The Mistake

A tense silence engulfed the room. Two boys stood side by side, one infinitely taller than the other. The boy across from the couple seemed to be of average height, his skin almost glowing in the dim basement light. He was wearing a soft, hopeful smile, hazel eyes sparkling. He clutched a small, red lighter in his hand, his other grabbing at the hem of his hoodie. The tallest one was looking at him, expression a mix of shock and disbelief. The shortest one was looking between the two of them like a tennis game.
"Frank," the tallest one demanded, "who is this guy, really?" He didn't take his eyes off of Gerard, who reciprocated with a smile.
The tattooed boy sigh. He figure Mikey wouldn't believe him; he had a hard time believing he met Gerard himself, although for a different reason. "He really is your brother, Mikey. He's been down here since your parents brought you home," he explained. "Gerard is schizophrenic, a mark on their perfect record, so they stuffed him down here so no one would know."
"But, they told me he died," Mikey murmured, eyes wide and confused. Gerard sighed sadly but stayed silent.
"They told the world that, when, in reality, he was just looked in a dark basement. The maid brings him food."
Mikey shook his head. "This is unbelievable," he whispered, before looking at Gerard again and stepping towards him, reaching out and touching his shoulder. "I have a brother." He quickly embraced Gerard in a hug, who, though extremely startled, gripped the back of his shirt tightly.
Frank smiled in satisfaction. "Now, before we go telling people about Gerard, we need to find him a place to stay. When I was younger, my mom said she wanted another kid, but Dad died, so there was a problem. She said, afterwards, that maybe she'd apply to become a foster parent after she came back from duty. So, after her sessions are done, I'll convince her to apply, and then we'll tell everyone about Gerard and he can live with us!" Frank concluded, waving hands in a grand gesture of finality.
Mikey released his new-found brother and looked at Frank blankly.
"You'll live with us too."
"See, you can make me happy."
Gerard suddenly latched onto Frank, burying his face in his friend's tattooed neck. "Thank you, Frank." Frank wrapped his arms around Gerard's waist, pulling him closer and smiling.
"Don't thank me, Gee. Now, I have a mug of coffee in my backpack; you want it?"
Gerard let him go, still with a goofy grin, and nodded. "Must you ask?"
Frank handed him the mug. He undid the lid and hopped off to his bed, flopping down and chugging the drink.
Mikey turned to Frank, and in a low voice that Gerard couldn't hear, said, "Thanks for taking care of my brother; I wish I could've help sooner."
"It's no problem," Frank assured, "I like hanging out with Gee. He's so naive and weird." He wiggled his fingers and crinkled his nose.
Mikey snorted. "Still, thank you." He patted Frank's shoulder. "I wouldn't be here without you; I'd never know."
"Come sit!" Gerard called, patting the bed beside him while beaming.
And they spent the next two hours sitting on that bed, the brothers getting to know each other and their new friend. When Frank left, he hugged the Way boys and reassured Gerard that he'd be back soon. They waved happily and went back to chatting quietly. Frank picked up a few papers from the floor and stuffed them in his hoodie pocket.
"How was Mikey?" Juliet asked as they drove home quietly.
Frank nodded. "Yeah, he's pretty cool."
If only she knew who he was really talking about.

Notes

People actually do the Google of the Day! And shit, these things are crazy. BLOOD'Y REVENGE found a great one: "Help, I'm alive!"
Here, let me help you with that problem.
*sharpens ax*
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-Stitches