Team Ladder or Stepladder? Hm...
'Impressive...' Masamune couldn't help but think as Ritsu and him headed to the jewelry store, looking around along the way.
"Oh yeah," he starts, and Ritsu looks to him, "They finished that park some buildings away. I thought that once you can really move your legs you can finally learn how to ride a bike."
"Ride a bike?!" Ritsu repeats, a little ruffled and flushed, "W-why would I have to learn how to ride a bike?!"
They stopped their walking. "You..." Masamune regards him with concern. "You don't remember?"
"Remember what?" Ritsu asks, wondering what Masamune was referring to.
"It was a little before my graduation, when Yokozawa and his parents let me stay with them so I didn't have to move with my mother?" Ritsu listens thoughtfully, trying to remember. "And Yokozawa was talking about using a bike more than a car and you said you didn't know how and...?"
"Oh..." Ritsu puts his hand to his chin, remembering before he looked up at Masamune in disbelief. "You were serious?! I thought you were joking!"
"Why would I..." he trails off, troubled. "What other times did you think I was joking?"
"...?" Ritsu began thinking for a long moment. "Hmm..." Slowly, a dawning expression filled his face before a baffled one took over. "..."
"What?" Masamune asks, even more troubled now seeing the look on Ritsu's face.
"W-would you say- um, that there could be times that you were actually joking with me, and you weren't serious but I took it seriously?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"A-ah..." Ritsu nervously laughs, "So..." he coughs and tries to walk off fast. "We should also go to the jewelry store before it closes, huh?"
Masamune tightens the grip on his hand and pulls him back. "We have time."
"I-I-I-it's nothing, really, aha," he tries to pull Masamune along. "Let's just go!" Instead, he is pulled the opposite direction, back to where they had walked from.
"I think I remembered a bench back there. You shouldn't be standing for so long."
Sighing in defeat, Ritsu followed along.
"You didn't really like the thought of marriage," Ritsu begins, "You sort of laughed at me when I asked you." Before Masamune could say anything he continues, "So just in case, Takafumi helped me prepare for anything that could happen, like making sure our legal stuff don't get mixed up, our divorce papers ready and si-"
"Divorce papers?" Masamune interrupted in disbelief, feeling like he had been stung. "You have divorce papers ready?"
Ritsu nods, strangely feeling proud for the fact that he was prepared and mistaking Masamune's disbelief for being impressed, "Signed and everything. I also-" He remembers suddenly, "Most of all my stuff is at my family's house. That's why it seems like I don't have much clothes or anything," he pauses, "I wonder if I still fit my clothes at home..."
"Wait, you mean signed and everything meaning as in my signature too?"
"Yeah." Ritsu nods again in affirmation. "You were busy when I brought it to you so I left it on your desk in your office room. You signed it the next night and I put it up in a safe place."
The dark-haired husband frowned, not believing that he was sound of mind when he signed it, but continued with the last words he heard. "A safe place?"
"Yes, although, I sort of forgot where... Oh," Ritsu looks at him in question. "When did we get married? I can't remember the date, do you?"
Masamune was going to answer him before he realized too that he couldn't remember. "No, no I don't. Where is the document for that?"
"I... don't know. I think it's in the safe place I put the divorce papers in."
He chuckles dryly. "Safe place, huh?"
"And the joking thing," Ritsu explains, "Whenever we talk and it seems serious, and then you laugh, I think you're joking. But you weren't half the time, right?"
"Probably," Masamune answers, before going back to the topic of the divorce papers. "So you don't really remember where the divorce papers are?"
"I really don't. Why?"
"Don't you want to find them and throw them away?"
Ritsu blinks at the notion. "Why would you want to throw them away?"
"Because we aren't going to get a divorce," Masamune answers obviously, "Why would you want to keep them?"
"I don't know. Just in case maybe."
"Just in case what?"
"I don't really know what... A-Also, Takafumi might have gotten me the papers, but for me it took two days to fill it out and I don't want to throw away good effort."
"Then when we find it you can just write the info on a note pad and we can rid of the papers. Really," Masamune sighs, feeling tired and irritated at the topic. He would never want Ritsu to leave him. Never...
...
'I annoyed him, didn't I?' Ritsu thought, seeing Masamune in silent thought with a face that didn't seem pleased at all. Shivering slightly of a passing chill, Ritsu got off the bench and paced a little; seeing that Masamune was still in his own world, Ritsu decides to look around.
'I should go find a job, but where?' Ritsu wonders as he glances to each store within some feet, walking further away from the bench, 'The last job I had, I wonder how they're doing-' He accidently bumps until someone, a man a little taller than him and in a suit. "Oh, sorr-"
"Ah, perfect timing!"
"Huh-" he found himself next to a man about his height, a darker shade of brunet and with blue eyes. Compared to the suited man, he was just wearing jeans and a t-shirt hoodie.
"Watch him for me, I'll be right back!" Hearing a car door slam, he looks to see a dark car drive off in a hurry.
"H-huh?"
"Sorry about that..." the mystery person says, looking uncomfortable as he glanced around at the passing people. "There's someone important they need to pick up that I need to meet but I don't really feel well today and I almost threw up so here I am..."
"O-oh..." Ritsu glances back to see Masamune still out of it, and focuses back to the man. "What's your name?"
"Yoshino Chiaki," he replies, smiling a little. "Yours?"
"Onodera Ritsu. A-actually, my husband and I were supposed to get new rings in a few minutes..."
"H-husband?!" Chiaki looks very surprised. "You're married?!"
"...? Yeah. Why?" Ritsu asks hesitantly. Did he and Masamune not look right together?
"Well, you look younger than me, so I'm very surprised. I'm about 29."
Ritsu widens his eyes; this man seemed about his age- like a slightly older Misaki with different bangs. "Really?"
Chiaki couldn't help but feel a little giddy at the disbelief. "Yeah... Oh, you know," he begins, looking Ritsu up and down, "I think you could be a model if you wanted to."
"W-what?" Ritsu flushes slightly. "No way!"
"No, really!" Chiaki says, one of his hands up to touch one of Ritsu's cheeks. "You have a nice cheeks; can I draw you later?"
"F-for what?"
"I'm a mangaka actually," he says, smiling.
"Oh?" Ritsu remembers a title of one Misaki told him. "Like, 'The Kan'?"
He didn't expect Chiaki grabbing his hands excitedly. "You know about 'The Kan'?! Are you a fan too?!"
"I-I haven't really had a chance to read it actually, but my friend, he loves it a lot. He told me something about getting all 45 stamps and-"
"He was the grand prize winner for the deluxe figurine set?!"
"Y-yes..?"
"Wow," Chiaki beams, "I have to meet him. We can do exchanges! Does he have a phone number? What's his name?!"
"M-Misaki..." 'They could be brothers...' Ritsu thought, startled by the enthusiasm for the manga.
"Who are you?" He turns to see Masamune at his side, frowning at Chiaki. A little afraid and shy, Chiaki let go of Ritsu's hands.
"Y-yoshino Chiaki..." he answers, begging Ritsu with his eyes to continue for him.
"His boss left him here to pick up someone from the airport. H-he can come with us for a while, can he?" he asks Masamune, faltering under the look he was given that read, 'What about our alone time?'
"Yes, he can," Masamune reluctantly says, grabbing one of Ritsu's hands to pull him close. With that, they resume their trip to the jewelry store.
...
"Do you want it engraved now? It takes about two days." Ritsu glances from the jeweler to his hand, feeling the silver around his finger. He looks to Masamune, who nods, and reluctantly, he handed back the ring.
"What do you want to put on it, sir?"
Masamune was going to answer but instead grabbed one of the cards on the display table and wrote on it before handing it to the man. "Two days, right?"
"Yes sir..." The man trails off, reading what was written. With a poorly concealed grin he went off to put in the order.
Scoffing, Masamune glared a little; he was pretty sure that this was the guy from last time, just promoted. When he looked down at Ritsu his gaze softened, seeing that Ritsu was glaring off at the man too.
"What did you guys write?" asks Chiaki, holding a sketchbook with one hand and sketching hands and rings with the other. "Your initials or...?"
Not quite answering him with the actual quote, Masamune simply answers with, "We're each other's first love."
"Eeh, that's so cute!" Chiaki says, smiling. He made a note of it before saying. "My boss and his secretary are like that too!"
Hearing a knock on the window they look to see said boss gesturing him to hurry into the car, and Chiaki nods. With a wave to Ritsu he hurried out. "I hope we meet again!"
This was the morning to afternoon! I'll finish evening and night later! Sorry for the lack of updates!
I have a speech to finish and a rogerian essay to type -_-
QUESTION: What month and day should their wedding be in? I haven't quite decided yet...
Chiaki might just be an important witness for this case, though, you wouldn't really see that in here because Ritsu and Masamune aren't completely involved with Takafumi's profession. Yet. Maybe.