#val bower

Robyn complied amused. He rolled across the fabric until Micah issued him to stop and get up.

Taking the remaining fabric Micah pulled it across Robyn's chest and over his left shoulder, similar to how he wore his himself. He made a pin pierce it's needle through the layers of fabric and drive the needle back through the hook, fixing the top and bottom part together. Just to be sure nothing would come loose, he added another two. His brows furrowed lightly in concentration Robyn noticed. Oblivious of course that the concentration was not spent on putting pins through the kilt.

Micah tugged at the fabric a few times.

"Do ye feel like it's loose anywhere? Or too tight?" he asked avoiding eye contact.

"Not really." Robyn answered moving around to test the security of the fit. "It feels nice. Somewhat airy."

"Ye will get used to it, dinna fash." Micah chuckled. He knew exactly what Robyn meant.

Robyn chuckled back. He played around with the fabric a little, pinching it in his fingers and twirling it around. He liked it. And looking into the looking glass, he only liked it more. He inspected his image in the reflection before spinning around with a smile.

"Doesn't look too bad, right?" he threw the question into the room. He partially addressed Micah and partially just meant it rhetorically.

But Micah was silent. Backed away in a place where he was outside the mirrors range, biting his thumb.

Realising that Micah didn't answer, Robyn turned to him and called his nickname questioning.

As if he got caught in something he shouldn't be doing, Micah jerked up startled.

"Does it... look bad?" he asked with a disheartened frown.

"Nonsense! No! Sorry, I just-" Micah bit his lip. I just what? "-I-I wanted ta give ye space ta look at yerself properly a-and er- got lost in thoughts." he apologised, not even noticing his accent got thicker. It wasn't a lie. He simply left out the details on what exactly he got lost in.

"No, Roby, ye look great. Truly... bonnie." Micah smiled.

"That's a good word, right?" Robyn cocked an eyebrow.

"It is. It means beautiful."

They exchanged soft smiles from across the room.

As quiet as the smiles exchanged, Micah heard his own voice narrating his many thoughts. Micah had no idea how Robyn could've possibly not noticed all the times he flushed scarlet or acted a bit off. He must know. Although, Micah wasn't sure if just because Robyn noticed it, he could also conclude what it meant. Perhaps he could also just blame it on the excitement of a wedding happening if Robyn ever was to ask what the matter was.

He just needed to silence all those thoughts. Push them back enduringly. He could do that. He's been doing that. It'll work out eventually.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Their attention jumped to the door. Micah answered it with a yelling vowel and the door opened energetically.

"Are ye ready? We wanta head out." Feya jumped into the room smiling brightly.

"Ah, Roby!" she exclaimed and clasped her hands together. "I see Mikey found ye a kilt! Gimme a spin, willya?"

Robyn did as asked, almost like he was waiting for Feya to ask him. He spun around on his toes on the spot in one go, making the kilt flare out, and stopping again facing Feya. He gave a small bow and like a dancer who had just finished a routine, earned a small applause from Feya. He was enjoying this thoroughly.

"It looks so, so great on ye! Marvellous even!" she squealed and took Robyn by his hands before beaming at him. A smile and shining eyes so bright and so identical to Micah's.

"Careful, Fey. Ye might stroke his ego too much." Micah commented.

"Ugh don't listen to him, Robyn. He's being an arse 'cause he's not gettin' this type of attention from anyone." Feya drew a pink circle into the air and an invisible force began to yank on Micah's hair and throw the top part of the kilt over his head. He fought it off and readjusted everything back to how it was, complaining that Makenna will kill him if his hair gets ruined. Feya only stuck her tongue out to Micah, who returned the gesture and paired it with a raise of his middle finger.

"Thank you, Feya." Robyn intervened before the two siblings would start fighting and hexing each other worse than that.

She gave Micah one last foul look before she addressed Robyn again and smiled at him as if nothing else had happened. The thought of the wedding came back to her and she gasped with a bounce.

"Come on now!" she twirled Robyn underneath the arch their arms formed and let him go abruptly causing him to tumble on his feet. "People are gatherin' already! This is so exciting!" she twirled around half of her own axis and rushed out of the room. Her heels clicking on the wood as she hopped down the stairs.

Micah and Robyn followed her with their eyes even long after she was out of their sight, both cracking a small smile.

"Well?" Robyn turned to Micah and held out his hand. Like he was inviting Micah to a dance. "Shall we?"

No. No, stop with those thoughts already. He's holdin' out his hand as best friend, nothin' more and nothin' less.

Micah's hesitation passed off as surprise to an unexpected gesture, therefore Robyn didn't question it. He merely waited for what he thought was the only possibility: Micah taking his hand with a bright smile and both going the same way Feya did. And so it happened. Micah laid his hand in Robyn's and they left for the wedding.

It was a patch of flat green, uncultivated and mostly untouched. From up here Robyn could see the small amount of people that had already gathered around decorative veils across trees and pillars, flower lanes framing the venue, and the bigger amount of people yet to arrive judging by the many seating options. Robyn arrived in a group together with Micah, Makenna, Feya, Breena, Yvaine, Fergus, Maisie and her daughter Cassie. He landed extra carefully and helped Cassie down from his staff. The young girl had insisted on flying with him for some reason and nobody dared to deny her the wish. Pretending like she was princess stepping off a carriage, Robyn held out his hand for her to take and addressed her as "my lady". Cassie fully embraced it, acting her part perfectly as she giggled and thanked him. He picked her up and softly placed her on the ground before giving her a bow. Cassie curtsied as gracefully as she could with her little legs. She lost balance shortly but caught herself again.

Robyn set foot to go to Micah but Cassie stopped him. She furrowed her brows at him and then held out the back of her hand to him.

"Ah, of course. Wherever are my manners?"

He got on one knee and took her little hand, the entire size of it barely the size of just his palm, and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. Cassie squealed and giggled, happy she got what she wanted but still wouldn't let Robyn pass. He tried to reason with the little girl, but his reason was no match to her stubbornness.

"Cassie! Hey, wee lass, I heard sheanair Fergus has a surprise gift for ya." Micah crouched down to her. He glanced at Robyn and winked, before focusing on his small cousin again.

"He does?" she asked excitedly, letting go of Robyn's shirt.

"Aye, but ye didna hear it from me." Micah whispered and Cassie was convinced. She dashed off towards Fergus and started tugging and clinging to his kilt. Not even Maisie's stern mothering tone could shake Cassie.

The boys watched from a distance. Micah caught his mother's knowing look at him. She looked like she was scolding him in her mind but in a very performative way. Like she understood why Micah did what he did and she'd only scold him to not let him off scott free. Micah shrugged with a smirk and with a shake of her head, Breena tried to help Maisie.

"Thanks. I thought she'd never let me go now." Robyn whispered.

"Dinna mention it. Cassie's like that. Loves the attention." Micah rose to his feet again. And this time it was Robyn who had a hand held out to him.

"I can tell." he pulled himself up with Micah's support. He looked around the crowd. There were people he thought he recognised from family pictures but he felt lost about it. He was glad to have Micah's grandparents and one of his aunts and cousind down but it seemed like so little in comparison to what he still had to learn.

He looked around helplessly and Micah noticed. Micah always noticed.

"Want me to give ye a quick run down of the Bower family?" he asked as if he could read Robyn's mind. The same way as he did earlier this day.

Robyn looked at him like he's the answer to all his plight.

"Please." he begged.

"Well, ye know my parents and sisters already. Ye've met my grandmother, Yvaine, and my grandfather, Fergus. Yesterday at dinner, we had my uncle Ian join. He's the groom of the day and my father's younger brother. Over there-"

"Thought I recognised the redhead!" a young man appeared behind Micah and wrapped his arms around Micah's neck with a squeeze, cutting Micah's speech and air off briefly.

"Agh! Cay!" Micah wringed off the arms around his neck, smiling through it.

"How's it going, Mikey?" Cayden smirked.

"The usual."

Micah finally managed to get Cayden off his back but Cayden seemed to cling to Micah like a leech. He never let his grip off him. Robyn glared at the stranger's pair of hands around Micah's neck and trail down to Micah's shoulders. The way this guy touched Micah, the way he smiled and joked. They were clearly close. Was that some sort of old childhood friend? Before Micah moved to Bonesborough? Robyn felt a sense of competitiveness in his chest and like he had to do something about it. He stared daggers at that smug guy. He clenched his hand tensely, enduring his finger nails digging into his palm.

Then a girl appeared to Micah's other side.

"Your hair looks so nice! Did it yaself?" she asked. Her tone was similar to that of Makenna's or Feya's when teasing Micah.

"I had a helping sisterly hand." Micah explained.

Robyn's glares did not go unnoticed. Cayden met his eye and stared curiously for a second before leaning into a smirk.

"That yer boyfriend?" Cayden asked.

Micah and Robyn froze. It wasn't a question they were never asked before, especially in the meaning of this wedding, but it still felt like time stopped.

"No! Oh, no! No, no! He's not my- never!" Micah fought his way out of the arms resting on his shoulders. A hint of pink reappearing on his cheeks. "That's Robyn, my best friend from Bonesborough. He's my additional guest. Robyn, that's Cayden and Alicia. They're my cousins."

Cousins. Robyn's fist relaxed upon hearing that. He wasn't even sure why he had rolled his hand into a fist in the first place. But he only noticed he had done that when he felt the release of it. The guy and Micah were close because they were related. Although, for the fact that they shared a part of their genetic code, there was really no similarity at all between them. Micah was pale and had freckles dusted all over his body, he had red curly hair and golden eyes. Cayden's skin was light brown, he had purple eyes and brown coily hair. Upon closer inspection, Robyn could see that the brown of Cayden's hair just might match the brown of Feya and Makenna. Alicia and Micah didn't look any more related than Cayden and Micah did. They did have the same golden eyes but she looked more like Cayden overall. They were siblings after all. Or so Robyn concluded.

"Nice to meet you." Robyn waved and smiled awkwardly.

"Pleasures' all ours. Heard some thing or two 'bout ye, Robyn." Alicia informed with a sweet smile as Cayden substituted Micah's shoulder as armrest for Alicia's.

"You did?" Robyn blinked stunned.

"It's almost like ya reside in Micah's head the way he keeps talking 'bout and mentioning ya." Cayden flicked his finger at Micah's temple, quickly being fended off.

"They're joking, dinna listen to it." Micah urged but Robyn didn't hear, as he already stated that he hoped Micah had shared more good than bad.

Cayden and Alicia snickered into their hands before Alicia replied:

"Oh, he only shares the good, honey."

"IN ANYWAY-" Micah pushed his cousins away an inch and positioned himself between them and Robyn. He desperately needed to change the topic.

"I-I was introducing Robyn to the family. Maybe ye mind helping out?"

"Sure thing! Who do ya not know yet?" Alicia answered for the both of them.

"Practically everyone."

"So! We're Mikey's older cousins. I'm Cayden, 17, this is my sister Alicia, freshly turned 16." Cayden pointed at himself and his sister and then to another person, engaged in a conversation with a peer. "Over there is Emirys, 12. Belongs to our batch. All three of us are the result of those two ladies over there."

Cayden's fingertip pointed in the direction of a woman in a beautiful purple gown, who looked very similar to the siblings, and one who was draped in a yellow-brown tartan around her shoulder but wore a fancy black and white suit otherwise.

"The blonde one is my father's sister Blair." Micah explained.

"And next to her is her wife Lianna."

"Alright so." Robyn shut his eyes and began reciting all that he knows as if the cousins would be taking grades. "Yvaine and Fergus - start of the family tree - are the parents to Neil, who's married to Breena, who are your and your sisters' parents - know that one. Then there's Ian, the groom of the day, your uncle, and Blair, your aunt, who is married to Lianna, and Cayden, Alice and Emirys are their kids, therefore your cousins."

"Almost! Name's Alicia." she corrected.

"Oh! My bad, sorry! Alicia of course!"

"Just call me Allie for simplicity, honey."

"Sure." Robyn rubbed his neck, still a little embarrassed he got her name wrong.

"Look at ya go, got half the family down already." Cayden punched Robyn's shoulder in celebration.

"Really? It feels like there are so many more to remember."

"Uncle Neil's and mum's branches are the bigger ones to remember." Cayden informed.

"Bigger." Micah indicated quotation marks in the air. "Just means they have three kids and a spouse. Which is simply the most amount of children the second generation has."

"There's also auntie Maisie and Lewis, who also have three kids now." Alicia pointed out.

"Right, I remember." Robyn nodded, catching a glimpse of Maisie talking with her husband in the corner of his eye. He had a baby in hand while Cassie was tugging at his legs and a third child was grabbing onto Maisie's skirt.

"But otherwise it's pretty easy. Uncle Ed's not married, just has a kid, Keith and Milo are married but don't have kids and that's pretty much the family. If ya look at only the Bower side." Cayden continued.

"Well, the in-laws dinna really apply to us, do they?" Micah questioned and crossed his arms.

"Nah."

Robyn lit up.

"I'm starting to think this may not actually be that impossible to do. Remembering everyone from your family, I mean." he concluded, grabbing onto Micah's shoulder.

"See? I toldye so, didn't I?" Micah placed his hand on Robyn's in reflex. He squeezed it lightly and grinned with his teeth.

"You sure did." Robyn grinned back.

This tenderness was all Cayden and Alicia needed to confirm Micah wad bluffing when he said Robyn and he would never be anything. The siblings exchanged looks that turned into smirks.

"Say, Al, think we should give the two lovebugs some room here?"

"It looks like we should, Denny."

"We're not-! Stop that!" Micah argued immediately. His behaviour only further confirmed Cayden's and Alicia's suspicion rather than dismantle it. He was being so very obvious. The flushed cheeks, the look in his eyes when Robyn wasn't looking and his frantic denial of anything beyond friendship... he couldn't make it any more obvious.

"See ya around, cousin, dear. Enjoy ya time, Robyn!" Cayden flicked at Micah's temple again but missed it, flicking a curl instead. The siblings waved and disappeared as quickly as they showed up.

"Sorry about them." Micah tucked the curl into his hairdo again.

"They seem nice, don't worry."

Robyn had never seen a wedding ceremony. He knew what they are, he knew how they worked but he's never been present for one. All attention was on the pair underneath the arch. Ian, Micah's uncle, easily recognisable by his similarity to Neil, and his to-be spouse, Val, held each other's hands as they spoke vows and binded themselves to an eternal oath. Robyn could feel himself holding his breath at it all. Would he ever stand in front of the person he loved and bind himself to an oath spell? Vow to always love, always care, and always be true until his last dying breath? Would he get emotional like Ian is as he's telling Val just how much their love and existence means to him?

He could hear some people sob. He saw Breena and Neil entangle her hands and reassure the other of the rings they wore on their fingers. Symbols of their oath to each other. An oath taken 20 years ago, he calculated.

He was fidgeting in his seat. Out of all times. Out of all places. He exhaled heavily but quietly, trying to get his leg to stop shaking. But when he wasn't shaking his leg, he was starting to pull the skin on his fingernails, ripping at it with his fingers or his teeth. Micah eyed him and leaned into his ear.

"Do ye need something to toy with?" he whispered.

Robyn eyed Micah as he bit his thumb nail. He nodded reluctantly. Hating that he disturbed the moment like this.

Without much thought, Micah took off one of the silver rings he was wearing and asked Robyn for his hand. Robyn watched as Micah slipped it on his ring finger. The metal felt unusual at first but Robyn immediately began spinning it around his finger and it wouldn't take long until he was used to it.

"Does that work?" Micah asked. His voice only audible to Robyn.

"Yes. Thank you." Robyn whispered back.

Micah smiled and then his hand was gone. Robyn's gaze lingered on Micah just a second longer before he turned his attention to the ceremony again, spinning the ring around his finger or slipping it on and off.

Once pronounced married, Val and Ian cupped each other's face and kissed tenderly. The people all around him stood up with rousing applause and cheers and he joined in. Robyn exchanged a smile with Micah, who placed his index finger and thumb to his mouth and joined in on the few people whistling to cheer. The couple raised their entangled hands and walked through the aisle beaming and laughing, full of joy and love.

Ian's and Val's families, parents and siblings, rushed out to them and surrounded them, wishing congratulations, complimenting their attires, sharing the joy with them. Robyn tagged along with Micah and his sisters and expressed his congratulations to the happy couple. The crowd loosened its formation, letting the high of the ceremony settle. People chatted, reunions were happening, parents tried to get their ecstatic children under control again. Robyn used the time to make acquaintance with Micah's aunts and uncles he hasn't yet talked to. He had been afraid that Micah's family would be more reserved, that he'd feel like an outsider and that even Micah would rather be with his cousins and relatives he barely sees during the year than with him. It turns out that fear was for naught. Perhaps being so warm and welcoming was a Bower family trait. Everyone made Robyn feel beyond welcome and it was almost like he was part of the family.

He didn't even notice all the stares at Micah, every family member silently asking if Robyn was a significant other, and Micah always denying.

There was a feast, an amount of food Robyn had never before seen in his life. Not only was there plenty, it was delicious too. He was shy to put anything in his plate at all, but quickly got encouraged by Yvaine to take whatever he wants without feeling guilty.

There were beverages of all sorts, many of them alcoholic. Makenna, Cayden, Alicia and Micah had been a bad influence on him and he agreed to try some of them. His mother had allowed him to try sips of lighter alcohols, see how he likes the taste or how it affects him but Robyn never actually drank enough to feel an actual effect. Breena and Neil wouldn't allow him or Micah to get full-out drunk, but he could get away with more than what his mother would've allowed. He mainly sipped at it after toasts, quickly learning to say "Slàinte!" or "Mabuhay!" whenever the glasses would clink, honouring the groom pair's respective backgrounds.

There were dances and games, there was laughter and cheers and so much gossip the cousins exchanged between each other.

At some point Makenna, Feya, Cayden and Alicia left the table for a while to socialise with others, leaving Robyn and Micah at the table alone.

They weren't alone for long, though.

"Is our guest having a good time? Arye lookin' after him well, Mikey?" Micah's aunt, Blair, took a seat across them. Her wife, Lianna, following right after her.

"I'm having a great time! I've never been to a wedding, so this is quite an experience! In a good sense!" Robyn exclaimed.

"Glad ta hear, Robyn. Hope ye two dinna mind us old ladies sittin' withye for a minute." Blair spread out on the chair comfortably, clearly a little tipsy at best.

"Not at all, madam."

"Madam?" Blair laughed. "Ye hear that, Lia? When's the last time someone called me that?"

The women laughed heartily. Lianna slapped her wife's thigh and for a moment Robyn and Micah thought they'd never cease laughing.

"Sorry was that- was that impolite? I wasn't implying that you-" Robyn cowered together, scared they were laughing at how preposterous it was he called Blair that.

Lianna exclaimed a final high pitched laugh before gathering herself again. She wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Sugar, it's been too polite if anything! Don't know if you've noticed yet but this family doesn't do "Madam"s and "Sir"s a lot." she chuckled.

It seemed Alicia picked up her habit of calling people pet names from her mother.

"Just call us Lianna and Blair."

Robyn nodded. He wanted to utter an apology but figured that may be redundant, so he simply looked at Blair with apologetic eyes. Blair rested her arms on the table, smirking as she inspected Robyn and his behaviour closer.

"Quite the lad ye set yer eye on, Mikey. I can see why." she commented.

Micah put the glass down with more force than is needed. He was getting annoyed with his family suggesting an attraction or romance between him and the person he introduced them to as his best friend. It happening once is a misconception, twice is a nuisance but the amount of times Micah's had these allegations thrown at him were maddening. Even if they were right about Micah being smitten with Robyn, that made it all the worse. He was trying his absolute most to bury his feelings and forget their existence, to not press the bruise on his heart and yet his family kept pressing on it violently again and again.

"He's not- I'm not-!!" Micah countered and gesticulated with his hand almost aggressively.

In an unexpected moment, Lianna grabbed him by his wrist and turned it to reveal his palm. Swiftly after that, she grabbed Robyn's wrist and pulled it closer to her. She squinted at their palms, like she was looking for something specific. Micah strained to get his wrist out of Lianna's grip but it was to no avail.

"Look, Blair! Just as I suspected!" Lianna lightly slammed the table repeadly in excitement. Blair leaned over, analysing the boys' palms along with her wife.

"See it?"

"Sure do, mo gaol." Blair grinned.

"See what?" Micah grumbled annoyed. His gaze could kill.

"Your life lines, my dear. I've been feeling a type of aura around you two and this confirms it. Both of your life lines intersect the same way - that's not rare but in your case it's unique. They're almost identical. And not just that but their defining path is that of love." Lianna ran her finger across whatever part of the palm she talked about. Whatever line she touched glew up underneath her finger in that typical purple of oracle magic.

"And that means?" Robyn asked.

"Why, it means that you two are connected to each other through love!" Lianna smiled widely and released their wrists.

"In other words, ye two are made for each other." Blair winked.

"Ah! Oh no! Th-there seems to be the common misunderstanding that Micah and I are a couple. We're really not." Robyn rebuked hastily, brushing his thumb across the line that Lianna just traced.

"No?"

"We're just friends."

"Right then."

Lianna and Blair exchanged solemn looks. This was not how they thought it would go. A deafening, uncomfortable silence hung in the air of the table they sat at. Robyn eyed Micah for a second. Micah wasn't looking at anything in particular but it was obvious he was upset and tense. He was tired. He didn't know if his family tried to do him a favor with all these assumptions spoken out loud in front of Robyn... tried to play wingman for him. All he knew was that they were not doing him a favor at all.

"I need something to drink, excuse me, please." he stood up from the table and left. A poor excuse, as beverages were standing all across the table.

In a corner of the venue, Micah poured himself a drink and chugged it in one go. He winced at the burn in his throat but he wasn't sure if the hurt was entirely to blame on uncle Ian's whisky.

Fuck.

Robyn must know now. All these instances of people asking if we're together... people don't just ask that. And I'm horrible at this play pretend.

Everybody knows.

He knows.

What do I say when he asks if I have feelings for him?

What do I do?

He clearly doesna feel mutually.

Why did I think it a good idea to invite him here in the first place?

How could I allow myself those damn feelings in the first place?

Idiot.

Roaster.

Glakit moron.

Why am I like thi-

"Do you believe that?" Robyn's voice ripped Micah out of his thoughts. Micah stared at Robyn wide-eyed. "The meant-to-be thing?" Robyn clarified, fidgeting with the silver ring around his finger.

"Ugh, Roby, please. It's nonsense. I'm so sorry my whole family is so driven on seeing us as- well..." Micah wiped his hands across his face. He had stopped bothering about the loose strands of his hairdo.

It's hopeless anyway.

"As a couple?" Robyn finished the sentence.

There it was again. The burn in Micah's throat.

"I really don't know what the matter is with them." Micah sighed. "It must make ye so uncomfortable. I'm sorry. Ye prolly regret having joined us here."

"I'm still having a great time. I suppose we're just very close to each other and that comes off the wrong way."

They stood next to each other in silence for a little, neither knowing what to say to ease the situation while everyone around them was celebrating.

He still hasna figured it...