Fame -- Chapter 8

HELLO!!!  I hope that you guys are continuing to enjoy Fame!  As always, feel free to email me comments if you'd like.  thefuturecanadian@yahoo.ca is my address.  You can also join the yahoo group at ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/futurecanadiansgroup .

Fame
Chapter 8
"Amortiguador (Andrea Echeverri)"

It was a great morning for a party.  Ian woke up at 7:30 and fixed Joey some fruit for breakfast.  In five bowls, he put grapes, pieces of banana, strawberries, watermelon chunks, and orange slices.  Carefully, he put the bowls atop a small wooden tray, along with two cups of coffee and a glass of orange juice.  Carefully, he walked from the kitchen up the stairs to the bedroom where Joey was still peacefully sleeping with a smile on his face.  Obviously, Joey was still well relaxed from the present that Ian had given him the night before.

Gently, Ian set the tray atop a table that he'd already set on his side of the bed before he went to prepare Joey's breakfast.  Sitting down on the bed, he took one of the strawberries from the tray and ran the cold piece of fruit along Joey's chiseled chest, doing a little figure-8 around his nipples.  Joey stirred; Ian continued.

"Good morning," Ian said with a naughty smile on his face as Joey looked around.

"Morning," Joey said a smile.  Ian stopped with the strawberry and put it in his mouth.  As only a Latin man can do, he took the whole strawberry into his mouth, biting it just at the base, below the green leafy part.  "Damn.  You're gonna make me horny again.  Or is that what your plan is?" Joey asked as an evil grin went across his face.

"Maybe.  Maybe not," he said as he sat up and put the strawberry top on the tray.  He took a piece of watermelon from the bowl.  It was still cold from being in the fridge in the basement overnight.  He leaned back over to Joey and pulled the covers down to his waist.  "So this is your cadio day, right?" he asked as he ran the piece of watermelon through the ridges between the muscles in his midsection.

"Yep.  This is cardio day," he answered as he reached down and rubbed Ian's shoulders.

"So what kind of workout had your planned?" Ian asked.

"I was going to go to the gym in Tuscaloosa, and then I was going to get on a treadmill and run a few miles.  Why?  Do you have a better idea?"

"Maybe.  Maybe not," Ian responded with a full out smile on his face after he put the piece of watermelon in Joey's mouth.  Joey chomped on it, without checking to see if Ian had taken a moment to remove the seeds.  Ian reached down with the other half of the piece in his hand and kissed Joey's plush red lips, the evidence of his combined Italian and Puerto Rican heritage.  Joey reached back up and rubbed Ian's back as he lay there comfortably in an uncomfortable position.  Ian could taste the watermelon on his breath, along with the morning breath that actually wasn't that bad.  As he pulled off, Joey smiled.

"You do have an idea about my cardio workout, don't you?"

"Uh huh."

"Does it involve something like what you gave me last night?"

"Uh huh," Ian answered as he looked into Joey's eyes.

"Then maybe I CAN forgo working out in Tuscaloosa today, and just work out this morning before I go to class."

"And this afternoon after you get back from class...and then once before we go to your party."

"I hope you didn't do too much for that, Ian.  You know I don't like big spectacles," Joey said.  Ian smiled.

"What if I told you that it wasn't as big as I normally do, but it's still probably bigger than what you would have wanted?"

"I'm sure that I will be OK with it all.  I just may have to have you hold my hand the whole time."

"I won't complain."

"So what time does all this start?"

"We're supposed to be there around 8:30."

"And where is it again?" Joey asked with a smile on his face.

"You know that's part of the surprise, and that I won't tell you," Ian said as the two kissed again.

For over an hour, Ian fed Joey fruit as the two made love.  At around 12, after they'd both finished for the morning, Joey went into the bathroom to shower and get ready for class that morning.  Ian went down into the basement and called Danny, who was to bring the next part of Joey's birthday present over to the house and take something away.  Since Ian knew he'd have a good 30 minutes, he didn't see this as a problem.  Danny came right over in a 2007 Ford F-150, with an extended bed.  It was white, with a tan interior.  Danny loved driving it, but he knew that he couldn't keep it.  In just a second, he drove Joey's old car back to his parents' house, just in case there was something in there that Joey needed.  As quickly as he'd arrived, Danny left.  Joey sneaked upstairs and put the key to the new truck into the pocket of the jeans Joey had been wearing the night before as they sat in the living room, where the night's events had started.  Thankfully, Joey was still in the shower when he came back upstairs.

When Joey got out, Ian was downstairs, sipping on some coffee.  "So are you just gonna sit here all day and wait on me to get back?" Joey asked as he walked into the room.

"Nope, but I can't do any more of the party stuff until after you leave," Ian said with a grin on his face.  Joey walked around to where their clothes sat and began moving things from the dirty pants to the clean ones.  The key to the new car was moved without Joey paying attention.

"Where are my keys?" Joey asked.

"I don't know, babe.  Did you leave them in the car last night when we got back?" Ian asked, trying to play innocent.

"I know that voice.  What did you do?" Joey asked.

"What makes you think I did something?"

"Because I know you better than that, Mr. da Silva," Joey said.  "I wonder if I did leave them in my car, though," he said in doubt.  He walked toward the back door, without grabbing his bag from the kitchen table.  There was no way that Ian was going to miss the look on his face as he saw the giant truck sitting in the driveway.  As he turned the back corner and saw the truck sitting where his car had been the night before, he turned to see Ian standing at the bottom of the stairs.  "Holy fuck!" Joey said.

"You like it?"

"Yeah.  I love it.  It's almost like the one that we were looking at two weeks ago, the one that I'll never be able to afford, in all my life," Joey said as he inspected it.

"Actually, babe," Ian said.  "This IS the one that we were looking at a few weeks ago."

"Holy shit!  Ian.  I know how much you spent on this, and I can't accept it," Joey said, turning to Ian.

"Yes you can."

"No I can't.  Ian.  This is WAY too much!"

"Joey.  You know that I love you, right?" Ian asked as he wrapped his arms around Joey's waist.

"Yes...but..."

"Then celebrating your birthday, for me, is one of those days that I should be able to spoil you, because you are my boyfriend and I do want you to be the happiest man alive."

Joey turned back around and looked at the truck.  "OK.  I'll accept that on one condition."

"What's that?"

"That I get to spoil you on your birthday, no questions asked, no money spent on your part, nothing.  You just lay there and take it," Joey said.  Ian chuckled evilly.  "Oh God!  I just realized what I said," he said with a smirk on his face as well.

"Joey.  I will do whatever you want me to do on my birthday.  And I will respect your wishes about everything else," Ian promised.

"Awesome," Joey said as he turned again to admire the truck.  "So I bet this truck gets like 4 miles to the gallon, right?"

"I have no idea, honestly.  That's actually another part of your birthday present.  If you look in the glove box, there's a gas card in the glove box," Ian said.

"IAN!"

"What?" Ian said with a smile as Joey shook his head.  "So you better get to school babe.  The sooner you leave, the sooner you get back to me," Ian stated matter-of-factly.  "And tonight.  We're taking the truck.  I so want to give you road head while you're driving that thing."

"Yeah.  That might work better than it did in ole Ruby," Joey said of his old car, an early 90s model Mazda that had definitely seen better days.

"I'm sure it will.  Now, get going.  I'll see you around 5 or so.  Call me right before you get here, though.  OK?" Ian said.

"Alright, babe.  I love you, Ian.  And I promise it's not just for what you can buy for me."

"I know that.  If I thought that were the case, I'd always be broke," Ian said.  Joey laughed.

"So you'd just keep me around for the sex."

"Yeah, cause that's DAMN good!" Ian said.  "Now go!  Before I get horny again and you just don't make it to class."

"And that would be bad how?" Joey asked as he climbed into the massive truck.

"I love you, baby.  Have a good day."

"You too, Ian.  Love you, lots, papi," Joey said as he started the truck, shut the door, and rolled down the window.  Ian climbed up onto the step bar and gave Joey a kiss on the lips before Joey backed up and pulled down the driveway.  When Joey was out of sight, Ian pulled out his cell phone and called his Mom.

"Manha, filho," she said as she answered the call.

"Morning, Mom.  So Joey's gone."

"Alright," Olga said.  "I'll be over to pick you up in about 20 minutes.  Are you ready?"

"Nope.  I just need to take a real fast shower, though, and get dressed.  I can do that by the time you get here."

"OK," Olga said.  "And I'll call Gilda and get her to do her part for the festivities."

"Alrighty.  Thanks for all your help, Mom."

"No problem.  Jen mentioned that she wanted to talk to you about something a little bit later as well, but she didn't say what it was."

"OK.  I'll see her at the party then," Ian said.

"Alright.  I'll see you in 20 minutes."

"If I don't answer the door, just let yourself in," Ian instructed as he walked back into the house from outside.

"Alright.  Tchau, amor," she said.

"Bye, Mama," Ian said as he hung up the phone, ran upstairs, and got into the shower.  He used Joey's body wash for a nice change, quickly lathering himself and then rinsing off.  By the time he got dried off and dressed, his mother was downstairs, in the kitchen, cleaning a little bit from where Ian had made breakfast.  When he noticed her there, the two hugged and then walked out the backdoor.  Olga pulled into the driver's seat of her M-Class, while Ian pulled into the passenger side.  They pulled out of his driveway and turned toward Hoover.  

At the Galleria, they walked in and began going to Joey's favorite store.  Abercrombie and Fitch was first, where Ian bought Joey a lot of new jeans and polo shirts.  They went to a few other stores before walking out of the mall.  Since they were up there, Olga wanted to go to DSW and get a pair of shoes or eight.  She had Ian carrying box after box of shoes.  The M-Class was piled boxes and boxes of shoes.  When they got back to Ian's house, Danny and Jen were there, getting Joey's birthday present from them finished.  They were using Ian's computer, and his vast music library, to create the perfect CD for Joey.  As part of the party, they would also be performing one song in particular to celebrate the birth of Jen's older brother.  Olga helped Ian put all the new clothes for Joey into the large walk-in closet.  He had at least two weeks worth of jeans and shirts to choose from.  He would have to provide his own underwear, socks, and shoes, but that was his own preference.  The whole process took some time, as they had to clean out a large section of the closet to make room for Joey's things.  After all that was done, he and Olga left again to get some more things for the party.  Danny and Jen were still in the basement, `making Joey's CD'.  Olga and Ian both knew that they were probably making out more than actually making a CD; Ian didn't care, really, and Olga just hoped that they weren't moving too fast for their own good.

By the time they returned, they had managed to find enough disposable cameras for everyone in the place to have one.  There were also some extras, in case a few people were clicker happy.  They had just finished all their running around when Joey called.  Olga left, with all the cameras and such in her car, so that Joey wouldn't have much of an idea of what was going on.  He made Danny and Jen leave as well, joking with them that it didn't take four hours to burn a CD.  Danny walked around for a second with a wicked smile on his face; Jen was also happier than usual.  Danny walked out of the back door.  Jen pulled Ian into what would have looked like a hug, but told him that she wanted to talk to Ian later, when Danny wasn't around.  He agreed with a smile as Joey's sister left the house.

Within a few minutes, of Joey's arrival, Ian ran back upstairs and put the clothes back on that he'd been wearing when Joey left.  He sat back down on the sofa and turned on the TV, just before Joey arrived.

"Afternoon, baby," Joey said as he let himself back in the front door.

"Hey gorgeous.  How do you like the truck?" Ian asked as Joey walked into the living room, setting his bookbag on the table.

"Oh Ian.  I got a wood just driving it down the road.  It's awesome," Joey said as he leaned down and kissed Ian.  "Have you moved from that spot all day?"

"Yeah.  I took a shower and then ate something a little bit ago," Ian said.

"You're lying to me."

"Nope.  I'm saving all of what I did today as a surprise," Ian answered.

"OK," Joey said with a smile on his face.  He didn't believe that Ian had done so little, but he also wondered what else Ian had done.

Joey walked upstairs for a second to go searching for what else Ian had done for his birthday.  It didn't occur to him to look in the closet.  In a second, he returned to the main level of the house.  He sat beside Ian.  For a few minutes, they sat quietly.  Joey decided to break the comfort between them.  He placed his strong hand on Ian's thigh, rubbing it up and down as they both pretended like they were paying attention to what was going on on the TV.

"So did you look in the closet?" Ian asked.

"No.  Why would I have looked in your closet?"

"Just wondering," Ian said, with a smile on his face.  "Joey.  When does your lease expire?"

"End of July.  Why?"

"Because...OK.  So if this sounds weird, please tell me...OK?"

"Ian..." Joey said.  "How many times have we  talked about my dissertation topic?"

"You have a point!" Ian joked as Joey chuckled a little bit.  "So yeah.  Anyway.  Joey.  I love you, and I love it when you come over here, but I get really lonely when you're not here.  With that being said, I know that I look and sound weird, but I would love for you to move in with me.  You can think of it like my birthday present if you want."

"Nope.  Not your birthday present.  I've got some other things I'm thinking about for that.  And," Joey said as he leaned into Ian, "I would love to move in with you.  You would just have to clean out part of your closet for me or something."  Ian smiled at Joey.  "Wait.  Be right back," Joey said as he ran back upstairs.  He walked into Ian's closet, finding half of it empty.   "Shit," he said to himself.  He looked at some of the clothes on the almost empty side of the closet.  They weren't the right size for Ian, but after he looked once more, he realized that the pants were exactly his size.  The shirts were just large enough to fit across his chest, something that he knew that Ian liked.

"So what you do think?  Did I clean out enough space?" Ian asked as he stood in the doorway.

"Ian.  I would love to move in with you, but you've spent way too much money on me.  So when I move in, you're gonna let me pay the bills or something."

"OK," Ian said.  "So when are you gonna move in?"

"Well.  I have my lease until August."

"I'll buy you out of it."

"NO!  You won't do that, Ian.  I won't let you do that," he said as he walked up to Ian.  "So what time do we have to leave to get to my party on time?" he said as he kissed Ian's forehead.

"Nah Nah Nah!   It won't be that easy to get the information out of me, Mr. Ruiz!" Ian said as the two hugged in the doorway of the closet.

"OK.  Well.  You have to give me at least something for trying."

"Oh?  What should I give you for trying?"

"I don't know.  I have been horny since this morning from driving the truck," Joey commented.

"OH!  That's right.  I was going to give you some road head on the way to the party.  Yeah.  That was it."

"So if I want some real good head, we should be leaving really soon, right?"

Ian looked Joey right in the eye as he undid the jeans that Joey was wearing.  He put his hands around waist and lowered the jeans he was wearing.  Ian dropped to his knees and began orally making love to his boyfriend for the second time that day.  He tried to take Ian into his throat as much as he could, but he still hadn't mastered deep throating Joey's massive member.  A bit later, when the whole moment had ended, Ian stood and kissed Joey on the lips.

"So can we have my birthday like three, four times a month?" Joey asked after their kiss ended, as his pants were resting around his ankles.  Ian giggled and kissed him once again.

By seven, they were both ready to leave the house and head to the party.  Joey and Ian had both showered and put on fresh clothes.  The pair of jeans that Joey chose were a little too tight, so Ian suggested that he wear them without any underwear on.  It might things a lot easier to manage on the way.  He took Ian's advice, though, and pulled the new jeans on after taking off his boxers.  He put on a white polo that contrasted against his beautiful brown skin.  Ian pulled on a pair of jeans and a blue polo, a color that Joey said looked really good on him, despite the color of his eyes being green.

They finally left the house around 7:30.  Joey was half excited/half nervous about what Ian had been planning.  He had no clue what would be going on, who would be there, or where the event was even being held.

Of course, Ian couldn't give him any idea until just before they got there, so he took Joey to Calera, to the interstate.  He had Joey turn south on the interstate, confusing Joey a little bit.  They drove until the second of three Clanton exits.  He made Joey drive through country and terrain that he wasn't very familiar with as they drove toward their final destination.  In the process, Ian moved closer to him on the seat, sitting next to him for the best part of the ride.  Finally, the little road they were on caused them to hit Highway 280.  Ian had Joey turn left onto that hightway, taking them north, toward Birmingham.  Finally, Ian had Joey turn off the highway, onto a small road that lead to two things: the Hotel Le Fleur being the biggest building on that little road.  As they turned off 280, Ian called his mother, so that she could get the first part of the party ready.  Quickly, she moved everyone from the Eduardo Morales Hall to the front entrance.  All of this, every detail, was carefully orchestrated with the hotel staff.  The crowd made their way, along with disposable cameras, made their way to the main entrance.  As Joey pulled into the hotel, there were banners and streamers that had been made by friends and family that wished the happiest of birthdays to Joey.

"I can't believe that you put all this together," Joey said with a smile on his face.

"Anything for you, though," Ian answered as Joey slowly pulled up to the valet station.  They climbed out of the car, and the crowd went wild.  They began snapping pictures of Joey as the two walked up to the main entrance.  Joey was smiling with embarrassment.  After greeting most people standing there, they all went back down the hallway to the conference room.  As Joey walked in, he saw the room decorated for him and only him.  There was a state opposite the entrance, where a DJ and a piano were set up.  As Joey walked in, the music began to play.  Joey walked around the tables, set up with Puerto Rican and Brazilian delicacies, enough to feed the small army that Ian had assembled.  Around the room, Gilda and Dan had set up pictures of their baby boy, from the time he was born to pictures that they'd taken at Christmas of the him and Ian, both with smiles on their faces.  There was a picture of when Joey played baseball in elementary and middle school.  There was a picture of him and some girl as they went to their senior prom.  He explained to Ian that there was nothing to it, they'd just been friends.

Everyone began eating food that Ian had catered by Fabiano.  The bar was open, and the liquor was flowing for those over 21.  (Those three people in particular could be found very close to that area for most of the night.)  At around 9:30, the DJ began playing music that everyone could dance to.  Some people chose to stand by the wall and watch; others chose to get out to the floor and start enjoying the party.  The DJ opened with a dance remix of "La Tortura", followed by a dance remix of "Fuego" by Pitbull.  Joey and Ian went straight to the dance floor.  After a few minutes of dancing, Joey started making the rounds to all the people that had come.  Family, friends, people from school, Ian's family...basically anyone that Ian could think of was there.  Even a couple of Joey's cousins from the island were able to come to the party, as were some relatives from New Jersey and New York.

About half way through the party, the DJ stopped the music, he came out to the main part of the stage and called for everyone's attention.  "First off," he said.  "Happy Birthday, Joey!"  The crowd cheered for Joey as he grinned, a little embarrassed.  "Now.  I've been told that the birthday boy's little sister, Jen, has a little gift for her brother.  So Jen...the stage is yours."  Everybody cheered for Jen, especially Danny, as she walked to the stage.

"So thanks everybody," she said, nervously.  "I do need some help, though.  Ian...wanna come up here for a second."  Ian walked up to the stage in just as much cheering.  He took his place at the piano that was set on the stage.  "So I went over to Ian's house a few weeks ago, and I couldn't think of anything to get my brother, so I'm like `his boyfriend will know!'  So Ian and I sat down in his studio, and I started singing some lyrics that were going through my mind.  Ian listened with his eyes closed, and then started playing this lovely tune.  So we recorded it, and now I'm gonna perform it for my brother.  It's `Llegaste Tú'."  Joey looked on as Ian started playing a few notes.  "Hundida yo estaba...ahogada en soledad...mi corazón lloraba de un vacío total...Todo lo intenté...por dondequiera te busqué...Eras mi necesidad.  Triste y desolada ya no pude soportar.  Más desesperada era imposible de estar...Todo lo intenté...por dondequiera te busqué...Eras mi necesidad...Alcé mi rostro y...Llegaste tú y todo cambió...Llegaste tú...la esperanza triunfó...Llegaste tú...volví a nacer..." she sang.  (I was fleeing...drowning in solitude...my heart cried because of a total emptiness...All I tried...Wherever I looked for you...You were my need.  Sad and desolate I couldn't support...More desperate was impossible to be...All I tried...wherever I looked for you...You were my need...I raised my head and...You were there and everything changed...You were there...and hope triumphed...You were there...and I was born again.)
     
     The lyrics moved Joey.  He was so moved that he reached for the closest person he could find to dance with through the rest of the song.  It just so happened that Aaron was close by.  They danced through the first chorus until Danny walked up, jokingly, and asked to cut in.  Everyone around laughed as Danny and Joey danced to the song that Jen was singing on the stage.  They heard her go from very nervous at first to very confident by the end of the song.  She was belting out words.  It was a surprise to everyone there that her soft spoken voice could carry above the conversation and cheering of everyone there.  Ian smiled as he watched from the piano.  She wasn't only an amazing person, but an amazing singer, and the song she'd written was powerful and filled with emotion.  `Was she the next great singer in his family?' Ian thought to himself.
     
     After the song was over, the crowd cheered.  Danny whistled at his girlfriend on the stage as Joey cheered for his little sister who was standing there, a little more meekly than as when she was singing.

     "Let's hear it for Jennifer!" the DJ said as he came back to the stage.  "And what about Mr...Ian...Scott!!!!" he said as the crowd continued cheering.  Jen and Ian walked off stage.

"So now.  We've got another performance for y'all.  Let's hear it for Danny Scott!"

Danny walked up to the stage as Joey, Ian, Aaron, JJ, and Jen all cheered loudly for him, more loudly than everyone else in the room.  "So I'm nothing like my girlfriend.  I can't write anything, but I can get on stage and make an ass of myself," Danny said into the mic as Olga and Gilda laughed especially loudly from the back of the room.  "Don't laugh at me, Mom!" Danny said as he acted as though he were hurt.

"Povrezinho!!!" Olga yelled from the back of the room.  It was obvious that she'd had a couple of glasses of wine.  (Poor baby.)

"OK.  So here's a song for Joey," Danny said.  Danny turned around and put on a pair of sunglasses.  The DJ started playing a song that Joey recognized, but only because he had a little bit of an addiction to MTV Tr3s.  He started doing a very karaoke version of "Lean Like a Cholo" by Down AKA Kilo.  It was more funny than anything.  Danny rapped and danced like such a white person; it was very amusing.

"TAKE IT OFF!!!" JJ's reserved self yelled in the middle of the song as Joey danced a little bit, right in the middle of the song.

"DUDE!  My mom's right there!" Danny pointed as Olga and Gilda practically laughed themselves to death.  Dan and Don just watched as their wives, who'd worked hard to make this party come off, enjoyed the evening.

Danny finished the song to the cheers of the people.  If there were anything, it was that Danny didn't mind making a fool of himself if the situation required it.  The DJ came back to the stage as Danny walked off.

"Now.  Who can really follow THAT?" the guy said as he tried to keep from laughing.  Jen rewarded him, though, as he came down by planting a big kiss right on his lips.

"That made me hot," she whispered to him.

"Well.  Even though I couldn't understand it, you're song made me..." he said as Joey gave him the gaze, "feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

"My brother's not going to hurt you for being romantic to me, babe," Jen said.

"You don't know that!" Joey said with a smile on his face.

"So...final performance of the evening, and then we'll get back to some dancing music," the DJ said after saying a few more things nobody really heard.  "Ladies and Gentlemen.  We have a superstar in our midst, and tonight, he's going to perform an original song for us.  To honor, José, on his birthday...once again...the talents of Mr. Ian Scott."  The crowd applauded Ian as he reached up and gently kissed Joey's lips.  He walked to the stage and took his seat at the piano once again.

He began playing through a few well written notes.  Then he turned his face toward the microphone and closed his eyes.  It wasn't the way he usually performed, but he needed to feel like noone was looking at him as he performed.  It was weird, but Ian lacked a lot of the confidence that he'd once had.

"It's the last night on earth...before the great divide.  My hands are shaking...time was never on our side.  And there's no such thing...as a beautiful goodbye.  As an ordinary day, I prayed for you a thousand times.  It's never enough.  No matter how many times I try to tell you...this is love.  If tomorrow never comes...I want you to know right now...that I'm...gonna love you...till the day I die.  And if tomorrow falls asleep...can you hold me first...I'm gonna love you like it's the last night on earth."  He finally opened his eyes after the first chorus.  He took a breath as he played a few notes on the piano between the verses.  "A penny for your thoughts...a picture so it lasts...Let's knock down the walls of immortality.  Your fingers on my skin on you can hear my fear.  Only you can help me heal...I see forever with you here..." he went on singing and playing.  He repeated the chorus.  "It's never enough...no matter how many miles stand between us, this is love...If tomorrow never comes...I want you to know right now...that I'm...gonna love you...till the day I die.  And if tomorrow falls asleep...can you hold me first...I'm gonna love you like it's the last night on earth."  He played through an instrumental bridge before singing again.  "The afterglow...the horizon line...The shadows fall...Will you still be mine?  Will you still mine?  Will you still be mine...I ask?"  He took a minute and looked at Joey.  In a whispered tone, he repeated the chorus once more.  "If tomorrow never comes...I want you to know right now that I...I'm gonna love you till the day I die...And if tomorrow falls asleep...can you hold me first..." he continued.  "Cause I'm gonna love you like...It's the last night on Earth...The light night...on EARRRRTHHHHH!!!!" he ended in a much more powerful tone than a moment before.

When he stood, there was clapping.  It wasn't just for the song, or for him.  The people were clapping because this was the Ian Scott that first emerged onto the music scene a decade before.  This was Ian at his best, at his finest.  This was the man that they were all fans of.  This was the musician, the lover, the man, the friend, the brother, the son, that they all knew him to be.  He walked back over to Joey, who had a little tear on his eye.  Sure, his sister's song had meant a lot to him, but this one was the musical description of the love that only the two of them felt for each other.  It expressed all the emotion, the passion, the energy, the strength that was the bond they shared.  When Ian was close enough, Joey took him by the arms with his strong, manly hands, and planed a kiss on Ian's lips.  In the moment, there was no one in the room but the two of them.

"So is this the last of the birthday gifts?" Joey asked as the two parted and people began going back to the party.

"It's still your birthday, isn't it?" Ian said.

"Come on.  In the last 24 hours, you've given me a truck, a closet full of brand new clothes, a party better than I could ever imagine, and a song that made me weak at the knees.  What more could you have up your sleeve?"

"What else do you have going on this weekend?"

"That doesn't answer my question, Ian," Joey said.

"I know.  But what else do you have planned for this weekend?"

"Nothing other than spending time with my boyfriend," Joey answered as the two began to unconsciously sway to the rhythm of the music.

"Well.  I was thinking about us going to the beach or something.  Just to spend a couple of days together or something."

"And I suppose it's all apart of my birthday surprise?" Joey asked.

"Well," Ian said, taking off the watch he'd worn to the party that night.  He put it on the ground and then stepped on it, breaking the glass and the timing mechanisms.  Joey looked at him in amazement.  He couldn't believe what he was seeing.  That was the one watch that Ian wore everywhere.  It was as much a part of his outfit as everything else.  "Now.  My watch will always show that it's your birthday.  So what that means is that you will always be special to me.  Regardless of the day, the time, where we're at.  You are mine, and I don't want anyone else but you, José Ruiz."
"And this is why I love you," Joey said as Ian reached down, picked up his watch, and placed it back on his wrist as if it were nothing.  The two kissed in the middle of everything else going on as well.

At around two, the party began to wind down.  Most everyone there again came up to Joey and wished him a happy birthday.  Aaron promised him a birthday blowjob at some point in the future...and assured Ian that he was just kidding.  Joey thanked him, though, by giving a hug and allowing him to take a moment to squeeze his butt cheeks.  Aaron then turned to JJ and said that they were going to have a good time that night.  The parents were some of the last ones to leave, hugging Joey on his special day.  Danny had managed to get a room at the hotel for the night for he and Jen.  They exited as the crew came in to begin cleaning the room.  Joey and Ian, after everyone had left, stayed in the room and danced to the silence.  Joey stood there, holding Ian as the latter rested his head on Joey's chest.

They stood there until the staff made them leave so that they could get everything cleaned.  They walked out of the room, hand in hand.  They didn't say anything to each other, only looking at each other every few moments and smiling.

"So I get to drive my truck home, and then I get to cuddle with my wonderful boyfriend," Joey said as he broke their hands' embrace and put his arms around Ian's shoulder.

"Nope."

"What do you mean by that?" Joey asked.

"Well.  I took a precaution in the event that we had too much to drink."

"Oh?"

"I reserved a room in this swank hotel for us.  I was kind of hoping that it might put you in the mood," Ian said.

"I've been in the mood for a while now," Joey said as they walked into the lobby of the hotel.  They walked up to the front desk.

"Excuse me," Ian said.  "Could I have the key for the room that I've reserved, ma'am."

"Yes sir," the lady said.  She came back with a key and told them where the find the elevator.  The two walked around to an elevator and climbed in.  Ian inserted the key into the control panel; the door closed; and the two were rushed to the top level of the hotel.

As the door opened, the two climbed out and walked into the main room of the suite.  "My god," Joey said as he looked out the window, at all the lights that shined over the southern part of Birmingham.  "I bet this view is amazing in the morning time."

"We'll find out in the morning, I guess," Ian said.

Joey turned back around and looked at Ian.  "I could so do you right now."

"Then why don't you," Ian responded with an evil grin on his face.  He undid the buttons of his pants, slowly, and let them fall to the ground.  He put his thumbs beneath the waist of his of his boxers and pulled them away from his body.  Eventually, they fell to the ground as well.  All the while, Ian kept his eyes locked on Joey, watching his reaction to the event.  Their gaze was broken long enough for Ian to pull the shirt off his body.  He stepped out of the pants and then stood there, completely naked, in front of Joey.  He smiled at Joey.  "Well, Mr. Ruiz.  What do you want to do?"

"Oh God, Ian," Joey commented as he wiped his mouth, as if he'd never seen the image before him.  "You can tell you've been going to a gym," he said.

"Yeah.  What gives it away?" Ian asked as he took a couple of seductive steps toward Joey.

"Well.  Your chest looks stronger; your arms look bigger; your abs are starting to show again."

"And you're just now noticing this?"

"No.  I noticed all of them before, but now, for some reason, I'm noticing them all at the same time."

"Well.  Does my ass look any better?" Ian asked as he turned around.  

Joey just shook his head and nodded, with a smile on his face.  "It looks amazing."

Ian turned back around.  He slipped out of his boots and stood away from them, in all his naked glory.  The only thing that rested on his body were the necklace he'd been wearing that night and the watch that he'd broken a few minutes before.

"God.  I feel like a virgin on prom night, right now!"

Ian laughed for a second, but then quickly regained his composure as Ian walked closer and closer to where his man was standing watching him.  He finally got up close to where Joey was standing and looked directly into Joey's brown eyes.  Slowly, he moved in closer to Joey.  In one moment, he could feel Joey's breath; Joey could feel his.  They both, almost simultaneously, closed their eyes.  Ian reached up and kissed Joey gently on the lips.  It was one of those kisses that seemed so soft and gentle, but yet that was only on the surface.  That softness and gentleness was simply a cover for the raging emotion behind it.  As Ian tugged on Joey's lower lips, Joey could feel the kiss throughout his physical and metaphysical selves.  It was something that he longed for, that he desired.  It was something that meant something more than just the physical contact for him.

The gentleness of the kiss soon turned into full fledged making out.  Ian wrapped his arms around Joey's still clothed waist.  Joey, on the other hand, rested his arms on Ian's shoulders and put his hands on the back of Ian's head, running his fingers through Ian's lush, black hair.

At just the right moment, that moment when they both wanted things to begin moving in a new direction, Joey pulled Ian's hair gently and began kissing his neck.  He kissed, sucked, and gently bit the brown skin that went all over Ian's body.  The two eventually moved their arms a little bit, so that Joey could rub Ian's back and ass.  In their shifting, Joey threw he head back and let Ian go at his neck like a vampire to virgin neck.  

"Ay papi...te quiero," Joey whispered as Ian sucked and kissed Joey's neck as best he could while Joey was still clothed.

"You want me or you love me?" Ian asked between pecks on Joey's ripped neck.

"Both," Joey answered.

"Then...te quiero...also," Ian said, mixing the single Spanish phrase with his English vocabulary.

They continued to make out in the living room of the suite for a while longer.  Eventually, Joey had to take his shirt off.  It was getting `just too hot' to keep it on.  Plus, there was also the perk for him that he liked the way his skin felt against Ian's.  Ian radiated body heat, the kind of heat that made them both work up a sweat when they were fucking like rabbits.  This wasn't going to be one of those nights, though.  They were both setting themselves up for the long haul, one of those nights when you fuck until the Saturday morning cartoons go off.

Finally, the broke apart momentarily, but it was only long enough to make sure that Joey's shirt was well off his body.  Ian wasted no time in kissing and sucking Joey's collarbones until the taller, older of the two moaned out of pure and unadulterated pleasure.  That area of his body was the most erotic for him, and Ian well knew it.  It was always the area that Ian kissed when he was trying to convince Joey to do something with him.  That night, though, it was only for Joey's pleasure.  The part that Ian liked best on Joey's body was his chest.  Those huge, muscular orbs were fun to play with.  They were fun to knead, suck, bite, kiss, and whatever else one might could have done with them.  He loved flicking Joey's nipples with his lips.  He loved sucking on them as a baby loves sucking its mother's tit.  Ian maneuvered himself so that both of Joey's muscles were equally loved and appreciated.  As he went to the left one after finishing with the right one, he began undoing Joey's belt.  He was wearing a pair of the new jeans that Ian had bought him that day.  Ian slowly undid each of the buttons as he continued to play with Joey's chest with his lips and his back with his hands.

When the pants were successfully unfastened, Ian pushed Joey's pants down to his knees.  He, as he could occasionally be found, was going commando, so there were no pesky boxers to get in the way of their mutual satisfaction.  Joey's dick was more than relieved to be liberated from the restricting pants.  It was already well engorged and ready to receive some type of attention.  

"Why don't you sit down on the couch, baby?" Ian suggested as he stood for a second to relieve some of the pressure on his back.

"Where do you want me?"

"On the end," Ian instructed as he and Joey together maneuvered him into the proper place and position.  He sat down on the couch, per Ian's instruction.

Ian climbed onto the couch and got onto his knees.  Joey couldn't help but be driven to stare at Ian's hard penis.  With his left hand, Joey wrapped Ian's dick with a tight grip and slowly pulled a couple of time, causing the foreskin to bunch up a little bit.

"Now baby.  This is ALL about you tonight," Ian said.

"What if I wanted to make you happy, since it's not technically my birthday anymore?" Joey asked.

Ian looked at his watch.  "I've still got 9:46pm on mine.  And the date shows the 24th, so it's still your birthday according to my time peace," Ian said with a smile.

"Ian da Silva," Joey said as Ian grinned.  Ian lowered himself down and kissed Joey's lips once as Joey continued to hold onto Ian's dick with a death grip.  Ian lowered himself down further onto Joey, taking his hand and pulling back his foreskin.  He licked up the leaking precum like a fat kid eats at a buffet.  He really did love the way that this guy tasted, as gross as that sounds.  He continued to lick around the head of Joey's cock as he held the foreskin back.  Finally, though, Ian put the mushroom shaped head into his mouth, and Joey began making incomprehensible sounds that Ian couldn't distinguish as being either English, Spanish, or Portuguese.

Ian was enjoying the moment so much that he took his right hand and grabbed a chunk of Ian's hair, forcing Ian to try to go deeper onto Joey's throbbing penis.  After a moment of that, though, Joey's hips got in on the action.  He began, with a certain degree of force, to let his hips force his dick much deeper into Ian's throat.  Within just a moment, Joey was fucking Ian's mouth the same way he fucked his ass, when he took a dominant role in their love making.  Ian moaned a couple of times, but he wouldn't dare start to complain about the pain, as this is what Joey wanted, and Ian felt it was his responsibility to make sure that Joey got everything he wanted on his birthday.

"Damn," Joey said as he sat back down, sweat having already started to roll down his body.

"You like it?" Ian asked as he momentary came up for air.

"Ian.  I've gotten amazing head three times today.  This is probably the best birthday ever."

"Well.  I'm glad that you're enjoying it.  Now.  I want something from you."

"Name it!" Joey said without thinking.

"I want the best fucking you can give me.  I mean," Ian started, "I want to be on all fours.  I want you behind me, plowing my tight ass, pulling hair, making me your bitch," Ian said as he nibbled on Joey's ear for a moment.  Joey's dick twitched.

"That can be arranged," Joey said with a naughty smirk.  "Now.  Bitch.  Take my shoes off, so that I can take these pants off and do you like you should be done."

"Yes sir," Ian said as he jumped off the couch.  He got down on his knees and lifted up the legs of Joey's pants long enough to unlace and remove Joey's shoes from his feet.  He pulled Joey's jeans the rest of the way off.  "Are you happy sir?"

"Yes.  Very," Joey said with a smile on his face.

"Would sir like to go to the upper bedchamber and punish me?" Ian asked.

"For what would I be punishing you?"

"Because I've been a very, very bad boy."

"Oh?"

"Yes.  I deserve whatever punishment you can give me, sir," Ian said as he pulled on Joey's hand, helping him lift himself from the leather sofa.  They didn't bother dressing, leaving their clothes on the floor of the first level of the split level suite.  "Let me lead you up, sir."

"OK."

"By the way, sir, the safety word will be `amortigador'."

"Shock absorber?" Joey said.

"Yes."

"Alright," Joey said as he was guided up a small stair case to the bed chamber.  Right in the loft style area, there was a large bed.  At the edge of the bed, the two kissed for a minute.  They took turns biting each other's lower lips.  In a moment, they stopped and looked at each other.  There was love there, along with the passion that each of them were experiencing, in that moment.

Joey lifted up his hands and placed them on Ian's shoulder for a moment, rubbing them, and kneading them as Ian had previously done with his chest.

"So you want a piece of me?" Joey asked.

"Yes!" Ian answered as they continued to look at each other in the eyes.

Without notice, Joey pushed gently yet forcefully on Ian's shoulders.  Ian smiled naughtily as he fell onto the bed.  Joey reached down and grabbed Ian's legs behind the knees.  

"Move back on the bed," Joey instructed as Ian complied.  In perfect sync, Joey moved onto the bed.  "Now.  How do you want..."

"JOEY!  This is about you.  Do what you want to.  Go wild.  Enjoy my ass like you've NEVER enjoyed it before.  I am yours," Ian instructed.

With a smile like a teenager about to make love for the first time, Joey lifted Ian's legs and put them on his shoulders.  "Hey.  Where are the condoms?" Joey asked.

"Shit.  In my pocket."

"I'll run get them," Joey said as he climbed from the bed, ran downstairs, and began running back up.  By the time he was up there, the box was already opened, and Joey was pulling apart one of the three condoms from the package.  He found some lotion from the bathroom, and by the time he was back, he was ready for work.  "The only lube I could find was some lotion."

"That's fine," Ian said as he lay there, his legs bent at the knee.

Joey climbed back onto the bed and assumed the same position as from the moment before.  The condom was safely pulled down as far as it would unroll, and the lotion was being liberally applied.  He ran some of it along the inside of Ian's ass so that the friction wouldn't be unbearable.  In a second, Joey began to slowly insert himself into Ian's ass.

"Joey."

"Yes, babe.  Am I hurting you?"

"No.  You're not.  Just have it.  Don't worry about hurting me.  That's why we have the safety word tonight," Ian said with a grin.  It's not that Ian was trying to appear slutty or anything, but it had been Ian's experience that Joey had always been holding back a little when he topped.  It's true that Joey didn't want to hurt Ian, but he fancied himself a bit cautious.  When he was comfortably inside, though, he began to slowly pull out.  In just a second, the speed had increased, and a moment after that, Joey was all out fucking.  It didn't take him long to realize that he could get used to allowing himself to open up completely, to explore all about him that was his sexual being.

"Does that feel good?" he asked.

"Yes sir."

"Good."

"Sir?"

"Yes."

"FUCK THE HELL OUT OF ME!" Ian screamed.  Joey smiled, lifted himself onto his knees, repositioning Ian in the process, and began slamming himself into Ian's tight ass.  The sound of skin hitting skin and moans and groans of pleasure filled the suite.

Despite having gotten off twice already that day, Joey was finished relatively quickly for him.  It had taken about 45 minutes, but it was 45 minutes of pure pleasure.  As he ripped off the condom, Joey began barking orders at Ian.  "Get on your knees," he instructed.

"Yes sir," Ian complied.

In a long enough time for Ian to get turned over, Joey had removed the used condom and put on another.  The discarded had just been thrown onto the floor, as he didn't want to take the time to go into the bathroom to throw it away.  He wasted no time in getting back into Ian's awaiting ass.  Rather than being gentle, though, he slammed himself all the way in after applying a little bit of lotion to act as lube.

"AH!" Ian moaned.

"You like that?"

"Yes sir."

"You want some more."

"Please sir," Ian answered.

Joey began pulling himself almost all the way out of Ian before forcefully pushing himself back in.  Again, it started off slow, but it didn't take long for Joey to get back into the groove, slamming himself in and out of Ian's body as Ian winced only slightly from the pain.  With the sound of him hitting Ian's ass with his thigh, Joey grabbed the back of Ian's head, pulling Ian's head up with it.

"Fuck me!" Ian said.  Joey, with great pleasure, complied.

"Oh yeah.  I love your tight ass," Joey said as he playfully slapped the side of Ian's brown and slightly hairy butt.

"OH!!!!" Ian yelled from pleasure, the sound of the raw sexual energy in his voice permeating through the room.  

As Joey's advances into Ian became more powerful, Ian's head began hitting the headboard of the bed.  "Ian," Joey said after well over an hour of fucking, "I'm gonna cum."

"Go ahead baby.  Shoot that load," Ian spoke nastily.

"OH YEAH!!!!" Joey yelled in his deep, thick voice as he grabbed a handful of Ian's hair.  He slammed into Ian one last time.  His nut was so forceful that Ian could feel the pulsing of his dick, even inside the condom.

Gently, as he came down from the euphoria of the orgasm, Joey lowered himself onto Ian.  He kissed the back of Ian's neck as Ian also lay there in bliss.  They were both sweaty from the grunge-fucking session that they'd both just experienced.

"God, I love you," Joey said as he kissed Ian again.

Joey's dick had become soft and slid out from inside Ian.  With that, Joey lay on the bed beside Ian as Ian collapsed onto his stomach.  "I love you, too," Ian said as he leaned up onto his elbow and looked at Joey with a smile.

"That was AMAZING!" Joey said.

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yeah," Joey answered without hesitation.  "Did you?"

"I was getting fucked by the one and only man I ever want to do that to me.  So yeah.  I did."

"I thought I was going to pull out some of your hair a minute ago," Joey said as he lay there smiling.

"I thought so, too, but I wouldn't have minded."

"Yes you would."

"I wouldn't," Ian said as he turned onto his side and rested his left hand against Joey's sweaty chest.  "I would have worn it for a couple of days, and let people ask me what happened."

"What would you have told them?"

"That I have the very best boyfriend in the world, and that's it."

"Oh!" Joey said as he laughed a little.  Ian reached over and kissed him on the cheek.  "What was that for?"

"For being the very best boyfriend in the world."

"Babe.  I'm so the lucky one here.  I mean, I have a boyfriend who loves me for me, and not just my body or my dick."

"Joey.  I've dated people only for what they could get out of me.  So I kinda understand the feeling, but when I do something for you, I know that you will appreciate it, and that you don't expect it.  I know that I am the center of your universe, and you are the center of mine.  That's just how we roll," Ian explained.

"Hey.  You didn't get off, did you?"

"Nope, but that's not the important thing.  The important thing was that you enjoyed yourself.  I'll have other times to get off in the near future, I assure you."

"Are you saying that you want my ass in the morning or something?"

"Baby.  Right now, I just want to sleep next to you.  You wore my ass out, literally AND figuratively.  Tomorrow afternoon, since it's already daylight out, I will jack off thinking about that."

"You better not jack off.  I'm gonna be really pissed if you waste it on your hand," Joey said as Ian laughed.

"I love you, Joeyzinho."

"I love you, too, Iancito."

"So why don't we get some rest, and I'll wake you up in the morning with a nice blow job or something?"

"Not if I get to you first," Joey commented.

Ian kissed Joey's shoulder as the latter closed his eyes.  "Goodnight, love."

"Night, papi," Joey responded as the two lay next to one another.

The next morning, after the two of them awoke, they showered together before walking downstairs to gather their clothes.  Despite having worn them the night before, they still pulled them onto their bodies as they just looked and giggled at each other as middle-schoolers might do.  They walked downstairs after picking up the used condoms and disposing of them.  Ian checked out of the room while Joey got the truck.  Joey smiled as Ian walked out of the hotel, his black hair flowing in the wind and his sunglasses covering his beautiful eyes.

"You're walking kinda funny," Joey joked as Ian climbed into the truck.

"I wonder why!" Ian fired back almost as quickly.  It was true that the morning after hadn't been quite as kind to him as the night before, but Ian wouldn't have traded the experience for anything.

That afternoon, Danny, Jen, Aaron, and JJ came over to the house for a little while.  Danny and Aaron decided to grill some steaks, but argued the whole time about how they should be prepared.  Those inside laughed at them from the kitchen as Danny asserted that he knew what he was doing; he was the straight guy.  Aaron fired back that at least he knew how to do it right!  That night, after everyone had had a few too many beers, they all went to sleep with their beloveds.  They all went to sleep in the knowledge that they were with the people that they knew they'd be spending the greater part of their lives, at least, with.

-*-*-*-*-*
MUSIC NOTES:
Jen's song: "Llegaste tú"
Performed by: Jesse and Joy
Can be found on the CD: Esta Es Mi Vida
Track: 4
Release date: 2007
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P1BPhIewC4

Danny's Song: "Lean Like a Cholo"
Performed by: Down
Can be found on the CD: The Definition of an Ese
Track: 5
Release date: 2007
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPD_mRGegEI

Ian's Song: "Last Night on Earth"
Performed by: Delta Goodrem
Can be found on the CD: Mistaken Identity
Track: 11
Release date: 2004
Link 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki2TDFLa82M
Link 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpmRuAbcxOU