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If someone told Skizz five years ago that one of his best friends would find someone outside the clinic, much less that he’d be invited to their wedding, his organs might’ve stopped from surprise. Yet, here he was, fixing up Grian’s hair for his wedding in a few hours with a fast friend he’d made, Gem.
Gem had seemingly appeared out of nowhere in Grian’s life about four years ago, but then again nearly everyone he met outside the clinic had, with the explanations given for how they met always having a few holes that were never explained. One time, Scar and Grian had met while bumping into each other when Grian was walking home from the clinic. Another time, he heard Grian telling someone that they met during clinic hours. Skizz never brought up the matter- everyone had their secrets after all, and he didn’t want to pry.
Either way, Gem was good company. She was charismatic, and could make anyone warm up to her in a matter of minutes with her knack for telling jokes. It only took a couple of moments after Skizz had met her that he came up with a nickname of his own for her, and their friendship only grew from there.
“Gemstone, can you pass the hair gel next to you?” Skizz desperately tried to flatten out Grian’s hair, practically attacking it with a wet comb, yet there was always one part that stuck up.
“Of course, give me one second,” Gem said, touching up the light makeup she did with a powder that made Grian sneeze.
Together they worked in a concentrated peace, trading jokes and insults as the three of them talked about random events and things to pass the time. The day seemed to be shaping out without any chaos at all. Everything seemed to be going right
For a total of about five minutes.
Skizz’s phone started buzzing on the table next to him, and as Skizz picked it up and held it close to his ear, he was met with unintelligible panicking and mumbling from a certain mustached friend.
“Skizzicantfindtheringsanywhereandineedthemwhatdoieven-“
“Okay buddy, slow down a bit, and explain what’s happening calmly.” Skizz reassured. He mouthed at a very worried Grian and Gem that he was stepping outside for the call, and the pair started whispering to each other on what could’ve happened before he even closed the door behind him.
As soon as he got fully out the door, however, Mumbo was on him in an instant- panic visible in his tone as he jabbered on about something incomprehensible and shook him by the shoulders.
“Skizz,” he said, voice shaking. “I am so absolutely screwed.”
“Can you explain what’s even happening Mumbo? You’re talking in circles here.”
“I lost the rings.”
Skizz gulped, at a full loss for words. “Oh… that is definitely not good.”
“I know it’s not good!” Mumbo wailed. He seemed extremely stressed about this, so Skizz quickly regained his composure and tried to comfort him.
“Look, Mumbo, we can try and find them, but I do need to tell Gem and Gria-”
“No!” Mumbo cut him off, speaking louder than he intended and quickly looked behind him to see if anyone heard him, even though no one was there. He continued on, but in a softer tone than before, almost to a whisper. “If Grian finds out that I lost his rings, his wedding will be totally ruined! I have to find them myself- or at least try to before telling them.”
Skizz sighed internally. Why was he so hell-bent on torturing himself? Skizz thought, ignoring the fact that he’d do the exact same thing in his shoes. “We are trying to find his rings.”
“What?”
“I’m not letting you do this alone, homie. Now c’mon, show me where you last remember seeing them and let’s move quickly!”
Eyes slightly misty, Mumbo took his hand and led him to Void knows where. Skizz was just happy to help his friend.
—-
It’s been about half an hour, and this was the third random store Skizz had been to with Mumbo that he apparently went to when he had the rings. He wouldn’t dare to admit it, but he’s losing hope that they’ll find them at all.
He’s standing behind Mumbo and watching him try to socialize with the guy behind the register and ask his questions, and it’s honestly hilarious to watch. He knows that he should be helping Mumbo out- and he will! He just wants to see how this plays out first, and more importantly, how he managed to even get the rings in the first place when he can barely talk to people he doesn’t know in general.
Skizz replayed a thought in his head: How did he even manage to get the rings in the first place?
What if he didn’t?
Suddenly, the pieces in his brain clicked, and everything seemed to make sense.
Suddenly energized by this information, he whispers in Mumbo’s ear. “Mumbo, I think I know where the rings are.”
Mumbo whirled around so fast he almost tipped over, and quickly said his thank yous and goodbyes to the register guy before pulling Skizz out the store and bombarding him with questions. In return, Skizz asked one of his own.
“Mumbo,” he said. “Do you know where you bought the rings?”
Mumbo paused for a moment, the question clearly not what he was expecting. “Uhh, I think I have the address on my phone. Do you think that’s where- oh my goodness that’s genius,” Mumbo realized. “I am such a spoon.” He said the last part quieter than the rest, so much so that Skizz didn’t even think he was supposed to hear it.
Skizz smiled at him in support and simply asked him for the address, not wanting to push him too much. He did mentally mark this in his mind to ask him about this later, though. He might not be able to check up on him right now, but after the wedding he’ll make sure Mumbo wasn’t too stressed. For now, he’ll help in the small ways that he can, considering the fact that the wedding was in less than six hours.
As they were getting in the car to the jewelry shop, Skizz glanced at his phone, only to see dozens of texts and calls from Gem, Grian, and more that he couldn’t see. A quick look at Mumbo’s phone proved the same, and they both could tell that the pair had figured out who Skizz went with.
As Mumbo drove, Skizz called Gem back, and got yelled at through the phone for the second time that day (although he couldn’t say that he didn’t expect it this time).
“Skizz, where are you? We've been trying to call you for the past hour!”
“I’m with Mumbo, I’m alright,” Skizz reassured. Through the phone, he could faintly hear Grian saying something along the lines of oh of course he is in the background. Skizz chose to ignore that sentence and the way his face heated up at those words in favor of listening to what Gem says next.
“Okay, but where are you?” Gem repeated. “You practically up-and-left us almost an hour ago!”
Skizz paused, knowing that Grian was listening to every word. “I’m helping Mumbo with something. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
In the background, Grian coughed out a hmm, wonder what it is and it was that moment that Skizz wished he wasn’t listening in.
“Not like that!” Skizz almost yelled. Mumbo side-eyed him, but didn’t say a word. Skizz dropped his voice to nearly a whisper, albeit much faster. “I’m just helping Mumbo out with something that I will totally tell you about later that is not what Grian thinks it is, but not now as I am very busy!” And with that, he hung up, silencing his phone after.
The pair sat in silence before Mumbo slowly spoke, eyes still fixated on the road.
“What’s not like that, exactly?” Mumbo asked, a mischievous look in his eye suggesting that he knew exactly the answer to his question, and that Skizz knew he did as well. The rest of the car ride was spent exchanging playful jabs and avoiding flustered gazes as they drove up to the ring shop, a bell-like sound playing as they entered the shop and walked towards the register.
“Hello there, what can I ge-” the cashier paused, already preparing his station for the pair. When he saw Mumbo, however, his eyes widened and he scrambled to get a black box out on the counter, and continued to speak.
“Y-you’re the guy that came here earlier today, right?” The cashier asked, as Mumbo moved to the register. “You left this!”
Skizz stood there unmoving, surprised at how easy it was to get the ring after nearly an hour of searching. Mumbo quickly took the rings, sputtering out thank yous profusely and waving as he took Skizz’s hand and went out the store.
When Skizz looked at the time on his phone, he was shocked to realize that he stayed way later than he meant to when searching for those rings. Showing Mumbo the time, he dragged Skizz into the car and got into the driver’s seat, driving like a madman to get to Grian’s wedding on time and help get him ready.
Getting to the venue, the pair ran up to where Grian and Gem were, opening the door to see the two of them staring at Mumbo and Skizz, almost analyzing the two of them. After a long pause, Grian broke the silence.
“So… what were you doing when you left us?”
“H-he was just helping me with something,” Mumbo stammered. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Grian, it was about your wedding.”
“Sure it wasn’t about your wedding?” Grian asked, a small smirk creeping onto his face.
Mumbo opened his mouth, ready to retort an insult back, but before he could, Skizz cut him off.
“Alright, we’re losing time and we need to get you ready G-Sharp, we’ve got the suit, I just need to get your hair fixed. Let’s get moving guys, no time to waste!”
And with that, the group got started, getting both themselves and Grian ready in time for the wedding.
——
An hour later, the four were almost dressed- with Gem attempting to smoothen out her ruby dress and fixing up her eye makeup, Mumbo in his classic suit tweaking Skizz’s hair, and Grian touching up his face with setting spray and then promptly sputtering and coughing.
Gem turned on her phone to see a missed call from Lizzie and a text telling her to come to where she is. Seeing how Lizzie’s the ring bearer and Gem has the rings, she assumed it was about that and grabbed the rings from Mumbo’s hand before waving goodbye and leaving, leaving the groomsmen to have a moment to themselves.
Walking to the room, Gem looked down at her phone for any calls or texts, even though she knew no one would call. Gem told Pearl not to contact her today, anyways.
Stop thinking about her, it’s Grian’s and Scar’s wedding day. Get it together!
Gem stopped in the hallway and took a deep breath, focusing on the way the air filled up her lungs as she breathed. After a moment, she continued walking, entering the room with a smile on her face and the rings in her hand..
“Gem!” Lizzie exclaimed, rushing over to her and clasping her hands with Gem’s. “You’re here, thank goodness. Please help me with these two, their hair is untamable and I need to fix their makeup quick.”
Gem looked over at the two men and took in their appearance. While their suits seemed nice and unwrinkled, the list ended there. Their hair was a mess and eyeshadow seemed to have ended up on Scar’s nose, while Jimmy’s upper forehead and a bit of his hair seemed to be caked in what looked like foundation.
Looking at Lizzie, it was clear that she had participated in whatever happened with the duo, as her hair was ruffled and sticking out in odd places, along with lipstick smeared from her mouth. It only took a few moments before she agreed, getting to work.
The Bamboozlers immediately started rushing across the room, Gem pausing for a moment before joining in. The room was a whirlwind of activity and chatter, and in no time at all, the trio was ready with everything combed and straightened out.
Gem passed the rings over to Lizzie, and she ushered the groom out the room to get everything set up in the reception hall and the ceremony site, Jimmy rushing after the other two Bamboozlers and Gem trailing after him.
——
Grian stood at the front near the altar, anxiously toying with the hem of his tie as everyone had gotten set up. Mumbo and Skizz, standing next to him, offered him quiet reassurances, which helped to settle the butterflies swarming his stomach.
Suddenly, the wedding party seemed to quieten down and his groomsmen got into their spots as the music started, Grian bracing himself and standing impossibly straight. However, when Grian saw Scar walking down the aisle, he knew that no amount of bracing could’ve possibly prepared Grian for the multitude of emotions he felt simply looking at him.
Scar’s hair was pressed back with gel that shone under the light, sporting a dark green suit that made his eyes shine like emeralds. In his hand was a bouquet of flowers- the tradition of throwing the bouquet was one that Scar always enjoyed. His eyes already had tears forming, his face bright red, and if Grian looked at himself he was sure that his face was the same.
Scar reached the end of the aisle and took his place across from Grian, the officiant clearing his throat. It was the same person used for Joel and Lizzie’s wedding, a man named Ren. Soon after Lizzie and Joel’s wedding, Grian had connected the dots between the familiarity he felt looking at Ren (and by extension, his partner Martyn as well, who was playing the music) and realized they were the well known vigilantes that had tried to help him back when he was trapped by the G’s.
He pushed the thought out of his mind as Ren started speaking- this was a day for celebration after all. Grian felt like he was floating the entire ceremony, the whole thing still feeling unreal, as if when he blinked this would all cease and he would be back in his home all of those years ago, feeding Maui and Pearl and worrying about the clinic, rather than the city’s most dangerous villains. His memory felt patched up and he was blanking out, with how one moment Scar was saying his vows, and the next Grian himself was saying I do, with Ren reciting his line and Scar pulling him close, kissing him like nothing mattered.
And in that moment, it felt like nothing did. He could hardly feel the voices all around them cheering or the music reaching a crescendo over his heartbeat prominent in his ears, beating wildly out of control as they kissed. When they eventually pulled apart, red-lipped and breathing heavily, Grian locked eyes with Scar, and it felt like time itself stopped. If he could, he would be lost in those sparkling emerald eyes until he was lowered into the ground and buried six feet under.
Eventually, the pair got off the altar and Scar threw the bouquet, landing in Tango’s arms, leading to a very flushed Jimmy and a sputtering Tango, to the amusement of both Grian and Scar. Lizzie soon dragged them to get photographed and they chatted idly with guests. Soon afterwards, Grian and Scar rushed to the reception and immediately started stuffing their faces with all the food they could find. It’s their wedding after all- they can do practically anything without getting any weird looks.
The rest of the party extended far into the night, a whirlwind of activity and laughter as all the guests filled up their wine glass and started to slur their words, tripping over their feet and faces growing more flushed as time passed by. The night passed by in bits and pieces, with Jimmy and Joel competing to try and fit the most garlic knots in their mouth one moment (Jimmy won, if Grian could recall correctly, but not without throwing up soon after), and Grian causing chaos with Gem by his side.
The last thing Grian could remember was watching the Tuff Guys trio try and do obscure poses that he couldn’t even begin to attempt, before his memories blanked out and he woke up in a hotel room, curled up next to Scar.
When Grian woke up, he first opened his eyes and stared straight ahead, looking at the ceiling and trying to get his thoughts in order. The first thing he noticed was his pounding headache- he must’ve drank a ton the night before. He could barely remember what had happened, either, and left his train of thought in favor of observing Scar- the way his chest rose and fell as he breathed, and his scars littered all over his body. Grian was still in shock (and in awe) that this man was his husband, that he’d gotten so lucky as to end up with him and be able to spend the rest of his life with the treasure that was Scar. He could figure out what happened the night before later in the day, but for now he’d hold his husband tight and never let go.