Carry Me

“Zacky and Levia sittin’ in a tree!”

“K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

“Guys! Stop it!”

“First comes loooooove!”

“Then comes marriage!”

“Don’t you finish that sentence!”

“Then comes the itty-bitty baby carriage!”

“Wha-chow!”

Levia groaned and narrowed her eyes at the offending pair. Maybe hanging out with Brian and Jimmy today wasn’t the greatest idea.

“You know you love us, Lev-Lev,” Brian cooed, waltzing up to Levia and slinking an arm around her waist.

“She just loves me more,” Jimmy stated, his arm slipping around the other side of her waist, lower than Brian’s, and almost touching her ass.

Smooth.

Matt walked into the room, stopping when he saw the sight before him. He simply shook his head and walked out, not saying a word.

Addison raised a brow at her fiancé, chuckling in understand when she walked into the room moments later.

“What is it with you Avenged boys and touching my sister? There’s always one, or more, of you all over her!” she joked.

Levia sighed, not really feeling embarrassed with Brian and Jimmy touching her. Uncomfortable, yes, but it was becoming a normal thing. She knew her sister was only saying that to try to cheer her up and build her self confidence, anyway.

Brian squeezed one side of Levia’s backside while Jimmy squeezed the other, causing Levia to squeal loudly and jump in surprise, running away from the two and hiding behind Matt who had reappeared. She peered around one of his large biceps and glared at the offending duo, who smiled at her innocently.

“Do I even want to know?” Matt asked, turning his head around to look down at Levia.

She looked up at him and shook her head, “No.”

Addison laughed and slapped her knee, a gesture she had picked up from being around Matt too long. Brian took notice.

“You’re turning into Matt,” he said blankly.

Jimmy screamed, “No! Not another M.Shadows! We’re all going to dieeeeeee!”

Levia giggled at Jimmy’s dramatic antics. She loved that guy.

Brian and Jimmy laughed and high fived while Levia continued to hide behind a completely not amused Matt.

Addison put a hand over her mouth, trying to hide her laughter. Matt playfully glared at her before a devious grin took over his features. Levia tilted her head, confused.

‘What’s he doing?’ she mouthed to Brian.

Brian shrugged. He had no idea himself.

Addison’s eyes widened and she back away, running to hide behind Jimmy. Matt sprinted towards her, literally knocking Jimmy off his feet and onto the floor, along with Brian. Addison squealed as Matt began tickling her maliciously.

Levia giggled as her sister laughed uncontrollably. The two shared the trait of being extremely ticklish. It was something they never told anyone, but sadly, all of their friends figured it out sooner or later.

Jimmy stared at Matt wide-eyed from his spot on top of Brian on the floor, shock written clearly on his face. Levia couldn’t help but laugh at his expression while Brian tried to keep a straight face and not laugh.

“Get the fuck off me! I can feel your dick when I laugh!”

Levia put a hand over her face so no one could see how hard she was laughing. She heard footsteps and felt arms wrap around her and she jumped.

A chuckle sounded from by her ear, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Levia shook her head, relieved at the sound of Zacky’s voice, “It’s fine.”

Zacky surveyed the people in front of him, wondering what exactly he had missed.

“You don’t even want to know,” Levia said, leaning her head back against him and reading his mind.

Addison had managed to turn the tables on Matt and was now poking his sides as he continued to tickle her. They were in an all out tickle fight. Jimmy watched them with amusement, still on top of Brian, who looked displeased with Jimmy so close to him.

“Hey, can I uh, talk to you for a sec?”

Levia turned around and nodded, silently wondering what Zacky wanted to talk about. A few days had passed since their date at the carnival, and they had gone on another one to the movies since, but nothing else much had happened. It was now only two weeks until Addison and Matt’s wedding, and Levia couldn’t wait.

Zacky led her out into the kitchen and took a deep breath before putting his hands in hers and holding them together.

“Would you like to be my girlfriend?”

Levia couldn’t hold back the smile that broke out onto her face. She lifted their connected hands and put them between the two of them as she leaned up to kiss him.

“I’d love to.”

Zacky smiled as Levia’s lips met his. He kept it innocent, not wanting to shove his tongue down her throat.

Not right now, anyway.

Levia pulled away put their hands down, looking at them as she swung them from side to side.

“So what now?” she asked.

Zacky shrugged, allowing Levia to continue to swing their hands back and forth, “Whatever you want, Lev.”

Levia stopped their hands and looked at Zacky, a bright smile on her face. The way he said it was so sweet, and Levia swore she felt her heart melt a little. He was always willing to do whatever it took to keep her happy.

“It’s about time!”

Levia twitched, startled by the unknown presence in the room. She narrowed her eyes at Jimmy when he appeared.

Zacky shook his head, “Don’t tell me you heard all that.”

Brian’s head popped around the doorframe, “Oh we did.”

Levia let go of Zacky and stormed over to Brian, who screamed in a girlish fashion and ran away. Levia chased after him, deciding she needed to have a talk with him anyway.

Brian ran all the way up the stairs and into Levia’s room. Once she managed to catch up with him, she shut the door behind her and tried to catch her breath as Brian did the same.

She joined him in sitting on her bed and he looked at her, waiting for her to say something. There had to be a reason she chased him up here and then shut the door.

Levia sighed, “I’m confused.”

Brian shrugged, “I would assume.”

Levia pulled her legs up closer to herself and crossed them, wrapping herself up into a ball, “I’m happy, though.”

“That’s always good.”

Levia huffed, “Shouldn’t you be saying something other that just short responses? Shouldn’t you be telling me how I’m going to end up hurting Zacky because I like Jacoby too or how I’m hurting Jacoby by being with Zacky? Huh?”

Brian looked a bit taken aback, “Actually, I wasn’t going to say anything. It’s your life; do what you want. Zacky obviously likes you and you like him, so I’m glad you guys went for it. Coby understands. I wouldn’t worry about him.”

“I still feel…like I’m doing something wrong,” Levia mumbled.

Brian shook his head, “You’re not. As long you like Zacky…right?”

Levia looked surprised, “Of course I do! I mean, I really, really like him. It’s just that-”

“Don’t think about him,” Brian said, “that’s all you can do.”

“That’s a little harder than it sounds, Bri.”

“You can at least try?”

Levia sighed, “I guess.”

Brian smiled, “Good. Now go down there and find your boyfriend before he kicks my ass.”

Levia chuckled, glad she had Brian to cheer her up when she needed it. She ventured downstairs and into the living room to find Matt and Addison curled up on the loveseat, watching music videos. Johnny had arrived with Laney, and the two sat on the opposite loveseat, Johnny with his arm around Laney. Jimmy and Zacky sat on opposite sides of the couch and Levia plopped down beside Zacky, who automatically put an arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder as Brian wearily sat down on the other side of her, afraid that either she or Zacky would attack him.

“Glad to see your didn’t kill him, Lev,” Matt commented, giving her a small smile.

Levia shrugged and Addison chuckled, “She wouldn’t do that, Matt. Then she would have no one to share her sexcapades with!”

Levia stared at her sister, wide-eyed, and Brian just laughed. She turned to glare at him, but he just shrugged.

“It’s funny because it’s true.”

Zacky leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Had any sexcapades lately?”

Levia’s heartbeat sped up like it did every time Zacky came anywhere near her and she bit her lip, shaking her head, “No.”

Levia could feel his cool snakebites against her now warm ears and squirmed in her seat. She swore he was smirking right now.

Zacky’s lips brushed over her ear, “Maybe I should give you something to tell Brian about, then.”

Levia bit her lip harder and let out a small whimper. No one seemed to notice except Brian, who looked over at her with and amused smirk.

She stared at him helplessly and he laughed.

“Easy there, Zack. Don’t make the girl blow a load while we’re all still in the room.”

Levia opened her mouth in shock and stared at Brian, mortified. He just grinned at her.

Zacky chuckled deeply from her other side, trailing small kisses down her neck, “I can’t make any promises.”

Levia held a pained expression on her face, silently begging her sister once they made eye contact to help her out. Addison just grinned and wiggled her eyebrows, causing Matt to laugh and kiss the top of her head.

Levia smiled at how cute the couple really was, and wished she had something like that. She wondered if now that she had Zacky, if things would turn out that way.

Another whimper escaped Levia’s mouth as Zacky began nibbling at the base of her neck. She rested her head against the back of the couch, only making Zacky’s job much easier. She felt him chuckle against her neck and closed her eyes to keep her focus on something else.

Of course, the only thing she could think about other than Zacky was Jacoby, and she knew that was just leading to trouble. She couldn’t think about how nice Jacoby had been to her, all the times he hit on her, all the times he called her gorgeous…

Levia’s eyes shot open when Zacky bit down on her neck and she let out a small moan. She glanced worriedly around the room, hoping no one heard it and was relieved to see everyone else minding their own business. It did appear that Johnny and Laney were making out on the loveseat, much to the disgust of Jimmy and Matt and Addison were just cuddling and enjoying each other’s company. Brian, however, was more than entertained.

“Zacky! Keep it in your pants!”

Zacky trailed his tongue along Levia’s exposed collarbone and she bit her lip, attempting to glare at Brian but failing miserably.

“Fuck off, Gates,” Zacky mumbled against Levia’s neck.

Brian rolled his eyes, noticing Johnny and Laney in their heated make out session on the other side of the room. He shook his head.

“What is it with everyone and getting busy today? Seriously!”

Jimmy sighed, “Makes you feel lonely, doesn’t it?”

Brian stared strangely at him, “I’m not cuddling with you again, Jimmy. That was a one time thing!”

Levia snorted a laugh. She loved these guys.

Zacky lifted his head up, done marking Levia as his own, and planted a kiss on the corner of her lips. She smiled and turned to him, shoving her lips fully onto his. Levia’s hand went on the back of Zacky’s neck, pulling him closer as she used her tongue to flick his snakebites. Zacky ran his hand up her thigh, grabbing it and pulling her legs over his. She squeaked, not expecting it and Zacky took advantage of her surprised state by sliding his tongue into her mouth.

Now was as good of a time as any.

Brian’s face held disgust and he shook his head. He turned to Jimmy to see him clearly as out of place as Brian. Even Matt and Addison had started making out, and everyone knew what that would lead to for them.

Brian sighed, “Do you wanna cuddle?”

Jimmy turned to him, an amused expression on his features. He put his hand on Brian’s thigh.

“I would love to.”

------------------------------------------------------------

Jacoby rested his head on the table, groaning when he felt himself being repeatedly poked.

He blindly swatted the offender away, “Stop that!”

After a long night of partying, which Jacoby knew he shouldn’t have done, he felt like trash and was completely hungover. He didn’t want to be bothered. He wanted to be left alone.

“Get up, dickface!”

Jacoby growled, “I said fucking stop it!”

The poking stopped and the voice sounded displeased, “What crawled up your ass?”

Jacoby slowly lifted his head from the table, causing it to pound and his vision to spin. He clutched his head and glared at nothing in particular.

“I don’t know what made you start drinking like that again, but you really shouldn’t. I thought you stopped that shit.”

Jacoby held still, allowing his vision to settle. He spotted Kelly standing with her hands on her hips, hovering over him like a mother would over her child. Her tone was harsh and he felt like he was being scolded.

“How did I get here?” he asked.

Kelly raised a brow, “This is your house, not mine, you know.”

Jacoby looked confused, “Where are the kids?”

“In the car. I just came here to check up on you guys. Jerry said you did some crazy partying and I wanted to make sure you and Tobin were okay here.”

“Tobe’s here?” Jacoby asked, trying to look around but stopping when he felt his head pound again.

Kelly nodded, “He is. Make sure he’s fine. And Jacoby?”

“Yeah?”

Kelly looked hesitant, “If this is about what I think it’s about, don’t worry, okay? It’ll all get better.”

Jacoby was puzzled, but a few things clicked in his brain and he hung his head low.

Kelly was sympathetic, “Take care of yourself.”

Jacoby sighed as he watched her walk away. Kelly was right; his reason for letting go last night wasn’t a good enough reason. He needed to learn to accept things the way they are. There was nothing he could do to change what had happened.

Slowly getting up and making his way over to the sink, Jacoby looked at the clock and noticed that it was almost 6 at night. He’d been passed out for 13 hours.

Was that even possible?

Jacoby grunted and got himself a bottle of water and a couple aspirin before he voyaged into the living room to see if Tobin was in there. Sure enough, he was sprawled out on the couch, one arm hanging off and drool pooled around his mouth.

Jacoby laughed, grimacing when his head started pounding again. He glared at the air and took another drink of water before putting the cap back on and tossing it in a nearby chair.

He poked Tobin in the eye, causing Tobin to push his eyes tighter together. Jacoby poked him again, this time in the nose, but Tobin just scrunched his nose. Running out of ideas, Jacoby picked up Tobin’s hands and shoved one of his fingers up his own nose. Tobin’s eyes shot open and he yanked his finger out of his nose, wiping whatever was on it on Jacoby’s arm.

“Fuck you,” Tobin mumbled, rubbing his sore eye and still wiping off his finger.

Jacoby frowned, disgusted at whatever substances were now on his arm, “Love you too.”

Tobin sat up, clearly not as hungover as Jacoby, but still holding his sore head.

“For once, you look worse than I do,” he commented, examining Jacoby’s pissed off and hungover demeanor.

Jacoby flipped him off, “Thanks.”

“But really,” Tobin said, standing up off the couch, “you shouldn’t have gotten so wasted over-”

“I know,” Jacoby cut him off, an angry expression on his face.

Tobin held up his hands in surrender, “Sorry, man. Just saying.”

The angry expression left and Jacoby looked broken down, almost as if he would start crying. Of course he wouldn’t, this was nothing for a grown man to cry over, but it did make him frustrated.

“You do realizing we planned on touring with them, right?” Tobin asked.

Jacoby sighed, “I know, and it has nothing to do with them. It’s me.”

Tobin shook his head, “It hasn’t even been that long. You’ve never been this way except with-”

“Kelly,” Jacoby finished.

Tobin nodded, “Just see how things go. They’ve got two weeks.”

“I highly doubt he’ll do something stupid in two weeks. Maybe he won’t ever do anything stupid to make her leave. Maybe I shouldn’t wait at all. I mean, she’s just another girl, right? There’s plenty of other girls out there,” Jacoby reasoned, more with himself than with Tobin.

Tobin sighed, “I wouldn’t put it that way. She really does like you, and you know that.”

“But I wasn’t fast enough.”

“Just wait. She’ll come back to you.”

Jacoby looked to be in a slightly better mood than he was moments ago, “You think?”

Tobin nodded, “Like that one story…the turtle and the rabbit or something.”

Jacoby looked at him like he was crazy, “The tortoise and the hare?”

Tobin’s eyes lit up, “Yeah! See, Zack is like the rabbit…er…hare…and you’re the turtle!”

“Tortoise.”

“Right, well,” Tobin continued, “don’t you remember that story?”

Jacoby looked thoughtful, “Yeah, the tortoise wins and the hare loses. What about it?”

Tobin sighed, “Zack may have gotten to her first, but the race isn’t over yet. You’ve still got your chance.”

Jacoby tapped his chin, “Since the turtle was patient about it and didn’t rush into it like the rabbit did, the turtle won.”

“Right.”

“So what’s you’re saying is, if I hang low like the tur-uh…tortoise, I’ll win in the end?”

“Exactly.”

Jacoby nodded, finally understanding. He frowned when his head starting pounding again, but his mood remained better.

“Slow and steady wins the race.”