A/N: I feel like before we begin, there is something I should address. Given that this fic is a prequel to both Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi (Ritsu was 25 at the start) and Junjou Romantica (Usagi was 28) this means that neither Ritsu and Usagi have transferred to Marukawa yet. Since Usagi would have worked with Aikawa for a while at Marukawa before meeting Misaki, these two would be about 22 here (which would be the expected time I would assume for both of them to have graduated college)? Anyway, if there's confusion in reference to ages, that's why I'm doing it this way.
Hard to Get
Chapter 1
An Agreement is Hard to Get
Onodera Ritsu could recall the moment he had told his mother that he had been assigned to work with the recently renowned Usami Akihiko. There was a little too much joy for Ritsu to handle, as his mother seemed to gush more about the author than about Ritsu taking responsibility for a skyrocketing star once he graduated from college.
'I can't believe my boy is going to work with the famous Usami Akihiko!'
'He's so talented, and very good looking, too! I wonder if I could get your Father to introduce me…'
'Ritsu, this is very important, okay? Do not screw up this job!'
'Don't harsh him too critically; that man is likely a delicate flower the way he writes.'
'Oh, Mother,' Ritsu sighed to himself, as he approached the door of Akihiko's complex, 'If only you knew what a flower he really is.'
He knocked loudly several times, only to find no response. Option 1: Akihiko was so deep in thought that he was producing page after page, or option 2: he was most likely fast asleep.
Ritsu knocked even louder. "Sensei, we discussed yesterday that I would be coming over. Please open up."
He twisted the door knob furiously. Of course it was locked. It was taking all of Ritsu's strength not to break down the door as he knocked again.
"Sensei, wake up!"
Within a few seconds, the door slowly opened, revealing Usami's glaring presence. Before him, there seemed to be a dark, oozing aura with a cloud thick enough to cover the entire room. Ritsu hadn't anticipated option 3: Akihiko being in a terrible mood.
"What's with all the racket? Is that how you greet a person?" Akihiko grumbled.
Ritsu grimaced. 'He's a flower alright, Mother—a damn Venus fly trap—that's what he is!'
"A-anyway, Sensei," Ritsu said, clearing his throat, "As we agreed, I was going to come at this time to check on you, as your deadline is rapidly approaching…"
"It's not ready yet," Akihiko replied.
Ritsu felt an inner scream building up. Father was going to kill him if he had nothing to show. "Well, since I am technically on company time and I came out here, how about we at least have a look at what you've done so far?"
"I'm about to have a cigarette," Akihiko said dismissively, as if to brush off him off.
"That's fine, that's fine!" Ritsu spoke rashly, practically rushing into the complex to nab a seat on the couch. "It's your place—you can smoke wherever you like."
Akihiko resigned at this point, lighting his cigarette as he headed towards his office room. "Wait here while I print out everything."
Ritsu sat quietly, musing at his surroundings.
No matter how many times Ritsu had visited, it sometimes seemed as if the apartment had gotten bigger and bigger each time.
Of course, Ritsu had no room to talk, as he was still living with his well-off parents, but something this glamorous looked almost unattainable even with the wage he was currently making.
Akihiko emerged from the office after sometime with a stack of papers. The title on the top page said The Box That Houses the Moon.
"Alright, so, you said this isn't finished yet, but you do have quite a lot here, and that's not even counting from the last time we had met," Ritsu reflected, sifting through the pages. "My question, then, is how can I help you resolve the story?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out, as well," Akihiko said, taking a drag of his cigarette. "All I can think of is that the couple breaks up, and just as she realizes that she truly loves him, he dies of his illness in the middle of the night and she ends up burying herself with his body."
Ritsu blinked, trying not to lose composure. "Sensei, that's a little dark for the nature of this story, don't you think?"
"Why? It was never a happy story to begin with," Akihiko stated.
"No, but even considering everything else, that ending seems…a bit out of left field. I'm not exactly sure why she would even bury herself," Ritsu critiqued.
"It's not exactly like I have any better ideas right now," Akihiko retorted.
Ritsu huffed, thinking to himself. He'd need a little bit of time to read through everything before coming up with an appropriate final verdict.
It wasn't like a modern fairytale happy ending was possible, but there could still be something less tragic than what Akihiko had described. Besides that, while this was the first book Ritsu had worked on with Akihiko, Ritsu had been previously familiar with his work, which had gotten increasingly depressing in content. Of course, these books were excellent enough to make Akihiko rise to the top as a successful author, but nonetheless, it was worrisome how sad each story had gotten as time went on.
Right then, the phone rang. Akihiko had already gotten up from the couch.
"You can take it, I'll just need a moment to look through all of this," Ritsu said, already beginning to rapidly read through what Akihiko had completed thus far.
"Hello, Takahiro?" Ritsu heard Akihiko answer in the next room.
It wasn't often, but there were times when Akihiko had received calls from whoever this Takahiro person was.
From whatever he could hear, it sounded like a friendly conversation—which he honestly did not think Akihiko was really capable of having.
Yet, at a distance, just by looking at Akihiko's face, something looked very familiar about his expression. Somehow, it reminded Ritsu of a certain affair during his youth—
'No, no! Absolutely not!' he seethed, 'Don't even think about him now! It's been so long. Just concentrate on your work…'
"Why is your face red?" Akihiko asked suddenly.
Ritsu shot up, slamming the book shut. "Nothing—my allergies are just acting up."
Akihiko seemed to ignore the response, sitting next to Ritsu on the couch again. "Did you finish reading?"
"Yes," Ritsu answered, "And I definitely like where the story is heading so far, but I still don't think it fits well with your original idea of an ending."
"I figured," Akihiko sighed as he lit another cigarette. "I do have one other option, though."
"What's that?" Ritsu inquired.
"The couple breaks up, and she ends up leaving him for the best friend."
"That might be one option," Ritsu said thoughtfully, "I did have a feeling he had unrequited feelings for her."
"It doesn't sound strange?" asked Akihiko.
"No, I mean, he's been there with her the whole time. He's not exactly stalking her, but he's always watching over to make sure she's happy," he explained.
Akihiko's face seemed to almost light up. "Do you really think so?"
Ritsu shrugged. "Well, yeah. If those two didn't stay together, I thought she'd get together with him."
"I'll have to think on it more. Thank you. I appreciate your input," Akihiko said, mouth nearly curved into a rare smile.
Ritsu's heart nearly skipped a beat, seeing such a foreign expression. Normally the author either appeared to either be a grump or an ungrateful spoiled rich kid (much like he had been), but this was the first time he had shown gratitude—or any sign of humanity.
"Of course," he replied, "It's my job, you know."
As their meeting came to a close, Ritsu's phone had vibrated suddenly.
An's message came up with a picture of herself with another man.
"Your girlfriend?" Akihiko questioned as Ritsu flipped his phone open.
"Not exactly," Ritsu sighed, shutting off his phone immediately before continuing to pack his knapsack.
"How can someone not exactly be your girlfriend?" Akihiko teased.
Ritsu huffed. 'Just tell him. Maybe he'll understand since he comes from a rich family too.' "My parents arranged for us to get married, okay?"
"Oh, that must be exciting," Akihiko said sarcastically, lighting another cigarette.
"It's… complicated. She has feelings for me, but I don't have feelings for her," he explained.
"So she's confessed to you?" Akihiko asked.
"Yeah, back when we were 15 she did. We did agree we would see other people, but I don't need to know about every boyfriend she's had in an effort to try and make me jealous," Ritsu answered. "She's a good friend and I care about her, but not that way."
"I suppose your parents aren't letting you get out of it then," Akihiko remarked.
Ritsu shook his head.
"Well, you could just do what I did," Akihiko said.
"What's that?"
"Move out and ignore their calls," he spoke nonchalantly, taking another drag.
Ritsu stared blankly at him for a moment. He should've known Akihiko would have the strength to break away from his family without even thinking about it.
"Perhaps, but this is my Father's company. I just got hired not long ago," Ritsu said.
"Don't limit yourself, though," Akihiko replied, "You're a good editor—I can tell even in our short time working together. I'm sure you could do well anywhere."
Ritsu couldn't help but blush. "Y-you mean it?"
"Of course," Akihiko answered as he put out his cigarette. "For one, I can tell you have a passion for reading—which sounds silly, but I've come across editors that clearly are here because they think it's just a proof reading job. Second, I feel I am actually able to collaborate with you. It makes this more of a team effort, rather than me having the burden of doing all the work."
Ritsu blinked several times. He hadn't expected such a huge compliment—especially from the admirable Usami Akihiko.
"Th-thank you," he muttered, twiddling his thumbs nervously, "I do enjoy my work."
"Anyway," Akihiko said, abruptlhy getting up from the couch, "I need to actually get rest before I pass out."
Without even so much as a goodbye, he closed the bedroom door, and the sound of him collapsing onto the bed seemed to resound throughout the entire apartment.
That night, Ritsu found himself at the dinner table with his mother. His Father needed to stay behind at the office, as usual.
"So, what's this about An-chan getting a new boyfriend?" his mother asked before Ritsu could even take a bite of his rice.
Ritsu shrugged. Likely she had heard the news from An's mother before he even knew. "I don't really know."
His mother sighed. "I just don't get you kids today. You're supposed to be engaged—not seeing other people."
"Mom, An-chan and I agreed about this a long time ago. We've been fine with it," Ritsu reminded her.
His mother smiled almost sympathetically, reaching over to pinch Ritsu's cheek. "Oh Ritsu, you really just don't understand women."
Ritsu furrowed his eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, rubbing his cheek.
"She's trying to make you jealous, obviously. I don't know why you won't just reach out to her like she wants," she said, calmly resuming eating her dinner. "It's not like you have anyone you like, right?"
A brief picture of a tall boy with black hair stroking Ritsu's face flashed in his mind, and he tried to shake it out of his head.
"I mean, I have dated other people too, Mom," Ritsu replied.
"Right, but at this very moment you're not, so this is a good opportunity."
Ritsu found his appetite to have been lost once again.
The next time they met, Akihiko had found himself taking the time to pace nervously as Ritsu read the rest of the draft, already on his second cigarette.
"Well?" Akihiko had prompted Ritsu, "Is it any better?"
Ritsu nodded. "Yes, this definitely sounds better put together. I think with some tweaking, we might be able to send this in soon."
Akihiko almost sighed in relief, taking a moment to plop down next to Ritsu on the couch.
Ritsu looked over at Akihiko. "When was the last time you've eaten?"
"I'm not sure. Let's see…" Akihiko searched around the room for the nearest clock. "About 29 hours ago?"
Ritsu's eyes widened. "29 hours ago!?"
The other man exhaled a trail of smoke. "That's not the first time it's happened. I'll be fine."
"Well you can't live on a diet of cigarettes and sleep forever, Usami-Sensei," Ritsu muttered.
"I haven't slept in about 24 hours either," Akihiko added.
Ritsu decided not to comment on that fact. Instead, he got up to open the cabinets, only to find that they were empty. "Don't you have a microwave?"
"No, I gave up on learning how to use it. I tried boiling an egg in the microwave and it exploded."
The editor couldn't help but stare back at Akihiko in absolute disbelief.
Yet, Ritsu tried not to say anything as he had only just gotten the general grasp of how to use a microwave himself.
"Maybe delivery is the better option… Do you know anyone that delivers?" he asked.
"Normally I just pick up the food myself," Akihiko answered.
Now that Ritsu thought about it, he likely would've done the same thing due to a lack of knowledge of local delivery food.
"You're in no condition to do that, Sensei," Ritsu barked, taking out his phone to search for delivery places. "How does curry sound?"
The author gestured with a lazy thumbs up, slumping even more as he was ready to crash onto the sofa.
"Try not to sleep until after we eat, okay?" Ritsu told him.
Akihiko nodded very slowly in reply.
Ritsu could not help but feel like in this moment that he was taking care of a child his age.
They had managed to keep the peace going for a while, wordlessly eating their dinner.
Something about this had reminded Ritsu very briefly about the first time had eaten fast food with his Senpai. It was a different experience that he had nonetheless enjoyed, although he knew nothing about the concept of fast food since he always ate a meal prepared at his parents' house
Although this time, he had managed to flounder through the whole process with another equally as confused man. The look on the delivery boy's face when neither of them knew how to pay him properly was priceless, as written American media had taught the two men about something not done in Japan called tipping.
Ritsu had tried not to recount the embarrassing process, when he had managed to shout in the delivery boy's face after brief arguing back and forth over the misunderstanding.
"Why aren't you accepting my tip? That doesn't make any sense!" he had stated with absolute shock.
"That's because you're supposed to tip him 20%, idiot," Akihiko had chimed unhelpfully in the background.
"Right, I'm just going to leave this here. Make sure you don't drive in your condition," the delivery boy spoke passively, leaving the food carefully on the ground as if he were feeding stray cats before bolting to his car.
Ritsu couldn't stop blushing, trying not focus on the mishap as he cleaned off the table. Was he really so privileged that he had no idea how to pay for delivery?
He looked up at Akihiko, who finally had some more color in his face. 'At least he looks more alive now. Seriously, how does someone just not take care of themselves like this?'
Speaking of said man, Ritsu couldn't help but notice that Akihiko had been staring at him the whole time. Something about his gaze seemed almost…odd?
By the time Ritsu had thrown the contents into the trash, Akihiko had already pushed his chair into the table and appeared before Ritsu.
'Has he always been this tall?' Ritsu asked himself, trying not to shrink in the other man's presence.
Akihik then lifted a hand, gently swiping against Ritsu's cheek unexpectedly.
Ritsu nearly fell back in his stance, arms flailing.
"Wh-what was that for!?"
"You had some rice on your face," Akihiko said bluntly. "Relax."
Ritsu couldn't help but rub his thumb against the spot where Akihiko had touched. If his face hadn't been red before, he must've looked like a large tomato.
It didn't take long for Akihiko to break out into a wild smirk. "What, it's not like I was doing anything weird to you."
"Touching my face kind of is," Ritsu grumbled.
Akihiko laughed, backing away slightly. "Okay, I get it. You're more serious than I thought you were," he teased.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Ritsu asked incredulously.
"I'm saying that somehow you're even more stiff compared to the other editors I've worked with," Akihiko answered with no remorse.
Ritsu couldn't believe what he had just heard, slightly gaping. 'How can someone go from praising me from one day to turning all that around in the next?' "Y-you must be delusional from a lack of sleeping and eating."
"Maybe I'm delusional, but my point still stands," Akihiko stated.
"Why are you picking on me? You're the one who wears a scowl for a face every time I come over," Ritsu fired back.
"Not anymore than you do," Akihiko said nonchalantly.
"Then stop looking all pissed off when I visit, especially when you knew I was coming over. Stop writing really sad and serious novels all the time if you want a better atmosphere. Take your job seriously for once instead of making me into your babysitter. Most importantly, stop missing your deadlines and brushing me off during meetings!" Ritsu snapped, taking a moment to catch his breath immediately after.
Akihiko's eyes widened. Never would he have expected the prim and proper boy to finally lose his cool, even after taking the time to take care of him, and in such a way that nobody had ever had with him.
And never would Akihiko have expected to be completely turned on.
Ritsu exhaled, pivoting towards the doorway. "Whatever, it's not like you're going to listen anyway, so I'll just see you to collect the final draft."
"Wait," Akihiko said, suddenly grabbing for Ritsu's wrist.
Ritsu had tried to pull away from Akihiko's grip, still making a break for the door. "Let go of me!" he shouted.
Akihiko obeyed, releasing Ritsu while still continuing to move closer until he had cornered the other man against the door.
Their faces were so close to each other at this point that Ritsu could feel Akihiko's breath.
"I'm sorry, okay? I know I'm the most difficult person to work with," Akihiko apologized.
Ritsu blinked. His impromptu speech actually seemed to have effect.
"I wasn't trying to do any harm or insult you—I was just teasing you for fun," he explained.
Ritsu had also never realized how fiery and pretty Akihiko's eyes were until now.
He regained his composure all at once, looking away from Akihiko. "Yeah, well, it wasn't fun."
"Then maybe you should stop being so teasable," Akihiko retorted, moving in even closer towards Ritsu.
In Ritsu's eyes, Akihiko's lips were crowding his vision in slow motion, clearly looking to land somewhere on his face.
Somehow, the other man's lips looked inviting, and soft despite previous evidence that the man was likely dehydrated. If Ritsu had closed his eyes, it would be almost too easy to replace the author with memories of his Senpai…
The editor suddenly pushed Akihiko away with all his might, breaking through his thoughts.
"What are you doing!?" he exclaimed, blushing furiously.
Akihiko feigned a monotone expression. "Huh?"
"Y-you," Ritsu huffed, pointing a finger at Akihiko, "You were trying to do something weird this time!"
Akihiko slouched in his posture right then, pressing his palm against the side of his head. "I guess I'm just that tired."
Ritsu furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief, taking the awkward silence between them to calm down. "Just go to bed, okay? You're clearly out of your mind right now."
"Will do," Akihiko said as he turned around, dismissively flicking his hand towards Ritsu's direction as if to say goodbye.
Ritsu waited for Akihiko to shut the door behind him, taking a moment to absorb what had just happened before finally leaving. It would take a lot of tossing and turning at night to forget the feeling of Akihiko hovering over him, ready to take an opportunity and nearly kiss him.
At least that by the end of the day, they could both agree on one thing: Akihiko was near impossible to be around.