"This is insane! She hired us a whole house?" It looked like it must have five or six bedrooms, far too big for just the two of them. Nines, however, seemed far less surprised. Wrapping an arm around Gavin's waist, he kissed his temple and took in the sight. Though it wasn't theirs, he couldn't help wondering if this was how it would feel to get a proper home. Their apartment was fine, but it wasn't theirs. It was just a rental. There was also something novel about having an actual house rather than a room or an apartment. Gavin pulled his large suitcase a little closer, wheels scraping loudly across the ground.

"You underestimate the space required to prepare for such a large-scale event. As the Man of Honour, it is your job to ensure everything is ready in the morning. Dressing rooms, a place for hair and make-up, a suitable place to wait for the cars." When he put it like that, having such a large space was probably necessary. With her college friends and cousins, Tina had eight bridesmaids plus him and Nines. Tina would have a dressing room for herself, Nines and Gavin would have their own room, and then there would need to be one or two other places for the rest of the bridesmaids to dress. Not to mention Tina's mother and father would come over to get a ride to the venue and make sure everything went according to plan.

"Shit, that's a point! We need to get busy!" Nines chuckled, grabbing Gavin's arm before he could go running off into the house. He was anxious, and that had only gotten worse in the month since meeting Danny. Now he had two people he had to pull through for. He'd managed to plan a suitable hen night for Tina. Being unconventional, they'd taken the girls paint balling in the forest. Luckily, they were all good sports, even the most dainty and girlish of the group had taken to it with enthusiasm. If Gavin had learned anything that day, it was to never give a loaded gun to an angry woman. They were merciless. After paint balling, they'd had a nice dinner, gone to see a movie, and hit a local bar. No strippers, no excessive drinking, just an all-round good time.

After that, they had other things to get done. Dress fittings had taken longer than expected. Despite looking for hours, Tina had struggled to find anything she liked, for her or the bridesmaids. Luckily, Tina's mother had come through for her, offering her own wedding dress. That meant a lot to Tina, so all they had to find was the bridesmaid's dresses. After seeing a picture of the wedding dress, Nines had helped Tina select something simple and demure in powder blue for the bridesmaids. After getting prices for the dresses, Gavin had chased up all the bridesmaids for money and fittings. They'd even found matching shoes, bracelets and tiaras. Nines and Gavin had their own suits they could wear. Simple black wouldn't ruin the pictures, though Gavin had relented and bought a blue shirt to match the girls. He was the Man of Honour, after all.

The rehearsal dinner had been pretty easy in comparison. It was just a case of chasing everyone up and getting them to the venue on time. They did a run through of pretty much everything. Music, timing, speeches, dinner courses, and talking about plans for the day. What time for hair and make-up? How long would they need to get ready before the cars arrived at eleven? Who would be in which car? They'd need to co-ordinate with the groom's party to ensure they and the guests reached the venue first and had enough time to get settled before the bride showed up.

"Don't worry. The wedding isn't until tomorrow. We have plenty of time to get the house ready." Most of it would be rather simple. Unpack the dresses and accessories and get them laid out for the next day. Make sure nothing was missing. Check the flowers and make sure they all looked good. Get Tina's room set up with cards, gifts, well-wishes, and everything she needed to get ready. Gavin calmed a little at Nines' reassurance. Even if they were pressed for time, he didn't need to worry with Nines on the case. "Tina said she would meet us here at five with all of her things, giving us the chance to settle in first." Despite her kindness, Nines knew Gavin wouldn't relax. He'd jump straight into the bridesmaid duties first and make sure they were set for the next day. Then he would set out their dresses and ensure they were ready. Only once everything was ready would he relax.

"Right, that's about three hours away," Gavin said as he checked his watch. Nines huffed and kissed him, cupping his cheek and stroking his stubble in a way that always calmed him. It had the desired effect. Gavin sighed a breath and closed his eyes, leaning in for more as Nines licked his bottom lip.

"Three hours. So try to enjoy yourself. We have this house for the whole weekend!" The wedding was tomorrow in the early afternoon with the dinner and reception in the evening, and they would have the whole of Sunday to pack up and enjoy the peaceful town. Tina had found a venue in a little town just outside Detroit with a beautiful manor that hired out its hall for weddings. They couldn't afford to house everyone at the manor, so most had found local rentals and hotels. Having such an important role, Tina's parents had paid for Nines and Gavin to have this house. Tina was staying in another house on the same street with her parents.

"Alright-alright..." Gavin looked a little calmer as he drew back and took a nervous breath. Taking his hand, Nines led the way up the front steps and opened the door. It looked like somewhere Elijah might have rented for a small vacation. The front room had soft cream carpets and matching furniture, and the kitchen at the back of the house was all soft creams and wooden counters. There was a second lounge by the stairs, which would be great for the bridesmaids to wait for the cars. It was almost like this place was set up for events like this. Going upstairs, they found three bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor, and then the attic was one giant bedroom with an ensuite. "I guess this is our room." It made sense since it was furthest from the door.

"Tina said her mother had already stopped by with the dresses and things." Humming, Gavin left his case by the bed and headed down to the second floor. It seemed Tina's mother had decided already. There was a small bedroom where a case that looked a lot like Tina's had been left. Opening it, Gavin found her shoes, jewellery bag, and veil, but there was no sign of the dress. He set out what he could on the dressing table and carefully packed the boxes and bags back into the case, which he tucked down the side of the bed where no one would go.

The next two larger bedrooms had been set up to hold four bridesmaids each. Nines helped as Gavin gathered the dresses and split each room into four sections. Two dresses were hung on the wardrobe doors, and the other two were laid on the bed. Shoes, tiaras, and jewellery were set out on the dressing table and bedside tables. Luckily, each dressing bag came with a name tag, so Gavin left those sitting on the table of each bridesmaid so they knew which spot was theirs. To give the girls more space, Nines took the cases and set them on top of the wardrobe, out of the way.

"Where can we have hair and make-up set up?" They'd need space for all their stuff. Going downstairs, Gavin and Nines agreed that the third, smallest parlour by the kitchen would be a suitable space for that. There were wall sockets for hairdryers, plenty of light from the large French doors, and if the weather was good, they could even open up to the garden for a little ventilation. Too much hairspray could be a nightmare. With that done, Gavin headed to the kitchen. "Flowers...flowers." Nines followed with a wry smile as Gavin entered the kitchen and looked inside the thick paper bags. Bouquets for each bridesmaid and Tina. Nines helped as Gavin removed the flowers from the bags and checked them over.

"The arrangements are quite lovely," Nines murmured as he turned one of the small bouquets. White and blue, to match the dresses. Tina's flowers were a mixture of yellow, red, and purple, far more colourful than those of her bridesmaids. There was a mixture of flowers. Something like a lily, some red rose-like flowers, and a few smaller purple blooms woven between. The flowers were also freshly cut and of high quality. They would survive until the wedding with negligible difference in their petals, especially since each bouquet had a water bag taped around the stems. "We should leave them as they are for now. In the morning, while the girls are dressing, we can remove them from the water and get them ready to go."

"Shit, I hope everything goes okay." Nines rested his hands on Gavin's hips and pulled him closer, safely setting the flowers aside. He could feel Gavin's pulse fluttering with nerves the moment he touched his skin. He was warm, blood rushing beneath the surface. Pulling him closer, Nines rested their foreheads together and swayed back and forth. Gavin closed his eyes, accepting the reassurance and taking a breath to steel himself.

"Everything will be fine...Minor variables may be beyond our control, but we will make the day a success." Gavin nodded. Nines was right. The things they could control would be fine, and if something happened, they'd find a way around it. A car might break down, but they had multiple cars hired to make two trips. If hair and make-up didn't show, the girls had enough experience doing it themselves, and it wasn't that important anyway. If the photographer fucked up, Nines was there with his high definition eyes. A spilled drink on a dress could be cleaned, patched, or hidden with angles. Dead flowers could be picked out and replaced with ones from other arrangements around the venue. As long as the bride, groom, and officiator were there, the wedding would go ahead, no problem. "Tina knows how much work you've put into this. She'll appreciate it no matter what happens."

"Thanks, it's just...I've never done this before." Nines smiled and kissed his forehead again. It always warmed him that Gavin was willing to share his insecurities with him. He allowed himself to feel weak and vulnerable in his presence, something that had taken many months of work. Nines didn't even think he showed this side to Tina and Elijah.

"I know, but you're doing it well." Gavin relaxed at the reassurance. Tucking Gavin against his shoulder, Nines rocked from side to side, counting down the heartbeats as he relaxed. Gavin wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in his shoulder, breathing in the light blend of thirium and cologne. "We still have around an hour before Tina arrives. Why don't we go upstairs, run a bath, and relax?" Drawing back, Gavin nodded. Nines was right. They had time to relax, and him being on edge all the time wouldn't help anyone. He'd done everything he could to make the day a success. They had everything they needed, everyone was coming, and nothing would go wrong.

"Gavin!" The front door opened with a bang, a shrill voice ringing through the hall. "Gavin! Nines!" They parted in an instant, both hurrying to the stairs as they heard light footsteps running up them.

"Tina?" Gavin knew her crying voice when he heard it. "What happened? Are you alright?" He reached the top of the stairs just as she was coming out of the first bedroom. Her hair was down around her waist, tears streaming down her cheeks as she dragged the bag for her dress along the floor. Gavin opened his arms in an instant, looking at Nines like a deer in headlights as he stroked her hair and patted her back. He couldn't even make out what she was saying through her tears. "Hey-hey-hey! Slow down, alright? Talk to me..." Drawing back, Gavin cupped her cheeks and stroked away the tears with his thumbs. "What's the matter, Teeny?"

"The whole wedding's ruined!"