The stage was dimly lit by a few fill spotlights and only revealed a set of drumkits without the drummer. Brian looked around. The gang’s all here, except for Arin. Where the fuck is that kid?
The crowds were increasing with each show they are throwing. He’s always been proud of his half sister, ever since she first started performing back in the garage of their home, which only 3 people attended. His dad, his step mom and himself.

“Sorry I’m late, what did I miss?”

Brian looked to his left. His younger brother, Brent just arrived with his hand clasped tight on a blonde girl. He didn’t know that girl but he assumed that was Bridget, Brent’s fiancée. Strangely Bridget gave Brian a satisfy grin, curved up crookedly with her eyes flaming with things he didn’t want to know.

“Nothing. Haven’t started yet.”

Brent nodded and let go of Bridget’s hand to greet the others. Brian watched as his brother joked and laughed with his band mates as they were quite familiar with each other. He didn’t realize that Bridget was getting closer to him until she purposely let the tip of her breast brushed on his bare arm.

He flinched and turned around. Those busty breasts were the ones that he saw first before he darted up his eyes to her. Bridget smiled seductively and bit her lip.

Holy shit. He thought. My sister-in-law-to-be is hitting on me?

Brian looked around for Brent and saw his brother was laughing along at Johnny’s joke and they clinked a bottle of beer together. He turned to Bridget back.

“Hey sexy.” She said with a raspy voice. Brian felt disgusted at once. Usually he would go for just about any girl, but this is his brother’s fiancée for God’s sake!

“Heyy..Bridget.”

“Oh you know my name.”

“Course I do. You’re gonna be my sister in law soon.”

Bridget’s face turned red and sour when at last she looked down to the floor and mumbled something he can’t even hear. Brent came up to them and wrapped his arm around her waist without suspecting anything.

They were watching from the side stage exclusively as the crowd started to smear through the indoor room and the light from the ceiling blazed down upon the stage. McKenna went out and they applauded heavily, yelling and screaming their hearts out.

“Thank you guys, for coming. We’re The Skull Arise and we appreciate your support. Tonight we have a guest drummer who will be playing for us. Let’s all give it up for Arin Ilejay from Avenged Sevenfold!”

The crowds of Chain Reaction, Anaheim, screamed in crazy as Arin stood up and raised his drumsticks to the air.

“Oh so that’s where that fucker is! Sneaking out behind us already? Tsk tsk tsk.”

Brian heard Matt spoke and he immediately turned his head towards him. His eyes accidentally locked with Michelle who was there too, together with her other half, Valary. Michelle smiled, he tried to smile back, but instead he gave her a cocky smirk.

He didn’t know why, but his mind quickly thought of Addie. He wished Addie was there, wrapped in his arms so he could smell the shampoo on her hair and taste the strawberry on her lips while watching the whole show together.

Shit. What is happening to me?

---

“He strikes again?”

“Well, he didn’t actually ‘strike’. He just walked around his house. I don’t think he wants to kill Brian. Maybe he’s there to warn him about something.”

“But you said he was carrying a blade.”

“I know. But just think about it. Why would he want to kill anyone especially in broad daylight? Hurt him maybe, but not kill.”

Andy rested his arms across his chest and looked at me intently. We stood at the back of the crowd again, but still had a clear view of Brian and the whole Avenged guys and hey, what do you know? Arin was on the stage!

“He wanted the throne right?”

I looked up to Andy. Gosh why did he have to look so hot right now – usually my brain would react that way but now…nothing. Hmm.

“I dunno, Andy. He looked pretty scared with Brian. Like he intimidated him or something.”

“I have to check back with chief, and maybe some updates about the king’s men. How’s the talk with Brian Sr?”

I chuckled remembering Brian Sr. “That old guy. Watched too much Bond movies, that one. He thinks we’re like that.”

“Uh, but we are.”

“We are?”

“Yeah, on some cases. Oh shit, this is your first time. Sorry you’ve been locked up in that lab forever.”

I slapped his shoulder, hard. “I was doing the world some good you brat!”

“Oww! Why do you slap like a bitch?!”

My hand stopped moving. I suddenly recalled a memory of me and Brian – a pretty much similar remark came from him and led to a scene where my heart would bang on my chest the whole time.

I looked up to his way. He wasn’t there anymore.

“Shit. We lost the subject, Andy!”

Andy turned his head towards the incomplete Avenged guys.

“I’ll search here, you search outside. Guns at the ready.” He sprung ahead, looking through the crowd. Though the crowd wasn’t as many but looking for him here was like looking for a needle in haystack. Almost everyone here either had sleeve tattoos or wore band tshirts like him.

I spread to the outdoor ground of the concert venue, panicking like hell. I can’t lose Brian. Not now. He’s too important. I dunno why I felt that way but I just do. He wasn’t anywhere to be found out here. So I went back inside, showing my ticket to the guard at the front door when suddenly a hand grabbed my arm from behind.

I reflexed, well, to be honest, my karate instinct reflexed. I grabbed the hand and twisted it until I heard a voice yelling in pain.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!! Addie, stop!!”

Holy shit. I immediately let his arm go. “Brian?!”

“Yeah, me! Why did you do that?”

“Shit, Brian I didn’t know it was you!”

“It fucking hurtsss!”

“I’m sorry! Just don’t do that ever again!”

“I’m fucking down with that. Damn, Addie!”

Unknowingly, I touched his arm and rubbed it for a bit. Like rubbing a wound on a child’s knee, telling him that it’s gonna be okay. His arm tensed at my touch but nevertheless I continued to rub and traced my fingers along his tattoo until I realized that he was watching me the whole time. I moved my hands away from his arm and stepped back.

“Uh, sorry again.”

He raised his arm, trying to touch me but suddenly Andy came running to us.

“Addie! I didn’t…” his voice trailed off when he saw Brian was standing beside me, shooting a questioning look at him. They both stare at each other for a while. I saw Brian clenched the muscle in his jaw and Andy was steering his gaze towards me and Brian, back and forth.

“Andy, this is Brian. He plays guitar in Avenged Sevenfold and I work for him. And Brian, this is Andy. My– boyfriend.”

Andy shot a quizzical glare at me, I just bit my lip and prayed that he would go along with this. Brian went forward and offered an arm to him. He took it and I saw Brian gripped tight on it.

“Finally, I get to meet this mysterious boyfriend she was talking about.”

“Hey man. I’m a fan of your work. Really love those solos on Bat Country.”

Woah, Andy listened to them? Brian however, didn’t look as surprise as I am. He probably had received that kind of compliments too often.

“Thanks. Can I ask how do you know about this concert? Both of you?”

I exchanged glances with Andy. Both trying to think of a cover up story.

“Um, I read it on McKenna’s Facebook. I was near so I thought I could stop by.”

“So you’re a fan of my sister too?”

“Not until recently. Though she mostly covers songs but her voice is amazing.”

Wow, Andy was quite smooth. Brian nodded and the tension in his jaw gone. He looked at me, his eyes blank and weary but his smile grew wide as he kissed my cheek.

“Well, see you later.” He turned to Andy and they shook hands again. “Nice to meet you man. I’m throwing a party tomorrow night. You can come too if you want.”

Andy looked baffled again but as he usually did, he replied smoothly. “Sure, why not.”

With that, Brian went into the venue again and I’m kind of screwed with Andy. He turned slowly towards me, and glared with his eyes wide.

“What in the name was that, Addie?”

“I can explain, Andy. Just don’t be mad at me?”

He sighed heavily and leaned back. “Fine. Explain.”

“Well, I kind of said to him that you’re my boyfriend because he wanted to – umm – be close to me.”

“What?”

I pursed my lips. “Yeah.”

“He wanted to be close to you, as in – he wanted you to become his girlfriend?”

“No, no. Nothing like that. It’s just…he seemed…attracted to me.”

Andy let out a loud laugh. Shit, why can’t he believe that there are people who wanted me too? Fuck you, Andy.

“He’s attracted to you? My ‘guy’ friend? Who karate-chops people, spends her days in her lab, playing shooting games and never wore a dress her whole life?”

“Hey! I wore a dress once.”

“Yeah, at funeral.”

I pursed my lips again and my argument stopped there. Yeah, how did Brian see me actually? What did he see in me? I never wear high heels or thick makeup on my face nor done my hair or nails even. I’m not like most girls. Hell, I don’t even act girly.

“I dunno why he’s attracted to me. But Chief warned me first and foremost to not be too close to him. I can’t lose my job, Andy. Please co-operate with me?”

“Addie, Addie. How can you be so innocent and blindly took Chief’s advice? I’ve been in a relationship with my subjects so many times.”

“What? You have?”

“Yeah. But as long as you don’t get caught. Or get too caught up in it. That’s the most important thing. Your own feelings.”
“So are you saying that I should just go along with him?”

Being his fuck buddy? No, I don’t want to! I wanted to be his! Okay now I’ve said it! I don’t even know if he only wanted me for my body or he wanted something else. Shit, now I’ve gone too deep.

“No. I don’t.”

I looked up to Andy quickly when I heard his answer. “You don’t?”

“I don’t want you to go along with him. I’ll be your fucking boyfriend.”

I can’t suppress my smile as we wandered back into the venue and watched the whole concert which went smoothly without any attack. Thank God.

Notes

A/N: pretty short..kind of a filler XD