Preparing for a Wedding

A soft sigh escapes his throat as a hand gently comes to rest on his shoulder, a form then leaning over and resting their chin on the top of his head. He can feel the other man’s lower wings brush against him, it tickles but it still relaxes back into the attention, having learnt to be comforted by the feeling. Though his first impulse is to jump, it always has been but he’s learnt how to push that down now, trying to train comfort into being the first thing he feels and if he’s being honest with himself, that is proving to be rather successful these past few weeks.
“You’ve been busy all day.” The standing figure says.
“Well one of us has to start the planning, there’s a bunch of people we need to invite and they need to be organised into who knows of my true identity and who doesn’t. As well as separating that latter group into who really shouldn’t find out and who it wouldn’t cause the end of the world if they learn - a few of my acquaintances are pretty bad at keeping their mouths closed.”
The other figure narrows his eyes, knowing this is going to become a thing if he doesn’t interrupt it now - a thing that he does not need to stress and over think about right now. So hums in agreement,
“I know that love, but we can do that together. I am also not opposed to doing a private ceremony beforehand for those that are close with you, I would like to marry you as yourself - but I know that’s not possible with everything.” He explains, the other hand not touching him waving around now to signify this ‘everything’.

It has been a real pain for the two of them, planning their marriage, but it’s something that they both desperately want so they’re going to limp through it. So desperate that they want to do it themselves so that it’s all their own, rather than what one of their people thinks would work best for them, they have their own unique wants and needs after all. They’ve delayed telling anyone outside their immediate household, just for a little while, they know the minute it’s announced the public will be waiting with bated breaths for the date - and the further this date is away the more expectations and rumours will build and spread around.

Annos wanted to lay low, start a new life where it didn’t matter that he was a defective Highbreed, that no one would care, or well know one would have to know that. System 2 felt like the best bet for this, large but known to be quiet and not really get into others affairs - a few of its acquaintances that have run from other pasts have already come to settle here comfortably. Their lives becoming what he has to assume is normal for the rest of the wide universe, it’s never really known normal, but it is something that he has so desperately craved from his life.
What they weren’t expecting from this is to end up bumping into the Vrai Mirapponisch, lord of the entire system - just his luck that out of all the people it had to be the biggest, most well known one. That was not something it was expecting but didn’t say no to the friendship that built between them, reassuring him through the very early years of his daughter. No, what neither of them were expecting was to then fall in love with each other. Going back in time Annos would have laughed at you. He wasn’t a creature that did love, even after they became friends it doubted that Vrai could ever love a creature like it… but he did. When Vrai pulled him away from the Celestial Ball, while people from across the system and even outside of it tried to woo the Lord, even as Vrai confessed, Annos didn’t believe him. It had lied, it never told him that not only was he a highbreed but that it was mutated and wrong. He expected to see horror, anger or even fear in his face, what he was not expecting was for him to light up and stare at him even more adoringly. Vrai was upset that Annos hadn’t told him sooner, but was expecting something - he knew that they weren’t the same species as him, he’d seen him in a couple of different guises. Annos had never been stared at that intently before with no malice within it.
They kept this affection hidden for a while, ensuring that they wanted it to last before letting people know, because they knew the second someone outside of Evanah & the close staff knew it would be leaked across the entire System - perhaps even beyond. It lasted though and now Annos is facing the fact that he’s about to marry the Lord of System 2, and he’s about to be added to the history book - but it’s more than willing to do it for the sake of the person he loves more than it even thought was possible.

“You drive a hard bargain,Vrai. Maybe I’d stop for the evening if there was something better in it for me?” It states with a slight eyebrow wiggle and Vrai laughs, Annos adores his laugh.
“Hmmm, well Evanah has already gone to bed - she took herself claiming a long day at school - so we have the house for ourselves. We’re in the months of light, so we have light to go out if you want.” Vrai suggests, staying in his general pose but allowing a hand to move down to be against Annos’ chest.

It hums in thought, putting its pen down to let Vrai know that he’s at least won in that sense at the very least. Though it can tell that Vrai wants something else, and no doubt that it may already have a plan for what they shall do until it is night.
“I would agree, but you seem to have something on your mind, love?” Annos replies and a stammer escapes Vrai. Clearly he does have a plan but wasn’t quite sure whether Annos would have any interest - which is stupid because if it has anything to do with Vrai then of course he would be interested.
Now Annos gently shakes Vrai off of him, so that it can move him out of the way and push the chair back and stand in front of him. He’s just below eye level, one teasing thing Vrai adored that he did to alter the guise before they went public, Vrai enjoys being taller than his partner even if he naturally isn’t. Vrai’s wings are fluttering slightly, pushing it’s hair around and making it clear that he’s entranced with an idea, his tail is also sweeping behind him, hitting his own legs with its long arcs. Annos grins before rolling his shoulders, letting his guise slowly drop from him,letting it melt down and it doesn’t take long for Vrai to now have to look up at his husband to be. This makes him narrow his eyes, and wings to stop fluttering - but his tail has not stopped sweeping so it’s reassured that there is no anger or malice to Vrai’s reaction. Its claws reach up to gently stroke across one of the wings, which shifts slightly into the touch - Annos has always been worried about how delicate they seem, but Vrai always reassures him that they’re tougher than they look and Annos could never hurt him. Though it knows it could, it wouldn’t deliberately, but it could very much hurt him.
They stay  like that until Vrai suddenly steps back, as if he had forgotten what was going on. Annos watches him intently as he can practically see his lover’s mind turn as he’s thinking about what they’re exactly going to do next. Annos doubts that he’s forgotten the plans that were going on in his mind, simply he is thinking about how to get that plan rolling.
Without warning, Vrai then heads off, with speed leaving the desk that Annos has claimed as his own, and instead coming to stand in front of the window that looks out into their gardens. Annos slowly follows him, waiting to first see if Vrai is staying there, or if he’s about to bounce off somewhere else and this is just a brief thinking point. Seeing that he’s not going anywhere fast however, it comes to rest just behind him, following his gaze out into the garden. He spots one of their servants out there, using the late day sun to get some weeding done. Vrai has spotted her two but it doesn’t seem to change his plan as he spins and grabs Annos’ hand, no words spoken to it.
“Am I allowed to know what we are doing? Or am I just to trust you my love?”Annos asks in a soft voice, mentally he’s already grabbing the edge of his guise, ready to pull it back on because he does believe that it will need it. Vrai chuckles and shakes his head,
“Do you trust me, Annos?”
“Of course I do, my loved.”
This just makes a grin form on Vrai’s face and he gently tugs Annos’ hand. No more words are needed to be shared between the two of them, Annos pulls his guise back up, and notices Vrai’s lingering looks trying to fully take in it’s true form before they hide it again. It does like to indulge it’s loved with his true form, knowing that it likes it - even if Annos doesn’t particularly like it himself.
With the guise back up, Vrai waits not a second longer and begins to pull him back along and out of their room.
The halls are pretty empty, most of the staff either off for the evening, or busying them with some final chores so the morning can be more relax. Vrai has tried to convince his staff that he doesn’t need them to uphold the same strict standards that they had to for his parents, but it’s hard to convince them sometimes and they claim they don’t mind. Neither man minds these empty halls now, Vrai doesn’t hold himself to the standards he normally does as he passes through them, he’s not standing straight and his excitement is clear in his behaviour and it’s proving to be rather infectious. A grin is beginning to form on Annos’ face and he’s not even sure about what’s going to happen or even where they’re going, but he can tell his partner is excited so he’s going to be so as well.

Annos continues to allow Vrai to lead him out into the gardens, a sight that is always stunning to see no matter how many times he heads out into it. The plants are always towering above them, there’s stuff to see in every direction but none of it ever seems overwhelming or untidy. Annos really gives credit to the gardeners and is very glad that they are paid and compensated heavily - he’s stopped to chat with many of them when they’re not in the middle of working and they are always fascinating.
Vrai continues to gently tug them along, so Annos follows closely to make sure that they’re not lost from each other as they weave around the hedges and around the paths.
When they finally come to a stop, both are slightly out of breath and stood near the edge of the cliff that separates the gardens from the rest of the city. There are paths up and down it and it’s the frequent spot for the school kids to hang out when the days are warm. Right now however, it’s empty and the warm sun is high and large in the sky. It's warmer here then it felt further away from this edge. Vrai has now let go of Annos’ hand and has walked right to the edge, looking out and up at first, before lowering his gaze to the city and the people below him. Annos slowly comes to stand beside him, slowly moving his hand to rest on the small of his back, just above the base of his tail.
“I always love coming out here,” Vrai smiles, “I don’t like how we’re positioned above everyone, but I do love to be able to look from here and see our main city.”
Vrai shifts leaning sidewards into Annos now that he’s there. It just hums in response, knowing that he’s not quite finished but needs something to encourage them to finish their current line of thought.
“I’m glad that you said yes, Annos. This will all be ours and I can’t imagine sharing it with anyone other than you.” Vrai adds, before letting out a soft sigh and presses himself into Annos more, who can’t help but mimic the relaxed noise.
He agrees with the sentiment. This is putting himself out there more than he ever thought that he would, even if he’s doing so with his true self hidden from the world, he’s still putting the chance of people discovering it out there. But he’ll  do it. He’ll do it for Vrai, he’s not quite sure what he wouldn’t do for that man.
The two remain there, leaning against each other with the warm sun, showing no sign of going down just yet much like the men and the concept of moving.
“We just definitely involve the garden,”Annos says eventually.
Vrai shifts to look up at him, a quizzical expression on his face as to where Annos’ brain has gone to now.
“As part of the wedding. Maybe for our closer friends afterwards? Once all of the dignitaries have decided it’s time for bed.” Annos adds, realising that Vrai’s brain probably wasn’t following the same train of thought, especially as he hasn’t spent all day obsessing about it and the different ways that it can be planned. Vrai laughs softly at this and nods,
“That does sound like a good plan, but I thought we’d agreed on no more planning for the day.” His tone light as he shifts his arm to present a wagging finger at Annos, much like he scolds Evanah when she tries to beg to stay up just a bit longer to finish her story. This means he doesn’t really take him seriously with the scolding, he is not a small child after all and Vrai doesn’t even have the most serious aurora anyway - ironic for the leader of System 2, and not at all what you’d expect.
“I know, I’m sorry. Do you know what will stop me from thinking about it more?” It asks. Leaning his head against Vrai’s shoulder.
When it’s clear he’s not going to answer, Annos glances back up at him, trying to work out where his partner’s head may now have drifted off. He’s worried that he may have upset him, this is something that’s meant to be for them and Annos is just letting it overwhelm him. Vrai is very good at being honest with how things are affecting him and normally he’d be fully relaxed by the joking demeanour that Vrai has but with everything that’s been going on lately. The stress may be getting to Annos more than he’d like to admit.
It shifts slightly away from Vrai and just lets his body drop slightly, moving so he’s now sat at the edge of the ledge and his legs are dangling below him, a heavy sigh escapes him as he does this. Vrai pauses for a second, looking down at his now rather dejected looking partner, working out if he should also join him.

“Are you okay, my love?” He asks hesitantly before then sinking down to sit beside Annos, he’s seen how much this has been stressing it out, but he doesn’t want to bring it up as he knows that just leads to him becoming defensive and ignoring it.
His hand reaches out and wraps around Annos’ shoulder, and to his comfort, Annos leans into the touch.
“I’m sorry Vrai, I guess I’m just really letting this all get to me. Don’t get me wrong, I desperately want to marry you, my loved; but I can’t help but still worry about the fact that I’m just going to be out there. Not even because I’m worried for my sake that people - that people will find out what I am - but for yours and Evanah’s. I know what that could do, what it could cause. It would break me if people believed that I was hiding this from you both or using you.” His voice cracks slightly as he speaks.
Vrai tightens his grip on his partner before then staring out back across their view, now also leaning into Annos’ side.
“Even if that happens, we will stand by your side, Annos, I adore you and I hope that you know that. If they find out, they will know the full truth and that I know, and if anything it made me fall in love with you even more.”
Annos leans sideways causing him and Vrai to both shift, Vrai having to put an arm out so he doesn’t tip over.
“That was really sappy, you know.” Annos fake gags before both of them break into laughter.
Neither move until Annos’ shifts so that he can also hold onto Vrai, neither of them wanting to continue their plans from before and would much rather just remain like this with nothing other than each other. All thoughts pushed off until at least tomorrow, and Vrai hopes tomorrow afternoon at that. They have time, and they can do it together, there really is no rush, even if the people find out they can wait until they are ready to go through with it all. He knows he owes a lot to his people, but they should also respect that he wants to live his life and ensuring that his partner doesn’t over think and put himself off of the idea of their wedding is one of those things.