If You Can't Handle The Heat...

Frank looked at the tickets on the track just under the serving window. Mikey just started working on his own and still made errors when he punched in the tickets. Frank shook his head and was just glad it wasn’t real busy right now.

“Hey Mikey, come ‘ere a sec.”

He called out to the front counter, holding the ticket in question in his hand.

Mikey moved through the tables, trying not to bump into anyone, or knock their drinks out of their hand like he did last night.

"Yeah Frank?"

He asked as he reached the servicing window.

“Mikey...it says it’s a table of one...but there are two of the same meal here...did they want the second one made later as a carry out?”

Frank chuckled. He was sure he knew the answer, and that the answer was Mikey had accidentally double clicked the button on the computer, but he figured he’d at least give the guy the benefit of the doubt.

"Uh...no?”

Mikey chewed on his lip nervously.

“Do you know how to fix it? Or do you want me to show you?”

Frank chuckled, he’d had to figure that out a long time ago to help new waiters and waitresses, it was a common error and they often got flustered and confused by it.

"I err, could you show me please?"

Mikey asked, his cheeks red.

“Yeah, it’s not an issue, everyone does it their first time working with this damn computer on their own...”

Frank nodded and walked around the end of the kitchen to come up front. He wiped his hands on his apron and tossed out the ticket on his way past the bin.

“It’s really easy to double tap the thing because of the time delay sometimes...”

Frank walked out to the front counter and looked at the computer screen.

“Ok, which table is it?”

Mikey looked out across the diner, he still had to count tables to know which was which.

"Um...12, I think?"

“Ok, so 12 then…”

Frank tapped at the table marked 12 on the screen and nodded when he saw the right thing come up.

“All you do is…”

He tapped a couple of things on the screen and looked at Mikey to make sure he was following and understood what he was being shown.

"I think I get it..."

Mikey said slowly.

"So I tap this, then this, then...this?"

“Yeah and then this little window should come up for you to put in your code and password, to confirm that it’s you that’s changing it...”

Frank nodded and moved so Mikey can type in the necessary information to fix the ticket.

“Then you hit send to send it back to me so I have the correct order.”

Mikey did as he was told and grinned wide when he saw a confirmation message come up.

"That's so easy, I think I can remember that."

“Alright good, I can get back to work then. If there is anything else you can holler at me and if I don’t know then we’ll figure it out.”

Frank grinned and headed back into the kitchen to flip the food he’d had sitting waiting to go onto the flat top to cook it. He shook his head and smiled as he fell back into the easy and familiar routine of cooking food.

Mikey went to step behind the counter again when the door opened and a guy and a gust of cold wind came inside.

"Hi there, welcome to Deidre's. Would you like a booth or to sit at the counter?"

“The counter is fine.”

The man grinned at the waiter behind the counter.

Mikey blushed slightly cause this guy was very cute, but hid it by turning to grab him a menu. He turned back around and handed him the leather covered menu with a smile.

"Can I get you something to drink first?"

“Just a Coke would be nice.”

The guy winked at him and smiled as he perched himself on one of the stools at the counter and flipped through the menu.

Mikey went into awkward clumsy teenage Mikey mode and blushed the colour of a tomato as he turned around to grab a glass and proceeded to knock a container of freshly washed knives and forks over onto the floor.

"Oh fuck, I mean darn I mean...urgh."

He got down on his knees to pick up the utensils.

The guy looked at the waiter and chuckled lightly. He looked over the menu and couldn’t decide between a few things that looked good. He did a mental eenie meenie to decide before he looked up and saw the poor waiter still picking up the cutlery and blushing the brightest shade of red he’d ever seen. He smiled at this.

"Sorry sorry, I'll just be a minute."

Mikey mumbled as he reached under the back counter to retrieve a fork.

“It’s alright, you new to this?”

He asked gently, watching the boy and chuckling softly.

Mikey nodded.

"Yeah, but I'm only this clumsy around cute guys, fuck!"

Mikey's eyes went wide and he slammed his hands over his mouth as he turned even redder.

“Well you must always be clumsy then.”

The guy laughed and grinned wider at the poor waiter who had, at this point, blushed about 70 shades of red.

Mikey ducked his head, trying to hide his blush as he collected the last of the cutlery and stood up again. He turned to the guy.

"So Coke, right?"

"Yeah, that's what I said."

The guy nodded.

Mikey nodded and picked up the glass again before going to the machine and filling the glass with Coke. He set the glass down in front of cute guy.

"Do you want to order now?"

“Uh...yeah I think I’ll just get a burger with a side order of fries.”

The guy nodded and handed the menu back to the waiter.

"Ok, sure."

Mikey went over to the order station and carefully typed in the order, making sure to only order one burger this time.

Frank heard the ticket machine spit out a ticket and he looked up at it as he put the previous order up on the serving window and tapped at the little bell that was meant to tell the wait staff that the food was ready. Frank nodded as he looked at the new order and waited for Mikey.

Mikey crossed to the window red faced and smiled at Frank. "I got that one right...right?"

“Yeah, looks right to me. One hamburger and a side order of fries, right?” Frank asked and looked over the little counter at Mikey.

Mikey nodded then saw the other order.

"This is the order for table 12?"

“Yep, get that out to them before it gets cold.”

Frank chuckled and turned to put on the food for the new order.

“Then you come back here for a second if you can, alright?”

"Ok Frank, you got it."

Mikey carefully picked up the order and carried it out to table 12. He smiled at the customer and said to shout if they needed anything else, then headed back to the kitchen.

"Frank...what's up?"

"You are a cute shade of red, who's got you all embarrassed and flustered?..."

Frank laughed.

"It wasn't me cause I'm back here, so who is taking over my job of picking on you?"

Mikey's eyes went wide and he stumbled over his words.

"I'm not I just I..."

He huffed slightly.

"A guy...a customer."

He muttered quietly, eyes dropping to the floor.

"What'd he do?"

Frank snickered.

"He exists!"

Mikey groaned dramatically.

“Oh?...”

Frank tried to crane his neck to see out into the diner.

“Cute is he?”

Mikey nodded enthusiastically, though the look on his face said he was wanting to die.

"He's a God Frank...help me, please?"

“What? No one that comes in here is that good looking. Where is he? I wanna see this shit.”

Frank moved around the end of the kitchen to peak out past the wall into the dining area.

"Don't look!"

Mikey said urgently, trying to grab Frank and pull him back into the kitchen.

“No, which one is he?...”

Frank said and then spotted the tall guy sitting at the counter.

“Wait...counter guy?”

He asked quietly so only Mikey can hear him.

"Yes, now pleeeeeease stop looking and tell me how to not explode every time he looks at me."

Frank looked at him and ran back to the kitchen before he lost it laughing. He leaned on the counter and looked at Mikey.

“Dude, don’t be a chicken shit, just talk to him. He’s just a guy...”

Frank turned around and got the food.

“Here...take him his food, and don’t be such a sissy.”

He put the plate up where Mikey could take it.

"Nope!...I'm just gonna give him his food then go explode quietly in the men's room."

Mikey nodded decisively like that was decided then picked up the plate and left the kitchen.

The guy at the counter looked up as he saw the waiter coming out with his food.

“Hey there cutie...”

He smiled widely.

“Looks good.”

He said as the waiter set down the food.

"Enjoy."

Mikey managed to say as his cheeks practically burst into flames.

"So do I get a name to go with that pretty face?"

The guy grinned lopsidedly at him.

"M-M-M..."

Mikey snapped his head toward the kitchen door.

"What Frank?...I'm coming!"

Mikey shouted before running back into the kitchen and straight into the walk in pantry, closing the door behind him.

Frank arched his eyebrows at Mikey and then tossed aside his hand towel to go into the pantry after Mikey.

“Mikey? What the hell was that?”

He asked poking his head in.

"He called me...cutie..."

Mikey whispered with wide eyes.

"...and said I had a...pretty face."

“And you’re hiding in here because…?”

Frank rolled his eyes at him.

Mikey grabbed Frank by the front of his shirt.

"Didn't you hear me Frank?..."

Mikey whispered urgently, his voice going up an octave.

"He. Called. Me. CUTIE!"

“Yeah so? That just means he’s not blind and thinks you are cute...get back out there, hiding in here makes you look like a ridiculous kid...”

Frank shook his head.

“You have two options...get back out there or I will go out and talk to him for you.”

Mikey's face went blank.

"You wouldn't."

"You wanna bet?"

Frank grinned.

"No..."

Mikey sighed then frowned at Frank.

"So you know I'm gonna beat you to death with a spatula later...right?"

“I mean...you can try...but you ain’t touching my spatulas, kid, now go or I will.”

Frank laughed.

Mikey rolled his eyes and left the pantry, returning to the front of the diner...luckily no new customers had come in while he and Frank were in the back. He looked over at the God with the long black hair, high cheekbones that could cut glass, piercing blue eyes and a load of tattoos...not as many as Frank, but who's counting. Surreptitiously wiping a little drool from his chin, Mikey walked over.

"Enjoying your burger?"

He asked, proud he didn't squeak.

“Yeah...”

The guy nodded and set down his burger, smiling at the waiter.

“...it’s pretty good. So you were gonna tell me your name before your cook called you back?”

"Oh err yes err I'm...I'm Mikey."

Mikey stuttered out.

“Cute name for a cute guy, makes sense...”

The guy nodded and chuckled.

“I’m Andy, by the way.”

Mikey blushed.

"My last name's Way, by the way."

He giggled.

“Ha, that’s simple enough to remember. Well Mikey Way, I’m glad I decided to come in here today...”

Andy smiled.

“My last name is Biersack, if you were hoping to look me up on Facebook or something.”

Andy winked at Mikey.

Mikey suddenly found an ounce of courage...though if you asked him where from, he couldn't tell you.

"Or I could just give you my cell number."

He suggested, feeling his heart beat rapidly in his throat.

“That actually sounds like an excellent idea, better than trying to use Facebook.”

Andy smiled wider, he pulled out his phone and handed it over to Mikey after unlocking it.

Mikey typed in his number and saved it under MikeyWayCutieX, then handed the phone back.

Andy looked at the contact and smiled.

“Thanks...”

He sent a text to Mikey’s number.

“There, now you have my number too.”

He looked up at Mikey happily.

Mikey smiled shyly as he saved Andy's number as AndyTatts<3, then slipped his cell into his pocket.

"Well, I should probably get back to work."

He murmured, not making a move.

“Oh...”

Andy looked down at his food.

“Yeah I guess I’m kind of distracting you aren’t I, sorry about that.”

Mikey looked around and saw that the only other customers in the diner were still eating and there wasn't anything that he really needed to do right now.

"Well I could spare a few more minutes, I guess..."

Just then the door opened and Mikey turned with a small huff to greet the new customer, but startled when he saw who it was.

"Gee?...what're you doing here?"

Gerard Way, Mikey's older brother who'd been living and working away for the last two years and hadn't even shown his face for Thanksgiving or Christmases, pushed his hood back off of his head and grinned.

"Miss me Mikes?"

"Of course you fucker..."

Mikey grinned, running around the counter and hugging Gerard.

"You don't call, you don't write."

Gerard chuckled.

"Yeah, sorry. I missed you too."

The brothers stood hugging in the middle of the diner.

Andy turned around to look at the guy that could break Mikey out of the little shell he’d been hiding in since Andy got there, he frowned slightly upon seeing the guy was cute. Not like cute-hot like Mikey was, but like actually grandmas-would-squish-his-cheeks cute. He turned back to his food and picked at a couple fries.

"Have you been to see mom yet?"

Mikey asked, raising an eyebrow at Gerard. The older boy shook his head, looking down at his shoes.

"No Mikes...she wouldn't want to see me anyway."

"How long you in town for?"

Mikey asked to change the subject as he dragged Gerard over to the counter and sat him down before setting about making him a coffee. Gerard huffed but didn't answer.

Andy looked up at this Gee guy out of the corner of his eye, still picking at his fries. He can’t fathom why Mikey would want this guy to go visit his mother.

Mikey stopped what he was doing and looked at his brother, who was looking down at his hands.

"Gee, how long are you back for?"

He said seriously.

Gerard looked up sheepishly.

"For...good?"

Gerard bit his lip, shying back a little as Mikey looked daggers at him.

"You mean you're not going back to your job?...the one you left home for?...the one you left town and didn't answer your cellphone for two years for?...that job."

Gerard looked like he was about to cry, or run away...or both.

"I got fired?"

Gerard wasn't sure why every answer he gave came out as a question.

"FIRED?!"

Mikey yelled, and Gerard's eyes went wide.

Andy found himself beginning to wonder exactly how Mikey knows this guy enough to yell at him. He looked up at Mikey and saw he actually looked somewhere between concerned or upset and pissed off.

Mikey took a breath, remembering that he was at work right now.

"You loved that job, so why don't you explain to me what the fuck you did to get yourself fired."

Gerard sniffed slightly.

"I told my boss no when he told me to do something."

He said quietly, eyes dropping to his hands that were twisting in the bottom of his hoodie.

Andy had the extreme urge to ask what the boss had tried to get him to do but before he could, he saw the head of another man poke out of the kitchen. Andy could only assume it was the cook or possibly the owner.

“What in the hell is all the damn yelling about, Mikey?”

He demanded, looking at the waiter.

Mikey's head snapped around, his eyes wide.

"Sorry Frank. My err...my brother was just about to tell me why he got fired."

Andy and Frank both went wide eyed.

“You have a brother?”

Frank said and finally settled his gaze on Gee.

Gerard had his eyes down still as he chewed on his bottom lip. Mikey saw he wasn't going to speak.

"Yeah. Frank, this is my older brother, Gerard. Gerard?..."

The older boy looked up.

"This is Frank...my boss!"

Gerard's eyes went wide.

"Oh!...oh God. I'm sorry, I should've waited til Mikey was out of work. Please don't fire him because of me...please?"

“Woah, dude, I’m just the manager alright. And I wouldn’t fire him over this. There are only two customers and they are both taken care of.”

Frank shushes Gerard.

“Family comes first anyway. I just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong out here, Mikey never yells.”

Gerard looked at Mikey incredulously.

"You don't?"

Mikey flipped him the bird discreetly.

"No fucker, I don't."

Frank laughed at the pair of them. He could see how they were brothers. He finally really looked at Gerard and it was all he could do to keep his jaw from dropping. He was beautiful and shy looking. His eyes are so green and he’s so pale in contrast to his longish black hair. Frank looked at Mikey to check to see if him looking at his brother had managed to go unnoticed.

It hadn't.

Mikey was looking at Frank with one eyebrow raised and a smirk on his lips. He took a second to watch Frank blush at being caught, then turned back to Gerard, who appeared to be relaxing as he thought his interrogation was over.

"So what did your boss want you to do Gee?"

Gerard was suddenly the centre of attention again and he felt like hiding in his hoodie.

"He err...he told me to err...to decoratehisofficeinthenude."

He rushed out quickly, not wanting to say it clearly. Mikey just raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Frank choked as the words came out of Gerard’s mouth and Andy’s eyes went wide again. Frank looked at Mikey to see how he was going to react.

"What was that Gee?"

Mikey asked seriously, having not understood his brother. Gerard frowned, biting his lip and digging his fingers into his jeans-clad thigh.

"I said..."

He looked down embarrassed, his voice dropping low.

"...he told me to decorate his office in the...nude."

Mikey's face went blank.

"You said no?"

Gerard's head snapped up to look at his brother in disbelief.

"Of fucking course I said no fucktard...that's why I got fired, remember?"

“What in the hell kind of place were you working in?”

Frank asked and arched an eyebrow at him.

Gerard looked shocked at being spoken to by someone other than Mikey. He swallowed and turned red.

"I was a comic book artist..."

He said quietly, eyes dropping to the floor.

"I loved that job too."

Frank frowned.

“Sounds like a cool job but not if you had to put up with shit like that.”

Andy nodded silently in agreement.

Mikey sighed, stepping back over to his brother.

"So you got fired for saying no to that shit?..."

Gerard nodded.

"Then I think you should sue."

Gerard looked up and shook his head.

"He said that it was in my contract to draw or paint whatever I was told to...I asked a lawyer to look it over, and he said I don't have a case..."

He leaned his head onto Mikey's shoulder.

"Or a job."

Frank wrinkled his nose at that. He couldn’t really think of anything helpful to say though so he just sighed. He looked around at the diner. He furrowed his brow and then got an idea. He’d have to talk to the owner before he thought on the idea any further though. He sighed in resignation and headed back into the kitchen. He stood in his space prepping things and tidying as always, but from an angle where he could still see Gerard and Mikey, though he couldn’t see the other guy from there.

Gerard sighed.

"Well you should really get back to work Mikes, before you get fired too."

Mikey laughed as he pulled away and went to grab Gerard's coffee for him.

"That's true. Here, drink this while you're here. I've got another hour left then we'll sneak you into the basement so mom don't see you."

Gerard giggled.

"Sounds like a plan Mikes...I knew I could count on you."

He accepted the cup and took a sip, relaxing with a smile as Mikey got back to working his shift.

Andy picked up his burger again to finish the last few bites, he’d already picked through his fries enough that there were only crunchy little bits left. He pushed his plate away and settled for watching Mikey work. He was actually really glad he’d decided to stop in today. He was glad he’d even noticed this place.

After table 12 had paid and left and Mikey had removed the old guy's plate and coffee cup and wiped down the table, he walked into the kitchen, flicking Gerard's ear on the way passed and getting the finger in reply.

"Frank, who's in next?...I'm finished in like..."

He looked at his watch then looked back up.

"...like 20 minutes."

“It's Josh in tonight. He should be here pretty soon I think. Don’t know, just count up your till and if he doesn’t get here before you leave I can hold down both for a while till I can get Tony to come in if I have to.”

Mikey shook his head.

"No Frank, I'll stay till he gets here. I mean what if you get a rush?..."

He looked around the diner and saw that it was just him, Gerard and Andy.

"It's not likely, but it could happen."

“Mikey, Tony lives like five minutes away walking. I’ll be fine and you have Gerard to take care of...”

Frank shook his head.

“Besides, Josh still has time, who’s to say he won’t show up on time?”

"Has he ever?..."

Mikey asked with one sarcastically raised eyebrow. He sighed.

"Well if you're sure."

“Josh is nowhere near as bad as some of the people we’ve had in here...” Frank chuckled.

“I’m sure, it’ll be fine.”

"Ok then…”

Mikey looked at his watch.

"15 minutes and I'm out."

He turned and looked at Gerard, who seemed to have fallen asleep with his head on the counter. He chuckled then took a breath and turned to walk over to Andy. He smiled shyly as he approached him.

"You finished your food..."

He said a little redundantly.

"Would you like anything else?...a coffee?"

"Coffee?...someone say coffee?"

Gerard said, sitting up quickly and nearly falling off his chair as he looked over at his brother. His hair was stuck to the side of his face.

“No...”

Andy chuckled.

“I think I’m alright but your brother might want one.”

Andy put the cost of the food on the counter and left a pretty good tip.

“I’ll be sure to text you though, maybe we can hang out sometime, eh Cutie?”

Mikey blushed and giggled, biting his lip as he nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Gerard raised an eyebrow from behind him, but said nothing, waiting to see what would happen next...he'd been gone too long to have the right to play 'protective big brother' right now, though that didn't mean he wouldn't play that part if he was needed.

“Alright, I look forward to it then.”

Andy said, winking at Mikey before turning and heading out the door.

Mikey watched him go then turned to his brother.

"What?!"

"Nothing Mikes...I didn't say anything."

Gerard said, trying not to laugh. Mikey huffed.

"Good, then you can have coffee."

Gerard grinned wide, eyes happy like a little kid at Christmas. Mikey rolled his eyes and set to pouring his brother's drink.

Notes

Hi there chipmunks, how's you?...

So I'm here with a new co-writer and new friend. She has been dragged from the FOB fandom and into ours by my constant bestie, momiji_neyuki, our good friend RedRomRomance and me.

She is still mainly FOB, but we've got her now too ;)

So here is the first chapter of my first ever fic with her. It all came from me showing her that pic of Frank trying to cook something and setting fire to the pan...you know the one...and now here we are!

Hope you enjoy.

Until next time...PLEASE COMMENT, and peace out babies!
<3

ps. My lovely new co will be posting this on AO3 like momiji does with our fics (also on Wattpad), so any notes she puts up can be found there.
<3