[OTA] Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts

[onlytolerable]

(Fitzgerald-Berthier Wedding)

It's been a long road from asking to wedding, Sophie thinks as she watches the stylist add the last touches to her hair. Adrien had wanted the wedding close to Sophie's birthday, but then Silas had talked about stepping down and there was the very real chance Cadogan might have been asked to fill his shoes. They'd decided to postpone. Then there'd been Lotty - and another postponing. She looks at the ceiling and wills tears away. The last thing her sister would have wanted was to ruin an excuse for a perfectly good party.

And so here they are, with Sophie looking like an Edwardian lady in Claire Pettibone and her bridesmaids like iced petit fours in sage and peach respectively. Other than the butterflies performing an aerial show in her stomach, she's surprisingly free of nerves. Nothing has felt so right to her as loving Adrien. The wedding is just one more step in that, a chance to tell the world how she feels. She's even stopped worrying about tripping down the aisle.

Not that Cadogan, who she'd asked to escort her down the aisle, would ever allow that to happen. No, she arrives safe in one piece before he leaves her side to take up his place as Adrien's Best Man. He looked handsome in his morning suit, though not so handsome as the groom. She gives Adrien a blinding smile, one that's returned to her full-force. He's been like a kid at a candy store ever since they'd begun planning. Utterly sweet, she thinks, and, well... surprising. She feels stupidly gooey inside (like one of those ridiculous romance heroines) just knowing he wants this as much as she does. Not that he'll hear that from her, at least not without prying. A woman needs to have some secrets.

All in all, she thinks later as she and Adrien leave the chapel as newly married couple, everyone and everything looks lovely. The chapel has never smelled so sweet as it has today with the profusion of peonies, roses and hyacinths. Sitara has never looked so adorable as she does in her sage flower girl dress. Adrien can't have been more charming and handsome.

A day made of superlatives, with an equally astounding evening ahead of them. She brushes a soft kiss along her--her husband's!--cheek. Never has anyone been so lucky.

Comments

[denythyfather]

A part of him can't really believe it. A year earlier, he would have never imagined himself here. But now, unexpectedly, he finds that this is exactly what he wants. Ring on his finger, wife - wife, god, that's weird and perfect - by his side, arm around her waist.

Except not constantly. Apparently other people want to talk with her and dance with her and although it's completely ridiculous, he doesn't have much choice in letting it happen. So he will occasionally be ecstatically alone at his table, either glancing down at his hand or watching Sophie in the crowd.

[onlytolerable]

"You do realize there are no take-backs?" Sophie teases. "You're stuck with me now."

[denythyfather]

"What?" he gasps, pressing a hand to his heart. "Oh no. I suppose I'm stuck with you forever, then."

[onlytolerable]

"That will make riding a bicycle difficult. I suppose we'll have to make the best of it. A hardship, I know." She gazes over the crowd, hunting for a small form in green. "Everyone's staring at us. I think they either expect us to have our first married life blow-up or to lead the dance." Probably the latter. They had far too many Diamond guests to expect people to take to the dance floor before the bride and groom.

[denythyfather]

"I'm afraid to disappoint, but I'm not planning on the former today," he murmurs, glancing out into the crowd as well. Before he gets to his feet, he turns back to her with a soft smile. "Shall we dance then, Mrs. Fitzgerald-Berthier?"

[onlytolerable]

Weddings, she discover, make you wish to say all sorts of unwise things. Words like, "You could never disappoint," which although true would make it difficult to win any future arguments discussions. And she so adores winning--and losing--those. Sophie satisfies herself with tapping the tip of his nose instead.

"Thought you'd never ask," she tells him and--to her surprise--realizes that's true. She doesn't even protest when he takes her to the center of the floor. For once, she fails to notice they're the center of attention. She's too busy smiling at him.

"Have I told you how handsome you look?"

[denythyfather]

"Mm. Maybe." He grins, not able to look anywhere besides into her eyes. "I wouldn't mind if you told me again, though." He leans a little closer to her as they turn with the music. "And you look breathtaking. Not that you need to be told."

[diemwnt]

Which is just as well, really. Because maybe other people want to talk to Adrien. Or dance with him. Or probably just talk with him.

Definitely, at the end of the day, there's at least one person who wants to briefly throw an arm around Adrien's shoulder and pretend no one can tell that it's just a tight, quiet, incredibly proud, completely overwhelmed bit of a hug.

[denythyfather]

Adrien ducks his head against Cadogan's, wrapping his arms around the other man briefly. "We did it," he says softly, with a grin. "Thank you for being here."

[diemwnt]

It's been a rough few month. It's so important, now, to cwtch Adrien in tight and feel the moment solidly in both their bodies.

He can't quite say anything back, but he can clack his tongue softly in the other man's ear and nuzzle briefly against his cheek. Of course they did it. Adrien and Sophie were wonderful people who deserved perfect things.

[denythyfather]

Adrien will be the one to pull away - just enough so that he can press his forehead to Cadogan's. "It's all worked out well so far, don't you think?" he asks with a soft smile.

[diemwnt]

Nodding together is a nice feeling. Leaning together so he can move back enough to use his hands is less nice, but still important.

/Almost perfect./

[denythyfather]

It means a lot. It means so much. Adrien's heart aches sometimes, just thinking of how long Cadogan has been a constant in his life. Somehow, this seems to be an inadequate response, but it's all he can offer. /Thank you./

[heneiddio]

All alone? On his wedding day? Impossible. Clearly needing to be corrected.

By cheek-pinches. So he'd best hold still and let her coo.

[denythyfather]

"Maman!" he says excitedly, not quite holding still immediately. First he has to jump to his feet and find a chair for her. Then he'll be perfectly content to sit and let her coo.

[heneiddio]

And isn't he a good boy, taking time on his special day to find her a chair. Isn't he sweet to an old woman. She'll tsk at him, although she'll absolutely also sit. Once he's sitting as well, there's some invisible cowlicks to brush into place.

"How's my clean and shining doing, then, mm?"

[denythyfather]

One hand can brush his hair into place. The other is Adrien's to clasp gently, hold adoringly. "I couldn't be happier. Honestly."

[heneiddio]

"An' you deserve a lifetime of it, darling boy." As also he deserves to have his tie tugged at and his cheek pinched properly. "Now you promise an old hen you'll treat that pretty young wife of yours right, will you?"

[denythyfather]

He nods immediately, emphatically. "As well as I can. You'll help me, won't you?" Of course she will. He'll depend on her for it in times of need (like birthdays and anniversaries).

[oneirophiliac]

"Adrien. Adrien. Top marks for the goofy smile and ring mesmererem...ism. Not so good on the guest-entertaining, but we can let that slide. How's it feel?" Annie waves a hand in front of his face. She won't be so mean as to interrupt his view of his ring. Object permanence is something to be relearned, with marriage.

[denythyfather]

"Please," he chides, raising his eyebrows at her. "Don't tell me you weren't just as ecstatic when you got married, Mrs. Chives." He grins, though, and nods. "It feels lovely, really."

[oneirophiliac]

"True enough," she chirps, grinning. "The honeymoon phase hasn't worn off yet and we haven't even had one. And it's good that both of you are, y'know. Cementing it."

Given what's happened lately.

[denythyfather]

"Yeah. We wanted it... cemented. Sooner, rather than later. It got postponed too many times, yeah?" He laughs a little, looking away for a moment. "But we pulled together eventually."

[oneirophiliac]

"At long, long last." She looks around at the festivities. "It's weird, isn't it? You feel like it'll never happen even when it's the night before... then the morning of, you wake up and 'oh shit, I'm getting married'." She shakes her head.

[denythyfather]

"Not so much 'oh shit' as 'oh finally' for me, to be honest." He grins out into the crowd at Sophie before his eyes flick back to Annie's.