Shoot Your Shot

Epilogue

10 Years Later

The buzz outside the door did nothing for his already rising anxiety and twisting nerves. Pacing around the room, he toyed with his nails, chewing on his lip as he went. He heard the door open, and quickly turned to face it. The two slipped in and closed the door behind them before looking at him. "Please tell me you haven't been in here pacing back and forth like some new father waiting for news?" He rolled his eyes the moment the words came out of his little brothers mouth.

"Of course he has! It's a big day today, Angel, be nice."

"Oh, he don't know the meaning of the word." His reply gained him a gasp of insult from the other man, but he didn't pay it any mind. Turning, he started heading back to check himself in the mirror one more time.

"Stop that! Come on, let's have a drink to help with the nerves." Angel rushed over and grabbed his arm to drag him across the room. He didn't argue today, even though he really didn't feel like it would help.

"I already feel like I'm gonna puke. We might as well make it actually happen." He reached for the drink when Molly handed it over, but Angel snatched it first.

"You get any sleep?" He scoffed.

"I was supposed to sleep? Damn, nobody told me that." The man gave him a serious look and pulled the drink further away. "I got a few hours, but it was hard, okay?"

"We did kind of keep you two apart for a week." Molly shrugged and Angel gave her a confounded look before handing him the glass.

"A week?! It's only supposed to be a day!" Downing the glass in one gulp, he set the flute on the counter and moved to the couch to the side. Dropping his body on the cushions, he reminded himself to breathe.

"I know that! But we wanted to be extra careful with the whole thing and you know... It's bad luck to see each other before the day so...."

"The day before, Molly, not the week before!" He watched his brother drag his hand over his face with a pained groan. "This is how we know you aren't in a relationship, you know. It's hard to sleep alone when you haven't done it in a while."

"He slept just fine! Otherwise he'd look like the walking dead!"

"I," They both turned to look at him. "I slept when you let me go home those few times. In my own bed." Because it smelled like Pentious and was familiar. He'd tried to sleep in the hotel bed, he really had given it a shot, but he'd only managed about two hours at a time. When they'd given him the freedom to go home for hours, by keeping Pentious busy themselves, he'd done nothing but sleep while hugging his lover's pillow.

"Have you eaten at least?" Angel propped his hands on his hips and he cringed.

"Don't... don't give me mommy treatment, Angel. I'm older than you."

"So, the answer is "no". Al!" His brother started for the door and he sat up.

"It's probably gonna come backup anyways, why bother?"

"So you don't pass out on your fuckin' wedding day!" His brother slipped from the room and he dropped back to the cushions with a sigh. He heard Molly pour herself a drink before she came and sat in the chair across from him.

"He's right, you know. You should eat something. You really don't wanna get all the way up there only to pass out and fall flat on your face." He groaned and turned to look at her.

"Why the fuck am I so nervous? I love him, and I know he loves me. So why?" Covering his face with his hands, he wanted to scream, to race to the other side of the manor and hunt his fiance down to hear him say it just one more time.