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

Getting Surreal

XXXXIII

“Seriously, though,” Frank said, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, “it’s about fucking time.”

Becks shot him a small smile from where she was hunched awkwardly over the drink cooler before turning back to finding a beverage.

“You know,” she stood up and kicked down the lid of the cooler, two beers in hand before walking back over to Frank and passing him one. “People keep saying that.” She opened her can which let out a loud hiss and took a long pull from it as Frank looked up at her almost incredulously, too busy wondering at his friend to bother with his beer yet.

“I’d say ‘no shit’ if I didn’t know you so well by now.”

Becks frowned at her beer for a moment before looking down at her friend. “What do you mean by that?” She asked. Frank sighed and shook his head minutely before panting out a quick laugh and patting the spot next to him.

“You sit that cute ass down and maybe I’ll tell you.”

Becks rolled her eyes and complied, smiling in spite of herself. When she was properly settled with her legs flung over the side of the bus (hanging out on the roof had of late become the pair’s favorite hang-out spot), she looked over expectantly at Frank, who was just fiddling silently with the tab on his beer can (testing her patience just to piss her off a little, no doubt).

And?” Becks asked when she just couldn’t take the wait anymore. Frank shook his head to himself again and took a sip.

“Well,” he said once he’d swallowed (dramatically, smacking his lips and letting out an ‘ahhh’), “you’re kind of oblivious.” Becks wasn’t sure whether it was the words themselves or the complete nonchalance with which he said them, but she felt her face screwing up in confusion and defense.

“No I’m not!” She scoffed, hand over her heart. Frank shot her a look that clearly read, ‘really?’ “Well…I’m…no….” As Becks continued to try and defend herself, she realized that he kind of had a point. “Okay, fine,” she said pointedly, attempting to take a slightly aggressive drink from her beer and ending up choking a bit and getting foam on her face, throwing Frank into a small laughing fit where he had to put his beer down beside him because he was shaking too hard. “Okay, oka-blegh, okay,” Becks sputtered once she composed herself, looking nothing but sheepish in her expression and posture. “I, uh…” she’d gone to take another sip and, clearly thinking better of it, set her drink off to the side, too. “How?”

“How what?” Frank asked, his voice now laced with laughter and amusement. Becks shot him a look and he just smiled smugly.

How was I oblivious this time?” She finally conceded, asking fully the question he wanted to hear.

“Well,” Frank let out a sigh and stretched out for a second, dropping his legs over the side of the bus like Becks and leaning back on his elbows. “I guess, just the fact that you had absolutely no fuckin’ clue.” He shrugged smally and Becks’ cocked her head to the side, looking completely baffled. “Yeah,” he nodded to himself, “pretty much sums it up.” There was a pause, then,

“About what?” Becks exclaimed.

“Uh, I dunno, maybe the fact that Mikey’s been in love with you since, like…forever?”

“Well…how was I supposed to know that? He never…” she paused and thought for a moment before continuing, “he never said anything.” Frank rolled his eyes.

“Oh come on, Becks. It was so obvious! The way he got all funny and handsy around you? The way he never fucking shut up about you?”

“Well…I dunno!” Becks shrugged. “I mean, I’m not so good at the whole love thing. I don’t know how you guys operate.”

“Like I said,” Frank tutted, shaking his head and laughing, “oblivious.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Becks said, mimicking his posture and leaning back on her elbows. They both lay there for the next couple minutes, enjoying the view of bus-roof after bus-roof and the muffled, mixed, and distorted sound of a few different bands playing in the background.

“And then there’s you,” Frank said suddenly, causing Becks to jump a little and her head to whip to the side so she could look at him.

“Me?”

“Yeah. You’ve liked him for ages, too.” He was just looking off to somewhere in the distance, seemingly unaware at how Becks was staring at him with her eyes narrowed, almost like she was sizing him up. How could he know that? She didn’t even know it until very recently. Luckily for her, Frank seemed to read her mind and finally turned his head, looking at her, his face set in an expression of serenity and fondness – no excess energy, no trademark humor; just pure heart.

“I mean, I know you didn’t realize it,” he said quietly, “but his feelings definitely weren’t one sided.” It was his turn to narrow his eyes a little in thought as he chose his words. “It’s like…” he looked off in the distance again and itched at his eyebrow before turning back to Becks. “You guys have just always had this sort of…connection. And it’s just drawn you together.” He was gesturing lightly with one hand. “I think everybody else could see it, but….”

“But I was oblivious?” Becks supplied, a tiny smile on her face. The way Frank was explaining everything just made so much sense to her, and it was giving her a sense of peace and comfort. Frank let out a quick hum and grinned to himself.

“Yeah,” he said. “Something like that.” And Becks snorted before grabbing her beer from beside her and taking a hefty swig. “So you two ‘official’ now?” Frank asked, also grabbing at his beer.

“Yeah,” Becks replied, dropping the can from her lips. “Something like that.” Frank snorted and held out his can for a ‘cheers’, Becks complying immediately, before they fell into another comfortable silence, sipping away at their drinks.

“You know what I think this calls for?” Frank asked after a moment. Becks looked over at him. “You and Mikey finally being together and whatnot?” She quirked an eyebrow to prompt him to continue. “Celebration.”

“Oh?” She asked.

“Oh, yeah.” Frank nodded. “And you know what celebrations stand for?” Becks just shook her head, not terribly sure where he was going with all of this. “Stronger drinks.” Frank said matter o-factly, and Becks felt her face split in a wide grin.

“I like the way you think, Frank.” She said, tossing back the rest of her beer before setting it aside and standing up. “I really do.”

---

Mikey stepped out of the tiny bus shower and made his way to his bunk, scrubbing a towel through his hair. He was humming a song that had been stuck in his head for days as he opened the curtain and started rifling through his messy suitcase, looking for a hoodie. When he couldn’t find it quickly, he frowned to himself and dropped the towel on the ground, using both hands to search, finding it finally, not in the suitcase, but wedged haphazardly in the bottom corner of the bunk, under his blanket. He was just throwing it over his head when he heard somebody call his name.

“Hey, Mikes,” the voice called quietly, and, when he’d finally gotten his head through his sweatshirt, he looked and saw his brother standing there.

“Hey, Gee,” Mikey replied, straightening out the twist in the left arm of his jacket that just always seemed to happen whenever he put it on. “What’s up?”

Gerard leaned against the bunk and looked at his feet. “I, uh,” he cleared his throat, “I just wanted to say that I’m, uh, really happy for you. With Becks, and all, finally. I, um…I think you two have something real.” The brothers rarely talked about things like this, and Mikey could tell that it was a little weird for Gerard to be bringing the subject up, but was touched by his words, nonetheless. “I’m proud of you, baby bro.” Gerard smiled smally and looked up at his brother. Mikey looked back at him, an impassive expression as he was still taking in Gerard’s words.

“Thanks,” he said finally, nodding his head a little.

“You’ll, uh,” Gerard let out the barest of laughs, almost like a singular, dry chuckle. “You’ll take care of her, right?”

Mikey blinked and looked down at his shoes, his lips twitching just barely. If it were anybody but Gerard, they wouldn’t have noticed, but it was Gerard, and he saw the twitch, knowing his brother was amused.

“Yeah,” Mikey said in a slow sort of drawl. “Yeah I will.”

“Good.” Gerard said with a singular, end of conversation nod. Mikey looked at his brother, regarding his posture and the tiny, crooked frown that Gerard always wore when there was something that he wanted to say but couldn’t find the words, and waited to see if he would say anything. When Gerard remained silent, though, Mikey turned and started to head down the hallway, hoping to go find Becks.

“Mikey, wait!” Gerard suddenly called out when Mikey had made it almost to the front lounge. Mikey turned and took a step back towards his brother, watching him carefully, waiting for him to speak. “I, uh, I thought you might want this.” And he raised his left hand that Mikey only just noticing had been holding something this whole time, realizing it was a polaroid picture. “Just don’t tell Frank, okay?” Gerard said when Mikey took the picture. “I think he wanted to draw pictures on it and make copies to post around or something, to get back at Becks for the crap picture she took of him last week.” And with that, he gave Mikey the typical Way lopsided grin and headed past him towards the front of the bus, clapping his little brother on the shoulder as he went.

When he was gone, Mikey finally directed his attention to the polaroid in his hand, and felt his heart skip a beat. He had known, vaguely, that his brother and Frank had taken a picture when he’d first kissed Becks, but he wouldn’t have dreamed it would turn out. But he found himself staring down to a perfect snapshot of the moment, almost like somebody had taken a slice out of time. His hand were around Becks’ waist, her hands were on his chest, and they were attached at the lips in what looked to be a very chaste kiss and they both just looked so happy.

Though the picture as a whole looked great, Mikey couldn’t seem to tear his eyes from Becks in it. Even though there was only half her face, she looked beautiful, as always, and Mikey found his finger tracing the outline of her cheek before he opened up his bunk curtain and tucked the picture carefully under his pillow, thinking to himself that he needed to thank Gerard.
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Happy Saturday guys!

:)