Weddings, everyone said, were supposed to be magical.
But Kenji and Yuu quickly learned that "magical" also meant stressful, chaotic, and riddled with mini-explosions over cake tastings, seating charts, and which shade of white was actually white.
They had their share of fights.
One over Yuu forgetting to book the florist on time.
Another when Kenji overextended himself at work, again, and forgot their planning meeting.
And a particularly bad one when Kenji snapped, "Maybe we shouldn't even be doing this," and immediately regretted it.
But through every slammed door and every tearful apology, they came back together.
Because love wasn't made of perfection.
It was made of choice.
Again and again, they chose each other.
The hardest choice came quietly, late one evening, while Kenji stood staring at himself in the mirror—two outfits on the bed behind him.
A sleek, tailored white suit. And beside it, a wedding dress.
He had tried both.
The suit fit well, looked sharp, made sense. It was what people expected.
The dress… felt like something else.
Something softer. Braver. More him than he'd let himself admit.
But the fear was there, gnawing in his chest.
Would it be too much? Too confusing? Would he be judged? Pitied?
So he asked Yuu.
"I don't know what to wear," Kenji said, arms folded, voice unsure. "I keep going back and forth. I don't know what people will think."
Yuu didn't hesitate.
"Wear what feels right."
Kenji looked at him for a long moment.
Then nodded.
The day of the wedding was warm and windless, the sky the kind of blue that photographers pray for. Friends, coworkers, and family gathered in a sunlit garden lined with soft white flowers and gold-trimmed chairs.
Kenji stood at the edge of the aisle, veil tucked lightly over his grown-out hair, which had been styled in soft waves to match the elegant drape of the dress. It wasn't traditional—nothing about this was.
It was him.
And for the first time in a long time, he felt beautiful.
The music started.
He didn't hesitate.
Yuu turned when the crowd did—and then completely lost it.
His breath hitched. His chest swelled. And the tears came fast, unashamed, spilling down his face as Kenji stepped into the light.
Because Kenji didn't just look beautiful.
He looked powerful. Radiant. Free.
By the time Kenji reached him at the altar, Yuu was a mess of smiles and blotchy cheeks.
"You look like something out of a dream," Yuu whispered.
Kenji smirked. "You're just saying that because I'm wearing eyeliner."
"No," Yuu said. "I'm saying it because it's true."
The vows were handwritten. Wobbly. Imperfect. Personal.
Kenji's voice cracked when he said, "You saw me when I didn't want to be seen. You stayed when I tried to push you away. And now I get to love you—loudly, fully, forever."
Yuu could barely read his without breaking.
"You were never too much," he said through trembling breath. "You were exactly what I needed to become who I am. And I will never stop choosing you."
And then—
The kiss.
Oh, the kiss.
They did not hold back.
The crowd laughed, cheered, someone even wolf-whistled as Yuu dipped Kenji slightly, cupping his cheek, their lips locking in something passionate and fiercely unapologetic.
It was not family-friendly.
But it was honest.
It was them.
And when they finally broke apart, forehead to forehead, smiling like fools—
It was clear to everyone watching:
This wasn't just a wedding.
It was a victory.
A promise.
A new beginning