Summary: "Ransom and Holster decide to go to Vegas for spring break...It's a decision that raises a few eyebrows in the Haus…okay it's mostly just Bitty, but Holster understands, because he'll admit that a place like Las Vegas is kind of an open invitation for him and Ransom to get themselves into trouble. But it's spring break; they were going to go wild and probably get in trouble anyway, whether they were in Vegas, or say, some place like Myrtle Beach."
Summary:
"Ransom and Holster decide to go to Vegas for spring break...It's a decision that raises a few eyebrows in the Haus...okay it's mostly just Bitty, but Holster understands, because he'll admit that a place like Las Vegas is kind of an open invitation for him and Ransom to get themselves into trouble. But it's spring break; they were going to go wild and probably get in trouble anyway, whether they were in Vegas, or say, some place like Myrtle Beach."
Notes:
I promised a fic about what happened to Ransom and Holster in Vegas, so here it is! :)
Originally posted on AO3 and Tumblr on March 15, 2016
Spring Break, 2014
Ransom and Holster decide to go to Vegas for spring break. They spend weeks begging their parents for the money to go do it, and when they finally cave, they only have a few days to book their flight and hotel. It's frantic, but they get everything taken care of in time, and so Epic Vegas Spring Break 2014 becomes a go.
It's a decision that raises a few eyebrows in the Haus...okay it's mostly just Bitty, but Holster understands, because he'll admit that a place like Las Vegas is kind of an open invitation for him and Ransom to get themselves into trouble. But it's spring break; they were going to go wild and probably get in trouble anyway, whether they were in Vegas, or say, some place like Myrtle Beach.
But it's Vegas, and even just their hotel is totally 'swawesome. But they don't stick around for long, racing off to the nearest casino before their bags have even hit the floor. 'Cause dude, it's Vegas. It's 1:00, they're both ready to have a wild afternoon. Casinos promise to have unending alcohol, and between them, they have almost $1,000 set aside specifically for the purpose of blowing it all on slots, cards—whatever they want.
They start out on the slot machines because "bro, slots are like the quintessential casino experience!" And it's fun at first, but after two hours Holster starts to get kind of bored, and alcohol can only convince him to keep going for so much longer.
"Bro. Bro!" Ransom shouts, tugging on Holster's shirt sleeve.
Holster spins his chair to face the other boy, thankful for the break in the monotony of the last thirty minutes of mindless button pushing. "Rans my man, what's shakin'?" he asks, leaning over to put an arm around Ransom's shoulder. He's been drinking for two hours, and he's halfway to schwasted, which means he's entering the handsy drunk stage.
Ransom, of course, is used to this by now, and doesn't flinch. "Bro, tell me I'm seeing this right," he just asks, pointing his finger at the payout display.
Holster peers at the small rectangular screen, his eyes bugging out of his head when he registers the digits displayed. Ransom hasn't won the machine's jackpot but—he's won $2,500. "Brooooo," Holster gapes because holy shit is that a lot of money.
"What should I do?" Ransom questions, his eyes flitting back and forth between his options of taking the pay out or pulling the lever to play again.
"Rans, man, you gotta keep going!" Holster urges enthusiastically, gently nudging Ransom's body towards the lever.
"But like...shouldn't I quit while I'm ahead?" Ransom asks uncertainly, his eyes locked on the value of his payout.
"Rans," Holster sighs, shaking his head. "Rans, we did not come to Vegas to play it safe. That is so not 'swawesome."
Ransom shrugs. "Alright man," he says, reaching out and pulling the lever as Holster whoops.
"That's my bro," he grins, clumsily patting Ransom's chest. He knew Ransom wouldn't need much convincing. "Now I'm going to get us some shots, I'll be right back!" Holster declares.
"Make 'em doubles!" Ransom calls over his shoulder as Holster starts to saunter toward the bar.
"You got it man!" Holster yells back, tossing two thumbs up over his shoulders.
He's gone for maybe ten minutes, at the most. But when he comes back, toting double shots of expensive vodka, there are at least four people crowded around the machine that Ransom's been playing on.
"Yo, best bro coming through!" Holster barks, pushing past the people there to stand next to Ransom. "What's going on man?" he asks, handing Ransom his drink.
"Look and see," Ransom says nonchalantly, and then tosses back the double shot in one go.
Holster checks the display telling him how much Ransom's casino card has on it. and it's gone up from just over $2,500 to nearly $7,500.
"Holy fuck," he mutters, leaning heavily on Ransom's chair.
"I don't know what it is I'm doing bro, but I just like, keep winning!" Ransom exclaims in shock, as he gains another $200.
"Keep it up man!" Holster encourages. "This is how we're going to finance the rest of our fun!"
When they leave the casino at 8:30 PM, Ransom is $17,000 richer than when they entered. Holster stood by his side and watched as the number kept going up and up, only leaving him to go to the bar to get them more drinks. Every time he did, he would come back and Ransom would have won another significant chunk of change. It wasn't entirely perfect though, because at one point, he had as much as $28,000. That's why they'd left so early in the evening: so Ransom didn't accidentally lose everything he'd won.
It was an exciting afternoon, full of drinking and winning, and the end result is that they leave the casino completely schwasted. Over the course of the last seven and a half hours, Holster himself has had at least four beers (though it could be more like seven...he lost count honestly), a double shot of vodka, and a green, very boozy drink that the bartender had suggested he try. And Ransom had kept pace with him drink for drink, and since he gives up two inches and twenty pounds to Holster, that meant he was like, super schwasted.
They're staggering down the Vegas strip, leaning heavily on each other for support. They're lumbering and so unsteady that Holster isn't entirely sure how they're still on their feet.
"Bro, what are we gonna do with all that money?" Ransom asks, his words slow, lazy and slurred together.
"That's the beautiful thing about this place!" he replies, gesturing grandly in front of him and smacking Ransom in the chest by accident, though Ransom doesn't seem to notice at all. "It's Vegas! Anything you can dream up, you can do!"
"But like..." Ransom pauses and licks his lips, and Holster is a little too drunk to pretend he doesn't notice. "Shouldn't we like, maybe do something responsible with it? I dunno, like maybe save it and by Bits like...I don't know, a mountain of butter?" Ransom continues.
Holster trips over his own feet, and they nearly go crashing to the pavement. "Rans," Holster sighs once they've regained their balance. "Bitty will get his butter, one way or another."
Ransom laughs at his accidental rhyme, and it sets him off on a long giggling fit; he's always been a very giggly drunk.
"Let's just—just do what—what we want—while we're here," Holster gasps, struggling to speak through his uncontrollable giggling. "We'll—we'll deal with what's—what's left over—later."
"Okay bro," Ransom shrugs. The motion makes Holster's arm slide out from around Ransom's shoulders, and he goes tumbling to the ground, laughing hysterically the whole way.
It takes Ransom five minutes to get him to his feet again, and then another ten to walk the next block. Holster can't stop laughing, and combined with struggling to walk, it tires him out. There's still three blocks left to get back to their hotel, and he totally needs a break. The collapse on one of the multitude of benches scattered up and down the sidewalks of the strip, taking a breather.
Holster looks around at where they're at, and he notices the church-like building across the street from where they're sitting. It looks familiar, like he saw it online when he was doing his research about Vegas.
"Hey, isn't that the place that does Elvis impersonator weddings?" he asks, pointing at the white structure. At least, he thinks that's what this place was, but he's very drunk, so who knows.
"Dude, like...every chapel on the strip does Elvis weddings," Ransom chuckles, his head lolling and coming to rest on Holster's shoulder.
"Oh," Holster utters in reply.
"You...you ever wonder what an Elvis wedding would be like?" Ransom asks.
"What?" Holster frowns, looking down at Ransom quizzically, because what an...odd question to ask.
"I bet it's gotta be weird, having someone pretending to be someone who's dead performing the...the thingy...wedding. Yeah, that's the word," Ransom shrugs, jostling Holster as the other boy's shoulder knocks into his bicep.
"Nah bro, I bet it's cool," Holster argues. "I mean, like, it could be Elvis."
"He's dead, man, give it a rest," Ransom replies, and Holster can almost hear the eye roll.
"Has it ever been proved?" Holster counters, and Ransom groans.
"I'm not having this argument again."
"I'm just sayin' bro."
There's a long lull in the conversation, and Holster's about to stand up again when Ransom pipes up again. "We should like, totally find out what an Elvis wedding is like," he suggests.
Holster startles, because that—he can't be... "You're not saying..." Holster says quietly, biting his lip, heart pounding in his chest.
"It'd make for a great story," Ransom grins wickedly. "Besides, didn't you say coming to Vegas was all about going crazy?"
"I think I said you don't play it safe in Vegas..." Holster mumbles in protest, because that's very different from saying it was about "going crazy."
"C'mon man, if you can't go wild in Vegas, then where can you? And think of the story we could tell!" Ransom says, smacking him on the back in encouragement. "It'd be fucking legendary!"
And well...Holster's brain is riddled with alcohol, and he can't come up with much of coherent rebuttal. To his drunk mind, Ransom is making a lot of sense.
"Okay, let's do it," Holster shrugs, rising to his feet. It's not like these kinds of wedding places are anything serious anyway.
In less than five minutes, they're standing in a small hall. It could hold maybe twenty people at the most, and it's sparsely decorated, mostly in shades of white and pink. There's a flowery arch, and under it stand a man who indeed, looks very much like Elvis.
They both walk down the aisle, such as it is, and belatedly, Holster realizes that they're hardly dressed for the occasion. He's wearing a striped tank top and cargo shorts, while Ransom is wearing a t-shirt and...ugh, those hideous salmon shorts.
"I can't believe you wore those to our wedding!" Holster gasps dramatically. "How could you betray me like this?"
"You're the one wearing a douche tank," Ransom punches his arm.
"Touché," Holster replies. "But true love is marrying someone wearing that monstrosity," he adds, and they dissolve in a fit of giggles, while fake-Elvis looks on with an expression that clearly says, "they don't pay me enough to deal with this shit."
He doesn't wait for them to stop. "Dearly beloved..." he drones to the otherwise empty room, his voice also sounding very much like Elvis.
They don't actually get a handle on themselves until fake-Elvis clears his throat. "It's time for your vows," he says, much to their surprise.
"Uh, we don't have vows," Holster stammers, shaking his head.
"Yeah, this was kind of like, a spur of the moment thing," Ransom agrees.
"Clearly," fake-Elvis says flatly.
"Oh, you know what bro?" Holster blurts out over fake-Elvis, hopping up and down. "I should sing an Elvis song or something! It's like, the perfect punchline man!"
"Hey, that's my job," fake-Elvis objects, but not all that vigorously.
Holster rolls his eyes. "It's our wedding, let us do what we want."
"Yeah man, c'mon," Ransom presses.
Fake-Elvis puts his hands up in surrender. "You know what, I don't even care."
"Bro, you should do something really cheesy like..." Ransom urges, and then pauses, the corners of his mouth turning downward. "I don't think I know any Elvis songs bro."
"Just do Can't Help Falling In Love," fake-Elvis sighs. "The recording is already queued up. I was going to do it, but since you're both so insistent..."
"'Swawesome!" Holster whoops over the end of his sentence.
Fake-Elvis makes some motion with his hand, and the music starts playing, the gentle plunking of the piano filling the small room. Holster bursts out into his best Elvis voice as the intro ends, and it's pretty damn good; seriously fake-Elvis seems impressed. But it's still exaggerated and silly, keeping with what it is they're doing: getting married by an Elvis impersonator because they were curious as to what it would be like.
Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you
Like a river flows
Surely to the see
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand,
Take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
As an interlude plays, one that Holster is pretty sure wasn't in the original version, he can't help thinking back over the lyrics. He watches Ransom, gazing into his dark, expressive brown eyes, the same ones he's found himself staring into countless times over the last two years.
He and Ransom are so intertwined in each other's lives. They lean on each other for support whenever they need it, they go to each other whenever something good happens to them, and they go to each other when everything is normal. Holster realizes that it's gotten to a point where he can't even imagine a day when they're not together. He can't picture a future where they're not a package deal, where they're not Ransom and Holster.
In every wedding Holster has ever been to, there's a moment where the officiator directs the two persons involved to make promises to each other. In sickness and in health. For rich or for poorer.They promise each other to always be there, they say "to have and to hold, from this day forward, 'till death do we part." And it's in this moment that Holster understands, with startling clarity, what he wants. He wants Ransom by his side, forever; so he never has to worry about there being a day when they're not Ransom and Holster.
The thought is so overwhelming that he almost misses his cue to come back in.
Like a river flows
Surely to the see
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand,
Take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
For I can't help falling in love with you
By the time he's finished, Holster's started crying, the emotion of it all too much for him to hold it in.He's in love. He's in love, and he's marrying the person he's in love with.
"Bro, are you alright?" Ransom asks, looking surprised and worried about Holster's tears.
Holster pulls his glasses off momentarily to dab at the tears under his eyes. This is his epiphany, and his epiphany only. "I—yeah, I'm great man. Just—it's a great song and—you know how emotional I get," he explains, sniffling heavily as he tells Ransom a half-truth.
Ransom gives him a lopsided grin as he grabs his hands at the direction of fake-Elvis. "Yeah, I know bro. I like, know everything there is to know about you."
"Yeah, you do," Holster snorts, his face cracking into a smile. "You know everything, and you're still willing to be my best bro in spite of that."
Ransom shakes his head. "Not in spite of bro. Because of."
"You sure you won't get sick of me someday?" Holster asks, looking down at their joined hands.
"Nah man," Ransom laughs. "You're stuck with me as your best bro forever."
"Absolutely touching," fake-Elvis says dully, looking like he's about to start tapping his foot impatiently. "But there's another couple waiting so we let's get this show back on the road, shall we?"
So the ceremony rushes to its end. They do the traditional vows, making their promises of 'till death do we part. And Holster knows that they both mean it, but Holster knows he means in it in an "I love you" kind of a way, and Ransom means his in a "best bros forever" way. So when they kiss, after fake-Elvis pronounces them husbands, it's not much, barely even a peck. Holster wishes that wasn't all it was, but he's almost 99% certain his momentous shift inside wasn't mirrored by Ransom.
Fake-Elvis hurries them out, and the lady out in the lobby has them sign their paperwork, and tells them she'll be sending out the copies to the county clerk in the morning. They thank her, and stagger off to the hotel, where they have a few more drinks from the room's minibar, and then pass out.
The marriage license somehow ends up tossed in one of the dresser drawers.
A few days later, Holster is kneeling as he rummages around the room's dresser, looking for his wallet. He can't find it, and he hopes that it's somewhere in the room, and that he didn't lose it while out gallivanting around Las Vegas the night before. It's probably in the pants he was wearing the day before, but he doesn't know where he tossed them. So he's checking the dresser.
He doesn't find his pants in the dresser though. Instead, he finds a plain white envelope. It's not sealed, and there's no writing on either side. He has no idea what's inside, or where it might have come from.
"Yo Rans, what's this?" Holster inquires, holding it up over shoulder so Ransom can see it. He doesn't know what Ransom packed, and it could very easily be his.
"Uh, I dunno," Ransom replies. "I've never seen it before."
There goes that idea.
"What's in it?" Ransom asks, shuffling over to stand behind him, his chin almost resting on Holster's shoulder as he peers down at the envelope in the other boy's hand.
Holster shakes his head. "I have no idea."
"Well then, open it up bro," Ransom urges, reaching around as if to grab it from Holster.
Holster isn't entirely sure why, but he's getting a strange feeling in his chest as he stares at the envelope. "What if it's like, not ours though?" Holster stalls. "What if the people who were in here before left it?"
"What do you think is in there?" Ransom scoffs, making a grab at it. Holster quickly moves it out of his reach. "Aww, c'mon bro," he whines. "Just open it!"
Holster sighs and reluctantly lifts the flap, pulling the enclosed paper from the envelope. He slowly, carefully unfolds the document, eyebrows arching when it reveals the words "Certificate of Marriage" at the top in grand, elaborate script.
"It's a marriage certificate," Holster mumbles, earning him a smack on the arm from Ransom.
"No shit man," he says, keenly snatching the certificate from Holster's hands.
"Wonder why someone would leave that here," Holster muses quietly, staring down at the now-empty drawer while Ransom glances over the piece of paper.
"Uhh," Ransom suddenly stutters.
"What?" Holster frowns, standing up and turning around to face the other boy.
"Nobody left it," Ransom explains, his voice sounding weak and unsteady.
"What the fuck do you mean?" Holster inquires, his heart starting to race.
"If—if I'm seeing this right...it's ours," Ransom says, so quietly it's nearly a whisper.
Ransom seems frozen in place, so Holster walks around to look over his shoulder. Ransom's thumb is just below the names listed...names that are Adam Birkholtz and Justin Oluransi.
In an instant, memories start to flash across his mind. The chapel, Elvis, the song, crying, and realizing he's in love.
"Oh fuck," he whispers, his knees feeling rubbery and weak, words coming woefully short of expressing what he's feeling right now.
"You're—you're seeing it too?" Ransom asks, standing stock-still as he stares down at the marriage certificate—their marriage certificate that he's holding in his hands.
"Uh huh," Holster says. He's shocked and stunned, and he sounds like it too. Ransom doesn't seem to have any kind of memory of it, but he remember—everything—especially his revelation, of being in love with Ransom, and it's taking everything he has in him not to turn tail and run from this situation.
"Well...we're in Vegas. Maybe...maybe it isn't legit?" Ransom remarks weakly.
"We—we should call Shitty," Holster suggests feebly. Legitimate or not—it doesn't matter, because he's in love with Ransom and—fuck. Fuck.
Holster sits down on the bed, his hands shaking as Ransom dials Shitty. There are many ways this situation could play out from here, but in all but one of them, the fact that he's in love means Holster is going to get screwed. The only way he doesn't is if Ransom loves him back and that's well—there's maybe a 1% chance of that happening.
"Yo, Ransom brah, sup?" Shitty says, and it takes Holster a second realize that Ransom has put his phone on speaker.
"Hey," Ransom swallows, and Holster, now hyper-aware of the boy next to him, pretends that he doesn't watch the way his Adam's apple bobs up and down as he does. "Uh Shits, we've um...we kinda are in a...a pickle."
"Fuck brah, do not fucking tell me that you need me to like, fucking fly to Vegas bail one or both your asses out of some shithole jail cell," Shitty groans, and there's rustling in the background. It sounds kind of like bed sheets, like Shitty hasn't gotten out of bed yet.
"I wish it were that," Holster murmurs before he can stop the thought from escaping his lips.
"Oh shit man, what the fuck did you two do?" Shitty asks.
"We uh," Ransom says, squeezing his eyes shut as he tells Shitty. "I think we got married."
There's a long silence, and Holster glances down at Ransom's phone, wondering if maybe the call was dropped. But they're still connected and then—Shitty starts laughing. Like, laughing so hard that he's making no sound besides the occasional wheeze.
"Oh my fucking God," Holster hears Shitty gasp after nearly five minutes. "That might be the best thing I've heard since spring break started!"
"This is serious Shitty!" Holster shouts angrily, because here Shitty is, laughing at them, while he's possibly on the verge of having a severe panic attack.
"Holtzy, calm down bro," Ransom says, reaching over to put a hand on his shoulder. It's meant to be a supportive gesture to help him calm down, but he recoils, shying away from the touch. He—he just can't go there anymore.
Ransom looks confused, maybe even a little hurt, but he shakes his head as if to clear the emotions away and turns back to the phone. "I was just thinking...it's Vegas so, maybe it's not real?"
"Hell nah brah. Vegas weddings are 100% fucking legit man," Shitty replies and Holster feels his stomach drop right through the floor.
"Oh um, okay," Ransom says and immediately hangs up, even though Shitty has started speaking again.
Holster stares at Ransom, at a loss for words for perhaps the first time since he met the other boy.
"What do we do?" Ransom asks him.
Holster flops down face first on the bed. "The fuck if I know," he answers bitterly, his voice muffled by the spread covering the bed.
And it's not that he doesn't know what their options are, because it's a simple choice: they stay married, or they get divorced. He knows what he wants to do, but it's his heart talking there, not reason. He can't speak from his heart right now, because then he risks too much. But they have to make a decision, because they won't enjoy the rest of their trip with this hanging over them. They might not enjoy the rest of their trip anyway, but it's a given if they don't make a choice now.
"I—I hate to say that a divorce is the obvious choice but..." Ransom replies, trailing off into silence.
Holster—he doesn't know what to say, but he can't just be silent. He opens his mouth, blurting out the first thing that comes to mind, which is:
"Let's go on a date."
It's a shocking suggestion, even to his own ears, but it—it makes sense, because thinking about divorcing Ransom makes him want to throw up, and he can't just say how he feels and this—well, it allows him to stall for more time, at the very least.
"What?" Ransom says, his brow furrowing in confusion.
Holster takes a deep breath, trying together his jumbled thoughts into a good explanation for what just came from his mouth. He pushes off from the bed and stand up, pacing back and forth across the room.
"Rather...rather than making a decision immediately, let's...let's go on a date and just see...see what happens y'know? Maybe there are some like, romantic feelings there."
"What are you suggesting?"
"I'm suggesting that we see if there's...if there's a spark. Anything that tells us that being married might work out," Holster says, running his hands through his hair.
"And if there is?" Ransom frowns, his eyes following Holster's frantic pacing.
"If we think it might work out, then we give it a try," Holster shrugs. "And if only one of us thinks it won't, then we divorce, and that's the end of it."
He says the "only one of us" part, but he really means Ransom. Holster's mind is already made up; he thinks that it they would work as a married couple. But he won't force Ransom into it if he doesn't think they have a shot.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ransom asks, sighing deeply.
Holster snorts. "Nope, absolutely not," he answers, on the verge of laughter. All of this is unknown, and any choice they make could just as easily be the wrong one as it could be right. "But it's the best I've got," he adds, quitting his pacing to sit down on the bed next to Ransom.
Ransom nods, after a few long minutes spent in uncomfortable silence. "I've got no better option so...I guess we do it."
"Okay...okay," Holster says, exhaling shakily, partially relieved; he's going to at least have an opportunity. There's nothing to say that things won't still crash and burn, but having a chance is better than making the decision now.
"So what—"
"Shhh," Holster cuts Ransom off quickly, knowing what he was going to ask. "Let me take care of it."
If they're going to go on a date, Holster wants the control. He sucks at romance, but he still wants the power to do everything he can to make sure that it knocks Ransom's socks off.
"But you suck at—"
"No buts bro," Holster chides, putting a finger up to Ransom's lips to shush him. He feels like that's a line he shouldn't be crossing right now, but they've never really had any boundaries with each other, so old habits... "Go do like, whatever you want and I'll get it all figured out. Just like, come back to the room by 3:15."
Holster is already on his feet and halfway out the door when he hears Ransom call, "But you're terrible at romance!"
"No I'm not!" Holster yells back down the hallway as he jams the button on the elevator, even though it's a lie. But the hotel has a dedicated staff person who's a professional at these things. He'll seek help, and it'll be 100% romantic, regardless of whether Holster himself is any good at being romantic himself.
Once the elevator reaches the ground floor, Holster comes flying out of it, headed towards the concierge desk. He's moving faster than he probably ever has before, because his time is limited. He might be moving so fast that his feet aren't even hitting the tile, and he's just floating on top of them.
"Need romantic date ideas, stat," Holster says breathlessly, leaning up against the desk.
The concierge, a middle-aged graying man with wire-rimmed glasses, startles. "Excuse me sir?"
"What ideas do you have for a romantic date for you and your bro who you accidentally married and desperately want to stay married to but said date has to be so incredible that it convinces him to stay married to you?" Holster says, the words coming out in a rush, as if only one word.
"Sir, you're going to have to slow down," the concierge says with a frown.
"No, no, don't worry Matt, I got it," a younger looking woman interjects as she walks over to them. She has curly blonde hair and is wearing four inch heels that bring her height up to a whopping 5'1", along with a nametag that says Sally, and indicates that she's the manager on duty. "You need a killer date to convince this someone to stay married to you."
"Exactly!" Holster exclaims a little too loudly, forcefully bringing his palm down on the countertop for emphasis.
"Hmm, I think I can help you," she smiles. "Come with me and we'll see what plans we can whip up."
Holster follows her down a long hallway, into a small office. "I have to say, you're the first person I've ever met who got married in Vegas by accident, and didn't immediately ask for the nearest divorce lawyer's address," she says as she settles down at her desk, her head disappearing behind her laptop screen.
"Oh, there must be a few," Holster reasons.
"No, there really aren't," she chuckles. "If there were, trust me, I'd remember them. That's the kind thing that sticks out in this town."
"Wow," Holster gapes, because seriously? Everyone who accidentally gets married in Vegas gets divorced?
"Yeah," she replies. "Now anyway, back to your date. Let's see...among the things to do in Vegas, those that are considered the most romantic would be the High Roller, gondola rides, the fountain show at the Bellagio, and of course, more romantic restaurants than you could possibly imagine. Which of those appeal to you?"
"Uh...all of them?" Holster answers slowly, uncertainly. His instinct says that he shouldn't just pick one, and—they're all supposed to be romantic, so he wouldn't be in trouble if he followed his instinct this time, right?
"Well, if you have time, you certainly can do all of that," she remarks, leaning over and glancing at him from around her laptop.
"We have time," Holster responds quickly. "We can do all of those things...unless you think it's too much?"
He might as well ask, it's why he came down here in the first place. She's not the concierge, but she still seems to be an expert.
"I don't think it will be. Look, I'll be honest. Simply from the fact that she's—"
"He. His name is Ransom. Well, it's Justin, but I call him Ransom," Holster interjects.
"Well, since Ransom is willing to do this with you, it gives me a good feeling about how this will turn out," she grins as she begins to rapidly tap away at the keyboard.
"I hope...I hope you're right," Holster sighs.
"Just give me a few minutes and you'll be all set," she says. "And I'm almost positive I'm right. But if I'm not, you can always come and find me. I'm the on-duty for the next two days, so I'll be right here for you to yell at if I'm wrong."
"Thanks," Holster says. "I probably won't, but it's nice to know that I could if I wanted to."
"Alright, so here's an itinerary for you," she says, handing over a sheet of paper and guiding Holster to the door. "Best of luck to you."
Holster nods and then sprints back to the room. When he gets there, it's empty, save for a note that Ransom left:
Went to check out some of the stores we passed earlier in the trip. I'll be back in time.
Rans
With his itinerary all set, and not that much time left before Ransom will be back, Holster quickly heads to the shower, grooming himself to put on his best face. Dressed up in the best outfit he brought on the trip, Holster sets out Ransom's best clothes (lest he think this is a good time for those dreaded salmon shorts to make another appearance), and sets a note on top before he exits the room for the lobby.
Wear this please. Meet you in the lobby
Holtzy
He spends nearly a half hour anxiously wandering around the lobby, waiting from Ransom to come down and meet him. He's never been this nervous before in his life, but so much rides on the rest of the day. He doesn't want his heart to get shattered, and so he has to do everything in his power to convince Ransom that their marriage is a good idea. He knows he's putting forth his best effort, but the scariest part is that it might not be enough. He might do everything right, and still fail miserably, because at the end of the day, Holster can't dictate to Ransom how he should feel about him.
He has to sit down and focus on his breathing, and by the time he's calmed down, Ransom finally appears. And he looks incredible. Not to say that he doesn't look great normally, but...usually, Holster is trying to pretend he isn't looking, like he doesn't notice how good Ransom looks every day (Holster was an expert at lying to himself when it came to Ransom, right up until the wedding happened).
"You look great!" Holster blurts out as he springs to his feet, because step one to any successful date is to complement their outfit.
"I should hope so, since you picked it out bro," Ransom chirps him, punching his shoulder lightly. "You're looking pretty sharp yourself Holtzy."
Holster blushes, because it's Ransom, and he just said he looked sharp and shit, he might pull a Bitty and swoon right here in the lobby. "Thanks," he mumbles, as he feels his insides turn to warm goo.
Holster quirks his shoulders towards the door and starts walking. He's about to shove his hands in his pockets, but Ransom suddenly appears beside him and intercepts it. Holster gives him a questioning look, and Ransom shrugs.
"If it's a date, I'm going to do it right," he says. And Holster's not going to complain. Ransom's hand is large, but it's soft and warm, and he loves the way it fits into his own, their fingers twined together as they walk out of the hotel.
"So tell me man, what do you have planned?" Ransom inquires.
Holster stops because, shit, what were they supposed to do first? His brain is going crazy with Ransom complimenting his looks and holding his hand, and honestly he can't think at all. It's a good thing he thought ahead and shoved the itinerary Sally gave him in his pocket before he left the room.
He pulls out the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, clumsily smoothing it out with one hand (because he is not letting go of Ransom's hand, not until he absolutely has to). "Oh um, we're going on the High Roller first," he says, carefully watching Ransom's face for his reaction.
Ransom grins, and Holster feels relieved, until he hears what Ransom says in response. "Bro, I thought you were scared of heights."
Oh fuck, he totally forgot that he's fucking terrified of heights. And he doesn't know how tall the High Roller is, but he's seen it and it's tall. He gets scared on the itty-bitty Ferris wheels at the fair, for crying out loud.
"I am, I just...I dunno, forgot?" Holster stammers, blushing again, this time out of embarrassment.
"How do you just forget that you're afraid of heights?" Ransom chuckles, playfully nudging Holster with his shoulder.
Holster shoots Ransom a dirty look. "I was told it's really romantic and I knew I wanted us to go on it and I—I didn't stop to think about how tall it was."
"Look bro, romantic or not, we don't have to go on it," Ransom comments concernedly, gazing at Holster with soft, understanding eyes.
"No man, I mean look," Holster says, craning his neck up to look at the giant Ferris wheel, aka the "High Roller". He swallows before he says "It's not even that tall. I'll be fine."
Ransom examines him skeptically. "Holtzy, you're already shaking," he frowns.
"I'm just a little chilly, is all," Holster lies, because it's not cold. It's 75°F.
"Holster—"
"I'm serious, I'll be fine," Holster says sharply, pulling Ransom into the line. "You told me you wanted to go on this, and it's romantic, so we're doing it bro."
"Okay..." Ransom says disbelievingly, as Holster desperately tries to forget that the ride lasts thirty minutes.
When they get on, at first, it's not too bad. The buildings surrounding them block the view of how high they are, and so he's fine, even if he is a little shaky from the nervous build-up. And then it rises above the skyline, and their view of Las Vegas is perfectly clear.
And he's absolutely awed and terrified. The wheel has made maybe a quarter of a rotation, so they're only about halfway up. But he tries to act like he's not frightened; he told Ransom he could handle this. He wants Ransom to be able to look out on the city, enjoy the view, not be preoccupied dealing with his date having a breakdown over his fear of heights.
"Holster, bro, you're shaking again," Ransom points out, concern writ in his expression.
Holster shrugs. He's not hyperventilating yet, so that's a good sign that he's handling it better than he thought he would.
But they keep climbing higher and it's getting harder to stay calm. He really doesn't want to freak out, but he honestly thinks there's no way he's not going to. Right about the moment he's sure he's going to lose it, Ransom puts an arm around his shoulders, and Holster has no reservations. He turns and puts his face in Ransom's shoulder, holding onto the other boy tightly, and he starts to feel calm again.
He expects Ransom to laugh at him, or maybe say "I told you so", but he doesn't. It seems like he doesn't even think about it, simply letting Holster cling to him as he rubs slow, soothing circles up and down his back.
He doesn't know how long they sit there like that, but at some point Ransom nudges him.
"We're almost back to the bottom," he says.
Holster slowly pulls himself away, sitting up as he waits for their signal to get off. "I'm sorry," he mumbles. Ransom spent almost the whole time having to worry about him, and there was absolutely no way that was fun or romantic at all.
"Nah man, don't be," he replies, smiling softly, and it looks incredibly fond, but Holster thinks he might just be reading that into his expression. "I'm impressed you were even brave enough to get on, let alone manage the whole ride without like, passing out or something."
"Don't chirp me," Holster grumbles.
"Yo, there was no chirp intended bro," Ransom frowns. "I really meant it."
"Brave or not, I still ruined the whole thing," Holster sighs.
"You really didn't."
"You're just being nice."
"When have I ever been anything but brutally honest with you bro?" Ransom counters, and he has a point. They're always honest with each other; the fact that they're on a date shouldn't change that. Just add that to the list of things he's messed up so far.
"You're right, I'm sorry," Holster says, hanging his head in shame.
"It's cool man," Ransom shrugs. He pries one of Holster's hands out from where they are clasped in his lap and pulls him to his feet. "It's time to go."
As they exit and begin walking, Holster's body finally starts to unclench, but the knot that's formed in his stomach doesn't. He really hopes that their next activity goes better than that just did.
"Where to next bro?" Ransom questions.
"Guess."
"Aww man, c'mon, you know I'm not good at guessing games!" Ransom protests, tugging on Holster's arm like a little kid.
"Fine, I'll give you a hint. Venice," Holster grins.
"What kind of hint is that?!" Ransom exclaims, faking an indignant tone.
"Bro, it's not that hard," Holster chides gently, shaking his head. "Just think. What is Venice famous for?"
"Uh, canals..." Ransom pauses, his face screwing up in concentrated thought (it's really cute, but Holster rarely ever sees it, unless Ransom is in coral reef mode, and then he's too focused to notice). He suddenly snaps his fingers. "Gondolas!"
"Yup!"
"'Swawesome bro!"
Ransom is excited, and Holster is again, relieved. Maybe the High Roller was a disaster, but surely the gondola ride will make up for it!
They climb into the boat as soon as they get to the dock, and they pull away from the small wooden pier as the rower begins to sing, sappy romantic Italian songs, and it's exactly as Holster imagined it...at first.
They're sitting across from each other, holding hands, staring into each other's eyes and smiling like something out of a clichéd romance novel. But then Ransom's smile starts to fade, and Holster frowns.
"What's wrong man?" he inquires, the knot in his chest which had started to ease, twisting and tightening again.
"It's—I just don't feel so great," Ransom scowls.
"You didn't have anything crazy for lunch, did you?" Holster frowns, because if Ransom had gotten food poisoning or some shit like that, that would just be the worst.
"No bro, not at all," Ransom answers, starting to look green. "I—I've only been on a boat once before and I was like...super, super seasick."
"Oh shit man, I didn't know," Holster says, feeling angry with himself. How did he not know that? He should have! If he did, then he wouldn't have put someone who gets seasick on a boat, for crying out loud!
"Well you wouldn't think it would be a problem bro. Like, the water's perfectly calm," Ransom says, staring at the water's glassy surface disdainfully.
"You would not be the first," the rower shrugs, handing Ransom a bucket that was stowed under where he's standing.
"Oh, I don't think..." Ransom starts to say.
"Please take it," the rower implores. "This thing is a pain to clean."
Ransom takes it and then...well, he ends up immediately making use of it. Holster immediately moves to sit next to him, nearly tipping the gondola over in the process.
"How much longer?" Holster asks, using one had to rub Ransom's back, and the other to massage his temples, because he's getting a headache. This was not how any of this was supposed to turn out.
"Ten minutes, if I go fast."
"Please."
Ransom feels fine once he gets back on dry land, and so Holster, after he spends a good five minutes fussing over him (which Ransom finds makes his whole body feel warm), he whisks him away to dinner.
And luck is not on their side at dinner either. They get Nick as their waiter, and he might be the clumsiest waiter Ransom has ever had the privilege of being served by. He knocks over Holster's water glass and spills wine on his shirt, and act he then follows up by dropping an entire plate of food on Ransom. He doesn't really mind, but Holster is fuming. Ransom can almost see the smoke pouring out of his ears. Ransom lays his hand on top of Holster's and tells him to calm down, and he doesn't know how well that works, but at least Holster doesn't explode at Nick.
After dinner, Holster drags him to the Bellagio to watch the fountain show, in spite of Ransom's protests. They're wearing wine- and food-stained shirts, and they have no reason to expect that this will work out either. Ransom suggests that they just quit before they fall farther in time, but Holster is bound and determined that he gets at least one thing right. It's honestly endearing how hard he's trying, how much he's still invested in making this day as perfect as possible.
They're watching the show, the myriad of colors and wild water tricks, and Holster leans over in the middle of it all. "I'm so sorry man," he whispers.
Ransom waves his hand dismissively; Holster has already apologized way too many times today. Not to mention that today was just so them; this is just the way their best laid plans have a habit of turning out. "Shit happens bro. Don't sweat it."
"I just...I tried really hard to make this whole thing perfect, you know?" Holster sighs deeply, shoving his hands in his pockets as his shoulders slump forward in defeat. "But nothing worked out at all. I guess that just means...it's not meant to be."
Ransom frowns. Sure, the whole afternoon and evening went against the script Holster probably pictured in his mind. But having Holster clinging to him on the High Roller, while he looked out over the city was really, really—well, all he could think to say was nice, but that didn't really cut it. And when he was seasick, throwing up into a bucket on the gondola, Holster tried to do everything he could to make him feel better. And he took him to a fancy restaurant, even set it up so they could have candles at the table (candles that were quickly extinguished due to their graceless waiter).
He put so much time and thought and effort into the things they did, but it was in the moments that everything went wrong that it was perfect. Ransom knows Holster wanted everything to go right, but he honestly wouldn't have wanted the day to go any other way than it did.
Because Ransom knows in his heart that that's what their life would be like, if they stayed married. It would mostly be a collection of things that went wrong, and how they handled it together was what mattered most. And with Holster...things that went wrong wouldn't ever feel like bad things. He'd make the things that went wrong better.
That's really what he'd been doing all along for Ransom, almost from the very first day they met. They just clicked and as he looks at the boy he calls his best bro, upset and close to tears, Ransom realizes. Ransom doesn't believe in coincidences and random happenstances. If they got married, accident or not, it's what was supposed to happen. This...this is what they were meant to be.
"Adam," Ransom says, and Holster instantly turns his head at his first name. His first name that, until now, Ransom has never used.
"What?" he asks, eyes shimmering behind his glasses, and he looks just...so beautiful and Ransom just knows.
And he could never explain everything he feels in this moment, so he leans over and kisses Holster, just as the show begins its grand finale. The timing is poetic justice, because just as the water of the fountain explodes all over the place, Ransom feels his love and affection well up and explode out of him, flowing into the smooth slide of his lips, and the gentle touch of his fingertips on Holster's hips.
"Wow," Holster says breathlessly when they break the kiss.
Ransom grins as Holster's hands curl around his shoulders. "So man, what do you think? Should we give being married a go?"
"Really man?" Holster chuckles. "You have to ask?"
"Hey, I didn't want to assume anything," Ransom shrugs, smiling broadly.
"I love you," Holster says. "I asked you to do this date thing with me. The whole point was literally to convince you!"
"I didn't need that much convincing man," Ransom shakes his head fondly. The crowd that was watching the show has started to clear out, but they're in no rush to get moving. "I love you too, you know."
Holster's face lights up as he says it back, and it's honestly a face he'd like to see more often. But at this moment, there's something more pressing on his mind.
"You know something Holtzy?" he says.
"Hmm?" Holster hums.
"I don't remember much about our wedding night, but something tells me we might have missed a step," he continues with a smirk.
Holster's eyes darken immediately in recognition of what Ransom's implying. "I do remember, and I can tell you that we definitely missed a step."
"You remember our wedding and I don't?!" Ransom squawks unhappily as Holster starts towing him back to the hotel.
"It was touching bro, but right now that's not important. I'll tell you all about it later," Holster says quickly. And well, Ransom can't really disagree, and they take off on a sprint to their hotel.