"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW!" Cress is screaming in excitement, and her excited energy is so cute that Thorne can't help watching her bounce around the wing in the royal palace of the Eastern Commonwealth that they've been given for the past week.

"We're getting tomorrow," Thorne agrees, and Cress squeals. He checks the time. It's 11:30 PM.

"C'mon, hon, we've gotta get to bed," he says.

"I won't be able to sleep," she says, and she's unable to focus her gaze on one individual place, and then her eyes meet his and lock there, her grin so wide that her jaw isn't closed. He can't stop smiling as big as her, but he feels something domestic and big inside him as he watches the excitement of the woman he loves— and he feels that excitement, surging in his veins.

Cress holds open her arms. Thorne surges forward into them, pulling her cheek against his chest as he presses several kisses into her hair— then cringes and says "ew, Cress! Your hair smells gross."

"Well, we put off the wedding plans so I've had to sacrifice a couple showers to get everything done."

"That's disgusting. C'mon." He pulls her by the arm towards their bathroom. Cress looks around in confusion, and then her eyes bolt open in horror.

"Oh no—" she starts, but he keeps dragging her. "Carswell, you know that we won't be able to sleep if we shower right now, do you know what water does to your body, the hot water is going to keep us awake until we sleep at three-thirty in the morning or something, you don't want to be late to your own wedding—"

"There's a jacuzzi, we're not going to skimp on the wonderful bathroom that Kai's given us."

He slams the bathroom door shut behind him and pulls off his shirt. Cress's words die in her mouth as she stares at his torso, mouth slightly tipping up at the corners— they're pressed close to each other even though there's ample space in the huge, palace-style bathroom. He hears her breathing pick up.

"Don't worry, I know how to get you to sleep," he says, smirking and stretching his arms, making sure to reach his hands high high up and tilt his hips in the way that she always likes best—

Then Cress is smirking back at him, and she crosses her arms, leaning back and admiring the view. He freezes, shell-shocked, and she sees his expression and grins a half smile that he's only ever seen in mirrors, aces what kind of woman is he about to marry, she's using all his tricks against him—

"Why did you stop? I was loving the show." She leans back, dropping her hands on her hips, and gives him a long, dragged once-over, her eyes stopping at select places and her teeth coming up to bite her lips at others. He's still staring.

(she's really hot when she acts like him; and a part of Thorne will always know that she's hotter when she does it.)

"What kind of woman have I created?" Thorne says in astonishment, but he grins and pulls her body against him, hips against hips, thighs against thighs, chests against chests. He kisses her deeply, and Cress's hands wind up around his neck and into his hair; gasping against his mouth, she says "you reap what you sow, babe."

He laughs, he's so in love, and kisses her again. He doesn't think there's a better woman for him to marry tomorrow.

"Hey," Thorne whispers, grinning at Cress's mussed hair and her slack jaw, nose pressing into the crook of his arm and her back against his chest. She groans and turns around so that she's buried her face in his chest.

"Cress, babe, wake up. We're getting married today."

She grumbles but her mouth closes, and she turns so that she's facing the ceiling— which means she's awake; Cress never sleeps on her back. She squeezes her eyes shut and turns her head to him with a sleepy grin. Then she stares at the clock on their ceiling. "Wow, it's eight-thirty. We woke up."

"I'm going to be falling asleep during the ceremony."

"Aces—" she yawns hugely— "yeah, me too."

"Kai'll wake us up."

"Yeah," she says, curling into his bare torso. "He probably will."

Then she nuzzles her still-slightly-damp hair against his chest and kisses the base of his sternum, falling asleep.

"Spades," he says. "Cress! Wake up! We've actually got to get ready for this wedding!"

She doesn't shift.

"Cress…"

Nothing.

"I'm not taking you to the altar in your nightgown! Even though those shorts look great on you— how did you get on your bra last night? I thought I took it off."

A pause. Then, "Girls can—" yawn— "girls can summon bras at will."

"Oh, so now you're awake."

She turns her face infinitesimally until he can see her you need to shut up expression. Then he takes this opportunity to heave her torso up and sit her up on the bed. Cress groans, but slips off the covers and shoos him away.

"You can't see me in my wedding dress," she says, and then she has slammed the door to their bedroom and Thorne's left in his pajamas and the shirt and shorts that Cress shoves through a sliver after she opens it for a half second—

"Where do I go?"

"I don't know! Kai and Cinder's room!"

"Alright," he says. "I'll go there."

"Wait!" she says, and then opens the door, poking just her head out. She grins at Thorne super sweet. "Can you call the girls over here? I want them to help me with makeup and stuff."

"Of course," he says, and puckers his lips for a kiss. Cress leans forward and he kisses her gently. "Can I come in? Just to say bye? It's cause the next time I see you we'll be getting married."

She smiles, eyes glowing and her smile soft. "Yeah, sure."

Then she opens the door wide, and Thorne shoves himself inside, pulls her lips against him and his fingers into her hair, curling them in the locks. He tries to memorize the feeling of her body against his, even though he doesn't really have to, cause he'll have her for forever after today.

"I'm so excited, ya know?" he says against her mouth, and she nods and grins and giggles and kisses him deeply again.

"I know, I know, I'm so excited, Carswell."

He kisses her forehead once and pulls away. Blows a flying kiss at her (stars, what a sap he's become— he still loves it), and salutes at her, eliciting a giggle from his bouncing fiancee, before he closes the door behind him.

"Don't forget to get the girls!" she calls out, and Thorne rolls his eyes and pretends not to hear her.

"Thorne!" he hears her snap, and then the door opens with a bang and he cackles and runs down the hallway.

"Oh my stars, Cress, you look heavenly!" Winter exclaims. They're all on the bed, and Cress is standing in front, in her wedding dress, an excited grin on her face. Scarlet bounces Tamara in her arms with a gasp of agreement, and Tamara squeals.

"Mara likes it, too," Scarlet says, and Mara gaggles, reaching for Cress with pudgy fingers.

"Do a twirl," Cinder says, and Cress spins, her dress billowing out around her. Cinder leans comfortably back, eight months pregnant, and grins.

"He'll go crazy."

"You got this," Iko says with a cheerful smile. "I'm so excited for you! He finally popped the question. It took him so long!"

"Now all that's left is me and Jacin," Winter said.

"Honestly, Winter, you don't have to wait," Cinder said. "Just propose to himself yourself. Ditch all the stupid gender roles; if you want to get married just ask him."

"You didn't do that with Kai."

"Because he wanted to marry me before I wanted to marry him! He's a hopeless romantic, there's nothing I could have done to prevent him from getting on one knee and pulling the whole net-drama scene."

"You still loved it, though," Scarlet says.

"I'm not saying I didn't love it! It was just the most cliche thing I'd ever seen in my life."

Cress's excitement is bubbling over her in hysterical giggles; her friends are more like family and she's never felt more at home than she is right now, with her friends all around her and her fiancé waiting to tie himself to her forever.

(And, she is in a gorgeous dress and she feels like a princess.)

* * *
The nerves, and the confusion, and the worry, and the shock hits Thorne in a huge, sudden rush.

He can't believe that this is happening. Stares at the huge mirror and at himself inside it, looking small and timid and afraid, but still so sure and so ready. Because that's what he feels like— his love feels all-encompassing, he feels like it swells outside of him and takes up all the space that he can't fill. It's all for Cress. Obviously.

He's in a suit, and a tie, and it reminds him of that day at the ball, the day when he had realized how much he loved her— the day when he had realized that he wanted to be with her the same way she wanted to be with him.

He turns this way, that way— admires his reflection, thinks about Cress, soon to be at his side, and he can't stop smiling in excitement at this guy in the mirror, this scoundrel that's somehow lucky enough to be marrying the best woman in the world. A little dash of insecurity hits him in that moment but he shoves it aside before he can let it consume him. He loves Cress. She loves him back. He's not worried about that.

He assumes that all the girls are having a slumber party, with chocolate and gossip and excitement. Wolf's silent, as if he's itching for his daughter, but Kai, Jacin, and Kinney have livened the place up a little, bringing alcohol and cards, and finally Wolf went out of his stupor to play a decent game of Lunar War with Kai, Jacin and Kinney. Thorne's just staring at himself as he gets ready. Thorne's just thinking about Cress. Thinking about the weight of today.

"You excited?" Kai asks. They've looked up from their card game— Thorne's guessed that they've finished.

"That's one way to put it."

"Nervous?" He walks over to the mirror beside Thorne, then sits cross-legged next to his feet, staring at him through the mirror's reflection.

Thorne doesn't respond, just looks away.

"Ya know," Kai says. "Apparently your body's reaction to nerves and excitement is the same. Fast heartbeat, adrenaline— Cinder's cyborg warning system gets her excitement and her anxiety confused all the time."

"That's great to know," Thorne deadpans. "That helps me how?"

"I don't know."

"You'll do fine," is Wolf's gruff response. "You've been dating her for so many years."

Stars, Thorne can't believe that he's taking relationship advice from Wolf of all people. But… at the same time, Wolf knows what he's talking about, all the time. Whenever Wolf has to say something, it's relevant.

Maybe Thorne should be taking his advice to heart.

* * *
Wolf turns to Cress, holds out his hand. She's reaching for it before she knows what she's doing, and her breath comes shallow in her lungs. But she's ready for this. His hand is dwarfing hers and she clutches onto his arm like it's a lifeline.

"You'll be fine, Cress," Wolf says, and his voice is quiet, calm. Mara's walking forward with her mother's hand in hers, and she's throwing flowers around the audience. Wolf follows his family with his eyes. At that moment, as if she can sense Wolf watching him, Scarlet turns and grins back at her husband. He smiles excitedly back.

"Thorne loves you," he says, once again turning to Cress. She can see him, standing with his posture a little tense and nervous, at the altar. He looks like he's waiting desperately for her to come.

"He cares. You have nothing to worry about."

"Okay," Cress says, and she realizes that this isn't hard. She'll be just walking up to the man she loves and she'll be staring into his eyes for a while and then she'll kiss him and they'll go back to how they used to be, how they've always been. She'll call him "her husband" and they'll get money together and she'll be Crescent Moon Thorne and their relationship won't change.

She doesn't have to be nervous.

She grips Wolf's hand and he begins to lead her down the aisle.

OH MY GOD THAT TOOK ME SO LONG BUT I KINDA LIKE IT!

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