Archive of Our Own ^beta

The day was here. THE big day in capital letters. It was finally time for the toughest wedding Vörå had ever seen. He was marrying Määnin. It was a day he’d never dared to dream of. Not that he would have dreamed of it even if he knew it was a possibility. Dreaming of marriage was something little girls did, this was happening for practical reasons. And for love. But mainly for practical reasons.

He doesn’t know how he got the idea. It feels like he just woke up one morning, Määnin's arm slung over his waist, fast asleep, and realised he wanted this forever. Of course, he wanted this forever, this was Määnin after all, but it was like something in him had shifted. This wasn’t temporary, Määnin wasn’t going to realise there was someone better for him out there, because he had already found someone perfect.

Tommy just couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Three years of this, and he still couldn’t get enough. He was still obsessed with the cute little giggle Määnin would let out when he found something funny, and he still loved the way Määnin hummed weird little tunes under his breath when he moved around their apartment. Määnin was the toughest, coolest and sexiest man in the world, and he belonged to Tommy.

Of course, he already knew all of that on that morning he woke up with Määnin's breath tickling the back of his neck, so he’s not sure what changed, but something definitely had. He wanted to get married. Not because he needed some government document or a ring to know that he belonged to Määnin, but because this was real and permanent and he wanted to celebrate that.

He hadn’t known how to bring it up. Talking was never Tommy's strong suit, he was way more of a yeller. While he and Määnin had gotten way better at having productive conversations, Tommy just screaming when his emotions got too much still happened. He didn’t want to yell about marriage, though. Walking up to Määnin and screaming “I want to marry you” in his face didn’t seem very romantic.

He had laid awake in bed that morning, trying to think of how he would do this. Maybe he could write a song? No, that was way too sappy. Määnin wasn’t the super romantic type, not really. He’d probably just appreciate a simple proposal. But it’s not like Määnin wasn’t romantic at all. He was, when he wanted to be. So maybe he’d be offended by a simple proposal.

This was much harder than he’d thought. Maybe marriage was a bad idea. Marriage wasn’t really for people like them anyway. It was for sappy romantics and straight people who were having a surprise baby. It wasn’t for two tough rockabilly men. Määnin wouldn’t even want to marry someone like him anyway. He was the manliest man Tommy knew. Why on earth would he want to do something as silly as a wedding. Especially a wedding with Tommy, someone not even close to being on Määnin's level.

He had been aware that he was spiralling, but had not been able to do anything to stop it. By the time Määnin woke up he was so far gone it had taken 20 minutes of coaxing just to get Tommy present enough to respond to a simple question. Even if the worst of the insecurities had disappeared after he’d had some breakfast, he still hadn’t been sure the whole marriage thing was a good idea.

The thought wouldn’t leave him alone, though. Everywhere he went, he saw signs. He couldn’t open Facebook without seeing an engagement announcement or wedding photos. It was like he was surrounded by rings; he saw them everywhere. The pawn shop in town was displaying them in the window, the corner store sold cheap plastic ones, they were everywhere. It had gotten so bad that he almost burst into tears when Määnin brought home peanut rings from the store one day. He needed to get married, the universe was practically begging him.

There were a lot of practical reasons to get married too, like… taxes! If he said they were getting married for tax reasons, Määnin would surely say it was cool. Plus, he just really wanted to. That feeling he’d felt that morning before the anxiety set in, the feeling of utter safety, of being home, still hadn’t left him. He was in this forever, and he wanted to celebrate that. The problem was that he still hadn’t known how to ask. He knew he needed a ring and had felt that was a good place to start.

————————————————

The problem was trying to find a ring that fit Määnin. The tradition was to have two simple, matching gold rings as engagement rings, but Tommy wanted something more special. A tough ring for the toughest man in all of Vörå. Nothing was good enough. It was too simple or too girly or too normal. Maybe he was just making up excuses, but he wanted something perfect.

He had found it in a second-hand store in town they were visiting for a gig. He had gotten lost, going for a walk to clear his head and found the store by accident. He thought he’d step inside and look at old records or something while he waited for Freppa to come pick him up when he saw it in a small display. A black ring with flames snaking around it. It was kind of tacky, but it was cool and it screamed Määnin. It was perfect.
————————————————

Just because he’d found the perfect ring didn’t mean he had known how to propose. He had wanted to do something just the right amount of romantic, something that was still cool but also loving. Creating the perfect moment had felt impossible.

He had been so caught up in his own planning that he hadn’t noticed Määnin acting weird. So when he came home one evening to find his boyfriend cooking, he was certainly confused. If they weren’t ordering takeout, Tommy was the one to do the cooking, and for good reason. Määnin was a terrible cook. He usually just grabbed whatever was in the cupboards and threw it together into terrible homemade concoctions that always ended up burned.

That evening, he had mixed pre-made pasta sauce, ham, peanut butter and a chopped-up banana. I looked awful, but Tommy swallowed his disgust and made his best “looks great babe” face. The food had tasted as bad as it sounded. He could never understand how Määnin could eat something like that and seemingly enjoy it. He had done his best to eat with a smile on his face, but in order to distract Määnin so he could hide some of it in a napkin, he had questioned why Määnin was cooking for him.

“It’s what you usually do”.

Tommy could remember how confused he felt, he had no idea what was about to come.

“I usually do?”

“When you want to be romantic”.

That was true, this was what he normally did when he wanted to be romantic, though his food tasted significantly better. It made sense that Määnin chose this, that he thought cooking would be the perfect romantic thing to do for Tommy before getting down on one knee.

He hadn’t processed it at first. One moment, he was trying to discreetly put his napkin full of food onto his plate, the next, Määnin was kneeling in front of him. Tommy thought he must have dropped something, and he had bent down to look under the table, earning an amused chuckle from Määnin. That was when he had noticed Määnin was holding something, a ring.

“What?”.

Looking back, he wished he’d had a better response. This wasn’t exactly a cool story to tell people about his proposal later. “No, I didn’t say something romantic, I said “what”. You know, like an idiot”. No, he had left out that part when people asked him.

“Do you want to marry me?”.

“Huh?”.

He had been so shocked that he hadn’t been able to think straight. He had been planning his proposal for months, wanting to get every detail perfect, and here Määnin was, cooking terrible food and getting down on one knee without a word.

“It’s a yes or no question, Tommy”.

Määnin was laughing at him, he remembers that clearly. It really wasn’t very kind to laugh at someone while proposing to them, so maybe he wasn’t the only one who had to be embarrassed about how this whole thing went down. Usually, he would just say whatever was on his mind, but for some reason, his mouth hadn’t been working in that moment. Instead of saying something, he just pulled out the ring he’d bought for Määnin, the ring he’d been carrying in his pocket for months.

“I was going to ask you the same thing”.

“I know Tommy, I got tired of waiting”.

If he thought he was confused before, that had really thrown him for a loop. He had worked so hard to be discreet, and yet he had somehow failed.

“How did you find out?”.

“Tommy, sweetheart, you are the opposite of subtle. That ring fell out of your pocket months ago. You also left the receipt lying around, and I saw that you wrote the words “Tommy Mannerheim” in your songbook like 50 times”.

That was meant to be private.

“So, Tommy, you want to marry me?”.

“Yes!”.

He has said it calmly, not yelled it out in a high-pitched voice, no one trust Määnin if he says something else.

“Of course I want to marry you, but do you? Want to marry me, I mean”.

He had needed to know.

“Because if you're just doing this for me, you don’t have to. I know you’re not the commitment type, but there are practical reasons to get married. Like, uh, taxes and stuff”.

“Yeah, Tommy, I want to. Hearing you brag about how hot your husband is on stage will be hot”.

They had really been forced to edit the whole proposal story afterwards, because the real thing was a mess. Määnin had snatched the ring from him before gesturing for Tommy to hold out his hand. When Määnin slipped the ring onto his finger he had gotten a good look at it for the first time. It was a silver ring in a weird, twisting shape. He had looked at it, trying to make sense of the design.

“It works as a bottle opener”.

It was the perfect engagement ring, and he had stared at it for a long moment, giving Määnin a moment to stand up.

“We can say it’s for tax reasons if you want”.

That had settled it, they were getting married.

————————————————

Now they were here, on their wedding day, driving to the courthouse to sign some papers. They had both agreed they didn’t want some fancy ceremony with loads of guests in a church or something. It didn’t feel like them at all. They were just going to sign some papers with two witnesses and exchange rings, simple silver bands, because they went for fancy engagement rings, and then move on. The ceremony wasn’t what they wanted, what they wanted was the big party that came after. Now that was more their style.

Freppa had helped them arrange everything. He was very excited that they were getting married, and even though he was disappointed they weren’t doing a traditional ceremony, he’d been happy to help them book a time at the courthouse and prepare the party. He was meeting them there, together with their second witness, Tommy's aunt Ann.

When they found out they needed two people, Tommy had known he wanted her to be there. After coming out to his parents their relationship had been strained at best. He had been surprised when his cousin had sent him a reminder of her upcoming wedding just a few weeks after the fight, telling him he could bring his boyfriend if he wanted to. He had debated over whether he should go or not, but Määnin had convinced him he shouldn’t let his parents keep him away if his cousin wanted him there.

It had been awkward seeing his parents, but they had just pretended that nothing was wrong. They kept calling Määnin his friend and they wouldn’t make eye contact with him, but they didn’t ignore his existence either. Ann on the other hand had embraced both him and Määnin and introduced them to everyone from the groom's side of the family proudly. It had been nice to have her there when his parents froze him out. Plus, he still did odd construction jobs for her son, his cousin, so it was good that side of his family hadn’t disowned him too.

He missed them sometimes, his parents. They had always been cold, distant, assholes but they were his. It felt vulnerable, not to have a family. Maybe that was one of the reasons he wanted to do this. Marriage would make Määnin his family, legally and not just emotionally. There was also another secret reason he had wanted this, one he wouldn’t admit even to himself. His mother insisted, even to this day, that the reason she didn’t support his homosexuality was because she wanted him to be happy and she thought he was making his life harder. She thought he could never get married and live a good life, and maybe this would finally prove him wrong.

But of course, the main reason he wanted to get married was love. And tax stuff. And today was the day. As they pulled up to the courthouse they saw both Freppa and Ann waiting for them on the steps. They were late, as usual, but it was their wedding so no one could be mad at them. Freppa smiled when he saw their car, but his face fell when they got out and approached him.

“That’s what you’re wearing?”.

Tommy looked at Määnin and then down at himself.

“Yes?”.

Freppa made a pained noise. Tommy didn’t get it, both he and Määnin looked great. He was wearing an incredible suit made entirely in denim. He wasn’t even ashamed to admit he’d almost cried when Määnin found it for him online. And Määnin? Määnin looked amazing. He was wearing cowboy booths, leather shorts and a leather vest over a white shirt. To top it all off he was wearing a white cowboy hat with a veil attached to it. He looked so hot Tommy thought it should be illegal. Freppa on the other hand was just wearing a boring, normal suit. Who was he to complain?

“You jealous because we look hot, Freppa?.

Määnin clasped his shoulder, eyeing Freppa up and down as he said it.

“You look insane”.

“You look great boys, let’s head inside, we’re late”.

Thank god for Ann, they probably could have argued forever if she wasn’t there. She ushered them inside, where they were directed by a receptionist to a small, but nice room. There were a couple of chairs set out and a woman stood behind a large desk. She seemed confused for a moment, probably stunned by how gorgeous Määnin was, but then she smiled broadly at them. After a brief round of introductions, the woman clapped her hands together excitedly.

“Okay, let’s get started. I was thinking we do the short ceremony first, and then we sing the papers, but it’s up to you! This is your day after all”.

What ceremony? Wasn’t the whole point of this to not have a ceremony? That’s why they didn’t go to a church. Freppa had mainly handled the contact with this woman, but surely he must have said that. He was about to protest, but Määnin beat him to it.

“Sounds great”.

He grabbed Tommy's hand, squeezing it tight. Okay? Well if Määnin wanted a ceremony then they were getting a ceremony. Freppa and Ann sat down on the chairs and Tommy and Määnin moved so they were facing each other, holding hands.

The woman held some sort speech about the beauty of love and dedicating yourself to another person, Tommy wasn’t really listening. He was distracted by how hot Määnin was. He had left his sunglasses in the car so Tommy could see how all the different shades of blue and grey bled together in those pretty eyes. He was looking at Tommy with such fondness it almost felt perverted.

They hadn’t wanted any kind of ceremony because it felt too soft for them. They weren’t the romantic types, not really, but standing here, it felt right. He loved Määnin so much it felt like he was going to burst, so when the woman started talking about the beauty of finding the right person for you Tommy couldn’t help but agree. This was beautiful, this thing between him and Määnin.

He cast a glance at their small audience and noticed Freppa was crying. God, he was so weak. Who cries at someone else’s wedding? That was so girly it was almost pathetic. He turned back to Määnin so he could show him what he’d seen, and they’d both have a silent laugh at how emotional Freppa was, but instead he saw that Määnin was crying too. He had a single tear running down his cheek.

Oh. Maybe crying at a wedding wasn’t pathetic, maybe it was manly and cool. He had been told his whole life that the only acceptable times for a man to cry was at funerals and his wedding. Was he being unmanly for not crying? Shit, he needed to squeeze a tear out right now.

He let himself really feel the emotion of the moment. He was getting married to Määnin. Määnin, the coolest, toughest, sexiest man in the whole world was marrying him. Tommy couldn’t believe it was true, he was the luckiest man in the whole world. He burst into tears. Not a single manly tear like Määnin, not even silent tears like Freppa, this was loud, ugly sobbing.

God why was he always so embarrassing? Both Määnin and the woman were looking at him in alarm. He must look so stupid, as usual. He brought a hand up to his face, trying to silence the sobs. Määnin seemed to understand his inner conflict and squeezed the hand he was still holding onto. After years of knowing each other he knew exactly what it meant, a silent it’s okay. And it was okay. A man was allowed to cry at his wedding, and it wasn’t his fault he did everything loudly, including crying. He glared at both the woman and the audience looking at him like he was the one being weird.

“What? I’m just happy”.

The other people in the room seemed a little taken aback by his outburst, but they recovered quickly once they realised that this wasn’t him getting cold feet. The rest of the short ceremony passed without incident as Tommy tried to stifle his sniffles. He had managed to compose himself when he got to the part where it was time to say I do. The part he’d seen in all of those romantic movies he watched to research weddings. The part he never thought he’d get since they decided not to do a ceremony.

“Do you, Jean Filip Mannerheim take Tommy Jakob Tall as your husband, to love until the end of your relationship?”.

That was different from the movies, but saying “until the end of your relationship” was more inclusive than till death do us part. Most relationships end in divorce after all.

“Yeah”.

You were supposed to say I do, but of course Määnin was too cool for that.

“Do you, Tommy Jakob Tall take Jean Filip Mannerheim as your husband, to love until the end of your relationship?”.

“Fuck yes”.

Oh no, he screwed it up even more. He really had meant to say I do. The woman didn’t seem mad though, just amused.

“You may kiss, if you’d like”.

He’d always found that part stupid. Like they needed someone else’s permission to kiss. He watched Määnins perfect, beautiful face and realised he must look like a mess from the crying earlier. Would Määnin want to kiss him when he was this gross right now? Määnin who always seemed to sense when Tommy was nervous reached a hand out, wiping away a stray tear still lingering on his face, before leaning in and kissing him. Their first kiss as husbands. Well not really they still hadn’t signed the paperwork, but still, it felt special. The kiss warmed him from the inside, like soft kisses like this always did.

The whole little ceremony lasted about ten minutes, and it was perfect. He was glad he hadn’t stopped the woman. Now all that was left was to sign some papers. All four people wrote their names on some documents, and they were informed by the woman that even though they still needed to send in some documents they were now officially married.

Officially married. To Määnin. The toughest man in all of Vörå. Tommy felt on top of the world, like nothing could bring him down. He looked at Määnin, with his cowboy hat and leather vest, their hands still interlocked as they walked out of the court house. That was his husband, holding the door for him. His husband, smiling at him softly. It was his husband's beautiful soft lips moving in front of him. Lips moving. Oh, he should probably listen.

“Tommy, Tommy?”.

“Huh?”.

“Marriage break your brain or something? You disappeared there for a second”.

Määnin was still smiling at him, but there was just a hint of concern in his eyes.

“I’m just happy”.

“Me too”.

————————————————

This was one wedding tradition he was looking forward to. If stuffy ceremonies in churches wasn’t their kind of thing this certainly was. Tying a bunch of beer cans behind a beautiful car and driving it around? This tradition was made for them. It was Freppa's responsibility to prepare mrs Börns and drive it to the courthouse, he would drive Tommy and Määnins car to the party.

Tommy was so excited he was almost vibrating, but he froze in place when he saw the car. Instead of awesome beer cans trailing behind it, there were a bunch of empty trip juice packages tied to the car.

“What the fuck is this? Where are the beer cans?”.

He turned to Freppa who held his hands up defensively.

“I didn’t have any at home”.

Tommy hadn’t thought about that. Of course Freppa wouldn’t have beer cans lying around his house, he didn’t drink beer.

“Why didn’t you just ask us for some?”.

Määnin was so smart, Freppa could have just asked them. They always had plenty of empty beer cans lying around.

“I did but you had just recycled them all”.

Tommy remembered that. It was just a couple of days ago that Freppa came by asking if they had any empty cans and they told him they’d just gotten rid of them. They had needed all the money they could get for the wedding and had therefore gotten really good at recycling. Even without a ceremony these kinds of things were expensive.

“It’s still drinks tied behind a car, what difference does it make?”.

He wanted to scream. What difference does it make? It makes all the difference in the world Freppa! He had looked forward to this, had imagined how cool he would look cruising down the streets of Vörå in mrs burns with beer cans rattling behind him. No he would look like a joke. People would laugh as he passed them. He felt the tears start to well up again. He usually wasn’t a big crier, hadn’t cried for years, but gay stuff always fucked with his emotions, and he guessed gay weddings slotted into that category. Määnin grabbed his hand again.

“It’s fine Freppa, we don’t need some stupid beer cans for people to know we’re the coolest guys in town. Plus the sign looks awesome”.

Tommy hadn’t even noticed the sign. It did look awesome. It said “just married” and it had a bunch of flames drawn around it. He took a deep breath. The beer cans didn’t matter, all that mattered was that he had Määnin by his side. He was going to drive his husband around the best town in the world in the best car in the world. If anyone laughed at that, they were the idiots.

As they got into the car he turned to look a Määnin, that goofy smile still plastered on his face and the veil trailing behind the cowboy hat almost glittering in the sunlight. They had a couple of hours to kill before it was time for the big party. He should start the car and drive away, but he was stuck staring at just how beautiful Määnin was.

“Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere, as long as it’s with you”.

What was wrong with him today? First the crying now this. Was he turning into some kind of sappy romantic who liked to watch sunsets and cried at cute puppies? Määnin did not seem fazed by him turning into a walking cliche all of a sudden, he just smiled even broader.

“That’s not a very practical answer, Tommy”.

“Sorry, I’m being stupid”.

Määnin laughed and placed his hand on top of Tommy's, which was gripping the steering wheel. Lot of hand holding today. He liked it.

“Hey, I’ll fight anyone who calls my husband stupid, only I’m allowed to do that”.

He felt his face heat up. My husband. Yeah, it felt nice to be called that.

“But you are being stupid, just drive”.

So he drove. They traveled around Vörå aimlessly, the music turned up to max and the windows open. They drove fast down empty country roads and burned the tires as they skid in sharp turns. The time flew, and now it was time to party.

————————————————

They had rented a party space from Vörå UF, it was the best they could do since Tassin didn’t exist anymore. There was going to be catering from grillin made specially just for them, and Freppa said he’d booked a cool band. They had invited everyone they knew, and the place was going to be packed. That combined with the amount of beer they’d bought promised an incredible night.

He could hear the music playing before he even entered the room. The band can’t be there yet because an old 80’s rock song was blasting out of the speakers. He froze in the doorway as he entered the room and took it all in. There were tables lined with tablecloths made of denim. On top of the tables stood aluminum containers filled with food. There were people dancing and singing along to the music and everywhere you looked there was alcohol.

This was all for them. These people were here to celebrate them, to celebrate the fact that they were in love. A couple of years ago this all had felt impossible. He thought he could never come out because there was nothing worse than being gay, and now he was throwing a party to celebrate just how gay he was. Someone must have noticed their arrival because the music was turned down and the clapping started.

People were cheering for them, for their love. Or maybe they were just cheering for the smart tax decision they were making. Surely it must be that, because if Tommy thought too much about the first option he would cry again.

So many people talked to them. Old classmates and people who had helped them with the band throughout the years clapped them on the shoulders and congratulated them. Määnin kept his arm around Tommy's waist the entire time.

Just when Tommy had started stuffing his face with the food the music was turned off and Freppa got on the small stage.

“Now it’s time for some live entertainment. Give it up for the second best band from our high school class".

Wait a minute, he didn’t mean…

“Kaj”.

Tommy almost choked on his burger. Kaj? Why on earth would Freppa invite fucking homogruppen Kaj to play at his and Määnins wedding? He turned to Määnin who did not seem to share his anger, he just seemed vaguely amused.

“What on earth was Freppa thinking? Inviting them to our wedding”.

“He’s just giving the people a chance to hear some terrible music so they remember how good we are”.

Tommy huffed. Why wasn’t Määnin taking this seriously? This was their wedding, the most amazing party Vörå has ever and will ever see, and it was being ruined by letting those losers play. He turned to go find Freppa and yell at him, walking straight into someone.

“Hey Tommy, congratulations”.

It was Linda. He didn’t remember inviting Linda to the party. He hadn’t wanted any of Määnin's exes here, except for Marlene cause she was kind of hard to avoid. Before he could question her presence, she pulled him into a warm hug.

“Hands of my husband Linda, don’t think I don’t remember what you’re like”.

Määnin had walked up behind them. The word husband still sent sparks up his entire body. Linda’s face lit up.

“Määnin! Don’t worry, I remember what you’re like too. Never shutting up about this one”.

She put a hand on Tommy's shoulder. Määnin never shutting up about him? Something about it was familiar but it still didn’t sound right. Tommy was the one who was obsessed, Määnin was the cool detached one, at least in public.

“Tommy, did I ever tell you about that time that me Määnin and Crille were out by the lake drinking?”.

“No?”.

When had Määnin gone drinking with Linda and Crille? Määnin used to bully Crille before he started dating Linda, but that was about the extent he’d seen them interact.

“You had been sick for like a week, and I guess Määnin was desperate for some company that wasn’t Freppa, so he just invited himself to drink some beers with us. Anyway there was some guy there with his guitar singing songs for his friends and the entire time Määnin just muttered about how you were a much better singer. He got so loud in his complaining that the guy heard him, it ended in a big fight”.

Huh. Tommy had not heard that story before. He looked at Määnin who was staring off in the distance. Was Määnin blushing? Määnin, who was always cool and aloof when they weren’t alone, was blushing.

“Is that true? You wanted to defend my honour long before we were married?”.

“Shut up, Tommy”.

Oh, they were definitely talking about this later. Linda laughed. He’d forgotten she was here for a moment.

“Anyway I gotta go find my girlfriend, she went outside to smoke and I’m scared she’s been kidnapped by some of the weirdos in here”.

She started to walk away, but then turned around to look at Tommy.

“I am really happy for you, you know. Last time we met, that time in the grocery store you seemed so miserable, I’m glad you figured it out”.

With those words, she walked away. He’d completely forgotten about that. It had been the second time he had a breakdown in a grocery store in just a couple of months, and it hadn’t been as memorable as the bread incident. He remembered how sad and scared he was back then, thinking he’d lost Määnin forever. He wished he could go back in time and show Tommy from three years ago this. Him and Määnin with matching wedding rings at the coolest wedding party in Vörå, with the best food and the toughest music.

The music. Right, that’s what he was doing. He looked around and found Freppa standing in a corner, bopping his head to some stupid song about watching men do construction work. He approached and tried to find the anger that had driven him earlier.

“Freppa!”.

“Hey, you guys having a good time?”.

“No Freppa, we’re not having a good time. Why did you book kaj to play at our wedding?”.

Freppa looked genuinely confused at his anger.

“I thought it would be fun, they’re our friends from school after all, and we’re a part of the same record label”.

“We’re not friends with those guys! Why would we want some lame gay people playing at my wedding?”.

Freppa still looked confused, but there was also a hint of amusement on his face.

“What do you mean gay band? They all have girlfriends and you’re married to a man”.

Tommy did not have a good response to that. He stuttered a little indignantly and turned to Määnin, who was too busy laughing at him to be of any help.

“I think it’s funny”.

He clearly wasn’t winning this argument, so he decided to switch topics.

“What about you? Are you having a good time? Why aren’t you drinking or eating something?”.

“I’ve already eaten and we ran out of trip”.

Ran out of trip? Tommy had made sure to buy a bunch so Freppa would have something to drink too.

“Some other people wanted some too”.

Freppa offered as an explanation.

“What? Who? I didn’t buy those for other people, I bought them for you!”.

He felt Määnins hand on his shoulder.

“Tommy, it's fine, the store is still open. Freppa’s a big boy he can buy more if he wants them”.

Right, he was overreacting. He was just so emotional and he didn’t know where to put all of these feelings. Anger felt easier than just letting himself be happy, because if he felt the joy of the moment he would start crying. The three beers he’d already consumed weren’t helping either.

“Okay. Well. Thank you, I guess”.

Freppa seemed surprised. Tommy knew he wasn’t always the most appreciative of Freppa but he felt the need to say something.

“You know, for helping us plan all this. And for being so supportive throughout I guess”.

Freppa nodded, clearly at a loss for words at Tommy actually being so openly nice. Not that Tommy was a bad friend, he just wasn’t the talking type.

“Okay, do you want to marry Freppa or something? Because if you don’t mind I would like to stop chatting and dance with my husband”.

Dance with my husband. That did sound nice, even if the music was shit. He let Määnin pull him out on the dance floor just as a song was ending. The next song seemed to be some kind of slow love song. Määnin pulled him in close, and they swayed in time to the music.

It was kind of nice actually, the song. It was about loving someone even after they grew into an old, grumpy man. He could see it in front of him, he and Määnin as old men wandering around Vörå and muttering about today's youth. The thought of it made him smile. Just him and Määnin growing old together.

Dancing like this also reminded him of that night in Helsinki, years ago, when they kissed for the first time in public. To think he had been so scared of loving Määnin openly. Loving Määnin had been so hard, but now it felt so easy. Now he leaned forward and kissed Määnin without hesitation, not caring if anyone watched. The cowboy hat made the angle slightly awkward, but Tommy made it work. They were stood there, in the middle of the dance floor at their wedding, pressing their bodies so tightly together they melted into one. Tommy and Määnin. Husbands. Just like it was meant to be.