You Were the Last Good Thing About This Part of Town

Pete was in love.

Maybe it was the freedom of summer that brought out these feelings, or maybe it was the fact that he hadn't been attracted to anyone for so long that his attraction was intensified. Either way, he was in love and there was nothing he could do about it.

That didn't mean he didn't want to act on these feelings. In fact it was quite the opposite; if he had his way, Pete wouldn't be single anymore. He would wear his heart on his sleeve and let everyone know, “Hey, I'm in a fucking relationship and this is the happiest I have ever been!”

But like every other cliché love story, there was someone in the way, someone preventing Pete from getting that special someone. Along with every cliché story, that person was hurting the one Pete loved and he would no longer stand by and watch.

It was time to act.

“Hey Mikey!” Pete said happily, plopping down next to his best friend, who was glaring down at his hands with tears in his eyes. “Mikey, are you okay?”

“I don't know anymore,” Mikey sobbed, shaking his head before falling into his friend's warm embrace. “I don't know how much more I can take of this, Pete. It hurts too much.”

Pete knew what Mikey was talking about right away and, in spite of the major height difference between the two men, Pete held Mikey tightly in his arms while the latter sobbed loudly. “I want to understand him and his ways, but the fact that he can just fucking do that in front of me and thousands of fans...with my brother, of all people. I just can't, Pete, I can't.”

“You don't have to explain yourself to me, Mikey,” Pete whispered, stroking the mousy blonde hair of the man curled up to his chest, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. “If he just fucking realized how lucky he was-”

“What?” Mikey croaked, sitting up and staring at his friend. “You think he's lucky to have me?”

“I really do,” Pete smiled, using his thumb to wipe away the last few tears that were on Mikey's pale cheeks. Before Mikey could respond, however, someone called his name loudly from behind and Mikey pulled away instantly, scrambling to his feet and staring at his hands.

“Hi baby.”

It took everything in Pete not to scream, his hands curling up into fists as Mikey embraced his boyfriend, followed by a quick kiss to the lips. “Hi.”

“Oh Pete,” Pete looked up at the sound of his name, glaring up at the one person he could truly say he hated. “I didn't see you there, how's it going?”

“Hey Frank,” Pete forced a smile when Mikey glanced down, begging for his friend to just get along with his boyfriend. “I'm all right, how are you?”

“I'm splendid,” Frank bared his teeth, sending a wink down to the man on the ground before turning back to Mikey. “Listen, I want to take you out to dinner...maybe get a hotel room. Have a little romantic night?”

Pete grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. He hated Frank Iero. Not only because he was with Mikey but because Frank knew about the feelings Pete had for the tall, awkward man. Hell, everyone knew except Mikey himself, thanks to his low self-esteem, and Frank made sure to rub in the fact that Pete may never end up with Mikey because of him.

“We can't,” Mikey stammered, Pete's head snapping up at this new piece of information. Pete, despite his best efforts, stuck his tongue out childishly at Frank when Mikey wasn't looking and Frank looked ready to kill.

“Why not?” Frank demanded, his sweet demeanor falling down for a moment before he collected himself. “I mean, we haven't gone out in ages, Mikey!”

“The directors for Warped are putting on a huge party tonight for all the bands,” Mikey's turned to Pete, showing that he was talking to him, too. “And I was wanting to go.”

Pete could see the anger behind Frank's fake smile and he fucking wished Mikey would wake up and realize how shitty of a boyfriend Frank really was. “Well, if that's what you want-”

“Yes!” Mikey exclaimed happily, throwing his arms around the shorter man's neck and pressing a firm kiss to his lips. “Thank you, thank you! I need to go get ready!”

Pete snorted. “You're such a girl, Mikey.”

“Shut up,” Mikey grinned, “you love me for it.”

With a quick wave, Mikey and Frank ran off to their bus to get ready, leaving Pete on the dirty ground with a frown on his face. If Mikey only knew.

*

“Cheer up, Pete,” Patrick sighed, patting his friend on the shoulder as they made their way into the fancy hotel, filled with all of the bands who were a part of Warped Tour. It was like a girl's wet dream, Pete thought to himself, snickering at his own joke.

“I'm fine, Patrick,” Pete smiled, resting a hand on Patrick's lower back. “Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get a drink and mingle.”

Patrick didn't have time to object; Pete was already squeezing his way through the crowd, his eyes set firmly on the table of drinks. He would have fun tonight and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.

*

“Peter!”

Pete looked up from his spot on the floor, his vision blurred by the amount of alcohol he had consumed. “Not Peter, Pete!”

“You've never had a problem with me saying you're full name before.”

There was a small shift as someone moved to sit down on the dirty floor next to Pete, who nearly had a heart attack when he realized it was Mikey. Pete's cheeks burned brightly when he took in Mikey's appearance: his mousy blonde hair was straightened to perfection, his teeth shiny and white, while his white-rimmed glasses made Mikey's hazel eyes brighter than usual. Over all, he was stunning and Pete had the urge to jump his friend and shove his tongue down his throat.

“N-No, I don't mind you calling me Peter...but only you!”

Mikey smiled. “Good. I don't want anyone else having that honor.”

There was an awkward silence for a moment, Pete squirming in his spot while Mikey simply stared. “W-What are you looking at?”

“I broke up with Frank,” Mikey said suddenly, causing Pete to choke on his drink and spit it out. Pete was beyond shocked; this couldn't be real. His dream was not coming true.

Was it?

“Why?” Pete asked, trying his best to seem too eager over his friend's break-up. He had to be a good friend and give him space, but fuck did Pete want to attack Mikey's lips right then. “I mean, what happened? Everything seemed all right with you two a couple of hours ago.”

“No,” Mikey sighed, shaking his head as he recalled their fight. “I mean, they were, up until we started to fool around at the back of our bus and he moaned my brother's name. I pushed him off, screamed at him, then at my brother who walked in to try stop the fight. I told them both to fuck off and they did – together.”

Pete let out a sigh, unsure of what to do. Mikey was acting so calm about it all and Pete didn't know what to think. “Jeez, Mikey, I'm so sorry-”

“Don't be,” Mikey shrugged, reaching out and gripping Pete's hand tightly. “It's not like I'm alone or anything – I have you.”

Before Pete could agree, Mikey leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. Mikey studied Pete's expression, worried that Pete only saw him as a friend, before he felt a weight on his lap and a pair of hands tangle into his hair, Pete putting as much passion as he could behind their kiss.

“I love you,” Pete gasped against his friend's lips. “I have for so long, you don't even know how long I've waited to just fucking kiss you.”

Mikey smiled. “Then we better make up for all the time that you've waited.”

Pete nodded and moved to kiss Mikey again, only for Mikey to pull back a little. “Oh and Peter? I love you, too.”