"Yeah, yeah, I'm almost ready - calm down, Makoto," Nagisa, soothed, his phone jammed between his shoulder and the crook of his neck as he attempted to finish fixing his tie. "No use," he mumbled, dropping it and raiding his floor for a clip-on. "No, nothing's no use - it's fine, Makoto, just - no, you don't have to come over, I can do it by myself - Makoto!" he whined as his friend cut him off by hanging up the phone.
Nagisa collapsed upon his bed with a sigh. The brunette worrywart would be here any minute with Haruka in tow, he knew. The blond shook his head in exasperation. After all, it wasn't even his wedding they were attending!
Not six months ago, the old companion of Nagisa, Makoto, and Haruka returned from training abroad in Australia, surprising them all when he'd brought himself a fiancee by the name of Nitori. The redhead - Rin - had invited them all to the wedding, calling upon Haruka, to whom he'd always been closest, to be one of the groom's men and inviting the others to the wedding which was to take place at a fanciful resort beside their seaside hometown. Nagisa's hotel room was not too far away, but it was much smaller and cheaper - well within his budget. By coincidence, his two friends had gotten themselves a room at the same place, though they were three floors below him.
As if on cue, there was a knock on Nagisa's door and he rolled off the bed to open the door where an elegantly dressed Makoto and Haruka stood waiting. He smiled at them and welcomed them inside. Haruka sighed and Makoto grimaced.
"Honestly, Nagisa," the taller man began, "have you looked at yourself? You look like you just rolled out of bed!" The blond refrained by mentioning that that happened to be true. "We only have an hour, you know! Rin expects us to be there for him, just like in the beginning," he lectured, pulling Nagisa's discarded bow tie up from the floor and hooking it around his neck. The pink sash was a little tight for his liking, but if he complained, at this rate, Makoto would have had a fit. It took a moment for them to notice Haruka's stare and they awkwardly backed off from one another, the brunette sighing and the blond blushing slightly. The black haired man turned away and began picking up Nagisa's strewn out clothing. "Listen, Nagisa," Makoto began, brushing off his smaller frame, "you need to find someone to take care of you. You can't keep depending on me - I've got Haru. You definitely can't go after Rin for help, now that he's getting married. I don't get why you haven't found someone for yourself yet." He stepped back before joining Haruka in cleaning the filthy room.
Nagisa's smile was well worn now. Of course, he'd been overjoyed to hear of Rin's return - and with a fiancee, of all things - and he was pleased that he managed to give Makoto the needed encouragement to ask Haruka out after years of pining for him, but he never realized that this would leave him alone.
"Guess I just can't find the right person," he replied someone tautly. "Just leave the clothes, Mako-chan, we're gonna be late!" Makoto tossed him an exasperated glance.
"I can't believe you still call me that," he complained, following Haru and Nagisa out of the room.
The ceremony took place at sunset, out where the dying rays caught Rin's hair and latched onto the scarlet locks, but the greying twilight framed the younger Nitori like darkness did a star. Nagisa was the first to applaud when they kissed, the first to dash up to the grooms and offer his warm congratulations, and the first to flit out the door - for it was his job to ensure that everything in the reception area had gone smoothly.
He collapsed at his assigned seat, relieved that it had, in fact, gone well, and awaited the arrival of the other guests in the empty room.
Unsurprisingly, it was Rin and Nitori to arrive first, chatting warmly with one another and almost never breaking eye contact. Makoto and Haruka were soon to arrive afterwards and from there, the reception was flooded with people. Most were quick to take their seats. Of course, Mako-chan and Haru-chan were assigned to sit with Nagisa, nearest the grooms' table. A woman in a black dress designed after a tailcoat with a red satin scarf around her neck took the seat beside Nagisa, who recognized her with a jolt as Gou, Rin's 'best man'.
"Gou!" he greeted warmly, "It's been forever! Where've you been?" She smiled pleasantly at her brother's friend.
"It has! After I graduated, I applied to universities in Australia to be closer to the rest of the family. I kind of ended up on the wrong side of the continent, though," she explained, laughing at her little mistake. "It was easier to visit, though. And I met a really great guy while I was at school - we're still together!" she smiled at Nagisa and asked, "What about you? What'd you end up doing after high school?"
"You mean after getting Haru-chan and Mako-chan together?" he joked, sipping at his water. "Not much. I swam for a club in college, but it wasn't really the same without everyone around." Gou nodded and was about to respond when a hush fell over the room as Haruka stood to make a toast - Rin hadn't trusted his sister - but the words were lost on the blond.
So even young Gou had found herself someone, Nagisa mused to himself. It wasn't as though he hadn't been actively searching for his own companion - he chased down nearly everyone he met in desperation, which didn't exactly give him a good reputation around his city. He knew that and so did everyone else - but it love was ever elusive as the water and didn't take too kindly to chasing, preferring to run its own course over the lay of the land. Nagisa sighed - that wasn't how Rin found Nitori, and it wasn't how Makoto found Haruka. Perhaps, he resigned himself with an inward sigh, it was time he allowed love's current to find him.
Nagisa glanced up from where he'd been twirling a finger around his champagne glass, lifting it as Haru finished speaking and giving himself a bit of a longer drink than necessary. Mindless chatter commenced around him once more and as he placed his glass upon the table once more, he was mildly surprised to see Nitori leaning over to speak in someone's ear, perhaps due to the noise level in the room.
Nagisa's breath hitched in his throat when that someone caught his eye. His hair was not unlike the darkest sky, so rich a blue it was. His eyes were of a deep lavender, framed by odd red glasses, and deep-set in tanned skin. Nagisa's smile was no longer worn out, but as refreshed as the first rain after a drought. And, to the blond's credit, the other man's cheeks were reddening as he absorbed Nagisa. The rosy satin tie, he knew, brought out the best of his eyes and golden strawberry hair. While Nagisa himself was unable to see, what the other man took in was what appeared to be the rosy sun touching the fingertips of the horizon, like bronzed clouds and dusty roses. He was utterly dumbstruck by the little blond. They stood simultaneously to greet one another; but an announcement at the stage broke their gazes and their eyes, like sunrise and twilight, flickered over to the speaker.
"Okay," Nitori spoke into the microphone, "who's ready to catch the bouquet?" Gou, most likely thinking of the man she'd earlier mentioned, hustled to the stage, caught in a pond of young ladies. Makoto was looking quite determined himself. The wildflowers flew up into the air: all at once hands reached. But it was overshot and in Nagisa's peripherals, he watched Nitori give a start in embarrassment, for from there it looked as though he'd have to toss it again.
His embarrassment was unwarranted, it seemed, as it gently plopped right into Nagisa's hands. The other guests that had been vying gave a resigned clap but he paid them no heed. His eyes locked once more with the blue-haired stranger and a devilish grin played out upon his features. The other man's cheeks were painted rosy.
The newlyweds and the boyfriends would enjoy watching this new love bloom.
