Long Live the Reckless and the Brave

"Is there anything you guys want us to bring back?"

Matt Flyzik stood in the doorway of the bus, glancing back and forth from the guys to myself. He and the rest of the crew were going out for dinner since we had the night off. However, the band itself had put on one of the best shows we had in a while, and we were all exhausted. Honestly, we just wanted to shower and laze around, though we couldn't deny the fact that we were starving.

"Food." Jack stated in all seriousness. "Bring us back lots of food."

"And Starbucks," Rian grinned from the bathroom, finally clean. "Please, for the love of God, bring me back Starbucks."

"You got it," Matt smiled. "See you in a bit."

We all nodded, without much energy, as Matt left the bus. It was strange to think that, almost fifteen years ago, we would be able to pull off a show like that, go out and the come back to get wasted and do it all again. Age was certainly starting to catch up with us, but we had agreed that as long as the band was alive, the men of All Time Low would never slow down - On stage.

"So," Rian smiled, joining us in the kitchen area. "I hear our kids are dating. If your boy does anything to hurt my little girl, I'm going to have to kill him, you know that, right?"

"I'm well aware," I chuckled. "I like Aubree, and I like to think I've raised Tom to be respectful and mindful of her feelings."

"Oh, come on," Jack snorted. "We can raise them anyway we want, but what it all comes down to is: He's a teenage boy. We've all been one of those before."

We sighed, nodding our heads.

"Still. Tom really likes her." I eyed my best friend, who was giggling like a small child. "Besides, I think you should be more worried about me beating your son."

"Little Jack?" He questioned, wondering what his boy had done. "Why?"

"Because he's managed to break Stella's heart."

"How? They weren't even dating."

"Exactly," I shrugged. "Don't mention this to baby Jack, but Stella really likes him. Now he's gone off with that girl she punched in the face and Stella is an emotional wreck."

"Fuck," Jack frowned. "That I didn't know. Want me to talk to him?"

"Hell no. Stella would hate me. I think I've had enough trouble with her recently."

"That is true. I'll keep my mouth shut, on the condition that you don't beat my son."

I snorted, shaking my head. "Deal."

With this, we all looked at Zack. Nate seemed to be the only one not having issues with the opposite gender. He was a lot like his father in that way. We knew he had flings, but he never took a girl very seriously. At least, not that I had seen.

"Don't look at me like that," Zack rose an eyebrow. "Your kids are barely teenagers and you're already dealing with this. You have to think, there are five of them. Eventually, we're probably going to be dealing with a teenage pregnancy. Nate keeps girls close, but he never gets that close. So chances are, little Stella or little Aubree are going to be the first ones."

"And how do you know Nate isn't out screwing every girl he meets?"

"Because, unlike you guys, I have a very close relationship with my son. He tells me everything. The first time he got to second base I took him out to celebrate."

"God, I couldn't imagine being that close with Aubree. I mean, it'd be nice.. But that's my little girl."

"I think it's different with girls," Jack shrugged. "Little Jack tells me most things. But since we're on tour so much, we never really get a chance to talk."

"I think we should tell Matt we want more time inbetween tours," I spoke up, Zack's words making me sad. I really wasn't as close to my kids as I thought. "Stella told me she acts out because I leave so much."

"They all do it at some point," Rian smiled sadly. "Aubree threatened not to go to school for the rest of the year one time when I was leaving. It's hard on them. Every kid needs a dad."

"The worst part is, I'm going to miss Tom and Stella's birthday. I'd give anything to be there for them."

No one knew what to say, so we sat in silence. I couldn't help but wonder when we'd all want to give up the tour life, or at least take a break. We could all use it. Still, the fact always remained, we do what we do because we love it. That's something we needed to teach our kids as well. Being away from them was like walking through fire, it burned and it even becoming numbing, but it made going home so much better, and damn, did I want to go home.

"We have food!" Vinny climbed on the bus, followed by the rest of the crew who were all holding bags. "Eat up, bitches."

We all laughed, reaching for the food while Rian went for his coffee. Now, I remembered why I stayed on tour. It kept me in touch with my roots, and without it, I fear I may lose my sanity.

Notes