Written on 2/10/2014 for stephanericher on tumblr for the AU ficlet meme:
50. going through a divorce au
(I wasn't suuuuuuper happy with these but you liked them, SO.)
the one where only one of them is getting divorced
(feat. lawyer!tatsuya bc you wanted it)
—-
Most people were surprised to hear that Shuuzou's marriage had collapsed.
Their friends always remarked upon their steadiness, on how well suited they had been, and how well they had gotten along.
Shuuzou had always been good at the 'united front' projection, and his wife had been similarly good at it; and few people were aware that Shuuzou could have a very bad temper when he got worked up.
The few people who didn't seem surprised were those who knew them best - those people who'd been surprised when they'd announced that they were getting married so young, those who'd known their temperaments best.
Those who'd thought they'd never truly been suited at all, but never said anything because it wasn't their place.
Shuuzou hadn't really known where to start looking for a divorce lawyer; as he waited in the lobby of a small firm that had been recommended to him by a friend, he felt strangely vulnerable.
One of the people who worked here would be responsible for ensuring that he got treated fairly, after all; this was not something Shuuzou could do by himself. His soon-to-be-ex wife had a lawyer and his friends had largely been of the opinion that it would be better safe than sorry in regards to having someone with the appropriate knowledge to ensure he didn't get screwed over.
"Nijimura Shuuzou?"
He looked up towards the voice.
The young man who'd called him was smiling slightly; his hair fell over one of his eyes and the suit he wore looked both expensive and very good on him.
"That's me," he said, and stood.
"I'm Himuro Tatsuya," the lawyer introduced himself. "I look forward to working with you."
When Himuro turned, motioning for Shuuzou to follow him to his office, Shuuzou wondered almost faintly as his gaze dropped how the hell he was going to maintain a professional working relationship with this stunning man.
—-
the one where both of them are getting divorced
—-
Shuuzou had gone mostly because his friends, while wonderful and supportive, were all either in stable happy long term relationships or married, and he was sick of their sympathetic looks in which they showcased exactly how much they just didn't really understand the upheaval his life was going through now.
(It seemed that he was always ahead of the curve in that manner; losing a parent earlier in life than most, and then becoming a divorcee. He wouldn't be the only one, statistics insisted, but he was the first.)
So here he was at this support group aimed at recent divorcees, or those currently going through the process of divorce. Clearly Shuuzou wasn't the only one who found that his friends couldn't quite relate to some of the things that he was going through.
He was kind of just getting his bearings when one of the guys walked up to him to introduce himself.
"You looked a little lost," the man said, and wow he was beautiful; how the hell was this guy getting divorced? If Shuuzou married someone that beautiful he'd never let them go.
…maybe there was something messed up about his personality.
"Maybe a little," he answered, kind of wary. "I'm Nijimura Shuuzou."
"Himuro Tatsuya," he introduced himself with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."
Shuuzou looked out at the group. "So, what brings you here? I mean, other than the obvious."
Himuro looked up at him, and something amused settled in the corner of his mouth. "Much like everyone else here," he said, "I'm here to pick someone up."
—-
the one where they're getting divorced from each other
—-
Tatsuya couldn't look at Shuu across the table.
Next to them, the lawyers discussed the division of their assets, the division of their lives, but Tatsuya couldn't really pay attention; his gaze was locked on the table. He could feel Shuu's gaze on him, and he wished that he could throw his pride away and beg, ask for a second chance (or third, or fourth, or whatever chance he was up to now), but he couldn't.
He knew Shuu wouldn't either, because Shuu was the one who'd left.
People always said that the end of a relationship was rarely one party's fault; Tatsuya had never really subscribed to this philosophy, and he wasn't certain that it was applicable here, either. He was fairly certain the blame laid entirely on his shoulders; Shuu was right to leave if their relationship wasn't working, if Tatsuya wouldn't let it work.
He'd always been too proud. Shuu had bent himself over trying to find compromises Tatsuya never agreed to, even if he wanted to. Pride was always his biggest sin, his greatest downfall, and here it was; it had pushed away a man who'd loved him, and prevented his tongue from moving as he left.