Disenchanted (Frerard + Petekey)

Brother

Doctor Rosenberg was slowly growing on Gerard. Sure she was fake as hell, and her smile never touched her eyes, but she really never reacted to anything he said. It was frustrating but also kind of comforting in a way. To know that whatever he told her, she wouldn't scream or cry or yell at him for. She just remained plastic and peppy, pretending that she cared.

He'd told her about how he wasn't really trying to kill himself, that the pain was a fantastic way to escape the world.

She of course had told him this was a terrible method of coping with things, and had pressed him to elaborate on what exactly he was escaping.

"Well, that's kind of hard to explain." Gerard was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees as he flapped his hands about trying to explain himself. "Everything? It's sort of everything."

Dr. Rosenberg nodded slightly and changed her plastic facial expression to a mask of confusion, "What specifically? Is it your home life? Friends? School?"

It was Gerard's turn to nod, letting his head slump down so he was staring at his lace-less boots.

"School is okay. I don't like all the people, but pretty much nobody pays me any attention. The crowds are kinda scary, but that's not it." He fell silent for a moment as he thought about it more seriously. "No, no it's not school. School's probably the most normal thing I've got going." He chuckled half-heartedly to himself.

"Okay, well that sounds promising." Her fake smile returned. "I'm glad you're doing okay with school. Do crowds bother you otherwise? In public like at a mall or concert or..?" She left the question hanging open for him to answer.

"Nah. Well, maybe a little but not enough to complain about it. And concerts never bother me, I love that shit."

She raised an eyebrow at him in response to his use of a 'curse word'. She was fairly strict about not swearing casually during therapy. Gerard thought it was bullshit.

"So if it's not school that you need to escape from, what is it?"

Ugh I thought I'd gotten her off track. He thought to himself, She's really not letting this one go...

Picking at the cuff of his sweater he mumbled a response, "I dunno... home's not great."

He didn't look up, but could feel her nodding at him to continue.

"Mom and Dad work a lot. They're like, never home so I look after my brother."

"Mikey, is that right?"

Gerard nodded solemnly.
Wait that sounds like Mikey's some sort of burden, that's not what I meant! Ugh.

"I don't mind it!" He met her gaze, waving his hands as he spoke, "I really like Mikey, he's a great kid. It's just," he did his best to make eye contact with the empty chair in the opposite corner of the room, "I don't think I'm doing a good job raising him y'know? Like, kids shouldn't raise kids."

Silence hung between them for several minutes. It seemed the Doctor didn't know how to respond to him.

I've never said that out loud before... fuck it's true though. Kids shouldn't raise kids. If Mikey ends up fucked it's on me. They should've raised their own damn kids. Instead I did my best on my own and tried to raise him.

He was shaking his head in disgust, which prompted the Doctor to ask what he was thinking about.

"Just how I've never said that out loud before, but it's really true y'know? Kids shouldn't raise kids."

She nodded in agreement, the fake smile sliding from her face into a soft frown. It matched her eyes. She had taken a page from Gerard's book and was staring at the corner for once instead of directly at him.