The first thing Ritsu noticed was the light. The light was turned on. His expression immediately darkened since this discovery led him to a horrifying realization. Mentally cursing he took off his shoes and entered his apartment.

He found him in the kitchen where he was leaning against the counter. His face was grim.

Masamune and Ritsu had exchanged keys after Ritsu had transferred to the literature department. They both agreed that it was easier this way since they usually came home at a different time. It had been a huge step for the younger male but he could no longer deny that he, too, felt the desire to spend as much time together as possible. Determination overcame his fear and after a while he got even used to finding his lover in his apartment. To be honest, he preferred the nights he had someone to come home to, to the nights he was greeted by darkness.

Right now, though, he was very displeased with the other's presence. He would have preferred to be alone. After all, he had a lot to think about.

"Where have you been?"

Masamune's voice wasn't angry, no, it was alarmingly calm. It was even worse than Ritsu had expected. He gulped.

"Out," the brunet answered immediately. He forced himself to be brave enough to meet the other's gaze. "I- I met a friend. We got to talk and, well... seems like I've lost track of time. It was nice to catch up. But time sure passes by fast, eh?"
Like always he added a nervous laugh to the lie. Although he convinced himself that he wasn't technically lying, he felt guilty. Why did he feel guilty? He had done nothing wrong! What was with Masamune anyway, to ask him in such a grave voice?

Don't treat me like a criminal! I'm still my own person!, he thought heatedly.

Masamune's honey coloured eyes narrowed. "You could've called, you know."

"Why should I have? It's not like I stood you up! I didn't even know what time you would come home. I'm free to do what I want, am I not?"

Annoyance was clear as day written on the older male's face. He grabbed the brunet's wrist and yanked him closer, until their noses were nearly touching.

"I was worried, you idiot. That's why you should have called," Masamune pointed out. It was clear now that he was pissed off. But Ritsu could also tell that he was relieved to see him unharmed so he was sure that this situation wouldn't escalate into a fight. After almost a year of being together he knew which arguments would evolve into a fight and which would solve themselves with a few honest words. In this case, all it would take was an apology.

"I'm sorry," Ritsu murmured, flustered at their proximity. He would never understand why he still reacted that way as soon as the other evaded his personal space. It annoyed him greatly that his face always gave away his excitement while Masamune looked composed. It wasn't fair.

"I could come up with a few ways for you to make it up to me." The raven haired smirked. Ritsu had to gulp. His face felt uncomfortably hot.

"A-a promise to never do it again?" It was a nice try, but it was also in vain. A hand settled on his waist almost protectively. But its intention was not to protect. It was to claim.

Much later they were both lying in bed, entangled in each other. They were just coming down from the high of the last mind-blowing orgasm, still breathing heavily. Masamune's hand was lazily stroking along Ritsu's spine which caused the smaller man to snuggle even closer to him. He loved his lover's responses after sex. Don't get him wrong. The sex was great. But what he really loved were these moments right after passion. They were filled with satisfaction and tranquillity. In these moments Ritsu showed his affection openly, without thinking or getting embarrassed. An embarrassed Ritsu was amusing, but a calm and affectionate one was extremely soothing and made up for the times when the brunette was too busy denying his feelings. Even after confessing to him Ritsu couldn't just transform back to his old self. Surprisingly Masamune loved his self now just as much as his old self. After all, he still was caring, straight-forward, passionate and determined. Ritsu just broke free from the shell of innocence he had been trapped in when they had first met. It was no wonder that someone as sheltered as Ritsu had been became cautious, sarcastic and a little bit jaded after being suddenly confronted with the harsh reality of life. Even so, the brunet was still a very compassionate person. He had just learned to hide behind a wall. To be honest, Masamune really admired Ritsu for his transformation. He became stronger without really changing himself, without losing his light that once was so easy to sniff out. Now, it seems, he just had become aware of all the dangers the world had to offer.

It really was a shame that he couldn't tell his one true love all that. Not even he was that much of a sap and it seems, whenever it came to his beloved, he couldn't find the right words. Words wouldn't do his feelings justice anyway. Masamune always felt that he was much better at showing them. Actions spoke louder than words, right?

"Who did you meet?" he asked therefore. Yes, he felt jealous. Being protective of loved ones was natural, right? So, being over-protective conveyed his feelings of love just perfectly.
Unfortunately, Ritsu didn't see it that way. He became irritated. Any other day he would've brushed it off but today he got pretty easily upset.

"What's it to you? You wouldn't know her, anyway."

"Huh? If that was meant to calm me, you obviously don't know shit about the definition of calm." He received a slap on his shoulder for that comment.

"I wasn't trying to... Ugh, whatever! I think we should have that conversation about boundaries again. It seems you forgot the definition of that word," Ritsu shot back.
Masamune laughed. His Ritsu could come up with rather witty responses after he overcame his shyness.

"I'm just curious. Isn't it normal to ask your loved ones about their day?" He faked innocence. No one could press Ritsu's buttons like he did, which made him proud. It just showed that their relationship was really special.

Just as expected the brunet blushed. Whenever he mentioned how much he loved the younger one he got this reaction. It was his secret weapon. But it seemed it was not a gun or a sword or any other weapon that could destroy and hurt. It was a rope that he used to stop the other from escaping but also to bind himself even more to the brunet. In the end, they both became victim but neither of them seemed to mind.

"I guess." Ritsu averted his gaze, even though hiding his feelings was pretty useless at this point. "I... Like I said, she is an old friend. We were in England together but while she stayed there, I came back to Japan."

Masamune frowned as Ritsu referred to his time spent in England. He still didn't know much about this chapter in the life of his beloved and it annoyed him greatly. He wanted to know everything about his lover.

"You didn't stay in contact with each other? She sounds pretty important to you."

"She was. I mean, she is. But... we had sort of a... huge disagreement. We didn't exactly part on good terms, you see."

Masamune slapped him playfully on the head.

"And here I thought you learned that leaving without resolving tensions tends to end badly!"

Ritsu rubbed his poor head and pouted unconsciously. "It wasn't the same situation. And I already admitted that I acted wrong and that I should've given you a chance to explain yourself before I took off! Can't you let it rest already?"

Masamune caught the hand that was still massaging the spot where he had been hit and quickly pressed his lips against the palm.

"Still, maybe you should take that advice to heart. You might learn something from it, you know. It never hurts to sit down and talk matters over."

Even though Ritsu was pretty impressed by his lover's words, he snorted. He would rather make the effort to hide his admiration than admit it.

"Get down from your high horse, Freud. You were never big on words yourself! That was part of the reason why we weren't in contact for ten years too, remember?" he grumbled.

Masamune raised an eyebrow. "If I get down from my high horse, can I go down on you?"

The Laughter erupted from his mouth before he could even glare at his boyfriend. Ritsu laughed so hard that tears stung in his eyes. How Masamune could stay serious while saying such a crappy line was a mystery to him.

"God! You're ridiculous!" he wheezed out.