We're Going Live

“You don’t have to walk me back Mikey,” I told him, chuckling lightly as he put an old anorak of his around my shoulders, kneeling down in front of me to zip it up, “There’s no need, Gerard showed me a special route, I won’t get caught,” I said, tucking the hood of his hoody over my head.

“I’d rather walk you, to make sure,” he laughed, picking Charlie up and putting him in his own baby coat.

“Well, Bubs is being pampered,” I chuckled, gesturing to all his new things.

“My mom took him shopping, bought him loads and had his hair cut into some kind of baby hair thing… I don’t think he minded much,” Mikey chuckled, his face turning serious for a few seconds, “Uhm… I saw Ricky the other day. I actually went to the gym with him for a little bit. Of course he didn’t do anything just watched,” Mikey said, “But I updated him on what happened, I think he misses talking to you at school,” he said, putting Charlie down in his push chair.

“I feel bad about not talking to him, but, I can’t just go visit him or anything. Thanks for telling him though –how is he?” I asked, swallowing.

“Oh fine, fine. He’s uh, got a baby chinchilla and called it Lord Marvel Fluff. It’s pretty cool really. Charlie loves him to pieces,” Mikey finished, “We had to leave early because Mark found out that he was hiding a chinchilla in his coat.”

“You took Chubs to the gym?” I asked, chuckling as we left through the front door.

“Oh no! I was looking to see how much a treadmill would have been,” he chuckled, “Ricky took Chubby to the café whilst I worked out,” he smiled, pushing the chair along, “How’s the house been for you and Gerard?” Mikey asked, looking doubtful.

“It’s been okay. Some times you just really want a shower, or a proper toilet so sorry if I reek of damp house and sex. That’s all you can really do, screw 24/7 and just look on the upside that no one can here you,” I sighed, scratching the back of my head. Mikey flashed me a grin and shoved his glasses up his nose.

“How darling,” he chuckled, “That’s the perfect visual y’know?” he said as I chuckled, “That’s gonna be implanted in my brain for the rest of the day. Awesome,” he laughed, putting his arm around my shoulders, “Gerard’s the lucky bastard, isn’t he?” Mikey joked, “I’ll just have to use my imagination.”

“Well, put it this way, with your imagination I’m sure it’ll be a lot more satisfying,” I joked, butting my head into his shoulder lightly to show him I was only kidding.

We chattered mindlessly until we got to the edge of the field where me and Mikey went around the corner of a clump of trees so we could sit down and talk for a small while longer. I lay Mikey’s coat on the floor and he sat on the edge, allowing me to lay my head down on his lap with my legs arched to keep my jeans from getting muddy. Charlie snoozed beside me on the other available part of the coat, small baby snores emitting from him occasionally.

The air was damp and thick, I guessed it was all the rain we had been having. It was nice though, just sitting with Mikey and talking to him like usual.

“What’re you going to tell Gerard when you get back?” Mikey asked, spreading my hair out on the ground beside him.

“Nothing. I’ll just go to sleep,” I mumbled, closing my eyes. I felt Mikey’s finger trail down my ear to my jaw line, “I didn’t mean to make him mad. But I hadn’t seen you in ages and what the last time I saw you… well, it just wasn’t very nice,” I sighed. Mikey nodded, pulling my hand into his whilst tracing my wrist bone. I didn’t mind -I couldn’t mind. The way you portray it seems wrong, but it didn’t seem it at all. To have your brother in law touching you in such an erotic way seemed normal, although it wasn’t.

“Nothing? Doesn’t Gerard like to dangle you upside out of windows?” he asked.

“Don’t be silly Mikey, that’s only on a Tuesday,” I joked, sighing out at his finger traced over the bow in my top lip, “What’re you doing?” I chuckled.

“You’ve got gorgeous lips,” he gushed, sounding unsure of himself at the end, “Sorry, I was thinking out loud,” he apologised.

“Don’t worry, I’d be far more offended if you said anything mean,” I said, starting suddenly when I heard a twig snap somewhere off, “Shit,” I muttered, my eyes flying open and my hand tightening around Mikey’s. I jumped up, still clutching Mikey’s hand, “Gerard?” I questioned lowly, reaching down into the back of my jeans and plucking out the 9mm Deluxe I carried everywhere with me. Gerard always said he hated guns, he always kept his knife in his boot.

“Ren!” Mikey spat, grabbing the handle of the gun, “Where’d you get that nasty bugger?” he hissed as I wrenched away from him, keeping it posed in front of me. I don’t know why, I wasn’t about to shoot a police officer, “Darling, just listen to me, put it down! What’re you thinking?” he whispered, putting Charlie back in his pushchair, “Ren, -Charlie! Put it away!”

I jumped, another branch snapping.

My heart pounded in my chest and I could practically feel my pulse in my wrist and thumb my blood was drumming so hard. I stepped out behind the tree, aiming the gun towards where I thought I heard the twig snap.

And then I saw it.

A boot.

A black boot twitched in, trying to conceal itself behind a tree.

“Got you,” I muttered pointing it towards the tree. I jumped when I felt a blade suddenly come at large to my throat. I swallowed a few times, my gun still high about the tree, “W-who is it?” I stuttered, my stomach falling to my knees and back up like a fairground ride. The intruder behind me let out a large sigh, a sigh that belonged to Gerard.

“I thought you were the cops, take that goddamn hood down!” He breathed. My stomach fell further, like it was a elastic rope. Who was behind the tree?

“Gee!” I whispered shakily, my eyes set on the tree although I brought my lips to his ear, “There is some one behind that tree,” I whispered, holding my hand up when I saw Mikey try t o move towards us.

“Okay, I can see them,” Gerard murmured, his pulse pulling inside my ear, “Yeah, I got them. I definitely got them,” he murmured, sweat beginning to dampen his skin. He swallowed and lifted his arm, the knife still pose. Un able to talk, I clenched my eyes closed, whispering anything that made me feel better under my breath. Gerard’s arm began shaking against my ear and I clenched his shirt, awaiting for what was going to happen.

His arm brushed against my ear as he flicked his wrist deftly, letting the knife fly into the air. And then, that’s when I opened my eyes.

Not only to see the man behind the tree was now looking petrified as I pointed my gun point blank in his face.

But to see Gerard had mistaken my man behind the tree for Mikey.