Stereotype

"Answer your phone, asshole, I'm sleeping here!" was Gerard's unfriendly wake-up call the next morning. It coincided with a cushion skillfully aimed to his head.

Barely opening one eye, he peeped at the clock on his nightstand. 11:30 was too early for a Saturday. It was also too early to understand the meaning of words. "Uh?"  

"Your phone. Answer it. Now," Mikey repeated slowly.

Gerard then realized the guitar solo he had been hearing wasn't part of his dream -whatever it was that he was dreaming with before his brother perturbed his sleep, but his ringtone.

"Fuck," he cursed as he let his numb right arm slip out of the bed to search the pair of jeans he had discarded on the floor. When he finally found his phone and saw who was calling, part of his bad mood dissipated. "Frankie?"

"Hi, Gee. Were you sleeping?" Frank didn't sound much cheerier, even though Gerard knew he had been up for a few hours already. Had the doctor given him bad news?

Suddenly worried, Gerard pushed himself into a sitting position, resting his back against the wall. "Well, not anymore," he answered honestly, then quickly added, "but it's no problem. How was the doc visit?"

Frank groaned. "Terrible, I'm fucking fuming."

That calmed Gerard's nerves a little. A doctor telling you bad news would most probably leave you scared, terrified even. 'Fuming' wasn't the first word that came to mind. It wasn't impossible, since everybody reacted differently, but the probabilities were lower.

"Fuming?"

"My mom," the younger boy elaborated. "She's...unbelievable. I just want to...argh."

"I thought you meant the visit to the doctor made you furious?" Gerard asked, dodging a new cushion that came flying his way as his brother told him to keep it quiet. He heard Frank sigh and then some rustling on the other side of the line.

"Yeah. And no. I mean...not the doctor's fault. She..." A new long, exasperated sigh. "My mom just...right out asked the doc about possible ways to fix my lack of manliness."

That got Gerard well awake and hoping he had misheard Frank. "Wha-?"

"She was all, 'I love Frank the way he is, but we all know how cruel people can be, and I live worried about what could happen to him. So, I've been thinking...maybe his hormones are unbalanced or something? Couldn't some kind of shot or pills help?'" Frank imitated his mom's dramatic voice. Pretty well, actually.

Gerard still couldn't believe what he was hearing. Linda wanted to medicate Frank to make him manlier? Just because she was scared? "What the fuck?"

"You heard right!" Frank seemed to read his mind. "She's fucking crazy, Gee! Does she want me to get all hairy and gross? Like...I still don't need to shave and I'm not exactly looking forward to it. Uh...is there permanent depilation for the face?"

It was probably wrong for Gerard to feel that way -especially in this case, but he kind of enjoyed piss-off, ranty Frankie. He had a tendency to jump from subject to subject and come up with the most random ideas and conclusions. Or doubts.

He did his best to hide the amusement, nevertheless. "I have no idea, Frankie. Sorry. I don't have much facial hair myself. But...I guess there is, 'cause I've seen trans women with no trace of beard or mustache. Uh...I'm probably saying something wrong, I know..."

Frank clacked his tongue like he sometimes did when thoughtful. "No no, nevermind, I'll find out when needed. Anyway, about my mom: sure, this is probably a step forward from thinking I can just...act less girly if I want to. Now she at least seems to understand I can't help the way I act. And I know she has no problem with me being gay and is just worried that it 'shows too much.'" Gerard could picture him quoting with his fingers."But...seriously, that was ridiculous. And embarrassing. Imagine the doctor's face!"

Probably similar to the one he had made -Gerard thought. "What did he say?" he asked.

"He told my mom to leave us alone, then he was interested in knowing what I feel. If I'm comfortable with myself and that kind of shit, you know?"

"Yeah," Gerard nodded, glad that Mikey couldn't see him from his bed and laugh at the pointlessness of the gesture."It's what you feel that matters. Then what?"

"Then he made my mom come back in and told her to fuck off."

Gerard almost chocked in his very spontaneous chuckle. "Really?"

Frank's laugh reached his ear. "Of course not exactly, you idiot! But he more or less told her that she has no right to take those kind of decisions because it's my body and I'm completely comfortable with myself."

"Wow, he sounds cool," Gerard commented.

"He is, thankfully. And he also told her there are a lot of misconceptions about the use of hormone shots or pills and that I don't need to have my hormone levels tested unless I had any specific health problem that required it -which I don't. Take that, Linda!" There was still a certain angry edge to Frank's tone, but he sounded more relaxed. Gerard figured out the kid just needed to vent.

"The doc owned your mom, clearly! Besides that, everything okay?" Gerard questioned. "With your health, I mean."

There was some background knocking and Frank told Gerard to hold on, disappearing for a minute. "Sorry, back. My health? Yeah, just the usual. Kinda anemic again so he prescribed some vitamins with extra iron."

"You don't look or act anemic," Gerard joked. He thought anemia made you lack energy, which didn't seem to be Frank's case.

"I know!" The other giggled. "I don't feel anemic either! Craziness. But well...I do need a lot of energy and resistance for my dance classes, so the extra help won't hurt me."

Gerard was about to ask Frank to let him watch a class some day when he felt something heavy land on the mattress by his feet. This time it was no projectile but Mikey in person, staring at him. His eyes were two slits and his hair was a mess 

"There's no fucking way I can go back to sleep now. Tell the smaller fucker I say hi," the boy mumbled, collapsing next to Gerard with a whine.

"Mikey says 'Hi,'" the older transmitted.

"Hi, Mikeyway!" Frank screamed. "Ok. Guys, since you're both there...I need to get out. Park today, pretty yes?"

Mikey -who had his ear glued to Gerard's, exclaimed into the phone, "Bikes!"

Gerard pushed him away with a curse. "You heard him." 

"Don't be punishing the Mikeyway! You're in, then, G-rard?"

"Yeah, I need some not-football exercise. Tell Marina to come too, the more the funnier."

"Agreed!" Frank said excitedly. "She'll be here. Come for us at 4?"

"4 is fine, yep." Gerard nodded again, this time being caught by Mikey.

"...and your dumbass friend just nodded to the phone," he let Frank know.

"Hey, don't be so hard on your brother, he's sleepy! Gotta go eat now, boys, see ya both later," Frank told them quickly before hanging up.