Positive (a Solangelo AU)

The Wedding

Date: October 30, 1981

      Nico's tuxedo was overly large on him and hung off his small frame, but the thick fabric still seemed to smother him. It was a brisk, windy day and the wedding was taking place in a park, but Nico still sweated as he waited for it to begin. At least he didn't have to worry about his makeup sweating off like Hazel did. She had gotten her curly hair braided and wore light touches of color on her lips and eyes. Her ivory white wedding gown, which was tea-length with long-sleeves and a lace bodice, made her dark skin pop. Nico imagined the dress was uncomfortable, but it was an exquisite creation.

It turned out that Hazel had been able to afford the wedding. Piper easily convinced Silena to give Hazel a steep discount on the custom-made gown and Jason helped Frank find a tuxedo to rent and gave him a bow tie. Nico and Persephone helped do much of the baking for the event. Leo, Hazel's boyfriend in high school, helped Frank make the canopy for the wedding. He was attending the event with his girlfriend, Calypso, along with many others Nico hadn't seen in years.

"Nico, it's starting!" Persephone said, hurrying over to her step-son. "Go! Your sister will need her flower boy."

Hazel was accompanied by Hades as she walked to the canopy Leo had made. It was made of twisted and discarded bits of metals that gleamed in the cold afternoon sunlight. Nico followed his sister with a bouquet of sweet-smelling jasmine. He tossed the flowers on the ground as he walked and the crowd seemed to sigh.

When Nico's task was finished, he sat down in the front tie as Frank came out, accompanied by his grandmother. She was a stern woman and though she was half a foot shorter than her strapping grandson, she seemed to intimidate him instead of the other way around. When Frank walked up the steps to the canopy, he tripped but managed to stay on his feet. The crowd tittered slightly as Frank blushed.

Reverend Chiron began to recite the vows the couple had written themselves, they looked on each other with deep tenderness in their eyes. Nico felt a stirring in his heart. He was happy for them, but part of him knew he would never experience what the two people before him were.

"And you shall value each other over any jewel," Reverend Chiron said, "and care for each other as you grow and change. You shall love each other even if you discovered the other was brought back from the dead or could transform their shape at will. Do you, Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque promise to uphold these vows you jointly wrote?"

"I do," Frank said confidently.

"I do," Hazel said breathlessly.

"Then the two of you are married in the eyes of law," Reverend Chiron said. "You may now kiss one another."

The couple shared a soft, sweet kiss. Nico felt his heart dance and writhe as the wedding-goers began to cheer. He caught a pair of eyes staring at him and saw an unfamiliar, but handsome face. The rest of the day was a blur of food and drinks and when Nico woke up the next day, he realized he was in a stranger's house.