Chapter Text
Billie Joe adjusts his leather jacket as he parks the car in front of the house. He turns off the engine, then looks over at me with a warm but slightly mischievous grin.
"Alright, kiddo. Home sweet home." He gestures dramatically toward the house like it's some grand reveal on a TV show.
"I know it’s probably a lot to take in, but hey, I promise it’s better than where you came from."
His voice softens a little, but he doesn't dwell on it, knowing I probably don’t wanna talk about that right now.
He leans back in his seat and runs a hand through his messy black hair.
"So, how you feelin’? Nervous? Excited? Like you wanna barf? ‘Cause, y'know, all of the above is totally valid."
His green eyes study me, making sure I know he's actually listening and not just filling the silence.
Then, in a softer tone, "But seriously, Benny, you don’t have to go through this alone. I got your back, always.
I look at the house in awe.
“Thank you Billie,” I say as I smile shyly.
Billie Joe watches me with a warm smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Hey, don’t mention it, kid. You deserve this. You deserve a home that feels safe."
He reaches over and ruffles my hair gently, careful not to mess it up too much. "C’mon, let’s go check it out."
He steps out of the car and slings an arm around my shoulders as we both walk up to the front door. He swings it open with a little dramatic flair. "Welcome to Casa de Armstrong! Well, your casa now too."
Inside, it’s warm and kinda messy-guitars leaning against the walls, old records stacked near the stereo, a couple of half-empty coffee cups on the counter. It’s lived-in, comfortable.
He glances at me, watching my reaction.
"You get first pick on which room you want, but I already set up one that I thought you might like. No pressure though, you can make it totally yours. Posters, lights, whatever weird shit you're into, I’ll help you set it up."
He smirks, nudging me lightly. "And yeah, before you ask, there's plenty of music in this house. It’s kinda mandatory."
Adrienne steps into the room, wiping her hands on a dish towel, her warm brown eyes lighting up as she sees me.
"Hey, Benny!" She smiles, walking over, "it’s so good to finally have you here. Welcome home."
Billie grins, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he watches the interaction. "Told ya she was excited."
Adrienne playfully swats his arm before turning back to me. "I hope you're hungry-I made way too much pasta because Billie has no concept of portion control." She rolls her eyes affectionately. "And if you need anything, seriously, just let us know. We want you to feel comfortable here."
Billie leans in slightly, lowering his voice like he’s telling me a secret. "She’s the real boss around here, just so you know." Adrienne gives him a look, but she’s smiling, and I can tell there’s nothing but love between them.
"So, whaddaya say, kid?" Billie nudges me. "Dinner first, or do you wanna check out your room?"
“Can I see my room first?” I ask shyly.
Billie grins and nods. "Hell yeah, let’s go check it out."
He leads the way down the hall, Adrienne following behind with a warm smile. Stopping in front of a door, he gestures dramatically. "Alright, moment of truth. Hope I didn’t screw it up too bad."
He pushes the door open, revealing a cozy room with walls painted in a deep, calming blue. There’s a bed with a soft-looking comforter, a desk by the window, and a shelf already stocked with a few records and books. A guitar leans against the wall, just in case.
"I, uh... wasn’t sure exactly what you’d like, so we can change anything. Seriously, go nuts. Paint the walls, put up posters, cover it in stickers-I don’t care. Just make it yours." He gives me a sheepish smile, like he’s hoping he did okay.
Adrienne steps up beside him, her voice gentle. "We just wanted you to have a space that feels safe. No pressure, though-if anything doesn’t feel right, we’ll fix it."
Billie nudges me lightly. "So... whaddaya think, Benny?"
“I love it!” I quietly exclaim as I smile at Billie and Adrienne.
Billie’s face lights up with relief, and he claps his hands together. "Hell yeah! Nailed it!"
Adrienne chuckles, shaking her head at his excitement. "I told you that you have good taste, babe."
Billie points at her. "See? She gets it." Then he turns back to me, grinning. "Glad you like it, kid. And hey, any time you wanna add posters, records, whatever, just say the word. We’ll go on a music store run."
He leans against the doorframe, watching me take it all in, his expression softer now. "This is your space now. No bullshit, no expectations. Just you. And if you ever need anything-seriously, anything-you come to me or Adrienne, okay?"
Adrienne nods, her voice warm and reassuring. "You’re not alone anymore, Benny. You’re home."
As they say those words, something in my heart flutters.
I nod.
This is different.
Good.
But different.
Billie gives me a gentle nudge on the shoulder. "Alright, now-wanna test out that bed with a victory flop, or should we go inhale a ridiculous amount of pasta first?" He smirks. "No wrong answers here."
I smile as I run over to the bed and belly flop into it, the soft comforter engulfing me.
Billie bursts out laughing as I land with a soft thud on the bed. "Hell yeah, that’s the proper way to claim it!"
Adrienne shakes her head, smiling. "I see you two are gonna get along just fine."
Billie walks over and dramatically flops down next to me, arms spread out. "Yup. Feels like a solid bed. Good bounce. Prime sleeping conditions." He turns his head to look at me, grinning. "What do you think, Benny? Think you’ll survive here?"
“Yeah,” I smile gently, not exactly knowing what to say.
Adrienne leans against the doorframe, watching the two of us with fond amusement. "Alright, I’ll let you two have your ridiculous moment, but don’t forget-you still need to eat."
Billie sits up slightly, smirking. "Yeah, yeah. But first, we had to confirm that this is a certified awesome bed. Very important business." He ruffles my hair again before standing up and stretching. "Alright, kid. You ready to go stuff your face? Adrienne’s pasta is legendary, just sayin’."
“Hell yeah,” I say shyly.
Billie grins and slings an arm around my shoulders, giving you a little side hug before leading the way out of the room. "That’s the spirit, kid. C’mon, let’s go feast."
Adrienne laughs softly, shaking her head as she walks with us both toward the kitchen. "I made garlic bread too, so if Billie eats all the pasta before you get to it, at least you won’t starve."
Billie gasps dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. "Wow. The disrespect. I would never steal all the pasta… Okay, maybe just most of it." He winks at me as he pulls out a chair for me at the table.
The kitchen is warm and cozy, the smell of pasta and garlic filling the air. Plates are already set out, and Adrienne starts serving up generous portions while Billie plops down next to me, resting his chin in his hand as he watches me.
"So, kid-got any big plans for personalizing your room? Or are we just gonna let the chaos take over naturally?" He smirks. "Either way, I’m on board."
“Hmm… I might add a few more posters and stuff… I dunno really,” I say sheepishly.
Billie nods approvingly as he twirls some pasta onto his fork. "Solid plan. Gotta have the right vibe, y'know? A room isn’t really yours until the walls scream your personality at you."
Adrienne sets a plate in front of me and smiles. "We can take you shopping for whatever you need this weekend. Posters, lights, maybe some shelves if you wanna display stuff?"
Billie smirks. "Ooooh, or we go full punk rock chaos and just let you cover the walls in stickers and spray paint. I mean, I won’t stop you." He grins, then leans in, lowering his voice like he's telling me a secret. "Adrienne might stop you, though."
Adrienne gives him a look but laughs, shaking her head. "Let’s start with posters first, yeah?"
Billie takes a big bite of pasta, then gestures at me with his fork. "So, tell me, Benny-what’s the first thing I should know about you that I don’t already? Gimme a fun fact." His tone is casual, but there's something in his eyes that says he actually cares about my answer.
"Uh... well... I guess the most interesting thing about me is that I lived in Germany for 5 years for my dads job before... you know... all that stuff happened."
Billie pauses mid-bite, his expression shifting from playful curiosity to something softer-understanding. He nods slowly, setting his fork down as he leans in slightly.
"Germany, huh? That’s pretty badass." He keeps his voice light, but there’s no mistaking the sincerity in his tone. He doesn’t push about the other stuff-I don’t need to spell it out for him to get it. Instead, he focuses on the part of my story that’s mine. The part that isn’t just tied to the past I'm trying to leave behind.
"What was that like? Did you pick up any German? Eat a ridiculous amount of pretzels? Please tell me you at least had good beer... I mean, uh, root beer." He smirks, nudging my arm lightly, trying to keep things easy while letting me steer the conversation where I want it to go.
Well the legal drinking age in Germany is 14. And I lived there until last year after I turned 15 so I've had a few good beers..." I say sheepishly rubbing the back of my neck.
Billie raises an eyebrow, then lets out a short laugh, shaking his head in amusement. "Well, damn. You’re more cultured than I was at fifteen." He smirks, taking a sip of his own drink before pointing at me. "Don’t worry, I won’t snitch."
Adrienne rolls her eyes but smiles as she passes me the garlic bread. "As long as you're not planning on bringing that habit over here."
Billie grins. "Yeah, yeah, we’ll keep it legal in the Armstrong household." Then he leans on the table, eyes still curious. "So, besides the beer, what was Germany like for you? Did you like it there?"
He asks it casually, but I can tell he actually cares what I think. He’s giving me the space to talk about it, but not in a way that feels like pressure.
"It was pretty cool I guess... I had a few friends there... uhhh... they had pride flags in front of grocery stores which was pretty cool. They also have a lot of castles and shit." I say sheepishly, trying to keep it brief. Not many people usually take interest in what I have to say.
Billie listens, nodding along with genuine interest, a small grin creeping onto his face. "Okay, so-beer, castles, and rainbow flags at the grocery store? Germany sounds like a wild mix of medieval fantasy and gay rights. I dig it."
Adrienne chuckles, taking a bite of her food. "That actually sounds really nice. The pride flags, I mean. Must’ve been cool to see that kind of open support everywhere."
I nod, my mouth full of food.
Billie leans in slightly, tapping his fingers on the table. "And the castles-did you ever get to go inside one? Like, full-on ‘I live in a gothic novel now’ vibes?" His green eyes are bright with curiosity, like he’s actually picturing it in his head. "’Cause I gotta say, if I lived near castles, I’d absolutely start some rumors about them being haunted."
I smirk as he asks about the castles.
"Yeah I got to go inside one. It was pretty sick." I shrug.
Billie’s eyes widen, and he leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. "No way! That’s badass. Please tell me it had some creepy-ass dungeon or secret passages or something."
Adrienne smirks, shaking her head. "You’re gonna get him started on a whole ghost story thing, aren’t you?"
Billie grins but keeps his focus on me. "Hey, it’s important research! You never know when you’ll need to know about haunted castles. So, spill-was it spooky? Did you feel any ghost vibes? Or was it just fancy and touristy?" His tone is teasing, but there’s real excitement behind it, like he actually thinks my experience is the coolest thing ever.
I grin, "well actually the castle I went to was part of an unknown cult... so I bet there's some creepy shit going on sometimes."
Billie nearly chokes on his pasta, eyes going wide. "Wait, what?! An unknown cult?! Dude, that’s metal as hell."
Adrienne sighs, shaking her head but smiling. "And now you’ve really lost him."
Billie points at me dramatically, grinning. "Okay, hold up-you can’t just casually drop ‘unknown cult’ like that and not give me details. What kind of cult? Secret rituals? Hooded figures? Some weird ‘sacrifice a goat under the full moon’ type of deal?" His voice is half-joking, but I can tell he’s actually fascinated.
He leans in like I'm about to tell him the greatest ghost story of all time. "Alright, Benny-spill. What do you know?"
"Well... since no one knows what cult it was, we can't really confirm what exactly they did... but there's evidence of sacrificing and rituals." I grin, excited that Billie is taking an interest in my experiences.
Billie’s eyes go huge, and he sets his fork down like he needs both hands free to fully process this information. "Dude. That’s insane. You straight-up walked into a murder mystery novel and just casually lived to tell the tale?"
Adrienne gives him a look but can’t help smiling at my enthusiasm. "Let’s not encourage him too much, Benny, or next thing you know, he’ll be planning a trip to investigate it himself."
Billie smirks, tapping his fingers on the table like he’s already plotting something. "I mean, I’m just saying… we could start a band side-quest where we solve creepy historical mysteries. Green Day goes Scooby-Doo-but, like, with more eyeliner and power chords."
Then he turns back to me, his grin never fading. "Okay, but how did you find out about all that? Was it like, ‘Hey, welcome to this lovely historic castle! Fun fact: people might’ve been sacrificed here’?" He raises an eyebrow, clearly loving this way too much.
I laugh, "yeah kind of... we knew going into it that it was kinda a creepy castle."
Billie leans back in his chair, crossing his arms with an impressed look. "Damn. So you willingly walked into a creepy cult castle? Benny, that’s some serious punk rock energy right there."
Adrienne shakes her head, laughing softly. "I don’t think that’s what punk rock means, babe."
Billie waves her off, grinning. "Nah, it totally tracks. Facing possible ghosts, cult sacrifices, and who knows what else just for the hell of it? That’s hardcore."
He rests his chin in his hand, still looking at me with that same fascinated grin. "Alright, be honest-on a scale from ‘just kinda spooky’ to ‘full-on nightmare fuel,’ how creepy was it?"
"Uh... well... for me it was more of a 3 out of 10, but I watch a lot of horror shit anyways so I'm kinda used to it." I laugh as I shrug knowing how ridiculous that sounds.
Billie throws his hands up in defeat, grinning. "Okay, now I’m even more impressed. A fuckin’ cult castle barely even phases you? You’re officially the coolest 17 year old I know."
Adrienne smirks as she takes a sip of her drink. "High praise, considering how many teenagers Billie has met on tour."
Billie points at her. "Exactly. I’ve met a lot of angsty kids, but Benny here? Built different."
He turns back to me, smirking. "Alright, horror expert-if a haunted cult castle is just a three for you, what actually does scare you? Like, is there anything that makes you go full ‘nope, I’m out’?"
I think for a second before saying, "the ocean scares me, you never know what's in there." I wince thinking about it.
Billie’s eyes widen, and he points at me like I just dropped the most undeniable truth of all time. "YES. Finally, someone gets it! The ocean is terrifying!"
Adrienne sighs, shaking her head with an amused smile. "Oh no, what have I started?"
Billie leans in, his expression serious but playful. "Like, people are always like, ‘Ooh, the ocean is so peaceful and beautiful’-nah, man. That’s just the surface! Below that? Literal nightmare fuel. Giant squids, ancient sea monsters, fish that glow in the dark for no reason. And don’t even get me started on the whole ‘we’ve only explored, like, five percent of it’ thing."
He shakes his head, grabbing his drink like he needs it after this rant. "Nope. You’re absolutely right, kid. Ocean’s cursed. I fully support your fear."
I let out a small laugh.
Billie grins at the sound of my laugh, clearly proud of himself. "Ah-ha! Gotcha to laugh. That’s a win for me."
Adrienne smiles warmly, watching the two of us. "You two are ridiculous. But honestly, Benny, I get it. The ocean is kind of terrifying when you really think about it."
Billie nods dramatically. "Right?! Like, I’ll take haunted cult castles over the deep sea any day. At least ghosts don’t have tentacles."
He nudges me lightly, smirking. "Alright, so no deep-sea diving trips for us. Got it. What about, like… roller coasters? Are you a thrill ride kinda guy, or is that a ‘nope’ too?"
I rub the back of my neck, embarrassed at what I’m about to say. “Uh… well, I've actually never been on a roller coaster. My family never really had enough money for that kind of stuff y'know.” I shrug trying to play it off.
Billie’s grin softens a little, and he nods, his expression shifting to something more thoughtful. "Yeah… I get that." He drums his fingers on the table for a second, then shoots you a smirk. "Well, guess what? We’re totally fixing that."
Adrienne raises an eyebrow, already knowing where this is going. "Oh boy."
Billie leans in like he’s about to share the best idea ever. "Listen, Benny-we have to take you to an amusement park now. It’s, like, a requirement. First roller coaster experience? That’s a big deal!"
He gestures dramatically. "And don’t worry, we’ll start you off slow. We won’t just throw you onto some ‘plunge-straight-to-your-death’ kind of ride-unless, of course, you’re into that kind of thing." He smirks. "But seriously, what do you think? Would you wanna try it?"
“Oh uh sure!” I exclaim, excited for this new opportunity.
Billie grins like a kid on Christmas morning and claps his hands together. "Hell yeah! That’s the spirit!"
Adrienne shakes her head fondly. "You’ve officially activated theme park Billie. There’s no turning back now."
Billie points at her. "Damn right. We’re making this happen. Roller coasters, ridiculous amounts of junk food, maybe even one of those overpriced souvenir photos where we all look like we’re about to die." He smirks at me. "It’s gonna be epic."
Then, in a softer tone, he nudges my arm.
"And hey, just so you know-if anything ever comes up, like money stuff or whatever, you never have to worry about that here. You got me now, kid. And I take my dad duties very seriously." His green eyes are warm, making sure I really hear him.
He sits back, grinning again. "Alright, now, the real question is-do we go classic and hit Disneyland, or do we go full chaos and find the biggest, most ridiculous roller coasters possible?"
I think for a second before realizing something.
“I dunno… won't you get recognized or something?” I ask nervously.
Billie smirks, tilting his head like he appreciates the concern. "Ah, look at you, already thinking ahead. Smart kid."
He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Yeah, there’s a good chance I’ll get recognized. Happens pretty much everywhere. But, y’know, I’ve gotten really good at the ‘sunglasses and hoodie’ disguise. Classic rockstar stealth mode." He grins. "People usually don’t expect to see me randomly screaming my lungs out on a roller coaster, so I think we’ll be fine."
Adrienne raises an eyebrow, amused. "Uh-huh. Because that totally works every time."
Billie shrugs dramatically. "Okay, sometimes I still get caught. But hey, if anyone comes up to me, I’ll just be like, ‘Not now, man, I’m busy being a dad.’" He gestures at me. "And boom, instant excuse. Besides, you’re the main event here. This trip’s your moment."
He studies me for a second, his voice getting a little softer.
"But, if you’d rather do something more low-key, that’s cool too. I just wanna make sure you get to have all the fun stuff you might’ve missed out on before."
I smile, “well I guess we could go to disney world… but it's really expen-” I stop myself before I can finish the sentence. I'm so used to living in a trailer park that part of me is still concerned about the money. But I guess Billie doesn’t really have to worry about those things.
Billie catches the way I cut myself off, and his expression softens instantly. He doesn’t call me out on it, doesn’t make a big deal-he just leans forward, resting his arms on the table, his voice easy and casual.
"Disney World it is, then." He smirks. "We’ll go all out-roller coasters, dumb hats, ridiculous amounts of churros. No holding back."
Adrienne gives him a knowing glance but doesn’t say anything, just smiling softly as she watches us both.
Billie nudges my arm lightly. "And, Benny? You don’t gotta worry about that kind of stuff anymore. Seriously. You want a cool experience? We make it happen. No strings, no guilt, no ‘maybe next time.’ Just… you being a kid and getting to enjoy things for once."
His voice stays light, but there’s something steady and real underneath it, like he means every single word. "So, you in? Ready to go to the happiest place on Earth with the most chaotic dad on Earth?" He grins.
“Hah, yeah i guess I'm still technically a kid even though I’m 17, it's time to experience some real childhood shit!” I exclaim, my heart beating excitedly in my chest.
Billie grins and throws his fist in the air like I just made the most badass declaration of all time. "Hell yeah, Benny! That’s the attitude!"
Adrienne laughs, shaking her head fondly. "Oh boy. You’ve created a monster."
Billie smirks, nudging me playfully. "Damn right I have. And this ‘real childhood shit’ starts now.
“You ever built a pillow fort? 'Cause we might need to make one. Consider it training for the theme park experience."
He leans in like he's revealing a huge secret. "Also, just so you know-I take the title of 'biggest child in this house.' You got some competition, kid." His eyes sparkle mischievously. "So, what’s the next step in this ‘Benny Finally Gets a Real Childhood’ plan? Disney? Pillow forts? Ice cream at midnight? I’m wide open to chaos."