"Are you feeling better today?" An asked, pressing a hand against Ritsu's forehead. "Your mother told me you weren't feeling well yesterday." She added with a frown. "Are you not taking care of yourself?"
"I'm fine." Ritsu assured her, leaning away from her touch. "I just didn't sleep well the other night. Blame it on jet lag." He did his best to smile, not wanting An to worry anymore.
Ritsu had woken up this morning only to be greeted by An when he came downstairs. Apparently his mother had invited her over without his knowledge. So, he came down still in his pajamas and his hair a mess. It wasn't extremely embarrassing, considering An was such an old friend, but it also would have been nice to have a little bit of a heads up! But, of course, he would bite his tongue and not complain about his mother. He was used to doing so.
Now, the two of them were standing in his living room, An looking put together and cute as usual and Ritsu having just literally rolled out of bed.
"I thought it would be nice if we could go out for breakfast." An said with a smile after fussing over Ritsu and scolding him about his health for a few more moments. Ritsu nodded in agreement after a brief pause of consideration.
"Sure, I'll get ready really fast." Ritsu said.
"Take your time, I'm in no rush." An replied, still smiling wide.
Ritsu returned the expression with his own slightly awkward, but still genuine smile before going back upstairs. He grabbed some clean clothes and a towel, taking them into the bathroom with him and hopping into the shower after stripping off his pajamas.
He took a breath once he was under the warm running stream of water, feeling like he finally had a moment to pause after his eventful day yesterday and now being surprised with An's visit.
After he and Saga-Takano, he'd have to get used to that-agreed to try to be friends, he had spent a good amount of time in his apartment. It had surprisingly been kind of...fun? Using that word to describe it made Ritsu really irritated, but he couldn't deny that he had at least somewhat of a good time. Ritsu still felt awkward and anxious about the whole thing, but at the same time the brunette was used to feeling like that. For Takano, however, it had seemed easy for him to hold a conversation, as if there wasn't anything unusual about their reunion. Ritsu supposed he had always been like that though; calm and collected. It was certainly what Ritsu was more used to than the drunk, emotional Takano he had run into.
Despite the strangeness of the situation, they were able to catch up at least a little bit during their chat, though certain subjects were still too painful for either to talk about. Ritsu even found himself laughing every so often while they talked and Takano, although still rather stoic for the most part and a little hard to read, wasn't as quiet as he used to be. Ritsu had actually managed to get a few small smiles out of him too and he would not admit that it made him feel a little bit of pride.
Ritsu pulled himself out of his thoughts as he remembered An was waiting for him and sped things up a bit, getting ready quickly and going back downstairs, his hair still a little damp.
An smiled and stood from the couch she had been sitting on. "Ready to go?"
Ritsu nodded in response. "Sorry for the wait." He said.
"No need to apologize." An assured, sweet and understanding as usual.
The two then left, An hugging Ritsu's arm and Ritsu thinking nothing of it.
Are you busy today?
Ritsu was surprised that Takano had texted him so soon, but he supposed it wasn't that odd considering Ritsu was only visiting and wouldn't be in Japan for too long.
I'm having breakfast with a friend right now, I'll let you know if I'm free later. Ritsu replied a little nervously, hoping the text couldn't be misinterpreted or read as hostile in anyway. He always worried about these things too much. It was probably bad for his health.
"Texting at the table is rude." An pouted, her voice holding no real anger, but she didn't seem to approve.
"Sorry, sorry." Ritsu apologized quickly and set his phone aside.
"So, tell me more about England." An said, sipping her drink. Ritsu had told her about his classes and extracurriculars, but nothing really fun in her opinion. Surely Ritsu did more than just study while he was overseas.
"Er...um..." Ritsu pushed around the food on his plate with a fork for a moment. "I haven't told you much about Nao, have I?"
"Just that you roomed with him your first year there. Are you still rooming with him?" She asked.
Ritsu nodded and went into some stories he had about him and Nao getting into trouble over the years, which An found much more interesting than talking about grades and finals, even if she found it a little difficult to imagine Ritsu getting into trouble.
"What about you? How are things on your end over here?" Ritsu asked after finishing a story about him and Nao sneaking out once after curfew to go see some midnight showing of a horror film and nearly getting caught on their way back.
"Nothing new or exciting. Just waiting for the year to be over." She admitted with a soft laugh.
The two went into a conversation about their plans after graduation, regardless of whether or not those plans were solidified yet.
However, Ritsu couldn't help but to be slightly distracted after noticing his phone buzz.
Ritsu and An parted ways after spending a while talking over breakfast, planning on meeting up again in a few days before Ritsu had to leave.
Ritsu had decided to go to a nearby local bookstore, one of his old favorite places to go when he still studied in Japan. He was very happy to see it was still in business. He browsed the bookshelves and between looking at the different titles he took out his phone to read his latest text from Takano.
Okay was all it said, not that Ritsu should have expected more of a response. Still, he almost frowned and felt something akin to disappointment at the lack of a message, but refused to acknowledge that. Besides, he didn't have much time to wallow in any self-pity.
"You don't look like you're having breakfast to me."
Ritsu turned toward the familiar voice, coming face to face with a slightly playful smirk.
"I was just about to text you back." Ritsu said quickly as he held his phone up for proof, as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't be.
"Sure you were." Takano joked, but it was a little difficult to tell.
"I was! I just finished breakfast not that long ago and came in here." Ritsu huffed softly, crossing his arms. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Is it illegal for me to go book shopping?"
"Well, no, but-"
"Just consider it a happy coincidence that we're both here."
"A coincidence, sure, but calling it happy might be stretch."
"You wound me." And yet, Takano was smiling ever so slightly. They both knew there was no real malice behind Ritsu's words.
Ritsu turned his attention back to the many bookshelves in response to Takano's sarcasm, but it was difficult to actually focus on the different options in front of him with Takano now by his side. Still, he managed to look at a few titles and flip through some of the pages.
"I forgot to ask you last night, but when are you going back to England?" Takano asked. He hated the thought of Ritsu being in a completely different country, but at least Ritsu would no longer be some strange missing part of his life. No longer did he have to wonder where Ritsu was, if he was okay, if he was happy, if he remembered him or ever thought of him.
Ritsu paused for a moment, scanning his brain for dates and times and flights. "In...four days?" He said. "Yeah, yeah, four days." He repeated, much more firmly with a nod. He put one book back on the shelf and grabbed another.
"And when are you coming back?" Takano asked.
"Not till after I graduate." Ritsu said as he read the back of the novel. "But, that's not too long from now." He said, it currently being Spring and the graduation ceremony being basically right around the corner.
"What are your plans for after graduation?"
"Well, I've already committed to a university here in Japan, so I'll be coming back here." Ritsu sighed, starting to feel his stress rise just from thinking about his future. "My friend Nao kept trying to convince me to stay in England, though." He said with a soft laugh. "But that obviously didn't work."
Good, Masamune couldn't help thinking. Although, obviously this Nao person didn't have any ill intentions with trying to sway Ritsu to remain in England, just wanting to stay near his friend, it still made Masamune not like Nao very much.
"I wish I could have just stayed there for spring break instead of having to come here, go back to finish out the school year and then come back again, but my mother insisted that I come home." Ritsu added.
"Well, I'm glad you came back." Masamune said. "I wouldn't have run into you if you hadn't." He relished in the blush that bloomed across Ritsu's face, the brunette quickly looking away from him. Masamune was glad it was still easy to fluster Ritsu because damn it, it was so cute. He couldn't believe that Ritsu was so surprised that Masmaune was still in love with him. How could Masamune not be in love with him when he acted like this?
"A-Anyways, I think I'm gonna get this book." Ritsu said to change the subject, quickly going over to the counter to speak with the cashier. Masamune trailed behind him, waiting for him to check out with his purchase. Although Masamune had originally planned to look at the books and potentially get one, there was something (someone) else that he was much more interested in now.
The cashier accepted the money and gave Ritsu his change, putting the book in a bag before handing that to him as well. Ritsu thanked the cashier before turning to face Masamune who was still patiently waiting. "Um, do you maybe wanna go somewhere together?" He asked hesitantly, as if worried Masamune would reject the offer.
"Yeah, that's kind of why I texted you earlier asking if you were free." Masamune reminded him with an amused smirk. "Where to?" He asked.
Ritsu paused, thinking of where he and Masamune could go. "You still like cats, right?"
"I'm going to be honest, this was probably about the last place I expected you to bring me." Masamune said, though he seemed very content with the gray cat that was currently sniffing his hand curiously.
Ritsu was sipping a coffee despite having had one not that long ago at breakfast. He would feel weird coming here and not ordering anything, after all. Ritsu had always been interested in coming to a cat café, but he wasn't really very good with animals and they usually didn't like him.
"Well, I thought you'd like it. And I've always been curious about this kind of place." Ritsu shrugged. "I remember you had a cat...back then, so I thought maybe it'd be a good idea to come with someone who was good with cats."
"You remember Sorata?" Masamune asked, now stroking the cat head. The cat purred contently, leaning into his touch.
Ritsu smiled a little and nodded. "Yes, he was so small! Do you still have him?" He asked, a calico cat staring him down and slowly stalking toward him, curious but cautious.
"No." Masamune said, a frown tugging at the corner of his mouth. "My friend has him. So this is really nice." He admitted, the hint of the frown disappearing as he scratched under the gray cat's chin. Masamune nodded toward the calico cat that was looking at Ritsu with big eyes and blown pupils. "I think someone wants your attention."
"I...ah...I like animals but I'm honestly not very good with them." Ritsu said.
"Just hold your hand out to her, slowly. Let her decide whether or not she wants to come closer." Masamune told him.
Ritsu hesitated before following the advice, moving slowly as he extended a hand to the cat, not wanting to startle her. She wiggled for a moment before smelling Ritsu's hand and then rubbing her cheek against it.
"Um...what do I do now?" Ritsu barely spoke above a whisper so he didn't scare her.
Masamune snorted, amused and endeared by the question. "Pet her, idiot." He said, watching as the gray cat sauntered off after deciding she was done being pet.
Ritsu continued to rub her cheek gently, letting the cat move her head around to change where Ritsu was petting, rubbing her chin and head as well. He couldn't help but to smile brightly at how cute she was.
"See? She just wants some attention." Masamune said, picking up his own coffee and taking a sip.
"She's purring!" Ritsu couldn't help his excited tone.
Masamune smiled softly, watching as Ritsu enthusiastically showered the calico in attention. It was an adorable sight. He set his coffee down, getting out his phone and hoping that Ritsu was distracted enough by the cat to not notice Masamune sneak a picture of the two of them. He couldn't resist the temptation of having this moment forever.
Luckily, it seemed Ritsu was occupied enough to not realize Masamune had snapped a photo. However, Ritsu pulled his hand away after the cat nipped him.
"Ow." he complained, though it hadn't really hurt, hadn't even left a mark on his hand. "See? Animals just don't like me." Ritsu pouted, discouraged by the sudden change.
"If she really didn't like you, she would've tried to actually hurt you, probably would've been hissing too. Sometimes cats just nip when they're overstimulated and don't want to be pet anymore." Masamune explained. "Doesn't mean she doesn't like you. She's just letting you know she's done."
"Oh." Ritsu said, looking back at the cat who was still sitting next to him, not ready to leave his side yet even if she no longer wanted to be pet.
"Most people expect cats to act like dogs, so they don't really understand their behavior and assume they're mean." Masamune said.
Ritsu nodded in understanding. He himself was probably guilty of this, whether or not that be subconsciously. "Well, I'm just glad she doesn't seem to hate me." He said, admiring the cat's beautiful markings on her fur.
"I don't think it's possible for anything to hate you." Masamune said. It may have come off as flattery, but he was being genuine. Even in the past during his darkest, angriest and most hurt moments he could not bring himself to hate Ritsu.
Ritsu just rolled his eyes, trying to cover up how embarrassed the comment made him.
The two of them continued to sip their coffee and give attention to any cats that approached them, Masamune feeling giddy from both the animals and Ritsu's company. He knew they were just here as friends, but damn it if it didn't feel like a date.
Just friends, just friends, just friends, just friends
He repeated the mantra in his head over and over again. Of course, Masamune intended to woo Ritsu and develop their relationship further, but he couldn't risk doing anything rash right now that may scare Ritsu away. Especially not since they had only officially been friends for one day now. Masamune was going to do better. He had to do better.
"Thanks for bringing me here. We should come here again when you come back from England for good." Masamune said.
Ritsu smiled and nodded. "I'd like that."
"In the meantime, though, are you free tomorrow?" Masamune asked.
"Tomorrow?" Ritsu echoed.
"Yeah."
"Y-You've seen me like three days in a row now, you want to see me again?"
"Do you not want to?" Masamune asked, his mouth twitching into a frown.
"I-I didn't say that!" Ritsu quickly denied, not wanting to offend him. "I just...I'm surprised I guess."
"I want to see you as much as I can before you leave again." Masamune shrugged, not thinking that was so crazy. "So, are you free?"
"I...y-yes, I should be." Ritsu said with a nod.
"Let's meet up then." Masamune said.
The two discussed where and what time they would get together, Ritsu feeling something both ache and grow warm in his chest as he looked at Masamune's happy expression.
He never used to smile like that, Ritsu thought to himself.
I want to see him smile more, Ritsu pretended that thought didn't exist.