#watadou

Mokona, Maru and Moro are… somewhere around the shop, making themselves scarce, though Watanuki doesn't get why. It's not like he's upset. He has no reason to be. 

Sure, he pities poor Kohane-chan for getting saddled with an oaf for a husband, and sure, he's maybe a touch bit sad that, despite that, he can't see what a beautiful bride she'll make. 

But other than that, Watanuki is fine.

(The bottle's empty in half an hour. The second one is already a third empty by the time eight a.m. rolls around.)

He's just about ready to sink into sleep, perhaps take a stroll through some dream if he can manage it, when the front doors open and his name's being called.

…That can't be right, he thinks, blinking against the languid haze he's been enjoying. He shouldn't be here. 

"Watanuki?" comes the second call, and yes, alright, he's getting up because apparently it's not really a hallucination. 

He goes into the shop's genkan, and stops in the doorway.

"Oh," slips out between numb lips.

Doumeki and Kohane stand just inside the doors, both dressed impeccably in traditional wedding attire, both looking at Watanuki with clear determination in their eyes. 

(And oh, how Watanuki loves them.)

"What are you doing here?" he asks when he feels like he can breathe again. "You should be getting married right about now. Or did I remember the time wrong?" He didn't. He knows he didn't. So why-

Doumeki snorts (and Watanuki wants to bristle at the exasperation in the noise), but it's Kohane who speaks, voice soft. "You can't come to the wedding. So we decided to come and see you."

"Kohane-chan… You shouldn't have…" 

"You're an idiot," Doumeki says, letting go of Kohane's hand and walking up to Watanuki. He pokes him between the eyebrows (because even on his damn wedding day Doumeki makes it a point of being a pain in Watanuki's ass), and then again for good measure. "As if we wouldn't. You'd cry."

Watanuki does bristle then, because he absolutely would not. 

He huffs, pushing Doumeki's hand away from his face. "Wait here," he tells them before stepping back into his salon and picking up the small lacquered box.

Then he walks back out into the entryway and pushes the gift into Doumeki's chest. "Here. Your wedding gift. Now go get married. I'm sure your families and the other guests are waiting and wondering where you ran off to."

"Watanuki," Doumeki starts, and there's something on his face, something in his voice that has something in Watanuki's chest clenching painfully. No. You can't. You can't. It's already…

Watanuki shakes his head, just a bit, and the faintest smile graces his lips. "Your bride's waiting. Kohane-chan," he turns his attention to the young woman that's finally joined them. He hugs her. "You're beautiful. I'm thankful I got to see you."

Kohane returns the hug, her lower lip trembling ever so slightly. "I wish you could have been there with us."

"I know. But things are the way they're supposed to be."

"I still hate it."

"I know."

"Shizuka-kun does, too."