Mike's POV
"Hey Mike! I got some things for you" Brad tells me excitedly jogging though to the lounge where Chaz and I are sat, what's got him all happy suddenly? As he sits with us, he hands me a blue carrier bag, with a grin on his face.
"I didn't ask you to get anything..."
"Just accept it, I wanted to get you these things, I wanna see you happy." He replies, fiddling with his grey sleeves of his hoodie. I look at the bag on my lap and open it up.
Inside it I first see an A4 size sketch book. Taking it out, I give Brad a smile. I can start drawing again! Next I find a set of art pencils, some paints, and two small canvases.
"Brad... I don't know what to say" I whisper. All of this must've cost him a lot of money, art supplies aren't cheap. I don't deserve all of this.
"You don't deserve anything! All you ever do is draw and paint shitty pictures, which won't get you anywhere in life."
"Dad i-"
"No, grow up! Studying art is pointless, get a real job, you're supposed to be my son!" Slap.
"Ow! But I am your son..."
"No, you're a disgrace."
Always a disgrace. He always told me that. He stopped me enjoying art. And now suddenly I have new art supplies? Is it even worth starting art again? What if it gets thrown back in my face again?
"Mike? You okay?" Brad asks me softly, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turn to brad and he raises his hand and wipes a tear from my cheek that I didn't even realise was there. I give him a small nod and turn back to the bag, there's some torn pieces of paper at the bottom. Picking them, I look at Brad again.
"I want you to paint it again, I could see that one painting meant a lot to you." Brad answers my confusion. That's when I realise that it's the torn pieces of the only painting I kept at home, that my father ripped up.
"How do you tell someone you love them?" I whisper, still in shock that Brad has done all of this for me. Why would he do this? Why does he care?
"By saying 'I love you' to them, I guess. I just want you to be happy Mike. I care about you a lot... Maybe too much, but I want you to get better and be happy. I wanna know what happy Mike looks like." Brad smiles. I put all the stuff back in the bag and then I lean into Brad, resting my head on his bony chest. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer, I see out of the corner of my eye that Chester leaves the room silently, allowing Brad and I to be alone.
"Brad..." I begin, deciding to tell him, as I have nothing left to lose. He waits for me to continue, rubbing my back soothingly at the same time. I take a deep breath, trying to find the right words.
"I like you... I'm scared that's a bad thing but I do, I really like you, Brad, as in more than a friend." I trail off, burning my head into his chest even more.
"Mike, sit up." He says and I obey, but stare down at my hands. "I'm happy you told me, I like you too, so fucking much, but... Have you thought it through?" He asks sadly
"What do you mean?"
"Are you actually ready for a relationship? We just started the band, you're getting back into art, and you're dealing with the pain of being attacked and abused, without professional help. I don't want everything to get too much for you, I'm not sure a relationship on top of everything else is the best idea." He has a point, a very good point. And he's right, it does get too much for me sometimes just having the band and my own thoughts. But he doesn't have to know that, Brad doesn't have to know if a relationship gets too much for me too.
"I have nothing to lose, Brad. I want this" I say, hoping he'll accept my choice of wanting to be in a relationship with him.
"Okay... But you need to tell me the boundaries."
"Yeah, I can't do anything more than kissing. It's too soon" I tell him sadly.
"That's fine, I completely understand that. So... You sure you want to make it official?" I nod with a smile
"Mike, will you be my boyfriend?" He grins.
"Yes Brad" I hug him again.
AN/
I forgot to update yesterday, sorry for that
