Sukisho Fan Fiction ❯ 10 years ❯ Chapter 14 ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: Sapadu

10 years

By Sapadu

A/N: This is it- the end of the fanfic. Thank god it didn't take me... like, years... to get it done. Funny, but this started off as just a weird dream.... but for some odd reason... it actually developed a plot, mostly on it's own... Thank you guys for sticking with me throughout this- if you liked this, check out my other fics (They probably think nobody likes them, since this is my first fanfic to break 20 reviews... or, indeed, 10.)

It's been a great ride, and you didn't even lynch me once! I feel so appreciated.

It seems that I don't have to worry about any lawsuits, at least...

“This is all you own, Fujimori?” Sora asked, as he plopped a relatively empty box down on the kitchen table. In it was a set of plates, bowls, chopsticks, and an alarm clock.

“I've also got a suitcase with some different clothes in it, and stuff like a toothbrush and soap.” Sunao replied, dragging in his mattress and the wire bed frame that it had come on. Sora glared at it.

“...No wonder you never let me come inside- if your apartment was this empty, it would have given it away that you were just being Aizawa's lab rat.” Sora mumbled, in disgust. Sunao gave him a warning glance.

“That's why I couldn't have anything else in there- like pictures or things like that. I even gave Nakou-chan the video Hiromu-kun gave me, because if someone had come over for a health inspection or to check up on me, if they'd seen pictures of you or gifts from old classmates, it would have given everything away.”

The door shut and there was a clicking noise. Sunao turned and was surprised to see Sora standing behind him with the suitcase. There was a bit of a grim look on his face.

“Hashiba?” Sunao asked. Sora didn't answer, but set the suitcase down and pulled Sunao against his chest. Sunao pushed against him a little, but didn't say anything.

“...Hashiba?”

“Gomen, Fujimori...” He whispered, arms shaking a little. Sunao grimaced, but hugged back.

“...Ii yo, Hashiba... It was my own choice... and everything's okay, now...” He mumbled, still not happy with the memories of the last ten years.

Sora ran his finger through Sunao's long hair, before mumbling.

“...Shouldn't we stop calling each other by our last names?” He asked, curiously, “...Since... we're going to be living together...” Sunao thought about it a bit.

“...Are you saying you want me to call you 'Sora' and Kuu-chan again? Or do you want to call me Sunao?” He mused. Sora pulled away.

Sora blinked at him. Sunao blinked back.

“...That doesn't sound right....” Sora finally concluded, pouting a little.

“...Let's save those names for special occasions...” Sunao added, turning away to unpack his things. Sora looped his arms back around Sunao's waist.

“Mm...” He agreed, “...Very special occasions...”

Sunao was forced to stand straight again as his shirt was pushed up and Sora's hands plied against the lines on his stomach and chest.

“...Ha-Hashiba... d-dame...” He stammered, “We still have-”

“You can unpack later...” Sora purred, lips nibbling on his ear. Sunao's head turned.

“Hashi-” Sunao began to protest, but stopped as he saw the mischievous glitter in Sora's blue eyes, “...Kuu-chan...”

Sora steered them both to his own bed, shedding his own and Sunao's shirt along the way, and Sunao was just grateful that Ran was such a slut for Yoru- something his other self protested, quite heartily- that he wouldn't be sore in the morning.

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“Nao-kun... I know this might be a little awkward, but...” Nakou looked off to the side, pausing as Sunao chewed the bite she'd wheedled him into letting her feed him, “...Well, the wedding is in a few weeks... and I wanted to wait for you to be out of the hospital before I asked... but...”

Sunao raised an eyebrow at Nakou's uncharacteristic shyness, as she bowed her head and clapped her hands together.

“...Would you please be the best man?”

Sunao blinked, perplexed, before he asked.

“...So, you're doing a Western style wedding? Why don't you want a traditional one?” He frowned, confused. Nakou sat up straight and made a whining noise as she pouted.

“Aw, Nao-ku-un... if it was a traditional wedding, the stuffy go-betweens would have to be there. Besides, we'd have to wear kimonos!”

“Such a horrible fate, that...” Sunao mused, sarcastically. He'd always been fond of kimonos and yukatas... especially since Sora always became so frustrated, trying to remove the garments, while Sunao merely had to shrug his shoulders and the cloth would slide off.

It was always incredibly funny how Hashiba responded when Sunao just smirked at him in those moments.

“But they're so BORING!” Nakou argued.

Sunao changed the subject.

“I'm honored that you would ask me, Nakou-chan. And I would gratefully accept, but could you offer Hashiba a place? Even as an usher or...” Nakou cut him off with a grin.

“Where do you think Matsuri-chan is right now?” As they laughed together, Nakou let out a sigh, “There's just one thing that I'm going to miss doing that I would have been able to do with you, Nao-kun...”

Sunao tilted his head, blinking.

“Nani sore?” He asked. Nakou giggled.

“Go karaoke singing!” She answered. Sunao stared, then grinned.

“Don't worry- If I know Matsuri-chan, you won't miss out on that with him, either.”

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“Groomsman? So, is Fujimori going to be a bridesmaid or something?” Sora asked his friend with a smirk. Matsuri wrinkled his nose and gave Sora a withering look.

“Don't let Nao-kun hear you saying that.” He warned, though privately musing it would be kind of funny to ask Sunao, if only for the purpose of how he'd react, “So? Will you? Please?”

Sora stretched and feigned a sigh.

“...Maa... I'd like to help... but do you know how much it costs to RENT formal wear? With a teachers salary, it's not gonna happen...” Sora was making up an excuse, mostly to cover for the fact that, given the wedding would probably be on one of his days off, he wanted to spend that day in bed (whether he would be sleeping would be debatable, given who he was living with again, but either way...)

Matsuri grinned.

“Don't worry- we've already got everyone's formal wear taken care of, to be sure that nobody's clothes clash with someone else's.” He assured. Sora's head hit the table with a groan, knowing that Matsuri had him cornered.

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“Shinichirou... we've got an invitation from Honjou-kun...” Nanami noted, looking through their mail. Shinichirou raised his eyebrows and leaned over, carefully, to read the invitation.

Then, he frowned.

“Why did he write three hundred twenty two at the bottom?” Shinichirou asked, suspiciously. Nanami blinked, then saw a little postscript.

“It also says: P.S.- Nanami-sensei is welcome to wear the bunny ears and tail, in case of any doubts...” He said.

The two blinked at each other before the realization dawned.

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“Bu-chou! Look what we got!” Ichikawa declared, waving the invitation in the air. Nagase calmly extracted it from his lover's hand, and read it, carefully.

“Honjou is getting married... to Michiya, it seems...” He said, with a note of surprise. Ichikawa peered over Nagase's shoulder, reading along with him, blushing brightly as he noted a similar observation.

“And they want us to come... Demo, won't that be intrusive... Especially since everyone else is going to be in nice clothes and we didn't pack any of that...” Ichikawa mumbled, cheeks going bright pink as he felt Nagase's arm go around his waist in a display of affection that was still quite rare for him.

“Gaku... it also reads that our dress should be costumes for Kaitous 188 and 783.” Nagase noted, hand reaching up and turning Ichikawa's face down so their noses brushed, “Would you be too shy to wear those kitty ears out in public?”

Ichikawa's cheeks went from pink to red at the coy smirk on Nagase's face.

“....Buchou...”

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“...Matsuri-chan... this is the REAL reason you two wanted to have a Western wedding, isn't it?” Sunao asked, somewhat disgusted as the three of them gathered at Matsuri's apartment to make sure the 'formal wear' fit properly.

Sora and Sunao were more than somewhat disgruntled to find their supposed 'tuxedos' were, in fact, the outfits of Kaitou's 848 and 370. Capes and masks included.

“...Matsuri... don't tell me you're...” Sora hissed, sweatdropping.

Matsuri chuckled a little as they saw the hat from Kaitou 322's ensemble peeking out of the closet.

“...He is...” Sunao muttered back.

It was times like this that the two were quite convinced that Matsuri was only still alive because he was, after all, an old childhood friend.

They also were very sure that he knew, and was taking advantage of, that very fact.

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Everyone met at the church the next week to rehearse what would happen during the wedding. For some odd reason, perhaps on purpose, or perhaps on accident, Nakou had picked the very church where Chris worked at.

Sora was thus, prepared with a first aid kit, when Sunao gave him a good-sized lump on the back of his head at the sight of the bespectacled, black-haired man.

“...Sora-kun, are you alright?” Chris asked, as Sora nursed the injury himself while Sunao stomped off in a jealous huff.

“I'll be fine... just... you might not want to talk to me or anything...” Sora mumbled, giving his upset lover a sour look, before dropping his voice, “I told Fujimori that we were dating a few years ago... so I think he's going to be crabby...”

“...Or maybe he's still upset that I tried to exorcise an evil spirit from him the first time we met...” Chris guessed. Sora nodded a little, then stopped as that made his head swim.

“...Mmm...” He agreed, “And thus, he's beating me up because he's not living or sleeping with you...”

“...Sleeping... but Sora-kun I thought... oh...”

Chris blushed, then hurried away to find his Bible.

The spat was forgotten as everyone tried their costumes on for the last time, to make sure that everything was just right for the actual ceremony. Sora and Sunao begrudgingly changed into the colorful, but still highly impractical costumes, while Matsuri laughed at them (though he said he was really laughing WITH them) and good-naturedly dressed in his own cosplay outfit. After surveying each other, Sora suddenly had a thought.

“Wait... what's Nakou wearing?” He asked. Sunao made a face.

“Don't tell me Nakou-chan's cosplaying as the Queen of Hearts again...” He said, looking disgusted. Matsuri snickered, but shook his head. The door opened, then, as Nakou entered to see everyone.

Sora took one look at her dress and immediately burst into snickers. Sunao made a less than pleased face.

“Hashiba. Shut up.” He snapped. Sora did his best, but couldn't stop the grin on his face.

Nakou's dress was the same as the princess dress Sunao had been forced into on their first Jack of All Trades 'Job', except significant color changes had been made. Anything that had been red was now a lilac-ish pink, and anything that had been pink was now pale yellow. The white which had covered the shoulders was now removed, so Matsuri turned away, blushing, and a little silvery-gray choker was around her neck.

Nakou was also, of course, wearing a mask, though it didn't seem necessary, given that she would be wearing a veil.

“...Nakou-chan... please tell me this is a joke. Even if it's in very poor taste, please tell me it's a joke.” Sunao begged, while Sora's sides began to ache from holding in his laughter for too long.

Nakou tilted her head to the side and smiled, angelically.

Matsuri quickly diverted the subject, wondering out loud where the rest of the entourage was. The idea that more people would be there caught Sora's attention, and Sunao's alarm.

“...Eh? More people?” Sora puzzled, before Matsuri explained.

“Ah- there's the maid of honor, a bridesmaid, flower girl and ring bearer. Shinichirou-san and Nanami-sensei volunteered to be ushers... so we just need to be sure everyone's here...” Matsuri said, and Sunao frowned, slightly.

“Who is the maid of honor... or, for that matter, the flower girl or ring bearer?” He asked, before Nakou filled in the details.

“My niece is going to be our flower girl. And I asked my sister to be the matron of honor, while a high school friend of mine is going to be the bridesmaid. The ring bearer, though...” She trailed of, looking at Matsuri, whom was grinning.

“I asked Ryouya-san if he'd let Kano-kun out of his sight long enough to do that!” Matsuri explained.

“Eeh? Isn't he a little old for that?” Sora asked. Matsuri chuckled, nervously, pressing his index fingertips together so they bounced off each other.

“...Jitsu wa... Ryouya-san said it would give him and Soushi-san an excuse to attend... so I had to send them invitations, too...” And at everyone's puzzled looks, Matsuri continued, “They both want to be there, since Shinichirou-san is, because they want to be able to supervise in case Minato-sensei comes out, and to be sure he doesn't molest any of the pageboys.”

“Ah.”

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A/N: You know he would, too- don't deny it.

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The day arrived and went about as well as could be expected. The guests all arrived and were in their appropriate seats, shown in by Kaitous 416 and 773. Sora and Sunao were dressed in their own white shirts and capes, Nakou's adorable niece had her basket of flowers, Kano was brushed and polished in a Kaitou cape and mask, which somehow resembled the samurai outfit Sora had worn once, and Nakou was a blushing bride behind her mask and veil. Matsuri appeared to be missing, but Nakou assured them that it was only because he had a surprise entrance, unlike the rest of them.

Sunao heard her mumbling something about 'the bride needing to be swept off her feet'.

It was only when he peeked through the doors and saw the distinguished Michiya-san talking in a businesslike manner with Nagase that dread hit his stomach, for a peculiar reason.

“Nao-kun?” Nakou appeared at his elbow, with her radar for when he was in trouble apparently tingling. Sunao shook himself and managed a smile.

“I hope you have a happy wedding, Nakou-chan...” He said. Nakou tilted her head, before bluntly asking,

“What's bothering you?” She asked. Sunao looked down, guiltily, before glancing at the doors, through which Michiya-san was liable to come in at any moment to play 'Father-of-the-Bride'.

“...It's just... I'm kind of nervous knowing your parents are out there... I'm not sure how well they'd take it if they see Hashiba and I...” His sentence trailed off, but Nakou grinned.

“They're adults, Nao-kun.” She said, with a smile, and when Sunao gave her a confused look, she winked, “They can act grown-up enough to behave themselves, just for a day.” Sunao's eyebrows raised, but he soon relaxed.

Michiya-san soon came in and the signal came for the procession to begin. Sunao kept himself from feeling too upset as Sora escorted the bridesmaid down the aisle- Sunao had been perplexed to see her wearing his old Odette costume from their production of Swan Lake- followed by himself, escorting Nakou's sister- He had been less perplexed to see that the woman was wearing his Odile gown- and at the end, the assembled waited for Michiya-san to take his daughter down the aisle.

'Where do you think Matsuri is?' Sunao saw Sora mouth. He shrugged a little, but then his eyes caught the rope that was taut from the center of the ceiling, trailing to the back.

As soon as Nakou and her father reached the middle of the aisle, Matsuri came swooping out from behind the curtain that hung over the balcony in back.

The masked Matsuri came swinging down and scooped Nakou up around her waist, landing on his feet at the altar in front. Chris chuckled nervously, wondering how to begin the ceremony with such an awkward transition, while a dazed Michiya-san blinked, still in the middle of the aisle, wondering what exactly had just happened.

“...Oh.” All who knew Matsuri whispered in unison.

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Everyone was laughing and smiling as they greeted the married couple with tossed handfuls of rice at the reception. The women in the crowd- who mostly comprised of Nakou's friends and family, as very few of Matsuri's friends and acquaintances knew any women at all- were giggling, crying, and some were throwing flirtatious looks at the crowd of mostly gay men on the other side. Nanami was smiling with glowing cheeks and sparkling eyes while Shinichirou cheered, punching his fist into the air.

Sora and Sei, being the most immature of the whole crowd, were too busy throwing rice- however, they were doing so deliberately in a fashion where anyone that the rice hit generally shouted out in pain, making it fortunate that their aim was so terrible that Nakou and Matsuri suffered none of their shots- and finally, Sunao had to elbow Sora in the stomach and smack Sei on the head to make them stop.

For the reception, everyone removed their capes and masks, making it easier to move around and dance when the music was finally played. Matsuri and Nakou danced to a slow waltz while Sunao, entrusted with Matsuri's camera, took pictures and the other people in the room gushed about how cute they were together.

Even Sora had to admit it- Matsuri was smiling broadly and his face was glowing with such delight that it was absolutely adorable, and Nakou was blushing and grinning in a similar manner. After the long year they all had had, and, especially in the last month or so, all the drama, horror, and general unhappiness, it was nice to have a special event like this for everyone to laugh, drink, and be merry. And, now that Sora thought about it, Matsuri and Nakou especially had earned this celebration, since they'd both put so much effort into getting him and Sunao back together.

Sunao was reminded of the first time he and Matsuri had been reunited before the experiment with Aizawa and Sora had been put into action- all either of them had been able to do was hug each other and laugh until their sides hurt. Sunao hadn't seen Matsuri since he'd moved away and, at the time, Matsuri had been the only friend who hadn't completely abandoned him or betrayed him- it had almost been a moment that Sunao had wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Fortunately, at that moment, Matsuri had dragged him into so much activity and excitement that Sunao hadn't had the energy to feel two things at once.

Sunao shuddered and gripped Sora's hand under the table. Sora blinked, looked away from the dancing pair, and gave his own lover a long glance. Sunao smiled, reassuringly, but Sora seemed to understand anyway, because he scooted his chair a little closer.

After the first dance and Nakou's goodbye dance with her father, music was played that other couples could dance to. Sora and Sunao mostly sat by, watching as Nanami and Shinichirou took their turn, drawing plenty of stares.

“It's probably because nobody can figure out if Nanami-chan is a flat-chested girl, or not...” Sora mumbled, and Sunao had to admit he had a point, since Nanami already looked enough like a girl, having his hair down and the feminine coral pink of his Kaitou outfit was probably more than confusing to anyone who didn't know him.

After a few minutes, more people drifted onto the dance floor, including the former chibi-tachi's, who mostly just bounced in a dance club-like manner to the more couple neutral songs, Ichikawa and Nagase- actually, they had the floor to themselves when the time came, as Ichikawa's exuberance was apparently enough to fill the floor by himself.

“Come on, Buchou- we've got to dance!” He could be heard, nagging and pulling on Nagase's wrists halfway across the room, before he'd dragged him out, promptly proceeding to spin him around in a frenzy which could have created a whirlwind.

Nagase looked quite dizzy, perhaps even sick, when he sat down again, leaving Ichikawa still with plenty of energy to burn off, during which time Sei and Kitamura poked, prodded, and teased Shiina to go over and ask Ichikawa for a dance.

Even Shinichirou's brothers got up to dance, Soushi in a polite foxtrot with the bridesmaid and Ayano slow danced with a tiny woman in a kimono with long black hair that just barely touched the floor and golden eyes. When questioned, he immediately started blushing and stammering that Kano-kun had needed a mother figure, growing up.

“In more ways than one, right?” Shinichirou noted, snidely- the oldest of the three brothers almost never got flustered like this, so seeing him so embarrassed was not an opportunity the bratty younger brother was about to pass up. Ayano only went a deeper shade of red, while the woman smiled and leaned over to brush a stray lock of hair on Kano's head back into proper place.

It was well into the evening, with most of the adults at least slightly tipsy from all the champagne and the young flower girl and Kano- whom was more sensible than most high school students and usually went to bed earlier- yawning and leaning against their parents, when Matsuri came bouncing over to their table and poked and prodded at his two childhood friends to dance.

“Sora! Nao-kun! This is an important ceremony for couples- you two have to dance at least once!” Matsuri insisted, trying to tug them out of their chairs, which he eventually succeeded in, but didn't get them much further.

“Oi, stop pushing, Matsuri!” Sora snapped, fighting back.

“Sou da- Matsuri-chan, you know we can't dance!” Sunao added. Matsuri grinned and wouldn't be denied.

“Nakou-chan's putting on a slow song- you just hold each other, sway, and shuffle your feet around.” He pressed, and when the two wouldn't budge, Shinichirou came over and shoved them both firmly towards the dance floor.

“It's Matsuri's wedding, so if he says you're going to dance, you're going to dance, God damn it.” He hissed, menacingly, and the two men- who suddenly felt like school boys being threatened by their teacher, again- quickly relented.

The dancing actually went pretty well, Sunao's hand resting peacefully against Sora's, fingers intertwined, and the two of them with their chins on the other's shoulders- seeing as Sunao had grown to be at least as tall as Sora. With a slight smile, Sora pulled Sunao closer by his waist, while Sunao smiled back, allowing Sora to close the space between them and weaving his arms around Sora's shoulders.

Nakou's parents watched, disapproving, but unable to intervene, while Matsuri snapped pictures, one-handedly, as the other arm was around his newly wedded wife's waist- Nakou kept using her free hand to direct how he should move the camera to get the best picture, and thus, the best material for blackmail. After two minutes, however, Shinichirou frowned suddenly, and muttered out loud.

“Aren't they dancing too well for two people who claimed they couldn't dance?” He noted. Everyone looked at him, then back at Sora and Sunao, before Sora's hand reached down to a place that generally is not touched, even among the most amorous of couples, at an event such as a wedding reception, and everyone heard a higher pitched voice than Sunao's purring,

“Yoru...”

A giant sweatdrop appeared over everyone's heads.

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Because Matsuri and Nakou were used to walking everywhere, they'd opted not to have the typical 'Just Married'-mobile for people to tie cans to or spray with shaving cream. Instead, Matsuri simply scooped his 'ohime-sama' up in a bridal fashion and was about to walk away, before Nakou remembered something.

Sunao, woozy from too much champagne, didn't notice until he heard Matsuri's voice.

“Nao-kun, heads up!”

“Huh?” Sunao stumbled backwards as Nakou's bouquet hit him square in the face, plopping into his arms as he straightened. Face going red, Sunao shoved the bouquet at Nanami.

“Nanami-sensei, you can have it.”

Nanami blinked, confused, but didn't argue, taking the wedding bouquet without a word, as Sunao wouldn't have even heard it.

As they watched the Honjou-duo walk off, everyone had their own parting words, but the last five were the most memorable.

“I can only imagine the devilish children those two will raise...” Sora grumbled, as Sunao elbowed him in the ribs.

“It will be nice that those two will be able to have a family...” Nanami mused, smiling.

“Matsuri should be a good father...” Shinichirou pondered, grinning.

“And Nakou-chan will probably be a good mother...” Sunao agreed, before Chris, also watching, suddenly said, out loud.

“I wonder who they'll take after...”

The other four slowly turned their heads and gave Chris a very long, very strange look.

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A/N: Ha ha- it's funny because Matsuri and Nakou look exactly alike.

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“It was nice to attend a ceremony and reception like that.” Nanami said, putting his hair into it's old ponytail as he and Shinichirou changed for bed, “And it was kind of Honjou-kun to have his wedding as a cosplay theme- to be able to reuse those costumes was a lot of fun.”

Shinichirou made a noncommittal noise, simply walking around Nanami and putting a hand on his shoulder.

“I'm glad you had a good time today.” He said, softly. Nanami smiled.

“You too... It wouldn't be fair of me to enjoy something if you wanted to stay at home...” Shinichirou's eyes gleamed as a beam of moonlight streamed through the curtains.

“Good thing then...” He mumbled, “That I'm not picky about what I enjoy...”

Nanami didn't blush.

“Shinichirou...” He whispered, truly touched at his lover's attempt to be romantic.

Shinichirou softly kissed his lips without another word.

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Ichikawa was yawning by the time they made it back to their hotel. Nagase efficiently put away the coats and cosplay gear, before Ichikawa sat down on the bed, drowsily.

“...Are you waiting for me?” Nagase asked, in a less than teasing voice. Ichikawa's eyes opened wide at the question.

“...I-ie... Buchou, you don't need to rush...” He said, shyly. Nagase strode over giving Ichikawa a surveying glance-over.

“I wouldn't be offended if you went to sleep, you know.” Nagase reminded Ichikawa, who blushed again.

“Demo... after something like today... Buchou, are you sure you wouldn't want to at least...” Nagase interrupted him by plucking the cat ears off Ichikawa's head.

“I'm not your 'Buchou' anymore. You could call me 'Kai', if you wanted to.” Nagase teased, and as Ichikawa's face went red, Nagase smirked, took his glasses off, and leaned down, just a little bit more.

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“Fujimori... you're okay that we'll probably never be able to do something like that... are you?” Sora asked as they reached their shared apartment, freeing themselves from the less than comfortable Kaitou costumes. Sunao just shrugged.

“What makes you think that I wouldn't be?” He asked, rolling the cape up and putting it into a box- Matsuri had insisted they keep their own costumes.

“...Well... It just occurred to me how everyone was staring at us... Niichan and Nanami-chan... Matsuri and Nakou... and chibi-tachi... they didn't seem to mind, but all of Nakou's family kept looking at us like.... even before we started dancing...” Sora finally managed to convey, which made Sunao pause, before he returned to his undressing for bed.

“I was kind of worried about that in the beginning, too, Hashiba...” He confided, somewhat relieved that even Sora had been nervous about the homophobia of Nakou's guests, “But Nakou-chan told me something, just before the wedding began: They're adults. They can act grown-up enough to behave themselves, just for one day.”

Sora stared, openly- he was already in a pair of pajama bottoms, waiting for Sunao to finish his pre-bedtime rituals.

“Nakou-chan's always been like that... kind of how Matsuri-chan was always like that... the attitude of not caring what other people think- just as long as it doesn't hurt anyone and someone is happy... So, why should we care what other people think?” Sunao finally concluded. It was, Sora could say, much nicer than the cold, heartless discussion Sunao had had with him during his engagement.

“...I guess... seeing all the romantic stuff that happened today... kind of reminded me of that Valentine's Day when we tried to pair Niichan and Nanami-chan up...” Sora mumbled, and Sunao snorted.

“'We', Hashiba?” He asked, teasing.

Sora rolled his eyes.

“Okay... I tried to... but when I failed each time, and Nanami-chan told us that Niichan wouldn't do romantic crap like that... I guess I kind of wondered if someday you'd say the same thing about me... because I wouldn't really want to go through a whole mushy ceremony or anything like that...” Sora confessed, looking down at his feet. Sunao sighed, almost as though he was exasperated, but wasn't.

“...The ceremony wasn't really something I'd want to repeat... and I wouldn't need any sappy vows before an altar to know you care about me, Hashiba...” He said, folding up his shirt before arms encircled his waist, making his skin shudder and his knees go weak, as Sora's hand rested on his hip while the other slid up and down his thigh.

“...Ha... Hashiba...” Sunao whispered, before lips touched his neck.

“I thought we had this worked out... or don't you love me as much, anymore... Nao?” Sora's voice, dropped an octave, but still not sounding like Yoru, purred.

Sunao's breath caught as the fingertips of Sora's hand tickled the inside of his leg, making it shiver with tickles.

“...k... Kuu... chan...” Sunao whispered, breathlessly, as Sora smiled against his shoulder.

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“It's a nice day for this time of year.” Matsuri mentioned, as Sunao poured some properly warm tea. The two couples were under a maple tree, watching the leaves change colors, but mostly just chatting about life overall.

“Nao-kun, you've found a job right?” Nakou asked, taking plates out of the basket she'd brought- who knew what was inside it. Sunao smiled, leaning against Sora a little.

“Soushi-san's letting me work as a secretary for a while. After a few years, Nanami-sensei wants to retire from being the school nurse, and by that time, I'll have been working a legitimate job long enough that it won't look suspicious on a resume.” Sunao said, as Sora's arm around his shoulders tightened.

“You'd never make it. It's hard enough getting you up on time to get to Soushi-san's office at nine- forget seven thirty.” Sora teased, rubbing his nose against Sunao's hair, as one of Sunao's hands came up to bat him away, half-heartedly.

“Says you, Hashiba.”

By this time, Nakou had unpacked and served what she'd had in the basket- four different desserts, each an individual serving. A miniature apple pie, a lone strawberry mochi, a single-serving size peach cobbler, and an individual cherry strudel.

Sora stared at the four plates, and Nakou raised an eyebrow.

“I didn't poison them, I'll have you know- That's why Kaa-san and I spent so long in the kitchen, learning how to bake.” She said. Matsuri chuckled, then took Nakou's hand in his.

“Sore ja nai...” He said, with a smile, “When we were kids, we had a little talk about what our favorite desserts were- Sora's was strawberry mochi, Nao-kun's was apple pie, and mine was peach cobbler.”

Nakou's eyes lit up, first with a glowing kind of happiness, then mischief.

“So, does that mean I get the cherry strudel all to myself?” She asked. Matsuri laughed, and put his arm around her waist, pressing a kiss into her hair.

The four of them enjoyed the afternoon air for a few hours more. But, during that time, Sora couldn't help but reflect- it was just like they'd promised each other as kids: They still had each other, even after all that had happened. Even in the times when things had been rough for one of them, the other two had still had each other to lean on until they all were okay. They were all sitting together, having their favorite desserts together, like a tea party. The only difference was that one person more was with them.

But, Sora reflected, as Matsuri gratefully accepted a forkful of cobbler that Nakou fed him, and Sunao snuggled against him, that wasn't such a bad thing, in the long run.

A/N: Le gasp! There is HET in the Sukisho universe! Seriously, if you watch the series, its like there aren't even women IN that merry little Gayland.

Yes, I do firmly believe that if Matsuri was in charge of wedding planning, he WOULD do this. Tell me honestly- you don't think he WOULDN'T, do you?

Other notes to make: The bit about Ayano's wife- that's a cameo of Setsuka from X/1999, based on an RP I'm in- in which I played 'Tsuka-chan, another girl played Ayano, and they... fell for each other. It was so much crack, seriously...

In a spin-off of the Sukisho series, called Mou Matte, in which the player controls Ichikawa, there's two prospects- Nagase, and Ren Shiina, whom has a crush on Ichikawa. That's where the thing about Shiina asking Ichikawa to dance comes from.

When brainstorming how this fic would end, I originally had it condensed down so that Sora would figure out why Sunao's been acting so strange, then everyone would get together and go to rescue Nao-kun, including a scene where Nakou enters the building and gives them a bento to give to Sunao under pretense that she's worried about him, as his fiancÃ©, but really it was just a disguised way to get the message to Sunao “Fujimori, we're coming to rescue you”. Everyone storms the place, the Matsuri-duo take their pictures, Shinichirou takes out a hand gun and goes trigger-happy, and Sora breaks down a door and charges in for a final confrontation while Nanami waits out in the hall as back-up.

I'm glad I decided against it. Though, I do miss the idea of involving Aizawa's fear in it- I had the idea that Sunao would turn his own research against him and use what he fears to get an upper hand, but decided it would be overkill. Aizawa was supposed to be afraid of spiders- in this case, tarantulas.

The line about Ran being a slut for Yoru- also from an RP. It made me laugh so much, I HAD to include it.

As far as my understanding goes, in Target Nights, Chris DID try to exorcise Sunao when they first met. If my information source is flawed, let me know.

I used the game art to find out the EXACT colors of their costumes, and Nanami's is indeed coral- a very reddish shade of pink. However, I liked the anime better with Nanami wearing the bunny ears and tail, while Sora and Nao's outfits had sleeves (Lucky Shinichirou and Matsuri- THEIR costumes barely got changed at all)

The reason why Sora is glad that Nakou is there is because, otherwise it would be Sora and Nao, the happy couple, with Matsuri, the third wheel. Whereas when they were kids, they were all friends in a perfectly balanced triangle, and that was the end of that. Now, with the two of them in love, with Nakou there, Matsuri isn't completely alone, out in the cold. A nice little circle. And... I don't know, but I like Nakou-chan... She's a nice little OC who isn't REALLY an OC, because she's supposed to be kind of a reflection of Matsuri... so... technically, there are TWO of them... that's all...

The line in chapter 11, when they're discussing Toushizou- I've learned recently that 'Pink Elephants' is a euphemism for getting drunk, or alcohol in general. So, when I watched Sukisho again and saw Toushizou, my only thought was 'This kid's gonna LOVE the booze when he gets older'.

And, also concerning chapter 11, in my minds eye, I just pictured the morning after for Matsuri and Sora's drinking binge and one-night stand, and I'd like to share it with you, just for the laugh:

Sora: Ow... my head...

Matsuri: ...Sora... what are you...

Sora: O.O ....

Matsuri: O.o...

Sora: ...We never speak of this again...

Matsuri: Good idea...

Lessee... Any other little details I need to bring in? Or have I covered everything?

Ah, hell... why not? I now challenge you, my readers, to go back and re-read the whole fic and see if you can't pick out the subtle little hints of all the big stuff that happens, such as Nakou hinting that she and Nao might NOT get married, Sunao's work, Matsuri and Nakou falling in love, etc. Go on- I dare ya!