Chapter Text
September 2nd, 2004
Gerard jolted from his sleep, his roudy ringtone blasting in his ear. Gerard groaned in protest, his hand darting out to slap the phone off of his desk as if it would silence the offering noise. Why even did he make this his ringtone? It's silly and outlandish, and not to mention annoying and loud. The room fell quiet once again as his phone went to voicemail. He rolled over, but the sun seemed to be creeping in behind the blinds. The day seemed to have already begun to intrude his otherwise peaceful morning.
Blinking groggily, as his eyes adjusted to the morning light, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and trudged to the floor where he threw his phone. He rubbed his temples as he flipped it open, eager to see who interrupted his final day of good sleep before his first day as a junior at that wretched school. Why even was his mom sending him and his brother to a private school? He could do just fine at a public school. And so could his brother!
As his fingers danced across the keypad, releasing soft tapping noises as he sat down on the floor, sighing as he read, "missing call from RAYMAN!!" He reluctantly pressed the keypad, calling Ray back. It rang for about two seconds before he heard yelling on the other line. He recoiled, quickly pulling the phone away from his ear, wincing.
"Dude, tone it down a little, I just woke up! Jesus Christ." He said, his voice cracking.
"GEE--! Oh sorry dude, did I wake you up?"
Gerard combed the hair out of his face with his fingers, "Yeah, you did, man. It's seven in the morning on a Sunday. Why did you call-- and even better, why are you up?"
There was a pause on the other side of the line. "Well uh-- I pulled an all nighter and I rolled one. I was wondering if you wanted to come over." Even though Gerard couldn't physically see the guy, he could just tell Ray was grinning and raising his eyebrows as if he were like the cover of a playboy mag.
Gerard tapped on his leg for a few moments before shooting up like a rocket. "'Kay, i'll be there in like fifteen." Gerard was glad he lived in walking distance from Ray, his best friend, because he couldn't get his drivers license until he turned eighteen because his dumbass fourteen year-old self decided to steal his mom's car to drive around the populated part of Jersey.
"Okay, sounds good, see ya, Gerard!" Ray exclaimed, practically beaming. Nothing was better than having a good smoke sesh with Gerard. Especially when the day that marked the very end of their summer was today going into tomorrow. A semester of torment and teasing would soon follow, and they both knew it.
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Gerard paced around his room, scanning the clothes on his floor, debating whether to pick something that actually matched or throwing on whatever. He honestly didn't care, and neither did Ray. It was just the fact that nothing was really clean. He ends up throwing a pair of black skinny jeans and an Iron Maiden shirt, which might have even been Ray's, but they share so much, their clothes have become communal between Mikey, Ray, and Gerard.
Once changed, he made his way to the bathroom, passing by Mikey, his little brother's room. He glanced at the room and that's when he noticed the door was open. He peeked inside and Mikey was awake, reading a comic of what seemed to be a superman ripoff. Gerard raised an eyebrow before knocking on the doorway, sounding out a little tune that he and his brother had made up when they were younger. Mikey looked up from his comic, pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. What a nerd.
"Dude, whad'ya doing up so early?" Gerard asked, leaning on the doorframe, attempting to keep up the 'cool older brother look' but looking awkward and ridiculously failing.
To this, Mikey stared at him, an unreadable expression plastered across his face and shrugged. "Don't know. I guess i'm just a little worried for tomorrow."
Gerard huffed. "You'll be fine. You have me and Ray." He brushes it off as if he and Ray could even stand up to their own bullies. Well, they could, and they have, but it never ends well.
When Mikey heard this, he just knew he was just as doomed as a fish with no water. He let out a chuckle and gave his brother a 'really?' look.
Gerard immediately caught what message Mikey was trying to send across. He stood stoic, masking what he was feeling for a beat before bursting out into laughter with him.
"Seriously, though. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I don't mean that in a cheesy way. You're my brother." He said, crossing his arms.
Mikey nodded, shutting his comic and sitting criss cross apple sauce in his bed. "And where are you going? You look actually put together for once." He said grinning widely at his words, looking closely at Gerard's outfit.
Gerard nodded his head. "Yeah, okay, i'll choose to take that one as a compliment. I'm going to Ray's. You fine staying home alone for a little?" He cocked an eyebrow.
Mikey opened his mouth in protest before shutting it, his lips pressing into a thin line before what looked like a light bulb turned on in his head. His face immediately lit up. "If you're hanging out with your friend, then i should be able to hang out with mine, right?"
Gerard stood there for a moment before responding. He seemed to think about the question. Why would he deny it anyways? Mikey's old enough to do whatever he wants. But then again, Gerard does have to remind him that he's the older brother.
"Yeah that's fine," even though Mikey didn't tell him who was coming over, he was 100% sure it was Frank. It's not like Mikey had a handful of friends anways. Gerard was also friends with Frank though. Mostly because Frank had been friends with Mikey since, like, fourth grade, and they've been inseperable ever since. Kind of like it was with himself and Ray.
Gerard pushed himself off of the doorframe with a loud exhale. "Alright, you guys have fun, i'll be back around like...", He paused, chewing on his lip and staring down at the carpeted floor. "Uhh... I dunno. I'll call ya."
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Gerard dashed out the front door, not even bothering to brush his teeth because honestly, they were going to get dirty and stinky anyways. He walked down the sidewalk, kicking pebbles with his feet as he made his way along. He hummed a song by Iron Maiden, bopping his head along to the imaginary tune in his mind.
On the way there he wondered what this year would be like with his brother at his school. He didn't hate the idea, Mikey and him were close. He just hated the idea that Mikey would see him in such a vulnerable state.
Not too long after, he arrived at Ray's apartment, buzzing the doorbell before it unlocked. He hummed his way up the stairs before reaching Ray's door. He held up his fist to knock on it. Just as he was practically throwing his fist to the door, Ray swung it open, no warning, earning an accidental punch to the nose.
Stunned, Ray flew back and rubbed his nose, face contorting as if he just ate a lemon.
"Dude--!" Ray groaned, cupping his nose as Gerard keeled over and laughed to the point of wheezing.
"I didn't even mean to!" He exclaimed, failing to conceal the grin threatening to tug at his lips. Ray rolled his eyes and pulled Gerard inside the house by the sleeve, still holding his nose.
They walked down the hallway, every footstep earning a creak from the old wood floors, Ray still sniffling from the sudden punch to the nose, and Gerard catching his breath from the laughter.
They both made their way into his room and settled down into their usual spots routinely. Ray being on the carpeted spot on the floor and Gerard chilling on his bean bag.
Soon after, Ray leaned over to his desk, pulling out his lighter and the blunt. He took his lighter and lit the blunt, the familiar scent invigorating both of their senses. They turned the lights down, until they were only able to see the light from the blunt and each other's silhouette's framed by the dim light.
Ray took the first hit, dragging it out before reaching his hand out to pass it to Gerard. Gerard recieved the blunt, took a hit and felt the smoke invade his lungs like an old autumn breeze. He had needed this for a while. Last time they did this was about a week ago, and for them, frankly, it was a long time.
After smoking it until there was nothing left, they let themselves sink into their spots, melting like ice cream on a hot day. Gerard let out a huff as it went silent. But it wasn't that type of awkward silence. It was the type of silence where no words spilled out and you could be at peace. Though Gerard never knew if it was Ray's presence that took away the ache in his chest, or if it was the drug.
Gerard stared at Ray for a few minutes, analyzing the way his curls draped over his cheekbones and framed his face, the way the color of his eyes stood out when he was high, the way his jawline curved.
"So what are you planning to do this year at school?" Gerard spoke up, interrupting the silence, Ray's eyes making beeline's towards his.
Ray hummed. "Like what? We're already croquet captains." He asked, unsure what message Gerard was attempting to convey.
Gerard shrugged. "We're also only croquet captains because no one really joins the team. I mean, like, if we were to stand up to them this year. Like-- really, truly stand up for ourselves." He spoke, raising a finger up.
Ray raised an eyebrow. "Well- We tried that every year for the past three years, I dont know..." He said, laughing breathlessly, no weight behind the words.
Gerard huffed, frustrated. "Whats the harm in a fourth time?" He added, getting a bit full of herself.
"Well unless you wanna get beat up again, go for it." Ray countered. Though he felt it was a bit harsh, Gerard should know. He was a bit hard headed at times. Always picking fights, but has no idea how to fight. Plus, he wasn't exactly a strong guy.
Gerard gazed at him, blinking a few times to steady himself before responding. "What I meant by standing up for ourselves is like-- not just giving them half-assed comments to defend ourselves! I mean like jumping into fights-- being the savior of the broken!"
Everybody lived such exciting lives, but for Gerard it was another story. The only exciting thing about his life was the adrenaline of getting chased by douchebags who hate him for expressing himself.
Ray opened his mouth in protest, but no sound came out. He shut it and nodded his head in response.
Gerard sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest. The conversation seemed to just float away from them. He didn't really know if it was because of the potential arising tension or the weed fogging up his brain.
They sat there-- or atleast, Ray layed there for about ten minutes. Gerard was almost sure Ray had fallen asleep due to pulling an all nighter before Ray himself broke the silence.
"Hey, so how's Mikey feel about going to high school?" He said, propping himself up on one elbow, resting his head on his hand as his wild curls fell down his cheek.
Gerard struggled to sit upright, as if there was super glue holding him to the bean bag. "I don't really know. He said he was like-- worried for tomorrow." He said, shrugging as he fought to keep her eyes open.
Ray chewed on the inside of his cheek for a few beats before responding. "Honestly if I was a nerdy little freshman going to a school like ours, i'd also be worried. Those stupid hockey players." He shuddered, recalling the horrors of what happened last year, their sophomore year when they had joined the croquet team.
"I dont know." Gerard threw his head back and bit his lip, hoping that he wasn't the wimp that the world seemed to see. He truly wanted to protect Mikey. He told him to his face he would protect him, but he didn't even believe that himself.
"I just wish i could like-- I don't know. Like, be popular or something. It's not that I care we get picked on... To hell with us. I just wish there was a way Mikey and Frank wouldn't get pulled into this."
Ray stared at him and sighed, a reluctant smile playing on his face as he shook his head. He decided he'd just say what he was going to say earlier.
"Come on, dude. You like D&D, Audrey Hepburn, Fangoria, Harry Houdini, and croquet... You cant swim, you can't dance, and you dont know karate. Face it! You're never gonna make it."
Gerard seemed to space out, his eyes darting from Ray to the floor. "I dont wanna make it-- I just wanna-"
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Mikey and Frank let out guttural screams as they flew down the stairs of the apartment complex, every bump squeezing another scream out of them before crashing down into the floor, Frank landing right on his face and Mikey landing on his back, knocking the wind out of himself. They both laughed before Mikey started coughing half a lung out. He rummaged through his pocket and took the inhaler out, shaking it with a loud rattling sound and pumping it two times into his mouth and taking deep breaths.
Frank got up, wiping his nose, streaks of blood dripping down, looking down at Mikey and holding out a hand. This was actually how they met back in 4th grade. Mikey ate absolute shit falling off of the slide and falling onto his back, the wind promptly getting knocked out of him-- pretty much like what had just happened. Frank saw this happen and walked up to him to help him up. The rest is pretty much history.
"Dude, holy shit, that was fun!" Frank said in between laughs, rubbing his cheek as Mikey adjusted his glasses. They grabbed the cardboard box and made their way up to the Way's apartment. When entering the house, they both kicked off their shoes, threw the box somewhere Gerard wouldn't get on their ass about, and ran into Mikeys room.
Both of them flopped onto the bed, the bed groaning and creaking in protest to the weight. Heavy breaths and sweat filled the room.
After they had both caught their breaths, Frank beamed, "We're officially high schoolers! Teenagers with free will." Frank said, staring up at the ceiling, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
Mikey sat up and could feel himself slouch down as he sighed. "Pshh.. I don't know, I feel like we're uhhh... old now." He said, looking back at Frank.
Frank turned over, eyebrow raised up high. "Yeah we're old but that means we can get all the girls we want, right?" He spewed out the same crap he does every year.
Mikey rolled his eyes, grinning as he turned to Frank just to flick his forehead. "Yeah. That's real easy for you to say. You've always had lots of girls after you. I don't know how you do it." He admitted.
Frank shrugged. "Hey, I don't know how I do it either, but I'm not complaining." He said, fiddling with his lip piercing as he looked back up at the ceiling.
It soon fell into silence before Frank spoke up again. "So are you gonna join the croquet team with your brother and Ray?" He asked, sitting up beside him.
Mikey rested his hands behind his head, yawning. "Yeah, honestly, I might. I actually like croquet. Are you?"
Frank nodded "If you are, then i'll join." In all honesty, Frank didn't really know how to play croquet all that well, but if the whole group was, then it shouldn't hurt. Well-- at least, it wouldn't kill him. Hes got like croquet super trainers all around him.
Mikey nodded in response to Frank's decision. "That sounds good." He said before springing up and walking over to the other side of the room, kneeling down to pick out a few cds. He got up and spun around to face the bed. He held out two cds. Revealing one to be a "The Smiths" cd and another to be "Iron Maiden."
"What are we feeling today, Frankie? Pick your poison." He said, softly throwing them on the bed so it wouldnt damage the cds, nor Franks own face.
Frank pickee them up, quickly opened The Smiths cd and popped it into the cd player on Mikey's nightstand. It whirred for a few seconds before playing the familiar music, both Mikey and Frank's heads bopping to the music.
Mikey crawled onto the bed next to Frank, the bed dipping beneath his weight, even though he was really slim. He peeled open the comic and began to read alongside Frank, who had already picked out a comic from his stack.
After a few minutes-- or could've been hours, they weren't exactly keeping track of time. All of a sudden, Gerard popped out, screeching a loud "BOO!"
"JESUS CHRIST!" Both Mikey and Frank screamed, curling up into balls. Gerard let out a hearty laugh.
"Fuck you Gerard!!" Frank yelled, throwing a comic at him, earning a shove from Mikey for throwing his comic. Mikey then quickly crawled over to the spot by his night stand to shut Morrisey's singing up so he could actually interact with Gerard without hearing nasally singing distract him. He settled back into the spot he was in and looked up at his older brother.
Both Mikey and Frank sniffed the air and covered their noses. "Gerard, you smell like skunk and B.O. Go take a shower, holy shit!" They exclaimed, almost in unison.
Gerard waved his arms at Mikey and Frank, blowing the stink air right into their faces. "Dude, what the hell!?" They both screamed, cupping their noses harder. Gerard laughed and practically ran to the door. "See you guys tomorrow!" He yelled out.
And as fast as Gerard had entered the room, he was gone just as quick, dashing out the door, his stomps fading as he walked away. Mikey wondered why Gerard never called him about what time he was coming back home. Probably for the scare. Oh well.
Soon after this, that's when they finally realized what time it was. It was 10 p.m, and they had school the next morning. Plus, Frank had to walk home. Atleast it wasn't cold out. Since its the end of Summer, theres a nice warm breeze out. He imagined it'd be pretty peaceful to walk out there under dimmed lights with not a care in the world.
"Well I guess I have to go. Bye, Mikey, see ya tomorrow." Frank said, waving Mikey goodbye as he smiled and walked out of his room. Mikey didn't really bother walking with him. Frank knew his way around the house well enough. They basically hung out every single day this summer break.
Once Mikey was sure Frank had left the house, he grabbed his towel off the hook at the back of his door and and ran to the bathroom, hoping he'd get atleast a ten minute shower while still waking up on time tomorrow.
He peeled off his shirt and pants and did the same with his undergarments, stepping into the shower and turning the knob with a squeak.
After finishing the shower, Mikey got into his bed, setting his alarm for 6:30 the next morning. He set his glasses on his night stand, running a hand through his hair as the pit in his stomach worsened about the next day at school. He hoped nothing bad would happen. Knowing he was already an outcast in middle school didn't help. Now being around older kids, where he can't defend himself as well as he could then, he just couldnt shake the feeling that he was doomed. He sighed and shut his eyes, burying himself under the covers for a search of comfort.