Unwavering Bond (open)

[blue_ice]

Who: Seto, Yugi, and their family and friends
Where: Sports Gym
When: Nebula 19
What: Two dweebs with cards get hitched.
Warnings: Dangerous levels of sap. Proceed cautiously.

[ On the evening of Nebula 18, Seto pops onto the ICP screens. The only thing different about his appearance is that his hair is slicked back (someone's experimenting), and he clears his throat. ]

...Good evening. We hinted at it during our game the other day, and we've told a few of our closest friends, but it's official. Yugi and I are getting married tomorrow night. We realize it's last minute, but a few recent circumstances forced our hands and we didn't find it prudent to wait anymore.

As it's last minute, we don't expect a lot of company, but anyone's welcome to witness it. Don't worry, it's going to be a very quick ceremony by wedding standards. We'll also have light snacks afterward.

---

[ After...not that much planning, to be honest, the day is here. The gym is clean, with about 30 chairs lined up in front of a clear space. A small smattering of blue and purple balloons decorates the hall, and overall it's just set up to be a quiet commitment ceremony.

Let's see if it stays that way. ]

Comments

[subcircuits]

Greeting the couple (for Seto and Yugi)
[Devero approaches the newlyweds as the casual reception starts. He carries a pair of unassuming little electronic things clasped in both hands in front of him and smiles a little... shyly?]

I have something for you, if you folks want it. Something from my world.

Did someone say dancing? (OTA)
[Because if there's dancing, Devero is so there, and for anyone who looks even the least bit interested, he'll probably come over with a hand extended and an invitation to join him.]

>gift?

[blue_ice]

[ Seto turns to Yugi, nods, and then greets Devero with a smile. ]

You're too kind. I know we didn't give people time to gather gifts.

[ And that's totally fine. They don't need much. But he is curious. ]

[subcircuits]

Believe it or not, I already had these on hand.

[He hands one of the little cartridges to Seto but hangs onto the other for the moment. Talking to them both:] On my world, all families are formed by choice. We call it family-claiming, and there are lots of different ceremonies and traditions to commemorate joining your life to someone else's--

[He babbling a little. He collects himself with a shake of his head.] Anyway, most folks who go through family-claiming record it in a family ledger, and that's what these are.

[Moving his hands slow, he opens the cartridge into a big futuristic tablet and angles it to show them. The screen has opened automatically to the family ledger app, though Devero hasn't presumed to add anything in, so it's basically just showing a default 'welcome new user' type prompt.]

I thought they might be a nice way to commemorate your marriage. If you're interested in having them. There's one for each of you.

[blue_ice]

Family-claiming.

[ Images of the people he'll never get to claim flash into his mind, and he feels a tinge of regret. But then there's Siebren, and Eva, and Ken...

...and of course Yugi, right beside him. ]

I didn't think to grab a marriage certificate. You've all saved me from everything I'd forgotten.

[ And with a gentle laugh, he looks to Yugi...and pending his approval, starts the process. ]

That means this process is standard for adoptions on your world too, right?

[subcircuits]

Isn't that the point of community? To help each other out, through the happy things as well as the hard. [He laughs himself, just as gently, as he's handing the second ledger to Yugi with a smile.

The process is straightforward, especially in the hands of a tech genius billionaire. Probably the trickiest part is in the beginning, when it prompts Seto to connect the pad to his emID for verification purposes. Devero's taken the liberty of tweaking the device-- both of them-- to be able to pick up on SCA frequencies as part of the gift, though, so he points out that the newlyweds should be able to register their SCAs in place of the ID transponders they don't have.]

Mm-hm. Parent-claiming, guardian adoptions, sibling adoptions, marriages-- probably other arrangements I don't even know about, too. There are a lot of ways to make a family.

[blue_ice]

...I've never really been part of a community before. Still getting used to it, months later.

[ Doesn't seem to bother him much anymore. ]

Perfect. I can make something similar compatible with my system, and...do you think I'd be able to code in people who aren't here anymore with a few adjustments?

[ Inventing brain is on even on his wedding day. Sigh. ]

[subcircuits]

[He does seem to recall Seto being one of the folks who'd seem surprised by Devero's immediate and unquestioning willingness to get involved with the work of the train. His smile's a little crooked now.] Worth having one, isn't it?

[Bad techie influence that he is, Devero can't help but enable Seto's inventing brain:] You'll probably have an easier time of it than me. You know I'm not a code guy. Tech from my world's can be touchy about letting go of its emID queries, but it's doable.

Some of those folks you're going to go after, once you've got the void travel thing figured out, I presume?

[blue_ice]

I'll get it. I wish I'd taken pictures of them...but I'll never forget those names.

[ He sighs and presses a hand to his chest. Some losses hurt far more than others. ]

Yeah. I need to see for myself that they didn't just get dumped into another war, or worse.

[subcircuits]

[Devero reaches out to squeeze his shoulder.]

Hey, you can always take those pictures when you go see them, right?

[blue_ice]

We will.

[ Seto spares a smile. A small one, but one. ]

Thank you.

[subcircuits]

[Devero returns is, his own smile warm (if a little subdued, due to the subject).]

You're very welcome, my friend. And again, congratulations to you both!

wow, you can really dance

[its_dad_sanzo]

The priest has been somewhat wall-flowering for this one, knowing this couple even less well than he'd known the last who's wedding he'd attended. But he doesn't even hesitate to put his hand in Devero's and join him for some dancing. Of course he doesn't!

Any excuse, right?

"Having fun so far?"

what a coincidance

[subcircuits]

Any excuse to bring Koumyou to a wedding!

Devero is, of course, only too happy to whirl Koumyou into his arms as the next song starts up, beaming down at his boyfriend.

"Having a lovely time," he says. Yep, even when he was struggling not to cry during the ceremony, brief though it was. "You, my dear?"

[its_dad_sanzo]

Devero may have struggled not to cry, but his partner hadn't had that problem at all. He'd simply observed the ceremony with his default level of disassociation detachment; a strange custom for laypeople, and certainly nothing he'd ever personally be involved in unless someone got him to officiate one.

(Which, he's thought about that, with all the weddings going on since his arrival nearly six months ago. What would he even do? There's no official Buddhist wedding ceremony for him to fall back on, no past experience officiating such a thing. He'd never even attended one as a guest before his death. Expert on these rituals, he is not.)

But in the here and now, he's pleased as punch to get to dance with Devero, smiling up at the much larger man. "I'm here with you, aren't I?"

So of course he's having fun, if more now than a few minutes ago. And it wasn't like he was miserable earlier, just sort of... observing. Like a respectful tourist.

Any thoughts he's ever had of ever...

Koumyou's always been quick to squash those. It's fine. They're fine just as they are, for however long it lasts, truly.

[subcircuits]

"Yes," Devero says, the soft way he breathes the single syllable seeming to imbue it with more significance than just agreement. "And I'm here with you." That, too, seems to carry a heavier weight than just pointing out an obvious fact.

See, Koumyou's not the only one who's had thoughts of weddings and his current dance partner simultaneously. He sure doesn't squash his, though; he savors them.

But he doesn't push any further than that immediately, instead guiding Koumyou into the spritely steps of one of the many dances from his home reality that he's taught to his boyfriend.

[its_dad_sanzo]

And Koumyou is as pleased as punch to have the distraction of an upbeat dance. He's certainly better at them now that he's been taught the moves and isn't just reacting to tiny micro-cues from his partner!

[subcircuits]

Dancing with Koumyou is always a joy. Getting to show off in public? Well, who could blame Devero for putting Koumyou-- putting them both, really-- through their paces? While they're dancing, light-footed and light-hearted, Devero's mind is on the next few steps and the next song (and, yeah, on putting on a performance); but after only a few songs he's the one who signals a stop, pulling Koumyou after him to the edge of the dance floor.

He doesn't want to show off too much at his friend's wedding, after all.

Which thought leads inevitably to the next one, blurted out before he can think twice about it: "I can't wait to dance with you at our wedding."

[its_dad_sanzo]

Koumyou...

Koumyou manages to fail at breathing just then, a startled gasp going in wrong and sending him into a coughing fit.

And he croaks out from behind his free hand; "--Our what, now?"

This... this has not been a given, to Koumyou. Very much the opposite, in fact.

[subcircuits]

Oh shit. The screeching of mental hydraulics locking up is probably audible to half the gym as Devero flinches, the color draining from his face.

"I-- I'm sorry!" he says quickly. "I didn't mean--" But he did, so he doesn't finish the protest. He covers his mouth with his hands instead, horrified that he's just let his selfish, needy romantic little fantasy slip.

[its_dad_sanzo]

Devero going pale like that and obviously panicking has Koumyou taking hold of one of his arms in his free hand, still coughing a bit into his other.

"It's okay, Dev."

He won't hold it against him. Simple mistake, right?

[subcircuits]

Koumyou's touch calms Dev, although he can't relax entirely with him coughing like that. He reaches over to rub Koumyou's back soothingly.

"Sorry," he says again. Ducking his head and looking away, he admits, "I think about it a lot."

[its_dad_sanzo]

"I... try not to."

With mixed results, of course.

His coughs calmed down enough to talk normally, Koumyou pats the arm he's been holding. Consolingly.

"You'll marry someday if you want to, Dev. I'm sure of it. And it will be lovely."

[subcircuits]

See, this is why Devero's embarrassed to have let this slip. It's Koumyou he wants to marry, but he knows the priest isn't ready. Isn't this perfect proof of that, the way he automatically deflects Devero's 'our wedding' to a Koumyou-less 'you'll marry someday'?

He droops a little, chewing on his lower lip to ward off the anxious agitation he can feel brewing while he tries to figure out how to do the least damage when he responds.

"I'll be happy if I can just keep dancing with you," he says finally, covering Koumyou's hand on his arm with his own free hand. "Even if it's only ever at other people's weddings."

[its_dad_sanzo]

Just like Yondu had put into words for Devero previously; Koumyou can't let himself... he can only think of Devero walking away as their best case scenario.

Walking away and finding someone to marry. Someone better. It isn't a high bar, in Koumyou's opinion.

And that's certainly a better scenario than all the gruesome deaths the priest can imagine (and watch, in his nightmares) befalling the other man. Or any number of other fates he's pondered.

But in the here and now...

"...You can always dance with me, Devero," Koumyou reaches up with his other hand to cup his cheek. "My big sweet romantic."

[subcircuits]

He covers Koumyou's hand with his own, his eyes going misty. "Thank you," he says softly, if a little sadly. "I don't ever want to take that for granted."

He doesn't want to take anything about his incredible relationship with this incredible man for granted. And he definitely doesn't want to risk it by pushing Koumyou to do things he's not-- and may never be-- ready for.

Even if his big, sweet romantic heart wants nothing more than to commit to Koumyou in that big, public way.