alone together ー petekey

I

"I'm going out again!" Mikey calls softly, tugging his shoes on and opening the door. He walks at a normal pace, observing the cracks in the sidewalk as if they're the most important things he's ever seen. On his stroll, he stops at a Starbucks, orders his usual drink, and continues on his way to the park. When Mikey finally reaches the park, a wide grin spreads across his face. A stone sign reads 'Grant Plaza' in large, bold lettering. He strolls through the park, happily sipping his coffee and breathing in the unusually cool air.

Mikey spots a boy sitting on a bench. The boy has black hair and looks like he's around Mikey's own age. His head is down, preventing Mikey from seeing the color of his eyes. He jots down words furiously in the notebook, and Mikey decides that he would like to read those words one day--after all, the urgent manner in which the boy is writing indicates that they must be important.

Mikey makes the decision to talk to the boy tomorrow if he's still in the park.

He finishes his coffee and throws the empty cup in a recycling bin. He finishes his lap around the park and exits, walking down the street towards his house. Mikey decides to stop and get his brother, Gerard, a few things just to show his appreciation. He gets another coffee from Starbucks and buys a few comics at the local comic book store, then returns home.

"Gerard!" Mikey calls, walking down the hall. His brother responds with a faint hum, and Mikey assumes that he's once again hidden away in his room. Mikey knocks on his door.

"Come in," Gerard responds instantly, and Mikey opens the door. He grins and holds up the bag and coffee cup.

"I brought you some stuff."

Gerard's face lights up, and he smiles ear-to-ear. "You didn't have to. that's your money. Spend it on what you want."

"I'd rather not. And besides, I wanted to do something nice for you."

"Thank you. Hey, c'mere, let's watch a movie or something," Gerard says, gratefully taking the coffee and looking inside the bag. "My God, Mikey, you got a gem. It's a revived version of Green Lantern!"

Mikey smiles. "Yeah, I thought you'd like it."

"Thank you so much, Mikey. You're the best."

"So are you," Mikey responds without missing a beat, sitting on the bed. Gerard pulls out his laptop and opens Netflix.

"What do you want to watch?" He asks.

"Dunno."

Gerard types a title into the search bar and pulls up the results. "Well, Mom says you can't watch Mean Girls, but let's do it anyways. Mom is boring."

"Okay. What's it about?"

"Sh," Gerard says, clicking on the movie title and starting the movie. "Watch."

Halfway through the movie, Mikey drifts off to sleep, using Gerard's shoulder as a pillow (and a bony one at that).