When I Come Around - 18/18a
Author: timrod
Rating: NC17 overall
Pairing: Billie Joe/other
Disclaimer: I don't own Green Day. Only in my dreams
For Wiccish, who wanted fluff. Enjoy xxx
Part 1 - http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2953785.html#cutid1
Part 2 - http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2954009.html
Part 3 - http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2954629.html
Part 4 - http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2955105.html
Part 5 - http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2956943.html
Part 6 - http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2957718.html
Part 7 - http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2958836.html
Part 8 - http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2960069.html
Part 9a http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2963373.html
Part 9b http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2965012.html
Part 10a http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2966647.html
Part 10 b http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2967602.html
Part 11 - http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2974521.html
Part 12 - http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2975582.html
Part 13 http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2979489.html
Part 14 http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2983504.html
Part 15 http://comingclean.livejournal.com/2994104.html
Part 16 http://comingclean.livejournal.com/3019388.html
Part 17 http://comingclean.livejournal.com/30 20433.html
18
Jake rubbed his hair roughly with a brilliantly white towel, another circling his waist, a third draped around his shoulders. Before he dried himself off after his snatched shower, he listened at the door for any sound coming from the master suite. Thankfully, all was quiet in that direction, for now, at least. The only noise in the house was being made by Bernie in the kitchen below, singing to herself as she went through cupboards and the fridge to compile a mega shopping list. Jake suddenly felt guilty, using so many towels that were going to end up on the floor by the washer, adding to an already huge pile, mainly of bedding. He folded two of them back up, and resumed getting ready for the day ahead. He was soon dry, but before he could start getting dressed, his cell’s ring echoed from Billie’s sitting room across the hall. He swore, making a naked dash across the hall to silence it.
“Hello?”
“Jake? Mike ... How was your night?”
“Interesting. You were right - it’s the ‘flu.”
“Damn. Sorry I had to rush off and leave you with all this shit. Today’s kind of a big day for Rudy and me. I’ll explain later. So, fill me in. What did the doc say about Billie’s voice?”
“It’s an infection. He’s got a prescription for antibiotics for that, and a throat spray, gotta rest it for a few days, but it should be fine for the pre-tour shit.”
“That’s hopeful. And what about Jay?”
“He escaped the infection, he’s got anti-virals to prevent that, plus a shitload of other stuff for the fever, and all the other crap he’s got going on. Bernie just got here, so I’m gonna run out and pick up this lot from the pharmacy, some clothes and my laptop from home. Thought I’d work on fine-tuning the tour schedule while I’m stuck here.”
“Good plan. So did you get much sleep? Billie’s a fucking awful patient, I know.”
“Not a lot. The doctor didn’t get here for an hour, maybe more after you went. Billie insisted he see Jay first. Poor fuck had no clue what was going on, couldn’t remember being sick before, apart from a coupla hangovers. The stuff the doc gave him knocked him out pretty much straight away. He’s had a good night, but the doctor reckons the worst is still to come.“
“Yeah, the third day is the worst, I’ve been told. So how did Billie take it?”
“Billie went real quiet while Jay was getting the once-over.” Jake had wandered back into his room, closing the door behind him. The last thing he wanted to do was wake the sleepers. He put the phone on speaker and threw it to his bed, continuing to dress himself as he spoke. “You know how he gets with medical shit? Well, last night, he was fine - let the doctor check his blood pressure, temperature, the works, no fight. He got given some basic meds, same as Jay, but he couldn’t swallow them, kept coughing them back up, so the doctor offered him a shot.”
“ .... and cue the freak-out.”
“No. He went with it. That was more fucking scary than when he freaks. He still took a lifetime to settle, though.”
“Yeah, he’s always been a fucking nightmare like that.”
“He was last night, kept trying to get out of bed. The doctor hung around, in case he needed something more. He finally went to sleep around four, I guess.”
“Shit, I’m glad I didn’t stay. Did you even get any sleep?
“Two hours, maybe. I got to bed about a half hour after the doc left. Gonna get the meds and shit and come straight back to bed. Bernie said she’d take over for the duration.”
“That woman’s a saint.”
“She’ll keep ‘em in check. We just gotta keep them warm, and hydrated, and stop Billie trying to get out up every five minutes. Oh, and keep them medicated - once I get back with half the contents of the pharmacy.”
“Okay, I’ll let you go, check up on all of you later. Take care, buddy.”
Jake ended the call as he bent to tie his shoes, picked up the pile of prescriptions, his phone, wallet and keys, and yawning widely, left the house and its occupants in Bernie’s capable hands.
18a
The bedroom windows had been designed to catch the sun for the longest time possible - great when your head doesn’t feel like it is going to explode, not so great when you wake with a pain-killer hangover that makes you want to take more painkillers. As a result, Billie only risked opening one eye, and at first, all he could make out was a pair of familiar silhouettes against the bright sky. He drained the last dregs from his bottle of water before trying out his crackly voice on his mother and his partner.
“Jay. Mom. Morning?”
“Afternoon, sweetheart. How are you?”
“Alive. I think.”
“You don’t look as pale as you did, for sure.”
“Still feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. How ‘bout you, Love?”
“Okay - better, anyway. Tired.“
“Yeah, me too, but I think I’m all slept out for now.”
Ollie finished the row she was knitting and patted the couch cushion next to her. “So why don’t you come sit with us for a while?”
“Okay.”
Billie dragged himself upright, slowly sliding his weary body from the bed, and dropped onto the sofa, fitting neatly into the space made for him between the two already seated. A brief shiver ran through her son’s slight frame, and Ollie tucked one of the blankets that Jake had been using for the past few nights tight around him, to match Jay, who already had the throw from the studio around his shoulders to insulate him from the cool of the leather seat.
“How’s that?”
“Yeah, good, warmer, thanks. Another grandkid?”
Ollie held up the tiny garment taking shape on her needles. “Great grandchild. One of Alan’s, due next month.”
The singer snorted gently. “Someone’s got to populate the world, I guess it won’t be me.” He fumbled for Jay’s hand and brought it to his lips. “I love him, Mom. Really love him.”
“I know, Sweetheart. And I got enough grandchildren, anyway. Now, do you want anything? I was going down to get a coffee. Bernie just put on a fresh pot.”
“Bernie? Monday?” Billie frowned deeply. He’d lost track of time over the past few days, but losing a week was not something he had planned on. Especially a week with his birthday in it.
“Thursday. She’s been here every day, cooking for Jake, looking after you when he needed a break.”
“She’s amazing. Gotta give her a raise. Jake too. Where’s he?”
“In his room, taking a shower. He’s out for the evening, so we’re looking after you, and we’re going to make it a girls’ night in - movies, and Bernie’s cooking us something special. We’re going to get some wine, too, so we’ll both be staying over if that’s alright with you.”
“Of course it is, Mom. You never have to ask, you know that, and help yourself to some of my wine. The red’s in the garage, the white …”
“ … in the chiller in the kitchen, yes, I know. Thank you, dear. My kitchen’s not quite finished, and Jake isn’t sure when he’ll get back, so it works out well for all of us.”
“Do you like it?”
“When they clean it up and put my stuff back, you two can come to dinner, be the first to try it out. It’s lovely. You are very generous, Sweetheart.”
“Well, you won’t let me buy you a new house, so I’ll just refit the old one, room by room.”
“You sure as heck won’t!”
“We’ll see. I still got a key, remember? It’s payback for all the crap I put you through. Hah! That I’m still putting you through.”
“You paid me back a hundred times over, Billie. So, I’ll ask again - do you want anything, because I am more than ready for that coffee.”
“No coffee for me, thanks, but I think I’m hungry and I need some sort of drink. I’m kinda sick of water but my throat still feels sore.”
“I could make you some of my warm lemonade if you like, and there’s soup …”
“Your chicken?”
“Bernie’s chicken.”
“Almost as good. That sounds great, both of them, Mom, thanks. Jay?”
“Sure, yeah, same as Billie, thank you.”
While Ollie was gone, the two men caught up on the days when they had rarely been conscious at the same time. Billie squeezed the cool hand that he seemed intent on holding forever.
“You look so tired. How long you been awake?”
“Not long. Been talking to Mom.”
“Yeah? What about?”
“I asked her about what she was doing. She’s gonna teach me how to knit some time.”
Billie smiled against cold knuckles, adjusting the throw that threatened to slip from his lover’s shoulders. “Yeah? Cool. This suits you, this print.”
“You think?”
“Yeah. Maybe second stage of the tour you could get some shirts like it.”
“Or pants.”
“Or both. Not to wear at the same time, though.”
“Alright, if you think they’ll look okay, I’ll go for it.”
“You look great in anything. You hungry?”
“Not sure what I feel, to be honest. Sort of empty.”
“Yeah, you’ll feel like that for a coupla days - tired, no energy. I’m gonna eat and probably go back to bed.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll join you.” It was Jay’s turn to kiss Billie’s hand. “So what’s this lemon stuff we’re getting?”
“Mom always made it for us when we were kids. It’s lemons and honey and something else, can’t remember, but we always had it if we got a sore throat. We used to pretend to be sick to get her to make it.”
“That good, huh?”
“That good. Tastes like old fashioned lemon drops. You’ve not had Bernie’s soup, either, have you?”
“No. Just her cheesecake and those cookies. We ate out a lot lately.”
“That’s because I love showing you off.” Their eyes met, and their faces were almost touching when Billie checked himself. “Can I kiss you?”
“Sure. You don’t have to ask, Billie.”
“I’m gonna taste gross. Not been near a toothbrush in days, but I won’t be infectious any more.” Jay nodded blankly and made a noise that could have meant anything. “You won’t catch my sore throat, I mean.”
“Don’t care if I do, and me neither with the toothbrush,” Jay pressed his lips against Billie’s and they shared their first proper kiss in days. “ Mmmm. I missed this.”
“Me too. Love kissing you. Y’know, I keep forgetting you’ve not been in my life for longer. Two and a half months …”
Jay giggled and rested his head on Billie’s shoulder. “So, basically, all my life.”
“Feels like all of mine , too. This wasn’t how Valentines was meant to be, Love. I’ll make it up to you.” Jay shrugged, and Billie had to rescue the throw again. “It’s a day for lovers. Candy and candles, wining and dining …, and sex. Lots of sex.”
“Sounds like a regular day.”
“Yeah. Thinking about it, it does. I still owe you, though.” They kissed again, pulling apart at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. “Aaaw, great, I can hear Mom. I’m so ready for this.”
Billie was wrong. It was Bernie who walked through the door, carrying a tray with two bowls of soup and a plate of toasted sourdough. She placed the tray on a low table and gave a bowl each to the two pathetic specimens on the couch.
“It’s hot, careful. There’s toast if you want it, Jay, Billie I don’t know if you’ll want any with your throat like it is, but if you do, I’ll make some more. Ollie’s just finishing the lemonade, and I’m going to sort your sheets out while you’re eating, because I couldn’t do them Monday.” She moved as fast as she spoke, the bed half-stripped before she had finished explaining what she was going to do.
Billie blew on his spoonful of soup and slurped some into his mouth, savouring the taste of something that wasn’t a medicine. “God, this is good. Thanks, Bernie. Mom says you’ve been here all week.”
“Well, Jake was pretty tied up with you two, he hardly slept for two nights. I just made sure he had something half decent to eat every day. You’d all live on pizza if you could.”
“Probably. It’s appreciated, and I won’t forget this. Gotta review your pay some time soon.”
“You gave me a raise in January, Billie. And October. I’m good. Now eat as much as you can, both of you, before it gets cold. You’ve had nothing to eat for four days and the sooner you start getting some goodness in you, the sooner you’ll get well. And when you’re done, maybe you could go take a shower, get some fresh clothes on before you get back into a clean bed.”
Jay’s face was a picture. He hadn’t seen Bernie in all-out Mom-mode before, and all he could do was nod and murmur “Yes, ma’am”.
From then on, they ate in silence, apart from the occasional slurp and crunch of Jay’s teeth on the toast, and by the time they had eaten their fill, the bed looked like something out of Sears’ Catalogue, and Hurricane Bernie had started on sorting out the piles of boxes and bottles on the nightstands.
Ollie returned soon after and she swapped the half-full bowls for the lemonade, in huge mugs that were perfect for warming hands. She’d also brought up a flask, containing more of the citrus drink that seemed to be disappearing fast. She helped Bernie with the last of the tidying, and found two clean sweatsuits, which she took into the bathroom, placing them on the heated towel rail. For Billie, it was like being a child again, and for the first time in a very long while, the most independent of men let himself be mothered. He finished his lemonade, but continued to cradle the empty cup for warmth.
“That was as good as I remember, Mom, and the soup was great. Gonna give it a few minutes before I go to the bathroom, though. Don’t know if I got the energy for a shower just yet.”
“Then how about a bath? That would be easier for you, yes?”
“Yeah, good idea. Can’t remember the last time I had a bath. Jay?”
“I can’t remember, period. As long as it’s warm.”
“It will be. Come on. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get back to bed.”
Billie put the redundant cups onto the tray, said thank you again, and held his hand out to lead Jay to the bathroom.
*****