I'm the Last One That You'll Ever Remember
Chapter 199: Definitely Not A Disney Princess
Frank wasn’t about to prohibit his children from following their dad upstairs because he had something important to discuss with his parents behind Gerard’s back. While munching on their hamburgers and fries delivered by the hardworking dad, Frank leaned forward in his seat to whisper to his parents with an impish grin on his face. “Okay, I wanted to tell you guys what I have planned for Gerard’s birthday. I was thinking of getting him two tickets to Comic-Con. You know, the place where people dress up as superheroes and comic book characters?”
“I’ve heard of that place. From what I understand, it’s not gonna be more than a one day trip if you want to experience everything they have to offer there.” Frank Sr. nodded to the others as he shared what little information he’d heard about it through some co-workers. “If you want, son, I can think of a week’s worth of adventures to occupy the kids with while you two are gone.”
“Thank god, I was hoping you’d say that!” Frank squealed with excitement, earning a chuckle from his doting parents. “I plan to tell him about it as soon as he comes back down for dinner with the kids.”
When Gerard returned downstairs with all four kids in tow, he ordered them to their chairs to get started on their dinners. He idled behind to hoist both Jovani and Milo up into their chairs just as the family delved into their meals.
Margo glanced up from her fries to look across at Gerard sitting between the two youngest in order to keep them in line and inquired with a secretive smile. “Gerard, my dear, I hear your birthday is coming up soon. Do you have any plans for your big day?”
Gerard didn’t have any, and so he shrugged. “Nothing really. I haven’t really given it much thought. I’ve been busy with work and family, you know?”
“That’s perfectly fine, Hubster, cause we’ve been doing all the thinking for you!” Frank declared with a cocky smile, giving the table a loud smack with his hand like a judge would to garner attention from their court. It worked just as effectively because everyone including the children were now looking at him.
Gerard glanced between all three of the grinning scheming Ieros and inquired tentatively. “Uh-oh. What’s going on here?”
Frank Sr. wiped his mouth on a napkin and nodded towards his son at the opposite end of the table. “Well, son, go on. Give him his birthday gift.”
Emitting a tiny squeal of excitement he was having a hard time swallowing down, Frank produced a small light gray rectangular box topped with a black bow from underneath the table. He extended over to his husband with a grin, making sure to keep it high out of his greedy children’s hands. “Here you go, my Birthday Man. We hope you love it.”
“I most certainly will, love!” Gerard assured them as he took the gift, and briefly scanned the box. It was the perfect size to store a pack of colored pencils. Expecting that hunch to be true and more than grateful to receive the modest gift, Gerard pulled the lid off to be face to face with two pieces of rectangular paper inside. Arching a brow under the sanguine gazes of the three adults observing, Gerard picked one of the papers up and began to read it. His light brown eyes nearly popped out of his skull as his jaw dropped. Lifting his head to gaze from one grinning face to the other, he stammered out. “I-Is this for real?”
“It is.” Margo confirmed, nodding along with her son and husband. She propped her chin on her clasped hands and laughed as her son-in-law re-read the ticket again to probably be sure, then glance between them each at a time again as if he still didn’t believe it.
“Daddy, what is it?” Lorenzo asked from where he sat between his mother and grandmother, a dollop of ketchup gathered on each corner of his mouth from the fries he just finished eating.
“Yeah, Daddy, what is it?” Venetia added in, beginning to rise from her seat so she could stand on it and get a better look, but her grandfather gently lowered her back down with a tender hand.
Reaching out a hand covered in ketchup, grease and mustard towards the tickets, Jovani lamented to his enchanted father. “Give, Daddy. Mine”
“I-It’s two tickets to Comic-Con.” Gerard told his children, his voice sounding so far away as he gazed longingly at his name printed in black ink on the ticket. Never in his life did he ever dream he’d have a shot at going to a Comic Convention of this level before.
Could he have before when he was a Killjoy?
Oh, absolutely! All he had to do was steal the money and then be on his merry way. But his life then had been living and breathing for the Killjoy family. The dreams of going to Comic-Cons were just that, dreams for a normal person. Gerard wasn't normal and so he shoved it aside for another lifetime where he wasn’t a serial killer out for blood.
“YAY!” The twins cheered in celebration, clapping their greasy hands together. They were truly ecstatic for their father though it took them a whole minute to realize they didn’t know what this ‘Comic-Con’ was. Each looking to their grandparents beside them, the twins asked simultaneously. “What’s a Commie-Cun?”
“It’s not Commie-Cun. It’s Comic-Con.” Frank corrected them, slowly enunciating the word to his kids.
“It’s a huge convention where Comic book fans can go to dress up as their favorite characters and such.” Frank Sr. explained to the twins. “From what I’ve seen, I gotta say the attention to detail and the money that goes into some of those costumes are truly mind-blowing.”
“Oh my god, I know!” Frank agreed with wonder. “The minute we get there I’m gonna ask the coolest one I see a thousand questions on their costume! I gotta know how much effort is put into those things.”
“I want to go!” Venetia pouted, jutting her bottom lip out for emphasis on how upset she was that she might not get to go.
“Honestly? You want to go to that boring old place?” Margo asked her granddaughter with an arched brow. To prevent the spoiled young girl from breaking down into tears, she set out on making Comic-Con sound just as humdrum as visiting a museum though she knew it was an awesome place that her grandchildren would love to frequent if they could. “Why, when your grandparents can take you to a much better, funner place than that. Isn’t that right, Grandpa?”
“You’re absolutely right, Grandma!” Frank Sr. backed her, not wanting any tears from the jealous children to wreck this awestruck moment for their son-in-law. “Believe us, the place you four will be going is a place Comic-Con wishes it could be! That’s how cool it is!”
The grandchildren seemed utterly convinced and squirmed with excitement in their chairs at going to a place that would be filled with fun activities rather than lifeless old Comic-Con. They began to interrogate their grandparents on the spot, but the elders held back their answers unless the children swallowed a bite of their dinner. One bite at a time, they got to ask a question and receive an answer.
Fixating back on his husband who was still gawking at the tickets, Frank was beginning to think the man had fallen head over heels in love with them more than he had with him when they first met. Leaning over Milo’s side a bit who threw his head back to stare up at him, Frank inquired softly to his husband. “So my sweet Hubster, what do you think about taking little old me as your date? Hmm?”
Having his husband’s voice break the enchanted spell on him, Gerard smirked at his adoring lover. “Frankie do you even need to ask? You’re my wifey, of course you’re gonna be my date to Comic-Con. Does it need to be said aloud when it’s so obvious?”
“One never knows. You might have some other hussy waiting on the sideline for you.” Frank jested with a wink.
“So what are you going to be going as Gerard? Do you have any ideas yet?” Margo inquired Gerard with interest.
Venetia pointed a finger to him and declared. “Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Daddy!”
Everyone burst out laughing at the table, including Gerard. The picture in his head was too hilarious to resist. But then his mind went to Comic-Con and what character he should be. “Yeah, I’m not gonna be Belle this time. Maybe Venom or Carnage from Spider-Man, but definitely not a Disney Princess.”
“I’ve heard of that place. From what I understand, it’s not gonna be more than a one day trip if you want to experience everything they have to offer there.” Frank Sr. nodded to the others as he shared what little information he’d heard about it through some co-workers. “If you want, son, I can think of a week’s worth of adventures to occupy the kids with while you two are gone.”
“Thank god, I was hoping you’d say that!” Frank squealed with excitement, earning a chuckle from his doting parents. “I plan to tell him about it as soon as he comes back down for dinner with the kids.”
When Gerard returned downstairs with all four kids in tow, he ordered them to their chairs to get started on their dinners. He idled behind to hoist both Jovani and Milo up into their chairs just as the family delved into their meals.
Margo glanced up from her fries to look across at Gerard sitting between the two youngest in order to keep them in line and inquired with a secretive smile. “Gerard, my dear, I hear your birthday is coming up soon. Do you have any plans for your big day?”
Gerard didn’t have any, and so he shrugged. “Nothing really. I haven’t really given it much thought. I’ve been busy with work and family, you know?”
“That’s perfectly fine, Hubster, cause we’ve been doing all the thinking for you!” Frank declared with a cocky smile, giving the table a loud smack with his hand like a judge would to garner attention from their court. It worked just as effectively because everyone including the children were now looking at him.
Gerard glanced between all three of the grinning scheming Ieros and inquired tentatively. “Uh-oh. What’s going on here?”
Frank Sr. wiped his mouth on a napkin and nodded towards his son at the opposite end of the table. “Well, son, go on. Give him his birthday gift.”
Emitting a tiny squeal of excitement he was having a hard time swallowing down, Frank produced a small light gray rectangular box topped with a black bow from underneath the table. He extended over to his husband with a grin, making sure to keep it high out of his greedy children’s hands. “Here you go, my Birthday Man. We hope you love it.”
“I most certainly will, love!” Gerard assured them as he took the gift, and briefly scanned the box. It was the perfect size to store a pack of colored pencils. Expecting that hunch to be true and more than grateful to receive the modest gift, Gerard pulled the lid off to be face to face with two pieces of rectangular paper inside. Arching a brow under the sanguine gazes of the three adults observing, Gerard picked one of the papers up and began to read it. His light brown eyes nearly popped out of his skull as his jaw dropped. Lifting his head to gaze from one grinning face to the other, he stammered out. “I-Is this for real?”
“It is.” Margo confirmed, nodding along with her son and husband. She propped her chin on her clasped hands and laughed as her son-in-law re-read the ticket again to probably be sure, then glance between them each at a time again as if he still didn’t believe it.
“Daddy, what is it?” Lorenzo asked from where he sat between his mother and grandmother, a dollop of ketchup gathered on each corner of his mouth from the fries he just finished eating.
“Yeah, Daddy, what is it?” Venetia added in, beginning to rise from her seat so she could stand on it and get a better look, but her grandfather gently lowered her back down with a tender hand.
Reaching out a hand covered in ketchup, grease and mustard towards the tickets, Jovani lamented to his enchanted father. “Give, Daddy. Mine”
“I-It’s two tickets to Comic-Con.” Gerard told his children, his voice sounding so far away as he gazed longingly at his name printed in black ink on the ticket. Never in his life did he ever dream he’d have a shot at going to a Comic Convention of this level before.
Could he have before when he was a Killjoy?
Oh, absolutely! All he had to do was steal the money and then be on his merry way. But his life then had been living and breathing for the Killjoy family. The dreams of going to Comic-Cons were just that, dreams for a normal person. Gerard wasn't normal and so he shoved it aside for another lifetime where he wasn’t a serial killer out for blood.
“YAY!” The twins cheered in celebration, clapping their greasy hands together. They were truly ecstatic for their father though it took them a whole minute to realize they didn’t know what this ‘Comic-Con’ was. Each looking to their grandparents beside them, the twins asked simultaneously. “What’s a Commie-Cun?”
“It’s not Commie-Cun. It’s Comic-Con.” Frank corrected them, slowly enunciating the word to his kids.
“It’s a huge convention where Comic book fans can go to dress up as their favorite characters and such.” Frank Sr. explained to the twins. “From what I’ve seen, I gotta say the attention to detail and the money that goes into some of those costumes are truly mind-blowing.”
“Oh my god, I know!” Frank agreed with wonder. “The minute we get there I’m gonna ask the coolest one I see a thousand questions on their costume! I gotta know how much effort is put into those things.”
“I want to go!” Venetia pouted, jutting her bottom lip out for emphasis on how upset she was that she might not get to go.
“Honestly? You want to go to that boring old place?” Margo asked her granddaughter with an arched brow. To prevent the spoiled young girl from breaking down into tears, she set out on making Comic-Con sound just as humdrum as visiting a museum though she knew it was an awesome place that her grandchildren would love to frequent if they could. “Why, when your grandparents can take you to a much better, funner place than that. Isn’t that right, Grandpa?”
“You’re absolutely right, Grandma!” Frank Sr. backed her, not wanting any tears from the jealous children to wreck this awestruck moment for their son-in-law. “Believe us, the place you four will be going is a place Comic-Con wishes it could be! That’s how cool it is!”
The grandchildren seemed utterly convinced and squirmed with excitement in their chairs at going to a place that would be filled with fun activities rather than lifeless old Comic-Con. They began to interrogate their grandparents on the spot, but the elders held back their answers unless the children swallowed a bite of their dinner. One bite at a time, they got to ask a question and receive an answer.
Fixating back on his husband who was still gawking at the tickets, Frank was beginning to think the man had fallen head over heels in love with them more than he had with him when they first met. Leaning over Milo’s side a bit who threw his head back to stare up at him, Frank inquired softly to his husband. “So my sweet Hubster, what do you think about taking little old me as your date? Hmm?”
Having his husband’s voice break the enchanted spell on him, Gerard smirked at his adoring lover. “Frankie do you even need to ask? You’re my wifey, of course you’re gonna be my date to Comic-Con. Does it need to be said aloud when it’s so obvious?”
“One never knows. You might have some other hussy waiting on the sideline for you.” Frank jested with a wink.
“So what are you going to be going as Gerard? Do you have any ideas yet?” Margo inquired Gerard with interest.
Venetia pointed a finger to him and declared. “Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Daddy!”
Everyone burst out laughing at the table, including Gerard. The picture in his head was too hilarious to resist. But then his mind went to Comic-Con and what character he should be. “Yeah, I’m not gonna be Belle this time. Maybe Venom or Carnage from Spider-Man, but definitely not a Disney Princess.”