The Rhythm Of Our Lonely Hearts

Chapter Twenty-Five (Epilogue): In the End, There's Only Love

Chapter Twenty-Five (Epilogue): In the End, There's Only Love

October 26th, 2011

The connection was shifty, Andy's voice coming through the phone compressed and choppy as he sobbed on the other side of the line. His cries were interspersed between winces and yelling. Matt tried his best to calm him down enough that he could make out what he was saying.

"My face!" Andy shouted before moaning in pain. "Fuck- it hurts so fucking bad."

"Andy- slow down. What happened?" Matt held the phone between his ear and shoulder as he frantically tried to look up flights to Luxembourg.

Andy had been back on tour in the UK for almost three weeks and things had been going surprisingly well. Matt had been a nervous wreck when he dropped the singer off at LAX, worried about what would happen with Andy thousands of miles away. Andy had proved him wrong, calling him after he got off stage every night and keeping in touch with his therapist. Which meant when he didn't receive a phone call tonight, he started to worry. The hours ticked by without any word from him. Matt told himself it was connection issues; the international service was lackluster at best, but he had a sinking feeling in his gut something was wrong. Then the call came through.

"Matt" Andy whined; his voice sounded muffled. "I think it's broken."

"What's broken, Andy?"

"My fucking nose-" Andy whined.

"You broke your nose? How?!"

Andy groaned, holding the wad of gauze to the bleeding laceration on his face. The pressure from it sent more shock waves of pain shooting through the broken bone. "On stage- fuck... Matt"

Matt hated hearing him in pain, but there was nothing he could do thousands of miles away. "Babe... it's gonna be okay, have you seen a doctor?"

"N-No... on my way."

"Okay, I'll stay on the phone with you..." he assured him.

October 31st, 2011, Los Angeles, CA

Andy held an ice pack gingerly to the bridge of his nose, his head resting on Matt's leg and his feet elevated on the arm of the couch. Matt's fingers combed through his hair, working out the knots from sleeping on the flight back home. A Batman rerun played in the background and the smell of pancakes and maple syrup from their late brunch filled the air.

"I look ridiculous."

Matt chuckled, leaning down and kissing his forehead. "No, you don't, honestly it looks pretty badass."

Deep red and purple bruises covered Andy's nose and eyes in a mask-like pattern. Though he tried, he couldn't make it through a show after breaking his nose which forced him to make an early return home. Matt felt for him, this was his second major injury in six months, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't happy to have Andy back home.

"Yeah? At least I don't have to worry about Halloween makeup tonight."

"True. See, there's a bright side."

Matt zipped up the back of his costume, looking himself over in the mirror. It was Andy's idea that their last-minute Halloween costumes be Batman and Robin. Naturally, that meant Matt was Robin. It was set to be a lowkey night, a party with some close friends but that wasn't what had his nerves on edge.

Matt had been debating this moment since Andy come home from rehab, trying to decide the right time. Would it be when Andy was sober long enough? But what constituted long enough? How do you measure a lifelong disease in days or years? He wanted to get it right because no matter what Andy's answer was, it would change everything. Christmas? His birthday? New Years? Andy would be getting back from tour, he could set something up, make it special. But then plans changed, Andy broke his nose and came home early.

That's when he realized, there never would be a perfect time. Their lives were crazy. Unpredictable. Wild. They traveled the world for a living, playing music to thousands of screaming fans. There was nothing conventional about them, so why play by conventional rules? He loved Andy, and Andy loved him. That's all that mattered.

"Andy? Can you come here for a sec?" Matt called out from the bedroom. The small velvet box in his back pocket weighed a million pounds. His heart was pounding in his chest as he heard Andy's footsteps getting closer.

"I'm almost done getting ready- what's up?" Andy came out of the bathroom in his skintight Batman costume.

"Wow... you look great." Matt blinked.

"Uh, thanks... did you need something?" Andy raised an eyebrow, noticing the nervousness in Matt's voice.

"Come here."

"You're worrying me..." Andy laughed timidly.

"It's nothing bad." Matt straightened his back up, taking both of Andy's hands in his.

He couldn't help but smile as he looked into Andy's eyes, reflecting on everything they'd been through in the last year and a half. There wasn't a doubt in his mind about what he was about to do.

"Andrew Biersack... I love you more than anything in this world. You're my soulmate. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you." The nerves faded, replaced with a sense of overwhelming love as he lowered himself onto one knee.

Andy's breath hitched in his throat; time slowed down as he watched Matt in disbelief. The guitarist reached into his back pocket, pulling out a small black velvet box. Inside was a matte black band, embedded with sparkling diamonds.

"Andy, will you marry me?"

Andy opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He never thought this day would come. That anyone, let alone someone who'd seen the worst parts of him the way Matt had, would want to spend the rest of their life with him. All the tears, all the fights, all the hard nights. It was all worth it.

"Please say yes?" Matt whispered, smiling.

"Yes. Oh my god... yes, of course, I'll marry you, Matt." Andy dropped to his knees, throwing his arms around the guitarist. Tears pricked at his eyes as he felt Matt's arms wrap around him in a tight embrace.

Matt took Andy's shaking hand, slipping the band onto his left ring finger. "I don't think I've ever been this happy before in my life." He laughed, tearing up him himself.

Andy grabbed his face with both hands, pulling him into a passionate kiss. He ignored the pain it caused his nose; nothing could take away from the happiness in his heart. Nothing else in the world mattered but the man in front of him. They had come out on the other side; together.

In the end, there's only love.

A/N: I did it! I finished a fic lol. Wow, this was two years in the making and it's hard to believe it's actually complete. Thank you so much to everyone who stuck with me and support this story all the way through! I love reading your comments and hearing your thoughts. I hope you all loved the ending and it made up for the emotional rollercoaster that this fic was. 

Even though this story is over, I will still be continuing my second Matt/Andy fic (When Words Mean Nothing) as well as starting a story for one of my old ships! I used to write Matt/Mello (Death Note) fics when I was younger and I've fallen back down the anime hole so be on the lookout for that in the near future.