Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

noun. a color varying from light crimson to pale reddish purple.
Often thought to be a calming color associated with kindness and love.

“Leaving so soon?”

The canine who had just asked the question perked up his head, looking at the arachnid, stretching slightly from laying down in the towel.

“I’m gonna hang out with Diane. Sun’s about to set.” She said, dusting the sand off of her fur as she shot a glance back. “Plus, you know I’m not exactly made for swimming.”

“Have fun.” Wolf said, putting his head back down as he stared at the intense blue sky above them.

He had to admit, he had his doubts about a vacation, but they’d been helping Diane and working so much lately that a break was much needed. A break away from the busy city streets of L.A., from the constant noise and speeding cars, from the crowds of people.

The beach was a pretty fine choice, of course. This was the third day of their week off, and they were already feeling much, much better. Wolf hadn’t even realized how stressed and tense he was until he allowed himself to have fun, and stop worrying about proving that he was good.

No, he cut his train of thought. I am good. I don’t need to prove it to anyone.

He tilted his head again, this time towards the opposite side, to stare at a certain reptile who was pleasantly relaxing under the warm rays of the sun. The light bounced off of his yellow scales beautifully, making him almost shimmer just like the waves did, making him glow as if fallen from heaven itself.

“I know ‘yer starin’.” Snake said, making a point to wait for a second before opening just one eye to peek at Wolf.

Ah, Wolf. His gaze quickly inspected the canine up and down, admiring his fuzzy body; he was only wearing a pair of swim trunks, which Snake had to admit looked amazing on him. (Well, to be honest, anything looked amazing on him.) But what really caught his attention, just like always, was his eyes; those intense, burning, electric orbs of amber that were currently locked onto his own. He had this soft expression on his face, too, with a little smile that made it clear to anyone that he was deeply in love.

And the reptile allowed himself to mimic that same expression.

“Can you blame me?” Wolf chuckled, scooting closer to wrap an arm around said scales, making Snake instinctively start to coil around his arm in return. “Can’t help myself when I got such a fiiine piece of eye candy right here.”

“Mister Wolf!” Snake feigned surprise, before his usual smirk crept back into his face. “Behave yourself, please! ” 

The lupine’s smile just widened, as they both leaned forward to meet into a soft, yet much needed kiss.

They stared at each other as they pulled back.

“Did y’hear Webs? Sun’s setting soon.” Wolf commented. “Wanna go inside? We can watch from the balcony.”

The serpent hummed for a second. “...Yeah. It’s gonna get cold out here.” And without much effort, he slithered into what would be a standing position, waiting for the canine to do so as well before grabbing the towel with his tail and rolling it up.

Wolf got lost in thought for a moment, staying behind as he stared at the serpent slithering towards the beach house, and the way the just-about-to-set sun perfectly framed his silhouette against the background of sand and ocean.

“You comin’ or what?” Snake’s low voice shook Wolf out of his little trance. “Oh, uh, yeah.” And with that, they both started making their way.

Tonight, Wolf thought. I’m doing it tonight.

Wolf was thankful that they had decided to stay at a separate beach house than the others. Sure, it meant that they weren’t together 24/7, but the rest of the gang was always a short walk away if they wanted to hang out at night. (To be honest, he was already grateful that Diane could get such a perfect, secluded spot; but that’s the perks of being Governor.)

But tonight? Tonight it was just the two of them. Just like he had planned.

The canine had already changed into a more cozy outfit. Not his usual white suit, but instead, a much more casual white shirt with a loose jacket, plus some warmer pants. The nights got pretty damn cold out here, thanks to the sea breeze.

Snake, on his end, was wearing his usual Hawaiian shirt and hat combo. Sadly, his biology didn’t really help him when it came to wearing clothes, (but deep down he was glad he had an excuse to nuzzle up to Wolf so frequently).

The snake was already sitting on a reclining chair in the balcony when the lupine came in, with a small charcuterie board for the two of them to share. He sat down on the other chair, right next to Snake, and put the board on the little table between them.

The reptile briefly stuck out his tongue, smelling the scent of cured meat and bread, prompting him to look at the board. “Fancy.” He commented, tentatively reaching into it to take a slice of salami and chomp down.

“Y’know I have to keep it classy, baby.” Wolf shot back, the word ‘baby’ dripping with what he would call the ‘Clooney charm’.

“Mm.” He swallowed, reaching out for another. “S’no guinea pig, though.”

Wolf just snickered, the guinea pig subject now being a bit of an inside joke in their relationship, as he leaned in to grab a little cube of cheese and eat it.

The two allowed themselves to stare out into the ocean, watching as the sky began to show hints of orange, the sun barely touching the horizon. No words were spoken; no words were needed. The silence that spanned for the next couple minutes, coupled with the soothing sound of the waves, brought an indescribable sense of comfort to the two of them.

“This was a great idea.” Wolf said, prompting Snake a small hum of approval.

“Agreed.” He said, making a point to grab another slice of salami and bite down on it. “And I guess the vacation’s okay too.”

The lupine’s gaze shifted from the scene in front of him to Snake, staring at the smug expression on his face. “Smartass.”

“You love me.”

“I do.” He didn’t hesitate, not even thinking of answering with a snarky quip. “And you love me. ”

Snake’s cheeky smirk softened into a more honest one. “I do.” He mirrored his lover’s words.

They both stared back at the scenery. The hints of orange had now overtaken around half of the sky, with some lovely hues of intense red and pink shining through and bouncing off of the waves as well.

Although they knew very well it didn’t matter how pretty the sunset was, as long as they had each other.

“Did you ever think we would make it this far?” Snake broke the silence after who knows how many minutes, although his gaze was still focused on the waves.

Wolf blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Being this successful.” The reptile clarified. “Being good.” He continued, before tentatively adding, “...Us.”

The canine thought about it for a moment. “I always hoped we would be successful, eventually.” He says, picking up a small piece of bread from the board and taking a bite. “I mean, I wasn’t really sure, but I hoped.” Munch munch munch.

“The being good part…” He allows himself to swallow. “It just kinda came out of nowhere, didn’t it?”

“It didn’t.” Snake replied, causing both of them to look at each other. “I always knew you had some good in you.”

“...What do you mean?”

The serpent sat a bit straighter, preparing himself to explain. “You’ve always been… I mean, don’t get me wrong, you were stealing stuff, and doing crime, just like the rest of us. But…” Snake fumbled for a moment, trying to find the right words.

“You cared.” He finally says, making Wolf’s ears perk up. “I can’t explain it better than that. Y’cared about us, and about the little things, and about making sure to have moments of goodness in between the bad. And sure y’stole– But you never harmed anybody .” He said, before muttering the next part. “Can’t say that about all of us…”

Wolf tilted his head. “...I didn’t know you thought that.”

“I’ve kind of always thought that.” He let out a sigh. “Back then, it was…” He felt the canine’s eyes on him, which made it a bit more difficult to speak properly. “I don’t know. Made me feel like someday you’d realize that y’were better than us, and you’d leave.” He finally confessed, looking back at the ocean to avoid having to show his embarrassed expression to his lover.

“...So that’s why you reacted the way you did.” Wolf pieced together.

“Yeah. Well, part of it. I was a mess, we know that story already.” He chuckled, bringing the mood back up slightly, before continuing. “But I’m glad you turned out the way you did.”

Wolf couldn’t help but smile. “I’m glad you turned out the way you did.”

The reptile couldn’t help but stare back at Wolf, and the way his smoky fur shined under the intense pink lights of the sunset, highlighting him –and only him– as the most important thing in the scene.

As the most important thing in his life.

Snake felt his heart suddenly become too big, too heavy for his chest, hesitating before opening his mouth to speak.

“I…” The way that Wolf looked at him so reassuringly, so lovingly, tugged at his very heartstrings and threatened to get him teary-eyed. “I can’t thank you enough for not giving up on me.”

Now it was Wolf’s turn to get a little teary-eyed. “I didn’t even do anything, I…” He trailed off, not being able to word his thoughts properly. Instead, he opted to stick his hand out, allowing the snake to coil around his arm and slowly travel to his chair for a warm, tight hug.

“God, I love you so much, Snake.” Wolf’s voice was low. He could scream it, he could tell the whole world about it, but he didn’t need to. Snake was his world, and as such, his words were only for him.

“I love you too.” The reptile’s voice cracked a little, and Wolf felt something warm fall onto his shoulder– A tear.

They both pulled back to stare at each other, the reptile still coiled around him.

“These past two years have been… Ever since the crater, I…” His eyes wandered, the pink glow around them seemingly increasing in intensity. “You’ve changed me, too.” Those piercing amber orbs settled back onto Snake’s face before continuing. “You’ve helped me so much as well. You’ve always been there to have my back, to talk with, to laugh with, to cry with, I…”

Snake’s smile couldn’t be wider as he wiped a tear from the canine’s face with his tail.

“I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.” Wolf finally said, his heart beating so loud it was almost throwing itself against the walls of his chest, and he was sure Snake could hear it.

The serpent took out his hat and held it close to his chest. “Oh, Wolfy…”

“Snake.” Wolf said his name with more determination in his voice, almost with a sense of finality. “You make me the happiest person on the planet.” He carefully pushed the reptile off of the chair, him shakily standing up as well, only to…

Snake’s eyes went wide, gasping in shock as Wolf got on one knee.

“Would you marry me?” He asked, pulling out a small box from his back-pocket and opening it; showing the contents inside to the serpent.

A small collar was inside. It was a simple yet slick design, a silver band of metal that looped around, the ends curving around each other like a serpent’s tail. And on the very middle, embedded into the collar and displayed in all its glory:

A Scarlet Emerald.

Snake took a quick glance towards the collar, but his gaze almost instantly went back to Wolf’s expression, the way he smiled with hope in his eyes and this pink glimmer to his whole body.

“You’re joking.”

The canine’s expression dropped, and his blood went cold. “...I’m… Not? I mean, ha–” Immediately his mind started wandering, berating himself for even thinking that this was gonna be a good idea, for pushing Snake so fast, for forcing him to think about this so suddenly–

And then, all his doubts went away when Snake fetched a smaller box from the pocket of his shirt, opening it up to reveal a ring.

“YOU’RE JOKING!” Wolf basically shouted, immediately standing up and frantically laughing through his tears.

“I’M NOT!” Snake shouted back, his voice enthusiastically happy mixed with high traces of disbelief.

“Oh. My. God?!”

“Did you– You got a Scarlet Emerald as well?!”

“ YOU GOT THE EMERALD AS WELL?!” Wolf traded the boxes, allowing Snake to get a good look at the collar and him to get a good look at the ring. Now that he was taking the proper caution to examine it, there it was– An extravagant silver ring with snake skin markings, and a Scarlet Emerald on full display. “WHAT?!”

“I THOUGHT I WAS BEING CLEVER!” The reptile yelled back, taking the collar off of the box to examine it as well.

“I THOUGHT I WAS BEING CLEVER!”

“I–” Snake looked at the collar, before just holding his head with his tail in disbelief. No words could express how many emotions this moment had made them feel.

Instead, they went for the next best thing, as Snake tugged Wolf in for a passionate kiss which made him drop to the ground from how low he angled him. Snake rolled right next to him, both of them staring into the now-darkening sky.

“Holy fuck.” Snake said.

“I know.”

“We’re gettin’ married.”

“I know. ”

“It’s really fuckin’ happening.”

“I KNOW!” Wolf could not contain his excitement.

“I didn’t even get to say my speech! ” Snake laughed, still. 

“You had a speech planned?”

“Well maybe not a speech, but…” He quickly got back on track. “Look, the point is– I love you. I love you too. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you too.” He leaned close to Wolf to look at him, directly into the eyes.

“...Oh wow.”

Snake was starting to come down from his high, noticeably panting a little from the excitement and adrenaline. “What?”

“This is perfect.” Wolf said. “I mean, you’re perfect, and this–” He motioned to the scenery, “is perfect, and this– ” He motioned to the ring, now on his finger. “is perfect.”

He took a moment to stare at his wedding ring– (his wedding ring, could you believe that?!), wearing it proudly and showing it off.

Meanwhile, Snake was already putting on his collar with a bit of trouble, the canine helping him adjust it without even mentioning it.

“Smart idea. The collar, I mean.”

“I know, I’m the best.” He said, shuffling it around a little. “How’s it feel?”

The serpent tilted his head around. “Surprisingly comfy.”

“Good. I had to get that custom-made.”

“Wow, you’re spoilin’ me.” The serpent meant for that to come off as a joke, but he found himself kind of meaning it.

They stared at each other through tears and smiles and lingering gazes.

“We’re getting married.” Wolf repeated.

“We are.” He paused. “We’re gonna be husbands .” Snake’s eyes widened, as if he was just coming to the realization now– Trying out the word.

“Husbands.” Wolf repeated, standing up a little. “Husbands…”

The reptile let him bask in the revelation for a moment longer, before wrapping his tail around his wrist. “Alright, that’s it. C’mere, you–” He tugged him closer to place a kiss on his lips.

And with that, he dragged him inside the house again, closing the glass door to the balcony behind them.

Chapter Text

noun. any of various colors resembling the color of blood.
The color red has a range of meanings, including health, courage, anger, and passion.

“I just– I feel like I’m gonna screw it up somehow.” Wolf said, extending his arms awkwardly as Shark took his measurements.

“ Man, not this again…” The great white rolled his eyes slightly as he continued working.

The lupine didn’t shift his position, remaining as still as possible so that Shark could work. It was definitely a bit uncomfortable, coupled with the fact that he had to stare at himself in the mirror making these weird poses, but the idle conversation managed to help him focus on something else.

“It’s alright to be nervous, Wolf. It’s gonna be fiiine. ” A feminine voice could be heard coming from behind the lupine, before the Governor herself walked over right next to him, gaze fixated on some men’s fashion magazine. “How’s this one?” She said, extending out her arm to show a photo of a white suit.

Wolf tilted his head and leaned in as much as he currently could, narrowing his eyes slightly as he thought about it. “Like the sleeves on that one.” Wolf said, before adding, “Everything else is kinda meh, though.”

“Mm. I’m putting it on the board.” The fox then proceeded to rip off the picture with precision,  before walking right next to the mirror where a small table was set up, with various small objects on top of it–including a jar full of pins. She proceeded to take one of them to pin the picture to a corkboard just above said table, before taking out a post-it note and writing “Sleeves” and sticking it right below. “Gotta say, Shark, you’ve made a pretty good studio in here.”

“Thanks, Governor!” The currently-tailoring great white said before taking a look at what they had going on with the board; over the course of the last hour or so, they had been slowly filling it up with different photos, images and concepts of possibilities for Wolf’s wedding suit. “Huh. Y’sure you don’t wanna wear white, Wolf? Seems fitting…”

The lupine was quick to reply. “I wear white every day. I want it to feel special, y’know what I mean?” He said, slightly spreading his legs as Shark got to measuring them.

Diane hummed in thought, putting the magazine down on the table along with all the other magazines they had jumped through. “I feel like we’ve got too many ideas. We gotta start narrowing it down a little.” She said, walking towards Wolf once more. “Can I see the ring again?”

He complied, extending his hand further to let Diane take it and examine it.

The fox clicked her tongue as she closely inspected the ring. “Snake’s got taste.” She said, slightly tilting his hand back to look at the underside of it. “The snake skin texture is a fun touch, too.” She chuckled.

Wolf smiled slightly. “It’s perfect.”

“Mm. It reminds you of him, doesn’t it?”

“Well, yeah, but also…” He started, before trailing off and reconsidering; some things he could keep between himself and Snake. “Yeah, it reminds me of him. I wouldn’t put that on the suit, though.”

“Too tacky?” Shark asked, pulling back from Wolf for a moment to take out a pen and write down measures on a little notebook.

“Yeah. Snake wouldn’t like it either.”

Diane let his hand go, reaching for another magazine. “Let’s see if we can find anything that matches the ring.” She quickly skimmed through the pages, before stopping at a particular one with a finger and showing off another outfit to Wolf.

Wolf took one look at it and made an expression akin to a wince. “Too much red. Too bright.” He said, straightening back up as Shark began to take more measures around his shoulder area. “Tone it down a little, maybe?”

“Gotcha.” The Governor took a couple more seconds, before sliding another page into Wolf’s view. “This?”

He took a bit more time to consider this one. “This red is nice.” He said, examining the picture; A crimson red suit with crimson red pants. “Still too much of it, though. You gotta break it up a bit.”

“Mmkay, but it’s a good color. Got it.” The vulpine quickly got to ripping the picture once more.

“By the way, I gotta thank you guys for helping me out with this.” Wolf said, slightly embarrassed. “I know I’m being picky as hell with this, but I just really want this to be perfect. ”

Perfect. Perfect for him.

“I get it, man! This is the most important day of your life!” The great white happily replied, clearly enjoying the process of making this suit for his friend.

“Yeah, Wolf, it’s kind of a pretty big deal, so we get it.” Diane took her gaze off of the magazine to give Wolf a proper glance and a kind smile. “Besides, this is a fun break from Governor work.” She said that last part with a lower, yet lighter tone of voice.

Right, this was a pretty big deal. It was the most important day of his life so far, and the event that would be a standing symbol to him and Snake’s love.

Ugh. He felt his stomach start to churn again.

“...What if I… Like, screw it up, somehow, though?” Wolf asked again, prompting Shark to groan behind him. “What?! I’m serious!”

Diane walked right in front of Wolf now, crossing her arms and blocking his view from the mirror in front of him. “Okay, loverboy, what is it that you’re so worried about?”

“I… I don’t know.” Wolf said. “Like what if I screw up at the wedding, what if something goes wrong…”

“Like tripping and falling?” Shark asked, turning Wolf sideways to get a better angle.

“Well, also that.”

“Then we’ll laugh.” Diane said without hesitation, “And then the wedding will keep going and it’ll be a funny anecdote from a happy wedding.” She reassured, making Wolf tilt his head slightly.

“But what if…” Wolf’s mind wandered to darker alternatives of how their wedding could go wrong, before quickly pulling his head out of the gutter for the time being. “Like, I know that nothing’s gonna happen, I know that. But I still feel like something could happen, and the wedding could, I don’t know…”

“The wedding could what?” Shark asked, stopping for a second as he noticed his tone of voice drop to a level that was more serious.

“...Get postponed.” He said, before avoiding both of their gazes as he added, “Get canceled.”

Diane considered as she took a deep breath.

“Snake loves you.” She said. “You know that. Snake loves you.”

Wolf blinked for a moment. “I–I do.”

“And Snake isn’t going anywhere. Hell, you both proposed to each other. That goes beyond most couples already. You clearly want to spend your lives with each other.”

“Yeah!” Shark was quick to add, “Like c’mon, I’ve never seen anyone be so in tune with each other like you two!” He walked next to Diane, letting Wolf move normally as they engaged in conversation. “You’re more than just a couple, man. You’re like… I don’t know, predestined, or something.”

Wolf smiled, feeling his tail threaten to wag. “Thanks.” His voice felt small, almost. “Makes me feel a bit better.”

“I’m glad.” Diane said, before opening up the magazine again and showing another picture to both Wolf and Shark. "What about this one?"

Wolf’s eyes lit up. “That’s– That’s pretty good.” He didn’t wanna say perfect, but this was the closest they had gotten.

Shark rubbed his fins together. “Ooh, baby. I’m gettin’ some ideas. ” On any other context, Wolf would be admittedly a bit scared, but he knew how good Shark was at making costumes and outfits, and how seriously he took it. It definitely was his calling. “I’m getting to work.”

Diane clicked her tongue again. “Nice.” She pulled out her phone and started making her way towards. “I’m texting Webs about the venue, and I’ll be in touch in case anything pops up.” She said, looking back to wave before continuing to walk. “I need to get back to work now!”

“Byeee!” Shark said giddily.

“See y’soon.” Wolf said, looking at himself in the mirror.

He pictured himself wearing that suit, and he let his mind wander about how a certain reptile would look next to him.

“Got the hideout”
“Wolf’s going for this, try getting Snake to match?”

Attached right below was a picture of a mostly-black suit, with a crimson shirt beneath the jacket and small crimson details throughout the whole suit to break it up.

“holy shit thats actually perfect for what snake wants”

“Is it?”

“we’re workin on it. but kinda”

“They got the hideout.” Webs said, pocketing her phone as she let herself climb from Piranha’s shoulder to his head.

“Awesome!” The fish said, looking at the arachnid on top of his head and at the reptile slithering next to him. “Kinda weird to have the wedding at our lair, no?”

Webs shrugged. “It’s what they wanted.”

“It is.” Snake said, looking around the store as he searched for the particular garment. It was their home for so long, that Snake was beginning to doubt if he’d ever see anything else as home again. They weren’t even living there anymore, and yet the mere mention brought back so many memories…

“Hey. Amigo." Piranha said tapping Snake's scales to get his attention and pull him out of his thoughts. "Are y'sure the suit you want is in here?"

Snake narrowed his eyes. He had passed this particular store on the street more times than he could count, and his eyes were always drawn to the black-and-red suit on display at the window. However, it wasn't on display anymore, which prompted the three to walk around the store trying to find said suit.

“Has to be.” Snake said, already starting to get a bit tired of walking around. “Otherwise I’m wreckin’ this place.” Thankfully, the store was basically empty right now, save for the workers that were hesitating to ask the three if they needed help. Snake preferred it this way, though.

"Why didn'tcha bring Wolf with you again?" Piranha asked.

“Wedding suits and dresses are supposed to be surprises, Piranha.” Snake replied, taking his glance off of the store to look back at him. “That’s the tradition.”

“So, you’re old, we get it.” Webs said nonchalantly.

Old.

Snake had to make a conscious effort to not show how much that hurt, how much that word had been feeling like a dagger twisting into his heart lately. Old, a word he had heard a lot this past decade, but was now starting to weigh down on him. Webs didn’t mean it, the serpent reassured himself, Webs didn’t mean it, Webs didn’t–

“Alright, I’m gonna go ask the workers about it.” The arachnid talked once again, pulling the serpent from his train of thought and hopping off of Piranha’s head and beginning to make her way towards the nearest person. “You said it was a black and red suit, yeah?”

“I, uh, yeah.” Snake blinked. “It was the one on display a few weeks ago.”

“Got it.” Webs said. “Don’t go anywhere, I don’t wanna get lost in this god-forsaken store.”

“Got it!” Piranha mirrored, promptly sitting down on the floor, his back right against a pillar as he waited for Webs to come back. Snake just sorta stayed in place, his mind threatening to wander to some less-than-wanted places once again.

“So!” Piranha said, legs moving up and down as he seemingly could not stay in place. “You’re gettin’ married, chico!”

The serpent cocked his head a little. “Yeah, I am.”

“Excited? Nervous? C’mon, you’ve barely talked about it!”

“I’m…” The serpent usually hated showing vulnerability, but it was his wedding, for crying out loud. So, he pushed back against the side of mind that wanted him to be closed off from everybody else and replied sort of honestly. “Nervous. Definitely.”

Piranha’s brows softened a little, letting out a small “Aww…” noise. “I’m sure it’s gonna go great!”

Snake narrowed an eye in response, an expression that could mean basically anything. “Mm.” Was all that he could reply.

The fish blinked a little, hoping to get more from the reptile. “...How’s it feel to be getting married, hmm? Haciéndolo oficial? ”

The serpent allowed himself to express a bit more when answering this question, not wanting to appear like an emotionless ass. “It’s… I can’t believe it’s happening.” A little smile creeps up his face. “I can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life with this dumbass. The fact that he proposed to me as well, that’s…” He let his tail wander up his own body until it reached his neck area, where his ‘wedding collar’ was currently located. 

He paused for a moment, his little smile fading. Piranha noticed.

“...He wants to marry me.” Snake said, with a tone of voice that wasn’t exactly cheerful.

“Alright, fellas!” Webs’ voice interrupted their conversation as she made her way back towards the two. “They told me it should be on aisle 11, that’s where all the fancy men’s suits are.”

Snake took a glance at their current aisle, noticing how they were on the complete opposite side of the store. “Pfft. We would’ve never found it.” He muttered to himself. “Okay, let’s go.” He told the other two, causing Piranha to forget about their conversation, at least for now, as he looked at all the different outfits and colors that the store had to offer.

Once they got to said aisle, their gaze settled onto the clothing displays, with noticeable empty spaces scattered all around– Signifying that they had already sold a lot of these.

The three of them made a sound of general disappointment as they saw how little suits they had left. “Yeah, they told me it was ‘wedding season’. I’m starting to get what they meant…” Webs clarified, before walking deeper into the aisle.

“Better get to searchin’ already!” Piranha said, trying to bring the general mood up as they went looking for the suit Snake wanted.

They looked for a couple minutes. Thankfully, Snake knowing the suit was specifically black and red made everything a tad bit easier for them; but ultimately, their search didn’t lead them anywhere. 

“No, no, no, NO! I–I’ve had this suit in mind for ages, I was meant to wear it!”

“Hermano, chill!” Piranha got close enough to pat the back of his scales. “We can always get it custom-made, okay?”

“Yeah! Or why not just wear a different black and red suit?” Webs asked, holding up another one. “Like this one?”

“That’s not the one I wanted. ” Snake said, his tone of voice low and dry. “Look at the lapel on that one.”

Piranha blinked. “What’s wrong with it?”

“What’s wrong with it? That’s too high up, that’s what!” Snake said, picking another similarly-colored suit with his tail. “Or look at this collar. Way too wide. Wouldn’t work. Or, or–” He put that down to pick up yet another, before stopping as his eyes settled on a particular outfit he hadn’t looked at yet.

Webs and Piranha stared at each other, slightly surprised at how serious Snake was about this. He really needed this to go perfect.

“What?” Webs asked, as Snake slithered closer to grab said outfit with his tail.

“It’s… It’s the suit.” He said, before showing it off to everybody else. “It’s the suit, the one that was on display. But it’s in white.” And sure enough, there it was; a mostly white suit with a light hint of a cream color, with a crimson shirt beneath the jacket and crimson details to break up all the white.

Snake narrowed his eyes in thought.

“Te gusta?” Piranha asked. “Wanna get that one?”

“White is for the bride. ” Snake said, although it didn’t seem out of malice, necessarily. “And there is no bride.”

“Exactly. So why save it for a bride that’s not gonna be there?” Webs was frankly getting a bit tired of this little shopping trip, although she did respect how Snake knew exactly what he wanted.

The serpent continued to stare at it.

White. White is a color that he’d never imagine himself wearing to his own wedding. White, at least traditionally, meant purity or virtue, qualities that he wouldn’t particularly describe himself as having. 

He wasn’t really pure, was he. He wasn’t virtuous.

“I don’t think white represents me.” Snake said, prompting Piranha to raise his eyebrows a bit more. This was a complaint that went beyond just the suit and color, it feels like.

“Why not, papa?”

“It’s just…” Snake said, clearly not wanting to delve into the wonderful depths of his psyche right now. “...Y’know.”

“I think Wolf would say white represents you very well.” The arachnid knew her friend pretty well, enough to say just the right thing to make Snake stop in his tracks, even if he didn’t know it.

“Yeah! Besides, it’s not all white. S’got red, too!” Piranha pointed. “Right there.”

If he were to ask Wolf. He paused for a moment, thinking about it.

‘You can wear anything you want, sweetheart’. That’s what he’d say. ‘You’d look good in anything.’ And he’d mean it, too. He always does.

Wolf, the man who sees good things in him. Wolf, the man who got all of them a normal life out of the kindness of his heart, even if they all initially hated him for it. Wolf, who would’ve thrown that very same normal life that he had been craving for him.

Wolf, the man who was gonna marry him.

That Wolf.

‘In fact, I’m tired of wearing white all the time. And it looks so beautiful on you, darling.’ He’d say something along those lines, surely. And even in his head, the mere thought of Wolf using a pet name with him made him blush slightly. ‘I think you’re pure.’ He’d say that. ‘I think you’re perfect.’ He’d mean it.

‘I think you’re good.’

But Wolf doesn’t really know what he’s talking about. Not really, right? Red, that’s a color that suits Snake more. The color of blood and anger that Snake was prone to displaying, and hatred that seemed to forever stay in the deepest parts of his mind. The color of danger, the color that Mother Nature herself displayed when saying ‘Stay away or I’ll hurt you, badly’. The color of revenge, and spite, and grudges.

A warning sign. That’s what really suited a guy like Snake, isn’t it? A color that made him into a walking warning sign.

“I…” Snake said, turning around to hide his expression from the other two. “It’s an option.”

Piranha’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“ Sure, why the fuck not? It’s just a suit. ” Snake turned around and immediately his voice was dripping with deadly venom, making the other two look at him in shock.

The reptile blinked. Now you’ve done it.

“...Shit, I–” Snake started, calming down into a more apologetic tone. “M’sorry, I didn’t… I wasn’t–”

But that’s all you do, remember? You hurt people. You hurt Piranha and you hurt Webs, and now you’re just gonna hurt Wolf.

“Snake…?” Webs asked, her voice noticeably worried, yet soothing at the same time. “Are you okay, man?”

“I’m fine. I’m sorry. I’m fine. ” He repeated, as if trying to convince himself over everyone else. “Listen, can we just– Go? We can do this some other time.”

“But you were so excited to look for your suit, and…” Piranha trailed off.

“I’m. Fine.” Snake knew he wasn’t fooling anybody. He wasn’t even able to fool himself. “Let’s go back. Please. ”

Webs shared a look with Piranha, before tentatively walking forwards and putting a hand on his scales. “We’re here if you wanna talk.”

They wouldn’t understand. You’re on your own.

“...I just want some space.” Snake forced himself to smile, weakly, just to try and put their minds at ease. “That’s it. I just… Want some space.”

Webs looked back at Piranha.

“Okay.” Webs finally said, “But again, we’re here for anything, okay? We’re your family.”

“Okay.” He replied.

And with that, the three of them turned around and started making their way home again.

Chapter Text

noun. a color that lacks hue and brightness.
The absence of light.

“Just 2 months.” Wolf said. “Can you believe it? Just 2 months and we’re getting married.”

The canine’s voice came from their walk-in closet as he put on his sleeping attire, consisting of a casual oversized shirt and some shorts. Snake, on his end, was pulling back the sheets of their bed, wasting no time in sliding right below them and pulling them over his body.

“Yeah, I know.” Snake’s tone of voice was upbeat, albeit snarky, Wolf could recognize. “It’s what everybody’s talkin’ about nowadays.”

“Mm. I can tell them to shut up if you’d like.” Wolf offers, walking out of the closet and turning off the light, leaving only the small traces of moonlight coming through the window to barely illuminate the scene as Wolf slides into bed.

“It’s fine. Doesn’t bother me.” Snake says.

“Sure, darlin’.” Wolf replies with a little chuckle, turning his head so that he’s staring at the serpent, waiting for them to commence their nightly cuddling ritual. Snake, however, doesn’t come closer. It’s difficult to make it out in the darkness, but he seems to have his head still, staring at the ceiling.

Immediately, this gives Wolf the vibe that something is off.

“Somethin’ on your mind?” The lupine asks softly, trying his best to not be overly intrusive. Snake was his own person, after all.

Snake hesitates.

“Yeah.”

Wolf waits a bit before continuing. “Somethin’ bad?”

Snake lets out a sigh.

“...Yeah.”

Wolf reaches out with a hand to lightly caress his fiancé’s scales. “Somethin’ you’d wanna share?”

Snake bites his tongue as he tilts his head slightly to look at Wolf. Even the faint outline of his head under the moonlight is enough to make him fall in love with him all over again.

What he’d wish to start all over again. But you’d probably still fuck everything up.

“I don’t wanna bring down the mood.” The serpent was past lying to Wolf by now, but it didn’t mean he liked having to tell him about the worst parts of himself.

“You can tell me anything, Snake.”

The serpent takes a deep breath.

“It’s the voice.” Snake confessed, clearly not happy at all. “It’s been coming back lately.”

Wolf didn’t react negatively, much to Snake’s surprise; he stayed just like he was, gently rubbing his body to show him he was there for him. “...I’m sorry to hear that, love.”

The voice. They had talked about this before, about this little voice in the back of Snake’s head that used to berate him about every single thing he did, about every single thing he was. He thought that maybe, maybe, he had gotten rid of it, but no. It always came back, of course. To haunt him.

“It’s… Bad.” Snake continued, staring at the ceiling once again. He was thankful he couldn’t see his lover’s expression due to the lack of light. “I’m startin’ to believe it, a little bit.”

Wolf could only feel compassion for what the serpent was going through. God, if he could, he’d make him never have to worry about a single thing ever again. “And what’s it saying, if I can ask?”

Snake bit his lower lip. “It’s talkin’ about us.” It hadn’t really done that before. “About our wedding.”

Wolf took a deep breath.

Suddenly, Snake felt the weight that his words were having on the canine. “...But it’s just stupid, we don’t gotta talk about it–”

“It’s okay. It’s okay, Snakey.” Wolf’s tone was soothing and almost disarming, getting past the serpent’s defenses so quick. He was always so good at that. “Listen, usually I wouldn’t wanna force you to talk about stuff. But if we’re gonna get married, then… Then I feel like we should talk about this, at least.” He scooted a tad closer to Snake. “Is that okay?”

The reptile almost winced at the thought of having to share everything with Wolf. “Okay.” 

Now it was him who took a deep, deep breath, preparing himself.

“It’s telling me that I only hurt people again.” He said, before quickly continuing. “And I know you’re gonna say it’s not true, but…” Snake’s thoughts were running wild again. All the negativity he had been free off for the last year was coming back, fast.

“Are you sure you wanna marry me?” His voice sounded a bit more aggressive as he turned towards Wolf, making his silhouette jump back in surprise. “Be honest. How sure are you?”

“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”

“Yeah well, you’re gonna be stuck with me for the rest of it.” Snake leaned even closer. “Think about it. Are you sure? ”

“I am! That’s– That’s why I want to marry you!” Wolf said, getting a bit agitated himself and shocked at how quick their conversation had taken a turn for the worse. “I love you, Snake! Okay?”

“But why?” The serpent shook his head slightly. “You’re so… Perfect, and good, and kind, and you could get anyone you’d want.”

“But I want you. ” Wolf said, this time leaning forward to hold Snake’s body with both hands, making both of them start to calm down. “...I want you, Snake. You know it.”

The serpent didn’t know what he was doing right now. Why he was lashing out. If he even wanted to lash out.

“I know.” Snake said. “And… And I think that’s a mistake.”

Wolf stopped breathing for a second. His love, his whole world, his everything sounded so… Broken, right now. So miserable, like he truly, actually believed it. And Wolf wanted so bad to show him he was wrong.

“It’s not.” Wolf replied firmly.

“Think about it, Wolf. I thought– We both thought I had gotten better. That I was over all this bullshit.” He motioned vaguely in the darkness. “And it came back. It always comes back, Wolf.” The reptile’s voice broke a little, like he was close to tears. “If you marry me, if you stick with me, you’re stuck with this. We’re gonna have this same fucking conversation over and over.”

“Snake.”

“I’m not gonna get better. I’m always gonna have some fuckin’ problem that you’re gonna feel obligated to talk to me about, because you’re just too kind for your own good.”

“Snake.” He repeated, and he could feel himself start to tear up.

“I just– I want you to be happy–”

“I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY TOO!” Wolf shouted out of instinct, making Snake stop his self-deprecating rant.

“I want you to be happy too.” Wolf repeated, and it was clear now that he was crying.

Silence washed over the bedroom.

“I made you cry.” Snake muttered. “We’re gonna get married and I made you cry.”

“I– That’s not your fault.” Wolf assured him, wiping off the tears and composing himself as quickly as he could.

The reptile wanted to protest, but he felt he was already being enough of an asshole.

“I’m sorry, Wolf.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“I know you are, Snake.” Wolf said, and Snake didn’t even realize that he was crying until the canine leaned closer to wipe his tears and hold his head gently.

“Listen to me, Snake. And I need you to understand this.” Snake could barely see his piercing amber eyes staring right into his own. “Nobody is ever okay forever. Shit like this just… Happens. We get mad, or we get worried, or we get sad.”

Snake nodded.

“And it’s okay to feel that way. It means we care. Fuck, I’ve been so worried about everything going perfect for the wedding. But that’s just what happens.” He gently rubbed his thumb back and forth over the reptile’s cheeks.

Snake couldn’t help but smile a bit at the irony. He was the older one, and yet, it feels like Wolf was the one that had his shit together.

Then he frowned.

He was the older one.

“I feel like I’m just gonna hurt you if we get married.” Snake almost whispered. “I know it’s not true, but what I feel sometimes is different, and I…” He trailed off.

Wolf placed a small kiss on top of his snout. “You won’t.”

Snake could feel another tear drop onto his pillow. “How can you be so certain, Wolf…?”

“Maybe sometimes you say… Some nasty things.” Wolf said, “But to hurt me, you’d have to mean them. And I know you’d never mean them.” He paused, before adding with a dumb little smile, “Do you?”

“...No.” Snake knew himself good enough already to know when it was him speaking and when it was the voice speaking. “I want to stop saying nasty things altogether, though.”

“Then you gotta reason with the voice.” He said. “Find out why it came back now all of a sudden.”

Snake gulped, because deep, deep down, he knew.

“...I think I know why.”

“Then why?” Wolf paused before adding, “If I can ask.”

The reptile was extremely glad Wolf couldn’t see his face right now, because his expression of absolute heartbreak would’ve gotten him so, so worried.

“I’m older than you.” Snake said.

Wolf blinked. “...Love, if it’s about–”

“It’s not about the age gap.” 

The canine paused, and he could barely make out Snake’s face. “Then what is it?”

Deadly silence filled the room as Snake’s throat seemed to close up around the words.

“You’re gonna outlive me.” And putting it into words for the first time, it was terrifying, and chilling, and it made his whole body feel tense and weak . “We’re gonna be together for the rest of our lives, but I’m gonna leave you alone for two whole decades.” He clenched his teeth, angry at the fact that this was happening at all. Furious . “It’s not fair. It’s not fair that you’re so kind and good and perfect and this is what you’re gonna have to deal with.”

Wolf… Was surprised. This was never even one of his concerns, and yet it was one of the main problems about getting married to Snake. How? How could this man call himself a monster, how could he say that he only ever hurts people then turn around and tell him out of the pure compassion in his heart that he didn’t wanna leave him alone? 

The tears that Wolf had managed to keep at bay leaked out of him, one by one.

“Fuck, Snake.” He said, leaning forward to hug him tight. “You’re– I wish you noticed how good you are.”

Snake decided to just stay quiet, hugging back as he felt Wolf cry over his shoulder.

“I don’t care if I’m gonna outlive you.” He said, low words right next to Snake’s ear. “I’ll gladly take 20 years of being alone for 1 day I get to spend with you.”

The serpent sobbed at that. “F-fuck, Wolf–”

“I mean it. I truly mean it, Snake, I love you so much, I…”

The duo had put all of their defenses down in a way they hadn’t done for a while now. They cried, letting out all of their emotions out onto each other, holding themselves desperately like it was the last time they’d ever see each other.

“Please,” Wolf said between whimpering sobs. “Please don’t worry about that. It’s not your problem to deal with.”

“But it is .” Snake retorted, pulling back to try and stare at Wolf through the layer of tears in his eyes and the lack of light.

“It’s not, dammit. I’ll be fine. ” Wolf assured him. “I’ll miss you, but I’m gonna be fine. I’ll have the gang. I’ll have our memories.”

“But it’s not fair.” Snake repeated.

“It’s so far in the future, Snakey.” He said, before holding his face and pulling him back so that the moonlight hit their faces.

And for the first time in their conversation, they saw each other. They saw how much they cared.

“I’m gonna be okay after you’re gone, Snake. I promise.” He smiled weakly but honestly.

Snake couldn’t help but smile back, even with the grim nature of their conversation.

“Y’know, sometimes…” The reptile started, clearly feeling a bit better now. “Sometimes I wish I could start over with you, and… And do everything right .”

Wolf stared and smiled. Then he perked up.

“We could pretend.”

Snake raised a brow. “Pretend?”

Wolf picked up his phone and stood up from the bed, quickly searching for something as his fingers scrolled by. And then, a particular song started playing.

I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good. Wolf knew this was one of Snake’s favorites.

“Hey there,” Wolf said, wiping off his teary eyes in one swift motion as he presented himself in a more charming manner. “Couldn’t help but notice… What’s a pretty little thing like you doing in here tonight, all by yourself?”

Wolf could see Snake’s eyes widen with the glow of the moonlight. “Wolf–” He started, threatening to laugh at how silly the idea seemed.

“ Please, ” Wolf interrupted, lest Snake ruin the immersion. “Care for a dance?”

The reptile shook his head in a manner that could only be described as ‘I can’t believe this is happening.’

“Sure.” He said, slowly slithering up from bed and letting Wolf hook an arm around him, while his free hand held the end of his tail.

“Excellent.”

And then, they began moving back and forth, in vaguely-circular motions.

“I’m Wolf.” The canine said, continuing their little game. “And I’ve gotta say, I’ve never seen such pretty scales before.”

Snake couldn’t help but chuckle. He couldn’t believe how easily Wolf could get him falling in love all over again. 

“I’m Snake,” He followed along, “And you have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen in my life.”

Wolf blushed, and Snake’s tongue flicked out. There was no spicy cologne, no vague scent of whiskey.

It just smelled like Wolf.

“You know,” He said, looking out the window at the moon. “I’m getting married soon to the most wonderful man.”

Snake’s heart did a little flip. “Talk about a coincidence.”

“Sometimes I worry he doesn’t know how wonderful and kind he is.” He says, gaze coming back to Snake. “That he doesn’t know how much he changed my world for the better.”

The reptile wanted to stop smiling, but he couldn’t. This was all so… So sudden, so improvised, and yet it had the intended effect, boosting his mood massively.

The voice was nowhere to be heard.

“I’m sure he knows.” Snake replied, taking the lead for a moment to turn Wolf around. “Y’know, my fiancé… He’s perfect.” He struggled with his words considerably more, but he sure as hell wasn’t gonna stay silent. “He’s got it all figured out, really. Meanwhile I’m a bit of a mess.” He chuckled, coming off more as a funny anecdote than something he disliked about himself. “But I think we complement each other really well.”

Wolf chuckled in return, and time seemed to slow around them.

“I love you, Wolf.” Snake said, just like he had said a thousand times before, and just like he would say a thousand times again.

“And I love you, Snake.”

And in the middle of their pitch-black room, softly illuminated by the moon, they kissed.

Chapter Text

noun. the pure color of a clear sky.
Represents trust, loyalty, sincerity and stability.

Wolf was certain he was gonna have a heart attack.

Yup, that’s probably what was gonna happen. His poor little heart wouldn’t be able to take it anymore and it would just give in, and he would fall to the ground right here, and he’d never get to say he actually married Snake.

Get it together, Wolf, he thought to himself.

The sweaty, nervous canine was currently standing next to the altar that they had managed to set up on their old hideout. Diane and Piranha had done a spectacular job with the decorations, Webs was currently managing the music and lighting, and Shark had made the comfiest, most elegant suit he had ever worn in his life.

Black and crimson, just how he had asked.

The altar itself was set up in front of the huge window in the middle of the hideout. It was currently midnight, and the moon shone through the window, giving everything a faint, magical blue glow.

Shark was their stand-in priest, as it turns out that he was given the license to marry people by the Governor, and that was good enough for Wolf. Maybe it was a bit weird that it was just them at the wedding, but they didn’t want anybody else. Why would they? This was their family.

“Relax, baby.” Shark said, currently standing behind the altar as he gave Wolf’s back a reassuring pat. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“Yeah.” He agreed, even if it didn’t calm the nerves. Everything is gonna be okay.

He hadn’t seen Snake for the past couple hours, given how much he wanted to stick to the tradition of not seeing each other until the actual ceremony. Which was completely fine by Wolf, but now he was wishing he was here so that they could talk to each other.

Was he as nervous as Wolf was? Wolf had never been this nervous about anything ever.

Diane quickly rushed out from one of the rooms in the hideout, wearing her elegant yet simple blue dress, holding a clipping board and a pencil as he spoke to Webs. “Piranha and Snake are ready. How’s the lights?”

“All good here, Miss Governor!” The arachnid gave her the thumbs up, and Diane replied by nodding.

“Good.” She said, before turning back to Wolf. “Wedding’s starting soon, loverboy. Nervous?”

“ Extremely. ”

“You’ll get over it.” Diane replied with a little chuckle. “Places, everybody!”

Everybody then went to their respective stations. Webs sat in a small seat with her laptop to manage all the electronics, while also being in front of the altar to watch the ceremony. Diane sat on a seat on the opposite side, while a couple more empty seats lined the path towards the altar.

Oh shit. It’s really happening, Wolf realized.

The lighting changed from a neutral white color to a deep blue, adding onto the moonlight and signifying the start of the ceremony. A curtain was set up on the other end of the room, and movement could be seen behind it.

Was that… Snake?

Nope! It was Piranha, who Wolf didn’t even realize was missing until he stumbled through. Webs put on a happy, yet slow tune as Piranha made his way down the path to the altar, pulling out flower petals from a basket and enthusiastically throwing them around– Maybe a bit too hard.

The whole gang chuckled at the display, helping to briefly calm the lupine’s nerves, who at this point felt like he was going to vomit. Piranha finally reached the front and threw some petals directly at Wolf’s face, who didn’t even manage to say anything before Piranha sat down at one of the empty seats.

“All good, papa!” He said, talking back towards where the curtains were set up.

And then, slithering through the blue fabric almost ethereally, was the most beautiful man Wolf had ever laid his eyes upon.

Time stopped as they made eye contact. Snake, on his end, noticed how Wolf was wearing black. He rarely saw the Wolf wear black, and when he asked him why, he always gave the same explanation: He was saving it for a special occasion.

Right. He should’ve imagined.

Meanwhile, Snake’s look had Wolf entranced. The white and crimson suit made his scales seem so bright and intense in comparison, even under the blue light. On his head there was this little headpiece that wrapped around, seemingly made out of a thousand little crystals and made the light in the room dance around him. A little veil fell down from the headpiece, falling just low enough to barely pass his neck.

And just like that, his nerves were gone.

The track changed into a more quiet, more meaningful piano song as Snake slowly made his way towards the altar– With Wolf’s golden eyes fixated on him the whole time, until finally, they stood next to each other.

They both took a deep breath, nodded, and turned around to face Shark, as he started introducing the ceremony.

“You look beautiful”, Wolf whispered low enough so that only him (and maybe Shark) could hear.

“I want to marry you ten times.” Snake replied.

“Maybe you should.” Wolf replied, before quieting down as Shark finished giving the opening words.

Now, it was time for their vows, as they turned around to face one another again– And god, maybe Wolf should stop looking at him so much or he’d be blinded by this… Angel, by this being of pure light that was right in front of him.

The man that he was about to marry.

“Uh, I’ll go first.” Wolf said, fumbling a little to extract a little paper out of his suit’s pocket, unfolding it and holding it in front of him to read it.

“Snake,” He started, and the reptile just wanted to kiss him already.

“When I first met you, we were both alone.” He recalled, and Snake could remember clearly. “Something about you drew me in. Maybe it was your intense personality, maybe it was your devilishly good looks,” He paused, allowing the audience to let out a small chuckle before continuing. “Or maybe… It was the fact that I saw someone kind that the world had forgotten to love.”

The reptile’s breathing started to become heavier as he tried to not cry.

“I wanted to be nice to you.” Wolf kept going. “I wanted to help you be kind again, but I would never imagine how much you’d help me instead.” He paused. “Even before we were a couple, we were already inseparable. Partners in crime, I guess you could call it, in more than just the literal sense. You always got me in a way nobody else could. You understood me, you knew me, you…”

Wolf’s gaze wandered from the paper to Snake.

“I don’t know what I would do without you.”

He folded the paper again and slid it into his pocket, before taking Snake’s tail with both of his hands.

“Snake, my dear love, I promise to love you forever and always.” His voice was slightly breathy as his nerves threatened to show again. “No matter what you do or what you say, I promise to support you through it all. And I promise to love the person you’ll end up becoming in the future.” They were both getting a little teary eyed, and they could tell. “I promise to be somebody you can lean on, a friend you can laugh with, and a shoulder you can cry into.”

“...And I love you so much, of course.”

A couple sniffles could be heard coming from everybody in the room, who now turned their attention towards Snake. But for the first time, Snake didn’t feel the way their eyes burned into him. No, all he felt was Wolf.

He let go of his hand for a moment to pull out his own paper, noticeably more scrunched up and messy.

“To the love of my life,” He started, and Wolf just wanted to kiss him already.

“It took me a bit too long to write this, and…” Snake stopped for a moment, staring down at his paper, before crumpling it up in one swift movement and throwing it aside, to stare into Wolf’s eyes and take his hands once more.

“When I met you, Wolf, I was truly alone.” He said. “For most of my life I’ve been truly alone. I had learned that a snake couldn’t have friends, a snake couldn’t be good, a snake would never be worthy of love. ”

“So when I fell in love with you, I just wanted to push you away. I thought– ‘There’s no way that the Mr. Wolf would set his eyes on me, ever’.” He said with a little chuckle, before his voice settled once more. “But you did. And I don’t know why, and I’ll never know why, but I am forever grateful to you for that.”

“I thought my story was done by now, but you made me realize there’s always more to be written.” The sapphire blue lights that shined off of Snake’s headpiece were almost as bright as his eyes. Almost as bright as his soul. “You made me realize that even old snakes like me can love again. You didn’t fix me, Wolf, you made me fix myself . You made me change for the better, and you made me break out of my terrible old habits. You made me hear new sounds, and– And see new colors.”

Wolf wiped the reptile’s tears with a thumb as Snake breathed in deeply.

“Love, I promise to be by your side forever.” He let his gaze wander a bit, before settling back down on Wolf. “I promise to never give up on you the way you never gave up on me. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you through the good times and the rough patches.” Their air was electrifying, and the entire world didn’t matter outside of them. “I promise to cherish you, and celebrate you, and to love you, to love with you, to laugh with you, to cry with you, to live with you. I promise to see new colors with you.”

“And I love you too much, obviously.”

The couple turned to look at Shark, who was making a conscious effort to not burst into wailing at the beautiful display of affection from his two friends. “You guys…” He said, before straightening back up and continuing the ceremony.

“And by the power conceded to me by… Well, mostly the Governor, really, I now declare you husband and husband.” They smiled, unable to contain their excitement. “You may now kiss the groom.”

Snake wasted no time coiling himself up around the canine, dipping him low into the ground as he gave him the kiss of a lifetime.

And as the whole crowd erupted into cheers and an array of fireworks stars exploded outside the window, the only thing they could do was stare at one another.

Chapter Text

noun. a color without hue at one extreme end of the scale of grays, opposite to black.
A blank slate, a fresh start. A new beginning.

It’s been three months since we got married.

Where do I even start? I had this whole thing planned and now my mind is going blank.

Nobody really tells you that after you get married life goes back to normal. It’s crazy to think that one day you’re crying at the altar and then the next week you’re back to working for the Governor.

Well, it’s not exactly normal. You’re my husband now.

It’s silly, but I’ve been bringing you up in conversations as much as I can lately just so I can say that. ‘My husband’. I never thought I’d reach the point where I could say it.

My husband.

I finally finished that song I’ve been writing for you. I remember that you cried when I played it for you, and now the only thing I want to do is write more.

I guess nothing changed visibly. We still live in the same house, with the whole gang. We briefly thought about moving, but they’re part of the family. Even if sometimes I wish they’d give us a bit more privacy.

I feel like you’re happier lately. But not happy in the way you usually get, where your tail starts wagging and you get all giddy and excited. You’re more… Content with your life.

I certainly know I am.

The other day I came home to see you washing the dishes, and I came from behind and kissed you on the cheek, and then I sat down and had lunch while we talked. And I keep thinking about that so much. About that, and about the fact that we brush our teeth at the same time in the same bathroom, about how we share a basket of laundry now. About the way you watch TV before going to sleep, and then when you turn it off, you always roll over and wrap your arms around me and kiss me.

At one point I was certain that I had the perfect life. I was wrong. This is the perfect life.

I don’t wanna steal anymore. I don’t wanna do crime anymore. I know that the past Snake would hate what I’m about to say, but I just wanna settle down with you and live a normal life, and grow old together, and sit next to each other without having to talk because we’re just happy to be next to one another.

I’ve been thinking about what we talked about that night. How I’m gonna outlive you.

I’ve made my peace with it, I think. Or I’m trying to. Or I’m beginning to try to. In any case, it doesn’t feel like such a terrible thing as it used to feel. It’s normal. It’s natural. It still sucks and it’s unfair, but I can feel that you’re gonna be okay.

I used to envy how you were always okay. But now that I’m gonna be with you forever, I feel like I’m always gonna be okay, too.

Sometimes, when I’m alone, I pull out my wedding suit and stare at it. I never imagined myself wearing white before, but at the wedding, it just felt right. Maybe because it made me feel a bit more like you, and I’m always trying to be more like you.

Anyways, I don’t really have much more to say that I haven’t said before. Don’t wanna make this too long either.

I love you, obviously. More than you could ever know.

Your husband,

Snake