Chapter Text
There are a lot of happy tears at the wedding.
No one is surprised, at all, when Soda is wiping tears the second he sees Melanie. Or that he has to biggest, brightest grin on his face at the same time.
No one is surprised when Melanie gets a bit choked up during vows, with her voice wobbling just enough to hear the emotion behind the words. Or that Soda cries so much during his that he has to stop a couple of times and find his voice.
Everyone who sees it is surprised when Darry has to turn away and swipe at his eyes. Donna grins at winks at him when he turns back around, which makes him blush. Gayle gets a little emotional watching her sister get married, and makes eye contact with Pony and grins when she realizes he's crying a little, too. Jack doesn't get emotional, but he does squeeze Pony's shoulder in support when his friend gets choked up. Steve mainly grins, and Two-Bit looks like he's feeling a bit sentimental himself.
The altar has every color of wildflowers, mostly picked by the gang themselves, in amidst of smattering of formal arrangements. It looks so much like Soda that it warms Melanie's heart when she looks around her.
Soda dips Melanie for their first kiss as a married couple.
When the preacher presents them as married, Soda is holding her hand tightly, like he's never gonna let go of it for anything. He keeps wiping at the occasional happy tear with the other, and looking at her like he can't believe this is really happening.
He pulls her to him and kisses her again before the walk back down the aisle.
She giggles with him when he teases her and asks if they can sneak off somewhere before the reception.
She can't stop looking in his eyes. The love she sees there is so much that it takes her breath away.
She almost cries when he leans to her ear and tells her, in great detail, how much he loves her and how beautiful she looks. She kisses him for it and then tells him teasingly to stop trying to make her cry if he wants her to keep looking pretty.
"I can't believe you married me," he murmurs in her ear and then kisses her neck.
"I've only been telling you that for the past year at least," Melanie tells him softly.
"I know, but it's still hard to believe." He wraps his arms around her waist from behind, and kisses her over her jawline. "You sure we can't go start the wedding night now?"
She laughs. "Soda, you been looking forward to this for months. You know you ain't ready to be done celebrating yet."
He groans. "I know." He squeezes her a little tighter.
"We have a few minutes alone on the way to Mom and Dad's, right?" she asks.
"Not exactly. Steve borrowed Joe's corvette, and told us he and Evie would drive us to and from the reception."
"Really?"
Soda nods. "Don't tell nobody, but neither one of 'em has been drinking at all. I'm wondering if Evie might be knocked up."
Even though they're young, Melanie would be real happy for them both if that was the case. Evie's told her more than once how much she wants a big family. "Well, no babies here until I'm through school at least," she jokes. "I ain't trying to wake up all night with a baby and then go take exams."
"You think I'd make you be the one getting up all night?" Soda asks. "I'd be getting up with you, or letting you sleep."
"You are such a sweet talker," she teases, and her husband smiles at her. "We'd better go, we're gonna be late to our own party."
The reception flies by.
Somebody apparently knows that clinking the glass means the newlyweds have to kiss, because they get clinked the second they walk in to the reception. And many times after.
Neither of them mind.
They have their first dance to "Can't Help Falling in Love, because Soda is a sap and she loves him dearly. She even loves his soft but completely tone-deaf singing in her ear while they dance. He will sometimes jokingly sing with his brothers or something, but he doesn't really sing otherwise, for anyone. He has told her before that he's "tone deaf but unfortunately not enough to be deaf to how bad he sounds." While they dance it's quiet and sincere, and of course it's off-key, but she can hear the love in his voice while he sings to her. And she thinks she could be happy listening to him sing like that for the rest of their lives.
He kisses her when the dance ends, even though they can't hear any clinking.
When they cut the cake, they feed it to each other. Soda manages to get a little bit of frosting near her lip, and she turns red but laughs when he removes it with his mouth rather than a napkin.
Her sister catches the bouquet, and she wonders briefly if Jack is horrified or not given how much he seems to struggle with commitment. She swears that Soda somehow aimed to make sure Ponyboy caught the garter. Pony does actually turn beet red and look horrified enough that it makes Melanie giggle.
Their friends and family steal them each for dances every so often. Melanie won't tell, because there's no need for jealousy, but she thinks her dance with Two-Bit is the most fun. He lifts her up at the waist and spins her, and twirls her around so much that she's glad she only had one glass of champagne.
"Did you get to talk to Christa at all?" Melanie asks innocently.
"I thought Soda was pulling my leg all this time about you wanting to fix me up," he drawls, grinning. His cheeks are flushed, and he's obviously had a few drinks as well.
"All I'm saying is she's a nice girl, and she's got a great sense of humor."
"Nice girls don't like me," Two-Bit dismisses. "And she's too pretty to have a good sense of humor."
Melanie smacks him lightly in the arm. "I am offended by every part of what you just said." She smiles at him. "Just talk to her for a few minutes. If you don't like each other, no big deal." She winks. "Consider it my wedding present."
"Can't believe you want me to get shot down as a wedding present, but okay," Two-Bit grumbles good-naturedly. "Guess then I ain't gotta go shopping."
"Do you shop, or just shoplift?" she teases him.
He gives her a look of mock offense. "I'll have you know I am a law-abiding citizen now."
"No more handstands on the sidewalk?" she asks, and he turns redder.
"Can't believe Soda told you that. Your husband's a traitor." She laughs with him.
Ponyboy is sweet and awkward when he dances with her, and she is 100% sure he only does so because Darry made him. They mostly make small talk, except for the brief, sincere moment when he asks her to please be good to his brother. And he looks emotional for a minute when she tells him that she would never in a million years want to hurt Soda. He blushes when she follows that with a reminder that Pony's her brother now, too, and that she loves him. The song ends shortly after and Ponyboy gives her a quick hug before he escapes.
Speaking of being forced to dance with the bride, Steve makes Jack ask her for a dance, too. They dance silently at first.
"How has school been going?" Melanie eventually asks politely.
"It's alright. Passing and everything," he shrugs. She sees when his eyes flit over to Gayle and linger.
"How are things going with you and my sister?" she asks gently.
Jack looks surprised by that. "Fine." He hesitates. "Unless you know something I don't."
Melanie shakes her head. Glory, Gayle was right. Jack sounds uncertain and insecure even though he's trying not to show it. "Gayle loves you a lot," she tells him.
Jack huffs a little. "Ain't really sure why," he mutters.
"She tells me you treat her nice," Melanie offers.
Jack nods. "I try." His eyes find her again. "She deserves that. More than that," he says quietly. And Melanie feels a swell of emotion at that, not only for her sister but also for this kid.
"Sounds like you do okay," she says kindly. Jack blushes and mumbles a thanks.
She hugs him when the dance ends, and is surprised a little when, despite some hesitation, he hugs her back.
Steve insists that he has to dance with Soda, too, which makes her laugh. She calls Evie up "in honor of all their double dates" and they switch partners a few times throughout the song, which is a little on the long side. Steve and Soda dance together the longest, but that gives Mel a little bit of time for girl talk with Evie.
She dances with her sister, and with Donna for long enough to probe for some details about her and Darry.
Which she then uses to tease Darry after he asks her for a dance. She goes pretty easy on him. She's realized Darry can't always tell when she's teasing, and she doesn't want to make him uncomfortable. She smiles when she sees the pride on his face as he looks at Soda.
"You know, I've been wanting a big brother," she says, grinning at him. "Soda's told me so many good things that he made having a big brother seem like the greatest thing in the world." Darry looks touched, and he smiles softly when she says that. Darry is too hard on himself sometimes, and as far as Melanie is concerned it's never a bad thing for somebody to know how much they're loved.
"Soda seems real happy with you," Darry tells her. "I'm glad y'all found each other."
"I love him more than anything," Melanie tells him. "And I know that you do, too." She grins. "Which means that me and you are stuck with each other, it seems." He looks at her uncertainly, so she hugs him then. "I love you, Darry," she murmurs.
"We may need to cut you off the champagne," he jokes.
"I'm serious. I know we ain't spent a lot of time together yet, but it's been enough. I see how you take care of Soda, and I already love you for that," she tells him sincerely. He's blushing by the time she pulls back from hugging him and Soda comes to shake his hand and take back his bride.
She dances with both of her folks, and her mama manages to make her cry. She has no idea what her mom says to Soda, but she manages to make Soda cry when she dances with him, too. Her mama is on a roll. Her dad is more lighthearted with her, and even though he makes some sincere comments that bring emotions to the surface, he jokes with her and makes her laugh, too.
By the end of the night, her feet hurt and her heart has never felt more full.