Chapter Text
Sunlight streamed in through the glass windows of Cafe Cinnamon, hitting Rinne's eyelids with the sort of fierceness he would rather be concealed by the rivulet of clouds that usually spilled across the skies over ES. It was not that sunlight was necessarily something he found himself averse to, it was just that he had found himself reclaiming more and more comfort in reclining away from it, the more the nights he stayed on long night calls with his boyfriend increased. He cringed from the harsh sunlight consigning its effect on his senses.
“Here's your usual.” Niki placed some food and drink in front of Rinne. “You look horrible. Are you sure you're getting enough rest?” His voice was tinted with concern as he leaned over Rinne's slumped form. He placed his hand over Rinne's forehead. “I like that you have someone in your life, I appreciate Sakuma-san, but you look horrible. Maybe you should stop staying up?”
“I'm fine.” Rinne insisted stubbornly. “I just want to spend time with my handsome, cute wife.” He gushed. “Do you even know how perfect he is, Niki?!” He would call Rei his wife no matter what anyone saidー it sounded cute as if they were already wed.
“I'm pretty sure all of us in Crazy:B have to hear that everyday. I'm tired, you know? Stop talking about your love life all the time.” Niki gave Rinne a pointed deadpanning face.
“You're no fun.” Rinne fidgeted with the cool metallic ring on his finger childishly. “Thanks for the food though.”
“You're welcome. Atleast you ordered something this time instead of lounging around uselessly.” Niki rolled his ocean blue eyes.
“I'm not useless.” Rinne argued back, spooning some food and stuffing it messily in his mouth, one of his arms rested on the back of his seat. He might even look like a delinquent to the eyes of any average Japanese individual who might pass him by.
“In this restaurant, by just sitting around and not even getting food, you usually are.” Niki said before leaving him to attend another table. Stupid Niki. He could just leave Rinne be. He knew Niki’s reasons were valid, but he was too irritated by the lack of sleep and sunlight to form thoughts with any semblance of clarity. He could stop staying up for the prevention of such unseeming frustrations, yet he chose not to, merely to stay with his beloved vampiric partner.
Rinne was too busy eating and nodding off to even realize the fact that a familiar redhead had entered the cafe and was plodding their way towards him. He just barely looked up to see his one and only younger brother approaching him with a look that mirrored all the seriousness of an individual placed in a grave situation. “Yo~ if it ain't Otou-oto-kun.” Rinne greeted Hiiro with a warm smile. “What brings ya to oniisan so early today~? Wanted to learn gambling or something at long last~?” Rinne teased, ignoring the pointed look Niki shot him from another table. Two pairs of azure blue eyes met, ones clouded with seriousness gazing at ones that were just slightly amused.
“Umu. I do have business with you, niisan.” Hiiro answered. “Though its not the kind of business you think.” He rummaged through a plastic bag he had brought with him and from its insides, he discarded a thick book to the exterior of its smooth white body.
Rinne raised an eyebrow, his eyes twitching at the sight of the file that he knew all too well from the time he was in training. “Why the hell d'you have the village's marriage registration book?” Rinne spat, confused as all hell. “Alright, listen. Don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking of saying.”
“Niisan, you should get married to Rei-niisan.” Hiiro said very plainly. “You're of age, and you're required to be married by village law. You already have a partner, so you should think of taking a little responsibility. Atsushi-san used to say that marriage ties down a man and makes him more responsible-”
“Listen, listen.” Rinne held up his hand and waved it irritatedly, interrupting Hiiro's tirade. “Both me and Rei-chan are idols, we can't exactly do whatever we want. Plus, if we got married now, even if its only in our villageー there'd be all sorts of issues and Rei-chan would have to waste a lot of precious time in helping me sort through them.” He shot Hiiro a glare as he drank a canned juice, his elbow rested on the surface of the table.
“I do understand that, niisan.” Hiiro answered. “Its fine to not go to marriage yet. I already talked to Ritsu-oniichan and sorted a couple of things out. Its fine if you only get engaged for now. We have the Jade Engagement ceremony as a staple tradition in our village, remember?” Hiiro asked, looking at Rinne. “I want you to take a look at this book.” He flipped to a page that was mostly blank, two lines drawn with one containing names and the other containing signatures. “One of the elders recently passed away, and though I'm not the best at it, I managed to replicate his rather complicated signature. Even Atsushi-san who keeps this book safe usually does not know. All we need to do now, is for niisan as the monarch to write the names of you and Rei-niisan after your engagement is done and finished with. No one will know. This book doesn't get checked too much.” He smiled, proudly beaming in a way that reminded Rinne of a cute little puppy.
Rinne hummed absentmindedly. Getting engaged in the way of his village was one thing… however getting engaged to Rei, now that was very tempting indeed. Especially because if that meant they would be recognized as engaged and married in his village. If the world ever became unsafe for them and refused to give them the rights of marriage, they would still be legally married in his village. Though generally speaking, the place he was from was technologically backward compared to the city, but it had LGBTQ+ friendly laws that the city could not currently compare to. “I'll have to ask Rei-chan.” He replied.
“Umu! I got it, niisan.” Hiiro’s expression lit up in happiness. As the one between them who was more loving of their homeland's culture, Hiiro found happiness in everything that brought back their culture, even if only for a moment. “We can have a private ceremony… do you remember what happens in it?”
“Oioi~ I'm not stupid, lil bro.” Rinne poked Hiiro's forehead with his fingers. “I'm the monarch of that place, in case you forgot. I've had to watch Jade ceremonies since the time I was a kid.” He wouldn't talk about how he mostly did not pay attention and ran off to play since he couldn't sit still at someone else's engagement for two hours as a kid. He did know the fundamental aspects though.
A family member would buy the jade for the person getting engaged, and this was necessary for both the husband and wife. Then there would be an excruciatingly long ceremony of a few hours, though they would probably skip that part since neither of them really could recreate the more religious parts of the ceremony, which included chanting verses. Those could only be done by a person possessing a higher religious title in the village.
“Niisan, as you're already aware, a family member has to buy the jade for the husband and the wife.” Hiiro babbled away despite Rinne's statement that should have signaled to Hiiro to curb the explanation. “So I will-”
“I'll buy the jade for myself.” Rinne rolled his eyes. “We can't recreate the religious part, so there's no need to recreate the whole thing as its usually done. Otou-oto-kun should learn this thing called ‘saving money'. Its real good, y'know?” Rinne smirked, resting his chin on his hand.
“You don't need to worry about that, niisan.” Hiiro shook his head. “I have the money.”
“Hah?” Rinne shot Hiiro a half glare, tired of his selfless nonsense. He needed to save the money he earned as an idol for himself, maybe even for his own ceremony.
“To tell the truth, I've been saving up money for this for a long time. Ever since I started earning my first wages as an idol.” Hiiro went on. “I asked Tatsumi-senpai and Aira for their help… and opened this thing called a ‘bank account’? Is what I think its called. I started saving money in it for niisan's Jade ceremony. Its probably increased to a bigger amount by now, but I'll have to check.” Hiiro explained adorably, too focused on telling Rinne the particulars to notice his elder brother's expression.
Rinne's eyes were wide as his mouth hung open. Something of a flutter arose in his heart. Pride, love, and something deeper. His little brother. His Hiiro had been saving money for his marriage. He reached his hand up and aggressively ruffled Hiiro's hair, his affection pouring out of his chest.
“Ah! Niisan!” Hiiro whined under his hand. “Atleast let me finish!”
“Ya really don't need to use the money for me.” Rinne answered. “Keep it for yourself, use it for somethin’ that will be useful to you.”
“Listen to me, niisan.” Hiiro deadpanned. “This money is for niisan's sake. I'm not that selfish.” That was the issue. Hiiro was never selfish. He had always, always thought about Rinne first. And Rinne had almost never been able to equally return Hiiro’s love. Atleast in Rinne's eyes, that was how it was. “I didn't tell you this so you would reject my offer. I know niisan has his own pride and that you care about me more than you let on… but this is something I refuse to budge on. Do you want to know why?” The blues of Hiiro's eyes reflected fierce sincerity. “Because this is one of the most important things to me. This is about my elder brother's marriage. You are the most precious family I have, niisan.”
“There's no winning against you, huh.” Rinne’s mouth contorted into a happy smile. “You better not complain when I buy you the most expensive jade for your ceremony then~”
“Eh? You? Buying expensive things?!” Niki exclaimed, passing by at that exact unfortunate moment. Rinne immediately shot him a glare for his impudence.
“Oi, Niki, you bastard. Just how heartless do you think I am, huh?” Rinne cracked his knuckles. “Do you want me to hang you upside down again?” At those words, Niki's face paled like a white sheet.
“I'm on duty!” Niki ran off to the kitchen, leaving them alone.
—----
“So? What do ya think?” Rinne asked inquisitively. Rei sat beside him, a delight for his eyes. The man’s black curls rested ever so delicately upon his shoulders, his crimson eyes focused on blank space as he pursed his lips, a thoughtful expression on his face. Rei was beautiful. It might even be possible for Rinne to gaze upon him all day long. Rinne's hand stroked Rei's thigh gently, as that was where it lay. It was quite common for him to do so, since it helped him keep contact with Rei.
“Mm. I do not see why not.” Rei smiled softly after minutes that felt more like eternity to Rinne. “If that would make you happy as well, it would be my pleasure to indulge in such a ceremony with you.” Adoring crimson eyes gazed at him with sheer, genuine love and it made him lose control.
He kissed Rei roughly on the lips. Catching his cue, Rei adjusted himself to kiss back gently, letting Rinne devour him. Rinne's hand pressed down on Rei's lower back, arching it into his body. Rei placed his hand on Rinne's shoulder, gently stroking it as he was kissed. Rei was so delicate and cute that Rinne couldn't help but hold him firmly. Although he would never hold Rei too strongly. He knew Rei was much stronger than he let on, but he wanted to treat Rei the best he could. He would not be able to forgive himself if he even accidentally hurt his beloved wife. His heart felt like it was hammering out of his chest as he deepened the kiss. They broke away from it with small gasps, still clutching on to each other.
“Thank you, wifey~” Rinne cooed as he ran his hand through Rei's hair. Those soft, wavy black curls were all he needed to run his hand through to feel instant happiness. It was an addiction at this point. As was the strong, sweet smell of Rei's perfume that he found himself intoxicated on every time he even dared to be in Rei's vicinity. “You're the best wife. And for that lovely, adorable wife, I have a gift~” He handed Rei a thick book with the title ‘The False Prince’ embossed on it in shining letters.
“I told you not to waste money on me. Is that not the kind of person you are either way? Wishing money all for himself.” Rei teased, yet his tone was also slightly stern. Crazy:B was in a bit of a tough spot so he probably wished Rinne saved more for his own self.
“Rei-chan, you're hurting my poor little heart here~ Hey, hey, hey, when did I become a good-for-nothing husband?” Rinne fake groaned before giving Rei a playful smile. “Everything thats mine is yours. And only you get to be treated this way, my king of darkness~” He peppered kisses all over Rei's face, which Rei leaned into with a smirk.
“I would never be able to understand how Amagi-kun is so energetic. My age has taken quite the toll on me.” Rei snickered, his hand sliding down to rest on Rinne's bicep and gently caressing it. Rinne felt an instant boost to his ego on feeling the tender movements of Rei's fingers on his muscle.
“Hmm~ Look who's talkin’ bullshit.” Rinne kissed Rei's lips. “You're pretty young, Rei-chan. And I intend to keep you that way. There's a lot you still haven't seen in this world even with all you've been through, and I'll make sure you experience every inch of it.” He placed his forehead against Rei's, their eyes closed in comfortable, dark silence as they held each other.
—----
“Huh? Just who does he think he is?” Ritsu clicked his tongue in half irritation as his crimson eyes were glued to his phone screen, tapping his foot in lack of patience. He closed the screen and leaned back in his chair, a comfortable and cushy one that now acted as the only support he had in such a distressing moment.
“Oh dear. Is it about your elder brother again?” Arashi asked in a soft and caring tone, her hand gently landing on Ritsu's shoulder. She had been practicing extra with Ritsu these days, given how they were the only ones whose schedules matched up.
“Don't even bring him up.” Ritsu groaned. “He sent me 80,000 L$.”
“Why are you angry he gave you money?” Arashi raised an eyebrow, resting her hand on her hip.
“Its for his stupid engagement thing.” Ritsu’s nose scrunched up in annoyance, making him look cuter than he already was. “And he sent me the money to buy him the stuff for it. What does he think I am, dirt poor? Really, he's sooo annoying~” Ritsu groaned and buried his face in his hands. Then all of a sudden, he started giggling maniacally like a little goblin.
“Ritsu-chan?? What happened?” Arashi inquired, wondering what had taken possession of Ritsu in such an immediate manner.
“I’m gonna blow his money on stuff thats not for his engagement.” Ritsu opened an online shopping site on his phone. “Bye-bye, filthy money that belongs to Anija~”
“Oh dear.” Arashi gaped.
Oh dear indeed.
—----
“Should I buy this or this?” Hiiro asked, holding up two pieces of jade jewellery. “OR MAYBE THIS?” He held up a third, clearly unable to decide. “Ahhh, what should I do, Aira?! They all look suitable.” He placed them side by side on the shop counter, staring holes into the jewellery that made even the shopkeeper shift uncomfortably in his seat.
“Agh, Hiro-kun, if you act so conspicuously, you're gonna scare everyone!” Aira hit Hiiro's shoulder lightly. “Just choose whichever you think Rinne-senpai would like.” He huffed, both hands on his hips as he wondered why Hiiro’s instincts drove him to always act irrationally, atleast in Aira’s view.
“Let us calm down, everyone.” Tatsumi's clear, smooth voice rang through the silence. “Marriage is a divine relation, so is the engagement that leads up to it. While Hiiro-san should definitely choose what his brother would like, I think it is also important to remember that the symbolism of the jewellery is equally important. For instance, the one carved in the shape of a rose would not be suitable as it is more appropriate for a loving couple rather than marriage. Something like this crescent moon might be more suitable as it alludes to new beginnings and positivity.”
“Ohh! As expected of Tatsumi-senpai! You're really knowledgeable.” Hiiro muttered in awe, his blue eyes sparkling with joy at having gained newfound information.
“Ugyah, it feels more like spontaneous nonsense than anything though…” Aira mumbled under his breath, surprised that that was enough to help Hiiro make a choice.
“F-for the bracelets, how about t-these ones?” Mayoi suggested in the usual timidity his voice was prone to possessing, holding up jade bracelets that had small flowers made of silver arranged intricately on them. “T-they look pretty, and it could show how connected your brother is to nature, I mean, your village… Aghhh, I'm sorry, I'm being so arrogant that I should be smashed like an insect and thrown off a cliff right now! I hate myself so much.”
“You don't need to, Mayo-san.” Aira groaned.
“Ohh?! Thank you, Mayoi-senpai, these look perfect! Umu, the shopping has been perfectly completed!” Hiiro smiled brightly. And to him, his friends, his comrades, his soldiersー they looked with pride and an equivalent amount of joy; that the boy they had stood with in times of every grief and tacit sorrow had come to a moment of such mirth in his life.