Gift of Song

After the wedding of their best friends ended, the remainder of BVB split up to head back to their own homes since the guys had decided to forego a reception. That was probably for the best, as everyone knew they couldn’t wait to set off on their honeymoon, and besides, CC was getting tired because of his pregnancy and the little ones were ready to go back home, anyway.

The drummer fought to stifle a yawn as he climbed into his lover’s car, already feeling completely drained, even though it wasn’t quite one o’ clock in the afternoon yet. He was almost eighteen weeks pregnant and couldn’t help that he felt so tired, especially since the baby seemed to be keeping him awake all the time. At the beginning of his pregnancy, he’d been kept up all the time because of his morning sickness, which had finally ended somewhere between two and four weeks ago, give or take. Now that he was nearly halfway through his pregnancy, he could swear that he was feeling their baby kick, which kept him awake.

Once his baby sister was strapped into her booster seat in the back, Jake opened the driver’s door and climbed in beside him. He gently pulled him as close as the confined space would allow, careful to lean as far over the console as he could to avoid pulling his sweetheart’s belly against it too hard, and gave him just as gentle a kiss. CC couldn’t help but grin into the kiss, knowing that one of these days, the guitarist would grow the balls to propose and it would be them getting married.

What he didn’t know was that, so long as Casey’s nurse said it was okay for them to have a night to themselves, he was planning on taking him out to dinner that night. While they were at dinner, he was planning on doing just that, the engagement ring he’d bought well-hidden at home. He’d bought the ring two weeks ago, already planning his proposal, and felt that after dating for a little over a year, it was time he grew the balls to do this. They’d known each other since their last year in middle school, but had fought off their attraction to one another till last summer to avoid the bullies at school. That, and because they weren’t sure what the guys would say about their relationship since they knew they wouldn’t care about their sexuality.

“I think I’m gonna go try to take a nap,” CC yawned as he closed their front door. “I haven’t been sleeping that well lately.”

“So I’ve noticed,” he agreed, looking worried. “Nothing’s wrong with you or the baby, right?”

“No, but I’m pretty sure I’ve been feeling it kicking lately, especially when I’m trying to sleep,” he answered, putting his lover’s fears to rest. “I haven’t exactly had a chance to ask Ash how it felt when Rori was kicking him, and I’ve never made it this far into a pregnancy before.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be surprised, mon animale,” Jake told him. “Didn’t Dr. Hill say this would be about the time you started feeling its movements?”

“Yeah, it is,” the drummer answered. “That, and I think Ash started feeling Rori move around this time, too.”

“So we’ll sit him down and ask him when he and Andy get back from their honeymoon,” the guitarist said thoughtfully. “I mean, it’ll be pretty soon since we leave for Warped Tour on the twenty-second, even though it doesn’t start till the twenty-fourth.”

“Sounds like a plan to me, mon pleureuse.” He covered his mouth in an attempt to stifle another yawn.

“Go on upstairs. I’ll come join you once I get Casey settled.”

Nodding, CC headed up the stairs, one hand on the small of his back for support while the other rested lightly on the railing to keep him from falling. It was obvious that his back hurt from the extra weight he was carrying, as well as any miniscule kicks his spine could already be taking, and it made his lover’s heart hurt knowing that. With a sigh, the guitarist kept his sweetheart’s sister in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder as she slept, and started up the stairs behind him.

Once the little girl was tucked into her bed, Jake tracked down her nurse to make sure she’d be okay watching her tonight. Becki told him that she didn’t mind watching the little girl, as it was part of what she’d been hired by CC to do upon their move to California. Before he headed to the master bedroom, he quietly asked her for some ideas to make tonight über special for the man he loved.

She suggested that, since he was the woman of the relationship, so to speak, to try something he might’ve with an ex-girlfriend. Unable to come up with any good ideas he thought would work with his sweetheart, he threw up his hands in defeat. That was when she told him that, considering her slightly tomboyish personality, she liked it better when a man gave her a single red rose versus an entire bouquet of them. Her suggestion was that he use whatever the drummer’s favorite flower happened to be, if he had one that he knew about, and use that idea, along with whatever he was going to do. Becki wasn’t sure if that would work since he wasn’t nearly as girlie as Ash, but it might.

Jake thanked her while taking that suggestion to heart, knowing that it’d work. His sweetheart, being the wild, crazy guy that he was, loved tiger lilies and proclaimed them his favorite back when they were in high school. How he didn’t remember that on his own was beyond him, but giving him a single tiger lily before he took him out to dinner could very well set the perfect mood for proposing to him. He had a huge grin plastered on his kisser as he walked back to their bedroom, ready to give CC a back rub until he fell asleep, which would leave him with plenty of time to plan tonight.

“Mmm, Jakey?” his sweetheart asked sleepily, obviously not quite asleep.

“Shhh. It’s me, mon animale,” he answered softly, gently caressing his arm as he crawled on the bed behind him.

“Can you rub my back for me? It’s killing me,” the drummer said with a pout.

“Sure, I can do that,” he answered, grinning. It was what he’d been planning on doing anyway, regardless of whether he’d asked or not.

“Je vous remercie, mon amour,” CC murmured, groaning softly as he began the back rub.

“Vous êtes les bienvenus, mon amour,” Jake answered.

It didn’t take long for the muscles in his sweetheart’s back to loosen from the knots they were tied in, which left him purring in relief and pleasure until he fell asleep. Once he heard the soft snores he’d finally grown accustomed to coming from him, he stopped rubbing his back, but sat there for a few minutes to make sure he wouldn’t wake up again.

When he was sure that CC wouldn’t wake up again as soon as he moved, he slowly crawled back off their bed to start planning out that night. He wanted to take him to his favorite restaurant, which would require calling a few hours in advance for a reservation, and he needed to go do that before anything else. Once the reservation was made, Jake stepped out back to see if Jinxx could bring him one of the tiger lilies that Sammi grew in their back yard. Of course his brother was curious as to what he wanted it for, which gave him yet another idea that he could use that night, so long as the other man agreed.

Jinxx agreed to bring him the flower he’d requested, as well as to help him out again later that night after they had their dinner, which got him a profuse thank-you from Jake. With a sigh, he ended their phone call and headed back inside so he could double check with Becki on his sister-in-law-to-be’s care for the night, as well as check on the little girl for himself.

It wouldn’t be long before he could take his sweetheart out for dinner, and he hoped that everything he did for him tonight wouldn’t be in vain.

* * *

Later that evening, after his nap, Jake had his sweetheart go get ready for their date night. He was a bit high-strung and was trying to calm his nerves down so he wouldn’t give away his surprises, which was easier said than done. Of course that gained him a few curious and concerned looks from the pregnant man, but he brushed it off and told him that he was fine. CC merely shrugged, choosing to take his word for it rather than keep pestering him, and obediently followed him out to the car.

Before they even crossed the threshold of the restaurant, he grabbed his sweetheart’s arm and gently dragged him aside. Of course he had an odd, questioning expression on his face, which lit up the moment he handed him the tiger lily Jinxx’d brought over while he was still asleep. He wrapped his arms around him and gave him one helluva kiss, but it was obvious that he was already getting a bit suspicious.

With a chuckle, he extended his elbow like the gentleman his mama’d raised him to be so he could lead him inside. Of course they got some questioning and even disgusted looks from people already inside because of the fact that they were two men obviously on a date, but they paid them no mind. They weren’t going to let a bunch of homophobic assholes ruin their date night, but Jake definitely wasn’t going to because of the proposal he still had up his sleeve. If the mood wasn’t right, there was no sense in even trying to make his proposal, so he was fighting to keep things calm and happy.

“So what sparked this romantic evening?” CC asked once they were seated. “Was it the romance of Andy’s and Ash’s wedding earlier?”

“A bit,” he chuckled, wanting to be as honest as he could. “But what can I say? I love my boyfriend with every fiber of my being, and I don’t feel like I show it enough.”

“Just having you by my side is enough to show it to me,” the drummer said, leaning in for a kiss.

“Duly noted, mon animale, but that’s not gonna stop me,” Jake chuckled.

“Who ever said I wanted it to stop you?” he asked. “I’m just saying you don’t always have to go overboard like this.”

“Mmm, touché. But I still love you,” the guitarist told him.

It wasn’t long before their waitress showed up to take their orders, and it pissed Jake off that she kept making googly eyes at his boyfriend. Pissed that she’d even try that since he was obviously on a date with him, he reached over, grabbed his hand, and placed his order with a look on his face that clearly told her to back the fuck off.

CC chuckled at his lover’s possessive behavior, but he could understand where he was coming from. He hated when women would do that to him, especially now that he was pregnant and his hormones were all over the place, so he didn’t let his jealousy get to him. The waitress left with a scoff, leaving them to their own devices while their food was being prepared. He couldn’t help another chuckle as Jake’s face softened to a more tender expression, which proclaimed his love in a way that didn’t require words. He leaned over and gently connected their lips, not wanting things to get too heated while in public.

Shortly thereafter, the waitress returned with their meals, purposely thumping their plates down on the table harder than necessary now that she knew for sure that they were gay. Clearly she was a homophobic bitch, or just plain unhappy that her flirting hadn’t worked, and that pissed both of them off a bit. They brushed off her more or less boorish behavior and dove into their food, both enjoying the meals, even though they couldn’t drink because of his pregnancy. CC couldn’t help but feel special since he knew his lover was trying to be fair by laying off the alcohol while he was pregnant and couldn’t drink, even though he knew without a doubt that he didn’t want to.

After they finished their food, the drummer having to get a to-go box since he couldn’t eat as much anymore, Jake paid their bill before leading him back out to the car. He was kind of surprised to find out they had another stop to make before going home, but didn’t say anything since he really didn’t want this night to end. He merely sat in the passenger’s seat, twirling his tiger lily between his fingers, as his lover drove to their destination, wondering what he could possibly be up to.

“All right, Chuppy,” the guitarist said, helping him out of the car. “Just a short walk, and we’ll be where I want us.”

“I’ll take your word for it, Jakey,” he answered, grinning at the use of the foolish nickname.

“I hope you don’t mind being outside for a bit,” Jake said, suddenly sounding a bit nervous. “I know it’s getting kinda chilly.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” CC told him, taking his hand as he led him to their destination. “What the? Am I losing it, or do I hear a violin?”

His lover chuckled and grinned, but refused to answer the question.

“Okay, I think it’s official. I need the assistance of a good doctor and a nuthouse,” he muttered, still blindly following his lover.

“Nah, you don’t need those. All you need is me, and I’m right here,” he chuckled, finally breaking through a few palm trees.

“Oh, wow,” the drummer breathed, taking in his surroundings.

They stood at the top of a cliff that overlooked the very same beach their friends had gotten married on earlier today, which explained the slight sense of déjà vu that had overcome him. The full moon shone down on them, illuminating their surroundings enough to see by quite well, which also revealed why he’d heard a violin. He looked off to his right and, sitting on a pile of rocks beneath a small grove of palm trees that would make a perfect location for a wedding, was Jinxx, his violin held beneath his chin as he played. Even in the darkness, it would be hard to mistake one of his best friends for anyone else.

CC grinned and threw his arms around his lover’s neck, drawing him in for a kiss as the music continued softly behind them. He was so happy that nothing could make him happier unless the love of his life asked him to marry him, but he doubted that would happen. Even though he’d kill to experience that, he’d just be happy with whatever love he chose to give him rather than push him too far by asking for too much.

Hand in hand, they stood near the grove of palms their friend sat under as he played, watching the moonlight on the breaking waves below. The sound of them could be heard up here, even with the violin being played as softly as it was, and it was the perfect setting for a proposal. Jake took a deep breath as he reached into his pocket, soon turning to his sweetheart with a nervous expression on his face. Of course he was curious as to what he was doing, but it dawned on him when he started dropping to his knee.

“CC, you know without a shadow of a doubt that I love you with all my heart and soul. Nothing short of Death could tear us apart any time soon, and I dunno about you, but I’m not planning on dying any time soon,” he started, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

The drummer merely stood there, tears welling up in his eyes as he put the puzzle pieces together.

“I know that, as romantic as this moment is, it doesn’t have nearly the glitz and glamour that Andy planned when he took the same leap but faith, but I didn’t want to do this in front of hundreds of people. I wanted us to have a romantic evening, and that’s exactly what happened. Nothing could make this moment any more romantic, or me any happier…than you telling me what I wanna hear.” Jake said, opening the box he held. “So will you, Christian Coma, do me the honor of becoming my husband?”

“Yes, yes, yes! A thousand times yes!” CC answered, a grin splitting his face as he tried not to cry.

With a grin of his own, the guitarist rose to his feet and took his hand, gently kissing him as he slid the ring he’d bought onto his finger. He couldn’t help but grin into the kiss he gave him, knowing his sweetheart was looking at the ring over his shoulder since his arms were wrapped around his neck. He probably couldn’t tell at the moment, but it was a beautiful emerald, given that his favorite color was green, with blue topaz anchored to either side of it.

“You have no idea how happy you just made me,” he said softly, resting his forehead on his sweetheart’s.

“You have no idea how happy you made me, mon amour,” the drummer countered. “I was just daydreaming about you proposing as we looked out over the cliff.”

“Oh, really? Well, I guess it’s a good thing I had this planned all along then, isn’t it?” Jake asked with a chuckle.

“You sly dog,” CC chuckled, leaning in to kiss him again.

It wasn’t long before Jinxx stopped playing his violin and packed it up, quietly calling his farewells since he was leaving to give the couple some privacy. He’d brought them a blanket and a couple pillows from their room when he came up here, which left them with a decently comfortable place to show their love to one another since the ground was fairly soft. He didn’t mind sitting in the background and giving them some mood music before and during the proposal, but he wasn’t going to stick around for whatever came afterward.

After telling their friend goodbye, they took a seat on the blanket he’d spread out near the pile of rocks he’d been sitting on. The moonlight was still pretty bright, even under this small grove of palm trees, so they could see each other pretty well. Jake wrapped his arms around his sweetheart, grinning as he pulled him into his lap to give him a kiss. He loved this man so much that no words in any language could possibly profess how much, so he’d rather show him than try to tell him. And that’d been part of his plans tonight, so long as he was in the mood, all along.

CC didn’t try to push him away and plead a headache or a backache to get out of making love; in fact, he pulled him closer as he tried to get their crotches closer together. It wasn’t long before he began to grind on him, happily opening his mouth to grant him access when he licked the seam of his lips. His hands roamed down his back, gently caressing and grabbing his shirt on their way back up, as the drummer’s hands anchored themselves in his hair right at his nape.

With gentle touches and movements, Jake gently stripped his sweetheart of his clothes and allowed him to return the favor. They were soon lying on their blanket beneath the full moon, the guitarist on his back to keep pressure off their unborn child as his fiancé straddled him. He couldn’t help arching his hips up to grind against him, his hard-on crying out for relief as they continued to make out. He knew this night couldn’t get much better than it already was, even with a sweet lovemaking session after his proposal, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. CC was his love and world, and he’d do anything for him, up to and including making him happier than any man on this planet could, and he kept his promise to himself tenfold.

Notes