Strictly Professional

Chapter 13: Okay, for real this time.

A/N : I really need to stop getting sidetracked- SO BONUS! At the end I'll show Dawns extended lore...ooOooOoOh

Nightmare watched as the bride walked down the aisle. He looked between her and the woman guiding her; while Dawn may have been kept out of the public eye, her aunts were very well known. The one walking her down the aisle was Time; a cold, calculated woman who would take down her opponents on the business field in an instant. She was very similar to Nightmare, and the brains behind the business.

Her cold and distinguished aura contrasted heavily with the girl walking down the aisle, smiling at her. Dawn, that was her name according to Dream, seemed more like a gentle person. The type that didn't necessarily need protection, but made those around them want to protect them.

He couldn't help but wonder whether or not this match would work very well. She didn't seem to be very similar to him; but then again, maybe that was a good thing. He could be quite argumentative, and having another stubborn person around the house could be a bad idea. He quickly shook his head.

What was he thinking? In the end, whatever dynamic they would have didn't matter. They weren't a real couple, merely two business partners completing a deal. He would spend most of his time in the office as usual, and she'd do... whatever. Probably hang out with Dream; that would keep them both out of his business.

As she finally reached the podium, she awkwardly waved to her aunt and moved to stand in front of Nightmare. He raised an imaginary eyebrow; she looked really nervous. Her hands were shaking slightly. It wouldn't have been noticeable usually, but the slight tremor in the petals of her bouquet said otherwise.

Speaking of the bouquet, he couldn't help but notice her choice wasn't one that most would usually make. Daffodils; actually, most florists recommended not using these flowers. Nightmare may have done just a tiny bit of research. He wasn't bored of his paperwork, he was just intrigued and wanted to be best prepared for the wedding day.

(Please ignore the amount of things I skipped. I don't want to write all of the vows and traditions, and I'm pretty sure you don't either.)

Ink immediately jumped into it; even introducing himself by the name Henry. Nightmare had never been in this situation, so he could be wrong, but he didn't think the officiant usually introduced themselves. Especially not by some fake name in an awful attempt at a British accent.

It proceeded surprisingly smoothly, given that the officiant was a guy with a fake mustache on stilts. Eventually, the spiel finally reached the part where they were supposed to exchange vows. Nightmare cleared his throat. It was.. Pretty awkward. He really just had a generic response since he knew next to nothing about her.

"Well, I think it should be taken into account that neither of us are acquainted with the other. We're both two online mysteries, members of famous families that don't really have much information on the web. That being said, even though this is a business transaction, I am going to treat you like the living person you are."

Behind Dawn, Tsunami was being held in quite the chokehold by Eight. The girl was squirming violently, glaring with the force of a bullet. Luckily, Eight didn't become a bodyguard by random encounter; she was very well trained to handle these types of situations. Shadow also shot a glare Tsunami's way, and that seemed to defeat her rebellious spirit, at least for now.

"I'm going to be open with you. If you're expecting some crazy love story, forget it now. I have no intention of regarding you as anything but a roommate and business partner. Whether you fall in love with someone else or not is none of my concern. This is your chance to back out."

The venue went eerily silent. A lot of the guests were cringing, glad they weren't in the Bride's place. Most of them also felt a strong sense of pity for the poor girl. Dawn just nodded and took a deep breath, leaving all the attention in the room on her. She shifted on her feet nervously, hating the feeling of eyes on her.