A/N: Yeah...it's that chapter. The angst beginneth...
~~~~~~~~~
Later on, Andy could look back on that night and laugh at his own stupidity.
Later on, he could recognize that he'd been drunk off his ass and that if he hadn't been, it might not have happened.
But in the moment, he wasn't laughing at all.
He was aware of the fact that he was drunk as he walked onto the stage. How could he not be―Ashley had brought a lot of alcohol, and the five of them had wasted no time diving into it. Andy wasn't even going to question where Ashley kept getting the alcohol-infused blood, or if he made it himself, where the excess was coming from―though he wasn't going to pretend it wasn't a little worrying, after the first few drinks it didn't matter.
The affection they'd exchanged backstage had only added to the fog in Andy's brain, a blissful haze of alcohol and his boyfriends' kisses to drown the exhaustion of the last few days of signings and local shows. Warped started in a week, and they'd been throwing themselves full stop into promoting this new era and the fact that they had indeed been accepted into this tour. As vampires, they didn't need to sleep, but CC did, and he hadn't gotten much more than the vampires had in the last few days. But that hadn't made them any less affectionate; in fact, the human had only become more clingy with the sleep deprivation, and the vampires never objected.
And so he walked onto the stage at Hollywood & Highland with his head fucked up by blood and whiskey, already searching for a way to make this the most memorable Black Veil Brides performance ever.
He barely paid attention to where the others were, though he did spare part of his attention to greet the crowd even as he searched for something dramatic to do. He'd been jumping off of things and acting like a lunatic onstage for a while now, but tonight was release night―he had to make it perfect, dramatic, something everyone would remember.
He scanned the stage, and almost instantly his eyes lighted on a couple of random elephant statues. Perfect, he thought. I'll climb those and leap off, back onto the stage―they'll never forget that!
It didn't occur to him that this would be near-impossible with his inebriated state and the fact that he was wearing cowboy boots with no traction. His only thought was to make it dramatic.
They started to perform, Andy's focus only vaguely on the lyrics he was singing, trying to scout his way to the top of one of the statues. When do I do it? When will it be dramatic enough? He thought he spotted a few decent hand- and footholds, and resisted the urge to nod in satisfaction; he was in the middle of a song, how strange would that look?
That said, middle of the song notwithstanding, Andy couldn't take the waiting. If he was going to do something dramatic―dramatic, dramatic, always dramatic―he was going to do it now.
Still singing, Andy made his way towards the other end of the stage and hopped off, heading for the statue. As far as he knew, none of the guys could see him―there were pillars in the way, after all―but all that did was give him the thought that it'd be even better to surprise them when he jumped off. He was sure they'd be impressed―CC had mentioned something about hardly being able to believe he could do so much crazy shit without hurting himself, and this would definitely leave its impression on the human at the very least.
Andy smiled to himself a little distractedly at the thought of his human. Warm and beautiful and lively―gods, I've forgotten what it feels like.
He reached the base of the statue and began to climb, realizing almost immediately that this was much less of a good idea than he'd initially thought. What he'd taken to be decent hand- and footholds actually weren't, and his boots couldn't find much purchase anywhere.
Still, Andy was nothing if not committed to an idea once he'd gotten it, and he wasn't about to give up now. He struggled up four levels before recognizing that, realistically, he wouldn't be able to climb any farther without the almost certain side effect of falling and breaking every bone in his body. That's alright, he thought. It'll still be dramatic to jump off from this height.
He studied the drop before him. This'll be fine. He'd be able to jump off and land safely right-side-up, wouldn't he? Nothing could possibly go wrong.
Until, of course, it did.
Andy wasn't ever aware of actually falling―time seemed to slow down as he hurtled towards the pillar, and in those few seconds before impact he realized this had been a very bad idea.
Then he heard the crack as he collided chest-first with the pillar, and next second everything was white-hot pain.
He heard gasps and cries of alarm from the watching fans, but couldn't register anything beyond that; the pain was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He hadn't even realized vampires were capable of feeling that much pain―he'd never had cause to find out, not when his advanced healing took care of most minor injuries without him even noticing they were there.
This, it was becoming apparent, was not a minor injury.
A security guard came over to him; Andy could hardly breathe for the pain in his chest. His world was trying to slip away from him, but he wasn't about to let himself black out―it was the middle of a show, for fuck's sake! Surely if he could just catch his breath and let the pain abate he'd be fine to continue.
He sensed more than felt the security guard turning him over. The poor human couldn't possibly know what was wrong―hell, even Andy didn't know what he'd done. My healing will fix it. I'll be fine. Oh gods, but what if I'm not? No, don't think like that, I'll be fine... Of course, the human couldn't know that he was a vampire, couldn't know that whatever it was would (hopefully) heal on its own; Andy, unable to draw enough breath to speak since the pain still hadn't abated, could do nothing to stop the far-too-kind human's attempt to give him CPR.
The sound coming from the region of his ribcage as the security guard gave him chest compressions was one Andy knew he wouldn't forget in a hurry―a crunching, grinding noise that made him wince even worse than the accompanying surge of pain.
"I'm...okay," he managed to gasp out through the pain, though he wasn't sure the security guard could even hear him over the frenzied yelling of the crowd, which somehow seemed to be growing fainter in Andy's ears. "Stop," he tried to say, and wasn't even sure if he was speaking. "Stop!"
That was the last thing Andy was aware of before he slipped into oblivion.
―――――――――――――――
Jake had heard the crack when Andy fell, though he'd seen nothing, and when a pair of security guards supported a pained-looking Andy onto the stage, he became immediately concerned.
He looked at Jinxx in alarm; Andy really didn't look good, paler than usual and with an expression of extreme pain on his face. Jinxx's eyes were wide under the warpaint; what the actual hell had happened?
Should we stop the show? Jake wondered, his gaze returning to his clearly injured singer. Andy barely looked like he was able to stand on his own; indeed, when the security guards let go of him, he wavered dangerously on the spot for a moment before he managed to steady himself. The security guards stepped back, but watched the injured vampire with sharp eyes.
To Jake's immense surprise, Andy simply held up the microphone and finished the song.
He continued to do so for the rest of their specified concert time. Granted, he kept calling out songs that weren't on the setlist, but Jake was more focused on the fact that despite the obvious amount of pain he was in (which must mean the injury's bad if his healing hasn't been able to numb the pain yet), Andy was continuing the show. Jake kept a worried eye on his singer the entire time, occasionally glancing around at the others to find equally worried expressions on their faces.
The moment the show ended, the security guards whisked Andy offstage, which was just as well since it looked like the young vampire was about to pass out. Jake, Jinxx, CC, and Ashley hurried offstage after him; they were greeted by the sight of Andy being stuffed into some rubbery something that Jake wasn't even going to attempt to name when they emerged backstage.
"Should we call an ambulance?" one of the security guards was asking.
"No time," replied their tour manager, Jon. "Get him to the hospital, as fast as possible without hurting him further. Shove him in one of your cars and GO."
Jake made a move as if to start for the door―of course he wasn't letting those humans take Andy on their own―but Jon stopped him. "Jake, no."
Jake glared at him. "Why the fuck not?"
"Because it's a fucking disaster out there and we need to pack your shit up before you can go anywhere," Jon said firmly. "Any of you," he added when CC opened his mouth to protest. His expression softened as he glanced around at their worried faces, and he dropped his voice. "Look, I know you care about him, but Andy's tough, and we know your doctor'll take care of him best he can. But right now you guys have to focus on clearing your shit out of here so you can go be with him. Got it?"
Jake glanced around at the others. None of them looked happy, but Jake realized they weren't going to win this argument either. He sighed resolutely. "Fine."
Jon nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on. Faster we get your shit together, faster you guys can go make sure your boyfriend's okay."
He walked away. Jake exchanged a look with the others.
"He knows?" CC asked.
"Perceptive, for a human," Ashley remarked.
Jinxx elbowed him. "Hey. Ceese is still human. Don't say shit like that."
CC shrugged. "Whatever, man."
Jake shook his head. "Nothing we can really do except what he told us. Like he said, the faster we get our shit together, the faster we can get out of here and check on him."
He looked to where the security guards were helping Andy stagger towards the door and couldn't help calling after them. "Ask for Dr. Glass!" he called. "Dr. Kian Glass!"
CC looked at him. "Who's Dr. Glass?"
"A vampire," Jinxx said. "One who's been our go-to doctor whenever one of us is seriously injured. He's been my friend for centuries―he's only a decade or two younger than I am."
"Guys!" Jon called, exasperated. "Get over here! And quick, it looks like―ah, shit―OI! GET BACK HERE WITH THAT SET PIECE, KID!"
Jake raised an eyebrow in alarm. "Are they trying to steal our stuff?"
"Oh, fuck," Jinxx sighed. "Come on."
Jake wasn't even offended, really. It made sense that, in the confusion, fans would be inclined to try and steal stuff, just to say they had it. But as they spent the next half hour tracking down stray warpaint-covered fans to retrieve their stuff, Jake began to get more and more annoyed, mostly because every minute spent trying to get guitar cases and amps back was a minute they could be spending at Andy's side.
Finally, the last of the equipment had been retrieved and safely packed back into the cars. Without so much as a goodbye to Jon, who admittedly seemed to understand, Jake and the others piled into Jinxx's SUV and headed for the hospital.
"I'll stay in the car, I don't want to crowd him," Ashley volunteered as they pulled into a parking spot a few minutes later.
Jake glanced at the others and shrugged. "If you want. We'll be back soon."
Jake, Jinxx, and CC exited the car and strode hand-in-hand up to the hospital's doors. Jake rather thought they scared the receptionist, bursting in the way they did.
"Andy Biersack," Jake said with no preamble. "Brought in about a half hour ago. Where is he?"
"R-Room D211," the receptionist stammered, evidently still surprised. "Dr. Glass is getting his test results now."
Without even waiting for visitor stickers, the three of them set off towards the door that would lead them down the hall.
"He's not supposed to have visi―" the receptionist tried to call after them, but they paid her no attention and she gave up mid-sentence.
It didn't take them long to find Andy's room. Jinxx pushed the door, which had been left slightly ajar, open, and the three of them filed in to take in their singer's state.
Andy was awake and looked a bit dazed, though he seemed mostly coherent, laying with his head propped up on a small mound of pillows and his hands folded over his stomach. His warpaint was a little smudged, but he looked no worse for the wear for all that he'd evidently broken something.
He didn't look all that surprised to see them as they filed into the room and took up positions around his bed. "Hey, guys," he said weakly.
Jake, nearest his head as Jinxx and CC took each of his hands, brushed the singer's hair out of his face gently. "Hey," he replied. "What the hell happened?"
"Good question," Jinxx said. "We heard the crack, but we never saw anything."
"Did something stupid," Andy muttered, sounding like he was trying not to talk too much. "Climbed a thing. Thought I could jump down, be all cool. Couldn't." He offered a faint smirk. "Doctor says I probably broke my ribs, but he's still getting the X-rays back."
"Idiot," Jake said, not unkindly. "We were worried sick."
Andy sighed, then winced. "Ow. Yeah, I know." He smiled weakly at them. "Glad you guys are here, though."
"We would have been earlier if fans hadn't kept trying to steal our shit," CC reported, sounding a little miffed.
Andy frowned. "Fans were trying to steal our shit?"
"Not on Jon's watch," Jinxx said dryly. "Even still, we spent half an hour making sure we had everything. It was chaos back there."
"Probably my fault," Andy shrugged, then winced again. Jake leaned down and kissed him lightly.
"Don't say that," he chided gently. "It's always chaos after a show, not specific to you injuring yourself."
Andy smiled a little drowsily. "You sure about that?"
Jake kissed him again, trying not to injure him further. "Positive."
The door opened before anyone could say anything else, and Dr. Glass walked in, stopping short just inside the room to take in the sight of three extra people.
All the doctor did was sigh. "You three might want to sit down."
He let the door fall shut behind him and didn't even bat an eye as Jinxx and CC both gave Andy quick kisses before retreating to the visitor's chairs. Jake didn't sit down, but he did round the bed to stand facing Dr. Glass, taking Andy's hand in his as he did so.
"So how badly did I fuck myself up?" Andy asked as Glass set the pile of paperwork he'd been carrying down on the counter.
Glass turned to face them, an X-ray in his hands. "You broke your ninth, tenth, and eleventh ribs on your left side," he reported, handing Andy the X-ray; Jake studied it with him. "As I'm sure you can see, your eleventh rib is complete shrapnel. I don't know what you did, but that rib completely shattered―even with your vampire healing, there's little hope of an absolutely perfect recovery."
Jake handed the X-ray off to Jinxx, who frowned at Glass's words. "Little hope of an absolutely perfect recovery?" he echoed. "Why?"
Glass sighed. "Near as I can figure it, it's the silver damage. The other two ribs will heal fine on their own in a week, maybe less―though to keep up pretenses as a human you'll have to act like you're still healing for at least six before I can safely take the bandages off―but the shattered one, in addition to being a bit of a risk for more damage that could slow down the healing process, shows signs of silver damage." He looked seriously at Andy. "What did you even do that you shattered a rib and left silver damage?"
Andy frowned. "I fell into a giant pillar."
Dr. Glass opened his mouth like he was about to say something, apparently thought better of it, and just shook his head instead. "Long as I've known you, you've been finding clever ways to injure yourself," he sighed. "But you've never had silver damage before."
"What's, uh, silver damage?" CC asked, sounding genuinely confused.
Glass turned to him. "Ah, you brought your human." He went on before CC could protest being addressed as such. "Silver damage is the result of a vampire coming into contact with too much silver―physical products or, in some cases, highly concentrated silver paints. It can show itself in a variety of ways, most commonly burns, but I've never seen something like this before."
"What's it look like?" Jake asked, morbidly curious. Andy glanced up at him and squeezed his hand gently.
Dr. Glass accepted the first X-ray and dug out a second from his pile. "It's hard to see―the pieces of the rib are everywhere, it can be hard to pick them out―but you'll see that burned sort of look about some of them, and there a little more clearly on the tenth rib. That's the silver damage. He's got burns on his chest too, about the same severity. Not bad, all things considered, but bad enough that the silver will severely impair the healing process."
"But if it's on my tenth rib too, why will that still heal normally?" Andy asked.
Glass ran a hand through his hair. "You're the only vampire I've ever treated that's done this much severe damage to their ribcage, but I believe it's due to the fact that the eleventh rib is in tiny pieces, which makes the relatively minimal silver damage far more severe since it's afflicting smaller areas. The damage to your tenth rib is less severe because that rib, except for the obvious clean break, is still intact―not splintered like the eleventh."
"So how do you fix it?" Jake asked.
"There are two options here," Glass said, sounding quite tired. "You can simply let your body overcome the silver damage on its own and heal itself. It will still do that if we leave everything alone, but it will take a lot longer than normal―I'm estimating, since internal silver damage isn't common, but I'd say anywhere from two-to-three weeks at the fastest."
The vampires and CC exchanged looks of alarm. Two to three weeks was an unfathomable healing period for a vampire, who could usually heal injuries in minutes.
"And the other option?" Andy asked, sounding like he was rather dreading the answer.
"You could take enemas to get the shattered pieces of your rib out of your system for good, thus negating the silver and the extended healing period," Glass said.
Andy glanced at the others, evidently dismayed. Jake squeezed his hand; neither were fun options. On the one hand, it was wait in pain for far longer than any vampire should to heal properly and risk having leftover damage, and on the other it was undergo an extremely unpleasant and uncomfortable series of laxatives to remove the offending shrapnel entirely. Jake wouldn't wish either option on his worst enemy, much less one of the men he loved.
"Well, fuck, man," CC said, which seemed to be an appropriate response to Dr. Glass's options. "Those are both kinda shit, aren't they?"
Glass nodded. "Pretty much, yes."
Andy bit his lip, looking around at them anxiously. Jake wanted very much to kiss him reassuringly, but wasn't sure how well that would go over with Glass―for all that he hadn't blinked earlier, nor made any comment about their intertwined hands, Jake wasn't close enough with the doctor to know if that was something he'd be okay with.
"Either way," Glass said gently, "it's going to be uncomfortable. You'll feel your rib trying to fit itself back together a lot more than you ever feel anything else healing itself, and enemas are―well, not fun."
"It's up to you, Andy," Jake said softly. "We'll help you deal with it no matter what."
Andy looked up at him, seeming much more young and tired than usual, his usually bright eyes dim with pain and the exhaustion left after a rush of adrenaline. "You will?"
Jake brushed the singer's hair out of his face again―it seemed that it had only become more of an unruly mess in the chaos of the night's events. "Of course we will." He resisted the urge to add some sort of pet name―did they do pet names? Was that a thing? He didn't think it was.
Andy glanced at CC and Jinxx, who exchanged a look before standing and joining Jake beside his bed. "It's okay, Andy," Jinxx said softly.
Andy studied each of them, his blue eyes full of a worried uncertainty that Jake hadn't seen in thirty years. He remembered now how much he'd hated that expression. Andy was so confident, so sure of himself―it was always a shock seeing him look so scared and vulnerable.
Something changed in the depths of his gaze, and Andy looked back at Glass, who was watching the silent exchange with a small smile on his face. "I'll take the enemas," he said. "It's not going to be comfortable, but it'll be quicker, and less painful."
Glass nodded. "I'll write the prescription. You'll have them at your local pharmacy by the end of the day."
Jake squeezed Andy's hand again, and the younger vampire looked back to him. "You sure?" Jake asked.
Andy nodded. "I'm sure."
Glass turned around a couple of minutes later with a small bottle of pills in his hand. "Painkillers," he explained. "Three broken ribs and silver damage can't be comfortable."
"You think?" Andy snorted, and Glass chuckled. He dropped one of the pills, from a separate container by the look of it, into a small vial of blood―Jake hadn't even seen him grab it.
"Well, here," he said. "It won't dissolve, but the blood makes it easier to get down."
CC was staring at the blood. "Where did you just―? Is that someone's blood sample?"
Glass looked at him with faint amusement in his eyes. "I take extra sometimes, when it's routine bloodwork and we're not expecting to find anything. I can usually tell if the patient had a blood problem, but I wait until they've been cleared in the labs before storing them for the occasional vampire patient anyway just in case. Don't worry."
CC still looked a little alarmed, but Andy smiled at him and downed the vial and the pill.
"It won't take effect for a minute or two, but you should be in a lot less pain," Glass said, accepting the vial back.
"Thanks, Doc," Andy replied.
"Well, we're just about done here. I need to wrap you and get that script sent off, and then you can go," Glass told him. "Give me a moment to send off the prescription and grab the bandages. I'll be right back."
He exited the room.
Andy let his head fall back. "Gods, I'm exhausted."
"Breaking three ribs will do that to you," Jake remarked, and Andy glared at him halfheartedly.
"Shut up. You don't get to be a smartass."
"Actually, I think I'm rather entitled to it. What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't."
"Fair enough."
"What happened, though?" Andy asked. "After? I have no recollection. I must have been in shock."
"You finished the show," Jinxx informed him.
Andy looked up again, surprised. "I what?"
"You finished the show, dude," CC repeated. "Three broken ribs and you stood there and finished the show."
"Granted, you kept calling out songs that weren't on the setlist," Jinxx said. "Stuff we'd never played live. But you sang them all, and it didn't even sound bad―no one would have known anything was wrong if you didn't look like you were in ten kinds of pain."
"It was kind of badass, actually," Jake admitted. "Something I'm sure the Army will be talking about for years."
Andy frowned. "Well. Guess I accomplished my goal, then." He shook his head. "I was trying to be dramatic."
"Yeah, that didn't exactly go as planned," CC said seriously, and Andy chuckled, then hissed in pain.
"Ow. Don't make me laugh. The painkiller's taking effect, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt to laugh."
"Sorry."
Andy smiled at him tiredly. "S'okay."
"You should go to bed when we get home," Jake told him. "Get some decent sleep."
"That won't be a problem," Andy murmured. "I'm fading."
"Just stay awake a little longer, Andy," Jinxx told him. "Kian's still got to bandage you."
Andy grimaced. "That'll be comfortable."
The door opened again, and Dr. Glass walked back in, bandages in hand. "It really won't," he said bluntly. "We have to sit you up."
Andy groaned, then cursed. "Fuck. How does even that hurt?"
Glass chuckled humorlessly. "You tell me, Andy."
"You're the doctor."
"You're the idiot that broke three of your ribs and gave yourself silver damage."
"I don't think it's regulation for doctors to call their patients idiots."
"I think I can make an exception."
"Rude."
"Fair."
Andy glared at him halfheartedly for a minute. "Just get this over with. I wanna sleep."
Glass chuckled. "Guys, can you move back, please?"
Jake, Jinxx, and CC all obligingly took a few steps back, forcing Jake to let go of Andy's hand. Glass gave him a sympathetic look. "Brace yourself," he said, and guided Andy into a sitting position.
"Fuck," Andy hissed.
"I did warn you. Alright, that was the hard part, now you've just got to let me wrap your ribs and then you can go," Glass said.
Andy groaned. "Just do it."
Glass raised an eyebrow. "You're covered in paint. Do you want that to be stuck to your skin?"
Andy groaned again. "Stop dragging it out and just fucking bandage me. Seriously. I'm exhausted."
Glass sighed. "I do understand that. Do you want me to try and wash off the paint?"
Andy shrugged halfheartedly. "You can try, but I doubt it'll work. It sticks to my skin regardless."
Glass considered that for a minute. "Might be better not to try it, then. I don't want to hurt you more trying to get it off."
He made surprisingly short work of the bandages, though Andy cursed loudly a couple of times. "It's tight!" he complained.
Glass leveled him a look that would have sheared mountains. "Your ribs literally have to bind themselves back together. If you want them to do it properly, they can't be allowed to move."
Andy groaned. "Fuck."
"Yeah, I know," Glass said. "But you're all wrapped up. You can go home." He picked up the bandages and rounded the cot to type something into his computer. "Take the enemas every few hours and the pieces should be out within a week, maybe less once your body realizes what you're trying to do."
Andy nodded gratefully at him. Jake stepped forward and offered his arm; Andy accepted it as he swung his legs to the floor.
"Okay...let's try this standing thing," he said, and pushed himself off the cot. Almost immediately he faltered and gripped Jake's arm for support; Jake held onto him, letting him steady himself, not even fazed by his strong grip.
CC came over to Andy's other side. "Come on, man, lean on me too, you don't look like you can walk," he said.
To Jake's surprise, Andy didn't fight it, just lessened the pressure on his arm a little as CC helped steady him.
"Thank you, Kian," Jinxx told Dr. Glass.
Glass nodded, and dropped the doctor's professionalism he'd perfected in his immortal life. "You're welcome, Jinxx. You know I'll always do my best for you guys."
"I'd offer you a drink," Jake said, "but I don't even know when you get off."
"Depends on the day, but you know I usually prefer to work through the night shift," Glass said. He shook his head. "Besides, you three need to stick with Andy."
Andy nodded. "Especially considering I can't currently stand on my own."
Everyone assembled chuckled. Glass's expression softened. "When did this become a thing?" he asked.
Jake didn't even need the glance they exchanged to know what he was talking about. "Ever since the Golden Gods awards," Jinxx said, "the day of my last seizure."
Glass nodded, gazing at the four of them with a small smile on his face. "I'm happy for you," he said. "You guys are going to be good for each other―hell, you have been for nearly forty years."
Jake smiled back at him. "We're trying."
"Keep him out of trouble, okay?" Glass said, with a pointed look at Andy. "And take care of him."
"We will, man," CC said. "It was nice meeting you."
"You too. CC, right?" CC nodded, and Glass shook his hand.
"Thanks, Kian," Andy said. "I know Jinxx said that already, but thanks."
"It's not a problem. Really. Now go home," Glass ordered.
"You ready to try this whole walking thing?" Jake said.
Andy gave him a dubious look. "No. But I'm exhausted and the only way I can sleep is if we go home, so let's just go."
It took a couple of tries, but eventually they were able to walk back to the car, Jake and CC supporting Andy between them while Jinxx walked ahead to kick Ashley out of the car so Andy could take his spot in the middle.
Andy spent the ride home with his head on Jake's shoulder, wincing and hissing when the car's movement jostled his ribs. Upon staggering into Jinxx's house, Andy headed straight for the stairs.
"I don't know how the fuck I'm going to climb these," Andy declared as he strode towards them, a little unsteadily. "But I'm going to go to bed, and then I'm going to not move for a few hours."
Jake glanced at the others. "Should one of us go with him to make sure he doesn't hurt himself?"
"Probably," Jinxx said.
Jake sighed. "I got him. See you guys tomorrow."
First Jinxx, then CC kissed him. "Good night, Jake," Jinxx told him, and he chased after Andy to the staircase.
"Come on, let me help," he said. Andy leaned on him gratefully as they made their way upstairs.
They stumbled together into the guest room―none of them had ever actually claimed it, since they mostly slept in each other's beds. Andy flopped rather dramatically onto the bed, then swore. "Fuck. Can't do that."
Jake chuckled. "No, not really." He shed his shirt, feeling his warpaint pulling at his skin. "Ugh. I'm going to try to shower this off. I'll be back in a few."
When he emerged from the shower with most―though not quite all―of the warpaint gone from his body, it was to find Andy already asleep. He smiled to himself and pushed the singer's hair out of his face; it really had been a long day.
He'll be okay, Jake thought to himself. He'll be just fine.
With that thought, he pressed a kiss to the sleeping singer's forehead and slipped into bed beside him, settling in for the rest of the night.
―――――――――――――――
"Wait, guys, I just thought of something."
Andy raised an eyebrow at him from beneath his mountain of blankets. "Yes, Ceese?"
CC raised an eyebrow right back. "How the fuck are you guys going to survive Warped?"
Jinxx set down his book. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that we're gonna be outside onstage for hours at a time in direct sunlight in the middle of summer," CC elaborated, a little surprised they didn't get it. "You're vampires. Do the math."
The vampires all looked at one another. "Shit," Jake said. "He's got a point."
"Why didn't we consider that before?" Andy wondered aloud. His ribs were mostly healed―it had only been three days, but CC wasn't surprised, not with the singer's enhanced vampire healing. The only problem remaining was the leftover pieces of the shattered rib, which Andy (not without much complaining) was reluctantly yet dutifully taking the enemas to get rid of.
Jake kissed him. "Too busy with the album and finalizing other plans. And each other."
"Or something like that," Jinxx added. "Fuck. What the hell are we going to do?"
The four of them looked at each other. "SPF 5000?" CC suggested halfheartedly, and was rewarded with the vampires laughing.
"I don't know if that exists, but fuck, give me some if it does," Andy said. "I wasn't exactly planning on wearing a shirt, at least not for the first week or two, not with my ribs―it needs to at least look like I'm injured."
"You sure the lack of shirt wasn't just for our benefit?" Jinxx remarked, and Andy gave him a surprised look.
"You know, if you weren't at the other end of the couch I'd kiss you for that comment," he said.
Jinxx chuckled. "You'll have to make it up to me later."
"I'm closer, I can do it for him," CC volunteered, and proceeded to steal a kiss from the guitarist. Jinxx smiled and rested his head on CC's shoulder.
Andy scowled at him playfully. "I'm perfectly capable of kissing him, thank you."
CC grinned. "I know."
"Much as I love hearing you tease each other," Jake said, with a slightly exasperated smile, "we do actually have to figure out how we're going to play Warped and not burn up in the sun."
Jinxx frowned. "You know, I think I read somewhere that makeup works as sunblock...we may not have to do much, our warpaint will cover it. Hold on, let me look it up..."
And he pulled out his phone.
CC was still slightly alarmed by how fast the phone industry was changing. In just the past couple of years there'd been leaps forward that had seemed impossible back in 2009. CC could only imagine how the vampires were handling the sudden technology shift―he couldn't understand it as a human, but his vampires were decades if not centuries older than he was (which wasn't entirely a comfortable thought). It had to be confusing.
They handled it well, though. They handled everything well, at least that CC had seen. He supposed when you'd been alive that long you just sort of got used to the crazy.
Jake had started playing with his hair. CC only noticed when he felt a slight tug―Jake's fingers had hit a snag. He looked at where the guitarist sat between him and Andy, and Jake smiled apologetically.
"Not trying to hurt you," he said.
CC shrugged. "You didn't."
"You know, if it didn't still hurt to bend over I'd just demand attention that way," Andy said. "Feeling a little left out over here."
"Then don't sit in the corner," CC laughed.
"Nah, too logical," Andy grinned.
Jake leaned over and captured the singer's lips in another kiss. "Happy?"
Andy smiled lazily. "Very."
"Yeah, we're good with the warpaint," Jinxx said unexpectedly. "Might be nice to try and think of a backup, though, in case it doesn't completely work."
CC buried his nose in Jinxx's hair as the four of them fell to contemplation. He really had no idea. How did one prevent four vampires from dying just because they had to play shows outside in the middle of summer?
"Maybe we really do just need really strong sunscreen," Jake shrugged eventually. "I've never tried staying out for longer than a few minutes. What's the threshold in the summer, fifteen?"
"Something like that," Jinxx said. "Yeah, I'm not sure...we're going to have to do a little trial and error before we join the tour."
"Couldn't you ask Nikki Sixx?" CC asked, glancing at Andy. "You never did tell us how that meeting with him went."
Andy couldn't blush, but CC swore he could feel the vampire's embarrassment. "Oh, yeah, that. It was pretty cool, actually, he gave me some life and career advice...and his phone number. I could give him a call."
"Did he say how long he's been around?" Jake asked.
Andy's eyes got far away. "Centuries," he breathed. "He said he's from the mid fifteen-hundreds, I think? He mentioned something about King Henry VIII's wives, anyway, and all the religious warfare that pretty much turned him off religion permanently." He shook it off. "I don't know, I didn't understand half of what he was talking about, I got kicked out of my history classes for not paying attention."
Jinxx hummed interestedly. "Sounds fascinating to me."
"Yeah, well, you're the guy that can play five million instruments and knows how to fix a car," Andy grumbled. "Of course it's fascinating to you."
Jinxx laughed. "Come on, you know you love me."
"And that's exactly why," Jake grinned, temporarily abandoning playing with CC's hair to reach for Jinxx's hand across his lap. Jinxx accepted it, and CC smiled over Jake's shoulder at Andy, who was watching the entire exchange with his brilliantly blue eyes almost glowing with love.
"In any case," Jake said, letting go of Jinxx's hand to resume running his fingers through CC's hair, "you really should give Nikki Sixx a call, Andy. Ask how he's managed to avoid the sunlight issue all these years."
Andy nodded. "I'll call him. Just not right now. Right now, I need a cigarette."
Jake shook his head at that abrupt declaration. "You and your cigarettes."
Andy grinned at him. "Can't kill me if I'm already dead."
The singer stood up with minimal difficulty, wincing only a little. "Fucking ribs might, though. Kian failed to mention how much of a bitch being sore as it heals is."
"I think you'll survive," Jinxx remarked mildly.
Andy bent down to kiss him as he walked past. "That hurt, by the way, consider yourself lucky."
Jinxx laughed as Andy headed for the back door. CC watched him go, then realized he hadn't gotten a kiss and frowned, mildly offended.
"He didn't kiss me," he pouted.
Jake laughed and stole a kiss of his own. "Go chase after him and demand one, then."
"But Jinxx is comfortable," CC protested. "And I like what you're doing with my hair."
"We can always resume this position when you get back," Jinxx laughed. "Go on, get your kiss."
CC kissed Jinxx quickly before he stood and felt the vampire smile into it. He went in the same direction Andy had, heading for the back door and the patio where the singer stood.
"Hello, Ceese," Andy said when he stepped outside, without even turning around.
"How'd you―?"
"I can smell you, remember?"
"That's...not at all weird to think about."
Andy chuckled, a low, warm sound. "Why are you out here?"
"You didn't give me a kiss," CC informed him. "I wanted one."
Andy turned to face him, a smirk playing about his lips, his cigarette held loosely in his left hand. "Then come and get one," he said.
CC strode over to where he stood leaning against the patio―more of a deck, really, though CC had never cared what it was called―railing and stole his kiss from a willing Andy. The singer's smirk when CC pulled away made him look less like a vampire and more like a mischievous faerie in the filtered, grayish light of the cloudy day.
Andy offered him the pack of cigarettes. "Want one? I haven't been going through them so fast in the last couple of days, I've got a few to spare."
CC shrugged. "Sure, man." He accepted the cigarette and the lighter Andy held up and took a drag the moment it was lit. He leaned forward until he was leaning against the deck railing in a manner similar to Andy and stared off into the distance.
"Something on your mind?" Andy asked.
CC looked back at him and found he much preferred the sight of the singer's face to the rather dull view of other houses and other fenced-in yards across the way. "Not really. Just searching for somewhere to look."
Andy grinned. "You could look at me."
CC nudged him playfully. "Shut up."
"I will not," Andy stated decisively, and laughed along with him as CC chuckled.
"Well, you're definitely easier on the eyes than...that," CC said, gesturing vaguely to the view. "Kinda stupid how boring residential areas all look."
"It's just like this everywhere else, too," Andy informed him, a note of sadness in his voice. "We moved around a lot for nearly forty years―it'll be forty years exactly since we met next December―but, well, you know how it is, we don't age, and my anxiety and Jinxx's paranoia about humans finding out made it so that we never stayed in one city for longer than five or six years, however long we thought we could get away with looking like we're in our mid-twenties. But they're all like this. Every housing development in every city, no matter how big or crazy or flashy that city is, looks exactly like this."
He took a drag off his cigarette and let that endless blue gaze travel somewhere far beyond CC. "It all looks so pretty in the snow, though," he continued. "Christmas lights strung up over all the random houses on the side of the road, entire neighborhoods with synchronized light displays, all the colors reflecting off the snow. I kinda miss it sometimes. Like―I know people still string up Christmas lights here, but it's a lot different to see them strung up over palm trees and hidden behind leaves than it is to see them draped across the tree so they almost, for a second, look like leaves when you drive past."
Andy shook his head and took another drag. "Why the hell am I talking about Christmas lights? It's June."
CC chuckled. "I don't mind, dude. It's cool hearing you talk about other places you've lived. I've lived in L.A. all my life―I've only ever seen snow in pictures, unless you're counting that weird slush we saw a couple times on those small tours at the end of last year."
Andy shuddered. "Gods, no. Snow is much prettier."
CC smiled. "I mean it, though. It's cool hearing you talk about this." Even if it was a little unsettling how casually he mentioned he'd been with the others for going on forty years―as if he needed another slap-in-the-face reminder that he was human and they were not.
As if reading his mind, Andy offered him a sad little smile. "Does it bother you? When we mention our immortality?"
CC debated how to answer that―he'd never been good with words, and talking about literally anything other than music could get tough (and even then, he'd been known to fuck up and trip over his tongue if he got too excited). Eventually, he said, "I guess, yeah―but mostly because it's a reminder that you've all known each other for literal decades longer than I've even been alive. It's really jarring being the only human." He took a drag off his cigarette as silence fell between them―it hadn't been the most elegant way to say things, but it was the only way CC could phrase it without sounding like an idiot in his head.
Andy reached for his free hand and held it tightly. "Oh, Ceese, I didn't even realize. You know being human doesn't mean we don't care as much about you, right? You mean just as much to me as any of the others, and I'm sure if you asked Jake and Jinxx they'd say the same thing."
CC shrugged. "I know that, up here―" he tapped the side of his head, careful to keep the lit cigarette away from his face― "but it's hard to remember sometimes, you know?"
Andy kissed him gently. "Thank you for telling me. I can try to avoid talking about it now."
CC smiled. "No problem."
They finished their cigarettes in a silence much more comfortable than the previous one, and walked back into the house hand-in-hand. CC hadn't even noticed how chilly it was outside until he walked back into the house.
"Think I'm getting impervious to the cold," he joked. "Spending so much time with vampires, I'm developing a resistance to it."
Andy laughed. "You've never felt a Midwest winter."
CC raised an eyebrow at him. "That sounds ominous."
Andy grinned back. "You'll feel it eventually, we'll end up touring in the Midwest in the dead of winter someday, you mark my words."
They reentered the living room to find that Jake and Jinxx had, in their absence, moved so Jinxx was half-laying on Jake. Both guitarists looked incredibly comfortable.
Andy looked at CC. "Shall we disturb them?"
CC grinned. "I think so."
―――――――――――――
A/N: So, after accidentally deleting the original draft and getting sick for a week, I finished this in three days. Which is why it's so short, and also why the ending was so abrupt. Anyway, I guess it was only a little angst, but there's definitely more to come...I checked my notes app and realized there's a lot of fluff before then, though, so you all get to enjoy the fluff for a while longer. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Comments are always appreciated :)