The Wedding Reception by Armando94

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“I now pronounce you, husbands for life, you may now kiss," the officiant proclaimed.

Dylan and Ryle leaned into each other, bumping noses, before planting one great smooch across their lips. Hands grasping the others’ toned and solid arms, enveloping into the embrace, as the final chorus of “(I’ve Hard) The Time of My Life" began to blast out of the speakers. With hoots and hollers accompanying the music, and even a few bells and whistles, from their friends and family. Some friends were even heard shouting “More! More!" and so the couple, with no shame, continued to make out for all to see, their hands finding their ways to the backs of each other’s’ freshly faded sides and back. Eventually, they release each other to take in a gulp of the fresh Fire Island air. They laughed at each other before taking hand in hand to face their audience, and lift the gesture up in the air in rejoice. More applause rose from the crowd as everyone stood to their feet. They turned around to their officiant, Joey, and he nodded them onwards, with both their sets of parents following afterwards down the aisle. They made their way through the backyard of the mansion, that had been rented for the weekend as the crowd rained rice and flower petals onto them.

Moments later, from inside the house, through large glass windows, Dylan and Ryle could see their guests beginning the cocktail hour. “This is it," Dylan whispered into his now husband’s ear.

“This is it, baby," Ryle echoed. Then he turned to his husband and said, “So…do we do it now, or later?" His eyes giving a secret message.

“Ohh, already? Jeez boy, we only just did this," Dylan flashed his gold band between them. “Thought the plan was right at the END of the cocktail hour, we could slip away, and, you know…"

“Eat, you two," Joey reappeared with a plateful of food, with his husband (since that spring) A.J. right by his side. The other couple had been roommates at one point with Dylan and Ryle. And then the pandemic happened and everyone didn’t know if the city was the place to be anymore. Joey and A.J. were known by everyone for being self-made and having worked extra jobs to save up money. Just before the world went on lockdown, they ironically bought a little cottage way up in Connecticut (and where they had their intimate wedding with friends). Dylan and Ryle broke the lease in HK with them that spring of 2020, and relocated to their now owned brownstone in Brooklyn Heights. But now Joey and A.J. also rented an apartment on the UWS. Dylan and Ryle got wise too after the pandemic, and bought a small cottage here on Fire Island, next door to this mansion that their elderly neighbor kindly allowed them to use. Dylan worked for a big law firm, and Ryle was in consulting, so they could afford all of this.

“Your going to need this, if we learned anything from our nuptials," A.J. commented. “Shove some of this down, get a decent full stomach, and then you can proceed to mix and mingle, and drink. Cuz you’ll be drinking. A lot tonight."

“Fine, fine," Ryle shoved a small quiche into his mouth.

“And congrats, by the way," A.J. said. “We couldn’t be happier for you both. I think the feeling is mutual amongst all your guests though."

“We appreciate you two too," Dylan pinched his old roommates face, before playfully touching the side of his shorn head. Then Dylan audibly gulped. He remembered coming home in that new year of 2020 to find A.J. and Joey both looking…so different. And here they were, over four and a half years later, maintaining those stud-like looks. He would have sworn that even A.J.’s flattop had gotten shorter over the years. Not a horseshoe, though, but definitely the box was shorter, and definitely still not in style. But he wore it so well, as did Joey with that jarhead look that he clearly hadn’t tired of. The even shorter look on Joey made him all the more handsome, and very masculine. Dylan and Ryle had since been slightly, secretly, obsessed. All their other friends were just as stunned back then too, and that the other couple had retained their new ‘do’s till now. Both Dylan and Ryle couldn’t ever dream of having such drastic and dramatic looks. They both had a similar enough looking cut: mid-skin fade, Dylan’s dirty blonde hair with a nice little coif at the front, and Ryle’s chestnut locks had a sophisticated side part with his fade, always expertly groomed with its parting. They did start going to the same barber, Yuri, as the other couple did, and still frequented him when they could. Dylan and Ryle swore that the real reason Joey and A.J. still rented a place in the city was so Yuri could still give them their cuts. It was no wonder they looked as sharp now as they did back then.

“You two, come on now," the grooms heard a booming voice interrupt them. Their friend, Damian, who also went in the evenings by Miz Sag-On, entered into the house like a storm, champagne flute in hand. “Its your party out there, you ain’t the one with a performance to worry about."

“Hey thanks again for stepping in, I know it was last minute, with the other queen cancelling," Dylan thanked him.

“Queens gonna be doing queen sh*t, like always," Damian pecked him on the cheek, and proceeded to peck the other three as well. Damian’s curls on top, that most thought was permed, seemed to bounce with even the slightest of movements he made. “Speaking of, I better go get ready myself. It take her a whole lot time. This ain’t no military where I can sh*t, shower, and shave like that!" Damian snapped his fingers several times, before he slapped Joey on the back, and then crept his hand all the way to the top of his quarter of an inch shorn head, slowly massaging it for all to see.

“I guess we better go outside," Ryle moaned in his husband’s ear.

“Operation Bumblebee still in effect?" Dylan asked.

“Of course," Ryle kissed his ear, and then whispered, “We do have to change into our reception outfits after all."

“What was that?" Joey asked.

“Oh," Ryle stood up straight, “No, no, just reminding my husband that we have a bit of a costume change for the reception.

“Oh that’s right, I remember you mentioned," Joey said, taking his husband in his arm. “But aren’t you going from this black tie look to…another black tie look?"

“Its white suit jackets for the reception," Dylan answered. “Very Sinatra esque."

“Right, right, well, better gorge on food and drink before you run the risk of messing those suits up later on!" And with that, the two couples headed outside to join the rest of the party outside, who had all been waiting for Dylan and Ryle to join them at last. Everyone was beyond elated to see them, kisses and hugs and more well wishes abound. As Dylan and Ryle made their way around former classmates, from elementary school to college, some colleagues who they were friends with, a number of different first and second cousins, they were tired within the first half an hour. Thank goodness it was only a cocktail Hour.

“There you are," a petite Chinese-American girl sashayed over to the grooms, bestowing a light kiss on each of their cheeks. “Don’t you just love love?" she teased.

“Love love!" Dylan and Ryle teased back. Dylan then poked her and said, “And we love our Lily!!" lightly jabbing her with his fingers, knowing how ticklish his best friend from work was, having known each other since they met at the firm’s internship before year 3L. Lily’s husband, Hector, of only a month’s time, appeared next. They were quite a striking couple: her the daughter of Immigrants, raised in Queens at, you guessed it, her family’s restaurant, then studying both undergrad and Law at NYU. Juxtaposed with her quiet yet devilishly handsome Puerto Rican husband, raised in the Heights, and had risen to being a modestly successful art dealer and budding gallerist at nearly thirty. Always dressed in style with a pompadour that would make even Elvis jealous.

“Jokes aside, its been so much fun you guys!" Lily said. “Although I think the dancing later is likely gonna pale in comparison to our wedding," she lightly touched at her freshly touched up bob, similar to that of Anna Wintour. Lily was the inspiration for the grooms’ magic hat trick tonight. Her long-standing luscious locks were piled into a beautiful bun for her wedding ceremony and reception, only to come out for the after party in a short-sheer dress and a new short haircut to match. Hector’s mother owned a couple hair and nail salon’s in the Heights, so she had the honor of doning her new daughter-in-law with this fresh look. And Lily was truly contemplating making it a keeper.

Ryle caught Dylan staring a bit longer at his friend, without saying anything back, before he coughed and cut in with, “Oh we’ll have to see, the night is still young. Anything can happen."

Lily cheered her martini glass, saying, “If you say so, sir." And then the couples drifted off from each other. A few moments later, after saying their hello’s to a few of the other guests, realizing they still had the whole night to say their thanks to others, Ryle tapped his watch in his husband’s view, and mouthed, “It’s time." Quietly, and discreetly, the newlyweds slipped back into the house without anyone catching them. “I don’t want to make you late for your appointment, honey."

“I don’t want you to be late either," Dylan kissed Ryle’s forehead, just as they took one last look behind to make sure the coast was clear, and then dashed up the stairs. Making sure to remain quiet by the room where Damian was becoming his alter ego for the evening.

In the master suite’s bedroom, the grooms stripped out of their black suits to nothing but their matching rainbow jockstraps they bought for the wedding. Then, they went into the master suite bathroom, and locked the door, thankful that no one was likely to hear them. A chair was already waiting in the center of the room, with what looked like a drape over it. Ryle looked to his husband, and said, “Would you like to go first?" and without saying a word, Dylan marched right up to the chair, and handed his husband the cape as he made himself comfortable.

Ryle caped his husband up, even taking a few stray tissues to tuck underneath and around his neckline. Since their haircuts were only a couple days old, this would be a piece of cake, and not interfere with their fades. “Just like we discussed, baby?"

“Yes please," Dylan let out a huge sigh. “Ahh! I can’t believe I’m doing this, that we’re doing this!"

“You’re still sure about it?" Ryle asked.

“Of course!" But then he turned around and looked at his husband. “Are you second guessing now? Have you changed your mind?"

“Oh heck no!" Ryle laughed. “I can’t wait to see the look on everyone’s faces when we show back up. And more than that, I can’t wait for my husband to be a cute little buzzed boy for the rest of this summer."

“It has been hot and humid, these haircuts couldn’t have been more serendipitous." Dylan added. Then he took a deep breath in and said, “Alright, let’s do it."

At that, Ryle clicked on the clipper, and the loud humming sound dawned. With the number four guard attached, just so it was a slightly longer buzz, Ryle brought it to the front of his husband’s coif, and gently pulled back and across. The sound was the only thing echoing off the marble floor and walls of the bathroom. The sharp metal making mincemeat of the healthy hair that once was a pride for Dylan. Now being reduced to a shorn crop, Ryle took another swath across his husband’s head, growing the buzzed patch on top. Dylan’s hair was still light underneath, like he was more of a golden blonde after all. Pass after pass, more sheaths of hair fell to the cape and floor.

“How are we looking?" Dylan asked.

“No cheating," Ryle said as he concentrated on the cut. Another pass over the top of his husband’s head, and then continuing that over to the left side of the head. Ryle loved the sensation, not only of the humming clippers, but as he forcefully held onto the top or side of Dylan’s head as he continued to buzz away. Sure, they both loved the feeling of each other getting a fresh fade. But this was a whole new world. At times, they had felt honored when Joey would let them give him a good old rub across his noggin. It didn’t always happen, but when he did, Dylan and Ryle had to remain calm after being given permission. So this buzzing business had been a long time coming, but neither groom had been so willing to bite the bullet, or seize upon the opportunity. Lots of guys had been opting for shorter looks, even post pandemic. Leave it to a woman to convince them to do something crazy.

Ryle continued buzzing the surface of Dylan’s head, making sure there wasn’t a single strand out of place. It was coming out pretty good, and actually, he didn’t have to do all that much blending from the newly cropped top to the sides. Once it all seemed uniform, and his husband looked even hotter than he imagined, Ryle took a handheld mirror and gave it to Dylan, and said, “You likey?"

Dylan nearly dropped the mirror as he gasped at his own reflection. “Holy…holy…WOW! That is short, baby, damn." His hand pawed at the bristles now adoring from crown to hairline.

“But you’re okay with it, right?" Ryle asked, hesitating.

“More than okay!" Dylan laughed at himself. “Why didn’t I do this sooner?"

“Its not even like we took the plunge like others during lockdown, and caved the shave."

“We’ve been missing out," Dylan laughed some more, then looked up at his husband with a smile, and they briefly kissed, as he murmured “thank you" into Ryle’s lips.

Ryle released the cape, and dusted Dylan’s head off, making him giggle at the whole new sensation. As Dylan stood up, taller than before, and took the cape from his husband, he shouted, “Who’s Next?!"

Ryle laughed, slightly uneasily, and sat down. Dylan could tell his husband’s shoulders were tensing up. So he gently placed his hands onto them, and began to massage skin to skin. He gently purred into Ryle’s ear, “How would you like your haircut, sir?"

That got a small laugh out of Ryle, who then erred, “Uhh…surprise me with what the last guy who walked in got!"

“You sure, sir?" Dylan asked. “You don’t know what he had, did you?"

“That’s part of the game, right?"

Then Dylan got serious and said, “Look Ryle, its okay if you don’t want to. I’ll understand."

“What? No, no! I mean, sure I’m a little nervous, weren’t you?"

“Of course I was, baby."

“Well, we are in this together, right?" Ryle reminded him. “And not just these buzz cuts."

Dylan smiled even though his husband couldn’t see it, and said, “Till death do us part?"

“If I’m lying then I’m dying," Ryle added, and then nodded his head in ascent. Dylan drapped the cape over him now, and began his barbering duties. First, he started to comb all the hair forward, so that the parting didn’t cause them any issues when it got buzzed. And then just like Ryle pulled on him, Dylan brought the clippers right to the front hairline, and pushed them all the way back towards the crown. And then another strip, tearing across the silky chestnut locks, reduced down to the same shorn look that Dylan now wore. With every passing swipe, hair collecting this way and that, some of it landing directly into Ryle’s lap so he could see how much he was loosing. But Ryle remained calm, as soon as the first swipe was complete, he was committed. There was no going back.

Dylan continued all across the surface of his head, being just as diligent as Ryle had been for him. Not letting a single stray strand remain intact. Everything was getting taken down to a uniform length. When it all seemed complete, he brushed his husband down, and gave him the same handheld mirror, and asked, “Well?"

Dylan could see Ryle smile back at his reflection, and then said, “Ditto, baby, why didn’t we do this earlier?"

Dylan placed his arms around his capped husband in an embrace. “Because we were both nervous."

“Nervous of what thought," Ryle grazed a hand from his faded sides up to his buzzed top. “This looks tight, we both look so tough now."

“Tell that to your Equinox friends, babe," Dylan joked. Then he uncapped the client, and they both stood there in the bathroom with their jockstraps on, and fresh cuts. The two of them walked hand in hand towards the big mirror to get a real full look at each other. They laughed and smiled, and couldn’t help but feel each other’s shorn tops, and of course kiss each other. They took turns massaging each other’s dome into the other’s chest. The sensation like a friendly porcupine trying to make a new home. They giggled some more and held each other in an embrace, making out a bit longer until they heard the door slam open with a—

“You ladies done fu—OH BE STILL MY QUEER HEART," Miz Sag-On, in full regalia declared, hand over chest now. “What in the world have y’all gotten up to in here? Shoot I was joking about this not being the military. Y’all about to ‘deport’ each other off tonight or what?"

Dylan and Ryle laughed back, and their rainbow jocks sorta agreed with what Miz Sag-On was hinting at. Ryle said, “Sorry about this, little surprise. We’ll be down soon as we change."

“You better, I can only handle the audience for so long on this non-budget," and with that the MC for the evening made her way out of the room, to allow the grooms to change into their final suits (unless they counted the birthday suits later that night). As expected, their surprise hat trick was a roaring success. Everyone pretty much flipped out, their parents were stunned most of all. Lily had shouted at them “Copycats!". As they made their way through their first dances, and speeches from their parents, as well as some stand up from Miz Sag-On, eventually the real party began. An hour into the real dancing, they found themselves dancing with Joey and A.J., who were seemingly tight-lipped, but more so smirking.

“Go on," A.J. said to his husband.

“I’m just saying! They chose the better look," Joey grazed his hand across his even shorter and higher and tighter looked.

“Oh that’s how it is, huh?" A.J. punched his husband and then planted a smooch on his cheek, before turning to the newlyweds. “No, I was actually going to say, took you two long enough."

“Huh?" Dylan and Ryle said in unison.

“Its pretty obvious your always giving googly eyes to my husband whenever he’s had his haircut," A.J. looked at them knowingly.

“Like I said," Joey reiterated. “The superior haircut."

“Oh we’ll see about that," A.J. pulled Joey in as if to fight him, and then rubbed the top of his head, pulling him away, but shouting back at Dylan and Ryle, “Enjoy this boys! Your gonna love it!"

And so they did, enjoy the rest of the wedding weekend, as well as getting used to their short looks. The only question was, did Dylan and Ryle have the guts to keep them, just like their friends?


(some of you might recognize the other couple, Joey and A.J., from a previous story of mine…for those who don’t, its called “New Years Eve")

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