Kira took a deep breath as he entered Siegel's office in the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria, which he had ridden to on his bicycle after he got out of his last class of the day, both because he felt weird being there and because of what he wanted to talk with his girlfriend's father about.

"Good afternoon, Kira," the assemblyman said, getting up to shake the younger man's hand before motioning for him to sit down and returning to his own seat. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good, thank you," he replied, mentally preparing himself for what he was going to say. "And thank you for taking the time to talk with me today."

"Think nothing of it," Siegel genially assured him. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I'd like your permission to marry Lacus," Kira bluntly said, feeling as if a great weight had been removed from his heart, only to be replaced by a new weight when he saw Siegel staring blankly at him.

"I see," the older man replied in a business-like manner, as if he weren't talking to his daughter's boyfriend. "Why?"

"Why? Because I love her," Kira even-temperedly answered, desperate to earn the politician's blessing. "Because we've lived together for a year now, and I honestly can't imagine life without her anymore."

"Kira, you're twenty years old. Do you really think you're ready for marriage?" Siegel asked the college student in front of him. In truth, he wanted to give his blessing, but first he needed to make sure that Kira wasn't acting impulsively. "Lacus's mother and I were only a few years older than the two of you when we got married, and I can tell you that it wasn't easy for us, so I can only imagine how hard it will be for an even younger couple"

"I know it will be hard," Kira assured him. "But even with that knowledge, I still want to marry Lacus, if you'll give your approval."

Siegel stroked his mustache as he took in Kira's words before leaning forward and locking eyes with the latter, who was confused yet maintained his composure.

"There is something I need to tell you before I give my answer, Kira," Siegel began, his tone unusually dire. "I like you and think you're a good man, but as Lacus's father, I need to make it abundantly clear that if you do anything to hurt her, not even God will be able to protect you from me. Do you understand?"

Kira, understanding of where his girlfriend's father was coming from but still too surprised to speak, gave his answer with a nod.

"I need to hear you say it," the older man said, making the younger man break out in a nervous sweat.

"I completely understand, Siegel, and I promise you that I will never hurt Lacus," Kira replied, hoping he hadn't offended him by nodding before, though he felt relief when the man's grim expression gave way to a warm and paternal smile.

"That's all I needed to hear," Siegel calmly told him before he opened the drawer in his desk and retrieved a palm-sized box from it, which he showed to Kira. "Inside this box is the engagement ring I proposed to Chantel with. I've kept it with me all these years for sentimental reasons after she died, but now I want you to take it and propose to Lacus with it."

"T-thank you, thank you so much," Kira shakily said as he accepted the box with both hands and gently put it in his pocket. "I'm honored that you would entrust me with something like this."

"You're welcome," he replied, his genial smile having returned despite feeling sad at having to part with a keepsake that belonged to his late wife. "Now go to her."

"I will, and again, thank you," Kira excitedly said before getting up, shaking Siegel's hand, and leaving the office, leaving the politician alone to reflect on the conversation he just had and what it meant for the future, after which he took some time out of his work to make a few calls.


Lacus softly hummed along to the music Mister Pink played as she typed out notes for her political science class while Birdy roosted on her head, a routine she had come to enjoy since she and Kira moved into their apartment together last year, though this would be interrupted by Birdy flying off her head to investigate the sound of the door opening. Upon turning to the door, she happily saw the robotic bird greeting its master and her boyfriend.

"Hi Kira," she cheerfully called out to him as he took off his backpack to let Birdy perch on his shoulder. "How were classes today?"

"Uneventful," he replied, trying to keep his cool for what he was about to tell her. "Hey Lacus, can we talk for a moment?"

"Sure," she answered before saving her work, putting her computer aside, and scooting over on the couch to let him sit down next to her. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well… uh…" Kira stammered after he sat down. He had planned and rehearsed everything he wanted to say to Lacus during his bike ride home, but now that she was sitting in front of him, softly smiling, the words had jettisoned themselves from his brain.

"Kira, is everything okay?" Lacus worriedly asked as she placed her hand on her boyfriend's cheek, her smile giving way to concern.

His girlfriend's touch inflaming his passions, Kira, much to Lacus's surprise, got off the couch and dropped to one knee in front of her.

"Lacus Clyne," he began, trying his best to sound confident as his shaking hand fumbled through his pocket before finding the small box, pulling it out, and opening it. "Will you marry me?"

Despite having been only six years old when her mother died, Lacus recognized the engagement ring as having belonged to her, which caused a multitude of emotions to cascade through her head as she registered Kira's proposal.

"Y-you talked with my dad?" she shakingly asked, tears beginning to well in her eyes, happy beyond words yet afraid that this was just a dream. "He… he would never part with my mom's ring unless you got his permission, so you must have gotten his permission, right?"

"I talked with him and got his permission," Kira answered with a smile, thinking about both the conversation he just had with Siegel and how Athrun and Cagalli had eloped two years prior. "I asked him because we've lived together for a year now, and knowing you're the first and last person I see every day makes me feel like the luckiest guy in the world. I love you, Lacus, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes I will!" Lacus excitedly declared before extending her left hand to her boyfriend. Kira, his arms and legs turning to jelly from elation, slowly removed the ring from the box and slipped it on her ring finger, after which he kissed her hand, making her heart explode with love. Freely crying tears of joy, Lacus then pulled Kira back on the couch with her, Birdy flying off his shoulder and landing next to Mister Pink to avoid being accidentally damaged, and passionately kissed him, all of her fantasies slowly coming to life.

"I love you!" Lacus told him after ending the kiss, still holding him close because part of her couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"Love you! Love you!" Mister Pink repeated, accompanied by Birdy chirping, much to the amusement of the newly-engaged couple.

Beginning to cry tears of joy of his own, Kira couldn't be happier. He had proposed to the girl he loved, and she said yes, though he quickly realized something that could make this day even better.

"Hey Lacus," he began to ask her, an unusually impish smile on his face. "Are you busy right now?"

"I was doing homework," she replied with a smile of feigned innocence, already knowing what he had in mind. "But I can always do it later. Why do you ask?"

His grin becoming even wider, Kira wordlessly answered the question by getting up, picking up a willing and giggling Lacus, and carrying her bridal style to their bedroom so they could celebrate their engagement.


Kira closed his eyes and smiled as he held Lacus in his arms and listened to her singing, which had become part of their afterplay and was something he enjoyed as much as having sex with her. When she finished her song, he opened his eyes and saw her looking back at him, lovingly and longingly smiling. Without saying anything, she then gently placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled herself up to his lips to kiss them while he ran his hands up and down her back, feeling the tingle go through her spine. After they finished kissing, Lacus rested her head on Kira's shoulder and slipped her left hand into his right, taking a moment to look at the ring she had now inherited from her mother before returning her attention to her fiancé.

"Ahhh… Kira…" she contentedly moaned with delighted satisfaction, absently rubbing her legs against his. "Do you think we could just lay here forever?"

"But… ahhh… but then we couldn't get married," he haltingly replied, the sensation of their legs locking together making it difficult for him to speak, not that he didn't like it.

"I suppose so," she said with a coy smile before a new thought came into her head, one that she needed to share with her new fiancé immediately. "Hey Kira, how do you think 'Lacus Yamato' sounds?"

Lacus's question shook Kira out of his arousal-induced lethargy as he turned to face her.

"You want to take my name?" he incredulously asked her, a pleasantly surprised smile forming on his lips.

"I really do," she answered. "As long as you like how it sounds, of course."

"Well, I think it sounds beautiful, almost as much as you," he told her, his smile widening when he saw her blush, before bringing her in for a quick kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied, not saying anything before resting her head on his shoulder again, sighing as she realized the discussion of a topic she hadn't wanted to bring up was slowly becoming inevitable.

"What's wrong, Lacus?" Kira asked her, noticing that she seemed distressed, which he sought to remedy by rubbing her back with his free hand.

"Ahhh… did my dad say anything about the wedding ceremony after you got his blessing?" she asked in response, appreciatively moaning in pleasure at her fiancé's attempts at comforting her.

"Um, no, Siegel didn't," he said, wondering where this had come from. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know why," Lacus began to explain. "But for some reason, I just know he will want to arrange something extravagant, and I don't want that."

"Why not?" Kira inquired out of curiosity while continuing to rub her back, absently working his way as low as he could. "That doesn't seem so bad, does it?"

"I guess I just want something small," she admitted, starting to rub her fiancé's legs with her own again out of gratitude for the backrubs. "Something like Athrun and Cagalli's wedding, though our parents and friends actually know and we invite them, of course."

"Mhmmm… like our friends from college and high school?" Kira asked after letting out a soft moan. "Even Flay?"

Lacus stopped rubbing Kira's legs after he brought up his one friend she didn't mutually consider a friend of hers. While she and Flay had come to an understanding in the years since she and Kira began their relationship, and had even come to enjoy each others' company on occasion, she couldn't really say she liked her in light of her attempts to sabotage her relationship with Kira before it even began.

"I know you and Flay don't always get along," Kira continued as he stopped rubbing her back but kept his arm firmly wrapped around her, "so I understand if-"

"No, it's okay," Lacus gently interrupted. "I'd be lying if I said I wanted Flay to come, but at the same time, it feels wrong to exclude her."

Smiling, Kira expressed his gratitude by letting go of Lacus's hand, wrapping his other arm around her, pulling her on top of him, and kissing her.

"You have the forgiveness of a saint, Lacus, and I love you for that," he told her after ending the kiss, his heart twisting with joy when he saw her smiling at him. "I promise, if she causes any trouble, I will ask her to leave."

"Deal," she happily replied, her face having turned as rosy as her hair from being compared to a saint.

"And, uh, going back to an earlier topic," Kira began, his brain going haywire from the realization that a naked Lacus was lying directly on top of him. "Why not ask your dad what he has in mind for our wedding?"

"I promise I will, but for right now, may we just stay like this, please?" she asked him, impishly smiling. "I'm feeling a bit cold."

"Of course, Lacus," he answered, gently tightening his embrace as he stopped thinking and accepted the pleasurable madness. "I'll keep you warm."

"Ahhh… thank you, Kira," she replied before closing her eyes and began singing a new song, which her fiancé contentedly listened to as he closed his eyes as well.


The Following Evening

Kira and Lacus sat close together on their couch as the former set up a meeting room for them to talk with Athrun, Cagalli, and his parents.

"Are you okay?" Lacus asked Kira, noticing that his hands were shaking while he was sending the invites.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Lacus," he answered, mentally preparing himself for the conversation. "I guess I'm just a bit nervous about how they're going to react, especially my parents."

"Hey, if they let us move in together, then I think they'll understand when we tell them that we're engaged," she assured him with a sweet smile. "And I'll be with you here the whole time, so don't worry." She then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, giving him a much needed confidence booster as their four guests accepted the invitations and logged into the meeting room, their feeds coming to life.

"Hello!" Caridad happily said to the other virtual participants in the meeting while Uzumi sat next to her, waving and smiling softly.

"Hi mom!" Kira and Cagalli unintentionally said at the same time, both of them turning red out of embarrassment as everyone else chuckled.

"So, what did you two want to talk to us about?" Athrun politely asked once he had stopped laughing, subtly making sure that neither Uzumi or Caridad could see that he was wearing the Haumea necklace Cagalli had given him at their wedding under his shirt.

"Well, uh…" Kira began, nervously stammering before looking over at Lacus, who encouragingly smiled and nodded at him, after which he returned his attention to the screen. "Lacus and I got engaged last night."

"OH MY GOD!" Cagalli excitedly exclaimed, almost falling out of her seat from joy at her brother's news.

"Congratulations!" Athrun said with a warm smile, sharing his wife's sentiment, albeit less bombastically.

"That's wonderful! Truly wonderful!" Caridad said before turning to Uzumi, noticing his silence. "Honey, don't you want to say anything?"

"Yes, I do, dear, thank you," he answered, after which he turned his attention back to his son and future daughter-in-law, his smile returning. "I'm happy for the two of you, but does Mr. Clyne know?"

"I promise my dad knows, Uzumi," Lacus assured him, showing off her engagement ring and proudly smiling. "Kira talked with him yesterday, and he not only gave him his blessing, but also my mother's ring to propose to me with."

"Did Kira also get you flowers and chocolates?" Cagalli teasingly interjected, completely able to believe her brother would do that and giggling when she saw him blush, his face turning redder when Lacus smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

"Why would I need those when I have Kira?" Lacus slyly answered.

"Damn, I guess that means Athrun owes me $5," Cagalli jokingly remarked, which caught her husband's attention.

"We made no such bet, Cagalli!" he indignantly declared, eliciting giggles from her, Kira, and Lacus.

"Children, please," Caridad gently chided, which got the four friends' attention. "There's something else we need to discuss."

"Sorry, mom," Kira replied. "What is it?"

"May we have Mr. Clyne's contact information so the five of us can go over what the ceremony will look like and when it will be set for?" Uzumi asked.

Before Kira could answer, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Lacus was looking at him with an expression that he realized was her silently asking if she could answer the question for him, which he assented to with a nod.

"Huh, is this what it's like when mom and dad give each other looks with weird expressions?" he mentally asked himself while his fiancé answered his father's question.

"Of course," Lacus answered as she typed out her father's contact information on the chat bar and pressed the send button. "But there's something I wanted to discuss with him privately, so do you mind if I do that before we figure out when to have this conference?"

"That's fine," Uzumi answered while he copied and pasted the contact information to a separate document, after which he returned his attention to the conversation. "We'll talk more later then."

"Once again, congratulations!" Caridad said with a beaming smile. "We love you and are so proud of you!"

"Thank you. I love you too," Kira replied, relieved that the conversation had gone well.

"And then some," Cagalli interjected with a sly grin.

"Bye!" Lacus cheerfully said to her future in-laws.

"It was good to see you again," Athrun said as Uzumi and Caridad disconnected before he looked around his room to make sure his roommate hadn't come in during the conversation, after which he sighed with relief, reclined in his chair, and pulled the Haumea necklace out of his shirt.

"What are you being so dramatic about, Athrun?" Cagalli sarcastically asked her husband while Kira and Lacus giggled, finding it amusing that he seemed so self-conscious about her parents not seeing the wedding gift she gave him. "We've been married for two years now, and my parents have never questioned my giving it to you as a gift, so I don't think you need to worry."

"I know, I know," Athrun embarrassedly answered. "I just feel like your mom's giving me the evil eye whenever I work up the courage to wear it in front of her."

"Oh, Athrun…" she cooed, wanting to reach through the screen and squeeze him, before quickly remembering that her brother and friend were still hosting the meeting room, giggling at their shenanigans, while Athrun blushed. "Uh, sorry about that."

"You're fine, Cagalli," Kira replied as he and Lacus stopped giggling. "Actually, before you two go, there was something we wanted to ask you."

"What is it, Kira?" Athrun asked, his cheeks slowly returning to their normal color.

"Athrun, since I was your best man at your wedding, would you be interested in being my best man at mine?" Kira asked his best friend.

"And would you like to be my maid of honor, Cagalli?" Lacus asked her future sister-in-law.

"As if you two would ask anyone else," Athrun teased with a smug grin, which his wife shared.

"Unless you have another sister and best friend you've somehow kept from all of us, Kira," Cagalli added, making her brother blush while Lacus giggled. "But yeah, of course I want to be your maid of honor, Lacus."

"And I'd be honored to be your best man, Kira," Athrun told his brother-in-law, eliciting a warm smile from the latter.

"Wonderful!" Lacus cheerfully exclaimed before looking at the time. "Anyway, we won't keep you any longer, so have a nice evening!"

The four friends exchanged their goodbyes before Kira ended the call, after which he turned to face Lacus, who was warmly smiling at him. "You were right, that did go well."

"I told you it would," she happily replied before pulling him close to her, her smile widening as she felt him relax in her embrace.

"Ahhh… so, when are you going to talk with Siegel?" he asked her, moaning with delight as he wrapped his own arms around her.

"Oh, I thought I already told you," she apologetically answered. "I'm going to meet with him in his office the day after tomorrow so we can clear things up about the ceremony."

"I'm sorry, you probably did," Kira replied, wondering if his nerves had made him forget. "Anyway, I'm glad you are."

"Thank you, Kira," Lacus contently said, continuing to cuddle him, mentally preparing herself for that conversation. "And thank you for your encouragement. I love you."

"I love you too," he told her, enjoying the sensation of cuddling and being cuddled by her. After some time, she leaned forward next to his ear.

"Hey, do you want to go to bed?" she sultrily whispered, a lustful smile on her lips, the cuddling session having put her in the mood for something more physical.

"Yes, please!" he excitedly answered, letting her take him by the hand and lead him to their bedroom, where they made love, resumed cuddling for a long while, and then went to sleep.


The Day After Tomorrow

Lacus mentally rehearsed everything she planned to say to her father while she walked through the Parliament Buildings towards his office. As the daughter of a politician, she had been there many times before, so she actually recognized some of the staff and waved hello to them, which calmed her nerves a bit.

"Good morning, dear," Siegel said to her in greeting after she arrived at his office, a fatherly smile coming to his face as he got up from his chair to hug her. "How have you been?"

"I've been great, dad, thank you," she replied, the gentle firmness of his hug making her feel like a little girl. "I know you're busy whenever you're in Victoria, so thank you for letting me talk with you here."

"Please, Lacus," he warmly assured her as he ended the hug and showed her to a seat. "You're my daughter. I'll always have time for you."

Lacus couldn't help but smile at her father's words as she sat down and waited for him to sit down on the other side of his desk, taking a quick glance at her engagement ring to remind her of why she was here in the first place.

"So, you wanted to talk with me about you and Kira's wedding?" Siegel asked her, which she nodded in the affirmative. "What about it?"

Lacus inhaled, speedreading the invisible list of talking points she had prepared in her head, exhaled, and looked back at her father.

"Would you object to us having a small wedding ceremony?" she asked him in response.

"Of course not, dear," he genially answered as he wondered where this question had come from. "But I thought you'd want to have a big ceremony."

"I did once, but the more I think about it, I find a smaller ceremony more appealing," she explained to her father, hoping what she was going to say next wouldn't offend him. "Also, to be perfectly honest, I'm afraid that having a large ceremony will hurt your public image."

"You shouldn't have to worry about me or my reputation, Lacus," he sadly replied after reflecting on his daughter's words for a moment, though there was also some pride at how she was thinking like a politician in the tone of his voice. "There will always be muckrakers, no matter what we do."

"I know, dad," she said, briefly looking down at her engagement ring again before returning her gaze to him. "But I also think a smaller and simpler wedding ceremony would be more romantic, and Kira is happy to go along with it."

"Your mother felt the same way," Siegel told her, smiling as he fondly and wistfully thought back to his own wedding, his face having turned redder than his late wife's hair when he saw her walking down the aisle, wearing a white wedding dress and the same engagement ring that their daughter now wore on her finger. "She told me that a simple wedding felt more like a fairy tale compared to something extravagant."

"Really?" Lacus asked, delighted to hear a new story about her mother.

"Mmm-hmm," he replied, his smile widening at the sight of the enchanted expression on her face. "If you're sure that you and Kira want to have a small wedding, then I'll support it and help plan it out with the two of you and his parents."

"I am, dad, and thank you!" she happily exclaimed, leaping up from her chair to hug him, which he got up to accept.

"You're welcome, dear," he said, holding her close as he reluctantly accepted that she really had grown up. "I love you."

"I love you too, dad," Lacus replied, kissing him on the cheek before ending the hug. "I'll call you tonight or tomorrow once Kira and I have heard back from his parents about when they're available to plan the ceremony."

"Alright," Siegel said with a smile and a nod, after which his daughter smiled back at him and began leaving. "Have a good day, Lacus."

"You too!" she said back before walking out of the office. As she made her way out of the Parliament Buildings to where she had parked her bike, Lacus called Kira to let him know that her conversation with her father had gone well, much to their mutual satisfaction. Now they could start planning and scheduling their wedding, the prospect of which left her giddy with excitement.


Several Months Later

After some discussion and Reverend Drummond Malchio's assent, Kira, Lacus, Uzumi, Caridad, and Siegel decided to have the wedding ceremony at Malchio's church in Vancouver while the bride and groom were visiting for Christmas Break. Now that the date of his wedding had come, Kira found himself dressed in a suit and tie and sitting on a bench outside of the church that provided a view of the Salish Sea, the cloudy sky being reflected in the water. He was excited yet still somewhat unable to believe that he and Lacus were actually about to get married.

"Kira, are you out here!?" Caridad called out to her son, shaking him from his thoughts.

"I am, mom!" Kira called back as he got up and turned around to see his parents, both dressed in regular formal wear, and Athrun, wearing his navy cadet uniform, walking towards him.

"I figured he was here, Mrs. Caridad," Athrun remarked with a satisfied yet respectful smile.

"I see that, Athrun, thank you," Caridad replied before turning her attention back to her son. "What have you been doing out here, Kira? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, mom," Kira answered, blushing a bit. "Sorry if I made you and dad worry, I just wanted a moment to myself."

"We understand, son, today's a big day," Uzumi told him with a paternal smile. "Though everyone inside is waiting for you and Lacus."

"I know, dad," he replied, taking a deep breath as he remembered something he wanted to tell his parents. "Mom, dad, I want to thank you for letting me and Lacus get married."

"Oh, where's this coming from?" the businessman appreciatively asked with a raised eyebrow while his wife warmly smiled at their son.

"A lot of people might say we're too young to get married, but you gave your blessing, even when we pretty much sprang it on you, which means the world to me," Kira explained, his voice starting to crack from the emotions coming over him.

Seeing their son about to cry, Uzumi and Caridad immediately went over to hug him, while Athrun smiled, respectfully stood to the side, and watched this moment between his best friend and his parents unfold.

"It's okay, Kira," Caridad cooed, stroking her son's hair as he gently rested his head on her shoulder and Uzumi held them both in his embrace. "You're our smart and sweet kid, and we know you'll be a good husband."

"And never forget that we love you," Uzumi added.

"Thank you. I love you too," Kira replied.

After a few more seconds, the parents and their son ended the hug and turned back to Athrun. "Are you ready now, Kira?" Uzumi asked his son, who smiled, nodded, and began walking to the church, though was quickly stopped by Athrun.

"Mr. Uzumi, Mrs. Caridad," Athrun began to ask. "Do you mind if I speak to Kira alone for a moment? I promise we'll be inside shortly."

"Alright, Athrun," Caridad answered, still smiling as she took her husband's proffered arm and walked back to the church with him, rejoining the small number of relatives and friends from high school and college the bride and groom had invited, leaving the two young men alone outside.

"What did you want to talk about, Athrun?" Kira asked his best man once his parents were out of sight.

"I just wanted to say that I would've never guessed a robot's loose wire would lead to me being the best man at the wedding of my best friend and my ex-girlfriend," he answered, before breaking out into hysterical laughter, which his friend quickly joined in on, realizing that everything that had happened these past few years were rather funny upon thinking about them. The two then spent the next few minutes laughing and holding each other up so neither of them would fall over from sheer mirth.

"Don't forget that your ex-girlfriend was the maid of honor at you and my sister's wedding!" Kira added once he and Athrun caught their breath, though this quickly gave way to more laughter between them, to the point where they thought their stomachs would burst from laughing so hard.

"Ah, how could I forget," Athrun eventually replied once he and Kira regained their composure, grinning like an idiot as he thought about Cagalli, who was currently helping Lacus prepare for the ceremony, an expression his friend reciprocated. "Anyway, are you ready?"

"I am," Kira answered before he and Athrun began walking to the church.


Concurrently

"It really feels like yesterday that we were last here," Cagalli said to Lacus as the two sat alone together in the waiting room of Malchio's church and made their final preparations for the ceremony, both wearing white dresses. "Two and a half years ago, you were my maid of honor, and now I'm here as yours today. Isn't that weird?"

"I personally like to think of it as a happy coincidence," Lacus cheerfully replied while she looked over her reflection in a handheld mirror before turning to face her maid of honor, softly smiling. "By the way, Cagalli, there's something I want to tell you."

"What is it, Lacus?" she asked her friend, wondering what she wanted to say to her.

"Growing up as an only child made me want to have a brother or a sister more than anything in the world when I was younger," she answered, her smile widening. "I eventually found brothers in the form of Athrun and Nicol, but now that I'm marrying Kira, I'll finally have a sister too, and I'm glad it's you."

Reciprocating Lacus's smile, Cagalli got up and firmly hugged her.

"I always wanted a sister too," she happily replied as her smile turned sly. "That being said, don't think I won't kick your ass if you ever make Kira cry."

"Since I'm about to become your sister, would you kick Kira's ass if he made me cry?" Lacus asked after giggling a bit, not normally given to swearing.

"You bet," Cagalli answered, her grin only growing wider. "Hell, if you two made each other cry, I'd kick both your asses at the same time!"

Cagalli's last statement made her and Lacus break out laughing, leaving them unaware as a uniformed battle-scarred man, accompanied by his wife, a playfully smiling Lebanese woman, walked into the waiting room.

"Hey kids," Andrew Waltfeld affably said, grinning from ear to ear, bringing Lacus and Cagalli back into reality. "How's it going?"

"Hi Uncle Andy, Auntie Aisha," Lacus said after catching her breath, having briefly been confused as to where Andrew had gotten a second eye from before remembering that he had a glass prosthetic he only wore on special occasions. "Cagalli and I were just making our final preparations."

"Do you two need any help?" Aisha asked, still smiling. "It looks like your makeup could use some touching up."

"Sure," Lacus replied after looking back at Cagalli, who shrugged in response. Aisha then spent the next several minutes applying her skills as a beautician to the bride and maid of honor, after which she handed them the handheld mirror they had used earlier.

"So, what do you think?" she confidently asked the two girls as they looked over their respective reflections.

"I think I look great! Thank you, Auntie Aisha!" Lacus chipperly answered before turning to Cagalli. "You look beautiful too, Cagalli."

"Uh, thank you, Lacus," Cagalli awkwardly said, feeling weird having so much makeup on but comforting herself with the fact Athrun would probably like it.

"You're welcome, girls," Aisha replied, filled to the brim with satisfaction, as Andrew came up behind her, wrapped his arm around her torso, and kissed her on the cheek.

"That's my wife," he proudly remarked, warmly smiling. As he finished saying these words, the four of them were joined by Siegel, who smiled when he saw how his daughter and her friend looked.

"I see Aisha couldn't help herself," he sarcastically commented, which his friend's wife smiled and nodded in the affirmative to, before he moved to address the room as a whole. "Andrew, Aisha, Cagalli, may I have a moment alone with Lacus?"

The three nodded and then left the waiting room, with Andrew and Aisha returning to the nave, while Cagalli sat outside next to the door.

"Was there something you wanted to talk about, dad?" Lacus asked her father as he sat down next to her.

"I couldn't help but think about your mother and how happy she would've been to see this day," he answered somewhat melancholically, embracing his daughter when she leaned against his shoulder.

"Do you think mom would've liked Kira?" she asked, holding back her tears so they wouldn't ruin her makeup before her fiancé could see it.

"I know she would," he assured her. "And I know that wherever she is, she couldn't be more proud of you."

At this moment, Lacus swore to herself that if she and Kira ever had a daughter, she would name her Chantel.

"Thank you for being the best dad in the world," Lacus told Siegel. "I love you."

"I love you too, dear," he replied, his smile returning. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Then let's turn the page to the next chapter in your life," Siegel happily said as the two got up and walked out to the main entrance, where Cagalli got up when she saw them, smiling with anticipation. From there, they began walking to the nave.


Feeling a profound sense of deja vu as he stood in front of the altar with Athrun and Reverend Malchio, Kira's heart began racing with excitement when he heard Nicol begin playing the wedding theme from Lohengrin on the church's piano, just as he had done for Athrun and Cagalli more than two years ago. Looking to the other end of the aisle, he saw Lacus being escorted by Siegel, with Cagalli following behind them. As the small bridal procession came closer, the sight of his fiancé in her white dress, her beautiful face adorned with makeup, made his already racing heart practically thrash against his chest with love and desire.

Lacus's heart also began racing when she saw Kira dreamily staring at her, a dumbstruck smile on his face. The almost puppy-like devotion in his gaze intensified her love for him and made her legs feel like they were turning into jelly, a sensation that reminded her of the first time she had ever taken him to her family's lakehouse all those years ago.

"Please not now," she mentally begged her legs, not wanting to fall over and create an embarrassing scene in front of everyone. Thankfully, she managed to continue walking, while her father and Cagalli seemed none the wiser to her quivering. Trying to distract herself from the prospect of her legs giving out, she stole some glances between the pews, seeing the small number of friends and family she and Kira had invited to the wedding, most notably their friend group from high school, Tolle, Miriallia, Kuzzey, Sai, and Flay, the latter of whom noticed she was looking at them and briefly made eye contact with her. In that instant, Lacus could see that Flay was smiling at her, not with envy or concealed contempt, but with something approaching acceptance, if not friendship. She didn't know where this came from or why, but it comforted her.

"Thank you, Flay," Lacus thought as she reciprocated the smile before returning her attention to her husband-to-be in front of her.

Despite his blindness, Malchio could hear when the bridal procession reached the altar, after which he began reading from his braille script.

"The love of a parent knows no conditions or boundaries, and I have never met a father who was willing to 'give away' his daughter," the blind priest began. "Instead, I ask you, Siegel Clyne, do you give your permission for Lacus Clyne to be married to Kira Yamato?"

"I do," the assemblyman answered with a bittersweet smile before guiding his daughter and her maid of honor to the altar, where he warmly nodded at the groom and his best man, then went down to the pews and took a seat next to Uzumi and Caridad.

"You look beautiful," Kira whispered to Lacus as he took her hands, barely resisting the urge to kiss her right there and then.

"Thank you," she answered, her smile growing wider.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today before God to see Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne joined in the bonds of holy matrimony," Malchio continued after the bride and groom turned to face him, going through the list of responsibilities they would have as husband and wife before getting to the vows. "Now, will the bride and groom please exchange their vows?"

"I didn't realize it at first, Kira, but I fell in love with you the day we met," Lacus said, unable to contain her tears anymore as streaks of mascara trickled down her cheeks. "You're kind, considerate, and gifted with technology. I love you with all my heart, and I offer it to you and you alone freely, now and forever."

Athrun, Cagalli, Caridad, Uzumi, and Siegel began crying in response to Lacus's vows while Kira began struggling to say his own.

"L-Lacus… sorry," Kira choked out, starting to cry tears of joy himself as he tried to maintain at least some of his composure. "Lacus, you are my siren, my ray of sunshine, and the greatest thing that ever happened to me. Every time I see you, I feel like the same nervous yet starstruck kid who knocked on your door to fix Mr. Pink four years ago. I love you, and I promise that your love will never be misplaced with me."

Serenely smiling at the exchanged vows, Malchio opened a braille-studded compartment door in his pulpit, out of which Birdy, who had been placed there before the ceremony began, came flying, holding a small box in his mechanical claws, which it placed into Kira's hands.

"Now the bride and groom will exchange rings," Malchio said as Birdy came to roost on his shoulder.

Their fingers trembling with joy and excitement, Kira and Lacus opened the box and placed the wedding bands on each others' ring fingers, smiling as they turned to face Malchio again.

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife," Malchio said, warmly smiling. "You may kiss the bride."

After the reverend concluded the ceremony, Kira and Lacus Yamato fell into each others' arms and passionately kissed while their friends and family applauded. Feeling Lacus tremble in his arms, Kira suddenly picked her up and carried her down the aisle bridal style, with Birdy flying off Malchio's shoulder and landing on its master's head.

"Thank you, Kira," Lacus told her husband as she settled in his arms. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied with a soft smile, tears of joy trickling down his cheeks as he firmly held his wife, eventually setting her down once she could feel her legs again, after which she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and brought herself next to his ear.

"I can't wait for when we're alone tonight," she sultrily whispered, an impish smile on her lips.

"Me too," Kira replied, grinning from ear to ear.

While Kira and Lacus had already lived together for well over a year at this point, the fact they could now call each other husband and wife brought a sense of completion to their lives, something that would make their post-reception afterparty all the sweeter.


Author's Note

At the time I'm writing this note, this has been the longest fanfic I've ever written, clocking in at around 7,000 words and fifteen and a half pages on Google Docs, not that this wasn't an absolute treat to write. I have one more story to post, so I hope you liked this one enough to stay around for next week.