I am a huge Bob Dylan fan and so is McVries, apparently. Hope everybody enjoys reading this, all comments are welcome!

Mr. Tambourine Man

Though I know that evening's empire has returned into sand

Vanished from my hand

Left me blindly here to stand, but still not sleeping

My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet

I have no one to meet

And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming

Garraty was surprised not only to hear McVries sing, but sing pretty well. His voice was deep but not too deep, masculine and gentle at the same time.

Yes, he could definitely carry a tune. Too bad the lyrics he was singing weren't more uplifting.

And take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind

Down the foggy ruins of time

Far past the frozen leaves

The haunted frightened trees

Out to the windy beach

Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow

"Pete?"

McVries stopped singing and Garraty immediately regretted walking up to him. He felt as if something had just vanished from the world. Something beautiful and pure. And McVries was staring at him as if he'd never seen him before, but that only lasted a second and then he smiled, his eyes smiled too, and Garraty instantly felt much better.

"Is that song famous? I feel like I've heard it before."

McVries blinked and the smile left his face. "I… am pretty sure you have, yes. It's incredibly famous." He was studying Garraty's face as if he wasn't sure if he was being mocked. "Mr. Tambourine Man."

Garraty kept staring blankly as if his friend had just started speaking to him in a foreign, unknown language.

"Are you serious? Come on, there's no way you are serious!" McVries let out a small chuckle, not because he was amused - he was incredulous. "It's Bob Dylan!"

"Oh." Garraty made a face. "Well, I have never really listened to his stuff. I don't like his voice…"

McVries suddenly looked as if he'd been punched in the gut. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Ray. Never insult Dylan in front of me."

"Or else?" McVries had gone all serious and he even looked a little outraged, and it was actually kind of fun seeing him that way. Garraty wanted to push him a little.

"Let's just say I know of ways to make you pay, but if I uttered them out loud I'd make you blush."

Garraty stopped for a second and frowned. It was only when McVries burst into laughter that he felt relieved. "You should've seen your face!"

"Oh, stop it. Not everybody loves Bob Dylan, y'know."

"Yeah, not everybody is as evolved." McVries teased him, walking closer to him and gently wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "So why did you interrupt my great singing?"

"Who says it's great?"

"I saw you stare."

Garraty tried really hard not to blush, so obviously his face went beet red. "I… I wasn't-"

"It's ok, I'm just teasing you." The smile on his friend's face disappeared and his arm left Garraty's shoulders. He regretted that. It was nice, for lack of a better word. He felt strange, agitated. "I just… I meant to say that you… have a nice voice." He now could feel his face burning and wished the ground would open and swallow him whole. Now McVries would start making fun of him relentlessly, no doubt.

Except he didn't. He turned to look at Garraty, the ghost of a faint smile on his lips. "Really?"

Garraty nodded, but kept staring at his feet, finding them so very interesting all of a sudden.

"Thank you, Ray."

McVries put his hand on Garraty's shoulder again and squeezed it gently, before letting go. Garraty finally looked up at him and what he saw in McVries' eyes made him feel a lot better. He didn't seem to want to tease him, not at all. He was staring at him almost reverently. "Mind if I sing some more?"

"Go ahead. You sound better than Dylan, anyways."

McVries laughed and shook his head. Garraty was odd, but he liked him. A lot. And he would keep on singing for him.

Let me forget about today until tomorrow

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me

I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to...