The Mistake

The three boys stared at the ceiling, wide eyes glimmering with fear and a small whimper escaping from the most naive of the trio. The voice was coming from the kitchen above them, making the aforementioned stick-with-legs stiffen.
Without another word, Gerard shooed the two boys into his closet, his eyes darkening considerably. He gave them a threatening look, as if to say "Shut the absolute fuck up before I eat you and your pets" before closing the door quietly and shuffling back to his corner. He crouched and slumped against the wall, his eyes suddenly emptying themselves of the light Frank had become accustomed to. He wasn't Gerard anymore.
He was dead.
Frank knew it was all an act, but that didn't stop the blatant fear from running it's course through his veins. It was strange how easily he could shut down like that, how easily he could become a hollow shell.
The portal to the monster's den opened slowly, with an almost inaudible creak. Frank and Mikey tensed up, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder and breathing quietly. They could hear Gerard's silent breaths fill the room.
"Gerard," a female voice called, which they both recognized as the Way mother. "Has Mikey been down here? Or his friend?"
They could hear the shuffle of clothing. "Does Mikey know I am down here?" They could sense the hope in his voice. It may have been fake, but it was convincing as hell.
Mrs.Way scoffed lightly. "Of course not!" All three boys were surprised to hear such open hostility in her voice. Mikey because he had never heard that tone from here and Gerard because this was his mother. Yes, she demeaned him whenever she descended the stairs and ignored his existence otherwise, but she had never used such an aggressive tone before. She always used passive-aggressive attacks, never something so outright and ferocious. It wasn't exactly frightening; more along the lines of startling.
"O-oh," Gerard stuttered, followed by more shuffling of cloth, like he was curling in on himself even more so.
"I'm sorry I even asked," said the failure of a mother as she retreated up the stairs, letting the door slam on her way out. Gerard hissed lightly and shuffled to the closet door, letting his heart sink. He may not have known much about the outside world, but he knew how it worked in the house. She was suspicious. And that meant one thing.
They couldn't come back.
This fact almost brought tears to his eyes, but he knew it was true. He was going to spend his first birthday known to someone other than Ms.Harriet, alone. He hoped that Juliet would be able to be a foster parent soon, otherwise he'd be left to fend for himself in his dark basement where he spent the majority of his childhood.
When he opened the door and let his brother and friend out, he had tears streaking his crestfallen face. The two boys in the closet knew exactly why he was in shambles like this, and this broke the damn for them both. The three boys fell into a heap in front of the door, crying and sniffling and weeping loudly.
Little time had passed before they all separated, drying their eyes and looking at each other. Mikey pulled his brother into a hug and whispered, "I'll come back some day, Brother, I swear." Gerard nodded and pulled back, rubbing his left eye with his fist.
Frank pounced on him next, pulling him into a tight embrace. He kissed the pale boy's forehead gently, running his hand through the black hair. "I'm coming back to see you, okay? I won't forget, just keep believing in me, okay?"
"Always," he murmured, pressing his head into Frank's neck. Mikey smiled at the two; his brother was always so happy around the tattooed boy, likewise with the other participant in the hug.
The two boys walked up the stairs cautiously, peering around corners and tip-toeing up staircases. They remained in Mikey's room for hours, sitting in silence and staring at the floor, as if they could see Gerard under the multiple floors.
"I will come back, Mikes. Gerard won't be alone much longer," said Frank determinedly.
The thin fourteen year old grinned. "I know you will, Frank. You care to much to break your promise."
"Where were you?" asked Juliet as the family drove home in their little Subaru.
Frank glanced at his mother, smiling as he lied, "We were in the backyard."

Notes

Whoo, that was depressing. Who else sighed sadly? Go ahead, raise your hand.
Anyways, school is strangling me slowly and painfully, but tomorrow's Friday! Fuckin' weekend, man! I sound like a pothead. I'm not, but I sound like it. My mom even asked if I was on something. Poor Mom, she has no idea what's wrong with me. Here's a hint:
I'm dead.
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-Stitches