"Well, that's disappointing."

The large sign plastered crookedly over the Carnival's entrance made its message abundantly clear: Closed Until Further Notice by Local Ordinance. Stein wracked his brain for something else to make up for this disastrous turn of events, when he felt Marie intertwine her hands around his own. She smiled, that same, warm, smile.

"Stein, it's alright. A night at home is just as good as any evening where we go out to me."

Stein sputtered, a feeling of vertigo bringing on nauseousness. Home? Was that what she just said?

He swallowed hard. "Home?"

It was Marie's turn to show surprise. She had spoken, and spoken quickly, without a care in the world towards the implications of the word Home in reference to Stein's lab. She turned scarlet, and glared at him, balled fists and a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

There you go, Marie. Ran your mouth. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, she thought to herself. "Yeah? Is that alright with you?" She fought back the tears that she knew would come if her feelings were not reciprocated. She held her breath for what felt like hours but was only a few seconds.

Stein laughed, heartier than he had in years. All the tension, the fear, drained from him in a manner of seconds. The look on her face was too much, the petite blonde glaring at him as though she was preparing to fight him to the death.

"Marie, I love you."

He took her in his arms, nearly enveloping her with his lanky form. "Let's go home."

Marie felt tears streaming down her face, but she didn't care. Nothing in the world could take away this moment from her, and she felt, for the first time in years, that everything would be alright.

As they walked home together, Stein swore he could hear voices approaching where they had just been and laughed to himself as he recognized the higher pitched woman, violet hair swaying in the wind yelling obscenities at the sign.

"This woman is impossible. Six months ago, they're barely able to form coherent sentences with each other, and now, she's got me drafting up wedding plans? Just how large a chocolate fountain does one even NEED?"

Spirit laughed, and rested his hand on her shoulder, Azusa nearly vibrating as she attacked her keyboard with a flurry of comedically exaggerated strokes. The slow erection of a canned beverage pyramid on her desk brought a smile to his face, but elicited concern. Just how long has it been since she slept? "You know, it's not THAT big a deal, I'm sure she'll love whatever you do with the final design," he said, a note of worry atop his loud boisterous voice.

It was then that Spirit realized he had made a mistake.

"NOT. GOOD. ENOUGH. It must be perfect! I take pride in my ability to fix any rhetorical disaster, any design flaw that comes my way!"

"Which is why you now work in your apartment for a telemarketing company."

Azusa, in one smooth motion, leapt from her chair, pinning Spirit's arms against the cold hardwood floor. She smiled wickedly. "You know, you're right, I think I could use a break. How's about we take our minds off things for a little bit?"

Spirit turned scarlet, winded from the force of Azusa's body suddenly pressing against his chest, and he struggled to return his breathing to any sort of rhythm.

"…. Yes mam."

"Jesus, Spirit, That's too tight! You're gonna suffocate me." Spirit glared at his handiwork; a black necktie securely fastened around Stein's freshly pressed shirt. He tried to avoid thinking about the fact that Franken Stein was unable to tie his own tie, despite having a medical license.

"Going to. You're going to suffocate me." He smiled; a crooked grin stretched across his face. That smile had often gotten him in trouble throughout his life but had just as often made him friends. It was an earnest smile, and made people feel warm. When it worked.

Stein laughed alongside his friend, but began to slip his arm around Spirit, catching him in a playful headlock. "What was that, Spirit? I couldn't quite make that out." He loosened his tie with his free hand. "Wanna say that again?"

"You're my best friend, and you're going to do great today," Spirit said, only slightly short of breath.

"I appreciate that!" Stein said, dry humor in his voice. Loosening his arm, he returned to the chair where Spirit had directed him earlier to sit while the final preparations were being made.

Wedding, Stein thought to himself. The word had felt alien to him for so long, but when Marie proposed, it felt like someone had thrown a switch in his mind. He felt his nerves crackle, every sensory input feeling like it would overwhelm him. He said yes, once his brain had time to process what was happening, but that moment felt like it would last forever.

Stein gathered his thoughts and began to throw his suit on, taking care not to accidentally stick his arms in the wrong holes. Again. He adjusted his cuffs and fixed his eyes on the door leading to the chapel.

"Alright, I'm ready."

There was one moment that Azusa Yumi could never have planned for in a wedding, despite her best efforts.

"You may now kiss the Bride," the priest said, a pleasant tone in her voice. Marie stared upwards into Stein's eyes, a dull green now sparkling like emeralds. The anticipation made her heart flutter, and her hands trembled at her sides. He paused, just long enough to let the tension build, before took her in his arms and kissed her. He kissed softly at first but continued with an increasing intensity that sent tremors along her nerves. The other sounds of the world went silent, lost in Marie and Stein's union, the duo now themselves a duet in the last dance eternal: Love.

"