Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Never Make It Through (Without You Around)
Never Make It Through (Without You Around)
4 reviewsFrerard. 17 year old Gerard had to fight to look after his 5 year old brother, Mikey, after their parents died in the summer, but who can he talk to when the responsibility becomes too much?
2Original
I started this because I'm dumb and I have exams and another chaptered story to update but oh well! More self-indulgence! Hope you enjoy! :* xx
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It was the first day back at school after the summer break and Gerard had already had enough. He sighed as he put his books into his locker and swung his bag over his shoulder. He had booked Mikey into an after school club at his elementary school so he didn’t need to pick him up until quarter to five at the latest. He just wanted to get out of school; he did love his friends, but he was sick of the sympathetic looks they kept giving him. He rubbed his face in exhaustion and turned around, only to walk into someone.
“Shit, sorry.” He apologised, as both he and the other boy dropped their bags. The boy shook his head and knelt down to pick up both their bags.
“Don’t worry.” The boy said. Gerard took his bag back and smiled.
“Thanks - Frank, right? The new kid?” Gerard asked. He was pretty sure Frank had sat with them at lunch. Frank grinned at him.
“Yes and yes. And you’re....G-Gerard?” He asked cautiously, and relaxed when Gerard nodded and beamed. “I was 98% sure that was your name. Me and some of your friends were going to get something to eat. Because I’m new. Are you coming?”
Gerard sighed. “No, I have to go and pick up my brother from school. Have fun though - they’re really welcoming. I’m glad you’re befriending us instead of-”
“-The jocks?” Frank asked, eyebrows raised. “Do I look like I’d be into the same things?”
“Not sporty then?” Gerard asked, smiling. Frank shook his head vehemently.
“Anyway, I’ll catch you tomorrow.” Frank said, smiling and waving as he walked off. Gerard gazed at him for a bit - he was, well, he was pretty hot. And had a great ass. He shook himself quickly. He needed to pick Mikey up from school.
*
He would have been pretty screwed if he hadn’t have passed his driving text a few months earlier, he thought as he parked outside of Mikey’s school. He left his bag in the car and took only his keys and went in search of classroom 16, where after school club was held. He knocked on the door and waited to be allowed entry, though he could see the children inside the classroom through the glass in the door.
The teacher, Miss Green, opened the door.
“Hello, Gerard. Mikey!” She called over her shoulder. Mikey looked up and jumped out of his chair. “I’m so sorry about your parents, by the way.” She added.
Gerard shook his head. “It’s...fine. It’s okay. Thank you.”
“Gee!” Mikey exclaimed, running over to him. Gerard bent down to hug the five year old boy.
“Hey Mikey, how’s your day been?” Gerard asked, smiling at him.
“Good. We were doing numbers.” Mikey babbled. Gerard waved goodbye to the teacher as he led Mikey out the classroom and down to his car, still listening to Mikey babble.
“And then Eliza said that I had the best handwriting.” Mikey said, climbing inside the car and turning on the radio. “What are we having for dinner?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Gerard said, starting the engine. “What would you like? Mac and cheese?”
“We had mac and cheese yesterday.” Mikey said reproachfully, fiddling with the volume control on the radio.
“So what do you want then?” Gerard asked patiently, taking a right turn. Mikey thought for a second.
“Pizza!” He said, bouncing up and down in his seat. Gerard considered it; he could stop off at the supermarket on the way back and pick up some frozen pizzas, and maybe stock up for the rest of the week too.
“Sure.” He smiled, taking a left turn to go to the nearest supermarket and parking the car. “Come on, out. You need to choose your pizza.”
“Pizza.” Mikey breathed, picking up a basket and dragging it along the floor. Gerard had resigned himself to the fact that his brother was a pretty weird kid.
“Okay, we’re gonna pick up a few more things and then you can choose your pizza.” Gerard said. Mikey cheered and continued dragging the basket along the floor, oblivious to the looks he was getting from strangers. Gerard threw in some vegetables and dried pastas with various sauces, as they probably needed more in the house than the bread and chips he had kept stocked up in the last few weeks. Eventually they ended up in the frozen foods aisle.
“Pepperoni.” Mikey muttered, leaning over one of the frozen food boxes and rummaging around. “A-ha! I found one!”
Gerard wondered what his parents would say if they were here now, Gerard letting Mikey live off frozen pizzas and tins of baked beans. Oh well. Gerard hoped that they would at least be a bit proud of him - he had to fight and argue and plead hard in order to keep ahold of Mikey, seeing as he was only 17, which was ridiculous, because he’d be eighteen in a few months anyway.
After his parents had died during the summer in a car crash, the state had wanted Mikey at least to be taken into care, but Gerard had just lost his parents, and he wasn’t about to lose his little brother either. He had had to fight and write letters for the whole of the summer, but it was worth it to finally have the social worker come around to tell him that he had been deemed responsible enough to look after Mikey. And it was a pretty big responsibility. He had to pick Mikey up from school now, and help him with his homework, as well as doing his own and applying to college, and comforting Mikey when he had bad dreams. He knew things would only get worse and more stressful as the year went on too. His only living relatives left were his aunt and uncle, who lived in California. He didn’t want to transfer in his senior year, so they stayed in New Jersey, but his aunt and uncle did fly down to sort out their bills and the mortgage and the funeral for them.
“Can I get a pineapple?” Mikey asked, looking up at Gerard. Gerard smiled down at him.
“Sure - you better run and get it quickly before I finish up at the checkout!” Gerard said, giving Mikey a little push towards the fruits. It was a small mercy that his parents had been saving money for a while (“in case of a rainy day”), which meant that Gerard was able to keep Mikey fed and sheltered and watered without having to get a second job on top of everything else. When he had discovered that, as both his parents worked, they had life insurance as well, the money that he received from that as well meant that it was one less thing to worry about - he didn’t become a multi-millionaire but...well, he didn’t have to worry about not being able to afford to put himself or Mikey through college, that was for sure. Or about not being able to pay the bills or mortgage. Or even worry about not being able to afford christmas presents for Mikey for, well, the rest of his life. He never realised that his parents had such well paid jobs.
He wandered over to checkout number four and unloaded his basket. The check out assistant - a young girl - stared at him when Mikey came running back. He had gotten used to people assuming he was a young parent. At first he wanted to scream in everyone’s face that, no, he didn’t get drunk and have sex with some random person, and no, it was pretty much impossible for that to happen seeing as he wasn’t actually into girls anyway. He just accepted it now and didn’t say anything to anyone.
He handed over a twenty dollar bill and received two dollars and thirty-three cents in change, and pocketed it. He led Mikey back to the car and then they drove home, Mikey bouncing in his seat over the possibility of having pizza and then pineapple for dinner. Gerard didn’t like to deny him small things like getting a pineapple - he just wanted to do anything he could for Mikey to be happy again. Mikey had taken the death of their parents badly - he hadn’t spoken for three weeks, and cried when he realised that he could be separated from Gerard. It had meant that Gerard hadn’t had any time to fully come to terms with what had happened, or even properly grieve himself, but Mikey was what mattered. Making sure he was safe and healthy and happy. That was all that mattered.
*
*
It was the first day back at school after the summer break and Gerard had already had enough. He sighed as he put his books into his locker and swung his bag over his shoulder. He had booked Mikey into an after school club at his elementary school so he didn’t need to pick him up until quarter to five at the latest. He just wanted to get out of school; he did love his friends, but he was sick of the sympathetic looks they kept giving him. He rubbed his face in exhaustion and turned around, only to walk into someone.
“Shit, sorry.” He apologised, as both he and the other boy dropped their bags. The boy shook his head and knelt down to pick up both their bags.
“Don’t worry.” The boy said. Gerard took his bag back and smiled.
“Thanks - Frank, right? The new kid?” Gerard asked. He was pretty sure Frank had sat with them at lunch. Frank grinned at him.
“Yes and yes. And you’re....G-Gerard?” He asked cautiously, and relaxed when Gerard nodded and beamed. “I was 98% sure that was your name. Me and some of your friends were going to get something to eat. Because I’m new. Are you coming?”
Gerard sighed. “No, I have to go and pick up my brother from school. Have fun though - they’re really welcoming. I’m glad you’re befriending us instead of-”
“-The jocks?” Frank asked, eyebrows raised. “Do I look like I’d be into the same things?”
“Not sporty then?” Gerard asked, smiling. Frank shook his head vehemently.
“Anyway, I’ll catch you tomorrow.” Frank said, smiling and waving as he walked off. Gerard gazed at him for a bit - he was, well, he was pretty hot. And had a great ass. He shook himself quickly. He needed to pick Mikey up from school.
*
He would have been pretty screwed if he hadn’t have passed his driving text a few months earlier, he thought as he parked outside of Mikey’s school. He left his bag in the car and took only his keys and went in search of classroom 16, where after school club was held. He knocked on the door and waited to be allowed entry, though he could see the children inside the classroom through the glass in the door.
The teacher, Miss Green, opened the door.
“Hello, Gerard. Mikey!” She called over her shoulder. Mikey looked up and jumped out of his chair. “I’m so sorry about your parents, by the way.” She added.
Gerard shook his head. “It’s...fine. It’s okay. Thank you.”
“Gee!” Mikey exclaimed, running over to him. Gerard bent down to hug the five year old boy.
“Hey Mikey, how’s your day been?” Gerard asked, smiling at him.
“Good. We were doing numbers.” Mikey babbled. Gerard waved goodbye to the teacher as he led Mikey out the classroom and down to his car, still listening to Mikey babble.
“And then Eliza said that I had the best handwriting.” Mikey said, climbing inside the car and turning on the radio. “What are we having for dinner?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Gerard said, starting the engine. “What would you like? Mac and cheese?”
“We had mac and cheese yesterday.” Mikey said reproachfully, fiddling with the volume control on the radio.
“So what do you want then?” Gerard asked patiently, taking a right turn. Mikey thought for a second.
“Pizza!” He said, bouncing up and down in his seat. Gerard considered it; he could stop off at the supermarket on the way back and pick up some frozen pizzas, and maybe stock up for the rest of the week too.
“Sure.” He smiled, taking a left turn to go to the nearest supermarket and parking the car. “Come on, out. You need to choose your pizza.”
“Pizza.” Mikey breathed, picking up a basket and dragging it along the floor. Gerard had resigned himself to the fact that his brother was a pretty weird kid.
“Okay, we’re gonna pick up a few more things and then you can choose your pizza.” Gerard said. Mikey cheered and continued dragging the basket along the floor, oblivious to the looks he was getting from strangers. Gerard threw in some vegetables and dried pastas with various sauces, as they probably needed more in the house than the bread and chips he had kept stocked up in the last few weeks. Eventually they ended up in the frozen foods aisle.
“Pepperoni.” Mikey muttered, leaning over one of the frozen food boxes and rummaging around. “A-ha! I found one!”
Gerard wondered what his parents would say if they were here now, Gerard letting Mikey live off frozen pizzas and tins of baked beans. Oh well. Gerard hoped that they would at least be a bit proud of him - he had to fight and argue and plead hard in order to keep ahold of Mikey, seeing as he was only 17, which was ridiculous, because he’d be eighteen in a few months anyway.
After his parents had died during the summer in a car crash, the state had wanted Mikey at least to be taken into care, but Gerard had just lost his parents, and he wasn’t about to lose his little brother either. He had had to fight and write letters for the whole of the summer, but it was worth it to finally have the social worker come around to tell him that he had been deemed responsible enough to look after Mikey. And it was a pretty big responsibility. He had to pick Mikey up from school now, and help him with his homework, as well as doing his own and applying to college, and comforting Mikey when he had bad dreams. He knew things would only get worse and more stressful as the year went on too. His only living relatives left were his aunt and uncle, who lived in California. He didn’t want to transfer in his senior year, so they stayed in New Jersey, but his aunt and uncle did fly down to sort out their bills and the mortgage and the funeral for them.
“Can I get a pineapple?” Mikey asked, looking up at Gerard. Gerard smiled down at him.
“Sure - you better run and get it quickly before I finish up at the checkout!” Gerard said, giving Mikey a little push towards the fruits. It was a small mercy that his parents had been saving money for a while (“in case of a rainy day”), which meant that Gerard was able to keep Mikey fed and sheltered and watered without having to get a second job on top of everything else. When he had discovered that, as both his parents worked, they had life insurance as well, the money that he received from that as well meant that it was one less thing to worry about - he didn’t become a multi-millionaire but...well, he didn’t have to worry about not being able to afford to put himself or Mikey through college, that was for sure. Or about not being able to pay the bills or mortgage. Or even worry about not being able to afford christmas presents for Mikey for, well, the rest of his life. He never realised that his parents had such well paid jobs.
He wandered over to checkout number four and unloaded his basket. The check out assistant - a young girl - stared at him when Mikey came running back. He had gotten used to people assuming he was a young parent. At first he wanted to scream in everyone’s face that, no, he didn’t get drunk and have sex with some random person, and no, it was pretty much impossible for that to happen seeing as he wasn’t actually into girls anyway. He just accepted it now and didn’t say anything to anyone.
He handed over a twenty dollar bill and received two dollars and thirty-three cents in change, and pocketed it. He led Mikey back to the car and then they drove home, Mikey bouncing in his seat over the possibility of having pizza and then pineapple for dinner. Gerard didn’t like to deny him small things like getting a pineapple - he just wanted to do anything he could for Mikey to be happy again. Mikey had taken the death of their parents badly - he hadn’t spoken for three weeks, and cried when he realised that he could be separated from Gerard. It had meant that Gerard hadn’t had any time to fully come to terms with what had happened, or even properly grieve himself, but Mikey was what mattered. Making sure he was safe and healthy and happy. That was all that mattered.
*
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