“Hey Arata, Hinata, I’m surprised you two are allowed to just wander freely without your family surrounding you.”

“We escaped!” Hinata said cheerfully though his eyes kept darting to Saku.

He so obviously wanted to know who was at Suzu’s side. There was no way Suzu could put it off any longer. This was it. He had to make the introductions; it was going to get awkward otherwise.

“Arata, Hinata, this is my boyfriend—”

“Tsurugi Sakuya,” Saku said cheerfully, standing up a bit so he could bow, “and you two are the happy couple! I so cannot wait for all the festivities. When Suzu-kun invited me I was a little nervous… I mean a wedding date after we’ve only been together for such a short time? But he insisted and I am just so excited!”

Hinata’s eyes were practically sparkling as he looked at Saku. This might actually be easier to pull off than Suzu had originally thought.

But then he looked at Arata and swore the other man immediately knew this was all a façade.

“So, Tsurugi-san, how long have you and Suzu been dating?”

“Three weeks,” Saku said smoothly, as if it were the truth, “I tried to count the few weeks prior but Suzu-kun teases me that they don’t count.”

“How did you two meet?”

Now Arata was looking at Suzu and suddenly, his mind was blank. He knew this. Saku went over it one more time when they changed trains.

“Coffee shop,” he blurted out, way less elegant than Saku had been with his answers.

“Suzu-kun! It was much cuter than that,” Saku tugged on his arm, laughing lightly, “we had an adorable meet-cute.”

Hinata was practically jumping, “Oh?? A coffee shop meet-cute?”

Saku nodded, “Mmhmm. I think Suzu-kun had been right after me, right babe?”

Suzu looked down, Saku’s beautiful eyes looking up at him, and suddenly he remembered everything about their story. He smiled and nodded.

“Yeah. And the barista hadn’t written our names on our cups until after I ordered. And when I picked up my drink it was… so sweet.”

“And mine was bitter,” Saku made an adorable grimace, “so I, of course, went up to the counter and was about to complain when Suzu came up beside me and was doing the same. I realized our orders were swapped and well… Suzu-kun is very handsome so I wanted to keep our conversation going beyond ‘oh hey, that’s my order.’ So, I offered to sit with him. I’m pretty sure he was in a hurry but, he agreed! Because I mean, look at me,” Saku teased.

Suzu glanced over at Arata and saw his friend’s face relax. He had…bought it? They pulled it off? They actually got away with it??

“That’s so cute!! So, you exchanged numbers after that?” Hinata asked excitedly.

“We did. I, of course, had to text him first. Can you believe that?” Saku said as he nudged Suzu a bit.

“I was nervous!” Suzu said, defending himself.

“That’s very on-brand for Suzu,” Arata said, amused, “not always one to take the first step.”

Saku hugged his arm, “Mm but it’s adorable.”

Now, Suzu was blushing and for the briefest second this actually felt real. Saku had him believing their story had happened.

Oh, he was good.

They wound up joining the other couple for a light lunch—at a place that seemed to gain Saku’s approval—and Suzu was shocked at how well Saku got along with Hinata. He managed to keep up with the hyper, energetic blur that was his best friend’s fiancé and continued to prove to Arata that they were absolutely in a relationship. He didn’t go overboard, after all this was supposed to be a very new relationship, but he definitely came off genuine.

“Oh Saku-san, I wish Suzu-san had met you sooner! You would be gorgeous in my wedding party!”

Saku laughed, “Hina-chan, you’re so adorable. Well, if anyone in a size 00 winds up dropping out or being unable to make it, just give me the signal and I can easily stand-in.”

The two laughed and Suzu smiled, watching them chatter away.

“I’m impressed, Suzu,” Arata said, catching Suzu’s attention.

“Hm?”

“You actually found a date. I half expected you to bring an ex or something.”

Suzu shifted a bit uncomfortably. He didn’t need Arata to know how close he’d come to calling Jiro. Not that he would have actually gone through with inviting the other man… probably. Still, he knew Arata would have knocked him senseless if he found out he’d even considered it.

His friend liked to practice tough love.

“Honestly, I didn’t think it would happen. I was sure I was going to be stuck with whoever you were planning to set me up with.”

“Well, your potential date was pretty crushed when I texted him earlier, but I’m sure he’ll get over it.”

“You were going to set me up with one of Hinata’s cousins, weren’t you?”

The brunette grinned, “Don’t give me that look. He’s a sweet kid!”

“Uh-huh. Maybe I need to go back to that coffee shop and pay my respects introducing me to Saku. And, you know, saving me from Hinata-adjacent.”

He really was considering it until he realized... it wasn't true.

It was a little weird, putting on this act without Saku to back up his every word. He was basically lying to his best friend and that felt so wrong. After all, he and Arata didn’t lie to each other. Suzu never lied to anyone if he could help it.

Maybe this had all been a mistake. Maybe he should just come out and admit everything right now before he had to spend the entire weekend lying to Arata about something so trivial. Maybe he—

“Suzu-kun?” Saku said, tugging on his arm, “I asked if you were ready to go back to the room, babe.”

He looked down at Saku, unable to help the smile that took over his face, the worries disappearing from his mind.

“Oh, yeah that’s fine,” he looked back at Arata, “you should enjoy your few hours alone before you’re surrounded by all of your loved ones.”

“Definitely cherish these last few days until your wedding night,” Saku teased, earning a huge grin from Hinata.

“We’ll see you both later tonight! I can’t wait to talk with you more Saku-kun!” Hinata waved as the two walked out of the restaurant. 

Suzu was stunned; it had all gone off without a hitch! He looked over to Saku, smiling. This could actually be easy.