The bustling energy inside the place was something really not common when it came to the person this ceremony was dedicated to, elegant wear and smiling faces giving him a weird feeling from the get-go.
Shouta couldn't talk, though, because he had broken out the six years old suit that had gathered dust inside his closet, almost wearing it as it was but Nemuri convinced him to act like a mature adult for once in his life. So, he threw it at the dry cleaner two days before, choosing some sneakers to finish the look.
The bag on his hand weighed more than he expected, but he didn't particularly mind. With this being Todoroki Enji's wedding and all, Shouta needed something to make it through to the end.
"Unexpected visitors go to table twelve," a voice spoke way too close to him, his head turning around to look into golden eyes and golden hair.
"Keigo," Shouta said, raising an eyebrow at the way the other man was dressed. He was about to talk when he saw the nametag on his jacket that read 'Best Man'. Shouta bit his tongue to not laugh.
"You're the best man?"
The blond nodded, tapping an earpiece before he looked down at the papers he had on his arm.
"With great honor, too. Now please, move along."
His voice was devoid of emotion whatsoever, body already moving to talk to someone else. Shouta had so many questions but decided to hold his tongue for now. He wasn't here for his own sake. Which, talking about-
"Sensei," Todoroki Shouto smiled at him from a foot away, hand raised so he would be recognized. Shouta let his body sag, finally around friendly waters.
"Todoroki." He bowed, just a mock gesture that gained him a roll of his student's eyes.
"I didn't think you would come."
Shouta frowned at this, staring at the boy intently.
"You personally asked me to come so I could keep you sane."
Todoroki blushed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"I know, I just didn't think you would actually come. That's all."
Shouta looked at him, a soft smile forming on his lips. His student thought he would have no source of support while having to endure this. He was glad the boy was wrong.
Shrugging, he placed a hand inside his dress pants pockets while the other held the bag.
"Well, here I am."
And because the world wasn't a happy place, another voice spoke behind Todoroki, making the boy flinch and move closer to Shouta.
"The question is why."
Todoroki Enji, all time celebrity and star of this event. Other than the bride, of course, but no one really knew her name until the invitations had come along and still there were some asking who the person was the man was marrying. Sad, it really was. Shouta didn't particularly care or pity the poor soul that would spend the rest of her life with a man like this.
Shouta smiled stiffly, tilting his head up to look at the groom, muscles twitching to get the man away from his student. He controlled himself, just taking a few steps further and using himself as a shield between both of them, full hand raising the bag just so it would catch attention.
"I brought wine," was his answer, earning a muffled laugh from Todoroki that transformed into a fake cough when his father turned the glare to him.
"Thank you." The words seemed to taste bitter in the groom's mouth, one of his hands moving to catch the bag but Shouta moved it away, using the other as a sign to make Enji stop.
"For me. I'm sure you have enough gifts going around already." He could see that Enji had an irk mark on his forehead, hand lowering to waist level as he glared harder at the teacher. Shouta met the glare with a brilliant smile, all teeth showing. It wasn't a pretty look.
"Unexpected visitors go to-"
"Table twelve. I know, Keigo talked to me already." he interrupted the groom, walking away from the interaction. "Congrats and felicitations. Now if you'll excuse me."
He winked at Todoroki before turning around, entering the great hall where all the tables were placed. He whistled, admiring how big this hall was, all gold and fire and lights. The wine in the bottles swished a little and he moved to search for table twelve, wanting to sit down and forget exactly where he was.
Finding the table wasn't hard, he just had to walk all the way to the back where no one could see them and there it was in all its empty glory. The rejected table. He patted himself on the back for sinking so low as to end here right now, taking a chair back to sit on it.
"What are you doing here?"
People just kept talking to him out of nowhere, weren't they?
Looking to the side, he saw that the table wasn't as empty as he thought, Usagiyama Rumi leaning back on her own chair, arms crossed over her chest. He blinked a few times, sinking more comfortably where he was sitting.
"Moral support. You?"
She snorted, rolling her shoulders a bit."Same."
Then they fell into silence, the laughing voices of everyone else filling the whole space of the hall, people talking to each other like they knew each other, which they probably did.
Shouta clicked a spoon on the table once, twice before he put the bag on the floor and took a bottle out.
"Want some wine?" He asked Rumi, opening the bottle easily and pouring some liquid into a glass.
"God, yes." Her shoulders dropped, tense muscles relaxing as she leaned forward and took his offered glass with grateful eyes. Shouta grinned, clinking their glasses together before taking a sip.
It had been a whole eternity before anything started to happen, Keigo running from one place to another, hair surprisingly still as beautiful as thirty minutes ago when Shouta had arrived.
"Say," He started talking, drawing Rumi's attention away from her third glass of wine. "Shouldn't the maid of honor be doing Keigo's job?"
She held a finger up, chugging down the red liquid and shoving the glass under his face so he would give her more. He did.
"I heard she has been useless all along, just flirting with him and missing dates. Keigo had to go pick the cake, the flowers, and even the bride's dress."
Shouta raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Keigo fighting with some waiters, their heads bowed in shame as he whispered angrily, swatting his hands around.
"That must be frustrating," he muttered, taking a sip from his wine.
Just then the doors slammed open, a few chairs and a table falling down to the floor. Keigo stopped yelling at the waiters to look at the commotion, the biggest sigh leaving his lips, eyes closing as his face turned to look at the ceiling. Shouta frowned, craning his neck up to try and take a better look.
"What is it?" Rumi asked, leaning towards him to look at the entrance.
"I'm not sure yet."
Dabi had entered the hall. Shouta noticed the leather pants, and tank top first, which were already bad enough as they were. Then he saw the knee-high hooker boots. And now he had to mirror Keigo in his sigh when he saw the reason for such an act.
Keigo reached the man, grabbing his arm in a strong hold and whispering in his ear. Shouta saw how Dabi only grinned, then grinned wider, pulling Keigo close and planting a kiss on his lips. Shouta drank another sip of his wine as Keigo spluttered, hitting Dabi on the chest with the papers and pointing to the tables. Dabi sighs, seeming dejected before walking away, not before grabbing a handful of Keigo's ass which earned him a slap to his hand.
Rumi gasped beside him, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth so no one would hear her laughing. He gave her a side glance, smirking at her reaction, then turning back to look at the walking scandal moving farther and farther away from the family table. Shouta had half a mind to act surprised when he saw Dabi at their table, drawing a chair back and plopping down without preamble, a leg crossing one over the other. Rumi and he exchanged glances, looking back at Dabi at the same time.
"I feel overdressed now," Shouta said, already filling an empty glass with wine and passing it to Dabi. The man smirked at him, accepting the drink and taking a sip.
"You have sneakers on," Rumi pointed, not looking away from the new arrival. Shouta leaned back.
"I said what I said."
The three of them had gotten around to talk at some point, everyone waiting for the bride to appear.
Enji had entered a few minutes ago, frowning when Keigo came to him and whispered, those angry eyes shooting up to the family table then at the back. His face grew red, body turning to walk that way, but Keigo stopped him, face serious as ever, and convinced him to stand at the altar. The groom somehow did. Shouta already knew that whatever Enji was paying Keigo, it wasn't enough.
"Where's the bride?" They heard someone ask, a person too far away to know who it was, but close enough to understand their words.
Dabi snorted, passing his index finger around the rim of his now empty wine glass. "Leaving the country if she has enough sense."
"Dabi!" Rumi said, reprimanding him for the rude words. Shouta just nodded, agreeing with his statement but opting to not comment.
"What? You can't tell me that you're not thinking the same."
"Doesn't mean that I have to say it out loud." Her eyes grew wide, both hands covering her mouth this time, Dabi grinning, all his teeth shining.
"Hey, look," Shouta interrupted what was surely going to become a banter, pointing at the sides where a woman in a fancy pink dress was talking to the band. The musicians nodded, getting into position, the woman turning to look at Keigo and waving at him.
"That's the Maid of Honor," Rumi said, kicking something under the table. A second later, Dabi let out a pained sound. "The bride must be here."
Just like she said, the musicians started playing, Keigo standing by the altar where Enji was, looking all prim and proper. Shouta rolled his eyes when Dabi whistled, Keigo turning more to the officiant to pretend nothing was wrong.
The wedding march was beautiful and slow and completely boring, their table passing around the bottle of wine like it was a game, bridesmaids swishing inside with their long dresses and heels. Then, after a lot of waiting, the bride stepped in, lights dimming slightly to accentuate more her arrival. Everyone stood up, some sign of whatever the fuck it was, and they only did it too because neither of them could see with so many people in front.
Enji looked nervous, hands rubbing each other, eyes set on the floor. Keigo nudged his side with an elbow, whispering loud enough for the officiant to scold them. Enji seemed hesitant, taking in the largest gulp of air, then turned his head to look at the bride. He blushed, something that he apparently could do even when not angry, and wringed his hands harder. Dabi's annoyance could be heard, sitting down again before the bride could even reach the altar.
"This is disgusting. That animal can't love."
Rumi hummed, looking at the scene for a few more seconds before sitting down too. Shouta only kept standing to look at Keigo still exchanging words with the officiant. It was getting heated.
"He married your mother once upon a time." Rumi was talking again, rotating her empty glass in a hand. Dabi kicked the table again, porcelain plates, glasses and the centerpiece clicking so loud it could be heard over the music.
"I said what I said," he grumbled, glaring at Rumi from his side.
"Just shut up and do your job!" A shout silenced everything else around the hall, eyes moving from the main attraction to the Best Man who had his hands on the officiant's shirt, inches away from lifting the man from the ground. Enji stared at Keigo in shock, face transforming into one of anger and, ah, there it was. The red face from hell.
The groom grabbed Keigo's arms, hands clearly making pressure to make him let go. The blond sneered at the officiant, saying something in silence before huffing, pushing him away.
"My apologies." Keigo cleared his throat. "Continue."
The hall was quiet, all eyes on the blond, bride still two steps away from reaching the altar. Dabi was giggling, actually giggling, expression proud. Shouta looked at his wine, deciding between pouring himself some more or not, before thinking 'fuck it' and chugging it straight from the bottle.
The music started again, albeit hesitantly, ending less than a minute after when the bride reached the altar. She stared nervously behind Enji where Keigo was standing, Maid of Honor behind her swooning on her spot. The officiant coughed, sending a glance to Keigo before he spoke.
"We are gathered here today-"
The three of them tuned out the words after they heard that, Rumi scolding Dabi for making holes on the tablecloth while Shouta looked sadly at his now empty bottle of wine.
Their interaction was trivial, too childish considering who they were, too out of place given what was happening. They were sharing stupid stories, talking nonsense and laughing when something passed their closed-off bubble of not caring.
"If anyone can show just cause why this couple cannot lawfully be joined together in matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
That was something no one expected to hear, frowning at the unusual words that were seldom given in modern weddings. The officiant waited 10 seconds, looking around the tables then turning to the couple again.
"If not, then I can-"
"I oppose."
There was chatter, muffled scandalized voices searching for the one that dared speak up. Enji glared down at his guests, the bride just looking nervous at the situation. Keigo turned too, a confused expression on his face until he saw the one that had interrupted.
"No." The blonde's voice was heard all over to table twelve where Dabi was standing on those dangerously high hooker boots, cheshire grin playing on his lips.
"On what terms?" Asked the officiant, clearly not understanding what was happening and earning himself a punch to the arm by Keigo. The man winced.
"Terms? Well, first, he's an asshole."
Keigo looked pained, a second away from either storming out of the wedding or coming over and slapping his boyfriend. Dabi was pointing directly at Enji, guests gasping and staring between the two. "Second, this wedding is a joke."
Rumi had her face in her hands, Shouta leaning back on his chair, wine glass full again from another bottle that he had opened.
The officiant looked more confused, walking slowly away from Keigo so he wouldn't get hit again, stuttering out some words. "I mean, I don't think-"
"Then don't" Keigo growled, grabbing the officiant's microphone and speaking into it. "Show's over, let's continue," he said, glaring at his boyfriend and pushing the mic back to the startled man that only wanted to do his job.
Enji was fuming where he was, the only reason he hadn't moved was because Keigo was sharing everything that was probably going through his mind. The bride was fidgeting, standing on her tiptoes and whispering, something that the mic caught on.
"Honey, should we-"
"No." That was Enji's voice, turning to look at his bride. "Whatever you're thinking, the answer is no. As Keigo said, let's continue."
The bride nodded, smoothing down her dress and turning around to wait for the next part. That way she didn't see when Dabi raised his hand, the one on his cocked hip. Keigo looked up to the ceiling in a silent prayer for the second time of the day.
"Excuse me? I'm not done"
"Yes, you are." Keigo snapped, glaring holes all through the tables and to Dabi's face. "Now shut up and sit the fuck down."
"But-"
"Now, Touya."
Dabi bit his tongue, face impassive as he had a staredown contest with Keigo, one eyebrow raised. He sat down after a while, no words said, no gesture made. Everyone could see Keigo letting out a breath and telling the officiant to continue.
"Ashamed?" Shouta asked, passing a filled glass to Dabi who only scoffed and sipped from it.
"Shut up, this is going to give me great sex later."
Rumi choked on her drink, Shouta grinning over the rim of his glass.
There was so much talking after the ceremony had picked up again, their table commenting on how boring everything was, Dabi complaining every five minutes about being hungry.
"Enji." They heard the bride say and immediately the three of them knew what this part was. Vows. "Ever since I met you my life has been full of surprises."
Dabi snorted, turning around to look at the woman.
"Being with you has been magical, new emotions I never knew existed making their way into my heart."
Another snort, Rumi flicking Dabi's ear to make him shut up.
"I feel like a better woman after this journey, and I feel like you're a better man."
Dabi had to lower his head, muttering 'Sounds fake, but okay' under his breath. Shouta simply swished the wine inside his glass.
Enji returned the vows with some dry words and pinched expression, grabbing his ring from the ring bearer and placing it on her finger. She smiled, blushing a little as she mirrored his actions and placed the ring on his finger.
"You may kiss the bride," the officiant said, looking at the couple with adoration.
"And you may kiss the ass," Dabi whispered, not expecting Rumi or Shouta to hear him this time, but they did. Both of them exploded into a chuckling fit, a glass falling to the ground while another just spilled its contents on top of the table.
They tried to tone it down when they noticed all the stares on their table, but the shaking of their bodies wouldn't stop. Dabi looked at them with glee, making a non-committal gesture when he saw Keigo glaring daggers at them.
"Ah, well, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Shouta saw Keigo facepalming, his voice carrying through the hall when he whispered 'Late' beside the mic. The next laughter fit wouldn't stop no matter how much people glared at them.
Now there was music, the band playing something lively to lift up the mood after all the stress the couple went through during the ceremony. The bride was dancing with someone from her family, laughing and turning around, Enji watching from the main table.
Shouta had been asked to dance by a few people already, each one getting turned down politely. Rumi had asked him at one point why he didn't want to dance, he just said he didn't want to step on anyone's toes. In reality, he really didn't want to socialize.
"When is the food coming out?" Dabi asked, stabbing a fork on the mangled, stained tablecloth.
"Patience is a virtue, Dabi," Rumi answered him, looking at her nails.
"It won't be much longer," Shouta interrupted before Dabi could start saying anything, giving the man a pointed look. Dabi rolled his eyes, looking at the people dancing.
The lights were turning on again, all the people from the dance floor breathing heavily as they came back to their seats. A line of waiters came out from some kind of secret door, trays on their hands while another line was parallel to them, holding jugs. Rumi stared at Dabi with a dead look.
A waiter stopped at their table, placing three plates of food in front of each, another stepping from the side ready to fill their glasses with water. Surprised overcame them, though, where they saw the disaster their table was and that a glass was shattered on the ground.
"What-" The waiter started, but Rumi put a hand up to shut him up.
"Don't ask."
The waiters looked at them with shock, then the one that had brought them food made an 'o' sound and clicked his fingers.
"You're them. The ones fucking up the wedding."
His companion opened his eyes wide, hitting him on the shoulder with a slap. The former flinched, bowing immediately. "I apologize for my rudeness."
Dabi waved the apology away, taking the utensils and cutting into the food. "Don't be sorry, it's not like you're wrong."
Shouta shrugged, practically saying 'he's right' with the gesture. Rumi sighed, smiling at the waiters.
"Thank you, we have our own drinks."
"What about the glass?" The polite waiter asked, looking at the shattered glass on the floor.
Shouta stared at the spot. "You should probably clean that."
"Right," both waiters said at the same time, saying bye and moving away.
The three of them ate in silence, just like the rest of the hall was doing. It was satisfying to taste something more than just wine, even if the wine had been good. They finished too early, for Dabi's very loud opinion, and not soon after the couple was asked to cut the cake.
Dabi rubbed his stomach, heel of his boot clicking on the ground as he watched his father and his new wife walk to the too-high cake. He snorted.
"So, we're the ones ruining the wedding?" He let the question up in the air, eyes set on how the cake was sliced up into different pieces.
"Was there any doubt in that?" Rumi asked, licking the plate seconds before a different waiter came by to take the dirty dishes. She smiled at him in apology, giving him the plate.
"Not really, it's just funny that people actually are thinking that way," Dabi replied , craning his neck up to look over a walking person.
Shouta frowned at him. "What are you looking at?"
"The cake slicing." Dabi said, pushing a kid aside. Rumi was not amused with his behavior.
"I know, but why. What's so interesting about slicing up cake?" Shouta asked again, trying to understand the motive of the other male. Dabi turned to him, puppy eyes trying to show how completely innocent he was not.
"I'm hungry, Shouta."
Which wasn't untrue, but still. Suspicious. Shouta narrowed his eyes, staring at Dabi before giving up, making a dismissive gesture.
"Fine, keep your secrets."
He set his eyes upon the couple too, just because he had nowhere else to look. Dabi turned around again, both of them completely immersed in the not so interesting task of cutting up cake. There were a lot of plates around the cake table, the couple moving away from there after the fifth slice. The waiters took on the job of doing the rest, apparently going by exact number since they stopped after the second level, putting the plates on a tray and walking around the tables again, delivering the dessert.
Keigo was hovering over the waiters, asking a million questions a minute, taking two plates to personally give them to the bride and groom. Shouta saw Dabi smirk from the corner of his eyes but decided to not ask.
"Hey guys." The rude waiter greeted them, placing three plates on the table. "I really want to try this, but our boss said we only get to eat cake if there is anything left after everyone else ate."
Which, honestly, that was reasonable. Shouta didn't say anything, but the waiters were here to work not to enjoy the festivities as if they were another guest. Dabi did not care about that, though.
"Take mine, I don't like this flavor anyway," he said, pushing the plate towards the waiter. Shouta raised an eyebrow, looking down at the almost white piece of cake.
"How do you know what flavor it is?" He had told himself he wouldn't ask, but this one came out on its own. The waiter had sat down at their table and was now passing his eyes between Shouta and Dabi while chewing down. Rumi was leaning forward, waiting to hear Dabi's answer, too.
"I'm the Best Man's boyfriend," Dabi said like it was the most obvious thing ever, arms crossing over his chest.
Shouta gave him a nod, a look of complete concentration on his face.
"Okay. Now, why do you know the flavor?" He tried another approach, Rumi taking a sip from her glass of wine while the waiter only kept putting spoonfuls of cake into his mouth, attention caught by their conversation.
Dabi huffed. "Why are you interrogating me? I didn't do anyth-"
A yell broke his sentence, everyone in the hall alert and looking. It had been the bride, the woman flailing around a red-faced Enji that was slapping around trying to grab something. Keigo stepped to the table, Maid of Honor on his heels.
"What's wrong?" The blond asked, crouching to look Enji on the face.
"I think it was the cake." The bride was crying, hands shaking in front of her chest. "He was fine before that."
Keigo stared at her like she was an idiot, mouth open in a question he didn't know he wanted to ask.
"That's impossible," he said instead, looking down at the cake Enji hasn't finished eating. "It's vanilla, why would…"
Then he trailed off, eyes focused on that one piece of cake. He took a spoon from the table, and tasted a piece of the cake. His eyes immediately widened, throwing the spoon to the ground.
"Fuck." The words left his mouth, hands grabbing at his hair. "Fuck. Okay, call an ambulance. Now," he told the Maid of Honor, turning around with a hand on his chin, muttering under his breath.
He was talking to himself, thinking of a way that this could have happened, probably, when those gold eyes set on the twelfth table. Keigo kept staring at them for a whole minute, eyes wide before they narrowed into slits and he marched over.
"You!" His voice carried through the whole hall, hand grabbing the front of Dabi's tank top. "You changed the cake, didn't you?"
Dabi blinked in surprise, staring up at his boyfriend like he was the crazy one. "I don't know what you're talking about, honey."
Keigo snarled, pulling Dabi closer.
"No te pongas con pendejas, cabrón. You were with me that day."
"Japanese, please," Dabi said, getting shaken for his troubles.
"You understood me just fine, asshole. Why would you do that?"
Dabi raised his arms to the sides, trying to act innocent once again while his words threw that whole impression out the window.
"That shit's artificial, it isn't supposed to affect him."
Keigo growled, pushing back to the seat and walking away.
Shouta whistled, eyes set on how Dabi was trying to rearrange his tank top, lips trying to not show a grin.
"Congratulations, you have officially ruined the wedding." It was the waiter talking this time, sitting cross-legged on the chair he chose to sit in, cheek resting on his arm. Dabi stared at him, a glint inside his blue eyes.
"It was my pleasure," he said, Rumi and Shouta snorting, the teacher opening another bottle of wine and pouring it around for all of them.