Chapter Text
“...I guess what I’m trying to say is, true love is the soul's recognition of its counterpoint in another. I think it’s a very rare thing in this world and something to be valued. And I'm really happy that my brother managed to find it. Congratulations, Aaron and Katelyn.” Andrew suppressed a grimace and raised his champagne glass, as did all the people attached to the hundreds of eyes that were on him. He was never going to forgive Aaron for actually making him go through with it.
(“I’m gonna marry Lindsay Turnball one day, just wait and see,” said nine-year-old Aaron, referring to their fifteen-year-old babysitter.
“No you’re not,” replied Andrew lazily.
“I am! And you’re going to give a speech at our wedding.”
“Am not.”
“You have to, you’re my brother, it’s like the rules or something. I’m going to give a speech when you get married.”
“I’m never getting married,” said Andrew with all the certainty of a nine-year-old who knew exactly what his life was going to be like. “Especially not to some stupid girl.”
“You have to get married,” replied Aaron, aghast. “Everyone gets married. That’s what you do when you grow up.”
“Neil’s uncle isn’t married.”
“Neil’s uncle is a weirdo. He talks funny and uses words like rubbish and lorry.”
Andrew didn’t like the Neil-adjacent insult, but he had to admit that Aaron had a point. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not getting married and, if I do, I’m not inviting you. And I’m not giving a speech!” He hated talking in front of strangers.
Aaron looked hurt by the lack of imaginary wedding invitation. “I’ll make you a deal,” he bargained. “You invite me to your wedding and I won’t make you give a speech at mine. But,” he warned, “if you don’t invite me you have to give a speech and it has to be good. Like the one in Wedding Crashers.” Which was the movie they’d watched with Lindsay the night before and was probably the reason for Aaron’s sudden interest in weddings.
“Deal,” said Andrew, and spit in his hand to shake on it.)
Andrew caught Neil’s eye and had to look away from his amused expression. Neil was unduly enjoying Andrew’s humiliation and was aware that he’d just recited, almost word for word, the speech from Wedding Crashers.
Katelyn and Aaron made their way over to thank Andrew for his kind words.
“Can’t believe you made me go through with this,” muttered Andrew in Aaron’s ear as he clapped him on the shoulder.
“Should’ve thought of that before you didn’t invite me to your wedding.”
“I didn’t think it was real,” protested Andrew.
Aaron rolled his eyes in disbelief. “Yeah, cause you were ever going to divorce Neil and marry someone else. The two of you have been practically married since grade school.”
Andrew conceded the point. “We got married on a Thursday in the middle of your semester; you couldn’t have come anyway.” They’d already had this argument multiple times at this point but Andrew wasn’t willing to back down quite yet.
“True, but it doesn’t matter. The agreement was that you’d invite me, which you failed to do.”
“Instead of having this argument for the umpteenth time, could the two of you pretend to like each other so the photographer can get a couple nice pictures?” muttered Katelyn, her tone strained and frazzled.
“Of course babe,” said Aaron instantly.
Andrew would have made fun of him for being whipped except, a) he wasn’t stupid enough to anger a bride on her wedding day either, and b) Aaron had too many examples of him acquiesing to Neil’s every request.
After posing for several photos (at least Katelyn knew them well enough that she didn’t demand they smile for the camera—not glaring was the minimum she required of them) Andrew made his way back over to his seat beside Neil. Sharing their table were Kevin and his date, Thea, Nicky and his husband, Erik, and Andrew’s parents. It was the only table filled with Aaron’s guests—although he and Katelyn had also invited many of their joint friends, Aaron only had a small number of personal invitees—as the majority of tables were filled with Katelyn’s seemingly infinite extended family.
Andrew had introduced Neil to his parents despite the fact that it wasn’t really necessary since they’d known him for approximately as long as Andrew had. It was like introducing Neil to acquaintances that he’d lost touch with.
“You remember Neil, of course,” Andrew had said. “My husband.” The word still gave him a thrill every time he said it out loud.
His mother smiled. “Yes, of course. You’ve been married for a long time now.”
Andrew glanced at Neil and then back at his mother, “A little over two years, but I wasn’t sure you knew.”
His mother’s smile wavered and she blinked once in surprise. “I thought you got married right after high school,” she said. She looked over to his father for support.
He nodded in agreement, “When you were eighteen.”
“See?” hissed Neil, jabbing him in the side. “You were literally the last person to know.”
Neil had way too much fun teasing Andrew about not knowing they were married (which wasn’t what had happened at all. He’d known they were married; he just hadn’t known that Neil meant his vows) especially since Neil had taken a lot of flak over the years for being oblivious to romantic advances.
“Are you sure you‘ve only been married for two years?” asked Andrew’s father.
“Pretty sure,” Andrew responded dryly.
“But that’s why I gave you the GT.”
“I thought that was a graduation gift.”
“Then Aaron would have gotten one, too.”
Which, in retrospect, made sense. “Does that mean you got him and Katelyn a car?” asked Andrew, feeling unaccountably jealous. His car was old now. He couldn’t afford a fancy new car on his salary and Neil didn’t seem keen on them buying a sports car. Maybe he and Neil should have had a large wedding if it got them expensive gifts. By not inviting anybody to their wedding, had they missed out on presents?
“No, we’re helping them with the down payment on their house,” said his mother. For all that their parents didn’t seem to care that much about what was going on in their lives, they had always been generous with material objects.
“Thanks,” said Andrew genuinely. They weren’t the best parents but they could have been far worse.
“I’m glad you’re happy,” said his mother, before wandering away to go make small talk with the other party guests.
Andrew took advantage of the open bar and as the evening wore on everything became muted and soft around the edges. He spent most of his time watching Neil; it was still a novelty after two years that he could watch Neil openly without worrying about giving himself away. He suspected his own expression mirrored the soft, disbelieving glances Aaron kept giving his new bride. He would worry about ruining his aesthetic, but he knew almost nobody here and they’d already heard his stupid, saccharine speech.
“Matt texted to say that the cats are fine,” said Neil, leaning against him. “King’s only bitten him four times.”
“That’s my girl.”
Neil laughed softly.
“Dance with me,” Andrew said, surprising himself. He didn’t normally care for dancing, but the music was slow and it was little more than an excuse to get his hands on Neil.
Neil raised an eyebrow but followed him to the dance floor anyway, looping his arms around Andrew’s neck and humming contentedly.
“Should we have a vow renewal?” Andrew asked, keeping his voice low.
“You want presents, huh?” asked Neil, an edge of laughter in his tone.
“Maybe my Dad will spring for a Maserati.”
Neil chuckled and pressed their foreheads together. “That is a completely impractical car and you and I are responsible adults.”
“Since when?” Andrew tightened his hold on Neil, pulling him closer to nuzzle against his throat.
They swayed together through the next two songs. “Wanna get out of here?” Neil murmured, turning his head so his lips ghosting against the shell of Andrew’s ear.
Andrew suppressed his shiver. It was ridiculous how Neil could still affect him so much, even after over two years of Andrew having him as he’d always wanted.
They made their goodbyes to Nicky and Aaron (Kevin and Andrew’s parents already having left the venue) and then Neil drove them back to their hotel, holding Andrew’s hand the whole way. Once they were back in their room, Andrew pulled Neil into a kiss, which led to another and another, and then to peeling Neil out of the suit that hugged him in all the right places so he could put his hands against his bare skin.
They continued kissing as Andrew stripped and fell into bed. It wasn’t going to go any further tonight—it rarely did for them—but it felt good to press together skin to skin.
Eventually they got up to brush their teeth and use the facilities before climbing back into bed. Andrew plastered himself to Neil’s back, glad that the hotel was so over air-conditioned that they wouldn’t overheat. Neil settled against him and yawned sleepily, already almost falling into slumber.
“It was a nice wedding,” he murmured.
“Jealous?” asked Andrew into the back of his neck.
“No; I still prefer ours,” said Neil. “I’m glad Aaron finally found his octopus. Took him long enough.”
Andrew snorted. “Yes, well, not everyone can meet their life barnacle when they’re seven years old.”
Neil huffed a laugh but he was already drifting. “Love you,” he said, just as he did every night before he fell asleep.
“I know you do,” replied Andrew, perfectly content.