What Did He See In Her? An Ohya X Ren One-Shot
I need to stop writing late at night, man. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of Ohya X Ren but I felt like writing some angsty fluff to get back into the swing of writing. I apologize it's not particularly quality work, but eh what are you gonna do?
What did he see in her?
How many times had that question run through Ichiko's mind since they had started dating? How many times had she questioned his intentions towards her? I mean...not to his face of course, even during her worst benders she never dove down that far. And yet...for the past year and a half they had been dating, Ichiko couldn't push her anxiety out of her mind. It wasn't that she didn't love him, far from it. He was smart beyond measure, he knew how to charm the pants off her(both figuratively and literally), he was kind and supportive and understanding and….so many other positive adjectives that she couldn't think of in her current state. He didn't judge her for being a lush, convinced her to lower the amount she drunk each day sure, but it was never out of harshness. All it took was for him to look her in the eye and say he was worried about her. The look of genuine concern he gave her that day, she would've given up the bottle then and there, but both of them had settled just with cutting back. All in all, he was the perfect guy. The best she could ever hope for. He had saved her from being worked to death by her publisher, had helped her track down her old partner and best friend, had taken down the man that had rendered her best friend brain dead. So...what did she offer him? She was just a reporter, constantly stressed due to deadlines, feeling like she had to drink a bottle a day just to keep going. Of all the people in his life, why had Ren Amamiya chosen her?
If you're this smooth now, who knows how big of a player you're gonna be when you get a little older. You're gonna dump me huh!?
It wasn't just internal issues, it was external too. Everywhere they went, every date they went on, every single moment of time they spent together in public, people would give them odd looks. It was just odd to people to see a woman in her mid-20s with a high school age kid. Some would even mistake her for his older sister sometimes. Those were rare, but they still happened. And boy, did it irk her. Ren however, he never paid it any mind. In times like that he would often wrap his arm around her waist and lean into her a bit more. She wished she had that confidence, wished she could do the same. Wished she could just declare to the world that he was hers and hers alone.
But...she just couldn't. She didn't have that sort of confidence, didn't have the heart to. She wasn't even sure if she could say he would be hers alone. Ren, he had no problem declaring it. One particular incident stuck out in her mind, where a group of people had harassed them while they were out on a date. They made fun of her for being a lush, for not being up to their standards, as if she was some old bag paying for his company. She had been about to unleash a real firestorm of venom laced profanity, when Ren had stopped her by grabbing her arm and led her away. She had wanted to yell at him for leading them away, but he had silenced her by giving her one of the most passionate kisses she had ever received in her life. She had been surprised, but receptive of the affection. After they had broken for air, Ren had just simply said a couple of words, the words she wanted to hear.
"I don't care what they think of us, and neither should you. I love you, and if they have a problem with it, who cares?"
I'd understand if you decided to dump me someday though.
Oh yeah, Ren had also turned out to be the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Her boyfriend had been the leader of the very group she had been assigned to investigate all that time ago, whoda thunk it? She had never been able to extract much information from him about how he did it, of what went into it. All she knew was, people's hearts were being changed and the world was better off because of it. You'd think all of this would make her happy, that Ren had not only taken down so many evil people but also had done more to avenge Kayo than she ever could. Ren had taken down Masayoshi Shido, the possible next prime minister of Japan, he had taken down a god of control to protect the world. Not many people remember that last thing, but she remembered cheering him and his friends on every step of the way.
But...it hadn't come without its own set of drawbacks. Ren would often look more exhausted than she did back when she was under her editor's thumb. There were times they had cancelled dates and just go to her apartment so he could sleep off the day's troubles. She'd sit there with a sympathetic ear and listen to him unload his issues, off the record of course. The injuries he frequently suffered as a result of his time doing what he did, that was just another source of worries. One time she had seen him without his shirt, with cuts and bruises spread throughout every which way. Ren had put on a brave face and told her that he was fine but she had known better, she always did. It was the same way on Christmas, when he had lied to her face and had turned himself into the police to protect her and his team. That time apart had been hard, but she hadn't fallen to despair. She had tracked down the woman involved in Ren's original case and convinced her to testify against Shido, a move that not only played a pivotal role in getting Ren set free, but also got his record expunged for good.
The sad thing was however, was that his probation was over. Ren had no reason to continue to stay in Tokyo and had no choice but to go home. She had been determined to make that Valentine's Day a time to remember, just so that he wouldn't forget her. And boy had she pulled out all the stops. The only negative thing she could have ever said about Ren was that he wasn't exactly the most skilled lover at first, but he had adapted quite quickly. Somehow he always seemed to know her weak spot, which made the experience even better for the both of them.
I mean, you have a bright future ahead of you… so I'd probably just be holding you back.
The year Ren had been away had been one of the hardest ever. It wasn't as if they hadn't seen each other, Ren would visit Tokyo sometimes and hang out with his friends and spend his nights at her home, and in her bed. But it was fleeting most of the time, Ren had immersed himself back into schoolwork and test preparation and Ichiko had articles to write and photos to take. They both were so busy that they'd often be too exhausted to talk to each other even on the phone.
When they did talk though, it was often one of the better parts of both of their days. They'd talk about each other's days, what was possibly coming up trip wise, Ichiko would occasionally make innuendos which she was sure would make Ren blush. But once the calls were over, it was back to the grindstone. A week would turn into 2, 2 weeks would turn into a month of no contact. And then college exams started and she was given a giant assignment, and contact was cutoff for even longer than that, and it was the worst. But now...it was all over. Ren was turning 18, he was graduating high school, and he was visiting her to…."talk". Who knows what it would be about?
Well...she supposed it was inevitable. She had talked about it all that time ago when they had first started going out. It was a wild ride, going out with a high school student and the former leader of a worldwide known organization of Thieves. Ren and her were going out that day, a fancy dinner to celebrate Ren's graduation from high school. Who knew what would happen after that?
And yet as Ichiko stared at herself in the mirror, adorned in the brand new dress she had bought with part of her bonus, every anxiety she had was dwarfed by a single thought...
I….I don't want this to end
The best thing she could do now, was put on her mask and try to ready her pain. But first, she had to dry her tears to keep her make-up from being smudged.
But I guess I can stick around until then.
Dinner had been exquisite, and their time at the tea ceremony had been a blast as well, making up for lost time on that one Christmas a year ago. Ren had dropped a huge piece on news on her right then, he had passed his exam to get into Tokyo University and was moving to be closer. She had been stunned, the young man passing his exams with little to no effort.
Afterwards Ichiko had offered him a night at her apartment so they could have their talk away from prying eyes. Ren on the other hand, had other plans.
He had made a reservation at one of the fanciest hotels in all of Tokyo, waiving away any attempts to figure out how he did it. All he explained was that "he knew somebody" and he had "called in a favor". The room they had been in was fancy beyond compare. Rose petals covering the King Sized bed, a full bath big enough for two, even a small jacuzzi, It was paradise.
That night had been the happiest of Ichiko's life thus far. Spending all night with Ren in her arms, making up for all the lost time. She had made sure to use protection for that night, but after so many "sessions" she wasn't sure if it was still working anymore.
That morning they both laid in bed, covered in sweat and various other fluids. Ren laid on his back, while Ichiko was on her side, facing away from him.
"Is everything alright?" Ren had asked.
"Yeah of course, I just wish you were a bit older so I could order some champagne. That would have really complete the night, am I right?" Ohya joked.
"Ichiko," Ren had said in the same concerned tone he always did when he knew something was wrong,
"No really, it's just not proper celebrating is all," Ohya joked again.
"I can tell something is wrong you know, if nothing is wrong then look me in the eyes and say so," Ren had said.
Ichiko refused to move, refused to look.
Ren sighed and said, "Remember what you said, all that time ago, about how you thought I would dump you someday?"
Ichiko began shaking, "Y-yeah, and I meant what I said. Far be it from me to deprive you of enjoying you college life. Pretty fancy setup for a breakup though, you didn't need to spend that much money."
"Ichiko"
"I mean between the dinner and the tea ceremony, either one of those would've made prime-time break-ups. But no, you had to butter me up, then pull the plug, now that is a bit rude."
"Ichiko"
"I mean it'll be the same once you get a job, then you'll probably meet even more gal pals. Better to end this now then drag it it..."
Ichiko wasn't able to finish her sentence, as she felt Ren's arms encircle her and pull her in close, prompting a fresh wave of tears from her eyes.
"Please, just tell me what's wrong?"
"I….I don't want this to end. But...I understand if you don't want it. To be with the drunken reporter lady."
"That drunken reporter lady happens to be the woman I fell in love with, the one I still love. No matter what happens."
"HOW?! How can you say such things so casually?! What could you possibly see in me?!"
"Is this what the whole thing has been about?"
Ohya didn't reply, but simply nodded.
"You want to know? Do you really?"
Another nod.
"I love everything about you. I love your intensity when you're putting the finishing touches in an article before you send it. I love your sense of humor and the fact that you can always find something for the both of us to laugh about. I love the adorable small snort every time you start laughing. I love your sense of right and wrong and the fact you never give up in the face of possible death on your doorstep. I love your bright smile and your bright hazel eyes. I love everything about you."
"D-do you really?"
"Of course, so much so there's one last thing I want to say to you. And I want you to sit up and look at me."
"Jeez another round already huh? You really need to…." Ohya tried to say, before seeing the object he was holding.
"I may just be a college student starting out a new life but, I'll do my best to one day be a man capable of standing beside you. That's why...Ichiko Ohya, will you marry me?"
"W-w-w-w-w-w-what...what...I don't….oh...my…god" Ohya said through her newfound tears.
"You don't have to answer right now-"
"Yes."
"...What?"
"Yes! Yes! God yes, I will marry you! And damn you for making me cry like this. I wasn't expecting this whole thing to be made permanent but….but I" Ohya tried to say, before being pulled into an intimate embrace by the man in question.
They sat like that for what felt like several minutes, before collapsing onto the bed,
"I'm the luckiest guy in the world," said Ren.
"More like the craziest for wanting someone like me as your wife," said Ohya, before letting a smile come to her lips and giving him a nice long kiss.
...I-I can't wait to see where our relationship goes, Ren.