"Alright Gates, I think you've had enough to drink now."

Synyster gave a slur of a groan and rolled his gorgeous chocolate eyes as he brought his bottle of Jack Daniels to his lips, sipping at the golden liquid and enjoying the burn as it slipped down his throat, a satisfied sigh escaping from him. The pair were lounging around in Johnny and Jimmy's hotel room, happily plopped down on the black, leather couch beside each other, a drink in each man's dominant hand. They had been relaxing with each other for the last hour, while Matt and Jimmy went out to scour the town for things to buy and Johnny had disappeared off with Jason, probably looking for something to keep the pair occupied. This left the guitarists alone, and what better time to spend that time together?

"Zeeeee, I'm fiiiiine!" Syn whined out softly, clutching his bottle close to his chest like a baby refusing to hand over a toy, or a dog refusing to give back a tennis ball. It was scrawled all over that godly face of his that he was plastered, and no amount of him insisting he was sober would convince the younger man of anything other. Syn was clearly drunk.

"I'm not too convinced. You've already drank most of that bottle and you can barely sit up straight, let alone speak normally. Come on, I think it's best you went to bed. Matt will be back soon anyway," Zacky reasoned with him, placing his hand on the older male's shoulder. Syn, however, straight up refused, sloppily pushing Zacky's hand away and taking another swig from his bottle, a small giggle being emitted as he finished his mouthful.

Zacky sighed heavily and got up to his feet, standing in front of the elder guitarist with a disappointed frown. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest and shook his head at Brian, "Do I have to call Matt?"

It was as if Syn hadn't even heard the younger man, and he continued to enjoy his whiskey, making no eye contact with his bandmate at all.

"Ugh, you're such a pain in the ass... Give me that!" Zacky ordered, snatching the bottle away from Syn's tattooed hands, some of the liquid spilling onto his shirt as it was swiped from his lips. Synyster gasped in shock and stared up at Zacky, his eyes displaying an array of emotions - Surprise, sadness and a hint of anger.

"Zaaaaack!" He cried out, making grabby hands for his bottle, sitting up as much as he could and reaching out as if his life depended on it. Zacky simply held the bottle above his head, knowing that there was no way Brian would be able to stand steady long enough to grab it from him. But of course, this was Synyster Fucking Gates. He wasn't going to let his drunken state stop him from trying.

Slowly, the drunk pushed himself up from he couch, taking a few moments to stabilise himself on the arm of said couch. Zacky watched with his head cocked to the side and an eyebrow raised, somewhat impressed at how he was going. Then, Syn slowly stumbled over to his bandmate and reached out for the bottle raised above Zacky's head. The younger man swiped it out of Syn's reach and to his other hand. He didn't realise that, upon missing, Syn would lose his balance and fall directly on top of Zacky, sending them both crashing to the floor with a loud THUD. The bottle in Zacky's hand slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground, landing an arm's length away and, amazingly, surviving the ordeal.

"Ugh... Fuckin' hell, Gates..." Zacky groaned and winced in pain, his head slowly raising from the floor after a moment to look at the older man, "D'you mind not fallin' on me?"

"Naaaahh.... I think I fell for youuuu!" He giggled in response, the younger male's eyes widening slightly. Well, that was unexpected. Maybe he was just joking around, he hoped.

"Awh, well thank you Gates, but in all seriousness, we know you're gonna be stuck with Shads for a long time. I wouldn't start fallin' for me now." Zacky laughed lightly, his arms shifting to try and heave Synyster off of his body.

He wouldn't move. Syn was gripping Zacky's shirt in a desperate attempt to stay put. Damnit, why was he such a pain in the ass when drunk?!

"Dude, move please- You're squashin' me-!" He pleaded, pushing at Syn's chest. The older guitarist whined out loudly in protest, and his arms found their way around Zacky's neck.

"Zeeee!"

"What do you want, dude?!" He spat with a bit more anger than he had intended. Syn's face suddenly turned to panic, resulting in Zack instantly apologising to his best friend, "Sorry dude.. I know that was a bit harsh... What's up?"

Syn paused for a moment, his brain scrambling to form coherent thoughts, "Uhh... Couuuch?"

"Yeah, we've got a couch. What, you wanna sit down?"

Synyster nodded and Zacky let out somewhat of a relieved sigh, glad that the guitarist's weight would no longer be upon him. Thank fuck for that... He helped Syn to his feet, holding him steady as he stumbled about, arms flailing as he struggled to keep himself upright, and Zacky finally managed to guide him to the couch, where he flopped down with a lazy grin.

"Better, Haner?" The younger male asked.

"Uhmm... More. One thing...?" He responded, taking his time to figure out his words. Despite him unable to speak properly and in such a slurred tone, Zacky was able to make out most of his sentences. Then again, it wasn't like Zacky always ended up babysitting the drunken Synyster or anything...

"And what's that, buddy?"

The elder guitarist reached out for Zacky, gently tugging him down and onto his lap. Instantly, Zacky knew where this was headed - Brian, despite being completely out of it, had that sparkle of desire in his deep, chocolate pools. Zack hesitated to consider the situation. He could go ahead and fulfill their shared desires, risking being caught by Matt, or he could stop and put Syn to bed, hoping he'd go to sleep. Matt and Jimmy most likely wouldn't be home for another half an hour, and Syn was a stubborn bastard when it came to being told what to do, especially in his current state...

Fuck it. Why not take the situation by the horns?

Zack gave in to Brian's request and crawled over into his lap, arms sloppily being wrapped around him, locking Zee into his embrace. Their gazes fell on each other's eyes, admiring each other's, before they inched closer and closer until their lips connected.

---

"So dude, you really think he'll like what I got him?"

Matt and Jimmy took a slow, easy wander through the hotel lobby, having just arrived from their shopping trip. Each man had at least two bags of purchased goods hanging from their hands. They'd been out for quite some time, and as they took a stroll back to their rooms, they were very much looking forward to getting in and relaxing in those luxury, comfortable king-sized beds.

"Of course, Matt! It's perfect!" Jimmy exclaimed, turning his head towards the vocalist, "How could he not?!"

"I just..." He began with a mumble, but couldn't find the words to express his thoughts.

"You're not scared of him rejecting you are you, Shady?"

"I-I don't know... I mean, of course I'm scared, but- Ugh, it's so hard to explain..."

"Hey, take it easy buddy. You've still got plenty of time to think this over. We don't go home for our two week break until next week, so you're fine. Just take your time and don't overthink it. I'll always be here if you need me."

The vocalist gave an appreciative nod and then looked up at the taller man, "Jimmy, you're amazin' with relationship advice, y'know that? How come you've only just got Johnny now?"

Jimmy let out a soft chuckle and shook his head, "Dude, I'm shy as fuck... The only reason I was so confident was because I was told it was a joke and that it would be taken that way... I didn't expect Johnny to turn around and want it, and by that point, he'd captured my heart. Y'know?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. I mean, I've always had confidence, especially in high school."

"Of course, dude! You literally went in there and swooped him up, and he's been yours almost ever since!"

Matt gave the drummer a warm smile and a nod, his mind reflecting back on the day he and Brian had worked together in music class. The first day he realised he had actual feelings. Feelings hat didn't involve a burning fury and the deep desire to beat the shit out of people. Wow, that was ten years ago, he thought to himself.

"Yeah... I still can't believe I almost fucked it up forever..." Matt sighed quietly, glancing downwards towards the floor.

"Hey, come on. That was a drunken mistake and you and him fixed it."

"Jimmy, it took what, four years?"

"I know, but we were focusing on the band, remember? Besides, I think we were all a bit too wild for our own good. Given the circumstances with groupies and whatever, I'd say it was best you two weren't together at that time." Jimmy explained, reassuringly patting Matt's shoulder.

"Yeah, and then he turned around and fucked Zacky." Matt replied, his eyes narrowing simply at the thought.

"Oh... Well... I can't explain that one dude, I had no idea it even happened until like, two days after."

Matt shrugged and made his way up the elegant staircase and down the long, decorated hallways to their rooms. Matt placed his hand on the handle, and then he paused.

"Jimmy...?" He spoke quietly, looking up at the gentle giant beside him.

"Hmm?"

"I've got a strange feelin'..." He whispered. The Reverend cocked his head, before lowering his head to Matt's lips, "Somethin' doesn't feel right to me... It might just be me bein' silly or whatever, but y'know..."

"Go with your gut instincts, Shadows, they're there to tell you just that." Rev whispered back softly.

"Alright, We'll just stick the stuff in my room for now, I expect Syn will probably be asleep so just keep the noise down in case, yeah?"

The rev nodded, and the pair took a few extra steps to Matt's room, where they silently opened the door and crept inside. Upon realising the room was unoccupied, they relaxed and went about as usual.

"Look's like Syn and Zack either went out, or they're next door." Jimmy spoke as he placed his bags down by the bed post.

"You wanna go check? Again, we'll have to be dead quiet in case one of them's asleep."

"Yeah dude, let's go. Was I quiet enough a minute ago?" The drummer asked out of curiosity.

"You were absolutely fine," Matt smiled as they strolled out of the vocalist's room, closing the door behind them, "Just do exactly the same here."

The pair made the short walk to Jimmy's room and once again, they slowly and silently opened the door. Immediately, there were sounds that Matt hadn't heard previous to opening the door. Heavy breathing, murmuring... Breathy moaning?! Matt and Jimmy exchanged looks and the vocalist peeked his head around the door.

Inside, he spotted his guitarists, Syn on top of Zacky, their shirts discarded across the room and Syn's belt undone. Matt watched in horror as his drunken boyfriend's hands fiddled with Zack's belt, trying to work the simple mechanism and pry it open. All the while, their lips were connected, as if stuck with glue, and Zacky's hands roamed over Syn's body, taking in everything he could of his physique. Shadows could feel his blood boiling inside of his, fury rushing through his veins, fists clenched, eyes narrowed, an icy glare shooting towards the pair. Neither of them noticed the muscular man peeking in, for they were too busy indulging in their festivities.

The vocalist silently backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Jimmy could just feel the rage emitting from his best friend as he stood in front of him, motionless. Jimmy knew Matt had always had problems with his anger. This could very easily spiral out of control.

"That... That fucking bastard!" Matt snarled through gritted teeth, a vein in his neck becoming clearly visible as it pulsated underneath his skin, "I fucking knew it!"

"L-Look, let's just go back to your room... okay?" Jimmy suggested, becoming increasingly anxious over Matt's furious rage. Reluctantly, the vocalist agreed, and Jimmy escorted him back to his room, where he threw himself down onto the bed and burrowed his face into his hands. Jimmy quietly took his place beside Matt, large but delicate hands working to ease the tension within the younger man's back.

After 15 minutes had passed, Matt finally raised his head, his gaze falling on the drummer. Jimmy paused nervously, fearing Matt could lash out unexpectedly at any moment.

"Jim... I won't hurt you buddy.." He spoke softly, slowly turning around to face him, swinging his legs onto the mattress. Then, he sat upright and wrapped his decorated arms around his drummer, giving him a reassuring hug, "Thank you... That lil' massage really helped."

"Anytime dude... I just didn't want you to lash out or somethin'.."

"Hey, I wouldn't do that... Oh, and Jimmy?"

"Yeah?"

"You and Johnny.. You're gonna stay here tonight I'm guessing?" Matt asked, glancing over to the door that connected Matt's room to Jimmy's room. The drummer paused for a brief moment to consider, then he nodded, "Alright.. Well, if you let Johnny know to come here so we can explain everything... And would you mind if I stayed with you guys tonight?"

"Dude, of course we wouldn't mind. You're not gonna do anythin' and you're our best friend. Of course you can stay with us. I'll let Johnny know. There's just one thing I need to ask."

"Go ahead, I'm all ears." Matt nodded.

"How come you didn't interrupt those two...?"

The vocalist's gaze shifted around the room, a somewhat eerie expression spreading across his face. His eyes reconnected with Jimmy's, and he simply spoke,


"There's no point, Jim. I'm gonna handle this differently, when Brian's actually in his own head to understand a word I'm sayin' to him. And boy, he's gonna be kickin' himself tomorrow. Just you watch."

Notes

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed that chapter!
So, what do you guys think? What could Matt possibly be planning as revenge? Let me know what you think!
Thank you for reading and for all your support!