Disclaimer: I do not own Code Blue or the characters
"I now pronounce you husband and wife." The priest said before the newly wedded couple kissed to seal their marriage and claps could be heard from all over the chapel.
Today, two of his friends got married to one another. Fujikawa Kazuo and Saejima Haruka finally tied the knot after a long eventful year which felt like an emotional roller coaster. Hence why Aizawa Kosaku was dressed in a sleek black suit and a periwinkle-colored tie, definitely not something he would usually choose for himself. It was the theme of the wedding, periwinkle and white, so as the best man Fujikawa gave him a periwinkle tie that matches with both the groom's father, father-in-law and the other groomsmen. He didn't have a choice but to obey. After all it was Fujikawa's big day, he knew better not to ruin it with his selfishness.
Aizawa was happy for them both but he still wondered why Fujikawa made him the best man. He didn't think they were that close, though they may meet almost every day at the hospital, but a man like Fujikawa surely had plenty of friends. Just look at the number of guests and how he greeted each and every one of them personally. As stupid and tactless he may have looked, the lifesaving doctor was adored by his patients, friends, and family members. Surely he had better options than Aizawa Kosaku for a best man candidate but he chose the stoic neurosurgeon.
He wasn't unhappy about it; in fact, he felt honored to be chosen. He never dared to ask but if there's the least bit of clue, he suspected the night when they ate tomatoes together after the young couple lost their baby. He had given his fair share of speech that time so thankfully he didn't have to say anything at the afternoon reception following the holy matrimony.
"Once again I would like to congratulate the newlyweds. When you both go back to work, we have to deal with two Fujikawas. No offense."
Leave it to Hiyama to make a beautifully touching speech that made tears pooled on the bride's eyes only to end it with a light joke to lift the mood again.
"None taken!" The groom said, followed by a wave of laughter from the guests, including a light chuckle from him.
He looked around and saw many familiar faces among the crowds. There was Tachibana-sensei and Mitsui-sensei who brought their son, Yuusuke, along. Kuroda-sensei was there with his family, he seemed to be more at ease compared to when he was riding the helicopter. Saijo-sensei and Shinkai along with the other neurosurgeons came. He also spotted the infamous Professor Saejima from the bride's side of the family, wiping his eyes from tears of joy. Even Morimoto-sensei, Tadokoro-sensei and many other famous doctors were present. They too invited all the doctors and nurses from the hospital, especially those who were not on-duty.
The banquet ended right before 5 pm, and he was among the last to leave the event along with some of the groomsmen and bridesmaid and that was when he saw her. He did earlier today but did not have many time to talk to one another at the reception since the bridesmaid and groomsmen were seated on different round tables.
Shiraishi Megumi looked stunning today in a knee-length flowy periwinkle dress with halter top that showed off her beautiful clavicles. Her hair was done in a simple up-do. For once, he saw her wearing a pair of stiletto instead of sneakers, and it gave her a model-like posture. No, it was an understatement. She looked like a goddess to his eyes. It was a miracle that nobody had caught him red-handedly jaw-gapingly staring at her.
They left the venue together after saying their goodbyes to everyone, simply because they knew each other and were heading to the same station. Thankfully she brought a light coat to cover her thin dress otherwise it would have attracted too many unwanted attractions. Even with her body covered, he could still notice men's peering eyes on her. He managed to control the situation by walking closer to her that their shoulders sometimes brushed against one another.
"Thank you for accompanying me, Aizawa-sensei. I'm still not used to heels and this dress attracts to much attention."
So she noticed after all, that he slowed his pace to match hers. He simply nodded and carried on walking, still waiting for the right moment to compliment her looks. It was something he hadn't managed to do since morning when everybody else did it nonchalantly. He was too engrossed with his thought that the next thing he knew the ceremony had ended.
"It was beautiful, wasn't it? Haruka-san looked so beautiful in white. When Fujikawa saw her walking to the altar with her father, he even shed a tear." She said again, trying to begin a conversation with her male colleague.
"Bawling would've been a better term to describe his action." His comment successfully made her smile. They both remember how the glasses-wearing lifesaving doctor had to wipe his face a few times as if it was the best day of his life. It probably was.
"Haruka-san is a very lucky woman to be loved by someone as kind as Fujikawa."
"Fujikawa too, finally his feelings reciprocated after waiting for such a long time." Ever since their first year of fellowship, they know Fujikawa had a crush on Saejima Haruka but at that time she was still in a relationship with Tajima Satoshi, a doctor who had ALS. After he passed away, Fujikawa had never forced his feelings on Saejima. He showered her with kindness and finally his feelings reached her heart. It didn't go unnoticed by his colleagues. Everybody was rooting for them, so it was natural for the team to be excited with the news.
"Did you participated in the bouquet toss?" His question was answered with a nod.
"Yes, but I didn't get it. Hiyama did, and she was so happy. I saw her showing it off to Ogata-san at the reception."
Ogata-san, the chef who was one of the patients that they saved which is now very involved with one of the lifesaving doctors. Hiyama was involved with him since summer last year and turned out it was not something that only existed in the hospital. They still went out together sometimes for dinner even on days when he did not have any physiotherapy session at the hospital. Aizawa sometimes saw the man sitting on a wooden bench right outside the hospital, waiting for Hiyama. Seems like everything was going well between them.
"Maybe it's a sign that we'll have to attend another wedding soon?"
He just shrugged. He wasn't sure he could handle another one so soon. Just remembering that had to go to the hospital tomorrow morning for follow ups made his head pound. He was getting older after all and ceremonies were just not his thing. Maybe it was different for women as the one walking beside him had an expression filled with delight.
"Do you want to get married?" He popped the question.
"Eh?
"Do you ever want to get married?" With anyone, he meant. It was a general question but the way he worded it the first time seems to caught her off guard. Well, he might be doing that on purpose but no one will ever know.
"Yes. I would like to have my own family one day. Ever since I lived alone here, I started missing the warmth of a home and looking at Fujikawa and Haruka-san just now, I can answer this question with confidence." She answered as she stared into the distance, the tangerine colored rays tinted her cheeks, then looked at him straight in the eyes.
"How about Aizawa-sensei? Do you want to get married?"
He didn't answer her question and broke the eye contact, back to the road in front of them. It made her think that she may have hit a sore spot just now but he was the one who brought the subject up in the first place. While she was busy overanalyzing the situation, they have arrived at the station and boarded onto the same train since they were heading to the same direction after all.
Neither of them said a thing to one another, even when they were standing face to face near the door of the moderately crowded train. Aizawa had his eyes set to the view from the window meanwhile Shiraishi still felt guilty for asking back. For someone who might be angry at her, he didn't show any hint. He still stood in front of her, shielding her from the other passengers pushing others to get on and off through the door. This reminded her of an event 7 years ago when she cried in the train and he shielded her from the nosy bystanders. She knew deep down there was kindness behind his cold demeanor and sharp tongue.
"Ah. Aizawa-sensei, your tie is crooked." He looked down to see what she just mentioned and in fact it was. He didn't know how long had it been that way because everything was so hectic since morning and he barely managed to kept his hair to stay in place. Before he could fix it himself, Shiraishi's fingers had moved to his tie and straightening it back like it was supposed to be.
"There."
He caught her hand mid-air as she was pulling it away. His actions surprised them both, must have been his self-control slipping away after noticing how close they were to one another. He had been contemplating his answer for her last question as he was so unsure, but now that she was near, everything was crystal clear. And now seemed like the perfect moment to share his view.
"Shiraishi,"
"Y-yes?"
"You know about my family. It was nowhere like yours. I had always felt lonely before I met my grandmother." She nodded, remembering what the lifesaving staff talked about in their fellowship years a few years ago, when his grandmother was first admitted at the hospital. She even raised her voice to the other fellows once because she couldn't stand people making fun of something so serious.
"I never believed in love and marriage. The only one I ever truly loved was my grandmother so I focused my life to make her proud and me." He stopped for a moment, remembering his late grandmother. The young woman seemed to notice the reason why he stopped talking. She let him take his time before he was ready.
"Even now, my feelings for her never changed and I grew up knowing only that kind of love. But now I realize that there are many other kinds. Including the love that made you want to spend the rest of your life with that person, it's real." He continued as he stared deeply into her dark brown eyes.
"So, to answer your previous question, now I do want to get married and experience all those kinds of love with someone." He gulped. Should he tell her now? Should he tell her that he was talking about her in this sea of people?
And the train door opened, people began pushing again to make a way. What perfect timing.
"O-Oh, I see." Those were the only words that managed to come out of her lips. She could feel her cheeks burning after the intense eye contact. She couldn't help but wonder if the words were directed to her but Aizawa didn't mention anyone specifically.
Then they arrived at the station closest to her place. Shiraishi got off the carriage but she didn't expect Aizawa to follow. His stop was supposed to be the next one after hers.
"It's getting late." Was his excuse. He got a point. Neither of them realized that it was already dark outside. Together they walked slowly towards her apartment complex. The dim yellow street lights and cherry blossom petals that decorated the whole neighborhood in light pink made them both even more aware of each other's presence. He caught her stealing glances at him a few times during the short walk as he did too but strangely it didn't feel as awkward as he imagined it would be. Their shoulders touched even more frequently than before, which was on purpose from both sides. Their paces were even slower, as if wanting to stretch out the moment, even just for a second longer.
The fifteen-minute walk felt like a second, even when no words were spoken. They arrived in front of her apartment lobby and it was time to part.
"Thank you for taking me home, Aizawa-sensei."
"Aa."
Neither of them wanted to say goodbye. Tomorrow they will meet again at the hospital but it would never feel the same. Shiraishi fidgeted, wondering what she should say at this moment. Should she ask him to stay? He might get the wrong idea. Should they go to Mary Jane's after all to celebrate Fujikawa's marriage? But they were not allowed to get wasted. They had to be at the hospital at 7 the next day. Working with a hangover was dreadful. They both had their own fair share of experience along the years.
While she was preoccupied with thoughts, she didn't realize that Aizawa had walked closer and suddenly they were only inches apart. His hand moved to cup her cheek as he brought his face closer to her and caught her lips in the lightest, softest kiss. He had wanted to do that for as long as he could remember. The man waited for any sign of rejection from her part, but feeling her lips slowly moving against him, he knew the desire was mutual.
She tasted sweet like strawberry lip balm that made him crave for more. The kiss didn't last that long but enough to spread warmth all over their bodies. As he pulled away, he could see the doe-eyed woman looking back at him. Her cheeks were rosier than before, and they wouldn't blame the cool spring breeze for it. She looked dangerously tempting. He could get greedier with every touch. This was as far as he could go tonight.
"Good night." He said as he left one last peck on her lips.
"Good night, be careful on your way home."
He turned and walked away from her but he realized that there was another thing that he hadn't told her yet.
"Shiraishi,"
"Y-Yes?"
"You look beautiful today."
This time he finally left without waiting for her reaction. What about the continuation of their conversation that was left hanging inside the train? That would have to wait for another time, of course with a ring in his pocket. In the meantime, every time they saw each other they would always be reminded of periwinkle and their first kiss.
A/N Finally I got the courage to publish this one. It had been in my folder for weeks but I waited for the upcoming episodes for any change but now that I have watched episode 9, I don't think there could be any better moment to publish this in the near future with all things considered. I shall refrain from spoiling any one of you so that's that. Anyway, did anyone realize that periwinkle is sort of like a lighter version of Indigo, and you need to add white to make colors lighter. Get it? You don't? Aw shucks T.T Please leave me a review, it motivates me a lot and let me know if you have any prompts for me to write.
Kimchi/summermelon