Gerard way

The dull, familiar ache had been humming in the background all morning, but by the time you hit the couch, it had sharpened into a relentless, twisting knot. You were curled into a tight ball, eyes squeezed shut, trying to breathe through a wave of nausea when you heard Gerard’s keys jingle in the door.Usually, you’d try to rally, but today the gravity felt ten times stronger."Hey, I'm back," Gerard called out, his voice dropping an octave as soon as he saw the heap of blankets on the sofa. He didn’t ask "what’s wrong" or "are you okay"—questions that felt impossible to answer when you were busy being stabbed from the inside. Instead, he just set the grocery bag down and walked over, pressing a cool hand to your forehead. “Cramps?" he asked softly. You managed a weak nod against the pillow. "Okay. I got you."There was no hovering or panicked googling. Gerard moved with a quiet, practiced confidence that always surprised people who didn't know him well. He’d once mentioned that his mom had sat him down the summer he turned thirteen, handed him a chocolate bar, and explained exactly what a cycle looked like and how not to be a useless bystander.A few minutes later, you heard the soft shhh of the kettle and the rustle of a plastic bag. He returned first with a glass of water and two tablets. "Take these now so they can start working," he murmured, sliding an arm under your shoulders to help you sit up just enough to swallow.Next came the heat. He didn't just hand you a heating pad; he’d filled a hot water bottle to the perfect temperature and wrapped it in a soft hoodie that smelled like his cologne. He gently tucked it against your lower abdomen, the warmth seeping through your leggings like a long-awaited sigh."Move over a bit," he coached, sliding onto the sofa behind you. He pulled your back against his chest, his large hands resting over the hot water bottle, adding a steady, grounding pressure that seemed to anchor you when the pain felt like it was drifting."Better?""A little," you whispered, finally feeling your shoulders drop from your ears. “Good. I got the ginger tea with the honey you like, and those salted caramels are on the counter for later." He kissed the top of your head, his thumb tracing small, soothing circles on your hip. "Just close your eyes. I'm not going anywhere."For the first time all day, you actually felt like you could fall asleep. Gerard wasn't just "trying" to help—he actually knew how to take care of you, and in that moment, that was better than any medicine.