Lam's contact had always been a lifeline. It didn't always come natural to him — the act of touching and being touched. At first, with anyone else, the contact might have provoked a flinching response. His life hadn't always been this gentle, but it was nice to feel the affects of reconditioning. Clearly, it was working.

Lam seemed to think that he was strong, even if the evidence pointed to the contrary. He certainly wasn't smart enough not to get himself burned, but he wouldn't change anything that happened if it meant that Lam was safe. His partner made him braver than he'd had any right to be.

"What does?" He said absentmindedly, sipping at his coffee mug only to realize he had already suctioned it down. "Are you sure these are the best colors?" Rook had spent most of the planning pointlessly fretting over details that didn't matter. It kept his mind off the explosive realization that he was about to be MARRIED to Lam of all people. How could he have gotten this lucky? He had no clue.

His eyes averted to the little pidgey clock on top of the stove. "Oh wow already?" They had spent a lot of time devoted to staring at colors until he could no longer decipher the difference between them. Cake selection had been the top of Lam's list of priorities, of course. Rook couldn't help but want to tease him for it.

"You totally should!"

Orange. Rook grinned at that, "Be careful or I might show up to the wedding in an orange suit." Not that he would ever dare. He was still stylish, even if a bit silly at times.

"A little Rook pidove topper, and a little Lam pidove to go with it."

Rook laughed at that, definitely picturing it. "How about a rookidee? Just like the nickname." That nickname always did have a way of making him swoon. Then again, Lam could have called him trubbish and he would have swooned.

Lam picked up Peaches and Rook gave a little scritch to the top of the psyduck's head before passing them. It was nice outside, perfect weather and everything. "So we still haven't agreed on cake flavor, you know. This better not turn into a cake fight."

Rook traded Lam a teasing glimpse that said: I just might, don't challenge me.

There was a quick flicker of a thought—Lam showing up to wedding in his yellow psyduck shorts and flipflops and maybe a button-down with a clip-on bowtie. Admittedly it was a cute thought. "We can wear whatever want, after all... it is our wedding, right?" If there was ever a time in life to do everything they wanted, it was now.

There was something freeing in that, being able to do as he wanted. Rook had always been scared of pushing boundaries, but never scared about getting in trouble. Not long ago, he had been an art thief. Hell, sometimes he still was a bit legally duplicitous. What was wearing orange to a wedding? Small fry.

Rook leaned against Lam, taking the kiss with an endeared sigh. There was always a little flutter in his heart, whenever Lam called him that. Rookidee.

"I mean it depends, the only time I've seen us fight was over food." Not entirely true, but he wasn't talking about the time he was arrested or when Lam got hurt in battle. It was easier to think about the goofier fights over who ate whose leftovers. It had been easier when he still ate meat.

"First flavor that comes to mind, count of three... 1... 2... 3...."

"I didn't actually think about that." Flipflops made more sense on the beach and it would be entirely too hot to wear a tuxedo, right? "What if the wingulls attack me again?" They did seem to enjoy divebombing him. During his wedding, he'd be incapable of stopping them.

The thought that he was allowed to marry his best friend in the entire world was a little overwhelming. He should have been happy. He was happy, of course, but he was also terrified of letting Lam down. Even if it wasn't really possible, because Lam wouldn't be disappointed easily...

Rook tried not to overthink it too much, thankful that the wedding planning had distracted him so far.

"I did not, I told you. It was someone else. I'm sure one of the pokemon." He had definitely eaten the last donut, but he was HUNGRY and that was the best thing in the kitchen to eat. How was he supposed to resist that?

He counted down... "Double chocolate."

Then laughed, "Okay, lemon creme is really good too."

"I'm not gonna get cold feet, doofus!" The laugh barked out of him, a belly-sort of laugh. He gave Lam a playful little smack on the ass, partly because he wanted the excuse. A certain level of softness had settled into his life, security that he never would have expected. It wasn't like he'd fully retired from causing mischief, but his life had changed shapes in the past year or so. Sure, he might not have been a prominent and tough trainer like Lam, but he enjoyed the simplicity. He was figuring things out for himself, but it didn't have to be immediate. He didn't have to pick between tough choices anymore. Lam afforded him that.

"Oh no, I almost feel bad for the wingulls then." He laughed, knowing he couldn't slight a bird for its hunger. In another life, Rook had just as much likelihood of being reincarnated as a hungry beach bird himself.

As proven by his own hunger, getting him in trouble again.

His stomach grumbled from all the lovely discussion of cakes. His only worry was that it might disappoint him if the cakes aren't as magical as he hoped.

"Bubblegum or... cotton candy."

"If its going up against Poppy? I weep." Poppy was a very beefy bird, so any one that had to go up against her was doomed. He could still remember the last time Miss Moony went after Crumbs, they barely avoided a nuclear attack. Then again, he was fairly certain that Miss Moony had it coming, she liked to push her luck at times. She might have been the queen of the castle, but she wasn't the most powerful in the house.

"Don't knock it till you try it, I say." There was very little that Rook wouldn't eat, though he had taken to vegetarian food after dating Lam. It made things easier to cook and, after some persuasion, he realized it wasn't all that bad. They still got to enjoy cheese, after all.

He seated at the table beside Lam, thumbing through the available recipes and flavors. "Oh yum! Those are my favorite." He paused, "Ooooh Cinnamon crunch." These probably weren't very Wedding appropriate, but it was nice to be able to do what they wanted. It was true, they didn't take a whole lot seriously so why couldn't they just do things as they wanted? It was their wedding!

"Orange cream cake?" He laughed, having never heard of such a thing. Rook wasn't about to turn down anything though, certainly not if it was cake. Inevitably, they'd have to come to an understanding that the cake wasn't just for them. They needed their guests to like it as well, but he was certainly taking priority over them still.

They made their initial orders and were free to sit there, drooling over the possibilities. "We should have gotten married ages ago, cake-tasting?" He laughed again, realizing that they didn't need to get married to taste cake, but it certainly wouldn't have hurt.

Yet then Lam brought up his dad. Rook had already met his somewhat posh brother, but he'd neve met Lam's father. Due to history, which he was squeamish about, fathers had a nervous effect on him. "Oh... good. You think he'll like me right?"

Lam had already insisted as much, but he was stubborn in his refusal to accept it. "I haven't talked to mine since... you know." It did occur to him that his side of the aisle was a little lonely. He didn't meet people quite as easily as Lam did. Rook had always done better with pokemon than people, not that he didn't try, but they didn't seem to like him in the same way. Not that he gave them the chance anymore.