Lost

Chapter 20

Frank dragged Ray inside with a bit of Mikey's help.

"What happened to him?" Mikey asked, surveying Ray's bruises and grazes with wide eyes.

"I don't know," Frank answered tersely. "Stay with him whilst I get some ice, would you?"

"Sure." Mikey watched him run out and then looked down at Ray. He gently brushed some grit away from a cut and chewed his lip anxiously. He didn't like it when Ray got hurt.

Frank skidded back in and began to put ice on the worst bruises, handing Mikey some wipes and telling him to clean the grazes.

Mikey obeyed, watching Ray's closed eyes flickering. Either he was dreaming, or he was pretending to be asleep.

He was probably dreaming. Mikey decided he was dreaming. He hoped he was dreaming good dreams, not shark dreams.

Frank sighed and sat back after finishing his job. "Right, Mikey, you stay with him. He'll like waking up to you rather than me."

"Why?"

Frank stared at him, and then sighed, exasperated. "You dumbass."

"Don't be mean," Mikey mumbled, offended.

Frank rubbed a hand over his face. "Mikey, Ray likes you. Like, really likes you. Maybe he doesn't romantically love you anymore, but you're still pretty much his favourite guy. So he'll like seeing you when he wakes up."

"Oh." Mikey blinked and looked down at Ray. "Was it that obvious that he used to like me?" He felt a little guilty, as he remembered not noticing a thing until afterwards.

"It was very obvious," Frank answered. "Especially after we found you two in the same bed."

"That wasn't– I just–"

"I know, Mikes, I know." Frank sighed and stood up. "Just stay with him."

Mikey chewed his lip, staring up at Frank as the other male stood and walked away. Mikey didn't know what he was doing, but he obeyed Frank by sitting with Ray.

He stayed where he was for about half an hour before Frank came back.

"Where were you?" he asked quietly, blinking.

"I was getting an ambulance." Frank sat by Mikey and took his hand, gently rubbing it to warm it up. 

"Is that necessary?" Mikey asked, chewing his lip a little more.

"He's collapsed, Mikey, we can't just leave it be."

Mikey sighed. "I don't like ambulances."

"I know." Frank's voice was soft. "But we have to get him help." Mikey sighed. As usual, Frank was correct.

The ambulance arrived a little while later. Frank pointed them to Ray and watched them as they put him in the back of the vehicle. Mikey looked down at Frank, chewing his lip.

"What now?"

*****

Mikey was asleep in his chair next to Ray's bed. Frank, however, wasn't asleep. He wanted to make sure that when Ray woke up, he wouldn't make any moves on Mikey.

It was stupid, but he didn't like how Ray had stayed in the same bed as Mikey again a few months ago. No, he wasn't looking away from Ray for a while. Not whilst Mikey was in the room. Being very close to Ray.

Frank wanted to slap some sense into himself. Ray wasn't going to snog Mikey first thing when he woke up. He sighed and folded his arms, looking over at the wall to distract himself.

Great. Now he was so screwed up he was distracting himself with a wall.

Mikey mumbled in his sleep, and Frank looked over, his heart lifting a little. He loved the little mumbles Mikey made when waking up.

Ray snorted a little as he too began to wake up, which wasn't as cute but still a good sign. Frank watched them both, anxious. Ray woke up first, and then looked over at Mikey, smiling a little. After about a second of staring, he noticed Frank and sat up quickly.

"Oh. Hi."

"Hi." Frank looked down at Mikey, and then at Ray. "You feeling any better?"

"A little, yes." Ray's eyes also flickered to Mikey. "How's he been?"

"Better than he was a few days ago," Frank admitted. "Gerard came back after he ran away from me. Found him drunk."

Ray looked alarmed, and his gaze went back to Mikey, this time extremely concerned. "He ran away from you?"

"He would've come back," lied Frank. "It was temporary."

"He was drunk."

"Gerard found him," Frank snapped. "We didn't need any other help." Ray raised an eyebrow and put his hand on Mikey's head, beginning to stroke his hair.

"I was stuck in jail," he said coolly. "I could hardly have helped."

Frank sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I'm just stressed." He paused. "Mikey found someone, you know."

"Huh?" Ray looked confused.

"Mikey's dating someone." Frank watched carefully for a reaction.

Ray just smiled. "Good. He needs someone to keep him in line."

"You aren't... you aren't angry or anything?"

Ray sighed. "Frank, you never truly stop loving someone. I just love him enough that I know he needs someone else. And although it may hurt, they'll be better for him than me."

Frank chewed his lip. 'You never truly stop loving someone.' That rung true for his fascination with Gerard. "Ray..."

"I know it's you dating him," said Ray quietly. "I don't mind. Honestly."

"You... don't?"

"You have him to yourself," Ray promised. Frank smiled, awkward at his previous thoughts that Ray would take Mikey away from him. They seemed juvenile now.

"Thanks, Ray." He made sure that Ray knew he meant it. His curly-haired friend grinned.

"No problem, Frankie. Now, let's wake this idiot up. He's having far too much sleep."

As Frank nodded and walked over to help, an odd, heavy feeling lifted from his chest, leaving him happy.

Mikey was his.