I rapped my knuckle against the cold, familiar door, placing my bag on the floor and straightening my Misfits shirt slightly before looking up at the door again as it swung open.
"OH MY GAWD, GERARD!" My younger brother, Mikey, squealed, a rare grin spreading across his face as he flung himself at me, pulling me into a tight embrace.
"Fuckin' hell, Mikey!" I laughed, staggering backwards due to the force of the hug. "You're acting like I've come back from the war!"
"I've missed you." He mumbled against my neck.
"I guessed as much. I missed you too." I replied softly, hugging him back and squeezing him.
"I didn't expect you to be back this early, I thought I had at least a week..."
"So did I, but I finished up my courses a little early." I pulled away from my little brother and examined him.
"Fuck Mikey, you've grown." I said
"Yeah, that tends to happen..."
"Oh my god. Your voice..."
"Yes, it's broken." He giggled.
"You've grown up so much." I mumbled.
Wow Gerard, old man moment, much?
Mikey was taller than me and probably had a deeper voice than me. Its like I was younger.
"So, Geraldine," Mikey teased "You just gonna stand out here or come in the house?"
"Stand out here like the make-up smothered pole I am." I laughed.
"Come on, drag queen." He laughed, picking up my bag and taking it inside the house. I followed him in, looking around the familiar hallway.
"Gerard!" Mom yelped from the kitchen, running and hugging me.
"I've only come back from collage, mom." I laughed, hugging her back and kissing her cheek.
-
I sat on the couch with Mikey, catching up with everything thats been happening and sipping slowly at my coffee, enjoying the bitter taste and the feeling of the caffine flowing through my veins.
"Aren't you finishing school soon?" I asked as Mikey paused for a moment.
"Yeah, unless I wanna take sixth form."
"So you've got your prom coming up, right?"
Mikey bit down on his lip and sipped his own coffee.
"Yeah." He said slowly. "In a couple days, actually."
"You going?"
He nodded.
"Awhhh!" I squeaked and he cocked an eyebrow at me over his coffee. "Sorry."
"It's fine."
"So, whose the lucky girl?"
"There isn't one."
I stared hard at him.
"I'm going with a guy." He said slowly, averting his eyes.
It took a few moments to digest what he was saying.
"Mikey, look at me."
He shuffled in his seat and looked me in the eye, an emotion in his eyes that I had seen plenty of times before. Fear.
"I'm so proud of you. You're so fuckin' brave, d'you realise that?" I put my hand on his boney knee and squeezed. "How long have you known?"
He bit his lip. "He's sort of an experiment."
"So you think your gay? or bi?"
"Uh-huh." He nodded "We've been together for a while."
"Sex?"
"GERARD!"
"Sorry, I need to know these things, Mikey."
He gave a small lopsided smile and shook his head.
"No, he knows I'm not sure what - or who - I am so we're going slow..."
I smiled at him. "Snog?"
"For fucks sake, Gee." he laughed.
"I'm nosey!"
"I know."
"Just answer."
"Yeah, okay, I've done that one."
"So that makes a peck obvious..."
He punched my arm playfully. "You're a bitch."
My face broke into a grin. "You realise I'm not gonna shut up now, right?"
"I realised."
"Grope?"
He punched me again.
"That's a yes."
"I swear I was adopted."
I laughed. "Nope, I remember being taken to the hospital to see you. You were freaking tiny."
"What, like you are?"
"Shut up, lanky git."
"Drag queen."
"I'm a hooker too." I winked and he laughed at me.
We sat in silence again for a while, sipping at our coffees, lost in our own thoughts, our eyes scanning eachother. He'd changed so much, his voice, his hair, his height, his looks. Heck, even his glasses had changed, his square specs perched on the end of his thin nose and his chocolate brown hair, still straightened but into a different parting, sliding into his eyes slightly.
"Gerard?" Mikey brought me back to earth
"Mm?" I mumbled a reply
"You've got your drivers licence, right?"
"Right..."
"D'you think you could, um..." he played with the hem of his Anthrax shirt.
"Spit it out, Mikes."
He took a big breath and met my gaze. "D'you think you could escort me and my date to the prom?"
I took his coffee out of his hands and put them both on the table before pulling him into a hug. "I'd fucking love too."
He giggled and hugged me back.
"But Mikey?"
"Yeah?"
"Whats the kids name?"
"Frank."
"Frank Iero? Little Frankie?" I was shocked.
"Yeah."
"You lucky little bugger."
He giggled and pulled back from me slightly.
"I'm so fucking proud of you." I whispered, moving my hand up to his face and circling my thumb over his high, beautifully defined cheekbone. "I really am."
"Thank you?"
I placed my other hand on his cheek andpressed my lips to his forehead, he leaned into me slightly and sighed softly.
"Guess what?" I spoke against his skin.
"What?" He said quietly.
I pulled back from him and made him look up at me, guiding his head with my hands.
"I love you, bro." I said softly, a lopsided smile forming across my face that he mimicked and pulled me into another hug.
"I love you too, Gee. And I've missed you."
"I know, bub. I know."