Golden

Roxy Xim

Information

Title: Golden

Author: Roxy Xim

Rating: PG-13

Length: 1500+ words

Warnings: slash

Summary: Mikey learns valuable lessons over the summer that they tour with Fall Out Boy.

Disclaimers: Don't own, don't care.

How cruel is the golden rule?

Mikey Way met his match in the summer of 2005 on the tour of the decade, Reading Festival.

His band, My Chemical Romance, was always on top, coming really close to totally beating the shit out of all the other bands, including that lame pop punk band Fall Out Boy with their singer with those sideburns and the fuzzy-haired bassist. They had sort of Chicago sound to them, and they were good, but they didn't compare to MCR. Fall Out Boy totally opened up for them, and it was true that they had talent, it's just Mikey's band was better. His brother was a better vocalist. Ray was a better guitarist. And he himself was an outstanding bassist, better than Pete at least.

But that was before he met the man personally.

One day during the tour, after a very good show that Mikey was still high from the sweat and the music, he met Pete. The sticky summer air made it hard to breathe. The sun had gone down, but it wasn't any cooler. Mikey was looking forward to crashing in the tour bus, relaxing and smiling over the events that happened that day. There had been sweat, jumping, screaming, stickiness and just so much fun. He fucking loved this tour. He really did.

On his way to the tour bus, a voice came behind Mikey and made him stop in his tracks. "Hey, dude, you got the time?"

Mikey turned and saw a man standing there, instantly recognizing him as the bassist for Fall Out Boy. Mikey always knew he was cute, but he somehow looked cuter right now. His brown hair that covered eyes that were outlined in eyeliner, his red hoodie and black jeans, his stupid grin—he was literally adorable.

Mikey blinked and checked his watch. "Um, it's 9:54. Hey…you're Pete, right?"

Pete nodded with a smirk. "Nice to finally meet you in person, Mikey Way. You're a real devil on stage. Where did you learn how to side flip with your guitar still on you and proceed to flip around? You have so much energy."

Mikey marveled. This guy actually thought he was great. Almost at once, he felt wrong for thinking he was so much better than him. He was just sure that he was high on stage…high off music. "Well, my brother taught me some things. And my friend Frank did, too."

Pete nodded. "Well, you're awesome. I'm probably like you're number one fan."

Mikey's mouth came open. "Thanks, dude. I like you too…I mean, I like what you do on stage, too. It's…really great."

Pete smiled devilishly. "We should hang out sometime. You know you want to."

Before Mikey could protest, Pete was shoving a piece of paper with his number on it into his hand. "See you tomorrow, Mikeyway."

After that, Mikey just nodded in a daze with his fingers clenched around the paper, and continued walking to his tour bus, stealing a glance at Pete over his shoulder a couple times.

When the lives we lived are only golden-plated

Days hung out together turned into weeks. The tour was lasting over two months, and Mikey was more than glad. Every day after a show, he met Pete somewhere and they did the craziest things—from cartwheel contests across the parking lots to piggyback ride races with Frank and Joe, to falling asleep under the stars outside their tour buses in the grass patches, pointing out planets and gasping at shooting stars. When the 2nd one came past the velvet sky, Mikey mentally wished that this would never end…that he could stay with Pete forever.

With only one week left of the tour left, Mikey and Pete dedicated all their time to being with each other. When Fall Out Boy joined MCR on stage, they went crazy and played and danced and jumped. It was the most fun thing Mikey had done in a long time. Then, suddenly, Pete put down his guitar and grabbed the sides of Mikey's face before bringing their lips together hard. The crowd screamed and cheered and Mikey could hear Frank wolf-whistling in the background and Joe laughing and Andy going, "Way to go, Petey!"

When it finally ended and they broke apart, they stared at each other for the longest time before realizing where they were. They quickly let go of each other and jumped back into reality. Pete slung his guitar back over his shoulder and the whole eight of them, every single member, launched into playing another one of those best-selling songs and Mikey kept messing up because he couldn't get his lips to stop tingling.

Tongues on the sockets of electric dreams

One day remained on the tour and Mikey's fear was closing in quickly. He wasn't going to let it win. No, he wasn't…

On the last day, Andy and Joe decided to throw a goodbye party outside of their tour buses and the rest of them thought it was an awesome idea. Frank went to get beer and soda and chips and Ray started up the music and blasted it through the windows. After an hour of partying, the dreadful feeling in Mikey's stomach was getting worse. He had to talk to Pete about this.

So he pulled him aside rather persistently and they walked across the dirty parking lot for a little before Mikey launched into expressing his thoughts. The air was hot and chokingly sticky, and the stars weren't even out tonight. Just clouds…clouds promising nothing.

Their footsteps echoed slightly as the music blaring behind them got softer and softer.

"Mikey, are you okay?"

Mikey shrugged. "I don't want this tour to end, dude."

"I don't either. But we'll still be friends, won't we?"

"I…I hope so. I really want to stay friends." Mikey explained. "But I'm afraid that you'll forget about me and…about all the fun we had."

"I won't." Pete said, almost harshly, stopping in his tracks. "How could I forget you, Mikeyway? We've become close to best friends."

"I wasn't saying that we weren't." Mikey told him. "I'm just…afraid that—"

"Afraid of what? That I'll get a new best friend? Another one I can do stupid things with?"

"Is that what you want?" Mikey suddenly shouted and Pete turned to him.

"No. That's not what I want…really." Pete said anxiously. "I'm just saying that it'll be hard since we'll both be on tour in different places. Like, I'll be in New York, and you'll be in…I don't know, Russia or something, Mikey."

"Well, it won't be hard if we…try." Mikey said.

Pete paused. "Well, maybe I can't try really hard."

"What does that mean?"

"Mikey, I'm not gonna get into an argument right now, okay? I'm just saying that—"

"Just saying what? That you think in a couple years you won't care?"

Pete blinked hard and Mikey could tell he was probably fighting tears. "Of course I will. You don't get it."

"I do get it. And you know what, Pete? Screw you. We were never best friends…we just did stupid things together and we played around. Our friendship was as fake as wax."

"If that's what you think, then don't expect me to ever talk to you again, I promise you I won't!" Pete said furiously.

"Good! I never want to see you again!"

I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me

Pete never called Mikey again.

Mikey never called Pete again.

Weeks after the tour ended turned into months. Months slowly turned into years. Neither of them talked to each other in anyway. But not a day went past without Mikey thinking about Pete, and the last things that they said to each other.

Don't expect me to ever talk to you again.

Good! I never want to see you again!

Pete had kept his promise. It had been five years since they saw each other and My Chemical Romance was coming out with their 4th album, Danger Days. According to news articles Mikey had read, he realized that Fall Out Boy wasn't together anymore.

The idea brought sadness and dread to Mikey. He hoped Pete was okay…and yet the same question repeated all the time whenever he thought about Pete.

Did they really have a friendship? What kind of friendship was it anyway? Was it just in the heat of the moment? Was he just high on sweat and music all summer long? Or was it all real?

Mikey remembered the kiss. That could've been considered playing around…no matter how passion-filled it was.

Well, Pete hadn't called in five years and for all he knew, they weren't friends anymore, whatever kind of friends they were. They weren't planning on seeing each other anytime soon. So Mikey would never know. And it made his chest feel as heavy as….

Well, as gold. Gold was so heavy, but it was also worth something. But he definitely didn't feel that he was worth gold at all.

That is, until one day, it was raining outside and Mikey was in the tour bus all the way in Manhattan, checking his twitter. That's when he realized he had received a tweet that wasn't from a fan or anyone else. It only had two sentences, but they struck Mikey so hard he felt like he couldn't breathe.

I can't keep my promise anymore. I miss you.

It was from Pete.

And suddenly, Mikey felt that he was worth as much as gold again.