Up in Flames (Fire Force fanfic)

Chapter Sixty: Our Future

Weeks have passed and it's the day before our wedding. People in the streets of Asakusa are setting up, getting ready for an all day celebration of their King of Destruction's engagement to an outsider. My king is still clinging to my nude form, I gently pet his raven hair.

He kisses my stomach and inches closer to my face, "...Think we could skip out on the celebrations? I just wanna stay here with you."

I boop his nose with my finger, "We should celebrate a bit, they're doing all that work for us." 

He kisses my nose in response and replies, "Fine, as you wish. But the minute you feel sick, we come back here. I mean it."

"Fine, fine. You're starting to sound like Konro." I tease him.

He bites my neck, "I mean it." 

"Did you invite the others?" I ask.

"Why should I?" He huffs.

"Because they're our friends and I want them to be here." I slowly get up and walk over to our closet, "I might wear a kimono."

"Thank god the wedding is tomorrow. I don't think we can continue hiding that." I feel his arms wrap around me from behind as he strokes my growing belly.

"Eh we can still say I got fat. It's not too obvious, yet." I place my hands on top of his.

"I want to give you something...something I should have given you much earlier...close your eyes." I shut my eyes as I wait for him to give me whatever it is he is wandering around the room to find. He takes my left hand and slides on my fourth finger a cool metal ring. "Ok, open them."

I open my eyes to see a dainty ring with three diamonds on it. I hug onto Benimaru, "It's beautiful, where did you get it?"

He holds my left hand gently as he touches the ring, "Well it been in the Shinmon family for generations, at least as far back as World War Two. Whenever a head of the family got married, they would give this engagement ring to the new matriarch of the family. Or at least that's what Hibachi told me. It took forever to find it in that musty old shed. I'm sorry I didn't get this to you earlier."

I place my hand gently on his cheek, "It's fine, I'm honored to have something this important. I will treasure it always."

He kisses me and holds onto my hand adorned with the engagement ring. This kiss is softer than his usual needy and rough kisses; the sort of kiss that spills over with gratitude and kindness. We stay that way for a while before we decide to get ready and go to the celebration in the streets.

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I have learned throughout my stay in Asakusa, that the locals tend to go all out with every celebration and festival. If there is not at least four drunk brawls, it isn't much of a party by Asakusa's standards. My uncle would soon learn this when he is challenged to a drunken brawl in broad daylight. My aunt hands me her son as she jumps in to defend my uncle. This small woman has both my uncle and the drunk yelping in pain as she grabs both of them by their ears and scolds them thoroughly for being idiots.

"I swear it's like I have to watch over two children." Nana huffs at my uncle in passive aggressive fashion.

"He started it Nana." Jerry pouts.

"I don't care who started it, you need to behave like an adult. Now I need a drink, bless these stalls." She walks over to the closest beer stall she could find.

My uncle looks at me skeptically, "Ya know...you haven't been drinking as much as you usually do..."

Beni and I flinch at this observation as Konro swoops in to cover our collective asses, "Well you see, she doesn't want to have a hangover tomorrow during her wedding. Clarisse can't handle her liquor."

"Yeah I suppose that makes sense since this party is looking to be an all day all night drinking fest. You guys in Asakusa sure know how to go all out. Hakone is much quieter." 

"That's because your town is basically an old folks community." Beni snarks dryly at Jerry.

"Son, you're lucky you're marrying my niece other wise I would punch you." Jerry replies, seeming to forget who he is talking to.

"And you'd probably throw out your back in the process." He continues to tease his new family.

"It's better to be a smart ass than a dumb ass, I'll give ya that Benimaru."

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As the party is slowly winding down to an end, Benimaru is asked to give a speech to his community.

He drunkenly grabs the mic and slurs together, "Starting tomorrow...I'm gonna be married to the most beautiful woman alive, Clarisse Montag." He points to me in the crowd, "She's so fucking smart and pretty...I can't believe I get to marry her...some idiot who gets into fights gets to marry an educated woman. I love her so much...ya have no idea. Anyways we're gonna turn in, since I can see her nodding off back there. Don't start any fires..." he stumbles off the stage and grabs my hand, "I want you all to myself right now."

"You're such a needy man, what am I going to do with you." I say as I guide him back to the guardhouse.

"Love me..." he answers. 

Under the light of the moon I promise to him, "Always."