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“… And I’d like to thank my friends, for being able to make it to this important day for both of us,” Ranma raised his glass, his arm linked with Akane's, a smile on his face. “And I'd like to dedicate a cheer to Ryouga for not getting lost on his way here! Truly, it’s a miracle.”
The guests laughed. Akane laughed. Ryoga blinked, snapping back to reality, slowly processing his joke. Ryouga had been sitting in the corner of the venue, swirling around the sparkly apple cider on the glass he had taken from the food table. He felt everyone's gaze on him, and the tip of his ears burned with mild embarrassment. He looked up at Ranma.
Ranma was smiling, his eyes almost shining with mischief.
But something about his smile didn’t quite reach Ryouga's eyes.
Something was different about Ranma's smile, so different from his characteristic playful, teasing and mischievous grin he always gives to everyone, including Ryouga. They had spent so much time together that Ryouga had learned to recognize Ranma's little details that most miss entirely.
Ryouga could see it.
That smile was different. It wasn’t filled with playfulness, or with the intention of annoying Ryouga like always.
It almost looked… sad, underneath the mask of happiness he wore.
Ryouga knew why.
But he didn’t say anything.
Not on Ranma and Akane's special day.
Slowly, he rolled his eyes with feigned annoyance at Ranma's joke. “Oh, and missing the opportunity of annoying you on this special day?” he lazily replied, offering a fake smile, pretending to not notice the unspoken things left between them. “You wish I'd gotten lost on the way, huh?”
Ranma chuckled, shaking his head. “No,” he said, his voice softening ever so slightly. “I'm glad you’re here, Ryouga.”
Ryouga looked to the side, scoffing, pretending to be annoyed at Ranma's corny answer. Anything to ignore the ache in his heart.
”Are you getting emotional?” Akane teased, tiling her head to the side as she looked back at the groom, poking his cheek with her finger.
“I'm not getting emotional!” Ranma quickly replied, his usual fiery demeanor returning as if someone had flipped a switch. He looked at the guests, but his eyes lingered a little too long on Ryouga. “I'm just glad everyone is here. Like the old days.”
Ryouga paused, his wrist mid-motion of swirling his glass around as if he was bored.
Like the old days.
If only Akane knew how the old days used to look between them.
Every stolen kiss during sparring sessions. Every touch that carried words left unspoken.
Every feeling denied and left unnamed.
“So you're just gonna leave… this?!” Ryouga had once yelled at Ranma, tears gathering in his eyes. “After all we've been through, idiot?! You're gonna marry Akane and pretend like what we had didn’t happen?!”
“You know this is wrong!” Ranma had replied. “Everything we had was wrong, Ryouga! It’s not— It's not meant to be!”
“Why the hell not, Ranma?!”
“Because we're both guys, Ryouga! I'm— I'm not a girl!”
“This didn’t have anything to do with your Jusenkyo curse!”
“I know! And that’s why it’s wrong!”
And now he was talking about the ‘old days’.
Ryouga laughed, out loud, gathering the attention of the guests and of the newlywed couple.
“Ah, man, you really softened!” Ryouga laughed, swallowing the lump in his throat with something that resembled their usual bickering, tugging at the tie of the suit he had been forced to wear for the wedding. “But… you're right about something for once,” he continued, standing up from his seat. Ranma looked at him with something yet again unspoken and unnamed, as if he was surprised to see that he had… accepted all of this.
Ryouga raised his glass slowly, hand on his pocket, head tilted to the side, his fang showing in the smile.
“Cheers. For the good old days.”
They looked at each other while the rest cheered, the venue filling with laughter and smiles and happiness. But as Ranma looked at Ryouga, a silent acknowledgment hit Ranma.
He was drifting away. Completely.
Ryouga's eyes said it all.
“Be happy. Even if it’s not with me.”
Ranma's eyes filled with masked pain.
“Please, don’t…”
But outwardly, he sighed, a feigned fond smile masking what he was really feeling.
“Cheers.”