.because you stop the noise

02Apr15 - Goddamn Motherfucking Frontmen

Jepha watched him. Watched him like a hawk. Maybe there was a time when one or two things had the privilege to have slipped past Jepha Howard but not these days. And these days it was more than just one man he had to watch. He had to keep his eye on everyone. Especially after what happened with Quinn. Had Jepha just been more vigilant a few years ago perhaps Quinn wouldn't have been told to leave.

When the man who broke his entire band up to make sure he isn't near the man he cheated on you with... when he finds out that a slip up like your guitarist drunk fucking you on a floor mattress in the night was kept a secret... then you're fucked. Then the only thing left to do is find a reason to let that guitarist go. Cause Bert is not the type to throw his whole band away.

Jepha knew exactly what the story was but just like Gerard, he didn't know until it flew out of Quinn's cursed devil mouth after the McCracken's returned from their honeymoon. Or were they the Ways now? Who knew. If Bert were smart, he'd make sure he was a Way on paper.

This is why everyone had to be watched cause if they weren't watched they couldn't be stopped from all the stupid shit that makes folks find out online that their favourite band members or indeed whole bands have been liquified. Bert picks off members one by one and it's not always with his dick. Sometimes it's just with his need to be the smartest person on the bus.

Jepha didn't like the way this new guy looked at Bert. He had no problem with Justin personally but the way Justin needed to always be near Bert was a problem. It was the same way Frank always had to be near Gerard back in the day and look how well that ended because no one had the sense to step in early enough.

Bert loved the attention of course. God. He's so fucking easy. It's not that Bert flirted. He flirted with everyone. Bert was not interested in Justin in that way. It was clear enough for someone who knows the difference between Bert liking attention and Bert giving attention. Jepha was one of those people who knew the difference. It was that Justin didn't know the difference, therefore he took all of Bert's appreciation as affection and fell deeper and deeper into that hole that so many before him had.

But it was still early. Bert would still be batting his long lashes for easily another year or two before Justin realizes that this was never about him and was always about Bert's main method of keeping the talent nearby. Bert needs Justin right now. He needs to prove a point. That point being 'I never needed Quinn Allman in my life or my band.' It's sick and twisted and so purely Bert Mccracken. He'll pour out every last drop of milk and smash the glass on the studio floor. And Bert could do all this without ever laying a sexual finger on Justin.

But none of this was Jephas concern right now. As stated, Justin was giving far more than he'd ever get. No. The problem right now was this bombshell that Bert invited back to the second show in a row. It made him uneasy. It made Dan uneasy. It made Justin pout. And christ knows the only thing that's makes Justin pout since joining the band is when Gerard is around.

Jepha had noticed the way women had been grabbing Bert's eye lately. He hadn't seen them have that kind of affect on their frontman in years. Up until this last couple months Jepha was sure Gerard had really titled that bisexual scale of Bert's in his favor for good. Apparently not. It's one thing to accept a poem from a fan, even comment on how gorgeous she is. It's a little more concerning when you call the number left on the page to say thank you, letting her see your number, even more concerning calling her back when she didn't pick up the first time. And it's downright alarming when on that second call you ask her to come to the show tonight and then invite her back to hang out.

And the most alarming of all is Jepha having to find all this out from her instead of his own goddamn motherfucking front man. Once a pretty face, cool. Twice that same pretty face and this time she has your number... not cool.