one more troubled soul » petekey

Five

"You belong among the wildflowers,
you belong in a boat out at sea...
You belong with your love on your arm,
you belong somewhere you feel free."
- Tom Petty

Mikey woke up late in the afternoon to the sound of angry car horns and construction workers. He groaned and tried to stretch, his feet smacking against the window and his head against the opposite door. He sighed in frustration and flipped himself over, tugging his beanie over his ears and slamming his palms over them. "Too... early..."

"Too early?!" Pete yelled from the front, chuckling. They had been sitting in city traffic for almost an hour, and he was glad that Mikey was finally awake. The mediocre radio comedians were only mildly entertaining, and there was only so much people watching he could do until someone caught him. So he had been staring straight ahead at stopped cars and listening to terrible jokes to keep him from going crazy amidst silence. But now Mikey was awake, sort of, and he could talk in his soft and wonderful voice, smile and fill Pete's waiting with worth. He drove a few feet as the traffic moved slowly, then braked and turned in his seat. "Afternoon, sleeping beauty."

"Mmm... shut it," Mikey mumbled, face down in the seat. Pete watched him with adoring eyes for a while, before Mikey finally used his elbows to prop himself up, reaching beneath his glasses to rub his eyes wearily. He yawned widely and sat up on to his knees. "Not enough sleep..." He trailed off, leaning his head against the window and closing his eyes again. Pete frowned.

"You slept forever, Mikey Way. We've got a big day ahead, so wake the fuck up," he scolded, jumping as a car behind him beeped violently. He turned his attention back to the road in front of him, realizing the traffic had moved impressively. They were so close to the next parking garage he could almost taste the city sidewalks they'd be pounding soon. He drove forward again, hearing a tired reply from Mikey.

"A big day?" He asked, eyes opening. "What do you mean?" He finally decided to take a look out the window, gasping quietly. "New York City!" he exclaimed, with the likeliness of a toddler who was seeing absolutely anything for the first time. Pete glanced in his rearview mirror, catching sight of an eager Mikey pressing his hands and face against the window, eyes wider than they had ever been. "I've never been here before!"

"Me neither," Pete said, quietly, not wanting to ruin his awe filled moment. It had been a while since he had seen someone so innocently excited over something as simple as a bunch of big buildings. He was silent, listening to Mikey's tiny breaths, as if he would blow over the city itself if he breathed too hard. And so he took a moment to admire the city himself. All he had seen for a few hours was traffic and middle fingers, and hot dog carts on every street corner. People of all kinds walked past each other, not even batting an eye. It was beautiful.

"God, these buildings are bigger than I ever... wow," Mikey leaned back in his seat, and suddenly Pete felt arms wrap around him from behind. They tugged tightly, squeezing Pete's chest and pinning his back to his seat. 

"Huh?" He craned his neck slightly, seeing Mikey pressing his face against the back of his seat, his arms the culprits. "Oh, uh..."

"Thank you," he mumbled. Pete learned that Mikey liked to say thank you. For the little things. He had thanked him for making him have fun, and he was thanking him so intensely for just driving a few hours. Pete guessed that Mikey was someone to thank the sun for rising, his heart for beating, and even the rain for falling.

Pete thanked fate for Mikey.

Finally, Mikey released Pete and slid back into his seat, letting Pete pull in to the parking garage. It was probably bigger than Pete's entire hometown, and it was just filled with cars. The building was taller than he could ever imagine one to be, and even though there were plenty of parking spots available on the lower levels, he kept driving up to the next. And the next. And then the one after that, until they were parked on the top level.