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

Getting Surreal

XXXXIX

Becks lay, curled in a heap and piled with blankets on Frank’s couch, trying to ignore how shitty she felt.

It was a couple days to Thanksgiving into December, and she was sick as hell. She wasn’t sure where she’d gotten the illness from, as she was the only one she knew with anything more than a slightly stuffy nose, but, then again, she probably, (if she thought about it honestly enough) had the poorest diet and sleeping habits out of anyone she hung out with. She’d had enough time curled on the couch at this point to have thought it through well enough.

Frank didn’t eat meat, and she was sure that that had to count for something. Even though he definitely seemed to have a shit immune system, he didn’t seem to get knocked down by the little things that killed everybody else – he just seemed to suffer with more big stuff than most.

Ray was pretty careful about making sure he got the right amounts of the right foods everyday…. Typical Ray being healthy and responsible. Becks almost snorted and rolled her eyes. ‘Well,’ she thought, ‘more healthy and responsible than the rest of us.’ Couldn’t give him all the credit – he just didn’t have too much to compete with.

The Way brothers, for whatever reason, just didn’t seem to get too sick. Becks couldn’t fathom it, and threw out a silent curse as she tried hard to think of any time, in the past nine months, that she’d known either of them to get even a stuffy nose and she came up empty.

Letting out a huffy sigh, Becks rolled over so she could see the tv (with great effort), and let out a sad moan of dismay when she realized that the remote had fallen on the floor out of reach.

God, I’m pathetic,’ she thought to herself as she stared hopelessly where it lay two feet from her. She technically could reach it if she moved just a bit, but there was no way she was about to put herself through the effort, so she just pulled the blankets closer up to her ears, resigning herself to the fate of watching midday infomercials until Frank came home from the Way’s.

They’d been having more and more practices over the last few weeks; working more and more on new material. Frank had told her, in an excited huff while they were out for dinner one night, that they would be off to record soon. She couldn’t wait to hear more of what the guys had to offer, and she smiled at the thought. They were just so good.

Then, she let out a small groan. They were going to go somewhere for recording this record – LA or something out west, Gerard was saying the other night. That meant that she’d be left alone on this coast while they all went off and did their thing.

“I need to get a job,” she mumbled out to the empty room in a hoarse voice.

I’ll go apply places once I’m better,’ she thought in response to the words she’d spoken and, seemingly placated by the thought, her eyes fluttered off and drifted into a cold medicine induced sleep.

---

She woke up about an hour later feeling strangely more comfortable than she had when she’d fallen asleep. Slowly cracking her eyes open, she titled her head back to look up at her surroundings and realized she was now laying with her head on Mikey’s lap, her movements gaining his attention.

“Hey,” he said quietly, smiling down at her and searching her face. When she just gazed sleepily at him, he kept on. “Got back about twenty minutes ago.”

“Where’s Frank?” If she had the energy, she would have rolled her eyes at how pathetic her voice sounded, but Mikey, much to her gratitude, pretended he didn’t notice.

“He’s still back at mine. They’re working on some guitar stuff, now. How’re you feeling?” He reached his arm that Becks was just realizing had been around her waist up to smooth her hair back from her face in caring sort of pets.

“Like shit.” Mikey hummed understandingly. “Anyways…” Becks yawned and stretched out a bit, uncurling herself from Mikey’s side, “how’d it go?”

“Good,” he replied, shifting over a little so she could sit up and then draping an arm across her shoulders when she’d snuggled back into him. “I think this next album’s gonna be….” He paused and looked blankly at the tv, lost in thought for a minute before nodding a little. “It’s gonna be big. We can just sorta…feel it, you know?” He looked at her imploringly and she stared back.

Each of the guys had been saying the same thing about the new stuff, and she knew that they had to be right about it.

“How’s Gerard?”

Mikey sighed and tore his eyes from hers, gazing down at his lap.
Everybody could see that Gerard was throwing his entire soul into the new record. It was bordering on an unhealthy obsession, yet they all knew that it was something, maybe, that he needed to do. Becks knew, even before Mikey had started confiding his worries in her, that the elder Way had become very reclusive and dark lately, as he stressed to find the right words and perfect melody.

“He’s okay.” Mikey said finally. “He’s….we’re almost there.” He looked back up at her, and the look of pure admiration towards him on her face had his heart skip a beat.

“Good,” she whispered. Then she was staring at him so firmly that Mikey felt like she was gazing straight into his soul and he felt at once like he was both being split into a million pieces and turned to stone. “How are you?”

Mikey flinched. Just barely, but Becks caught it. As his brother had been having a rough time with the new record, Mikey had been, too, and if anybody could notice him being a little off, it was Becks. It’s not that he’d been obsessing over the music like his brother had. It was more….just generally being down. At first, he’d tried to keep it to himself, but she’d asked him about it after a few weeks of odd behavior, and from there, he’d open up to her.

As he looked into Becks’ bright blue-green eyes, he thought about how great she’d been for him. She never pushed, never pried. She always just sat there and listened if he wanted to talk. Or, if he didn’t want to talk, she’d just sit there and hold his hand until he felt better.

Feeling a rush of emotion flooding through him, he leaned forward and gave her a tender kiss. Becks’ eyes fluttered shut of their own accord the second she felt his lips on her own, and she felt just as light-headed and giddy in her bones as she had the very first time he’d kissed her. She was just leaning in to continue on with the kiss, when he stopped it as quickly as he’d started, and was standing up off the sofa, hiding his face from her as he made his way to the kitchen.

Becks watched after him, knowing full well he’d kissed her to avoid answering her question, but went with it, all the same. Suddenly feeling a little chill, she grabbed the blanket she’d been wrapped in and pulled it a little tighter around her and leaned her head back on the sofa, letting her eyes slip shut as she listened to Mikey rustle around in the kitchen.

When she felt the cushion sink next to her, she opened her eyes again and looked over to see her boyfriend sat with a mug of steaming tea and a plastic bag from the grocery store.

“Here,” he said, handing off the tea. Becks took it and wrapped her fingers around it, holding the mug close to her face in an attempt to suck in the warmth.

“Thanks,” she said quietly, watching as he gave a twitch of a smile before digging into the bag.

“Okay. I’ve got…cold and flu extra strength pills,” he pulled out a small box of tablets before rifling through the bag again, “cough drops, Nyquil, some tea, aaaand….” With a small jerk of his hand, he produced a rented movie for her, and Becks near burst into giggles.

“Really?” She managed to choke out in her laughter.

“Yes, really,” he replied, looking affronted. “It’s a classic!”

“Whatever you say, honeybuns.”

Mikey shot her a dirty look. “Well, you’ve never seen it, so you can’t say!”

“Well, put it in the player and I’ll let you know!”

His grumpy bickering face broke and he let a smile slip out as he stood up and made his way to the tv to put the movie in the player. When it was all set, he grabbed the dvd remote and made his way back to the couch, snuggling in next to Becks.

“Okay. So,” he said, digging in the bag again and pulling out some medicine. “It says you should take this every four hours.” He handed her a pill and she downed it with some tea. “So I’ll get you some more around…” he squinted to see the time on the cable box, “…six. Okay?”

Becks leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek, catching him by surprise.

“Thanks. Really.” She was giving him an earnest smile and he couldn’t help but return it before throwing his arm up and over her shoulders, pulling her into him. “Let’s see just how good ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ really is.” She whispered, dropping her head on Mikey’s shoulder as he hit play.

---

Becks woke with something of a start and realized that she and Mikey were still on the couch, the only light in the room coming from the tv silently replaying the main menu credits of the movie they’d just watched. She was curled up on top of him and he was looking quite squished in an awkward position in the corner with his head tilted far to the side to rest on the arm of the couch. Becks stretched a little and went to adjust her position.

Mikey must have felt her stir, because he opened his eyes and peered sleepily over at her.

“Do you need something?” He croaked in a very raspy, sleepy voice.

“I – no. You don’t have to….” But Mikey was already looking at the tv box and moving to stand up before she could finish her sentence.

“You need more medicine,” he mumbled, heading to the kitchen.

It was then, as Becks watched him stumble his way in an effort to get her what she needed, that the full extent of what he was doing hit her with heavy realization.

Firstly, he was doing nothing short of doting on her in her illness, completely unbidden. Secondly, he was risking getting sick himself by sticking around her – a fact that they’d argued briefly on the day before and he won, insisting that he ‘didn’t give a shit’ if he got sick, so long as she was okay. And thirdly, he was making every effort he possibly could to make her as comfortable as possible, and never leaving her side, in case she needed something.

And suddenly, Becks’ heart was swelling and she felt like she couldn’t handle it all. How did she get so lucky? What was the appeal in her that had this wonderful man sticking by her side?

“Babe. Babe? You’re crying, are you okay?”

She’d been so lost in her whirlwind of thoughts that she hadn’t noticed him coming back in the room.

“What?” She choked out.

Mikey just looked at her with nothing but blatant concern and reached a hand up to wipe away some tears she hadn’t realized had fallen.

“Oh…oh shit, I’m sorry,” she said in an awkward sort of laugh, assuming it must be the sickness that had her so emotionally weak. But one more look at Mikey’s steady and unwavering gaze, and she knew that it was more than the flu bringing her tears. She’d just never felt this way before.

“Are you okay?” Mikey repeated, his hand cupping her cheek and his thumb stroking soothing lines.

Becks nodded and gave a small but genuine smile.

“Yeah,” she said. “I, um…yeah.”

Mikey searched her face for a moment before leaning in and leaving a lingering kiss on her forehead and then taking his seat next to her.

“Here.” He said quietly, passing her a fresh cup of tea and some more medicine. She took it all gratefully and they sat in silence for a moment, both watching the tv screen blankly. Then, not being able to stop herself, Becks spoke.

“Mikey?” Her voice was quiet and a little bit weak, but he didn’t seem to notice this.

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

For a moment, nothing happened, and the words hung between them in the silent room. Then Mikey’s head whipped around so he could properly look at her, and the look on his face made her smile.

“Really?” He whispered, as if scared that if he said it too loud, she might change her mind. But Becks just nodded, suddenly feeling giddy in spite of being so sick.

“Yeah. I, uh.... I love you.”

And then Mikey’s face broke into the biggest smile she’d ever seen on him, and he was rushing forward to engulf her in a hug that almost spilled her tea.

“I love you, too.”

And there was a joy in his voice that brought more tears to Becks’ eyes.
♠ ♠ ♠
Here you go, guys! Sorry about the wait, but I hope it was worth it!

Also, in another edition of how you guys are freaking awesome, I was contacted a little while back to give a sort of interview on this fic, and it was recently posted on THE MAIN PAGE of Mibba for everybody to see!!! Thank you all sooo much for that ! I can't even begin to explain how touched I was to see my work featured, and just have all you wonderful readers to thank. So thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!!!

Lemme know your thoughts :)