Status: Hoping to upload a chapter every Saturday, a little weekend treat :)

Getting Surreal

XXVI

“Man, I can’t believe tour starts again tomorrow!” Frank said disbelievingly from where he was lounging on the couch, beer in hand, his eyes never leaving the tv screen as Becks mindlessly channel-surfed.

“I know, dude” she agreed. “Came so quick.”

The pair fell into a small silence after that, both watching the tv even though nothing good was on. They were both a little edgy and excited and (maybe only for Becks, she couldn’t quite find any in Frank) nervous for the tour. Taste of Chaos had been great. But Warped is bigger, longer, hotter. The make-or-break kind of tour.

“Fuck.”

Frank’s outburst startled Becks and she dropped the remote, the channel now staying on The Discovery Channel. Ignoring the monkeys playing on the screen, she turned and looked at Frank. He had his head thrown back against the couch and was staring up at the ceiling.

“Yeah?” She prompted, twisting in her seat a little.

“Man, I can’t take sitting around right now. You wanna go do something?” He tilted his head in her direction a little, side-eyeing her and waiting for her answer.

“Like what?”

“Fuck me if I know. I just…need to do something, you know?” Becks hummed lowly and nodded her head a little.

“We could…hit up a bar?” She pursed her lips in thought. “Where’s Jamia, anyways? Shouldn’t you two be doing something tonight? Last night you’re in town and all?”

“Nah, she’s got some family crap and is actually out of town.”
Becks let out a noise of understanding and the pair fell in silence for another minute. Finally, Frank spoke again. “Yeah,” he said, lifting his head off the couch and looking at her. “Bar. Bar sounds good.”

---

“Shit!” Becks shouted, bolting up in bed and earning herself a searing headache. “Fuck,” she whimpered out, clutching her head. “Frank!”

There was a lot of angry mumbling then a, “whaaat?” Becks would have rolled her eyes at his whiny tone, but her hangover was stopping her regular functions a little short.

So she just took one hand off her head and hit him, earning a hearty groan and a “fuck you.”

“What time is it?”

“I dunno…it’s…” he cracked open an eye and looked at his watch, “…like, eleven?” Then, he finally understood. “Fuck!” He quickly shot upright and winced at the pain. “We have to be in New York in an hour!” The pair looked at each other in panic for a moment, then, doing their best to ignore their hangovers, they both leapt off the bed they had apparently shared that night and Frank rushed out of the room to get ready. Becks was just about to follow him when she realized that they had been in her room.

“Oh,” she said quietly to herself, freezing in the doorway before backing up and rushing to her drawers. She could hear Frank tearing through his own room, muttering to himself as she rifled through her clothes, grateful that she didn’t have too much to pack in the first place and just grabbing everything in the drawers and shoving it in her suitcase.

---

“Oh my God, my head is gonna fucking blow,” Frank muttered ten minutes later as the pair got in his car. Becks just grunted her agreeance.

“Do we have time for coffee?” She asked quietly, blearily.

“Uhh,” Frank’s eyes darted to the dashboard clock then up at the road as he threw the car in drive. “It’ll be tight, but I might die if I don’t get any, so, yeah.”

“Mmm, good.” Becks laid her head against the headrest and shut her eyes for a minute. “How did we end up in my room?” She asked.

“Fuck, I have no idea.” There was a dry chuckle in his voice. “I remember…bar was no good, so we came home,” Becks nodded and hummed. “And then we drank. A lot.”

“Yeah, I remember lots of that,” she gave a small laugh and the pair fell into a small silence. Becks opened her eyes and looked out the window, watching as Frank pulled into the drive thru at a local Starbucks. As he ordered for them, Becks let her thoughts wander to the upcoming tour. Narrowing her eyes as that started to freak her out a little, she decided to instead think back on the few weeks she’d just spent living with Frank and how much fun she’d had.

She still couldn’t believe how much her life had changed in just the past three months. Mid-February, and she was stuck in a job she hated, no friends to really speak of, and no real family around. The only thing she’d had going for her was her band, and that had been rough for six months, when she’d started butting heads with their lead singer.

And now? It was the beginning of May, she had a job she absolutely loved, was travelling the country, and was constantly surrounded by people that she loved hanging around with and who made her feel accepted. How did she get so lucky?

She shook her head with a small smile as she thought back to the conversation a couple weeks back that she’d had with Ray. Her life was definitely getting surreal.

“What’s the smile for?” Frank asked her, pulling her from her thoughts and handing her her coffee.

“Ah, thank youuu,” she breathed out, snatching the drink from his hands, ignoring the scald of the liquid as she took a desperate first sip, her eyes shut to truly enjoy the moment. When she was satisfied, she opened her eyes again to look at Frank. “Just thinking about how crazy my life is since you waltzed into my last concert like an awkward freak.”

Frank looked at her, grinning like a dope. It was funny to him, at that moment, as their gazes locked, that her eyes were shining a sort of green-gray color, and he, himself, was taken straight back to the very first moment they’d met and he looked at her eyes for the very first time.

“You know what’s weird, though?” He asked.

“Hmm?” She sipped her coffee but didn’t break eye contact.

“I can’t even remember life without you in our group.” He paused to take a sip of his own coffee, then continued on. “Like, I remember it, but I guess…” he made a little face with a half-smirk and gave a little shrug. “I guess I can’t imagine what this whole thing would be like without you here.”

Becks blinked then dropped their gaze, looking down at her coffee. Frank watched as her expression changed from perplexed to disbelief. Finally, she looked back up at him, and she looked (in spite of the raging hangover they were both sharing) so happy and Frank felt his heart swell.

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Frank Iero,” she said quietly, but boldly, and Frank’s face broke out in a large grin. He was about to open his mouth to reply, but then a car horn honked behind him. The pair startled and looked out the back window.

“Oh, fuck!” He laughed, throwing the car into drive. “I forgot we were still in the drive-thru for a minute.”

Becks threw up an apologetic wave to the person, laughing in spite of her headache. “So much for a sappy moment,” she giggled.

“I know, right? Just when things were getting good.”

Things died down in the car for a bit as Frank got them back on the road, the two of them sipping their much needed coffee with The Misfits playing lowly in the background.

“So you hear Mikey got eye surgery?” Becks asked Frank after a while, now feeling a little better and a bit more awake and ready for some light conversation.

“Yeah, I did,” Frank responded. “He’s uh,” he paused to put his full concentration on switching lanes, “he’s been thinking about it for a while, now, actually. I’m glad he’s finally gone through with it.”

“Must suck to always have to wear glasses.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine.” Frank gave a small chuckle and glanced at Becks quick. “Have you seen him since? He got it done the day after the party, right?”

“I haven’t, actually,” she shook her head. “I’ve only seen you, Ray, and Jamia in the last week. I wonder how it all went. Can’t imagine he looks too different.”

“I dunno,” Frank shrugged a little. There was a slight pause in conversation before he spoke again. “Dude, remember that one time you couldn’t jump for shit and almost died?”

“Oh, fuck off!” Becks responded. “My jeans caught! Besides,” she shot him a small, playful glare, “it’s your fault I almost died, anyways. Your idea.” Frank huffed out a little chuckle.

“Yeah, I guess so. I felt so bad, dude.”

“I know,” Becks giggled, now. “You wouldn’t stop apologizing for a week!”

“God, I thought I’d killed you. And I thought Brian was gonna kill me!”

Becks’ head near whipped around and she looked at him. “Really?”

“Oh yeah, killing off my tech and all,” the pair shared a chuckle. “And then there was Mikey. Fuck, when I told them you were hurt…” he paused for a second, remembering the moment, and Becks eyes were all over him, waiting for what he was going to say next, “I’ve never seen the dude so pale. Like, sometimes Gee wears the white makeup on stage, you know?” Frank gestured to his face. “He was like that.”

“Really?” Becks whispered, not quite believing what he was saying
.
“Yeah, dude,” Frank answered, not seeming to notice Becks’ tone. “Like, I was all freaked about you getting hurt and shit, but when Mikey reacted like that? I was really fucked in the head.” Suddenly, Frank paused, a thought striking him. Giving Becks a side-eye and a quirked eyebrow, he asked, “What’s with you two, anyways?”

Becks choked a little on her last sip of coffee, resulting in a small coughing fit. “What do you mean?” She asked when she’d composed herself enough to talk. Frank gave a small scoff.

“Oh come on,” he said with an eye-roll. “The two of you are always all cuddly-cuddly and treat each other, I dunno…like, special or something.”

It was Becks turn to roll her eyes. “We’re just friends, man,” she said, trying to fight back the blush she was sure was spreading across her cheeks at this surprise topic.

“Suuuure.”

“No, really. We’ve always been cuddly, I guess, but…” she turned her head and looked at him and pointed a semi-accusing finger. “I cuddle with you.”

“Not like that, but fair,” Frank didn’t take his eyes off the road to look at her, focusing as he made it into the city. “But come on.”

“No, dude. We’re not…there’s nothing special.” Her voice trailed off in a hush as she finished her statement.

Is there something special?

Becks had really never thought about it before. She and Mikey had always been cuddly with each other, yeah. She had her legs splayed across his lap twenty minutes after she’d met him, but…friends cuddle sometimes, right? And, they didn’t treat each other specially…did they?

Her mind was suddenly taken back to the first time he’d hugged her, after their first show on the Taste tour. How it was that moment and the words he spoke to her that finally made her feel right inside. To how Mikey seemed to listen to her and take her advice whenever she told him something or gave him suggestions. To the way he treated her, cared for her, sacrificed his bunk for her when she was hurt. And what Frank said about the way he’d responded to the news of her being hurt?

All these things were whirring around in her head and suddenly, Becks was a little bit confused and trying to fight down her resurging blush.

“No…” she said, very quietly and Frank glanced at her quickly. “We’re just…friends.”

“Friends,” he said under his breath. “Sure.” And with that, he let the topic drop, and the two fell into silence, Frank concentrating on getting them where they needed to go, and Becks trying to figure out the whirlwind inside her brain.

“Anyways,” Frank said eventually, his voice light and excited, “this tour is gonna fucking rock.”

The grin on his face was infectious, and Becks couldn’t help but to smile back, deciding to let go of her thoughts of a certain bass player for the moment, excited herself. “Can’t wait,” she agreed.

---

“Where the fuck have you been?” Brian shouted at Frank when the pair finally made it to the convention hall they were supposed to meet.

“Uh, yeah…sorry, Brian, we, uh…” Frank met Becks’ gaze and the pair shared a sheepish, albeit mildly frightened look. “We were running a little late.”

“No shit! You were supposed to be here a half hour ago! This could…” Brian cut his rant short, rubbing a hand down his face a sighing. “Fine. It’s fine. Just,” he looked at Becks for the first time since they’d gotten there (all his anger had been directed directly at Frank), and he gave her a swift nod before scowling slightly at Frank again. “I was just about to have a meeting with Gerard. The two of you are joining so I can go over some details with you.”

And with that, Brian headed off down the hall, Frank and Becks sharing another look before both following after him into the convention center.
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