Telegraph Avenue Kiss

The wait at my front door had to last eternity, I'm sure of it. From the time when I rung the door bell to the time my mom appeared at the door had to last at least three years, and when the dreaded time came, I found it wasn't as bad as I imagined. She glared at us, yeah, she glared at our entwined hands and she glared when I leaned on Gerard's shoulder as we sat down on the couch for 'the talk', but it wasn't so horrible.

She sat in the recliner across from us, her hands clasped together in front of her face like in an almost prayer-like state, and she heaved a great sigh.

"So."

That was all she said for a few minutes, no doubt trying to kill us with suspense so she wouldn't have to deal with having a gay son. In that time, I got a good look around the living room for what was probably going to be my last time. I glanced up at the stairs, remembering when I jumped and fell from them because Mikey wouldn't catch me, I remembered this couch we were sitting on, remembered when Gerard and I got scared shitless when Mikey burst into the room and we thought it was my mom. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked down at my hands.

"Gerard, have you been taking good care of my son?" Mom asked, and I snapped my head up to look at her just in case she was being sarcastic, because that was a relatively nice question.

Gerard nodded. "Mhm. I have a job...Frankie's been going to school, and passing. We're not out on the streets or anything, so..." He trailed off, shrugging. Mom nodded.

"That's good. I guess I'm a little relieved that you're not a complete fuck-up. At least Frank's not starving or anything. What do you plan to do when Frank's out of school? This is his last year, after all."

We hadn't ever discussed what we were going to do after I finished school. I just assumed that I would get a job, and we could move out of Jeremy's apartment and live on our own.

"Well, first, I'm going to steal Mikey from my parents and take him with us after school is over. And then...I don't know. Send them to college, I guess."

"Hm, and where are you going to get the money to pay for their college?"

Oh, geez, please don't say it, Gee, for the love of god...

"Prostitution," Gerard answered nonchalantly. I groaned and slapped myself in the forehead.

"He's kidding," I reassured her, wanting to laugh at the face she pulled but having enough restraint not to. I didn't want to piss her off any more than she already was.

"Heh, sorry. Really, if I have to, I'll just get another job. The one I have now isn't hard, and I should be able to find another one."

"But I'll never get to see you!" I protested, gripping onto his arm. I pouted up at him.

I didn't need to go to any stupid college, I could just get a job like Gerard and we'll be fine. Besides, it's not like college helps. Gerard went, and it didn't help him get an awesome job, he works at a damn bookstore.

Gerard leaned down and pressed a kiss to my cheek despite the fact that my mom was still here and watching us. "I know, I'm sorry. But...I don't have much of a choice, honey, and I really want you to get a good education so maybe you can be something, instead of being a 'fuck-up' like me."

"But I'm fine with being a fuck-up!" I whimpered and hugged his arm tighter to me. He can not get two jobs, I will not let him and he will deal with it. "I'm not letting you spend any more time away from me than you already are, Gee. You can just...I don't know..." I trailed off and looked down.

"Frank," my mom called. I snapped my head up to half-assed attention, still depressed. "You know, I've been saving up for you to go to college for a while, and even though you're not living with me anymore, you're still my son. I still want you to succeed in life, and I suppose, if Gerard promises to keep you off the streets and you really try hard at school, I'll pay for your education. But if you start making D's and F's, forget it."

"I won't, I promise I'll try really really hard!" I clasped my hands hopefully out in front of me, waiting for her to say that she was lying, that she never wanted to see me again. I heard her sigh.

"Okay, Frank. I'll pay for college. I don't know what you two will do about Michael, but you don't have to worry about your own education."

I jumped out of my seat and hugged her for the first time in I don't remember. Then, Gerard and I set out on the task of his own parents. The wait at his door wasn't nearly so bad because Gerard was old enough to make his own decisions. But, when the door opened and his dad grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, that was pretty bad. When he called him a fag, and looked right at me while saying it, that was pretty bad.

But Mikey, my dear Mikey, came to the door and grabbed Gerard and held on to him, all the while telling his dad that Gerard was old enough to do whatever the fuck he wanted, no matter how wrong he thought it was. When he didn't calm down, Mikey slammed the door in his face and we went around to the side of the house to talk. The first thing Mikey did, after eying us both for a minute, was jump on me.

"Omigod, Frankie, I missed you so much and I love you so much, and...just....Fuck!" I was under a torrent of Mikey kisses for a long time, wincing and trying to push him off but not really.

"I missed you too, Mikey," I managed to murmur.

"And you love me."

"And I love you."

"And you're not pregnant."

"Well, about that..."

He pulled off of me and glared up at Gerard. "You whore! Getting my wife pregnant! Well, you know what? You can't have him anymore, I've decided that I'm kidnapping him and taking him to Chicago with me, and we're gonna run a bowling alley and throw bowling balls at people who are mean to us."

Gerard 'pft'-ed and pushed Mikey off of me.

"Nuh-uh, he's mine forever and you can't take him away."

"Yes I can, he loves me more."

"No he doesn't, he loves me more!"

"We're married!"

"We're living together!"

"You should feel ashamed for shacking up with your brother's wife! In fact, its incest," Mikey stated, crossing his arms. Gerard hit him.

"Idiot, incest would be if I shacked up with you. But I'm not gonna do that, because...well, I have Frank. So, ha, I win."

"...No you don't!"

And this is how the whole day went. Gerard and Mikey fighting for my love. Eventually, Gerard won by making out with me and Mikey was so horrified that he ran away for a few minutes, he said because he had to throw up. If this is how the rest of my life is going to go...I think I can deal with life. The drama, the fights, the...school. Yeah. Life is my bitch because I finally won.

Take that, bitch.