-> ken ryuuguji had promised you his love, unfortunately, time showed that his love was reserved for someone else, can your broken heart be replaced by another, decades later?
× characters. ryuuguji ken x fem!reader x mitsuya takashi
× contents. angst, but a semi-happy ending, scenario, unrequited love, canon divergence, ken and reader are exes, mitsuya only comes near the end
× word count. 2.7k
× a/n. requested, draken content hits different these days... ok so i had trouble with the tags but all's good now. not proofread.
"We'll get married once, too," the boy next to you promised as you stared at the picture displayed behind a large glass, showing an ad for a wedding hall on which a bride and a groom were pictured. "You'll have the prettiest ring, and I'll be the one giving it to you!" Ken exclaimed as he grinned at you, eyes squeezed shut in a joyous manner.
Your current surroundings reminded you of the scene that took place almost two decades ago, while the two of you were still kids, already promising yourselves to one another as if your little minds could predict that this moment was definitely going to happen.
Standing in front of the altar, facing the man you have loved ever since you could comprehend those emotions, he whispered small praises, saying how beautiful you were and how lucky he was to have you, only stopping to exchange his vows, put a ring on your finger, and finally lift your veil to place a kiss of pledge onto your lips.
However, before your lips could even touch, your body shook itself awake, covered in a cold sweat as your mind recollected the images from your dream, internally face-palming yourself once the realisation set in. Truth be told, this wasn't your first dream of the sort, ever since he left you all those years ago, you found yourself having dreams of him which served as evidence of how much longing you had for him.
Ken Ryuuguji was the man you considered your first love. Moreso he was the childhood crush that bloomed into a pre-teen love which you weren't even aware of, you just knew he was the one you cared for the most, and the one who made you excited over thinking about the upcoming progression of your relationship. The realisation of your feelings truly being love had only settled in once you grew up and felt the aching in your heart hold the same intensity for so long after he ended the relationship.
You felt thankful, both for having something to look on, as well as the opportunity to stay friends with him, you were still young, neither of you knew exactly what it all meant, and the best option then was that.
It was silly; the thought of little you experiencing both love and heartbreak, feeling lucky you at least got the chance to experience a handful of moments with him as they genuinely filled you with a sense of comfort and affection. It hurt. But the optimistic part of you felt guilty if you weren't cherishing the memories.
And, although you were on good terms and still can call each other friends, the happiness you continued to feel after the breakup crashed down as you met a particular girl with whom his actions resembled ones you remember very well. To say you were jealous of Sano Emma - the girl you deemed to be your close friend - was an understatement.
You saw the way his eyes gazed at her own, even as you observed them from the distance, the contentment was practically radiating off of the subtle smile he always wore on his face around her. And oh, how you despised looking at it, but you couldn't look away, wallowing in self-pity as your subconscious went into a haze, fantasies of that being you again being the only thing circuiting your mind.
And you loved her, too, you couldn't even bring yourself to hate her because she was too kind for her own good, always making you feel welcomed in her presence. You couldn't hate her. But would she hate you if she found out you were dissatisfied with her relationship and have had a dream about her soon to be husband the night before their own wedding? When she so kindly asked you to be one of her bridesmaids?
That's right, you thought, it's their wedding that's happening today, has it already been so long...
... so long since they started their relationship, so long since he fell in love with her, so long since he put a ring on her finger, so long since they invited you to their wedding to which you had to agree to come, wishing to see two of your dear friends share the happiest moment of their lives together.
It had been a hard decade, desperately trying to conceal your never-fading emotions for him under a mask that showed no hint of longing, and much to your luck, nobody seemed to be able to look through it and see the broken, envious little girl that still resided inside of you and will probably stay until the end. You had held on for that long, you can go through the ceremony with ease.
Or so you thought. The first time you felt your heart take a hit was the moment your eyes fell upon his figure as you entered the indoors venue, they stayed focused on him, admiring his beauty in sadness; the way his black hair added contrast to his white suit, his eyes practically sparkling as a content smile rested upon his face while he waited patiently for his soon to be bride to walk down the aisle.
A big change was set to happen, and you didn't trust your own assurances and affirmations which tried to convince you to stay calm and keep up the act.
However, once the bells started to chime, you let out a shaky breath, straightening your form as a form of composing yourself before you and everyone around you waited for the two-winged doors to open in anticipation.
That was the second time your heart ached; with the sound of the doors opening and heels clacking in the slightest, your head whipped up from the ground, landing on Emma who was looking as beautiful as ever wearing a princess dress you helped her put on earlier, walking towards the altar with an enlightened demeanour as her focus was solely on the man waiting on the right side of the centre.
Although it was quite the distance, you didn't have to ponder too much to figure out the look on her face read pure love and excitement, even when she got close to the altar, he was all her eyes could see, and while you should've been happy for your dearest friend's happiest day, you couldn't.
Not when she stood next to him in front of the altar, not when they exchanged vows, promising to take care of each other for eternity, not when you saw the twinkling rings being exchanged between the two, not when your eyes couldn't hold the tears of jealousy anymore, and they spilt once their kiss made the rest of the audience clap in joy.
By the time everyone was exiting the venue and getting ready to head to the hall for the rest of the evening, you excused yourself from the crowd, running towards the washroom, a sob escaping you as the doors shut behind you and your crying became more intense, the sight of the two of them being happy with each other engraved in your mind, not allowing you to calm down. That could've been me... that should've been me...
You wished you could stay in there for the rest of the event, as selfish as it sounded because the truth is you were afraid of anyone noticing any signs of discomfort in your now almost swollen, red eyes, but you knew that you had a good 5 minutes to compose yourself and return.
Sighing at your reflection in the mirror, you quickly touched up your appearance and made sure to hide your frown and the crease between your brows, cringing at the sight as you forced a smile before heading outside once again.
Few hours after the ceremony, you were sitting at the table in the spacious wedding hall with Hina and Yuzuha accompanying you, pieces of recently cut cake still placed in front of you. You were thankful for the two girls keeping you company throughout the night, ultimately keeping your attention away from your feelings with any conversation they started.
With the two of them also being your fellow bridesmaids for the night, you've spent the entirety of the day in their company.
Caught up in a discussion about a gossip Hina had brought up, you were startled when the lights dimmed, but quickly realised it's been 30 minutes since the cake had been distributed, therefore it was time for the first dance of the night.
Figuring it would be best for you to step out to avoid the upcoming events, you excused yourself from the table, saying you were going to be back quickly as they questioned your sudden choice. Finding the entirety of the room, as well as the hallways overly suffocating, you headed towards the glass doors leading towards the balcony.
The hall was positioned on the second floor of a luxurious hotel, the decor of the surroundings was painted mainly in beige with a hint of red here and there adding a pleasant look to the whole theme. The curtains of the large windows and balcony doors were beige as well, with small red strings of flowers sewed onto them for extra detail. The outside wasn't disappointing in the slightest either, with dim lights placed on the corners and the middle of the fence as outdoor seating had seemingly soft cushions placed on top.
The decor was astonishing, and given the price, you couldn't expect anything less, even so, you still found yourself getting stunned at the immaculate look of the place.
The look of the town the balcony offered didn't seem to be too special, but it was still a nice sight to focus your gaze on and ultimately make you get lost in thought as your eyes unconsciously shifted from one twinkling light to the other.
Completely shutting out the faint music coming from the inside, your mind got lost in a world of its own, giving you relief from today's events.
The night was relatively cold, a cool breeze flowing around the air, sending shivers throughout your body which you cruelly ignored, instead, welcoming the fresh relaxation every time you inhaled.
Without a hint of how long you've been outside, you completely drifted away from reality, only coming back once you felt a warm fabric placed over your shoulders, spreading a pleasant fragrance throughout the cool air.
Turning to your side to face the figure that had unexpectedly appeared, you saw Mitsuya lean on the fence next to you, looking ahead onto the illuminated city, "Not in the mood to dance?"
You let out a small chuckle at the question, "Not exactly..."
Trailing off with your response, you hoped he won't question it too much and ponder about the details of your reasoning for walking outside.
"When are you gonna admit it?" he said after a few seconds of silence, making you face him once again in confusion.
"Admit what?"
Side eyeing you for a second with a blank expression, he said after thinking for a short while: "That you're dissatisfied with their relationship."
Having heard the declaration so matter of factly, you started fearing for the worst, believing if he was able to see through you, there's no doubt someone else caught on as well.
"... Is it that obvious?"
"No," he turned towards you, "it took me a while to notice, you're really holding up well..."
The response made you exhale in relief, yet it still made a wave of sadness wash over you. Somehow, much to your surprise, you felt content at the fact that he knew, as if you could finally let some of the weight go off your shoulders by letting someone else in on the burdens you've felt for so long, feeling even more comfortable since it's him. You wanted to vent, let it all out, but figured it'd be the best to stay quiet, tonight wasn't the occasion for that.
"I guess it was easy for me since we've been close for a while."
His words brought back pleasant memories, you always knew of Mitsuya since Ken would always talk about him from the moment they met, what with the coincidence that happened with their matching tattoos, but you only had a chance to meet him not long after Toman was formed, when you were invited to one of their meetings.
Mitsuya was an easy person to get along with if one was patient enough to get through his serious demeanour. He was a great guy, no doubt in that, which was one of the reasons you found yourself feeling pleasant in his company.
Without even realising, you got lost in memory lane yet again, getting out of your hazy mind only to be met with his gaze on you, realising just then you've been staring at his face the whole time.
Quickly averting your eyes in slight embarrassment, you let out another sigh, pursing your lips as you stared down, still feeling his eyes on you.
"Sorry for not bringing it up earlier, today's really not a good occasion."
Brushing off his apology, you gave him quick words of assurance with a slight smile.
"But listen..." he began, making your focus shift to his again, "you know you deserve better," looking straight into your eyes with a serious but genuine look on his face.
Taken aback by his sudden expression, you hesitated in replying: "... What do you mean by that?" you stood still, waiting for his further actions in anticipation.
Looking away for the shortest second, he smiled sheepishly in the slightest before his past expression returned, "Look, I know a lot is going on, and this is definitely too sudden but..."
He hesitated during the last words, and you began to catch a hint of what was about to ensue, which only made you nervous, but at the same time, you wanted to hear what he has to say, much impatiently.
It didn't take him long to pour everything out, his words falling effortlessly from his lips: "I'm not expecting your answer immediately, but I want you to know that I'd be honoured to even live a second with you looking at me from a different light."
Upon hearing him confirm your suspicions, your nervousness surprisingly faltered, instead being replaced by almost a giddy feeling as your heart quickened its beating and the fresh air all of a sudden seemed to have gotten heavier in a second. Being completely honest to yourself, you had thought about Mitsuya in that way before, however, your feelings never seemed to be similar to those Ken had brought you, therefore they ended up being brushed off, forgotten, thought of as just a random, passing idea you had gotten randomly.
Yes, it was sudden - the whole confession, and maybe it was the heat of the moment that got your eyes dropping from his lilac eyes to his pale lips, looking at them for maybe a moment too long before shying away, but not for long, seeing as he guided his hesitant hand up to your cheek, cupping it ever so softly, so gently, and leaning in slightly, only gaining more confidence as your own hands mimicked his own, one coming up to the back of his neck as the other one rested on his shoulder before you felt yourself being pulled closer to him by the waist.
With your ever so quickening heartbeat ringing in your ears as your lips were mere centimetres from touching, you let yourself indulge in the feeling of comfort his touch brought you, leaving the thinking of your actions for later.
However, your moment was interrupted by a loud whistle, accompanied by cheering and clapping, making both of your heads whip in the direction of the balcony doors, soon realising the music had stopped for a short while before an announcement was heard, stating that it was time for the bouquet throw, letting you know just how long you were absent for.
"We should better go," you turned to Mitsuya once more, slowly getting out of his hold - much to your dismay.
"Yeah, go catch that bouquet so I have one more reason to continue this other time," he replied, making you laugh in the slightest, your happy demeanour contrasting your uncertain thoughts.
But you had to remind yourself; you will leave the thinking for later, not ready to ruin the good mood he had brought you to, the feelings worthy of being compared to ones only one person had managed to awaken.
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