by Jaxon Knight
Blaze and Coco had added theirs shortly after, but they had the rest of the club to contend with – there was just the one stage, after all and a lot of people to work through.
The hot wings were surprisingly tasty, and Charlie spent a little time trying to decode the exact blend of spices coating them, and what was in the dipping sauce, before Max was up and pulling him out of his chair.
“It’s you! They’re calling your name!”
The DJ, seated to the side of the stage was looking around and Charlie stumbled forward.
Why wasn’t Max up first? He put his name in before I did?
He made his way to the stage, feeling as if the crowd were parting for him like some kind of mystical sea. He climbed up the steps and positioned himself in front of the microphone stand.
The opening bars of his song started, and he squinted against the stage lights to try and find Max at their table.
The crowd cheered when they recognized the song, and they all did. Everyone in the world knew this song – the love song Prince Valor sung in the movie Princess Patience’s Challenge.
“This is for Max,” he said, before launching into the first line.
Charlie knew this song backwards. He’d heard it a thousand times as a child and probably a million times since he started working at Fairyland.
He didn’t even think about it. Just grabbed the mic stand with his left hand and started to sing. The crowd went wild. His hand shook a little, and his voice shook a lot more, cracking and uncertain – but he knew the song, and the crowd was singing along, and finally the lights shifted enough that he could see Max, his face split in a wide smile and his eyes sparkling and Charlie’s embarrassment flew out the door and into space.
Performing didn’t come naturally to him at all, but now he was up there, feeling the warmth of the lights and the enthusiasm from the crowd he felt a certain high.
He belted the lyrics, his voice becoming more confident, more full and he did a little spin on the spot to emphasize his performance.
The crowd were singing along with him, the whole club seemed to be belting the chorus as he did.
As the song built to a crescendo, Charlie threw his hands in the air, not even caring that it’d made his jacket hang open and people would see his mesh covered nipples. It didn’t matter. In that moment he was a Fairyland rock star.
The applause was deafening as he took a deep bow and then raced off stage. The dancers high fived him.
“That was awesome!”
“Great stuff!”
“Fairyland is my jam!”
He crashed into Max’s arms, sitting on his lap this time, as Max kissed and kissed his cheeks.
Worth it.
5 Eleven fifteen pm
“Oh my god,” Coco shouted, slinging her arm around Max’s shoulder and bouncing. “I know what we should do next! We should go to Fairyland!”
“We can’t go to Fairyland drunk!” Charlie raised his voice, laughing.
“Of course, we can, I own it!” Max shouted back. He laughed and kissed Coco on the cheek, and Charlie reflected that he was glad he wasn’t the jealous kind. All the same, he took hold of Max’s arm and tugged him towards him.
“You don’t own it yet. And besides, there’s a rule.” Charlie shook his head and tried to make his mouth say the words of the rule. “No shirt, no service. You have to wear a shirt to get in!”
“You have no shirt on,” Blaze said, prodding Charlie in the chest. He looked down at his mesh shirt. He’d had a jacket, hadn’t he? He didn’t anymore. Maybe he’d pulled it off before he went up on stage? Or after? He searched the booth and found it crushed under Max’s ass and slipped it on again.
“But aren’t the New Year’s fireworks like, utterly amazing?” Coco looked at Charlie and he shrugged.
“I think so? I’ve never been. My New Year’s Eves are usually nothing like this.”
“That’s too sad,” Blaze said, leaning against Charlie and fluttering his eyelashes. “Everyone should have New Year’s Eves like us.”
“Fairyland! Fireworks!” Coco shouted over the sound of the drunk couple on stage trying to sing the big love song from the movie which’d won all the Oscars. The one with Lady Gaga – Charlie couldn’t recall the name of it right now. He kissed Max’s neck and tried to remember.
Max shivered and buried his hand in Charlie’s hair.
“Fireworks, yes! Let’s go!” Max said. “Clive will give me his shirt.”
“No, Max, you cannot have my shirt.”
Charlie took a drink of water while Max argued with Clive.
“Please, Clive? Come on. I pay you enough don’t I? I’ll give you a raise if you give me your shirt?”
Clive sighed in the long-suffering way Charlie had come to recognize meant someone was giving in to Max. Lord knows, Charlie sighed like that often enough…
Clive parked the limo and unbuttoned his shirt, passed it back to Max and dug around under the passenger seat, digging out a plain grey T-shirt.
“All that arguing, and you had something to change into the whole time?” Max asked, incredulous. Charlie admired that no matter how many drinks Max downed, he never slurred his words. He got messy, but it was in fantastic, funny and flawless sort of way, not a falling down, throwing up way.
“It’s part of the look of the thing to not wear my gym gear when I’m driving you, Max.”
Max pulled the shirt on over his bare chest and fumbled with the buttons, so Charlie stepped in and helped him out. He was toasty himself, too many drinks down, but he could still handle buttons. And touching his boyfriend’s chest, and kissing him softly.
The shirt was a few sizes too big and hung off Max in an almost endearing way. Charlie rolled the sleeves for him.
“You’re going to have to tuck it in though, or it looks like you’ve got no pants on.”
Max looked down at himself, giggled and arranged the front of the shirt in a perfect French tuck.
“Max,” Charlie, said, softly. He was overwhelmed with affection and he wanted to ask him now, spur of the moment, see his face light up… But Max didn’t seem to hear him. He grabbed his hand and yanked Charlie towards the gates.
Blaze and Coco were already flashing the annual passes Max had given them for Christmas and were being checked by security.
Okay, so not right now, then.
Charlie made sure to say hello to the security staff and ask them how their nights were going as he showed his staff ID. It must be one of the worst jobs you could have in the park, working security on New Year’s Eve, but they seemed happy enough.
Possibly because the Max Jones was right there. Twinkling and sparkling over everyone.
“Where’s the best place for the fireworks?” Coco asked.
“Top of the castle!” Blaze shouted and laughed.
“That’s where all the fireworks are rigged,” Charlie said. “But I think I know a spot which shouldn’t be busy…”
He took Max firmly by the hand and started walking towards the Enchanted Forest. The park was busy with revelers, less kids than during the day, but crowds of teenagers and adults. Lots of them wearing the special Magnificent Christmas sparkly T-shirts and sweaters, or the one-day-only extremely Limited Edition ‘Happy New Year’ buttons which lit up with lights.
You couldn’t drink in the park, aside from at the Pirate’s Bay Bar, and that meant it’d be the most packed place, the obvious choice to go to so Charlie would avoid it.
Max grabbed Blaze’s hand. “Don’t get lost!”
“Where are we going?” Coco called out, over the noise of the other party goers.
Charlie realized too late he should have got Max to lead them, because Max’s ability to get through Fairyland quickly was unparalleled – crowds or no – but also Max was drunk and in heels, and Charlie’s mind was fuzzy too, and he wanted this to be a surprise, although, it was actually obvious…But maybe Max wouldn’t have guessed?
He led them to the Enchanted Forest
Kitchen.
Max squeezed his hand. They’d managed to remain connected, although there’d been a close call with a group of tourists wearing matching pink ‘Happy New Year!’ sweatshirts with Sparkles the Unicorn printed on the back.
The Kitchen was open still, although just for hot chocolate and cookie service, the kitchen itself having shut down for the night.
Charlie waved at the staff at the counter. “Don’t mind us, we’re heading for the roof!”
“Oooooh, cookies…” Blaze tugged his hand out of Max’s and led Coco to the counter. “We need cookies and hot chocolates, like, yesterday,” he said, and slapped a few twenties on the counter.
“Can you show them the way up, please?” Charlie asked the counter staff. “I’ll take Max up there now.”
Max giggled and they hurried through the kitchen and up the back stairs, running like kids in a forbidden part of their school. Charlie’s heart was racing fast, his head in the clouds from the alcohol and the excitement.
This is it, this is the moment. I’ll ask him now while Coco and Blaze are distracted.
He opened the door to the rooftop and led Max outside into the cool night air. They didn’t really use the roof of the Enchanted Forest Kitchen much, some of the staff used it to have a morning coffee, but generally they just stuck to the kitchen where the coffee machine was.
They weren’t supposed to be seen up there, either, something Lennon had once said about ruining the immersion of the look of the park. Or eye lines, or something.
But it was dark, and no one was looking at the roof right now anyway. Besides, he had the heir to the park beside him, and no one was about to kick Max Fucking Jones out of Fairyland.
Max tripped over his own feet and stumbled into Charlie, who caught him and laughed as well.
“You’re drunk,” he said.
Max flicked his hair out of his eyes and met Charlies, shaking his head slightly. “Not really,” he said. “I was drunk before, but I feel pretty chill now.”
“You do?”
“I switched to water,” Max said. “Couple of hours ago.”
Charlie’s eyebrows shot up. “You did?”
“Yeah,” Max shrugged and slipped his arms around Charlie’s waist, pulling him close. “I wanted to remember having my first New Year’s with you.”
Charlie flushed and grinned. He definitely still had a buzz going but he wasn’t messy drunk or anything like it. Being up on the roof with Max had cleared his mind a little more, too.
“Max,” he said, softly. “I have something I wanted to ask you.”
“You do?” Max’s smile faltered a little. He looked concerned, rather than excited.
“Good thing,” Charlie said quickly. “I want to ask you a good thing. Not a bad one. I mean, I think it’s a good thing, I want it to be, I’m sorta terrified but I want to ask you all the same.”
Max tilted his head to one side and shook his head. “Just ask it Charlie, before I have a heart attack, please.”
Right, yes, and now he’s probably guessed what you’re going to ask.
Charlie sucked in a breath. “Right, um, well I was thinking we’ve been together like… a month, or like, five weeks I don’t know how long it’s been but we’ve been spending so much time together and I really, really like you. I mean, I love you, but I want to um, get closer to you so I was wondering if you’d- ”
“Yes! I’d love to,” Max said, and bounced a little, crashing his mouth to Charlie’s.
“I didn’t…” Charlie mumbled against his lips.
“Didn’t what?” Max pulled back a little and thrust his hand between them. “Where’s the ring? Of course, I’ll marry you.”
“Oh I didn’t,” Charlie shook his head a little. “I thought, I thought we could move in together, I was going to ask you if you thought we should move in. Probably into your place, because it’s way better and bigger than my place.”
Max’s smile vanished and he looked sort of blank in a way Charlie couldn’t recall ever seeing. “You don’t want to marry me?”
“Max, I love you, but we’re still really new. I’ve never wanted to move in with anyone before but with you it feels right. I want to be with you, and yeah maybe someday we’ll get married, but it’s too soon, still.”
His heart pounded and he caught his breath, worried suddenly that he’d ruined absolutely everything, and Max was about to storm out in a huff.
The silence stretched out between them, the silence which wasn’t at all a silence because the noise from the park just a story below them floated up – the laughter, the chatter, the smell of popcorn which was somehow also a noise?
But the silence between them was loud – Max and Charlie had their differences, that was for sure, and Charlie felt on the edge of a precipice, afraid he was about to lose hold of this fantastic, wonderful man.
Then Max’s face broke into a wide grin and he grabbed hold of Charlie’s mesh shirt. “I’m messing with you. I’d love to move in with you, you big lug.”
He crashed his mouth to Charlie’s, who was still processing what he’d said, adrenaline still rushing through his bloodstream, before he realized Max had said yes and was kissing him.
He wrapped his arms tight around Max and pulled him close against him, deepening the kiss with a soft moan. His heart didn’t slow down exactly, but relief flooded him, replacing the stress. The adrenaline had him pressing his fingers into the slight curve in Max’s lower back.
“You sure?” He asked, when they came up for air.
“Yes, I said yes. I want this, I want you,” Max said. His smile was soft, indulgent and beautiful. Charlie thought there wasn’t anything in the world he wouldn’t do for this man. He’d have to start shopping for rings, but… maybe not immediately.
The door behind them banged open and he heard Blaze shouting. “Get out of each other’s pants, you have company, God.”
Charlie chuckled and half turned. Coco had a tray of four Fairyland reusable eco cups and Blaze had a paper bag of cookies.
“We’re moving in together!” Max shouted, breaking out of Charlie’s hold to hug his friends.
“No way! That’s ridiculous!” Blaze shouted back. “It’s perfect!”
“Congratulations,” Coco purred. “Now take these cups off me before I drop them, that stairway was just way too narrow for these shoes and I almost lost them four times at least.”
Max took two of the cups off her tray.
Charlie felt his cheeks warming and he went to grab the two deck chairs and leftover wooden fruit crates that people used as seating when they had breaks up here.
Soon enough they were all seated, sipping hot cocoa, nibbling cookies and watching the sky over the castle. Blaze and Coco took the deck chairs.
“Should be starting any second now,” Charlie said. He and Max were seated on the wooden crates, side by side. Max pressing into his side for warmth.
“It’s 11:58,” Blaze said. “Is there gonna be music?”
“I dunno, I’ve never seen it,” Charlie said. “But I think so? I think there’s a light show and fireworks.”
A dramatic chord rang out over the park and the crowd below them hushed almost as if by magic.
The lights in the park all dimmed, which was a strange effect from the rooftop and Max leaned forward to look down.
“The castle,” Charlie whispered, tugging him back. “You’re missing it.” Because the moment the lights went down, the castle had started to be lit with silver highlights and a projection effect of stars.
Max moved back onto the crate and leaned against Charlie’s chest, and Charlie curled his arm around his chest and pressed his hand against him, holding him close.
“Are you sure?” Max whispered, just as the stars started to burst on the sides of the castle and the first fireworks exploded off the roof of it.
Charlie felt a shiver go down his spine from the beauty and the seriousness of Max’s question.
“Yeah, baby. I’m sure.” He k
issed Max’s neck and nuzzled him. “Your place?”
“Oh yeah,” Max said. “My place has a bath, your place barely has a shower.”
There was a huge boom at midnight and a massive golden star shaped firework, and they leaned into each other.
6 January 1st: Twelve thirty am
The park closed at twelve thirty, so they piled into the limousine.
“Where to now?” Clive asked, putting the car into gear.
“Home thanks, Clive,” Max said. He picked up Charlie’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Time to turn in, I think.”
“Fine,” Blaze said, examining his nails. “You two go and be an old married couple. I could use some time to work on my latest song.”
Clive pulled up outside the twin’s apartment building and Coco kissed Charlie and then Max. “Have fun, lovebirds. Text you later, happy new year.”
Blaze gave them both a fist bump.
“Laters.”
“I’m glad you made up with them,” Charlie said, surprising himself. His first, second and even third impressions of the twins hadn’t been great, but he could see how much they cared for Max, how much he cared for them.
Max shrugged. “Once they realized I was serious about working, and about you, they came around.”
Clive pulled up outside Max’s building. “There you are, Max. Happy New Year.”
Max smiled and moved forward to squeeze Clive’s shoulder. “You too, I’ll have your shirt dry cleaned, and I’ll put through a pay raise first thing tomorrow.”
“Much obliged. Night, Charlie!”
“Night, Clive.”
In the elevator Max pushed Charlie back against the wall and slid his hands under the leather jacket.
“Hey, you,” Charlie said, smiling.
“Hey yourself,” Max said. His lips found Charlie’s neck and he tilted his head back, sighing happily as Max planted kisses over his Adam’s apple and up to his jaw.
He’d wanted to be alone with Max all night, and now they were almost there – almost back at his apartment – their apartment?
