Moon's heart clamours in her chest.
Her languid breaths, and her mother's grip, were the only reason she hadn't run out of the room to scream or hurl.
Her mom taps her shoulder gently as she pushes the final pin into her hair. Moon looks up to see see her beaming mother in the corner and her own reflection in the mirror.
The definition of a glowing bride.
Her makeup wasn't over the top; soft pinks to match her natural flush. Her hair was arranged with small white flowers framing the intricate braids and soft curls.
Moon couldn't decide if she looked more like herself, or less.
"Ready for your big day, sweetie?" Moon's mother asks from behind her, pulling Moon out of her own thoughts. Moon could see the tears already brimming in her mom's eyes.
Moon lets out a small breathy chuckle as she steps out of the chair, careful to not step on her dress. She reaches out to place her hands gently on her mom's cheeks. "Mom, I'm Champion. This is hardly a 'big day' in comparison."
And her mom just laughs her boisterous laugh in response as some tears prematurely fall onto her cheeks.
It wasn't every day that your youngest kid got married.
"You became Champion when you were 10, honey. It's been 12 years. You kids are growing up too fast."
Moon shakes her head as a lopsided grin takes its place on her lips, "Sun will still be around."
Her mom is quick to react with a tsk as she removes Moon's hands. "That's only because your older brother decided to go on a search for money instead of love first."
They both shared a laugh this time around. The familial joke leaving a bittersweet taste in Moon's mouth. She really was growing up. Faster than her older brother in some sense, faster than her mother wanted in another.
Maybe even faster than she wanted to, but with every passing second she just remembered why they were here in the first place.
And after years of dating, today was the day she would get married to the love of her life.
A knock at the door pulls both Moon and her mother's attention to the door.
Sun steps in, clad suit and tie. His eyes downcast for a quick second before he glances up at his mom and sister.
"What's wrong?" their mother begins, but Sun sees the panic grow in Moon's eyes as their mother utters the phrase.
"Hey...um...nothing's wrong," he nervously scratches the back of his head. "I just want to give my baby sister a hug before I pass her off to Gladion."
Their mother quirks an eyebrow at the odd request. Her children were never overtly emotional with each other, but Moon only lets out an airy giggle at her brother's wish.
Sun gives Moon a warm smile before enveloping her in a hug, but once her vision was gone the smile drops and he locks eyes with their mother's.
A sinking feeling forms in her stomach.
Lillie paces up and down the corridor outside the chapel hall; the furrow in her brow giving away her distress.
The families were inside.
The bridesmaids and groomsmen were waiting in the other hall.
Sun was with Moon.
Moon was with her mom.
And everything was in order, except for one very important detail.
The soft thunk of the door down the hall makes Lillie whip her head towards the noise. It was Hau, accompanied only by the frown on his face.
She quickly runs up to him, her heels clicking on the marble floors. "Any luck?," her voice was desperate.
He shakes his head sadly, "I can't find him anywhere."
The news strikes hard and the tears quickly begin falling down Lillie's face, but Hau wipes them away as fast as they begin falling.
"It's okay Lillie. We still have time, he might show up," Hau pleads quietly, but Lillie wouldn't calm down. He pulls her in closer, feeling her tears on his shirt and her frame shake with her silent sobs.
Luckily for them, no one was walking in at that moment.
Moon is the one to pull away from her brother first, noting the solemn look on his face as he lets go.
"Sun, I'm not dying you know?"
He blinks once, not registering Moon's words. She quickly rolls her eyes at his silence before she turns to her mom with a bright smile on her face.
"Go get seated mom, we'll be there soon!"
Her mother hesitates as she notices Sun cringe at his sister's sentence. The feeling of unease lingering; whatever Sun knew was not good.
She only hoped she raised him with enough sense to not say something at the wrong time.
As their mother leaves the room, Moon corners Sun.
"Okay, spill."
His eyes widen at the complete shift of demeanor.
Moon was terrifying when she was angry, and he didn't want to upset her on her wedding day no less, but given the circumstances he decided that using her anger would be the best method to stall everything. He opens his mouth to protest and deny, but Moon quickly steps in.
"You asking for a hug was weird..." Moon says pointedly as she crosses her arms across her chest, no trace of anger was in her voice "but mom left upset, too…"
The worry finds its way to her face, "what's going on?"
Leave it to Moon to be perceptive, and leave it to him to not want to let his baby sister walk out of this room thinking a wedding was still going to happen.
"If something happened to your fiance you would want to know, right?"
Moon's eyes widen as she comes closer to her brother. "Is Gladion okay? Is he hurt? Sun what do you know?!" her voice rises with each question and his heart breaks with her undying concern for the guy.
"He hasn't shown up."
The world seemed to stop at that moment for Moon.
"No one can find him."
A joke. This had to be a cruel joke by her brother.
"I'm sorry, Moon."
Numb.
That's all she could feel in the moment as she pushed passed her brother. His voice was buzzing in her head as he called out to her, but she soon found herself walking down the main corridor.
Lillie had calmed down and separated herself from Hau's arms and when they both saw a flash of white walking past them in a hurry.
In a panic Hau calls out Moon's name, but by then it was too late.
She had opened the door to the chapel.
Heads turned, hundreds of eyes stared back at her.
There stood a glowing bride, with no groom at the altar to show for it.