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Rebirth Chapter 49: Big Day

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Rebirth

Chapter Forty Nine

Big Day

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    Jaden took in a deep breath and held it there for a moment. Once he began to feel a little lightheaded, he calmly exhaled and waited.

    Nope. Nope, that new little ball in the lower half of his stomach was still there. How did people with anxiety problems get through life? He had been feeling so incredibly nervous for just a few hours that it felt like he was going to hurl the small breakfast forced on him earlier that morning! This was just insane. Nothing else in his life had made him feel this way, and he had absolutely no idea how to handle it.

    And Mattie wasn’t helping!

    “Man, if you don’t stop checkin’ your phone every five minutes, Ah’m tossin’ it out the window!”

    “Well, excuse me,” Mattie responded, his thumbs tapping away at the phone’s screen even as he looked up. “I’m just trying to make sure my wife is okay.”

    “Was Ah on my phone when you was sittin’ here sweatin’ bullets? What kinda best man are you?”

    “Was your wife days away from popping out your first kid?” Mattie sighed when Jaden grumbled and looked away. He took one more quick glance at his phone before putting it away and scooted his chair closer. “Sorry. I’ve been on pins and needles since the last checkup me and Robin went to. How’re you doing?”

    “Feel like Ah’m gonna throw up.”

    “All good then?”

    Jaden groaned and for the first time in his life wanted to slap the smirk off his friend’s face. “Is this how it was fo’ you? Ya shoulda knocked me out after the first joke Ah tried ta make on ya weddin’ day!”

    “I felt tempted to if that helps.” Mattie reached out and dropped a hand on Jaden’s shoulder. The other man’s head fell into his hands with a groan. “It’s normal, Jaden. This is a big day in your life. My dad felt the same way; Zach felt the same way; I felt the same way. It’ll work itself out once you’re up there at the altar.”

    Jaden took another deep breath, attempting to calm the nerves that still plagued him. This wasn’t fair! He was find during the rehearsal dinner two nights prior. He was good the night before when he playfully “fought” to stay with Annalise when her chosen bride’s maids and maid of honor dragged her away to start the tradition of keeping the groom from seeing his bride-to-be before the ceremony. He was fine when he was helping a nervous Sal practice his walk down the aisle with a pillow from the couch and bottle caps as rings.

    Then he woke up this morning with the terrible knot in his stomach, and it all went downhill from there.

    Jaden was about to shove the donut Mattie waved in front of his face onto the expensive tux his friend had rented when the door to the room they were waiting in opened. Sal stepped through with a concentrated look on his face, balancing three foam cups in his hands. Bobby chuckled at the boy’s slow pace and shut the door behind them.

    “I got your drink, dad.” Despite his nerves, Jaden smiled at the title Sal addressed him by. He accepted the cup and took a swig without looking at it while Sal continued, “Mr. Bobby said you got the ‘special’ one.”

    Mattie guffawed when Jaden suddenly began to hack on his drink. Bobby grinned even when Sal dropped the other cups in panic and uselessly pounded his adoptive father’s back. Once Jaden had finished hacking, he shot a glare at his brother. “What the heck, man?”

    “Thought you needed a little liquid courage with the way you were shakin’ earlier,” Bobby said with a grin.

    “So you—man! What kinda person brings alcohol into a church? Mama’s gonna come back down here just ta kick your ass outta here!” Jaden’s nose scrunched up in disgust when he finally noticed the odor coming from his “water” and shoved the cup onto the table beside his still giggling friend. “Now Ah’m gonna smell like alcohol up there on the altar. Thanks man. Ah’m glad Ah invited you now.”

    Bobby laughed at his younger brother and handed over the cup he held before collapsing in the chair on Jaden’s other side. Sal was the one who took the cup from him and gave it a thorough examination, sniffing the clear liquid before passing it on. “It doesn’t stink like the last one.”

    Thank you. Now you’re the best ring boy there’s ever been.” Sal gravely nodded and walked over to the window seat he had been sitting at and picked up his sketchbook after checking his satin ring pillow. Jaden gave his smirking brother a pointed look while he carefully sipped the water he actually asked for. “You, on the other hand, suck as both brother an’ groom’s man.”

    “You gonna pout now?” Bobby cackled when Jaden tried to control his pouting expression. Mattie chuckled right along with him and took the moment to check his phone again. “Come on! I was just tryin’ to loosen you up a little. What would your bride think if she found you up at the altar lookin’ like you’re about to bolt?”

    Jaden snorted and picked at the white foam of his cup. “Thanks, but no thanks. Never touched a drop o’ alcohol ‘fore today, an’ Ah’m glad ta say it don’t interest me now.”

    Bobby nodded and adjusted his suit jacked to sit comfortably. He checked the watch on his wrist and smiled. “Only a few more minutes ‘til showtime. Ya feeling any calmer?”

    “No.”

    “Great!”

    Jaden simply shook his head. “You two—ya gone all day makin’ fun o’ me, an’ Ah’m about ta lose my mind. Ah though you’d be mo’e sympathetic.”

    “Try getting married when your bride-to-be’s already five months pregnant and you’re havin’ to get ready for basic military training.” Bobby shook his head at Jaden’s surprise. “Yeah, I got you there, little brother. But you just keep yourself from freaking by remembering how big a day it is. There’s only gonna be a handful of times when you feel like this in your whole life. The day you get married to the girl you know you’re gonna spend the rest of your life with and the day your kids are born are two of them. This is just one of those little hurdles you gotta get through to get the prize at the end of the day.”

    Jaden sighed and took another sip of his water, finding that the cool liquid actually helped with the fluttering nerves deep in his gut. “We shoulda scheduled an earlier time.”

    Bobby and Mattie chuckled, and the oldest man leaned back in his chair. “Like I said, not much longer. Ran into Will while we were out there, and he seemed just as antsy as you.”

    The teasing fell flat when the thought of the former Army Ranger only managed to remind Jaden of one of his missing groom’s man. “Speakin’ o’ Will, he heard anything yet?”

    Bobby’s grin immediately slipped away, and he uncomfortably shifted in his seat. Mattie wisely kept his mouth shut and pretended to be answering a message on his phone. “You know he’s not part of that anymore. Joined me in ‘retirement’ when they came out to the public.”

    “He musta been—”

    “He hasn’t heard anything, Jaden.”

    Jaden slumped into his seat. His gaze floated around the room to land on Sal, who appeared to be aimlessly doodling in his sketchbook. Except he was constantly looking out the window beside him, obviously searching for something that was not there. “It’s been two months now.”

    “I know.”

    “This is just gettin’ ridiculous! Nobody’s sayin’ a word ‘bout it. As soon as they got that vote in, the stories stopped runnin’. Months o’ houndin’ the Autobots’ base, and now nobody can get within twenty feet o’ the place now. Not even Bells is hearin’ a thing, an’ she was up there directly workin’ with the Big Guy!”

    Jaden shook his head. He had wanted a brief distraction from his nerves but working himself into an angry fit wasn’t worth it. He could already tell that his brother and friend were preparing to calm him back down too. “Ah know, Ah know. Not the best time ta be worryin’ ‘bout this, huh? But Ah’m about ta officially tie myself ta the woman Ah love, an’ one o’ my groom’s men that’s been helpin’ us plan this isn’t here. My son’s constantly askin’ when his best friend’s gonna come back, an’ Ah can’t even give ‘im a straight answer. Ah don’t even know if they’re still here.”

    “I would imagine a ship flying into space after NASA has been pretty much inactive for ten years now would be big news.” Mattie smiled in an attempt to cheer up his best friend, though it only got a small smile in return. “Okay! Let’s get you looking like a groom instead of a bum off the street. I’m the good best man that’s not about to let you walk out with an untucked shirt. I’ve got mints too.”

    Mattie fluttering about him was a good enough distraction from Jaden’s thoughts. Then Bobby stood up and started redoing his tie after he brutally mangled the knot, and Sal came along to fuss about non-existent lint he found on his father’s slacks. It was a humorous situation dragging out long enough for the time of the ceremony to finally arrive. Jaden took a deep breath after his brother had checked the time and straightened himself when his previous nerves assaulted him once more. “A’ight. It’s now or…now ‘cause Ah doubt Annie’ll forgive me if Ah postpone.”

    The men at his side laughed and began leading the way out of the room. Jaden watched Sal run back to the window seat to grab his ring pillow, which would soon be holding two wedding bands. He felt a twinge of remorse when he saw the boy subtly lean over to check outside the window for a last time. “Sal—”

    “Dad! Dad, look!” Sal jabbed his finger at the glass and looked back at him with a grin. Jaden was already crossing the room before Sal continued. “Blue finally made it back! And look at that truck parked behind him. I wanna draw that.”

    Jaden’s surprise for hearing Bluestreak’s arrival increased tenfold when he spotted the large flame covered Peterbilt truck, chartreuse ambulance, and police cruise parked in front of the church. Not to mention the colorful collection of fancy looking sports cars trolling the parking lot across the street. That was a lot more surprise guests than the wedding invitations he had sent to the Autobots.

    The man grinned when Sal noticed the rest of the vehicles roaming outside, and it grew when he turned around to see Mattie gaping down at the street while Bobby impatiently rolled his eyes, a relieved smile of his own peeking through. The older man jumped in surprise when a blond came skidding to a halt beside him, suit perfectly intact and clean. “Sorry I’m so late! Traffic’s just crazy around this time. Hi, Sal! We’ve gotta sit down and look at your new drawings after the ceremony or your mom might not give your dad a very happy wedding night. Speaking of which, I hope Annalise got my wedding gift. I’m kinda upset I missed her Bachelorette party after she told me I could go. Man, I missed your Bachelor party too. All the fun stuff happened without me. Hey, if you don’t hurry up, you’re gonna miss your own wedding!”

    Jaden gave a happy laugh and slapped Mattie on the shoulder as he headed towards the door. “Mattie! Stop gawkin’ an’ get me ta the altar ‘fore my nerves get the best o’ me. Ah thought you had this best man thing in the bag.”

~:0:~

    Optimus had never been to a human bonding ceremony before today. He had honestly been worried that his first experience at one would be busy keeping track of the abundance of Autobots that had decided to follow him and Ratchet to the wedding they had been invited to. Fortunately, the Guardians that had followed him immediately found their Charges that they had come looking for, and the “stragglers” (as Ratchet called them) slumped down into the pews at the back of the quaint church to watch, emotions ranging from mild curiosity to rapturous concentration. He could have sworn he even caught Rung taking a few notes at some points.

    The Prime had found the overall ceremony enjoyable. Jaden had come out first to stand before the wedding officiant, and though he had looked a little less confident than usual, Optimus had been able to see his huge and eager smile even from where he had chosen to sit with the rest of the Autobots as music began to fill the large room. He was slightly amused by the procession that had traveled down the aisle next: Epps escorting his daughter, Bluestreak trying not to giggle with Annabelle, a heavily pregnant woman promising sweet threats under her breath to her apparent husband that had allowed her to wear heels, and a very serious young boy who carried his pillow high and took precise steps to ensure that neither of the rings nestled on it would slip off. He had been a little delayed with standing up with everyone else as the bride was escorted in, unhurriedly keeping pace with the older gentleman that walked with only a slightly noticeable limp beside her. He heard Ratchet hum beside him at the sight of the two, but he had chosen to ignore it as the ceremony began to fully unfold.

    It was a sweet, yet at the very same time foreign event to witness. Back during a time of peace on Cybertron, couples rarely had such public unions between each other. It was a ritual done in the privacy of their homes and shared only amongst their closest companions. The actual concept of “romance” was very low on the list of priorities for an average mech, and Optimus wondered, as he watched Jaden lovingly/teasingly peek under the bride’s veil, what could have become of his people had they allowed themselves time to form such personal relationships instead of solely focusing on science and war. Would they have been so easily divided if they had formed tighter familial units with a significant other?

    He could only shake those thoughts from his mind as he now stood at the edge of a thriving party. He smiled at the sight of many of the wedding guests dancing to the upbeat music playing in the open courtyard. He could even see some of the Autobots—a surprisingly small portion of the guests—celebrating with the humans, though he knew full well that they celebrated more than just the joining of two humans that few of them didn’t even know. It was their first night out of the base after two long months—the first night of total freedom on this planet.

    And Optimus was pleased to see them enjoying themselves.

    “Yo!” Optimus blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of the man that had brought him here. Jaden leaned against the wall that Optimus stood in front of and comfortably crossed his arms across his chest. “Not gonna join us on the dance floor?”

    A small smile creased his face, and Optimus briefly scanned the crowd to find Jaden’s new wife dancing around with the young ring boy. Bluestreak attempted to cut into the dance, but he was shoved away by the boy, inspiring a soundless laugh from both the adults. “I am surprised you were given the opportunity to leave it.”

    Jaden shrugged, a dreamy smile briefly making an appearance as he watched the same pair Optimus had been focusing on. “Even a party animal like myself needs ta take a short break. So, you enjoyin’ yourself? Everybody else seems to be.”

    The Prime nodded. “Indeed I am. I was thrilled to receive the invitation a few months back. It was a pleasant announcement at the time.”

    Jaden chuckled, though his eyes noticeably darkened for a moment. “Yeah. Wasn’t really sure if any o’ you’d be able ta come, but Ah thought it was worth a shot. You guys are family—long distance and entirely different species, but family nonetheless.”

    A tenseness that Optimus had not even noticed suddenly lifted between them. He chided himself for having been worried about Jaden’s reaction to his real identity, knowing full well that if the other children—and even the majority of the country—had accepted him and the Autobots, then Jaden would be no different. But there had always been a slight difference in the relationship between them. “It was a challenge to jump through the numerous piles of paperwork thrust upon us after we were allowed to stay. I will have to leave very soon in order to return to the joys of politics, but that is a small price to pay in order to have a home.”

    Jaden gravely nodded. “Everybody deserves ta have one, an’ Ah’m happy ya finally gettin’ it. Ah just wanted ya here ‘cause…well, ya kinda like the dad Ah never had, ya know? One Ah only got ta visit in the summers, but hey, Bobby gets ta be my brother ‘cause o’ the same deal.”

    Optimus could feel his spark happily thrum at the confession. There was a small joy that came with being seen as more than just the unapproachable Autobot commander, and he was pleased to have served the role of father, no matter how small, to few individuals, which now included Jaden. He reached out to grasp the young man’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Your mother would have been just as pleased to see you today.”

    A sad smile came from Jaden, and he reached out to return the gesture. “Yeah, Ah hope so. Like ta picture her smilin’ down at us right now. ‘Cept Bobby ‘cause he took alcohol inta church.”

    Optimus chuckled, and the melancholy fled from Jaden’s smile. “Ah just got done talkin’ ta Shi—Ah mean, Sideswipe, ‘bout ya’ll havin’ ta leave soon, an’ he gave the impression that ya still got a li’l time. If ya don’t mind, Ah wanted ta officially introduce ya ta my lovely wife and son. Annie and her dad’s already got a kick outta meetin’ Ratch’, an’ Sal seems ta o’ taken big likin’ ta Sides, but Ah wanted them ta meet one o’ the biggest influences ta me. Optimus Prime…gotta admit, it’s gotta a better ring to it than Otto the Space Cowboy.”

    The Prime nodded and allowed himself to be guided into the crowd. “This may need to be quick. I believe Prowl is beginning to search for a reason to leave early.”

    “Prowl…ah ha! That Prowl. How upset ya think he’d be if Ah went an’ told ‘im Ah named a rubber duck after ‘im when Ah was kid?”

    The noise from the crowd and music immediately swallowed Optimus’ laughter, and he found himself feeling more relaxed with the people around him. This was a gathering meant to celebrate the new union of a young couple, but he couldn’t help but feel that the Autobots he spotted in the crowd could use it as an excuse to celebrate their own achievement. This was a new beginning for all of them, whether as a growing family or a new life after a raging war.

    Though, he certainly wasn’t expecting Annalise’s maid of honor to take the celebration a step further and introduce a tiny new life to the world. That certainly caused a slight delay in his return to what had officially become the Autobots’ base and now growing city. Not that Optimus minded a few more hours of “freedom.” 

     

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SJprurry's avatar
Families, happiness, acceptance, Prowl everywhere. I can practically sense this overwhelming aura of love and friendship :bestbuddies: . Woohoo! Bots arrived! Woohoo! Sides has finally met Sal! Bobby, ya sly fox.Teh Evil Laugh