"Arachnophobia is a specific phobia, the irrational fear of spiders and other arachnids. The reactions of arachnophobics often seem irrational to others (and sometimes to the sufferers themselves). People with arachnophobia tend to feel uneasy in any area they believe could harbor spiders or that has visible signs of their presence, such as webs. In some extreme cases, even a picture or a realistic drawing of a spider can also evoke fear."
   -Wikipedia

"It's a wrap!" Wayne exclaimed happily. Rev sighed with relief and walked towards Zacky and Gena, who were currently wearing their formal dancing-clothes. Finally, the music video to Afterlife was done… or well, "shooting the scenes" was done. And not a moment too soon – it was about 5 in the morning. Wayne roughly patted him on the shoulder. "Nice job, Rev." he said with a smile before yawning. "I'll see you guys in the morning!" Rev smiled at him, and then looked at Zacky and Gena, who were cuddled up on the floor, Gena sitting in Zacky's lap. They looked tired, but it also looked like they could use some "alone-time".
"I think I'll go to bed now." Rev said. Zacky nodded.
"'Night, mate."
"See ya, Jimmy." Gena smiled. Rev nodded at them before leaving the part of the building that was used for filming. The other part had rooms for the crew, and that was where Avenged Sevenfold would be sleeping.
Rev found the bathroom and changed into some more comfortable clothes for the night. He washed his face free of any make-up that was left, and dried his hands with a towel. Then, he noticed something in the corner of his eye. He looked at the mirror, and stiffened. There was a spider on the mirror. It wasn't as big as the ones that had been on his face earlier, but still… the legs were really long, and he could see the hairs on it. It moved around slowly, almost hesitantly. But Jimmy knew how fast they could move if they wanted to…
He could feel the small pricks that the spiders from earlier had left on the skin of his face and hands. How they had slowly moved around, four legs at the time… He was staring at the spider without blinking, but he still remembered how the bigger ones had looked up close, with those huge, scissor-like jaws. It was almost as if he felt the hairs on it's body against his arms, his back, everywhere on him…
All he could do was stare at it, not moving a single muscle. He didn't know how much time passed… All that existed right now was him and the arachnid.
Minutes passed, until he finally heard a knock on the door, followed by the sound of it being opened and someone pausing in the doorway.
"Rev?" Johnny's voice. Jimmy's mind barely registered it, as he was busy keeping an eye on the spider, which had now moved from the upper corner of the mirror to the middle. Rev was expecting it to suddenly jump off of the smooth surface and latch itself onto him.
"Rev? Jimmy, are you okay?" Johnny asked in a concerned voice as he gently put a hand on the drummer. He could practically see the small hairs rising on Rev's neck. Jimmy didn't move, so Johnny tried to look in the direction Jimmy so intensely stared at. When he saw the little creature on the mirror, he raised a brow but shrugged.
"Stay here, I'll get some toilet paper." Johnny said, heading for the toilet a few feet away. He quickly grabbed a handful of the soft paper, came back and in one, swift motion, the spider was captured. Johnny threw it into the toilet and flushed it before facing Jimmy again. The tall man was now looking at the floor, eyes still wide. The feeling of spider-legs on his body had dulled, but he could still somehow feel it, along with the uneasiness from standing so close to the feared spider. Johnny rested a hand on Rev's shoulder.
"Hey, snap out of it! The spider's gone." Rev looked at Johnny with a blank expression.
"Thanks…" he whispered hoarsely. Johnny shook his head.
"No problem, Jimmy." he said, now smiling a bit. "I was beginning to get a little worried, since you hadn't come back… Zacky and Gena hit the bunks like, 10 minutes ago, and they said that you left before them…" Jimmy looked to the side, not wanting to face Johnny.
"I just… kinda gets petrified when I see a spider." he mumbled. Johnny nodded, but looked confused.
"But… you just had them crawl all over you, right? So how come…"
"I dunno, late reaction, perhaps?" Jimmy suggested with a chuckle, although he wasn't really feeling safe right now. The spider had been flushed down the drain, but… what if it could breathe underwater? What if it could swim? What if it was to come back?
"Yeah, I guess…" Johnny said. He gently took Jimmy's wrist and led him out of the bathroom. He thought that maybe Rev would feel a little better if he wasn't in the same room as the spider…
As they entered the room that held Johnny's, Rev's and Syn's beds, Johnny let go of Jimmy. Rev sat down on his bed and began to untie his shoes. Johnny sat down beside him and placed a hand on his back.
"I didn't know it was that bad, Jimmy." he said. Rev just shrugged and tossed his shoes into a corner before squirming around Johnny to get under the covers. He was still feeling really uneasy, but… Johnny shouldn't see him like that. Rev was used to being the strong one, the protector… now the roles were completely reversed, and it confused him. His back was facing Johnny, who didn't say anything. But after a while, Rev felt the mattress shift under the weight of the small bassist, and a hand rested itself beside Jimmy's stomach. He felt his heart beat faster just by Johnny's close presence. He felt soft breathing against his tattooed neck, followed by small kisses and a nose burying itself in his hair.
The last bit of tingling on his body from the imaginary legs of the spider was now completely gone, replaced by the warmth and comfort from his little friend. The warmth and comfort that Jimmy had longed for all day. He turned over so that he was now facing Johnny, who had propped himself up on one elbow and was gently stroking Jimmy's hair. Jimmy hesitated for a moment before reaching out and putting his arm around Johnny's waist, pulling himself closer. Johnny was lying so that Rev was resting his forehead on the bassist's chest, feeling the soft thumps of the heart echo through his head. Johnny laid his arm around Rev's shoulder, gently rubbing his back whilst still playing with his hair.
"It's OK, Jimmy… It's OK. Nothing will hurt you, I promise." Johnny whispered. "I'm here, don't worry." Rev nodded, burying his face in the fabric of Johnny's T-Shirt. Maybe, for once, he could let Johnny be the protector. It felt nice being protected by someone, after all. Johnny continued to stroke Jimmy's hair and back. The soothing motions made the drummer sleepy, and he felt his eyes drop.
"Johnny…" he whispered on the brim of consciousness. Johnny smiled, blowing air out through his nose and down on Rev's head.
"Yeah?" he asked. Rev smiled as his eyes closed.
"Thanks." And by that, he slipped into unconsciousness, letting the much needed sleep take over. Johnny kissed the top of Jimmy's head.
"You're welcome, Jim."