Arranged Marriage

[bostonhowler]

It's a trope near and dear to our hearts. Arranged marriage.

Maybe it's for the family. Maybe it's for a friend. Maybe you know the person and have been expected to marry them for years. Maybe it's the wedding day and you have no clue who it is you'll be tied to for your natural life. Maybe you've been married a while, and you're just now starting your life, away from the expectations of others. Or maybe, the "others" are watching, waiting, making sure this marriage sticks.

Prompts for those who need them:



Reasons:

1. Station → You come from a royal, noble, or otherwise distinguished family who has chosen a suitable spouse for you.
2. Feud → You are being married to put an end to the bitter enmity between your two families.
3. Economics → Your economic state and/or your station will improve through the union, though one of you may be marrying down.
4. Empire → You and your spouse are merging your businesses and/or property to create something more influential or profitable.
6. Tribute → You have been offered as a gift or appeasement, alternately you're the spoils of war.
8. Bloodline → Carrying on your distinguished family name has fallen to you and the equally well-bred spouse of your family's selection.
7. Disapproval → Your marriage has been arranged to keep you away from the person with whom you truly wish to be.

Scenario:

1. First meeting → This is the very first time you're meeting your future spouse.
2. Courtship → To get to know each other and encourage affection, your family has approved of you going on dates.
3. Engagement party → Be it a huge, formal affair or a small, intimate get together, you're celebrating (or pretending).
4. Wedding day → The big day!
5. Reception → The big party!
6. Wedding night → Every meme needs a smut prompt, right?
7. Honeymoon → Where will you go with your new spouse and what will you do there?
8. Been at this a while → Just starting to get to know the other person

Comments

[goingthroughaphase]

She smiles a little herself. "Well, I'm glad I can do something for him." Especially since she'd never known these things about him, despite how long they'd been at the mansion together.

"Oh, I think I've seen those roses at the mansion. I didn't know he started growing them." She'd seen Ororo tending to them before, and had even helped out once or twice, but she hadn't known that Kevin had been the one to plant them.

[southernreaper]

She nods. "Asked me to have the cuttings sent up, 'cause he trusts me to do that. Glad he's got somethin' of home up there." Miss Amelia will admit, she hadn't thought too much of that Yankee lady coming and getting him. But, she supposes it's worked out well enough.

She pats Kitty's hand. "You gonna do a lot more for him, honey. You trust him?" She asks, softly, listening to the boys chatter in the kitchen.

[goingthroughaphase]

"They're really pretty." She'll have to ask Kevin about the roses sometime.

Glancing towards the kitchen where the boys were talking, Kitty smiles. "Yeah, I do," she replies, just as soft but with no hesitation.

It probably should have felt strange to be so certain, since she and Kevin were still really getting to know each other. But she had no doubt in her mind that, no matter what, Kevin is truly a good person who means well and does his best. And really, that's all anyone could really ask for.

[southernreaper]

Miss Amelia smiles. "Good." She flips the page on the photo album. "This is Trevor, Kevin's father." She says, showing a good looking man, who looked lost and alone. Kevin is standing next to him, a haunted look in his eyes. "That man tried, but Kevin was always a Mama's boy." She tsks and shakes her head. "But they always tended those roses. They're still there. The house is vacant, but the roses are tended, by people in the church."

The house is Kevin's. He's not sure what to do with it, yet. It's something he needs to think about for the future.

"Oh, here's my four grandsons." She taps a picture with four formidable looking young men, along with a covered and older Kevin. He looks a little more comfortable in his skin. The photo's only a year or two old. "That's Jacob, Mike, Tom, and Gabe." She smiles at the photo. "All four are police officers." She says, proudly. "Well, Gabe is a trainer for the Atlanta Police Academy." She nods to the kitchen. "Tom'll be home after his shift. Gabe's not going to be here tonight, unfortunately." He has to stay at the academy.

[goingthroughaphase]

Kitty tilts her head a bit, looking at the picture of Trevor. Even with as little as she knew him, he'd never mentioned his father at all.

She doesn't have a chance to ask, though, as Miss Amelia flips to the next page and shows a picture of her grandsons. She smiles. "Aww, that's too bad. But I guess that just means we'll have to visit more often so I'll get to meet him."

[southernreaper]

Miss Amelia laughs. "Now, that'd be nice. Having someone bring him home more often would be nice." She looks fondly over her shoulder as the boys start laughing at something.

"I'm glad to see him laughin' again. Never thought I'd see it." Miss Amelia admits. "When he left, he was... well, he was broke. I'm glad to see him happier."

[goingthroughaphase]

Glancing back towards the kitchen, Kitty frowns a little. "Well...to be honest, I'm not sure how much I had to do with that. Kevin and I hadn't really talked too much before...everything."

[southernreaper]

Miss Amelia touches Kitty's hand. "If he weren't happy with you, it'd be real easy to tell. That he's smilin' and laughin' means he is." She watches him for a few moments. "Always wears his heart on his sleeve that boy." She tsks, but it's fond. She loves Kevin, as if he were one of her boys by blood and not by neighbor.

"You just keep doin' what ya doin', and it'll all work out, you'll see." She says, softly.

[goingthroughaphase]

Glancing at Miss Amelia for a moment, Kitty then looks back towards the kitchen. With a small smile, she nods. "Yeah...okay. I'll do my best."

[southernreaper]

"S'all anyone can ask." She says, gently. "Marriage is hard, always has been. Weren't easy with my husbands, neither. Love is only part of the equation... the rest, you gotta figure out yourself." And it won't be easy, she knows, but they're young. They'll be fine.

"And don't think you gotta do all the work. That boy gotta do it too. He probably gotta do more, cuz he gets in that head o' his and he gotta be dragged out." She squeezes Kitty against her side. "Can't do that now."

[goingthroughaphase]

With a small smile, Kitty nods as she leans into Miss Amelia. "Yeah, we're definitely working on that. I'm hoping to get him to open up to more more. And I know it won't be easy, but...I'm willing to do everything I can."

[southernreaper]

"Now, did ya enjoy Disney? I ain't been since the boys were little." She looks in the kitchen. "If'n ya can ever call them louts little." She says, fondly.

Just then a police car pulls into the driveway. "Tom's home!" She calls, still watching out the window, a look of vague worry on her face. When the front door opens, she relaxes and smiles. "Tom! Kevin brought us his bride. Come meet Kitty."

Tom takes off his police hat, and walks over. "Howdy, Kitty. How'd a pretty thing like you end up with a sourpuss like that?"

"I tricked her!" Kevin calls, putting dinner together still.

[goingthroughaphase]

"Oh yeah, it was a lot of fun! There was so much to do there, we weren't able to see everything."

Kitty glances up as Tom enters the house, and with a smile she waves. "Hi, nice to meet you."

She laughs at Tom's teasing, and Kevin's reply, shaking her head a little. "Yeah, he lured me in with Mimsy."

[southernreaper]

Tom laughs. "Where is the baby girl?" He asks. "Lure her in with the pretty girl and then don't bring her along?" He tsks.

Kevin snorts, sliding something into the oven. "We spent a week at Disney. Couldn't bring her. Want to see her so bad, y'all need to come up north." He says.

"Bunch o' Yanks, up there, Kevin." Miss Amelia says.

[goingthroughaphase]

"We could always bring her next time," Kitty suggests, hinting that another visit was more certainty than not.

[southernreaper]

Tom laughs. "Oh, you gonna make Grandmama happy." He kisses his grandmother's cheek. "Always lamentin' that Kevin don't come see us often enough."

"Oh shoo. Go change. Dinner should be done soon." Miss Amelia scolds her grandson.

"Who cooked?" tom asks, heading for the back.

[goingthroughaphase]

"The guys did," Kitty replies. "Trust me, you wouldn't want me near the kitchen."

[southernreaper]

"Oh, so not only did he bring Grandmama a bride, he cooked?" Tom's voice is muffled as he yells from the back of the house, making Miss Amelia tsk and shake her head. He comes out, wearing jogging pants and a plain white tee. "What you sucking up for?"

Kevin shakes his head, and finally finishes cleaning up with the other two. "Dinner in about thirty." He settles next to Kitty, putting his arm around her. "And I like cookin' for Miss Amelia. Only drawback is I gotta feed you guys too." He smirks, daring Tom to say anything.

[goingthroughaphase]

Kitty can't help a little giggle, being careful as she leans against him a bit. "As if you don't enjoy feeding people," she said, lightly elbowing him.

[southernreaper]

He grins and kisses her head. He's still wearing the suppressor. It's just simpler around Miss Amelia and her grandsons. "I do. But," he says, wearing a shit-eating grin, "I feed people who appreciate my genius." He says, making Tom snort.

"Genius? What them yanks been fillin' your head with?" He shoves Kevin's head away from Kitty.

[goingthroughaphase]

Kitty bites back another giggle. She knows it's all teasing and good fun, but she chimes in anyway, "Kevin is really great in the kitchen, though. He's made some of my favorite dishes back at the mansion, and I didn't even realize he was the one cooking them."

[southernreaper]

"How come she didn't know?" Miss Amelia asks, sipping her tea. "You're a wonderful cook. Should know, I taught you everything I know."

Kevin's face flushes. "I know, but it's different at the Mansion." He admits. "Didn't want no one under foot, and sometimes, I just wanna be left alone to create."

[goingthroughaphase]

Kitty does giggle this time. "With all the people living at the mansion, that's definitely fair."

[southernreaper]

The meal is soon ready and Miss Amelia puts Kevin and Kitty right next to her at the big table. There's laughter, and jokes, and the boys tell stories of young Kevin, and how he's always had an artistic bent, though he hadn't found welding until high school, with blacksmithing coming very soon after.

After the table is cleared, and the dishes done and dessert eaten, Kevin takes Kitty's hand and bids farewell to Miss Amelia. Time for them to head to the hotel. He's starting to get the headache that says he's worn the suppressor for too long.

But, when they get to the hotel and into their room, Kevin pulls Kitty against him and kisses her thoroughly, before regretfully pulling back. There are two beds in the room and for the first time in their marriage, they're going to have to use them. "Thank you." He says, pulling the suppressor off and putting his gloves back on. He tucks the suppressor into the box, putting it on the nightstand.

[goingthroughaphase]

The evening is a lot of fun, getting to spend time with Kevin's family and listening to stories about Kevin. Kitty can't remember the last time she'd laughed so much. They leave on a high note, with Kitty promising that they would visit again soon.

When they get back to the hotel, she's surprised when he kisses her suddenly, and returns the kiss while she can. When he pulls back, she smiles gently, even as she watches him remove the suppressor.

"You're welcome. It was really fun today." Hesitating a bit, she takes a step towards him, though keeps a bit of a distance. "How're you feeling?"