"So, there's a few things we should probably talk about." Masamune said, sitting on the couch beside Ritsu. Ritsu was already quite rigid and unable to relax, but Masamune being in such close proximity definitely didn't help. Breakfast had been quiet and tense after last night's...events. This was mostly due to Ritsu's own anxieties as Masamune seemed to have no problem pretending as though everything was perfectly normal.
"Right." Ritsu managed, avoiding eye contact at all costs and trying to subtley press himself against the side of the couch to keep as much distance as he could between Masamune and himself.
"Like my feelings for you and your potential feelings for-"
"I think there are more pressing matters at hand right now, Takano-san. Two of them, in fact. Probably camping outside your store waiting for it to open up Monday morning." Ritsu interrupted, not prepared in any capacity to delve into that topic.
"Right." Masamune echoed Ritsu's earlier shortness. "I suppose that is probably the more important issue." He reluctantly admitted. "So, you're not willing to have a conversation with either of them. That is still off the table entirely?"
Ritsu grimaced a bit. "I..." He hesitated, wanting to flat out say no to the suggestion again. "I don't want to say it's completely impossible. But it should be a last resort. A last, last resort. In fact, just think of the probability of that happening being so low that it's ridiculous to waste time and energy toward that idea."
Masamune breathed through his nose - Ritsu being unable to distinguish if the noise was meant to be a laugh or a scoff. "Alright. Can you answer me something honestly?"
"...Yes?"
"That was not very convincing."
"Just tell me what it is." Ritsu snipped.
"Do you genuinely think they're dangerous?" Masamune asked. Ritsu had mentioned before that he wasn't sure what An and Nao would do if they got the chance to see him. Ritsu had also risked his own safety by trying to escape through the window to get away from them and Ritsu had even made Masamune promise that if he got hurt then he would accept that whatever tentative relationship they had formed would be over. Masamune thought Ritsu's reluctance to speak with them was mostly coming from a place of emotional suffering, but perhaps Masamune had been underestimating the potential threat.
"I don't know. It's a little scary, isn't it? That they've tracked me down and followed me. Especially after I told Nao not to." Ritsu answered after a beat.
"He knew you planned to leave?"
"He ended up catching me the night I was running away." Ritsu said. "He begged me to stay, but that was all. He didn't try to physically stop me, didn't go wake up my mother or father, didn't try to chase me down right away or anything like that." He explained.
"I wonder what made him change his mind." Masamune said. "He's seems like he's the more...impatient of the two of them." He added, 'impatient' sounding like a much worse insult with how he said it. "It's weird that he'd just let you go."
Ritsu shrugged. "I guess he ended up regretting it? Or maybe in that moment he was compelled to 'give me what I want', you know?" Ritsu said with a humorless laugh. "I don't know. All that really matters is that he's here now and I don't think either he or An are going to end up leaving any time soon."
"You don't think if you hide out here long enough they'll give up? What if I lie and tell them you snuck out and ditched town?" Masamune asked.
"You could try that." Ritsu said. "I doubt they'll believe you, but it's worth a shot. Either way, I'm not going to be locked up in this place for more than a month, I might go crazy if I do that."
"What? You don't like it here?" Masamune asked, attempting to lighten the mood a bit by teasing Ritsu.
"I just hate feeling like I'm imposing." Ritsu threw out a generic excuse, not wanting to admit that being in such close proximity to Masamune for an extended amount of time was bound to make him say or do something embarrassing.
Masamune rolled his eyes. "You're not imposing. Idiot. Honestly, if you wanted to stay here forever, you could."
"While I appreciate the very generous offer, Takano-san," Ritsu started, his sarcastic tone indicating that he did not appreciate it at all, "I still don't want to be trapped in one place for that long. Even cursed people like to go take walks outside from time to time."
"I guess that's fair." Masamune sighed, sounding way too disappointed about Ritsu not staying in his home for the rest of their natural lives.
"So, let's come up with a couple other ideas in case they don't buy the 'Ritsu skipped town' story. You know, I still think the window is an option. You could even help me out of it." Ritsu suggested, looking toward said window. The sun was now high in the sky, filling the living space with warm light.
"No."
"It's not even that high up!" Ritsu said. "And it would be much safer than my original attempt. We could get a rope or something and we could-"
"I'm not helping you escape through my second story window." Masamune reiterated. "Besides, what happens if you touch the ground and they spot you? Are you just gonna make a run for it?"
"Yes."
Masamune sighed in frustration. "And then they would follow you to the room you're renting and you'll be stuck in there. Besides, let's say they don't spot you. Then what? You go back to your room and hide out for a few months? You'd probably go even crazier there instead of here because you'd be isolated." He pointed out. "Or will you walk around town in some ridiculous disguise until they leave?"
"Do you think we could do that? Make a disguise?" Ritsu asked.
"That was a joke."
"I'm being serious." Ritsu said. "Why not get a disguise? I'd still have to avoid working here for the time being because the whole thing would fall apart if they came in and got too close to me, but maybe I could sneak out of here disguised. I'm sure they'll come back to the bookstore come Monday, so maybe you can distract them and I can slip out while you do."
"And then what?" Masamune asked.
"Well, I can go back to my room and... try to live my life in some kind of normal way?" Ritsu cringed a bit, hating to have such a loose plan with an unclear goal, but he knew he couldn't sit around on Masamune's couch and wait forever.
"And that 'normal way' would include being in disguise every day and avoiding the bookshop. And me. Because there's no way those two will leave me alone while they're here."
"Well...yes...I guess so." Ritsu said, a bit quieter now.
"For an indefinite amount of time. Not knowing when we'll be able to safely talk again." Masamune continued. This plan was beginning to sound worse and worse to him.
"Maybe after I leave you can prove to them that I'm really not here anymore." Ritsu suggested. "I know having strangers in your home probably isn't your first choice, but if they see I'm not here then maybe they'll leave quickly. You can tell them I went somewhere - anywhere - the next ten towns over even. They'd probably try to follow me."
"And what if they don't?" Masamune asked. "They could always not believe me and continue to spy on me - waiting for me to slip up and lead them to you. I don't want to be in a situation where I don't know when I'll see you again."
"They would give up eventually." Ritsu insisted. "They'd have to. It would be mad for them to stay any longer than a couple weeks if they see that I'm not here."
"And what will you do if they run into you while you're in disguise and they recognize you?"
"What I do best: run away." Ritsu said with a rueful smile.
"What? To the next town?" Masamune asked, sitting up a little straighter, unable to hide the alarm that spread across his face.
"No. I already told you I wouldn't do that. I...I'll run back here, okay?" Ritsu offered, hoping to make Masamune the tiniest bit less anxious about the situation unfolding. "And we'll regroup and figure something else out. Remember, I've gotten out of worse situations." He said with a soft smile.
"I hate it when you say those kinds of things. It makes me worry about you more." Masamune sighed, closing the amount of space between him and Ritsu on the couch and leaning his body weight on to the smaller man, his head flopping on to Ritsu's shoulder.
Ritsu felt his entire being heat up from head to toe. "Takano-san, what are you doing?"
"I'm sulking."
Ritsu's embarrassment was replaced by irritation. "And why would you be doing something like that? Shouldn't I be the one sulking?"
The man I love is going to leave me and I don't know when I'll see him next. I think I have plenty of good reason to sulk, Masamune thought and selfishly wanted to say, but Ritsu already had so much on his plate and Masamune suspected that bringing up his feelings right now would only make things worse.
"I'm going to miss you." Masamune said instead.
"D-Don't be ridiculous. I'm sure they won't stick around for that long once they realize I've left. You won't even notice I'm gone." Ritsu said, grateful for the fact that Masamune wasn't looking at him right now lest he see the way his cheeks were burning bright pink. The space between the two of them already felt nonexistent, but Masamune's words somehow made it feel even smaller. "I-I'll still be hiding out here the whole weekend. Who knows, they might end up leaving on their own before Monday." Ritsu said in an attempt to be reassuring. He sincerely doubted that would happen, but he could hope, couldn't he?
"I suppose. I'll have to give you some keys to get in, in case you have to come back here and everything is locked. In the meantime I guess we should work on putting a disguise together, huh?" Masamune said, not moving from his spot despite Ritsu's silent wishing that he would. "At least, something good enough to get you out the door relatively unnoticed while I talk to the two of them. Most of my things might be too big on you..." Though, the thought of seeing Ritsu in his clothes was a very pleasing one. Perhaps that was something they could revisit in the future when the situation was not so strange.
"Maybe big is good? Some large hooded cloak of some kind. I shouldn't need an elaborate disguise. I really don't think either of us would be able to make that work anyway. I just have to slip out quietly and quickly and then lay as low as possible." Ritsu forced his mind to shift to planning, not wanting to focus on the way some of Masamune's hair was brushing against his neck.
"Don't you think that'd draw more attention to you? A quiet, strange, hooded figure skulking around."
"In the few times I have experienced being a hooded figure, I find most people leave you alone - unless you're in a place of business and they suspect you of stealing."
"Which, you were technically stealing every time you entered a place of business." Masamune pointed out, just wanting to push a couple of Ritsu's buttons for fun. They were being too serious for too long in Masamune's irrefutable opinion.
"I have never stolen anything." Ritsu said, a scowl forming on his face. "People giving me things is much different than stealing."
Masamune snorted a bit in amusement. "Sure, keep telling yourself that. Whatever makes it easier to sleep at night." He said, tempted to wrap his arms around Ritsu properly and snuggle, but he didn't want to risk getting completely shoved off of him and losing the small amount of cuddle privileges he currently had. "Ah, speaking of people - how are you going to lay low when most of this town is in love with you already?" Masamune pointed out.
"Oh...right..." Ritsu murmured. "I hadn't considered that."
"Don't you think that others might tell An and Nao where you are? They might not mean anything by it, but still. That's how they found out you were at the bookstore; people opening their big mouths." Masamune said. "Plus, people might draw a lot of attention to you after you've been missing. Customers have been asking about where you are. If you suddenly reappear, even in your very clever, very original, very good cloak disguise, people are bound to notice and make some kind of a fuss."
Ritsu let out a loud sigh, knowing that Masamune had a point. "I have to try, at the very least." He said. "And if I have to, I'll run back here, like I said." He added.
"I don't know, doesn't feel right." Masamune murmured. Especially since I won't be with you to help.
"It'll work out." Ritsu said. It had to work out. The only other option was skipping town and Masamune had made it clear he was rather adverse to Ritsu doing that - and Ritsu had also admitted out loud that he had zero desire to leave, so Masamune definitely wouldn't let him get away that easily.
"Let's say An and Nao never leave. What then?" Masamune asked.
"They will leave, they'll have to leave eventually."
"Just humor me. What will you do if they don't?" He reiterated.
Ritsu took a deep, shaky breath. "Let's give it a month, okay? And if they still don't leave after that then...then I will try to talk to one of them - one of them." He emphasized. "Preferably here, if that's okay with you, to avoid a scene in public. If it's here they won't find out where my room is and you can watch over the situation."
"That's fine. Which one would you want to talk to?" Masamune asked.
Ritsu groaned, hating to think about even a single part of this situation in depth. Making decisions about speaking with An and Nao acknowledged that it was a real possibility, which frightened him. "I don't know. I don't know!" He admitted, getting a bit frustrated with himself. "I don't know who would be worse."
"Don't get all doom and gloom right away, Ritsu." Masamune said, taking one of his hands and holding it reassuringly. Ritsu flinched a bit, but he didn't immediately snatch his hand away, which Masamune considered a win. "It could go well. Or - at the very least - go better than you're imagining."
"Or worse."
Masamune smirked a bit in amusement at the dramatics, even though Ritsu probably wasn't joking. "Or worse." He echoed. "But I'll be right here, okay? You're not facing this alone. I've got your back." He assured.
Ritsu grew quiet, letting Masamune's words sink in. Ritsu was quite used to relying on others these days (years) for food, shelter, clothes, etc. but this offer to share Ritsu's burden felt overwhelmingly different coming from Masamune.
Don't think about it, Ritsu told himself. He could not allow himself to start untangling his own feelings - and Masamune's feelings! (Masamune had feelings! Feelings that - allegedly - weren't do to the damned spell!) He just didn't have the time or energy to deal with all of that right now, not with An and Nao breathing down his neck.
"Thank you." Ritsu said softly. "If it ends up getting to the point where I need to speak to one of them, I guess I'll talk to An first." He decided. "But, I still firmly believe they will give up on their own once they see for themselves that I'm not here."
"I'll still miss you," Masamune sighed, "even if they only stick around for a couple days after you're gone. You spoiled me, you know? Taking care of all the customer service so easily."
Ritsu scoffed. "You said you handled it before I came here and that you could do it again."
"Well, yeah, I can, but that doesn't mean I want to." Masamune said, making Ritsu roll his eyes.
"You'll live."
"That's not the only reason why I'll miss you." Masamune gently squeezed the hand he was still holding.
Ritsu swallowed hard and started to wonder at what point had it started to feel natural for Masamune to hold on to it. Had they been holding hands for too long now? Should Ritsu pull away? Or stand up from the couch entirely and put a proper amount of space between them? Ritsu really had been allowing Masamune to get away with too much up until this point. They hadn't had any kind of conversation about the changing dynamic in their relationship - and while that was Ritsu's own fault it also meant getting close like this was entirely inappropriate!
"Will you miss me?" Masamune asked, finally lifting his head off of Ritsu's shoulder. Unfortunately for Ritsu's poor heart, it wasn't to scoot away, but instead to look directly at him.
"D-Don't ask me something like that..." Ritsu murmured, averting his eyes.
"It's a pretty simple yes or no question."
Maybe for you, Ritsu thought with a soft huff.
"Well?" Masamune pressed.
"...Yes." Ritsu said reluctantly, gritting his teeth through the word.
Masamune laughed. "Is it that painful for you to admit?"
"I said it, so let's drop it." Ritsu said quickly, yanking his hand away.
"Hey, give that back." Masamune complained, trying to hold Ritsu's hand again.
"Stop that." Ritsu said, trying to scoot away from Masamune, but there was no where else to go. He settled for trying to bat Masamune's hand away, which was a mistake because it gave Masamune the opportunity to catch Ritsu's hand and hold it again.
"You're cute when you're shy."
"Be quiet." Ritsu said quickly, as if Masamune had spoken some forbidden, offensive secret. He stood from the couch, but Masamune didn't show any signs of letting go of his hand.
"Where are you going?"
"We have a plan we need to get ready to execute, Takano-san. So, show me your closet." Ritsu said, hoping to distract himself from the warmth spreading in his chest by putting his energy toward the 'disguise' he and Masamune planned on putting together.
Masamune stood as well. "Fine, fine. I'll let you steal some of my clothes." He said, leading Ritsu by the hand to his bedroom, ignoring the way Ritsu was trying to wiggle out of his grip.
Come Monday morning Masamune didn't know when he'd be able to hold Ritsu's hand next, so he was going to take advantage of this while he still could.
An and Nao had agreed to take shifts watching the entrance of the book store over the weekend. As far as either of them could tell, there wasn't another entrance that they needed to worry about. An watched during the day and Nao took over come night, but it ended up being rather unproductive. Masamune had left one day to go to the market, but there had been no signs of Ritsu (and An couldn't attempt to break into the bookstore while Masamune was gone - not in broad daylight. Surely several people would notice and someone would report her suspicious behavior. Getting arrested - or driven out of town - was something her and Nao needed to avoid). At the very least, it meant Nao and An could be sure that Ritsu hadn't snuck out and slipped away right under their noses.
When Monday morning came, Nao was completely dead on his feet having watched the entrance of the bookstore all night, but with the shop opening once more he decided to power through it and join An. They walked through the front door, unsurprised to see Masamune manning the store by himself.
Masamune made a show of letting out a big sigh. "Can I help you with something?" He asked, voice devoid of inflection or emotion.
"Well, it seems silly to reiterate it at this point, but we are here to see Ritsu." An said, smiling even in the face of Masamune's obvious exhaustion at their stubbornness.
"This isn't going anywhere." Masamune said. "Are you guys going to harrass me for the rest of my life?" He asked.
"We are just two people who deeply miss and are concerned about our friend. It's only natural that we would want to see him after so long." An said, trying to remain calm and composed.
"And what if I told you he already left?" Masamune asked.
"That's not possible." Nao interjected.
"Well, he did. You two showing up really freaked him out and he skipped town over the weekend." Masamune said.
Nao and An looked to one another, frowning in disbelief and confusion, as if silently asking each other if they'd possibly missed something during either of their shifts.
"Forgive us if we have a little trouble believing you." An said. "We're pretty confident Ritsu hasn't left this building over the weekend."
"How would you know that? Have you been watching the front door the entire time?" Masamune asked.
Nao stared at Masamune blankly in response while An's smile took on a more nervous appearance.
"Wow, you two really are something." Masamune murmured as his shoulders slumped, as if An and Nao's presence alone was a great weight on him. "I hate to offer this, but if it will finally get the two of you off of my case, do you want to come up and see for yourselves?" He asked.
Nao was a bit stunned by the offer, especially considering how Masamune had denied them access before. Suspicion simmered under his skin, but it would be foolish to refuse the opportunity. An was similarly taken aback and hesitated for just a moment before nodding.
"Yes, I think we would. Right, Nao?" She asked.
"Yes." He confirmed. But how could that be possible? Neither he or An had seen Ritsu leave over the weekend. How could he have run off? Unless Ritsu had really never been here in the first place, like Masamune had tried to originally claim.
"Alright, follow me." Masamune led the two of them toward the locked door that accessed his residency. With a click he unlocked it and opened it, stepping to the side and allowing An and Nao to walk past him. "Let's make this quick, yeah? I can't stay up here all day." Masamune said before he shut and locked the door behind the three of them.
Ritsu let out a puff of air he had been holding once he heard the door shut. He had been hiding behind one of the bookshelves farthest from the entrance of the store, listening to the exchange and waiting for the three of them to leave with a pounding heart that he prayed neither of his childhood friends could hear. He silently apologized to Masamune for making him go along with this ridiculousness before he quickly exited the bookshop, rushing back to the inn he had been previously lodging at. He actively avoided the gaze of anyone he happened to pass, the hood he dawned certainly helping in obscuring his features just enough - so long as he kept his own gaze lowered.
When Ritsu arrived to the inn he approached the owner, whom was a little surprised to see him.
"Ritsu, it's been a while, I was starting to think you up and left! And without even saying goodbye." He wagged his finger in a mock-scolding, but he couldn't help but to smile brightly at the sight of Ritsu.
Ritsu smiled sheepishly. "Apologies, I had some things to take care of. You haven't given away the room to anyone else, have you?"
"No, no, it's still yours for as long as you want it." He assured, a dreamy tilt to his voice as he openly admired Ritsu.
"Thank you, but I have a favor to ask." Ritsu said. "If anyone comes here asking for me specifically, will you tell them I left town? Other than my boss - you've met him once before, Takano Masamune - he's the only one who can know I'm still here."
"Is everything alright, Ritsu?" The owner asked upon hearing his request, a concerned frown coming to his face. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"
"Ah, nothing dangerous, just...some people from my past popping back up that I'm trying to avoid. I promise it will not cause you or your business any kind of problems!" Ritsu assured.
He slowly nodded. "Alright. I can't say no to you. I wouldn't normally give out any personal information anyway, but if anyone asks about you I'll specifically tell them you've already checked out."
"Thank you." Ritsu said. "I'll stop disturbing you now."
"Oh, it's no disturbance at all, I promise-"
Ritsu gave a polite smile, sure that the man would try to continue the conversation, but he quickly took his leave to go into his room. He triple checked the door was locked behind him before he closed his curtains and sat on his bed.
Well. I did it. I got out of there without An or Nao seeing me, Ritsu thought with a soft sigh. It was a relief to know that Nao and An no longer had his exact location perfectly pinpointed. Now it was a waiting game. Ritsu would limit his time in town as much as possible, only leaving the room for essentials and hopefully - eventually - Masamune would be able to come here and let Ritsu know that An and Nao had left.
Ritsu splayed out on to the bed on his back, staring up at the ceiling.
What am I doing? He wondered.
In any other circumstance Ritsu would be packing a small amount of belongings to travel in a random direction until he found a brand new town that would welcome him with open arms. He would leave An and Nao in the dust and wouldn't make the same mistakes he had made here. He had stayed here for far too long, he had introduced himself to too many people and been too honest about his name in the process. Instead of being a brief visitor that had only encountered a few select merchants who would provide him necessesities, he'd actually deluded himself into thinking that maybe he could start planting a few roots and now he was dealing with the consequences.
I should just leave, the most logicial solution is to leave, Ritsu thought as he turned over to lay on his side and hug a pillow to his chest. Ritsu didn't even bother asking himself why he wasn't leaving because he already knew the answer.