Welcome one and all to my newest Fanfic. This is my third fic and I decided I wanted to try something new. I'm writing this as a story of redemption and return for several characters, so you'll have to hang on to the ride. I'm expecting a lot of people to yell OOC, but I'm not out of character because the characters have changed over a long period of time. The story will flesh out in coming chapters and this sits mostly as some character exposition so the next few chapters make more sense. This is going to be a very different ride than my other two fics. I'll warn right now that this story will eventually get very disturbing and dark. There will be language, lots of violent descriptions and possible sexual things. If any of those might not sit right with you you may not want to read this, but I would like everyone to try. This chapter has none of the above but I'm sure at least will show up soon. Anyway, Enjoy!
1
The door closed behind him and the sound of the gym ceased, only to be replaced by the sound of the deluge of rain that was sweeping the city. The past week all it had been was rain and the sun hadn't even peaked out from behind the cloud cover. Gregor flipped his hood on his sweatshirt up and adjusted his duffel bag on his shoulder. "At least the apartment is only a few blocks away," he thought as he trudged along the sidewalk passing people in a hurry to get to where they were going. That was the majority of the people. Nobody liked the rain. Some, however, stood in and took the rain for what it was: rain. Gregor was like them. He didn't care if it rained a little. It was part of life. Plus, the day couldn't get any worse than it already had been.
A woman was rushing passed with her children, careful to stay out of Gregor's way. He wouldn't blame them. He was a mess. Gregor stepped closer to the curb to leave room for more passerby's just as a cab speed passed. Water sprayed up and doused him further from head to toe. Gregor blew out a breath and swiped his wet hair out of his eyes. The day official had gotten worse.
His apartment door creaked open as he pulled the key from the lock. It was nothing special, but it was home none the less. The building on the outside was ugly; he had no reason to lie about it. The inside though, wasn't terrible. His apartment at least had a couple rooms. He had a bedroom separated from the living space and the kitchen was too which was a step up from what some of his friends had.
His duffle dropped on the floor next to the door as he scooped up the mail. "Of course, more bills," Gregor groaned as he unzipped the bag and pulled out its contents. His uniform needed to be ironed again like most days, but otherwise his bag was fine. He pulled out his gloves though. He always kept those close to him.
His bedroom door closed and he stripped out of his wet clothes. His hoodie was the worst of it all and he threw it off to the side. He'd dry it later. His shorts joined them as did his undershirt and his underwear. Gregor stood naked and looked in the mirror. He was bruised and battered, but he was most days. Today was worse than normal, though. His eye was blackened and his jaw was bruised pretty good. "That's what happens when you miss the block on a right cross," he thought as he gingerly touched the swollen area. But it was all worth it to him in the end. It could get him out of this dump and somewhere so much better. He flexed for the mirror and looked at his physique. He was lean, very low body fat, but he was by no mean scrawny. His body was all fast twitch muscle ready for the work he put in everyday to get better.
His upper left arm was tattooed, as was his upper back. The tattoos meant less to him then they used to. He got them when he was seventeen just to get rid of some of his unwanted feelings. He put it out in the work. His arm was wrapped with the tribal tattoo he had found so appealing at the time, but his back was what he cherished the most. The field of flowers that represented so much. The gravestones that held so much meaning to him. It was his own way to put his old life behind him. One stone was for his grandma, rest her soul. She passed when he was sixteen and most vulnerable. The loss had ruined him and his family. It pushed him further away from his parents. Further then he had been. He drank, he tried drugs. Anything to ease the feelings he had. Anything to cover up his hurt and put everything behind him. He put his parents in a hard spot, but he was drowning out his old life and blamed it on his Grandmother's death. It had all caught up to him quickly. After the accident. The thought of it brought tears to his eyes. He hated thinking about it. And the scars it had left on him and in his heart.
The other grave on his back though was more symbolic. It was his own grave. The grave of his old life. His childhood. Not the regular one, but the one he had down below. The one he forced himself to forget so long ago. It was hard for him to do it, but he did. He put his past behind him and it was for the better now.
He heard his apartment door open and he quickly grabbed some boxers from the drawer. He pulled them on and stepped out of his room. A smile stretched across his battered face and he approached the person who had come through the door. His arms wrapped around her waist and he kissed her on the neck.
"Hey there, babe," Gregor whispered into her ear. She was the best thing to happen to Gregor in as long as he could imagine. Layla, was her name, and Gregor always wondered why he had a thing for girls names that started with an L. They had met a few years ago when Gregor was just out of high school. He was working because he didn't have the money to go to college and he didn't have the grades to warrant enough scholarships. That's not to say Gregor was stupid, but he had made mistakes. His parents kicked him out not long after his graduation due to his lifestyle and his choices. They wanted him to go to college and get a degree. They wanted him to be a more groomed man. Neither fit Gregor. Gregor was far from groomed. The tattoos were only the first step. Layla loved him for his kind heart and his ungroomedness. She loved him for all they had in common. For everything Gregor stood for.
Layla turned and put her hand on Gregor's face and he winced slightly. She kissed him tenderly. "I can see training went well today," she said with the slightest hint of sarcasm. Gregor knew she loved to talk like that.
"Yea. Bo worked me over good in the gym. And Courtney killed me at work." Gregor worked at a local cornershop that saw a lot of business. It was always stocked with beer and liquor and all kinds of snacks and it drew a bunch of different crowds. The people just scraping by, the people just passing through, the underage kids trying to buy beer. Everyone used the store. But it worked well for him too. The discount helped him with keeping enough stuff in his apartment for him to eat and not press him to hard for money. He liked his job but Courtney his manager was always a hardass on him because she used him for everything. He had to stock shelves, run the register, and clean. It didn't help that the only other employee, Becky, was 72 and had COPD from smoking so much. And she still went out for all her smoke breaks.
"Well, I hope this cheers you up," Layla said holding up a bag. "I brought home some dinner." Gregor was instantly happy. The bad day had just gotten so much better. He was starving and Layla always brought home good stuff. It helped she worked in the kitchen at a pretty nice restaurant just ten blocks down the road from the apartment. Usually she brought home everything Gregor needed to eat healthy and maintain his strength for training. And when she did, he didn't have to worry about cooking which always helped him out.
"You. Are. Amazing," said Gregor, following each word with a kiss. "I'll just pop in the shower and get dressed and then we can eat. Okay?'
"Of course, Greggie. Just don't take too long," said Layla kissing him one last time before heading into the kitchen. Gregor only allowed her to call him anything but Gregor. It made her happy, so it made him happy. Picking up some clean clothes Gregor slid into the bathroom and cranked up the shower. The pipes creaked as the water worked its way to the showerhead. It was freezing to the touch but that was expected. It always took a second or forty for the hot water to get up to his apartment, but when it did Gregor was at peace. He scrubbed all the foul smells from himself. Sweat and grime came away in the torrent of water. It felt better than Gregor had expected.
The smell of the apartment was great when he climbed out of the shower. He walked out of his room in a tight v-neck and lounge pants, a small towel in his hands as he dried out his ears. Layla was setting out dishes on the table in the kitchen when Gregor walked in. She smiled at him with the same smile that had caught his attention the first time they met. It had been a sunny day and Gregor had been looking for a job. He was going all over town and had just walked into the same corner store where he currently worked. He asked if there were any job openings like he had so many times that day already and to his luck they were looking for someone like him. When the manager walked away to get something that was when Gregor saw her. Or more like heard her. Layla had been in there and she was struggling to grab something from one of the top shelves. Gregor being the nice guy went and asked if she needed help. And she gave him the same smile. It was chemistry from then on. It took a year of friendship, but Gregor finally asked her out and here they were two years later, both at the ripe old age of twenty-one.
The food was hot as Gregor pulled it from the oven. He was still smiling from his memories and Layla raised an eyebrow at him. "What's with the smile?"
"Just remembering," Gregor replied, putting the food on the table. He poured them each a glass of red wine and they sat.
"Remembering what?" Layla shot back playfully a minute later. She grabbed her wine glass and took a sip looking at Gregor through it. He was eating his grilled chicken and could only smile through his mouthful. He swallowed and took a sip of his wine before he answered.
"The first time we met. You remember how it was? You couldn't get something down from the top shelf of the corner store and I came and helped like a knight in shining armor," Gregor was joking, and he got a laugh out of Layla for it.
"Oh yes, my knight in shining armor swept me and my cooler off my feet." Gregor laughed. That was why he loved Layla. She could make him laugh any moment. It was something he hadn't had in his life for a long time. When his sister was little she would make him laugh all the time, but as she got older he laughed less and less and eventually he stopped laughing. Until he met Layla.
The rest of dinner was uneventful much like it was before. They talked mostly about Gregor. But most of all they talked about his training. Gregor had been going to the gym for months with his trainer and best friend, Bo Reilly. Gregor met Bo in high school at a party. One of the first parties Gregor had gone to when he started his out of control faze. Bo basically saved his life and for a long time Gregor hated him for it. Bo had taken Gregor and forced him out of the party and drove him home. The thing was Gregor was drunk out of his mind. But he didn't want to stop drinking. Bo had realized it and was probably the reason Gregor was still here. It took time but Gregor eventually bonded with Bo and their friendship grew. Now Bo was training Gregor in Mixed Martial Arts. Or at least the physical training part of it. Gregor did everything Bo said when it came to training. Bo had been an all-state wrestler in high school and wrestled in college as well and he had a degree in health and fitness.
It was all for the best, Gregor knew. If he could make it in the MMA scene he could become something more than a corner store clerk. It was his only shot really. He would actually be able to provide for himself and Layla when the time came. He knew he was going to propose to her, but when that was going to be he didn't know. That was his dream. Him and Layla in a house of their own, him able to support her and the family they would start. But for now that was all just a dream. He had to put in the work to get there and he knew he could do it. It was a major struggle at the moment, though, to even make ends meet.
He looked over at his beautiful girlfriend as she sat on the couch reading from her favorite book. Her blonde hair shined like silk in the lamplight and her petite frame seemed tiny against the couch. She was barely over five feet tall and she weighed not much more than a hundred pounds. Her eyes were what drew Gregor to her. They were a grey blue and always held a mystery in them.
Layla turned her head to look at him with those very eyes, sensing him staring at her. She patted the couch next to her asking Gregor to come be with her. He shook his head, but walked over to her. He kissed her on the ear and ran his hand through her hair.
"I'm gonna go downstairs for a bit. Clear my head and everything," whispered Gregor. Layla sighed and nodded in understanding. It wasn't the first time and it wasn't the last that Gregor would do it. Gregor himself hated to leave her, but he needed to be alone for a little bit. It was always like that. His mind would cloud up with so many things that he had to get away. And he had found a place to do it.
Gregor had asked the owner of the apartment if he could use the unused basement for his own uses, including playing his drums, which he was allowed to for only a bit more on his rent. Gregor had fixed the basement up pretty good with some couches and a rug, along with his full drum kit. Music meant everything to Gregor and it seemed to run through him. It was part of him that he had to have to dunction. He had played the saxophone for years, but he abandoned it in favor of the drums. Drumming was part of his soul. His release from the world. He put his aggression into the drums. And it all came from his favorite music: Metal.
Gregor had become a fan of all kinds of metal music his junior year of high school. It was one of those things that helped him during his ever increasing split from his family. His parents were unable to control him no matter how hard they tried and he didn't want to be controlled no matter how much he loved his family. He had pushed them away and they returned the favor. But music, metal, was his guiding force then and it still was. He was able to be himself when he was alone with the music.
He pulled his phone out and docked it onto the speaker and grabbed the remote. The music came on and Gregor felt at home. His drum sticks were in his hands and he spun them between his fingers expertly. The heavy beat of his favorite song blared out and he took in the drums. Each note was bliss to Gregor as he listened to the bass and the blast beats that came. It was an aggressive song, but he felt at home with it. Hammer Smashed Face. Cannibal Corpse. It was a gnarly song, disturbing to a lot of people, but he felt in sync with the violent lyrics. They resonated with his past experiences.
There's something inside me
It's, it's coming out
I feel like killing you
Let loose of the anger, held back too long
My blood runs cold
Those words always brought him back to the underland if he sat and listened. They described him so perfectly. His rager side that he had fought to control, and had conquered. The pain he had caused his friends and himself before he overcame the force within him. It all came back. The pain of the thoughts brought Gregor's gaze to the shelves he had put in. A box rested on top. And in the box was his bong. Yes, Gregor smoked Marijuana. But it was for moments like this. When he thought of the underland his mind raced. He didn't want to remember. He had put them aside long ago, to focus on his life. His life above ground.
Gregor stood and quickly pulled out the bong and his small supply of weed. It was a small one and bright green, but he needed it. He lit up and inhaled. Euphoria spread through his body as he breathed out the smoke. Another hit and he was forgetting all the bad memories he had. This was what Gregor's life had become. A struggle every day to live a normal life. He worked, he trained, he loved, and he fought himself. Demons he never realized he had poked their horned heads up every day, giving him something new to battle with. He fought his memories all the time. And he had to resort to methods that he never thought he would to fight them. He cast a sidelong glance at his drums. "Not today," Gregor thought taking one last hit from his bong.
He stored it away and slipped back onto the couch changing the song. He sat like that for a bit, just letting the guttural lyrics flow to his ears, taking in every word of pain and wisdom that it gave to him. It made him feel safe oddly enough. It gave him the strength to continue. He escaped from his own life for just a small amount of time, but it was worth it.
When he returned to his apartment, it was dark and quiet. Layla was not on the couch anymore. Gregor clicked softly and the room showed to him. It was the one thing he kept from the underland because it was badass. Echolocation was perfect for stuff like this. No lights needed and no chance to wake up Layla if she were asleep. He tip toed into the bedroom and saw a huddled mass in bed. Layla's chest rose and fell with each breath; she looked so peaceful.
He pulled his shirt and pants off and climbed into bed. He laid his head back and relaxed for a second. The ceiling was always intriguing to him when he lay awake at night, even though it looked exactly the same. Sleep rarely came fast to Gregor. He was usually too amped and on edge. Movement next to him told him Layla was awake.
"Gregor," she muttered through sleep. "You okay?"
"I'm fine Lay. Go back to sleep. I love you," Gregor said lovingly putting out his arm asking her to come to him.
"I love you too," Layla mumbled as she scooted over to him and draped her arm over his chest and he pulled her into him. That was how he fell asleep with the love of his life next to him.
Exposition is done. A different Gregor with a new life. Everything will start to make sense soon guys, so hold on to your boots and come back when I post up chapter 2 in a few days. I'm also going to post questions at the end of come chapters so I can get some specific feedback from you guys. Anyone who has read my previous fics know I love feedback and reviews are always welcome no matter what you have to say. If you want to tear this apart do it and I'll come back and put it back together better than it was before.
Question: What do you all think of Gregor's life? Is it a good different take on Gregor?
Thanks again guys. Have a wonderful day!