Tell Me a Story

"Gerard?" Mikey said from his bed into the dimly lighted room, disturbing the silence that had been hovering over the brothers.

"Yeah Mikey?" Gerard responded half heartedly not paying his full attention as he was trying to focus on his drawing. He too was in his own bed. It was eleven o'clock at night and still neither was asleep.

"Can you tell me a story?" Mikey asked sitting up in his bed and slipping his glasses back on. This caught Gerard's attention and he stopped drawing to look up.

Gerard raised an eyebrow. "Mikey your sixteen why do you need me to tell you a story?"

"You know I love your stories Gee. They help me go to sleep too. Please? We never spend time like this anymore," There's a reason for that ,Gerard thought, but he couldn't say that out loud. It was Mikey, his little brother and he had used that pleading voice Gerard couldn't resist.

He sighed and put down his drawing pad and pencil on the floor and sat up straight again. "Okay so what story do you want?"

"Make up a new one. Just for me." Mikey grinned.

Gerard sighed again. "Okay uhm . . ." he started racking his brain for an idea.

"No wait. Can I come into your bed too?" Mikey asked.

"Mikey your-"

"-Sixteen I know but I don't care. You're my brother and I miss your hugs," Mikey said again in that pleading voice.

"Fine get your scrawny little ass over here then," Gerard said getting slightly irritated as he moved over in his single bed making room for Mikey. Mikey smiled and quickly got out of his bed and walked across to Gerard's climbing in next to his brother.

"Happy?" Gerard asked looking down at Mikey as he shuffled around to get comfortable.

"Wait . . ." Mikey snuggled closer to Gerard's body and wrapped his arms around his middle "now I am."

"Okay then." Gerard said, his back fully pressed up against the wall in his failed attempts to keep his distance from his brother.

Of course he didn't have anything against Mikey and he loved him to bits. That's what the problem was. He loved him a bit more than any brother is meant to.

In the past couple of weeks that he realised this, Gerard has been distancing himself from Mikey but it's not easy. You can't really distance yourself from your brother especially if you share a house and a room.

Gerard's feelings scared him. He knew it was wrong and he knew he shouldn't but it wasn't like he could help it. He was just hoping it would go away, preferably soon. He wanted to be normal again.

"Hello? Earth to Gee?" Mikey said waving a bony-fingered hand in Gerard's face.

"Oh right uhm okay . . ." Gerard trailed off trying to think of some story to tell Mikey. "Once upon a time . . ." he started predictably.

"Oh come on Gerard you can do better than that!" Mikey said.

"Do you want a story or not?" Gerard asked.

"Okay I'll shut up." Mikey said resting his head on Gerard's chest still clinging tight to his stomach.

Gerard started up a story that randomly came to his head. He was good like that, always thinking of something and managing to keep it there. Mikey was forever telling him he had an over active imagination.

Within fifteen minutes Mikey was fast asleep, breathing in heavily. Gerard sighed and gently took Mikey's glasses off his face and put them on his bedside locker. He then tried to unwrap Mikey's arms from him to go to Mikey's bed to sleep instead. He had no such luck.

Mikey clung onto him and mumbled something incoherent and just snuggled closer. Gerard froze not wanting to wake him and trying to ignore the tingling feeling that had started to travel over his body.

Gerard sighed again knowing he wouldn't get out of this position anytime soon so decided to live with it, not that he minded anyway. He flicked off the little light plunging the room into darkness. He shuffled down in his bed so that his head was on the pillow, Mikey hadn't moved or stirred.

Gerard contemplated it for a moment but decided to just go with his instinct and put his arms around his brother's shoulders resting his hands on Mikey's back. This seemed to make him braver and he kissed the top of Mikey's head. He wasn't doing anything wrong, siblings did this sort of thing and it's not like they hadn't shared a bed before, but because of the thoughts in Gerard's jumbled head it felt wrong. It was because Gerard wasn't thinking of this situation as an act of brothers he was thinking about it as more than that.

"I love you Mikey" Gerard whispered into the silent room.

"I love you too Gee" Mikey whispered back making Gerard jump and back up against the wall again, not touching Mikey in anyway possible.

"I thought you were asleep," Gerard hissed once his heart rate had calmed slightly.

"I was until you tried to move. Cuddle down again please? So I can sleep?" Mikey said, not seeming fussed that Gerard had seemed to get an electric shock when Mikey had talked.

Gerard looked through the darkness at the outline of Mikey and took a deep but silent breath. He lay back down properly again and Mikey cuddled into him. This wasn't rightGerard thought.

"Why are you so tense Gerard?" Mikey asked.

"I'm not tense" Gerard said quickly and lying through his teeth. He was tense and he knew it but he was nervous. He was scared he would do something that he would regret.

"Yes you are. Gee is something wrong?" Mikey asked sitting up and looking down at Gerard in the little light of the streetlights that was coming in from the window.

"No. Nothing's wrong Mikey just go back to sleep," Gerard said, his voice was the softest it had been all night.

"Is it me? Have I done something wrong?" Mikey asked almost sadly.

Gerard sat up. "Of course it's not you Mikey."

"It is. I can tell. What is it Gerard?"

"It's nothing honestly. Just go back to sleep," Gerard said lying back down and turning away from Mikey and facing the wall showing he didn't want to talk anymore.

"Fine but I'll find out what it is," Mikey said and Gerard felt him lie back down.

I hope not. Gerard thought. For once Gerard was keeping his mouth shut and not breathing a word to anyone about his predicament. He didn't want anyone to find out. It would 'cause a whole lot of shit for nothing. Plus he was sure it would go away.

-

The morning after Mikey had wanted a story and both brothers were still asleep. Or that's how it seemed. Mikey lay awake staring up at the ceiling thoughts floating in and out of his head.

Gerard lay fast asleep right next to him with his arm draped over Mikey's stomach. Mikey put it down to instinct for Gerard to cuddle into something while he slept. Gerard was very affectionate.

What had Gerard been so wound up about last night? Was he angry? Was he upset? Mikey knew it was something to do with him he just didn't know what it was and it was bugging the hell out of him.

Gerard grunted in his sleep making Mikey giggle slightly and shake his head. He turned to face Gerard and sighed. He let his eyes travel over Gerard's face taking in every detail.

He had been doing this a lot lately. Studying Gerard like he was a fine piece of art, which to Mikey he was. He was his brother but Mikey thought Gerard was beautiful. He loved his brother he just didn't know that he loved him a little too much. Yet.

Gerard made gurgling noises in his sleep again making Mikey smile and happily close his eyes ready for some more sleep. It wasn't a mere five more minutes before he felt Gerard shift and breath in deeply, obviously waking up.

Mikey pretended to sleep and lay as still as possible. He felt Gerard's lips touch his forehead in a light peck and chills went through him. Mikey didn't know what these chills were but he liked them. They felt so good and made his tummy go funny. Not a bad kind of funny though a good kind of funny.

Mikey allowed his eyes to flutter open and they immediately connected with Gerard's. Gerard jumped back a little but not as much as he had done the night before. Mikey snuggled closer to Gerard making sure that their bodies were pressed together.

"Mikey . . . what-?" Gerard started in his husky morning voice.

"I'm cold," it was the only way Mikey could explain it. He wasn't really that cold he just wanted Gerard's warmth. Gerard's touch. Nothing could give Mikey the same sort of feeling.

Gerard sighed and for a split second Mikey thought Gerard would get up and leave him but he didn't. Instead he tightened his grip on Mikey and started running one of his hands through Mikey's hair. Mikey closed his eyes again and breathed in deeply Gerard's scent making his senses go crazy.

Mikey had never felt this way before and he knew something wasn't right about it. He had liked girls and maybe even some guys but never like this. This was real and different, this felt special. The only thing he could put it down to was that he loved his big brother. He was in love with his big brother. That’s why it was so wrong.

"Gerard?" Mikey whispered snuggling his head into the crook of Gerard's neck making both of them shudder at the same time.

"Yeah Mikey?" Gerard whispered back.

"I love you," Mikey said.

"I know. I love you too," Gerard said with a sigh.

"No . . ." Mikey trailed off and looked up in Gerard's eyes. "I mean I really, really love you. I mean . . . I think I'm in love with you. I'm confused 'cause you're my brother but I really think I do love you." Mikey said. He looked at Gerard for another second before turning his head to the side, unable to look any more. Gerard ceased stroking Mikey's hair.

It was out of character for Mikey to say something like that. To be so confident about it. To make the first move. But this was his brother. He didn't need to be nervous he knew no matter what that Gerard would understand. At least that's what he hoped anyway.

After a while of Gerard not speaking Mikey slowly looked back at him. Gerard just stared back and Mikey wished he'd never been so brave about it after all.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I-" Mikey started to stutter and was getting ready to leave but Gerard just tightened his grip on Mikey's skinny waist.

Gerard moved his hand from Mikey's hair and cupped his cheek. He finally smiled and without hesitation pushed his lips against Mikey's. Mikey sat in shock for a second then closed his eyes and started kissing Gerard back.

They both knew it was wrong and they both knew no one could ever find out but that didn't stop them. Nothing could stop them now. Neither regretted anything and they never would. It might have been morally wrong but it felt so right. They knew somehow this story would have a happy ending.