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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: Words and Vows
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos/James Rosewood + Zayne Reyes
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,538
Summary: Andrej and James attend a wedding for a fellow detective at the infamous Graceland Chapel. Elvis lives, folks.
Author’s Note: Written for the weekend challenge at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
1_million_words. How I got lucky enough to draw ‘Vegas weddings’ as a prompt, I’ll never know.
Skirting around clumps of people lollygagging in the aisles, Andrej Zeklos found the first empty pew and sat down. James Rosewood, handsome in his silvery-grey suit, slipped in beside him. It was awkward being at a wedding ceremony with a man he’d only been dating for a few months, but Zek didn’t have many other options. Thankfully, James hadn’t been too weirded out by the request and had said yes. Arriving by himself would have been even more awkward than coming with someone he’d only just begun dating.
“Why is this place called the Graceland Chapel,” Andrej asked, confused. It was a lovely little place, all hardwood floors and pews, but the name made no sense to him.
“Graceland,” James said, smiling at Andrej’s lack of pop culture knowledge. “Like where Elvis lived?”
Andrej made a face. “You mean Elvis Presley? The musician?”
“One in the same.”
“So, what’s the appeal?” Andrej looked around at the white walls and silk flowers hanging all over.
James shrugged. “Some people want to get married by Elvis, I guess.”
“But why?”
“Don’t answer that,” Zayne Reyes said, stealing the empty spot on Zeklos’ left side. “He’ll never understand.”
“They didn’t have Elvis in Romania,” James asked, turning to Zek. Andrej muttered something into his shoulder. “I don’t think I quite got that, honey.”
Sighing, Andrej repeated himself. “I don’t actually know because we didn’t have a radio growing up.”
“Oh,” James said, guilt tinging his words. They’d had more than a few conversations regarding Zeklos’ childhood in rural Romania. “I didn’t even think –”
“Don’t apologize,” Reyes said, relaxing back against the pew. “Give it three or four years, but you’ll eventually start to remember he has a disadvantaged childhood.”
Rosewood frowned and Andrej intervened. “Why are you here, Zayne?”
He shrugged. “Because McConnell is getting married.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Andrej said, rolling his eyes. “Why are you here, with us, and not two rows up with Maxwell and Rollins?”
It was Zayne’s turn to make a face. “She’s not talking to me again.”
“What did you do this time,” Rosewood asked.
“What’s that supposed to mean,” Zayne demanded, anger filling his posture.
“Calm down, Reyes,” Andrej said, patting his partner on the arm. “It’s no secret to anyone that you and Hilary have had a long line of rocky romances.”
Zayne crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. “I didn’t do anything.”
Not highly likely but Zeklos wasn’t going to debate the issue while they were in the chapel. “We can talk about it later, if you’d like.”
“Fine.” Zayne tapped his foot on the carpet and sighed. “I really don’t know what went wrong this time.”
James chuckled. “Did you know the other twelve times?”
The groom, fellow homicide detective Gregory McConnell entered the chapel then, making his way down towards where the ceremony would be performed. It took him three times as long as it should have due to having to stop and shake hands every sixth or seventh step. But the man was all smiles despite the delays.
Reyes gave him a sour look. “It’s not been twelve times,” he said. “But yeah, for the most part, I knew, even if I didn’t want to admit to it.”
“Understandable,” Rosewood said, much to Andrej’s surprise.
Reyes looked ready to respond when music filled the small chapel and everyone around them rose. “What’s going on,” Andrej asked, concerned.
“You stand when the bride enters,” Reyes laughed. “Haven’t you ever been to a wedding?”
“Not a gaujo wedding,” Zek replied. “This is much too… sedate.”
The three detectives rose and waited until a pretty dark-skinned woman entered, dressed all in white. Her gown was form fitting and elegant, a perfect complement to her natural beauty. Everyone oohed and awed as she strode down the aisle on the arm of some wannabe Elvis impersonator who, in fact, looked nothing like the man himself had. Too blond and too thin. The King handed her over to her soon-to-be husband and took his place behind the pulpit. The spectators sat all around them, leaving Zeklos standing. James placed a hand on one arm while Reyes took the other. Each gave a gentle downward tug and brought Zeklos back to a seated position.
“Your customs in this country are confusing,” he muttered to the smiling men on either side of him.
Elvis cleared his throat and began to officiate the ceremony. Within minutes, Zeklos was lost, not understanding exactly what a burnin’ hunk of love was or why his friend was being referred to as such. When he referred to the bride as a teddy bear, it made more sense, although he still wasn’t clear on why that particular moniker was being applied to such a demure and petite woman.
“This makes no sense,” Andrej confessed, leaning in towards James’ ear. “I’m so confused.”
“We’ll explain it to you later, you big dork,” Zayne replied. “You need a serious lesson in American culture.”
“You may kiss the bride,” Elvis said before launching into something that even Andrej could understand.
The first verse of “I Can’t Help Falling in Love” filled the chapel. Even though Zeklos found himself to be the only one in the chapel that didn’t know the lyrics, he could still appreciate the sentiment of the song itself. At one time, he’d have immediately thought of his partner, Zayne Reyes, when hearing those key words. But as the days had progressed, he found himself thinking of his new boyfriend, James Rosewood, more and more often.
Elvis finished singing and the couple separated at the lips. Clasping hands and facing the audience, Elvis announced, “By the state of Nevada, I pronounce you husband and wife.”
The room around them broke into cheers while Elvis threw himself into a rousing rendition of “Viva Las Vegas”. Again, everyone stood as the newly married couple filed out of the chapel, chased by Elvis’ voice. Andrej smiled and shook his head.
“You okay,” Zayne asked, leaning in close.
“Yes,” Andrej replied. “But this was the oddest wedding I’ve ever attended.”
“Probably the most fun, too, huh?”
James stepped out of the pew and into the aisle, holding his hand out to Andrej. Zek too the proffered hand and followed his date out. Turning back to Zayne, he shrugged. “You’ve obviously never attended a Romani wedding. Lots of dancing and singing and carrying on.” Zek smiled at his partner and allowed James to lead him out of the chapel and into the lobby.
The bride, groom and Elvis stood posing for photographs as they exited, making for quite the spectacle. Two formally dressed people standing to either side of a man in a gold lame jumpsuit. A jumpsuit open so far that the majority of his hairy chest was exposed to the entire group. Andrej shook his head and leaned into James, begging. “Please, never let this happen to us.”
Reyes laughed from behind them. “Oh no, I’ll never let you two do this. I have much better plans for your nuptials, buddy.”
“You have better plans?” James had stopped his forward motion and turned to stare at Reyes. “What does that actually mean?”
Zayne shrugged. “Since I’ve had so much free time lately,” he said, flushing slightly, “I started to think about your wedding.” Winking at Andrej, he said, “I’ve already got the bachelor party nailed down.”
“Oh good lord,” Zeklos whined. “Please, no.”
James slid an arm around Zek’s waist. “Don’t worry about it, Andy. This is Vegas, right? We can elope and no one would ever be the wiser.”
It was true, too. They could sneak off, get a marriage license, visit the justice of the peace, and still have time for ice cream after. There were benefits to living in a town that never closes for the night. Grinning, Andrej poked James in the ribs with a finger. “You have any plans for tonight?”
“Hey,” Reyes butted in. “Wait just a minute there, bucko. You two are not sneaking off and getting married!”
Laughing, James tugged Andrej towards the doors. “You sure about that, Reyes? Because unless you plan on following us out of here tonight, you’ll never really know, will you?”
Zayne stood, rooted to the spot, fuming. Andrej held the door open for James and then followed him into the parking lot. “That wasn’t very nice of you.”
“What? Why not? I was only teasing him.” James took hold of Andrej’s hand again and squeezed.
“I know you are, but what you don’t understand is that he’s going to be up all night, searching the applications for marriage licenses.”
“You’re kidding, right?” James gave a sharp shake of his head. “God, and I thought your crush on him was bad. Apparently the man-crush he has on you is even worse.”
Tired of reminding his boyfriend that Zayne was straight and uninterested in men, Andrej ignored him. “How about we have dinner before we start talking marriage, James?”
“Well,” he drawled. “If you insist. But later? All bets are off.”
Even though Zeklos was ninety-eight percent certain that James was yanking his chain, he couldn’t stop that little thrill of excitement that rushed through him right then. If only…
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos/James Rosewood + Zayne Reyes
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,538
Summary: Andrej and James attend a wedding for a fellow detective at the infamous Graceland Chapel. Elvis lives, folks.
Author’s Note: Written for the weekend challenge at
1_million_words. How I got lucky enough to draw ‘Vegas weddings’ as a prompt, I’ll never know. Skirting around clumps of people lollygagging in the aisles, Andrej Zeklos found the first empty pew and sat down. James Rosewood, handsome in his silvery-grey suit, slipped in beside him. It was awkward being at a wedding ceremony with a man he’d only been dating for a few months, but Zek didn’t have many other options. Thankfully, James hadn’t been too weirded out by the request and had said yes. Arriving by himself would have been even more awkward than coming with someone he’d only just begun dating.
“Why is this place called the Graceland Chapel,” Andrej asked, confused. It was a lovely little place, all hardwood floors and pews, but the name made no sense to him.
“Graceland,” James said, smiling at Andrej’s lack of pop culture knowledge. “Like where Elvis lived?”
Andrej made a face. “You mean Elvis Presley? The musician?”
“One in the same.”
“So, what’s the appeal?” Andrej looked around at the white walls and silk flowers hanging all over.
James shrugged. “Some people want to get married by Elvis, I guess.”
“But why?”
“Don’t answer that,” Zayne Reyes said, stealing the empty spot on Zeklos’ left side. “He’ll never understand.”
“They didn’t have Elvis in Romania,” James asked, turning to Zek. Andrej muttered something into his shoulder. “I don’t think I quite got that, honey.”
Sighing, Andrej repeated himself. “I don’t actually know because we didn’t have a radio growing up.”
“Oh,” James said, guilt tinging his words. They’d had more than a few conversations regarding Zeklos’ childhood in rural Romania. “I didn’t even think –”
“Don’t apologize,” Reyes said, relaxing back against the pew. “Give it three or four years, but you’ll eventually start to remember he has a disadvantaged childhood.”
Rosewood frowned and Andrej intervened. “Why are you here, Zayne?”
He shrugged. “Because McConnell is getting married.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Andrej said, rolling his eyes. “Why are you here, with us, and not two rows up with Maxwell and Rollins?”
It was Zayne’s turn to make a face. “She’s not talking to me again.”
“What did you do this time,” Rosewood asked.
“What’s that supposed to mean,” Zayne demanded, anger filling his posture.
“Calm down, Reyes,” Andrej said, patting his partner on the arm. “It’s no secret to anyone that you and Hilary have had a long line of rocky romances.”
Zayne crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. “I didn’t do anything.”
Not highly likely but Zeklos wasn’t going to debate the issue while they were in the chapel. “We can talk about it later, if you’d like.”
“Fine.” Zayne tapped his foot on the carpet and sighed. “I really don’t know what went wrong this time.”
James chuckled. “Did you know the other twelve times?”
The groom, fellow homicide detective Gregory McConnell entered the chapel then, making his way down towards where the ceremony would be performed. It took him three times as long as it should have due to having to stop and shake hands every sixth or seventh step. But the man was all smiles despite the delays.
Reyes gave him a sour look. “It’s not been twelve times,” he said. “But yeah, for the most part, I knew, even if I didn’t want to admit to it.”
“Understandable,” Rosewood said, much to Andrej’s surprise.
Reyes looked ready to respond when music filled the small chapel and everyone around them rose. “What’s going on,” Andrej asked, concerned.
“You stand when the bride enters,” Reyes laughed. “Haven’t you ever been to a wedding?”
“Not a gaujo wedding,” Zek replied. “This is much too… sedate.”
The three detectives rose and waited until a pretty dark-skinned woman entered, dressed all in white. Her gown was form fitting and elegant, a perfect complement to her natural beauty. Everyone oohed and awed as she strode down the aisle on the arm of some wannabe Elvis impersonator who, in fact, looked nothing like the man himself had. Too blond and too thin. The King handed her over to her soon-to-be husband and took his place behind the pulpit. The spectators sat all around them, leaving Zeklos standing. James placed a hand on one arm while Reyes took the other. Each gave a gentle downward tug and brought Zeklos back to a seated position.
“Your customs in this country are confusing,” he muttered to the smiling men on either side of him.
Elvis cleared his throat and began to officiate the ceremony. Within minutes, Zeklos was lost, not understanding exactly what a burnin’ hunk of love was or why his friend was being referred to as such. When he referred to the bride as a teddy bear, it made more sense, although he still wasn’t clear on why that particular moniker was being applied to such a demure and petite woman.
“This makes no sense,” Andrej confessed, leaning in towards James’ ear. “I’m so confused.”
“We’ll explain it to you later, you big dork,” Zayne replied. “You need a serious lesson in American culture.”
“You may kiss the bride,” Elvis said before launching into something that even Andrej could understand.
The first verse of “I Can’t Help Falling in Love” filled the chapel. Even though Zeklos found himself to be the only one in the chapel that didn’t know the lyrics, he could still appreciate the sentiment of the song itself. At one time, he’d have immediately thought of his partner, Zayne Reyes, when hearing those key words. But as the days had progressed, he found himself thinking of his new boyfriend, James Rosewood, more and more often.
Elvis finished singing and the couple separated at the lips. Clasping hands and facing the audience, Elvis announced, “By the state of Nevada, I pronounce you husband and wife.”
The room around them broke into cheers while Elvis threw himself into a rousing rendition of “Viva Las Vegas”. Again, everyone stood as the newly married couple filed out of the chapel, chased by Elvis’ voice. Andrej smiled and shook his head.
“You okay,” Zayne asked, leaning in close.
“Yes,” Andrej replied. “But this was the oddest wedding I’ve ever attended.”
“Probably the most fun, too, huh?”
James stepped out of the pew and into the aisle, holding his hand out to Andrej. Zek too the proffered hand and followed his date out. Turning back to Zayne, he shrugged. “You’ve obviously never attended a Romani wedding. Lots of dancing and singing and carrying on.” Zek smiled at his partner and allowed James to lead him out of the chapel and into the lobby.
The bride, groom and Elvis stood posing for photographs as they exited, making for quite the spectacle. Two formally dressed people standing to either side of a man in a gold lame jumpsuit. A jumpsuit open so far that the majority of his hairy chest was exposed to the entire group. Andrej shook his head and leaned into James, begging. “Please, never let this happen to us.”
Reyes laughed from behind them. “Oh no, I’ll never let you two do this. I have much better plans for your nuptials, buddy.”
“You have better plans?” James had stopped his forward motion and turned to stare at Reyes. “What does that actually mean?”
Zayne shrugged. “Since I’ve had so much free time lately,” he said, flushing slightly, “I started to think about your wedding.” Winking at Andrej, he said, “I’ve already got the bachelor party nailed down.”
“Oh good lord,” Zeklos whined. “Please, no.”
James slid an arm around Zek’s waist. “Don’t worry about it, Andy. This is Vegas, right? We can elope and no one would ever be the wiser.”
It was true, too. They could sneak off, get a marriage license, visit the justice of the peace, and still have time for ice cream after. There were benefits to living in a town that never closes for the night. Grinning, Andrej poked James in the ribs with a finger. “You have any plans for tonight?”
“Hey,” Reyes butted in. “Wait just a minute there, bucko. You two are not sneaking off and getting married!”
Laughing, James tugged Andrej towards the doors. “You sure about that, Reyes? Because unless you plan on following us out of here tonight, you’ll never really know, will you?”
Zayne stood, rooted to the spot, fuming. Andrej held the door open for James and then followed him into the parking lot. “That wasn’t very nice of you.”
“What? Why not? I was only teasing him.” James took hold of Andrej’s hand again and squeezed.
“I know you are, but what you don’t understand is that he’s going to be up all night, searching the applications for marriage licenses.”
“You’re kidding, right?” James gave a sharp shake of his head. “God, and I thought your crush on him was bad. Apparently the man-crush he has on you is even worse.”
Tired of reminding his boyfriend that Zayne was straight and uninterested in men, Andrej ignored him. “How about we have dinner before we start talking marriage, James?”
“Well,” he drawled. “If you insist. But later? All bets are off.”
Even though Zeklos was ninety-eight percent certain that James was yanking his chain, he couldn’t stop that little thrill of excitement that rushed through him right then. If only…
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Date: 2015-09-27 09:49 am (UTC)And that man-crush is the size of Texas! Oh yeah, baby! :D
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Date: 2015-09-28 05:26 pm (UTC)Hah! Don't I know it! And somehow, I have this feeling that James is going to become an enabler before long. Hahahaha. Gotta love it when your boyfriend ships you with another guy, even if only in theory. :D