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“I’m nervous, Hana-chan,” Narumi whispered, the tears falling down my shimmering white gown, engulfed by the pure silk that hugged her body. Hanako took Narumi’s hands and placed them on hers, as she struggled to keep her own tears at bay.
Narumi guesses she’s been waiting for this day too. She wipes the tears left in her eyes, and they laugh- like they always have.
“He’s going to love you in this dress,” she gushed, her eyes and hands darting everywhere, examining the cloth, commenting vigorously on the gown’s design. “Actually, you know what? I think he’s gonna love you no matter what you wear.”
Narumi scratches at her red cheek, and she knows Hanako sees her fingertips shaking, because she shoots her a careful smile, taking her shaking hand in hers.
“Want to take a break? I brought you the new volume of that manga you lent me last time. I think it’s only fair,” she grinned.
Narumi broke an easy smile, and they both took a seat on the cushions next to the dressing room. Hanako talks to the tailor, and she takes her phone out of her bag. Narumi has received a dozen couple messages in the last 2 hours, and she can't help but laugh. Narumi bites her lip once she notices that people are looking over her. She quickly bows down in apology and just as quickly opens her phone.
"Silly Hirotaka," she murmured. "Did you miss me that much?"
Another ping! She looks back down at her phone and starts typing.
'I guess he has.' Her heart swells at the thought.
----
[Narumi POV]
I don’t know when I started falling in love with him, but I think I just did.
Hirotaka had always been Hirotaka - and I have always been his precious childhood friend, and he, mine. He has always been the geek that could coop himself up at home for days if it meant finishing a game - and yet at the same time, he would always take the time to open the door, a pink controller ready for me.
He always took his time with me.
Despite everything we've been through, and the time it took for me to truly realize just how much he meant to me - he's been waiting for a long time, huh?
My chest starts to hurt at the thought.
He was easy to read - I think I prided myself on being able to do so when he'd always kept himself open to me ever since we've become friends. It was amazing to see him in a different light, and how often we fell, raced, and finally settled on our pace. The Hirotaka that has always longed to grow up has finally caught up; but sometimes I wish we were kids again, if just for a little while.
But things have changed, and so have we. We were no longer children, and that distance we've kept had been filled. He was standing next to me.
Hirotaka had chosen to stand next to me.
----
"Have you been waiting long?" Narumi snapped out of her thoughts almost instantly, Hirotaka's continuous clicking like background music to an old favorite game. She smiles softly - the sound of game consoles and his monotone voice started to sound like home at some point, and hearing it always seemed to calm her down, washing her over with a sense of familiarity.
"Hirotaka??" Hanako's surprised voice made the two turn towards her, but before Narumi could ask what was wrong, she was already placing her hand on Hirotaka's eyes. "Why are you here?! This is supposed to be a surprise for the wedding, goddammit," she sputtered, hurrying Narumi along towards the dressing room to change.
"What's happening...here?" Tarou stands next to Hirotaka, and Hanako’s hand is still clutching at the poor man’s face, her nails surely about to leave a mark. Tarou feels the incoming headache, as he sends his wife a glare.
“What are you doing to Nifuji??? You’re literally scarring the man before his wedding, let him go,” Tarou narrowed his eyes, his hands immediately on hers, prying it off gently despite his tone.
Unfortunate for Tarou, Hanako was not as gentle. “Me?? SCARRING HIM?? He almost saw Narumi’s dress !! If anything, YOU’RE ruining the wedding! I told you we’ll be fitting her wedding dress so keep him entertained - but you didn’t even -”
“You’re being overdramatic!!” Tarou shot back, his hands going over his head, only to reveal a very familiar paper bag from a very familiar store.
Hanako narrowed her eyes, looking back and forth between her husband and the baggage he carried. “DID YOU JUST BUY THE SUPER RARE FIGURINE OF SAKURA-CHAN AND LEFT NIFUJI ON HIS OWN???”
“S-SO WHAT IF I DID-”
“I GAVE YOU ONE TASK-”
“HE’S A BIG MAN HE CAN DO WHAT HE WANTS-”
“YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!!”
“Um,” Hirotaka interjected, one of his earbuds falling off his ear. “I didn’t really see anything so,” he shrugged, rubbing his neck silently. The tips of his ears have turned red, despite what he says. Hanako lets out a quick sigh, which in turn, didn’t go unnoticed by Tarou. “And I don’t really care what Narumi-don will wear - I think I’ll like it anyways.”
“That’s what I said,” Hanako muttered, shaking her head back and forth.
“OH! Tarou-senpai, isn’t that the limited figurine of Sakura-chan that’s supposed to come out today?? You’re so lucky to have it already,” Narumi exclaimed, once she was out of the dressing room. A large paper bag was in her hand, and on the other, her bag. Tarou seemed startled at the topic, as Hanako looms over him silently with a glare.
“Speaking of which,” she muttered, an evil glint in her eye.
“Uh, y-yeah! Anyways, we’re supposed to be going now,” Tarou ushered, placing his hand on Hanako’s shoulders. “Tomoyo’s waiting for us home, so -”
“Ah, sure!! Say hi to baby Tomoyo-chan for us,” Narumi cheered, a grin plastered on her face. Hirotaka stands next to her, his hands still clicking at the controls, but his attention is lost on the glitter on Narumi’s face. Hirotaka’s ears turn red once more as he remembers Narumi’s shocked face, sparkles accenting her eyes, her cheeks tinted pink. The gown she and Hanako had no doubt chosen only seemed to highlight her features, the white of the gown complementing her soft, pink hair, and at the sight of Hirotaka, she only seemed to glow more vibrantly.
Narumi was beautiful - no matter what she wore, but when Hirotaka thought of the reason she dolled up so much, his heart lurches and skips a beat.
“Hiro-
“You looked beautiful,” Hirotaka murmured, his hands wiping away the leftover glitter from Narumi’s face, and tucking away stray hairs behind her ear.
Narumi turned an awful dark shade of red. “Y-you-” Her fists softly pounded at him, as she buried her face in his chest. “You weren’t supposed to see it yet!”
“B-but..” Narumi stopped and looked Hirotaka in the eye. “I’m glad you liked it,” she whispered, smiling at Hirotaka with the happiest smile he’d seen all day. “I’m really glad.”
“Idiot, of course I’d like it,” Hirotaka whispered back, but the big smile plastered on his face only gave away how much he loved it.
Narumi bit her lip, her cheeks already hurting from smiling. “Let’s stop by the bookstore first before we go home, kay? I need to buy that figurine,” she murmured, the gears in her mind already turning, gushing over how rare it was and how much she had to get it.
‘And we’re back,’ Hirotaka thought, but was immediately startled when Narumi took his hand in hers and squeezed it. Pink dusted her cheeks, and he could tell just how much courage she’d put into doing that.
“Were you listening to me, Hi-ro-ta-ka?” she said, an annoyed look crossing her face, but her tone light and teasing. Hirotaka showed his tongue in playful retort but nodded his head anyway.
“As I was saying….”
Hirotaka squeezed her hand back - and without a doubt, Narumi did too. (Until it had become a game where the person who stops squeezing loses.)