Prompt: Regret/Support (2023)
"I think the new guy hates me." Takano Masamune lamented on his living room floor, a beer in hand with his head resting on the table in front of him. He had already downed several cans and was beginning to feel woozy.
"Is this why you asked to hang out? To get drunk and complain about your new underling?" Yokozawa asked with annoyance, nursing his own drink but not nearly as tipsy as his friend. "What's his name again?"
"Onodera Ritsu." Takano said, lifting his head to look toward Yokozawa with narrowed eyes, as if offended that his friend forgot.
"Right. And why do you care? And more importantly, why should I care?" Yokozawa asked.
"Because I want him to like me!" Takano exclaimed in frustration.
He's always more open when he's drunk, Yokozawa thought, just a little bit amused, but mostly irritated with Takano's antics. "I still don't understand why I should care in this situation."
"Because you're my friend, you jackass, you're supposed to support me or whatever…" Takano grumbled, taking another sip of his beer.
"Support you how?" Yokozawa asked. As far as he could tell the only role he could possibly play in this situation was an ear for Takano's drunk ramblings.
"I don't know, give me advice or something on how to make him not hate me." Takano said.
"If he already hates you then that ship has probably sailed. You get on people's bad sides quickly." Yokozawa said. "Besides, doesn't everyone kind of hate their boss? You hate Isaka."
"Yeah, but he's annoying and I'm charming and handsome-"
"And humble." Yokozawa deadpanned. "Why do you want him to like you so bad in the first place?" Yokozawa couldn't recall a time where Takano put in particular effort with the other members of the Emerald team to get buddy-buddy with them.
Takano, warm and loose from the alcohol and unable to maintain his usual mask of indifference, slowly started to turn red. "I just…well…I like him." He mumbled, eyes downcast. Onodera Ritsu was captivating, like a flame that never dimmed. He was hard working to a fault, intelligent, determined, considerate, and not to mention absolutely gorgeous. Takano found himself thinking about green a lot more these days. Just as he was about to launch into this list of things he liked about Ritsu (and more), Yokozawa spoke first.
"You can't be fucking serious. Do you have an honest to God crush on this guy? Are you twelve?"
"Shut up!" Takano snapped defensively. "What? I'm not allowed to like someone?" He demanded.
"You can't just have a one night stand with one of your editors, that can only result in disaster." Yokozawa said.
"Who said anything about a one night stand?"
"...You're joking. You actually want to date this guy?"
"So what if I do? He's so nice…well, he's nice to everyone but me. And he's so pretty…" Takano finished off his beer and set the can aside, about to reach for another one, but Yokozawa smacked his hand away.
"When have you ever seriously dated someone?" Yokozawa asked, incredulous.
"So, I'm banned from dating because I have no serious experience?" Takano huffed.
"No, but do you really think it's a good idea to pursue dating someone for the first time with your employee?"
"You're supposed to be giving me advice, not trying to talk me out of it."
"I am giving you advice, you just don't like it. Don't do this, Masamune. If the guy hates you, he hates you. Just forget about it." Yokozawa said.
Takano scowled at that.
As if he'd let go of it that easily.
The next morning Takano started to regret the amount of beer he'd had. It took him quite a few drinks to get drunk and he hadn't drank that much in a while so the headache he had woken up to was a nice little reminder that he wasn't a college student doing bar crawls anymore.
He showered, took some over the counter medicine for the ache, and hoped he didn't look as disheveled as he felt as he left his apartment. He started to head down the hallway, surprised to see a familiar figure not that far ahead of him also walking toward the elevator.
"Onodera..?"
Ritsu turned when hearing his name, his eyes widening and face paling slightly - as though Takano were a poltergeist rather than a person.
"T-Takano-san? W-What are you doing here?"
"I live here."
"You…live…here?" Ritsu echoed
"Yeah, apartment 1201." Takano said.
"Oh. W-What a small world." Ritsu started to force laughter, fidgeting nervously. "I live in apartment 1202. N-Not that I'm stalking you or anything, it's a total coincidence! I would never move in next door to you on purpose!" Ritsu exclaimed.
Damn, okay, guess I'm a shitty boss and a shitty neighbor, Takano thought. "I see. Well, I had a friend over last night. I hope we didn't disturb you at all." He said.
"Oh, no, not at all!" Ritsu assured. "B-But, we should get going. We don't want to be late!" Ritsu laughed fakely once more before rushing toward the elevator and pressing the button several times. Takano followed, his eyes raking over the back of Ritsu's tense form as they waited for the elevator. He supposed it was common to be nervous around your boss, but Takano wished Ritsu could at least make eye contact with him.
Once the doors dinged and opened up, they both stepped inside. Ritsu gave Takano several side glances, shifting from foot to foot as though he could not stand still before he spoke up. "Y-You know what? I think maybe I'll take the stairs! I-I need to get my steps in when I can!" Ritsu said in a voice that was way too cheerful before he quickly left the elevator just as the doors were starting to close, making them swing back open.
Takano opened his mouth as if to protest, but he didn't really have the right to demand that Ritsu ride the elevator with him. I guess he doesn't want to be stuck in here with me.
"S-See you at work, Takano-san." Ritsu said, going to sprint off before he suddenly tripped and fell over his own feet, landing on the floor.
"Onodera?!" Takano exclaimed in concern, stepping out of the elevator to help him stand up. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" Ritsu insisted immediately, standing up on his own, not even looking toward the hand that had been outstretched to assist him. He rushed off toward the stairs, quickly disappearing.
Takano let out a sigh, hearing the elevator close behind him.
He definitely hates me, Takano thought as he pressed the button once more, waiting for the doors to open back up. That usually wasn't such a problem for Takano. Like Yokozawa said last night, he got on people's bad sides easily. Takano was quite used to people disliking him and for the most part was indifferent to it. So, he had never tried to get someone who hated him to change their mind.
I guess I'll have to start small.
"What are you gonna get?"
Ritsu had been debating on what to get from the vending machine in the break room, but nearly jumped out of his skin when hearing a deep voice come from behind him. He quickly spun around, surprised to find Takano standing so close to him. Ritsu went to take a step back, but remembered that the vending machine was there and managed to resist his body's instinct to move away.
"Oh, uh, p-probably just some coffee…" Ritsu answered, avoiding looking at Takano directly. All morning Ritsu had been evading Takano's gaze. There were a couple times where Takano thought he might have caught Ritsu staring, but Ritsu would look away so quickly that Takano couldn't determine if he had been glaring with disdain or not.
"Did you not sleep well last night?" Takano asked, getting some money out. "You've gotta make sure to take care of yourself. You always work so hard, you have to rest sometimes too."
"I-I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Takano-san, you don't have to worry about me." Ritsu said, turning a little pink as he stepped out of the way to let Takano use the vending machine first.
Damn it, did I offend him? Takano wondered as he fed his money into the machine before getting a can of coffee for Ritsu. "Here." He held it out toward him after retrieving it.
"...h-huh?"
"It's for you. You said you wanted coffee, right?" Takano said.
"Oh, you don't have to do that." Ritsu denied quickly.
"Consider it a late welcome gift. Come on, it's just coffee." Takano insisted.
Ritsu hesitated before slowly taking the coffee, not wanting to be rude by denying too fiercely. "Um, thank you."
"No problem." Takano said, hoping that this interaction could potentially lead to a conversation with Ritsu that was non-work related. "Do you-"
"I should probably get back to my desk." Ritsu said quickly, turning away from Takano. "Thank you again for the coffee, I really appreciate it, I'll get yours next time." He added as he scampered away.
Takano's shoulders slumped with defeat before he turned toward the vending machine to get his own coffee. Try and try again, I guess, he told himself, leisurely strolling back toward the Emerald department as he sipped on his caffeinated beverage.
"Eh, Ricchan, are you feeling alright? Your face is really red…" Takano heard Kisa ask as he came back.
"I-I'm fine!" Ritsu said immediately.
"Oi, you're not sick, are you?" Takano asked, going over to stand next to Ritsu, trying to get a good look at him.
"Of course not, I'm perfectly healthy, promise!" Ritsu said, facing forward to try to busy himself with his work.
"...Hmph. Fine. Let me know if that changes." Takano said, giving Ritsu a pat on the shoulder as he walked by and taking notice of the way he immediately tensed up at the touch. I'll have to keep a closer eye on him, I don't think he would say anything even if he was feeling unwell, Takano thought as he sat back down at his desk.
"Ricchan, did your face get even redder?"
"Y-You're imagining things, Kisa-san!"
"Onodera, you should wrap it up if you want to make the last train." Takano said, having finished packing up his own things to head home for the night.
"I-oh-but…" Ritsu trailed off, clearly unwilling to depart.
"No 'buts'. Whatever you're working on now can wait till tomorrow. Come on." Takano insisted.
"I-I'll leave soon, I promise." Ritsu said. "Have a good night, Takano-san."
He's trying to avoid leaving with me, Takano thought with a huff, but he wasn't giving up yet. "Well, I can't let the noob stay even later than me." He said. "So, I guess I'll just have to wait for you to finish."
"What? No! Y-You absolutely do not have to do that." Ritsu said quickly. "Please, go home and relax for the rest of the evening."
"You might put me out of my job if I let you work harder than me." Takano said, teasing, though Ritsu spluttered at the implication.
"I-I would never-!"
"I know." Takano said, smirking a bit. "I'm just messing with you." He's so cute, Takano thought with a quiet, but wistful sigh. "Let's go home. Since we found out we're neighbors we have to look out for each other, right?" He said.
Ritsu cringed a bit at that reminder. "I'm really sorry if it makes you uncomfortable that we live next door to one another, I had no idea you lived in that building, if I did I wouldn't have-"
"It doesn't make me uncomfortable." Takano said quickly. "But the thought of you pulling an all nighter in this office does. So, let's go."
Ritsu still took a good few moments of consideration before he finally started to get ready to leave. Takano smiled a little in triumph.
"I'm guessing you haven't had anything to eat for dinner yet?" Takano asked as they started to make their way toward the elevator.
Ritsu seemed to get more nervous with every step they took. "Ah, n-no, I haven't."
"Do you have anything to eat at your house?" Takano asked.
"I-I was probably just going to stop in some twenty four hour convenience store on the way home and get something to eat…" Ritsu admitted.
Takano gave a disapproving click of his tongue. "Why don't I make you something instead? I'm gonna be cooking for myself anyway and if you're already right next door…"
"W-What?" Ritsu choked out. "N-NO, I mean - that would - that's just too much. I couldn't ask you to do something like that." He said as they stood in front of the elevator. "Um, you know, I-I think maybe I'll take the stairs again-"
"Do you have some kind of problem with me?" Takano asked, his impatience overriding his logic and forcing him to state the question that had been bugging him since Ritsu's arrival.
"Huh? No, of course I don't-" The elevator opened and Takano grabbed Ritsu's arm, pulling him inside with him and pressing the 'close door' button. "T-Takano-san, wait a second!"
"Why do you avoid me so much if there's no issue?" Takano asked and let him go once the doors shut.
"I'm not avoiding you." Ritsu denied.
"Even right now you're refusing to look right at me." Takano said. "Have I done something to offend you? Or are you that nervous around me as boss and subordinate?"
"Um, I just…"
"I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable or anything, but I want us to be able to get along." Takano continued.
"Well - the thing is-"
"And I know I can be kind of abrasive…okay, let's be real, I can be kind of an asshole, so if I put my foot in my mouth at some point I'm sorry-"
"Takano-san-"
"So if we could somehow start over-"
"I like you!"
The elevator doors opened up to the lobby, Takano staring at Ritsu in surprise while Ritsu's face flooded with immediate regret.
"You…like m-"
"I'm so sorry, please forget I said that!" Ritsu, in a scene that comically mirrored this morning, sprinted out of the elevator only to trip and fall over his own feet for the second time that day.
"Christ, you were not built for running. Stop it before you kill yourself." Takano said, offering a hand.
Ritsu once again could not bring himself to accept Takano's help, too entrenched in his own shame. "I'm really sorry, Takano-san…" He apologized again as he stood up.
"Sorry for what?"
"D-Don't make me say it again!" Ritsu said, beginning to leave the building, though Takano followed close behind.
"What? You're sorry for liking me?" Takano asked.
"...Yes." Ritsu answered miserably, picking up his walking speed in an attempt to get away, but Takano grabbed his hand - half to make sure Ritsu wouldn't get away and half to make sure Ritsu didn't fall on his face trying to run again.
"Don't be sorry for that, idiot." Takano said.
Ritsu frowned at that, furrowing his eyebrows. "I'm not a-"
"I like you too." Takano said. "I want to take you out on a date."
Ritsu's fast paced footsteps came to a halt. "W-What?"
"I. Want. To. Date. You." Takano said. "Was that clear enough?"
"I - you - b-but, you're my boss." Ritsu protested, glancing around nervously, thankful that it was late enough for others to not be nearby.
"So? You like me, I like you, nothing else matters besides that." Takano said.
"You make things sound so simple…" Ritsu said with a disheartened laugh. "We're also both men." He pointed out.
"And yet that didn't stop us from liking each other."
"This is about more than us liking each other, Takano-san, i-it's about our jobs, our families, our friends-"
"Ritsu," Takano interrupted, Ritsu nearly choking on his own words at the sound of his given name, "we like each other. Can't we just start there? Please? Wouldn't it be a waste not to give this a chance?" He asked.
Ritsu took in a deep breath, releasing it in a loud sigh as he looked away from Takano, carefully weighing his words. The last time Ritsu could recall feeling even remotely similar to this was way back in high school. He had become infatuated with an upperclassman, but had never built up the courage to confess. If he didn't pursue this then…wouldn't he just be letting another opportunity at love slip by?
L-Love?! Ritsu was a little startled by his own thoughts. He didn't love Takano, that would be ridiculous…at least…he didn't love him yet. But maybe he could.
"...Okay."
"Okay?" Takano echoed before the response was fully processed. "Okay. Okay!" He smiled, letting go of Ritsu's hand to opt for slinging an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, we should really hurry if we're gonna catch the train. And then we can have our first date at my place. I'll make you dinner."
"All I really want to do is go to bed, so it better be amazing." Ritsu sighed, feeling exhausted after a full day of work followed by an emotional rollercoaster. "A-And let go of me, seriously, we're still in public." He protested.
Takano chuckled. "I promise, I'll impress you." He said, giving him a squeeze instead of letting him go.
Turns out, the new guy didn't hate him at all.