Fingers Crossed (Synacky)

Chapter Six

The tour kicked off in a whirlwind of passports, luggage, and plane tickets, nine men, three women, and one dog. They would arrive a day early in Japan, giving everyone a chance to look around a bit before their first date. It also gave Zacky a chance to trash his sleep schedule. Jet lag was a bitch, and they’d be playing concerts when it was 3:00 in the morning back in California.

When they got to their hotel, Zacky was ready to collapse in bed and sleep for about fifteen hours, but Brian whined, tugging at his arm. “Zacky, let’s go get a glimpse at the culture. We’re in Tokyo! You can sleep when we’re back home where everything’s boring.”

So, this time he didn’t get to trash his sleep schedule. Instead they went into town and bought kimonos and Pikachu backpacks, looking every bit like tourists. It probably looked strange to passersby, a small mob of manly men, one cradling a fluffy white dog, wandering through anime shops and fish markets, pausing to take pictures of lotus flowers and, occasionally, signing the shirt of a fan. Brian and Matt threw Johnny into a koi pond. He may not have been the new kid anymore but he was still the smallest.

They made it back to their hotel late. Really late. It was one in the morning in their systems, but the sun was still shining, it being only five in Japan. Pinkly was out cold, giving up the opportunity of new sights and smells and sounds for sleep. But Zacky, overcome with nervousness about the first concert of the tour, slid into bed with his mind wide awake. Brian climbed in next to him, pulling Zacky close so he could use him as a teddy bear. Typical Brian.

“Hey, Zacky?” Brian whispered, and Zacky tilted his head so he could look at his fiancé.

“Yeah?”

“Haner or Baker?”

Zacky looked up at the ceiling. “For what? When we get married?”

“Yeah. I mean, just because I top doesn’t mean you have to be Zachary Haner, unless you want to… Brian Baker has a nice ring to it.”

Zacky started to shrug, started to say, “It doesn’t really matter to me,” when he remembered that clipboard. The word “terminal” flashed bright through his mind and he said, “Baker.” Baker was best. Then if and when he passed away, Brian could still carry his name and remember him by it.

He couldn’t believe he was actually thinking like this. A month ago he would never have been able to imagine thinking about death, and here he was choosing his future last name accordingly.

“I like that too.” Brian took Zacky’s hand, rubbing his thumb along the back of it. “Brian and Zachary Baker.”

Zacky liked to imagine their wedding. They had hardly anything planned, they were taking things so god awfully slow, but he imagined what it would be like often. Would they be in a church? Zacky did not want to get married in a church. His mind always ended up settling on the beach. It would make everything perfect. He could almost see it, himself kissing Brian, waves crashing in his ears, sunset reflecting perfectly on their features, turning them into silhouettes and a vibrant work of art all at once.

And it suddenly occurred to him that he might not make it to a wedding.

“What’s on your mind?” Brian diverted Zacky from his thoughts. “You’re somewhere else right now.”

“Why don’t we get married tomorrow?” Zacky replied with a question of his own. “We could do it. I’m sure there’s someone in Tokyo who could marry us, even if we couldn’t understand what he was saying…”

Brian chuckled, kissing Zacky’s cheek, then his lips. “No, let’s not rush it. I love this. I love being your fiancé, I love planning the wedding, I don’t want to rush into this and have our wedding not be beautiful and memorable. I want it to be perfect.”