FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Breath in... Breath out... In... Out... Good, just like that. Keep it up. How are you feeling?"

"Like my whole body is on fire!" Jerome howled, his fur standing on edge as the minutes of effort it took for his breathing to ease went to waste when he started hyperventilating again.

"For crying out loud, dad," Caleb rubbed his temples for who knew what time, his own purple fur starting to lose the sheen he had dedicated all morning to attain and his own tail growing stiff in frustration. "Gui!" in that same instant, the giant beetle of a boyfriend popped in from behind the door, the ever-present frown made by his horn doing little to mitigate the soothing effect of his smile, and the sharp, dark green suit tightly hugging to his muscles only adding to his appeal. "God, you're beautiful and I love you... I need you to bring me a glass of water. And a bottle of wine, just in case."

The beetle nodded, and the door closed softly behind him, letting the young dog go back to his nervous wreck of a father. His breathing was ridiculously rushed, and a shoe tapped anxiously on the floor, while agitated eyes rolled around the room, looking at every spot on the walls, desperate for something to cling on to... Caleb tightened his own tie, sat down in front of the older man, and decided it was time for a more aggressive approach.

"Dad! Look at me!" the older canine had no choice but to obey the authoritative tone, and his eyes met with his son's sharp gaze. "You're gonna stop freaking out and tell me what the fuck is wrong, or I'll have to slap some sense into you. Are we clear?"

"...Right," another deep breath, his foot slowing down as he waited for Caleb to keep talking. The seconds kept ticking, a single drop of sweat rolling down his eyebrow, in silence... "...Ok. I... It feels weird, I guess. I love Don. I knew early he was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Tried to fight it a few times, but in the end, he won my heart over. And now we're here... And it feels so unreal. So bizarre, you know? Did you ever picture me like this? On a suit? I'm wearing a suit! Everyone out there is probably wearing suits too! And we're in a church! Do you have any idea when was the last time I was in a church? Because I don't! This is so weird, I...

"I don't know how to do this. How to be married... What even is marriage? I've had flings, casual relationships... So many one-night stands, I stopped counting decades ago. But I've never been married; never even thought about it. For a long time, I didn't even think I was cut out for marriage. So being here feels..."

"Weird," Caleb finished, his father looking up at him, the normally fierce eyes dull with uncertainty, doubt. He had seen that look before, in the mirror. "Yeah. I sort of feel weird being here as well. Doesn't feel right that a pair of filthy sinners like us didn't catch on fire the moment we stepped in, does it?" and that got a hearty laugh out of the old dog. "So, ok, I may not be the best person to help you out with that kind of issue, but I'll work on that. My boyfriend made the flowers, so I can't let them go to waste, can I? This wedding is happening, man!" he stood up and a hand fell on his father's shoulder, giving it a good squeeze. "Tell you what, I'll get uncle J here and you guys can talk it out; I'm sure that'll help."

"Your uncle isn't exactly known for his empathy, but I'll take any help I can," he answered with his own squeeze to his child's hand and a smile that formed in his lips at the warmth of the touch. "Thanks, son. For everything."

"Of course," with that over, the door opened again, and the same beetle made his way in, a small plastic bottle on one hand, and a large black bottle on the other, setting them both down while Caleb walked up to him, his face planting right in the middle of his large chest. "You're perfect and I love you. Tell my dad everything will be fine."

"Everything will be fine, dad," the large insect said and flashed the older canine one of his legendary smiles, making his every single defense melt. "And you look great."

That was enough to prompt Jerome to look down. Despite his almost constant, frantic instability towards the idea of getting married, the white suit managed to stay in perfect shape, not a single wrinkle ruining the pristine image he gave. Part of him even tightened the pink tie while a proud expression settled on his eyes, but for the first time in years, his son beat him to it.

"Of course, he does! Where do you think the genes that made _this_came from?" he gestured at himself, getting a warm chuckle out of his lover and a dumbfounded look out of his old man. Because damn, he wanted to say it. "Anyway, dad, I'll tell uncle J to come here. You sit down and have a drink or something," and before he could even think of an answer, the two of them left, the door closing loudly behind them turning into a prelude to the almost spectral silence that befell the room afterwards.

Jerome frowned, bothered by being beaten to the punch by such a cheeky child, blaming it on his wedding jitters. And right then, said wedding jitters returned, pushing a sigh out of his lips as his hands fidgeted, trying to find some order for his thoughts.

"...Wait, did Gui call me dad?" as soon as he noticed, he found himself holding back the tears. "Dammit! Why is everyone so insistent on making me cry today?"

---

A room on the other side of the building was in pretty much the exact same situation. A tall, buff man stood in front of the mirror, his own matching suit fitting to his wide frame and the long, brown-furred ears twitching when he saw his own reflection. A giddy smile showed on his face and he tried not to think about the tears of joy that he was holding back, knowing they would burst out anyway the moment he was standing with his man on the altar. He turned around, however, and not following his example was his younger son, Flip, the hulk of a bunny bawling out like a baby at the sight.

"Dude, you're making a fool out of yourself," the chubbier, more serious rabbit next to him said, his own ears laid flopped to the back of his head, as he looked at the brother that insisted they wore the same dark blue suit. He now regretted the choice, dreading the possibility that the guests would expect the same ridiculous reaction out of him.

"Boh ahm suh hapeh!" Flip's incomprehensible blabbering only served to make his brother grow frustrated, but he held it all back, thinking how unfair it would be for his father to knock his brother out on such a special day.

Donovan looked at them, the childish, emotional Flip that always cried his heart out, and the stoic, deep thinker Will, who took it upon himself to be his little brother's rock. He couldn't hold much more, and a pair of tears poured out of his eyes, quickly wiped away as he stepped up to his children and pulled them on his arms, holding them tight and getting his younger, loud boy to hug him back. Will needed a bit more coercion, but in the end, he too returned his father's hug.

"Ok..." he sighed and let go, Will quickly stepping away from him, while Flip sniffled a few more times, refusing to let go until a couple gentle pats on the back told him it was time to go. Don couldn't help but think back to his childhood, when such a thing was necessary on a far too regular basis, and it made his smile grow brighter. "So... This is the big day, huh?"

"I'm gonna start crying again," Flip threatened until a shove from his brother made him stop, getting a gentle laugh out of their father. It had always been like this; the big baby and his tiny big bro bullying the sadness out of him. Ever since...

"...Hey," he pulled a chair closer, sitting down and nodding to his kids to do the same. He looked at them for a moment before the words poured out of him. "You guys don't feel weird about this or anything, do you? I mean, you're both adults, you have your own lives and you can deal with things like adults, but this is the longest relationship I've had since... Well, since your mom..." and no sooner he said that, the air got the slightest bit heavier around the three men and a sudden silence fell between them, broken only by the chair's creaking whenever they shifted awkwardly. Will, noticeably, looked away from his father, his eyes slowly going towards the door, his legs growing tense as if he was getting ready to jump out of the room, prompting Don to try and ease him. "I just want to know you guys are ok, that's all. If you don't feel like ta-

"Dad," Flip speaking up first was a surprise to everyone present, but a quick wipe was all it took for him to look serious enough for his father to listen. "I know, I'm crying a lot and I'm sure I look ugly as hell. But that's because I'm happy. I'm happy for you, and Jerome; I'm happy that you found each other, and now you're getting married, and out family is getting even bigger, and I just feel..." another sniff and he wiped the tears again; Donovan had to fight the urges to stand up and hold the poor boy. "I don't really remember mom. I love her, yeah, but all I've seen is you, alone. So, I'm happy for all of this, like you have no idea."

"Are you going to cry again?" his brother asked, and Flip could only nod as his eyes watered once more. But like brothers, the two just started laughing at it together, the tears falling for different reasons. It was enough to put a smile on Don's face.

"What about you, Billy?"

"Dad, don't call me that," Will playfully kicked his father's legs, arms crossed as he stared down at his knees. "It's your life. You should just do whatever you want, everyone else be damned. And you said it, we're adults. We don't need you to protect our feelings," his eyes quickly went from the ground to the door, and without warning, he stood up, already making his way out. "I should go look for Gavin. He's your best man, so he should give the suit his approval, right? Later."

And just like that, the door closed behind him, leaving the other two bunnies alone in the room, their ears and noses twitching at the silence and their eyes glued to the door.

"...I should go talk to him."

"Dad, let him be. He'll be fine," there it was, one of Flip's rare moments of insight. Dense and childish as he seemed, he was always perceptive; perhaps because he was so innocent, his eyes had always had this uncanny ability to read people's emotions like an open book. "This is Will we're talking about; he'll figure things out on his own. Just give him some space."

"Yeah..." the unsure tone didn't match his words, which, of course, his child picked up on. Flip just stood up and hugged the old man, leaving a warm kiss on his cheek.

"I'm gonna go look for Troy too. Poor guy is probably setting everything in place all by himself. And you should get a moment to gather your thoughts during your last minutes of singlehood," the two of them chuckled at that, and the young Flopski headed for the door.

Before he knew it, Don was left alone with his thoughts, with a spiral of emotions that turned his stomach into a knot, and ended up looking at the ceiling, the floor, the walls- everywhere, until his eyes landed back on the mirror, were the reflection of his pristine white suit smiled back at him. It suddenly felt so real, all of it... and it gave him goosebumps in anticipation.

---

"Roses..." the word whistled through his beak with spite and contempt, and the once luscious green feathers were now a dull, sickly tone as he rubbed his eyes to try and clear the dark eyebags beneath them. Yet, he couldn't stop staring at the masterfully created centerpiece, the way the stems tied around one another into a thick bush of red petals. The flower itself felt so typical, predictable, safe... but he still took pictures from several different angles for his archives, when he noticed a spot of green in one of said pictures. "Ah, Gui! Come over here for a second."

The bright green beetle looked up, smiling at Stan as he gestured him to come over. Even in the presence of the stoic avian, who many claimed to be terrified of, his expression never faltered, and just seeing it made Stan's feathers seem to regain some of their old shine.

"Ok, so, why roses?" he asked. He hoped for an expert like him to provide him guidance, or at least he thought; deep down, he just wanted said expert to agree with him on everything as a way to confirm his own opinions. "Don't you think roses are a bit too basic of a choice? Why not something more out of the box? For example, I've read that hydrangeas stand for heartfelt and honest emotions, or how, in China, camellias represent the union between two lovers. Don't you think those would be appropriate choices?"

"Hydrangeas also mean 'heartlessness and disinterest in romantic proposals', and the Chinese belief towards camellias refers specifically to the union of man and woman, so it didn't feel adequate."

"Oh..." to say the bird was taken aback by the speed with which his suggestions were shut down, would be an understatement. But even more surprising... "This is the most I've ever heard you say."

"Flowers are just my thing," he said as he turned the same centerpiece Stan had been photographing a couple inches and waved him as he walked to another table to repeat the process, leaving the dumbfounded bird to just go back to the notes on his phone.

"'Union between man and woman', fucking straights. If I can't use camelias, then I have to change my tie for one that matches Joey's flowers. And that means changing the whole suit so it matches with the tie. And changing all the decoration so it matches with our suits, fuck!"

"Stan Highwind?" the young bird looked up at the mention of his name and his eyes widened when he saw a tall, muscular goat in a white suit slowly approaching him, wrinkles around the equally surprised expression he gave him. "I'll be damned, it really is you! You look... good!"

"Gavin," Stan decided to ignore the 'polite comment' regarding his appearance and shook the offered hand a bit harder than necessary. "If you're here, then Will's lover whom I've heard so much about really was you. I always knew you liked them younger."

"Come on now," the goat chuckled, somewhat nervous about what his former student implied. It wasn't exactly a secret, but he still lowered his voice. "You and me... It was a fun fling, but that's it. I'm glad we ended things as just friends. And you know, it's good memories. But enough about that! What's with you? What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Joey is Jerome's nephew. And well, we're engaged," he showed the ring in his finger at the last mention, a small smile crossing his beak as the light bounced off it. "So..."

"Joey? From the class?" Stan nodded, and his teacher regarded him curiously for a long moment. "Really now. I always figured you would end up with Raz."

"God, no. Our dads ended up together, so he's technically my brother now. A fact he never shuts up about..."

"You look different," Gavin started. "Less..."

"Deranged?" the bird's choice of words quickly made Gavin nervous, and an expression familiar from their days of fun appeared in his eyes, but a quick chuckle helped him calm down. "I'll be the first one to admit I wasn't quite there back in the day. But Joey and I started dating a few years ago and... I don't know, he makes everything seem nicer, and in turn that makes me a lot less angry, I guess. That's why I look like this, actually; I sleep very, very little trying to get everything just perfect for our wedding. He deserves no less."

"Wow..." Gavin let out and was immediately drawn to his old student's eyes, the things he remembered as deep pools of darkness and ice... turned into a soft glimmer of yearning.

"Speaking of which, I should go look for him. I got sidetracked taking pics and shit, and now I have no idea where he is," he made to take off, a hand patting the goat's still massive chest, making him blush when he cupped a feeling, and giving him the most teasing grin imaginable. "Let's catch up for real some other day, Gav. We're family now, after all," and he left chuckling, convincing his old teacher that there definitely was some of the old Stan still left in him.

A deep breath to calm down, and he was now looking for a chair to sit for a second, reorganize the thoughts that, out of nowhere, had been thrown into disarray by such a random encounter. Until suddenly, a coffee brown blur appeared on the corner of his eye, which he recognized as his plump, delectable lover. A smile washed up his concerns and he walked up to the man, hoping to get at least a quick kiss if he played his cards right.

"Hey, handsome," he started, the much younger man turning around, his ears waving in a pronounced arch that made him want to reach and rub them; something he would've done if it wasn't for the possibility of said younger man biting his hand afterwards. "I heard the groom had a looker of a son, so you... Hey... Are you ok?"

For a moment, Will said nothing. A second or two went by and all he did was look at the taller man in the eye, gauging him. And then, out of nowhere, he stepped up and put his arms around Gavin, pulling him into a tight embrace that took the goat by surprise, face pressed softly against his left pec out of habit of sharing his chest. Gavin was at a loss of words, the bunny's warmth so alien, yet so familiar... A short sigh left him, and his arms surrounded the smaller man as well, rubbing his back, pulling him even closer.

"I love you," Will whispered, stepping back to give him a quick kiss. And just as it started, it was quickly over, the bunny letting go and looking anywhere else, ready to go. "Where the hell is Felix at? I need to tease that boy," and with that, he left.

"Huh..." was all Gavin could utter in response. Right then, a low mumbling reached his ears, one of the voices very familiar, and he turned around to the bright purple of one large dog, followed by a similar canine in a suit the split image of his own. "Ah, Caleb!"

"Mmm?" Caleb stopped, the larger dog patting him on the back as a goodbye, showing he knew the way, and once left alone approached the goat. "What's up?"

"It's probably nothing, but Will was acting weird. I don't know, have you noticed something? Did something happen?"

"With Will?" Caleb frowned. "No idea. And you're in a better position to know, anyway. To be honest, I'm too busy dealing with my dad's freak out right now, so I can't really worry about anyone else right now. Except Don, maybe, but he's perfectly fine."

"Wedding jitters, eh?" the dog tiredly nodded, getting a chuckle from his older in-law. "Man, those are the worst. I remember mine; I had to put on a belt for the suit to fit because I actually lost weight from the nausea. It wasn't pretty!"

"That seriously doesn't sound pretty," he joined in on the laugh, but let it die out fast when he remembered what he had set out to do. "What I need right now is someone to talk some sense into my dad. Hey, you had wedding jitters, so-

"My first marriage ended in divorce and I'm in a polyamorous relationship with two men less than half my age."

"Right... Good luck with that!" Caleb gave him a thumbs up and hurriedly walked away, leaving the goat with no option but to keep laughing.

---

The cork popped out and the dark substance poured out, filling the elegant curve of a tall glass. Under any other circumstance, Jerome would've filled less than half and taken his time tasting the rich, smooth flavor of a nice bottle of wine, preferably in his office, while reading, or in bed, leaning on the large monster of a man he had for a lover while enjoying a movie together. But right now? Fuck romance; he needed to get drunk.

"Sup, loser. I'm letting myself in," a gruff, deep voice came from the doorframe, and the groom turned around while taking his first long sip. Standing there, framed by the light behind him, was a giant of muscle and dark gray fur, arms crossed and a smug grin on his face.

"That's really rude of you. Bitch," he said while putting his glass down.

"Oh, what's this?" Jason, the large dog on the door, said as he stepped inside the room and pulled the groom into a neck lock, giving him a noogie and getting kicked and scratched in defense. "My little brother thinks he can get all high and mighty just because it's his special day?"

"Stop that!" Jerome pushed the old man away, a hearty laugh shared between them right after. "Asshole."

"Hey, get me a glass too," Jason ignored him and pointed at the wine still waiting for him on the table, prompting his little brother to pour him his own drink as well. "I wanna have a drink with my baby bro on his wedding day."

"Since when are you the sentimental type?"

"That's where you're wrong, man. I've always been the sentimental type," he admitted as the glass was handed to him, and with a quick gesture, the two clinked together and their contents were quickly downed by the two brothers, Jason letting out a pleased sigh. "Hey, you know I'm proud of you, don't you?"

"You are?" his tone betrayed his surprise and got him a punch on the shoulder.

"Of course, I am! Through your entire adult life, you've taken a lot of dumb decisions and majorly fucked up," the younger dog raised an eyebrow, but his brother stopped any complaint. "Hear me out! You majorly fucked up, but every single time, you manned up and you dealt with the consequences. Just look at Caleb! He's a one-night stand kid; wear a condom, tell her to take the pill, that's slut 101. That was your dumb decision. But any other guy would've skipped town on their kid. You? You stepped up and took care of the boy, and yeah, you had your tumbles here and there, but look how he came out? He grew into an awesome man, and that's thanks to you.

"Look at me. I like easy. The guy I'm dating right now, Gwen, you know him; we get along great! We like the same things, the sex is amazing, we don't bother with the hard stuff. We just go with the flow. But you remember Joey's mom. The moment things started going south, I ended it, because I'd rather have five crappy minutes than actually putting in the effort to make it work. Not the best choice I've made... And I can't say for sure things would go differently today," he stopped. Jerome looked up at him, a deep frown on his face as he took another sip of his drink before continuing. "Marriage takes a lot of hard work. I couldn't do it. But you? You work your ass off when you screw up, so now that you took a good choice for a change, you're gonna blow this shit outta the park, man! So, stop being such a pussy, because Caleb's my favorite nephew, and you're freaking him out."

"Has anyone ever told you to have more tact?" was the younger man's first reaction, but he shifted awkwardly and downed the remainder of his glass in one go. "You have to ease someone up before you start throwing the punches."

"I'm not gonna mince my words when there's the risk of you just waltzing out! I like Don; he deserves a great wedding."

"I'm not waltzing out! I am getting married! I love Don!" and he did; but as soon as he said that, his eyes cast down and the same chill he had been feeling all day started crawling up his spine until a gruff, thick arm fell on his shoulders.

"I know you do, little bro. Stop worrying so much; you guys are gonna be fine."

Easier said than done, but the larger dog's touch was reassuring. Still, something on the back of his mind told him to argue his brother's reasoning, to look for any other reason... Until a loud crash outside their hallway caught their attention, and a moment afterwards, a large red-scaled dragon stood on the door, a sheepish grin on his face and a fancy black suit loosely hanging from his body.

"Ah, boss man! You guys can afford, say, little incidents, right?" the dragon said, getting a very exasperated look from the groom.

"Wait, hold up... Is this little Raz!?" Jason yelled and approached the young reptile with open arms, which he was quick to accept and turn into a tight embrace. "Look at you, man! Stan tells me and shows me pics, but it's different to see it in the flesh. You bulked up even more! Fuck! If I wasn't dating, I'd be all over you right now," his eyes couldn't get off Raz, rubbing the thick arms and getting a couple low growls out of him in the process. "In fact, I'm dating and I'm still considering it. How do you feel about bears?"

"Dude, come on! On my wedding day!?" Jerome cried out, getting a frown from his brother in response.

"Buzzkill," he mumbled and made his way out, but not before giving the young dragon's ass a good grope. "You know where to find me."

"Damn right I do."

"What do you want, Raz?" Jerome asked, getting the dragon's attention back and hoping things wouldn't get more stressful than they somehow managed to in just the last five seconds.

"Ah! That's right. Sir, I'm here to offer my services, if you know what I mean!"

And just like that, things got more stressful.

---

The door opened with a light creak and a pair of horns poked in.

"Don?"

"Gavin! My man, come on in, come on!" the bunny was suddenly joyed and gestured his in-law to step inside, but even his cheerful personality did little to ease the goat's ever-present dread of being the old creep dating his little kid. "What's up, buddy?" his eagerness somehow only made him feel guilty.

"F-First of all, I wanted to thank you again for asking me to be your best man. It's honestly such an honor, you have no idea-

"Nonsense!" and a playful pat on the back, from the bunny's considerable strength, was enough to push the air out of his lungs. "The way my son is crazy over you? You're family! Of course I'd ask you."

"Cra... zy...?" the old goat coughed. "I don't know... if I would call it that... I mean, I love him, he loves me, we love Felix and he loves us back, you know the drill. It's peculiar and all, but... Say... Was he acting differently when he left? He felt weird earlier."

"Really? He looked pretty normal when he... left..." his words slowly stopped, and his brow furrowed the slightest. He looked up at the teacher and his nose had stopped twitching. "Gavin, you have a daughter, don't you?"

"What!?" of course, what Gavin heard was 'you have a daughter my son's age, don't you, perv?'. "W-Well, yeah, technically? I mean, I do! Yes! I have a daughter! It's just that she lives with her mom and stuff. I barely get to see her, so it's essentially like I'm single and young inside! Yep, young and appropriate!"

"You don't get to see her?" that had to be the most heartwarming voice that had ever graced Gavin's ears, and he couldn't help but melt at the empathy it exuded... and it only made him feel worse. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up."

"No, no, no! I do! I see her often, I don't... I don't know why I said that..." talk about awkward. For the shortest of seconds, the bunny seemed like he would start crying over him and he'd be damned if he made the groom cry on his wedding day! As if he needed any incentive other than the 'old pervert' thing to get people to talk (which no one did). "W-Why do you ask?"

"Oh! Um..." it was Donovan's turn to look awkward. "How... How did she take it when you and Will first started dating? How did her and Will get?"

"Uh..." and now he was sweating, feeling constantly cornered, trapped by carefully elaborated questions, all designed to push him into slipping up (it's all in his head). But in front of those big, pleading eyes, any defense he had was useless; and what would lying to his in-law achieve anyway? Might as well get on with it, be judged. "She and Will, they... They actually hit it off real quick. I guess because she's so much closer in age to him than she is to me... or than he is to me..."

"I see..." Gavin could just see the gears turning around in his head, already setting the program that would end with his old, pervert ass kicked out of his house to protect the pure, precious children he had caught in his snare (also wrong, Gavin; chill out), but Don kept talking before he could react. "Kids these days are stronger than they seem, huh?"

And even someone as dense as Gavin understood.

"This is about Will, isn't it?"

"Hmm? Of course. What else could it be about?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing else!" a nervous laughed filled the room, getting a confused look from the bigger bunny, and finishing with a quick cough. "So... What's with him?"

"We just went through a rather touchy topic and I think it hit him pretty hard," he said in a low tone, too different from his usual cheerful self, but quickly covered by a warm smile. "But you know how he is, he just needs some time, right? Flip said the same; he just needs a moment to be alone and he'll be just fine. He's a strong kid, after all."

"He is, yeah. That does sound like him," and it did, but right at that moment, something started gnawing at the back of Gavin's head. Looking at the bunny, sitting back with a goofy smile and nervously tapping at his knees, made him frown. "I think you should look for him."

"What?"

"Look, you're not wrong. Will is the kind of guy who prefers to be alone sometimes, so yeah, giving him space is the right choice," he explained. "But being a parent isn't always about making the right choice. Sometimes, you have to kind of be an ass and ignore what your kid says to make sure they're doing alright. You know, violate their privacy a bit, get into their space, make them know they can also talk to you, at least to get your own peace of mind. At least... That's what I would do; as a father."

Donovan had been staring at him during that, and he was sure it was just a matter of time before he got scolded for trying to suggest him how to deal with his own child, if not straight-up punched in the face, as unlikely as that sounded. He even braced himself for the impact just in case.

And then his nose twitched.

"You're right!" the groom jumped, surprising the goat even more as he made his way to the door. "My real concern should be making sure he's safe and happy, even if I have to cross a few boundaries. That's what dads are about, anyway! Gavin, you're an amazing lifesaver! Best son I've ever had!"

"S-Son...?" Gavin blushed at the prospect, almost shaking over being called such by a man his own age, until something else popped in his head. "Oh! By the way, Caleb said Jerome's freaking out too, so you might wanna check on him."

"Will do!" he yelled from around the corner, far down the hall, and in a second, he was out of his best man's sight, leaving him alone in the room to sigh and fall on the ground, trembling out of relief.

"Thank God, I didn't make him hate me this time... Heck, I even think we bonded! Over parenting..." and that made him feel guilty.

---

The door opened with a light creak and a pair of horns poked in.

"Don?"

"Gavin! My man, come on in, come on!" the bunny was suddenly joyed and gestured his in-law to step inside, but even his cheerful personality did little to ease the goat's ever-present dread of being the old creep dating his little kid. "What's up, buddy?" his eagerness somehow only made him feel guilty.

"F-First of all, I wanted to thank you again for asking me to be your best man. It's honestly such an honor, you have no idea-

"Nonsense!" and a playful pat on the back, from the bunny's considerable strength, was enough to push the air out of his lungs. "The way my son is crazy over you? You're family! Of course I'd ask you."

"Cra... zy...?" the old goat coughed. "I don't know... if I would call it that... I mean, I love him, he loves me, we love Felix and he loves us back, you know the drill. It's peculiar and all, but... Say... Was he acting differently when he left? He felt weird earlier."

"Really? He looked pretty normal when he... left..." his words slowly stopped, and his brow furrowed the slightest. He looked up at the teacher and his nose had stopped twitching. "Gavin, you have a daughter, don't you?"

"What!?" of course, what Gavin heard was 'you have a daughter my son's age, don't you, perv?'. "W-Well, yeah, technically? I mean, I do! Yes! I have a daughter! It's just that she lives with her mom and stuff. I barely get to see her, so it's essentially like I'm single and young inside! Yep, young and appropriate!"

"You don't get to see her?" that had to be the most heartwarming voice that had ever graced Gavin's ears, and he couldn't help but melt at the empathy it exuded... and it only made him feel worse. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up."

"No, no, no! I do! I see her often, I don't... I don't know why I said that..." talk about awkward. For the shortest of seconds, the bunny seemed like he would start crying over him and he'd be damned if he made the groom cry on his wedding day! As if he needed any incentive other than the 'old pervert' thing to get people to talk (which no one did). "W-Why do you ask?"

"Oh! Um..." it was Donovan's turn to look awkward. "How... How did she take it when you and Will first started dating? How did her and Will get?"

"Uh..." and now he was sweating, feeling constantly cornered, trapped by carefully elaborated questions, all designed to push him into slipping up (it's all in his head). But in front of those big, pleading eyes, any defense he had was useless; and what would lying to his in-law achieve anyway? Might as well get on with it, be judged. "She and Will, they... They actually hit it off real quick. I guess because she's so much closer in age to him than she is to me... or than he is to me..."

"I see..." Gavin could just see the gears turning around in his head, already setting the program that would end with his old, pervert ass kicked out of his house to protect the pure, precious children he had caught in his snare (also wrong, Gavin; chill out), but Don kept talking before he could react. "Kids these days are stronger than they seem, huh?"

And even someone as dense as Gavin understood.

"This is about Will, isn't it?"

"Hmm? Of course. What else could it be about?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing else!" a nervous laughed filled the room, getting a confused look from the bigger bunny, and finishing with a quick cough. "So... What's with him?"

"We just went through a rather touchy topic and I think it hit him pretty hard," he said in a low tone, too different from his usual cheerful self, but quickly covered by a warm smile. "But you know how he is, he just needs some time, right? Flip said the same; he just needs a moment to be alone and he'll be just fine. He's a strong kid, after all."

"He is, yeah. That does sound like him," and it did, but right at that moment, something started gnawing at the back of Gavin's head. Looking at the bunny, sitting back with a goofy smile and nervously tapping at his knees, made him frown. "I think you should look for him."

"What?"

"Look, you're not wrong. Will is the kind of guy who prefers to be alone sometimes, so yeah, giving him space is the right choice," he explained. "But being a parent isn't always about making the right choice. Sometimes, you have to kind of be an ass and ignore what your kid says to make sure they're doing alright. You know, violate their privacy a bit, get into their space, make them know they can also talk to you, at least to get your own peace of mind. At least... That's what I would do; as a father."

Donovan had been staring at him during that, and he was sure it was just a matter of time before he got scolded for trying to suggest him how to deal with his own child, if not straight-up punched in the face, as unlikely as that sounded. He even braced himself for the impact just in case.

And then his nose twitched.

"You're right!" the groom jumped, surprising the goat even more as he made his way to the door. "My real concern should be making sure he's safe and happy, even if I have to cross a few boundaries. That's what dads are about, anyway! Gavin, you're an amazing lifesaver! Best son I've ever had!"

"S-Son...?" Gavin blushed at the prospect, almost shaking over being called such by a man his own age, until something else popped in his head. "Oh! By the way, Caleb said Jerome's freaking out too, so you might wanna check on him."

"Will do!" he yelled from around the corner, far down the hall, and in a second, he was out of his best man's sight, leaving him alone in the room to sigh and fall on the ground, trembling out of relief.

"Thank God, I didn't make him hate me this time... Heck, I even think we bonded! Over parenting..." and that made him feel guilty.

---

"Knock, knock," Jerome looked up from his hand, where his forehead had been resting, a grunt escaping his lips at the prospect of being once again bothered. Honestly, couldn't they leave him alone with his neurosis for five minutes? And of all people, it was a tall, muscular, old dragon man, an expensive black suit against deep crimson scales, staring at him with a wide grin.

"Rigor, I'm warning you, if another Ruborum offers to strip at my wedding, I will shoot someone."

"I see Raz already came around," the dragon chuckled, casually looking back out the door, checking for the scolded version of his son, before his attention returned to the groom. "No, I'm not here for that. But now that you mention it-

"No!"

"Fine, fine!" Rigor was quick to raise his hands in defense and let out a warm chuckle that did little to ease his friend's worries. Stepping inside, he grabbed a nearby chair and sat in front of the dog, eyes gauging him up as if wondering what to say next. "No, I'm here to give you the 'marriage is good' chat."

"Good lord, how many people know?" once again, his face met with his hands in frustration, but the dragon continued to laugh.

"Everyone knows! Don't you know how fast rumor travels in a wedding?" he only got a groan out of the dog in response. "Back in mine, Malik thought it would make a good joke to say I was pregnant, and half of the guests actually believed that!"

"Dragons are mystical, mysterious creatures! It's an acceptable mistake!" the dog mumbled from within his hands, but it only made Rigor's laughter louder. "Besides, what kind of advice could you, of all people, have?"

"I will choose not to take that as an offense. Besides, I'm probably the only person here that gets what you're going through, other than Arden, I mean. After all, how many parents in their fifties in long-lasting gay relationships do you know?"

"A surprisingly high amount, when I think about it," he immediately replied, looking up to the dragon's raised eyebrow. "Ok genius, what's your sage advice then? Throw me your best words of wisdom."

"Hmmm, I actually don't know. I wasn't expecting to make it this far," the dragon looked up, chin cupped, looking for all its worth like he was putting some thought on his next words; not like Jerome was convinced. "I guess the most important thing is hard wo-

"Jason already said that. Next."

"...Are you drunk?" a handwave was enough confirmation. "It's actually better if you get a bit tipsy before you go out there. Helps with the nerves."

"That's wisdom I can get behind," Jerome leaned back on his chair, staring at the ceiling, at the old man in front of him, thinking... "Was it this weird when you and Arden got together? Did you freak out like this?"

"Uh... Not really. But my chemistry with Arden is a lot different than what you and Don have going on, so we're not the best reference either. When it came to us, we had known each other for decades, Stan and Raz were best friends... Yeah, looking back on it, we had this entire dynamic for a long while, so getting married was just a formality for something that, honestly, had been there for a long, long time. If you think about it, we got married recently, but we've been family for years now!"

"...Family?"

"What?" Rigor looked at his friend, wide eyes centered on him, staring at one another for a silent second before he registered the question. "Yeah? I mean, that's the whole point of marriage. You can fall in love with someone and stay with them for the rest of your life; marriage is just a piece of paper that says you are- Ok, there's a lot more meaning behind it, but it's not really a necessity! At least as far as expressing what you feel for one another goes. It's not a symbol of love as much as it is a symbol of... you know, spending a life together. Normally, the young folks just do it for whatever horny reason they can come up with, but when it comes to us, old men with kids!? Kids nearing their thirties, mind you; we could be grandfathers already! That's a whole lot of family we have, and in order to mix them together into this weird mess, you need a lot of resolve."

"Yeah, that's..." he looked away, thumbs fiddling, feet tapping lightly on the floor as he straightened up on his chair. "That's definitely a new angle."

"...You seem like you could use a chat with Caleb," and Jerome's only response was to furiously nod and prompt the dragon to get up. "I'll go get him!"

---

"That one's a duck," Caleb said, and the large beetle he was using as a pillow pointed to a different cloud. "That one's a shoe," then another. "That one's a burger, but you think it's shaped like a flower. Don't ask me which one, though."

"How do you do that?" Gui looked at him, his hand falling and resting on top of his chest, giving it a few rubs through the shirt that almost made Caleb start rolling on the grass beneath them.

"The more attention you put on a single subject, the faster you're bound to understand it's behavioral patterns and deduce responses to external stimulus. And you," he finished that with a playful pull at the beetle's mandibles, "are an extremely fascinating subject."

Of course, that only got him a pair of restless mandibles tickling his neck, despite his best attempts at keeping their massive owner out of reach. Laughter was the only thing leaving his mouth until his lover went up, lips meeting in a soft kiss and one of his soft hands just drawn, magnetically so, to the beetle's face. A moment that was only interrupted by a shadow settling between them, but still unable to draw his attention away.

"Caleb; there you are, kiddo," his name was the one thing that made him look up, a familiar crimson dragon returning his expression. "Your dad asked me to look for you. He needs to talk to you right now."

"I'm having a moment here," he jealously pulled Gui into a tight hug, his most defiant pout set in place, but the beetle petting him was enough to make him melt. "...Ugh, fine. But it better be urgent," he stood up, already dusting his suit off and reaching for his lover when Rigor stopped him.

"It's probably better if you go alone."

"What? No. Fine. Let's do that, no big deal. I'll be back in a sec, alright?" that last part was directed at the large beetle as their hands split and the canine made his way towards the church, more than once glancing back at his boyfriend and the dragon taking to him, pointing his own ring and getting Gui to blush redder than he had seen before. Caleb followed suit, stifling a laugh while he was at it, making himself the same question... before his father became a priority once again.

It took him a mere minute to reach the door, opening with the same casual liberty he would use for his own bedroom, eyes immediately falling on his father, sitting down on a chair and looking as ghastly as he had left him earlier. Whatever snark he had planned to throw at him vanished the moment he saw the old man in such a state.

"So... You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah, um..." he couldn't meet his kid's eyes, and it was driving him crazy. "It just came to my attention that I... That we never really talked about my relationship and... And well, how it affects... you..."

"Are you going to throw the blame for your freak out on me? Because your entire body language is riddled with guilt, but that doesn't seem like it'll stop you," damn psychology major. "That's actually a huge dick move. I mean, I asked my boyfriend to make your centerpieces for free. I stayed up until 4AM helping you write your invitations by hand because you wanted to go the extra mile. I dealt with Raz every time he tried to convince you of letting him strip here, even though he got uncle Jason to let him do it at your bachelor party, which was actually pretty fun, and I'll be damned, he's got a great bod, but that's not the point! After all that, you're actually using me as an excuse, man? That's just... What's the real deal here, dad? Because, if it's just a wedding thing, then I can let it go, but if you don't wanna marry Don-

"No! Of course I want to marry Don! I just... I told you, I don't know how to do this. I never even wanted to get married..." his eyes widened and his thumbs still fidgeting, he never looked up at his son. Silence fell between them. Only a chair being dragged and the younger man sitting in front of him broke it, and he knew he was giving him the hardest look any therapist could give, despite not uttering a single word. Just waiting... "You want me to say it? I never wanted to get married. Before meeting Don, it wasn't a thought that ever crossed my mind, even as a joke. I was going to be forever available, going from fling to fling and just enjoying life until my golden years. And then... you happened- and don't get me wrong, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me! Ever! Even the bunny is second to you!

"But for the longest time it was just you and me, and even then, I never thought about having more, because I thought you were the only family I needed, so this happening can be scary, because I don't know how it'll change me; how it'll change us... And you're an adult already, I have no reason to think you're a kid and that this will affect you badly, but I can't help think that because I'm your dad, and that's just how dads work."

"Dad..." it was almost a whisper and it took Jerome a few seconds to look up, meeting eye to eye with his zone. Caleb faltered, turning his own gaze away, but only a second later returned his father's expression, his voice a soft tone. "I, of all people, want you to be happy. I saw you, all my life, struggling to be a single father, and you mostly did it with a smile, and I didn't really help you out through that. Let's face it, I was a mess growing up. I'm still a mess! I dye my fur purple! It looks amazing, but it's kind of a mess! But... you never gave up on me, and you tried everything you could to set me on a better path. Now I have Gui, I'm taking steps to improve myself, and it's all thanks to you.

"And now... I actually feel really happy, because I hit jackpot with one dad, and I'm about to have two? I'm not even thirty, man! I still have a lot of growing up to do, and a lot to learn from you and Don. I love Don! He's the sweetest and being able to call him 'dad' makes me feel good. And now we have this stupid huge family full of gays I care about, who care back, and that's all thanks to you. So, don't stop on my behalf, because this wedding is the best thing that's happened to me so far."

For that moment... Jerome sat still. His eyes remained stuck to his son, watching the warm smile, the way his fingers tapped his knees. His own body stayed tense, immobile, waiting for him to continue, for any sort of instruction on what to do next. And without any warning, Caleb stood up, reached forward and pulled his father into a hug, face pressed tenderly against his chest, his ears filled with the beating of his heart. How many times had he done the same when he was a little boy, scared of the monsters under his bed? And just like that, just with that single, silly memory, Jerome started to cry on his son's chest, like a happy, happy fool.

"Are you seriously crying?"

"It's my wedding! I'm allowed to cry!" he whimpered and pulled him into a tighter hug. "I'm also kinda drunk," that one was the last bit Caleb could take before he burst out in laughter, quickly affecting his father as well, deep sniffs littered in between until he pulled out and started wiping the tears off. "Enough. I'm a sexy old man, I'm not supposed to cry. And I don't want to ruin your suit."

"Are you feeling better?" the fact that was the first thing he asked him pulled a bit at his heartstrings.

"I guess. There's still an itch on the back of my head... but I want to believe it'll disappear once I see my man on the altar."

"I'm sure it will. But right now, you need a moment to sort yourself out, and I can't help you with that," he said that and slowly turned around, opening the door and turning back only once to look at the older man. "Everyone's got your back, dad. You'll be fine. You'll both be fine."

The door closed behind him. And now, once again left alone, Jerome's eyes darted to the ground again. That bothersome voice in his head persisted, so little and quiet, yet so insistent. He wanted to tell it to shut up, stood up and paced across the room trying to distract himself, stared at the mirror just to compliment his looks, to use the white suit and convince himself that there was literally nothing wrong. That he was just having wedding jitters! That it was normal and that they would go away. But knowing that didn't help him right now; right now, he wanted to puke.

And then a knock on his door.

"Jerry?" his neck whipped back so fast that it was almost painful, because only one man called him that. And he almost ran to the door, reaching it in a matter of seconds, before Don's voice continued and that sheet of wood was the only thing keeping them apart. "I know the bride and the groom aren't supposed to see each other before the wedding, but I don't know if that applies to us since we're both grooms? Either way, I'm leaving the door closed. You can open it if you want, but you don't have to.

"So... Gavin told me you were nervous. There was a thing going on with Will, so I didn't pay a lot of attention at the time, but on my way here it started sounding ridiculous. I mean, my Jerry? Nervous? Never! He's the strongest guy I know. But then I ran into your brother and he said you were better. Then Caleb gave me a hug; I actually liked that a lot, he's a great kid- I mean, of course he's a great kid! You raised him! But yeah, I took the hint and ran the rest of the way here. Because, you know... I know you're not gonna run away or whatever. I was married once, this happens all the time, I promise! There's no real reason for it; it's not supposed to make sense, it just happens. But if I can help you through it, then by all means I will.

"...I'm nervous too, you know? I like smiling, so putting one up is pretty easy. Ah, don't get me wrong, I'm so happy, you wouldn't believe it! But it can be exhausting too. Getting married is such a big thing. It can get overwhelming just thinking about it. But you know what I do? I smile. And I think about things that make me smile to pull that off. I think about the first time we met, back when you just wanted my ass. I think about when we started getting serious, how you would say we were just a casual fling, winging it along the way, until one day you just blurted it all out in bed in the cutest way. I think about the first time you met my sons, and how Flip almost pulled you off the ground in a hug. I think about the first time you introduced me to your son and you two started talking about what a nice piece of meat you got your hands on, and you made me blush so hard that day. I think about how you proposed to me, and how awkward you looked trying to get on one knee.

"And then I realize that you're the common factor in all those memories, and that, for a long time now, you're the thing that makes me smile the most. And I know it's corny, but that makes me feel better. Suddenly, I don't feel nervous, because I'm spending the rest of my life with someone that makes me happier than I thought I could be again, and when I see how happy I've been so far with you, I can't help but think that nothing will actually change; that other than a ring on my finger, we will keep going forward like this, hand in hand, because we already found our happiness together.

"What I'm trying to say is... I don't really need a ring, because you already showed me what I mean to you a while back. And you continue to show that to me every day, like I know you will keep doing every day from now on, so we don't really have any reason to be nervous. I... love you, Jerry. Like you have no idea. That's why I know, as long as we keep going through this path, we'll make it all the way to the end. And well... That's really all I wanted to say."

One minute... Two minutes... How long Jerome stayed in front of the door, paralyzed, he had no idea. He lost count shortly after Donovan left, gathering up the courage to open the door, not knowing what, if anything, he was about to face. He had to breath deeply just to push the knob and slowly, carefully, open. His head poked outside, looking to the left, to the right, finding not a single person to be seen. He was left alone in the hallway, looking around again to make sure his groom wasn't around, wondering if he had really been there.

Until a glimmer on the ground caught his eye. Light bouncing off a silver surface, forcing him to crouch and take it off the floor, swallowing hard when he noticed what it was: a short, black leather strap, and a tiny, shiny key hanging from it.

"...What am I doing?" he smiled, wiping the tears before they could come out of his eye, and fastening the leather strap around his wrist, making that little voice vanish completely.

---

The boom of the organ's pipes filled the small chapel, and a pair of canine men in lustrous white suits stepped inside. With his brother's arm on his shoulder, Jerome took every step in stride, his eyes catching glances of the people his son had called their family. But most important of all, straight ahead, there he was, clad in his own suit, shining under the sun like his own personal white knight, imposing yet tender, was the silly old man he was about to call his husband, gazing back at him with the same sweet smile that made him fall in love with him in the first place.

A couple more feet and he was next to him. He felt his brother pat him on the back, heard more than one whisper and sniff on the back, and listened to whatever minister they had gotten to do the deed, but none of that mattered in front of his bunny. Nothing else could so easily draw his attention as the way his nose flickered, the twitches his ears made, the childish, innocent sparkle in his eyes, constantly hiding his desire for touch; and that bright, wide smile, so contagious...

"I do," he surprised himself when he said that. When was the question asked? Had he been so enthralled by the sight of his lover that he was unable to hear anything else? Yet, his heart was listening... He tried to berate himself for thinking something so embarrassing, but it sounded too appropriate.

And right after those words left, the bunny pulled him ever so slightly in his arms, their lips joining into a seemingly endless kiss that almost felt like their first, passionate, burning, fighting off whatever youthful spirit told them to rip each other clothes and just become one all the way, flesh to flesh, not letting anything keep them apart. If only, they had to settle on their hands linking together.

And a key bumped against a lock.