A Big Top Wedding

**Behind the Scenes: After the Angel/Heroi S Support**

/

The night was young as the moon lit the sky with its starry companions. The water waded calmly against the bank while a couple sat against it. The female kicked her foot lightly in the water, interrupting the peaceful movement. Her blue hair moved gently against the wind as she tilted her head and stared at the guy before her.

“I know we’ve discussed this, Heroi,” Angel began to say, “so I won’t repeat myself.”

Heroi scratched the back of his head, “Yes, Angel, I know. I just…” he sighed, “I just wanted to get away is all. You know as well as I do what I want.” As he said this, his face flamed around his cheeks. Heroi coughed, hoping that Angel wouldn’t notice.

Unfortunately, her perceptive eyes had seen it happen. A brow rose as a simple smile played on Angel’s lips, “I’m quite aware, as you know as well as I do what I want.” Angel leaned back in the grass, turning her head to face Heroi again. Heroi sat cross-legged next to her, fiddling with his fingers.

“Well,” Heroi said while he cleared his throat, “while we’re out here, I thought I’d bring that joke book you bought me and we’d read and laugh at it together,” he suggested with a shy smile.

Angel chuckled, “Of course I’ll read them with you, dear,” she replied. Happy with that answer, Heroi scooted closer to Angel and opened the book, turning it to a specific page. The page looked different from the rest of the crisp paper; it was wrinkled with less than stellar writing, “You read the first line and I’ll follow up,” Heroi urged.

She raised a brow again, but Angel conceded nonetheless as she began reading the selected page.

“Do you know who you’re marrying?” Angel said as she read the line. She pursed her lips; some of the lines underneath it were missing, and it didn’t make any sense. “Heroi, this doesn’t sound like a joke.”

Heroi ignored her statement, continuing with, “Sure do! She’s beautiful…”

Angel frowned, “That’s not the--”

“What’s the next line say?” Heroi pressed.

Angel took a deep breath and kept going to appease the guy she had fallen for, “I can only imagine she is…”

“She’s everything, and she makes my life more meaningful,” Heroi replied as one of his hands fidgeted in pocket. Angel found this whole thing suspicious and was slowing connecting some dot. Whether it was the right one was yet to be determined; she read further.

“That’s wonderful for you, Heroi,” Angel continued before frowning down at the page, “Heroi, you wrote this didn--”

“So I have one question for you,” Heroi said, stopping Angel one more time. Angel was not about to take being interrupted twice and looked up to Heroi to tell him so, but her words were caught in her throat. The expression on his face clearly reflected one of anxiety as his hand shook with a box presented. Heroi opened the box to reveal a silver band with vine engravings; a quick assessment was made that it would fit Angel’s finger.

Angel was silent, following along with the next line without realizing it.

“Will you marry me?” Heroi proposed, adjusting his position to kneeling on one knee. Angel sat up; her mouth agape. She couldn’t commit to any other action than looking from Heroi’s sincere yet nervous look.

“Heroi…” Angel trailed off as she moved to kneel in front of him and caressed his face.

“An answer would be nice,” he muttered, causing Angel to laugh, “that’s not funny!”

“Neither was the joke,” Angel retorted before giving Heroi a quick peck on the lips, “but my answer is no joke; of course I’ll marry you, my joker.”

In one swift movement, Angel was lifted in the air by Heroi and was spun around. His smile radiated as bright as the moon as he put her down and slipped the ring on her ring finger; it fit perfectly. His happiness was contagious because the smile reached Angel’s face as well as the couple was joyous in their moment. She stared at her ring after he engulfed her into a warm, tight embrace.

/

Heroi looked around at the wide, spacious area under the tent that traveled with the circus. Fortunately, Heroi had seen it as the best place to have the perfect wedding for him and Angel.

Decorations were already set up from the show that had happened that morning; luckily it was cleaned up as well. With the sun setting into nightfall, the lights that surrounded the red and yellow striped tent illuminated the ceremonial area set up for the couple. Chairs were lined up in the front near the circular stage turned altar; however, the bleachers were perfect for audience who would watch the ceremony.

Members of the DTF were seated in the chairs near the altar whereas various circus workers and the audience from the morning show were seated in the back because Heroi thought it would be alright; they seemed friendly enough. He stood at the altar with the officiate fearfully. The thought of Angel getting cold feet was not something that passed his mind, but that didn’t stop Heroi from moving.

A hand touched Heroi’s shoulder, causing him to jump and spin around. He would have instinctively struck the person, but his weapons were perched near the seats with the others. Heroi let out a breath when the person chuckled at him.

“Awesome, that was not helpful,” Heroi remarked, “I’m just a bundle of nerves here!”

“Easy, easy,” Awesome replied mellowly with his hands up, “Things are gonna be cool.” He hiccuped.

Heroi groaned, “Did you go to the tavern before we arrived?” he questioned.

A smirk stretched on Awesome’s face before he hiccupped once more, “Maybe.”

The groom frowned, “That’s not good,” he replied. Awesome shook his head and wrapped an arm around Heroi’s shoulder.

“What’s good ‘hic’,” Awesome slurred, “is that you have a great ‘hic’ bride and ‘hic’ you’ll have a great ‘hic’ life together. Congrat’hic’ulations.”

Heroi raised a finger, about to tell Awesome something, but the classical wedding music began to play. He suddenly pushed his friend away from the altar, not bothering on checking on him because he saw Angel entering through the tent in her bridal gown.

His attention was solely on the bride walking down the makeshift aisle created for her to walk down. The audience as well as the DTF stood up while Angel walked. Behind her thin veil, Angel was smiling as she held the bouquet in her hands. Moments later, Angel met Heroi at the altar and held both of his hands.

“Are you sure that we’re allowed to have this here?” Angel whispered to Heroi.

He grinned, “Of course,” he whispered back, “I pulled some strings, and I checked them; they’re good people.”

“I trust you,” she said as she cleared her throat and faced forward; Heroi did the same.

Everyone else sat down as the ceremony began. The officiate had the couple repeat the words verbatim that he presented for them as their vows, solidifying their bond with one another. ‘I dos’ were exchanged, earning audience laughter from Heroi’s excited, “You bet I do!” reply.

“You may now kiss the brid--”

A scream was heard as some of the members of the audience, the clown workers to be exact, had weapons drawn, thus revealing they were actually bandits. The DTF were up and prepared for the fight, engaging with the clown bandit. Angel glared heatedly in the direction of the battle before turning to Heroi.

“I thought you checked them as good people!” she exclaimed.

Heroi’s expression on his face was horrific, “They were wearing smiles, what was I supposed to think?!”

With a huff, Angel prepared to catch her weapons that were about to be thrown to her way, but Heroi quickly pulled her closer and connected their lips. “I had to kiss the bride, remember?” he informed her after pulling away.

Despite the impending battle, Angel laughed at his statement before receiving her weapons.

“Do you really think I’m about to let you battle in that dress?” Heroi asked.

“You have no choice,” Angel remarked before looking up. “That’s wonderful,” she muttered. Heroi looked at her quizzically before following her gaze; the tent was dipping low and slowly crashing down on top of everyone. Many of the DTF members were moving out swiftly while the bandits moronically attempted to prevent them from doing so.

“This did not go as planned,” Heroi commented with a sigh. Angel placed a hand in his and squeezed them, “I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, my dear,” she replied before they hopped off of the stage and fought their way out of the tent before they were trapped in its multicolored-fabric clutches.