Chapter Text
“Oh—!”
Mera gasps out as the seamstress pulled at the laces of the corset she was wearing as part of her bridesmaid's dress, resting her hand on her stomach to try and remind herself to breathe.
Did she gain weight?
Whatever, that doesn't matter, Mera doesn’t think she can breathe.
“Is it too tight, dear?” Her mother’s soft voice quickly catching her attention, an awkward laugh leaving Mera’s lips involuntarily. “U-uh… just a little,” biting her bottom lip to stifle a small wince, offering a forced but polite smile the seamstress’s way, who gets to loosening the lace of her corset.
How does one even breathe in these? Because Mera certainly can’t.
On the bright side, her body looks positively beautiful thanks to the form the corset offers, even at the exchange for breathing.
Thankfully, the lady was loosening it, Mera able to breathe normally once more.
“He-heh—this dress is no joke,” She mutters once the seamstress finishes loosening the dress up and taking measurements, leaving the daughter and mother by themselves for the time being.
Mera turning to face her mother, awkwardly posing. “Why are you standing like that?” The older woman asks teasingly, a small grin on her face. “It feels weird—!” Mera quietly exclaims as the tips of her ears tint red due to embarrassment.
She’s honestly been dreading this.
Even handing over measurements was a whole ordeal for Mera.
“It isn’t weird, dear! In fact, I think you look quite beautiful!” Her mother says with an excitement Mera could only describe as proud, admiring her daughter in the bridesmaid's dress with her hand clutched to her chest as if clutching her heart.
“I told you not to be weird about this, Mom, you make it sound like I’m the one getting married,” She mumbles the last part under her breath but she’s sure her mother heard it anyway if the soft sound of her tongue clicking was anything to go by. As much as she hates to admit it, the idea makes her heart flutter—oh, what she would do to have that.
No.
Absolutely not.
That was incredibly rude of her to think that.
God, as if she wasn't already bad enough of a person.
Mera, thankfully unable to dwell further because her mother speaks once more. The older woman shaking her head with slight amusement. “Can I not be excited to finally see my daughter in such an elegant dress?” Her voice sounded almost sentimental, her mother’s brown eyes taking in every detail of the dress.
Mera didn’t like long dresses like these—it was too extravagant for her.
Sometimes it felt like the dresses swallowed up her body and the dress ended up wearing her instead of the other way around.
So, when given the option, she had opted out on wearing anything too extravagant on her graduations. Mera using the excuse that nobody would even see it because of the graduation gown and therefore, that it’d be a waste of money.
Which was partially true.
Just not the whole truth.
Dresses just weren’t for her and that was okay.
Mera was okay with it at least.
Her gaze drifting from the bridesmaid dress she had on right now and to rack with several wedding dresses.
She wonders—is it the same with wedding dresses?
“Oh, sweetheart, can we try on a few wedding dresses?”
Mera gets pulled from her thoughts the moment she hears her mother’s words, nearly choking on her own saliva.
“What—w-what? Why…?” The young woman sputters, turning redder as time passed.
This was Mera’s fault for zoning out—she let her mother sit in her own thoughts for too long and now she got a stupid idea.
Her mother only smiles her way, like she knew something Mera didn’t. “You’ve been eyeing that dress rack in the corner all this time, I know you want to try some on,”
At her mother’s words, her face only grows more red. “N-no! No—! Of course not! We’re… w-we’re only here to get my bridesmaid dress fitted one last time, not to play… dre-dress up,” The woman’s daughter mumbles, trying to deny her claims.
“C’mon, dear, do you take me for a fool? Mother knows best, no?” Her mother’s smile only growing. “There’s no shame in trying some, sweetheart, just try them on, dear.” Mera being encouraged by her mother, going as far as to call one of the bridal consultants to help bring some of the dresses over before Mera even had the chance to protest.
So, in some horrifying twist of events, Mera ends up trying on multiple wedding dresses like she was her mother’s personal dress-up doll.
A few were atrocious—she couldn’t even imagine anyone ever wearing them.
A couple were nice.
Most of them pretty generic. Nothing special.
But this dress. The dress she had on right now.
It was the last dress her mother could coax her into wearing, that had Mera staring blankly at her reflection.
It wasn’t like the wedding dress was awful—far from it. The fabric of the garment hugged her body so well, flattered her body in a way that causes Mera to get lost in her thoughts for a moment, not hearing whatever it was that her mother was talking about behind her.
The dress was so nice.
Her heart squeezed in the way it did whenever she got excited.
It was a shame she’d never get to wear it.
Mera wasn’t destined for marriage.
The man her heart has chosen was an impossible feat. Satoru was something she’d never get to obtain even if all the stars aligned.
Her eyes darting away from her reflection, heart feeling heavy—Mera almost smiled at her reflection.
Gosh, she was so foolish.
Mera turning to face her mother, wanting to get out of this dress as quickly as possible—she was getting lost in her daydreams, it wasn’t good for Mera. “M-mom, I think we should—” the words dying on her tongue when she realizes that her mother was no longer looking at her and rather, speaking to someone.
Satoru.
Satoru was there.
He was right in front of her, while she was in this incredibly embarrassing get up.
“Satoru,” Mera chokes out, wanting to die on the spot.
This was the worst possible way to reunite after years of not talking.
“M-mom was just… she convinced me to try some wedding dresses on—my, uh, bridesmaid’s dress is getting altered right now, this… heh- I, I should change.” She sputtered as she grabbed the skirt of the gown and excused herself to change, not ready at all to see her brother.
Mera felt like her teenage self again—completely incoherent in the face of Satoru. Did she not change at all?
This is so embarrassing.
Her older brother must think she’s some stuck-up bitch, showing up late and trying on wedding dresses as if she had all the time in the world.
Kill her now!
“Mera,”
Satoru is immediately in her line of sight the moment she steps out of the changing room, leaving Mera nowhere to escape to.
“Uh—Brother…! Hi,” a painfully awkward smile on her face as she greets him, taking a step back away from him. “Sorry for running off… just needed to change… out of— you know.” Mera repeats herself as if she didn’t make herself clear the first time when she was running away from him, biting her bottom lip. She was bracing herself for something like, “you’re late and this is what you’re doing?” Or anything that’d be passive aggressive in nature.
Instead, Mera’s pulled into a warm embrace.
“Oh,” the younger of the two mutters under her breath.
She isn’t sure how to respond at first—not at all expecting the hug—returning the hug only after a few seconds have passed, letting her body melt a little in her brother’s arms.
“Sa-Satoru,” She mumbles softly once Mera’s deemed it okay to speak in her head. “Why… why are you hugging me?” Mera can’t help but ask, a soft blush on her cheeks.
“Why else? It’s been a long time, and I didn’t get the chance to pick you up from the airport—you’ve grown,” Her brother shrugs, pulling away from the hug and letting the space grow between them once more. “Especially in that wedding dress.” Satoru teases, causing Mera’s face to flush a deeper red.
This, was not how Mera imagined their reunion going.
Mera had no idea how to react or what to say.
It’s so weird hearing her brother talk. It’s been so long.
“I… you sound just like mom right now,” Mera settles on, letting her gaze dart away from Satoru, unable to keep eye contact for long.
Ugh, maybe she really didn’t change at all.
Mera really did feel like her teenage self once again.
He looked older—yet, somehow more attractive. Mera could hardly hear the words coming from Satoru’s lips, too busy admiring and trying not to explode.
“You should really come to tonight’s dinner,”
That snaps Mera out of her trance, her brows furrowing.
“Oh, I don’t—”
“It’ll just be for the bridesmaids and groomsmen, no stingy relatives.” Satoru quickly cutting her off, as if expecting her to decline his offer.
Her face relaxes, a small smile appearing on her face. “It’s not that, Satoru,” She mumbles. “I don’t really know any of the bridesmaids or groomsmen, I… I- you know I don’t socialize well; I’ll probably just make things awkward.”
“Don’t say that, dear,” Their mother butts into the conversation, clearly not too happy about her daughter’s words.
Mera looks her mother’s way with an exasperated smile before sighing. “I’m tired from my trip anyway, I really just want to rest,” she explains, hoping her brother would let it be then.
A small frown forms on Satoru’s face, probably expecting this—she was so predictable after all.
“Well, it’d be a good chance for you to get out there,” Her brother trying a different approach.
Was he trying to set her up with someone?
A shiver runs down her spine at the thought.
God, please, no.
“I think you should still come if you can, consider it.” An assured smile on her brother’s face.
He must think he’s so convincing with it on.
Honestly, it was working.
Nah, it wasn’t—Mera just hated disappointing her brother.
It was clear he wanted her there. Why else would he go out of his way to invite her?
Probably because their mother asked him to—her mind suggests, unhelpfully.
Shut up, please. I am very aware already.
“Ok, I‘ll… I’ll think about it,”
Shit—that wasn’t supposed to come out.
“Perfect!”
Mera can’t tell who was more ecstatic, their mother or Satoru.
Their mother totally put her brother on this.
Oh, pity.