When I Come Around Part 3
Author: timrod
Rating: NC17 overall
Pairing: Billie Joe/other
Disclaimer: I don't own Green Day.
Part 1 - http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2953785.html#cutid1
Part 2 - http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2954009.html
PART 3
The shrill ring of his cellphone woke Billie from his sleep, curled in the middle of his huge bed. The light was still on, although it was bright outside, and he had to move a pizza box and a couple of empty beer bottles before he found his phone. It was, predictably, Jake.
“Too early?”
“Probably not. What time is it?”
“Eleven forty.”
“Shit.”
“Sorry. I just wanted to tell you we finished with the songs from the other day, and finalised the track listing and timings for the printers.”
“Thanks, good job. No more bodies on the doorstep?”
“No. It was pretty quiet here last night. We left around five, I guess. What did you get up to? I called on the way home but I went straight to voicemail.”
Billie punched a pillow into a wedge and fumbled for the remote to switch off the hissing TV whilst he answered.
“I went to see the dude who got shot. Had to turn my phone off - something about it interfering with medical equipment, I don’t know.”
“Urban myth. How was he?”
“He’s okay, but he’s lost his memory.”
“That fucking sucks. So he’s still John Doe ..”
“He’s got strong opinions about that. He wants to be called Jay until he finds out he’s really a Tarquin or a Theodore.”
“Hey, my dad was called Theodore.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Fuck you, too, Armstrong. Look, do you wanna go out tonight? Offer’s still there.”
“Tonight was gonna be Carrie’s party. Guess I won’t be going to that after all. Look, I don’t know, man. Can I let you know later? I mean, if anything else crops up for you, go. Don’t feel obliged to entertain me or anything.”
“Billie, much as it may surprise you, I enjoy your company.”
The singer chuckled. “Yeah, i know. I love you too, man. I got a coupla things I want to do - can I get back to you?”
“Yeah, that’s cool. Talk soon.”
Billie waited for the click at the other end before dialling the number of the hospital, thinking twice about it before the connection was made. He threw his cell onto the bed, picked out a slice of cold pizza and shambled off into his bathroom.
One advantage the bike had over a car was that is was easier to park, but Billie eventually found a space in the hospital lot. Head down, he went straight to the third floor and the desk clerk.
“Hey, I’m here to see Jay - the John Doe, room 380? Is he still here? Can I go in?” He watched the clerk’s face turn from irritation at having to stop typing to one of shocked recognition. Flustered, she nodded, squeaked out something incomprehensible and pointed in the direction that Billie was already facing. “Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.” He must have still been laughing to himself, because all three pairs of eyes focussed straight on him when he entered the room.
Jay was the first to speak, sitting in the chair that Billie had occupied last night, holding out his hand to greet the man who was, for the moment, his oldest friend. “Hey, Billie. How’re ya doing?”
“I’m fine - and it should be me asking about you.” Billie acknowledged the other two, both of whom he recognised from yesterday. “Doctor Mallory. Officer ..”
“Good afternoon, Mr Armstrong. I didn’t expect to see you here today.”
“I was in the area, thought I’d save a call.” Liar. “Did you find out anything?”
The policeman waited for the doctor to nod his permission before answering. “Not a thing. The locals say he turned up a few days ago, kept himself to himself.”
Billie grinned at the doctor. Jay’s shift from the quiet guy to a chatterbox proved the personality change theory alright. “And he’s well enough to leave here?”
“I was just explaining to him. Yes, medically, there is no reason for him to stay. He had a good night, he seems to remember everything that happened since he got here ....”
“I can hear a ‘but’ ....”
“There doesn’t seem to be anywhere to send him. The clerk is calling around, checking a few more facilities in the city, but this time of year, the hostels and shelters are all full.”
“So ...?”
“So he’ll have to stay here until we find a place for him to go.”
“Okaaay .....”
Billie sat down heavily on the bed, opting out of the conversation that his arrival had interrupted. He bit his lip, looking from face to face, not really listening to anything being said, lost in thought until a draught of air on his back made him turn. It was the desk clerk, peeping around the door to shake her head at the doctor and flash Billie a shy smile.
“No luck?”
“Nothing, doctor. It’s the same everywhere and I’ve run out of places to call.”
“Alright, thanks for trying.” The girl disappeared and the doctor sighed. “Looks like you’re here for the winter, Jay.”
“Unless ....” Billie once more became the object of their stares, but this time he blushed. Wow - as if he wasn’t used to attention. “Could he come back with me?”
**
Billie slid into the driver’s seat and grinned at his passenger, ramming the sheaf of paperwork into the glovebox to be forgotten.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, okay, but, Billie, this is ...”
“It’s a solution to a problem.”
“And I’m the fucking problem.”
“You need a room, I got plenty of rooms. It’s not a problem.”
“But you don’t even know me.”
“Jay, YOU don’t even know you. Would you rather go back to the hospital? Or maybe back to Dumpster Central?”
“No .... but ...”
“No argument, then.” Billie flashed another brilliant smile, and got one in return.
“Thanks for this. I gotta find a job, pay you back.”
“In your own time. We might even find something for you to do around the studio. Maybe I should talk to Jake about that.”
“Jake?”
“My business partner, producer, advisor, drinking buddy and best friend. Known him thirty years. You’ll love him. Everyone loves him - well, apart from his ex-wife.”
“Funny.” Jay giggled, settling down into the seat and stared out of the window at the grey streets rolling past. “You’re sort of my best friend and I’ve not known you for a day yet.”
**
The security gates closed behind the car and Billie drove up to the rear of the house, through well-tended trees and shrubs.
“We’re home. Hang on, you need a hand there.” Billie ran around to the other side of the car and helped his passenger to his feet, taking the paper sack of meds from him. “Okay?”
“Bit wobbly, but okay, thanks. This yours?”
“Yeah, home sweet home.”
“What, all of it?”
“Every bit of it, yep.”
“Cooooool .... And you said you live here alone?”
“Long story, but yes - apart from you, of course, and a housekeeper a couple of days a week. Come on - let’s get you inside.”
The kitchen felt warm and welcoming against the chill of November. “Do you wanna see your room or get the guided tour first? Or a drink. Would you like a drink?” Billie did what he always did when he walked in the door - flicked the switch on his coffee machine, quickly filling the room with a delicious aroma.
Jay shook his head. “No, thanks, I’m cool, though that ...”
“Coffee.”
“.. coffee sure smells good. I think I’d like to see my room. I’m kinda tired.”
“Doctor Mallory said you might be. Come on, this way.”
Billie turned left at the top of the staircase, and opened a door onto a bright and airy room, but Jay hesitated, looking both ways down the corridor that was almost as long as the one back at the hospital.
“Jesus. These are all bedrooms?”
“Up here, yeah. I got a big family, and a fuckton of friends. They stay over a lot, so I make sure there’s always a room for them”
“How many?”
“Family and friends - I lost count but bedrooms? Twelve.” Billie leaned against the doorpost and laughed softly. “Carrie - my ex - wanted each one decorated after a different star sign.” Jay got the familiar blank stare on his face, and Billie launched into teacher mode. “Some people believe that your date of birth gives you certain character traits. Your star sign depends on the date you were born - your birthday.”
“So where does that leave me? I don’t even know my fucking birthdate, let alone star sign.”
“I said some people, not me - I think it’s total bullshit, personally. I’m an Aquarius, but she wanted our room to be her sign - Virgo. Fucking ironic.” Jay shook his head as the irony escaped him, and Billie continued. “Virgo - the sign of the virgin - someone who has never had sex. You do know what sex is, don’t you?”
“Yeah. After you went last night, I asked a nurse about blow jobs. She put me straight on a lot of stuff.”
“Okaaaaay.” Billie giggled at the image forming in his mind. “Anyway, Carrie wasn’t exactly what you would call hot blooded. If she ever let me touch her, it was mind my hair, or don’t smudge my make-up .... we were so not suited. I kinda like the physical side of a relationship and I’m pretty low maintenance - you have to take me as I am.”
“So why did you date her? Was she hot?”
“Fuck, yeah. Beautiful - stunning, great figure, but she was after something that I couldn’t give her. She wanted to be out at those fucking fake ‘celebrity’ parties every night, and that’s not me. I wanted to stay home with friends, or maybe dinner for just the two of us with some nice wine, maybe some candles ...”
“So you dumped her?”
“She dumped me. She’s giving a party tonight - no reason, just an excuse to parade about in some five thousand dollar dress that she’ll only wear the one time, mixing with the kind of people I try to avoid. I told her I didn’t want to go, and she gave me an ultimatum - the party or the relationship. It was a bit of a no-brainer.”
“Wow. Five thousand dollars on a dress?” Jay yawned unselfconsciously, and rubbed his eyes with his fists.
“Five thousand of MY dollars, yeah. Come on, let me show you your room and get you to bed. Sleep as long as you want, and when you wake up, we need to go clothes shopping.”
“For a five thousand dollar dress?”
“No. Fuck, you’re a funny guy. No, we need to get you some normal clothes. You’ve only got what your wearing now.”
“Yeah, but ...”
“We’re different sizes so my stuff won’t do you. Jay, we’ll just shop for stuff you need, okay? No expensive dresses - unless you want one.”
“I don’t, but you’re too generous.”
Billie shrugged. “It makes me happy. Now come in here - this is your bathroom, and there should be everything you need in here - deodorant, shaving stuff, toothbrush .... and in here ..” He slid open the huge mirrored doors of a walk in closet. “Spare bed linen, extra pillows, comforters, towels and so on ... and if you’re too warm, the control’s over here. I like warm, but not everyone wants to live in a greenhouse. If you need anything else, just yell. I’m going down for a coffee. You just get yourself to bed.”
“Thanks. And I promise, I will pay you back.”
“No rush. Sleep well.”
**
Billie half-closed the door behind him and went back to the kitchen, grabbing the biggest mug he could find and filling it with dark brown nectar, then headed for the den. He hit speed-dial two and waited for Jake to pick up.
“Hey, Billie ..”
“So what’s new, man?”
“Nothing. None of my friends want to get drunk with a divorced loser tonight.”
“That’s sorta why I called. D’ya wanna come over, eat Chinese take-out, drink imported beer and do other typical all-American stuff?”
“Sounds like my kind of evening. Sure. Yeah, I’ll be there. Do you want me to bring anything with me?”
“No, I got it covered. You’ve crashed here enough times to know you don’t even need to bring your toothbrush. Actually, I got a bit of a hidden agenda - I got someone here I want you to meet.”
“Really? Anyone I should know?”
“It‘s Jay. The guy who got shot.”
“Billie, what the fuck ...?”
“Jake, he’s a nice guy and he’s got no place to go. The half-way houses in the city are all full of bums hiding from the weather.”
“You’re the patron saint of lost causes, Billie.”
“Yeah, i know. I stuck with you all these years ...”
“Fuck you, Armstrong.”
“You know I’m kidding, right? I’m gonna name my first born son after you, Jake.” Billie paused for effect before coming back with the bubble-burster. “Well, maybe my second born.”
“Fuck you twice.” Billie could hear the laugh in Jake’s voice. “So what time?”
“Seven? Eight? Whatever. We’ll order the food as soon as you get here, so it all depends on how hungry you are.”
“Single, right? I forget to cook or I fuck it up and burn everything. I’m always hungry.”
“Seven, then. Catch ya later ...”