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It’s impulsive. Kind of, anyway.
Planning a wedding never seems like a straightforward, easy task even at the best of times. Planning a wedding when you and your fiancé have two young children is a whole other ball game. Anytime they want to go see anything - a venue, a florist, a suit shop - they have to either find a sitter or risk taking their girls somewhere very much not designed for kids. It’s not all bad - they love their girls and the whole point of this is to symbolize how they’re sharing their lives with each other which very much includes the two most important pieces.
It would just be nice to get more than five minutes at the end of the day before one of them falls asleep to really work on it, is all.
It all comes to a head four months before the wedding. They’ve got most of the big details hammered out, but the small details are endless. Poe vaguely remembers similar frustration on his first go round but now he’s finding it increasingly difficult to care about details like napkin colours when his fiancé is in the next room getting their kids ready for bed. They decide to take a day off in the middle of the week and hammer out as much as they can.
They get up at the same time as usual, get their five minutes of sleepy cuddles and soft kisses before he gets the girls up. They take the kids to school together and quietly turn right back around and head home.
They settle at the dining table with their many lists. Bebe curls at his feet, quick to get over her excitement of their early return.
“Okay,” Finn splays his hands over the mound of papers. “Should we start with the seating arrangement?”
He makes a face. “Can’t we just let people decide that on their own?”
“Do you really think our dear, beloved friends and family are mature enough to make that decision for themselves?”
“Yeah, that’s a good point, we do run with some reprobates, huh?” He grins at Finn’s expression and covers his hand over Finn’s. “Can we start with something that requires a bit less strategic thinking? Neither of us deserve that this early.”
Finn hums, idly playing with Poe’s fingers as he looks over the list. “Ideas for the kids corner?”
“Mmmmm,” He catches Finn’s thumb in his grip. “I maintain a bouncy castle would be a hit for kids and adults alike.”
Finn’s eyes crinkle with a genuine amusement that he probably thinks he can hide from Poe. “With the open bar?”
“Exactly! Everyone will be so busy on that thing I’ll actually get to enjoy the reception with my gorgeous new husband.” He runs the tip of his thumb over the delicate skin on Finn’s wrist, light enough to make Finn shiver. “Have you met him? He’s a dentist but he’s really nice.”
“Keep talking like that and we’ll see if he shows up to the wedding.”
He tugs Finn’s hand up and kisses his knuckles in a non-apology for his right and accurate opinion of Finn’s profession. “He knows I love him.”
“He does,” Finn squeezes his hand. “And he also doesn’t want to have to call paramedics on his wedding night for any reason.”
“Yeah, bouncy castle’s out.” He tries to picture what could satisfy a kid that wouldn’t also ruin whatever nice clothes they’d be wearing. The wedding and reception are happening at this nice little place just out of town, surrounded by trees. The kind of idyllic spot he’s dreamt about since he was a kid. The kind of place they’d take the kids and Bebe for a picnic, to just sit in the sun together. Exactly the kind of place he could picture their wedding at. Though, really, he’d be happy to do that anywhere. “We’ll come up with something.”
Finn grins at him. “Are we gonna come up with it soon?”
“Mhm, we’ll keep brainstorming. Next topic?”
Finn hums. “Registry?”
“That’s easy, none. Next!”
“People are going to want to get us something, Poe.”
“I’m in love with a wonderful and kind man that loves me. We’ve got two amazing kids and a dog that only wakes us up in the middle of the night once in a while, and we’ve got a good home that’s already pretty full of stuff. What else could I want?”
Finn’s chair screeches back when he stands up and leans over the table. He takes Poe’s head in his hands, kissing him soundly.
Poe grabs at Finn’s shirt and presses closer, delighted at this development even as his ribs dig into the table. It gets even better when he thinks to stand up; he presses his fingertips against Finn’s jaw and tilts his head, the absence of pain in his side nearly as good as the slide of Finn’s tongue in his mouth.
It ends just as abruptly as it began. Finn breaks the kiss and drops back into the chair, . “I, uh - didn’t mean to do that.”
He swallows, breathing deeply as he tries to think about something other than the feeling of Finn’s mouth on his. “No?”
Finn covers his eyes with his hands and groans softly. “We didn’t take the day off to have sex.”
“I didn’t think sex was on the table.” He blinks, heat rushing through his face as he blinks down at the table between them. “Um, I mean - you know what I mean.”
Finn sighs. “It’s not. We’re responsible adults, we can’t just take the day off work to have sex.”
“Finn,” He presses his hands down on the table, leaning closer. “We’re home alone. For seven hours. We could have sex anywhere and we can be as loud as we want to be - just think of the possibilities.”
Finn groans. “We said no sex today.”
He bites his lip. “What if we have sex if we get the seating chart done?”
Finn’s eyebrows lift up high, his hands dropping from his face. “Yes.”
“Awesome.” He drops back into his seat. “Let’s do this.”
Finn nods, pulling the guest list out. “Okay, most important stuff first. Who’s sitting at the head table?”
“The girls are gonna want to be there, so having Rey and Karé also close would probably be for the best. The real question is whether we want to be that close to our parents on our wedding night.”
Finn grimaces. “Why does it feel like we’re going to have to sneak around our own wedding?”
“That’s just how weddings are. One night for everyone close to us and then we get the rest of our lives for ourselves.”
“Mm,” Finn sighs, resting his cheek on his palm. “That sounds nice, I want to move to that part.”
He hums. He’d marry Finn today, if he could. He wants to be married to Finn. Why isn’t he married to Finn?
He should be married to Finn.
“Marry me.”
Finn blinks, his brow knit. “Baby, you remember me proposing to you before, yeah? I put a lot of work into that. We’re literally planning our wedding right now.”
“No - I know, of course I remember, it was amazing, but - I mean,” He takes a breath and covers Finn’s hands with his own. “Let’s go kidnap Karé and Rey and go get married at City Hall. Today.”
The crease across Finn’s forehead deepens as he thinks it over. “Poe, we’ve got so many non-refundable deposits and the invitations are all out and -“
“And we can still have the wedding, just - we’ll already be married. That can be for our family and friends and it’ll still be amazing, but - it’s still four months away. I don’t want to wait four more months to be married to you.”
Finn bites his lip but the corners of his mouth start to lift upwards anyway. “What about the girls?”
“They could be there - I’d love it if they were there - but they definitely won’t be able to keep it secret. It wouldn’t be fair to ask them to keep it secret. Should we keep it secret?”
“Our parents would probably lose it if they found out. God, my moms would think you knocked me up. we’d have to keep it a secret from everyone.” Finn looks down at their joined hands. “We’d still have the wedding but we could get married today. Just us.”
He drags his thumb over Finn’s knuckles. “It’s up to you, yeah? I’m in, but only if you are too.”
Finn nods. He meets Poe’s gaze with a smile that makes Poe’s chest feel tight. “Let’s get married.”
--
After five minutes or so of excited scrambling they manage to scoop up the one free appointment today, provided they can make it there in 45 minutes. They call Rey and Karé and tell them they’re going to be picked up in half an hour.
Trading bubbly laughs and quick kisses, they dress in their best suits and finally take the rings from where they’ve been been sitting collecting dust on the dresser.
They make it to City Hall with five minutes to spare.
“Hey guys,” Karé wraps her arm around the back of Poe’s seat and leans forward. “What the fuck is going on? Why are we at City Hall?”
Finn smiles at him, fingers tapping on the steering wheel. “We’re getting married.”
“What?”
Rey is silent for a long moment before she gasps. “Finn, are you pregnant?”
“Oh my God,” Finn rolls his eyes. “No, I’m not pregnant. We’re still going to have the wedding, we just - we want to be married.”
“Are you guys high?” Karé looks between them, frowning much more than she should be for someone whose best friend is about to get married. “Is someone blackmailing you?”
“Is somebody blackmailing me into marrying the man I love? The man I’ve been engaged to for over a year?”
She shrugs. “What logical reason would you have to get married today when the date’s been set for ages?”
“I’m in love with Finn and he’s in love with me and we want to be married to each other?”
He takes her silence as a tacit endorsement.
Rey looks over at Finn. “You’re sure about this?”
He nods. “Yeah, I am. I really am.”
“Okay!” Karé claps. “Secret wedding. Let’s do this.”
—
The officiant is an older woman that introduces herself as Ethyl. She has keen eyes that soften when she smiles and a sure voice that he thinks is a great voice to be married by. He might just be excited to be getting married, though.
She gets them to pick a script and shows them to a boardroom on the fifth floor, leaving to prepare the certificate. It’s not the gorgeous, outdoor venue they’ve had booked for a year but it’s got a big window that stream sunlight into the room and soften the fluorescent lights. This is where they’re getting married.
“Hey,” Karé holds her hand up in front of him. “Give me your phone.”
“What, why?”
“You’re getting married, somebody needs to take it seriously.” She takes it with an unimpressed look. “Your battery is at sixteen percent, what is wrong with you?”
Finn gives his phone to Karé. “Here, something borrowed.”
“I think that’s supposed to be you.”
Poe squeezes Finn’s hand. “We’re making our own traditions.”
“Yeah, I’ll say.” Karé elbows Poe. “If you guys ever elope again, maybe you can at least let me know to wear something nicer than jeans.”
Ethyl enters the room with a paper in her hand, smiling softly. “Are you ready to begin?”
“Yeah, yes.” He nods quickly, smiling as he looks between her and his soon-to-be-husband. “Yes.”
Ethyl leads them to a small podium in front of the window. Finn turns to stand across from him and holds his hands out, smiling in a way that Poe really wants to see for the rest of his life. Rey stands behind Finn and Karé, rolling with the sudden and self-inflicted title of cinematographer, stands a few feet back, completing this tiny circle of some of the most important people in his life - and Ethyl, who has quickly skyrocketed herself from total stranger to the person making this quicky wedding possible.
He takes Finn’s hands. Finn’s smile grows, showing off his perfect teeth, those always kissable lips, that gaze that makes him feel like his bones are made of gel, like he’s able to remain standing only because of Finn’s grip, because falling would mean putting space between them.
“This couple has come here today to be joined in marriage, which is the voluntary union of two persons to the exclusion of others. Marriage is not a single event, but rather a developing process which is not to be undertaken recklessly or irresponsibly, but rather maturely and honestly.”
He squeezes Finn’s hands. Finn’s eyelids crinkle as he squeezes back.
“Marriage is the faithful union between two persons, the result of which is the formation of a family whose members shall help, support, and enjoy each other in good times and in bad. It is the relationship these two persons wish to have declared and celebrated. Finn, are you lawfully free to marry Poe Dameron?”
“I am.”
“Poe, are you lawfully free to marry Finn Johnson?”
He nods. “I am.”
“Finn, please repeat after me: I call upon these persons here present,”
“I call upon these persons here present,”
“To witness that I, Finn Johnson,”
“To witness that I, Finn Johnson,”
“Take you, Poe Dameron, as my lawfully wedded husband.”
Finn takes a deep breath, his eyes shining. “Take you, Poe Dameron, as my lawfully wedded husband.”
Ethyl turns toward him. “Poe, please repeat after me: I call upon these persons present,”
“I call upon these persons present,”
“To witness that I, Poe Dameron,”
“To witness that I, Poe Dameron,”
“Take you, Finn Johnson, as my lawfully wedded husband.”
“Take you, Finn Johnson, the love of my life, as my lawfully wedded husband.”
Finn breathes a laugh. It takes every morsel of willpower Poe has to keep from leaning in and kissing him.
“Finn, you may now state your vows.”
Finn glances at Ethyl, nodding quickly. “Poe, you are so kind and loving and generous - as a friend, as a father, and as my partner. I’m so excited to spend the rest of my life with you - to watch our girls grow up together, to discover whatever else life has to offer with you.”
Finn pauses and takes a deep breath. He squeezes Finn’s hand, unsure how to convey the magnitude of his feelings in a way that wouldn’t break their fingers. Finn squeezes back. “You make me so happy, every day my life is better because of you, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to give that to you, too - to be there when you need me, whether that’s making sure you don’t fall off the roof when you put up Christmas lights or holding your hand when you’re at the dentist. I love you.”
He laughs, sniffing as he tries to blink the blurriness from his vision. Finn drops one of his hands and grazes his thumb over Poe’s cheek, leaning in just enough to press their foreheads together.
“Okay, it’s my turn.” He lets himself lean into Finn’s touch for a moment before pushing back and glancing at Ethyl. “Um, right?”
She nods with a soft smile. “Yes, Poe.”
“Okay,” He bites his lip and takes Finn’s hand again. Finn watches him, his gaze as warm as his touch. “You, Finn Johnson, have been the man of my dreams since before we met. Back then, you were the really cute daycare dad and your face would be the one I’d see when I let myself daydream about being swept off my feet. I never thought that would be something I’d get to have.
“When we did finally meet, you were so much better than anything I could have imagined. Being with you has been like taking a big breath after being underwater - like coming home after a long trip. You are my home - you, Charlie, and Shara. You’re my present, and my future, and everything in my past was just bringing me one step closer to this, to standing here with you. I love you so much and I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing that to you.”
Finn lifts their joined hands and kisses his knuckles, blinking furiously as a couple tears begin to fall, tracing paths down his face until they make contact with Poe’s hand.
He brings his other hand up and wipes them away, slow to move from the curve of Finn’s soft cheek. “I really want to kiss you right now.”
Finn laughs, a gloriously warm melody that he can feel against his fingertips. “We’re almost there.”
Ethyl nods. “Do you have the rings?”
He turns towards Karé and takes his mother’s ring, glancing down at it. It gleams in the sunlight, a shiny golden band that always entranced him as a child.
“Finn, please place the ring on the third finger of Poe’s left hand and repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed.”
Finn takes his hand and slides the ring onto his finger, smiling brilliantly. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
“I shall love, honour, and cherish thee, and this ring is the symbol of my love.”
“I shall love, honour, and cherish thee,” Finn runs his thumb over the ring. “And this ring is the symbol of my love.”
“Poe, please place the ring on the third finger of Poe’s left hand and repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed.”
He takes Finn’s left hand. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
The ring slides on easily. Hardly a surprise, considering he’d gotten it resized just after Finn had proposed, but it’s exhilarating seeing it resting on Finn’s finger all the same. She would’ve loved Finn.
“I shall love, honour, and cherish thee, and this ring is the symbol of my love.”
“I shall love, honour, and cherish thee, and this ring is the symbol of my love.”
“At this time, the wedded party and their witnesses will sign the official marriage registration.” She gestures them to the podium.
He steps up to it, next to Finn - next to his husband, his husband Finn, Finn Johnson, his husband - and puts his hand on his husband’s back as Finn signs it. Finn gives him the pen and takes a step to the side, tucking his arm into Poe’s. He signs his name and takes a moment to admire the sight of it right next to Finn’s, the handful of words on a single piece of paper that tie their lives together.
Rey surreptitiously pulls the pen from his grasp and quickly signs below Finn before trading it off to Karé for Finn’s phone. He
They do a strange little shuffle around the podium to return to their proper spots and Ethyl gives a small nod at the document. She looks up at them, smiling. “By virtue of the powers vested in me by the Province of British Columbia, I do hereby pronounce you, Poe Dameron and Finn Johnson, to be married.
“May you enjoy the fulfillment of hopes and contentment of mind, as you day by day live and fulfill the promises you have made to one another. I wish you long life, happiness, and prosperity, and may the vows you made to each other today sustain you forever. You may celebrate your marriage with a kiss.”
They both use their hands to tug the other closer, somehow meeting in the middle. Finn wraps his arms around Poe’s waist, holding him close. Smiling far too hard to maintain a kiss, he nuzzles Finn instead, hugging him close. “Love you.”
Finn rubs his back. “Love you too.”
At some point he registers the enthusiastic clapping coming from their witnesses. He and his husband disengage, just enough to see past each other.
“You’re welcome to stay here for the remainder of the hour.” Ethyl smiles at them. “You can come grab me when you’re ready to leave. Congratulations to you both.”
“Thank you so much.”
He pulls Finn back in and scatters kisses over his cheek, the tip of his nose, his chin, the corner of his mouth. Finn tilts his jaw and breathes a laugh, his fingers warm on the back of Poe’s neck.
“Holy shit,” Karé breathes. “That just happened.”
He laughs. “You’re my husband.”
“I am,” Finn nods, smiling wide. “I married you.”
He cups Finn’s jaw and kisses him. “We’re married.”
“Huh,” Rey looks around the room. “Do we just - leave now?”
“What kind of reception would be appropriate for a wedding where all two guests were in jeans?”
Ignoring Karé, he rubs Finn’s shoulders. “What do you think?”
Finn hums, his gaze trailing over Poe’s face in a way that reminds him of a cozy little cottage tucked away on a beach. “I think I’d like to go home.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” He nods and leans forward, resting his forehead against Finn’s. “Let’s go home.”
Before they have a chance to move, Karé wraps her arms around them. “You guys are absolutely ridiculous, but I’m glad I got to be here with you.”
Rey adds herself to the pile, wrapping an arm over his back. “Me too.”
He laughs and doesn’t try to fight the wave of emotion as it crests. Here he is, huddled together with the love of his life and their two closest friends, having just declared how much they love each other. Finn’s ring is a comfortable weight on his finger, a very welcome reminder that Finn is his and he is Finn’s, that he’s not going to wake up one day to an empty bed in an empty house. He sniffs. “Wow, guys. Calm down a bit, it’s not your wedding.”
Karé flicks his cheek.
“Okay,” Finn leans back and slowly disengages, quickly wiping his cheek. “Enough of that, we can’t just stand around here all day.”
He grins, rocking on his heels. “Still got a wedding to plan, after all.”
Finn’s laugh is like music to his ears.
—
They do actually manage to make some progress with wedding plans once they get home. Kind of.
First, they are very happy to discover that married sex is incredible. Not that it isn’t usually great, but there’s something about having just officially tied their lives together that makes it very, very good. They stay in bed after and talk idly about their now second wedding as Poe basks in unrushed naked cuddling. It’s mostly naked cuddling, but they do manage to order a guestbook before they have to go pick the girls up.
Rings temporarily tucked away on chains around their necks, their arms brush with every other step. He jokes about how jealous all the soccer moms would be if they saw him pull up with Finn and a pair of matching rings.
They do get some looks from the other parents when they arrive. It may or may not be equal parts judgemental and jealous, but he can’t be bothered to think about any of it when he’s standing next to his husband. The girls are blissfully ignorant too, running towards them when they notice Finn is with him.
“Dad!” Shara and Charlie hug Finn’s waist. “What are you doing here?”
Finn leans down to press a kiss to their foreheads. “I got out of work early and I wanted to surprise you.”
“Ahem,” He pretends to clear his throat, giving them all a pointed look. “Are you ladies forgetting about someone?”
“You pick us up every day, papa.”
“Yeah, but today’s special.” He holds his arms out and reminds himself that it’s a totally normal day as far as they’re concerned, that he’d just freak them out if they saw him get all emotional. He manages to keep it light. “Love you.”
Their chorus of love you too, papa is half-muffled by his stomach. He releases them and the four of them start towards home. “Why’s today special, papa? Is it someone’s birthday?”
“No, baby. It’s just a really good day.”
“Oh.” Charlie and Shara share a disappointed look.
Finn sends him a grin. “Did you have a good day at school?”
“Uh huh,”
He nudges Finn. “What did you do?”
“We drew some stuff in art class and Ms. P read us a funny book about Clifford.”
“And Tommy threw up at lunch.”
“Oh yeah!” Charlie exclaims, looking at Shara like she couldn’t believe she forgot about such an important moment. “That was funny.”
He blinks. “Is Tommy okay?”
“Yeah,” Shara nods. “He finished his lunch later.”
Fantastic.
Finn breathes a laugh and moves closer to Poe, linking their arms together. “So what do you girls want to do tonight?”
“Can we go horseback riding?”
“We don’t have a horse, baby.”
Charlie sighs as if this hasn’t come up a hundred times in the last month. Hopefully this is just a good sign for the lesson package they just purchased for her upcoming birthday.
“Can we watch Into the Spiderverse?”
“Again?”
“Yeah!” Charlie joins in with Shara, apparently over her disappointment. “Can we?”
Finn looks between him and the girls a few feet ahead of them. “What do you think? That a good honeymoon?”
He hums, leaning in close to his husband. “I think that sounds perfect.”