The Summer of Like

Synonyms:	Warped Tour 2005
See also:	Pete/Mikey, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
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The Summer of Like is a fannish term used to describe the Warped Tour 2005, and specifically the relationship between Pete Wentz and Mikey Way at the time. The two became very close over the course of the tour, and photos of them together in conjunction with Pete's suggestive blog posts at the time caused fans to suspect and/or tinhat a romantic relationship between the two.

The term is used to indicate the setting of Bandom fanworks that take place during this time. While Pete and Mikey's friendship is generally taken as canon, "Summer of Like" works do not necessarily feature Pete/Mikey or even either character at all.

Etymology

Though the origin of the term is unknown, Pete was quoted in Rolling Stone in January 2006 saying that "Summer of Like" was a working title for a song—reportedly what became "Bang the Doldrums"—though it is unclear whether Pete had ever used the term in relation to the summer of 2005.

The term is probably a play on the Summer of Love of 1967, but it has taken on different fan connotations:

"[Pete and Mikey] were basically BFFs for a summer, and then nothing. That's where the term Summer of Like comes from, by the way. [...] It has a connotation of 'it all ends once autumn comes.'"

Bert/Gerard

While some fics and other material include the Bert/Gerard friendship as also occurring during the Summer of Like, their falling out had actually already occurred, sometime in the spring of 2005. It is possible that Warped Tour 2005 was confused with Taste of Chaos, a.k.a. "Winter Warped," for which The Used and My Chemical Romance toured together from February though April 2005. Incidentally, the Used was not on Warped Tour in 2005, though Bert performed with Street Drum Corps on their dates and allegedly told fans not to watch MCR play.

Example Fanworks

• Always Knew I'd End Up Your Crazy Ex-Boyfriend by fluffontop (Pete/Mikey), posted 2008. Author's note: So I know I am just going through all the fic clichés now, but everyone must write a summer of like fic at some point, right? Extract:

"My point is -" Here goes, he thinks, steeling himself, his heart, "That I think I have a crush on you." It comes out sounding oddly formal.

"Really?" Mikey tips forward a little lower and he is still frowning.

"But I don't really want to have sex with you," Pete adds quickly, because it's the truth.

Mikey frowns, "Hmm, okay," he says again.

Pete decides not to say that he kind of wants to kiss Mikey though, because so far Mikey is giving nothing away. He wraps his arms around himself, a bit defensively. "Well, I just thought I should tell you."

• Suddenly Last Summer by romanticalgirl (Pete/Mikey), posted 2012. Summary: On summer never ends. One summer never begins. One summer is the Summer of Like

• Thighs and Lips verse by ladyfoxxx, a Pete/Mikey, Patrick/Ray, Patrick/Pete/Mikey/Ray two-part story posted for in 2012 and for bandombigbang 2013. Summary for part 2: Warped passes in a blaze of hot nights, broken strings and stolen kisses. The last night of tour finds Patrick, Ray, Pete and Mikey the last guys standing after a long, lazy night of partying. It makes a weird kind of sense that it would be the four of them, Patrick figures. Two couples nearing their use-by date, trading sleep to wring every last moment from the summer.

Non-Pete/Mikey Summer of Like fics:

• music gave you back your beat so you could dream by gonnafeelgood (Gerard/Pete), posted 2008:

Everyone thinks that it is Pete-and-Mikey, Mikey-and-Pete, that the Summer of Like is a poorly-veiled metaphor for sex.

They are more right than wrong, except about one thing: it is Pete and Mikey, that much is true—but it isn’t that Pete and Mikey are fucking.

• Highway Lines and Interstate Signs by airgiodslv (William Beckett/Travis McCoy(/Gabe Saporta), posted 2009. Summary: “This is a tour,” Travis replies easily. “Stop packing, you’ve got five days still. Take a vacation. I’ll see you on Warped.”

Resources & Further Reading

• Love Can’t Save You: A Pete/Mikey OTP Post (updated April 2018)
• Summer of Like is a canonical tag at the AO3, with 116 uses as of October 2016.
• The Summer of LikeLove: Mikey/Pete Manifesto Turned Primer (Feb 2008)
• Explanation by gigantic (Jan 2007)