Title: Radioactive Ice Cubes and Dancing Plasma Particles
Status: Complete
Fandom: My Chemical Romance/Fall Out Boy
Series:
SlideverseWord Count: roughly 1,200 words
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in or related to My Chemical Romance or Fall Out Boy. Real people are real and not mine.
Pairing: Mikey Way/Pete Wentz
Rating: PG-13
Beta and helper thanks:
b_dsaint for the quick beta.
Authors Notes: This was written for the
timestamp meme for
ladyfoxxx who asked for a
Slideverse and wanted me to roll it back to the beginning of summer, when Pete first notices Mikey.
Summary: Mikey Way catches Pete's attention for the first time. Prequel to
So Why Don't You Slide Pete notices Mikey Way for the first time in a venue parking lot, he’s not sure which, smoking a cigarette. It’s not the first time he meets the guy. They were only on Warped for like, a week and a half last year, but My Chemical Romance was the band everyone was talking about at the time. They had also all been so blasted out of their minds that Pete hadn’t been all that interested in getting to know them.
Pete’s not a huge drinker. His own crazy is typically more than enough to severely fuck him up. Also, since he doesn’t have the filters normal people seem to, he doesn’t really require any social lubrication. Unless he’s already friends with them, Pete doesn’t tend to gravitate towards people who are drinking. If he does know them though, a passed out drunk and a Sharpie can keep Pete entertained for hours.
Mikey’s not drinking when Pete notices him though. He’s sitting on a concrete parking block, smoking a cigarette and wearing a fucking jacket with a unicorn pin on the lapel and zippers all over it, in spite of the fact that it has to be like, a hundred and ten degrees outside, and he’s sitting in the sun. Even Pete’s surrendered his hoodie and is just wearing his loosest T-shirt. But not this guy.
“How are you not hot?” Pete demands an impassive Mikey, because there is a secret here. He knows there is. Has to be or else everyone would look just as comfortable as this guy.
“Mutant powers,” Mikey replies in a bland tone. “Got bit by a radioactive ice cube.”
Pete blinks. And then he blinks again. And then he grins and drops down to sit on the parking block next to him. “An ice cube with teeth.”
“I can show you one if you want,” he offers. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a napkin with a pen drawing of what is unmistakably an ice cube sitting in a puddle, complete with razor sharp teeth. “I made my brother draw it for me. It’s like a talisman against the heat or something.”
“That is fucking awesome.”
“Yeah. I keep trying to get him to draw me a water and steam version but he says he can’t figure out how to do a visual representation of that. “
“Well you put the water in a cup then give it a face from there.” Pete would have to think about the steam version. Something like the smoke monster in Fern Gully only a little less tar-like maybe?
“Right? That’s what I told him but he didn’t seem to get it. For a weird guy he can be surprisingly pedestrian.” Mikey sounds a little resigned and it makes Pete grin his big toothy grin at him for some reason. Mikey tilts his head to the side and studies Pete for a moment before he speaks again. “You’re with Fall Out Boy right?”
“Yeah. I’m Pete.”
“Mikey Way, My Chemical Romance, but I’m pretty sure you already knew that.” Then he holds out a hand. His fingers are long and slender and almost delicate. Not girlish or anything, they just look a little bit slighter than average. Pete likes them and he likes the way they feel wrapped around his palm even more.
“Mikey Way.”
“Yeah, just like that. I don’t know. It’s a nickname.”
“Your whole name is your nickname.” He’s a fan of nicknames. He hates that Patrick doesn’t like most of his but that Mikey seems to dig it is cool.
“Well, Mikey’s technically a nickname already. But yeah, I don’t know, you can call me that if you want to. Everyone else does. Not all the time but if the mood strikes you, feel free.”
“I like it.” Pete says. “You can’t really say my full name like that. You get stuck on all the parts and loose the flow. There’s five.”
“I won’t try then.”
“Best not to,” Pete agrees.
Mikey fishes in his pocket with his free hand and pulls out a pack of Marlboros. He flicks it open and holds them out in Pete’s direction. “Cigarette?”
Pete shakes his head. “I don’t smoke.”
“Oh.” Mikey looks down at his other hand, the one still balancing a lit cigarette between his index and middle finger, and seems almost guilty. He goes to throw it away but Pete catches him before he can. His entire hand wraps around Mikey’s wrist and he can feel his pulse underneath his fingertips.
For a second, Pete’s world narrows to the way Mikey’s skin feels, smooth and wet with sweat. It’s completely crazy because he’s never felt anything like that, not ever. It’s like the skin-contact version of the way he felt the first time he heard Patrick sing. Blinding realization, pure truth, all that shit.
“It’s okay if you smoke,” Pete says, his fingers still meeting around Mikey’s thin wrist. “You don’t have to stop because of me.”
“Well, you are kind of stopping me,” Mikey says, wiggling his nose so that his glasses move in the general direction of their hands.
“Huh. Oops.” Pete lets go even though he doesn’t really want to. He wanted to slide his fingers across the slick sweat and up under Mikey’s jacket, just to start. Which, what? He doesn’t usually go for guys. Not like that, not that intensely. It’s always kind of a mild thing, like “hmm, fun and familiar all at once” and not this intense ache that’s making his jeans feel three sizes too small instead of just one.
“It’s cool,” Mikey says with a shrug and something that’s almost a smile. The right corner of his mouth quirks a little bit, like a tease. It makes Pete curious. He’s got a thing about teasing. He’s great at dishing it out but if he’s taking it, he usually needs to make it pay off.
“So does your ice cube guy have a name?”
“No, but if you like that, you’ve got to come back to the My Chem bus with me. Gerard’s got this comic you’ve got to read.”
“And he won’t mind?” He doesn’t know the My Chemical Romance guys that well. They’ve only been on tour a few days but already Gerard reminds him a little bit of himself. Not necessarily in the good ways but in the crazy “don’t touch my stuff, don’t bother me when I’m inspired” ways.
Mikey shakes his head and climbs to his feet flicking the cigarette butt away. “By the time he notices it’s gone you’ll be done with it. It’s not long.” Then he holds out one long hand to Pete and he’s going to take it. He can’t do anything else.
“I’m expecting dancing plasma particles or I’m going to be disappointed,” Pete says once he’s standing again. He shoves the hand that Mikey’s released in his back pocket to keep from reaching out again.
Mikey laughs, a short, loud sound that comes with a smile that transforms his face. It’s fucking beautiful and Pete wants to see it again. He wants to see it as often as possible. He’s not sure how to make it happen but he’s got all summer. He’ll figure it out.