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Chapter Text

Alex supposed this was probably some form of divine retribution.  It had to be, nothing but a karmic punishment of the severest degree could have possibly ever led her to this point.

It was still an hour and a half until the wedding ceremony, and she was already exhausted; she watched in utter resignation as her ex-husband paced back and forth like a caged animal.  “Wes,” she tried, even though that hadn’t worked the first four times.

Following established patterns, he didn’t even glance at her.  She was just about to turn on her (very expensive) heels and go find Travis when her former mother-in-law burst through the door instead.  “Wesley John Mitchell, what is the matter with you?”

Wes finally stopped pacing, but the wild, vaguely-murderous expression on his face when he whirled to face them was not much better.  “I’m leaving,” he declared, “I’m going to go find my fiancé and he is going to get me out of here.”

Holly’s spine stiffened as she rose to her full height (which was still only five-foot-four, maybe, but she had an imposing enough aura to carry it off as much taller).  “I have no doubt that he would if you asked,” she allowed carefully, “but you are not going to ask, because today is your wedding day.”

Wes scowled.  “Everything is falling apart.”

Alex’s nose wrinkled with slight disagreement as to whether or not a missing pair of dress shoelaces and the news that the cake was going to be about half an hour late (while still two hours ahead of the reception) counted as everything falling apart, but Wes was both an incredibly anxious man and more than prone to fits of drama when he felt it suited him.

His mother, however, came equipped with more than enough drama of her own.  “The only thing falling apart is you,” she insisted, “so pull yourself together.  I sent your father to buy new dress laces, the cake is nothing to worry about, and you need to get it together and stop panicking, or else your face is going to be splotchy in your photos, and then what will you do?”

Alex wasn’t sure that giving Wes another thing to worry about would have been on her list of tactics, but Holly clearly knew something she didn’t, because Wes stilled his frantic movements and visibly took several deep breaths.

“What if he buys the wrong color?” he whined; a more charitable person might not have called it whining, but Alex was not feeling charitable at the moment.

“I sent the shoes with him,” Holly dismissed simply, “he knows how to color-match.”

Wes didn’t say anything, pouting silently instead, and Alex couldn’t even begin to imagine how long this day was going to be for all of them.

Chapter Text

Wes was glaring in consternation at his still-sock-clad feet when the door clicked open and Travis slid in, checking over his shoulder before hastily closing the door and flipping the lock.

“What are you doing?” Wes asked, but as soon as he looked at his partner fully the question became moot as he was suddenly incapable of doing anything besides gawping at Travis like a fish with his mouth hanging open.  He looked fantastic.  That didn’t even begin to cover it, but Wes’ brain had been turned into banana pudding apparently, so it would have to do.

Wes had despaired for several weeks over the mere existence of Travis’ sage green wedding suit, but now he couldn’t for the life of him remember why; Travis looked like springtime incarnate, and Wes wanted to fall into him and see if he still smelled like himself, or if he would smell like sun-dried linen and cut flowers and fresh rain.

There weren’t enough words in the world to be said about custom suiting and the way that a tailor-made suit could lie against the lines of a man’s body in the most flattering and suggestive way; likewise, Wes could spend years describing the hard lines of Travis’ body and how willing they were to be flattered and suggested.  He didn’t have that kind of time, though, because Travis was still standing in the doorway, and Wes needed to close his mouth and stop staring.

It wasn’t easy, though, for the way Travis’ entire face lit up as he took Wes in.  His eyes turned molten, liquid glass burning a path over Wes’ body, and his face softened into an expression of excitement and legitimate wonder that Wes couldn’t possibly imagine he deserved.

“Wow,” Travis murmured, voice rough and sun-warm.  “Angel, are you sure you’re in the right place?  Heaven was up a few more floors.”

Wes blushed in spite of himself and in spite of what a ridiculous cliche that was, then paused and considered the statement.  “Is your implication that I came from hell?”

Travis rolled his eyes.  “If you were better at playing along, you’d have said well, I suppose you’ll have to help me find it later.”  He grinned, probably to ensure that Wes knew he was kidding, and sidled a little closer.  “You’re absolutely gorgeous.”

Wes rolled his eyes in return, never one to be left behind.  “If you were better at playing along-” he started, but stuttered to a stop when Travis knelt in front of him and grabbed right behind his knee, lifting his foot to rest on Travis’ thigh.

Wes refused to allow himself to be disappointed when it turned out that Travis’ purpose was slipping his shoe onto his foot and then tying it.  “Your dad was gonna bring these to you, but I convinced him to let me do it instead.  He made me promise I wouldn't let Holly or Alex catch me, though, hence the locked door.”

Wes hummed noncommittally, and Travis glanced up at him through his dark eyelashes with a suggestive smirk.  “Were you hoping I was here for a different reason?”

Wes sniffed haughtily.  “Absolutely not,” he feigned, “we don't have that kind of time.  And if you ruined either one of our suits I'd have to kill you, anyway.”

Travis flashed a broad grin at him and then turned his attention to the other shoe.  “Later,” he promised.  “Once you're my husband.”

Wes’ breath caught in his throat and he swallowed thickly.  “Why can't my mom and Alex know you brought me my shoes?”  That felt like a safer conversational gambit than the one they were on currently.

Travis huffed a quiet laugh and tapped Wes’ newly-shoed toes with his fingers, one hand still hot around his ankle.  “Bad luck to see the bride on the wedding day?”

“Neither one of us is a bride,” Wes argued with a confused frown.  Travis shrugged and rolled his eyes.

“Which is the argument I used to talk your dad into letting me bring you your shoes.”

Wes conceded the point with a nod.

“Have you been into the reception hall?” he asked, moving his foot in a slow circle to savor the warmth of Travis’ grip on his ankle.

Travis hummed an affirmative.  “Looking good, did you wanna go check it out?”

Wes shook his head.  “I think I would just start freaking out over all the little details if I let myself see it.”

“Baby,” Travis murmured with a bitten-off laugh, “that is a degree of self-awareness I did not think you possessed.”

Wes scowled and pushed at Travis’ chest with his foot.  “Get out of here and go make yourself useful somewhere, I’m going to find the officiant and see if she needs anything before we get started.”

Travis laughed.  “So bossy.  Is this the rest of my life already?”  He shifted a little closer into Wes’ space and put a hand on the back of his neck to pull him in for a kiss.

Wes huffed against Travis’ mouth and mumbled into the kiss, “Yeah, you sure you still want in?”

He could feel a smile form on Travis’ lips.  “I’m sure.”

Chapter Text

Travis swallowed down an oppressive wave of nausea at the sheer number of people seated in the bright and airy ceremony garden.  He couldn’t see any of them yet, but he could hear them, and in less than a minute, they were all going to be looking at him, scrutinizing him, waiting to hear the soul-baring words he had painstakingly chosen to share with his partner on their one and only wedding day.

Warm, sure fingertips stroked down the back of one of his shaking hands before it was clasped tightly in Wes’.  “Not too late to elope,” Wes whispered in his ear.  Travis covered his mouth with his free hand to smother his laughter.

“Alright, you break something to distract your mother and I’ll pull the car around.”  He searched Wes’ face for any hint of the fear he was feeling, but saw only an unshakeable certainty that had him remembering what they were here to do, and it wasn’t to impress anyone else.  The nerves jangling in his stomach quieted some.

“It’s 264 miles to Vegas,” Wes informed him.  Travis snorted with startled laughter as the violin music that was their cue to walk reached his ears, and Wes smiled playfully at him one more time.  “You ready?”

Travis swallowed once, squeezed Wes’ hand, and nodded.  Together, they stepped into the bright afternoon sunlight.

As soon as his eyes adjusted, they were scanning over the two-hundred-and-something people congregated in the garden, taking note of all the faces he recognized and all the ones that were new to him.  The slow walk down the stone path seemed to take a hundred years, but Wes’ hand in his kept him moving forward, his desire to be married to this man outweighing any nerves he ever could have felt.

He was wearing his most performance-ready smile, but when they stopped at the altar and he turned to face Wes, he felt it falter, praying that whatever vulnerable thing was showing through the cracks was visible to no one but his partner.  Wes only gave him a shy smile and offered his other hand, which Travis took gratefully.  Anything to help anchor himself in this moment.

“Welcome,” the officiant greeted in the beat of silence that followed, “Travis and Wes have brought us here together for an occasion of great joy and a cause for great celebration.  Having found each other, they have built the kind of partnership that will serve them well as the foundation for their marriage.  They have chosen each one of you to be here with them to witness their wedding vows as they join together in marriage.”

As she continued, Travis glanced around subtly, still working to ground himself through the anxiety.  Alright, five things I can see: the tablet she’s reading off of, the leafy plants on the arbor, Wes’ hands, Wes’ tie, Wes’ eyes looking especially crystal blue this afternoon, probably because the sun is so bright out here.

“Marriage is a bold step into an unknown future.  It is risking who we are for the sake of who we can be.  In marriage, two lives are intimately shared; and the blending of the two must not diminish either one.  Rather, it should enhance the individuality of each partner.”

Four things I can hear: her voice, the birds, my own heartbeat like a drum in my ears, the way Wes is working to keep his breathing steady - he must be nervous too.

“Each of us knows that a marriage is not created by a law or a ceremony - rather, it is created in the hearts of two human beings.  It grows out of loving, caring, and sharing ourselves with another. This ceremony is not magic, it will not create a relationship that does not already exist and has not already been celebrated in all the commitments Wes and Travis have made to each other, both large and small, in the days since they first met and recognized their connection to one another.”

She paused for a moment to adjust her glasses, and Travis took the opportunity to squeeze Wes’ hands twice in quick succession, either to reassure Wes or to reassure himself.  Wes squeezed his hands three times in response.  Yeah, everything's alright.

“So, in witnessing this ceremony today, we are observing only an outward sign of an inward union that already exists between Travis and Wes.  This ceremony is a symbol of how far they have come together and a symbol of the promise that they will make to each other to continue to live their lives together and to love each other solely and above all others.”

Keep going, three things I can smell: tea roses, leafy-planty-smell, Wes’ aftershave - cedarwood and neroli.

“There are only two official witnesses at a wedding, but each and every person here today will witness the words that they will speak to one another and the vows that they will make.”

At this, Travis winced, hopefully imperceptibly.

“You should take good care to remember these words; for a marriage needs the help of a community, of friends and family who will be there when needed and will do all that they can during hard times to stand by Wes and Travis and offer their support to them and the new family that they create today. May you always do all within your power to support the union that will be made here today and to nurture the bond between these two people whom you love.”

Two things I can feel: Wes’ hands in mine.  He’s not sweating yet, he was worried about that.

“A successful marriage is not something that just happens. It takes work, it takes patience, and it takes time. It takes a commitment from both of you - a commitment to do whatever it takes to make your relationship thrive and not just simply survive.”

One thing I can taste - Wes’ chapstick on my teeth.  The thought made him smirk very slightly to himself, which earned an amused eyebrow raise from Wes, who had been watching him intently this entire time.

“Wes, do you take Travis to be your lawfully wedded husband and travel the rest of life’s road with him? Do you vow to love him, laugh with him, comfort him, honor and protect him, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”

Wes inhaled quietly, his eyes still trained on Travis’.  “I do.”

“Travis, do you take Wes to be your lawfully wedded husband and travel the rest of life’s road with him? Do you vow to love him, laugh with him, comfort him, honor and protect him, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”

Travis, in spite of all his apprehension, didn’t hesitate for even a heartbeat.  “I do.”

She paused for a moment to smile encouragingly at each of them.

“Before this moment you have been many things to one another- acquaintance, friend, partner, lover, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years. Now you will say a few words and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this,” and here she paused, gesturing between them, “is my husband .”

The more times he heard it, the more Travis couldn’t wait for it to be true.  But before they could get there, there was one last big anxiety to tackle.

“Travis, would you please share the vows you’ve prepared for your partner?”

He swallowed and reached into the pocket of his suit jacket for the notecards he’d stashed there.

“Why does he get to go first?” Wes accused playfully, throwing Travis a smile that anyone else may have interpreted as joking but which Travis took to mean relax, don’t throw up, this will be fine.

“I was born first, I proposed first, my name comes first in the alphabet,” Travis rattled off matter-of-factly.  A rush of laughter came over their guests, but then they fell silent and there was nothing else but to do the thing.  Wes deserves to hear what I have to say.  He did his best to forget anyone else was even there.

“I had a hard time writing this; you know I’m not as good with words as you are, but it got easier when I remembered that if I ever wanted to write poetry about love, it would all be about you anyway.”  He wished he could still be holding Wes’ hands, but he needed both hands - one to hold the cards, and the other to steady them and disguise how badly his hands were shaking.

“In fact, I think the reason I’ve never written any poems about you, aside from that I’d have to ask for your help with all the rhyming parts, is because if I started naming all the things I love you for, I would just never stop.  You know better than anyone how hard it is to get me to shut up sometimes; if I had to make a list of the reasons I love you, nobody would be able to stop me.”

Wes laughed, his eyes shining, and that was all Travis needed to continue.  “You’re the smartest man I’ve ever met, bar none.  Your belief that the world could be a good place strengthens my resolve to make it a better one for you.  You’ve never left my side in any situation, even when I’m not making it easy.  Your chicken parm is basically a religious experience.  Your natural curiosity leads both of us down some of the most exciting rabbit holes.  And down some literal holes, too, which is something I cannot believe has happened twice, but I know we can always count on Detective Cafferty and Detective Laroche to show up with reinforcements.”

He paused to throw a wink to Kate and Amy seated in the assembly, who responded with a thumbs-up and a middle finger, respectively.

He took a deep breath.  “I wasn’t always able to say this, but I can say with confidence that I have a strong network of support around me; whether it’s our families, our colleagues, or our friends, I know that there are a lot of people who have my back, but the most consistent, and by far the most important, has always been you.  Every day with you is a privilege I don’t take for granted, and every night when I close my eyes, I can’t wait to find out what tomorrow will bring us.  Getting into trouble with you, taking care of you, and getting to watch over the next forty years as you morph into the grumpy old man you were born to be are the most exciting things I’ll ever do.”

Travis had hoped that line would also make Wes laugh, but instead his lip wobbled dangerously, and Travis wasn’t sure how Wes was going to deliver his own vows if he started crying now, but he supposed if need be they could just sit down and wait for him to stop.

“I promise to never give up on fighting for you and with you, no matter what that looks like.  Since the day we met, you’ve inspired me to be better, to reach further, and to give the best possible version of myself to the world.  Today I promise to always give the best possible version of myself to you, too.  I promise that I will always give you the patience that you deserve, the attention that you need, and the pushback that you crave.”  He grinned, relieved to have made it through without stumbling or dropping his cards or embarrassing Wes.  “Mostly, I promise to love you forever.”

Wes sniffled once and then the first of the tears spilled down his face; Travis reached up without thinking and swiped them away with his thumbs, pausing to cradle Wes’ face in his hands.

“Wes,” the officiant said softly after a moment, “would you please share the vows you’ve prepared for your partner?”

Wes nodded unnecessarily, pulling his own notecards out of the inner breast pocket of his suit jacket.  “I love you too,” he said, even though that definitely wasn’t written on the cards.

“I know,” Travis responded with a helpless smile.

Wes cleared his throat quietly, although at any second he was going to start crying again.  “Travis,” he began thickly, “I wanted to start by telling you that you’re my best friend.  The day we met, I thought you were completely obnoxious-” Travis bit off his laughter, so as not to interrupt, “-and I wasn’t exactly sure why Paekman thought that I needed to be introduced to you, but he was right.  Once I knew you, I wasn’t sure how I had ever managed without you, first as one of my best friends and then as my partner.”  Wes paused and took a deep breath before he added, “Out of all the things I’ll never stop owing him for, that’s proven by far to be the greatest one.”

Travis wasn’t sure how he was still breathing around the lump in his throat; maybe he wasn’t.

“You add colors to my world that I had never seen before you.  I admire so much about you, from your willingness to dance badly in the grocery store - and don’t tell me you never dance badly, because we’d both know that was a lie - to the way you’re able to offer a smile to anyone who needs one.  I’m not sure what it is about you that every baby and dog finds so irresistible, since they don’t know the things I know about the focus in your eyes when you’re trying to solve a puzzle or the way you laugh when you’ve been drinking, but whatever it is, they’re not wrong that you’re a person everybody is better off for knowing.”

“I’m grateful to you for sharing your dreams with me, and I’m grateful for the chance to be the one to help you fulfill them.  If I can’t convey anything else to you through my wedding vows, I hope that I’ll convey to you that I’m always going to be here with you no matter what, because you deserve that.”

That was the last little bit of emotional turmoil Travis could tolerate, apparently, because he was definitely crying now, and he was pretty sure he didn’t cry as prettily as he felt that Wes did, but it didn’t matter, because Wes paused and gently wiped the tears from his cheeks like Travis had done for him, then continued.

“You’re such a good person that, when I first met you, I had a hard time believing it, but I know now that you truly are that kind, that forgiving and accepting, all the way to your core.  Even when I’m at my worst, which we both know can be pretty damn bad, you’ve never made me feel like you wanted to be anything except closer to me.”

As if demonstrating his words, Wes shuffled a little closer to Travis, and Travis in turn scooted a little closer so that the toes of their shoes just barely touched on the stone patio.

“Choosing to love you has been the easiest thing I’ve ever done.  I am yours, always and forever; your partner, your best friend, your family, and now your husband, too.  I promise to choose you every day of my life, and I’m honored that you’ve chosen me in return.  I promise to trust you and give you my respect and support, even when I don’t understand where you’re going with something.  I promise to be your home for the rest of our lives.”

Wes gave him a small smile.  “And, since you mentioned it, I promise to love you forever, too.”

Travis took a ragged breath in and clasped both of Wes’ hands in his again, not bothering to stop and notice or care that he caused Wes to drop the notecards in his haste.  He heard another wave of soft laughter at that.

Travis could barely hear the rest of the ceremony over the blood rushing in his ears; he paid enough attention to repeat the right words for the ring exchange and slip the silver band onto Wes’ finger, he felt the already-soothing weight of his own wedding band being slid onto his left-hand ring finger, and the deft touch of Wes’ fingers on his own.

“Therefore, it is my joyful responsibility to officially declare you duly married. You may now seal your union with a kiss.”

Wes was grinning wildly at him when he grabbed Travis by the lapels and hauled him in to an inappropriately thorough kiss; over the roar of his own pulse and the hundreds-multiplied applause he faintly heard the final words, “Assembled guests, it is my privilege to present to you for the very first time the newly married Mr. and Mr. Mitchell-Marks.”

“Now whose name comes first in the alphabet,” Wes taunted into the breath of space between them.

Travis pulled back to stare at him incredulously.  “Still mine, man.”

Wes just kissed him again.

Chapter Text

Wes could admit, if only in the privacy of his own head, that he had perhaps lost his cool a bit towards the end of the wedding preparation process.  He’d argue in his own defense, however, that it was difficult to maintain an even temper when one had invested as many dozens of hours and thousands of dollars into one particular afternoon as he and Travis had invested into their wedding day.

He was pleased to note that every bit had been worth it.

The reception venue looked every bit as lovely as he'd pictured it in his mind; the fresh elegance of the garden setting paired perfectly with the airy, ethereal decor they’d chosen.  Their ceremony was even better than he’d expected, and he was cautiously optimistic that things would continue to go smoothly, given that they were fifteen minutes into the reception and nothing bad had happened yet.

Then his great aunt Linda showed up.

He was so caught up in the whirlwind of people wanting to stop and congratulate him and Travis that he didn’t notice her at first; by the time he dropped his gaze the entire foot it took to reach the familiar white bouffant and inappropriately glittery dress, it was too late to find a plausible distraction and escape.

“Aunt Linda!” he greeted, too cheerfully.  “How lovely to see you, I’m thrilled you could make it.”

She beckoned him down to her level and kissed him on the cheek, more familiar than he wanted to get with practically anyone who wasn’t Travis, but he had at least been expecting it.  Travis covered a surprised laugh with a cough, then licked his thumb and used it to wipe away the smear of mauve lipstick Wes could feel sitting on his skin.  Great, this is exactly what I wanted, everybody’s spit on my face at my wedding.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Aunt Linda assured him.  “And what a beautiful wedding!  It’s a shame about the weather, though.”

Travis cast a confused glance at the perfectly blue spring sky, but Wes just pursed his lips and hummed with a dismissive nod.

She turned to Travis and smiled.  “I’m Wesley’s great aunt Linda, we’ve not had occasion to meet.  No one ever comes to visit me,” she explained, casting a line to fish for pity.  Unfortunately, Wes feared she’d find Travis had very little pity to offer virtually anyone at any particular moment.

“We don’t travel much,” Travis said.  His tone and expression were good-natured, a tribute to how much more patience he had than Wes did.  “Work keeps us pretty busy.”

Aunt Linda clucked her tongue.  “I know just what you mean,” she cooed.  “I worked for the YWCA in Tucson for thirty-seven years, those people never appreciated all the work I did for them.  I was in accounts-payable for most of that, and let me tell you, boy, were they ever sorry to see me go when I retired!”

Wes actually doubted anybody had ever been sorry to see Linda go from anywhere.  Travis nodded encouragingly.  “Wow, thirty-seven years!  I bet they really appreciated and respected you.”

She snorted derisively.  “You’d think, wouldn’t you?  But let me tell you-”

Travis held up a finger to pause her, then laid a hand on Wes’ arm.  “Baby, could you go and order us a couple drinks?  I’ll meet you over there in just a second once I’m done hearing this story.”

Wes just barely stopped his mouth from falling open, so touched that Travis would throw himself on the sword of listening to Aunt Linda bitch about the YWCA solely so that Wes didn’t have to do it.  He nodded a quick affirmative and stepped away before Linda could say anything more to him.

I owe that man something very expensive or very kinky, he thought somewhat ruefully.  Maybe both.

Chapter Text

Travis tilted his head back as he stepped out into the cool night air, letting out an exhausted breath.  He was an extrovert to the letter, and typically a huge party like this one would leave him feeling electric with sparkling energy, but something about being the center of attention for this many consecutive hours had him counting down the minutes until he and Wes beat their ten o’clock escape and headed home.

It didn’t help that he and Wes had barely been able to sit down, let alone talk privately or pause to bask in the effusive glow of being married to one another; he’d been with his partner all day and still felt like he missed him.

He felt Wes’ presence behind him before he felt the tentative hand on his lower back, too tired to open his eyes.

“Hold these,” Wes instructed, placing a small stack of plastic boxes in Travis’ hands.  At this, Travis did open his eyes, glancing down and seeing that it was several boxes of leftovers.  “And give me the keys, I’m gonna go grab the car and you can meet me around the front of the building.”

Travis’ brow wrinkled in confusion.  “It’s only 9:17,” he pointed out.  “We’re not supposed to leave until ten.”

“What are they gonna do,” Wes countered with a magnificent eye-roll, “take away our marriage certificate?  I already told Alex we were leaving early and she can break the news to my mother.”

Travis grinned and fished in his jacket pocket, tossing Wes the car keys.  “Are you going to be too disappointed with me if our wedding night just consists of us going to sleep?”

Wes snorted with laughter.  “Our wedding night can wait until tomorrow morning, as far as I’m concerned.”  He waved away Travis’ sigh of relief with a dismissive hand.  “We have the rest of our lives, now.”

Travis bit his lip, ebullient butterflies reanimating in his stomach.  “Yeah, we do.”

He could hardly wait.