The Only Thing I Ask

Jimmy was alone in the studio. He had his headphones on, so immersed into his drumkits, writing new stuff for their upcoming album. Not that he didn't like working on new stuff together with the band but he preferred doing it alone. The band called it as 'locking himself out' or 'finding nirvana'.

He usually came up with a lot of great songs out of it, and right then he was working on one. He called it as 'Fast Melodic'.

He got lost in his snares and double pedals and cymbals so much that he didn't realize someone was watching him all along.

"Oh my God Valerie! Stop doing that or I'll cut your throat!" he jumped and accidentally threw his drumsticks in the air when he saw Valerie was standing outside the glass window, staring at him.

His voice echoed through the built-in microphone in there and Valerie could hear him even from outside of the sound-proof recording room.

Valerie laughed and motioned for him to come out from the room.

"What's up? Where's M?'
"You should know better. He's your freaking leader."
Jimmy glared at her. He'd always preferred the other twin better.
"But I'm not his ass-guardian." Then he casually walked over to the small fridge beside boxes of amplifiers and took out a bottle of mineral water.
"Actually I'm here looking for you."
He stopped drinking. "You're trying to seduce me now? Sorry, Val. Bros before hoes."
Valerie rolled her eyes at him.
"Keep dreaming, Rev. I'm here to talk to you about my sister."
That got his attention.
"Have you found her? How she's doing?"
Valerie grinned. "You guys are truly best friends aren't you? She asked me about you first and then here you are, your eyes lit up like a fucking Christmas tree."
He smirked. "You jelly?"
"A little bit, yeah. I've only been best friends with Matt. You guys liked Michelle more than me."
"Aww...so are you here for charity or self-pity?"
Valerie just couldn't win. She was actually kidding. She didn't feel jealous at all. Zacky and Johnny are both her best friends too.
"Anyway, that's not why I came here. I came because it didn't work."
"What didn't?"
"I figured if I tell her that you guys are going on tour next week she could, you know, come out from her nest or something."
"Really? But our tour could take half a year before she could see Syn again."
"I know. I couldn't bear to see Syn being like that. And I know she's been crying her eyes out."
Jimmy drank his bottle of water and thought deeply. It's only been 2 days since they 'broke up'. Did they actually broke up? Jimmy hadn't seen Brian since then. Even when the band gathered together for dinner or just drinking at their usual bar.
"It's only been 2 days. Give him some time."
Valerie took a seat on the couch.
"Two days can become two fucking years if we leave them as it is. Please Jimmy, do something? Matt and I ran out of ideas. I know you care about them both. You're the only person that I can count on right now. She'll listen to you."

Jimmy didn't know what to do, honestly.
**************************************************************************

Brian picked up his baby Maltese from the floor. She was panting and begging for his attention. Funny story was, he bought her for Michelle, secretly while on tour, but he didn't have the chance to give it to her because they fought on the last venue. That poor Maltese had to be sent back to his house by mail.

For a week after he had lost Michelle because of Maya, he tried to bury himself in work. Trying to finish the song that had been stuck inside his head. But he just couldn't move on. He only had empty and random riff tabs lying around his house now. This white Maltese was somehow, the only thing that made him feel alive at the moment.

“Hey Pinkly Pinkly!” Jimmy walked into his house out of nowhere. They had nothing to do today, only tomorrow they will be off touring all over Europe.
“Yo, Rev. Where did you come from?”
“Your front yard.” Jimmy answered lazily while trying to get Pinkly, the Maltese dog from Brian’s arms.“Have you packed?” he added.
Brian shrugged. There was always his tour baggage, ready to go.
“Pinkly didn’t poop on the neighbor’s yard, did she? She didn’t! Oohh ohh look how cute her nose is!” Jimmy spoke to Pinkly in a mushy way.
“It's good seeing you, bro."
"Well, you're the one who's been locked up in here."
Brian chuckled, shook his head at Jimmy. He grabbed his guitar and started playing. "Where are the others?”
Jimmy was still busy scratching Pinkly’s stomach but he heard him asking.
“Who do you ask?”
Brian’s face fell. He certainly curious about Michelle but she didn’t even want to see him, that’s why she ran away. He definitely deserved this. Unable to hold on to a girl he loves, let her go so easily after she admitted that she loves him.
“You should have seen your face.”
Brian startled. His brief thoughts about Michelle interrupted.
“What?”
Jimmy picked Pinkly up and took a seat next to Brian.
“If I were you, I’d chase the shit out of her, dude.”
“She doesn’t want to see me.”
“I know. But then again, after seeing you and Maya like that, who does? I don’t even wanna talk to you again when you agreed to listen to her.”
Brian looked up to Jimmy. His eyes soften watching him playing with Pinkly.
“I’m sorry Jimmy.”
“For the love of God! I’m alive aren’t I?”
Brian rubbed his own face. He couldn’t forget what happened 2 years ago, after he got into a fight with Matthew in the bus.

~*.*~

It was raining but not too heavy. He came out of the bus, stomping angrily. His addiction started to kick in but he’d lost his glass pipe. Looks like I have to snort it all out. He thought.
He went into a random convenient store, bought a coke and took a straw from the counter.
The coke was to smash the crystal to dust and the straw, he used it to snort it all through his nose.

“Brian!”

He was about to start snorting when someone called from behind him. He was in a dark alley not far from where the bus parked in New Jersey. He turned to look. Johnny ran towards him.
He didn’t give a damn what Johnny would think about him using again. He started to snort one line of his powdered meth and it went straight to his head. His brain froze for a while, but he saw Johnny was muttering something in front of him. Wait. Johnny was actually shouting. But he couldn’t hear it well. It took him fucking 3 minutes for the meth to spread under his skin and he finally can hear Johnny’s voice clearly.

“Something’s wrong with Jimmy! What the fuck are you waiting for?! Come on! Let’s go!!”

Johnny pulled him up and they ran to the bus. In the bus, he saw Jimmy was on the floor, hands on his chest.

“Jimmy!” he was high, but at the same time panicked seeing his best friend laying there, not moving.

~*.*~

“Pinkly! Come back here and love me!!!”
Brian jolted back to reality. He saw Jimmy chased his dog who ran around, avoiding him. At that very moment, he thanked God his best friend from childhood was still alive.

It was then Jimmy finally admitted to the band that he had a heart condition since birth. But he kept it a secret because he wanted to play drums. He can’t be too stressful, or too surprised. Ever since Brian knew about his best friend’s suffering, he swore to himself to never use drugs again and locked his heart away in an ice box.

Matthew on the other hand, always being a great leader. Even when his nose was broken that night, he still forgave him. Brian apologized to him and they hugged long. Probably because they watched Jimmy on the hospital bed, smiling weakly at them and not having the strength to be himself.

Refused to hang on to that memories, Brian got up from the couch, put aside his guitar and joined in with Jimmy, chasing Pinkly around.

******************************************************************************************************

"How old is she?" Michelle asked Leana while watching her feeding Zoey in the high chair.

Leana smiled at her own daughter."She's 10 months old."

Oh wow. Michelle thought. Jude haven't been gone that long. She wondered how did Leana survived through the lost. And it was a bigger situation than hers. She felt embarrassed just by thinking about it.

"You ever gonna tell me what really happened?"
Michelle glanced at her, who was now doing the dishes at the kitchen sink.
"Someday, Lea."
Leana sighed. It's been almost a week since Michelle came here and stayed with her. Not that she ever minded, but Michelle hadn't said a word about her situation to her.
"Um, Chelle. You mind taking me to the store for a bit? Zoey's formula is almost empty."
"Sure. Let's go."
It's the least that Michelle could do for Leana.

**************************************************************************

"Turn right here, right here!"
"Where? Here?"
"Yeah, right here goddammit!"
Brian followed Jimmy's instruction. It has been a half an hour drive to a fucking grocery store just to get Pinkly's food.
"Why the fuck here?" he asked Jimmy while parking the car into the parking lot.
"No reason. I just like this store."
"It's too far from my house. It took us half an hour to get here. Besides I usually buy Pinkly's food-"
"Good lord, stop nagging Syn! You sound like my grandma." Jimmy got out of the car babbling while holding Pinkly in his arms.
People were staring at them like they’re some kind of criminal. Maybe it was because of their tattoos and piercings and the Maltese in Jimmy’s arm.
"Fuck, we look like a gay couple shopping for home." Brian muttered under his breath when they entered the store. He pulled down his beanie to cover up most of his face from humiliation.
“Yeah, you should have done these things with a girl, not me.” Jimmy practically strutted with pride, holding Pinkly in his arms and Brian by his side.
“Shut up. You’re the one who dragged me here.”
“Wait, I thought you were gay for me?”
“Not right now.”
Jimmy laughed, and for some reason, they parted ways. Jimmy said that he wanted to grab himself some chocolates, leaving Brian alone searching for pet food aisle.
Suddenly his trolley cart accidentally bumped into someone.
“Uh, sorry. My bad.” He apologized.
That someone turned around. It was a face so familiar to him, so dear that he’d want to ran into her arms and kiss the fuck out of her.
But his feet planted to the ground and refused to move.
“Michelle.” He whispered.
“Brian.” She whispered back.