The Reception

Nick's POV

I looked at the man staring back at me through mirror. Tears brimmed his eyes as he straightened his red tie. His hands began to shake as he brushed off the front of his tuxedo. Why was it so hard for this man to face the facts? His brother was getting married, but all he could think about was himself.

Why couldn't this man be happy with what he had? To him, he had everything in the world, but his selfish side always got the better of him. He wanted more.

He wanted to walk down the aisle, seeing the love of his life standing at the head of the church, waiting for him. But, with the way he wanted to spend the rest of his life; his dream wasn't an option. This man needed to suck it up and be happy for his brother. This was his brother's day and this man was his brother's best man, he couldn't be moping around when his brother wanted everything to be perfect.

"Hey Hansom." came the voice of an angel. I looked past the troubled man to see my perfect man standing behind me. He knew I was having a terrible time with our brother's wedding but, a smile still caressed his lips. He was dressed in the same attire that I was but, somehow, he looked a million times better than I did.

"I don't think I can do this." I choked, staring back at him through the mirror.

"Baby," he sighed, walking into the bathroom and spinning me around. He wrapped one arm around my waist while the other brushed the curls from my eyes. I gently rested my shaking hands against his chest as he wiped the tears from my cheeks.

"Baby, we've been through so many things together. So many things that are a thousand times worse than our brother getting married. Why is this so hard for you?" he whispered, keeping his voice calm and soft.

"I-I don't know." I breathed. "I don't know why I can't be happy for Kevin and Cindy. Joe, the only answer I have is that I want what they have. I want to be able to say that you truly are mine. I want to be known as Nick and Joe, the soul mates. Not Nick and Joe, the incestuous brothers."

"Honey, we don't need titles." he soothed. "We don't need other people to call us soul mates as long as we know that we are."

"Why am I asking for so much, Joe? Why am I asking for a wedding when I already have you?" I shook, burying my face in his neck.

"It's hard to let go of your dreams, baby." he whispered, stroking my curls with his free hand.

"You'll learn to accept what you have. I promise." he said, before pressing his lips to my curls. "I'm lucky to be standing here, comforting you right now. I appreciate more things now because of the situation I was in. You'll understand it, sweetie, just give it time. You'll let this go."

"I hope so." I sighed. "You have no idea how grateful I am that you're here with me." I said, as I pulled back to look at him.

"I love you so much." he smiled, before pulling me into a soft kiss.

"Daddy!" Tommy whined as he yanked on my pant leg. I immediately pulled out of our kiss and looked down at my son. He was dressed in a small tuxedo with a pink tie, looking up at us from behind his head of many brown curls. Joe took one hand and placed it atop Tommy's head, ruffling his hair. Then, I caught the smallest tear rush down his rosy cheek, drawing my attention to his hands that were tucked behind his back.

"What's wrong, Bud?" I asked, releasing from Joe's embrace and kneeling down in front of Tommy, running my thumb over his wet cheek.

"Tommy wants binky to come." he cried, pulling his hands from behind his back, revealing his blanket. He pulled it tight to his face, letting a few tears fall onto the blue fabric.

"Binky can come, honey. He just can't walk down the aisle with you."

"W-Why not?" he whimpered, using his blanket to wipe the tears from his cheeks.

"You can't carry the rings if binky is with you. Uncle Kevy wants you to do a good job. You don't want to disappoint him, do you?" Joe asked, ruffling Tommy's hair.

"No." he whispered, shaking his head.

"So, can binky stay in the hotel room until after the wedding?" I asked, brushing my hand over his cheek.

"Okay." he nodded, sadly.

"Can Daddy have a hug?" I asked, opening my arms. Tommy smiled and nodded his head. He ran the close distance between us and wrapped his arms as far as he could around my waist. I pressed his head close to my chest as I enjoyed our hug, running my other hand up and down his small back. After we pulled out of our hug, I slipped my hands under Tommy's arms and picked him up, pulling him tight to my chest. He wrapped his arms around my neck; resting his head on my shoulder as I secured my arms under his bottom.

"Come on, Baby. Let's head downstairs." Joe whispered, placing a hand on the small of my back, guiding me out of the bathroom. I gently took the sentimental blanket from Tommy's fingers and set it on the queen size bed. Joe guided me to the door and as he reached his hand towards the handle I took a deep, shaky breath.

"Relax, everything is going to be fine." he soothed, opening the door to our hotel room and guiding me into the hallway. Joe's hand stayed firmly on my lower back as we rode the elevator down to the lobby, passed the front desk and even as we passed some of our family members on the way to the hotel's wedding chapel.

"Hey guys!" Kevin sighed as he jogged up to us. "Man, I'm so nervous."

"It's alright Kev. Everything's going to be great." Joe smiled, placing his free hand on Kevin's shoulder.

"Thanks, but I've got to go. I'll see you at the alter." he laughed, making me whimper as he walked off.

"Calm down, honey." Joe whispered, rubbing his hand into my back.

"You dirty Italian." someone spoke from behind us. Joe and I spun around to see Mr. Jenkins standing in a black suit with a large grin on his face.

"Mr. Jenkins; long time no see." Joe greeted the older man, shaking his hand.

"How have you boys been? It's not the same without you two living next door."

"We're doing good; hopefully we'll be able to come down and visit soon."

"Oh, that would be great!" Mr. Jenkins cheered, clapping his hands together. "Jacob and Gavin really miss you boys, you know?"

"Yeah, we miss them too." Joe nodded.

"Are they here?" I chimed in, needing all the support I could get.

"I believe so," Mr. Jenkins nodded, searching behind us. "Ah, there they are." he smiled, pointing behind me. I quickly set Tommy on his feet and spun around. Sam was linking arms with both Jake and Gavin as they walked towards us, Jillian skipping at Jake's side. Sam was adorned in a floor length, purple gown while her escorts wore black tuxedos, orange ties tucked under their jackets. Joe was the first to approach them, wrapping Sam in a tight embrace before shaking hands with both Jake and Gavin.

"Hi Jillian." Tommy spoke shyly, waving to the small girl in front of him.

"Hi Tommy." she chirped, wrapping her arms around Tommy's neck. As the two toddlers shared a hug, Gavin approached me; his arms hidden behind his back.

"Hey, best buddy." he smirked, opening his arms for a hug.

"Hi Gavin." I laughed, accepting his welcoming hug. Then, I felt someone wrap their arms around my shoulders from behind, as mine were still tight around Gavin's waist.

"You have a man, Nicholas, stay away from mine." Jake chuckled.

"Take your own advice, Jacob." Joe spoke as he joined our group hug. "And, stay away from mine." We broke away from our hug, chuckles lightening the mood.

After ushering our friends to their seats in the chapel, Joe and I stood together just outside the doors. His arm was wrapped tightly around my waist, comforting me as much as he could. Then, just as I thought I had regained my composure, the bride's maids came skipping down the hallway, causing Joe to release his grip on my waist. He set off towards Cindy's sister; who he was escorting down the aisle; but I quickly grabbed his forearm, spinning him around. I locked my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me tight to his body.

"You're going to be fine, Baby. All you have to do is walk down the aisle with Amy and then you'll be with me again." he whispered, calming my nerves. He slowly pulled away from me, but placed his hands on my cheeks, pressing his forehead against mine. I curled my fingers around his wrists and closed my eyes, enjoying how close he was.

"Joseph, come on." I heard Cindy's sister whine. "We have to go first!" she snorted, grabbing one of his wrists and ripping it from my cheek. My breathing increased as she attempted to yank him away from me, but Joe quickly wiped out of her grasp and replaced his hand back on my cheek.

"Breathe, Nick. You're going to be fine." he encouraged before he let go. As Joe walked up to Cindy's sister, I took a deep breath before shuffling over to an anxious Amy.

"Are you going to be okay, Nick?" Cindy's best friend asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah," I breathed. "I'll be fine."

Then, the Organ at the head of the church began to fill our ears and I quickly linked arms with Amy, standing taller to seem less vulnerable.

"Daddy." Tommy whispered from behind me. I turned my head so he was in my view. He gave me an excited smile and a wave, making me smile in return.

"Hey, Bud." I whispered, before turning back around.

Joe was already halfway down the aisle, as Amy and I took our first steps into the chapel. We kept an even pace, occasionally smiling at our family and friends. I had lost all sight of my nerves until I looked to the head of the church. Joe was standing near the pastor, his arms tucked behind his back, smiling at me. I felt the blood drain from my cheeks and my heart jumped into my throat. My dream was staring back at me.

"Nick, calm down." Amy whispered, tightening our linked arms. She began to speak more comforting words but, the beating of my heart muffled everything around me. When we reached the alter, my vision began to blur and I could feel my black abyss creeping into my future, but I was at Joe's side before I could ruin this special day. Once his hand was rubbing soothing circles over my back, my heart settled back into my chest and my breathing became even again.

"I'm proud of you." he whispered, taking a step closer to me. Then, his hand was on my arm, crawling down the fabric of my jacket until it found the clenched fingers of my hand. He gently rubbed his fingers into my strained knuckles, relaxing my hand. Once my hand was limp at my side, Joe slid his fingers into the palm, allowing me to do the honor of lacing our fingers. We kept our conjoined hands hidden behind our, barely touching, thighs.

The comfort of Joe's soft hand kept me sane for the rest of the ceremony and before I knew it, we were heading to the ball room for The Reception.

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~Sleek Blan~