Who: Njall Strand and Felix Weissman What: Felix and Njall have decided to get married When: Saturday, July 6, 2019 Where: Croydon, South London, then Diagon Alley Warnings: Language, gratuitous NPCs
Through some miracle, Njall had managed to get both of them out of the guest bedroom, looking maybe a little flushed but totally put together, and back out into the party with nary a trouble. Only Eden surveyed them with a knowing smile, which Njall responded to with complete innocence. He shared a few more stories with Mike before his new healer friend left, and then a couple of quodpot anecdotes with Felix's brothers and laughing at their quidditch counterparts. There was no escaping the feeling that he was still being measured by Felix's parents, but that was honestly to be expected.
Finally, however, it was the natural and socially acceptable hour for the birthday party to end. The brothers got warm handshakes, while the older sister received a smile and a nod. Eden surprised him by giving him a hug, but he never even paused in returning it. With his arm wrapped around her shoulders, Njall gave her the following advice: "Diagon Alley. Tonight. You should try to be there."
With that bit of mystery in place, he took Felix's hand, and they left. The rest of the afternoon was going to be a whirlwind, but Njall wouldn't trade any of the madness for the world.
Given how quickly things were progressing, Felix had opted not to tell his parents about their engagement, but rather to simply announce their marriage when they returned the following day to pick up the boxes he'd promised to take. Marriage. The mere thought of it made his stomach flop with some weird combination of nerves and excitement, and he was pretty sure Njall had picked up on exactly when that happened, because he couldn't help giving his fiance's hand a squeeze, too.
There had been a quick stop at their hotel to attempt to piece together their presentable bits of clothing, and then they'd been off to Diagon. Felix went straight to the tiny booth tucked into the back corner of the alley, happy to find it exactly where he'd been told he would. The last appointment of the day for eight o'clock was still available and subsequently booked for them, after a series of questions about their preferences. It was simple, as any such arrangements would have to be, but they were told to return fifteen minutes before their time slot and then left to their own devices.
"Did you bring the list?" Felix asked, looking sideways as they strolled hand-in-hand back toward the main shopping area. "I remember that I need a tie, and then I confess I got rather distracted watching you change and stopped paying attention to the rest of it." He grinned mischievously.
With a laugh that was probably way too close to a giggle, Njall used their joined hands to pull Felix against him. He half-danced them into a darkened doorway before kissing him again. "Suit pieces, and possibly dress robes, if we wanna go with traditional. Speaking of, do you want a chuppah? I'm sure I can find a glass, too." His fingers found and traced the lines of Felix's jaw. "I don't have a lot in the way of anything like that, but I'd really like to honor whatever ones you want to." With a grin, he tipped their mouths together and hummed quietly with the entire feel of his soon-to-be-husband. Maybe it was the tiniest tease, but he separated them again and tossed his head toward the Alley. "Isn't there a clothes shop around here? Maybe we can charm our way into some appropriate clothes."
Felix pulled his lips away long enough to murmur, "Fuck dress robes," and then there was another long press of lips and restraint of hands and the general tease of it all. "I'm not much for all of that ceremonial shite, really." He brought their clasped hands up and kissed Njall's ring. "This is all the tradition I really care about right here. We'll get the full wedding experience next year when we come back for Sarah's, and I'm okay with leaving all that to her. We're making our own family...might as well make our own traditions." His face went soft and, admittedly, rather sappy at that last bit, but it was excuse enough to tug Njall back for one more kiss.
He nodded in the direction of the shops they wanted, which he could only assume hadn't changed so much in the year or so since he'd spent much time there, given how old most of them were. "A tie for you, too. Maybe a—" Felix froze and turned, snapping the fingers of his free hand. "A ring! I knew I was forgetting something. I need a ring." He spun and started tugging them down a different offshoot of the alley.
The shop in which they found themselves was decidedly not a well organized jewelers or even a pawn shop. There was no rhyme or reason to the shelves and display cases, so that Njall very quickly abandoned any and all hope of finding anything whatsoever as he and Felix wandered the incredibly narrow aisles. A few of the objects rattled when they passed them, or gave off a weird glow that made him tug Felix along a little more quickly. A tiny witch, clearly shrunken with age was kind enough, but even though she seemed excited and charmed to learn that they were getting married, she was less than helpful in navigating her own shop.
At Felix's insistence, they did one more turn—their third—but Njall had slipped from active hunting to a more casual observation mode at this point. There was something that Felix had told him at one point, when they were discussing the differences between the magical world in the UK vs. that of the US, about getting his wand and being told that it chose the witch or wizard. Certainly, he understood about having an affinity for his own, but he wasn't sure how much credence he put into the sentient nature of a stick with a magical core. All that aside, he thought he finally understood the sentiment, because the very moment his eyes snagged on something, he knew it hadn't been on that particular shelf before.
His heart was beating in triple time as he carefully removed it and carried it to the front while Felix was distracted by some fossilized plant that had long since gone extinct. Njall was able to get through the transaction with the witch in a discrete enough manner that he thought his fiance might be none the wiser, and then bemoaned their failure as he suggested they try somewhere else. They walked a short distance, hands held tightly, and Njall looked over at him. "When I came back from Iceland, I had no idea which way was up in my life. Sorry for running the metaphor into the ground, but I was still trying to find my sea legs. I had no one to talk to about what was going on in my life—until you sat down next to me in the bar that night. And then you kept on being there for me, kept getting caught up in the registry crap and all the other bullshit that came from that, even when you were dealing with things in your own life. You accepted me, encouraged exploring the weird things I can do with my…other heritage, even when it terrified me."
He took in a deep breath and pulled the ring from his pocket before slipping it onto Felix's finger. Njall smoothed his thumb over the engraved wave pattern. "This doesn't terrify me. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I want nothing more than to go through this hard, messy life together, to team up against everything that wants to hold us back and tell it to fuck the hell off because nothing is gonna come between us. Nothing. I love you, Felix Weissman, from now until the day the oceans run dry."
Strangely enough, Felix wasn't discouraged as they came out of the shop without having made any progress on their quest, because that's what it felt like—a quest—and the best of those had twists and turns that made them interesting. It was why he'd chosen junk shops rather than a traditional jeweller, for now, because he had this sense that finding the ring was more important than choosing one. He hadn't chosen Njall; they'd found each other through some inexplicable chain of events that he never could have planned. And he loved it all the more for its randomness.
Which is why, when Njall surprised him with the ring he'd found, his first reaction was to laugh...and if there were a few tears mixed in, who could blame him? Felix wound their fingers together on both hands and stood looking down at him, not caring that there were people walking around them. "I love you, too," he said, because that seemed the only appropriate response. "And you are such a sneaky bastard," he added, laughing as he leaned in to kiss his now-doubly official fiance. He lifted their hands so that he could get a look at the ring, running his thumb over the pattern. "It's perfect."
After one last kiss that was at least semi-appropriate for public, they started back toward their original destination of the clothing shops. They had time to spare before their appointment, so he was in no particular hurry to settle on some dowdy old set of dress robes when there was better to be had. "Who do you think is going to be most surprised?"
"Other than the whole town?" Njall held the door open to a place called Twillfoot or something like that—he'd barely paid attention to the signs as he'd been giving Felix's question some moderately serious thought. With a laugh, he shook his head. "Probably Nat. And Tony. And your friend JJ. Oh, and Stevie. Have you told her you're moving out yet? I guess this kind of moves up your timeline a bit."
A petite saleswitch drifted toward them from the front, measuring tape around her neck that kind of waved at them. "Hiya," she greeted them with a smile. Her little handmade name tag read Susan. "What brings you to my shop this evening?"
Njall smiled over at her and gave Felix's hand a squeeze. "We're getting married. Tonight. We might be crazy, but we're both absolutely positive that it's a thing that has to happen right now."
He watched her eyes light up. "A wedding? No one ever comes to us for weddings. Which is a shame, because I have the most perfect suits. Everyone thinks the only thing we have are dress robes and school robes. No one ever asks about all the other things we offer. Would you gentlemen like to follow me to our showroom?"
She was sweet and a little quiet as she led them past a curtained area, and Njall was well and truly charmed as she offered them tea. She made sure they were seated comfortably and had their tea before she started trotting out truly breathtaking finery. The suits walked on their own, their fit coming to look like both his and Felix's build and height after her measuring tape had subtly moved around them. "I can make a couple of alterations while you wait, but it can't be anything major. I may be a wonder, but I'm no miracle worker."
"No, I haven't said anything. Between work and, well, you" —he flashed Njall a teasing smile— "we haven't much been there at the same time, and it's not the sort of conversation I want to have through texts."
It had been years since Felix had been in Twilfitt and Tattings, and when he had, he'd always thought of it as the stuffy store where his father bought dress robes, but the atmosphere seemed different than he remembered. Maybe it was his mood, or maybe it was the friendly woman who was assisting them, but he was immediately confident that they'd be able to find what they needed. Everything was falling into place even better than he would have expected, and it was impossible not to allow that optimism to fuel his smile.
He was a little amused to watch Njall get drawn into the proceedings, particularly as Felix only stayed seated for a few seconds before he'd paced the room a bit, looking things over, and ended up standing behind Njall's chair with his hands resting on the man's shoulders. He watched the procession of suits, thumbs working circles just above his fiance's shoulderblades. They all seemed pretty normal, as if any of them might do—until he spotted one that seemed to almost be hiding behind the rest. "That one," he said, pointing. "I'll take that one. Do you have a gold vest? Gold tie, too. Regular tie, not a bowtie. For you, too," he said in a lower tone, as he bent to brush a kiss just behind Njall's ear.
Whatever he had intended to whisper to his fiance about post-wedding plans was swallowed up by squeals of "Mum! Mum!" as a little girl with a head full of chestnut curls ran into the showroom and attached herself to their host's leg. "Dad says I can have an owl now because I'm five. Can I? Pleeeeaase?"
"So sorry," Susan said with an apologetic look toward the two men as she bent to pick up the girl.
"It's not a problem," Felix said with a smile. "We'll just look these over, shall we?"
"Elodie, what have I said about..." Susan was saying as she carried the girl toward the entrance, meeting there a tall man who looked rather more amused than apologetic.
"Holy shite. That's Oliver Wood. The Quidditch player." Felix stared at the man, a little wide eyed for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "Um, yeah, hello awkward adolescent crush." He laughed and pressed his lips to the side of Njall's neck. "See one you like, love?"
It was all Njall could do not to moan the entire time that Felix stood behind him with those amazing fingers working over his muscles. That little kiss and the low words about ties had him fully distracted and therefore a lot startled when they suddenly weren't as alone as they had been. He watched mother and daughter with a bemused expression, and then realized, with a swoop in his stomach, that he would soon be getting a 'Dad says…' and 'Pleeeeaase's of his own. Granted it would be a couple of years, probably, but it would still be happening.
His gaze went from the tall man who was receiving their daughter back along with a kiss that inspired a disgusted squeal and a concerted effort made by the small girl to get away again, before he looked virtually upside down at his fiance. Njall gave him a raised brow and a teasing grin. "A teenaged crush? Is that particular with him, or just quidditch players in general? If I'd known that, I would've definitely led with that the first night at the Kestrel."
With their host otherwise occupied with Mr. Oliver Wood himself—a name with which he wasn't wholly unfamiliar himself—Njall stood and pressed his hand against the lapel of the suit jacket that Felix had picked out. He smiled back at the man as he flicked at the tie. "I know why you have this preference. Infinitely more uses." Laughing, he moved back through the suits that floated around them until he came across a dark blue one that he'd dismissed earlier, but now was reconsidering because of it's subtle gold undertones worked into the pattern. "I like this one. It compliments yours."
"That's a good one, mate. If you don't mind the opinion of someone fashion adjacent, that is." Oliver Wood himself was standing at the curtained door and studying their choices. He grinned at the two men for a moment before striding into the room and offering his hand to both of them. "Hi, sorry, I hope you'll forgive me. Susan always says I stick my nose in where it's not wanted all too often. I'm Oliver, and it looks like you two are planning the big day?"
"Njall," he replied as he took Oliver's hand with a smile of his own. "The big night, actually. Tonight. At 8 PM. Because we might be a little crazy."
Felix hummed in thought. "Both?" He laughed as he tipped his head down to brush an upside-down kiss over the other's lips. "Remind me later, when we aren't in mixed company, to make the jokes currently running through my head, all of which pertain to your broom and why this isn't a possession of yours we've explored further." He swiped the man's hair back from his face and dropped another kiss to his forehead.
"I thought that was rather obvious," he said with a laugh, watching his fiance's hands smooth over the dark blue suit and its accompanying tie. He started to comment on the suit itself, which he had a feeling would look scandalously good with Njall's skin tone, when they were joined by the newcomer.
"Felix," he said, offering his hand. He couldn't help the little leap of excitement in his chest at the introduction. Even as small as the wizarding world could be in Britain, he'd never met this particular childhood idol of his. Despite that, his adoring gaze was all for his fiance. "He keeps saying that, but he's got it all wrong. We're completely crazy, and I love him all the more for it." He skimmed a hand over the small of Njall's back. "The blue one is perfect, love."
"That one's a personal favorite," Susan said, rejoining them without her daughter. "She's in the office, coloring," she said to her husband, and then refocused her attention on the suit in question. Her tape measure snapped at the shoulders of the jacket and then across Njall's once again, in two successive quick motions. "Shouldn't take much to fit it up, either, so long as you're good with the length." She waved her wand toward the far wall, and two big curtains swirled up and enclosed a large rectangular area. The two suits they'd chosen walked into the opening, beckoning them to follow. "I'll leave you two to put everything on, and then we'll do the alterations? I'll be sure to call out when I'm going to come in so I don't catch anyone undressed." Or otherwise up to shenanigans, her knowing smile said.
Exchanging a look at Felix, Njall tried very hard not to grin like the little imp that he felt like he became when he was around his soon-to-be-husband. "Best behavior, ma'am," he said as he pulled Felix back behind the waiting curtain. Tugging him close with two fistfuls of shirt, he kissed the other man in a way that was clearly a promise...and also a tease. "Promise!"
Oliver chuckled as he turned to Susan. "Young love," he sighed, ever the hopeless romantic. "They remind me of us when we were their age." A thought struck him, and he went from looking at his wife to the curtained area. "D'ya think this lot've got witnesses?"
"How so? Is it the good taste in clothing? Or the fact that they're absolutely snogging behind that curtain?" Susan tipped her head sideways to look at her husband, the sly expression starting to overtake her usual sweet one. "Maybe the spur-of-the-moment wedding?"
She checked the clock on the wall and decided to give them until half past. Probably wouldn't take that long to get dressed, but it hadn't been so long since she was in their shoes. "If I had to guess?" She debated a moment and shook her head. "No, probably not. You thinking about playing the hero? Everyone deserves someone to celebrate their marriage, buy them a few rounds, toast to their health and happiness. We could drop Elodie with my mum." She turned and gave him a smile that was absolutely mischievous. "And with Nicky and the twins with your parents, it would give us the night to ourselves, too. Been awhile since we've had that."
Grinning, Oliver turned and spun his wife into his arms. "Have I mentioned lately how brilliant and beautiful you are? You know I'm a sucker for a good wedding." He kissed her soundly. "Let me get Elodie to mum's—don't worry, I'll make sure the O-W-L situation is tabled for now—and I'll be right back here. Want me to bring that smashing green number of yours? Make this a proper do-up?"
"Yes, please," Susan said, kissing him one last time and shooing him out the door. A check of the clock confirmed they had perfect timing. "Knock knock!" she called, taking her time to stroll across the room, measuring tape and other accoutrements of her job in hand. "Everything looking good in there?"
Inside the curtained area, Felix grinned against Njall's lips, brushing one last kiss there before relinquishing his hold on the man's badly-tied tie and stepping a somewhat respectable distance back to smooth down his vest and jacket. "As good as it can with the two of us in charge of dressing." He smiled as the woman ducked her head in and waved at the curtain until it lifted and created a full door.
"Come on out, then. Let's take a look at you."
Felix slid his hand into Njall's and led them back out into the main studio space, which had been cleared of the other suits while they were getting dressed. He stepped up onto the pedestal she indicated and struck a pose, flashing a blatantly flirty smile at Njall before relaxing into something reasonable. "What's the diagnosis, Healer Strand? Do you think I'll make it? Or does this lovely lady have no hope of making me into something respectable enough to marry such a dashing bloke such as yourself?"
With a gentle flick of their guardian angel's wand—for that's what Njall considered her now—his tie was set to rights, and he watched with a grin he couldn't seem to or even remotely wanted to shake. "In my professional opinion? You have a terminal case on your hands. Or possibly a hand in a terminal case, 'cause I'm not sure how I'm gonna survive the night with you looking like that."
He managed to hold his smirk for a few seconds before laughing. "God, that was cheesy, even for me." Njall started to put his hand out, to smooth it across the suit jacket's arm, but the measuring tape snapped at him. With the universal sign of surrender, he chuckled and backed up a step. His gaze was fond, however, as he looked up at Felix. "You look amazing, ástin mín."
Felix stood still as the combination of Susan and her various instruments circled him and tugged, tucked, and pinned in various places. "I might think I was marrying the wrong man if there wasn't at least one sappy exchange before the ceremony," he said, laughing and immediately getting snapped by the tape measure himself, causing him to straighten up again. "Let's be honest here. We could be perfectly happy getting married in our jeans and jumpers, but I happen to be a bloke who loves an excuse for a good suit."
"Everyone deserves a good suit for their wedding," Susan said, patting him on the arm. "Alright, jacket off." A few flicks of her wand, and she sent it off into the corner where a needle and thread and a pair of scissors started the alterations.
It only took a moment to pronounce the vest and tie perfectly acceptable as they were, and then it was Njall's turn on the podium. Felix used the moment of exchange to steal a kiss, because that was a thing that needed to happen, and to murmur, "Það mun líta eins vel út á gólfið." That was followed by a wink, and then Felix dropped into a nearby chair and stretched his legs out in front of him, eyes intent on the figure of his husband.
Well, he would be soon enough, anyway.
Showing the kind of style and grace that seemed to be his hallmark, Njall very nearly overshot the podium altogether and kind of flailed a moment as his face burned bright red. With a polite cough, he stood upright and tried to stand still in a suit that suddenly seemed a little overwarm. He stuck out his tongue at Felix from one of the mirrors. "My fiance is a massive tease," he informed Susan, but then smiled at both her and him. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."
He watched her smile as she worked, something secret in the expression. "My husband and I were thinking that the two of you might not have witnesses for your ceremony. If it's all right, we'd love to be able to do that for you. I know what this must mean for you both, how difficult it can be, so it's important that you know that there are people who care. Even if they're complete strangers."
Warmth stole through Njall's chest and closed up his throat. The world went a bit hazy around the edges, and he sought out Felix's gaze again, questioning while also wordlessly saying it was all right with him with a tiny nod.
Despite his relaxed posture, Felix managed to freeze at the witch's offer. He hadn't considered that it was something they might need, and his thoughts immediately went back to his family. Eden might or might not manage to slip out to come, and other than her...well, he wasn't entirely sure he would want the others to be present. There was the usual wave of guilt that came with the thought, but one glance up at Njall lessened its influence significantly. Why shouldn't they have strangers as their witnesses? After all, only a couple of months ago, he and Njall had been strangers themselves.
And besides, Oliver Wood at his wedding? It was too bizarre to not let it happen.
"Would you believe it if I said you only knew the half of it?" he said, his wry laugh belying just how much else there was that wasn't obvious. "We would absolutely love for you to be there, if it's not too much to ask. Our friends are half a world away right now, and family...well, family is complicated."
"It really, really is," Susan said, nodding. "Especially when it comes to marriage. I can't tell you the number of friends I've seen upset over some conflict about who they want to marry or wedding plans or children, or any number of things. Which is not to say I have a thing against marriage or family, obviously." She laughed. "I only mean that it comes in all shapes and sizes, and I say seize your happiness when you can get it. It's the worst thing to regret when you don't. Alright, done here, too." She patted Njall's arm to signal he could get down. "Give me an hour, and these should be ready. My recommendation? Go get something to eat. After the wedding, Oliver will be buying you drinks at a rate where you can't keep up between food and alcohol, and you are not going to want a hangover tomorrow."
Getting back into the clothes they'd arrived in took a little less time than putting on the suits, but mostly because Susan had been right, and it had been hours since he'd had little more than birthday case. Njall knew there would come a point where he was entirely too nervous for food. Hands still clasped as they left, he and Felix passed back out into the Alley. "This is your world, ástin. Care to show this bachelor around for the next hour or so?"
"Bachelor? I think we might have to do something about that." He grinned and pulled Njall in for a quick kiss, only somewhat caring about where they were standing. "Well, you've seen all of the best bits. Gringotts, the book shop, the clothing shops, the private businesses." Felix pointed as he named each grouping, then pointed in the last direction, where they hadn't yet spent any time. "Food is that way. I can't say my favorite places are in Diagon. It's a bit too...hmm...commercial for quality food. It's the sort you grab when you're shopping, but not much otherwise. There is one place, though."
At least, he hoped it was still there. It had been one of those locations that seemed to have a different tenant every time he visited. Hand in hand, he took his time strolling that direction, pointing out anything he thought Njall might find interesting as they went. Ollivander's was a rather famous shop, for one, and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, for another, and especially pertinent since one member of the family was currently in residence at the Reserve. After that short tour, he stopped in front of a tiny little storefront with a selection of charming outdoor seating. Piccolo, the sign read, and Felix smiled to see that it was the same as he remembered.
"It's more of a sandwich shop than a proper restaurant," he explained as they went up to the window. "But it's also the best food in the alley." And probably just light enough that it wouldn't sit too heavily on his already jumpy stomach.
Looking around at all of the shops, Njall was struck by the age and permanence of the storefronts, how they probably hadn't changed in fifty or a hundred years. Even in the tiny little village that his mom grew up in (and maybe kind of his dad, if he squinted—he was not inclined to squint), the structures were old and storied. "The average night market is more like a bazaar or a flea market," he continued his thoughts aloud as they sat, each with a sandwich (on Felix's recommendation) and a basket of hand-cut chips to share. "There are occasional buildings involved, but even then it's usually just the facade being used. It all feels so transitory sometimes. There and gone again, and you never know what's going to be there from one night to the next."
He looked at Felix, because there really was a point to all of this rambling. "I look at you, and I see this." Njall waved a hand at the Alley and the shops, while the other wound their fingers together. "I see history. I see established in ridiculous number B.C., and still going. I see our story etched in the buildings, in the foundations, in the ground. It's here, and it's not going anywhere. I don't know how I know, I just do."
"It's the accent, isn't it?" Felix teased, leaning over to steal a kiss, no matter that they were in the middle of eating. He lingered there for a moment, nuzzling Njall's cheek and letting his fingers slide over the other's in a distinct caress. "I'm more like the night market, darling. But I love that you see me otherwise. It makes me feel…." He paused, planting one last kiss on the same jaw before returning to his sandwich. "It makes me feel like I could be part of a foundation. Only part, though. I can't lie. I know it will still be a struggle sometimes, this not running thing. Permanence. Making our story. Forever." He ran his finger over Njall's ring, which for now was still on the man's right hand. "But worth the struggle. Worth every second."