that night three years ago. And I know they know who saved me.’ Her eyes were shining, pleading and desperate – and I knew I had to tell her.

‘Yazz… it was me’ I answered. ‘I found you all that night. I called up the band, got them to come and help out. I grabbed the one trying to kill you, and shot him. They came after us instead. And our old drummer, Matt, died that night, trying to save you guys. It was the way he would of wanted to go… trying to save others, doing the greater good.’

Her eyes were dwelling up with tears. I put my arms around her neck, letting her cry into my shirt. More water couldn’t hurt… and I knew she needed me. Her friends had been lying to her for three years.

‘Yazz… everything’ll be okay. Nothing like this will ever happen again. I’ll protect you from anything… even vampires.’

Yazz looked up, our eyes meeting. She nodded, and turned to leave, taking my hand. I picked a foot off the ground to follow.

I froze. I heard a strangled gargling noise coming at us from the darkness of the forest connecting onto the graveyard… and I knew what it was.

[decay;;]

Awesome.
That was so damn well-written (as usual).
Good show good show =]]
I kneeww it, I knew Gerard saved you. I guessed ages ago, yay!
Carl being quiet? That's different =]]
MOREEE, I wanna know what the gargling noise is.
And I don't think it's Joe cleaning his teeth...
xoxox *SxPxF*

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

The second long awaited chapter…
Chapter 12…//
Part one of three

I pulled Yazz towards me, flinging my arms around her. My head darted from side to side, analyzing our situation. They were coming at us from all angles, snarling and hungry.

‘Gerard, what’s going on?’ I heard Yazz whimper, looking up into my eyes, her limbs shaking.

‘Don’t worry, it’s all gonna be okay, just… don’t look around. Yazz, I only want you to look at me, promise you’ll only look at me.’ I held her head in my hands, my voice calm, her nodding.

‘Just what’s going on?’ She pleaded. I had to tell her, she’d been kept in the dark about so many things for so long, and I knew she probably couldn’t take anymore.

‘Yazz… it’s vampires.’

[decay;;]

Ooooh.
Some vampires. Cool.
I wonder what'll happen next...
As usual I have a best guess but I'll keep it to myself ^_^
MOREEEE.
I know you have it written.
You just won't post it til I do this.
So I'll take my time =]]







You win.
xoxox *SxPxF*

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

Chapter 12…//
Part two of three

They were circling us. I held Yazz close, trying to decide what to do to give her time to run. But whatever I did… I knew I wasn’t going to make it out.

‘Yazz… promise me that if I tell you to go, you will. And not to come back or wait for me.’ I was nearly crying. She would live, though… and I was willing to die for her.

‘No, Gerard, I can’t promise that.’ She was staring me in the eyes. They were glistening, with love and strength. ‘I won’t leave you. I’m not afraid to die. And I’m willing to die for love… to die for you. So we can stay together.’

I was touched. Nobody had said anything like that before.

They were closing in. Even though Yazz was still looking at me, as she promised, she could hear their chanting drawing closer, smell the rotting blood on their fangs, feel the freezing air biting at our skin. She grabbed my hands, forcing me to look at her.

‘Gerard, you gotta do something. You’re the only one that can.’

‘But what can I do that anyone else can’t?’ I questioned.

‘You’re the goddamn Bat King!’ She laughed. And then it clicked.

‘The bats…!’ I whispered. She nodded slyly.

‘Unleash the fucking bats.’

[decay;;]

I actually grinned stupidly when I read 'Bat King'.
IT ALL MAKES SENSE AT LAST!
Heehee.
What's Gerard gunna do though, through his preserved bat paperweight at a vampire?
Ha, that would be awesome. Look, a song:

99 bloody vampires on the wall,
99 bloody vampires,
You batter one down, turn around,
98 bloody vampires on the wall.

=]]
xoxox *SxPxF*

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

Chapter 12…//
Part three of three

‘Keep back’ I advised. Yazz stepped back, but didn’t take her eyes off of me. ‘Take this aswell. If they come for you, pull the trigger. If the bats don’t help… shoot us both before they get us.’ I tossed her a revolver. She took it, trembling with excitement.

With what might be the final time I’d see her alive, I tossed my head up into the air, raised my arms above my head and half-howled, half-cackled into the midnight air. We were trapped around by the mausoleum, Yazz stood up against the door, waiting.

A rush of wings hailed down from the black ink above us, blocking out that little round blot of silver. The bats swooped around my head, waiting for a command. I howled, pointing at the onslaught around us. They flew, battering them with their wings, latching onto their bodies with their mini fangs. I flew around, looking at Yazz. A vampire was nearing her, ready to turn her into one of them, ready to attack…

Bang. A swift smack round the head with my grandfathers bat paperweight knocked it out completely. I grabbed Yazz’s hand, and ran, trying to get back to the church, where there was the safety of holy water… even though it burned me when I touched it too.

‘Gerard, they’re gaining on us again!’ Yazz screamed, shooting over her shoulder. I could hear growls and high pitched moans as the silver bullets staked their hearts. I ripped my bat out of his paperweight, pulled his ear and set him on the nearest tombstone.

‘Yazz, we gotta get out of here. Once Grandfather’s paperweight explodes, everything will be burnt to a crisp.’

And we ran. We ran like our lives, and our mortality depended on it. Which it did.

But we weren’t far enough away. I could hear the explosion. I could smell the ashes floating into the air, and feel the fire gaining on us.

‘Duck!’ I yelled, pulling Yazz behind a tombstone, covering her body with my own. I could feel the heat pass over us, the ashes settle on our bodies, the smoke filling our lungs.

I rolled off of Yazz, and pulled her to face me. No more ash was falling from the sky… but this was it.

‘They’re over here! Quick, they might not hold on much longer!’

‘Yazz… I love you’ I gasped, kissing her for one, final time.

[decay;;]

Heehee.
Well, let's say a pictures worth a thousand words...



xoxox *SxPxF*

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

Chapter 13…//
Part one of two

Silence. I saw Yazz by my side, a long winding road in front of us, a gun and ammunition by our side. Tree’s were swaying in the non-existant breeze as the sun was setting dark over the scenery. The air was frozen, and I could see our breath hazily in front of our faces. Red marks were glowing fresh and bleeding over Yazz’s neck. I could feel burning in the same place on my own neck.

‘So much for mortality…’ whispered Yazz.

‘Yeah…’ I agreed.

Silence again. How did we get here? Was this what it was like after death? Why were we both in the same place? What had actually happened to us?

Blood was gushing down our sides. We both stared deeply into each others eyes. And we understood each other perfectly.

‘Should we just end this now?’ Yazz asked, her voice ringing out through the darkness.

‘What have we got to lose?’ I said, picking up the gun beside me.

I stared down the barrel. I took it to my head… and suddenly dropped it, a warmth spreading through my body.

‘See you on the other side’, Yazz whispered, grinning.

[decay;;]

Ahhhh!
The many parts of chapters of the story of the Yazz...
But!
If this is only part one of three then there must be more to it!
Wo0t!
MORE!
xoxox *SxPxF*

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

Chapter 13…//
Part two of two

Whirring. Blinding lights. Clicking. An irritating poking in my ribs.

‘Gerroffame’ I groaned, waving into the air at the finger by my side. I heard another quieter voice say exactly the same thing, at the exact same moment. I tried to sit up, but strong hands were forcing me to lay still.

‘Yazz? That you?’ I called out, trying to find the voice I had heard.

‘Gerard?’ it replied.

‘Yazz, are we alive?’ I asked, still unable to sit up.

‘I guess so… I think we’re in hospital. Again. How much of our life d’you reckon we’ve wasted this time?’

I could hear stutters, choking and sniffing as she said this. I could see why she hated life and hospitals so much.

‘Yazz, it doesn’t matter. We’ve been with each other the whole time anyway. And we always will be.’

A door slammed. I actually managed to sit up this time. I saw Yazz, lying in a bed right beside my own, facing the ceiling, the red marks glowing just as they had done in our dream. She was paler than usual. Wires were in her hand. I looked down, and saw I also had wires in my veins. They looked saw and deep. Could this mean what I thought it meant?

I placed my hand over hers. Mikey bustled into our room, followed by a strict looking nurse, who yanked the wires out of our hands, and left, leaving Mikey to explain what had happened.

‘Loz, Allie and Frank should be here in a minuet to help explain things’ he said, matter-of-factly, reading my thoughts as brothers do.

The other three entered quietly, sitting around us. Mikey took a deep breath.

‘You guys… you’re never gonna be the same again’ he said, looking down. I heard Yazz start crying – that was a line she had heard too often.

‘Do I dare ask what actually happened?’ I whispered, squeezing Yazz’s hand, trying to comfort her.

‘Well…’ started Allie. ‘We heard the explosion and figured something was wrong. Mikey and Loz were screaming hysterically, saying that if you were caught in it you might not be around much longer. Eventually, we found you both… with a visitor.’

My eyes goggled.

‘And this visitor was?’ I asked quietly.

Loz took over from here. Allie was looking down, and Zoe was crying. Everyone was shuffling in their seats.

‘It was a vampire. He was latched round your neck when we found you. He’d already been on Yazz. We shot him with Mikey’s gun though, and rushed you to hospital. The cover story for the press is that you both got stabbed in the neck twice after laying flowers at a grave.’

Yazz was wailing. I knew she needed me more than ever now. I nodded to Allie and Frank, and the pushed her gently over onto my bed. I wrapped my arms around her. She buried her head under my sore neck.

‘So we were in a coma’ I stated. Frank nodded as he sat down again. ‘We were told if you didn’t come out of it soon… you both would die.’

‘Yazz, that would explain why we were both dreaming the same thing! And why there was the gun and the powder!’

She looked at me. Her eyes were gleaming with tears. ‘But why was it set as Demolition Lovers? With all the ammunition and blowing ourselves apart?’ she asked me quietly.

‘I dunno’ I replied.

‘Wait. You two were dreaming the same thing?’ Ray and Bob asked me in unison. I nodded.

I looked down at Yazz again. And I knew what we had to do.

‘Guys, you gotta-‘ I started, but a nurse came bustling in with a tray of what seemed to be fried eggs, smacking Mikey in the face as she passed, pulling his glasses off his face and smashing them on the floor.

‘Well well well, I suppose you two are hungry after being out for 84 days, you have to eat up and get your strength back…’

'Then whats the date?' I asked, worried.
'6th April' she replied hastily.
And placing the tray over us, she hurried out of the room again.

‘As I was saying.’ I continued. ‘You gotta get us out of here… after a while, we’re not gonna be safe to be around any normal humans any longer…’

‘No’ said Mikey forcefully. ‘We won’t let you. You could die. And with medication you should be harmless.’

‘We won’t die. Ever.’ This time, Yazz spoke. ‘Now that we’re… different, we’re immortal. Nothing’s gonna help.’

‘At least stay with us until you absolutely have to go’ pleaded Loz. ‘I couldn’t live without my Moosey. ‘Cuz ILY muchly.’

‘ILY too Lousey. But the fact is, we could be dangerous. We could harm you. We don’t want that to happen. But we might be able to hang around for a bit. Just please, get us out of here. If I stay in another hospital much longer I’ll die. Figuratively speaking, that is.’

A long silence. I felt the heat stop rising from our eggs.

‘You two better eat up if we’re gonna get you out of here’ Ray told us.

‘Not hungry’ me and Yazz said in unison.

‘Do you two realise how thin you are?’ Bob said, worried.

‘Thin!? How am I thin!?’ We both said again. ‘You’re thin!’ Yazz and I were pointing at each other.

‘We’ll eat something once you get us out of here’ I said. ‘Some clean clothes would do us good. Ones with high necks, maybe. Hoodies. What time is it?’

‘Nearly midnight’ Mikey answered.

‘Then it’s nearly time to go.’

[Jess]

WOW!

i kinda guessed you two had been bitten but this is great! ;D

Ohhh you haff to leave everyone

poor Yazz
poor Gerard

poor people when they dont get out the way quick enough. lol

ah well...
I NEEEED MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

(btw all my family and sarah Day say I'm a vampire, so we are too similar *hissssssssss* lol)

[decay;;]

Ahhhh!
Well Yazz, you're a vampire anyways, so nothing new there... =P
Awesome! As always...
But I'm afraid I laughed when I read the part about Mikey's gun.
I never pictured him wandering the streets with a revolver in his back pocket
Then again... heehee.
Anywho.
MORE. MOREMOREMORE.
I'd best get writing my new fanficcle
xoxox *SxPxF*

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

Chapter 14…//

My black converses squeaked on the tiled floor. My drainpipes clung to my legs and I lifted the hood on my Kill Brand jacket as I turned a corner silently, stealthily. Loz, Allie, Zoe and Bob lead the way, signalling as to when it was clear. Frank, Ray and Mikey followed, looking carefully down the passages we had just walked through. Yazz stood by my side, acting just as bizarrely as I was myself – sniffing the air, ears tuned to the tiniest noise, and ready for anything.

We snuck out the heavy oak doors of the hospital. Cloud littered the sky. Our shadows ran across the ground as we made for the safety of the undergrowth, before we made our way back to my house for a few days.

And then, we would leave. Forever. Only me and Yazz, walking the night, together, without another soul. New dangers open to us, but that was a risk we’d have to take.

[decay;;]

Oh my oh my oh my Gerard,
RUNAWAYS!
Ahhh!
Yay, we helped you escape?
But what will you do now? (It better involve the paperweight)
Heehee.
MORE.
xoxox *SxPxF*

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

Chapter 15…//

We sat in my room, sharp and pointed teeth starting to peer over the teeth on our bottom jaws, the single beam of light blocked out by black blinds. Here we would stay, locked away, until it was time to leave our friends and family – transformations happened quickly and regularly, and the two of us were already starting to develop a taste for blood.

But we wouldn’t let ourselves be like the others. We wouldn’t allow ourselves to kill our friends and those who had supported us for our own pleasure. Once again, the first breed of vampire would walk the earth – the true vampires, not killing when they feed, only taking the small amounts of blood needed, ready to dispose of all those who turned against them… against us. And if the others came for us? We’d rather blow ourselves to smithereens before we became one of them.

A knock at my door. We looked around, seeing our friends hovering, Mikey and Loz at the front of the gang. We nodded, and beckoned them forward.

‘You guys doing okay?’ Loz said warmly, trying to smile at me and her best friend.

‘Yeah’ Yazz said in a low voice. I knew how she was feeling – she’d never see Loz again. She wouldn’t see any of her friends, as I wouldn’t see Mikey or the rest ever again. ‘It’s hard, going through all of this… sometimes I just wish it’ll hurry up and complete itself.’

I put my hand over hers. She was feeling shattered, as our new forms didn’t require sleep, or to blink, for days, maybe even weeks on end, but our changing bodies were still finding it difficult to cope. To make matters worse, everybody was trying to get her off the drugs and the pills… same for me. We would have to make it through withdrawal together, and it was a slow and painful process. And even if we wanted to give up, we couldn’t. Not without a stake through the heart, or silver bullets, or holy water. And mine and Mikey’s twin revolvers only held one shot left each – a shot we were determined to save for ourselves, should the enemy send us to be damned.

‘D’you know when you gotta leave?’ Frank and Allie asked us quietly.

I saw Yazz nodding. We both knew when we had to go.

‘In two days’ I heard her whisper intensely.

All of our visitors seemed to stop breathing. Even Bob, notorious mass-murder and former undercover FBI agent from previous Halloween/Frank's birthday parties was shocked.

‘But you can’t leave then!’ I heard Zoe wail.

I nodded glumly. ‘We gotta leave on the 9th Apirl, or we’ll lose it. We gotta leave on my birthday.’

[decay;;]

"All of our visitors seemed to stop breathing. Even Bob, notorious mass-murder and former undercover FBI agent from previous Halloween/Frank's birthday parties was shocked."

LMFEO!
Haha!
Notorious mass-muderer... that's Bob alright ^_^
Awesome awesome awesome.
Awwww. Gerard's birthday =[[

MORREEEEE.
xoxox *SxPxF*

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

Chapter 16…//
Yazz’s POV

I watched the downpour outside, the smell of the rain and concrete raising to my nostrils. I leant my elbows on the windowsill. Soon, we’d be hiking through this torrential weather, forgotten by the world of our existence.

I felt an arm wrap itself around my shoulders. Gerard had joined me at Mikey’s bedroom window. I rested my head on his shoulder, staring out at what awaited us later on that day. The sun was still black over the horizon, and everybody was asleep. Mikey and Gerard had swapped rooms so we could pack and prepare for what was ahead of us.

I looked at the black, glinting revolver below me on the window sill and threw it onto the bed behind me with accuracy without looking. Gerard looked down at me, his white face shining in the darkness.

‘I still can’t believe all of this has actually happened… and it’s all my fault…’ I murmured, breaking eye contact with him.

‘Yazz, how?’ Gerard asked me quietly, grabbing my head gently, forcing his eyes to dig deep into my own.

‘If I had never been born, then Tasha and Matt never would of died, Joe would of never died, and we’d never of been savaged by vampires’ I whispered.

‘You know you have no control over what’s happened. It could have easily happened to Allie or Loz or anyone instead. Don’t go blaming yourself. I hate seeing you this way”. Gerard was frowning. “If you had never of been born, we would of never met, Allie and Frank would of never gotten together, and I would be nearing death by the booze, the pills and the drugs.’

I smiled slightly, my head still in his hands. The corners of his mouth formed a smile, as the beeping of a clock on the other side of the room snapped us out of our own world.

I looked over at the numbers next to Mikey’s bed. They read 12:01am. I grinned.

‘Happy birthday, Gerard’ I whispered, sneaking up behind him and covering his eyes with my hands.

‘Yazz, what are you doing?’ he asked, laughing.

‘You’ll see’ I replied, making him sit down on Mikey’s bed. ‘Now keep your eyes closed.’ I turned away, to Mikey’s closet. I could feel his eyes boring into the back of my head. ‘I said no peeking!’

‘Okay, okay’ he laughed.

I took it out of the closet and walked silently back to him. I sat next to him on the bed, and lay it across our laps.

‘Okay… open’ I said, beaming.

Gerard’s eyes lit up. He tore the paper away from it quickly and quietly, desperate to see the contents of his birthday present. And there it lay, right in front of our eyes. A silver, handcrafted sword, black jewels set into the handle, which had bats engraved into it. As his eyes slid down from the handle, he saw it. Spiralling around blade from handle to point, were the words “I mean this more than words could ever say. You’re beautiful. Love always, Yazz xoxoxox <3333”.

He looked up at me. Placing the sword carefully on the floor, he took my hands. ‘I love you more than words could ever say too, Yazz.’ His eyes were shining with tears.

I shuffled closer to him. ‘I just want you to know, I’m always gonna be here for you, know matter what.’

Tears were falling down Gerard’s face. I’d never seen him either this happy or this upset before. I didn’t know which it was. I wiped them away with my fingers as I lay my hand around his face. I felt him put his arm around my waist and move closer towards me.

‘Thank you Yazz’ he whispered, grinning, as he leaned in, our noses touching.

I smiled, looking at him in the eyes. I yawned – the first time I had yawned for a while.

‘We probably should at least try and get some sleep before what goes down tonight.’ He whispered to me. I nodded.

We both lay back, falling asleep in each others arms on Mikey’s bed