The Rest of the Story - A What if It's Us Sequel Fic

by BrokenTwilighter

Arthur is graduating from college and Ben surprises him by attending the ceremony. Will this be their chance at happiness, or will their fear get in the way?

4. Part 4- We're Home

Arthur: Thursday, May 22nd, 2025

Ben and I are now only two days out from the wedding, and we'll be returning home from our honeymoon on our second anniversary. Things could not possibly have lined up more perfectly, but I'm feeling a pretty heavy weight knowing how all of this came together so well.

First, the driver who hit Ben was determined to be at fault, as she admitted to having been texting when she took her foot off the break and hit him. She wrote him a long and heartfelt note of apology and her insurance company settled with Ben for the entire cost of his medical care, something close to 60k and an additional 50k in personal damages. We went to court with all of Ben's medical expenses and a letter from his boss stating that his performance at work had been significantly reduced and personal statements from myself and Dylan about the overall hardship Ben faced. That was a hard day, but when the verdict came in awarding Ben the money, we held each other and cried because somehow it felt like all of the struggle and the hours of PT and the shitty reaction to the anesthesia and the newfound fear of crosswalks he's developed (consequently making him feel like a bad New Yorker again) would be able to bring something good to our life.

The medical costs were paid directly to the hospital and the other 50k comes in monthly installments over 5 years. When we started getting monthly settlement checks of over $800, Ben was insistent that we use the money for honeymoon, so we set up a separate account and directly deposited them there.

The rest of our wedding fund was a blessing I could never have expected. I came out to my parents during my junior year of high school and they were very cool about it, but never in my life would I have expected my mom to change how she prepared for my future because I was gay. In November, the lawyer called my dad and my dad called me because they found that my mom had set up a fund. See, in traditional weddings, a wife's family might take the brunt of the cost of the wedding, but that's obviously not true of a wedding with two grooms. My mom, unbeknownst to my father, in addition to my college fund, began to squirrel away a couple hundred dollars a month in what she listed in a small, easily missed section of her will as Arthur's Wedding Fund. As I sat on the couch facetiming my dad, Ben held me as tears poured down my face. I was both so grateful for who she was and so sad she wasn't here in that moment, that I actually asked my dad if it was okay if we used it.

"Of course you're using it Arthur. It's yours. It's in your name and your mom wanted you to have it. With interest, there's about 15 thousand dollars in the account. Use it for the wedding, the honeymoon, whatever you need it for, Art. It's there for you. I'm sending you everything you need to access it by certified mail today. I love you, bud. I know Mom would have wanted this to be as amazing as you and she could make it." He smiled and wiped tears from his face with his thumb as we said our "I love you"s and hung up. Then Ben and I had a pretty cathartic cry together as we realized what this meant for our day and the added security we had because we had this money.

Once we got the paperwork, just before Thanksgiving, we used a bit of it to book a gorgeous outdoor wedding venue about an hour north of Manhattan. When we took a train up on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to tour The Powelton Club, we stood in front of the massive hundred-year-old oak, laden with the fall colors and heaviness of the late season, where they hold most of their ceremonies. Ben put his arms around me from behind and asked what I thought. "It's perfect," I breathed, tears in my eyes as the picture laid out before me in my mind. Ben and I under the oak tree surrounded by family and friends as the tree bloomed bright green in the springtime, so in love and so happy. He agreed and we put in our down payment that day.

Today, we are packing up and heading up to a hotel in Newburgh, near the venue. Jessie and Ethan will meet us up there, along with my friend Jackson from college, but Dylan and Sam are riding up with us as we have rented a car from JFK where we'll be leaving from on Sunday for our honeymoon. We already have the car, which Ben and I went and picked up this morning. As we survey our work, determining we have everything we need including all our décor items as well as our wedding day outfits and all associated accoutrements, we make a couple of trips downstairs and get it all loaded into the back of the Tahoe we've rented. In the apartment, we're leaving our honeymoon bags which we'll come back here and switch out with our wedding weekend bags on our way through the island on Sunday before we head out.

We do one final sweep of the apartment and pick up a couple of odds and ends, back up chargers, the cash for tips for our vendors, etc. and before we actually walk out the door, Ben kisses me softly and says, "Next time we're here, we'll be married," with an excited glint in his eye and a smile playing on his lips. "You ready for that?" he asks. A ball of emotion forms in my throat and I cannot speak, but I nod emphatically and wrap my arms tightly around his neck.

Once I can speak, I say, "I love you so much."

"I love you so much," he whispers, his breath tickling my ear and igniting the low burn in my belly.

"Are we sure we want to sleep in separate rooms BOTH nights?" I ask, pulling back to look into his eyes. I pout and widen my eyes for effect.

As he takes in my face, he groans and thunks his head on my shoulder. "Yes… we are. Building the excitement, satisfying the parents, blah, blah, blah," he moans. They know we live together, so I don't know why they've insisted on this measure NOW, but my dad did help with the cost of the dinner and the DJ, wanting to make sure Ben and I had money for a honeymoon from the account Mom left me, and Ben's parents did help a lot with the decorations and they're doing all the setup with Dylan, Sam, Ethan, and Jessie, so we can't say too much about it. We'll be married soon enough.

I sigh heavily. "There will be a lot of pent up desire by the time I get you alone Saturday night," I say quietly, looking meaningfully into his eyes, biting my lip.

His eyes widen and he nods emphatically. "Agreed."

He kisses me again, hard, and then grabs my hand and pulls me out of the apartment so that we don't stay and go for round three for the day. We had an eventful morning before breakfast, which was lovely and wildly satisfying, but I totally blame on the pre-wedding jittery energy that has absolutely nothing to do with how confident we feel in our marriage and everything to do with the major event we're putting on.

Ben

Arthur climbs into the driver's seat and I climb into the passenger side, immediately plugging in my phone and getting our Wedding Weekend playlist going. It's about 12 hours of the sappiest lovey-dovey romantic songs that talk about falling in love and getting married, as well as songs to hype us up about life together and the party we're going to have with everyone we love. At this point, I'm only a little anxious about the whole production of it all and the large group of people we're putting it on for. We'll see how long my anxiety levels stay this low.

We get on the road and head to Dylan and Sam's, holding hands while we sit in the city traffic. I've texted them, so they are waiting at the entrance to their building with their own suitcases and garment bags.

They are my wedding party and Ethan and Jessie are Arthur's. He and I haven't seen each other's outfits, but we've both seen all of theirs. Jessie and Sam are wearing the same dress, but Jessie's is royal blue and Sam's is a shimmery silver. Ethan and Dylan are both wearing classic black suits, but without jackets and their vests match the girls' dresses. We really wanted a classic traditional look for the whole thing, so even though the pairs look a little like they're going to prom together, we think it's cute and it'll make for great pictures, especially since the one thing we do know about one another's outfits is that we based them on our own rings.

We open the back hatch for Dylan and Sam and they load up and hop into the back. "Hello Gentlemen! How does it feel? Getting married this weekend? It's gonna be amazing!" Dylan grabs me by the shoulders and squeezes.

"Feelin' great, D!" I respond excitedly.

Arthur smiles widely, taking my hand, and says, "Can't wait!"

"It's going to be such a great weekend," Sam says, sliding into the middle next to Dylan as they get buckled and settle into the backseat for our hour and a half drive north.

When we pull into the hotel, we all get out to check into our rooms. We get our keys and make our way upstairs with our stuff all piled on one of those bellhop carts. Jessie and Ethan won't be here for a couple of hours, so we all decide to get into our swimsuits and head to the pool. After a while of splashing around and playing chicken, I get done wrestling a bit with Dylan and look around to see Arthur isn't in the pool anymore. I see his head just above the ground, popping out of the hot tub, so I make my way out of the pool and ease into the hot tub next to him.

"Hey future husband," I say quietly.

He opens his big blue eyes and smiles wide. "Hey handsome."

We kiss and I lock my fingers into his, then we settle in next to one another, everything from the neck down under the water, touching at the shoulder, hip, and along our thighs. I gently rub my thumb against his and he heaves a big sigh. "This is good, I'm glad we came up so early," he says.

"Definitely. You ready for this, babe?"

He turns his head and smiles crookedly. "I am so ready to be Mr. Alejo," he whispers. Arthur was insistent. He doesn't want to hyphenate, and he has no strong emotional ties to his last name, but he knows how much my name means to me and my family. He wants to share that with me, and I love him all the more for it.

I lean my forehead against his, nuzzling my nose and his together. "I love you so much, Arthur," I whisper.

He moves in, swings his legs over so they are resting on mine, wraps his arms around my neck and kisses me softly. "I love you, too, Ben. So much."

We relax in the hot tub as I hold him in my lap for a while longer and Dylan and Sam join us for a bit before all of us get out and head upstairs because Ethan and Jessie should be here soon.

Later that night, Jessie, Ethan, and Jackson have gotten settled into the rooms with Arthur, and we head out in our rentals to a drag show in Newburgh, as our joint "bachelor" party. Not that we've been bachelors really ever, but it sounded fun. Dylan is especially pumped as he finds Drag Queens fascinating. We have a reserved booth and the venue knows we are getting married this weekend because D made sure this would be the single most embarrassingly public night of our lives, but that's my best friend. What are you gonna do?

As we walk in, Dylan is positively vibrating with his excitement as he throws an arm around my shoulders and I laugh, shaking my head. We eat a great meal, drink mojitos, and enjoy the hell out of the night as some of the most amazing Drag Queens do their impressions of Divas through the ages and drape feather boas around our necks when Dylan shouts that we are getting married this weekend and they bring us up on stage. The Mariah Carey Diva takes particular interest in us, pulling us up on stage and sitting on my lap to sing "Vision of Love" to the both of us. Arthur's face goes beat red and my cheeks warm as well, but I take his hand and we relish in the moment and the attention and cheers from the crowd as the Queen leaves lipstick prints on our foreheads. As we head back to the table, I lean in and grab Arthur's face, pressing an assertive kiss to his lips, which he immediately sinks into, having zero inhibitions due to our slight alcohol-induced haze. The crowd cheers our open affection and we get a "Wooohooo" from the stage. I smile against Arthur's lips, wrap my arms around him and dip him, eliciting a gasp and his arms to wrap tightly around my neck so that he doesn't fall. When we stand upright, his cheeks are flushed, and his eyes are brighter blue than I've ever seen them.

I lean close to his ear and say in a husky rasp, "I want you more right now than ever, Arturo." I press my lips gently against the skin just beneath his ear.

He sucks in a breath and ducks his face into the crook of my neck, his breath quickening. He presses a kiss to my clavicle and my entire body heats as I feel my body begin to respond to him. Given that there is so much else going on, and so many things messing with my heart rate, most especially this gorgeous man of mine, I don't really notice right away the hum in my mind of anxious thoughts. Everything seems anxious because everything is overwhelming. The lights, the music, the crowd, the moment. Who wouldn't be overwhelmed? But when I get overwhelmed, it doesn't just go away…

Sam agreed to be our designated driver, so Arthur and I are cuddled up in the very back of the SUV making out as we ride back to the hotel. Our cheeks are flushed and we laugh quietly against one another's lips as we run fingers through each other's hair and taste the rum and mint on one another's tongues. When we get upstairs and its time to separate as everyone else spills into their respective rooms, I tug Arthur to a stop and nudge him back against a wall, pressing against him gently, my excitement apparent between us. He smiles as I dip my head and drag my lips lightly against his neck up to his ear as he gasps and his arms wind around my back pulling me into him.

"Will you dream of me?" I whisper against his ear, taking his face in my hand and running my lips along his jaw until I am kissing him. He moans gently into our kiss.

"Of course, Ben," he breathes as I rest my forehead against his.

"And I will dream of you, my mighty Arturo, and our life together. I may also have to give myself a little help," I say with a chuckle. "I love you."

"I love you," he whispers, and kisses me lightly. He presses me away slightly so that we are staring into one another's eyes and he smiles wide. A smile breaks across my face as well. I brush my thumb along his jaw and sigh before we break away and walk toward our rooms. We are both adjusting ourselves as we enter our rooms.

Dylan and Sam are already in pajamas snuggling up under the covers, but they have left a lamp on for me so I can get ready for bed. As I change into my plaid drawstring pants and t-shirt, and brush my teeth, the tension in my body changes. I was excited; overwhelmed, but happy. Now that the rest of the sensory overload has gone, I can feel the buzz of anxiety building in my chest. I haven't felt this in a while, honestly. It happened quite a bit in college, but since Arthur and I moved in together, it's mostly gone away. It came back after the accident for a few nights, but Arthur was right there, and I was able let him and his presence calm me down. He was pretty concerned for a few weeks there, but it stopped waking me up after a few days and after a couple of weeks he stopped asking me if I was anxious. He knew I was, but it was manageable. As I rinse the sweat and lipstick off my face, I am trying to bring down the buzz, but my heart continues to race. I take a few deep breaths and steel myself. I can sleep a couple of nights away from him and be okay. I'm going to be fine. I continue to work to convince myself of this as I climb into bed, turn off the light, and grab a spare pillow to hug tightly to my chest in Arthur's place. I try to fall asleep, but I toss, and I turn, and I am gulping for air as quietly as I can.

Dylan rolls over and groans. "You okay, man?" I guess it's not as quiet as I thought.

I sit up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and shake my head. I am shaking and my heart is racing as my breath comes in short, shallow bursts. "I don't think so," I say through my hyperventilation as I grab my phone and text Arthur.

Me: Anxiety attack. Can you come?

Dylan sits up and looks at me, "Dude, Ben, are you having an anxiety attack right now? That's my thing, big guy. What are you stealing my thing for?" He comes and sits next to me, bumping my shoulder, and I'm surprised enough by his comment to laugh a little, interrupting my breathing. My heart won't slow down, though, and I'm starting to get lightheaded, when we hear a knock at the door. Dylan pats me on the shoulder and goes to answer it, letting Arthur in. "You got him, Seussical?"

"Yeah, I got him." Art stands in front of me, running a hand through my hair and dipping down to kiss my forehead as Dylan gets back into bed. "Come on," he says, grabbing my hand and tugging me up off the bed. My breathing is already regulating at the sound of his voice and his hand in mine. We go into the bathroom and turn on the light, to which I wince at the brightness as he closes the door. I lean against the counter with one hand on my chest, feeling my heart continue to try and make its escape, and brace myself with my other hand as Arthur comes to me. He slides his hand under my own on my chest and takes my face in his free hand. "Tell me what you need," he says gently.

I work to take deep breaths and allow his presence to ground me. "I think if I'm already asleep when you leave, I'll be okay," I say quietly. "There's just so much going on, I guess I haven't really been keeping tabs on my anxiety because it hasn't been a huge issue at home, but it's been building for a while, I think," I admit to him, taking another deep breath and heaving out a sigh. He brushes his thumb against my cheek as I speak. "There's just so much to do and so many people coming just for us and it's a lot to take in. Between the build-up, the sensory overload at the club, and the alcohol, I couldn't get a handle on it…"

He nods and brings my forehead down to his. "I'm sorry I didn't notice, babe. We've both been a little crazy lately trying to get ready for our day, but I should have asked how you were doing..." His eyes are sad and guilty.

"Hey, it's my anxiety, Art. I love that you usually notice when I'm reeling, but it's my responsibility to make sure I'm keeping it in check. It's not your fault, okay? There is nothing to forgive and nothing to be sorry for." I take a deep breath and link my hands together behind his neck.

He nods against my forehead. "I know it is, but you're my partner, Ben. When I'm not paying close enough attention to you to the point that you're having an attack, I don't feel like I'm being as good of a partner as I can be," he sighs heavily and presses his nose against mine gently, nuzzling. "Why don't we take a nice hot shower, and then I'll stay 'til you fall asleep?" He offers. I nod against his forehead; my heartrate having slowed considerably already.

"That sounds perfect, Arthur, thank you," I say quietly, kissing him lightly on the lips.

He smiles gently and hooks one finger under the hem of my t-shirt, pulling it up as I lift my arms to allow him to pull it off. I take off his glasses and set them on the counter before also pulling off his t-shirt. He runs his fingertips lightly down my chest and stomach closing his eyes for a moment before turning and getting the shower going. We both strip out of our pajama bottoms and boxer briefs and climb into the steamy shower. Arthur makes sure I am the one mostly under the stream and we stand, holding onto each other, letting the hot water relax me. Still being a little drunk and being so exhausted in the wake of the anxiety attack, I am unable to help myself, while my face is buried in the crook of Arthur's neck, from laying light kisses across his shoulder and up his neck. I whisper against his ear, "Thank you for coming. I was totally losing it."

"Of course I'm here; you needed me," he breathes and I feel the gentle rise of us against each other as he slides his hands down my back, pressing our hips together and taking my ass in both hands.

I suck in a sharp breath. "Art…" I gasp, biting my lip.

"Should I?" he asks, sliding a slippery hand around my hip and down the front of me.

I open my eyes meeting his, "We could both…" I say, and a small smile plays on his lips.

"Both is good," he chuckles slightly, lifting up and softly running his tongue across my lower lip and locking us into a kiss as we press into each other's bodies against the stone tile, holding each other gently, but confidently, and bring one another sweet release as we moan and whimper as quietly as we can into each other's kiss.

We rinse off, still kissing as we finish our shower and then help each other dry off. I am feeling wholly more relaxed as we pull our pajamas back on and leave the bathroom. Dylan and Sam are fast asleep, so we are quiet. I lie down facing the wall and Art climbs in behind me, propping up on one elbow so my head and shoulders are braced against his chest. With his free hand, Arthur gently massages my head because he knows exactly how to get me to sleep when I'm anxious and restless. As his nails lightly scratch my scalp, he softly sings Ben Platt's "Ease My Mind" in my ear and I am asleep before he starts the second chorus. I barely register his gentle kiss behind my ear, and I think I mumble an "I love you" when he does before climbing out of bed, but that could have been a dream.

Arthur

Seeing Ben so freaked out is not easy, but I love being able to bring him back down to earth. When I got his text, my heart flipped.

Ben: Having an attack, can you come?

I hadn't quite gotten to bed yet, so I headed right over. As I helped him to relax and bring him back to center, I was reminded how solid he was when my mom died, and how solid he still is when it's me having the bad day. As I lightly move my fingers through his still-damp, sandy brown hair and sing one of our favorite Ben Platt songs, I take in his slightly spicy scent and hear his breathing even out. I make sure he's pretty out before I kiss him lightly just behind his earlobe and whisper that I love him. He mumbles that he loves me in return, and I roll as gently as I can away from him.

I sleep well but get up early. Today, we set up the venue for the reception and have our rehearsal in the afternoon before our rehearsal dinner tonight. First, though, we are going to take advantage of the continental breakfast. As I put on my glasses and throw on some basketball shorts, Jessie is just rolling out of bed and I let her know to meet us downstairs for breakfast before I head out to Dylan and Sam's room. I knock lightly and Sam lets me in.

"He's still sleeping," she tells me with a smile as she steps out of my way.

"Okay," I say. "Good Morning," I tell her with a smile and a kiss on the cheek.

"Good Morning," she replies and rubs my arm.

I head in and crawl into Ben's bed, sliding in under the covers with him. I put my face close to his and wrap an arm around him. He responds right away wrapping an arm tightly around me as well. "There's my beautiful man," he mumbles, bending forward and kissing me.

"Hey handsome," I say. "You wanna wake up so we can go get some breakfast?"

"Mmmm, yeah, that sounds good. I'm thinking waffles," he smiles, and his eyes flutter open.

"Hmm, I was thinking an omelet," I counter with a smirk.

"Yumm," he agrees, resting his forehead against mine.

I run a hand down his chest feeling his steady heartbeat. "You feeling okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm good," he takes my face in one hand. "I very much needed some chill time with you before I could sleep last night. Can we plan for that tonight? I want to make sure we're both well rested for tomorrow," he tells me with a gleam in his eye.

I press a couple of light kisses to his lips and nod. "Of course, Ben. Whatever you need." I curl into him further, pressing my face into his chest.

He rests his head on top of mine and asks, "How about you? Where's your head at?"

I sigh, knowing he's asking about my mom's absence. "I'm trying to be present in each moment as we're in it. My dad's not here yet, so I'm not really thinking about the fact that my mom's not here." I know this will get worse later. Dad's coming tonight for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Ben and I already worked out that we'll be spending a few minutes alone after the ceremony before the reception because we'll both need that moment. We'll have a picture set up at the ceremony in the front row where my mom would have been seated. We are doing our best to celebrate as she would have wanted us to.

Ben nods against my head and kisses my hair. "Well, don't think that just because I'm a ball of nerves that I can't be here for you, babe. I'm still me," he says quietly. I can hear the insecurity in his voice. He doesn't feel dependable or strong, even though he is the most of both of those things out of anyone in my life.

I unfurl myself from around him and look up at his sad eyes as my own go soft and emotion balls in my throat. "Of course you're still you, Ben," I say quietly. "We've both been through hell in different ways, but that's what makes us even better is that we know how to support each other. Of course I know I can still lean on you. Trust me. When I need you, I will not be shy." I kiss him gently, holding him tightly, and we lie there for a few more minutes before we get up and moving.

Ben throws on a hoodie and some sweats and quickly brushes his teeth so we can get downstairs and have breakfast with the whole crew before we all head to the venue to set up for the rehearsal dinner and as much of the ceremony and reception as we can for now. Ben's parents and my dad are heading up today and will meet us at the venue to help set up. Dad stayed at Uncle Milton's when he flew into the city yesterday.

After breakfast, we head up and actually get ready for the day. Ben and I get a little cutesy because I am who I am, and I had Sam make us matching "Two grooms are better than one" t-shirts on her Cricut. When I showed him, he just shook his head and kissed me, knowing this is exactly the kind of thing he signed up for with me. As we meet in the hallway between our rooms in our matching shirts, fitted jeans, and rainbow laced shoes, (I got some chucks like his with the elastic rainbow laces) we smile widely and wrap our arms around one another.

"There's that dork I'm marrying," he says with a laugh.

"If I'm a dork, you're a dork, too. We match," I point out with quite a bit of sass and a big smile.

"I'd dress like a dork every day to see you smile like that, babe," he admits and kisses me. "I love your smile."

"Okay boys, we have to actually set up for this wedding of yours. Are you coming?" Jessie calls from down the hall where everyone else is waiting, watching us with knowing smiles on their faces.

"Coming," we both call, locking our hands together and falling into step next to each other.

The rest of what's left of the morning is spent unloading the Tahoe into the venue with all of our boxes of decorations. Ben's parents are bringing up more in their rental because we didn't have room for all of it in ours. Once we get everything inside, we turn on our wedding weekend playlist and start unpacking. Jessie and Sam take over from there. We told them what we wanted, they told us what to buy and we brought it. They start divvying up supplies and materials, vases, ribbons, candles, etc. and send Ben and I to get pitchers filled with water from the kitchen. Our center pieces are small blue vases with floating candles in them, a thick silver ribbon wrapped crisscrossed around the neck of the vase, with pins from our favorite Broadway shows holding the ribbon closed. It's so perfectly us!

Just as we're starting, a flurry of activity comes into the room as the rest of the parents all come together. There are hugs and handshakes and kisses and Isabelle is crying so Jessie and Sam are crying and I am REALLY TRYING not to cry. Once the hugs are done and we explain to the parents what's happening, we get back to work while Jackson and Dylan help Ben's dad with the boxes of decorations from their rental.

I hear Ben take a few deliberate deep breaths beside me and when I've pinned the ribbon I'm working on, I set down the vase and turn to face him, leaning a hip against the table, crossing one foot over the other to balance myself. He looks at me and I quirk an eyebrow, nodding at his trembling hands as he pins his ribbon and sets the vase down as well, bracing himself with both hands on the table to ground himself. I slide a hand against the inside of his bicep and gently rub the skin just beneath the sleeve of his t-shirt with my thumb while resting my chin on his shoulder. He takes a few more slow, deep breaths and I see that he's come back to center. I kiss him lightly on the neck, smiling gently as I turn, and we go back to what we were doing.

He nudges my shoulder gently and I glance toward him. "See? You still got it," he says quietly enough so only I can hear it. He is smirking as he pins another ribbon.

I smile toward him and wink. "Yes, I do."

Jesse and Sam do the vase filling as they are highly concerned with making sure the water level is exactly level with the bottom of the ribbon and none of us boys are all that concerned about that. Once they've filled, Dylan and Jackson place a floating candle on the water's surface veeeeeeerrrry carefully so as not to splash any of the water. We finish up with the vases after a quick lunch of pizza outside because it's warmed up quite a bit and the sun is out.

"Look babe, it's going to be beautiful for us tomorrow," I say.

Ben smiles and turns so he is able to lay his head in my lap and look up at me and the sky. "Of course it is, because the universe is not an asshole," he grins widely.

"No, it certainly is not," I agree, gently running my fingers through his hair.

Once we've finished with the vases, then we create an assembly line of favor bags. In each bag, there are one of each of our favorite candies as well as a disposable camera wrapped with a cool design in blue and silver just for us so guests can take physical pictures we'll get developed after the wedding, and one of the Broadway pins we're using on the center pieces.

Late in the afternoon, once we've finished all of our pieces for the reception, we get together and head outside to the ceremony area where chairs are already set up facing the huge oak. Waiting for us there are a few old friends.

"Omigosh! It's Arthur and Ben! Arthur we've missed you!" Juliet squeals as we meet in a tight hug.

"OOooh, I am so ready to get my weddin' on!" Namrata says eagerly as she hugs Ben and then we switch.

"It is so good to see you guys!" I say as I feel tears pooling in my eyes. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course we came! It's the culmination of my favorite love story! We've been waiting five years for this!" Juliet squeezes my arm and kisses me on the cheek.

We all continue toward the large oak tree chatting as we approach two men standing at the end of the aisle in matching man-buns and overalls, like Mario.

"Hello boys!" Ben says, offering each of them a high five.

"Ben! Arthur!" the twins call in unison in their German accents.

We reached back out to the twins to see if they would like to be a part of our wedding and they told us they were already ordained to marry people. We knew they would help make our day extra special and fun.

We get set up, Dylan and Sam will process in, then Jessie and Ethan. All of our parents will come in together with the sand for the ceremony and then we'll walk on our own; Ben will go first, then me. We walk through the whole thing without incident, the music goes off without a hitch and the timing is great once I explain to everyone what we're looking for. Once we've processed, the twins do a little back and forth for the ceremony.

"Arthur, would you please share your vows with Ben?" Wilhelm asks.

"And then I will do that, but those are a surprise," I say with a smile.

Then Alistair says, "Now Ben, would you please share your vows with Arthur?"

"Mine are also a surprise," Ben says, squeezing my hand.

"And then we'll do the blessing of the rings, since you already have them," Wilhelm adds. He takes my hand and Alistair takes Ben's and they mock-up what will be a slightly more involved ceremony tomorrow.

"And then we pronounce you husbands, you may kiss your spouse," they say together.

Ben takes my face in his hand and we kiss softly, to the gentle applause of our family and friends. We smile and turn, holding hands, and explain the recessional process. We practice coming in and out a couple more times, just to make sure we've got it down (also because I'm neurotic…).

When we head back inside, one end of the reception venue has been set up by staff with a small buffet of roast beef, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, salad, rolls, and lemon raspberry tarts for dessert. One waiter stands by the buffet and another stands behind a small bar. "You guys go ahead and get drinks," I say to everyone else, holding Ben a little behind the group.

He turns and furrows his brow, "What's up, Art?"

I smile gently, wrapping my arms around his neck. His arms loop around my waist automatically. "I was thinking maybe we don't drink tonight. I'm just worried because of last night. I won't drink either. I don't want you to feel pressured and you're obviously free to do what you like, but I want you to be okay tonight. What do you think?" I ask.

Ben takes a deep breath and rests his nose against my forehead. "That is a very good idea. Thank you for suggesting it. We can let loose tomorrow when we'll be together." We kiss and join our friends and family, keeping an arm around one another as we each order a glass of soda.

Today has been a good day. Standing here, with Ben by my side, preparing for tomorrow when we'll give ourselves to one another before God and our loved ones, I am shocked at how few nerves I'm feeling. I also know that while the idea of the big party and the crowd are keying up Ben's anxiety, he is sure in us, and that is causing me to feel light as a feather as we sit down to dinner and talk excitedly about the wedding and the honeymoon with our friends and family. As dinner is winding down and the servers are clearing away all but the dessert, my dad stands and clinks a spoon against his water glass.

"I'd like to make a toast to our boys," he says, holding up his half-drunk glass of wine. "This last year has seen so many ups and downs, but the one thing I knew for sure was that my son had Ben, and Ben had Arthur." Ben slides an arm around me, and I rest my hand on his leg as we lean our heads together. "Ben, you are part of our family and I am confident in you two because you and Art support and lift one another up. Mara would have been so proud of you both," he chokes up and raises his glass higher. "To you," he says, and everyone responds in kind, raising their glasses and drinking.

I kiss Ben and we each clear a few tears from our cheeks. I stand and pull Ben up next to me. "We want to thank each of you. Whether you're our family by blood or by choice, thank you for your help today and for your support over the years," I start.

Ben pulls me closer, his thumb brushing lightly against my side over my t-shirt, comforting me. "Thank you Ma, Pa, Dad, for everything. We so wish that Mara could be here to celebrate with us, but we feel her in every moment as we prepare for tomorrow."

"To Family," I say, a little emotional, as we lift our glasses and toast again.

We have dessert and then the parents all say they're going to head back to the hotel and get some rest. Juliet and Namrata excuse themselves to split a bottle of wine and watch a Rom-Com. The twins catch a ride with them and wish the table a good night. Once it's just us and our best friends again, Jackson speaks up.

"Guys, I just want to say, you two give me hope. There's something so inspiring knowing all you've been through and how you never once let each other go. You two are going to be forever, I can just tell." He smiles and nods, tipping his Bacardi and Coke at us.

"Thanks, J," I say, my fist on my chest.

We finish our beverages and head out back to the hotel. Jessie and Sam decide they're going to go for a quick swim when we get back, while Dylan, Ethan, and Jackson head off to go have a beer in the hotel bar.

"Don't stay up too late, guys. A lot of pictures are going to be taken tomorrow," Ben calls after them as they walk away.

"Don't worry Bennasaur, I got us covered," Dylan assures him with a winning smile, and we trust him, knowing D would never let us down if he could help it.

Ben

Arthur and I head upstairs for the "us time" I asked for. We head to our rooms to change out of jeans into pajamas. I pull off my jeans and slip on some baggy sweats. When Arthur knocks, I open the door and he's in a hoodie and basketball shorts wearing his glasses and a crooked smile. I smile and grab his hand to tug him inside.

We sit next to one another at the head of my bed, leaning together, holding hands, my head resting on top of his.

"Today was really good," I say. "I'm really excited for tomorrow." And I am. I love that the décor matches our rings and our outfits and it's going to be a literally picture-perfect day.

"Yeah, it was. I am, too, babe." He sounds sad, though, and I know he's missing his mom.

"You know she's here with us, right?" I ask, squeezing his hand, kissing the top of his head.

"Yeah," he sniffs. "But I want her to hug us and I want her to hold my face and tell me how excited she is," he says as I feel tears begin to fall. I know he misses her. He rolls his face against my shoulder and I adjust so that my arms are around him and his face is pressed into the crook of my neck.

"I know, Art," I say, my voice cracking, as I lightly run my fingers through his hair.

He cries for a bit and I simply hold him tightly and begin to well up a little as well. I can't feel his sadness without feeling my own. She won't get to be my mother-in-law, and she'd have made an amazing one. She's here; we can feel her, but our kids won't know her love. There is just so much she'll miss. When he pulls back, I clear the tears from his cheeks.

He lifts a hand to my face and does the same, "Are you okay? This was supposed to be you-time," he says. "How's your knee?" he asks, knowing it still hurts if I do a lot of extra standing or lifting. Most days after work I have to ice it, even still.

I smile gently, "Of course I'm okay, Art. You're right here." I pull his hand down and press it over my strong and steadily beating heart that is not changing or sporadic at all. "My own personal anti-anxiety medication." I smile slightly and brush my lips against his forehead. "And my knee is a little sore, but with all the boxes and standing most of the day for setup, that's probably to be expected."

"Can I help?" he asks, sitting up a little.

"If you want," I say, casting the comforter aside.

"Oh, hang on, I'll be right back." He hops off the bed and pops into the bathroom, coming out just a second later with a small hotel-size bottle.

I smile and pull up the leg of my sweatpants, widening the spread of my legs so he can sit between them. He lifts my left leg up so it is bent over his own knee and puts a little lotion in his hand. He hands me the bottle and warms the lotion in his hands a bit before beginning to spread it over and around my knee. He makes sure the skin is well coated before he begins to massage the muscles of my leg. He is gentle but firm in his pressure and even though it hurts to agitate the muscles, I know it will feel better when he's done. As he presses against my sore muscles, he asks "You wanna go over the plan for tomorrow, so you know what to expect?" knowing it helps me keep my chill when I memorize the schedule, so I'm not focused on deciding what to do next, I already know.

"Sure, 8AM wake up, Dylan and Ethan are on breakfast duty, so we don't see each other. Let me tell you, oof, that's a tough one." He has hit a particularly tender spot and I wince, so he lightens up a bit. "I'm so used to waking up with you, even today," I chuckle.

"Definitely gonna be rough," he agrees as his strong hands work my tense muscles into submission. "Then the girls and your mom have their hair and nails in the salon at 10 and we are hanging out with the boys and our dads for the rest of the morning," he continues as he begins kneading my leg with the heels of his palms rather than his thumbs. He's gotten very good at this over the last several months. This was part of our nightly post-PT routine after the accident. It usually led to, you know, other stuff.

"Then we all head to the Powelton, Dylan and Ethan coordinating our departures, and we'll land in the opposite suites to get ready. We take pictures at 2 with our own parties and families, and the other's party and family," I go on, doing my best to leave my leg relaxed as he continues to massage it.

"Then it's the first look," he says. It's almost a whisper. "God, Ben," he says, shaking his head as he goes back to using his thumbs along my LCL and MCL on either side of my knee. I suck in a breath through my teethand ball my hands into fists against the mattress. This is always the worst part. He doesn't let up because he knows I need it. The first few times, it freaked him out, but when I explained that it was where the most tension was and that it was where I needed the most relief, he got over his hesitance. He keeps talking, trying to take my mind off of it. "You always look good, but I am legitimately going to have to stop myself from tearing your clothes off tomorrow," he assumes with a smile.

"Same," I say, breathing deeply through the pain. We don't know exactly what the other person is wearing, but we know we each believe we have the perfect outfit, and we know what they cost to tailor them to us perfectly. (Not cheap, let me tell ya.)

Once I can speak again, I say, "Then we process in and get married, have our few moments of immediate post-wedding bliss, take pictures all together with everyone, and go have a reception."

"It's going to be amazing," he says, staring up at me. The lotion has mostly been used up, so he rubs the last of it into my skin and his hands and, after pulling down the leg of my sweats, moves back up to lay with me, covering us up together.

"I know it is. Thank you," I say, bending and flexing my leg. "That's a lot better."

"Happy to help," he smiles, bringing his face toward mine for a kiss.

"I cannot wait to call you my husband," I say with a kiss to the tip of his nose.

"Ditto. Are your vows ready?" he asks.

I smile and nod. I've been tweaking and changing and rewriting for over a month, but I think I've finally settled on what I want to say. "You?"

"Let me just warn you, many of the words are not mine, but my appropriation of them is adorable," he says. I grin and shake my head slightly, knowing that means song lyrics for days. I'm so excited to see what he's put together.

I kiss him and rest my forehead against his. "Can't wait, nerd," I say with a quiet chuckle.

We lie together, just holding each other for a while. Arthur draws gentle designs on my chest and stomach, while I draw my own over his shoulder blades and play with the hair at the nape of his neck. This is very much us on a chill night at home. We lay on the couch, maybe reading a book or scrolling through our phones, maybe watching a movie or show together, but always gently connected. Sometimes we get frisky, okay, a lot of times; we're young. Sometimes, it's just this quiet presence. We are with each other, home for each other, comfort and calm in the storm that is life. I know in my bones that we'll be doing this together when we're 80, no matter what happens in our life together.

I let out a huge yawn just before midnight and my eyes start to droop, so Arthur asks, "You ready to get to sleep?"

My eyelids are heavy, and I open them enough to see him and give him a sleepy smile and nod. I scoot down so my head is on the pillows and I settle my back and shoulders against his chest like I did last night. His fingers move lightly against my scalp and he softly sings "Dreaming of You" by Selena. "Mmmm, I love this song," I murmer. "Ma used to sing it to Pa."

"Gotta love a tradition," Arthur chuckles. I feel the vibration against my shoulder blades as he continues singing in his gentle and beautiful tenor. I drift off as he finishes what he knows of Selena and switches to "For Forever" from Dear Evan Hansen. I don't know when he left, but I know I was very asleep, and I slept very well. I vaguely remember the whisper of a kiss on my temple. I didn't even hear Dylan come in; I was so well knocked out.

When I wake up to a gentle shake in the morning, I blink my eyes open and startle at Dylan's face about an inch away from mine. "Good Morning Groom!" he says excitedly.

"Good morning Best Man," I grumble, rolling onto my back and rubbing sleep out of my eyes.

"It's a beautiful day to get married! What would you like me to grab from the breakfast bar Ben-10? Is it a waffles and bacon and eggs kind of morning? Or a muffin and some coffee?"

I blink a few more times and scoot to a sitting position. "I'm thinking bagel with cream cheese, OJ, and some sausage links for protein," I counter.

"Solid choices, can't say I agree with not caffeinating, but I know your anxiety's been acting up, so I support this decision."

"Exactly."

"Sam, don't let him leave and don't let him Facetime!" D says, winking at me as he heads out the door.

"You got it, Boss!" she calls after him. "How are you feeling, Ben?" she asks once he's gone.

"Good, anxious, but like the good kind, the butterflies, ready for the big event kind," I smile as I grab for my phone.

"Ah ah," Sam says. "You may text your groom, NO Facetime and NO selfies!"

"Yes, ma'am," I salute her and tap out a text to Arthur.

Me: Good Morning Handsome. I can't wait to marry you. *kissy face emoji*

Arthur: *Heart eye emoji* *Kissy Heart Emoji* *Champagne glasses emoji*I could not be more impressed with our self-control. How are you this morning, love?

Me: Just the right amount of fluttery sort of anxious. I'm good, Art. It's our day and I couldn't be happier. I love you.

Arthur: I love you. Have a good breakfast. *kissing lips emoji* *bacon/eggs emoji*

I hop in the shower and when I come out, Dylan is back with breakfast. I finish eating and then, before it is time to send Sam off with Jessie and Ma for their hair appointments, Dylan says, "Hey Bennasaur, we have something for you." He seems nervous and I furrow my brow.

Sam says, "We know the whole new/old/borrowed/blue thing doesn't really apply to grooms, but since Art's going to be in a lot of blue, we wanted you to have something blue as well."

"Oh, you guys didn't have to do anything like that," I say, blushing.

They smile and pull out a small box. When I open it, I find a pair of cufflinks in the exact shade of bright electric blue of Arthur's eyes. "We looked for something that matched…"

"His eyes," I say, a bit awestruck by how exactly they'd succeeded. "They're perfect, thank you." I am hoarse sounding and I snap the box closed and stand. Dylan meets me in a forceful and strong brotherly embrace.

"I'm so happy for you, man," he says against my shoulder.

"Love you, D."

"Love you, Ben 10."

We clap each other on the back a couple of times and then Dylan pushes me away, holding me by the shoulders and assumed a very wise and somber tone as he says, "Now, Ben. Tonight, you and Arthur are going to be alone and you will engage in all kinds of activities…"

I laugh and shove him. "Shut up, D."

He laughs and waggles his eyebrows suggestively. "I just thought you might want some pointers about how dicks work."

"As we are both aware, you don't know how dicks work, dude. So, I'll feel free to hook or unhook mine as I see fit," I counter with a wide grin.

Dylan laughs and Sam gathers her stuff to head out, kissing Dylan lightly on the lips and me on the cheek.

Arthur

As we mill around the room and I gradually get everything I need together, I become antsier and antsier. Jackson, Ethan, and I played a round of Rummi500 while the girls were gone, and when we are finished I text Ben a gif of Anna in Frozen tik toking with her crossed eyes and then fling myself on the bed as Jessie returns with her hair in a sleek updo.

"Oh honey," she says, hand on her hip. "Are you getting impatient?"

"Yeeeeessss," I whine. "I miss him…" My lower lip juts out in a wildly immature pout. My phone buzzes and Ben has responded with the old lady from Titanic saying, "It's been 84 years…" and I laugh aloud and show Jessie.

She rolls her eyes at us and holds out a hand to me which I use to pull myself up. "You two are so dramatic. It's been less than 12 hours. It is almost time for us to head over, though, so gather everything up and we'll load up before we head out." Jessie is ever the organized and level-headed, take-charge friend. She pops over to my dad's room and makes sure he has his suit ready to take over to the venue as well. I already had everything ready. Outfit, shoes, cufflinks Jessie and Ethan had presented me made with wood that matched Ben's ring, and a comb to continue to fruitlessly try and tame my messy hair.

Dylan and Ethan are on the phone coordinating our departure in ridiculously Secret Service-esque style. They've even taken to using their headphones with mics and wearing super-dark Oakley sunglasses they coordinated with one another as well as black "Groom Squad" tees Sam made for them.

As I grab my garment bag and shoe box, inside of which is tucked a little note for my groom, I snort a little hearing Ethan on the phone with Dylan say, "Renegade is packed and ready. Who's going first?"

"Isn't that…?" I asked on a laugh.

"Obama's Secret Service codename? Indeed it is. Ben's is Renaissance, just like Michelle's," Ethan grins at me while popping his head out the door. "Also, a nod to his writing, which is a little genius if I do say so myself."

I shake my head but say, "I love it."

Ethan makes a pained face and pulls his earbud out of his ear before begrudgingly saying, "Dylan would very much like you to know that it was mostly his idea, which is true." He rolls his eyes as he puts his headphone back in his ear and I laugh.

Jessie puts an arm around my waist and kisses my cheek. "What's that for?" I ask.

"I'm just proud of you is all. I'm proud of how you found the life that makes you happy and went for it without any hesitation. I'm proud you're my best friend," she tells me, eyes shining.

Tears prick at my eyes and I lean my forehead against hers gently. "It's too early for us to start crying, Jess, but I love you and thank you," I say, a little choked around the ball of emotion in my throat.

"Love you, too, Art."
"Hey, I want in on the love fest!" Ethan wraps us both in a bear hug together as we all laugh.

As we pull away, Jackson comes up on the other side of me and claps a hand on my shoulder. "Big day, you ready?"

I smile wide and nod. "So ready."

"Alright lady and gentle sirs, we are cleared for take-off. Ben is in his car and heading to the venue, let's go! It's a great day to get married!" Ethan announces, grabbing his own garment bag and sweeping the door open for us all to trapse through.

Ben

"Renaissance has arrived at the venue and will be inside momentarily. What's the status on Renegade?" Dylan asks into his headphone mic. He nods a couple of times and says, "Roger that." He turns to me and smiles, "Your man's about ten minutes out Big Ben, let's get you inside."

I salute with a smile and we pile out of the rental with our garment bags and shoeboxes. Tucked away in my shoebox is a letter I'll have Sam take to Arthur when he gets here. As I set down the shoebox and hang up my garment bag, I take in a deep, intentional breath and sigh. Dylan drapes an arm around my shoulder and stands quietly by me. I am immediately a little calmer than I had been. Sam comes to my other side and loops an arm through mine, twining her fingers together and leaning her head on my shoulder. I look down at the ring sparkling on her hand and say, "Not too long and we'll be coming back around for you two."

She smiles up at me and Dylan squeezes my shoulder. "Oh! I forgot we were still connected," Dylan says, surprised, his arm dropping from my shoulder. "Got it, Renegade is in place. Thanks E, we'll let the girls take it from here." He hangs up his phone and disconnects his headphones. "You ready to get ready to get hitched, Ben-10?"

"Definitely, D. Let's get to it. Sam, can you run this to him before you get dressed?" I hand her a small white envelope and a crooked smile quirks at my mouth.

She smiles brightly and kisses me on the cheek. "Of course!"

Dylan and I start to get ready, but she is back in just a couple of moments and has a cream-colored envelope with my name on it. "Jessie and I caught each other halfway and she had this for you, so we swapped," she giggles.

I finish buttoning my shirt, then take the letter gently in my trembling fingers and bite my lip. "Thanks Sam." I say softly and I head into the small changing room.

I sit on the cushioned bench and take a deep breath before breaking the seal of the fancy "S" sticker and pulling out a cream-colored cardstock card with gold foil calligraphy reading "My Groom". I run the pad of my thumb across the slightly raised text and smile before nudging open the card to see Arthur's small scripty handwriting.

---

My dearest Ben,

I cannot tell you how much joy you bring to my life every day, my strong and sweet man. Your love for me is the proudest treasure I have ever possessed and I desperately hope my love for you brings you even a fraction of the pride yours brings me. I'm so grateful for you, babe. I am grateful for your strength when I can't find it in me to be strong and I am grateful that you trust me to be strong when you're feeling weak. I love you, my dear, and I am so excited to marry you, to continue growing together and building this life and our love together. Take a deep breath, love. You'll be in my arms soon and we'll be bound forever before everyone we love.

All my love,

Your Mighty Arturo

---

I swipe at the couple of tears that escaped my eyes as I smile at the note and take my lover's advice. I inhale deeply, hold for a moment, then release slowly. My sweet and mighty Arturo, always knowing what to say to bring me peace when I'm anxious. I close my eyes for a moment and imagine what he must be doing right now. Likely reading my own note just like I'm reading his. I shoot him a lovey dovey emoji.

Arthur

When Jessie comes back, much sooner than expected, holding a fresh white envelope with my name on it, my brow furrows. Jessie smiles and says, "Sam and I basically crashed into each other, we were both on our way with notes, so we traded and turned around."

I smile and take the envelope. "I'm just gonna…" I trail off as I step into the changing room. Jessie smiles knowingly.

I sit on the softly upholstered bench and greedily pop open the envelope sealed with an "A" sticker. I pull out a crisp folded card with "Hello Handsome" in black calligraphy across the front. I smile as I unfold the card and see Ben's gently slanting cursive.

---

My mighty Arturo,

Today is our wedding day and I could not be more excited. Today marks the day that truly proves to me that the Universe is indeed NOT an asshole. Today, I am blessed with the answer to every prayer I've ever sent to God as it relates to my own happiness. You, my love, are my greatest muse and inspiration as well as my biggest source of strength. You know just how to rile me up and exactly what I need to calm down. You know me better than I know myself and help make me a better man and human being. I can't wait to continue to grow on this journey with you, baby. Happy Wedding Day!

Yours Forever,

Ben

---

I brush away the tears streaming down my cheeks and pull out my phone to send Ben a heart eyes emoji and see he's already sent me the lovey emoji surrounded in hearts. I send him my heart eyes and a crying emoji and then emerge from the dressing room. Jessie smiles and says, "Let's get you dressed, Groom."

She is already dressed in her royal blue, one-shoulder, floor-length chiffon dress and looks gorgeous. Her dirty blonde hair is swept up into a sleek updo and she has applied light, natural looking makeup. "Jess, you look beautiful," I tell her.

She smiles wide and says, "Why thank you, sir. Now, it's your turn."

I am wearing shiny black shoes, black tuxedo pants with the shiny trim detail, a black dress shirt, my wooden inset cufflinks, a royal blue bowtie, and the piece de resistance: a black suit jacket embroidered all over with royal blue paisley detail which perfectly matches the aesthetic of my ring and brings out my eyes. Jessie approaches me from behind and sets a dark crown with blue jewels inlaid around the intricately designed metal on my head.

We have a team of photographers so each of us has one with us at all times. My photographer is a young woman named Kate who is doing her best to be unimposing while still getting great shots of Jessie helping me with my tie and Ethan snapping up my cufflinks. Her partner's name is Janine, and she'll be covering Ben.

When I look in the full-length mirror, the brightness of my eyes and the starkness of my dark hair against my fair skin startles me a bit. There is a slight flush to my cheeks and my hair, miraculously, isn't going crazy in every different direction. The Universe really isn't an asshole. Ethan comes up and stands behind me in his classic black tux pants with a royal blue tie and vest that matches my jacket and Jessie's dress over a black shirt. Kate snaps a quick picture in the mirror. "Almost time for group pictures, you need anything, man?"

I take a deep breath and say, "Yeah, can you grab my dad?" I turn away from the mirror and face him.

"Absolutely. I'll send Isabelle and Diego into Ben, too, so we can get pictures started." He claps his hands down on my shoulders and smiles before heading next door.

I take a deep breath, preparing for the emotion I know is heading my way. Everyone's been pretty careful not to mention Mom this morning, but it can't be avoided much longer. I lean against the arm of the couch in the room and a couple of minutes go by before my dad walks into the room.

"Hey bud," he says with a smile as he approaches me.

"Hey dad, Jess, E, can you guys give us a minute?"

"Of course, we'll go coordinate with Sam and Dylan." Jess grabs Ethan's arm and they leave the room.

"I'll see you outside, Arthur," Kate says with a smile, following them out.

"So, how are you feeling? You ready for this?" Dad asks putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Good, ready, wish Mom were here," I say softly.

His eyes soften and shine as he rests a hand on my face. "I know, Art. God, I know she'd have loved this. You and Ben have planned a beautiful day and the two of you are so in love. I'm so glad you have him, kiddo…" he encourages me. He takes a deep breath.

My eyes begin to brim as my dad stares at me with so much pride. I stand more fully and wrap my arms around him. "I miss her so much. I just wish she could see this," I choke as a few tears fall.

Dad returns my embrace tightly and says, "She's here, Art. She is in every moment and memory. She'd be so proud of both you boys." He pulls away and holds me at arm's length. "Just keep living your life proudly and loving your family and you'll always make her proud." He kisses me on the forehead and hugs me again before Jessie pops her head in and says she needs us. We both wipe our eyes as we head out to follow her.

Ben

I've started getting ready, but Sam says to just get on my shoes, shirt, and pants because there are amazing pictures to be taken. I trust her, so I wait a bit. Once our photographer, Janine, joins us, Sam helps me with my silver bowtie and Dylan snaps the cufflinks they gave me into place. I slip on, over my black shirt, a black jacket embroidered with silver swirls and floral sprays. As I button it, pulling the whole look together, I smile, knowing I am so close to seeing Arthur again. I can feel my heartrate picking up. His note earlier helped, and the emojis we exchanged, but seeing him in person is what I need to calm the slow tremble starting in my hands.

Sam comes up behind me and rests a silver crown atop my head. My crown has slight peaks and smooth designs hammered into the metal. It is pretty simple, which I appreciate. The crowns were my idea as an homage to The Wicked Wizard War which helped us to bond during that first summer together. I don't know what Arthur's looks like, but I can't wait to find out. Making Arthur feel like a king is my favorite part of being his partner.

"We're going to give you a moment with your parents while we coordinate with the photographers, okay?" Sam says.

I kiss her on the cheek and say, "Thanks."

"My pleasure, Groom," she smiles.

"Hey D," I say as he strides across the room.

"Yeah Big Ben?" he turns and looks.

"Lookin' hot in that silver vest, sir. I like it," I tell him and a smile.

Dylan opens the door for Sam and winks in my direction as Sam exits and my mom and dad walk in. My mom immediately starts crying and fawning over me, and I smile and admonish her. "Ma, you're going to ruin your make up," I tell her, kissing her cheek.

"Oh Mijo, we're just so proud of you. You know we love Arthur and we're so happy you've got him. We know you're going to be so happy together," she blubbers as she flattens my lapels and fixes my bowtie unnecessarily.

My dad comes to me and pulls me into a hug. "Take care of him and let him take care of you, Benito. Never give up on each other."

My eyes fill and overflow as I grasp him, returning his embrace. "We will, Pa."

"We love you, Mijo. Congratulations. Enjoy this day," Ma says, wrapping her arms around Pa and me.

I take a few deep breaths and pull back from them, seeing Sam open the door slightly. "Okay," I say, swiping beneath my eyes. "We gotta go."

We get outside and Dylan and Ethan keep us in our designated areas while we take pictures with our parents, our parties, both parties, both sets of parents, etc. This takes about half an hour with our individual photographers and then it's time for the first look. My heartrate has been steadily on the rise since seeing my parents and I'm just about to lose it, so it's very much time to see Arthur.

Sam leads me, her hands over my eyes, to a place and has me stop and turn around. I blink at the sunlight and she smiles. "Just a sec. He's almost in place," she says.

I bounce on the balls of my feet excitedly. "Do I look okay? Is everything straight?"

"Baby, you're in the wrong wedding if you want everything to be straight, but your tie is straight, your jacket is amazing, and your hair looks great," she grins.

I laugh, calming a bit. "Thanks, Sam."

Arthur

After we've finished the pre-wedding pictures, Jessie gets me into place with my eyes covered and turns me around. I open my eyes and she checks with Kate and Janine that they are ready, off to the side, to take pictures. Once they are both in place Jessie, and I'm guessing Sam as well, get out of the way. Together, Ethan and Dylan count off.

"We go ON three gentlemen. Ready?" Dylan calls.

"More than you know," I hear Ben say.

"Start the countdown, boys," I say.

Together they say, "One, Two, THREE!"

I spin on my heel and see a more beautiful sight than I've ever seen in my life. Ben is staring at me, his eyes soft with emotion and his lips quirking up with a small smile. The silver crown on his head sits perfectly nestled in his sandy brown hair and the light flush in his cheeks makes his splash of freckles stand out. My eyes travel down as a hand comes to my mouth when I see we have purchased essentially the same jacket in different colors. God… he looks gorgeous. He makes a move to step toward me and I meet him half-way in about 4 large strides.

Ben

I turn around and immediately my pulse stutters. A slight smile spreads across my face and my eyes brim with tears as I take in his beauty. A dark crown sits atop his dark head of unruly hair with blue jewels that match the blue in his jacket and ring and his eyes. I huff a bit of a laugh seeing that our well-tailored jackets are almost identical and look back up to his bright blue eyes and hand covering his mouth. I step forward and he almost starts running to meet me in the middle of the space across the grass we are separated by.

When we meet, his hands land on my chest and he grabs my lapels. My arms encircle his waist and I place my forehead against his. "Hey baby," I whisper.

"Hey," he laughs wetly. "I was right. I want to tear you out of these clothes. You look amazing." He tilts his head and our lips meet in a soft and sweet entreaty to time to slow to a stop so that we can reside in this moment together forever.

We pull away for a breath and I run my hands up his back. "So we're twins," I say with a chuckle.

"I did notice that our jackets look suspiciously similar. I kind of love it," he grins and flattens my lapels from where his hands were grasping them.

"Me too, great minds and all that. You look incredible," I say, pulling back. "I particularly love this." I settle his crown back in place where it has come dislodged during our kissing. "It's beautiful."

"I like yours, too, Ben-Jamin," he says with a goofy glint in his eye.

"My Mighty Arturo, King among wizards and men alike. May your reign be long and your kingdom full of peace and joy."

"'Tis how it will be should ever we commence the wedding that is nigh on approaching. Shall we sally forth and desist delaying any further our guests' merriment and celebration at our behest?" he giggles unable to keep up the façade of medieval colloquialism.

I laugh with him and kiss him. "We shall sally forth indeed." I put an arm around him and turn. "Boys, go make sure everyone is ready. It's time for a wedding!" I call to Ethan and Dylan.

We all head over to the patio area behind where the guests are seated and get more hugs and kisses from our parents. Ethan and Dylan seat our grandmothers, before heading back to us. "Okay, guys. You ready?" Ethan asks.

"Oh, they're ready. Look at all that love," Dylan says, draping an arm over Ethan's shoulder, grinning like an idiot.

We both smile and blush as everyone moves to get into position, Jessie and Sam disentangling their walking partners. The twins are decked out in matching light gray suits, their typically man-bunned hair flowing free in beautiful brown waves to their shoulders. They make their way up to the front and turn around, standing in front of the hundred-year-old oak and facing the audience of our beloved family and friends.

The Wedding

As the beautiful, lilting notes of Yiruma's "River Flows in You" drift from speakers hidden by flowers and greenery, Sam and Dylan begin to make their way down the aisle. All heads turn in the audience and once they're about halfway down the aisle, Jessie and Ethan begin their journey as well. Dylan and Sam reach the front and stand, holding hands, a little ways apart from the twins. Jessie and Ethan arrive in their mirrored place on the other side just a few moments later as the music slows and comes to a stop. Perfect timing.

Isabelle, Diego, and Michael walk the aisle carrying sand in 4 glass jars. Isabelle's is baby blue, Diego's black, Michael has two glasses, one silver, one royal blue. They set the sand glasses on either side of the sand ceremony jar with a large calligraphic A printed on the side.

Arthur takes Ben's hand and kisses it, eliciting a wide smile before Ben turns, takes a deep breath, brushes his hands down the front of his jacket, and takes the aisle as an instrumental version of Ben Platt's "Run Away" begins to play. The audience stands as the swirling piano music surges through the first chorus. Ben reaches Dylan, they hug, and Ben turns around. His eyes find Arthur's as the second verse begins in the music and Art starts walking. Ben bites his bottom lip as his eyes shine and Arthur beams as he mouths the words he knows so well by heart to his love. As he reaches the end of the aisle, hugs Jessie, and then turns to face his beloved, whispering the last few words of the song as they take each other's hands.

"Who brings these gentlemen to be bound to one another today?" Wilhelm begins.

"We do," our parents resound proudly from either side of the front row. Michael sitting next to a tiny table holding a framed 8x10 of Mara. Ben insisted on the use of the photo he'd used in her obituary, stating that is was the happiest and most alive she looked before she got sick, so it's the most her she was before she was gone.

"Glorious," Alistair continues. "Please join us in a moment of silence for those we love who left us too soon but are with us in spirit today, most especially Arthur's mother Mara..." he requests.

Ben and Arthur move closer to one another, foreheads pressed together, both gazing toward Mara's picture until Wilhelm breaks them of their reverie. "Thank you. You may be seated," he says.

Alistair then begins the ceremony as Arthur and Ben return to their positions standing just apart from one another holding one another's hands across the small expanse between them. "We are gathered here today as loved ones to celebrate the joining of two hearts into one. Arthur and Ben thank you all for blessing them with your presence and support today as they take this next step on their journey together."

"Some of you may not know this, but the very moment Ben and Arthur met, it was because of us. We looked like Mario and Luigi and they both noticed us at the same time, then they noticed one another. We like to credit ourselves with this beautiful New York City love story's beginning," Wilhelm said, the audience answering with a smattering of laughter. Ben and Arthur both smile and roll their eyes a little, knowing this was coming.

"But, however it began, it was clear that The Universe intended for it to continue. Many first dates and mishaps, two breakups, and a lot of trying times have led them here. Together, they are stronger and more solid than they would be apart. Together, The Universe is on their side," Alistair confirmed with a knowing smile to the both of them. Arthur and Ben stare steadily at one another. As Arthur takes a deep, shaky breath, Ben curls one hand to lace his fingers through Arthur's and grasps him tightly. Fighting back the urge to take his love in his arms, Ben chews on the corner of his lower lip.

"Another thing you may not know about us, is that we were also a part of their second breakup. When Ben contacted us on Craigslist, we knew there was something special about these guys immediately and we're proud to have been able to keep in touch over the last several years," Wilhelm kept on. "So, when we say we're proud of these boys, we've got a lot of time into this particular relationship to back it up." He clapped a hand on one of each of their shoulders.

Alistair broke in, "We are also proud to turn it over to them so that they can share their statements of love and devotion. Ben, you're up first."

The loving couple took over then. Ben squeezed Arthur's hand and drew it to his mouth to lay a quick kiss on it before letting one hand go and reaching into the pocket of his jacket.

"My Mighty Arturo," he began, and Arthur huffed a wet laugh, smiling as tears began slow treks down each cheek, spilling over from his already heightened emotional state. "In the last year, I have discovered how strong and mighty you truly are. Your strength and fortitude in the face of unfathomable obstacles is literally why I'm standing here today.

"You are the King of overcoming adversity and encouragement is your superpower. There is a magic…," Ben pauses, emotion evident in his voice, tears brimming in his eyes. When he begins again, his voice is quieter, thicker. "There is a magic in you that makes me a better man, that gives me so much strength. I love you, my Mighty King, My Arthur."

As he places the folded paper back in his pocket and swipes a thumb under each eye, Arthur takes a shaky breath. "Wow, babe. You're a tough act to follow. You ready for this?" he smiles.

"So ready," Ben grins eagerly, knowing Arthur's nerd has arrived in full force.

Arthur nods and pulls out his own piece of paper. "My beautiful Ben, From the start, the Universe has known that we should be Us and Only Us For Forever." Ben chuckles as Arthur continues, "I didn't expect you to Wait for It, but here we are, and As Long as You're Mine, I'll always be your Honest Man, so that we can Grow as We Go. If you'll just Ease My Mind, then So Will I, and you and I won't Disappear if you lose yourself. You Will Be Found and I will never Run Away from you or us. Let's Raise a Glass so that we can tell The Story of Tonight for the rest of our lives. I love you." He finishes and the crowd, most whom would have some idea how many Broadway and Ben Platt references were just made, applauds as Arthur smiles widely and brushes a couple of Ben's tears away with his thumb.

"That was epic," Ben whispers quietly, so only Arthur and the twins can hear.

"I know," Arthur grasps Ben's hand again proudly.

Wilhelm takes over, "Ben and Arthur will now exchange vows they've chosen together. Arthur, you're first this time."

Arthur nods and takes a deep breath just as the sun moves a bit and the breeze blows just right and both boys are bathed in a ray of light. Arthur's eyes close as the breeze swirls around them both. "I told you she's here," Ben whispers and kisses his hand. Arthur nods again and opens his electric blue eyes.

Once he's regained his modicum of chill, he begins, "Warsan Shire said it best: 'When I love, I love: wholly, thoroughly, completely, drowning in everything. Every glance can be a conversation, eyes just playing and saying what needs to be said. Silence is loud, and the air becomes heavy. I want you. I want all of you.' I promise to nurture us and maintain that secret language we have. I promise to hold you in the shelter of my arms when the world closes in. I promise that you're safe, cared for, and loved in our home and our life together."

Ben blinks some tears away, holding more firmly to Arthur's hands, and responds. "'I promise to listen to your advice, even if I don't always take it. I promise to stop a debate when it gets too intense, even if I'm winning. I promise to listen for as long as it takes for you to feel heard. I promise to take care of your kind heart and to always love you with all of mine.' 'You'll be my king and I'll be your castle,' safeguarding your tenderness and stoking the fires of your joy for as long as we both shall live." Arthur smiles, even as a new wave of tears begin pouring forth from his eyes.

Wilhelm and Alistair prompt them to repeat after them in turn. "I promise to be your faithful husband. I vow to love you when the sun shines, when the rain falls, in sickness, and in health, through good times and bad. When you look at this ring, think of me and remember that I love you always.

"Today," as they repeated, they said one another's name, "I join my life to yours, not merely as your husband, but as your best friend, your lover, and your confidant. Let me be your shoulder to lean on, the rock on which you rest, the companion of your life. With you, I will walk my path from this day forward."

Ben takes Arthur's left hand in both of his, holding it up between them, Arthur's ring on display. "This ring is a promise that you will never have to face the world alone."

Arthur twists his wrist, grabbing Ben's left hand and holding it in both of his as Ben had. "This ring is a promise that you will never have to face the world alone."

Wilhelm says gently, "By the power vested in us by the state of New York…"

Alistair cuts in, "We now pronounce you married. You may kiss your groom!"

Ben's lower lip is back in between his teeth as he steps forward and holds Arthur with one arm around his waist, his hand resting low against his back. Arthur winds his arms around Ben's neck and their noses nuzzle lightly against one another as they stare into one another's eyes.

"I love you" they both whisper at the same time and chuckle, then their lips seal against each other and their bodies are pressed together and everything falls away. The twins, their best friends, their families. It is just them beneath a hundred-year-old oak and they are married. Arthur makes a small whimpering sound into Ben's mouth and the sound of the crowd applauding them returns to them both. They pull away reluctantly and lean their foreheads together, smiling sheepishly.

"Before we move, are you good?" Arthur asks quietly, knowingly.

Ben smiles and winks, "Yeah, you?"

"Yeah," Arthur says. He pecks Ben on the lips lightly and then they step back and take each other's hand.

"We proudly present Misters Ben and Arthur Alejo!" Wilhelm and Alistair call out as the crowd cheers.

Ben and Arthur process back down the aisle to the instrumental version of "The Story of Tonight" and head back to the building. They have pictures in about twenty minutes, but this time, right now after the wedding, is theirs to spend alone. The staff will get the guests some refreshments and appetizers will be ready soon, but Ben and Arthur head for Ben's dressing room.

Arthur

We get inside and make quickly for Ben's dressing room. Sam and Dylan left their stuff sneakily in mine before the wedding so that this room and time would be ours. I enter the room with Ben following me and hear him lock the door as I stop. He is behind me; his arms are around me; he is unbuttoning my jacket. Ben's lips are at my neck and he purrs, "I love you so much husband. Arthur Alejo," he chuckles. "I've never heard a more beautiful name in all my life."

I close my eyes as he slips the jacket down my arms and I turn to meet him, grabbing his lapels and pulling him to me. "Say it again," I plead, my lips a breath away from his.

"Arthur Alejo, my husband," he breathes against my mouth and I crush my lips against his. His hands are in my hair, my crown disappears, and all I feel are Ben's strong arms holding me to him by my back and the back of my head. I moan high and loud into his mouth. I break the kiss and move my lips to his neck, pulling the bowtie from his neck and pressing him back against the wall.

"Art," he whispers against my ear as my hand unthinkingly makes its way to his belt. "Tonight, baby. We'll have all the time in the world tonight," he tells me as I kiss my way up his neck and down his jaw.

"I am very impatient," I grumble against his face.

"Oh Arthur," he holds me tighter. "Me, too. But we've invited a lot of people and there's the matter of the remaining pictures to be taken. Trust me, I can't believe I'm the one to be saying this, but we have to wait."

I take a deep breath and step back. "Okay, but you just remember, you turned down the immediate post wedding blow that would have been my cleanest masterpiece ever," I smirk.

Ben's eyes grow wide and dark. "Your… yeah, okay. We have a few minutes."

I bite my lip and step back to him, taking his hand and pulling him to the couch. I kneel in front of him and am quick with the fabric and layers and soon he is in my hand, his hand locked in my hair and I am loving my husband's body as sensitively and sensually as a man's mouth can. He gasps and moans as I move over him. I touch him with delicate fingers and brace myself against his belly with one hand, so he does not squirm too much.

"Art," he whimpers, "Oh my God, baby," and I know him. His hand clenches my shoulder as he quivers beneath me and moans low and gutturally as I swallow him down completely, leaving nothing of evidence in my wake. Every drop of him is for me and I've taken them all. I lick my lips as I tuck him back into place, zipping his pants back up.

I lift up, bracing myself on his thighs as I stand, and kiss him deeply. "Just a preview, husband," I say with a smirk. Ben's eyes darken and he kisses me again before I pull him up from the couch.

We straighten ourselves up and check each other's appearance, flattening hair, retying bow ties, and patting out wrinkles from our clothes. I grab a bottle of water and chug half of it, sloshing it around my mouth a bit before giving him the rest. Finally, when we are both ready, I go to him and wrap my arms around him, looking up lovingly into his eyes. "I love you. I love making love to you. I love you making love to me. Can you believe? We get to do this for the rest of our lives…" I say, lovestruck and awed as I gaze at him.

He presses a gentle, unhurried kiss to my lips. "I love you and all of those things, too, but what I love most is this moment. Once we're done with the fevered kisses and intensity of wanting one another, I am so grounded in your arms. I'm completely at peace and comfortable when I'm holding your hand or lying in your arms. No one else brings me that. Not my parents, not my brother. Just you, Art." He lays his forehead against mine.

"We're home for each other. I feel it, too…" I say quietly, brushing my fingertips through the hair curled around his ear. "Let's go share it with everyone we love for a while, okay?" I suggest.

"Yeah, let's do that," he agrees, kissing my forehead in the gesture that never fails to make me feel safe and cared for.

Ben

I am still a little trembly in the aftermath of what was truly one of the cleanest sensual moments Arthur and I have ever had. I am in awe of this man. This man who loves me so fiercely and gently and with such abandon. I cannot wait for tonight. The Universe, in all its non-assholey glory, saw fit to bring us together and now we're married. I'm so happy I can barely stand it and what we just shared was very much just the tip of a deep and vast iceberg of love and heat and lust that we barely scraped the surface of. I press a kiss to his forehead before we head back out to finish taking pictures and get the party started (which I'm trying very hard not to think about; it's making me pretty anxious…). Arthur sighs contentedly and I am calmed a bit in the simple fact that my presence brings him peace as well.

He looks up at me, always sensing the building anxiety, somehow perfectly attuned to my mood. "You okay?" he asks, bringing a hand up and resting it against my face.

I nod, "Yeah, lots of people out there. I'm just a little in my head about it, but this was good. I know I'd be much more jittery if we hadn't come back here. I'm okay."

"Don't let it get bad, Ben. This is our night. If you need a minute, if we need a minute, please tell me. I know you feel guilty pulling me away from things, but if 5 minutes away gets you another couple hours of chill, it's more than worth it."

I am skeptical. I hate when my anxiety encroaches on his propensity for being a social butterfly, but I nod anyways. I'll do my best to tough it out, though, for him.

"Seriously, Ben. Don't white knuckle your way through this. People can survive without us for 5 minutes every couple of hours. Promise me?" he requests, his hand under my chin forcing me to look into his eyes.

"God, I love you… Yes, I promise."

He smiles. "Thank you. I love you, too."

Arthur

We head back outside and finish up pictures. Basically, we take pictures of the two of us with all the people we'd taken solo pictures with. We also take a bunch of just Ben and I as our wedding party goes to grab some of the appetizers. On the property of the clubhouse, there is a beautiful bridge over a stream where Ben and I hold each other, kissing, talking, and nuzzling our faces together adorably as Janine and Kate snap away from far enough away that we can barely hear their camera shutters.

"Alright, boys," Kate calls. "It's 5:30. Time to do your grand entrance to the ballroom. They just finished seating guests at their tables and your party is waiting."

I look up at Ben whose eyes tighten just a hare. I smile at him gently and take his face in my hands. "I am right here. We are together, and except for the fact that I desperately need to pee, we don't have to be apart until after dinner, our table taps, our first dance, and the toasts."

He chuckles a little. "Now that you mention it, I also need the facilities." He winks and we walk to the golf cart we rode out to this part of the property and head back to the main building.

We excuse ourselves for a moment, to which Dylan waggles his eyebrows and Ben rolls his eyes with a smile. When we return, everyone is lined up and Kate gives our DJ the go-ahead to introduce the wedding party to the American Authors' song "Best Day of My Life". We all dance our way into the reception and end at our head-table as glasses everywhere around the room begin to clink. I smile widely and turn to Ben, who takes hold of me and dips me in a majorly sloppy, but crowd-pleasing kiss, if their cheers are any sign of their approval. I have to hold onto my crown to keep it on my head and when Ben stands me up, I know my smile is huge and goofy, as I've also gone a little wobbly about the knees.

We take our seats and the DJ announces that Mr. Alejo, Father of the Groom, would like to bless the meal for us. Ben's dad stands and retrieves the microphone.

"First, from both Isabelle and I, we would like to thank all of you who are here for loving and supporting our son and our new son-in-law. Ben and Arthur are incredibly blessed to have so much love surrounding them in their lives. Please join me in a blessing on this meal and on the marriage of these young men." Ben and I join hands with one another and with our party, each of whom join hands all the way down both sides of the table.

"Gracious Father, we thank you tonight for the gift and the blessing of love. We thank you for blessing us with Ben at his birth and the blessing that he has been to all who know him ever since. We thank you for blessing Ben and Arthur with one another so that you could bless us with Arthur and all who he calls family. We pray your continued blessings upon Ben and Arthur as they step forward in life together bound before you and all whom they love. We pray you would bring Ben and Arthur peace and joy in their life together in the good times, and the strength to lean on one another in the bad. We thank you, Father, for the blessing of this gathering and pray you would nourish us all with this meal and bestow upon us the blessing of a joyful celebration of the love Ben and Arthur share. We pray all this in your most Holy name, Amen."

A chorus of "Amen" resounds and I squeeze Ben's hand and lean in for a kiss. Ben holds my face in his free hand and looks lovingly into my eyes when we pull away. It might feel weird to know that such an overtly religious grace was said at a wedding between two men, but where my own Judaism is more of a cultural tradition for my family than a religious faith, Ben's family holds a deep seeded faith in God that I admire and desire in my life. I know we may struggle together to find places to worship and I know there are a lot of churches that would turn us away, but I see it when Ben is praying over the dinner table, or when his parents are praying. I see the intensity of the calm that settles over his entire being. There is a sense of peace there that is wildly unexplainable, and I never want him to feel like he can't seek that out just because I grew up Jewish. As Ben stares into my eyes, calm and content, I feel a little piece of my soul slot into its rightful place. We are married and I never have to give him up ever again. We're it for each other. My lower lip quivers a little and I close the space between us for another kiss. Our tongues meet and caress one another for just a moment before retreating back into our own mouths as we separate just enough to connect our foreheads gently.

"I love you," we both say at the same time. We smile and back up as our DJ begins playing some light dinner music. The wedding party is getting plated meals, while the guests will be released to get dinner from the large buffet. We had already put in our orders ahead of time, so a couple of waiters bring out our plates while several others begin releasing our guests to get their meal.

As we are finishing our delicious meals, which consisted of a butternut squash soup appetizer, a baby spinach and strawberry salad, an herb roasted beef sirloin for me and a roasted bacon wrapped pork tenderloin for him with sides of roasted fingerling potatoes and asparagus, most of the guests have gotten theirs and are back at their tables. I sit back in my chair and look at my plate with a single potato and 2 stalks of asparagus on it and know with complete certainty that I would vomit if I tried to eat them. I glance at Ben who is swirling his final potato in the apple pork ju and popping it into his mouth and cannot believe my eyes.

"Aren't you stuffed?" I ask. "You ate your entire meal AND tried some of mine! I could not possibly take another bite." I am astonished.

He grins my way and drapes his arm over the back of my chair, leaning in close and whispering in my ear, "It's really amazing how a post-wedding blow works up an appetite." He nips gently at my earlobe and I blush more completely over my whole face and down to my chest than I've ever blushed in my life. Blood begins rushing places it definitely shouldn't be right now and I bite my lip to keep from audibly gasping at exactly how turned on I am.

I grab for his hand that is conspicuously resting on my upper thigh and squeeze hard. He giggles and his nose brushes against the sensitive skin behind my ear. "Ben…" I whisper, a weak admonishment of his behavior.
He kisses me lightly on the cheek and pulls back a little. "Okay, I'll stop. Sorry, babe," he says sheepishly. As I am trying to express my current state of frustration in a gaze, glasses around the room begin to clink and we both smile, stand, and wrap our arms around another for our kiss. We keep our tongues to ourselves, both sensing that we are plenty riled up already and we have several more hours of this party to endure (happily, if not a little impatiently) before we can get one another alone in our hotel room.

Ben

Before we completely separate, he slides a hand around the side of my neck, brushing his thumb along the line of my jaw, and brings my ear down slightly to his own lips to whisper, "Don't be sorry. I never want to stop being turned on by you, husband." My mouth goes dry as he presses a light kiss to my neck, pulling his hand away, sliding it across my chest. Janine pops by the front of our table and snaps a picture, so we must look adorable. As we back away, I am filled with desire for Arthur. I am so ready for tonight, but I want to enjoy this amazing (and very expensive) party we've thrown.

"I definitely don't want that either," I chuckle. "Come on, let's go greet our guests before I have to pull you into a broom closet and ravage you."

It is a quiet comment under my breath, but Dylan hears and whispers, "Nice," with a laugh.

"Yep, okay. Let's go." He takes my hand, getting just a little more distance, and swigs the last of his Moscato D'asti from his wine glass and leaves it on the table.

We head out among our collection of guests and make the rounds to each of the 10 tables that each seat 6. We hug our friends and family, thanking them personally for coming. They rave about the ceremony and the food and the venue. They thank us for inviting them. A few of them hand us cards they forgot to leave in the card box. Arthur is in his element as he hugs and charms and works his way through the crowd. I am in awe of him. I am completely following his lead in this, letting him introduce me to his extended family. I have one aunt who has come and is sitting with my parents, my Tia Rosa, Pa's sister, but all of my grandparents were either in PR and couldn't make it, or passed before I could remember them. As he introduced me, I could not help but notice the pride with which he announced, "This is Ben, my husband." They'd ask what I do, and Arthur didn't even give me a chance to respond before gushing, "Ben is the Fantasy and YA manager at the Strand, that famous used bookstore in Manhattan." I couldn't even get mad at him for not really letting me talk, he was bubbling over with so much pride. He knew this was the hard part; the people. Being around people I didn't know, having to talk to them, these things cause my anxiety to skyrocket. Arthur took complete command as I shook hands or gave hugs and smiled with my arm around his waist. He was a Rockstar.

Once we have made it to all of the tables, while everyone is still eating, I tug on Arthur's arm and ask quietly, "Can we take a minute outside?"

He looks up at me and nods, his brow furrowing in concern as he takes my hand and we walk to the exit toward the back patio. There is a small sitting area there with one of those tall, thin cigarette disposal receptacles. I head for one of the cushioned chairs and sit down, pulling him into my lap, wrapping my arms around his waist and leaning my head against his shoulder. His arm goes around my shoulders and he moves his other hand into my hair, gently massaging the back of my scalp.

"You okay?" he asks quietly.

I nod. "Yeah, just needed that minute, just me and you. You were amazing in there. I thought meeting everyone new would be the hard part, but you just took over."

"Yeah, sorry. I knew you were nervous. I may have overcompensated," he says sheepishly.

"No," I lift his chin to align his eyes with my own. "It was exactly what I needed. I just wanted to bring you out here to thank you, and to get a minute alone with you."

His face brightens and he links his hands together behind my neck, leaning in and pressing a light kiss to my forehead. "I want it to be a good night for you," he says softly.

Emotion builds in my throat. I know how much thought he's put into tonight and making it perfect. I hate that he feels like he has to be "on" all night just so that I can relax, but I also love that he's wholeheartedly taken that on so I don't have to and can follow his lead. "It's amazing, Arthur," I say quietly, rubbing my hand up and down his back as he "hmm"s his approval and settles against me. "You really are proud of me aren't you?" I ask softly, still a little amazed. He says it all the time, but I know the complication that my anxiety, my injury, my less than a career job brings to his life, our life. I know he makes just about double what I do. I know having to deal with my anxiety is hard. My injury is mostly a non-issue, but it took over our lives for about 6 months amidst the wedding planning.

He pulls back and his eyes have gone glassy and wide. "Ben…" he chokes a little and swallows roughly. He takes my chin in one hand and lifts my face to his as his fingers continue to play with the tuft of hair at the nape of my neck where my cowlicks come together. "Do you even realize?" he asks, seeming shocked, emotion still thickening his voice. "The things you've overcome to get to where you are, the struggles you dealt with in school, in college, the accident… you are the strongest, SMARTEST, most incredible man. I could not be prouder of you. Whatever you do from here, write a book or start a business or stay right where you are because it's safe for you, I am overflowing with pride that you're mine, that you're healthy, that you love me and I love you."

I blink up at the night sky littered with stars and nod. I can think of nothing to say, so I kiss him and whisper, "I love you, too." I hold him closer and he presses his face against my neck.

"Hey guys?" Jessie says. "Everything okay out here?"

Arthur lifts up and nods. "Yeah, Jess. We're good."

"Okay, they want to cut the cake. You ready?"

He looks to me and I nod, so we get up and follow Jessie back inside. Most everyone has finished dinner and our parents and photographers are waiting just inside. "Alright gentlemen, whenever you're ready. The cake, a simple two-tiered situation covered in blue fondant with silver edible ribbons around the bottom of each tier and a script font mirrored A as the topper, has been wheeled into the middle of the dance floor so everyone can see," Kate explains.

We nod and head inside hand in hand to stand behind the cake. When we are in position, the DJ announces, "Ladies and Gentlemen, if you would please direct your attention to the dance floor for the cutting of the cake."

"So we're not shoving this in each other's faces, right?" I ask.

"Hmm, licking frosting off your face sounds ridiculously tempting… maybe just a little?" he smiles mischievously.

"Okay, a little works," I say with a smirk, picking up the cake knife and holding it out for him to hold with me as I wrap and arm around his waist.

We cut a slice from the second layer, which is lemon cake with raspberry filling and a whipped icing. The piece falls into two perfect pieces where the filling is so I take the top and he takes the bottom (which is how we'll be taking things all night if I have my way). At this thought, I smile widely and hold my piece up as Arthur does the same. As we move in toward one another with the pieces of cake, I get a little frosting on the tip of my finger and once we've both stuck cake in each other's mouths, which is just messy even if you don't shove it anywhere, I swipe the frosting on his nose. He looks surprised but then takes a bit of frosting from the cake knife and swipes it on my nose. I laugh and so do all of our guests as I go in and smoosh our noses together then kiss the frosting off his nose and he does the same for me. We are given napkins to clean up and then we kiss, sweet and soft, the taste of the raspberry filling still on our lips.

The kitchen staff wheels our cake away to be cut up and served while our DJ moves us right along into our first dance. I'm not sure what the song is, Arthur picked it, but I trust him. As the music begins to play, a gentle acoustic guitar, and a man's voice sings Zoe's part in "Only Us" from Dear Evan Hansen, my eyes are immediately full of tears as I rest my forehead against Arthur's as we sway to the violin and Ben Levi Ross's voice. When Taylor Trensch comes in, Arthur is singing to me, and tears spill freely down my cheeks as I hold him close and listen to his perfect voice sing our song. When it's finished, we stop swaying and he brushes tears away from my cheeks as I take a deep breath a pull myself together.

"That was perfect, Art," I say softly and hug him to me tightly.

"It's our song, always has been. The fact that it's gay just makes it even more us," he giggles.

I chuckle as well and kiss him, soft but insistent. "I love you, my Arturo," I whisper against his lips.

"I love you, Ben," he breathes and kisses me again.

As we pull away, we each take a deep breath and I kiss his forehead. This is the hard part. "And now, Ben will have a dance with Isabelle, Mother of the Groom."

Arthur's eyes glass over immediately and a sad smile plays on his lips as he steps away and Ma steps in and John Lennon's Beautiful Boy begins to play. Arthur moves to the edge of the room and stands with his dad as I sway slowly with my beautiful mother.

"Te ves hermosa, mama," I whisper to her.

"Gracias, Benito. Te ves muy guapo," she says, smoothing my lapels as we spin in gentle circles in the center of the dance floor. "I'm so happy for you, Ben. It is every mother's wish to see her son love and be loved like you and Arthur love each other," she tells me thickly, tears brimming in her eyes, her hands resting gently on my shoulders as she kisses my cheek.

"Thank you, Ma. Thank you for always being supportive. Thank you for always accepting me," I say around my own emotions. "I would be nowhere without your and Pa's support." I kiss her cheek and, as the song ends, I back up and lift her hand for her to twirl just one, then pull her back in and hug her tight. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Mijo."

She caresses my face and I begin to walk away, expecting her to follow, but she stays put, and I look at her with a furrowed brow until our DJ announces, "Isabelle would like to invite her new Son-in-law to the dance floor for his own mother-son dance."

My eyes fill immediately as I look to Arthur who looks stricken, but then his cheeks go blotchy and as he moves toward me to trade places with me, I pull him in for a light kiss on the cheek and a whispered, "I love you," in his ear.

As he takes his place, settling one hand on my mom's waist and taking her hand in the other, I stand behind our guests, next to Michael, as tears run with abandon down both our faces.

Arthur

I am, frankly, a hot mess. Watching Ben dance with his mom was rough, knowing I don't get to have this moment with my own beautiful mother who would have relished in the joy of this moment with me and us. However, the fact that Isabelle had the forethought to ask the DJ to allow me a similar moment, is beyond touching. She is another mother for me and, while she couldn't possibly replace the amazing woman that was Mara Seuss, she brings so much joy and love to my little family already.

"I'll Be There," by the Jackson 5 begins to play and I pretty much completely lose it. We aren't even really dancing. I have wrapped her in a vice-like hug and she is swaying side to side, rocking me like a child as I cry on her shoulder. "Th-thank you Isabelle. F-for taking me in and f-for making m-me feel a-at home. F-for everything," I sob.

"Oh, my Arthur, mijo, of course. You are our family, too," she says gently as she rubs my back and holds me close. She sings to me gently and, in the last couple of choruses, I am able to pull myself together enough to sway with her in an actual dance. I miss my mom so much right now, but Isabelle brings a softness to the edge of the grief I'm feeling, like I know Mom is blessing this moment we're having.

When the song ends, Ben comes to us. He kisses his mom on the forehead and whispers his thanks and then takes my hand.

"You okay?" he asks. I nod, holding tightly to his hand, still unable to speak really, and we make our way toward our head table because it is time for Dylan and Jessie to make their speeches. Our DJ announces for everyone to make sure they have a drink for the toasts as we sit down to fresh glasses of our own preferred drinks, Moscato D'asti for me and Sangria for him.

When the DJ requests that everyone have a seat so that toasts could begin, the bustle of the crowd settles and he says, "First up, the lovely Jessie, Arthur's Best Lady."

Ben and I both smile at that as Jessie stands and pulls out her phone to read her speech, picking up the handheld mic she'd been given.

"Good evening, everyone, my name is Jessie and as you know, I'm Arthur's best friend. Arthur and Ethan and I have known one another since the first day of kindergarten, but we didn't really get close until middle school, where we all wanted to be in the spring musicale and the rest was history. For the next 6 years of our lives, we would be inseparable. We were in every musical, we were at one another's houses every day after school and all weekend, our moms were best friends. When Art came out to us, Ethan and I were dealing with our own drama that didn't allow us to be as supportive in Arthur's life that summer, but Arthur found Ben, and Ben showed him that there's no one right way to be gay, and no one right way to be a best friend, and that sometimes the Universe has its assholish moments, but if you give the people you love a chance, they will most likely surprise you for the better. Standing here now, seeing where this road has taken them, I could not be prouder of this man who I consider in every way but blood to be my brother, and I could not be prouder to welcome Ben into our little chosen family. You gentlemen show us all what love can do when it's given a chance. To Ben and Arthur," she finishes and sets her phone down to raise a glass.

"To Ben and Arthur!" the crowd calls back as we all drink and I stand to wrap Jessie in a tight hug, pulling Ethan up into it as well. He wraps his big, bulky arms around us both and we squeeze Jess tight in the middle as she squeals and laughs. We each press a kiss to one of her cheeks and I thank The Universe and Kate when I hear the camera shutter click because I love this moment with them. As we disentangle and sit down, still laughing, Jessie hands the mic over to Dylan.

"Oh boy, here it comes," I say to Ben and he laughs as we turn toward Dylan.

"Nothing inappropriate, D," he says sternly, with a smirk.

"Inappropriate? From moi? I would never…" Dylan winks at us as he lifts the mic.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm Dylan, and Bennasaur has been my best friend since, well, basically forever. I remember the day he met Arthur, actually. There was some other drama happening on our end, too, but when Ben told me about the nerdy kid in the hotdog tie that he met in the post office, something sparked for him. Against all odds and adversity, Arthur found Ben, which I'll take credit for because I gave Ben the Dream and Bean shirt he was wearing which led to Arthur's placement of the poster in the coffee shop we frequented in the first place. I digress, they found one another and even though they couldn't make it work right then, and even though I was a wee bit jealous that my best bro had another best friend (yes, Arthur, I know what he called that silly box he sent you…)" Everyone laughs and I scoot closer to Ben, resting my chin on his shoulder and kissing his cheek as we both listen to Dylan continue. "I knew that when Ben was with Arthur, he was happier and an even better friend. That summer wasn't just a breakthrough for us in finding our own soulmates, Big Ben, we became better bros, and not just bros, but Brothers with a capital B. You and Arthur deserve all the happiness in the world, and I will do everything in my power to assure that that's what you get, gentlemen." He lifts his beer. "To Mister and Mister Alejo! Cheers, boys!"

"Cheers!" We all respond.

Ben stands and locks Dylan in the most solid bro hug. Just barely, I hear Dylan say, "Love you, B."

"Love you, D," Ben replies.

They both sniff a little as they separate and Dylan hands me the mic.

I stand next to Ben and we each wrap an arm around one another. "Friends and family, Good evening. Ben and I want to thank you for being here with us. The road to one another and to this day has not been easy, but amongst the sad or hard moments, there has been so much joy, and we know that more of both are headed our way. We also know," I look to Ben and smile, "that the joys we share with one another will outweigh whatever struggles we have because we'll face them together. We know that all of you are here for us in both good times and bad, and we are so grateful for each and every one of you. Please, enjoy this night. Party and drink and for the love of our waistlines, eat cake! We love you all!" I click off the mic, set it on the table, and turn to pull Ben in for a full on make out, getting plenty of cheers from the crowd as the DJ turns up the dance music and people make their way out onto the floor.

When we separate, I see Ben's eyes are bright and his cheeks are flushed. "You wanna dance?" I ask, hopeful.

"Fuck yeah I want to dance, let's go!" We go out on the floor and dance with our friends and family to all of the hits: "Get Low", "Yeah!", "Apple Bottom Jeans", "Timber". We jump like we're at a rock concert to old-school punk rock like "Crushcrushcrush", "Sugar, we're going down", "Check Yes, Juliet", and "I'm Just a Kid". Finally, after about an hour and a half, the DJ has mercy on us.

Ben and I have shed our jackets, bowties, and beautiful cufflinks, and rolled up our sleeves, but we are still pouring with sweat. Our crowns are magically still on our heads, but they're very lopsided. As the Dj says he's going to slow it down for a few songs, we breath deeply and go to the bar asking for water. We chug a cup of water each as Adele's beautiful vocals drift from the speakers singing "Remedy" and we set the cups down.

"May I have this dance?" I ask, holding my hand out to him.

"And every other dance you want for the rest of your life," he says, placing his hand in mine.

When we get to the dance floor, he lifts my hand to his shoulder and wraps his arms around my waist so he can pull me close. I link my hands together behind his neck and look up into his eyes, singing along. Ben rests his forehead against mine and listens as we sway. The next song played is Selena's Dreaming of You, and Ben lifts up, his brow furrowing a little, "Did you give him a playlist of songs you sing to me?"

I blush a bit and bite my lip. "I may have suggested a few things," I admit sheepishly.

He shakes his head smiling, "I love you; you know that?"

We see Ben's parents take the floor and Isabelle looks lovingly into Diego's eyes as she sings the sweet song to him. I wrap my arms more tightly around Ben's neck and sing in his ear. The next song to come on is Ben Platt's "Ease my Mind" and I caress Ben's neck and shoulders as I hold him close and sing:

"Darling, only you can ease my mind
Help me leave these lonely thoughts behind
When they pull me under, and I can feel my sanity start to unwind
Darling, only you can ease my mind."

Ben's head rests heavy on my shoulder and I feel warm drops against my neck as he grasps me tighter. I press gentle kisses to his neck and shoulder between lyrics…

"But when you collect me with your steady hand
With a language that I understand
I feel put back together inside"

As the song comes to a close, I pull Ben's face in front of mine and clear tears from his cheeks. "I love you, Ben. I love that I can calm you down and bring you back when you're reeling. Please, don't ever think of yourself as a burden, baby… please." I kiss him and do my best to infuse as much strength and pride and love as I can into the moment. He holds me tightly around my back and with a hand in my hair holding my face to his. I moan just a little into the kiss as he opens my mouth with his tongue. I am grasping at his back for dear life trying to hold it together because we are in such a public space. It is coming up on 10 and we have the venue until 11, but I'm very much about letting everyone else take it from here. I extricate myself carefully and ask as quietly as I can under the pounding of Panic!'s "High Hopes", "Are you ready to go?"

"Are you?" he asks, pulling me off the dance floor to a slightly quieter part of the room. "I don't want to take you from this, but if I'm being honest, I am very ready to be alone with you, more for the quiet than anything…" He looks exhausted, physically and mentally.

"This night has been all I wanted and more. It's time. Let's get D and Ethan and load up our truck with the gifts. The staff here takes care of all of the clean-up, and they'll have the vases and everything ready for pickup tomorrow. We can go, Ben. We don't want to be too worn out," I tell him with a wink.

He sighs, visibly relieved at the prospect of getting out of here and I take his hand as we head to gather up our things. Dylan, Jackson, and Ethan help us get everything in the truck and Jessie, Sam, and our parents all come out to exchange hugs and we tell them we'll see them at breakfast in the hotel lobby in the morning. We purposely did not plan a major fanfare for our exit so as not to stir up any additional anxiety. We head back to the hotel and take the card box up with us while making sure the Tahoe is locked up tight. We stop in Dylan and Sam's room to grab Ben's stuff and then head to my suite. I tell Ben to put his things in the closet just inside the hallway and then close his eyes.

"Surprises?" he asks with a smile. He is so much more visibly chill now that we are away from a crowd. Regular crowds, like on the streets of the city or in the park, don't really trigger his anxiety because he doesn't have to talk to them; there aren't any expectations. Tonight must have made him feel completely out of control. I wave my hand in front of his eyes to make sure he's not peeking and then I take his hands, backing into the room, leading him with me. When we get into the bedroom of the suite, I whisper, "Open."

Ben

The room has a King size bed, fresh with new sheets and blankets from housekeeping, and sprinkled with a heart made of rose petals. There is a stand with a bottle of champagne chilling and a few candles are lit on each nightstand. "I may have slid the staff a little something to decorate," Arthur says quietly.

"It's beautiful, Arthur," I breathe around the emotion in my throat. I kiss him gently, the low burn in my belly igniting immediately. I lace my fingers through his. "Let's take a shower," I suggest softly, running my fingers around his ear, tucking the hair there behind it.

"Okay," he agrees.

We help each other finish unbuttoning and unsnapping. We are slow, deliberate. We don't want to rush this, even though it's been a couple of days and we both really just want to jump each other, we know this is the only first time we'll get as husbands. We know each other. If one of us gets caught up, we both will, so we are trying desperately to take in every second of this moment. Every brush of skin, every look, every kiss. We don't rush it. We get to the bathroom having completely stripped and I turn on the hot water as Arthur runs gentle fingertips along the inside of my bicep. I bite my lip and turn to him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, and tug him gently into the steamy shower. We wet our hair and let the hot water run over our bodies, relaxing the tension of the day away. We scrub one another down with our loofas and hold each other as the water rinses away the soap. We want to be fresh and clean for one another tonight, our first night as husbands. We step out and towel off. Our erections have been constant, but we are calm as we head toward the bedroom. I close the door and Arthur steps toward the bed, his bare back glowing in the gentle candlelight which is all the light in the room. I move behind him and brush myself against his backside, moving my hands around his waist, spreading one wide across his pelvis. I drop light kisses against his bare neck and shoulder as his head drops back against my shoulder. My lips are against his ear, suckling at his earlobe as he grows more firm in front of my fingers on his stomach. I see his tip begin to glisten and whisper, "Tell me what you want."

"Take me, Ben. I'm all yours, baby," he whimpers. I press myself closer against his ass cheeks and he gasps.

I chuckle under my breath. "You know me better than that. I want you to be ready for me," I say low into his ear. I step away from him and, as pretty as it is, fling the comforter into the air so that the rose petals fly onto the floor and the bed is clean for us, then take his hand, bringing him to the bed. "Lie down," I tell him gently.

"The bottle's in the nightstand, I got the warming one we really liked," he says quietly. "There's also some of that one that tastes like fruit punch," he smiles. He has acquired all of our favorite things.

I open the drawer and pull out the bottles. "I think we'll start with this," I say softly, holding up the fruity colored one, climbing across the bed toward him. I kneel between his legs which are spread wide and open for me as he is ready for whatever I have in store for him. His eyes are calm and dark as his desire grows and pulses between his legs. I lift toward him and kiss him deeply. He moans loudly into my kiss, pushing his fingers into my hair, very ready not to have to curb his enthusiasm anymore as we've been holding this in for days now.

"Ben…" he whimpers my name needily.

"I'm here, baby," I say softly, taking a little of the reddish liquid on my fingers and beginning to stroke him gently beneath me. As I work my fingers firmly up and down, my lips make their way down his gorgeous body. I lick and suck at one nipple as he squirms toward me. I keep travelling down, nuzzling my nose in his happy trail as my lips finally reach the well-trimmed hair between his hips. His legs are splayed wide open and I press my lips to that sensitive skin at the inside joint of his hip. I feel a little of him spill onto my hand as I lick that place. Finally, I press my lips to his most sensitive place, licking around him to take what he's already spilled.

"Baby…" he cries, pressing up into my mouth. The fruity liquid is coating all of him and I am gentle as I take him into my mouth. I press with my lips and lick and suck as I pull back to the top as if he is my popsicle on a hot summer day. I press my hands against his legs which strain against my grip. I pull away slightly, Arthur breathless and wanting before me, and get some of the warming liquid on my thumb. As I return my lips to him, I press my slick thumb against his tight opening, and he cries out. "Oh! Oh Ben, yes, please! Oh my God…" As I massage his tightness and work my thumb past the opening, I use my lips and tongue to continue to stroke him gently. As my thumb presses in and gains entrance to his most private place, he spills all of himself into my mouth. I take everything there is and leave him clean and damp, but still wanting more. I remove my thumb and get more of the warming gel, spreading it around over his opening as he makes the sexiest little whimpers and grasps my shoulders as I move up so that my slick tip is at his entrance. "Do you need…" he starts, breathless, reaching a hand down, but I silence him with a kiss.

"No baby, I'm good. Are you ready?" I ask gently, as I support myself on one elbow, with my fingers in his soft black hair.

"Mmhmm, please Ben, please," he pleads.

I run a hand up the backside of his leg from his knee to his butt and grab on tightly, spreading him just a little more before beginning to press into him. He gasps as his pressure closes around me, and I am almost undone. "Oh, Arthur, baby," I breathe against his ear.

"All the way, Ben. I want all of you," he begs, wrapping his legs around me.

I press more firmly until I am fully seated against him. The warmth of the gel is beginning to do its work on me, and I begin with a small thrust which makes us both quiver.

"Go," he whispers and I begin to rock in a gentle rhythm at first, then picking up speed and intensity as I feel the tension building inside of me. Arthur holds me tightly and every moan and whimper is like fuel for me as the pressure of him around me brings me to the edge. What does me in entirely, though, is the "I love you" he whimpers into my ear when I'm almost there, and I press into him forcefully one last time as I explode and moan loudly over several waves of my release.

I am spent as I rest my body fully against him, our hips locked together. I gently caress his face as we both quiver from our releases and I pull away from him. Once he can, Arthur turns the tables and has his way with me as well. "Let's go rinse off," he suggests once we are done, and I nod up at him with a crooked smile. He takes my hand and we make our way back into the bathroom and he turns on the shower. He lets me get in first and then we are in together, rinsing away the stickiness of ourselves away and then holding each other in the warmth of the steamy water.

"Are you as tired as I am?" I ask with a chuckle.

"So tired," he looks up at me sleepily as the water drips from his eyelashes.

"Time for bed?" I ask.

"I want to make more love to you," he says with a pout, locking his arms around my neck. "But I do want sleep."

"You know, we have the rest of our lives. We can sleep and keep going in the morning, or if one of us wakes up ready to go in the middle of the night, we can wake the other up," I tell him.

"Morning sex is always good," he agrees and kisses my neck.

We finish the second shower and dry off, then get into just boxer briefs and climb into the side of the bed we purposely left clean after blowing out the candles. I open my arms and Arthur wraps himself around me, one leg over mine, basically laying across my chest, sealing us together with an arm around me. I caress the soft skin of his back with my fingertips and my other hand is trailing fingers through his damp, dark hair.

"How are you, Ben?" he murmurs quietly against my chest, one hand moving up to gently rest against my neck, subtly feeling my pulse.

I smile. He's still concerned with my mental state. He lets us have a moment, but he never, when he knows I'm struggling, forgets to check in, even when he's exhausted.

"I'm perfect, baby. Calm and sleepy, just like you. You're right here in my arms and I could not be happier right now," I tell him and kiss his temple.

"Hmmm," he sighs sleepily. "I love you, Ben-Jamin."

"I love you, my Mighty Arturo…" I whisper. "Thank you for everything you did today to make it easier for me, you are my hero."

"Mmm, happy husband, happy wedding," he mumbles, a smile playing on his sleepy face. He cuddles in even closer and presses a kiss to my clavicle, sighing contentedly as we both drift off to sleep.

I don't know how long later it is, but I hear Arthur's voice in the distance calling me, but there are headlights coming toward me and suddenly I gasp and call out for him. My eyes shoot open and I sit up, but he is there, already awake, his hands on my face. I reach for him, pulling him into my arms and he rests his forehead against my temple. "You okay?" His voice is riddled with worry and I hold him closer.

"Yeah, was I talking in my sleep again?" I ask.

"Just crying… like you were scared… then you called my name," he explains, still sounding worried. It's pitch black in the room, so I can't see him. I can only feel him shaking a little, or is that me? Maybe it's both of us…

"It was the headlights… I haven't had that one in a while…" I muse.

I lift a hand to my face and he's right; I have been crying. My cheeks are wet with tears. He helps me clear them before we lie back down together. This time, it is me curling around him. My face is pressed into the crook of his neck and my arm is across his chest as his arms encircle my broad back and shoulders and I am covering most of his torso with the way my body lays against him. One of my legs is slung over one of his, so it is between his. I realize it is me who is shaking as Arthur covers us again with the comforter and lightly plays with my hair. He turns his head and his lips land just next to my ear and he sings the chorus of the song we walked down the aisle to:

"I may not be wise
And I won't save the day
But look in my eyes
And know I'll always stay
And I won't run away
I won't run away"

He sings it over and over, just the chorus, like he's reminding me that the lyrics are true for him, too. As his voice washes over me, my nerves calm, my body stills, my heart slows, and I am back to center.

"I don't know how you do that," I say softly once he's stopped singing.

He keeps massaging my scalp gently and says, "I know you, Ben. I know that when you're losing it, you don't want me to know because you don't want to be a burden. I know that you don't like to show weakness because you have typically been the strong one in our relationship. I know you can't control what's happening in your mind when you have an attack or a dream. I know you are out of control, so you need me to be in control and help you find yours, and sometimes to just remind you that I'm not going anywhere. So, I sing you Ben Platt and Adele because they sing about someone you love being able to ease your mind, and not running away in the hard times, and when the world gets to be too much you can lean on the one you love. My repertoire is very purposely attuned to what you need to hear, baby," he explains softly. "Because I'm not going anywhere and you will be okay, okay?"

Emotion has balled up in my throat again and my face is turned into his neck as tears escape my eyes. "Okay," I whisper, taking a deep shaky breath and pulling my face away so that it is lying next to his on the pillow. "I love you, Arthur. I love that you know me so well and that your touch and your voice bring me more calm than a pill or a strategy ever could. I love you so much… I think I need to see someone, though, professionally… I will always be calmed the most by you, but I need to be able to control this at work and when we have to be away from each other. Hopefully that's not for a long time, but eventually one of us will have to go somewhere out of town or something, and I can't just lose it and have no other way to reign myself in," I admit.

"Okay, we'll set it up as soon as we get back from the honeymoon. There is no shame in getting help and I will be as involved or hands off as you want. Just say the word," he agrees, pressing his lips to my forehead.

I breathe deeply again, pressing more solidly against him. "I…I'm scared…" I confess quietly.

"Oh, Ben, of course you are." He holds me closer. "We'll do whatever it takes so that you feel safe again. You hear me? Whatever it takes." He is crying now, too, as he pulls my face to his and kisses me. "I love you so much."

Arthur

We lie together in silence for a while, neither of us sleeping, just listening to the gentle rhythm of one another breathing. As the room begins to lighten with the sunrise, I can see Ben's soft brown eyes staring into mine. There is a little fear there, but mostly love. I rest my hand against his face and press my lips to his, moving so that I am straddling his hips, his hands landing on my thighs in the course of the motion. He moves to sit up so that I am in his lap and he is holding me firmly around my back. We have to maneuver a lot to be bare before one another again, but we manage it with smiles and awkward noises and laughter. He grabs the bottle and makes me ready for him as his touch inspires my gentle moans. Then, I am one with him again, we are one and whole together as we move with one another. I am moving over him, and we are moaning loudly together as we kiss each other on the lips, the neck, the chest. He is within me and all around me as his arms encase my body. He is gentle and firm and we slide together like a lock and its key, a perfect fit, opening ourselves for each other. I am careful with him in my concern for him, but he needs to feel the intensity of my adoration. His face is buried in my chest as we rise together. My fingers are laced into his hair as I brace my weight on his shoulders with my elbows to control our pace. I whisper that I love him and that he is gorgeous and strong and safe as I hold onto him tightly and we reach release together. I don't know that we've ever had comfort sex before, but I, for one, have never been more comforted by a sensual act in my life. Ben kisses my neck and cheek and softly kisses me on the lips as our breathing regulates. I move off of him, but not away from him, holding tightly to him still.

"Hey," he says softly, holding my face in both hands. His eyes are brighter, calmer, and I'm more at ease because I can see that he is.

"You're okay now…" I say. "I can see it in your eyes." I gently caress his cheeks with my thumbs.

"I am," he says with a light kiss to the tip of my nose. "Asking for help isn't easy… but needing it and not getting it is worse. Don't let me slack off on this, babe…"

I shake my head. "Absolutely not." I kiss him, full and insistent on the lips. "You're going on my insurance as soon as we get back. We have awesome Mental Health and therapy coverage," I tell him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and kissing his neck gently, nuzzling my nose there after my kisses. "You are going to get better, and you are going to feel safe and confident in your own skin again," I pledge to him. "Until then, I'm here so that you know you're safe." I disentangle myself from around him and gently lay him back against the pillows, laying on top of him, my still present excitement not yet satisfied. Ben looks at me with raised eyebrows as I rub against him. "My turn?" I ask hopefully.

Ben smiles and nods, moving to open himself to me, and once I make sure he is ready, we are one again. I love how he bites his lip and whimpers and moans at my touch, my presence, my girth. He grasps my arms and shoulders tightly as I fill him and press against him. When I am almost there, he tenses his legs around me, holding me against him as I reach completion. I collapse against his chest after I separate myself from him and he holds me close.

"I hate to say this, love, but we do need to stop having sex just for a little while so we can go have breakfast with our friends," Ben tells me with a chuckle.

He looks up at me and rests a hand against my face. "But how could I possibly stop worshipping the body of my very own Adonis?"

Ben blushes and smiles. "We have the rest of forever together to make love to each other," he tells me with a kiss. "But we love other people, too. So, let's go take yet another shower, and put on some clothes so that we stop ravaging one another and can get to our honeymoon where we can do as much ravaging as we'd like all week long."

"I suppose you're right," I agree begrudgingly and then smile.

We shower together, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't talk him into some shower sex, because I totally did; well, there wasn't much talking involved… but eventually we are cleaned up, dried off, and dressed. We pack up all of our things and as I am giving the room a once over in the doorway to be sure we have everything, Ben wraps his arms around me from behind, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "I kind of wish we could just stay in a room like this for 5 days," he says with a low chuckle.

"Nah," I say, turning around in his arms and lifting mine up around his neck. "I want to show off my husband. I want to sign stuff with my new last name. I want to be with you in the world where you and everyone else can see how proud of you I am."

Ben's eyes soften where they had been dark with desire and he smiles. "I love you so much. Have I told you that lately? You're the actual best husband a guy could ask for," he says, pulling me in and hugging me extra tight.

"Sounds familiar," I laugh, squeezing him tightly in return, breathing in the gently spicy scent of his body spray. "Damn you smell good," I groan as I drag him out of the room.

We head down to breakfast meeting Dylan and Sam on our way to the elevator.

"Gentlemen!" Dylan greets us, arms wide and shit-eating grin cemented in place.

"Hey D," Ben chuckles, shaking his head as he goes in for the hug.

Sam hugs me and we all step into the elevator.

"So, good night?" D asks, eyebrows waggling wildly.

We smile and Ben pulls me back against him, his arms hanging loosely around my waist from behind. "What do you think, babe? Was it a good night?" he asks, nuzzling his nose against my cheek making me giggle.

I turn my head and kiss him. "The best night," I say softly, resting my forehead against his.

We hear Dylan sniffle loudly and turn to look at him, seeing honest to goodness tears in his eyes. "You okay, D-man?" Ben asks.

"I…yeah…I just know… everything you've…been through….and to see…how far you've…come is so beautiful!" he swipes at the tears and pulls himself together with a deep breath as he holds onto Samantha.

Ben steps out from behind me and squeezes Dylan's shoulder, quietly saying, "Thanks, man." They go in for a softer, more real brotherly hug as we reach the ground.

The remainder of the morning goes well. We have breakfast with our parents and wedding parties and whichever of our guests were left at the hotel, and then we all check out around 11. Isabelle and Diego gave us big hugs and said they'd see us next Sunday for dinner. Jackson, Jessie, and Ethan all passed us around for hugs as well, promising to get into the city soon so we could actually hang out. Finally, it's just my dad. We are standing behind our Tahoe, Dylan and Sam are all loaded up. They ran the rental up to the venue to grab the decorations we had to pick up and we are dropping them off on our way through Manhattan. I am fiddling with the keys when Ben snags them and gives my dad a hug.

"Thanks for everything, Mike. Come see us soon, okay?" he requests.

"Of course, bud. Definitely this summer," he confirms with a pat on Ben's back.

Ben squeezes my arm and says he's going to start the car, giving us a moment alone. I smile my thanks as I move into the circle of my dad's arms and we lock in a tight embrace.

"Proud of you, kid. I'm so happy for you and I know Mom is smiling on you and Ben. I love you so much, Art." He holds me tight and I sniffle against his chest.

"Thanks, Dad. Love you, too. You seriously have to get up here this summer. We don't see enough of you…" I say sadly. "I worry about you in Milton all alone…" I confess.

"It is getting pretty lonely down there… maybe I'll look at getting up here permanently soon. Maybe near Bubbe. You don't have to worry about me though, bud. I'm okay." He holds me away from him at arms length and says, "Relax, Art. Have fun with Ben this week. You both deserve it."

I nod and quirk a half smile. "We will. Bye, Dad. See you soon."

"See you soon." He pulls me in for one last hug and we hold on tight for a moment and then he squeezes my shoulder and walks away to his rental as I circle ours and get in the driver's seat.

As I buckle up and settle in, I feel Ben's hand curl around my elbow and his thumb lightly brush against my arm. I turn and look at him to see a mild look of concern in his eyes and I smile. I reach over myself and take his hand in mine, pulling it up to my lips to press a kiss to the back. His concern seems alleviated and we get on the road. Before long, Sam and Dylan have curled up together in the back and are fast asleep. Ben has tilted his seat back and has one hand curled around my elbow again, just wanting the small bit of physical connection as we drive through the small towns between Newburgh and Manhattan.

As I pull up in front of Dylan and Sam's building, they are stretching out and groaning as they wake from their nap. "Alright, here you go," I say.

Ben gets out to help them and before they get out, Sam leans up front and pecks a kiss on my cheek and Dylan squeezes my shoulder. "Have fun in Florida," they say.

When Ben gets back in the car and they have gone inside, we head back to our apartment. We have a pretty solid chunk of time before we have to head to the airport. The car isn't due back until 5 and our flight isn't until 8:45, so we unload the Tahoe into the service elevator and I take it to find a parking spot for the afternoon.

When I get up to our door, Ben has seemingly gotten everything into the apartment and is waiting for me outside the door, leaning against the door jamb with a smile on his face.

"You get everything inside?" I ask, my brow furrowing as I peer into the open apartment.

"Not everything, I'd like to carry my groom across our threshold if he doesn't mind," he grins.

I laugh as he comes to me and wraps his arms around me under my ass, and lifts me up so my legs lock around his waist and I hold onto him tightly around his neck. He turns and moves toward the door while I begin kissing his neck. He grips me tighter and says, "Welcome home, Mr. Alejo." His words are low and husky and he kicks the door closed behind us. He walks into the kitchen and sets me on the counter, so I loosen my grip and move my lips to his, sealing us in a passionate kiss. Tongues tangle, clothes are shed, and our hands roam one another's bodies in a flurry of lust. We press and touch and grasp at one another and finally tumble together into our bed where we claim every part of each other.

Ben

When we have had our fill of one another (for now) and are laying together, Arthur curled around me, my head resting on top of his as I lightly run my fingers up and down his back, I sigh contentedly. "We should get ready to head to the airport," I say against the top of his head.

He nods and presses a kiss to my chest, my neck, my lips as he turns to look up at me. "One more shower?" he asks with a smile.

I smile and nod, throwing the covers off of us so we can head to the bathroom. I know we're young and our libidos are seemingly endless at this point, but I know we'll be able to satisfy each other emotionally and physically for as long as we both shall live. As I step into the shower behind him, marveling in the lean muscles along his back and the smooth curve under the dimples at the bottom of his back, I am overwhelmed. He is mine forever. His body is mine and mine his as often as he'll have me. His mind is mine to pick through and listen to his ideas and his experiences forever. His heart is mine to care for and he chooses to care for me. I wrap an arm around Arthur's waist from behind, spreading a hand over his smooth stomach, the other arm sliding around his chest, holding him over his strong heartbeat, pulling him back against me as I rest my forehead against the top of his head and the hot water spills over us both.

"I love you, Arthur. Every atom of me loves you more than I can begin to explain," I say softly, emotion thick in my voice.

He sighs and settles back against me. "It's overwhelming isn't it? We're so young, but our love, the connection we have, it's so totally all-consuming." His voice is choked and he turns around in my arms. "That's how I know you're going to be okay, Ben. Our love is powerful enough to bring us through anything," he says, his blue eyes bright and determined as he takes my face in his hands. "We're going to have an epic week together in the single nerdiest place on the planet, then we're going to find you the best mental health professional we possibly can, and we're going to live an incredible life together for the next 70 or 80 years. Sound good?" he asks, his eyes brimming with tears and water from the shower dripping from his dark black lashes.

"Sounds perfect," I agree. I lift a hand to his face and press my lips against his gently. His arms wrap around my neck, pulling us more closely together as our mouths move against one another. Arthur presses his tongue into my mouth and we languidly caress one another in a push and pull between our spaces, sometimes in mine, sometimes in his. Once again, we are throbbing with desire and I move my lips to his ear, "Can I, Art?"

He pulls back and looks into my eyes apologetically and says, "I don't know if I can again yet, baby. I want to, but I think we should hold off until tonight or tomorrow morning."

I breathe deeply and nod. "Are you okay? You're not hurting, are you?" I ask, turning my focus to him and away from my own desire for him.

His eyebrows shoot up, "No, Ben. I'm fine, you always make sure of that. We just… we ate a few hours ago and we just… I don't want to…" he trails off.

I smile and kiss him. "Of course, Art. That's my bad. I'm sorry, I didn't think," I apologize, resting my forehead against his and running my hands down his arms gently.

"You never have to apologize for wanting me, Ben. Here, turn around," he says softly, turning us and pressing me against the wall as he slides down to his knees. As he takes me into his mouth and makes sure I am completely satisfied, I say a silent prayer of thanks to the Universe. Once I've stopped trembling, I bring my soulmate up so he is standing and I take my time in making sure he is also satisfied.

We finally take a real shower, shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, the works, and get dressed for the plane. Art has on joggers, a Hamilton tee, and his Wesleyan quarter-zip, while I am sporting baggier sweats, a grey and lilac short-sleeve Henley, and my rainbow sleeved zip-up hoodie with 'love is love' in large pink script across the back. Our bags are already packed so we load up, make sure we have everything, lock up, and head out.

"Want me to drive?" I ask.

"Sure, thanks babe," he says handing me the keys. "I am not used to driving so much anymore. It's been a lot the last few days."

"I know, I got it. You can nap on the way to La Guardia if you want," I offer, starting the truck.

"I may do just that," he says, leaning his seat back.

Our time in the airport is fairly uneventful (odd for us, I know) and we are on the plane to Florida before we know it. We watch an episode of Shadowhunters as we fly and doze off leaning on one another. We get off the plane in Orlando and pick up our one checked bag before we get on a shuttle that takes us to The Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World.

It is dark and nearing midnight when we arrive. We are groggy and exhausted as we get checked into our hotel and make our way up to our room. We walk into our Villa and are greeted by light colors and warm woods, all perfectly placed to inspire complete relaxation. We are tired but we explore a little and I wander into the bathroom to find something I know we'll love. "Hey babe," I call and he comes around the corner to stand with me seeing the massive soaking tub.

He slides his arms around me and lays his head against my chest. "That looks glorious. Wanna get it running and we can soak for a bit before we head to bed?" he suggests.

"Sounds great," I say, kissing him on top of his head and moving across the tile to sit on the side and start the water. Arthur heads back into the other room and I hear him unzipping our suitcase. We want to be settled into what is basically our house for the week. There's a living room, bedroom with a king size bed, two full dressers, and a full kitchen. We are here for 6 days, we may as well settle in. Once the water is nice and hot, I see a small assortment of bath oils and bombs and choose some lavender scented items to drop into the water. As they bubble and fizz, I smile, satisfied, and walk out to help Arthur. Once we've finished, we peel out of our clothes on the way back to the bathroom. The tub is full, bubbly and steaming, and I step in and sit down then offer Arthur my hand as he lowers himself in front of me and settles against me between my legs. We soak quietly for a while until the water cools and I say we should get out. Arthur agrees, so we towel off and pull on pajama bottoms, setting the AC so that it's cool but not freezing and go around shutting off the lights in the villa just like we do at home. I am lying in bed when Arthur comes back in from taking out his contacts and I open my arms to him. He crawls in against me and we curl together, both too tired to do more than cuddle. Arthur presses his face into the side of my neck and I lightly play with the hair at the back of his neck as we drift off to sleep.

"I love you," he murmurs, tickling the skin of my neck with his breath.

"I love you," I whisper into his hair.

For once in a very long time, we both sleep soundly all night long. Arthur's alarm wakes us around 8 and we stretch and curl up around each other. We decided to take our first day and hang at the hotel. We didn't want to pressure ourselves to get into the parks super early, so we figured we'd take a day and relax.

Arthur pushes up on his elbows and kisses me. "What're you feelin' for breakfast? Room service? The restaurant?"

"Definitely room service out on the patio," I answer. He smiles and nods, leaning in for yet another kiss. He sits up and crosses his legs, pulling the menu out of the side table drawer. I curl around behind him, still lying on my side propped up on my elbow and look at the menu with him. We decide on waffles and bacon, and as Arthur calls to order, I gently run the backs of my fingers up and down his arm. When he's ordered, he tells me, "It'll be about 30 minutes."

I grin and wrap my arms around him saying, "I have some ideas of what we can do with those." I pull him down so that he is lying next to me and lean in, kissing him deeply as I trail a hand down his chest, over his abs, to the waistband of his joggers. As I continue kissing him, I gently untie the drawstring as Arthur's breath hitches and I have almost made it to my destination. When I slide my hand beneath his joggers, under which he is not wearing anything, he is beginning to grow firm as I press my hand around him and he moans into my kiss. I kiss my way down his jaw and begin to work at his neck with my lips as my thumb presses in small circles around his most sensitive spot. I lick and suck at his neck as he gasps my name on his short breaths. "Mmm, my favorite early morning snack," I purr against his skin. He is grasping at my back and I move over him, kissing down his chest and move the joggers out of my way as I continue to rub him down while I set my tongue to lapping him up as he moans and spills for me. Once I am done and have cleaned up after myself, I replace his joggers where I found them and lift my face back toward his and kiss his neck again.

"I love how you love me, Ben," he breathes in my ear.

I run a hand up his stomach and chest as I say, "Loving you is my favorite thing in the world to do, Arthur." I kiss his cheek and lightly drag my nose up to nuzzle against his. "And experiencing you loving me ties for first of my favorite things, my love."

He lifts up and takes my chin in his hand, running the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip and brushing the last of himself away with it, then lifts up and kisses me, luring me in with his softness, coaxing me to settle down against him. He gently pulls his lips from mine and wraps his arms around me as I let out a sigh and listen to his gentle heartbeat against my ear. We lie there, quietly enjoying one another's presence until a soft knock sounds at the door.

"I'll get the food if you want to go rinse out your mouth, babe," he says with a kiss to my cheek and a wink as I roll over off of him. He puts on his glasses and pulls on a t-shirt on his way to the door.

I grab a t-shirt for myself and head to the bathroom to swish some water around in my mouth and run a hand through my hair. I give myself a cursory check in the mirror and see my eyes are bright and there's a slight flush to my cheeks under my freckles. I look healthier than I have in months. No bags under my eyes, no panicked look on my face, just happy and healthy and wildly satisfied. I smile and it's odd to see the expression on my own face, though I know I smile around Arthur most of the time, I don't see myself do it. It's nice to know that I do actually look happy, because he makes me so incredibly happy.

Arthur

Ben comes out of the bathroom and I have set up breakfast on the table on the patio. He comes to me and kisses my forehead. "Thanks babe."

"My pleasure," I say as we sit. We eat and discuss our leisurely plans for the day as we look out over the lake. "We have a couple's massage at 10 and then we have the day to do with as we will. I thought maybe a light lunch at the café and then the afternoon at the pool. We have the Chef's Table dinner tonight at Victoria & Albert's which we have to get dressed up for."

Ben wrinkles his nose and laughs. "That sounds fun, if not a little stuffy. I'm sure it'll be delicious." He leans over and kisses me, tasting of syrup and bacon. "I'm really excited for that massage, though." He smiles, going back to his breakfast.

"I think we could both definitely use it," I agree with a smile.

We get ready in loose basketball shorts and flip flops. I am wearing a Dear Evan Hansen "You Will Be Found" tank and Ben is literally making me drool in a tight plain black tank-top. He has on his black Oakley's and I'm wearing my Ray-Ban's. When he comes out of the bathroom wiping his hands with a hand towel after perfectly tousling his hair with pomade, I bite my lip and groan as I wrap my arms around him.

"You should be locked up if you're going to look this damn good," I say.

"Why thank you, you're looking pretty irresistible yourself, sir," he says in my ear, wrapping his arms around my neck and planting a kiss on my cheek. "Let's go, before I absolutely must have you again," he says quietly, smiling as he takes my hand, makes sure we both have a room key, our wallets, and our phones, and then we head out across the courtyard to the spa.

When we check in, under Ben and Arthur Alejo, I blush profusely as I beam at the chance to claim him as my husband and use our last name. We are given a choice of lemon cucumber water or berry infused water and we both go for berry. A concierge directs us to a very plush waiting room where we take a seat on an oversized white couch. Ben drapes an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side, lightly brushing his fingertips along my upper arm. "You're right," he says into my ear. "That was very cool using our married name." He presses his lips to my cheek for a long moment and I sigh serenely. I am completely blissed out and cannot imagine feeling any more amazing than I do right now, Ben wrapped around me, relishing in the simple fact of being married. Two muscular young women come out, one has a Southeast Asian complexion and the other is a sporty looking black girl, and they greet us. Janicia is the black girl who smiles warmly and says she'll be taking care of me, and Chantrea is the other young woman, whose accent is clearly Indian; she'll be taking care of Ben. They lead us to a room with two massage tables pushed close together and a set of lockers stacked one on top of the other saying we can get as undressed as we like and leave our items in a locker.

"We'll be back in just a few minutes, you can get under the top sheet lying face down," Chantrea tells us. We nod and they leave the room.

We strip and pile our clothes in one locker, leaving on only our rings. I smile at Ben and lift up to kiss him before we climb onto the tables and squeeze his butt. He gasps in surprise and I wink at him as I saunter to the other side of the room.

"You had better believe I'll get you back for that Arthur James Alejo," Ben smirks as he shakes his head and climbs under the sheet.

"Looking forward to it," I say as I lie face down on the table. Ben slides his fingers into mine and I turn my head resting it on the side of the headrest to look at him. He is looking at me and smiling. "I love seeing you so happy and relaxed," I say quietly.

"It's a feeling I've missed, but it's nice to have it back. I love getting this time with you, away from work and adulting." He squeezes my hand and I gently brush my thumb along his.

The girls come back in then and they have quiet conversations with us about where we hold our stress. Ben is sure to tell Chantrea about his knee and how it gets sore and tense. Then they get to work, pressing their strong palms along the long tense muscles of our backs and working out from the center down our arms. They talk to us quietly asking about our wedding and how we met. They leave our hands intertwined between us as they work their way down our bodies and as Chantrea works around Ben's knee, he stops talking and squeezes my hand tightly. She doesn't linger long there and I know I'll be making up for it later, which I'm perfectly happy to do. Once our hour is up, they leave us with fresh berry waters and tell us to take our time getting dressed. We sit up and walk to the locker, and I can tell Ben is limping just a little.

When we're dressed, I say, "Here, sit down, let me take care of that." I get a small pump of the lotion the girls used on us and sit in the chair Chantrea was using as Ben sits on the side of the table. With practiced hands, I work out the tension in Ben's leg until he is no longer in pain. "Between dancing at the wedding and being on a cramped airplane, you must have been pretty sore," I say as I finish up, rubbing the last of the lotion into my hands.

He shrugs but the relief in his eyes is noticeable. "Thank you, Art. That's so much better."

I stand and kiss him softly. "Anytime, love."

We lace our hands together and head out, going to the Grand Floridian Café in the main building of the hotel to have our light lunch before heading to the room to change into our swim trunks. In the course of our changing, me into bright blue trunks with hibiscus flowers on them and Ben into horizontal striped rainbow trunks, I simply can't take it anymore. I tug a slightly surprised Ben over to the couch in the living area and drink him dry, being unable to keep my hands and lips off of him any longer. As I am replacing his swim trunks back up across his hips, he smiles languidly and pulls me up to sit next to him.

"That was amazing, baby," he tells me, kissing me on the shoulder and holding me from the side.

I turn my head and my forehead fits perfectly against his. "Couldn't help myself. You looked too delicious," I say with a smirk and he kisses me on my lips which are still a little sticky from him.

"How do we go back to being regular human beings after this week? Being able to have you whenever I want is definitely something I could get used to…" Ben muses.

"We can still have each other whenever we want as long as we're home and no one else is there," I chuckle.

"This is true," he smiles and kisses me again. "Pool time?"

"Pool time," I agree, and we grab our small collection of pool supplies. Wallets/phones/air pods/keycards in a bag that locks onto a chair. We grab sunscreen and sunglasses and head out. We reserved one of those cabanas, so we ask a staff member and he leads us to the one we'll be using and asks if he can get us any drinks. I order a daquiri and Ben gets a rum and Coke. We strip off our shirts and I grab the sunscreen, sitting on one side of the conjoined chaise lounge chair beginning to spray my chest and arms, and Ben crawls across the cushions and kisses my neck.

"Allow me," he says, grabbing the can of sunscreen. He sprays my back and rubs it in a little more slowly than strictly necessary. He sprays more on my neck and massages it gently around my ears and hands me the can to get my face and legs.

"My turn," I say, making him turn around and offering him a similar treatment.

We lock the bag to our chaise as our drinks arrive and we go take a dip in the pool to cool off just for a few minutes. When I pop up out of the water, Ben puts his arms around me and kisses me. We float for a bit, treading water together and then get out to lay in our cabana. We share a pair of airpods and listen to our "Chillin' at home" playlist while I lie on my stomach, resting my head on my arms as I read and he lies on his back resting his head on his interlocked fingers, dozing off in the Floridian heat.

We sip away the afternoon, go back in the pool a couple of times, and doze off on the chaise for a little while together late in the afternoon, my head on Ben's shoulder. When I wake, the sun is staring straight at us as it heads toward the horizon and we've both begun to get a little pink. I'm thanking everything there is that we have a bottle of aloe back in the room. I turn and Ben's skin is golden with his Puerto Rican genes soaking up every drop of sunlight to give him that perfectly tanned look. I will inherently be a lobster by the end of the week, but Ben will be sun-kissed and even more gorgeous than he is already. I shake my head at the thought as I plant a kiss on the tip of his nose. His eyes flutter open and he smiles as he stretches.

"Hey there," he groans as he blinks sleep from his eyes.

"Hey, we're getting a little toasty. Wanna head back and shower, get ready for dinner?" I ask, weaving one hand up into his hair and lightly playing with it.

"Mmmhmm," he agrees, pressing a kiss to my lips before we both sit up.

My chest and arms are, indeed, a little burnt, so Ben helps me put aloe on them after we get out of the shower. We dress in slacks, button downs, and suitcoats. I am in black pants, a maroon jacket over a white shirt, and a black skinny tie. Ben is in those charcoal pants that do all of the things for his butt and a matching jacket over an aqua shirt with no tie. He's left the top button open and is carefully shaping his hair in the vanity mirror. I sit on the edge of the bed watching him until he's satisfied and turns around. He smirks and comes over to me. He brushes his thumb across my lip loosing it from between my teeth. I didn't even realize I had been biting it, so I blush slightly as I stand and gaze into his eyes. His arms encircle my waist and I grab his lapels gently, bringing him down to me for a kiss.

"Lookin good, handsome," I say against his lips.

"You look incredible, Art," he says softly, brushing his nose against mine. He kisses me again lightly and then we head out.

When we get to the restaurant and check in with the maître d', we are led to a table which looks in on the kitchen. It is a small table, set just for us two, with red and white roses in a skinny vase and two tall white candles settling a soft glow over the whole thing.

Ben

We eat and we talk with the chef about our meal as he brings us special courses that he's designed just for us. As we await the next course and sip our wine, I hold out my hand in a silent request. Arthur smiles and lightly settles his hand into my grip.

"How's the sunburn?" I ask, brushing my thumb lightly over his knuckles.

"Fine, for now. I can't really tell if I'm all warm from it, the wine, or both," he chuckles, sipping his Moscato again. "How are you doing?" he asks, setting his wine glass back on the table.

His concern, as always, fills me with the overwhelming love we share, but also an undercurrent of guilt. I hate that he always feels like he has to worry about me. "I am so good, babe. I'm really excited for the parks. Today was perfect, though, just relaxing together. It was the perfect way to start our trip," I assure him, bringing his fingers to my lips.

I can see his unease clear from his gaze and the lightness we'd been sharing return. I really am fine. With the wedding now residing as an amazing memory which is firmly over and done with, I can love every second we spent together with our friends and family. We really did throw an incredible party and celebration of our relationship and I loved every minute of the ceremony. It was perfectly us and showcased everything we love about each other, ourselves, and our life together.

The chef brings out our dessert: tiramisu with a special hazelnut coffee powder topping. Dylan would be so jealous. As Arthur slides his cream laden fork into his mouth, his eyes flutter closed the same way they do when we make love and I smile.

"That's a familiar face. That good?" I ask, smirking.

"Mmmhm," he nods, not opening his eyes as he swallows.

I taste the delectable dish and decide that some things are indeed almost as good as sex. When we get back to our room, we take another bath together and remind each other what our real favorite desserts are. After having claimed one another in a flurry of heat and passion, as we lie in bed together, I lay light kisses across Arthur's sun-warmed shoulder and whisper, "I love you, my mighty Arturo."

"I love you, Ben," he returns, settling back in against me more solidly.

I hold him tightly to me and nuzzle my nose around his ear as he drifts off to sleep. Holding the whole of my world in my arms, I fall asleep soundly and do not rouse until I feel him trying to wriggle from my grasp and when I open my eyes, the sun is shining through the crack in the curtains. I loosen my arms to allow his movement and he rolls over pulling me into his own arms, encasing my torso and pressing me against him.

"Good morning, my love," I say, returning his embrace, careful not to agitate his already sensitive skin.

"Mornin'," he mumbles against my chest where he has buried his face.

"You ready for this?" I ask excitedly.

He looks up into my eyes and grins, "So ready."

Monday, we went to Universal and spent most of our day in Harry Potter World. We started on Islands of Adventure and hit The Hulk and Superhero Island, but then mostly explored Hogsmeade. We watched Olivander select a young child out of the crowd to be chosen for the wand, and then buy our own. I, obviously, wanted the wand that fit my birthday, but Arthur really loves the Elder Wand, so he got a replica of that. The wand I chose was one of the interactive ones, so we made sure to hit all of the interactive spots and really get our wizard on. We also each got our house t-shirts, Ravenclaw for Arthur, Gryffindor for me. The castle ride was our favorite part, and we definitely rode it twice before we had lunch in the Three Broomsticks and then headed out to Diagon Alley on the Hogwarts Express. I may have geeked out a little extra hard at the awesome projections in the windows on the train and really wished I could buy something from the lady with the trolley. When we got to King's Cross and into Diagon Alley, we went to Florean Fortescue's and had Mint swirled ice cream while we watched and waited for the dragon atop Gringotts to spit his fire. Then, we rode the Gringotts ride, which was AWESOME. We did some shopping and had dinner at the Leaky Cauldron before heading out the hidden entrance and riding The Mummy, Jimmy Fallon (Arthur may have squeaked when Lin-Manuel's spot on Jimmy's show came on in the line as we waited), and Transformers. I was very intrigued by all of the design elements. Having never been to a theme park in my life, Arthur noted that I looked like a wide-eyed child as he smiled at my unchecked awe and wonder. Sometimes he'd just stop and kiss me saying, "I just couldn't help it, you looked too cute." We took a ridiculous number of selfies in front of all the things, and a few random fellow tourists took pictures for us in front of Grimmauld Place, Hogwarts, and Gringotts.

Around 9:30, as we sat on a patch of grass sharing a huge cup of lemonade and waiting for the fireworks show, Arthur rested back on his elbows and I laid with my head on his stomach. I bent my arm so I could slide my hand into his while looking up at him, and asked, "Did you have a good day?"

"It was amazing, Ben. This isn't really my wheelhouse, the fantasy and the sci-fi, but I know how much you love it, and seeing you so happy and engaged was definitely a turn on," he said, blushing a little. "I miss seeing you nerd out this hard, it's very much a part of why I fell in love with you…" he admitted quietly, his eyes soft and glassy as he stared into mine.

I was unable to find the words to appropriately respond, so I sat up to face him fully, and he sat up with me expectantly. I hooked one finger in the collar of his baby blue Dear Evan Hansen t-shirt and pulled him to me until our lips met. I kissed him gently, having to force myself to remember we were very much in public, but when I did pull away, we were breathless and blushing. We barely got back into our room and got the door locked before I simply had to take him to bed and have my way with him.

Tuesday, we walked around Epcot and rode the couple of rides there were there, and then did lunch at the Mexican Restaurant themed for Coco. I loved seeing all of the Latin American influence and we each purchased a small sugar skull to match our personalities, then we headed to Hollywood Studios. We particularly loved spending time in Galaxy's Edge and experiencing the immersive sights, sounds, and smells of this alien bazar. This day was full of a lot of rides which were amazing, but we were exhausted by the end of the day, so instead of eating dinner at the park, we headed back to the villa and ordered room service. We ate together and laid in bed watching a movie, falling asleep on one another before it was over.

Wednesday's adventure was Animal Kingdom. We were especially excited for Pandora and it did not disappoint. The animatronics were incredible and Flight of Passage ties with the Hogwarts Castle ride as my favorite of our trip. We really loved the Lion King Spectacular and had a great time in the petting zoo as we let adorable animals eat from our hands before we headed to dinner.

On our last full day, we've saved it for the best: Magic Kingdom. The shows and parades are amazing but the real cherry on top is the Happily Ever After Fireworks Show at the end of the night. Arthur and I got an amazing spot with a full view of the whole castle and all the turrets. As Jordan Fischer's voice begins to trill from everywhere but nowhere discernable, I steal his rainbow Mickey ears, placing them on my own head and wrap my arms around Arthur's shoulders, resting my head on top of his and he curls his hands around them, brushing his thumbs along my forearms gently. The whole of the Disney universe unfolds before us on the castle. All the big moments are there and we are both in awe. I hear Arthur gasp at the incredible images, and he sings along softly with his favorites, squeezing my arm tighter when he's excited about what he's seeing. As the spectacular comes to a close and the castle is being flooded in a rainbow of colors, he turns around and wraps his arms around my neck. The fireworks explode in fountains of color reflected in his electric blue eyes and not kissing him is not an option. I pull him close and we lose ourselves in one another as the crowd applauds at the finale of fireworks and images projected onto the castle. Arthur and I are in another world with only each other, holding on for dear life as we attempt to infuse this moment with all of the love and joy and excitement of the past week. When we break apart, more for air than any possible desire to be separated, he smiles widely at me. "This has been the best week, Ben. I love you so much." He snags his ears back off of my head and tilts them artfully back on his own.

"And I love you Arthur. Definitely the best honeymoon ever." I kiss him again, light and short this time.

With our last night of honeymoon bliss, we decidedly go out with a 'bang' and use our time well. We get up early the next morning and pack up before taking the shuttle to the airport and flying home. We are dropped off by the lift late that night and once we heft all of our things back into the apartment, Arthur is sitting on one of the stools by the peninsula. I walk to him and he stands so we can wrap our arms around each other tightly. "We're home," he breathes into my chest.

I smile and nod into his hair. "We're home."