Ash took a deep, steadying breath. He could do this. He had to do this. It was now or never. And yet, the more he thought about it, the more nervous he became.

They'd chosen the perfect day. The weather outside was just right, not too hot or too cold, with a gentle breeze carrying through the air and the sun shining down through the clouds. Max had rented out an area of the park for the day, which was now decked out in silver and gold ribbons. Fifty plastic chairs were laid out underneath the trees, and the guests had already arrived: a mixture of nationalities, but primarily American and Japanese people.

True to Yut-Lung's word, Ash had been able to fly back to America without any trouble. He'd already gone once before, to visit all the people he'd left behind and formally put Alex in charge of his gang. As he ran his eyes through the crowd, he saw them seated with everyone else, standing out from the others with their scars, piercings and unusual haircuts. The Japanese guests didn't seem to know what to make of them; the looks on their faces were comically confused. Ash had to fight back a smirk.

He saw Eiji's grandparents in the crowd, along with a few other relatives. Eiji's whole pole-vaulting team was there, sitting next to Ash's old gang. Cain and Sing's gangs were attending as well, and after a quick search, Ash found Sing sitting in the third aisle. To his indignation, he saw that a disgruntled-looking Yut-Lung was sitting next to him, no doubt having been dragged. So much for never seeing him again.

Ash shook off that thought—he wasn't going to let that snake ruin his big day. He turned his attention away from the chairs to the red carpet that was rolled out between them. It stretched from the stage he was standing on to a white tent at the other end of the area. Ash knew Eiji was in that tent, getting ready, but that soon he would emerge. He'd walk down the aisle, meet Ash on the stage, and become…

Become his husband.

At that thought, Ash experienced a resurgence of nerves. All his insecurities returned, and he suddenly wanted to bolt, feeling like he didn't deserve any of this; that Eiji deserved better than to marry someone who was broken, like he was.

Ash swallowed against the tightness in his throat and closed his eyes, choking down those feelings. He breathed slowly and deliberately, the way his therapist had shown him, and after a few minutes his stomach stopped churning. He opened his eyes again.

He could do this. He just needed to breath.

As he calmed himself down, Max exited the tent and headed over to where he was standing.

"We better get in our spots," Max whispered. "They're almost ready back there."

"What's taking them so long?" Ash grumbled, feeling his heart began to hammer again. "I thought we were ready ten minutes ago."

"Apparently, Yumi lost her flower basket and didn't tell anyone," Max said with a chuckle. Ash just sighed.

It had been almost two and a half years since Ash arrived at the Okumura's doorstep. Although Yumi had grown up a lot since then, she was still shy around Americans, and if she lost her basket, she probably wouldn't ask one of them for help. It was something his old gang found hilarious: Ash, the scary lynx with the power to smite his enemies, was her beloved brother, while the rest of them were the embodiment of evil. Ash didn't entirely blame her for her shyness around them, though. If he really wanted to prove to her that Americans weren't scary, introducing her to some of the toughest gang members in New York probably wasn't the best way to go about it.

Around him Alex, Bones, Kong, and the other groomsmen got into their places. Ash took their cue and moved towards the center of the stage. As he got into place, the murmurings of the crowd died down and all eyes turned to him. There was a pause, and then music began to play from the CD player. Ash was weary about bringing anyone else into their wedding that he didn't already know, so a live band was out. He was already pretty suspicious of the Celebrant who was marrying them, but he couldn't do anything about him. Even with the tinny sound of the music, it still set a mood.

Everyone turned towards Yumi as she emerged from the tent and started to walk. She threw flowers on the carpet as she made her way down the aisle. Once she was halfway down, Max and Jessica started walking, followed by Mr. Okumura and Hiroki. Yumi caught Ash's eyes when she reached the stage, giving him a wink before she took her seat in the front row; Ash struggled to hide his amusement. Max gave him a thumbs up, Mrs. Okumura a small smile, and Hiroki a nod.

Although Ash never got close to Hiroki, the two of them had made amends. It took Eiji a while to forgive Hiroki for what he said to Ash, even though Ash insisted it hadn't bothered him. Eiji's trust in his old friend had been damaged, and for a long time he didn't trust him to be around Ash. Now, however, they were on good terms again. Whether or not Hiroki still had feelings for Eiji, Ash didn't know or care. Eiji was his and his alone; no one was going to change that.

It wasn't like Hiroki was trying to get between them anymore. On the contrary, Hiroki had supported their relationship fervently, wanting to atone for his past mistakes. He'd even been the one to help Ash with his proposal, something that Ash was grateful for, because his original idea was just to breech the topic over the kitchen table. Ash was still working on that "cheesy romance" stuff.

Once everyone was seated, the music was turned up, and Eiji finally emerged from the tent, arm-in-arm with his mother. Ash sucked in a breath as he took in Eiji's appearance. Even though they were having an American-style wedding, Mrs. Okumura had asked for her son to wear traditional Japanese wedding garments, and so he was wearing a formal black silk kimono called a montsuki. It fit him perfectly. He looked good. Almost too good. It took all of Ash's self-restraint to stop himself from running down the aisle, grabbing Eiji and carrying him back to the stage himself.

The wait seemed to stretch on forever. Ash wondered if Mrs. Okumura was walking slowly on purpose. It wasn't the first time she'd tortured him during their wedding preparations; she'd also forbidden Ash from seeing Eiji's wedding outfit in advance, leaving him drowning in his curiosity and utterly unprepared for how handsome Eiji looked today.

When Eiji finally approached the stage, he caught Ash's eyes and gave a shy smile. Ash felt his breathing relax and smiled back. It comforted him to know his groom was equally nervous.

At long last, Eiji and his mother stepped onto the stage. Mrs. Okumura unlinked their arms, wrapped her hand around Eiji's wrist, and gently offered his arm to Ash.

"Take care of him," she whispered as Ash took Eiji's hand. Eiji blushed brightly. The sight of it filled Ash's chest with pride.

"Always," he murmured.

Mrs. Okumura's eyes looked wet. She gave him a warm smile, then finally went to take her seat.

It had taken a little while for Ash to regain her trust. After a month of living under her roof and following her rules to the letter, she seemed to relax a bit. They had a serious conversation and she agreed to relent on some of her conditions. But it would still be a long time before she called him by his first name again. When she finally did call him "Ash", it felt like a satisfying hard-won victory. Both men were grateful to have her wholehearted support again. Now Eiji didn't need to choose between his lover and his family; he could have both.

Ash turned to face Eiji, taking both of his hands in his own. Eiji looked him in the eye and Ash saw all his own feelings reflected back at him: all his happiness and joy.

The music stopped, and the Celebrant stood up and began the ceremony, thanking everyone who came. Ash quickly tuned him out in favor of focusing on the beautiful man in front of him. Eiji made him feel like the happiest person alive. For Eiji's sake, Ash would give up anything and everything. Sometimes it still didn't feel like enough –sometimes he still felt completely unworthy of him— but when those feelings of inadequacy hit him now, he'd do his best to push them down, like his therapist showed him how to do.

"If he wasn't happy, he'd tell me. If he didn't want to marry me, he'd say something." Ash repeated those words in his head over and over again.

Eiji, noticing Ash's uncertainty, squeezed his hands gently and gazed intently into his eyes. In that moment, Ash felt like the center of Eiji's universe.

When Eiji broke eye contact, Ash was pulled back to reality, finally tuning in the Celebrant's voice again.

"If anyone objects to these two becoming a couple please speak up now."

Ash turned his attention to the crowd, eyes narrowed in defiance, daring anyone to object. He saw Max roll his eyes from the front row. When no one did object, the Celebrant continued.

"Then without further ado…"

Ash pulled his eyes away from the crowd.

"Do you, Eiji Okumura, take Aslan Callenreese to be your lawfully wedded husband? For better or for worse, in sickness or in health, to death do you part?"

Eiji wasn't looking at the Celebrant; he was gazing right at Ash. The look of love in his eyes made Ash's heart hammer in his chest.

"I do."

Ash wanted to cry; wanted to wrap Eiji up in his arms, wanted to thank him over and over again for being the amazing person he was.

"And do you, Aslan Callenreese, take Eiji Okumura to be your lawfully wedded husband? For better or for worse, in sickness or in health, to death do you part?"

Ash looked Eiji in the eyes and tried to put all his feelings into his next two words.

"I do."

Eiji's eyes started to water. The Celebrant shut the book he was reading from and nodded his head at the couple.

"Then I pronounce you man and man. You may now kiss the groom."

Finally.

Ash didn't need telling twice. Without any hesitation he pulled Eiji into a kiss. Eiji, who now had tears running down his cheeks, kissed back. The sound of the crowd clapping and roaring their approval filled Ash's ears. Several of the gang members stood on top of their chairs and started whooping loudly, much to the shock of the other guests.

When they finally broke apart, Ash and Eiji stayed close, staring into each other's eyes.

"We did it," Eiji said with a breathless little giggle. "We're married."

Ash beamed at him proudly. He used to think he was destined to struggle alone forever; that this type of happiness was beyond his reach. Now, he could see forever where he stood.

Ash opened his mouth to say something, to try to put the feelings gripping his heart into words, but he was interrupted when Alex, Bones and Kong got to the stage and enthusiastically congratulated them. They were followed shortly by Ibe, who wanted to take their picture. Ash was normally uncomfortable with having his photo taken, but this time was different. He wanted to commemorate this day forever, to always remind himself how lucky he was.

After the picture, Yumi hopped up on the stage.

"Congratulations, brother!" she exclaimed to Eiji, who beamed back at her. Then she turned to Ash with a mischievous smile. "Now you're officially my o-nii-cha-n." Her smile grew wider with each syllable. "Wait until my friends hear about this." Eiji frowned at her antics, but before he could comment she darted back to the crowd. Hiroki came up next.

"Congratulations," he echoed everyone else's sentiments.

"Thank you," Eiji replied. After talking some more to Eiji, Hiroki turned to Ash and said a few quick words under his breath:

"Make him happy."

Ash nodded.

"I will."

Satisfied with that response, Hiroki nodded and left. Max was the next to materialize from the crowd. He had an obnoxious grin on his face as he threw his arms over Ash and Eiji's shoulders and pulled them into a bear hug.

"Look at you two!" he exclaimed, then gave a laugh. "Newlyweds!"

Eiji sputtered and Ash shot Max a look. Luckily Jessica appeared next and pulled her husband off the choking couple.

"Sorry, sorry," Max said when he noticed Ash's glare. "I'm happy for you two. I would never have guessed this would happen when I met you!" Ash's expression softened.

"I wouldn't have, either," he admitted. "I didn't think I'd be alive long enough." Eiji smiled sympathetically at that.

"Congratulations," said Jessica. "I hope you two have many happy years together." Ash and Eiji said their thanks. Max and Jessica walked away, and soon they were replaced with Eiji's parents. Mr. Okumura shook Ash's hand then moved to hug his son, whispering something in his ear. Whatever he said, it made Eiji's eyes get even more watery. As soon as he pulled away, Mrs. Okumura took his place and wrapped her arms around her son.

"I'm so proud of you," she said, her voice choked with emotion, while Eiji wiped at his eyes. Then she pulled away and did something completelyunexpected: she hugged Ash.

"And you," she said, her head resting against Ash's chest. "Welcome to the family." Ash gulped. A minute ago, he'd been mentally teasing Eiji for getting all choked up, but here he was, suddenly needing to blink back hot tears himself. He'd never been hugged by a mother before. The gesture touched his heart, along with her words. He realized, for the first time in all this, that he had a family now.

After letting Ash go, Mrs. Okumura addressed both boys with a smile: "I wish you happiness."

"You're her son-in-law now," Eiji whispered as his parents —their parents— went to rejoin Yumi. Ash gave a small, amazed chuckle and took Eiji's hand. Eiji smiled at him, squeezing back. Then suddenly he went completely rigid.

"Congratulations," a male voice called out.

Ash turned towards the source of that sound and saw that Sing and Yut-Lung were approaching them. Sing was smiling, but his companion was glowering. Sing turned towards Yut-Lung and gave him an expectant look. Yut-Lung looked like he was being tortured. He gritted his teeth and crossed his arms, before opening his mouth and saying with obvious difficulty, "I'm sorry about how things ended up the last time we met. Even though I don't know what I could possibly have done differently, since you two ran off before I could talk to you."

He didn't look, or sound, remotely sorry. Sing shot him an unimpressed look and jabbed him with his elbow. Yut-Lung glared at him defiantly, but Sing wouldn't budge: he gestured towards Ash and Eiji, still waiting expectantly. After a few moments of pointed silence, Yut-Lung caved.

"Congratulations," he snarled.

Eiji caught Ash's eyes, looking startled by this new development. Ash wasn't sure how he felt about it. It was clear that Sing was hoping for them to reconcile, but Ash wasn't ready to forgive Yut-Lung; not after he'd gotten Eiji hurt. If Ash had his way, he'd never have had to see that snake again, least of all on his wedding day. But although Eiji didn't seem particularly happy about Yut-Lung's presence either, he looked like he was prepared to put his negative feelings aside for the sake of their wedding. The look in his eyes said, Don't make a scene.

With a sigh, Ash forced his lips into a smile and faced Yut-Lung again.

"Thank you," he said. "Are you planning to stay for the afterparty?" Yut-Lung just stared at him for a moment, before he threw his head back and started laughing.

"There's nothing you could do to make me stay here," he said, obvious malice oozing from every word. "You could threaten my life or my livelihood, and I still wouldn't stay at this damn wedding for a moment longer than I have to." He shook his head at the thought, lips curved into a sneer. "I hope you two have a wonderful life, and I hope I never see you again. Goodbye." And with that, he spun on his heel, his ponytail whacking Eiji across the face as he whipped his head around and marched haughtily towards the exit. Sing stared after him, his mouth slightly ajar.

"I'm sorry about that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish look on his face. "He's usually not this bad. He's been getting better these last couple of years and slowly opening up more…."

"I'll take your world for it," Ash said dryly.

"I really thought he could put it behind him…" Sing sighed. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Eiji was smiling at him. "We know you meant well. Would you like to stay for the party?"

"Yeah," Sing said, "Though I want to check on Yut-Lung first." He glanced at the Chinese man's retreating back. "Who knows what he'll do when he's this angry?"

"Take care, then," Ash said. "We'll see you later."

Sing gave them one last smile, then hurried after his seething companion. After he was gone from view, Eiji heaved a long sigh, visibly sagging with relief.

"I did not expect to see him at our wedding."

"I noticed him earlier," Ash said, "but I wasn't concerned, since he was with Sing."

"Hey."

Both of them turned around to see Hiroki rushing up to them.

"What was he doing here?!" Hiroki demanded. Behind him, Yumi and Mrs. Okumura were also hovering around, looking equally concerned.

"He just wanted to congratulate us," Eiji calmly explained. "That's all. He's gone now."

Hiroki still looked apprehensive. So did Mrs. Okumura, and especially Yumi. After the events with Yut-Lung, Yumi had started suffering from nightmares about being kidnapped, which prompted her mother to send her to therapy. Hiroki and Mrs. Okumura had also seen a therapist and been able to process their feelings better as a result. But even so, encountering the person responsible for traumatizing them had brought back their old anxieties.

"It's fine," Ash insisted. "He was with Sing. I would trust that man with my life." Eiji nodded in agreement. The three of them seemed to relax. After everything that Eiji and Ash went through, their trust didn't come easily. For either of them to say they'd trust someone with their life meant a great deal.

Hiroki opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by Max.

Let's get this party started!" Max called out in his loud, booming voice. The CD player started playing again, this time a bouncy pop song, while Max, Jessica and a few other guests helped clear out the chairs and set up tables for food. Cain's gang brought out the alcohol. This distracted Hiroki, who went and joined the festivities along with Eiji's family.

While the guests busied themselves with food, drinks and music, Ash pulled Eiji away from the noise so they could talk.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine," Eiji replied, then shook his head. "No, I'm more than fine. I feel like I'm inside an amazing dream I don't want to wake up from." Ash smiled.

"Same here," he said, leaning forward to kiss Eiji's forehead. "But you know what's so great about this dream?" When Eiji shook his head, Ash explained:

"It doesn't end. Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and every day after that, I get to wake up at your side. This is paradise."

"You're so sappy," Eiji said, but he didn't sound like he was complaining. The look in his eyes was immensely fond as he pecked Ash on the lips. "I never knew you could be this sappy," he murmured against Ash's mouth. "You were never this sappy before."

"I never had you before," Ash said. "Life before you was a nightmare." He involuntarily shivered at the old memories that came flooding back to them.

"I know," Eiji murmured, picking up on his feelings immediately. Nothing else needed to be said.

The music player was playing some old 80s tune and the park had transformed into a dancefloor. Eiji's grandparents looked scandalized by the Americans' behavior, loudly bellowing along to the music, moving rowdily together arm-in-arm. With a chuckle, Ash took Eiji's hand.

"We'll have plenty of time alone later. For now, shall we join the party?"

Eiji's answering smile glowed with warmth. "Of course," he said. "I'm with you, now and forever."

Ash somehow loved him more, in that moment, than he ever had before. And without any further ado, the two of them stepped forward into their new lives, surrounded by friends and family and people who loved them.