Chapter Text
Surugu drops his chopsticks into his bowl of ramen and Satoru chokes on a piece of tonkatsu when Haibara asks them whether it’s better to hold the wedding ceremony in April or May of the following year. He also asks whether they think it should be in the main Okinawa Island, or if Kume is worth taking a look at.
“What the hell?” Satoru says, perplexed. At the same time time Suguru utters a choked, “Excuse me?”
Haibara smiles, almost bouncing in excitement in his seat. “I’ve already done some research into Kume. Hatenohama looks perfect for a sunset ceremony, but Yanbaru seems so lush and colorful. You two have been to Okinawa before, haven’t you? I was thinking you might have some additional insight for us.”
Satoru blinks at the overgrown puppy sitting across from them. The coffee table of Haibara’s apartment’s living room is brimming with now forgotten food and Suguru’s chopsticks. “What the hell?” he repeats. Suguru only stares in stunned silence at their former underclassman.
Haibara’s demeanor doesn’t change. “Look, I know it may sound like a lot when first hearing about it, but we’ve already agreed we want to go somewhere for the event, and we’ve heard so much about Okinawa that—”
“What event?” Satoru interrupts.
“The ceremony, of course!”
“Ceremony for what?” Suguru chimes in.
“For the wedding, duh.”
Satoru exchanges a bewildered glance with Suguru. “Whose wedding?” he asks.
Haibara’s sunny smile wanes a notch. “What do you mean whose wedding? Haven’t you heard what I’ve been saying for the last five minutes?”
“I heard you,” Satoru replies right away, defensive. “I just couldn’t understand what you were saying.”
Haibara gives him a look, then turns to Suguru. “Geto-san, you were paying attention, weren’t you?”
Suguru clears his throat. He picks up his chopsticks, picks at his noodles in silence for a couple of seconds before he says, “I did hear you, Haibara, but It’d be nice if you could repeat it… you know, for Satoru’s sake,”
“What the hell?” Satoru says a third time. Suguru elbows him hard. “Ow.”
Haibara lets out a long-suffering sigh. He raises his left hand in front of their faces. He wiggles his fingers at them. It isn’t until he does this that Satoru notices a simple silver band with what must be a diamond around his fourth finger.
A diamond ring.
On Haibara’s ring finger.
Haibara is wearing a diamond ring on his left ring finger.
“Oh. My. God,” Suguru’s soft voice comes, and his chopsticks fall onto the table a second time.
Satoru jumps to his feet, voice echoing off the walls when he yells, “No he didn’t! No he fucking didn’t! Nanami! Nanami, get in here this second! Nanami!”
Nanami, who’s still in the kitchen cooking more meat, doesn’t walk through the living room’s doorway. He doesn't voice a reply either. Satoru is tempted to run into the kitchen and drag him back, but then Suguru’s hand is on his, tugging and very much not letting go.
“Did he do what I think he did,” Satoru says. It’s not even a question. He lets Suguru pull on his hand until he’s sitting once again.
“It might seem so,” Suguru says. He turns to a very confused and lost Haibara. “Haibara, just to make sure Satoru and I are not seeing things… is that an engagement ring?”
“Of course it is!” Haibara wiggles his fingers at them again. “What is all this scandal about? I thought Kento told you weeks ago we were engaged!”
“Weeks?” Suguru repeats, He and Satoru exchange another glance. “How long have you been engaged then, Haibara?”
“He proposed about six weeks ago, Geto-san.” When Suguru looks at him blankly and Satoru squeaks out a scandalized ‘what?’, Haibara’s mouth drops in silent and late realization. “Oh my God. He didn’t tell you? He really didn’t tell you?”
“No!” Satoru snaps. Suguru shakes his head, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth.
Haibara’s face falls even more. “Oh my God. You guys really didn’t know? Oh my God… and here I thought you were here for dinner because you already knew about it and wanted to talk locations and wedding party and details and… oh my God, Kento! Kento!” Haibara is yelling and getting to his feet as he says the last. His face is flushed pink. He mutters an apology before he scrambles out of the living room and heads to the kitchen, cursing Nanami under his breath the whole way.
Satoru turns to Suguru when they’re alone. He clutches his chest in mock dismay.. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Those two are going to get married.”
Suguru looks shocked for another two second before he lowers his hand from his mouth and mirrors Satoru, hand clutching his chest. “Those two are going to get married, and we had no idea,” he confirms.
“In Okinawa.”
“It looks that way.”
“Is this going to be a stupidly expensive destination wedding then?”
“Most likely.”
“Yeah, okay, great. You have my card, right? You’ll book the flights and hotel and all?”
“Of course I will, assuming we’re invited.”
“Why wouldn’t we be invited?” Satoru frowns. “Who else are they going to ask to be their best men? It’s not like they have any other friends.”
Suguru lets out a short laugh. He releases his shirt and leans over to flick Satoru’s forehead so light he barely feels it.
“It didn’t hurt,” Satoru says.
“Wasn’t meant to,” Suguru replies, smiling. “And we’re not ones to talk. It’s not like if we got married we’d have any other friends to be our best men either.”
“We have Shoko.”
“And whose side would she stand on?”
Satoru thinks about it. “She likes you better, so yours. I can probably blackmail Utahime into standing by my side, or just pay Mei-san to do it and give a pretty speech. If I cover her hotel and flight expenses she probably wouldn’t charge me much for the event itself.”
“Satoru, what did we say about budgeting and spending money only on important things?”
“Suguru, I appreciate you trying to save me from going bankrupt for the umpteenth time, but we’ve been doing this for eighteen years. Trust me, if my family’s bank account had a limit, I would have found it out long before I met you.”
Suguru gives a good-natured eyeroll. He picks up his chopsticks and pokes Satoru’s cheek with the squared end before he goes back to his noodles. “I can’t wait to see what Nanami has to say when Haibara drags him back in. I mean, we knew it was coming… but to keep us in the dark like this?”
“My feelings are hurt,” Satoru states.
“With all due reason!” Haibara’s voice comes. The pair turn to find Haibara dragging a resigned Nanami by the hand into the living room. Nanami is holding a plate full of meat in the other one.
Nanami looks at the roof the whole time. It’s only until Haibara has made him sit down that he sighs and looks at both Suguru and him.
“Well? You heard Gojo-san. You hurt his feelings, and Geto-san’s too, I’m sure, ” Haibara says, and the voice he uses must be the one he uses when scolding toddlers at the kindergarten he works at. Satoru feels both endeared and a tiny bit guilty even though he’s not the one who screwed up.
Nanami, on the other hand, seems unfazed. He places the plate of meat on the table and lets out a long sigh.
“Kento,” Haibara pushes.
“My apologies, Geto-san. Gojo-san. I failed to mention we had gotten engaged,” Nanami says.
“You don’t sound the least bit remorseful,” Suguru points out.
“I am. Very much so.” Nanami sucks at lying, especially when he’s not even trying.
“Kento!” Haibara protests.
Nanami ignores him, picks up his own chopsticks and starts eating. Haibara puffs his cheeks up in indignation, but when he realizes Nanami isn’t going to say anything else, he turns back to Satoru and Suguru.
“I’m sorry for spilling the news like that. I swear I thought Kento had already told you.”
“We would have brought a little something if we had known,” Suguru says, shooting Nanami a look before smiling at Haibara. “But now that we know, congratulations! You lovebirds deserve the best tropical wedding there is. Please do know that Satoru and I will help with anything we can.”
“And yes, we agree to be your best men, so you can’t not invite us,” Satoru says. Almost as an afterthought he adds, “Congratulations, by the way. I hope Nanami here made it a decent proposal.”
Nanami lets out a long suffering sigh. Haibara beams. “He did, thank you, Gojo-san! And of course you’re invited. We didn’t want to ask you you to be our best men before we decided on the location, but since you’re offering…”
“Geto-san, I’d appreciate it very much if you stood at my side,” Nanami interrupts.
“I’d be honored,” Suguru replies, bowing his head.
“Oh, darn. I wanted to ask Geto-san first. Well, whatever, I’ll take Gojo-san then,” Haibara says with a sigh.
“Hey,” Satoru protests, but everyone ignores him.
“Thank you for telling us, and we’d be honored to be your best men. Like I said, count us in for anything you might need once the wedding planning begins,” Suguru goes on. He reaches for Satoru’s hand, smiles at him before turning his smile at the other couple. “We’re really happy for you. We knew it was bound to happen, but I do admit it’s taken us a bit by surprise. What happened, Nanami? Is there a particular reason you chose to propose now?”
Haibara and Satoru turn to look at Nanami, one in innocent curiosity, the other one with amused defiance.
Nanami lets out the third longest sigh Satoru has ever heard. He tilts his head back, probably praying to the sky for patience for the friends and newly acquired fiancé he has. He probably counts to a hundred before he straightens in his chair and turns to Haibara, eyes burning with an intensity he doesn't show often.
"The truth, Geto-san?" he asks. He's still looking at Haibara as he says so.
"The truth is always nice," Suguru says.
"The truth is, I felt like it," Nanami says. “I had the ring for about a week before, and we went out for a walk after work one night… It felt like the perfect moment had arrived. That is all."
It may sound like a very generic and evasive answer, not to mention way too cheesy, but Satoru knows every word comes from Nanami's heart.
Suguru must knows that as well, given his smile widens, and he squeezes Satoru's hand.
"Ah. There's no better reason, then," he says. Haibara nods, looking horribly proud and like he might tear up. Even Satoru has to agree there really isn't a better reason to propose.
Conversation comes and goes quick and smooth after that. They've all been friends long enough not to get hung up on small stuff or hold small and immediate grudges.
Haibara gushes about the proposal and about how wonderful he wants the ceremony to be. Suguru offers insight into his and Satoru's last trip to Okinawa. He promises to send Haibara all the links to the places they'd stayed in over the years. He also promises to do some research into the locations Haibara has mentioned. Satoru needles Nanami about how he grows softer as the years go by, how hilarious it is to see Nanami being in love and how he'll tell all of Nanami's embarrassing stories at the reception.
Nanami keeps on eating and reminds him in cool tones that Satoru has been pathetically in love for a lot longer than he has, and how for every story Satoru has to tell, he has three about Satoru to fight back with, all of them even more embarrassing.
At one point, while Haibara and Suguru look at old pictures on Suguru's phone, Satoru finishes his iced tea and says, "You could have said tax benefits or something when Suguru asked why you proposed all of a sudden. It would have made you sound cooler."
"It would also have hurt Yuu-san's feelings, and there are a lot more benefits to mention anyway," Nanami says, sipping from his own tea.
Satoru leans his forearms on the table and leans forward, an eyebrow raised. "Such as?"
"The usual, of course. Tax reduction, which helps a lot when one party earns significantly more than the other. Medical coverage as well, because when you're married you can pretty much pay for just one bill. You can also get access to family leaves…" Nanami frowns in thought, fingers drumming on the table. “Oh yes, getting married also gives you access to the subsidiary the government offers to get a house or apartment, and depending on the company you also get support allowance for your spouse, but those amounts all depend on—"
"Ugh, you're such a lawyer even out of the offkce, Nanami. How do you remember all that?"
Nanami sighs. He shakes his head. "You asked," he reminds Satoru, and then frowns. "Oh, wait. There’s another one, an important one."
"An extra benefit? How exciting."
"The government takes better to married couples for fostering and adopting children,” Nanami goes on, pretending Satoru doesn’t exist. “For adoption, in particular, it's easier if the couple is together on paper. If Yuu-san and I were married already and I was still starting the process of taking Yuuji-kun in, it would take about half the time than it did. "
Satoru's eyes widen at that. Oh. Well, that's… Interesting information. Very interesting and surprising, actually. Not because of the information itself. It's a universal and frustrating truth that adoption agencies and the government prefer married and stable couples over anything else to assign children to, but…
"I thought that benefit only applied to the straights," Satoru says, trying for lighthearted complaining.
Nanami, of course, doesn't even crack the trace of a smile. Instead, he shakes his head, face somber. "It did. It was hard to get the bill passed. We submitted it about seven years ago and it only got passed through. It’ll be a year in a few months."
Satoru's eyebrows go up. “What do you mean, ‘we’? You still worked at a private firm last I checked.” Satoru doesn’t have enough interest in how his government works beyond his district supervisor, but he has enough knowledge to wonder how Nanami got a bill passed through the Cabinet and the Houses and every other higher up, let alone how he got it approved and applied nationwide. It doesn’t sound like a very possible feat.
“Well, Gojo-san,” Nanami says, and looks at him with disdain. “This might come as a surprise to you, but I do have plenty of friends. A good amount of them work in the public sector. Half of them are in strategic places. The other half I could even ask to be my best men.”
“Yikes. You heard that?”
Nanami nods once.
“And here I’d been hoping Suguru and I were more special to you. You’ve hurt my feelings again, Nanami-kun.”
“Bold of you to assume it’s your feelings and not your ego, Gojo-san.”
Satoru lets out a laugh. He props up his chin on his palm and lets out a hum. “That’s really good to know, Nanami. Thanks for the update,” he says, and it really is good to have this new information. Not that he and Suguru are thinking too much about marriage or kids at the moment, but with Suguru being a social worker and Satoru being a school counselor, it’s still valuable knowledge.
“Prejudice is still a thing, of course,” Nanami continues with a frown. “However, even if we pile that on, adopting Yuuji-kun now would be easier than when I did it. There are fewer hoops to jump through, less paperwork to fill, fewer explanations to give.”
“Meaning you regret not waiting until this law got passed to adopt him?”
Nanami gives him another look. “I regret meeting you in high school more than I will ever regret anything in my life, Gojo-san, but when it comes to Yuuji-kun—”
Chanting his name twice in a row must summon Yuuji himself, as they all hear the front door opening before Nanami can finish his sentence. A second later, a head of pink hair barrels through the doorway.
"I'm home!" Yuuji announces with tangible excitement. Shoes go flying in random directions. A backpack falls onto a sad heap by the door as the seven-year-old runs towards the living room, straight into Nanami’s waiting arms.
Satoru doesn’t know when Nanami moved, or how he managed to go from sitting across from him to kneeling a foot away from the table ready to receive his bubbly child. Yet there the blonde is, gathering a chattering Yuuji into his arms and straightening up.
“Welcome home, Yuuji-kun. Please do say hello. We have guests tonight,” Nanami says.
Yuuji wraps his short arms around Nanami’s neck and waves at them over Nanami’s shoulders with both hands. “Hi, Geto-san! Hi, Gojo-san!
“Hello, Yuuji, it’s good to see you,” Suguru says, waving back at him.
“Yuuji, my little dude, you need to eat more. Gotta get big enough that your dad can’t pick you up anymore,” Gojo says.
“Nanamin is the strongest! He’ll be able to carry me even if I’m like, a million pounds heavier,” Yuuji replies, proud.
“That he will, without a doubt,” Haibara agrees, and he holds out his arms. “Yuuji, what about me? Did I become invisible after eating my ramen? Did Nanamin put something in it and now you can’t see me?”
Yuuji gasps, as if offended by the very idea. He wiggles in Nanami’s arms. The latter is quick to put him down. Yuuji runs straight to Haibara’s arms to hug him as fiercely as he’d hugged Nanami. “Nanamin would never do something like that,” Yuuji vows, then grins and screams, “Hi, Yuu, I’m home!”
“Welcome home, Yuuji!” Haibara replies in a very similar volume, squeezing him as hard as he can and sending him into a fit of giggles.
“All right, both of you tone it down. We have neighbors,” Nanami says. He makes his way towards the door, where an awkward Ino is still standing, a key ring in his hand.
“Ah, still overworking your kouhais, I see,” Satoru calls out. “Hello, Ino.”
“I hope he gave you a raise since we last saw you, now that it looks like you’re playing babysitter and all,” Suguru says. “Oh, and good evening, Ino.”
Ino turns tomato red. He shakes his head furiously. “Nanami-san isn’t… I just… moved in next door a couple of months ago. Because you know, t-traffic, and I can walk to work from here and… and Yuuji-kun likes to go take walks with me when I go shopping and— he’s such a cute kid and I… well, he—”
“Ino, breathe,” Haibara says amused. Yuuji, turning in delight to the food spread on the table, says, “Takuma-nii, breathe!”
Ino sucks in a big and gulping breath. Satoru chuckles, high-fives a smirking Suguru.
Nanami shakes his head, probably in disappointment at everyone except Yuuji. He claps Ino on the shoulder and beckons him further inside. “Please do ignore those two idiots, Ino-kun, they are only here for a quick visit. Why don’t you stay for dinner? There’s plenty of food to go around.”
Ino gapes. “I couldn’t possibly—”
“Yes, please stay,” Suguru says. “We’re talking wedding destinations for these two. Have you ever been to Okinawa?”
Satoru knows Suguru well enough to be sure he said that only to see what Ino’s reaction would be. He admits he does feel a little offended when instead of looking as shocked as they had felt earlier, Ino relaxes and smiles at them all.
“Haibara-san has mentioned something about Okinawa. I’ve never been, but I’m happy to help with whatever I can,” he says, taking a couple of steps inside.
Suguru turns to Nanami, eyes narrowed. “You told him before you told us.”
Ino’s steps falter. Nanami rolls his eyes, claps Ino on the back a second time time and returns to his spot next to Haibara. Yuuji climbs into his Nanamin’s lap right away, then Ino’s when Ino unfreezes enough to take a seat between Haibara and Suguru.
“I figured Nanami-san had told you by the time he told me about their engagement,” Ino says, almost as an apology while he lets Yuuji feed him pieces of Satoru’s tonkatsu.
“He didn’t, but it’s okay. We are very kind souls and we forgive, don’t we, Satoru?” Suguru says.
“Of course, Suguru,” Satoru replies. “Not like we would miss the wedding of the century for anything in the world.”
Yuuji perks up at that, a wide smile on his face.
“Wedding? Nanamin and Yuu are gonna get married!” he announces, and grabs Haibara’s left hand to show everyone the ring. “Look, Nanamin got him a pretty ring and everything! Yuu says it’s going to be rum… rum… rum-ant-ic!”
Satoru likes Yuuji very much in moments like this, and in general. The kid is hilarious. He’s also too cute and pure for the cruel world he came from. A shared smile with Suguru indicates they’re thinking very similar things.
“It is a very pretty ring, Yuuji,” Suguru agrees. “What do you think the wedding will be like?”
Yuuji launches into a whole speech about dolphins and turtles and ice cream for lunch after the boring part and the ‘wows’. They all listen attentively and smile at him, then Haibara, Suguru and Ino start throwing out ideas.
Satoru, while having lots of ideas himself, decides to watch this time. He holds Yuuji when it’s his turn to be the boy’s chair. For once, he shuts up and listens.
It’s not like he’s envious of Nanami and Haibara, and it’s not like he wishes he and Suguru were the ones to get married…
It’s just that Nanami’s words are echoing in his head. There’s something tugging at the back of his mind now that he knows even gay married couples have better chances for fostering and adoption than unmarried gays.
He feels like the information is important, like he can do a lot with it.
He must also admit that while he enjoys warm and good food with his old friends, a new acquaintance and one of the cutest kids in the world, Satoru can’t quite bring himself to remember why.