Chapter Text
As soon as he had just graduated from college, his parents suddenly shoved him into a marriage proposal.
Well, rather than a marriage proposal, it was a contract. Established in order to keep his family and Urokodaki, the mentioned contractor, tied since his family didn’t have anything else to offer.
It sounds rude, cruel even, but that’s the truth.
Giyuu’s parents were having a dead-end in their business. Unless they were backed by a strong company or at least enough finances, his parents’ little company would fall apart. That is why, his parents, as desperate as they are, are trying to get help from big companies, offering contracts. Unfortunately, most of the company rejected them, not seeing any benefits from accepting a contract from such a small company.
Giyuu knew that his parents were terrible in managing their business, but he never expected it to be bad enough to the extent that they needed another company's help. A bigger one, even.
And then, just like a miracle, the Urokodaki company offered to help them, in exchange for marriage with their sole heir. It sounded almost impossible, as Urokodaki was one of the most influential companies in the country. To them, helping Giyuu’s family company from collapsing was probably just a small hindrance.
But why marriage with their one and only successor?
Giyuu only could think of two probable reasons. The first is that the contract is to make sure that when they form a bond with one family, the other family wouldn’t have anything against them. In the worst case scenario, if the two companies split up, Urokodaki wouldn’t have anything to lose.
The second reason would be that they were desperate enough to get their child married for some unfathomable reason, and they just didn’t care who it was.
Giyuu’s parents actually wanted Tsutako, Giyuu’s sister to do it, but she’s out of the question since she’s already married. It was lucky that she leads a good life. There is no way Giyuu’s parents would ever bother her married life.
Giyuu is the only child they can count on.
Giyuu sighed as he prepared himself for his arranged matchmaking, tying up his long blue hair while wondering if it’s really okay for the Urokodaki family to get their only son married with another man. All he knows about the heir is that he is a man. Not that he cares much.
His heart is too busy to even think about it.
Giyuu only thought of this marriage as a way to escape from the feelings he had been desperately trying to hold off since the beginning of high school. It’s amazing that he could love someone that hardly ever noticed him, whether it was in high school or the campus. He can’t blame the other party since Giyuu himself has never made any real effort to get closer to his long-time crush.
Maybe through this marriage, he can somehow move onto a new part of his life. Let go of this love he was still desperately trying to keep.
“We have arrived, Giyuu. Remember to behave yourself.”
Even though I always behave myself.
Giyuu did not say that out loud. He only nodded as he got off the car, trailing his parents’ steps as they entered the hotel that Urokodaki Group has established, the Wisteria Hotel. An employee greets them at the lobby before guiding them to the prearranged room for their first meeting with the Urokodaki family.
As they entered the luxurious meeting room, Giyuu’s heart almost leaped from its place when he saw the figure who haunted his heart for nearly 7 years.
The peach-hair, the tall and broad figure, his sharp gaze scanning around in boredom, his scarred cheek resting on his right hand.
Sabito.
Yes, that is the man who never fails to make Giyuu’s heart stutter. Always making him freeze in his place whenever his lips curve into a smile, even if it’s mostly never directed at Giyuu.
Why is he here?
“Welcome, Tomioka. We’ve been expecting you, please sit down.” A middle-aged man stood up from his place and gestured for Giyuu and his parents to sit down before the waiting Urokodaki family.
After both Giyuu and his parents had sat down, Urokodaki started the conversation.
“As we have discussed a few days ago, we will help you if you allow your child to marry our one and only son, Urokodaki Sabito,” Sabito’s father said, sighing as he looked at his son, before glancing at Giyuu. “I was surprised when you told me that it’s your son who would marry mine, instead of your daughter.”
This time, the man glanced at Giyuu again, as if scanning him with his sharp eyes, “But not that we mind. Especially when you have a son this gorgeous.”
Is it really okay to say that out loud when you only want to establish contracts between us?
But, most importantly, are you really serious about this? Is this Sabito we’re talking about? The heir who is going to marry me? That Sabito?!
“Sabito, that’ll be your partner in the future. Treat him well,” The man said as he looked at Sabito.
“Yes, father,” Sabito replied lazily, staring at the blue-haired man with amusement sparkling in his gaze.
The other party couldn’t face the sharp stare, so he tilted his face downwards, forcing his deep ocean blue eyes to meet the tiles.
“I would very well like to know more about your future partner, but I feel that you should know him better, with you being the one who is married to him. Go to the hotel restaurant and take Giyuu with you. Your mother and I will discuss more things with your future in-laws,” Sabito’s father ordered Sabito.
His words were answered with his son’s sigh, but he stood up anyway, walking till his tall figure was right beside Giyuu.
“Come on now, I’ll lead you the way.”
A little dazed, Giyuu nodded quickly and stood up from his seat. He followed Sabito’s lead, walking out and away from the meeting room.
For the entire journey, Giyuu was too nervous to calm himself down. He was walking side by side with his former crush, something that he could never have done in the past with his lack of interaction with this peach haired man.
He can only hope that he doesn’t faint when he finally sits in front of Sabito at the said restaurant.
“So,” Sabito started to open his mouth, “Care to exchange your name with me?”
The dark blue-haired man nodded almost immediately. “Tomioka Giyuu.”
“Giyuu, is it?” Sabito repeated. It sounds like singing when Sabito says Giyuu’s name. “Urokodaki Sabito.”
“….Sabito-san.”
“I don’t really like honorifics, but that’ll do for now,” Sabito handed the menu back to the waitress after they finished ordering the food. After the waitress went by, Sabito shifted, his gaze fixed on Giyuu’s face. Giyuu can feel his face growing hot by now.
It’s as if Sabito could burn him just by looking at him.
Please, say something, or else I’ll explode.
“How is it feeling?”
“Huh? What feeling?”
“About being part of the Urokodaki family.”
The man jolted, staring at the peach haired man with a stunned expression.
“I don’t really… feel anything.” Ever since Giyuu understood that he would be getting married, the only thing he was thinking about was how to move on from this man in front of him, not about what he would feel when he becomes part of a prestigious family.
“Really? Most of the girls I met in my matchmakings always said that they can’t wait to see the Urokodaki name on them, it’s really annoying,” Sabito said in disappointment, playing with the spoon on his table. “Nothing of the sort?”
“No, not really.”
“Anyway, have we ever met before? You look awfully familiar, but I just can’t recall.”
As much as Giyuu wanted to say yes, he just shook his head, “No. I don’t think we have.”
Sabito glared at Giyuu, as though trying to find fault in his answers, but instead let out another sigh and said, “Well, not that mattered anyway.”
It matters, at least to me.
“Anyway, you know what? Our parents have their way of establishing the contract, but I have my ways to make sure that this marriage wouldn’t be a burden for both of us.”
Burden? I almost died in happiness when I knew I would be married to you.
But Giyuu didn’t say that.
“I don’t really like this idea of sudden marriage, honestly,” Sabito said bluntly. “But my old man has always been pushing me to find a partner quickly, since all of his relatives had married and it’s only me left, which is really annoying. I don’t give a shit about that but my mother kept nagging me about that too. That’s why when they brought this up, I just accepted it.”
Giyuu has figured out as much as that.
“I’m saying this so you don’t expect anything from me. You don’t have to worry, I’m going to fulfill everything you need once we are married, but don’t expect our relationship to go any further than that,” Sabito said. “This is only a contract to save your family from poverty. So do your best not to annoy the hell out of me. I don’t want to do things like this and it’s just because we’re married. Are we clear?”
As clear as the sky, as sharp as the blade, it pierced every bit of Giyuu’s heart.
He has the chance to live with the man he has always loved, but at what cost? To never expect to be loved back.
And only being looked at as someone who is desperate to get benefits from this contract, even though Giyuu has never thought that way.
But will this man in front of him believe him if he says so?
“Don’t think that we’ll get closer just because we’re married. Is that understood?” But foolish as he was, he nodded.
He will accept it.
He has to do his best to adhere to Sabito’s terms and conditions in their upcoming marriage while keeping his broken heart together.