On Towards The Horizon- Part 2
Part 1
Gerard hated The Speakeasy. The Speakeasy was the name of the underground club owned by Gabe Saporta. It was meant to be a club for criminals, but despite the reputation, the most ‘criminal’ thing going on at The Speakeasy was Gabe’s dress sense, as well as a little bit of bootleg liquor and illegal gambling that went on all over the place. It was one of Pete’s favorite hangouts. He’d even won his ship, The Cobra, from Gabe in a card game years ago.
The Speakeasy, named because Gabe Saporta was obsessed with the history of Earth culture, especially the shady dealings, was a dark, oppressive atmosphere with loud music, flashing lights, and the dense heat of bodies packed onto the dance floor. The women were plenty, the booze flowed freely, the illicit substances like old timey vodka- a drink outlawed by the Confederation- and actual tobacco cigarettes were always on hand, and all the double-dealing and slick-talking was left to the card tables in the back, not wasted on business transactions.
A younger, less jaded Gerard would’ve probably liked the place, but Gerard was already hardened by the life by the time he stumbled into The Speakeasy, looking to steal his brother back from Wentz so that they could take off. As it currently stood, he really wished he was on the same mission this time. For all their fighting, for all of Pete’s general assholishness, Gerard really believed that Pete Wentz loved Mikey, and he could only imagine how he was going to react to the news that nobody had seen or heard from Mikey Way in going on thirty-seven cycles.
Immediately, Gabe’s friends-slash-employees knew something was wrong when they spotted not only the entire crew of Gerard’s ship, the Oracle of Nyx, but also Patrick himself walking through the throngs of people. Patrick only came when something had went wrong and he needed to collect Pete and/or warm him to get out and lay low.
The bartender, Gabe’s friend Nate, immediately nodded and lifted the counter so that they could head behind the bar and disappear through the door to the back room, the Ultra-VIP section here Gabe himself hung out with his friends.
When they walked in, Gabe looked up with a bright look. “Gerard Way! To what do I owe this visit?!” he cried, only to stop when Pete stood up suddenly, eyes locking on Patrick.
“What’s wrong?” he asked and Patrick walked over, sitting down. Pete looked very confused. Patrick never joined them, he usually warned and left or grabbed Pete and left. “Patrick?”
Gabe, sensing something was up, sent away the others, leaving only himself and one of his good friends, Victoria Asher. Gerard knew he would need her. She was one of the best hackers on Clandestine- which was saying a lot- and would come in handy, so he was glad Gabe let her stay. “Gentlemen,” he said, waiting until everybody was seated. “What seems to be the nature of your visit tonight?” His tone was light, but his eyes weren’t as jocular as usual.
Gerard took a breath, the seriousness finally falling on him. He was in a situation more desperate than any other before had ever been. Patrick saw his struggle and put a hand on Pete’s arm. “Pete…” He trailed off and bit his lip. “Pete, Gerard needs to talk to you-“
“Gerard?” Pete asked sharply, eyes flickering around the table. “I count four-fifths of Nyx’s crew and some extras.” He swallowed suddenly. “You- you never leave only one person on the ship unless that one person is Bryar.”
Gerard bit his lip. “We-“ He shook his head. “I need your help, Saporta.” He looked up at him, eyes flickering to Pete, though he couldn’t even look at him as he spoke. “Mikey’s gone,” he choked out. He flinched and Frank laid a hand on his wrist, thumb sliding up his sleeve to stroke his pulse point, a point of contact to keep him calm. “We- we all got split up on Skadus-9 and we all got back to the ship… except Mikey.”
“WHAT?!” Pete cried, standing up. “Skadus-9?! The fucking Gens-“
“It wasn’t Gens,” Frank spoke up. Patrick grabbed Pete and pulled him down, though he was clearly panicking. “We hacked the Wanted database, he’s still listed. If he was caught he’d be off the list.”
Gerard nodded. “We figured- we figured he was caught by a bounty hunter, cause we didn’t find a-“ He flinched, eyes clenched tight. “A sign of his body.”
“Then we go after them!” Pete cried and Gerard groaned.
“Fuck, Wentz, that’s what we’ve been doing! It took about five cycles before we locked onto the bounty hunter angle. We’ve spent the last thirty or so cycles tracking down hunters, tricking them into letting us dock, then boarding and raiding them.” He shook his head. “We tracked the last ship for cycles, followed them damn near to the Rim, barely still in Confederation control. We boarded and searched but there was no sign. We killed some hunters, picked up a pair of refugees, but didn’t find Mikey. We had nowhere else to go. No more leads.” He shook his head. “We worked out the best plan was to come to the one place where there’s always somebody that knows somebody who heard things,” he said softly, turning his cold, pale eyes to Gabe.
Pete looked like someone had kicked him in the stomach. “He’s- Mikey has been missing for over thirty cycles and nobody- nobody’s-“
“I tried,” Gerard said softly. “I did try, Wentz. I couldn’t get comm-link. You and I must’ve been too far out of range.
Gabe nodded. “MikeyWay is good people,” he said seriously. He glanced over at Victoria. “Go check the Wanted database again. If he’s marked captured now we can trace him and bust him out. If his bounty is gone or he’s off the list, I can find somebody who can trace him. If it’s unchanged, we’ll start spreading the word.” He turned to Gerard as the tall, long-legged woman left the room. “Gerard, seriously… I’m sorry,” he said in a shockingly earnest tone.
Pete startled them all by jumping up and starting away with angry, purposeful strides. Patrick stood up. “Pete Wentz, stop right there, don’t do anything stupid-“
Pete whirled around. “It’s Mikey, Patrick!” he called in a strangled, tight voice that cracked as he breathed out a sob. “He’s- it’s Mikey. My Mikey.” His hoarse voice spoke volumes for every word he didn’t say. “Over a month, Patrick. Skadus- fucking- 9!”
“I know, Pete,” Patrick said gently. “But you rushing out and being stupid won’t help him a damn bit and you know it.”
“I can’t just sit here-“
“And you won’t, Pete,” Frank spoke up. “We need your help. You can help us, just let us work things out and plan something-“ Pete scoffed and Frank sighed. “Pete, we all want him back, we know how you feel-”
Pete stalked over. “You don’t know shit! You fucking know nothing about how I feel!” he shouted. “He’s my Mikey. He’s- he’s part of me! I’ve known him-“
“Well what about Gerard, huh?!” Frank snapped, glaring. “Gerard is his fucking brother, Pete! I get it, he’s your Mikey, but you know what?! He’s been Gerard’s Mikey since he was born you arrogant fuck-“
“Frankie,” Gerard intercepted, shaking his head. “Just… don’t.” He ducked his head, rubbing at his temples. “Pete, trust me, I went through every angry thought you have too. But rash decisions is what sent us on our stupid pointless warpath. We didn’t find Mikey then and you won’t find him if you storm out and go kicking down doors.” He looked up and saw Pete’s face wilting. “I know, Pete. Maybe I don’t know how you feel, but it’s my fucking baby brother,” he choked out, eyes tearing. “As much as we don’t get along, I know you love him, Pete. I know it… but it’s my job to look after him.” He sniffled, eyes wide as a tear broke free of the prison of his lashes and streaked his dirty face. “He’s- he’s the only family I have. He’s my best friend and my baby brother and he’s probably the only reason I’m here right now.” He shook his head. “So don’t think you are the only one desperate to find him.”
The quiet that followed Gerard’s tearful statement persisted for many moments, even silencing Gabe. The silence was broken, however, by the sharp sound of a growling stomach from Gerard’s right, loud enough to be heard in the pin-drop stillness of the room.
Frank cracked a smile and Gerard raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Brendon. Brendon blushed but gave him an expression that said he refused to be ashamed. “Didn’t you eat at Greg’s?”
Brendon huffed. “Hello, pregnant!” he cried indignantly, eliciting laughs from Gerard and his crew.
“Wait, what?!” They trailed off, however, when they realized Patrick, Pete, and Gabe had no idea. Patrick pointed at him. “I don’t know if you learned biology on your planet as kids, but boys don’t have babies.”
Pete hummed. “Well not humans, but he looks pretty human to me,” he said suspiciously.
Gerard shook his head. “This is Brendon and Spencer. Brendon’s Lanoan. His species do have male pregnancies.”
Gabe just snickered. “Sure thing, dude. I’ll go see what we’ve got to eat-“
“Gabe, he’s really pregnant,” Frank interrupted. “Seriously, no jokes.”
Gabe just wave a hand smirking. “I got this, little Frankie-“
Spencer however gave him a withering look, sliding his arm through Brendon’s. “No, really.” He leveled him with a glare that almost scared Gerard. “He’s fine.”
“Chill pretty, I won’t try anything funny, we should have some fruit,” Gabe argued, and Spencer narrowed his eyes to slits.
“Alright, but if you think this is a joke and you give him something that hurts our child, I will rip you apart,” he positively growled, making even Gabe shrink back a little.
“Uh… yeah, okay,” he said in a tight voice before darting out of the room.
Brendon just smirked. “Why Spencer Smith, some may say you’re protective,” he teased, reaching up to brush his bangs out of his eyes.
Spencer rolled his eyes, a common reaction apparently. “Brendon, I know you’re hungry, but don’t trust anything he gives you. Seriously. I don’t think you should risk it,” he said, laying his hand on Brendon’s middle. “The risk is too much.”
“Wait-“ Pete’s voice startled them some. “So… you’re for serious? You’re fucking with us?”
Brendon smiled brightly. “No way, I’m pregnant!” he gushed, lacing his fingers with Spencer’s over his middle. He giggled slightly. “I’m actually far enough along my abdomen is solid. I’m not getting fat, but it’s close.”
Patrick just frowned. “But… how did you get pregnant?”
Frank giggled evilly. “Well Patrick, when a prince and his slave love each other veeeeeerrry much-“
“Oh my God, stop!” Gerard cringed, putting a hand over Frank’s mouth. “Seriously, they’re children, I like to pretend a fairy kissed his tummy or something, dude. Seriously.”
Spencer sighed. “We’re not children. Sure, we’re pretty young to be having a baby compared to most Lanoans, but I’m human-human and he matured fast. It just happened.” He looked at Patrick. “We’re not children. I’m eighteen and he’s nineteen-“
“Holy shit, they are kids!” Pete cried, eyes wide. “Dude… how did you end up with Gerard that young?! Where are your parents?”
Brendon rolled his eyes. “Well, Spencer’s parents are probably still mourning the loss of their only son eight years after the fact, seeing as my father bought him from slave traders who captured him in a food riot and stole him from his family. And my parents wanted to execute Spencer for loving me, and murder our child after I give birth because it’ll be the only time I’ll be too weak to take it and run,” he said honestly, not pulling his punches at all.
Patrick shook his head. “So when Frank said a prince and a slave…”
Spencer nodded. “Brendon was a lonely child, being the only small child left, and his father wanted a playmate for him, and I’m honestly lucky he bought me, because the only other use for a ten year old boy would be mine working or sex slavery.” He smiled. “Brendon wasn’t like his father though. We were friends as children, we became lovers later on,” he said affectionately.
Brendon smiled at him. “It took us so damn long to stop being stupid about it, too,” he giggled, clearly getting a bit lost in memories and Spencer’s eyes as they gazed at each other and spoke in distant voices. “I was about fifteen or so when I realized the way I felt for you wasn’t just ‘best friends’.”
Spencer smiled and stroked his cheek tenderly. “Probably about the same for me.”
Brendon rolled his eyes. “Yet you didn’t kiss me until I was nearly eighteen and you were seventeen,” he chastised, leaning his forehead against Spencer’s.
Spencer pecked his lips. “And now only a year and a half later and we’re finally free to kiss whenever we want-“
“Ew, please tell me Mikey and I never get that gross,” Pete said with a grin, only to sober some when he clearly remembered Mikey’s fate.
Gerard smiled sadly. “It’s pretty hard to put up with. You two are disgusting.”
Ray grinned. “And you aren’t young lovers finally free from the threat of death and baby-murdering. So it’s not even excusable like theirs!”
Brendon blushed and Spencer smiled shyly. “Sorry,” he said, letting Brendon hide his face against Spencer’s chest. “I just…” He shrugged with a sweet look at Brendon’s hair. “It wasn’t even two weeks ago that I thought I was going to be executed and never see my child born, just because I loved the wrong person. And then it was worse and I thought I was going to die without being able to save my child from being murdered because I was its father.”
Patrick hummed. “You know, for teenagers who lost your entire way of living because of it, you both seem pretty… not exactly upset that you’re pregnant,” he pointed out to them.
Brendon glowed as he smiled big and bright. “Oh no way! You see, I’ve known I liked boys since I was little. I never thought girls were pretty or anything really. So I always knew eventually I’d have children, that I could bear children,” he said excitedly. “Only…” He shrugged, smile dimming a little. “I realized I loved Spencer and I was terrified when I started getting offers of marriage around that same time that I’d be forced to marry someone I couldn’t love and have their children. I would’ve still loved my children,” he urged. “But from the start, I wanted to have Spencer’s children. I knew it wasn’t possible, I’d never be allowed to have children out of wedlock without being the shame of the kingdom and I’d never be able to marry my slave, but even when I knew it was going to ruin us, finding out I was pregnant…” He trailed off and beamed. “It was the most wonderful thing because ruin or not, I was going to have a child that was born out of love. And it was such a beautiful feeling. Even when I thought I’d never see him again-“ He reached out and grabbed Spencer’s hand. “I still knew I’d always have part of him, even if I ended up locked away on a mountain, because I was pregnant with his baby.”
Spencer nodded. “I felt the same,” he added. “But then…” He shuddered. “The idea of someone hurting our child, killing our baby-“
Brendon nodded emphatically, eyes full of pain. “That’s the worst thought to ever cross my mind.” He smiled down at the hand on his middle. “But now, thanks to Gerard and Frank and Ray…” He gave Gerard a small smile. “We have a chance.”
Spencer cringed. “Even if they shot me,” he said, glowering at Frank once more. Everybody just laughed at Frank’s expression.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been hours since the party had died down and all the patrons had left, but the crew of the Nyx, Patrick, Pete, and Gabe’s friends were all still hanging around upstairs, in Gabe’s apartment where they discussed strategies while the hacker did her work.
Patrick sat with Pete curled into his side, clinging to his friend like he’d shatter if he let go. Brendon was using Spencer’s lap as a prop for his legs as he finally ate some food that was safe, after they convinced Gabe that he really was pregnant. “So, if you two are all-“ Brendon waved a hand at Patrick and Pete. “What’s the deal with you and Gerard’s brother?” he asked curiously, taking another bite of the strange fruit Gabe had given him.
Pete smiled from his spot tucked halfway into Patrick’s jacket. “Oh no, me and Patrick are just friends,” he said and Patrick sighed.
“Yeah,” he said, noticing the suspicious look Spencer gave him. “That is exactly why I can’t get a date. Anybody who might possibly find a fat little human who owns a space pirate’s bar attractive assumes this clinging thing he does means I’m off the market. I’ll never get laid again,” he groaned.
Pete grinned. “If you’d just take up our buddy Travie-“
“That man is not interested in me, Pete, you know it,” he argued, then smiled at Spencer and Brendon. “Guy who hands around my club a lot. He’s a friend who likes to flirt, nothing more.”
Brendon hummed. “Why do you own a bar that’s named Greg’s. Your name isn’t Greg.”
Patrick snickered. “The guy I bought it from was named Greg, but thanks for your amazing observational skills,” he teased.
Spencer shot him a look. “Don’t tease him.” He curled his hand possessively around Brendon’s ankle. “So, why is this place so… lawless?” he asked curiously.
Pete scoffed. “One of the last safe havens for outlaws in the universe. The fucking Gens know it too. They can’t take over, there was some treaty a long ass time ago, back when everything was still based on Earth, before The Wars, but the point of it was that K36F can’t be claimed by any government as its own to be controlled. It’s neutral ground. They did that so that deals between governments could be made, back when there was no Confederation, just individually operated governments and kingdoms. So now, there’s few places left. It isn’t on any planet, it doesn’t orbit any stars, it’s all artificial, fully man-made. It’s within Confederation limits so the laws of the Confederation exist, but they can’t officially police it, so only people who get caught in the act can be arrested while they’re on Clandestine.” He shrugged. “However, that means a lot of undercover Gens stake this place out. New faces aren’t to be trusted around here. Anything serious enough to get you caught, you keep it on the down low.”
Brendon huffed. “But I don’t understand any of that! Terros isn’t an active part of the Confederation. Lanoans have private sovereignty since we’re so close to the Rim. I don’t even know what the hell ‘Confederation’ even means. And I gather that Gens are government people, but why are they called Gens?” he asked, pouting. “It’s so frustrating to not understand things.”
Pete smiled at his little pout. “You’re adorable,” he admitted, then shook his head, chuckling. “Alright, a confederation is a group of governments, for our purposes, that are in league with each other. It’s basically independent governing bodies who all have a ‘strength in numbers’ type deal where they work together on things to protect each other’s sovereignty. Most of the Universe- the inhabited parts anyways- are members of the Confederation of Thylandra. All the presidents, all the kings, all the CEOs, all the heads of whatever the planet, moon, station, insert-body-here- they all are somewhat under the control of Chancellor Alexandra Xerodian.”
Patrick nodded, petting Pete’s hair. “And the term ‘Gens’ is slang for the Confederate Agents. It comes from the Confederate Code. There’s a line that calls for submitting to monitoring and full disclosure to the Confederation by all citizens of the governments that it includes. The line says something about the lack of rights is to ‘engender a state of ease’, and from that somehow the term ‘Gens’ came to be. It’s all old stuff from before our time. I’m shocked you didn’t know some of this, at least, Spencer.”
Spencer rolled his eyes. “I’m lucky I can read, okay? Anything I really know, Brendon taught me so I could help him when he had work from his tutors.” He shook his head. “We were on The Moon until I was eight. When water started to run out, my family left on a transport and we went between refugee camps all over the galaxy before finally making a break for other places in the universe. We were nearly in Andromeda when a food riot broke out at the camp on Delta-3 station. I got captured into slavery and I barely remember any of it before Brendon. I don’t have any idea what The Moon looked like, I don’t remember any of the stations other than Delta-3…” He cringed. “I don’t even remember my mother’s name,” he stressed. “I remember being ten and being bought by the King. I remember going to live in the palace with Brendon and being told I was supposed to play with him and be his friend, no matter what. And I did,” he said simply.
Pete smirked impishly. “Seems to me you were a bit more than his friend,” he teased.
Brendon grinned up at Spencer. “I think he was always more than my friend,” he joked, looking over at Pete. “But no, this is still mostly new,” he said, gesturing between them. “I mean, it was only about a year and a half ago that he even kissed me for the first time. It isn’t like we’ve been secret lovers for years, God I can only imagine how bad we would’ve been at hiding it.”
Patrick nodded vigorously. “You two make goofy, sappy eyes at each other.” He paused then tilted his head. “A lot.”
Spencer smiled brightly, turning to glance at Brendon. “We’ll, you have to realize, we’re still ridiculously happy. I mean, we’re both terribly sorry we’re so happy when everything has gone so wrong,” he said earnestly, giving Pete an apologetic look. “Trust me when I say we both understand how horrible the situation is right now.”
Brendon nodded. “God yes, I spent a good few cycles waiting for Spencer to get caught. I knew my father would make me attend his execution and watch him die,” he said, shifting until he was able to slide under Spencer’s arm. “So, you know, we can’t help be happy,” he said apologetically.
Pete sighed. “No, trust me, I’d probably be ridiculously happy too if I’d dodged a bullet like you guys have.” He smiled at them genuinely. “You guys are so young and in love. I remember being young and in love. Only it was mostly just lust and obsession,” he allowed, tilting his head to think. “Actually, I think I was in love with you,” he said to Patrick. “Like, around mid-twenties, I’m pretty sure I was really in love with you. Cause we never had sex, so it couldn’t have been just liking sex.”
Patrick cringed. “Ew, thank you for not trying,” he said and Brendon giggled.
Spencer curled his arm around Brendon. “Pretty sure we were in love a long, long time before there was any of that going on,” he said with a grin. “Maybe not after we figured out it was mutual, but… pretty sure there was a good solid two or so years of loving you before I grew some balls,” Spencer admitted.
Pete made a small sound of distress, looking up at Patrick. “I’ve never told Mikey I love him,” he said in a broken voice. “Patrick- Patrick what if I never get to tell him?! What if he’s dead and he never knew-“
Patrick shushed him, hugging is friend. “He knew, Pete. Even if you never said it, only an idiot would suspect you don’t love MikeyWay.” He kissed his hair and held him close. “It’s okay, Pete. We’ll get him back and you can tell him all you want.”
Brendon gave Pete’s broken expression a terrified glance, turning to look at Spencer with wide, uneasy eyes. Spencer just smiled sadly and ruffled Brendon’s hair, curling his arm around Brendon’s shoulders again before absently resting his hand on Brendon’s middle, stroking his middle almost reverently.
Brendon closed his eyes, though the tension in his jaw didn’t go away. Spencer spared Pete a glance before closing his own eyes, resting his face against the top of Brendon’s head. They grew quiet on their side of the room as the dark aura descended on their little group once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spencer walked over to the table screen where Gerard and Gabe were discussing and moving maps while the others watched. “Hey, has anybody got somewhere Brendon can sleep?” he asked, not even caring that he cut Gabe off mid-sentence.
Gabe cocked an eyebrow. “What, the couch not good enough?”
Spencer narrowed his eyes just enough to make his face look scary. “He’s been sleeping in a bunk for the past few cycles, he needs a bed-“
“Spence, stop,” Brendon said as he appeared at his side. “I know this might come as a shock to you, but I can actually deal with less than perfect sleeping conditions. I mean, I knew when I ran that I wouldn’t be likely to get the same luxuries I did as a prince anywhere else,” he said, sliding his hand to Spencer’s elbow to uncross his arms.
Spencer huffed. “You’re pregnant, you shouldn’t be sleeping on cramped cots and in tiny bunks and on couches, Brendon! You need better rest!”
“Spencer,” Brendon said gently, sliding his hands into Spencer’s, uncurling his tense fingers. “I’m okay. And hey, the couch isn’t much worse than the bunks on Gerard’s ship. And the bunks on his ship were better than the cots on the transport.” Spencer’s shoulders lost some of their tension as Brendon smiled up at him. “I’m a little guy, I don’t need so much space.”
Gabe just snickered and Frank grinned, both clearly amused as they watched the angry teenager relax just at Brendon’s soothing voice and sneaky touches. “Whipped,” Gabe said to Frank, who nodded.
“Oh yeah!”
Gerard glared and elbows Frank. “That’s not exactly appropriate, since he was actually someone’s slave,” he hissed and Frank frowned apologetically. “Gabe, get Nate to bunk with somebody else for a few cycles. You’ve got a separate room for every buddy you’ve got they can share long enough to let the pregnant kid have a decent bed.”
Gabe smirked. “Yeah, no problem. The kid really should sleep better.” He reached out and ruffled Brendon’s hair. “You don’t want a stupid kid just because you didn’t sleep well.”
Brendon shot him an annoyed look but patted Spencer’s chest. “There you go then. No more bitching about me not sleeping comfortably,” he said and Spencer shrugged, looking smug.
“I don’t care how bitchy I have to be if it means you don’t have to sleep on a couch.” He smiled over at Gabe. “Thanks.” Spencer and Brendon followed Gabe through the sliding door into the next part of the house and Gerard chuckled, shaking his head.
When Spencer and Gabe returned, Gerard looked up at Spencer before nudging Frank to get his attention. “You really get defensive, kid,” he said and Spencer shrugged.
“Anything for Brendon, you know?”
Gabe just smirked. “No, kid, you really get all like… bitchy.”
Spencer narrowed his eyes, glaring at the taller man. “Anything for Brendon,” he stressed.
Gerard eyed him curiously. “Why do I get the feeling that ‘anything’ is a lot darker than we all heard?”
Spencer flinched. “Well, clearly he didn’t need a playmate as a teenager,” he said simply. He looked down. “Let’s just say, there’s always enemies of any royal family, and who else is better to trust with the safety of the youngest prince than the boy who spent every cycle with him since he was a child?”
Frank cringed. “Who’d you kill?”
Spencer sighed. “One of the men working in the kitchens was pouring something into the soup I was meant to be picking up to take to Brendon. When I caught him in the act, he grabbed a bread knife.” He looked away. “He slipped and dropped his knife and I took the bottle he’d been pouring from and sat on him and poured it down his throat.” He shrugged, wiping the dark look off his face. “But whatever, I mean, when he started choking and coughing up blood and died, I really wasn’t that traumatized as the rest of the kitchen staff. I mean, I don’t like knowing I did that, but Brendon would’ve eaten poisoned soup and died that same way.”
Gerard just gave him a smile and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it is how it is, kid.” He shook his head. “No matter what, it’s never easy killing somebody, even if you have to do it. Life is dirty and you have to have priorities. Clearly, Brendon is yours and I can respect that,” he said softly, making Spencer smile a little.
“Thanks.” He crossed his arms and leaned on the table. “So, what do you guys do?” he asked, looking around. “I mean…when you aren’t… well,” he nodded at the screen below his elbows where there was a map of somewhere and a picture of a guy he assumed was Gerard’s brother. “You’re criminals, right?”
Frank grinned. “Well, yeah,” he said then pushed his hair behind his ear. “The thing is, we might steal shit and all, and we do steal a lot of shit,” he said and Gerard snickered. “But I mean, there’s still a moral obligation going on.” He nodded at the table and swiped his hand to clear it before pulling up another screen. “Like this? Sure, we may pickpocket people in bars, or steal a transport or two on a planet to get around, but this is what we do a lot of the time.”
Spencer looked and saw it looked like floor plans to something. “What is it?”
“This,” Gerard spoke up, “is a prison. The Confederation keeps political prisoners here. This was our last target before we lost Mikey. The guy we busted out got captured for killing three Gens who were chasing a girl down an alley with-“ He made a disgusted face. “certain intentions.”
Spencer gaped. “They locked a guy up for keeping a girl from getting raped?! What is that about?”
Frank made a huffing sound. “Exactly. Let’s just say the law and right don’t always walk hand in hand on some planets and stations.” He nodded. “Look at you, you were captured as a child by slave traders and the Confederation knows those bastards operate and they never stop them! It’s ‘illegal’ but nobody admits it happens so nothing gets DONE!” He waved a hand. “And people spend so much time arresting people for running illegal liquor between stations but they don’t give a damn when the mining colonies out near the Rim buy slaves and work them to death before buying more. Or all the fucking refugees who can’t get any help because they aren’t under the Confederation’s control and end up selling themselves in brothels on shady stations just to stay alive, and-“
Gabe rolled his eyes. “Slow down, ankle biter,” he said, patting Frank’s head mockingly. “I think he gets it. You’re vigilantes in pirates clothing.” He turned to Spencer. “I’m a businessman. I have no better intentions than money in my pockets, homie,” he said, laying a hand over his heart. “The only reason Frank hasn’t shot me for the fifth time is because I promised to stop the prostitution in the back rooms if he would get me better goods for the bar.”
Spencer just chuckled. “Yeah, he’s the right height to punch you in the dick, I think that’s the right choice-“
“I AM NOT SHORT!” Frank cried, glaring. “I will fucking kick you in the face-“
“Doubtful,” Gabe said and Frank shot him a dark look, putting a hand on the butt of his blaster. “Hey, hey, no shooting me! You promised on your mom’s grave!”
Frank huffed. “Yeah well you’re lucky my mother was a fuckin’ saint or I’d end you.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frank woke up only to roll over and find the other side of the bed empty. He reached out only to find it cold. He sat up and glanced over at where Ray and Bob were conked out on the bigger bed. Gabe Saporta’s place above The Speakeasy had more beds than a lodging house because his friends crashed out all the time.
Frank climbed out of bed and headed out into the hall and, sure enough, saw a light from the main lounge down the hall. He headed down, passing by nothing but silent rooms, until he got to the doorway. He looked out and shook his head. Gerard was standing at the table screen with a stylus marker in his hand, scribbling things out and writing something else. “Gee?” Frank whispered sadly as he walked over to the table.
Gerard looked up and Frank saw the pain in his eyes that he tried his hardest to hide from everybody else. “What’s up, Frankie?” Gerard asked, and Frank didn’t miss how his voice cracked.
Frank silently walked over and slid his arms around Gerard’s middle, pressing his face into the space between Gerard’s neck and shoulder. “Gee, you can’t do this to yourself.”
Gerard relaxed some, leaning against Frank. “I can’t sleep, Frank. I just…” He shook his head and let his head fall back, a little too tall for it to be comfortable to rest his head on Frank’s shoulder. “I’m not sure what to do anymore,” he whispered. “I just can’t work out what the hell happened to him, Frankie.”
Frank crushed his eyes shut. “I know, Gerard. I now,” he said, leaning his temple against Gerard’s neck. “We’ll find him. Even if-“ He flinched. “Even if it’s not a happy ending to the story, we will find him. I don’t care if everybody else gives up, I’ll help you get answers, even if we never find him. I hope we do and I’m confident we will,” he added quickly. “But even if we don’t, I won’t ever stop helping you.”
Gerard turned around and curled his arms around the smaller man’s shoulders as he started crying. Frank felt a lump in his throat because Gerard fought so hard to hold it all in. The tears when he confronted Pete were the closest to breaking he had come and Frank knew Gerard needed it. “I’m so scared, Frankie,” Gerard whispered tearfully, crushing his face into Frank’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to do. He’s- he’s Mikey. He never gave up on me, not once. He never left my side for anything, even when I was at my worst. I was- I was so useless after everybody else and then Mikey was all I have and now I don’t even know if I still have him. What if he’s dead?” he sobbed. “He is the only family I have. Everybody else is gone. My parents, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins… everybody else is dead! Mikey is it and if he’s gone- what will I do, Frank?” he asked, sniffling weakly. “He’s been here all my life. He’s always been there. I don’t remember not having him with me. He’s my b-best friend!”
Frank turned and kissed his dirty hair, holding him close. “I know, Gerard, I know. We’ll find him, okay? And you are not alone. Never will be,” he promised, pulling back to look at Gerard’s tearstained cheeks. “You always got me and Ray and Bob, you know? No matter what.”
Gerard nodded, standing up to wipe his face. “I know, I just… I love you guys, all of you are like my brothers… but it still ain’t Mikey.”
Frank nodded. “I know,” he said simply. He took Gerard’s hand. “Come back to bed. You need rest. I don’t think you’ve slept more than naps in cycles.”
Gerard agreed, and turned off the table screen before taking Frank’s hand, letting Frank lead him back to bed. “Thanks,” he said, and Frank smiled at him tiredly.
“No need man, no need at all.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brendon was sitting on the floor watching Gabe and his friends running around the table screen fighting when Gerard came out. Gerard raised an eyebrow. “Should you be on the floor? It’s probably dirty,” he said and Brendon smiled brightly, startling Gerard some. Nobody smiled that brightly anymore.
“Shockingly, my back doesn’t hurt as bad on a hard surface.” Brendon shrugged. “He doesn’t have any hard chairs and Spencer gets antsy when I sit on a table, like he’s scared it’s going to break or something. I told him I’m not THAT fat, but I guess he’s just worried I’ll fall and hurt the baby,” he said with a small smile.
Gerard frowned. “Your back hurts already?” he asked and Brendon nodded.
“I told you guys, I’m pretty pregnant. I mean, I don’t look like I’m showing because it isn’t round, but I’m a really skinny boy usually,” he pointed out. “I’m like… curvy, so looking straight on the sides and a little thicker around the middle on the front is a good size or two bigger than I usually am.” He stood up and grabbed Gerard’s hand as he pulled his shirt up some. “Here, feel.” Gerard felt extremely awkward when Brendon pushed Gerard’s rough, scarred up, ugly hands to his pale, unmarked skin. “See how it’s hard here?” He pressed Gerard’s palm to his lower belly. “Then, on the sides, it’s fat,” he said, moving Gerard’s hand.
Gerard was somewhat amused at how Brendon was squishy on the sides but his belly itself was pretty solid behind his navel. “That’s weird,” he said, and Brendon smiled.
“Yeah, that’s my baby!” he said brightly, letting go of Gerard’s hand so he could pull his shirt back down. He rested his hands on his middle. “I would look a lot fatter if I wasn’t such a skinny boy naturally. I’m tiny.”
“He’s not joking,” Spencer said, coming into the room. He smiled at Gerard as he slid an arm around Brendon. “Normally, when he’s being annoying, I can just pick him up and throw him over my shoulder. Now, even if I wasn’t too worried about hurting the baby, he’s too heavy.”
Gerard snickered. “Sounds like Frank. Only he doesn’t get tossed around, he uses Bob and Ray as ladders. He’ll just climb on Bob to see further and shit. Although he’s even smaller than you,” he said to Brendon, who smiled.
“Yeah, but being a badass space pirate makes him seem to take up more space.”
“Who’s a badass space pirate?” Gabe asked, slinging his arms around Gerard from behind. “I heard badass and thought somebody called my name,” he said, winking at Spencer.
“Frank,” Gerard answered, shrugging Gabe off. “Brendon thinks he’s a badass space pirate so it doesn’t matter how little he is.”
Gabe smirked. “I like ‘em little,” he said, winking at Brendon, who flushed.
Spencer glared, curling his arm tighter around Brendon. Gerard just smirked at the way Gabe flinched. “Ow, my soul.” Gerard giggled.
Brendon just leaned his head against Spencer’s shoulder with a smug look. “Sorry Gabe, Spencer will kill you,” he said, turning to kiss Spencer’s cheek.
Gabe suddenly smirked. “I’m down for a threesome-“
“Don’t make me actually rip your arms off and beat you with them,” Spencer said darkly, and Gerard cackled, ducking out of Gabe’s hold.
“And that’s my cue to leave before there’s bloodshed!” He walked off and sidled up to Frank at the table screen. “So, Saporta is about to get murdered, who wants to watch?” he asked and Frank giggled.
“What did he do this time?” he asked and Gerard cackled.
“He’s flirting with the kid and Spencer’s getting defensive. Should be a good showdown.”
Bob smirked. “Saporta’s going to get murdered.”
“Why’s Saporta going to get murdered?” Pete asked, coming up to lean on the table screen beside Frank.
Ray snickered. “Hitting on Brendon in front of Spencer.”
Pete eyed the way Gabe was slowly backing away from the couple and chuckled. “They’re cute. God, they’re so young,” he said, shaking his head. “Been a long time since I saw anybody that young.”
Gerard shrugged. “Well, we live in spaceships and on a pirate station. How many people around this station do you think have children?” he asked and Pete nodded.
“I haven’t saw a child in years,” he agreed. He sighed. “I think I was on one of the moons out near VG-190 last time I saw a child.”
Frank hummed. “I wonder why so few people have kids now?” he asked, looking at Gerard. “I mean, life is harder on the types of planets we visit, but in general, most people want children. It’s human nature. Most of us are still humans out here in inhabited systems.”
Bob shook his head. “I hear other pilots talking. Humans are definitely on the decline. I mean, it’s just so hard to even reproduce now. Human fertility has really suffered since our species left Earth. And you would think the generations would adapt, but I guess it hasn’t been long enough for our DNA to adapt.” He cringed. “And then now the adults that were born from Earth parents are such a lower number than the ones who were born on Earth because our generation’s kids had trouble surviving Deep Space. The cold and the recycled air’s germs are bad enough for healthy adults, so a solid third of our generation’s children didn’t make it to adulthood.”
Gerard cringed. “That’s so sad. Fuck, maybe that’s why you don’t see so many children? People don’t want to risk having them and them dying.”
Ray just shook his head. “That would kill me. I mean, I know better than to think I’ll ever be able to get married and have kids, the life we live will probably kill me long before then, but I loved children when I still lived on a planet.”
Frank glanced over at Spencer and Brendon. “Shit, how do you think their baby will handle it?” he asked uncertainly. “I mean, it’s interspecies so God knows what kind of biology it will have, and then Brendon’s species live in tropical, never-dark conditions.”
Gerard frowned. “You think we should find somebody who’s going somewhere warm that can take care of them?” he asked the others. “Hell, for that matter, don’t you think we should probably find a doctor? I mean, I know absolutely nothing about pregnant people, but he hasn’t ever been seen by a doctor, and don’t they go to doctors a lot?” he asked and everybody else just shrugged.
Pete rolled his eyes. “The dumbass hasn’t ever seen a doctor?!” he asked and Ray shrugged.
“He couldn’t tell anybody back on his planet in order to see a doctor and since they they’ve been running,” he answered and Frank turned to look over at them.
“Brendon!” he called, then waved him over.
Brendon broke away from Spencer, who was still eyeing Gabe darkly, and skipped over, stopping at the table beside Frank. “Hi!” he said, looking at them all with a big smile. “What’s up?”
Gerard looked around as they all shuffled awkwardly, unsure of what to say. He finally drew up the courage and smiled. “So, we were just talking about it and… don’t pregnant people need doctors?” he asked gently. “We could find somebody to check you out or something, I’m sure. I mean, maybe not a baby doctor cause we were talking about how we haven’t any seen a child in years since we live on space ships and a pirate station, but… well don’t pregnant people do that?” he asked.
Brendon shrugged. “Well, back home I would probably see one, but usually only when there was a problem. I should be fine,” he said dismissively.
Frank nodded. “Yeah but we were also thinking, maybe we should find someone who can take you and Spencer somewhere warm. I mean… your species are all from warm, tropical places. Not out here in the dark.”
Brendon smiled sadly. “Well it’s a good offer, but from what we learned about the Universe, there isn’t anywhere else in the entire inhabitable Universe like Terros. The only place even close is a place on Earth and that isn’t really an option.”
Ray nodded. “Yeah, but there are warmer systems. I mean, there’s plenty of places with close enough suns that it will be warm at least.”
Brendon shrugged. “That might help,” he said gratefully. “Although at this point, I’ve got no idea what all the baby will really need. There’s no documentation of a half-human-half-Lanoan baby. We should be able to care for it however we have too, though. My biggest worry is that the baby will have a more human immune system.”
Frank snorted. “You wouldn’t believe how easily I get sick,” he said and Brendon chuckled.
“We don’t really get ill,” Brendon said. “I mean, we do, but not often. Usually it’s never anything bad either. Lanoan’s aren’t as susceptible to germs. Viruses and bacteria rarely infect us.” He looked down. “My father, he said once that the Lanoan people are the future.” He looked up. “He says the human’s aren’t evolving fast enough. Eventually they will, but so many of them don’t have the immune system for the conditions of space. They wanted to set up camps on Terros after the Wars, but father refused to let humans come into our planet.”
Gerard smiled sadly. “That’s what Bob was telling us. We just thought maybe if human babies have so much trouble in in the Dark, maybe we should see about getting you somewhere warm.”
Pete interrupted. “How do you have babies if you don’t see doctors on your planet? Like… isn’t that really unsafe?”
Brendon smiled. “We’re more natural than humans.”
Frank frowned. “Wait… what does ‘more natural’ mean?” he asked suspiciously.
Brendon laughed in amusement. “We don’t really have very many hospitals. Since we don’t get sick often, usually only old people or little kids ever get sick. We have facilities for old people where there are doctors and then there is usually one hospital in every city in case of accidents, but we have a lot of natural ways to heal things. I mean, we don’t use a lot of the modern human methods. I broke my arm when I was little and I wore a cast just like humans did on earth. I didn’t have laser cell-regeneration like Spencer says he did when he broke his leg on the Moon.”
Gerard frowned. “Cast? Like… those things that you see photos of from Earth that looks like a pillow on your arm?”
Brendon nodded. “Yes,” he said simply. “And in my case, we don’t do neuron-blocking pre-programmed birthing. We naturally go into labor and give birth at home unless there is reason for concern. Then you go to a hospital and have doctors give you medications and- if necessary- perform the neuron-blocking in order to start surgery or something.”
Everybody stared at him in shock. “Wait… no neuron-blocking?! I thought natural birth hurt,” Frank said and Brendon shrugged.
“It does. Terribly,” he said. “I’ve seen it,” he said and everybody just stared. He rolled his eyes. “My governess when I was small was pregnant and she was keeping me when she went into labor. I was only eight, it was even before Spencer, but I was curious and I asked the ladies who came to help her back to her home if I could come and they knew I might have a baby eventually, so they asked my mother and father and I was allowed to be there.” He shrugged. “It looked pretty bad and I didn’t see much since I was off to the side, not down where I could see birth, but at least I saw what you can expect,” he said, shrugging.
Pete just gaped. “That’s barbaric! Why would they do that? I mean, casts and natural birth and what else do they do on Terros that’s practically cruel?!” he asked. “Didn’t it hurt to let your arm heal naturally? Cell regeneration fixes it in just a few hour, casts took weeks. Hell, months even if it was all the way!”
Frank nodded, gaping. “And every human woman has their child’s birth scheduled early in pregnancy so that they avoid childbirth. Even then, apparently it still hurts a little for a little while after the neuron-blockers wear off.”
Brendon laughed. “Well yes, but that’s part of what weakened humans, don’t you think?” he asked. “You break a bone, you fix it right back. You get sick, you cure it with a single pill. Your body is made to heal itself, you just need to keep it from healing wrong. When you get ill, you may need a little help, but your body needs to do the work itself and fight off infections or else your immunity becomes obsolete and you get sick more often, even if it’s easier to cure.”
Ray eyed him. “And what about you?” he asked slowly.
Spencer chose that moment to walk up, eyeing Ray suspiciously. “What about Brendon?” he asked, leaning on the table beside Brendon, who bumped their shoulders together. “What’re you guys talking about?”
Brendon smiled brightly at his lover. “Apparently how ‘barbaric’ Lanoan culture is for using old-fashioned medical practices, not modern ‘no mess, no fuss’ methods.”
Spencer nodded. “Brendon wore a cast when he broke his arm,” he said pointedly. “I nearly fainted, it was so strange. But I got used to it. Bandages instead of skin-regeneration cream on cuts and scrapes wasn’t too hard to live with, just a little annoying,” Spencer clarified.
Brendon chuckled. “And Ray, as for me,” he began playfully. “It’s the same. I’ll do what my body is made for when the time comes for the baby to be born,” he said simply.
Pete cringed. “But… the male body isn’t made for that.”
Spencer chuckled. “For Lanoans it is,” he pointed out. He kissed Brendon’s head. “Yeah I was sort of freaked out when he told me that he would be giving birth naturally but I did hear that was what happened on Terros in my time there. I think it sounds stupid to go through unnecessary pain, but whatever-“
“It isn’t worth risking the health of myself or my baby, Spencer,” Brendon argued, giving him a look that suggested that it wasn’t a new conversation. “I don’t even know what neuron-blocking would do to a Lanoan. And forced birth could hurt my baby. I don’t trust unnatural things like that. I fully believe my baby will not be ready to be born until I go into labor and it’s clear my body isn’t meant to house it anymore,” he stressed. He looked at them all. “Pain is worth knowing my baby is ready to be born and that the methods won’t hurt it.” He huffed. “Besides, human women gave birth all alone in ancient times. Their bodies were meant for that. My body is meant for the same thing, Lanoans happen to just have the ability for both genders to do so.”
Gerard shot him a look. “Yeah, and in ancient times women died giving birth. There’s a reason for modern methods. Okay, maybe it is better for you since you can’t know what all the human medical stuff will do to your body, but there’s a reason for them.”
Brendon shrugged. “I guess so, but I’m not a human. I don’t think I could trust that my baby would be okay, you know?”
Spencer smiled, leaning against Brendon. “I know. I don’t think I would trust it either, if I’m honest,” he said, sliding their hands together. “I’d die if something happened to our baby,” he said softly.
Brendon beamed. “Exactly!” He nodded at them. “They were thinking about trying to get us to a warm planet, since there’s no telling if a Lanoan baby will handle the cold well.”
Spencer perked up. “That’s really good thinking,” he said, looking at the others. “Do you think you could find somewhere warm that somebody would let us stay? I mean, I really don’t like intruding on everybody but we don’t have any-“
Frank put a hand on his shoulder. “Spencer, we’ll help you out, man. If we can find a friend of a friend, somebody we can trust, they’ll let you stay with them. I mean, we know good people.”
Spencer smiled brightly- a smile that showed his true age- and sighed in relief. “Thank you.”
Part 3
Gerard hated The Speakeasy. The Speakeasy was the name of the underground club owned by Gabe Saporta. It was meant to be a club for criminals, but despite the reputation, the most ‘criminal’ thing going on at The Speakeasy was Gabe’s dress sense, as well as a little bit of bootleg liquor and illegal gambling that went on all over the place. It was one of Pete’s favorite hangouts. He’d even won his ship, The Cobra, from Gabe in a card game years ago.
The Speakeasy, named because Gabe Saporta was obsessed with the history of Earth culture, especially the shady dealings, was a dark, oppressive atmosphere with loud music, flashing lights, and the dense heat of bodies packed onto the dance floor. The women were plenty, the booze flowed freely, the illicit substances like old timey vodka- a drink outlawed by the Confederation- and actual tobacco cigarettes were always on hand, and all the double-dealing and slick-talking was left to the card tables in the back, not wasted on business transactions.
A younger, less jaded Gerard would’ve probably liked the place, but Gerard was already hardened by the life by the time he stumbled into The Speakeasy, looking to steal his brother back from Wentz so that they could take off. As it currently stood, he really wished he was on the same mission this time. For all their fighting, for all of Pete’s general assholishness, Gerard really believed that Pete Wentz loved Mikey, and he could only imagine how he was going to react to the news that nobody had seen or heard from Mikey Way in going on thirty-seven cycles.
Immediately, Gabe’s friends-slash-employees knew something was wrong when they spotted not only the entire crew of Gerard’s ship, the Oracle of Nyx, but also Patrick himself walking through the throngs of people. Patrick only came when something had went wrong and he needed to collect Pete and/or warm him to get out and lay low.
The bartender, Gabe’s friend Nate, immediately nodded and lifted the counter so that they could head behind the bar and disappear through the door to the back room, the Ultra-VIP section here Gabe himself hung out with his friends.
When they walked in, Gabe looked up with a bright look. “Gerard Way! To what do I owe this visit?!” he cried, only to stop when Pete stood up suddenly, eyes locking on Patrick.
“What’s wrong?” he asked and Patrick walked over, sitting down. Pete looked very confused. Patrick never joined them, he usually warned and left or grabbed Pete and left. “Patrick?”
Gabe, sensing something was up, sent away the others, leaving only himself and one of his good friends, Victoria Asher. Gerard knew he would need her. She was one of the best hackers on Clandestine- which was saying a lot- and would come in handy, so he was glad Gabe let her stay. “Gentlemen,” he said, waiting until everybody was seated. “What seems to be the nature of your visit tonight?” His tone was light, but his eyes weren’t as jocular as usual.
Gerard took a breath, the seriousness finally falling on him. He was in a situation more desperate than any other before had ever been. Patrick saw his struggle and put a hand on Pete’s arm. “Pete…” He trailed off and bit his lip. “Pete, Gerard needs to talk to you-“
“Gerard?” Pete asked sharply, eyes flickering around the table. “I count four-fifths of Nyx’s crew and some extras.” He swallowed suddenly. “You- you never leave only one person on the ship unless that one person is Bryar.”
Gerard bit his lip. “We-“ He shook his head. “I need your help, Saporta.” He looked up at him, eyes flickering to Pete, though he couldn’t even look at him as he spoke. “Mikey’s gone,” he choked out. He flinched and Frank laid a hand on his wrist, thumb sliding up his sleeve to stroke his pulse point, a point of contact to keep him calm. “We- we all got split up on Skadus-9 and we all got back to the ship… except Mikey.”
“WHAT?!” Pete cried, standing up. “Skadus-9?! The fucking Gens-“
“It wasn’t Gens,” Frank spoke up. Patrick grabbed Pete and pulled him down, though he was clearly panicking. “We hacked the Wanted database, he’s still listed. If he was caught he’d be off the list.”
Gerard nodded. “We figured- we figured he was caught by a bounty hunter, cause we didn’t find a-“ He flinched, eyes clenched tight. “A sign of his body.”
“Then we go after them!” Pete cried and Gerard groaned.
“Fuck, Wentz, that’s what we’ve been doing! It took about five cycles before we locked onto the bounty hunter angle. We’ve spent the last thirty or so cycles tracking down hunters, tricking them into letting us dock, then boarding and raiding them.” He shook his head. “We tracked the last ship for cycles, followed them damn near to the Rim, barely still in Confederation control. We boarded and searched but there was no sign. We killed some hunters, picked up a pair of refugees, but didn’t find Mikey. We had nowhere else to go. No more leads.” He shook his head. “We worked out the best plan was to come to the one place where there’s always somebody that knows somebody who heard things,” he said softly, turning his cold, pale eyes to Gabe.
Pete looked like someone had kicked him in the stomach. “He’s- Mikey has been missing for over thirty cycles and nobody- nobody’s-“
“I tried,” Gerard said softly. “I did try, Wentz. I couldn’t get comm-link. You and I must’ve been too far out of range.
Gabe nodded. “MikeyWay is good people,” he said seriously. He glanced over at Victoria. “Go check the Wanted database again. If he’s marked captured now we can trace him and bust him out. If his bounty is gone or he’s off the list, I can find somebody who can trace him. If it’s unchanged, we’ll start spreading the word.” He turned to Gerard as the tall, long-legged woman left the room. “Gerard, seriously… I’m sorry,” he said in a shockingly earnest tone.
Pete startled them all by jumping up and starting away with angry, purposeful strides. Patrick stood up. “Pete Wentz, stop right there, don’t do anything stupid-“
Pete whirled around. “It’s Mikey, Patrick!” he called in a strangled, tight voice that cracked as he breathed out a sob. “He’s- it’s Mikey. My Mikey.” His hoarse voice spoke volumes for every word he didn’t say. “Over a month, Patrick. Skadus- fucking- 9!”
“I know, Pete,” Patrick said gently. “But you rushing out and being stupid won’t help him a damn bit and you know it.”
“I can’t just sit here-“
“And you won’t, Pete,” Frank spoke up. “We need your help. You can help us, just let us work things out and plan something-“ Pete scoffed and Frank sighed. “Pete, we all want him back, we know how you feel-”
Pete stalked over. “You don’t know shit! You fucking know nothing about how I feel!” he shouted. “He’s my Mikey. He’s- he’s part of me! I’ve known him-“
“Well what about Gerard, huh?!” Frank snapped, glaring. “Gerard is his fucking brother, Pete! I get it, he’s your Mikey, but you know what?! He’s been Gerard’s Mikey since he was born you arrogant fuck-“
“Frankie,” Gerard intercepted, shaking his head. “Just… don’t.” He ducked his head, rubbing at his temples. “Pete, trust me, I went through every angry thought you have too. But rash decisions is what sent us on our stupid pointless warpath. We didn’t find Mikey then and you won’t find him if you storm out and go kicking down doors.” He looked up and saw Pete’s face wilting. “I know, Pete. Maybe I don’t know how you feel, but it’s my fucking baby brother,” he choked out, eyes tearing. “As much as we don’t get along, I know you love him, Pete. I know it… but it’s my job to look after him.” He sniffled, eyes wide as a tear broke free of the prison of his lashes and streaked his dirty face. “He’s- he’s the only family I have. He’s my best friend and my baby brother and he’s probably the only reason I’m here right now.” He shook his head. “So don’t think you are the only one desperate to find him.”
The quiet that followed Gerard’s tearful statement persisted for many moments, even silencing Gabe. The silence was broken, however, by the sharp sound of a growling stomach from Gerard’s right, loud enough to be heard in the pin-drop stillness of the room.
Frank cracked a smile and Gerard raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Brendon. Brendon blushed but gave him an expression that said he refused to be ashamed. “Didn’t you eat at Greg’s?”
Brendon huffed. “Hello, pregnant!” he cried indignantly, eliciting laughs from Gerard and his crew.
“Wait, what?!” They trailed off, however, when they realized Patrick, Pete, and Gabe had no idea. Patrick pointed at him. “I don’t know if you learned biology on your planet as kids, but boys don’t have babies.”
Pete hummed. “Well not humans, but he looks pretty human to me,” he said suspiciously.
Gerard shook his head. “This is Brendon and Spencer. Brendon’s Lanoan. His species do have male pregnancies.”
Gabe just snickered. “Sure thing, dude. I’ll go see what we’ve got to eat-“
“Gabe, he’s really pregnant,” Frank interrupted. “Seriously, no jokes.”
Gabe just wave a hand smirking. “I got this, little Frankie-“
Spencer however gave him a withering look, sliding his arm through Brendon’s. “No, really.” He leveled him with a glare that almost scared Gerard. “He’s fine.”
“Chill pretty, I won’t try anything funny, we should have some fruit,” Gabe argued, and Spencer narrowed his eyes to slits.
“Alright, but if you think this is a joke and you give him something that hurts our child, I will rip you apart,” he positively growled, making even Gabe shrink back a little.
“Uh… yeah, okay,” he said in a tight voice before darting out of the room.
Brendon just smirked. “Why Spencer Smith, some may say you’re protective,” he teased, reaching up to brush his bangs out of his eyes.
Spencer rolled his eyes, a common reaction apparently. “Brendon, I know you’re hungry, but don’t trust anything he gives you. Seriously. I don’t think you should risk it,” he said, laying his hand on Brendon’s middle. “The risk is too much.”
“Wait-“ Pete’s voice startled them some. “So… you’re for serious? You’re fucking with us?”
Brendon smiled brightly. “No way, I’m pregnant!” he gushed, lacing his fingers with Spencer’s over his middle. He giggled slightly. “I’m actually far enough along my abdomen is solid. I’m not getting fat, but it’s close.”
Patrick just frowned. “But… how did you get pregnant?”
Frank giggled evilly. “Well Patrick, when a prince and his slave love each other veeeeeerrry much-“
“Oh my God, stop!” Gerard cringed, putting a hand over Frank’s mouth. “Seriously, they’re children, I like to pretend a fairy kissed his tummy or something, dude. Seriously.”
Spencer sighed. “We’re not children. Sure, we’re pretty young to be having a baby compared to most Lanoans, but I’m human-human and he matured fast. It just happened.” He looked at Patrick. “We’re not children. I’m eighteen and he’s nineteen-“
“Holy shit, they are kids!” Pete cried, eyes wide. “Dude… how did you end up with Gerard that young?! Where are your parents?”
Brendon rolled his eyes. “Well, Spencer’s parents are probably still mourning the loss of their only son eight years after the fact, seeing as my father bought him from slave traders who captured him in a food riot and stole him from his family. And my parents wanted to execute Spencer for loving me, and murder our child after I give birth because it’ll be the only time I’ll be too weak to take it and run,” he said honestly, not pulling his punches at all.
Patrick shook his head. “So when Frank said a prince and a slave…”
Spencer nodded. “Brendon was a lonely child, being the only small child left, and his father wanted a playmate for him, and I’m honestly lucky he bought me, because the only other use for a ten year old boy would be mine working or sex slavery.” He smiled. “Brendon wasn’t like his father though. We were friends as children, we became lovers later on,” he said affectionately.
Brendon smiled at him. “It took us so damn long to stop being stupid about it, too,” he giggled, clearly getting a bit lost in memories and Spencer’s eyes as they gazed at each other and spoke in distant voices. “I was about fifteen or so when I realized the way I felt for you wasn’t just ‘best friends’.”
Spencer smiled and stroked his cheek tenderly. “Probably about the same for me.”
Brendon rolled his eyes. “Yet you didn’t kiss me until I was nearly eighteen and you were seventeen,” he chastised, leaning his forehead against Spencer’s.
Spencer pecked his lips. “And now only a year and a half later and we’re finally free to kiss whenever we want-“
“Ew, please tell me Mikey and I never get that gross,” Pete said with a grin, only to sober some when he clearly remembered Mikey’s fate.
Gerard smiled sadly. “It’s pretty hard to put up with. You two are disgusting.”
Ray grinned. “And you aren’t young lovers finally free from the threat of death and baby-murdering. So it’s not even excusable like theirs!”
Brendon blushed and Spencer smiled shyly. “Sorry,” he said, letting Brendon hide his face against Spencer’s chest. “I just…” He shrugged with a sweet look at Brendon’s hair. “It wasn’t even two weeks ago that I thought I was going to be executed and never see my child born, just because I loved the wrong person. And then it was worse and I thought I was going to die without being able to save my child from being murdered because I was its father.”
Patrick hummed. “You know, for teenagers who lost your entire way of living because of it, you both seem pretty… not exactly upset that you’re pregnant,” he pointed out to them.
Brendon glowed as he smiled big and bright. “Oh no way! You see, I’ve known I liked boys since I was little. I never thought girls were pretty or anything really. So I always knew eventually I’d have children, that I could bear children,” he said excitedly. “Only…” He shrugged, smile dimming a little. “I realized I loved Spencer and I was terrified when I started getting offers of marriage around that same time that I’d be forced to marry someone I couldn’t love and have their children. I would’ve still loved my children,” he urged. “But from the start, I wanted to have Spencer’s children. I knew it wasn’t possible, I’d never be allowed to have children out of wedlock without being the shame of the kingdom and I’d never be able to marry my slave, but even when I knew it was going to ruin us, finding out I was pregnant…” He trailed off and beamed. “It was the most wonderful thing because ruin or not, I was going to have a child that was born out of love. And it was such a beautiful feeling. Even when I thought I’d never see him again-“ He reached out and grabbed Spencer’s hand. “I still knew I’d always have part of him, even if I ended up locked away on a mountain, because I was pregnant with his baby.”
Spencer nodded. “I felt the same,” he added. “But then…” He shuddered. “The idea of someone hurting our child, killing our baby-“
Brendon nodded emphatically, eyes full of pain. “That’s the worst thought to ever cross my mind.” He smiled down at the hand on his middle. “But now, thanks to Gerard and Frank and Ray…” He gave Gerard a small smile. “We have a chance.”
Spencer cringed. “Even if they shot me,” he said, glowering at Frank once more. Everybody just laughed at Frank’s expression.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been hours since the party had died down and all the patrons had left, but the crew of the Nyx, Patrick, Pete, and Gabe’s friends were all still hanging around upstairs, in Gabe’s apartment where they discussed strategies while the hacker did her work.
Patrick sat with Pete curled into his side, clinging to his friend like he’d shatter if he let go. Brendon was using Spencer’s lap as a prop for his legs as he finally ate some food that was safe, after they convinced Gabe that he really was pregnant. “So, if you two are all-“ Brendon waved a hand at Patrick and Pete. “What’s the deal with you and Gerard’s brother?” he asked curiously, taking another bite of the strange fruit Gabe had given him.
Pete smiled from his spot tucked halfway into Patrick’s jacket. “Oh no, me and Patrick are just friends,” he said and Patrick sighed.
“Yeah,” he said, noticing the suspicious look Spencer gave him. “That is exactly why I can’t get a date. Anybody who might possibly find a fat little human who owns a space pirate’s bar attractive assumes this clinging thing he does means I’m off the market. I’ll never get laid again,” he groaned.
Pete grinned. “If you’d just take up our buddy Travie-“
“That man is not interested in me, Pete, you know it,” he argued, then smiled at Spencer and Brendon. “Guy who hands around my club a lot. He’s a friend who likes to flirt, nothing more.”
Brendon hummed. “Why do you own a bar that’s named Greg’s. Your name isn’t Greg.”
Patrick snickered. “The guy I bought it from was named Greg, but thanks for your amazing observational skills,” he teased.
Spencer shot him a look. “Don’t tease him.” He curled his hand possessively around Brendon’s ankle. “So, why is this place so… lawless?” he asked curiously.
Pete scoffed. “One of the last safe havens for outlaws in the universe. The fucking Gens know it too. They can’t take over, there was some treaty a long ass time ago, back when everything was still based on Earth, before The Wars, but the point of it was that K36F can’t be claimed by any government as its own to be controlled. It’s neutral ground. They did that so that deals between governments could be made, back when there was no Confederation, just individually operated governments and kingdoms. So now, there’s few places left. It isn’t on any planet, it doesn’t orbit any stars, it’s all artificial, fully man-made. It’s within Confederation limits so the laws of the Confederation exist, but they can’t officially police it, so only people who get caught in the act can be arrested while they’re on Clandestine.” He shrugged. “However, that means a lot of undercover Gens stake this place out. New faces aren’t to be trusted around here. Anything serious enough to get you caught, you keep it on the down low.”
Brendon huffed. “But I don’t understand any of that! Terros isn’t an active part of the Confederation. Lanoans have private sovereignty since we’re so close to the Rim. I don’t even know what the hell ‘Confederation’ even means. And I gather that Gens are government people, but why are they called Gens?” he asked, pouting. “It’s so frustrating to not understand things.”
Pete smiled at his little pout. “You’re adorable,” he admitted, then shook his head, chuckling. “Alright, a confederation is a group of governments, for our purposes, that are in league with each other. It’s basically independent governing bodies who all have a ‘strength in numbers’ type deal where they work together on things to protect each other’s sovereignty. Most of the Universe- the inhabited parts anyways- are members of the Confederation of Thylandra. All the presidents, all the kings, all the CEOs, all the heads of whatever the planet, moon, station, insert-body-here- they all are somewhat under the control of Chancellor Alexandra Xerodian.”
Patrick nodded, petting Pete’s hair. “And the term ‘Gens’ is slang for the Confederate Agents. It comes from the Confederate Code. There’s a line that calls for submitting to monitoring and full disclosure to the Confederation by all citizens of the governments that it includes. The line says something about the lack of rights is to ‘engender a state of ease’, and from that somehow the term ‘Gens’ came to be. It’s all old stuff from before our time. I’m shocked you didn’t know some of this, at least, Spencer.”
Spencer rolled his eyes. “I’m lucky I can read, okay? Anything I really know, Brendon taught me so I could help him when he had work from his tutors.” He shook his head. “We were on The Moon until I was eight. When water started to run out, my family left on a transport and we went between refugee camps all over the galaxy before finally making a break for other places in the universe. We were nearly in Andromeda when a food riot broke out at the camp on Delta-3 station. I got captured into slavery and I barely remember any of it before Brendon. I don’t have any idea what The Moon looked like, I don’t remember any of the stations other than Delta-3…” He cringed. “I don’t even remember my mother’s name,” he stressed. “I remember being ten and being bought by the King. I remember going to live in the palace with Brendon and being told I was supposed to play with him and be his friend, no matter what. And I did,” he said simply.
Pete smirked impishly. “Seems to me you were a bit more than his friend,” he teased.
Brendon grinned up at Spencer. “I think he was always more than my friend,” he joked, looking over at Pete. “But no, this is still mostly new,” he said, gesturing between them. “I mean, it was only about a year and a half ago that he even kissed me for the first time. It isn’t like we’ve been secret lovers for years, God I can only imagine how bad we would’ve been at hiding it.”
Patrick nodded vigorously. “You two make goofy, sappy eyes at each other.” He paused then tilted his head. “A lot.”
Spencer smiled brightly, turning to glance at Brendon. “We’ll, you have to realize, we’re still ridiculously happy. I mean, we’re both terribly sorry we’re so happy when everything has gone so wrong,” he said earnestly, giving Pete an apologetic look. “Trust me when I say we both understand how horrible the situation is right now.”
Brendon nodded. “God yes, I spent a good few cycles waiting for Spencer to get caught. I knew my father would make me attend his execution and watch him die,” he said, shifting until he was able to slide under Spencer’s arm. “So, you know, we can’t help be happy,” he said apologetically.
Pete sighed. “No, trust me, I’d probably be ridiculously happy too if I’d dodged a bullet like you guys have.” He smiled at them genuinely. “You guys are so young and in love. I remember being young and in love. Only it was mostly just lust and obsession,” he allowed, tilting his head to think. “Actually, I think I was in love with you,” he said to Patrick. “Like, around mid-twenties, I’m pretty sure I was really in love with you. Cause we never had sex, so it couldn’t have been just liking sex.”
Patrick cringed. “Ew, thank you for not trying,” he said and Brendon giggled.
Spencer curled his arm around Brendon. “Pretty sure we were in love a long, long time before there was any of that going on,” he said with a grin. “Maybe not after we figured out it was mutual, but… pretty sure there was a good solid two or so years of loving you before I grew some balls,” Spencer admitted.
Pete made a small sound of distress, looking up at Patrick. “I’ve never told Mikey I love him,” he said in a broken voice. “Patrick- Patrick what if I never get to tell him?! What if he’s dead and he never knew-“
Patrick shushed him, hugging is friend. “He knew, Pete. Even if you never said it, only an idiot would suspect you don’t love MikeyWay.” He kissed his hair and held him close. “It’s okay, Pete. We’ll get him back and you can tell him all you want.”
Brendon gave Pete’s broken expression a terrified glance, turning to look at Spencer with wide, uneasy eyes. Spencer just smiled sadly and ruffled Brendon’s hair, curling his arm around Brendon’s shoulders again before absently resting his hand on Brendon’s middle, stroking his middle almost reverently.
Brendon closed his eyes, though the tension in his jaw didn’t go away. Spencer spared Pete a glance before closing his own eyes, resting his face against the top of Brendon’s head. They grew quiet on their side of the room as the dark aura descended on their little group once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spencer walked over to the table screen where Gerard and Gabe were discussing and moving maps while the others watched. “Hey, has anybody got somewhere Brendon can sleep?” he asked, not even caring that he cut Gabe off mid-sentence.
Gabe cocked an eyebrow. “What, the couch not good enough?”
Spencer narrowed his eyes just enough to make his face look scary. “He’s been sleeping in a bunk for the past few cycles, he needs a bed-“
“Spence, stop,” Brendon said as he appeared at his side. “I know this might come as a shock to you, but I can actually deal with less than perfect sleeping conditions. I mean, I knew when I ran that I wouldn’t be likely to get the same luxuries I did as a prince anywhere else,” he said, sliding his hand to Spencer’s elbow to uncross his arms.
Spencer huffed. “You’re pregnant, you shouldn’t be sleeping on cramped cots and in tiny bunks and on couches, Brendon! You need better rest!”
“Spencer,” Brendon said gently, sliding his hands into Spencer’s, uncurling his tense fingers. “I’m okay. And hey, the couch isn’t much worse than the bunks on Gerard’s ship. And the bunks on his ship were better than the cots on the transport.” Spencer’s shoulders lost some of their tension as Brendon smiled up at him. “I’m a little guy, I don’t need so much space.”
Gabe just snickered and Frank grinned, both clearly amused as they watched the angry teenager relax just at Brendon’s soothing voice and sneaky touches. “Whipped,” Gabe said to Frank, who nodded.
“Oh yeah!”
Gerard glared and elbows Frank. “That’s not exactly appropriate, since he was actually someone’s slave,” he hissed and Frank frowned apologetically. “Gabe, get Nate to bunk with somebody else for a few cycles. You’ve got a separate room for every buddy you’ve got they can share long enough to let the pregnant kid have a decent bed.”
Gabe smirked. “Yeah, no problem. The kid really should sleep better.” He reached out and ruffled Brendon’s hair. “You don’t want a stupid kid just because you didn’t sleep well.”
Brendon shot him an annoyed look but patted Spencer’s chest. “There you go then. No more bitching about me not sleeping comfortably,” he said and Spencer shrugged, looking smug.
“I don’t care how bitchy I have to be if it means you don’t have to sleep on a couch.” He smiled over at Gabe. “Thanks.” Spencer and Brendon followed Gabe through the sliding door into the next part of the house and Gerard chuckled, shaking his head.
When Spencer and Gabe returned, Gerard looked up at Spencer before nudging Frank to get his attention. “You really get defensive, kid,” he said and Spencer shrugged.
“Anything for Brendon, you know?”
Gabe just smirked. “No, kid, you really get all like… bitchy.”
Spencer narrowed his eyes, glaring at the taller man. “Anything for Brendon,” he stressed.
Gerard eyed him curiously. “Why do I get the feeling that ‘anything’ is a lot darker than we all heard?”
Spencer flinched. “Well, clearly he didn’t need a playmate as a teenager,” he said simply. He looked down. “Let’s just say, there’s always enemies of any royal family, and who else is better to trust with the safety of the youngest prince than the boy who spent every cycle with him since he was a child?”
Frank cringed. “Who’d you kill?”
Spencer sighed. “One of the men working in the kitchens was pouring something into the soup I was meant to be picking up to take to Brendon. When I caught him in the act, he grabbed a bread knife.” He looked away. “He slipped and dropped his knife and I took the bottle he’d been pouring from and sat on him and poured it down his throat.” He shrugged, wiping the dark look off his face. “But whatever, I mean, when he started choking and coughing up blood and died, I really wasn’t that traumatized as the rest of the kitchen staff. I mean, I don’t like knowing I did that, but Brendon would’ve eaten poisoned soup and died that same way.”
Gerard just gave him a smile and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it is how it is, kid.” He shook his head. “No matter what, it’s never easy killing somebody, even if you have to do it. Life is dirty and you have to have priorities. Clearly, Brendon is yours and I can respect that,” he said softly, making Spencer smile a little.
“Thanks.” He crossed his arms and leaned on the table. “So, what do you guys do?” he asked, looking around. “I mean…when you aren’t… well,” he nodded at the screen below his elbows where there was a map of somewhere and a picture of a guy he assumed was Gerard’s brother. “You’re criminals, right?”
Frank grinned. “Well, yeah,” he said then pushed his hair behind his ear. “The thing is, we might steal shit and all, and we do steal a lot of shit,” he said and Gerard snickered. “But I mean, there’s still a moral obligation going on.” He nodded at the table and swiped his hand to clear it before pulling up another screen. “Like this? Sure, we may pickpocket people in bars, or steal a transport or two on a planet to get around, but this is what we do a lot of the time.”
Spencer looked and saw it looked like floor plans to something. “What is it?”
“This,” Gerard spoke up, “is a prison. The Confederation keeps political prisoners here. This was our last target before we lost Mikey. The guy we busted out got captured for killing three Gens who were chasing a girl down an alley with-“ He made a disgusted face. “certain intentions.”
Spencer gaped. “They locked a guy up for keeping a girl from getting raped?! What is that about?”
Frank made a huffing sound. “Exactly. Let’s just say the law and right don’t always walk hand in hand on some planets and stations.” He nodded. “Look at you, you were captured as a child by slave traders and the Confederation knows those bastards operate and they never stop them! It’s ‘illegal’ but nobody admits it happens so nothing gets DONE!” He waved a hand. “And people spend so much time arresting people for running illegal liquor between stations but they don’t give a damn when the mining colonies out near the Rim buy slaves and work them to death before buying more. Or all the fucking refugees who can’t get any help because they aren’t under the Confederation’s control and end up selling themselves in brothels on shady stations just to stay alive, and-“
Gabe rolled his eyes. “Slow down, ankle biter,” he said, patting Frank’s head mockingly. “I think he gets it. You’re vigilantes in pirates clothing.” He turned to Spencer. “I’m a businessman. I have no better intentions than money in my pockets, homie,” he said, laying a hand over his heart. “The only reason Frank hasn’t shot me for the fifth time is because I promised to stop the prostitution in the back rooms if he would get me better goods for the bar.”
Spencer just chuckled. “Yeah, he’s the right height to punch you in the dick, I think that’s the right choice-“
“I AM NOT SHORT!” Frank cried, glaring. “I will fucking kick you in the face-“
“Doubtful,” Gabe said and Frank shot him a dark look, putting a hand on the butt of his blaster. “Hey, hey, no shooting me! You promised on your mom’s grave!”
Frank huffed. “Yeah well you’re lucky my mother was a fuckin’ saint or I’d end you.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frank woke up only to roll over and find the other side of the bed empty. He reached out only to find it cold. He sat up and glanced over at where Ray and Bob were conked out on the bigger bed. Gabe Saporta’s place above The Speakeasy had more beds than a lodging house because his friends crashed out all the time.
Frank climbed out of bed and headed out into the hall and, sure enough, saw a light from the main lounge down the hall. He headed down, passing by nothing but silent rooms, until he got to the doorway. He looked out and shook his head. Gerard was standing at the table screen with a stylus marker in his hand, scribbling things out and writing something else. “Gee?” Frank whispered sadly as he walked over to the table.
Gerard looked up and Frank saw the pain in his eyes that he tried his hardest to hide from everybody else. “What’s up, Frankie?” Gerard asked, and Frank didn’t miss how his voice cracked.
Frank silently walked over and slid his arms around Gerard’s middle, pressing his face into the space between Gerard’s neck and shoulder. “Gee, you can’t do this to yourself.”
Gerard relaxed some, leaning against Frank. “I can’t sleep, Frank. I just…” He shook his head and let his head fall back, a little too tall for it to be comfortable to rest his head on Frank’s shoulder. “I’m not sure what to do anymore,” he whispered. “I just can’t work out what the hell happened to him, Frankie.”
Frank crushed his eyes shut. “I know, Gerard. I now,” he said, leaning his temple against Gerard’s neck. “We’ll find him. Even if-“ He flinched. “Even if it’s not a happy ending to the story, we will find him. I don’t care if everybody else gives up, I’ll help you get answers, even if we never find him. I hope we do and I’m confident we will,” he added quickly. “But even if we don’t, I won’t ever stop helping you.”
Gerard turned around and curled his arms around the smaller man’s shoulders as he started crying. Frank felt a lump in his throat because Gerard fought so hard to hold it all in. The tears when he confronted Pete were the closest to breaking he had come and Frank knew Gerard needed it. “I’m so scared, Frankie,” Gerard whispered tearfully, crushing his face into Frank’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to do. He’s- he’s Mikey. He never gave up on me, not once. He never left my side for anything, even when I was at my worst. I was- I was so useless after everybody else and then Mikey was all I have and now I don’t even know if I still have him. What if he’s dead?” he sobbed. “He is the only family I have. Everybody else is gone. My parents, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins… everybody else is dead! Mikey is it and if he’s gone- what will I do, Frank?” he asked, sniffling weakly. “He’s been here all my life. He’s always been there. I don’t remember not having him with me. He’s my b-best friend!”
Frank turned and kissed his dirty hair, holding him close. “I know, Gerard, I know. We’ll find him, okay? And you are not alone. Never will be,” he promised, pulling back to look at Gerard’s tearstained cheeks. “You always got me and Ray and Bob, you know? No matter what.”
Gerard nodded, standing up to wipe his face. “I know, I just… I love you guys, all of you are like my brothers… but it still ain’t Mikey.”
Frank nodded. “I know,” he said simply. He took Gerard’s hand. “Come back to bed. You need rest. I don’t think you’ve slept more than naps in cycles.”
Gerard agreed, and turned off the table screen before taking Frank’s hand, letting Frank lead him back to bed. “Thanks,” he said, and Frank smiled at him tiredly.
“No need man, no need at all.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brendon was sitting on the floor watching Gabe and his friends running around the table screen fighting when Gerard came out. Gerard raised an eyebrow. “Should you be on the floor? It’s probably dirty,” he said and Brendon smiled brightly, startling Gerard some. Nobody smiled that brightly anymore.
“Shockingly, my back doesn’t hurt as bad on a hard surface.” Brendon shrugged. “He doesn’t have any hard chairs and Spencer gets antsy when I sit on a table, like he’s scared it’s going to break or something. I told him I’m not THAT fat, but I guess he’s just worried I’ll fall and hurt the baby,” he said with a small smile.
Gerard frowned. “Your back hurts already?” he asked and Brendon nodded.
“I told you guys, I’m pretty pregnant. I mean, I don’t look like I’m showing because it isn’t round, but I’m a really skinny boy usually,” he pointed out. “I’m like… curvy, so looking straight on the sides and a little thicker around the middle on the front is a good size or two bigger than I usually am.” He stood up and grabbed Gerard’s hand as he pulled his shirt up some. “Here, feel.” Gerard felt extremely awkward when Brendon pushed Gerard’s rough, scarred up, ugly hands to his pale, unmarked skin. “See how it’s hard here?” He pressed Gerard’s palm to his lower belly. “Then, on the sides, it’s fat,” he said, moving Gerard’s hand.
Gerard was somewhat amused at how Brendon was squishy on the sides but his belly itself was pretty solid behind his navel. “That’s weird,” he said, and Brendon smiled.
“Yeah, that’s my baby!” he said brightly, letting go of Gerard’s hand so he could pull his shirt back down. He rested his hands on his middle. “I would look a lot fatter if I wasn’t such a skinny boy naturally. I’m tiny.”
“He’s not joking,” Spencer said, coming into the room. He smiled at Gerard as he slid an arm around Brendon. “Normally, when he’s being annoying, I can just pick him up and throw him over my shoulder. Now, even if I wasn’t too worried about hurting the baby, he’s too heavy.”
Gerard snickered. “Sounds like Frank. Only he doesn’t get tossed around, he uses Bob and Ray as ladders. He’ll just climb on Bob to see further and shit. Although he’s even smaller than you,” he said to Brendon, who smiled.
“Yeah, but being a badass space pirate makes him seem to take up more space.”
“Who’s a badass space pirate?” Gabe asked, slinging his arms around Gerard from behind. “I heard badass and thought somebody called my name,” he said, winking at Spencer.
“Frank,” Gerard answered, shrugging Gabe off. “Brendon thinks he’s a badass space pirate so it doesn’t matter how little he is.”
Gabe smirked. “I like ‘em little,” he said, winking at Brendon, who flushed.
Spencer glared, curling his arm tighter around Brendon. Gerard just smirked at the way Gabe flinched. “Ow, my soul.” Gerard giggled.
Brendon just leaned his head against Spencer’s shoulder with a smug look. “Sorry Gabe, Spencer will kill you,” he said, turning to kiss Spencer’s cheek.
Gabe suddenly smirked. “I’m down for a threesome-“
“Don’t make me actually rip your arms off and beat you with them,” Spencer said darkly, and Gerard cackled, ducking out of Gabe’s hold.
“And that’s my cue to leave before there’s bloodshed!” He walked off and sidled up to Frank at the table screen. “So, Saporta is about to get murdered, who wants to watch?” he asked and Frank giggled.
“What did he do this time?” he asked and Gerard cackled.
“He’s flirting with the kid and Spencer’s getting defensive. Should be a good showdown.”
Bob smirked. “Saporta’s going to get murdered.”
“Why’s Saporta going to get murdered?” Pete asked, coming up to lean on the table screen beside Frank.
Ray snickered. “Hitting on Brendon in front of Spencer.”
Pete eyed the way Gabe was slowly backing away from the couple and chuckled. “They’re cute. God, they’re so young,” he said, shaking his head. “Been a long time since I saw anybody that young.”
Gerard shrugged. “Well, we live in spaceships and on a pirate station. How many people around this station do you think have children?” he asked and Pete nodded.
“I haven’t saw a child in years,” he agreed. He sighed. “I think I was on one of the moons out near VG-190 last time I saw a child.”
Frank hummed. “I wonder why so few people have kids now?” he asked, looking at Gerard. “I mean, life is harder on the types of planets we visit, but in general, most people want children. It’s human nature. Most of us are still humans out here in inhabited systems.”
Bob shook his head. “I hear other pilots talking. Humans are definitely on the decline. I mean, it’s just so hard to even reproduce now. Human fertility has really suffered since our species left Earth. And you would think the generations would adapt, but I guess it hasn’t been long enough for our DNA to adapt.” He cringed. “And then now the adults that were born from Earth parents are such a lower number than the ones who were born on Earth because our generation’s kids had trouble surviving Deep Space. The cold and the recycled air’s germs are bad enough for healthy adults, so a solid third of our generation’s children didn’t make it to adulthood.”
Gerard cringed. “That’s so sad. Fuck, maybe that’s why you don’t see so many children? People don’t want to risk having them and them dying.”
Ray just shook his head. “That would kill me. I mean, I know better than to think I’ll ever be able to get married and have kids, the life we live will probably kill me long before then, but I loved children when I still lived on a planet.”
Frank glanced over at Spencer and Brendon. “Shit, how do you think their baby will handle it?” he asked uncertainly. “I mean, it’s interspecies so God knows what kind of biology it will have, and then Brendon’s species live in tropical, never-dark conditions.”
Gerard frowned. “You think we should find somebody who’s going somewhere warm that can take care of them?” he asked the others. “Hell, for that matter, don’t you think we should probably find a doctor? I mean, I know absolutely nothing about pregnant people, but he hasn’t ever been seen by a doctor, and don’t they go to doctors a lot?” he asked and everybody else just shrugged.
Pete rolled his eyes. “The dumbass hasn’t ever seen a doctor?!” he asked and Ray shrugged.
“He couldn’t tell anybody back on his planet in order to see a doctor and since they they’ve been running,” he answered and Frank turned to look over at them.
“Brendon!” he called, then waved him over.
Brendon broke away from Spencer, who was still eyeing Gabe darkly, and skipped over, stopping at the table beside Frank. “Hi!” he said, looking at them all with a big smile. “What’s up?”
Gerard looked around as they all shuffled awkwardly, unsure of what to say. He finally drew up the courage and smiled. “So, we were just talking about it and… don’t pregnant people need doctors?” he asked gently. “We could find somebody to check you out or something, I’m sure. I mean, maybe not a baby doctor cause we were talking about how we haven’t any seen a child in years since we live on space ships and a pirate station, but… well don’t pregnant people do that?” he asked.
Brendon shrugged. “Well, back home I would probably see one, but usually only when there was a problem. I should be fine,” he said dismissively.
Frank nodded. “Yeah but we were also thinking, maybe we should find someone who can take you and Spencer somewhere warm. I mean… your species are all from warm, tropical places. Not out here in the dark.”
Brendon smiled sadly. “Well it’s a good offer, but from what we learned about the Universe, there isn’t anywhere else in the entire inhabitable Universe like Terros. The only place even close is a place on Earth and that isn’t really an option.”
Ray nodded. “Yeah, but there are warmer systems. I mean, there’s plenty of places with close enough suns that it will be warm at least.”
Brendon shrugged. “That might help,” he said gratefully. “Although at this point, I’ve got no idea what all the baby will really need. There’s no documentation of a half-human-half-Lanoan baby. We should be able to care for it however we have too, though. My biggest worry is that the baby will have a more human immune system.”
Frank snorted. “You wouldn’t believe how easily I get sick,” he said and Brendon chuckled.
“We don’t really get ill,” Brendon said. “I mean, we do, but not often. Usually it’s never anything bad either. Lanoan’s aren’t as susceptible to germs. Viruses and bacteria rarely infect us.” He looked down. “My father, he said once that the Lanoan people are the future.” He looked up. “He says the human’s aren’t evolving fast enough. Eventually they will, but so many of them don’t have the immune system for the conditions of space. They wanted to set up camps on Terros after the Wars, but father refused to let humans come into our planet.”
Gerard smiled sadly. “That’s what Bob was telling us. We just thought maybe if human babies have so much trouble in in the Dark, maybe we should see about getting you somewhere warm.”
Pete interrupted. “How do you have babies if you don’t see doctors on your planet? Like… isn’t that really unsafe?”
Brendon smiled. “We’re more natural than humans.”
Frank frowned. “Wait… what does ‘more natural’ mean?” he asked suspiciously.
Brendon laughed in amusement. “We don’t really have very many hospitals. Since we don’t get sick often, usually only old people or little kids ever get sick. We have facilities for old people where there are doctors and then there is usually one hospital in every city in case of accidents, but we have a lot of natural ways to heal things. I mean, we don’t use a lot of the modern human methods. I broke my arm when I was little and I wore a cast just like humans did on earth. I didn’t have laser cell-regeneration like Spencer says he did when he broke his leg on the Moon.”
Gerard frowned. “Cast? Like… those things that you see photos of from Earth that looks like a pillow on your arm?”
Brendon nodded. “Yes,” he said simply. “And in my case, we don’t do neuron-blocking pre-programmed birthing. We naturally go into labor and give birth at home unless there is reason for concern. Then you go to a hospital and have doctors give you medications and- if necessary- perform the neuron-blocking in order to start surgery or something.”
Everybody stared at him in shock. “Wait… no neuron-blocking?! I thought natural birth hurt,” Frank said and Brendon shrugged.
“It does. Terribly,” he said. “I’ve seen it,” he said and everybody just stared. He rolled his eyes. “My governess when I was small was pregnant and she was keeping me when she went into labor. I was only eight, it was even before Spencer, but I was curious and I asked the ladies who came to help her back to her home if I could come and they knew I might have a baby eventually, so they asked my mother and father and I was allowed to be there.” He shrugged. “It looked pretty bad and I didn’t see much since I was off to the side, not down where I could see birth, but at least I saw what you can expect,” he said, shrugging.
Pete just gaped. “That’s barbaric! Why would they do that? I mean, casts and natural birth and what else do they do on Terros that’s practically cruel?!” he asked. “Didn’t it hurt to let your arm heal naturally? Cell regeneration fixes it in just a few hour, casts took weeks. Hell, months even if it was all the way!”
Frank nodded, gaping. “And every human woman has their child’s birth scheduled early in pregnancy so that they avoid childbirth. Even then, apparently it still hurts a little for a little while after the neuron-blockers wear off.”
Brendon laughed. “Well yes, but that’s part of what weakened humans, don’t you think?” he asked. “You break a bone, you fix it right back. You get sick, you cure it with a single pill. Your body is made to heal itself, you just need to keep it from healing wrong. When you get ill, you may need a little help, but your body needs to do the work itself and fight off infections or else your immunity becomes obsolete and you get sick more often, even if it’s easier to cure.”
Ray eyed him. “And what about you?” he asked slowly.
Spencer chose that moment to walk up, eyeing Ray suspiciously. “What about Brendon?” he asked, leaning on the table beside Brendon, who bumped their shoulders together. “What’re you guys talking about?”
Brendon smiled brightly at his lover. “Apparently how ‘barbaric’ Lanoan culture is for using old-fashioned medical practices, not modern ‘no mess, no fuss’ methods.”
Spencer nodded. “Brendon wore a cast when he broke his arm,” he said pointedly. “I nearly fainted, it was so strange. But I got used to it. Bandages instead of skin-regeneration cream on cuts and scrapes wasn’t too hard to live with, just a little annoying,” Spencer clarified.
Brendon chuckled. “And Ray, as for me,” he began playfully. “It’s the same. I’ll do what my body is made for when the time comes for the baby to be born,” he said simply.
Pete cringed. “But… the male body isn’t made for that.”
Spencer chuckled. “For Lanoans it is,” he pointed out. He kissed Brendon’s head. “Yeah I was sort of freaked out when he told me that he would be giving birth naturally but I did hear that was what happened on Terros in my time there. I think it sounds stupid to go through unnecessary pain, but whatever-“
“It isn’t worth risking the health of myself or my baby, Spencer,” Brendon argued, giving him a look that suggested that it wasn’t a new conversation. “I don’t even know what neuron-blocking would do to a Lanoan. And forced birth could hurt my baby. I don’t trust unnatural things like that. I fully believe my baby will not be ready to be born until I go into labor and it’s clear my body isn’t meant to house it anymore,” he stressed. He looked at them all. “Pain is worth knowing my baby is ready to be born and that the methods won’t hurt it.” He huffed. “Besides, human women gave birth all alone in ancient times. Their bodies were meant for that. My body is meant for the same thing, Lanoans happen to just have the ability for both genders to do so.”
Gerard shot him a look. “Yeah, and in ancient times women died giving birth. There’s a reason for modern methods. Okay, maybe it is better for you since you can’t know what all the human medical stuff will do to your body, but there’s a reason for them.”
Brendon shrugged. “I guess so, but I’m not a human. I don’t think I could trust that my baby would be okay, you know?”
Spencer smiled, leaning against Brendon. “I know. I don’t think I would trust it either, if I’m honest,” he said, sliding their hands together. “I’d die if something happened to our baby,” he said softly.
Brendon beamed. “Exactly!” He nodded at them. “They were thinking about trying to get us to a warm planet, since there’s no telling if a Lanoan baby will handle the cold well.”
Spencer perked up. “That’s really good thinking,” he said, looking at the others. “Do you think you could find somewhere warm that somebody would let us stay? I mean, I really don’t like intruding on everybody but we don’t have any-“
Frank put a hand on his shoulder. “Spencer, we’ll help you out, man. If we can find a friend of a friend, somebody we can trust, they’ll let you stay with them. I mean, we know good people.”
Spencer smiled brightly- a smile that showed his true age- and sighed in relief. “Thank you.”
Part 3