"And now! For speeches! Miss Rumi Usagiyama-Tatsuma's best man! Toya Todoroki!" Midnight, Rue and Ryu's MC of the night, announces. Keigo claps me on the shoulder as I jump to my feet. Rumi and Ryuko's wedding has been nothing short of insanely luxurious. We're in the ANA InterContinental Tokyo, and it's anything but subtle. Ryuko wanted to give Rumi the most expensive wedding she could offer, and, man, I forgot how loaded she is. I run up the golden gilded staircase where Midnight sits by the piano and DJ booth, and I stare down at the sea of friends and family. The paparazzi snap pictures from the back of the room, sitting in a roped-off designated area. I stand up tall, pulling at the collar of my suit as I take the microphone from the R-Rated Hero.
"Wow, okay. Gosh. Hello, everyone. Glad you could make it," I laugh, catching my breath. "First of all, of course Rue would get married on her birthday. I mean, c'mon. What better birthday present could she get?" I wink, and Rue sticks her tongue out at me from the crowd. She looks absolutely beautiful, and I hadn't made it through the ceremony without crying, meaning Natsuo owed Rue at least six thousand yen. Both of the brides wore white, and the groomspeople on both sides were wearing shades of purple and maroon.
"Now, Rumi gave me some guidelines for my speech. I'm not gonna be too crass, which is asking a lot of me. But she's my best friend and I love her. So. What she says goes," I shrug, and Rue sits up straighter with a confident smirk as she puts her arm around her wife.
"Ryuko was one of my first friends I made at the Academy. I know. Big shocker. Third-Degree actually had friends," I jest, and Keigo rolls his eyes, "In fact, she was kind to me before Rumi ever was. Imagine how the turntables once we all became Pros and got big kid jobs," I smirk, and Rumi's eyes narrow. I'm specifically supposed to omit their problem years. I shrug and shake my head as I start pacing, scanning the crowd as I give my speech.
"Bottom line is. I want nothing more than for my best friend to be happy. And if Ryuko makes you happy, then I say that's good enough for me," I grin before raising my glass of champagne. "Cheers."
The crowd erupts into applause directed to Rumi and Ryuko.
"TIME FOR MY FUCKING BOUQUET TOSS!" Rumi shouts at the top of her lungs as she tipsily stumbles up the staircase. I grin as I watch all of the unmarried people in the throng crowd beneath the balcony, lying in wait. Rue turns around, closes her eyes, and fucking yeets the bouquet backwards. I watch it sail through the air, and my eyes widen as I see my sister snatch it. Everyone around her starts squealing, and I see Shinji sheepishly smiling at the table beside Kei as my husband elbows him in the side.
'Guess my sister is next,' I smile to myself as I descend the staircase to reunite with the love of my life. Keigo subtly wraps his hand around my waist as I sit down next to him, his chair practically connected to mine as he softly kisses me on the cheek.
"Looks like we may have another wedding to be in," Kei whispers with a smile.
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I've healed so much over the past year. It turns out, therapy actually does work wonders. Keigo and I haven't fought in over eight months, including small, little arguments that we'd have every so often. I'd unpacked everything in therapy under an NDA...everything from my relationship with my father, to my relationship with Keigo, to my troubles in school, to my self-image, to Geten, to my mother's death. My life and truest self was laid bare, and I have slowly worked to come to terms with myself. Life has been...pretty great, not gonna lie. I don't really get those dark thoughts anymore...and I don't have to rely on Keigo's crimson wings to blow them away. I swipe them to the side myself, burning them to a crisp until they completely disintegrate. Keigo has been my rock, reminding me to be true to who I am no matter what my brain may tell me. I've left that dark void in the dust; I escaped it. With each day, I feel myself slowly getting farther and farther from my past self...pushing toward my own bright future that I further fabricate. A future with my wonderful husband, our two dogs, and our Agency. Our friends. Our family. My life...I've never been more thankful to be breathing lately. It used to be so easy to forget...to lose myself to my own dark spirals. It's not like they don't creep up every so often, but...now I fight back...and win .
Who woulda thought? Me. The troublemaker. The Fire Hazard. Number Ten Hero: married to the Number One Hero. With more friends than I can count in so many places. With kids like Shinso and Shoto who look up to me...well...they're not kids anymore. None of us are. Shit...Where did the time go...?
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Author's Note: Once again, thank you so much for reading. Many sleepless nights, many songs on loop, and many long-winded rants helped facilitate this fic in its entirety. If you want more PHOENIX content, I suggest checking out my tumblr (https://www.tumblr.com/thesakuragarnet). I wish you all the very best!
As always, the past never dies.
Sakura_Garnet
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PHOENIX: A Pro Hero Toya Todoroki AU
FanfictionFor most of his life, Toya Todoroki was a loner. He was a scrawny, broody kid only known for getting in an explosive fight that led to him being held back. That is...until he met Keigo Takami. Navigating love, his own demons, and the road to becomin...
