[You may already have seen this on LJ, but I think I only posted it to my journal.]
“NO!” There was a scream as something hit the mirror. William and Michael dropped their guitars and ran up the stairs, to where Mike was staring at the broken phone. He didn’t see them. The twenty two year old slammed his fist into the already cracked mirror, panting as blood trickled down the glass.
“Whoa, Mike!” William grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the mirror before he could do more damage. The other struggled against his vicelike grip, but fell still when Michael grabbed his shoulders. “Mikes, what’s wrong?” The guitarist’s chest heaved as he slowly lowered his green eyes to look at William. The younger smiled encouragingly, nodding his head. “C’mon, tell me! I’ll be able to make it all better…” Michael raised his eyebrows and stepped away from the two. “Like when we were at playgroup.” William gently rubbed Mike’s cheek with his knuckles.
“You can’t make this better.” The stocky man wrenched his friend’s hand from his cheek. “Not this time.” William clicked his tongue, wrapping his long fingers around Mike’s wrist. He tentatively slipped his arms around his best friend and, to his surprise, Mike leant into him. To William’s surprise, the other started shaking; crying into William’s shoulder. The singer rubbed soothing circles on Mike’s back, murmuring condolences in his ear. “I made a girl pregnant, Bill…” The guitarist suddenly pulled away. “I’m a father!”
-
“Mike, how can you be so stupid!” William screamed, pacing the room. Mike put his head in his hands, his dark hair framing his face. “This isn’t a drunken fight!” The two guitarists winced. “This is a KID! A GODDAMN KID! For God’s sake Mike! The whole world’s known for years YOU’RE a screw up, but is that fair to pass your legacy onto the kid?”
“Kids…” Mike whispered, pushing back his hair. “Twins.” William screeched and upturned the table, making the other two jump. The dark haired guitarist began to sob quietly into his hands. “It was a mistake, Bill…” He wept, shoulders shaking. Michael wrapped an arm around him. “I was twenty and stupid, ok? And now… Now I have two kids…”
“Wait, why did she wait so long to tell you?” The Australian furrowed his brow as Mike shrugged. “They must be nearly two now, so why does she suddenly decide they need you in their life now?” The stocky man gave a low moan and rocked forwards and backwards.
“She’s getting married.” He said in a deep voice. “Either I pay for the little brats’ upbringing, or I have to take them. She’ll take me to court otherwise.” William swore.
-
“So… what are they called?” Michael slipped onto Mike’s bed, the two cringing as William slammed the door and stormed off, presumably to Johnny’s flat. The younger guitarist smiled through his tears and sat up.
“They’re called Brendan and Sara.” He whispered, rummaging under his bed for a folder. “She sent me a letter. And then rang me.” He flipped it open, revealing two smiling toddlers.
“Jeez, Mike, they are some pretty kids.” The blonde ruffled his friend’s hair with a grin. “Obviously don’t take after their father.” Mike laughed, nodding.
Brendan (or ‘Jack’ as he was called) was the elder twin, older by six minutes. He had messy, almost white blonde hair, that fell in his eyes, and large brown eyes with flecks of green in them. In the first picture, he looked bored, but the rest showed him with a huge smile. The last picture had him tipping a watering can over Sara.
Sara, on the other hand, looked pretty and girly. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled back in pigtails, and her eyes were a sparkling blue, that had sparks of gold in, as well as green circles around the pupils. She played up to the camera extremely well; obviously not inheriting Mike’s loath for attention.
“How could… They can’t be mine!” Mike leant his cheek on Michael’s shoulder. “How could I create things that pretty and… well… blonde?” Michael chuckled.
“What are their full names?” He asked, flipping through the pictures.
“Brendan Jack and Sara Thomasin.” Mike pulled a face. “They call each other Jackie and Tommy, should I be worried that they’re gender confused at eighteen months?” The Australian rolled his eyes at the hidden note of paternal pride in his friend’s voice. The younger man suddenly grew sombre. “Do you think Bill will ever forgive me?”
-
“What the…?” Mike ran a hand through his thick hair, blinking in the early morning sunlight. Michael staggered down the stairs as the blonde woman dumped two car seats unceremoniously on the street, accompanied by two large bags. In the car seats sat two placid children, unmistakeably Brendan and Sara.
“I told you, asshole! You should have paid your support by yesterday!” Mike swore under his breath, glaring at the woman. He exhaled slowly as her fiancé got out the car.
“I’m supposed to look after two children under five, when my source of income is a touring band, and I’m barely home?” The guitarist struggled to keep his temper under control. “You might have noticed that I drink and smoke?”
“Oh, and so I’m supposed to ruin the rest of my life by looking after them?” The female snapped. “Take responsibility, for once in your life! If you could keep it in your trousers, then none of this would have happened!”
“They’re your kids!” Mike screamed. “Why can you suddenly give them up now, when you’ve lived with them for eighteen months?” The fiancé stepped up, so he and Mike were barely a foot apart. Michael noticed nervously that the other man had several inches on the guitarist as he picked up Sara, trying to quieten her.
“They’re yours too.” The tallest man grunted, placing a hand on Mike’s shoulder. The younger man shuddered at the physical contact. “I’ve already had to put up with them, and they won’t shut up. I don’t want them. If you don’t want the little brats, throw them in a gutter. No one would miss them.” With a roar, Mike slammed his fist into his ex-lover’s fiancé’s face. The taller man retaliated, and Michael could see that his friend would lose this fight, no matter how strong Mike was.
Suddenly, William was in the midst of the fight, separating the two men. “For God’s sake.” The singer said in a low voice. “Neither of you may want the two children currently on my porch, but you could at least try not to scare them.” Mike flushed and looked away, whilst the fiancé looked less than impressed.
“I do want them.” Mike whispered, hiding behind his hair. “I just can’t look after them.”
-
“Jackie and Tommy want Momma.” Brendan said firmly, looking up at Mike. The guitarist groaned into his hands.
“Your Momma’s gone now, ok? You’re stuck with me.” He whispered, running a hand through his thick hair. His son growled angrily.
“Jackie and Tommy don’t like you. Jackie and Tommy want Momma!” He stamped his foot as Sara wailed her agreement. Mike drew his knees up, leaning his head on them, searching for escape. Tentatively, his daughter toddled up to him, tapping him on the back.
“Mis-ter…” She said, smiling brightly as Mike looked up. “Tommy doesn’t know you. Who you?”
“I…” The twenty two year old rubbed his eyes. “I’m your Daddy.” Sara, to his surprise, accepted the explanation and snuggled into his lap.
“Tommy always wanted a Daddy.” She burrowed into his stocky chest, giggling. “So does Jackie, but boys are silly!” Mike laughed, a true laugh, and stroked her hair.
-
“Oh Jesus, I wondered when you’d show with these two.” Johnny remarked, once he’d fully realised that, yes, two of his best friends (and one random Australian) were standing outside with toddlers. Mike grunted sleepily, boosting Sara up in his arms.
“Whatever Minardi.” He said monotonously, eyes almost dead. “Just let us in so the twins can gawp at someone new and I can goddamn sleep.” Johnny laughed nervously and shook his head.
“Uhh… you can’t come in…” He was interrupted by the guest he had been hiding from the rest of his friends.
“Johnny,” Tom murmured hazily, eyes half closed and blonde hair sticking up on end. “S’cold. Shut the door?” He froze when he saw his former band standing in the doorway. Now fully awake, he shuffled back to the couch and pulled his hoodie on, switching channels on the TV.
“Ok. I really don’t want to know why he’s here.” William blinked, after flickering his eyes to his blushing friend. “Yeah. I thought as much.”
“If you guys promise not to kill each other, you can come in.” After reassuring grunts from William and Mike and a shrug from Tom, Johnny moved to let his friends in, eyes lingering on Michael.
“I’m not going to sit down.” Mike apologised, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. “Else I’ll fall asleep.” Tom muttered something under his breath and stood up, abruptly taking Sara from his former friend’s arms. The eighteen month old crowed at the new person and snuggled into him smiling. Her father stared at his nemesis with narrowed eyes, but the older man ignored him, settling back down on the couch with the girl in tow. Grudgingly, Mike curled up on the couch, and fell asleep almost instantly.
“’Lo.” Sara chuckled, looking up at Tom with eyes hugely reminiscent of Mike. “Who you? My Daddy sleepy.” Tom laughed, touching her blonde hair with light fingers.
“I’m Tom. I’m…” He sighed and looked at William over her head. The singer nodded briefly. “I’m your Daddy’s friend.” The twins looked at each other for a minute before both suddenly shrieked with laughter, waking up their father. Mike stared at Tom with sleepy eyes.
“I’m Tommy!” Sara poked him, still giggling. “You can’t be Tom! I’m Tommy!” The blonde man looked at her, eyebrows raised. William suddenly realised Tom didn’t even know the children’s names.
“The little girl is called Sara.” Michael said, obviously reaching the same conclusion. “This little man is Brendan. Their names mean Prince and Princess, I’m surprised their mother actually knew that. Their middle names are Jack and Thomasin, and for reasons unknown they call each other Jackie and Tommy.” Tom nodded.
“Say it.” Mike raised his eyes to meet his former friend’s. “Go on. I can tell what you’re thinking. Say it.”
“Only you could have children who were gender confused before they were two.” The blonde guitarist muttered under his breath. Mike nodded, a grin forming.
“Finally, someone understands me.”
-
They wouldn’t stop crying. They screamed and howled and Mike felt as though his head was a hollow corridor, and the twins were running down it, hitting the walls.
“BE QUIET!” He roared suddenly, snapping. Sara froze, hand in her mouth, whilst Brendan rocked himself back and forward. “That’s right, I told you to shut up!” The younger twin whimpered. “You ruined my life! You ruined my life! I HATE YOU!” Brendan pressed his head against the bars.
“Daddy?” He whimpered. Mike didn’t notice it was the first time his son had recognised their relationship.
“I’M NOT YOUR FATHER!” The guitarist screeched, kicking the cot. Brendan edged away, tears silently pouring down his cheeks as he looked at his father in fear. “YOU RUINED MY LIFE!”
“Daddy, Jackie scared…” Brendan sobbed, cuddling his blanket. Mike glared at his son, anger and violence in his green eyes.
“Scary man no hurt Jackie!” Sara yelled, throwing her pillow at Mike. He turned to her and lifted her out the cot. She cringed. “Daddy?” Mike began to shake her lightly.
“NO! MIKE!” Michael snatched the eighteen month old out his friends hands. Sara clung to him, crying. William stared at his friend in disgust.
“Carden, what the hell?” Mike turned to look at William. Maybe he turned too sharply, because suddenly all he could see was the floor coming at a very fast pace, before...
Darkness.
-
It was quiet. That was all Mike noticed when he screamed back into his body. He could tell by the breathing that William was in the room, and this was proved when he opened his eyes.
“You’re awake.” The singer murmured, looking at him with overwhelmingly sad brown eyes. Mike nodded, suddenly feeling cold.
“Why’s it so quiet?” He rasped. “Where are the twins?”
William didn’t answer. He gently leant over and pressed his lips to Mike’s, curling his fingers in the other’s long hair. Mike didn’t push him away, but he didn’t respond either. His lips didn’t move, but his hand grasped one of William’s hips carefully. Not put off by the unresponsive other, the singer gently kissed a pathway down Mike’s neck, blowing down his shirt with a smile. Mike slipped a hand under William’s chin and made him look up. “Where are the twins?”
The younger man looked down, away, anywhere to avoid looking at Mike.
“They’ve gone home with their mother.” He whispered. “They’re not coming back.”
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Wed Sep 12, 2007 4:45 pm
