FicWad

[A/N] - Inspired by a family crisis. Aspects are true but other parts aren't. Hope you like it! :)

“… I really hate to pester you about this every weekend Mikey, I’m so sorry.” Lyn-z sobbed down the phone “But I’m just so upset. He seemed fine, I thought everything was going to be okay and we’re expecting to start a family!”

“I know Lyn, I know, everything will be okay.” I replied weakly, running my fingers through my brown hair “I’ll phone or text you if he shows up here I promise.”

“Thanks Mikey, I knew I could count on you.” Lyn-z told me with a small sigh “Bye.”

I hung up my mobile phone and chucked it onto the sofa, swaying there for a second before collapsing onto the battered old leather sofa. I sighed heavily and tapped my foot impatiently, waiting. It wouldn’t be long before Gerard showed up. He never contacted when everything was okay but the moment he got into trouble he’d show up and take over my life.

About a month ago he’d knocked on my front door in the middle of the night. It had been clear that he’d been drinking for hours. He came into the living room and passed out on the sofa automatically, not even asking first. It had become a part of his routine. Go crazy, come to his younger brother’s house then stay here until everything was okay. It was a part of my routine too I guess, whether I liked it or not. I didn’t have a choice. But Alicia did.

She had stood in the doorway of the living room, demanding that I wake him up and tell him he can’t stay here. At the time, I didn’t see what her problem was and insisted that I couldn’t send him anywhere because he was family. Alicia rolled her eyes “When are you gonna stop letting him walk all over you?”

“I don’t let him walk all over me!” I lied “He’s my brother Lici, I can’t just send him away with nowhere to go.”

“I’m so sick of this!” Alicia cried “I’m sick of him showing up every so often, crashing at our place then just taking off without saying thank you. Well guess what Mikey? If he won’t leave then I’m leaving.”

Of course I tried to convince her to stay. Got down and begged on my knees and everything. I said I’d do anything so long as she didn’t leave. She’d narrowed her eyes at me before saying “Get him to leave and I’ll stay.” But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t kick out my brother. So Alicia left me on my own.

For two weeks I’d blamed Gerard, refusing to show up to band practice because I was so pissed off with him. Then I realised that Gerard might come round to my place and take advantage of him but I was the one who let him get away with it. I was the one who let Alicia walk out the door instead of doing something about it. I’d give anything to have her back.

As if on cue there was a loud knock at the door. Slightly irritated, I stood up and made my way to the front door. When I pulled open the door my older brother Gerard was standing there staring at me. He looked terrible with greasy hair, pale skin and he stank “You’ve been smoking weed.” I told him plainly. He shook his head and denied it but I interrupted him by saying “Lyn-z told me what you did. And even if she hadn’t, I can still smell it on you.”

Gerard rolled his eyes “Can I come in please?”

I sighed but stepped out of the way and let him inside. He made his way towards the living room but I grabbed his arm and hissed “If you’re gonna stay in my house then you’re gonna sit down and talk to me about what wrong this time.”

Gerard glared at me before reluctantly following me into the kitchen. He took a seat at the table and looked around moodily while I made us two cups of tea. I set one down in front of him but he didn’t touch or even glance at it. I took a sip of mine and then asked “So, wanna tell me why you did it?”

“Why I did what?”

I raised my eye-brows “You know what you did Gerard. But if you want me to talk you through it then I will.” Gerard just stared at me so I continued “That expensive cell phone that Lyn-z spent all her money for you? She got a ten month contract for you? And trust me Gerard, it wasn’t cheap! Do you remember what you did with that cell phone?” More stares “You sold it for weed, didn’t you? I thought you were past that now.” Gerard still didn’t say a word “What are you gonna do when your daughter’s born, huh? Spend her college fund on weed? Spend your groceries money on weed and let your little girl starve?”

“It doesn’t fucking matter anymore.” Gerard mumbled, looking away from me and down at the floor “Lyn-z’s not gonna let me anywhere near her, is she? You didn’t hear all that stuff she was yelling at me Mikes. That I was a waste of space and I’d be a hopeless Father. She told me she wouldn’t care if she never saw me again. I did my fair share of shouting too, don’t get me wrong. I said some horrible stuff that I regret as well.”

“She told me that you hit her.”

Gerard rolled his eyes and groaned “She’s so full of bullshit. Lyn-z went to hit me so I grabbed her wrists to stop her. Is there a crime in that or something?”

“You can’t blame her for being mad Gerard. I’d be pissed off too.” I was silent for a moment before asking “How much money did you sell the phone for?”

“Fifty dollars.” He replied quietly.

My eyes widened and I was suddenly extremely angry “She spent nearly two hundred dollars buying you that phone and you sold it for fifty dollars? Were you really that desperate Gee?”

“You don’t understand Mikey!” He yelled, standing up and knocking the table as he did so that his tea spilt right over but I barely noticed as he screamed “I’m just a waste of space! And she’s right, I’d be a hopeless father!”

“Don’t do that Gerard!” I replied getting up as well “Stop feeling so stupidly sorry for yourself. Yeah, you fucked up. And yeah, it’s not the first time. But you and I both know that if you went home and tried apologising to Lyn-z that she’d forgive you with no question. She might even apologise for saying all that stupid stuff about you. She’s a fair woman Gerard.” Gerard simply blushed bright red before looking down at the ground “Now come on, go to sleep. Maybe you’ll feel better in the morning.”

Gerard looked up at me and smiled for a second before turning and going into the living room. I took a deep breath and went upstairs to go to sleep myself.



The next morning when I woke up, I instantly knew that something was weird. For a start, I normally woke up to hear Gerard groaning and puking in the bathroom but I couldn’t hear anything except the traffic outside. And another weird thing was that I could smell bacon sizzling. I sat up slowly, rubbing my sleepy eyes before putting on my glasses and trudging down the stairs into the kitchen. My eyes widened when I saw Gerard.

He smiled at me. The first genuine smile I’d seen in a long time. And it was probably the first time I’d ever seen him cooking “I’m making us breakfast.” He replied “And I made some coffee.” He held out my mug to me.

I took it off him before saying “Oh uhh thanks…” I sat down at the table before asking “What’s all this for?”

“I did some thinking last night when you went to bed. I realised how often I fucked up and how you were always here to make things better. You never made me talk about it in the past but it was good to know there was somewhere I could go if I messed up.” He took a deep breath, considering his words “And then last night when you made me sit down and talk about it. It was the first time I’d felt like someone was trying to help me instead of just getting mad at me.” He smiled at me “And I thought about how Alicia had left you because of me. Last night you could’ve easily split me and Lyn-z up. How could you not want to after what I did to you and Alicia? But you tried to convince me to go back to her. You don’t hold a grudge Mikes.”

“You’re my older brother Gee,” I told him with a small smile “I don’t have a choice.”

“But you do Mikey; you’ve always had a choice. You’ve known all along that you have a choice.” He put my breakfast down in front of me “And yet you still put up with me. And I barely ever thanked you.” Gerard sat opposite me, watching me eat my breakfast for a second “Thank you Mikes. For everything.” Then he looked down at his own plate and started eating.

My face flushed bright red and I grinned. He might be a pain in the ass sometimes but he was still my older brother. And I still loved him no matter what.