Mindblown

Tour Pt2

The last show is finally done and Kirstie feels a great sense of relief as she waits out the leaving crowds backstage.
     Avi walks into her dressing room, "Security said that back door is clearing quite quickly."
Kirstie smiles a 'thank-you' at him, she just doesn't have the energy tonight, she's exhausted. Avi sits beside her on the couch and she immediately leans into him.
     "Well you made it, you did a 50 show tour pregnant, you performed every single show and it was to the best of your ability. I am both proud, and in awe of you," Avi smiles, "You're amazing."
     She blushes, just a little, "Shut-up."
     "It's true," he chuckles.
     "Yeah I know, but shut-up," she jokes. "Could you take some of my stuff to the bus, pretty please? It's stuff I don't trust others to manhandle."
     "Sure," Avi stands up and Kirstie points to her dressing table where her backpack sits and another small case. "This it?"
     "Yep," she nods as he flings the backpack over his shoulder, but carefully enough that Kirstie didn't get mad. "Thank you!" She calls as he leaves the room, "And come back please!" She hopes he heard that, but she's sure he'd do that anyway.

There are still plenty of crewmen bustling about the halls, taking the stage set up to the trucks, it's just storage now. Avi just calmly makes his way to the backdoor. He almost gawks at the amount of people still waiting at backdoor, he thought security said it was clearing quite quick? There's still waaaay more people here than he gets leaving almost immediately after a show. But he troops on toward the bus, a few people call out his name and he nods in their general direction. There's one voice that's quite persistent and it sounds almost familiar, but he can't place it or see a face that he recognises so he moves on.
     Avi steps onto the bus, and is almost immediately ambushed by Tyrion and Sansa, he keeps the bags out of their reach and falls to their level once the bags are safely on the table. He spends almost ten minutes with the dogs before he decides he should go and get Kirstie.
     Again, the amount of people has halved, and again there's that persistent voice that he can't place nor find. So he ignores it and pushes back into the venue, another ten minutes and it should have halved again right?
     Avi flops back onto the couch beside Kirstie who hasn't moved while he's been gone.
     "Still a lot of people out there?"
     "You probably wouldn't call it a lot, but I would."
     She nods, eyes on her phone.
     "I had an idea about what we can do during your hiatus, I mean it kind of ignores the point of a hiatus, but it's just an idea."
     Kirstie looks at him, "Shoot."
     "We could do a collab EP, or an album, depending on the amount of content we come up with," he suggests.
     She scoffs, "With a closing song titled 'Divorce,' no thanks."
     Avi smiles, "That's a very clever line."
     She smirks, "It was wasn't it?" She sits up a little straighter.
     "I actually think this would be a fun thing for us to do. I mean look what you did with 'No One Needs to Know,' we could even put the acoustic version of 'Title' on there. This could be the country album you want to do to get it out of your system, then continue to make the music you truly like and what will ultimately make the label happy," he shrugs.
     "You really want to do this?" Kirstie asks.
     Avi nods, "Yeah, and I know you well enough to know that you are gonna go stir crazy over the next four months if you don't have anything to do."
     "You're not wrong, but I could always get back into my painting."
     "You do realise you have to clear out that room for the baby?"
     "You know that room is bigger than ours?"
     "Then why didn't you pick that one when you moved in?"
     "Because I didn't think I'd be having a baby before I was thirty. Also the walk in closet and the balcony, and it gets more sun. But would the sun be better for the baby or worse because we could swap them," she suggests.
     "Or if one day we have a second kid they could share?"
     Kirstie gasps, "Avi the pool, we need a new house!"
     "Umm," Avi stutters, he hadn't expected Kirstie to go that far. "We could just fence off the pool?"
     "Or we could just buy a new house with a fenced off pool. That'd be so much easier," she tries to convince him.
     "Would it?" Avi's eyebrow is up.
     "Yes, we need a spare room for when my Mom comes to visit, or if your parents want to stay over. Oh my god, how have we not thought of any of this, our house is so unsafe, we have two open fire places and every edge is pointy. And the landing before the pool even, that's a freefall for a baby!" She panics.
     "Holy shit Kirst, calm down, if it's what you really want we can start looking for a new house, but you've got a while before the baby even starts to walk and all of that actually becomes a problem, okay," he tries to calm her, gently rubbing her arm.
     "Okay."
     "What?" Avi frowns.
     She shrugs, "I just needed you to agree, like obvs I'm paying for the house, but I can't do it without you agreeing to it, we're married now."
     "I can help pay for it Kirst," he speaks a little sheepishly.
     She giggles, "Cute Avi, but I got it. You can buy everything we need for bubs and I will buy the new house."
     "You say that so casually, you're just gonna go buy a house, just like that, and I'll buy a cot, and a changing table-"
     "Avi I hate this, you'll buy I'll buy, we're married so we're buying a house, so what if I make most of the money, what's mine is yours. Babe if you want to buy another one of those wicked cool old cars you can, I won't blink. And I'm not saying you have to, but I'm saying you can, like you can buy whatever fancy ass ingredients you want because you do all the cooking so you deserve that indulgence. You do just about all the cleaning, and the outdoor work, sometimes I water your plants or I get the washing in, maybe I remember to empty the dishwasher or put my plate in there in the first place. I got really lazy having money, I grew up with nothing and still: the second I could I hired a maid, but when you moved in I got rid of her cause I knew you'd hate that. But what I mean is that you do so much for me and you're probably gonna do more for the baby because I'm next to useless at looking after myself let alone a child, I still don't have my license Avi, what does that say?" She doesn't let him answer. "To me it says you deserve to be spoiled, so what if I buy everything, you do literally everything else. So babe, get over it and let me spoil you, let me buy everything, you can buy the cot, you can buy the changing table, but again don't stress about how I speak about money. Cause who really gives a shit," she smiles brightly.
     "Wow, I never thought about it like that. I mean I hate taking money from people, but this is different, isn't it?"
     Kirstie nods, "Yeah is absolutely is."
     "Well, I'm-"
     "Avi there's someone here to see you, he says he knows you, he's desperate to talk to you man. I said I'd check, but I'll just tell him you left through another door," Austin speaks.
     "Who the hell wants to see me?" Avi frowns, exchanging a glance with Kirstie who shrugs.
     "I'll tell him you're gone," Austin goes to leave the room.
     "Hold on, I'm curious," Avi stands up.
     Kirstie grabs his hand, "What if he's a crazy?"
     "Austin will be there," Avi nods at the security guard who gives an affirmative nod back.
     Avi follows Austin back toward the back door to a man sitting on the bench beside it. The blonde man jumps up and Avi comes to a total stop. This is the voice he recognized but couldn't place.
     "Hi Avi."
     "What are you doing here?" Avi steps around Austin.
     "I actually live in Texas now. But I knew I absolutely had to get in touch with you when I heard you were gonna be a Dad, congrats."
     "And you didn't want to get back in touch before that?" He's a little hurt to say the least. "You could have at least let me know you were okay."
     "I did, but the only way to get in contact with you for the longest time was through Esther, that was never going to happen," he sighs.
     "Are you good here Avi?" Austin is ready to back away to keep his distance from something he feels he shouldn't be involved in.
     "Yeah Austin thanks."
     Austin hovers at the end of the hallway, out of their line of sight, but if Avi yells for him he'll be there in a flash.
     "I've missed you Avi, but I was scared that if I came to see you that you'd reject me, that I'd well and truly pushed you away."
     "I've missed you too Josh, but what changed, why aren't you scared anymore? I could still reject you." Avi is holding back so many emotions, just trying to keep himself calm and level headed and not let his brother know what he is thinking.
     "Because I heard you were going to be a Dad and I thought it would suck to keep my kids away from yours, they're cousins, they should know each other," a smile plays at his lips.
     Avi has to catch his jaw before it hits the floor, "You have kids?"
     "Yeah, I mean my daughter isn't born yet but my son is almost two. I've really turned my life around Avi and I'm in a good place, for real this time. Mena has helped me so much; I go to Synagogue every week, sometimes more than once a week, I'm four years, six months and 23 days sober. I'm really truly happy now and I needed to see you, mostly just to ask what on God's Earth convinced you to marry a popstar?"
     Avi laughs, this is the Josh he knew. "I just fell in love with her, didn't matter that she is a popstar. I guess you and I have both matured."
     Josh nods, "I guess we have, both married and kids, or just kid," he points at Avi. "You know I always thought Esther, when we were little at least, would be the first one with a family and that whole perfectly perfect life she used to want to play out every time we wanted to play something else... How is she by the way?" He is more hesitant with that question, but the fact that he asked it, Avi knows things have well and truly changed for the better for his brother.
     "If you'd asked me that three months ago, I wasn't talking to her, so you've timed this comeback pretty well. She's fine, she's still Esther, but she's no longer my manager, just my sister, and it's so much better that way," he explains. "But Esther, Esther's actually seeing someone, believe it or not."
     "Oh wow," the disbelief (despite his previous statement) is etched on his face but he does well to cover it with a smile as quick as he can.
     "Yeah, Kevin."
     "Your friend Kevin?"
     "The very same," Avi nods.
     "Ouch."
     "That was also my initial thought, but I've gotten past it. I haven't had to see it though, and that's another thing entirely," he jokes. "Oh... I just remembered Kirstie, actually do you want to come and meet her?"
     "I'd love to," Josh replies but reaches out to stop his brother as Avi turns to walk down the hall.
     "Hmm?" Avi's eyebrows shoot up.
     "Just first, I need to apologize for everything Avi."
     "Oh," he tries to hide a small frown as he looks down, "Right, I suppose you do."
     "I don't want to make excuses, but I wasn't myself to stoop as low as I did and hurt you like that, you, my little brother. And I'm so, so, so, sorry Avi, and I will pay you back, I promise. I even have some of it with me today, it's a small start but it's better than nothing."
     Avi starts shaking his head as Josh reaches for his back pocket and pulls out a check, seemingly ignoring his brother.
     "Take it please Avi, I need to do this," he holds out the check.
     "No," Avi takes a step back, "No, you need it more than I do."
     "Come on man, you've got a kid on the way too."
     "Yeah but not to sound like I'm bragging or a jerk or anything, but my wife is very successful, our kid will want for absolutely nothing. Josh, you need it more than I do," he folds his arms as a show that he won't take it.
     "How do you know that I can't afford it, you don't know what my job is, or what Mena does for a living," he is upset but keeps his arm, check in hand, outstretched for Avi.
     Avi sighs, "Humor me then Josh."
     Josh doesn't talk for a moment, "I work at a restaurant okay."
     "And Mena?"
     "Math teacher."
     "So you do need it more than I do, please Josh, keep it, put it towards your kids' college funds or something," Avi sighs.
     Josh finally drops his arm, "College funds are a good idea."
     "Of course it is, it's the responsible thing to do," Avi nods.
     "I mean paying my brother back all the money I took from him would also be the responsible thing to do," he points out.
     "Yeah, but that's not the thing that's happening and it's all water under the bridge, you weren't yourself but regardless, I forgive you," Avi holds his arms open, it's been far too long since he's hugged his brother. "Esther won't forgive so easily," he says into the hug.
     Josh chuckles, "Yeah I figured."
     "Four years, six months and 23 days sober though, I am so fucking proud of you," Avi hugs his big brother even tighter.

A/N: I don't really have a question for you guys since there's only one more chapter left, I guess I could ask whether you think it's gonna be a girl or a boy?

Because I finally know, Kirstie sim finally got pregnant, turns out (as great as mods are) one of them was screwing me over and it had taken control of the pregnancy function in the game, and defaulted the chance of pregnancy to only 1%, so much for a surprise pregnancy like the story :/
     But the whole point of playing it through Sims was because I couldn't decide whether they were gonna have a boy or a girl, and instead of just flipping a coin I decided to make my life miserable... joking, I love Sims, it was just a lot harder than it should have been but we're there now. ONE MORE CHAPTER!!

I hope you enjoyed this 2637 word chapter, one of the longest I think I've ever done (besides a one shot). Please vote and comment, it truly makes my day :)

Hannah.