The Perfect Foundation

Pete was stuck. Mentally, anyway. Physically he was sprawled on his bed, rain hurling itself at his partially open window, wind billowing the curtains into streams and curls. None of this affected him, however, because his mind was being buffeted around in his own private storm of thoughts and fears.

He knew that he shouldn't have kissed Mikey but looking back on it: that part had been inevitable. From the very start when Mikey had rescued him he had felt he wanted to be closer to him. But it was hard to separate attraction from sex, even though they didn't normally coincide for him. Wanting to make someone happy automatically connected with sexual pleasure, and yet he knew his own happiness was not connected with it.

He just wanted Mikey, in his wonderful, adorable, awkwardly caring entirety. That must be too much to ask. Mikey couldn't possibly want someone as used and damaged as him. Why would he? A few days had passed and the younger Way brother hadn't really been any different with him, although he sensed he wanted to follow it up, he just didn't know how.

Pete knew he was difficult to read - he had perfected blanking his face in the fair - it was his way of surviving. But if he wanted a relationship with Mikey - any kind of relationship - he had to show him what he wanted and how much he liked him. Maybe there was something he could do...Pete turned over in bed and stared at the window pensively, feeling the slight spray of the rain and breathing in the fresh air, grateful of the peace and quiet.

For now anyway.

He closed his eyes and wondered what Mikey thought of him. He had sort of returned the kiss, before he'd freaked and ran away. He'd taken advantage of Mikey being half asleep because it was the early morning and somehow it had just been to hard to resist. It had been strange and impulsive, but sweet; innocent.

He hoped it wasn't just Mikey's innocence that was attractive. If anything, it was terrifying because one wrong move and he could corrupt him...or scare him off. With the fair, they knew everything about each other when sex was involved, from how they looked naked to their expressions when they came...it was just part of the job. With Mikey, he could only imagine, and he didn't know whether he could give someone pleasure without thinking about it as a job. Too many painful memories.

Some flashed up in his mind's eye and he subconsciously scoured the room with his gaze in case there were any monsters in the shadows. Pete clutched the sheets around him to ward off the memories and took a few deep breaths.

He wasn't there anymore. He wasn't going back. He was safe.

He could choose his own life, his own path. Like his parents, like his family and friends would have wanted him to. It was so much to live up to. He wasn't perfect and he would never be perfect. The only things he knew he could do well were...just about anything related to sex.

He'd forgotten how to do half the stuff he'd learnt at school: song writing, singing, guitar, some drums on the side, stupid things like skateboarding, roller blading and martial arts. Painting.

He could lie really well and knew a lot about drugs...he buried his race into the soft pillows and mentally tried to will Mikey into his bed so he could curl into his side and inhale the scent of his skin and fall back asleep in the dark, listening to the rain.

Mikey had almost resigned himself to Pete never following up on the kiss when Ryan cornered him after lunch and dragged him into the bathroom. For a skinny guy, Ryan was damn strong! The older boy locked the door behind them and leant on it, looking shamelessly elegant, Mikey decided.

"I know how to make Pete admit he kissed you."

Mikey gave him a half- wary, half-disbelieving look and Ryan sighed dramatically. He was not in a good mood. Spencer still hadn't come out of his room and the whole thing was driving him crazy.

"You're probably not going to agree to this but can you somehow strip in front of him?"

Mikey raised an eyebrow in astonishment.

"No fucking way!"

"Not naked; just-," Ryan flapped a hand unconcernedly, "Topless."

"No. No chance. I can't do that?!"

"Look," placated Ryan, bringing his own anger under control and bending to Mikey's level where he was perched on the side of the bath, "I'm not saying you have to do a strip tease or anything, just drop by his room topless to tell him that we're having breakfast outside or something. I know his room is between yours and Gerard's, it shouldn't be too hard. Have your t-shirt in your hand or something. Put it on in front of him even. Trust me, that's more of a subtle way of reminding him than jumping him..."

Mikey shuffled uneasily on the rim, his hands knotted in his lap.

"I just - I dunno-."

"Think about it. Please."

The skinny boy unlocked the door and pulled it open so they could rejoin the group.

"Oh, and if you see Spencer? Kill him for me will you."

Ryan shot Mikey the most sarcastic smile he could manage and stalked off in the direction of the kitchen.

The younger Way brother felt a little like he'd been verbally steam-rollered so he meandered back to the kitchen himself and lurked near Gerard, relapsing into a state of quiet reflection.

Pete wasn't around, so it was easier to think about him. Brendon was trying to make Ryan laugh, while Jon kept on looking at Ryan. Mikey put his head on Gerard's shoulder and his brother stroked his hair absently as he laughed at something Brendon said.

Mikey thought about how he could feasibly get Pete to re-initiate whatever it was that he had had in mind that morning. Sure he could kiss him. That would be the most obvious thing to do. But he kinda liked Ryan's idea, if he was honest with himself - make Pete sweat a bit maybe. Put him off with his weedy pale torso. He smirked. He supposed now would be as good a time as any. Telling Pete to come down for lunch wasn't exactly a crime...and if he wanted to change his shirt? Well, what of it. Wow he was growing some balls.

Mikey wasn't sure what had changed. He'd always been a patient person, good at dealing with Gerard's drama. Perhaps he wanted to put himself out there for Pete, for once, because he really liked the short, dark-haired man and wished he could be braver and tell him how he felt.

But that would take some working up to. Unfortunately before Mikey could excuse himself, the object of his thoughts trundled into view looking sleepy and adorable with his rumpled shirt and tousled hair. He smiled without thinking and lifted his head off Gerard's shoulder to join in the greetings.

Mikey didn't get his chance until several mornings later, and by that time he was twice as nervous and not at all sure how Pete was going to react - or whether he would even react at all.

He showered, pulled on some jeans and figured that if he was going to barge into Pete's room half-naked, he should have at least have a good reason.

So some time around 10 am, Mikeyway knocked on Pete's door, feeling ridiculous because he was fucking freezing his ass off and wrapping his arms around himself as he waited for Pete to answer.

When he didn't, Mikey hovered for a moment before carefully opening the door and peering inside.

The curtains were half-closed, with the dull grey light from the window spilling across the lower half of the bed. The occupant, apparently, was blissfully unaware of his intruder and fast asleep, only his legs covered by a pitiful swathe of blankets.

The blonde man almost ran away but curiosity got the better of him. He felt guilty as he padded across the wooden floor, feeling like some sort of burglar-pervert. Gerard was going to kill him. He'd be kicked out of the house and sent onto the streets. But Jesus Christ...he faltered at the foot of the bed, just staring in a drunken rapture at Pete Wentz.

He was absolutely dead to the world, one arm flung out over the mattress, face turned into the pillows with his hair splayed across his eyes and mussed like brush strokes over his cheek. One hand lay face up, slightly curled, while the other rested on his hip, next to an amazing tattoo on his abdomen. Mikey had seen Pete's olive-skinned torso before but he hadn't realised the man had so many tattoos and a fair amount of scars too.

He shouldn't be here, let alone watching his friend sleep. And yet...his heart thumped uncomfortably loudly in the silent room and he tried to calm himself down with some deep breaths in and out, slowly. Why the hell did he listen to Ryan?! The guy was insane. Mikey looked left and right for a moment, deciding whether to stay or run, then found himself gravitating towards the window and pulling the curtains fully open.

"Time to get up Pete!"

He announced with false cheer. Time for Mikey to embody Gerard for once in his life. The dark-haired man groaned and threw his hand over his face to block out the intrusive sunlight.

"C'mon! The world awaits."

Pete moaned some more and pulled the cover over his head with a:

"Go 'way Mikey Way."

Mikey rolled his eyes and perched on the edge of the bed, sighing and reaching over to shake what he presumed was Pete's arm-shoulder lump under the blanket.

"Pete."

No answer. Another poke.

"Pete. I need to borrow a shirt, I'm fucking freezing out here."

A dark head emerged suddenly from out of the mass of sheets and Mikey fixed an apologetic look on his face as the smaller man considered him in consternation. Suddenly he sat up and flung back the covers.

"Get in. I wanna sleep more. We can get you a shirt later."

Mikey cautiously shuffle-crawled along the bed and lay down. Pete dragged the covers over their heads and then Mikey was faced with a mostly-naked Pete inches from his face and he began to rapidly backtrack, seriously doubting his desire to take things further. The dark-haired man reddish-brown eyes were staring him down and Mikey felt his cheeks flush with the intensity.

"Th-thanks," He finally stuttered out, "I feel warmer already."

Pete put out a hand and ran it along Mikey's arm. He still didn't say anything, but after a few seconds he slid his arms around the taller man's torso and pulled himself close, burying his face into Mikey's collar bone. Mikey's heart tripled it's rhythm but he slowly embraced the smaller man and smiled like a crazy person. Maybe things were going ok after all.