Here is the epilogue of my Oz x Gil fan fiction, called A Bond of Light. WARNING: There is mature content in this chapter (mild yaoi).
On a November morning three years after the day Alice and I were almost dragged into the Abyss, I woke up with Oz in my arms. He was a responsible, willful eighteen-year-old, and yet he wouldn't sleep without me. We had developed a routine of actually going to sleep at night and enjoying each other in the morning. This reflected how we looked into the light with hope, not dwelling on our dark pasts. I had gladly stopped working for Pandora when my contract with Raven broke, so I got to spend more time with Oz. We agreed to go to bed naked only once a week, making it a special treat. That morning, the feeling of the slender muscularity under his bare skin made my heart race. He woke up when I kissed him gently.
"Good morning, dear. I love you more than ever," I whispered, gazing into his bright green eyes. He smiled and pulled me closer, twisting his legs around mine. My heart jumped with giddy euphoria. His open mouth eagerly played with my lips and tongue. A thousand lifetimes of this wouldn't have been enough. I felt the familiar, glorious shape of his body relaxing into mine. Although we usually went further, he drew away, looking at me longingly.
"I want to spend more time in bed, but we should get up," he said. "We need to get ready for the wedding." As usual, making out with Oz had made me forget about everything else— even getting married! Excited, we got out of bed and quickly dressed. Oz had grown much taller in the past few years; he now came up to my forehead, so I didn't have to lean over as I brought my lips to his. We stopped kissing and went to the living room. Oscar and Ada were bustling around, getting the house ready for the wedding. Partially because of the unconventionality of same-sex marriage, we had decided to have a small, informal ceremony in our house, inviting only our close friends.
"Where's Alice?" Oz asked.
Oscar replied, "She's busy 'sampling' the ham we got for the reception. You better get dressed in your fancy clothes; the guests will start arriving in about half an hour." He handed folded suits to us. "The wedding rings are in the shirt pockets."
Keeping the tradition of not seeing each other dressed up until the wedding, Oz went to our room to change while I got into my suit in the bathroom. I could hardly wait. Soon, I would be bonded to him legally as well as emotionally. My life, my future was Oz. After getting dressed, I heard someone knocking on the bathroom door.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"Break. May I come in?"
"Sure."
He entered, leaving the door open. "I rarely see you with your hat off. You should do something about this disarray," he said, ruffling my wavy hair. I pushed his hands off my head, then looked around for a brush; fixing my hair would help pass the time. Once I found one, I ran it through my hair absentmindedly. Even with this distraction, every minute seemed to last a year. I imagined walking down the aisle towards Oz. He would smile and his eyes would light up in anticipation.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Break informed me that it was for me to go. My head felt light as I hurried to the living room. The guests (Break, Sharon, and Reim) had all arrived. They stared at me; not accustomed to such attention, I entered the room self-consciously. Oz, dazzling me in a dark green, velvet suit with a ruffle collar, stood next to a hooded person in front of the seats. All I could think about was him. His green eyes shone with delight and his golden hair reflected the sunlight as he looked expectantly at me. My heart ached pleasantly and I ran towards him, laughing for joy. We embraced, then the person with the hood (who I had forgotten about entirely) cleared her throat.
"So," she said. "Do you two want to get married or just stand there hugging each other?" I recognized Alice's voice, and, judging from the look of amusement on Oz's face, he, too, had realized who it was. She continued, "Okay, Gilbert Nightray, do you take this man, Oz Bezarius, to be your husband?"
"Yes, always. I love you, Oz." This second sentence I whispered into my beloved husband's ear. We smiled at each other dreamily.
Alice remarked, "That isn't what you were supposed to say. Can't you get your lines for your own wedding right? Whatever. Oz Bezarius, do you take seaweed-head to be your husband?"
Gazing into my eyes, he replied, "Absolutely. Forever and ever."
"Uggh! You said the wrong thing, too! You guys are hopeless." Alice jumped up and down furiously. Her shouting and stomping became a muffled background noise as I leaned closer to Oz. Then I remembered something.
"Wait," I told him, drawing away. "First we need to do the rings."
"Oh yeah." Oz laughed sheepishly. "I'm just so excited, everything seems like a blur." He reached into his shirt pocket and brought out a ring. It was shiny and golden, darker than his hair. My heart danced as he held my left hand and slipped it on my fourth finger. In all the years we had spent together, I had never been as happy as I was in that moment. Oz's loving support had given me the strength to try hard in life; he was my reason to exist. I needed to be near him always.
After I stared at him for a while, Oz said, "Aren't you going to give me the ring?" I took it out of my pocket and put it on the fourth finger of his left hand. I pressed my lips to the smooth, pale skin on his hand. He draped his arms over my shoulders, pulling me towards him. His lips molded into mine and our tongues explored each other's mouths. Lightheaded, lighthearted, and lusting for more, I wrapped my arms around his lower back and brought him even closer.
Oscar's voice came through my shield of oblivion. "So, now that Oz and Gilbert are married, it's time for the reception! To the dining hall, everyone!"
"You know, Alice called Gil seaweed-head when she asked me if I would marry him. Do you think that means that technically we aren't husbands?" Oz turned towards Oscar, frowning.
"Of course you're husbands," Oscar assured him as he was walking towards the dining room. "It wasn't a very formal marriage anyway, and it's the thought that counts. No use worrying about something trivial like a name."
"That reminds me, I want to change my last name to Bezarius," I said.
Oz said, "Gilbert Bezarius suits you." Then he grinned and took my hand, leading me to the reception. In the dining room, we found the guests snacking. Forgetting about them, I smiled at Oz. A warm happiness filled my chest and spread throughout my body. We could do anything as long as we were together.
"Now that we're married, wouldn't it be nice to have a house of our own, just the two of us?" Oz suggested.
"Just the two of us," I echoed, murmuring softly. "Where will we live?"
He said, "The Bezarius family owns another house not too far from this one. It's not as big, so we won't have to do much cleaning."
I had seen that house. "Isn't it too old and run-down to live in?"
"It's repairable," said Oz. "Oscar and Ada will probably help us fix it up. Why don't we ask them right now?" We walked over to Oscar, who was offering wine to Reim.
"I'd rather not get drunk," Reim told him.
Oscar noticed me and Oz. "My congratulations to the grooms. Why don't you join us for some wine?"
"Actually, Oz and I came over to tell you that we want to move to the smaller Bezarius house near here. We wondered if you and Ada would help us make it fit to live in." I said.
"We already did! It was actually Alice's idea; she said she didn't want to have to live with your sappiness." Joy flooded through me. We could start living in our own house that very day! I drew Oz close to me and he rested his head on my shoulder.
"Together forever," he whispered to me.
Once the guests left and we changed into our regular clothes, Oscar, Alice, and Ada decided to show us the house we planned to live in. After a half-hour walk, we saw it. The midday sun illuminated a one-story house that had been newly painted white. It was surrounded by a meadow of brown, dead grasses that would turn green in the spring. This modest building, so unlike the mansion that Oz and I were used to, seemed like a paradise to me because of the future it promised.
Oz's eyes widened. "Thank you so much, Uncle Oscar!" He threw his arms around his uncle as if he was still a child. Laughing, Oscar hugged us, then Ada joined.
"I knew it would be a good idea," Alice said, smirking and putting her hands on her hips. She went up the hill, beckoning for us to follow. We explored each room. The living room was cozy; two armchairs faced a fireplace and bookshelves covered the walls. There were two doors in a hallway that came from the living room. The first door in the hallway led to a combined kitchen and dining room. The other door led to the bedroom, which had a bed plenty big enough for two people, a thick curtain covering a window, and a door that led to a small bathroom. I couldn't wait to live in this house, spending all my time alone with Oz.
"Let's move in right away," I said to him.
"Definitely," he agreed, his eyes shining.
Ada said, "I'm glad you like it so much. We should go back and get your stuff to bring over here." As we walked back to the other house, my eyes were glued to Oz. I daydreamed about our new life together: we would wake up every morning in each other's arms, wasting the day away in bed if we wanted, or maybe visiting friends and family. When we arrived, I hurriedly packed my few belongings. Oz also finished packing quickly. We returned to our new house in a carriage. For once, Oscar drove instead of me, so I rode with Oz. Sitting on the same side of the carriage, we held each other. I turned my face towards him and kissed him. He pressed his body into mine, kissing back urgently. My heart danced, I blushed, and I felt giddy, wanting more.
I reluctantly drew away to say, "Think of what we can do together with a house of our own, Oz. I'll make delicious meals for us and we can go outside for walks by ourselves without Oscar spying on us. We can even stay in bed all day sometimes." I gazed at him and laughed hopefully. He grinned and snuggled closer. Soon, the carriage stopped.
"We're here!" Oscar said. "I'll help you get your stuff inside." Having taken few belongings, we managed this in one trip from the carriage to the house. It was already dusk by then. Oscar drove off, leaving Oz and I alone in our new house for the first time. Standing in the living room, I wrapped my arms around Oz's waist and smiled.
He spoke softly, his voice full of love. "No matter what, Gil, I'll always be with you. Other things matter to me, but that's because you inspire me to care about them."
"I've never heard sweeter words," I said. I felt like blindingly beautiful golden light consumed me as I gazed into his earnest eyes; his soul was irrevocably bonded to mine.
