Brian's POV

"Ten minutes, Gates!" Dan called, poking his head around the door of the trailer.
"I'll be right there." I replied, still focused on doing my eyeliner.

My phone rang just as I slid the lid back onto the little kohl pencil, and I picked it up.

"Hey Sexy." Ruby's voice giggled on the other end.
My heart flipped at the sound of her voice. "You have terrible timing, I'm due onstage soon." I sighed. "But god, it's good to hear your voice."
"I've only been gone a couple of days."
"Feels like a month already." I frowned, staring at my reflection in the mirror as I ran my fingers through my hair, fluffing it up.
"Aww, big bad Gatesy-poo has a soft side."
"Shut up." I snorted. "How's Asshole?"
"Slightly less asshole'ish." she replied. "He actually owned up to his bullshit a little earlier."
"Wait, what?"
"We were talking in the kitchen, and then he just randomly started apologizing for all the shit he put me through." she explained. "He seemed sincere, oddly enough."
My stomach twisted, I didn't like the idea of Jack sucking up to her, remembering all too well how easy it was for him to get under her skin back when. "Did you forgive him?"
"He's gonna have to seriously kiss my ass before that happens." she laughed. "But he does seem different."
"He won't be going anywhere near your ass, if he knows what's good for him."
"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" she teased.
"Don't test me." I growled.
"Or what?"
"You're lucky you're in Chicago." I husked. "Or I'd have you bent over my lap right now, and be leaving a nice little reminder of who you belong to on that perfect ass of yours."
"Don't tease me." she whined, and I could practically picture her squirming at my words.
"Then don't be a smart ass." I chuckled.
"Yes, Daddy Gates."
I felt myself grow hard hearing her say that, remembering our night in Broken Arrow. "Fuck, I miss you."
"I miss fucking you." she giggled.
"Took the words right outta my mouth." I growled.

"Gates!" Dan called again. "Get moving!"

"I gotta go." I sighed. "But dammit, you had to play the Daddy card, didn't you? Now I gotta go onstage with a fucking boner."
"Go jack off real quick." she giggled.
"I'd rather be inside you."
"Well, you kinda can't do that right now." she teased. "So get out on that stage and torture all your little fangirls, and let them all giggle about the bulge in your pants later."
"Guess Shads won't be the only one whose junk they'll be ogling today." I laughed. "And Ruby?"
"Yes?"
"I lov-"

"GATES. NOW." Dan roared.

Fuck you, Dan. "I gotta go."
"Knock 'em dead." she replied, and hung up.

I let out a frustrated sigh, and jogged off toward the stage.

***

Ruby's POV

Talking to Brian had significantly improved my mood, but had also left me mildly sexually frustrated. Even from over 200 miles away, he still managed to turn me the fuck on. Knowing I couldn't be there to watch him play today made my heart ache. He always looked so goddamn good onstage, completely in his element, his lips curled into that cocky smirk that I had grown so fond of these past several months.

I sighed dreamily as I laid back, my eyes drifting shut as I remembered the night that I'd first met Brian...

*Flashback*

Demi and I had just arrived in Huntington Beach, nothing but the clothes on our backs and a backpack each full of belongings. The both of us were scared out of our wits, having run away from home in the dead of night, but the biggest smiles adorned both of our faces. We'd done it, all that talking, planning, endless conversation about running away to California together, and we'd finally made it.



The sun was setting in the distance, turning the ocean blood red under orange skies behind us as we walked along Slater Avenue. We didn't really know where we were going, but as long as we were together, nothing else mattered. The plan for now was just to find some shelter, and ask the locals about some cheap motels.

"Let's try over there?" Demi suggested, pointing to a sign that read "Johnny's Booze & Pool"

We crossed the parking lot and pushed the door open, and were immediately awed by our surroundings. There was musical memorabilia all over the place, not a single bit of wall wasn't covered in posters, stickers, flyers and flags of various bands. Some of which we recognized, others not so much. Multiple bras hung above the bar, and the most notable feature was the chandelier, covered in cobwebs and empty bottles of Jamieson. At the far end of the bar, sat a life-sized skeleton, with yet another empty bottle of Jamieson in his hand.





"This place is insane..." I breathed, as the two of us took a seat at the bar.
"What can I get you two lovely ladies?" asked Johnny, a burly man with slicked-back hair and a beard that obscured most of his face.
"Just a couple of Cokes, we're underage." I laughed.
"How old?" he asked, setting two glasses down in front of us.
"I'm Sixteen, Demi here's Fourteen." I smiled.
"I'd have guessed you were even younger." he replied.
"How old do I look?" I asked.
"About her age." Johnny said, nodding at Demi as he filled our glasses.



"Not the first time I've been told I look younger than I am." I giggled.
"What are two young teenage girls like you doing at my bar all alone?"
"We ran away from home." Demi sniggered.
"You what?" he gasped.
"Chicago's never felt right." I shrugged. "Our hearts were always set on California."
"So you're here all by yourselves?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Demi nodded.
"If you wanna stick around until close, my Wife and I have a spare bedroom if you need somewhere to stay."
"Oh, we were just gonna get a motel room, know of anywhere nearby?" Demi asked.
"Absolutely not, I wouldn't feel right letting two young teenage girls stay in a strange motel all by themselves in a place they barely know."
"And staying with a stranger is better because?" I teased.
"Aww, you can trust this guy, he's a sweetheart." came a new voice.

I turned my attention to the new stranger as he slid onto the bar stool beside me. His dark brown eyes were rimmed darkly in black eyeliner, partly obscured by his chin-length black hair, and a small patch of scruff covered the underside of his chin. The roots of a tree peeked out from the sleeve of the Misfits t-shirt he wore, and another tattoo of a Demon was visible on his forearm.



"I'm Brian." he said, flashing a warm smile.
"Ruby." I introduced myself.
"And you?" he asked Demi.
"Demetria, but people just call me Demi."
"Nice to meet you." he nodded.
"Well, if that ain't the most beautiful name I ever heard." another voice piped up, as another new face slid onto the stool beside Demi.

This one was tall and lanky, with spiked-up black hair and no visible tattoos, but the bluest set of eyes I'd ever seen in my life.



"I'm James." he grinned, holding his hand out to Demi. "But you can call me Jimmy."
"Lovely to meet you."
"Right back at you." he purred, locking eyes with her.
I rolled my own. With that one gaze, those two were already in love.
"I'll have a glass of Jamieson." Brian asked, turning his attention to Johnny.
"On the house, as always, Gates."
"Gates?" I giggled.
"Synyster Gates." he smirked. "My stage name."
"So you're in a band?"
"We both are!" Jimmy cried, startling me as he slapped his hand down on the bar.
"Name?" I asked.
"Sigmund Freud does his own Mother."
"What?" I cringed.
"I'm kidding." Brian chuckled. "Avenged Sevenfold."
"So like... Christian-rock?"
He snorted. "Hell no."
"Punk-Rock meets Heavy Metal." Jimmy smiled proudly.
"We're actually playing a show a little later on tonight, if you're interested?" Brian asked.
"Oh, we are very interested." Demi smiled, putting her arm around me as she leaned over my shoulder. "We'll be there."
"Yay!" Jimmy cried, bouncing off his stool and picking Demi up, spinning her around in a hug. "Today is the day we all become best friends!"
"Your friend is crazy." I snorted.
"You get used to it." Brian smiled.

***

Just a couple of hours later, Demi and I were halfway tipsy, thanks to Brian and Jimmy discreetly letting us sip from their drinks when Johnny's back was turned. We were piled into the back of a Mini-Van and headed to a venue called Chain Reaction, along with three more of their friends whom they'd introduced us to; Matt, Zacky, and Johnny.

"So what brought you two all the way to California?" Brian asked.
"Chicago was just too dull, it never felt like home." I replied. "We wanted to be surrounded by music, and be just a stone's throw away from the beach."
"Ergo, California." Demi added. "Plus, we've just watched a little too much of the The O.C."
"Oh for fuck sake." Brian cringed. "If anything gives Orange County a bad name, it's that fucking show."
"Hey, we like that trashy show!" I defended.
"You would, you're women." Brian teased.
"Fuckin fight me!" Demi snapped, going to slap Brian.
"Be nice!" Jimmy cried, holding her back.
"Tell him to stop being a closed-minded dick, then."
"All I said was I'm not into The O.C." Brian chuckled.
"Yeah, because you're Male, and you think that somehow makes you superior." she retaliated.
"Demi, chill." I laughed. "The point is, we romanticized California for years, and now we're here."
"Well, you're in luck on the music front." he smiled. "The hardcore scene around here is pretty sweet."
"So I've heard."



After quite the bumpy ride as the van rocked from side to side, bouncing over bumps in the road, we finally made it to the venue. It was a miracle I hadn't gotten motion sickness from all the swaying. I guess I was too inebriated to notice at this point. The lot of us piled out, and the guys unloaded their gear. Demi and I offered to help, and carried boxes of their merch inside.



"They only serve water and sodas at the bar, unfortunately." Brian said. "Johnny's got a flask in his bag if you get really desperate, just don't get caught with it."
"Guess it's a good thing we drank beforehand." I giggled.
"I gotta go set up, but feel free to mingle." he smiled. "But no running off with some Me wannabe."
"You have wannabes already?"
"Believe it or not." he smirked. "I wanna see you right up front during our set, okay?"
"Sure."
"Promise?" he asked, holding out his pinky to me.
"I promise." I smiled, hooking my pinky through his.

I watched him go, disappearing through a door that led backstage, and Demi and I made our way over to the bar. We decided to do the responsible thing and grab some water, lest we feel like utter garbage in the morning. The two of us downed both our glasses in one go. Apparently, we were more dehydrated than we'd realized.

"First night in California, and we're already partying with rock stars." Demi giggled.
"They're not rock stars." I rolled my eyes. "This place is a total dive, it's nothing special."
"But they're Hot, no?" she said, eyes drifting across the room to where Jimmy was sat behind his drums, in the middle of soundcheck.
"Demi, he's like Eight years older than you."
"Do I look like I give a fuck?" she snorted. "And Brian's definitely got his eye on you."
"No he doesn't." I defended. "He's just being friendly."
"Bitch, he's totally into you."
"You're crazy." I shook my head. "But regardless, it's illegal, for both of us, they're Twenty-two."
"Nobody has to know." she winked.
"Oh, for Christ's sake." I rolled my eyes.
"Somebody say my name?" Johnny piped up, his red and black Mohawk appearing between us.
"Shouldn't you be setting up?" I asked.
"Drink?" he grinned, shaking his flask at me.
"Johnny, the fuckin bartender is right there!" I hissed, grabbing it and ducking down to take a swig. "Holy shit, what the fuck is that, straight-up gasoline?"
"I call it the Dirty Sink; a little bit of everything from my parents liquor cabinet, but just a little so they can't tell I'm dippin' into their stash."
"Seems about right." I burped. "Jeezus, how are you still alive?"
"You build up a tolerance." he grinned. "You will too, with time."
"CHRIST!" hollered Matt. "GET THE FUCK OVER HERE."
"Gotta go, you hold onto that." he said, nodding at his flask, still in my hand. "Guard it with your life."

He bounded back over to the stage, and I laughed as I watched Matt smack the small boy across the back of the head and scold him for not pulling his weight. Johnny was a little closer to our age, and I'd found out earlier that he'd dropped out of High School to join the band.

Truth be told; I was envious, I'd always wanted to do the same, but forming a Punk band in Chicago was damn near impossible. And I was talking about true, old school, dirty Punk Rock. Not that Pop Punk garbage that'd come out in these recent years. Not all of those bands were terrible, I liked a few. But nobody wanted Paramore 2.0.

"Anyway, back to what we were talking about before." said Demi. "You can't honestly tell me Brian's not attractive."
"Yeah okay, he's cute." I rolled my eyes. "But I barely know him."
"And you're not getting him anyway." came a female's voice. "I've got my eye on that one."

The source of the voice was a girl who looked to be in her Twenties. She had olive skin and an angular jaw structure, with striking Hazel eyes and the sleekest black hair I had ever seen in my life. She'd custom-cut the Avenged Sevenfold t-shirt she wore, and her giant boobs were all-too-visible through the slashes across her bust.

Her plump lips pulled back into a perfect, pearly smile. "I'm Jenna."
"Ruby." I nodded.
"What are you, their groupie?" asked Demi. "What makes you think you've got dibs on Brian?"
"Demi!" I hissed.
"If you must know, little girl, I've been following them for quite some time." she smirked. "Brian and I have become quite close friends."
"Excuse her." I apologized. "She's a bit of a hot-head."
"I'm standing right here." Demi growled.
"And you need to chill."

Before we could say anything more, the stage lights darkened and a crowd of kids began to congregate around the stage. I grabbed Demi's hand and we weaved through to the front, just as the guys began their set. Barely a minute into the first song, the crowd blew up, and I almost had the wind knocked out of me as someone collided with me from behind.

Hard news, taken harder, don't look to me
Disappointed, we don't agree, I don't need your praise...
(Don't look my way for help, from the beginning you came to me)
Never asked you to like me, I don't want your praise (we won't play your games)
Look down on me, spit in my face
You're nothing to me...not to me

.
.


Darkened eyes you'll see, there is no hope, no savior in me
(Don't look this way, don't breathe this way, don't stare this way, anymore)
Learned from years gone by, no one will care, what happens to me
(Don't look this way, don't breathe this way, don't stare this way, anymore)

They were better than I'd expected, and I was drunk enough not to care as I headbanged along. I'd attended a handful of shows back in Chicago, but none of the bands had sounded this good. If this was just a taste of the local music scene in California, then I knew I'd made the right choice in coming here.

***

Drenched in sweat, with a few shiner's and scrapes, Demi and I emerged from the crowd, desperate for water. The both of us had gone hard tonight, and all the alcohol in our system only added to how exhausted we both were by the end of their set. The excessive headbanging and jumping around had worn off most of the effect, thankfully, and we were finally able to see straight again.

"Hey!" Brian smiled, finding us after he'd packed down his guitar. "What'd you think?"
"You guys were awesome!" I cried, running over to give him a hug.
"I'm all sweaty." he laughed.
"I don't care." I giggled, wrapping my arms around him. "You were so good!"
"Glad you enjoyed the set." he grinned as I pulled away. "What've you got planned for the rest of the night?"
"Nothing as yet." I replied. "Why, what'd you have in mind?"
"We're heading back to Matt's for awhile after the headliners finish." he said. "Stay, come party with us?"
"Sounds great, but Johnny offered us his spare room, so we should probably get back to the bar at some point?"
"SCREW THAT!" Jimmy shrieked, suddenly appearing beside Brian. "YOU'RE STAYING WITH US TONIGHT!"
"It's no trouble, we have more than enough room at my parents house." Brian smiled.
"Sure." I shrugged. "Why not."
"We can stay up late, tell ghost stories, paint each-others nails, and watch chick flicks!" Jimmy rambled. "It'll be great!"
"You really are one strange dude." Demi giggled. "But cute."
"Oh boy, here we go." I sighed. "Seems Jimmy's caught her fancy."
"Is that really so bad?" Brian smirked, sliding his arm around my shoulders.
"Don't get any ideas of your own." I said, narrowing my eyes as I returned his smirk.
"Wouldn't dream of it." he teased. "You're too young for my taste, anyway."
"Fuck you, Shithead!" I laughed, lightly punching him in the side.
"Keep dreaming, Cuntbag." he retaliated.
I squealed as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, the two of us laughing hysterically as he chased after Jimmy, who was carrying Demi on his back...

*End of Flashback*

It was the night that had started it all, and we'd been inseparable ever since. Right up until I'd gotten with Jack and been forced to move back to Chicago. Had I known sooner just how incredible things could be with Brian, I never would have left. It pained me to even be so far away from him now.

I missed his smile, I missed running my fingers through his hair, his beautiful eyes and the
sound of his voice. I missed the way he always smelled of Cigarettes and Whiskey, and being wrapped up his strong arms. The way every touch from him would send shivers all throughout my body, and every kiss that stole my breath away.

There was no denying it now.
I was absolutely, head over heels in love with him.

Notes

Gosh, I loved writing this, back when the guys were all fetus-babies who looked like this



Hope ya'll enjoyed getting a little more insight into Ruby and Brian's past. ^_^

Here's one of the changes I wanted to make if I re-wrote this story; Brian's age is all messed up. At the start of the story, Brian was 21 years old. Which fucks everything up because in this flashback, Brian is 22, and Ruby is 16. Meaning in the present day (2006), Brian would be 25. But, what's done is done and this website is broken so I can't go back and edit that shit. So, we'll just have to deal. But now you know their age difference. Just little details, me being all nit-picky with my own writing. But eh, Fanfiction is never perfect. And I did start this story like, six years ago, and abandoned it for three. There's bound to be a big mess of fuck-ups due to that.

I wanted this story done by the end of 2017, but that didn't end up happening, so the new goal is sometime this year, instead. But don't worry, there's still a fair ways to go before this story draws to a close. Probably gonna hit the 100 chapter mark with this one by the time it's all done and dusted.

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Until next time! xx