A Rikey That Started Out With a Simple Glance and a Drunken Kiss

Mikey opened his cell phone, wanting to text Alicia and see what her plans were before the show. Of course, she would have to help set up and sell merch, but he just really wanted to hang out and spend a bit more time with her. Ray had been nice enough to get Alicia's cell number for him so he could, when he gained enough courage, as her out. But, he didn't know that Ray had also given Alicia his for the same reason.

As he texted her, he realized that she might not be able to respond until much later because of being so busy with the merch and all. But.. would she be busy this early? Usually merch didn't set up for another hour and a half.

Before Mikey could even send the text Alicia, he had received one from her. He smiled at this, knowing that she was probably thinking the same thing as him. As he read the text, his smile grew larger at her thoughtfulness.

"Hey M. Jst thght u mght want 2 hang 2day. mEt me @ the mRch bOth-A"

Mikey quickly texted her back to let her know that he would be there to hang out with her as she expected. Mikey's heart lifted up out of his stomach and back into his chest where it belonged as he closed his phone and smiled to himself. Before his idea to text Alicia to hang out, he was feeling really down because he was so confused over what was going on between Ray and himself.

As Mikey stood and walked to the back of the bus, he thought about that slight connection that was held last night with Ray. He didn't know what to think of it. This was something he never experienced before. For what he knew, he was completely and perfectly straight in every way imaginable. He had never even had one measly thought of the same sex, even throughout his teenage years when some of the people around him were sexually confused. Why should he start to have those thoughts now? And about his own band mate, for Pete's sake!

"Mikey?" a gravely voice called out to him in his hazy thought.

"Huh?" Mikey quickly replied, looking at the person to say his name and rip him from his confusing thoughts. He was quite glad his brother had taken him from these thoughts. He wasn't ready to debate his sexuality. He doubted if he would ever be ready. And to tell the truth, he did want to debate something as difficult as that. Mikey was perfectly fine with the way he was now; straight and in love.

"What's wrong?" Gerard asked as he sat on the edge of his bunk, his hands rubbing at his eyes to get the sleep out of them. "You're mumbling to yourself and you looked like you were thinking WAY to hard for your brain to handle."

"Yeah.. it's something like that.." Mikey replied, going to his bunk across from Gerard's and getting a pair of clothes for the day out.

Gerard sensed that Mikey wanted to talk about what was troubling him, just not at that very moment. So he dropped it, making a mental note to ask him at a later time when he was not so busy. "Well, if you need to talk... You know where to find me," Gerard simple put out there before standing and walking sleepily out to the front of the bus.

Mikey sighed as he began to strip from his pajama pants and his worn out Iron Maiden tee before clambering into his jeans quickly to avoid being teased by Frank. He pulled his Anthrax shirt on, attempting to smooth out the slight wrinkles with his hands.

When Mikey began to straighten his mousy brown hair, Frank fell out of his bunk, grumbling loudly. Mikey paused in his task, looking at Frank oddly as he lay there, moaning in slight pain, the only thing clothing his body were a pair of blue plaid boxers. Mikey raised an eyebrow at him before rolling his eyes as Jamia's head popped out of the bunk laughing. He went back to straightening his hair.

"Jamiiiiaaa..." Frank whined, looking at his girlfriend's face as she smiled at him on the floor. "No faaaiir!"

"That was fair, Frank. AND you know it!" She giggled as she kissed him playfully before getting out of the bunk, jumping over him and walking out into the front of the bus. "Get up off the floor, sweetie!"

Nearly a half hour later, Mikey was dressed and presentable to the outside world.

"Well, don't you just look dashing?" Ray joked when he passed Mikey as he headed back to the bunks with the white lab top in his hands. "What? Are you going out to see Alicia?" Ray tried to hide the painful jealousy from his voice, but Mikey picked up on it.

"Yeah. She texted me to meet her at the merch booth. She actually wants to hang out with me!" Mikey smiled, brushing off the sudden rush of guilt that overcame him with the pain laced in Ray's voice.

"Good for you," Ray half-heartedly congratulated, slightly regretting giving Alicia Mikey's phone number.

Mikey sensed that Ray was saddened about him seeing Alicia today. A part of him wanted to forget about her and stay with Ray, possibly watching a movie or making music together. But the other part wanted to spend some more valuable time with Alicia. Besides, he could see Ray any time he wanted. With Alicia, he could only see her, most likely with his luck, on this tour. Why not take advantage of that?

An awkward silence filled the area around the two. Neither wanted to break it and have to leave each other. Mikey noticed that lately, they seemed to be like magnets to each other, always finding the other in need of comfort.

"I should.. uh.. go," Mikey said, motioning to the door of the bus.

"Yeah," Ray agreed. "Alicia's probably waiting for you..."

With that, he turned and climbed into his bunk, pulling the privacy curtains closed with a little more force than needed. Mikey sighed, exiting the bus and squinting as the sun's rays temporarily hurt his eyes. Soon, he was adjusted and took in the area around him. The buses were parked close together, only allowing enough room for three people to walk side by side between them. The sun was high and hot, beating down on the black tar underneath his shoes. Mikey wished he had his sunglasses with him, now. The sun seemed to bounce off everything and shine into his eyes, burning his retinas.