"We gather here to unite these two people in marriage. Their decision to marry has not been entered into lightly and today they publicly declare their private devotion to each other. The essence of this commitment is the acceptance of each other in entirety, as lover, companion, and friend. A good and balanced relationship is one in which neither person is overpowered nor absorbed by the other, one in which neither person is possessive of the other, one in which both give their love freely and without jealousy. Marriage, ideally, is a sharing of responsibilities, hopes, and dreams. It takes a special effort to grow together, survive hard times, and be loving and unselfish.
"Do you both pledge to share your lives openly with one another, and to speak the truth in love? Do you promise to honor and tenderly care for one another, cherish and encourage each other, stand together, through sorrows and joys, hardships and triumphs for all the days of your lives?" The priest, Hopper, asked, looking between the two boys.
"I do," Alex said.
"Absolutely I do!" Mike said happily, and their friends and family laughed.
"Do you pledge to share your love and the joys of your marriage with all those around you, so that they may learn from your love and be encouraged to grow in their own lives," Hopper asked again.
"I do," they said at the same time, tears rolling down their cheeks, hearing Hopper sniffle.
"Say your vows." Hopper said, and Mike wiped his tears and cleared his throat.
"Al," he said, voice cracking, and Alex laughed, squeezing his hands. "God dammit, Alex, stop being so beautiful and making me cry, you asshole." Alex laughed, covering his mouth. "Alexander, when I first met you, I knew that I loved you. It's weird; I never thought that I would love anyone besides Eleven, let alone a boy. Even after what I saw, the first thing I thought when I saw you was: Fuck, he's really pretty. Can boys be that pretty? I still didn't accept it then, but thank god I accept it now, eh? I love everything about you, even your flaws. I love your chocolate-y brown eyes, I love your perfect, soft, pink lips. I love your smooth voice, and I love your skin. I love your sensitive ears and your small hands. I love when you scrunch up your nose when you're annoyed with me. I love the wrinkle in between your brow when you furrow them, and I love the sparkle in your eyes right now. I even love your anxiety! I mean, I don't love when you freak out, and I don't love when you can't breathe.
"I love how pretty you are, sometimes it gets frustrating. I love looking at you and knowing that you're mine and you love me. You could have any man in the world, you could make somebody question their sexuality! That's how beautiful and sexy you are. I love you so much and I'm so glad that I proposed to you," he said, pausing to whisper in Alex's ear. "I also love your perky ass, baby." He said, and Alex shoved him, giggling.
"Alex," Hopper said, looking at him. He scratched his neck, pulling the outfit away from his neck before letting it go. "This is killing me." He muttered, and the two laughed.
"Micheal, fuck, you're so handsome. It's not fair. It's also not fair that you proposed to me. It makes me look like the girl in this relationship," he huffed.
"Well, you do cook, and bott-" Alex slapped a hand over Mike's mouth, glaring.
"One, shut up, two, do not interrupt me whilst I'm doing my vows, idiot!" He said, and Mike barked out a laugh, wiping his tears, along with Alex's. "You're not perfect, nobody is, but you're perfect for me. I love you, you know that right? I don't want you to ever think you aren't loved because you are Mike. Not just by me, but by everyone in this goddamn room! You don't need to be perfect to be mine. All I need from you is your love and your beauty, that's all I ask. All I ask is for you to never hurt me, or break my heart, because there are two parts of every marriage. It won't be perfect, it'll be rough. We'll argue, we'll get angry, we'll hurt, but that's just the bad parts. I know that you thought about this for years before asking me, you let me know as you were proposing.
"You're so beautiful, and I know that you love me. I know that you would do anything for me, and you know that I'm exactly the same. I love you so much it hurts, it hurts to look at you because I love you so much. I don't know why; you're mine and I'm yours, that's the way it always will be. No matter what life throws at us. And, I love you so much that I'm going to do this here," he paused, looking at everyone and then back at his soon-to-be-husband. "Honey, I got a call back from the adoption agency. A girl is pregnant... and she chose us." He said, not stopping the tears from falling as Mike's face dropped in disbelief.
"No, fuck off, you're lying," he said incredulously.
"We're getting a baby!" He said happily, putting up jazz hands. Mike wrapped his arms around Alex's waist, lifting him off the ground and spinning him, going to kiss him before Hopper cleared his throat.
"I'm happy for you, but I'm uncomfortable can we get this over with," he asked jokingly, and the two nodded. Mike set him down, taking Alex's hands again and wanting more than anything to kiss his almost-husband. "May these rings be blessed as a symbol of your union. As often as either of you look upon these rings, may you not only be reminded of this moment, but also of the vows you have made and the strength of your commitment to each other. Micheal, please repeat after me ... I Micheal, promise to love and support you Alexander and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, and passion. With this ring I wed thee." Mike nodded, turned around to take the rings from Will.
"I Micheal, promise to love and support you Alexander and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, and passion. With this ring I wed thee," he said, rolling his eyes when he said Micheal, taking Alex's hand and slipping the ring on his lover's finger.
"Now, Alexander, repeat after me... I Alexander, promise to love and support you Micheal and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, and passion. With this ring I wed thee," he said, scratching his neck again making everyone laugh.
"I Alexander, promise to love and support you Micheal and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, and passion. With this ring I wed thee," he said, taking the ring and sliding it on Mike's finger, practically jumping with excitement.
"Go now in peace and live in love, sharing the most precious gifts you have- the gifts of your lives united. And may your days be long on this earth. I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss the-" The two didn't wait for him to finish, surging forward as soon as they heard the word 'kiss'.
They pressed their lips together, love, passion, and happiness all mixed into one.
"Now may I present to you, Mike and Alex Wheeler!"
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I understand that gay marriage wasn't exactly legal then, but just go with it.
I'm tired.
