Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Are you nervous?”, Io asked as she adjusted the boutonnière on her son’s white tuxedo. It was a teal coloured heliotrope; Ivan said it’d match his eyes, which were the only thing he could stare into for hours without ever getting tired. She scrambled around him like a squirrel searching its next acorn to focus on, trying to make Till look as perfect as he would allow her.

“Not really, no”, he shrugged, visibly nervous, “just a wedding.”

“Just a wedding he says”, Mizi laughed as she stood up from a chair. She had finished doing her make-up. Stepping closer, she got in front of Till, who was standing on top of a small podium. They were helping Till get ready for the ceremony that was taking place in a few hours.

The bridesmaids’ pastel green dresses were swaying in the breeze that had blown in through the open window. The salty scent of ocean air filled the room and the crashing waves provided a pleasant rustling sound. Getting married on an Island was Ivan’s idea as well. Most of the wedding was organized with his input, as he had a clear vision for everything.

Mizi scanned her friend.

“I have to say, I did a real good job picking out that tux for you”, she grinned.

“Yeah sure, whatever.”

“White suits you. The lace adds an elegant touch and the frilled sleeves are just super cute”, she whirled around and returned to her seat. Grabbing some brushes from the table, she looked back at him. “Ready for your make-up, bride-to-be?”

“Hah…”, Till sighed. He was against it at first, but everyone gently ordered him to let Mizi do his make-up. Everyone but Luka, who was still questioning why he was part of the bridesmaids entourage while sitting on the couch on the other side of the room. Pastel green wasn’t his colour.

Mizi grabbed a little stool and pulled it closer, scratching it along the old wooden floor. She hopped onto it and met Till’s gaze.

“I grew.”

“Congrats.”

“You really don’t want to take off your piercings for the ceremony at least?”

“No, they stay in”, he protested and crossed his arms.

“Don’t move!”, his mother pulled his arms back down.

“Sorry.”

“I’m back”, Sua said as she entered the room. “Excuse me for taking so long.”

“Welcome back!”, Mizi greeted her.

“Ivan wouldn’t let me go before I checked every. Little. Thing", she sounded exasperated, "meticulously”.

While she was happy for her brother, she could do without his perfectionism in anything regarding his passion for his fiancé. She flopped down on the couch next to Luka and closed her eyes.

“S-sorry about that”, Till said, “but thanks.”

She merely managed to show him a thumbs-up.

“Alrighty, make-up time”, Mizi announced and went right into it. She had absorbed all her knowledge from the various make-up artists she worked with while on set of her movies. She’d be finishing Sua’s later and then do Io’s at last, like she requested. She imagined needing to cry once she saw Till fully prepped and didn’t want to ruin the make-up before the actual ceremony.

Mizi made sure to avoid Till’s brow piercing so as to not mess with it accidentally. Till examined her carefully. She looked beautiful, though not as beautiful as she did on her own wedding day a few years back, he thought. He was happy to have her and everyone by his side. He glanced down to his mother, who was fiddling with one of the pant legs. He smiled, seeing her so focused on such a trivial detail made him happy. It was the little moments that ended up becoming his biggest and most treasured memories. The urge to draw grew, he wanted to-

“Close your eyes!”, Mizi’s tone pulled him out of his thoughts and he instinctively did as he was told. He could never disobey her; not back in school, not now, not ever.

“Yes ma’am”, he replied.

“Don’t call me ma’am”, she flicked his forehead.

“Ow.”

“Idiot.”

“Meanie”, he snorted as Mizi joined in laughter.

“Till, stop moving”, Io pleaded, “ah, your hair.”

She stood up from her crouch and fumbled around with his hair.

“It’s so unruly, we need more hairspray”, she turned her head, “Luka sweetie can you bring me another can of hairspray?”

“Do you want to suffocate us?”, Till asked jokingly.

“Don’t be silly, it’s just a bit more.”

“You said that two cans ago.”

“You could always cut your hair.”

“Then I’d look just like you.”

“Exactly!”

“Pff”, he chuckled, “maybe in seven years.”

Till regained his cool and caught a glance of his left wrist.

The tattoo was peeking out under the frills. While it wasn’t his first, it was the one he liked the most. Right on the vein, a small key attached to a string that wrapped around his wrist but faded out abruptly.

Ivan had the matching other half.

Chapter Text

“Are ya nervous?”, Hyuna asked.

“N-n-no?”, Ivan stuttered, struggling to attach his cufflinks. “Wh-why would I be nervous, haha.”

“Ya sure?”, she raised an eyebrow.

“Yup!”

“‘Cause to me it looks like you’re trying to use a nail clipper in place of your cufflinks.”

“Wha-”, he looked down at his hands, holding a nail clipper. Turns out, the reason he was struggling with it was because he wasn’t attaching his cufflinks.

“Gimme that”, she took the clipper away from him and held up his arm, “here.”

She grabbed the actual cufflinks from the table and put them on for him.

“Sorry…”, Ivan sighed. While Hyuna was helping him, his gaze fell on his newest tattoo. A small padlock on the vein of his wrist, with a string attached to it, wrapping all around his arm. A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Whatcha grinning at? Gross”, Dewey commented from the side.

“Don’t be rude”, Hyuna nudged him.

“Sorry”, he faced Ivan, “here’s your flower thing.”

“Thanks!”

His ‘flower thing’ was a simple red rose, one of the two things that Till actually picked out himself. The red complemented Ivan’s jet black tuxedo with the velvet decorations.

“There ya go, ready for the big day”, Hyuna slapped him on the back, “lookin’ nice.”

“Thanks Hyuna”, Ivan nodded.

“So”, Hyunwoo used Ivan’s shoulder as a resting spot for his elbow and propped his head on his hand. “How come my sister is your best man and not me?”

“I thought you said you didn’t want the responsibility?”

“Dude, I was just playing hard to get!”

“Why?”

“Because that’s a big deal, I was nervous.”

“That’s how he got Luka”, Hyuna added.

“Like you’re one to talk!”, he snapped at her.

Ivan enjoyed the siblings’ bickering, it reminded him of Sua’s and his relationship. The two, Dewey and Isaac were Ivan’s groomsmen. They were wearing pastel red suits. The theme of their wedding was a soft coloured beach party. They were on a small island with a small hotel. Its honeymoon suite was a cosy bungalow separated from the main building, with access to a private beach. Ivan had been planning the event for over a year.

He glanced around his room. Isaac was napping on the couch, he worked late last night and wanted to catch up on some sleep. Dewey was walking around in circles, whether out of excitement or nervousness Ivan didn’t know. The siblings had stopped arguing and Hyunwoo was rearranging his hair.

Ivan stepped to the dresser in which he had stored the rings. He opened a drawer and took out the ring box. He wanted to make sure they were still there. The two black wedding bands. They had been made without any intricacies besides their names carved on the inside. Till wanted something he could wear every day and wouldn’t clash with his style. He had already been overwhelmed with the black diamond on his engagement ring. Though Ivan wanted to acquire an even bigger gem at first, he was stopped by his partner.

Ever since his career as a runway model took off, he wanted to give Till the biggest wedding imaginable. But they settled for a small ceremony, only with their closest family and friends and out of the public eye. In fact, no one but the people attending knew that they were getting married.

He put the ring box back and noticed a bump against his leg. He crouched down and petted the little dog.

“Good morning Ppangi, did you sleep enough already?”

The orange pomeranian barked in response. Ivan and Till had adopted him two years ago and would take him everywhere they went.

“Ppangi!!”, Hyunwoo exclaimed and picked him up. “Wanna go for a walk?”

Ppangi barked twice.

“Do you mind?”

“As long as you’re careful”, Ivan nodded.

“Of course!”

“Don’t get lost”, Hyuna said before he disappeared behind the door. “Dewey?”

“Yeah?”

“Before you start indenting the floor with your constant walking in circles, could you accompany my brother and make sure he gets back on time?”

“Huh, do I have to?”, he complained but complied either way.

“Thanks.”

“Looks like you’ve got everything under control here, huh?”, Ivan laughed.

“That’s my job, I’m your best man!”, Hyuna grinned. “Have ya calmed down some?”

“I think so, yes.”

“Everything’s ready. You did your rounds with Lil Sua earlier, right? Now ya just gotta enjoy the rest of the day.”

“I know, but I want it to be perfect.”

“And it will be, Mr. Perfect.”

“I’m not.”

“I beg to differ?”, she crossed her arms. “You’re the most sought after runway model in the entire country right now. You’re constantly on magazine covers, stealing Luka’s job.”

“What?”

“His words, not mine.”

The two laughed.

“What time is it?”, Isaac yawned as he stretched his arms.

“Morning sleepy head”, Hyuna approached him.

“Where’s Dewey?”

“Your boyfriend is walking the two dogs,” she said smugly.

“Dogs? Plural?”

Ivan burst out laughing, trying his best to hold back tears. He blocked out the other two’s conversation and faced the big mirror. He scanned himself from head to toe. Yes. Everything was going to be perfect.

⚭

“What do you think?”, Io stepped away and let her son take a good look at himself in the mirror.

“What the fuck…”

“Till, language!”

It was the first time that he had seen himself fully decked out. White tuxedo, the white shoes, his hair neatly arranged to show his piercing and earrings. While he’d usually wear black ones, for the wedding he bought the same ones in silver. The teal flower in the buttonhole and his black nails added a nice contrast and speck of colour to the otherwise monochromatic outfit.

“Till, you look amazing!”, Mizi applauded. She stepped next to him.

“You do. You look stunning”, Io positioned herself on his other side.

“You did a great job too, Mizi”, Sua pecked her wife.

“I’m just glad I don’t have to wear the dress too”, Luka added.

Mizi looked at him. “We do have a spare one, if you change your mind.”

“Please, not again.”

It was only then that it started to slowly sink in. Till was about to marry the person he had spent every day with for the past five years. His face turned red. He got down from the podium and hurried towards his bags. He rummaged around for a moment before he produced a notebook and a pen. He made a beeline for the couch, sat down next to Luka and started sketching.

“You’re gonna draw now? Seriously?”, Luka asked but was met with silence.

“Art never sleeps”, Mizi chuckled, “you can’t get through to him once he’s in the zone.”

“Oh dear, I wish he’d take a break from work even if just on his special day”, Till’s mother shook her head, yet smiled endearingly.

“You’re not the only one”, Mizi glanced at Sua, who was caught typing on her phone.

“Sorry, the lab texted and–”

“And the head research engineer is currently on vacation and unavailable.”

“But–”

“Phone.”

“Yes…”, Sua sighed and handed over her phone.

Mizi walked away to hide the phone somewhere safe. 

Meanwhile Till was still completely engrossed in his sketching. More than anything, it was a coping mechanism to deal with the immense dread and anxiety he was feeling all of a sudden. What if he’d forget his vows? What if he’d trip and mess up his outfit? Or some of the decorations of the venue that Ivan worked so hard for? He knew that the more he’d think about, the quicker he’d start spiraling down. But knowing the problem didn’t mean he could just as easily solve it.

The same had happened when Ivan had confessed and when Ivan had proposed. His thoughts turned around in his head. He didn’t know what to do with them and wished he could just turn them off completely. He wanted to be alone. But he didn’t want to be alone. He wanted to see Ivan and to be told that everything was going to be okay. He wanted to–

“Hey”, Luka poked his cheek and dragged Till out of his mental whirlpool.

“What!?” Till snapped.

“It’s just a wedding, right?”, Luka smiled gently.

“...”, Till took a breath.

He put down his sketchbook and looked around.

Sua was begging Mizi to let her reply to her colleagues at least once.

Mizi was holding her ears shut and pretending not to hear her pleas.

Till’s mother was tidying up the room and putting away some things.

Luka was sitting next to him, chilling.

He was right. It was a day like any other. Just a wedding.

“Thanks, Luka”, he smiled back at his friend.

“Ew, gross.”

“The fuck you mean gross, wanna go at it, prick!?”, Till’s mood did a 180 and he jumped up from the couch.

“Heh, that’s the Till I know and hate”, Luka got up as well.

“Fuck you too!”, he flipped him off.

A day like any other.

“Alrighty girls, let’s line up”, Mizi clapped, “I wanted to take a pic of us, fancy and ready”

“That is a wonderful idea, Mizi”, Io seemed excited.

“Come on!”, she waved them closer.

“Me?”, Till and Luka said at the same time and glared at each other.

“Yes, you’re part of the girls?”, she said matter-of-factly, dashed towards them and hauled them in front of the mirror. Everyone lined up around Till before Mizi took a picture of their reflection.

“Aww, doesn’t this remind you of the day we went shopping for your tux?”, she laughed.

Everyone but her groaned with pain.

“What? Was I the only one that had fun?”

Chapter Text

“Mom, please stop crying.”

“But I wanted to accompany you”, Io sobbed through the phone, “I’m sorryyy.”

“It’s not your fault that you caught a cold”, Till tried to reassure her. “If you want, we can postpone it to another day and–”

“Noo, getting this appointment was already difficult. The store is always busy and fully booked. You need to take this opportunity. What if someone steals your dream gown?”

“Suit.”

“Sorry, suit. Not gown”, she cleaned her nose.

“Alright”, he sighed, “then I’ll hang up, I gotta get ready to leave.”

“Alright”, she sniffled, “sorry again.”

“Don’t be”, Ppangi jumped on his lap for attention, demanding head pats. Till gladly obliged. “I’ll come by tomorrow, take care.”

“Thank you, Till. You too. And have fun!”

“Thanks, bye”, he said and hung up. He sighed.

“Is your mom okay?”, Ivan asked, picking up their dog so Till could get dressed.

“She’ll be fine, I’ll just video call her or something.”

“Alright”, Ivan pushed Till’s hair back and kissed his forehead. “I’ll be waiting in the car.”

“‘Kay.”

“Ppangi!”, he put him down on the floor again. “Walkie time?”, he asked with a high pitched voice while clapping his knees. Ppangi barked excitedly and ran around in circles. He followed Ivan to the front door - which was actually an elevator door - of their apartment. He strapped the dog into his harness and disappeared behind the closing doors while playing with Ppangi.

Till couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

He got up from the red sectional and stretched. It was earlier than he’d usually get up on a Saturday morning, but going shopping for his wedding outfit wasn’t anything he’d be doing often, so he didn’t mind much. The sun had barely risen above the horizon, still partially hidden behind some of the city’s skyscrapers. The light of the winter sun that reached him through the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows was faint enough to not blind him yet.

He decided to forgo any more exercises due to the immense sore muscles from yesterday’s session. Not only had Till finally gotten used to going to their private workout room that Ivan had installed, but he’d also had just returned from an overseas model gig and had missed Till a lot; which meant Till got two workouts that evening.

“Alright, I should get ready”, he yawned and headed to the bedroom. He caught a glimpse of the painting he’d been working on for weeks in the corner of the living room. He shrugged off the urge to paint, telling himself he’d just continue once he’s back tonight. How long could picking out an outfit really take, right?

Not long after, he exited the elevator on the floor to the underground parking and approached Ivan’s car. He’d just bought it last month. He’d been gushing over owning it for weeks, some kind of electric sports car. Not that Till had any idea; whenever someone asked what car Ivan drove he’d reply with ‘a black one’.

He opened the passenger door and found Ppangi panting and wagging his tail.

“May I?”, he asked.

Ppangi barked twice.

“Thanks”, he laughed, grabbed the dog and sat down.

“Ready?”, Ivan asked.

“Yeah. Though can we get some coffee on the way?”

“Of course”, Ivan smiled. He already knew Till would ask for coffee, which is why he planned in enough time to account for that. He started the engine and drove out the garage. Despite the car’s tinted windows already blocking off some of the sunlight, Ivan always wore sunglasses when driving. ‘It’s about the vibe, ya get me?’ he’d say, but Till did not get him. But Ivan looked hot like that, so he didn’t mind.

They got some coffee and continued on their way. Till took a sip from his iced black coffee, no sugar, no cream. He always said how he didn’t want to enjoy coffee, he just needed for it to take effect. Ivan shivered and drank from his strawberry caramel iced choco macchiato with vanilla syrup and e xtra cream. A wide grin appeared on his face, his little canine showing, seeming as blissfully content with the world as ever. Till shivered at the thought of all the sugar while simultaneously cursing him for his preposterous metabolism, which allowed him to drink stuff like that with absolutely zero repercussions.

It wasn’t much longer until they arrived at the store.

“We’re here”, Ivan said as he parked. “Are you sure I can’t accompany you?”

“No”, he glared at his overzealous fiancé. “If you come along you’ll just end up buying the most e x pensive thing in the entire shop.”

“But–”

“No”, he petted Ppangi one more time before unloading him on Ivan’s lap.

“Boo…”, Ivan pouted.

“Have fun at the park”, Till leaned over and kissed him.

“Fiiine”, he snuggled into the dog. “We’re gonna have the best day ever, right?”

Ppangi barked twice.

“I’ll call you once we’re done”, Till said as he got out.

“Have funsies, tell Sua and co. I said hi”, Ivan smiled.

“Sure”, he closed the door and waited. He knew Ivan.

The passenger door’s window lowered slowly with a whirr.

“Are you sure I can’t–”

“Go!”, Till pointed into the distance.

“Yes sir…”, the window whirred up slowly again before the car’s engine finally started and he drove away. Till rolled his eyes before hearing familiar voices approaching. He turned around and saw Mizi and Sua walking hand in hand. As soon as Mizi noticed him, she waved her arm.

“Morning Till!”, she yelled.

“Good morning, Till”, Sua greeted him.

“Hey”, that was his greeting, “thanks for coming.”

“Of course, this is gonna be so e xciting”, Mizi beamed.

“Was that my brother who just drove away?”, Sua asked.

“Yeah.”

“Did he ask to stay?”

“Yeah.”

“More than onc–”

“Yea–”

“Yeah.”

“Till, where’s your mom?”, Mizi wondered, looking around as if trying to see if she was hiding somewhere.

“Oh, she got a cold and can’t come.”

“Whaaat? She was so looking forward to it too!”, she looked a bit disappointed, but quickly regained her cheerfulness. “I know! We can video call her!”

“That was my idea as well.”

“Yay!”

After her yay, a motorcycle came speeding at full throttle and stopped abruptly next to them. They recognized the bike by its bright pink colour.

“Hi”, Hyuna greeted them as she took off her helmet and turned off the engine. Behind her, Luka took off his helmet as well. “I brought the goods.”

“I still don’t understand why I have to be here”, he complained before saying anything else.

“You’re one of the bridesmaids, it’s part of your job”, Hyuna explained.

“And as I keep telling you, I don’t understand why I’m one of the bridesmaids either!”

“Well ya know, in the relationship with Hyuna and Hyunwoo you clearly are the bo–”

“I don’t need an answer!”, he interrupted Mizi.

“So you already kno–”

“Stop!!”

“Anyway, I gotta go. Got a photo shoot for the cover of my upcoming album”, Hyuna put her helmet back on. She waited for Luka to get off before restarting the bike and disappearing as quickly as she appeared.

“Haaah…”, Luka sighed as loudly and annoyingly as possible, to make sure everyone knew he really wanted to be anywhere else but there.

“We should head inside, our appointment is about to begin”, Sua said after checking her wristwatch.

They followed after her and entered the store. They were met with a virtually infinite display of different wedding gowns and suits, with an incredible range from white to off-white and even slightly more off-white. Till already regretted entering, but it was too late to back out now.

Mizi’s eyes were sparkling more than the usual amount as she marvelled at all the pretty dresses. If she could, she’d remarry Sua every year just to wear more of those dresses. That was how Till knew about the store in the first place, he accompanied Mizi when she was looking for a gown. He was still a bit perplexed that the roles had switched.

An important seeming lady, holding a clipboard, approached them with tiny steps and greeted them. She asked who the bride was and Mizi quickly raised Till’s arm. Embarrassed, he confirmed with a nod and the lady guided them to a corner of the sales floor. She offered everyone a glass of champagne, but only Luka and Mizi partook; Luka in an attempt to numb his mind and drift into nirvana and Mizi because ‘it’s part of the experience’.

Till asked if it was okay to video call his mother and he was told that it’d be no problem. He dialled her number and positioned the phone on the suspiciously smooth surface of the side table.

“Well then”, the lady cleared her throat, “does the bride have any specific ideas for the outfit?”

While Till tried to correct her into not calling him the bride, she didn’t seem to understand (or care), so he gave up eventually.

“Not really”, he shrugged, “it just has to be fully white ‘cause Ivan is–”, he stopped. His cheeks flushed the faintest of reds. “M-my fiancé is wearing all black.”

He was still not used to calling him that. Ivan was just Ivan.

“I understand, yes”, she nodded. “Would the bridesmaids like to accompany me and each pick an outfit for him for starters?”

“I’ve been waiting all my life for this”, Mizi jumped up from her seat with such vigour that it looked like she was about to take off into the sky.

“You have?”, Sua asked.

“Oh? Well that sounds fun”, Luka grinned.

“Watch it”, Till glared at him.

“Can I pick one too?”, Io asked through the phone.

“Absolutely, I shall personally escort you”, the lady cackled and picked up the phone.

“Thank you very much!’

“Follow me”, she said and everyone but Till followed suit. They formed a neat line as they vanished behind a forest of white tulle. Like chicks following their mother hen into the unknown.

He looked around the store. They weren’t the only people currently being attended. From where he was sitting, he could count about another 5 groups. It was difficult to say where one group ended and another started.

There was just half a year left until their wedding. Till hoped to find the final outfit today so they could start focussing on all the other aspects of the event. Which for him mostly meant listening to Ivan’s detailed plans, agreeing or disagreeing to choices he makes and reassuring him that no, no one would notice that the chair bows were dusty periwinkle while the table runners were pale lavender.

After a while, Till’s entourage returned in the same orderly manner in which they had left before.

“I’ve readied the outfits in one of our dressing rooms. My assistant Guy is waiting for you in case you need help”, lady mother hen explained as she returned Till’s phone to the table.

“Alright, guess I’ll go take a look”, he stood up and headed to where she was pointing at. He entered the room and was greeted by the assistant guy.

“Welcome, my name is Guy, I will be assisting you today”, he introduced himself. ‘Oh that’s his name ’ Till thought to himself before saying hello as well. He examined all the suits that were hanging on the wall. All four suits and one dress.

“Luka you fucker…”, Till cursed under his breath.

“Which one would you like to try first?”, the guy named Guy asked.

“You know what?”, he crossed his arms, “that one.”

“As you wish.”

Till walked out in the only dress that someone had picked for him. Luka was holding his belly while almost crying from laughter.

“I think I look great in it”, he said.

“Hmm,I think you look better in short skirts”, Mizi said. He was wearing a long ball gown with a sweetheart neckline. His shoulder tattoo of a burning guitar was fully visible.

“I’d have to agree”, Io nodded on the other side of the screen. “Sua dear, could you take a picture and send it to me?”

Sua opened her small bag and grabbed her phone. Till sighed as his picture was taken.

“Can I go back now?”, he stepped down from the round platform in front of the mirrors and walked away in defeat.

“Oh man, that was already worth it”, Luka dried his tears.

Till returned from the dressing room after almost ten minutes. The reason it took that long was, for better or worse, not easily ignored. He was wearing the wedding… appropriate is a strong word. The wedding themed equivalent of an ostentatious carnival costume.

Every square inch of available fabric had been plastered with rhinestones, head to toe - feathered tophat to sparkling three inch heels to be specific. The disco ball-esque attire came with a walking cane, on top of which rested an iridescent ball of who-knows-what. This time, Mizi started laughing.

“Are you guys taking this seriously at all?”, Till complained and the feathers on his hat rustled.

“I’m so sorry”, Mizi continued laughing, “but I saw that and had to, oh my gosh.”

“Put your fucking phone away, Luka”, Till growled after hearing the sound of a digital shutter.

“Till, I promise that’s the last”, Sua searched for the right words, “peculiar outfit.”

“I sure hope so, fuck”, he growled some more while stomping back.

“Impressive how well he can walk in those”, Sua whispered to herself.

Another ten minutes later, he returned in a normal suit. Almost too normal. The fabric felt nice, but there was no excitement. It wasn’t screaming wedding . He continued trying on the remaining suits, but none of them got any bigger reaction than ‘it’s a nice suit I guess’ out of him. He decided it was time for him to venture out into the bridal jungle and find some fits to his liking. He gathered a few he wanted to try on and headed to the dressing room, Guy on stand-by.

The first suit he tried on seemed promising. The fabric was textured and therefore quite unique. He enjoyed moving his hand along the sleeves. He walked out with a smile, curious for everyone’s reactions.

Io had to take a break from the call because it was worsening her headache, but Till promised to send her pictures of everything he tried on.

“Hmm”, Mizi hummed, “I don’t know if the cut fits you.”

“Cuts can be adjusted”, lady mother hen replied.

“Really?”

“Indeed.”

“But then the suit loses half of what makes it unique.”

“How do you feel in it, Till?”, Sua asked.

“I like it, it’s fun”, he said.

“Fun won’t cut it, man”, Luka added, “you have to love it.”

“Luka, shut u–”

“No”, Till interrupted Mizi, “he’s right. Unfortunately.”

“Oh, can it.”

“I like the suit, but it doesn’t feel like me? I mean, nothing in here does. It’s all white !”

“Do you have more in the back?”, Sua asked.

“Yeah.”

“Let’s see you in those first then”, she smiled.

“‘Kay”, he nodded and turned around.

The same spiel continued for almost an hour. The reactions were mostly the same. Something about every suit just didn’t feel right enough. But Till didn’t even know what would be right. Everyone was starting to get tired, so lady mother hen proposed a short break and went to fetch some little sandwiches for everyone.

Mizi and Sua went out to catch some fresh air while Luka needed the bathroom. Till leaned back on the couch and sighed deeply. He started worrying if he’d ever find something special that he’d want to wear. How were there so many options yet none of them were speaking to him? What if this whole thing wasn’t meant for him? He could just wear a normal black suit, right? Would Ivan be sad? He grabbed his phone to distract himself and noticed an unread message from Ivan. He tapped the screen and chuckled.

Ivan had sent a selfie of him eating a sandwich on their favourite park bench, Ppangi next to him enjoying one of his favourite chewing snacks. Ivan had a piece of lettuce stuck on his cheek. Without even thinking twice, Till sent him a message about how it’s been tough to pick out an outfit. As if on cue, Ivan replied with what Till needed to hear the most at that moment.

[I believe in you]

Till smiled, feeling happy.

[Thanks, Ivan]

He put his phone down, just to pick it up again seconds after when it started vibrating.

[TILLLLL]

[SUA JUST SEMT ME A PICVOF YOI INA DRESS]

[ARE YIU GOMNA WEAR ADDRESS??!?]

[I DIFMT KNIW YOU WAMTRD PNE]

[TILLLL]

[I MEAM IDM BUTT]

[TILLLLLLLL]

Till silenced his phone.

Before long, everyone had returned and they were ready to continue. Though none of them were prepared for how long it was going to take. Till went through so many outfits that he started losing count of the number. It was just suit after suit after suit. At one point, they even played with the idea of trying the carnival costume again. It was the one outfit that got the biggest reaction out of everyone thus far.

Hours passed with no progress. The group was starting to feel more and more tired. Luka was on his fifth cup of champagne, with no signs of being drunk though. Being the oldest, he might have a higher tolerance than the rest. Nonetheless, the constant repetition of actions was wearing everyone down. Until Sua saved everyone.

“Does it need to be a full attire?”, she asked.

“Do you want me to walk down the aisle in my underwear?”, Till asked, slouching on the sofa.

“No”, she sighed, “who’d want to see that?”

“Ivan would”, he, Mizi and Luka said in perfect unison. The sparkle in Sua’s eyes left as her expression grew with dread at the thought of her brother’s taste.

“I meant”, she faced lady mother hen, “is it possible to mix and match parts of different outfits together?”

“Theoretically there'd be no issues with that, but we simply cannot sell parts of outfits only. You’d need to purchase them all.”

“Deal”, Luka replied quick like a shot.

“What?”, Till woke up from his anxiety and fatigue-induced delirium cocktail.

“I’ll buy you one of the goddamn outfits if it means I can go home earlier.”

“I’d like to help out as well”, Io added. She had been feeling better and was on video call again.

“Well since the surprise is kinda ruined now”, Mizi dramatically shook her head, “I wanted to buy it for you anyway so I guess that works out.”

“H-huh? Are you guys serious?”

Everyone nodded. Ignoring the motives of the received help, Till didn’t know what to say. He wanted to thank them, but he had always sucked at words. That was one thing that hadn’t changed. He sat upright, facing the floor, trying to supress the tears forming in his eyes.

“Aww, are you crying?”, Mizi ruffled his hair.

Till shook his head. Not yet.

Instead of lingering for too long on the situation, Mizi got up. Only one goal on her mind.

“If that’s the case, I know exactly what you need”, she said and strutted away, pulling Sua along.

“Luka dear, can you show me the shoe selection again?”, Io asked.

“Sure”, he stood up and grabbed the phone. “I don’t feel like taking care of the crybaby.”

But Till didn’t react.

Left to his own devices again, he finally looked up and sniffled.

“Tissues?”, lady mother hen asked and startled him.

“...thanks”, he said after a moment and reached for the tissue box.

“But of course”, she chuckled, “treasure people like them.”

“Yeah”, Till smiled, “I will.”

It only took them 10 minutes to return with their booties.

Mizi was holding a white tuxedo, with a long, elegant tailcoat. Till liked the shape of it, though it had that awful shirt. But then Luka returned with a beautiful dress shirt, frills at the end of both sleeves. While Till hated to acknowledge it, he valued Luka’s fashion sense. The  shirt was an undeniably perfect match. Sua was carrying the shoes that his mother had picked out for him. White loafers with some silver studs. She knew him well.

“Wow…”, he said.

“Come on, go put it all on!”, Mizi clapped with vigour, wherever she still got all that energy from.

“Yeah”, he nodded and collected all the parts. On the way to the dressing room, he picked up a tie he liked. Guy helped him put everything on, adjusting some folds here and there. When he came back out, he was beaming. It was the first time he had thought ‘This is it’. And he was sure it was it.

“Till…”, his mother could be heard tearing up through the phone.

“I love it”, he said, “but.”

“Come onnnnnnnn”, Luka groaned.

“Can I ask for an adjustment?”, he turned to lady mother hen. She nodded. Till called Guy and he appeared out of thin air. He handed Till a roll of fabric.

“I found this lace in your fabric shelves. Would it be possible to use it to decorate some of the tuxedo?”

She stood up and approached him to to pick up the lace and look at it with care.

“This flower lace?”

“Yes”, Till chuckled, his cheeks blushing red, “they look like anemones, my fiancé’s favourite flowers.”

Mizi covered her mouth and nose with her hands in an attempt to hide her surprise and tears welling up. Lady mother hen nodded, letting him know that it wouldn’t pose any problem and the original designer of the tuxedo could add it. Till thanked her and his friends clapped. For him finally having found an outfit and being released from the six hours long shopping spree.

Everyone had already left and was waiting outside while Till was handling the last few things at the counter.

“I’m really sorry, I never asked your name…”, he hesitated. He didn’t want to be rude, but he wanted to thank her properly.

“Oh my, did I forget to introduce myself?”, she cackled. “Please call me Maude R. Ann.”

“M-Miss Ann?”

“The entire name?”

“I insist.”

“Maude R. Ann?”

“My pleasure”, she laughed to herself. “Everything is handled. We will call you once the tuxedo has been altered with your preferred lace additions and measurement adjustments. Then you can try it again.”

“Thank you so much, Maude R. Ann.”

“Have a wonderful day”, she bowed down a bit.

“Thank you, you too”, he did as well and turned around to exit the store. Outside, he only found Mizi and Sua. Luka was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s–”

“He already left”, Sua explained.

“Well, I think I’ve tortured him enough for a while.”

“Will you be alright on your own? Mizi and I have a table at a restaurant.”

“Oh, yeah. Sure”, he nodded. “I uh… really appreci–”

“Wanna come too, Till?!”, Mizi asked. Till stole a glance at Sua and noticed her pouting. She didn’t like hearing that comparison, but whenever she pouted she looked eerily similar to Ivan.

“Nah I’m good”, he shook his head.

“Aww, kay kay! See ya soon!”

“Have fun.”

“Let’s go, Sua!”, she exclaimed, but Sua had already started walking ahead. “Sua? Suaaaa! Why are you ignoring meeee!”

Mizi ran after her and threw herself around Sua for a hug. She let her body sag, but Sua continued forward. Basically dragging her wife along. Truly a sight to behold.

Till chuckled before calling Ivan to come pick him up. He arrived quickly and opened the door for Till. Ppangi was happily sleeping in his bed on the backseats. Ivan asked if he wanted to head anywhere, but Till just wanted to go home and take a relaxing bath.

Once home, Ivan carried Ppangi to his main dog bed and ran a bath for them. Because of course he’d join Till in the bath, he hadn’t seen him for hours. Once the bath was ready, with complementary bathing salts, oils and Till’s favourite rubber duck, they got in. All of Till’s fatigue melted away in an instant as he leaned back onto Ivan’s chest.

“Tired?”, he asked. Kissing Till’s nape softly.

“Mhmm…”, was all he could muster up.

“But you did find an outfit! And from what you told me, you seem to love it! That’s awesome, I knew you could do it.”

“I won’t show it to you no matter how often you ask”, Till closed his eyes.

“Eehhh…”

“This was your idea to begin with.”

“I knoooow, but then I saw you in a dress and”, he stopped, “ah.”

“Something just poked me from behind.”

“Till, I can explain, listen, I–”

“Oh yeah?”, he opened his eyes and turned around in the water. His arms reached around Ivan’s neck as he pulled himself closer. Their noses almost touching, they held still. The air was filled with nothing but the sound of their deepening breaths and the occasional rippling of water.

“I–”

“Shut up and kiss me already.”

So much for relaxing in the bath.