The Elite Club Of People Who've Seen Gerard Way Naked.

15: In Which Lindsey Ballato Is Compared To Regina George

Pete knew he shouldn't have sneaked Mikey out, especially with the state he was in, and what Mrs Way had threatened, but he couldn't shake the feeling he got when he looked the taller boy in the eye; the feeling that although he was alive, Mikey was nowhere near living.

And that sounded awfully poetic, and perhaps even borderline nonsensical, but Pete knew he had to put a smile on Mikey's face, and this was the first thing that had sprung to mind, because after all, he was pretty sure that Mrs Way had been keeping her youngest son locked in the house over the past week.

It wasn't like she didn't have her reasons, of course, but Pete was with Mikey now, so it'd be okay, and Pete promised himself that he'd look after him and not let one single fucking thing happen to the slightly giddy seventeen year old climbing over the fence of his back garden.

Mikey was like a child: over excited, and high on the adrenaline rush of doing something you weren't supposed to, and Pete overlooked how unnerving it was for the simple fact that he was smiling, because that had been what he was trying to achieve here in the first place, wasn't it?

"I swear that fence fucking hates me!" Mikey exclaimed as he finally made his way over it, brushing himself down a little, as he flashed Pete a smile, "thank you for busting me out, you're like a rogue prince charming or something."

Pete laughed at that, blushing like hell too, because it was apparent that Mikey had simply neglected to turn on the no homo switch this morning, which was having the most wonderful consequences, in Pete's mind, at the very least. "You're welcome." He added, beginning to walk down the alley at the back of Mikey's house, leaving the taller boy following him through the darkness, and to a destination that only Pete knew.

Like seriously, Pete could be kidnapping and killing him, or at least planning to, and still, Mikey would have followed him and listened to every word without a single question, and that was either the best or the worst thing in the entire world.

"I've missed this..." Mikey began, catching up with Pete, "you know? Just... the world, and... like walking, and you, and the air, and I... I don't know... I really don't, I just fucked up, didn't I?"

"I guess." Pete shrugged it off, a blush hugging his cheeks.

"I didn't really mean to kill myself, it was all an in the moment thing, and too many pills and that was just what it came down to, and I don't think I'm ready to live with the consequences, but I have to, don't I?"

Pete nodded, pausing to just look at Mikey for a moment, "I'm seriously glad you didn't - so is your mum and Gerard, and everyone, so many people, Mikey, you matter so much."

"Yeah... look... it was just a... thing... like a brief thing, and I... pills... I'm going to blame it on the pills, Pete." And then a pause, "let me."

"What?" Pete met him with a puzzled expression.

"I don't want to face up to responsibility and consequence, I just.... I want to pretend that it isn't my fault, and I want someone to believe me. You can do that for me, can't you?"

"I... I could try..." Pete wasn't entirely sure what to make of this, and just kept walking, this time in silence, as Mikey seemed to shake a little beside him, and Pete wanted to ask: everything, but he didn't dare, because he didn't dare know, and he didn't dare imagine, and maybe, just maybe, he wanted to pretend that it was all okay too. "Okay." He added, perhaps several minutes later, catching Mikey by surprise as he did so.

"Huh?" Mikey's eyes widened a little, having zoned out until Pete had spoken.

"I can believe you: I want to, I do. It isn't your fault, Mikey, it's okay, everything's okay, I just want everything to be okay." He let out a sigh, and quickened his pace: the two nearing the spot at the edge of town by the lake now: the place he was taking Mikey too.