kitekat1 (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} kitekat1) wrote in ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} a7x_slashness,@ 2008-07-23 02:38:00 |
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Stand by me
Title: Stand by me
Author: Kitekat1
Pairing: Matt Sanders/Brian Haner
Rating: R
Disclaimer: This story is fiction and never happened. I don't own any of the characters.
Summary: Set months after the release of 'City of Evil', the lives of the Avenged members drastically change when one of their own has to deal with the consequences of a harsh stroke of fate. Nothing is the way it was before. Will things fall apart, or can something good come out of the new situation when unforeseen feelings evolve?
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 |
Thanks toxandressamalfoy for reading this over when my friend couldn't do it.
I apologize in advance if the part in the middle caused confusion, if you don't get something you're free to ask me!
Chapter 22
As quick as Brian’s birthday had passed them by, it was the beginning of August, and the day Matt turned twenty-six had come and gone again.
His party hadn’t been as sophisticated as Brian’s surprise party, which was hard to outdo, but it still turned out very well, and everyone had had a great time – almost everyone anyway.
There had been a few selected guests; Zacky, Jimmy and Johnny, some of the closest friends Matt had made in High School, roadies and technicians from tour; obviously Matt’s parents had been invited as well, and his sister Amy had come along, being at her parents’ during her semester break.
It had been a rather warm day, and since most of the guests were as athletic as Matt was, they had spontaneously decided to start a sports contest. It had been all about exercise, about who ran the fastest on the lawn; who won the swimming competition in Brian’s pool… They had even played basketball, with Brian’s permission taking out the base of a plastic bucket they had found in Brian’s garage. They had attached it to a wall to see who’d win a game in teams of five men and women.
Even Matt’s dad had joined the competition, and so it happened that Brian had sat at the side with Matt’s mother – who they had told about their relationship, been accepted with open arms and promptly invited to dinner – and two rather unathletic and slightly overweight friends.
Of course Brian had felt content to see Matt as happy as he was, because he knew that doing sports was something Matt loved, something he had done almost daily before he had moved in with Brian. As great as the fun time had been for all of them, Brian had been feeling down. The party had turned out to mess up his feelings. He hadn’t been able to participate in one single activity they were doing, and he had felt left out. If there only had been something he could have done…
Jimmy had joined him at one point. He had seen in his friend’s face that there had been a problem; and he had noticed the longing look in Brian’s eyes.
“Why don’t you play with us?” Jimmy had asked while plopping down on a chair at the side, in front of the porch.
“I can’t run from side to side, or jump up to dunk,” Brian had dryly said, “I can’t race anyone, and I can’t use my legs to swim either.”
“Yeah, true, you can’t. How about we talk about what you can do? There are plenty types of sports paraplegics can do.”
Brian had only looked at him and shrugged.
“You don’t have to take part in the Paralympics,” Jimmy had started again, “It’s just a proposition… I know you, and I see you’re antsy to do something. You could take the race onto the street and try and beat one of us there. You could play wheelchair basketball. You can swim by using your arms; you got the pool here after all. You could work out… There are so many things you are able to do, don’t hold yourself back by dwelling on what used to be.”
Brian had shrugged again, but fixed his gaze on Matt’s naked perfect upper body, and the way his leg muscles constricted and tensed up whenever he landed back on the ground after jumping for the ball, or halting abruptly and moving in another direction. His glance had wandered, resting on their friends’ perfect figure, their toned bodies and their strong leg muscles.
He had looked down at himself, glaring at the feeble musculature in his lower limbs. He hadn’t been able to see it through his long pants, but he knew they were there: frail thin legs, only skin and bones. With his spinal cord injured, no more impulses were led to his lower body parts, and the muscles that were supposed to protect the bones had retracted and wasted away.
Looking up again, Matt had been right in front of him, sweat running down his body freely, barely able to catch his breath from running around under the sun, but still up to pressing a kiss to the unprepared Brian.
“Hi pretty.”
The same evening, Brian had been rather quiet and lay in bed thinking, while Matt had been watching random shows on TV.
“Matt?”
“Yes?” Matt had replied, still looking at the screen in front of him.
“You’ve still got the membership for the gym, right? Do you think we can go there tomorrow together? I’d like to go…”
Matt had looked at the man next to him, who bit on his thumbnail, and nodded. “Yeah, of course we can go.”
Entering the building, the air immediately gave away what business the house was harboring. A faint smell of sweat lingered in the air, whitewashed by a cool breeze coming from the room ventilation and a subtle touch of lemon refreshing.
They approached the main desk in the middle of the foyer, and Matt, who had gotten his wallet from his gym bag, pulled out his membership card and handed it to the young athletic man sitting in front of a computer.
“Hey man, long time no see,” he said as he scanned the barcode on Matt’s card and gave it back to the singer with a smile.
“Yeah,” Matt nodded and packed it back into his wallet, stowing it away, “I had a lot of things going on lately, I didn’t have much time left to do other things…”
“Did you have stressful times?” The employee asked from behind his desk.
“Something like it,” Matt replied, and without attracting the man’s attention he took Brian’s hand in his, squeezing it lightly. “My friend Brian here came along today, he hasn’t been here before and wants to check out how working out is going for him. Is that okay?”
“Yeah sure, he can do a trial lesson for free, and then decide if he wants a membership or not,” the man nodded and smiled at Brian.
“So the wheelchair is not a problem?” Brian made sure.
“It’s not a problem at all. The whole building is accessible for wheelchairs, the locker room too; and there’s a toilet with handles. You can shower too, there’s one seat attached to the wall. When you see stairs leading up or down anywhere, there’s a ramp nearby too. You look pretty fit, but in case you need help one of the gym instructors can assist you. And I guess there’s still Matt here. For now, just get upstairs into the locker room, get changed, and when you’re done one of my colleagues will show you our equipment.”
“Thanks,” Brian smiled and turned to the side, following Matt who had begun to lead the way.
With ease, the singer hopped up the three stairs leading from the foyer to the next area with the equipment and changing area; and when Brian had wheeled himself up on the steep ramp, he led the way and held the door open, so Brian could get in easily.
It really was a big locker room. One wall was completely covered by lockers, and to the sides were benches leaning against the wall.
“I’m getting changed here,” Matt said and set his black gym bag onto a bench to his right, and opened the zip. He got out a pair of sports shoes, sports shorts and a wide comfortable shirt.
“Over there behind the door are the showers. If you approach that room and then turn to the left, you’ll see a cabin you can get changed in. I’ll wait for you in here, alright?”
“Okay,” Brian nodded and went on, turning like Matt had said, and spotted the dark green door with a big wheelchair painted across.
Changing was something that came very easily to him now, so he undressed his street clothes and pulled on the sports clothes he had been carrying in the bag on his lap in no time, joining Matt outside and locking his belongings in the locker next to Matt’s.
When they entered the area with the working-out equipment, the owner and manager of the gym, Dan, approached them and gave Matt a hug.
“I haven’t seen you in a long time! I already thought you switched the gym,” Dan said and winked at the singer.
Matt laughed loudly, “No I wouldn’t. It’s nice to see you too.”
“Hey there, Brian right?” The bodybuilder asked to make sure he got the right name, “Okay, I’m Dan. Do you two want to exercise?”
Brian nodded, “I mostly want to build up some muscles.”
“We can definitely help you with that,” Dan smiled. “We got a few machines here that physiotherapists use in rehab centers. You probably must know a couple.”
“I wasn’t at a rehab center. I had physiotherapy in the hospital, and then after I was released occupational therapy at a local therapist’s,” Brian said, saying he did some of the physiotherapy exercises in bed or in the hospital’s gym.
“My suggestion is that we do some warming up first, and then I can explain the machines to you that would be useful for you and your situation. I can also give you tips so you’d be able to use the other machines too, if you wanted that. And of course you get to do actual exercises on it. If that’s okay, let’s start then,” he waited until Brian had agreed, and then walked over to a corner where mats were placed on the ground.
“It’s best if you lay down,” Dan said, and patiently waited until Brian had secured his brakes and gotten out of the wheelchair, sitting on the ground with his legs outstretched.
“Can I ask what level of injury you’ve got?”
“Yeah, uh… I’m an L1 complete,” Brian replied, stating that his injury had happened at the first lumbar vertebrae, with no feeling or muscle movement below that level.
“I’ll help you stretching your legs, then. Though you don’t feel it, it’s still important to stretch and warm-up the muscles.”
Brian laid flat down onto the ground, and looked up at Matt, who was on one knee, stretching his thigh next to him.
The bodybuilder grasped Brian’s right leg and bent it, telling Brian to hold onto his thigh and pull it towards him. He then put Brian’s shoe-clad foot against his stomach and leaned forward, the two of them holding it in place for a good half minute. Then they did the same to Brian’s left leg, as Matt was intently watching. Lastly to that exercise, Dan put both feet against his chest, and leant forward, bending both legs at the same time and pressing forward as far as Brian’s muscles allowed the process.
Next, Dan put his hands around Brian’s right knee and shoe, bent the lower leg, and pushed the entire limb to the side, so his waist lifted off the ground slightly and his right thigh was resting in the air over the left leg.
The last warming-up movement they’d do were hamstring curls, one task he had done in physiotherapy and the task he hated the most – he had to lie flat on his stomach. Since he couldn’t feel what was done, and couldn’t see it from his position either, it had left him with an uncomfortable feeling. The bodybuilder told him what he was doing though, and Brian felt safe in knowing that Matt was in reach.
Dan had pushed up Brian’s long pants slightly, slipped his hand underneath the fabric and rested it a few inches above the hollow of his knee. He squeezed the muscle in short intervals, while his other hand that was wrapped around his shoe-clad foot again steadily bent his leg and brought the lower leg up, until it couldn’t get any closer to his thigh.
“How do you know this stuff?” Brian asked when he turned around again after the exercise was over; pushing himself back up into the wheelchair.
“My brother was left paraplegic after an accident too. He had physio for a while, but afterwards it was kind of hard for him to find a place to go to and continue working out. That’s one reason why we have a lot of equipment here that’s also suited for paraplegics. At the weekend we’ve even got therapists using our rooms, so I guess we’re specialized in these things,” the man said and smiled at Brian encouragingly, then walked over to the first machine at the side.
While Brian was transferring from his wheelchair to the seat of it, Matt used the apparatus at his side. He adjusted the weights behind it, and then sat down on a bench, put his feet underneath a bar, and pulled up the weights attached to it with his feet and his muscle strength alone.
Brian knelt on a seat, and had Dan standing behind him in case his waist was to slip to the side and cause his legs to slide to the ground. Brian’s hands were wrapped around two handles above him, and pulled at it. Instead of pulling the weights up however, the seat easily lifted up, and so Brian used his arms to pull up his entire weight. It was a hard task, but he knew that if he repeated it regularly, he’d have some strong muscles in his arms later on.
“That was very good, Brian,” Dan praised and pushed the wheelchair up behind the seat, so Brian could sit back down.
“Look at what Matt’s doing,” he continued when he had Brian’s attention. “You could use that machine as well, only you’d sit on the ground and put your hands palm up onto the bar. It’s also an exercise for your biceps.”
The next training was something Brian was only allowed to do if he had a partner with him, someone that supervised it and would support him. Seeing as Matt had experience with that apparatus already, and as Dan was giving Brian a full tour of the gym, he had decided to go into the adjoined room and use the treadmill until Brian was done.
Brian was secured to a board that healthy gym members usually used to train their legs. They stood or half-laid on it, and had to push up the movable part of it, while the board itself was pulled down by its weight. Since the muscles in Brian’s legs were not working, he couldn’t just stand on it.
Dan got out a broad Velcro strap from underneath the device and let Brian attach it to his waist, and put another one around the disabled man’s stomach. He brought up a small stool and sat down on it across from Brian. He put his own feet on the bottom of the board and pushed against it, to control its weight and to keep it from seriously injuring Brian.
Brian didn’t feel too much of the exercise, but when he looked down at himself, he saw that his legs were trembling, as they supported his entire weight after so long. It was weird to have his body fully stretched out in a semi-standing position. He felt the change immediately and breathing was easier. Not that he’d had a problem with it before, but since his accident he’d only been sitting or lying down completely. Now his diaphragm got to move freely, it was a great feeling.
A feeling Brian might have appreciated more if he hadn’t been as tired from working out. He hadn’t done as much as Matt, but considering his condition he had given more than one hundred percent.
By the time Matt got back from the treadmill, all sweaty, Brian was tired and almost ready to go home. But apart from the tiredness, he felt something that no one would be able to take away from him: pride. He had accomplished working out, doing something to stay in shape, and to build up the muscles he had missed.
To that effect, he was tiredly smiling at his boyfriend.
“Were you successful so far?” Matt asked, returning a friendly expression and wiping away some of the sweat in his face with the towel he had brought along.
“Oh yeah, it went pretty good. I did a couple of exercises, even for my legs too.”
“That’s awesome,” Matt nodded appreciatively, “I’m almost done here. Do you wanna get home now, or can I do some bench pressing before we leave?”
“No, go do your bench pressing. Can I watch?”
“Sure!”
And watch Brian did. He waited at the side, patiently regarding his boyfriend and how he stemmed up an impressive weight, increasing what was on the bar, but still dissatisfied because he hadn’t done it in too long and needed to start again slowly, with rather low weights.
“Do you want to push up some weights too, Brian?” Matt asked as Dan above him helped him put the bar in its holder.
Brian sucked his lower lip into his mouth before releasing it a split second later, “Well I’d like to try, but you gotta take some of the weight away. I’m not as buff as you.”
While Dan reduced the weights on the bar, Matt helped Brian onto the bench, moving his legs in the right position so Brian could lie down already. Then, Matt took Dan’s position at Brian’s head, ready to catch it or take over if Brian couldn’t do it anymore.
Brian was strong though, and he pressed the handle up fifteen times before he had Matt put the weights back into the holder.
Matt went to the side and gave Brian his hand, and pulled him into a sitting situation. He was about to get the wheelchair closer to the bench, when a group of men their age entered the weightlifting area and approached Matt immediately.
“Hey man!” One said and gave Matt an all manly handshake, “Where have you been? We didn’t see you in ages!”
“Yeah, I haven’t been here for a long time,” The singer nodded, “I’ve been… busy with life and couldn’t really go out.”
It was then that Brian guiltily realized Matt had given up most of his own life to be with him. That included not only his apartment and the environment he had lived in before; but also his daily habits, his privacy, and his friends.
“Do you wanna go out for a drink tonight? We’re meeting with the gang in a couple of hours, you know, at a bar, drink a couple of beers, and see what we can do with the ladies there…” The man proposed.
Matt was about to say yes, but then looked at Brian for a short moment. He remembered that they had planned on going out for a walk in the evening, or maybe watch a movie, depending on how tired they’d feel after an afternoon filled with doing sports.
“No, I can’t… I’m busy tonight, sorry,” Matt apologized and shrugged, “Maybe another day, alright?”
“You gotta know,” his friend said, “But in case you change your mind, call me on my cell phone.”
The singer smiled and shook his head, “It won’t happen, but thanks anyway.”
“Shame… Well, it can’t be helped then.”
“Yeah, sorry,” Matt patted the man’s shoulder roughly, and then nodded to the others, “So you guys have a nice time tonight and with working out. The bench is free now, we were about to go home.”
“Alright, see you!”
Matt focused his attention back on Brian and pulled the wheelchair closer, handed Brian a hand and patiently waited until he sat comfortable, with his feet up on the footrest.
“Shit man, what happened?” One of the guys piped up.
“Motorbike accident,” Brian muttered and brusquely pushed Matt’s hand aside, not looking at anyone but the way in front of him that led to the dressing room, “We need to leave.”
“Sorry dude, you were in his band, right? Oh I remember that, it was all over the news… Well, maybe talk to you another day, bye.”
Brian nodded curtly and wheeled himself forward, abandoning his bottle of water next to the bench, and quickly spinning out of the area.
Matt looked after him, then back to the other men, and shrugged. He bent down to pick up both his bottle and Brian’s, and walked out of the area as well, following Brian into the locker room, where he found Brian fumbling with his key and practically ripping open the door.
“Are you okay?” He asked, not sure what was wrong this time.
“Oh yeah, I’m fine. I just need to get home. I need to get a shower really fast,” Brian said and packed everything he had put inside his locker onto his lap, and then turned to the side to approach the cubicle he had gotten changed inside before.
“There are showers here too…” Matt objected, though he knew Brian would probably never use them.
“I’d rather do it at home,” Brian confirmed Matt’s thought, and got himself over to where he’d change.
“Okay… Wait for me when you’re done, though, cause I’m showering here,” Matt said through the closed door, already undressing. With a towel and showering gel, he walked into the adjoined room.
When both were done, they met again in front of their lockers, Brian smiling at Matt sheepishly.
“I’m incredibly proud of you, Brian,” Matt mumbled into Brian’s hair, for he had put his lips to the man’s head. “What you did today was amazing; I don’t think I would have had such a strong stamina.”
“I think you would have had,” Brian replied, but grinned happily nonetheless. He would definitely come back to the gym more often. Training had been good, both for his body, as well as for his mind.
When they came home, Matt had changed into more comfortable clothes, and Brian had taken a shower. Then, they had gotten cozy in the living room, listening to quiet music in the background, as Brian read a book and Matt flipped through a magazine.
Brian sighed and set down his book on his lap.
“Matt, can you listen to me for a minute?”
Matt looked up, surprise edged on his features, as he put the magazine aside and looked at Brian, not knowing what could have possibly caused his tone of voice.
“I’d like to have some time alone at home,” Brian said, looking directly at Matt, his eyes seeking those of his boyfriend. “It’s nothing against you, I love your company, but I want some time on my own.”
“Is it something I did?” Matt asked, his voice betraying a soft note of hurt.
“No, please don’t think that. If something were wrong, I really would talk to you about it. I just want one evening to myself… I haven’t been alone in my house for months because there was always someone with me. Yeah I know, you went out for a run or to get groceries, but it’s not the same to be an entire evening by myself.”
Matt bit on his bottom lip, slightly chewed on it with his front teeth, and then cocked his head to the side slightly. “Would you like me out of here tonight already?”
“It’s not about you being out of here… it’s about me being alone here for once… but apart from that, you can choose. It doesn’t have to be tonight, you know? Just… soon. I’d feel bad to send you away and you doing whatever to get the evening to get over fast.”
“But it could be tonight already. Is it okay if I call my friends from the gym and go out with them?” Matt asked, a little insecure.
“Yeah, of course, you don’t have to ask me first,” Brian smiled encouragingly, and watched satisfied how Matt got out his cell phone.
He listened to both what Matt said, and what the man on the phone replied – talking loud enough for him to hear. Apparently, it would work out, Matt getting to leave with them.
“So you’re gonna pick me up… when?” Matt wanted to know and checked his watch, his eyes widening. “Alright, I’ll wait outside.”
“They’re picking me up in fifteen minutes,” Matt said after he had recited Brian’s address and turned off his phone.
“You better hurry then,” Brian laughed; eying his boyfriend’s wrinkled tracksuit pants and his dark brown shirt with an amused grin.
“Psh, I don’t look that bad,” Matt said, but raced up the stairs anyway, to come down into the living room styled, refreshed, and with new clothes ten minutes later.
“You look good,” Brian said honestly. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Matt getting ready for a night in a bar or a club, it had been too long. Maybe one of their other three best friends had been out, Brian didn’t know. But never Matt, who had always been with him, in comfortable and rather untypical clothes for a rock star, or just regular jeans.
“Thanks,” Matt nodded appreciatively and went up to the couch, giving Brian a tight hug. “Have fun with whatever you’re doing…”
“I might,” Brian winked and then cupped the side of Matt’s jaw with his hand, tilting his head and kissing him on the mouth, “you too, enjoy your night without having anyone to watch out for.”
The singer ignored that part of the comment, and pressed a last peck to Brian’s cheek before getting up and heading for the door, knowing the ones to pick him up would be there any moment.
“I really don’t know when I’ll be back, no idea what exactly the guys have planned, but in case it gets late and you’re asleep, I’ll be quiet. Love you,” Matt said and went, smiling at hearing Brian say the words in return.
Once the front door closed, and Brian knew Matt really had left, he put aside the book he had picked up at one point and stretched out on his couch.
All of a sudden, he felt alone in his big house. He felt lonely, and didn’t like that feeling. Of course, the thing about wanting to be alone for once had been bogus. Curling up with Matt on the couch or the bed, spending a lazy evening, or watching a movie was one of the things he found to enjoy the most. But he knew that Matt would have never left on his own if it hadn’t been for Brian telling him that little lie. There was a life outside this house, Brian had fully come to realize that today, and it was time for Matt to get out with people again. It was time to get out without Brian by his side all the time, and without having to give him all his attention instead of spending a few carefree hours with others.
And, as scary as it seemed to be like for him now, Brian knew it was time for him to spend some time alone in his house. Being with Matt was nice, but Brian had to prove it to himself he was able to get along on his own. He had no plans to break up with his boyfriend, but he couldn’t always rely on others to be there. He had to be able to spend a few hours by himself, just to know he could do it.
And so he started his evening, cleaning up the kitchen and living room as well as he could, before getting himself out onto the back porch, looking into his garden and the pool. It was weird. He really had become attached to Matt in the months he had been living with him, and gotten ever closer since Brian had asked Matt to move into his bedroom. He hadn’t officially asked him, but since almost all of Matt’s belonging – apart from his furniture – were inside Brian’s house, and the two now shared the same bed, Matt had unofficially moved in, to stay for good. He still had his own apartment, but aside from needing to collect his mail, nothing kept the singer where he used to live. In fact, he’d probably sell it soon and notify everyone that had to know about the change in address.
Brian went inside, got himself upstairs and into the bathroom. He undressed completely to take care of his body care. It was the same procedure as every evening: Undressing, washing himself, feeling over his entire lower body half with his hands to detect possible skin irritations or open sores, and applying moisturizing cream to protect his sensitive skin from drying out. Then, he got dressed again, this time into his pajama pants, leaving his upper body bare.
Inside his bedroom, he got onto his bed and got comfortable on his blanket and his pillow. Already having put ‘Point Break’ into the DVD player before Matt and he had even left the house to go to the gym, he now decided to watch it alone, it being one of his favorite movies.
He quickly grew tired though, as an exhausting day lay behind him. After he had flipped through a catalogue with the latest items – technical and clothing – for people with special needs, he decided to call it a day.
It was approaching midnight when he turned off the TV and closed the blinds, finally crawling underneath the covers to his bed. Something was missing, though. He missed Matt’s warmth next to him, or the way they cuddled against each other every night. He missed Matt’s breathing, even the soft grunts the singer emitted before he fell asleep. Brian fell asleep after a long time, holding Matt’s pillow close to his chest.
He was only woken up hours later, hearing heavy footsteps stomping up the stairs. Momentarily confused, he craned his head to the side, checking for the time: Three forty-five in the morning. He then looked to the other side, realizing Matt hadn’t come home yet – until now anyway.
A second later, the bedroom door opened up and the lamp was switched on, blinding Brian and making him wince and squint against the harsh light.
He saw Matt held up by two of the friends he had spoken to at the gym. Matt’s hair was disheveled, and it was obvious he was drunk, barely able to stand on his own. His companions looked at Brian startled.
“Sorry man, we thought this was Matt’s room. He said he slept here…”
Matt grinned at him, clumsily lifted up one arm and waved, uttering something that sounded close to an ecstatic “Hey!”
The men went to get Matt from the room already, turning to the side and tugging at Matt’s arms, when Brian stopped them.
“No, wait… He’s right… This is his bed too,” Brian admitted.
He felt uncomfortable, because now the men were eying him curiously. Their glances roamed over the double bed and rested on Brian’s naked upper body, then flickering over to Matt who tried to walk forward, ending up stumbling and having to be held closer in their grip, heading to get to the bed. They took in the situation, and finally their eyes showed understanding that the two were a couple, and that Matt had in fact showed them his room.
They helped Matt over to the bed, and sat him down onto the bed, looking over to Brian.
“He had many shots of alcohol mixed together,” They said and commented on the way Matt smelled like he had showered in alcohol. “It shouldn’t be a problem. Once he slept it off all that’s left will be a headache. Sorry we woke you up…”
“It’s okay,” Brian said, though it was not okay at all. “Thanks for bringing him home.”
The two turned out the lights and closed the door quietly behind them, leaving the drunken Matt for Brian to handle.
Fully dressed, Matt had already stretched out on the bed and nuzzled his head into his pillow, getting comfortable.
“Have you had a nice time?” Brian asked with a hearty yawn, as he pulled up the blanket a little higher, still feeling weird about the fact that two strangers had just seen him in his condition, vulnerable on the bed.
“It was alright,” Matt slurred, “But I missed you. It would have been cooler if you had been there too.”
Brian smiled, and heard the distinct noise of the front door closing and a little later a car pulling out of his driveway.
“I missed you too,” Brian lay back down and gave Matt a kiss on the cheek, finding that he was asleep and breathing loudly through his opened mouth; and putting his head on Matt’s forearm, he fell asleep as well.
Title: Stand by me
Author: Kitekat1
Pairing: Matt Sanders/Brian Haner
Rating: R
Disclaimer: This story is fiction and never happened. I don't own any of the characters.
Summary: Set months after the release of 'City of Evil', the lives of the Avenged members drastically change when one of their own has to deal with the consequences of a harsh stroke of fate. Nothing is the way it was before. Will things fall apart, or can something good come out of the new situation when unforeseen feelings evolve?
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 |
Thanks to
xandressamalfoy for reading this over when my friend couldn't do it.I apologize in advance if the part in the middle caused confusion, if you don't get something you're free to ask me!
Chapter 22
As quick as Brian’s birthday had passed them by, it was the beginning of August, and the day Matt turned twenty-six had come and gone again.
His party hadn’t been as sophisticated as Brian’s surprise party, which was hard to outdo, but it still turned out very well, and everyone had had a great time – almost everyone anyway.
There had been a few selected guests; Zacky, Jimmy and Johnny, some of the closest friends Matt had made in High School, roadies and technicians from tour; obviously Matt’s parents had been invited as well, and his sister Amy had come along, being at her parents’ during her semester break.
It had been a rather warm day, and since most of the guests were as athletic as Matt was, they had spontaneously decided to start a sports contest. It had been all about exercise, about who ran the fastest on the lawn; who won the swimming competition in Brian’s pool… They had even played basketball, with Brian’s permission taking out the base of a plastic bucket they had found in Brian’s garage. They had attached it to a wall to see who’d win a game in teams of five men and women.
Even Matt’s dad had joined the competition, and so it happened that Brian had sat at the side with Matt’s mother – who they had told about their relationship, been accepted with open arms and promptly invited to dinner – and two rather unathletic and slightly overweight friends.
Of course Brian had felt content to see Matt as happy as he was, because he knew that doing sports was something Matt loved, something he had done almost daily before he had moved in with Brian. As great as the fun time had been for all of them, Brian had been feeling down. The party had turned out to mess up his feelings. He hadn’t been able to participate in one single activity they were doing, and he had felt left out. If there only had been something he could have done…
Jimmy had joined him at one point. He had seen in his friend’s face that there had been a problem; and he had noticed the longing look in Brian’s eyes.
“Why don’t you play with us?” Jimmy had asked while plopping down on a chair at the side, in front of the porch.
“I can’t run from side to side, or jump up to dunk,” Brian had dryly said, “I can’t race anyone, and I can’t use my legs to swim either.”
“Yeah, true, you can’t. How about we talk about what you can do? There are plenty types of sports paraplegics can do.”
Brian had only looked at him and shrugged.
“You don’t have to take part in the Paralympics,” Jimmy had started again, “It’s just a proposition… I know you, and I see you’re antsy to do something. You could take the race onto the street and try and beat one of us there. You could play wheelchair basketball. You can swim by using your arms; you got the pool here after all. You could work out… There are so many things you are able to do, don’t hold yourself back by dwelling on what used to be.”
Brian had shrugged again, but fixed his gaze on Matt’s naked perfect upper body, and the way his leg muscles constricted and tensed up whenever he landed back on the ground after jumping for the ball, or halting abruptly and moving in another direction. His glance had wandered, resting on their friends’ perfect figure, their toned bodies and their strong leg muscles.
He had looked down at himself, glaring at the feeble musculature in his lower limbs. He hadn’t been able to see it through his long pants, but he knew they were there: frail thin legs, only skin and bones. With his spinal cord injured, no more impulses were led to his lower body parts, and the muscles that were supposed to protect the bones had retracted and wasted away.
Looking up again, Matt had been right in front of him, sweat running down his body freely, barely able to catch his breath from running around under the sun, but still up to pressing a kiss to the unprepared Brian.
“Hi pretty.”
The same evening, Brian had been rather quiet and lay in bed thinking, while Matt had been watching random shows on TV.
“Matt?”
“Yes?” Matt had replied, still looking at the screen in front of him.
“You’ve still got the membership for the gym, right? Do you think we can go there tomorrow together? I’d like to go…”
Matt had looked at the man next to him, who bit on his thumbnail, and nodded. “Yeah, of course we can go.”
Entering the building, the air immediately gave away what business the house was harboring. A faint smell of sweat lingered in the air, whitewashed by a cool breeze coming from the room ventilation and a subtle touch of lemon refreshing.
They approached the main desk in the middle of the foyer, and Matt, who had gotten his wallet from his gym bag, pulled out his membership card and handed it to the young athletic man sitting in front of a computer.
“Hey man, long time no see,” he said as he scanned the barcode on Matt’s card and gave it back to the singer with a smile.
“Yeah,” Matt nodded and packed it back into his wallet, stowing it away, “I had a lot of things going on lately, I didn’t have much time left to do other things…”
“Did you have stressful times?” The employee asked from behind his desk.
“Something like it,” Matt replied, and without attracting the man’s attention he took Brian’s hand in his, squeezing it lightly. “My friend Brian here came along today, he hasn’t been here before and wants to check out how working out is going for him. Is that okay?”
“Yeah sure, he can do a trial lesson for free, and then decide if he wants a membership or not,” the man nodded and smiled at Brian.
“So the wheelchair is not a problem?” Brian made sure.
“It’s not a problem at all. The whole building is accessible for wheelchairs, the locker room too; and there’s a toilet with handles. You can shower too, there’s one seat attached to the wall. When you see stairs leading up or down anywhere, there’s a ramp nearby too. You look pretty fit, but in case you need help one of the gym instructors can assist you. And I guess there’s still Matt here. For now, just get upstairs into the locker room, get changed, and when you’re done one of my colleagues will show you our equipment.”
“Thanks,” Brian smiled and turned to the side, following Matt who had begun to lead the way.
With ease, the singer hopped up the three stairs leading from the foyer to the next area with the equipment and changing area; and when Brian had wheeled himself up on the steep ramp, he led the way and held the door open, so Brian could get in easily.
It really was a big locker room. One wall was completely covered by lockers, and to the sides were benches leaning against the wall.
“I’m getting changed here,” Matt said and set his black gym bag onto a bench to his right, and opened the zip. He got out a pair of sports shoes, sports shorts and a wide comfortable shirt.
“Over there behind the door are the showers. If you approach that room and then turn to the left, you’ll see a cabin you can get changed in. I’ll wait for you in here, alright?”
“Okay,” Brian nodded and went on, turning like Matt had said, and spotted the dark green door with a big wheelchair painted across.
Changing was something that came very easily to him now, so he undressed his street clothes and pulled on the sports clothes he had been carrying in the bag on his lap in no time, joining Matt outside and locking his belongings in the locker next to Matt’s.
When they entered the area with the working-out equipment, the owner and manager of the gym, Dan, approached them and gave Matt a hug.
“I haven’t seen you in a long time! I already thought you switched the gym,” Dan said and winked at the singer.
Matt laughed loudly, “No I wouldn’t. It’s nice to see you too.”
“Hey there, Brian right?” The bodybuilder asked to make sure he got the right name, “Okay, I’m Dan. Do you two want to exercise?”
Brian nodded, “I mostly want to build up some muscles.”
“We can definitely help you with that,” Dan smiled. “We got a few machines here that physiotherapists use in rehab centers. You probably must know a couple.”
“I wasn’t at a rehab center. I had physiotherapy in the hospital, and then after I was released occupational therapy at a local therapist’s,” Brian said, saying he did some of the physiotherapy exercises in bed or in the hospital’s gym.
“My suggestion is that we do some warming up first, and then I can explain the machines to you that would be useful for you and your situation. I can also give you tips so you’d be able to use the other machines too, if you wanted that. And of course you get to do actual exercises on it. If that’s okay, let’s start then,” he waited until Brian had agreed, and then walked over to a corner where mats were placed on the ground.
“It’s best if you lay down,” Dan said, and patiently waited until Brian had secured his brakes and gotten out of the wheelchair, sitting on the ground with his legs outstretched.
“Can I ask what level of injury you’ve got?”
“Yeah, uh… I’m an L1 complete,” Brian replied, stating that his injury had happened at the first lumbar vertebrae, with no feeling or muscle movement below that level.
“I’ll help you stretching your legs, then. Though you don’t feel it, it’s still important to stretch and warm-up the muscles.”
Brian laid flat down onto the ground, and looked up at Matt, who was on one knee, stretching his thigh next to him.
The bodybuilder grasped Brian’s right leg and bent it, telling Brian to hold onto his thigh and pull it towards him. He then put Brian’s shoe-clad foot against his stomach and leaned forward, the two of them holding it in place for a good half minute. Then they did the same to Brian’s left leg, as Matt was intently watching. Lastly to that exercise, Dan put both feet against his chest, and leant forward, bending both legs at the same time and pressing forward as far as Brian’s muscles allowed the process.
Next, Dan put his hands around Brian’s right knee and shoe, bent the lower leg, and pushed the entire limb to the side, so his waist lifted off the ground slightly and his right thigh was resting in the air over the left leg.
The last warming-up movement they’d do were hamstring curls, one task he had done in physiotherapy and the task he hated the most – he had to lie flat on his stomach. Since he couldn’t feel what was done, and couldn’t see it from his position either, it had left him with an uncomfortable feeling. The bodybuilder told him what he was doing though, and Brian felt safe in knowing that Matt was in reach.
Dan had pushed up Brian’s long pants slightly, slipped his hand underneath the fabric and rested it a few inches above the hollow of his knee. He squeezed the muscle in short intervals, while his other hand that was wrapped around his shoe-clad foot again steadily bent his leg and brought the lower leg up, until it couldn’t get any closer to his thigh.
“How do you know this stuff?” Brian asked when he turned around again after the exercise was over; pushing himself back up into the wheelchair.
“My brother was left paraplegic after an accident too. He had physio for a while, but afterwards it was kind of hard for him to find a place to go to and continue working out. That’s one reason why we have a lot of equipment here that’s also suited for paraplegics. At the weekend we’ve even got therapists using our rooms, so I guess we’re specialized in these things,” the man said and smiled at Brian encouragingly, then walked over to the first machine at the side.
While Brian was transferring from his wheelchair to the seat of it, Matt used the apparatus at his side. He adjusted the weights behind it, and then sat down on a bench, put his feet underneath a bar, and pulled up the weights attached to it with his feet and his muscle strength alone.
Brian knelt on a seat, and had Dan standing behind him in case his waist was to slip to the side and cause his legs to slide to the ground. Brian’s hands were wrapped around two handles above him, and pulled at it. Instead of pulling the weights up however, the seat easily lifted up, and so Brian used his arms to pull up his entire weight. It was a hard task, but he knew that if he repeated it regularly, he’d have some strong muscles in his arms later on.
“That was very good, Brian,” Dan praised and pushed the wheelchair up behind the seat, so Brian could sit back down.
“Look at what Matt’s doing,” he continued when he had Brian’s attention. “You could use that machine as well, only you’d sit on the ground and put your hands palm up onto the bar. It’s also an exercise for your biceps.”
The next training was something Brian was only allowed to do if he had a partner with him, someone that supervised it and would support him. Seeing as Matt had experience with that apparatus already, and as Dan was giving Brian a full tour of the gym, he had decided to go into the adjoined room and use the treadmill until Brian was done.
Brian was secured to a board that healthy gym members usually used to train their legs. They stood or half-laid on it, and had to push up the movable part of it, while the board itself was pulled down by its weight. Since the muscles in Brian’s legs were not working, he couldn’t just stand on it.
Dan got out a broad Velcro strap from underneath the device and let Brian attach it to his waist, and put another one around the disabled man’s stomach. He brought up a small stool and sat down on it across from Brian. He put his own feet on the bottom of the board and pushed against it, to control its weight and to keep it from seriously injuring Brian.
Brian didn’t feel too much of the exercise, but when he looked down at himself, he saw that his legs were trembling, as they supported his entire weight after so long. It was weird to have his body fully stretched out in a semi-standing position. He felt the change immediately and breathing was easier. Not that he’d had a problem with it before, but since his accident he’d only been sitting or lying down completely. Now his diaphragm got to move freely, it was a great feeling.
A feeling Brian might have appreciated more if he hadn’t been as tired from working out. He hadn’t done as much as Matt, but considering his condition he had given more than one hundred percent.
By the time Matt got back from the treadmill, all sweaty, Brian was tired and almost ready to go home. But apart from the tiredness, he felt something that no one would be able to take away from him: pride. He had accomplished working out, doing something to stay in shape, and to build up the muscles he had missed.
To that effect, he was tiredly smiling at his boyfriend.
“Were you successful so far?” Matt asked, returning a friendly expression and wiping away some of the sweat in his face with the towel he had brought along.
“Oh yeah, it went pretty good. I did a couple of exercises, even for my legs too.”
“That’s awesome,” Matt nodded appreciatively, “I’m almost done here. Do you wanna get home now, or can I do some bench pressing before we leave?”
“No, go do your bench pressing. Can I watch?”
“Sure!”
And watch Brian did. He waited at the side, patiently regarding his boyfriend and how he stemmed up an impressive weight, increasing what was on the bar, but still dissatisfied because he hadn’t done it in too long and needed to start again slowly, with rather low weights.
“Do you want to push up some weights too, Brian?” Matt asked as Dan above him helped him put the bar in its holder.
Brian sucked his lower lip into his mouth before releasing it a split second later, “Well I’d like to try, but you gotta take some of the weight away. I’m not as buff as you.”
While Dan reduced the weights on the bar, Matt helped Brian onto the bench, moving his legs in the right position so Brian could lie down already. Then, Matt took Dan’s position at Brian’s head, ready to catch it or take over if Brian couldn’t do it anymore.
Brian was strong though, and he pressed the handle up fifteen times before he had Matt put the weights back into the holder.
Matt went to the side and gave Brian his hand, and pulled him into a sitting situation. He was about to get the wheelchair closer to the bench, when a group of men their age entered the weightlifting area and approached Matt immediately.
“Hey man!” One said and gave Matt an all manly handshake, “Where have you been? We didn’t see you in ages!”
“Yeah, I haven’t been here for a long time,” The singer nodded, “I’ve been… busy with life and couldn’t really go out.”
It was then that Brian guiltily realized Matt had given up most of his own life to be with him. That included not only his apartment and the environment he had lived in before; but also his daily habits, his privacy, and his friends.
“Do you wanna go out for a drink tonight? We’re meeting with the gang in a couple of hours, you know, at a bar, drink a couple of beers, and see what we can do with the ladies there…” The man proposed.
Matt was about to say yes, but then looked at Brian for a short moment. He remembered that they had planned on going out for a walk in the evening, or maybe watch a movie, depending on how tired they’d feel after an afternoon filled with doing sports.
“No, I can’t… I’m busy tonight, sorry,” Matt apologized and shrugged, “Maybe another day, alright?”
“You gotta know,” his friend said, “But in case you change your mind, call me on my cell phone.”
The singer smiled and shook his head, “It won’t happen, but thanks anyway.”
“Shame… Well, it can’t be helped then.”
“Yeah, sorry,” Matt patted the man’s shoulder roughly, and then nodded to the others, “So you guys have a nice time tonight and with working out. The bench is free now, we were about to go home.”
“Alright, see you!”
Matt focused his attention back on Brian and pulled the wheelchair closer, handed Brian a hand and patiently waited until he sat comfortable, with his feet up on the footrest.
“Shit man, what happened?” One of the guys piped up.
“Motorbike accident,” Brian muttered and brusquely pushed Matt’s hand aside, not looking at anyone but the way in front of him that led to the dressing room, “We need to leave.”
“Sorry dude, you were in his band, right? Oh I remember that, it was all over the news… Well, maybe talk to you another day, bye.”
Brian nodded curtly and wheeled himself forward, abandoning his bottle of water next to the bench, and quickly spinning out of the area.
Matt looked after him, then back to the other men, and shrugged. He bent down to pick up both his bottle and Brian’s, and walked out of the area as well, following Brian into the locker room, where he found Brian fumbling with his key and practically ripping open the door.
“Are you okay?” He asked, not sure what was wrong this time.
“Oh yeah, I’m fine. I just need to get home. I need to get a shower really fast,” Brian said and packed everything he had put inside his locker onto his lap, and then turned to the side to approach the cubicle he had gotten changed inside before.
“There are showers here too…” Matt objected, though he knew Brian would probably never use them.
“I’d rather do it at home,” Brian confirmed Matt’s thought, and got himself over to where he’d change.
“Okay… Wait for me when you’re done, though, cause I’m showering here,” Matt said through the closed door, already undressing. With a towel and showering gel, he walked into the adjoined room.
When both were done, they met again in front of their lockers, Brian smiling at Matt sheepishly.
“I’m incredibly proud of you, Brian,” Matt mumbled into Brian’s hair, for he had put his lips to the man’s head. “What you did today was amazing; I don’t think I would have had such a strong stamina.”
“I think you would have had,” Brian replied, but grinned happily nonetheless. He would definitely come back to the gym more often. Training had been good, both for his body, as well as for his mind.
When they came home, Matt had changed into more comfortable clothes, and Brian had taken a shower. Then, they had gotten cozy in the living room, listening to quiet music in the background, as Brian read a book and Matt flipped through a magazine.
Brian sighed and set down his book on his lap.
“Matt, can you listen to me for a minute?”
Matt looked up, surprise edged on his features, as he put the magazine aside and looked at Brian, not knowing what could have possibly caused his tone of voice.
“I’d like to have some time alone at home,” Brian said, looking directly at Matt, his eyes seeking those of his boyfriend. “It’s nothing against you, I love your company, but I want some time on my own.”
“Is it something I did?” Matt asked, his voice betraying a soft note of hurt.
“No, please don’t think that. If something were wrong, I really would talk to you about it. I just want one evening to myself… I haven’t been alone in my house for months because there was always someone with me. Yeah I know, you went out for a run or to get groceries, but it’s not the same to be an entire evening by myself.”
Matt bit on his bottom lip, slightly chewed on it with his front teeth, and then cocked his head to the side slightly. “Would you like me out of here tonight already?”
“It’s not about you being out of here… it’s about me being alone here for once… but apart from that, you can choose. It doesn’t have to be tonight, you know? Just… soon. I’d feel bad to send you away and you doing whatever to get the evening to get over fast.”
“But it could be tonight already. Is it okay if I call my friends from the gym and go out with them?” Matt asked, a little insecure.
“Yeah, of course, you don’t have to ask me first,” Brian smiled encouragingly, and watched satisfied how Matt got out his cell phone.
He listened to both what Matt said, and what the man on the phone replied – talking loud enough for him to hear. Apparently, it would work out, Matt getting to leave with them.
“So you’re gonna pick me up… when?” Matt wanted to know and checked his watch, his eyes widening. “Alright, I’ll wait outside.”
“They’re picking me up in fifteen minutes,” Matt said after he had recited Brian’s address and turned off his phone.
“You better hurry then,” Brian laughed; eying his boyfriend’s wrinkled tracksuit pants and his dark brown shirt with an amused grin.
“Psh, I don’t look that bad,” Matt said, but raced up the stairs anyway, to come down into the living room styled, refreshed, and with new clothes ten minutes later.
“You look good,” Brian said honestly. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Matt getting ready for a night in a bar or a club, it had been too long. Maybe one of their other three best friends had been out, Brian didn’t know. But never Matt, who had always been with him, in comfortable and rather untypical clothes for a rock star, or just regular jeans.
“Thanks,” Matt nodded appreciatively and went up to the couch, giving Brian a tight hug. “Have fun with whatever you’re doing…”
“I might,” Brian winked and then cupped the side of Matt’s jaw with his hand, tilting his head and kissing him on the mouth, “you too, enjoy your night without having anyone to watch out for.”
The singer ignored that part of the comment, and pressed a last peck to Brian’s cheek before getting up and heading for the door, knowing the ones to pick him up would be there any moment.
“I really don’t know when I’ll be back, no idea what exactly the guys have planned, but in case it gets late and you’re asleep, I’ll be quiet. Love you,” Matt said and went, smiling at hearing Brian say the words in return.
Once the front door closed, and Brian knew Matt really had left, he put aside the book he had picked up at one point and stretched out on his couch.
All of a sudden, he felt alone in his big house. He felt lonely, and didn’t like that feeling. Of course, the thing about wanting to be alone for once had been bogus. Curling up with Matt on the couch or the bed, spending a lazy evening, or watching a movie was one of the things he found to enjoy the most. But he knew that Matt would have never left on his own if it hadn’t been for Brian telling him that little lie. There was a life outside this house, Brian had fully come to realize that today, and it was time for Matt to get out with people again. It was time to get out without Brian by his side all the time, and without having to give him all his attention instead of spending a few carefree hours with others.
And, as scary as it seemed to be like for him now, Brian knew it was time for him to spend some time alone in his house. Being with Matt was nice, but Brian had to prove it to himself he was able to get along on his own. He had no plans to break up with his boyfriend, but he couldn’t always rely on others to be there. He had to be able to spend a few hours by himself, just to know he could do it.
And so he started his evening, cleaning up the kitchen and living room as well as he could, before getting himself out onto the back porch, looking into his garden and the pool. It was weird. He really had become attached to Matt in the months he had been living with him, and gotten ever closer since Brian had asked Matt to move into his bedroom. He hadn’t officially asked him, but since almost all of Matt’s belonging – apart from his furniture – were inside Brian’s house, and the two now shared the same bed, Matt had unofficially moved in, to stay for good. He still had his own apartment, but aside from needing to collect his mail, nothing kept the singer where he used to live. In fact, he’d probably sell it soon and notify everyone that had to know about the change in address.
Brian went inside, got himself upstairs and into the bathroom. He undressed completely to take care of his body care. It was the same procedure as every evening: Undressing, washing himself, feeling over his entire lower body half with his hands to detect possible skin irritations or open sores, and applying moisturizing cream to protect his sensitive skin from drying out. Then, he got dressed again, this time into his pajama pants, leaving his upper body bare.
Inside his bedroom, he got onto his bed and got comfortable on his blanket and his pillow. Already having put ‘Point Break’ into the DVD player before Matt and he had even left the house to go to the gym, he now decided to watch it alone, it being one of his favorite movies.
He quickly grew tired though, as an exhausting day lay behind him. After he had flipped through a catalogue with the latest items – technical and clothing – for people with special needs, he decided to call it a day.
It was approaching midnight when he turned off the TV and closed the blinds, finally crawling underneath the covers to his bed. Something was missing, though. He missed Matt’s warmth next to him, or the way they cuddled against each other every night. He missed Matt’s breathing, even the soft grunts the singer emitted before he fell asleep. Brian fell asleep after a long time, holding Matt’s pillow close to his chest.
He was only woken up hours later, hearing heavy footsteps stomping up the stairs. Momentarily confused, he craned his head to the side, checking for the time: Three forty-five in the morning. He then looked to the other side, realizing Matt hadn’t come home yet – until now anyway.
A second later, the bedroom door opened up and the lamp was switched on, blinding Brian and making him wince and squint against the harsh light.
He saw Matt held up by two of the friends he had spoken to at the gym. Matt’s hair was disheveled, and it was obvious he was drunk, barely able to stand on his own. His companions looked at Brian startled.
“Sorry man, we thought this was Matt’s room. He said he slept here…”
Matt grinned at him, clumsily lifted up one arm and waved, uttering something that sounded close to an ecstatic “Hey!”
The men went to get Matt from the room already, turning to the side and tugging at Matt’s arms, when Brian stopped them.
“No, wait… He’s right… This is his bed too,” Brian admitted.
He felt uncomfortable, because now the men were eying him curiously. Their glances roamed over the double bed and rested on Brian’s naked upper body, then flickering over to Matt who tried to walk forward, ending up stumbling and having to be held closer in their grip, heading to get to the bed. They took in the situation, and finally their eyes showed understanding that the two were a couple, and that Matt had in fact showed them his room.
They helped Matt over to the bed, and sat him down onto the bed, looking over to Brian.
“He had many shots of alcohol mixed together,” They said and commented on the way Matt smelled like he had showered in alcohol. “It shouldn’t be a problem. Once he slept it off all that’s left will be a headache. Sorry we woke you up…”
“It’s okay,” Brian said, though it was not okay at all. “Thanks for bringing him home.”
The two turned out the lights and closed the door quietly behind them, leaving the drunken Matt for Brian to handle.
Fully dressed, Matt had already stretched out on the bed and nuzzled his head into his pillow, getting comfortable.
“Have you had a nice time?” Brian asked with a hearty yawn, as he pulled up the blanket a little higher, still feeling weird about the fact that two strangers had just seen him in his condition, vulnerable on the bed.
“It was alright,” Matt slurred, “But I missed you. It would have been cooler if you had been there too.”
Brian smiled, and heard the distinct noise of the front door closing and a little later a car pulling out of his driveway.
“I missed you too,” Brian lay back down and gave Matt a kiss on the cheek, finding that he was asleep and breathing loudly through his opened mouth; and putting his head on Matt’s forearm, he fell asleep as well.
