“That was a hell of a wedding, dude.”
“Dude?”
“Okay, fine. Husband.” Alex kicked the door in to my house—our house—carrying me over the threshold with a bit more effort than he would probably want to admit, his muscular frame just contained in a perfectly tailored black suit with gold buttons and a light blue button up shirt—a far cry from his usual gridball jacket and jeans—his light brown hair gelled up. I was definitely lighter than him, with a fit but lankier build, and taller.
He gingerly put me down, and swept me up in a kiss, our first since the ceremony. That one was a chaste peck, though; his grandparents were in the audience, after all. This one was different—passionate, a bit rough. His tongue tasted a bit like steak and sweet gem berry wine. Suddenly, I found myself in a bear hug, his cheek rubbing against mine.
“Your beard feels nice. I love you,” he added. “This is the best thing that could have happened.”
I shut the door and we slid down the wall in our entryway, still kissing. I rubbed my hands over the taut, broad muscles of his back.
“Man. You’re beefy. I hope my bed is big enough—and this house.”
“It’s perfect,” he said. “And you’re getting all firm from the farm work. …Let’s get out of these suits.”
I started to untie my boots. Alex started laughing. “I can’t believe you wore your farm boots with a tuxedo.”
They certainly weren’t pretty—sturdy, yes, but covered in mud. I had spent the whole day before the wedding planting yams and cranberries, and scything hay to prepare for winter.
“To be honest, I got rid of all my formal clothes once I quit my corporate job,” I said, which felt so long ago but really was only the year before. “I borrowed this suit from Demetrius but he didn’t have shoes that fit.” I pulled the boots off, and socks, and put them aside. “And it’s not like I expected to, you know, meet the love of my life the day I moved to Stardew Valley.”
Alex blushed. “Grandma had this suit in her closet for me, waiting for this day to come. I didn’t think she expected my ‘bride’ to be the new farmboy. But she loves you, and Grandpa George does too. You kept bringing them tulips. And leeks.”
“Hey that’s what I do. Navigate the intricacies of agricul—“ I was interrupted by another kiss.
“No more big words from you. Let’s get consummating.”
———