Matt’s POV

Come on where are they? I thought to myself as I tired to distract Maya. Damn it, I told Brain to bring her back for the after party. I knew he hadn’t seen Avery in almost a week, but I gave him one job, one fucking job! I swear if he messed this up by not bringing her here, I would personally kill him. Avery wanted to surprise Maya too and I wanted to see her fully smile again. I wasn’t blind, I knew that she wasn’t truly happy on the road without Ave. So having the little gnome back with us would make everything okay. Not to mention, get that stick out of Gates ass that had been there all week.

I lead Maya toward the drink table when I saw the back door open. Gates looked like the happiest son of a bitch on the face of the earth and I couldn’t blame him. It was clear to see that the little brunette looked good on him. Hell, they fucking looked like they were glowing.

Before Maya could see them, I quickly turned her around to face me. “Matt, this isn’t funny anymore what the fuck is going on?” Maya demanded, crossing her arms and looking so fucking cute. I loved when she was jealous—it meant that she did care about me and my plan was working.

I held my hands up to her to stop her speech, unable to hide the small smirk on my lips. “We all know how hard it is for you without your best friend, right?” I asked, and she just rolled her eyes. I was trying my best not to laugh as I saw Avery and Brian come up behind her.

“I don’t know what—“ she interrupted. Jesus, woman wont you let me talk just this once? I promise you’ll like where this is going.

I quickly pressed my finger to her lips to silence her and continued. “So you need a girl to talk to, right? You need a best friend, right?”

Maya’s eyes grew wide and I swear she looked like she was about to hit me. I suppressed the chuckle rising within me. This was too funny right now. “Matt, if you think any of these groupies would be a replacement for my Little Gnome you are completely wrong.”

“That’s what you think?” I asked with a wide dimpled smirk on my face. Before she could question me any further, I spun her around to face Avery. She and Brian were smiling as wide as I was, and I waited for the realization to hit Maya.

“What the fuck… Ave?” Maya gasped and then the two girls instantly tackled each other. I laughed and quickly stepped forward to grab Maya’s waist before they toppled to the floor. It was so nice to see them both smile again—a week had been way too long.

When I was sure they were stable, I turned to look at Brian. He was wearing the biggest smile knowing to man as he watched the girls walk away. If he wasn’t wearing his aviators, I swear I would have seen love in his eyes. Was that even possible? Could the man who refused to settle down and ever have a girlfriend be in love?

“Looks like your mood drastically changed,” I teased, elbowing him in the ribs. “Looks like a good lay did you good, huh?”

Gates chuckled and flipped me off, but I just put my arm around his shoulders. “What do you think they’re scheming?” He asked, a small wrinkle in his forehead as he watched them.

I looked back over at Maya, seeing her and Avery laughing and hugging. “What makes you think they are planning something? Look’s like they are catching up to me.”

“Look at the way Ave is glancing at us and then back to Maya and her forehead wrinkles when she is planning something,” He said and I looked at him in shock.

“Are you sure she just didn’t miss you?” I couldn’t believe he had picked all that up from just watching her. Did I notice those things about Maya? I had to right? Like the way she always smiled before she woke up and the way she threw he head back laughing before pulling her hair to the side.

“Watch she’s going to bite her lip and then look this way again,” Gates chuckled and call me surprised when that fucker was right. “They are definitely planning shit.”

“You’ve got it bad don’t you?” I looked over to see him frown in confusion. If he had Avery’s mannerisms memorized, then there was no doubt in my mind that he was falling for her if he hadn’t already.

“What are you talking about?” Gates started to move towards the drink table and started to make two drinks.

I just laughed and shook my head again. He was going to try and play the obtuse game again, huh? Well, Jimmy was right. Gates was falling for the girl and we all knew it. Did he know it and wouldn’t admit it not even to himself. “You’re falling for her,” I stated as a fact rather than a question.

Gates dropped the cup he was holding and his jaw locked. Was it really that much of a shock to realize that? “I’m not falling for her…” he said shaking his head, though his tone wasn’t believable. “I mean sure I like her and I care a lot about her, she’s my girlfriend but….I’m not falling in….” He couldn’t even bring himself to the word and I rolled my eyes.

“Love?” I finished for him only to receive a dirty look. “Looks like you are to me. Would that be the worst possible thing to be in love, Haner?”

“I don’t think I’m capable of it,” he sighed, looking down at the now full cups. He placed his knuckles on the table and shook his head. “Fuck, I know I like to be around her, need her near me, feel really connected with her, and don’t want any other slimy bastards to touch her. I don’t want to fuck up and go back to being playboy Synyster Gates….but…”

“That you haven’t yet, and that is pure miracle. Hell Gates you haven’t even looked at another girl in what almost a month and half now? That says something,” I took a sip of my drink and looked back over towards the girls who were now dancing with Jimmy, Zack, and Johnny.

“I know but what if I fuck up?” I raised a brow at him.

“What if any of us fuck up? We are fucking rock stars and it’s our nature to look at women. We just have to keep in mind who we want to go home to at the end of the day…and fuck who I love. God I sound like a fucking chick right now…” I pinched the bridge of my nose as Brian patted my back.

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but yeah, you fucking do. You better reach down and pull your dick back out from between your legs,” he laughed, earning a punch in the shoulder.

“Fuck you, you son of a bitch,” I picked up my drink and took a step closer to Brian. “But seriously, don’t be afraid of Synyster Gates, just let Brian Haner take control when you’re not on stage. Even if that means finally fucking admitting that you are ape shit over that girl. Don’t let her go.”

“Don’t let who go? Me? You could never lose me, Gatesy-poo!” Jimmy roared, jumping on Brian’s back and nearly knocking him over. He leaned down and placed a sloppy kiss on Brian’s cheek, making him laugh. “I fucking love you.” Jimmy jumped down off Brian and then pulled him into a rib cracking hug and almost spilling his drinks.

“Love you too, Jimbo,” he said and then looked at me with wide eyes. So he could say it in regards to Jimmy but saying it to a girl freaked him out?

“And you love Shads, and Vee, and Christ, and Maya, and particularly that little gnome over there!” Jimmy sang, point to people around the room. Brian moved and put his hand in front of his mouth, but Jimmy just kept talking through his hand. The sound was muffled but I could hear the ‘first comes love, then come marriage’ part of the song.


“Shut up, Jimmy!” Gates roared. “Stay out of my business!”

“So you do lover her!” Jimmy and I said at the same time. Jimmy and I looked at each other with a knowing smile before we looked at Brian. He gapped at us before shaking his head.

“I don’t fucking know, okay? Stay the fuck out of my head and lets have a fucking party!” He said before pushing through the crowd towards Avery. As soon as he reached her he handed her a drink and pulled her into his arms. There was no fucking deny that that bastard was lying. He was in on all fours and he knew.

“There you are!” I turned around to see the most beautiful creature standing behind me. I quickly pulled her into my arms and placed a hungry kiss on her lips. “Are you done gossiping?” Maya teased when we broke apart.

“We weren’t gossiping,” I argued, looking to Jimmy for back up.

“We were just trying to get Gatesy-poo to admit he’s in love with the little gnome,” Jimmy sang, putting his arms around Maya and I. “What do you think? Give him another week tops? Oh, and shouldn’t we tell him not to eat her alive because it looks like he’s trying to eat her…she’s not a baby bird….she’s a gnome…”

“Stop that,” Maya giggled, hitting Jimmy’s arm as I roared with laughter. Okay, so maybe Jimmy had a point. The pair of them were not heatedly making out on the dance floor and I had to look away.

“Get a room!” Zack yelled, shaking his head as he joined us. “So when are we going to start this party?”

“I was wondering the same thing,” Maya wrapped her arms around my waist, giving me the biggest smile as she looked up at me.

“What did you have in mind?” I asked, looking between my friends after giving Maya a quick kiss. I wrapped my arms around just a Zacky picked up a bottle of tequila and Jimmy brought out a bag of weed. These guys came prepared today.

“Body shots and dubbies?” Great there was no way I was getting up before one tomorrow. Well at least it was a driving day to Ohio.

The next thing I knew, we were all back on the bus living in a cloud of smoke with a pair of dice. Everyone had red puffy eyes and I’m sure we looked like the happiest bunch on the face of the earth. Jimmy was laying on the floor next to Johnny, while Zack was cuddled up next to Brian who had Avery on his lap. Maya and I were sitting on the bench and we appeared to be the most sober. Where was the fun in that?

“So whose ready to play?” Maya asked after slamming her beer down on the table. “Everyone needs a number, so here we go, Gates one, Ave two, Matt three, Jimmy four, Me five, Zack six…and Johnny….we’ll he’s fucking passed out so he’s not playing,” she giggled. “Here are the rules, whoever is up rolls the dice and takes a body shot off of whoever’s number they get. Here we go. Me first…”

I watched as Maya rolled the di, praying that it would land on me. Unfortunately it landed on Zack, who just giggled and pointed at me. He was such a dick when he was high. “Alright, lay down big boy,” Maya said and tried not to roll my eyes. I knew she was just teasing but I couldn’t helped but feel jealous. This was a stupid game.

“I’ll make it really quick!” Maya leaned over to me and gave me a quick kiss, easing the green giant inside. “Ready Vee?”

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for this moment for weeks,” he said, letting out another giggle as Maya poured the shot and then licked it out of his belly button area. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be, but still.

“I’m next,” Zack said, almost falling back over when he went t sit up. Maya helped him and then handed him the dice. He rolled Brian.

“Do I have to fucking do this?” Gates groaned, picking up Avery and setting her down on the couch. She was biting her lower lip and watching his every move. She was in just as deep as Gates.

“Those are the rules, love,” Maya teased, giving him a slap on the face before pulling him over. “Now stop being a bitch and lye down.”

“This is fucking gay…” he grumbled while Zack only laughed. I didn’t think he had any recollection of what was actually going on, no thanks to the liquor and the weed combination. “Make it quick Vee or I swear I will kill you…”

“Just stop your bitching and hold still. Time me, Shads,” Zack pointed at me and nodded when my phone was set.

“On three…one, two, three!” Brian let out a yell when Zack’s tongue touched his skin and sat up as soon as he was done. “Four seconds.” I laughed, pulling Maya onto my lap.

“The worst four fucking seconds of my life…I better fucking roll a chick…” Gates grumbled and that luck bastard rolled Avery. She giggled her way up and lay down on the table. “Get ready love, you’re going to like this.”

“How could she not?” Jimmy laughed from the floor. “Give her a fucking lime wedge to put in her mouth…”

As Zack poured the shot on Avery, I had to look away, feeling like I was interrupting a private moment between the two. Brian was suddenly on top of her and the whole thing got sexual quickly. I had to clear my throat multiple times to break up the make out session at ensued, and it wasn’t until Jimmy started screaming something about playing a new game that they broke a part.

This was only the beginning and we were in for one hell of a night, one that I hoped ended with Maya and I in the back room. And by the way she was rocking back and forth over my cock on my lap, I knew she wanted the same thing. Oh, this was going to be a good night.

“Come on, let’s dance before we play another game, since Gates is a party pooper,” Maya said, grabbing my hand and then Avery’s. She pulled us both up before the music started blasting. The last things I remembered that night were taking a line of shots with Gates, Jimmy, and Maya before dancing so close to Maya that I could feel every inch of her. Damn she felt good.

Avery’s POV

“Ohh…what’s in the bucket? What’s in the bucket but a bucket of shit…”

I groaned as I heard Jimmy’s voice screaming from somewhere close by, only he kept singing the same damn song over and over again. I pinched my eyelids shut, willing for the noise to stop. It was too early for him to be up and yelling. Slowly rolling over, I felt my back go from soar to feeling an elbow stabbing directly into my kidney.

“Brian…move over…”I whined, still not opening my eyes. I could feel the sun burning through my lids but from the pounding I already felt in my head, I knew better than to open them. That would be complete suicide.

“What?” I heard him ask groggily and then felt something to my right move, though whatever was elbowing me in the kidney was not. Just then Jimmy’s voice stopped screaming and was replaced by Taylor Swift. Was this some kind of nightmare? What was going on?

“What is going on?” I heard another voice ask, one that I didn’t expect to sound next to me. Who was that?

“What the fuck?” Brian groaned from somewhere next to me as he pulled me back on top of him. I felt my skin touching his and I knew that I had to be at least partially naked. He pulled me back on top of him and I smiled into his chest, feeling his calloused fingers move up and down my sides. Goosebumps rose in there wake, making me feel alive and awake.

“No…put her back, she was warm…”

My eyes snapped open at the sound of yet another voice just as Taylor Swift stopped singing and was replaced by Unholy Confessions. Wasn’t that Maya’s current ring tone? Why was her phone in mine and Brian’s room? I carefully looked to my left to see Zacky’s hand rubbing up and down my arm.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Brian asked, voicing my exact thoughts and pulling me closer to him.

Just then another voice sounded from the other side of Brian, and I groaned. “Why are you talking…more sleeping…” Was that Jimmy? I peaked my eye open to see him laying next to us, along with Maya and Matt. What did we have a freaking slumber party? And why was everyone partially naked? What a minute…was I partially naked too?

I shot up from on top of Brian to find myself in only my see-through lace bra and a G-string thong. I let out a groan as my head exploded and the nausea hit.

“Brian?” squealed, looking down to see those brown eyes watching me with a mischievous smirk that is until he noticed that Zack was looking at me. “What the hell happened?” Ugh, the wave of nausea was strong with this one and I willed myself not to vomit.

Brian squinted his eyes, as if he was trying to remember as he pulled a sheet around me. I had no idea where he got it from, seeing as all the members of Avenged Sevenfold and Maya were in our bed. “I-I….honestly have no idea—eyes to yourself Baker.”

“Hey…it’s not my fault she is partially naked…that would be yours,” Zacky chuckled, obviously not as hung over as the rest of us. He slowly sat down, and only then did I see that Johnny was laying across our feet. How the hell did seven of us fit in this little bed? That was a mystery I would never understand.

“What?” I asked, looking between him and Brain, really getting confused as to what happened last night. I felt like I had sex, but I wasn’t positive. Had we had a big orgy? My heart started to race with the thought, and I instantly sprung up and flew toward the bathroom. I was going to be sick.

“What the hell?” I heard Matt groan as I sped out of the room. This and the hang over was way too much for me to handle this morning.

I made it to the bathroom just in time to empty the contents of my stomach into the toilet, feeling the road bump underneath me. What happened last night and why were most of us somewhat naked?

A few minutes later, I lay with my head on the cool tiled floor, shivering and willing the sickening feeling to disappear. Where was Jason’s special hangover medicine when I needed? I would have to do some serious begging when we stopped because this bitch was the mother. I didn’t know about the others, but this was the worst I had ever felt after partying, which meant it must have been an amazing night. Now if I could only remember what happened.

The door creaked, and I peaked through my eyelids to see a familiar set of legs coming towards me. “Ave? Are you okay?” Brian’s nurturing voice asked, sitting down next to me and carefully scooping me up into his arms. His warmth was welcome after being on the freezing floor.

“Yeah…just hung over,” I groaned, feeling my stomach turn again as we hit a bump. “What the hell did we do last night?”

Brian chuckled and kissed my temple. “I’m not really sure. The last thing I remembered was dancing and taking shots with Maya and Shads.”

“What was I doing?” I grumbled, pulling away to position myself over the toilet. Thank god the wave of nausea passed quickly and I collapsed back into Brian’s arms. He held me close, leaving a small trail of kisses. I knew if he didn’t remember last night, then he was probably hung over too. But knowing him, he was probably doing the manly thing and trying to hide it. “And why am in only in my underwear?”

“Last I knew we were dancing….and when I was doing shots you were smoking another joint with Zack. After that, I don’t remember but you did wake up on top of me, so that had to count for something, right?” Brian was trying to comfort me but that didn’t help the fear that I had done something silly.

“Yeah,” I sighed, reaching up to grab a bathrobe off the door. I hope whoever’s it was didn’t mind too much. I was just freezing from sitting on the floor.

“Dude, get the fuck out…” Johnny suddenly cried, appearing at the door. He didn’t look so good and I was thankful when Brian scooped me up into his arms and took me to the living room. When we got there, I was surprised to see Maya and Matt trying to make some kind of breakfast with Jimmy. Matt and Jimmy were still only in their boxers and Maya was in her bra and a pair of short. What was going on? Since when did we all walk around half naked?

“Little gnome, you were fucking hilarious last night!” Jimmy said, sinking down on the couch next to us. He put his arm around both of us and pulled me have into his lap while leaving me partially on Brian’s. “The way you were dancing about and singing. You’ve got some moves.”

“Oh god…”I muttered, hiding my face in Brian’s bare chest. God he smelled good and that smell alone was making me forget my fears. I hoped it was only dancing we did last night.

“But that was nothing compared to Gates,” Matt laughed, leaving the rest of us looking at each other. Apparently the only ones who remembered clips of the night were Matt, Jimmy, and Zack. Though I wasn’t sure how much Zack had to drink, I think he was just high as a fucking kite.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Brian asked, and I nodded in agreement.

“Oh, you’re gonna wanna see this, Ave,” Zack said, kneeling down in front of me and Brian with his phone. When he hit play, my jaw dropped, and I could feel Brain tense up behind me and sigh.

In the video on Zack’s phone, Brain was spinning around and singing Can You Feel The Love Tonight from The Lion King while everyone was laughing. It was actually really sweet but that wasn’t the part that made my heart stop. At the very end of the video, Brian dropped down on his knee and pulled me onto it. He leaned in, intending to whisper but instead yelled those three little words.

When I looked up at him, he was gapping and looked panicked. What was that about? Did he not mean it? “And that was all before the strip poker…” Matt added, breaking up my thoughts. “Though I wont tell you about the rest…you’ll have to follow the clues,” he said exchanging a mischievous look with Jimmy and Zack. Oh god, what else happened?

“Mathew Charles Sanders, don’t you dare play that game,” Maya scolded. “Just tell us what happened!”

“Nope my lips are sealed….” He said just before announcing breakfast of cereal and toast was ready. “But let me just say, you all were hilarious!”

Notes

Thanks for all the wonderful comments and sorry for being slow on my end. I'm a music teacher and it is my busy time of the year. It's concerts season...only four more! :) Comments please!