One Last Kiss

By the time New Year’s rolled around again, Andy and Ash had been in a happy relationship for about three months, which brought a small amount of relief to their bandmates. Jinxx hadn’t seen the older man this happy in years, not since he’d had his heart shattered by catching his last ex cheating on him and sworn to never settle down with any one person ever again. Sandra was just glad to see her young friend happy again, but she knew it wouldn’t last for long, not when she told him that she couldn’t be a part of his band anymore.

Around the time they finally found a lead guitarist, an equally dark and eccentric young man by the name of Jake Pitts, was when she finally broke the news to her friend. Andy clearly wasn’t happy that she didn’t feel she could remain a part of Black Veil Brides and had decided to join Modern Day Escape, but he respected her for her choices. Besides, they still planned on remaining friends, even if they were no longer in a band together.

However, that left the baby of the band wondering where he was going to live. The apartment he shared with the drummer was in her name and the lease was up soon. He didn’t have the money to stay there on his own and she’d already decided to move so she was closer to where her new band was going to be spending most of their time. When Ash found out that his boyfriend was going to be homeless if he didn’t figure something out soon, he pled a headache one day that he was supposed to be in the studio and knew he wasn’t going to be home, then headed over to pack his stuff.

“That’s the last of it,” Sandra assured him, having stayed home from a day of work with Modern Day Escape to help him. “Thanks for doing this, Ash.”

“It’s not a problem, Sandra,” he answered, hugging her tightly. “Andy means the world to me, and he’s not living out of his car again while I’m around.”

“I just hope he doesn’t go too ballistic when he sees that none of his stuff’s here,” she chuckled.

“I actually wanna see him freak out over something for once,” the bassist returned.

“No ya don’t, not really,” the drummer insisted, shaking her head. “When Andy flips his shit…he practically needs a sedative to calm down.”

“I know a good sedative I can give him,” Ash laughed, flexing his bicep. “A good KO-punch should do the trick, don’t ya think?”

“What am I gonna do with you, Ashley fuckin’ Purdy?” she laughed.

“Well, if we were straight, I’d say you should fuck me,” he teased.

Sandra shoved his chest good-naturedly, knowing that he was just being funny, not trying to insult her. He grabbed her in a bear-hug before they both went to hide so they could wait for Andy to get home from the studio and take notice of his “missing” belongings. Their wait was pretty short, as they’d finished just a few minutes before he was due to leave.

When he came up the stairs to the landing just down the walkway from their front door, he was busy on his phone, so he wouldn’t have been paying attention right off the bat. Just as he normally did after a long day, the younger man unlocked the door with his key and headed inside, gently closing it behind him. They waited at the other end of the walkway, around the corner where he couldn’t see them, for his reaction, and it didn’t take long for them to get it. They heard a loud shout of surprise, fear, and outrage as he realized his stuff was gone, his basement-deep voice carrying on the wind through the open windows.

Barely able to stifle their laughter, they headed to the front door of their apartment, the drummer pulling out her keys and pretending to unlock it as if they hadn’t seen him come home. When they got inside, they found him pacing the length of the living room, both hands gripping his hair as if he was going to rip it out, and trying not to scream again. Immediately feigning concern, Ash grabbed him and wrapped his arms around him in a bear-hug, quietly asking him what was wrong.

“All of my stuff’s gone!” he cried, trying not to blow his boyfriend’s eardrum out.

“Gone? What do you mean, gone?” Sandra asked, pretending to sound confused.

“Gone, as in not here, disappeared into thin air!” Andy shrieked.

“Surely there’s a reasonable explanation for this,” the drummer said, trying to be the logical one.

“Yeah, a break-in while we were gone,” the frontman snapped. “Nothing of yours could’ve gotten stolen since none of your stuff’s here anymore!”

“Or maybe there’s a better explanation,” Ash spoke up, trying not to grin.

“And what would that be?” his boyfriend demanded.

“Mmm, I dunno…maybe it’s gone because it’s all over at my place?” he suggested, trying to look innocent.

“Wha— You evil bastard!” Andy growled, launching himself at him. “You let me think my shit got stolen when you took it to your place?!”

All he could do at that point was laugh as he backed him against the wall.

“And why would you take it all over to your place, anyway?”

“Mmm, maybe because you’re my boyfriend, you mean the world to me, and I won’t have you living out of your car again when you could be living with me?”

The frontman socked his boyfriend in the chest as he turned away with a huff, not hard enough to hurt him, but enough to get his point across. Ash merely laughed as he wrapped his arms around him from behind, resting his head on his back between his shoulder blades as he held him close. He relaxed into the older man’s grasp slightly, leaning his own head back as if he were going to try resting it on the top of his sweetheart’s.

Shortly thereafter, since the apartment had already been cleaned and all his stuff was over at his boyfriend’s, Sandra’s in her new apartment, they all gave each other one last hug and promised to keep in touch before parting ways. Since he’d caught a ride with Jake, who lived nearby, due to his lack of a car, Andy didn’t have to worry about anything other than returning the key to the apartment to the main office before leaving. With that task completed, he laced his fingers with those of the man he loved and followed him out to his car. He loved the Mustang almost as much as he loved the man that owned it, and he wasn’t much of a vehicle enthusiast.

Despite the evening rush-hour traffic building up on just about every street and highway in LA, the ride back to Ash’s apartment was fairly short. He loved going there because, since it was on the western edge of Santa Monica, it was fairly close to the beach, where he’d often take walks to when he couldn’t sleep at night. It was still sinking in that this wasn’t just the older man’s home anymore, but his as well, and that made the thought of going there tonight even more special.

“Home, sweet home,” Ash sighed as they walked through the door.

“That it is,” he agreed, wrapping his arms around him and kicking the door shut with his boot. He noticed how the older man seemingly turned into a cuddle bug rather than turning around and trying to cuddle him, for once.

“Mmm,” he heard him murmur, his voice reverberating through his chest.

“Enjoying yourself, Ashes?” the frontman chuckled, kissing his temple.

“Mmm hmm,” he hummed, barely nodding. “Dunno why, but I’m in a submissive mood tonight.”

“Mmm,” Andy hummed thoughtfully. Ever since they’d started dating, there were very few nights that he was like that, as he seemed to be more of a Dom than a sub, so he took advantage of them whenever he could.

“What are you thinking, Biersack?” the older man asked, shooting a curious glance over his shoulder.

“Trying to decide if I should take advantage of it or not,” he answered honestly.

Although it wasn’t audible without his ear right next to his mouth, he felt the sharp expansion of his boyfriend’s chest in what was obviously a gasp.

“You okay, Ashes?” he asked, concern lacing his tone as he spun him around.

The look on his face was one of fear that was warring with lust and love.

“Hey, if you don’t want me taking advantage of it like that tonight, we don’t have to go that far,” Andy told him, gently pulling him close. “Unlike you, I’m perfectly happy just cuddling on the couch or in bed and watching a movie. I don’t need constant sex to keep me happy, although I will admit that it is a plus.”

Ash cuddled further into his torso, despite still standing in the hallway in front of the door, burying his face in his neck in what the younger man considered an uncharacteristic manner. There was something he wasn’t telling him, but having never been one to push for information unless it was life-saving, he wasn’t going to pester him. He knew that his sweetheart would tell him when he was damn good and ready, and not a moment sooner, so he decided not to piss him off by trying to get information he wasn’t ready to give.

Gently rubbing his back, Andy started to move toward the couch so they could at least watch a movie while they cuddled, something he enjoyed immensely. It didn’t matter to him whose head was on whose chest, just as long as they were cuddled up and enjoying each other’s company, something that was definitely a must now that they were living together. He slowly pushed him back toward said piece of furniture, stopping after a single step to lift his legs just enough so that he was standing on his boots, then started walking with his boyfriend standing on his feet.

The moment the bassist sank into the couch, he moved to take his boots off, surprised when the younger man knelt down and did it for him. On top of realizing that there was something he wasn’t telling him, he’d figured out that his back seemed to be bothering him and didn’t want him bending over or arching it any more than he had to. Considering that he’d helped Sandra pack and move all of his stuff today while he was in the studio, he wouldn’t be surprised if the heavy lifting had done a number on his back and convinced him to stretch out. Ash agreed, although it seemed a bit reluctant, and crossed his arms under his head as a makeshift pillow as he straddled his ass and upper thighs.

While The Dark Knight played in the background, he gently pushed his sweetheart’s shirt up so that the skin over the small of his back was exposed. Using as much pressure as he could while not hurting him worse, Andy dug his thumbs into his spine while using the rest of his fingers to slightly knead his hips and just above where his thumbs were working their own magick.

“Ooohhhh,” the older man groaned, his eyes fluttering shut as he relaxed beneath him.

“That feel good, Ashes, or do I need to lighten up?” Andy asked softly.

“It feels…awesome,” he moaned, his tense muscles relaxing beneath his touch.

“Mmm. Glad to hear it,” he chuckled softly, continuing to massage his back for him.

Before long, his sweetheart was half asleep beneath him, his muscles so loose they almost felt like putty beneath his thumbs and fingers. The younger man soon crawled off him and had him roll onto his back, knowing it’d be the easiest way to pick him up. Ash gasped softly as he picked him up bridal-style, wrapping his arms around his neck as he started toward the bedroom they’d now share.

Once in their room, he gently deposited him on the bed and said that he was going to go turn everything off and lock up before getting ready for bed. Nodding, the bassist waited for him to leave the room again before getting up and locking himself in the bathroom. Andy was still wondering just what he wasn’t telling him, and even though his curiosity was eating at him worse now than it had been earlier, he still wasn’t going to push for answers. He sighed softly as he headed back for their room, tired after a long day and just wanting to cuddle up to his sweetheart and enjoy some sweet dreams.



In the bathroom, Ash quickly pulled the tampon crammed up his ass out and threw it in the toilet before replacing it. In all the time they’d known one another, especially since they’d started dating, he hadn’t told his boyfriend that there was a reason why he was, for lack of a better term, a Switch. Most days—and nights—he was a Dom up one side and down the other; others, he was more of a sub who enjoyed being dominated by the young frontman.

That was all because, due to a genetic mutation he’d been told ran in his family, he’d been born with the reproductive systems of both genders. When he’d reached the age that most would start puberty, not only had he gone through what a boy normally would, but what a girl would, as well. He hadn’t told anyone outside his family that he had that ability, that way he wouldn’t have to explain, nor risk his secret getting out. Once he reached the point in his cycle that he could easily wind up in a situation he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to, he’d just avoid contact with exes so they couldn’t pressure him into sex. Whenever he was fertile like that, he was far from dominant and was usually quick to go along with whatever his partner wanted.

Shuddering a bit at the thought that Andy enjoyed dominating him and could very well cause that, although he didn’t think he’d ever force him into anything he didn’t want, Ash pulled his boxers and Hello Kitty pajama pants back on. Now that he was as dressed as he was going to get, especially considering that he liked sleeping in the nude, he turned off the light and went back to the bedroom.

Upon stepping out of the bathroom, he saw his boyfriend already lying in their bed, the covers pulled up to his skinny waist. He lay on his back with his phone in his hands, apparently answering a couple of emails or texts real quick while he was waiting on him, his hair falling over his face as it always did. His icy-blue eyes were focused on the dim screen of his phone, but held a concentration a lot of folks wouldn’t think possible from him. As he crawled onto the bed beside him moments later, Andy looked up at him and laid his phone down on the nightstand all at the same time.

“You okay, sweetheart?” he asked softly, his basement-deep voice sounding a bit gritty from needing sleep.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Ash answered, nodding. “Just needed to use the bathroom before I went to bed.”

“You should’ve said something,” he scolded playfully. “I wouldn’t have set you on the bed so you could get settled, if I’d known.”

“It’s okay, my love,” the bassist insisted, snuggling up to him as he rested his head on his chest. “Let’s just get some sleep.”

“Sounds like a plan to me, Ashes,” the frontman yawned, turning off the lamp. “G’night.”

“G’night, Ands,” he murmured, gently nuzzling him.

“Sweet dreams,” Andy murmured into his hair, kissing his temple.

“Sweet dreams to you, too.” With those last few words, both of them fell peacefully asleep in one another’s arms.

Notes