Trade Mistakes Chapter 6
Title: Trade Mistakes Chapter 6
Author: shadowoftheday
Rating: PG-13 (language)
Pairing: Adam Lambert/Tommy Joe Ratliff (also featuring Gerard Way/Frank Iero, Mikey Way/Mat Devine and past Gerard Way/Bert McCracken)
Summary: After being dumped by an insecure Adam, Tommy Joe spent a whirlwind few months touring with My Chemical Romance before returning to LA to give things with Adam another try. Everything seems to be going well, but as Tommy soon learns, what happens on the road doesn't necessarily stay on the road.
Disclaimer: All fiction, entertainment purposes only, don't own, please don't sue!
Warnings/Notes:Story title belongs to Panic! At The Disco, cut lyrics belong to the Used. Sorry for the delay guys, hope the lil cameo in this makes up for it :)
This story is a sequel to Burning in The Skies, which can be read here
Trade Mistakes Chapter 1
Trade Mistakes Chapter 2
Trade Mistakes Chapter 3
Trade Mistakes Chapter 4
Trade Mistakes Chapter 5
I live to tease. Coming soon to a chapter near you...
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"Tommy, look, I know you have your hands full tracking down everyone's favourite red head, but I really want you to come by and play guitar on this track," Brendon said, pouting at the phone he had trapped between his ear and shoulder.
"Bren, I'd love to, but between Gerard going AWOL, Mikey freaking out, Adam feeling neglected, I just don't have the time right now. You have like a gazillion friends who could do it," Tommy said, listening to Brendon huff with a slight smile on his lips.
Brendon had been like a shelter for Tommy in recent weeks, untouched by all the pain that Tommy seemed to be caught up in. Sure, Brendon was still a bit sore over Ryan, but he was one of the strongest people Tommy knew, and between working on a new Panic album and learning to surf, he seemed perfectly happy.
"But Tommy, I was really hoping to target the pretty kitty market on this album!" Brendon whined, trying to balance two Starbucks cups in one hand as he approached the door to the studio building where Spencer was not so patiently waiting for his caffiene hit. Brendon had gotten distracted by a toy store on the way back, it totally wasn't his fault.
"I'm going to kill you, Urie. Stone dead."
"Uh huh," Brendon teased, about to whip out a snotty retort when he collided with a compact but solid body coming through the door.
The coffees were a lost cause, but Brendon was able to catch the toy shop bag (containing his new Harry Potter Lego kit) before it hit the ground.
"Shit, I am so sorry!" The body yelped, immediately crouching down to gather up the mess.
"Hey, that's ok," Brendon said, really meaning it. He'd had enough head on collisions with inanimate objects to know sometimes they were just unavoidable. "Hey Tommy Joe, I gotta go. Don't think this is over."
He hung up the phone and shoved his cell phone back in his pocket, before crouching down to help the stranger.
It was then he realised exactly who he had run into.
"Oh my god, Blaine!" He blurted before he could help himself, clapping a hand over his open mouth as soon as the words had tumbled free.
"You can call me Darren," the man said with a carefree smile, his hazel brown eyes glittering as he stood, offering Brendon a calloused hand.
"I love you," Brendon confessed.
"I love you too," Darren replied, his smile widening. "Brendon Urie, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've been holding a glass up to the wall that seperates our studios all week."
"You've been here this whole time and nobody told me!" Brendon groaned, throwing a death glare at the studio building, as if it was the walls' fault he didn't know Darren Criss had been next door the whole time he'd been there.
"Well, Spencer was planning a surprise, I think," Darren admitted, pushing his wild curls back from his face.
"I'm going to kill him. Stone dead," Brendon said, before realising he was still holding on to Darren's hand. "Hey, you play guitar, right?"
* * *
Mikey Way was a mess.
Tommy felt like Mikey was the member of MCR he knew the least. Although he'd spent a lot of time with the shy bassist, Mikey remained a mystery. The only people Tommy knew who could figure him out were the people who had known him for years - Gerard, Frankie, Mat.
But even with his limited Mikey Way know how, Tommy knew he was a mess.
He'd always been thin, but ever since he had returned from Europe with Mat, weight seemed to be slipping through his fingers like water. He was paler than usual too, and had taken to wearing obnoxious over sized sunglasses to hide the dark smudges under his eyes.
"Any update?" Tommy asked as soon as he slid into the chair opposite the couple.
"He called," Mikey replied, his voice even. "Last night."
"What did he say?" Tommy demanded. "Is he ok?"
Mikey shook his head, pursing his lips as if he physically couldn't bring himself to talk about it. Mat wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's shoulder before meeting Tommy's gaze.
"He didn't say much," Mat said. "He just sort of sobbed a little bit, then just...sat there quietly, I guess. We tried to call him back when the line went dead, but it went to voicemail."
Tommy felt his heart stutter in his chest, and rubbed a shaking hand over his eyes. It sounded like Gerard was in some serious pain, and they were no closer to finding him.
"Any word from Frank?"
"I don't want to talk to that son of a bitch," Mikey spat, angrier than Tommy had ever seen him. "Fuck Frank Iero."
"He might be the only person who can get Gerard back," Tommy pointed out, for the millionth time. It felt like they'd been having this conversation for weeks - Mikey was angry about Frank just disappearing, and held him responsible for the mess they all assumed Gerard was in.
"He made his feelings about my brother perfectly clear," Mikey said, retreating back into himself. "We're on our own, Tommy. We have to find him."
"We will," Tommy promised. "Whatever it takes."
* * *
"I'm going to bring Frankie back to LA," Tommy told Adam the next morning as he shoved relatively clean clothes into a bag.
"What? How do you know where he is?" Adam asked, looking up from the papers strewn across the bed.
"Frankie only stayed in LA because of Gee, without him, there's only one place Frankie would consider home," Tommy explained. "He's gone back to Jersey."
"You're going to New Jersey?"
"Only for a couple of days, just to convince him to come back with me. Gee loves Mikey, he does, but I think Frankie is probably the only person who can lure him back. If Frankie's here, Gee will try to find him."
"You seem very set on this," Adam said, his voice and expression kept very carefully blank. Tommy froze.
"Well, the sooner those crazy kids work it out, the more free time I have to spend with you."
"Mmhmm," Adam nodded. "You've forgotten, haven't you?"
"Forgotten what?"
"We're supposed to go into the studio this weekend, finally start laying down some new tracks."
Tommy's stomach sank as he met Adam's disappointed eyes. He had forgotten. Between his heart breaking talks with Mikey, his long nights out trawling the rock clubs and seemingly endless afternoons searching the web for a scrap of info about Gerard, he'd forgotten that Adam had finally finished writing his new album and was getting ready to record.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I did forget," Tommy admitted, knowing there was no sense lying about it. "But I'll be back as soon as I can, ok? It's going to take you a few days to settle in anyway, I won't be missing anything."
"Tommy...you're missing everything," Adam said quietly, suddenly becoming very interested in the pattern on the rug at Tommy's feet. "I know that you feel obligated to help Gerard, and I understand that, but we're suffering as a result of your obsession with him."
"I don't feel obligated, Adam. I love him, and he's destroying himself. I can't sit back and let that happen. I wouldn't let it happen to Monte, or Brendon, or any of my friends," Tommy sighed, letting his half packed bag drop to the floor. "We can't keep having this conversation, baby boy."
"You're not going to stop until you find him, are you?" Adam asked.
Tommy didn't answer, but he didn't need to. They both knew the answer to Adam's whispered question, and what it could mean for them.
"Adam, I promise, when this is over, you will have my undivided attention, but I can't let Gee suffer like this, I just can't."
"What if I can't wait?" Adam mumbled. "What if you never find him, Tommy? What if he doesn't want to be found?"
"Can't wait, or won't wait?" Tommy asked, begging his heart to slow down before it beat right out of his chest. They couldn't be having this conversation, not now, not so quietly and so calmly. Tommy loved Adam right down to his bones, couldn't stand the thought of living without him, but he was just so tired that he couldn't bring himself to fight.
"Forget I said anything," Adam said suddenly, sitting up and wiping quickly at his eyes. "I'm just a bit emotional at the moment. I don't like saying goodbye to you."
"Adam..."
"It's ok, Glitterbaby. Call me when you land," Adam said, kissing Tommy quickly but firmly on the mouth.
"Will you be here when I get back?" Tommy asked as he picked up his bag. Adam smiled, and it almost reached his eyes.
"Always. Remember to call me."
"I will," Tommy promised. He went down the stairs, clutching the handles of his bag so tight his nails were digging into his palm. He hesitated at the front door, trying to steady himself.
With one last look up the stairs, he left.
* * *
"Frank Iero, I am landing at Newark Airport at 6:30 and if you're not there to meet me, God help me I will wander off into Jersey all by myself. And I'm wearing lip gloss."
Frank sighed as he listened to Tommy's voicemail for the third time. He was sitting in his mom's beaten up car (she wouldn't let him buy him a new one) in the airport parking lot, having yet another internal debate about whether or not he should go meet Tommy.
In the end, he got out of the car and headed into the airport building, hood pulled up over his long unkempt hair. He hoped no one recognised him, he couldn't do the smile, and be polite, and be Frankie from My Chemical Romance when as far as he knew, that was all over and he was just regular Frank Iero again.
Still, he couldn't help but smile when he saw Tommy, wandering through the arrivals gate. His smile slipped as his friend approached - Tommy looked like death, tired and pale like he hadn't slept in weeks. For all Frank knew, he hadn't. He assumed, with Mikey gone, that Gerard would turn to Tommy for comfort and as much as Frank adored Gerard, that man could be god damn needy.
"Tommy, what's wrong?" Frank asked as soon as Tommy reached him.
Tommy replied with the two words Frank had been dreading, making his blood run cold.
"It's Gerard."
Author: shadowoftheday
Rating: PG-13 (language)
Pairing: Adam Lambert/Tommy Joe Ratliff (also featuring Gerard Way/Frank Iero, Mikey Way/Mat Devine and past Gerard Way/Bert McCracken)
Summary: After being dumped by an insecure Adam, Tommy Joe spent a whirlwind few months touring with My Chemical Romance before returning to LA to give things with Adam another try. Everything seems to be going well, but as Tommy soon learns, what happens on the road doesn't necessarily stay on the road.
Disclaimer: All fiction, entertainment purposes only, don't own, please don't sue!
Warnings/Notes:Story title belongs to Panic! At The Disco, cut lyrics belong to the Used. Sorry for the delay guys, hope the lil cameo in this makes up for it :)
This story is a sequel to Burning in The Skies, which can be read here
Trade Mistakes Chapter 1
Trade Mistakes Chapter 2
Trade Mistakes Chapter 3
Trade Mistakes Chapter 4
Trade Mistakes Chapter 5
I live to tease. Coming soon to a chapter near you...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Tommy, look, I know you have your hands full tracking down everyone's favourite red head, but I really want you to come by and play guitar on this track," Brendon said, pouting at the phone he had trapped between his ear and shoulder.
"Bren, I'd love to, but between Gerard going AWOL, Mikey freaking out, Adam feeling neglected, I just don't have the time right now. You have like a gazillion friends who could do it," Tommy said, listening to Brendon huff with a slight smile on his lips.
Brendon had been like a shelter for Tommy in recent weeks, untouched by all the pain that Tommy seemed to be caught up in. Sure, Brendon was still a bit sore over Ryan, but he was one of the strongest people Tommy knew, and between working on a new Panic album and learning to surf, he seemed perfectly happy.
"But Tommy, I was really hoping to target the pretty kitty market on this album!" Brendon whined, trying to balance two Starbucks cups in one hand as he approached the door to the studio building where Spencer was not so patiently waiting for his caffiene hit. Brendon had gotten distracted by a toy store on the way back, it totally wasn't his fault.
"I'm going to kill you, Urie. Stone dead."
"Uh huh," Brendon teased, about to whip out a snotty retort when he collided with a compact but solid body coming through the door.
The coffees were a lost cause, but Brendon was able to catch the toy shop bag (containing his new Harry Potter Lego kit) before it hit the ground.
"Shit, I am so sorry!" The body yelped, immediately crouching down to gather up the mess.
"Hey, that's ok," Brendon said, really meaning it. He'd had enough head on collisions with inanimate objects to know sometimes they were just unavoidable. "Hey Tommy Joe, I gotta go. Don't think this is over."
He hung up the phone and shoved his cell phone back in his pocket, before crouching down to help the stranger.
It was then he realised exactly who he had run into.
"Oh my god, Blaine!" He blurted before he could help himself, clapping a hand over his open mouth as soon as the words had tumbled free.
"You can call me Darren," the man said with a carefree smile, his hazel brown eyes glittering as he stood, offering Brendon a calloused hand.
"I love you," Brendon confessed.
"I love you too," Darren replied, his smile widening. "Brendon Urie, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've been holding a glass up to the wall that seperates our studios all week."
"You've been here this whole time and nobody told me!" Brendon groaned, throwing a death glare at the studio building, as if it was the walls' fault he didn't know Darren Criss had been next door the whole time he'd been there.
"Well, Spencer was planning a surprise, I think," Darren admitted, pushing his wild curls back from his face.
"I'm going to kill him. Stone dead," Brendon said, before realising he was still holding on to Darren's hand. "Hey, you play guitar, right?"
* * *
Mikey Way was a mess.
Tommy felt like Mikey was the member of MCR he knew the least. Although he'd spent a lot of time with the shy bassist, Mikey remained a mystery. The only people Tommy knew who could figure him out were the people who had known him for years - Gerard, Frankie, Mat.
But even with his limited Mikey Way know how, Tommy knew he was a mess.
He'd always been thin, but ever since he had returned from Europe with Mat, weight seemed to be slipping through his fingers like water. He was paler than usual too, and had taken to wearing obnoxious over sized sunglasses to hide the dark smudges under his eyes.
"Any update?" Tommy asked as soon as he slid into the chair opposite the couple.
"He called," Mikey replied, his voice even. "Last night."
"What did he say?" Tommy demanded. "Is he ok?"
Mikey shook his head, pursing his lips as if he physically couldn't bring himself to talk about it. Mat wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's shoulder before meeting Tommy's gaze.
"He didn't say much," Mat said. "He just sort of sobbed a little bit, then just...sat there quietly, I guess. We tried to call him back when the line went dead, but it went to voicemail."
Tommy felt his heart stutter in his chest, and rubbed a shaking hand over his eyes. It sounded like Gerard was in some serious pain, and they were no closer to finding him.
"Any word from Frank?"
"I don't want to talk to that son of a bitch," Mikey spat, angrier than Tommy had ever seen him. "Fuck Frank Iero."
"He might be the only person who can get Gerard back," Tommy pointed out, for the millionth time. It felt like they'd been having this conversation for weeks - Mikey was angry about Frank just disappearing, and held him responsible for the mess they all assumed Gerard was in.
"He made his feelings about my brother perfectly clear," Mikey said, retreating back into himself. "We're on our own, Tommy. We have to find him."
"We will," Tommy promised. "Whatever it takes."
* * *
"I'm going to bring Frankie back to LA," Tommy told Adam the next morning as he shoved relatively clean clothes into a bag.
"What? How do you know where he is?" Adam asked, looking up from the papers strewn across the bed.
"Frankie only stayed in LA because of Gee, without him, there's only one place Frankie would consider home," Tommy explained. "He's gone back to Jersey."
"You're going to New Jersey?"
"Only for a couple of days, just to convince him to come back with me. Gee loves Mikey, he does, but I think Frankie is probably the only person who can lure him back. If Frankie's here, Gee will try to find him."
"You seem very set on this," Adam said, his voice and expression kept very carefully blank. Tommy froze.
"Well, the sooner those crazy kids work it out, the more free time I have to spend with you."
"Mmhmm," Adam nodded. "You've forgotten, haven't you?"
"Forgotten what?"
"We're supposed to go into the studio this weekend, finally start laying down some new tracks."
Tommy's stomach sank as he met Adam's disappointed eyes. He had forgotten. Between his heart breaking talks with Mikey, his long nights out trawling the rock clubs and seemingly endless afternoons searching the web for a scrap of info about Gerard, he'd forgotten that Adam had finally finished writing his new album and was getting ready to record.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I did forget," Tommy admitted, knowing there was no sense lying about it. "But I'll be back as soon as I can, ok? It's going to take you a few days to settle in anyway, I won't be missing anything."
"Tommy...you're missing everything," Adam said quietly, suddenly becoming very interested in the pattern on the rug at Tommy's feet. "I know that you feel obligated to help Gerard, and I understand that, but we're suffering as a result of your obsession with him."
"I don't feel obligated, Adam. I love him, and he's destroying himself. I can't sit back and let that happen. I wouldn't let it happen to Monte, or Brendon, or any of my friends," Tommy sighed, letting his half packed bag drop to the floor. "We can't keep having this conversation, baby boy."
"You're not going to stop until you find him, are you?" Adam asked.
Tommy didn't answer, but he didn't need to. They both knew the answer to Adam's whispered question, and what it could mean for them.
"Adam, I promise, when this is over, you will have my undivided attention, but I can't let Gee suffer like this, I just can't."
"What if I can't wait?" Adam mumbled. "What if you never find him, Tommy? What if he doesn't want to be found?"
"Can't wait, or won't wait?" Tommy asked, begging his heart to slow down before it beat right out of his chest. They couldn't be having this conversation, not now, not so quietly and so calmly. Tommy loved Adam right down to his bones, couldn't stand the thought of living without him, but he was just so tired that he couldn't bring himself to fight.
"Forget I said anything," Adam said suddenly, sitting up and wiping quickly at his eyes. "I'm just a bit emotional at the moment. I don't like saying goodbye to you."
"Adam..."
"It's ok, Glitterbaby. Call me when you land," Adam said, kissing Tommy quickly but firmly on the mouth.
"Will you be here when I get back?" Tommy asked as he picked up his bag. Adam smiled, and it almost reached his eyes.
"Always. Remember to call me."
"I will," Tommy promised. He went down the stairs, clutching the handles of his bag so tight his nails were digging into his palm. He hesitated at the front door, trying to steady himself.
With one last look up the stairs, he left.
* * *
"Frank Iero, I am landing at Newark Airport at 6:30 and if you're not there to meet me, God help me I will wander off into Jersey all by myself. And I'm wearing lip gloss."
Frank sighed as he listened to Tommy's voicemail for the third time. He was sitting in his mom's beaten up car (she wouldn't let him buy him a new one) in the airport parking lot, having yet another internal debate about whether or not he should go meet Tommy.
In the end, he got out of the car and headed into the airport building, hood pulled up over his long unkempt hair. He hoped no one recognised him, he couldn't do the smile, and be polite, and be Frankie from My Chemical Romance when as far as he knew, that was all over and he was just regular Frank Iero again.
Still, he couldn't help but smile when he saw Tommy, wandering through the arrivals gate. His smile slipped as his friend approached - Tommy looked like death, tired and pale like he hadn't slept in weeks. For all Frank knew, he hadn't. He assumed, with Mikey gone, that Gerard would turn to Tommy for comfort and as much as Frank adored Gerard, that man could be god damn needy.
"Tommy, what's wrong?" Frank asked as soon as Tommy reached him.
Tommy replied with the two words Frank had been dreading, making his blood run cold.
"It's Gerard."