KISS: In The Band

Ch 22: Bye Bruce (Eric C)

I let out a sigh, resting my head on my arms and staring at the street. Bruce joined me at the railing, standing quietly next to me. I leaned on the railing, closing my eyes. Bruce slipped an arm around my shoulders, holding me reassuringly against his side. He still didn't say a word, just held me, which in all honest was just what I needed.

"Thanks Bruce," I mumbled. He nodded, patting me on the shoulder. "You doing okay?" he asked gently.

"I'm just...I miss them. Miss how close we all were in high school," I said softly. He let out a sigh, still holding me, and leaned against the railing more. "Yeah. I get that. I miss it too. But I mean...it's been eight, nine years. At some point, we just have to move on. Because we're not in high school."

"And we can never go back there again," I said, half to myself. Bruce nodded again. "No we can't. But that's okay. Because we have the future to look forward to." I gave him a soft smile, leaning against him. "Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you." "Don't worry, you're never going to have to find out because I'm not going anywhere. But you do need to finish packing."

I let out a groan, burying my face in my hands. "But I hate packing!" I protested. "But you're moving in with your wife today! So come on, let's go! Stop taking breaks to be sad on the balcony and get going!" he said, ruffling my hair before dragging me back inside.

Heaving a sigh, I sat on the floor, stuffing more clothes from my dresser into a box before giving up and lying down, staring up at the ceiling. "Dude I really wanna have a kid of my own, you know? Like Nick is just so fucking cute like damn I wanna have that! And now Gene's gonna have another kid and stuff and Peter and Ace are trying really hard to adopt one and like...yeah. I wish I had one."

Bruce raised an eyebrow, giving me a look. "Eric. You're literally married now. Just go talk to your wife about it! You already told me she wants to have kids, go ask her about having one." I gave him a surprised look before smiling. "Oh yeah! Damn, you're so smart. I'll have to talk to her about that tonight. I feel like it'd be fun to have a kid! I think I'd be a good dad."

"You'd be a great dad because you're a great person," he said with a faint smile.

Between the two of us, we were able to pack together everything from the apartment that belonged to me. Heart sinking, I set the last box in my trunk, turning to look at Bruce. "I'm gonna miss being roommates with you," I mumbled. He smiled, shaking his head. "I know. I'll miss it too. It was fun," he said softly. I gave him a tight hug, burying my face in his shoulder. "The only downside to getting married, man, tell you what." Laughing, Bruce hugged me back. "I know, I know. But hey, you're still living in the same city! I'll bug you plenty enough, don't worry. Take care of Baxter for me."

"Don't say it like that, it sounds like you're going away forever," I muttered. "You sure you don't want him?" Bruce grinned, shaking his head. "No. Not really a dog person, and I know you are. Consider it a bonus wedding gift! Now seriously, get out of here. And take your stupid iguana with you, I want nothing to do with him." I grinned, letting Iggy crawl across my shoulders. "Iggy's too cool for you anyway," I said, looking sadly up at the apartment.

"Eric. Go! You've got a wife to get to!" he said cheerfully. I sighed, accepting Baxter's leash from him and giving him one last hug. "Damn I'm gonna miss you." "Paul Charles, you're moving five minutes away. Don't worry! I'll invite you over in a few days, I promise."

Heaving a sigh, I got in my car. "Damn, man," I started, but he shut the door behind me with a laugh. "Eric! Go see your wife and be happily married with her!" he cried. Rolling my eyes but smiling nonetheless, I drove off with a wave. Carrie was waiting by the door when I finally pulled into the driveway, giving me a huge smile. "About time!" she cried, pulling the door open and kissing me. I smiled, kissing her back. "Sorry, sorry, I was talking with Bruce."

She laughed, slipping her arms around my waist. "Well I can see you taking a long time to say your goodbyes. Now come on, let's get all your shit into our house and settle in!" she said cheerfully. I kissed her again, running a hand through her hair. "Sounds like a plan. Let me drop off Baxter and Iggy then I'll get some boxes," I said happily.

We unpacked pretty quickly and I dumped all of my stuff in what was now our room, putting away my clothes and whatever else I have. "Aw Eric you still have this?" Carrie asked suddenly. I jumped, turning around to find her holding Howie the fox. Shrugging, I grinned, taking it from her hands. "Well yeah! Bruce gave it to me senior year and it means a lot to me. I'm not gonna give it away or anything."

She smiled, kissing me on the cheek. "You are the sweetest man and I love you so much," she said. "Nuh-uh I bet I love you more." "Not even possible."

Later that night, I sat next to Carrie, slipping an arm around her waist and giving her a kiss. "Hey Care Bear," I murmured. She gave me a smile, kissing me back. "Uh-huh what's up?" "So I was thinking...how do you feel about starting a family? Like having a baby and all that, you know?"

She smiled, leaning against me and tugging at my shirt. "I feel like we would be great parents and I think we should give it a try! Would you like to give it a try right now?" she purred. My face lit up and I kissed her again. "Hell yeah I would," I murmured, scooping her up in my arms and carrying her to our bedroom.