Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Leslie?"

"Mhm?"

"You know I love you, right?"

There was something in Ben's voice that gave Leslie pause, and she rolled over to face her fiance, her head propped up on her hand and her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Spit it out, Wyatt," she demanded, but she was trying her hardest to fight a grin.

Ben sighed, looking up at the ceiling for a long moment. "It's just... if we're going to get married tomorrow, then I think we need to go into it without any secrets, anything hidden."

"Ben, you've already told me all of your Kathy Ireland fantasies. And I told you, I kind of get it."

He laughed and shook his head on the pillow. "No, no -- stop it, Leslie. Look, I just need you to know that... I genuinely do not get what the big deal is about Lil Sebastian. I've been trying for months to figure out how to tell you, and I couldn't find a good way so I just started going along with it because it made you so happy."

Leslie frowned, inching away from him slightly and chewing on her bottom lip.

"Les?"

When she didn't answer, he sat up in bed and looked down beside him at her.

"I know how important he is to you, Les. I just don't understand. Believe me, I've tried."

Leslie finally broke into giggles and pulled him back down onto the bed with her, arms and legs tangling with his. "Oh, Ben, you'll understand someday."

She saw his face relax into a grin, and he leaned down to cover her face with kisses until she was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

"So, anything you'd like to confess?" he finally asked, and Leslie feigned total innocence as she reached out to turn out the bedside light.

"Not a thing. Night, honey. Countdown until wedding?"

"T minus... 16 hours. I love you."

Leslie snuggled into his arms a little further, sighing happily and closing her eyes.

And then, when she couldn't stand it any longer --

"I've never seen Star Wars."

Chapter Text

"Ben, you can't go in there! You can't see Leslie until-"

Andy's voice pulled Leslie from her dreamlike reverie as she sat in front of the vanity in Ann's bedroom while Donna worked the curling iron through her hair.

"Oh hell no," Donna fumed, and barely missed giving the bride-to-be third degree burns on her ear in her haste to set the iron down before getting to her feet. "Do not let that skinny ass boy in here, Ann! Did they not teach him something called tradition back in Nowheresville, Minnesota?"

Through the closed bedroom door, Leslie could hear the scuffling sounds of Ben trying to fight his way to where the women were getting ready in Ann's bedroom; Andy was stationed outside the door as security but it was evident he wasn't the greatest at the job, because a moment later the door burst open and Andy stumbled in holding Ben in some sort of ninja hold.

"Sorry, Leslie, he breached the perimeter," Andy apologized.

Donna stepped in between Leslie and Andy and Ben to obscure their view of Leslie. "You have ten seconds to explain what you're all doing busting in here before I throw you out the window."

"Please don't!" Leslie pleaded. "We have to take wedding photos first..."

"No no no, photos are after," Ann corrected Leslie, quickly confirming it on the schedule taped to the mirror. "Don't worry, Les, we've got lots of time. But Donna, you still shouldn't throw the groom and the band frontman-"

"And security!" Andy quickly interjected.

"...and security... out a window. Because they do clean up pretty nice, and Leslie's getting married today! So everything needs to be fantastic."

April finally spoke up from where she was sitting on Ann's bed, yellow bridesmaid dress on and her hair styled, but her posture atrocious and her head bent over her phone while her fingers frantically texted. "I can't believe you two are getting married. Way to steal our idea. Andy and I totally got married first."

Leslie's head was bouncing from person to person as they talked, and her grin kept getting bigger and bigger with excitement the more everyone mentioned the fact that yes, she was actually getting married today. To Ben. Who she still couldn't actually see, but she could hear him continue to sputter at Andy.

"Okay, guys, let's relax. Andy, you need to step up on security. April, you didn't invent the idea of marriage, I'm sorry. Ann, you beautiful ethereal unicorn, you are the glue that holds this wonderful family together." Leslie carefully stood up, thankful that her wedding dress hit just at the knee and didn't have a long hem to worry about tripping over. Her shoes were still in the box, so it was with bare feet that she walked over to Donna.

"Donna, he wouldn't have interrupted us unless it was something really important. Can you guys just give us two minutes?"

Reluctantly, Donna stepped out of the way and followed everyone else out of the room until it was just Leslie and Ben.

Ben was rubbing the back of his neck where Andy's arm had been wrapped around it, and when he saw her for the first time, Leslie's heart beat a little faster.

"I... wow. Leslie, you--you look beautiful," he finally managed to say.

"Try not to remember, because you have to look surprised in a few hours when you see me walking down the aisle," she teased him. She felt her eyes tearing up with happiness and anticipation even as she said it, and she cleared her throat slightly to compose herself. "Okay, so what's going on? Why did you risk Donna's wrath?"

Ben began to pace the length of Ann's bedroom, and she couldn't help but admire the view as he did; his cute butt looked nice in his suit, indeed.

"Okay, so remember when we read A Storm of Swords..."

Leslie raised an eyebrow. "Ben, this isn't going to turn into the red wedding."

"I know, but Leslie-"

"Nobody is going to try and assassinate you."

"I know, but it's a great book, and-"

"Ben, we are not. making. this. a. theme. wedding," Leslie said firmly.

"I'm not asking for a theme wedding, I'm just pointing out that you did get me Longclaw, and..."

"You are not carrying a sword to our wedding. I'm sorry, honey, but if I let you bring a sword, this actually could become a red wedding." Leslie stopped him in his tracks and grabbed both of his hands in hers. She could feel them trembling slightly and she knew he was as nervous and excited as she was. Focusing on something silly was clearly helping him deal with it, and she wished he could stay there with her until the big moment. But at the same time, she wanted to replay that second when he first saw her over and over again in her head.

"You can bring it on the honeymoon," she promised him, then backtracked: "Wait, no, bad idea. Probably wouldn't be able to get it through security." He chuckled and shook his head, blushing faintly, and Leslie felt that delirious joy working its way right into her bones, to the very core of her. She lightly kissed him, denying herself anything more until it was official. Until they each had a wedding band and one another.

"Your two minutes are up!" Donna's voice interrupted them, and Leslie beamed happily at Ben even as Andy dragged him back out of the room.

Leslie looked over at the clock on Ann's bedside table -- just over two hours to go.