Memories Remain

“Where the fuck are we gonna sleep?” Ace asked stifling a yawn.

“Well I guess you guys could take the extremely uncomfortable couch, or you could share the luggage and equipment bunk and make us move all the shit in there, or
you could just double up with one of us,” Matt offered.

“Considering how we sort of invited ourselves on your bus and are completely leeching off of you, I’ll go with whatever is more convenient,” Ace decided, her voice already sounding a little distant as her eyelids drooped.

“Doubling up would probably be for the best,” Brain figured, standing and stretching, throwing his empty can in the trash.

“You should recycle,” Ace admonished him sleepily. Zacky smiled at how cute she was when she was so tired.

“Come on Ace, you can share my bunk. It’s cleaner than those fuckers’.” He picked her up as she nodded and carried her to the back.

"I think someone has a crush," Olivia sing-songed as she and the others watched Zacky carefully place the already sleeping friend in his bunk, climbing in after her.

"Well, can you blame him?" Jimmy asked with raised eyebrows. "She's fuckin' hot."

"I'm not quite sure how to comment on that, but if he does anything to her, or breaks her heart, I'm gonna have to rip his balls off and shove them down his throat."

"Hey, Olz, we're not the people you need to be telling this to," Brian held his hands up defensively.

"Oh, I know." She cuddled her head more into Matt's shoulder, and closed her eyes. he was going to point out how hypocritical it was of her to make fun of Zack liking Ace when she and Matt clearly had some sizzle (fo' shizzle).He decided not to though, because he wasn't a total prick, and the way Matt had his arms around her shoulders, with his cheek pressed against the top of her head and his eyes closed, smiling softly to himself made him look so happy and content. Brian smiled to himself wondering when there was going to be some lovin' in the A7X oven. He gave it a few months, or two years tops. Matt and Olivia already acted as if they'd known each other their whole life. Knowing Zack, he guessed it would be long till he and Ace had the bus a rockin'(and not with music as it normally was), which was, as everyone knew, the first and most important step of baby making.

"Who wants some fucking pancakes!" Victor screamed brightly, poking his head in Zacky's bunk and nudging Ace, despite the fact that Zacky swatted at him and mumbled sleepily for him to go the fuck away.

"Victor," Ace yawned deeply, "You are aware of the fact that it's five o'clock in the fucking morning, are you not?"

"I am, but I got up early and bought us all IHOP." Victor smiled widely as his friend propelled herself out of the bunk, which thankfully enough was on the bottom, and ended up sprawled painfully over his feet. She groaned getting up and rushed toward the styrofoam bowed, ripped one open and grabbing what she needed to prepare herself breakfast.

"I fucking love you Uggles," She commented fondly, shoving a plastic fork full of syrup, butter, and some pancake in her mouth, with a satisfied grin.

"I know dear, should we wake the others?"

"You're the fucking morning person, not me. If you wanna wake them fine, but I'm just going to savor my yumminess." He rolled his eyes at her, systematically gathering all the people who he believed wouldn't carry through on their threats of physical harm in the front of the bus.

"You fucking woke us up for pancakes?!" Olivia screamed in credulously as he handed her the syrup. He nodded vigorously.

"They're from IHOP," Ace explained in the voice of a small child.

"Oh," 'Livia nodded slowly as if she got it after that and sat down to eat.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Matt asked grumpily, plopping down by Olivia.

"We don't any IHOPs within two hours of where we line in New York," Ace's voice was muffled by pancake.

"I thought you said you lived in Buffalo?" Brian asked confused.

"Not New York City, dumbass, Buffalo is in New York state," They all laughed at Brian's blond moment, knowing that he wasn't really that stupid and it was too early in the morning to gauge anyone's intelligence without coffee.

"So you guys have a show tonight, right?" Olivia asked, leaning on Matt as soon as she had finished eating. Everyone thought it was so cute how they would curl up into one and another all the time without even realizing it.

"Yeah, it's in Philly," Jimmy replied through a mouth full of pancake.

"So are we gonna help the techs or the merch people or what?" Ace asked, leaning against the minifridge.

"You guys don't have to do anything you know-" Matt began.

"Don't give us any of that shit mister. If we wanna help we damn well can. So what are we gonna do?" Olivia's Italian attitude came through, making Matt sigh and smile a little at her despite himself.

"I guess whatever you feel like doing. Merch is a crazy mess, so if you think you could handle it, that would probably be the place in need of the most help. We could use a capable tech dude though."

"That'd be me," Ace grinned confidently. "Victor barely knows how to hold a guitar and, no offense babe," She glanced at 'Livia, "But I'm better than Olz at the electrical shit." Olivia stuck her tongue out at her friend only to have Ace pretend to bite at it.

"This'll be one hell of a night!" Jimmy had that wild look in his blue eyes, and they all knew it was true.