I missed Nodoka's birthday by a day but, eh, what can you do?
Warning: Not beta read. Enjoy if you can!
Nodoka stepped out of her apartment building, her every breath condensing into a thin cloud of vapor in front of her face. The cold winter air had a sharp bite that seeped into her bones regardless of how many layers she wore, but it didn't bother her too much—winters were much colder when she'd studied abroad, after all. Of course, even if she could handle it just fine, she didn't want to be outside for longer than necessary. She pulled at her coat's collar to better cover her neck, put her hands into her pockets, and quickly made her way to the train station.
Truth be told, she'd had every intention of spending her Sunday sleeping in. The only reason she wasn't still in bed was because of a particular message she had received just a few minutes prior. Far be it for a lowly office worker to turn down an invitation from corporate heiress, Tsumugi Kotobuki—especially since she was offering a free meal at a high-class restaurant. Still, she couldn't help but feel strange about it.
Granted, this was not the first time said heiress had invited Nodoka to such a venue. Throughout high school and university, Mugi had brought her friends to many an establishment that none but she among them could afford. It was not uncommon for her to add them to any reservations she made on a whim. Nodoka in particular was subject to these whims more often than not.
"Ah, Miss Manabe, welcome. Your date is already inside."
Nodoka thanked the attendant, folded her coat over her arms, and allowed herself to be escorted to the table Mugi had reserved for them.
"Good morning, Mugi," Nodoka greeted as she took a seat, bowing politely at the heiress.
"Good morning. I've taken the liberty of ordering for us. I do hope you enjoy chicken. It's a special occasion, after all."
Nodoka snorted, realizing what Mugi was alluding to. "Christmas Eve isn't for another four days and this place is clearly not KFC." [1]
A pout. "Well, it's the closest I could manage without calling attention to myself. If we could do this on Christmas eve with an actual bucket of fried chicken, you know that would be exactly what we'd do."
"Peace, Mugi," Nodoka replied with a soft chuckle and a placating wave of her hand. "I appreciate the sentiment regardless. It's really sweet of you."
The pout on her face relaxed into a small smile. "I'm glad."
After a few minutes of small talk, their first entrées arrived and they settled into a comfortable silence as they ate. Once finished, another appetizer arrived to keep them occupied. Their meal continued apace until the main dish arrived, a roast chicken seasoned with fragrant spices. The two almost abandoned all decorum as soon as it was laid on their table—they were all but ready to claw at the meat with their bare hands—but they managed enough restraint to merely shredding it with their utensils before promptly devouring it.
"Give my compliments to the chef," Mugi said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin as the server collected their empty plates.
"Of course, Miss Kotobuki."
With that, they were left alone to digest their meal, a bottle of wine placed invitingly before them. Nodoka took the initiative and poured glasses for the two of them, which they raised in cheers.
"Thank you for inviting me here, Mugi," Nodoka said quietly as she sipped her drink.
"It was my pleasure, Nodoka." Mugi smiled and stared down at her glass, idly swirling her wine. "I'm sorry I can't make more time for you."
Nodoka leaned forward and placed a hand atop Mugi's on the table. "We both have responsibilities that we put before our personal feelings. I'm personally just glad we managed to fit this little tryst in our schedules."
A chuckle. "Yes, it was rather lucky that I caught you while you were free. Truth be told, I was supposed to meet with someone at around this time but they had to cancel at the last minute."
"Well, that's rather rude of them."
"Rude or not, they gave me the opportunity to be with you today. I'd gladly accept any such snub if it meant more moments like this."
Nodoka nodded slowly, taking another sip to avoid having to reply—she wouldn't know what to say if she tried.
Her relationship with Mugi was strange. It always had been, admittedly, but it was moments like these that she felt that strangeness most strongly.
Not many women in Mugi's position would be dating another woman; even fewer dating a woman in middle class. Add the fact that she and her family were having talks with other corporate families for some sort of political marriage? It was as if their lives were the subject of those yuri romance manga that Mugi so enjoyed.
But perhaps the strangest thing about their relationship was how so few obstacles actually stood in their way.
First and most surprising was how the class divide didn't seem to be a problem. Mugi had argued that, since they were both women, there was no chance for a child to be born out of wedlock, and thus no real reason for concern. Nodoka still questioned the soundness of such logic, but so far, they had experienced nothing that suggested things were otherwise.
There was also the social stigma attached to being a lesbian, but Mugi was convinced she was attractive and wealthy enough to protect both of them from it. At worst, one would be called eccentric and the other a victim of a more powerful woman's whims. As things stood, Nodoka had only ever received compliments and congratulations for catching the heiress' fancy.
As for the whole deal with Mugi's prospective marriage?
Nodoka didn't pretend to understand how most corporate families operated, but she at least knew enough to say that families like Mugi's were uncommon. They seemed to put unusual importance to her independence and happiness. No doubt, if Mugi decided she didn't want to be married to the scion of a possible business ally, they wouldn't have put up much of a fuss.
But if Mugi hadn't been pressured into the position she found herself in, then it stood to reason that she had deliberately placed herself there. In other words, she wanted to get married.
And Nodoka had no idea why.
Upon further reflection, that was probably the biggest reason why their relationship felt so strange.
"Would you like dessert?" Mugi asked, pulling Nodoka out of her reverie. "In my experience, the cakes here are incredible."
A small grin formed on her lips as she parsed those words. "If you of all people say it's that good, I'll gladly have a slice."
It took less than a minute after hailing a server for their orders to arrive: a slice of strawberry cake for Mugi and one of chocolate topped with a bright cherry for Nodoka. They eagerly grabbed their forks.
Fast as lightning, Mugi snatched the cherry from Nodoka's slice, immediately plopping it into her mouth. What followed were an owlish blink and a brief silence.
"Mugi…"
"You were wide open."
Nodoka sighed. "So I was." With practiced resignation, Nodoka reached over and speared the strawberry on Mugi's slice with her fork. "At the cost of repeating myself, I remind you that you could have asked."
Mugi giggled. "Well, I could, but—" she ducked her head and snapped up the berry that Nodoka was in the process of taking, "—that would be boring," she asserted, her lips curling into a triumphant smile even as she chewed.
A snort. "True. That would be quite tragic."
With a slow shake of her head, Nodoka began eating her cake in earnest, Mugi following suit. They ate more modestly than with the chicken, but after years of practice eating this particular kind of dessert, it took very little time for them to reduce their confections into tiny crumbs and smears of icing on their plates.
"You were right. That was incredible."
Mugi hid her satisfied smile by bringing her drink to her lips. "I aim to please. The love of my life deserves the best, after all."
As Mugi drank, Nodoka looked down at her own glass, rendered half-full by the brief sips she'd limited herself to. She swirled the liquid around with a stoic ambivalence as she once again felt that familiar strangeness overcome her.
"Say, Mugi…"
The heiress raised her brows, peering at Nodoka over the rim of her glass.
"You know I'm not one to pry, but I've always been curious: why exactly are you looking for a reputable bachelor to marry? I know it isn't because of your parents, at least."
Something lit up in Mugi's eyes upon hearing Nodoka's question, even as her face settled into a small frown. "My parents may not expect me to marry, but their peers certainly do. Papa does a good job of keeping them off my back, at least, but I know they're still quite insistent."
"So you're looking for a man so they leave your family alone?"
"More or less?" Mugi shrugged. "While I appreciate papa running interference for me, I don't want to be too much of a burden. If marrying a boy makes things easier for him? I wouldn't mind."
Nodoka nodded, all too familiar with the sentiment. While none of her close friends had been subjected to any such pressures, at least a few of her batch-mates from high school and university were not so lucky.
"The only problem is that I can't find anyone acceptable."
A number of criterions passed through Nodoka's mind, though she doubted that the obvious ones—like whether they had a criminal record, for example—were what Mugi was having trouble filtering for.
"Acceptable how?"
"Other than the obvious?" Mugi asked knowingly, causing Nodoka to scratch her cheek. "Ideally, I want someone who gets along with you in addition to me, but if that's not possible, I'm willing to settle for a loveless marriage where he simply ignores what the two of us have."
Nodoka blinked. Mugi planned to keep dating her after getting married?
"Unfortunately, even with such a low bar, it's been difficult. Most of the suitors I've met so far want exclusivity of my affection and assume I'd give it unquestioningly. I rarely ever get to mention my existing relationships, let alone what I want to do with them moving forward."
"That does sound rough. Anything I could do to help?"
Mugi smiled at her mischievously. "I can think of a few ways." She placed her glass on the table and crossed her arms. "How much do you know about Japanese civil law?"
A frown. "A fair amount, though I don't think I'm qualified to give you any legal advice."
"How much do you know about Finnish civil law?"
There was a moment of silence before Nodoka leaned in close, whispering conspiratorially, "Where are you going with this?"
Mugi also leaned in, the glint in her eyes growing sharper. "Finland doesn't exactly have marriage equality, but it does have legally recognized civil unions between same-sex couples—including foreign partners." [2]
Once again, Nodoka blinked owlishly. "And Japanese nationals are also allowed to travel to other countries where same-sex marriage is legal," she breathed, working through Mugi's thought process. [3]
"Not only that, I happen have both Japanese and Finnish citizenship thanks to my parents."
"Are you suggesting…?" She met the heiress' gaze, feeling those bright blue irises stare back at her with the intensity of the sun.
"You said you wanted to help? This is an option available to you. It might not placate everyone badgering my papa, but it will at least shut down some of them. I won't deny that it appeals to me as well." Mugi slid a small box between them. "What say you?"
After a long tense silence wherein Nodoka regarded the box with hesitant awe, she slowly moved to open it. Her eyes widened as soon as its lid swung up from its hinges.
"Tsumugi…"
With a jab of her finger, Mugi snapped the box closed in Nodoka's hands. "Please hold on to it." She wrapped her hands around Nodoka's and squeezed gently. "And when you're sure about your answer, give it back to me. I won't mind either way."
Her expression softened into the kind smile she normally wore. "I love you, Nodoka. Don't let any of this marriage business muddy that for you."
"I…" Nodoka swallowed. "I won't. And I promise to take care of this."
"I know you will, Nodoka," Mugi replied softly. "I trust you."
On the train ride home, Nodoka found herself staring at the box in her hand, vividly picturing the object inside despite seeing only a brief glimpse of it. She couldn't quite believe what it was, nor how she'd come to receive it.
Upon reflection, she realized she'd been proposed to.
And after further reflection? She realized that she wouldn't mind being Mugi's spouse either.
She and Mugi, married… It was a nice thought that Nodoka had never truly given merit—she simply was not a person who dwelt on such things. Then again, she never gave merit to the thought of them dating either, yet here they were, already half a decade together.
Clearly Mugi had given it a lot of thought. Perhaps Nodoka should start thinking now?
A pleasant voice blared from the train car's speakers. [Now arriving…]
Pocketing the box, Nodoka rose from her seat and stood by the door. In her mind, she was going through the logistical calculations necessary to plan a wedding on foreign soil, but on her face was an elated smile that she had no intention of suppressing.
When I give this back to Mugi, she told herself with steady determination, I'll do so on one knee.
End
[1] Due to an absurdly successful advertising campaign in the 70s, Christmas Eve is ingrained in the Japanese cultural consciousness as being the day you buy a bucket of KFC to eat with your significant other.
[2][3] As of 2015, the year this fic takes place in, same-sex relationships have limited rights and recognition in Japan and Finland. LGBT rights are somewhat better in 2021, but they still have ways to go.
Continuity Timeline
2010, April - The end of K-on Season 2
2010, September - An Ambiguous Relationship
2015, December - To Strengthen Strange Bonds (this fic)
Belated Happy Birthday, Nodoka!
This story was another fic I wrote in a spur-of-the-moment burst of inspiration. Not beta-read, so if there's anything that sticks out as wrong, confusing, or difficult to read, feel free to point them out in a comment/review.