"What do you mean by ’it takes time?’"

Riley looked at the golden dragon before him and immediately knew he was in trouble.

Kael’s glorious face was marred by very clear irritation.

Yep.

The dragon lord was caught completely off guard.

Then again, no one was probably more surprised than him, considering he had just been expected to answer the very unexpected question of why they weren’t married yet.

Thankfully, the newly engaged and still half-naked ancient was not drinking anything. Otherwise, Riley was fairly sure he would have sputtered it all out in sheer shock.

Because what do you mean by "It has been an hour. Why aren’t we married yet?"

And the worst part was that Kael looked entirely serious when he asked.

Apparently, he had been told that after engagement came marriage but never bothered to ask how long it usually took for marriage to actually follow.

Riley swallowed.

"Well," he started carefully, "an engagement normally means a formal agreement to get married. People do it because, like dragon rituals, there are steps involved in human marriages too."

Kael’s frown deepened.

"And more than that," Riley continued, trying to sound reassuring, "a ceremony alone doesn’t really legitimize a wedding. For human marriages to be considered binding, couples have to prepare and file the proper documents."

The golden dragon’s eyes narrowed.

"And between getting everything sorted out, booking a bureau appointment, and preparing for a wedding ceremony and reception, that process can take months. Sometimes even years."

The man with a flaring aura stared at him.

"So because it takes time," the ex-human finished, "couples use engagement as a way to reassure each other in the meantime."

He hesitated, then added, "And for us, since you’re legally classified as a magical being, we would also have to file with the MBE. Although I am not entirely sure how my status would work. Do I change my race now?"

Riley paused.

Only then did he realize that he had absolutely not thought this part through. Which was insane, considering his fiancé was literally the boss of the entire place and up until recently, he actually went to work there for years.

Awkward.

Very awkward.

Obviously, the golden dragon did not like any of that.

Riley was just about to comfort him when Kael spoke again.

"For humans who are obsessed with everything fast," Kael said slowly, eyes slitting, "including fast food, you’re telling me that weddings take time?"

Welp.

Riley pursed his lips as a response. How exactly was he supposed to answer that?

The dragon’s eyes gleamed with something dangerous, and the man who had spent years observing human customs was suddenly very sure that thoughts of dismantling societal norms had crossed Kael’s mind at least three times in the past five seconds.

__

Six times, actually.

That was how many times Kael Dravaryn internally revisited the same conclusion.

Human marriage customs were wildly inefficient.

Why would it take that long?

The golden dragon’s displeasure was palpable. His jaw was tight, his eyes narrowed, and his tail, had it been visible, would probably have been lashing holes through the furniture.

Fortunately, his mate seemed to sense the impending crisis.

Riley moved before Kael could spiral further, climbing onto his lap with deliberate intent. He settled there comfortably, arms loosely around Kael’s shoulders, clearly attempting to placate a very ancient being who was seconds away from declaring war on bureaucracy.

"It’s not mandatory," Riley said gently. "Some people choose to opt out of all that. And if you want, we can go do something like that."

Kael’s gaze flicked to him.

"But to explain why it takes time," Riley continued, "it’s because unlike most things, people actually want to prepare. They plan their dream wedding."

That stopped Kael.

"...Dream wedding?"

Riley nodded. "Yes. Dream wedding. Most people hope they only get married once. So because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, they want it to be special. They want it to match what they imagined their wedding would be like. And like most dreams that would take a lot of preparation and resources."

Kael lifted a brow, clearly skeptical.

"Some people dream of castle weddings," Riley explained. "Others want grand church weddings. Some prefer outdoor ceremonies. Beach weddings. Forest weddings."

The dragon lord listened, expression unreadable.

"Oh. Wait a minute." Riley shifted, hopping off Kael’s lap abruptly. He crossed the room to grab his phone, then returned just as quickly, settling back onto Kael with much more confidence this time.

"Look. Here’s an example."

He angled the screen toward Kael.

"A university friend of mine had her wedding inside a greenhouse because she was obsessed with flowers. But because the venue was so popular and hard to book, it took them a year and a half before they could actually get married."

Kael stared at the image.

It was clearly a photograph of a large gathering surrounded by lush greenery. Flowers everywhere. People dressed formally. And then his eyes narrowed.

There.

Right next to a woman wearing an enormous dress.

Kael scrunched his face.

"Who is she," he asked flatly, "and why are you next to her?"

Riley blinked, then laughed softly.

"Like I said, a friend from school," he replied. "And that photo was taken when the married couple went around greeting their guests."

The investigating dragon continued to stare at the screen, clearly reassessing several things at once.

"So it takes time because of the venue?"

Riley nodded before sharing his thoughts. "Well, that’s part of it. But generally a big part of the issue would be logistics and preparedness."

"If you want that greenhouse, then I will buy it."

Kael said it like it was the most obvious solution in the world.

The middle class worker almost choked.

Cough, cough!

"What?!"

"I said I’ll buy it."

"Oh no. No, no, no," he said quickly. "I’m fine. I really haven’t thought about a particular theme at all. I just figured that as long as my family and friends are there, then I’d be happy. I’d rather prioritize the preferences of my partner."

Kael lifted a brow.

Riley’s lips twitched as he corrected himself, "Your preferences."

The dragon lord hummed, clearly diffused, but Riley hurried on before the man decided to acquire the most random places.

"But really, it’s not just the venue," Riley explained. "There are so many things to prepare. You need an officiant. You need to find the right place for the ceremony. Then there are decorations and clothes. After that, you plan the reception."

"Then there’s the food, the guest list, and the timing, so most guests are available. People even worry about the date because it’s impossible to hold the wedding if the couple is unavailable for some reason. Ah, and then there’s usually a concern about the weather. It wouldn’t be a good idea to hold an outdoor wedding during typhoon season!"

Kael frowned. "The weather would be the least of our problems. Tell me what weather you want and it would be that weather. But why would other people need to be available?"

"Because people like to share the joy," Riley replied easily. "They come to support the couple and wish them well."

The golden dragon fell quiet.

He looked at his twig, who was speaking animatedly about people, about family, about friends. It was very unlike dragons. Dragons, if they can help it, wouldn’t usually gather to celebrate anyone but themselves.

But the way Riley explained it...

"If guests are meant to wish us well," Kael said slowly, "then the whole continent should attend."

He said it like an order.

Riley’s head snapped around so fast it nearly flew off.

"Oh no. No, no, no," he said firmly. "Let’s not do that. Just the people we know and care about."

"But I only care about you."

Riley swallowed.

The dragon looked entirely serious.

"Okay," the touched yet in denial ex-mortal said quickly, backpedaling. "Then let’s invite the people who care about us."

Kael considered that. Then he nodded once in an effort to compromise.

"Fine," he said. "Then tell me everything about your dream wedding and I will make it happen."

He looked at Riley intently, clearly expecting a list. Possibly several.

Riley broke.

He buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking with strangled laughter and joy. He had never once imagined that Kael would care about organizing something like this, let alone say it so matter of factly, like he was ready to move mountains on command when he was the same guy who couldn’t care less about the logistics of the Annual Accords..

When he finally managed to breathe again, Riley reached out, cupped Kael’s face, and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

"Okay, honey," he said warmly. "But first things first. On our first outing, let’s check the requirements and make a booking with the civil affairs bureau."

Kael blinked.

"I can’t have you walking around without a marriage document, can I?" Riley added with a smile that shone in his eyes.

The tips of Kael’s ears flushed red.

"...Mn," he replied.

Riley smiled wider.

"Oh but I guess for the actual first step, we should probably tell the others," he continued. "And my parents might know the process. We can ask them for help."

Kael’s brow creased. "What if they don’t know?"

"Then there’s always the internet," Riley said cheerfully. "Once I get a handle on things, we can go research together."

"The internet would tell you how to get married?" Kael asked skeptically.

"Oh yeah," Riley said easily. "It would tell me a lot more than just how to get married."

Kael narrowed his eyes. "How?"

And that was a very interesting question.

Because nothing was more dangerous than an ancient dragon who had just discovered a use for the internet.