Against The Rocks

The Odd One Out

"Okay, we're good for today, Shads. Pack it up, guys."

"We're good?" Matt asked, confirming through the window with a thumbs up.

Brian gave him a nod and he slipped his headphones off. He rolled his shoulders and brought a hand up to his throat, massaging it gently as though that would help. Recording was often intense and punishing, and today was no different. He made his way through the swinging door to join the others at the mixing desk.

"Fucking killed it, brother," Zacky grinned, slapping a hand against his back. Matt gave him an appreciative nod as the guitarist turned to his counterpart, "We're up tomorrow right? Got your solo down?"

Brian smirked, "Always."

"Good to know," Zach replied, snickering at Brian laidback approach. The lead guitarist's work always appeared to be effortless, but Zach knew, as did the rest of the band, that he put countless hours practice into it.

"I'm sure Heidi will give your precious hands a massage in preparation," Johnny added, dodging a playful fist.

Brian raised an eyebrow as he failed to land his punch, "Not as much as Lily will need to massage your ego after you watch me smash it, lowly bassist."

"Hey," Johnny cut in with a laugh, "I'm an important and fundamental member of this band."

"Will you lot keep it moving towards the door? Some of us want to go home," Jimmy teased, shepherding the light-hearted brawl towards the exit.

Zacky snorted, "I'm sure the comforts of Ramen and The Real Housewives of OC are calling your name."

"At least I'm not going home to my mom," Jimmy quipped back, shoving him out the door.

"You leave Debz and her broken leg out of this," Matt laughed, shaking his head at the banter. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and slipped it out, the name pulling the corner of his lips into a smile.

If there was anything in life to be thankful for, it was this. The members of Avenged Sevenfold simply clicked into place with each other, like a lock and key or a jigsaw. There was very little missing from their musical family at this point and very little from their personal lives also, except one needling thing.

Brian and Heidi were sailing through calm waters as usual, Matt seemed to have landed on his feet in his newfound relationship with Mariana, Zacky was enjoying the attention of many different women, and Jimmy was... well, Jimmy was Jimmy; but the remaining (and shortest) member wasn't quite having such an easy go of it.

As he dropped himself heavily into the driver's seat of his prized '65 Skylark - which he'd been heavily dedicated to restoring (and definitely not using as an excuse to avoid his wife) - he let out a long sigh. Going home was not something he currently enjoyed. He waved to his bandmates as they passed by in their cars one by one, all thrilled to be heading home.

Once he was alone in the parking lot, his hand wandered over to the glove compartment and hovered, uncertain of his commitment to his plan. He'd never been an impulsive person, and yet lately he found himself saying 'Fuck it' more and more often. This moment was precisely one of those.

"Fuck it," he muttered, tugging at the handle.

The door opened willingly and he shoved his hand into the darkness, fumbling about until his finger closed around the small rectangular box. He slid it out into the fading daylight and turned it over in his hands, contemplating whether this would be worth the hassle.

"She's gonna kill me for it," he mumbled to himself as he opened the pack. "Might as well die happy."

He brought a forbidden cigarette to his lips and, without further hesitation, sparked it. He pulled on it deeply, letting out a sigh of relief as the nicotine gave him a little rush of satisfaction. There would be an argument upon returning home for sure. The same old argument that had been running back and forth for nearly eighteen months now. How much longer could their marriage last with the pair of them armed with an emotion pickaxe each and diligently hacking away at the foundations? He loved Lily, he truly did. They'd been together for as long as Brian and Heidi had, but while Brian and Heidi seemed constantly enamoured with one another, he and Lily hadn't felt further apart. His cigarette couldn't outlast his brooding so he lit another, despite the trouble it would cause.