Getting Surreal

“Becks! You ready to kill it one last time?” Mince ducked his head in the room where she was double checking some of Frank’s gear and shouted at her. She smiled then looked up, giving her tattooed, drum-techie friend a fond look.

“I’m always ready to kill it, haven’t you learned that yet?” She said it with a scoffing, ‘what’s wrong with you’ kind of tone, though she knew the look on her face betrayed any ill-will.

Mince laughed and shook his head, opening the door all the way and walking in to stand next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in a half-hug. Becks leaned into his embrace and shut her eyes, trying her best to forget the fact that tonight was her last night on tour.

Her last night tuning Frank’s guitars. Her last night watching My Chemical Romance absolutely demolish it on stage. Her last night getting to hang out and chat with the crew. Her last night to hang with Mince and Barry….And listen to their shitty jokes and watch their amusing reactions to life.

Becks hated saying goodbye, and her fear of what her future would hold was making things all the worse. She didn’t know how to respond to any of what was going on, and it was taking a lot of effort on her part to not just run away to the bus and hide in her bunk until it was really all over.

She refused to do that, though. These guys meant too much to her for her to just hide from the sadness and anxiety that was plaguing her. No, they deserved for her to be present, and for her to be there with them when it all finished. It wasn’t fair of her to rob them of the chance to hang out with her one last time…that was, if they wanted to, of course.

“You’re gonna be at the party tonight, right?”

It was almost as if he’d read her mind, and Becks had to bite back her laugh. She shook her head to clear it of her thoughts, threw on the bravest face she could manage, and tilted her head back to look up at her friend who was looking down at her with a doofy grin and a quirked eyebrow.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said quietly, the fond smile she wore when he first stuck his head in the room returning.

“Perfect.” Mince replied, his doofy smile spreading wide and Becks felt a moment of ease that he seemed oblivious to the fact that she wasn’t in top emotional form. “You almost done?” He asked after a moment, looking down at the pedal board she’d been working on.

“Uh,” Becks blinked then looked down as well. “Yeah, actually. Was just finishing up.”

“Good,” he let go of her shoulders and took a step towards the door, glancing back at her expectantly. “Because I’m feeling pretty thirsty and may or may not have been sent to come get you for a pre-show drink.”

At this, Becks let out a quick laugh, her sad mood not completely immune to Mince’s unique sense of humor and way of delivering lines. “Barry sent you?”

Mince pulled a face and nodded his head dramatically. “Slave driver, that one.” He said with a faux sigh.

“Who’s a slave driver?” Barry’s voice rang out, and Becks glanced up towards the door where he was stood as Mince whirled around in surprise before turning back and giving Becks a funny, knowing sort of look.

“Speak of the devil,” he said in a high voice that Barry would no doubt hear, pulling a face that said ‘oops,’ and Becks couldn’t fight the chuckle it drew from her.

“Oh, I’m the slave driver, am I?” Barry asked, giving Mince an appraising sort of look and leaning against the doorframe, crossing his arms coolly.

“Eh,” Mince let out, giving a shrug after having a moment’s staredown with Barry. “Anyways,” he said, addressing Becks as well, now, “I’m off for that drink. Catch up soon, yeah?” And with that, he flipped the bird and walked past Barry out the door, a broad smile on his face as he went.

Barry gave a small, quiet chuckle and shook his head before looking up at Becks, who was putting the pedal board back where it belonged before standing up and dusting off her jeans. When she was satisfied that the grimy venue floor hadn’t tainted her clothes permanently, she looked up and gave Barry a smile, taking a couple steps in his direction but stopping in her tracks when she saw the expression on his face.

Clearly, judging by the taut and turned down line of his lips and the seriousness in his eyes, where Mince seemed totally blind to Becks’ inner turmoil, Barry saw straight through the attempted brave façade she’d put on.

“Becks,” he said quietly, sadly, and she felt a quick drop in her heart – anytime somebody showed concern to her when she was feeling upset, it just seemed to amplify everything tenfold for her. Becks watched nervously, feeling like everything she’d been feeling in the last day was building up like a tidal wave as Barry took a step toward her and grabbed her in a tight hug.

‘Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry,’ Becks chanted over and over in her head as she returned his embrace, burying her face in his shoulder and holding on like he could help stem her emotions. Barry was always so good at reading her; a quality of his that she’d grown to both love and loathe in the ever steady, ever cool guitar tech.

The pair stood there for a moment before Barry sighed. “You okay?” He asked, his voice low, as though there were other people in the room that he didn’t want to hear. Becks nodded slowly into his chest and Barry pulled back from her just enough to give her a steady look. “Do you need me to cover for you tonight?”

Becks clenched her jaw and took in a deep breath through her nose, trying hard to steady herself from the fresh wave of emotion she was feeling from Barry’s open and honest concern. Shaking her head again, she said, “No.” When Barry just looked at her, she exhaled the deep breath she’d taken. “No, I, uh,” she swallowed thickly, “I wanna do it. I need to do it.”

Again, Barry just looked at her, his eyes searching her face. What he was looking for, Becks didn’t know, but he must have found it, because he leaned forward and gave her a caring kiss to the temple before pulling her back in for another hug.

Becks laid her head on his shoulder, and when he spoke next and said, “You’re a great kid, Becks. It’ll all be okay”, Becks screwed her eyes shut and, in spite of the mantra running through her head, she felt a few tears slide down her cheeks.

---

Becks stood, lost in the crowd, as the ‘tour end party’ raged around her in the venue they’d just played. She’d spent a few minutes chatting around with some people, but ended up off to the side, surveying everyone around her as they enjoyed themselves. The show had gone brilliantly, and between that and her small chat with Barry, she was feeling much better about everything.

“God, there you are!” Becks felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her waist from behind as she heard her boyfriend speak to her. “I’ve been looking for you for ages.”

Becks giggled and leaned back into Mikey’s chest as he laid his head on her shoulder.

“Oh, were you?” She asked flirtily, taking a pull from her beer. She’d already had a few and was definitely feeling light and was having an easier time not brooding. Mikey picked up on her tone and smiled, moving his lips right next to her ear.

“Oh, yeah.” He whispered, giving her a ghost of a kiss on the side of her head that made her giggle again and squirm slightly in his grasp.

“Mikeyyyy,” she whined, edging around so she was facing him.

“Whaaaaat?” He mimicked, his eyes alight with humor and affection.

“I don’t want you to kiss me there,” Becks said, leaning into his body again, the hand not holding her drink gripping the shirt at his chest.

“Oh?” Mikey feigned surprise and ducked his head down so their faces were level and whispered, “Where do you want me to kiss you, then?”

Becks let out a small huff then bit her lip, taking in his smirk, his smug expression, and the faint glow to the tops of his cheeks that let her know that she wasn’t the only tipsy one here. With that in mind, she smirked and leaned forward so their noses were touching, giving him the most faint of butterfly kisses.

“If you don’t tell me, I can’t help you,” Mikey attempted to drawl, but the proximity to Becks was messing up any proper thought, and he was suddenly feeling like there might not be enough oxygen in the world.

At hearing the tone in his voice switch, Becks’ eyes flitted quickly up to Mikey’s, and she suddenly lost any desire to want to flirt, feeling her whole body heat up. She licked her lips and looked down at his and said fairly breathlessly (were she not so caught up in attraction, she would have been ashamed at the need in her voice), “Just kiss me.”

She had barely gotten the words out and Mikey’s lips were on hers, kissing her like he meant business.

Becks let out a small keen and angled herself so she could wrap her arms around her neck as his arms drew around her waist and pulled her even closer. Neither had any desire to break the kiss or breathe or anything else for the next minute, too caught up in each other and both overwhelmed at how kissing each other was still as intense and wonderful as their very first time.

“Oy! Get a fuckin’ room, you two!” Somebody shouted and Becks let out a small snort as they finally broke off the kiss and pulled away.

“Was that Bob?” Mikey asked quietly, laying his forehead on hers as he tried to catch his breath.

“Mmm, I think so,” Becks answered, closing her eyes as she was feeling a curious mix highly amused, highly turned on, and definitely feeling a little more drunk than she had done five minutes ago, any sad or anxious thought of the near future completely evaporated from her mind. “He thinks we need a room.”

“Yeah.” Mikey nodded against her and bit his lip, seeming to come to his sense a little. “You know what I think I really need, though?”

Becks cracked open one eye and looked at him. “What’s that?”

Mikey quirked an eyebrow then made a quick move that somehow had him duck out of her arms and grabbing the forgotten beer bottle out of her hand. “Another drink,” he stated simply, taking a sip and earning (with much satisfaction) a cry of dismay from Becks as she watched him finish it.

“That was mine!” Becks murmured in a pout, crossing her arms.

“Aw, babe,” Mikey drawled as he place the empty bottle on a nearby table and came back around to Becks, throwing an arm around her shoulders and steering her towards the venue bar. “That’s why I’m gonna get you another one.”

They walked quietly through the loud venue and Becks uncrossed her arms and wrapped them instead around his waist as they went.

“So…” she said, and Mikey glanced down at her in question. Becks just looked up at him, amused and adoring. “Babe?”

Mikey let out a laugh at having been caught at trying the nickname. “Whaddya think?” He asked, trying to ignore the blush creeping back on his cheeks and Becks just smiled and shook her head a little.

“I love it.”