Another day off from club practices, and it was time for you to spend it with your daughter. Shin, your brother, is currently away visiting friends. So it was just you and your daughter. You wanted to get out with Yachi, but she was at work at the time. However, someone unexpectedly invited you to a walk in the park.
A honk startled you out of your reverie. You looked up to see an unknown car parked right outside your gate. The car's owner steps out of the driver's seat to greet you.
"Yow!" your face lit up. He approached you after seeing your daughter in your arms. "Wow, when you told me about it over the phone, I thought you were just playing with me or something, but lo and behold, in your arms is Tsukishima Kei's own flesh and blood."
"You're exaggerating things, Katsuki!" you laughed.
"I missed you, (F/N!)!" the man grinned as he hugged you with one arm, making sure not to crush Keiko between you and him.
"Welcome back! It's been what, three years? How have you been!"
"If you really want to know, here you go!" He handed you a medium-sized envelope. "Give me your daughter, I'll hold her while you open that," Katsuki gently took Keiko from you. You joyfully receive the envelope and open it to see what's inside. Katsuki couldn't stop grinning as he watched you read the card inside.
An overwhelming feeling came over you as you stared at him with wide eyes. "Katsuki, I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!"
"Promise me you'll be there," Katsuki begged with hope in his eyes.
"Of course! How could I let this pass? It's an important day!" You gripped Katsuki's hand. You were ecstatic for him. To find the person with whom he wishes to spend the rest of his life.
"Come on, let's talk about it over a delicious breakfast," Katsuki said as he led you to his car, making sure the baby car seat was securely installed in the rear.
He drove you to a restaurant in the city. It wasn't crowded because it was early in the morning. Katsuki placed an order for both of you and used the time you were waiting for your food to catch up with you in depth.
"I'm going to personally invite Kei as well; do you know where he lives?" You nodded unwillingly. "Anyway, how did this all happen? I can't believe Kei is now a father; why aren't you living together?"
"Actually..." You gave Katsuki the story of the covert wedding, moving in, cheating on you, and having a daughter Tsukishima is unaware of.
"Let me get this straight: Kei married you without even inviting me?! How rude!" Katsuki grumbled.
"Is that the point here?" you asked, your sweat dripping.
"Kidding aside, I can't believe you've been through all of that and Kei's chillin' somewhere right now," Katsuki said as he took your hand, "You have to tell him!"
"I—I know, but I don't think it's the right time; Kei's got a lot on his plate right now,"
"When is it? The longer you wait, the more difficult the situation will be, and your daughter is caught in the middle."
You looked at your daughter, who was sitting in the restaurant's child's safety chair.
"Katsuki, what do you think I should do? Should I tell him?"
"I don't want to tell you what you should do," Katsuki said, leaning back in his chair. "You have to ask yourself if you're ready to tell him."
"You're right, I should know what to do," you sighed.
"Your orders, ma'am," the server said as he approached you with your orders. Katsuki's eyes twinkled as he placed them on your table. You returned your gaze to your friend after thanking the server.
"Let's eat!" Katsuki exclaimed.
The entire day had passed in the same manner, and Katsuki made certain that he returned you to your home before continuing on to another place. He looked at his car's GPS unit, maneuvering around to find the location he'd been looking for. When he arrived at a specific apartment complex, he noticed the name of the building. He parked in the basement and took the elevator to the lobby.
"Hello, how may I assist you?" the front desk officer asked, a little smile on his face.
"I'm here for Tsukishima Kei, tell him it's his friend," Katsuki said, smiling.
The officer called, and Tsukishima went down to see who this visitor was. He hadn't expected any visitors all day, at least not that he recalls. He approached Katsuki in the lobby with his back to him. He moved all the way to the front to see his face. His gaze locked with Katsuki's, growing slightly.
"Yow, Kei!" Katsuki exclaimed.
"Katsuki, when did you return from the states?"
"A few days ago," Katsuki said, smiling.
"Come on," Tsukishima said, shaking his head, "let's talk in my apartment."
Katsuki followed Tsukishima all the way to his apartment. He discovered it was not owned by a typical university student. If he had to guess, the place was quite pricey. Tsukishima invited Katsuki to sit down while he made coffee for both of them. After a few moments, he returned with a plate of coffee and strawberry cheesecakes. He set it on top of his coffee table and handed it to his friend.
Tsukishima sipped his coffee and asked, "What made you decide to come back here?"
Katsuki smirked and reached into his pocket for something. He slipped it across the coffee table towards his friend. It was the same mail you had previously received. As Katsuki motioned him to open it, Tsukishima raised an eyebrow.
He took out the card and read it. "So, you're getting married?" he asked Katsuki, who nodded. Tsukishima cracked a faint smile. "I'm delighted for you, and congratulations."
"You should be. I can't believe you married before me," Katsuki replied, sipping his coffee and peering over the rim of his friend's mug.
Tsukishima appears surprised. Except for his and your families, no one knew about it. Katsuki smirked, amused by his friend's reaction.
"Everyone's gonna find out eventually, Kei. How long will you keep denying the existence of your marriage? Do you really want to hide it so badly?" Katsuki set down his mug.
"It's not that easy, you know?" Tsukishima groaned.
"What's so difficult about signing the divorce papers?" Katsuki sighed, "you're being unfair to (F/N), Kei; she wanted you to be free, but you're keeping her from her own freedom."
"What if I don't want to be free? What if I want to stay?"
"After what you did? You think you have the right to stay in her life?" "Bro, you cheated on her. CHEATED! You hear me? You don't know the mess you've made of her life." Katsuki wanted to tell him something horrible about the child, but he held mute out of respect for you. He would have pounced on Tsukishima right then and there, but he didn't want to ruin the visit.
Tsukishima stayed silent, knowing he wasn't in a position to argue. Everyone who told him what he had done to you was fine. He admitted his mistakes, but he was gone past your forgiveness, or so he thought.
"..." There was nothing else to say. Tsukishima's hand tightens into a fist.
"I'm sorry, Kei," Katsuki scratched the back of his head, "I wasn't meant to pry or anything, it's just that you had everything when (F/N) came into your life, and I've never seen you so happy when you're with her. Marrying her, you must have seen your future growing old with together."
Tsukishima's forehead rested against his knuckles, his head bowed. Katsuki notices Tsukishima trembling. A teardrop falls silently to the ground.
"I was so blinded by my future that I forgot she was a part of it," Tsukishima explained quietly, "that I felt relieved to see her during the first day of school this year. I thought she had given up her dream to take nursing, and I took the same course because I thought I would continue her dreams for her."
"Kei..." Katsuki was feeling awful about the whole scenario right now. "You actually did that?"
"When I heard from her our other friends that she did not enroll in any university on our freshmen year, I took it upon myself to get the course. I was actually trying to redeem myself for the bullshit I did," Tsukishima smiled bitterly.
"You should have avoided Sakamoto from the start. She has been a bad apple since our high school days." Katsuki sighed, "I'm sorry, Kei. I didn't mean to ruin the visit. It's just that—"
"I understand; you're (F/N)'s friend, and you have every right to be angry."
"All right, let's change the subject," Katsuki said with a smile. "How about you being my secondary sponsor?"
"What?"
— K A T S U K I ' S —
W E D D I N G
You waited for Tsukishima outside your house, near the gate. Katsuki said he'd pick you up on his way to the event. You wore the motif dress (old rose) that Katsuki gave you for the wedding to the secondary sponsor. It was amusing because you had done nothing to help organize the wedding. However, your friend was desperate for you to be a part of the processional.
Tsukishima lowered the window down, and you were startled out of your reverie. "(F/N)!"
You took a deep breath, remembering that you were still not on good terms with him. You hesitantly took the passenger seat to observe Tsukishima dressed up for the wedding.
The car ride to the church was entirely silent. Everyone is dressed in theme gowns, while the males are dressed in suits. You got out of the car to find Katsuki standing outside the church, waiting for his wife. A grin spread across his face as he saw two of his close friends arrive together. Tsukishima congratulated Katsuki, and you followed.
Katsuki presented you to the rest of his family, and you finally got to see his mother again.
"Risa-san!" you called out to the woman.
"Oh! (F/N)-chan! It's been so long!" Risa held you firmly, "look at you!" She turned to Tsukishima, "Oh my, Kei-kun!" She also ran to hug the man beside you. "I heard from Katsuki that you two got married; who would have guessed?"
You cast an uneasy glance towards Tsukishima, who was smiling. He quickly slipped his arm around your shoulder, softly pulling you closer to him.
"Thank you, Risa-okaasan."
"Oh, what are these couple doing?" Katsuki grinned knowingly.
"It's uh..." your cheeks flushed.
"Oh, Katsuki, I hope you're as happy as they are after all of this," Risa exclaimed.
"Right..." Katsuki says sarcastically. "Because you're legally husband and wife, you'll be procession partners."
"R—Right..." Your sweat dropped.
The processional started quickly. You were all lined up at the church's entryway. It felt weird because you were paired up with your own husband (on paper). Tsukishima remained silent by your side. The processional song began to play. The other secondary female sponsors wrapped their arms around their partner's.
Tsukishima extended his arms for you to take. You grab for it with your shaky hand. Surprisingly, no uneasiness surrounded you. It was rather comfy on your part. It was finally your turn to walk down the aisle. You had a solid grasp on Tsukishima's arm.
Katsuki is standing alongside his parents. Something glinted in the corner of his eyes. Tears, joyous tears as he saw his bride go down the aisle in a beautiful wedding gown. You couldn't help but think about your own wedding when the bride's parents handed her over to the groom.
That day, it was a quiet church wedding attended by only your family. You cast a quick glance at Tsukishima.
The wedding ceremony continued.
"Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud. Love is never haughty, selfish, or rude. Love does not hold grudges and will hardly notice when others do it wrong. Love is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever truth wins out."
"And now for the exchange of vows,"
"I promise to love and respect you, helping our love grow, and always being there to listen, comfort, and support you, whatever our lives may bring," Katsuki said.
"I know I won't always be what you want me to be; I might forget to listen or share; I might disagree; I might be stubborn and wrongheaded; but I will always love you, and I will always strive to be the woman you believe I can be."
The ceremony then moved on to the ring exchange. The ring bearer carried the rings to the bride and groom.
Katsuki grabbed his bride's hand in his and slid a ring on her left ring finger.
"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and as it encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love."
"I will gladly wear it, and every time I look at it, I will remember this happy day and the vows we've made," his bride replied.
"Because this ring is perfectly symmetrical, it represents the perfection of true love; as I place it on your finger, I give you all that I am and ever hope to be," Katsuki's wife said as she slid the band on his ring finger.
"Because this ring has no beginning or end, it represents the continuation of true love; as I place it on your finger, I give you all that I am and ever hope to be," Katsuki stated.
"May the blessings of life, the joy of love, the peace of truth, and the wisdom and strength of Spirit be your constant companions, now and always, as husband and wife; you may seal this union with a kiss."
Katsuki goes down to kiss his bride, and a round of applause follows. You were pleased for your friend. He finally vowed to spend the rest of his life with the person he loved.
Your gaze fell on Tsukishima, who clapped his hands with a slight smile on his face. You were curious about what was going through his mind just now.
Has he given any thought to your wedding? Because you were. The vows you exchanged that day are still fresh in your mind. It kept echoing in your thoughts as the crowd moved on.
After the wedding ceremony, you and Tsukishima went to the reception hall. It was a silent trip with him, which wasn't particularly awkward, but you were disturbed by how calm Tsukishima had been all this time.
The majority of Katsuki's family and relatives knew who your husband was. It was strange because he was eager to introduce you to his acquaintances as his wife despite the fact that you had been divorced for quite some time.
The bride and groom have arrived at the venue, and you have taken your seat alongside the other secondary sponsors. Lunch was finally served, and the guests enjoyed their time together around the table.
"So, Tsukishima-kun," one of the young women at the table said. You recognized her as one of the bride's close friends. "You've known Katsuki since you were a child, right?"
Tsukishima paused his meal and gazed at the woman. You pretended to ignore the topic and continued to eat your lunch. But the reality is, you were waiting to hear if he was going to deny your marriage or be honest about it.
"I don't need to settle down," Tsukishima stated in the outset. "I already did when I was 18," he said with a sidelong glance.
The people at your table were taken aback.
"Eh!? You mean you're already married!" the woman who had asked earlier tried to confirm.
Tsukishima nodded, a small smile on his lips. He softly squeezed your hand. "It would be impolite to deny my marriage in front of my wife."
As a result of what he did, you nearly choked on your lunch. You looked at him in surprise, while Tsukishima smiled innocently.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you two were married!" the woman apologized.
"I—It's alright, we don't brag about our marriage," you faked a laugh.
"Aww, you looked good together," the other woman said.
"Aren't we?" Tsukishima asked, going with the flow.
"Too good together, actually," you cynically remarked, rolling your eyes.
It was the husband and bride's first dance together as newlyweds. They took over the center of the hall and began dancing to the song "This I promise you." The other married couple was invited to join in the middle of the dance.
Tsukishima came up and asked for your hand to dance without hesitation. You took his hand, and the two of you stepped in to join the dance.
"Uh," You're just at a loss for words right now.
"(F/N)," Tsukishima exclaimed. "Do you remember our first dance after the wedding?" You were taken aback by his inquiry; it hadn't occurred to you that he would ask such a personal question. "I recall you crying because you thought it was a dream."
"And it stayed like a dream," you said quietly enough for him to overhear. "I wish it didn't end like this," your hands clutched his coat.
Tsukishima scowled, "(F/N)..." He simply led you away from the dance floor to a more secluded area.
You stood in the center of the empty corridor with him. He gave you a look before pulling something from around his neck, and you noticed your wedding band. He held onto it after you threw it away.
"Why are you still holding onto that?" you said, your face tense.
Tsukishima removed the necklace and took the rings from it. He slid the ring on his ring finger.
"What are you doing?" you questioned, a bit nervously.
"I'm not giving up," He replied, taking your hand in his and placing your wedding ring on your palm, "I'm not letting you go."
"Kei!"
"(F/N), listen," Tsukishima called out, "you can throw it away, but it will never change the fact that I am your husband and I am not giving up on you; I'm not going to make the same mistake twice."
You looked at him, and he returned your gaze.
"I—"