new_ophelia

"Is it safe to come in?" Geoffrey asks, rapping lightly on the office door without without peeking inside. By necessity he's seen Kate in various states of dress and undress - a professional hazard - but on this particular occasion it's not something he'll do without permission. "Are you decent?"

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Duck shifts at Geoffrey's side, pushing his fingers into his collar to loosen it. He'd worn the same suit at his own wedding, but it'd felt more comfortable then, with Geoffrey being the only one he had to impress.

Now he's standing up at Jack and Kate's wedding, and he means to do a good job of it, which has somehow translated into a tie at least two sizes too small.

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Kate startles a bit at the knock and turns to crack the door open. "Hey," she says, grinning a little at the two of them all dressed up as she steps aside to let them in. "Yeah, I'm dressed and all that except I can't get the zipper up. Do I look okay? I have makeup on. Daisy did it."

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"Duck can handle your zipper, he's good with them," says Geoffrey unthinkingly, "and your make-up is perfect." He even kisses Kate on the cheek before stepping into the office.

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Duck blushes hotly and steps immediately around Kate to see to her zipper, only pausing to look at her when it's good and up.

"Hey," he says with a smile that spreads slowly over his face. "Your hair looks good."

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"Really?" she breathes, turning around again. She's so nervous that she didn't even give a moment's pause to baring her naked back to Duck. "You guys look gorgeous. So it's not too much then? I couldn't tell because it's been so long."

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"Prettiest bride on the island," says Geoffrey magnanimously, giving Duck a kiss on the neck before finding himself someplace to sit down before the ceremony. "Anything else need zipping, pinning or tucking?"

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"If it does, you're the sewer," says Duck. "Seamstress. Anyway, it looks good. What do you think, Kate?" he asks, tucking her one stray lock back into place. "You need anything?"

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"I'm good. I'm good now," she says, reaching up to squeeze his hand. "I'm just..." she pauses, swinging from nervous to teary eyed. "I never quite imagined this is how my wedding would be but now that it's here it's just exactly how I want it. I'm glad you guys are here."

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"Because we might have had something more pressing to do today?" says Geoffrey, pushing one tiny lock of hair into place. "Perish the thought. Weddings are funny, aren't they? No amount of dreaming and planning can really prepare you for the day."

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Duck reaches over and smooths Geoffrey's hair, too. "Yeah, good to just wake up and do it," he grins, offering a smaller, more apologetic one to Kate. "No chance to get worked up. But it's gonna be good, Kate."

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Kate has to laugh a little at Geoffrey's statement, and his hair. At no point in her former life did she imagine this moment to be shared with her director and his husband. "I know," she says, carefully wiping her eyes. It would just be typical to totally ruin Daisy's work. "Um, so okay I don't think I'm forgetting anything. Dress is on and the veil is on and unless he ran off, Jack should be out there. Uh, are people showing up?"

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"Your guests are definitely arriving," Geoffrey assures her, "and Jack is--" Vomiting in a bucket. "--out there. You haven't forgotten anything, though if you ask me the only think you really needed to do was not forget to show up. The rest is gravy."

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"When am I supposed to go out there?" Duck asks, even though he's been told several times already. He's the maid of honor, so to speak, and if he fucks it up because he isn't there on time he'll let Kate strangle him.

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That's a good question. "Uh, shit hang on," she says, scurrying over to peek out the door. "Soon, I think. Sunny goes up and then you go up and meet Jack and Lionel and it looks like she's already getting bored." Mostly because she's started twirling around, flower petals dropping out of her little bucket.

"You just walk up and look supportive and handsome, I guess," she says, leaning up to give Duck a quick kiss on the cheek.

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"He's good at that, too," says Geoffrey, kissing the other cheek. "At least I know where I'm supposed to be: making sure the bride doesn't trip on her way up the aisle."

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Duck grins and kisses them each in turn, a little pink from the unexpected contentment of seeing Kate married off, even if the rest of him's still nervous as hell.

"Break a leg," he says to them both, then turns for the door, practicing the measured steps of the wedding march all the way there.

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Everything is suddenly feeling very real as she moves over to Geoffrey, giving him a nervous grin. "Hey, I'm about to get married. Holy crap. And I know you keep saying it's no big deal but it means a lot to me that you're doing this," she says, punctuating the pronouncement by reaching out for a hug. It's her wedding and Geoffrey's going to walk her down the aisle and that's just too wonderful and strange.

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"Of course it's a big deal," says Geoffrey, for once squeezing her in return. "I just don't want you to stress out about it. You're going to walk down that aisle and Jack is going to be standing at the other end and everything is going to go the way it's supposed to."

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"He might puke on me," she says, grinning a little. "But I'll still marry him if he does." She pulls back to take Geoffrey's arm, needing the support. "I think it's almost time." To get married. Finally.

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Geoffrey crooks his elbow for her and gives her an encouraging smile. "Well, that's love, isn't it," he says. "I'm pretty sure the puking part's done with, though, and it's clear sailing from here on in. Ready to go?"

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