Day One
Who said that reality couldn't be as sweet as a dream?
Word Count: 1066, Written on 3-17-16. Timeline: Ten years later.
A Ghost Hunt fanfiction written for my 'client' Miss-Kiku on the Tumblr GH Exchange 2016 (which was like a Secret Santa)
This is a disclaimer: My client requested fluffy, and that is what this is. If you don't like happy, I've written sad stories – I recommend you check them out instead of waste your time here! And if you're tired of unhappy, I hope this brightens your day a bit.
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It was the sun who woke Mai up. Its light drifted through the blinds of the window next to the bed and the sunbeams caught the dust emotes drifting in the air, making them glitter.
She could not remember the last time she had risen with the sun. She had stayed up all night during cases, but it just wasn't the same. To be forced to stay awake during a dangerous situation meant the sunrise was the end of the night. Waking up to the sun signaled it was the beginning of the new day.
The sensation of everything being different enveloped her. The room was completely unfamiliar. Mai did not lift her head from the pillow. If she did, she just might wake up from what felt like a lovely dream. So without moving, her eyes took in what she could see of the simple but elegant room. She had not really explored her surroundings upon her arrival last night. She had, well, better things to do at the time, if the discarded pile of clothes on the floor and the two empty champagne glasses on the nightstand were any indication.
The sparse furniture and decor created an airy feeling. In her old apartment as a teenager, it would have looked empty and cheap. Maybe it was just a state of mind.
Behind the blinds, the window was open, and she could smell the salt coming from the sea. If she closed her eyes and concentrated, she could hear the waves hitting the shore. It was late spring, and the weather was going to be nice today, she could just feel it in the air.
The sound of his gentle breathing was much closer than the waves. She could have sworn they were in time with each other. The realization brought Mai to reality. But who said that reality couldn't be as sweet as a dream?
She gently turned over, hoping to not disturb him. He didn't stir and she let the breath she was holding release slowly. In the times she had spent the night - he generally had not stayed at her place, it was really too small - he always woke up before her. She would wake up alone, and it was a little unsettling.
Oliver. Her Naru. Most people will think in the future that it is just her accent messing up 'Noll', and he wouldn't correct them with the full story, she was sure.
She set her head on her propped up elbow and watched his chest rise and fall. In slumber, his face could not keep up all its guards, and she could see the tension relax around his eyes and mouth. It made him look younger than his twenty-seven years. One hand rested by his side, the other on his chest, over the white cotton sheet that covered her as well. His dark hair was tousled and she resisted the urge to smooth it away from his forehead. She didn't want to wake him just yet.
The words usually described for an attractive man just didn't feel right. Handsome? Pretty? Gorgeous, beautiful, hot?
Maybe it was easiest to say he still just took her breath away.
She wondered if he dreamed, and if so, could they be nice, for once. Maybe of the day before, which didn't turn out as stressful as both of them had anticipated? Stress showed in Mai and Naru very differently - she became louder, him more reserved. She could hear the whispers behind hands of how incompatible they looked. They just couldn't imagine how they balanced each other.
It would be a lie though if she didn't admit to a few doubts, especially with how reserved and uninterested he had seemed at times as they had gotten closer to the date. But when they said their vows, she knew that everything was going to be all right. For as he read his vows, Naru sounded as in control and poised as ever. Only Mai could recognize the slight hitch of emotion in his voice.
He did look peaceful, and she could just lie there all day in bed watching him. It felt like yesterday was the end of an era. Her life had truly changed, like her surname. Today was a new start, accentuated by the fresh setting that her now mother and father-in-law had paid for. Neither Mai nor Naru had wanted to go far, and they had settled on just going to a tourist spot on the coast. She could have asked to go anywhere in the world, and he probably would have taken her. But she wasn't like that, and she wasn't about to change.
The rhythm of his breathing changed, and he opened his eyes. After a moment he focused on her face, and she knew that the same thoughts she had were going through his mind.
"Good morning," she said softly.
The lightest smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. He closed his eyes and gave a slight nod.
"It must be very late," he said with his eyes still closed. "For you cannot be possibly up this early."
"I love you," she said, and let out a faux sigh that was supposed to sound exasperated but ended up being tinged with laughter.
He opened his eyes and held her gaze. "I know."
"Do you know what day it is?" she asked, taking the hand on his chest and intertwining her fingers with his.
"I'm assuming Sunday wouldn't be the answer you are looking for."
She grinned in affirmation.
He sat up, releasing her hand. She rose with him, the sheets pooling around them.
"All right," he finally said, "What day is it?"
"It's day one," she said. "It really all happened."
"It seems like it went together rather effortlessly."
"That was all thanks to Luella and Ayako," she said. "Though you wouldn't have known that, since you made yourself scarce every time there was a decision to be made."
"I knew you could handle it," he said wryly. "You already knew my opinion. The courthouse would have been easier."
"Yeah, I know. Thanks for putting up with a real wedding for me."
"You're welcome." He leaned towards her, letting their foreheads touch. Her breath almost caught in her throat.
He said, "And do you have plans for this 'day one'?"
"Only for it to last forever."