you're the boss // petekey

chapter one

"For the last time, Frank, I told you Pete wanted those forms an hour ago." Mikey rolled his eyes and put his hands on hips. Easily the most annoying part of his job was dealing with workers who got mad at him because they didn't do their job. He was the boss's assistant, responsible for collecting paperwork and getting coffee. Not exactly the most liked person around the office, but oh well. He needed the money, and now more than ever.

Frank reluctantly passed Mikey the forms, and with a quick snatch, he thanked Frank and went on his way. Pete's office was on the top floor with the conference room. Workers had the second floor, lobby had the first. Mikey was one of the few people who actually ever went to the third floor, with the only exceptions being important clients and when important meetings where called. While other employees had maybe seen the third floor once or twice, Mikey had to see it every single day. Pete liked his privacy and did not like unwanted visitors. The elevator ride was slow, and he probably could've accomplished the same trip in the same amount of time if he had took the stairs, but Pete liked the professionalism of having his assistant take an elevator. He was picky like that.

The elevator opened into a hallway with the doors opposite of those of equal size. They lead to the conference room. To the right was a bathroom and storage closet, the left a wide open room filled with windows. This was Pete's office. The third floor was extremely quiet, with the only sound coming from the clicking of Mikey's dress shoes across the black linoleum floor.

"Mr. Wentz, I have the forms you asked for." Mikey stood in the doorway into Pete's office. The large, mostly empty room consisted solely of two chairs next to the door and Pete's desk in the middle.

"Give 'em to me." Pete responded without looking up from his work. Mikey entered the room, shoes still echoing across the floor. He placed the papers on his boss's desk. Pete swiftly picked them up and glanced at them.

"I'm disappointed with these numbers. Call a meeting in the conference room in ten." Pete discarded the papers to his side and went back to work.

"Mr. Wentz, before I go, may I asked you a question?" Mikey asked anxiously.

"You already did." Mikey laughed nervously, to which Pete merely looked at him, as of to ask what was so funny.

"Sir, money has been tight recently, and-"

"I know, Michael. That's the reason for the meeting in," Pete looked at his watch, "nine and a half minutes."

"Well, you see, sir, I'm more of talking from a personal viewpoint. As you may know, I work to support me and my brother, and-"

"I don't need your life story." Pete said, visibly agitated. Mikey took a deep breath.

"Sir, I'd like a raise." The room somehow got even quieter than before.

"Well, Michael, I'm afraid you'll have to earn that. If you where any bit of a decent assistant, you would have called for the meeting in the conference room already. Now," Pete went back to his work, "do your job and maybe you'll get to keep it."

"Y-yes sir. Right away, sir." And with that, Mikey left and went to the second floor to call for a meeting.

~

"Hello everyone. I recently got this quarters numbers, and they're rough. Now, I don't call meetings often, but to say I'm dissatisfied would be an understatement. Now, let's take a look at why." Pete began to go over sales and money and things that Mikey couldn't care less about. His job wasn't to be a salesman like Patrick, or an accountant like Frank, he was merely an assistant, seen as a snob by his coworkers and incompetent by his boss. He thought back to his raise. Bills where only piling up and he didn't know how he'd pay for them. All he was focused on was how to get that raise.

"Michael!" a sharp voice pulled him out of his head, "Although you may feel superior to your coworkers, I can assure you that you're lying to yourself. You're not free from paying attention. Now, listen up and maybe you'll convince me that you're not entirely useless. Are we on the same page, Michael?"

"Y-yes sir."

"Very well. Now, as I was saying, we need to find a way to..." Mikey found it almost impossible to pay attention to what Pete was saying, with thoughts of his brother lurking in the corners oh his mind.

"Michael!" Mikey looked up. He knew he screwed up big time, and he only needed to see Pete's eyes to know that. "If you're not going to pay attention if you're here, I suggest you leave the room."

"No, sir, I-I can stay."

"That wasn't a question." The room went silent for a second, but Mikey got the memo and left the conference room. If he wasn't so worried about his job, he would've been utterly embarrassed at that moment. He sat outside the conference room, trying to figure out a way to find enough money to cover his brother's medical bills, because damn, if he where to die because Mikey couldn't pay attention in a stupid meeting, he'd never be able to forgive himself.

~

No one likes hospitals. The only thing worse than hospitals was having a loved one suffer in one. Every day after work, Mikey went to visit his brother.

"Honestly, Mikes, I don't know how you put up with his bullshit everyday."

"I don't have any other choices, Gee."

"You could let me die." Gerard shrugged as if it was the most casual thing in the world.

"Don't say that!"

"Oh, c'mon, I'm dying anyway." Gerard had been in the hospital for almost a year now and the doctors never came back with good news.

"You are not dying, Gerard."

"I'm too weak to walk, my hairs thinner that my will to live, and the only reason I'm still around is this oxygen thing on my nose. Seriously, one little bump, this thing falls out, give me two minutes and I'm dead. I'm just a sick and sad patient on first name basis with all the top physicians and I'm not getting any better, kid." Gerard had long ago accepted the fact he wouldn't ever get out of his bed, and he just needed Mikey to accept it too.

"I hate it when you talk like that. One day, you are going to get up and live your life, and I won't rest until you do."

"Then you'll be the dead one."

"I'd rather be the dead one than you." At that moment, the nurse walked in.

"Visiting hours are over, Mikey." After a year, the nurses got to know him pretty well.

"Okay." Mikey grabbed his things and began to head for the door. "See you tomorrow, Gerard." He gave a weak wave to his brother and said goodbye from his bed, not knowing if it'd be his last time to ever say it.

i finally got the first chapter rewritten wahoo
trashsockdad