Chapter Text
Lio had never given much thought to how he’d like his wedding day to go. That was lucky because Lio wasn’t getting much say in it at all. He’d been allowed to choose the colour of his suit (black) and his tie (pink) but that was it.
Lio approached the celebrant from the left, his husband-to-be from the right. Lio walked alone; he had no family and had not wanted his friends to take the role of walking him ‘down the aisle’. That was a point he’d remained firm on, and one that the producers couldn’t argue with.
Lio ignored the guests and the cameras, his attention fixed ahead of him. The first thing he noticed about his soon-to-be husband was how tall and broad he was. Like Lio, he wore a black suit. Lio missed a step as he caught sight of the man’s face. Before he lost his balance, he had seen tanned skin and the brightest, bluest eyes Lio had ever seen.
“Whoa, Lio. You okay?”
One of the guests caught Lio, preventing him from landing on the grass and potentially getting his suit dirty. As his friend Meis rose from his chair to help Lio right himself, Lio realised that he was shaking.
Meis straightened Lio’s suit jacket. “You look gorgeous, Lio,” he said, smiling reassuringly. “That guy’s a lucky bastard. Don’t forget that.” Meis patted Lio’s shoulder, and Lio felt a million times better.
Though he felt the stares of the other guests on him, Lio managed to smooth his face into an impassive, unaffected mask and resume walking toward the celebrant. Meis retook his seat behind Lio.
Lio’s groom was already waiting in front of the celebrant, a furrow between his brows as he stared at Lio. When Lio stopped in front of him, the man gave him a nervous smile.
“Hey, look, if you’ve changed your mind…” he murmured beneath the celebrant’s speech, just loud enough for Lio to hear. “It’s not too late.”
Uncertainty and doubt punched Lio in the gut. The handsome stranger who was soon to be his husband was right. Lio could still back out. He hadn’t said “I do,” yet. He’d look like an ass on television (not that he didn’t already, with that little stumble!), and this poor man would probably feel slighted or humiliated, but Lio could certainly still turn tail and run.
Except he’d agreed to this. He’d applied, been interviewed by the producers, been accepted, been interviewed again multiple times, had his entire life picked apart by people with ‘credentials’ (Lio doubted their authenticity) and he’d signed contracts.
—He’d signed contracts.
“I’m fine, thank you,” Lio murmured back, touched by the man’s concern anyway.
The rest of the ceremony passed in a daze for Lio. He said his lines dutifully, just as he’d learned in the rehearsals. He even managed to say “I do,” without squeaking. Lio noticed a bead of sweat run down the groom’s face as he also said, “I do.” Lio’s eyes followed it down beneath his collar.
“You may kiss the groom.”
Lio didn’t know whether the celebrant was referring to himself or his new husband as the groom. Both he and his new husband, whom Lio now knew was named Galo Thymos, stood there awkwardly, and Lio gave the guy props for not just grabbing him and planting one on him. Good to know that Galo wasn’t in this just to get some action.
“Um, can I?” Galo asked nervously, and it was so cute that some of Lio’s nervousness melted away. “If you don’t want to, that’s okay.”
“Yeah, it’s fine.” Getting those words out was difficult. Lio was suddenly conscious of all the people staring expectantly at them and the cameras which were taping every second of the show. And it was a show, carefully orchestrated and choreographed, but for Lio’s little blunder earlier.
But Galo was not working with a script. At least Lio really hoped he wasn’t. Lio didn’t think he could bear the humiliation if it turned out that Galo was working with the producers and stringing him along for the viewing pleasure of millions.
Lio raised his face and closed his eyes, too nervous to look at Galo. He felt a gentle brush of lips on his own. It was brief; Galo didn’t linger, and Lio was very grateful for that.
Cheers erupted from around them, and Lio felt himself being pulled against Galo’s side by one strong arm. Galo kept him there, tucked by his side as their friends lined up to congratulate them. Lio met Galo’s father, a severe-looking blond man, and his work colleagues, a rowdy bunch who warned Lio that Galo had an unhealthy obsession with mecha. Galo met Lio’s friends, who not-so-subtly threatened to disembowel him if he did anything disrespectful to Lio. Galo laughed at that, and Lio didn’t have the heart to tell him that his friends were probably serious.
It wasn’t until after the reception, when he and Galo had locked themselves in the hotel suite they’d be sharing for the night, that they had a moment alone, away from the cameras and away from friends and family.
Lio stood awkwardly beside the double bed, not sure what was supposed to happen next. So far, he liked what he’d seen of Galo, but what he’d seen was Galo in front of the cameras. What would Galo be like when no one was watching? What if he really was only taking part in this whole marriage experiment just to gain popularity, or for the money? What if he’d just been acting nice to Lio but was genuinely a horrible person?
“Whew, that was a lot more stressful than I thought it would be.” Galo sat down on the edge of the bed and yanked off his tie.
When Lio didn’t say anything in response, Galo gave him a searching look.
“Hey, is everything okay with you?” he asked. “You’ve been really quiet. I could give you some space if you need it. I could take a walk for a half hour or so.”
Lio’s legs felt weak so he sat down on the bed next to Galo. He stared down at his hand, which bore a new diamond ring. He swallowed.
“I’m fine,” he said. “This is just…weird.”
“Yeah. Not how I thought I was going to get married,” Galo admitted with a laugh. “Didn’t really think they’d pick me, to be honest. And, well, I still can’t believe it. I mean, matching me with you?”
Lio gave him a severe look, bothered by Galo’s last sentence. “Me with you? What do you mean by that?” he demanded.
Was Galo hoping for someone more like himself? Someone less delicate than Lio? Someone taller, more built? Less pretty and more handsome? Was Lio not Galo’s type?
Lio could see it all too clearly. He wouldn’t put it past the producers to deliberately match him with someone unsuitable just for the drama it would cause. They’d be sitting there watching the viewers lap up every second of Lio’s emotional breakdown while raking in the advertising revenue. Assholes.
Galo shrunk underneath Lio’s glare, but he answered gamely, and his words had the ring of honesty. “I’d never have a shot with someone like you outside of this experiment,” he said. “I’m just a firefighter. You’re…you’re gorgeous. You could have anybody you wanted. Don’t know why you’re here.”
Lio laughed. He pressed his face into his hands, shoulders shaking. There was so much Galo didn’t know. How his family had died in a car crash when he was a child, how he’d been brought up in an abusive foster home, how he’d ran away when he was twelve and spent the next few years on the streets where he’d met Meis and Gueira, who were still his best friends. How the three of them had managed to protect each other until they were old enough and lucky enough to get legitimate work. Even now, Lio still lived in a shitty little one bedroom apartment with Meis and Gueira, splitting the rent between the three. It was awkward since Meis and Gueira were in a relationship, but neither of them would ever kick Lio out no matter how weird things got.
And Galo thought that Lio was a catch? Really?
“What did I say?” Galo’s flustered voice roused Lio from his fit of laughter.
“Sorry.” Lio wiped tears from his eyes. “Never mind.” He couldn’t explain. Galo would find out soon enough just how wrong he was anyway. Soon he’d find out that all Lio really had was his pretty face, and that wouldn’t get Lio anywhere good. That was a lesson Lio had learned on the streets—the hard way.
Galo was handsome and buff, with a steady, reliable job. He was someone worthy of admiration. It was sweet that Galo thought so highly of Lio, but Lio knew that it was he who had won the prize today, not Galo.