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The day was beautiful to begin with.
The sun was brighter than usual, giving the whole place a new light as the rays of sun made the crystal ornaments shine while the flowers bloomed and the white decorations took another light. All was in its place, the catering people were already moving around with bottles of wine and champagne, others holding big trays of different types of food and the hired baker was giving the final touches to the cake. The guests were arriving too, all of them beaming and congratulating the staff as the outdoors venue seemed to be taken from a fantasy setting, each guest –family friend, co-worker, family, neighbor, etc– came to him first, having a small talk about the ceremony, the people invited and all the little details that just made the whole aura bright.
The perfect day for a wedding, they said.
And Daniel couldn't agree more.
It has been years since he felt so happy and giddy. And yeah, maybe he feels a bit nostalgic and sad as he strolls around the venue while greeting all the people who came today, but that doesn't mean he isn't happy. He was in fact so proud to be able to be here, to see this marriage happen and make a toast for the happy couple.
It somehow felt like a déjà-vu too.
Daniel gulped as a quick ache in his heart came and went. He blinked rapidly to stop any tear to fall from his eyes, he had promised not to cry today, it wasn’t his call for. Today was supposed to be a happy day, not one for him to drown in his own rotten scent as his sorrows and mourns took him down, that could wait until tomorrow.
For now, he needed to add the final touches to the grooms.
He talked to the staff, asking to send reminders of when the priest was ready to start to both parties, they just nodded in agreement as Daniel walked over the little cottage that the venue had specifically for the groom's and bridal party to rest until the ceremony and reception began. As he entered, the elder omega smiled to himself when he heard different voices coming from both rooms –one upstairs and the other downstairs–, some music playing in the background. Carefully Daniel went to the living room, taking in his hands two boxes of different sizes and colour's, hugging them near to his chest as a solitary tear fell.
— It's time to pass on, Daniel, it's for the best.
He wiped the stray tear and smiled after he mumbled those words for himself, walking to the first-floor room automatically. Rearranging his own navy suit as he knocked on the door.
The music stopped and a nervous and accented voice came from behind it. — Come in!.
Daniel opened the door with ease being welcomed with a mix of different scents all at once, he still smiled and joked. — Hope I'm not interrupting your pre marriage ritual, Max and pals.
Said alpha stood up from his chair immediately, buttoning his suit with trembling hands. — Mr. Bi-
Daniel shot a look at him as he entered and went directly to the window and opened it, fresh air washing off the mixed scent of the groom and his friends.
Max blushed. — Sorry. Hi Daniel, is everything outside going well?.
The elder grinned, his smile pronouncing even more the omega' smile lines along his mouth and eyes.
— As well as we wait for the grooms to come out.
The blond's eyes widened. — It's that time already?.
— Almost. We have some minutes more, take a seat?.
Daniel sat in the canapé near the bed, the boxes sitting on his lap as he saw Max usher his friends outside the room as he catched the subtle way the omega asked for a moment between them. As the rest of the people exited the room with a promise of knocking his door when time was due for the ceremony, the young alpha finally locked the door and sat beside Daniel, still nervous but his scent kept the sweetness of a groom happy to be married soon.
— Sorry. What is what you want to talk about, Mr. B- I mean Daniel?.
Daniel waved him off. — Stop with the Mr., Max. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Daniel or Dan?. We're minutes away to become family, don't make me feel way older than I am.
Max laughed quietly. — It's still strange to call my in-law by his first name, yet I'll try.
— I do hope so —. Daniel then took the smaller black box from his lap, caressing the lid of it with nostalgia for them to turn and look at Max. — And as we're going to be family, I want you to use these today. It's not something too extravagant nor is my wedding gift, but it would mean the world if you use them today.
Slowly he passed the box to Max's hands, who opened the lid and let escape a small gasp. Inside the box were sitting two small golden cufflinks, both with a black background with a gold running stallion in the middle of it.
Max looked at his dam-in-law with pure surprise. — Daniel, I can't take them.
— Don’t be silly, Max, I want you to use them. After all, you need something old, don't you?.
Max gulped, his bergamot scent a bit higher as he watched how the elder omega took the cufflinks in his hands, signaling him to extend his arms. The alpha didn't do so, still stunned as he recognized the small pieces from one of his visits to his soon-to-be-mate's family home.
— Those are...
He was quickly cut by Daniel, who arranged with patience the pieces over his ivory suit. — Yes they are. And he would have been proud to have you as his son-in-law, Max. He knew from the start that you two would end up together one day. — The jasmine scent of the curly man turned a bit intense as he cleared his throat. — I know that.
— I wish he could be here.
— He is.
Daniel finalized putting the cufflinks in Max's attire, his eyes a bit glassy as he looked at the younger man in front of him. And for a second, he questioned if all those years ago this was his husband waiting for the call to go and wait for Daniel at the altar. He could picture it. His alpha combing his curls out of nervousness as he arranged and rearranged his cufflinks while waiting for the omega to start walking down the aisle.
Daniel blinked to sweep away the tears, looking at Max with a mix of sadness and hope. — Something old brings luck and happiness to the marriage, as it symbolizes the wish of a continuity, of the past connecting with the present and giving it the green light.
Max didn’t interrupt, he stood quiet with traitorous tears forming on the corners of his eyes, he waited for Daniel to continue.
— It's not breaking news that you have been part of this family since you were that little chunky boy who loved to chase my baby when you both were eight.
Daniel and Max chuckled at the memory, the latter blushing slightly.
— And even though our family has passed through big losses, the family portrait hasn't been the same since you were eighteen. You have had his blessing the minute you choose to stay here, even if it meant living with Jos, instead of flying away with your mother when you were ten.
The bergamot scent took a sweeter note. — I didn't want to leave him behind.
— And that's why he gave you his blessing so early, Max, even if he's not here anymore —. Daniel stood up, taking the other box in his hands. Max followed him as they walked towards the door, that's when Daniel finally hugged the blond. — Do not break his heart, Max, if something happens give him back to me, alright?.
Max reciprocated the hug. — I will never. Instead, thank you for trusting his heart with me.
They didn't need more words to exchange. The older man just ended the hug and nodded, exiting the room with some final words.
— We're proud of you, Max. We'll always be.
§
When Daniel finally exited the room and closed the door behind him he felt a little less heavy as the breeze coming from the door caressed his cheeks. He let another sigh escape while he walked towards the stairs with parsimony, taking each step with the slow elegance of someone who didn't stress about the time passing by.
He had learned to wait.
The few meters that separated him from the door were endless, hearing the laughs and giggles from the other group of people in the room. Memories of the past came by, the chills on his spine as he gave himself the last touch of gloss on his lips and his friends gave him his bouquet of blue delphiniums so he could go and walk to the aisle. Oh, how good those times have been, how much he wishes to go back and relive all those moments once again.
He wouldn’t change a thing.
No matter how painful that choice would turn out to be.
Finally, Daniel knocked the door three times before opening it swiftly, being welcomed by the image of his son sitting in a canapé in front of the vanity with the biggest smile on his face. One that just grew a bit more when he saw the omega standing near the door.
— May I come in?.
— Dam!.
Charles stood quickly as he launched himself towards Daniel's arms, scenting his papa with his own orange blossom smell. Both of them giggling as the other three people of the room walked away from there, excusing themselves to give them a private moment between father and son. They stayed in that position for a few minutes more, enjoying the quiet understanding and vulnerability of their counted shared time they had left.
Still in their embrace, Daniel muttered into Charles' brunette curls. — I hope you don't mind another gift from this old man.
The younger omega laughed as he separated himself from the embrace inviting his papa to seat with him in the edge of the bed.
— Papa, you already gifted me a lot, you don’t need to overwork yourself.
— Still, I want you to take this, Cha —. Daniel sat beside him, placing the box on his kid's lap. — Come on, open it, I know you'll love it.
Charles rolled his eyes, but he still opened the rosewood box carefully, stopping mid movement when he looked at the content inside the box.
The young omega's eyes were already full of tears as his voice cracked. — P-papa...
— I know you said you didn't want a veil for today, but I couldn't help myself and modify this to your own liking, mon petit prince.
The smile in Daniel trembled as he felt his tears well up too when he muttered that old pet name, his accent a bit rusty marked by the long wait since someone said it in years. Charles acknowledged it too. Taking the delicate fabric in between his fingers and extending it in the air, looking with awe at the once white lace veil being a cape.
— Papa... You shouldn't have. This was your veil, it was the onl-.
— The only thing I saved from my wedding with your father, I know —. Daniel nodded, his tears still in his eyes as he looked at his only child, taking a deep breath. — Time passes, my love, and it's time for you to enjoy this new life you're going to begin today. I've already lived it, so don't feel guilty for taking something it was meant to represent that joy.
Charles hugged the cape into his chest, closing his eyes tightly in order to avoid crying and ruining his own make-up. — I miss him.
Daniel hugged his son again. — I do too, Charles, every single day since that rainy day.
— Does it ever go away?.
The elder omega shaked his head. — No, but you learn to live with it.
— I want him here, papa, he should be here —. Charles mumbled those words into his papa's shoulder. — He should have given Max a stern and threatening speech when we got together, he should have been beside you when Max asked for my hand, he should be tiring himself up by arranging this whole wedding. He should be here..
That's when Daniel broke too.
The dam was broken and his tears just fell free from his eyes. One after another, his own traitorous mouth letting his sobs go as he hugged his son tighter, not hushing him, but acknowledging the loss. It has been almost a decade and some years more since the fatal accident that took his mate from them, since the fateful evening when Daniel answered the call while he was doing errands and had to rush to the hospital and from there call Charles to tell him the news. He can hear everything again, the doctors saying that it was a risky surgery, the probabilities, the calls and appointments with different psychiatrics that were only telling them to accept it. He can feel the sturdy and uncomfortable chair where he used to sit beside his husband for literal hours while waiting for a flicker movement.
For a miracle.
Daniel would be lying if he said that he had moved on. Because he hasn't. He refuses to leave their Monaco house where they lived in for so many years, his omega longs for some sense of normality and moving on would crush him even more. And that chase for a thread of what it was has left him with activities that some friends and family have frowned upon, but what can he do about it? The omega can't step into a hospital without having flashbacks of the beeping sound of monitors and he would rather die than forget his alpha' scent, so what if he ends up buying a big amount of his favorite perfume? Or if he adorns his vases with nards every few weeks?.
He can't just forget him.
Not now, not ever.
And Charles has been the same. Even if tried to appear all tough and grown up to the doctors and his dam, Daniel knew how silently his son bled. He saw those moments when the younger omega stood in front of his parents room and looked at the left side of the bed as if in a blink his father would appear there, just reading a book or something like that. He noticed how Charles searched too for his dad in other places, visiting the pâtisserie where they used to indulge some treats before dinner, the park they used to go to when he was a child, the Monaco Grand Prix' stands where they used to cheer for their beloved rosso corsa team. He even took some of Daniel's perfumes to spray them in his nest everytime he needed reassurance, –everytime he needed to feel embraced by his father–, even if it was just an old shirt of his with his favorite perfume.
It wasn’t fair.
Charles should have had both parents in his university graduation, helping him with boxes when he moved out, when he presented Max as his lover, and when the alpha asked permission to marry Charles. It should be his dad who walks him to the aisle, who should dance with him in the reception. Same was the thought of Charles towards seeing his dam growing old with the shadow of the man who cherished the ground he stepped in, of feeling like he's betraying his papa as he moves from him completely and leaves him alone in a house full of memories.
But life isn't fair.
And they had to accept it the hard way.
Daniel decided it was time to stop their crying session, separating himself from Charles carefully, lifting the young man's chin with affection as he helped to wipe his tears, thanking God that the make-up was waterproof as he caressed his pup's cheeks with love.
He cracked a smile. — You made me break my promise of not crying today, Charlie.
The other just laughed quietly. — You would have broken it at some point, papa.
— Maybe.
Daniel stood up, wiping his own tears and then extended his arms to Charles and help him get up.
— Come on, Cha, let me help you put this cape on. You have a wedding to attend.
Charles let himself be moved towards the vanity again, closing his eyes as his papa started to move around and refresh a bit his make-up, talking in whispers about how the venue looked, teasing about how nervous Max looked earlier. Just existing between them. When he finished grasping the cape on his neck and arranging the rest of the fabric around his body, he smiled, he indeed looked like a prince.
Leur petit prince.
— We're ready, pup.
Charles shaked his head. — Uh uh. Your turn, sit down papa.
Daniel obeyed, looking at his son moving some cabinets and take his own tools from his own handbag, he blushed out of embarrassment, it has been a long time since he used a bit of make-up for something that wasn't to hide his eyebags.
— Charlie... I don't really need it-.
— Nonsense. It's my wedding and I want you to look gorgeous. You're the dam of the groom, not a simple guest.
— Bu-.
— It has been years, papa. Please, let me do it this time for you just like you did for me when I was little, oui?.
The elder gave up and nodded, closing his eyes too and letting Charles work in silence, the omega singing an old lullaby as he passed some creams and lotions, then some brushes and warm colors. Even if Daniel couldn't see anything he could portray his son having his tongue slightly out as he finished with his beard and brows, that little thought made him smile a bit more, relaxing a bit when Charles finally muttered he was done.
— It's all done!.
Daniel didn't even tried to look at the mirror, he stood and buttoned his suit, looking at Charles adoringly, and his pup reciprocated the same look, both of them smiling and letting their scents bath the room with the coziness and joyful bliss that only a familial bond could made.
— How do I look, Charlie?.
— So beautiful, papa —. The younger omega twirled a bit, the cape floating as he moved, for then just to look expectantly at the other omega. — How do I look?.
Daniel stood silent for a second. In a flicker of a moment he saw him –decades ago– in an ivory suit and a vermillion pocket square, his dimples on full display as he waited in the altar, when they shared their first dance and then ate their cake from each other's forks, the intertwined arms as they made the toast. The curls, the posture, the smile, the calmness, the cuteness and knowledge behind those watercoloured eyes. Oh. So many years ago he cursed all gods above after hours of labor and the months in his belly when he saw that his own genes fought so little when Charles was born, looking so similar to his husband and growing into his shoes as he grew up too. Once he even joked that he was just a vessel for the updated version of his alpha, only to receive light punches and a pinch on his cheek for implying that.
But now?.
Looking at his grown up pup, who was going to get married in literal minutes, who had developed an orange blossom scent from his parent's jasmine and nard ones, and who now looked at him expectantly, he realized.
— Perfect.
He never left after all.
§
The piano started slowly.
First came the little kids throwing flower petals over the delimited path, then both sets of grooms' friends passed with big smiles on their faces. And then. Finally, Charles and Daniel appeared, their elbows intertwined as they walked towards the altar with decisive steps, the cape of the omega flowing with grace when the breeze catched the fabric and sent a refreshing air for the whole venue to enjoy.
It felt like a warm welcome.
Each step made the faces in the rows of chairs clearer, everyone with happy features as they passed by. Proud, joy, grace and solemnity all at once. The altar was close. Max' smile was the widest as his eyes lit up as his eyes were locked with Charles', his the bergamot scent calling for the orange blossom one.
Made for each other.
Daniel let Charles take Max's hand, nodding to the alpha with trust and affection. Walking towards his own seat in the front row, sitting in his designated chair. Beside an empty one that only had a bouquet of nards on it. Daniel smiled as the scent of those flowers filled his nostrils, daring to carefully touch it as his fondness while watching the grooms grew.
He whispered to the air, his hand still on the bouquet. — He's alright, Jules. We made it.
The wind blew again, softly and warm, embracing the older omega in a nostalgic hug.