It's okay to love something a little too much, as long as it's real to you

2005 March 17th -Taste of chaos

2005 March 17th -Taste of chaos

The conversation is left hanging in the air when radio Brandon's dog starts to bark loudly and charged towards the bus door. Jeph's Quick to react as he rushes after her to gently take her by her collar. He's done this before, Frank thinks.
"Who is it?" Brandon asks casually as he tries to grab radios attention. It's no use shes fixated on the door. Jeph peers out the window and spots they're front man. He immediately rolls his eyes. "Bert." He tells th other two. Frank fidgets nervously in his seat. He's in real deep The Used territory now.

"He still doesn't know the code?" Brandon huffs. Frank figures it had probably been funny to him at some point but now the whole affair was just a nuisance. "Bert doesn't like to, and I quote...store useless information." Jeph seems to find the whole ordeal still humorous or maybe he just knows this isn't going to change any time soon so it's better just to look at it with a positive light. But Frank decided that Jepha is just a chilled out guy. "-this is the sober bus. Of course he doesn't know the code." Of course, frank thinks. He also thinks about how Bert knows how to smoke out a bowl of tinfoil, which frank later found out that's because Bert knows how to smoke crack and it made him wonder what Bert considers useless information?

Still holding radio by the collar while she excitedly whines, Jeph opens the door and Bert rushes up the steps. Immediately Bert's focus is on radio and he showers her with affection. All eyes are on Bert and radio as radio licks Bert's face while he gets her more excited with his coos, "ahhhwhos a good girl?!" Bert asks her. "Who'sagoodgirl!?" It's not until Jepha asks Bert a question that Both Bert snd radio calm down. "Where have you been?" No wonder Jepha started wearing a little badge that said 'I don't know where Bert is!' When he was doing meet and greets.

Frank looks at Jeph. The bassist has his arms crossed over his chest an amused but scrutinising smile on his face but Bert keeps his head down as he gently strokes radios fluffy face. He tickles her ear before getting off his knees on the floor and onto his feet. "You know me." There's a shrug in the singers shoulders. "Here, there, everywhere." Bert's lack of answer is nothing knew. And frank tenses unnoticeably when Bert looks his way. The dark circles under the singers eyes make him look dangerous. They make Gerard's dark circles something to laugh about. Bert already looks like he has an edge anyway. It doesn't help that Bert doesn't have much expression on his face but he hasn't had any towards either one of them on the bus so far. But franks uneasy. "How's it going man?" Frank offers anyway and surprisingly Bert takes the bait peacefully. "Good." Bert sounds cheerful but looks untrustworthy with such a smug grin. "How's aunt Bessie?" Bert asks in a way that could be making fun of you or be genuine but frank had learnt that Bert was taking the piss out of him long ago. "Yeah. Good...yeah." Frank nods as he replies before looking anywhere else but at Bert.

"Our manager is going mental dude." Brandon speaks up and frank takes note how Bert grin falls. He's avoiding everyone's gaze as he pulls out a cigarette.
"You where gone for three days?" Brandon pushes but his pushing only gets Bert pulling back. "Yeah. But I'm back now." Bert shrugging again. Frank watches as Bert popped the cigarette into his mouth and lights it. Taking a couple of drags just as Jepha catches on.
"Nono Jepha!" Bert's eyes widen with realisation. "I forgot-"
But Jepha pounces on Bert. "Don't care!" Jepha says through gritted teeth as he struggles to get Bert's smoke from his hand. They're both trying not to burn themselves. "You know you can't smoke here."
"I'll go outside!" Bert does try to be reasonable which frank thought was out of sorts. It's too late though, the smoke is broken in half and the finger tips of Bert's index finger is medium rare. "Ahh!" Bert hisses. Holding his inflicted finger and looking miffed. "That time I forgot." He clarified again.
"Put your finger under the sink ya big baby." Brandon takes on a caring role or maybe he's missed Bert. The fucker has been gone for days. No one knew where he's been.

Frank had heard Gerard talking about Bert's disappearance with Ray and Mikey. A couple times he knows where Bert is because he disappears with Gerard and Gerard was decent enough to let them know he was staying at a motel somewhere in whatever state. Apparently Bert would just vanish without telling anyone anything.

"Is it throbbing?" Brandon breaks frank from his thoughts of Gerard and Bert in a motel together to be Bert's carer again. Bert hadn't taken Brandon's advice about putting it under a cold tap. Instead he's holding his index finger and pouting at Jeph. Telling the bassist he's an "ugly fuck" and hopes he gets "fucked by Bowser" from super Mario.
"If it's throbbing put it under the cold tap." Brandon says again.
"I'll put you under the tap!" Bert snaps but does give in and comply. Sulking over at the sink now and holding his finger under cold water. No one is actually angry or upset with each other. They're playful The Used.
"Better?" Jepha asks with a sneery smile. That earns him the finger from Bert's good hand. His right, which hasn't been particularly bbq-d.

It's quiet for a minute or two. The only sounds are video games Jepha and Brandon are playing, the tap running over Bert's finger and radio chewing her favourite toy. All peaceful until, "what are you doing here?" Bert somewhat growls at frank.
It catches frank of guard and he turns to look at Bert all too quickly. He's come across scared, he knows he has.
Bert looks much more hungover now. The bags under his eyes seem to make him look like a villain. Bert is trouble and he looks like it. "I...eerr came to give back some of the video games Jeph let me borrow." Frank hates himself for stuttering.
The tap is shut off with one twist and Bert shakes the water off his hand towards the three sat on the sofa but it's mostly aimed at frank. "Right." Bert sniffs. His nose sounds stuffy and cursed. It sounds like Gerard's which sounds like franks nose when his hayfever is at an all time high. But it doesn't take a genius to know that Bert and Gerard's nose isn't like that because of hayfever.

"Is Gerard on your bus?" Bert seems to soften up suddenly and frank thinks to himself that Bert's a bipolar knobhead.
"He is yeah." Frank didn't mean to come across the begrudgingly in his tone but he has done. Even Jepha is looking at him now.
"Nice!" Bert grins. "I got a couple of pot brownies I wanna eat so I can pass out in his bunk." The mentioning of drugs has Brandon looking disappointed. "You don't want to sleep on here tonight, you look rough dude?" Its super sweet how Brandon always tries to nurture Bert back to health. Frank has seen the some states Bert has gotten himself into and he definitely believes the Used's front man wouldn't be able to play a lot of shows if it wasn't for their drummer nurturing him. Brandon doesn't baby him but he'll be the first one to give Bert glasses of water, a sick bucket and a few aspirin to get him fit for the show.

Bert pulls a face, "no rest for the wicked. You know that." He panders and waves away the drummers concerns. "I'm not going anywhere but Gerard's bunk."
Bert huffs when he spots both Jepha and Brandon's looks. "Promise!" He says sweetly. Smiling like an amine character before diving at radio on the floor.
"Ahhhh!" Bert squeals as she growls playfully. The two of them fighting over a squeaky soft toy.
The play fight lasts only a few seconds much to radios disappointment, as Bert leaves her be fairly quickly to go find Gerard.