The Day(Story Post)The sun had just set as the first guests arrived at the house. Lino put himself i
The Day(Story Post)The sun had just set as the first guests arrived at the house. Lino put himself in charge of entertainment, so he greeted each guest as they came in. They just wanted to keep it mainly family and a few friends, just a little gathering and hangout, and food would be potluck.Mr and Mrs Mannan arrived first, Lino and Dante’s parents, and they brought samosas, onion bhaji, chicken tikka, a baked ziti, and a bottle of Franciacorta. Dante had asked them ahead of time to keep it simple, they weren’t feeding a hundred people, but they insisted this was the bare minimum (as well as several desserts), and frankly there were several other dishes they wanted to bring but had cut out.Yori invited Nathan and Dax and they brought homemade cookies and blueberry bannock. As soon as they arrived, the triplets cornered Dax and told him how much they’d missed him as their teacher. He apologised and agreed to play with them for a while in the kid’s space of the party. With the twins at Korsgaard’s house for the evening, Nathan went and mingled with the adults, generally sticking around Yori as he often did during group. The dog spirit’s calm yet somewhat chaotic personality made conversations fun and interesting, and frankly he felt very grateful to be invited at all to such an event.Sydryn showed up shortly after the couple bearing a French charcuterie platter and strawberry cheese tarts. They had initially considered declining the invitation because they didn’t enjoy ‘mingling’ and ‘small talk’, plus being the prettiest one in any room was exhausting… Originally, Syd had in fact invited Dr. Ix since they thought the Yulinian would enjoy the chance to observe a human ritual for research purposes, however Ix was quick to decline. But Köbi was a key guest and wanted Syd to go with them, so he reminded them that otherwise they were stuck at home with Seranan every night, so this would be a nice change for once. Sydryn folded and went as Köbi’s plus one.Dusty had also hesitated to RSVP, however Lino had invited him as a friend. Not to mention, it was a family event and Grey was family, so the option was either to go with him, or drop him off and wait at home worried about how Grey was doing with so many people around. He wasn’t much of a cook himself since he didn’t really need to eat food, so he brought a pinot noir. He stuck around Lino and Vi for the night, occasionally checking on the children when they hung out in the bedroom.Fay arrived a little later than he planned. The original plan was for he and Dari to attend, but Dari decided rather last minute that he didn’t want to go because it was too many people he didn’t really know, but he insisted Fay still go so he could tell him about it. Not to mention, he didn’t feel like it was fair to Camilo to babysit now that he had his own child to worry about. Fay was pretty sure Camilo didn’t mind, but he called and cancelled with him anyway and went over to the party on his own. He also kept Dusty company and mused over his and Lino’s wilder days before they both became parents. He brought over his favourite seafood paella, knowing full well there likely wouldn’t be a lot of pescatarian dishes for himself and Vi coming in from guests.Last to arrive was Lino and Dante’s sister, Siena. She apologised a lot because she’d flown in from university the day before and had every intention of being on time, but her high school friends had insisted on a day out and they kept her out longer than she’d planned. Their mother gave her a few scolding words, but truly everything was meant to be as casual as possible and as long as everyone was there, that’s all that mattered.There was no schedule, everyone could eat when they wanted to, chit chat, play some games. That night everyone found out that Vi was absolutely terrible at charades, and Köbi was a whiz at Texas Hold ‘Em. While Sydryn was unbeatable at Scrabble, Fay was abysmal at it because he kept forgetting they all had to be English words. The kids entertained themselves for the most part with snacks and LEGO in the triplets’ room, but they did join the adults occasionally for more family oriented group games.Around 9pm that night, everyone was still enjoying themselves and socialising, but Ruben, Dante, & Yori excused themselves to go outside to the backyard. The adults in the room paused, giving them their attention, but the three just smiled to them all and said they’d be right back. Lino nodded to his brother and asked everyone left to get their phones out for some Jackbox games, and that kept everyone well occupied for the time being while his brother and his partners were out. In the back, it was dark out, but the yard was lit dimly by fairy lights wrapped around an arch. Köbi snuck out a little earlier to prepare and met them with a warm smile as they joined him. Dante adjusted Ruben’s bow tie. Yori took both their hands.When they returned to the party just a few minutes later, Vi nudged Lino to alert him.Lino grinned and went to meet them at the back door more privately. “Did you do it?”Yori proudly held out his partner’s hands, showing off the simple but elegant wedding bands on all of their ring fingers, two per person.Ruben was in tears but he was trying desperately to maintain his composure. “We did.”Dante slapped a hand on the back of Lino’s neck and gripped it teasingly. “Now, it’s your turn.”“Ugh, shut up… This is your day.” Lino chuckled. “Yulinians don’t believe in it, anyway.”“But do you?” Dante asked, patting his back.“Not really, no,” Lino admitted. “But, anyway, this isn’t about me. Come on. Let’s celebrate!”Dante squeezed Ruben’s hand as Lino ran back to the living room to get everyone’s attention.“Hey! Everyone shut up!” Lino said to an already quiet and waiting group. “They’re married!”The room erupted into applause. Köbi slipped past them beaming after his first ever officiation, going to find Syd hiding in the kitchen with Dusty so he could tell them all about it. Mr and Mrs Mannan got up to give their son and sons-in-law hugs. Siena got her chance too just after them, making sure to give her eldest brother a good squeeze.“Never thought you had it in you,” Siena said messing with his hair.“Honestly, same… I never thought I’d get married,” Dante admitted.“And suddenly you have two husbands,” Siena teased. “0 to 100 really quick.”“I wouldn’t say raising our kids together for the last 6 and a half years is quick…”Siena just shrugged. “Well, I’m really proud of you.”“Little sisters don’t get to say that. You sound like ma.”“That is because I made her!” his mother said, wedging herself between them for another hug. “Mimmo, I am so so proud. My biggest boy is married! Mio passerotto… I am going to cry…”“Ahhh, don’t cry, Mama…” Dante said. “Relax… Let’s go sit down.”“Okay, okay…”As Dante guide his mother back to her seat, his father chose to corner Ruben. “So, your parents couldn’t be here, huh?”“No. They couldn’t make it,” Ruben said.“That’s a shame. I was looking forward to meeting them,” his now father-in-law said, patting his arm.“Trust me, you don’t want to meet the de Vrieses… Miserable people,” Ruben stated. “My father especially.”“But it’s your wedding day, son,” Mr Mannan said. “Something any parent wants to be involved in. Even if they are just sitting inside while you have a little secret wedding in the back.”“Yeah, none of us are big on huge…traditional events. But listen, Mr Mannan—”“Harshveer, please,” his father-in-law said. Then he nudged his arm. “Or Harsh… Or Dad, eh?”Ruben smiled. “Harsh… My parents cut themselves out of my life. They don’t even know I’m gay, let alone that I have a family. I’m happier without them in my life.”“Well, son… You know, as a parent, it’s a little hard to hear,” Harshveer said, rubbing Ruben’s back. “I would be heartbroken were my children to ever think of me that way.”“Sure, but you and Mrs Mannan are very lovely people and your kids wouldn’t have any reason to say what I’m saying. And I’m very happy to have you in our family. You know, I’m a parent too. I understand. I would be devasted to hear the same from my kids. But I strive to be the kind of parents you are to my children, so they may never deal with what I went through with my folks…”His father-in-law smiled and nodded slowly. “I appreciate that… And as far as I see, you’re a good father. You should be proud.”“Thank you…”In the opposite corner of the room, Yori had plunked himself down on the couch between Nathan and Dax, eager to show off his wedding rings.“I’ve decided the left is for Ruben and the right is for Dante,” he was saying. “Or maybe the opposite… No, that’s right.”“Six rings must have been expensive,” Dax commented, looking at the wedding band on Yori’s left hand.“I didn’t really care if we got them, but Ruben and Dante insisted,” Yori said. “They wanted to make sure we were all equally involved in this wedding, even if it really is just them getting married.”“What do you mean, just them?” Nathan asked. “You’re not married to them?”“Well, I am for what it’s worth,” Yori said. “That’s what the rings are for. But I’m just a spirit.”Dante came over when he overheard. “Yori means, he can’t be married on paper,” Dante said. “Because he doesn’t really have a legal identity… Not to mention, it is illegal to be married to more than one spouse in Canada.”“Oh, true…” Nathan said. He rubbed his forehead. “I just don’t know how you manage to keep things…you know, balanced between the three of you.”“Well, it’s not really a matter of balance,” Yori said. “My relationship to Dante is different from his relationship to Ruben which is different from Ruben’s relationship with me. They’re just different.”“Right, and it was Yori’s idea anyway that Ruben and I should get married,” Dante said. “Can’t really be worried about him when it’s his idea.”“Why did you want them to get married?” Dax asked.Nathan elbowed him. “Dax! Kinda rude? We’re literally at their wedding.”“I’m just curious!” Dax said.“It’s fine,” Yori said. “And, I wanted to because I knew Ruben wanted to but was worried about me.”“So, Ruben’s the hopeless romantic in the relationship,” Dax deduced. “I see.”“Yeah, that’s about right,” Dante admitted. “I’m not really the romantic type… And Yori’s not really the serious type.”Yori just nodded in agreement, beaming. “I don’t need romance, just cake. And a wedding is a good time to get cake, so I’ve heard.”Dante rolled his eyes. “You’ll get your cake. We’ll pull it out and cut it after the kids go to bed so they aren’t wired all night.”“What, they don’t get any cake?” Dax pouted. “At their own parent’s wedding?”“They’ll have some tomorrow,” Dante said. “Yori’s kids are little cake goblins like him though, so if we want any cake, we have to keep it from them.”“I’m not a goblin, I’m a spirit,” Yori corrected.“I know. It was a joke,” Dante said. “And anyway, they really enjoyed the bannock you two brought.”Dax lit up. “Thank you! It was my first time trying to make it, and I’m really happy how it turned out.”“Yeah, turned out perfect, love it,” Dante said patting his back.“Yori…” Nathan started. “You’re due in, what, a week or two?”“Yep. Two and a half weeks,” Yori said, proudly rubbing his stomach.“Must be excited,” Dax said. “Four kids, though! Incredible.”“Five kids,” Yori said.“Five?” Dax questioned. “I only know the triplets…”“He means’s Grey,” Dante said. “Grey’s my son with Dusty. You may have seen them, although I think they’ve been upstairs most of the time…”“I don’t remember seeing any children older than the triplets,” Dax said, to which Nathan gave him another elbow to the side. “What?”“You’re so nosy…” Nathan said. “It’s their wedding day.”“It’s alright,” Dante said, waving it off with a smile. “But you may have guessed, Grey’s the little one. My eyes. It’s not what you think, but it’s a bit complicated.”“Demons have their own way of reproducing,” Yori said. “Dante and Dusty never had sex.”“Demons?” Dax asked.“Yeah, Dusty. Don’t worry about it,” Nathan said.“I’m not worried about it,” Dax assured. “But my interest has been piqued.”“Leave it alone,” Nathan insisted. “Anyway… Yori, you must be excited for the little one on the way.”Yori nodded happily, rubbing the side of his stomach. “I miss having a little baby… They get older and they go to school and I have no one home with me. I just want another little baby to snuggle with and care for. It’s the best stage.”“You know, they’ll just get older too,” Dax commented.“I know… But I want to feel it again, even just for a little bit,” Yori said. “Before the triplets, I never even thought I could raise a baby… My job was to just make them and send them away, but when Dante and Ruben said they wanted to raise them with me, it was… It was all very exciting and new.”“By send them away…” Dax inquired.“He means he was going to deliver them to the spirit world where he came from to grow and be spirits like him,” Dante said. “But they were our children and we wanted them.”“I mean, yeah… Of course,” Dax said.“Listen, back then, I will admit, we didn’t know a substantial amount about each other,” Dante said. “Ruben’s relationship with Yori had forced him out of the closet which was very uncomfortable for him, and there was a lot of misconceptions surrounding the pregnancy… Not to mention, misbehaviour on my part… Honestly, I don’t know how it all worked out the way it did, but here we are. At our wedding.”Ruben managed to pull himself out of a deep conversation with Dante’s father so he could join them and sat down in Dante’s lap.“What’s up, big guy?” Dante said, a bit winded under the 6’5” man’s weight. “Did my Dad talk your ear off?”“Naw, he’s cool.” He patted his lap. “Yori.”Yori perked up. “Oh?”Dante started to try to push Ruben off. “Oh no, no…”Yori got up much quicker than a full-term pregnancy should have allowed and then plopped himself back down in Ruben’s lap, making Dante groan in pain.“Geez, come on guys… Really?” Dante gasped.“What? Your husbands want to be close to you,” Ruben said.“Oh, is that it, huh?” Dante sighed. “At least get your bony butt off my thigh…”“It’s not bony…” Ruben shifted his weight so his rear rested between Dante’s legs. “Better?”“Oh my god, yeah. So much better.” Dante kissed Ruben’s cheek and then down to Yori’s belly. “How did I manage to marry such handsome men?”Ruben blushed just looked down to Yori. “…I love you both so much.”“I love you too,” Dante said, smiling. “I’d love you more if my legs weren’t numb…”“Too bad,” Ruben said. “Yori dozed off.”“So cute…” Dax mused, taking the chance to slide closer to Nathan now that Yori had vacated the spot between them. “Nathan, would you like to sit in my lap?”“Naw, that’s okay…”“Can I sit in your lap, then?”“Haha, no.”Dax pouted. “You’re no fun.”Nathan sighed. “Well, you can get me a drink and I’ll think about it.”Dax shook his head. “You shouldn’t be drinking, remember?”“You can’t drink?” Dante asked. “Why? Meds or something?”Yori popped up from his nap like trodden rake. “Nathan’s pregnant.”Nathan flushed. “Dax…”“No, well, we’re not sure yet,” Dax said. “But we’re trying.”“Nathan’s definitely pregnant,” Yori said. “I can smell it.”“Oh wow!” Dante said. “Congrats, you two!”“Please, it’s your day,” Nathan insisted. “This isn’t about us…”Dante waved a hand. “It’s cool.”“But if you want us to leave it alone, we will,” Ruben said. “We understand not wanting to talk about it until it’s a sure thing.”“It is a sure thing,” Yori stated. “I’m not wrong.”“No one says you are, Yori,” Dante said. “But we have to respect their privacy. The whole point we had our wedding so privately was because we wanted to do in a comfortable and intimate way. Pregnancy can be the same way.”Yori sighed. “Okay…”From across the room, dinging rang out as Lino tapped a champagne flute with a knife. “Alright, everyone shut the fuck up!”“Lino, language!”“Sorry, Mama,” Lino sighed. “Anyway, I wanna do my best man speech real quick so we can move on to putting the kids to bed and getting my brother fucking wasted!”“Lino!”“I swear, Mama! I’m an adult!”“We don’t have a best man, Lino,” Dante said. “There’s no wedding party.”“Well, I’ve appointed myself best man and I wrote a speech and you’re gonna hear it,” Lino said.“Alright, Yori, up…” Ruben said, patting his husband’s shoulder.Yori whined. “Whyyyy?”“Because toasts need drinks and I should grab some for us and our guests,” Ruben said, lifting him off him. “Nathan, we have some ginger ale for Yori and the kids if that works for you too.”“Oh, um, sure.”“You can stay sitting, Slenderman,” Lino said. “Vi’s gonna pass around some drinks. Vi!” Lino called into the kitchen. “Ginger ale for Nathan too!”“Understood!” Vi called back.Yori happily jumped back into Ruben’s lap and everyone waited patiently as Vi came around with their drinks. Fay and Dusty ushered the kids into the room to listen as well and everyone settled down to listen.“I remember the day I first met Dante…” Lino started.“No, you don’t,” Dante interrupted. “You were literally ten minutes old.”“Well, I remember you were always a smartass. Anyway… I remember the day I first met Ruben. Piece of work that guy, let me tell you. But I knew. I KNEW immediately he was deeeeep in the closet. Like so deep, my brother would have to go all the way into Narnia and defeat the White Witch to pull him out. But, apparently all it took was supernatural intervention! In drops a dog named Yori. I remember the day I first met Yori…” -- source link
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