Gift of Song

With a soft yawn and a well-pleasured smile on his face, Ash slowly and quietly crawled out of bed the next morning and stood up to stretch. His smile grew as he listened to the sound of displeasure his lover made as he grabbed his pillow and held it tight against his chest. When they fell asleep after making love, Andy wasn’t one to enjoy getting up the next morning if he didn’t have his sweetheart in his arms, and was usually incredibly lazy about it when he finally did rise and shine.

In all honesty, if it weren’t for the fact that he had to piss like a Russian racehorse, the bassist wouldn’t have even crawled out of bed this early. Regardless of the fact that they had a two-year-old daughter to take care of, he’d have rolled over and gone right back to sleep if it weren’t for that call of Nature. He was exhausted, but in a good way, and had a slight pain in his ass since it’d been a while, but was otherwise fine.

He grinned like a Cheshire cat again as he watched the light sparkle on his new engagement ring in the bathroom. The platinum band shone as bright as the moon, even in the dimmest lighting, and he loved the heart-cut ruby that was surrounded by tourmaline and topaz. In fact, he couldn’t get over the fact that it reminded him of Hello Kitty due to the color combination, which was probably why his lover’d picked it out in the first place. He’d never been much of a traditional man, but instead wanted things he bought his sweetheart to suit his personality and tastes, so it wasn’t that big of a surprise to him.

Even though he was the only one on the entire bus up, given that it was only six AM, Ash still went to the back room and grabbed his Hello Kitty pajama bottoms. He didn’t want to be caught either nude or in his underwear since he didn’t know who’d be the next one up, and definitely didn’t want Rori or Logan seeing him like that if they didn’t have to. He figured it’d probably be CC, considering that his morning sickness was still giving him a bit of trouble, but he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure. Once he was dressed well enough for this time of morning, he headed to the kitchen to make himself some coffee, and possibly breakfast, while he waited for everyone else to rise and shine.

“Morning,” someone said behind him a little while later.

“Morning, Jake,” he answered, recognizing his friend’s voice, even without turning around.

“Think you could make me a cup of that? And grab me some Tylenol?” the guitarist asked with a soft groan.

“Hungover?” Ash chuckled knowingly, nodding.

“I’ve got the hangover from Hell,” he answered softly, now sitting at the kitchen table. “I knew I should’ve stopped after the sixth shot and third beer last night.”

“I’ll bet you do feel like shit then,” he agreed. He set the first cup of coffee he’d made in front of him, figuring he could wait a bit.

“Ugh, do I ever,” he groaned, nodding his thanks. “Hell only knows that CC’d kill me.”

“And why would I kill you, Jakey?” the drummer asked with a yawn. He stretched before grabbing the counter for balance as he cracked his back.

“Because of how drunk I got last night,” Jake answered.

“You’ve been drunk before; so what? Even though I’m pregnant and can’t drink, that’s no reason to kill you,” CC said sensibly.

“I think I might’ve tried to kiss Jinxx, thinking it was you,” his lover said sheepishly.

“Jesus, man. You were schnockered,” Ash chuckled.

“Like I said, I think I might’ve, but last night is a blur.” He blushed.

“Well, at least you’re man enough to tell me. I’d rather you admit on your own that you might’ve done something stupid like that than try to hide it,” the drummer told him, leaning down for a kiss.

“And that’s one of the many reasons I love you, Ceece,” he whispered, returning the kiss. “You’re so understanding, whereas other people would be freaking out right now.”

“Well, number one, I know you were drunk; people do stupid things when they’re drunk. Number two, you’d never try to kiss anyone but me, whether it was Jinxx or some random slut, unless you’re drunk,” CC chuckled. “And three, I’m pretty sure Jinxx would’ve nearly had you against the wall by your throat for doing that, even if he didn’t mean to hurt or try to kill you for it.”

The three of them sat there chuckling and enjoying their coffee and breakfast as they waited for the rest of the guys to get up. Andy was the next one to stumble out of the bunk room, his Batman pajama pants riding low on his slim hips and teasing his sweetheart to no end. With a groan, the bassist averted his gaze, even though it was already too late and he had a raging hard-on that no one could see beneath the table.

He gently wrapped his arms around his shoulders and held him tightly as he leaned down for a good-morning kiss, softly apologizing in his ear for teasing him before pulling his pants up higher. Since he knew his fiancé hadn’t meant to tease him this early in the morning, he just decided to let it go and take care of it himself: by taking a cold shower once everyone’d had their morning piss. He wasn’t going to like it in the least, but it wasn’t the first time he’d had to resort to that, and doubtless it’d be the last. He just hoped he didn’t end up teased to the point of embarrassing himself again later today.

After breakfast and Ash’s cold shower, which left him squealing like a girl at the top of his lungs, they all lounged around the bus for a while before even attempting to get ready for their show at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit that night. They had no interviews or anything of the like, and soundcheck wasn’t until at least three, maybe four that afternoon, so they just decided to spend time with their families. Jake and CC needed the cuddle time while Rori and Logan needed quality time with both their parents.

“I’m guessing I chose well, didn’t I?” Andy asked, chuckling, as they played with Rori and her baby dolls.

“You chose so well it’s almost like I was in your head guiding you,” he chuckled, grinning as he gazed, once again, at his engagement ring.

“That just means that I know your tastes, but more importantly, that I know you,” the frontman said.

“Clearly. Not that I would’ve objected to any engagement ring you chose to buy me,” Ash told him. “Honestly, since we live in a state that allows gay marriage, I was beginning to wonder if and when you’d pop the question.”

“Well, I was so nervous that I could barely stand being in the same room as you,” he admitted sheepishly. “Especially the night we had to take Rori to the hospital, which was the night I bought it.”

“So that’s why you were late getting home from the studio that night,” the bassist mused.

“Yeah. And it’s not like I could just walk in and say, ‘Hey, Ashy, I’m home! Sorry I’m late; I stopped to buy you an engagement ring on my way!’ without giving away my intentions,” the younger man chuckled.

“Oh, it makes perfect sense. Me and my crazy self were just beginning to wonder if you were starting to get bored with me and stray,” he admitted, trying not to tear up because of his insecurity. “But I should’ve known you wouldn’t do such a thing all along, and your proposal last night proves it.”

Grinning like a Cheshire cat himself, Andy leaned over their daughter’s head to connect their lips in a sweet, gentle kiss. When the toddler looked up over her head because of the shadow they cast over her, her face lit up in a beautiful smile and she giggled as she clapped her hands. Like any kid, regardless of their age, she was happy to see her parents so in love and happy with each other. It even warmed the hearts of those around them and brought smiles to their faces, too.

When they parted their lips, both guys smiled down at the beautiful child that wouldn’t have been created without their love and a medical miracle. Considering that men weren’t supposed to be able to carry children and give birth, they knew they were extremely lucky to have Ash’s “gift”, which was why they didn’t push their luck in trying for another baby. Sure, they’d both been saddened, along with the rest of the guys, when they found out about the bassist’s miscarriage, but they knew that if they were meant to have another baby any time soon, he’d be blessed with another pregnancy. Until that day, though, they were content in raising the one child they did have and continuing to take over the world musically with their band.

For the rest of the day, they all spent time together in a period of bonding time that they didn’t get much anymore. Eventually CC wanted to go lay down for a nap since pregnancy was so tiring and Jake decided to join him since he wanted to be with him. Jinxx and Sammi laid down for a nap while Logan was out, and Andy and Ash decided to follow suit while Rori was asleep, as well. While everybody was sleeping since they were tired, Amy sat at the kitchen table and helped Shelby with her art project, given that she was a graphic designer, while John nailed down details about the show and meet-and-greet.

Eventually, the time for them to get up and get ready for said show came, and they were all fully rested and ready to go. Thankfully, CC hadn’t had to skip a show yet due to his pregnancy, and if all went well, they’d be announcing the news to the fans within a few weeks, whether they were still touring or back at home enjoying some down-time before Warped Tour.


By the time their show on April thirtieth in Buffalo, New York rolled around, CC was definitely beginning to show a little bit. He’d had to go out and buy new jeans and had refused to wear his leather pants anymore, saying that not only were they too tight, but they were too hot, too. He’d also taken to wearing looser tank tops than he had in the past, if he wore a shirt on stage at all, and the fans were starting to take notice of his change in style. Like Ash had back when he was pregnant with Rori, he was feeling a little self-conscious about the changes in his body and didn’t like showing it off to much of anyone anymore.

Jake had started to notice his Animal’s change in self-confidence and how, unless he was around just him or the guys, he refused to run around shirtless anymore. He was trying to work on that issue with him, to help him see that, no matter how big he got with their baby, it was a beautiful miracle borne of love and that he was still just as handsome as ever.

It was hard work and CC wasn’t making things any easier, but he was slowly starting to believe what his lover said to him. On this night, they’d decided to extend their set a bit, something they were doing a lot of this tour, so that the other couple could announce their news to the fans. They didn’t care if they lost fans or gained haters, as the true fans would always lend their support, no matter what was going on. Their cover story, however, was going to be that he hadn’t shown any symptoms and didn’t even know about his “gift”.

“Ready to go on, mon animale?” the guitarist asked. His guitar hung by its strap from his shoulder as they waited sidestage.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, mon amour,” CC answered, seeming a bit nervous.

“I know you’re nervous, hun; I’m just as nervous about telling them, even though it’s not me carrying our baby,” Jake said, trying to console him.

“I’m still just self-conscious,” the drummer admitted. “I know I’m starting to show, and that I’m really gonna blow up like Ash did in the next few months, and it’s kinda bringing me down, as far as body image goes.”

“Hey! I was not a blimp while I was pregnant!” Ash said, mocking a defensive tone.

“I never said you were, man. I’m just saying that, in comparison to being flat-bellied and flat-chested, you blew up, and I’m gonna do the same,” he said.

“Relax, Ceece. I know what you meant,” the bassist chuckled, bro-hugging him. “I can’t help but tease you sometimes since I know what you’re going through and how it feels.”

“Well, there’s no one I’d rather have teasing me about such issues, since I know you get it,” he chuckled.

“All right, guys. Time to go on,” Andy announced, jumping up and down a bit. He was a bit hyper and his ADD was starting to kick in on top of it.

With a huge grin, CC was the first to go on, pulling his drumsticks out of his back pocket and holding them up in the air as he made his way to his kit. He pounded out a mini solo as Jake and Jinxx followed behind and set themselves up at the front-left and middle-center of the stage. The next to follow him on was Ash, who took the opposite side as Jake at front-right, his bass hanging low on his torso as he picked out a few chords, along with the guitarists.

The crowd screamed louder and louder with every band member that walked on, but they screamed the loudest when Andy finally came on, his Batman mic in hand. He’d bought the mic himself and wrapped it in Batman duck tape, and no one else around could claim it was theirs since everyone knew about his Batman obsession. He grinned as he put it on its stand, watching the crowd as he did.

He called out greetings to the crowd, asked how they’d been doing and if they were ready to rock the roof down. All of his words were met with excited cheers with a few hateful things thrown in from the haters, but they paid no attention to the negativity. Once the crowd calmed down enough to be heard over themselves, the frontman announced their opener, All Your Hate, and the guys dove right in. It felt like it was going to be a good night, and they all hoped it was.

* * *

At the end of their closer, Perfect Weapon, CC took the towel a roadie behind him handed him and wiped the sweat off his brow. He knew he was going to be guzzling water for a while, quite a while longer than the rest of the guys, even though he’d already gone through at least four bottles while on stage. But now wasn’t the time to worry about that since they still had yet to announce his pregnancy to the fans.

“All right, guys. Part of our band has something they’d like to share with you tonight,” Andy called into the mic. “Care to take it from here, Jake?”

“Thanks, bro,” the guitarist said as the frontman and bassist moved aside, their arms wrapped around each other. “Okay, you guys know by now that, like Andy and Ashley, CC and I are a couple, right?”

The crowd responded with cheers and positive responses.

“Well, he and I found out something a few days ago that really surprised us,” Jake continued. “It might effect his ability to tour with us later this year, but for now, he’s not going anywhere.”

Shocked gasps, concerned murmurs, and speculations of what was wrong could be heard throughout the venue.

“Don’t worry, guys; I’m not going to die,” CC chuckled into the mic. “However, I am going to have a baby!”

The crowd was shocked, wondering how he was going to have a baby if he was a man and with Jake.

“We found out that I have a rare ‘gift’: the ability to conceive and have children like a woman,” he explained. “I didn’t even know I had that ‘gift’ until I started feeling bad about a week ago. The guys, especially Jake, eventually forced me to go to the doctor, and I found out that I’m pregnant!”

He heard one response from right up front and had his lover grab the mic stand in front of them and extend it to the fan who’d spoken up.

“Can you ask that again, sweetheart?” he asked. “I couldn’t quite hear you.”

“So you were born like that? And it’s not going to do anything besides allow you to have kids in more than one way?” she asked again, wonder and curiosity in her eyes.

“The doctor told me that, yes, I was born this way. It’s still a bit of a shocker to me since I’ve spent more than two decades thinking I was a normal man,” CC answered, nodding. “And no, it’s not really going to do anything other than give me another way to have kids. I honestly don’t know what all will happen, but we’ll find out later on after the baby’s birth.”

“So how far along are you?” the same crowd member asked.

“According to the doctor that discovered this medical miracle, I’ll be twelve weeks pregnant tomorrow,” he answered.

They could all hear cries about how the fans had noticed he was wearing looser clothing, and that this explained why.

“Yeah, I’m starting to show a bit. Can’t help the self-consciousness that comes with it, but Jake’s trying to help me with that,” he chuckled into his mic. “Now, if you guys wanna ask anything else along with say hi and get things signed, c’mon over to our meet-and-greet!”

With that and huge grins plastered on their kissers, the quintet waved to their adoring fans, flipped off the haters mixed in, and headed off stage.

Notes