Corpse Bride || Haitani Brothers/OC

20 - to be yours

Ran and Hikari sat beside each other, and the three women sat across them. the man could clearly see that she was unhappy about this whole ordeal, and Hikari knows that he knows, which was why she couldn't understand why he seemed to encourage this.

"where've you been, Hikari? you totally disappeared after graduation," Ella, a friend she was actually close with before says.

"well," she smiles, not really knowing what to say.

"that would be my fault, I kept her all to myself," Ran says smoothly.

he wore that easy smile of his that made them relax around him, and Ran was a gentleman—Hikari would know that best. she just hated how charming he's being when they could really have the night all to themselves.

"so you're together?" Yui, Ran's therapist, and Hikari's nemesis asks.

her innocent facade was still so deceiving even after all those years.

"I'm her husband."

"you never told me you were married," Yui says in surprise.

"how long exactly has it been since you were his therapist?" Hikari asks.

"about a month ago, why? he never told you? ah, Ran, how could you not tell your wife?"

Hikari grinned. there she goes again, her words venomous and her tone anything but. Ran raised a brow at her as he leans his cheek on Hikari's temple.

"because she'd worry."

"about therapy or about me?"

"Yui," Hikari warns.

"oh, I'm just messing with you, Hikari—it's been so long."

before Hikari could say something back, Ella interrupted them with an awkward laugh.

"oh you two are still going at it even when we're all grown up."

"I think I'm missing something," Ran says, subtly trying to pry for information.

they really wouldn't be having this kind of conversation though if Ran declined their offer, making Hikari slightly sigh as she pushes his face away from hers.

"Hikari's ex-boyfriend dated Yui while they were still together. but neither of them refuses to admit who was the sidechick," Amy says.

she wasn't so close with Hikari before, but they were in good terms.

"I'd die before I become someone's second," Yui beams, her voice nonchalant.

"then you should've dropped dead years ago," Hikari responds with just as much politeness.

Ran silently laughed, disguising it by clearing his throat. he rubs Hikari's back to remind her to keep her composure as he asks them more questions about how she was like in college, what kind of guys she dated, if she's always been this ill-tempered. the girl couldn't help but narrow her eyes at him.

"what?" he whispers.

"is this why you wanted to sit with them?"

"I don't know what you mean," he denies.

but it became easier to talk to them with Ran's lead, because to cut Hikari some slack, she's never talked to normal people in years. Yui lessened her snark, but she did love to bring up things Hikari wanted to forget about. like how she was scolded in class for talking back, had been in an actual fistfight with a guy, and had been caught kissing one of their teachers.

"wow, you never cared to mention all that, Hikari," Ran says.

she stills as she feels his hand massage her thigh from beneath the table.