On your knees // Bandom

11. What a heavenly way to die

An// I know I have a track record of killing people but the title doesn't mean anything I promise.

It was a good sign that things felt different without Jamia. Patrick and Ray were also missing from the diner but Frank liked to pretend that it was the friend he brought in that changed the atmosphere.

Jamia couldn't come because homework, Patrick's cousin was turning twelve, and Ray had to look after the twins.

It was a triple date, then, that landed them in a downtown 24/7 diner at ten at night. Brendons hoodie hanging around Ryans shoulders, clashing with his vintage vest. They had tried other places first, but Mikey had grown tired of carrying Pete around on his back and the sun had sank into darkness so they had decided on here. Wherever 'here' was.

They had a booth with a window, the electric-lit diner illuminating the carpark.
Pete was almost asleep, and Mikey was half paying attention to him, half listening to the hyperactive banter of the others. Ryan may have been cold enough to warrent an oversized red hoodie but he was wide awake and stealing everyones fries. Brendon was always giddy, but now he was practically bouncing off the walls, his laugh brightening the red and white colour scheme. Frank and Gerard had been acting like a couple since long before they were, so it was unsurprising that Frank was currently in his boyfriends lap, playing with Gerards hair.

A waitress came over, bags darkening the underneath of her eyes and one headphone hanging from her ear, since the only customers were gay teenage boys who had nowhere else to go, they didn't really care to keep up appearances.

"Can I get y'all anything to drink?"
Brendon immediately sat up. "Chocolate milkshake with two straws." Ryan responded with an outraged face and whispered in his ear. "Actually," Brendon amended. "Banana milkshake."
She sighed, already tired of the pda and turned to Frank. "Sir?"
Frank giggled at the name and she 'surreptitiously' turned her music up.
"Can we get two coffee's" Gerard took pity on her and pointed between himself and Mikey "and one hot chocolate."
She nodded tiredly at him and he smiled genuinely. Pete was most probably asleep and definitely not in need of caffeine, so they ignored him. Frank carried on staring at his boyfriends face, unabashedly enraptured.

The drinks arrived and Ryan immediately grabbed hold of their milkshake and stuck both straws in his mouth.
Brendon rolled his eyes. "I'm paying for this, y'know."
"Mmmhmmm." Ryan mumbled.
"So I should get some of our banana milkshake."
Ryan hummed disapprovingly and Brendon sighed. "I won't kiss you if you drink all of it."
Ryan stopped drinking for a moment. A third of the milkshake was gone. "Thats a lie."
"You calling my bluff?"
"Yeah."
Brendon laughed and Ryan just pouted as he tried to pull a straw from his fingers.
"Mines."
"Ry..."
Brendon let his eyes go wide, and looked at Ryan like he was beautiful, which he was. He let him take the straw.

Pete and Mikey had one side of the booth to themselves and Pete took full advantage of it as he lay down his head in Mikeys lap, Mikey only smiled and brushed hair out of eyes. He was so helplessly in love it was borderline ridiculous, but it was also ten at night in October in New Jersey and it felt like time was slipping far too fast from his fingers and if theres anytime to have an existential crisis, its when Pete Wentz's head is in your lap and Frank Ieros terrible flirting is in your ears.

They would never have this exact moment again, they would never feel exactly like this again, and oh how Mikey wanted to be in this moment, but he was a billion miles away and his thoughts were far more infinite than his surroundings. Theres this feeling, when you're in a perfect place but you're not quite there. He had felt it before, at a party at Patricks, a bonfire with Gerard. An empty house he had danced through with Pete, their offbeat footsteps echoing and their thoughts amongst the stars.

Brendon was enjoying the moment, he just wasn't noticing that he was enjoying it.
"Can we play couples truth or dare?" He asked.
"Y'know we've only been together for a week, and you two've been together for like, six months?" Frank replied, motioning between him and Gerard.
"Seven." Was the automatic response from Brendon and Ryan gave him a weird look.
Smiling, Gerard rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I'm in."
They glanced across at the other side of the booth. Pete was out of view and Mikey was staring off into the distance. They ignored them.

"Gerard," Brendon started "Truth or dare?"
"........Truth."
"Favourite physical thing about Frank?"
Gerard raised an eyebrow. "Physical?"
"Appearance, you dick."
Frank blushed at that, and buried his face in Gerards shoulder.
"His smile." Gerard replied with no hesitation.
"My smile's weird." He mumbled.
"I love it. Anyway, Ry, truth or dare?"
"Dare."
"Try and get the waitresses's number."
"Sure."

He got out of the booth and then leaned down to murmur something to Brendon. Brendon shrugged. "Whatever."
"I'll try not to."
Ryan approached her. "Hey,"
"Can I help you?"
"Just that you look like you'd rather be anywhere but here, and I was wondering when you finish we could swap roles and I could get you a drink?"
"That was reasonably smooth, but I see your boyfriend back there loud and clear."
"He thinks I'm asking if you have any," Ryan pauses and looks down at the menu, pointing to the black sharpie 'sold out'. "Lemonade."
She laughed. "What do you actually want, kid?"
"Your number?"
"How about you tip me 50% and we see what happens?"
Ryan laughed then, "Well played, we'll see."

He returned to the others.
"It half worked."
"Hmm?"
"If I tip 50% I get it."
"Half a forfeit then?"
"I guess."
"Forfeits paying, so pay for your milkshake and my coffee?"
"Whatever, sure."
"And 50% extra?"
Ryan rolled his eyes.

~

Dallon was at Ryans again, sitting cross legged in his attic and watching him play the drums. Ryan was enjoying the attention and attempting to play bass and drums at he same time, or to stand on his stool and play. 9/10 times this didn't work but they made Dallon laugh, so it was worth it.

They weren't quite at the stage of introducing each other to their parents, especially because of the whole gay thing. But Dallon did find it a little weird that, in all the time he'd spent at Ryans, he'd never met his mother or father. There had at least been a hi-this-is-Ryan-he's-cool-I'm-straight moment with his mum, and his sisters knew everything.

He interrupted the fantastic drumming. "Ry?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"Are you out to your parents?"
Ryan stopped the beat, a silence followed, a few steps behind.
"My mum, well, she didn't know I was gay, because I didn't." Dallon nods, understanding the past tense. "I want to tell my dad, though, I'm just scared. He's very..... conservative."
"Mine is too, and my mum, but my sisters backed me up and said they could have all or none of us."
"I don't have a sister though, its just me and my dad and neither of us will survive if he disowns me."
"I haven't even met your dad, Ry, I know literally nothing about him. So I can't disagree, but thats part of it."
"You want me to introduce you to my dad? You want to know if I'm serious about this? Is that it?" Dallon shrugged.
"How about you introduce me to your family first?"
"I have?"
"No. As your boyfriend. You're out to them, so why not?"
"Elle and Layla know."
"So telling your parents will be easier."
"I... I have to know you're serious, too, I can't do this if you're not 100%"
"Well, are you serious, Dall?"
"I- I don't know."
"Theres you're answer."

Ryan went back to his drums, his hands slightly shakier. Dallon lay back on the floor, overthinking. He was definitely not serious about Ryan, and he didn't know if he could have that conversation with his parents if it was just over a guy he was using. He was, however, extremely serious about Brendon, he just had to decide whether it was worth it to tell his parents about Ryan. It was almost okay that he liked boys, but a real guy that they had to deal with might break them. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Elle or Layla.

An// vote and comment to make me feel slightly less dead after first week back :/