"Love you forever and forever
Love you with all my heart
Love you whenever we're together
Love you when we're apart."
~~The Beatles, I Will
::M E M O R Y 4::
A Ring For My Love
Spring came. It was a good, fresh time. By now Toki and Pickles had been together for nearly a year, and their time had been nirvana, the likes of which Pickles had never known. Never in his whole life had any one person managed to have such an effect on him. There was no other way to put it, because Toki not only made him a better person—he hadn't touched booze or drugs in months—but he was the real reason the drummer woke up.
I wanna see Toki, he would think, yawning and pulling himself out of bed. I've gotta get thru the stupid recording session and finish up the album so I can spend time with him...
And one day he decided that enough was enough. It was time for him to accept the fact that not only did he want to spend the rest of his life with the adorably perfect Norwegian, but he also wanted to let everyone else know this as well. One day he convinced Toki to go to the mall with him so he could buy a ring. The guitarist came without complaint and they entered the huge shopping center holding hands.
"Pickle, I wants iTunes card sos to buy new Dimmu Borgir and Borknagar songs."
The drummer sighed. All of those stupid bands sang in Norwegian, and all of their annoying songs went on the 'TOKI'S PLAYLIST' section of his iPod touch. "What about Iron Maiden, huh? Don't you like 'dem no more?" he himself had introduced the guitarist to Iron Maiden.
He nodded. "Ja, thems ams my favorite English band, but I wants more Norwegian music. Please, Pickle?"
"What about 'dat one German-"
"Comes on!"
He rolled his eyes and finally said, "Okay, fine, fine. But German does sound really coo-"
"I don't likes Tool, Pickle. I tolds you before." Toki frowned. "You don't likes my music?"
"It's okay, just-" his voice abruptly stopped.
They had been weaving thru the crowds searching for good stores when he saw it. Pickles' eyes grew wide. There was a store with the Dethklok logo on it in front of it. He swallowed. In the little glass sale window there were all kinds of Dethklok merchandise, but the thing that really caught his eye was a black ring with a shining silver gear engraved in the middle, like the kind the Klokateers got branded on the backs of their necks. He bit his lip and glanced over at Toki, who was staring at him oddly, a brow raised.
"Pickle, what ams-"
"Hey, why don't you go and get your stupid iTunes card while I wait for ya?"
"But why can'ts you-"
"I wanna go buy you some ice cream." he lied.
Toki's eyes lit up. "Okays! So whens I get back you can gets me strawberry? Huh?"
Pickles shrugged. "Yeah, sure."
"Thanks, Pickle! I loves you." he leaned forward and gave him a little kiss. Everyone passing by stopped and stared at them oddly. Some, realizing just who the two men were, pulled out their phones and took pictures.
The drummer didn't care, though. He had been with Toki too long to care. He was used to those kinds of stares, the way they were talked about every day on the Dethklok minute. He didn't care, so he kissed Toki back before saying, "Look, I'll see you in a sec, okay?"
"Ja, sees you."
"And try not to let anyone recognize you, okay?"
Toki nodded. "Ja, sures." and he turned and walked away. Thank God the Norwegian wasn't all that observant, because he didn't seem to notice the Dethklok store.
As soon as he was gone, Pickles slipped inside of the store and glanced around before going up the counter and digging in his pocket for his wallet. He came up empty and cursed, remembering that he had given Toki his wallet to hold and to buy his stupid iTunes card. The drummer rolled his eyes but didn't leave. Instead he said to the cashier, "Hey, dude, look, I'm gonna need that ring you got in 'dat window over there." he pointed to it and gave the man a friendly little smile.
The cashier narrowed his eyes and frowned. "I'm sorry, sir, but has anyone ever told you that you bare a striking resemblance to-"
"Yeah, yeah, get 'dat all the time. Ring, please?"
"Ring?"
"That ring in the front window—what's it made of?"
"Oh, that ring," the cashier walked out from behind his counter, went over to the window, and retrieved the ring. He brought it back over to Pickles and said, "Pure sterling silver and black opal with-"
Pickles frowned and took the ring, glancing it over. It was the oddest thing, but in this light the gear brand actually looked to be a deep red mixed with large swirls of silver. "Hey, what's 'dis part again?"
"Sterling silv-"
"I ain't a genius, but it's red."
"Sterling silver mixed with blood."
Pickles' eyes grew wide. "Blood? You mixed the fuckin' silver with blood?"
The cashier nodded. "Yes sir."
"What kinda blood?"
"Well, you see, it's an import from Germany, and there they have a rare kind of-"
"So it's blood from some rare, extinct thing?"
He nodded. "Well, yes, I suppose so, but keep in mind that something can't be both rare and extinct at the same time, or-"
"So it's black gemstone crap and silver mixed with Nazi blood?"
The cashier nodded once again and said with a hint of irritation, "Yes sir, pretty much."
"I'll take it." he threw the ring carelessly on the counter and said, "But the thing is I'm Pickles the drummer, from-"
"Dethklok! I knew there was something familiar about you!" the cashier said, his face lighting up. The drummer rolled his eyes as he began rambling, "I have all the albums, I swear to God, and—whose the lucky girl?"
"Huh?"
"The one you're buying the ring for, who is she?"
Pickles glared at him and reached for the ring. He put it in his pocket and said, "It ain't for no fuckin' stupid girl, dildo."
"Then who is it for?"
"Toki Wartooth."
The man's eyes grew wide. "So it's true, then? Everything everyone's been saying for the past few months? You two are really-"
"Look, like I said, I ain't got no fuckin' money—my wallet's with Toki, but look, I'll, I dunno, sign somethin' for it."
The cashier nodded. "Okay, sure! Anything for you! What about my new album?" he pulled a Dethklok album out from under the counter and said, "And if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you get Toki to come back and sign it?"
"No way, dude. This is supposed to be a surprise. Just take what I offer and like it." he grabbed a pen that had been sitting on the counter and quickly scribbled his name on the album before pushing it back and saying, "There you go, douche bag. There's your fuckin' autograph, so could I just-"
"But you have to pay."
Pickles rolled his eyes. "That's what I'm tryin' to say. I don't have any money. It's-"
"Then you can't have the ring. Sorry, Pickles."
"Don't call me 'dat and stop cutting me off when I'm talking!" the drummer yelled, glaring at the cashier. "Just let me have the stupid ring and I'll give you my iPod! I don't care!"
The man arched a brow. "iPod? What kind and how much memory?"
"A new touch and we got it so 'dat it has 100MB of memory."
Of course the idiot wouldn't really be getting his iPod, because right then Toki walked into the store, a small frown on his face. "Pickle, why ams you ain't got no ice cream? I thoughts you said-"
"Toki Wartooth? Toki Wartooth is in my store?" the cashier cried, pushing his album at the Norwegian. "Could you do me a favor and sign this? If you do, then your boyfriend won't have to pay for the ri-"
"iTunes," Pickles blurted, his eyes darting from Toki to the cashier. "iTunes card, you got any?"
The man nodded. "Yes, good for purchasing all the Dethklok songs you could ever want."
"I want one, get me one."
Toki pulled out the drummer's wallet and said, "It ams fine, I already looks and they ain't got any left at the store."
"I have some right here!" the cashier said, handing one to Pickles. "That would be-"
"Just take all 'dis," he said, handing him a huge wad of cash. He leaned close to the man and hissed quietly, "I'll give you this to shut your mouth and not say anything about the ring." and then he went back over to Toki, kissed him, and took his hand. "Let's go get some ice cream, 'kay?"
"Okays, Pick-"
The cashier had whipped out his cell phone and was madly snapping pictures, saying, "This is going right to Facebook."
"Like hell it is," Pickles growled. He went over to him, took the phone, and threw it on the ground. His foot came down on it hard, breaking it into pieces as he laughed. "It was a piece of shit anyway," he said to the shocked cashier. "And just for 'dat, you ain't getting my iPod, douche bag."
He and Toki left the store laughing.
Pickles and Toki went home and spent the rest of the day together. Every night they went on walks together, loving the wonderful spring weather. Toki was usually the one who talked the drummer into these leisurely strolls, and he walked slowly, holding Pickles' hand and humming. It was nice, of course, but that night as he and the Norwegian left the house, Pickles felt his stomach turn and tighten.
What if he said no?
What if he threw the ring back at his face?
The drummer swallowed. Should he hold the ring, save it for a better time? What time was better than this one, watching as the huge clouds above them glowed gold with the light of the sun that they concealed, blocking the cottony white clouds from view. When he had been a boy and believed in God, he had actually thought that Heaven was quite literally up there in those kinds of clouds, and the sunlight that streamed thru them were beams that the pearly gates made when opening to that kingdom of gold. Just beyond these wonderful heaven-clouds was the plain blue sky, reminding Pickles that there was nothing more beyond the sky other than endless nothingness.
No Heaven, no pearly gates or kingdoms of gold.
Just him and Toki.
He lead the guitarist over to a fallen tree. The giant, dead oak had been brought down by lightning months ago during summer and the Klokateers had never gotten around to getting rid of it yet. It was okay, though, because he and Toki liked to sit on it and look up as the sun set. Like now, how Toki hopped up on the trunk, adjusted himself, and waited for Pickles to climb on; once he had, the guitarist carefully leaned against his shoulder and slipped his arm around his waist.
"Thanks for taking me outs today," Toki said, smiling. "I knows you were busy."
"Never too busy for you," he answered.
The guitarist let out a content sigh. "Anyways, it was nice. And you bought me iTunes card. Maybe I get a few Snakes 'n' Barrels songs on theres."
Pickles groaned. "Shut up."
"Nos, really. You used to be good at putting on makes-up..."
He grinned and nudged Toki lightly, saying, "Shut up, dude."
"...likes eyeliner and stuff. You had really good hair backs then, too. How long did it takes you to get it standing up and spike like thats, again?"
"Five hours," he grumbled, kissing the top of his love's head lightly. "Five fuckin' stupid hours."
Toki laughed. "Ja, and for the eyeliners?"
"I got good at doin' 'dat; I cut it down to about five minutes."
"That ams amazing," he said, staring away at the setting sun. "Everythings about you ams amazing, Pickle. I loves that about you."
"Yeah, well..." he took a deep breath and pushed Toki away a little. "I love you to, and that's why I did somethin' really just—I did somethin' stupid today." he finally managed to say, digging in his pocket. His hands were shaking violently, his face blushing as he took out the ring. As soon as Toki saw it he fell of the tree, yelling insanely and laughing. "Aw, crap," Pickles muttered, hopping down from his seat and helping the guitarist to his feet. "You okay? You hurt yoursel-"
"You gots me a ring? You really dids it?"
He was crying, Pickles noticed, biting his lip. He nodded and threw the ring to him. "Yeah, I guess I did. Just put it on, okay? I mean if you want to, but if nat, 'den-"
"No, I wants to, I wants to!" he took the ring and tried to put it on. His hands were shaking too badly, though, so he just ended up sobbing and saying happily, "I-I can't gets it!"
"Here," Pickles said, taking it. He slipped the ring onto Toki's finger and said, "Look, I want you to be mine. I wanna make everyone know that you're mine too, so there's no questions, okay?" he didn't realize it, but he was crying now, to. " 'Cause I ain't never loved nobody before, nobody but you, and I wanna be with you forever and-"
"I loves you to, Pickle, I reallys do." he stared at the black band on his finger and beamed. "We ams together now, we really are!"
"Yeah, and 'dey mixed blood in with the silver, too."
"No ways! Wowee, that ams cool!"
"I know, and...and..." he cleared his throat. Pickles really didn't know how to continue. He took Toki's hands and said, "You gonna stay with me, even though sometimes I'm a total asshole and dildo and-"
"Pickle, shuts up." Toki said, leaning forward and kissing him. It was a long kiss, one that was actually full of passion. No more candy kisses for his love.
:: : ::: : ::: :: : ::: : ::: :: : ::: : :::
**A/N**
This chapter was somewhat difficult to write because although I found the idea of Toki wanting a true sign of commitment—hence the ring—adorable, I had minor difficulty thinking of how to make it Dethklok brutal if you know what I mean. Sorry if it came across as just stupid, but I think it's cute. I tried my best.
[Peace & Love]