bakerstreet | Arranged

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Arranged

Arranged Marriage Turned More

To have and to hold, you said, till death do us part, all while the sharp, swinging pendulum of obligation hung overhead. But how could you have truly meant those words? This union has been tainted from the start, forever bearing the chains of an arranged marriage. It would be understandable if you couldn't bear to look at your new life partner, eternal reminder of your stolen future that they are, much less like them.
Much less love them...

Still, things can change.

You could realize that they are in the same boat as you or, that when compared to others around you,
they are the lesser of evils. Perhaps you even open up to the idea of a friendship; at the very least,
an alliance may be in order to become a power couple in a perilous world. From that innocent decision or sense of self-preservation, a new feelings sparks. Something like affection.

Something, you realize in the wake of speeding heartbeats, like love.

Will you acknowledge this? Can the two of you have a happily ever after - happier than if you'd met in another fashion - or will you hold firm in your distaste?

how to play.

- Everybody loves "couples forged by less-than-ideal circumstances" tropes!
- Comment with your character, prefs, all that good stuff.
- Reply to others.
- IDEC where you set your threads, it's wide open. Fantasy world with hairy hobbits, old-timey lands, future AUs, do a space marriage for all I care. I'm sure they're still getting married in Star Wars or whatever.

POSSIBLE REASONS FOR MARRIAGE:
① Station → You come from a royal, noble, or otherwise distinguished family who has chosen a suitable spouse for you.
② Feud → You are being married to put an end to the bitter enmity between your two families.
③ Economics → Your economic state and/or your station will improve through the union, though one of you may be marrying down.
④ Empire → You and your spouse are merging your businesses and/or property to create something more influential or profitable.
⑤ Tribute → You have been offered as a gift or appeasement, alternately you're the spoils of war.
⑥ Bloodline → Carrying on your distinguished family name has fallen to you and the equally well-bred spouse of your family's selection.
⑦ Disapproval → Your marriage has been arranged to keep you away from the person with whom you truly wish to be.

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS:
① First meeting → This is the very first time you're meeting your future spouse.
② Courtship → To get to know each other and encourage affection, your family has approved of you going on dates.
③ Engagement party → Be it a huge, formal affair or a small, intimate get together, you're celebrating (or pretending).
④ Wedding day → The big day!
⑤ Reception → The big party!
⑥ Wedding night → Every meme needs a smut prompt, right?
⑦ Honeymoon → Where will you go with your new spouse and what will you do there?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[oh buddy i hope you like arguments especially if you wanna do number 7 on the why]
[would slightly prefer m/m but im open to whatever has that sweet sweet chemistry]

( Would you be interested in Mitsuru and Minato being in an arranged marriage because the Kirijo Group has told her she needs to be with someone after driving her former fiance off in a Minato-doesn't-die-world?

If this scenario appeals to you, I'm happy to start! )

[steeples fingers together. I'm into it. I have not done a lot of mitsuru/minato and honestly they're a power couple]

( After everything she had been through in the past year, she could no longer see herself being in an arranged marriage with a man for whom she had so little affection. She and her friends had fought so they could live, but what did that mean if she went through with an action she was so strongly against?

Upon informing the board of her decision, she was surprised to find that the majority of members were supportive of her choice, with one caveat: if she were to remain unattached, the Group would be forced to fend off numerous proposals from eligible bachelors, seeking yet another business partnership. It would make everything go over more smoothly, they had told Mitsuru, if she would choose her own suitor.

And so, Mitsuru had chosen. )

I'm sorry I've dragged you into this mess.

( They're sitting in Mitsuru's room at their shared dorm, although she won't be staying there for much longer: her possessions are mostly in boxes, soon to be transported to her new apartment which will be her home while she attends college.

Upon reflection, she had been selfish, considering only her own wants and needs and not giving any consideration to the desires of her chosen suitor. The realization, although shameful, does not dissuade her from wanting to discuss the details of their arrangement.

Where should she even begin? Eventually, she decides upon: )

Did you have any questions for me?

[Minato... Was mostly just tired nowadays. The last year and particularly the last few months had been a massive drain (literally, in some cases), and all Minato really wanted to do was sleep, even if the feeling of doing so filled him with more fear than it usually did. He barely escaped the brush of death for the second time in January and for all intents and purposes he was waiting for the other metaphorical shoe to drop.]

[Now it was late March, and Mitsuru had come with a... Deeply strange proposition that at first Minato had felt a very intense urge to laugh at, but had forced himself not to. He'd found himself becoming a weird mixture of meaner and more intensely protective of his family with SEES.
He suspected the 'meaner' portion was that he was tired from almost dying still.]

Well... Uh. [Mitsuru's room feels strangely empty with all her things packed in boxes. Minato still has another year at Gekkoukan before he's... Off to do human adult things? Things he's never thought he'd ever actually get to do. He's seated criss cross on her bed with her perched on the side of it.
He's not sure where to begin either.]

I... I guess... Why- Why me? [It's a dumb question the second it exits his mouth but he's still trying to grapple with "hey, will you marry me"]

Edited 2020-06-13 17:45 (UTC)

( There are no stupid questions as far as Mitsuru is concerned; she's aware that what she is asking of him is monumental. The space between them on her bed feels stifling, thick with tension. She longs to break it, reach for Minato's hand, but she has never been good at intimate contact.

Not to mention she's been selfish enough already.

She ducks her head as she considers the answer to his question. The first answer that comes to mind is: who else would I ask, but that's hardly fair, nor an accurate representation of the situation. He's not some mere default option, an escape of a fate unwanted... it's something more than that, something she can't quite put into words quite yet.

Still, she feels it. When she considers this future with Minato, she's no longer afraid.

When she speaks, it's slowly, for she's choosing her words carefully, hands folded in her lap. )

Honestly? If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't sitting here today, with all of the options in the world before me.

( She manages a smile. )

Is it really surprising you would be my first choice?

[He feels a small blush creep onto his face. Mitsuru was always careful with words, careful to know what she was saying and the impact it would have.
He didn't really think her relationship with him would come to this... He'd maxed every one of their team, of course, his friends, but he'd never really considered dating any of them.]

[Barring Ryoji. He'd considered it with Ryoji, but after December 2nd he'd decided to take that to his grave.]

Well, I'm... Um. I'm flattered. [And nervous, a little] "Uh... How's... What happens after this? You're going to college, I'm... Still here." [Doing things I never planned for, a life I didn't expect to get...]

"Are we... Doing the wedding really soon? After I finish my last year? I... How does this work?

( It is easier to focus on the details of their arrangement than the repercussions. For the redirection, Mitsuru is grateful.

She nods. )

It would be preferable if the marriage could be finalised once you have completed your schooling, but if you wish for it to be pushed back, I would be able to make arrangements.

( There's a pause as she considers the other implications of Minato's question. )

It will be an adjustment to living under the same roof, but I will not be so far away. We will still be able to see each other on the weekends.

( A beat. )

So long as you stay on top of your studies, of course.

[He gently wrinkles his nose at the mention of studies. He'd done well for himself so far, and doesn't intend to relax. It felt nice being at the top of his class, and it was... Honestly familiar. Mitsuru had been so insistent that he'd gotten used to studying often but even so, still boring.]

[Then there's of course, the adjustment of her not being simply a staircase away. He'd gotten used to SEES, used to her, used to everything about his life here. It was enough of an adjustment with her and Akihiko graduating (thus making Minato the official club leader, which occurs to him as he's mulling over the conversation), and now she's... Asking him for his hand in marriage, essentially.]

[It's weird enough to think about, and encompass completely with his brain, that he laughs, a little nervously, and there's a kind of awkward tremble to his hands. A wedding in a year, Mitsuru going to college, "see you on the weekend"... It's all a little much for him to handle while they're sitting there.]

I... [He's not sure what to say, because there's so much to say, so much confusion, so many things he hasn't processed yet] M... Maybe delay the... the wedding, for a few months, I...

Edited 2020-06-20 23:00 (UTC)

( It is a lot to process, and Mitsuru's more than willing to give Minato all the time and space that he needs to make his decision. Again, she longs to hold his hand, her fingers tapping listlessly against the blanket of her bed, and again, she talks herself out of it. )

It's quite alright. As I said, I can be flexible with whatever timeframe you require. ( She does her best to meet his eyes, her expression softening. )

And I won't ever forget what you've done for me.

[He flushes again, with a creeping sort of discomfort in his stomach. He tries to rationalize it before he speaks it into existence between them, falling quiet as he thinks.]

[Is it a discomfort with her? It can't be, the idea of her leaving fills him with a sort of aching, and that's before he considers the fact that they're going to be married in at least the public eye. She is a dear friend, with some time... More. He's certain of that. He loves her intellect, how they both think in quick, but steady and practiced ways, two leaders, two rulers, he would dare to say. No, it's not incompatibility that scares him about this.]

[Is it... The opposite then? The idea of her leaving makes him upset, quietly so, perhaps it's... Some sort of...- Oh.
Oh no, he does know this stress. It's... Difficult to encompass, but he's felt it before, the kind of uncomfortable panic of realizing you have very little time to do very many things, a panic he's only felt a few times, before deaths, full moons... A sense of helplessness that makes him uncomfortable... And especially with how she's speaking. Something about the clinical nature of it makes part of him sting.]

[But, to her credit, she usually doesn't emote as much as she is right now, and the softer expression on her face eases some of his strain.]

[He opens his mouth, halts, as he considers what to say, bites his lip, and then says] I... I'm okay with this. I really am.
[Wow, way to instill confidence. Good going, Minato. He chuckles a little] I... I think it's just... Sudden? And I might be thinking about it too... Too fast so I'm getting overwhelmed.

[He considers again, careful, and then carefully reaches to take her hand.] I... I think that I don't like that we don't have a lot more time like this. [He laces her fingers with his] In the same room, under the same roof, and I'm supposed to marry you in a year. I feel like... Like we're not gonna have enough good time, which is dumb, we've been close friends for a year now, but... There's a difference I can't... Really put into words.

Id'... Like to make the best of that time though. Before you go

( She is not expecting him to reach out and hold her hand. Even as she struggles to process just what exactly is happening, her fingers move on instinct, intertwining with Minato’s, revelling in the warmth of another human being.

Mitsuru has hugged people before, but this is far more intimate, both in the act and in context. For the first time, she allows herself to think of her actions as more than a means to an end.

Clarity reverberates through her like the sounding of a bell.

She is getting married. She is getting married to Minato. She does not mean to, but she clasps his hand all the tighter. )

It will be different.

( Mitsuru can admit that readily, even if she can’t quite articulate why it’s comforting to feel the softness of his skin under the pad of her thumb. It will be different, but they will get through this together, just as they have faced down their adversaries in the past.

All the same, she is painfully aware that she is doing him a great favour. Her gaze drops to the bed where their hands are joined. )

If there is anything I can do to make matters easier for you, please let me know.

[Her hand readily intertwines with his and he feels a little better, feeling the soft warmth of her gentle grip around his hand. She's a comforting presence... He does find security in who she is, how she interacts with him, and even if she is stiff sometimes, in a way it's quite endearing. Like the silverware and burgers thing.]

[Oh man, He's gonna be the worst trophy husband ever. It's gonna be hilarious.]

[She squeezes tighter and he runs his fingers soothingly over the skin of her hand, looking at her face as she looks down at her hands. He squeezes her hands gently]

Well... You're kind of already doing me a favor. [He chuckles faintly. He has little idea where else he would go, or be, after high school. Preparing to die doesn't really lend itself to university. Plus if his body was permanently weaker, medical costs might be more easily covered by the coffers of the Kirijo Group.]

I don't really... Think there's a lot to make it easier, y'know? But we could go on a date when you've got the time. [He gives her a little, playful grin] Maybe test out how we're gonna kiss at the wedding?

( She flushes at the mention of kissing, but she certainly does not hate the idea. In fact, she enjoys it, wonders how his lips would feel against hers, if it was everything the magazines and the movies and the media made it out to be. )

I would like that.

( Her mouth feels dry. She wets her lips. ) I would not want to make you uncomfortable in any way, but... ( She's probably making this more awkward than it needs to be, but it's important to her to articulate herself as best as she is able. She gives his hand another squeeze as she continues. )

I would like that very much.

( She wants him to know that this doesn't have to be just a business arrangement for them. That being said, there is one matter that remains confusing: )

How am I doing you a favour?

[Ah, she's so awkward. Figures a businessman's daughter focused on the business wouldn't turn too much attention to flirting... It didn't have to be just an arrangement after all. They worked well together, the two of them. Maybe it could easily be something more than that, blossoming from their friendship like a new kind of flower into something beautiful.]

[He hesitates when she asks that, considering quietly how to answer, and a note of discomfort settles onto his face, though he doesn't pull back, instead nervously tucking hair behind his ear.] I...

[Man, how do you tell your new almost-wife you'd completely accepted death by age eight due in part to Death being sealed within you but also due to numerous chronic pains and struggles of which foster homes rarely were enthusiastic in helping with, and ferried yourself mentally towards a deadly destiny unfolding four days after your birthday in which you were supposed to die to save the universe and just... Somehow didn't die.
And now you're here. No plan. Probably needing a lot of therapy.]

... I don't... Have a plan. [He decides is how to say it, soft and a little vulnerable] Like... No long-term anything, no money support, no legal family... And, well, we've all been through stuff that would give a therapist a headache, and I've... Got lingering health problems from the accident. I... I didn't really plan to... To be alive..? So I... You're doing me a favor, really, I don't... Need to worry about not being able to pay for stuff I might need medically, and I don't need to... To panic about going homeless or not having a plan yet.

Edited 2020-07-12 18:45 (UTC)

( Mitsuru's jaw sets with renewed resolution, her hand gripping Minato's even more tightly. )

I won't let any harm befall you. ( There's a part of her that realises just how mercenary that sounds, and she doesn't want him to think of her that way, not when she's slowly starting to come to terms with the idea that perhaps this could be more than an arrangement of convenience. )

Even if it were not for our current circumstances, I would have ensured you every need was addressed. It is the least I can do for you.

( It is the least everyone can do for him. The world owes him so much, and yet so few of them will ever know the truth. )

[He chuckles a little at the strength of her words, and he doesn't doubt at all that she means them. He gently thumbs the skin of her hands as she tells him, in no uncertain terms, that he is supported.]

[It makes something raw and young inside of him hurt, makes the suffering of that child, terrified out of his mind and paralyzed with pain, ease... Just a little. Just enough that it doesn't feel as raw as it did before.]

Thank you, Mitsuru... That... Means a lot more than you think it does.

( She doesn't know what to say in response, her heart beating wildly in her chest as her thumb caresses Minato's hand. )

You're welcome. Anything you want, you need only ask.

( Lapsing into silence for a moment, her mind recalls what they had alluded to previously. Why can't she stop thinking about it? She wets her dried lips and digs deep into her well of courage. )

Would you be interested in, ah, practicing... ?

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Arranged

Minato Arisato / Persona 3 / OTA

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lmk if anything needs changing!

Nah this is perf thanks!!

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