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frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe · 1 year

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A Recipe for Disaster (Chap. 10)

Pt. 1 | Pt. 2 | Pt. 3 | Pt. 4 | Pt. 5 | Pt. 6 | Pt. 7 | Pt. 8 | Pt. 9 | AO3

AAHHH!!!! I've had the majority of the wedding scene written since i started planning this AU, so you get two chapters in a row 😈 next chap will be the last and will include the coronation and a bit of an epilogue

Steve wakes up uncomfortable, but warm.

He nuzzles his face into his pillow an–why is his pillow scratchy?

Blinking his eyes open, he sees Eddie looking down at him. “Good morning, sweetheart.” Eddie says, his voice low and raspy with sleep.

Steve smiles sleepily, pushing his face back onto Eddie’s chest. “We stayed out all night.”

“We did…” Eddie’s voice has a smile to it, and his arm tightens around Steve’s shoulders..

Wait.

Steve throws himself upright “We stayed out all night!” Eddie’s hand is rubbing Steve’s back as he has his short panic attack, and Steve turns to look at him.

Steve catalogs the other man; He cannot be comfortable, and he stayed like that all night? His upper back and head are propped up on the trunk of the tree behind him, and from the look of the roots around him, he must have a big chunk of one digging into his lower back right now. Eddie doesn’t seem phased by that though, he only looks concerned for him.

Steve smiles, his panic settling into tired laughter as he hunches forward and puts his head in his hand. Eddie sits up beside him, crossing his legs and pulling Steve into his side. He feels more than hears Eddie's chuckles, and definitely feels the brush of what could only be his lips against the shoulder of his hoodie.

Steve rubs his eyes clear of their sleep gunk and looks out around the lake, seemingly glowing in the soft pink light of the sunrise, the fog catching the rays as it rolls over the glass-smooth water.

He stops on an odd sight though, There is a man rowing a boat a good ways away. Steve squints. “There’s a man on that boat.” he says aloud.

“Hmm?” Steve feels Eddie turn his head to look, keeping his cheek pressed to his shoulder. “Probably just a fisherman.” He turns back to place his lips on Steve’s shoulder, sending a thrill through him.

Yeah, that could make sense. They are a ways off from the palace, so this could be a random citizen, or maybe a palace worker getting in some early fishing before going into wo–

Steve watches as the man hastily sets the oar handles down into the boat, and fishes around for something at his feet, not taking his eyes off the two of them as he does. Steve’s stomach starts to tighten as he waits, starting to lean away from the man on instinct even though he must be at least 50 yards away.

The man finally gets a grip on what he was looking for and lifts it into Steve’s line of sight.

His stomach instantly turns to lead and drops down into his feet. Past his feet. And his heart is quick to follow.

Steve gulps. “With a video camera?” a legit video camera too. One of the big ones that are usually reserved for members of the media.

Eddie freezes beside him, doesn’t look up when Steve turns his head to him.

That’s all he needs.

“You’re pathetic.”

Steve throws Edmund off of him and stands, yanking the rest of his blanket out from under the dazed man.

He can hear Edmund scrabble in the dirt to get up behind him as he stalks off toward Sandy.

“No, Stevie, wait! I have no idea–”

“You know, it’s really a shame you didn’t get me naked last night, huh? You motherFUCKER.” Steve turns halfway and throws his wadded up blanket in Edmund’s face, leaving him to struggle with it as Steve jogs the rest of the way to Sandy. Seeming to know the exact mood he’s in, Sandy is also ignoring Danny beside her, and nips at him when he gets too close to her.

“Steve, wait, I have nothing to do with this! Stevie, please, hold on!” Steve hears his voice crack.

It’s the most coordinated he’s ever been, throwing his foot into one stirrup, the other over the saddle, and giving Sandy a nudge forward in one fluid motion.

“Steve, you have to believe me, that’s not my boat!”

“You know what, Edmund? Have a nice life.” Steve doesn’t look at him, can’t look at him.

He nudges Sandy with his heels twice more and she takes off, running hard and fast back to the stables. Lucky for him too, because the tears that betray him and fall on their own either fly off his face or dry out almost instantly.

Everything between leaving Edmund under that tree, to him bursting back into his room is a blur.

There were trees rushing by him in one second, then he was handing over Sandy’s reins to a very confused Gustav in the next, and now he’s here.

And so is Joyce.

And Robin (Who is pulling herself out from under his covers).

“Steve? What is going on?” Joyce asks, looking him up and down.

Steve opens his mouth to say…something…but is cut off by Murray coming into the room.

“Prince Steve, I think you should see this.” Murray goes straight to his TV and turns it on.

Oh no.

“After years of boring royals, Genovia finally has a world class scandal!” the voice of that god awful woman from the local morning gossip channel filters through the TV and into Steve’s ears.

He feels like he’s going to pass out.

The whole screen is dedicated to the view that the camera man had, showing everything. Realizing the camera was there, Steve throwing himself from Eddie’s embrace, and onto Sandy’s back.

The whole time the video is playing back, that woman’s voice is narrating “What will Princess Nancy have to say about this? Will she stay or will Lord Muñoz be Genovia’s new King? Maybe we'll see the continued reign of Queen Joyce!”

The footage stays on Eddie a for a good second or two before it cuts back to the hostess and Steve kicks himself for feeling a pang in his heart from how heartbroken and dejected Eddie looked after he left.

“No matter what, it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire for Prince Steve. Keep your eggs sunnyside up!”

Steve crumples to the floor head between his knees and arms over his head.

His ears are ringing.

Someone is rubbing his back.

He hears Robin’s voice beside him “I’d like to tell her what she can do with her eggs.” she must be the one rubbing his back.

Her ministrations pause for a moment.

Robin’s hand leaves and Steve feels a presence sit down beside him.

“So?” It’s Joyce.

Steve lifts his head and rests his chin on his arms, now crossed over his knees. “I got played.” He sniffles, his face is wet.

“Uh huh.” he can see Joyce nodding in his peripheral. “The real question is, do we still have a wedding?”

If that question didn’t alone make a new flood of tears threaten to spill over, seeing Nancy bursting into the room absolutely did.

Steve can’t even register that she doesn’t even look mad before his vision is blurred out and his face is scrunched up. “Nancy! Nancy, I am so sorry.” She touches his shoulder, but he jerks away and snaps up to his feet as fast as he can, backing away from her. “Please Nancy, please know I wasn’t trying to hurt you, I am so sorry, I hope we can still be friends after I leave Genovia–”

“Steve, wha–” Robin sounds concerned but Steve can barely think, barely function, he just keeps backing up until he hits the wall.

“Please, Nancy, I promise it wasn’t all bullshit, I really do care for you,” he just needs to shuffle a little faster.

“Steve I care for you too, what are you–”

“I’m sorry, so sorry, you can be happy with Jonathan now..” he bolts to his ensuite and locks the door behind him. Sliding down the back side of the door and just dissolves against it.

You ruin everything.

“Steve?!” Robin’s voice is muffled through the door, she sounds concerned.

You’re Pathetic.

“Steve, please come out and talk to us! I still think this marriage is a good idea.” Nancy’s voice is next, calmer, but she sounds bored, like she is talking to a child.

You’re disgusting.

“Steve, darling, please come out.” Joyce’s voice comes last, she sounds so disappointed

You think these people really care for you?

He can’t take this anymore. He lets out a noise that’s more scream than anything, and suddenly the tile floor seems like a great place for a nap.

—-

“Lady Sinclair? What are you doing outside Lord Muñoz’s room?” She hops up on her feet and pulls Hopper around the corner.

“He didn’t do it.” Erica looks up at Hopper; she has a shocked, somewhat sad look on her face.

“I’m sorry?”

“Eddie didn’t do it, he’s been yelling to his dad about the lake thing since he started packing. His dad called the paparazzi..”

Hopper processes that information, and files it away. “I’ll make sure to tell Steve. You are not to tell him yourself, promise?” He sticks out his pinky to her and she looks at it incredulously.

“What do I get?”

“I’ll tell you a secret of mine.”

“I already know you and the queen have something going on.” she crosses her arms. “That’s what happens when you slow dance in an empty ballroom in a palace full of people.”

“Fine, you’ve got me there. Tell you what, you don’t tell Steve about Lord Muñoz, and you can tell him about myself and her majesty.”

Erica grins and locks his pinky with his.

Once she runs off, Hopper moves to knock on Edmund’s door.

“Yes dad, I’ll be home later tonight. Bye.”

Hopper knocks as soon as he hears the call end.

“Come in?”

“Hello Edmund.”

“Hopper.” Edmund looks scared seeing him in the doorway. He puts his hands up and takes a step back “I swear it wasn’t me, I would never want to hurt Steve, I promise! He’s so important to me, I just wanted a taste of the life I could’ve had with him and–and–” He’s stopped by his own throat choking him up. He clears his throat and continues on “Genovia will still have their rightful king, he’s going to marry Nancy…and I’m so in love with him.” Eddie finishes softly, looking at the floor.

Hopper steps forward and Eddie flinches, looking back up at the other man “I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed in you.” Hopper says, clapping a hand to his shoulder.

“Edmund, you absolute motherfu–” Robin bursts in behind Hopper, Nancy at her side.

“Oh good, Hopper’s already here. Now we don’t have to explain anything.”

“Explain what, Your Highness?”

“Why you may or may not have found Lord Muñoz dead in his quarters.” She shrugs and Robin stalks forward toward him, a baseball bat (‘Where did that come from??’) in her hand.

Hopper, bless him, doesn’t react. He just puts a hand out to stop her from closing in on Eddie.

“He’s leaving today.”

Eddie looks at Nancy. “Nancy, I’m so sorry for the grief this’ll cause you two; I’m sure Steve won’t have anything to do with me after this so you won’t have to worry about seeing me around anymore.”

“Good.” Robin turns around immediately, hefting the bat onto her shoulder and waltzing back out the door.

“I told you nothing good would come of it if you were spotted together.” Nancy scolds, and he nods. “We were all rooting for you Edmund, no matter how weird that sounds. We were. We told you as much.” She takes a deep breath. “Goodbye, Eddie.” and with that, she too leaves.

Hopper places a big hand on his shoulder and Eddie looks up at him. “I will have your uncle come down to see you off if you’d like.”

Eddie’s throat tightens up so completely he can’t breathe. All he can do is shake his head.

Hopper nods. “I will come collect you in ten.” he pats Eddie’s shoulder and he too takes his leave.

As soon as the door is closed behind him, Eddie sinks to his knees, to his elbows. Crumpling up into a ball, hands on the back of his head, tears slipping silently off his nose and into the carpet.

—-

Steve finally gets himself under control a good five hours later.

He immediately wants to go back into the bathroom at the sight of the four people still there after his tirade. They all turn to face him.

“Steve,” Robin is the first to him, moving so fast it was like she’d teleported straight to him. “Can I touch you? I want to give you a hug.” She asks, searching his face.

If there were any tears left in him, they would’ve sprung forth at that. But he was empty.

He nods and she pulls him down to her immediately and holds on tight. He holds onto her and looks over her shoulder. Joyce, Nancy, and Dustin are all there, the former two looking at him in pity, and Dustin looks– “Dusty, have you been crying?”

Steve removes himself from Robin and moves to Dustin, holding out his arms. Dustin’s face scrunches up and he throws all his weight into Steve “Steve I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I’m related to that asshole.” Steve hugs him tighter “Wayne told me last night, and now he does this shit? I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, Dustin, buddy, it’s not your fault. It’s mine.” He pulls back and Dustin lets him clean off his face with his sweater sleeve. Steve rubs it all over his face, making Dustin huff out a laugh and back away with a sad smile.

“Steve?”

He turns his attention to Nancy and his stomach shoots up from where it’s been in his feet since this morning, only to shoot back down again.

“I don’t know if you heard me before, but I am still here for you, for this.”

He thinks back, “I thought you sounded bored, like you wanted to be literally anywhere else.” He looks around, everyone around him is silent. “That was just me, wasn’t it.”

“Yeah, I think it was just you, Dingus.” Robin comes up from behind him and rubs between his shoulder blades.

“Steve, honey, we are all here for you.” Joyce assures him. “No matter what you decide to do.”

Nancy steps up to him, taking both of his hands in her tiny ones. “Listen to me carefully, Steve. If you’ll still have me, if you still want this,”

“More than anything.” Steve says immediately.

Nancy smiles softly at him, “Then we are going to stand up in church and say ‘I do.’ and tomorrow we will be husband and wife.” She squeezes his hands. “And you are going to make an amazing King of Genovia.”

He looks around at the four most important people in his life…and nods. He pulls Nancy to him and kisses her forehead. “Thank you, Nancy.” he murmurs into her hairline, “You’re very welcome, Steve.”

Robin, Dustin, and Joyce all crowd in around him.

“I really am sorry, I shouldn’t have been so stupid. It could’ve cost us everything.” he directs the last at Joyce, once they all pull away.

“It’s not all your fault, Dingus. I think we were all rooting for you and Eddie, even though it couldn’t really happen.”

“Is he–He’s gone then, isn’t he?”

“Left this morning, not before we threatened him a little bit.”

Steve sputtered at that, “You threatened him??”

“Yep! I brought your bat with us, hope you don’t mind.”

“Ohmygod, Robin!”

“And Nancy too, she was there too!”

Nancy just giggles in response. Actually giggles.

He looks at Joyce and Dustin, who aren’t reacting “And you guys knew this too?” his face is threatening to break out into a smile.

Joyce nods, and Dustin says “You were in the bathroom a long time, dude.”

—-

Hopper, bless him, doesn’t make a fuss about having the car drop him at Chrissy’s, and not his dad’s.

He goes to the back entrance to her apartment above a boutique on main street, and knocks loudly.

She’s there lightning fast. She had to’ve known he’d come here.

“I am so mad at you.” She hugs him close and pulls him in the door.

“I’m just gonna wallow on your couch, okay Chris?” he trudges up the stairs behind her.

“Anything, E, you know that.” he drops his duffel and himself onto the couch, face first, and doesn’t plan on moving from this spot until…well he doesn’t know until when.

“I take it you aren’t going to be going to the wedding tomorrow?”

Eddie moans into the cushion.

“Thought not.”

—-

The next morning, Steve wakes less than rested. He’d really thrown himself for a loop with his impromptu bathroomfloornap yesterday, then last night, could barely sleep with the added nerves because,

“I’m getting married today.”

He says the words and they still don’t feel real.

He dresses in comfy clothes while he can, knowing he’ll be stuffed into a suit sooner than later, and heads to join everyone for breakfast.

When he gets to the dining hall, he’s surprised that when Joyce’d said everyone will be at breakfast this morning, she really meant everyone. She, Robin, and Nancy, Mike, the Hendersons, the two younger Sinclairs, Will and El, Max, even Jonathan, all seated along the dining hall table.

No one says anything, no one really acknowledges he’s joined them, they all just continue on with their meal, and Steve wants to thank whoever it is that told them all to not mention it. Though Wayne does level Steve with a look that he thinks says ‘I’d like to talk to you later, but if not, know that I am sorry.’ Steve nods at him, and he returns it, placated.

After breakfast, he goes with Nancy and Robin to Nancy’s suite, planning on lounging around and judging while she gets her hair done for the ceremony. They’ve got a chair set up for her in front of a mirror, but the chair is facing the wrong way.

“The stylist they are having come in is a bit…eccentric.” Nancy explains when he asks why not have her facing the mirror. “He likes to do a reveal to himself first before he lets you see.” She shrugs and before Steve can say anything, the man himself waltzes in.

“Ah, Paolo.” She greets. He’s a rounder man, with a shiny bald head and multiple shiny rings. His coat is hastily taken off his shoulders by his two assistants before he reaches both of his hands forward for Nancy’s, giving each set of knuckles a quick kiss in greeting.

“Buongiorno Principessa, ah! And Principe Stephan! Wonderful to see you, are we getting you done for the ceremonies too?”

“Ohhohoho, no. I am all good, I know exactly how to take care of mine just fine. Thank you, Paolo.” Steve waves his hands (probably a little too much) fending off the stylist.

“Ah, good man, good man, knows his angles, his features!” Paolo seems to only talk with his hands. “Let us get started then Principessa.” He waves Nancy back into her chair and gets right to work.

Steve and Robin lounge back on Nancy’s bed, scrolling social media, scrolling faster past any mention of he-who-must-not-be-named, and waiting to react accordingly to each style Paolo attempts to wrangle Nancy’s hair into.

Once the first attempt is finished, Paolo does, in fact, do a reveal to himself. His assistants covered Nancy’s face from his view with headshots of previous clients and pulls them apart from each other at his command. Strange, but okay.

Nancy turns to him and Robin first, and they both have to stifle laughs “You should definitely look first, Nance.” Robin tells her.

She does, and her eyes go wide. “I look like a moose.” Paolo had split her hair down the middle and twisted the gathered strands on each side upon themselves to twist up off the top of her head. “I have antlers.” She sounds absolutely mortified.

“Yes, but a very cute moose.” Paolo defends, “Make all the boy moose go HWAAAAH.” Steve and Robin lose their shit at his exaggerated attempted moose call, both of them also bursting out in their own moose calls.

He attempts a more floofy, curly look next. This time all Nancy can manage when Paolo spins the hand mirror to her is a strained “I look like a poodle.”

She really does, and Paolo knows it. Doesn’t even try to defend it. Just dives back in with a “Here we go again!”

“She really does look like a poodle.” Steve comments from his new seat on Nancy’s couch. A poor choice, really, because he’s within arms’ reach of Paolo. Who grabs his spray bottle of water and spritzes him directly in the face.

“I like it.” Robin comments idly, not looking up from her magazine in the chair on Nancy’s other side.

This time, Paolo reacts much better, lifting Robin’s hand from the arm rest and kisses it reverently. Then gets back to work on Nancy’s hair. Robin’s still reading her magazine like nothing just happened.

Steve’s still stunned from the whole water to the face thing and stands to leave. “I need to go get ready, I’ll see you there Nance?” He questions as if he doesn’t already know the answer.

“Of course, Steve, I’ll be the one in white.” She gives him a wink and Robin belts out a singular loud “HA!”

On his way back to his suite, who should he run into other than Lady Applejack herself.

“Hey Erica, you look great!” she’s in a puffy-sleeved, pastel pink/peach colored dress, pristine white Converse high-tops, and an expensive-looking bag on her shoulder.

She rolls her eyes, “I know I do. But thank you.” she nods “It’s a Selkie dress.”

“I have no idea what that means, but good for you?” he starts walking away, “I’m heading up to get ready myself, can’t be late!”

“Oh, wait!” Erica calls, and he turns back to her in the hall. “I forgot to tell you about Joyce and Hopper!” she sing-songs as she skips up to him. “Me and Ed—SOMEONE ELSE saw them slow dancing all love-y with each other in the ballroom the other day, AND I have it on good authority that he proposed.” She crosses her arms across her chest and smiles smugly up at him.

With everything else going on with him recently, he’s completely missed this whole thing happening between Hopper and Joyce? Well not really, there’ve always been vibes between the two, but still.

“That’s…actually that makes a lot of sense. I hope she said yes.”

After a couple seconds, her stance softens and she drops her arms, looking a bit sheepish.

“Hey, Steve? I know we all really like..him. But we’re all on your side if you'd like us to be. Even Will seemed ready to kill him for that, and Will is definitely more tame of all of us.”

Steve huffs out a laugh at how easily he can imagine both Will and Ellie, somehow with some sort of psychic powers, lifting Edmund off his feet and exploding him into tiny bits.

“Thanks Erica, I’m really lucky to have you all.” He pulls her into a short hug and sends her on her way, telling her he’ll see her at the chapel.

—-

The rest of the morning is a blur, and suddenly, Steve is standing with Hopper on the opposite side of the chapel’s heavy wooden doors.

He’s in the black version of his (what must be trademarked at this point) pear tree print suit, maroon bowtie, and a silver version of his grandfather’s crown set atop his hair.

“Hey Hop, I want you to know that I’m 100% in support of you and Joyce.” he looks up to meet Hopper's eyes.

Hopper stares down at him. “Erica knows everything.” Steve says with shrug as a form of explanation and turns back to face the doors.

After a moment, Hopper heaves a long sigh. “Highness, before you go in there, you should know,” He pauses. “Eddie did not set you up at the lake.”

Just that one sentence and Steve’s thrown off his axis, the most overwhelming feeling of hope floods his senses. He snaps his head to Hopper once more. “Are you sure?” he manages to whisper out.

“Erica knows everything.” Hopper echoes with a smile, then leans over to whisper: “She happened to overhear him having a very heated and incriminating phone call with his father yesterday.”

Steve gives him a shaky smile, but then he can hear his cue play from behind the double doors, and a moment later, they open in front of him.

Steve and Hopper walk through the doors, Hopper stopping at the pew at the very front to take his seat beside Joyce. Steve takes his spot next to the bishop in a daze. That really wasn’t Eddie? Does he dare to hope that Erica is telling the truth? That damn father of his…. Steve feels like an idiot. He’s planted his feet where they are supposed to be and looks out at the people in the pews.

Well. Here he is.

At the last step he needed before he’d be able to become King.

Standing in front of the world’s most important people, the only thing Steve could think was that there was one face missing from the crowd.

The only face that mattered.

Steve turns to Robin (his best man) and by his look alone she says, “Take a right, third door on the left. I’ll tell them you’ll be right back.”

Minutes before Nancy was to walk down the aisle to him, Steve was walking the wrong way back up it, and out the door.

He doesn’t register the murmurs and tittering of the crowd, doesn’t register Hopper telling Joyce “It’s alright, he’ll be back.” and sitting her back down at the front of the church, doesn’t register what Robin is announcing to the crowd, the only thought on his mind was ‘Find Nancy.’

He found her exactly where Robin said she’d be, Chrissy helping her with the last couple things.

“Steve?” She sees him enter in the reflection in front of her, and turns to face him in the doorway.

“Nancy..” He has no idea what to say. No idea how to explain to her what he wants, what he’s planning on telling everyone.

Nancy hurries forward and closes the door behind him before she takes him by the hand and sits him on the bench in front of the vanity. She crouches down in front of Steve, a hand on his shoulder, face level to his. Steve’s focus is halfway between the present and completely faraway, and she knows.

“So, do you think I should change out of my dress then?”

Steve blinks fully back to the present, searches her face and only finds determined honesty. Steve laughs until his eyes let loose a couple of tears. “Only if you want to, Nance.” He looks down at her, “You look beautiful.”

She pulls him into a hug and Chrissy rubs his back comfortingly.

“Steve,” Nancy pulls back, “do you know what you are going to say?”

He thinks for a much shorter moment than he thought he’d need, and says “Yes.”

“Do you know that if you do this now, even if it works, Parliament will find a way to get you back for this later? Even if they seem to agree now?”

“Huh?”

“Exposing them to the whole world at once may not bode well for you in the future.”

Steve hadn’t thought about it that far ahead. But he knows this is what he needs to do. “Will you be there to help me when it bites me in the ass?”

She smiles, “Of course I will Steve.”

“Then I’m good.”

Nancy wipes his eyes clean with the handkerchief Chrissy holds out for her, and studies his face for a moment. She must’ve decided something, because she nods, pulls him up from the stool, and heads out the door to lead them both back to their ceremony.

They get to the doorway, hand in hand, and Joyce is there with Hopper, having been waiting for them.

“Aunt Joyce I–” Steve’s cut off as Joyce hugs him tight. He releases Nancy and embraces the Queen, wondering to himself how she knows.

Joyce pulls back and cups his face. “You’ve got this honey, remember, I am on your side no matter what.”

Steve smiles and grabs her hands from his face, gives them a squeeze, then turns back to Nancy. They give each other a nod and start down the aisle together. The orchestra starts up with the bridal march as they were told to, and everyone stands to face them.

—-

The second Steve appeared in the chapel doors on his screen, Eddie bolted up. He had to get there, he had to be there. Steve looked gone. Confused. It was a pull he hadn’t felt before.

He ran to the bathroom, and changed into his suit as quickly as he could, thanking Chrissy with all his soul that she’d thought to have it set up for him in case he changed his mind about going.

“No one’s going to want to see me there, Chris. I can’t do that to him.”

“Well then, if you decide to torture yourself, it’s ready to go.”

He didn’t even get his tie on, just shirt, pants, jacket, and shoes. He didn’t need to look like he was getting married, just not like he’d been wallowing the last 24 hours at least.

He’s pulling his shoes on when there are gasps and tittering from the gathered crowd in his phone. He snatches it up and watches as Steve marches back down the long aisle of the church.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” He crams his feet the rest of the way into his shoes, throws himself down the back stairs of Chrissy’s apartment, and out onto the nearly deserted main street.

He doesn’t have to go far to the chapel, it being just around the corner at the end of Main street, but when he does round the corner, “Jesus H. Christ.”

Duh. Of course there’s going to be crowds outside too.

He manages to sneak down a side alley to the back side of the church, and where there should be legions of guards, there is only...

“Dustin? Dustin please, I have to see him.” Eddie calls to him, jogs the rest of the way to the teen.

Dustin glares back. “Eddie, I don’t know how you think I’m going to let you in after what you did to Steve.”

“Please, Dusty, you’ve gotta believe I didn’t do this. Look, Wayne may not have told you already but–”

“No, he did.”

“He did.” Dustin nods, and Eddie forces himself to recover from that. “Okay, so you know exactly why I am now trying to get away from this damn family. I swear Dustin, I had nothing to do with it, my father was trying to set me up–Steve up– to fail. And I don’t know what else he’s going to try and pull, but I need to be there when he does.”

Dustin’s eyes squint closed even more, but he says “Swear on my mother.”

Eddie breathes a hesitant sigh of relief. “I swear on your mother.” raises his hand in pledge just for an added measure.

“Okay, you can go (“Thank you!”) but you better go fast,” he turns his own cell to show him, “They’re walking down the aisle right now.”

“Oh fuck!”

–

Steve and Nancy reach the front row of pews and Steve lifts a hand to stop the bishop as he opens his mouth to speak.

Nancy places a hand on Steve’s shoulder and holds something out to him, he opens his palm and she drops his grandmother’s ring into his hand. The two of them smile broadly at each other as the whole place gasps at once. She releases his shoulder and moves to stand beside Jonathan (who should be snapping pictures at the moment, but is just standing there staring at her as she slots into place next to him at the wall, his face beet red).

He moves to stand in front of the microphone and podium off to the side, clears his throat, and speaks.

“Good afternoon everyone. I know you are all wondering what this is, what is happening.” he takes another steadying breath. “I am not going to be getting married today.” The crowd breaks out in a wave of startled whispers, and Steve continues. “I am standing before you today because one month ago, someone else decided for me that one half of any possible group of people I could fall in love with one day, was too much of a risk for Genovia. A risk of what? I am not sure. But I was given an ultimatum. Marry an eligible noblewoman or forfeit the throne.” Another round of titters and gasps wash over him and he can only imagine how wild the chat is on the palace’s livestream right now.

“I am not going to lead this country in a loveless marriage like my father would have before his death. I know very well that his ascension to the throne would not have been a welcome change to the majority of people in this beautiful country and I mean not to have the people of Genovia be led into that with me.

“I love Nancy. She has been an additional rock to me in this whirlwind of a month, and I will forever be grateful to her and I will always be her friend. All this to say that I believe I have proven myself as a leader, and with Nancy’s continued support, the support of my aunt, and with the support of the people of Genovia, I will continue to prove myself over and over if I need to.

“So I ask the members of parliament to reconsider their ultimatum, and if they still do not deem me worthy of being your King, I will concede, and Lord Muñoz can take my place.”

“I won’t,” Eddie calls from the chapel entrance, this time, Steve joins the gasps of the crowd. “I refuse to be King of Genovia. Steve has proven himself more than worthy.” The crowd dithers and chatters amongst themselves, and Steve can see Viscount Muñoz stand up sharply from his seat. ‘Oh boy..’ Steve thinks

“He does not need anyone on his arm for him to shine. And just imagine how handsome he’d look on our postage stamp.” Steve likes to think he knows Eddie well enough to know the exact smirk and wink he just gave before turning and marching back out the way he’d come, even though he can’t see it from where he is.

“Handsome on a postage stamp?? You would look handsome on a postage stamp!” Steve watches as Viscount Muñoz struggles out of his seat, over the fabric barrier at the end of the pew, and hobbles off down the aisle after Eddie, Hopper stepping fully in front of Joyce as he passes with lackluster bows her way.

The chapel doors are closed firmly behind him.

Wayne steps up to Steve’s podium then, “Your highness, you should make a motion for a vote.”

There’s suddenly a huge pit in his stomach. This was not a good idea, what parliament members are going to vote to keep him on the throne after this??

“You will be alright, my boy. Trust me.”

Steve gulps, but turns back to the microphone, casting a glance to Robin and Nancy, both of whom give him encouraging nods, and Robin gives him a sly double thumbs-up.

“Prime Minister Henderson, I move for a vote. To overrule parliament’s previous decision on Viscount Munoz’s contest to my right to the crown.”

Wayne nods, and calls across the gathered guests to all the members, wherever they may sit. “I will also be adding the amendment that any current and future member of the royal family may marry any person, or persons, of any gender they wish.” Steve is floored, gaping at Wayne. “All those in favor, say ‘Aye’.”

Silence. Too long of a silence.

Steve can feel his resolve crumbling with every passing second, but he holds strong.

“Aye!” Steve whips his head to the voice, not a parliament member, but Erica Sinclair. She’s stood herself onto the seat of the pew, arms crossed, and Steve feels like crying.

“Apologies, Lady Ap–Lady Sinclair, you aren’t a vote we nee–” Waye starts.

“I don’t care. ‘Aye!’ He’s the best person to be King and everyone here knows it.”

There's another, shorter stretch of silence, and Lucas stands beside his sister (not on the seat, but still). “Aye.”

“Aye!” Nancy steps forward from the wall, grinning at the other two (and holding tight to Jonathan’s hand).

“Aye!” Chrissy this time.

Steve feels like he’s going to combust when he realizes what they are doing; they’re using their own pull, their own royal and royal-adjacent power to show everyone else who is going to be on Steve’s side here, no matter what the actual decision from parliament will be.

It’s another slap to the face of parliament when the to-be King, and current Queen of one of Genovia’s closest allies stand with a joint “Aye!” Steve thinks Mike is actually being sincere and not nearly as embarrassed as he could be, standing tall with his mother.

Then Lord and Lady Sinclair stand in agreement, seeming spurred on by Karen taking the leap for him.

There is another beat of silence, with Wayne coaching Steve in his ear (“Stare them down, nope, not that hard, gentler. There you go. Show them you aren’t going to back down on this.”) before that one oldest member of parliament stands shakily with his cane.

Steve braces himself internally.

“I have young grandchildren, Your Highness.”

“Lord Palimore?” Wayne urges when the man does not continue.

“I believe they will be in excellent hands with you as King. Aye.” he nods sagely and his face crinkles up into a smile.

Steve sucks in a breath, forcing his heart to slow it’s jackhammering.

After him, there is a slow trickle of agreement, ‘Aye’s come from the three members Steve admittedly gave a bit too much shit to when he proposed his idea of converting the winter palace into a children’s shelter, then there is a flood of ‘Aye’s after them, as if the others aren’t about to be outdone by the others, or maybe they just don’t want to be seen on the wrong side of history.

Either way, “The ‘Aye’s have it!” Wayne calls, and there are cheers from the majority of the crowd, and listening over them, there’s a booming cheer coming from the people outside the chapel as well. “Congratulations, your highness.”

There’s a brief moment of celebration and Steve has a thought, “Murray!” he calls the man toward him, “Give me your earpiece and mic?”

Murray grins at him and hands them over. “Oh, don’t act like you know what I’m going to say.” Steve shakes his head at him, then holds the earpiece to his ear and speaks into the mic.

“Hop?”

“Your Highness?” His voice is tinny, and Steve can see Joyce turn when he addresses him.

“Might as well not let all this go to waste, huh?”

Hopper is silent in the earpiece and Steve can see him standing stock still at the other end of the church. “That’s something you’ll have to ask Her Majesty.”

“Oh come off it, that’s your job isn’t it?” he drops the earpiece and mic at the same time, showing his hands to Hopper ‘Hah! Can’t hear you!’ He thinks at him.

He gives Nancy a whistle and tilts his head to the end of the aisle ‘Hop’ he mouths at her. She has no clue what he’s trying to say. Robin shoots up “I’ve got it! Bouquet please, Nance?”

She passes it over, and Robin power walks down the aisle just in time, Hopper is removing his mic and earpiece, and holds his arm out for Joyce. She’s beaming when Robin passes the bouquet into her hands, and she’s still beaming as she addresses some of the crowd (“Sorry for the short notice, but you were already dressed!” she jokes), and beaming brighter still when she reaches the bishop.

Steve takes back Nancy’s bouquet from Joyce, and she gives him a loving pat on the cheek.

“My lord archbishop,” she faces forward again, “I would like to take this man as my husband, if you please.”

“Finally.” he says, smiling at his queen and Steve hides his laugh behind a flurry of coughs. “We are gathered here today for a different wedding.”

Joyce and Hopper exchange short vows, all they need, a simple ‘With this ring, I thee, finally, wed.’.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” the bishop tells Hop, and he wastes no time pulling Joyce to him in a crushing, loving kiss.

Last part here!!!

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