AkaFuri

"Do you think you'll wear a veil when we get married?"

Kōki would have liked to have thought that he didn't look like a complete idiot as he choked on his water and very narrowly avoided spitting it out, but obviously it was necessitated that he did. And the fact that Seijūrō was sitting regally with the hint of amusement in his eyes and looking, well, pretty damned near perfect, just accentuated that he'd made a massive fool of himself. Again. "I'm sorry?"

"Do you think you'll wear a veil when we get married?" He placed a shogi piece on the board and gestured to Kōki to take his turn.

"Married?" Kōki said slowly. Was this some kind of joke? Not that he'd heard Seijūrō make a joke before, but it had to be possible.

"You're rather slow today."

Kōki placed a shogi piece on the board. "I wasn't aware that we were going to get married."

"Is that so?"

His voice was matter-of-fact and he leaned back, humming thoughtfully. Kōki waited for an explanation but instead he muttered something about the game being more complicated than he thought.

"Seijūrō!"

He seemed mildly startled as he looked at Kōki.

"We… how can you…?"

"And slightly less articulate," he said with a smile as Kōki trailed off.

"What makes you think we're going to get married? We're not even going out!"

"Are we not? Well, then, will you go out with me?"

This, also, was said matter-of-factly. Another shogi piece clicked onto the board as Kōki tried to work out where this was coming from. Seijūrō seemed slightly startled as he glanced at Kōki. And possibly… worried? He wasn't sure; it wasn't as if he'd ever seen Seijūrō worried. "I thought I had made my feelings plain."

"I…" Kōki shook his head. "No, you didn't."

"Oh." Yes, that was definitely worry. The thought that he could have made Seijūrō feel worried broke Kōki down a bit and he watched, feeling somehow helpless as Seijūrō shuffled the shogi pieces in his palm, his shoulders hunching forwards the smallest amount. "What do you say?"

Kōki's heart picking up its pace and the moment stretching on for a little longer than a short while didn't, he hoped, have any affect on his rationality. But he placed a shogi piece down on the board and said, "Of course."

"Good," came Seijūrō's response, much lighter in tone than he had been before, until he looked down at the board and frowned. "Are you sure about that play?"