fight this fatal attraction (cricky)

1

Chris groans as he takes the heavy equipment out of the trailer, preparing for yet another show in a shitty bar in front of a small crowd. Don't get him wrong, he's grateful for the opportunity, but he's sick of playing in front of a bunch of metal dudes who spit at them and call them fags for wearing makeup.

He sighs as he and Ryan carry the equipment into the club, setting the amp down on the stage, untangling the mess of wires it comes with.

"Why can't we have loading guys to do this shit for us?"

"Cos we're poor as fuck," Ryan chuckles from under his long hair, where he's tuning his guitar. "We can barely afford food, man, never mind hiring anyone."

Chris sighs yet again, nodding.

"I know," Chris agrees. "But, hey, when we finally get our record deal and become rich and famous rockstars, it'll all be worth it." He says, smiling and nudging Ryan with his elbow.

Ryan snorts and shakes his head, grinning.

/

It's cliché to say, but Chris is nervous every time he goes on stage. He's been a frontman for over a year now, however the thrum of butterflies in his stomach never seem to fade over time.

"This song's called Abigail," he announces to the dead crowd, but when the music starts, he's in his element.

He screams and growls his way through their set, and is grateful for the fact that his height and appearance give a false impression of confidence, because as much as he tries to ignore it, he's not confident at all. In the breaks between songs, he's forced to converse with the crowd, and tries his best not to cringe or get pissed off at the silence of the people in front of him.

They're halfway through Ghost in the Mirror, when Chris looks into the audience, and someone catches his eye. It's a boy in the crowd, younger and definitely shorter than Chris, with eyes so blue Chris can see them from here. He's the only member of the crowd who's paying attention, bobbing his head along and getting into the music, and he smiles when he looks at Chris, lip rings glinting under the club lights.

Chris can't help himself from giving a small smile back, and feels like an idiot when he almost messes up the lyrics as he's too distracted. That makes the boy's smile widen slightly, and Chris can't help but flicker his eyes over to him throughout the rest of the set.

Twenty minutes later and Chris is announcing, "Thank you, we're Motionless in White," to a smattering of applause, before the crowd filters away. The boy's gone too, and Chris doesn't understand why this makes him feel disappointed.

They pack everything away, ready to load into their trailer for their next show tomorrow, and head outside into the cold, autumn air. Ryan, Balz, and TJ are already crammed into the van, no doubt exhausted, and Angelo is most likely asleep with his Spongebob pillow that he claims he only uses because his mom got him it, but really that's not true. Chris is locking up the trailer when he hears a voice behind him.

"Hey."

Chris whips around, preparing himself for the worst, but relaxes when he sees the boy from earlier, looking up at him with wide eyes beneath a long black fringe that cuts across his face, hands clad in fingerless cloves holding a cigarette.

"I just wanted to say I loved your guys' set earlier," he says, voice deeper than Chris would've thought coming from someone so tiny.

And he really is tiny, Chris notices, skinny and around the height of Chris' shoulders, slim frame clad in layers upon layers of clothing in perhaps an effort to bulk up, but he still looks small. Cute, Chris thinks, before he crushes that though away because, what, where did that come from? He's never called a guy cute before and he's not starting now.

"Really? Thanks," Chris says smiling, and the boy smiles back. "I think you're the only one who did."

"Well, the rest of that crowd were idiots, you guys are awesome," the boy says. "You're like, Bleeding Through meets Tim Burton, dude, it's awesome."

Chris laughs out loud at this, happy because finally, someone gets it.

"Yes, holy shit!" Chris exclaims, the boy chuckling at his enthusiasm. "Thank you."

"No problem," the boys says, and he takes a drag of his cigarette. Chris usually hates smoke, but something about the way he inhales and exhales the smoke, shadow covered eyelids looking down, and the way he delicately taps off the ash, is entrancing to watch. "I'm Ricky, by the way."

Chris is shaken from his thoughts and puts a hand out to shake.

"Chris, Chris Motionless," he introduces, shaking Ricky's slighter hand in his.

They let go, and Ricky takes another drag.

"I'm guessing that's not your real name?" he quips, blowing smoke out the side of his mouth, lips pierced with rings.

Chris laughs, deciding he likes Ricky's dry brand of humour.

"No, unfortunately not," he chuckles, and Ricky grins.

"Hey, Sledgehammer," Balz shouts from where he's stuck his head outside the window of the van, and Chris and Ricky both turn their heads in surprise. "Get your ass in here, you're driving tonight and we need to go to McDonalds. Stat."

"No, Sledgehammer's my real name," Chris says, causing Ricky to laugh, nodding as he throws his cigarette to the ground, stabbing it out with his shoe.

He smirks up at Chris from beneath his fringe, blue eyes shining, and Chris can't stop himself from staring.

"Well, then," Ricky says, turning away to leave. "See you around Sledgehammer."

"Yeah, you too," Chris says to Ricky's retreating back, watching him walk away, before Balz's excessive yelling makes him go over to the van to get him to shut up.

"Who was that?" Ryan asks when Chris squeezes himself inside, limbs too long for this cramped space.

"He liked our set," Chris shrugs, and Balz snorts.

"I think he liked you more, by the looks of it," Chris' face heats up at the way the rest of the boys jeer and chuckle, Chris rolling his eyes.

"Fuck off man, you know I don't swing that way," Chris dismisses, and crosses his arms, settling back against the seat and watching the scenes of Scranton pass by, trying to press all thoughts of Ricky firmly to the back of his mind.

It doesn't work.