Nobody's Listening Pt. 2

Mike hated having to wake Jade up the morning after they'd returned from a tour. It was a hazard to him, really. She liked to sleep. But the reality was, they had to get started on her sophomore album. Jade had been touring with Fort Minor and Chiodos for the last year. It seems like an odd combination for touring mates, yes, but Jade was the bridge between Chiodos and Fort Minor. That, and they'd needed a third wheel, and after the incident with Linkin Park's Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda, no one but Chiodos had truly agreed to tour with them. It had been painful for Mike to watch Brad be laid to rest 6 feet under ground, even if he HAD nearly killed he and Jade. He'd loved his high school friend...but the reality of it was...he loved Jade more.

He rubbed the small of Jade's back, waking her slightly from her slumber.

"Hey," he whispered in her ear. She groaned and he backed away. The swinging would start is he didn't let her be. So, he just waited. Soon after, she rolled her in the giant fluff of pillows and blankets. He watched her. She smiled tiredly and messy-haired at him. He sighed. God, she was beautiful. He fell to his stomach beside her, hugged a pillow under his head.

"I hate to tell you," he muttered into the feather pillow. She cut him off, quietly.

"h-I know," she sighed. He smiled at her. She groaned, stretched, and stood up from the bed. He chuckled, watching her search around the brim of the bed for her pants. They'd had one Hell of a night the night before. After having a "few" drinks with Ryu and Tak at the local bar, they'd come back to Mike's house, and had, for lack of a better word, fucked. Mike laughed, remembering as he watched Jade slip on her bottoms. She went into the bathroom for a shower. Mike sighed. He sat up on the bed. The room was a mess. He hadn't really picked up since the last time that they'd been there. He looked over, hearing Jade open the bathroom door. He watched her dig through a pile of her clothes that he'd washed. She looked up at him, wrapped in a towel.

"You okay?" she asked, "You look sort of pale." He smiled and stood up.

"I'm perfect," he said, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face into her dripping hair. She smiled and nuzzled his hairy cheek with her lips before going back into the bathroom. He walked around the room, throwing the blankets half-heartedly back onto the bed.

"I have a show with Fort Minor tonight," he called to her. She opened the door and peeked her head out with a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth.

"I know," she mumbled, buttoning her pants. She grabbed the toothbrush and rubbed her teeth clean with it, still looking at him. He nodded.

"Well, I just wanted you to know," he smiled. She pulled herself back into the bathroom. He heard the water in the sink running and then she appeared back at the door again, grinning.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to be out on the town," she chuckled, "I'm going to be backstage." He laughed.

"You know, you should try to watch from the crowd sometime," he muttered. She looked at him, wide-eyed.

"HA!" she laughed sarcastically, "I'm the size of a 13-year-old, dear. They'd trample me." Mike laughed.

"That's what body guards are for," he smiled at her, looking into a mirror atop his dresser, messing with his hair. She snorted, detangling her own hair with a comb.

"Concerts aren't any fun if I have to be guarded the whole time," she told him. He sighed, leaving his hair its normal dark brown mess, and looked at her.

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to take you to a concert myself, then, won't I?" he beamed. She laughed before stepping back into the bathroom. He heard the buss of her hair dryer and smiled. He could get used to waking up like that.

~*~

Mike bustled around backstage, pushing an in-ear monitor into his ear, and looking around a crew manager, mumbling something. He bent to tie his shoe for the thousanth time that night. These shoes were going to cause a huge problem on stage. He may as well just change them. He was just about to go find a new pair when he heard a familiar voice.

"Just ignore me then, Boo," it said. He smiled and turned around.

"When'd you get here?" he asked. Jade grinned at him. He started to walk toward his locker. She followed him. He sat on the couch and put on a different pair of shoes.

"What's wrong with those?" she asked. He looked up at her, tying the new pair.

"Fuckers won't stay tied," he told her. She laughed and shook her head.

"Mike," a voice came from the stage door, "2 minutes." Mike looked up at the man and nodded. He stood up and looked around.

"Will you hand me my hat?" he asked Jade. She grabbed the hat for him. He held out his hand. She smiled and pulled it away. He looked at her oddly. She grinned and kissed him, then pulled away, pushing the hat onto his head and over his eyes. She then smiled and walked over to sit by the stage door. He laughed and followed her, fixing his hat. He walked out onto the stage and started to work the crowd. Jade smiled and watched him, leaning on the door frame. About 7 songs in, someone walked past her. She was surprised when she looked up to see Chester. He smiled at her and then went out onto the stage with Mike. Jade looked at them oddly.

"Now, I don't normally do stuff like this," she heard Mike say into the microphone, "But tonight is something special to me." Jade looked around. What the Hell was special about tonight? Why did Chester have to be there with him? She looked out onto the stage and suddenly saw Phoenix standing there with an acoustic guitar in his hands. What the Hell? Linkin Park hadn't played together in over a year. This was a Fort Minor show. A crew manager walked out and handed Mike another acoustic guitar. Jade was so lost. Mike was glancing around the stage, situating himself on a stool beside Phoenix. Chester stood with a microphone stand, much like the acoustic versions of "Pushing Me Away" that he used to do onstage. A few of the members of Fort Minor where behind him on drums and other guitars. Suddenly, Mike was looking at her through the stage door. She stared at him. He smiled at her and then spoke into the microphone.

"I want to bring someone out onto the stage," he muttered. Jade stared at him. He couldn't mean her. He smiled over at her.

"Jade," he muttered. Her breath caught. What the Hell was this about? She took a breath and walked out onto the stage. She shielded her eyes from the spot light. She was mad. She wasn't dressed at all to be on stage. She was wearing baggy jeans, a sweatshirt, and her pink and black DC shoes, her hair pulled into a rough ponytail. What she didn't know is that this is exactly what Mike had wanted. He smiled at her and watched as a crew manager brought out a chair for her to sit on. She sat down, watching him.

"This is for you," he smiled. A song started to be played by he and Phoenix on the guitars and she recognized it as Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters." Mike started to sing, staring at Jade for a moment.

"So close, no matter how far, couldn't be much more from the heart," he sighed into the microphone and looked out at the audience, squinting into the spotlight. "Forever trust in who we are. And nothing else matters." He looked at her again, a deep look of thought in his eyes. It almost scared her, staring into those dark brown orbs.

"Never opened myself this way," he sang quietly, staring into her eyes, "Life is ours, we live it our way. All these words I don't just say. And nothing else matters." There was a slight break in the music. Mike sighed loudly, and Jade noticed his hands were shaking. She wondered what was wrong with him. He took a deep breath and started to sing again, staring deeper into her eyes. She didn't look away.

"Trust I seek and I find you," Chester sang harmony with him, "Every day for us something new. Open mind for a different view," the music paused for a moment. Mike's voice echoed through the venue. The entire crowd was in awe. He looked at her, pursing his lips for a moment. He took a deep breath, his voice cracking a bit.

"And nothing else matters..." there was no music with it. His last note lingered in the room for a long time. The crowd didn't even move. They didn't cheer. They didn't even breath. Mike looked at the floor for a moment before being slightly prodded in the back by Chester. He looked up and out at the crowd before lifting himself from the stool. He looked at Jade. He didn't even grab his microphone. He stood in front of her for a moment before falling to eye level with her. She stared at him. He was shaking almost uncontrollably. Jade was afraid. What was wrong with him? He stared at her, the guitar still hanging around him, his knee pushing it up into his chest. The crowd stared at them. All that could be heard was small muttering, and only the people in the very front row could hear that much. The people in the back had no idea what was happening. They only saw Mike on one knee...

Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out the thing he'd been staring at earlier. It was a black, velvet box. Jade stared at Mike's hand. He held it in his palm in front of her face. He used his other hand to open the box. She stared at the band inside(http://www.designsbyindigo.co.uk/i/home%20page%20pics/2_carat_round_brilliant_diamond_ring.jpg). The members in the front row of the audience saw Mike's mouth move. They didn't hear what he said, but they didn't need to. They already knew. They saw Jade fly up from the chair she was in, and wrap her arms around Mike. He threw the guitar onto his back and held her closely to him. The crowd erupted then. They cheered until lungs were sore. And Mike kissed her until they stopped. He then smiled, slipping the ring onto her finger, endured another few minutes of the crowd's cheers, and then walked her backstage to sit and watch the rest of the show.