August 20th, 1893 - Potts-Honeyduke Wedding
Wildflowers Rooftop
@"Dahlia Potts"

Next thing you know
Your best man gives a half-drunk speech
And you're sunburned on a honeymoon beach
And your left hand's gettin' used to that ring
And there the next two or three years go
Next thing you know

For someone who had always thought himself to be rather steady, even Quin was a bit overwhelmed today. It was rush around to get ready and then once everything started it was slow for a moment, before speeding up once more. He felt like it was all going by far too quickly and he wasn't sure he wanted it to.

Everything had been seen to by the Potts ladies, he had only been in charge of the cake and other small desserts. Frankly everything was all a little overwhelming, the rooftop looked like a cloud of white blooms complete with arbor and every flower imaginable. Quin didn't even know there were so many different kinds that came in white. Miss Daffodil had graciously slipped in some pretty peach blossoms in enough places that he didn't think they would float away at the very least.

With the ceremony over and the reception in full swing, Quin finally felt like he had a moment to breathe. They were waiting on dinner yet, but things had been transformed into one long dinner table. Considering the guest list was very small, everything felt that much more intimate and at least he could take a moment off to the side to collect himself. At least the weather had cooperated, but then again he wouldn't have been surprised if Laurel Potts somehow controlled that too. He wandered to the back of the space, overlooking the greenhouse and back garden where some impressive sunflowers were sprouting. Quin laid his hands on the wall and took a deep breath. Which was of course when he felt somebody come up next to him. "Mrs. Honeyduke," he teased lightly, grinning.

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The last thing Dahlia had expected from her wedding day was to cry. But she seemed so excited that each sweet gesture at the beginning of the day had made happy tears pool in her eyes. Mama and the girls had done everything they possibly could to make this day everything she dreamed of. They'd even found dahlias in a beautiful soft peach to put into her bouquet. Found wasn't the right word. Mama and Thistle had been working breeding dahlias that didn't make her sneeze for years it turned out. Then there was the rooftop, surpassing even her wildest dreams. There was Millie beaming in her new dress and the smiles on her sisters' faces. She had never felt so completely loved in her life. And of course, there was Quin.

She wanted to remember every moment of this day, every last detail, each smile, each laugh, each touch, but the day was flying by too fast. Like the blur of space when on a broomstick. Dahlia was left with vivid impressions of moments: the metal band slipping over her finger and Quin's look as he placed it on her, Mama straightening her veil, Ama tucking in a stray peice of hair a proud look on her face, the giggles of her nieces and nephews.

Dinner was being set up when Dahlia saw Quin step away. She exused herself from the well wishers and followed him into the small greenhouse. Was he alright? She worried as she took in his posture. She stepped forward placing a gentle hand on his arm, and he turned. His words reassuring her at the same time as they caused a rosy warmth to touch her cheeks.

"I think that's sweetest thing I've ever been called." She admitted with a bashful smile, adding, "Mr. Honeyduke." Then she took in a breath, "Are you alright?" She had to be sure. He was her husband now, afterall.

  

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Pretties by Bee <3

"Honey is in the name," Quin sighed softly, turning to face her better. Gently he brushed his thumb over her cheek and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "A little overwhelmed, but yes, alright." He admitted. Just the Potts family alone was a lot. Mrs. Potts had a lot of sisters herself and they all had kids, and there were also a lot of Pottses running around, he could understand why Miss Daffodil had made room downstairs in her flat for everyone too.

"And you? Everything you wanted it to be?" He hoped she was enjoying herself. She was the center of attention after all and he was just beside her. That he was a little nervous about what all happened after this, but that could wait for later. "You look beautiful, have I told you that?" Quin was pretty sure he'd mentioned it a time or two, but thought it quite necessary to repeat.

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His soft words had a smile on her lips. Yes, honey was in the name, but also because it was Quin and anything he called her would be as sweet as him, she was quite certain.

"I'm sorry." She hated that he felt overwhelmed, they had such different backgrounds and she had been nervous that the sheer amount of family might be overwhelming, it was why they had limited those beyond family, but still she felt responsible. While she had grown up in the loving embrace of her huge family, Quin had a small quieter upbringing and all her relatives were only just becoming his family. "They are a lot." She admitted in a soothing voice as she brushed her fingers along his hairline, smoothing back hair that was already in place. "But they all love you, if that helps." They might be a large and overbearing family but they had heart and soul and welcomed each new member with enthusiasm.

But then, in typical Quin fashion, he turned the attention back to her. "That and more." She beamed up at him. Everything about the day made her feel so very cherished.

"Only a time or two." Dahlia chuckled, but she did indeed feel beautiful when he said it. "But I don't mind the reminder." She admitted, realizing the words sounded more foolish then teasing as they slid out of her mouth.

To cover up her discomfort she turned and looked at the guests behind them, "Does Mr. Adlard always scowl so? His wife was is very cheerful, but I don't think I've seen him smile once since they arrived." Not that she'd been truly paying attention to him, he could very well have smiled at some point while she was conversing with others, but every time she happened to glance upon Quin's friend he looked very dour indeed.

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   Quincey Honeyduke

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Quin shook his head with a chuckle. "Don't be sorry. I'm just not used to being adjacent to the center of attention." Crowds were not normally a problem for him, but he was also generally in the background, on the side being a supporting character. Not to mention he had met so many people today that were now technically family whose names he couldn't even remember. He hoped Dahlia would give him another run down in the future because he would certainly need a refresher. Eventually he would get used to it; he'd been fine at the Christmas party after all. The next time this whole group was together would likely be the next wedding, so he likely had time? Pending of fast Grimstone decided to take with Miss Daffodil, of course.

"Good I'm glad." As long as she was happy that was all that mattered. He could weather this small hurricane for that smile. Gently he kissed her cheek and straightened his shoulders. "Oh Percy's just getting old." Quin laughed, though his friend was a few months younger than he was, Percy had taken to his old man role seriously. Maybe it was the ministry that wore on him. Quin certainly couldn't handle a job like that. "Annabeth makes up for the two of them." She was quite bubbly and refreshing really; he hoped she kept Percy on his toes.

"Must be time for dinner soon, yes?" Then cake and some dancing and then that was it, right? Quin was pretty sure the last wedding he had gone to was Percy's and that also seemed like a blur of an evening in his memory.

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A pretty blush stained her cheeks, there was a facade that Quin and Dahlia were both the center of attention, but it was just that - a facade. She was the bride, the one who captured everyone's attention and who everyone's eyes seemed to gravitate to. Plus the guest list was leaning very heavily on her side simply due to the sheer amount of family she had, and family that had been unofficially adopted in. With all these people here for her it did rather do Quin the injustice of thrusting Dahlia more into the limelight than himself. "Luckily it's only for one day then." She told him affectionately.

The graze of his lips on her cheek sent shivers down her spine, the good kind, the kind that made one want to stand on tiptoe and get a proper kiss. Involuntarily she leaned toward him, her arm meeting his, her fingers reaching down to twine with his as she looked back out at the crowd behind them.

"She does." Dahlia agreed. "His scowl does seem so ministerial though, it's no wonder I've heard rumors he'll run." Not that Dahlia wanted to talk politics on her wedding day.

"Mama went to check and make sure everything is ready so I'm sure it will be soon. Are you hungry? I could barely eat breakfast this morning." Dahlia found herself admitting. She'd been too nervous for anything they'd tried to tempt her with as they got her ready and now her stomach was thoroughly regretting that decision.

  

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Pretties by Bee <3

Quin smiled at her softly, one day, but one they would remember forever, so he didn't want her to think he was miserable. He wasn't, just a little overwhelmed. "One good day," he agreed, hoping to exude some confidence.

"Oh I doubt that. I don't think Percy wants to." Though Quin would argue he would be good at it, he was pretty confident Perc had no intention of running. Their last conversation hadn't really touched upon the subject, Percy was too busy making fun of Quin's lack of experience in the bedroom to talk about it.

Quin's stomach rumbled, but not because he'd skipped breakfast, or lunch for that matter. "If there is something you will learn about me quickly, is that I never miss a meal." It was usually on the go and in the form of something he'd made to be quick, but it was miracle he didn't weigh twice as much as he did. "We can cut a little slice of cake early, nobody will notice." He offered with a grin.

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A good day. That admittance set Dahlia at ease. "I'm glad." She murmured with adoration.

She chuckled, "Noted. Never let you get hungry." Dahlia loved that she could teas him this easily. "Oh don't tempt me. If mama doesn't have dinner served very soon we may have to buck tradition and eat cake first." The cake looked longingly at her, with white frosting peeking through boquoets of flowers. Dahlias of soft rose and orange, roses, myrtle, and honeysuckle wrapped around the the cake with vines of soft green. It was absolutely beautiful but Dahlia also knew that it tasted amazing as well. She and Quin had just finished it yesterday.

  

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Pretties by Bee <3

"Let's do it, a little sliver out of the back, nobody will notice." He wasn't kidding. Who would say anything to them anyway? It was their day, they'd made that cake together, they could eat it whenever they wanted. He slid one hand down her arm to take her by the hand, a mischievous grin on his lips and a twinkle in his eye.

Everybody was milling around, enjoying the flowers and a drink for the moment, nobody was paying them any attention. "Just a taste." He encouraged as he neared the back of cake itself. He did look around apprehensively, like his new mother-in-law might come around the corner at any moment and give them a lecture, but he assumed not. Or hell, his own mother might holler at him if she saw, but what would be the point? He was a grown man at his own wedding, he could eat the cake whenever he wanted.

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As tempting as it was Dahlia normally played by the rules, so she chuckled but didn't really believe he was being serious. That was until his hand was warmly encasing her's and he was gently tugging her toward the cake. What if mama saw? She looked nervously over her shoulder but mama seemed engaged in a conversation with Mr. Skeeter near the door to Daffy's apartment.

"Just a taste." Dahlia agreed, her voice small. She almost couldn't believe they were doing this. They could move one of the candied flowers in place to hide it. "Near the dahlia." She pointed at a spot that they could easily hide. There was a slight quiver to her fingers as she pointed.

  

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Pretties by Bee <3

Pleased she was playing along, Quin searched for the cake knife and looked for the indicated flower. If questioned Quin wasn't sure what he would say. They spotted something that need to be fixed? Admitted to their small rebellion? He wasn't really fussed about it and so he used one hand to gently move the dahlia aside and cut a little bit into the cake, just enough to pull a tiny slice out.

He quickly grabbed a nearby napkin and handed both to Dahlia before repositioning the flower to hide their crime. They would be the next ones cutting it anyway, if he remembered right, so he didn't know he was going to such great lengths to to cover it up. "Can't have you swooning on your wedding day because you haven't eaten." He teased lightly, running one finger down the knife to get the frosting off and taking a taste. It had held up nicely overnight, which was a relief.

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Her gaze darted all over the rooftop as she shifted next to Quin. They were so going to get caught. Was that Aunt Aisla's staring at them right now? Dahlia bent slightly beside Quin as if they were inspecting and adjusting their work. Her heart was facing and by the time he handed her the napkin she found a nervous giggle escaping her lips. "Nor you," She hesitated then added, "My love." She turned away from the crowd toward the edge of the rooftop as if inspecting the view of the city beyond. Using this excuse she nibbled a bit of the cake, before leaning into Quin and lifting the cake up his month. It tasted so good. Probably the best thing she'd ever eaten. Was the cake a metaphor for their marriage? Could this be the perfect blend of flavors and textures? Dahlia felt certain that was the case, no matter how corny that might make her seem.

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   Quincey Honeyduke

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Pretties by Bee <3

Quin chuckled as she savored the cake. Cake should be eaten first more often, he concluded, wondering if they could get away with a little more. Probably not. It looked like Dahlia's aunt was watching them from across the roof with some sort of amused smile. She looked way when Quin met her eye and he though she wouldn't say anything. He looked back at Dahlia who was offering him a piece of cake and grinned.

He took a quick bite, thinking they had indeed outdone themselves, but Dahlia was so delightfully close that he leaned in and pressed a quick, cakey kiss to her lips. "Maybe we should skip to dessert more often." He mused in a whisper.

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She had just barely finished her bite when Quin leaned in, specks of frosting and crumbs clinging to their lips as he kissed her. It was, in her opinion, a perfect kiss. "We definitely should." She murmured against his lips, warmth tingling through her in a way she wanted more of.

"We'll be caught out if we linger over here much longer though." Knowing her family someone would wish to speak to the happy couple any moment now.

  

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Pretties by Bee <3

"Probably true." Who could really much against them on their wedding day. Weren't they allowed to sneak a few minutes alone here and there? It would get suspicious if they lingered too much longer, though.

"Your Uncle Ewart has been waiting to talk my ear off about something," He had skillfully avoided Mr. Fraser for the better part of half an hour until he'd found Dahlia, he should probably succumb to the discussion now. "Divide and conquer and I'll see you at dinner?" Hopefully it wouldn't be too much longer now.

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A fond sigh escaped Dahlia's lips. Oh Uncle Ewart. "Divide and conquer." She agreed with a nod. Then she leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek. "But Signal if you need me to cover a retreat for you." It was easy to joke with Quin.

It hit her then, this was their life: cake and laughter and warm tingles. Knowing he'd always be there for her, knowing that they'd be surrounded by the warmth and happiness of their life like the fragrances in a kitchen. "I'm so happy." She murmured to him, squeezing his hand with one last look. Then she was off floating through the crowd, swept up in the chaotic happiness of her family, knowing that her heart(h) would be there waiting for her at the end of the day, ready to whisk her away to the haven of the kitchen - for a kitchen was the heart of a home.

-exunt Dahlia-

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   Daffodil Grimstone

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