August jumped out of the vehicle as soon as it stopped at their front door, dragging his suitcase behind him. It had been seven years since he and Galen met, and in the intervening time, Galen had been granted more freedom by his parole board. He’d bought a large lakeside property on a moon just outside the capital system, and they’d built a home together with enough space for a family and a guest house where visitors could stay. It was August’s favourite place to return to whenever he had to be away.
He opened the front door and walked through the house, leaving his suitcase somewhere behind him. It was quiet, which meant that Galen would be out back. August quickly passed the front hall, the living room, the dining room, and the indoor kitchen. He went through the door to the outdoor kitchen, then stepped down and went out into the backyard. He stood on the patio and looked around for his fiancé.
They had decided to leave a large part of the property forested and created their own little walking paths to wander through, but they had also build a more traditional patio and lawn right behind the house. From the end of the lawn all the way to the dock were flower gardens for every season, with a gazebo built to catch the breeze off the water. Sure enough, when he looked he could see Galen’s silhouette visible under its shade.
Galen was talking to someone over the comm when August arrived. He was sitting so the comm’s camera framed him against the picturesque lake, his hair down but tucked behind his ears as the breeze tried to pick it up. August waited for him to finish his conversation.
“Mn, yes, everything else is the same,” Galen said as he noticed August, “Something urgent’s just come up and I have to go, message me if there’s anything else.” He ended the call unceremoniously as August sat down beside him on the bench.
Galen hugged him and kissed him in greeting. “Welcome home,” he cooed, “how was your thesis defense?”
August picked him up and placed him on his lap, wrapping his arms around the other’s waist. “It went fine. I should have my doctorate by the time we get married.”
Galen smiled. “Of course,” he said, full of pride for his Alpha.
“How’s the planning going?”
Galen sighed, “It would all be taken care of, but I decided that my mother should come, in the end.” Things were still cold between them and Galen’s father, but his mother had apologized to August the year previous, and they were tentatively on speaking terms again. It didn’t surprise him that Galen had decided to invite her. It was just that there wasn’t much time left to make changes to the wedding.
The Emperor was officiating, so they were going to get married in the Imperial Palace in the capital. Compared to Galen’s first wedding, this would be a toned-down, private affair, but between the two of them, they still had over fifty guests attending. August had invited his parents, his sister and her partner, as well as his old friend Milly. He also had a number of academic friends and colleagues whom he’d invited. His former doctor had likewise been invited, as well as some of the others who had helped him and Galen set up a research foundation for Alpha pheromone rejection—their scandal had brought a lot of attention to the disease, and people across the Empire had started donating to the cause.
Galen’s guest list was naturally longer, but he kept it only to the people whom he most wanted to be there. His sister was naturally coming, as well as Deana Cosme, and a few other old friends who had helped him remold his image into a quiet and reclusive blogger. The Emperor and Empress were naturally invited, as well as the current Crown Prince, who had stayed with them at their house on several occasions. He had turned into a good friend once they had gotten to know him better, and the Crown Prince himself was very relieved to be on good terms with the Former Crown Princess.
“Has everything been sorted out?” August asked.
“Just about.”
“And what’s she saying about your father now?”
Galen nestled his face in the crook of August’s neck and laughed, “She’s convinced that he’ll do a one-eighty once grandkids are involved.”
August basked in the vibrations and stroked Galen’s back. “Oh really? And what if we have a Beta?” he said jokingly.
Galen turned his head to gaze past the gazebo at their house and garden. He could already imagine tiny feet trampling the grass and tiny hands grabbing at the flowers. “There’s no medicine for regret,” he said, “he’ll just have to suffer a little more.”
August could tell that his Omega was already planning the next 30 years of the cold war against his father. They still had the urn he’d bought when they’d first fallen out. But he’d been gone all week and he hadn’t meant for the conversation to get serious. He turned his head and nipped Galen’s ear with his teeth.
Galen started and pulled back. He put on a dramatic frown and sulked, “What was that for?”
“I’ve been gone for days and I just wanted to see you pout,” August teased him lightly.
Galen said nothing but flashed a wicked grin. August kissed that grin off his face, legs and arms and waists all pressed against each other until they were one warm body, the lake breeze curling around them. This was just one of many perfect afternoons.
Note: That's it! That's the story :) I hope to write other stories in the future. For now, though, I hope August and Galen kept you company when you needed them, and that their story will be a companion for people in the future, as well.
