Getting Surreal

“So this is it,” Frank announced, dropping his bags at the door and taking a couple steps into the living room, his arms thrown wide as if to help display. “It’s not much,” he said, looking at Becks with a small smile, “but it’s home.”

Becks crossed the threshold and looked around. Frank had a nice place. It wasn’t flashy, it wasn’t huge, but it was, well…Frank. The place was clean, masculine décor here and there, guitars and equipment everywhere, and it was just as warm and inviting as the guitar player was in person.

“It’s great. I can’t thank you enough, Frank,” Becks muttered, noting the glass door at the far end of the room that led to a small porch and small fenced in yard. Frank rolled his eyes.

“Becks,” he took a few steps so he was right in front of her. “You thank me one more time and I’m kicking you out on the streets.” He paused to take in her wide eyes and the way her lips were pursed from the way she’d quickly clamped her mouth shut before bending down to pick up his stuff. “Just kidding,” he said, shooting her a teasing grin and a wink. “Seriously, though, it’s gonna be cool to have you here, so stop thanking me.”

“Fine,” Becks sighed, adjusting the strap of her book bag a little.
“Good,” Frank smiled. “Want a tour?”

“Sure.”

“Alright, my lady, if you’d just follow me….”

After the grand tour of Frank’s modest home, Becks told Frank that she was going to go unpack and settle in a little, moving to the spare room he was providing her. Truly, she had meant to unpack, but the moment she shut the door behind her, she suddenly felt exhausted. Figuring it was just the lack of sleep on the hectic tour they’d just survived catching up with her, she decided she’d just shut her eyes a couple minutes to rest before unpacking.

---

Around four pm, three days later, Frank knocked lightly on the door to the room Becks was staying in. She’d been really quiet for the past few hours, and he was really hoping she’d want to do something. He’d just showered, done laundry, and tidied his room up a bit, and was, well…kind of bored.

He knocked again.

“Becks?” he called lightly when there was no response to his knocking.

Making a confused sort of face to himself, Frank slowly opened the door, hoping she wasn’t naked or anything.

“Becks?” he whispered as he slowly opened the door. When it was finally open enough that he could see into the room, he saw her luggage, open, but still completely full laying on the ground. As he looked up to the bed, Frank smiled fondly, seeing his guitar tech-turned-friend curled up in a surprisingly small ball for a girl her height, on top of the covers, totally passed out.

Deciding not to bother her and that he’d be okay on his own at present, Frank went to leave the room and head to the living room. Unfortunately, as he went to shut the door, the hinges let out a loud creak, leaving Frank cringing as Becks stirred.

“Frank?” she asked in a hoarse whisper, totally confused.

“I, uh…yeah, it’s me,” Frank stuttered, opening the door again to see her stretching on the bed. “I didn’t mean to wake you….”

“Nah, it’s cool,” she said with a yawn, rubbing her eyes. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” At that, they both shared a small chuckle.
“Whatcha need?” she asked after a moment, sitting up slowly.

“Uh, well…” he rubbed at the back of his neck a little bit awkwardly, “I was, uh…bored?” Becks smiled at his sheepish expression. “Just wanted to know if you wanted to hangor go out or something? I know there’s gotta be a show going on somewhere tonight…the bars around here always do on Thursdays.” He shrugged and leaned against the doorframe.

“Uh…” Becks was still getting her bearings and had a few questions she wanted to ask him, but the only thing that tumbled out of her mouth was, “it’s Thursday?” Frank let out a quick laugh.

“Yep, Thursday all day.”

“Man, I totally lost track of everything when we were on the road.”
It was more to herself than to him, but Frank commented anyway.

“Yeah, touring will do that.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s…” he glanced down at his watch, “almost seven thirty.” Becks’ eyes went wide.

“Shit, I slept so long!”

“I think you needed the rest,” Frank chuckled and she absently nodded.

“I guess so….so you said you wanted to go to a show tonight?” She smiled when she saw Frank’s face light up.

“Yeah! I mean, bar hopping, scoping out the local bands, that sort of thing?”

Becks pursed her lips and looked away from Frank, nodded slightly before looking back at him with a grin. “You had me at bar hopping, give me ten to get ready?”

Frank’s face broke out into a large smile and he nodded. “Awesome,” he said, backing out of the doorway. “I’ll be in the living room!”

---

“I hope you don’t mind, but I invited the rest of the guys,” Frank mentioned as they both got in his car. “Well,” he paused, frowning to himself with his hand on the gearstick, “the guys that are in state,” and then he nodded, throwing the can in reverse, backing out of the driveway.

“As in, like, Mikey and Gee and Ray?” Becks questioned, nodding her head absently.

“Uh, yeah…” Frank paused for a second, sliding a cd into the player, “Toro said he was busy, but the brothers might come.”

“Cool,” Becks said, internally thanking herself for putting in at least a little effort in her appearance before they left. She never wore a ton of makeup or messed with her hair too much, but she had been feeling adventurous and decided to play around with some liner and blush (which, to her amusement, earned some joking wolf calls from Frank when she’d left the bathroom).

“So where we going?”

“There’s this bar downtown I like to hit up sometimes…they usually have some good punk bands playing.” He stole a glance at Becks and smirked to himself. “Good beer selection, too.”

“Awesome.”

---

“Fuck, Becks,” Frank hissed out, leaning in closer to his friend.

They’d been at the bar around an hour, and were nursing their third or fourth drinks. A band had been playing when they’d gotten there, but they’d found themselves at the bar within a few minutes, just chatting and enjoying each other’s company and the heady atmosphere.

“What?” she whisper-hissed back, leaning in as well.

“Dude, you see that girl?”

“Where?” she asked loudly, sitting up straight and looking around in a terribly obvious manner.

“Dude, be chill!” Frank cried, grabbing her and pulling her back down to near bar-level. “What are you, Captain fucking obvious?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Becks whispered with a giggle. “Who am I looking at?”

“Her…shorter black hair?” He pointed discretely across the bar at the girl who was sitting there, chatting with a friend.

“Yeah, okay. So?” Becks asked, looking back at Frank.

“Her name’s Jamia. We used to, uh…” Frank licked his lips, his eyes flitting to look at the girl again, “we dated all through high school.”

“She’s your ex?” Frank nodded as he took a hefty sip of his drink. “Sooo…are we avoiding her, then? Like, want me to run interference if she comes over?”

Frank’s eyes went wide and he shook his head viciously. “Nooo.”
“Uh, okay…” Becks to a long sip of her beer, narrowing her eyes at Frank as she pondered. Suddenly, a thought struck her and she all but slammed her beer on the bar. “You still have feelings for her?”

Frank’s cheeks were already a little bit flushed from the alcohol he’d consumed, but Becks wasn’t oblivious to the pink tinge getting just a little darker. “I, uh…” he looked across the bar for a moment before looking back at Becks. “Yeah, I think so,” he shrugged a little, a sheepish expression written all over his face.

“Dude, you should go talk to her. How long did you guys date?”

“Uh, like…three years?” Becks almost choked on her sip.

“Shit, that long?” Frank just gave her a small nod. “Who split it off?”

“It was a mutual thing…I don’t even know why anymore.” He sighed and put his forehead on the bar, letting out a groan.

“Frank,” Becks rubbed his back soothingly. “Dude, go talk to her.”
Frank picked his head up a little and looked at her. “Go.” She nodded in the direction of the girl in question.

“But what about you?” Becks had to fight off her eye roll.

“I’m a big girl. I’ll be fine. Just,” she gave him a playful shove, “go talk to her.”

Frank looked hard at her for a moment before nodding once. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.” He quickly downed the rest of his drink, setting the empty glass on the bar and nodded again. “Okay.”

“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Becks gave him a little slap on the back as he walked by and smiled to herself as she watched him make his way towards Jamia. He was almost there when he looked back at her, and Becks just smiled bigger and gave him a thumbs up.

Becks sat there alone the next few minutes happily nursing her drink. Frank and Jamia seemed to have hit it off and disappeared somewhere to catch up, and she was really happy for him. She had just finished off her beer and laid it on the bar when she felt somebody slide up against the bar right next to her. She inwardly groaned, not really feeling in the mood to have guys try and flirt with her.

“Hey, pretty lady, can I buy you another round?” the guy asked her. The guy with a very familiar voice.

Looking over at him, Becks saw none other than one Mikey Way smiling down at her.

“Mikey!” she yelled happily, all but jumping off her barstool to hug him. He chuckled and returned her embrace.

“Hey, Becks!” he responded, the smile on his face ever present as she sat back down in her seat and gestured to the one next to her that Frank had vacated for him to sit. As Mikey went to comply, Becks felt a hand on her lower back.

“Ma’am, is this guy bothering you?” another familiar voice.
whispered in her ear on the other side. She couldn’t stop the large grin that spread across her lips.

“Gee!” She turned and gave him a small side hug, not getting out of her seat this time.

“How are ya, Becks?” He asked, giving the top of her head a light kiss before pulling away.

“I’m good. Better, now that you guys are here. Feels like it’s been so long!” Becks dramatically sighed out the last bit and Gerard chuckled.

“Honey, it’s literally only been like, three days,” he said, leaning with his back against the bar and surveying the room. “But I get you.” He gave her a warm and fond sort of look, drawing a small smile from her. “Where’s Frank?”

“Oh! Um, we were both here, but then his ex…Jamie? No…” her brow furrowed for a second and then she just shook her head, giving up, “J something showed and he went to talk with her,” she turned around slightly to scan the crowd as well, “they went, uh…somewhere.” She shrugged to Gerard, whose eyebrows shot up.

“Jamia’s here?”

“Mmm!” She nodded enthusiastically and swallowed the sip she had taken. “That’s the one!”

“Shit,” Gerard muttered, a sort of pleasantly surprised pout playing across his lips as he nodded absently to himself, still glancing around the room. Becks was about to ask him more about this Jamia deal when the bartender caught her attention, placing a shot and a beer in front of her.

“Here you go, doll,” he said, giving her a smirk with his eyebrows raised before heading down the bar to where another customer needed attention. Becks blinked down at the drinks in front of her before turning her head and looking at Mikey and raising an eyebrow at him, noting the same drinks in front of him.

Mikey looked down at her for a second, a smirk on his lips, before he leaned down and put his lips next to her ear. “You know you want it,” he said with a wink before pulling away and shooting her a wink. Becks’s mouth broke in a wide, mischievous smile and nodded.

“You’re a good man, Mikey Way.” She grabbed onto her shot but didn’t move it from the bar top just yet. “You and me tonight, then?” She cocked her head slightly to the side while she waited for his answer.

Mikey’s face suddenly returned to his usual stony expression and he looked hard at Gerard behind Becks, a clear silent conversation going on between the brothers. An instant later, his eyes were back on hers, and his lips were turned up into that tiny smirk of his again. “Let’s do this,” he said to her and reached for his own shot.

They both ‘cheers’ed each other and tapped the shots on the bar before downing them in sync. As Becks winced down the booze and reached for her beer, she felt Gerard’s hand on her back again.

“You kids have fun,” he had leaned towards Becks to say it, but was clearly addressing the both of them, his eyes flitting up and staying on Mikey for a moment.

“You’re leaving?” Becks asked him, confused. They’d only just got there.

Gerard’s eyes left his brother and he looked at the girl in front of him, smiling softly. “Nah, I’m not leaving. Just gonna head around and see who all’s here.” He looked back up at Mikey and gave him a small look that Becks couldn’t for the life of her discern. “Find me if you need me,” he said, his voice not quite matching the expression on his face. With that, he shoved off the bar and walked into the crowd, Becks watching, bottle to her lips, as he disappeared.

“So,” she heard Mikey whisper into her ear, drawing her attention back to him. She swung around in her seat so she could properly face him. “Round two?” Becks smirked.

“I like your style, Mikey Way.”