This is actually a submission for a class assignment but whatever lol. Thanks to tasyatazzu for the prompt!
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Title: Stained Glass
Genre: Romance
Rating: T
Summary: The day she returned home and saw the way the twilight shone through the mosaic was the moment she fell in love. SisCon!Natsume x Subaru. AU.
Betareader: My cute twinny, ezcap1st. Thank you very much, dearie! *hearts*
Disclaimer: Brothers Conflict © Kanase Atsuko, Mizuno Takeshi, Udajo, etc. This fanfiction is made without the intention to make any profit.
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The large chapel door swung open with a soft creaking noise, creating a wide enough gap for a visitor to sneak in. Said visitor was a woman in her twenties, her short hair dyed the color of sunset sky and fringe trimmed neatly to allow people to gaze at her charming violet irises, wearing a green summer dress that suited her image.
As she walked, her low-heeled shoes made soft echoes against the chapel's ceilings, until she finally stopped in front of the altar where a couple would repeat a vow and legitimate their status as husband and wife. On the backside of said altar was a mosaic glass portraying an angel blessing a couple, and was the main appeal of the chapel.
She stood there for quite a while, staring straight at the stained glass, and slowly a fond smile graced her lips.
People knew her as a tomboyish woman who fancies cars, bikes, and cats.
And only a few knew that she secretly had an interest toward mosaic glasses. Or, to be more specific, towards the effect it had when lights shone through it.
Her interest began since the first time she saw the mosaic glasses in the new residence that her family moved into when she was twelve years old. At that time, she thought that the mix of colorful glasses illustrating various flowers and trees—camellia, Chinese catalpa, jujube, and photinia, which inspired her parents to name her and her sisters as such—was very attractive. However, the day she returned home and saw the way the twilight shone through the mosaic was the moment she fell in love.
Ever since then she never passed a chance to admire, even just for a little while, every mosaic glass that she could see. All she did was stay silent, watching how lights from different times of day and the types of paints used to color the glasses could give different effects to the illumination of the stained glass. She stood in silence, basking in the light as she stood right below it.
And then she fell in love again, with the mosaic glasses of this chapel's altar, which she saw for the first time three years ago.
Back then her father was remarrying and held the ceremony in this place. She and her sisters, and the son of the woman that her father was marrying, attended the wedding in the chapel, watching the happy couple exchanging eternal vow. Everyone stated their admiration for the bride's exceptional charms that day. She alone thought that her new mother's appearance seemed engaging because she was aided by the light that shone through the angel stained glass which fell upon the woman's form.
Tsubaki, one of her sisters as a triplet, laughed when she heard them commenting as such. "You're right, our step-mother's face is actually just so-so, but… if you say such mean things, you might be struck by karma, you know."
"Huh? What karma?"
"Well, for example, if you hold your wedding here in the future, you might be mocked with similar words by one of your invitees?"
She was choked by her own spit. "The heck is that!"
"Hm? Do you not want to hold your wedding here, Sis?" Her other triplet sister, Azusa, joined in their conversation. "I thought that when you came here and saw the stained glass in the chapel just now, you got an urge to hold your wedding here too."
"… well. It's a good place."
"I know, right!" Tsubaki grinned widely as she linked an arm around her youngest triplet. "Imagine this: you're in our step-mother's position from earlier, bathing in your favorite mosaic's light, exchanging an eternal vow with Subaru by your side—"
"Huh!? Why did Subaru's name suddenly appear in this conversation!?"
"Eeh? Can't we? Don't you want to marry Subaru?"
"T-that's… ah, hey, I was the one who asked you a question!"
"Your face is so red." Azusa laughed softly as she and Tsubaki hemmed their little sister in. "You don't have to be so embarrassed. We're triplets who have been together since we were born, so of course we know that you love Subaru. So, there's no problem with us mentioning his name when we talk about candidates for your future husband, right?"
Seeing the mischievous smirk on her sisters' face, she could only let out a long sigh. She knew that it would be a futile attempt to hide something from them. "Yeah, yeah. It would be nice if I can… hold a wedding ceremony here with him as my spouse. But it's impossible."
As if to emphasize her words, right after she ended her sentence a young man walked past them. The tall man clad in a black suit seemed nervous being in the middle of the wedding party. Holding a juice-filled paper cup, once in a while he glanced here and there, as if looking for a familiar person that could get him out of his nervousness; then his gaze fell on the triplets. Her eyes made contact with his, and immediately they looked away.
"Hey! The heck's with that Subaru, us pretty ladies gave him sweet smiles but he made such a reluctant expression!" Tsubaki complained when the young man—Subaru—walked away. "What an insolent cousin!"
"Tsubaki, don't say that," Azusa coolly chided her. "But of course he would react that way when he saw you. You often pulled pranks on him every time you guys see each other during family gatherings, ever since we were little."
She smiled curtly as she heard her sisters' comments. She knew that both Azusa and Tsubaki were trying to comfort her with their words, but no matter what kind of sweet words they spouted wouldn't be able to replace the fact that Subaru hated her for the little misunderstanding between them.
Because, that time she thought that becoming Subaru's bride and obtaining the chapel's angel mosaic's blessing were unattainable dreams.
But, now she found herself standing there, again, and many things had changed since then.
The sound of a door squeaking dragged her out of her train of thoughts and she turned to look behind her, to see who entered the chapel. Her smile grew wide, this time full of pure joy.
"So you were here, Natsu-nee."
"How many times should I repeat it, Subaru, that you should stop calling me as such?"
Subaru laughed gently as he approached her. "Sorry, habits are hard to break, Natsume."
Natsume pouted slightly when she heard that, but then she heaved a sigh once the well-built man stood before her. "I understand. But, you should hurry up and get used to calling me just Natsume. Because it sounds weird, to be called 'Natsu-nee' by my own husband."
A satisfied smirk graced her lips when she saw red tint the cheeks of the man who was about to be legitimatized as her partner. The man that she had 'betrayed', who later accepted her existence again once they fixed the misunderstanding between them—after repeated urgings from people around them, especially from her triplets. The only man who she wanted to be by her side when she has to repeat the vow words before the priest and other witnesses.
"Hey, Subaru?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for proposing to me and choosing this place for our wedding ceremony."
"Aah… no problem. I know you like this place and want to hold your ceremony here."
"Did you hear that from Tsubaki?"
She was surprised when Subaru shook his head. "You know I was constantly with you since we were little, Natsu-…me. Since I was young, I've been observing you. I know you like the stained glass in your house, standing behind it as long as you can and enjoying the sunsets from there. And when we were here before, when we attended Uncle and your step-mother's wedding ceremony, I saw how you seemed astonished by the stain glass in this altar, and…"
Natsume saw her to-be-husband's lips moved, muttering something, but his voice was too quiet for her to hear. "What? What did you say just now, Subaru?"
There was a reluctant sigh that accompanied Subaru's reddening cheeks, followed by his sentence:
"I thought that… just like Auntie on that day, you would look prettier than usual, wearing a wedding gown, basking in the light that shone through the bless-giver angel of this chapel's mosaic glasses, and… smiling as you say 'I do' for my sake."
Then it was the violet-eyed woman's turn to lose her ability to utter words, to respond to him. Her cheeks turned red and hot along with the increasing speed of her heart beats and the increasingly suffocating feeling within her chest, which was full of her fondness towards the magical effect of mosaic glasses' illumination and the man that she will always love—before, now, and even after.
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END
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Footnote
Camellia, Chinese catalpa, jujube, and photinia: as mentioned, these are all names of flowers and plants. Camellia is 椿/Tsubaki, Chinese catalpa is 梓/Azusa, jujube is 棗/Natsume, and photinia is 要/Kaname. The Japanese photinia's Japanese name is actually 要黐/kanamemochi, but it still has the kanji of Kaname in it, so it's fine, isn't?! lol
Additionally, though these four are turned into sisters in this story, the pronunciation of their Sister Conflict's version name remains the same despite the different kanji, hence the reason I keep their name the same... in case anyone is curious enough to wonder.
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I really love mixing Sisters Conflict versions into stories ww
Comments? Critics? Corrections?
See you in my next fanfiction :)