Long ago, there was a kingdom along the western coastline called Bakersfield.
For years, former King Henry Miller had caused the town to lose the liveliness that once brought so much charm to the kingdom, placing unreasonably strict curfews and rules into place.
However, he had been found guilty of crimes against the people of his town, and was promptly executed, despite his threats and promises of return. The executioner had had enough of him, and ordered the guillotine to be used immediately to "silence the fool".
Since then, his last living son, Dave Miller, had taken his place as the king, and the town once again saw color.
"Jack, you've been in here for thirty minutes."
The voice of his brother, Peter Kennedy, broke the former peasant Jack Kennedy out of his trance.
After a long, painful recovery from the torture Henry had put him through, one that was still yet to be fully completed, he and the new king, Dave Miller, had made their relationship official to the rest of the kingdom. Surprisingly, they were accepted, with only a few snide looks and the occasional insult thrown at either of the two.
"Ah, sorry Peter," Jack chuckled, standing up from his stool. Standing by his side was his sister Dee, dressed in a puffy white gown, white socks, and black mary janes, with a chain of snowdrops sat atop her head to accompany her new mask.
"I don't think it's very appropriate to leave the king waiting on his wedding day, you know."
The words sent Jack's heart aflutter, even if he had been hearing similar phrases since they were announced to be engaged.
"I know," He looked around the room, as if the excuse he was going to use was just laying on a shelf or chair. "I just wanna make sure I look like, I don't know, I didn't half-ass my looks?"
Dee looked up at him, and even through the mask, Jack could tell she was looking at him like she could see straight through him. In all honesty, she probably could.
A second later, the door creaked open, and in stepped Charlie. Her entire demeanor had changed ever since Henry's execution, with her smiling more often and being less afraid of her mistakes.
"Mister Kennedy, sir, may I have a moment of your time?" Charlie asked, hands folded behind her back.
Jack gave Dee and Peter the look that said 'Go on without me for a while', and waved over to the vanity where he was sat. He turned back to look at himself, snorting a little at just how over the top his outfit was, in comparison to the rags he usually donned.
"How are you feeling?" Charlie asked, putting her gloved hands on his shoulders and leaning so that her cheek was against the top of his head. "Dave's probably going to faint when he sees you."
Jack laughed softly, pushing her hands away. "I'm... Fine. I think."
"I'm just making sure!" She leaned in, reaching for a little blush. "This stuff is stressful!"
Jack shrugged, lightly tugging the white collar of his suit down to scratch his neck. It baffled him how Dave could wear such overly lacey, stuffy clothing every day of his life. God only knows what sort of clothing he'd be wearing for the ceremony.
Setting the blush down, Charlie looked herself over for a moment or two, before her face fell. She sighed, and looked down at the former gardener.
"... Can I ask you a favor, Jack?"
He could hear the slightest hint of worry in her voice, but nodded, standing up after a half hour of preparations.
"... take care of him." Gently, she grabbed his hands, stroking one of his knuckles with her thumb. "I know you will, but please. Please don't hurt him."
"You sound like his mom right now, Charlie." Jack laughed, watching her posture loosen and her eyes lose that nervous glint. "I wouldn't dream of doing that. I promise I'll be good to him."
Charlie cracked a smile, something that had been long considered impossible to her.
"He'll love every second he spends with you. I just know it."
"I'm going to die."
Dave's hands had been shaking ever since the day started, not out of fear for once in his life. He was honestly surprised he didn't explode on the way to the cathedral.
"Your majesty, you'll be okay," Steven said, patting the king on the back. "He's probably just as nervous as you are right now, if not more. He's getting married to a king!"
"I know, I know," Dave replied, wiping a few tears from his eyes. "I'm just really excited..."
Steven gave him a nod of understanding, toying with the rings that sat on the pillow he had been holding for god knows how long.
"I haven't ever seen Jack so happy until today, your majesty." Steven remarked. He looked like he was beginning to tear up, though the reason was unknown. "He looked like he could barely keep his composure."
Dave smiled, grip tightening on the fur lining of the cape he'd received the day of his coronation. It was several times bigger than him, and was almost large enough to be considered a blanket.
"Do you think I'll be good enough for him?"
Steven rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "He wouldn't be marrying you if he thought you wouldn't be, your majesty."
The doors burst open, and in ran Charlie, who had tripped quite a few times down the isle over her long, flowing white gown. She stopped at Dave's side, grasping at his coat with shaking hands for any form of bracing.
"I've been running so much today oh my god..." She stammered, words jumbled together with barely any pauses. She laughed in spite of her breath shortage, and stabilized herself after a few seconds. "How are ya feeling, Davey?"
"Don't call me that." Dave cringed, but he'd be lying if he said the name didn't make him giggle a bit. "I feel like I'm about to, I don't know, explode?"
"It's okay, Dave," She reached out for the boutonniere pinned to his vest and straightened it out a little bit, being careful with the cornflower petals. "He's just as antsy as you right now. And, remember what I told you?"
"Don't focus on anyone but him?"
With a smile, Charlie nodded, letting go of the flower and moving off to the side, giving the king a playful wink as the cathedral door opened.
The organs began to play as Peter walked Jack down the aisle, followed by Dee, who was scattering flower petals down the middle of the aisle. The further the trio walked, the more eyes became fixated on them, to which they all simply waved.
Finally, Peter let go of Jack's arm as they reached the altar, wiping a few tears from his eyes and leading Dee to the side, where the rest of their little "family" was standing. Jack smiled and waved to them, before stepping up to face Dave, slack jawed and wide eyed.
"You're..." Dave stammered, any hint of coherency thrown out the window within a mere second of looking at his fiancé. Jack seemed to take the hint, taking one of his hands and holding it tight.
"I could say the same to you."
Both of them knew they could go on forever, but it wasn't anything that couldn't wait until after they were officially wed.
"Friends, families, citizens of Bakersfield." The pastor began. "On behalf of King Dave Miller and Jack Kennedy, I thank you all for coming today to witness the joining of their lives in marriage."
Steven's smile widened as the first half of the ceremony continued, a couple tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. A second later, he felt a little jab at his side, looking over to Peter, who was looking at him with feigned disdain.
"Don't cry, you little baby," He sniffled. His voice was choked, leading Steven to assume he was on the verge of breaking down. "You know, uh—"
Steven put a hand on Peter's shoulder, remaining silent until the latter was crying as quietly as he could without interrupting anything. "Let it out, buddy."
Jack could see the ordeal from over Dave's shoulder, chuckling a little.
"... Kennedy, I ask you now to recite your vows."
He jumped a little at his name being called, but Jack nodded. He sucked in a breath, the smallest, slightest whistle sound coming from the gap in his teeth, before he began to speak again.
"Dave, I never would have thought that, nearly a year after we met, I'd be your husband, let alone your friend." He started. "But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy." Grabbing for Dave's other hand, he continued.
"You are one of the most selfless people I've ever had the pleasure of being around. You went so far just to make sure things were okay for not only the kingdom, but for me." Jack began stroking Dave's knuckles with his thumb. "Even if I'm still having trouble processing that someone as high as yourself would want me, I wouldn't trade this spot for anything in the world. I... I love you, Dave. I promise that I will never, ever let you feel the way you did while Henry was around."
Tears were already sliding down Dave's face by the time Jack was done,
"God, where do I even—" Dave sputtered, tightening his hold on Jack's hands as he tried to form a coherent sentence. "Where do I even start...? The night I met you I felt something I hadn't before. Like I had someone to talk to, finally." Dave grimaced at the memory of the more... unsavory parts of that night, but continued nonetheless.
"I can't begin to describe everything you've done for me, and I can't even begin to think about how I could return the favor." Dave knew it was cliche, but who cared at that point? "Jack, I swear on my life that I will make you the happiest man in Bakersfield, if not the world. I will make sure you never feel hopeless, and I will be by your side every day for the rest of our lives."
It took all the willpower in his body for Jack to not go up and kiss Dave right there. The pastor looked to Steven, tilting his head towards the two standing there, before he took the hint. He trotted up to the altar, making sure the rings didn't fall off the small, velvet pillow.
As Steven handed them to the pastor, he gave Jack and Dave teary eyed smiles, before retreating back to the side with everyone else.
"Kennedy, as you place this ring on your husband's finger, do you take the King, Dave Miller, to be yours from this day forward?"
"Yes, I do." Jack nodded, feeling his excitement bubble up as Dave grabbed the other ring.
"Now, King Miller, do you—"
"Yes, yes I do, absolutely!" Dave interrupted, putting the ring on Jack's finger as quick as he could. The pastor looked almost offended for a second, but sighed, continuing his speech.
"Now, by the power vested in me," He looked around the cathedral, taking in all of the excited faces in the crowd. "It is with great honor that I declare you husband and... well, husband. You may—"
The pastor's sentence wasn't even finished when Dave lost his patience and pulled Jack as close as he could manage, kissing him like it was the last time he'd ever get the chance to. He pulled away, a wide smile tugging at his lips, and picked Jack up off the ground, beginning to spin him around giddily.
The cathedral erupted into applause, with the group at the side now openly crying, especially Peter, who was now on his knees while Steven patted his back awkwardly. Dave put Jack down, gripping his hands tightly and looking into his eyes with nothing but adoration.
Jack returned the look, and in that moment, everything bad that had occurred before this moment was long forgotten.
The reception lasted well into the night. With a celebration that rivaled the ball in elegance, the denizens danced to their hearts desires, with a selection of tooth rotting sweets and cooked venison, accompanied by an array of alcohol.
The two kings hadn't been seen for a while, but it wasn't hard to figure out where they were.
Dave's old spot had been revamped, almost to the point it was unrecognizable; the trees were gone, now replaced with mixed purple and orange flower patches. There was even a new fountain, even if there wasn't any problems with the other one. Too many tear filled nights were spent on the marble for Dave's comfort.
They had stopped there after a long walk around the garden, including some new areas that had been created over the past several months. Dave's hatred of social events hadn't dwindled, but he was able to maintain a smile and a relatively comfortable facade until they left.
"You feel better now, rosebud?" Jack asked, fingers laced with his husband's as they sat on one of the benches.
"Before you ask, no, I don't want to go back in yet." Dave could sense Jack's next question coming from a mile away, but he answered it with no hint of anger behind his voice. "Let's stay out here a little longer."
Jack nodded, before moving his hand up to twirl a strand of Dave's hair around his finger. He made a satisfied little hum and moved closer, leaning into Jack's neck.
A few minutes passed, when Jack shuffled a bit, causing Dave to sit up properly. He leaned his forehead against Jack's, entwining their fingers again as he sighed blissfully.
"Jack?"
"Hm?"
"... thanks for putting me back together."
[thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reading Meet Me In The Garden! words cannot describe how thankful i am for every single one of my readers, you've motivated me to finish this fic at times when i really felt like it wasn't worthwhile.
i've always had a penchant for writing, and this was my first time writing fanfiction of any kind, so it's very heartwarming to see all of your positive feedback. who knows, maybe i'll write more of this kind of stuff in the future?
that being said, i don't have anything other to say than thank you. seriously. you've all made this experience worth every agonizing second of work.
- love
witchzforest]
💕
(by the way, keep your eyes peeled for a final update! no idea when, but... 👀)