Chapter Text
An aroma of coffee and grease stuck to Mikey like glue by the time he clocked out of the diner. His feet ached, his back throbbed, and his face felt sore from hours of forcing smiles at insufferable customers.
He untied his apron with sore fingers, hanging it up on a hook before grabbing his jacket from the backroom and exiting out of the backdoor of the diner.
Outside the sky had already darkened into deep blues and purples, streetlights flickering on one by one. Mikey stepped onto the curb, rubbing his tired eyes just as a familiar beat up car rolled to a stop Infront of him.
The driver's window rolls down, revealing frank.
"Get in, zombie." Frank playfully said, flashing Mikey a grin.
Without protest Mikey climbed into the passenger seat before shutting the door, inside it smelt strongly of alcohol and cheap cologne, a nauseating yet familiar smell.
"You look shittier then you did this morning." Frank points out as he pulled away from the curb.
"Today was busier then usual.." Mikey replied weakly, resting his head against the cold glass window.
Frank smirked. "I can tell, you look like a dying Victorian child."
Mikey let out a tired, breathless laugh despite himself "fuck you.."
"Can't say I'm wrong can you?" Frank teased, reaching over and flipping on the car radio, the song bullet with butterfly wings began to play. Without another word frank kept driving. The music filling the silence between them as the all too familiar hospital lights grew closer.
The car ride passed in a blur. by the time they pulled into the hospital the music has long since faded into silence. The building loomed ahead of them, Windows glowing harsh white light against the dark sky.
Mikey could feel his stomach twist into knots as he stepped out of the car. Inside the hospital the air smelled sharply of disinfectant.
A nurse at the front glanced up as the two boys approached her, her expression softened as Mikey told her his brothers name.
"Follow me dear.." she says softly.
Their footsteps echo through the quiet hallway as she leads them past closed doors and flickering monitors. Mikeys anxiety spiked with every step while frank remained unusually quiet, hands shoved into his jacket pockets.
The nurse stepped Infront of a door near the end of the hallway. "He's been having a rough night" she warned quietly before opening it.
The room was dim, the hum of machines filling the atmosphere. In the center of the room laid Gerard. For a moment Mikey forgot how to breathe. He looked so small beneath the blankets. His frame was gaunt, skin pale and sickly looking. His lips were cracked, almost colorless. Tubes ran from his arms, wires taped against his chest. The steady beep of the heart monitor painfully loud in the silence. His breaths came out shallow and uneven.
Mikey could feel his heart start beating faster.
"He's been drifting in and out." The nurse softly says, adjusting a few machines before stepping out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.
Instinctively Mikey moved to the bedside, his throat tightens up instantly. God gerard looked so much worse up close. His face was drawn in an expression of pain, even in slumber he couldn't escape the agony.
Frank stood frozen nearby, his usual playful demeanor completely gone. He swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the bed. "Good lord.." he whispered.
Mikey reached out and gently took Gerard's hand, it felt colder then it should have been. "Hey..." He whispered, voice barley steady, "it's me.."
Gerard shifted weakly before his eyes fluttered open. Unfocused at first before slowly settling onto Mikeys face. "Mikey..?" He raised, his voice hoarse and weak like it hurt to just use it.
Mikey replied immediately "I'm here.."
Gerard's fingers twitched, barley strong enough to wrap around Mikeys. His gaze then drifted past Mikey and onto frank, his eyes squinting at him. "Frank?.."
Frank stepped forward. "Right here man, your still stuck with me."
Gerard huffed out something that might been a laugh, but ended up as a quiet cough. His face contorted into a pained expression. Mikey could feel his grip tighten on his hand before weakening once again.
Before either of them could speak, the door opened softly and a doctor entered the room, followed by the same nurse from earlier. The doctors expression was calm yet heavy, the kind of look that came with delivering bad news too often.
"Gerard, I'm doctor smith, how are you feeling? He asked, stepping closer to the bed.
"Like crap" Gerard mutters hoarsely.
The doctor nodded, clearly not surprised "makes sense"
Mikeys heart felt like it was pounding out of his chest as the doctor turned his attention to him.
"Your Gerard's brother right?"
Mikey nods "yup..I'm Mikey, Gerard's little brother"
"Well Mikey, I'm gonna be honest with you.." the doctors voice lowered. "The treatments aren't working the way we were hoping, Gerard's body isn't responding to them."
Mikey felt his stomach drop
"W-wait what the hell does that mean!?" Frank suddenly pipes up, distress audible in his voice.
"It means.." the doctor continued, choosing his words carefully. "that at this point, no treatment is gonna help, he's too far gone."
The words hit Mikey like a brick "h-how long does he have..?" Mikey asks, voice trembling.
"Weeks, possibly a few months left, nothing longer than that.."
Silence swallows the room. Mikey felt like his lungs were refusing to corporate, like his body had forgotten how to work completely.
Gerard was silent for a moment, then slowly he turned his head towards Mikey, his eyes were tired and glassy but painfully aware. "Hey.." he murmured. "It's ok.."
Mikeys vision blurred with tears "n-no it's not!" His voice broke "I can't lose you!"
Gerard gave his hand a weak squeeze. "Your gonna be ok Mikey..I promise" he reassured, though he knew deep down Mikey wasn't gonna be ok, this was all too much for him..
Frank turned away, jaw clenched, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.
The doctor cleared his throat. "I'll give you guys some time alone.." he murmers, leading himself and the nurse out of the room. The door clicked shut behind the doctor, and the room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.
Mikey stared at Gerard, at the shallow rise and fall of his chest, at the wires and tubes keeping him tethered to this world..for now.
Mikeys grip tightened on his brothers hand as the truth finally settled in, bitter and heavy. "I-i'm so sorry.." Mikey choked out, tears spilling down his face. "I tried so hard-i worked so hard yet I couldn't save you!" Tears continue to fall endlessly, his shoulders shaking as he bent forward, forehead pressed against the edge of the bed. His sobs were silent at first, like his body didn't know how to react, then they broke free, raw and uncontrollable.
Gerard shifted weakly, reaching his hand out to gently pat his little brothers head. "Hey.." he murmured "none of this is your fault.."
Frank stood frozen near the wall, his hands trembling, he turned away, breathing hard, trying to keep it together, only to fail miserably. Before he knew it fat tears were streaming down his face as small broken sobs escaped his throat.
"I-i'm sorry.." he sniffled, "t-this isn't fair..you don't deserve this.."
Hearing frank cry broke Mikey completely. He lets out a broken sob before leaning forward, pulling his brother into a tight embrace. He pressed his face into gerards shoulder, clinging to him like letting go meant losing him forever.
"I don't wanna do this without you.." Mikey sobbed
Gerard's arms were weak but he returned the hug as best as he could. Fingers curling into the back of his shirt "it's ok..I'm still here.."
Frank watched the scene go down from beside the bed, tears streaming freely down his face now. the machines continued their rhythmic beep, taunting Mikey with the reminder of Gerard's date. In that tight embrace underneath the harsh fluorescent lights, Mikey knew, no matter how much time they had left, it would never be enough for him.