Breathe Out, So I Can Breathe You In

By the time they were in the car headed towards a theater, Mikey was practically bouncing with excitement. This was something he hadn't done in years and some part of him inside was suddenly realizing how much he missed doing things like going out to watch a movie. Gerard noticed his excitement and simply laughed, shaking his head to keep his hair from falling into his face. It wasn't long before they reached their destination, and Gerard sat in the car waiting while Mikey eagerly jumped out to go see what times the decent films were playing.

After a few moments, a pouting Mikey came back to the sports car and slid into the passenger seat, rolling his eyes. "It'll be like an hour before anything good is playing." he huffed, and Gerard smiled at his childish behavior.

"Well, it's lunchtime. How about we go grab something to eat then come back for the film?" Gerard suggested, eying his brother to watch his reaction.

Mikey smiled before nodding his head. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Gerard nodded in return and pulled off from his parking spot, continuing his drive downtown as he looked for somewhere to stop and eat. After a moment he spotted an Olive Garden, and silently glanced over towards Mikey to see if he was fine with eating there. A quick nod assured Gerard that he was, so the car turned into the parking lot and the two climbed out, Mikey getting a little excited again. Eating at a restaurant was also something he'd been missing out on for a while.

Gerard took off the black sunglasses covering most of his face and tossed them gently back into his car before closing his door, then waited on the passenger side door to close so he could lock the car and drop the keys in his pocket. After a quick check to make sure he had his wallet, he took a few small steps to the right so he could walk beside Mikey. Without really thinking about it this time, Gerard reached out and caught Mikey's hand in his own, threading their fingers together loosely and letting their hands swing slightly as they walked.

Mikey's heart rate skyrocketed, and he had to keep telling himself to breathe normally. He wasn't aware of anyone's eyes as they walked into the quiet dining place, and he was barely conscious of the direction they were walking towards a table. The only thing that he could focus on was Gerard's hand still being in his, and just how nice it felt to be in that particular moment in time. Of course, Gerard dropped his hand as they reached the table and sat down, but Mikey couldn't say he was disappointed. He was very well aware that they couldn't eat while holding hands. Throughout the entire meal and conversation,the only thing Mikey could wonder was what was going through his brother's mind.

The two made it back to the movie with only a few moments to spare, and Gerard took advantage of those moments to buy a drink and a packet of sour candies to snack on. They - more so Mikey - had decided on a comedy that was playing, and Gerard, of course, agreed to it. The lights were already dimmed by the time they entered the room, and the pair wandered around blindly in the dark until they found seats, which didn't prove to be hard. Not a lot of people were watching the movie, which was unusual for a Saturday, but Gerard wasn't complaining and neither was Mikey, who demonstrated that idea by propping his legs up on the empty seats in front of him.

After the movie started, Mikey suddenly realized how much this reminded him of being back in high school. A small smile came across his face as he sat in the dark, next to a guy he liked and shared a drink with him. The cliche-ness of the situation almost made him laugh out loud, but instead he kept quiet and silently thanked the heavens that he was in the situation he was in. Mikey began an internal debate with himself to reach over and take Gerard's hand, but he couldn't work up the nerve to do it. In a moment's decision, he simply laid his arm down on the right armrest, hand laying limply.

Of course Gerard noticed, and he let out a small, quiet chuckle, leaning over to press his lips against Mikey's ear. "Don't be scared." he whispered, a little amused at the situation they were in.

Mikey stiffened from having Gerard so close to him so suddenly, and he was more than grateful for the fact that they were in the dark so Gerard couldn't see the deep flush across his cheeks at his 'plan' being found out. Ignoring the tingling feelings he had in his gut, Mikey slipped his hand into Gerard's and gave him a small smile, which Gerard returned while squeezing his hand gently before returning to the movie. Mikey made himself comfortable leaning against Gerard's shoulder and tried to focus his attention on what was happening on the screen instead of the man sitting next to him.

*

Much later in the evening, the pair were headed outside for their now nightly routine of sitting around and smoking cigarettes. Mikey had a continuous smile on his face; it wasn't like he could help it. The recent closeness he and Gerard had been having was making him happy - happier than he had been in a long while. Another part of him was terrified at the thought of how badly things could go if he seriously got his feelings involved. The last relationship he had proved that not all relationships are perfect, and they hurt terribly when they end.

Gerard, however, wasn't thinking about his own feelings or thoughts. He too had a smile on his face as they walked, and it was because of the same reason as his brother's only he didn't feel the fear of rejection. He just liked having Mikey around him. For Gerard's entire life he had instilled it into himself that emotions don't matter as much as people make them out to be, so it's best to not think about them. Still, he couldn't understand why every time he and Mikey touched that it would feel like electricity was running through his veins, and Gerard certainly did not understand the fluttery feeling in his stomach when he was simply close to his brother.

The older of the two was the first to sit down, and before Mikey made it into his seat, Gerard had embraced his brother's thin waist and tugged Mikey onto his lap. Mikey let out a small noise of surprise, and Gerard simply let out a small chuckle in response. Slowly but surely, the younger relaxed into the older mans embrace and soon Mikey was practically curled up with Gerard in the chair, face in his brothers neck. Neither of the two were saying a word - they were both enjoying the feeling of being this close to one another.

Gerard shifted, causing Mikey to sit up a little better to face him. Gerard smiled, just a normal smile, and Mikey felt a pang tear through his insides. The feeling caused him to realize that his feelings were already more involved than he wanted them to be. Sooner or later, it would turn into something more than this little crush. However, all those thoughts were pushed from his head as he saw Gerard's hazel eyes flicker from his own, down to his lips, then back up to his eyes. The butterflies erupted as soon as Mikey's brain had time to process what was about to happen, and before he knew it Gerard's lips touched his own.

In that moment, Mikey forgot everything going on around him. As his eyes closed and he pressed his lips back against Gerard's, he forgot that they were outside, sitting on a lawn belonging to a house on a hill overlooking the city. He probably would have told you he forgot the world was spinning, because all he could focus on was the intense amount of feeling that suddenly rushed through his own. Gerard slowly moved his lips against Mikey's, running one hand up to tangle in the younger man's hair, keeping the moment lasting as long as he possibly could. The kiss was sweet, no teeth and no tongue, and when it ended Mikey felt like he was lightheaded and gasping for air. Gerard smiled softly, slowly dropping his hand from Mikey's hair and letting it run down his back.

The only thing Mikey could think was how that kiss had felt extremely, undoubtedly right.