The Forest

Gerard sighed as he stared at the apartment in front of him. Well as everyone in Europe called it, a flat. The box in hands felt heavy, but he could not dare put it down. It held all his art equipment and special memories Gerard did not want it to even touch the floor. Somehow, he had no idea how he was able to carry it on the plane. His eyes searched around his surroundings. A small town, forest in the background and not many people out. Sighing, Gerard took in a large amount of air and walked into his and Mikey's new home. He entered the door way to white- more of grey-walls, crown molding, and silence. No sounds of boxes being lifted, opened, their personal belongings being set down. Not even the sound of Mikey humming or talking. He walked further into the entry way. Stopping dead in the middle. Hazel orbs closed as the raven haired male sucked in dusty air, he opened them once a light coughing fit came upon him. Thankfully not sneezing his lungs out, Gerard took the smallest steps, his old white beaten up converse did not give even force on the floor for it to even creek beneath him. Once white laces dragged across layer upon layer of dust. Making Gerard wonder the last time anyone cleaned in here.
With box still in hand, he kept at his small steps. All of his senses taking in their new home. Hazel orbs kept searching, him being able to make forward eye contact with the hall to the kitchen. This flat reminded him very much of home, of his parents, friends, and life he had there. Shaking off those thoughts, he entered the kitchen, to find boxes and no Mikey. Sighing loudly, his body turned and walked into the dinning room, to fine nothing. A groan escaped his mouth this time. A very, very loud groan. Throat hurting groan. He walked through the door way leading him to the living room, and Mikey! Arms relaxed once the older brother saw the younger. He did not feel the box slipping until he ended up falling to his knees, hugging tightly. Standing up, the said Mikey turned with a smiling face towards his brother. He put down the box label, "Mike's room + bass!" And went over to fix the older's hair. To get a small glare. Stepping back, the two stared at each. Taking each other features in. They both were more awake after having a cup of coffee at the airport while they waited for their cab, then another cup after that. Since both have never flew on a plane before, and with Gerard slightly terrified, they both had horrible jet leg, and Mikey almost-almost!- lost his bass. He found it, eventfully.
Soon the room fell to silence. If you got close enough to them, you could hear their breathing. Only if you got close enough. Hazel orbs stared back into each other, Gerard shifted to side to side, trying not to laugh at his brother's genuine poker face. How could his younger brother, by three years, have the perfect poker face and not blink one bit? Sometimes, he thought they were at a constant staring contest. Maybe that was true.
Walking across the room, the raven haired male kept his gaze on the dirty blond one, body in control of walking to the door way leading to the center hall. Mikey kept his poker face on his brother as he got a very scared facial expression from him. The older male kept walking until his right foot stepped onto the first step. He turned around and faced into the room. "Mikey, were is my room again?" Gerard asked him, box in hands tightly. He kept chewing his lip as he waited for a reply. His body kept shifting back and fourth, altering his younger brother of distress.
"I told you, pick one out. We'll be staying here for a while." Mikey, the lean, dirty blond hair boy said. His glasses shined the bright light off of them, making Gee squint when it hit his.
"You mean until you finish college here, until I get better, and until I believe the legend of Engel des Todes?" Gerard asked grumbling, bitting his lip while doing so.
"Gee," Mikey replied using his nickname, "you know mom said this would be good for us to get out. I know you'll enjoy it!"
"Sure." Gerard said rolling his eyes and heading up stairs to the rooms. He poked his head in the three, and found the room that had a small window. But it was large enough for him. He could put a curtain-black curtain-up to block out the sun, possible paint the wall by his bed black, then put a black light on the wall. Walking over by the bed, Gerard sat down with the box in his lap, arms tightly around it. Setting it down next to him gently, Gerard opened the box. He stared deeply at every item he took out. One, was a picture of his grandma. Elena. The only person who ever taught him how to draw, paint, and sing. Shaking his head, Gerard laid sides way and placed the picture of Elena right next his bedside. Wiping the wetness away in his eyes, Gerard began to unpack the remaining items and placed them on the bed. Only for him to sort them into certain spots around his new room. With hazel orbs scanning the room, the came across and empty space. Bookshelf missing. Groaning to himself, Gerard got up from the spot on the twin bed and walked all the back downstairs to see Mikey unpacking a box of coffee mugs.
"Mikey, be careful with those mugs. Break one, and we'll both be crying as if the world is ending." Gerard sternly told the younger Way as he jumped from unknowing Gerard was even there.
Holding the mug tightly, Mikey turned towards his brother, "Can you not do that! I was careful until you decided to scare the living hell out of me, Gee." Mikey huffed out, placing the third cup on the shelf. "Also, what do you want? Coffee?"
"Do we even have-never mind. I wanted know if our other furniture we got shipped over has been delivered?" Gee questioned with his sassy attitude. His hand on hip and finger pointing like a teenage girl being rude to their friend.
Mikey chuckled slightly, "The company that's shipping them, called me from the docks in Wales, when we had that random lay-over and delay in Spain. Said that once it's gets to the moving company in five hours," Mikey paused sucking on his lip, "they'll call us to tell us, then it'll should be tomorrow evening when all other furniture will be here. Why ya ask?"
Gerard sighed, resting his forehead on the kitchen counter. His hands dangling from his sides. He could feel the layer of dust touching his forehead. Oh, how Gerard hated dust. It messed up his allergies, and being in an new environment and climate fucked it all up. Feeling the huffing and sneeze coming up his sinuses passes, Gerard tried his best to lift his head up. When he did, his head only slammed back down on the counter. Causing Mikey to nearly drop plates and Gerard to fall on his ass.
"Argh! Fuck!" The older Way said in agony, curling into himself while holding his head to somewhat ease the pain.
Setting the plates near the sink, Mikey fast walked over and kneeled down beside his brother.
"Are you alright?" He questioned, only to get a glare from the older sibling.
"Yeah, I feel like the White Cliffs of fucking Dover." Gerard replied, lessing his glare as he took the younger's hand and got helped to his feet. He kept his glare on the poker faced boy, only for the two to break out smiling into full blown laughter. The flat was so silence that their laughter gave it life it had not seen in around ten years. The brother's laughter died down once Mikey realized he heard sobs coming from his brother. Mikey's eyes soften as he grabbed his brother and pulled him into a tight hug. It had been his job to protect and watch over him while they lived here. Stroking Gee's hair, Mikey walked him over to the old, beaten up leather couch in the living area and sat them both down on the couch. The blond male continued to rub the raven haired male's back as he cried for a reason the other did not know. Mikey glanced around, no TV has been hooked up, no radio, nor even phone to help him distract the poor sad ridden boy. Hell, Mikey could not even call their parents, he had enough minutes to call them in the cab ride over. He had switch over all their information with Germany's AT&T service and see how to keep their numbers from New Jersey. For Mikey, that barely stressed him out.
Jolting out the trance, Mikey turned his head to get a half face full of greasy raven hair, and a puffy eyed brother. Wrapping arm around the sadden young adult, Gerard stared up towards him; a ghost smile on his pink lips.
"You okay, bro?" Mikey question, squeaking when Gerard decided to snuggle closer. Compared to Mikey, Gerard was skinny, muscular, and slightly boney. On the other hand, the younger was more boney and his awkward knees proved it. The best guess Mikey could come up with that Gerard found comfort snuggling up him.
Sniffling, the raven haired male quietly said, "Yeah. I just don-don't know what came over me. Maybe it's the move. Sorry Mike's."
"Gee, stop it. This move is hard on both of us, especially you. Since it is still early enough, and I thought after we unpack, go out for coffee?" When the words coffee left Mikey's mouth, a large smile lit up the male's tear stained face. He tightly hugged the younger male and went straight to the kitchen to finish unpacking the remaining kitchen items they had in the boxes they already had shipped over weeks before. The older male glanced over at the younger, making a nudging motion with his head to come into the kitchen.
As Gerard took the dishes from his brother's hand, he stopped and looked towards the room they were in, then walked into the dinning room to see the first living room. "Wait, we have two living rooms?"
Mikey laughed, "No. Yes. One's a family room. From what I guess, it used be a room that they closed off, then opened it a few years back from what the owner says."
"Why?"
"Do I look like a contractor?" Mikey replied, getting sassy with his brother, who was known as the Sass Queen! Gerard's ears heard those sassy words leave his brother's mouth. He turned around, hand on hip and gave his little diva walked over to the younger one. His pale finger poked the male's chest, trying to stab through water.
A sly smirk formed at the twenty three year old's lips, causing his brown eyebrows to raise upwards. "I say my sass is rubbing off, my young, young, padawan."
Mikey took the finger off his chest, and dragged the older boy over to the half full box and placed thirty plats in his hands.
"Call me padawan one more time, Gee, and I will humbly give you a history lesson of-" Mikey did not even finished his sentence as he heard the faster, "No!" Leave the now terrorized male's face. Ever since Mikey started copying his brother's sass, Gerard had been calling him, "padawan." This only gave the younger an option to give kindly threats of history lessons on the Engel des Todes. Now, Gee had now choice but to actually listen to him. Behind the lean boy's back, he could feel the pale one glaring holes and grumbling at him. The sound was music to the college student's ears. He smirked and went back to handing his upset brother the end of the plates. Like Mikey had promised, since it's still early, they would go for coffee, and they sure did.
Mikey waited for twenty minutes, more what seemed of an hour, for his brother to get ready. First impression for the elder was apparently very important. What did the blond do? Comb his hair. Done in five minutes. But his brother? No such thing as five minutes.
"Gee! Are done yet?" The twenty year old yelled out.
"It takes time to have your mess of a hair, ya know?" Gerard sassily yelled back from the bathroom. His booming through the house.
"Sassy much today." The younger grumbled to himself leaning against the dirty wall. He realized that this whole house would have to be cleaned. Possibly install carpet. By the next five minutes- ten really- the older Way ran his way down, steps creaking underneath his weight.
Mikey shot up his head, shaking it. He realized that his brother only made his hair look neater, by combing it and putting on eyeliner. About an hour fucking wait for his brother doing this.
"What? Does my eyeliner look bad? Red eyeliner is not easy to put on." The older questioned as he fallowed his brother out the door and watched him lock the door. When he began to walk to down the sidewalk. People walked by either gave a weird look, waved or completely went on with their daily task.
Mikey kept walking forward, already knowing where a local coffee shop sat. "Your eyeliner looks fine. Though; why not wash your hair?"
"We have no water-"
"We do Gee, I got it turned on two weeks before." Mikey said cutting him as he pushed his glasses up towards his eyes. Somehow on the plan, Gerard grabbed Mikey's glasses and bent them. Causing them to slide off more. "Can you at least wash your hair when we get home?"
The older gave him a hurt look when he nodded a yes. Mikey again sighed only causing his brother to hum some Black Flag, which both brothers enjoyed. The younger joined in his brother's humming as Mikey's eyes spotted the coffee shop. He had heard from his classmate over video chat that this small cafe had good enough compared to Starbucks. If only he could get the raven haired male to believe. Though from the blond's stand point they both loved coffee that had lots of sugar and tasted brewed on end for hours.
Gerard turned his head to Mikey, "M..this is not a Starbucks."
Mikey did not even speak as he opened the door for the two. They walked in to a half-no not even half, more like empty cafe. Mikey rolled his eyes at his brother while he searched around for a Starbucks logo. Oh how Gerard loved their coffee.
Mikey grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the counter. In front of them, a man stood at the counter with a fro. A curly, puffy fro. His eyes having a gold tint to them.
"Hello there!" He said cheerfully, and in full English surprising the brothers. "What can I get you two today?"
"Uuhh..have any cappuccinos.." Gee questioned trying to search for the guys name tag, "..Ray?" He said once he found the tag on the white shirt.
"Yes. I'll take a large one of those. And Mikey here will have the same?"
"Sure." The brother replied, wondering how his brother all of a sudden put off his original and lovely coffee. Well, any type of coffee is coffee for Gee.
"Your total comes to 26.35 euros." When those words came the said male's Ray's mouth, Mikey and Gerard felt their jaws drop! In terms of speaking that much euros was a lot of money compared to American dollars. Fishing out the new money they would be using, Ray counted out their due change and than proceeded back towards the machines. "Since this place is dead this morning, take a seat and I'll call you when I finish them." Ray told them and they took his orders.
Mikey chose the table by the window, of course facing the forest. Gerard thankfully did not complain, he sat opposite and tapped his fingers lightly against the cold table top. Everything here was out of his comfort zone. Nothing felt right. He knew it had be his body still adjusting to the new environment. That had to be it.
"So." He said dragging it out to get the glassed boys attention.
"Soo?" Mikey did the same back.
"Why here, why Germany, why Black Forest? More importantly why here?" He questioned, hazel orbs trying to hide emotion he had in those questions.
Mikey sighed again. The more he got asked, he did not know how to reply. "Easy to put, Engel des Todes, college and making sure you are alright. The important part is making sure you are alright and fine Gee. I don't want to lose you, no one does!"
Those words struck the older's heart with so much emotion, he felt the sting of salty tears rimming his eyes. He knew Mikey cared. Even if he did not agree with his obsession over this so called legend. His brother was more of his older than younger, and Gerard was happy for that. Whipping away the tears with his hands, he gave a small smile back to the blond.
He sniffled, "You know M, you care a lot but your obsession is as bad as mine."
Mikey gave a hurt look, "Well at least I don't have vampire poster-" Mikey stopped his sentence realizing where his brother was getting at. "Be glad I love you." Was all he said.
"Love ya too Mike's." The raven snickered back as he stared out towards the forest in the back round. "What's the deal with the legend again?"
"A prince about 131 years ago was born in a castle, his mother died giving birth and his father blamed him for it. Here's the catch, the boy was not crowned prince until age ten-no eleven, his father kept him locked him away from everyone. Then the King died and no one knows what happened after. The villages know him as Engel des Todes. I still can't figure out why." Mikey told Gerard as he stared out the window also.
"That's a lot of bullshit of history. Dis you sum that up? Anyway, do you even know this so called Prince's name." The twenty three year asked giving his brother a questioning gaze.
"Frank. Frank Ier-" Before Mikey could even finish his sentence, all of sudden the man with the fro, Ray, had set their coffee on their table. Saying their thank's to him, the two brothers gave a shocked gaze to each other after watching Ray walk back behind the counter.
Taking a sip of his coffee, the raven whispered, "That was creepy as fuck."
"I know." The brother whispered back as they sipped their drink very slowly. Scared the man with the fro would appear again.
Unknown to the brothers, behind the counter Ray took out his phone. His golden orbs glanced back at the males every so often. Wondering if they knew. He knew the lean skinny blond one already have information as his brother, the pale raven haired one brushed it off as legend. He presses the down button to find the number. He needed to find that number and fast.
'The more he keeps changing the contact name so help him.' Ray thought to himself when he found the name.
His eyebrows knitted into a frown at the contact name, he mentally sighed. Oh how he wished that he was not so childish. Sadly you can't pick how your friends personalities. Pressing the call button, Ray held the phone up to his ear. He eyes the two brothers again.
"Pick up." He grumbled in a low whisper.
A voice, a groggy tired voice answered, "Hello?"
"We have a problem." Ray said into his phone as he kept eying the two males, not even caring if they felt his stare boring into them.
"What type of problem, Ray? It's too early for me to figure out. I haven't even had my morning coffee yet." The voice sounded more gentle as it woke. A yawn emitted through Ray's end, only allowing him to shake his head.
"Two new males came into the cafe-" he got cut off.
"Please tell me you found someone to love finally and please for the love of God don't kill them this time Ray."
"No! Can you not be such an ass in the morning. Look, one boy knows about you. He's been studying the history of you. The other doesn't believe." Ray told the other person as he made himself look like he was working.
"Uh-huh. Ray, you do know that everyone knows about me and doesn't believe. What's the point?" The person on the other end told Ray.
The fro man closed his eyes then opened them. He took in a large amount of breath and said, "They know your name."
With those words leaving his mouth, he heard the phone fall to the floor on the other end. Ray ended the call and put his phone in his pocket. He averted his eyes back to the males to see them laughing and smiling. He knew all too well how this would go over in days time.

Notes