What To Do When A Doppelganger Appears In Your Bathtub

In Which Gerard Is Introduced As An Emotionally Stunted Male Adult

A typical morning was when you get up all groggy from sleep and drag yourself to the bathroom to wash your teeth. A not so typical morning was when you open your crusty eyes to see your doppelganger sound asleep in the bathtub.

Now, any normal human being would have been at least horrifically disturbed, but it is incredibly important you understand that Gerard isn't exactly what one would call normal. His childhood had been spent entirely in his father's laboratory, who liked to fool around with the more odd and rarely ventured into part of science. This, of course, caused quite a distress among the other fellow scientists who deemed his research utterly ridiculous and,in their own words, 'the babblings of a half-raving madman'.

So,the surprisingly dull man we see now had, for some inexplicable reason, resigned himself to whatever it is fate decided to throw him. It wasn't the first time, anyway, he had found a stranger sound asleep in his bathroom. In fact, it would be quite strange indeed if a week went without complete strangers popping up in his bathroom.

There was probably a truly scientific reason for all of these strange occurrences. One that would probably involve the existence of black holes and Einstein's Theory of Relativity, whatever that is. Gerard had never truly grasped the basic concepts of science being a man of artistic inclination, much to the aggravation of his father.

Which was why, instead of calling the police like any rational being such as you and I, Gerard proceeded to take out the small notebook he kept in his pocket and jot down his observations on his sleeping doppelganger.

He was a bit disappointed that an evil Overlord had yet to appear in his bathroom- most likely by the toilet seat- but he had been expecting a doppelganger at some point or the other. The possibility was higher considering how it apparently wasn't just limited to the world he was living in.

Physical-wise the doppelganger did appear like an exact copy of Gerard from the dark brown hair that curled at the end to the rather unnoticeable birthmark at the left wrist. Gerard hesitated for a moment as he reached out to poke his other self with the pencil he was using. It was unreasonable considering how the others never seemed to wake up no matter what he did. But considering how it was his doppelganger after all, it could turn out differently.

He waited for a grand three minutes in bizarre anticipation.

"What's wrong with me?" he sighed irritatedly when he received no response whatsoever.

Deciding he was wasting his precious free time before he had to meet up with his editor, a rather complicated man who seemed to be experiencing family problems, Gerard went on with his daily routine opting for a shower just so he wouldn't need to drag the unconscious person out of the bathtub.

It wasn't that he was heavy or anything-he just didn't like the idea of laying his hands on a naked body no matter how identical it was to his. He respected a person's privacy, at least whatever privacy they had left with the clothes they wore when they fell asleep. Needless to say, there were many occasions when Gerard felt a sudden need to bleach his eyes out.

Sparing a few minutes to inspect his reflection in the mirror, Gerard fancied he looked quite presentable indeed. In fact, he mused, he could probably pass an interview at any company if he went to one. Until he opened his useless mouth that is. Anyway, perhaps he would finally catch the attention of that particularly pretty waitress with flaming red hair. It was the one reason he insisted on meeting up at that restaurant every single time.

The food was atrocious, really. His editor didn't even bother to pretend eating it anymore, pushing the dish aside as discreetly as he could- not that anyone in the restaurant cared. Gerard himself had given up a long time ago.

Adjusting his tie a few more times, Gerard prepared himself to face the horrific world outside.