George bites on his lip nervously as he knocks on Matty's door, his suit suddenly feeling constraining and tight on his frame although it actually fits him quite well.

Matty's usually not up at this hour which George now knows after spending so much time with him. It's just past nine in the morning according to George's watch, but Matty had assured him he'd be ready to go by now, even after George had insisted that he didn't have to be.

George had belatedly remembered the next day after he'd invited Matty to the wedding that since he is John's best man, that means he has to be at the wedding much earlier than everyone else to help John get ready and such.

He'd told Matty he didn't have to come with him when he'd recalled that piece of information, not wanting to inconvenience the other man, especially after he'd had work last night, but Matty had continuously assured him that he didn't mind and that he was looking forward to it until George had stopped apologizing.

Still - George is starting to rethink this, and not because he doesn't want Matty to come with him, that's not it at all. He's just ridiculously nervous about this whole thing, and he can't quite place his finger on why.

It might be the fact that he was originally supposed to attend this event with Kyle, and that the act of replacing him with Matty has George thinking of him in Kyle's position in his life entirely, or perhaps it's simply that George is anxious to have Matty meet his friends since he's not sure if he'll like them, or maybe it's none of the above.

George is just afraid; he wants today to go smoothly, he wants Matty to enjoy himself, and he wants to have a good time as well.

George is also trying to avoid thinking of Kyle who had called him earlier on and told him to have fun at the wedding he was supposed to attend.

It attests to how little George cares for him anymore that he couldn't even muster the energy to work up a retort about how he should be there as well, and even if he's still a bit hurt at Kyle's cancellation, it's more of a dull sting now than a full-blown ache.

But when Matty finally appears in the doorway, all of George's insecurities drain out of him like water through a sieve. George blatantly stares at Matty as the other man beams up at him, his eyes raking up and down his slim frame which is dressed in a fitted black suit coupled with a white shirt and some sort of tie that appears to be made of black flowers.

Matty looks stunning - there's no other word for it. George's mouth goes dry and a smile stretches across his lips as he continues to gaze at him, something about Matty putting so much effort into an event that doesn't concern him at all just for George's sake fills him with warmth, and he no longer doubts his decision to invite Matty anymore.

"I'm going to hope your silence is a compliment and not a 'what the hell are you wearing' sort of thing," Matty giggles softly when George remains speechless, "I can change the neck piece, I just thought it worked well, but it might be a bit much."

"No - it's perfect," George finally manages to speak, "honestly, you look incredible."

Matty visibly preens under George's praise, his eyes going bright and a smug look crossing over his face as he plays with one of his curls absentmindedly.

"I can say the same about you," Matty responds in a gleeful tone, "you should wear suits more often."

"Don't have to, that's one of the perks of working from home," George laughs as he holds his arm out to Matty in what's supposed to be a teasing gesture, but when Matty laces his hand through the crook of his elbow, George finds himself wishing that his action didn't have to be made in jest. "You ready to go then?"

"Yep," Matty nods excitedly, "Allen's been walked, I've had three cups of coffee, which means you get to deal with my inevitable caffeine crash later on, so have fun with that."

"I'm looking forward to it," George chuckles, and he's not lying. He'll carry Matty home if he has to as long as it means he'll be at the wedding with him.

Whatever today brings, it's worth it to live in this moment with Matty. As sappy as it sounds, right now, George is happy.

It's a surprisingly lovely morning for this time of the year, he's about to see his best friend get married to the man of his dreams, and he's got Matty next to him, so he's ready for anything.

~~~

Matty's captivated by the small chapel that the wedding is taking place in. His eyes go wide when they first approach it, his attention darting between the white flowers that are strewn everywhere, to the stone architecture, to the stained glass windows which are refracting light across the lawn.

George delights in Matty's apparent joy at the scenery, although old buildings don't really hold his interest, but Matty's reaction is wonderful to witness, making George even more pleased than he already was with his decision to bring Matty with him.

John had been adamant about having an outdoor wedding, but Ross had managed to convince him to host it here instead since November in London is rarely pleasant. John had finally agreed after seeing that they had a lovely garden where the reception would be held, weather permitting, and so far it seems that it will.

Matty's uncharacteristically silent as they walk through the interior of the building in their search for John, but George assumes that's simply because he doesn't know anyone here and he's not quite sure how to act just yet.

George is tempted to take Matty's hand in his so he can calm him slightly with his touch, but he's too nervous that his gesture will mean more than that, at least in his mind, not to mention John will most likely somehow manage to pop up just then and he'd never let George live that down.

Luckily for George at least since it distracts him for his current train of thought, he spots one of Ross' friends a few seconds later whose name he knows but can't recall, and after a brief greeting, he points him in John's direction.

George isn't really sure what he expects to find when he makes his way into the room which John is in, but it's not his best friend obviously intoxicated at barely ten in the morning with only his trousers on while one of his groomsmen, George thinks it's Brandon tries to convince him to let go of the bottle he's holding for long enough to get his shirt on.

"John please," Brandon begs, his tone laced with exasperation as John waves him off and takes another swig of whatever he's drinking. "I'm two seconds away from calling Ross if you keep this shit up."

"What's going on?" George asks, his voice diffusing some of the tension in the room when both men turn to look at him.

"Oh thank god you're here," Brandon sighs in relief. "John's worked himself into a state, can you deal with him? I've got to make sure the chef has arrived and he's got the menu and all that, but I didn't want to leave him alone."

"Yeah, we'll be fine," George nods distractedly while Brandon shoots him a grateful smile before making his exit, his brow furrowing as he tries to decipher what's going on in John's head.

"Hey George," John waves, his face falling when George fixes him with a stern look.

"John...what are you doing? This is your wedding day, and you're not going to be able to remember it if you start drinking now."

"I'm just trying to relax, that's all," John defends himself, but the way he slouches into a nearby chair, his body curling in on itself as he does lets George know that John isn't being entirely truthful.

"Come on John, talk to me," George coaxes him, stepping closer to his friend slowly as if he might bolt if he moves any quicker.

"I don't want to, you'll think it's stupid," John groans, but he at least sets the bottle of liquor down so he can rub at his face tiredly.

"Bit too late for that honestly," George smiles to take the sting out of his words, "but seriously John, what's got you so worked up? Whatever it is, I won't make fun of you."

"I...well, Ross and I decided to do that whole not see each other for twenty-four hours before the wedding thing yeah, and it was really hard to sleep without him in bed with me, so I had a lot of time to myself to think, and fuck - I mean...how many marriages do you know of that have ended happily? The majority of them fail, and I don't want to be one of them, but what if that's our fate as well? Maybe I shouldn't be doing this, I don't know if I can go through with it," John ends on a bit of a wail, a slight sheen of tears obscuring his irises as George kneels down by his side gingerly.

George is shocked that John is suggesting that he call this off. He's heard of pre-wedding jitters of course, but John is the last person he'd assumed would be afflicted with them. He and Ross are perfect for each other, everyone knew they'd end up married eventually, and John has never shown any sign of doubting this before, so none of this makes any sense to him.

But John is obviously distraught, in fact, he looks seconds away from tears, and although George is momentarily at a loss for what to say, he's determined to cheer his friend up somehow before he gets himself into an even worse place.

George has to pause for a moment to think of an appropriate answer, because he actually can't name one intact marriage off the top of his head. His parents had separated when he was fifteen, he knows Matty's folks aren't together either, or John's, he doesn't even think Ross' are, and when he looks at things from that perspective, he can see John's point.

But that doesn't mean that George has stopped believing in love, and John shouldn't either. Yes - the odds might be against him and Ross, but if anyone can make it, it's them, now George just has to convince his friend of that.

"It doesn't matter how many people end up getting divorced, because they aren't you and Ross. You two were made for each other, you're the loveliest couple I've ever met, and I'd bet everything I own that you two are going to be married until you're both in wheelchairs."

"But how do I know I'll still want to be with him in ten years, or even five? I've always believed that I'll never stop loving him, but statistics show that I will."

"Well that's what makes love so special," George falters for a moment, looking behind him to Matty who's hovering in the doorway still, "it's a risk, and you have no idea how it will end, but if you care for the other person enough, if you truly do love them with all of your heart, you take a leap of faith. That's what you're doing today, you're promising Ross that even though you can't see the future, you love him enough to want to spend it with him."

And although George tries to stop himself from connecting this situation to his own, he can't help but apply his advice to his life at the moment. He's not sure if he's in love with Matty, but he thinks that he could be, yet he's holding himself back because he's afraid of leaving Kyle just for the chance to be with Matty, which is contrary to what he's telling John.

That's something to ponder over later when he's alone though, John needs him right now, and he can work out his feelings for Matty and what he's going to do about his current relationship after he makes sure John isn't about to fuck up his.

"Then why am I so terrified?" John whimpers, his gaze darting toward the bottle on his right which George quickly snatches and moves out of his reach.

"That's normal, everyone gets nervous before their wedding, but think of it this way, if you had to choose between marrying Ross or losing him today, which would you choose?"

"Marry him of course," John answers instantly.

"And if I asked Ross that question, he'd answer the same, so don't worry yourself sick about what if's, just focus on Ross. He doesn't want you upset over this, not today, and not ever. You're going to regret panicking and backing out of this a thousand times more than you will marrying him, I promise."

John looks down briefly, his hands fumbling with his phone which George knows has a picture of him and Ross saved as the background. John stares at it for so long that George is beginning to get worried, but then John smiles fondly and George thinks he's finally managed to get through to him.

"I'm an idiot," John sighs, his legs stretching out as he stands up and reaches for his shirt. "You're right, I just got myself into a bad state, but I love Ross, and he loves me. I want to be his husband, so this is the right thing to do."

"It is," George agrees after exhaling softly in relief now that John seems to have regained his senses. "If I found someone like Ross, I would marry him in an instant, so don't let everyone else's mistakes ruin this for you."

"Just remind me not to google marriage statics again and I should be fine," John chuckles, "and oh - is this Matty?" John exclaims when he turns around and gets a glimpse of the curly-haired man who has yet to speak, but he does nod when he's acknowledged. "I'm so sorry you had to see me like that, I'm not usually this much of a mess."

"It's alright," Matty shrugs easily, "I'm sure I'd be bricking myself too if I were about to get married."

"I honestly didn't think I would be, god this is scary, but anyway, George told me you were coming, and it's so nice to finally meet you, he speaks very highly of you." John ends his greeting by crossing the room and pulling Matty into a hug, and Matty doesn't seem at all uncomfortable with his affectionate actions even though he's only just met John.

"Oh he does, does he?" Matty smirks, leaving George blushing crimson as he tries to busy himself with something that's not looking in his general direction. "Also just to put in my own two cents, from what George has told me about you and Ross, I don't think you'll regret marrying him either," Matty adds on, his statement causing George's cheeks to ache from the smile that stretches across them, because Matty didn't have to say anything, but he's trying to cheer John up as well, someone he doesn't know at all, and that showcases what a wonderful person he truly is.

John graces Matty with a wide grin, his grip around him tightening briefly before he lets go. He almost stumbles as he does, so Matty steadies him with his hand, helping the other man back to his chair while George retrieves his jacket which had been hanging in the corner.

"Now come on, we've got to get you looking so good that Ross will cry when he sees you," George suggests, earning himself a laugh from John that sounds genuinely happy.

"Good luck with that, I think I've only seen him shed a tear twice during our entire relationship."

"That sounds like a challenge I'm up for," Matty grins deviously.

"You should let him do your hair," George suggests, earning himself a delighted chuckle from Matty in the process, "maybe even makeup if you're up for that, he did mine the other night and I was quite impressed."

"Have at it boys, make me beautiful."

And as George and Matty get John ready for his wedding while sharing stories as well as making sure John drinks enough water that he might be relatively sober by the time the ceremony starts, George is shocked by how easily Matty melds into the picture, but at the same time, he's almost not surprised.

Matty seems like he's made to be a part of George's life, he improves it in every aspect, he gets along with his best friend, he's smiling and joyous even though he's got to be exhausted, and George is a thousand times happier than he would have been if he came alone, or even with Kyle, and that's all thanks to Matty.

And at this moment, George is glad that Kyle canceled on him, because now he gets to experience this day with Matty instead, and yes - George shouldn't be thinking that way about his boyfriend, but he's honestly not sure if he wants Kyle to hold that title anymore.

Hello I am back.

I've been struggling a bit with writing which is why this took so long but I think I've got myself sorted out a bit better now. We'll see but anyway I managed this and although it wasn't exactly planned I quite like how it turned out.

How are you all?

I hope you enjoyed this, and if you did it would make my day if you left a vote or a comment.

I love you all xxxx

- starr