Remus and I stumbled back into our room that night exhausted, all of our energy having been spent talking and dancing and laughing at the wedding.
I dropped the heels that I had taken off long ago by the door and peeled off the pink dress, changing into one of Remus's shirts and sliding under the covers. I pulled the pin out from behind my head and shook out my hair as Remus flopped down beside me, having switched into a pair of sweats.
"Maybe you were right about dancing alone," Remus breathed seriously. "You're terrible. I'm not sure I want everyone to see that."
I shoved him on the shoulder and we both started laughing as our heads fell back onto the pillows.
"I'm better at slow dancing than you are at regular dancing," I argued. Remus placed a hand over his heart offendedly.
"You didn't think my breakdancing was top tier?"
"I thought your breakdancing might actually break you."
Remus laughed again, his eyes crinkling in the corners and his mouth pushing upwards in a large smile. He tucked my hair behind my ear and his smile softened.
His fingers traced carefully along my face, trailing lightly around my ear, under my jawline, over the top of my lips, and then gently across the scar on my nose.
"Do you want to get married?" He asked, his hand falling to caress my face as his thumb moved softly over my cheek.
"To you?" I replied jokingly.
"Yes, to me!" Remus exclaimed.
"Hmm, I don't know," I said thoughtfully. "I'd have to think about it."
"Oh, you'd have to think about it, would you?" Remus asked testingly.
"No, I'm kidding," I said, my smile fading as my eyes locked onto his and my heart beat loudly in my chest. "Ask me."
"Right now?" Remus asked.
"Mhm."
"I don't have a ring," he said.
"We have rings," I replied, lifting up my right hand and holding out my pinky.
"I don't have a speech," he said.
"No speech," I answered quietly.
"No?" He asked. I shook my head.
"Just ask."
Remus's eyes floated through mine for a moment, flickering over my face before he smiled and propped his head up on his hand, looking down at me.
"Alright," he said, clearing his throat officially. "Sydney Adella Carter, will you marry me?"
I smiled as everything washed into place. All of our fears, all of our tears, all of our promises. All of our love coursed through me perfectly, making everything seem exactly as it should.
I smiled as I looked into Remus's deep brown eyes that swallowed me whole, that crashed over me and made me entirely helpless and entirely lost while also entirely found.
I smiled looking at the boy I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
I smiled, and I said,
"I'm sorry, no."
Remus's head crashed down into the pillow and I burst out laughing, rolling my head into his bare chest briefly before pulling back to look at his face.
"That's not funny," he said.
"It was a little funny," I replied.
"It was not."
Remus pressed his mouth into a line in a poor attempt to be serious, but his smile gave way and spread back through his face, reaching all the way back up to his drowning eyes.
"Ask me again," I said, barely above a whisper.
Remus's eyes locked onto mine and we both fell into each other. We both dropped through into the depths together.
"Marry me, Syd."
I let out a small breath and smiled.
"Okay."
Remus's smile spread to me and his lips crashed into mine, pulling me down and down forever and ever with no hopes of coming up for air, with no hopes of swimming away.
"Do you really want to go through another wedding ceremony?" Remus asked when we broke apart. We both glanced over at our nice clothing that had been discarded so easily on the floor and I laughed.
"I don't have any family to invite."
"Syd, that's terrible."
"It's funny!"
Remus shook his head, though his smile refused to fall off of his face.
"Want to just get married here?" I asked. "Then we don't even have to sit up."
Remus nodded slowly as if contemplating the offer and then ran his fingers along my hairline with a smile.
"Okay," he said.
"Okay," I said.
"We have to do vows," Remus declared professionally. "James and Frank's weddings had vows."
"Do you know how to write vows?" I asked. Remus shook his head and I smiled.
I shifted to rest my head on the arm underneath me, and with my right hand I lifted my pinky out to Remus.
"They're just like promises," I said. "What do you want to promise me?"
Remus smiled and linked his ringed pinky with mine. The bands flushed white, like they usually did, but instead of two black borders, the edge of the rings carried gold lines, and the two little figures were gold, too, and appeared to be dressed in a suit and a wedding gown as flowers floated down around them.
"I promise to keep you smiling," Remus said, pulling my attention back to him. "Every single day."
"Even when you hate me?" I asked. Remus shook his head.
"Even when I hate you," he said. "Which is never."
I smiled.
"Your turn," Remus grinned.
"Hmm, okay," I said.
I looked over the boy beside me, with his faded scars and soft smile and golden eyes.
I looked over the boy who helped me up on the platform and kissed me in the rain and bought us matching pajamas.
I looked over the boy who loved to read and wouldn't let me cook and held me tighter when I tried to push him away.
I looked over the boy who was my family, long before he let me into his own.
I looked over the boy who loved far more than anyone deserved, and I said my vow.
"I promise to look after you," I said. "And to always be yours."
Remus smiled at the words, his eyes never leaving mine as he whispered,
"You and me."
My eyes never leaving his as I whispered,
"Forever."
And he spun our interlocked hands around so we could kiss each other's thumbs before kissing each other's lips.
And we were married.
And we didn't have a big ceremony or a large crowd or even a witness. But we didn't need one.
There was only Remus, and that was perfect.
_____
A/N
LUNEY BUT LEGALIZED YUP
ALSO 300K READS ???? STFU. STFU FOREVER OMFG THANK YOU AHH
song: look after you - the fray
how it applies: i'm literally in love w this song like i wrote the chapter specifically to fit this song idc
ALSO GO LISTEN TO THE COVER BY LOUIS TOMLINSON BC OMFG. PERFECTION.