Brotherly Bonding

Matthew Baker smiled at his older brother, Zachary, as the two of them were headbanging to Pantera’s Cowboys From Hell album. He felt very happy to have his brother at home.

Granted, there were times when he was a little envious of Zach. After all, Zach was the rhythm guitarist for Avenged Sevenfold - which was a very popular rock band. Still, it was hard to be resentful of him. For the most part, Zach was careful to not let fame get to his head - and, besides that, Matt did enjoy the music of his brother’s band. Even if he himself was not famous, he still took pride in being related to Zacky Vengeance.

“What are you thinking of, buddy?” Zach asked, gently.

“Oh, just how happy I am to have you back home,” Matt replied, smiling. “I really do miss you, when you and your band are on tour. Granted, we can just text each other and stuff - but, still, nothing beats being with you in person.”

“I feel the same way, actually,” Zach replied, smiling back. “Even though I do consider my band mates to be family - you, Zina, and our parents are also family. So, you and Johnny are planning on going out to lunch?”

“That’s correct,” Matt replied, cheerfully. “And then we’ll probably go out and catch a flick. I’m pretty much friends with your entire band, but… Well, Johnny and I were quite close before… before Avenged Sevenfold was even a concept.”

“That’s understandable,” Zach replied, softly. “As much as I do enjoy being on the road, and travelling the world, there’s no place like home. While I do like for there to be a lot of excitement in my life - sometimes, it’s nice just to… relax.”

“I’m more of a homebody, myself,” Matt said, as he sat on the floor. “I mean, there are places that I would like to see - but I… Well, I would just get homesick, too easily.”

“So you aren’t interested in ever being our… roadie?” Zach asked, with a gentle smile. “That way, we could be…”

“Well, I’ve considered it,” Matt replied, sighing. “Sometimes, I do feel a bit envious about the fun that you guys have - when you’re on the road. But I think it would just be… It would quickly get tiresome.”

“But we’d be together,” Zach protested, as he also sat on the floor. “And Johnny would be happy to have you along, too. Think about it, okay?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” Matt replied, in a near whisper.

“What do you mean ‘I guess’?” Zach asked, teasingly. With that, he reached out to tickle Matt’s sides.

“Hey, that tickles!” Matt protested laughing. He reached out to tickle Zach’s belly. “I’m gonna get you back!”

“Hey!” gasped Zach, as he continued to tickle Matt. “I don’t think so.”

Matt was rolling on the floor, as he tried to escape from his older brother. He then caught sight of Zach’s bare feet, and then had an idea.

Matt reach out to grab his brother, turned him face down, and then hopped onto the calves of his legs. Matt began to tickle Zach's feet, as the latter was struggling wildly to get away.

“Ha-ha, Zacky!” Matt gloated, triumphantly. “I’ve manage to capture your most sensitive spot. Try tickling me back, now.”

Matt smiled, as his brother was laughing too hard to respond. His smile grew wide, as he was relentless with tickling his brother’s feet.

“You may be the great Zacky Vengeance,” Matt commented, chuckling, “but you still have very ticklish feet. Man, I’m having so much fun tickling them. I think I’m gonna do this all night long.”

Zach continued to laugh helplessly, as he was unable to escape from his brother. After a few minutes, though - Matt finally decided to have mercy on his brother, and stop.

“How do you feel, now, Zacky?” Matt asked, smirking.

“I can’t believe you were actually able to pin me down like that,” Zach commented, panting. “I mean, you don’t seem as strong as Brian - and I just…”

“I think you’ve underestimated me,” Matt commented, as his lips curved into a smile.

“All right, Matt, you may have won the tickle fight,” Zach replied, smiling gently, “but let’s see if you can beat me at Guitar Hero.”

“Oh, I think you might be surprised,” Matt replied, smiling. “I’ve had a lot of practice on that game.”

“The challenge is on, buddy!” Zach commented, as he reached for the game system. “But, even if you don’t win, you still win at being the best brother.”

“Oh, Zach, I’m your only brother,” Matt replied, grinning.

“But you’re a very cool brother,” Zach replied, giving Matt a slap on the back. “I really mean it, Matthew. You’re awesome!”

“Aw, thanks, Zachary” Matt replied, smiling warmly. “The same goes for you. And not just because you’re famous, but because you’re.. you.”

As Matt went to turn off the stereo, he thought of what a great family he had. Indeed, he was pleased to be part of the Baker family.