The guests walked single filed down the long hallway dressed in their finest clothes. Slightly hyper children were either running ahead of their parents or being held by them. Men in suits stood by the walls to guide and greet them. The walls were covered with white and green balloons and streamers, giving the place a fun vibe.
The hallway led them into a large room filled with tables covered in white table cloths. Each table had clean silverwear and plates set up and a bouqet of baby romanticas in a glass half-filled with water.
There was an area of empty space in the middle seperating the tables onto two sides. One end had a grand piano next to a microphone while the other had a carpeted spiraling staircase.
Everyone filled the seats quickly in an orderly fashion until there were no more.
One of the men in suits walked over to an older man sitting in front of the piano. "Everyone is here," he whispered into his ear.
He nodded and placed his fingers on the keys. A common tune came from the piano that silenced everyone. The adults smiled and turned around to face the staircase. The children in the seats turned as well, but had no idea what they were even looking at.
Everyone stood up when feet were seen walking down the stairs.
Manami and Aikawa walked down the stairs with baskets of baby romantica petals hanging from their sleeveless elbows. They wore emerald green dresses with lime green sashes tied in a bow on the back. Kaoruko followed behind wearing a green kimono with a white obi. She too had a basket of petals.
As they proceeded down the stairs, they generously threw handfuls of petals on the ground in time with the music. They walked down the area of empty space. The petals soon ran out and the wooden floor was covered in a pale orange color.
Mahiro practically down the stairs holding a green silky pillow with two golden bands on top. He wore a pure white tuxedo. He stood next to his mother after walking past the petal covered floor.
A few "awws" were heard in response to Mahiro's undeniable cuteness.
The guests turned to the stairs again to see a somewhat displeased Hiroki in a black suit walk stiffly down the stairs. Crowds weren't his thing, even for weddings. But this was for his childhood friend and former love, so he tried his hardest to force a smile.
He glared at the flowers on the floor. "Such a waste," he thought. He walked to the microphone and stood along side it next to the flower girls.
Takahiro was the next to walk down the stairs. His hazel eyes gleamed with an extra thin layer of liquid. No matter what it was, he was always quick to show emotion. He showed a confident smile and walked to the other side of the microphone. He turned to face the stairs like everyone else.
The music grew higher in pitch as another person stepped down the spiraling staircase. There stood Akihiko wearing a light grey suit with a creamy pink bowtie. His lilac eyes narrowed on the flowery aisle as he walked with the beat of the piano. Anyone could see the confindence in his walk and feel the air of happiness around him.
He stood next to Hiroki who flashed him a quick smirk. All attention was now on the staircase, awaiting the most important person.
On cue, a short brunette walked down the stairs. Misaki stood still at the base, glancing at all of the guests and the people at the altar. He took a deep breath and put one shaky foot in front of the other.
Misaki never thought he'd ever see such a big day for himself, nor did he expect so many people to attend. What was really shocking about this day is that it was with his beloved Akihiko.
After what seemed like an eternity, Misaki reached the altar and stood beside Akihiko. Their eyes made contact and caused a light blush to form on the brunette's cheeks.
The music slowed to a halt and everyone sat down. All eyes were on the couple.
Isaka walked out from behind the pianist holding a small binder filled with paper. He stood in front of the microphone in front of Akihiko and Misaki. He cleared his throat and opened the binder. "Welcome everyone. We are here today to celebrate and witness the unity of these two men, Akihiko and Misaki. Your love and support has brought them here and now they can forever be together," he said.
"As someone who has never been married themself, I can't say much on what marriage truly feels like, but I can tell from friends of mine who are. Marriage isn't just being with the one you love. It's about having a lifelong friend, companion, and supporter. It can make you happy or it can make you crazy, in a good way, I mean," he continued. A few guests chuckled at his last remark. "It's not an easy thing, but it's not a hard thing. That's what makes it so beatiful, so unique."
Isaka looked at Akihiko and Misaki. "I've known these two for years now. They truly complete one another and support each other. I feel reassured that they have choosen this path in life," he said. Akihiko showed a small grateful smile towards the man.
"You both have written vows for each other, which isn't surprising since one of you is an author," Isaka smirked. "Akihiko, you can start with yours," he said.
Akihiko nodded and looked into Misaki's emerald eyes. "Misaki, ever since the day you cried for me, you have been my everything. Even in my slumps, you help me and on my best days, you're there. We've both had our share of troubles and at times, I solely believed you would leave me and find a nice girl to be with. Thankfully, I was wrong. Misaki, even if I had the rest of time to tell you how much I love you, it wouldn't be enough," Akihiko said.
The blush on Misaki's face became brighter and more evident than before. "Misaki, now say your vows," Isaka said.
Misaki nodded and struggled to look into the deep lilac eyes. "Um, I'm still not very good with words, but I tried. Usagi-san, you're a lot kinder than you're made out to be. I've seen you rushing for deadlines and believe me, it's terrifying. But when it comes to something you really care about, you go at it one hundred and ten percent. I like how determined you can get because it shows how selfless you are," he said. "I know I don't say it a lot but I really love you."
Akihiko's eyes softened and Isaka smiled. "Akihiko, after hearing that, do you take Misaki to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?" Isaka asked.
The older man looked at Misaki. "I do."
Isaka turned to the brunette. "Misaki, do you take Akihiko to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"
"I-I do."
Isaka waved a hand at Mahiro. "May I have the rings?" he asked. Manami nudged Mahiro and he wobbled over to the man with the pillow and rings. Isaka handed Akihiko and Misaki a ring.
"Akihiko, put the ring on his finger and say 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"
He took the small hand in his cold one. The ring slid on the slender finger almost effortlessly. "With this ring, I thee wed."
"Misaki, put the ring on his finger and say 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"
The brunette's hands trembled slightly as he pushed the ring on. "With this ring, I thee wed."
Isaka smiled and looked at the guests. "By the power of your love and commitment, and the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss," he announced.
Akihiko leaned down and captured the pink lips of his lover. Misaki pushed forward, kissing back.
That was the first kiss of many as a married couple.
Author's Note
There is a very important reason why I wrote this story. I live in Pennsylvania and earlier this week (May 20, 2014), they legalized gay marriage. I was so freaking happy about this because gay couples should have the right to be married. I don't get why people hate homosexuals and it really pisses me off, so this is such a great event. Now, I have no idea how weddings work as I have only been to one and it was when I was about 5, so I did some research on how the reception is supposed to go...I hope it was accurate enough XD I hope you enjoyed this story~!
Until next time, sayonara~!