Prompt: Future/Post Confession (2021)
Onodera Ritsu was being weird, which could only mean one thing: something was wrong and he wasn't talking to Masamune about it.
Masamune had really hoped that things would go smoother after Ritsu confessed, but that was foolish. Masamune was so, undeniably happy, but they weren't perfect people. Both of them still had things to work on, separately and together. One of those things was more readily relying on one another. So, Masamune was determined to find out what was wrong.
Ritsu just seemed a lot more...spacey than usual. And anxious. And maybe a little gloomy? Masamune couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew that he didn't like it.
Currently, Ritsu was over at Masamune's apartment, helping to clean up the dishes as the two of them had just finished dinner. Ritsu was at Masamune's place quite frequently and Masamune always brought up the idea of moving in together, but Ritsu hadn't quite come around to it yet, mostly because he knew for a fact that it would affect any work the two of them brought home. Masamune got...distracted easily and Ritsu tended to get swept away. So, for now Ritsu was content with a lot of sleepovers.
Once they finished cleaning, Masamune led Ritsu into the living room by his hand. He sat down unceremoniously on the couch before pulling Ritsu down with him and on to his lap, making Ritsu's face burn red.
I kind of hope he never gets used to this, Masamune thought, loving the sight of Ritsu's adorably embarrassed expression.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ritsu asked, trying to sound scolding, but he only succeeded in sounding nervous.
Masamune wrapped his arms around Ritsu's waist. "I just want to talk and I figured if I have you like this you won't be able to run away." Like how you love to do.
Ritsu couldn't even argue against that logic, but he made a displeased face anyway. "Fine. What is it?"
"Is everything okay with you?" Masamune asked.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." Ritsu said dismissively.
"You just seem like you've had something on your mind lately." Masamune said. "Making me worried."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you." Ritsu apologized immediately.
"Don't say sorry, there's nothing to be sorry for, I just wanna know if there's something going on." Masamune said, trying to sound reassuring.
Ritsu chewed on his lower lip nervously before he spoke again. "I guess I have been thinking a bit..." He started vaguely.
"What about?" Masamune pressed gently.
"Well, my mom's gotten off my back about An-chan, but not about settling down. She's been trying to set up matchmaking sessions, introducing me to daughters of friends of hers whenever I visit, sending me info about singles events." Ritsu tried not to cringe at the thought of going to one of those. "And I just...I think maybe it's time I tell my parents about you. About us." Ritsu said. "I mean, I know we only started officially d-dating not too long ago, but I feel like we're both kind of in this for the long haul." He laughed nervously. They've both been in this for the past ten years, after all. It was hardly too soon to let his parents be in the know. "So, um, it seems only right to tell them..."
"If you want to tell them then you should." Masamune said.
"You make things sound so simple." Ritsu sighed. "It could go really, really wrong, you know?"
"I know. But the other option is keeping it a secret forever. Which, you can if you want, but it might be difficult to eventually explain to your parents when they visit why you have a long-term male roommate and you both wear matching wedding rings and share a room and take care of a little girl who calls both of you dad."
Ritsu's face flushed at Masamune projection of their future together, his heartbeat picking up in pace. "You want to have a daughter?"
"Someday, I think it'd be nice. But we're not even past the step of me meeting your parents, so I don't think they're going to get grandchildren anytime soon." Masamune planted a quick kiss on Ritsu's shoulder.
"W-Wait, meeting?! I was just going to tell them, I didn't plan on having you meet them yet!" Ritsu said quickly.
"Ritsu, this is your mom we're talking about. If you tell her I exist she will track me down and interrogate the hell out of me whether you want her to or not." Masamune deadpanned.
Ritsu groaned and slumped against Masamume, knowing that he was right. "Maybe I should just test the waters first? It doesn't seem fair to throw all of us in at once."
Masamune hesitated to agree, subconsciously playing with Ritsu's hair. "I want to be there." He said firmly. "I understand you're worried, but like you said, things could go wrong and I want to be there for you if they do."
"You're only one door away." Ritsu said.
"Too far." Masamune insisted, pressing a kiss to Ritsu's forehead.
Ritsu rolled his eyes, trying hard not to smile. "You're absolutely ridiculous."
"Mhm. Besides, I can't charm the hell out of your parents if I'm busy next door worrying about you."
"Oh, is that your plan? To be all cool and suave until they can't possibly reject our relationship?" Ritsu asked sarcastically.
"Yes, exactly."
Ritsu shook his head before he refocused and took a deep breath. "How's this weekend?"
"I can do this weekend." Masamune said.
"I'll invite them to my place for dinner and hopefully it will be totally boring and uneventful and they won't care about us being together at all."
"Yeah, the woman who has hounded you about marriage for over ten years is going to not care about you being in a romantic relationship." Masamune said sarcastically.
Ritsu groaned loudly.
Masamune chuckled. "What about your dad? How do you think he'll react?"
"No idea, which is honestly worse."
"We'll handle it." Masamune promised and sealed it with a kiss.
"I can't do this, I think I should call them and cancel, tell them I'm sick." Ritsu said as he and Masamune cooked dinner together. Technically it wouldn't be a lie since Ritsu was feeling pretty nauseous.
Ritsu had spent all day yesterday making sure his apartment was spotless and then earlier today he and Masamune had gone grocery shopping together since Ritsu's options for dinner had been a little slim.
"Oh, yeah, tell your mom that you're sick, I'm sure that will make her stay away instead of making her want to come over more." Masamune said sarcastically.
"You're no help."
"I thought I was being a lot of help, unless you wanna cut the onions." Masamune said, not looking up from the cutting board where he was working on the veggies.
Ritsu huffed and turned away to sit at the kitchen table, putting his head in his hands. He couldn't do this, he was such an idiot for ever thinking that he could. Introducing his parents to Masamune? He had never even mentioned liking men to them! And now suddenly he was going to announce that he had a boyfriend! There was only one way this could go: badly.
"Hey," Masamune said softly, abandoning his cutting station to sit next to him. "Its gonna be okay."
"You don't know that."
"I know, and honestly I'm kind of freaking out too. I don't think there's anything that could prepare me for meeting your parents. I want them to like me, I want them to think I'm a good fit for you because I know they're always going to be a big part of your life. Even if they can be a little overbearing, they love you, and it would kind of really suck if the people who loved you the most hated me." Masamune said. "But, either way I know that no matter what happens we'll still be together and for me that's enough." Masamune placed a comforting hand on Ritsu's knee.
"Even if my mom spends every single family gathering trying to drive you away? Even if she keeps trying to set me up on blind dates? Or, worse, tries to convince my dad to mess with your work?"
"Ritsu, the only thing your mom could do to keep me away from you is put out a hit on me."
"Don't joke about that."
"Oh come on, your parents don't have that many connections." Masamune said. "...right?"
"I really couldn't tell you."
"Jesus Christ." Masamune said, breathing through a laugh. "Look, the point is; we're gonna be okay."
Ritsu placed his hand on top of Masamune's and gave it a squeeze as he slowly nodded. "Okay...okay." He said. "Let's hurry and finish dinner then. My mom likes to get places early."
Masamune smiled softly and stole a swift kiss before happily helping Ritsu in the kitchen once more.
Eventually, there came a knock at the door. "I'll keep an eye on the food while you go get it." Masamune said. Dinner was just nearly done.
Ritsu swallowed hard and nodded, turning to leave the kitchen.
"Wait." Masamune grabbed his hand and kissed him quickly. "For good luck." He winked.
"Y-You're such an idiot." Ritsu scolded before quickly going to the front door and opening it.
Youko and Tatsuo Onodera stood side by side at Ritsu's door. Youko broke out into a smile and threw her arms around Ritsu before anyone could get a word out.
"H-Hi, mom." Ritsu smiled nervously as he hugged her back. "Hi, dad." He said to Tatsuo over Youko's shoulder as he was still being tightly squeezed.
"You feel skinny." Youko said as soon as she pulled away, pouting at her son. Ritsu was not surprised to be scolded instead of greeted, but he knew his mother meant well.
"Well, its a good thing I've invited you over to eat then. Come in." Ritsu said with a sheepish expression, attempting to play it off.
"It smells good." Tatsuo said.
"Ritsu, don't tell me you've left the food unattended for long." Youko said worriedly as they shuffled toward the kitchen.
"No." Ritsu's hands started to shake. "The foods being watched. Right now. B-by my b-boyfriend."
""Boyfriend?!"" Both Youko and Tatsuo exclaimed.
"How long has this been a thing?" Tatsuo asked.
"Oh...ten years or so..."
"Ten YEARS?!" Youko had heard enough, marching into the kitchen with her husband and son following not far behind.
"M-Mom, wait, maybe we should talk a little more-"
"You." Youko pointed accusingly at Masamune. "Are you my son's so called partner?"
"I am. My name is Takano Masamune, it's nice to-"
"Takano? I'm not familiar with that name. What's your family background?" Youko interrupted.
Masamune blinked, glancing between Ritsu and his parents, a little confused by the question. "Uh, my mother is a lawyer and my step father is a doctor, but I'm not on speaking terms with either of them."
"A boy with a troubled family history? Hardly seems like a good choice for a partner." Youko commented to Ritsu.
"Mother! That's incredibly rude!" Ritsu defended Masamune immediately. What was she even going on about?
"What do you do for a living?" Youko asked Masamune.
Masamune played along with her questions as he didn't know what else to do. "I'm the editor in chief for Marukawa Publishing's shoujo manga department: Emerald."
"Emerald? Onodera Ritsu, do you mean to tell me that you are dating your boss?" Youko said, putting her hands on her hips.
"I've heard about the great things you've done for Emerald, Takano." Tatsuo admitted. "But it does seem to be a conflict of interest to be dating a subordinate."
"I've been in love with him since I was twelve! Way before he ever became my boss!" Ritsu said quickly before a realization dawned on him. "Wait...these are the things you're upset about? His family and his job?"
"They're very important things to consider when picking a partner, Ritsu." Youko said. "You know, if you had told me that you were rejecting all those lovely girls because they were girls I could have been setting you up with perfectly charming and handsome men!" Youko pouted.
Ritsu wanted to laugh. And cry. And hug his mom and kiss Masamune and melt into the floor in total relief.
"I'm sorry, but I'll have to object to any matchmaking sessions." Masamune jumped in.
Youko frowned sternly at him. "Just what exactly makes you worthy of my one and only son?"
"I know I'm not the kind of person that you would normally want for Ritsu, but I love him. I've loved him for over ten years and there's nothing that could ever stop me from loving him. I will always, always take care of him and make him happy and if there ever comes a day that I don't then please feel free to come back and snatch him away from me because just like you I think Ritsu only deserves the best. I will always be loyal, reliable, and honest with him. And, if you'd still like to join us for dinner, I can show you that I'm not completely useless around a kitchen."
Youko did not move, nor did her disapproving expression melt away, but Tatsuo stepped forward to put a hand on his wife's shoulder.
"So, ten years huh? That's a long time. Why don't you tell us how this all started?" He smiled as he ushered his wife to sit down.
Ritsu beamed, tearing up a bit.
"Well, I was in our school's library..."
