This chapter is dedicated to my dear best friend @BohemianRhapsodie. I wish you the happiest birthday you've ever had and hope I can add even more joy and happiness to it with this little piece of mine <3 Enjoy reading!! ;) <3 <3 <3

P.S.: I wanna say sorry and a mighty thank you to everyone who waited so patiently for a new chapter and encouraged me to go on writing. It honours me to know that so many amazing people are enjoying my stories! And I really, really hope that it won't take too long for the next chapter to be up ;)

~~~~

The following week was a challenge for Sav. All he had on his mind whenever Joe touched or kissed him was how he still hadn't got an idea for his birthday present. He needed something special, something that showed that he had thought about what to gift to him. Joe had said that he didn't need to gift him anything, but he was his boyfriend after all. If Joe's words had made any kind of impact on him, it was only that they made him search for an amazing present even more.

He knew already that he didn't want anything impersonal, like a book or something like that. The best thing he had come up with so far was a record Joe wanted and still hadn't got. But he didn't exactly know one, so he decided to talk to Steve about it.

During a break at school on Wednesday, he approached the slim blonde, who appeared to be a bit startled.

"Hey mate, where's Joe? You usually have him with you, did you have a fight or somethin'?"

Sav quickly shook his head with a blush on his face, then tucking strands of his wild curls behind his ear to be able to look at Steve properly once again.

"No, not at all. Everything's alright, perfect even. I just wanted to ask you something."

Steve nodded and gestured for him to go on talking, looking at him attentively.

"Well, y'know, I'm kind of still looking for a birthday present for Joe and wanted to ask you what you're planning to give to him as a present", he explained and Steve grinned, ruffling one hand through his hair.

"I already got my present, a Mott the Hoople bootleg from 1972 that he hasn't got jet. You got any ideas so far concerning in which direction you want your present to go?"

Sav sighed inwardly. So his idea of gifting a record to his boyfriend was out of the question already. He would have to think of something else.

"Well, I want it to be something personal, y'know? Something that makes it clear I put a lot of time and effort into it."

Steve nodded thoughtfully and finally his eyes lit up. Sav excitedly waited for him to start talking again after seeing that particular expression.

"You play the guitar, right? And I'm sure you could sing if you tried. What about writing a song for him?"

"A song?"

"Uh-huh."

Sav wasn't sure what to think of that suggestion, but it was better than anything he had thought of before. It was very personal, it had something to do with music and it would be clear to Joe that he had put a lot of investment into it. But he wasn't so sure about singing something on his own.

"Well, the idea is good, but I'm a bad singer. You really think I can do this?"

Steve nodded with a smile and patted his shoulder gently in encouragement, making Sav's courage rise. He could do this. But he needed to work intensely to get something good together.

~~~~

Sav was sitting on his bed with his acoustic guitar in his lap, chewing on a pencil while he reread the words he had written down on the piece of paper in front of him so far. He sighed softly and gently strummed some chords before starting to hum the melody along to them, trying to put the words he had already into a fitting order that sounded the way he wanted them to sound.

It was Saturday already and he still wasn't done with writing the song for Joe. But he was determined to do this and that was all that counted. Even though the last few days had been hard.

He hadn't met up with Joe after school because he had worked on the song instead and Joe, logically, shouldn't know about it yet. And he suspected that Joe started to get suspicious. So the sooner he was done with writing the song, the better it would be. With a sigh he turned back to his paper, singing softly to himself.

"Something in the way you move
Let's me get too close to you
I tremble when I look at your face
And I want all the world to see
Tonight the world belongs to me
Touch me with your animal grace..."

It was good, great even, and after working for another few hours, he had a song that he was completely satisfied with. And he hoped Joe would like it, too.

~~~~

"Hey Sav, listen to this!"

It was Steve on the line, overly excited for Sav to hear whatever he had to say. And Sav simply waited for him to go on talking.

"My uncle lives around the corner and owns a small studio. I told him about your song and he said you could record it there for a lower price. What do you say?"

Sav's eyes had grown wide at those words not really being able to grasp them completely. He could record the song. He could record his very own song!

"I... I don't know what to say, actually. But yeah, I'd like to if the chance is there. What do I have to do?"

"Well, I can pick you up later today and we can go over there together. And don't forget to bring your guitar!"

"Alright, see you later then. I'm sure it's gonna be fun!"

With that, Sav disconnected the call, not actually being able to progress what had just happened. He was a bit scared of recording something on his own, to be fair, but he would take that burden if it lead to an amazing present for Joe. He would do everything for his beloved Joe.

So he found himself in the tiny little studio of Steve's uncle with Steve later that day, being amazed by all the technique cramped up in that tiny space. A big mixing console, some guitars and basses, a microphone, and even a drum kit were set up scattered around the room, and Sav couldn't be more excited to start working. He had a really good feeling about this.

So every day of the following week, Sav went over to the studio after school, recording and sometimes rearranging some parts of his song, all of it with the guidance of Steve's uncle James, who was very supportive and taught him a lot of useful skills.

He could feel though, that Joe was getting even more suspicious and sadder than before. He had to turn him down whenever he asked to spend the afternoon together and had to deal with his disappointed pout afterward, but he told himself it would be worth it. And he was sure Joe would forgive him once he heard the result.

~~~~

"Steve, you haven't seen Sav yet, have you?"

The evening of the 1st of August, a Friday in that year had finally rolled around and the party was already full of life in Joe's house. There were aunts and uncles, grandparents, even cousins, and in the middle of it, the birthday boy with his four invited friends. Well, actually three, because one of them hadn't arrived yet.

"I'm sorry, Joe, but no, he's not here yet. But I promise he won't miss this", Steve assured his best friend, his arm wrapped around his girlfriend's waist and his other around Pete's shoulders. He had met quite a few people he hadn't known before on that evening, and he was quite enjoying it. But Joe wasn't, he was still restlessly moving around and waiting for his boyfriend.

"Well, Steve, I'm not so sure about that. He avoided me all week, maybe he doesn't want to see me anymore. What if he wants to break up with me?"

Joe was entering a little panic attack and Steve noticed, letting go of Pete and Olivia to wrap his arms around his trembling best friend in a soothing hug.

"Hush, Joe. He doesn't want to break up with you, don't say something like that. Everyone around you guys can see how much you're in love, especially how much he's in love with you. So stop being so stupid. If he didn't have time in the afternoons, he surely had his reasons for it. And I'm sure he'll tell you about it soon."

Steve's words seemed to have made an impact because Joe smiled softly as he parted from the embrace, his eyes sparkling again.

"Thanks, man, I needed that", he whispered and was just about to start a euphoric conversation with his friends again, when someone spoke up behind him.

"Oh, my little Joe darlin'! You've grown so much!"

Joe quickly turned around at that, a bit startled, but then smiling again as he took sight of his tiny grandmother, the one he loved the most because she used to give him chocolate and solve crossword puzzles with him. He ignored the little snort of laughter coming from Steve because of the nickname.

"Grandma! How are you?", he asked, taking her into a careful hug. The tiny woman smiled at that and parted from him again to take a close look at his face.

"I'm excellent, darlin', thank you. But seriously, you've grown so much! I can still remember the time when you were so little that you only went up to my waist!", she laughed, her gray curls bouncing along. Joe smiled widely with a blush on his face at her words, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

The old woman finally turned from him to be able to look at his company, smiling at his three friends in a welcoming way, her gaze lingering especially long on the young couple next to Pete.

"Aw, good luck, you two! I hope you'll be together for eternity, you look so happy together!", she said, Steve blushing and Olivia turning to face him with a smile, placing a kiss on his reddened cheek. The older Mrs. Elliott smiled at that caring gesture before turning to Joe again.

"When will you finally have a girlfriend I can fuss over? I'm starting to get impatient!", she exclaimed with a smile, hitting Joe lightly against his upper arm. The latter had gone silent at her words, a rosy blush tinting his cheeks while he partly hid behind his dark curls.

"He is taken at the moment, Mrs. Elliott, just not by a girl", Steve then interrupted, making the older woman first just look at him confusedly but then finally getting what he was trying to say.

"So you're with a... boy?", she asked just to be sure. Joe nodded lightly and just wanted to say something more when the doorbell rang.

And through the glass beside the door, he could make out a quite familiar silhouette.

"Sav!", he said excitedly, bouncing over to the door on light feet while he heard his friends laugh behind him at his antics. But he had more important things to focus on at that moment either way.

He quickly opened the door and was met by his gorgeous boyfriend, that looked up at him from behind his curly bangs.

He wore tight blue denim jeans and a white blouse, creating a perfect contrast to the thick mane of brown curls and ocean blue eyes. He had rimmed them with eyeliner, just like the first time he had visited Joe, and the sight made Joe's breath catch in his throat for a moment. He held a tiny quadratic package in his hands that was wrapped in blue paper with stars on it and nervously bit his bottom lip as he waited for Joe to say something.

"You're here!", he finally breathed out with a smile, stepping forward to pull Sav into a tight and loving hug. The shorter teen relaxed directly at the contact and turned his head a bit to be able to reach Joe's ear.

"Happy birthday, babe. I got something for you, too", he whispered, then pulling back slightly. "But don't open it until we're alone later on."

With that, he handed the package to Joe, smiling again before reaching up to tangle a hand in Joe's dark curls and pull him down into a loving kiss. Joe almost burst at the feeling and the knowledge that Sav wanted to be alone with him later on after all those afternoons that he had passed alone without him.

"C'mon now, the others are there already. And I believe my grandma wants to meet you", Joe finally whispered against the full rosy lips in front of his own, hearing and feeling Sav chuckle at his words. But he nodded, either way, placing another kiss on Joe's lips before following him into the cozy house filled with life and laughter.

Joe led him over to Pete, Steve, Olivia, and an elder woman, that he believed was Joe's grandma, by his hand, keeping him close to make sure he wouldn't disappear again anytime soon.

"Look who has arrived! Hey man, how are you?", Steve said with a smile, pulling Sav into a hug and sending him a knowing wink.

"I'm fine, thanks mate."

"Hey there!", Pete followed shortly after, pulling him into a hug as well and clapping him on the back.

As he had retreated, Olivia stepped forward and pulled him into another hug, placing a kiss on his cheek. She then pulled back and looked at him closely.

"You look gorgeous, Sav, as always! Wish I could be as handsome as you", she said with a chuckle, making Sav blush in a deep red.

He could feel Joe getting possessive at Olivia's words, even though they both knew they weren't meant in that specific way, the latter finally wrapping an arm around Sav's waist and pulling him back against his chest. He giggled softly and looked up at his boyfriend, seeing him smiling down at him with an enamored grin on his face. Sav just contently cuddled into him after seeing that particular expression, his eyelids fluttering closed for a moment.

"So that's your boy, Joe?", a female voice suddenly asked and Sav opened his eyes again to look at its owner, being met by the tiny elder woman he had assumed was Joe's grandma.

"Yeas, he's my boyfriend, grandma", Joe replied with obvious pride in his voice that made Sav blush. He finally extended his hand to the tiny woman with the best smile he could manage, introducing himself.

"I'm Rick Savage, but most people call me Sav."

Joe's grandma grabbed his hand gently, shaking it before repeating the introduction.

"I'm Hanna, Joe's grandma, but I believe you figured that one out already. So Sav, you take good care of my baby boy, do you?"

Sav nodded while hearing Joe silently swearing into the skin on the back of his neck at the nickname. Their friends all started to snort, too, which didn't make it any better. But Sav managed to remain serious. This was an important matter after all.

"How long have you been together?"

Sav looked up at Joe questioningly at that question, meanwhile thinking for himself.

"About a month, I'd say, what do you think, love?", Joe finally said, Sav processing his words.

"Um, yeah, something like that", he finally said, turned towards Hanna again. The elder woman just smiled excitedly, seemingly not being able to believe that her grandchild had finally managed to start a romantic relationship. Joe simply tightened his hold around Sav's waist at that, gently brushing a part of his hair over his neck, placing a soft kiss on the exposed, satin-like skin. God, how he had missed being so close to his lover in the last few days.

After another while of talking to Hanna, they all eventually gathered in the living room with a plate of food each, Joe's young cousins with hot dogs and the older ones with lasagna, Joe's favorite food. Sav, Pete, Steve, Olivia, and Joe were sat on one couch, eating and chatting at the same time about the usual topic, which was bands and music. Joe and Sav held hands for the whole time they sat there, not caring if somebody else saw it. Joe's dad wasn't there, after all, he still had to work till late in the evening.

After eating, Joe started to unwrap his presents. First, there were some of his young cousins, that had each drawn a picture for him. The older ones, like his aunts and uncles, had mostly donated money for him to buy whatever he wished for. His grandparents had financed an acoustic guitar for him and Joe was happier than ever after seeing that particular present. Pete had gifted a movie to him, that was basically a concert of T. Rex, Marc Bolan, Ringo Starr and Elton John from 1972, and Joe was quite overwhelmed that a new friend like Pete had spent the time and effort to find something like that for him. Steve's Mott the Hoople bootleg from 1972 was ranked as the second-best present after the guitar though, and finally, there was only one present left. And that one was Sav's.

"Hey babe, would you like to go upstairs with me so I can open your present?"

Sav just nodded and the two of them stood up and climbed the stairs up to Joe's room, closing the door behind them. They both sat down on the edge of Joe's bed and Joe finally tore the wrapping from the small package, a cassette in its sleeve falling into his lap. There was no description on it so he looked at Sav, a bit puzzled.

"Listen to it", was all he said, and Joe nodded curiously, making his way over to his shelf and pulling out a walkman. He then sat back down next to Sav and put the cassette in, placing his headphones over his ears and pressing play.

There was a short silence before the soft strumming of a guitar could be heard, along with a soft melody. And then there was a soft voice accompanying the instrumental, Joe listening attentively.

"Something in the way you move
Let's me get too close to you
I tremble when I look at your face
And I want all the world to see
Tonight the world belongs to me
Touch me with your animal grace

Put your hand on my heart
And feel the need in me

Let me be the one
Lead me into temptation
And show me the right side of wrong
Let me be the one
Take me in from the cold
Gimme something to hold
Let me be the one
Let me be the one

Burnin' in the afterglow
We catch the wind and let it go
Washed away like words in the sand
A passion that's so physical
Electric and untouchable
Don't want to let it slip through my hands

Put your hand on my heart
And feel the need in me

Let me be the one
Lead me into temptation
And show me the right side of wrong
Let me be the one
Take me in from the cold
Gimme something to hold

Don't let this dream pass by
Just spread your wings and fly
Reach out and touch
Let your heart just breathe me in
I'll be your oxygen

Put your hand on my heart
Feel the need in me

Let me be the one
Lead me into temptation
And show me the right side of wrong
Let me be the one
Take me in from the cold
Gimme something to hold
Let me be the one
Let me be the one
Oh, oh
Let me be the one
Let me be the one"

The tape finally came to a stop and Joe took off his headphones, looking at Sav. The song was beautiful, but he couldn't place the artist, nor where Sav had got this cassette from.

"Did you like it?", Sav asked, obviously nervous and Joe took his hand with a smile, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Yes, I loved it actually. But where did you get that cassette from? And how do you know that song either way?"

Sav looked at him with a puzzled look on his face but finally broke out into a chuckle.

"You didn't get it, did you?"

"Didn't get what? Did I miss something?"

Sav just continued to chuckle before finally raising his head and talking again.

"It's mine, the cassette. I wrote the song and I recorded it. For you, you idiot."

Joe felt his jaw drop and his eyes go wide.

"You... You wrote it for me? A-and you sang it, too?", he finally managed to get out. Sav just nodded and Joe felt tears prickling behind his eyes. No one had ever done something like that for him. Absolutely no one.

"Hold on, I need to listen to it again", he then mumbled, placing the headphones back over his ears and pressing play again. The song started over and this time, it got Joe even more. All he could think about while he listened was 'he wrote it for me, the lyrics were dedicated to me'. As he heard the soft voice again he wondered how he could've not noticed it being Sav before. Maybe he just hadn't expected him to sing as he did. As the song went on he just closed his eyes and let it consume him, his happy tears finally not being able to stay put in his eyes anymore and therefore making their way down his rosy cheeks. He felt like he was in heaven.

After what felt like a long while the song had ended again and Joe put down his headphones once more, leaning over to Sav and placing a passionate kiss on his lips.

"Thank you. This is... incredible. It's definitely my new favorite song and it will be forever. I love you, babe, so much."

Sav just smiled happily at his words, placing another kiss on his lips. He was so glad Joe liked the present since it had taken so much out of him.

"And about the afternoons, I had to turn you down to record the song. I would've loved to hang out with you, but if I had done that, I would've never gotten it finished", Sav explained with a chuckle, Joe humming in understanding and just pulling him closer again. Everything was forgiven and forgotten by then.

And just a moment later, Joe had his lover on his back underneath him, looking down at him with loving eyes.

"Now, what did you sing again? Ah, I remember. Put your hand on my heart and feel the need in me", Joe whispered against Sav's lips and slid his hand to the younger's heart, feeling it pounding like crazy beneath his warm palm.

"Jesus, Sav, you already are my one, and you will be forever and always", he then added, connecting his lips to the soft ones beneath in a loving and passionate kiss, igniting a fire between them that nothing was able to put out again for the rest of the night.