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Andrew was standing in front of a mirror fixing up his tie and trying not to freak out. He had never thought he would be here. Marriage was not the thing he saw in the cards for himself.
He and Neil didn’t need the piece of paper to know that they belonged to each other, but after seven years of being together they got tired of having to fight for their right to sit at each other's hospital bed. The tax benefits were also a plus, so they decided to just get married out of convenience.
They just moved in together permanently after managing to get on the same pro team and Andrew couldn’t be happier. He finally had his junkie next to him at all times and that made all his nerves finally settle.
It was supposed to be a small ceremony. They called Kevin and Renee to be their witnesses and that was supposed to be it. They were supposed to go to the courthouse and get this over with.
Renee begged Andrew to let her take Allison with her, because her wife would kill her if she didn’t. Kevin couldn’t keep his mouth shut and spilled the beans to the coach who told Abby who told Betsy. Andrew secretly wanted to include his brother from the beginning so he called him even before finding out that basically everyone knew. Neil then confessed that he had called Dan and Matt, because he wanted them to be there.
That left only Nicky out of the loop and Andrew couldn’t have his cousin holding a grudge against him so he called him as well.
It all went downhill from there.
Once Nicky found out he proclaimed himself the wedding planner and didn’t want to hear anything about a courthouse. He was still petty about Aaron’s and Katelyn’s wedding.
The cheerleader had an overbearing mother who insisted on planning everything for them so one day the couple just ran away and eloped with only Andrew and Neil as their witnesses.
For a reason that the twins could not comprehend, their significant others struck some kind of a friendship. It turned out that Andrew and Aaron shared similar tastes when it came to choosing partners and it was a fact that shocked and disgusted them the first time it was pointed out.
Nicky went above and beyond for the wedding. It was still small when it came to guests since Neil and Andrew didn’t have a lot of people worth inviting. They had the foxes and a couple of their current teammates that weren’t so bad, but that was it.
His cousin insisted that they stick to the tradition of not spending the night prior to the wedding together and Andreww hated himself for letting Nicky talk him into that.
He desperately wanted to see Neil and he felt like he would explode if he didn’t. He was way past the time when he refused to admit how much the striker meant to him.
He was about to marry the man, for Chtist sake. He could admit that he loved him like he had never loved anyone or anything ever before.
“Ready?” His brother's voice brought him back to the present.
Aaron was smiling and Andrew never thought that he would see his brother happy at the prospect of having Neil as his brother in law. They still acted like they hated each other even though Aaron always asked how Neil was doing while on the phone with Andrew and Andrew knew that Neil did the same when he talked to Katelyn.
Andrew nodded at his brother's question. He had never felt more reddy than right now. He was about to marry the love of his life. His younger version would have never believed him if he went back in time to tell that little boy about what was about to happen. Even the version who already knew Neil would laugh in his face.
He went out the door and stood in front of Wymack who was supposed to officiate the wedding. Neil had been so excited at the prospect of walking down the aisle. He even got Dan and Matt to walk with him as his self proclaimed adoptive parents.
As the music started playing and everyone stood up Andrew looked across the room. They were on the fox hole court, because Nicky thought it would be hilarious and Neil loved the idea immediately. Andrew was sold by the fact that it made Kevin miserable, seeing his precious court used for anything other than Exy.
Neil looked at him with the biggest smile on his face and it took Andrew’s breath away. No matter how many years he had stared at that face it would never seize to amaze him how beautiful Neil was.
His face was covered in scars that Andrew knew were painted on every inch of his skin. Andrew knew every single one by heart and loved them with his whole being. Sometimes he spent hours just mapping out Neil’s body with his kisses planted on every single one of them.
Andrew hated the people who put them there, but the scars themselves were worshiped by him every time he saw them. They were proof that Neil was still here, that he survived and that he stayed. They also made him recognizable even in the dark. Andrew didn't have to worry about who was lying beside him. All he had to do was trace the scars with his hand and he knew that he was safe.
Neil walked slowly in his direction. He looked like he would vibrate out of his body from excitement. If not for Matt and Dan on either side of him he would probably run down the aisle and Andrew wished he did.
Andrew didn’t hear anything that was happening around him. He was vaguely aware that Wymack was saying something, but he couldn’t take his eyes away from Neil. He tried very hard to remain expressionless, since he still didn’t feel fully comfortable with showing his emotions to anyone other than the man in front of him, but he failed. He knew that he looked like an idiot, but he didn’t care. Neil wasn’t doing much better and every one else was irrelevant.
Andrew tuned back in, in time to hear that it was his time to share his vows. They decided to prepare their own words when they decided to go all in. They thought that the regular form would be meaningless to them. Andrew valued words and he had a vendetta with a few of them, but he also had some that reminded him of good times.
He knew that everything he was about to stay would forever stay in the second category.
“Neil,” Andrew started and he hated how shaky his voice was already, but he chose to look only into the beautiful blue eyes and forget about everything else. This was for them. Andrew could do this. “Abram, when I first saw you I thought you were a hallucination.” There were quiet laughs throughout the room, but Andrew didn’t care. Neil was still smiling from ear to ear, but he rolled his eyes at Andrew’s words.
“When I realized that you weren’t, I thought you were a pipe dream. Something to think about and look at, but never to have, never to hold. Never in my whole life was I so happy to be wrong about something. Life without you would be hollow and meaningless. You made me want to live again and you gave me not only yourself, but also everything I have. The relationships with the people in this room that I hold so close to me even if I don't always show it,” He said while tearing his eyes from his love for a second to look around the room, “would not be possible without you. You pushed me to be the best version of myself, without ever actually pushing me. You respect my boundaries and bad days and I couldn’t imagine my life without you. I promise you that I will protect you till the day I die and anything that will ever wish to cause you any harm will have to deal with me first.” Andrew ended his speech by casually fixing up his armbands.
“Andrew,” Neil started, with tears in his eyes.
It took a long time for Neil to feel comfortable enough to cry, let alone in front of people. Andrew couldn’t help but be proud of him.
“A long time ago you gave me a key to your house and called it home. That was one of the first times I felt like I belonged somewhere. First time was when I got the keys to this very court.” Neil added and glanced at Wymack with a fond smile.
“Junkie.” Andrew whispered and there were quiet laughs all over the room.
“I never feel as safe as when you are next to me. You don’t have to promise me that you will protect me. I know you will. I have never doubted that for a second.” Neil paused and swallowed the lump in his throat. He took a deep breath and continued, his voice shaking even more. Andrew reached out to take Neil’s hands in his and squeezed them in reassurance. “I have written this speech and rewritten it over and over again. I think every single person here, besides you, has heard some version of it. I couldn't settle on any of them. I couldn’t settle, because none of them could ever describe the way I feel about you. I could spend eternity describing all the ways you saved me and made my life better and I would still run out of time. I will only say one thing. I will only make one promise that I already made all those years ago, but now it will be legally binding.” Neil said the last words with a smile. “I promise to stay.”
Andrew couldn’t wait anymore.
“Yes or no?” He whispered, desperately.
“Drew, It’s always yes with you.” Neil replied with the dopiest smile Andrew has ever seen.
Normally he would argue, normally he would say that Neil couldn’t promise that, but right now he didn’t care. He reached up and took his husband’s face in his hands and kissed him like his life depended on it.
There were cheers and whistles erupting from every corner of the room. Andrew dipped Neil down and kissed him even harder.
***
Speeches:
Aaron
“When I met Neil I hated his guts. He was arrogant, he had an attitude problem, he lacked any kind of authenticity,”
“Is there a compliment there somewhere, Minyard?”
“Shut it, Josten. I’m trying to say something.”
“Actually, it’s Josten-Minyard now, thank you very much.”
“So, I think you all know what I mean. Self absorbed, egoistic asshole. Unfortunately he makes my brother happy and I think we all know that making Andrew happy is one of the hardest jobs there is. For the longest time I had no idea what all of you saw in that idiot. He waltzed into our lives and immediately settled himself in all of your hearts. I have no idea when and how it happened and I’m a little tipsy and will refuse the implications of saying any of this tomorrow, but somehow that bastard managed to get to me too. Neil, you are an asshole and I’m so thankful to have you as my brother in law. If it wasn’t for you I would probably have zero contact with my brother in the first place and I’m glad that you stumbled into our lives. I wish you both nothing but the best.”
Kevin
“When I first made a deal with Andrew I knew that I would have a hard time keeping my end of it. For those of you who don’t know, I promised Andrew to find him something to live for. Back then I thought it was going to be Exy. I know, I know it's very predictable of me, but come on how can you not love Exy? Okay, okay, don’t boo me Andrew I'm getting to the point, Jesus. Tough crowd. As we all know Andrew doesn’t care about Exy to this day. He would be a much better player if he did- Auch! Did you just throw a fork at me? What are you? An Animal? I found you a husband and all I get is hate. Neil was the way I kept my end of the deal. I admit, I wasn’t frilled at first about their relationship. It derailed Neil’s focus from Exy, but at the end of the day it helped two of the most important people in my life be happy, so I’m happy. To Andrew and Neil!”
Renee
“As the maid of honor, I have to fulfill my duty and embarrass the groom a little bit. When Neil first joined the foxes Andrew was gone for him from the start. Don’t make that face, Andrew. You know it’s true. I had to hear over and over again about “that stupid idiot”. When they finally got together I was over the moon. I couldn’t think of two other people who fit together so well, apart from me and my wife, of course. You two had to walk through literal hell to get to this point and I’m so proud of you. I hope that God won’t throw any more hardships your way, but even if they do I know that you will be able to survive them, together.”
Matt
“My best friend got hitched!!! Yes, people. Come on, a sound of applause to the newlyweds! Oh, Neil. The day I found out about you two was a day filled with so much new information yet this was what shocked me the most. At first I was scared for your life and sanity, but you both proved time and time again that you are perfect for each other. Andrew, I’m so sorry for ever doubting you. There is no one out there better for Neil and I’m so glad he has you. Cheers!”
Dan
“Neil, the day you joined the foxes was the day that everything finally clicked into place. You were the last missing piece of the puzzle and I will be forever grateful to you for changing the whole dynamic of the team. You are like a little brother to me and I never wish for any harm to come your way ever again. Andrew, thank you so much for protecting him. For protecting all of us, even if we didn’t always know that that;s what you were doing. We had our differences, but I’m so happy that you are a part of my family.”
Allison
“I was kind of mad, when I found out you two weren’t eloping after all. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to be here, but I had a lot of money riding on it and you all know how much I hate losing bets. Neil, what you see in that guy I will never understand, but I can see that he makes you happy. Your face looks like you are holding a banana and it is a little embarrassing. No, don't show me pictures from my wedding, Neil. This is photoshop, I did not look that ridiculous. Anyway, I can see that Andrew is good for you so you two have my blessing. Andrew, you have found a gem, don’t you dare take him for granted.”
Nicky
“Hello everyone, are you having fun? Glad to hear it. I just wanted to point out that if the grooms have organized any of this it would be fucking terrible. Did you seriously bring a knife to your own wedding, Andrew? You can wave that thing at me all day long, I know you are just a bark with no bite. Love made you softer. This is the most important wedding I have ever attended. Sorry, my love. My other cousin had deprived me of my God given right to attend his and,”
“For fucks sake, Nicky. Will you let it go if I let you plan a party for us?”
“Yes! You heard that people. You can expect another awesome party like this coming soon. Neil, you have entered our little family and I knew that you would shake things up from the get go. I had never imagined that we would end up like this, but I’m so glad we did. I love you and I’m so happy that you are now legally binded to us even though there was no need for a piece of paper to prove that we are where you belong. Andrew, I’m so glad that you found someone who makes your whole face light up. All I ever wanted for you was to be happy and I’m so glad you found it with Neil. I love you both so much.”
Wymack
“Why all of you didn’t know that these two knuckleheads were bound to end up together from the beginning I will never understand. It was so fucking obvious and you are all bunch of idiots. That’s it, that’s the speech. To the newlyweds!”