Life On The Road

"But seriously, how the fuck was that allowed to happen? Why wasn't he stopped by security?! Where WAS our security?! Where was Dan?!" The questions spewed out of Jimmy's mouth even hours after the incident had taken place, like a volcano erupting, spitting, spewing and shooting out scorching lava. Naturally, the drummer was enraged by the earlier events that had taken place, and the moment Jimmy, Johnny and Zacky got into their own hotel room, he began his rant and he hadn't stopped.

"Poor Matt... He's not gonna wanna go outside for weeks..." Johnny frowned sadly, shaking his head as he plopped down onto the couch.

"One thing's for certain - We're not doin' anymore meet and greets for a while, not after that. I don't care what anyone says, I couldn't give a flyin' rat's ass." Zacky added on, standing in front of the couch, facing the bassist. Behind him, Jimmy was pacing back and forth, long, slender fingers running through his lengthy, silky black locks of hair.

"I just don't get it. Where was our bodyguard?! He should've been there!" The drummer groaned out in frustration, "I bet you he was sittin' on his fuckin' ass somewhere else, drinkin' a cup of coffee!"

"Calm down, sweetheart... I think there was an incident of fans trying to get in from the back and Dan had to prevent that. Someone else was supposed to show up but never did..." Johnny cooed softly, patting his lap for his love to sit. The Rev reluctantly sat down, being pulled into Johnny's loving arms. Small, skilled hands worked their way up and down the drummer's long, colourful arms, trying to ease his nerves, "I know there's a lot of questions we need answered, bu right now, let's just focus on Matt... Has anyone seen him since we got here?"

Everyone shook their head, but Zacky held up his hand some, "I'll go check on him, make sure he and Brian are alright," and with that, he headed out of the room. He made his way through the hall, glancing at some of the spectacular artwork on the walls. Zacky wished he could spend time and view them in happier circumstances, but right now was most certainly not the time. He approached the door that separated the hall from Bri and Matt's room and knocked on it twice.

The door eventually opened, revealing the older guitarist in nothing but a pair of trashed jeans, a shirt lazily slung over his shoulder, his hair spiking out in all different directions. He looked exhausted, leaning against the door frame, but he managed a smile upon seeing Zack outside.

"Hey buddy, how are you?" He asked, his voice somewhat hoarse. The younger man smiled up at his best friend and gave a positive nod.

"Not too bad, I came over to see how Sandy's doin'." He explained, emerald eyes peering over Syn's broad shoulders to try and get a glimpse of their vocalist inside. The bigger man gave a gentle smile and stepped aside, allowing room for Zacky to step inside.

"He's in bed, he's grouchy and I think he needs a good back rub. I was just about to get to sortin' out that last one" Synyster explained, leading Zacky over to the luxury king-sized bed where Matt remained, all snugged up and hiding the injured side of his face, refusing to allow it to be seen. His boyfriend crawled onto the bed and over to him with a soft, loving smile, plopping down beside him and draping one arm around him.

"Heya Mr. Grouch" Syn teased in a sing-song voice. Matt dramatically rolled his eyes, groaned, then rolled over to face his love, exposing his wounds for Zacky to see.

The guitarist frowned sadly at the sight, a feeling of remorse washing over him, "Ouch dude..."

"Yeah... It stings as much as you'd think... Not fun," Matt spoke, hazel eyes shifting up to look at the smaller man before heaving his ass out from the pit that was his side of the bed and into Brian's loving arms.

"You two sure do spend a lot of time cuddlin' and that," Zacky commented, watching the pair, a pang of jealously striking him right in the chest. Jealousy over the fact that Matt got to cuddle up with Brian every night. He hated it, absolutely hated it. He wanted it to be him in those strong, tattooed arms, not Matt. The love, the warmth, the comfort, he desired all of it. But he couldn't have it.

And when he finally snapped out of his jealousy-ridden thoughts, Syn was stood in front of him, slowly waving his hand inches away from the younger man's face, hoping to attract his attention. Zacky snapped his eyes up at him, emerald orbs almost instantly locking with deep chocolate pools, a small, nervous smile spreading on his face. Syn chuckled softly, placing his hand lightly on Zack's shoulder.

"You're actin' a lil'... Odd. Come on, let's go talk outside for a minute."

Zacky wanted to protest, his mouth opening to speak and eyes widening slightly, but Synyster was already guiding him out of the room, calling something back to Matt as they left. He kindly opened the door and allowed Zacky to pass first, before stepping outside himself into the long, narrow hall and shutting the door behind them.

There, Syn led him down the extravagant staircase and into the luxurious lobby of the hotel, with walls that were adorned with yet more artwork, and the floor with a decorative royal blue carpet, intricate gold patterns evenly spread out amongst the sea of blue. Compared to the other guests, Syn and Zacky felt quite under-dressed for the occasion, lacking any sort of formal clothing and being noticeably odd.

They quickly made their way through the labyrinth of people and out into the crisp, outdoor air. The older guitarist fished out his cigarettes and lighter from his pocket as they stepped down the steps and onto the main street. Lighting two sticks and handing one to Zacky, they took a few puffs each, their faces occasionally veiled by the rising smoke. Moments passed, the pair observing the world around them briefly, before Syn finally turned to face Zacky.

"So, Zack."

Alert, emerald eyes shot over to look at Syn with a slight twinkle as a streetlight reflected from the surface of his eyes. Dark brown eyebrows raised too in questioning, but he knew exactly what the chocolate-eyed guitarist wanted to know. Nevertheless, he went along.

"What's up, Gates?"

"You seem... Different, especially towards me and Matt... Is there something wrong?"

Zacky bit the inside of his cheek nervously, his hands fidgeting and his eyes shifting awkwardly, unsure of where to look. He didn't know what to tell the older man, whether he should just admit how he truly felt or make up some bullshit excuse. The latter most likely would backfire on him, he considered.

His eyes met with Brian's again. Those eyes... Zacky could easily get lost in them. They were honestly breathtaking. They seemed so gentle, so relaxed, so perfect...

"I... Uhm..."

"C'mon Zacky... You can tell me buddy..."

A pause and a gulp. The younger man glanced down nervously.




"I-I'm... I'm madly in love with you, Brian..."

Notes

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Sorry it's a bit short and for the delay, I had no idea what to write! Hopefully it's not too awful! XD
So, with Zacky confessing to Brian, what do you think will happen next? Let me know in the comments!
Thank you for reading!