Request for Bulge/Manabu for the prompts "Nose kiss" and "Formal dance," two of my favorite tropes. This is part of my "No one is dead because I say so" AU.

The first roadblock of marriage we ran into was the wedding itself. Manabu was as baffled at my description of the ceremony as I was at his.

"Haven't you seen it in movies?" I'd asked. "Women in white gowns, men in suits. Feed each other cake and champagne and throw the bouquet and all that."

"I've seen it," he'd said at length. "But I thought it was all kind of romanticized for the sake of the movie. People actually have weddings like that? It's supposed to be all quiet and staring."

Neither of us felt too torn-up about the matter, more confused than anything. The main trouble was that we weren't sure how the other ceremony worked. Manabu seemed to struggle envisioning himself in something so extravagant, even when I suggested we could tone things down. As for myself, I was a bit worried about making a mistake in the rigid, formal ceremony Manabu described.

The people of Tabito held a long-standing tradition of weddings based on those from old-Earth Japan, along with the many other things they'd carried over when settling the planet. In the end, with more of his family attending than mine, we decided on the Tabito tradition. Plus, Mrs. Yuuki offered to make dinner for everyone, and I couldn't turn down an offer like that.

As we flipped through invitations, trying to find a nice cardstock that wasn't too flashy, Manabu said, "But I want the dance. We can have the dance, right?"

My look to him was as blank as the cards. "What dance?"

"You said your weddings had a dance." His cheeks tinged red. "Formal kimonos aren't hard to move in, so we can dance together, and I can do that dance with my dad first, so he can give me to you like you said. I think it would be fun."

I decided not to mention that it was usually fathers handing their daughters off during the ceremony. He must have gotten confused, but the idea made him so giddy that I could do nothing but call Mrs. Yuuki for help. Kanna, she corrected me "or Mom if you'd like."

She seemed equally thrilled about the idea, saying she'd take care of it.

She kept her word. In a field, a short way from the ceremony I'd stumbled through, was a wooden deck laid into the ground. Paper lanterns and small lights covered the area in a star-like glow. Manabu's eyes seemed to reflect all of it. His cheeks must have ached from the smile he'd worn all day.

His first dance with his father was, well, adorable honestly. I never thought I'd call Captain Yuuki cute, but he spent the whole time flustered, his brows pinched and his eyes down on their feet as though he was worried he would step on Manabu's toes. I couldn't hear them from where I sat, but Manabu seemed to be speaking gentle comforts or encouragements to his father, while the captain muttered something in reply.

When the song came to an end and I had to come up and offer my hand, Wataru frowned at it, still distressed. It was just like when I'd asked permission for Manabu's hand in marriage. I might as well have punched the captain with how dazed he became. Mrs. Yuuki had to talk him into an uneasy ascension at the time, but now he pulled Manabu's hand toward mine as though moving through water.

He seemed to want to say something, his mouth opening and closing a few times. As our song began, he managed a quiet, "Take care not to step on his feet."

I gave him a nod. "Of course, sir."

Manabu's brows shot up. "You didn't call him captain for once. You're getting better."

"It was a struggle."

"I didn't have any trouble switching over for you."

"I know. It was a bit disconcerting."

We'd practiced the dance so often that I needn't have stared at his feet. Manabu had insisted on nightly practices, humming the song he'd picked until I heard it in my sleep. A nice tune, though. Sleepy, almost.

As always, he giggled when we got to the twirl, and as always he pressed up to the tips of his toes and kissed the tip of my nose when I pulled him back in. My burning face only made him laugh harder.

My eyes narrowed with the message that he wasn't supposed to do that in front of everyone.

His gleaming eyes returned that he knew and didn't care.

But of course, I couldn't win against that smile.