The Wedding Affair [Pigeon and Noise Prince]

[Noise Prince]

Mason's heart was beating, his mouth felt dry, the world was a dull noise around him- despite the fact there was a lot of running about and shouting as many strange-looking strangers, paradoxically orderly and rushed, prepared for an even he had no idea he was going to be a part of until the day before. A number of people were dressing him, wordlessly, with nimble fingers, in a complicated, strange set of clothes. He knew they were traditional here, but this place's traditions were utterly alien to him. He wasn't from the place.

 

He was from Earth. Or maybe a different Earth, he wasn't entirely sure where he was now. He didn't understand much of anything here. His 'father' didn't explain much to him when he suddenly came to his home the day before. Mason had come home from his part time job when he saw this strange man at the kitchen table, his mother crying. His mom was the only person he had in the world, so this was enough to send him into a rage before his mom calmed him down, assured him it wasn't anything bad. On the contrary.

 

Since it was his 18th birthday, officially, since they had celebrated the weekend before, he was old enough to take his rightful place as Prince. Prince of where he couldn't recall. The word was long and odd, and he was too embarrassed to ask anyone to remind him. It seemed like it was taking forever when it was happening, but now all the events up to now felt like such a fast blur he could barely recall details.

 

All he really knew was that in less than an hour, he'd be meeting yet another stranger. This stranger, however, was going to marry him.

 

"Crown Prince, how does that feel?" One seamstress asked him, focused on the fit around his waist.

 

"Fine," He told her, not sure how this thing was supposed to fit on him. She seemed satisfied with that. Wordlessly, he was guided towards a chair in front of a vanity, and two people came and started working on his hair and his face.

 

Could he even resist any of this? He was really nervous and... not that he could really say anything about it, but he wasn't often attracted to girls. So his future wife was going to end up being very disappointed in him, he knew. Things like this felt like it belonged to a different era, nobles being forced to marry each other for politics sake. But that was the norm in this age, in wherever they were. And suddenly being told he was a prince, the man making his mother cry was his long-lost father, he was whisked away for the sole purpose to marry this person. Or so it felt like. His father never visited until now, it made Mason a bit angry.

 

But... he couldn't deny that as weird as it all was, it was a little exciting. He hoped he didn't hate his new bride, as that would put a damper on his new royal life. He had a lot to adapt to but frankly, he was a bit thankful something so bizarre happened to him. He'd miss his own world sooner or later, but now... at least he felt like he had a purpose, an aim, a path, here that he lacked at home.

 

His cheeks were coated with a soft blue dust, his lower lash lined with magenta, and a touch of red was put at the center of his lips, fanned out slightly. His clothes were pale blue and dark purple, predominately. His hair, not the length most people had theirs, could only support a certain number of adornments, which looked plenty to him. Someone took his hand and started coating his fingernails in something. It was transparent with a blue tint, and when it dried, it made the nails look shiny, but only showed the blue tint in certain light. There must be some sort of symbolism in all this, right?

 

The arduous challenge of taking the boy-pauper from another world and transforming him into a crowned prince worth marrying was finally complete. He wondered how his mom would be dressed... he knew that she was also getting a bizarre make over herself. Somehow, he felt she would look less silly. Someone held a straw to the side of his mouth so he could drink without smudging his lip makeup, and led him out to where the ceremony would be held. He had imagined something similar to weddings back home. But now he realized it was most likely going to be nothing like that. Who knows what was going to happen...

[Kotorichan]

The room Mason entered was a huge crystal dome. It was a sacred spot in Suihara's land, a giant geode which had been found and then had the stone carved away until only the violet crystals remained.

 

Suihara stood in the center of the room, upon carved crystal tiles. Around him the guests formed a circle, with a pathway left for Mason to walk through. Suihara was dressed in pale violet and light pink robes which fanned out around him. His shoulders completely bare as the feather lined robes were only help up by a necklace in the front. Each robe was made of an almost completely transparent material, only tinted with color, so it took dozens of layers to hide the demon's skin.

 

A soft tinkling echoed in the room as Suihara moved his head. His hair was styled in strange and intricate braids and adorned with tiny crystal decorations which sounded like small bells as they bumped together. Suihara's face was mostly bare, with only the faintest color on his lips and eyelids. White liner defined the emotionless eyes that landed on Mason, showing no hint of surprise.

 

Of course, Suihara wasn't surprised in the least. He knew who he was marrying. A boy who had lived on "Earth" his entire life, a boy who was only 18 and probably knew next to nothing about his new world or his new duties.

 

Suihara himself was almost 2,000 years old, and had long since ascended to the throne of his country. Despite his power, he was still forced into this relationship. His advisers and Mason's father had insisted on the marriage. Suihara had already been married three times, each time he had tried not to develop feelings for his partner. Each time he failed, and each time he watched as his lover grew old and died.

 

The demon had thousands of years left before his natural death, and had already produced an heir in the case of an assassination. Still, he needed to keep up his appearances and good relationships with other countries. Marriage was a perfect way to do both of those things.

[Noise Prince]

Mason's eyes lit up, amazed, when he walked in. It was like the entire place was made of crystal! Of course, royalty would have the resources to cover a place completely in bright purple crystal, but it was still a sight to behold. In the center of the room, sood an elegant figure, with a solemn posture and empty eyes. Mason hadn't really considered that his new spouse wouldn't be thrilled with him, either. He presumed, since she had grown up royal in this world, she'd be more accustomed to this sort of thing, growing up knowing that she'd most likely be marrying for the connections. Mason stepped closer.

 

His bride was a man! He couldn't help but smile a little in surprise. Not that it should change anything... but it did. Just the fact that this was not only acceptable, but even imposed on certain occassions, was quite assuring. Not that forced marriages were particularly a bonus... Sui didn't seem to share the enthusiasm.

 

The rest of the day and evening went by like a blur. No one really expected much of Mason, and he had little to defy their expectations. No one seemed to look down on him or be annoyed that he was so out of place, so as awkward as he felt, it was nice that he wasn't exactly making any enemies. Except perhaps one very important person... the one who hadn't looked at him, or spoken more than a handful of words to him the whole ceremony and following feast.

 

The wedding night seemed to be similar to Earth, Mason deduced, from certain cues from others. But was it really expected with them? They didn't even know each other. And as far as Mason could tell, they weren't even the same species. That could cause some complications, right? What would he do if they... weren't compatible? Maybe that wasnt important here... He didn't know this world very well.

 

"So... uh, Sui..." He forced himself to start. He wore layers and layers of light, transluscent clothes, so many it became opaque where it layered the most. But every once in a while, when the layers or light shifted, Mason could tell there was a very humanoid figure underneath. A pretty nice one, at that. He had wanted to ease on the topic that he wasn't prepared to have sex right away... but now that he was here, he felt like it wouldn't even be necessary, since Sui didn't seem keen on him.

[Kotorichan]

Sui did little to hide his feeling about the arrangement, everyone already knew that he was not happy about it. His last partner, an elf male, had taken an especially hard toll on the king. It resulted in what had come to be known as the 'decade of mourning.' Ten whole years where the king never smiled, and rarely appeared in public. When he did he appeared ill, his eyes often red from crying. The country itself seemed to come to a standstill, no new alliances or trading relations, but none failed during that time.

 

Throughout the ceremony and the feast, Suihara did his best to avoid his new husband. He already knew that he would grow attached to Mason. A young boy, lost in a strange world without his family, with only Sui to depend on. The demon wanted to pull Mason close and tell him that everything would be alright, that Sui would protect him no matter what happened. But if he did that it would just end up breaking his heart when he couldn't protect the boy.

 

Eventually the night came, and Sui had no choice but to lead Mason to his chambers. A huge luxurious bedroom with more crystal decorations, and a door to a bathroom, with a bath made from smooth crystals. Entering the room only reminded Sui of the others who had joined him in this room.

 

His gaze fell upon Mason as the boy spoke up. "Yes?" He could guess what the other was worried about, although he didn't want to assume.

[Noise Prince]

Mason hadn't let the splendor of Sui's chambers go unnoticed, but the whole day had been full of overwhelming lavishness that he was kind of expecting it at this point. Royalty in the realm really was no joke. But everything here felt a little cold, since it was just the two of them, and Sui had kept a certain distance from him, physically when he could. But at least before, there were swarms of strangers who were somewhat interested in him. Mason was starting to think that Sui was at least interested in crystals, noticeably. Maybe he picked the wedding decor, too.

 

When Sui spoke now, he spoke so softly, it took Mason by surprise. He stared wide eyed for a few minutes before collecting his thoughts.

 

"Ah... well... I know we're married... and... well, it might not be the case here. But on earth, there's an 'expectation' on the wedding night..." His voice started to fail him, growing quieter and quieter. He paused to gather his volume again. "I-I'm... I mean... I don't think I can... meet it. If there is one that is..." Now he just felt foolish. What if Sui didn't even know what he was talking about? What if he did and just thought he was a pervert?! His humiliation was clear in the shade in his face.

[Kotorichan]

Sui felt like his heart was going to breath as he saw the humiliation in his husband's face. "Ah..." How could he be so selfish? He was worried about his own feelings, but if he continued this it would mean that Mason would spend the rest of his life feelings afraid and unloved. Perhaps this time he could keep just enough distance... Or perhaps he would finally find a way to extend his love's life.

 

"I apologize my dear..." He stepped closer, and gently pulled the boy into his arms. The demon was very tall, close to 7 feet, with a thin figure. But still his form seemed to completely envelope the smaller male. "I know this must be difficult for you. We have the same expectation in our land, but I do not have that expectation of you." His fingers moved to lightly stroke Mason's hair. His movements seemed more like that of a mother than a lover. "I... I have my reasons for trying to keep my distance from you... But it is not your fault."

[Noise Prince]

Mason looked back up, sheepishly, and saw Sui had a very different expression than he'd seen before. A bit less somber, or at least not a lethargic sort of somberness. He really didn't expect Sui's gentleness to expand from the soft tone of voice, and he was guided into his arms. Sui was incredibly tall, but underneath all the layers of fine fabrics, he had a thin frame, though that hardly made Mason feel like a match at his 5'10 height. He felt surrounded in the embrace. It was comforting. He hadn't realized just how lonely he had really been feeling in this new world, dealing with everything for the first time, until he wasn't alone anymore.

 

He was grateful that Sui explicitly assured him that he didn't expect that, in a way that wasn't like the rejection he partially expected- though it was still a little embarrassing to address it at all. Sui's long fingers went into his dark brown hair, stroking the mess that was left after the ornaments were removed. He was so gentle, and sofHe remembered his mother would stroke his hair when he was little when he couldn't fall asleep.

 

"Nn... I get it, it's stressful marrying a stranger, right? Especially one that doesn't really know anything..."

[Kotorichan]

Sui hesitated for a moment before leading Mason to the bed, slowly sitting down at the edge. "I... I am much older than I look." He said softly. "I am 1,987 years old. I have been the king of this land since I was 150." He folded his hands in his lap, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "This is my fourth marriage. I have outlived the other three."

 

His chest tightened at the memories. "I have gotten used to marrying strangers, but I do not think I can ever get used to having my lover die in my arms." He turned to look at Mason again, his eyes sparkling with tears. "When I look at you, the only thing I can think of is how short your life will be... How soon I will be holding your aged body in my arms... How soon my wedding garbs will turn to funeral wear."

 

He reached out to lightly touch the boy's cheek. "I know it is not fair for you. You are so young, and to you it is an entire lifetime. Please forgive me for being unable to give you the kind of love I should..."

[Noise Prince]

Mason followed Sui's lead to the bed. When Sui sat at the edge, their heights were a little more evened out. It made Sui feel even closer than when he pulled him close. His expression was so soft, and so sad. Mason didn't expect for Sui to tell him something that would make him feel so far from him again. He was nearly 2,000 years old. Mason was his fourth marriage. Mason might have humored the idea that Sui was a cougar of sorts, if he wasn't so suddenly saddened that he had just unknowingly married a widower. He could see the painful memories tense up in Sui as he continued.

 

He had taken his throne since before his mother was born, before his father was born. Sui had been king of his land at an age Mason would never live to see. And that was a fraction of his age now. He wondered how long his former lovers lived, if they were longer-lived than humans. He wondered how long ago his last husband had died. So even though it was so painful… he kept marrying. And if it was like their marriage, it was purely political. He was a very dutiful king…

 

Sui touched Mason's cheek, and he wanted to cry along with him. His lifetime really didn't seem like enough now, that was for sure. The idea that he would grow old, wrinkled, weak, and die, while his husband stayed young and vibrant, and alive to mourn… it was one of the most grim things he'd had to face in his life.

 

"You don't need to feel bad for not loving me," He told him, his soft voice shaking a bit. "It's not worth it if I’m going to die so soon, after all," He joked bleakly.

[Kotorichan]

Sui shook his head quickly. "It isn't that it's not worth it... I simply feel that I can no longer take the sadness that comes from loving such frail creatures. I cannot honestly say that I regret loving those that have died, there was too much joy. But each time the pain has become more and more unbearable. Eventually I will be unable to take it."

 

He gently took Mason's hands, pressing his lips to the boy's fingertips. "Please forgive me... I meant to save this for some other time, but I want to encourage you to find a lover. Someone who will make you happy in this world. I will be able to tend to the needs of my country on my own. So you do not need to worry about such things."

[Noise Prince]

Mason couldn't help but wish that they could have married a little earlier, with a comfortable gap from the marriage to Sui's breaking point. Of course, things were what they were now, he might not have even been born when he got married last. In fact, that seemed likely. He'd never had someone touch him so tenderly, so sweetly. Sui kissed his fingertips, holding both his hands in his. It seemed unbearable for him to ask him to find happiness elsewhere when he was touching him like this.

 

He knew he was in trouble, he was starting to fall pretty hard for Sui, even though this was their real first conversation, and it had ultimately been miserable. Tragic and ill-fated. But when Sui seemed so concerned about Mason when he was the one facing the repeated torment of losing a loved one in a 'few' years… It would have been nice if his dad was long-living instead of a normal human, maybe he'd live longer, too, maybe as long as Sui would.

 

Maybe it was because Sui was his real first contact in this new world, aside from his rather cold father. The first person he really talked to. Whatever it was, he already felt like taking a lover would be cheating.

 

"Alright," He lied. "I will, so you don't need to worry about me, either,"

[Kotorichan]

"Thank you." Sui finally managed to show a slight smile, relieved that the boy had agreed so easily. "Of course I do not mind if you wish to be friendly... We will still be living together. Ah, I will make arrangement for you to have your own bedroom of course. I would not want to intrude on your time with whoever you choose to be your lover."

 

He began to take the ornaments out of his hair, placing them on the bedside table. "Would you like to take a bath first? I am sure that you must be tired from such a long day..."

[Noise Prince]

Mason nodded, relieved that Sui was able to smile a little now. He was so pragmatic about the whole thing, so straight-forward and direct. He spoke like finding a lover would be relatively easy to accomplish. Sui could have had any number of lovers, as Mason only knew that he'd had three previous husbands. But for Mason, well, Sui was his first serious, adult relationship. Not that the bar was all that high before but marriage definitely cleared it.

 

"A bath would be great, actually," Mason smiled, pointing towards a door he suspected of being the bathroom. "That one?""

[Kotorichan]

Sui nodded as he finished taking out the ornaments. "Yes... If you need any help then please let me know. I have been told that you were given a serum that let's you speak and understand the common language of this land... But you have no been taught how to read it."

 

He began to unbraid his hair, leaving the long white locks curly. "I can join you in the bath if you would like. I simply wish to give you your privacy if you are uncomfortable with such a thing."

 

"Ah." He rose to his feet. "I nearly forgot..." His steps made him appear to be gliding as he made his way to one of the two dressers in the room. "All of your clothing is in here. Tomorrow we will have more made for you.",

[Noise Prince]

Mason tuned the back of his head awkwardly, that was true, he was given an injection before even stepping foot in this world, but it didn't help his eyes any. There wasn't a lot of reading to be done during the wedding, so it hasn't been a bother yet, but some or larger its become a hindrance. It felt a little embarrassing, even though it was basically a foreign language, he could speak and understand just fine, so he just felt illiterate.

 

"I'll try to manage on my own," he answered sheepishly. God, it would be more embarrassing to end up needing help after all so he prayed to whatever deity I'm this world would listen that he could figure it out himself. He really hoped it wasn't too complicated.

 

 

"Oh, thank you," he had nearly forgotten about his clothes as well. He went to the drawers, and saw that there were already a few garments for him. He didn't know what was for sleeping in so he took a guess, and picked up one item.

 

"I'll try not to take to long," he promised.

[Kotorichan]

"Please take your time. I am sure that you would like to relax for awhile." Sui brought out a large, ornate box and sat down at his vanity. He opened the box, revealing a wide variety of brushes and bottles of hair oils. "I have to take care of my hair. Being in such tight braids all day can damage it." He let out a soft sigh, picking out one of the simpler brushes. "I do not think I will ever understand why a species with such delicate hair decided that braids were standard wear..."

 

He looked up at Mason with a gentle smile. "So do not worry about hurrying, it will be awhile until I can bathe anyway."

[Noise Prince]

Mason smiled warmly. Sui's additional centuries really showed here, Mason thought. He was so cool headed and mature, and he was thoughtful. He felt a little bad that he was going to go take a nice bath while Sui had to take special care of his hair. Having such an elaborate style didn't seem to be something he desired in the first place, either.

 

"Alright, then..." Main answered. "Thank you,"

 

He went into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him. Even the bath was crystal...!

[Kotorichan]

The bathtub had small shelf built into it. The shelf had a bar of soap as well as a dozen different bottles of all shapes and sizes. There was writing on the bottles, but no pictures or hints to their uses.

 

Sui stayed quiet in the bedroom, carefully brushing his hair, then adding a some oil or cream to his hair before continuing with a different brush.

[Noise Prince]

Mason got undressed, and looked around the bathroom, amazed at how different this place was from earth. Moreso than any fantasy he'd ever seen. Those were usually based on history, at least. Here he had no context to what anything was. He hasn't figured out how the bath even worked when he looked up to the shelf. Strange, curved lines sprawled over these peculiar bottles and cases, but not so much as an illustration as to what they were for. He sat on the edge of the crystal tub, handing his head in defeat for a few moments. He was absolutely helpless...

 

He picked up the outer layer of his wedding garb he had stepped out of, and wrapped himself in it, before opening the door, looking at Sui's long form, as he worked a ba brush through his long hair.

 

"Uh, Sui?" he called out softly. "I... Think I need help after all..."

[Kotorichan]

"Ah..." Sui rose to his feet, tying his feet into a loose bun. "Of course." He smiled gently and stepped into the bathroom.

 

"I can take care of my hair later if you would like to bathe together?" He offered, slipping off his robe so he was only in a pair of tight fitting, legging like, pants. "Only if you are comfortable with it of course." He sat down by the shelf and began to carefully look through them, trying to decide which ones would work best for the human.

[Noise Prince]

Mason felt heat boil under the skin of his face at the suggestion of bathing together, paired with the sight of Sui's near-nude body, only a pair of form-firing pants adorned.

 

But... What if he ended up needing help with something else in the middle of the bath? Wouldn't that be worse? Besides, they were married, even if it was only technically, so it shouldn't be weird, right?

 

"... If you wouldn't mind..." he answered softly. "Thank you,"

[Kotorichan]

"I don't mind." Sui took off his pants and carefully set them aside before slipping into the water. He gestured for Mason to join him. "Would you like me to wash your back?" He offered. "I do not want to be overly physical and make you uncomfortable, so please be honest."

[Noise Prince]

Mason tried not to stare at Sui's naked legs, and then sighed softly. He was acting kind of silly about the whole thing. This man wasn't interested in any real, serious relationship, and acting all shy about nudity and bathing seemed a bit childish. He'd showered in locker rooms with other people before, after all, this didn't have to be any different.

 

Mason slipped off the coat-layer and let it fall to the ground, and stepped into the bath with his husband.

 

"No, I'd actually really appreciate that. I'll do the same, if you'd like,"

[Kotorichan]

Sui poured something from a bottle into his hands, then moved closer to Mason. "The would be lovely..." He gently began to massage the goop into the boy's back, his fingertips soft and gentle. "Tomorrow may be a bit busy... But I would like to give you a tour of the palace and introduce you to my children if you do not mind. Only my eldest lives in the palace, the rest were simply visiting for the wedding."

 

The soap was strange, and left a thick layer of slippery blue goo on the human's skin. "Of course you do not have to meet them if it would be too much trouble." He picked up the bar of soap and rubbed it between his hands until suds formed. "And you can always have a servant give you the tour if you would prefer..." He began to rub the soapy subs against Mason's skin which made the blue residue melt away, leaving the skin perfectly clean and a bit tingly.

[Noise Prince]

It was thick, and cooler than Mason expected, when Sui applied whatever was in the bottle to his back. But it felt really good, like a milder form of Vic rub. Sui's hands and fingers were soft against him.

 

Children… That was really weird. But of course he'd have children, right? He's been married three other times! The youngest of them could be older than him. On Earth, the situation would be rather creepy. But here, the youngest could easily be hundreds of years older than Mason!

 

"No, no, I'd like to meet them." Mason assured Sui, looking over his shoulder at him. The goo was still on his back- that explained why he was still feeling the effects. Sui took a bar of soap- the only thing Mason recognized- and rubbed the suds into his back. The goo melted away, he could feel it run down his back. His skin felt so clean and fresh! It was like a spa! Of course… he was in bath with a king, he had to be using some of the best possible products, right?

 

"That is… I mean…" He took a deep breath, a little frustrated with himself for getting tongue-tied. "We don't have anything like this on Earth, I don't think. It feels really good."