This is a drabble for PumpkingxAngel for first place in my Prompt 2 writing contest. Here's a few warnings for this drabble.

Mention of suicidal thoughts.

Depression.

Sudden, quick end to the drabble.

Poor pacing.

Sad boi times.

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Mitch and his brother, Maple, used to play with fireworks together. Whenever it was Mitch's birthday, there were fireworks. Christmas? Fireworks. New Years? Fireworks. Halloween? Fireworks. It never mattered to either of them what they were celebrating. All that mattered was blowing off those exciting rockets of gunpowder and light. The two never had much of a worry when they were younger. However, things change. People grow older and more distant. More mature. Things can never stay the same. If they did, then perhaps Mitch wouldn't be standing so close to the edge of his balcony's edge.

The young American had recently been going through a very rough time. From losing his dream job to his partner being distant more often, the young man started developing feelings of worthlessness. Before, when he started gaining these emotions, he would eat himself sick and make jokes on it. However, like stated before, that has changed. From the light teasing of him gaining so much weight, to looking himself in the mirror, he just couldn't stand the smell of food. He couldn't look at it. He couldn't participate in the things he used to enjoy doing, and he's felt himself grow more and more distant to the way things were. A part of him resented that. How could he just let himself change? Why would he let himself do that? Mitch hated himself for that. So, so much.

Staring up into the twinkling night sky, Mitch took a deep breath and bowed his head to the railing of the balcony. He missed being little. He missed not having these terrible emotions. He would give anything to just... get rid of them.

But the American felt that nagging voice in the back of his head telling him not to do it.

Taking another deep breath of air, he lifted his head and turned back to his apartment, sitting down at his bar. There was a mess of papers, liquor, and a few shot glasses. Not so much for Mitch, but for him and his boyfriend to share. But he hadn't come back home yet. There was no indication when he would be home. Mitch didn't wish to bother him by calling his phone, so he resorted to numbing his brain with a shot of the drink. He then picked up his phone and looked through his contacts, tapping his foot against the floor as he did so.

Maple Leaf

His brother.

When was the last time they talked?

It felt like forever. Maybe that's because Maple hated the American now? The annoying, crazy, dumb blonde fat man? His crystal blue eyes started to become glassy with tears, but they were quickly wiped away just so he could open up their messages. The last thing they had spoken about was Maple's college. Tapping the word box, Mitch started to type out a message. 'Hey can we call?' It felt like a cry for help. Typing out the words felt so hard. Maple was probably busy. It was late. He had things to do. Why would he respond? Maybe he could just say it was a joke or something...

Almost instantly, the Canadian messaged back.

'Sure :>'

Mitch' heart raced and his palms suddenly felt sweaty. It took a moment for him to gather himself. Taking several deep breaths, the American pressed on the call button and held the phone up to his ears. It rang a few times. Then the familiar sound of his sibling's voice came through.

"Hey Mitchie! It's been a while. I was afraid you had started to forget about me!" The Canadian laughed cheerfully, in a good mood. It made Mitch feel a little more at ease. "So what's up, eh? What do you wanna talk about?"

Mitch felt his jaw tremble as he started to speak. "Well uh- I just- I just wanted to see what you were up to..! I'm kind of just sitting in an empty apartment, alone, with- with no one to talk too!" He felt his voice crack on multiple occasions, and his fingers were now itching to hang up. He felt the liquor burn his stomach, making him want to vomit. "I uh- I- I- The sky looks really pretty tonight." He blurted out.

The other end of the phone was silent for a moment. Maybe that was a sign to hang up-

"Hey, Mitch, you feeling okay? You sound like you're fixing to cry."

The American's heart beat faster and he scratched the back of his head, chuckling a little. "Well I'm uh- I'm not really feeling all that peachy! I guess you could say I want to curl up into a ball and not exist anymore?" He didn't know why he was getting so anxious and worked up over this. He didn't even know why he was talking about this. Why he was being honest. Shouldn't he just leave Maple alone with his own problems.

"Oh dear." Maple's voice sounded concerned, "Hey, why don't I come over? Me and you can talk it out face to face, okay? Is Buck there?"

"You don't have to come over! You have classes and stuff tomorrow, right? And no- Buck isn't here..." The feeling of being all alone in the apartment creeped back into Mitch's body, causing him to shiver. He felt jittery and unhinged. The American hated it.

"I insist. I'll be over as quickly as I can. Don't do anything rash until I get there."

"But-"

Maple hung up. Mitch lowered the phone after a few minutes, and looked at the screen, a fearful feeling creeping over him. He didn't have to do that. Why is he coming over? Why? Mitch didn't deserve it. Oh the place is such a mess. His brother was going to be even more disgusted with him. He's even still wearing his shirt from days ago. Groaning, he rested his head on the table and sniffed.

What was he supposed to do?

A little while later, his front door sounded with several knocks, so he went to let in his sibling. The blonde man looked up at his taller sibling and gave a small, wary sigh. The Canadian reached out and gave him a tight hug. "Hey! Are you feeling okay? You're looking a bit pale," He pulled away and held his face, "And you look more bony. Have you eaten anything today?" Maple asked, concerned.

Mitch sighed, "Well, not exactly... You really didn't have to come here. I just wanted to talk to someone on the phone until Buck came home." The American muttered, getting a look of concern from his sibling, "I would've been okay by myself."

Maple shook his head slowly, "Nah, I think you'd feel better with a bit of company. Come on, let's sit down. We can just talk, and I'll prepare some cocoa and soup for you. Like old times!" He smiled, which eased Mitch's already stressed out and rapidly beating heart. So he nodded and led the way to the bar. Maple picked up the alcohol and looked over it, before glancing at Mitch with a worried expression. "Was this for both you and Buck?"

Mitch swirled his finger on the rim of his glass, staring down at the mess on his bar top. "Yeah. We were going to celebrate his promotion, but he hasn't come home yet," He felt sad thinking about that, "Maybe he just doesn't want me anymore..." He muttered to himself. Maple made a 'hm' noise, and took the bottle to the other side of the kitchen.

"He's probably just busy. Have you texted or called him?" Maple asked, worried and very clearly concerned as he pulled out some pots. Mitch felt his face heat up and he shook his head no. "Why's that?"

"I dunno. Maybe I'd bother him if I called him."

Maple started to put some water in the pot to set on the stove, "I see... well, you should still try. I doubt he'd cheat on you, he just doesn't seem like the type of man to do that. So he's probably just stuck at work or something. Giving him a text or call would probably be appreciated by him, eh Mitchie?" He gave his brother a smile, his blue eyes twinkling as he turned on the kitchen light. The American bit his lip and pushed the shotglass away from him.

"I suppose... I hate how you can suddenly give good advice, Maple leaf."

As he spoke, he pulled out his phone, pulling up his messages to Buck. The last texts they sent to each other was a few days ago. That was just how little Mitch wanted to bother him about anything. Taking a deep breath as his brother watched with bated breath, he started to type a message. 'Hey, Maple's over here. Do you mind that at all?'

He put down his phone and looked up at Maple. "Do you think he'll respond quickly?" The Canadian asked. Mitch shrugged. "Well, until then, I actually brought you something. Your birthday is coming up, and I was just planning on waiting until then to give it to you, but you seem like you need something to make you smile. Wait right here for me please." The Canadian patted his blonde hair before running out the door to his car. Mitch wanted to tell him not to bring up the gift, but it seemed like he wasn't going to listen. So he just turned away and looked out the balcony. A moment passed before his notification sound went off.

'That's fine. Having a late night at the office. Meant to text but been caught up in paperwork. I'll be home in 30.'

The American felt a little relief spread into his chest. Buck didn't seem bothered at all by the text. Responding back, he felt a bit of a smile on his face, 'Cool, I'll tell him to make extra cocoa for you B-)'.

Suddenly-

A loud noise sounded off outside and Mitch screamed in surprise. Until he noticed a bright light flash up into the sky. His neighbors, if they had been asleep, were awake now. Mitch ran over and out of his balcony, seeing his brother wave up at him from the ground. A few other apartment tenants came outside to look at what was going on. "Sorry! I just wanted to make sure it worked!" He shouted up. Mitch started to laugh, realizing what the gift was as his brother closed the door and ran up into the building. Mitch went over to his door to meet the firework fanatic once he arrived, panting loudly, hair a mess.

In his hands was a nice bundle of small fireworks. A few familiar sounding ones and a few others that seemed new. Mitch couldn't help but maintain his wide, grateful smile, as he let his sibling in to set them down on the bar. "I got you some fireworks! I thought you'd love having some for your birthday, since it's been such a long time. I also ordered something online for you, but it hasn't arrived yet, so that's a surprise just for you." The Canadian winked, grinning proudly.

"God dammit dude, I can not believe you!" Mitch laughed, suddenly hugging his brother, "Thank you so much! I can't believe you got me fireworks! I can't at all believe this!" He laughed a bit, "My neighbors are going to kill me for this!"

"Hah! I know, that was the whole point, dingus." Maple grinned and began to noogie his brother's head. Mitch whined and pushed him off, laughing. He felt... better. Happier actually. Tonight was one of the best nights he's had in a long time. Once they calmed down, Maple went back to making the cocoa and asking Mitch questions about how he was doing. They talked for a long time, even when Buck came home. It was a good night.

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Word Count: 1956