I've Got Your Picture, I'm Coming With You Part 16
As always, I don't own anyone, none of this is real, blah blah blah, you know the drill.
As it turned out, it wasn’t Matt or Alex that were crying. They were both fast asleep, although not peacefully, but they were out to this world. It was Rian.
“Hey, hey, sweetheart, what’s going on? Why are you crying?” I was sitting on the edge of his bunk, leaning over him, stroking the top of his head to try and get him to at least look at me and not the bunk wall. “Sweetheart, we can’t fix it if we don’t know what’s wrong. Please let us in.”
“I just... I hate this...” He looked up at me through his tears. I had seen more than enough broken men for today, unfortunately it looked like I had another on my hands.
“Hate what, sweetheart? What happened in the last hour that you hate?”
“I don’t want the band to break up because of this... I don’t want Matty to do what I think he’ll do if Alex turns him down...”
“Oh, sweetheart... shh, nothing is going to happen to Matty. You honestly think I’d ever let him do that? And if the band breaks up because of this, then you’re not the men I think you are.”
“Promise?”
“Of course, sweetheart. You know y’all are my family, I’d kill for each and every one of you... although there are times when I could kill y’all too. Sweetheart, you’re worrying about something that none of us have any control over. Not right now anyway. Get some sleep, stop worrying. This family will stay together if it kills me. Everything will look different in the morning, I swear.” He just nods at me but his tears still haven’t stopped. “Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep again, or do you want to get up and snuggle with Jack and I until you calm down?”
“I don’t want to ruin your wedding night, you did just get married today.”
“How much of a wedding night can we have on a tour bus? Besides, family comes first. Jack sent me in here to fix whoever was crying, and that means you. He’ll be fine with it, I’m sure.”
“Does Ri need cuddles?” Jack’s head had appeared in Rian’s bunk, looking overly concerned. Ri’s tears had slowed a little, but he looked on the verge of falling over the edge again.
“Alright, come on you. Cuddles and a movie in the back lounge. Come on.”
---
Waking up in the morning is never my favourite thing to do. After a night like last night, all I want to do is sleep and hope the problem fixes itself. It never does, that would be too easy, too simple. Coming around to consciousness is always a fight. ‘Five more minutes, I swear, then you can have me’ never works and, if anything, just makes it worse. I tend to snuggle back down into whatever I’m sleeping on. Sleeping on concrete floors has nearly ended in broken noses at times.
“I know you’re coming around, you’re doing that snuggling thing.”
“Nnnrrghh.” Above me, Jack chuckled.
“But it’s morning. It’s time to wake up. It’s time to do morning type things, coffee and such.”
“I could kill you.”
“You’d have to be awake to do that. Then I win.” I grumbled back at him and buried my nose further into his neck. He chuckled again. “Are you going to be like this every morning? If so, I feel under-prepared for our lives.”
“...OUR lives?” I pulled back to look at him.
“Yes, OUR lives.” He waved his left hand in front of my face and wiggled his ring finger. His wedding ring stared back at me. I raised my own left hand in front of my face. My wedding ring stared back at me.
“We’re married?” I honestly didn’t mean for it to come out as a question, but early mornings and I don’t mix.
“Yes. We’re married. You’ve just woken up so I’ll forgive that slip of memory.” I wasn’t quite sure if it was the shock of being told as soon as I’d woken up, or the tone of voice Jack used, but the realisation was so startling it freaked me out for a moment. “You okay?” I couldn’t do anything but nod. “You look like you’re about to be sick.” I linked our left hands together, the rings clinking where they touched.
“I just... we’re MARRIED. We spent our wedding night dealing with everyone but ourselves. WE’RE MARRIED!” Jack looked confused.
“Is this a happy early morning freak out or a bad one?”
“I don’t have to leave. Ever. I’m yours and you’re mine and I don’t have to leave again if I don’t want to.”
“Still trying to work out good or bad down here...” I leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips. I pulled back just far enough to answer his question.
“Good. Very, very good.”
“Good, cause we don’t need to be awake for another hour or so.”
“You always gonna play dirty in the mornings? Cause I don’t know if I can handle that...”
“Shut up.”
“...And kiss me?”
“That works.” I laughed and kissed my husband again. And no, I’m never going to get tired of saying that.
---
“Did he say what he wanted to talk about, or who to?”
“Yes Jack, he did, I’m just totally holding back details from you.”
“You’re crabby without coffee.”
“You woke me up.”
“We just made out for like an hour, how can you be upset?!”
“I’m a girl. You married me. Deal with it.”
“You’re confusing.”
“Welcome to your life now.”
“It’s not normally this bad...” We were still in... well, I guess it’s our bunk now, snuggling. I was only going to get out of bed for coffee. We hadn’t heard anyone else get up, so we weren’t moving, not yet anyway.
“You kissed the sense out of me? Anyway, no, he didn’t say who he wanted to talk to, or what about, but I can guess that part. I’m hoping he’s worked out what to say to Matty. I hate when we all fight like this.”
“Is that possible?”
“...is what possible?”
“To kiss the sense out of someone?”
“...seriously, that’s what you heard? I’m getting up now.” Automatically Jack’s arms were squeezing me tighter to him.
“No, I’m sorry, I heard it all, I’m just wondering about that.”
“Jack, I need coffee... and painkillers, and a plan of attack for today.”
“Plan of attack?”
“What if Alex and Matt both decide to venture out of their bunks before we reach the venue?”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“That’s why I’m a tour manager and you’re a pretty faced guitar player. I love you, but I really am getting up now. You have to let go, Jack.” He kissed me on the top of my head and then let go of me. I knew I was going to pay for that guitar player comment later, but for now, I had bigger things to deal with.
As it turned out, it wasn’t Matt or Alex that were crying. They were both fast asleep, although not peacefully, but they were out to this world. It was Rian.
“Hey, hey, sweetheart, what’s going on? Why are you crying?” I was sitting on the edge of his bunk, leaning over him, stroking the top of his head to try and get him to at least look at me and not the bunk wall. “Sweetheart, we can’t fix it if we don’t know what’s wrong. Please let us in.”
“I just... I hate this...” He looked up at me through his tears. I had seen more than enough broken men for today, unfortunately it looked like I had another on my hands.
“Hate what, sweetheart? What happened in the last hour that you hate?”
“I don’t want the band to break up because of this... I don’t want Matty to do what I think he’ll do if Alex turns him down...”
“Oh, sweetheart... shh, nothing is going to happen to Matty. You honestly think I’d ever let him do that? And if the band breaks up because of this, then you’re not the men I think you are.”
“Promise?”
“Of course, sweetheart. You know y’all are my family, I’d kill for each and every one of you... although there are times when I could kill y’all too. Sweetheart, you’re worrying about something that none of us have any control over. Not right now anyway. Get some sleep, stop worrying. This family will stay together if it kills me. Everything will look different in the morning, I swear.” He just nods at me but his tears still haven’t stopped. “Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep again, or do you want to get up and snuggle with Jack and I until you calm down?”
“I don’t want to ruin your wedding night, you did just get married today.”
“How much of a wedding night can we have on a tour bus? Besides, family comes first. Jack sent me in here to fix whoever was crying, and that means you. He’ll be fine with it, I’m sure.”
“Does Ri need cuddles?” Jack’s head had appeared in Rian’s bunk, looking overly concerned. Ri’s tears had slowed a little, but he looked on the verge of falling over the edge again.
“Alright, come on you. Cuddles and a movie in the back lounge. Come on.”
---
Waking up in the morning is never my favourite thing to do. After a night like last night, all I want to do is sleep and hope the problem fixes itself. It never does, that would be too easy, too simple. Coming around to consciousness is always a fight. ‘Five more minutes, I swear, then you can have me’ never works and, if anything, just makes it worse. I tend to snuggle back down into whatever I’m sleeping on. Sleeping on concrete floors has nearly ended in broken noses at times.
“I know you’re coming around, you’re doing that snuggling thing.”
“Nnnrrghh.” Above me, Jack chuckled.
“But it’s morning. It’s time to wake up. It’s time to do morning type things, coffee and such.”
“I could kill you.”
“You’d have to be awake to do that. Then I win.” I grumbled back at him and buried my nose further into his neck. He chuckled again. “Are you going to be like this every morning? If so, I feel under-prepared for our lives.”
“...OUR lives?” I pulled back to look at him.
“Yes, OUR lives.” He waved his left hand in front of my face and wiggled his ring finger. His wedding ring stared back at me. I raised my own left hand in front of my face. My wedding ring stared back at me.
“We’re married?” I honestly didn’t mean for it to come out as a question, but early mornings and I don’t mix.
“Yes. We’re married. You’ve just woken up so I’ll forgive that slip of memory.” I wasn’t quite sure if it was the shock of being told as soon as I’d woken up, or the tone of voice Jack used, but the realisation was so startling it freaked me out for a moment. “You okay?” I couldn’t do anything but nod. “You look like you’re about to be sick.” I linked our left hands together, the rings clinking where they touched.
“I just... we’re MARRIED. We spent our wedding night dealing with everyone but ourselves. WE’RE MARRIED!” Jack looked confused.
“Is this a happy early morning freak out or a bad one?”
“I don’t have to leave. Ever. I’m yours and you’re mine and I don’t have to leave again if I don’t want to.”
“Still trying to work out good or bad down here...” I leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips. I pulled back just far enough to answer his question.
“Good. Very, very good.”
“Good, cause we don’t need to be awake for another hour or so.”
“You always gonna play dirty in the mornings? Cause I don’t know if I can handle that...”
“Shut up.”
“...And kiss me?”
“That works.” I laughed and kissed my husband again. And no, I’m never going to get tired of saying that.
---
“Did he say what he wanted to talk about, or who to?”
“Yes Jack, he did, I’m just totally holding back details from you.”
“You’re crabby without coffee.”
“You woke me up.”
“We just made out for like an hour, how can you be upset?!”
“I’m a girl. You married me. Deal with it.”
“You’re confusing.”
“Welcome to your life now.”
“It’s not normally this bad...” We were still in... well, I guess it’s our bunk now, snuggling. I was only going to get out of bed for coffee. We hadn’t heard anyone else get up, so we weren’t moving, not yet anyway.
“You kissed the sense out of me? Anyway, no, he didn’t say who he wanted to talk to, or what about, but I can guess that part. I’m hoping he’s worked out what to say to Matty. I hate when we all fight like this.”
“Is that possible?”
“...is what possible?”
“To kiss the sense out of someone?”
“...seriously, that’s what you heard? I’m getting up now.” Automatically Jack’s arms were squeezing me tighter to him.
“No, I’m sorry, I heard it all, I’m just wondering about that.”
“Jack, I need coffee... and painkillers, and a plan of attack for today.”
“Plan of attack?”
“What if Alex and Matt both decide to venture out of their bunks before we reach the venue?”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“That’s why I’m a tour manager and you’re a pretty faced guitar player. I love you, but I really am getting up now. You have to let go, Jack.” He kissed me on the top of my head and then let go of me. I knew I was going to pay for that guitar player comment later, but for now, I had bigger things to deal with.