Where You Belong

"Well, it was all good while it lasted," Lacey said with a sigh, motioning towards all the uneaten candy and goodies left over from the night before. No one had been in the mood for junk food or movies after the episode from last night.

We were drained. Mason could sense how stressed we were and cried all night. I never left his side, afraid that somehow his distress could negatively impact his health. Zack had apparently gone berserk once he'd gotten off the phone with me, proceeding to rile the rest of the guys up.

The girls each took turns calling the guys and attempting to calm them down. It didn't seem like it was working, as the internet had begun buzzing about why the members of A7X had not only trashed their hotel room, but could be heard making promising threats towards an unnamed individual as they stormed through the lobby of their hotel, luggage in hand.

"I'm sure the boys will finish it off once they get here," Val shrugged lightly, walking forward with a cup of juice and bendy straw. I smiled gratfeully, taking the cup from her before she retreated to one of the sofas, "It's homemade afterall."

"If it means I don't have to cook, then sure." Michelle muttered, taking a seat beside me and curling up to my body, laying her head on my shoulders. I chuckled at that. Typical Michelle.

"I'm with you on that one," Lee smiled softly over a cup of tea, curled up in the armchair across the room, "As much as Jimmy eats, the less I have to cook, the better."

The girls had stayed over last night, refusing to leave Mason and I here or let us go back to my apartment. No doubt that the guys had also coerced them into staying until they got here. I'd had some extra clothes in Zack's spare room, and luckily we were all close enough in size that they could change out of their costumes and into my clothes. Of course, on Leana, everything was a tad bit too big, as she was even more petite than I was, and for Val and Michelle, the clothes were a bit too tight because they weren't petite. But Lacey's stuff fit just fine.

"Britt, I swear," Lacey mumbled through a mouthful of food, "Even under the worst circumstances, you make some badass food!" she said, causing me to giggle tiredly.

"Thanks, Laceface," I smiled softly, looking over to Mason in the corner of the room, curled up in the small crib placed in the living room.

I had just gotten him settled in an hour ago, and it was just now nearing nine in the morning. I was completely exhausted, but I refused to rest until I was absolutely certain that he'd be okay. I kept myself up with cup after cup of coffee, jerking my head up each time my eyes began to droop.

Apparently, all my efforts were in vein, because the next thing I knew, the girls were fully dressed and chattering excitedly somewhere in the house. Other voices sounded from the other room, but I didn't think anything of it until I saw that Mason was missing from his crib. A strangled noice sounded from the back of my throat as I hastily sat up, throwing my legs over the side of the couch and staggering to my feet.

I was ready to yell out until I heard a soft coo from behind me, and whirled around. My breath caught at the sight of Zack sitting in the armchair, cradling Mason to his chest. I was frozen still and watched as he sang softly to him, singing lyrics to a song that I'd never heard before. It was beautiful, and it warmed my heart to see that Zack was so good with Mason.

It was then that the butterflies returned, and I fiercely bit my lip, turning my gaze from the heartmelting sight before me. It was crazy how these feelings seemed to hit me full force in a matter of seconds. Just looking at the man seemed to brighten up my day to the extent where I almost felt giddy about it.

Once I'd finally snapped out of my thoughts, I notcied that the singing had stopped. Focusing back on Zack and Mason, I saw that Mason was fast asleep, and that Zack was watching me, his vibrant eyes lit with curiosity. Upon my recognition, I grinned and took a step forward, wrapping my arms around his neck as he pulled me to him.

My spirits seemed to soar from there. Zack quickly set Mason back into his crib before pulling me into his body, coiling his arms around my middle. I giggled as he lifted me off the ground some, snaking my own arms around his neck. It was a while before we moved out of our embrace and he set me down again, jade eyes flickering all across my face for quite some time.

"I've missed you," he eventually mumbled softly, keeping me close to him with a hand resting on the small of my back.

I smiled happily, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "I've missed you, too. How was your flight?" I asked conversationally, following as Zack grabbed my hand and led me upstairs.

"It was alright," he shrugged, taking a turn down the hallway, "I'm just glad to be back home, where I clearly need to be." he said, a firmness to his tone as his fingers slightly tightened around my own.

I didn't reply as he opened the door to the music room, allowing me inside and shutting the door behind us. He opened the bay window on the other side of the room, allowing the salty ocean breeze to flow inside. I watched as he took a seat on the leather chaise by the window, grabbing a pack of cigarettes off the small table beside it and lighting up. He took a few slow drags, exhaling loudly each time, before his gaze focused on me.

"Come sit with me," he commanded quietly, taking another drag of the stick in between his fingers.

I slowly approached him, coming to sit beside him when he gripped a hand onto my hip and brought me down on top of him. At first I didn't know what to do, but it quickly came to me that this was something we'd always done and that there was no need to be uncomfortable about it now.

I curled my legs under myself and turned sideways to sit on his lap, watching as he continued to smoke. He knew that I was no smoker, but I wouldn't reprimand him for smoking around me. I could tell that he was tense and stressed, so I decided to leave it alone for the time being.

Zack spoke soon after that, "He's gotten so big, y'know."

Knowing that he was talking about Mason, I smiled and nodded, "He has. The girls have been feeding the hell out of him, your mother included." I giggled quietly, watching as the corners of his mouth turned upwards into a smile.

"Has he been sleeping well?" he asked, knowing how difficult nights with Mason could be from the stories I'd told him.

I shrugged, "He's been okay, lately."

"And have you?"

"Huh?" I turned to look at Zack, slightly confused by what he'd meant.

"Have you been sleeping well?" he asked calmly, though I heard the knowing edge to his voice.

Shrugging, I flashed him a sheepish look, not wanting to wind him up, "I've been sleeping okay." I answered bleakly. He didn't seem convinced in the least bit.

He sighed, "You don't look it. And that's not what I've heard."

Now it was my turn to sigh, "I've just had a little too much on my plate lately, that's all. But I can handle it."

He groaned, "Britt, if you're so adamant on going back to work - which I don't think you should bother with - then you're gonna need to get back in the habit of sleeping well, otherwise it's gonna hurt your sales."

"I know, I know," I mumbled, allowing him to pull me down into a laying position against his chest once he'd put out his cigarette, "I've just had so much to do and worry about that I'm a little off track."

"Well, I'm here now," he said after a moment of silence, "We're all together again and we'll all be here to help out. You just focus on getting yourself together, and we'll handle all the rest, okay?"

"But Zack--"

"No buts, princess," Zack smirked lightly, allowing his thumb to rub smooth circles into the skin of my hip.

I rolled my eyes in hopes of being able to distract myself from his touch. It was calming yet unnerving at the same time. I felt so relaxed, but at the same time, I could feel a ball of heat forming in the pit of my stomach, something wild and almost uncontrollable.

I had to get myself together. I looked elsewhere, my eyes scanning the various band posters that lined the dark walls. I focused on the outline of Dimebag Darrell on one of the Pantera posters, taking in every detail of it. Seeing the poster made me think of the band, and how much we all enjoyed their music. Zack, Matt, and I, especially, were big fans. We'd seen them live several times.

I was vaguely aware of Zack's hands skimming the flesh of my lower back beneath the top I wore. It sent goosebumps rippling across my skin and made my breathing uneven. I continued to stare at the poster, praying that sometime soon he would stop, knowing that he didn't even realize what he was doing to me. As soon as I finished that thought, Zack's hand traveled further, lightly brushing up my side and across my ribcage, settling just below the underwire of my bra.

"What are you doing?" I muttered, hoping to keep the emotion out of my voice.

I was so fucking sure that he wasn't aware of how his touch was making my body feel, and I was kind of hoping he wouldn't continue for my sake. His calloused hands were warm, yet I still had the chills all over. Biting my lip, I stifled a moan as Zack moved ever so slightly underneath me before bringing his hands back down on my hips. I dared to take a look at him, wondering if he was that oblivious to my body's response to him.

When I looked down at him, I saw that his jade green eyes were only locked on me. His intense gaze stopped me right in my tracks and held captive. His hands continued moving. I was biting my lip so hard that I was sure it was ready to bleed. I watched silently as his hands trailed up and down my arms before settling on my hips, then traveling upward and downward.

"Doing something I should've done a long time ago."

I was about to ask him what he went before I felt his plush, soft lips press firmly against mine. The shock of his cold, metal lip rings against my own lips sent bolts of electricity surging through my entire body. The feeling was absolutely insane. It was indescribable.
My body responded to him automatically, and I allowed my eyes to fall shut as I straddled his legs, pushing my lips to meet his again and again and again. A soft moan escaped me when Zack's fingers dug into the skin of my hips, causing him to break from our kiss and chuckle.

"You've always been so responsive to my touch," he mumbled lowly, moving so that he was hovering above me with a small smirk. I paid him no mind and pulled his face back down towards mine, silencing him as our lips connected once more. In a way, I felt as though this had been what I was craving all along. Even if I didn't realize my feelings for Zack before, my body had known it the whole time.

Feelings.

I broke away from Zack and placed my hands on his chest, "Wait, Zack."

Zack pulled away from me, his breathing slightly ragged as he flashed me a confused look, "What is it?"

"Why'd you kiss me?" I asked hestiantly, feeling a little stupid for asking. I just wanted to know what was going on in the boy's head. One second we were just chilling, and the next, we're attached at the lips. I wanted to know what he was thinking, and not get my hopes up if he wasn't thinking along the same lines as me.

Zack rolled his eyes but laughed nonetheless, "Because I wanted to kiss you."

I cocked an eyebrow, staring at him in slight bewilderment, "Why?"

"Because I've always wanted to kiss you," he reasoned, leaning forward again and pulling me into him. He pressed soft kisses along my jaw before trailing down to the side of my neck, placing bigger, wetter kisses there. I gasped, having not had that kind of attention in over a year. The hormones just started to hit me hard and fast after that. "And after all these years of waiting, I've decided that now's as good a time as any."

I didn't need to hear anything else. I didn't continue to question him as I curled a hand around the nape of his neck and brought him to me, taking his bottom lip in between my teeth. Zack's hands immediately went for my sides, slipping under my shirt to trace circles with his fingertips, causing me to gasp into his mouth. His tongue molded with mine as he kissed me with urgency. I could feel every emotion he felt simply radiating off him.

I wasn't sure how long we stayed that way, but I loved every minute of it. Zack gave me something no other man could give me. I felt so sure about everything in my life with just a simple kiss from him. It made me lose my breath and go weak in the knees, it made my day feel all the more brighter. He kissed me gently yet firmly with emotion and sensuality, rather than delivering a dominant or possessive kiss.

We finally broke away with Mason's baby monitor went off in the corner of the room, signaling that he was back up for some reason, and was clearly hungry. I groaned softly as Zack removed his arms from my waist, pecking my lips one last time before patting my hip, letting me know that he was okay with me having to get up.

I stood with a sigh before throwing myself back on top of him, covering him with more kisses, "I don't wanna go yet," I mumbled childishly, attaching my lips to his again.

With a chuckle, Zack placed his hands back on my hips, pulling them towards his own slightly. I deepened the kiss, placing my own hands back on his chest to help support myself some. The room began getting a little hotter, and I didn't want things to get too out of hand, despite how attracted we seemed to be to each other. Just as I finally found the will to pull away from him, the baby monitor went off again.

"Hey, little man. It's your Uncle Jimmy. I know you're hungry but you'll have to hold tight; your mommy and Uncle Zacky are probably preparing for you to have a little brother or sister upstairs!"

I froze in my spot as Zack burst out laughing, "That motherfucker!"

With that, Zack lifted me off him with a small smile, leaning forward to press a kiss to my cheek. He fixed his shirt, which had been twisted around a little, and licked his lips before turning towards the door. He stopped once his hand was on the doorknob and grinned at me, "I'll give mommy a little time to get herself back together before she comes downstairs and faces everyone."

As soon as he was gone, I thanked the lord that the room was soundproof and let out a loud shriek.

Did that really just happen?