{"sf1_id":638018,"sf2_id":null,"title":"The Rest of Our Lives, pt 2","author":"DarkSoulsSauron","words":6764,"posted_at":"2013-12-26T04:21:00.000Z","tags":["Gay Relationships","M/M","arcanine","ninetales"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/638018-the-rest-of-our-lives-pt-2","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/638018","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=638018\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Soren\nwas in a daze. He hadn't really ever been in an altered state of mind\nbefore. He had never done drugs, and the only time he had ever gotten\nreally drunk was that first night with Eli, and even then they\nhad both still been coherent. But now Soren was thoroughly\nlost in his own head. Everything was just rushing around in a blur.\nHe saw but hardly comprehended anything. He was just following\nwherever Eli's hand led him. A light rap on his forehead knocked him\nout of his haze.One\nof Eli's verdant eyes was peering into his own blue ones. \"Are you\nin there? You've been all glassy eyed since you left the dressing\nroom,\" \n\"Just\nnerves again,\" sighed Soren, slumping against the wall.Eli\nresponded with a swift kiss on both cheeks. \"I'm still nervous too,\ndear.\" \"You\nnever look nervous,\" said Soren, unable to resist smiling as Eli's\nsweet lips brushed against him. \"It's\na skill I acquired from living off just my painting,\" smiled Eli.\n\"No one would take my art seriously if it looked like I was ready\nto shit my pants at a showcase.\" Soren\ngave a half-hearted chuckle. \"Yeah... I suppose you're right.\" He\nscratched at his forearm, looking out one of the small windows. \"it's\na nice day out. A good day to hold it outside, eh?\"\"God,\nyou must be nervous,\" laughed Eli. \"You're talking about the\nweather? C'mon, sweetie, we're on in about half past now.\" \"Will\nyou hold my hand then?\"Eli\ntook Soren's left hand and placed it in his right. \"Whenever you\nwant, dear.\"Soren\nlaced their fingers together, smiling with all of his teeth. \"Thank\nyou, sweetie. I think I'm ready.\"\"I\nthink we're both ready.\" Soren\nnodded, smiled, and together, they stepped forward. A chorus of\nstrings greeted them as they stepped out of the double doors to the\ngarden. The old hotel had a magnificent garden, not to big, not too\nsmall. It was dressed in white dyed green by the well-loved plants\nthat reflected the California sun. The sextet that Soren found was\nplaying magnificently, although he had forgotten what tunes they had\nrequested. He didn't much care, to be honest.And\nthen there were the people... all of the people. All of Eli's aunts\nand uncles, all of his cousins. And their friends too. Di and Danny\nwere sitting near the aisle, neither\nable to resist turning around\nto smile and watch as Soren and Eli took measured steps forward. Eli\nhad a crowd of friends that he didn't really know. Allison, Floyd and\nJames couldn't make it, unfortunately. Soren's family was\nconspicuously absent save for Aly and Sammy and Rachel. Eli's\nfriend Kelsey had requested to make the six performers seven, and her\ntalent with the french horn was astounding, supplementing the flute\nand five strings. Minerva and Sasha were standing next to the altar,\nframed by a white wicker gate that was adorned with sunflowers. Their\nblack dresses contrasted well with the mostly white motif. Sasha's\nblack stripes melded seamlessly with the fabric of her dress as it\nfit her graceful figure. Minerva, an Arcanine taller even than Soren\nand much more powerfully built, was on the right side, actually\ncasting a small shadow on Eli's uncle John, dressed in his best\nministers vestments. A\nvery small, slightly bitter part of Soren still didn't want a\nreligious figure running his wedding, but Soren knew how much it\nmeant for Eli to have a family member run the show. The smile on\nJohn's face was just as sincere as everyone else. No... he shouldn't\nbe thinking about stuff like this, not today of all days. He knew his\nparents weren't a fair representation of all religious people. Nope,\nnope, don't think about them either! Think\nabout Eli... yes, think about him. Think about his hands in his.\nThink about the softness of his fur, the warmth of his body that was\nslowly evaporating the sweat that was surely only on his own palms.\nThink about one of his fluffy beige tails was curling around his\nankle, that gorgeous orange tip subtly fishing into his black socks\nto tickle his ankles. And that wonderful smile, with shining white\nteeth and those four goddamn adorable pointed canines. John\nwas talking... What was he saying? To be honest, Soren didn't really\ncare that much. This wedding was for Eli. For all Soren was\nconcerned, he and Eli were married the moment he put that engagement\nring on his finger. This pomp and circumstance was something Eli\nwanted. Eli wanted to celebrate this moment publicly, to be\nsurrounded by loved ones, and to show off the soon-to-husband he was\nproud of. Soren\nsqueezed Eli's hands, feeling his the pulse on his wrist and how fast\nit was, matching his own frantic heartbeat. Butterflies were\ncareening through his stomach. Soren's smile was just as wide as\nEli's but was that... dammit, he was tearing up! Why? What was making\nhis body cry today of all days? Stop it, seriously! He shouldn't be\ncrying today! But at the same time... he didn't feel like he was\ncrying. Yes, tears were blurring his vision and running down his fur,\nbut he didn't feel anything else he associated with crying. His\nshoulders weren't shaking and he was still smiling, still filled with\nelation. Eli's\nmouth was moving. He was talking? Right... vows. That's a thing that\nhappens in weddings. Don't fuck this up, don't fuck this up... why\nwould he fuck this up? He had them memorized ever since the night Eli\nand himself wrote them together. John was prompting him, though Soren\ndidn't actually hear what was said. Soren took one breath, not too\nlong, and looked straight into Eli's eyes and spoke. \n\"I,\nSoren Saul, take you, Eli Vatra, to be my partner, loving what I know\nof you and trusting what I do not yet know. I eagerly anticipate our\nopportunities to grow together, to get to know the person you will\nbecome, and to fall a little deeper in love more every day. I promise\nto love and cherish you through whatever life brings us.\" \nEli\nsqueezed Soren's hands smiling as he finished. Soren couldn't smile\nany wider, so he rubbed the engagement ring on Eli's finger. John was\ntalking again. His voice was slightly imperious, but not in a hostile\nway. It\nwas the voice of an orator, but of sincerity, not a diehard\nevangelist. It was a\nvoice well used to ceremony and public speech, and he knew how to\nmake his message engaging to everyone. \"Do\nyou, Soren Saul, and you, Eli Vatra, take each other as lawfully\nwedded spouses?\"Soren\nand Eli nodded. They wanted to say it together. \"I do.\" Rings\ncame next. Sasha and Minerva held the boxes for them. Soren took from\nSasha a sterling silver ring adorned with a pair of gleaming\nsapphires. Minerva\npassed a white gold ring decorated with two brilliant emeralds to\nEli. Soren could\nbarely see Eli's finger as he slipped the sapphire ring next to Eli's\nengagement ring. There was a short pause before Eli took Soren's left\nhand in both of his, and Soren felt the cold metal slide up his\nfinger. Through his stream of tears Soren saw the pair of emeralds.\nThey caught the light in the same way Eli's eyes did when he smiled. The\nring designs were Eli's idea. It was cheesy and sweet and kinda\ngimmicky, but it was something that only he would think of. And the\nrings were perfect. It did feel like he was wearing a little piece of\nhis love on his finger. It fit his finger perfectly too. Eli\ngently tapped Soren's wrist gently with a finger. Wait, what was\nnext? Oh right, the kiss, the kiss! Soren lowered his muzzle by a\nfraction so Eli wouldn't need to stand on tip toe. He let Eli finish.\nHe couldn't see anything right now anyway. Soren felt Eli's hand\ntouch his cheek, feeling slender fingers, soft fur, and the two\nrings, one warm from the fires of his body and the other still cool\nand fresh from the box. And then their lips touched. Soren closed his\neyes and savored the sweetest kiss of his life. Soren wanted to take\nEli in his arm and press him close, to sweep him off his paws and\nlean into the kiss, but that felt inappropriate. Plenty of time for\nthat tonight. Eli\nbroke apart at the perfect time. The kiss wasn't too long or too\nbrief. As they stepped apart Eli wiped Soren's eyes for him, a\ngentle, natural motion. They held each other at arms length as John\npronounced them newlyweds. As the crowd behind them began to applaud\nas Eli embraced Soren, forgoing all formality and pressing himself\ninto Soren's chest, messing up their ties. Together they walked back\ndown the aisle, leaving everyone else behind them, but not for long.\nThey had a hell of a party to look forward to. \nThere\nwas a short pause before the reception, allowing people to change or\nfreshen up or whatever before things got started. Soren wanted to\noversee last minute preparations, but Eli refused, resolutely sitting\nin Soren's lap to keep him in his chair. They sat in their dressing\nroom, Soren straightening Eli's cuffs. Eli leaned back into Soren,\nsighing and smiling. \"So... you got married. In front of all\nthose people. And you're not dead.\" \"Oh,\nquiet, you,\" chuckled Soren, kissing Eli's cheek from around his\nshoulder. \"I felt like such a fool up there. Do you think they saw\nme crying like an idiot up there?\" \"No,\nI don't think so,\" said Eli. \"Your shiny fur hid it pretty well.\nBut I wouldn't worry about it. I know I've seen sillier stuff than a\ncrying groom.\"\"Oh?\nLike what?\"Eli\ngiggled. \"Uncle Peter threw up. It's one of the earliest things I\ncan remember, actually. I was three when they got married.\" Soren\ngave a tiny laugh. \"Oh I bet that was a mess. You know... I don't\nthink I ever met Peter. I'll have to have a chat with him later.\"Eli's\nblush was clearly visible through his beige fur. \"Oh god, don't\ntell him I told you that. Aunt Lizzie gives him so much crap for that\nevery time it gets brought up. But you're right. He was gone on\nbusiness when we visited last.\" \"You\nknow... I never really got to meet a lot of your family.\" Soren was\nfrowning. \"Feels a bit weird, you know? Getting married to you but\nnot knowing half your family.\" \"I\nknow,\" nodded Eli. \"The thing is, we see most of them once or\ntwice a year at most. Back when we were in the Midwest and they were\nout on the coast. Now that we're closer we'll have more of a chance\nto see them, if you want.\" \"That\nwould be nice,\" said Soren absently. Soren\nchecked his watch. \"Time flies. It's time for some fun.\" Eli\njumped off Soren's lap, smiling as he walked to the door. \"You're\nhungry, aren't you?\"\"Yeah...\nI could eat a horse.\"The\nparty was simple. The hotel had a gathering hall, expansive enough to\nhold all their guests. They decided on an open buffet. They wanted to\nkeep it casual. There was no need for a grandiose banquet with\nassigned seats and such. The buffet was really allowed Soren and Eli\nto move around and chat or dance. Especially dance. The\nmusic was simple in set-up. Eli had gotten him new speakers for his\nbirthday in May, and they packed some punch to them for being so\ncompact. Eli just attached his iPod to the speakers with a new,\nmassive playlist of dance music. The music was a mix of anything\nthey knew how to dance to. Waltz, ballroom, tango, swing... it was\nmostly swing, for nostalgia more than anything. The\nhall was filled with their guests, and Eli broke off to set up the\nmusic. A light lit up in his head. Right! He had the first the dance\nwith Eli. Eli stepped down from the stage where the speakers were set\nup. Soren was impressed by his speakers as music filled the entire\nroom. The crowd was silent as they joined hands, letting the prelude\nof Moon's Tear start up. Soren held Eli's slender hand in his right\nand placed his left on Eli's delicate, subtly curved waist. He let\nEli take them into a slow, deliberate ballroom step.Soren\nlet the music wash over him. The rhythm moved their steps, inflating\nthe happy bubble inside his chest as Eli smiled back at him. The song\nwas slow, filled with joy, hope, and wonder. It fit Soren's mood\nperfectly, and he lost himself in their dance, forgetting that all\nthose people were watching them. He\nwas broken out of his trance as Eli laid his cheek on Soren's chest.\nHe was still smiling. He whispered so that only Soren could hear.\n\"You are such a nerd, you know that?\"\"Hrmm?\"\"Our\nfirst dance at our wedding is a symphonic remix of a game soundtrack.\nWho else would use that for their wedding dance?\"Soren\nlet out a silent chuckle. \"Don't act like you don't like it. You\nagreed to it when I brought it up.\" \"I'm\nnot complaining,\" said Eli, squeezing Soren's hand. \"I'm just\nteasing you.\"\"I'm\nsorry,\" grinned Soren. \"I didn't know I was getting married to\nyour sister today.\"Eli\ngave Soren his best fake-pout. \"I think the song is perfect. Feel\nbetter?\" Soren\nrolled his eyes but lightly pressed Eli into his chest, giving his\nforehead a light kiss. \"I love you too, sweetie.\"The\nsong wound down and the two slowed to a stop. There was a slight\npause as the two let the music wind up to a new song, a fast swing,\nletting others join them on the dance floor. Soren broke away after\none more song, only just realizing how hungry he was. They had spent\na fair amount on the caterers. Soren and Eli had vivid memories of\nrather terrible wedding meals, and they wanted theirs to be an\nexception to the norm.Soren\nloaded his plate with some favorites: roast beef, rolls (lots of\nthose), green beans, honeyed sweet potatoes. The cake would come\nlater. He sat down next to Sasha, Danny, and Di, who were talking to\nKelsey. Sasha\ngreeted Soren with a tight hug. \"Hey, lover boy.\" She glanced\ndown at Soren's stacked plate. \"Let me guess: you were so nervous\nyou skipped lunch?\"\"And\nbreakfast,\" chimed Di. Soren\ncouldn't resist smiling. \"Maybe.\" Soren started with his rolls,\ncutting them and filling them with sweet potatoes. Each bite was warm\nand delicious and satisfying.Danny\nreached across the table to lightly punch Soren's arm. \"Hey, You\nowe us money. Who'd have thought shy, demure Soren would be the first\nof us to get hitched.\"Soren\nswallowed a mouthful of food. \"And who'd have thought that Danny\nthe womanizer has been single for three years running.\"\"Ooh,\nlow blow man,\" laughed Danny, stealing a roll of Soren's plate. \"Get\nyour own,\" leered Soren. \"Well, I have a feeling I'll still be\nthe last one to have kids.\"\"Danny,\nyou know better than to steal from the carbivore,\" laughed Di. \"Did\nyou two dance to Moon's Tear, or am I going nuts?\" Soren nodded\nmutely, his mouth full of green beans. \" Di cackled. \"I knew it!\nThat's deliciously geeky!\" Soren's\nresponse was thick through his muzzle full of beef. \"I thought it\nfit the occasion. Eli did too.\" \"I\ndidn't say that it didn't fit the mood,\" grinned Di, crossing her\narms as she spoke. \"In fact I think it worked perfectly, though I\nbet half the people in here didn't know where the song came from.\" Soren\nswallowed as Eli sat down next to them, greeting Soren with a swift\nkiss on the cheek. \"Heya sweetie. How's the food?\"\"It's\nfine,\" said Soren, offering his last roll to Eli. Soren looked to\nhis right, noticing that Kelsey was withdrawing a bit, looking a bit\nexcluded from the gathering of Soren's old friends. \"Kelsey, I need\nto thank you. I loved your horn at the ceremony.\"The\nGardevoir's pale cheeks flushed with pride, some of her green bangs\nslipping out of her bun. She blew them out of her face with a puff of\nair before talking. \"Thank you. I just thought it was something\nsmall I could do for you two. I'm glad you liked it.\" \"I've\nalways liked the french horn,\" said Soren, leaning forward a bit so\nhe could maintain eye contact. \"It's always embarrassed me that I\nnever learned to play it.\" \"Eli's\ntold me about your musical skills,\" said Kelsey. \"Why'd you never\npick it up? It's got such a lovely sound.\" It\nwas Soren's turn to flush. \"Well... I did try, but I never could\nget the hang of it. I could never master the mouthpiece work. It's\ntough with my muzzle when the mouthpiece is so small.\"Kelsey\nlet out a small giggle. \"You know, they've got something to fix\nthat. They have developed new mouthpieces for different types of\npeople.\" Soren\nlit up at once. \"Really? When did this happen?\" \"Well,\nit's a recent thing. If they mess with size of the mouthpiece too\nmuch it messes with the sound of the horn.\" Kelsey produced\nsomething silver from her pocket. She held up a mouthpiece that Soren\nhad never seen before. It was silver, with a wide funnel at the top\nand a shaft the gently undulated before straightening out. \"I read\nabout this a few weeks ago. The mouthpiece is much more comfortable\nfor guys like you. Give it a try.\" Soren\ntook the pristine piece in his hands, bringing it to his dark lips\nand buzzing. It fit his muzzle comfortably, and he was able to hit\nalmost four octaves. He stared at it. \"Oh wow... this is wonderful.\nNow I gotta get me a horn.\" Kelsey's\nsmile glowed with a hint of mischief. \"I think I've got you covered\nthere. She produced a black instrument case from under her seat. \"I\nwant you to have this.\"Soren's\neyes widened. \"You didn't need to do that. The invitation said\ngifts were unnecessary.\"Eli\nchuckled. \"I told you he'd try this.\" Kelsey\nrolled her pink eyes. \"If it makes you feel better, I'm getting a\nnew horn and there's no reason for me to have this sitting in my\nplace gathering dust. It works fine, but I wanted one of the new\nhorns with the fourth valve. The new one gets a much better range\noverall.\" Soren\nleft his seat to retrieve the case, placing it on the ground to open\nit. \"Wow... I can't wait to try it. I'll always treasure this. I\nlove instruments with a legacy. Where has this horn been?\" Kelsey\ntapped her chin, thinking back. \"Well, I played it in high school\nand college. Then I played it in both the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids\nsymphonic orchestras. She had her fourteenth birthday a few weeks\nago.\" Returning\nthe instrument to its case, Soren stood up and hugged Kelsey. It felt\nweird, hugging a woman who was barely more than a stranger, but a\ngift like this deserved more than words. \"Thank\nyou. Thank you so much. I'll make sure it lasts as long as I live.\nDoes she have a name?\" \"Marisa,\"\nsaid Kelsey. \"After my Aunt who taught me.\" \"How\nlong have you been playing?\" \"Eighteen\nyears,\" said Kelsey, absently tapping her fingers as she counted.\n\"I was on a rental for a few years before taking it more\nseriously.\" \"Wow...\nthat's a good deal longer than me, actually. I started when I was\ngoing on thirteen, so I've put in fifteen and change years of music.\"\n\"It's\nan engrossing lifestyle,\" laughed Kelsey. \"You feel like\nsomething amazing, something so much bigger than yourself when\nplaying in a symphonic group.\" \"I\nknow what you mean,\" said a light, slightly girlish voice. \"I've\nloved playing the flute much more than the piano.\" Soren\nraised his eyebrows. \"Rachel? You play music? I never knew. When\ndid you start?\" The\ngrowlith girl's blonde mane bristled. \"Well... I started playing in\nsixth grade.\" Soren\ntapped his fingers. \"Ah... so you started right about...\"\"After\nyou left our house,\" said Rachel. \"It was because of you that I\nstarted.\" It\nwas Soren's turn to bristle. \"What?! Me?!\" \"Of\ncourse,\" smiled Rachel. \"I heard you practicing every day. I\nwould come home from school every day and you would be filling the\nhouse with the violin or the trombone or the clarinet. You were\namazing, and you got A LOT better over the six months you were with\nus. Even I could tell that.\" Soren\nsmiled, scratching the back of his head. She was right. His\ninstruments were his best coping mechanism when he was stuck.\nStressed out on Aly's couch. He had poured countless hours, his soul\ninto those instruments, only able to forget his troubles when he\nplayed. \"So... you started playing the flute? And Piano? He paused\nto let Sammy nod. \"And you started because of me? Really?\"\"Mmhmm,\"\nnodded Rachel. \"I talked to Mom. I wanted to learn, to play like\nyou did. I want to go to college and be a music teacher. Or maybe a\ndirector. I haven't decided yet.\" \"You\ncould've talked to me,\" said Soren. \"I would have taught you some\nbasic stuff if you asked.\" \"You're\nright,\" said Rachel, laughing a bit. \"But look at it from my\nperspective a bit. You were this big, weird cousin that I hardly\nknew. You were living with us and cooking for us but talking to you\nwas scary when I hadn't even left grade school. You were kind of a\nrecluse too. I didn't really understand why at the time. It didn't\nhelp that you were six-eight and I was under four feet at the time.\nStill, talking to my big grown up cousin was a bit daunting for me.\"Soren\ndidn't know what to say. Did he just shape someone's life? Had he\ninspired someone to follow a new life path? He wasn't sure what\nsensation was filling his up his insides... perhaps it was pride. It\nfelt good. \"I'm glad you've got life goals at your age. When I was\nin high school I had no idea what I was doing. If you want musical\nadvice, you can always call me.\" Kelsey\nwas still smiling. She pointed at Marisa's case. \"So I'll take it\nyou'll keep the horn?\" \"She'll\nhave a good home,\" said Soren, flicking the case's clips shut. Eli\nput a hand on the case. \"You want me to put this in the car?\" Soren\nnodded. \"I don't want to leave it in the car. Put it in our room.\nThat'll be safer. We'll take it home when we're done.\" Eli nodded\nbefore hurrying away, eager to return to the reception as soon as\npossible. Soren returned to demolishing his food, just as eager to\ndance as Eli.Eli\nreturned, bouncing on his heels as Soren left his place. Geraldine's\nRoutine started playing. A rush of nostalgia hit Soren as he\nremembered their first dance competition. They rushed to the dance\nfloor. It was surprisingly crowded. Lots of Eli's family apparently\nknew how to dance. Lyra and Logan were up and moving, and Sasha\nbrought a protesting Danny up. Eli and Soren danced through three\nsongs, the playlist starting with upbeat swings. At the beginning of\na fourth song, Eli stepped away. \"You wanna dance with other\npeople? Mix it up a bit?\" Soren\nscratched the back of his head but nodded. Maybe the party was\nrunning away with him, but he was feeling adventurous today. He\nnoticed Minerva was sitting down, away from the dance floor. Soren\nsat down next to the Arcanine, offering a hand to her. \"Would you\nlike to dance?\" Minerva\nreached down to take off her high heels. \"Sure, but not in these\nshoes. Do you care if I go barefoot?\" \"Why\nnot?\" They walked to the dance floor. Soren led Minerva on, keeping\nto basic steps. Minerva was able to keep up well enough, although\nSoren could tell that she had minimal experience on a dance floor.\nThat suited him fine. It would give them time to talk. \"I've heard\na lot about you.\" \"Good\nthings, I hope.\" \"Very\ngood things,\" said Soren, coaxing Minerva into a quick spin.\n\"You're quite the jack of all trades. A painter, a scholar, a\nthespian, a musician, and an athlete?\" \"Mmhmm,\"\nnodded Minerva. \"Not so much anymore. Engineering is difficult\nwork. HVAC can be time consuming.\" \"Heating,\nair conditioning, and ventilation?\" said Soren, looking up into\nMinerva's red eyes. It was weird, looking up to a person. Soren was\nabnormally tall, but Minerva's black nose was at his eye level, and\nthat was without her heels. Minerva\nnodded again. \"Mmhmm. Never thought I'd be spending my life doing\nthat, but hey, it pays the bills.\" \"I\nhope it does more than pay the bills,\" said Soren. \"One of the\nbest parts of my job is feeling like I'm making a difference.\" \"Well,\nI'm not curing cancer, but one of my biggest jobs is helping\nbuildings go green. They send me all over the place too.\" \"Oh\nreally?\" \"Yeah,\nI do on-site evaluations,\" said Minerva, smiling a little. \"I've\nbeen sent to Chicago, Nashville, Austin, Vegas even. They always give\nme a day to explore the city if I want. It's fun.\" \"Where\nare you based?\"\"Phoenix,\"\nsaid Minerva. \"It's a nice enough city. I live in a dumpy apartment\non the outskirts of downtown. But I'm doing well enough for a few\nyears out of college. What about you? Still at Luscus?\" \"Did\nEli tell you where I work?\" \"Yeah.\nHe was giving me weekly updates for a while. Right after you two got\ntogether it was every other day.\" Soren\nblushed. \"Jesus does he tell all his friends when we have sex?\"\n\n\"It\nwas an after thought he added to the email. But over time his emails\nturned into him gushing over you. You've got quite a reputation to\nlive up to.\" Soren\nchuckled, slightly ruefully. Soren couldn't help but feel a little\nintimidated by Minerva. She emanated an aura of general friendliness,\nbut her height, her coiled body under her fur, her grace and power,\nher elegance in the simple black dress that matched her dramatic\nstripes, all those things combined made Soren feel just a little\nintimidated. Or maybe it was his general awkwardness around females\nwho weren't Di or Sasha. \"We make each other happy. It's that\nsimple, really. I've heard stories about you, too.\"\"Did\nhe tell you about how I got expelled from school?\"Soren\nraised an eyebrow. \"Really? You? What happened to get you\nexpelled?\"Minerva\nsmiled fully for the first time since the ceremony. She had large,\nbrilliant white teeth that had sharp points. \"It was the middle of\nsenior year. Eli was getting a bunch of shit for dating a guy. The\nfootball goons were ganging up him and Artur and I walked in on them.\nTheir head goon threw a punch. So I hit back. I knocked one of them\nunconscious and four more scurrying with boot marks up their ass.\"Soren\nlet out a bark of laughter at this. \"Oh, I'd have loved to see\nthat. I can't imagine the looks on their faces!\" \"I\ndon't imagine any of them thought a girl would hit back, and harder\nthan them at that,\" laughed Minerva. \"But the school wasn't keen\non me fighting, and I was lucky I didn't really hurt the guy I\nclocked. The dude who got creamed took legal action, but if I left\nthe school they'd drop charges. So I finished my senior year at a\nprivate school.\" Soren\nwas still guffawing as the song ended. He gave Minerva a quick bow as\nthey ended their dance. \"You're free to drop our place any time. It\nwas nice to talk.\" Minerva\nreturned to her seat, starting to talk with Danny as he made his way\nback from the food tables.Soren\nwatched Eli teach some of his younger cousins how to do the\nCharleston. He was too full of restless energy right now. He wanted\nto get up and dance more, but he was parched. He poured a glass of\nwater from the table and drank deeply. He jumped a fraction as\nsomeone tapped his shoulder. It was Aly. There\nwas a look of deep concern on her face as she spoke. \"Soren, I\nmight have just been seeing things, but before the ceremony... did I\nsee your parents here?\"Soren\nsighted, fiddling with his green tie. \"Aly... Can you get the\ngirls? I want to talk in private.\"Aly\nnodded. \"I understand.\" She turned away, scanning the crowd for\nher daughters. Soren turned to Eli, who was mirroring Aly's look of\nconcern. Soren\nwalked slowly to the dance floor, putting a hand on Eli's shoulder.\n\"Could you find your parents? And Elly if she'll come.\" Eli\nnodded, moving off in a different direction. Soren sighed, meandering\ntowards the back exit, letting them come to him. Shit... how was he\ngoing to talk about this? He really didn't want to talk about them\nnow... but better now then later, he supposed.The\ngroup gathered by the exit: Lyra, Logan, Elly, Eli, Aly, Rachel, and\nSammy . Soren let them out the back way, so they could talk in a\nsecluded corner of the garden. The group formed a semicircle around\nSoren, save for Eli, who stepped close and took his silver hand in\nhis. Soren\nfiddled with a cuff, not too sure where to start. He took a deep\nbreath. \"Aly... you weren't seeing things. My parents were here\ntoday.\"Aly\nfrowned, biting her lip. \"How did they find out about this? Did you\nsend them an invitation?\"\"We\nsent them an invitation,\" said Eli, gripping Soren's hand tighter. \"It\nwas my idea,\" said Soren, grateful for Eli's hand in his. \"I\ndidn't want them to learn second hand. I knew they wouldn't accept\nit, but I wanted them to know. I'm proud of being with Eli. I'm happy\nwith him, and I wanted them to know that nothing they could do would\nchange that. I had a small hope they'd accept it in the face of\nthings but... I never expected them to fly across the country.\"\nSoren looked down, retelling the ultimatum his parents gave him,\nspeaking of the demands with little emotion or embellishments. He\ndidn't mention the fight. That would be his ordeal alone. To his\nshame he felt his shoulders shaking, a single tear running down the\nlength of his muzzle. \"... so... just like that... I, uh, don't\nhave a family anymore.\" In\nwhat seemed like an instant Soren felt the warmth of seven pairs of\narms enclose around his body in a tight embrace. Lyra spoke first,\nslightly muffled by the number of people participating in the hug.\n\"You'll always have us, Soren.\" \"Soren,\nyou've been one of us for years,\" said Elly, squeezing tightly. \"We\nall love you, Soren,\" said Aly. \"And we're all happy for you.\nDon't let them rain on your parade.\" Soren\ncouldn't speak. There was lump in his throat, he was getting choked\nup, tears were blurring his eyes again. \"Tha... Thank you. Thank\nyou, all of you... Logan, I'm going to need your help.\" They\nall broke apart, Logan shaking his head. \"Let's not talk about that\nright now. Have fun today, celebrate with us. I promise I'll help you\nlater.\"Soren\nsighed, slumping into Eli's arms. \"Thank you. I... I think I need a\nminute. Go back to the party, please.\" The group nodded, hearing\nthe door creak as Lyra, Logan, and Elly returned to the reception.\nSoren looked up, noticing that Aly, Rachel, and Sammy had hung back,\nAly tapping her mouth with a long claw. \"Do you need something,\"\nasked Soren. \"I\nwas just thinking,\" said Aly, frown lines furrowing her face. There\nwas a pause, none of them speaking as they stood in the garden, lit\nablaze by the setting sun. \"You know what? Fuck them. It's\nhorrible, how they've treated you. I'm done with them. I'm just done.\nI want nothing to do with them anymore.\"Soren\nfrowned. Aly never swore. \"What do you mean?\" \"When\nI was sick, their company was nice... but what they've said, what\nthey did to you. I want nothing to do with people who can be so\ncruel.\" Aly turned to her daughters, her arms crossed. \"This is\nyour decision too, girls. I know you're good friends with some of\nyour cousins, but I want to break off from them completely. Your dad\ntoo, if I can get away with it.\"Sammy\nand Rachel shared their mother's frown. Sammy spoke first. \"Well,\nit's not like Dad has been particularly invested in us lately. But I\ndon't want to be associated with them either. They showed their true\ncolors today.\" Rachel nodded mutely. Soren\nshook his head. \"Aly, you don't need to do that. There's no reason\nto burn all those bridges.\" \"I\ndon't have to. I want to,\" said Aly. \"I honestly should have done\nit years ago.\" Soren\nlooked down a bit, holding Eli close to him now. \"Can we talk\ndetails later? I don't really want to linger on this tonight.\"Aly\nnodded, walking to the door. \"I understand. I never gave you a\nformal congratulations, by the way. I, at the very least, am very\nhappy for both of you.\"Soren\nsmiled, sitting down on one of the leftover chairs. \"Thank you.\nWe'll be back in a minute.\" Aly smiled, letting the door click\nbehind her as she and the girls left. Eli\nsat down next to Soren, cupping his face in his gentle hands.\n\"Soren... I'm so sorry. I know you never got along with them, but\nto cut you off like that. It means so much to me that you'd give up\nyour family for me. No matter what happens I'll be there with you.\nAlways. I promise.\"Soren\nheld Eli, feeling his body in his arms as he rested his muzzle on\nEli's slender shoulder. \"Thank you, Eli. It was my stupid idea, but\nI knew it would happen eventually. Your family loved me so much more\nthan they ever did. You make me happier than anyone else in the\nworld. I love you.\"Eli\nlaid his head on Soren's shoulder, closing his eyes for a moment.\n\"Tell me when you are ready to go back.\" Soren\nwaited for a minute. Just a minute as he held Eli's hand again. \"I'm\nready. Let's have some fun tonight.\"Eli\nsat up, turning around to offer his hand to Soren. He was smiling as\nSoren took his hand. God he had such a wonderful smile. \"That's the\nspirit.\" They shared a quick kiss before walking together to the\ndoor, letting the music wash over them as they returned to the\ncelebration. \nSoren\nheld Eli close as he let them into their new condo. It was pristine,\nand it no longer had any moving boxes strewn across it. It was almost\n2:30, and even the city, which they had a spectacular view of, seemed\ndarker and quieter than normal. Soren kissed Eli as he shut the door.\n\"Well, it's official. You're my husband now.\" \"I\nknow,\" said Eli, taking off Soren's tux jacket for him. \"And\nyou're my husband, too. And it's wonderful. I couldn't have asked for\na better day.\" Soren\nheld Eli close to him. \"Today... it just felt surreal.\" Eli\nlooked concern as he held Soren. \"What do you mean, sweetheart? Are\nyou talking about your parents? I... I feel so bad about that. It's\nall my fault.\"\"No,\"\nSoren firmly. \"I don't give a damn about them anymore.: Eli looked\nshocked at the harshness of Soren's tone. \"No, I don't, Eli. They\nspent the last sixteen years giving me nothing but grief. I love you,\nEli, and you've done nothing but make me happy. If they won't accept\nyou, then I want nothing to do with them anymore. This is our night,\nand ours alone. I won't let them ruin that.\" Eli\nlooked down as he undid his shirt, hanging it up on a hanger.\n\"Soren... you gave up a lot to be with me. I love you so much.\" \"I\ndidn't give up anything,\" said Soren coldly. \"They stopped being\nmy family years ago. They just made it official today.\" Eli\nbegan to undo Soren's buttons. \"That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt\nright now.\" Soren\nsighed. \"I... it does hurt a bit. But the pain stops when I'm with\nyou. And I said I don't want to think about it right now. I want to\nspend my night with you, and just you.\" \"I...\nokay,\" said Eli, hanging up Soren's shirt. \"I love you, sweetie.\"Soren\nkissed Eli, placing a gentle hand on Eli's cheek. \"I love you too,\nsweetheart. I love you so much, You mean so much to me.\" Soren held\nEli close to him, savoring the feeling of their bare chests pressed\nagainst each other. Soren kissed Eli's sweet, black lips, gingerly\nplacing his hands on Eli's belt, undoing it slowly enough for Eli to\neither assist or stop the motion. Eli\nheld Soren's arms, preventing him from undressing him further. He\nlooked up at Soren, a grin on his face. \"Wedding night sex? Since\nwhen did you become so cliché?\" Soren\ngave a tiny frown. \"Are you not feeling up for it, darling?\" \"Of\ncourse I'm up for it,\" said Eli. \"I just need to get these pesky\nclothes off you.\" The\nsex fast, intense, and left them panting on top of each other,\nbasking in their afterglow. Eli kissed Soren along the collarbones as\nSoren ran his hands across his bare back. But they soon stopped. It\nhad been a long day, and they were spent in all ways. Cuddling up in\nSoren's arms, Eli whispers broke the quiet. \"That was wonderful.\nThis whole day was wonderful.\" \"I'm\nglad. You deserved a special wedding.\" Soren squeezed Eli as he\nspoke.Eli\ngave a tiny growl. \"You deserved it too. I couldn't ask for a\nbetter husband. I love you Soren.\"Soren\nkissed Eli, letting their lips linger together. \"I love you too,\nEli. I love you so much.\" There was a pause as they kissed again,\nand again. After they broke apart for the fifth time, Soren spoke\nagain, stroking Eli's hair. \"Eli, can you do me a favor?\" \"What\ndo you need, sweetie?\" \"Can\nyou say my name?\" Eli\nlooked a little perplexed, but kissed his cheek and spoke. \"Your\nname is Soren.\" Soren\nshook his head as he held Eli against him. \"My full name, Eli. Say\nmy full name.\" Eli's\nlook of confusion deepened, but he spoke again as he wrapped his arms\naround Soren's shoulders. \"Your full name is Soren Saul.\" \"No,\"\nsaid Soren, resting his head on Eli's arms. \"My name is Soren\nVatra.\"  Eli\ngave a tiny gasp. \"I... oh sweetheart... I love you so much Soren.\"\nHe buried his face deep in Soren's chest and arms. There was a long\npause as they held each other. After an age Eli spoke again. \"Don't\nyou wish tonight wouldn't end? A night with just us, for as long as\nwe wanted? Wouldn't that be nice?\" Soren\nshook his head. \"Not really. Why do we need to stop time? We have\nthe rest of our lives together, Eli.\" They shared a kiss, sweet,\nlong, and tender. Eli adjusted himself so that his cheek lay across\nSoren's, and they locked both their hands in the others. Soren rubbed\nthe rings on Eli's fingers, smiling as he felt warm metal across his\nfingers. He whispered into the darkness. \"I love you, Eli.\" \"I\nlove you too, Soren. I love my husband so much.\" Soren\nfelt an electric thrill run through his body. He loved hearing that\nword, \"husband.\" He held Eli as tight as he could without hurting\nhim, pressing Eli's slender body into his own. \"Can Aly come with\nus to breakfast with your parents? I forgot to ask earlier.\" \"It's\nfine,\" said Eli. \"She's family too.\" \"Goodnight\nEli. I love you. I love you so much.\" \"I\nlove you too, Soren.\" Soren\nwasn't sure who fell asleep first. Their breathing slowed together,\nand he couldn't keep his eyes open, and it didn't take long for them\nto drift off, together. ","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/623808-the-rest-of-our-lives-pt-1.json"}