A/N: This is the Chudley Cannons Captain checking in for Season 10 Round 7 of the QLFC.
Captain: Write a fluff fic featuring soulmates.
Word count (before A/N): 1,487 words
Rolf is greeting the new girl—young woman—a slender blonde with eyes so blue-grey, they feel like they're piercing his heart.
She has a delicate smile, like the Mona Lisa. A secret behind her gaze. She knows something. Something good. Something monumental building in the moments leading up to their greeting. Their first meeting. Their hands outstretched for a polite hello.
There's something about the way her eyes bore into him. Something that gives him pause, only for a moment, before he places his hand in hers.
And it is there, touching, that he understands.
Rolf was surprised to find his mind peacefully blank as he stared out over the smiling faces of friends, family, and otherwise attending his wedding.
Rolf had half expected to find a well of nerves pooling in his stomach; however, there was something about that night, under the light of a thousand stars, the trill of violins floating in the air, that gave him a sense of calm so unexpected, he found himself humming along to the tune.
He wasn't one to seek attention. In fact, he abhorred having that many eyes on him on a good day.
But the truth was, Luna would be walking down that aisle soon, guided by glow bugs and night-blooming jasmine placed delicately along each side. That knowledge, it seemed, was enough to replace any fear from bubbling over.
The music shifted, the violins slowing in their melody. The guests stood, and finally, their eyes flickered to the other end of the aisle, where the long, white carpet began. On either side stood white folding screens covered in evening primrose and queen of the night cactus.
Right now, Luna was standing behind one of those screens, about to turn the corner.
He held his breath, taking in as much of the moment as he could. The venue itself was beyond his wildest imaginations—a remote cliffside wedding at midnight. Not many would have chosen it, but it was exactly what they wanted, an encapsulation of their budding love. A combination of everything so very Luna and so very Rolf.
The violins paused for a moment, one lone player elongating its final note before striking up the wedding march.
And then it happened—she arrived.
Rolf felt the collective breath of their audience, the happy sighs, the admiring shock, as Luna stepped out from behind her partition. Even Rolf gasped.
He knew she was beautiful, had always known it, but wow.
Her dress flowed like ocean waves, white tulle racing from the nape of her neck down to her bare feet. Sewn into the sleeves, the bodice, the waistline, all the way down her train, were delicate purple, pink, and blue flowers. Rolf had watched Luna hand pick each one of those flowers during the months leading up to this day, magically preserving them so she could attach all three-hundred-and-thirty-seven when the time was right.
She'd done a marvelous job.
Luna walked slowly toward him, her hair glowing silver under the light of the waxing moon. Little glow bugs danced around the crown of her head in a halo—something Rolf had trained them to do during a slow night at work. The effect of their glow gave Luna's smile an impish effect that made Rolf's heart race.
All the wonders of the world lived inside Luna's smiles; he just knew it. It had taken years to uncover their secrets, and he was prepared to spend his lifetime discovering the rest.
By the time she reached him, all Rolf could think about was Luna's smile, its hidden treasures, the way his heart skipped each time she revealed one to him. It wasn't the time for it; on the contrary. The ceremony had barely begun.
But he captured her lips with his anyway, because she was standing right there, iridescent under the glowing moon, stars twinkling in her grey-blue eyes.
He felt her smile against his lips.
She smiled against his lips, her grin breaking their kiss, as giggles escaped like twinkling wind chimes in a late summer's breeze.
When they broke apart, Rolf caught the glimpse of a twinkle in her eyes, the way those grey-blue orbs shined up at him. He wanted those eyes to stay on him forever. He wanted the beauty of her gaze to always give him a peace like this.
Luna seemed to understand. She caught his eyes with hers once again, the giggles fading, revealing a soft smile, the tiny corners of her mouth turned upward, just for him.
Then, those same gorgeous eyes flickered down to her hand. Her left hand. Rolf loosened his grip around Luna's waist, giving her the space to both lean against him and admire the ring on her finger at the same time.
He'd picked the wedding band out the moment he knew she'd be his—a delicate moonstone nestled in a set of silver bands, four criss-crossing metal ribbons on her finger. His unbroken promise to love her always. It sparkled in the starlight above.
Luna looked back up at him, this time her smile so wide, Rolf could practically count every single one of her teeth.
They'd never talked about it before, but they both had wanted this, a quiet, intimate, informal wedding. Rolf wasn't one for attention, and Luna preferred wearing layers of cotton to tulle anyday.
It was a bit of dumb luck on their part that it happened so easily. They had been visiting his grandparents in New York City. It started as a simple comment, a silly one-day wish where Rolf had said he couldn't wait to be old and in love like them, that he'd count the days till he'd get to be so transfixed by his wife even when he could barely walk.
Luna had smiled then, a knowing smirk, another secret revealed.
Their plane tickets were swapped, their bags rerouted. Vegas awaited.
And now, standing in the penthouse suite of some all-too-glittery hotel, Rolf held Luna close, feeling her breathe against him. Feeling his wife breathe against him, their bodies pressed tight, their smiles brighter than the Luxor beacon.
Together, they watched the moon rising over the desert floor beyond the valley of casinos and carefree patrons, taking in the red mountains with a kind of awe Rolf could only describe as all consuming.
Overhead, the stars shone like glow bugs. One fell, shooting across the inky black Nevada sky.
A whip of light in the nighttime sky caught their attention. A shooting star. Luna saw it first, her thin lips pulling back into a cheshire grin, before pointing to it. Rolf looked too, grateful for the minor distraction.
His nerves had gotten to him, it seemed.
Luna, brave, beautiful Luna, did not seem to care that their parents were watching as they said their I-do's under the glistening light of a full moon.
They'd wanted an intimate wedding, sure, but Rolf wondered briefly if a wedding with just immediate family was intimate or plain intimidating. At least with a grand affair, they'd have a few sets of strangers to focus on when the ball of nerves bubbled over like a potion gone awry.
Then, he felt Luna's soft hand touch his face, pulling him back into the moment, into her, those grey-blue eyes so clear and certain.
"A bit of good luck," she said. That's what the star was. A bit of good luck and a promise from the heavens for good fortune.
Rolf smiled back at his soon-to-be wife, letting her tell him all she needed to with the sweet smile on her face, the delicate glow of her blonde hair under the shine of the moon. She had on a simple dress, white lace to cover her up from the fall chill. He had picked out his best yellow robes to complement the set of tuberose flowers stitched into the seams of his and Luna's clothes.
Then he took one last look at the three people come to bear witness to this union. The nerves lessened.
Luna grabbed his hands, and Rolf was instantly home.
Rolf is greeting the new girl—young woman—a slender blonde with eyes so blue-grey, they feel like they're piercing his heart.
She has a delicate smile, like the Mona Lisa. A secret behind her gaze. She knows something. Something good. Something monumental building in the moments leading up to their greeting. Their first meeting. Their hands outstretched for a polite hello.
And then he sees it all, as her hand slips into his. He sees the moments to come, the perfect pieces falling into place, the Mona Lisa secrets finally shared.
There are infinite ways for them to get there—he sees every single one of them, every wedding day that could be, if he plays his cards just right.
But he knows, just as she does, it isn't written in the stars quite yet.
Because soulmates aren't found. They're made.