1. Chapter 1 (1/2)

alfred had left his

ide to be in charge of the food; he had no idea what to decide on for their wedding feast, nor did he want to leave out any important detail that may be missed from lithuanian culture. she deserved a great wedding.

his thoughts seemed to swirl as he addressed his tie, trying not to start muttering out loud before he goes out there and stands at the altar, waiting for daina to come meet him there. nerves assail him as he tries to regain calm confidence. what if she changes her mind, and he stays there? what if he screws something up or accidentally does not eat any of the food, because of the knotting of nerves in his stomach?

what if, when they go to kiss for the first time as husband and wife, he misses and kisses her nose? he hasn't accidentally kissed her nose before, but suddenly the thought implants itself right in his head, and he can't focus on anything else. just, how was he supposed to not screw something up; inevitably, it seemed, everything majorly important, accidentally got fumbled up by him.

he almost didn't walk down the stage to receive his high school diploma when they called him forth, and he ended up hugging the people giving it to him, instead of giving handshakes. ultimately, he wasn't good at practiced movements or somehow not messing up the little things or getting so caught up in the moment, that he forgets to hear what's being said.

alfred took another deep

eath, nervously messing his tie back up before he felt a tap on his shoulder, "it will be okay."

"i don't know, gilbert, what if i forget something important? like, the vows?" alfred stumbled over his words as he glanced back at his best man.

"i forgot my vows, completely." gilbert shrugged, "and so, i made some up on the spot, and elizaveta forgave me, though when she found out what i'd written, she'd been a little disappointed that i hadn't read that to her."

"you did?" alfred gave him a look, "i thought those were the vows you wrote."

"they were that good, huh?" gilbert grinned.

"no, they were awful." alfred shrugged, "i didn't realize that was improv."

"you don't know what awesome is." gilbert shook his head, "you ready to go?"

"no," alfred sighed, "i'm not sure i'll ever be. what if i just screw up so bad that she just walks out of the church?"

"if she does that, which is completely unlike her and absolutely unawesome of her, then i'd be surprised. she didn't say, 'yes,' when you proposed for no reason."

"thanks." alfred shook his head, though straightened up. maybe she'll still be okay with him, mess and all. perhaps a few months or so of wedding planning wouldn't change that.

alfred's hands are fidgeting as his eyes flicker towards the aisle at the sound of wedding music. his

eath stills in his chest, and he's caught staring at her.

daina looks amazing. white surrounds her frame and clings lightly against her skin before dipping down and flowing out by her feet. her heels peek out with every step, and they are

ight silver. her hair is intricately

aided behind her head, veil delicately placed overtop of it. just, the twisting

aids look as if they took hours to do as they loop overtop her head.

her hands are wrapped around beautiful yellow flowers, and she's being guided towards the altar by her father, who holds her steady as if she is already walking on air before they recite their vows. alfred isn't sure he has

eathed since he first saw her.