Chapter Text
The manor is s flurry of activity for about a month straight.
Suho's honestly impressed they pulled all of this together in that short of a time frame.
Well, Julian and Sheherazade had announced they wanted to get married about two months ago, but things hadn't started being arranged until this one.
It's an outdoor wedding, mostly because they don't have a grand ballroom, and Suho is more than capable of pulling together a nice outdoor pavilion in that time frame.
Maybe having skeletons set up a wedding is a little taboo. Or, probably not, because no one has ever done it before.
But they do a decent job, and Suho is pretty proud with how it all turns out.
Even Julian looks impressed, the stubborn bastard.
"You didn't need to do all this." He says, looking around at the space. "It's going to take forever to take down, I feel bad." Julian adds, frowning.
"Nah, it's all modular. Should take less time than getting it up. We'll reuse the materials." Suho replies.
"You really think of everything." Javier deadpans behind him.
Suho whips around.
"Stop saying that like it's an insult." He retorts. "You can never be over-prepared."
"Whatever you say my lord." Javier replies, hiding his smirk very badly.
"As I was saying." Suho says, turning back to Julian. "Don't worry about this, I'm sure the Count and Countess have been asking your opinion on a million things already." He adds, waving a dismissive hand at Julian.
Based on his grimace, Suho was right.
Wedding were weddings, no matter where.
"Still." Julian mutters. "This must have taken a lot of work."
"Not really." Suho replies easily.
He's lying, but not completely.
Most of the work had been designing the modular design. He'd figured they could reuse the structure for future events, and finding the best way to make it, testing it and such would mean he could also show other people how to do it.
For a fee of course.
Javier shoots him a disapproving look and Suho can't tell if it's because he'd lied bout how much work it had been or because of the smile Suho knows is probably on his face right now.
Not that it matters either way.
"Weren't you supposed to be deciding the final floral arrangements?" Suho asks, looking over at Julian. "Try to limit the leaves, the elves get a little weird when they can see lots of leaves on flowers. They really like plants." He adds, when Julian avoids his gaze.
"I don't know anything about flowers." Julian mutters.
"And you think Sheherazade does? go save your fiance from being bored to death, idiot." Suho replies, directing Julian back toward the manor. "We'll handle everything here, alright?"
"I could help." Julian objects, trying in vain to stop Suho from pushing him.
Suho was a high-level swordexpert, Julian was not.
"We're fine." Suho insists. "I'm not letting you flee responsibility."
"You do remember pulling me out of school to work for you, for months, right?"
"Hush, that's in the past." Suho replies, grinning. "I've matured."
"That was a year ago!"
"Details, details Julian."
~
Dear Sir Javier Asrahan,
Enclosed in this letter are the results of my research into the soul, and how it can be handled.
I'm afraid there isn't a lot of text on this issue, I'm sure you're aware, but not many people look into something like this. I tried my best regardless, in my free time.
I included notes on topics not directly what you asked me to look into, just in case. There are a few more texts on the matter of binding souls and the like, and not quite as many on how to move souls from one body to another.
I am dying to ask, Sir Asrahan, what do you need with these?
I hope that you can find these notes useful. I think I've run out of things to research that are within my reach, so forgive me if this is all I can give you.
You have my best wishes in whatever you choose to do with these, and I hope you and Lloyd have been well, since you've left my city.
I heard you were in Asfahan briefly? I hope that the country treated you well.
P.S.
As I am about to send this out, I have gotten news of Julian Frontera's engagement. How wonderful! I am sure it will be a good match, you all have my best wishes, and pass on my congratulations. (We will of course be sending more formal congratulations)
~
Suho looks down at the letter, then to the scattered papers that were included in the envelope.
"And she thinks this isn't that much." He mutters, picking up a page of notes.
"She is very meticulous." Javier replies, engrossed in another page.
"Anything useful yet?" Suho asks.
"Maybe." Javier mumbles, absentmindedly. "I have a feeling this will take a while to understand. She is right, there are not many specifics in this field."
"No real reason for there to be." Suho comments. "We may be the only ones who will ever need this." He adds, looking back at the page in his hands.
It seems to be more about the binding of souls, a short record of the mages who have claimed to have done such a thing, and descriptions of how they said they did.
There are a few who have done so with potions, which is interesting.
Neither of them could really do magic, so they would probbaly need to delve into alternative methods.
If they even really did this.
Suho still wasn't sure they would.
"I can't believe she pulled all of this for you." Suho mutters, al little in awe of sheer amount of notes.
"I am impressed." Javier agreed. "But I did ask her because she is dedicated when she felt he needed to be."
"That's definitely true." Suho remarks. "Well, we don't exactly have time to look over all of this now." He adds, frowning. "There's a wedding that needs to happen first."
Javier smiles, even as he reluctantly puts the papers down.
"That there is." He replies. "Would you like to keep these here, or should I take them to my room?" Javier asks, compiling the papers. "We will probably be needed for some sort of planning soon."
"Yeah." Suho sighs. "Do whatever you want with them for now." He responds, standing up from his chair.
"I'll leave them here." Javier tells him, filing them away, perfectly in line with Suho's system. "We can revisit them later." Javier adds.
~
"Countess Marbella told me to check on you." Suho says, tapping on the open door in a half knock. "Don't worry, I don't think she needs you for anything, just wants to make sure you aren't freaking out."
To be honest, Julian sort of does look like he's freaking out, but he's also getting married today. So, he's allowed to to that.
"I am freaking out." Julian whines, head in his hands.
Suho sighs. Now he had to fix that, damn it.
"Well stop, you're going to be fine, idiot. Sheherazade is head over heels for you and the Countess has planned this down to the minute, it's going to go fine." He tells Julian, taking the not-actually-an-invitation invitation to walk in the room.
"You don't know that." Julian retorts, frowning at him.
"It's just common sense." Suho replies easily. "Trust me, you'll be fine Julian."
His words don't seem to do much to help Julian's mood.
"Look." He adds, with another sigh. "What do you think will go wrong?"
Julian pauses, thinking over his question.
"I don't know." He admits. "Something."
"Exactly, you don't have anything you even think will go wrong, ergo, nothing will." Suho tells him, walking over and messing with his hair. "Stop freaking out and revel in the fact you're marrying a princess already, idiot."
"I am marrying a princess, in every sense of the word." Julian remarks, a little dreamily. He doesn't even look that upset Suho had messed up his carefully managed curls. Too lost in his love.
"That you are." Suho deadpans. "You're welcome by the way." He adds. "I'm the reason she was even here." Suho points out, at Julian's unimpressed look.
"You were just being cheap." Julian retorts.
"Is that really what you think? tsk tsk, it's like you know nothing of business." Suho remarks, shaking his head.
"Are you trying to tell me you still aren't giving her what she came here for?" Julian asks, a little genuinely surprised.
"Of course I am, idiot." Suho replies, flicking Julian on the forehead and ignoring his squawk of annoyance. "It's my wedding gift."
"So you are being cheap." Julian accuses, frowning. "But… thank you. For al of it. She's…amazing." He adds with a sigh.
"You certainly sound the part of a love sick groom." Suho says, laughing lightly.
"Oh shut up, it's literally the day of my wedding." Julian retorts.
"I'm just saying what I see. Don't shoot the messenger." Suho defends, holding up his hands. "You've got quite the life ahead of you, Julian." He continues, much more genuine. "But it looks like it'll be a good one."
Julian's expression softens.
"Yeah, I think so too." He agrees. "You do too, you know." Julian adds.
Suho pauses, blinking at him.
"What?" He says, forgetting himself for a moment.
"You've done a really good job here." Julian tells him, not meeting his eyes. "This place has never looked better, happier, brighter." He continues. "I'm sure you'll do even more great things here."
Suho frowns.
"I'm not planning on doing much more." He says, eventually. "I just needed to get us out of debt."
"Sure." Julian allows, not sounding like he really believes him. "Even so, you've done good things."
Suho doesn't know what to say to that.
"Don't sound so surprised." He mutters, instead. "You've been working your butt off, why shouldn't I have?"
Julian looks at him, expression complicated and unreadable.
"I suppose that's fair." He settles on, before he turns away again. "Do you have things you're supposed to be doing?" Julian asks, after a moment.
"Not really, I did my part already." Suho replies. "I'm just doing the occasional errand for the Countess."
There's a moment of silence then—
Julian turns back toward him.
"I'm going to be leaving today." He says. "For the honeymoon."
Suho nods.
"I know that. I'll see you before that, no need to say goodbye or something stupid like that." Suho replies, a little confused.
"I know that." Julian retorts. "Just— I have a few things I want to tell you."
Suho looks at him, expectantly.
"I know about you and Javier." Julian says, eventually.
Suho stills.
"What?"
"I'm not dense. And for your information, almost everyone thinks you two are courting in secret anyway." Julian continues, because apparently it gets worse. "I already told Javier that, thought he would have told you, but I guess not."
"The bastard didn't tell me." Suho mutters, absentmindedly. "Wait— what do you mean everyone thinks we're secretly courting?"
"Just that Lloyd, that or they think you two are just love sick idiots. Can you blame them? you look smitten all the time." Julian point out.
"That's not—" Suho splutters.
"I'm not bringing it up to have to deny it, Javier already all but confirmed it for me." Julian interrupts. "I just want you to know I know. And to tell you not to be an idiot."
"I— I don't know how to respond to that." Suho admits. "And idiot in what way?" He questions.
"You're stuck with Javier, he won't leave the County no matter what you do, so just don't be an idiot." Julian explains.
Suho bristles slightly.
"I know. I would never want Javier to leave." He replies.
Julian narrows his eyes at him.
"You really do like him." He mutters.
Suho stares at him.
"You just said we looked like lovesick fools."
"I'm just— obviously you liked him, idiot. Just—" Julian retorts, taking a deep breath. "If you'll recall you and Javier didn't exactly get along all that long ago. So I'm a little surprised. And you look love sick, but not like he hangs the stars like Javier looks at you."
"He—?"
"Oh please, I thought it was bad in the capital, but he looks even further gone now, don't act like you don't know."
Suho feels his face go red.
His embarrassment mixes with a hint satisfaction.
At least it's clear to everyone else. Who Javier belonged to.
"Shut up." Suho mutters.
"No." Julian replies. "You are a little more subtle, I'll give it to you. But you're still ridiculous." He adds, shaking his head. "What I was trying to get at, is that you two seem— god, actually good for each other, from what I've seen. You at least make each other happy, so just don't— don't be an idiot. You two deserve to be happy. I don't want to come back from my trip and find you've messed it all up."
"I'll do my best." Suho allows, swallowing his embarrassment. "Don't worry about us, Julian. Have fun on your honeymoon, we'll do our best over here." He adds.
Julian nods.
"Good. I would also prefer if I didn't hear wild stories of you two almost getting killed." He replies.
"No promises." Suho says, grinning. "But I would also prefer that."
Julian laughs.
"You're ridiculous, go— help mother out, I'm sure she's completely overwhelmed even if she is prepared." He says, waving Suho off. "Oh, and tell her I can help if she needs it, I have at least that much sense still." He calls as Suho leaves.
"Yeah, yeah." Suho replies.