Contagious

"Fuck, Mikey," I looked into my cup, full of a clear liquid. "When was the last time I drank this stuff?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Go easy on it though. It may be just vodka, but...." I knew what Mikey was going to say. He was going to say: '...but you are a sick man...blah blah blah...'

I smirked, allowing the alcohol to run down my throat. It tasted like nail polish remover, but I didn't care. Endorphins flooded the air, and I felt relieved. I pulled off the mask to smell my breath. It smelled like coals, the kind that would heat up a fire. It smelled awful.

The couch was red, and I like red. I jumped atop of it, laughing. "You got any friends around here, or are you too new?"

"Dude, I only started renting today!" he coughed. "I just wanted to be with you, I really missed you."

"You see me like every week, sometimes two or three times in one week," I laugh heartily. "We're practically closer than any two brothers ever were. You shouldn't have missed me."

"Two days ago, that was the first time I saw you walk in a long time. Whenever I see you, you're in pain or need treatment..." his face was blank, and he released a huge breath. "Now you're stronger, you're better. And I'll be there for you."

"What if you get married?" I imagined myself at Mikey's wedding, standing next to their preist. Then I imagined myself being the priest. 'Now, Mikey, will you take this fucking rose as your wife? And will you, love, take the fucker as your husband? We're agreeing? Okay, kiss and say goodbye!' Yeah...that would be terrible.

"I'll be there for you. You'll live in our beach house."

"Mikey. For goodness sake you're afraid of water," I remind him.

"Very true. But, wherever I am, you'll be there, too," he smiled. "You'll be with your wife, and we'll all be together."

"About that..." How do people in the movies tell their family they are gay? They usually hug their mom and sob and all that stuff. I decide to just put it out there, you only live once, anyways. "I'm gay."

Mikey made this 'oh' sound with his lips, but very quietly. He pushed his glasses up a bit higher on his nose and sighed. "How long have you...been that...way?"

"Since second grade, get a grip," I gritted my teeth. "I had a crush on Alex, and John, Harry, and Fender."

"Whoa, whoa...I thought you liked Alice, Joan, Mary and Brenda..."

"No, I had a fucking lisp," I muttered. "Now, if gay marriage is legal in the nearby future...I will be with my husband and you. Or I'll be forever alone, with you."

"Wow. I learned so much in one day," he laughed.

There was a large crash coming from one of the rooms. Fucking jump scares, I fell out of the couch. "M-mikes...."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you! We're renting this house with another man," as Mikey said this, a figure stepped through one of the room's doors, holding a wrench.

"Anyone got some spark plugs?" a smooth voice asked.

Notes