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"This is ridiculous." the Blonde sighs as she sinks down into one of the chairs that are decorated with white bed sheets and table cloths.
"It's not ridiculous, Erica, it is totally romantic and really cute, so shut up." the short-haired guy next to her says. "Now come on, I want to put some more ribbons into Leia's hair."
"I think if you put one more ribbon into her hair, she's gonna turn into one, Stiles."
Stiles puts the sheer fabric on the table next to Erica, giving her a stern look.
"Put it in her hair, Erica, you tie them better than I do and she needs to be the prettiest little bride ever, okay? I want her to look perfect for Luke."
Erica grabs the fabric and ties it into Leia's short hair. "I still think that this is ridiculous. I mean, look at her, she looks like a Christmas tree for god's sake."
"I know, she looks so cute, right?" Stiles beams. "Such a pretty bride."
"She's a dog, Stiles…this is crazy." Erica says, rolling her eyes.
She still can't believe that she is in this position, tying ribbons into a little dog's hair and playing maid of honor at a dog wedding.
"You promised you'd help me with this. You thought it was a great idea and you said you'd love to see Leia as a bride."
Erica snorts and lets out a short laugh. "Yeah, I did but firstly I thought you were joking and secondly I was drunk as hell. I mean come on, you are taking this way too serious… you even bought this weird, extra-special dog-cake. I didn't even know there was cake for dogs, okay and don't even get me started on the flowers and the table cloths on the chairs and-"
There's a knock on the door and Erica stops talking.
“Scott, I swear to god if this is you again, asking if Leia is getting cold feet then I swear to god I will carry her over to see Luke before the wedding."
She walks over and opens it enthusiastically only to see an unfamiliar face outside the door. A very handsome face.
"I am not Scott but I think carrying her over wouldn't be a very good idea." the dark-skinned man says and gives her a smile. "Scott sent me here to tell Stiles that Luke is now ready and waiting for his bride at the altar."
Erica nods, distracted by the guys enchanting smile and warm eyes. "Uhm, yeah…sure…Leia's ready. She'll…she'll be out in a minute."
The man nods, gives her another small smile and then turns to go without another word. Erica lets the door fall closed behind her.
"Why have I never met him before?" she asks after a few seconds of silence.
Stiles chuckles as he picks up Leia. "Well, it's probably because he's not really one of Scott's closest friends and he's also a pretty quiet guy, so he hasn't tagged along with our group yet."
"Oh." Erica says and nods. "If he's not one of Scott's close friends, then why is he here?"
Stiles brushes over Leia's hair for one last time and then walks over to the door, picking up the leash on his way.
"Well, he's the one that cared for Luke before Scott got him from the shelter, so he's basically Luke's dad. Scott thought it would be appropriate if he was Luke's best man and Boyd, that's his name by the way, said yes, so yeah…that's why he's here. Are you done interrogating me now because we have a wedding to attend and we do not want to let the groom wait for too long, do we Leia? Nooo, we don't."
Stiles kisses Leia on the head and Erica can't help but smile. She can't really blame Derek for being a bit skeptical after seeing Stiles with Leia for the first time. If her boyfriend would act like this with his dog, she would worry too. Fortunately Stiles loves Derek even more than Leia, if that's even possible, so Derek knows not to worry too much.
Erica shakes her head, smiling and closes the door behind her.
When they walk into the Stilinski-McCall garden, the wedding march starts and Erica throws the flowers in her basket, doing her duty as flower girl and maid of honor.
It's a beautiful wedding, if there is something like a beautiful wedding for dogs. Somehow they convinced the Sheriff to play the priest for them, even if everyone can hear in his tone that he isn't really taking this as serious as his sons.
Scott and Stiles beam at each other, saying that this is the first step to getting their kids married in the future and Allison is quick to say that she will only agree to that marriage if their kids connect on their own. Scott puts his hand on her growing belly and whispers something Erica can't hear.
Derek and Stiles dance all evening, smiling at each other lovingly and as Erica stands at the sideline she can't help thinking that she kind of wants that too, even if she wouldn't ever admit it out loud.
She's busy watching Lydia dance graciously around Jackson, who kind of looks like he wants to be anywhere but still follows Lydia's every move adoringly, when someone lets out a small cough right next to her.
Erica looks up to see the handsome stranger from before standing beside her, holding out his hand in silence. He glances at her.
"You wanna dance?"
Erica's heart beats a little faster in her chest. He's just a guy, she reminds herself but somehow that can't ease her excitement. It's like electricity when her hand touches his and she can't help but look at the man in surprise.
She isn't the type to fall easily, not the type to believe in fairytales and stories for little kids but for a few seconds, when Boyd's hand falls to her waist, she feels like the princess in the movie. She feels eyes on her back and when Boyd turns her around, her dress dancing with her in the movement, Stiles is smiling behind her, holding up his thumbs. She smiles back for a second.
They don't say anything for a while, dance for one song and then another one until a slow song comes on and Erica takes a step back instinctively. Boyd doesn't make her stay, doesn't force her to step back into his space like many before did but instead waits for her to come closer again.
Their bodies are closer now, her hand in his, warm and careful. Erica can't remember the last time she felt this comfortable in a man's embrace. She puts her head on Boyd's shoulders, relaxed.
"It was a beautiful wedding, right?" Boyd says after a few more seconds of silence and Erica can feel his voice vibrate in his chest, where her body is pressed right against his.
"Yeah…beautiful for a dog-wedding." she answers, not sure if he's serious or not. She doesn't think anyone except Scott and Stiles takes this wedding seriously but maybe Boyd is an exception, being Luke's first caregiver and all.
She hears his chuckle. "You think it's ridiculous, don't you?"
For a second she thinks about what to say, thinks about lying just to keep close to him for a bit longer and then decides against it. She hates lies and she's not the person to lie to someone she just met.
"Well, it is ridiculous." she mumbles, the amusement audible in her voice.
Seconds later there's a slight breath against her neck, blowing the fine strands of hair away as Boyd laughs quietly. It's not uncomfortable, though, so she doesn't move away.
"I never said it isn't." he says and moves back a bit to look at her face. Erica swears he's even more handsome from up close, his eyes twinkling in the light of the lanterns.
"So you think it's ridiculous too? Because I think everyone but Scott and Stiles thinks it's totally weird to put all this effort into a wedding for dogs."
Boyd smiles again. "I think that Scott and Stiles are two very loving dog owners…even if they are pretty unconventional."
"Unconventional is one way to put it…I'd call it insane."
"After all I've seen I prefer seeing dog weddings over everything else."
There's a few seconds of silence after that. Erica doesn't know what to say, doesn't want to ask what things Boyd means because she can very well imagine what working at an animal shelter can bring.
"You know, just last month we got in a poodle. She's just a pup and she was beaten up pretty badly. I helped her back to her feet, did everything I could and she's better now…but no one wants her now, they think she's damaged because she needs more time to put trust into people. She barks at them and shows her teeth, she runs away and hides. People want a dog they can cuddle, a dog that listens to them and trusts them instinctively and she just…she's not ready for that yet. I don't know if she ever will be."
Erica nods. It's the most she heard Boyd talk all night and she can feel that it's important to him.
"Yeah, I understand. I hate that people think she's damaged, I mean come on, she was beaten up."
Erica takes a step back, almost runs into Melissa dancing with the Sheriff behind her. She gives her an apologetic look and then turns back to Boyd.
"If she was human, everybody would understand but dogs are not that different from humans, right? They have feelings and they remember things pretty well, too. They are living and breathing creatures and they deserve care and love and-" She stops herself in the middle of the sentence. "Sorry, I…uhm…I get a bit intense sometimes."
"Don't apologize, it's a good thing." Boyd holds out his arm for her to take and gives her a little smile. "Do you maybe want to get something to drink? I have a feeling that talking to you a bit more will be very interesting."
Erica stares at his arm for a second before taking it. "Funny thing, I have the same feeling about you."
They talk all night, sitting on a bench a bit farther away from the dance floor and the music, not just about animals but also their families and their futures, childhoods and realities. When the end of the night comes, Boyd asks Erica for her number, not because of a date but because Erica decides to get the little poodle Boyd talked about and learn to earn her trust.
Over time Erica finds herself falling quicker than ever because Boyd calls exactly when he says he will, he opens doors for her but mostly he's a great listener and somehow fills the empty spaces in her life with much more happiness. Boyd kisses her for the first time, when they are taking care of the cats at the shelter, because he sees how much love Erica puts in everything she does, even if she plays the sarcastic bitch most of the time.
It's only a few months later, when Betty, her adopted poodle, has learned to trust the people (and dogs) in Erica's life, when Stiles announces that it's time to marry Betty to Boyd's Labrador Ben. Erica just smiles at Boyd and promises Stiles to help him with the wedding…again.