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Mikey sat curled up on his side of the hotel bed, Sidekick sitting idly in his hand. He was jet-lagged and exhausted, unable to sleep a wink no matter how hard he tried. International tours weren't for everybody.
He decided sleep tonight was something he wasn't going to get, forgoing the idea entirely.
Ray and Gerard were both peacefully asleep on the adjacent bed, lucky bastards. Snoring like this is the best sleep they've ever had. Frank looked like he was sleeping too, even luckier bastard.
Mikey groaned, stuffing his Sidekick in the pocket of his skinny jeans before quietly making his way out to the balcony and gently shutting the door behind himself.
The night air gently tossed his hair around, bangs going askew.
Osaka was a pretty city at night, and Mikey was happy to be there.
Performing in Japan had been one of Gerard's dreams, and he would always support his brother.
However..he really wished international travel didn't affect him like it did. He was tired, homesick, and nervous. The tough guy act wasn't working.
Mikey glanced around the outdoor balcony, a small pack of open cigarettes on the side table. Probably Gerard's, they were Marlboro Reds. A cigarette would help, or rather, it would temporarily quell the sting in his chest.
He quickly lit up one of the cigarettes and took a deep drag of it, slowly sighing the smoke out.
Mikey was so distracted by his cigarette that he didn't hear the balcony door open, only noticing the familiar mop of black hair when he felt a hand on his lower back.
"Frankie...?" Mikey mumbled, humming softly as he idly spun the cigarette with his index and thumb.
"Hey," Frank grinned, lip ring tugging upwards. "Couldn't sleep? Felt you leave bed."
"Nah, all this travel's got me fucked up." Mikey frowned, shrugging softly. He didn't realize how much he relaxed into Frank's hold once his arm encased his waist.
"You don't wanna try to go back to bed? I'll go with you." Frank offered, feeling one of Mikey's hands come to rest over his own on his hip.
"It wouldn't be worth it, we have to be up in a couple hours anyways."
"True," Frank hummed. "How 'bout a coffee, then? If you won't go back to bed, might as well give you a bit o' energy."
Mikey tilted his head, puffing out some more smoke before offering the cigarette to Frank. "Coffee sounds really good right now," He smiled softly, inhaling the secondhand smoke from Franks puff. "Is there anywhere here to get coffee at this hour?"
"Hell yeah there is, 7/11 is still open twenty-four hours here. May not be gourmet, but they definitely have coffee."
"You'd be willing to go out this late for me? I could always go on my own, if you want to sleep."
"'Course, doll. Let's go check this shit out."
Mikey couldn't help but smile wider, grabbing a hold of Frank's hand and lacing their fingers together after he put their cigarette out against the railing.
The two quietly shuffled back into the hotel room, grabbing their jackets and lacing up their sneakers before slipping out through the front door.
Mikey leaned into Frank's side when they got into the elevator, feeling one of Frank's hands slip into the back pocket of his jeans.
-
The streets still seemed to be bustling this late into the night, neon signs lit up and dozens of cars still on the road. They strolled along the sidewalk, using a paper map to try and find the nearest convenience store.
"I think..One more cross? Then it's around the corner." Frank mumbled, glancing from the map to the street and back down again.
"You think? Or do you know?" Mikey muttered, hand bunched in Frank's jacket. "Can you even read that map? It's in Japanese.."
Frank proudly shook his head, folding the map up and stuffing it in the front pocket of his jeans. "Hell no, but I can see the little pictures and that's good enough for us!"
Mikey felt himself softly chuckle, looping has hand around to hold Frank's arm. "Let's see if we make it there by mornin'."
They crossed the street and rounded the corner according to Frank's directions, one of his tattooed fingers coming down to hook around a belt loop in Mikey's jeans.
"Look here! A 7/11, right where I said it'd be!"
"I have to say, I'm impressed. You're way better at this international travel shit than I am, Frankie."
Frank grinned, lip ring tugging up. "Let's see what they've got, yeah?"
Mikey nodded, dropping his hand to hold Frank's sleeve again as they walked in.
The cashier greeted them in a friendly tone, both of them bowing their heads in acknowledgement before making their way to the back.
"Here we are! A coffee machine, in all it's glory." Frank's grin widened, elbow nudging Mikey's side.
"Smells amazing over here," Mikey offered a small smile, shaky hands grabbing one of the plastic cups and placing it underneath the dispenser.
He made a latte, or rather, he made what he thought was a latte by only going off of the pictures on the buttons. Whatever it was, it smelled good and looked right.
Frank got a coffee too, holding both of their cups as they walked the aisles of the convenience store.
"Any snacks you're wantin', Mikeyway?"
"Hmm.." Mikey hummed, picking up two packages of some chocolate biscuit-looking snack. "These look promising. I'm guessing you'll want some too?"
"Hell yeah, looks delicious." Frank eagerly nodded, walking up toward the checkout with Mikey in tow.
They checked out with ease, the only hiccup being when Frank was trying to count change to pay with (Mikey was holding back laughter the whole time).
-
The two started their walk back to the hotel, sipping on their coffee the whole way there.
"'S nice out at night. Quiet, I mean." Frank muttered, hand idly finding Mikey's and placing their fingers together.
"Yeah, I wish the streets in Jersey were this quiet at night." Mikey mumbled back, squeezing Frank's hand.
They passed by what looked to be a mother and her children, mumbling something to them and shying them away when Frank came into view. A few other pedestrians followed suit, whispering to each other until they were out of earshot.
"Forgot about the whole 'tattoo equals gang affiliation' thing here. Damn, guess I'm never livin' in Japan."
"Yeah, it slipped my mind as well. You sure you're not some secret Yakuza leader?"
Frank chuckled, slipping his hand around Mikey's waist. "'M sure. Would you think I'm super cool if I was?"
"I'll always think you're super cool, Frankie."
-
They were back in the elevator before they knew it.
Frank's hand lingered on Mikey's lower back, slipping it up and underneath his shirt to rest on skin.
"Thank you," Mikey spoke softly, gaze resting on his sneakers.
"Don't mention it, darlin'. Y'know, I'd do just about anything you ask."
"You're really sweet, Frankie."
Mikey scratched at his fingers with the nail of his thumb, wincing under his breath when he broke skin. The caffeine wasn't quelling the anxiety like he hoped.
"Hey, what's the matter?" Frank spoke softly, gaze itself softening as it landed on the blood dripping down Mikey's hand.
"N-Nothin', really. Just..I don't know. I think I'm just nervous, homesick."
"I thought so." Frank frowned, swiping a thumb on Mikey's back as they walked back to the hotel room from the elevator.
They slipped back into the room, quietly shuffling back out to the balcony. A comfortable silence washed over them as they sat on the outdoor sofa, Mikey pressing close to Frank's side with his head on his shoulder.
After a moment, Frank spoke again.
"Is the fresh air helpin'?"
"Yeah, I think so."
The trembling in Mikey's hands slowly died down, one of them laced with Frank's and the other holding a tight grip on his coffee cup.
"I know bein' so far from home is tough, you acted the same on our first show outta the States last year."
"You mean the one in Toronto? Yeah, I was so nervous even though we didn't even cross water. We'd been farther from Jersey just touring in the States, anyway."
"Right? 'S so surreal we're bein' brought places like this. I mean, Japan? Insane."
"Revenge definitely got us out there. We're a little too popular now. I'm nervous just goin' out 'cause I think we're gonna get recognized. Crowds are bigger, too."
Frank's expression softened, arm coming up to rest around Mikey's shoulders and pull him closer into his side. The silence came back.
Uncharacteristically, Mikey was the one to break it.
"Frankie?"
"What's up, Mikes?"
He paused, Frank feeling the tremors in his hand pick back up.
"I love you." Mikey mumbled, voice slightly shaky. It was one of the first times Frank had heard him say it out loud. "A lot."
"I love you too, Mikeyway. Sooo much."
Frank planted a kiss on the top of Mikey's head, the latter tilting his head up to press a second kiss to Frank's lips.
"You're gonna be okay, you can tough out a measly international show."
"Whatever you say, Frankie."
Mikey felt Frank squeeze his hand before bringing it up to his lips, pressing a kiss against his knuckles and then another on his ring finger.
Frank had a habit of kissing his ring finger, Mikey didn't really understand why.
Maybe it was gonna be okay.