Blood

It wasn't in any way fair that Brian was going on tour in less than twenty-four hours. Kory hadn't had enough time with him yet. But, the both of them knew that it was inevitable. She had work, and the wedding, so taking her along with was out of the question. It was only for a few weeks, though, and Kory had to remind herself of this several times in order to stay positive about the situation.

"How long will you be doing this?" Kory groaned, pulling the blankets even tighter around her shoulders. Brian had been rushing around for the past two hours, throwing his clothes in suitcases. Touring would be the death of her, she was sure.

Brian didn't take a liking to leaving her behind for so long either. But he couldn't take her along. She had too many things here that she couldn't leave. He couldn't ask her to do something like that. Still, the thought lingered in his mind since he'd gotten up this morning. "Not much longer. It doesn't help that I waited until the last minute," he laughed lightly.

Kory sighed, hating that he wasn't paying much attention to her. "Take a break and help me make breakfast?" She grinned, getting up for the first time since she'd been awake and skipping down the stairs.

He followed her, and laughed when he saw her on her knees, cuddling Pinkly into her chest.

"Didn't make it to the fridge, I was begged for cuddles," she said, laughing. "How about we go out to breakfast? My treat. I can afford it now," she said, beaming. Kory was more than a little proud of herself for finally getting on her feet again.

"We can go out, but you're not paying," Brian said, broadening his shoulders. It was his first chance to buy her a meal since before he even knew he felt so strongly for her. He'd be gone for an entire eleven weeks. She at least deserved this.

She averted her attention away from Pinkly, and smirked up at him. "We'll see about that. I need clothes," she said, more to herself than Brian, before standing and grabbing her cell phone off of the counter. She sent Rissa a quick text, knowing that she'd be awake by now. "You've got ten minutes to make up for two hours of lost affection while packing, Mr. Haner. I suggest you use it wisely," she teased, giggling up a storm when he pulled her close and kissed every inch of exposed skin he could get to. His fingers danced along her torso, raising goosebumps all over her painted arms. She couldn't help but imagine how lost she'd feel once he was gone. "Brian?"

He pulled away for a moment, holding her face gently between his hands. "Hm?"

"I'm sorry. For what I did. All of it. I really mean it. I'm a terrible person bu-"

"No you're not," he interjected, "Do you remember what I told you that night we were at Matt's? You asked me if you were a bad person, and I told you that the things you had done didn't matter because you were someone that not many people got the fortune to know. It's still true, Kory. Don't say that you're a terrible person. You made mistakes, so what? I have too. And Marrissa and Mel and Matt and Zacky and Johnny and Jimmy have. But you still look at them with adoration, because you know that behind their mistakes, they're good. You are too."

Kory's cheeks turned red, and she couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. "Okay, whatever you say, Romeo," she teased, pecking him on the lips quickly.

It was only moments later that Marrissa had arrived. Brian and Kory departed quickly and, on the way to Marrissa's and Matt's, Kory gushed about everything that had happened. Marrissa hadn't missed a single thing that had happened in the last twelve or so hours since Kory had confessed to herself that she was in love. It was an odd feeling, really. But it was a good kind of odd. It was like accidentally finding Wonderland in hell.

"So, you've dealt with it before. What was it like when Matt went on tour for the first time?" Kory questioned, hoping that the feeling wouldn't be too terribly agonizing. Two and a half months is a long time to feel lonely.

Marrissa thought for a moment. "I'm not gonna lie, it's hard at first. You feel kinda empty, really. It's easier when you have a lot on your hands and don't get any time to miss them. It's still kinda there, though. Ya know? Kinda like when you were in New York. It was hard, but even harder to think about. It doesn't exactly get easier, but you get used to it. You find things to occupy yourself. Which shouldn't be hard this time around, what with the wedding and work and everything. But who am I to say how you'll feel? Korrissa Lukay works in mysterious ways," she said, laughing softly. They listened to Three Days Grace as Kory picked out clothes. Her hair was still drying, but Marrissa had suggested to leave it natural so that's what she would do.

Groaning, Kory finally decided on what to wear. "So, basically it'll suck but it'll be diluted until I'm about to sleep and then it'll hit me in the face," she summarized.

"Yeah, pretty much." Marrissa nodded. "But, if need be, we can keep each other company. A lot of sleepovers will be in order, alright?"

Kory laughed softly. "Alright. I should get going though. Thank you for picking me up, Rissa." Kory hugged her tightly, feeling as if she had never quite appreciated her enough. For years, Marrissa was the one person that looked past all of the stupid shit that she had done. Marrissa was smart. She was smart enough to realize that, when Kory was lying about being okay, she really needed someone to be there, but not to be smothering. She knew the borderline between being a best friend and being inundate without having to be told. She was aware that, when upset, Kory over analyzed every little thing. She knew what not to do when Kory was enraged. She knew that most times, just simply listening was more than enough. She knew that Kory wasn't just black and white when it came down to it. She knew that something as simple as remembering something Kory had mentioned made her feel loved. And, the best of all, she knew the difference between waiting to speak and listening. She was the only one of the face of the planet who could say "You'll be fine" and make Kory believe it without question. Kory wanted to thank her for that, but all of the words of praise Kory knew wouldn't even begin to express her gratification. Marrissa had shaped Kory into the "good" that she was without even realizing it.**

Unaware of the thoughts that had just run through Kory's mind, Marrissa laughed softly, and nodded. "Of course. Your keys are on the counter. Where are you guys going to eat?"

"I'm meeting him at Ruby's in fifteen minutes. And, Rissa? Thank you. For everything, I mean. Not just picking me up. I mean like, all of it," she replied, not wanting to sound like she was getting emotional, but just wanting Marrissa to know how much she appreciated her.

She hugged the smaller female for a moment. "Happy to have seen it all, Kor. They leave tomorrow morning, so come over after work, alright? I'm in need of some major movie time," she said, grinning.

Kory agreed quickly, and skipped down the stairs, saying goodbye to Matt before walking outside and getting in her car. She had arrived at Ruby's only a few minutes late. Brian had already gotten them a table. She apologized for being late several times, but he hadn't seemed to mind it much.

"I'm gonna miss you," Kory stated, sighing softly as she poked at her food, suddenly not very hungry.

Brian sighed. "I'm gonna miss you too. It's alright, though. It won't be for long. And then we have a few weeks off," he said, running his thumb over her knuckles soothingly.

"I know, but what about after that? You'll have to go back on tour. It sucks. And the whole "being apart makes you appreciate each other more" thing is complete bullshit. Who even came up with that? Ugh," she shook her head in frustration. "I think I'm going to get another tattoo soon," she said, changing the subject. She didn't want to make Brian feel guilty for going on tour. That was the very last thing she wanted to do.

He smiled. It was nice to see the way her face lit up when she said that. "What're you gonna get?" he questioned, curious.

"A sugar skull on my left thigh. I wanna have Vivian do it, but I'm not sure if she'll have time. She's got this big gallery thing in a few weeks," she shrugged, "I'm taking about work in our last few hours together. I apologize," she laughed softly.

Brian shook his head. In truth, he loved the way she looked when she talked passionately about something. She looked truly happy in these few moments. "It's fine. We can head back if you want, Pinkly and I missed you, we can watch movies together," he suggested, grinning.

Kory nodded. "Yeah, let's do that. But, first, would you please let me pay? I finally have enough money to spare to do so and I'm proud of myself for it. Pleeeease," she begged, clutching his hand tightly in her own.

"Fine, fine. Whatever makes you happy," he answered, laughing as she happily pulled the correct amount of money out of her wallet. He wasn't exactly content with this but the smile on her face was worth it. He didn't know that she felt so guilty for not being able to pay her way before.

By the time they had finally gotten back to Brian's, it was nearing 6PM. Kory couldn't have been bothered to do anything, so she cuddled with Pinkly while Brian made popcorn and picked a movie. She wondered what she would do while he was away, other than pretty much live with Marrissa and work constantly. She no longer talked to any of her friends form college, and Melody had little time now that she was working with Mason in the studio. Not to mention trying to get a job at the training center in South Carolina that she had been at last year.

"Brian?"

"Yeah?"

She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, nestling herself securely under his arm. Pinkly sat between them, half asleep and the cutest thing Kory had ever seen. "I love you."

He laughed, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. "I love you too."