𝔦𝔣 𝔦 𝔣𝔞𝔩𝔩 ☩ 𝔣𝔯𝔢𝔯𝔞𝔯𝔡

never coming home

"Mikey, go!" Gerard commanded through the thunderous booms of gunshots.

Mikey tried his best to scurry across the sand as the shiny bullet pierced through his abdomen.

The medic rushed over towards him, trying his hardest to heal the dying man.

Then Mikey's soul left his eyes. He was motionless, eyes staring directly at the sky.

It felt like someone punched Gerard in the stomach. He cowered over towards the line of equally frightened soldiers.

But they didn't matter.

Mikey was never coming home.

Gerard's eyes were stinging and began to turn red as he cried out Mikey's name in terror. A singular tear trickled down his face, the lone drop combining with the sandy terrain. He kept screaming for him. Over and over. The heavy noises of the chaos masked his crying for his brother. He tried to run towards his brother, but the soldiers held him back.

"Mikey! M-Mikey! Please! Don't- Mikey!" Gerard weeped in a trembling sob. He kept calling for his name as it mellowed, grief, shock, and agony overcame the traumatized man.

The medic tried to move to another body as he collapsed after being shot in the head.

Gerard was terrified, crying and wanting to just be able to bring them both back.

Maybe the Medic's death affected someone as much as Mikey's did to me, he thought. But the mere reflection of the two men's deaths broke him. He began crying harder. His sobs would be echoing across the beach if it weren't for the blaring turmoil of the bullets.

Gerard's eyes were shut tight as he felt someone's hand on his shoulder.

But he didn't want to open his eyes.

Open your eyes, Gerard. It'll be okay.

He weakly opened his eyes to see a man.

He could barely see him, because he was crying, but he knew that this man was comforting. He could sense that the man was going through the same thing.

But he noticed something in him.

Pale skin. Dark hair. Hazel eyes.

That was enough to make Gerard break down.

He took rough, hitched breaths as he passed out.

"He's awake." A voice said as Gerard regained consciousness.

Another medic asked me a string of questions and I finished answering them.

"Is he okay?" A man asked. He looked so familiar.

Oh.

Pale skin. Dark hair. Hazel eyes.

It was the same guy who tried comforting Gerard right before he passed out.

But his eyes looked red and puffy too.

"Can we talk? Um, alone?" He asked. "Somewhere private, maybe?"

"Okay, go ahead." The medic granted as she left the hospital. I looked around to see there was no neighbors.

Oh, so I've been passed out for a while. That's embarrassing.

"You've been unconscious for 8 hours," the man says as he sits in the bed and lays his hand onto Gerard's.

Holy crap, his hand is so soft and warm. I want to hold it forever.

"...so, what's your name?" He asked.

"Gerard Way." He replied.

"I really like that name. I'm Frank Iero."

"Heh, I like your name too." Gerard added.

"Well. I came over here 'cause... you know."

"What- oh. That. Yeah. I'm still not over it."

"Well, you know the medic that tried to heal your brother?"

"Yeah."

"That was my best friend. So... now we've got something in common."

"Who was he?"

"He was Ray Toro. He was a kind man. He was comforting and loving to everyone. He was bright, optimistic, and just really sweet. I miss him."

Maybe I should tell Frank about my brother.

"Well, my brother was a really great person. He was determined and- he was r-really j-" Gerard managed to say before he began sobbing again.

His hands were shaking, covering his face, muffled sobs coming from his mouth. They curled into fists, still shaking, still covering his eyes.

"It's not- it's not fair...! It could have been anybody... anybody other than my baby brother...!" Gerard lamented in agony and grief. He released more and more sobs, getting increasingly more intense as he kept crying. He grabbed his hair, scraping at his head. He screamed in distress and pain. He began hitting his hand against his forehead in frustration.

Warm arms cocooned the distressed soldier.

"It'll get better. I promise. Feel free to beat me up and scratch me to bits. I won't care. I'm not going to let you hurt yourself like this. Hurt me instead." Frank said, trying to soothe the boy.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Gerard replied bitterly. ⁽ʰᵃʰᵃ ᵛᵃᵐᵖᶦʳᵉˢ ʷᶦˡˡ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ʰᵘʳᵗ ʸᵒᵘ⁾

"Then why would you hurt yourself instead?" Frank asked.

"I... because... I-I don't know." Gerard admitted in defeat as he broke down in even more sobs.

"Shh. It'll be alright. Take deep breaths." Frank comforted.

If only we could be like this forever...