âItâs just not fitting right,â Joe whined, tugging on his dress. âIt fit when I got it, but now it doesnât!â He had barely gotten any sleep. Usually when he was awake at night he would just cuddle up to Ben and listen to his heartbeat, but his fiancĂ© had spent the night at Gwilymâs place.
FiancĂ©. Something he wonât call Ben for long anymore. Just the thought of that made his heart race and the butterflies in his stomach were released once again. Joe blinked a tear away and smiled at Rami who was fixing his dress. Now was not the time to cry, he will do that enough later.
Just a couple streets away Ben was nervously undoing his tie for the fifth time in the last 10 minutes. He was just about as stressed as Joe since heâs barely gotten any sleep the night before. He lost count after how many glasses of whiskey he was finally able to close his eyes and get some rest.
His hands were shaking as he tried to do his tie again, but it just didnât turn out the way he wanted it to. âGwil, I canât get the knot right! Itâs always uneven! I canât get married with an uneven knot.â
âYou mean you canât tie the knot with an uneven knot,â Tony yelled from the bathroom, which lifted the mood a bit.
Ben looked at his friend with pleading eyes. âDonât worry, mate. I got this,â Gwilym smiled and did the knot for him.
âRami, I didnât practice to walk on heels!â Joe panicked. âHelp me, I canât trip on my wedding day!â
âHey, bud, calm down,â Rami said only working Joe up even more. âIâll show you how. Itâll be alright. You wonât trip, I promise.â He smiled and offered Joe his hand to pull him off the bed.
âItâs actually pretty easy. Just lift the hem of your skirt a bit and keep your legs straight. Shift your weight to your toes.â
Joe did as told and made a few shaky steps until he gained a bit of confidence in his high heels.
âSee? I told you youâll be alright,â Rami and Gwil said.
âBut Iâm not alright,â Ben mumbled as he looked at himself in the mirror. When he picked his suit he thought that matching a white shirt and a navy tie to a light blue suit was a good idea. Now he hated it. âI look horrible.â
âShut up, son, you look stunning,â Roger stated behind Ben, downing another glass of whiskey, already fighting back tears.
âDadâs right, you look pretty fucking Gucci!â Tony agreed with him from the bathroom, a toothbrush hanging from his mouth and a blue tie with rubber ducks hanging loosely around his neck.
âBut Iâll mix in with the sea and the sky perfectly! A blue suit is a horrible idea for a beach wedding,â Ben said, nervously chewing on his bottom lip.
âOh bullshit, the sea is way darker than your suit and so is the sky,â Gwilym stated with a look out of the window.
âWhereâs the veil?!â Joe yelled, almost tripping over the hem of his skirt, mentally cursing his dress. He had chosen a pearl white mermaid cut, which left his shoulders free and held itself up with a bit of sheer fabric on his upper arms.
He loved the dress. He really did. But holy shit was it hard to walk in it. He desperately wanted a dress that showed off his ass and now he was paying the price for it by having to take tiny little baby steps.
âI think Iâve seen it in the closet, but it isnât there anymore,â Andy said with his head in said closet.
âLovies, stay calm! I got it!â Freddie announced, standing in the balcony door and holding up the veil, which quickly got snatched away by John.
He walked up to Joe and carefully placed it on the top of his head, the sheer white fabric falling down his shoulders and over his face like a waterfall.
âYou look wonderful,â Rami smiled, offering his arm to Joe, which he accepted gladly.
âAuntie Rogi is here!â Andy announced. âLetâs get this bread!â And with that he stormed out the door, John and Freddie right behind him, while Rami carefully helped Joe out.
Outside Rogerina was already waiting in a pastel pink dress, a pair of sunglasses resting on her nose. âGet in losers, we got a wedding to attend!â She smiled, waving them towards the car.
Ben had just downed his second glass of whiskey for that day when his sister Meadows came to pick them up. Now he was standing at the beach under, what felt like, thousands of blue and white roses. He was talking to Gwil nervously, again and again looking to the rows of chairs where the guests were seated.
Roger was sitting in the first row and smiled proudly at him, tears already rolling down his face, one hand clutching Brianâs and the other Joâs, both his lovers had one of the twins on their lap.
Ben let out a shaky breath and looked Gwil in the eyes. âIâm scared.â
âOf what?â The taller one smiled.
âI donât know? What if Joe suddenly decided that he doesnât want to marry me?â
âThatâs bullshit and you know that.â
âB-but everyoneâs here, except him and John.â
Ben started to play with the watch on his wrist and a black car arrived. Gwilym padded his back and went to his seat next to Rami.
If Ben wasnât nervous before, he was definitely now.
His heart was beating faster than ever and he feared it might burst out of his chest. His stomach twisted, but not in a bad way and his palms grew sweaty.
Seconds seemed to be minutes and minutes seemed to be hours as he watched John exit the car and walk around to the backseat door. When John opened it all Ben saw was white.
His lips curled up to a bright smile and his heart felt as if it would explode. All he could see was Joe as John walked him down the aisle.
The beautiful dress clutching to his body, the veil falling down his shoulders. His oh so stupid but oh so pretty smile that simmered through the sheer fabric. The way his eyes sparkled in the sunlight, like the little diamonds all over his veil and dress.
Just the sight of him brought Ben to tear up, but he tried to blink them away. He was in a trance like state when he reached for Joeâs hand and pulled him closer.
The feeling of his loverâs hands in his made him calm down a bit and he started to draw little circles on them with his thumb.
âYou look beautiful, little dino,â he whispered, making Joe blush and look up to him with tears sparkling in his eyes.
âThe first time I looked into those green eyes, I knew I had fallen. You were the only one that stuck around for this long and didnât cheat. There were times that we fought but thatâs with every relationship. Iâm glad youâre mine and every moment you arenât with me, I get more sad. Benjamin Taylor Hardy, you are my match,â Joe said, his voice cracking every now and then.
Tears had begun to run down his cheeks and Ben couldnât hold back his own, covering his mouth with his hand.
âJoseph Francis Mazzello, the first time I saw you was at the rehearsals for Bohemian Rhapsody. The second you walked into the room I knew that Iâd need to keep you in my life, a few weeks later I knew that Iâve fallen for you. Ever since I met you, you were there for me and didnât leave my side no matter what. You are my rock, my love, my everything. You are what keeps me going every day. I love you with all of my being and canât imagine a life without you. You are everything Iâve ever wished for and more. You are the love of my life and I want to spend the rest of it with you.â
Now it was Joeâs turn to cover his mouth with his hand as he let out a quiet sob. Worry started to rise in Benâs chest. Did he say something wrong? Did he say anything that hurt Joe?
All his worries were gone when Joe let his hand fall to reveal a bright smile and whispered an âI love you so muchâ.
The minister coughed. âFirst, I am required to ask anyone present who knows a reason why these persons may not lawfully marry, to declare it now.â
Joe squeezed Benâs hands as he started to nervously chew his lip and silence fell over the crowd. Again seconds felt like minutes, but no one spoke up.
âWonderful,â he smiled and turned to Ben, âBenjamin, do you take Joseph to your lawfully wedded husband?â
âDo you promise to love and cherish him, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, for better for worse, for so long as you both shall live?â
He turns to Joe with a smile. âJoseph, do you take Benjamin to your lawfully wedded husband?â
He chokes on a sob. âI do.â
âDo you promise to love and cherish him, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, for better for worse, for so long as you both shall live?â
Ben gives Joe a bright smile, grabbing his hands just a bit tighter.
âDo you together promise in the presence of your friends and family that you will at all times and in all circumstances, conduct yourselves toward one another as becomes husbands?â
âWe do,â they replied in unison.
âI hereby pronounce you husbands. You may now kiss the groom.â
Just slowly Ben lifted Joeâs veil, revealing his sparkling eyes full of tears and love. He placed his hand on his cheeks and pulled him into a loving kiss as cheers and applause erupted from the crowd.
//@ask-joemazzello @ask-rogerina @ask-rogertaylor @ask-rogerinameadows @ask-headphone-hs @ask-frankie-puppy @ask-johndeacon