Work Text:
Tony’s hand has a ring on it now. It’s silver and opal and perfect. Gob tried to find one that matched Tony’s eyes, but after he spent two days visiting literally every jewelry store in the bi-county area, Tony made him promise to stop searching for an exact match. Tony also made him take a nap, which would have been embarrassing if he hadn’t joined him, claiming that it was because searching for Gob had tired him out too.
Gob’s ring is similar, but the coloring is lighter, more like the sky. The rings look stunning together, when their hands are interlocked like they are now.
Which might not be the best for driving safety standards, now that Tony thinks about it.
But he doesn’t care, because they just got married.
Like, just got married. Less than fifteen minutes ago, they were in front of their friends and family, and they are married. And nobody ran off or changed their mind or did an illusion that helped them change their mind and run away.
Well, there was an illusion and there was running away, but after they were married and they ran away together, and isn’t that what marriage is all about?
In fact, Tony should probably turn off his phone and Gob’s phone. The guests probably haven’t figured it out yet, it’ll be at least another fifteen minutes before anyone starts to suspect that they aren’t going to reappear.
Gob is doing an excellent job of driving the getaway limo though. Tony supposes that it comes from the sheer amount of practice he had while he was in Mark Cherry’s entourage. It’s nice because it means that they can keep holding hands, and he doesn’t want to ever let go.
The never letting go plan is abandoned when Gob shouts and makes an unexpectedly sharp turn, and Tony has to use both hands to brace himself against Gob’s suddenly urgent driving.
“Gob, what the-”
“TONY! What was the name of your childhood cat, again?”
Tony frowns. “Um, Gobie, I never had a-”
“Exactly!” Gob is smiling that crooked smile that makes Tony forget that what he just said doesn’t actually make sense.
So Tony is along for the ride, like always. He turns on the radio, searching for something suitable for this joyride.
“These tricks that I'll attempt will blow your mind
Pick a verse, any verse--I'll hypnotize you with every line
I'll need a volunteer, how about you, with the eyes?
Come on down to the front and stand right here and don't be shy”
Tony and Gob shout in unison, exchanging a fist bump. They sing along, their voices competing with more than complimenting each other and they’re both more than a little off key. They don’t notice, and when Gob parks the limo on the street and cuts the engine, they grin at each other for a few seconds.
“We totally rocked that.”
“Maybe we should add singing to the show.”
“YEAH!”
“YES!”
Tony looks out the window, notices where he is for the first time, and stills.
“Gob?”
Gob is being a little shit on purpose now, playing dumb. He does that a lot, actually. Tony is the only person who calls him out on it, which is rather disturbing, because that means everyone else severely underestimates Gob. Either that, or he’s just honed the skill so well over the years that no one else notices that Gob’s head tilts when he’s faking; when he’s actually confused, Gob tends to freeze and bluff his way out of the situation.
“Gob. Cut it out. Why are we here? You know you can’t find doves at an adoption center? Is this because another one died? I’m not sure they’ll keep selling them to you, baby-”
Gob scoffs, overconfidence everywhere but in his eyes. “No. We’re here to adopt a cat. Or a kitten. Depends on which one you want. Cause I think grown cats are sturdier, but kittens are cuter, although I read online that-”
“Are you even a cat person?”
He looks into Gob’s eyes, trying to see if he realizes how big of a deal adopting a kitten will be. That it will take time, and effort, and that it won’t be like with the doves and the rabbits.
“Not that I know of. But you are a cat person. And I’m a Tony person. So, let’s go get a cat.” Gob strides off, his legs too long, as always, leaving Tony to jog beside him, trying to catch up.
Gob enters the store like he always does, arms spread wide in a “come get me” pose, or like he’s opening for a five thousand person show and hearing the roar of a crowd. Tony sometimes suspects that Gob always hears applause, like the soundtrack to his life. It’s really freaking adorable.
Some young volunteer runs up, all smiles. “Hello! Welcome to the Happy Animals Adoption Center, are you interested in any animals in particular?”
Gob laughs a little. “Of course! We’re here for a cat - or a kitten. We’re married!” Gob lifts up Tony’s hand and shows off the ring.
The volunteer looks like she’s about to burst. “Oh, how wonderful!”
“Yeah, like ten minutes ago!”
She looks a bit confused, but presses on. “Okay. Well, you two can head on over to the back and take a look around-”
Gob has a look in his eye that Tony has seen many, many times before. He decides to just head on to the back with the cages anyway, just to look. He can hear Gob starting up-
“I don’t think you heard me, we’re married, I have the license in the car if you need it, you people let gay people adopt cats, right? Because that’s messed up if you don’t, probably super illegal, and my family has this lawyer, well, he’s kind of a lawyer, Barry Zuckerkorn, and since we’re married I’m pretty sure you have to let us adopt a cat-”
The poor girl is trying to explain to Gob that their shelter has no problem with letting same-sex couples adopt, they don’t need to show their marriage license, you don’t need to be married to have a cat, and really, there’s no need for lawyers. But Tony is barely listening. He’s too entranced by the cutest pile of fluff he’s ever seen.
She (Tony thinks it’s a girl, you just know these things) is looking up at him with massive blue eyes, unblinking. Her fur is the softest grey, and oh my god, she has a little ring of white on her tail. Tony hesitantly extends a hand, he knows that with cats you have to let them come to you. But she immediately bumps her head against his hand, and holy shit he’s in love. The cat purrs and his heart melts a little. He gives her a scratch behind her ear, and they’re bonding. There is no way they’re leaving without her.
Tony gently picks her up, and she snuggles into the crook of his arm. He carefully walks back to where the volunteer is still trying to calm Gob. Gob’s voice dies down when he sees the look on Tony’s face. He coughs.
“Um, can we please adopt this one?”
The volunteer looks a little more frazzled and less smiley than when they started, but she looks relieved and not pissed, which is more than most people can say when they finish arguing with Gob. She nods, and leads them to a little station filled with paperwork. Gob whispers in Tony’s ear that they could probably take the cat and run, but Tony tells him that he wants to make this official.
“Does she have a name?”
The volunteer’s smile comes back. “Yeah. Her previous owners named her Magic.”
The pen falls from Gob’s fingers, clattering as it hits the floor. Gob and Tony look at each other, and then back at Magic.
“Is everything okay?”
Gob pulls himself up to his full height. “We. Need. To. Adopt. This. Cat.”
The volunteer sighs a little. “Sir, that is what we are in the process of doing.”
Gob breaks into a wild grin. “Oh yeah. Well, okay then.” He leans in, more cautious than Tony, and tentatively pets Magic on her back. Tony probably isn’t supposed to hear what Gob whispers to Magic, but he does, and it hits him then, that he’s married, to a guy, to Gob of all guys. And he couldn’t be happier.
“Hey Magic. Are you ready to come home with Tony Wonder and me?”
And when they finally do get home, after the paperwork and the signing and a stop at the pet store where only Tony is allowed in now, Gob hiding in the car on the phone telling Tony what to get, which ends up being way too many toys for one small cat, and Tony starts to think that maybe more cats are in their future, but definitely no more than 5, that’s crazy territory- after all of that, and another car ride where they sing along to the radio and hold hands at red lights... he looks at his husband and kisses the shit out of him, Magic weaving between their feet, and the world is, well, magical.