43. Redemption Reception

@WhisperingEclipse15 came up with Katt for kuronxmatt (i haven't seen much fanart at all for them) and i love it so^^ <33

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5f/a4/d5/5fa4d5e0cadc34f611edb9f64ebe0b0d.jpg

Lance

"There he is!"

Adam met me with open arms at the reception, hugging me tightly, decked out in his suit and tie, looking cool and fancy at the same time.

"Look at you," Adam said warmly, clasping my shoulders, "All grown up." I smiled up at him, about to reply, when Matt interrupted with a giant bear hug, jumping up and down like a little kid.

"My little brother!" he crowed, ruffling my hair obnoxiously.

"Matt!" I yelped, desperately trying to flatten down my hair after Romelle had spent so much time combing it.

"Stop fussing, bro, you look awesome," Matt grinned, flicking my flower-filled halo.

"Was I okay up there? Was I smiling too much?" I asked. The ceremony had been better than I could have ever imagined, but it felt more like a wedding than anything. I was thoroughly reminded by Mom that it wasn't, but it had an eerily similar feel to it. Not that I minded, necessarily... It just felt really intense.

"No, don't worry," Adam comforted, "You looked radiant."

"Yeah, those wings were intense," Matt commented. I smiled, missing the feel of my feathers at my back. For the ceremony, the devils and angels had been asked to keep their tails and wings retracted respectively, but now that I didn't feel the weight of my wings behind me, I felt naked.

And, speak of the devil (literally), there was a sudden clamor behind us, and I, as well as all of the other guests in the reception tent, turned to see Shiro and Kuron, the Twins that I'd only ever seen twice before, carrying Keith up above their heads, shouting and laughing as Keith had an amusingly terrified expression on his face.

The Twins wore black suits like Mister and the rest of the Blade, with shining gold ties. Their tails, identical to the one Keith had, slithered and swung behind them (oblivious to the request to keep them retracted), and their horns protruded from their foreheads a few inches tall. They laughed obnoxiously as they set Keith down, pushing him around and poking him.

I cleared my throat, smiling at Keith, and the three devils turned to look at me. Immediately, Adam and Matt stiffened visibly. The Twin's tails simultaneously straightened with a surprisingly loud snap! and their smiles dropped. I felt Adam's hand on my shoulder grow tight.

Keith looked to his brother's in confusion before a look of realization washed over him. The room was silent. I panicked and awkwardly started talking, desperate to release the tension between the Twins and my brothers.

"Keith, why don't you come over here. I want you to meet my brothers." Keith's sharp eyes were bright with anxiety, but I calmed my own face, smiling a little to encourage him. Keith walked forward slowly, the Twins following him, a step behind. When Keith reached me, I smiled confidently.

Trust me.

"Adam, Matt, this is Keith, as you know, and his two brothers, Shiro and Kuron." I watched all of their expressions carefully. The Twin shot each other nervous glances, looking anywhere other than my brothers.

Adam, the lifesaver, was the one to react first. He held a hand out to Shiro, warm and inviting. His halo spun wildly, the opposite of his calm demeanor. The white-haired twin looked from Adam's hand to his face and back again before reaching out as well and clasping his hand. A bolt of electricity shot out from Adam's halo, hitting the ground with a crackle. 

"Hello, Shiro, it's nice to meet you," Adam said evenly. I could sense his anxiety, cautiousness, though. 

Shiro nodded, white hair bright under the lights of the reception tent. "You as well," he replied. 

I looked at Matt expectantly. Kuron, the black-haired twin, was regarding my brother carefully, his glowing yellow eyes trained on Matt's face. Matt held out his own hand, small and shaking, try as he might to be tough, and Kuron stared at it for a few moments before shaking his hand silently, holding on longer than he should have.

The Twins knew that the whole cheating fiasco had been a lie and my brothers knew that the devils weren't at fault and I began to see a kind of understanding forgiveness fall over their faces. I knew that they'd be okay. 

Keith's eyes flicked to mine and he returned my smile. "Well," I said, clapping, "what are we doing, just standing around?" 

With that, music started and the sand beneath our feet turned to smooth, grey slate. It was the same as that of the floors of the Underworld, I noticed, and it was cool and stable beneath my feet. 

On one side of the tent were several large tables set with fine china and silverware, huge bouquets of flowers similar to my own bursting out of vases as the centerpieces, plush chairs with comfortable-looking cushions waiting patiently.

Another side of the giant tent held a table with countless varieties of decadent sweets for dessert, including our cake. It was hidden right now- a large cardboard box with the word 'surprise!' scrawled on the side in Hunk's handwriting, but I already had a vague idea of what it looked like. I'd left the rest up to Hunk, though. 

For a solid half hour, Keith and I passed around the room, talking with our guests and receiving compliments and congratulations. "This really feels like a wedding, Keith," I'd whispered to him after we'd talked to everyone. 

He smiled crookedly. "Well, I don't mind being your husband."

I blushed and shook my head, leaning into him. Keith slid his hand into mine and squeezed. "We actually did it," I said softly. 

He kissed my forehead. "We did."

It was then that Hunk called for dinner and we all took our seats in the blissfully soft chairs. The tables were seated with 10 seats and our table consisted of Keith and me, Nox, Mom, the Twins, Matt, Adam, Hunk, and Shay. 

Before we started, Lux opened the opportunity for toasts. Hunk, my best man, was the first to stand, an apron over his suit. 

"I would just like to take the time to say a few words. I was informed when I was invited here that I was one of three "mortals" attending. You have to know," Hunk grinned, "that's a little imposing, being the caterer, y'know." Some people laughed. "But, in all seriousness, I would give anything to be here. Lance has been my best friend for years and it's actually pretty relieving to finally know why he's so mysterious. I've talked with a bunch of you and I'm finally able to see the family that he's been talking about for so long. 

"In terms of food, when Lance asked me to cater, I knew that I had to do something special. As some of you may know, when Lance met Keith, they wrote a list of things that Keith wanted to do up here." He paused, then looked down at me with a goofy smile. "I got all this intel from your mom, of course." Mom winked at me. "These adventures are what brought the two of them together and, ultimately, what led them to this point. 

"Here, all of us together, celebrating the bond of two wonderful friends of mine. So, without further ado, I present to you tonight's meals which correspond with the five adventures on Keith and Lance's list." 

My jaw dropped and Keith started laughing a bit, the guests chattering between themselves. I tugged on Hunk's sleeve before he could get to serving and grinned. "Thank you," I said earnestly, putting every ounce of meaning into my words. 

Hunk smiled gently. "You don't need to thank me."

Soon, amazing scents of the dishes began to waft through the tent. They were overwhelming delicious and I felt my mouth begin to water. The first course was spring salad with edible flowers. See flowers. Second was homemade cumin potato wedges with ketchup. Go to a concert

The third course was angel hair pasta with mini-meatballs (the Stationary Angel Legion) and fourth was fa'apapa, a kind of coconut bread which was a traditional Samoan dish (go to an island). I sighed in wonder, leaning back in my chair. It was amazing, really, what Hunk had come up with. 

The last course was, of course, the cake. Everyone stood from their seats and migrated over to the table where the giant cardboard box sat, covering the masterpiece that Hunk had made. With a careful flourish, Hunk pulled the box up and off of the cake. I felt my heart swell. 

It was made up of three layers- simple with a black bottom layer, grey middle, and white top. The cake topper was of two grooms- one in white and the other in black- holding hands. Around the two figurines stood delicate curls of green chocolate. Bamboo. 

I felt tears rise to my eyes but blinked them back, looking to Keith, who had an awe-struck expression on his face. 

"Hunk, it's-" I whispered. I didn't finish. Hunk handed me a knife and Keith and I both grasped it, cutting an even slice. We promptly smashed handfuls of cake over each other's mouths (tradition!) and Keith leaned forward and kissed me, frosting on our lips, my heart so happy I could die.

...

Shiro

The guests had migrated to the beach outside the tent and were setting up blankets on the sand, sitting down on the shore to watch the sunset. Ahead of me, I could see Keith and Lance together, leaning against each other as they sat. 

Their first dance had been beautiful- I had no idea that Keith could dance so well. Elegant and serene, they'd been graceful as they danced. It reminded me of dancing with Adam in the kitchen of our apartment all those years ago. 

Sighing, I laid out my own blanket on the sand, sitting down with a glass of champagne. Adam had been stiff when we'd finally reunited- his kind handshake foreign to me. But I was just happy that he'd been willing to talk to me after I'd accused him of all those awful things back then. 

The waves lapped quietly at the shore and the sunset- scarlet and streaked with orange clouds- reflected off the dark blue water prettily. 

"Do you have room for one more?" 

I nearly spat out my champagne at the sound of Adam's voice beside me. Looking up, I met his eyes, nodding once. Adam smiled gratefully at the sand and sat down next to me. I noticed that he kept his distance. 

"That was a pretty good wedding, right?" I said lamely, trying to start up a conversation. 

Adam nodded. "I'm happy for Lance."

"He seems like a good guy. I've only met him a few times, though."

His eyes wandered over to where Lance and Keith sat. "He's a good brother," he said reassuringly. 

I sipped my champagne quietly. I knew that I had to say something, but I didn't know how to word it right. I snuck a glance at Adam from the corner of my eyes and noticed that he was wearing an expression I recognized. It was the face he made when he was waiting for an apology after one of our fights. He was pleasantly stubborn like that, his eyes patient, mouth set in the smallest of smiles. He didn't look at me. 

I knew how this went- he and I had had our fair share of arguments. I knew the routine. 

"I'm sorry," I started. He didn't look at me yet. "For not trusting you. For trusting some stranger with good photoshop abilities over my own boyfriend. For accusing you. For not listening to your side of the story. For leaving without a goodbye. For everything."

Adam paused, then finally turned. Our eyes met. He'd grown up, matured a little. His hair was longer, he was wearing new glasses, there was a new kind of wisdom hidden in his eyes, but he was still my Adam. 

"I'm sorry too," he said simply. 

I stared at him, baffled. "Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything."

Adam tilted his head to the side. "I'm sorry I abandoned you. I'm sorry I didn't fight for you."

Words were lost to me. Had he been feeling guilty as well? He had no need to- Adam was in no way at fault for what had happened. 

Before I could say anything, I heard a snippet of Kuron's voice. He was standing before a young man who was at least a full head shorter than him. Adam's attention turned to them too. I heard Kuron say, "Can we start over?" 

The angel nodded. 

"Hi, I'm Kuron." I smiled. My brother was so awkward. 

"I'm Matt." They shook hands. I felt Kuron's want to hold onto Matt's hand for longer, to pull him to his chest and keep him closer, but he let go. 

"Want to sit with me?" Kuron asked. I flushed with second-hand embarrassment. He was being too formal and it was almost funny, but I knew he was trying his best. 

The angel nodded again. I watched them settle down on his blanket together, their shoulders just barely touching. I felt my heart go out to my twin. I was happy for him. 

I turned to Adam again, but his eyes were cast down, staring at the space between us. I looked down too. My hand was between our two thighs, resting on the picnic blanket. Adam slowly moved his right hand from its place in his lap to hover over mine, then softly touched his fingers to my knuckles. 

I felt my breath catch in my throat. Adam didn't say anything, but he slowly turned my hand over, tracing a line over my palm with his index finger. Gently, he slid his fingers between mine, our palms together. Adam finally looked up. 

"I don't want to start over," he whispered, his gorgeous eyes catching in the sunlight. 

I squeezed his hand and smiled softly. "We don't have to." 

Adam closed his eyes and bowed his head, leaning forward ever so slightly until his forehead was against my lips. He let out a shuddering breath and I closed my eyes. 

"I missed you, Shiro," Adam whispered, leaning back to look me in the eyes. 

"I missed you more."

...

Keith

"Tell me a story." 

Lance and I were curled up against each other on our picnic blanket on the beach, Lance's wings surrounding us, my tail curled around his wrist like a bracelet. I knew nothing but his skin, the sky, and the ocean before us. 

Lance made a soft noise and looked at me, one eyebrow raised. "A story?" 

I nodded, leaning against his chest.

"A story..." Lance repeated. He cleared his throat and began. 

"One upon a time, there was a young man. He had a halo and wings and he was a son of the Lady of Light. He was made of clouds and sunlight and the Lady of Light had added Mexican hot chocolate to him when she'd formed him so he'd be warm and sweet, but spicy and determined as well. 

"One day, his mother told him that another boy, this one with horns and a tail, was wandering the Midworld and that he had to go take care of him and guide him on his journey. The young man was happy to oblige- he was naive, you see, and didn't understand at the time what his job would entail.

"The two young men met on the East Coast and made a plan to travel the world so that the devil-boy could experience everything he wanted to. They traveled to the west to see flowers and concerts and go on spy missions.

"They listened to bad music and the angel felt himself grow accustomed to the devil's presence, growing protective and caring towards the devil. He didn't know what his feelings meant, but he knew that he wanted to stay with him and find out where their story would take them. 

"But the young man was afraid that the devil didn't feel the same way- the devil-boy broke the angel's nose and called him names and was blunt and bold... and beautiful at the same time. The angel found himself falling in love with the devil-boy. 

"They went to an island in the ocean and they flew at night and the angel loved every moment. And yet, they both knew that they wouldn't be able to stay together for long. Their last stop was a forest in Japan. When they finished their walk in the forest, the devil got mad and told the angel that he could never love him. 

"And yet, even then, after his heart had broken, the angel knew that he wanted to at least speak with the devil, tell him that he still loved him. But, when he arrived in the Underworld, where the devil lived, he was surprised to find that the devil was taking the Trials to love. And it was then, after the Trials, that the angel knew that the devil was the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. 

"The devil and the angel ended up getting married a few months later."

I smiled. "What happens next?" 

Lance laughed gently, leaning down to kiss me softly. 

"Whatever you'd like, my darling."

The end. 

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