This is it, folks. Finally the end... I'll try not to cry.
DJmiso - so glad you found it funny! That is my goal in writing this. In terms of Daisya... yes I edited it out. Sorry for the confusion. I was not happy with it. But since this is the last chapter, you guys won't have to deal with my fickleness ever again (a silver-lining to every cloud, am I right? O_o)
Communication is Key
Allen didn't see Kanda until just before the wedding.
When he got out of the shower, the Japanese man was gone. After getting dressed and consulting his phone, Lavi informed the Brit that their friend was at the wedding venue getting soaked all over again by Tiedoll's relieved tears. By the time Allen found a ride over, Kanda was absent. So were Marie and the rest of Tiedoll's kids, allegedly off on some brotherly bonding time.
Allen knew better. Kanda was avoiding him. And he wasn't being subtle about it. And after today... they wouldn't see each other again. Not for a while.
Allen distracted himself from obsessing more than he already was by helping Lenalee get the wedding venue ready for the rest of the day. Tim, much like Fo, Miranda, Reever, and Johnny, was thrilled to see him. And, okay, if there were a few teary eyes at that reunion, no one noticed. Mostly because Timcanpy's slobbery tongue left no face untouched.
Allen and Timcanpy made it back to the hotel before Kanda (Not that he was looking). Thankfully, after all the venue prep-work Lenalee had put him through, the adult was asleep almost immediately. When he got up the next morning, Kanda had already left; the only evidence he'd slept there at all were the wrinkled sheets in the opposite bed and the toothbrush on the bathroom counter.
Allen tried not to let the hurt get to him, mostly because he knew Lenalee could tell he was upset but also because there was reason to celebrate.
Lenalee and Lavi were getting married in a few hours. And they'd picked the best spot in all of Florida to do it.
The wedding was going to be outside at the (private) beach a stone's throw away. The small building they were decorating was for the reception and almost all of the windows looked out over that same ocean and trimmed cypress trees. Beige-wood covered both the floors of the building and the vaulted ceiling, windows framed in white stucco.
Sure, Bookman had his faults, but the man never did anything halfway. Including, it seemed, his own grandson's wedding.
It was beautiful. Probably expensive, but beautiful.
Timcanpy, however, didn't much care about the aesthetics. He was too busy making himself at home, having no problems escorting caterers and party-goers to their destinations, doing a pretty admirable job staying out from under foot. Eventually he got tired of making the waiters giggle at his cuteness, taking up shop by a pregnant Miranda. Who, on Lenalee and Fo's order, had been relegated to sitting down by the wall of windows. Which she didn't seem to mind since the view was so great.
And sure. Everything was beautiful. Everything was great. His friends were getting married, their family was all there.
Everything was... perfect.
"Everything alright, Allen?"
The white-haired adult looked up at Johnny, who was in the process of laying out the champagne glasses.
Allen opened his mouth to say that he was fine, or maybe just complain that Kanda was the biggest idiot on the planet, when a scream pierced the air.
Lenalee.
The Brit handed the place settings to Johnny before practically bolting across the room. Allen was so focused on finding his friend that he barely noticed when Kanda joined him in the hallway, the duo sprinting towards the dressing room.
Lenalee had been in the midst of getting into her wedding dress when things had fallen apart.
Literally.
The gown's red sleeve was on one side of the room, skirt halfway out of the seams. For whatever reason, the dress had been either poorly sewn or just not cared for properly so Lenalee could wear it, and now that it was the big day, the wedding dress had given out entirely. It would take a seamstress several hours to fix it all, assuming there weren't any major tears in the fabric.
The bride-to-be was beautiful – her dark bob arranged in a wild up-do only Klaud could manage – as she stared at her ruined dress in horror, robe clutched tight around herself.
"Lenalee?" Lavi called, panicked, as his leather shoes pounded into the room.
Neither Kanda nor Allen bothered stopping him with pleas about not seeing the bride before the wedding. Mostly because… well, it couldn't get much worse at that point.
"Lenalee, what's- Oh god."
Lenalee clutched at her makeup-ed face, staring at her dress in horror. "Lavi."
The redhead didn't hesitate before grabbing his soon-to-be-wife into a strong hug, wisely pulling her gaze away from the ruined Chinese wedding dress. "We'll figure something out. It'll be Ok."
Would it?
Lenalee seemed to have the same thoughts. "No, Lavi, it's just… this is a sign. It is. It is," her desperate voice was muffled some by Lavi's tux jacket. "First the flowers, then the photographer, then the food… this is the last straw."
"Baby…"
There had to be something he could do. Allen and Kanda were their best friends – there had to be some way to fix this.
Looking at Kanda on his left didn't fill the Brit with confidence; standing in the doorway in his wedding tux, lips pulled down in a frown with his sapphire eyes looking both pissed off and concerned at the same time. And not talking.
"Ugh, I just- I just can't! The wedding dress, my brother, your grandpa!" Lenalee continued, stepping back from Lavi's embrace to wipe at angry tears. Thanks to whatever industrial-strength make-up had been employed, her face remained perfect.
"I know, but what should we do? That's what this wedding's going to be," Lavi agreed, exasperated as he ran fingers through styled strands of red hair.
"I know! I just… I don't want this!"
"You… don't want to marry me?" Lavi asked, looking more than hurt.
Lenalee dropped her hands, rushing over to her fiancé. She clasped his face in her hands, making a point to meet that single emerald eye. "Of course I do. I love you."
Lavi grinned, relieved, palm covering her left hand. The one with her engagement ring. "Then… what do you want, Lenalee?"
She bit her bottom lip, a nervous tick from middle school. "I just want to marry you."
And it was that, seeing the sight of his distressed friends, that had Allen opening his mouth. "Then don't get married."
Three sets of eyes turned to him in shock mixed with surprise. Or Kanda, who was just… shocked. But not in a good way.
Allen quickly amended, "No, I mean, get married – you two are, like, meant for each other. I just mean… elope, or something." When misunderstanding continued to prevail, he continued, "I mean, you guys wanted to honeymoon in Africa, right? Get married there. Elope and make a trip of it."
Too busy trying to decipher Kanda's silent facial language, he didn't notice Lavi and Lenalee kissing until she started laughing.
"That's great! We should-"
"Yeah, let's do it," Lavi agreed with a fond smile at his fiancé, the two so caught up in their own eyes it took a minute for reality to hit.
"But… what about the wedding?" Lenalee poised aloud, glancing at her three friends. "All the guests, the cake, and…"
"Moyashi."
That single word drew Allen's attention back to Kanda's dark gaze.
It was almost ironic that of all the times Allen couldn't read the Japanese man's not-so-subtle wordless thoughts, this was one of those moments he understood them. Loud and clear.
"What the hell, Bakanda?" Now it was his turn to be pissed off. "You ignore me for the past day and now you want to do this? Bloody hell, not just do this, but actually get-"
"Moyashi."
As always, that word stopped his ranting. Kanda's sapphire eyes were filled with… determination. Determination that the two of them go through with this. And it was clear Kanda had no intention of giving up.
"I needed to leave. Before," Kanda grit out like he was literally pulling teeth and trying to talk at the same time. "But I won't leave you again."
Allen opened his mouth to argue because two sentences did not make up for over four years of being ignored by your best friend, frenemy, whatever. Four years of college without someone to talk to, someone to make things interesting. Someone to make him feel… any less alone.
Two sentences didn't cover Kanda's blatant rejection just the day before.
Allen opened his mouth to say that.
Only to stop at the look on Kanda's face. More specifically, a pair of sapphire eyes that were so intense they made him freeze on the spot. Eyes filled with the same confidence and determination that defined Kanda in every aspect of his life.
This was Kanda. He knew Kanda. And Kanda never did anything unless he wanted to do it (or Lenalee made him - nothing said Holiday Cheer like intimidating Kanda with a clipboard). Allen knew Kanda. And Kanda was trying to give him what he'd been asking for the other day - time together. Only with interest.
Years and years of interest. Plus a gold ring to make sure it stayed that way.
"No."
That was the only possible answer. Because… just no. Hell no. Sure, he wanted to see Kanda more than every few years, but that - what Kanda wanted - was a huge commitment. Not a decision to make in the spur of the moment just to make a point.
"Have you actually thought about this?" Allen asked with a slight twinge of desperation. "This is, like, the rest of your life, Bakanda! You can barely stand to be in the same room with me most of the time! And you want... this?"
A tsk was his only answer, some determination giving way to irritation. "I know what I'm doing."
It was official. Kanda was a stubborn idiot.
A small part of Allen was screaming that this was a bad idea. Because it was a huge decision. Agreeing to spend the next however many years with his sometimes-frenemy was a huge step in the direction of suicide-by-Mugen.
But another part… a much larger part of him, was actually... excited? More excited than Allen had ever been about anything ever before. Because the two of them… they weren't exactly friends. And they weren't exactly enemies.
Kanda was giving him a chance – for the first time in the history of ever – to find out just what they were.
So what if it wasn't the normal way? Who said doing things the 'normal' way was the best?
He and Kanda were anything but normal.
Kanda didn't bother with words. He showed how he felt with actions. This... was him taking the first step. An action. A promise and a commitment.
It was another adventure. It was them.
"Yes. Fine."
Kanda might have actually smirked. Which was totally hot. Especially coupled with a tux that did wonders for his figure.
"But on one condition: We live in my apartment."
That smirk vanished. "Fuck no. That's like the size of a napkin."
Allen opened his mouth to defend his hearth and home when Lenalee spoke up. "Why not buy a new place together?"
Allen and Kanda stared each other down with narrowed eyes.
"It needs to have an oven."
"And a bathtub."
"Fine. And on the ground-floor." He had to walk Tim, after all.
Kanda scowled before compromising, "Patio. And a King bed."
"Queen."
The other shrugged his shoulders. Agreeing, for once.
Lenalee squealed in child-like glee. "Yes, yes, yes! Can I be best-man? Can I?"
Allen grinned, snapping her up before Kanda could. "Of course."
Kanda's muttered curse was the only sign before Lavi almost tackled him in a hug. "God damn, Yuu! This is… the proudest moment of my life!"
And, well, if maybe there was a sniffle or some tissues needed, that was no one's business.
After all, what happened in Key Largo stayed in Key Largo.
XXXXX
"Mawage. Mawage is what bwings us togefher, today."
Allen would bet five double-double cheese burgers that he'd met this priest before.
Something about him was just so... familiar. It could have been the wavy hair, three-layer priestly robes, and conical hat (complete with two little tails on the back). It could also have been the way he kept droning on, speaking with a certain exaggerated lisp that brought to mind ancient castles, pirates, and holocaust cloaks.
He couldn't exactly place the guy, however. And he'd been given plenty of time to decide, because at the rate they were going, he and Kanda wouldn't be married until the next year.
Yep. Allen and Kanda. Getting married. A situation that usually only popped up in Allen's worst nightmares. Except his nightmares also included chainsaw killers and Timcanpy in a tutu.
Needless to say, reality was five times better than any dream.
"Mawage… That bwessed awayngement… A dweam, wifthin a dweam!"
And the look in Kanda's eyes… it was so piercing Allen might have blushed. A little. Of course, it didn't hurt that Kanda could pull off a tuxedo like Lavi could rock an eyepatch – confident, broad-shouldered, and that little piece of fabric doing a great job bringing attention to a kick-ass figure. Kanda's ponytail, too, was still in peak form, bangs beside his face framing a small smile that Allen knew was meant only for him.
Not that anyone was paying attention. And who would be, when they were getting married on a private beach, sun in the sky and breeze on their faces?
Allen was so caught up in gazing into Kanda's eyes that he almost forgot about his best man. Almost did, until a female whisper from the right. "Lavi, the rings, the rings!"
Lenalee, who'd ended up borrowing one of the high-neck oriental bridesmaid dresses (which only fit because her and her cousin were practically identical), seemed more focused on getting their wedding in place than actually waiting for the priest to get to the right question.
"Babe, I'm not giving them our wedding rings," Lavi hissed from the other side of the aisle in his wedding tux.
"Not that. Those! Those ones."
It was either thanks to some serious hand-waving or the divine telepathy that comes with the soon-to-be-married that Lavi understood what in the hell Lenalee was talking about.
Although 'soon-to-be-married' was going to be further in the future now that Allen and Kanda were the ones getting hitched.
And 'getting hitched' they were. The two adults standing on the beach that was supposed to be for their best friends' wedding, wearing the tuxes they'd rented for the event. The sun was headed towards the crest in the sky, salty breeze ruffling the hair escaped from Allen's tamed ponytail. The movie-quality priest reading them through passages in the bible about true love, happiness, and eternal devotion.
All of the guests were there. The two men at the alter didn't notice any of them.
"Have you, the whing?"
"Oh, right," Lavi finally said at a volume just audible over the crashing waves, producing a set of rings from his pocket with a flourish.
"What the fuck, Usagi," Kanda snapped.
"What?"
"Cereal box prizes? Really?" Allen questioned, shooting the redhead friend a baffled expression.
"Hey, beggars can't be choosers, right?" Lavi smirked.
Well, he wasn't wrong.
Before Kanda could change his mind, Allen reached across the foot of space to take the ring and the Japanese man's slender left hand. A hand that was warm and calloused but didn't shy away when Allen slid the bubble-gum pink plastic ring over Kanda's fourth finger.
Which was a true testament to Kanda's love and devotion since the thing was absolutely hideous.
Kanda's brows were wrinkled in concentration (which was seriously cute) as he worked to get the aqua plastic diamond ring onto Allen's hand. It was a bit tight, but he managed to make it fit. Even if it took the last of Kanda's drained patience to get it there.
Neither let go of the other's fingers as the suspiciously-familiar priest went through the motions. They held each other's gaze across the aisle. And, unlike the sort-of proposal back in the changing room, neither of them looked uncertain. Allen just felt… ready. And happy, with a grin wide enough to swallow more than just a French fry as he stared at the man he'd be spending the rest of his life with.
Through the good, and given the way their luck ran, mostly the bad, they would handle everything in life together. And that was fine with him. There was no one more interesting, more stubborn, or more annoying that he'd rather spend his life with.
The priest made sure to ask both parties if they genuinely wanted to wed the other. And, since neither had prepared any vows, that part passed pretty quickly.
"I do."
"I do."
And then, the priest finally intoned the magic words. Much to everyone's surprise when he ended up saying, "Man and wife."
Lavi snorted from across the aisle. Lenalee's grin was shit-eating.
"I guess I'll be the man and kiss you first," Allen finally said in the ensuing silence.
Kanda tsked before taking the initiative himself.
And sure, Kanda had to lean down a bit. Only… one kiss wasn't enough.
It wasn't until Timcanpy started barking that he noticed the guests were clapping, Lenalee wiping at her own tears while Lavi laughed. Kanda wasn't looking away as he pulled his hands off of Allen's back and his tongue out of the other's mouth. Allen, whose hands had gone significantly lower than the other's back, did the same, trying not to blush.
As the two of them looked into each other's eyes, lips a little puffy and eyes full of excitement, there was something else in that moment. Like a promise for more adventures in the future. Adventures that would hopefully be not as crazy as the last three days, but ultimately would turn out alright.
Because the two of them would be together. That was all that mattered.
...Or something else equally sappy. Whatever.
"And now, we feast!" Lavi announced with all the gravity of a true best man.
Oh, that's right – food. The day just kept getting better and better.
Only, before Allen could do more than intertwine his fingers with Kanda's – the other's grip strong and so comforting the Brit was ten seconds from deciding to skip dinner and sneaking out with his new husband – there was a roar of an engine on the beach. An engine so familiar that Allen almost thought he'd imagined it as all heads turned towards the sound.
It couldn't be.
The motorcycle roar grew louder as it headed for the assembled white chairs, sand spinning behind the tires as it drove over the loose beach.
A set of tires that were attached to an eerily familiar motorcycle with candy-apple red paint and a side car. The driver remained a mystery until he pulled up right next to the newlyweds and pulled off his helmet, revealing a familiar ivory mask covering the right half of his face and lenses perched on his nose. A trench coat and heavy boots completed the man known to all as Cross Marian.
"Bullshit."
Because... what the hell.
Cross finally turned the puttering engine off, dropping the kickstand before dismounting the bike. The fifty assembled guests all held their breath as the bane of everyone's existence pulled a cigar from his jacket and lit it.
"Jesus, what took you so long?" Klaud Nine was the first to break the silence, blonde head glinting in the afternoon light. "You've known about the wedding for weeks!"
"No one told me my kid was getting married until two hours ago," Cross sighed, hands running through his burgundy hair.
Like a morally-impaired Moses parting the red sea, Cross marched through the audience, sights set on the two grooms still standing at the aisle.
Allen flinched when one of Cross' coarse hands came within five inches of his face… only to land on Kanda's shoulder.
"Take good care of him, Kanda," the redhead intoned, staring straight at the Japanese man.
If Allen's jaw hadn't dropped already, it did now.
"I mean it," Cross continued in his gravely voice. "I don't want to ever see him again."
…and there it was.
Kanda grunted his wordless maybe which seemed to satisfy Cross. Another shoulder pat before Allen's guardian spun away. "Did I hear someone mention a party or what? Bring out the booze!"
Lavi, the only one still remaining after Lenalee shuffled the guests into the reception house, stood beside the still-frozen newlyweds.
He placed a hand on Kanda's shoulder. "Man, and I thought my in-laws were crazy. Almost forgot who you'd have to be dealing with."
Kanda snorted. And, well, no one really disagreed.
XXXXX
"Did you get the clothes?"
"Yeah, they're in your duffel. Which is like the size of Timcanpy, by the way. I mean, Lavi and Lenalee already got their wedding presents – what the hell do you have in here? Your favorite beauty products?"
"None of your damned business. Just be glad your dog gets the whole sidecar to himself."
"Our dog now, Bakanda."
"Dogs are not fucking kids, Moyashi."
"No? 'cause we feed him and water him."
"Fuck that. I did not give birth to him," Kanda snapped, in the midst of tying down their bags to the back rack of the motorcycle.
He didn't hear Allen come up behind him so much as feel him. "Well… we could practice," A completely even voice said in his ear while a pair of familiar hands grabbed his ass.
"Do I need to give you a biology lesson?"
"Depends. Will we be alone?"
Even under Kanda's glare, the other's grey eyes filled with a teasing glint… and something else. But before Allen could make any suggestion about putting off the trip until tomorrow, they were brought back to reality when Tim let out a bark. Far more willing to be on the road now that he had the promise of a windy side-car to keep him company.
"Guess we better hit the road," Allen said with a small, resigned sigh. "We still swinging by your place on the way?"
Kanda grunted in agreement, finishing the tie-downs before going to mount the motorcycle.
Only to stop when he found someone already seated there.
"What the fuck are you doing."
"Driving. What does it look like?" Allen answered, shoving keys into the ignition, engine roaring to life.
"Considering your luck with vehicles, that's a crap idea."
"Hey, you got to drive your car. I get to drive my bike," The Brit answered, a small hit of sadistic satisfaction in his voice. "Unless you want to walk?"
Walk, or put his life in the hands of Allen's short attention span trying to drive a motorcycle that had had already broken down once in the last three days?
"Wait, Bakanda!" Allen called as Kanda shouldered his duffel, starting off down the two-lane highway, gravel crunching beneath his boots. "Oh, come on! Do you even know how to drive one of these?"
"Do you?"
"God, if I'd known you were this cruel I wouldn't have married you," came a resigned voice barely carried on the breeze.
As Kanda continued to walk, the motorcycle engine cut off. The pounding of sneakers before a strong hand was around Kanda's arm, stopping him in place. Allen was obviously irritated, highway winds grabbing at his hair, motorcycle helmet in his other hand.
But since he did…
Allen trailed off with a sigh. "Fine." He turned, marching back to the bike with, "But I'm driving us around Miami. None of those shortcuts you're so fond of taking."
Kanda snorted but couldn't disagree after how shitty the last one had turned out.
It was only after they'd both mounted the motorcycle, helmets on, that the Moyashi asked, "Stop for fries first?"
"There's no place to put the trash."
"Dude, this is my motorcycle. We'll just stuff it in with Tim."
"I'm not dealing with a constipated dog." Nothing was safe from Timcanpy – not even greasy burger wrappings that smelled like meat.
"Oh, come on. A few paper wrappings aren't going to kill him."
"I'll kill you if he shits all over my jacket."
"Then don't put your jacket in with the dog, Bakanda. Do I really have to explain this?"
"Shut up, Moyashi. No means no."
He could practically hear the eye-roll in Allen's voice. "You're lucky I love you."
Yes, he was. Not that Kanda was about to say that out-loud.
The two (finally) sped down the road headed from the Florida Keys towards Portland, Maine, with a cardboard sign reading 'Just Married' tied to the back. The sun was shining full overhead, Allen's arms around his waist, humid air whipping at their clothes as Kanda merged with north-bound traffic.
And as Allen did the shittiest job imitating Willie Nelson over the helmet speakers, Timcanpy barking at every passing piece of foliage, and Kanda doing his best to find a place with good fries, he knew it was going to be a long 21 hours.
But strangely enough, he didn't mind.
Hope you guys like the ending. And honestly, it wasn't even my idea - you can thank my best friends for finally getting fed-up with my whining.
Also, if you want to hear how the priest is supposed to sound, google 'Princess bride wedding scene' and it should be the first youtube video. Don't listen to anyone else talk and there shouldn't be spoilers XD
I really had a fun time writing this and I hope you guys liked reading it too. I'm so appreciative of all the favorites, follows, and reviews I've gotten along the way - so thank you!
I'd love to hear anyone's final thoughts on this if you feel like leaving a comment. Otherwise, thank you again for reading!