"I do realize that to be for so very long in my exquisite establishment, to say nothing of my equally exquisite presence, can be an overwhelming experience, but I must beg you to cease with this wretched wiggling, Kyonkichi. I am an artist, and as an artist I really must insist on a certain degree of stillness."
Kyo could feel his hands twitching, in spite of his best efforts to keep his composure. But it was hard to remain neutral with Ayame flitting around him in full lecture mode, especially when there wasn't a damn thing Kyo could do about it. He was completely powerless, trapped as effectively as if he was a butterfly on a pin.
Or in his case, a man standing on a fitting platform.
"Damnit, I already told you, I'm not wiggling! I'm standing totally still, so if anything is wiggling, it's because your damn hands are causing it!"
Ayame tsked, rapidly running his hands along the bottom hem of Kyo's black montsuki and adding yet more pins from the small cushion he had at his wrist. "My dear Kyonkichi, you must know that I, as a consummate professional, have long since mastered the art of touching without motion. While I know that an occasion such as this is a rarity in your depressingly practical life, believe me that is equally common in mine."
Ayame was about to say something else, but then they all heard the shop bell and Kyo sighed in a mixture of annoyance and relief as Ayame stood up.
"Duty calls! I shall return, but in the meantime do try to make at least a token effort to stand still, Kyonkichi." With that, Ayame swept out of the dressing room, leaving Kyo alone in blessed silence.
Nearly, anyway.
"Yes, Kyonkichi, you'd better try to rein in that wiggling." Yuki's voice was filled with entirely too much amusement, and Kyo shot the other man a baleful look. Yuki was lounging on a couch off to the side of the fitting platform, one ankle crossed over the opposite knee and grinning like a jack-o-lantern. Kyo almost couldn't blame him; if the roles were reversed, he might be laughing, too.
But they weren't.
"Hey, don't you start with that awful-ass nickname, too. Him, I have to deal with today; you, I don't."
Yuki chuckled and leaned forward. "Are you saying you want me to go? Because if you want to deal with him alone, then I'll be more than happy to let you."
Kyo glowered at him for a moment. "No, and you know that damn well. Just lay off the snarky comments, it's bad enough to have to hear them from him." He looked down at his montsuki, trying not to move; though he couldn't really see them, he knew there were far too many pins tucked into the hems for his taste.
And he was holding still, damnit.
It was early afternoon, and their Coming of Age Day clothing fittings were underway. After leaving the dojo that morning, Kyo and Tohru had met up with Hanajima, Uotani, and Yuki at their favorite noodle place. It was another cold day, and the consensus had been that some warm noodles would be the perfect treat.
And it had been great, to see the others. Even Kyo was surprised by how weirdly nostalgic it felt, being together with the other three. He even allowed Hanajima and Uotani to hug him. He'd scrubbed his face before leaving the dojo, and if anyone saw any traces of his tears they hadn't said anything. Instead, the initial commentary was all about how good everyone looked, and how very mature.
Hanajima was working at the dojo as the cook, so Tohru and Kyo tended to see her every time they were in Tokyo. Uotani was living up in Fukushima prefecture with Kureno, and while it had been ages since they'd seen her in Tokyo, they actually saw her the most out of anyone, given the shorter distance between them. But Yuki was still in university, his second year in Kyoto just about to wrap up. Today marked the first time either Tohru or Kyo had seen him since Hatori's wedding the previous August, and it was nice to catch up.
As they sat around the table, talking, laughing, and eating noodles, Tohru had been struck by how much all of them had changed. Yes, Uo-chan and Hana-chan were still teasing Kyo, but he wasn't bristling at their comments. Yuki and Kyo still sniped at each other a bit, but it was good-naturedly, and not every single sentence. It was...nice.
"You're thinking about something, aren't you, dear Tohru?" Hana-chan's voice was soft, but it still managed to pierce Tohru's thoughts, and she looked at her friend with a blushing smile.
"I am, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be spacing out!"
Hanajima smiled and shook her head. "It's alright, Tohru. One only needs to look at your smiling face to know that the thoughts are pleasant."
Uotani laughed. "Lemme guess; you're trying not to get weepy about the fact we're all sitting here 'just like we used to,' right?"
Tohru's eyes widened. "How did you know?"
Yuki chuckled, lowering his bowl. "You're still rather transparent, Tohru. It would be hard not to see it, with the way you're looking around at us." He glanced around the table at the group, then smiled himself. "But it is pretty nice, isn't it? It's hard to believe it's been nearly two years."
"I know, right?" Uotani leaned back in her chair and shook her head. "It feel like we could have just come from the school or something. Or maybe from buying Tohru a swimsuit," she said, giving the two men a devilish grin.
Yuki only chuckled again, and Kyo snorted, his arm around Tohru's shoulders. "If anyone is buying Tohru a swimsuit today, it sure as hell isn't you, Uotani. Or any of you, while we're at it," he said with a pointed look at Hanajima and Yuki.
"Ooh, look at mister possessive. What, you afraid of a little competition? Worried that someone else might pick something Tohru likes better?" Uotani was leaning forward now, her eyes glinting wickedly. "Or just something that'll make her look better?"
"No! Tohru can wear whatever she wants, and she'll look great in anything." Kyo gave Tohru a fond look, and she gave him a pleased smile in return, though once again she was blushing. "I'm just saying, we don't need anyone to pitch in to buy her clothes."
Uotani sighed and leaned back again. "You're so very annoying these days, Kyon. It's so much harder to rile you up!"
Hanajima's voice was serene. "It's probably a sign of personal growth, Arisa. We should welcome it."
"Well, personal growth is pretty damned dull."
Yuki was trying to keep a straight face, but it was very hard. He was of the same opinion as Hanajima; it was nice, seeing Kyo so relaxed. He and Tohru still looked so natural together, so happy; the two of them sitting side by side, glancing at each other from time to time with those soft, loving looks.
"It might feel like we just came from high school, but we certainly didn't. What time did you two even get into town, Tohru?"
Tohru looked over at Yuki with a rueful look. "Ten last night. We didn't want to take any extra time off of work, so we took a late train."
"That must have been especially exhausting. I hope you didn't have to contend with too many other travelers."
Kyo shook his head. "Nah, that's an advantage of going so late. Though it was really nice to have the reserved seats and not have to worry about having to stand, even on the short legs."
"Well, I imagine Sensei was very happy to see you two, especially you, Kyo. Did you have a good birthday?"
Uotani set down her chopsticks. "That's right, Kyon is only just barely legal! Why aren't we drinking? We should celebrate!"
Tohru gave her friend a panicked look. "Well, it's the middle of the day, Uo-chan, and we'll need to be leaving soon for our fittings, and it just..." She trailed off, a new blush spreading across her face, and Uotani grimaced. She'd forgotten just how Tohru felt about alcohol, which she really shouldn't have, considering she was at Tohru's birthday party!
"Right, right. No booze. We'll have to celebrate later, though; with Kyon being an adult, that means all five of us are o-ficially legal! That's pretty damn exciting, don't you think?"
Tohru and Kyo couldn't help but exchange another smile there, then Kyo turned back to Yuki. "Yeah, I did. Worked, of course, but my coworkers made sure to keep reminding me about all the things I could do now."
"They even gave him a cigar," Tohru said, wrinkling her nose.
"And Tohru woke up early and made me breakfast."
Yuki raised his eyebrows and looked at Tohru. "You woke up before him?"
Tohru giggled, nodding. "I'm not as bad with morning as you are, Yuki, it is possible for me to be up and moving early when I want to. And yesterday I wanted to," she said, smiling once more at Kyo.
"You two are so cute that you're practically disgusting," Uotani said with a groan. "You should try to be a little less obvious about how in love you are, or you're gonna make people sick."
Kyo only snorted again and held Tohru a little closer, and Tohru laughed. As if she could love Kyo any less, or even look like it!
"But how are morning classes going for you this term, Yuki? Were you able to get later start times than you had last time?"
Yuki nodded. "I still have one early class, but for the most part I was able to get later ones. It's a bit of a relief; while I did manage to make it on time every day, there were a few too many close calls. And it's not the easiest to focus that early, either," he said with an apologetic wince.
"Well, I'm glad you got a better schedule for this term. How is Machi enjoying her first year?"
Machi had graduated high school the previous March, and had moved in with Yuki shortly afterwards. She was nearly done with her first year of university, and Tohru knew there had been a few hiccups for her during her first term.
"It's going well, now. The transition was hard; Kyoto University is a big school! But she's joined a club, and she's enjoying her studies.
"She still in Tokyo?" Kyo didn't think so, since she wasn't having lunch with them. But it was difficult to say with Machi; though she and Yuki had been together as long as Tohru and Kyo, she still had some walls up when it came to other people. It might very well be too much, having lunch with the group.
Yuki shook his head. "No, she's back in Kyoto. She thought about staying, since the term doesn't start until Tuesday, but after all the chaos of New Year's, she decided to spend the weekend back at the apartment. I imagine she's finding the solitude very relaxing."
"Chaos?" Now Tohru and Kyo were both curious.
"Yes...we stayed with Kakeru and Komaki, speaking of things feeling a bit like high school..." Yuki made a face that was halfway between a smile and a grimace. Kakeru might be one of his dearest friends, but he was still...Kakeru. "I don't remember if I mentioned this to you, but they're also getting married this year, in May."
Tohru loved weddings, even ones for people she barely knew. "They are? That's so very exciting!"
"Yes, kind of. They're having a Western-style wedding, and Machi and I are both in it. Komaki is incredibly relaxed about the whole thing, but Kakeru has some pretty...interesting ideas. It all got to be a bit much for Machi, after a while."
Tohru and Kyo could both believe that.
When they finished their noodles, it was time to make their way to Ayame's shop. Tohru, Uotani, and Hanajima were all excited; Kyo was resigned. And Yuki was simply along for the ride, since he didn't need any clothing for the ceremony; he already had his suit, and he'd be fine.
But he'd come along anyway, to spend more time with the group, to hello to his brother, and to possibly run a little interference.
"Welcome, welcome, my beautiful and newly-fledged adults! My dear Mine and I are absolutely delighted to see you all properly attired for such a wonderful occasion as your Coming of Age Day, aren't we, Mine?"
Mine was grinning from ear to ear at the three women. "We sure are, Aaya! It's not often enough we get the chance to dress three ladies who are so darn cute!"
"And Kyo," Yuki said 'helpfully,' nudging the other man. "Don't forget him, even if he isn't nearly as cute."
Kyo shot Yuki a death glare, one that he turned on Ayame when Ayame, sighing loudly, agreed. "Yes, it is impossible to compare the rough and ready form of Kyonkichi with any of these charming ladies, just as it's impossible to truly appreciate the understated simplicity of a montsuki haori hakama beside the alluring beauty of a classic furisode. But fear not, Kyonkichi, I will be personally seeing to you, and ensure that your look is perfection!"
Kyo tried to smile, but he muttered out of the corner of his mouth to Yuki, "I hate you."
Yuki only grinned.
Although traditional clothing wasn't a large part of Ayame and Mine's business, they did handle a small amount of furisode rentals, especially this time of year. They also could and did make and restore them, though Ayame lamented often the rigid structure of tradition leaving a depressingly small amount of room for creative innovation. Tohru, Hanajima, and Uotani would be wearing furisode that the shop would typically rent out; they should only need minor adjustments, if any, and that would be it. The longest part for them would be actually getting dressed.
Kyo's outfit was simpler, and would take less time to put on. He'd be wearing a montsuki haori hakama, the traditional formalwear for a man. Once he'd agreed to participate in Coming of Age Day, he'd thought long and hard about what to wear; he already owned a suit, and this would definitely be an occasion to wear it. But Tohru would be wearing a furisode, and he liked the idea of matching.
Besides, it would be nice to get some extra wear out of the outfit. In just five months, these were the clothes he'd literally be wearing on their wedding day.
Which was why, in spite of his outfit being 'simpler,' Kyo's had more to be actually done. Ayame and Mine had practically fallen over themselves to make the clothing for Kyo and Tohru's wedding, especially after Akito had said she was paying for all associated costs. They were sparing no expense, and cutting no corners. Tohru's clothing would take the most time, but Ayame had done his best to ensure that Kyo would shine as much as possible.
Mine had taken the three women back to change. Because furisode were so involved, Mine had also taken along their shop assistant to help. That meant that although Ayame would be handling Kyo's final fittings, he also needed to deal with any customers who came into the shop.
Considering it was a Saturday, that made for a fair amount of interruptions.
Ayame had swept Kyo into a dressing room and pulled Yuki right along with them; Yuki had had the grace to ask Kyo if he minded, and Kyo had shaken his head.
"You think I want to be alone with him any longer than I have to?"
So Yuki had settled into the dressing room couch, watching the fitting process and running what interference he could when he could tell Kyo was getting too annoyed.
As he stood waiting for Ayame to return, Kyo looked down at his montsuki. It was a very simple-looking black kimono, but surprisingly soft; like the softest pajamas. There was a barely discernable diamond pattern in the material, adding texture and sheen. He wondered just how much it had to have cost to make this; while he and Tohru had agreed to let the family dress them and dress them only, it still rankled, somewhat, to take their money.
Yuki was watching him. "Does it feel strange, wearing that?" Aside of when they visited the onsen back in high school, he couldn't think of the last time he'd seen Kyo wear anything traditional. It was a little surreal, but it oddly suited him.
Kyo glanced over at Yuki. "A little, yeah. It's pretty soft, minus the pins, but..." He looked down. "It feels weird not to be wearing pants."
"That's probably a good thing; the last thing anyone needs is you getting into the habit of being pantless."
Kyo snorted, but he was smiling as he looked over at Yuki. "You just can't help yourself, can you?"
"Why would I, when you make it so easy?"
That earned another eyeroll from Kyo, and Yuki laughed, then looked at Kyo a little more seriously. "It looks good on you, you know. Traditional wear."
"Yeah?" The compliment was unexpected, but appreciated, and Kyo looked down again. "It'll take some getting used to, but...good. I'm glad. This was something Tohru really wanted, and..." He trailed off, grinning and shrugging his shoulders. "You know."
Yuki did, and he smiled. "There's only five more months until the big day, isn't there? How are you feeling?"
When Yuki put it like that, the wait seemed like both an eternity and like no time at all. There was still so much to do for the wedding itself, so much to finish planning.
So much to finish paying for.
But the rest of it...
Kyo smiled, a soft, loving smile that could only mean he was thinking of Tohru. Seeing her walk up to him in the white wedding kimono, entering the temple side by side, sharing the sake, reading the oath...having her be his wife, after all this time. For that, he couldn't wait.
"Honestly? Excited. I'm ready to be done with all this waiting; I've been ready to marry her since the day I put that ring on her finger. But I'm happy to do this stuff for her," Kyo said, looking down at his kimono. "All of this traditional stuff, it's important to her. She didn't get to do too much that was traditional when she was growing up," he said, and Yuki nodded. Tohru had always been one for sentiment, and for sentimentality; it hadn't surprised Yuki in the slightest to learn that Tohru and Kyo would be having a shrine wedding.
"I can only imagine how happy she'll be, seeing you wearing that," Yuki said with a nod to the montsuki. "Both on Monday, and in June."
Kyo chuckled. "Yeah, she's probably going to cry."
"Tohru? Assuredly. I'd worry there was something wrong with her if she didn't cry," Yuki said with a smile. "I'd even swear she was crying this morning, right before we met up for lunch."
Ah yes, that. Kyo smiled ruefully, looking over at Yuki. They hadn't mentioned the momentous morning yet; it hadn't seemed like the right time, or even all that relevant. But right now, it felt different.
"That's not surprising, seeing how she was," he said with a chuckle. "I'm only surprised you don't say anything about me."
Yuki raised a brow, looking over at Kyo. "You too? Should I even ask, or is this something best kept between the two of you?" Unlike some people, Yuki had a healthy respect for boundaries, especially where Tohru and Kyo were concerned. A practical holdover, from when the two of them had started dating and they all still lived in Shigure's house.
But Kyo was still grinning as he shook his head. "Nah, you don't have to worry. It's nothing like that." He looked down at his hands, then back at Yuki. "Now that I'm twenty, Dad is adopting me. Legally, with all the paperwork and everything. We just signed everything this morning."
Kyo was practically radiating happiness, and he was gratified to see the big smile that appeared on Yuki's own face at the news. Yuki started to stand up, but then stopped, settling back down with a chuckle.
"I actually thought about hugging you for a moment, but Ayame would never let me hear the end of it if I wrinkled you. That, and you're probably about as full of pins as a porcupine," he added with a glance at the montsuki. "But seriously, congratulations! That's wonderful news, absolutely wonderful. I'm sure Sensei is overjoyed." He didn't need to ask about Kyo himself; he could see very clearly what Kyo felt, just from looking at his face.
And Kyo was still beaming. "Yeah, he's pretty happy. Both of us are. After all this time, it's nice to have things the way they should be."
Yuki smiled. "It seems like you have a lot to celebrate, this Coming of Age Day. Twenty is shaping up to be a pretty monumental year for you."
"Yeah..."
At that moment, the door swung back open. "Thank you for your patience, my beloved brother! And I do hope you've been standing still, Kyonkichi; much as I know it pains you to remain motionless, rest assured that it's all in the name of fashion and therefore the greater good!"
Kyo sighed, his expression once more shifting into pained resignation. And Yuki chuckled, sitting back on the couch. It was remarkable, just how much Kyo had changed in the past two years. But underneath, he was still the same Kyo, who still hated being called 'Kyonkichi.'
Ayame set back to work, and was soon finished with the montsuki. Kyo was still rather amazed by all the pins, and he said so.
"Ah, well, it is only to be expected, Kyonkichi. I didn't think to clarify your height when I had Tohru send me your measurements, and of course you had to go and grow even more in the last two years. Some men would consider themselves satisfied to be taller than average in high school, but of course you would take it even further," Ayame said with a dramatic sigh. "So, I needed to adjust all of your hems and sleeves. Fortunately, such work is the simplest of tasks, and won't take hardly any time at all for one so skilled as I!"
Moving briskly, Ayame took up the black and white striped hakama and helped Kyo into them. "Now, these should be relatively straightforward, I should just need to adjust the hems." Ayame's hands were deft, wrapping the ties snugly around Kyo and tying them into a perfect bow. "Hmmm..."
Stepping back, Ayame looked Kyo up and down for a moment, then dropped down to the floor and began pinning the lower hems. "Yes, just a few minor adjustments and these will be perfect! Though I do have to beg that you consider your dearly beloved couturier if you even dream of growing so much as a millimeter in the next few months. After this weekend, I don't intend to even think about this outfit, not for even a moment. I shall be far too busy, working to make dear Tohru shine like the diamond she is!"
At least in that, Kyo could agree entirely.
The bell rang again, and Ayame pushed himself off the floor. "Please endeavor to remain still, Kyonkichi; I shall return as soon as duty allows!"
Once the door closed behind Ayame, Kyo brought up his hands to run over his face. "I really hate this."
Yes, definitely still the same Kyo.
"Just remind yourself it's for a good cause. As soon as you're done, you'll be back in jeans and you won't have to worry about my brother's hands on you again until Monday."
Kyo lowered his hands to see Yuki looking entirely too pleased with himself, and he snorted. "Gee, thanks."
"Anytime," Yuki said pleasantly.
"You really just came along to watch me squirm, didn't you?"
Yuki looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment, then chuckled. "What can I say? Even I can get a little nostalgic sometimes."
