One Last Kiss

The next six months or so passed fairly uneventfully, and although she was no longer a part of Black Veil Brides, Sandra kept her promise of keeping in touch with them, particularly Andy. He’d known his sweetheart for a year now, had been dating him for about eight months, but there was something eating at the back of his brain, and not in a good way.

Ever since the night he’d figured out he was hiding something from him right after Sandra left, he’d been having a bad feeling that Ash was cheating on him. If he’d known more about the older man’s past, how he’d been cheated on by two or three of his exes, he wouldn’t have suspected such a thing. Why? Because he would’ve realized that he knew how it felt to be cheated on and couldn’t bring himself to cause someone else that kind of pain, reputation as a man-whore or no. But since he didn’t know that about his Outlaw yet, he couldn’t help that niggling suspicion that’d been eating at him for months.

One day while they were in the studio for Jake to finish tracking the lead parts that Jinxx’d carved out, the latter noticed something seemed to be bothering the youngest of their group. He quietly sent Ash out to get lunch for everyone and, with their lead guitarist busy tracking, it was the perfect time to get some answers. With little ceremony about it, he dragged Andy outside, knowing he’d likely want to smoke while they were talking, and started asking what was on his mind.

“Jinxx, I can’t help but feel like Ash is cheating on me,” the frontman admitted, taking a drag off a cigarette, just like he’d suspected he’d do.

“What makes you think that?” he asked curiously.

“I’ve known for months that he was hiding something from me,” he told him. “Since right after Sandra left, actually. And with his reputation of being a man-whore, what could he possibly be hiding besides infidelity?”

“I can tell you right now that he’s not cheating on you, Andy,” the multi-instrumentalist assured him. “He loves you more than he loves Toyko and Killer or his car, and lemme tell ya, those were the top things on his list until you guys started dating.”

Andy merely cocked a brow at him.

“Besides, and he’ll probably kill me for telling you this, but he’d never have it in him to cheat.” Jinxx gave him a deadly serious look, his own blue eyes darkening to the color of the sea. “He knows what kind of pain is caused when someone finds out their significant other is cheating. If he didn’t, he might be dumb enough to do so, but since he does, he’d never do it. He’d kill himself before he cheated, if he had no other options.”

“How do you know that for sure?” the younger man asked curiously.

“Because I was the one to help him pick up the pieces of his shattered heart when he was cheated on about three years ago.” He sighed sadly. “He appears to be the epitome of confidence, but he’s anything but sometimes.”

“He was cheated on?” He gasped in shock, his eyes widening. “How could anyone do that to someone like him?”

“His ex was a narcissistic bastard straight from the pits of Hell,” the multi-instrumentalist told him. “Cared for no one but himself, least of all Ash. He didn’t care that he nearly drove him to suicide with his infidelity, and if it weren’t for my being friends with him at the time, he’d likely be dead right now. He was so torn up that he couldn’t function right for a good six months after the breakup.”

“Seriously? That’s anything but the strong, confident, and courageous Ashley I know,” Andy gasped, shocked.

“Well, it happened. It wasn’t pretty, by any means. That’s why he stayed single for so long…until he met you,” the other man answered, nodding. “I know I’m a little tough on you about not hurting him, but when I said I had my reasons, I meant it. Now you know those reasons.”

“Damn straight. Even without you being so tough on me, I don’t have it in me to hurt him,” he said.

“See to it that you keep it that way,” Jinxx warned. “And honestly, if he is hiding anything from you…he’ll tell you eventually. Just wait it out.”

Nodding, Andy watched the slightly older man head back into the studio while he finished a second cigarette. He was eager to know what Ash’d been hiding from him, but if Jinxx was sure he’d tell him eventually and that he wasn’t cheating on him, he could be patient. He’d been patient this long after realizing he was hiding something; why couldn’t he be patient for a while longer?

* * *

Time continued to fly by for the Black Veil Brides, and before they knew it, not only had they found yet another drummer for the band, they were touring to support their debut album while writing their sophomore. Andy and Ash were as close as ever, although the latter still hadn’t revealed what he was hiding, and that was fine by the former. Jake and Jinxx were some of their closest friends and had both found girlfriends, a pair of Brits by the names of Ella and Sammi. The new drummer, Christian “CC” Coma, was getting closer to them, as well, and was one helluva drummer.

By the summer of 2012, two years after meeting, Andy decided that he wanted to take his relationship to the next level. They’d known each other for two years and had been dating for just a few months shy of nearly as long. On top of that, neither of them were getting any younger, only older as the days passed, and he caught his sweetheart looking down at his left ring finger wistfully from time to time.

On the eve of their two-year anniversary, he decided that he was going to dial up the romance big time. Ash had settled into one of his more submissive moods again, and he was wanting to dominate, as well. Besides, with his sweetheart being the girlier of the pair, he decided that it would make more sense for him to do this than for the tables to be turned. He’d already decided just how he wanted this night to go, as well, and just had to get them out of the studio earlier than normal.

“Where are we going, Batman?” Ash asked. He’d taken to calling him Batman ages ago, but that was okay since he preferred calling his sweetheart “Outlaw” more often than not.

“You’ll see, Outlaw,” he chuckled, helping him into the older man’s car since he’d blindfolded him.

“You know I hate surprises,” the bassist grumbled, somehow managing to get his seat belt on by himself.

“Ah, yes. But you’ll love what I’ve got up my sleeves for tonight,” Andy promised. “And if you don’t…well, I’ll be crushed.”

“Oh, really now?” he asked, curiosity coloring his voice.

“Mmm hmm. So crushed I might die of a broken heart.” Even though it was the truth, the frontman put a dramatic spin on his words to hide his anxiety.

“I don’t think that’ll happen, Batman,” his sweetheart chuckled, leaning over the console for a kiss.

“Well, sit back so we can leave,” he told him.

Laughing at his lover’s words, Ash did what he was told, his blood pumping faster when he heard the roar of his car settle into a sweet purr. Andy hadn’t been able to drive a stick very well when they first met, but with his help over the past two years, he was almost as good as the bassist was. He still hadn’t quite gotten the timing down to pull a burnout like the older man, and that thought made him chuckle softly again. It was just one of the many things he enjoyed about being with his Batman.

Before long, he felt the car begin to slow and the soft clicks of the gears changing as his lover downshifted for a turn. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before they arrived at whatever destination Andy had in mind, which meant that he could finally take the blindfold off once they did. Moments later, the car’s movement halted altogether and he knew they were parked, but since he couldn’t see, patiently awaited his boyfriend.

Moments later, he heard the door open and quickly spun himself so he could put his feet on the ground, blindly grabbing the hand offered to him. With minimal effort, Andy hauled him to his feet and guided him out of the way so he didn’t hit him when he closed the door, then put his hand between his shoulder blades and urged him forward. Being a compliant submissive, Ash began to walk forward, his boyfriend telling him to watch the curb that was in front of him, lest he trip. He carefully stepped up and could sense the younger man doing the same, then the two of them continued their trek to wherever he was taking him.

A couple minutes passed and he realized they were on the beach. Not only had he heard his boots tapping on the wood of the stairs and boardwalk leading to it, but he could tell the difference between sand and earth beneath them. He wondered just what Andy was up to that required a trip to the beach, especially since they lived just a hop, skip, and a jump from it. His brow furrowed in confusion and thought as he tried to figure out exactly where he was taking him and for what purpose, but no ideas that made sense came to him. Ash mentally shrugged and allowed him to continue urging him forward, his hand never leaving his back unless he appeared to stumble, and only then so he could stabilize him.

“All right, sit down,” his basement-deep voice said.

The bassist did as he was told and felt what was obviously a beach towel under his hands. “Recreating our first date, huh?” he chuckled.

“To a degree,” Andy answered, and he could sense him blushing. “Hopefully this night turns out even better than that one.”

“Oh? What could be better than getting your first kiss on a moonlit beach?” he asked.

“You’ll see,” the frontman promised, untying the bandana he’d blindfolded him with.

“Mmm. No wonder you wanted me blindfolded,” Ash chuckled, realizing that they were on the very same beach he’d brought him to two years ago for their first date.

“Exactly. I don’t wanna give away any surprises, and it’s been a while since we came to this particular beach,” he explained.

“Especially under these circumstances,” the older man agreed.

“Now, as I deviate from our first date slightly, I present you with something my mom used to make a lot when I was younger,” Andy said, handing him a plate.

Curious, he pulled back the aluminum foil he’d wrapped it in and found homemade lasagna. “Oh, Andy.”

“Don’t you dare tell me I didn’t have to go to the trouble,” he warned him. “I wanted to, and besides, you’re not the only talented chef in the kitchen.”

Chuckling softly, Ash decided to keep his mouth shut and do as his boyfriend said, which was to stuff his face with the figurative roller coaster on the plate. He typically didn’t go for Italian since it often contained red meat and he preferred poultry and seafood, but it was the thought that counted. Besides, it was likely that he’d fed Andy so much of what he preferred that he was tired of it and wanted a bit of a change.

The younger man grinned as he stuffed a forkful into his mouth from his own plate, glad to see that he liked what he’d made. He didn’t realize that, after a phone call to his grandmother after he fell asleep one night, he’d gotten the Better than Sex Cake recipe that he’d refused to give him. He’d had to make it a couple times before this night for it to turn out the way the one Ash made for their first date had, but in the end, his efforts had gotten him the desired result. For never having made it before then, he was actually pretty impressed with and proud of the way it’d turned out.

Before long, their lasagna was but a distant memory and a lingering, but pleasing flavor on their taste buds. Ash leaned back on his elbows for a moment, sighing softly as he relieved some of the pressure on his full stomach. Feeling the same way, the younger man leaned back as well, both enjoying the light of the full moon that was shining down on them, the sound of the waves breaking mere yards away. It was a peaceful moment that, if he was lucky, Andy would get to disrupt a bit with shrieks of happiness from his sweetheart in a little while. However, he didn’t want the cake he’d put so much effort into to go to waste, and decided that they’d polish that off before he took his leap of faith.

The older man cocked a brow at him as he sat up and started pulling the plates out of the basket he’d packed the food in, wondering what he was doing. With a soft chuckle, Andy told him to just unwrap it and find out, watching him with hope in his eyes. His sweetheart did as he was told, whether because he was in a submissive mood and didn’t wish to defy his Dom or because he was curious, he didn’t know.

“What the— How did you manage this?” Ash asked in wonder, realizing what he held.

“Well, I’m not the Prophet for nothing,” he chuckled, a mischievous gleam twinkling in his eyes.

“Unless I was talking in my sleep, I didn’t give you this recipe,” the bassist said. “You called my grama, didn’t you?”

“Maybe I did, and maybe I didn’t,” Andy laughed.

“You devious bastard. You called her for the recipe so you could make it for tonight when I refused to give it to you,” his sweetheart scolded. “If I weren’t in a submissive mood, I’d have to punish you for defying me.”

“Oooh. Maybe we’ll have to save that for one of your dominant nights,” the frontman said, grinning as he wiggled his brows.

“Just shut up and eat before you make my Dom come out,” he laughed.

“Yes, sir.” He saluted him with his fork before digging into the rich dessert.

Both of them literally giggled as they took their first bites of the gooy chocolate, the twinkle in their eyes belying any anger any passers-by might’ve heard in their voices. Even the grins they gave one another as they polished off their dessert even belied any anger they might’ve allowed to lace their voices. It felt like they were floating in mid-air and that nothing could possibly bring them back down to Earth.

What Ash didn’t know was that what his boyfriend had planned for afterward was going to make him feel like he was on Cloud Nine more than what he’d already done. He didn’t notice the younger man’s anxiety, nor the slight shaking of his hands that normally wasn’t there. Andy was one of the calmest people he knew, never let much of anything get to him, but if he’d seen the way his hands were shaking, he’d have known something was up. Then again, the frontman didn’t want him to know what was up just yet; he wanted him to be so surprised that he couldn’t speak to give him his answer.

After their plates and silverware were back in the basket, where he planned to leave them until they went back home, he took a deep breath. While he was shoring up his nerve to make sure he didn’t chicken out, he didn’t notice the older man giving him a curious look, his brow cocked. Before he could lose his nerve, he rose to his feet and dragged his sweetheart up as well, wanting to be able to look up into his chocolate-brown eyes as he took the leap of faith he’d never thought he’d get to take.

“Wha—” Ash started to ask as he gently caressed his cheek.

“Shhh. This is taking a lot out of me,” he told him, gently joining their lips for a split second before he slowly sank to one knee.

The older man looked confused for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization.

“I didn’t bother planning out a sappy little speech, so forgive me if I ramble,” Andy began, pausing to take a deep breath. “Outlaw, you mean the world to me. I can’t put into any amount of words just how much, even though I tried when I wrote Die For You. We’ve been together for two years now, and don’t get me wrong; it’s been two of the greatest years of my life.”

Tears welled up in the bassist’s eyes as he took his hand and he realized just what he was doing.

“I can’t see myself with the ability to live without you by my side for many more to come. That being said, will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my husband and lifelong Deviant?” He opened the tiny box he’d been holding onto for dear life to show him the engagement ring he’d bought weeks ago behind his back.

Ash gasped as he took in the three-millimeter-wide platinum band, which had an oval-cut ruby anchored in the center with a marquis-cut tourmaline on either side. The ruby and tourmaline were separated by round-cut topaz, two between the main stones on either side. If he weren’t on the verge of tears before, having figured out what his boyfriend’s intentions were on top of his haywire emotions from being fertile, he definitely was when he realized that the stones were as close to Hello Kitty themed as they could possibly be.

Unable to answer verbally for fear that he’d burst into tears and start bawling like a baby, the bassist merely gave a jerky nod. Andy grinned as he slipped the ring on his finger, sighing softly when they both realized that it was a perfect fit, which was what he’d intended, then rose back to his feet. His now-fiancé wrapped his arms around his neck and held on for dear life, his tears finally cascading down his cheeks and soaking into his lover’s skin. With a grin plastered to his kisser, the younger man pried his sweetheart’s face out of his neck and lifted his head so he could capture his lips again.

By the end of the night, not only were they engaged to be married, but they were happily sated after hours of making love under the light of the full moon. It was only as they cuddled up in their bed together as the sun began its ascent over the horizon that Ash remembered he was fertile and that the younger man had dominated him. He gulped as he thought about the implications, but sleep soon claimed him.

Notes