Mina’s main objective at all times with Pokemon Go is to make sure she’s the leader of all the gyms around Haruka and Michiru’s house
All she ever puts in these gyms are Tentacruels.
Tag: minako
If Not Now…
~1600 words
AO3 Link
For the prompt party! While I feel blessed by its return, given the prompt “Everything I had to sacrifice,” I doubt Haruka and Michiru feel the same.
It came like a wave, almost every night now. It was a
writhing mass that was a single creature and many at the same time, all faceless
yet bearing many teeth. If Michiru faltered but one step, it would consume the
crystal spire behind her and all she loved with it. The many teeth ripped at
her clothes, hair, skin. She did not move. She refused. Even as they bit
deeper, deeper. She could not fall despite the pain. Deeper. She was going to
fall, all would be lost and she could not lose and deeper—
Michiru woke with a gasp. Reality was quiet and warm. The
softness of sheets was startling against her skin, the remnants of the vision
left her expecting pain in place of comfort.
Haruka stirred beside her. “’R you okay?”
“It was just a dream, love.”
Haruka pulled her close and nuzzled into her shoulder. “I had
a dream. A nice one.”
“Oh?” Michiru worked her fingers through Haruka’s hair
against her scalp. The rhythm of her breathing was a comfort as her own fell in
time with it. “Tell me about it.”
“Well I was there, and you were there. And so was a baby.”
Haruka paused, waking up a little more. “Our baby.” She made figure eights with
one finger on Michiru’s hip. “We were parents.”
The last word came on a breath of reverence. “Our baby was happy. Just like us.”
Michiru had never thought much of children, but when Haruka
spoke like this, she ached for them as much as she ached for anything, nearly
as much as Haruka ached for them. “That is a nice dream.”
“You know…” Haruka’s muscles went tense. She breathed deep
before continuing. “You know. We’ve been at peace for a while now.”
“We have.” It wouldn’t last, but they had.
“Do you think… do you think maybe… now could be the time?”
Haruka twisted up to look her in the eye. “I mean. We’re a good age. And, sometimes I think,
if not now…”
Michiru suddenly felt the truth of it. Now was all they had.
She shoved aside all her vision meant. She would take what happiness she could
for Haruka, she would make now work despite everything telling her it couldn’t.
“If you’re ready, I am.”
“You mean it?” Haruka
scrambled to sit up.
Michiru swallowed down her doubt. She would—she could—choose the nice dream for once. She swore she could against the screaming inside her that she should share what she saw. “As
much as I have ever meant anything.”
Haruka laughed and kissed her, rough and urgent despite
still laughing. “We’ll be parents,” she
whispered against Michiru’s mouth.
Michiru let herself laugh along.
***
There were several days of sharing the news and starting on
paperwork. She’d begun to believe it was really happening. And then Mina found her. Michiru walked out of a morning matinee of
a French film, one of her quiet retreats, and there she was. Michiru ignored
her, but Minako would not be swatted away so easily. She fell into step beside
her.
“You know it can’t happen right now.”
“What can’t?” She would have to say the words, state exactly
the dream she was dashing.
“Children. I know you see the same thing coming as Rei does.”
“What I may or may not see has no bearing on our choice.”
Michiru kept her voice calm. “And Rei’s visions, like mine, hardly have a
timestamp. It might be a hundred years before whatever doom she sees comes to
pass.”
“I never thought you to be naïve.”
“I will not hold back my life—her life—for what might come.”
Mina jogged up to walk backwards facing Michiru. “And what
will you do with the child, when the doom comes?”
“Protect it.”
“You have someone else to protect.”
“I have no desire to protect that princess above all else.”
“It is your duty.”
“I don’t care.”
Minako’s shoulders stiffened. Venus flashed deadly gold in
her eyes. “It doesn’t matter if you care. It doesn’t matter if I care. Our
lives are bound to a purpose.”
“I have given enough. I have given my childhood and my blood
and my literal heart to duty. I am finished. Surely you can do your job well
enough you don’t need us.”
Minako’s mouth turned up at the corners, bearing her teeth
rather than truly smiling. “And what will Haruka say, when you ask her to turn
away from her duty?”
Michiru stopped cold. “She will know it is only a
possibility, and that we could do both if it came down to it.”
“You’re a liar.”
The thought of slapping her played in Michiru’s mind like a
daydream. “If you’re so righteous, why are you talking to me and not her?”
“Why have you kept your visions to yourself instead of
telling her?” Minako crossed her arms. “You’re the one who could make her
understand. If I say, hey, Rei’s had visions, maybe this isn’t a good time, she’ll
take the optimistic route. She wants this too badly. Even you want this too
badly.” She stepped closer. “How long do you think she’d last, trying to
protect Usagi and your child?
Sometimes she barely makes it through worrying about you, and you take care of
yourself.”
Michiru wanted to say they’d leave, settle somewhere far
away from whatever battles came, but Haruka would never do it. “When, then? Are
we to always set aside life for duty?” Years of anger uncorked inside her. “Do
you tell Mako to set aside love? Is that why she has yet to get serious with
anyone? You must know that’s what she wants more than anything.”
“She knows the time isn’t right.”
“The time will never be right.” Michiru rose her chin. “I
have often wondered, Venus, if you would have kept Haruka and I apart if you
thought you could. I suppose I have my answer, and Haruka will too.”
Minako’s face made it clear she’d like to slap Michiru too. “I
would never. All I do, I do to protect you all. Especially her, damn it.” She
gritted her teeth. “Haruka’s too good for either of us. So is Mako. Loving
someone who can’t defend themselves like we can would rip them apart.”
Michiru almost felt a twinge of pity for her. “And never
getting to love all they can won’t?”
“I’m not saying never.” Her fists clenched. “I’m saying not
now. If we have as long as we supposedly do, a few more years is nothing.”
“And if we don’t?”
“Then fuck me, I’ll have been wrong. But you’ll know, even
then, that I’m also still right.”
That was the worst thing—it was true. Michiru could not
pretend Minako was being anything but honest. It was not meaningless the way it
was when her family cautioned her against abandoning her duty to them. She
could not even hate Mina for making her accept what she had known all along.
She could only hate herself, for giving Haruka false hope.
“Leave me.”
“Michiru.”
“I’ll do it. I’ll tell her everything, but please leave.”
She wished that Minako had stayed hard, rather than looking
at her just then with soft understanding. “I hope it comes soon,” she said very
quietly. “I hope it is the last big fight.”
“I never thought you to be naïve.” She went back to the
theater and bought another ticket. Nestled into the darkness where no one could
see, she planned out how she could tell Haruka.
***
“I had a vision.”
Haruka stopped with her jacket hanging off one arm. “A
vision?” she asked, although it showed in her eyes that she knew all it meant.
“A fight is coming.” Michiru focused on a painting on the
wall instead of Haruka’s face. It was one of hers. She followed each
brushstroke with her eyes, letting the memory of each movement squash down her
current emotions. “Likely it will be soon.”
“Oh.” Haruka flailed to get her other arm out of her coat.
She put it on the back of a chair, but when it fell she left it in the floor. “I
guess then… I mean. Yeah, that’s… I’m going for a run.” Still in her work
clothes, she bolted out the door. Michiru let her go. There would be tears
later, she knew, Haruka would cry in her arms, but now this was what she needed.
Michiru had been allowed to process alone too, after all.
She picked up Haruka’s jacket. A folded paper fell out with
her keys from one pocket. Michiru knew better than to look. But she’d known
better than to do a lot of things lately. NAMES
was scrawled across the top in Haruka’s big, excited handwriting. Several ideas
were crossed off. A few had little stars next to them. Michiru crumpled it and
threw it in the garbage. It would do no one any good to see it again.
That night she had a vision—or perhaps a dream, she could
not say for sure, though she knew she saw what Haruka had dreamed before. They
sat in their yard. Michiru knelt without
regard for grass stains on her skirt; Haruka was cross-legged just a few feet
away. She held the hands of a little girl who stood wobbly on her chubby legs. “Okay,
now go to Mama!”
The little girl let go of one hand, then the other. One
cautious step. Another with more confidence. Her soft face broke into a smile
and she bounced through the rest of the steps until she tumbled into Michiru’s
lap. “You made it,” she heard herself say.
Her little girl looked up and gave a gummy shriek of
laughter. “Mama!”
Michiru woke quietly this time, careful not to wake Haruka.
There was no sense in getting worked up over what could never be.
Minako and Haruka, “Everything’s going to be fine” YOU COULD MAKE THIS ONE ANGSTY IF YOU WANT
Even though I’m only getting to it now, the angst possibilities for this have been swimming in my head since you sent this.
—-
In the back of her mind, Haruka had always known herself to
be one of the weaker fighters of the team. She didn’t think things through, she
sometimes let her emotions get the best of her, she had her speed and the
powers granted to her as a sailor soldier and that was it. She’d always known
if someone was going to get taken down in battle, it would be her.
Maybe that was why her brain refused to believe this was
happening. Mina was going to get up again any second now. She was fine. Another
second, and she’d bounce up with a smile and give a monster hell for
landing a hit. She was just being dramatic, or it was a tactic, let them think
they’d started to overwhelm the girls, and then ha! Haruka blasted monsters
back and waited for the ha!
It still didn’t come.
She fought her way over. Her mind offered increasingly
absurd reasoning. Maybe it was a terrible little prank, and Mina would bring it
up next time Haruka said no to barhopping or karaoke or skinny dipping. Maybe
Mina had dropped an earring, down between the rocks, and wanted to find it
before coming back up. Maybe. Maybe.
Haruka ran a monster through and looked down the little
cliff. The rocks were splashed with red. An accident of nature, surely. And
Mina’s uniform… but her eyes were still open, moving. They found Haruka’s.
She slid down carefully.
“Hey buddy.” Mina’s voice garbled a little at the end. Blood
seeped from her lips. “You gotta help me get up, I can’t—“ She coughed. “I
can’t move my legs, there’s something on them.”
Her legs bore only cuts and bruises. Haruka swallowed hard.
“I… I can’t. There… there are doctors coming, they’ll know how to move you.”
She pressed her lips together. When had doctors ever come for them? Ami, she
should have said Ami.
“No, I can’t wait, we have to fight.” Mina’s hands struggled
to find purchase, something to pull herself up with. “Usagi’s out there, she’s
gonna—“
“It’s okay, we won. The monsters are gone.” Haruka prayed
none would come find them. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Haruka took her hand. The blood hadn’t stopped, she
should have called for Ami, why hadn’t she?
“Usagi’s fine?”
“Barely a scratch on her.” Maybe it wasn’t a lie, Haruka
hadn’t seen her in what felt like ages.
“And Rei?”
“Rei’s too stubborn to get hurt.”
Mina’s mouth turned up at the corners, but her breathing
grew shaky. “And me?”
Haruka lay down next to her and brushed her hair and blood
away from her face. “You’re gonna be okay. I need you to be okay.”
“I don’t know if I can, buddy.” Her eyes lost their focus on
Haruka’s. “I’m scared,” she whispered.
Haruka held her close. Maybe the pressure would stop the
blood, just long enough for someone to find them. “It’s okay, I’m here.” The
blood was warm as it soaked into her uniform; she could feel Mina’s pulse in
it. “I’m here.”
“I love you, buddy.”
“I love you, too. So much.” Haruka bit her tongue to hold
back her tears. “Now don’t talk, save your energy. Someone’s going to be here
soon.”
The brotp with I’ll never unsee that
The good news: I did this one here 😀
The bad news: I took a week to tell you this. I’m so sorry.
Rei and Mina, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
This one is on AO3 too, since it’s over 1K
—
“So then she leaned over, and said—“
“Mina, I really don’t have time to listen to this.”
But Mina would not be deterred form her plan so easily. “Aw,
come on, Rei, you’re great at listening while you work. And this girl is so perfect,
I—“
“I don’t think she sounds that great.” Rei grabbed a broom
and headed out to the front of the shrine. Mina followed with a huff.
“Well you wouldn’t, no one’s good enough for the almighty
Rei Hino.” Rei swept faster. Mina trotted along. “But for me, she’s wonderful, an
absolute ten.” She extended her arm in an arc for emphasis, like this girl had
all the goodness in the whole world.
Rei merely flicked her eyes over. There were days when her
fire burned close to the surface, threatening to consume everything, and other
when she buried it deep under an affected coldness. Mina was unsure if it was
lucky she’d caught her in the latter or not. “So what you’re saying is you’re
settling.”
“That is the opposite of what I’m saying, actually.” Mina
grabbed the broom from Rei and spun it around in a dance. “I’m saying I like
her a lot. More than I’ve liked anyone before.”
“Oh please.” Rei snatched the broom back. “You’re not going
to stay this happy with her. She’s flawed like everyone else.”
“Well, Rei, the thing is, it’s actually possible to see
someone’s flaws and like them anyway. We do it all the time. Look at Usagi, we
love her to pieces, and she’s got flaws the size of an ice cream truck.”
“That’s different. Usagi is good.”
“And my animal-shelter volunteer hottie isn’t?”
Rei made a non-comital noise and moved to the stairs. Mina
followed, her own temper starting to flair. “Nuh-uh, don’t just walk away. I
want an answer. I want to know what your problem is with someone you’ve never
met and who you literally only know good things about.”
Sweeping the steps apparently took all of Rei’s focus.
“While we’re at it, let’s also throw in your problems with Yomi
and Torako and Mik—actually, I’ll give you a pass on him, being a man and all.
But everyone else.” Mina slid down the rail a little ways to land in front of
Rei. “I want to know.”
“I actually liked Miki best,” Rei said, with all the disinterest
of someone considering different toothpaste brands. “He just wasn’t right for
you, like all the others.” She skirted around Mina to get to lower steps. “And
you can’t disagree with me, because you
broke up with them all in the end.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Like a preschooler, Mina was
overcome with the urge to yank Rei’s long black hair. If they hadn’t been so
precariously arranged on the stairs, she might have done it. “You know why I broke up with them. I was stupid
enough to think you had a reason to dislike me dating. But you kept proving me
wrong.” She wanted Rei to turn around so badly, to take this face to face. “So
today I thought maybe you really were holding my partners to high standards, and
I made a girl up. A lovely, perfect girl. But you couldn’t be happy for me
then, either.”
“So you’re mad your lie didn’t work.” As she spoke her voice
lowered to a growl, anger breaking through her cool act.
“I’m mad because I can’t do it anymore. Either give me a
reason, or stop fucking doing this.”
Rei paused, but still did not turn. “Fuck you or fuck off,
then?”
There had, of course, been times in Mina’s life when she’d
felt this angry. She’d faced true evil with all the hatred Usagi could never
muster. But this was worse, somehow, in that she’d expected something else. “That’s
all you see in me then. Fine.” She would not let Rei invoke her inner demons. Mina
ran down the stairs without care, the childish thought that if she did fall,
Rei would feel as bad as she deserved to, occasionally running through her mind.
Fortunately, perhaps, she was too sure-footed for that. She arrived at the
bottom upright and out of breath. Part of her wanted to look back, the rest of
her urged her to keep going.
But something clattered down the stairs behind her. Rei’s
broom rolled to a stop against her heels.
Mina took a breath and waited. The sound of Rei’s footsteps
soon drew near, uncharacteristically hesitant. She stopped short of picking up
the broom.
“You and I also have truck sized flaws.” Rei paused, but
Mina wasn’t ready to give her anything, not even acknowledgement. “It’s easy
for me to focus on that. You’re loud, and ridiculous, and sometimes you test
people in stupid ways, because you can. And…”
She went quiet for a long while. Mina waited. Rei’s softer
feelings were like a deer hiding amongst barrels of gunpowder, a wrong move could
do much worse than scare them off for a bit.
“And worst of all, you know all my flaws better than anyone.
And maybe they’re more of a semi than an ice cream truck, and if you’re
standing so close it must be impossible for you to see anything else.”
Mina felt the real crux of the matter still coming.
“Maybe I don’t want you to see anything else,” Rei said, her
voice barely above a whisper. “Isn’t it easier if we don’t?”
“I don’t quite have your talent for that.” She tried to
judge if now was the time to turn around, but decided not to risk it. “I don’t
think it’s easy at all.” Mina could feel how close Rei was. The distance
between them felt electric, though if it was a current drawing them together or
a fence keeping them apart she couldn’t tell.
“Maybe I can work on it.” Rei picked up the broom. “Maybe I
will.”
Mina finally turned to look back as Rei started up the
stairs. In spite of everything, she found herself smiling.
Haruka and MIna and literally ANY OF THEM, but also “I can’t unsee that”
I WENT ROOMMATE AU FOR THIS I HOPE YOU DON’T MIND.
—-
On Mina’s road to stardom, she took the little blessings
amid the muck of long greasy days and rich patrons who never tipped. Today, her
blessing was being told to go home early. Granted, it was less because her
manager had taken pity on her and much more because her performance as the
exuberant, ever-gracious waitress had begun to crack under the weight of “Table
for fifteen” and “I said well-done not burnt,” but that didn’t matter. She had
a Friday night to do real Friday night things for once. The plan was to stop
off at home to change, maybe grab Haruka if she wasn’t busy, and hit the town.
And judging by the singing Minako heard as she put her key
in the door, Haruka was indeed not busy.
She didn’t notice Minako come in. Her laptop was on the
couch, the end credits of Titanic playing across the screen. Haruka had
apparently abandoned her blanket-nest in against the other sofa arm, now in the
middle of a dramatic dance as she sang along with Celine Dion. Her face was
still tear-streaked. She’d dug out a t-shirt that must have been nearly twenty
years old, her hand pressed against Kate Winslet’s face as she clutched her
heart.
“Whatcha doin’, buddy?”
Haruka froze for a full bar, then dove to shut her laptop. “Nothing!
Nothing. You saw nothing.”
“Ohoho, buddy, I can’t unsee that.”
Haruka crossed her arms over her chest, unable to hide the
design completely. “You’re never home this early.”
“Yeah, it’s a treat. God, do you do this every Friday?”
“No! Of course not!” But Haruka withered under her gaze. “Sometimes
Mako comes over and we watch movies together.”
“Oh buddy. My sweet, delicate friend. We’re going out
tonight, and I’m going to get you laid.”
“But I’m tired, today at the shop—“
“Please, if you’re tired, it’s because you just cried for
three straight hours.” Minako dragged her to her bedroom. “Now, pick out your
butchly best, and I’ll find us a nice gay bar.”
ALRIGHT. Here it is, 3500 words of pure sap. Originally I started this for Doc’s giveaway, but it quickly became something I wrote so entirely for myself that now it’s not.
Anyway, yes, Harumichi wedding, Haruka/Mina/Mako brot3, some Reinako leanings. Many butch tears. AO3 Link
A Wedding, For Real
Haruka knew herself well enough that she’d decided on points
in the wedding when it was appropriate to cry—a little when Michiru came down
the aisle, a bit more (a lot) during the
vows, but not so much that she could not speak. At the reception, when Mina
gave a speech that would undoubtedly be a little snide at times but would end
up being just heartfelt enough. During her first dance with her wife, but only
a few tears towards the end.
This was none of those times.
This was barely two hours before the ceremony was due to
start, in the hotel room she’d slept in to keep with the tradition of not
seeing the bride. She was half in her suit, sitting on the edge of the bed. She
should have been fully in her suit, hair done, shoes tied, ready to sprint out
the door the moment Mina arrived with the car. But instead Mina found her as
she was, unable to stop crying long enough to tie her tie. Fear raked its claws
through her empty stomach and made her whole body shake.
“Buddy, what’s wrong?” Mina sat down on the bed next to her
and rubbed her back. “I thought you’d have been ready for hours and bouncing
off the walls.”
Haruka gave a nasally laugh. “I thought so too. It just…”
She grabbed another tissue and blew her nose. “How impossible this all is hit
me. It can’t really be happening.”
She wiped at her face with the tissue but Mina grabbed her
hands. “Stop, you’re going to irritate your skin with that.” She ducked into
the bathroom and returned with a towel. “Now, gently. You don’t want red marks
today. Tell me what you mean.”
Haruka pressed the towel onto her face, gave a heaving sob,
and left it there. “Part of me always thought this would never happen for me.”
“What, marriage? Haruka, you’ve had secret wedding mood
boards saved on your computer for as long as I’ve known you. Not that I’ve
looked through your files or anything.”
“That’s different,” said Haruka, ignoring the rest for now.
“That’s like, when you’re little and you imagine yourself as a superhero. It
doesn’t matter how bad you want it, it can’t ever come true.”
“Buddy, I don’t know how to tell you this, but we are, in
fact, superheroes.”
“That’s not the point. I’m trying to say it didn’t matter
how much I wanted this, it was never going to happen. And now, it seems like it
is, and I…” She hiccupped, gasped for breath. “And I, I feel scared something’s
going to come take it away. That it’s all going to disappear somehow.”
“Oh Haruka.” Mina hugged her tight. “Listen carefully,
because I’m only going to be this sappy once. Someone was always going to love
you. You’re a terrible sappy dork, but you’re a lovable sappy. So even if our
shitty destiny hadn’t thrown Michiru in you path, you’d have found happiness with
a love of your life and wound up here anyway. But,” Mina pulled away and looked
Haruka hard in the eyes. “Destiny did throw Michiru in your path. And whatever
else I say about the squidly princess, she loves you more than anything in the
world, and believe me when I say nothing is capable of stopping her.”
Haruka sniffled. “You think so?”
Minako rolled her eyes. “What, do you want receipts?” She
sighed. “Just, trust me. I’m the goddess of love, after all, I know this stuff.
And,” she took Haruka’s shoulders firmly in her hands, “I absolutely would not
let this wedding happen if I wasn’t absolutely sure she loves you with
everything she has. Got it?”
“But—“
“No buts.” Mina brushed away the last of the tears with a
gentle swipe of her thumb. “You’re getting married.
We have to get you ready.”
Mina tied her tie—Harukas hands still shook– and helped
with her hair and even coaxed her into a little makeup. “Just to hide the
redness. You’ll need it even more later, I’m sure. And it’s waterproof.” Haruka couldn’t even
say she was sure she would cry again before they got there, so she saw some
wisdom in wearing it.
They arrived at the ceremony hall not nearly as early as
Haruka had planned, but still squarely on time. The fear did not subside when
she saw the aisle set up, or the people beginning to trickle in. It, in fact,
got a whole lot worse.
“What the hell, Mina, did you sneak her out for a last
minute bachelor party last night?” Mako stopped fussing with the flowers to put
her hands on her hips and frown at Mina.
“Do I look that bad?”
Mako’s eyes widened. “No, no. You don’t look bad at all.
Just. You’re a bit pale. And you’re not happy.”
Haruka felt her lip start to wobble.
“Oh no. No no no, you’re fine.” Mako scrambled around for
comfort. “You look good, very handsome, I promise. You just… You’re just…
missing your boutonniere! That’s all!” She pulled the plastic box from her
handbag and ripped the flower out of it. She stuck it to Haruka’s lapel and
pinned it to her chest.
Or, more accurately, through her chest.
“Mako. You got skin there.”
“Oh fuck.” One of
Michiru’s aunts turned in her seats to give them a scandalized scowl. Mako
grabbed Haruka’s arm. “There’s a bathroom over here, come on.”
Mina took hold of Haruka’s other hand. “Don’t pull it out
yet, we don’t have time to wash blood out of you shirt.”
“Maybe it’s a sign.”
“IT’S NOT A SIGN.”
Mako cocked her head.
“She’s afraid the wedding’s not going to happen,” Mina stage
whispered.
“Oh, it’s going to happen. I did not arrange several
thousand flowers and bake that ridiculous cake for you to call it off now.”
Mako’s grip tightened on her arm. “You are going to marry Michiru if I have to
carry you down the aisle myself. Also,” she continued, voice lightening, “You
love each other. You’re living the dream. Why on earth would you not get
married?”
“It’s some cosmic joke,” Haruka said as Mina kicked open the
bathroom door and began yanking out a very liberal amount of paper towels. “I
think I’m living the dream, but I’m
actually living a dream. And I’m
going to wake up and see all the reasons this can’t be real for me, or she’s
gonna wake up, and—“
Mako slammed her hand down on Haruka’s shoulder. “Stop. How
do you think Michiru would feel if she knew you doubted her love?”
“…Mad?”
“She’d be sad! Has she not been good enough to you? Has she
given you a reason to question her?”
“No, of course not.”
“So there you go.”
“Okay,” Mina said, with what must have been twenty crumpled
paper towels in hand. “I need you to hold her suit open.”
“Right.” Mako loosened her tie and began undoing her
buttons.
“Wait, what? Guys, I can do this myself.”
“Haruka, today is not a day to leave you to your own
devices.” Mina leaned in close. “Now I’m going to count down from five, and on
one, I’m going to pull out the pin, and you’re going to pull that side of her
shirt away immediately after. Got it? The timing is very important.”
“Roger that.”
“Five… four… three… two… one…”
They moved in perfect sync, as though all their years as
soldiers led to this moment. There was not a single second that Haruka’s
clothes were exposed to the open pin wound. Mina pressed the paper towels
firmly on her chest.
“It’s, what, sixty seconds of pressure that stops the
bleeding?”
“We could do two minutes, to be safe. And then I think I
have some band aids in my purse.”
“Good. You get a gold star for preparedness.”
“I’ve got a Tide pen too so…” She examined Haruka’s shirt
carefully. “If any did get on here, it might be fixable.”
“What are you
three doing?”
Rei stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her sleek blue
bridesmaid dress. Haruka became keenly aware that she was half naked in a
public restroom being fondled by a wad of paper towels.
“We’ve got it under control, Rei don’t worry,” Mina said
over her shoulder. “And may I say you look—“
“You may not.” Her heels clicked on the tile as she
approached. “Michiru had a feeling I should come early, and boy was she right.”
“Is she calling it off? Did she send you to call it off?”
Rei stared at Haruka for a long moment, and then she rounded
on Mina. “Did you get her drunk? Did you bring her drunk to her wedding? Mina I
swear—“
“Why does everyone keep blaming me? She’s a sober butch with
a lot of feelings, lay off! This is a huge deal and she’s scared.”
Rei huffed. “I can’t deal with either of you. Mako, explain
to me what is going on here.”
“Well, Haruka is scared the wedding won’t happen, and I
tried to cheer her up by pinning on her boutonniere. But I, uh, pinned a bit
too much, so now we’re here to make sure she doesn’t get blood stains on her
clothes.”
Rei’s face went completely blank for several seconds. Then
she reached over and lifted Mina’s hand, revealing absolutely no blood on any
of the twenty paper towels or on Haruka’s chest.
“Oh,” Mako and Mina chorused.
Rei breathed heavily through her nose. “I’m going to turn
around now, and you’re going to get her dressed. Then I’ll pin on her
boutonniere.”
“Good plan, my beautiful princess of passion.”
“Shut it. Maybe if you used your brain for something more
than those atrocious pet names, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
Mina pouted as she re-tied Haruka’s tie. “I guess that’s
fair. And boobs are covered, so you can look.”
“Listen, Rei,” Haruka said as she approached her lapel with
careful hands. “Don’t tell Michiru I’m asking, but, you know her really well.
Is she having any doubts? Does she really want to get married?”
Rei successfully pinned it and looked up. “Do you want
complete honesty?”
“Yes?”
“Michiru doesn’t really care about getting married.”
Mako gasped. A large lump formed in Haruka’s throat.
“She never thought about it much, it wasn’t something she
dreamed about as a child or anything. And it is first and foremost a financial
and social transaction, it’s not actually romantic—“
“Rei.”
“Fine, that last part is me, not her. But the rest is true. A
wedding isn’t something she cares much about. But she cares about you. And she,
for reasons unknown to me, wants to be with you forever. So she’s going to
marry you, because it’s important to you, and because, maybe, you make it feel
a little important to her. You make it seem like it is a bit romantic and sweet
and not just a contract originally intended to give men ownership of women.”
Haruka wiped away a tear. Mina sidled up to Rei. “Do I hear
some genuine feelings pouring from your mouth?”
“I was talking about Michiru’s feelings, not mine.”
Mina grinned. “You think marriage can be sweet sometimes.
You’re not as impenetrable as you want me to think.”
“Oh, shut up.” Rei looked at her phone for the time. “It’s
almost time for Michiru to get here, you should get in position.” She started
out the door, but then stopped. “You guys… you remembered the rings, right?”
A whole new wave of fear crashed over Haruka. She’d been too
preoccupied to check with Mina. They couldn’t get married without rings, this
what it, she’d worried about the wrong thing—
“Right here.” Mina reached into her bra and pulled out the
little ring box.
“That’s where you’re keeping them?” Rei scowled.
“Hey, if I can feel them against my skin, I know for sure
exactly where they are. And no one’s going to be reaching in there today,
unless you’ve been so moved by the atmosphere of love…”
“I’m leaving now. Goodbye.”
Haruka sniffled and pulled Mina into a hug. “Thank you for
remembering them.”
Mina patted her back. “Don’t you worry, buddy, I’ve got in
handled. You’re marriage license is here too. In my bag, not my boobs. Didn’t
want it to get wrinkled.”
Haruka laughed. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Haruka turned to Mako. “You too. You did all the real work
for this.”
Mako blushed and shoved Haruka’s shoulder. “Not all of it.
The planning was all you.”
“I guess so.” Haruka’s eyes watered again, but she smiled.
“Guys… I’m getting married today.”
“There’s the Haruka we’ve been waiting for!” They both
tackled her with a group hug. “But, specifically, you’re getting married in a few minutes. We should get out
there.”
They each took one of her hands and led her to the front of
the hall. Haruka’s breath caught as she saw all their guests in their seats,
all the flowers lining the aisle. The officiator smiled gently at her as she
took her place. “It looks to be a very beautiful ceremony,” he said.
“Thank you.” She turned back to Mina and Mako. “Do I look alright?
Is my hair good? Tie straight?”
“I think your tie is gay, actually, is that alright?”
“Mina.”
“You look great, buddy.”
“Very handsome.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Okay.” Haruka wiped her
hands on her pants. “Do you still have the rings?”
“Yes. I still think it’s a pity you didn’t go with a ring
bear though.”
“That wasn’t even funny the first time,” Mako said.
“It was a little funny. Haruka thought it was funny, didn’t
you?”
“No.”
“You’re a dirty dirty liar.”
Haruka chuckled, and just then the music started.
They’d opted for a small wedding party, mostly to keep
Michiru’s family from making a fuss over who was included. Setsuna came down
the aisle first, her stately figure giving the hall a weight it had lacked
before. Every perfectly measured step she took seemed to say, this is a day I will mark in time. This
celebration is a duty I take as seriously as any other.
Rei’s steps were different. Rei’s steps were short, halting,
resisting the approach to the three dumbasses at the front even though she’d
rehearsed the perfect wedding walk. Her smile was plastered on and she
pointedly avoided eye contact with any of them.
There was a pause once she arrived, followed by a swelling
of the music. Every guest rose and turned to the entrance.
Outside the sun was bright, and for a moment Haruka could
only see Michiru’s figure fuzzily outlined in the light. Her appearance came
into focus slowly. First, her hands, curved around the gauzy base of her
bouquet. Then, her dress, the simple cap sleeves, the fitted bodice, the way it
flowed from her waist to the ground to make it look like she glided instead of
walked. Her hair was done in a loose up-do, with several curls left to frame
her face. And her face… Haruka allowed herself her anticipated tears. Michiru looked
more beautiful than Haruka had ever seen her, which should have been impossible
but wasn’t. Her smile was soft and cheeks flushed. When their eyes met, Haruka
saw that hers looked a little glassy. She bit her tongue to keep from crying too
hard. Somehow, she’d never expected any tears from Michiru in all this.
Mina rubbed her arm gently. “She loves you, buddy,” she
whispered.
Haruka wiped her eyes as Michiru handed her flowers off to
Rei. She couldn’t focus on what the officiant was saying. Michiru was here,
this was real, she would really be her wife. It was so wonderfully impossible
that she could barely remember how to breathe.
“Now, the brides have written their own wedding vows.
Haruka, Michiru, please face each other and hold hands. Haruka, please speak
your vows.”
Somehow, the simple act of touching on this most important
of days rendered her speechless for several long seconds. Michiru’s hands, held
in hers like they had been countless times, reached in to touch her heart. She closed
her eyes.
“You know,” she said, instead of the opening she’d written for
her vows. “I woke up this morning so afraid that this wasn’t really happening.
That there had been some giant mistake, and I couldn’t really be lucky enough
to be marrying you. But I guess, somehow, I am.” She stroked her thumb over
Michiru’s knuckles. “I never would have believed that someone so incredible
could love me. You’ve saved my life so many times and in so many ways. And now
we get to make a life. Together. I wish I could promise you that I’ll be the
best spouse ever, but I probably won’t be. I’m going to get cookie crumbs in the
bed sheets and fall asleep during your favorite French flims, even if I try
really hard to care about them.” An appreciative chuckle rose from their
guests. “But there are some things I can promise, and I’d like to do that now.”
She took a breath. “I promise to love you, always, for the rest of my life, and
probably longer. I promise to care for you when you’re sick, or tired, or just
want me there. I promise to be your home, your warmth, your family. I promise
that while I’ll never be perfect, I’ll never stop trying.”
“You are perfect, Haruka.”
Haruka laughed as tears started falling. “I don’t think you’re
supposed to say anything yet, Michi.” She took a breath. “But most of all, I
promise to do everything I can to make you every bit as happy as you make me.”
The officiant smiled and tilted his head. “Now, Michiru,
please speak your vows.”
“This may or may not surprise many people here, but
sometimes, I am a cynic. I never believed in love, or marriage, or real
happiness. Not until I met you.” She looked into Haruka’s eyes. Her smile was
sure but a little wobbly at the edges. “You are my proof that there’s good in
the word. You are my light in the darkness. You are my one and only, who I will
love for the rest of my life. I will do everything in my power to make you the
happiest woman alive, Haruka.”
Haruka smiled and tried not to sob. “I already am.”
“Now who’s speaking out of turn?”
She blushed. “Sorry.”
“I will be by your side through hell, through tragedy,
through anything life throws at us. And I will love you, even when I cannot
love myself. This I promise you.”
“Will the best woman please bring forward the rings.”
“Sure, but first, the best woman will bring forward some
tissues.” The guests laughed as Mina dabbed at Haruka’s face with a handkerchief.
Her own cheeks were damp. She handed over the rings and returned to her place.
“Haruka, place your ring on Michiru’s finger and repeat
after me. With this ring, I thee wed.”
“With this ring, I thee wed.” She slid the band onto Michiru’s
finger. It fit in place like it was always meant to be there, like Michiru’s
hands had been waiting to bear a symbol of her relationship to Haruka.
“Michiru.”
“With this ring, I thee wed.” They matched, now. Haruka
laced her fingers into Michiru’s, ring hand against ring hand.
“Then with the power vested in me, I pronounce you wedded
wives. You may now kiss.”
Haruka leaned down, Michiru’s hand still in hers. It was a
kiss like any other, except it wasn’t—she was kissing her wife. Her wife tasted sweeter than her girlfriend, than her fiancé.
Haruka’s heart felt full and light at the same time.
The music played again, and Rei handed Michiru back her bouquet.
As they walked down the aisle, Haruka couldn’t stop beaming. “You’re my wife,”
she whispered.
“And you’re mine.”
The moment they stepped outside and out of sight of the
guests, Michiru pulled her down into a deep kiss.
“Hey, nerds, the officiant is going to be out in a moment so
we can sign the marriage license, save this for tonight.”
Haruka laughed and pulled Mina into a headlock. “Who are you
calling a nerd?”
“Did you see how much you were crying? Huge, soppy nerd.”
“Ara, I seem to recall your eyes weren’t dry the whole time.”
“You definitely sniffled a bit,” Mako added with an elbow nudge.
“Yeah, well so did Rei.”
“That’s a lie!”
“It’s not,” Setsuna said.
“Ladies, are you ready?” The officiant laid out the license
for them. Haruka signed first, hand only shaking a little. Michiru went next,
more steady, and then their witnesses.
Haruka hugged Michiru from behind. “I’m not dreaming, am I?
You’re my wife?”
“I know dreams quite well, Haruka. This is not one of them.”
She kissed Haruka’s hand just below her wedding band. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Photo time!” Mina half dove into them and snapped a selfie
with her phone. “First pic with the marrieds being gross, aw yeah.”
“The real photographer’s over there,” Setsuna pointed out. “We
may not want to keep her waiting.”
“I guess not.” Haruka kissed Michiru’s cheek. “We’ll have tonight.”
“Actually, my love,” she said, taking her wife’s hand, “I do
believe we’ll have forever.”
In some universes, Mina can save the world. In this one, she can’t even save Haruka from herself.
UM YES PLS BEST USE OF ENGLISH DEGREE
MY FAVORITE THING MIGHT BE THAT ALGERNON!MINA IS JUST TROLLING THE FUCK OUT OF THE KAIOHS.
“Oh I’m sorry Lady Kaioh we’re out of cucumber sandwiches. I don’t know how this happened.”
“Lots of people can play music accurately but I play with expression (unlike a certain cold-hearted lady).”
Although Rei and Michiru trolling Mina and Haruka with the whole “I only want to marry you if that’s your real name thing” is a real close second (because they would know from the beginning, absolutely. Haruka cannot sell this lie convincingly to save her life. Mina could, but not to Rei.)
ALSO. In trying to come up with a girl’s name in place of Ernest, I thought of Chastity and I just. IMAGINE MINAKO TRYING TO CONVINCE REI THAT IS HER NAME AND ALSO HER VIRTUE.
Haruka and Mina as John and Algernon of The Importance of Being Earnest. Discuss.
SittingOverHereDreaming 