Blood

"There's only so many times you can hit snooze before you're late," Brian commented, reaching over Kory to grab her cell phone.

"What time is it?" She questioned, untangling her legs with his and stretching.

"We have fifteen minutes until we have to leave. And Matt and Riss left you a shit ton of messages already," he answered, chuckling softly.

Kory groaned. She was basically the worst best friend ever. "I'll call her. Did you wanna shower?"

"Yeah. I'll shower while you get dressed, and then we can meet everyone else in the lobby. Sound good?"

"Sounds peachy. Can you toss me my bag?" Kory asked once he stood up and started walking towards the bathroom. He did as she asked, and Kory dialed Marrissa's familiar number and pressed the phone to her ear.

While she waited for Marrissa to pick up, she went through her clothes to figure out what she could wear and still be comfortable on the plane.

"Thank god! I thought you forgot to set an alarm and — Jimmy, stop! I'm talking to Kory!" Marrissa laughed and Jimmy could be heard in the distance saying something incoherent.

"What's he doing? Other than being a shit head," Kory asked, a small laugh falling from her lips.

Rissa's smile was evident in her tone. "He's going to your room. We should probably head to the airport in about ten minutes. Does that work?"

"Yep. See you in ten minutes. Love you!"

"Korrissa Haner, I know you're awake this time!" Jimmy's voice came from the other side of the door, making Kory laugh. So he must have been the person that knocked on the door last night that she and Brian had ignored.

She got up, pulled a pair of black jeans and a hoodie on and opened the door for him. "Sorry about last night. We crashed pretty early," she apologized, her cheeks heating up.

Jimmy laughed loudly. "Yeah, sure you did. Just so you're aware, you guys weren't slick at the restaurant. Keep the PDA to a minimum, ya love birds," he teased, ruffling her hair.

"Oh my god. Well, that's not awkward at all," she mumbled, covering her red face with her hands.

"You guys ready to go?"

Nodding, Kory zipped up her duffel bag and sat it by the door. "I kinda packed up last night. Remind me why we got such an early flight?" She groaned and rubbed at her eyes. If there was one thing Kory hated more than anything, it was mornings. Especially mornings where she knew she had to leave Brian.

"Because you said you had responsibilities, remember? You're not losing it on me, are you? You're too young! Have mercy on her soul!" Jimmy came running at Kory, arms open. He hugged her tightly, a grin forming on his face when he heard her laughing.

"I'm not losing it just yet, Jim Jam," she said, giggling. "Now let me go, I've gotta go brush my teeth ya nerd."

Kory walked into the bathroom just as Brian was stepping out of the shower. "Who's here? Also, all of my clothes are packed away already, which is a problem. Hey, is that my hoodie?"

"Jimmy. I'll get your clothes once I'm finished brushing my teeth. And, yes. It is."

Brian was quiet for a second. There was something about Kory's tone that just...wasn't right. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Brian. I'm fine." And with that, she grabbed her toothbrush and left the bathroom. Only a second later, she came back with his duffel bag.

It was silent as he dried off and got dressed and she brushed her teeth. It wasn't awkward, just strange. "Okay, that's a fucking lie. What happened?"

Kory rinsed out her mouth, and put her toothbrush back in its case before turning to him and letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry. It's just that I just got you back. And now I have to leave again. And it won't be the last time, either. Why couldn't you be like a contractor or something so you can stay in town?"

Brian laughed, and pulled her into a tight embrace. Her small, fragile body fit perfectly in his arms. "I know it's annoying. That why I want you to come with me, so we don't have to keep saying goodbye. I don't like it any more than you do. Just seven and half days before we get a break from it."

"Kory, what did I tell you about the PDA? I'm lonely out here!" Jimmy interrupted, knocking on the bathroom door.

Kory and Brian both laughed softly. "Cmon, let's go," Brian said, placing a sweet kiss on the top of her head.

Jimmy shook his head at the two of them. "I knew that Bri didn't last long but that was quicker than I thought," he teased.

"Hey," Brian began, "don't wound my pride."

"Alright, we should probably head down to the lobby," Kory suggested. She grabbed her duffel bag, took one last look around the hotel room, and walked out into the hallway.

Brian came out a moment later, and reached for her hand. Jimmy followed him.

At the end of the hallway, the elevator doors were closing, Johnny and Zacky on the other side.

"You fuckers are late!" Johnny yelled down the hallway, not considering the fact that it was nine in the morning and people were still sleeping.

"Think we can beat them if we take the stairs?" Jimmy questioned, looking to Kory for confirmation.

She grabbed the strap of her bag tightly, and sprinted towards the stairs. "Go go go!"

Nearly tripping down the stairwell, all three of them made it to the lobby as the elevator doors were opening. Matt and Marrissa were already waiting downstairs for the rest of them.

"Woah, what the hell's going on?" Matt questioned the three of them, confusion on his face.

"What?! How?!" Johnny walked off the elevator with Zacky trailing closely behind him.

Kory laughed. "Ha! We win!"

Shaking her head at the rest of them, Marrissa sighed. "Alright. Let's go, we're already a little behind."

Matt was kind enough to go through the process of checking out for each room while everyone else walked to the back of the parking lot, towards the tour bus.

"Listen guys, I really am gonna miss having you two around. Can't you just ditch your lives and come on the road with us?" Johnny questioned, going straight to the minifridge they had on the bus that was specifically for beer.

Kory felt a grin break out across her face. "Aw! Short shit really does love us!" She wiped away a fake tear and clutched her chest. "I'm so touched," she said dramatically.

"Shut up," he responded, flicking the top of a beer bottle at her.

Matt walked onto the tour bus just as everyone started sitting down. He gave directions to the bus driver before coming back and taking his resigned spot next to Marrissa.

More than she ever had before, Kory was seriously considering coming on the road with the guys. She knew it was irrational, and that she had so much to do at home yet and going on tour would make all of the effort sort of pointless, but leaving was hard. Really hard. And it wasn't just the thought of leaving Brian that pained her anymore, it was the thought of leaving her best friends behind. Of course she would have Rissa, and that thought comforted her, but everything felt so much more complete when everyone was together. And it was sort of lonely without the constant antics.

They arrived at the airport way too early.

Kory grabbed Brian's hand and squeezed tightly. "This fucking sucks," she muttered. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. "Aaaand, I'm crying," Kory stated, laughing softly.

Brian reached into the side pocket of her duffel bag, grabbing her passport and ticket. He handed them to her, before putting both of his palms on either side of her face. "Kory. Korrissa. Kitten. Baby doll. Koala bear. Ba-"

She giggled. "Koala bear? That's a new one," she teased, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

He laughed too. "Koala bear, listen. Seven days before I'm home again, okay? Just seven. And then we have almost three months together. Trust me, I'm not going anywhere, alright? I promise," he reassured.

Kory groaned softly and buried her head in his chest. "Stop being so cute and romantic, it makes this worse," she mumbled.

"Brian, you have to share. She's our Kory too," Jimmy said, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from Brian. He hugged her tightly. "Be good, Kor. You're still a little one yet. Don't get into any trouble, alright?"

"Jimmy, you're crushing me," Kory said through stained breaths.

"Just let it happen," he responded, motioning for the rest of the guys to come over.

"You're the youngest, so you get all the bear hugs because you're still a child," Johnny said, wrapping his arms around the both of them.

Soon, it was just Rissa and Brian who weren't in on the hug. Kory was feeling a little claustrophobic at this point. Even if she loved them all greatly, it was getting a little uncomfortable.

"Riss? Any help?" She asked, weaving an arm through them and reaching out to her best friend, laughing.

Marrissa laughed at Kory and grabbed her hand. "Alright guys, let the koala bear breathe," she joked, looking at Brian and grinning maniacally.

Once they all released her, Kory sighed in relief. "I love you guys but, my god, was that a tight hug."

Matt reached over and ruffled her already messy hair. "Just tough love, that's all," he said, smiling.

"Alright girls, we're gonna go. See you in a week!" Jimmy said, turning and shoving Johnny towards the door. Zacky followed them, leaving the two couples to say goodbye in peace.

Over the intercom, there was announcement for their plane.

"Two more minutes, think we could get a quickie in if we get to the bathroom soon enough?" Brian asked, laughing when Kory punched his shoulder harshly. "I'm kidding!"

Kory shook her head at him, laughing. "You're lucky I love you," she said, wrapping her arms tightly around his firm waist. "And I do. More than anything."

"Even more than spiral mac and cheese?"

Laughing, Kory nodded. "Yes. Even more than spiral mac and cheese. Now shut up and spend the next thirty seconds kissing me before I have to leave."

Brian definitely didn't need to hear that twice. He placed a sweet kiss on her lips, which slowly heated up to the equivalent of a middle school make out session.

Least to say, Kory was disappointed when he pulled away. "I'm gonna miss you," she confessed.

Brian smiled. "Yeah, I'll miss you even more. Now go get on that plane and get all of your work done so you don't have to do anything once I'm home. Okay?"

She giggled. "Okay, okay, fine."

He placed one last kiss on her lips. "I love you, Kory."

"I love you, Brian," Kory responded teasingly. She hesitated to let go of his hand but once she did, she replaced his with Marissa's. "This isn't going to get any easier, is it?"

Marrissa laughed. "Nope. Probably not."