Schoolhouse Rock [Mötley Crüe]

Eighteen

Nikki had secured his first gig with Christmas about a month later, at a small venue towards the middle of town.

Beaming with the news, he hung up the phone and sprinted all the way to Tommy's apartment. He knocked on the door, rocking back on his heels.

Tommy opened the door a minute later, yawning, dressed in just a pair of loose-fitting sweatpants.

"Hey, baby. Thought you had band practice today?" Tommy opened the door fully and Nikki skipped inside, grabbing Tommy's hands and swinging him around after he closed the door. Nikki giggled, leaping into Tommy's arms. Tommy, who wasn't prepared for his boyfriend to tackle him, crashed to the ground with a laugh.

"What's got you so excited?" He sat up, Nikki sliding onto his lap.

"We got our first gig!" Nikki burst out, grinning widely.

"That's great, Nik!" Tommy smiled proudly, giving him a strong hug. "Where is it? And when?"

"It's this Saturday night, at that little old club next to the bar. It's gonna be great!" Nikki bounced a little on Tommy's lap, causing him to groan.

"Babe, shh. I know you're excited, but calm down a little." Tommy laughed, scooping him up bridal-style and carrying him to his room.

Nikki pulled Tommy down on the bed with him, pressing kisses along his jawline.

"I love you so much." The bassist giggled, rolling on top of Tommy.

"I love you, too.. I'm so happy for you and your band. I'm sure it'll work out, you're gonna be amazing. Trust me, baby, when you make it, I'll be at every show in the front row. And I'll be the first to buy all your albums and all your singles." Tommy's eyes were brimming with happiness, a soft breeze from an open window gently blowing his hair over his shoulders. Nikki laughed softly, feeling safe in Tommy's hold.

"I can't wait until this Saturday."

•

"Hey, Nikki? Is Vince here yet?"

"Yeah, Mick, he just pulled up a minute ago! He's coming in now."

Their guitarist came into view on the stage, a palmful of tangled wires in his hand. He tossed his long, straight black hair over his shoulder, peering past Nikki and his bass case on the floor to see if he could spot their singer in the doorway. The vocalist came into view a moment later, blonde locks bouncing atop his head.

Vince seemed, on the outside, like a polar opposite to Nikki and Mick. He was dressed in tight white jeans and tan cowboy boots, a milky snakeskin jacket and a pink t-shirt. His wrists were adorned with silver bracelets that jangled with his uppity-class strut. He flashed a platinum smile to match his platinum blonde locks to his two friends dressed in black, stark opposites to each other.

"Hey, guys!" Vince called cheerily, tossing his hair over his shoulder. He jogged the rest of the way down to the stage.

"Merry Christmas." Mick chuckled, hopping off the stage and helping Nikki untangle his amp and bass wires.

"Anyone hear from Jack today?" Nikki asked, grinning up at Vince.

"Jack? You mean Mark, our drummer?" Vince furrowed his brow, laughing. Nikki shrugged.

"Yeah, him. Anyone double check to make sure he's coming?"

"He told me that he was yesterday in final period," Mick shrugged. "But ya never know with him."

Nikki refused to let this down his spirits.

"Well, I hope he shows. I'm so excited to play a real crowd, man." Nikki glanced up at the clock on the wall.

"We've got about an hour to set up." Vince spoke, lighting a cigarette and pinning it between his lips, which had been done in pink lipstick. He offered one to Mick, who accepted. They knew Nikki didn't smoke.

Mick lit his off Vince's, blowing it out with a soft sigh. Nikki coughed teasingly.

"Keep your cancer sticks to yourself. Anyway, is your shit all set up, Mick? I'll go ahead and run my bass wires to the speakers if you're done."

Mick nodded, sitting down on the edge of the stage.

"The mics are all set up, too. The club did that for us, which was nice. If you wanna test 'em, knock yourself out, Vince."

The blonde nodded, hopping up on the stage and flicking the microphone on. While Vince tested the microphones and warmed up his voice, Nikki trotted backstage and connected up his bass to the club's speakers. He spotted a phone in the back, biting his lip.

Nikki trotted up to the club's phone, dialing Tommy's number quickly.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Nikki." The bassist murmured, leaning against the wall.

"Oh, hey babe. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, but we aren't sure if Jack is gonna show up. Also, I was wrong all along and his name is Mark. But yeah.. so, I don't know. I hope he does, I'm just kinda worried because he's unpredictable and all that shit."

Tommy groaned on the other side of the line.

"Y'know, I could always come up early.. if you need a backup drummer."

"That's what I was thinking.. we're only doing covers tonight, and one original. But I don't want to pressure you into it, and I don't want to get us into an awkward situation." Nikki sighed, knowing he had already planted the idea in Tommy's mind.

"You're starting in an hour, yeah? I'll be there in thirty. There's a kit there, right?"

"Yeah, we rented one. You might just save our asses tonight if Jack- Mark, falls through." Nikki chuckled.

"Okay, good. Y'know mines at home. Home, home. With the parents. Ha, I'll have to get a new one someday soon. Anyway, I'll see you there, babe. Good luck!"

"Thanks, bye." Nikki smiled softly, hanging up. He turned, suddenly face-to-face with Vince.

"Who were you talking to? Mark?" Vince asked hopefully, excitement shining in his chocolatey eyes.

"Mark? Oh, Jack. No, sadly. Just a friend who might be able to fill in if drummer boy doesn't show." Nikki shrugged, gently pushing past Vince and back onto the stage.

"Who's the friend? Do we know him?"

Nikki was getting fed up with Vince's constant energy and peppiness. He blew out a heavy breath, sitting down next to Mick on the stage, tossing his feet over the edge.

"Yeah, you guys know him, but.. let's just leave it at that. If we end up using him, you'll know who he is. If not, it really doesn't matter."

"What's his name?" Vince squatted down next to him, blowing out a smoky breath right into Nikki's hair. Gross.

"Thomas."

"I don't know a Thomas," Mick snickered. "What about you, Vince?"

"Nope." The singer sat fully down with them, swinging his legs over the stage. Nikki groaned.

"Trust me. You'll know him."