[Stormy Exchange 2021] The Proposal - Part 4
Title: The Proposal
Pairing(s): Matsumiya (main), Sakuraiba (side, hinted), Ohmiya (one-sided, past)
Genres: AU, romance, comedy, slight hurt/comfort, angst
Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3
Part 4
The next day the lawn in front of the Ninomiya house was decorated in white. Flowers and ribbons. Lanterns hanged around the porch for the evening celebration. Chairs lined up in front of a low stage for the happy couple to say their vows. It was all very beautiful and romantic. Even Nino who was probably the least romantic person in the world had to admit that, as he stood on the stage waiting for the guests to take their seats and for Jun to come and take his spot by his side.
He never thought it was possible, but he was anxious. Like… excitedly anxious. It was weird. Why would anyone be excited about an arranged, forced marriage? A business deal? ‘It’s not excitement, silly, it’s only stress…’ he tried to convince himself. But stress didn’t explain why his breath hitched the moment he spotted Jun in a white tuxedo walking down the aisle.
“We gathered here on this joyful day to…”
The master of ceremony barely started to speak when Jun raised his hand to stop him.
“J! What are you doing?” Nino asked with a whispered tone, dread already settling in the pit of his stomach.
Jun only spared him a glance that only strengthened Nino’s fear but quickly turned around to face the guests and cleared his throat.
“Hello, everyone! I have something I need to say. A confession, actually…” he started, fiddling with the hem of his coat sleeve. “I’m actually American-Japanese and my visa has expired. And since I didn’t want to leave this beautiful country of yours, I forced Kazunari here to marry me. Threatening him to ruin his career if he wouldn’t comply. The funny thing is, ruining one’s life is easy only until you get to know how amazing they are…” Jun said honestly, looking at Nino’s family with a sad, apologetic smile. “Your family is amazing. This was all my doing so please, do not resent Kazunari for this,” he then turned back to Nino. “This was a business deal and you held up your end but the deal is off now,” he told him curtly before he lost his courage and left the stage with quick steps. “Give me ten minutes then you can take me to the airport…” He threw the words in Yamada’s direction when he spotted him sitting in the last row, leaving behind the confusedly murmuring crow of guests…
Nino needed an eternity - at least it felt like that for him - to fend off the thousand questions from his family, apologizing again and again, promising a proper explanation at a later time until he could finally excuse himself to go after Jun. But by the time he got to their room it was empty. Only Jun’s white tuxedo was the sign that he had been there.
There was a note left on the bed.
‘Nino! I’ve made the arrangements for your immediate promotion. You’ll take over the Storm project from me. I’ve always known that you’d make an amazing job on your own and I hindered your progress on purpose because I didn’t want to lose the best assistant I could ever get. I’m sorry for that. For everything. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and I wish you all the best. Jun’
“I can’t believe it!” Nino cried out angrily, clenching the paper in his hand.
“Crazy day, huh?” Ohno asked walking in the room with slow, careful steps. “You know people will talk about this day forever,” he said jokingly but gave up quickly when he saw that Nino was not in the mood. “So? What are you going to do now?”
“What’s there for me to do? He decided everything on his own, just like always! This guy was a pain in the ass for the past three years and just now when… He does this just now?” He asked with another frustrated cry, crumpling Jun’s letter in his hand. “’Wishing you all the best…’” he recited the words from the letter mockingly. “Don’t joke with me!”
Ohno observed him with a gentle smile for a moment before speaking up:
“And now you’ll let him go just like that?”
Nino stared at him for a moment like he didn’t understand the words he was speaking. Then the next moment he sprinted out of the room…
“Mom! The car keys!” Nino ran to his mother who was standing at the entrance hall with his sister and grandma.
Some of the guests left already while others took advantage of the already prepared buffet tables but Nino couldn’t care less. They were welcome to do whatever they wanted as long as none of them stood in his way.
“Here, but… What are you going to do, Kazu?” she asked, pity and concern mixing in her eyes.
“Going after him, of course!” Nino grabbed the keys and rushed to the car, barely registering that his family not followed him to see him off but to pile into the back of the car with him.
“Why are you doing this, Kazu?” Kaori asked frustrated. “You were complaining about him for years and now he even tried to ruin your life! He almost got you in jail!” She argued, not being able to understand her brother’s actions.
“Oh, silly girl!” Their mom chided her. “He chases him because he loves him!”
“And Jun-chan wouldn’t have left unless he felt the same!” Granny Asuka piped in cheerfully. “You were just too busy being judge-y to see the signs…”
All the while the women were chattering about their feelings, Nino said nothing. What could he say anyway? He barely dared to entertain the thought that they might be right. All these speculations were pointless if he was not able to stop Jun from leaving.
When they finally reached the Sapporo airport and rushed through the door, the sign on the board just flipped over, announcing that the last plane of the day heading for Tokyo just took off…
“I’m so sorry, Kazu. I had no idea…” his sister murmured, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Jun finished boxing the last of his personal belongings in the office. It all happened much faster than he expected. He did nothing but packing and boxing since he returned from Hokkaido but somewhere in the depth of his heart, he was even grateful for this. The sooner he was gone from Japan, the sooner he could try to forget about everything…
“Hey, Aiba-kun! Hey!” Jun left his former office and approached the young man. Was it him or everyone here was only chatting and having coffee like they had no job to do? Either way, it was not his business anymore, Jun reminded himself. “Aiba-kun! Would you send the boxes in my office to this address, please?” He asked the other man when he was finally willing to pay attention to him, and handed him a note.
“Sure, Matsumoto-san but…” Aiba trailed off uncertainly.
“But what?” Jun snapped impatiently.
Aiba pointed behind him and Jun turned around confused.
“Nino…” he breathed out, his heart jumping in his chest almost painfully. “What are you doing here?” He wasn’t supposed to be here. Jun was not prepared to face him now.
“I need to talk to you,” Nino said slightly panting.
“Well, too bad. I have a plane to catch to LA so…” Jun said, trying to skirt around to the elevator.
“Oh, would you stop and shut up for just one moment?” Nino yelled at him, effectively stopping Jun and shocking him into silence. “Until one week ago, you were driving me so crazy that if anyone would’ve asked if I minded if you got hit by a cab or something, I would’ve cheered for it. But then we had this little trip to Hokkaido and everything changed. When we kissed, and when you told me about your parents… And when you tried to seduce me by flashing the goods…”
“I was not flashing anything!” Jun tried to protest, embarrassed flush coloring his cheeks. He looked around hoping no one heard that, only to notice that the whole office stopped to even pretend to work and instead was openly listening in on their conversation.
“I said shut up, J! I’m not done talking yet… After all this, all that happened, you had the audacity to leave me standing in front of all those people, making me chase you across the country just to be able to tell you that I love you. And that you have to marry me because I won’t let the man I love get deported without a fight. Got it?” Nino walked closer as he talked until they stood toe to toe, looking more determined than Jun ever saw him before.
“I can’t…” he whispered shaking his head. “You know… it’s not by accident that I was alone all this time. I’m fine with it. I’m comfortable this way.”
“Liar,” Nino said silently but Jun just kept shaking his head.
“I’m scared…” he admitted finally.
“Me too,” Nino answered with a ghost of a smile then fisted his hands onto Jun’s shirt and pulled him down into a kiss.
Jun didn’t need much persuasion as he returned the kiss willingly, happily.
“You should’ve gotten down on your knees, haven’t you?” Jun asked, whispering onto Nino’s lips when they broke the kiss.
“I take that as a ‘yes’,” Nino said with a grin.
“Okay…”
Pairing(s): Matsumiya (main), Sakuraiba (side, hinted), Ohmiya (one-sided, past)
Genres: AU, romance, comedy, slight hurt/comfort, angst
Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3
Part 4
The next day the lawn in front of the Ninomiya house was decorated in white. Flowers and ribbons. Lanterns hanged around the porch for the evening celebration. Chairs lined up in front of a low stage for the happy couple to say their vows. It was all very beautiful and romantic. Even Nino who was probably the least romantic person in the world had to admit that, as he stood on the stage waiting for the guests to take their seats and for Jun to come and take his spot by his side.
He never thought it was possible, but he was anxious. Like… excitedly anxious. It was weird. Why would anyone be excited about an arranged, forced marriage? A business deal? ‘It’s not excitement, silly, it’s only stress…’ he tried to convince himself. But stress didn’t explain why his breath hitched the moment he spotted Jun in a white tuxedo walking down the aisle.
“We gathered here on this joyful day to…”
The master of ceremony barely started to speak when Jun raised his hand to stop him.
“J! What are you doing?” Nino asked with a whispered tone, dread already settling in the pit of his stomach.
Jun only spared him a glance that only strengthened Nino’s fear but quickly turned around to face the guests and cleared his throat.
“Hello, everyone! I have something I need to say. A confession, actually…” he started, fiddling with the hem of his coat sleeve. “I’m actually American-Japanese and my visa has expired. And since I didn’t want to leave this beautiful country of yours, I forced Kazunari here to marry me. Threatening him to ruin his career if he wouldn’t comply. The funny thing is, ruining one’s life is easy only until you get to know how amazing they are…” Jun said honestly, looking at Nino’s family with a sad, apologetic smile. “Your family is amazing. This was all my doing so please, do not resent Kazunari for this,” he then turned back to Nino. “This was a business deal and you held up your end but the deal is off now,” he told him curtly before he lost his courage and left the stage with quick steps. “Give me ten minutes then you can take me to the airport…” He threw the words in Yamada’s direction when he spotted him sitting in the last row, leaving behind the confusedly murmuring crow of guests…
Nino needed an eternity - at least it felt like that for him - to fend off the thousand questions from his family, apologizing again and again, promising a proper explanation at a later time until he could finally excuse himself to go after Jun. But by the time he got to their room it was empty. Only Jun’s white tuxedo was the sign that he had been there.
There was a note left on the bed.
‘Nino! I’ve made the arrangements for your immediate promotion. You’ll take over the Storm project from me. I’ve always known that you’d make an amazing job on your own and I hindered your progress on purpose because I didn’t want to lose the best assistant I could ever get. I’m sorry for that. For everything. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and I wish you all the best. Jun’
“I can’t believe it!” Nino cried out angrily, clenching the paper in his hand.
“Crazy day, huh?” Ohno asked walking in the room with slow, careful steps. “You know people will talk about this day forever,” he said jokingly but gave up quickly when he saw that Nino was not in the mood. “So? What are you going to do now?”
“What’s there for me to do? He decided everything on his own, just like always! This guy was a pain in the ass for the past three years and just now when… He does this just now?” He asked with another frustrated cry, crumpling Jun’s letter in his hand. “’Wishing you all the best…’” he recited the words from the letter mockingly. “Don’t joke with me!”
Ohno observed him with a gentle smile for a moment before speaking up:
“And now you’ll let him go just like that?”
Nino stared at him for a moment like he didn’t understand the words he was speaking. Then the next moment he sprinted out of the room…
“Mom! The car keys!” Nino ran to his mother who was standing at the entrance hall with his sister and grandma.
Some of the guests left already while others took advantage of the already prepared buffet tables but Nino couldn’t care less. They were welcome to do whatever they wanted as long as none of them stood in his way.
“Here, but… What are you going to do, Kazu?” she asked, pity and concern mixing in her eyes.
“Going after him, of course!” Nino grabbed the keys and rushed to the car, barely registering that his family not followed him to see him off but to pile into the back of the car with him.
“Why are you doing this, Kazu?” Kaori asked frustrated. “You were complaining about him for years and now he even tried to ruin your life! He almost got you in jail!” She argued, not being able to understand her brother’s actions.
“Oh, silly girl!” Their mom chided her. “He chases him because he loves him!”
“And Jun-chan wouldn’t have left unless he felt the same!” Granny Asuka piped in cheerfully. “You were just too busy being judge-y to see the signs…”
All the while the women were chattering about their feelings, Nino said nothing. What could he say anyway? He barely dared to entertain the thought that they might be right. All these speculations were pointless if he was not able to stop Jun from leaving.
When they finally reached the Sapporo airport and rushed through the door, the sign on the board just flipped over, announcing that the last plane of the day heading for Tokyo just took off…
“I’m so sorry, Kazu. I had no idea…” his sister murmured, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Jun finished boxing the last of his personal belongings in the office. It all happened much faster than he expected. He did nothing but packing and boxing since he returned from Hokkaido but somewhere in the depth of his heart, he was even grateful for this. The sooner he was gone from Japan, the sooner he could try to forget about everything…
“Hey, Aiba-kun! Hey!” Jun left his former office and approached the young man. Was it him or everyone here was only chatting and having coffee like they had no job to do? Either way, it was not his business anymore, Jun reminded himself. “Aiba-kun! Would you send the boxes in my office to this address, please?” He asked the other man when he was finally willing to pay attention to him, and handed him a note.
“Sure, Matsumoto-san but…” Aiba trailed off uncertainly.
“But what?” Jun snapped impatiently.
Aiba pointed behind him and Jun turned around confused.
“Nino…” he breathed out, his heart jumping in his chest almost painfully. “What are you doing here?” He wasn’t supposed to be here. Jun was not prepared to face him now.
“I need to talk to you,” Nino said slightly panting.
“Well, too bad. I have a plane to catch to LA so…” Jun said, trying to skirt around to the elevator.
“Oh, would you stop and shut up for just one moment?” Nino yelled at him, effectively stopping Jun and shocking him into silence. “Until one week ago, you were driving me so crazy that if anyone would’ve asked if I minded if you got hit by a cab or something, I would’ve cheered for it. But then we had this little trip to Hokkaido and everything changed. When we kissed, and when you told me about your parents… And when you tried to seduce me by flashing the goods…”
“I was not flashing anything!” Jun tried to protest, embarrassed flush coloring his cheeks. He looked around hoping no one heard that, only to notice that the whole office stopped to even pretend to work and instead was openly listening in on their conversation.
“I said shut up, J! I’m not done talking yet… After all this, all that happened, you had the audacity to leave me standing in front of all those people, making me chase you across the country just to be able to tell you that I love you. And that you have to marry me because I won’t let the man I love get deported without a fight. Got it?” Nino walked closer as he talked until they stood toe to toe, looking more determined than Jun ever saw him before.
“I can’t…” he whispered shaking his head. “You know… it’s not by accident that I was alone all this time. I’m fine with it. I’m comfortable this way.”
“Liar,” Nino said silently but Jun just kept shaking his head.
“I’m scared…” he admitted finally.
“Me too,” Nino answered with a ghost of a smile then fisted his hands onto Jun’s shirt and pulled him down into a kiss.
Jun didn’t need much persuasion as he returned the kiss willingly, happily.
“You should’ve gotten down on your knees, haven’t you?” Jun asked, whispering onto Nino’s lips when they broke the kiss.
“I take that as a ‘yes’,” Nino said with a grin.
“Okay…”