Work Text:
Let's Let Married, Norman!
"NOOOORMAAAAAAAAN! RAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY!" little five-year-old Emma ran up to her best friends who were talking together, Ray with a book in his lap like always.
"Look, look! I'm a bride!" she grinned as she stopped in front of them and pulled out a white towel, draping it over her head.
Both boys blinked at her and stared.
"What do you mean, Emma?" Norman asked, cocking his head.
"I was in the library with some of the older girls and they showed me this book with a picture of a really pretty lady! Almost as pretty as mama!" the girl excitedly threw her arms up to emphasize her point before continuing, "She was wearing a dress just as white as our clothes and she also wore a piece of cloth over her head, though hers was see through! Am I pretty like her?" she spun around.
"A-Ah! S-Sure! I mean, I think you're always pretty, Emma!" Norman stuttered, his cheeks red at Emma's innocent question.
"Yay!" the girl cheered happily before looking at Ray expectantly.
"Whatever." the boy just scowled up at her before focusing back on his book, making Emma pout.
Norman giggled at their dynamics before looking at the girl again.
"What actually is a bride?" he asked and she blinked.
"I don't know." she answered.
"Eh?!"
"I wasn't really listening to what the older girls were saying! I was too focused on how pretty the bride was!" she defensively crossed her arms, her face a little red from embarrassment.
"Found it!" the both jumped and turned to look at Ray who was pointing down at his book.
"It says here that a bride is a woman who marries someone else. The cloth on her head is also called a veil." he explained to his friends who cooed in awe.
"And what is marries?" Emma then asked.
"When a bride gets married to someone she loves she promises to be together with the other person forever." Ray read and she gasped.
"Then I want wanna get married with everyone here!" she announced with a huge smile.
"W-What?!" Norman yelped in surprise.
"Nope. You can only marry one person and if you want to marry someone else then you have to stop being married to the first." Ray casually shut her down.
"What?! Seriously?!" Emma whined and he nodded and pointed at his book again to proof his point.
The girl crossed her arms and looked down, obviously thinking hard before perking up again and looking the Norman.
"Then I wanna marry Norman!" she said, oblivious on how the poor boy looked close to a panic attack.
"Wha- Me?!" he cried as he pointed to himself in disbelief and she nodded her head, the antenna on her head swinging back and forth.
"Yeah, you're one of my best friends, Norman!" she said.
"But what about Ray?" Norman asked as he pointed at the other boy.
Emma huffed at that and said "Yeah, he's my other best friend but he's mean sometimes and you are always nice and play with me all the time! And you said I'm pretty!"
"Y-Yeah but-" "And I think you're pretty too! I like your eyes and hair!" she added and he choked while Ray snorted.
Emma then grabbing Norman's hands in hers and beamed.
"Let's get married, Norman!"
"Dear family and friends, we are gathered here to witness and celebrate the joining of Emma and Norman in marriage." Isabella spoke formally with her usual motherly smile as she stood in front of the two little children with all the other children sitting a couple feet behind them as "wedding guests".
Emma was wearing her "veil" and Norman had a little bow-tie that Isabella gave him around his neck.
"Do you, Emma, take Norman as your husband and promise to stay together with him and love him forever?" the woman asked the little girl who beamed.
"Yes!" she cheered loudly.
"You're supposed to say 'I do', stupid!" Ray called over.
"Ray!" Isabella and most of the other kids scolded but Emma was unbothered.
"I do! I'm always gonna be with Norman!" she yelled confidently and everyone smiled at her.
"And Norman, do you take Emma as your wife and promise to stay together with her and love her forever?" Isabella then asked the boy who was blushing lightly but had a small smile on his face.
"I do. Emma makes me happy so I'll always stay with her." he answered.
"Then I pronounce you husband and wife! The two of your are now officially married!" Isabella clapped her hands together and everyone cheered as Emma threw her arms around Norman who hugged back, holding her as tight as possible.
"Wait! They still need to kiss!" Ray suddenly yelled and everyone stopped celebrating to stare at him in confusion (or in Isabella's case shock).
"Here it says that after a bride and groom get married, they kiss!" Ray pointed at his book, a few other gathering around him and looking over his shoulders and reading along, confirming he was right.
"N-Now, now! They really don't have to do that! Kissing is something for adults and not little children such as Emma and Norman!" Isabella struggled to keep a calm face as she protested, hoping to safe as much of her babies's innocence as possible.
The only reason she even played along with this little pretend-wedding was because it was just that, pretending even if most of the kids took it seriously.
"MWUAH!" "WAH!"
She and many others gasped upon witnessing Emma plant a large kiss on Norman's cheek as the boy cried out in shock.
"Done!" she chirped as she pulled back, blinking at Norman's tomato-red face as the boy stood frozen with wide eyes.
"Why are you so red?" she asked before her own eyes went wide too and she looking up at Isabella, panicked.
"Mama, is Norman sick?!" she asked worriedly, snapping her mother-figure back to reality.
She smiled kindly down at the little girl to ease calm her down.
"No, Emma. Norman is just fine. He's just a little surprised so maybe you shouldn't do something like that to him again without warning." she told her, though she was secretly glad that Emma had only gone for the cheek.
"Now who wants wedding cake?" she asked everyone and all the children cheered and ran inside to get a piece from the regular vanilla sponge cake that had been dubbed as wedding cake.
Soon it was just Emma and the slowly recovering Norman.
"Norman?" Emma called him and he shook his head a bit before looking back at her.
"Y-Yes, Emma?" he asked, still a little shy from the surprise-kiss.
He frowned however upon seeing that she wasn't smiling anymore.
She was fidgeting and skipping her skirt, looking uncharacteristically nervous.
"Are you really gonna be with me forever?" she then blurted.
"What?" Norman asked and she repeated herself.
"Are you really gonna be with me forever? You're not gonna get tired of me and leave me?" she asked, green eyes full of fear.
Norman hated seeing her liked that.
Emma was supposed to always be happy so he did the one thing thing he could think of to comfort her.
He leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek.
"Eep!" she gave a little squeak.
Pulling back Norman smiled gently at her.
"I'm never gonna leave, Emma. We're married after all." he joked and was relieved when she giggled, a light blush on her cheeks.
"Pinky promise?" she asked as she held out her pinky, making Norman chuckle because of course she would think that would mean more than getting married.
"Pinky promise." he still agreed and linked her finger with his own.
"Yay!" Emma cheered again and pulled him into another hug.
"Emma! Norman!" the pulled apart at hearing their names being called and Emma grabbed Norman's hand.
"Come on, let's get cake!" she said and started dragging him along to join the rest of their family.
The End