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His palms are sweaty.
His palms are sweaty and he wants to wipe them on his trousers but Oscar would kill him. They didn’t spend weeks choosing a tailor and getting measured and fitted just for Zolf to ruin the outfit before they’ve even said their vows.
Or so Oscar would say, he expects.
Zolf misses him.
It’s only been a few hours, but that’s longer than they’ve spent apart since… well, it’s been a while.
He huffs, pushes to his feet and starts towards the door.
“No!”
He skids to a stop, looking back at Hamid with an expression that he expects would make a lesser man quail. Unimpressed, Hamid just crosses his arms and glares.
“You can’t Zolf. It’s not the way things are done.”
“Sod the way things are done!” Zolf retorts, mirroring his pose. “I want to see him.”
“Hamid, what’s happening?” Comes Azu’s voice from the other room. “Are we having another attempted prison break?”
They both look over to see her waltz in, resplendent in her robes. In just a few short hours Zolf will stand with Oscar in front of her, pledging themselves more formally than all the ways they’ve done so before.
“You won’t let me see my husband, Azu.” She opens her mouth to reply and he holds up a hand, huffing. “Near as damn it. What difference is it gonna make? What bad lu—.”
“Zolf!” Hamid shouts, rushing forward. “Don’t do it! Don’t tempt fate! You know fate doesn’t like us!”
Azu peers at Zolf then with a curious expression that he can’t quite figure out the intent of. So he waits, watching as she scoots around Hamid and crouches down between the two of them, hands on Hamid’s shoulders. She’s still taller than Hamid like that, and Zolf recognises an opportunity when he sees one.
Then, quietly, she slips a hand behind her back and waves him away. With a quiet smile and a quieter retreat, Zolf ducks out of the room.
Only to turn around and come face to face with Oscar.
“Oh.” The man says, looking at him with wide eyes. “Oh Zolf look at you.”
Zolf swallows around the sudden lump in his throat as he takes in Oscar’s outfit. A beautifully tailored frock coat in a deep slate grey sits over a white shirt with a golden ascot that matches his own and a beautiful, perfectly fitted waistcoat covered in finely embroidered peacock feathers.
It’s so utterly Oscar that for a giddy moment he wants to cry, overcome with the thought that everything in their life brought them here. Peacock waistcoat to peacock waistcoat. It’s almost too much.
“I had to see you.” Oscar says breathlessly. “I had a feeling I might pass out if I didn’t get a chance to take it all in before the ceremony.”
“Same.” Zolf says, trying to artfully play off the fact that at least one tear has managed to track down his cheek, disappearing into his beard. “You look incredible.”
“You too, darling. I love that shade of green on you.” He reaches out, cupping Zolf’s cheek and using his thumb to swipe away the tear track. “I’m a lucky man.”
“You’re lucky?” Zolf laughs, leaning into the warm press of skin against his own. “Daft thing.”
Oscar doesn’t deign to answer that fond little slight, instead looking over his shoulder to where Cel is poking their head out of the room Oscar got ready in. “Look, shall we just say hang propriety and get everyone in one room while we wait? What’s the worst that could hap—.”
“Shh.” Zolf says around a laugh, cutting Oscar off neatly. “Don’t. I think Hamid might have an aneurysm.”
Oscar can’t know what he’s talking about but it earns him a bright smile regardless, and he can’t stop himself from reaching out to link their fingers, brushing against the platinum band that’s kept Wilde safe all this time. Soon there’ll be another band adorning Oscar’s lovely long fingers. It makes his gut do a little leap to think about.
“Look at me like that any longer and we won’t make it to the ceremony.”
Zolf smirks, pulling on Oscar’s hand and opening the door behind him so that they can walk back inside. Cel skips down the hall to join them and then it’s just the five of them once more. Hamid’s annoyance at being distracted fades when he sees Oscar’s outfit, and he rushes over to inspect the craftsmanship, chattering excitedly about terms that Zolf has absolutely no recognition of.
Azu appears out of nowhere at his side, moving quick and quiet without her armour on. She holds out a small square handkerchief and Zolf laughs, plucking it out of her hand and using it to dab at his eyes.
“It was never about superstition, you know.” She says quietly. “I suspected that you might either disappear into a closet somewhere or we’d be dealing with an elopement.”
“Have a little faith, Azu.” Zolf laughs, leaving a pause just long enough for effect. “There’s still time for the closet.”
“I know of a particularly nice one a few corridors away, if you need.”
He grins over at her, then back at the rest of their friends. He truly couldn’t imagine any other way to spend this day than with all of his best friends around him. Oscar catches his eye and winks, before getting distracted by Cel whispering something in his ear. Whatever it is, it makes him flush a little deeper under the carefully applied blush on his cheeks, and that is intriguing.
“At this point I wonder at us needing to do the vows at all.” Azu says, shaking her head. “The amount of approval I’m feeling from my goddess is unlike anything I’ve experienced before.”
Zolf sighs, unable to tear his eyes away from the man who’ll soon officially be his forever.
“Yeah. Yeah I think that sounds about right.”