Bad Company

It started with stealing her brother's clothes. They were a little big, seeing how she had a tall, skinny frame and her brother had wider shoulders and narrower hips, as well as a couple inches on her. She didn't mind, though. They smelled like him, they were much more comfy than the skin tight clothes their mother bought for her, and more often than not, cigarettes were left in the pockets. Gerard didn't mind, as long as she washed them after, and as long as she didn't touch the jeans he had sown patches into last summer in preparation for the winter. It escalated to her stealing squirts of his cologne every now and then, before school or before handing out with some friends. Gerard didn't mind that, either, as long as she didn't empty the bottle. It infuriated their mother, who was pushing tight skirts and low cut shirts in her daughter's direction. Gerard always stood up for his sister in these situations, something he was never able to do for himself. He started leaving his body wash and shampoo in the bathroom before the question could arise and she was grateful. The next step was the haircut. With a buzzer in one hand and the bathroom door in the other, she called for Gerard. He helped her without a complaint, giving her a buzzcut no one would ever be able to deny. "I don't like your long hair anyway." He assured while they stared down the mess in the sink. "Go clean the loose hairs on you, I'll sweep this up." She nodded, touching her head in disbelief. Her mother was going to have a stroke and her predictions were almost exact. There was a shiny, bright red handprint on her cheek for close to a week. It ended with a confession. Gerard hugged her tighter than ever before, rubbing the shaved top of her head. "It's okay, Doll. I love you regardless." She nodded, tears running down her cheeks and sobs catching in her throat. "Do you want to go shopping for a new wardrobe?" She smiled up at him and he wiped away her tears for her. The confession was harder than anything she's ever done, even to someone as caring as her brother. She was transgender. Gerard handled it better than she could've imagined and their mother, worse. But Gerard was there with her the entire time and they explained everything together, her mother never ended up coming around, but at least she had Gerard. Within the next week, a name was chosen. Gerard had a brother named Michael and that's how he was introduced to even people who knew who he was beforehand. Michael didn't have the strength to correct everyone all the time, but Gerard did and he did it every single time, before Michael could muster up the courage. Gerard bought his first binder, a surprise, and Michael was ecstatic. With a flat chest and clothes that fit, Michael was ready for his first day of high school. Or so he thought. He wasn't prepared for Pete Wentz. An upperclassmen in Gerard's grade who apparently thought he was better than everyone else. Michael passed surprisingly well without having been on hormones, and Pete had no idea who he was. But that didn't stop him. "Fag." Pete scoffed, shoving Michael hard on the chest. Brief panic flashed through him: did he feel anything? Pete didn't leave any indication that he had. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." He was sneering now, as if Michael's eyes were burning him the more he looked. Had he been staring? He hadn't noticed if he had been or not. Michael had been fallen to the floor with the force of Pete's push and now said man crouched beside him. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Michael only shook his head in response, scared of the high pitch of nervousness his voice was going to gain. Pete tsked and stood up, crossing his arms over his chest and leaving Michael on the floor. He didn't know what he had done, but he knew this was only the beginning. He said nothing to Gerard about it that night or every night after until he couldn't ignore it anymore.

Notes