You're A Hot Mess (And I'm Falling For You)

Rating: PG

Fandom: MCR/Cobra Starship

Ships: Gabekey

Warnings: underage drinking, vomit, gabey baby being excessively sweet and definitely OOC

A cute stranger gives Mikey a ride home after he gets too drunk at a party.

Mikey probably should have said no when the guy just a few years too old for him started offering him drinks. Now the room felt like it was spinning, his stomach was royally pissed with him, and Mikey could hardly stay upright on his own two feet. He stumbled through an open door and leaned out onto the porch, hand catching on the doorframe as he lurched forward, trying to collect himself. His guts felt like they were sloshing around inside him, and now he was bent over and-

He didn't even have time to locate a trashcan and/or toilet before it was coming back up, the alcohol burning in the pit of his throat as he heaved. It was mostly liquid, and Mikey was pretty sure some of it came up his nose, too. The inside of his entire face felt like it was being bitten by an army of ants.

"Hey, you alright?" Came a man's voice from behind him, and Mikey blinked away the tears starting to form in his eyes as he looked up. He was handsome, Mikey thought, with beautiful dark hair and thick-rimmed glasses. He must have stared a little too long, because the next thing the stranger said was, "You're way past your limits, man."

And then the handsome stranger's hand was around his waist, whisking Mikey away, back into the party with the thumping bass that made his head ache and the moving bodies that made his nausea return in waves with every collision. Through it all, though, the stranger held him steady, and guided him into the much-calmer lounge area by the bar.

"Stay here," the stranger instructed, and Mikey dumbly nodded and obeyed as he sat down. He didn't know why, but he felt like he could trust this guy. Probably because he was hot. Most likely because he was hot, though there was something in his eyes, too, a hint of kindness and sincerity in his gaze. 

The stranger returned with a glass of water, which Mikey gratefully accepted. He sat next to Mikey as he drank, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulling him up to his side. From anyone else, it would come off as supremely creepy, and objectively it probably was, but Mikey felt safe, like this stranger would protect him from anything. More the booze talking than his brain, though.

"I'm Gabe, by the way," the stranger properly introduced, and Mikey didn't answer because he was still sipping his water, but Gabe didn't seem to mind. He waited for Mikey to lower the glass into his lap and speak. 

"Mikey," he croaked out- had his voice sounded this wrecked all night? 

"You have a safe way home, Mikey?" Gabe asked. Mikey thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. He'd driven, and he knew he wouldn't be able to drive home. He hadn't expected to drink so much, or at all, really, since he wasn't 21 and didn't have a fake ID. 

"Alright. I can give you a ride, don't worry," Gabe assured him, and his hand ran its way along Mikey's arm. Mikey leaned a little closer into Gabe, wrapping an arm around him as he muttered out a soft 'thank you'. 

"How old are you?" Gabe asked, after a long moment of staring.

"Seventeen," Mikey admitted, then added, "And a half. The half is important."

"It is important," Gabe agreed softly, in a way that indicated he was only really saying it to please Mikey, but it still made him a little giddy inside and he couldn't help but giggle. "You have a curfew?"

"Eleven," Mikey answered honestly. Gabe checked his watch. 

"Shit. We should probably get going now, then," Gabe said. "Your parents gonna get mad at you for drinking?"

Mikey thought for a moment, then nodded. They barely liked when Gerard drank, and Gerard was actually old enough to, as of two months ago.

"Yeah. But they won't be up." In his head, he was mostly worried about how he was going to explain that he left his car here, but maybe they would believe that he left his headlights on, the battery died, and nobody had jumper cables. He could think up a better excuse when he was sober.

Mikey looked back up to Gabe. "How old are you? "

"Eighteen, but I always get told I look at least twenty."

Mikey nodded. He did look at least twenty. Acted like it, too, but Mikey bit his tongue. 

"Come on, Mikey, let's go," Gabe said, getting up and gesturing for Mikey to follow suit. He did, reaching for Gabe's hand as they walked through the parking lot. The evening heat was pleasant against his skin as they walked, and maybe he was just way too out of it, but the chirping of cicadas made the walk feel almost romantic. Or Mikey was imagining things. Probably imagining things. Still, though, Gabe was so sweet, it was almost a shame he was taking him home now. He wanted to stay and spend more time together.

Gabe opened the car door for Mikey, and he gratefully stepped in and buckled up, a dopey grin on his face. Such a gentleman…

Gabe got in on the driver's side and turned the car on as he buckled up. The radio immediately started blasting some hip hop song Mikey didn't know the name of, and Gabe quickly turned it down to barely a whisper. 

"Sorry," he offered as he backed up.

"It's fine," Mikey said, curling up in his seat and hugging his knees, though a smile tugged at his lips. He was falling way too fast for his own good. 

The rest of the ride was oddly quiet, save for Gabe asking directions and Mikey answering. He didn't live very far from the bar where the party was being hosted, so the directions were pretty straightforward once they were out of downtown. Aside from that, the silence was mostly a result of Mikey being lost in his own thoughts.

Eventually, they pulled into Mikey's driveway, and Gabe looked over to Mikey with a smile. 

"Okay, Mike- try not to drink so much next time, alright?" 

"Mhm," Mikey said, then went to open his door, but hesitated. He turned back to Gabe. "Actually-"

It was a split-second decision Mikey was sure he would regret, but he did it anyway. He braced his hands on the midway divider between the two seats and leaned across, lips meeting Gabe's. Gabe jumped a little, hesitated, then pushed Mikey away from him, hand resting firmly on his shoulder. Mikey felt his heart drop in his chest as his eyes met Gabe's, wide and unsure. 

"Mikey-" he said, face flushed red. "Okay, don't… take this the wrong way, but I just met you and you're drunk."

"Oh," Mikey said, trying not to sound dejected and failing miserably. He nodded, then unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. He walked toward his house feeling like the biggest idiot in the world.

As his hand gripped the doorknob, he heard Gabe's car door slam open and the sound of sneakers on pavement. 

"Wait," Gabe called, and Mikey stopped to turn to him as he caught up. He had a piece of paper in his hand- a receipt, maybe- and firmly pressed it into Mikey's, brown eyes meeting his again. Mikey glanced down to see a phone number scrawled across the back.

"Give me a call if you feel the same way in the morning."

Mikey smiled up at Gabe and nodded. "I definitely will."