The Wedding (Ring)
Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice is not mine.
A/N: Another one for the AoGA 2013 House Cup. :) Set about five days after The Cabin in the Woods. One-shot.
"I think you should ask me to marry you."
Natsume Hyuuga almost choked on his morning coffee. It was supposedly a typical Sunday morning, in which he and his girlfriend would have had lunch in one of the restaurants in a nearby village, take a brisk walk in the park and stay there until four, before driving to the bookstore for something to read that week. They had been doing this every day for the past five years. His girlfriend wasn't supposed to announce something that would tip off their clockwork.
"Sorry," he muttered, wiping the trickling liquid from his mouth, "But what were you saying?"
"Oh, stop kidding around, Natsume," she practically fumed, "I know you heard me loud and clear."
"I'm going through my mind if that's code for something else."
Mikan Sakura was obviously annoyed. She was biting her lower lip, and her ears were turning red. "We were supposed to be the first to get married."
"I wasn't aware there was a race to begin with."
She snapped him a furious look. "There's none, but when you start thinking about it, we've been dating for nine years. Nine, Natsume! I swear, if that's not a good enough reason for you to marry me then I have no idea what is."
He eyed her carefully, and spotted the invitation lying on the counter.
"Andou and Hirada have been together much longer," Natsume felt the need to point out.
"Technically, they've been dating much longer, but that's beside the point!" Mikan exclaimed. "If you're not going to marry me, I think it's time I start walking to another road."
Natsume sighed. He got up from his chair and approached Mikan. Her arms were now crossed and she refused to look at him. Slipping one hand against her waist up to gently caress her badk, he ran his fingers through her hair, a gesture that he knew calmed either of them.
"I don't really know what to say about this," he eventually muttered.
Mikan broke off from his hold. "I'm going to go to Misaki's for a while. She wants my help for the wedding." She was already slipping on her shoes. "I'll be back later."
"Do you want me to drive you?" He walked after her, his hand already reaching for his keys, but Mikan had already gone out the door.
"And what did you say?" Sumire Shouda asked, her fingers idly playing with the handle of her mug.
Natsume thought about it. What was that he muttered? "I said I didn't know what to say."
"You what?!" Sumire gasped.
"But I really didn't!" He quickly defended himself.
"I wouldn't know," Koko Yome commented, "But I wouldn't say that either."
Natsume was sitting on Sumire and Wakako's apartment. As soon as Mikan had decked off, he phoned Sumire and told her he would drop by. Koko, who was kicked out of the couch way too early for his liking, also joined the conversation with Wakako.
"I'd like to know how she got the idea though," Wakako thought aloud. "It couldn't have been just the wedding."
"She might have left wedding magazines on the loft..." Natsume trailed off.
"And you care to say this now?" Sumire said exasperatedly. "For a smart guy, you're really clueless about these."
"I think that's a given seeing as I went here," he said. "Is she going home?" The wedding was at the evening, and he knew her dress was carefully hung on her closet door, but he's not ruling the possibility out.
"That, I'm sure of," Wakako spoke with confidence. "I'm pretty sure she's not tagging along to the newlywed's honeymoon."
"Mikan has a point though," Koko found the need to say. "You've been dating for almost a decade. I think it's time you go for the next level."
Sumire agreed. "What more are you waiting for? You're both self-sufficient, your loft is big enough for at least two kids, and you're twenty-four and -five. If you're going to wait any longer, you might not see your grandkids go to school."
"If it were that easy, you would've been married to Koko, but I don't see you with a ring on your finger."
"Don't make this about us," Sumire said airily. "And that's another point. The promise ring you got her when we were eighteen shouldn't count."
"It was an anniversary gift!"
"Five years ago, it was," Sumire sighed in frustration. "But really, you've never thought of getting married?"
Natsume snorted. "What do you think?"
"I don't know," Sumire crossed her arms. "You often talk about how you would never make it out of the Academy alive."
"Because he basks in the present, obviously," Wakako said, "But Mikan's had her dreams down since we were kids. She knew what her wedding would be like, what she'd wear and who would be there."
"Hmm, you must be glad I didn't do that, aren't you?" Sumire mumbled towards Koko.
"But I think ten years is more than enough for Mikan to realize who she's spending her whole life with," Wakako finished. She looked pointedly at Natsume. "I'm quite sure you do, too."
Before Natsume could even formulate a reply, the front door burst open, and Hotaru Imai came marching forward, a gun perched on her shoulders.
The shot instantly left Natsume groaning on the couch.
"Direct hit," Hotaru said, satisfied.
Ruka Nogi tailed after her. "Don't worry," Ruka assured Sumire who was staring at her broken door in incredulous shock. Wakako didn't seem like she cared. "I already called someone to repair it when we're gone."
Hotaru's beady eyes were on Natsume. "Just what moronic thing have you done this time?"
"You shot me!" Natsume grumbled, massaging his forehead. Wakako tossed him an ice pack.
"Mikan called us," Ruka explained, "She was going on about you being insufferable, insensitive and daft."
"She asked me to marry her." Natsume said in an even tone. The ice stung; it was probably going to form a nasty bruise. Andou now has one more thing to be happy today, he thought grimly.
Ruka frowned. "She proposed?"
"He's saying it wrongly," Sumire rolled her eyes. "Mikan asked him why he wasn't marrying her."
"And what did you do?"
Koko snorted. "He got cold feet."
"She ran out of the house first," Natsume felt the need to say.
"Regardless that you seem and act like an old couple," Wakako said, "You're still allowed to ask her to marry you."
"Seeing as she got to it first, I don't think I have much to work on."
"You spent half of your life pining over her," Hotaru said, annoyed. "Even I would get frustrated."
I didn't pine, he wanted to say, but thought better of it. They all had some points— ridiculous, but all the while considerate. He had falsely assumed that since he and Mikan were together and everything, the vows seemed unimportant.
"The vow is never unimportant," Koko said, disrupting his thoughts. He was playing with his gold band. At twenty-four, Koko knew how to control his Alice well, and was aware of when to use it. He figured now was one of those days.
"I'm going to say 'fix this' but the look on your face already screams the answer," Ruka said. He didn't want to mention it, but he found glee in Natsume's clueless moments when it comes to his relationship with Mikan.
"And that's why I didn't go for you," Natsume replied, his voice sardonic.
Natsume was wondering what to do next. If he asked Mikan to marry him now, it would seem forced. Otherwise, he'd come out as an unfeeling jerk— a description that never ceased her to characterize him throughout any argument all these years.
He stood up. He didn't know what to do yet, but he sure as hell wouldn't find it in this apartment.
"Where are you going?" Ruka asked curiously.
"Maybe I'll buy a ring," Natsume said, putting his mug on the sink.
"Bring her flowers," Sumire suddenly mentioned, the tulips on the kitchen table catching her eye. It was given to her by Koko less than a week ago, after their recent summer trip on the creek.
Natsume snorted. "And then have it flung back to my face?"
"It's not like you don't deserve it," Hotaru shot him a glare.
He decided to ignore her. "I'm going to do better than that."
Natsume heard the dangle of keys, the swift turning of the doorknob, and the not-so-subtle slam of the door. Mikan was home. He had already gotten ready. His shoes were shined, his coat brushed, and his tie properly knotted.
Like seventy other percent of the Japanese population getting married, Tsubasa Andou and Misaki Harada opted for a contemporary wedding. The scene from this morning went back to Natsume's mind. What would Mikan like? They've never actually talked about the wedding itself. Like the matter before they got together, they danced around the topic. It was usually about future children and potential family vacations.
When he caught the sight of her, he was surprised that she was fully made-up. She wore a light-colored dress that stopped just right above her knees.
"I thought your clothes were in the closet?"
"I can't change here," Mikan explained, sounding exasperated. Her gown was covered in a black satin cloth, folded over her arm. "I might wrinkle the fabric. Come on, we're going to be late."
He glanced at his watch. "The wedding's not in—"
"Let's go," Mikan said squarely, making Natsume bound to his feet.
If she was already snappy before they even get married, he wondered what would happen when she's already with child.
"You're bare," he said as soon as he got near. She had no jewelry whatsoever. It surprised him as it was a first time.
"I just want to get out," Mikan mumbled, gathering her mirror and a few essentials to stuff in her clutch.
Natsume gently took a grip on her bag and gestured towards their bedroom. "I'll take this. Go on."
Mikan looked up at him, but before their gazes became more intense, she handed him the bag and walked to their room. He started counting down in his mind. It was approximately twenty-three steps from the sitting room before she got to the stairs, which had eighteen levels. By then, she would take twelve towards her closet, and three seconds for her to unlock her drawer. He guessed it'd be a good five before she sees the new ring box sitting daintily beside her jewelry box, and about two more before she opens it.
In a flash of about three, Mikan had rushed down the stairs, fuming in front of him, her eyes nothing but warm.
"Just what kind of sick joke are you playing at?" She asked him, throwing the empty ring box to his chest. "You actually think this is funny? Whose idea was it to plant a ring box that didn't have anything in it, cleverly, might I add, if this were a game, in a place where I'd obviously—"
Admittedly a little tired himself, and for driving around, Natsume chuckled softly. Mikan's expression was one of further discontent. She was about to voice out just that, when Natsume tugged her arm, pulled her forward, and bent down to touch his lips to hers. The kiss was soothingly gentle, causing Mikan to lose her track for a few moments.
When she finally composed herself, she scowled at him, although her cheeks had gone a bright shade of pink. "If you think I'm going to let you off just because you kissed me, then you're badly misled."
Natsume led her to the couch, but he didn't sit down. He got down on one knee and looked evenly at Mikan's eyes. "Did you mean what you said this morning?"
"About the race?" She mumbled. She would really rather not remember.
A half-smile escaped his lips. "About changing roads, or whatever that is you mentioned."
A compassionate look became present on her face. "That was pretty immature of me," she admitted. "I didn't mean what I said. I won't go looking for someone else just because you don't… Yeah."
Natsume frowned and asked, now confused, "So you don't want me to marry you?"
Mikan rolled her eyes. "I meant that I'm going to wait. It took me way too long to do so, I don't think it's going to kill me if I give you some time. Or maybe it will…" she added in an exhale with a small, sarcastic smile. "Never mind, the point is, I guess I… I guess you need to think about it too, without me forcing you to do anything. After all, it's not a—" She was disturbed once more, because Natsume had taken her hand and pushed a shallow cut ring on her middle finger. "What…"
"I'm not proposing now," he said quietly. Mikan's mouth was held open in shock. She immediately closed it, and then looked at Natsume. He went on, "But I am hoping that once I do, you're still waiting for me."
Mikan's lips formed a smile. She knew he had never been great with words, and she knew she wasn't an easy person to be with. When Natsume gave her a ring when they were eighteen, it was more of a present, since she easily loses jewelry simply clasped around her neck or wrist. It was just a simple silver band, much like Koko's.
"That's silly," she whispered, "Of course I will."
"I don't know when, or where, or how," he continued, his fingers light on her hands. "But I will."
Mikan pulled him and gave him a tight hug. "I know," she said.
Natsume chuckled. "Then why the heck were you in a rush?" He placed a soft kiss on her temple, the closest to her face that he could with her arms still around him.
"I thought you needed a push," she said jokingly, admiring the promise ring glinting on her finger, "I couldn't wait forever, now can I?"