The Ultimate Bet

"So what do you like to do for fun?" Mikey asked, watching the kid eat his lunch: a veggie burger, Capri Sun, and M&Ms. In Mikey Way's professional opinion, Frank Iero was about as interesting as a fly on his wall.

"Fun?" Frank asked, furrowing his brow, "Erm…I like to read Reader's Digest..."

The older boy sighed. "Reading is not fun unless it's comics. Seriously. What else do you do besides stick your nose in a book? There has to be...something." Something needed to be interesting about this kid if he was going to devote all his spare time to keeping him away from his brother and Ray.

Frank looked at him in confusion, "I don't know what you mean. Reading is fun."

Mikey put his hands up in defeat. "Okay. So what sort of books do you like to read for fun, besides Reader's Digest?"

"All those horror novels. Steven King--"

Finally! At least there was something of interest. Mikey leaned forward. "You like horror movies, too huh? Awesome, you really should see--"

"No, no," Frank cut him off, shaking his head adamantly. "I don't like the movies. I prefer the books, they're better."

In Mikey Way's professional opinion, if someone didn't enjoy watching horror films, something was seriously wrong with that person.

**

Gerard couldn't fucking believe this. Out of all the fucking days he looked forward to stacking up library books, putting them back in all the wrong places on purpose, flirting with all the girls, offering to assist them in finding a certain book, and sneaking off to smoke cigarettes-- Frank Iero was not there. He hadn't stepped in the library. Not once.

He left his teacher’s aid period, the bell signaling it was time for his lunch.

He passed by a familiar afro on his way. Gerard stopped, then marched up to his opponent.

"So, you decided to cheat and steal the boy, huh?" he accused, pressing his finger into the bigger boy's chest. "Remember the rules, dickweed? Rule number one: Morals and the laws don't apply; if you're gonna end up in jail for it, so much the better. Rule number two: No kidnapping the subject of the bet. Rule number three: No kidnapping the subject of the bet. Rule number four--!"

"Gerard! I didn't kidnap the kid! I've never broken the rules," Ray said loudly, hoping to be heard over the dark-haired boy's rant.

"He wasn't in the library. We both know Frank would never skip on his library session time. In fact, that kid still goes to fucking school when he’s sick, even when he had bronchitis--"

"Gerard, man, I don't have anything to do with that," Ray held up his hands, a serious expression on his features.

Gerard eyed his friend hard, realizing that he wasn't lying. Ray looked just as worried and confused as him.

"Well then, maybe...he's at lunch or something," he said hopefully.

Ray nodded, his eyes looking towards the lockers behind Gerard. "Yeah. Maybe he is..."

Gerard headed to the lunch room, and Ray dashed off towards the Junior/Senior lockers. Frank Iero had developed a reputation for getting stuffed in them three times a week, after all.

**

Damn it, he should've gone to the lockers first. Gerard scanned the over-crowded room, not able to pinpoint the kid though it didn't help that Frank had the height of a sixth grader and blended in easily.

Damn it! Why did he even come here in the first place? He didn't know which lunch the nerd had.

He paused when he noticed a familiar face.

Mikey? He glanced at his Batman watch, seeing the longer wing pointing to the six. Mikey did not have lunch with him, he should be in English class right now. He walked closer to where he thought he had seen his brother, and came face to face with not only his kid brother, but the whole reason why he was in the lunchroom in the first place.

"Mikey?" he gasped and Mikey's head snapped forward to look at him, shocked.

Frank looked up, mildly curious, glancing between the two brothers while a bit of ketchup ran down his chin. Mikey rolled his eyes, then used a napkin to wipe it off for him. Frank smiled his thanks.

Gerard licked his lips, eyeing the boy next to his brother. Since when did Mikey participate in their bets?

"Sorry to intrude, but I need my kid brother for a sec…" he explained to the bespectacled youth, then roughly grasped Mikey by his Iron Maiden shirt and pulled him out of his chair.

"Ow! If you fucking rip my shirt, you're fucking paying for it!"

Gerard hushed his brother and pulled him out of earshot from Frank. "And if you're gonna join in, you gotta pay up."

"Huh?"

"Oh please, Ray told you, I know he did. he always tells you if I don't. I just never thought you would actually try to compete against your own brother! Bros before hoes, remember?"

Mikey laughed, pushing Gerard’s hand off of his chest. "Please, I wouldn't fuck that kid if you paid me. He's a complete bore. If you got laid as much as I did, you would know personality is a good indicator how someone will be in the sack--"

"I don't know about that, Mikey," Gerard said as he realized his brother wanted to play dirty and throw numbers at him. "The ditzy ones aren't half-bad. But that's not the point, the point is--"

"Why would I even compete? I know I would win anyway."

"Okay, punk ass. If you think you're so great at getting what you want, show me. You think you can fuck the kid by the end of next week?"

Mikey just scoffed, "What part of the whole, 'I wouldn't fuck that kid if you paid me' bit did you not understand?"

"So why are you even talking to him if you don't want to fuck him?" Gerard asked.

"Maybe to make sure you don't come around and infect him with your dirty STDs..."

"I’m not so sure you’re clean, yourself. You fucked Emily Valence, after all."

"Yeah, I did, and you didn't," Mikey sneered. "So no, I'm not even going to waste my time playing in this stupid little game, because what's the point? I would win, hands down--"

"I'm sorry!" they suddenly heard Frank cry.

"Yeah, you better be! This is our table, kid. We don't want any nerd freaks like you sitting here and infecting us with your freak diseases--"

"Shit!" Mikey swore, "we left him alone. Nice one, dipshit!"

Both brothers rushed back to where they left Frank, only to find him on the floor, all his food and books shattered around him. He was shaking in fear in front of the two older boys who stared down at him, laughing at him and sneering taunting remarks.

"Don't you know the rules, kid? People like you don't ever sit on these tables, not unless you want to get your ass kicked," a big blond-haired guy growled, reaching down to pull the small teen up by the back of his shirt.

"Bob! Man, he's cool. He's cool, he's with me," Mikey managed to stumble out, rushing to Frank's side to pull him away from the bigger boy. "I...invited him."

"You're lucky my kid sister likes you," Bob finally said after a long pause, and Mikey and Gerard both let out a sigh of relief. "If you break her heart, I'm killing you, you hear?"

"Y-Yes, I would n-never--" Mikey stuttered, and Bob gave a curt nod then stalked off to pick his next victim

Frank whimpered and huddled closer to Mikey's side, shuddering. Mikey hushed the kid, petting his hair soothingly. Gerard could only shake his head in disgust: his little brother was a fucking traitor.

Gerard followed Bob, knowing the guy still owed him a little favor.

"Bobby!" he called, and the blond-haired boy turned around, looking like he was about to explode at whoever dared call him that then calmed down once he realized who it was.

"Thanks for not beating my bro to a pulp," he said, walking beside Bob, keeping up with his longer strides.

Bob looked at him with a funny expression. "Trust me, if Katie didn't like him--"

"Yeah, I'm sure my brother would be in the nurse's office right now with a broken bone. All the same, I appreciate it. But listen, man, I need a huge favor. You owe me, you know?"

"Who do you need me to fuck up?"

"Frank Iero."