Have You Ever Really Danced on the Edge? {Fuenciado}

Celebrate The Way The Night Hides Scars

***Vic's POV***

"Jaime, I can't believe you actually remember me saying that Australia was my favorite place to come!" I laughed and undressed while he brushed his teeth. "That was, what?- 4 years ago?" I laughed and unbuttoned my shirt to put on the old beat up Mickey Mouse one he had given me a year ago.

"Can I be honest  with you?" he mumbled through a toothbrush. 

"That's what marriage is all about," I responded. He spit into the sink one final time and stepped from the bathroom into the suite. 

"This is the place, Vic," he shrugged and opened his arms.

"But we didn't have a suite last time," I said, trying to recall our last trip to Australia as a band. "Yeah no we stayed in a little motel on the outsk-"

"Vic, I meant the entire country. This is the place that I found out who I loved. The way you were so in love with the city, it made me so in love with you," he trialed off, his hand running through his hair. 

"Jaime," I began. I couldn't find the words I needed. "I love you," I smiled and hugged him tight. 

"I love you too," he laughed and let me go slowly. He pulled a paper out of his back pocket and smiled. "Everything is booked and planned. All the things that could be just you and me, are, including the ferry rides-"

"You booked a private ferry ride?" I asked in bewilderment. I tried to keep my voice low since Ains was already sound asleep in her crib.

"It took a lot of fake crying and complaining about equal rights, but yes," he laughed and grabbed my hand. "Come on, we have one more thing on tonight's agenda."

"Jaime, it's 10 PM which means I'm really only supposed to be waking up now back home," I groaned but followed him anyways. He covered my eyes again, and I protested. "Jaime I've seen everything in Sydney already, what's the big surprise?" He helped me sit, on the edge of something, and then I could here, in the almost silence, water splashing. 

Jaime pulled off the blindfold and smiled. "When we were here in 2009, you were so upset that you couldn't see a full moon over the ocean. Well," he smiled and gestured toward the sky. He was right, the big full moon reflected beautifully on the water, splashing endlessly on boats and docks. 

"And in 2013, under a full Australian moon, I made a choice," I whispered as I stared up at the moon.

"What was that?" Jaime asked quietly, slipping his fingers into mine. 

"That I would kiss the man of my dreams right here on this dock under the most beautiful moon," I laughed and kissed his lips softly, and then all at once, violently, like we were newly in love again and couldn't stop ourselves. I pulled away quickly and caught my breathe. 

"I love you," I smiled and laid back on the dock. I watched the moon and let my thoughts wonder. I felt Jaime's hand leave mine and then I felt his cool fingertips tracing around my arms. At first I though he was teasing with his touches, and then I realized they were always creating straight lines. I pulled my arm away and sat up. 

"Jaime, don't. Not here, not now." I sighed and pulled my scarred arm into my stomach. I got up to walk back to the hotel. 

"Vic, wait!" Jaime yelled, and out of nowhere popped a crowd of teens staring at me. 

"That's Vic, from Pierce The Veil!" one of them yelled. The kids walked over to me and smiled. "Can you sign my shirt?" the small girl asked. 

"I-uh- I don't have a pen," I sighed and closed my eyes. I didn't have any way to hide these fresh scars from the children around me who looked up to me. 

"Vic, can I talk to you?" another girl asked. I nodded and followed her away from the group of kids, who were off on another subject now. I noticed that Jaime was gone now.

The girl held out her arms and smiled. "11 months clean," she said proudly. I studied her arms for a while before I pulled her into the tightest hug I could manage. 

"I am so proud of you," I said earnestly. "What's your name?"

"Nichole," she responded quietly. "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do, Nichole, and let me tell you som-" 

"Better yet," Jaime interrupted, back now, with my acoustic guitar. "Let him sing it to you," he suggested. 

I took my guitar and pointed to a trash bin. Jaime flipped it and I sat on the bottom that was now the top. The kids all gathered around me, smiling and taking pictures with their phones. I looked from Nichole to Jaime to my own arms, thinking of which song to play her. 

"I-uh- I've never played this acoustic, or live, before, but there's a first time for everything right?" I played a few chords before I found just what I needed, and then I began singing Props & Mayhem.

I'm not sure when I began crying exactly, but my voice let it slip when I got to the line "Celebrate the way the night hides scars." I kept playing and finished the song with the kids and Jaime helping me.

"That was amazing, thank you," Nichole smiled and hugged me again. 

"Do you play?" I asked, nodding my head to my old guitar. 

"I'm learning," she nodded and sighed. "I'm not good. Maybe one day I can play Props & Mayhem that well," she laughed and shook her head. "Probably not though."

"Everyone can play if they keep their head in the game. But, maybe a little gift can help," I smiled as I handed her my guitar. "It was my first acoustic, I bought it in 1999. It's all your's now." Her face lit up and she screamed loudly.

"Thank you so much!" She turned to tell her friends just as Jaime snuck up behind me. 

"Let's go, Mr. Preciado," he whispered softly in my ear. 

"After you, Mr. Preciado," I giggled and let him lead the way back to our room.