An Andy and Marco short… (From Galen’s Redemption)

During the tour, one of the blogs said how much they liked Andy and Marco, and hoped to see more of them. So this morning I decided to do a little anniversary thing for them.

Andy pulled open the door and came face to face with a bevy of balloons, as well as the cutest white bunny sitting on the floor, and whomever was there also had a huge bouquet of roses in his hand.

“Gee, I wonder who this could be.”

He leaned in and inhaled the sharp aroma of the flowers. God, he loved roses.

A gruff voice from the other side made Andy’s heart beat faster. “If you have another guy bringing you flowers and balloons, we’re going to have problems.”

“Oh, that voice sounds familiar,” he teased. He reached out and parted the balloons, allowing Marco’s face came into view. “Hey, handsome.”

“Hey, yourself.” He leaned in for a kiss, but the sheer amount of balloons made it impossible. “Well, damn.”

Andy bent over and picked up the bunny. His fur was silky soft, and Andy wanted to bury his face in it. “What’s all this?”

“Our official six month anniversary.”

God, had it really been only six months? Why did it seem that Andy knew Marco forever?

Because the two of you fit.

“Are you going to take this stuff and let me in or are you content to just see me standing here?”

“Oh, I’m very content. I love the way the balloons frame your sexy face.”

Marco grinned. “Sexy, huh? Tell me more.”

“Those deep, soulful eyes. That sexy as fuck hair. The rasp of stubble on your chin. Those full, pouty lips. And that amazing cock—”

Marco’s nostrils flared.

“—sure attitude of yours.”

“You are such a mean man.” He grinned. “But I love you anyway. Really, though. Can I come in?”

“Of course you can.” Andy stepped back and pulled the door open wide. “C’mon in.”

The sheer amount of things that lined the hall of the apartment made Andy gasp.

“What the hell did you do?”

Marco put the balloons down, and they reached the ceiling. He turned and swept Andy into his arms. “No less than you deserve.” He took Andy’s mouth in a kiss, and Andy melted against him. “On the menu this evening we have tandoori shrimp, paneer tikka, and samosas from Maharana, tiramisu from Zarletti’s, and if that’s not what you’re in the mood for, I grabbed a Margherita Classico from Il Ritrovo. We’ll have to heat them up, though. I couldn’t figure out a way to keep them all hot.

Certain he wasn’t hearing right, Andy grabbed the lapels of Marco’s dark blue shirt. “You went to Sheboygan, Madison, and downtown Milwaukee to bring me dinner?”

Marco’s gaze softened. “I would do anything for you. This? It’s not even close to what you deserve to have.”

Warmth filled Andy’s cheeks. They’d never talked about previous partners, and there had been a lot for Andy.

“I… Marco, I… You should know, I’ve been with a lot of guys.” Swallowing battery acid would hurt less than making this admission. “And by a lot, I mean I can’t count that high.”

“Did they do these things for you?”

Of course they hadn’t. A quick fuck in the bathroom, or in the alley behind the bar were the best Andy could usually hope for. That didn’t include his ex, that was fucking Andy’s brother when he came home to find them in flagrante dilecto. If it hadn’t been for Galen, Andy would have fallen apart.

“Then no one did what you deserved. They used your body, but didn’t nourish your spirit. I want the whole package. Every little bit that makes you who you are? That’s what I’m in love with.” He swept a hand toward the hallway. “That’s just my way of showing you how very special you are to me. It can’t even compare to the feelings I have in my heart. Knowing that smile is mine? That’s a treasure beyond compare for me. That your body will never belong to anyone else? That’s a privilege I want to earn daily. I’m in love with the most amazing man in the world, and these paltry things don’t even begin to compare.”

“But no one does things like this.”

“My parents do it for each other. Even after thirty years of marriage, they never forget anniversaries or birthdays, and they always remember the things that others would find insignificant. My father takes my mother out to dinner to celebrate the night of their first kiss. My mom recreates the meal she made him when she had to tell him she was pregnant, and afraid he might not be happy. He was over the moon, by the way. This is how my family does things. Details get lost, or they don’t get remembered. But I can tell you what you were wearing the day we met. If you asked, I would tell you how important Galen is to you, and why that makes me so happy. I can give you details of how amazing you look when you wake up in the morning, and see me lying beside you. All of that is engrained in my head now, because it’s you, Andy. My heart and mind are now filled with you.”

Tears pricked at Andy’s eyes. No one ever saw him. He was the flighty slut, the whiny bitch, the… so many other names his so called friends used to tease him about. But Marco? He saw things in Andy that he wasn’t even sure were there.

Marco’s rough hand slid over his cheek. “I’m never going to allow you to doubt yourself, my love. In the whole world, you’re the only man with the power to break me, but I know you won’t. Why? Because you’re sweet and kind and gentle. You’ve gone out of your way to show me how special you think I am, so please don’t ever doubt my feelings in return.”

No, never. Galen had told Andy he deserved happiness, and he was right. Andy grabbed Marco and pulled him down into a kiss. For a moment, Marco let Andy lead, but then he picked him up and pressed him to the wall, then buried his face in Andy’s neck.

“I love you, Andy.”

“I love you too.”

And in his heart, Andy knew that love would only grow and deepen as they got older. The sexual fires might eventually turn to smoldering embers, but the love would always burn hot.

“I want to be buried in you.”

“I want that too, but…”

“But?”

“Need pizza.”

Marco laughed and drew back. “I think I can wait. I need to feed you first, because for what I have planned, you’re going to need your strength.”

“Oh. Okay.” Andy shivered. “Let me help you bring the stuff in.”

“No, you go sit down. Let me take care of you for a change, okay?”

That would be awesome. Andy always took care of others, and for once someone wanted to be there for him.

“How are you real?”

“I told you, in my family we take love very seriously. Once we find the person we know we’re meant to be with, we’re going to move heaven and earth to make it happen.”

Andy grinned. “Well, I can promise you this. You’ve rocked my world.”

“If you think this is something, wait until our one year anniversary.”

A lump formed in Andy’s throat. “Why?”

“Because it’s going to be you, me, our families, in front of our family priest who is going to ask you if you’ll be willing to keep me forever.”

Wait. What? “Are you asking me… What are you saying?”

Marco turned, a wide smile on his face. “I think you know. I’m more than happy to get down on my knee and slip a ring on your finger now, if you’d like.”

“You wanna… with me?”

“You’re the only person in the world I wanna with, baby.” He put the pizza on the table. “If that’s what you want, of course.”

“I… I mean…”

“Galen’s living with Robert, and you’re here alone. I know we said I could move in here, but what if you and I bought a house? We could have a yard, a dog or cat, and maybe one day a kid.”

Andy swallowed. “I…”

“Am I moving too fast for you? I can slow down if you want.”

He was up and off the couch in a flash, leaping into Marco’s arms. “Yes. I want to marry you. Yes, I want a family with you. Yes, I want… I want you.”

Those lips Andy loved so much curled up into a smile. “Good. Then let me feed you, so afterward, I can do this properly.” He gave Andy a peck on the lips. “I can’t wait for us to be married. I want to come home every night and sleep with you. I want to wake up every morning and make you breakfast in bed. God, Andy. I want you to finally give me the piece of my heart you’ve been carrying all these years.”

No man could be so amazing. The day Marco walked into the apartment building with flowers for Galen was the day Andy knew his life was going to change. And now that it was, he filed away that perfect memory to use on Marco every year for the rest of their lives together.