Disclaimer: I don't own Sekaiichi Hatsukoi because damn, would it be creepy if I did.
Brrng! Brrng!
With a long groan, Takano reaches over and turns off the alarm he set the night before and lays there for a moment before turning to his bedmate. He runs his hand through the other's shaggy brown hair—which really needs a trim now, it's gotten so long—and smiles, leaning forward to kiss his forehead.
"Good morning, Ritsu," he says, but Ritsu doesn't say anything.
Must still be asleep, hah. What a lazy person.
Takano sits up, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes before stretching and pulling on that one blue sweater that Ritsu had gotten him last Christmas and some black slacks. Turning back to the bed, he scoffs at his lover, still sleeping soundly with no intent of getting up, and runs another hand through Ritsu's hair.
"Come on, time to get up, moron, or we'll be late for work."
Ritsu only protests very little when Takano goes to strip the bed of its blankets and pull him out of bed, dragging him towards the kitchen for some breakfast. Heaven knows that his love really needs to eat more, or he'll lose all that weight that Takano had worked so hard to put on him. He sets Ritsu down at the table, and while he is preparing a meal of smoked salmon, rice, and pickled vegetables, Ritsu is silent and says nothing.
"Oi, you aren't angry at me for yesterday, are you? I only did what I had to so the printers wouldn't come over to Emerald themselves and kill you. You should be thankful, you know," Takano says flippantly, going over to the table and setting the food down. Takano pretends that Ritsu is glaring at him right now, since he can't exactly see Ritsu's flustered face when his bangs are in the way. "Alright, well stay angry at me, but it'll make for a poisonous work environment."
Takano eats quickly, occasionally glancing over at the clock to make sure that he isn't running over time. Ritsu doesn't eat much, only a bite or two, which worries Takano but he leaves it, knowing that nothing will come of forcing his subordinate to eat when he doesn't want to. Mentally going over what needs to be done that day, Takano stands up and takes his empty plate to the sink and does the same for Ritsu's. It's not as if he's going to eat anymore, anyways.
The car they're in on the subway is surprisingly empty, and nobody comes in to sit next to them, which allows Takano to sneak in a few kisses on an unsuspecting Ritsu, who's just staring out the opposite window. Ritsu's long since stopped blushing whenever Takano kisses him in public; he's just gotten that used to it.
"Onodera, you need to call your author today to tell her not to pass her deadline next time, or the printers will definitely have my head. Understand?" Takano says sternly, looking straight at Ritsu.
Ritsu only nods and stares down at the floor. Takano sighs and wraps an arm around his thin shoulders, pulling him in closer. Ritsu doesn't protest this time.
When they arrive at work, everyone glances at them warily and quickly scurries away to wherever they're supposed to be at this hour. It's not so surprising now that Ritsu lets Takano hold his hand in public. Nobody really questions it, or their relationship, thankfully. They just pretend not to notice. Ritsu immediately starts working at his station, calling his author to do what Takano had told him to.
Kisa only looks at Takano worriedly, biting his lower lip. Should I suggest another doctor for Takano-san…? Though, he hasn't gone to any of the other ones that Yokozawa and I told him…
Takano catches the eye of Kisa, raising an eyebrow. "What is it, Kisa-san?"
He only turns red and shuffles his papers, quickly going to type his next proposal. "A-ah, nothing, Takano-san. Just…have you gone to see Dr. Hitoshi like I've suggested?"
Kisa only receives a glare in response, and Takano leans back in his chair, irritated. "Kisa-san, I've told you so many times before in the past; I don't need a doctor, so if you'll get back to work instead of jabbering away at pointless things..."
"Ano…yes, sir," Kisa pointedly looks back down at his laptop and types away, but his mind is somewhere else completely.
Hatori isn't even in the office right now; he'd gone to see his author in some important meeting, and Mino only has that same creepy smile that always adorns his face, though even it seems a little troubled as well. All three of them know that their boss hasn't been the same lately; ever since…well, ever since that incident…
But they never speak of it, because it is forbidden in the workplace—just when Takano is around, of course.
Takano takes out his red pen and starts to edit the storyboard in front of him, keeping a close eye on Ritsu, who seems to have not slept as well last night. There are dark circles under his eyes and his skin looks too pale for Takano's liking.
Maybe I should try giving him those supplemental pills that everyone takes these days…
He laughs to himself when he thinks of Ritsu's reaction to something like that, and he amuses himself for a moment or so on one of his many fantasies of his lover begging to be taken roughly. Takano clears his throat and sits up straight, ignoring how the room has suddenly gone a bit too hot, and pulls at his collar just slightly. Work. He needs to work, or he'll end up bringing it home and have no time for Ritsu.
A few hours later, at a meeting, Takano tries to keep his mind from wandering towards Ritsu, who must be hard at work right now and wouldn't want to be disturbed. These meetings are all the same, anyhow. A bunch of his stuck-up superiors arguing about the same topics that have barely any relevance to him. He has no idea why he's forced to come to these; though, he muses, he is Editor-in-Chief, so his presence must be important somehow.
What is Ritsu doing right now? I wonder if he's on the phone, or working on that next proposal, or something of the like. Always working, that kid. Wonder when he ever takes a break.
"Takano-san," one of them calls. "What is your report on the storyboards for this month?"
In an analytical, matter-of-factly tone, Takano rattles off the amazing progress that his co-workers are pulling off right now—even though he knows for a fact that their authors always miss the deadlines no matter how early they start. He can't help but keep drifting off to thoughts of Ritsu. How they came this far, what must be going on in his head, memories of past experiences with his lover. It's not very healthy to be so focused on one person like that, but if he's able to work and do this at the same time then nobody can judge him at all.
Ritsu is the love of his life. Ritsu is everything. Nobody can tell him otherwise.
The meeting ends with no problem, and as everybody gathers their papers to leave, a hand on Takano's shoulder stops him, and he turns around to find his old friend, Yokozawa.
"Could I have a moment, Masamune?" Yokozawa asks, his expression serious.
In an empty meeting room, Takano waits for what his friend will say to him, leaning casually against the table. "So? What is it?"
Yokozawa had long since healed over their "break up", and last Takano heard, he was living happily with that editor from Japun, Kirishima or something. So what did he want to talk to him about?
"I think you've taken this too far, Masamune," Yokozawa begins, but Takano interrupts him immediately with a hand and an annoyed set to his mouth.
"Before you say anything, I'm fine. I don't need another doctor. I'm fine," he insists, his face utterly stony.
Yokozawa only looks more harried, and he slaps a hand onto the wooden table harshly, making it ratter. "Masamune, you need help! I can't stand seeing you day by day not coming to terms with—"
"Yokozawa. I will not worry him. He already has enough to stress about as is," Takano says, frowning.
"Do you mean Onodera, the person who's been dead for two years? Masamune, as your best friend, I urge you to seek some therapy! This has gone too far already, and it needs to stop!"
Takano's nostrils flare in anger, and he rises to his full height, his stance defensive. "What do you know about Ritsu? Absolutely nothing, so don't tell me what he is or isn't! I love him, and he loves me, and we're happy together! If you can't accept that, then…then don't bother being my friend!"
Yokozawa takes a deep breath and exhales, knowing now that his friend is too far gone, and that trying to help him is futile. "So be it." He leaves without another word, slamming the door on his way out with a swish of his coat.
Takano sighs gustily, running a hand through his jet-black hair. Why does nobody understand what he and Ritsu have? With another sigh, he leaves the meeting room and heads back to the Emerald department, where-
His papers drop to the floor.
WHERE IS RITSU?! Takano shouts in his mind, but on the outside his eyes widen and he grabs Kisa by the shoulders. "WHERE IS HE?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"
Frightened, Kisa only shakes his head, his eyes wider than Takano's. His grip is starting to hurt on Kisa's arms; there'll definitely be bruises there the next day, provided he actually lives to see the next day, with how panicked Takano looks right now.
"T-takano-san, I only moved him to the break room! He looked tired, so I told him to go rest! That's all!" Kisa insists, his voice wavering.
Takano's heart stops pounding, and he lets Kisa go with a hasty apology before heading off to the break room, where Ritsu is there, sitting on the couch and sleeping. He laughs softly in his head, going over to press a kiss to Ritsu's forehead.
"You really had me worried there for a moment, Ritsu. I'd thought something had happened to you," he says, picking up Ritsu's limp hand and squeezing it.
Ritsu smiles up at him, and Takano feels like the sun, but his expression darkens abruptly when he remembers what Yokozawa had told him earlier. "Doesn't know what he's talking about. We're okay, aren't we, Ritsu?" Ritsu doesn't answer, which worries him.
"Aren't we, Ritsu? Right?" Takano squeeze Ritsu's hand again, but still Ritsu doesn't answer.
Takano drags him out of Marukawa Publishing with hardly a word to anyone else.
When they are at home, Takano pushes Ritsu onto their bed and starts undressing him, kissing his smooth pale skin reverently. "We're…we're okay, right, Ritsu? We…we don't need anyone telling us that what we are is wrong or unnatural." He kisses his way back up Ritsu's body and wraps his arms around him, holding him tightly.
"I mean, you love me, don't you? And I love you. I love you more than anyone else in the entire world. Yes, that's right. We don't need any of them! We've got all we need, right here, just the two of us." Takano places a hand over Ritsu's chest, where his heart would be. "As long as we're together, nobody can tell us anything."
He glances over at their bedside table, where a picture frame stands, Ritsu's cute blushing face taking up the whole frame. It had taken him a while to get that picture when his lover wasn't looking, and even then Ritsu hadn't talked to him for a day or so.
Still, it was one of worst days of his life.
Without warning, Takano crushes Ritsu to him, murmuring words that have long lost their meaning. "I love you, Ritsu. I won't let them take you away from me. Never. You won't leave me again, I won't let you. You'll stay here with me, even if that means we'll be together…
Forever."
In the dim moonlight of the night, a sightless dead body lays in a man's bed, his mouth sewn shut and his eyes wide and unblinking.
A/N: So I just had this idea, and…yeah. I have a disturbing imagination.
-ChemicallyEnhanced