This is my first fic for Allero week. For those of you who don't know what that is, check it out. Just search tumblr for alleroweek.
And after you do, spread the word around. Our ship needs more love, people!
THE PERFECT ENDING
"I'm not wearing THAT!"
"Oh yeah? Who says so?"
"I say so! I mean...Oh God, just look at it!"
"What do you mean 'look at it'? Are you implying that my sense of aesthetic is terrible?"
"Oh, come on now! I said no such thing. And really, it looks sorta...no, really good. Pleasing to the eye. But..."
"But?"
"I don't know, if, let's see, how do I put this?"
"Easy. Put it in a way that won't make me stab you with a candle."
"That might be a little challenging" Allen conceded.
Tyki, who sat watching the whole fiasco with a slight smile, leaned back and said with a placating air, "Children, children! Let's be civil about this. I'm sure we can come to a solution feasible to both parties." Then, he turned to Allen and said, "You'd better put that on. Or I'm not doing this."
"How is that FEASIBLE TO BOTH PARTIES?" Allen protested.
"Boy, we're trying to make this memorable. And ye olde garden variety clothes don't make the cut." Tyki said, his face betraying no hint of a smile.
"If you don't put that on, I'm calling this off!" Road screamed, throwing the bundle at him.
"Alright, alright! Don't get your feathers all ruffled. But still..." Allen said, hesitating.
"Go on, boy. You'll love it. And I'm the Noah of Pleasure. I ought to know" said Tyki, a grin verging on evil splitting his face.
Allen stepped out of the tent Road had conjured from nowhere, clad in his new clothes. Costume might have been a better term. The jet black suit was silky and had been a pleasure to run through his hands. So were the shirt and the pants. But he was feeling decidedly undecided about the huge black wings that sprouted from the back. Not to mention the tiny horns he had to wear, the tail that came with the pants and the cane with the death's head grip. "Road!" Allen declared, "I feel rather silly wearing..." and he trailed off as he caught sight of her.
She was dressed all in white, quite the polar opposite to his colour scheme, white, feathery wings sprouting from her gown and a delicate tiara encrusted with what looked like amethysts. It suited her eyes beautifully. A thin diamond pendant adorned her neck and a simple belt of gold encircled her slim waist. On her wrist glittered the gold bracelet that had been his first and only gift to her. It did not look half as magnificent as the others, but it warmed Allen's heart to see it on her.
She caught sight of the look he was giving her and gave a little twirl. "Like what you see?" she asked with a mischievous grin. He nodded. "Well," she said, eyeballing him, "You don't look too bad yourself." Allen blushed to the roots of his hair. "You can't possibly imagine how embarrassing this is..." he muttered, with a slight smile. Tyki had been right. This was a tad bit fun.
Road moved up to him and straightened his horns. "There!" she exclaimed, "All better!" "Not yet" Allen said, wearing a look like a lost puppy. Road laughed and gave him a tiny peck on the cheek. "That's all you get for now!" she said skipping away to find Tyki, the master of ceremony, among other things. Allen followed her, Timcampy flying in to perch on his head. The golden golem ensconced itself quite smugly in between his horns.
"Alright!" she declared, "We're done dressing up. What now Tyki?"
"Well, let's see." said Tyki, pulling out a little book from one of his pockets. It had a suspiciously blank cover. "Now we have somebody escort the groom and someone escort the bride to the altar here" he said pointing to a much worn stone circle with vines growing all over it.
"Um... Which God are we doing this under?" asked Allen.
"Do you have any preference?" asked Tyki.
"Well, not anyone in particular?" replied Allen.
"Well, it doesn't matter even if you do, because the book here says this is a rather malleable altar and it can be dedicated to whoever you want . Anything else?"
"No. Go on."
"Okay then, do you have anyone with you boy?"
Allen felt a pang of sadness that his friends weren't here with him for this. Well, it wasn't as if they'd have come if he'd called them anyway. More likely he would have ended up in one of the dungeons in the order. Or at least restrained because they'd all have thought he was going mad.
With not too much of an effort, Allen pushed those dark thoughts away from his mind. He wasn't going to let anything ruin his day. Not today.
"Yup" Allen answered. "Tim!" he called.
The golden golem fluttered off Allen's head and grew till it was bigger than Allen. Lots bigger. Then, swallowing him up, it flew to the altar and spat him out.
"Good thing Timcampy doesn't salivate" Allen remarked, getting up and brushing some dust off his clothes.
Tyki and Road were looking at him, open-mouthed.
"Well," Tyki said finally, "That's a novel way of doing that."
"Come on Road!" Allen called, "I'm not going to wait all day!"
Road smirked. She was not going to be outdone by Allen and definitely not today of all days.
She lifted a finger and then she was gone and there was a huge gift wrapped box in its place. Tyki looked at it for a couple of seconds. Then he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Oh well, I thought it'd fly."
He grabbed one of its sides, then seemed to reconsider and held out his hands, palms up. A slew of butterflies (Allen was not going to think of them as Teez. Nope, he wasn't) flew out of them and swarmed around the box lifting it up and carrying it to Allen. They deposited it in front of him and disappeared.
Allen looked at it for a couple of seconds. "Oh well!" he remarked, shrugging his shoulders, "I thought it'd open by itself."
He grabbed the ribbon on top and pulled it loose. And waited. When Road didn't come jumping out of the box, he lifted the lid too and peered inside. She was sitting inside and held her arms out to him. "Lift me out" she demanded.
Allen picked her up. "I don't have to set you down, do I?" he asked, holding her.
She laughed and patted his cheek. "Time enough for all that later, lover boy!"
He sighed and set her down.
Tyki, who had been making gagging sounds in the background, joined them. "Alright, now that part's over. Now we set the doves free."
"Eh?" they both asked.
"We set the doves free" Tyki said, albeit a bit more slowly, as he went behind a rock and retrieved a cage with two doves.
"Are you sure..." began Allen, but was cut off by an indignant Tyki. "Boy! Who do you think you are? I'm the Noah of Pleasure! This is my domain! And besides, that's what it says in the book!"
"You know what? Let me have a look at that book." Allen said, reaching out towards it. "No, you don't!" Tyki cried holding it away from Allen. Timcampy, who'd reverted to its normal size, sneaked behind Tyki and grabbed, or rather gobbled, the book away from him.
"Yes, I do." Allen said smugly as Tim regurgitated the book into his hands.
He opened it and looked at it, his eyes widening. "Love, Love, Paradise?!" he demanded.
"Love, love, PARADISE?!" Road screamed, looking at Tyki.
Tyki held up his hands in a placating gesture. "The book was only for your satisfaction. These wedding customs really exist, I swear! I asked a lot of people! From different places!"
"And this is your special mix, I take it?" Allen asked in a tired voice.
The older man nodded happily. "Yup! My very own cocktail! And you guys are the first ever to do it my way! We're going to set a trend!" he declared.
"Can we just get on with it?" Road asked, eyes shooting daggers at Tyki. Poisoned ones. Tyki gulped.
"Okay. Now hold hands."
They held hands.
Allen stole a glance at Road. She looked as happy as he had ever seen her. He was pretty sure he looked the same way too. After all, this was something they'd wanted for quite some time now. They weren't sure, the both of them, if they'd get through this war alive. Though they had avoided talking about it, they knew that threat always loomed in their lives. So they'd wanted to do this before it was too late. Especially Road. She believed it'd give him incentive to cling on to life if he had family waiting for him. He'd have held on for her nonetheless, but she wanted this with all her heart. As did he.
Tyki took a deep breath.
"We're gathered here in blah blah blah to yada yada yada get these two young things married blah blah blah and do you promise to be together forever, no terms and conditions?"
They couldn't help but smile. After Road had kicked her uncle in the groin.
Then she turned to him and said "I do."
And he replied "I do."
"Rings." Tyki moaned from the ground "And after you're done with that, kiss"
Allen held up a hand.
One second.
Ten seconds.
Allen turned his head, looking around. Where was Timpcampy?
Far off, he thought he heard a whistle.
"Tim!" he called, letting go of Road's hand and turning around. "Timcampy!" he called once more.
"Road..." he began, turning around to face her, then stopped. A look of confusion spread on his face.
"Road!" he cried, a note of panic entering his voice, as he frantically looked this way and that. Where was she?
"This isn't the time for games, Road!" he called, "Come out, wherever you are!"
No answer.
"Tyki! Tell her to..." and he trailed off as his eyes met empty stone. He slowly looked around. There was nobody around. The vines on the altar had all dried up. Gently the ground began to shake.
A sinking feeling arose in his gut.
As he stood there, baffled, his eyes fell on a something glinting among the vines.
He bent and picked up a blood stained gold bracelet.
"No." he whispered. "No no NO NO NO!"
And then there was an enormous thundering and the ground beneath his feet split asunder.
And he was falling.
Falling.
Allen woke with a start and found himself on the floor. He could hear the train running past, the vibrations shaking his little cottage.
He brought a hand to his face and found it wet with tears. Even after all these years, that tearing, crushing pain inside him hadn't gone away. It amazed him how it could hurt just like it had been yesterday.
He looked up at the clock on his table. The time was 4.00 am.
He still had a couple of hours. Getting back on the bed, he pulled his blanket over his head.
Ironic, how the only place she lived was in his dreams.
This fic is based on an imagine your otp prompt from tumblr. I'd add the link if I could, but I couldn't, so just search for 'imagineyourotp at the altar of a church'