#coatl started freaking out about it so i took over front so we could sleep | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

calavir-fr · 6 years ago

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For The Dancing and Dreaming by Tamabukku1000

Paradise was not a very patient dragon. She liked to get things done quickly, efficiently, and with a minimum amount of fuss. When she had realized she wanted to spend the rest of her days with Xander, the dragon she loved, she'd wasted no time in finding them matching rings and proposing before he ever got the chance. This was why, as much as she adored her big brother, she'd had her fair share of frustrating, irritating, and banging-her-head-against-the-wall moments over the many years he and his beloved had spent circling around each other. They had always been caught in each other's orbits, and it was only a matter of time before they collided. She wished it hadn't taken them so long to get it through their thick, stubborn heads. But now, as Paradise looked around the wedding venue on her way to Alfie's room, she thought that all the waiting might have been worth it. Alfie had showed up at Paradise's door one night, almost four months ago, and practically tackled her to the ground as he squealed in excitement. When she'd finally managed to get more than two words in edgewise and ask him why he'd showed up at her house in the middle of the night, screaming his head off, her brother simply thrust his hand in her face, grinning so hard his face threatened to split in two. Not long after, she was squealing even more loudly than he had been, and hugged him tighter than she ever had before. Daymion had been the one to propose. Oh, she knew he had been planning on it, she'd held on to the ring for Daymion while he'd been deployed in the military, but for a long time, it was the last thing on anyone's minds. After Daymion finally came home after a particularly long and soul-crushing (at least for Alfie) absence, too much happened at once to even think about a wedding. Alfie hadn't been taking care of himself in Daymion's absence, and when she told the darker Skydancer the whole story, she'd never seen such a range of conflicting emotions cross another dragon's face. Fear, regret, sadness, relief...all of these and more. It took quite a while after Daymion returned for Alfie to be completely back to his old self again, and even longer for the two of them to talk about everything that had happened. But the two of them came out stronger in the end, and Paradise always smiled when she thought of the first time they'd all gone out together as a family, all smiling and laughing and joking together, no more ghosts of the past weighing them down. Paradise arrived at Alfie's room, smiling softly as she heard four familiar voices bickering beyond the door. She knocked gently, and let herself in. Alfie's wedding was finally happening, and by the Gods, she was going to help her brother's day be as amazing as it deserved to be. Paradise was not a patient dragon, but she had waited decades for this. She could wait a few more hours if it meant everything would be perfect. _________________________________ To say Alfie was stressed was the understatement of the century. He still couldn't figure out exactly what he was going to wear, and the wedding was in three hours. He and Daynion had planned everything out meticulously, from their venue, to the catering, to their guest list, to how many drinks their friends were allowed to have before they inevitably got too drunk and started telling embarrassing stories between various rounds of horrible karaoke. They had decided to be spontaneous with how they were going to be dressed, however, because they wanted to be completely surprised and in awe when they saw the other coming down the aisle towards them. Alfie had thought it a good idea at the time, but now, holding up two separate outfits and asking his sister's three sons to judge them both, he wished he'd planned things out farther in advance. "I think you should go with the blue," the oldest son, Rizawan, said as he looked over the choices. "It'll really bring out your natural colors, and you can always add accessories, Flamecaller knows you have plenty." The middle son, Atal, scoffed in disagreement. "Riz, please, the red and white is way better. It's a great contrast, and it'll add a little more...flair to things. It's his wedding day, he needs to have all eyes on him." Alfie looked between the two desperately before turning to the youngest nephew. "Andric?" He asked. "What do you think? You're the tiebreaker." The dark green Skydancer shrugged noncommittally and stated, "You could wear either of them and outdress anyone else there, or you could combine them. It's your wedding day, man, I'm not fashionable enough to be of much help here." "You're all hopeless..." Alfie said, rubbing his temples. "Why did I think this was a good idea-" he was cut off as a knock sounded on the door, and his sister came in. "Oh thank the Gods, I've never been so happy to see your face literally ever," Alfie blurted out. "Outfit. Help. Please. I'm freaking out and your sons aren't helpful." Paradise raised an eyebrow at him, before shooing her sons out into the hallway she had just emerged from. "You're way overthinking this, you know," Paradise said calmly, going over to his outfit selections and selecting a few pieces from each set before setting them in front of Alfie and gesturing for him to try them on. "I know, you've told me that five times today," Alfie said, putting on the clothes she had chosen. "I'm freaking out over the small stuff... I yelled at your husband earlier over napkin and silverware placements." Paradise laughed as she watched Alfie struggle into his suit. "I'll bet he yelled right back, he wouldn't let you get away with that nonsense." "Yeah, he did," Alfie admitted. "Remind me again why you married him? He's scary." The green Skydancer made a few more adjustments to his look and looked up at his sister. "Well?" He inquired nervously. Paradise had to admit, her brother cleaned up well. She'd chosen the blue suit, but with the white pants from the red outfit, as well as simple gold bracelets and a simple gold necklace to accent the look. But there was still something missing... "Hang on," she said, going over to the small table on which Alfie's accessories lay, and grabbed a blue butterfly brooch from it before pinning it to his suit. "There, perfect." Alfie smiled at his sister before going over to the mirror. He did look sharp, he had to admit. "Thanks, Paradise," he said. "You're the best, you know that?" Paradise bumped him with her shoulder. "Well, obviously," she smirked. "Now come on, you've got a couple of hours before things really get started, so how about you and I go greet a few of your guests, huh?" "Aren't you worried Daymion will see us?" Alfie questioned, following his sister as she led him out of the room. "I don't want him to see me before the ceremony." Paradise's mouth turned into a mischievous grin. "Not even a little bit, big brother," she reassured him. "Trust me, he's got plenty of things to keep him busy." ______________________________ Daymion wasn't expecting too much to happen before his wedding. He'd already planned things out with Alfie for the whole day of the big event, and he knew what he was going to wear. He had no plans other than to wait until it was time to walk down the aisle and finally marry his hero. He should've known better than to think it would be that simple. The night before the big day, Daymion had been woken from his sleep by a loud knocking on his hotel door. He assumed it was Alfie, coming to remind him of something before morning. Although they'd agreed to not see each other for a whole day before the wedding, he couldn't deny that he'd rather fall asleep wrapped around Alfie's warm body than alone. "I have to say, this isn't an unpleasant surprise, but I thought you were adamant about-" Daymion stopped as soon as he saw who was behind the door. "SURPRISE!" four sets of voices shouted. Staring back at Daymion were none other than his best friends, Pesto, Noodle, Glass, and Aura. Before he could react, he was slammed into by four bodies, and taken down to the floor by the force of the group hug. "Oh my gods, you guys!" Daymion chuckled, wrapping his arms and wings around as many of his friends as he could. "I didn't think I'd see you until tomorrow." "Oh, Ayan," Aura, the small navy and purple Fae said, shaking her head. "You thought we were going to pass up the chance to throw you the most epic bachelor party ever?" "Yeah!" Pesto and Noodle said in unison. "Besides, we got here earlier than expected, and when we asked the pretty green Skydancer with the sylvan outfit where you were, she said you were here by yourself, and that's unacceptable in our books." "So now, you get a bachelor party. End of story," Glass, the ice blue coatl, added. "We're taking you out for a good time, and you can't stop us." Daymion grinned. "Well, I suppose I could come willingly instead of having you kidnap me and drag me to a bar in the middle of nowhere, so I'll take that option." "This is a wise decision," Aura said, mock seriousness in her voice. "You will not regret the inevitable fun and crazy dancing. I swear upon the Gods that this will be the most-" "Okay, okay, I get it," Daymion interrupted, laughing. "Grandiose bachelor party and all that. Now can we please go while the night is still here? I'd like to have coherent thoughts in the morning, and we're wasting moonlight." Aura and the others grinned, and the five friends went out on the town. As promised, it was a celebration of epic proportions. Pesto had worked in the fire realm for a time after he was released from active duty, so he knew a lot of good hangout spots. After hitting a few bars, dancing in a few clubs, and Glass getting hit on by a drunk ridgeback with three nose rings, they ended up at another hole-in-the-wall bar called Leona's, where the owner gave them a private room and free drinks (Daymion never learned how Pesto managed to get all of it for free, but knew better than to ask). Daymion was worn out, and pleasantly buzzed, but he was undeniably happy. Later that night, Pesto, Noodle, and Glass were drunkenly using the karaoke machine and singing along to every song that they could, even the ones they didn't know. Daymion looked on in amusement, and Aura came to sit beside him, leaning against his side. "You know," Daymion said, "if you'd told me when I met you that this is where I'd have ended up, I wouldn't have believed you." Aura chuckled. "I believe that," she replied. "You weren't always this fun." Daymion shoved his small friend playfully, and watched his inebriated friends for a few more moments before Aura spoke up again. "I'm really happy for you, Ayan," she whispered. "You deserve to be happy, and I'm happy that you're happy, and everyone's happy, and... I'm really drunk, aren't I?" "Yes, you are," Daymion conceded, "but the sentiment is there nonetheless." "How are you such a coherent drunk?" Aura asked. "Too much practice," Daymion admitted. "But thank you for noticing. And you're right, you know? I really am happy. This might be the happiest I've ever been. I have a group of awesome friends, and I'm marrying the love of my life tomorrow." There was another pause as they both contemplated things for a moment. Then, Aura murmured, "Thank you, Ayan." Daymion raised an eyebrow at her. "For what?" He inquired. "For saving my life," Aura said. "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be be here right now. I would've died in that ocean. I know you always say Alfie's the hero in your relationship, but you're my hero. And if the way I've heard you talk about him is any indication, you're his hero too." A couple of tears ran down Daymion's face, and he hugged Aura tightly to him. "Thank you," he whispered fiercely, "for being my best friend. Thank you for helping me get here." The two of them stayed like that, not saying a word, until finally their friends were actually on the verge of passing out, and the five of them slowly made their way back to Daymion's hotel room. Daymion woke up the next afternoon on the floor. His friends were all around the room, passed out in various uncomfortable-looking positions. He looked at the clock on the bedside table, and startled when he realized... "Guys, guys, get up get up get up," Daymion demanded frantically, going to each one of his friends in turn and shaking them awake. "We have two hours before the wedding and I haven't bathed, or dressed, and I'm pretty sure I still smell like alcohol." ______________________________ As the minutes ticked away, and each dragon got ready for the moment they had taken so long to realize they'd been waiting for, both of them thought of the other and smiled. As they stood at opposite ends of the venue, five minutes before they were scheduled to meet each other in the center in front of their family and friends, butterflies fluttered in both Skydancers' stomachs. Daymion was finally cleaned up, Alfie was standing with his sister, and neither was able to see the other. The hearts of the two betrothed dragons were beating so fast that they wondered if their counterpart could hear it from the other side... The music started, and each dragon took his first steps toward his soulmate. ____________________________ Alfie's breath caught when he finally laid eyes on his Daymion. His partner had kept his outfit fairly simple. He wore a black suit, white pants, and he'd even removed all the bandages he usually wore. He was absolutely stunning. Neither of them needed to be extravagant for the other, and if the way Daymion was looking Alfie over meant anything, he felt the same way. _____________________________ If Daymion hadn't been so caught up in how gorgeous Alfie looked in that moment, he might have seen how all of his friends were flashing him wicked grins or how Alfie's mother looked to be on the brink of tears. He watched as Paradise kissed her brother's cheek before going to sit in the front row, before he finally reached the dragon who he would fight an army for. _____________________________ As the two met in the middle, they immediately pressed their foreheads together and closed their eyes. "Hi," Daymion murmured. Alfie chuckled. "Hi yourself, handsome." He pulled away to look into Daymion's eyes, and saw all of the love Daymion possessed shining back at him. They were so tempted just to kiss and get to being husbands already... "Shall we begin?" A pearlcatcher's voice interrupted their staring contest. They both startled and turned to look at him sheepishly. "Yes," Daymion said, grasping Alfie's hand in his. "So ready." Alfie just smiled and nodded his agreement. As the pearlcatcher began the ceremony, neither of them were really paying attention. They kept stealing glances at each other, and shared small smiles. They only turned their attention back to the actual ceremony when the pearlcatcher said: "I believe you both wrote your own vows?" The two nodded, and turned fully to each other. Alfie started to remove his notes from his suit pocket, but Daymion stopped him. Alfie looked at him questioningly. "Me first," Daymion insisted. Alfie smiled and nodded. Daymion cleared his throat, and looked Alfie directly in the eye. "So, I didn't write anything," Daymion started. "But I knew that if I did, it would just be long and repetitive, and I'd keep stumbling over everything I wrote, so I just need to speak from the heart, I guess. Alfie, I've always loved you. From the time we were kids, I loved you. When we were fighting for so, so long, I loved you. I loved you through every scratch, burn, jail sentence, and near-death experience. Maybe I didn't always acknowledge it, or let you believe it, but it was there. It never left. I always knew that no matter what happened between us, I could never really escape you, because you are the only one my heart could love like this. There's no one else. You are my person, my reason to live, my everything. Even when I thought I hated you, my life revolved around you. Alfie, you are irreplaceable. My world would be a lot darker if you weren't in it. So, I guess what I'm really trying to say is, thank you for not giving up on me. You saw me, even when I thought you were done with me, and you brought me back. And even if it takes me a while sometimes, I will always, always come back to you." Alfie could barely see through the haze of tears that covered his vision. They fell even faster when Daymion reached up to gently wipe them off his cheeks. "How am I supposed to top that, huh?" He sniffed. Daymion smiled softly at him and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Alfie wasn't sure it was possible for someone to love someone else as much as he did Daymion in that moment. He took a deep breath and pulled away slightly. "Okay, okay," Alfie said, pulling his notes out of his pocket. "Daymion, I can't even begin to tell you how much I love you, because I don't think there are words for that sort of thing. We've had more trials and obstacles put in our path than any two dragons should ever have to go through, and we came out on top. And even though I regret a lot of things that happened between us, if it meant that I could be here with you, promising you everything I have, I wouldn't change a thing. And that's saying a lot, considering how much I wish I could have changed for us. You were always here, right in front of me this whole time, and I almost didn't see it until it was too late. But you gave me the chance to love you for everything that you are, and I will always, always take that chance. You said you will always come back to me, and maybe I didn't always deserve that, but I promise, I will always be here for you to come back to. I love you more than anything else, Daymie. I wouldn't trade you for the world." There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Paradise was two steps away from ugly crying like a baby. Daymion's friends were all huddled together, watching the couple as their eyes and noses ran simultaneously. No one else was fairing much better. The pearlcatcher even wiped a couple of tears away before continuing, but Daymion and Alfie barely heard her. They were too engrossed in each other to notice anything else. They hardly noticed when it was time to say the final words that would pronounce them married. "Do you, Alfie, take-" "Yes," Alfie interrupted. A few chuckles were heard from the audience, and Daymion smiled. Alfie blushed. "I mean, I do." The pearlcatcher continued, "and do you, Daymion, take Alfie as yours for as long as you both shall live?" "I do," Daymion said, before finally, finally kissing Alfie, because he simply couldn't wait any longer. The pearlcatcher only smiled and finished the ceremony, knowing she couldn't possibly tear them apart now. Alfie kissed Daymion back with everything he had, and the two stood there, in a world of their own, as the rest of the real world around them rejoiced. __________________________________ Paradise was not a very patient dragon. She had been waiting all day to eat something, anything, and her stomach was reminding her of that every five seconds. Normally, she wouldn't have let anything stop her from going straight to the buffet and getting as many insects as she could pile onto one plate. But as she watched her brother and his husband take their first dance as husbands, bodies melded into one, even closer than they had been at her own wedding, she smiled. She watched as every now and then one would whisper something into the other's ear, or they would share a chaste kiss, not caring who saw, because nothing could phase them now. Alfie and Daymion were unbreakable, and Paradise's heart soared. Xander leaned over and kissed her cheek, and she smiled even wider. Paradise was not a patient dragon, but she knew better than to try and rush true love. It had taken decades to get here. Her stomach could wait a few more minutes.

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