Chapter Text
“By the power vested in me, and by Atua’s will, I now pronounce you husband and wife!”
From her spot at the altar, Angie claps her hands together. Despite her playful way of speaking, she looks much more mature than Kaito remembers her being. Her white hair rests in a bun atop her head, instead of the unruly pigtails he’d grown accustomed to since high school. And her dress, a modest halter top, is a far cry from the revealing island style clothing she wore in place of a uniform. She looks professional, classy, dignified.
And so grown up.
“Please, please! Kiss the bride!”
Shuichi lets out a small laugh before leaning in, the audience breaking into applause the moment his lips meet Kaede’s. It’s brief, a perfect kiss to seal them together in holy matrimony. The two look into each other’s eyes, and from Kaito’s spot behind the groom, he can nearly see the love radiating off of them. The manifestation of pure happiness that comes from two people excited for the start of the rest of their lives together.
Hand in hand.
In marriage.
…Marriage, huh?
As his friends begin their walk back down the aisle, Kaito steals a glance across the altar. Maki stands on the other side, a bouquet of white and pink flowers in her hands. She looks beautiful. Kaede really knew what she was doing picking out the bridesmaid dress for her. The simple cross shoulder gown, long, with fabric that flows elegantly to the floor, is a brilliant red, bright and intense. The perfect color to match her eyes.
The eyes that are suddenly staring into Kaito’s own.
He chances a smile, a small inviting gesture directed her way. He wonders what she’s thinking, for the fleeting few seconds she holds his gaze. Her expression gives nothing away. There’s so much he wants to say, that he wants her to understand. But even if this were the time and place, he’s not sure he could. He’d never been able to before.
Maki drops her eyes, wearing the disappointment he’s become accustomed to seeing on her, as she follows the other bridesmaids down the aisle. Kaito sighs, letting go of his strained smile and staring somewhere at the floor, waiting his own turn to leave the altar behind. He’s never felt so small, so stupid, so… pathetic . He wishes he could let go of everything holding him back, start over, make it right, give Maki everything she deserves and more.
But, at the same time, Kaito knows that isn’t the truth. As he watches Maki’s head disappear behind the door to the venue, there's only one truth he can think.
He's sorry but, he’s just… not ready.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With the ceremony done, the reception begins, taking place in an extravagantly decorated catering hall. It’s the first time Kaito’s seen it all together. He has to admit, he’s impressed by how it all turned out. Though, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering Kaede hired Kirumi Tojo as her wedding planner. It was a brilliant move on Kaede’s part. With Tojo in charge, it was a guaranteed success. Between the coordination of events, the menu, and the decorations; there’s no one better suited for the job than the former Ultimate Maid. Everything looks perfect.
The first dance winds down, as Kaito watches from his seat. A few other couples had joined them on the dancefloor, but no one could compete with the newlyweds. Kaede’s smile never falters, her eyes shining as they look into Shuichi’s. The groom seems to be pushing down whatever uncomfortable feelings the attention is giving him for the sake of his bride. They’re beautiful out there. The picture of love.
Against his better judgement, Kaito’s eyes drift to a table across the dancefloor. One he knows Maki is sitting at. She doesn’t notice him, or ignores him on purpose, her cheek resting against one of her fists. She looks lonely, Kaito notes, and he wonders briefly if her thoughts match his own. If the same questions are swirling through her mind as the couples continue to dance around them.
Could things have been different? Could it have been…?
Kaito shakes his head, redirecting his attention to the glass of water and table setting laid out in front of him.
No.
He’s not going to think about that. He had spent so much time convincing himself that this is Shuichi and Kaede’s day. He can’t ruin it by moping around, ruminating over the past. He’s going to have fun, relax, and show his friends how proud he is of them.
That’s why, as soon as the dance ends, and the music fades to something more mainstream, Kaito stands from the table. He sidelines the thought of Maki possibly watching him, and walks onto the dancefloor towards his friends. They seem to have diverted in separate ways; Kaede gliding over to greet Chabashira and Yumeno, and Shuichi hanging back a bit to give his thanks to whoever approaches him. Kaito figures it’s as good a time as any to butt in.
Sneaking up behind him, he wraps his arms around Shuichi’s waist, pulling him close and lifting him slightly off the ground.
“Congratulations, bro!”
Shuichi initially tenses at the surprise attack, but relaxes once he realizes it’s only Kaito playing around. They laugh together, and Kaito lets him go, allowing his friend to turn around and properly face him.
“You’re a married man now!” He continues with a smile. “How’s it feel?”
Shuichi rubs at the back of his neck. “Not all that different.” He says. “But also, somehow new? Changed.” He settles on, before letting out a nervous laugh. “I don’t think it’s caught up to me just yet.”
“I’m sure things won’t change too much.” Kaito assures him, recalling the worries he’d express to him during the planning process. “I mean, it's you and Kaede. You guys were married before you even started dating.”
It’s an exaggeration sure, but he means it. Since meeting in their first year at Hope’s Peak, Kaede and Shuichi had been practically inseparable. It didn’t help that they’d been secretly crushing on each other the entire time they were there. However, like any awkward teenagers, Ultimates or not, neither one was brave enough to make a move until graduation.
But even without yet being a couple, they were always by each other’s side. Kaito could see it, the way they’d move with a synchronization only two people with bonded souls could. Pushing wherever the other pulled. Their paths, always destined to cross, to one day merge into the inevitability of true love.
“I guess so.” Shuichi smiles, a light blush dusting his cheeks. “Thank you, Momota-kun.”
“Huh? What for?”
“I don’t think I ever would have made it here without you.”
“Oh, come on.” He knows what he’s referring to. How when Shuichi continued to dance around his feelings for Kaede, Kaito had been the one to give him the push to truly pursue it. He’d bugged him constantly to ask her out, until he became just annoyed enough to do it. It might not have been the most conventional way, but somehow, it got the job done.
“I mean it.” Shuichi places a hand on his shoulder. “I never would have had the confidence to get this far without your help. With Kaede, or the agency.”
“Don’t sell yourself short.” It’s Kaito’s turn to get embarrassed, looking off to the side and trying to hide how uncomfortable the praise is making him feel. “Talent goes a lot further than influence.”
It’s crazy to think how far they’ve all come since graduating from Hope’s Peak, almost ten years ago. The school really lives up to its reputation, guaranteeing success to the Ultimates that attend. Shuichi had even opened his own, very well known, detective agency. It’d been a dream of his since starting to work for his uncle as a kid. He’s tasked with all kinds of cases; from minor fraud and infidelity disputes, to even being called upon by police departments whenever they struggled with cases of their own.
Kaito doesn’t understand why Shuichi still downplays his achievements. He should be proud of what he’s accomplished. A great career, wonderful friends, and now, even married to the love of his life. Kaito couldn’t be happier for him. There’s no better person Shuichi could have grown up to be.
Right… Grown up.
Throwing him off his train of thought, Kaito feels something hit his side. Or rather, someone . He looks down to see Kaede, arms wrapped around his waist in a hug. Not unlike the one he’d sprung on Shuichi just moments before.
“Momota-kun!” She shouts, voice animated with excitement.
“Kaede!” Kaito laughs, doing the best he can in his position to return her hug. “Congrats on finally bagging this one.” He jokes, pointing a thumb in Shuichi’s direction.
“B-bagging?!” Shuichi blushes.
Kaede just giggles at his reaction, “I know, I’m so lucky.” She crosses over Kaito, looping an arm through her now husband’s. “He’s such a babe isn’t he?”
The kiss she places on his cheek only serves to fluster Shuichi more.
“A total babe.” Kaito plays along, throwing a wink in their direction. “I’m so jealous.”
Ending the relentless teasing of the oh-so-shy Shuichi, Kaede focuses her attention on Kaito. “Hey, this could’ve been you, y’know?”
The room freezes, as if the carefree joy has been sucked out with just one comment. Kaito knows what Kaede’s referring to, trying with all his might not to steal a glance at the table Maki was occupying a moment before. He knows she means well, but he can't help the way his eyes drift to the floor, or the uncomfortable weight that settles in his stomach. He should have expected it, really. With how vague and avoidant he’s been, there’s rarely a time he interacts with Kaede where she doesn’t bring it up.
Shuichi glances between the two of them, sensing the discomfort. “Kaede,” he starts gently. “Maybe you shouldn’t…” His voice trails off, as he lifts his eyes to meet those of his bride.
“I’m just saying!” Kaede laughs with a wave of her hand. “It was going so well. And I still have no idea what happened. No one does.”
“Yeah, well, you know…” Kaito lets out a nervous laugh of his own, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck.
Know what? He has no idea.
“It’s fine!” Shuichi interjects, giving Kaede a pointed look. “Momota-kun just isn’t ready to talk about it. He’ll get there.”
“I know, I know.” Kaede pouts, before catching the look on Kaito’s face. “I’m just messing with you!” She playfully punches his shoulder with her free hand, giggling.
Is she already a little drunk?
“I do think you guys need to talk though.” She continues, shifting into a much more serious tone. “The way you left things wasn’t the best. Plus, I miss our double dates!”
Kaito tries to fake a smile, knowing it won’t come across as genuine as he wishes it would. He can’t stop the guilt from creeping in again, the same way it’s come and gone since the whole thing happened almost a year ago. The four of them had been such a tight-knit group, spending all their time together, doing various couples activities. But, ever since then, it’s been almost impossible to talk to Maki. And slowly but surely, their group outings dropped from four to three, with either Kaito or Maki staying back to prevent any uncomfortable situations.
Kaede is right, he knows he should talk to her. He knows it's important. But every time he tells himself he needs to, the words fail him. He has no idea where to even begin with an explanation. How can he, when he barely knows the reason himself?
Still, this isn’t the time, or the place, he has to remind himself yet again.
“Come on, it’s your wedding night!” Shaking his head, Kaito clears his mind, plastering on a much more convincing smile. Bright and just confident enough to sell the aversion. “Let’s not worry about all that stuff, yeah? We should be focusing on celebrating your guys’ future together!”
Shuichi returns his smile, but remains silent, an almost pitiful look in his eyes. Kaito wants to ignore it, but the way it bores into him only piles on the guilt. Kaede is one thing, but he’s reminded of how he hasn’t even talked to Shuichi about it yet. The opportunity is always there, and being his best friend, it shouldn’t be so hard. But it is. He can’t help but constantly avoid the topic whenever Shuichi tries to bring it up, too ashamed of his actions, and embarrassed of his failure.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
As though answering Kaito’s silent prayers, the three of them are greeted by Ryoma Hoshi, approaching them with a drink in his hand. He’s sharply dressed, in a suit tailored perfectly for him. He’s taller than the last time Kaito saw him, more muscles to fill out his frame, and an easy confidence he’d been missing back when they were kids. It still astonishes him, seeing just how much his former classmates have changed over the years. As if, somehow, in his mind, he expected them to stay the same as they were when they last parted.
“I wanted to come over and say my congrats.” Hoshi tips his drink in the direction of the happy couple, punctuated with a warm and charming smile.
Shuichi bows in greeting. “Thank you. And thanks for coming!”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Hoshi replies. “You guys came out for my wedding. It’s the least I could do.”
“Oh!” Kaede exclaims, her hands flying to her mouth. “I haven’t seen Hoshi-san yet!” She makes a move to break away from the group. “I should go thank her for com-”
“Don’t drive yourself crazy.” Hoshi stops her with a raised hand. “She couldn’t make it. Doctor’s got her on bed rest ‘til the baby comes.”
Baby?
“She’s due soon, isn’t she?” Shuichi asks.
Hoshi nods. “Any day now.”
Did he say… baby?
“Oh Hoshi-kun, that’s so exciting!” Kaede nearly squeals, bouncing up and down. “It feels like the announcement was just yesterday!”
That’s right, how could Kaito forget the announcement, or the mini crisis he had after receiving it in the mail. It really does feel like ‘just yesterday’. It also feels like ‘just yesterday’ that he was at Hope’s Peak, bugging Hoshi to play a single game of tennis with him. Now he’s a tennis all-star, with multiple championship wins under his belt, married, and with a baby on the way. When did all that happen? Where did the time go? Why is everything moving so fast?
“Time flies.” Hoshi says. It takes Kaito a second to remember Kaede’s earlier comment, fearing for a moment he may have said something out loud. “Before you know it, you guys’ll be sending out an announcement of your own.” He gives them a wink and a thumbs up.
“Ah!” Shuichi’s face lights up again. “U-uh, yeah!”
“Don’t rush it.” Hoshi chuckles at his reaction. “Enjoy married life for a bit first.”
Kaede nods. “Oh yeah, we plan to give it a year or two before we start trying.” She agrees. “Like you guys did.”
A year or two.
A year or two is going to rush past them and before he knows it, he’ll be helping Shuichi build a crib while Kaede rattles off baby names. Hangouts will go from mid day lunches and late night movies, to bringing the kid to the park and babysitting on weekends. Soon enough, he’ll be looking at a little combination of Shuichi and Kaede running up to him and calling him “Uncle Kaito” and-
Is the room spinning?
He’s starting to feel lightheaded, his heartbeat racing and pounding in his ears. He hasn’t had anything to drink yet, has he? Maybe he should do that.
Ok, yeah, the room is definitely spinning!
He should probably go find someplace to sit down, away from all this, away from-
Kaito feels a slight tugging on his sleeve, pulling him back down from whatever star cluster he was just floating in. Shuichi looks up at him, brow furrowed in concern. “Is everything ok, Momota-kun?”
He looks at the group, silent and with varying degrees of confusion on their faces. It takes him until then to notice he hasn’t said a word since Hoshi approached them.
He swallows. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m good.” He forces out a laugh, hating the way it wavers. “Sorry, um, feeling kinda thirsty.”
He needs to get out of here. He needs a drink. He needs to be somewhere -anywhere- else.
“I’m gonna grab a drink!”
Pointing vaguely in the direction of the bar, Kaito takes a couple of steps backwards, hiding his nerves behind his shaky smile. “Congrats on the baby Hoshi.” He calls as he fully turns around, walking faster than necessary away from the conversation happening around him. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
He barely registers the “Thanks Momota” that Hoshi throws out in response, his focus entirely on his destination. He weaves through the crowd, vision pointed and head down, not wanting to deal with greeting anyone he might recognize. The night is already descending into Hell. He doesn’t need anything else testing his resolve.
Why is this happening? What is his problem?!
As soon as he gets to the bar, he’s approached by the bartender. A friendly looking girl with long pink hair, probably no older than Kaito himself. She smiles, asking for his order as he blanks. Without the mental clarity to care, he clumsily finds his way around the words “surprise me” and takes a seat, thankful she doesn’t push any further. She immediately busies herself with his order, as he takes the time to warily survey the crowd around him.
A few familiar faces stand out to him; particularly, his former Hope’s Peak classmates. They’re all here. Of course they are. None of them would miss the wedding of two of their closest friends. No matter how busy their lives have gotten. And they’ve sure been busy.
He spots Rantaro Amami, chatting away with Korekiyo Shinguji at one of the food tables. Kaito recalls that Amami is a successful travel blogger, having spent time in multiple countries, across every continent. It’s a drive he can hardly imagine the former laid back, blase, Ultimate Adventurer having.
As for Shinguji, he’d done some travelling himself, dedicating his life to studying various cultures and customs around the world. If Kaito remembers correctly, he’s also a reputable professor at a prestigious university, and working towards his doctorate. It’s insane! The kid who used to sit behind him in class is now teaching classes himself!
Something hits his elbow, and his attention turns to the glass of pink liquid sitting on the counter. The bartender shoots him a wink, disappearing to continue her work. Kaito nods distantly, picking up the mysterious drink. He’s thankful for its presence, and takes a large sip. He can feel his nerves calming the second it passes his lips. Fruity, sweet, but the alcohol still burns in the familiar and comforting way he hoped it would.
Drink in hand, he focuses back on the crowd, catching Shuichi and Kaede again. To Kaito, he still thinks of them as clumsy teenagers, unsure of the future and navigating their way through high school. But here they are, weaving effortlessly through the crowd to thank everyone. They look so grown up, doing things only adults do. After this, they’ll be going back to the house they bought, with the money they earned from their jobs, to live a married life.
More unbelievable is Hoshi, going home to a very pregnant wife. In just a few days his life is going to change forever. He’s going to be a parent - a father!- and have a kid of his own to look after. How is that possible? They’re still just kids themselves!
Aren’t they?
Taking another large sip of his drink, Kaito thinks about his own life, how far he’s come himself. He stares at the pink liquid, watching the ice that floats around inside, not unlike the way he floated amongst the stars when he finally made it to space. The experience had been surreal, everything he’d ever dreamed of, the very thing he worked his entire life for.
He loves his job, even the parts that aren’t so glamorous. Besides the space mission he’d gone on, Kaito’s been put in charge of an astronaut training camp, training new hopeful astronauts of the future, and teaching them everything they’ll need to know. It’s crazy, watching the excitement on their faces at the prospect of still yet making it to space. The same excitement he once had, reflected in their eyes.
Except… they still have their lives ahead of them. They’re still chasing a dream. There’s still a challenge to overcome. A mountain to climb. With hope in their eyes and ambition in their chests. He wishes he could go back, turn back time, relive the youth they still get to have.
He shakes his head, trying once again to suppress the thoughts creeping back into his mind. What is he even thinking? He’s not that old. He’s only 27! So then… why? Why does he feel so old? So done? Why does he feel like he’s simultaneously running out of time yet only just starting?
“Wow! Is that pink?”
Huh?
It takes Kaito a second to register the voice coming up beside him. Disingenuous and leading, as if inviting Kaito to play along with an unspoken game. Something about it is familiar, laced with excitement and wonder only a child would possess. He can’t quite place it, not even sure if the question is directed at him, or simply overheard in proximity.
He lets his curiosity get the better of him anyway, turning towards the source without another thought spared. When he does, his eyes widen, suddenly face to face with the last person he expects to see here.
“Holy shit…
Ouma?
”
