The Fabulous Kill Boys

Gerard was happy, really happy. The previous night with Frank had been everything he could possibly have wanted. Gerard had had sex a great many times over the years and most of it had been highly enjoyable, some of it had been wonderful, but last night it was love. He had no idea how amazing it could be to share intimacy on so deep a level with someone he truly felt he would give his life for. He could never have imagined feeling the way Frankie made him feel. His touch was tender and loving, his caresses warm and inviting. Frankie had told Gerard how special he was, how happy he had made him despite the circumstances of their meeting. Frankie had told him that he loved him. No one had ever said that to him before and the words drew sensations and feelings that Gerard had previously neither felt, nor thought himself capable of feeling. Gerard was quick to say the words back to him, almost as if afraid Frank would take them back. What followed was passionate, exciting, tender and romantic - all new experiences and he was lightheaded with the memory of it. Now more than ever he wanted to make Frankie happy.

He smiled to himself as he made breakfast. A big plate of bacon, eggs and pancakes would set him up nicely for the day. Today had the potential to be an important day. He had arranged to meet Frank that evening and how wonderful it would be if he found a way to get Mikey out of the house and return him home after first convincing him to stay quiet on the subject of where he had been and Gerard’s involvement.

It would be an awkward conversation with his brother, that was certain. As yet, the only way he could think of convincing Mikey to keep his mouth shut was to threaten to take him back to Ray and Mel if he even so much as looked as though he would talk. It wasn't the ideal way to begin a new relationship with his brother, but as yet, it was more important to him to cement his relationship with Frank. He could sort out the finer details later.

“Good morning, cheerful!” Ray called as he entered the kitchen.
“Hi, Ray!” He beamed in return. “Do you want some breakfast? It won’t take me a minute to make some more.”
“No thanks, Gee,” Ray smirked as he walked past Gerard and leaned against the counter near the sink. “Mel’s taking me out for breakfast.”
“What?” Gerard replied, turning to face him, apparently crestfallen. “How come you get taken out? What have you done that’s been so good to warrant that?”
“Well, to begin with, he’s not whining and complaining like a spoiled little brat.”

Gerard exhaled deeply and his shoulders dropped; he hated being caught out like this. There was often a semi-friendly rivalry between him and Ray. Sometimes they had each other’s backs, but sometimes they didn’t, purely for the amusement of the other.

“You’re supposed to tell me when she’s behind me,” he muttered irritably as Ray’s smirk widened.
“But it’s so much more fun if I don’t,” Ray replied quietly, stifling a laugh.
“She?” Melanie’s tone was clipped and suddenly Gerard knew he had some serious apologising to do.
“I’m sorry, Melanie,” Gerard looked down and shuffled his feet. Frank never made him feel like this.

Melanie walked over to Ray and tapped his cheek before turning back to face Gerard.

“I should hope you are. Ray’s been so good lately, I'm taking him out for breakfast, aren't I, sweetie?”

Ray smiled; even after all this time, he wasn't good at faking being submissive, especially when she was being so infuriatingly condescending.

“What were you whining about anyway?” Melanie taunted.
“Well, I… I’ve been good too,” he mumbled.
“Use your big boy voice, Gerard, I can’t hear you,” she ordered in return.
“I’ve been good,” he managed, louder this time, despite the humiliation.
“Yes you have,” Melanie nodded. “And didn’t you have your reward already?”
“Yes, Melanie, I’m sorry,” he lowered his head.
“Yeah, Gee, stop whining.” Ray added. “You got sex, I’m having breakfast.”
“You get to go out with Melanie, in public!” He looked down again. “I…”

Melanie stepped closer to Gerard and placing a finger under his chin she lifted his head before pressing her lips on his. His eyes widened and he raised his hands as if to embrace her but hesitated, unsure if he was allowed. Melanie smiled into the kiss as she reached for his hands and pulled them down around her waist, eliciting a delighted squeak from Gerard.
After what felt like forever yet not nearly long enough, Gerard felt her slowly pull back from the kiss, smiling sweetly.

“You know you’re my good boy, Gee. Next time, I’ll let you choose your own reward. Would you like that?”

Gerard nodded eagerly, unable to believe his luck. Sometimes she seemed to give him everything and he lived for those moments.

“Now,” she continued, tapping his nose gently with her finger, “why don’t you go downstairs and have some fun with Mikey while Ray and I are out? You haven’t really had the chance yet, you’ve been so busy playing the distraught brother with Frank.”
“Thanks, Melanie!” He beamed. ‘I'd like that.”
“Good,” she smoothed his hair, knowing how much he liked it. “We’ll be back soon, okay? Can’t wait to see how you’ve tormented Mikey when we do. Go on, off you go.”

Nodding, Gerard left the kitchen and headed to the basement, his breakfast forgotten. Waiting just beyond the basement door, he smiled when he heard the front door slam. This was his chance, they would be gone at least two hours; he and Mikey would be long gone by then.
Upstairs, having returned to the kitchen, Melanie and Ray were waiting for Gerard to emerge. Ray noticed the troubled look on Melanie’s face, he tucked her fringe behind her ear and kissed her softly.

“What’s wrong darling?” Ray tried to hide the concern in his voice.
“I just…” Melanie sighed. “I just really hope that we’re wrong about Gerard. Killing is not my strong point.” Melanie shrugged Ray’s hands off and start pulling all the knives from the knife-block and drawers in the kitchen, stacking them on the countertop.
“I know it’s not really your passion Mel, but you’re good at it.”
“Well I was taught by the best.”

Melanie was right, she was taught by the best. Gerard taught Melanie everything she knew about killing, but like Ray, her passion lay in torture, it was one of the reasons the two of them got along so well.

“Take these and hide them somewhere, you and I both know that Gee will try and use them to get past us.”
Ray smiled and did as he was told. “Sure, how do you want to play this?”
“You wait up here for them. Gee will do whatever he can to protect Mikey, I think, so he’ll send him to the front door. I’ll wait there for him. I can’t face Gee right now, I’m so angry, I might just kill him and I don’t want that, not yet. You deal with Gee, I know you’ve been waiting a while to punch him in his pretty face.”

Ray laughed and pushed Mel up against the kitchen island with his hand loosely around her throat, kissing her hard. “Alright beautiful. I’ll deal with Gee, you deal with Mikey.”

*

Opening the door to Ray’s dungeon, Gerard was immediately confronted with the sight of his little brother still fastened to the table. Even from the doorway he could see from the red marks around Mikey’s neck that at some point there had been a noose around it. The arrangement of ropes and the position he had been placed in would have exacerbated his discomfort and although he had no idea how long Mikey had lain in this position he supposed that it was at the very least overnight. As he drew closer, he noticed the word TEASE carved carefully and in large letters into his left forearm, so precise, it could almost have been a tattoo. It was definitely Melanie’s work, he could tell from the handwriting.

Anger bubbled inside him. Ray had said he wanted to kill him and whilst that would have been final, somehow the cruelty he had inflicted on him over such a long period of time over what was a trivial matter seemed even worse. There was another feeling eating away at him, one that he felt much less comfortable with - guilt. The sight of his exhausted and pain-racked brother pulled at emotions that he didn’t know he could feel. He chewed his lower lip as he stood several feet away still, merely taking in Mikey's cuts, bruises, scars and swollen features and joints. Finally, the overwhelming and shocking realisation came over him that he was disgusted with himself for allowing this to take place.

He had cared about Mikey once. Growing up they were very close. The split had come when Gerard had been seduced by Mikey’s then boyfriend Pete. Later finding out that Pete had cheated on both of them had infuriated him to the point that Gerard had killed him. Actually, he had obliterated him; Pete becoming the very first victim of the so-called Belleville Butcher. It hadn’t just been for his own humiliation that he had responded that way, it had been for Mikey’s too. What had changed? At what point did his need to impress Ray and Melanie override his filial loyalty? It was true that his initial change of heart was out of a need to please Frank, but now that he had seen Mikey in such a pitiful state it had become about much more than that. He knew that he had made a very grave mistake, and wasn’t certain he could possibly put it right, but he had to get him out of there for both their sakes.

He was never good, but he had become evil. Encouraged by two other evil souls, his own had darkened considerably. How else could he explain allowing this to happen? He didn’t know if he could ever earn Mikey’s trust or love again, but the first step would be freeing him and not purely for his own selfish needs and desires for Frank.

Taking a deep breath he stepped forward, drawing alongside his brother, he noticed his head lolling back, certainly uncomfortably. Raising it up so it was once more level with his body, Gerard would be surprised by Mikey's reaction, only serving to deepen his guilt further.
Opening his eyes, Mikey looked up in abject terror at the sight of his brother, tears springing to his eyes.

“Get away from me!” He cried with what was left of his shredded voice. “How could you let them do this to me?”

Mikey was terrified of him; broken with excruciating pain and fear. Gerard shuffled backwards a couple of paces before quickly stepping forward to catch Mikey’s head as it fell back once more.

“Sorry! I…”

Gerard stared; he hadn't the faintest idea what to say. How could he make this better?

“Can you hold your head up?” He asked, frowning. “I need to get a couple of things.”
“Why don’t you just kill me?” Mikey croaked out. “I can’t take any more.”
“Mikey,” Gerard’s brow furrowed in confusion; he wished this came easier to him, but he was very much on unfamiliar ground. “I’m getting you out of here.”

He leaned to drag the chair over that Melanie had used earlier to place under Mikey’s head. It would be uncomfortable for him to rest his head on the back of the chair, but much less so than trying to hold it himself.

“Oh, really?” Mikey rolled his head slowly from left to right. “She’s already used that one.”
“What one?” Gerard asked confused, as he started to untie the ropes fastening Mikey to the table.
“The ‘I'm getting you out of here’ line.”
“Melanie?” Gerard stopped for a moment and stared perplexed at Mikey. “Why would she do that?”
“To move me into the other dungeon.” Mikey sighed wearily. “Don’t even pretend that's not what you're doing now.”
“Mikes, I'm getting you out. I'm taking you home!”

Gerard bent down and went back to untying the ropes around Mikey’s ankles, being careful to avoid a kick from his brother, should he find the energy.

“I don't believe you,” Mikey announced flatly. “I have no reason to believe you. You brought me here and…”
“Ray brought you here,” Gerard corrected in a smooth, emotionless tone almost as if he were asking for directions.
“Oh, and you had no part in it?” Mikey scoffed.

Gerard straightened up and stared at Mikey.

“I did, you know I did,” he replied with an expression of mild confusion as if he didn't realise that Mikey's question was born out of sarcasm. “But now, I regret it.”
“You let that bastard and his girlfriend torture me!” He yelled, his voice cracked and scratchy.
“Melanie isn't his girlfriend,” Gerard replied without even looking up from his task of untying the ropes.
“Yes she is, she told me,” Mikey insisted.

Gerard looked up, staring at Mikey, his face suddenly pale.

“No,” he shook his head. “She was messing with you.”
“She said: ‘I can see why my boyfriend wanted to fuck you’. She got pretty upset when I said she should be angry with him for even wanting to.”

Gerard merely stared blankly; he looked as though he was going to be sick. Finally glad to have a little power, Mikey continued, aware that he would probably regret it but beyond caring.

“Ray pretty much confirmed it when he talked about what she's like when they have sex and as if to prove a point, he bent her over me and did her right there,” Mikey nodded to the end of the table, where his legs were dangling. “Didn’t look like I missed much.”

Gerard's pale face began to flush with humiliation and fury until it almost burned with anger. Balling his hands into fists, he emitted a loud guttural scream and slammed both fists down on the metal table, either side of Mikey's left leg. Now it was Mikey's turn to pale; he had never seen Gerard so utterly incandescent with rage.

Gerard snatched his hunting knife from the sheath that almost always hung from his belt and stood at Mikey's side.

“Tell me you're lying,” he raged. “I won’t hurt you, just tell me you're lying.”
“I’m not lying,” Mikey gritted his teeth and prepared himself for the worst.
“That bitch!” He screamed.

Reaching for Mikey’s hand he pulled it up as far as the rope would allow and Mikey closed his eyes tightly, only to gasp in surprise as Gerard pulled the knife sharply, ripping through the rope in one smooth movement.

“She’s played me, Mikey. She’s made a fool out of me, they both have.”
“What are you gonna do about it?” Mikey pressed, egging him on.
“I’m getting you out of here, get you home,” he nodded before turning a glacial expression toward his brother. “Then I’m going to deal with them.”
“You’re really getting me out of here?” Mikey’s brow furrowed.
“I told you, I regret what I did.” Gerard shrugged, surprised by the question.
“You say that like it's so normal! Like I'm supposed to just accept it!”
“I can prove it to you,” Gerard announced as he ripped away the last rope holding Mikey to the table before gently easing him to a sitting position.
“How?” Mikey asked, his voice dropping almost to a whisper at the pain of holding himself upright.
“How do you think, dumbass?” He replied cutting away the rope around Mikey's elbows. “By taking you home.”

Gerard looked at his brother, realising only now how much they had hurt him and why it had been so difficult for him to believe that he was actually being freed.

“I am sorry, Mikey.” He frowned. “I really am. I know I can’t make this right with you…”
“Yeah, you can,” Mikey frowned. “You can let me help you deal with them!”

Gerard’s lips turned up into a surprised smirk.

“Oh, I think we can manage that. Can you walk?”
“I don’t know,” Mikey admitted, as Gerard helped him to his feet before hesitantly drawing him into a hug.
“If I could take your pain, I would.”
“I’m okay,” Mikey nodded as he realised his ankles would be able to cope with walking. “I might need some help getting up the stairs.”
“I’ll carry you if I have to,” Gerard pulled out of the hug, giving Mikey his arm to lean on as they headed for the dungeon door.

As they walked slowly to the door, the green light on the dungeon camera faded to black.

*

“Why did you have to be so fucking predictable, Gerard? Why couldn’t you have proven Mel and me wrong?”

Gerard froze as he spotted Ray leaning casually up against the kitchen island. Immediately Gerard shifted to stand protectively in front of Mikey.

“Get out of here, Mikey. Now.”
“No way, Gee, I’m not leaving you!”

Ray merely chuckled as the brothers argued and took a threatening step closer to them. Gerard turned around and hugged Mikey.

“Go Mikes, I’ll be fine. I promise I’ll come and find you once I’ve dealt with Ray. Please Mikey, go!” Gerard insisted, giving him a bit of a push towards the front door.
“Don’t go too far Mikey, we’re not done with you yet!” Ray called after him and advanced on Gerard.
“It’s sweet that you sent Mikey off, but you don’t really think he’ll get away, do you? Where do you think Melanie is?”

Ray gave Gerard a moment to process that information before rushing him and grabbing him by the hair. He landed an uppercut to Gerard’s abdomen, winding him and then slammed his head into the countertop. Pulling him upright once more, Ray almost laughed at Gerard's dazed expression, his eyes unfocused. Gerard staggered backwards against the counter, recovering quickly as Ray screamed at him.

“You’d be nothing without me, Gerard. You’d be rotting in prison somewhere because you never used to be careful enough. This is how you thank me for everything I did for you? I’m not going to prison because you stopped using your head and started thinking with your dick!”
“That’s funny coming from you!” Gerard yelled in return, now somewhat recovered. “You thinking with your dick is what got us into this mess to start with!”

Lifting his knee sharply, Gerard nailed Ray in the stomach, before pushing him back and landing a solid right hook to his jaw.

“If you had of just tortured Melanie three years ago instead of fucking her, I would’ve killed her and she’d be out of our lives.” Gerard continued, furious and not holding anything back.

Ray practically growled at Gerard and lunged for him again, but Gerard was quicker. Swiftly drawing his knife once more he slashed Ray’s hand, cutting a deep gash across his palm and middle finger. Pulling back, Ray cursed and held his hand against his chest, scowling at Gerard but unable to make a move because of his knife.

"You couldn't kill her the first time, Gee, I doubt you'd have had the stones to do it even if I had tortured her!"

Ray laughed as he and Gerard both heard the thud of something, or someone, hit the hardwood floor near the door. It was the distraction that Ray needed to get the better of Gerard and knock the knife from his hand.

“You’re going to regret ever trying to cross Mel and me, Gerard. You and Mikey.”

*

Mikey had gone in the direction that Gerard had pushed him and moved toward the front door as fast as his aching body and, in particular, his severely bruised and swollen ankles would allow.

“Come on!” He muttered, frantic as he tried to turn the handle, finally slamming frustrated hands against it when it wouldn’t open.
“Going somewhere, little Way?”

Melanie sounded amused and Mikey turned around to glare at her and her smug expression. Melanie merely smiled and pulled a key out of her pocket and waved it in his face.

“If you can take this from me, you can leave.”

Mikey took a swing at Melanie, catching her left cheek with his fist and trying to take the key from her. Melanie simply spun in a circle, going with the momentum from Mikey’s fist and swung her arm at Mikey’s chest, knocking him off his feet and flooring him. Mikey’s head made a loud thud as it bounced against of the hardwood floor and he swore.

Melanie straddled Mikey and punched him hard in the face, blocking the fist he aimed at hers, pinning his arms with her knees and holding her knife to his throat.

“You’re so lucky that Gee isn’t here.” She sneered and Mikey could see out of the corner of his eye that her hand was shaking.
“Oh yeah? And why’s that? He let me go, Melanie, it’s not like he’d help you.”

Melanie held the knife close to Mikey’s eye and he stretched his neck to get as far away from it as possible.

“No, because I want him to watch you die.”

Melanie answered coldly, putting her knife away. Mikey paled and Melanie smiled at him, backhanding him and getting to her feet. Melanie grabbed Mikey by the hair and dragged him slowly back to the kitchen, dumping him at Ray’s feet.

“Get that trash downstairs and out of my sight while I deal with this.” Melanie spat at Ray, pulling Gerard free from his grip and shoving him hard against the fridge with her hand around his throat, her knife at his stomach.
“You’re going to pay for this you ungrateful, backstabbing, lying little shit! You, and your pathetic tease of a brother!”

Melanie caught Gerard’s cheek with her elbow and sent him sprawling into the kitchen counter face first, she stood behind him and pulled him up by his hair, the knife now at his throat.

“Oh and Gee? If you think that I won’t hurt Mikey to keep you in line?” Melanie leant forward and bit Gerard’s earlobe, her voice dangerously low. “You are sorely mistaken.”

Gerard swallowed hard as Melanie pushed him towards the basement, staying behind him with the knife at his throat. Knowing that he and Mikey were in trouble, Gerard tried to reason with Melanie.

“Melanie, please…don’t…don’t hurt Mikey. I was the one that let him go, I’m to blame. Hurt me instead.”
“Oh Gee,” Melanie laughed. “There is no ‘instead’. There’s just ‘as well’.”

*

Ray pushed Mikey towards the stairs that led to the dungeons. With each small shove, he chuckled lightly to himself. Mikey bit his upper lip in frustration, it was almost as if he could sense that Ray wanted him to ask the question.

“What’s so funny?” He finally asked. “I know you want me to ask you.”
“You, that’s what’s funny,” Ray laughed again. “You genuinely thought you were getting out. That’s got to suck, eh? I guess you’re thinking ‘If only Gerard had cracked before’?”
“At least he did,” Mikey forced a smile. “He helped me in the end, that’s what matters.”

If he were honest, Mikey didn't believe that at all. He desperately wanted to escape. The fact that Gerard had finally decided to free him was important, certainly, but it would have meant so much more if he had succeeded. He knew that Melanie wanted to kill him, he suspected Ray still did too. That Gerard had changed his mind and tried to release him had meant a lot to him, but ultimately he was in the same position and now, so was Gerard.

“Well, yeah,” Ray chuckled again as they reached the bottom of the steps and he shoved him toward Melanie's dungeon. “Except it wasn’t you he was trying to impress.”
“What do you mean?” Mikey asked, wary of whatever Ray was about to say, he knew better than to trust his word.
“We thought Gerard was playing the dutiful distraught brother who was in touch with the police, to stop your roommate calling them himself. Turns out he’s been bed-hopping with your boyfriend and neither of them have been too concerned about you. He only freed you to impress Frank. Perhaps he thought he'd get a lifetime supply of grateful sex if he got you out?”

Mikey let out a stifled gasp as he was pushed into the dungeon and shoved again towards the bed. Turning to look at Ray, desperately seeking some sign that he was lying but finding none.

“Don’t kid yourself that this has anything to do with you,” Ray mocked, revelling in the sight of Mikey's creased brow. “All he cares about is where his next blow job’s coming from.”

Dragging Mikey to one of the posts at the foot of the bed, Ray grinned as he noticed he was now putting up almost no resistance.

“Hands behind your back,” he ordered, but didn’t wait as he grasped both of Mikey’s wrists.

Expertly wrapping a length of rope tightly around Mikey’s wrists, before fastening it with a secure double knot, Ray reached for another and lashed it around Mikey's upper arms, looping it around his arms once or twice so he was unable to simply slide out. A third rope secured his ankles together.

“Don’t worry, Mikey,” Ray slapped his cheek twice, almost gently, in mock friendliness. “We’ll kill you eventually.”

*

Melanie pushed Gee over to the basement stairs, grabbed him by the back of his t-shirt and pressed the point of the knife into his lower back. “Down you go, Gee Bear.” Melanie sing-songed into his ear and Gerard did as he was told, mostly so he could make sure that Ray wasn’t hurting Mikey. Melanie led him to her dungeon and the bed, spinning him around and pushing him up against the bed post across from where Mikey was tied.
"Sit down, Gerard."
He shook his head. "No."
Melanie sighed, pressing her knife into Gerard's throat. "Ray, sweetie, want to give our Gee some motivation to do as he's told?"
"It'd be my genuine pleasure."

Ray smiled and clamped his hand tightly over Mikey's mouth and pinched his nose. Mikey's eyes went wide and he pleaded with them as he looked toward Gerard.

"I'd say Mikey has about a minute, Gee. I'd make a decision quickly if I were you, baby."
“Fuck you, Melanie. Fuck you both.”

Gerard spat through gritted teeth and sat down. With a satisfied smirk, Ray let go of Mikey, who coughed and spluttered, drawing in big lungfuls of oxygen.

“I got this situation under control Ray, you wanna go wait upstairs for me? This won’t take long.”

Ray finished tying Gerard’s hands tightly behind his back, making sure the rope cut painfully into his wrists.

“Don’t have too much fun.” Ray winked at Mel and kissed her sweetly, both of them watching Gerard as they kissed, watching as he turned his head so he didn’t have to look.
“I’m not going to make you promises I can’t keep, Ray. Oh and by the way? I want you naked by the time I get upstairs, you know what type of mood torture gets me in.” Melanie smiled, delicately reaching out to stroke Ray’s cheek.
“As you wish.” He kissed her palm and headed upstairs, while Melanie turned to Gerard.
"I'm curious Gee, did you really mean it?"

Gerard looked at Melanie, confusion written all over his face.

"Mean what Melanie?" He replied, uncertain what she was referring to.
"Would you really take Mikey's pain?"

Melanie giggled evilly and grasped Gee's chin, forcing him to face her when he didn't answer. She pulled out her knife and placed it under Gee’s chin so he had to keep looking at her to avoid cutting himself open.

"Leave him alone you psycho bitch!" Mikey yelled.

Melanie just laughed and turned on Mikey while Gerard tried again to pull free. He could see that Melanie had lost it and she was entirely too close to his little brother with her knife.

"Psycho bitch huh? You haven't seen psycho, Mikey. Not even close."

Melanie raised her arm and Gerard tried to kick her legs out from under her but she was too far away from him now.
"Melanie, don't!" Gerard felt like he'd been punched in the chest when Mikey screamed and Melanie turned back to face him, smiling wickedly.
"Oh, but he's so pretty when he screams for me, Gee." She whispered in his ear pressing her tranquilliser ring into his upper arm. He looked up briefly to see her licking Mikey's blood from her knife; it the last thing he saw as he passed out.
“Looks like you get to live another night, little Way.” Melanie stroked the gash she made in Mikey’s cheek with her finger, bringing it to her lips and licking it clean of Mikey’s blood and tears. “Don’t cry baby cakes.” Once again, Melanie pressed her tranquilliser ring into Mikey’s neck and leant in close to his ear. “…this’ll all be over soon, for both of you.”

Notes