"Come, let me love you
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter
Let me die in your arms"

"Annie's Song" by John Denver

If soundchecks were supposed to be a thing of general entertainment and perfection, the Crumbs were sorely disappointed.

For one thing, a sudden rain shower had snuck up on the boat, which meant a mad scramble to cover wires and shelter the instruments.

For another thing, everyone was put in a bad mood by the storm and overall gloom of the day. Nobody had slept in what felt like days and as the concert crept ever closer, tension was high.

This particular tension didn't create any extra arguments between Kathy and Smiley, who remained naturally roguish with one another.

Where the tension really made itself known was in the normally happy friendship of Syl and Bash.

Bash was uncharacteristically grumpy, which did nothing to help Syl, who was characteristically grumpy.

They'd been butting heads all day; first about the location of the amps onstage, then about whether or not they should start with an original song or a cover.

Even Smiley and Kathy were getting tired of their quarreling.

They never all-out shouted at one another, as loudness wasn't in either of their natures, but if glares could cut through steel, theirs would have.

Once the clouds were far away, Jim deemed it safe enough to re-setup the equipment. It was later in the evening than they'd scheduled, which meant it would be yet another sleepless night aboard Wolgemoth & Sons.

After the cables were distributed, the wires were connected, and the choreography of the musicians was set, the time finally came for them to play through the setlist.

Jim sat a few feet in front of them with the radio station temporarily converted into a sound booth. He flipped a few switches and slid black headphones on.

He bobbed his head up and down. "Give it a go."

Bash leaned into the microphone. "Soundcheck, one-two."

Jim gave a thumbs-up from his makeshift booth. "Sounds great."

Bash shared a look with the rest of the Crumbs and nodded.

"One, two..."

They began to play their first rehearsal for the concert. They played the songs they always played, but this felt distinctly different. It felt important. Real. Like everything laying on the line was balanced even more precariously.

Kathy was a whiz on her new drum set and Smiley was a maestro on keys.

As was the pattern on this particular day, it was Bash and Syl who were off. They couldn't find their natural rhythm which had always come so easily to them until now.

"It's like you're trying to race each other," Kathy said after they had to stop in the middle of a song. She sighed deeply with frustration. "I can't even keep up."

"Let's just try the next one on the list, eh?" Bash suggested.

Kathy and Smiley took a look at the setlist and shared a look of concern, which Bash didn't understand until he saw what the next song was.

It was the Crumb cover of "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher...which was Bash and Syl's only duet on the setlist.

Bash counted them off, ignoring the fact that he and Syl avoided eye contact as they began to play.

Syl started singing, the microphone between them, and everyone could tell that as soon as Bash joined in, disaster would follow.

How many times had he and Syl sang this song karaoke-style night after night? They'd never thought twice about it then. Why did it feel so strained now?

"I'm not getting either one of you on the speakers," Jim interjected. "If you're going to keep sharing a mic, you'll have to stand closer."

Syl reluctantly shuffled next to Bash, resting her back against his shoulder so that their guitars didn't knock against one another.

"They say we're young and we don't know; we won't find out until we grow. Well, I don't know if all that's true, 'cause I got you, babe..."

There was tension in the air that built as the song went on; an unrelenting emotion that hammered against the beat until Bash was strumming his guitar entirely too hard and Syl was plucking entirely too fast.

They sang into the mic, harmony thrown to the wind until they were all but yelling the lyrics to one another.

Syl abruptly stepped away.

"I'm sorry, I need a break," she said, taking off her bass and putting it on the stand before exiting the stage.

Kathy stood up to follow, but Bash stopped her. "I'll go. Just give us a minute."

He followed Syl downstairs to her room. She was facing toward her wall of paintings, her fists clenched as if she were ready to tear them all down and throw them away.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked.

Syl whirled on him. "Me? What's gotten into you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Syl paced around her room in a tight line. "You keep acting like things are fine between us, but they're not! And I can't..." her throat tightened. "I can't sing those songs with you anymore. I'm sorry."

"I get it, but we have to sing them, Syl. We're the ones who chose them and the concert's in two days–"

"Why won't you talk about whatever's going on between us?" Syl asked, her eyes stormy.

They both knew that they were no longer talking about what had happened today.

Bash spread his hands apart. "Alright. Let's talk. Why don't you go first and tell me exactly what it is that's going on between us?"

"I don't know!" Syl cried.

"Me neither!" Bash retorted.

Syl stepped toward him and yelled, "Last week in the bathroom. Why didn't you kiss me?"

"Did you want me to kiss you?!"

"Maybe I did!"

"Fine! Then how about we do it right now?" Bash caught her around the waist and pulled her into him.

Syl gasped with shock, bracing her hands against his shoulders as their noses nearly brushed together.

Bash could feel her heart beating against his, the sound of their breathing the only thing filling the sudden silence.

"Is this what you want?" Bash asked, his voice quiet.

"No," Syl murmured.

"Neither do I." Bash released his hold and Syl staggered back a step, steadying herself on the table in the middle of the room.

They regarded each other weightily.

"I don't know what's going on here," Bash admitted. "Because one minute you're saying all of this mumbo-jumbo to me at the pub and the next day you're acting like I'm just a chum you met in school. I don't know if you know this about yourself, Syl, but you're a hard read."

"I just said I wanted you to kiss me," Syl replied bluntly. "And apparently the whole reason this started is because I can't remember what I said at the pub."

"I know." Bash sighed. "I know. It doesn't matter now, I suppose I'm just..."

"Just what?"

"I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Of you." Bash turned guilty eyes up at Syl. "At the pub, you really got my hopes up, making it seem like...like you fancied me. And for the first time, I allowed myself to think the impossible. That's why I didn't kiss you; because I was afraid you hadn't meant what you said and I didn't want you to regret it."

Syl looked down at the concrete floor, leaning back on her hands.

She closed her eyes and groaned. "I remember now."

Bash straightened hopefully. "You remember what you said?"

Syl nodded, her cheeks flushing with humiliation. "I can't believe I compared you to a stupid painting."

Bash's heart sunk all the way down to the ocean floor below his feet. "So...you didn't mean it?"

Syl bit her lip, thinking for a long moment before saying, "It doesn't matter. You deserve better, Sebastian; you're kind and loyal and good. Then you take me, a Russian painter who calls her emotions a nuisance, who was involved with the mob, who doesn't know how to have friends, and makes mistakes that hurt people instead of helping them. I can only imagine what you must think of me after I'm only able to tell you how I feel after I get drunk. The truth is that you'd be kind enough to fall for me on accident just to make me feel better because that's the kind of person you are. Besides, you don't even talk to other girls to know whether or not I'm right for you."

It was the way she said all of this so factually that bothered Bash. As if what she was saying was actually close to the truth.

"What are you talking about?"

"The moment you step onto that wharf, you're going to see how many other lovely girls are out there who would sell their left arms to be with someone like you. Then you'll realize you wasted your time with me because we've been cooped up together for all these years."

Bash searched for something, anything, to say because all this time he'd been thinking the same thing in reverse. How could she consider him?

He was just as broken as she was. All he had to offer was a guitar and a sinking boat while she was half the reason he even woke up in the morning.

All he could fathom was, "Why are you acting like we haven't known each other all this time?"

"What?"

Bash gestured to her. "I might not be a casanova roaming the streets to know every girl on Picadilly, but you're my best friend. I know you like milk in your tea, except at night when you take it black. I know your favorite record is Elmore James' 1951 Dust My Broom. I know you use the mug Kathy made for you every morning because it's special to you. I know you had nothing but good intentions when you went to Retorov and when you warned Kathy about Jim. I know your biggest fear is losing us. I know you hate it when people chew loudly and you like it when Kathy brushes your hair even though you say you don't. Because I might not know many other girls, Sylvette Krista, but I sure as hell know you."

Tears pricked in Syl's eyes and she was rendered speechless.

"And maybe I did fall for you on accident," he said, "but I'll love you on purpose."

Syl stared at him, frozen in place until she realized she was crying. She touched her fingertips to her cheeks as if her eyes had betrayed her.

Bash stepped toward her and brushed her tears away with his knuckle.

Then he hugged her, wrapping his arms all the way around her and holding her close. He rested his cheek against her hair and said, "I'm the last person you need to cry over. Don't forget you hate it when I leave the dirty dishes in the sink overnight. And when I forget to put the toothpaste cap on. And when I shout at the football players on TV."

"They can't even hear you," Syl agreed, her voice muffled against his chest.

"But it makes me feel like I'm helping."

She laughed and that was the very thing that sealed Bash's fate.

He knew, then, that he'd never get enough of that sound as long as he lived. No matter where she went or what she did, Bash would still do anything to hear Syl laugh one more time.

He held her at arms' length, looking her in the eye. "How about we finish this soundcheck so we can blow London out of the water on Saturday?"

"We would need at least two more amps for that."

Even though they had no reason to stay standing there, they did. If Kathy and Smiley could see the way they were looking at each other, they would have made fun of them until kingdom come.

"Bash?" Syl asked.

"Yes?"

"You can kiss me now."

So Bash did.

He took her face in his hands and did the very thing he never even allowed himself to think about.

Despite the possibility of losing the radio, this moment was more or less the culmination of all Bash's dreams. And, perhaps, Syl outshone every other dream he'd had before.

Eventually, Syl laughed against his lips and said, "I can't breathe."

"Sorry." Bash pressed a gentler kiss on her nose and took her hand. "Considering how we left the top deck, they probably think we've slit each other's throat's by now."

"We'd better go assure them that we remain alive and well."

They made their way up to the deck, where the sun had miraculously come out.

Bash and Syl wore matching smiles on their faces that would have clued in everyone on the ship that their argument was over.

That is, until they saw that they had a guest aboard the ship.

Their smiles quickly disappeared.

"Der'mo," Syl whispered.

Bash's tone was suddenly grave, sounding nothing like he had just a few moments ago. "What are you doing on my boat?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are Syl and Bash my favorite couple I've ever written? Maaaaaaybe <.<

~What'd you think of their argument/conversation?

~How about the ~kiss~ *heart eyes*

~Any guesses on their unexpected guest? 

Thank you so much for reading! Don't forget to comment, vote, and share!