Later - a Green Day fic (warning - RPS)

[dorsetgirl]

Title: Later

Author: DorsetGirl
Rating: PG-13 for language and implied sexual relations

Pairing: Mike / Billie Joe
Disclaimer: I don't own Green Day. They are real people and this work is based on their public personalities. I make no claim to know what they’re really like and mean no offence to anybody.

Word Count: 416

Notes: Also posted at Coming Clean. This is Real Person stuff - if that squicks you, don't click. This is the first time I've written an American, so it may need whatever is the opposite of Brit-picking. Comments and friendly concrit welcome! (I've since written a Life on Mars crossover drabble, imagining that Sam Tyler was in the audience for this concert).  

 

 

 

 

LATER

 

“Ladies and gentlemen – Mr Tré Cool!”

 

Mike hides the tiny sigh and concentrates on not looking at Billie Joe. This part of the show always puts him on edge: while Tré does his thing, takes his moment in the spotlight, Billie is like a loose cannon. It’s not so much what he might do – if Mike can keep his rhythm through the best fucking kiss he’s ever had, in bed or on stage, he’s not too worried about the guy doing a little running around – but more what he might not do.

 

Like, he might not grin at Mike and do that hot little “Later” thing with his eyes.

 

So Mike keeps his head down and forces himself not to think about Billie Joe. Tré’s really going for it tonight, little extra touches all over the place and ... ah shit, Billie’s off again, milking the moment. Strictly not in the agreement, that: prancing about like a lead singer while the drummer‘s taking his solo. Not cool, Billie. Even – especially – if you are the lead singer, the pretty one with the beautiful eyes and the sweet fucking mouth and looking younger every goddamn year. You don’t do your rock-star thing during the drummer’s fucking solo, OK?

 

All right, nearly done now, and here comes Gorgeous, running back to his place. One of these days he’ll be too out of breath to sing when he gets there; one of these days even Billie will admit they’re not as young as they were. Not yet though, please God. Because if he admits that, what’s next? Admitting there’s no room in a happy marriage for shagging your “brother for life”? (Even though the wife accepts the procession of pretty boys Billie Joe likes to kiss?) Conceding that being bi only works in practice if you’re not settled down?

 

Nah, fuck that. Stick to hoping he has got enough breath to sing when he’s finished upstaging the man at the back; stick to pounding out the bass line even when, out of the blue, Billie runs in front instead of behind, just so he can touch Mike’s cock as he goes. Not easy, that, with the guitar and all; he’ll trip himself up one day.

 

Then Billie takes his place and looks over as he draws breath for his next line. And there. There it is. That special little twinkle that means “Later”. Mike grins back as they slam into the last chorus. Not too old yet then.

 

Comments

[mikes-grrl.livejournal.com]

I am so utterly surprised at you being a fan of Green Day...I'm not sure why. I mean, I'm a huge Offspring fangirl, so hey, what? Come to think of it I can't say I ever pictured what music you DO listen to. I mean, not like I thought you were a Celine Dion fan (although you might be...which is the point: I am, usual, clueless).

I love this as a looksee into the world of the on-stage experience. I'm sure musicians get into the zone, but not 100% of the time, and after all they are playing songs they have played onstage 1000 times before. At some point you are going to look up and just take in what is going on around you.

And I thought the whole 'you do not upstage the drum solo, jackass!' was very funny, because yeah you can love someone and still get annoyed with them. Totally.

I saw Front 242 back in '98, I think, and those guys were well over 40 at the time. They played so hard and were so hard-bodied they outdanced and outlasted the audience, many of whom were in their 20s. For some reason this made me remember that. I guess if you are doing what you love, you will find the energy to keep going until you drop.

[dorsetgirl.livejournal.com]

What, you think I'm too old to be coooool? *g* (Not that I even know whether it is cool to like Green Day, that's how old and cool I am).

My nine-year-old was playing Boulevard of Broken Dreams a lot on holiday (which is the song Broken Dreams was based on) and I really liked it musically, then when I got to listen to the words properly I loved it even more. I didn't know the name of the band and I totally assumed at that time that it was some obscure German band or something (Billie does have some strange pronunciation!).

Anyway, long story short, Google, YouTube, and I love most of their stuff that I've heard so far - I'm planning on treating myself to the Bullet in a Bible CD/DVD set for my birthday. Google again, slash, and oddly enough, my OTP is a slim, tiny pretty guy and a bigger, not-conventionally-handsome bit of rough.

Just from my own experience of singing to an audience, the first stage is concentrating on not forgetting your words, then you start to have time to look around. After that, you find you have time to sing, look around, think completely unrelated thoughts and still have the next line turn up in your head at the right moment.

I think the music becomes like the sea you're floating on, leaving you time to steer the boat if you like. For Billie Joe, and indeed any lead singer, you can't afford to just lose yourself in the music - you're responsible for the whole thing, you have to work the crowd, you're the only one who can stop the music or change things. The others, I would suggest - not that I would actually know - need to be focussed on the lead singer for those reasons. And others too, of course.