Secured Sevenfold

Joe’s POV
Matt and I sat outside, cups of coffee in hand, his arm was around me and once in a while he kissed the top of my head. We were sitting here in comfortable silence, waiting for the others to come out. Matt and I had cooked dinner, so the others had to do the cleaning up and washing the dishes. We were off duty for those chores. Matt seemed to be lost in thought, when he suddenly looked at me with discomfort in his eyes “Did I hurt you this afternoon?”
I turned to him surprised “What makes you think that?!”
“Well, I wasn’t exactly gentle”
I put my free hand on his face and stared into his eyes “You were perfect, you can get jealous every time if this is the result. It was amazing. Now stop worrying, I rather see you smiling” I kissed him softly and it only took him seconds to deepen the kiss.

“Stop that! No sex!” Johnny complained as he came out on the terrace.
“If you think this is sex, it’s no surprise you can’t keep a girl, short shit!” Matt chuckled, pulling me to his side again. All the others came out too, plopping down in the chairs. Zack sat down next to me and Matt shot him an angry glare.
“Sit somewhere else Vengeance!” he growled.
Zack looked at him annoyed “What the hell is wrong with you?! I always sit here. Don’t be stupid.”
I padded Zack’s arm “Stay… Matt needs to save his strengths for tonight”

Everyone had found a place and we were drinking coffee, laughing at all the stories that were told and somehow Arin ended up in being the center of attention the whole time. I smiled. It was nice to see that this group of friends knew exactly what was important and when. And right now it was Arin.
“Do you remember when Arin came here for his first interview?” Brian laughed, his fingers absently playing with a strand of Jacky’s hair.
“Oh yes, I remember him falling into this company right that first moment” Zack added
“Literally falling!” Johnny roared in laughter.
“Shut up!” Arin’s voice sounded annoyed, and experienced… this was probably a story he heard so many times before, and he also knew it wouldn’t be stopped.
Matt smiled and started telling about how Arin had tripped and just fell right into the house when the door opened. “He was nervous as hell and scared like a little baby bird. He knew he was right for the job, but he also knew it would be far more important how he would fit into the group. By falling into our house, he practically fell into our lives and without knowing he had secured his place when those three dipshits were standing over him laughing” I saw Matt give a look at Arin, who just nodded in acknowledgement.
“Yeah… You guys never made me feel like the new guy, except for all the fucking jokes Christ pulled on me” Arin shot Johnny an angry glare, but Johnny could only laugh.

“Gates, better get some more beer, before Johnny gets a dry throat” Brian got up to get more drinks and after he got back and handed everyone a refill, Jacky looked around and asked “How did you all get your nicknames? I mean, I heard you call each other insulting names, but you all seemed to stick to a few” She looked around “Gates, Christ, Vengeance, do you have one, Matt?”
That was actually a good question, my sister was right, they all had their nicknames, but I never heard Matt’s.
“Let’s wait with mine, okay? Let’s start with the others” Matt chuckled and looked at Brian who immediately started talking.
“Jimmy and I were drunk one night… highschool I think… and Jimmy had made up a nickname. It was pretty long, but he stuck with The Rev. He thought it was necessary to give me one too” Brian smiled and seemed to think about his friend for a bit. Matt had told me about Jimmy and it was a sad story, I felt for Brian, but he seemed happy now.
“Well… At one point, Jimmy said I looked kinda Synyster and we just thought Synyster Gates would sound cool, so we ended up going around the park, screaming that name, the whole damn night, until some park ranger came and set us out” he grinned “that was the night Synyster Gates was born”

“Mine actually had to do with my bullies at school, everyone who ever told me I couldn’t do anything. Anyone who ever said I couldn’t be what I wanted, I would never be successful, I just want to say… Suck it all and thank you for giving me reason to fight extra hard” Zack announced proudly and I admired him for being such a persistent guy. It took guts to be like that. Brian noticed the mood could need some lightening up and mocked
“Yada, Yada, Yada, you are just the worst with pranks and games, you always come for vengeance” he stuck out his tongue to his best friend, making Zacky smile widely.
Johnny wanted to open his mouth, but Zack cut him off
“Everything he will say will be a lie. I made up his name, I thought it suited him and I don’t think many people know that the savior wasn’t the long bearded man everyone thinks of when they say ‘Jesus’, but it was a foul mouthed gnome like our own Johnny here”
Zack pulled Johnny in a headlock, letting his knuckles go over his head. Everyone was laughing loudly and I looked over at Matt, who slightly shook his head.
That’s why I looked at the youngest of them all “Arin?”
“I don’t really have a nickname, all the guys call me the Kid. So I guess I’m that… and that’s just because I’m the youngest”
“Not completely true, kid” Mat spoke with his low voice, full of authority “You are our whizkid. You know everything and you are much smarter than all of us together. “The Kid” stands for everything that we never could be”

Arin’s cheeks turned a bright pink, even through his tanned skin. I turned to Matt again.
“Now you tell, you can’t sneak your way out of it now”
“Well, once I was called Shadows. I never liked Matthew and that is why I shortened it to just M. Jimmy said he could never read me like he could with the others, that I was some dark personality of who he never knew which way I was gonna go” he looked at me and whispered “I guess I never really knew myself either” Then he looked up and around again and finished his story “But now I’m the boss and I only take decisions good for all of us, so not so dark anymore, not me in the Shadows any longer”

We all sat back, relaxed, enjoying the company and the stories, until we heard the clock in the house starting to beat the twelve strikes of midnight. We all counted down as Jacky and I took place next to Arin to be the first to kiss him after his birthday arrived.

“Happy birthday, Arin!!!!”

Arin’s POV
I yawned and kept my eyes closes, turning to my back. I didn’t really sleep much the last night, but I had to admit, that I couldn’t wait to get up again…
This really had been my best birthday so far… and it hadn’t even been my official birthday yet.
It had been amazing just to sit around with our group of friends and normally I wasn’t the one who got all the attention, or even wanted all the attention… but yesterday it had been different.
We all shared stories and I was mostly part of it, or I was center of all the attention and if I had to admit it, I really liked that.

“Happy Birthday to you… Happy birthday to you… Happy Birthday dear Arin! Happy Birthday to youuuu!”

I heard the female voices singing softly, the door opened and I couldn’t be any happier to have found these girls in my life… well our life… well more Brian’s and Matt’s but my connection to them seemed still even deeper.
Jacky and Joe walked into my room, big smiles on their faces, still wearing their sleeping outfits, both with tray’s in their hands with foods and drinks for breakfast.
Jacky set the tray aside and jumped into my bed, she hugged and kissed my cheek enthusiastically and I chuckled.
“Jacky, let him wake up before you hug him to death, poor kid.” Joe chided her and Jack waved her off.
“I’m awake, it’s okay.” I grinned and Joe nodded “Alright then…” She took her tray towards the nightstand set it down and jumped to the other side of my bed, doing the same her sister does, with a little more care.

“Happy Birthday, Arin!” Joe smiled and Jacky placed another kiss on my cheek “May all your dreams and wishes come true.”She said softly and I smiled.
“Wow, what a nice surprise… How can this day get any better? I mean, breakfast in bed with the two hottest girls I have seen… Maybe we should stay here all day.” I grinned and Joe and Jacky chuckled.
“Or are the others coming in now as well?” I looked at the door waiting for Matt and Brian to show up at least, but nothing… only silence greeted me.
“No, it’s just us three having a nice breakfast in bed.” Jacky confirmed and I leaned back against my pillow, lifting my blanket on both sides, to let the girls slip under the cover with me.
Both girl lifted their trays and set them on the bed “So birthday boy, what should it be for you?” Jacky asked me, motioning to her drinks.
“I’ll take an orange juice and a croissant.” I moved to Joe’s tray grabbing a plate and the croissant with a smile.
This day really started amazing, couldn’t get any better…

We were nearly done eating, laughing at some story Jacky told about me walking in on her and Brian when the door suddenly burst open and Matt, Brian, followed by Johnny and Zack stood in the door.
“WHAT the hell? Arin? You are lucky it’s your birthday, kiddo… Seeing both girls in bed with you, when they fled from ours... Normally you would get into big trouble.” Brian announced with a fake pout face.
I laid my arms across both girls shoulders with a satisfied smile, seeing Brian and Matt’s face not so relaxed anymore.
“These girls slipped under my cover and brought breakfast to my bed, come on… would any of you, kick them out?” I asked grinning, getting narrowed eyes from Matt and two shaking heads from Johnny and Zacky.
“Just a small question, is everyone treated this way on his birthday?” Zack asked and before any of the girls could reply Matt shot him an angry glare. “You better keep that mouth shut, Vengeance.”
“What’s wrong with you the past days, someone not getting any fun at nights or what?” Zack replied with narrowed eyes.
“How about, we will make this already perfectly started day for Arin even better with another surprise?” Johnny announced, trying to get the tension out of the situation, and something was going on here… but what?!

So the guys gave me, Jacky and Joe half an hour to get dressed and then meet us back downstairs.
I was excited, another surprise and I knew it must be something good, because Joe and Jacky had their hands in on this…
I don’t know why but, they seemed to know me better or pay more attention to me than my friends in the house… well which was probably normal cause they were men…

“Alright, everybody here? Ready?” Matt looked around and Jacky held her hand up.
“Stop! Arin, close your eyes. Babe, can you please make sure that he is not peeking?” Jacky asked and Brian moved behind me, I did as asked, closing my eyes and then feeling Brian’s hands in front of them.
Jacky was holding my hand and guided me forward, until she stopped and let go of my hand and everybody screamed suddenly “SURPRISE!”
Brian’s hands were gone from my face and I opened my eyes and couldn’t believe what I saw.
The whole room was decorated and I saw in the middle of the room a-
A-
A FREAKING DRUM-SET!
“OH MY GOD! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! FUCK, YEAHH!” I yelled running forward and looking at it, it was the brand I always wanted, set up perfectly and wow…
“Here, kid.” Matt held out sticks to me and I grinned wildly.
“This is amazing, thank you… thank you sooo much!” I hugged Matt who grinned “Thank the girls, it was their idea.” Matt motioned to Joe and Jacky.
“Joe’s idea… We just helped” Jacky clarified and I hugged both placing kisses all over their cheeks before hugging the other guys and then settling down behind the drum-kit.
Wow, this had always been a small dream for me… and now… it actually became true.

Now, the day really couldn’t get any better, could it?!

Notes

Goodmorning lovelies!
It's fridayyyyy!!!
We wish you the best weekend and will be back on monday with the birthdayparty!

<3

And a special shout out to one of our readers:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MoMo_92!
We wish u all the best!!
<3
Have a fantastic dayyyy!