Work Text
John paced in front of the window, nibbling at his bottom lip. He was thankful that he’d refused breakfast this morning — his stomach was churning enough as it was without having food to deal with. The sound of the door opening made him jump, but it was only Stu. John gave him a nervous smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes.“How are the flowers looking?” John asked.Stu flapped his arms against his sides, a slightly bewildered look on his face. “I don’t bloody know… they’re not brown, if that’s what you mean?”John just gave an exasperated sigh. This was not helping.Stu clearly realised that he had to try harder. “I’m sure they’re fine,” he said firmly. “That George guy knows what he’s doing — you should watch out… he might not want to give the shop back after you get back from Paris.”John’s shoulders dropped even further. “Is this supposed to be reassuring me?”Stu laughed, raising his hands in defence. “Alright, sorry, sorry.”John nodded, but still bit his lip as he paced back and forth. “How much longer now?”Stu shook his wrist out of the sleeve of his suit, raising it up to look at his watch. “Five minutes, I reckon.”“And you’re sure he’s here?”“Yes, he’s here!” said Stu, clearly enjoying John’s anxiety far too much. “Oh! I nearly forgot!”He walked closer to John, putting his hand into his inside jacket pocket as he did so. John watched nervously as Stu pulled out a folded piece of blank card and handed it to him.John took the card, looking up at Stu questioningly. “What’s this?”Stu shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s from Paul.”John looked down at the card in his hands. “Oh, shit — it’s not a present, is it? I haven’t got him a present.”“I don’t—”“Oh god… what if he’s written me a song?”“Well, then it will just be like any other Saturday,” snapped Stu, losing patience. “Look, all I know is he said to give it to you if you started freaking out — so just stop freaking out for a moment and open the bloody thing!”John took a deep breath and flicked the card open. Inside was a simple line drawing of two flowers in pots, holding ‘hands’ and with faces that were distinctly his and Paul’s. Coming out of the Paul flower was a large speech bubble, with three simple words —‘Don’t worry, baby!’John immediately felt himself relax, a massive smile coming to his face. What the hell was he so worried about, anyway? It was only him and Paul.“Better?” Stu asked after watching John’s reaction.John lifted his head up, a happy grin still on his face. “Yeah. Much.”“Good,” said Stu with a smile. “Because it’s time to go.” *** John and Stu walked into the garden, just as Paul and his brother Mike entered from the other side. John’s heart leapt as soon as he saw Paul, looking even more gorgeous than usual in a light grey suit, his rose-pink tie matching John’s own suit.They met each other at the start of the aisle.“Hey, you,” John said with a smile.“Hey yourself,” said Paul, grinning back at him. “Ready?”John took Paul’s hand in his. “I am now.”Someone hit ‘play’ on the tape recorder, the sound of the Beach Boys filling the air as they turned to walk down the aisle together in front of their family and friends. John had spent weeks designing the flower display. Lilies, roses, tulips, orchids, peonies… every type of flower that Paul had bought while pretending to be his most loyal customer, every flower that they’d sold together in the years since. And there, right at the end of the aisle beneath a cascading canopy of wisteria, the ‘Double Fantasy’ freesia that had first brought them together.John didn’t even hear the opening words of the officiant, too busy staring at the man beside him, who had changed his life in ways he’d never thought possible. He was transfixed by the way the afternoon sun bounced off Paul’s shiny hair, the way his eyes sparkled every time he smiled in his direction. He thought back to the day Paul first walked into his flower shop, stumbling around the plant tables like some kind of lost deer. He remembered all the wonderful memories they’d shared ever since; the joyful days pottering around the shop together, the cosy evenings curled up in each other’s arms. And the best thing was, they would get to do it again every day for the rest of their lives.“Do you, John Winston Lennon, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”“Fuck, yeah!” John said without thinking, before he saw the wide-eyed look on Paul’s face. “I mean — I do!”But it was too late. The shocked gasps and embarrassed titters from the congregation had now grown into full-blown laughs, and now John and Paul also couldn’t stop giggling.John looked over his shoulder to see his Aunt Mimi shaking her head, the disapproving look on her face a familiar one. ‘Oops,’ he mouthed in her direction, raising his shoulder slightly as if to say, ‘what can you do?’ and he swore he saw the corner of her mouth twitch in amusement.Paul’s father looked less happy, however; his mouth twisted as if he was either chewing on a wasp or had discovered that all his fears about his son dropping out of uni and running off with the boy from the flower shop were well founded.Luckily, the officiant also seemed to see the funny side, and she was smiling as she turned to Paul.“And do you, James Paul McCartney, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”Paul looked up at the sky with a sigh. “God help me, but yes I do,” he said, before taking a sideways glance at John, both of them still smirking.John tugged on Paul’s hand to pull him closer to his side, burying his face in Paul’s shoulder as they laughed once more. If they didn’t have the rest of their lives to live together, he could have died happy right then and there. *** John was on his way back from the gents when he spotted Paul, taking the opportunity to grab his hand and spin him around.“Hello, husband,” said Paul with a smile. “Where have you been?”“In the bog,” said John.“Lovely,” said Paul. He looked down at where their hands were clasped together. “I hope you washed your hands.”John rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mimi,” he said, before swaying Paul along to the sound of the nearby band.“Hey, it’s not dancing time yet!”“It’s our wedding. I reckon we can do what we like, and right now, I want to dance with my husband.”“Well,” said Paul, pulling John closer. “Can’t say fairer than that.”They danced in a slow circle, John’s head tucked into Paul’s neck. Not for the first time, he wondered how he’d ended up so fucking lucky.“Still wish we were playing,” Paul muttered like an insolent child, and John couldn’t help but smile fondly. He really did have it bad.“You can’t play at your own wedding, Paul. It’s uncouth.” Paul just snorted in response, so he continued. “Besides, the Hurricanes are alright.”“You’re only saying that because you fancy their drummer,” mumbled Paul.“I didn’t say I fancied him. I said he was cute.”Paul leaned back, an unconvinced look on his face. “Oh yeah, cause you famously don’t like cute guys.”“Oi,” said John, flicking Paul between the eyes like how they used to train puppies. Paul opened his mouth in objection, but John got two fingers to his lips before he could say anything. “Stop sulking. It’s meant to be the happiest day of our lives.”“It is,” insisted Paul, although he didn’t seem to have told his face yet.John chuckled in response. God, he loved that man. “Good,” he said, pulling Paul close again. “Hey, I tell you what,” he said into Paul’s ear. “That gay prince is getting married next year. We can play at their wedding.”Paul leant back, his face finally lit up in a smile, even though they both knew there was no chance of it happening. Their little band was doing well, but it wasn’t doing Royal Wedding well. “Yeah!” he said eagerly. “You can do the flowers, too!”“See?” said John with a grin. “All sorted.”They started dancing again, and John knew they should probably go and rejoin their guests, but there really wasn’t anywhere else he’d rather be.He turned his face to kiss Paul’s neck. “Thank you for my card, by the way.”He could feel Paul smiling against his hair. “So you were freaking out?”John was about to deny it, but he knew there was no point. No-one could read him as easy as Paul did. “Maybe a little bit,” he admitted.“But it’s been a good day though, yeah?” said Paul, stopping their dancing and looking at John.“Well, I wouldn’t speak too soon,” said John with a cheeky grin. “There’s still time to find out you’ve got an imaginary wife hidden somewhere.”“Oi,” said Paul, flicking John on the forehead just like he’d done to him. “The statute of limitations has passed on that one, remember?”John chuckled. “Ok, sorry. Anyway — you’re the one who should be freaking out now.”Paul looked at him, confusion etched on his face. “Why? It’s all gone well, hasn’t it? Everyone arrived on time, the ceremony went…almost to plan, the dinner was great.”“That is correct,” said John, nodding in mock seriousness. “Which only leaves…”“George’s speech,” they both said at the same time, Paul’s face falling in dismay.“I’m sure it will be fine,” John said, taking Paul into his arms. “It’s not like there’s an embarrassing story of how we met or anything.”“Oh god,” said Paul, letting his head fall onto John’s shoulder.John grinned, pulling Paul closer. “Don’t worry, baby.”