Social Norms (Synacky)

Epilogue

“Sevenfold! Sevenfold! Sevenfold!”

The crowd chanted as one voice, filling Brian with adrenaline as he grabbed the guitar Jason handed to him. “You guys are gonna fucking kick ass!” he shouted to them, and the band responded with enthusiasm.

Brian loved performing.

He loved the way the fans watched him, the way they screamed when his guitar wailed, the way they moshed and sang and danced to songs he had been a part in writing. He also loved watching Zacky, hot and sweaty, hair sticking to his face as he played. Well, ever since he cut it short it didn’t stick to his face, but he was still attractive as fuck, fingers traveling across the fret board as he strutted across the stage.

Hot.

He didn’t wear his snakebites anymore, nor his septum. The band was growing up, especially after Jimmy passed away. They didn’t really party much anymore, Matt and Val had River, with another baby on the way. So much different from when they had started the band.

One thing, however, hadn’t changed.

Brian still got butterflies in his stomach when Zacky kissed him, still got excited at the slightest touch that Zacky graced against his skin. And Zacky, fifteen years later, Zacky was thirty-two years old and still blushed when Brian gave him attention.

The fans ate it up. It became a sensation, they wrote their own stories about them, things that weren’t true, and named the genre “Synacky.” Sometimes Brian and Zacky were ridiculed for it, heavy metal band members weren’t supposed to be gay, but the band stood strong right along their guitarists, and everything always ended up just fine.

They got married in 2005, during the fall after City of Evil was released. Getting married was probably the best decision Brian had ever made.

They didn’t have kids, not yet. They were going to, but once it started looking like it could actually become a reality, Brian had chickened out, because he was scared of being a father. Being a dad is a big deal. What if he screwed up? What if he did something wrong?

Zacky was patient. He said he was ready, but he’d wait as long as Brian needed. “Until then, we can take care of Pinkly and Icky and Majesty.” He assured, smiling to reinforce his point, but Brian saw the longing in his eyes.

They put out a sixth album, “Hail to the King,” which was the first album that had no influences from Jimmy in it. Brian thought they did pretty well without being able to have the input of the mastermind that Jimmy was. The fans seemed to like it. And their new kid drummer, Arin, he really did well filling Jimmy’s shoes.

And those were huge shoes to fill. Like River wearing Matt’s sneakers.

Gross.

“You ready?”

Brian jerked his head up from his guitar, eyes locking onto Zacky’s emerald ones instantly. “Yeah.” He replied, smiling warmly, pecking Zacky’s lips gently. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Out by the stage. We’re on, like, right now.”

“Great.” Brian grinned, “Let’s go out there, then.”

Zacky offered Brian a hand, which Brian took, lacing their fingers together, and they joined the guys by the stage, pulling apart when it was time to walk out.

Did Brian mention he loved performing?

He loved getting attention, he loved playing his guitar, he loved his husband, and he loved his best friends. When he performed, he got all of them at once.

He loved the way fans swarmed when he threw cheap picks into the crowd. He loved their enthusiasm, the way they melted when he pointed out into the sea of faces, each one thought he was pointing at them.

He loved the way Matt would shout, “Synyster Gates!” and he’d stand up on the box and plunge into the solo. He loved the way Zacky’s back felt pressed up against his as they played solos for the screaming fans.

He loved the way Zacky would smirk at him, the way they’d banter back and forth and the crowd cheered. He loved the blush that would blossom across Zacky’s cheeks whenever Brian smacked his ass, he even loved the way he rolled his eyes at Brian’s childishness.

It seemed as though everything was going right in the world.

They’d had their rough patches. They’d had many fights, as Brian worked to understand Zacky, and Zacky tried to open up to Brian. They had come a long ways from that summer back in ’99. Losing Jimmy was an especially hard time for them, and instead of retreating into themselves, they had gone to Matt’s house where they camped for a couple weeks. They got through it.

And they would get through anything that was to come. Brian knew it.

With Zacky at his side, anything was possible.