Like I Do

"Brian? Seriously?" Kat groaned as she was dragged into yet another shop. She cursed herself for ever agreeing to going hat shopping with Brian.

"Suck it up Kath-er-ine!" He grinned, that cheeky one that had all the girls falling at his feet "This is fun."

"For you asshole," She mumbled, earning a few glares from the girls around her - they were younger than the two friends and were a group who fancied the pants off Kat's male friends.

He chuckled, throwing an arm around her shoulders "Lighten up Kat, you know how much fun you're having right now!"

Kat rolled her eyes unable to stop herself from smiling "I always have fun with you my little Buttercup," She grinned, pinching his cheeks.

He pulled a face. "So we're into dorky nicknames now?" he groaned.

"We were always into dorky nicknames SugarPie!" She exclaimed, linking their arms "I-Oh," Her face fell slightly when she spotted them, their fingers laced - her laughing at something he said.

"What is is - Oh," Brian said, also seeing Zach and Alice "OH! Oohh!" He added, his eyes wide.

"Brian! Brian - no!" Kat replied almost in desperation, this was the first time any of the guys had noticed her disappointment when Alice was there.

"You...you like Zach!!" He whisper exclaimed, an amused grin on his face.

"I-okay I do but you can't tell anyone Brian, okay! Anyone!"

He laughed "This is perfect!"

"What? Why?"

"You're so slow Kat!" Brian smirked, dodging her punch "Zach's been in love with you for years!"

She blushed and rolled her eyes "Shut the fuck up Haner and be cool!" She said as Zach and Alice reached them.

"Good Morrow Zacky, kind friend," Brian bowed "And, um, hey Alice."

Kat elbowed him in the side "So unbelievably uncool," She mumbled before forcing a smile in the couple's direction "Hi."

"Kat, Brian," Zach frowned, his eyes switching from Kat to Brian "What're you doing here?"

"Why else would we be here," Kat smirked, trying not to glare in Alice's direction, gesturing to the new fedora gracing Brian's head "We're hat shopping."

"Oh right," Zach frowned "I just thought..."

"That we were on a date?" Brian asked, looking like he was about to burst in excitement.

Zach's eyes twitched, almost in horror at his friend's words. "What? No of course not! I-"

"Come on baby," Alice whined, wrapping her arms around Zach's waist "We have some serious shopping to do!" Zach sent his two friends an apologetic look as he allowed his girlfriend to drag him away.

"Come on then my little cupcake," She sighed, leaning her head on Brian's shoulder as they walked.

He placed an arm around her waist "You're seriously gunna call me these nicknames from now on?"

"Get used to it."

*

Kat stretched out on Matt's sofa later on that day, her eyes tightly shut and light snores coming from her nose. Val was lay, squashed up, next to her also asleep with her arm resting across Kat's stomach.

"Okay girls, I- whoa," Matt said, bounding into the basement with Jimmy in tow "Hey girls!" He shouted, resulting in no movement from the two sleeping bodies.

A smirk came to Jimmy's lips as he made his way over to the drumkit at the other end of the room, two drumsticks clutched in his hands.

"Dude," Matt chuckled, shaking his head "They'll fucking kill you."

Jimmy shrugged, raising his arms and crashing the sticks against anything on the kit, not even bothering to play a specific song.

"FUCK!" Val called at the top of her voice, both her and Kat jumping so badly they fell off the sofa, landing with a thud on the carpetted floor. "James Owen Sullivan!"

Jimmy smiled sheepishly as the two girls jumped to their feet. He threw his drumsticks to the floor "It, uhm, wasn't me?"

"Who else could it have fucking been?" Kat snarled as her and Val began walking over to the drummer.

"I-didn't-I mean-Matt told me too!" He screeched, running as fast as he could towards the door, Kat and Val hot on his heels.

As Jimmy managed to escape Kat felt herself slam against a toned chest. A pair of arms clamping around her "Whoa there Tiger!"

Kat frowned "What are you doing here cupcake?" She asked calmly, living up to the Bipolar accusations.

Brian shrugged, ignoring the irritating nickname "Depends. Why're you here?" He smirked.

"My initial purpose was to watch the guys' band practise but now it's to kill Jimmy," She explained, a scream coming from another part of the house "But Val may have already completed that task."

Brian chuckled, fearing for his friend - Val was someone not to under estimate, although she was small and thin she'd grown up with Matt, Zach and Kat; that didn't equal someone who was meek and mild "Sooo, the guys finally convinced me," Brian said, gesturing to the guitar case leant up against the door frame.

Kat's eyes sparkled and she threw her arms around him "Now we get to spend even more time together LoveBug!" She exclaimed, the guys had been trying for ages to get Brian to join their band. He was easily the best guitarist in the state of California.

"LoveBug?" He asked in disgust.

Kat rolled her eyes as he followed her into the basement "We've already been through this Sugar."

"Sugar?" Matt asked in amusement as the two sat side by side on the sofa.

"Get used to it Mattykins, nicknames are my new thing!" Kat grinned as Val appeared back in the room, a very dishevelled looking Jimmy next to her.

"What's your new thing Kat?" She asked calmly, sitting on Kat's knee.

"Dorky nicknames."

"Awesome! Wait," She leant forward and raised an eyebrow at Brian "Why're you here?"

"Lovely reception I'm getting here," Brian turned to Matt "Are you sure you want me in this band?"

"They convinced you? You convinced him?" Val grinned as Brian, Matt and Jimmy nodded "He's like the best guitarist in Cali!"

Seeing the cocky smirk come to Brian's face - the one she had seen everytime she watched him play guitar - Kat stepped on "No complimenting Brian while he's in the room!" she said, earning a knowing laugh off Matt and Jimmy "And anyway why couldn't you have told me in the mall?"

"Yeah dickface!" Val exclaimed, she hated it when things were sprung on her, especially things to do with the band seen as she'd offered to help and manage them for a while.

"Um, dickface?" Brian asked in confusion.

"Kat's got the dorky side of nicknames so I've chosen the offensive side," She explained with a sweet smile as Zach, Alice and a second Matt (Wendt as opposed to Sanders) arrivedd. "Hey guys!...and Alice," Val greeted, none of the group enjoyed spending time with Alice.

"Be nice," Zach warned, only a part of his tone joky.

"We're always nice," Kat grinned, hugging Val - who was still perched on her knee.

"You two forget how much I know you," Zach chuckled, as they began to set up their equipment - Brian and Zach their guitars, Jimmy his drumkit, Matt (Wendt) his bass and Matt (Sanders) his mic.

Val and Kat exchanged innocent looks "We could get a lot worse."