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Keigo paces back and forth his suite, fidgeting ever so slightly with his necktie, mumbling the vows he is to share with you during the wedding, ever so anxious about the reception, about your family, about the words he might fumble over, and most importantly, about you.
He glances at the clock to make sure he's not late or mistaking the time for something else-- the hero who's too fast should most likely be confident about his time and tardiness, but somehow, he feels the need to check the clock every now and then, as if time would pass him by and you'd leave him at the altar, your legs tired from waiting for him.
Your cousins go up to check on him and offer some consolation and comfort, words of affirmation that didn't really seem comforting at all for Keigo and just managed to spur his anxiety even further.
"She's beautiful, Takami! Like seriously-- you wouldn't recognize her. It's like she was replaced by someone else, lol."
"Literally shut up you juvenile, that's her husband you're talking to."
"Am i not right though? She was hideous to me as a baby-- don't lie ma!"
Your aunt flicks the back of your younger cousin's head and walks up to Keigo slowly, aged lines around her eyes crinkling to reveal a soft and motherly smile that eases some of the tension in the room.
Growing up, Keigo Takami was always alone, no room for family in a life of an industry hero, one groomed, made, and polished to perfection to be the ideal hero the commission trained him to be. Before there was you, there were some people that filled the emptiness in his life for a little while till they eventually and inevitably left him, unwilling to keep up with his job and with his career. Or maybe they didn't understand his need for something of his own, something that wasn't given by the commission-- something that he could call his own.
Call it cliche, selfish, or ordinary, but all Keigo Takami wanted was something real. A sense of normalcy in his life that was so carefully fragmented and intricately crafted, in his world that felt superficial, the world in which he had to cater to rankings, fans, and the commission; a place where he could stop digging his grave for a moment, for something to pull him from the sand, or for something to allow him to be vulnerable and not ask at all about the scars and where it came from, not ask about the wounds and treat him wholly, for something to be patient enough till he showcased himself. In this case, someone.
You made sure he had a place to come back to, even after he made it clear he wasn't looking for a relationship after his last one turned out to be a mess where his previous partner wouldn't stop prying about his wounds; and you made it clear that you didn't want anything with him either, you were doing this as a friend.
He often flew into your small apartment while you were working, a boyish grin on his face as he toes off his boots and sets them aside, making a beeline for the kitchen where you'd already have a meal waiting for him now that his visits were frequent.
He would watch you work, nest into your side and try to read the words you were typing or the paperwork you were sorting out till he eventually fell asleep, the fatigue from his line of work getting to him before he could even go to his own place. You would sigh and throw a blanket over him and continue working.
Both of your touches never went further than the slight graze of your fingers when you read together, his hand supporting you as you try to reach up for a condiment in your cabinet, your hands burrowing themselves into his wild, unruly hair as you both watch the same old shit the TV played.
It was funny, a little tragic even, how you both were so oblivious to your feelings before you officially dated. Keigo was hesitant to push too far with you because of his past and how everyone he's been with always makes a big deal of the normal things he never had, and you were scared to throw away a friendship too good for your feelings you thought would never be reciprocated, having been abandoned and used in the past.
Eventually, fate had found its way into your arms, opened your eyes rather painfully, and you took the risk. So did Keigo.
You did not ask him where he came from, he did not ask you; you waited for him to come home, understanding the range of his career as a hero and how much it meant to him, and he treated you carefully, always making sure to show up on your doorstep no matter what. You gave him real, domestic bliss; kissed him like the morning sun kisses the sky, held him like the stars hold the moon, and loved him as deeply as the universe could ever go.
There were some fights that were unavoidable, yes; but that was all part of things that real people do. Your disagreements weren't the end, and you always had positive reinforcements and affirmations to help diffuse the situation.
You'd hold him when he shook in his sleep, caress him gently when he quietly sobbed in front of you as he told you about his past, and you reminded him that you were always going to be there for him, unwavering and unwilling to disappear.
You didn't pry about his past until he felt comfortable with you, and to be frank, you didn't really mind as long as he was and he remained here.
Your family accepted Keigo as their own, and it was the first time he felt the full force of a large family like yours when you took him home for dinner when you both had finally gone out. Your dad didn't have the bad gut feeling as he did with your past partners; your mom didn't stay silent as she had with your other partners, and they felt at ease with the man you brought home. It's as of they knew his intentions with you; the intention to love you whole-heartedly.
"Keigo, dear boy," your aunt dusted off the sleeves of his suit.
"I can hear your heartbeat," she refers to her quirk and looks at him with stern eyes. "My sister is still with your wife, dolling her up as we speak."
Keigo perks up at the mention of you as his wife, easing some of the anxiety he had stored up.
"You love her, right?" Your aunt asks with the voice she used to chastise you with when you were younger.
Keigo breathes out a sigh as he pictures you in a white dress, joyful and bright, and suddenly he feels at peace.
"With all my heart."
Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in Keigo's life, one that he will now share with you forever.
He now waits for you at the altar, his wings neatly tucked behind him, golden locks gelled back, and his written vows stored safely in his breastpocket.
The venue looks beautiful, ethereal, even; you've chosen a little wooden chapel in your hometown that gave off a woodland feel, a warm and familiar radiance filling up the space as the sun shines through the stained glass.
The thought of forever lingers in his mind and scares him for a bit till he remembers a wide variety of things such as; waking up next to you every morning prior to today, quietly laughing to himself as he looks at the drool dribbling from your chin, mouth open a bit too wide, and definitely not light snoring-- he snaps a picture as a souvenir to laugh at for when he's away weeks on end. His heart always aches a little bit when he thinks of you sleeping in your shared bed, a tad too big for you to sleep alone in.
He remembers how you got lost in a city where he was temporarily assigned to by the commission to patrol, how you wanted to surprise him with a hearty packed lunch you spent the entire morning preparing only to find yourself lost among the city's port-- your stubbornness refusing to call your boyfriend in fear that the surprise might be ruined, only for him to answer a call from you; huffing and whiny, probably tired from roaming around the port. He finds you sat on a bench facing the sea, phone clutched to your ear as you continue to talk to him, unaware he already spotted you from afar.
He remembers the night you held him close as though you were never letting him go, where he finally felt free and where he finally found home; he accepts forever if it means he gets to return everything you've done for him a hundred more times, forever.
Keigo almost misses the opening of the doors and his breath halts for a moment as he sees your figure, dressed in white, stunning and magical, enter the chapel as your favorite song plays.
So it's true, what everybody says about weddings where the groom sheds a tear upon seeing his bride for the first time, Keigo thinks to himself.
You send him the most beautiful and beaming smile, rivalling the morning sun that surrounded the chapel; your dress glowing heavenly, the light behind you effectively acting as a halo that outlined your body-- how you look divine in his eyes, how he would give the world for you, how he would devote his life to you.
Your trembling hands clutch the bouquet of wildflowers as you try to catch your breath. Your husband looked dazzling and handsome as ever.
You whisper to yourself, knowing that he could hear you from afar.
"I love you."
---
"What's this song?" your boyfriend asks as he settles down the grocery he had just bought from the local convenience on the counter, looking towards the speaker. Keigo had finally snagged himself a well-deserved break for vacation and you both decided to go home to your hometown and show him round the place you grew up in; the wooden house by the sea.
Music played from your speaker was accompanied by the soft waves of the sea clashing into the shore, the faint breeze of the palm trees, and the birds chirping in the glow of the afternoon.
Keigo spots you in the middle of the kitchen, golden with afternoon sun, sundress flowing as smoothly as liquid diamond, and my god, were you beautiful.
i could not ask you where you came from
You slowly moved to the music that was playing and smiled widely at Keigo, the sun bouncing off the wooden floors that created a familiar warmth; the afternoon light reflecting off your legs as you hummed to the music.
i could not ask you, neither could you
"It's my favorite song," you sigh as Keigo wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to him as he gently guided you into a little dance that had you giggling like a love-struck fool. Well, that made sense.
You nuzzled your face into his chest, your hums sending vibrations through his golden chest earning a low purr from your boyfriend.
"If it's your favorite," he lifts your chin up to face him. "Then it's mine, too."
honey just put your sweet lips on my lips,
He kisses your forehead, tracing the outline of your body with his rough, calloused hands as you lean into his touch; till he finally plants a kiss to your lips. Everything just felt so right, so surreal, so perfect; like this moment was written in the stars to happen, as if you both were lost in the expanse of time, forever etched into his memory.
He felt real. You were real. Not just what his heart has longed and ached for so long; it wasn't the flashes of memories he had before, one where he thought was from a past life; this was real, and so were you.
we should just kiss like real people do.