When We Meet Again Chapter 1
Title: When We Meet Again
Author: chemical_stripe
Pairing: Ray/ Mikey
Summary: Ray left his hometown in New Jersey twelve years ago and hasn't been back since. Now he's coming home to visit his family, examine his life, and reunite with a freind he lost but could never forget.
POV: third person Ray centered
Warnings: NC-17 sexual situations, implied past abuse, some violence.
Disclaimer: I do not own any member of My Chemical Romance and I am not affliated with them. All other characters in this story are fictional. Title is from the song by Alanis Morrisette.
Author's Note: Mikey is an only child in this story. I'm sorry. I love and adore Gerard, but I had my reasons for leaving him out.
Dedications: To coolndarklyeeri for her patience, wisdom and being a wonderful beta, writer and freind. I could not have done this without her. And dolphingoddess for the beautiful icon.
The traffic on I-95 going south was backed up, to put it mildly. Ray had lost track of how long it had been since he had actually put his gas pedal to good use. He tapped his hands against the steering wheel impatiently and checked the clock on his dashboard. 4:35 p.m. Ray stared hopelessly out the front window of his car at the endless stream of tail lights in front of him. In spite of leaving New York later than he'd hoped, he had managed to make pretty good time until now. He was nearing the exit for Belleville and if this cleared up soon he would be at his parents’ house in time for dinner, just like he promised.
The rain coming down in sheets wasn't helping matters though it seemed to match Ray's sullen mood. This would be his first trip home to New Jersey since leaving for college twelve years ago. He had planned to return to New Jersey after graduating, after becoming successful with his music career, something his family could be proud of. But things don't always go according to plan.
Ray still managed to keep in close contact with his family despite the distance. His parents, anyway. His older brother, Jimmy-that was another story. When Ray first left for college, he and Jimmy succeeded in racking up monumental phone bills; Ray telling his big brother about the excitement of New York and college life, while Jimmy kept Ray up to date on the family gossip, including Jimmy's plans to marry his long-time girlfriend, which he did. That's when things between the two of them started to fall apart. It was one of the many reasons Ray wasn't looking forward to going home.
Ray's mother began begging him months ago to come to New Jersey in the summer so the whole family could gather together for his thirtieth birthday. Yet another unpleasant thought Ray had been trying to push from his mind. "It would mean so much to us," she'd cry into the phone. "And besides, dear, you’re not the only one who's getting older you know. Who knows how much time I've got left and it would do my heart a world of good to have both of my babies under one roof again just one more time before I die." Good old Mom, when all else fails, lay a guilt trip. She and Ray's father had visited him in New York several times for his graduation and holidays, but as she had reminded him plenty of times it just wasn't the same. Ray knew he couldn't put off going home forever. So after months of his mother's pleading and tears, he did what any good son would do, he caved.
The traffic had finally begun to move. The sign up ahead read: Belleville 30 miles. Ray felt his heart pound in his chest. This is it. I'm almost home.
* * *
The rain slowed down to a light drizzle as Ray took the exit that led into Belleville, allowing him to take in the sights of his home town. When he left, Belleville had been a cluster of vacant lots, run down strip malls, and trailer parks. Now the strip malls had new paints jobs, the vacant lots contained more strip malls, and the trailer parks were hidden behind strategically-planted trees. Crap in a pretty package. And people wonder why I left this place.
As he neared his parents’ house, Ray drove past another sight that made him cringe with unwanted memories. His old high school. Though he was not a total outcast in high school he was by no means popular. Ray's intimidating size had afforded him the luxury of being spared the usual high school bullying. He was even able to help another who was not as lucky in that department. Mikey Way, a sweet, scrawny, and impossibly dorky little kid two grades behind him. Ray looked out for Mikey and took him under his wing. During the two years since they'd first met Ray and Mikey had become close friends, but all that time there was a unexplained tension between them they could both sense yet were both too afraid to speak of.
His last day in New Jersey before leaving for college, Ray sat quietly listening to Mikey chat away as they sat on Ray's front porch in the dimming sunlight. He committed to memory every detail from the way the light reflected in Mikey's honey-blond hair to his untied shoe laces. The way he sniffed when he talked and how his glasses kept sliding down. How his face lit up when Ray promised Mikey that he'd keep in touch, that they would always be friends. It was the image Ray would carry with him for the next twelve years.
It was the last time they ever saw each other.
Not a day went by when Ray didn't wonder what became of Mikey. Besides becoming one of Ray's many regrets.
Ray made the turn on to his parents’ street while trying to talk down the heart palpitations. It won't be so bad it's only a week. Suck it up, cowboy, you can do this. He put the car in park upon pulling into his parents’ driveway, taking notice of an unfamiliar car parked next to his father's truck and his mother's station wagon. Sweet merciful crap. Jimmy' s here too. Ray sat in the car composing himself. He had barely got out when he saw his mother running down the driveway to greet him. His father standing just outside the front door, grinning madly.
"My baby! My baby!" Ray's mother cried as he pulled her into a hug strong enough to crush him. "You're here, you came!"
"Hey, I promised didn't I?" Ray said. Maybe this week really isn't going to be so bad after all.
Ray's mother pulled away from the tight embrace she had on her son. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so glad you're here," she cried, giving Ray an appraising look. She gently tugged a handful of his mass of curls and gave a disappointed sigh. "You need a haircut," she said looking him up and down "and you're getting too thin. I'm going to have to have a talk with that girlfriend of yours. She's not taking very good care of my little one."
"I can take care of myself, Mom," Ray sighed. His mother had unknowingly reminded him of another topic he wasn't anxious to discuss. Ray wondered what the record was for the most number of conversations one could manage to avoid having in a single week.
"Jesus, Maria, and you wonder why he doesn't come home more often," Ray's father said, joining the two of them. "The kid's been here all of two minutes and you're already giving him a hard time."
"I am not!" Mrs.Ortiz snapped. "It's not wrong for a mother to want to see her son taken care of."
"Are you deaf?" Ray's father replied, his tone increasingly more angry. "He said he could take care of himself, keep this up and you'll send him screaming back to New York!"
Ray suddenly found himself fighting the overwhelming urge to get back in the car and drive back to New York, or anywhere for that matter. It was as though the past eleven years never happened. Nothing changed. After all this time he still found himself looking for ways to keep the peace between these two people he loved. Two people who were supposed to love each other. Why do they have to do this now? Why do they have to do this all the time? Ray watched helplessly as his parents exchanged angry looks until a welcome distraction in the form of petite, exotic-looking woman appeared in the front doorway.
"You guys gonna come inside or what?" The distraction shouted. "Cause it'd be a damn shame to leave that fine piece of ass standing outside all week."
Ray cracked a genuine smile for the first time since he arrived. Only to have it vanish at the sound of his mother's stern voice. "Theresa, that's no way to talk about your Brother-in-Law! Honestly, can't you behave like a lady?"
"The fact you'd even ask me that shows how little you pay attention," the petite woman said, running from the doorway to greet Ray. "It's good to see you in person again, finally. How you doing, gorgeous?" She asked standing on her tip toes to kiss Ray's cheek. He put an arm around her has they headed up the driveway in to the house. Ray's parents close behind.
"It's good to see you, too. You're looking pretty good."
"Eat your heart out."
So, are you going to make my day and tell me you came here alone?" Ray asked Theresa in whisper as they entered the living room.
"No such luck, gorgeous," Theresa replied turning to face Ray, her expression becoming more serious." He really wants to see you, you know?"
"Yeah, I'll bet he does," Ray muttered under his breath. He looked around him to reacquaint himself with his surroundings. The walls were still lined with framed photographs that documented Ray's childhood. The coffee table still cluttered with junk mail and the day's newspaper. The whole house smelled like his mother's cooking, the one thing he was looking forward to. Ray smiled to himself when he noticed the thin plastic covering that now adorned the couch. One step closer to the nursing home.
"You're just in time for dinner" Ray's mother said, hurrying towards the kitchen. "You must be starving and I've only got a few days to fatten you up."
Ray sighed and shook his head. "That's plenty of time, Mom." He slowly started to follow her into the kitchen, with Theresa close behind. "I'm sorry it took me so long. The traffic was horrible."
"Yeah, it must have been," said a deep voice. "It only took you, what, twelve years to get here?"
Ray could actually hear his heart pounding in his ears when heard the voice. He tentatively walked towards the tall, muscular man with a shaved head standing across the kitchen.
"Hi, Jimmy," Ray choked out, trying to sound as calm as possible. He can't say that he didn't expect seeing his brother again to be uncomfortable. Ray expected the unfriendly gaze and sarcastic remarks. But that didn't mean he was ready to deal with them. Then something happened he did not expect, something he believed would never happen again, no matter how much he wanted it to. Ray's older brother tightly clapped a large hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a hug.
"Welcome home, Ray."
chpt
2
Author: chemical_stripe
Pairing: Ray/ Mikey
Summary: Ray left his hometown in New Jersey twelve years ago and hasn't been back since. Now he's coming home to visit his family, examine his life, and reunite with a freind he lost but could never forget.
POV: third person Ray centered
Warnings: NC-17 sexual situations, implied past abuse, some violence.
Disclaimer: I do not own any member of My Chemical Romance and I am not affliated with them. All other characters in this story are fictional. Title is from the song by Alanis Morrisette.
Author's Note: Mikey is an only child in this story. I'm sorry. I love and adore Gerard, but I had my reasons for leaving him out.
Dedications: To coolndarklyeeri for her patience, wisdom and being a wonderful beta, writer and freind. I could not have done this without her. And dolphingoddess for the beautiful icon.
The traffic on I-95 going south was backed up, to put it mildly. Ray had lost track of how long it had been since he had actually put his gas pedal to good use. He tapped his hands against the steering wheel impatiently and checked the clock on his dashboard. 4:35 p.m. Ray stared hopelessly out the front window of his car at the endless stream of tail lights in front of him. In spite of leaving New York later than he'd hoped, he had managed to make pretty good time until now. He was nearing the exit for Belleville and if this cleared up soon he would be at his parents’ house in time for dinner, just like he promised.
The rain coming down in sheets wasn't helping matters though it seemed to match Ray's sullen mood. This would be his first trip home to New Jersey since leaving for college twelve years ago. He had planned to return to New Jersey after graduating, after becoming successful with his music career, something his family could be proud of. But things don't always go according to plan.
Ray still managed to keep in close contact with his family despite the distance. His parents, anyway. His older brother, Jimmy-that was another story. When Ray first left for college, he and Jimmy succeeded in racking up monumental phone bills; Ray telling his big brother about the excitement of New York and college life, while Jimmy kept Ray up to date on the family gossip, including Jimmy's plans to marry his long-time girlfriend, which he did. That's when things between the two of them started to fall apart. It was one of the many reasons Ray wasn't looking forward to going home.
Ray's mother began begging him months ago to come to New Jersey in the summer so the whole family could gather together for his thirtieth birthday. Yet another unpleasant thought Ray had been trying to push from his mind. "It would mean so much to us," she'd cry into the phone. "And besides, dear, you’re not the only one who's getting older you know. Who knows how much time I've got left and it would do my heart a world of good to have both of my babies under one roof again just one more time before I die." Good old Mom, when all else fails, lay a guilt trip. She and Ray's father had visited him in New York several times for his graduation and holidays, but as she had reminded him plenty of times it just wasn't the same. Ray knew he couldn't put off going home forever. So after months of his mother's pleading and tears, he did what any good son would do, he caved.
The traffic had finally begun to move. The sign up ahead read: Belleville 30 miles. Ray felt his heart pound in his chest. This is it. I'm almost home.
* * *
The rain slowed down to a light drizzle as Ray took the exit that led into Belleville, allowing him to take in the sights of his home town. When he left, Belleville had been a cluster of vacant lots, run down strip malls, and trailer parks. Now the strip malls had new paints jobs, the vacant lots contained more strip malls, and the trailer parks were hidden behind strategically-planted trees. Crap in a pretty package. And people wonder why I left this place.
As he neared his parents’ house, Ray drove past another sight that made him cringe with unwanted memories. His old high school. Though he was not a total outcast in high school he was by no means popular. Ray's intimidating size had afforded him the luxury of being spared the usual high school bullying. He was even able to help another who was not as lucky in that department. Mikey Way, a sweet, scrawny, and impossibly dorky little kid two grades behind him. Ray looked out for Mikey and took him under his wing. During the two years since they'd first met Ray and Mikey had become close friends, but all that time there was a unexplained tension between them they could both sense yet were both too afraid to speak of.
His last day in New Jersey before leaving for college, Ray sat quietly listening to Mikey chat away as they sat on Ray's front porch in the dimming sunlight. He committed to memory every detail from the way the light reflected in Mikey's honey-blond hair to his untied shoe laces. The way he sniffed when he talked and how his glasses kept sliding down. How his face lit up when Ray promised Mikey that he'd keep in touch, that they would always be friends. It was the image Ray would carry with him for the next twelve years.
It was the last time they ever saw each other.
Not a day went by when Ray didn't wonder what became of Mikey. Besides becoming one of Ray's many regrets.
Ray made the turn on to his parents’ street while trying to talk down the heart palpitations. It won't be so bad it's only a week. Suck it up, cowboy, you can do this. He put the car in park upon pulling into his parents’ driveway, taking notice of an unfamiliar car parked next to his father's truck and his mother's station wagon. Sweet merciful crap. Jimmy' s here too. Ray sat in the car composing himself. He had barely got out when he saw his mother running down the driveway to greet him. His father standing just outside the front door, grinning madly.
"My baby! My baby!" Ray's mother cried as he pulled her into a hug strong enough to crush him. "You're here, you came!"
"Hey, I promised didn't I?" Ray said. Maybe this week really isn't going to be so bad after all.
Ray's mother pulled away from the tight embrace she had on her son. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so glad you're here," she cried, giving Ray an appraising look. She gently tugged a handful of his mass of curls and gave a disappointed sigh. "You need a haircut," she said looking him up and down "and you're getting too thin. I'm going to have to have a talk with that girlfriend of yours. She's not taking very good care of my little one."
"I can take care of myself, Mom," Ray sighed. His mother had unknowingly reminded him of another topic he wasn't anxious to discuss. Ray wondered what the record was for the most number of conversations one could manage to avoid having in a single week.
"Jesus, Maria, and you wonder why he doesn't come home more often," Ray's father said, joining the two of them. "The kid's been here all of two minutes and you're already giving him a hard time."
"I am not!" Mrs.Ortiz snapped. "It's not wrong for a mother to want to see her son taken care of."
"Are you deaf?" Ray's father replied, his tone increasingly more angry. "He said he could take care of himself, keep this up and you'll send him screaming back to New York!"
Ray suddenly found himself fighting the overwhelming urge to get back in the car and drive back to New York, or anywhere for that matter. It was as though the past eleven years never happened. Nothing changed. After all this time he still found himself looking for ways to keep the peace between these two people he loved. Two people who were supposed to love each other. Why do they have to do this now? Why do they have to do this all the time? Ray watched helplessly as his parents exchanged angry looks until a welcome distraction in the form of petite, exotic-looking woman appeared in the front doorway.
"You guys gonna come inside or what?" The distraction shouted. "Cause it'd be a damn shame to leave that fine piece of ass standing outside all week."
Ray cracked a genuine smile for the first time since he arrived. Only to have it vanish at the sound of his mother's stern voice. "Theresa, that's no way to talk about your Brother-in-Law! Honestly, can't you behave like a lady?"
"The fact you'd even ask me that shows how little you pay attention," the petite woman said, running from the doorway to greet Ray. "It's good to see you in person again, finally. How you doing, gorgeous?" She asked standing on her tip toes to kiss Ray's cheek. He put an arm around her has they headed up the driveway in to the house. Ray's parents close behind.
"It's good to see you, too. You're looking pretty good."
"Eat your heart out."
So, are you going to make my day and tell me you came here alone?" Ray asked Theresa in whisper as they entered the living room.
"No such luck, gorgeous," Theresa replied turning to face Ray, her expression becoming more serious." He really wants to see you, you know?"
"Yeah, I'll bet he does," Ray muttered under his breath. He looked around him to reacquaint himself with his surroundings. The walls were still lined with framed photographs that documented Ray's childhood. The coffee table still cluttered with junk mail and the day's newspaper. The whole house smelled like his mother's cooking, the one thing he was looking forward to. Ray smiled to himself when he noticed the thin plastic covering that now adorned the couch. One step closer to the nursing home.
"You're just in time for dinner" Ray's mother said, hurrying towards the kitchen. "You must be starving and I've only got a few days to fatten you up."
Ray sighed and shook his head. "That's plenty of time, Mom." He slowly started to follow her into the kitchen, with Theresa close behind. "I'm sorry it took me so long. The traffic was horrible."
"Yeah, it must have been," said a deep voice. "It only took you, what, twelve years to get here?"
Ray could actually hear his heart pounding in his ears when heard the voice. He tentatively walked towards the tall, muscular man with a shaved head standing across the kitchen.
"Hi, Jimmy," Ray choked out, trying to sound as calm as possible. He can't say that he didn't expect seeing his brother again to be uncomfortable. Ray expected the unfriendly gaze and sarcastic remarks. But that didn't mean he was ready to deal with them. Then something happened he did not expect, something he believed would never happen again, no matter how much he wanted it to. Ray's older brother tightly clapped a large hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a hug.
"Welcome home, Ray."
chpt
2