Work Text:
"Brooooooooo, I'm dyinnnnggggggg," Sam groaned, slumped over his mop handle.
A slow day. An even slower week. Rainy Fall days tended to drive all but the heartiest customers away. Although it was early in the season, it felt like Winter was coming early this year.
Shane sat on an old plastic crate as he stocked and restocked the same cans of beans he'd been working on all morning. As much as he hated listening to Sam's bitching, he hated getting bitched at by Morris for slacking on the job even more. But Sam seemed determined to get his attention.
"Shaneeeeeee! We haven't had a day off in like foreverrrrr! How are you so calm about this?! Work life balance is important, right? Morris wants us to dieeeeee," Sam whined.
"Hey, Sam?"
The younger man perked up, excited that Shane was actually talking to him.
"Can you do me a favor?"
"Yeah! Of course! Anything for you, work hubs," Sam said as he gave his best bedroom eyes and waggled his eyebrows.
"Can you shut the fuck up?"
The way Sam deflated, the way all hope left his eyes, gave Shane an intense amount of satisfaction. Maybe more than such a shitty remark actually warranted. He went back to trying to look busy.
Any silence Shane bought himself was short-lived. Before long, Sam started to sigh and threw in some sniffles for good measure. Shane could feel the guy's eyes on him, pointed stare burning a hole through the top of his head.
"Buh... fine. Sam, what's the matter? You just bored?" Shane relented and gave Sam his full attention.
Sam kept his hang-dog expression and, damn him, it started to work on Shane. He felt like a heel for being such a dick, but he hoped this olive branch would cheer Sam up a bit.
"Well," Sam hedged, fiddled with the top of his mop. "I mean... yeah, I'm bored... but..."
Shane groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"But--?" He prompted with wave of his hand to continue.
Sam gave him a sly grin before sliding over to crouch down next to Shane. He was too close for comfort and Shane scooted back to put some distance between them. That proved to be futile as Sam mirrored the movement to stay in Shane's space.
"My birthday's coming up soon! I wanna take time off, but I'm all out of PTO. So now I'm bored as fuck and sad because I'll have to work on my big day."
"Sucks, man. I dunno what to tell you. The PTO hours they give us are a total joke," Shane said. "And we can't unionize to get more, so we're shit outta luck. That's the way the world works."
"Ughhh... yeah. No union. That's like the first training video they show you. There miiiight be another way, though." Sam had a conspiratorial gleam in his eyes.
"You're gonna tell me anyway, so go on."
To Shane's alarm, Sam went down on one knee, almost knocking them both over in the process.
"Shane," Sam said as he mimed opening up a pendant box and presenting it to Shane. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my for real hubs so I can have four days off?"
The two stared at each other for a long moment. Shane in horror and Sam with a puckish grin on his face.
"Have you lost your fucking mind?!" Shane whisper-yelled and smacked the invisible pendant box out of Sam's hands.
"No, wait! Hear me out! We only have to say we're getting married. Then you can leave me at the altar. Or I can leave you or whatever. That way both of us get days off and no one will suspect a thing. The perfect crime."
"That's the stupidest thing I've heard all week," Shane spat as he stood up to walk away.
Sam stood, too, and moved to block his escape.
"I know our love is unconventional," Sam said, loud enough that half the store could've heard him. "But please, I want you to make an honest man out of me!"
Shane realized too late that Sam was only half looking at him. The other man's eyes scanned the aisle at Shane's back. And too late Shane realized there were footsteps coming towards them.
"Gentlemen, is there a problem here?" The sight of Morris, arms crossed and scowling, waited for Shane when he turned around.
"No issues. We're just--" Shane started, but Sam bumped him aside.
"I'm heartbroken, bossman! I know I'm being loud but my heart has literally shattered. My man doesn't want to claim me!" Sam gestured to Shane with both arms.
"And this is something you need to do at work because--?"
"Love knows no time or place," Sam said with a soft sniffle. "When the spirit of love calls, you answer. And Shane answered with a 'no'."
"Samson, I have no idea what that means and quite frankly I'm losing my patience," Morris deadpanned.
"He won't marry me, boss! My work hubs won't put a shell on it!"
"This is startling news for so many reasons," Morris said. "Not least of which is that Joja discourages employee fraternization."
"Well I have no idea what that means!" Sam was getting more worked up by the minute.
Their conversation went around in circles for a while longer and Shane couldn't be bothered to follow it. Shane started coming around somewhere in there, though, because some time off wouldn't be the worst thing. Most of his PTO had been spent nursing colds or sleeping off hangovers. He rarely used the time off for anything fun. Maybe he could take Jas on vacation? She'd been bugging him to go to the beach to collect shells, too, even though it was cold. They could do both with the time fake marrying Sam would buy him.
Shane cleared his throat. The two men stopped bickering and stared at him.
"Sam... uh... Samson? Yeah. Okay." He took a steadying breath before he faced Sam head-on. "I can see now that you're so passionate about... our love? I didn't think you were serious, but now I know... Now... yeah, I do know. So I accept your proposal."
The look of triumph -- of complete joy-- on Sam's face was almost as priceless as the way Morris' expression curdled. Sam threw himself at Shane, knocking them both into the nearby shelf as he wrapped Shane up in a bear hug.
"You're not gonna regret this, pookie!!"
"I already do," Shane muttered as he looked at the cans this display of affection had scattered all over the floor. At least now he had more busy work.
Shane packed the last of Jas' things into her sparkly, purple overnight bag. They decided on a long weekend in the mountains at a small cabin Robin sometimes rented out. The carpenter fussed about the late notice and how she had to hustle to get it ready for their stay, but when Shane put Jas on the phone to talk to her, she changed her tune.
Word must have gone around that he and Sam were "engaged," but no one mentioned it to him in the 24 hours since it happened. It wasn't like he talked to many people so that probably shouldn't surprise him. Still, the fact that no one congratulated him stung a bit. He imagined Sam had been fawned over by half the town and was eating it up. The guy could be a total attention whore, but he had a weird charm that made Shane resent him less than he would most people.
Jas insisted that Uncle Shane give her a piggy-back ride on their way out the door. He had her --and her overnight bag-- balanced on his shoulders as he stepped out into the crisp autumn air. Although Shane loved spring time, Fall came in a close second in his heart. The walk up to the mountains was a long one, but gorgeous this time of year.
He just hoped he could make it carrying Jas plus his own bag of essentials and a cooler stuffed with beer and food. All the manual labor around the ranch and at Joja paid off when it came to lugging heavy things around, thankfully, and he was able to keep up a steady pace.
"Uncle Shane," Jas piped up, "how many species of fish live in the lake?"
"I dunno, pumpkin. A million, I bet."
The girl giggled and patted his head in mock frustration.
"That's impossible, silly!"
"You're right, you're right. It's probably more like a hundred jillion."
"Nooo!! That's too many!!"
"Maybe they're really little fish," he offered, grinning.
"They'd have to be microscopic," Jas replied, seriously considering this possibility.
"Yeah, like amoeba fish or something," mused another voice close to Shane's side.
"Uncle Shane, can fish be amoebas?" Jas asked.
"Jas, I have no idea what an amoeba is, but --" Shane stopped, both verbally and physically. The stop was so sudden that the mysterious third person walked right past them.
Of course, of fucking course, it had to be Sam.
"Dude, I know you're old, but you're not 'I forgot basic biology' old, c'mon." Sam laughed and continued on for a few feet before he realized that Shane wasn't moving. He offered Shane a sheepish grin when he turned around.
"What the fu--" Shane caught himself. He didn't need Jas yelling 'fuck' around town like she did last Summer on top of whatever was going on here. "Sam... what do you think you're doing?"
"Oh, uh..." Sam adjusted the guitar case slung over his shoulder and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I mean... it would look weird for us to not be together, right? Since we're engaged and all?"
Shane heard a tiny gasp above him.
"Uncle Shane, are you getting married?" Jas' asked in a hushed -- almost reverent -- tone.
"No! I mean, yes? Jas, it's complicated," Shane tried to explain, unsure how much he could safely reveal.
"Jas," Sam said as he walked over, reached up and took one of her little hands in his, "would it be okay for me to be your uncle, too?"
Something in Sam's voice killed the scathing remark on the tip of Shane's tongue. He sounded so sincere, so earnest. The way he spoke to Jas tugged at Shane's heart in a funny way and he felt his face warm up.
"Jas, don't answer that. Sam," Shane said.
"Yes, pookie?"
"Gonna be impossible for you to be an uncle if someone drowns you in the lake."
Sam took the hint and a big step back, eyes wide. Given the opening, Shane brushed past the other man and continued to hike up the mountain trail. Sam followed along in silence and Shane hoped that he'd wander off when he got bored. They passed Robin's house as they made their way around the lake then up a set of rough, wooden stairs to a cabin that overlooked the lake and quarry.
Much to Shane's chagrin, Sam stuck with them the whole way. He plopped down in a rocker on the porch, dropping his guitar case with a bang loud enough to rattle Shane's teeth.
Shane turned around, squatted down a bit to let Jas jump off his back and onto the porch. She raced inside the moment her feet hit the wood. He could hear her run around and shout various praises of the cabin's features.
"Uncle Shane, Uncle Shane!!" Jas jumped up and down in front of him as she pointed towards the bedrooms. "I have my own room!!"
"You have your own room at home, too, sweetheart."
"But this is differentttt!! Look!" She grabbed his hand and Shane allowed her to drag him along. "You can see the lake from here! And all the trees! And look, Miss Robin left me a squirrel!" Jas flopped onto the bed, clutching a fuzzy squirrel plushie to her chest.
"You're right, there aren't any squirrels at home," Shane agreed. "Show Mr. Squirrel how to unpack your bag, okay?"
Shane put the beer and food in the fridge then headed to check out the other rooms. It never occurred to him that there would only be one other room. Or that there would only be one bed in that room. Yet here he was, staring at it and the blonde man lounging on top of it. Sam strummed his guitar as he met Shane's eyes, grinning like an absolute gremlin.
"Hello, lover~" Sam started before a duffel bag to the face cut him off.
"Get out of my room!"
"Don't be that way," Sam plead, pushing Shane's bag to the floor. "We can make the best of it for a couple days, right? It's only a problem if you make it one."
"It's a problem because you made it one," Shane said. Sam had the good sense to look embarrassed at that. "Why are you even here? Didn't you come up with this stupid fucking plan to get time off for your birthday?"
"Yeah, but..." Sam plucked out a couple chords on his guitar, stared out the window. "Robin asked if I was coming with you guys and it would've been weird to tell her no. So, like, that threw a big wrench in my plans."
Had Sam made an actual, good point? Shane pushed Sam's legs aside and sat down on the bed. He'd totally forgotten Sam was friends with Robin's kid and of course she'd know about their engagement.
"Well, Jas is already in love with her room, so I can't ask her to share with me. You'll have to sleep on the couch."
"On my birthday trip?!" Sam asked, petulant.
"I paid for the cabin and I ain't sleeping on the couch."
"I'm not, either, because there isn't one."
Shane scoffed and went to investigate. Sure enough, there wasn't a couch. The living room had two raggedy arm chairs in front of the fireplace. No bigger furniture in sight. There had to be something Sam could sleep on that wasn't Shane's bed. Shane checked through the closets in both bedrooms for a cot. Even looked in the kitchen cabinets. Ultimately, he came up empty.
Sam was playing something more melodious when Shane came back in and flopped down on the bed.
"Told ya so," Sam sing-songed as Shane glared at him.
"How much?"
"How much what?" Sam asked.
"How much do I need to pay you to leave?"
"You know you can't put a price on our quality time, pook--"
Shane wrenched the guitar from Sam's hands. He knelt on the bed over the younger man, a dark scowl on his face.
"Cut the crap, Sam. I'm not playing this game with you."
The effect of Shane's anger must have been more profound than he thought it would be, because Sam didn't seem to be able to form a response. His mouth opened and closed but nothing came out as he squirmed under Shane's gaze.
"B... birthday... uhh..." Sam stammered, cheeks flushed and wide eyes flicking up and down Shane's body in apparent panic.
Something in the atmosphere shifted, made Shane hyperaware of how close they were. Made him aware of the strange intimacy of the moment.
"Fuck your birthday and fuck you," Shane said with more venom than he intended.
"Please?" Sam squeaked out before looking absolutely horrified.
"What?"
"What?!"
Any follow-up questions got cut short by a bullet named Jas who barreled into Shane's back. She latched onto him like she had taken inspiration from her squirrel plush and he was an uncle-shaped tree. The impact caught Shane by surprise, so he didn't have time to brace himself. He pitched forward, landing on top of Sam with his whole weight. Sam's guitar went flying somewhere, crashed down with a discordant twang.
While Jas giggled and made what Shane assumed were her interpretation of squirrel noises, Sam flailed underneath him. Shane tried to yell for everyone to stop, just STOP, but his face was pressed against Sam's chest so close that his belligerence came out as muffled protests. A pandemonium ensued with Jas' chittering, Sam's flustered apologies, Shane's grumbling, and too many pointy elbows trying to move in too many different directions.
By the end of the ordeal, Sam was nursing a bruised jaw from Jas somehow kicking him in the face and Shane had given his goddaughter a stern lecture about how she wasn't allowed to play woodland creatures with people who hadn't consented to that. Jas apologized to Sam, tears in her eyes, and they ended up hugging it out while they cried. It was all too much for Shane. He sent Jas outside to play then went to get a beer. Behind him, he heard Sam gather up his guitar and head out to the porch.
Against his better judgment, Shane grabbed two cans and found Sam sitting on the top porch step. He passed the younger man a beer and Sam gratefully pressed it against his sore jaw.
"She can be a handful," Shane offered by way of an apology as he sat next to Sam. "You good?"
"You gotta get that girl into Muay Thai. She's gonna be a world class kickboxer one day," Sam laughed, winced when he overdid it.
"Yeah, she's got the brains and the brawn to do anything," Shane said, cracking open his beer.
Sam opened his own beer, gave an appreciative hum as he took a sip.
"Wow, Shane. That's amazing. You know how to pick the shittiest beer we sell."
"Fuck off, birthday boy. I'll get better beer when they pay me more."
"It's not my birthday until Summer," Sam admitted without a hint of remorse.
"Excuse me? What?"
"Yeah, I lied." He grinned over at Shane. "Kinda over the top, but I had to lay it on thick so you'd go along with the plan."
"You wanted time off that bad? Why?"
The younger man shrugged, drank his beer quietly. Shane suppressed the urge to hurl him off the nearest cliff. Barely. Instead he reached over and dug a thumb into the bruise that had started to form on Sam's jaw.
"Ow! Hey! FUCKIN' STOP!" Sam batted at Shane's arm, tried to wriggle away.
"That's what you get for making stupid plans, dumbass."
Sam huffed and pressed the cold can to the side of his face again.
"Fine, fair enough. You don't have to be so rough, though. Jeez."
"You're lucky I don't beat your ass all the way down the mountainside," Shane grumbled as he took a drink. "You screwed us both over for what? A couple extra days off? I have a kid, man, I can't lose this job."
"The reasons don't really matter, do they? I mean the main reason. Morris doesn't know the birthday part, just the us getting married part. So it's a wash, right?"
"A wash, huh?" Shane moved to prod Sam's bruise again, stopped short when the other man flinched away. "Keep telling yourself that. Jackass."
"I'm sorry, Shane... Guess I didn't think this all the way through." Sam leaned on the porch railing and blew out a loud sigh. He looked more contrite now, like the weight of the situation finally settled on him.
"So you're gonna leave me at the altar, then. That way I get the pity," Shane said. "I can't have you ruining my reputation after lying to me."
"Fineeeeee. I'll take one for the team."
Shane finished his drink and clapped Sam on the shoulder as he went to throw away his empty.
"Go start a fire," Shane commanded from the kitchen. "We're roasting hot dogs and marshmallows for dinner."
He heard Sam jump up and scamper in, stomping at full volume.
"You mean I can stay?!"
"If you can start a fire, then yeah."
"You got it, pookie!" Sam gave an exaggerated salute and winked.
"Call me that one more time. Just see what happens when we put you over the fire and spit roast you."
"Don't threaten me with a good time," Sam said, voice dropping several octaves. Another look of horror bloomed on his face after the words left his mouth. Before Shane had a chance to reply, Sam hurried out to get the fire started.
Shane rolled his eyes. He knew Sam was a weird dude, but this was a new low. It was all juvenile jokes with that guy and Shane kept walking right into them. Even Sam seemed embarrassed by his own sense of humor. So why did he keep on taking shots like that?
Shane didn't give himself time to dwell on Sam's strange behavior. The hot dogs wouldn't unpack themselves. Marnie slipped in some veggie kebabs and cheese, too. Ever committed to a well-balanced diet for Jas. There was no way he would've thought to do that and he cursed himself, vowed to do better.
The last remnants of autumn sunshine made way for a cold, clear night while they prepped for dinner. Jas helped skewer marshmallows and if a few too many of them made it into her stomach in the process, Shane didn't comment. When everything was ready, they gathered around the fire pit to gorge themselves on all the roasted goodies. Conversation flowed easily between the three. Sam asked Jas questions that lead Shane to believe he was genuinely interested in the girl's adventures and life in general.
Though he'd never admit it, Shane enjoyed this domestic moment. He leaned back in his camping chair and listened to his fake fiancé and goddaughter chatter until he started dozing off, warm and content by the fire.
The next thing he knew, the stars were shining and the moon was high in the sky. A soft guitar strummed close by. As he stirred, Shane discovered that someone had draped a blanket over him at some point. Thank goodness, too, because it was colder than a witch's tits.
"What time is it?" Shane asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Pro'lly around midnight," Sam replied without breaking his rhythm on the guitar. "You passed out super early, old man."
"Fuck, don't call me that. 'Pookie' is better than 'old man'," Shane groaned.
"Whatever you say, pooks." Sam added an extra flourish to whatever tune he was picking out.
"Don't press your luck," Shane grumbled then sat up, a sudden fear gripping him. "Wait, where's Jas?"
"Put her to bed hours ago. She was beat from running around all day, so I had to carry her."
Shane relaxed, pulled the blanket around himself again.
"Ah... thanks, man."
"No prob. She's a good kid. Someone's raising her right."
"Must be Marnie," Shane said with a snort. "Jas definitely doesn't get that from me."
"I dunno. Seems like you're a pretty good father figure. She loves the crap outta you."
"Can't imagine why. I fail at everything I do."
"Relatable." Sam huffed out a humorless laugh. "I'm getting older, but I'm not growing up. Seb and Abby are out here makin' big moves and I'm just coasting."
Shane hummed, took that in. He never thought Sam was the introspective type. Shane just assumed nothing phased the guy. Like Sam kept trucking along with a dopey smile on his face and nothing between his ears.
"At least you have friends," Shane said.
"True, true. Love 'em to death. I'll always be that same fuck-up kid to them, though. Pro'lly to most people, too. So I guess we're kinda the same there."
Sam smiled, uncomplicated kindness and acceptance radiating from him. In that moment, Shane got it. He got why people liked Sam, why they hung around him. Shane could even see why people loved Sam.
"Good thing we're getting married," Shane chuckled. "Match made in Heaven."
"Somethin' like that." Sam gave one final strum before stretching. "You're not a bad guy, Shane. That's why this plan is gonna work."
"Whatever." He mirrored Sam's stretch and yawned loudly.
"Want me to carry you to bed, babe?" Sam fluttered his eyelashes at Shane, clasped his hands to his chest.
"Fuck off. Just bank the fire," Shane said as he got up, still wrapped in the blanket. Sam's laughter followed him into the cabin and maybe that wasn't the worst way to end the night.
There wasn't any more discussion about sharing the bed. Shane figured it was big enough for both of them, so he didn't make a fuss when Sam got in next to him. Likewise, he didn't make a fuss when, some time during the night, Sam curled up around Shane like he was an oversized teddy bear. Shane let it happen and let himself enjoy another taste of Sam's comforting warmth.
Planning a fake wedding was not what Shane expected it to be. First, he didn't expect to be doing any of the fucking planning. For some reason he thought Sam would take care of that part. Second, he didn't expect he'd enjoy it so much.
Shane went to every cake tasting and helped pick out the colors and accepted all the congratulations people gave him. He had to tread carefully when it came to Jodi, though. More than likely, she hated his guts for taking away her little boy.
Or, at least, it looked for all the world like that's what he was doing. Only he and Sam knew the truth.
Doubt crept in when Shane had time to himself. Things started to feel a little too real. For all the plans they made about the wedding itself, he and Sam weren't on the same page when it came to how they'd follow through on their original plan. They hadn't really talked about it since that night at the cabin. Sam kept brushing Shane off when he tried to bring it up.
The night before the wedding, when Sam brought over some last minute flower choices for them to decide on, Shane couldn't take it anymore.
"What the actual fuck is going on?" He grabbed the flower samples from Sam's hands.
"Look, I know they're not our first choices, but it's all Evelyn had!" Sam tried to defend himself and take the flowers back.
"That's not... The flowers can go straight to hell," Shane said as he threw the samples to the ground, wrenching a soft, mortified gasp from Sam. "What's the actual, real, plan plan?"
"Oh. That. Uhhh..." The younger man rubbed the back of his neck, looked away like he was gathering his thoughts. "Well, I mean, I'm gonna leave you at the altar, right? Just act confused when I don't show up. Maybe cry or something?".
"So I can be one hundred percent positive that you're not going to show up. Right?" When Sam didn't immediately meet his eyes, Shane took him by the shoulders. "Right?!"
"Yeah... Yeah, of course."
Everything about this felt off. Shane's heart did something strange, flipped and landed somewhere in his throat.
"You don't... really want to do this, do you?" His grip tightened on Sam's shoulders.
"What if I did? A little?" Sam held his gaze, a shy grin spreading across his face.
"Then you're either dumber than I thought or completely insane."
"Shane..." Sam covered Shane's hands with his. "I'm sorry to break it to you, but I am, in fact, crazy..."
Part of Shane crumbled. Sam was serious. He seriously wanted to marry Shane. When had this happened? At what point along the way did Sam decide that Shane was someone worth marrying? He wanted to ask, but Sam decided to say the quiet part out loud.
"I'm crazy... in love with you. Sorry." Sam blushed so furiously that Shane thought the younger man might burst into flames. "And maybe I kinda... wanted this to happen? Be real, would you have considered me if I didn't trick you?"
"No," Shane replied flatly. "You're young. You've got a lot of life left to live. Why would I want to ruin that?"
"You won't! And I mean, it's my life to ruin if I want. You're not the boss of me."
Groaning, Shane pulled his hands away and rubbed his brow.
"This isn't gonna work. It's just not," he said in a tone that he hoped sounded final.
"Okay. Okay, I get it. I did sorta betray your trust and lie to you a lot," Sam confessed. "But even if you don't feel the same and you hate me... think of the tax breaks."
Shane stared at Sam, mouth agape.
"Unbelievable. Really?! That's what you're going with? That's how you wanna do this?"
"C'mon, just think it over!" Sam held up his hands to stop any more of Shane's protests. "We can always get divorced later! Look... don't go off on me tonight. Save it for the altar if you wanna drag me through the mud. Or, y'know, stand me up."
After dropping this final bomb, Sam hustled to pick up the discarded flowers and leave. He apologized to Shane again, offered a smile that wasn't even close to reaching his eyes.
When the door closed behind Sam, Shane slumped onto his bed. What a fucking mess. So the guy really caught feelings for him. Had caught feelings a long time ago, from the sound of it. As much as that baffled Shane, he had to admit it was flattering. Someone young and hot found him, of all people, so interesting that they decided to commit fraud to be with him?
Yeah, that might go to his head.
Right now his head was an absolute mess of emotions, though.
Shane went through the motions to get ready for bed in a daze. Laid awake, stared at the ceiling, tried to decide what to do tomorrow. Somewhere, deep in the back of his mind, he wished someone warm would come to bed and help him figure it out.
The town square was decked out in the most lavish decorations money could buy. Shane knew that Sam and Jodi hadn't spent a single cent on any of it, though. The villagers turned out to give Sam the best of everything they had to offer.
If Shane knew ahead of time that he was marrying Pelican Town's favorite son, he might have tried harder to make himself into a more presentable groom. He wrestled with his hair in Emily and Haley's bathroom mirror. The salt and pepper mop on his head refused to cooperate. Or maybe he was too nervous to get a proper handle on his appearance. Gratitude washed over him as both sisters stepped in to help.
Under their care, Shane turned into someone who looked halfway decent. Not great or handsome or hot, but he never thought of himself as any of those things on his best days. He'd come to accept the feeling of neutrality about how he looked. The way Emily and Haley beamed at him made him think that maybe he should shift that estimation from neutral to proud.
He hoped Sam would see him the same way.
Although Shane wasn't sure he felt ready to do this, he let Emily lead him outside. Sam, Jodi, and Vincent came out of their house at roughly the same time.
Sam was a completely different person. The goofy kid who rode his skateboard around, played music in his headphones too loud, and sloshed mop water absolutely fucking everywhere wasn't here. This was a whole new man. Sam's normally wild hair was swept into loose, soft layers that made him look closer to his actual age. He had tiger's eye studs on his ears that matched his cufflinks and complimented his off-white suit. A tiger lily boutonniere brought the theme home, made Shane regret not paying better attention when Sam picked out flowers.
And there the man who was and wasn't Sam stood, staring at Shane like he hung the moon and stars. The entire world melted away until they were the only two people left. Shane had the ridiculous thought that he didn't want this moment to end. That he wanted to stay right here forever, basking in the glow of Sam's affection.
Emily broke Shane out of his stupor with a gentle nudge that prompted him to walk over to Sam.
"Dude, stop... if you keep looking at me like that I'm gonna cry," Sam whined, some of his usual, unserious personality slipping through. But his misty eyes made Shane think he wasn't totally joking.
Sam offered up the crook of his arm and Shane took it without a second thought. The opening notes of the wedding march struck up as friends and family scattered to take their places.
"Hey," Sam whispered softly as they stood just out of sight of the guests, ready to make their entrance. "Are you gonna like make a scene when Lewis asks for objections? Tell me now so I don't freak out too much. I know I said... all that stuff about being in love with you or whatever, but don't feel like you need to hold back. Okay?"
"I dunno," Shane replied. "I kinda want the tax breaks."
"What?"
Shane could feel Sam's eyes on him, knew if he met those eyes he wouldn't be able to hold it together. Sam was still sputtering in disbelief when their cue to start walking played.
"Does that mean I can like... kiss you? And stuff?" Sam asked, voice low and shy.
"We'll be married, so sure," Shane managed to say through the excitement and dread that formed a lump in his throat.
He tried to take a step forward, but Sam didn't budge. Shane chanced losing his composure and looked up to make sure his groom was alright. Their eyes barely met before Sam leaned down, cupped Shane's face in his hands, and pressed his lips to Shane's. Such a pure, sweet expression of joy made Shane's heart ache in a whole new way. He relaxed into the kiss and felt Sam smile.
"You're gonna be so happy with me. I'm gonna make the best husband. You and me and Jas are gonna be the cutest family," Sam promised, each sentence punctuated by a kiss.
The only thing that felt right was for Shane to nod along and kiss him back and marvel at the fact that they hadn't done this sooner. If they'd tried to do things the right way around they probably wouldn't be here, though, so Shane had a hard time wishing for anything to be different.
They must have missed their cue by a wide margin because Lewis had ambled around the front of Emily and Haley's house to get them.
"Alright, lovebirds, let's get this show on the road."
Shane was sure the ceremony that followed was lovely. He didn't hear much of it, but it had to have been nice. The only parts he zoned in for were the ones where he had to say something, but even then he wasn't truly paying attention. His focus remained locked on Sam. The way his blush crept up to the very tips of his ears. The way he fidgeted when he was so excited. The way he couldn't stop smiling or blink back the happy tears anymore. Shane drank in every movement and waited less than patiently for Lewis to wrap up.
"You may now kiss."
And they did.