#simple bridesmaid hair ideas

[bones4thecats]

➸ Your Wedding Day; Idia Shroud × S/O

Character: Idia Shroud A/N: This was something that I've wanted to write for quite a while, so I'm happy I finally got my Idia-wedding ideas out and posted for you guys to see. Hope you fellow Idia simps enjoy! Disclaimer(s): Reader's dress, Idia's suit, and song to listen too

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╚═════ Idia Shroud ════════════════════════════╝

🎮 We all know this guy enjoys his privacy, and that includes privacy with you (of course it does, why wouldn't it?)

🎮 You happily handed him a list of some ideas for your wedding, to which he just sighed and set his headphones down to read over. Ever since College ended, he had been working more and more with S.T.Y.X., so whenever he got some free time, he'd either play games or rest with you

🎮 More than not, he would just sleep with you right beside him. The guy's tried, give him a break

🎮 But, when he proposed, he did not expect such a long list of things you guys needed to decide on for your wedding. He figured that you'd have it all laid out and not worry about it like a character in a show/movie

🎮 As he read the list over, he put tiny skulls by whatever he found that he liked the idea of. Cost wasn't a big deal, but he knew that you wanted a smaller wedding when you guys spent your second-year anniversary together

🎮 He agreed with the idea, but never gave it a second thought. Rookie mistake.

🎮 Idia handed you back the list and you then put check-marks besides the ones you agreed with him on. Your big-day was in only 9 weeks, so getting everything else laid out was something you guys needed to get done immediately

🎮 Snapping his headphones back on as you made call after call and message after message, Idia let his mind wander onto what he dreamt your wedding would look like. From flowers to you in your dress, it didn't matter. It was all there

🎮 When your wedding finally came, your soon-to-be-husband was having a nervous breakdown. Though, why wouldn't he be? He was an introvert having to go up there in front of people and confess his love to you

🎮 While yes, it was all people both you and him knew extremely well, it was still a lot of people!

🎮 His father walked up behind him and smiled, his blue-flame hair matching his son's as he put the brooch of a gem-eyed skull on his suit

"You look so awesome, big brother!" Ortho said from behind their father.

"Thanks, O'. How's Y/N doing?" He asked.

"She's doing great! She looks beyond amazing in her dress! You're gonna be a big strawberry when you see her go down the isle."

🎮 Idia smiled and looked at himself in the mirror, the long flame hair that he always kept loose without any care for, all neatly put together in a brushed-up style with a bow keeping it behind his shoulders. This was what you wanted, so it was what you were going to get

"Boys! Come on! Wedding's about to start!" Mrs. Shroud said from the doorway, causing all three Shroud boy's hair to erupt before settling again. Thankfully it didn't burn anything...

"We're on out way, dear!" Mr. Shroud answered.

🎮 Mr. Shroud looked back at his sons and smiled, planting his new face-only helmet back on his head, his hair sticking out, as it was shorter, but brighter in terms of fire-light

"Let's head out to see your new chapter, Idia."

══✿══╡

🎮 Idia stood there before you, hair all nice, while you stood before him, your long white dress standing out while your veil was draped in front of your face, much to your future husband's dismay. It was hard to find comfort in your eyes without straining his eyes to look beyond the thin fabric

"Now, let's get these vows out, shall we?" The Minister said.

🎮 You smiled and looked at Idia, motioning for him to start. He just took a deep breath, taking a simple glance at his mother, whom was standing behind you as one of her bridesmaids, to which she nodded

🎮 Idia looked deep in your eyes and spoke from his heart. Like I said, no planning involved for this poor boy

"Y/N. You were like the boss that I couldn't defeat. I feared everyone in College, but you just kept coming back and I couldn't seem to put up a firewall to keep you away from me. Every time I heard you were somewhere, I felt the urge to go there just to see your face and hear your laughter. I was at your mercy, and your mercy alone. Ever since the first date we had years ago, I just wanted... no... I needed you to always be by my side. I love you, and I hope you feel the same in your heart."

🎮 You smiled and raised your hand under your veil to wipe a stray tear from your face as you then looked into his eyes and spoke your own vows

"Idia, you were everything I could've asked for. That may sound weird, but it's the truth. When I first met you, I thought you'd be one of the most difficult people to deal with, but I could never have been more wrong. You were charming in your own way, and you still are, without even trying! The way you link in technology in when you speak, the way you furrow your eyebrows when speaking, to the way your eyes shimmer when you find like or do something successfully, it's all enchanting to me. And I never want to let that enchantment go. And I never plan on it. I love you so much, Idia, forever and always."

🎮 He smiled at you as the Minister called for the rings, making Ortho come up and hand you both your wedding wings. Yours to Idia's being black with dark-blue colored edges, while Idia's to you was also black-ringed with a shining blue, heart-shaped gemstone on the top

🎮 You looked into his eyes once more as you placed the jewelry on his ring-finger while he did the exact same afterwards. All of his anxiety was now gone, nobody else was there besides you and him in his mind. You two were the only things that mattered

"You may kiss the bride." The Minister announced, stepping back for you both.

🎮 Idia lifted your veil before grabbing your waist and holding one side of your cheek with his hand and laying his forehead on yours, slowly moving to close the gap between your lips

🎮 Everyone cheered as you left one another's kiss and smiled, hugging one another as he whispered into your ear before setting off for the after-party with the people who attended your day

"I love you so damn much, Y/N."

[slut4msby]

flower shop girl. miya osamu x fem!reader

+ tags & warnings; not proofread

+ a/n; i wrote this at 2am last night as the idea came to me as i tried to sleep so keep that in mind </3

“Just go give him some flowers Y/N it doesn’t have to be in a romantic way, just a nice neighbourly worker gesture!” Your coworker, Emi suggested.

“I’m pretty sure Osamu-san would take it the wrong way, Emi…” 

“But Osamu-san brings us onigiri all the time! So it’s not weird unless you make it weird, Y/N.”

You couldn’t deny your feelings towards Osamu have grown since you started working at the florist. It started with you going to get some lunch and wanting to try “Onigiri Miya” which was located across the road from your work. All your coworkers could only ever speak positively about Osamu’s onigiri. And after trying it you could not blame him. The onigiri was a masterpiece, it was a perfect triangular delight that fit perfectly in the palm of your hand. The outer layer was crafted from expertly seasoned sticky rice. The rice was perfect, not too dry nor too mushy. When the nori seaweed wrapping peeled back a symphony of flavours unfold. It felt as if Osamu had crafted a masterpiece with something as simple as Onigiri. 

However, it wasn’t just the onigiri that stirred something within you; it was Osamu Miya himself. Osamu was fine. More than fine to be honest, he himself was like a Greek god. His physique from his volleyball days had slightly decreased since quitting and pursuing the store, but he was still in beautiful shape. The black Onigiri Miya shirt hugged his body just right. His hair was always slightly messy when he came over to the florists from the Onigiri Miya hat. Not only was he hot, he was funny. Everytime you would see him he would crack some jokes that never failed to put a smile on your face. Not only that despite his more dead-pan face, Osamu was great with his customers. He knew them like the back of his hands, he cared, was passionate and he was funny. God, the true triple threat.

“Plus if Osamu finds it cute, maybe your little crush will go further~.” Emi teased.

You gave her a nasty side-eye in return to her snarky comment. “Okay fine, I’ll bring some flowers to Osamu-san after my shift, if that will make you shut it.” Emi’s face lit up at the comment, “BUT. There is a catch. I get to tell Osamu-san it is a gift from the store for all the onigiri he gives us. Deal?”

“Fine, deal.”

“So… Emi… What flowers do I give Osamu-san?” You say awkwardly.

“Well I would recommend tulips - pink tulips in particular if you don’t want it to be romantic. They convey good wishes, yet non-romantic love and affection. Or maybe some daffodils! To celebrate new beginnings and goo-” Emi rambled.

“Y’know what Emi? I think I’ll just make a bouquet myself…” you mumble as you walk off.

You loved Emi but god she could get on your nerves. 

You begin taking your time putting together a bouquet for Osamu. Nothing romantic, but also beautiful enough to put the wrong idea in Osamu’s head. It wasn’t supposed to be romantic, just a nice gesture. Despite your admiration for Osamu, you barely knew the guy. He could have a girlfriend or even worse a wife. And you were no home-wrecker. You had finally decided on a bouquet with pinks and whites, with pink carnations, white roses and baby's breath flowers. It was simple, effective and didn't give Osamu the wrong idea, perfect.

“Emi-chan I’m clocking out now~” You call out to your coworker.

“Don’t forget your bouquet, Y/N-san! I’m sure Osamu is going to fall head over heels for you and you two will have like the cutest romance story ever! And I Can say I planned it ALL and I better be a bridesmaid and-” 

“Yup, okay Emi.” You say giving her a weak smile and a wave as you walk out.

You crossed the road and walked into Onigiri Miya, the bell jingling as the door opened. Osamu raised his head to greet the customer who entered.

“Welcome! Ho- Oh, it’s one of the flower shop girls. What can I do for ya?” He smiled.

“Oh Osamu-san! I have a gift for you from m- us over at the flower shop because your always so nice to us and bring us onigiri and stuff and we just wanted to say thank you and-” 

He cuts you off from your awkward mess of a speech, “Thanks flower shop girl.” He said walking over to you, grabbing the flowers from your hand. “And don’t ya worry yer pretty little head about it, sweetheart.” He examined the bouquet in front of him, looking at the array of flowers. “It’s beautiful…?”

“L/N Y/N.”

“It’s beautiful, L/N-san. What flowers did ya use?” Osamu asks out of curiosity. 

“Oh well I used white roses which you can obviously see, and some baby’s breath. The pink touch is some pink carnations, my personal favourite flower! They also express gratitude and stuff… so it’s cool I guess…”

“Well I am super grateful for the gift, L/N.” Osamu smiled.

“Oh uhm… You’re welcome! I have to get going now, Osamu-san!” You say waving as you speed walk to the door. Osamu just waves in confusion in response to your awkward actions.

“God Y/N, why are you so awkward?” You silently cuss yourself out as you walk away.

Days have passed since your very awkward flower delivery to Osamu. The interaction still haunts your mind like a bad dream, that’s what you wished it was. As you care for the flowers towards the back of the door, a familiar figure walks in. Osamu Miya. Just your luck, you gave him an awkward smile before continuing your work. Osamub slowly walks over to your coworker, Maki.

“How can I help you Miya-san?” Maki asks.

“Just wondering if you have any bouquets of pink carnations?” Osamu says, looking around the store, attempting to find some.

“Oh we just got some in before, they are a popular choice at the moment. Y/N sells them quite well, they are her favourite after all.” Maki smiles.

“Well Y/N has some good taste then, they are also a personal favourite of mine.” 

“Really! I would not expect that from you Miya! You give off like jasmine vibes.” Maki laughs.

“I only recently found out what carnations are, a very pretty girl said they were her favourite and they just remind me of ‘er.”

A red blush swipes over your face at Osamu’s comment. Were you , the pretty girl? Surely not. Carnations are a common favourite flower and Osamu must know lots of pretty girls, I mean just take a look at him.

Osamu continues his chat with Maki, checking out for his bouquet of flowers. “Thanks so much Miya-san!”

However, Osamu doesn’t leave the store, his steps bring him towards you. He holds the bouquet out towards you, “here flower shop girl. Heard ya like ‘em.”

“Oh really?” You sarcastically respond.

“Yeah, a friend told me.” He jokes back, “a friend also told me I should ask you out on a date, pretty girl. So whatdya say?”

“I’d love to, Osamu.” You smile shyly.

“Tomorrow night at 7pm. Are you free?”

“For you? I guess I could make some time…” 

©slut4msby.

[blossom-works]

From Ms. to Mrs. Kennedy

» Let's start with how Leon proposed: It was a simple proposal. It was after the two of you moved into a house with a lot of land. he proposed after you two shared your first meal at your shared home.

» Your engagement ring is a simple silver, solitaire band with an oval diamond.

» The two of you already knew an intimate wedding is the most ideal. Leon strikes me as the type to like a foresty, woodsy type of wedding. Like Bella and Edward's wedding.

» The time frame between engagement and the wedding is about ten months.

» For some reason, Hunnigan took it upon herself to be your wedding planner. She did multiple background checks on different vendors and gave you and Leon a list of secured vendors.

» Somehow Hunnigan is able to free up Leon's schedule for two and a half consecutive weeks. The two of you head off to your honeymoon a few days after the wedding.

» You asked your dad to officiate your wedding and he immediately agreed. He not only gets to walk you down the aisle but to marry his daughter.

» Leon pretty much lets you do whatever you want within reason. Like, don't go crazy and rent an elephant or whatever. Leon knows you are sacrificing your dream wedding to fit his comfort level, so he wants to make up for it by expanding your options. But you told him that he forgot what you really want: to marry him. Everything else like the flowers, decorations, and outfits just helps make marrying Leon more special. The DSO agent was pretty much putty after that.

» Leon decides to wear a white suit with black accents. He even trimmed his hair to make him look put together. You told him not to shave though. The man looks good with his scruff.

» You hate white-on-white weddings, so color is a must. You dislike bright colors, so you opt for a darker color palate (think jewel tones). The dark palate also adds to the intimate atmosphere of the wedding.

» Buffet style. A small wedding doesn't call for servants or anything like that, but that doesn't mean that you and Leon go cheap on the food. You both prefer great food over an expensive venue. You have a graze/snack table set out before dinner is served.

» Your wedding is alcohol-free. Leon still drinks, but mainly when he wants to numb himself from the pain. He doesn't want to associate that with the day he gets to call you his wife from then on.

» No bridesmaids or groomsmen. Just some flower girls and a ring-bearer. Oh, and Leon also walks down the aisle with your mom.

» The ceremony is at 2 p.m. and the reception starts at 4, but doors (trees?) open around 3:30 p.m.

» You and Leon agreed that only close family and friends would be at the ceremony, and everyone else would arrive for the party.

» You chose to put your hair in a low bun and your makeup is the Pinterest "Natural Glam" look.

» You cried. No surprise there. Leon could not stop smiling though. Like actual smiling, not his smirks or grins (no matter how charming they are).

» The ceremony only lasts for about thirty minutes. After it ended, you and Leon went somewhere private so he could tell you his vows. The two of you did the general vows and private, personal vows. It was Leon's idea to do this. He only wants you to hear his vows.

» Claire also helped Hunnigan plan the wedding for you. The two of them are so surprised that you want to marry Leon, that they won't let anyone ruin their friend's chance at a lifetime of happiness.

» First Dance: How Would You Feel by Ed Sheeran. It describes how Leon feels about you. The man just loves you so much. No special dance too. Just swaying your bodies to the lovely music. Leon feels like he has conquered the world when he has you in his arms on that dance floor. The lights illuminate your beauty and Leon is just the luckiest man on the earth.

» Leon hasn't taken his eyes off you since you walked down that aisle. You were already beautiful, but seeing you all dolled up, Leon might as well be looking at a living goddess.

» To Leon's disappointment, you didn't want to do a garter toss. You have always thought that it was weird to force family and kids to watch a man stick his head up a woman's dress. No way were you going to do that in front of your parents. You did make up for it when you got home though. Except, it isn't a garter that Leon takes off with his teeth...

» Leon only dances when you pull him on the dance floor. He prefers watching you dance your hair out, but because he loves you, he'll indulge you. Your husband is the one to drag you to the dance floor when a slow song comes on though. For that two or three minutes, the world just seems to slow down.

» Leon finds himself playing with his ring during the reception. He saw you do it when you first got engaged and he found it weird until now. It becomes a habit of his. Twirling the silver band around his finger to distract him from something, or just absentmindly doing it.

» String 👏 Lights👏

» You watched a lot of "What I would do again" and "What I would do different" wedding videos. This leads you to put disposable cameras on the tables.

» One of the main elements you wanted for your wedding was a mirror greeting sign and a mirror seating chart. The mirrors add an enchanting element to the wedding.

» Most importantly, the wedding cake. Leon doesn't strike me as a sweets guy so the cake is all you, baby. Black forest cake. C'mon, you couldn't let the opportunity pass. Forest wedding, black forest cake, woodsy, ya get the drift?

» Leon is so excited to start a new chapter with you. The dream of having a wife died when Raccoon City happened, but it got dug up and revived when he met you. Leon will always be thankful for the life you have restored in him. One way Leon can show his appreciation is by taking care of you and loving you till death do you part.

[skzpixiekaifei]

Happy Wedding, my love// happy ending saga

Part 1 - Part 3

CW: none! Just a whole lotta fluff and the two being unserious in their wedding

Taglist: @mynameisnotlaura, @palindrome969

December 21st, 2024 

It wasn’t every day two idols got married, especially ones that were considered to be the nation’s power couple. But today was that day. The day when many people tuned into the news and livestreams to see the two get married.  

Kai paced a hole through the floor of the bridal suit, her brother looking at her confused. He never knew the type of stress brides got on their wedding day. Her bridesmaids had gone to get pictures with the groomsmen, so it was just her, Bo, and Yuqi, Yuqi being her maid of honor. 

The wedding was taking place in a large greenhouse, keeping the people warm from the chill that was winter in South Korea. The large building held several of their closest friends and biggest celebrities. Yuqi and the rest of (G)-Idle were her bridesmaids, while Lisa and Wonyoung were the last two. The boys were Changbin’s groomsmen while Chan was the best man. Ateez, the rest of Blackpink, and almost half of the industry was on the guest list. The rest of the guest list was family on Changbin’s side, making the wedding have roughly seven hundred people attending. Even JYP and his family were attending, that was how big the wedding was being promoted. 

Along with the upscale wedding, came her dress. It was a slight mermaid style, the skirts flaring out after her mid-thigh. The dress from the thigh up weighed 5-10 lbs. itself. It was adorned in jewels and beads, making it hard for her to breath, the corset back not helping her case. Her hair was styled into an elegant updo, the front two strands of her hair freely flowing and curled to frame her face. Her makeup was simple, a nude look with peach lips to enhance her natural beauty. On top of that, her neck and ears were adorned with sapphires and diamonds, making her look like one of those dolls. The necklace, thankfully, wasn’t too gaudy, putting just the right amount of interesting texture to her look. 

Yuqi got a buzz from her phone, and she cursed. “Kai, baby, it’s go-time.” Kai internally groaned. She wasn’t ready yet, she doesn’t think she’ll ever be ready. She took a deep breath, linked her arm with Bo’s, and made her way to enter. Yuqi had quickly gone to walk down with Chan on her arm, giving her a look of encouragement. It reminded her of that day in February, not too long after their engagement. 

“Who's the best man?” Hyunjin asked Changbin, days after the announcement over Instagram and Dispatch. 

“I don’t know.” Changbin commented, braiding Kai’s hair, who was fast asleep with a glass of soju. 

“It’s going to be me, obviously.” Han snorted, making heads snap towards him. 

“Ain’t no way, it’ll be me.” Feliz said, and it became a huge argument between the seven members. Changbin watched them, amused, already having an idea who it’ll be. 

Kai stirred, making the men freeze. “What’s going on?” She yawned, making Changbin glare at the men who woke her up. 

“Just because of that, Chan will be my best man.” Changbin told the seven, picking the one that was least responsible for waking Kai up. 

Chan fist bumped, which led to the members wrestling and dog piling over Chan. 

Kai snorted at the memory, her nerves melting away as the music filled her ears. It was the instrumental version of Butterflies, making her crack up slightly. She met Changbin’s eyes, and they couldn’t stop the giggles that left their mouths at the sight of each other. 

After a quick couple seconds, she stood under the altar, hugging Bo after he went to sit down. The officiant, BoA, started the ceremony. The two had to hold in their laughs whenever they looked at each other, feeling shy whenever they made eye contact. 

“Now, repeat after me.” BoA instructed Changbin, who nodded diligently. She started telling the vows, pausing every now and then to let Changbin repeat after her. After his set, she turned to Kai, doing the same thing she did to Changbin to her. The two held bated breaths, until it was said they could kiss. 

The two went in for a kiss but instead of kissing, they bonked their heads together. This caused the two to burst out laughing. She cradled his head while the two laughed, trying to rub away the red mark while their wedding party couldn’t help but laugh as well.  

After a few seconds of the wedding party being anything but serious, Kai eventually landed a kiss to his lips, getting cheers from the crowd. She pulled away and continued laughing, making her wheeze from how tight the dress was. 

The two walked back down the aisle while their wedding party was following, bouncing and jumping up and down, like it wasn’t supposed to be serious, to hype the couple up. Security quickly crowded the guests into limos to transfer them over to the reception. Kai continued to rub the red mark on his forehead, before kissing it to make it feel better. Changbin chuckled, before kissing her deeply, making her squeak. 

She sighed happily, wrapping her arms around his neck before the limo lurched, the two falling to the floor with a laugh. Changbin quickly helped her up, pulling her into his lap. 

“My husband, ever the gentleman.” She snorted, Changbin kissing her cheek and making her giggle. 

“Call me that again,” he said. She smirked, before doing so. After each time she called him her husband, he would reward her with a kiss in a different place on her face.  

The two soon settled into a comfortable silence, ready to spend the rest of their lives together like this. 

BONUS!!: The pics that inspired Kai's dress (Can you tell these two have plagued my mind??)

[woah-were-halfway-there]

Along For The Ride: Blueprint

Word Count: 5.5k

A/N: finallyyyyy here’s the blueprint blurb that is way too long to be an actual blurb

When he entered the room and saw the camera, Auston knew what was happening. He agreed to do a segment for an upcoming episode of Blueprint but wasn’t exactly sure what questions he’d be asked.

Practice ended about half an hour prior, so Auston’s hair was still slightly damp from his post-practice shower. Nonetheless, he was cozy in his sweater and sweatpants as he gently rubbed his left thumb over his wedding band, a gesture he tended to do when he felt a little uneasy.

After a couple more nods and quiet hellos, someone approached Auston and handed him a small microphone as he got situated on the chair in front of the camera.

“Oh, thanks,” Auston said while clipping the mic onto his sweater collar with ease. “Good?”

“Great,” the producer replied with a smile. “You ready for your feature?”

“I guess so,” Auston chuckled. “Still not sure what you guys have planned for this, but I’m happy to help.”

“We had this idea for a specific part of Blueprint that, well, we think fans will really enjoy, and it’s centric around you. So we’ll talk to you and ask you some questions from off-camera, but of course, if there’s something you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to. Sounds good?”

“Sure, let’s do this.”

Auston shifted in his seat once more as he watched the producer talk to the cameraman and ensure the lighting looked good. She said they’d begin in a few moments, so Auston waited patiently until his phone buzzed in his pocket.

The screen lit up once he took the device out of his pocket, and Auston couldn’t help but feel himself relax when he saw the picture of him, Carson and Mia that was set as his lock screen. The picture was from the night before his and Carson’s wedding that past summer. The evening of their rehearsal dinner. Carson was dressed in a silky white jumpsuit with her hair in simple waves while Auston was wearing dress pants and a light blue button-up that matched the little blue flowers that decorated Mia’s dress, the same blue Carson’s bridesmaids would be wearing the following day.

The photo itself was simple. Carson and Auston were holding Mia and had posed for a few pictures, but Mia, out of nowhere, glanced up at her mom and giggled. So naturally, Carson couldn’t contain her massive smile in response while asking Mia what she thought was so funny. Of course, Mia laughed again, which made Auston smile, too.

Auston couldn’t remember who caught the candid moment on camera but was glad they did. It was one of his favourite pictures, and even though there were pictures from his wedding day he could use as his lock screen, he loved the simplicity of that one.  

After realizing he’d just been looking at his phone for a moment, Auston then glanced down the screen to see the notification was from Carson. In the message, she told him that she and Mia were out grocery shopping and to let her know if there was anything he wanted in particular.

Auston was texting back a response when his phone buzzed with another text from Carson. This time it was a selfie of Mia wearing a hoodie and a little beanie, slumped against her mom and not looking very impressed.

“This tired girl misses her daddy,” the message read, making Auston smile again.

He immediately wanted to call Carson, even just to hear her voice and get a proper update on Mia, but the producer then announced they would start filming in 30 seconds. So, Auston quickly texted Carson, saying he was good with whatever groceries she got and would come home to snuggle his mini once he was done filming.

After that, he slid the phone back into his pocket and braced himself for whatever he was about to be asked.

“Ok, Auston, thanks again for doing this,” the producer said.

“No problem. Thanks for having me.”

“So, as most people know, this will be your first full hockey season as a dad. How does it feel?”

“Oh,” Auston replied, a little caught off guard by the question but quickly playing it off and smiling again before he continued. “Surreal. Mia… she’s just the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Can you tell us more about her?”

Auston paused, feeling a little hesitant to answer, then nodded.

“I adore her. She’s everything good in this world. Yeah, there’s never a dull moment with Mia. She’s just so fun and curious about the world. She can be sassy, though, which her mother always says she gets from me. But it’s amazing to see her grow and watch her little personality form.”

“Amazing. As we mentioned, this is your first full season since becoming a dad, correct?” The producer asked, which made Auston chuckle slightly because he knew she knew the answer already but was trying to get him to talk more so they could edit his interview into clips.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Auston started and quickly thought of ways to keep going.

“Mia was born at the end of January. Wow, it’s wild that she will be a year old so soon. When she was born, I was lucky that the team was in Toronto already. I didn’t have to rush back and spend a flight alone, hoping I’d make it on time and be there to support her mom in whatever way I could. I know that’s not the same for many of the guys in the league, so I know how fortunate I was in that situation. I got to spend a few days at home as well. I was able to miss a game and spend those first couple of days at home, which was so important. Again, I was lucky too because I only had to miss one game, even though I may have looked into taking a leave if it came down to it.”

“Anyways, I was home after that game because we had a few days off. I was only asked to do shorter practices, then my first game back was in Detroit, I think. It wasn’t far, and we had another home game soon after, so I wasn’t even gone for a whole day. We had one more away game within the first week of Mia's birth. Again that wasn’t too far from Toronto, so I could be home quite a bit for that first little while. She was a little over two weeks old when the team went on a lengthy road trip. We were gone for close to a week, which was a lot for me, like. I’d get ridiculously anxious if I went so long without getting an update on how things were at home. That trip was pretty testing, but I knew I’d have to do it eventually.”

Once he finished his spiel, Auston blinked, surprised by how he comfortably just went on about all of that. However, with the way the producer, cameraman and other crew members were smiling and nodding at each other, Auston could tell they loved the content they were getting.

“That’s great, Auston,” the producer told him. “And what’s it like for you now to be away so much?”

“Being away from home? Oh, it sucks,” Auston replied bluntly, making everyone laugh and himself smile. “What? It does.”

“Wow, usually he’s more dramatic about being away than that,” Mitch spoke as he and Michael walked out from behind the camera. Auston assumed that the two guys were cutting through to go to the locker room, but they couldn’t keep on going. So instead, Mitchy stopped dead in his tracks to glance between Auston and the camera. “Wait, are you guys doing a feature on him?”

“Yeah, and you’re ruining the shot!” Auston laughed.

“Oh, well, that sucks,” Bunts said as he casually walked over and pretended to try to push Auston off his chair. “For you.”

“Get outta here,” Auston chuckled and pushed him away.

“What’s the feature about?” Bunts asked the producer as he walked back over to Mitch.

“We’re asking him about Mia,” the producer responded.

“And you didn’t want to ask ME?” Mitch asked disbelievingly. “I’m her godfather!”

“You’re on our list of people to ask for comments, Mitch. Don’t worry,” one of the sound guys explained. “We figured we’d talk to, you know, the one that’s a new dad, about his daughter first.”

“Ok, that’s fair,” Mitchy responded and continued walking. “Carry on.”

“You know, I’m offended I’m not getting asked about Mia,” Bunts stated while looking over his shoulder as he walked with Mitch. “We’re besties.”

“She likes me better,” Mitch scoffed.

“That’s not true!”

That was the last thing anyone heard from the two boys as they rounded a corner and disappeared out of sight.

After a moment, Auston just shook his head and smiled before looking towards the crew again. “Where were we?”

“You were telling us about what it’s like being away from your baby so much,” the producer reminded him.

“Right. Yeah, being away sucks a whole lot, and I’m sure I’m not the first hockey player-dad to say that, either. Being in a position where you’re gone from home so much and having a baby, you can’t help but think about everything you’re missing. There are milestones and other situations that will happen with Mia that I don’t want to miss, but given the type of job I have, I know it’s likely that I will. And that’s a tough pill to swallow. I’m so lucky because I have a partner… my wife, Carson, who is absolutely incredible. She holds the fort down at home while I’m gone and is the best mom to our little girl.”

Auston paused after that, feeling many things as he reached up to wipe away a tear. “I’m sorry, guys. I don’t mean to get emotional.”

“No, it’s ok,” the producer assured him. “Take your time.”

“It’s just- she’s everything to me. Carson, she’s my rock. I couldn’t do this without her, and I know it’s not easy for her with me being away constantly, but she never wavers in supporting what I do. She’s amazing, and sometimes I worry I don’t tell her enough. Like even just now, before we started this, she texted me asking if there was anything I wanted while she was out grocery shopping with Mia. I told her to get whatever, but I know that I’ll get home in a bit, and she’ll have picked up some of my favourite things and things I wouldn’t have even thought to ask for, but she knew I’d want. That’s just how Carson is.”

“Most of us here have had the pleasure of meeting Carson before, even just in passing, and from what I personally know about her, what you’re saying checks out,” the producer chuckled. “She seems like the type to pay attention to the little things.”

“Oh, yeah, like I never forget anything because she always remembers it for me somehow,” Auston replied, making everyone laugh.

“Ok, be honest,” a camera guy said. “Is Mia more of a mama or daddy’s girl?”

“That’s not even a question,” Auston scoffed. “She’s the biggest daddy’s girl. I always get called out for it, too, because it shows. Carson always gets grumpy about it because, well, I call Mia my mini. Out of Carson and I, she does look a bit more like me with the dark hair and eyes, which has Carson like, ‘of course, she couldn’t just look like you. She has to be a daddy’s girl too.’ And I just love it. I love that little girl so much. But Mia is very attached to her mom too, though. They’re partners in crime and rely on each other the most when I’m not home and just in life. Mia also has, like, her people. Aside from Carson and me, she’s got some really great people that she’s very attached to.”

“Like who?” Asked the producer.

“My mom is one, for sure. She and Mia have such a strong bond, and it’s easy to see. Whenever my family visits here, as soon as Mia recognizes my mom, she lights up and reaches for her. Then my mom would just hold onto her, talking with her and pout when someone else wanted a turn. I think us being in Arizona and with my family during the offseason helped develop that bond a lot, but Mia loves her whole family so much. She’s also very attached to Carson’s brother Nate and, as painful as it is to say, Mitchy. With Carson and Mitch being cousins, I think he and Nate remind Mia a lot of each other. She’s always giggling nonstop when she’s with either of them.”

“Mitch has made it clear how much he loves Mia, but what about the other guys? She’s quite popular with the team, isn’t she?”

“That’s an understatement,” Auston explained. “She’s got each of those guys wrapped around her little finger.”

The crew laughed at that and then glanced at each other momentarily before the producer stood up from her seat.

“Ok, I think that’s good,” she said and nodded at the cameraman to stop filming. “You gave us a lot to work with there, Auston. We really appreciate it.”

“It was no problem at all,” Auston replied, smiling as he took off his mic and stood up. “Is there anything more you guys need from me today?”

“No, no, you’re good. Go get home to Carson and Mia,” the producer told Auston as he handed her the mic.

“Don’t have to tell me twice. See ya guys.”

~*~

A couple of days later, Auston was back at practice thinking nothing about the feature he’d filmed. He knew if the filming crew needed anything more, they’d ask. So, it was easy for him to continue on normally focusing on hockey.

However, unbeknownst to him, it wasn’t just a regular day at practice.

Carson was outside the rink area, where the team would walk to and from the dressing room, talking with the producer and a cameraman. Mia chilled in her car seat on the ground next to her, blowing raspberries as she played with the ring toy she was gripping onto.

“Ok, yeah, so I’ll put this on and then just take Mia up to the glass, right?” Carson asked as she clipped the tiny mic the producer handed her to her sweater. “Is there anything you’d like me to say as we walk up?”

“Just introduce yourself and yeah, just do whatever you’re comfortable with,” the producer said, smiling. “We know that for you and Auston even to have Mia take part in this is huge, and we appreciate you letting us film this.”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all. We know this is a safe space for Mia, even if there are cameras. She’s with us too. I also really appreciate you asking if it was ok to film us rather than just assuming. I know Auston would too.”

“Of course, the players' and their families' privacy will always be something we respect,” the producer replied but was soon cut off by a squeal coming from Mia, who was looking up and reaching toward her mom. “Well, it seems like someone wants your attention.”

“Ma, mama,” Mia babbled while not looking away from Carson, showing how at almost a year old, she did in fact know who mama was.

“Wow, sorry, little miss,” Carson said, laughing slightly as she crouched down to take Mia out of her car seat. After standing back up, Carson immediately went into mom mode, adjusting the little fluffy beanie Mia was wearing and ensuring her jacket was zipped all the way up while mumbling about not wanting Mia to be cold. The producer watched, smiling, as the two girls had their little moment that ended with Carson kissing Mia’s head before looking back at the others. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Take all the time you need,” the producer told her. “We’re ready whenever you are.”

“Thanks. I think we’re ready,” Carson replied.

“Great,” said the cameraman. “You’re good to start right there, and I’ll count down from five to let you know when we’re starting to film.”

“Got it.”

Carson nodded and smiled at the other two just before they started going over some final details and moved her attention back to Mia, who was leaning against her chest while taking in their new surroundings.

“I know, sweet girl,” Carson said as she reached up to gently play with Mia’s little curls sticking out from the beanie she wore. “This is a whole new place, isn’t it? It’s a little nerve-wracking at first, but we’ll see your daddy very soon.”

At that, Mia perked up and moved away from Carson’s chest to get a better look at her mom.

“Dada,” she repeated but sounded like she asked a question, which made Carson laugh.

“Yes, dada,” Carson explained, then tickled Mia to get some giggles out of her. “And Mitchy and Willy and Bunts. All of your favourite guys.”

Mia started giggling like crazy the more Carson tickled her. Still, soon her attention fell back to the two strangers standing nearby, and she immediately leaned against her mom again and clutched onto Carson’s sweater.

“Ok, Carson. Here we go,” the producer warned her about how they were about to start filming. “In five, four, three, two-.”

Instead of saying one, the producer pointed and nodded to Carson, signalling the camera was rolling.

“Um, hi,” Carson started, suddenly feeling very nervous. Similarly to Auston, when she felt anxious, Carson tended to fiddle with her wedding and engagement rings. It was challenging to do that as she held Mia, but when she glanced down at the little girl hiding her face against the fabric of the sweater she wore, Carson’s nerves faded because she was suddenly focused on ensuring Mia felt better. As someone who struggled with anxiety and often blamed herself for Mia seemingly experiencing the same thing, Carson was always the best person to help Mia in such moments.

“I’m Carson Matthews, and this is Mia. She’s a little shy with being around so many new people and in an unfamiliar setting, but we’re here to surprise the guys with a little visit. Hey, Mia, can you look at me for a sec?”

Mia hesitated momentarily as Carson tapped her, trying to get her attention, but didn’t want to move from where she was comfortably hiding against her mom’s chest. She slowly leaned back to look up at Carson, showing how her eyes were beginning to water from the unsureness she was feeling.

“Oh, my sweet girl,” Carson said, visibly melting after making eye contact with Mia.

At that moment, she forgot about the camera. She didn’t care about it anymore because Mia was her number-one priority over everything. Had she been more aware of the camera, she probably would’ve said maybe filming wasn’t a good idea. However, she became too focused on Mia even to remember the presence of others.

The producer and cameraman picked up on what was happening and debated cutting the camera, but they knew if Carson wanted them to stop, she’d tell them, and they fully respected that. So, they decided to continue filming to see how their little situation played out and was fully prepared to scrap the idea of that segment entirely out of regard for Mia’s feelings. However, they didn’t need to because they soon caught a very sweet moment between the mother-and-daughter duo and were highly impressed by how Carson handled everything.

“Mama,” was all Mia had to babble for Carson to know how she was feeling.

“I got you, baby,” Carson spoke softly before pecking Mia’s nose. In response, Mia wrapped her arms around Carson’s neck and leaned against her shoulder, to which Carson just held her and began rubbing her back. “Oh, I know. I know. It’s a lot seeing all these new things, isn’t it? But, you know what, look who’s over here.”

Carson then walked over to the large frosted glass sliding doors the Leafs go through to enter the rink. The doors opened and showed the team practicing on the other side, which piqued Mia’s interest. The Leafs were at the opposite end of the rink, so no one noticed the doors slide open to show Carson and Mia standing together. Carson squeezed Mia and pointed to Auston, who was slightly closer to them but was too occupied speaking with one of the coaches to realize he had visitors.

“Do you know who that is?”

“Dada,” Mia answered, not missing a beat and almost instantly seeming to be in better spirits as she focused on her dad.

“Yes, that’s dada,” Carson said, then placed multiple kisses on Mia’s cheek, making the little girl giggle happily. “Wanna go see him?”

Mia nodded, continuing to watch Auston until the doors closed again. “Dada!”

At that, Carson turned around to face the camera and look at the producer, resuming what they were doing prior.

“They don’t know we’re here,” Carson explained. “Well, Sheldon, the other coaches and Johnny do, but that’s it. The plan is that as soon as Sheldon calls for the end of practice, we go out there and surprise Auston with a visit. He got a ride out here this morning with Bunts and thinks that’s how he’s getting home, too, so he has no idea.”

A loud whistle blew on the rink side of the doors, making Carson react by turning around to face the doors again. However, she paused, unsure if it was the right time to go out.

“They’re finishing up, Carson,” one of the Leafs staff members said, smiling as she walked by, but not without waving as she went. “Hi, Mia!”

Mia squealed happily in response, seeming to recognize the woman.

“That’s our cue, little miss,” Carson told Mia before glancing over her shoulder at the camera. “Here we go.”

Carson approached the doors again, this time more confidently, as she strode into the rink area and walked next to the glass towards the bench.

The guys were huddled around Keefe, listening to the last bit of his spiel before ending the practice. Keefe spotted Carson walking with Mia and tried to contain the smirk tugging at his lips as he spoke, knowing what would happen when the guys noticed the girls’ presence.

“Alright, that’s it,” Keefe said, nodding toward the guys as the music they were blaring cut out. “You guys have a day off tomorrow. Enjoy it, and I’ll see you all at the airport on Sunday.”

With that, the group dispersed. The guys took their time getting off the ice, having a brief conversation with one another or going over to collect pieces of equipment before heading out.

Still, no one noticed Carson and Mia except those who knew they were there. John tried to get Auston’s attention, but Auston was too occupied talking to Gio as they each grabbed their water bottles.

Some guys turned around and began skating to the door so they could leave the ice. Once they saw Carson with Mia, they smiled and waved, knowing Auston’s day was about to be made and caught on camera simultaneously. So, they decided to hang around to see it all play out.

Carson tried to remain patient but wanted to get Auston’s attention so badly. Luckily, though, Gio turned around after a moment and spotted her. He smiled, then nudged Auston and nodded towards Carson so he’d see who was waiting for him.

Auston didn’t know what Gio was trying to show him, and it showed when he turned around, and his face lit right up upon seeing his girls on the other side of the rink waiting for him. He was smiling so wide as he skated over to them, not noticing the camera at first as he stopped in front of the two girls and leaned over the boards towards them.

“What’re you guys doing here?” He asked, still cheesing hard as he leaned over the boards more to give Carson a quick kiss.

“We wanted to surprise you,” Carson replied and nodded toward the camera so he’d see. “And figured I’d give you a ride home.”

“Ah, I see,” Auston said as he glanced over at the camera briefly, knowing they were filming to add to the feature they were doing on him for the Blueprint. He didn’t mind, though, because it didn’t take long for his attention to move entirely to the little girl who had been so patient and excited to see him. “Hi, mini!”

Without a second thought, Auston started reaching to take Mia from Carson. But, much to his dismay, Carson stepped away and shook her head, making Auston look at her with the most butthurt expression.

“Nuh-uh, you’re all sweaty,” Carson complained. “I just bathed her this morning.”

“Carse,” Auston pouted, not caring who heard. “You can’t not let me hold her.”

“You can hold her after you’ve showered,” Carson sassed right back, making the guys standing nearby break into fits of laughter over how devastated Auston looked.

“But that’ll take too long. I wanna hold her now.”

“Then you better get to the locker room and shower.”

Auston still looked at Carson with a pout and huffed dramatically, hoping she’d crack. It didn’t work, but luckily for Auston, something else did.

“Dada,” Mia said, smiling so wide as she reached toward Auston.

“See, she wants me to hold her,” Auston stated as a matter of factly.

Carson glared at him momentarily, then sighed in defeat before shifting Mia in her hold so she could properly pass Auston, their daughter. “You’re giving her a bath again once we’re home.”

“Hi, my girl,” Auston greeted happily as he moved away from the boards slightly, not acknowledging what Carson said.

Carson watched the two together and couldn’t help but smile at least a little bit. She loved them both and how much they loved each other so much. Then she shook her head and glanced toward the camera.

“I used to be his girl.”

“You still are,” Auston quipped, not even looking away from Mia but matching Carson’s sass with ease, even though she was teasing.

Carson rolled her eyes at that, her smile growing wider as she did, though. However, a familiar voice yelled from across the ice before she could say anything else.

“Is that Meems?” Mitch called out and was quick skating over.

“Mia!” Willy said excitedly and followed after Mitch, Bunts not trailing far behind him.

“Oh, there’s my favourite Matthews,” Mo stated as he joined as well and soon, most of the guys were crowding around, trying to say hi to Mia, and she loved every second of it. Of course, they were all happy to see Carson too.

“Would you back off,” Auston snapped at Mitch, who was trying to take Mia from him.

“You literally get to spend the most time with her. Let me hold her,” Mitch replied.

“She’s my daughter!”

“She’s my goddaughter!”

The two started bickering, making Carson facepalm as she waited for them to stop. Slowly, some guys made their way off the ice and nodded to Carson before heading to the dressing room as the arguing continued.

“Carson, can you tell him to stop?” Auston pleaded with his wife, sounding like a child who wasn’t getting his way.

“Don’t try to get her to take your side,” Mitchy scoffed, then looked at his cousin in disbelief. “Control your husband, Carse.”

“Both of you are ridiculous,” Carson replied, shaking her head. She had another sassy remark ready, but then she noticed Mia fighting so hard to keep her eyes open while leaning against Auston and decided to step in. “How about I take Mia, and we head home because it’s getting near her naptime? And Mitchy, you and Steph can either come over later tonight or tomorrow so you can see her before you’re both gone on your roadtrip.”

“Are you making food?” Mitch asked with zero hesitation, to which Carson nodded.

“I can.”

“Sold.”

“Sick invite,” Bunts scoffed and looked at Carson disbelievingly.

“You know you’re always welcome, Mikey,” Carson told him as she took Mia back, who let out a big yawn as she snuggled closer to her mom. She then looked at Auston and spoke again. “I’m trying to ignore that she smells like you now.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Auston whined, then smiled down at Mia. “I’ll go shower, though, so we can get this tired girl home for a nap.”

He then leaned toward Carson, wanting to give her another peck on the lips, but stopped, afraid she’d move away and say he smelled bad again. Carson knew that’s exactly what was going on in his mind and felt bad for a second because she was just teasing, even though he definitely needed to shower. So, to let him know she didn’t actually care that much about how smelly he was, she closed the gap between them and stood on her tiptoes to catch his lips in a kiss.

Carson could feel Auston smiling against her mouth, which made her do the same. Then the moment was ruined by a loud noise, which made them jump slightly.

“My bad,” Willy stated as he bent down to pick up the stick he accidentally dropped. Mia looked at the blonde with a slight scowl because of the loud noise he made, which made Willy feel terrible. “Oh, Mia. Don’t look at me like that. I’m sorry.”

Mia continued looking at him, unimpressed, but her expression soon turned into a smile. Which was a given, seeing how much she loves Willy.

Carson and Auston looked at each other, trying not to laugh at the interaction between Willy and Mia, but they couldn’t help it. However, seconds later, Mia yawned and snuggled close to Carson again, reminding her parents it was almost nap time.

“Ok, we should really be heading home soon,” Auston said as he stepped through the open door so he could make his way to the dressing room. “I’ll go shower right now. Meet you outside the dressing room in like 20 minutes?”

“Deal,” Carson responded, earning herself a wink from her husband before he headed off.

Shortly after Auston left, the cameraman stopped filming, which Carson completely forgot was even happening still. The producer thanked her again for letting them film her and Mia before saying they would go off and film a few more little things for the feature. So, Carson took off the mic she was wearing and returned it before the producer and cameraman went back through the sliding doors and out of sight.

Carson stayed in the rink area for a little while, talking to Mitchy and the few guys that still lingered around, but it didn’t take long to notice Mia’s cheeks getting rosy from being around the ice for so long. Mitchy saw Carson realize Mia was getting cold and witnessed her shifting into mom mode like he had so many times before. It made him really happy seeing how incredible of a mother his best friend was turning out to be.

All the guys she was still speaking with understood and figured they should probably head to the dressing room and change out of their gear.

Once they were back in the warmth of the lobby area, Carson got Mia settled back into her car seat with a fluffy blanket, then put a baby sensory video of dancing fruit on for Mia to watch as they waited for Auston. The video was enough to keep Mia occupied for the roughly 10 minutes it took for Auston. She was on the verge of passing out when Auston finally joined them and barely even reacted as he approached them because she was so focused on her video.

Auston just chuckled, knowing how much those sensory videos put Mia at ease, and he decided not to disrupt her as he approached.

“Ready to go?” He asked Carson as he grabbed her coat from a nearby chair and held it up to help her into it.

“More than ready,” Carson replied as she put on the coat and turned to face Auston again as she zipped it up. “Thanks, babe.”

“Of course. And ok, let's go. I’ll drive us home.”

Carson nodded in response, appreciative of his offer because, similarly to Mia, she was getting tired and ready to crawl into bed.

“After we get home and put Mia in her crib, wanna nap with me?” Carson asked as Auston grabbed Mia’s car seat to carry her out to the car.

“I would love to,” he answered, smiling as he stood back up.

Auston then wrapped his free arm around Carson and held her close as they made their way out of the practice facility, not knowing the cameraman and producer were nearby catching this one last sweet family moment on video.

[dingochef]

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x You (OFC)

Warnings: Swearing, Smut (MDNI 18+ Only), Stalking, P in V, oral (female and male receiving), Semi-public sex, light spanking, light bondage, blindfolds, shitty parents, nightmares,

Summary: Rooster and Lydia tie the knot and other wedding related shenanigans.

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Chapter 16

Word Count: 4.0k

Chapter 17 To Love

Jake and you spend a quiet New Year's Eve in, enjoying some very good champagne and each other's company. The first part of the year is filled with work, Jake getting a new batch of Top Gun students, and the days till Lydia and Rooster's wedding counting down.

Lydia and Rooster have decided to have a small wedding at a historic Catholic church in Old Town. Shortly after Rooster asked Jake to be his Best Man, Lydia asked you to be her Maid of Honor and Beth to be a bridesmaid. Maverick was asked to walk Lydia down the aisle. They've opted to keep things simple all around, Beth and you are told to wear something "nice" and the guys will wear suits.

I laughed when Jake said he didn't have a suit.

"You're in your thirties, how do you not have a suit?" you asked, mocking him a tiny bit.

"Well, El, if you haven't noticed one of the perks of the Navy is that you get most of your wardrobe provided to you including formal occasions."

So you went suit shopping, Jake striking a pose every time he came out of the dressing room at Brooks Brothers. He finally settled on a lighter gray three piece suit that fit him very well over the one that made him "look like James Bond" in his words. As you were checking out Jake spied a dark blue tie with a very light Hawaiian pattern on it in a lighter blue in the display next to the counter. You had to look closely to recognize it was actually cartoonishly drawn hibiscus flowers.

Jake quickly texts Rooster and Maverick asking what color suits they're wearing. He gets two quick and puzzled replies of "grayish" and "charcoal". You realize what Jake is up to as he picks up three of the ties and matching pocket squares.

"Matching ties for the groom's party?" you ask.

"Of course, plus, we can accommodate Rooster's love of Hawaiian prints into the wedding. I had come up with an idea, if he was having a bachelor party, to get the whole group matching ones, like the tackiest ones I could find on Amazon to hit the town," Jake is grinning gleefully, "This way Lydia won't kill me."

The actual plan for the day of the wedding is pretty basic, Rooster and Maverick are going to meet at your house to get ready. Beth and you will head over Lydia's to help her get ready. The wedding is scheduled for 3 pm with pictures to follow at the church and then at the beach before dinner. Lydia and Rooster have reserved a private room at a restaurant in La Jolla that overlooks the bay.

The day finally arrives and soon you're parking at Lydia's, walking up to the front door. You're balancing your dress and shoes in a garment bag, her bouquet in a box from the florist's that you picked up on the way over, and some Pad Thai takeout, because as Lydia said,

"I've got a mad craving for it right now, it's what the baby wants."

Beth answers the door and we walk back to Lydia and Rooster's room. Her dress that you helped pick out right after Christmas is hanging from the closet door ready to go.

"How does the bride feel today?" you ask as you enter the room. Lydia is sitting at a vanity table with a mirror considering her wet hair.

"The bride is feeling good, other than I can't tell if my stomach is nerves or morning sickness," she answers. She smells the Pad Thai in the bag, her face turning panicked as she bolts to the bathroom. Beth and you look at each other and grimace as you hear Lydia retching in the bathroom. Peeking your head into the bathroom, you ask, "I take it that's a no on the Pad Thai?"

Lydia just gives you a thumbs up as she continues to vomit. You wrap up the offending Pad Thai to place it in the fridge and find some crackers and a Gatorade for Lydia.

When you get back to the bedroom, Lydia is back at the vanity and gladly takes the crackers and Gatorade. Beth starts to dry her hair as Lydia munches on some of the crackers trying to calm her stomach. The rest of Lydia's wedding preparations go smoothly and with no more vomiting.

Lydia steps into her shoes as her last step to getting ready. She has chosen a lacy A-line knee length dress with an off the shoulder neckline and lace long sleeves. It is simple and timeless. Her hair is down and she is wearing a simple crown hair piece made of pearl beads that shine against her red hair. An elegant bouquet of white roses completes her look.

Beth and you coordinated, picking dresses of a similar color. You both are wearing lighter purple knee length dresses. Your dress has more of a 50s vintage feel to it with a high neckline and cap sleeves. Beth's is more flowy and is a v neck sleeveless silhouette.

"I think it's time," you announce looking at the clock.

Your trio carefully makes your way to the car, trying not to wrinkle your clothes as you buckle your seatbelts.

Lydia is sitting in the front seat.

"Any last thoughts as an unwed woman?" you joke with her.

Beth chimes in from the back seat leaning over the console,

"Since you've obviously stayed a virgin till now, need any advice on what to expect on the wedding night?"

Lydia laughs and just points to her belly,

"I think there's evidence to the contrary right here. And no, no last minute declarations, just want to get this show on the road."

You arrive at the church and find Maverick, Penny, and Amelia waiting on the church steps.

Maverick breaks out his signature smile.

"Lydia, you look stunning. Do you feel ready?" He says as he puts his hands on Lydia's upper arms.

"Hell yeah, I've been ready since he put the ring on my finger," Lydia replies, her excitement radiating off of her.

Maverick leads you to a vestibule where he and Lydia will wait till the start of the ceremony. You, Beth, Penny, Amelia, make your way to the sanctuary. Jake is standing up by Rooster at the altar and you know the moment he sees you, a large smile blooms across his face and he stops talking. Rooster looks over his shoulder to see you approaching. Penny and Amelia sit down in the first pew and you and Beth take your places across the altar.

The priest walks up the altar and says hello to Rooster as he takes his place. He introduces himself as Father Antoine. The organ music starts playing a classical tune you don't recognize but it is light and happy and fits the mood. The old church is made of adobe and is filled with sunlight that bounces off the whitewashed walls filling the space with a warm glow.

Lydia and Maverick walk through the doors at the end of the aisle, her arm tucked into his. He says something that makes Lydia laugh and the slightly pensive look on her face is replaced by an open and wide smile. She is only looking at Rooster standing at the altar as she walks down the aisle and he is looking at her. A jet could take off next to him and he wouldn't notice, he is that entranced by Lydia. They arrive at the altar and Maverick moves to stand next to Jake and Lydia hands over her bouquet to you. Rooster leans over to Lydia and whispers,

"You look absolutely gorgeous, babe."

Father Antoine starts the ceremony, words familiar to you having grown up Catholic and been to more than your fair share of weddings,

“Dearly beloved, you have come together into the house of the Church.”

You zone out for a second and look over to Jake who is staring at you. He drops his panty dropper smile and it makes you blush a little. The words of the ceremony fade out as you watch Jake across the altar. You can't help but think of what your and Jake's ceremony would be like. Would he want to wear his dress whites? Big or small? You tuck those thoughts away for another day and watch your best friend marry the man of her dreams. The love is apparent on both their faces as they recite the words of the ceremony.

You realize the ceremony is over when Father Antoine starts the Universal Prayer and organ music starts up again.

Rooster and Lydia lead the way down the aisle arm in arm, Maverick offers his arm to Beth, and you link up with Jake to follow them.

The photographer follows everyone out into the sunny day for more pictures. As you are being arranged Lydia finally notices the guys ties,

"Are those hibiscus flowers? Like a Hawaiian shirt?" she asks, leaning in to inspect Rooster's tie.

"Yup, Hangman found them. He thought it was a classy way to as he said, 'celebrate your god awful love of tacky Hawaiian shirts', Rooster answers.

Lydia looks at Jake and he is unsure what her reaction will be until she breaks into a smile,

"That was really sweet, Hangman. Who knew you had a sentimental side?" Lydia teases.

Your next stop is a beach in La Jolla where we take pictures as the sun starts to set out over the Pacific.

With the pictures complete, the group heads over the restaurant. You and Jake are the first to arrive and are shown to a private dining room with floor to ceiling windows that overlooks the lights of La Jolla and the Pacific Ocean. Standing at the window enjoying the view, Jake loops his arms around your waist and his chin hooks over your shoulder.

“You look very beautiful today, El,” he murmurs in your ear, “It wasn’t fair because I didn’t know what you were going to wear, but you knew what I was.”

You augh at the thought,

“Got to keep some mystery, sometime. So how much of the ceremony did you actually watch or did you just spend the whole time looking at me?”

“I was listening during the important parts, the rings showed up on time, but yeah, I was mostly looking at you and how breathtakingly beautiful you are and thinking about what our wedding will be like.”

“Our wedding, I like the sound of that. You have any specific requests?” you ask.

“Probably not in a Church, something outdoors, the beach.”

“Agreed, I am not the biggest fan of organ music, maybe a string quartet.”

"Classy."

"You know me, classy as fuck," you tease. Jake just laughs and gives you a kiss.

You're startled out of the moment by the arrival of the rest of the group.

Maverick loudly announces, “Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Bradshaw!

Everyone claps and gives whoops and wolf whistles as you all sit down. A server comes in with a few bottles of champagne and pours glasses for everyone except Lydia and Amelia. You laugh at the pout Amelia gets when she is handed sparkling grape juice.

Lydia announces that the meal will be served family style. Jake picks up on the fact it’s time to give a speech. He’d been nervous trying to figure out what to say.

“How do I translate, Rooster and I could barely be in the same room for the better part of the past a decade and now we’re good friends after one fucked up mission?” he whined as he wrote down notes for his speech.

“I’m sure you’ll find a way, you have a way with words,” you reassured him.

Jake stands up and clinks his glass with his knife to quiet us down.

“A toast to the bride and groom,” he says and the clinking of glasses echoes around the room.

He begins his speech,

“Bradley, it feels weird to not use your call sign,” everyone chuckles at that ,l “I didn't think I'd ever be here toasting you and your wife, as your best man. I suppose it helps that my girlfriend is BFFs with your wife. Wife, I like the sound of that, I should get on that,” he winks at you and the rest of the table makes woo sounds. Jake continues,

“We’ve known each other a lot of years and in a lot of different places. We definitely didn’t always get along, but I always respected you, even if I had a lousy way of showing it.” Rooster laughs hard at that line.

“I’m glad that we had an opportunity to become friends and I'm so happy to see you get all the happiness in life that you deserve. Love you, bro,” Rooster salutes Jake and says,

“Right back at ya,” then Jake continues,

“Lydia, you have made Bradley a better man even if you have terrible taste in facial hair.”

The group laughs uproariously. As the laughter dies down, Jake gets a serious tone and look on his face,

“To both of you, know that the people in this room are your family for life and will do everything to support and love you and the new baby chick.”

You look over to Rooster and he is wiping a small tear from his eye.

Jake ends the toast by raising his glass and saying loudly,

“To the Bradshaws, and to love!” There is more clinking of glasses and sipping of champagne.

You stand up and give Jake a kiss before he sits down,

“Lydia, it's hard to believe that all this epic friendship started because we sat next to each other as college freshmen, unsure kids who were ready to take on the world,” you let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding as you relax.

“I want to give you my thanks for unending love and support as we made our way in the world and particularly for offering me an extra room to rent in San Diego when my life had turned upside down. I think that worked out well,” you say as you look at Jake.

“I am so happy you have found your person who loves you even more than we all do,” there are a few “Here, Here’s” as you continue.

“And I wanted to share this quote,

'Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.' — Antoine de Saint-Exupery"

Congratulations to Lydia and Bradley as they look outward together to the life and family they are building. And to love!”

You finish holding up my glass for the salute.

Maverick stands next and says,

"I guess as the oldest person in the room, I'll give a few words of wisdom," he pauses for laughter,

"Bradley, the day you were born I was at the hospital and I was awed by the love your parents had for you, and the instant love I felt for you when I held you because the people I loved loved you."

Maverick gets a little choked up talking about Rooster's parents. Rooster ducks his head down to wipe the tears that are undoubtedly welling up. Lydia's arm is automatically around his shoulders. He takes a deep breath and comes back up as he and Maverick share an understanding look.

"I know our journey hasn't been easy or smooth, but I'm so happy that I'm here with you today and that you found someone who loves you back with all the love you have to give.

I can't wait to meet the little one, might I suggest Pete or Mitchell for a name?"

Rooster lets out a big laugh followed by a snort,

"Only if I'm interested in raising a hellion like you, Mav."

Maverick shrugs,

"Fair, congratulations Bradley and Lydia," he raises his glass and everyone follows, "To love."

The food is served and the happy mood continues as everyone eats. Lydia and Rooster spend most of the meal looking at each other, almost glowing with happiness and love. The dinner winds down and it is apparent that Lydia is starting to flag with exhaustion. Rooster recognizes how tired she is and goes around to say goodbye and thank you to everyone so they can get home. He gives both you and Jake big bear hugs and says,

"You guys are next," and looking at Jake, "You need to get on that."

He winks as he walks back to Lydia who is standing up waiting for him. The last we see of the newlyweds is them leaving the room Rooster's arm around Lydia's waist in a protective gesture.

Jake offers to drive home.

"That'd be nice," I reply yawning.

I watch the scenery go by and think out loud,

"How crazy is it that Lydia and Rooster are married and expecting a kid? If you had asked me how my life was going to change that night when I walked into the Hard Deck I never would have guessed any of this."

Jake laughs,

"True, I liked your quote, it kind of captures the feeling of our relationship, looking forward and building a life together."

You giggle, and Jake is momentarily confused.

"Thanks, I also panicked about a speech and Googled 'best quotes for wedding speeches' and I liked that one."

"Knowing Google helped you makes you seem less deep and intellectual. Here's a profound quote about love, just googled it," he teases.

"Hey, it worked. I've never claimed to be a poet or literary expert."

When you arrive home, Jake takes your hand and leads you to the bedroom. Standing in the middle of the room he pulls you to him and wraps you in his arms.

"You look really good in this suit, it's almost a shame I've to take it off you," you whisper as you kiss Jake's jaw.

He lets out a soft laugh,

"Thanks, this dress has been driving me crazy all day. I've been wanting to touch all the places I couldn't see."

His hand is on your leg just above your knee and he slowly slides it up under your dress. You feel the moment he expects to find the edge of your underwear on your hip, he passes by and then comes back down. The realization that you don't have underwear flashes across his face and you are rewarded with his signature smirk.

"El, you seem to have lost your underwear," he says to me, voice low and teasing.

"Oh, I didn't lose it, that was on purpose, felt a little hot and needed to cool off," you look up at Jake and bat your eyelashes trying to look innocent.

Laughing, Jake drops to his knees and sticks his head under your skirt wasting no time in tonguing your folds and clit. You gasp at the intense contact and try not to sway too far in your heels at the feeling of his tongue lapping at you. Gently, he slides one finger in you and continues his efforts on your clit. The room is filled with your soft moaning and whatever words you can form,

"Fuck, that feels so good."

Jake slips another finger in, pumping a little harder and faster, earning him more praise,

"Oh god, Yeah, that, more, more," falls from your lips in a stream of consciousness more than sentences. That familiar tightness starts to pool low in your stomach and your walls start to shudder against Jake's fingers. The wave of pleasure is starting to form just as he pulls away. You look down and Jake has reappeared from under your dress. He wipes his chin and stands up to kiss you.

"Yeah, definitely hot down there, I think you need to cool off," he smirks, enjoying your frustration. He turns you around and unzips your dress letting it slide down. You step out of the dress and lay it over the armchair in the corner of the room.

Turning your gaze to him, you say,

"You're looking a little hot under the collar yourself, Jake,"

He is loosening his tie and has already taken off the suit jacket, laying it on top of the dresser. He is standing there with just the dress shirt, vest, and pants, having shed his shoes and socks somewhere along the way. By the time you reach him he's unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt.

Starting with the vest, you make quick work of the few buttons and work on the shirt buttons below it, desperate to touch his skin. Jake finishes the last buttons and you slide the shirt and vest off. The sounds of Jake's belt clanking can be heard as he rushes to get it undone, in seconds he is naked and reaching for you. He pulls you into a searing kiss, the kind that makes your knees a little weak. His hands slide under your thighs and he lifts you up. You instinctively wrap your legs around his waist. Never breaking the kiss he walks over to the bed and lies down on his back so you are straddling him.

You pull back to catch your breath and start a slow circle of your hips, his hard cock sliding along your wet folds.

“Please, El,” Jake pleads, gripping your hips a bit harder. You reach down and lift your hips enough for him to slide into you in one long thrust.

"Oh, fuck, baby, so, so good," Jake pants out.

You start to rock your hips gently, just enough to slide part way on his cock. Jake's hands come up and cup your breasts. His thumbs sweep over your nipples, a moan escapes from your lips.

His hands slide down on your hips and urge you to go faster. Planting your hands on his chest you speed up, another string of curses and encouragement falling out of Jake's mouth.

"Fuck, oh God, you're so beautiful, fuck you feel so good, El," Jake manages to rasp out between moans. The pace gets faster as Jake is practically lifting you up each time. He tears one hand away from your hip to touch your clit. You can tell from the way his moans are becoming more strained and his jaw is clenching that he is close to coming. His fingers are insistent and rubbing tight circles around your clit, bringing the impending wave of pleasure closer and closer.

Jake is desperately thrusting his hips off the bed and pleading at you,

"Baby, so close, you ready to come on my cock?"

Your climax hits before you can answer and all that comes out is a strained moan and an "Oh fuck," at a really high pitch. Jake comes just an instant later, eyes closing involuntarily. You slow your pace but keep rolling your hips slowly to extend your mutual pleasure.

Jake reaches out a lazy hand to pull you down to kiss him. You take your time with long languid kisses and enjoying the feeling of being joined still.

"I love you," you manage to say in between kisses.

"I love you, too, El," Jake responds. You finally separate and you head to the bathroom for some cleanup. By the time you come back to the bedroom, Jake is already asleep on his back.

You crawl into bed next to him and lay your head on his chest. He stirs a little and rolls over to wrap his arms around you and you hear a muffled and sleep filled,

"Mm, going to make you my wife," before he falls back asleep.

Think Jake is planning on asking an important question in the next chapter. Hopefully a little quicker on the update next time.

Chapter 18

@kmc1989

@starswholistenanddreamsanswered

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@callmemana

@dempy

@hangmanscoming

@lanie-k

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@senjoritanana

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@mygyn

[eyeslikewatercoolers]

Something Blue (Sashnetra- Wedding Planner AU)

And...here's part 4/4 of the main story for the Wedding Planner AU. Thanks to everyone that kept an interest in this little AU of mine that has grown so much. There's more to come after this, so stay tuned!

Read on ao3

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The pianist had played the prelude music for the past thirty minutes as the guests greeted each other and searched for available seats. The elderly pianist playing the piano at the church was a few pages away from starting the processional, as the family and wedding party would take their places. Soon everyone at the wedding would be waiting in anticipation as the bride would eventually make an entrance and walk down the aisle.

Sasha felt very nervous to see Anetra, but she wasn't the one marrying her. But luckily for Sasha, this would be the last day that she would see Anetra, and then she would get over her crush as fast as possible.

Right?

She needed a moment to herself before the ceremony started. Maybe a quick walk around the church could help clear her mind.

Sasha slipped from behind the pews and out the door that nobody was using. She found herself in an empty hall and began walking as the piano and voices became softer. The further in the church she walked, the more tranquil she felt.

She walked past a small group of bridesmaids as they were quietly speaking amongst themselves, paying no attention to Sasha. She heard part of the conversation in passing "-just got into her dress, and then she said she needed to check on something. She said that she would be back soon."

"I hope so, she's been a little flakey lately. That's not like Anetra."

Sasha tried not to look at the group as she overheard the bride's name. She quickened her pace as she walked further from the group and turned to another hallway. It might have been a long shot, but she had a feeling she knew where Anetra was.

The door to the kitchen pantry was left ajar, with the light turned on. Sasha carefully peeked in and saw the crisp white dress that flowed down the flow down the floor, as the bride who wore it was sitting on a stool, facing the other direction. Her hair was in an updo, carefully pinned with a lotus-shaped hairclip. Sasha felt slightly disappointed that Anetra's hair wasn't worn down for her special day.

Sasha gave a quiet knock on the door to announce her presence, "Is this your favorite hiding place? Or do you just have a thing about spending your time in closets?" she asked gently.

Anetra turned her head towards the voice and stood up when she recognized who it was. Her make-up was simple yet elegant. She was gorgeous from head to toe, and Sasha had never envied a groom so much in her career.

"I've just been thinking in here, that's all," Anetra said as she crossed her arms over her chest, closing herself off. She seemed much calmer now than when they were in the pantry a few days before.

"Thinking about what?" Sasha questioned her.

Anetra took a deep breath before answering, cementing her decision to herself before she vocalized it. "I don't think I want to get married today." She looked Sasha in the eyes, her warm brown eyes seeming honest yet pleading. "I've been thinking about what you told me, and I don't think this will make me happy as much as it's making everyone else happy."

Sasha nodded, a little surprised at Anetra's even tone. "What did you plan on doing, then? I think it's a little too late to cancel everything."

Antera's eyes brightened, an idea coming to her, "I need you to take me to my dad's house. Like, right now."

Sasha tilted her head, wondering why a potential runaway bride was asking her wedding planner for help to escape her wedding. "Where does your dad live?" she asked, might as well humor Anetra's request.

"Los Angeles."

Sasha hoped that Anetra was confusing Los Angeles with Las Vegas, but after the two stared eye to eye for several seconds, she started to believe Anetra meant what she said. Anetra continued, "Please? You're going there anyways after this." Her big, brown eyes seemed to be the bane of Sasha's decision-making skills.

"What about everyone waiting for the wedding to start? What do you plan to tell them?" As Sasha asked, Antra turned around and picked up a large box from the floor, filled with small sealed envelopes with handwritten blue names on each one.

"I already got it covered." She shuffled through the box to show Sasha, "We got sent an extra box of thank you cards, so I wrote each to explain everything." She looked back at Sasha, "I have my stuff that I need to bring to my dad's in the dressing room I got ready in. So can you please take me with you?"

Sasha sighed, realizing that Anetra did think of everything to be a runaway bride. Something in her told her that the other woman needed this. "Okay, fine, I can take you. I'll take these cards to the ceremony hall, and I'll meet you in five minutes at the car, alright?"

A few minutes later Sasha awkwardly walked through the church, handing the box to the officiant, and quickly escaped to her rental car, she saw Anetra with a duffel bag standing outside of it, still in her white dress. "You didn't change?" she asked as she unlocked the car.

"There's no time. Let's get out of here."

After making a quick stop at a gas station for fuel and snacks and to get Anetra out of the dress into street clothes, the two were on the long drive back to LA. Anetra stayed relatively quiet as Sasha put her playlist on the car stereo. On the long stretch of road, the two women did not speak much as Anetra watched the scenery they passed by as Sasha tried to focus on driving.

Once they hit LA traffic and the drive still had an hour left, Sasha was the one who broke the silence yet again. "So, why are we going to your dad's house?"

Anetra turned to look at Sasha, pulled from her train of thoughts. "I reached out to him to see if he and my stepmom were going to the wedding, even though we don't talk much." She adjusted herself in the seat and turned closer to the driver. "We ended up getting back in touch, and we've been texting and talking on the phone for the past few days. We've been talking about me getting married, and he helped me realize that I need a better chance at love than an arranged marriage.." Anetra smiled softly, "So I'm going to live with him and my stepmom for a bit. I need a fresh start."

She couldn't understand why, but Sasha felt bursting with pride listening to Anetra. Anetra's voice grew with confidence, and Sasha saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "He seems like a great dad," she responded.

"He is. He's the best." Anetra smiled as they drove. The car eventually pulled into a driveway of a blue-painted house as Sasha was telling Anetra all the good food spots in LA. They saw a tall Asian man standing on the porch stepping outside with a woman. They seemed welcoming as they waved to the car as she parked. Sasha grabbed the discarded dress as Anetra took the duffel bag and followed her towards the house.

Anetra's dad enveloped Anetra in a tight hug as a welcome and quietly said to his daughter, "I'm proud of you, kiddo." They stayed like that for a moment, then he and the stepmother took the dress and duffel bag into the house, leaving the two women to say their goodbyes.

"Well, thanks for taking me," Anetra awkwardly said as she wrung her hands together. "I guess this is goodbye, then?"

Sasha nodded, "It seems so. Good luck out here, okay?" She was about to say her goodbye but was quickly interrupted.

"Wait, Sasha. One more thing?"

"Yes, what is-" She was interrupted by Anetra wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug, her head peaking over her shoulder.

"Thank you for everything." Sasha melted into the sudden hug. Getting over her crush won't be easy, as she felt at home in her arms.

"MAIL'S HERE!"

Sasha heard Malaysia's voice announcing up the stairwell through her shut office door. Two weeks have passed since Anetra's would-of-been wedding, and Sasha has spent most of her time at work locked inside her office. She arrived before anyone else and was the last to leave for the day. Unless she had a meeting with a bride, her office door had a yellow sticky note that said Busy-Go ask Malaysia. Her employees have been following that note.

Well, almost all of her employees.

The door swung open without a knock, entering Loosey with her hands on her hips. "Come on, get downstairs. You aren't making me or Malaysia bring you your mail again."

Sasha looked up from her computer with her head lazily held up in her hand. Her blue light glasses were slightly off her face "What if I'm busy right now?" she asked dryly.

Loosey tilted her head, shooting back, "I can see that you're playing Spider Solitare. Now, quit moping and go downstairs with me to get your mail." She pointed a manicured nail toward the stairs. Sasha let out a small groan before taking off her glasses and standing up.

"Fine, only because I'm stuck on a move right now." She grumbled as she walked to the other side of her desk. "But just five minutes, tops."

Loosey smiled in victory as she led Sasha down the stairs, looking back to ensure the other woman didn't run back inside her office. They walked into the lobby as Malaysia passed a couple of boxes of fresh flowers to Aura, and they looked to see who it was.

"Finally coming down for your mail, huh?" her assistant manager asked her, as she shuffled through the organized pile of parcels and envelopes.

"Yes, I got forced into it." Sasha sighed as she sent a glare in Loosey's direction. Luckily the lobby was relatively empty right now, the midday slump was upon the store. Malaysia handed her a stack of business envelopes and gave Loosey a couple of parcels.

She turned to walk back to the stairs and flipped through the mail but found an envelope slightly bigger and thicker than the rest, with handwriting scrolled on the cover. She looked at the return address and saw that it was from the church in Las Vegas.

She stopped in her tracks and opened up the envelope. She first pulled out a small note that was in the front.

Found this in the box of cards that you handed me, I think that this one is for you.

She recognized the name of the officiant from the church on the note and pulled out the card. Her name was written in blue ink on the cover, in Anetra's small handwriting. "She wrote me a card too?" She looked at Loosey, who she told the entire story to after she returned to work from Vegas.

Loosey stepped closer to her, her tone gentler than before "Well, then why don't you read it, see what she had to say" Sasha nodded as she opened the card and walked to sit at the front desk, the blank inside of the card filled with writing. She took a deep breath, unsure of what Anetra had to say.

Sasha,

I’ve been writing these cards all day, and yours is the one that’s the hardest for me to write. It’s not because I don’t know what to say to explain why I ran from the wedding. That’s the easy part, the hard part is that I have to tell you all of this, including my feelings for you. So I’m hoping you will never see this card. 

Meeting you made me realize that I don’t want this relationship or this marriage. I never knew what love actually felt like, or what it possibly looked like for me. You made me realize that someone like you is what I want in a relationship. I’ve only known you for less than a year, but I like you, Sasha. I wish I could get to know you so much more, but I don’t think you want that. You deserve someone great if you don’t already have someone. I’m having a fresh start at life soon in LA, and I’m hoping I find someone like you to spend the rest of my life with. When I do, I know a wedding planner I’ll be sure to call one day, when I’m ready. So for now, this is goodbye.

-Anetra

Sasha read the card at least three times, still in disbelief at what Anetra had to say. Luckily, Loosey was reading the card over her shoulder, too impatient for Sasha to hand it to her.

"That's great news! She likes you too, you need to go talk to her!" Loosey expressed. Sasha closed the card and stood up, looking around at the rest of the lobby.

"It is, but what am I supposed to do? Go to her house and see if she's there. Then what?" Loosey shot up, starting to walk back upstairs.

"That's a great idea! We can figure out what to tell her on the way. I'll drive you there!"

"Wait a minute." Sasha caught up to Loosey before she got to the stairs. "Loosey, I can drive myself there, you know." She pointed out.

Loosey turned around, hands back on her hips "True, but what happens when you chicken out?"

"...Okay fine. Let's get going then."

After Loosey sped across LA and somehow got out of a speeding ticket, Sasha nervously walked up the walkway to the blue house from two weeks ago. She saw a red car that seemed to be still running in the driveway that wasn't there before. Loosey watched from her parked car on the street, by the brick mailbox. Sasha closed her eyes and took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell next to the front door.

Anetra's stepmother answered the door and recognized Sasha after a few seconds. Sasha smiled politely at her "Hi, I'm Anetra's, um, friend. I dropped her off a couple of weeks ago. I was just wondering if she was home."

The woman perked up when she answered, "Oh, her friend was just about to pick her up to go somewhere. I don't think Marcia's left yet but-"

She was interrupted by the garage door opening, and both looked to see who it was that opened it "Oh, maybe that's her." The stepmother said, pointing over to the front yard.

Sasha stepped off the porch and into the front yard as Anetra turned the corner out of the garage. Her hair was dyed a bright red, and the scar through her eye almost fully healed. Anetra immediately saw Sasha standing in the yard and signaled to the driver of the red car to wait.

Anetra walked up towards Sasha, leaving arms-length of space between them, "Oh, hi Sasha." She looked to the front door where her stepmother retreated into the house. "What are you doing here?"

Sasha was drawn to Anetra's colored hair, forgetting why she was at the other's house. "You dyed your hair, it's really pretty," she said, feeling dumb right after she said it.

Anetra held a lock of her hair, glancing at it, "Oh, thanks. Marcia-she's in the car, we work together- She and her sister helped me dye it. They said it was good for my fresh start here, you know?" Anetra rambled out. She cleared her throat to ease her nervous tone "I'm glad you like it."

"I do like it." She smiled and then remembered the card. "Oh, this is why I'm here. I got this in the mail today." She showed Anetra the card that she was holding, and Anetra's eyes widened when she recognized the card.

"Oh, um- that. Listen, you probably didn't want to know all that. You know, my feelings and stuff. But I didn't think that you would see that and read it all and-" She started slowly backing towards the red car as she rambled, and Sasha reached out and held Anetra by the arms to interrupt her from talking.

"Anetra, I came all this way because I wanted to tell you that I like you too." the two made eye contact as Sasha confessed her crush to her.

Anetra stiffened under her touch as she searched for a response "Y-You do? You like me back?" she stammered out.

Sasha nodded as she moved her hand up to cup Anetra's cheek, and leaned forward to softly press their lips together.

The kiss was tender and sweet, Sasha felt Anetra ease into the kiss, and her arms looped around her neck, as Antra's arms found themselves around Sasha's waist. Their lips slowly peeled apart as they pressed their foreheads together, still embraced by each other.

"It's true, I like you back." Sasha softly said, as if it was just them in the world at that moment. They were about to move forward for another kiss, lost in the moment of each other when an outside voice interrupted them.

"Finally!!" Loosey's voice exclaimed, and the two women looked over to see Loosey standing outside her car, leaning against it, standing next to a tall blonde. Sasha assumed this new person was Marcia, as the red car was no longer running.

Sasha turned back to face Anetra, as their hands fell to their sides, but joined with their palms touching. "I guess we gave them a show, huh?" she smiled at the other woman, both holding a slight blush on their cheeks. They would talk about their relationship later when they didn't have an audience watching them. She turned to Loosey and Marcia "I guess you two are friends now?" she questioned playfully.

The women giggled together as Loosey jokingly shot back another question to Sasha.

"So, does this mean we'll be your bridesmaids one day?"

[luckyshotwrites]

Ch. 61 // Gust Front // Day 46

Contents (Warnings): The wedding day approaches (Angsty, vore mentions, and character/monster info). Read full chapter on - A03

Wordcount: 3,345

Side note: This will contain experimental writing; first person (Lynette's view) will be implemented alongside third person for the two other essential characters, (mostly) Alexander and (occasionally) Drake. All their text will be italicized for those third-person moments, with the characters' names in Bold at the start and their thoughts in Bold. There may be other characters I write for using this.

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(Nov. 10th, Thursday)

There are a lot of girls I've never met here. They were of different sizes and shapes, Charletta had seven other bridesmaids, excluding Wenna. And I was the maid of honor.

I was given the rundown at dinner yesterday, what I should be doing, and how I should direct all of the other bridesmaids, but it was a scary feeling being in charge with prying eyes on me. I didn't know who was safe, what they were, and whether I did everything right. It also reminded me of the lie I'd have to pull off with the others.

"Mom and Dad both agreed, we are telling everyone you're a magus tomorrow if they ask, so play along," Charletta said. She had her checklist in hand. She looked over it one more time before handing it to me. 

"Is that a good idea?" I asked, not looking at the list yet. I know next to nothing about magic.

Charletta smiled, "I think it's much safer for everyone to assume you're a magus as they do now." She stretched her arms up, "moreover, most magus's can hide their energy and magic from monsters or other magus's. So they'll assume you're powerful."

"When I'm not." 

"You may not be powerful in magic, but I admire plenty of other qualities about you." Charletta glanced back and put her hands on her hips.

What could you admire about me? The question didn't leave my head, "I get it. Wicks and you are much cooler though." I pushed a smile.

Charletta giggled with the excitable brightness in her eyes, "shush up, Lyn." She pressed playfully at my shoulder, and I took it.

"Lynette!" Wenna chirped, her eyes lit up as she entered the dressing room. I finished my Rapunzel braid.

She quickly jogged up to me. She circled me like an excited dog. I tried to keep up with her. Wenna swiftly got behind me and put her delicate hands on my shoulders. I lightly squeaked. She made me face the mirror, "THIS," she picked up my braid, "braid is so cute!"

I could see the worry on my face, more evident than her smile in the mirror. I exhaled, "t-thanks."

She let go and chuckled, "don't worry, I won't bite." She flashed her fangs, "I know when a magus has me beat."

Her giggle was far too on the nose. I felt comfortable around Wenna, because she didn't eye me like the others did.

I noticed another approaching us from the array of mirrors. I glanced back.

"Hello, Wenna, Lynette." The proper vocals shook hands with my ears. I scanned over the well-dressed female. Even though it was a casual rehearsal, she wore a gray business suit with a unique collar that showed off her white button-up. "Should we start heading to the main wed hall?"

"Hi, Koianada-"

"Koi is fine,"

"Koi," I nodded, then patted over my jeans pockets. I pulled out my phone and checked over the family group chat. "They are doing their final run with the coordinator. Charletta will meet with us when we can go." I replied, looking up from my phone.

Koi gave a bob of her head, "right." She glanced up at a few of her bangs that escaped the bobby pins. She turned to the mirrors.

"I don't think I witnessed you during the marked game yesterday," the white-haired girl said.

What do I say to that? If I mentioned anything magic related, I'd sound like an idiot.

"Lynette would have beat us all if she played," Wenna covered me.

Play along. I thought to myself. "Wenna, you're embarrassing me." Even a simple comment like that hurt. I disliked lying. It only helped remind me that I wasn't candid with Wicks that night. I saw the frustration and anger festering in him when I talked at length about a few events. So, I refused to go into detail about all of them.

I don't want anyone to fight. I'm not worth the effort. From what I understand...you all have a lot more on your plate and you shouldn't worry about me. 

I could feel the deep ache. I pinched at my arm. Stop it. It's okay. This is a break. Please. There was so much I didn't understand, wanted to ask questions about, and...overall, I felt apart from it all.

"HEY, EVERYONE, LET'S GET GOING!!" Charletta popped her head into the dressing room, where the small groups were chit-chatting. I turned to head out and heard a voice beside me.

"You've got this, Lynette." Wenna patted my head. I held up a thumbs up.

...

We finished rehearsal. I couldn't believe so many new faces came to talk to me. I'd never remember them all.

I needed a breather. I stepped back and leaned on the wall. Wicks squinted at me and gestured back to the group he was part of.

I shook my head. I put my two palms together, then pressed the back of my left hand to my face and made a 'sleep' gesture.

"Hey, Lynette."

I shifted my body to the cyan-haired male, "hi, Ace." I matched his friendly smile.

"Are you taking a break? I saw you rushing around earlier." He said with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah..." We went over everything quicker than they expected, so we had to wait a little longer before we headed out to the dinner. I know there were plenty of other things I should have done, but my family handled a lot of this. I'm trying to make up for it now, though. "I wasn't really doing much."

"Nonsense," Ace said, "I can tell you are dedicated to the part for your sister. It's honorable." He looked above at the marble statues, beautiful fake trees with white leaves, and the chairs along the white-carpeted aisle. "I think this is a nice place for a wedding. The upstairs has such a pretty view of the garden too."

I nodded, "it is." I looked at Charletta as she joked with a few girls and guys next to Ulysses. "I'm glad I get to see her at her happiest." I could feel my eyes watering. No, not in front of a stranger!

He ran his hand through his slicked-back hair and attempted to study my turned-away face. "I bet you'd look amazing at your happiest too."

ME?! I couldn't even fathom anything like that. I had no one in my life romantically. I couldn't even go on dates. I chickened out whenever I was invited. I will never get over throwing up on Kyle. His name was ingrained in my head after my first and only date.

"You too," I replied. I didn't know what to say in response. My gaze brushed Ace's cool, ice one, then drifted to the blush at his cheeks.

Wait, did he say amazing? Me...oh... I felt the queasiness.

He changed the subject after our eyes intertwined. "So, Lynette, what do you do for fun outside of magic?"

"Uh, I read and play video games occasionally too." I feel like I haven't had much time for either of those. "I do rock climbing with Wicks sometimes on my weekends too."

His thin lips uplifted with a curl, enthralled by the mention. "Rock climbing? We should go some time. I know a place nearby. We could ask Wicks, Charletta, and Ulysses to tag along."

My raised chest deflated with relief. His tender reassurance calmed me. I was glad he included them in his invitation. I agreed, and our conversation continued.

A tick in the back of my mind reminded me that Ace still had to be some sort of monster, but his niceness and interest reminded me of June. He was less bubbly. However, nonetheless, he was the ease I needed right now. I hated to think that Ace, a total stranger, was someone I felt more relief from now than my family. 

...

Drake

He was the barrier between Wicks and Alexander. He sat in the seat between them and could feel the burning gaze from the magus on his right. 

I am willing to bet Lynette told him EVERYTHING. The thought then occurred to him, and his eyes slipped to his new sister-in-law, at least starting tomorrow. 

That means I'm on the hit list next. Drake slumped in his chair. He hadn't worn a hoodie today. His mom and dad would tear into him if he dressed too informally. He at least put his hair back comfortably over his face. His right hand under the table fidgeted with the white table cover, and he looked over the fancy, shimmering silverware. Each looked freshly cleaned and sharpened, or new. This place is nice.

His ears started to pick up the conversation between Ace and Lynette. He was complimenting her quite a bit. Maybe Lynette reminds him of Charletta? Or perhaps she said something that really enraptured him? He questioned the thought. Is Lynette really the romantic type? She acts far too timid most of the time, compared to Charletta... Drake exhaled aloud. In that competition, she was a menace.

"You looked nice with your hair back earlier, Drake." 

He perked up at the sudden compliment. He figured it was because his head was turned in her direction even though he was really looking past her out the window to the street. I did not.

"It wasn't my choice." He brushed over the bangs over his eyes. 

"You do clean up nicely, Drake. You should work on being presentable more often." Koi then gestured to Alexander, who sat on her left in between her and Drake. "Just as Alexander should stop wearing that scowl, he'd look more attractive without it."

"Bite me," Alexander grumbled with a roll of his eyes. 

"I already regret it the first time, do not remind me of the horrendous flavor you hybrids possess," She uttered. 

He squinted at her, finally taking his eyes from Wicks. Drake shivered, "why do you have to remind me of that, Koi."

"I thought you only bit humans...?" Lynette questioned Drake. 

He could tell by the sudden quickness of her heart's change. She didn't mean to say that allowed. 

Alexander rubbed at his arm, "he used cheap tricks to try and beat my ass in a fight."

WHAT? Drake cocked his head in his Best friend's direction. "You're just mad. I almost beat you without magic."

"ALMOST beat me? I was going easy on you."

His shoulders rose, "you're lying."

"You think I wanted to hurt you. If I did-"

Ace butt in before they could get too wild. "Hey, since you guys are a little magic enthusiastic. I was thinking we can have a training session tomorrow, to test our skills? Maybe give each other pointers?"

Wicks chuckled, "oh? That sounds like a great idea." His hazel hue locked onto Alexander, "I think I'd love to give you guys some pointers."

"Hell no."

Wicks inched forward over the table, over the empty plate. "Are you saying your scared?" 

The blonde stared directly at him, "scared of your ass? No." 

You're lying. You're definitely worried.

"I can already tell we don't have the same specializations. It'd be stupid to "train" together." Alexander knew what Wicks wanted. The other two at the table were confused about the whole situation as to why Wicks looked excited to destroy him. 

This whole Lynette's a magus lie... His hue fell on the prim female. If Koi pays too close attention to how Alexander looks at her, she'll know we're lying. 

"What about you, Lynette? Maybe you can help Alexander?" Ace suggested.

Lynette, who was mid-drinking water, lurched forward. She almost spit it up. She quickly swallowed and put her cup down.

Drake saw Alexander's mouth open, and he pressed his claws to extend on his fingertips. "If only she-" He quickly jabbed his two fingers into Alexander's side. It stopped him mid-sentence. He didn't break his skin or anything. It felt like he ran into a metal wall with them. 

Alexander's vision darted to Drake. The person to Drake's side caught it first. The vampire beast knew not only was Wicks P.O.ed but that Alexander might have said something to spill the secret. He was also riled up by the fact that Alexander would have most likely commented about Lynette's unwillingness to let herself get eaten by him.

Alexander sat back and crossed his arms. The two awaited his response. "If only she wasn't as annoying as her brother." He shot a gaze back to Wicks. 

The male with the ponytail laughed, "you didn't just call my sister annoying."

They looked ready to both throwdown here. "And what if I did, fucker?"

"Maybe a training session is not a good idea," Ace muttered.

"Not at all," Koi said.

Lynette tapped the table in front of her, "please!" They both turned their gaze to her. "I don't think Ulysses or Charletta want a fight a day before their wedding." 

Drake glanced at the two, and they both stopped their heavy gazes. Lynette hit them both with the people they respected and cared for. Or at least Drake knew Alexander respected Ulysses and would protect him the same as everyone else. He figured Wicks was the same, especially with how protective he was over Lynette. 

It was not long after the toast from the event host, Drake's dad. 

Edgar stood up from the bride, groom, and parents table after getting everyone's attention with the classic glass TING TING TING. 

He cleared his throat before speaking, "as I look around this room, it warms my heart to see all of the love in here that people have for dear Charletta and Ulysses." Edgar surveyed everyone, a charming smile on his face.

"If you have been to a wedding before, you know it takes a lot of hard work and planning. It truly is a group effort, and this rehearsal is the last thing on the to-do list before the big day." There was a slight cord fluctuation in his voice. He kept himself together.

"I know Charletta and Ulysses are so happy and grateful to have you all here, and I am so lucky to meet and eat with all of you." The parents had been table hopping. They sprang around this disaster table earlier. 

Drake hadn't gotten to engage a lot with Lynette's side of the family, not that he felt like he should. Mainly since he stuck around the problem. His eyes went to Alexander.

After the small speech with his brother, thanking everyone received their food and started to eat. 

That was when he heard his mom's voice beside him. "Drake, Alexander." She warmly rubbed at their shoulders, "how are my favorite boys doing!" She gave Alexander a kiss first on his forehead.

Then she leaned over to Drake, brushed his hair away, and did the same to him. 

"Are you drinking enough," she asked him, studying his drink. 

"Yeah, mom," Drake replied. He saw her inspecting more at his face. 

"You look so much paler. Are you sure?" 

Drake pulled away lightly. "I'm fine." He grew embarrassed as the others looked at him.

His mom popped up and bowed to the others, "hey, Ace and...oh! Yes, this is where Edgar said where you were. Ulysses and Charletta wanted to talk to you both."

Ace raised a brow, "me?"

Koi got up without much hesitation, "we should see them."

They both got up, leaving the table. Drake's mom made her way over to Wicks and Lynette. 

She happily spoke, "I am so glad you both look like you're having a wonderful time. Hopefully, my boy are making it fun for the two of you." 

Wicks half smiled, "fun is the word I'd use."

Lynette agreed, "fun is a word."

You can tell Wicks hates us, right? Drake thought to himself. 

"He doesn't hate you," his mom replied aloud.

Wicks raised a brow, "whose thoughts did you read."

His mom held her mouth, "oh, apologies. Sorry, Drake happens to think a lot in his head, and I've gotten used to reading them" She looked back at him and went to hug him. He sat there and took it. His body trembled. And her thoughts went back to him. "Don't worry, I'm sure Wicks doesn't hate you for your mess up during the festival. It's a good thing Lynette understands-."

She released him once he stood up in her grasp. He put his cup down on the table gently. He turned to her, "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Drakie," she said, but he refused to turn back and face her. He heard the other chair push out too. Alexander told Danee bye and went after Drake. He tried to calm his temperament and hold his thoughts as he left. He ignored Alexander, who came beside him.

"You're not walking back," Alexander said to him.

Drake continued to walk around the corner and into the main dining hall instead of their closed-off sections. He didn't respond. For some reason, the lights irritated him, even though the place itself was darker than most restaurants. 

"Drake," Alexander tried to grab his arm before they made it outside. Drake avoided it and pushed out. The air felt chiller than the previous nights. And the slight breeze pushed away the repetitive calls of his name.

Alexander, this time didn't give up. "HEY, ASSHOLE."

Drake stopped and whipped around, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW ME. I DON'T NEED YOUR PROTECTION." His lip raised and his fangs became more apparent. "I'M TAKING A BREAK."

"You think that's why-" Alexander groaned and pressed up his glasses, "I don't want you doing something stupid like walking back to the house because she loves you."

ME? Drake laughed aloud and threw away the last part, "are you serious? You think I'd do something stupid?" He shook his head and nodded up at him "You're the one that doesn't think before you open your damn mouth!" 

Alexander narrowed his gaze, but Drake didn't hear it. Why doesn't his heart sound angry... What Drake heard instead was pained. 

It momentarily distracted him. Alexander grabbed his hips seeing the time to strike. Drake instinctually went to loop his arm over and twist Alexander's head away.

"Stop it fucker; we're going back now." Alexander fought to keep his head in place. He lifted Drake from the concrete and the few people that walked the streets didn't seem to care.

"YOU AREN'T CARRYING ME BACK!" He snapped back.

"THEN HEAD INSIDE ONCE I DROP YOUR ASS." They let go simultaneously. Drake caught himself, and Alexander's eyes glued themselves to him. 

I basically called you stupid. Drake thought. He looked back at the restaurant and then at Alexander, who waited for him to move. He took a breath and walked toward the doors again. "Sorry."

"You better be. You're literal instinct was to try and snap my fucking neck." Alexander said. He rubbed it.

It's not like I could from that position nor do I have enough strength when you link you and your wendigo form.

He looked at his hand for a moment before putting it back in his pocket. He weakly picked up a smile, "Like I could snap your fat neck."

Alexander grinned. "Say that shit again, and I'll pick you up by your fucking legs and drag you back in there." There was the annoyed jokiness.

Alexander held the door open for him.

Drake scoffed, "like I'd let you grab me again. I'll knock you to the floor."

A hearty chuckle left Alexander's lips, " that happened once."

"seven times," Drake corrected, only to hear the playful groan behind him.

Shame fell upon Drake after. He had been so caught up, he didn't realize why it bothered Alexander so much until now. You're wrong, Alexander. Everyone loves those that are strong like you. Not someone like me.

...

Hey, you, thank you so much for reading. It means a lot that I put out a story that people can enjoy! So, I hope you continue to enjoy it as WE have a LOT more to go! YOU BETTER KEEP PROSPERING! (Nonnegotiable).

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Catch up, see some maps/art, or check the latest release dates down below  ↓ ↓ ↓ 

What I’d do for a Livable Income (Synopsis/Chapter - List)

[airyairyaucontraire]

running thoughts about S3 E01 of The Mandalorian, "The Apostate"

jesus Christ of COURSE the Mandalorians have their child soldier investiture ceremonies RIGHT WHERE A FUCKING MOSASAUR CAN POP UP AND RUIN THINGS

oh my GOD you guys

simple FISH RADAR could've given you the early warning you needed to avoid this malarkey!

THIS IS WHY YOU'RE ALMOST EXTINCT

YES YOU'RE PERSECUTED BUT YOU'VE ALSO GOT NO SENSE

also okay wow

way to upstage Paz YET AGAIN Dindin

you slay the dragon when he can't AND you have A HOT NEW SPORTSCAR and you still have a CUTE BABY

also listen

THERE'S A SQUID IN THE WARP TUNNEL

or maybe it's one of those space whales that Ezra Bridger disappeared with?

ngl I was a little disappointed one of the street musicians on Nevarro wasn't Max Rebo

awwwww they put up a statue to droid Taika

Greef's clothes just keep getting bigger

"The belters are mining the asteroid fields at the edge of the system." Just like The Expanse! let us know how that works out for ya, you're already dressed a bit like Chrisjen Avasarala

absolutely no one is impressed by Grogu's weak sauce name

you know where else you could be apostate landed gentry? TATOOINE

WHERE YOU HAVE FRIENDS WHO LOVE YOU

I'm not saying Greef doesn't care about you but COME ON why move to a planet with one friend (since I don't expect we'll be seeing Cara again) when you could hang out with FOUR friends some of whom are VERY GOOD-LOOKING and talk with fun accents (Kiwi and Cowboy)

c'mon Greef they just wanna get drunk in a school

you know, for a pirate, you don't have a very good hat. Hondo Ohnaka's hat would take a shit on your hat.

GREEF HAS TWO LITTLE BRIDESMAID DROIDS CARRYING HIS CAPE

A GOLD STAR TO WHOSEVER IDEA THAT WAS

what do you mean you need him back

he EXPLODED in LAVA

what makes you think the brainy parts are even there?

I REALLY FEEL LIKE IG-11 WAS A LOT MORE BLOWN UP AT THE TIME THAN THIS MAKES IT LOOK

I mean always happy to have more Taika

assuming he still talks like Taika

maybe his voicebox is effed up

maybe now he sounds like Jemaine Clement

"now that's using your head" says Din

JESUS Din

oh okay it's the tiny cute mechanics from the sequels

HOW DID YOU CRAWL IN THERE

a new side quest begins

did Grogu want to cuddle the tiny mechanic or eat it

YOU KNOW WHO YOU COULD TAKE WITH YOU TO HELP YOU ON YOUR QUEST

COBB VANTH

JUST SAYING

I bet he's feeling a lot perkier by now! and would do basically anything for you if you bought him a drink and put your hand on his knee under the table

like you wouldn't even have to rub it

ohhhhhhhhhhhh he's starting to deliberately TEACH the baby

the pirate is suddenly talking MORE PIRATEY and saying things like Avast

I miss the Space Scotsman, remember him? "Tell that to Kanjiklub!"

CAPTAIN GREENBEARD

will not be appearing much in this episode, I suppose they're just introducing him so he can be a recurring and very moist foe

With Din talking to Grogu so much more, explaining things to him, do you think his little speech delay will start to come right?

say what you will about Bo-Katan Kryze, she certainly can strike a louche pose on a throne. She's no Darth Maul, mind you. Then again, who is? (blows a kiss towards hell for him)

If she's so depressed and all her plans are fucked, why is she still striking poses on thrones?

get a job Bo-Katan

you can always work private security

or be an aesthetician because given what we know about your age clearly you have SOME incredible skincare secret (and your hair always looks nice)

I mean... the planet was poisoned decades ago, that's why everyone was living under domes.

That felt pretty short, I have to say.

I like how you can see from the concept art over the end credits that both Bo-Katan's throne and her pose got fancier over time

[lilyevanstan1325]

🔥 Dangerous Game 🔥

Epilogue

Amaya POV

I look at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall and a sigh escapes my lips.

I go over to the sink and set out to prepare lunch.

I grab a long knife and start slicing the onion to prepare the sauté for my famous ragù.

Bucky and the boys love it.

While in thought I slice the onion my gaze falls on my left hand.

Wrapped around my ring finger, a simple black vibranium ring gleams, as black as my sergeant's arm.

I shake my head smiling.

In the end we did it, Bucky and I got married a year ago.

It was a very intimate celebration.

It was just us Avengers, His Majesty T’Challa with his family and the man who has been my family for the last twenty years.

Nick Fury.

We said yes in front of the lake, the same lake in front of which Bucky had asked me to marry him many years before and I had refused.

But over the years we have grown, we have changed.

And we understood, I understood that this was our path.

It was one of the best days of our life.

Nick accompanied me under a small arch of flowers that served as an altar, none of us wore elegant clothes.

We weren't going to be ourselves.

I advanced on Nick's arm wearing my simple white silk knee length dress.

Barefoot.

As I've always dreamed of.

I still remember the pleasant sensation of the grass tickling my feet.

Bucky was waiting for me with his chest swollen with pride and his eyes full of tears.

He was really breathtakingly beautiful.

The hair that now brushed his shoulders was gathered in a messy bun that touched the base of his neck.

He wore baggy white linen trousers with a short-sleeved shirt of the same fabric and color.

When I reached him we fixed ourselves in the eyes and he, like me, dissolved in tears.

Nat obviously was my bridesmaid and Steve was Bucky's best man, we could never have chosen otherwise.

And so wrapped in the sunset sky of Wakanda and the love of our dearest friends, we exchanged promises of eternal love.

I look up at the clock again.

Damn.

I must hurry.

It's almost noon and Bucky will be home in a few minutes.

Yes, home.

In the end we did that too.

We bought the house that he dreamed of so much and we filled it with our beloved Alpine, with our two dogs Thunder and Dodger and with...

A patter of footsteps approaches behind me followed immediately after by the ticking of small paws that resound on the parquet.

“Mommy!Mommy!" yells his little voice behind me.

A beaming smile spreads across my lips as I grab a towel to dry my hands and turn in the direction of that delightful voice.

"What's going on Nick?" I ask, bending over my knees, lowering myself to his height.

I observe my beautiful baby in raptures.

Nicholas Michael Barnes.

Yeah…in the end I did that too.

For a moment I get lost in the memories of that day.

I hadn't succeeded.

I hadn't been able to do it.

In the exact moment that Dr. Miller had made me listen to the loud sound of his heart, I realized how screwed I was.

Moments before starting the abortion procedure I burst into tears and asked the doctor to stop.

I could not.

That tiny creature was my baby.

And I felt alone for so long that I couldn't do it, in front of me I had the possibility of having a family.

I, Bucky and I would have been the family for this child.

The same family that was unjustly taken from me.

When Bucky walked into the room and found me in tears he ran to hug me.

His words still ring loud and full of love in my ears.

"I take care of you.Forever.But please don't cry my love.Everything will be fine, I promise you.I will always be on your side no matter what.You are my home and my family" he whispered in my ear as I was dying of anxiety over the decision I had made.

Terrified of the idea of failing.

Scared that Bucky would complain.

And he did.

We have been discussing this for weeks.

"Bucky please stop" I whispered wearily one afternoon after we returned to the Avengers Tower from a follow-up ultrasound.

“I know you think I did it just for you, so as not to lose you...but that's not the case.I'll be honest with you.If the doctor hadn't given me that ultrasound that day, if I hadn't heard his heartbeat, I would have aborted without any hesitation" I told him looking him straight in the eye.

"But when I felt his heart beating I realized that I would never forgive myself" I continued approaching him who in the meantime remained sitting motionless at the edge of the bed.

I sat on his lap and tied my arms around his neck.

“Maybe this baby will be my lifeline.It will be my atonement for every sin.It will be our chance to leave something good in this world” I whispered on his lips.

He had smiled shyly and then closed me in his strong embrace.

And now here I am.

Watching this wonder that Bucky and I created.

Nicholas is a smart and intelligent kid, he looks a lot like his father both physically and in character.

His beautiful face is fringed with short, unkempt black hair but his eyes are just like mine.

Greens.

Green like two emeralds.

"Mommy?" my baby repeats to me, placing his little hands on my face.

"I'm sorry honey, mom got lost in her thoughts" I reply sitting on the floor cross-legged and making Nick sit on my lap.

"What were you thinking about?" he asks me tilting his head to the side and observing me intensely, just like his father does every time he studies me trying to understand what is going through my head.

"I thought how much I love you" I whisper kissing his head and holding him to my chest.

"What did you ask me my love?" I ask him.

"When is dad coming home?" he asks me pouting adorable.

Pout that I kiss promptly earning a loud yuck from him.

I laugh in ecstasy.

"Dad will be here in a minute" I reply and his eyes light up with joy.

Nick loves his father.

Impatient I sigh.

After five days I will finally be able to hug my beautiful Sergeant again.

He had to leave with Steve and Sam for a representative visit to colleagues from the English division of S.H.I.E.L.D. and as deputy director he certainly could not miss it.

Job that Steve had proposed to me with joy, sure that I had accepted and that instead I gladly gave in to Bucky.

“Bucky and I are going to have a baby.I prefer to be a full-time mother.If that is not a problem director Rogers”

With these exact words I refused his offer.

Refusal that obviously was welcomed with great joy by everyone.

The right decision I could ever make.

Watching Nick grow up and being able to follow him in every stage of his life was of fundamental importance for me, for my mental health.

It was not easy to raise a child with my problems but in the end with the help of Bucky and all our friends I made it.

I found my way to be a mother, a good mother.

A noise of tires in the driveway catches our attention.

Alpine immediately jumps onto the windowsill while Dodger and Thunder run like mad towards the front door.

"Daddy is home!" Nick exclaims with a scream.

I smile at his enthusiasm.

"Yeah, daddy is home" I repeat as I stand up and together with Nick, holding hands, we approach the front door.

The dogs jump happily while waiting impatiently for their owner to cross the threshold of the house.

Nick watches the driveway through the curtain and begins to jump for joy.

"Uncle Sam is there too!Uncle Sam is there too!" he yells giggling.

I take a few steps back with my arms crossed in front of my chest.

I too am impatient to jump into his arms but let our baby be the first to do it.

The door opens and Bucky is literally hit by three small hurricanes, finding himself with his ass on the floor.

"Daddy!Daddy!You're finally home!You're finally home!” Nick keeps repeating as his arms are wrapped around his father's neck.

Thunder and Dodger wag their tails excitedly licking Bucky's face non-stop.

Bucky's laughter fills the air and my heart swells with joy.

This is one of those images that will forever remain etched in the memory.

My husband's crystalline and joyful gaze lifts up to meet my eyes.

In the meantime, Sam makes his entrance and smiling, he approaches me hugging me.

“What a good smell Snow!I'm starving” Sam exclaims once our embrace is released.

“I cooked  your favorite one” I exclaim proudly.

“Oh really?Tagliatelle with ragu?"

I nod in response and earn another hug.

“Hey Wilson!Hands off my wife” Bucky's voice exclaims behind me.

Finally he managed to get up from the floor and while holding Nick with one arm, with his free hand he approaches the windowsill to leave a caress on Alpine's head too shy and haughty to join the fray a little while ago.

He approaches with a sure-footed step making my heartbeat skyrocket.

After so many years this man is still able to destabilize me with just his gaze.

Sam lets me go laughing and going to meet Bucky takes Nick from his arms.

"Hi champion!How is my beautiful nephew?" Sam asks him hugging him tightly.

Nick laughs and wraps his slender arms around his neck.

"Hi Uncle Sam!" he exclaims between laughter.

Bucky wraps his strong arms around my waist pulling me hard against his firm body.

“I missed you Mrs. Barnes” he whispers on my lips.

And then without even giving me the time to reciprocate the greeting he pounces hungry on my lips.

His tongue slides smoothly into my mouth, stroking mine with infinite sweetness.

I moan softly in his mouth, aware that our son is just a few steps away from us.

Bucky slowly pulls away from my lips leaving me stunned and ecstatic.

“Save this for tonight doll” he whispers in my ear.

"Yes sir" I reply with a sensual wink.

I look around at Sam who is watching us with a raised eyebrow.

“Thank goodness Nick is still too little and he can't understand.Instead, you will have to pay me for years of psychoanalysis” he reproaches us, making Bucky roll his eyes.

"Let's go guys!Wash your hands and let's sit at the table” I exclaim smiling as I approach Sam and playfully push him.

Once we are all at the table, amidst laughter and old anecdotes, the lunch comes to an end.

Bucky leans back in his chair, sated and entranced by the food.

Sam imitates him by closing his eyes and throwing his head back.

"Snow, you are a woman to marry" he murmurs with a sly smile.

Bucky appears to be on the verge of answering him but Nick takes everyone by surprise.

“Mum belongs to dad.Nobody can marry her.Only him” he replies as he sits on the floor and continues to stroke Thunder.

We all burst out laughing.

"This is my boy!" Bucky exults leaning towards him and kissing his head.

Sam and Bucky start chatting to each other again and I feel fear starting to curl around my guts.

My hands tremble slightly and to distract myself I get up and start clearing the table.

“Leave it alone, doll.I'll do it” Bucky tells me.

But before he can get up, I push him back into the chair.

I respond by shaking my head.

"I do it.And then there is still the dessert" I tell him trying to hide the anxiety as best I can.

Bucky looks at me closely but says nothing.

He's probably saving the questions for when we're alone.

Sam looks at me skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Since when have you been able to make desserts?Am I wrong or the last time you tried it you were going to set the kitchen on fire?" he asks me exchanging an amused look with Bucky.

They both laugh out loud.

In response, I throw him a napkin, taking him full in the face.

"Idiots.And anyway I bought it" I answer piqued.

They have the point.

Unfortunately it's true.

I manage in the kitchen but when it comes to desserts I become incompetent.

I open the fridge and take out a white box closed with a red ribbon and place it right in front of Bucky.

He looks at me confused.

"Do I have to open it?" he asks as Nick approaches intrigued sitting on his father's lap.

I nod unable to speak, at the moment I don't trust my own voice.

I'm too upset.

Bucky smiles at me and with his son's help they untie the red bow together.

The box opens to reveal a large cupcake.

Sam looks confused and amused at the same time.

Bucky smiles and looks at me as if he's looking for a clue from me on what to do.

"Oh c’mon!Cut that cupcake in half” I urge him.

My foot begins to drum nervously on the floor.

Bucky grabs the large cupcake in his hands and breaks it in half, immediately realizing that there is something inside.

"What is dad?" Nick asks while Bucky grabs the object that until a moment ago was hidden in the cupcake.

He watches it for a few moments and then realizes.

Sam sitting next to him gives him a couple of pats on the back with a toothy smile.

Bucky for his part continues to observe the pacifier that he holds between his fingers.

He doesn't speak.

He doesn't smile.

It looks like a pillar of salt.

"James please say something" I whisper with my heart beating madly.

Its roar rings impetuously in my ears.

And then suddenly Bucky sinks his face into his hands, his shoulders shaking with little sobs.

We are all stunned for a moment, even Nick seems to be frightened by his father's reaction.

Sam immediately understanding the situation gets up.

“Hey buddy I left a present for you in the car.Would you like to accompany me to get it?"

My son's eyes light up immediately and jumping off his father's legs he dives into his uncle's arms.

Sam smiles at me briefly and after giving Bucky another pat on the back he comes out of the kitchen disappearing from my view.

I get up immediately and join my husband.

I sit on his laps forcing him to free his face from the grip of his hands.

"You're pregnant?" he asks me in shock even though he knows the answer very well.

I nod and his shining eyes fill with tears again.

"Do you want to keep it?" he asks me hesitantly avoiding my gaze carefully.

"James?" I call him softly as I brush a lock of hair from his forehead.

His beautiful blue eyes are fixed on mine.

He looks almost scared.

“And do you think I would have spent seven dollars on a stupid cupcake?You know how much I hate this fuss but I wanted to do something nice for you.At least for this time..." I whisper, thinking back to how chaotic the discovery of Nicholas' existence was.

Bucky smiles at my statement.

"How the hell did this happen again?" he asks wrapping his arms around my hips.

"I don't know" I admit laughing.

"Call it fate, karma...I don't know but it happened.The pill failed again" I reply with a shrug.

We are both silent for a few minutes.

“Are you sure Amaya?I don't want you to feel compelled.Didn't you say you were thinking of going back to work?" he asks me.

I sigh.

“Yes, I had thought about it but I don't feel like it.I have spent most of my life between death and pain and now I am tired.I'll always be an Avengers and if the world needs me I'll always be there but for now, as long as possible, I'd rather stay home and take care of you, Nicholas and this baby" I murmur, touching my belly with my fingertips.

Bucky's hand overlaps mine, caressing our sweet treasure with me.

“This time I'm ready James, I'm more ready than I was for Nick.I mean, look at him” I tell him, nodding at Nick who is playing on the large carpet in the living room with Sam.

“He is a healthy and intelligent child.He is happy.In the end I think we are doing a good job” I add smiling.

"You did a great job Amaya"

I cut him off immediately shaking my head vigorously.

"We have.You and me”

Bucky's smile widens.

"Maybe it will be a girl this time" he murmurs, kissing my lips softly.

I smile at the thought.

We both hug enthusiastically and excited about this new adventure.

Sam, holding Nick in his arms, joins us again.

His eyes scan the whole situation and his tense gaze relaxes and gives us one of his most beautiful smiles.

"So...can I congratulate you?" he asks, unable to stop smiling.

“Yeah Sam.We'll have another baby” Bucky exclaims, releasing a laugh full of joy mixed with tension.

I get up from his legs and take my baby in my arms so that the two men can hug.

“You know, soon you will be a big brother.You know what that means?" I ask, turning to Nick who looks at me with his serious eyes, so deep that they seem to conceal the secrets of the universe.

He shakes his adorable little head.

“It means you'll have a little brother.Or a little sister” Bucky intervenes, ruffling his hair with one hand.

Nick seems to be thinking about it, he thinks about it carefully.

And then he asks his question.

“How can a baby be inside your belly?Have you eaten it?"

I smile sweetly at his words.

He is only four years old so I have to find the most suitable way to explain it to him.

"Well...your dad put it there" I try to explain to him, remaining vague.

Bucky laughs but I shut him up quickly with an elbow in the stomach.

"And how did he do it?"

Ok.

Nicholas is an extremely curious child and now his questions will come in flurry until he is truly satisfied with our answers.

"You know what my love?" I tell him looking him in the eye and passing it back to Sam.

Sam grabs Nick and gives me a fiery look.

“Uncle Sam will explain how babies are made and how babies born” I add.

Sam begins to sweat.

Bucky continues to laugh unable to stop.

"Now my husband and I are going up to the terrace to relax a bit so you can talk between men" I tease Sam.

"Don't you dare Snow" he threatens me but I don't look at him and grabbing Bucky by the hand, who now laughs with tears in his eyes, I drag him up until we reaches our small terrace overlooking the wonderful New York skyline.

"You will pay for this!" Sam yells behind us.

Then we hear him stammering nonsense phrases addressed to our son.

Once we reach the terrace we sit on the fire escape, as we did when we lived at the Avengers Tower.

"We'll have to buy a bigger house" Bucky sighs happily.

“Yep.I think we'll be a bit tight here" I assert giggling.

Bucky's Vibranium arm wraps around my shoulders and his free hand rests delicately on my belly.

I smile at his sweet gesture.

"I never imagined this life for us in the least" I whisper, continuing to scan the horizon.

"I know" Bucky whispers in response.

"Are you repentant?" he asks.

"No" I reply quickly, one hundred percent sure of my answer.

"I love you.I love this new life of mine.Of course I didn't think in the least that I would end up being a full-time mother and wife and if you had asked me years ago...I would have laughed in your face and sent you to hell but now, now I can't imagine a life where I'm not your wife.A life without Nicholas.A life without this baby who has yet to be born.I told you this many years ago at the beginning of our history and I repeat it to you now.You are my most beautiful mistake Barnes”

Bucky smiles at me bringing his big hands to my face, his thumbs rubbing the skin of my cheekbones.

His clear and mesmerizing eyes point to my lips that open automatically at the thought of what is to come.

Bucky's thumb rubs my bottom lip and then he lowers to my lips kissing me softly.

"You too are my most beautiful mistake Snow"

We remain hugged in silence.

"You know...I don't know what life has in store for us yet but I'm happy to be able to pass it next to you James" I whisper catching his attention.

“You already know.It's the same for me.You and our children are enough for me to be able to live in peace”

We spend the next few minutes exchanging tender effusions and sweet words of love.

Sam joins us about half an hour later.

He has two beers with him, hands one to Bucky and keeps the other for himself.

"I hate you.Both” he murmurs, letting himself fall between my husband and me.

"Did he wear you out with his questions?" Bucky asks with a chuckle as he sips his beer.

“That child is stubborn but in the end he let himself be convinced by the story of the seed that dad plants in his mother's womb.Bees and flowers didn't work.Now he is sleeping and I have laid him down in his bed” he explains with a sigh of resignation.

I shake my head in amusement.

Ours will certainly not be a normal family but I love it for what it is.

A totally and beautiful mess.

Bucky POV

My phone rings right in the middle of a meeting.

I usually turn it off or silence it but not in the last few days.

By now Amaya has reached the end of the ninth month and at any moment she could be born.

She is a girl.

I smile for a moment thinking of my little princess who very soon I will hold in my arms.

All heads turn in my direction and I feel so agitated and under pressure that when I go to grab the phone from my trouser pocket it slips from my hands and hits the floor with a thud.

"Shit!" I exclaim at the height of my agitation because suddenly the phone stops ringing.

"Barnes relax" exclaims Tony, chuckling but before I can answer another sound fills the air around us.

I look around confused.

Steve's phone rings.

With much more calm and confidence he takes it out of his jacket pocket and checks the display.

“It's Amaya” he murmurs in a worried voice.

"Shit!" I exclaim again extending my hand to Steve who is promptly handing me the phone.

I reply immediately.

“Hey doll!What happens?"

My wife's high, stern voice almost pierces my eardrum.

"Where the hell is your phone?" she asks indeed screams so loud that anyone in the room can hear her.

"I'm sorry, I was about to answer but it fell..."

"Idiots my waters broke" she interrupts me promptly.

I jump in the air throwing the chair backwards.

"Ok.Keep calm.Where are you?Where is Nicholas?" I ask while mentally I am already organizing how to proceed.

I hear a whine coming from the other end of the line and then following Amaya's hoarse voice.

“Fury is in our house with the kid.I am with Nat and we have just arrived in the hospital parking lot" she murmurs as I believe that what is a contraction makes her last words die on her lips.

"Why didn't you call me earlier?" I ask her as I look around.

For a moment I feel confused and don't know what to do.

Sam, Steve, and everyone else listens to the conversation carefully.

“Because I only had a little pain and Natasha convinced me to go for a checkup.But while we were on our way my waters broke.Now we are about to reach acceptance.Move your ass Barnes!" she yells at me then she hangs up the phone.

I remain motionless for a couple of seconds.

"Therefore?" Tony asks bringing me back to reality.

I shake my head and feel a beaming smile spread across my lips.

“Amaya broke the waters.She is already in the hospital.I have to go" I exclaim on the verge of excitement.

I will soon meet my little princess.

"We have to go!" Tony exclaims getting up and leading everyone out of the meeting room.

Steve, Sam and I get into the latter's SUV.

Better that way...

I'm so excited that at this moment I don't even remember how to articulate a meaningful sentence, let alone if I could drive.

Tony and Pepper are following us in another car.

My heart beats madly and my foot patters rhythmically.

“Don't worry pal!We'll be there in time" Steve exclaims, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.

"I know man" I sigh.

“I know I'll be there in time...it's just that I wish I could be there with her during.I don't know if you understand” I murmur.

“Amaya needs me.And I need to be with her”

Steve's baby blue eyes burn in mine.

"I know it.Hold on” he tries to reassure me with a smile.

Smile that I reciprocate.

As soon as we arrive I rush into the glass entrance doors and I see Natasha in the distance.

“Barnes you are about to miss it.Hurry up!She's in room 325”

Natasha looks a lot more agitated than me.

“Ok!Thanks!Call Fury and tell him to bring Nick here” I scream behind me as I head to room 325 at breakneck speed.

As soon as I walk through the door, the first thing I notice is Amaya.

She is wearing a white short sleeved nightgown.

She is bent forward with her hands resting on the bed.

She is breathing slowly as a small whine escapes her lips.

And even if she is sweaty, exhausted and in pain, she is still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

Her eyes immediately fall into mine.

"James" she murmurs almost on the verge of tears.

"Everything is fine.I'm here” I whisper to her as I approached her and stroked her lower back.

“You've been there once before and you were amazing.You'll make it again doll” I whisper to her as I grab a scrunchie from the top of the bedside table and pull her hair into a high ponytail.

Thus releasing her sweaty forehead.

"Have you already asked for an epidural?" I ask, continuing to massage her back while Amaya takes a breath between contractions.

I see her nod her head.

"Yes.The nurse told me that she would go to call the doctor to have it checked and then they would contact the anesthetist" she murmurs wearily.

"How do you feel robin?" I ask her while I help her to sit down.

“Compared to when I gave birth Nick, the contractions are much stronger and I think I'm almost there” she says scared.

I embrace her trying to infuse her with all my love and courage.

The door opens and Dr. Jones, Amaya's gynecologist, walks in.

"Doctor finally!" Amaya sighs in relief as soon as she sees her.

The doctor smiles at her, she is the same doctor who gave birth to Nicholas and for this new pregnancy we have entrusted ourselves to her again.

"Mrs. Barnes lies down and let's see how you do" the doctor chirps cheerfully.

Amaya lies down and I stand by her side, holding her hand.

"Ok Amaya I have good news and bad news for you"

She says it smiling and she leaves us blown away for a moment.

"What's the bad one?" I ask hastily with my heart in my mouth.

"The bad news is that we can't do the epidural Amaya"

"Why?" Amaya exclaims pulling herself up on her elbows, observing the doctor with a murderous gaze.

I try to calm her by squeezing her hand even more.

"Here comes the good news" she replies, smiling and ignoring Amaya's gaze.

"I can already see her head" she adds.

Amaya opens and closes her mouth a few times before finding her voice and muttering a faint "What does that mean?"

“It means that in a few minutes you will be holding your baby in your arms.Come on Amaya!You already know what to do.Push when you feel the contraction coming, ok?" the doctor urges her while in the meantime the nurse who had entered with her and who until now had remained silent approaches the doctor and begins to help her put on another gown and a mask.

“Ok Amaya.Let's start” the doctor urges her.

And my beautiful robin begins to push.

Her hand holds mine tightly.  She doesn't scream, she doesn't swear.

No movie scenes.

She just grits her teeth and pushes whenever a contraction comes.

My woman is strong.

And she is demonstrating far more strength than she had for the birth of our first baby.

“Come on Amaya.Her head is out.Now take a last big breath and push as hard as you can”

Amaya nods and turns to me and smiles at me.

In the midst of all that pain she finds the strength to smile at me.

My eyes are full of tears now.

"I love you" she whispers.

"I love you too robin" I answer her, stroking her sweaty forehead.

Then she goes back to observe the doctor and with the next contraction she pushes with all her strength.

She grits her teeth with the effort and after a few seconds a cry fills our ears.

My vision is blurred by the tears that now flow free on my face.

"You were very good my love!You did it!" I whisper to her as I kiss her forehead.

The doctor places the baby on Amaya's chest.

A sob bursts from our lips as soon as we see her for the first time.

She is so small.

Her skin is white as milk and on her head a tuft of red hair makes a fine show of itself.

I smile through the tears.

"She has red hair" I exclaim and Amaya laughs with joy.

She holds her tight to her chest, smiling with immense love.

“Welcome to the world little Winifred Madison Barnes” she whispers as she kisses her forehead.

We decided that she would bear the names of our mothers, two strong women who have meant a lot in our life.

The first to enter the room are Fury and Nicholas.

Fury approaches the bed with a sure-footed step while holding Nick in his arms who, curiously, leans forward to see what is hidden under the pink cover that his mother holds in her arms with such care.

Fury leans towards Amaya kissing her forehead, the two exchange a look full of love and unspoken words.

“Sit here” Amaya whispers as she claps her hand on the bed beside her.

Nick smiles hesitantly.

“Put me down grandpa” he whispers in a low voice as if he already knew he should speak more delicately in the presence of her little sister.

Fury leans towards the bed and makes him sit up.

Nick carefully observes her little sister, his eyes as green and bewitching as those of her mother scrutinize every little detail with attention.

Fury and I look at each other for a moment and then return our gaze to the scene that is unfolding in front of us.

Amaya continues to keep her gaze glued to Nick who reaches out his hand to his little sister and caresses her cheek.

Her eyes open revealing a blue of the same shade as a summer sky.

Just like my eyes.

Nick chuckles quickly withdrawing his hand.

“She is soft.And tiny” he chuckles again.

We laugh with him.

"What is her name?" he asks curiously.

“Winifred Madison.But you can call her Winnie or Maddie.You can choose the one you like best” I reply trying to make him participate in the choice.

"I like Maddie" he murmurs after thinking about it for a few moments.

"Yes, I like it too" I encourage him with a smile.

Amaya's eyes light up and fill with tears.

I know that she is thinking of her mother.

And Fury understands that too.

"She would have been proud of you" he tells her with a voice broken by emotion.

Fury knew Michael and Maddie well and for the past twenty years he had taken and continues to take care of Amaya as if she were his daughter.

Towards Nick he has always behaved like a loving grandfather.

And I'm sure it will be the same with the little Maddie.

“I'll leave you alone for a moment.I'll tell the others to wait another ten minutes before entering” Fury whispers and then leaves a kiss on Amaya's forehead and one on Maddie's forehead.

Then he turns to Nick.

"See you in a few minutes champion" he tells him after stroking his hair.

We observe each other carefully and then I hold out my hand, a hand that he grasps and squeezes strongly.

“Thanks Fury.For everything”

He shakes his head, barely smiling.

His big dark eye stares intently at me.

“Thank you for giving me a family” he says in his deep voice.

After that he turns his back on us and walks away.

"Do you want to hold your little sister in your arms?" Amaya asks him.

Nick nods with a toothy grin.

He positions himself well on the bed and with our help he supports his little sister.

"Do you like her?" I ask him.

He nods forcefully, unable to take his eyes off Maddie.

I walk away for a moment and grab my phone to take a picture to capture this wonderful moment.

I thought it would never be possible to love anyone other than Amaya but then Nicholas was born and I had to see my thinking again.

My heart has increased size to contain all the extra love that came from the knowledge that I would become a father.

And now with Maddie's birth my heart could burst with all the love it contains.

In the next two hours Natasha, Steve, Sam and all the others compete to keep Maddie in their arms but always being careful not to miss Nick's attention.

Stark and Pepper keep telling Nick how important the role of big brother is.

All around us is laughter and love and frankly this is beyond any expectation I had of how I would live my life.

Seeing Steve playing with my children gives me an immense sense of joy, seeing my brother rejoice for me and with me is priceless.

Seeing Amaya happy is all I've ever wanted for her.

Nick and Maddie, these children, are my revenge against this life that until now has done nothing but take from me everything I had loved.

Today I can say it out loud.

God does not hate me and I am finally grateful to him for every breath he allows me to exhale on this earth.

I finally feel alive.

And to my great chagrin we have come to the end to this story.

Writing about Bucky and Amaya was really exciting!

I cried and laughed with them as if it wasn't me writing but as if they were telling me their story.

Thanks to all those who followed me in silence and to those who encouraged me.

Thanks for your support and for loving this story.

I am happy to have reached so many hearts and this I swear to you is always my main goal.

I write to reach you.

To convey my own emotions to you and if I succeeded then I know it was worth it.

If you liked my story, keep following me, help me make it grow and make it known to as many people as possible.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Bucky, Amaya, Nick and Maddie thank you for all the love you have shown them.

Thank you, thank you and thank you again!

Please comment, share and rate ❤️

Taglist

🔥 Masterlist 🔥

@deansapplepie

[doodling-doodle]

A Merry Wedding

(The Slice Of Paradice AU)

Their wedding was very carefully planned, mostly by Kyle. But it was beautiful. Just what they wanted and needed.

—

Kyle had done most of the planning, and Alex loved all of it. All the ideas, the venue, the everything. They got custom suits. Kyle's was a pure white suit, the back of the jacket went down to his knees to mimic a train on a dress. Alex melted when he heard it. But neither saw each other's suits yet. 

But it was the wedding day. Their anniversary. Christmas day.

The venue was a beautiful rustic barn. Pretty big. And perfect.

They hadn't seen each other all morning. They had gone to their separate rooms to get ready. 

Alex

"Alex, how are you freaking out so much?” His brother asked.

“Well, Matt, I’m sorry THAT I’M GETTING MARRIED IN LESS THEN AN HOUR!!”

“Dude, calm down.”

He took a breath, and just looked himself in the mirror. Kyle was in the room next to him. This was it. The best day of his life. Yet he hadn’t seen Kyle all morning. He heard things coming from his room: laughing, crying, and Kyle saying that he just wanted it to start already. His voice was barely back. He thought that it would be in sign language, and it was okay. The recovery was hard on both of them. Hospitals, scans, meds, wedding decor shopping, just… a lot of things happening. But it was all worth it.

“I can’t believe this is finally happening…”

“You're happy it is though, right?” Anne asked.

“Hell yeah!”

He and Kyle had decided to have both bridesmaids and groomsmen on both sides. Anne was his maid of honor. He had a light gray color for all of them. The men had suits, but Anne chose a jumpsuit.

He had Anne, his niece Jess, who was wearing a knee length, long sleeved dress and tights, His brother Matt, and Gabe on his side. 

"You look wayy too nervous, buddy." Gabe said. 

"It's a good nervous!"

"Can't wait to see John cry. And you cry." Anne said, "ten minutes, buddy."

Then, it was time for him to wait at the Altar…

Kyle

He was crying while looking in the mirror. He felt beautiful. He didn't know that he'd love the pure white clothes. He hoped Alex loved it just as much. 

"Look at you." Price said, hugging him, "you look amazing. Alex will love it."

"I-i hope so…" He whispered, "thank you, dad…"

Price was walking him down the aisle. He cried when Kyle asked him to. Graves was the best man. He had Matt, Farah, and Ghost. The colors were a dark forest green, a dark blue, and gold. 

Another thing he wanted to tie them all together was all of the wedding parties and families having roses somehow.

Ghost, Soap, Price, both Matt's, Gabe, Roach, Alejandro and Rodolfo all were wearing boutonnieres. Halo-Matt, Ghost and Graves had golden ones to go with the green suit jacket and dress pants with a blue undershirt. Price, Ale, Rudy, Roach and Alex’s dad, Jack, had red ones. Gabe and the other Matt had gray ones.

Laswell, Ava, Anne, Jess, and Alex’s mom all had roses in their hair somehow. Laswell had done a fancy bun on herself and Ava, putting the flowers in the back and going up the right side. Alex's mom, Mary, had just gotten a simple but beautiful hair clip to put on the end of her side braids. Jess had made beautiful dangling strings with roses to go down the back of her head. Farah had a sash with golden roses to wear with her green dress and blue Headscarf.

Alex, of course, had a red one. Kyle had a white one.

"So beautiful, Kyle…" Graves whispered., "it's time. Go to the aisle."

He nodded, watching as the others walked out before him and Price. Alex was waiting for him.

"You ready?" Price asked.

He nodded, smiling.

"Good. They're ready for us. Let's go."

He took a deep breath, and they walked out to go to the aisle. 

He saw Alex downstairs waiting. And he started sobbing. 

A beautiful black suit, with a red undershirt and black tie. Medals covered the right side of his chest, and a red rose boutonnière on the left side of his chest.

He saw Alex start to cry his eyes out while they walked down the aisle while he and Price both sobbed.

"I'm so happy for you two." Price whispered, hugging him before giving him away, "I love you, okay?"

And he was given to Alex, who held him so gently.

“You look beautiful." Alex said, smiling.

He held Alex's arm, wanting to say, "so do you. " but he was saving his strength.

Alex

It took a few minutes, but he was already crying a little. their families in the front row, and the grooms-maid’s and men already lined up.

He looked to the end of the aisle, up the stairs.

And broke down in tears.

Kyle was standing in a beautiful pure-white suit, white rose boutonnière, all of his medals, covering most of the right side of his chest, and combat boots, crying softly while Price wiped tears off his own face.

He couldn't help his staring while they walked down the aisle. Kyle was gorgeous, he always was. But this had made it real for him. He was marrying that wonderful man.

Price quietly whispered something to Kyle before hugging him and giving him to Alex.

“You look beautiful…” Alex whispered.

Kyle smiled, holding Alex's arm in a way to say, "You are too."

They held each other's hands, staring into each other's eyes. And there was mistletoe above them. 

The officiant was actually a family friend of Alex's, and was happy to be the one to officiate their marriage. 

The ceremony started fairly quickly. Alex found himself just looking at every small detail. Kyle's eyes, his scars, his smile, everything about him. 

He was still a little upset that he wouldn't hear Kyle's voice. But he was okay with it. All that mattered was that he was okay. They could get married. That’s what mattered.

Then, they could say their vows. Alex went first.

"Kyle… you have been the best thing that ever happened to me. How unbelievably lucky was I to meet you? To date you? And now, to marry you? You're an angel. The light I needed in my life. Everything I needed and more. You're beautiful. Your kind. You're perfect in every way… I promise to cherish you, to hold you, and never let you go. I promise to love you, and treat you with nothing but reverence. To hold you through the hard times, and the good. I will love you until my dying breath. I will be here for you until the day I die. For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, I promise to love and cherish you."

Kyle was crying by then. Alex lightly loosened his grip on his hands, thinking he'd have to pull back to sign his vows. Kyle tightened his grip, taking a breath.

"A-alex…"

It was barely above a whisper. But it was Kyle. And just hearing that made him tear up.

"My whole life, I thought I'd never get married. Then you came along. And you gave me warmth, and love, and light that I never knew I needed. Never thought I’d have. And here I am. Through many hard times, a few near-deaths, and many more amazing times… we’re here. We’re alive, only we both have a few things missing. But, here we are.. And here I am, with you…Everything I’ve ever wanted. Perfect, beautiful, handsome, kind, loving, and caring… I promise to love you, hold you, and cherish you. To never let you go. To be here with you and love you until my last breath.For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, I promise to love and cherish you.”

Alex was crying by then, smiling. He’d barely heard his voice in the past year. Maybe becuase he was saving his strength for this. But, they had learned both ASL and BSL in the last year, knew it petty well, too. But this was just… perfect. 

And he knew everyone was sobbing from it.

They were given the rings. They were custom made, with their names carved on the outside, embedded diamonds on either side of the ring.

Alex took Kyle’s hand, holding it gently and sliding the ring on his finger. Then Kyle did the same, shaking slightly.

“Alex, do you take Kyle to be your lawfully wedded husband until death do you apart?”

He teared up more, choking back a sob as he said “I do.”

“Kyle, do you take Alex to be your lawfully wedded husband until death do you apart?”

Kyle smiled, choking out a quiet, “I-I do…”

“I now pronounce you married, you may now kiss.”

Alex pulled Kyle closer, cupping his cheek, leaning down to kiss him gently.

He faintly heard the others all cheering, but he was lost too lost in his thoughts of Kyle.

He slowly pulled away, looking into Kyle’s eyes, smiling.

They went back down the aisle and up the stairs to have a few minutes alone as a just married couple.

“You… I can’t believe you did that…” Alex said as he closed the door, “I missed your voice so much… this is the best wedding gift I could’ve gotten.”

Kyle smiled at that, signing, “I was trying really hard to not talk. I wanted to make it more special for you. So, I tried to save all my strength…”

He smiled, “I love you… so much. I can’t believe we finally are married.”

“Best thing to happen in the past year.”

He chuckled, “We’ve gotten through a lot more then this, hun. But this was definitely one of the hardest things to happen to us. I’m so happy to know your okay…” He smiled, cupping Kyle’s cheek, looking outside.

He smiled, leading Kyle outside, where it had started to snow.

“Perfect…” Kyle whispered, holding onto Alex.

“We have about ten minutes until the reception.” Alex said, looking down at him, smiling, “Want to watch the snow?”

Kyle nodded, laying his head down on Alex’s shoulder.

They watched for the whole time they were waiting, just smiling, and softly talking about the plans for the honeymoon.

Then they went back inside for the reception.  

The room was already set up. Tables were placed around the outer parts of the room, the sweetheart table was at the end of the room, and there was nothing but sweets served after a classic Christmas dinner. They wanted it to be a good night. There were coffee’s, hot chocolates, and tea’s, and there was a small station where they could get flavoring, whip cream, and marshmallows, as well as caramel and chocolate sauce.

Everyone cheered again seeing them walk back down the stairs, clearing the floor for them before Price and Graves came up to Kyle to hug him, Alex’s parents doing the same.

There was a small bit of resistance from Alex’s mother when they said they weren’t doing the other dances after their own. But they eventually just accepted it

And it wasn’t long before they started their dance. Lover by Taylor Swift. The first song they ever danced to. The first time Kyle danced. When Alex wanted to get a ring to propose.

Everyone started crying, including them. But they just felt so happy. 

Alex just kept looking into Kyle’s eyes, smiling. He just kept thinking about how beautiful he was.

Kyle did everything he could to hold back his tears, smiling up at his husband. He wanted to just… press pause on it all to make it last longer.

They happily went to their table, where their beautiful cake was.

Alex giggled as he saw Kyle get icing all over his face.

Kyle just looked unamused, just was smirking and chuckling. 

Until he smacked Alex with a bunch of icing, and that’s when the others noticed.

“You two are acting like bloody children!” Price yelled.

“We don’t give a fuck! We ain’t in the military anymore, we can be children!” Alex yelled back.

Alejandro and Rodolfo were cackling, just watching them try and clean themselves up.

Which failed, leading to more giggles.

Alex couldn’t stop giggling while looking at Kyle, seeing him still wiping it off his face.

"That was a bad idea." Kyle whispered, still giggling

"Worth it. You look adorable." Alex said back.

During the reception, they found some time to sneak off. It was still snowing, though it had slowed a lot.

They walked around the venue, around the frozen river, and the snow covered trees, talking about their plans for the honeymoon.

They wanted to go to Canada for a week, followed by another week in Alaska. They had booked remote cabins in both places. They didn’t exactly have plans on what to do, but, they were figuring it out. They mostly just wanted to celebrate in the cabin, alone, but, they wanted to go out and do something. 

“We could even just… go out for dinner?” Kyle asked, "I really… just want time with you…"

"I agree. That's what we should do."

Kyle smiled, "Yeah… thank you… for all the shit we've gone through in the last year, this was… perfect."

Alex smiled, holding Kyle close as they walked back to the barn. It might've only been thirty minutes, but it felt like so long. Just walking alone through the snow was… almost magical. And perfect.

And the others all lit up when they came back in.

But as the night got darker, and the snow stopped… their wedding was over. The magical, wonderful, perfect, love filled, best night was over.

They planned to leave the next day. Later on. That way, they could sleep in, then get all of the decor packed up to go back to their home.

Alex still smiled when Kyle sat up in bed, sleepy eyes, messy hair, and yawning a lot while they packed up the decor, still in very comfy clothes.

His brother got all the decor and got it to their home while they were on their way to the airport.

They fell back asleep on the plane, only waking up when they landed in Canada. 

They smiled as they got to their hotel, and they decided to just relax for the day, in each others arms, just eating snacks, cuddling, and watching TV. They ordered their dinner, and they ate in bed, still holding each other while talking about their future together… they were just happy to be together. After all the shit they went through in the military, and Kyle getting sick… if that was what it took to end up here, they’d do it every time.

Finally, they started to fall asleep, in each others arms, content. 

“I love you, Alex…” Kyle whispered, voice rough from all the talking from the past two days.

“I love you, too, Kyle…” 

That week in Canada was one of the best.

And Alaska was even better.

Alex was lost in watching the Northern Lights with Kyle. they were gorgeous. 

“It’s perfect…” Kyle whispered, “I wish we could see this all the time.”

“Maybe we could come down here more often.” Alex said, wrapping an arm around his waist.

“I’d like that…”

“Then it’s settled.”

Kyle smiled, turning to Alex, running his hands up his chest, gently kissing his lips while Alex’s hands went down to his hips.

“Your amazing.” Alex said, “Your perfect. And I love you.”

Kyle smiled even more. The smile that lit up his eyes.

And Alex smiled back.

They weren’t happy when they had to fly back. But they were still excited to stat the next chapter of their relationship.

They did need to find out what to use all those fairy lights for, though…

---

Gabe and Matt are not my ocs. I have permission from @angstkings to use them.

[kendaluwcarpenterl5]

Diy Long Hair Bridesmaid Styles 10 Simple Ideas

[rebeccamoncrieff]

History of weddings

What is a wedding?

A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united together in marriage. There can be many different forms of wedding traditions throughout different cultures. It is a prime function where 2 people can make promises to each other, usually done through vows. According to The Week, the idea of marriage is over 4,350 years old. The first recorded marriage took place in 2350 B.C. in Mesopotamia.

Wedding traditions over time

One tradition that has changed over time is not seeing each other until the ceremony. It was known that if you saw your future spouse before the ceremony it was considered bad luck, however now many couples participate in a private “first look” where they meet in private. Another tradition that has changed over time is the brides maids attire. Bridesmaids attire was considered to have been chosen by the bride and all had to be matching, whereas now many brides allow their bridesmaids to choose their own dresses sometimes in different colours or styles. Another tradition that has changed over time is the throwing rice at the newly weds. During the exit of the ceremony guests would throw rice over the newly weds to celebrate the marriage, whereas now things such as bubbles, petals and even confetti canons are used instead.

The evolution of wedding dresses

Over time bridal gowns/ wear has evolved over time. Starting with the 17th century the bride would be expected to wear her best gown no matter the colour. Leading onto 1840 where Queen Victoria was credited for starting the white wedding gown trend after she wore a white silk gown when marrying Prince Albert, dress makers then continued this trend. The white wedding gown really took off in the 19th century where embroidered silk, lace, and floral detailing were also popular. In the 19th century, it was also typical for bridesmaids to wear white dresses and veils. A victorian wedding dress was typically a very full body coverage with a high neck, full skirt, long sleeves and gloves. In 1915 brides would go for a simple gown without any extra ruffles or frills, but layers were still strongly in fashion. However here was a big shift in 1920s bridal fashion, as women started wearing sleeker, drop waist gowns. Long cathedral length veils were popular and balanced out the simple silhouettes. Head pieces such as floral crowns also began to evolve over this time period as well as shorter hemlines where dresses would end just below the knee. Brides in the early 1940s were married during the war , so their outfits typically donned formal pieces that they already owned as there was little money and material available for a wedding gown. Queen Elizabeth married Prince Philip after the war was over, however England was still on rations at the time. Her dress was an ivory silk and pearl embroidered scoop neck. Elizabeth Taylor's wedding dress in the film Father of the Bride had a huge influence on bridal trends. Sleek and simple were out, while full skirts, fitted bodices, and sweetheart necklines were in. At the start of the 1960s, shorter shoulder length veils became more popular. Three quarter length sleeves and structured fabrics, like crinoline, were also popular. Elizabeth Taylor's colorful wedding dresses, for her wedding to Richard Burton, started to popularize non-white bridal looks. The mini skirt also started to evolve in the 60s. In the 70s hair ribbons started to replace vails as well as non traditional dresses and people started to wear jumpsuits or matching outfits. Princess Diana's taffeta wedding dress inspired a lot of brides with the "more is more" approach to fashion, with her puffy sleeved and long trained dress. Off-the-shoulder wedding dresses gained popularity in the middle of the 1990s as well as Vera Wang opening her bridal boutique where she specialised in more spaghetti strap style dresses. By the mid 2000s strapless dresses were very popular and brides started adding simple embellishments like lace, to their gowns. By 2010 a strapless dress and a crystal belt was very popular! Kate Middleton made a case for the traditional when she married Prince William in 2011. Soon after their Westminster Abbey wedding, brides around the world started to replicate Kate's lace sleeves. All information for this was found on elle.com, “The Evolution of Bridal Style Through the Years” .

[janneymorgan]

Expert Tips on Securing Your Bridal Hair Comb

Every bride wants to look her best on her wedding day, and choosing the right bridal hair accessories can play a significant role in achieving the desired look. A bridal hair comb is not only a beautiful addition to your hairstyle but also a practical tool to keep your hair perfectly in place throughout the festivities. However, securing the comb correctly is crucial to avoid any hair mishaps. Here are expert tips to ensure your wedding comb stays secure from the ceremony to the last dance.

1. Choose the Right Comb for Your Hairstyle

Before you even consider how to secure it, choosing the right wedding hair comb is essential. Consider the style of your hair on the big day:

Updos require a comb with longer teeth and possibly a slight curve to fit snugly against the head.

Loose styles may benefit from a lighter, flatter comb that won't weigh down the hair.

Select a comb that complements the thickness and texture of your hair and fits comfortably with your chosen hairstyle.

2. Prepare Your Hair Properly

Proper hair preparation can make a significant difference in how well your bridal hair comb stays in place:

Texture is Key: If your hair is too soft or freshly washed, it might be too slippery to hold a comb securely. Consider adding some texture with a bit of product, such as dry shampoo or hairspray, before styling.

Secure Foundation: For updos, make sure your hair is pinned securely before adding the comb. The comb should have a firm base to grip onto.

3. Correct Placement of the Comb

Placement is critical when securing a wedding hair comb:

Inserting the Comb: Always slide the comb into your hair against the direction of the hairstyle for a secure hold. For example, if your hair is swept back, the comb should be inserted moving forward.

Avoid the Scalp: Position the comb so that it grips enough hair without pressing directly against the scalp, which can become uncomfortable.

4. Use Additional Support

Sometimes, a bridal hair comb needs a little extra support:

Bobby Pins: Use bobby pins that match your hair color to secure the comb further. Slide the pins through the teeth of the comb and into your hair, crisscrossing them for added stability.

Hidden Elastics: For heavy or large combs, tiny clear elastics can be used to tie sections of your hair together where the comb will sit. The comb can then grip these sections more firmly.

5. Check the Weight and Balance

A heavier comb might require additional security measures:

Balance the Weight: Ensure that the weight of the comb is evenly distributed across the area it covers. A comb that is too top-heavy might require redistributing pins or adjusting its position.

Regular Checks: Throughout your wedding day, have a bridesmaid or a stylist check that the comb is still securely in place, especially before key moments like walking down the aisle or dancing.

6. Practice Makes Perfect

Lastly, it's always a good idea to have a trial run:

Hair Trial: During your hair trial, experiment with different placements and securing techniques for the comb. This will give you an idea of what works best and what feels most comfortable.

Conclusion

A bridal hair comb is a beautiful and functional element of your wedding day ensemble. By following these expert tips on how to secure it properly, you can ensure that your hairstyle remains both stunning and intact all day long. Whether it's an intricate updo or a simple, flowing style, a securely placed wedding comb adds elegance and charm to your bridal look, allowing you to shine worry-free on your special day.

[shreesangamboutique]

The Stylist’s Guide To Wearing Lehenga For A Wedding

Introduction:

Weddings are not just celebrations of love and union; they are also opportunities to showcase cultural heritage and personal style. Among the plethora of traditional attires, the lehenga holds a special place in the hearts of many, especially in Indian weddings. Its elegance, richness, and versatility make it a favorite choice for brides, bridesmaids, and wedding guests alike. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the art of wearing a lehenga for a wedding, exploring everything from choosing the perfect style to accessorizing with finesse.

Understanding the Lehenga:

Origins and Evolution: Tracing the roots of the lehenga from ancient times to its modern-day variations.

Anatomy of a Lehenga: Breaking down the components - the blouse (choli), skirt (lehenga), and dupatta - and their significance in the ensemble.

Choosing the Right Style:

Body Type Considerations: Tips for selecting a lehenga style that flatters your body shape, whether you're petite, curvy, or tall.

Trend Alert: Explore the latest trends in lehenga designs, from traditional embroideries to contemporary silhouettes.

Selecting Fabrics and Colors:

Fabric Guide: Understanding the different fabrics used in lehengas and their suitability for various seasons and occasions.

Color Psychology: How different colors evoke different moods and energies, and tips for choosing the perfect hue for your lehenga based on the wedding theme and your personal preferences.

Customization and Tailoring:

The Importance of Fit: Why getting the right fit is crucial for a flawless look and how to work with your tailor for customizations.

Embellishments and Embroideries: Discussing options for intricate embellishments like zari work, thread embroidery, sequins, and stones, and how they can enhance the beauty of your lehenga.

Lehenga Styling Tips:

Blouse Designs: Exploring various blouse necklines, sleeve styles, and back patterns to complement your overall look.

Draping the Dupatta: Creative ways to drape your dupatta, from classic styles to modern twists, and how they can add drama and elegance to your ensemble.

Accessories Guide: Tips for accessorizing your lehenga with jewelry, footwear, and handbags to strike the perfect balance between tradition and trend.

Hair and Makeup:

Bridal Beauty: Makeup and hairstyling tips for brides to enhance their natural features and complement their lehenga ensemble.

Bridesmaids and Guests: Simple yet elegant hair and makeup ideas for bridesmaids and wedding guests to look their best without overshadowing the bride.

Cultural Sensitivity and Appropriateness:

Respectful Fashion Choices: Being mindful of cultural sensitivities and traditions when choosing and styling your lehenga for a wedding, especially if you're from a different cultural background.

Fusion Fashion: Exploring ways to incorporate elements from different cultures respectfully and tastefully while still honoring the significance of the occasion.

Sustainability and Ethical Fashion:

Conscious Consumption: Tips for making sustainable choices when buying or renting a lehenga for a wedding, from opting for eco-friendly fabrics to supporting ethical brands.

Upcycling and Repurposing: Ideas for giving new life to old lehengas through alterations, embellishments, or pairing them with different blouses and accessories.

Conclusion:

Wearing a lehenga for a wedding is not just about following trends; it's about embracing tradition, expressing personal style, and celebrating the joyous occasion with grace and elegance. Whether you're the bride, a bridesmaid, or a guest, this guide equips you with the knowledge and inspiration to rock your lehenga look with confidence and flair. So go ahead, indulge in the opulence of this timeless attire, and make your presence at the wedding an unforgettable affair!

If you buy bridal lehenga from best bridal lehenga shop in Kolkata then Shree Sangam Boutique is the best choice.