Title: Somewhere Across The Border
Fandom: Hard Core Logo
Rating: G
Length: 300 words
Content notes: Joe Dick/Billy Tallent. Warning for: major spoilers for Hard Core Logo, major character death
Author notes: Also fills the prompts "stage" and "There's nobody else here, so please stand up" at dsc6dsnippets. The title is from the Bruce Springsteen song, "Across the Border".
Summary: Billy finds himself with a chance.


“For someone who never thought he’d see forty-five, you done good, Billiam.”

Billy turns his head, though he doesn’t have to. He’d know Joe’s voice anywhere.

He’s sitting in the middle of a stage. Sound system and instruments all there, just the band is missing.

And there’s a guitar he last saw ten years ago.

Huh.

“For someone who’s been clean for years, this is a fucking great hallucination.”

“It’s not.” Joe’s sitting right across from him now. Billy never even heard him move.

“So what is it?”

Joe frowns and bites his lip. “A chance, is what it is. I know you're not staying long.”

“Right.”

Ten years ago, he wanted to punch Joe for being so stupid, for just going like that. He punched Bruce instead, after seeing the film. There’s just one thing he never got to do.

“I’m sorry,” he says.

Joe nods. “Wasn’t your fault.”

“I loved you too, you idiot.”

“Oh, I know. Now I know,” Joe says and leans forward.

Billy does the same, eyes closed, and their lips meet for the briefest of moments. He reaches out with his hand to cup the back of Joe’s neck, but all he touches is air and then his own mouth.

He opens his eyes.

“I said you weren't staying,” Joe says. He gets up and holds a hand out to Billy. A smile plays across his face when he sees Billy’s expression. “There’s nobody else here, so please stand up.”

Billy stumbles to his feet and Joe walks him to the edge of the stage. “We’ll play the great gig in the sky someday.”

Billy smiles. “Yeah.”

He turns on the first step to touch his fingers to Joe’s in their version of a pinky promise, then spins on his heel and walks down the steps.