Tension choked the air, sending the already high stress levels clear to the ornamented ceiling. A rising sense of dread swallowed any possibility for excitement. Months of strenuous planning seemed about to go to waste as the flowers lining the altar in honor of the recently departed showed signs of imminent decay.
Dozens of guests began to grow impatient, preparing to pay their respects and condolences to the loved ones left behind.
Gifts meant for two overflowed from a glittering back room, though now it seemed as if they would only be received by one.
Tempers flared, hearts throbbed, and impatience ruled.
All this and more marked the impending beginning not of a funeral, but of a wedding that might not come to be.
"Where is he?" A beyond flustered Kassim stormed into the room they had been creatively calling "Gift Central" and slammed his turban down on the sofa. "He was supposed to be here a half hour ago! Scratch that: he wasn't even supposed to leave in the first place!"
From his place on the sofa, Babkak adjusted the turban before Kassim's carelessness bent all the feathers out of shape, then he sighed. "I'm sure Al will be here soon. He couldn't have gone far."
"He shouldn't have gone anywhere! How can you be so calm? Aren't you worried the food's gonna get cold, or something?"
"With all those new appliances the Genie installed in the kitchen?" Babkak grinned and shook his head. "I'm never worried the food's going to get cold."
Across the room, Omar's stressed tones only added to the overall aura of panic. "Oh! I told Al he shouldn't have put me in charge of all these gifts! There are too many names to record and people to thank. I just know I'm going to screw something up!"
"I'm sure you'll do fine, Omar," Kassim replied without an ounce of pity in his voice. "Besides, there wasn't anything to choreograph this time around."
"But it's a wedding! This should be the one thing that needs the most choreography!"
"Would you forget about the choreography already?" Kassim snapped, not missing Babkak's subtle eye roll. "We need to focus on finding Al!"
Any celebration at the palace came with its own amounts of stress, but the "Wedding of the Century," as Kassim had heard people call it, definitely took the top tier. It was as if Aladdin and his soon-to-be Royal Advisor actually enjoyed feeding off each other's anxieties. At least, that's what Babkak had said over the last few weeks. Repeatedly.
"If he doesn't show up soon, Jasmine's going to get fed up with waiting and call the whole thing off," Kassim continued, finding it best to pace about the room in a frenzy before he exploded in a burst of stress and irritation. "Then Al will be back on the streets, which means we'll be back on the streets, too. And then—"
Apparently having had enough, Babkak rolled his eyes again and pried himself off his comfy seat.
A pair of strong hands put an end to Kassim's endless pacing, locking his shoulders in a tight grip.
"Get a hold of yourself, all right? It's not Doomsday. It's your best friend's wedding, for crying out loud! Which means I want you to take a deep breath and calm down. Got it?"
Kassim, for his part, found it difficult to reply with his lungs full of trapped air.
"Take a breath and let it out, you nitwit."
With a gasp, Kassim freed the air chewing at his lungs. "Right. Calm. I can be calm." He glanced at Omar. "Right?"
His young friend gave a noncommittal shrug in reply.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Right, calm. I can be calm. Clasping his hands together, Kassim made what he hoped was a smooth transition from panic mod to business mode. "Well, all these people came here expecting a wedding, so that's what we gotta give them. Omar, you marry her."
Panic drained all traces of color from Omar's face. "Me?"
"Come on," Kassim pressed, slinging a friendly arm over the kid's shoulder. "You two would be great together."
"W-Why can't you marry her?"
"Are you kidding? We're not even compatible! Besides, I'm already taken."
Babkak sent another eye roll his way. "You are not."
"Taken for granted," Kassim responded, a smirk stretching his lips.
"Oh," Babkak groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, "how have you even survived this long…?"
"Sheer willpower, my friend." Kassim patted his brother's shoulder. "Sheer willpower."
So, Aladdin was missing in action. No big deal. Still, Kassim felt the dark strings of anxiety tighten around his chest. Still…
They all had a good thing going at the palace. Life was better than it ever had been before and he couldn't wrap his head around what it would be like to lose it all.
Come on, Al. Where are you?
"There!" Kassim nearly jumped out of his skin at Omar's exclamation. Then, as if remembering all the guests waiting in the other room, he lowered his voice to a near whisper. "There! He's back!"
"Finally!" Kassim's legs were moving before his brain could even comprehend the motion. "Where have you been?" As tempting as it was to whack the wayward groom upside the head, Kassim restrained himself.
The Genie clasped Aladdin on the shoulder, flashing that eternal smile. "I had to scour the inner city to find this guy. You wouldn't believe all the people I ran into! And all of them just dying to watch this kid get hitched. Oh! It's all too exciting!"
"I can only imagine," came Kassim's dry reply as he turned back to his friend. "We've been looking all over for you!"
"Actually," Babkak chimed in when he and Omar caught up to the group, "we've just been relaxing for the last thirty minutes."
"Some of us were relaxing," Kassim amended with a glare.
Smiling, Omar nodded. "And the rest of us were panicking."
Aladdin's grin was apologetic and a touch nervous. "Sorry, guys. I…" Even his shrugs spoke of his good nature. "Well, there were a few things I forgot."
"Like your own wedding," Babkak quipped.
"Forgot?" Kassim nearly facepalmed. "What could you possibly have needed that you could get here?"
In response, Aladdin pulled a familiar weapon out from under his cloak. As he unsheathed the dagger, Kassim felt all the heat fade from his argument.
"It's for Jasmine," Aladdin explained when nobody spoke.
A solemn silence fell over the group that, oddly, extended to the Genie as well.
When Kassim had first met Babkak, their pasts hadn't been the topic of conversation. Ever. Somehow, they had both sensed that it was too complex a subject for them to address at the time. Then, Aladdin came along and they had touched on it a little. After all, with Al oversharing facts about his mother and snippets about a father who had never been there for him, it felt weird not to follow suit. By the time Omar had joined the group, they found themselves prying into the kid's life. Out of concern, Kassim had told himself, but it had really been his curiosity that needed to know about all those scars.
Even still, they respected when one of them would close off. Sometimes, the past was just too painful.
Kassim had accidentally discovered the dagger. He couldn't remember how, but it had sparked a patchwork conversation about fathers—one he'd been grateful had come to a swift end.
It was Babkak who broke the silence, clearing his throat as he placed a gentle hand on Aladdin's shoulder. "She's going to love it."
"Yeah," Kassim agreed as he grabbed Al's hand. "But you'll never be able to give it to her if you don't get up there and get married!"
Aladdin's bubbling laugh echoed through the hall. "Okay, okay! I'm going!"
By the time they were all lined up to make their grand entrance, Aladdin had shed his cloak and straightened his vest—a glittering ivory piece that matched those of his groomsmen.
With a jolt, Kassim's hands flew to his head, where they didn't feel his turban.
Someone tapped him on his shoulder and he whirled around.
"Looking for this?"
A sheepish grin spread across his face as he took the headpiece from Babkak. "Thanks."
"Sure," Babkak replied with a wink. "See? It all worked out."
"They're not married yet."
"Shh!" Omar pointed at the doors, which had just begun to open. "It's starting!"
Fixing his turban just in time, Kassim took a deep breath and followed Aladdin down the aisle.
The bridesmaids came next, looking as gorgeous as ever. Aisha winked at him and Kassim found his eyes following her lovely figure up the altar, which earned him a discrete—yet painful—jab in the ribs from Babkak.
Riding atop a palanquin, the Sultan entered the grand chamber, coming to stand at the foot of the platform. If Kassim knew any better, he'd say the elderly man had been shedding a few tears beforehand.
"Don't look so solemn boy," he heard the Sultan whisper to Aladdin. "This is a happy day."
Swallowing, Aladdin nodded, his gaze fixed on the door at the end of the aisle.
Finally, the bride made her long-awaited appearance, eliciting a collective gasp from everyone gathered.
"Wow…" Kassim heard Al breathe and he couldn't help but marvel at Jasmine's beauty, too.
"You can say that again." Another nudge to the ribs had Kassim rubbing his side and glaring at the oldest of their little quartet.
"I never thought this day would come." The Sultan embraced his daughter as she drew near. "Now, I'm afraid that it has come all too soon."
"Oh, father," Jasmine said, her voice cloudy with emotion.
Somewhere off in the corner, Genie bawled into the magic carpet, showcasing a louder version of Omar's sniffles.
As bride and groom faced each other, eyes glistening, they whispered some lovey dovey mush Kassim couldn't quite decipher. That was just as well. His ears didn't need to be plagued by nothings sweet enough to make him sick.
This was it: the moment they had all been planning for and stressing over for months.
And it's perfect. Sure, minor setbacks were to be expected, but in the end, no one would remember having to wait an extra half hour while the groom got his life together. They would only remember the beautiful ceremony, the luxurious after party.
And a love powerful enough to shake the earth off its axis.
Instinct had him reaching out for Babkak to keep from stumbling to the ground at the sudden quake.
Wait, what…?
So I have quite a few theories and headcanons about the BOK boys, all of which will be revealed in time. Until then, you'll just have to put up with my little sprinklings of backstory here and there. ;)