Page 130 of Suffer No Fools
"Horseshit." Hugo glared at him. "We're having a pirate wedding."
"A ... what?" Tovey looked as confused as Stan felt.
"Hannah told me about it." Hugo's kohl-painted eyes sparkled as he gabbed. "We say some vows onStarlight Specter, we walk the plank together, and we're married!"
"That ruins the day's plans," Stan said. "Vadim's—"
"Everyone else already knows, even the sovereign. I wanted to keep the servants busy, and they love throwing a party."
Tovey frowned.
"Don't worry! Everyone will come back to the palace afterward. They'll have their party, and we'll be back on Aquarion to celebrate our wedding night."
Stan was beginning to like this plan. "You know what a good pirate wedding needs?" In three steps, he had Hugo up and over his shoulder. "An abduction."
"Watch the hair!" Hugo's long black tresses had been curled and styled into an intricate crown around his head and woven through his platinum circlet.
Tovey protected the arrangement with an air weave. Then, he took Stan's hand and weaved the spell to move them toStarlight Specter's deck.
As Hugo had said, their crew and Tovey's family surrounded them, while the sovereign and their retinue stood off the prow, waiting for the show.
Instead of giving Hugo away, Vadim and Klaus each gave him a hug and then shoved him toward the gangplank, which was perilously perched over the railing.
Hugo hopped onto the teetering wood, and Stan leveled it with a balance of air and earth he wouldn't have had before their bond. Hugo waved to the crowd waiting on shore, but when he turned, his gaze was only for Stan and Tovey. He beckoned for them to join him.
In a rush, Tovey's family separated Stan from Tovey. Cenric congratulated him on "taking the plunge," and their parents laughed at the joke.
Stan's heart ached that his family couldn't be there, but his crew had always been his home away from home. Hannah grinned at him and gave him a hug. Olivia had tears in her eyes, and Milton, Niall, and Tim all had huge smiles on their faces as they congratulated him. Then Tovey's family turned to him, too, hugging him and pushing him toward his captain.
Efren clapped him on the back and dragged him toward the gangplank.
"If there are sharks in this water—"
"Nothing will nibble your toes. You might see Arrowtip, but that's because she's happy for you."
Sure, the shark was happy for them. Stan would do his best not to cower if the fish came anywhere near him.
Tovey and Hugo were already on the gangplank. They each offered him a hand, and he held on after he regained his balance on the platform. Hugo and Tovey linked hands, too, forming a circle between them.
Hugo took a deep breath and amplified his voice for the crowd. "Hello everyone!" The sound echoed back at them from the dockside buildings. "Welcome to our pirate wedding!"
The crowd cheered so loud, Stan couldn't hear himself think. It was several breaths before they quieted, and Hugo continued with his vows. He was so eloquent and used big, pretty words to describe his love for both of them. Stan tried to sound as poetic when he spoke his vows. He stumbled instead, but Tovey gave him a reassuring smile, and it didn't matter what the rest of the world heard. Tovey and Hugo received the message straight from his heart through their bond.
Finally, it was Tovey's turn to speak. He turned to Stan first. "I have loved you since the first moment I stepped foot on this ship." Tovey had said it before, but each time it surprised him. If only he'd known the depth of Tovey's feelings beyond his fear.
Tovey grinned at Hugo. "And I have loved you since the first moment you stepped foot on this ship. I think it's time we step off this ship and begin our lives together."
With a whoop, Hugo turned and dragged them to the end of the gangplank, pulling them both overboard in their fancy suits. They buoyed Hugo with an air weave so he didn't fall head first into the water. His circlet was heavier than it looked, and Stan worried Hugo would break his neck on impact.
They splashed into the water. The cold shocked Stan's system after the sun-warmed deck, but he thawed when Tovey pulled him and Hugo close. They'd never tried to share a three-way kiss before. It was as sloppy as Stan had imagined. There was a trick to fitting his nose just right against Hugo's cheek and slipping his tongue between theirs, but he finally succeeded.
Hugo's makeup trailed down his face with his happy tears. Stan hadn't perfected borrowing the empire's water weaves yet, but he'd practiced enough to gently wash the makeup from Hugo's face. Hugo settled into his arms for a deeper kiss, and then he turned to Tovey.
Finally, it was Stan's turn to hug Tovey as tight as possible and kiss him like no one was watching, though he knew most people on the dock could still see them in the water. He didn't care. He kissed his best friend. He'd just married his two best friends.
A shaking hand on his shoulder brought Stan back to the present. He and Tovey pulled apart and followed Hugo's gaze to the dorsal fin circling around them.
"I'm taking us back to the ship," Hugo said.
