No Surprises (15/15)
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Okajima, with some side Ariyama, Chiitaro, Takachii, Hikabu, and Inoo/Saya
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from J&A.
Summary: Yuto's life has been planned out from the moment he was born, decisions most of the world got to make all predetermined by his parents. Now as an adult he has to decide if he's going to continue along the path they've lain out for him, or if he's going to abandon it all, risking leaving his family behind in the process.
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
Yuto didn't start feeling truly anxious about meeting his fiancé until about ten o'clock the next morning, when he received a parcel from his mother. It was a fine Italian cut suit, more traditional than some of her other works, and silky to the touch. The jacket and pants were made of a shimmery red fabric, that in the right lighting had a gold undertone, while the dress shirt was a deep chocolate brown, the new leather shoes-brogues-matched in color. The tie, pocket square, cuff links, and belt were all a dazzling champagne color that brought out the gold undertones in the red jacket. It was a stunning creation, the perfect outfit for a romantic evening, and it was then, when Yuto was holding the suit, still in its garment bag, that the nerves hit him full force.
He had been putting this night off for years, and now that it was upon him, he was floundering. What was he going to say to this person? How was he going to sit down and explain to them that he wasn't going to marry them? He didn't know anything about them. Well, that wasn't completely true. He knew that they were about the same age. He was pretty sure that his parent's had said that his fiancé was a man. He thought. Maybe. He'd always assumed that they were. His parents knew about his sexual orientation, so...he was pretty sure they would have taken it into account. Not that it mattered now. Aside from that though, he knew nothing. They were shrouded in mystery. He just hoped that they were as nice and understanding as their recent actions led him to believe they were.
He spent the rest of the day preparing for his dinner date. He spent hours in the bathroom, showering and shaving and styling his hair. He brushed his teeth four times, and it was silly, he told himself, to feel this nervous. It wasn't like he was seeking this person's approval; if anything, it would probably be better if they didn't like him. But telling himself that didn't make him any less nervous, and he bounced from foot to foot in front of the mirror, studying his reflection over and over, until Chinen insisted that Yuto let him in; he had to pee and simply couldn't hold it any longer.
He tried texting Keito, and Keito did respond, but the responses were sporadic, and Keito informed him that he was with his parents, planning for some event happening later on in the day. It was the first time Keito had really mentioned his parents, aside from when he'd told Yuto that his car had been his father’s, and Yuto got the feeling that whatever Keito was doing, it must be important, so he tried not to bug him too much. Yuto was ready for the dinner nearly two hours early, changing into his suit anyway, his stomach buzzing with a nervous anticipation. He shoved his hands into his pockets, only to pull them out in confusion.
His mother had tucked a small box into his pocket, a present, no doubt, for his fiancé. She had thought of everything, it seemed. He opened it tentatively, revealing a beautiful watch. He studied the crystal face, taking a deep breath. One thing was for sure, this watch was meant for a man. Somehow, that made him feel a bit better. If his fiancé was a man, then there was a lot lower chance that they would cry at any point during the evening. At least, he hoped that was the case. He slipped the watch back into his pocket, checking his phone. It was still too early to go to the restaurant, and Keito had stopped responding to his texts about an hour ago. Anxious and twitchy, he relocated to the kitchen, where his friends were making dinner for themselves.
Chinen whistled when Yuto walked in, Yamada giving him a good up and down, the older man asking
"Are you sure you're not trying to get your fiancé to fall for you?"
"In that outfit, anyone would." Chinen added. Yuto took a deep breath.
"So I look okay?" Chinen scoffed.
"You look like any man's wet dream." His petite friend assured him. Yuto could feel a blush coloring his cheeks.
"When's dinner?" Yamada asked, going back to the pot he was stirring on the stove. Yuto checked his phone for the time on instinct, bouncing on his heels a bit.
"Seven, but I think I'm going to see if my car is here." Yuto declared. Yamada looked at him in surprise.
"But it's barely past six." Yuto sighed.
"I know, but I want to see what my mother has planned. I don't want to get there, and find that she's got red roses everywhere, and not have time to...I don't know...hide them before my fiancé gets there."
Chinen nodded in understanding, his friends wishing him good luck as he left the penthouse. The hotel staff had his car brought around for him, and with that he was off to the restaurant. He felt like he might be sick, his stomach bubbling with anxiety, and he fiddled with his phone for something to do, taking pictures of himself, checking his hair and straightening his tie in his phone's camera. The ride to the restaurant was a little over twenty minutes, his driver depositing him in front of the restaurant, giving him a smile as Yuto thanked him. He entered the restaurant and was greeted by the hostess. She asked if he had a reservation, and he could barely get the words "Nakajima, party of two" out; they had lodged themselves in his throat, all lumped up on top of each other.
He was led up to the top floor, to a spacious private room. Most of the space was empty, save for a small, intimate table, set for two, and a lavish serving cart in one corner. The lights had been dimmed, but not enough to make the space too romantic, to Yuto's relief. The focus of the room was the wall that the table was closest to. It was made completely of glass, giving Yuto a spectacular view of the city, and the dusk that was beginning to fall. Yuto was relieved to see that there were no extravagant bouquets of flowers, or cheesy banners. It was tasteful, classy, and he took a seat, his waiter getting him some water and-after being assured he didn't need anything else-let Yuto be.
The anticipation was killing him. His heart was racing in his chest, adrenaline pumping through his veins, and he tried to keep from fiddling with the silverware, tried to take deep breaths and assure himself that everything was going to be fine. He looked out the window, distracting himself with thoughts of Keito. After this was all over, nothing would stand in the way of him and Keito being together. Nothing would keep them apart. He thought about more days like their day at the beach, more nights cuddled up against each other, Keito's warm arms wrapped around him. It did serve to relax him a bit, until he heard the sound of the door opening, and his heart leapt into his throat, his head whipping around. For a moment, Yuto forgot to breathe, because Keito walked through the door.
Keito looked amazing. He was in a three piece suit, a traditional dark gray silk, but he'd forgone any tie, his white dress shirt unbuttoned all the way to his vest, his tan skin peeking through. He looked like a rock star, his long hair styled around his face. He seemed nervous, his eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed, a serious expression on his face. Yuto was bewildered. What was Keito doing here? How was he going to explain this to his fiancé once they got here? He stood, going to meet Keito halfway, and Keito's eyes met his, the older man looking more unsure than he ever had around Yuto. Seeing that look in Keito's eyes did nothing but heighten his own concern, and once they were close enough he said
"Hey. What's going on? Why are you here?" He paused, taking in just how nervous Keito looked. "Is everything okay?" Keito swallowed, looking wide eyed at Yuto.
"It's nearly seven, I didn't want to be late." Keito's voice was so quiet it could barely be heard. Yuto glanced back at the door, hoping that his fiancé wouldn't show up before he could figure out what was going on. He took Keito's hand, and Keito laced their fingers together. The action comforted him, and he tried not to be distracted by just how amazing Keito looked, and focus on figuring out why Keito was here.
"Keito, I'm happy to see you, but I'm supposed to be meeting someone here. I have to...discuss something important with them. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, but..." He glanced back over Keito's shoulder, relieved to see no one but the waiters. Keito meanwhile, was tearing up, and he was trembling, his whole body shaking. Yuto gave his hand a squeeze, becoming more concerned by the second; what was wrong? But then Keito took a deep breath, and said
"Yuto...it's me. I'm the person you're meeting here. I'm...I'm the person your parents picked for you to marry." Yuto froze.
"What? How do you know...?" His mind was racing. "But...but I'm supposed to be marrying the heir to Nishi hotels...your name isn't Nishi, so...there's no way you could..." Keito was still giving him that scared look.
"My mother's maiden name was Nishi, it was her family that started the franchise. I got my dad's name, but I'm their only child, so...I'm the rightful heir." Keito explained. Yuto blinked at him numbly, shocked.
"You're my fiancé?' He finally squeaked out. Keito nodded, a tear rolling down his cheek. Yuto didn't know what to think. What to feel, about any of it. "Let's...sit down." He suggested, and Keito nodded, following Yuto to their table, and taking his seat, the wait staff filling their glasses, as Yuto asked "So...you knew, all this time?"
"I...I didn't mean to keep it from you!" Keito said hurriedly. "I'd been wanting to meet you for a long time. I heard so much about you from my parents, and their friends, as I'd grown up. They'd tell me stories about my future husband, tell me that you were tall, that you were kind. They'd tell me about your accomplishments and show me pictures of you. But I was supposed to be focusing on my education, and so I stayed in England. But then your mother started pushing for the wedding to happen soon, and so I transferred schools and moved back to Japan, hoping that if I came early, it would give us some time to really get to know each other before the wedding.
"I was so surprised when I ran into you in that music store." Keito was blushing, his voice shaking; Yuto was transfixed by the words coming out of Keito's mouth. "I hadn't seen any pictures of you since your high school graduation, but there was no mistaking that it was you." He paused, glancing over at Yuto, a small smile on his face. "You were even more handsome than I had been anticipating. But then I ran into you again, and I couldn't resist introducing myself. I figured when I said my name you would make the connection-I knew yours by heart, even if I'd never met you-but you didn't seem to know who I was. I figured, when you asked me to go get coffee with you, that I could somehow bring it up then, but there was never a good time, and honestly, I was completely enamored by you. You were a million times more beautiful, more funny, more multifaceted, than the Yuto I had been picturing in my head, and I was enjoying getting to know you, as you were, without the titles and formalities I knew we would endure later on.
"When we parted ways that day, and we exchanged phone numbers, I figured it would be okay. Perhaps you would piece it together on your own. I could still tell you, even if you didn't. But there was never a good time, and I didn't know how to go about bringing it up. And then, when I was invited to your mother's fashion show, I figured that would be my chance. I could run into you there, and explain. I had it all planned out, and your parents even sent me an email, suggesting a specific spot to meet, after the show. It seemed like everything would work out. But when I saw you there, and you were fighting with them, I got scared. You didn't want to meet me. You weren't happy about the marriage. I hadn't known that you were so opposed until then; I'd never seen you so upset, and so once you ran off, I hid.
"I didn't know what to do, Yuto. I was already falling in love with you, and I was so afraid of what you would say, or think, that I never got up the courage to tell you who I was. I nearly did, every time we met, I would tell myself that today was the day. But every time I faltered. It was so easy to just let you be happy instead. I would forget the secret, when I was with you. I reveled in you. But I was still unsure. I knew I loved you, but I didn't know if you loved me too, and so I waited for some sort of sign." He paused. “I waited too long, and I got you into trouble with your family. I knew something had to be wrong when you missed our brunch. Once I had figured out what had happened I fixed it as fast as I could, but I still caused you grief. It was my fault you were put in such a difficult position, the least I could do was get you out of it.”
Yuto blinked in surprise. Keito had been the one to come to his rescue when his parents had restricted him to their home...the servant had said that it had been his fiancé that had convinced his parents to let him go. So that meant that they already knew. They already knew about Keito. He didn’t need to worry about having to explain it all to them. The realization came with a wash of relief, but Keito didn’t seem to notice, still visibly nervous, his eyes cast downward, voice shaking slightly. He took a deep breath before continuing.
"I was going to tell you on the beach. I nearly did, countless times. But I didn't want you to look at me the way you'd looked at your parents that night, and so I told myself that we could have one perfect day together. One that I could treasure, just in case you decided you never wanted to see me again. The next time I saw you, that would be the time that I came clean."
"When the phone call came in, and your mother said you finally agreed to meeting me. Not Keito, but your fiancé, whom you’d been protesting strongly for so long. I thought that it was the perfect opportunity. I didn't mean for this to go on for so long. I know you're probably mad at me, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for lying to you. I didn't want to deceive you. I don't want to hurt you, Yuto." He paused, sniffling, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I love you. I'm so sorry for this. For everything."
Yuto listened in amazement to Keito's explanation, the whole thing so fantastical as to almost not seem real. But Keito looked so afraid, and honest, that Yuto believed him. And if this was true, if Keito was his fiancé, then that meant...that meant...he could feel a wave of relief wash over him, and he could feel the smile blooming on his lips, and when Keito finally told him that he loved him, Yuto stood, skirting around the edge of the table and leaning in, placing a kiss on Keito's lips. Keito kissed him back, the older man reaching up and cradling Yuto's head, pulling him in. When they finally broke away, Keito asked
"Aren’t you angry?" Yuto blinked.
"Angry? Keito, this is a dream come true. I'm relieved. I'm so relieved." He paused. "You know, I came here tonight to tell my fiancé that I couldn't marry them. Because I wanted to be with you. Because I love you." He could feel himself getting emotional as he finally said those words, and he worked to keep the tears at bay. But then Keito began to cry in earnest, and the older man stood, pulling Yuto into a hug, and Yuto broke down, crying too. It was amazing, that Keito was his fiancé. It was perfect. He placed a kiss to Keito's neck, the first patch of bare skin he could find, and he pulled himself together. But then Keito pulled away, and he said
“I have something...something else.” He got down on one knee, taking one of Yuto's hands in his own, and he wiped furiously at his tears, clearing his throat, and saying
"Yuto, at first I was in love with the idea of you, but then I got to know you, and I realized that you, the real you, was better than any fantasy I could create. I love you; you make me the happiest I've ever been in my entire life, and..." He choked up, and Yuto could feel tears threatening to spill over again, because, was Keito doing what Yuto thought he was doing? "...if you let me, I promise to make you happy too. I'll love you more than anyone has ever loved you, always." Keito dug into his pocket, pulling out a beautiful diamond ring. "Will you marry me?" Yuto gave up on any composure he was attempting to keep, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Yes." Keito stood, and Yuto reached for him, pulling him in, and kissing him, and Keito lifted him up, holding him tight. Yuto felt so happy he could burst, his chest light and tight all at the same time, and when they broke apart Keito slid the ring onto his finger, and Yuto murmured "I love you." Keito beamed back at him, pulling him in, so that they were a hair’s breadth apart, and he said back, in that deep, gentle voice of his
"Always."
Next
A/N: Thank you, everyone, for humoring me and this silly little fic, especially those of you that took the time to comment. Comments seem to be getting rarer and rarer these days, and so I really appreciated knowing that someone had at least read this. I hope you had fun with this story! I know I did.