Work Text:
Five times, he had checked. The hall and decorations were perfect, the guests were all arriving, perfectly dressed, Rei's own suit was a perfect fit, with no last minute stains or rips. Makoto had even assured him that Nagisa looked perfect, as well, since he had insisted they weren't allowed to see each other before the ceremony.
Everything was perfect. Rei couldn't have been more worried. He was stuck in the too-small room for another few minutes, and made the best of it by walking back and forth, trying to think of things besides the blond man waiting for him just a few rooms over.
The weather sure was nice. Big fluffy white clouds against a bright blue background; perfect for pictures later. And it wasn't too hot, so they wouldn't be sweating through their clothes.
Nagisa had said they should go out for ice cream later in the evening. After such a big day, he thought it would be nice to do something normal and relax. Rei couldn't help but imagine them, brand new rings on fingers wrapped around cones of ice cream, vanilla for himself and strawberry for Nagisa, talking about their new life together.
But they had to get through the ceremony first. Rei sat on the uncomfortable wooden chair in the corner of the room and rubbed his temples. Maybe they were rushing into this. Thinking about the ice cream fantasy he'd just imagined, they still seemed to childish. As far as he knew, their other friends hadn't even talked about marriage yet, and he and Nagisa were a full year younger.
When he had proposed, he had meant for them to wait longer. Find stable jobs, maybe do some travelling, go back to school, more travelling, adopt a dog, and get married when they finally felt like proper adults.
He'd gotten ahead of himself with thinking about the wedding, asking for recommendations on a venue and food, and before he knew it, they had a date set and Nagisa was mailing out invitations. It had seemed fun, and still miles away at the time. But here they were, minutes away from meeting in front of an alter, ready to promise themselves to the other for the rest of time, for better or for worse.
Rei hadn't even noticed that he had started walking the length of the room again.
It wasn't like this was something he could just walk away from. He would never--could never do that to Nagisa, especially not just because of a few anxieties. Even if it was too soon, they loved each other, and they'd be able to work it out.
Right?
"You're going to wear a hole in that floor, Rei." Makoto was standing in the doorway, arms crossed. "Nagisa told me you'd be like this. He told me to tell you that everything is going to be fine, and that he's nervous, too, but you'll get through it just fine."
Rei blushed and nodded. All too often, he underestimated how well Nagisa understood him. There was a reason he proposed in the first place, after all. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew their marriage couldn't be perfect all the time; too much perfection was unhealthy. But they could overcome any challenges. "Tell him that I'm ready when he is."
He had also wanted to say, "and tell him I love him," but Rei was saving that for when they were face to face at the beginning of their new life together, and for every day after that, forever.