A/N: I know many of my followers have been excited for this one...well, here it is. Congratulations to Sin Cara and Kalisto on their big day! Thank you for all your support and encouragement. You guys mean the world to me.
Today was a big day.
A man with blond hair and pink streaks slinked out of his hotel room into the still hallway. He held a video camera up to his face and started a recording. He'd be at this for a good, long time today.
"Hey, guys, Dolph Ziggler here. It's a little after eight thirty in the mornin', Sunday, May fifteenth, 2016. Also known as one of the most important days in WWE history. Now, I don't mean to say there's a pay-per-view or some big match your boy is fighting in tonight. Save that for tomorrow. Today, it's all about love." He swiped a hand over his face, moving a strip of pink from his eyes. "The beautiful, undying, unadulterated love of WWE's very own Sin Cara and Kalisto. You heard me, the Lucha Dragons are in love! And they're making a public, legal proclamation of it today, in front of all our friends and family. Well, their families. I'm just here as the partner of the best man. And also a groomsman."
Dolph's mouth stretched into a yawn. He figured he could edit that out later. This was still too early for him.
"Anyway. 'Listo and Cara hired a professional videographer to record the ceremony…" He rolled his eyes like the thought of a professional was inane and unnecessary. "But they asked me if I could do a little behind-the-scenes documentary today. I was more than happy to take 'em up on it." Dolph leaned against the door to his hotel room. "Kalisto crashed in our room last night. Sin Cara's got his own room on another floor. They have this thing where they don't want to see each other at all today until the wedding. Romance, man. Still alive. So let's go inside and see what we can see..."
Dolph slid a key card into the slot on the door, and a blinking green light granted him access to the room. The curtains had been drawn back, ushering in a brook of sunshine through the murky windows. Kalisto was still getting out of bed, arms stretched high above his head, and Neville was standing in front of the mirror, fastening the button on his pants.
"Damn, looks like I just missed the good part," Dolph snickered. Neville's reflection sneered at him. "You're rocking those jeans, babe. You'll be the most dapper fella at the ceremony."
"Yes, I'll most definitely be sporting jeans at my best friend's wedding," Neville said.
"Look at all this attitude. You see how mean he is to me?" Dolph scuttled away before Neville could smack him, turning his attention to Kalisto next. "Hey, good morning, little bride. How are you feeling? Ready to get hitched?"
"No," Kalisto laughed through another stretch. "Not yet. But I will be soon enough."
"Is there anything you'd like to say to your future husband on this, the day of your wedding?" He painted the last words with a Godfather-attributed Italian accent.
Kalisto smiled at the camera. "Well, Cara, I never thought I'd get where I am right now, but here we are. Growing up, you were my idol; as an adult, you were my boyfriend; now, we're going to be husbands. I can't wait to see you. Te amo mucho, amado." He kissed his finger and came close to touching the lens.
"Boom," Dolph said, lowering the camera. "What a show."
"Why don't you go check on Sin Cara, Dolph, make sure he's up?" Neville asked. "I've got a schedule for today and I'd like to stick to it, if we can."
"Alright, alright. Best not to agitate the lad on a day like today." Moving towards the door, he added with a teasing grin, "That's why I didn't totally hide the rings until the very last minute."
To be certain of that—it was Dolph, after all—Neville checked the nightstand drawer for them. The rings were perhaps his greatest responsibility of all. He was the best man. Sasha Banks had been offered the role of a sole bridesmaid, therefore the maid of honor.
"Is it too early to ask how you're feeling?" Neville queried once Dolph was gone.
Kalisto watched out the window, observing the lightening azure sky, the beautiful city rouse for the greatest day of his life. "I feel so much right now that it's almost like I'm numb. Like, I'm so excited, but I'm so scared, and I'm so happy that I might start crying before it even starts."
Neville rubbed his arm. "Aw, don't be scared. This is wonderful."
"I know it is. Above all, I'm ready."
"Can I bring you some breakfast? I don't want you to have to leave the room, if you can help it. Whatever you need, I'm here."
"No, thank you. My stomach's in knots."
"You should eat," Neville encouraged. "Food's good for you, so I've heard."
Kalisto chuckled. "I'll try a little later."
"Alright. Just let me know. I'm your lackey today."
"Best man doesn't mean lackey."
"It does for the next few hours. You're my priority. My job today is to take care of you, get you whatever you need, make sure there's nothing we're missing."
"Have I mentioned how lucky I am to have a friend like you?"
"Almost as lucky as Cara is to have a man like you."
Kalisto was feeling warm from the inside out. He returned to the bed. Please don't let me pass out on my wedding day.
"I'm going to clean myself up and head over to the church, see if Chy and Bekke need any help." Neville sat on the bed and pulled on a pair of black shoes. "You can get ready while I'm gone. Take your time. I'll have my phone, so call or text me if you want anything. It won't inconvenience me."
"Thanks, Neville. That means a lot."
"When I get back, Dolph and Cara should be ready, assuming Dolph pretends, at the very least, to take this seriously. Then they'll head over to the church, and I'll get ready. We'll leave after that. The timing should work out impeccably."
"Have you always been this anal, Nev?"
"Just on the days that matter, for the people that matter."
Kalisto giggled. "I'm alright with that."
Neville slipped into the bathroom, locking the door shut behind him. Kalisto didn't move from his place. He studied his engagement ring, gem dazzling in the sunbeams. All thoughts were on the moments ahead and the rest of his life as a map in front of him. With Sin Cara, the journey would be paradise.
Sin Cara drew in a breath and repeated himself.
"Before we met, I was a man incomplete. A man with a past, with demons, with regrets. In you, I find completion. I find hope. In you, I find the confidence to love myself, and more importantly, love another. In all the days and through the nights, I will be not behind you as an aid, but beside you as an equal. I will lift you when you fall; I will praise you on days you stand tall. You are my prize, so I will cherish you. You are my partner, so I will protect you. You are my heart, so I will care for you until my last breath."
Cara respired as though it was his last breath. It was the hundredth time, at the very least, he'd spoken his vows aloud since writing them. He wanted to make absolute sure he didn't forget or stumble over any words. How nerve-wracking was this? He'd washed his hands several times yet still they felt clammy. He couldn't stop trembling, no matter how many times he paced the floor to rid himself of this hype. Go over it again, he thought. Just keep doing it over and over and over…
Cara traded glances with the man in the mirror. Still dressed in pajamas. He had plenty of time to get dressed, but the wait was killing him. He almost wanted to rush through the day, get it over with so he could quit stressing so much. But what was to fret about? He'd been longing for this day forever now.
And he wanted it to be perfect. Unconditionally perfect.
The distress hadn't even hit him until he woke this morning and realized what was happening today. Perhaps it was normal. Or perhaps now he was where he'd been all this time: completely unworthy and humble before this celebration of love with a man he didn't deserve.
He had to fight the anxiety. He couldn't accept it. He'd fight like he fought everything else in life. He never surrendered to anything…apart from falling in love with Kalisto, of course. Helpless man there. Trapped. Enslaved and devoted.
Don't screw this up. He grabbed a breath and began. "Before we met, I was a man incomplete. A man with a past—"
Knock knock knock knock knock.
"Yeah?" Sin Cara grunted.
"Hey, it's me," came Dolph's voice.
"One second." Cara pulled on his normal white luchador mask. The one he'd be wearing for the service was a black and rusty-gold mask that Cheyenne and Bekke had customized for him as a wedding gift. Of all the masks he'd collected over the years, that one was now his favorite and none could ever replace it.
Sin Cara pulled the door open. "Hey."
"Hey, good morning." Dolph pushed into the room. "Just checking on you, making sure you're awake, if you need anything, blah, blah, blah. I'm supposed to be your personal assistant today."
Cara chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah. Been up for a while now, actually."
"How long's a while?"
"Since four."
"Four AM?" Dolph asked. "Wow. How are you not comatose?"
Sin Cara shrugged. "Too edgy, I guess. Got a lot on my mind."
Dolph lifted one eyebrow. "Having doubts?"
"Hell no. I'd never think of backing out."
"Not saying you would. Just saying, it's normal to get cold feet."
Sin Cara reached for the coffeepot on the counter. He'd had two cups since early this morning. A third might not alleviate his unease, but he would rather have been jittery and awake than slumped over when it was time for the wedding to start. "I shouldn't be feeling this way. I don't want to."
"Cara, honestly, you've got nothing to worry about. Everything's getting taken care of. It's going to be a beautiful ceremony, a kick-ass reception, then we'll see you off to your honeymoon in Cancun. And so begins the rest of your life with Kalisto."
Sin Cara offered a cup to Dolph, but he put up a hand, declining. He sat at the desk, lifting his mask slightly to sip his drink.
"I guess I'm not as worried about the wedding as much as I am…what comes after," Cara confessed. "Marriage. Everything's going to change."
Dolph, not bothering to turn his camera on yet, sat himself on the foot of the bed. He rested one foot on the bed, the other on the floor. "Not really. I mean, you see each other all the time. You work together. You're tag partners."
"I don't mean in work. I mean in me." His fingers wrapped around the cup. "I've been with him for a long time. We dated for over a year before I proposed. We don't really fight. He had his chance to leave if he wanted, and I had mine. Not that I want him to leave. Not that I'd ever want to leave him. It's been so perfect so far. But now…this is permanent. This is going to be us, together, forever. Now the pressure's on for me to ensure we have a bright, strong, ideal future together. I want to commit every day of my life giving him the world. He deserves so much more than I can give him, but I'm sure going to try."
"You're not gonna fail."
"What if I do?"
"You won't." The comedian had taken on a subdued manner. "Listen, Sin Cara, if you were going to fuck this up in anyway, I'm sure you would have by now. Considering you've known the guy since, what, 2014? And you've spent nearly every day and every night with him since. To me, that's a long enough time to really know a person. And you still get along so well. The two of you are inseparable by choice, not just by work. You can't get enough of each other. Otherwise you wouldn't be as happy as you feel right now, with him. Otherwise he wouldn't be the happiest, bounciest little luchador I've ever seen."
Sin Cara smiled. He had a point. Kalisto was very springy.
"People make mistakes, man," Dolph carried on. "They screw up. You're going to piss each other off sometimes, and you're going to fight. But you can't view that as a failure. You have to view that as…well, life. Marriage. Being human. It's normal. It happens. So what do you do? You stay strong, you work together, you move past it. The fact you proposed to him after a lifetime of avoiding serious relationships just proves how much he means to you."
Neville must have filled Dolph in on that private little detail of his life. Sin Cara leaned forward, clasping and unclasping his hands.
"You've got this, Cara. I know you do! I see it. I believe it. Kalisto believes it, otherwise he wouldn't have said yes, right? He loves you beyond imagine. He wants you and only you forever. All of you. Even the parts of you that you don't like so much. He accepts them."
There were a lot of parts about Cara he didn't like about himself. There were days he didn't really like himself in general. It was a step up from the days he'd spent absolutely loathing himself, all those years ago. Times had changed. He was better now. Kalisto made him a better man.
"Does that help at all? Or am I talking to the air here?"
"It does." Cara was amazed to hear such solid marriage advice from a former ladies' man. Neville must have changed him, too. "Gracias, Dolph. Sometimes it's hard to believe I landed such an incredible guy."
"I know how you feel. But don't let his amazingness set back the spectacular guy you are. You deserve each other." Now was the time he held up the camera, his tone returning light. "I'm making my behind-the-scenes wedding video. Anything you'd like to say to your bride before the big moment?"
Sin Cara chuckled. Kalisto was another groom, of course, but the bride jests had been routing within their group for so long that it didn't even feel like a joke anymore. "Sure."
"Whenever you're ready."
"Kalisto, I want you to know how happy I am that I'm marrying you today. You're my whole wide world, my sun and my stars. If I have to fight for you, I will. So far, thankfully, it hasn't come to that. I love you, and I can't tell you how excited I am to say 'I do'. Sí, acepto."
"Excellent. You're a pretty mushy guy past all that muscle, aren't you?"
"Get out." But Sin Cara laughed. He took another sip of coffee, then set the half-full cup aside. No more agitations. No more fear.
"Alright, fine." Dolph hopped up and headed for the door. "Get nice and prettied up for your bride. Nev says you and me are heading to the church around two. He's being a pain in the ass, but I'm sure that just means he cares."
Sin Cara stood up and walked towards the closet. His apparel was secure in a pane of plastic wrap. A white undershirt and dress shirt, onyx-colored suit, canary-yellow vest and matching tie with golden stripes. He caressed the malleable covering, knowing as soon as he donned this suit, the wedding was next. Marriage was next.
It impelled him. Motivated him.
Now or never.
"Before we met, I was a man incomplete," he spoke, grabbing the apparel to free it from its cover. "A man with a past, with demons, with regrets. In you, I find completion…"
Neville knocked on the door with his toe. "I'm so sorry, I forgot my room key," he called to Kalisto.
Kalisto opened the door for him. At the sight of him, Neville nearly dropped the stuff he'd picked up on his way back from the church. He was almost fully dressed for the wedding, modeling a sable, single-breasted suit jacket over a green checkered vest and plain emerald-colored tie. The dark suit and spring colors brought out his royal-blue eyes. His smile made his entire form radiate.
"Wow…" Neville breathed.
"Hurry up," Kalisto urged through a giggle and wave of his hand. "Before someone sees."
Neville slipped into the hotel room and placed the handful of items on the table before turning around to admire Kalisto more. "'Listo, you look…so beautiful."
He flushed behind his personalized green and white mask from Bekke and Chy. "Thanks, Neville. Everything go okay at the church?"
"Everything's on schedule. The florist arrived; they're arranging all the flowers now. They said you weren't interested in a bouquet to carry down the aisle with you, but you did want one to throw to the guests at the reception, right?"
"Right." I really am the bride, he thought with an inward chuckle.
"Great. You and Cara also have boutonnières. Chy and Bekke will pin that on you. I also brought you something to eat. Nothing too heavy. Just enough substance to get you through this afternoon, I hope."
"Something to eat" ended up being half a turkey sandwich, an apple, string cheese, and a package of peanut butter crackers with a full water bottle. Talk about equipped.
"I appreciate it, Neville. I've been so bored in here. Getting antsy."
"We can take a walk, if you like. I just have to clear it with Dolph, make sure Cara doesn't see you."
"It's alright. I can manage. I'm guessing the temperature is warm and humid. Definitely can't be sweating up a storm before the ceremony."
"I suppose you're right. Well, let me know if I can work something out in your favor. I don't know how quickly cabin fever sets in, and I'd like to dodge that one if we can."
"I think that one takes weeks, not hours," Kalisto laughed.
Neville drew his phone from his pants' pocket. "Let's see. I checked with the kitchen, everything's going well. The ballroom's almost done." The reception would be held at this hotel shortly after the ceremony and pictures were taken. "The flowers are getting put out…" He swiped his screen with each point on his checklist. "Bekke and I set up the table out front with the guest book…gift table…the photographer checked in…still waiting on the cake and videographer, the one that's not Dolph…what else is there to do?"
Kalisto slowly reached up and grabbed Neville's phone. "It's time for my best man and wonderful planner to take a breath. Relax a bit. And get dressed. Focus on you now."
Neville smiled. "Alright. Guess I can't see you to your wedding in clobber."
Before he could undress, someone rapped on the door. "Did we establish a secret word?" came Dolph's voice.
"As long as you're not a luchador, you can come in," Neville said, fiddling with the gold chain lock.
"That sounds racist."
"Shut up."
Dolph bounded into the room, taking a moment to pause at the sight of Kalisto. "Damn, look at you, you little dragon stud! You clean up nicely. You even shaved."
"You can tell?" Kalisto asked.
"Yeah, you've got a few nicks on the side, there…"
"Oh, no," Kalisto gasped, putting his fingers to his smooth chin. "Seriously?" He whirled towards the mirror.
"Hey, relax, I was just kidding," Dolph spluttered. "Don't have a hernia on me."
"I'd say you'll get used to his sense of humor, but I'm not even fully accustomed to it yet, so…" Neville soughed.
Kalisto was relieved it was just a joke. Not that Cara wouldn't marry him if he'd cut himself shaving. But he wanted Sin Cara to light up the way Neville had when he'd seen Kalisto, even with the mask on. Without a blemish.
"Alright, you have to get ready now, Dolph," Neville stated.
"Don't worry, babe. It'll only take me, like, three seconds."
"Then hop to it. You and Cara have to get out of here."
"Relax. We've got plenty of time."
"Earlier is better than right on time on a wedding day. And it's definitely better than being late. Where's Cara?"
"His room. He hasn't come out all day. Per instruction."
Kalisto hoped Sin Cara wasn't impatient or frustrated by that. He wanted to text Cara, wish him well, just say hello, I love you, happy wedding day, but in keeping with tradition, he and Cara had both agreed to no contact until the ceremony. For now he was regretting it. Later, it just might be worth it.
"Alright. You can both head out as soon as you're ready," Neville coached. "Make sure he's somewhere he won't see Kalisto when he and I get to the church."
"Got it." Dolph turned for the door, but stopped in place. "Wait, what am I doing here again?"
"Dolph!"
"Alright, alright, sorry. It's just too much fun to mess with you."
"I might kill him," Neville said at his leave. "You might have to hold me back."
"On my wedding day? No murder allowed."
"Fine." Neville laughed low.
In the passenger's seat of the rental car, Dolph situated dark sunglasses over his eyes and showed off his attire to the camera: a long-sleeved pink dress shirt topped with a black tie, dark blue suit jacket, and yellow handkerchief tucked away in the pocket. Pink was his color, but yellow was one of the primary wedding colors, hence the hankie.
"What's up, guys? I'm looking pretty good, huh? Well, stop staring. It's not about me today. It's about this guy." He aimed the camera at Sin Cara, driving. "Lookin' sharp, Cara. How do you say it in Spanish? Gordo?"
"Guapo," Cara corrected, chuckling. "Unless you really are calling me fat, imbécil."
"Right. What did I say? Anyway, here's the church, coming up on our right…"
The cathedral was an historical antique structure, not refurbished since perhaps its construction decades ago. The unpolished, ashen brick structure mounted tall, the steeple stretching towards the clear sky as if praising the heavens from earth. Kalisto had fallen in love with it on site and nominated the church for the ceremony. Cara couldn't argue with him. Couldn't argue with Kalisto about much.
"Let's hope it doesn't collapse on us while we're all inside!" Dolph had exclaimed about it more than once.
Sin Cara parked the car. He was sweating already in this suit, in this humidity. Yet he was appreciative of the good weather and the sunshine. It could have been much worse.
The place was surprisingly bigger on the inside. The archaic lobby was bustling with wedding preparations. Dolph skimmed his camera over the action—employees arranging flowers in ties on the sign-in table, Daniel Bryan having a discussion with the church's senior minister. He noted Cheyenne and Bekke in the doorway of the sanctuary.
"Hey, it's the mothers of the bride!" Chy looked over at his calling, and he made his way over to them, Sin Cara just behind him. "See these wonderful women?" he told his future viewers. "They're the one responsible for all of this, really. You both look gorgeous."
Chy curtsied in her lime-green halter dress, the soft material touching just past her knees. Bekke, modeling a shorter, darker green dress with a black flower tied above her ribcage, put an arm around Chy's waist. "We know!" she teased.
"Cara, you look so handsome," Chy said, lifting to her toes to drape her arms around Sin Cara. "How do you feel?"
"Scared as hell," Cara acknowledged. "Just want things to go right."
"Oh, they will, so help me God," Bekke laughed. "We've worked hard enough to see to that."
"Can I take a peek in there?" Dolph requested. Bekke stepped to the left and granted Dolph access to the sanctuary. It was a comfortable space lit by dazzling chandeliers that Dolph was certain were installed just today for the wedding. The chairs were draped in white covers. Three arches were erected, guiding towards the altar. Each arch was wreathed top to bottom with flowers: white and yellow roses, green carnations and orchids, white lilies, yellow tulips. Apparently flowers were crucial in a traditional Mexican wedding. Or Chy and Bekke just wanted the excuse to gush over gorgeous florae.
"There's a little sneak peek for you guys," Dolph said. "Of course, by the time anyone sees this, you'll already know what it looked like…but you saw it with me behind-the-scenes first! This is Dolph Ziggler, reporting at the wedding of Sin Cara and Kalisto. I must be one of the Usos, because it's getting so close now..."
He returned to Chy and Bekke in the foyer. "Ladies, anything you'd like to say to the future Mr. and Mr. Sin Cara? Cara, cover your ears," Dolph instructed, and Sin Cara playfully placed his hands over his ears atop his mask.
Cheyenne flicked a choppy bang from her face. "I'm just so proud of you both," she said. "You've worked so well together over the past couple of years, you fell in love, and now you're committing yourselves to one another for life. It's refreshing and beautiful."
"Yeah, in a world full of cheating and divorce and lies and all this bullshit, it's uplifting to know true love still exists," Bekke mentioned. "So congratulations to Kalisto and Sin Cara for their wonderful, genuine love."
"Alright, alright, save some of that mushy crap for your toast."
Bekke swatted his arm.
"Ow! They abuse me so much around here…" Dolph kidded.
Almost time.
Neville fastened his purple tie, tugged on the collar of his white dress shirt, then repositioned the shoulder pads in his gray suit jacket. It was a little small on him, but he fancied the ensemble. He didn't look nearly as handsome as Kalisto but that was alright; he wasn't supposed to.
Kalisto finished his apple off and chucked the core into the trash can. "I should probably brush my teeth again, but I don't want to risk getting toothpaste all over me."
"Here. I've a solution." Neville reached into a Walmart bag and fished out a tin of mints. It was his "bridal emergency" bag he'd crafted yesterday.
"You're the best." Kalisto popped a mint in his mouth.
Neville tied his jet-black curls into a tight ponytail. "By this time, Sin Cara and Dolph should be there. I'll be serving as an usher with Dolph up front. Guests will sign the book if they choose to, drop the gifts off on the table if they brought any, then we'll lead them to their seats. You'll be with Chy and Bekke in the sacristy until it's time."
"Just like we rehearsed."
"Only this time, it's the real deal." Neville smiled. "You ready?"
"Absolutely."
Neville grabbed the car keys off the table. The ring boxes were in his pocket. "Let's go."
Kalisto felt plump with bliss. Raw ecstasy charged each step, the coursing blood in his veins, his heart pummeling his ribcage. This was a day he dreamed of, one quite surreal. Always hoping, always positive, but never quite expecting.
It's as he'd said all along. As Sin Cara had told him, told the world, after they'd won the NXT tag team championship. Dreams do come true.