What, was &quot;Rudy&quot; on cable last night?

Kanan had one suit to his name. It had been left in the closet by whoever the previous tenant of his apartment was, and it actually wasn't a bad fit. And so he was here, of course he was here. He wouldn't miss the wedding of his boss (and, really, the man who had basically mentored him to the point of a passingly functional human person since his arrival on the island) to the people he cared about so obviously.

... He was also enjoying the appetizers, because how do you not enjoy appetizers?

That had been a lovely wedding. He was pretty sure. He had no idea. He didn't really do weddings, as a rule. Really, he was still wrapping his head around 'tiny romantic gestures,' here.

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“Kanan!” Eliot greeted, reaching over to clap Kanan on the shoulder. “Glad you made it, son!”

Kanan was in for some really obnoxiously cheerful “mentoring” at this shindig.

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Look, he'd walked willingly into his own doom and everything, here.

"Wouldn't have missed it for anything," Kanan replied, grinning and giving Eliot a nod and a return clap. "Congratulations!"

That was a wedding thing to say! Right?

Probably!

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It absolutely was. "Thanks, man. Honestly never thought I'd see the day. Kinda still waiting for something Fandom-y to backfire on me."

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"Well," Kanan chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. "It looks like you picked a good week for it. Even the black and white is gone for the occasion."

Some people might think that was classy or something, but mostly it just made Kanan feel like he was wandering around in some weird non-blue holo or something.

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"Would have made for a slightly different ceremony if the island hadn't behaved," Eliot agreed. "I'm real glad we didn't try for that week with the underwater nightmare."

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"Yeah, that would have made for a very different wedding," Kanan said, grimacing. "I would've attempted to make it, but, uh..."

That had not been a good week for a person who could feel all of that.

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"Yeah, pretty sure I wouldn't have made that one."

He'd been grafted to a diving suit at the time.

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At least he'd had Parker along?

Kanan grimaced a bit, anyway.

"Fair enough," he replied. "Anyway, it's great luck that you've all managed to pick the one day that's both completely normal, and not claimed by anything else. You all deserve a day that isn't, uh... that."

Nobody needed a Rapture wedding. Nobody.

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"Thanks, man." Eliot tilted his head. "How're things with you? Still workin' with Hera, yeah?"

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Aaand there it was! Kanan breathed out a little huff of a laugh.

"Still working with Hera," he confirmed. "Still not dating Hera," at least as much because he was respecting the line she'd drawn as because he wasn't really a 'date' sort of guy, "but still working with Hera."

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What? Eliot was all full up on love here. Of course he was going to ask about the woman Kanan had been mooning over for years.

"Better to at least be near 'em even if you can't be with 'em, huh."

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"Yeah," Kanan agreed. "I had that one figured out when I brought her back with me. She was about to fly off and I came up with this whole, 'big ship like that probably needs some crew, right,' thing, and I intend on riding that angle right on to the bitter end, if I can."

... Kinda would.

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"Well. Keep an eye out while you're riding," Eliot said. "You never know when things might change." He looked over to where Hardison was playing gracious host, and Parker was practically making out with the chocolate fountain. "I'd hate for you to miss it if it does."

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Kanan followed Eliot's gaze and breathed out a soft laugh.

"Yeah," he replied, "I've got my eye on the situation, I promise. Nobody wants things to change more than I do, trust me." A pause. "Maybe it would be nice if Hera did."

But... a lot of other things had to change, first.

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“Could be,” Eliot agreed. “Let me know if y’all run into any trouble a bunch of old con artists can help with. I won’t even fuss at you too much about your lack of dating life if you do.”

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Kanan couldn't help but chuckle at that. It had gone a little wry.

"The kind of trouble I'd need a bunch of old con artists for is most likely to happen in a galaxy not even remotely close to here," he noted, "and it'll involve a handful of idiots going up against a galactic Empire. I'm not going to drag anybody into that situation who isn't damn sure they want to be in the thick of it."

A beat.

"But I might have to come to you for advice, there."

Look, he was pretty sure Hardison and Parker would be over the moon to get to play around on spaceships and watch battles with laser swords and pew-pew guns, but novelty wasn't nearly enough justification to throw them in the middle of an Imperial base full of Stormtroopers and walkers.

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"My friend Peggy did some of the appetizers," Parker said, popping up next to him, and handing out more chocolate. "Thank you for coming! Don't the guys look awesome? You like the food, right?"

Parker was so happy she was even willing to do hostessy stuff.

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"I love the food," Kanan laughed, but he was holding up a hand to politely decline her offering all the same. "But I'll pass on the chocolate. It doesn't agree with me."

It didn't stay down. There had been a whole... thing. It had been an adventure. Never again.

"Everyone looks great, though. And you all look happy. It's nice."

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"You poor person," Parker said with extra sympathy. "Okay, I'll eat yours for you. The guys got me a chocolate fountain!" It was the only thing she'd definitely wanted in the reception. "We are happy. At least I am, and the guys are doing their things of when they're happy of smiling really wide and looking kind of bashful, and Hardison's Nana is here, and Archie, and all our other friends, and you came, and this is just the best day that doesn't have a major heist in it!"

Your chocolate macarons in chocolate ganache were really good, Kanan.

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"And it's a rare day that you can say that when there isn't a major heist involved," Kanan chuckled. Knowingly, even. He'd had a few good heists in his time, after all. "It's good to see everybody so content, you know. You all deserved to have this day go perfectly."

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"Aww. Thank you. Although, if something had blown up, that would've been kind of fun," Parker said speculatively. "Or if the sea monster had swum by to say so long. But maybe it's better for the normalish friends we have to not have to deal with that."

Peggy had gotten a little used to the weird, but Maggie might have wondered if someone had spiked her drink.

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"Given the past few weeks." Kanan smiled crookedly. "I have no doubt that everyone local would've thrown in to keep them safe, at least. Maybe if you guys ever come back to have a ceremony to re-affirm your vows."

That was a thing people did, right? Yes? Probably?

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"That would be kind of cool. And future-us were here a few times during those alumni weekends," Parker said speculatively. "So maybe we'll visit a few times. Or come back to teach for a semester. Sometime." She just couldn't see trying to build the rest of their lives here any more, nope. "Anyway, if you leave, you should still tell us where you go. Former employees and friends are always people who can crash on our couch."

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