living's just a waste of death

sixteen candles

underage drinking and smoking is very bad, kids. please use me and my characters as a what-not-to-do. also i apologize for the late update (and lazy writing). like i said, underage drinking and smoking is bad.

mikey probably loved house parties just as much as pete did. but he hated when they revolved around him. it was his fucking birthday and his shitty brother had come home on thursday to throw a goddamn party for it.

it wasn't something they did. birthday parties. mikey always liked accepting whatever gifts he got from his family and felt grateful when they let him pick what to eat for dinner. but parties- just. no thanks. mikey really wasn't into that kind of attention. he was literally six years old the last time he had a birthday party- he had a picture of his dad helping him blow out the candles to prove it.

but gerard said he had to. had to have a party because "sixteen is a very important age!" and mikey hated that but also couldn't ignore how the slightest bit of excitement was creeping in on him when he woke up. early. because fucking school and pete was picking him up like he did every morning which caused mikey to change his routine of showering at night to showering in the morning.

it made him feel so, like, mawkish. was that the right word? he just wanted to fucking smell good. for pete wentz. wanted him to notice the ginger and honey shampoo whenever he leaned in close enough. and that wasn't ever something mikey cared about until pete magically made him care. because he was good at achieving the impossible.

mikey had to catch all his (all seems like a word that makes you think of many which, mikey didn't have many) friends to invite them to the party. gerard had called up bob who said he couldn't go- but ray would be there. and gerard had handled all the family members, too. but mikey had to do the rest. and tell people they could bring a plus one if they wanted- but no alcohol. because parents. well, parent.

he told frank, and william. who asked if he could bring "um, travie?" and mikey said sure even though he'd never heard of the guy. then awkwardly walked over to pete's lunch table to ask him and gabe, too. but then felt bad for not inviting stump and trohman and hurley. so he said a quick "you guys, too" as enthusiastically as he could. it felt formal and he hated it. pete grinned at him and he walked away.

mikey got pushed into the locker by some senior towards the end of the day which was a shitty thing to happen on his birthday but he didn't do anything about it. gerard showed up to drive him home at the end of the school day. and that sucked too because it meant no kissing pete for a good ten minutes before they even left the school parking lot but mikey couldn't tell his brother that. but he was noticeably upset.

their dad was standing on a ladder when the two of them walked in. he had this homemade banner that said 'happy birthday mikey' in bold blue letters, taping it to the wall. there were streamers, too. why? because it's a party! that mikey wasn't really looking forward to at all because one, no booze. two, it being about him. presents though. presents were good.

and okay, maybe pete wasn't actually the great gift-giver he thought he was. gabe had told him so during their library period. "so you and mikey. like actually?" he said, trying to whisper but he was gabe. a whisper to him was a normal talking voice to everyone else. "we- yeah. we are. we've been hanging out more, doing stuff. it's his birthday today."

"i know dude. he invited me, idiot. but you gotta get 'm a present- since you're his boyfriend 'nd all," gabe had bubble gum in his mouth and he wasn't chewing it quietly at all. he was gabe. "i'm not his boyfriend, we're just kind of...you know." and pete's brain couldn't really decide between making him blush or making him smirk. he figured it was probably a weird variation of both.

"yeah okay. but seriously what did you get him?" okay, probably blushing more then. "i uh, a t-shirt?" pete said. and out loud it sounded kind of lame. a t-shirt? really? but he'd been thinking about it for a few days. and he was planning on giving mikey a present even if he didn't have a party. he went back and forth from different things- none of them seemed mikey enough. until he found the perfect one. "seriously? a t-shirt?"

"not just a random fucking shirt, dude. it's like, a special one." pete mumbled and gabe shut up for the rest of that period.

the party was meant to start at six- that's what gerard told mikey. and that's what mikey told his friends. it seemed kind of early but, whatever. mikey was just used to parties that started at practically midnight. anything before then seemed early.

pete got there even earlier. probably a whole hour, but mikey didn't check the time. there was a knock at the door and gerard told him to get it. he opened the door, and there was pete. smiling softly with a black gift bag in hand. "hey, sorry i'm so early." it was a weird thing to apologize for but mikey grinned because he knew pete was usually always fifteen minutes late to everything. "it's fine"

"wentz! you can help with the food. put your gift over there." gerard said. great, mikey thought. pete show's up early just for gerard to make him do shit. sucky brother.

the party was fine. as fine as an event with mikey's family and friends could be. pete stuck by him the entire time but neither of them said a whole lot to each other- it just felt strange with other people around. mikey laughed when he saw gabe attempting something like flirting with william despite the guy hanging onto him. travie, probably. william talked a lot about "travie."

"i didn't know you and gabe were friends," pete said, when mikey had mentioned it. "we're acquainted, i guess." mikey had known him for a while- they used to be closer back when gabe lived right across the street- and mikey had been wearing a hoodie with the name of gabe's band on it since the eight grade. midtown. but he didn't tell pete all of that. he knew how jealous pete got because of things that weren't worth getting jealous over.

mikey's grandma made him "introduce" her to his friends and it was the most awkward thing mikey had ever done, probably. "oh i've known mister ray toro since he was just a little boy!" she said, and "you surely are a handsome young man," to pete, who grinned at mikey in a way that said did you hear that?

gerard brought out a cake and mikey blew out the candles. all sixteen of them. and didn't even get to open his gifts until everyone else left. well, all except pete but he wasn't really everyone else. he sat on the living room floor with wrapping paper and cards all around. he got these cool headphones and some books and the most awesome fucking instant camera from his dad. not a real polaroid but not a cheap knock-off either. sunglasses, money, cd's- "open mine!" pete whined at him.

mikey chuckled at him. and he reached over to pick up the black gift bag with a note hanging from the side that just said "to mikey: happy birthday." mikey smiled again at how familiar that was and pulled out whatever was in the bag. it felt like- a shirt? it was folded nicely and he felt bad unfolding it but then he saw-

"your smashing pumpkins shirt." he said it like it should've been a question. the same dark blue with the mellon collie album cover printed on that he'd seem on pete so many times. "i know it's kinda lame but- you were gonna steal it anyways so, i thought i might as well give it to you." pete said while mikey ran his fingers over the faded stars right by the lettering.

"it's not lame. it's awesome." mikey looked over at his dad and brother. they were talking in the kitchen, their backs turned so they couldn't see into the living room- and mikey leaned in really quick just to peck pete's lips fast but sincere. and when he pulled back, pete grinned at him for the millionth time.