Space Looks a Lot Like New Jersey by jjtaylor (Mature)

[turlough]

Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Gerard/Frank
Length: 8,410 words
Author on LJ/DW: jjtaylor / jjtaylor
Author on AO3: jjtaylor

Why this must be read: Since James got killed Gerard has pushed everyone except Mikey away. This is a wonderful space AU. The worldbuilding in particular is fabulous, jjtaylor has such a deft hand with settings. Her worlds always feel so organic and coherent even when we only get to see bits and pieces of them. She also writes a great Gerard. The story of him slowly recovering belief in himself and in others is completely captivating and heartwarming. I also love her Dewees. He's so fantastically snarky and irreverent and absurd, and such an important part of the story.

Excerpt from the story:

The hologram flickers in front of Gerard as he's walking down the hallway and he stops, so startled he can't speak.

"The ship's losing air pressure, you're slowly suffocating and you're hallucinating me," Dewees says.

"Really?" Gerard asks, taking several deep breaths in.

"No," Dewees says. "I'm still just a hologram."

"Fuck you," Gerard says. "You're such an asshole."

"Your words hurt," Dewees says, and then he slaps his thigh and laughs. "Nah, who am I kidding. I'm dead! Nothing hurts anymore."

"I've got things to do, James, get out of my way."

"Touchy, touchy," Dewees says. "You know you can walk right through a hologram."

Gerard sighs and does just that. Dewees flickers out and a moment later, flickers back beside Gerard, as though they’re walking down the hallway together, except that Dewees' insubstantial feet don't quite touch the floor.

"Mikey's right, you know. You're sulking."

"I'm not fucking sulking," Gerard says. "This is just how I am."

"Sure," Dewees says. "This is who you were before the rescue of Infinity on High?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"No," Dewees says. "You certainly don't. You hardly want to talk about anything with anyone. Not with your brother, not with your friends, not with Frank."

"What do you know about what I do and don't talk about with Frank?"

Dewees just shakes his holographic head. "Has he set foot off planet since you threw him off this tin can of a ship?"

"I didn't throw -"

"You did," Dewees says. "Everyone else is a lot nicer about it, trying not to hurt your feelings, trying not to make things worse, but I don't give a shit about worse. There is no worse for me, I'm already gone."

"Well that's the problem, isn't it!" Gerard says, "You're dead because of me."

"I'm dead because of an Associate gun, I'm pretty sure," Dewees says. "Unless the computer recorder got it wrong."

"How could it get it wrong, you built it! None of the tech you ever built went wrong. And now everything is shit."

"Are you saying that I'm perfect?" Dewees asks. "That the holographic prototype of myself I created as a scientific experiment in cyber-consciousness -"

"You said it was for sex games."

"Ok, fine, that the holographic prototype of myself I created as a scientific experiment to spice up sex games is a flawless copy?"

"You're just as ridiculous as you were when you were alive. Just as bothersome, too."

"Then what the hell are you whining about? If I'm as good dead as I am alive, then why are you such a sourpuss who chases off his friends?"

"I got you killed, James," Gerard says. "You can pretend that the hologram you is the same, but it's not."

"You're telling me," Dewees says. "Holograms can't eat and I've been craving sweet potato fries like crazy."

Space Looks a Lot Like New Jersey (on DW) or here (on LJ)