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“...Cater, you did say you booked a room for two , correct?” Trey stopped in the doorway of their hotel room, his taller frame blocking Cater’s view past his shoulders.
“Hm? Yeah, I did. Why?” He nudged past Trey to get a closer look, realization setting in when he saw the sight in front of him.
Ah. One king-sized bed instead of two, smaller beds.
“...I’ll go ask about it at the front desk. Wait here!”
Trey sat on the edge of the bed, looking around the room for a brief moment, before Cater reappeared in the doorway just minutes after he’d left.
“Hmm, ‘kay, so we have a bit of a situation.” Cater said sheepishly as he stepped back into the room. “First of all… Apparently when I said ‘A room for two- we’re in town to go to a couple of friends’ wedding together!’ they kinda just, like, assumed we were also a couple.”
Trey laughed. “Some things never change, huh?”
After all, this wasn’t a type of assumption the two of them had never heard before. Frequently throughout their time at NRC, they’d get questions on how long they’d been dating, or how they got together, something along those lines. Such rumors were bound to spread when you spent practically 80% of your time together, after all.
Cater snickered, joining Trey at the edge of the bed. “Yeah, I guess the universe is just dying for us to be together or something, ‘cause they also told me they don’t have any open double rooms, and they’re out of extra cots.”
“Jeeze, just how many people did Rook convince Vil to invite to this wedding?”
This pulled a full laugh out of Cater. “God, I wonder how many hours those two spent bickering about how exclusive the guest list had to be. There’s no way that was a peaceful battle between a social butterfly like Rook and an exclusive, A-List celebrity like Vil!”
Trey smiled, then looked behind them at the bed. “...Well, at least it’s a king sized bed? We should both be able to fit without it being too cramped.”
Cater poked Trey in the side. “You better not snore, bub.”
“Hey, you’re the one that shared a dorm with me for two years, and I didn’t hear any complaints back then!”
“Omg, you’re right,” Cater gasped, grinning brightly. “It’ll be just like when we were students! I mean, we didn’t usually share a bed back then, but still - a sleepover with my favorite Trey!”
Trey just laughed and ruffled Cater’s hair. “Whatever you say.”
“...Trey,” Cater’s quiet voice came from the darkness.
“Mm…?” Came Trey’s muffled reply.
“These blankets suck. It’s really cold in here.”
A few sounds of shifting followed by Trey’s clearer, groggy voice. “...Yeah, I can’t really fall asleep, either. I’ll go check for more blankets in the closet.”
“My hero !”
“Sure, sure.” More shifting, followed by quiet footsteps and the creaking of a closet door. “...There’s like, one in here, and it’s not very thick. I guess more layers are better than nothing?”
Cater felt the sudden thud of the blanket smacking him in the face. “ Hey - oh my god, how is this blanket worse ? Are they trying to turn us all into popsicles?”
Trey slid back into bed beside Cater. “Now, now. I’m sure once we actually fall asleep it won’t be so bad.”
Cater pouted, even though he knew Trey couldn’t see in the dark, and scooted closer to Trey. “Well, then, I’m counting on you to keep me from freezing!” He curled up against Trey’s side and slid an arm around his middle, immediately feeling more comfortable snuggled against the warmth and familiar scent of his friend.
Trey said nothing at first, and Cater thought maybe he was laying there, trying to think of a snarky response, when he suddenly felt Trey turn over on his side and wrap his arms around Cater, pulling him into his chest.
“Is that warmer?” Trey asked, voice partially muffled into Cater’s hair.
“Um, yeah, actually… thanks.”
“Good night, Cater.”
“Night, Trey…”
“Ahh, I can’t believe it’s finally time! This is really the wedding of the century, isn’t it?” Cater called behind him as he worked on his eyeliner.
Trey stood on the other side of the room, tying his tie in the full length mirror. “I mean, maybe to us . Most of Vil’s fans don’t know Rook outside of the pictures they post together.”
“True, the wedding of the century for NRC students, then! They really were the ‘it’ couple by the end of our third year, weren’t they?”
“I suppose you could say that.” Trey smoothed out his tie, then grinned over at Cater. “But don’t think I’ve forgotten how much of a crush you had on Vil before then.”
Cater jumped, narrowly missing his eye with the liner pencil. “WH- Trey ! PLEASE don’t bring up my cringe past without any warning!”
Trey walked across the room and put his hands on Cater’s shoulders, his wicked grin growing larger. “Oh, but it was just so cute how often you’d come into our room and gush for an hour straight about the hair product you could smell from Vil when you got to sit next to him in class, or when you were partners in gym for warm up stretches-”
Cater cut off Trey’s reminiscing with a loud shriek as he covered his face in his hands. “Oh my god, stop! Don’t talk about it! No one needs to remember!” He turned around and started smacking Trey on the arm. “Go away and finish getting dressed, you monster!”
Trey laughed, giving Cater a pat on the head as he moved to grab his suit jacket. “Don’t worry, I’m sure no one remembers, anyway.”
Cater sighed as he turned back to the mirror. “Please, as if Vil and Rook are the type to forget anything. Besides, it wasn’t that long ago.”
“And yet, you were still invited to the wedding.”
Cater simply hummed in response as he finished up in the mirror. When he was done, he stood up to meet Trey by the door. “Do I look okay? No smudges?”
Trey smiled, a soft look in his eye as he gazed at Cater’s face, checking for anything out of place. He reached up and tucked a fiery lock of hair behind Cater’s ear. “You look beautiful, Cater. You know you always do.”
Oh, jeeze. That was a potent amount of praise that Cater wasn’t exactly ready for.
“Ahah… Thanks, Trey! But you know that means I’m just going to insist even harder that we take a selfie before we go, right?” Cater grinned, hooking an arm around Trey’s as he pulled him outside for some natural lighting. “The magicam grind never stops - Smile!”
Click!
Cater surveyed the picture before opening magicam. “Aww, Trey, you look so handsome! A pic of you always does well for my engagement, y’know. My followers just can’t get enough of your Clover Charm~!”
Trey rolled his eyes with a smile as he put an arm around Cater’s shoulders to herd him towards the car. “C’mon, you. I don’t think Vil would ever forgive us if we were late to his wedding because of a magicam picture.”
“Oh my god, I think Riddle would have our heads for that, and it’s not even his wedding.”
“Exactly, so get a move on.”
“Okay, okay, I’m going!”
The ceremony, as expected, had been beautiful and extravagant. After all, a wedding between two former Pomefiore students could be nothing short of a spectacle, especially when one of them was a high profile celebrity, and when the other one was… Well, Rook .
The two cut the cake at the start of the reception, looking the happiest they’ve ever been.
Granted, Rook always looked his happiest, so to say he looked even happier truly was a statement of the ages.
The bouquet toss was, of course, an event in and of itself. Cater felt he should win an award for how fast his reflexes were.
No, not for catching the bouquet, but for catching a photo of the catch a mere matter of seconds after contact was made between the bouquet and Deuce Spade’s hands, a look of flustered shock still on his face by the time the click of Cater’s phone camera went off.
“Aww, so cute! Look, Trey, I even got cute little Eppy’s surprised face in the frame with Deucey! Even now, they’re just as cute as they were when they were our underclassmen, huh?”
Trey grinned, giving Deuce a wink and a thumbs-up when they made eye contact.
“Oh, Monsieur Spade, how truly marvelous!” Came the call of Rook’s ever-enthusiastic voice from the front of the room. “I’m sure this just means you and our dear Epel are destined for a life of eternal happiness together!” He clasped his hands together, joyful tears forming in his eyes.
Epel grabbed Deuce’s arm and hid his reddened face in his shoulder.
Vil simply smirked at the flustered couple from where he stood beside Rook. “Come now, Epel, how many times have I told you that you must stand tall at formal gatherings?”
Epel groaned, voice muffled by Deuce’s shoulder. “Ugh, c’mon Vil, let me live !”
Cater giggled, leaning against Trey’s side as they took in the chaos around them. “It really does feel like we’re back at NRC, doesn’t it?”
Trey couldn’t help but laugh alongside Cater. “There’s definitely a nostalgic feeling to the night, that’s for sure.”
“Ah, mes amies!”
The two jumped, startled by Rook’s suddenly-closer-than-expected voice. Through all the commotion, the man had sneakily teleported through the crowd beside Trey and Cater.
Yes, some things really never changed.
“Ahh, Rook, oh my god, congrats!” Cater squealed, throwing his arms around Rook’s shoulders in a tight hug. “You’re mister Shoenheit-Hunt, now!”
“I truly do believe I am the luckiest man in the world tonight,” he said, returning Cater’s hug just as enthusiastically. “And I am all the more lucky to get to share such a beautiful occasion in the company of dear friends,” he beamed brightly, moving then to hug Trey. “It means the world to us both that you two made it here!”
Trey returned Rook’s smile and hug graciously. “We’re glad to be here, Rook, thanks for inviting us.”
“Well, I didn’t exactly want my DMs blown up by a certain someone , had I neglected to invite him to such a ‘magicammable’ occasion,” Vil’s voice interjected as he approached from behind, putting a friendly arm around Cater’s shoulders and giving him yet another of his signature smirks.
Cater’s excitement overrode any desire to retort against his friend’s snark, as he trapped Vil in his hug next and shouted more cheers of congratulations. “You two looked gorgeous up there, obviously .” He sighed as he pulled away from Vil. “You guys are so lucky. I hope one day I’ll get married with a wedding that’s like, even half as fancy as this one!”
Rook put a hand on Cater’s shoulder. “Oh, I know the wedding you two have one day will be très magnifique, and the two of us would be honored to make your guest list!”
Did… he say you two?
“Um, wh-”
Vil nudged Trey’s shoulder. “Don’t think that just because neither you nor Cater caught the bouquet means you can slack on the proposal.”
Trey stared back at Vil, wide-eyed and bewildered. “Wh- Proposal?!”
“Trey and I aren’t even dating!” Cater chimed in.
Vil rolled his eyes and sighed. “Don’t tell me you two are still doing that whole song and dance? How many years has it been since graduation, honestly, and you really haven’t sorted yourselves out?”
Rook let out a joyful laugh as he moved to put an arm around his husband’s waist. “Now, now, mon amour, these things cannot be rushed!”
Then, as if on cue, the music overhead shifted to a slow, romantic ballad.
“Well,” Vil’s lips curled into a mischievous smile. “No time like the present to have a nice chat, hmm?” He moved to stand by Trey, nodding to Rook, who moved to Cater’s side. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to enjoy a dance with my loving husband; I suggest you two take this time to have a dance to yourselves, as well.” And the two gave Trey and Cater a gentle, yet somewhat forceful nudge towards the dance floor.
Cater looked up awkwardly at Trey. “Uhh, eheh, they’re just as driven as ever, huh?”
Trey laughed, scratching the back of his neck and trying to figure out where to put his other hand. “Um, yeah…”
The two stood in an uncomfortable silence for an eternal few seconds, before Rook and Vil spun by beside them.
“Like this , you two,” Vil said as he and Rook gilded around them. “Honestly, you cannot tell me you’ve forgotten how to dance, because I won’t believe a word of it. Even Epel and Deuce remember!” He nodded across the room, where Deuce and Epel were, in fact, enjoying a dance together.
Their rhythm didn’t quite match that of the song, and they were definitely throwing around extra spins and dance moves for the sake of moving more, but their bright and happy smiles meant that none of that really mattered.
Rook winked at the couple as he and Vil continued their dance across the room.
Trey extended a hand to Cater, smiling nervously. “Uh, shall we, then?”
Cater laughed, taking Trey’s hand and stepping closer. “To be honest, I’m a little scared of what Vil would say on his second lap around here if we still weren’t dancing.”
“He’s certainly not lost any of that iron will, that’s for sure.” Trey smiled down at Cater. “When was the last time we danced together like this, anyway?”
“Hmm…” Cater scrunched his eyebrows together in thought. “Jeeze, I guess back during Kalim’s graduation party he threw for his year?”
“Ah, right. Wasn’t that the same party that Floyd relentlessly chased Riddle around Kalim’s yard to try and get him to dance, too?”
Cater smiled fondly at the chaotic memory. “Yeah, and if I remember correctly, it turned into Riddle chasing Floyd down for ‘causing a ruckus’ or something.”
“Which ultimately ended up in a wild game of tag…”
“Hehe, Kalim’s parties are never dull, that’s for sure.”
“Did someone say my name?” As if summoned by sheer mention, Kalim spawned beside where Cater and Trey danced in place. “Oh, Cater and Trey! How are you!?”
Cater paused his dance to greet Kalim, pulling him into a hug. “Oh, Kalim! It’s so good to see you!”
Kalim beamed at the two of them. It’s good to see you, too! I’m glad to see you guys are still so happy together,” he said, nodding between the two.
Cater opened his mouth to ask what exactly he meant by that, but was cut off before he could get a word in.
“Oh, wait, sorry! Let’s catch up a little later- I forgot I was supposed to be bringing Silver back a drink!” And just as quickly as he’d spawned, Kalim was gone through the crowd.
“Um.” Cater said, unsure of how to proceed past such an odd and abrupt interruption.
Trey too stood quietly for a moment, before reaching for Cater’s hand. “Wanna go try out some of those drinks?”
“...Yeah, that sounds good right about now.”
“Treyyyyyy….!” Cater whined as his companion exited the taxi that they’d called after just a bit too many drinks throughout the night, stretching his arms out in front of him. “Don’t leave meeeee…”
Trey spun around to face Cater, steadying himself on the car door from the quick motion, and held his hand out. “C’mon, we gotta go brush our teeth, Cay.”
“Oh my god,” Cater rolled his eyes, giggling as he took Trey’s hand and exited the taxi. “I know , you’ve been reminding me the entire ride back.”
“It’s important!” Trey insisted, a tiny pout forming on his face.
Cater giggled, poking Trey in the cheek as they entered their hotel room. “Heehee, you’re such a cutie when you’re sulking.” He then looked ahead, and scowled. “Aw fuck.”
“What is it?”
“We forgot to ask for some less shitty blankets! And it’s like, 2am…” He trailed into the bathroom after Trey, wrapping his arms around his middle and nuzzling up to his side. “You have to keep me warm again tonight, okay?”
Trey, already mid brush, reached for Cater’s toothbrush and put it in one of his hands. “I’ll hold you all night if you do a good job with your teeth.”
It was Cater’s turn to pout, still leaning into Trey for warmth as he readied his own toothbrush. “So you’d just let me freeze if I didn’t brush my teeth?”
Trey only smirked, sticking his toothpaste coated tongue out at Cater in the mirror. “If that’s what it takes.”
Cater gasped in offense, swatting at Trey’s arm as he started brushing. “Ugh, you’re so cruel, Trey!”
Trey ruffled Cater’s hair, stealing his hair clip in the process and allowing Cater’s hair to fall all over his face. “Then get brushing and I won’t have to be!”
“TREY!!!”
After a bit more bantering, two showers, and many glasses of water later, Cater crawled into bed, once again reaching his arms out for Trey to come join him. “You promised me,” he pouted.
Trey laughed, filling his glass of water one more time before coming to meet Cater. He placed his cup and his glasses on the bedside table before sliding in the bed, pulling Cater close to him. “How do you feel? Have you sobered up at all?”
Cater sighed comfortably as he absorbed the warmth from Trey. “A bit… I think I might still be just a liiiittle tipsy, hehe. You?”
Trey hummed, and began running his fingers through Cater’s hair. “Hah, same here.”
They were quiet for a moment, before Trey spoke again.
“A lot of people thought we were a couple tonight, hm?”
“Yeah,” Cater mumbled against Trey’s chest. “Just like in school.”
There was a beat of silence.
“...I don’t mind it, you know.”
Startled, Cater opened his eyes, as if that would actually help him understand those words any better. “Wh… Don’t mind what… ?”
“Being mistaken for your boyfriend. I don’t mind it.” Trey shifted backward a touch so he could look at Cater’s face, the dim moonlight through the window blinds just barely illuminating the room enough for a hint of sight. “I didn’t really mind it back in school, either.”
Cater’s heart began to pound. Was he hearing Trey right? Or had he fallen asleep in his handsome best friend’s arms and started dreaming?! “Wait, like.. For real? But we always corrected people, yeah?”
“Well, sure, I didn’t want people to get the wrong idea if it wasn’t true .” He said, moving his hand from Cater’s hair to rest on his cheek that wasn’t currently squished up against the pillow. “But, I mean, we kinda were always together. It made sense that people thought of us that way, and honestly, it was pretty hard to imagine doing anything without you at least nearby…” He trailed off a moment, as if thinking about something, before speaking again. “I’ve really missed you, you know.”
Cater reached out and patted Trey’s face. Yeah, he felt pretty real, but what was with this sudden conversation?! Could he really be trusted?
“Trey, hon, are you sure this isn’t the alcohol talking?”
Trey frowned, looking sad at the very suggestion that he didn’t mean every word he’d said so far. “No, Cay, if anything, the tiny bit left in my system is just enough to relax me enough and tell you how I feel, truly.”
“How you feel?” Cater could feel his heart rate increase. “A-and what do you mean you missed me? We text, like, all the time, and call each other multiple times a week! We even take visits to each other several times a year, and-”
“Cater,” Trey said gently, putting a finger to Cater’s lips, “shh, relax.” He used his free hand to resume stroking Cater’s hair in an attempt to soothe the other. “I know we talk. I know we visit. I love that, but… I miss you. I miss seeing you everyday like we did when we were in school. I miss sharing a room with you like when we were underclassmen…” He paused, again searching for words. “...I guess it just took being apart from you for a while to realize just how much I like you.”
Cater hoped the dark of the night was enough to cloak the tears that were forming in his eyes. “I… Trey…” He sniffled, immediately giving up any chance he might have had at hiding the full extent of his emotions. Whoops.
“Oh, no, Cater… I didn’t mean to pressure you by springing my feelings on you like that. I’m sor-”
“Prove it.”
“What?”
“Prove that you like me,” Cater said quietly. There was no way he was letting this conversation end on vague terms. He was so close to something he’d forgotten he’d wanted for so long. Feelings he’d tucked away because he’d thought they were futile, to the point where he’d almost forgotten the feelings were there to begin with.
“Ah,” Trey stammered. “Wh- how do you want me to-”
“Kiss me.”
“Oh,” Trey said softly. “...Are you sure that’s what you want? Because if you’d rath-”
“I’m sure,” Cater whispered back. “Because I’ve missed you too, Trey, and I really don’t think I can go another moment holding back how I feel.” His voice cracked as he moved closer through the darkness. “I like you, Trey. I always have.”
Their lips found each other, somehow, under the shadowy cloak of night.
A brief moment, yet one that the two felt the past several years had been building up to.
A payoff that neither of them knew they had been waiting so long for.
Trey was the first to pull away, still holding Cater close to him. “...Does this mean you’re finally over Vil?”
Cater gasped, immediately reaching for a pillow to shove in Trey’s face, muffling the other’s laughter. “I can’t believe you’d attack me like that, while I’m vulnerable ,” he complained, trying his best to sound offended, but unable to stop his own giggles.
Trey slowly tugged the pillow away from Cater’s grasp, tossing it to the side and pulling Cater’s face to his, kissing his cheeks and forehead.
Cater sighed, unable to hold back his smile. “Whatever, Trey. You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“You’re right,” he smiled, before pulling Cater in for another kiss. “I’d say I am pretty lucky right now.”