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“Do we even have the right place?” Kris asked, peering up at the tiny church that was nestled deep in the Slovenian forest. There was a clearing around it, with masses of wildflowers growing and coating the ground in splashes of colour, as if a giant had painted the ground in celebration of spring. A clear stream weaved alongside the church, easy and calm as it made its way down through the trees and towards the eventual ocean. It was still early, the sun's rays filtering through the leaves of the trees surrounding them and casting a soft, dappled light over Kris’s face as he stepped out of the car.
“I see Jure’s camper over there and he said it was today,” Bojan responded, checking his phone once again just as Nace pulled up alongside them, Jan in the passenger seat with his head resting against the glass, hair messy and eyes closed.
“I see sleepyhead there is soooo ready to start shooting,” Kris joked as Nace nudged his passenger princess, the other man rubbing his eyes and groaning in annoyance. The only reason he was here on time at all was because Nace had forced him to pack his outfits the night before and had practically dragged him into the car that morning, allowing him to sleep another few minutes as Nace drove them down to the picturesque location.
They exited the vehicles and exchanged greetings, Jan leaning heavily on Nace’s side as he tried to wake up, sleep still thick on his tongue as he spoke, both his and Nace’s fingers running through his hair. It was curious that they were the only ones here though considering how long it took to set up a film set.
“Is it open?” Jan asked, motioning to the doors of the church. Bojan strode forward, skipping up the three worn, stone steps before placing his hand on the brass doorknobs. They were heavily tarnished and felt cool against Bojan’s skin. He turned it but the old wooden doors didn’t budge. Locked.
“You might need these,” Jure called out to him, emerging from his camper and throwing Bojan a set of keys, which he did not catch and had to scramble to pick them up, Nace and Kris laughing at him as he did so.
“where is everyone?” Nace asked the drummer as they all headed towards the entrance, Bojan, flinging the door open dramatically and bowing to them like a dramatic butler to welcome them inside the space.
“Not sure. You guys can check it out while I call to see if they’re on their way” Jure said, pulling out his phone and heading towards the stream where a large rock lay, perfect for sitting on and soaking up the sun as he waited for someone to pick up his call.
“Krisko?” Bojan grinned, holding out his elbow for Kris to take, who did so gleefully, the two skipping down the aisle to the tiny church and singing the wedding march as they did so.
It was cute, a single room with high ceilings and white walls. Pews lay in neat rows on either side and at the end, there was an old lectern resting against the wall, moved out of the way for now. The isle was bare wood, worn down from years of foot traffic and noticeably lighter than the floor below the seats.
Jan was still rubbing sleep out of his eyes and Nace nudged him, extending his own elbow the same way Bojan had to Kris.
“I’m not skipping,” Jan smiled, linking their arms and he began taking halting steps, matching Nace’s pace as Bojan and Kris continued their rendition of the song from the pews at the front. Jan smiled stupidly and looked at Nace, bringing their faces together and touching their foreheads as they walked, finally joining the other two in song. They felt like kids, playing pretend at recess.
They reached the end and faced each other before bursting into giggles and Kris and Bojan made mocking kissing noises. The morning sun was shining through the small windows, beams of light casting harsh shadows across the floor as it hit the pews. A perfect beam of light shone onto Jan’s face, setting his dark hair on fire and making his eyes almost glow through tired eyelids. Nace leaned in and kissed him deeply, Kris and Bojan whooping behind them as Jan smiled into the kiss. Lazy and sweet and oh so familiar to them both.
“Fucking hell,” Jure growled, breaking the two apart at his entrance. His feet stomped on the ground as he walked briskly towards the group collected at the front, phone in his clenched hand.
“What’s up?” Kris asked, leaning over the back of the pew he was kneeling on.
“Apparently someone put in the date wrong on the damn calendar and now everything got booked for tomorrow rather than today,” Jure huffed. “so we don’t have any cameras, crew, anything until tomorrow, and of course we can’t get people in early because everyone is busy today,”
“Oh fuck. Can we get this place tomorrow? Or is our music video totally screwed?” Bojan asked, his brows knitting together in concern. The video was fairly low budget simply due to the cost of renting this church in the middle of nowhere, a choice they’d made after seeing the photos inline and falling in love with it.
“Thankfully, I did book it for two days cause I thought we might need a spare day. Guess we’ll just have to be really efficient and somehow film everything in one day,” Jure seethed, pulling his hair back stressfully. Bojan moved towards him and pulled him into a hug, ruffling his soft hair in an effort to soothe the drummer who relaxed into his touch, sighing defeatedly. Jan pulled himself free of Nace’s arms to join the hug, Kris and Nace following close behind, circling their kitty in their warmth.
“Does that mean we have this place to ourselves today?” Kris asked as they pulled away, Bojan keeping his arm slung around Jure as the blonde rested his head on his shoulder.
“Yeah, I guess. we should probably use today to practice at least so tomorrow runs as smooth as possible though,” Jure said, rubbing his face tiredly. He’d done a fair bit of the organising for this music video, securing the location once they’d agreed on a concept and focusing on the vision alongside him. They’d wanted to do something intimate and small, all of them providing their own costumes and half of the props, making it feel authentic and DIY to match the raw tone of the song. It was a love song and Bojan had insisted on the idea of filming a fake wedding, each of them taking it in turns to play the groom and never showing the bride’s face.
Jure and Bojan would both be directing and they’d left the booking of camera and crew to their team, a decision Jure was kicking himself over now.
The group decided that there was nothing they could do about it now, even as they lamented the wasted money. It was a beautiful day at least and Bojan decided they should make the most of it. He pulled Kris towards the stream, kicking off his shoes and wading into the fresh water, Jure close behind who immediately started splashing him.
“What are you thinking about love?” Nace asked, wrapping his arms around Jan as they sat on the large rock, the guitarist humming at the contact. Jan leaned his back into the bassist’s chest and brought the back of Nace’s hand to his lips in a chaste kiss.
“Marrying you,” he said simply. The wind pulled at his hair, giving life to the dark locks as he watched the other three play in the water. It felt serene and perfect. Nace sighed and pulled Jan closer to his chest, as he saw Jure try to tackle Bojan into the water, Kris avoiding their splashing but laughing at Bojan’s panicked cries.
“Is that something you want to do?” Nace asked almost hesitantly. He loved Jan, loved him so much he felt his chest might explode if he thought about it too hard. They’d been officially dating for almost three years by now and they’d settled into themselves and their relationship. The honeymoon phase was over but they felt no less in love, no less happy with each other and Nace would be lying if he hadn’t thought about going ring shopping and asking Jan to be his forever.
“I would. I really would,” Jan turned his head to kiss him, as soft and warm at the sunlight.
“What if we just did it? Now?” Nace said, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them.
“What, get married?” Jan chuckled, pressing their lips together again.
“Why not? It doesn’t have to be official but hell we could have a little wedding with just us guys. We have our outfits already, we can walk down the aisle, Bojan and Kris can give us away to each other,” Nace grinned at his suggestions, letting himself play pretend for a moment, letting himself imagine the real thing. A little ceremony just for them.
Jan relaxed back into his arms. There was birdsong over their heads and the trees swayed gently in the morning breeze. Kris had left them to pick wildflowers, his arms full of pinks and purples and yellows. Bojan was relaxing on a log that spanned the steam, his toes dipping into the water and Jure was hunting for stones to try and skip across the surface.
“Isn’t Jure technically an officiant?” Jan asked suddenly.
“Is he?” Nace asked, looking over at the blonde who had amassed his small collection next to Bojan, skipping the stones while Bojan simply threw larger and larger rocks in the hope of making a satisfying splash. He wouldn’t be surprised really, Jure had all kinds of strange qualifications.
“I think so. And we do have our two witnesses and it would be a shame to let this church go to waste. What if…” Jan stopped himself, letting the thought linger between them.
“What if we got married today?” Nace finished, squeezing Jan tight as he pressed his lips to his neck. Could they really do it? It wouldn’t be hard to get Jure to do the paperwork for them and then they would be…
“I think I’d like that,” Jan whispered out. “I’d like to be your husband,”
Nace touched Jan’s cheek and brushed back a bit of hair. He was so beautiful, so perfect in his arms and Nace couldn’t believe he was actually his. He actually wanted to be his forever. His heart swelled.
“Jan Peteh,” Nace began slightly mocking but unable to keep the genuine adoration from his voice “would you marry me? Today?”
“Of course I will,” Jan said before surging forward to press their lips together, turning to face him properly and wrapping his arms around Nace’s neck. The kiss made fireworks explode in Jan’s brain just like the first time they’d properly kissed, backstage after a gig, high on adrenaline and love and they held each other close and grinned like maniacs afterwards.
When they broke Jan didn’t want to pull away fully, keeping his lips to Nace’s jaw and pressing kisses to his stubbled chin as they lay on the rock and soaked up the sunshine.
“Dickhead!” they heard Bojan yell from where he was now sitting in the river, back and legs totally soaked from where he’d been pushed from the log, judging by the glare pointed at Jure who was laughing maniacally. It didn’t last long though as Bojan managed to pull the drummer in alongside him, laughing as he landed on all fours in the water.
Kris has returned at the commotion, a bouquet of flowers in his hands and a flower crown on his head.
“Let’s go ask them before they actually kill each other,” Nace suggested, nudging Jan to get off him so he could sit up again. Jan did so reluctantly, sliding off the rock with Nace, fingers interlocked and excitement running hot in his veins.
“Hey guys!” Nace called out, stopping the fight between Jure and Bojan that was about to begin, the latter already hunched in an attack position but both smiling wide. They called a truce and waded out of the water, Bojan cringing a bit at his now soaked pants clinging to his skin.
“Jure, are you still an officiant?” Jan asked, doing his best to seem casual as he lent into Nace’s side, the older man slinging his arm loosely around his shoulder.
“Yeah, why?” Jure asked.
“Could you marry us today?” Jan’s hands were sweaty, his anxiety spiking as he waited for his friend's reactions.
“Holy shit!” Bojan said, leaping around and shaking Kris in his excitement. Kris too was smiling broadly, trying to save his flowers as Bojan leapt all over him, knocking the crown half off his head. Jure’s face cracked into the familiar beam they all knew as he pulled the couple into a hug.
“Of course I can. Good thing I always have extra copies of the paperwork in the camper!” he laughed. Jan felt his heart soar and he looked at Nace. They were really doing this. They were going to be husbands. He leaned in and kissed him, Nace’s hand going to his cheek and stroking it softly. He vaguely heard cheering from the other three but was much too focused on how soft Nace’s lips felt against his to care. Nace was going to be his and he would be Nace’s.
“Good thing I picked you some flowers then!” Kris said, handing his bouquet to the pair, Nace taking it gratefully before pulling Kris into a hug, careful to not squash the flowers between them. They really were quite pretty, mostly small dainty things, mixed with green leaves that all fit easily into one of Nace’s hands. They were perfect. Kris took the flower crown he had made, mostly of daisies with one or two other leaves and flowers tucked in and placed in on the bassist’s head.
“Aww you look so pretty.” Bojan cooed. From anyone else it would seem mocking but with Bojan’s shining eyes, they all recognised how genuine it was.
“Oh shit you don’t have rings!” Bojan said. He looked down at his hands before pulling off the three rings he had adorned himself with that morning. He presented them on his open palm, the plain silver band of his thumb ring, the yellow stone with intricate metalwork he usually wore and a large rectangular piece.
“They can be my contribution,” Bojan said earnestly, as he shook his hand encouragingly “You can get real ones after, but for today you can take whatever one you want. Even that one,” he pointed to the thumb ring. It had been a gift from his grandmother and was known to be much more special to him than the other two.
“Are you sure?” Jan asked, hesitantly reaching for it as Nace took the golden piece, slipping it on his ring finger and happy to see it fit.
“Of course. Something borrowed for today. Just give it back when you get some real rings okay?” Bojan beamed, slipping the rectangular ring back on his finger and pulling Jan into a tight hug.
“We should probably get changed then shouldn’t we?” Nace said, playing with the leaves in his bouquet. They headed back towards the cars to retrieve their outfits and change into clean and dry clothes in the case of Bojan and Jure.
“How to I look?” Jure asked, posing in front of (a now dry) Bojan. The blue suit jacket and light pants complimented his features wonderfully, just as Bojan’s dark blazer and intricately patterned shirt somehow worked well on him.
“Looking good!” Kris clapped him on the back, having changed into a very nice cream-coloured number.
“Let’s see you Jan!” Bojan knocked on the door of the camper, hearing a grumbled “Yeah yeah, I’m coming,” as he opened the door and stepped out. Jan had gone with a simple black button-down and a rather fancy green blazer with gold detailing. He blushed at the small round of applause he got at his entrance and Kris's wolf whistle.
“Didn’t think when I picked this out I’d be getting married in it,” Nace said as he rounded the corner of the church to join the others. He’d gone much more traditional with a full black suit, looking the most like a groom out of all of them with his tie being a deep green that happened to match Jan’s jacket. Jan stared shamelessly at him, even though they’d both already seen their outfits. He looked perfect and as the midday sun shone overhead Jan wondered how he got so lucky to find his soulmate.
“Fuck,” Jan breathed out, causing Kris, Bojan and Jure to laugh and Nace to look at his feet rather shyly. Even all these years later he still couldn’t handle the way Jan looked at him sometimes, like he had hung the moon and stars just for him to sleep under. Nace would do it in a heartbeat if asked, a thousand times over.
“You look amazing,” Nace said, hands going to fix Jan’s lapels, using it as an excuse to rest his hands on the other's chest. He drank in the sight of him, hair flowing around his shoulders and eyes bright and happy. Jan would look perfect in a plastic bag in Nace’s eyes so seeing him all dressed up like this made his heart skip a beat.
“One last thing,” Nace said, as he headed to his car, grabbing a small box from his bag in the backseat and coming back to the small group.
“I wasn’t sure if I should wear it but I think you would look good with it.” Nace opened the box and pulled out a simple chain necklace with a small, deep blue sapphire pendant. It sparkled brilliantly, as Nace unclasped it and held it open, inviting Jan to let him put it on.
“Where did you get that?” Kris asked as Jan turned around and pulled his hair up and out of the way, allowing Nace to gently clasp the necklace behind his head, the pendant resting on his sternum, perfectly framed by his outfit and looking like it was always meant to be there. Nace adjusted the dainty chain to sit under his collar before turning him around again, eyes shining.
“It was my mother's. Something blue for our music video,” he smiled, touching the gemstone softly where it sat against Jan’s chest. “I guess it could be our something old too,” he leaned it to kiss Jan’s forehead, holding him close once more and ignoring Bojan’s phone as he took their picture. Even if the whole crew had been there they would have ignored them to stay right here in this moment.
“If you need something new then I can give you the bottle of Jack I bought,” Kris joked when they finally broke. It was meant to be just a prop but Kris had figured they’d just buy the real thing so they could drink it afterwards, the unopened bottle sitting in the passenger seat of his car.
“Thanks man, that can be for our honeymoon,” Jan said, taking the flower crown Nace had left in the care of Jure and carefully placing it on his own head while Nace took back his bouquet he’d given to Kris.
“Should we get this wedding started?” Jure asked, a folder in his hand.
“Kris and me will do the wedding march,” Bojan grinned, taking Kris’s arm and heading inside the church, already singing the familiar tune.
“I’ll give you guys a moment. Come in when you’re ready,” Jure hugged them both tightly before saying “I’m really happy for you, we all are,” then he followed the other two inside, leaving Jan and Nace alone.
For a moment they didn’t speak, the birds overhead still singing and the stream babbling and murmuring quietly as the water rushed over the river rocks. The flower field danced as the wind whipped around them. Nace fiddled with the silver ring in his hand, the one he would put on Jan’s finger in just a few moments.
“Are you ready?” Jan asked, squeezing Nace’s hand, looking at him with such love and adoration Nace wondered how he’d ever lived without knowing Jan. How had he ever gone without this warmth in his heart?
“I’ve been ready since I met you,” Nace said, squeezing back before leading them to the doors. They linked their arms together before Jan turned the worn doorknob and they entered the building. The light from the windows shone down perfectly over them all, Kris, Bojan and Jure all harmonising the now very familiar wedding march as the couple walked down the aisle for the second time that day. It felt electric, Jan unable to stop himself looking at Nace, the flowers around his head and his still slightly messy hair making him look adorable.
At the end they turned to face each other, Kris taking Nace’s bouquet so they could hold each other's hands as Jure began a hastily written speech on his phone.
“Jan and Nace, we’ve known you both for many years and I think it’s safe to say that the moment you met we could all tell there was something there. What progressed from stolen glances all of us noticed except you two to blushing cheeks and constant touches, finally progressed into you telling each other how you feel with much encouragement from us,” Nace and Jan laughed at that, remembering how Kris had practically begged them to just start dating already and Bojan had on multiple occasions shoved them in a closet, saying he wouldn’t let them out until they had kissed.
“We can all see how happy you make each other and if there were ever two people meant for each other in this world we can all agree it was you two,” Jure wiped at his eyes, choosing to stare down at his phone rather than look at anyone else. “I feel honoured to call you my friends and even more honoured that we get to be here today and celebrate your union. You’ll be disgustingly happy together,” he laughed, a happy tear escaping his eye which he quickly brushed away.
Bojan had his head on Kris’s shoulder, smiling through the happy tears that were already welling in his eyes. Kris locked his fingers with Bojan’s.
“Would you like to say a few words to each other?” Jure asked.
Nace took a deep breath before squeezing Jan’s hands tightly. “Jan. The moment I joined I felt like I belonged. I felt like this was where I was meant to be. And the moment I went on stage with you, when I decided to play to you because we were on the same side of the stage was the moment I felt at home. You were always there, always loving and talking and I think I fell in love with you the moment I looked into your eyes properly and saw the stars in them. You’re smart and gorgeous and so incredibly kind and I think I’m the luckiest man on earth to have you.” he had to swallow down the lump in his throat a few times to get through his small speech. Truly it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough to express how he felt, to show Jan all the love and devotion he deserved. Thankfully though he had the rest of his life to try and show even a fraction of his love.
Kris, Jure and Bojan let out a tiny round of applause.
“Nace,” Jan began “I love you. I remember how lost I felt during all those interviews we did at the start, how much I wanted to not be there at all and how tired I was of answering questions. But then you were next to me, and your touch grounded me and made me feel safe. I loved you hard and fast and the only regret I have is that I didn’t tell you sooner, that I wasted time scared you wouldn’t love me back. I want to spend my life with you and I can’t imagine my life without you in it,” Even Jan had started crying now, Nace bringing up his thumb to wipe away the tears that fell.
“If you’re ready to exchange rings,” Jure said. Jan took Nace’s hand, the golden ring he’d borrowed from Bojan poised and ready to be placed in his finger. He looked at Jure who smiled encouragingly.
“Okay repeat after me, With this ring, I, Jan Peteh, ask you, Nace Jordan, to be my husband, forever and always, till death do us part,”
“With this ring, I, Jan Peteh, ask you, Nace Jordan, to be my husband, forever and always, till death do us part,” Jan said, slipping the ring onto Nace’s finger, his heart tightening at the sight. This was really happening. Nace was really going to be his and he was Nace’s.
Nace took his hand and held it up the same way Jan had just done to him. He brought up the silver ring, ready and waiting to slip it on as he looked to Jure.
“With this ring, I, Nace Jordan, ask you, Jan Peteh, to be my husband, forever and always, till death do us part,” Jure said.
“With this ring, I, Nace Jordan, ask you, Jan Peteh, to be my husband, forever and always, till death do us part,” Nace repeated slipping the ring onto his finger, his voice shaking slightly as he spoke.
“By the power vested in me I now pronounce you husbands!” Jure cheered and the newlyweds pulled each other close and kissed. Time felt like it stopped, they’d kissed thousands of times, everything from quick pecks to heavy makeouts but this time, this time was magical. Jan’s brain was on fire and he felt like he was meant to be here, everything in his life had led up to being in this tiny church in the middle of nowhere with his best friends and the love of his life, safe and warm and perfect in his arms.
Nace held him tight, never wanting to let go, never wanting anything except the feeling of Jan’s lips against his. He’d spent so much of his life feeling like he didn’t fit anywhere, so long being a temporary thing and now he was kissing his husband and everything was wonderful. Jan was his husband and Nace had never felt happier.
They broke and came down to the real world, Bojan, Kris and Jure cheering for them and they couldn’t stop the smiles on their faces. They were together, they were each others and everything was perfect.