My Gift to You
The Greatest Gift of Them All
Today was the day Mikey Way had been looking forward to.
He and his brother, Gerard, were on their way to a bar just 20 minutes away from where they lived with their mother and father in New Jersey, to celebrate Mikey's 19th birthday.
The darkened skies above them showed no indication of thick clouds or rain, so the two young men decided to walk over, and pick up their friend Frank along the way.
Only five minutes at the most had passed since the two had left the comfort of their home to brace the chilling breeze that flowed throughout the neighbourhood, and already Mikey was trembling a little under his slightly baggy denim jacket that failed to contain the heat his body was now losing.
His brother tightened his long and striped scarf over his mouth, and then shoved his hands in the pockets of his own tight leather jacket.
"S'a little colder than I remember for an early September night," Gerard mumbles under the fabric held over his mouth, "What time is it?"
Mikey stops rubbing his biceps reluctantly to pull up one of his sleeves, revealing his stainless steel watch that shone slightly orange under the streetlights they continued to pass and the time that had appeared to be 10:34pm.
"'Bout half ten. Frank should be ready by now." Mikey announces as he shoves his sleeve back down, longing for the warmth that he knew Frank's house would provide.
Anyone who knew these boys clearly knew that the relationship they had as brothers was uniquely strong. Fights rarely broke out between the two compared to most normal siblings, and instead, their bond only got stronger as the two got older.
You see, New Jersey isn't the best place for a child to go out and play, as Mikey and Gerard have discovered themselves. It was only until Mikey was 13 that he would be allowed to go out without his parents, but only if he had at least one other person with him at all times. Things were pretty much the same with Gerard too, but he never wanted to go out whenever he was able to.
His parents and few friends were confused at the choice that he had chose over and over again, but Gerard insisted that he would wait for the day Mikey could go and join him.
Nobody was ever sure why, but nobody ever questioned him as to why he'd prefer to stay locked up for another 2 or 3 years for Mikey, than to enjoy and create the childhood that he had never got to experience.
Gerard was 14 at the time he had been first allowed out, and Mikey only 11.
The two spent the next couple of years with each other as they had done since they had first been introduced to each other, and their parents were simply baffled towards the affection that both brothers had shown to each other through thick and thin.
During the time that the brothers had together, they were always known to spending a lot of time in Gerard's bedroom in the basement, Gerard either teaching Mikey how to draw like him, or them singing together along to some of the bands that they both enjoyed listening to, including Pulp and the Misfits.
They still continued to do just that whenever they had any free time, and Mikey had even bought his first bass last year to start planning for his and Gerard's band that they had thought about for a long time now. They were even thinking of asking Frank to join, since Frank was practically attached to his own electric guitar that he had gotten a few years ago as a Christmas present from his mother.
The boys had now been walking for five minutes since Mikey had last looked at his watch, and Frank's street was now in sight as they continued to drag their worn converses across the sidewalk, both of them too cold to really care about talking.
The cold air had begun to pick up speed as the time ticked by, now getting close to twenty to eleven as the moon began to glow high up in the sky.
It had an unusual yellow tint to it tonight, though, and it looked even more magnificent than the first time the boys were allowed to sit outside in the night and watch it rise up into the darkened sky with their parents, both being aged 12 and 14, a couple of weeks before Gerard's 15th birthday.
Soon another 5 minutes had passed, and Gerard and Mikey were now walking up to Frank's doorstep, Gerard taking his slightly numb hand out of his jacket pocket to press down hard on the small door bell to the side of the house's chestnut brown painted door.
Frank's faint black silhouette could be seen on the inside through the clouded double glazing windows on the door, darting past every so often to what grab his last few necessities before going back to open the door, grinning at them both as they all said their hello's.
Soon all three of them were walking back on the sidewalk, now heading into town and towards the bar where they had planned a 'Happy Birthday celebration' for Mikey, and the younger Way brother could feel his lips curve slightly upwards as he thought of how much his brother and best friend really did care about him.
It was 12:57pm when Frank had been told to leave; his mother showing up with a disapproving frown plastered on his face at the state of her 17 year old son.
As soon as Frank had literally screamed out his goodbyes and was dragged into his mother's car, both brothers decided it was time to go home too, before their own parents came by to discipline them about how late it was getting, and that Gerard should have acted more responsible. It had happened last year for the same reason; they didn't feel like going through the same rant twice, and both of the brothers laughed a little at the memory of how much they really didn't care about what their mother was saying at that time.
From the moment they stepped outside both let out a small groan as they shivered, Gerard suddenly remembering that he had loaned his jacket and scarf to Frank on their way to the bar, seeing as he had decided to only wear a thin shirt with three-quarter length sleeves. Both of the Way brothers knew how bad Frank's immune system was, and neither wanted to catch his cold the next day when Frank had agreed to visit.
Gerard walked slowly compared to Mikey; the coldness that now attacked the bareness of his arms and face were a little too much for him to take, and after all, he had had a little bit to drink, too.
Mikey knew that he was basically sober though, as was he. Both had agreed that they wouldn't drink too much so that they could take care of each other on the way home, and they had always stuck to that promise. They had first come up with it two years ago; the first time Mikey was able to go into the bar with Gerard.
The younger Way brother soon realised that the older had fallen behind and he stops to wait up for him, and then slows his walking pace to stay by his side when he starts moving again.
Gerard smiles gratefully at his younger brother as a 'thank you' through his clattering teeth, and Mikey just smiles back at him before looking up at the sky to admire the night.
As the brothers walk back through downtown the streetlamps begin to get a little brighter to light up their way for a few minutes, and the few cars that drive by all have different levels of brightness for their headlights, showing either blue, white or yellow tinted lights to lead their way on the road ahead.
The boys were almost out of town, but every now and again they would have to stop for Gerard's slight coughing and sniffing, and they've only been walking for ten minutes, at the most.
Gerard apologises for about the hundredth time as he starts to walk beside Mikey again, but Mikey's eyes are too focused on the stars up above.
He glances from one to another, wishing he could see one closer, and wondering if they would ever send him something that he had once wished for back when he was a young teenager. He is interrupted from his thoughts though, when he hears Gerard's panicked call behind him, despite his croaky throat.
"MIKEY!!" Gerard screams at the top of his lungs, and Mikey comes to a halt, jumping slightly at his brother's sudden outburst.
He lowers his head to find himself standing in the middle of the road, but he doesn't have time to look at the car coming his way, as he feels something push him from behind and sends him hard to the ground on the other side of the road, pushing his partially clouded glasses off of his nose and onto the cold floor beside him with a small cracking sound.
An ear-piercing screech followed by a sickening and loud thump could then be heard almost straight after Mikey had hit the floor, and he slides his hands across the rough surface of the road, desperately searching for his only way to see properly as everything then falls silent.
Mikey starts to panic when screams are heard from several people around him, including what he thinks could be the driver of the vehicle that had been so close to hitting him down. He prays that the car had missed Gerard and maybe swerved into something else like a street lamp; he wouldn't be able to live knowing that his brother had just risked his life to save his own.
"G-Gerard?" Mikey stutters; finally finding his specs and placing them back on his nose, first seeing a crack through one of the lenses that stretched across the whole length of the glass.
He moved his attention straight from his glasses to the scene in front of him however, when a sudden scream erupted from some girl that sounded like she was standing directly behind Mikey, making him flinch and take in everything that was in front of his now widened hazel eyes.
He was pretty sure that the world had come to a harsh halt for that very moment; the first thing that caught his eye was that the car was just a foot or two away from him, one of the wheels being so close to his foot that he thought he could throw up right there and then.
He retained that feeling though, when he realised that Gerard hadn't appeared anywhere yet, and he knew he had to find him.
He hesitantly stood up on his feet; instantly feeling his legs shake with both fear and sickness as he tried to keep his balance.
[i]'He's okay, he has to be.'[/i] Mikey thought as he slowly moved to the front of the car, keeping his head low and taking deep breaths to keep himself calm as more screams of terror could be heard. [i]'He's Gerard, he's okay. He's fine.'[/i]
Mikey's trail of thought was suddenly interrupted when someone screamed at someone else to call an ambulance, and as soon as he regretfully lifted his head he spotted a large group of teens and young adults gathering around what he dared say was Gerard, and he couldn't help but freeze up for a moment or two.
Gerard had been hit.
He couldn't even think properly when his feet suddenly propelled his body forward; desperately pushing through the crowd and trying to reach his deeply loved brother, who was most probably letting his life slip away right this second.
Mikey tried to remove that thought from his mind, but as soon as he came to the front of the crowd, he couldn't stop his body from collapsing in front of his broken brother; screaming useless words at him as his eyes became glassy with tears and his small frame shook with sobs threatening to erupt from himself.
"WHY, GERARD?! WHY THE [i]FUCK[/i] DID YOU DO [i]THAT?![/i] YOU [b]PRICK!![/b]" Mikey screamed at his brother, pulling at the sides of his previously straightened hair that rested almost flat against his scalp.
Gerard just looks up with saddened eyes as he watched his brother fall to pieces in front of him, but he can't move to comfort him; he really is [i]broken[/i].
Mikey sobs for a good couple of minutes before he can even open his eyes in the slightest, and when he finally takes in his brother's appearance, he suddenly feels more sick than ever; instantly hearing his own heartbeat in his ears as his gaze meets Gerard's concerned one.
He doesn't know what to do, now. Gerard's eyes are slightly diluted, and they look droopy as he continues to watch his brother fall to pieces, right in front of him. The once bright hazel-brown colour that shone in them had now completely vanished; leaving behind a dull and dirty looking brown colour and no shine to be seen in them at all... Not even from the street light that stood directly over the top of their heads.
The younger sibling tries his best to ignore the deep gashes that were clearly visible on his brother's face, but there was simply too much blood.
Gerard's once clean raven-black hair was now tangled all over the place, and a few strands fell over his eyes and stuck to the crimson liquid that was never endingly trickling over his face and neck.
Mikey looks down at the floor to see blood seeping into the cracks in the concrete, and when he glances back up at Gerard he takes his hand carefully, lifting it up to his cheek to let him feel his tears; not knowing if he could actually see properly. He then gently rests a hand over his heart to feel his pulse, feeling a beat every two seconds as his chest slowly rose and fell again to the speed of his breathing. Mikey then decided to look over the rest of the damage on his brother's face, feeling another sob coming close.
His bottom lip on the left side was definitely swollen, and judging from the blood pouring out of his sliced-up nose, Mikey knew that it would be broken. His eyes then travelled back to Gerard's right eye, mentally cursing himself for not even noticing the thick purple bruise that circled it; looking puffy compared to his other that had blood flowing past it. It made Mikey feel a little nauseous as the blood stuck to Gerard's eyelids with every blink and pushed down a new flow of blood; some even trickling into Gerard's mouth when an unexpected smile formed on his lips.
Mikey stared down at his brother with an outraged look on his face, not believing how the heck he could be smiling in a situation like this.
"Gerard," He pursed his lips, remembering all of the old memories when Gerard used to get hurt, and then suddenly turned happy, just attempting to show Mikey that he was fine. "There's no way that you can expect me to-"
"Happy birthday, Mikes..."
Mikey narrowed his eyes at his brother. "What?"
"Happy birthday."
The smile on Gerard's lips grew wider as Mikey opened his mouth to protest; Mikey never really looked at the bright side of things, according to his brother.
"Gerard... That is [i]not[/i] something to joke about. Look at you, you're [i]broken![/i] How can you say something like [i]that[/i] and not think about what kind of mess you've gotten yourself into?!" Mikey was fuming now. He thought his brother would think responsibly about the situation; not make lame jokes to try and lighten the mood!
Gerard just kept smiling, unfazed by Mikey's small rant. "But Mikes... [i]This[/i] is the [i]greatest[/i] gift of them [i]all[/i]."
"What do you mean, Gerard?" Mikey asked, losing his patience and temper, both at once. Gerard's smile softened, and his eyes twinkled slightly under the light as a tear or two joined the free-flowing blood that poured down his face.
"My gift to you," He began, taking a deep breath as his pulse started to slow even more. He didn't continue though, and Mikey's narrowed eyes and pursed lips softened up slightly.
"Gerard?" He asked quietly, not wanting his best friend to slip away so soon.
"My gift to you," He started again, still having trouble to breathe, but not waiting as long before his smile came back onto his face. "Is the gift of [i]life[/i]."
He and his brother, Gerard, were on their way to a bar just 20 minutes away from where they lived with their mother and father in New Jersey, to celebrate Mikey's 19th birthday.
The darkened skies above them showed no indication of thick clouds or rain, so the two young men decided to walk over, and pick up their friend Frank along the way.
Only five minutes at the most had passed since the two had left the comfort of their home to brace the chilling breeze that flowed throughout the neighbourhood, and already Mikey was trembling a little under his slightly baggy denim jacket that failed to contain the heat his body was now losing.
His brother tightened his long and striped scarf over his mouth, and then shoved his hands in the pockets of his own tight leather jacket.
"S'a little colder than I remember for an early September night," Gerard mumbles under the fabric held over his mouth, "What time is it?"
Mikey stops rubbing his biceps reluctantly to pull up one of his sleeves, revealing his stainless steel watch that shone slightly orange under the streetlights they continued to pass and the time that had appeared to be 10:34pm.
"'Bout half ten. Frank should be ready by now." Mikey announces as he shoves his sleeve back down, longing for the warmth that he knew Frank's house would provide.
Anyone who knew these boys clearly knew that the relationship they had as brothers was uniquely strong. Fights rarely broke out between the two compared to most normal siblings, and instead, their bond only got stronger as the two got older.
You see, New Jersey isn't the best place for a child to go out and play, as Mikey and Gerard have discovered themselves. It was only until Mikey was 13 that he would be allowed to go out without his parents, but only if he had at least one other person with him at all times. Things were pretty much the same with Gerard too, but he never wanted to go out whenever he was able to.
His parents and few friends were confused at the choice that he had chose over and over again, but Gerard insisted that he would wait for the day Mikey could go and join him.
Nobody was ever sure why, but nobody ever questioned him as to why he'd prefer to stay locked up for another 2 or 3 years for Mikey, than to enjoy and create the childhood that he had never got to experience.
Gerard was 14 at the time he had been first allowed out, and Mikey only 11.
The two spent the next couple of years with each other as they had done since they had first been introduced to each other, and their parents were simply baffled towards the affection that both brothers had shown to each other through thick and thin.
During the time that the brothers had together, they were always known to spending a lot of time in Gerard's bedroom in the basement, Gerard either teaching Mikey how to draw like him, or them singing together along to some of the bands that they both enjoyed listening to, including Pulp and the Misfits.
They still continued to do just that whenever they had any free time, and Mikey had even bought his first bass last year to start planning for his and Gerard's band that they had thought about for a long time now. They were even thinking of asking Frank to join, since Frank was practically attached to his own electric guitar that he had gotten a few years ago as a Christmas present from his mother.
The boys had now been walking for five minutes since Mikey had last looked at his watch, and Frank's street was now in sight as they continued to drag their worn converses across the sidewalk, both of them too cold to really care about talking.
The cold air had begun to pick up speed as the time ticked by, now getting close to twenty to eleven as the moon began to glow high up in the sky.
It had an unusual yellow tint to it tonight, though, and it looked even more magnificent than the first time the boys were allowed to sit outside in the night and watch it rise up into the darkened sky with their parents, both being aged 12 and 14, a couple of weeks before Gerard's 15th birthday.
Soon another 5 minutes had passed, and Gerard and Mikey were now walking up to Frank's doorstep, Gerard taking his slightly numb hand out of his jacket pocket to press down hard on the small door bell to the side of the house's chestnut brown painted door.
Frank's faint black silhouette could be seen on the inside through the clouded double glazing windows on the door, darting past every so often to what grab his last few necessities before going back to open the door, grinning at them both as they all said their hello's.
Soon all three of them were walking back on the sidewalk, now heading into town and towards the bar where they had planned a 'Happy Birthday celebration' for Mikey, and the younger Way brother could feel his lips curve slightly upwards as he thought of how much his brother and best friend really did care about him.
It was 12:57pm when Frank had been told to leave; his mother showing up with a disapproving frown plastered on his face at the state of her 17 year old son.
As soon as Frank had literally screamed out his goodbyes and was dragged into his mother's car, both brothers decided it was time to go home too, before their own parents came by to discipline them about how late it was getting, and that Gerard should have acted more responsible. It had happened last year for the same reason; they didn't feel like going through the same rant twice, and both of the brothers laughed a little at the memory of how much they really didn't care about what their mother was saying at that time.
From the moment they stepped outside both let out a small groan as they shivered, Gerard suddenly remembering that he had loaned his jacket and scarf to Frank on their way to the bar, seeing as he had decided to only wear a thin shirt with three-quarter length sleeves. Both of the Way brothers knew how bad Frank's immune system was, and neither wanted to catch his cold the next day when Frank had agreed to visit.
Gerard walked slowly compared to Mikey; the coldness that now attacked the bareness of his arms and face were a little too much for him to take, and after all, he had had a little bit to drink, too.
Mikey knew that he was basically sober though, as was he. Both had agreed that they wouldn't drink too much so that they could take care of each other on the way home, and they had always stuck to that promise. They had first come up with it two years ago; the first time Mikey was able to go into the bar with Gerard.
The younger Way brother soon realised that the older had fallen behind and he stops to wait up for him, and then slows his walking pace to stay by his side when he starts moving again.
Gerard smiles gratefully at his younger brother as a 'thank you' through his clattering teeth, and Mikey just smiles back at him before looking up at the sky to admire the night.
As the brothers walk back through downtown the streetlamps begin to get a little brighter to light up their way for a few minutes, and the few cars that drive by all have different levels of brightness for their headlights, showing either blue, white or yellow tinted lights to lead their way on the road ahead.
The boys were almost out of town, but every now and again they would have to stop for Gerard's slight coughing and sniffing, and they've only been walking for ten minutes, at the most.
Gerard apologises for about the hundredth time as he starts to walk beside Mikey again, but Mikey's eyes are too focused on the stars up above.
He glances from one to another, wishing he could see one closer, and wondering if they would ever send him something that he had once wished for back when he was a young teenager. He is interrupted from his thoughts though, when he hears Gerard's panicked call behind him, despite his croaky throat.
"MIKEY!!" Gerard screams at the top of his lungs, and Mikey comes to a halt, jumping slightly at his brother's sudden outburst.
He lowers his head to find himself standing in the middle of the road, but he doesn't have time to look at the car coming his way, as he feels something push him from behind and sends him hard to the ground on the other side of the road, pushing his partially clouded glasses off of his nose and onto the cold floor beside him with a small cracking sound.
An ear-piercing screech followed by a sickening and loud thump could then be heard almost straight after Mikey had hit the floor, and he slides his hands across the rough surface of the road, desperately searching for his only way to see properly as everything then falls silent.
Mikey starts to panic when screams are heard from several people around him, including what he thinks could be the driver of the vehicle that had been so close to hitting him down. He prays that the car had missed Gerard and maybe swerved into something else like a street lamp; he wouldn't be able to live knowing that his brother had just risked his life to save his own.
"G-Gerard?" Mikey stutters; finally finding his specs and placing them back on his nose, first seeing a crack through one of the lenses that stretched across the whole length of the glass.
He moved his attention straight from his glasses to the scene in front of him however, when a sudden scream erupted from some girl that sounded like she was standing directly behind Mikey, making him flinch and take in everything that was in front of his now widened hazel eyes.
He was pretty sure that the world had come to a harsh halt for that very moment; the first thing that caught his eye was that the car was just a foot or two away from him, one of the wheels being so close to his foot that he thought he could throw up right there and then.
He retained that feeling though, when he realised that Gerard hadn't appeared anywhere yet, and he knew he had to find him.
He hesitantly stood up on his feet; instantly feeling his legs shake with both fear and sickness as he tried to keep his balance.
[i]'He's okay, he has to be.'[/i] Mikey thought as he slowly moved to the front of the car, keeping his head low and taking deep breaths to keep himself calm as more screams of terror could be heard. [i]'He's Gerard, he's okay. He's fine.'[/i]
Mikey's trail of thought was suddenly interrupted when someone screamed at someone else to call an ambulance, and as soon as he regretfully lifted his head he spotted a large group of teens and young adults gathering around what he dared say was Gerard, and he couldn't help but freeze up for a moment or two.
Gerard had been hit.
He couldn't even think properly when his feet suddenly propelled his body forward; desperately pushing through the crowd and trying to reach his deeply loved brother, who was most probably letting his life slip away right this second.
Mikey tried to remove that thought from his mind, but as soon as he came to the front of the crowd, he couldn't stop his body from collapsing in front of his broken brother; screaming useless words at him as his eyes became glassy with tears and his small frame shook with sobs threatening to erupt from himself.
"WHY, GERARD?! WHY THE [i]FUCK[/i] DID YOU DO [i]THAT?![/i] YOU [b]PRICK!![/b]" Mikey screamed at his brother, pulling at the sides of his previously straightened hair that rested almost flat against his scalp.
Gerard just looks up with saddened eyes as he watched his brother fall to pieces in front of him, but he can't move to comfort him; he really is [i]broken[/i].
Mikey sobs for a good couple of minutes before he can even open his eyes in the slightest, and when he finally takes in his brother's appearance, he suddenly feels more sick than ever; instantly hearing his own heartbeat in his ears as his gaze meets Gerard's concerned one.
He doesn't know what to do, now. Gerard's eyes are slightly diluted, and they look droopy as he continues to watch his brother fall to pieces, right in front of him. The once bright hazel-brown colour that shone in them had now completely vanished; leaving behind a dull and dirty looking brown colour and no shine to be seen in them at all... Not even from the street light that stood directly over the top of their heads.
The younger sibling tries his best to ignore the deep gashes that were clearly visible on his brother's face, but there was simply too much blood.
Gerard's once clean raven-black hair was now tangled all over the place, and a few strands fell over his eyes and stuck to the crimson liquid that was never endingly trickling over his face and neck.
Mikey looks down at the floor to see blood seeping into the cracks in the concrete, and when he glances back up at Gerard he takes his hand carefully, lifting it up to his cheek to let him feel his tears; not knowing if he could actually see properly. He then gently rests a hand over his heart to feel his pulse, feeling a beat every two seconds as his chest slowly rose and fell again to the speed of his breathing. Mikey then decided to look over the rest of the damage on his brother's face, feeling another sob coming close.
His bottom lip on the left side was definitely swollen, and judging from the blood pouring out of his sliced-up nose, Mikey knew that it would be broken. His eyes then travelled back to Gerard's right eye, mentally cursing himself for not even noticing the thick purple bruise that circled it; looking puffy compared to his other that had blood flowing past it. It made Mikey feel a little nauseous as the blood stuck to Gerard's eyelids with every blink and pushed down a new flow of blood; some even trickling into Gerard's mouth when an unexpected smile formed on his lips.
Mikey stared down at his brother with an outraged look on his face, not believing how the heck he could be smiling in a situation like this.
"Gerard," He pursed his lips, remembering all of the old memories when Gerard used to get hurt, and then suddenly turned happy, just attempting to show Mikey that he was fine. "There's no way that you can expect me to-"
"Happy birthday, Mikes..."
Mikey narrowed his eyes at his brother. "What?"
"Happy birthday."
The smile on Gerard's lips grew wider as Mikey opened his mouth to protest; Mikey never really looked at the bright side of things, according to his brother.
"Gerard... That is [i]not[/i] something to joke about. Look at you, you're [i]broken![/i] How can you say something like [i]that[/i] and not think about what kind of mess you've gotten yourself into?!" Mikey was fuming now. He thought his brother would think responsibly about the situation; not make lame jokes to try and lighten the mood!
Gerard just kept smiling, unfazed by Mikey's small rant. "But Mikes... [i]This[/i] is the [i]greatest[/i] gift of them [i]all[/i]."
"What do you mean, Gerard?" Mikey asked, losing his patience and temper, both at once. Gerard's smile softened, and his eyes twinkled slightly under the light as a tear or two joined the free-flowing blood that poured down his face.
"My gift to you," He began, taking a deep breath as his pulse started to slow even more. He didn't continue though, and Mikey's narrowed eyes and pursed lips softened up slightly.
"Gerard?" He asked quietly, not wanting his best friend to slip away so soon.
"My gift to you," He started again, still having trouble to breathe, but not waiting as long before his smile came back onto his face. "Is the gift of [i]life[/i]."
Notes
[i]September 10th 2011[/i]Happy birthday Mikey~! <3
5/11/13