Chapter Text
It truly was the most beautiful spring day possible that Shu had chosen, Ike reflects.
The Kaneko Clan’s shrine is beautiful, immaculately tended by maidens and groundskeepers who live with contentment etched clearly into their bodies and faces. Vox has been a good caretaker of young Lord Kyo’s clan, and the lad himself, not quite eleven years old, is happy and healthy, torn between his desire to act lordly and his desire to run around and explore like any young boy his age. When they’d met, Vox had joked that Shu and Ike would have to make sure Kyo didn’t try to sneak out and follow them home.
Now, as Ike stands in front of the shrine, dressed in silken robes finer than anything he’s ever worn before, he notes again the beauty of the spring day and the shrine, subtly enhanced by Shu’s own magic, as seen in the purple flames of the candles. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, creating dustings of pink throughout the stonework, and the sky is a brilliant blue, without a cloud in sight. A beautiful day, perfect for a beautiful event.
Today is their wedding day.
Eight months ago, when Shu had mentioned needing a priest, Ike had been confused both by the necessity of a man of god- neither of them were the slightest bit devout- and by the vagueness of the timeframe. It had been a full two months before Shu finally explained the nature of his request, as well as the delay for it.
“I know it might seem silly,” he said sheepishly. “Especially given we rarely leave the safety of our home. But you’re well on your way to being a proper apothecary now, and I confess the ideal of traveling with you has crossed my mind a fair few times, if
we could do it safely. I love you, Ike, and I would give you the world. But it would be a damn sight easier to do that if we were married.”
Ridiculously, Shu’s candid proposal had nearly made Ike burst into laughter. But nothing he had said was untrue: Ike loved Shu with an unending intensity, and life outside the walls of their sanctuary would be a great deal easier to navigate if they were married. There was every reason to say yes. When Ike had expressed his confusion about the timeframe, however, Shu had merely chuckled, and given him a kiss.
“You’ll see,” he’d said.
Now, Ike is pulled from his musings by the near-silent arrival of the one presence he would recognize immediately, no matter where in the world he was. Ike leans back, and Shu’s arms wrap around him with contented care. “It’s beautiful here,” he comments, leaning his chin against Ike’s shoulder. “We truly were lucky with the date I chose.”
Ike hums in agreement. “You’ve always had a knack for perfect timing,” he teases lightly, and is rewarded with the softest of kisses on his cheek.
The sound of movement at the front of the temple alerts the couple to Vox’s arrival. The clan leader has dressed in his most stunning silks, and his young ward, the heir to the Kaneko clan, is similarly dressed, though his face is filled with the liveliness of youth instead of the serenely of maturity. With them is a man dressed in simple yet well-maintained robes. The priest, Ike surmises.
“Apologies for the delay,” Vox says as the group draws closer. “Some last-minute arrivals needed to be housed before we could depart the office.”
Next to him, young Lord Kyo snorted. “Guests is a little too polite for idiots with sticks, Uncle.”
Vox laughs aloud at this, reaching down to ruffle Kyo’s hair. “Of course, my little lord,” he says fondly. “Now, you can wander however much you want so long as you stay on Temple grounds. This ceremony will not take long.”
The little lord nods and almost immediately bounds off, with all the adults fondly watching. After a moment, Vox turns to Shu and Ike. “Well then, shall we get started?”
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It was a beautiful ceremony, made all the more enjoyable for its simplicity. Shu and Ike both were private individuals, and so there was no insistence on the sharing of vows. The priest merely guided them through the simple steps of the ceremony underneath the flowering cherry tree, while Vox watched on with both satisfaction and a touch of indulgence. Ike could understand that; he was watching his best friend get married, after all.
In their honor (though the young lord was bold enough to tell Ike in private that the clan truthfully only wanted an excuse to celebrate and drink) a banquet was thrown, their health toasted, and jokes tossed around the hall with peals of laughter. Ike himself did far more blushing than laughing, a shy creature to the end, but more than once Shu flung his head back laughing as they partook of the magnificent feast in front of them.
Vox had even contrived to arrange them a chamber for their wedding night, ever generous to a fault. It did admittedly make things easier, for the wedding celebration had been a daylong affair, and it was properly dark outside by the time Vox’s feast had ended. Standing in their room- decorated lavishly in Vox’s colors, for the demon was a vain creature at heart, Ike can only chuckle lightly under his breath, amazed at the path fate has taken him.
Shu drapes himself languidly over Ike’s frame. “Something funny?”
Ike nuzzles into Shu’s face. “I was just thinking,” he murmurs. “As a child I never expected that one day I would find myself in this situation, in a lavish suite as a newlywed with someone who loves me. I was always afraid that I would be rejected wherever I went. And yet, here I am, with my beloved husband at my side.”
Shu smiles at the title. “Those days of fear are far behind you, Ike,” he promises softly. “No matter what comes next, you’ll never be alone. No matter where you are, no matter what you are experiencing, I will always, always answer your call.”
“And I yours,” Ike replies, turning in Shu’s embrace so that he can wrap his arms around Shu’s waist, their eyes meeting despite their different heights. “No matter how far away it is, I’ll fly to your side in a heartbeat. There’s nowhere I’d rather be, Shu. You know that, right?”
Eyes filled with emotion, Shu brings his lips down and seals them against Ike’s. They kiss for a few moments, deep and tender and achingly gentle, before Shu pulls away with a smile that is anything but innocent.
“Well now,” he says roguishly, suddenly scooping Ike up into his arms bridal style. “As I recall, there are certain activities one expects from their wedding night. We may already be familiar with them, but I highly doubt that will make things any less pleasant.”
Ike flushes red all the way to the roots of his hair. “ S-Shu! ”
His husband’s laugh is full of life as he sets Ike gently down on their bed. Instinctive at this point, one of Ike’s hands reaches up and undoes the tie in Ike’s hair, letting the long, dark purple strands fall like a curtain of silk around them. Shu’s hands do not release Ike, but rather begin to carefully push away the silk of his robe. His eyes meet Ike’s alive with love and desire.”
“Shall we, husband?”
Ike smiles back with all the warmth, love, happiness, and desire that he has ever felt and reciprocated. Were he capable of casting magics, he imagines for a moment his emotions might cause him to glow like a star.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea.”