The morning sun spilled gold across the tatami as Kaito adjusted his collar in the mirror. His hands were steady—but his heart was racing.
He never pictured himself getting married. Not as a kid. Not even back in high school when things with Ren had started. But now, standing here in the soft hush before the ceremony, he couldn't imagine anything else.
Outside the window, guests were beginning to arrive—familiar faces from their school days, college friends, even Mr. Hayashi, Ren's father, who had eventually become something closer to the man Ren needed him to be.
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
It was Ren.
Hair neatly combed. Formal black montsuki kimono. Hands fidgeting at his sides.
"You're not supposed to see me before the ceremony," Kaito said, but he smiled anyway.
Ren stepped in. "I know. But I needed to."
He crossed the room and took Kaito's hands in his.
"I thought I'd be scared today," Ren said. "But I'm not. I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
Kaito's voice was soft. "Me too."
Ren leaned in, rested his forehead against Kaito's. "Let's do this."
Later – Under the Spring Sky
The shrine garden was in bloom—cherry blossoms dancing through the breeze like soft applause. Family and friends filled the courtyard, the air buzzing with warmth, laughter, and the quiet hush of something sacred.
Ren and Kaito stood before the shrine, side by side.
Their hands were joined.
Vows weren't traditional in the ceremony they'd chosen, but they'd written their own anyway.
Ren went first.
"I've loved you in classrooms, in quiet kitchens, in crowded trains, and in every small silence in between. I promise to love you still—in arguments and tired mornings, in growth and change, in whatever comes next."
Kaito swallowed hard, eyes bright.
"I never thought I'd be lucky enough to find someone who makes the world feel less heavy. But you—Ren—you're the light I didn't know I needed. I promise to carry your heart with mine. Every day."
There wasn't a dry eye in the crowd.
The priest spoke the final blessing.
And when they turned to face each other, it was done.
They were husbands.
Ren leaned in, cupped Kaito's cheek, and kissed him—gentle, reverent, like a beginning and a continuation all at once.
Cheers erupted around them.
Cherry petals swirled.
And in the middle of it all, two boys—now men—stood holding each other, steady in a world that had finally caught up to the love they'd never once let go.