My Empire of Dirt

I Must Confess I'm Addicted to This

Johnny woke up to the sound of crying.

It was soft, he could just barely hear it through the door, but it still woke him up. He sat up in bed and checked the time.

2:17 AM

Fuck, it was late. He stood up and opened the door slowly, walking down the hall and tapped on Vivian's door gently.

"Come in." Vivian called in a hushed voice.

The singer pushed open the door, and stepped inside, seeing the younger woman pacing the bedroom with Faith in her arms. She was rubbing her eyes and crying, obviously tired, but still continued to fight sleep.

"She needed her diaper changed, but now she doesn't want to go back to sleep." Vivian huffed, her eyes heavy as she fought the urge to yawn.

"Does she like singing?" Johnny asked, walking over to her to take their daughter into his arms.

"Loves it." Vivian said with a tired smile, moving to sit on the edge of the bed.

Johnny thought for a moment before he smiled. "Disarm you with a smile, and cut you like you want me to." He sang softly, hoping it would sooth the child.

"Cut that little child, inside of me and such a part of you." Vivian layed back on the mattress, noticing how Faith was already starting to settle down.

"Ooh, the years burn, ooh, the years burn." Faith leaned her head onto Johnny's shoulder, gripping at the necklace he was wearing as he swayed back and forth.

"I used to be a little boy, so old in my shoes." Johnny glanced up when a voice joined his, surprised to see Lily standing in the doorway.

"And what I choose is my choice, what's a boy supposed to do?" The bassist harmonized with Johnny, sitting down on the bed next to Vivian.

"The killer in me is the killer in you, my love. I send this smile over to you." Johnny watched Lily carefully as he sang, his heart swelling with an emotion that he had denied for so long.

He still fucking loved her. Damnit.

Johnny glanced down when he noticed how quiet Faith had gotten to see that she was fast asleep.

"That didn't take too long." He whispered with a smile, carefully moving her back to the pillow fort style cubby that Vivian had set up to keep her from rolling off the bed.

"I can't sleep now, I need a snack. " Vivian groaned quietly, getting up from the bed to go downstairs, grabbing the baby monitor on her way out the door.

Johnny glanced at Lily again, watching as she stood up from the bed. "I'm going back to bed." She mumbled, kissing him on the cheek as she walked past him.

He stood there stunned for a long moment, and before he could stop himself, he spoke up. "Sleep in my bed, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Lily glanced back in surprise, but nodded slightly, and made her way into the master bedroom, climbing onto the plush, California king sized mattress, and curled up under the covers.

Johnny dropped a kiss on top of Faith's head before he followed Vivian downstairs. She was rummaging through the cabinets in search of something to snack on. She was wearing a baggy band shirt and oversized pink sweatpants, and her hair was pulled up into a half topknot.

"I have some kale chips." Johnny said, moving to lean against the counter.

Vivian pulled a face, her nose wrinkling in disgust before she pulled out a can of pringles. "You really are full LA if you like fucking kale chips." She said, making a gagging noise to emphasize her point.