Gift of Song

Three weeks into the tour, everybody but Shelby had finally gotten the hang of being on the road again. Since it was her first time on tour, she had a bit more adjusting to do, but she managed well enough. She’d had to readjust her sleep schedule so she was awake when the kids needed a babysitter and did her schoolwork while they were napping or in bed for the night. Right now, Andy was at the nearest post office mailing three weeks worth of assignments back to Marissa to be turned in and she was starting on the next round.

CC was the only one up at this early hour besides the teen, his morning sickness still giving him a bit of trouble. He was currently eight weeks pregnant with his and Jake’s baby, so he knew it would still be a while before the morning sickness died away completely, but at least it wasn’t as bad as it had been. In all honesty, though, he was thinking about getting Aaron to fill him for him that night because he just wasn’t feeling so hot. Having only one day off since the tour started so far with him being pregnant was leaving him far too weak and lethargic for his own good.

As quietly as he could, he took a seat at the kitchen table next to the slaving teen, trying not to nurse one of the only two cups of coffee he could have that day too quickly. That was the one thing that sucked about being pregnant on tour besides the morning sickness and exhaustion: he couldn’t have nearly the amount of caffeine he needed to survive life on the road, and it was killing him.

“Morning, CC,” Shelby said a bit distractedly, not even looking up at him.

“Morning, Shel,” he answered, chuckling. “How’d you know it was me?”

“Well, other than when the tour first started and Ashley was up with his backache, you’re the only who ever gets up this early,” she told him, finally looking up.

“Yeah, morning sickness is a bitch,” the drummer said, grimacing. “I’ll be glad when it’s over.”

“I don’t blame you. From what I’ve witnessed, it makes me wanna never get pregnant,” she agreed. “And that’s saying something, because I’ve always wanted at least one kid.”

“Well, you’re only sixteen; you might still change your mind,” CC told her.

“How old are you? I know all of you are in your twenties, but I never knew how old exactly.”

“Ash and I are both twenty-three…well, I will be in a couple weeks,” he said sheepishly. “Jinxx and Sammi are twenty-one since they haven’t had birthdays yet, Jake’s twenty, and Andy just turned twenty back in December.”

“So you’re all still pretty young.” She looked thoughtful. “I’m kinda surprised that Jinxx, Sammi, Andy, and Ashley all have kids at their ages.”

“Neither of them were planned, or I guarantee you they’d have waited.” He paused for a deep breath. “Hell, I would’ve waited, in all honesty, but can’t turn back the clock now. And I wouldn’t bother, even if I had the chance to do so.”

“I’m glad to hear it, mon animale.” A pair of arms wrapped themselves loosely around his waist and the chair he sat in. “I wouldn’t, either.”

“Morning, Jakey,” he said with a cheeky grin. He turned his head so he could get a kiss from over his shoulder. “How’d you sleep?”

“About as great as one can expect to in a moving apartment,” Jake chuckled. “How ’bout you?”

“’Bout as well as one can while pregnant and suffering from morning sickness from Hell while in a moving apartment.” He gasped and set his coffee mug down on the table. “Excuse me, guys.”

“So how’ve you been, Shelby?” the other man asked as his sweetheart made a mad dash for the bathroom in the back.

“’Bout as well as I’m guessing the rest of you have been,” she answered, sighing.

“Well, this ain’t our first time doing this,” the guitarist chuckled. “We’re kinda used to it, although it does take a bit of readjusting at first. But this is your first time experiencing the wonderful world of touring.”

“True enough, Jake,” Shelby agreed. “I’m honored to have the chance to experience this, so I refuse to complain much.”

He noticed that she seemed to be having trouble with the geometry work she’d been working on before she and CC had started talking and offered to help her out. Despite being more talented with the fine arts, he’d been a bit of a math wiz in high school and often tutored the guys so they wouldn’t fail. Geometry was pretty easy for him, especially when he looked at it from a more artistic standpoint, and he’d aced it without any problems.

The teen was grateful for his help, as practically any form of math tended to stump her, and he could tell by the way her eyes lit up when he offered. They didn’t even notice how quickly she got through all of what she was supposed to do for that one day and even the next three until the rest of the guys, Sammi, Amy, and the kids started emerging from the bunk room. When they looked up and noticed that it was around eleven AM and everybody was up, they more or less lost their drive to do anything schoolwork-related and decided to call it quits for the moment.

Even with Jake’s help, Andy and Ash, who were practically her surrogate parents at this point, were proud of her for getting several days ahead on her geometry. The couple had huge grins on their faces as they congratulated her and gave her huge hugs, all while thanking their bandmate and brother for helping her. Shelby eagerly returned the hugs, then headed for the living area to hang out with everybody else and start taking care of the kids for the day while they cooked breakfast for everybody.

After breakfast, everybody decided to head into the venue, The Intersection in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to practice a bit before that night’s show. They could all tell that Andy was happy to be back in his home state, as was his best friend from outside the band, Matt Good. They hadn’t seen each other in ages until he became the lead guitarist for D.R.U.G.S., but were beyond happy to be touring together now. On the stage with his mic, the baby of BVB grinned with every lyric and melody that floated out of his mouth, and the rest of the guys couldn’t help but be affected by his infectious happiness. Even Sammi, Amy, and Shelby were affected by it, huge grins plastered across their kissers as they watched the guys practice, alongside Matt.

“Honestly, when I knew Andy back in middle and early high school, I never thought his dream would become a reality,” the guitarist said, cheering his best friend on.

“Why do you say that?” Shelby asked.

“Well, he always said he was gonna make it big as a rock star, but I didn’t think it would happen. I mean, we were pretty much small-town country folk, so I knew it would be damn near impossible,” he explained. “But damned if he made it big, and that made me wanna try for myself. Now look at where both of us are: making it big in the music industry, and surrounded by devoted fans and loved ones.”

“So what did you think when you found out he was with Ashley?” she asked curiously.

“Well, straight, bi, or gay, I’d always wanted him to find the one he loved most,” Matt answered, sobering up a bit. “He’d always been so lonely in middle school. I mean, I had a few friends other than him, but I think I was his only friend.”

“Seriously? He doesn’t strike me as that kinda guy.”

“Well, he doesn’t appear to be anymore, although appearances can be deceiving, but he definitely was back then. So when he called me and told me he’d had a baby, but that I’d be shocked because her other parent was another man, I was happy for him. Yeah, I was confused as hell about how her other parent was another man, but once he explained it to me, it made sense and I still didn’t judge either of them.”

“And now Rori’s two, unless I’m remembering my dates wrong.”

“Oh, no. You’re right about my little niece being two. And because of that and how much they love each other, I just hope Andy grows the balls to propose to him soon.”

They let their conversation die down as the guys walked off the stage to rest a bit before the show, but that didn’t stop the grins they wore from gracing their faces. What they didn’t know was that Andy’d heard the last thing to come out of his best friend’s mouth, and he could honestly say that Matt had nothing to worry about. His plan was to show the balls he’d grown, and sooner than any of them would’ve expected.


At the end of that night’s show, Andy had a pretty big surprise for his sweetheart. The song he’d been writing for him when he was fifteen weeks pregnant with their daughter had ended up being named “Rebel Love Song” and recorded for the new album. So far no one but the band members and manager had heard it, but he needed to use it to help accomplish his goals tonight. Yeah, the song had been written by Ash for him, but it couldn’t and wouldn’t hurt to reverse things, considering how special tonight would be…especially if he said yes.

After they closed out with Perfect Weapon again, the bassist started to walk off…until his sweetheart stopped him by grabbing him for a kiss…and his bass. Somewhat startled and surprised, he took a seat on the stool a roadie brought out for him, giving his lover a confused look the entire time he sat there. With a grin that hid his anxiety, he told him not to worry about the harmony line, that Jinxx was covering it.

“Now, we’re extending our set by just a bit tonight because of a special occasion,” Andy told the crowd, lengthening the bass strap a bit for his taller frame. “You guys have never heard this tune because it’s on our upcoming album, Set the World on Fire, but my sweetheart wrote it for me almost three years ago. The guys and I are gonna play it for him tonight instead of the other way around because of what I’ve got planned, so help us make it even more special if you can. If you can’t pick up on the lyrics with us, try to at least help us out by humming it, please?”

The crowd let out wild cries of “Yes!” and “Of course!”, which pleased all of them.

“This is Rebel Love Song!” the frontman cried, and the band launched into the song. “I cannot hide what’s on my mind; I feel it burning deep inside. A passion crime to take what’s mine; let us start living for today.”

A huge grin split Ash’s face as his lover sang the song he’d written for him so many years ago, the one they’d finally gotten around to recording just recently.

“Never gonna change my mind; we can leave it all behind. Nothing’s gonna stop us; no, not this time. So take your hand in mine; it’s ours tonight. This is a rebel love song. Hearts will sacrifice; it’s do or die. This is a rebel love song.”

By the end of the song, the crowd had picked up on the chorus and was singing along, although the verses were harder for them since no one but the guys and management had heard the song…until now. Tears were streaming down the bassist’s face as he wondered just what his lover was up to, but he knew he wouldn’t find out until the song’s end.

When the song ended, all the guys handed off their instruments to the roadies, who took them over to the techs, except for CC. He merely put his drumsticks in his back pocket as they all gathered around where the frontman and bassist were and the techs put all the guitars away. Andy had his sweetheart stand up so this would look as traditional as things with them were likely to get and took his hands. The guys all stood back to give them some breathing room, knowing what was finally coming, and grinned like hyper fools as they awaited the surprise. Ash merely stood there confused, but got a reassuring smile from his lover.

“You know you mean the world me, right, mio deviante?” the younger man asked, his anxiety finally showing in his eyes as he spoke into the mic he’d dragged beside him.

“Of course I do, mio profeta,” he answered into the headset his lover’d demanded he wear for tonight.

“Then you’ll understand why I’m so nervous.” He reached into his pocket, where he’d successfully hidden the ring box, although Hell only knew how. “We’ve been together for over three years and we have our beautiful baby girl together. Even if it weren’t for those two things, I’ve been wanting to take our relationship to the next level for a while.”

The older man’s chocolate-brown eyes lit up with glee as he realized what was coming.

“We now live in a state where, by law, there’s nothing stopping us from taking our relationship as far as we can. So will you, Ashley Purdy, my Outlaw and deviant, do me the greatest honor by becoming my husband?” Andy was down on his knee by now, holding open the box that held his sweetheart’s engagement ring.

“Of course, Andy Six, my Batman and prophet!” Ash answered, unable to help the gasp of surprise when he saw the beautiful ring nestled in the pink velvet. He had no idea how he’d remembered to use his lover’s stage name instead of his real name.

“Ti amo molto, mio deviante,” the younger man said, rising for a kiss after slipping the ring onto his finger.

“Anch’io ti amo molto, mio profeta,” his sweetheart answered, grinning into their kiss.

The crowd let out screams of happiness at getting to witness the proposal with their own eyes and ears, all happy that the bassist had told his boyfriend of three-plus years yes. Ash jumped onto his lover, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist, continuing to kiss him as they all headed backstage. The crowd continued their screams, although they went unheard by the BVB guys as they made their way back to their dressing room together to prepare for the meet-and-greet.

“Way to go, Andy!” Jake cheered, fist-pumping the air as they walked through the door.

“’Bout time you grew some balls, boy!” CC agreed, a grin splitting his face. His movements were a bit more reserved, signaling that his morning sickness was bothering him again.

“I simply say congratulations, you two,” Jinxx told them, shaking their hands and giving them hugs. “By the way, you’re welcome, Andy.”

“Thanks, Jinxx. I owe ya one,” the frontman answered with a grin.

“What do you owe him one for?” Ash asked curiously, still a bit lost.

“I asked for his help on how to propose to you so I could start coming up with ideas,” he explained, holding him close. “He’s the one who suggested proposing on stage at some point during the tour.”

“Bet he didn’t suggest using my song against me, so to speak,” the bassist chuckled.

“Naw, that was all me,” the frontman agreed.

“Guys, meet-and-greet in ten!” John yelled. “By the way, congratulations, you two.”

“Thanks, John,” the youngest man of the group called in response.

With grins the size of the entire country, the quintet finished their meet-and-greet preps and headed out the door to follow their manager. Life couldn’t possibly get any better, what with three of them engaged to be married within the next year or so and the other two dating one another. Sure, things were going to be seriously challenging for them, but they all enjoyed a good challenge and gave life their all. They’d find a way to make the best of things, no matter what cropped up, and maintain their sanity and happiness in the process.

* * *

Once the meet-and-greet was over, Andy, Ash, and CC headed back to the bus while Jake, Jinxx, and Sammi went out to party for a bit. Amy and Shelby were still on the bus watching over the kids, whom were in their parents’ bunks asleep. The women were asked to move the kids as, in celebration of their engagement, Andy and Ash were planning on showing their love to one another. CC, not wanting to hear any of their antics when he couldn’t be showing his own love to his partner, agreed to stay with the women and children.

After the children were moved so they wouldn’t be woken up by the loud cries of pleasure sure to be heard, if only while on the bus, the newly-engaged couple made their way to the back room. It was the only room on the bus with a double bed, and the only one besides the bathroom that had complete privacy. Usually Sammi and Jinxx were the ones back here, but Andy and Ash, and even Jake and CC, got their turns in there, too.

By the time they got in the back room with the door closed and locked, neither of them were wearing their vests or shirts and their flies were hanging open. Nothing but their boxers contained their massive hard-ons, which were crying out to them to be relieved. Their lips were firmly attached to one another’s, their tongues fighting a war for dominance in each other’s mouths. Eventually, Andy’s tongue won said war and he enjoyed the chocolate-and-bubble mint flavor that his sweetheart had exuded ever since they met. He even pushed him up against the wall as they made out, running his hands all along his torso as he relearned old hot spots and even found a couple new ones that made him moan with pleasure.

It wasn’t long before they were both completely stripped, their jeans and boxers laying on the floor beside the bed, which Ash laying on his back on. His arms were wrapped around his lover’s neck, his legs around his waist, as he gently thrust into him while kissing, sucking, and biting on his neck. The soft whimpers and moans he let out were music to Andy’s ears, sounds he was lucky to be able to hear, and they spurred him on. Before long, they were both crying out their passion and love at the top of their lungs, their bodies soon limp from pleasant exhaustion as they fell asleep in each other’s loving embrace.


“All right, guys. Time to get back to the bus.”

Jinxx had his beloved on his back as he gave her drunken ass a piggy-back ride to the bus, his arm wrapped around Jake’s waist as he acted a crutch for the man. Yeah, it was hard to do, but since he hadn’t planned on drinking that night, he’d promised to make sure anyone who wanted to go out and party got back safely. Now he was keeping that promise to their manager, although it was harder than it looked.

“Do we have to, Papa Jinxx?” the other guitarist whined. He sounded like a little kid.

“You wanna see CC again before you pass out, don’t you?” he countered, barely keeping them both upright.

“Yeeaahhhh,” he answered, drawing out the word in a slur.

“Well, we have to go back to the bus so you can see him,” Jinxx told him. “He’s probably still awake, even though I know he has to be tired.”

“Why’s he still awake?” Jake slurred. He was almost too drunk to be aware of anything, so it wasn’t surprising that his memory was failing him right now.

“Because you two are going to have a baby, and it’s been making him sick to his stomach,” he answered gently. “And if that’s not the reason, Andy and Ash probably kept him up.”

“Men can’t have babies!” the guitarist cried. “Not with other men!”

“CC’s a special man. He can have babies the way men normally can, as well as the way women can.”

“Oh. But what about…who was it? Andy?”

“Yeah, Andy and Ash. They got engaged at the show tonight. Remember?”

“Oh, yeah! They probably wanted to have another baby, too!” Jake burst into giggles at the thought of any couple getting even remotely freaky tonight.

“Well, maybe not that exactly. But they probably wanted to show each other how much they loved one another after they got engaged, for sure,” Jinxx agreed.

The lead guitarist continued giggling the rest of the short walk back to the bus, where he had John help him get him inside. If it weren’t for carrying his own fiancé on his back, he could’ve gotten his brother back on board with no help from anyone else, no problem. He’d gotten all the guys back on the bus on his own while they were drunk at some point or another in the past year, and it was pretty easy. But he didn’t want to risk hurting his fiancé, who was passed out on him, by trying that move tonight.

After they got on the bus, he saw CC helping the manager get his boyfriend back to their bunk, which he climbed into as soon as Jake was settled and passed out. Amy and Shelby were sitting on the couches in the living area with Rori and Logan in their arms, most likely trying to keep them from being disturbed by the ruckus that Andy and Ash were no doubt causing or had caused.

With a sigh, he got John to help him boost Sammi into their bunk so he could get her settled for the night. She never stirred or made a sound, which meant she was out like a light for the night. Jinxx wiped his brow, which had a fine coating of sweat on it, then walked back to the living area to rouse the other two women and get the kids to bed properly. He took his son and got him settled in one of the spare bunks, then took his niece and settled her in the same one. Afterward, he made sure that Amy and Shelby were settled in for the night before finally crawling into the bunk with his fiancé for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

Notes