The soft rustle of chiffon and the gentle hush of the gathered guests fade into a dull blur in Wakatoshi’s ears. He stands at the altar, shoulders squared beneath the weight of his tailored suit, hands folded loosely in front of him. The sun filters through the stained glass above, painting his skin in solemn hues of gold and blue.

He breathes in. Holds it. Breathes out.

It is not the crowd that unnerves him. Nor the ceremony, the formality, the pageantry of this day. No, it's the overwhelming fact that in moments, you’ll be walking toward him, and everything that’s been quietly building inside his heart will have to find words.

Wakatoshi is not a man easily swayed by nerves. But as the music starts and the guests rise in one unified movement, his heartbeat stumbles.

And then he sees you.

You, radiant not just in how you look, but in how you carry every moment with softness, warmth, and that unshakable calm that mirrors his own but shines so much brighter. You’re the center of his gravity, the steady pulse in his otherwise regimented world.

You smile when your eyes meet his. His fingers twitch. He doesn’t smile easily, but right now he does. It's small, quiet. Honest.

You reach him and he offers his hand. It’s large, calloused, solid. You’ve always said his hands feel safe. Today, they tremble slightly.

The officiant begins but Wakatoshi barely hears it. He’s in his head, sorting the chaos of what he feels into something you deserve.

When it's time for vows, he unfolds a worn piece of paper—rewritten three times, creased at the edges. He clears his throat.

"I don’t know how to use the right words. Not the kind that are poetic or grand or dramatic. But I do know how to tell the truth. And the truth is..." He pauses, eyes locked with yours. "You make things still. Not boring. Not slow. Just…clear. Like the world sharpens when you’re next to me."

He swallows, eyes flickering to the paper again, but he doesn’t need it now. "I will never be the loudest person in the room. I may not know how to say what I feel when it matters most. But I’ll show you—every day—that I choose you. That I love you in the way I know how. Steadily. Unshakably."

A deep breath. "I will be the one who stands with you in the silence, holds you when you need stillness, listens even when I don’t understand. You have my heart, even if I don’t always know how to offer it with the right words."

He nods once, firm and final, as if sealing a promise not just to you, but to himself.

He was never the fire. Loud, bright, and mesmerizing. But he will always be the foundation. The buoy that you need to stay afloat.