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Waking up in the morning and seeing his engagement ring sitting on the nightstand was definitely the highlight of Akira’s day. That glittering silver band with the beautiful red gemstone that sparkled when the morning sunlight hit it at the most perfect angle. Sitting right next to it, more often than not, was the matching bronze band with its own yellow gem affixed onto it.
Waking up and seeing those rings made him start his day with a smile once he remembered.
He was engaged to Ryuji Sakamoto. The sweetest man in the world, his highschool sweetheart, the love of his life. They were planning their wedding. He couldn’t be happier.
Unfortunately, nobody ever told them how hard it was to plan a wedding.
There were so many aspects to cover that Akira had never thought of. When you’re young and thinking about getting married, the only thing you really think about is your clothes and the image of yourself and your fiancée at the altar. You never thought about the location, the food, the flowers, the decorations, the guest list, the registry, the budget. There were so many things that made up a wedding that it was almost overwhelming.
When they finally sat down and made a list of the things that needed to be done, that was when it started to sink in how much work they would have to do. Akira noticed how quiet Ryuji had gotten as their list continued to grow and he could practically feel the anxiety coming off of him. Eager to put his fiancé at ease, Akira had insisted that he could handle it (and he probably could, he was good at juggling so many things at once and that gave him flashbacks to their highschool days), but Ryuji had just shook his head and told him to stop being stupid. But in a fond way.
Ryuji asserted that he would help Akira out with the wedding planning to the best of his ability and he wasn’t going to leave it all on Akira’s shoulders. “I mean, this is my wedding as much as it is yours. It makes sense.” He’d said, idly running his fingers through his black and blonde hair.
And Akira couldn’t argue with that logic. It was small and Ryuji didn’t have to do much for Akira to adore him, but he still thought that it was incredibly sweet that Ryuji was insisting so hard on helping.
From there, they went and categorized everything that needed to be done by subject. For decorations, they would need flowers and other decor along with a color scheme. That part was easy; Haru was their expert in flowers and Yusuke was the one with the aesthetics. Speaking of Yusuke and his aesthetics…
There was also the matter of a theme. Both Akira and Ryuji agreed that they didn’t want some boring, simple wedding with just a ceremony in a church. Their relationship was special and the experiences they were able to share were exclusive to them and them alone. It only made sense that they came up with a masquerade themed wedding. Then that evolved into a Phantom Thief inspired wedding. And with such an elaborate theme in mind, they needed someone who could nail their vision with one-hundred percent accuracy.
Akira went to Yusuke one day when both of them were free, handing him a small notebook that had all of Akira’s ideas written down on it. A detailed description and a few drawings of their outfits, along with the masks to accompany them. Yusuke had taken to it like a moth drawn to a flame; staring and studying at the designs so intently that Akira was worried that Yusuke hadn’t been listening to a word he’d said. Yusuke surprised him by suddenly slamming the notebook down on the table and standing, his chair skidding behind him, loudly proclaiming that he would happily take on the task and how honored he was to be chosen as their designer.
When they discussed payment, Yusuke insisted that this ‘masterpiece’ wouldn’t require funds but Akira didn’t let him get very far in his monologue before putting down a price, stating that that was going to be Yusuke’s payment, and then leaving before Yusuke could even reject it.
With their decorations and theme out of the way, the next items on their list covered the food and the location.
Ryuji actually sat down with his mom to discuss what food should be at the wedding. His mother recalled some memories from her own wedding for ideas and Ryuji felt bad that he was bringing up what could be bittersweet memories for her. When she saw the trepidation on his face, she was quick to assure him that whatever happened with his father was in the past and they didn’t need to tread around it. Now, she was devoted to making sure her baby’s wedding was completely flawless and Ryuji went home that night with a list to go over with Akira and some of his mom’s desserts in a tupperware container.
The location was hard to decide at first. They struggled to think of a way to have a wedding in Japan, since they weren’t entirely sure if they would be seen as a couple in the eyes of their government. To go through all the trouble only to find out that their marriage wouldn’t even be real was disappointing to just think about. When Akira first expressed his fears, Ryuji was quick to assure him, with a determined glint in his eyes, that they would find a way to get married and have a big, dramatic wedding to prove everyone wrong.
Leave it to his Ryuji to lift his spirits whenever he needs it. God, he loved him so much.
The idea came to Akira before bed one night as he was laying wrapped up in their blankets, scrolling through his phone and waiting for Ryuji to finish up in the bathroom. He scrolled past a tropical looking ad for a hotel or a resort and the idea struck him like lightning. It gave him flashbacks to their highschool trip to Hawaii, where Ryuji and Ann got kicked out of their rooms, Akira had to sleep on the couch while Ryuji slept on the floor, and Mishima spent the last few nights getting sick in the bathroom.
Hawaii. An island in America. Where same-sex marriage was legal.
They could get married in America, get an official wedding certificate, and bring it back to Japan to shove it in everyone’s faces.
Akira got so excited from his revelation that he jumped straight out of bed and burst into the bathroom to explain everything and Ryuji almost choked on his mouthwash.
By the time Akira was done talking, Ryuji was just as excited as he was. He’d pulled Akira into a hug so tight that his ribs ached afterwards but it was so worth it. They were so happy and excited that neither of them could even sleep afterwards. They spent hours sitting in bed, researching spots in Hawaii until they’d passed out around three in the morning.
The wedding registry and invitations were quite possibly the easiest part of the entire planning process. It was taken care of in their apartment and involved a lot of lounging on the couch with their phones or laptop open and browsing or sitting at the coffee table writing and signing their specialized invites. Usually with maybe a few glasses of wine and some takeout. And getting distracted by TV.
The invitations were probably the easiest part. Akira and Ryuji had nearly the same exact friend group while Akira had a whole group of people he’d befriended while serving out his probation and had helped the Phantom Thieves in their endeavors. It was a whole range of people, too; the gun shop owner and his son, the doctor who ran the Yongen clinic, a politician, a Shogi champion, a fortune teller. All who inevitably found out about the Phantom Thieves.
And they said Ryuji was the one who couldn’t keep a secret.
Their wedding invites were custom made as well, also thanks to Yusuke’s designs. They brought back the calling card aesthetic from their thief days along with a personalized message for each one.
’You are hereby cordially invited to the wedding of Joker and Skull,
who have stolen each other’s hearts and left this calling card behind’
Reading through and signing all the cards just made it all seem more official and Akira was giddy at the thought that he was getting married. When Ryuji noticed the happy little grin on his face while signing, he couldn’t help but pull Akira in for a kiss and let him know just how cute he was.
Ryuji never expected that he’d fall in love with his highschool best friend, who also turned out to be a guy, but he wouldn’t trade him for the world. He’d come to him at the darkest point in his life so far and kept him going when little else could. Akira was perfect, more than perfect; they connected like no one else could. There was no one else he’d rather spend the rest of his life with.
Oh, those would be good wedding vows. He should save that.
Their suits arrived about two weeks before the wedding date. Black was their color; always has been and always would be. They couldn’t have a Phantom Thief themed wedding without their Phantom Thief attire. They also didn’t want to make it too obvious so they had the outfits redesigned for the wedding.
Although, they also had replicas of their masks created along with the outfit. If anyone got suspicious, they would just say they were big fans.
Akira’s Joker jacket was trimmed so it wasn’t as long (couldn’t have him tripping over it while dancing or god forbid, walking down the aisle) and there was a thin, stylish belt that wrapped around his waist to keep the jacket from getting too loose. His vest stayed the same, long sleeves and all under the coat, along with the red, matching gloves. The only difference was he requested a red and black corset that Ryuji approved of greatly. He traded his baggy long pants for thinner, formal pants but kept the heeled boots.
On days where Akira missed the Phantom Thieves the most, he would often go on and on about how much he missed those boots. Ryuji bought him a pair once and while Akira loved and adored them, they didn’t match up to his Joker boots. It made sense, though; those boots came from his ideal pair.
For Ryuji’s outfit, he wanted to keep the punk aesthetic he called upon the day he earned his Persona but still wanted it formal enough for the wedding. The collar was hemmed shorter and the metal spine removed from the jacket. He insisted on having his ‘cool-ass’ belt and his ascot, along with his yellow gloves.
Putting that jacket back on brought back a lot of memories and Ryuji wanted to commend the designer for getting their designs right on the first try. Yusuke assured them that they were the best money could buy and the designer was a graduate of Kosei in Yusuke’s year so he knew her well.
He had no doubt that these were quite possibly the strangest requests the designers had received but then he thought of the possibility that someone had already had a Phantom Thief themed wedding back during the height of their popularity.
(One internet search later did indeed confirm that theory with pictures of a red and black tiered wedding cake, along with a picture of a bride and groom dressed as ‘thieves’ but the groom was wearing a top hat and the bride was wearing the wrong color of gloves.
Akira said he hated the top hat and nobody in the Thieves wore one. Ryuji was quick to point out that Akira’s own Persona wore a gigantic top hat. Akira refused to continue the conversation.)
A week before the wedding was when they boarded the plane to Hawaii to get the venue prepared. They were staying in the same hotel where the wedding was taking place and the location was beautiful. A perfect view of the island’s ocean. The room they rented out was large and spacious, perfect for setting up plenty of tables and equipment. Akira got them nice rooms to stay in before the wedding but also pulled some strings to get the honeymoon suite reserved for the night of the wedding.
There were too many times to count during the wedding planning where Ryuji was thankful for Akira’s wealthy background. He’d heard plenty of stories of couples planning a ‘simple’ wedding until they went over budget immediately for napkin holders but now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember if he and Akira had set up a budget in the first place. In hindsight, maybe that was a good thing.
A week seemed to pass by in a blink of an eye. Before they knew it, it was the day before they were to be married and everything was all prepared. The guests had arrived, all the tables were set up and decorations arranged. All that was left was to wait until it was time.
Akira and Ryuji decided to go through the age old wedding tradition of not seeing each other the day before the wedding and had their Best Women keep them away from each other. Ann spent the day distracting Ryuji while Futaba dragged Akira all around the town to look at all the neat souvenirs. It didn’t stop them from missing each other, though. They kept in touch via sappy texts throughout the day when their handlers had their backs turned but it wasn’t the same.
When night fell and they were just a few hours away from the wedding, Akira’s phone rang from his nightstand when he was about to go to bed. He didn’t even bother reading to see who it was before picking it up.
“Hello?”
”Hey. You still up?”
“Nope, fast asleep. I’m sleepwalking right now.”
”All right, all right. Dumb question, I get it.”
There was a pause where neither of them spoke. Akira settled back against the hotel pillows.
“So… tomorrow’s the big day.”
”Yep. You’re not gettin’ cold feet, are ya?”
Akira snorted. “Yes, Ryuji. I spent months working on this wedding with you and now is when I decide to second-guess it. Of course I’m not.”
”Okay, good. Cuz that would be way too embarrassin’ to get stood up at my own wedding.”
Akira laughed along with Ryuji on the other end. Another beat of silence that gave time for Akira to think.
“Honestly… I’m feeling an array of emotions. Like, it just hit me all of a sudden. I’m nervous, I’m antsy, I’m excited. And a little scared.”
”Scared?”
“Yeah, it’s… it’s hard to explain. I’m not having any doubts about us, don’t worry. I guess it’s just the fact that it’s finally happening. We spent months planning and it’s finally here and… I don’t know what I’m feeling.”
There was a long pause that felt like hours but what must’ve been only seconds where Ryuji didn’t say a word. Akira was about to open his mouth to tell him to just forget about his ramblings so they could go to bed but Ryuji cut him off.
”Yeah, I get what you mean. It’s like… we’re taking this huge step in our lives and everything’s gonna change afterwards. And it’s scary.” Akira heard some light shuffling in the background and guessed that Ryuji must be laying in his bed as well. ”But we’re doin’ it together, and that makes it a little less scary. Cuz we’ll have each other, yeah?”
Akira couldn’t describe it any better if he tried. It was true that this was a major step forward in their lives and they couldn’t predict what was going to happen next. But they had each other to rely on for support and tomorrow was just them reaffirming that they’d be together to handle whatever the future planned to throw at them.
“Yeah, exactly.” Akira failed to keep the shakiness out of his voice and he hurriedly wiped at his misty eyes before he could overwhelm himself.
On the phone, he heard Ryuji’s soft laughter. ”You big softie. I swear, if you start crying tomorrow then you’re gonna get me goin’ and it’s gonna be awkward for everyone.”
“Hey, it’s my wedding and if I want to cry until I throw up then I’m gonna cry.”
”It’s my wedding too!”
Akira wiped away the wetness out of the corner of his eye and laughed, feeling like he wanted to cry again from how happy he was right now. But he’d save up those tears for tomorrow.
They sat in pleasant silence for a little longer, neither feeling the need to fill the space with chatter. Until Ryuji finally spoke up, in a much softer voice than before.
”Hey. I love you.””
Akira’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much and he blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay.
“I love you too. So much.”
He could practically feel the adoration through the phone and he wished so badly that Ryuji was there in his room. It made him wish tomorrow would come sooner.
”All right, you. Time for bed. Don’t wanna look all grumpy walkin’ down the aisle cuz you didn’t get enough beauty rest.”
“You’re the one who called me!”
”Yeah, cuz I missed you! Ann would probably kick my ass if she knew I was talkin’ to you right now. She kept goin’ on and on about how ‘romantic’ it was to keep us separated until the wedding.”
“Futaba was the same, except I think she just liked pulling me around the island all day and buying her things.”
”Aw shit, that’s right. She probably already knows I’m talkin’ to you, right?”
“Knowing her? Probably.”
”Damn. Welp, I didn’t get to talk to or see you all day, so sue me for missing my boyfriend.”
“Ryuji, by tomorrow night, I’m going to be your husband.”
”I know. I just wanted to hear you say it.”
Akira didn’t think his heart could take much more so he laughed and tried to keep the shakiness out of his voice.
“And you call me a sap. Go to bed, you.”
”All right, all right. You sound like Mona.”
“How dare you.”
He heard Ryuji laugh through the phone’s speaker as he pulled the blankets up and got comfortable.
“Okay, for real, though. Goodnight, Ryuji. I love you.”
”Night, ‘Kira. Love you too.”
The next morning was a beautiful, bright and shiny day. Akira got out of bed early, feeling refreshed and excited. Today was finally their big day. Months of planning had led up to this wonderful feeling in his chest.
He didn’t waste any time; hopping into the shower and making himself look as neat and presentable as he could. He was just grabbing his attire from the closet when Futaba and Haru burst into his hotel room and pulled him out to drag him downstairs.
He saw a glimpse of the reception hall as he was being taken to his room to get dressed and ready. A big, beautiful room filled with tables, decorations, and it looked like they were setting up the chairs near the altar. He didn’t get to see much but saw just enough to make his heart race with excitement.
Haru got right to work combing his hair and styling it almost as soon as Akira sat down. Futaba rushed out of the room to ‘fulfill her Best Woman duties’, whatever that meant. Makoto burst in just a few minutes afterwards, fussing over Akira’s outfit to make sure everything was in place. No loose threads, no missing buttons, he had his mask and his gloves.
Akira was almost afraid to move in the chair as the girls dolled him up. The powdered blush Makoto applied got into his nose and he had to hold back a sneeze or else face their wrath. It was a little overwhelming, sure, but he was confident that he would look great by the end of it.
On Ryuji’s end, he was less compliant.
Ann had dragged him down right before Akira (there was some coordination there to make sure the grooms didn’t cross paths), and was a little less gentle with the brush and comb. It was like Ryuji was going to be her masterpiece or something with how serious she was taking this. Then again, Ann gave this wedding her 110% ever since Ryuji asked her to be his Best Woman.
By the time Ann was done torturing him with the comb and had deemed him ‘pretty enough’ she left him with a quick hug so he could change into his outfit and make sure everything fit.
And everything was perfect. The outfit was exactly as he asked for and everything fit like a glove. Including the gloves.
He was struggling to tie his ascot when the door opened just slightly and his mother poke her head in.
“How’s my special man on his special day?”
“Maaaaa.” Ryuji groaned, partly in exasperation. “You still gonna treat me like a kid on my wedding day?”
“Of course I am, Juji. I’m your mother.” She stepped forward to fix his collar, check his buttons, and redo his ascot. His mother looked beautiful in a long, yellow dress that she told him she’d bought specifically for the wedding.
Her hands paused halfway through tying the knot and when he looked at her, he saw the absolute pride and adoration in her eyes. One hand slid up to cup his cheek. When did he get so tall?
“I’m so proud of you, Ryuji. I always have been.” The hand on his cheek moved down to lay upon his chest, right where his heart would be. “You’ve always had a big heart and so much love to give. You and Akira are going to be great for each other, I can tell.”
Her eyes started getting misty and Ryuji had to blink and look away for a moment. “Aw, Ma. Don’t get me started, Ann will kill me if I mess up whatever she put on my face.” He still reached up to wipe at his eyes but his mother beat him to it.
He pulled his mother in for a tight hug and she squeezed back just as hard. Some might’ve guessed that Ryuji got his strength from his father but they couldn’t be more wrong; you don’t mess with Sakamoto women and Ryuji had plenty of stories to back that up.
“I know you’re a big boy now and you’ll always have Akira, but make sure not to leave your mom out in the dust, yeah?”
“As if you would let me. How many times have you barged into our apartment unannounced cuz you wanted to cook dinner with me?”
“Is it a crime for a mother to want to spend time with her son?”
They both laughed and, reluctantly, pulled away. His mother finished tying his ascot and making him look presentable before stepping back to take him in.
“Oh, Juji. You look so handsome!” Ryuji couldn’t help but blush and rub the back of his neck out of embarrassment. It didn’t matter how old he was; his mom would still find ways to make him feel like a little kid again.
“Oh! We better get going. Don’t want Akira beating us to the altar, now would we?” His mother said after a quick look to the clock on the wall.
Ryuji stepped forward and held out his elbow for his mother to take and let her escort him to go wait at the altar for his soon-to-be husband.
(It still made Ryuji giddy to think about Akira being his husband instead of his boyfriend)
Just as Akira was messing with his hair in the mirror to fix it the way he wanted, he saw the door open through the mirror and felt a spike of terror at the thought of it being Haru or Makoto. To his relief, Sojiro walked in instead, wearing a spiffy white tuxedo.
“Well, look at you, all dolled up.” Akira stood up from his seat as Sojiro walked up to him.
“You have no idea.” Akira snorted lightly, examining his reflection in the mirror in front of them. “You’d think this was a royal wedding or something.”
“You guys put a lot of effort into making this happen, they just wanna make sure everything goes well.” Sojiro put a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed him.
Though they’d never called attention to it, it was pretty much universally agreed upon amongst his friends that Sojiro was basically his dad now. His birth family was… less than pleasant. Sojiro was the one Akira could rely on the most, right next to Ryuji. He still enjoyed working at the cafe when he could, chatting with Sojiro over curry and coffee. Any time Akira needed advice, or just someone to talk to, Sojiro was there. He couldn’t ask for a better father figure.
“You kids. Growing up so damn fast.” Both pretended not to hear the shakiness in Sojiro’s voice. “I remember the scrawny country bumpkin showing up on my doorstep, and now here I am about to walk him down the aisle.”
Akira smiled at the Sojiro in the mirror as the hand on his shoulder tightened just slightly. “Couldn’t have asked for a better guardian. Nobody would be willing to put up with my shenanigans for that long.”
“You got that right.” He and Sojiro laughed before Sojiro lightly patted him on the back and stepped back. “All right. You all set to go? Everyone’s ready to start.”
The realization that he was about to walk down the aisle hit him like a brick wall and Akira took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Sojiro wordlessly straightened his jacket for him while he got his bearings.
Nothing to be scared of. Just a big step, and he was going to take it with Ryuji.
“I’m ready.”
Sojiro led him back through the halls he came through and Akira noticed the changes. As they got closer to the reception hall, the decorations became more noticeable. Red flower petals made a trail along the carpet and the entryway was decorated with long, flowing ribbons and red and yellow flowers.
They turned the corner and Akira felt dozens of eyes look his way. Ryuji stood at the altar, dressed in his old Thieves outfit and looking as handsome as the day Akira met him. Hard to believe that a chance occurrence when they were teenagers turned into a grand wedding years later.
Sojiro walked him through the archway of flowers as the music started from somewhere. All their friends and family watched him walk down the aisle towards Ryuji, who stood there looking like he was anxious to just run up and grab Akira already. Their former Thieves were already in position; the girls looked beautiful in their gowns, while Yusuke and Morgana wore almost matching tuxedos. Morgana’s bell was exchanged for a yellow bowtie and he was primed and ready to present the rings when it was time.
The walk felt both long and short; it felt like he blinked and suddenly he was standing right in front of Ryuji. Their gloved hands came together, a mix of red and yellow, and Akira could tell how Ryuji was holding back by how he squeezed him. Akira could practically feel the excitement radiating off of Ryuji. His mask hid most of his face like it used to but Akira could still see the love and happiness on his face. His cheeks were already hurting from smiling.
Hifumi offered to officiate the wedding; Akira remembered how excited she was when she told him she got her license to make it official. She was talking but he could barely hear her.
Ryuji’s thumb traced over his fingers as she said the most important words. Mona strolled up with the pillow holding the rings in his teeth once they were asked for. They slipped the gloves off their hands to place the rings on their fingers. They looked each other in the eyes as they declared their ‘I do’s’.
When she gave the word, Ryuji dropped their hand hold first and pulled Akira in before he could. Strong arms wrapped tight around his waist in an almost crushing hug. Their first kiss as a married couple was met with cheers and applause from their closest companions. They never wanted it to end.
As soon as they pulled apart, Akira missed the feeling of Ryuji’s lips on his. He’d kissed Ryuji thousands of times before but that was one that he would never forget the feeling of.
He was married to the sweetest man in the world, his highschool sweetheart, the love of his life. And he couldn’t be happier.
“I love you, Ryuji Sakamoto.”
“I love you too, Akira Sakamoto.”