Page 72 of The Jorogumo

Taking a deep breath, I scanned the crowd, smiling at the faces of all the people I saw daily, all the people who were my friends and family.

My heart felt full as I made my way down the path, Keoni leading the way as he threw flower petals everywhere. While the supes had studied human wedding customs to make today amazing for Liam, I could see they'd added their own flair to things, and I loved it.

Alaric, Bellamy's kelpie mate, had filled the air with water bubbles that reflected a rainbow of colors onto every surface; Mira, a siren, was singing, her sweet, enchanting voice adding more magic to the already magical day, and I was sure others had contributed in ways I couldn't see just yet.

Once I was at the altar, Zamir and Silas retreated, while Keoni raced back to the beginning just as three people walked in from the side.

My breath caught as my mate appeared at the beginning of the path, bright and so damned beautiful as he smiled at something Touya said to him. He looked up, our eyes met, and I fell in love all over again.

Liam

My breath whooshed out of me in a loud exhale as my eyes met Haruto's, and the love shining in them almost brought me to my knees.

Keoni raced down the path back to me, then walked ahead of me, scattering flower petals on the path, clearly ecstatic about his role as the "flower guy." I tried to keep pace with him, but all I wanted to do was rush forward and throw my arms around Haruto.

When I finally reached the makeshift altar, I hurried up the two short steps, coming to a stop in front of Haruto, with the headmaster on my right and our family and friends on my left.

Haruto smiled at me as he took my hands in his, and I squeezed tightly, holding on to him as I snuck a glance at all the people gathered here for us.

Everyone in the Sanctuary who could come was here, and the headmaster had set up a spell so those who couldn't come could see or hear what was happening from their areas if they wanted to.

Diego was also here, and my heart swelled at his presence among all my friends. Everyone I loved was here, and in front of me was the man I loved the most.

Earlier, I'd felt a moment of pain at the thought that my parents would miss my wedding, but just imagining what they would've said if they could see us—even if it was a completely human-friendly wedding—had reinforced my decision to not invite them.

Headmaster Morrigan cleared his throat, and everyone fell silent. He smiled at me, then at Haruto, before turning to everyone else.

"Everyone, we've gathered here today to bear witness as our beloved Haruto and Liam vow to spend their lives with each other. Most of us have known Haruto for years, and while Liam became a part of our family recently, he's earned our love and respect with his friendly nature, and his calm support."

I flushed at the praise, and Haruto winked at me, making me smile. While I'd talked to the headmaster a few times, I hadn't realized I'd made an impression on him. It felt nice, being appreciated.

"Okay, we all know I'm not big on speeches," the headmaster said, and chuckles rang out through the crowd while someone—sounded like Khush—called out "Could've fooled me!"

"So," the headmaster stressed with a roll of his eyes, "Haruto, if you'd like to say your vows."

Haruto smiled brightly at me, his hands tight around mine. "Liam, when I told you I would ask you to marry me, I only wanted to do it to make you happy. Because to me, you were mine the day I recognized you as my mate. But as I started planning my proposal, I realized that there was a certain beauty, a certain romance in promising your life to another in front of the people you love."

Haruto's eyes gleamed brightly, and I held back my own tears as he cleared his throat. "So, in front of everyone we love, I promise to always love, support, and treasure you. I promiseI'll always take care of you. I promise to share all my comics with you, to bring you lunch everyday, to love you with all my heart, for the rest of our lives."

"Liam?" the headmaster prompted after a moment, and I had to clear my throat and sniff a little before I could speak clearly.

"Haruto, I love you so damned much. I never thought I'd find someone who understood me as well as you do. I promise I'll always love you, and be there for you. I promise to be your extrovert shield when you don't feel like socializing, to always keep a copy of the new issues for you. I promise to love, cherish, and feed you for the rest of our lives."

Haruto huffed in amusement when I said feed, but his eyes glittered with unshed tears, while mine merrily made their way down my cheeks.

He reached up with our clasped hands to wipe them off, and I smiled. God, I loved this man so much.

Headmaster Morrigan cleared his throat, and I glanced at him, surprised to see his eyes looked a little shiny too. Damn, was the headmaster aromantic?

"Wow, those were some beautiful vows. Dustin, are you okay?"

I looked at the audience to see Dustin crying into Khush's shoulder as he waved off the headmaster's concern, while Khush mouthed "Hormones" over his shoulder, only to get a smack on his arm as if Dustin could tell exactly what he'd done.

Chuckling, I returned my attention to the headmaster, who continued speaking. "Now, who has the rings?"

Silas and Touya hopped up, handing us our engagement rings. We'd decided to use them for the wedding as well, though Draven had stolen them one night—as in, he literallysnuck into our house with a damned magical lockpick and slid them off our fingers as we slept—to add modifications.

Now, the plain platinum bands were lined with pure white, the pattern not unlike one of Haruto's webs. They were beautiful, and utterly perfect.

---