Kyoko woke up on the morning of the 25th, rolled over, and kissed Kuon on his cheek. "Good morning."
His eyelids fluttered open and he smiled. "Happy birthday, Kyoko-chan."
She cuddled into his side, a happy blush settling on her cheeks. "Thank you, Corn."
He wrapped an arm around her. "Do you want to do anything special for your birthday?"
His question was met with a soft chuckle. "We're getting married. I don't know how much more special you can get than that."
"Good point. Is there anything less special that you want to do on your birthday?" She still had no idea that a full-blown wedding awaited her that night. Kuon wanted to keep things as normal as possible so she wouldn't suspect anything.
She rubbed his belly. "Our appointment is for 5:00, right? So maybe we can just order breakfast in and chill out until then."
He raised an eyebrow. "You want to order in?"
"Well, I know you're not going to allow me to cook my own breakfast on my birthday, so I'm just preemptively giving up," she giggled.
He kissed the top of her head. "You know me so well." He retrieved his phone from the nightstand beside the bed and opened the Goober app. He typed in her order, a large cinnamon bun, and a coffee, and his own order, three large cinnamon buns (one for each fetus), and a hot chocolate. They got up and showered; still separately. Kyoko couldn't bring herself to shower with him. Not yet.
After they finished, Kuon got a text that the food had arrived, and Kyoko went down to the lobby to collect it. They sat on the couch in the living room to eat. Kyoko couldn't help but giggle at the amount of food that Kuon was consuming.
"Do you think you'll go back to eating like a bird after the babies come?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I assume so? I hope so. It'll take less time to lose the baby weight that way." Kuon, who hadn't seen his own penis in the last three months, was greatly looking forward to being fit again. He got up from the couch to throw their trash away and stopped suddenly.
"Ow…"
Kyoko stood up and went to his side. He had leaned over and was gripping the arm of the couch. "Are you okay!?"
The pain receded almost as quickly as it had come. Kuon took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Just a cramp I think." He straightened up and smiled at her. "Nothing to worry about, Kyoko-chan." One more week of this crazy shit, he thought. Just one more. He could hardly wait to not be pregnant anymore, and hopefully never again.
They changed into more suitable clothes for going out into the public and went to the car. Kyoko believed they were going to City Hall, so when Kuon took a turn in the opposite direction, she was confused.
"Corn, City Hall is that way," she said, gesturing in the other direction.
He blinked as though he were confused. "Oh, is it? I'll make a turn somewhere up ahead and go back. Sorry about that, Kyoko-chan."
When he didn't make the turn, she began to sweat. "Kuon, we'll be late if you don't turn back! They'll cancel our appointment!"
He shook his head. "It's okay, Kyoko-chan. Trust me."
She looked at him as though he had gone crazy. "Are you feeling okay? Kuon, what's going on?"
He smiled. "Plans have changed."
She stared at him. "Kuon–"
"Oh, would you look at that?"
Kyoko turned her attention back to the road, to a sign that said, Dayjowey Land, next right. Her mouth fell open. "Kuon! We don't have time for Dayjowey Land right now!"
He pouted at her as he took the exit ramp. "But it's your birthday."
"Yes, I know, but we're supposed to be getting married at City Hall!" she was fully panicked now. "Kuon, this isn't funny! This is the only day I have free!" She was almost in tears. Did he just not want to marry her, and this was his out? A magical Dayjowey birthday? She didn't know what to make of it… until they actually pulled into the park.
Giant floral displays adorned the closed iron gate; white lilies and roses, dripping with pearls and crystals. Those certainly hadn't been there the last time she had come to Dayjowey Land with Moko. Kuon drove up to the closed gate, and a guard came, smiling, up to the window.
"Good evening, Tsuruga-san. They're all ready for you. If you drive through here, and follow the flowers, the assistants will help you get ready."
Kuon nodded and slipped the guard a couple thousand yen for his trouble. "Thank you."
The gate opened for them and Kyoko realized that the parking lot was much more empty than usual. Then her bottom lip started to quiver as the full realization of what was going on hit her. "Are we getting married at Dayjowey Land!?"
Kuon chuckled and reached over to kiss her cheek. "Only the best for my girl." She burst into tears and he reached for her hand as he drove on. "I'm sorry, Kyoko-chan. Please don't cry! I was going to surprise you for your birthday, and then you got Saena's consent, and it turned into a wedding instead! You're not really upset, are you!?"
She shook her head, laughing through her tears. "This is awesome!" If Kyoko could pick one place on the whole planet to get married, Dayjowey Land would have been that place. With such little time to plan, and an inability to ever ask for something so expensive, she would never have asked to be married there, and would have been entirely content with a small wedding. Only Kuon could have anticipated this and planned for it and given her exactly what she wanted without her asking for it. When he stopped the car in front of a row of trailers, she kissed him. "I love you. Thank you."
They got out of the car and were immediately set upon.
"Kyoko-chan!"
She turned to see Kuu coming from a nearby trailer and she flew at him. "Father!" He caught her and spun her and set her down for a hug. He smiled down at her. "It's good to see you." He looked over her head at his son, who was waddling toward them, and burst into laughter.
Kuon narrowed his eyes on him. "It's nice to see you too, old man."
Kuu released Kyoko and went to hug Kuon. "I didn't mean to laugh, my precious son. I just can't get over it. It's weird, man!"
Julie appeared and put her arm around Kyoko's shoulders. "Are you ready to get married, beautiful?"
Kyoko took in her soon-to-be-mother-in-law's glamorous blonde curls that were fixed
into an updo, and her gorgeous emerald green strapless mermaid gown and her jaw dropped. Julie giggled at the look on her face, realizing that Kyoko had never seen her like that. "Don't worry," she said, "You're going to look ten times prettier than I do."
Julie snatched Kyoko up by the hand and herded her into a nearby trailer. Kuu and Yashiro took Kuon into another trailer to fix him up as best they could before the ceremony.
When they got into the trailer, they found Jelly Woods waiting by a vanity. The dress bag containing Kyoko's dress was hanging on a rack on the wall. Julie pushed Kyoko into the makeup chair. "Sit! We have to hurry!"
Jelly threw a cape around Kyoko's shoulders with a dramatic flourish and set about pinning her hair back and applying a moisturizer to her skin. It seemed like it took no time at all before Kyoko was contoured, painted, lined, plucked, and glamorized to perfection. Jelly styled Kyoko's hair so that her bangs were side-swept and feathered in the front, and flat-ironed smooth in the back. She affixed a bright crystal tiara just behind Kyoko's bangs, and after adding a ridiculous amount of hairspray, whipped the cover off. "Get the dress!" she said.
Julie went to the rack and unzipped the bag. Kyoko's mouth fell open as Julie pulled the bag off completely. The dress was strapless, glowing white, with tiny Swarovski crystals dotted all over it in tiny flower-shaped whorls.
Julie looked a little nervous. "I know the bride usually gets to pick their dress, but I personally designed this one with you in mind. I hope you like i– oh!"
Kyoko hugged her. "It's beautiful, Mom. Thank you."
Julie bear hugged her back and then released her to dab at her eyes with a handkerchief. "Let's get you dressed before I cry my face off."
They got her into the dress, and Julie laced up the corset back, finishing the ties off with a large white bow. She stepped back to admire her handiwork and burst into tears. "You're so beautiful!" She pulled a box off of a nearby chair. "One more thing." She opened the lid to reveal a pair of heels that had been made to look like Cinderella's glass slippers. She helped Kyoko slip them on, and Kyoko felt like she might float away.
Jelly showed Kyoko to the back of the trailer where a full length mirror stood. When Kyoko saw herself, her hands went to her mouth. Is that me? She thought, in shock. She had seen herself in many different costumes over the last few years, but none had compared to this. And she was not dressed as a character; she was her true, authentic self… with maybe a little help from Jelly.
"Thank you, Muse-sama."
Jelly dabbed at the tears with a tissue before they could muss any of the makeup. "It's what I do. Let's go get you married."
They opened the trailer door to find Kanae and Chiori waiting in matching blush pink dresses. Kyoko had to be restrained from jumping down the stairs to hug her best friend, and presumably, maid of honor. Kanae gave her a stiff hug. "You'll mess up your dress, stupid." They gave Kyoko a massive bouquet of pink and white roses, and then led her away toward the castle.
Kuu was waiting for them outside of the massive wooden doors, along with Yashiro and Kijima. When Kuu saw Kyoko, he let out a low whistle. "You clean up good, kid!"
She blushed and took his arm. "Thank you, Father."
Julie air-kissed her cheek. "I'm going to go inside! See you soon!" She disappeared through a smaller side door to take her place in the front row with the other guests.
Kyoko's nerves began to creep up on her. She had known in the back of her mind that she would marry Kuon at some point. She just hadn't expected it to be so soon, or for them to be living together, and having babies. It was a lot.
"Hey! Let go of me, would ya!? What the hell are you doing!?"
Kyoko turned to see Shoko dragging Sho by his collar over to where they stood. When he saw Kyoko, his eyes widened to an impossible size. "W-what the hell are you wearing!?"
"It's called a wedding dress, Shotarou."
"YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!?" Sho gawped at her. He had dressed for a birthday party, not a wedding. She laughed at the look on his face, her nerves abating for the moment.
"I am. You look like you're going to be sick. Are you okay?"
He looked from Kyoko to Kuu, then back to Kyoko, then did a double-take at Kuu. "A-aren't you Shuuhei Hozu!?"
Kuu chuckled. "Used to be."
Sho slicked his hair back with a hand, his heart hammering in his chest. "Kyoko-chan, can I see you over there for a minute?"
Kuu frowned at him, but Kyoko patted his shoulder. "Just a minute, Father. It's okay." She followed Sho to a nearby bush. He peeked over it in an almost comical fashion to make sure that they hadn't been followed, and then addressed her. "Are they making you do this? You know you don't have to, right?"
Kyoko giggled. "I know that. I'm choosing to marry him."
Sho fixed her with a serious look. "I mean it, Kyoko. Fucking blink twice if you need to get the fuck out of here."
She doubled over laughing. "It's really kind of you to offer, Shotarou, but I really am fine."
Then, he did something that took her completely off-guard; he hugged her. "You're about to be married with three kids. That is a whole lot of shit, Kyoko." She had been in his thoughts since he had figured out that Ren was pregnant with her babies. He couldn't imagine being the age that they were and having not one, not two, but three kids all at once, and trying to navigate fame, and a new relationship. He was genuinely scared for her.
She hugged him back. "I know, Sho. But it's okay, really."
He looked down at her. "Promise me, if you need anything, you'll let me know." He still didn't trust Ren Tsuruga to not pull some messy playboy shit, babies or no. Mostly because he knew the messy playboy shit that he himself was capable of, and was projecting like hell.
She nodded. "I promise. Now, can I get back to my father? It's about time to start."
He nodded and led her back over to Kuu. "She's all yours," he said. He bowed to Kuu. "Please take care of her."
Kuu smiled. "Always."
Shoko led Sho into the castle through the side door that Julie had used, and soon after they heard gentle harp music playing. Kanae lined up with Yashiro and Chiori lined up with Kijima before the doors of the castle opened. Kuu and Kyoko stood off to the side so as to remain unseen until it was their turn. After Kanae and Yashiro and Chiori and Kijima had entered the building and presumably made it down the aisle, the music changed to include a violin.
Kuu kissed the top of her head. "Are you ready?"
She nodded. "Let's go."
They entered the castle, and Kyoko's mouth fell open. A blue carpet had been rolled out from the front doors all the way to the front dais. Chairs lined either side of the room, and were full with everyone that cared about her. The afternoon sun filtered in through stained glass windows on either side of the hall that depicted different Dayjowey characters, such as Windy the Poo, various Dayjowey Princesses, and of course, Murphy and Mimi Mouse.
As they passed down the aisle, she saw the Darumaya couple, Koga Hiromune, Itsumi Momose, Eltra Duris (who she now knew was Kuon's grandfather), and toward the middle she saw Todoh-san, Katagiri-san… and Saena. Kyoko had not expected that her mother would attend; she had worked out that if Shotarou had been sent an invitation, then Saena had likely been sent one, as well. She felt unexpectedly warm as she met her mother's eyes for just a moment, and gave her a small smile before looking ahead at the dais.
Chiori and Kanae had lined up together on the left next to an enormous marble pot that was overflowing with white, pink, and purple flowers. Yashiro and Kijima were lined up on the right, next to a matching pot… and in the center was Kuon. He wore a traditional black Japanese wedding kimono with hakama and haori. Though his bump was undisguisable at that point, they had done their best to make it less noticeable, and somewhat succeeded.
Lory, however, had made it so that no one would be noticing Kuon's belly very much. He had chosen to cosplay the pope for the wedding, and stood center stage in a mitre and crimson and gold robes.
Kuu sighed beside her. "The man has to be the baby at every christening, the corpse at every funeral…" he muttered under his breath.
Kyoko giggled beside him. "It's okay, Father. Let him have his fun." She had to admit that it did add to the fairytale aesthetic.
As they got closer, Kyoko could see that Kuon had tears in his eyes. She gave him a sheepish smile as Kuu put her hand in Kuon's and went to sit beside Julie.
He looked into Kyoko's eyes. "You look beautiful."
She grinned and squeezed his hand. "You don't look so bad yourself."
They turned to face Lory, who stood in front of a microphone. "Welcome everyone! Please be seated!"
The crowd sat, and Lory smiled out at them. "We are gathered here today to unite these two in the bonds of matrimony. I understand that many of you are finding out that they are in a relationship and that Ren's babies are also Kyoko's babies, right now. I know that this has come as a shock to probably most of you, especially since this was supposed to be a simple birthday party. But, you know what? Life happens. Get over it."
There was a smattering of laughter amongst the guests as Lory turned his attention to the couple in question, who were quietly wishing that they could disappear. The fact that most of the guests did not actually know that they were in a relationship had not even graced Kuon's consciousness when he had planned this event. Oops, he thought.
"You two are starting off your young lives on hard mode. Kyoko-chan has only just finished her schooling, is just beginning her journey to becoming an A-list actress. Ren-kun is heavily pregnant and… well, mostly just that." Kuon hung his head; he devoutly wished that Lory would stop going off-script. At least he's not slipping up and calling me 'Kuon', he thought. Though he was being called Ren Tsuruga for the wedding, all of the paperwork bore his real name. He wasn't quite ready to put Ren to rest yet.
"However," said Lory, bathing them in the warmth of his smile, "Every single person in this room is behind the two of you, and we are here to help when you need it. Please remember that as you give your vows to one another today."
Aww, that's actually really lovely, thought Kyoko, hoping that the rest of the ceremony would be less Loryfied.
He addressed the guests again. "The couple have prepared their own vows that they will share with each other now. Yashiro-san, Kotonami-san, the rings please." Yashiro and Kanae produced their respective rings and gave them to Kuon and Kyoko.
Kuon's palms were a little sweaty as he began his vows. "Kyoko-chan, the last couple of years have been insane. I never thought in a million years that when I threw you bodily out of LME that day, that we would be here, getting married in front of our friends and family."
She giggled, remembering the day that had happened. She could only agree; she had gone home that day absolutely furious at 'Ren Tsuruga' and hating him. His poster had even joined Sho's on her wall.
"But you grew on me. Your persistence, your guts, and your ambition lured me in, and then your sweet smile and vulnerability captured my heart. I promise to be your shield, your sounding board, and to help lift you up when you're down. I promise that my heart will always be yours, and no one else's, and that I will do my best to be the best husband and father that I can be." He got a little choked up as he slid the rose gold wedding band onto her finger. "I love you."
Kanae stepped forward to put a tissue in Kyoko's hand, and Kyoko dabbed at her tears, hoping that her makeup wouldn't smudge. When she had pulled herself together enough, she began her vows.
"Corn," she started, "I really can't believe we're here right now. It's not what I had expected at all, but I know that we're going to make the best of this, and though it might be hard, it's going to be great." She smiled up at him, trying not to cry. "I can't wait to meet our kids, and to raise them with you. I know you're going to be a wonderful dad, and I can only hope to match you and be a wonderful mom. I know that if they're half as talented, tough, and smart as you, our kids are going to be okay. I promise to be there for you, to work hard for us, and support your dreams as you've supported mine. I love you, too." His wedding band was made to fit around his engagement ring, and was gold filigree. Kyoko had bought it with the insane paycheck she had gotten for Silver Flash, and was very proud of it.
He touched his forehead to hers and squeezed her hands in reply.
Lory dabbed at his eyes with a fancy embroidered handkerchief. "That was beautiful." He straightened up. "With the power vested in me by…" he couldn't actually remember which entity he had gone through in Japan to become an officiant; having been licensed in several different countries, they all ran together. "Uh… me. We'll go with that. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride!"
If Kuon hadn't been so heavily pregnant with triplets, he'd have dipped Kyoko over his knee and kissed her with everything he had. But, given that he was heavily pregnant with triplets, he opted for pulling her close and giving her a chaste kiss on the lips. Kyoko melted against him, and the guests went wild. When they broke apart, they turned and made their way back down the blue carpet, toward their future together… and their banging wedding reception.