Chapter Text
Everything had started out normal. The day had been normal. As of late not a lot happens, nothing like a few years ago. Things grew quieter, though not absent from the stray villain or random criminal. It was quiet. He shouldn't have expected it to stay as such.
Rook Blonko stared intently at the screen in front of him, typing away at a report he was finishing up for the day. The room was silent save for the soft hum of the computer and the soft tik tak of keys being hit in fast succession. It had originally taken Rook an embarrassingly long time to get used to typing on the standard keyboard. His fingers always had felt too long and too wide and often would hit wrong keys back at the academy. Now it felt as simple as writing with a pen.
Finishing up the report Rook stretched in the hard chair, hitting save before closing the software. The sound of the elevator doors opening caught his attention.
“Rook! Thank god you’re here-” The sound of his partner jogging up made his ear twitch. “Listen I’m in deep shit here-”
Over the few years of being around Benjamin Tennyson Rook had plenty of opportunity to learn more about earth, and more specifically, American English terminology. Enough to know that he meant he was in trouble, and not currently stuck in perhaps horse manure.
“What is the problem?,” Rook turned to face his partner, noticing an envelope in his hand. The recently turned nineteen year old surprisingly hadn’t grown a whole lot since the first time they met, maybe a couple inches, making Rook ponder the possible reasonings. He heard about certain diets stunting growth, but genetics were also a contributing factor. It wasn't really like it mattered, after all, but unfortunately humans were fascinating.
“Okay so it’s a really long story, I’ll explain everything but I’ll just cut to the chase first to give you enough time to say no,” The mystery envelope was moved forward as he pulled a paper from its confines. Rook couldn’t quite catch what it read. “Long story short, I need you to marry me,”
The paper was slammed on the table, now being legible as a certificate that read ‘Marriage Licence’ in bold curly font. Rook blinked once, twice, looking at the paper and then his partner. The silence that permeated persisted, the soft hum of the computer making itself known. Rook could practically feel the tense discomfort wafting off of the other.
“So..?”
“I am waiting for your explanation,” He peered at the certificate on the table, stamped with the seal of the local government. It was a surprising turn of events a year ago when the marriage between humans and off-worlders was legalized, at least in some of the states. Didn't mean it was accepted by the mass public, unfortunately.
Ben sighed sharply as he carded his fingers through unkempt hair. “Listen.. It’s Looma, she contacted me recently and she’s talking about getting married and I really don’t want to deal with all of that again! It’s only on paper you don’t have to do anything but sign it! I had talked to Esther about it and she was really weird and Kai and I aren’t really on that good of terms and-”
“And I am your last choice in the matter?” Rook cocked up an eyebrow.
“No! No no, you’re not the last resort!” Ben shook his head fiercely, holding his hands up. “If you said no I was maybe going to ask Argit or something…”
“I see…”
“Like I said, it's just on paper! Once Looma comes and I show her it we can get the marriage dissolved and go back to normal, nothing has to change between us,” Ben turned to continue his pacing around the table like a caged animal. “She'll come down and I'll be like ‘oh no! I'm so sorry Princess Looma it seems that I was.. defeated in battle or something and have been betrothed and married already here's the certificate stamped by the state wonderful to see you again goodbye!’”
It seemed reasonable. The paper just required their signatures and one of a witness.
“I am hoping you planned ahead and brought a witness as well?” Rook looked around the empty room and finally back to Ben who visibly squirmed.
“W-well of course I did!” he coughed loudly. “Okay you can come out!”
The person he had not seen emerged from the elevator, hands in his pockets with what Rook learned to describe as a ‘shit eating grin’.
“What, did you not want me to see if your proposal got rejected? I should have brought my camera,” Kevin strolled on over before plopping himself into one of the free seats. “Did you get him a ring? Don’t tell me you didn’t even bother getting your new fiance a ring?”
“Dude, it’s just on paper!” Rook couldn’t help but notice the flush that spread over the younger hero’s face. “He hasn't even given me an answer yet and it’s not like it’s going to matter. I just need it to get Looma off my back, no thanks to you!” Kevin let out a cackle.
Rings weren’t really something that they had on Revonnah. In fact from what Rook knew about earth marriage customs they were quite different from what he would have back at home.
“Kevin has a point. I doubt a piece of paper would be enough to convince Looma and more importantly her father that you have wed. If we are to go through with this we will need to be thorough,” Rook approached the table, pulling a pen out from his pocket and quickly signing his name in the slot provided. The other two watched in shock as Rook passed the pen over to his partner. “We will work out the details later, I believe I am to say I do,”
Ben stared at the pen with a difficult expression to read. He took the pen in hand delicately. “Are you sure? I mean.. I don’t know how thrilled you’d be to do all this.. I really thought you’d say no,”
“Ben, I would not be content with you forcefully marrying a woman you do not want to be with, knowing I could have done something to prevent it,” He watched as Ben broke eye contact to look at the paper and hastily jotted down his signature in the other slot.
Kevin stood and took the pen for himself and added the final signature needed. “I now pronounce you Mister and Mister Rook!”
“Hey! I never said I was taking his name!” Ben snatched the certificate before anything else could be written before replacing it in the envelope it was brought in. “Besides if we were we’d hyphenize at the very least,”
“How would that even work? Would you be Benjamin Kirby Tennyson-Rook or Rook Ben Kirby Tennyson?” Kevin leaned over. “How do you guys do your names?”
Rook shrugged. “On Revonnah the bride and groom take half of each of their family names, most of the time the groom’s first, and combine them. So I suppose either Tenk or Ronson? Something along those lines,”
Rook pondered what it would have been like if this were real. Human name conventions were so different compared to his people’s, he often wondered why humans weren’t able to name themselves. Would Ben have named himself something different? But then again, he couldn't imagine Ben as being anyone other than Ben.
Kevin yawned sharply, twirling the pen in his hand. “So, when’s the wedding? I’m the best man, right?”
“We don’t need a wedding!” Ben was quick to bite back. “I’ll go buy some wedding bands to have at least something to show when the Tetramands get here, Rook what’s your ring size?”
“I do not know, we do not wear rings to signify a pair,” He tried to imagine a band on his finger, how it would feel against his fur as the cold metal warmed to his body temperature.
“It’s fine, dude, we’ll get you sized when I go to the jeweler later,” Ben sighed, seemingly a lot more relaxed now that the main issue was resolved. But Rook couldn’t help but feel he was still uneasy about something.
“You did not just call your new husband ‘dude’,” Kevin chuckled, playfully punching the younger human’s shoulder. “You’re supposed to say Babe, or Love,”
Ben turned a bright shade of red. “It’s just on paper!!”
“Sure, keep telling yourself that!” Kevin turned on his heels, hands shoved into his pockets. “See ya later newly weds! I’ll leave you to your honeymoon!”
The sound of the elevator shutting punctuated the silence, making it that obvious that they were alone now. They were married. On paper, legally, in the state that they were in. At least when the paper gets mailed in. And that wouldn’t be nearly enough to get the princess off of Ben’s back.
“So, I will talk to you later to discuss the union,” Rook stood up a little taller, getting his professional look back to him. “I do believe people who are married typically live together..?”
“Shit you’re right..” Ben scratched his scalp, deep in thought. “You could move in with me until this stuff is settled, my apartment has a second room I don’t use,”
“That will work,” He wondered what it would be like to live with Ben. Working with him was one thing. “Later I would like to discuss the customs of my people, I would like to have a proper unioning with you if you are not opposed,”
“Unioning?” Ben grimaced. “It’s not like a whole wedding thing right?”
Pictures of human weddings flashed in his mind. Guests, cake, dresses, confetti, music. Loud and expensive and public.
“No, nothing like that,” He shook his head sharply. “Traditionally it would take place only with a few very trusted family members but if that would make you uncomfortable some chose to make it a private affair,”
Ben visibly relaxed. “Okay.. yeah that’s fine..” He stood, tucking the envelope under his arm. “Thank you, Rook. It means a lot to me you’re willing to go through all this just for me,”
“It is really the least I could do,” he offered a small smile, in which he got one in return.
“See you later then,”
Rook watched as the other entered the elevator, leaving him alone in the room once more.
What did he just do?