On your knees // Bandom

43. House Of Memories

September, a year and a bit ago

Mikey was sat in the back corner of his new maths classroom, doodling a solar system onto the back cover of his orange book.

"My God, Man," Some guy sat down next to him in a flurry. "You won't believe my moms reaction to me suggesting I might like boys. It was hilarious!"

Mikey sat up, his hood falling off.
The guy saw his face and his eyes widened. "Sorry- I thought you were Patrick- you're wearing my friends hoodie-" He was even more flustered than before.
"Its okay," Mikey laughed.
"I'm straight?" He tried.
"No, you're not."
"No, I'm not." He put his head in his hands.
"Im Mikey," He offered.
"Pete."
"I kinda wanna hear how your mom reacted, though."
"Oh, umm, she said she was glad we finally had something in common."
Mikey laughed. "I'm pretty sure my mom would just straight up kick me out."
"....gay up kick you out? Sorry I know that wasn't-"
"-No it was accurate."
Pete smiled "Well this is the best way accidentally coming out has gone in a long time."
"It's happened a lot?"
"Yup."

*
Mikey started to notice his feelings in the January after they met.

Pete had thought he was cute from the moment he met him, from the first laugh.

Mikey had no idea, he wasn't great at knowing what exactly what was going on with his emotions, but something struck when Pete was explaining something to him, talking in circles with a pen behind his ear and his hair falling over his eye.

"Does that make sense?" He had asked.
"Hmm?" Mikey responded.
"Did you understand any of what I just said?"
"No, uh, maths confuses me." Rest assured it was not maths confusing him.
"Okay. I tried." He sat back, dejected.
"Hey," Mikey bent down to catch his eye. "Wanna come over to mine at the weekend?"
Petes face lit up, and Mikey was hit with that feeling all over again, like his eyes had splashes of green he'd never seen before.

*
"I've had a revelation!" Pete announced, melodramatically flopping into the seat next to Mikey. It was sometime in spring, the days starting to look golden again.
"Oh?" Last time he had a 'revelation', he tried pot with Brendon Urie, so Mikey was dubious.
"I have decided that I like you, Mikeyway."
"Took you long enough,"
"I mean, I have since the day we met to be honest, I've just decided that in telling you, the good outweighs the bad. You're not an asshole and could be flattered... However, now I say it aloud, I regret everything, just tell me you don't wanna be friends anymore and I'll-"
"- I don't wanna be friends anymore." Mikey told him, deadpan.
"Oh. Cool." It wasn't cool.
"Wouldn't mind being your boyfriend, though." He mentioned, casual as fuck.
Pete dropped the book he was holding. It crashed onto the desk.
"You never considered I'd like you back?" Mikey asked, trying to keep his cool.
"I mean I thought... not really, though. For real?"
"Yeah."

There came a moment when time seemed to pause, clocks stopping. Yet in reality it was speeding away from them all to fast. Even as it is recounted: time continues. Mikey and Pete regarded each other in new light.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Pete asked.
"I didn't think you liked me back! You're not at all obvious, I am."
"God, no you're not. Its impossible to determine your feelings. I kept thinking you did, and then you'd do something else and I felt stupid."
Mikey couldn't stop smiling. "Does this mean we get to go on a date?"
"Absolutely. ASAP."
"Saturday."
"Friday?"
"Tonight?"
"Shit, no. Im busy."
"Okay, Tomorrow — Friday it is."
Pete slowly shook his head. "I can't believe this."
"Me neither."