Behind the Net: Across the Distance (A Sequel) - Epilogue
Title: Behind the Net: Across the Distance (A Sequel)
Author: shmorgenheigen
Chapter: Epilogue
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Pierre/David
Word Count: 4654
Summary: The continuation of the story Behind the Net, picking up right where the original story left off. David and Pierre explore their new relationship while navigating a long distance relationship. While Pierre is in Anchorage in his first year of college and playing college hockey, David is stuck back in Juneau to finish his senior year of high school. When an unlikely person from David’s past shows up and forces their way back into David’s life, things take a turn for the dramatic. Will David and Pierre be able to maintain their love for each other while separated and stave off those pesky feelings of loneliness, jealousy, and depression?
Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, didn't happen!
Author's Note: When I started to re-write Behind the Net from Pierre’s perspective, I started to think about how much story there would be to tell when Pierre went off to college, leaving David alone in Juneau. I became obsessed with the idea of writing the next chapter in their story and now that it’s finished, I am absolutely in love with how it turned out and the original characters I added into the story! If anyone reads this, leave me a comment and let me know!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Five Years Later
“Does anyone know where the steamer is?” David asked, his voice frantic as he dug through bags and opened drawers, checking in places that wouldn’t make sense for a handheld steamer to be. “There’s a huge crease in Olivia’s dress! Of course Pierre just had to pick silk,” he muttered, pulling open drawers and closing them, dumping out bags he had just checked in desperation.
David felt hands on his face and he stood up straight, turning and looking up at Pierre who was smiling down at him with amused endearment. David smiled up at him sheepishly, shrinking into his shoulders a little at how ridiculous he knew he was being. “Breathe,” Pierre said simply, and David nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “Let someone else find the steamer. You’ve done enough, you’re supposed to be getting ready and relaxing, maybe having a glass of champagne to calm the jitters,” Pierre reminded him, and again David nodded.
“But Olivia’s dress has a crease an-” he started, but Pierre leaned down and kissed him and David’s words were lost. He closed his eyes and leaned up, feeling a warmth blossoming in his chest that settled down the anxious nerves that were bouncing around inside of him. Pierre pulled back and gave David that same smile, his love for the man in front of him pouring from his deep brown eyes. “...and someone else can worry about that,” David finished, amending his thought from before.
“That’s right. Go get ready,” Pierre told him gently. “We’ve got a wedding that’s supposed to start in, like, thirty minutes.” David bit down on his bottom lip to try to hold back the giddy smile and laugh that wanted to burst out of him and he nodded again, staring into Pierre’s eyes for a moment longer before turning to head to the room that held his tuxedo where his best man was waiting for him. “Oh wait!” Pierre said, and as he did he took his ring off and handed it to David. David smiled and took Pierre’s ring before taking off his own ring and handing it to Pierre, despite the way it felt silly to exchange them when they had both been wearing them for five years.
“Don’t forget to put it in the little bag I gave you so it doesn’t get lost,” David reminded him.
“I got it here,” Pierre said, patting his jacket where he knew the bag was tucked inside his inner jacket pocket. “Now go get ready,” he instructed.
David nodded and turned to walk away but he didn’t get two steps away before he felt Pierre smack him on the ass and he jumped and twirled around, giving him a playful glare and failing to hold back his smile. Pierre raised his eyebrows suggestively and smirked at him, watching as David gave him a flirty look before turning around again. Pierre turned and began looking for the steamer David had been so desperately looking for, and within a minute he saw it sitting right out in the open on a counter. He smiled and shook his head a little, cleaning up the items David had dumped out of the bag quickly before grabbing the steamer and heading to find Olivia.
When he found her, he held it out to her and said, “David said you needed this? I’d try to help but I dunno how to use this thing.”
“Thank you!” Olivia said, taking it from him and turning to find someone to help her. “You had to choose silk,” she muttered with a smile as someone plugged in the steamer and waited for it to warm up.
“David just said the same thing,” Pierre admitted. “I think it was a good choice, you look gorgeous,” he added with a shrug.
“I do have to admit, a black, floor length, silk slip dress was a very classy choice for your best woman,” Olivia told him, turning back to face him as she looked down at the gown she wore. Her makeup looked light and classy, and her long brown hair was up in an elegant, low bun that allowed the length of her neck and the curve of her narrow shoulders to really accentuate the simple design of the dress. “David did such a good job on it, it literally fits like a glove. AND I can wear this again without a doubt.”
“I’m happy to be of assistance,” Pierre said in a silly, over dramatic tone.
“And he gave me pockets!” she continued, sticking her hands in the pockets that David had added.
“Oh good, you can hold this, then,” he said, and he handed her David’s ring.
Olivia took the ring and held it, looking at him expectantly. “Don’t you have something for me to put it in? I don’t want it to fall out of my pocket,” she said.
“Oh, yeah,” Pierre said, feeling in his inner jacket pocket for the little velvet bag David had given him to put the ring in. “Courtesy of David,” he said, handing the bag to her.
Olivia laughed and shook her head a little. “You never would have made it this far without him,” she teased as she put David’s ring in the bag, tied it closed, and put it in her pocket.
Pierre shook his head and leaned against a wall, crossing his arms over his chest as he said, “No, I definitely wouldn’t have.” He turned and looked at himself, seeing himself in the mirror on the wall in the black tuxedo that David had made for him. It fit him perfectly, slim in the right areas, fitted just right, with a black vest underneath made of a fabric that had a discreet, velvety black floral pattern. “I wouldn’t be anywhere nearly as good without David. I used to think I was gonna marry a girl who I didn’t love because our families expected it and I figured… why not? Back then I didn’t think I’d get to marry someone because I loved them. I didn’t even know what love felt like.” He smiled a little at himself, glad that things hadn’t turned out that way. He wondered vaguely what his parents were doing and if they ever thought about him.
Olivia touched his arm and Pierre turned to look at her, smiling warmly. “I’m glad you’re here,” he told her, unable to explain how happy he was that they had maintained their friendship over the years. Olivia hugged him and Pierre hugged her back, glad that she was there to share this day with them. He had made many friends in the time they’d lived in New York and had a hall full of people to show for it, but no matter who he had met and come to know, Olivia remained the best friend he’d ever had.
“I’m glad I tried to hit on you in the laundry room,” she joked, and they both laughed as they pulled away from each other. He saw that she had tears in her eyes and he grabbed the dark green pocket square from his pocket to let her dab delicately at her eyes. “Oh, David will kill me if I ruin my makeup,” she muttered, laughing again. She handed the pocket square back to Pierre who stuffed it back in his pocket in a messy fashion. “Oh my god, not if he kills you first though,” she continued, grabbing the silk piece of cloth from his pocket, folding it, and carefully putting it back in its place. Pierre just shrugged, having no frame of reference for what a folded pocket square was supposed to look like in a tuxedo pocket.
When a staff member of the venue walked by with a tray of bubbling champagne glasses, Olivia quickly snagged two of them and handed one to Pierre, smiling at him warmly. Pierre took it and held up a glass, saying, “To David, my sweet, neurotic, groomzilla.”
Olivia laughed and repeated, “To David,” before clinking her glass against his and taking a sip. Pierre’s sip was a little longer than hers and he smiled as he dropped his glass back down.
David stood in the room set aside for him to get ready in, adjusting his tuxedo and looking at himself carefully while he scrutinized his work. He had made his tuxedo himself just as he had made Pierre’s tuxedo and Olivia’s dress. It was a dark, forest green color and the material had the same, black velvet floral pattern as was on Pierre’s vest. The lapel of his jacket was black without any pattern or texture and the vest he wore under a simple black silk that matched Olivia’s dress. When discussing what they would wear for their wedding, both he and Pierre had agreed that they wanted to complement each other but not match, a choice which made the most sense for their different personalities and styles.
“Stop worrying so much, you look fine,” he heard from behind him and he turned, smiling and giving a sigh at Liam, the man who had become his best friend over the last few years. He perhaps wasn’t who one might have expected to become David’s best friend, an entirely straight man who liked sports and cars and who was a bit of a flirt when it came to women, especially whenever Olivia was around. He was charming and handsome and even though David had never said it out loud, he had initially been drawn to him as a friend during Pierre’s first year at Columbia because he reminded him of Ezra, the boy who had become his unlikely friend his senior year of high school and who he hadn’t seen or heard from since the day of their graduation. He was the brother of one of Pierre’s Columbia hockey teammates and they had met at several games, striking up a friendship that most found odd but one that had felt easy and carefree and had lasted over the last five years.
“What would you know?” David asked with a laugh. “I could literally have my shirt on backwards and you wouldn’t notice.”
“Okay, that’s a little far,” Liam responded in mock offense. “I’ve been your friend long enough to know the buttons go in the front.”
David laughed and shook his head, saying, “And I’m very proud of you for that.” He stepped forward and straightened out Liam’s lapel and tie, another tuxedo he had made himself to fit his best friend perfectly, this one a dark forest green matching the color of his though the fabric had no design or pattern and was silky looking, instead. “Oh, hold onto this,” David said, and as he did he pulled Pierre’s ring from his pocket which he had put into a little velvet bag and tied closed. As Liam went to take it, David snatched it back a little and pointed at him, his eyes wide and serious as he added, “And don’t lose it!”
“I’m not gonna lose it,” Liam said with a roll of his eyes before snatching it from David’s hand and tucking it in his jacket pocket. “Jeez, have a little faith. I bet Olivia isn’t having to deal with this crap from Pierre.”
“Olivia would never lose the ring,” David teased him, shrugging a little.
“What’s she wearing?” Liam asked, wiggling his eyebrows a little.
“You’re gonna like what she’s wearing, she looks incredible,” David admitted, proud of the dress he’d made and the way it fit her. Pierre had truly made a good choice when he told David his idea for what she should wear.
“I’m gonna get her to date me one of these days,” Liam said, sounding dreamy.
David snorted and raised an eyebrow, giving a disbelieving, “Yeah, okay. You have to stop being such a player first.”
“Hey man, for her I’d do anything. What a woman,” Liam replied, his eyes going dreamy.
“Well she’s moving here so your chances are about to go up,” David said, though quickly his face turned serious. “But she’s Pierre’s best friend and she means the world to him and if you were an asshole to her and hurt her, I swear to fucking God-”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, eeeeasy there champ,” Liam said, but David continued to glare at him. “I can be a commitment kinda guy, I just haven’t met that special one yet. I’m only twenty four, we don’t all rush to get married at twenty two.”
“Okay fine, that’s fair,” David admitted, knowing that getting married at twenty two and twenty three as he and Pierre were doing wasn’t that common anymore. “But we’ve been together for so long it doesn’t feel like we’re that young. We’ve been together for six years. I’ve done my waiting.”
“Hey, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing,” Liam told him. He put his hands on David’s shoulders and turned him around, walking him back up to the mirror. “You ready for this?” he asked.
David’s eyes went soft and he nodded, saying, “I’m way past ready.”
Pierre felt hands on his shoulders from behind, shaking him affectionately, and he turned to see David’s father beaming at him. “Pierre, my favorite son in law,” he said, his hazel eyes bright.
Pierre smiled at him, seeing the way his hair was styled, his beard was trimmed, and the nice suit he wore, and knowing David had gotten to him too. “Robert,” Pierre greeted him, grabbing his shoulder in return with his spare hand. “I’m your only son in law, but I’ll take the favorite title anyway.”
“How’s it going playing for the Rangers?” David’s father asked.
Pierre dropped his hand and nodded, saying, “It’s really good. If you know when you’ll be on the mainland I can send you tickets anytime you want them.”
“Well actually, I’m thinking this might be my last season fishing,” he said.
Pierre’s eyes widened a little and he said, “Really?”
“I’m fifty now, I’m getting too damn old for this shit,” Robert said with a nod. “Plus I miss seeing my kid. I missed too much of his life already. I figure I’ve probably got another twenty good years in me before it all starts to go downhill, and I don’t wanna waste it.”
“Wow,” Pierre replied, truly shocked by this announcement. “What are you gonna do instead?”
“Not sure yet. I was thinking I’d move here to be closer to you guys since you settled for good in New York,” he said.
Pierre smiled and nodded. “Did you tell David yet?”
“No, so I guess don’t tell him I told you first,” he replied, seeming to suddenly realize that he probably should have told his own son first.
Pierre chuckled and nodded again, telling him, “I won’t say anything.”
“Thanks. That’s why you’re my favorite,” he said, grabbing Pierre’s shoulder again firmly and giving it a good squeeze. They smiled and chuckled together for a moment before David’s dad dropped his arm and said, “I guess I should go sit down before this show gets on the road.”
“Front row on the left,” Pierre reminded him, earning a nod and a two-fingered salute from Robert as he walked away.
“Okay, don’t tell David I said this, but his dad is fine as hell,” Olivia whispered to Pierre after Robert had walked away.
Pierre snorted out a laugh and looked back at her, seeing her watching David’s dad walking away. “He is a good looking man,” he admitted.
“Silver fox, hell-o,” she said, earning more laughter from Pierre that he tried to hold back.
“Yeah, never say that to David, he’ll be mortified,” Pierre warned her with a grin.
“Well come on,” she said, but she smiled and sipped on her champagne. She put her glass down and straightened Pierre’s tie, then brushed her hands on his shoulders to straighten out the material of his black jacket. “Are you ready?” she asked.
“I’ve been ready,” Pierre responded, and though his words could have been interpreted to mean just for that day, truthfully Pierre meant that he had been ready for this day for years. There had been so many times that he’d wanted to elope, to marry David on a whim, to whisk him away somewhere quiet and romantic and exchange their vows and make their marriage official just the two of them. He knew they would both appreciate it if they waited to do it right, however, and he knew his patience was going to pay off. As he looked around everything looked beautiful, like a fairytale in its perfection, and he knew it would be a day that neither of them would ever forget.
Before long the wedding coordinator approached Pierre and Olivia, telling them that David was ready and it was time to go to their entrance point. They both grinned in ways they couldn’t contain and linked arms, walking around the side of the hall to the side door where they would enter from the right. Pierre knew that at that same moment David would be standing at the door on the other side of the hall, ready to enter from the left. “This is it,” Olivia told him, shaking him a little. “Do you have your vows?”
Pierre shook his head, saying, “I’d never get them out right if I wrote them down first. I know exactly what I want to say.”
“Risky,” she teased him.
Pierre shrugged, saying, “I did the same thing when I proposed and it went exactly how I wanted it to.”
“You’re such a romantic,” she said before moving to stand behind him.
Several minutes later the door opened and Pierre took in the sight of the room, seeing David standing on the other side outside of his own door. Pierre grinned at him and started to walk forward when the music hit the queue he’d been trained to listen for, not taking his eyes off of David and not stopping until he hit the spot on the floor he’d been told over and over to stop at. He wanted to keep walking, to grab David and kiss him, but he held back with everything inside of himself for David’s sake, knowing he had a vision for this moment.
David stared up at Pierre, feeling his emotions swirling inside of him in a way that he could barely control. He stared into his deep brown eyes, his own hazel ones shining already, and though it wasn’t part of the plan he reached forward and grabbed Pierre’s hands and held them. Pierre looked surprised at this move and he smiled, his eyes registering mild amusement and shock at the way that David had deviated from his own structured plan. Suddenly in that moment, David didn’t care if nothing went according to plan. All he could see was Pierre standing in front of him and he was the only thing that mattered. He heard as the minister began to speak, saying the words he’d heard him say already during rehearsals, speaking words of love and unions and partnerships, of good times and hard times to come, of hard work and commitment, of laughter and pain, of friendship and companionship. It all rolled through him in a way that felt tangible and real and he felt himself tearing up, blinking rapidly to try to keep himself from crying before they even got to their vows.
When he was prompted to give his vows, David swallowed nervously and squeezed Pierre’s hands, glad that he had grabbed him. “Pierre… You know it’s hard for me to talk about my feelings,” David started, his voice shaking. “...Especially in front of a room full of people who are staring at me…” he continued, and he heard a chorus of gentle laughter that made him smile and let out a short, nervous laugh. Pierre grinned and squeezed his hands, knowing whatever David had to say would be enough no matter how much or how little he got out. “But I’m gonna push through the discomfort because you deserve it,” he continued, his face going serious again.
“You’re the best person I’ve ever known. You’re my best friend, and the best part of me. I wouldn’t be where I am without you. You’re endlessly kind and loving and giving. I’ve never met someone as gentle and caring as you. You make me feel like I can be anything and do anything,” David told him, his voice choking a little on his words as his eyes filled with tears. “You saw me when no one else did… You saw me when I couldn’t even see myself, and even if I spend the rest of my life trying, I will never be able to thank you enough for that.” He paused for a second, biting his lip and blinking back his tears. Pierre’s heart squeezed in his chest as he took in David’s words, tears shining in his own eyes. “Thank you for being my partner, my friend, and my better half, and for making me the person I’ve always wanted to be. I promise to spend every day from here working to deserve everything you’ve given me.”
Again Pierre was visited by the very strong urge to grab David and kiss him and his hands shook with the effort it took to resist. He squeezed David’s hands again, his eyes shining with unshed tears, his words meaning more to him than he could describe. David bit down on his lip again, blinking rapidly to keep the tears in his eyes from falling. Pierre was prompted to speak his own vows and he looked down for a second, his eyes closing as he took several steadying breaths. He wanted to get his thoughts out without losing control over his emotions, and hearing David’s words for him had shaken him. He swallowed and looked back up, smiling as he found David’s bright hazel eyes again.
“David… I can’t even begin to explain what you mean to me… and what you’ve always meant to me. I can remember seeing you when we were kids and being so drawn to you, wanting to get your attention and not understanding why. All I knew was I wanted to see your eyes looking into mine and I did whatever I could think of to make that happen, and I always did it in the wrong way. Getting to know you and spend time with you was the best thing that ever happened to me. You made me realize who I was and who I wanted to be. You made me see that you were all I’d ever wanted, and I’d just been too stupid to see it,” Pierre said, his eyes heavy with emotion, his hands squeezing David’s as a mingled sensation of love and agony ripped through him. David felt himself losing the battle with his tears and his eyes became clouded.
“You saved me… You saved me from myself, and the person I didn’t want to be. You saved me from the life I thought I had to live but didn’t want. You showed me that I had the power to change, to choose to be kind, to choose love over fear, and to live the life that was calling out to me even though I was told that I couldn’t have it,” Pierre continued, and at these words David’s tears began to slip down his cheeks. “You showed me I could be who I wanted to be. You showed me how to love, and for the first time in my life you showed me what it felt like to be loved by someone,” he continued, and at these words his voice cracked and tears fell from his eyes. “I promise I’m going to spend the rest of my life repaying you for that. I told you once I would buy you the moon… and I’m still working on that,” he added, laughing a little and hearing soft laughter ripple through the room around them. The watery laugh that came from David was part sob and his tears fell faster, his arms shaking. “But I promise to never stop trying. I will never stop thanking you for loving me. I’m gonna buy you that moon no matter what I have to do or how long it takes, because I’ve never met someone who deserves it more.”
David dropped Pierre’s hands and curled his head down, covering his face as a sob escaped him no matter how hard he tried to conceal it. He took a deep breath and stood up straight again, sniffing and blinking rapidly, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around, seeing Liam handing him a tissue. David laughed a little and heard Pierre laugh as well, a sound that was echoed in the room around them. He took the tissue and wiped his eyes and his cheeks before tucking it in his pocket and looking back at Pierre. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before reaching forward and grabbing Pierre’s hands again who smiled at him with his head tilted to the side a little.
They were ushered into the next part of the ceremony, to recite the traditional vows, to take each other to be lawfully wedded husbands, to have and to hold from that day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do they part. David took the ring that was handed to him from behind, seeing Pierre’s shiny gold band in his hand and smiling at it. Pierre did the same, holding David’s matte black band, never taking his eyes off of David. They took turns putting their rings back on their fingers, back in their rightful places, and resumed holding hands. David and Pierre could both feel the excitement bursting to get out of them at what they knew was coming next, the part that would make it all official.
The moment they heard the words, “I now pronounce you equally wed,” they moved toward each other and kissed, finally able to give into how badly they’d been wanting to hold each other, and even though he had just gotten his emotions under control David was crying again. He wrapped his arms around Pierre’s neck and pulled himself close, feeling Pierre’s strong arms around his back as if he was holding him together. They pulled apart and looked at each other, and David saw that Pierre was crying again too. A watery laugh escaped him and Pierre gave one in response, neither able to believe that the moment had finally come and that they were actually married. They pressed their foreheads together and hugged, holding desperately to each other, wanting to never part for the rest of their days. And though the music had started and they were supposed to walk down the aisle together, Pierre couldn’t stop himself as he kissed David again, the cheering around them completely drowned out by the feelings coursing through his body and how utterly happy he was.
And as they pulled apart and looked at each other, and as Pierre went entirely off script and scooped David up to carry him bridal style down the aisle, they both knew that no matter where they went or what happened, they would be able to handle it together. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, they belonged to each other and nothing would ever change that, till death do they part.
Author: shmorgenheigen
Chapter: Epilogue
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Pierre/David
Word Count: 4654
Summary: The continuation of the story Behind the Net, picking up right where the original story left off. David and Pierre explore their new relationship while navigating a long distance relationship. While Pierre is in Anchorage in his first year of college and playing college hockey, David is stuck back in Juneau to finish his senior year of high school. When an unlikely person from David’s past shows up and forces their way back into David’s life, things take a turn for the dramatic. Will David and Pierre be able to maintain their love for each other while separated and stave off those pesky feelings of loneliness, jealousy, and depression?
Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, didn't happen!
Author's Note: When I started to re-write Behind the Net from Pierre’s perspective, I started to think about how much story there would be to tell when Pierre went off to college, leaving David alone in Juneau. I became obsessed with the idea of writing the next chapter in their story and now that it’s finished, I am absolutely in love with how it turned out and the original characters I added into the story! If anyone reads this, leave me a comment and let me know!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Five Years Later
“Does anyone know where the steamer is?” David asked, his voice frantic as he dug through bags and opened drawers, checking in places that wouldn’t make sense for a handheld steamer to be. “There’s a huge crease in Olivia’s dress! Of course Pierre just had to pick silk,” he muttered, pulling open drawers and closing them, dumping out bags he had just checked in desperation.
David felt hands on his face and he stood up straight, turning and looking up at Pierre who was smiling down at him with amused endearment. David smiled up at him sheepishly, shrinking into his shoulders a little at how ridiculous he knew he was being. “Breathe,” Pierre said simply, and David nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “Let someone else find the steamer. You’ve done enough, you’re supposed to be getting ready and relaxing, maybe having a glass of champagne to calm the jitters,” Pierre reminded him, and again David nodded.
“But Olivia’s dress has a crease an-” he started, but Pierre leaned down and kissed him and David’s words were lost. He closed his eyes and leaned up, feeling a warmth blossoming in his chest that settled down the anxious nerves that were bouncing around inside of him. Pierre pulled back and gave David that same smile, his love for the man in front of him pouring from his deep brown eyes. “...and someone else can worry about that,” David finished, amending his thought from before.
“That’s right. Go get ready,” Pierre told him gently. “We’ve got a wedding that’s supposed to start in, like, thirty minutes.” David bit down on his bottom lip to try to hold back the giddy smile and laugh that wanted to burst out of him and he nodded again, staring into Pierre’s eyes for a moment longer before turning to head to the room that held his tuxedo where his best man was waiting for him. “Oh wait!” Pierre said, and as he did he took his ring off and handed it to David. David smiled and took Pierre’s ring before taking off his own ring and handing it to Pierre, despite the way it felt silly to exchange them when they had both been wearing them for five years.
“Don’t forget to put it in the little bag I gave you so it doesn’t get lost,” David reminded him.
“I got it here,” Pierre said, patting his jacket where he knew the bag was tucked inside his inner jacket pocket. “Now go get ready,” he instructed.
David nodded and turned to walk away but he didn’t get two steps away before he felt Pierre smack him on the ass and he jumped and twirled around, giving him a playful glare and failing to hold back his smile. Pierre raised his eyebrows suggestively and smirked at him, watching as David gave him a flirty look before turning around again. Pierre turned and began looking for the steamer David had been so desperately looking for, and within a minute he saw it sitting right out in the open on a counter. He smiled and shook his head a little, cleaning up the items David had dumped out of the bag quickly before grabbing the steamer and heading to find Olivia.
When he found her, he held it out to her and said, “David said you needed this? I’d try to help but I dunno how to use this thing.”
“Thank you!” Olivia said, taking it from him and turning to find someone to help her. “You had to choose silk,” she muttered with a smile as someone plugged in the steamer and waited for it to warm up.
“David just said the same thing,” Pierre admitted. “I think it was a good choice, you look gorgeous,” he added with a shrug.
“I do have to admit, a black, floor length, silk slip dress was a very classy choice for your best woman,” Olivia told him, turning back to face him as she looked down at the gown she wore. Her makeup looked light and classy, and her long brown hair was up in an elegant, low bun that allowed the length of her neck and the curve of her narrow shoulders to really accentuate the simple design of the dress. “David did such a good job on it, it literally fits like a glove. AND I can wear this again without a doubt.”
“I’m happy to be of assistance,” Pierre said in a silly, over dramatic tone.
“And he gave me pockets!” she continued, sticking her hands in the pockets that David had added.
“Oh good, you can hold this, then,” he said, and he handed her David’s ring.
Olivia took the ring and held it, looking at him expectantly. “Don’t you have something for me to put it in? I don’t want it to fall out of my pocket,” she said.
“Oh, yeah,” Pierre said, feeling in his inner jacket pocket for the little velvet bag David had given him to put the ring in. “Courtesy of David,” he said, handing the bag to her.
Olivia laughed and shook her head a little. “You never would have made it this far without him,” she teased as she put David’s ring in the bag, tied it closed, and put it in her pocket.
Pierre shook his head and leaned against a wall, crossing his arms over his chest as he said, “No, I definitely wouldn’t have.” He turned and looked at himself, seeing himself in the mirror on the wall in the black tuxedo that David had made for him. It fit him perfectly, slim in the right areas, fitted just right, with a black vest underneath made of a fabric that had a discreet, velvety black floral pattern. “I wouldn’t be anywhere nearly as good without David. I used to think I was gonna marry a girl who I didn’t love because our families expected it and I figured… why not? Back then I didn’t think I’d get to marry someone because I loved them. I didn’t even know what love felt like.” He smiled a little at himself, glad that things hadn’t turned out that way. He wondered vaguely what his parents were doing and if they ever thought about him.
Olivia touched his arm and Pierre turned to look at her, smiling warmly. “I’m glad you’re here,” he told her, unable to explain how happy he was that they had maintained their friendship over the years. Olivia hugged him and Pierre hugged her back, glad that she was there to share this day with them. He had made many friends in the time they’d lived in New York and had a hall full of people to show for it, but no matter who he had met and come to know, Olivia remained the best friend he’d ever had.
“I’m glad I tried to hit on you in the laundry room,” she joked, and they both laughed as they pulled away from each other. He saw that she had tears in her eyes and he grabbed the dark green pocket square from his pocket to let her dab delicately at her eyes. “Oh, David will kill me if I ruin my makeup,” she muttered, laughing again. She handed the pocket square back to Pierre who stuffed it back in his pocket in a messy fashion. “Oh my god, not if he kills you first though,” she continued, grabbing the silk piece of cloth from his pocket, folding it, and carefully putting it back in its place. Pierre just shrugged, having no frame of reference for what a folded pocket square was supposed to look like in a tuxedo pocket.
When a staff member of the venue walked by with a tray of bubbling champagne glasses, Olivia quickly snagged two of them and handed one to Pierre, smiling at him warmly. Pierre took it and held up a glass, saying, “To David, my sweet, neurotic, groomzilla.”
Olivia laughed and repeated, “To David,” before clinking her glass against his and taking a sip. Pierre’s sip was a little longer than hers and he smiled as he dropped his glass back down.
David stood in the room set aside for him to get ready in, adjusting his tuxedo and looking at himself carefully while he scrutinized his work. He had made his tuxedo himself just as he had made Pierre’s tuxedo and Olivia’s dress. It was a dark, forest green color and the material had the same, black velvet floral pattern as was on Pierre’s vest. The lapel of his jacket was black without any pattern or texture and the vest he wore under a simple black silk that matched Olivia’s dress. When discussing what they would wear for their wedding, both he and Pierre had agreed that they wanted to complement each other but not match, a choice which made the most sense for their different personalities and styles.
“Stop worrying so much, you look fine,” he heard from behind him and he turned, smiling and giving a sigh at Liam, the man who had become his best friend over the last few years. He perhaps wasn’t who one might have expected to become David’s best friend, an entirely straight man who liked sports and cars and who was a bit of a flirt when it came to women, especially whenever Olivia was around. He was charming and handsome and even though David had never said it out loud, he had initially been drawn to him as a friend during Pierre’s first year at Columbia because he reminded him of Ezra, the boy who had become his unlikely friend his senior year of high school and who he hadn’t seen or heard from since the day of their graduation. He was the brother of one of Pierre’s Columbia hockey teammates and they had met at several games, striking up a friendship that most found odd but one that had felt easy and carefree and had lasted over the last five years.
“What would you know?” David asked with a laugh. “I could literally have my shirt on backwards and you wouldn’t notice.”
“Okay, that’s a little far,” Liam responded in mock offense. “I’ve been your friend long enough to know the buttons go in the front.”
David laughed and shook his head, saying, “And I’m very proud of you for that.” He stepped forward and straightened out Liam’s lapel and tie, another tuxedo he had made himself to fit his best friend perfectly, this one a dark forest green matching the color of his though the fabric had no design or pattern and was silky looking, instead. “Oh, hold onto this,” David said, and as he did he pulled Pierre’s ring from his pocket which he had put into a little velvet bag and tied closed. As Liam went to take it, David snatched it back a little and pointed at him, his eyes wide and serious as he added, “And don’t lose it!”
“I’m not gonna lose it,” Liam said with a roll of his eyes before snatching it from David’s hand and tucking it in his jacket pocket. “Jeez, have a little faith. I bet Olivia isn’t having to deal with this crap from Pierre.”
“Olivia would never lose the ring,” David teased him, shrugging a little.
“What’s she wearing?” Liam asked, wiggling his eyebrows a little.
“You’re gonna like what she’s wearing, she looks incredible,” David admitted, proud of the dress he’d made and the way it fit her. Pierre had truly made a good choice when he told David his idea for what she should wear.
“I’m gonna get her to date me one of these days,” Liam said, sounding dreamy.
David snorted and raised an eyebrow, giving a disbelieving, “Yeah, okay. You have to stop being such a player first.”
“Hey man, for her I’d do anything. What a woman,” Liam replied, his eyes going dreamy.
“Well she’s moving here so your chances are about to go up,” David said, though quickly his face turned serious. “But she’s Pierre’s best friend and she means the world to him and if you were an asshole to her and hurt her, I swear to fucking God-”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, eeeeasy there champ,” Liam said, but David continued to glare at him. “I can be a commitment kinda guy, I just haven’t met that special one yet. I’m only twenty four, we don’t all rush to get married at twenty two.”
“Okay fine, that’s fair,” David admitted, knowing that getting married at twenty two and twenty three as he and Pierre were doing wasn’t that common anymore. “But we’ve been together for so long it doesn’t feel like we’re that young. We’ve been together for six years. I’ve done my waiting.”
“Hey, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing,” Liam told him. He put his hands on David’s shoulders and turned him around, walking him back up to the mirror. “You ready for this?” he asked.
David’s eyes went soft and he nodded, saying, “I’m way past ready.”
Pierre felt hands on his shoulders from behind, shaking him affectionately, and he turned to see David’s father beaming at him. “Pierre, my favorite son in law,” he said, his hazel eyes bright.
Pierre smiled at him, seeing the way his hair was styled, his beard was trimmed, and the nice suit he wore, and knowing David had gotten to him too. “Robert,” Pierre greeted him, grabbing his shoulder in return with his spare hand. “I’m your only son in law, but I’ll take the favorite title anyway.”
“How’s it going playing for the Rangers?” David’s father asked.
Pierre dropped his hand and nodded, saying, “It’s really good. If you know when you’ll be on the mainland I can send you tickets anytime you want them.”
“Well actually, I’m thinking this might be my last season fishing,” he said.
Pierre’s eyes widened a little and he said, “Really?”
“I’m fifty now, I’m getting too damn old for this shit,” Robert said with a nod. “Plus I miss seeing my kid. I missed too much of his life already. I figure I’ve probably got another twenty good years in me before it all starts to go downhill, and I don’t wanna waste it.”
“Wow,” Pierre replied, truly shocked by this announcement. “What are you gonna do instead?”
“Not sure yet. I was thinking I’d move here to be closer to you guys since you settled for good in New York,” he said.
Pierre smiled and nodded. “Did you tell David yet?”
“No, so I guess don’t tell him I told you first,” he replied, seeming to suddenly realize that he probably should have told his own son first.
Pierre chuckled and nodded again, telling him, “I won’t say anything.”
“Thanks. That’s why you’re my favorite,” he said, grabbing Pierre’s shoulder again firmly and giving it a good squeeze. They smiled and chuckled together for a moment before David’s dad dropped his arm and said, “I guess I should go sit down before this show gets on the road.”
“Front row on the left,” Pierre reminded him, earning a nod and a two-fingered salute from Robert as he walked away.
“Okay, don’t tell David I said this, but his dad is fine as hell,” Olivia whispered to Pierre after Robert had walked away.
Pierre snorted out a laugh and looked back at her, seeing her watching David’s dad walking away. “He is a good looking man,” he admitted.
“Silver fox, hell-o,” she said, earning more laughter from Pierre that he tried to hold back.
“Yeah, never say that to David, he’ll be mortified,” Pierre warned her with a grin.
“Well come on,” she said, but she smiled and sipped on her champagne. She put her glass down and straightened Pierre’s tie, then brushed her hands on his shoulders to straighten out the material of his black jacket. “Are you ready?” she asked.
“I’ve been ready,” Pierre responded, and though his words could have been interpreted to mean just for that day, truthfully Pierre meant that he had been ready for this day for years. There had been so many times that he’d wanted to elope, to marry David on a whim, to whisk him away somewhere quiet and romantic and exchange their vows and make their marriage official just the two of them. He knew they would both appreciate it if they waited to do it right, however, and he knew his patience was going to pay off. As he looked around everything looked beautiful, like a fairytale in its perfection, and he knew it would be a day that neither of them would ever forget.
Before long the wedding coordinator approached Pierre and Olivia, telling them that David was ready and it was time to go to their entrance point. They both grinned in ways they couldn’t contain and linked arms, walking around the side of the hall to the side door where they would enter from the right. Pierre knew that at that same moment David would be standing at the door on the other side of the hall, ready to enter from the left. “This is it,” Olivia told him, shaking him a little. “Do you have your vows?”
Pierre shook his head, saying, “I’d never get them out right if I wrote them down first. I know exactly what I want to say.”
“Risky,” she teased him.
Pierre shrugged, saying, “I did the same thing when I proposed and it went exactly how I wanted it to.”
“You’re such a romantic,” she said before moving to stand behind him.
Several minutes later the door opened and Pierre took in the sight of the room, seeing David standing on the other side outside of his own door. Pierre grinned at him and started to walk forward when the music hit the queue he’d been trained to listen for, not taking his eyes off of David and not stopping until he hit the spot on the floor he’d been told over and over to stop at. He wanted to keep walking, to grab David and kiss him, but he held back with everything inside of himself for David’s sake, knowing he had a vision for this moment.
David stared up at Pierre, feeling his emotions swirling inside of him in a way that he could barely control. He stared into his deep brown eyes, his own hazel ones shining already, and though it wasn’t part of the plan he reached forward and grabbed Pierre’s hands and held them. Pierre looked surprised at this move and he smiled, his eyes registering mild amusement and shock at the way that David had deviated from his own structured plan. Suddenly in that moment, David didn’t care if nothing went according to plan. All he could see was Pierre standing in front of him and he was the only thing that mattered. He heard as the minister began to speak, saying the words he’d heard him say already during rehearsals, speaking words of love and unions and partnerships, of good times and hard times to come, of hard work and commitment, of laughter and pain, of friendship and companionship. It all rolled through him in a way that felt tangible and real and he felt himself tearing up, blinking rapidly to try to keep himself from crying before they even got to their vows.
When he was prompted to give his vows, David swallowed nervously and squeezed Pierre’s hands, glad that he had grabbed him. “Pierre… You know it’s hard for me to talk about my feelings,” David started, his voice shaking. “...Especially in front of a room full of people who are staring at me…” he continued, and he heard a chorus of gentle laughter that made him smile and let out a short, nervous laugh. Pierre grinned and squeezed his hands, knowing whatever David had to say would be enough no matter how much or how little he got out. “But I’m gonna push through the discomfort because you deserve it,” he continued, his face going serious again.
“You’re the best person I’ve ever known. You’re my best friend, and the best part of me. I wouldn’t be where I am without you. You’re endlessly kind and loving and giving. I’ve never met someone as gentle and caring as you. You make me feel like I can be anything and do anything,” David told him, his voice choking a little on his words as his eyes filled with tears. “You saw me when no one else did… You saw me when I couldn’t even see myself, and even if I spend the rest of my life trying, I will never be able to thank you enough for that.” He paused for a second, biting his lip and blinking back his tears. Pierre’s heart squeezed in his chest as he took in David’s words, tears shining in his own eyes. “Thank you for being my partner, my friend, and my better half, and for making me the person I’ve always wanted to be. I promise to spend every day from here working to deserve everything you’ve given me.”
Again Pierre was visited by the very strong urge to grab David and kiss him and his hands shook with the effort it took to resist. He squeezed David’s hands again, his eyes shining with unshed tears, his words meaning more to him than he could describe. David bit down on his lip again, blinking rapidly to keep the tears in his eyes from falling. Pierre was prompted to speak his own vows and he looked down for a second, his eyes closing as he took several steadying breaths. He wanted to get his thoughts out without losing control over his emotions, and hearing David’s words for him had shaken him. He swallowed and looked back up, smiling as he found David’s bright hazel eyes again.
“David… I can’t even begin to explain what you mean to me… and what you’ve always meant to me. I can remember seeing you when we were kids and being so drawn to you, wanting to get your attention and not understanding why. All I knew was I wanted to see your eyes looking into mine and I did whatever I could think of to make that happen, and I always did it in the wrong way. Getting to know you and spend time with you was the best thing that ever happened to me. You made me realize who I was and who I wanted to be. You made me see that you were all I’d ever wanted, and I’d just been too stupid to see it,” Pierre said, his eyes heavy with emotion, his hands squeezing David’s as a mingled sensation of love and agony ripped through him. David felt himself losing the battle with his tears and his eyes became clouded.
“You saved me… You saved me from myself, and the person I didn’t want to be. You saved me from the life I thought I had to live but didn’t want. You showed me that I had the power to change, to choose to be kind, to choose love over fear, and to live the life that was calling out to me even though I was told that I couldn’t have it,” Pierre continued, and at these words David’s tears began to slip down his cheeks. “You showed me I could be who I wanted to be. You showed me how to love, and for the first time in my life you showed me what it felt like to be loved by someone,” he continued, and at these words his voice cracked and tears fell from his eyes. “I promise I’m going to spend the rest of my life repaying you for that. I told you once I would buy you the moon… and I’m still working on that,” he added, laughing a little and hearing soft laughter ripple through the room around them. The watery laugh that came from David was part sob and his tears fell faster, his arms shaking. “But I promise to never stop trying. I will never stop thanking you for loving me. I’m gonna buy you that moon no matter what I have to do or how long it takes, because I’ve never met someone who deserves it more.”
David dropped Pierre’s hands and curled his head down, covering his face as a sob escaped him no matter how hard he tried to conceal it. He took a deep breath and stood up straight again, sniffing and blinking rapidly, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around, seeing Liam handing him a tissue. David laughed a little and heard Pierre laugh as well, a sound that was echoed in the room around them. He took the tissue and wiped his eyes and his cheeks before tucking it in his pocket and looking back at Pierre. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before reaching forward and grabbing Pierre’s hands again who smiled at him with his head tilted to the side a little.
They were ushered into the next part of the ceremony, to recite the traditional vows, to take each other to be lawfully wedded husbands, to have and to hold from that day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do they part. David took the ring that was handed to him from behind, seeing Pierre’s shiny gold band in his hand and smiling at it. Pierre did the same, holding David’s matte black band, never taking his eyes off of David. They took turns putting their rings back on their fingers, back in their rightful places, and resumed holding hands. David and Pierre could both feel the excitement bursting to get out of them at what they knew was coming next, the part that would make it all official.
The moment they heard the words, “I now pronounce you equally wed,” they moved toward each other and kissed, finally able to give into how badly they’d been wanting to hold each other, and even though he had just gotten his emotions under control David was crying again. He wrapped his arms around Pierre’s neck and pulled himself close, feeling Pierre’s strong arms around his back as if he was holding him together. They pulled apart and looked at each other, and David saw that Pierre was crying again too. A watery laugh escaped him and Pierre gave one in response, neither able to believe that the moment had finally come and that they were actually married. They pressed their foreheads together and hugged, holding desperately to each other, wanting to never part for the rest of their days. And though the music had started and they were supposed to walk down the aisle together, Pierre couldn’t stop himself as he kissed David again, the cheering around them completely drowned out by the feelings coursing through his body and how utterly happy he was.
And as they pulled apart and looked at each other, and as Pierre went entirely off script and scooped David up to carry him bridal style down the aisle, they both knew that no matter where they went or what happened, they would be able to handle it together. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, they belonged to each other and nothing would ever change that, till death do they part.