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Those Emerald eyes focused on ground and that glistening red face always fascinated him. Seeing that timid nods and those almost shaking hands must have been favorite scene of Saga.
"Senpai…! Have you read this book? It's really nice, you'll like it!"
Saga always liked how Ritsu would come to him after reading any interesting book. He hoped that Saga will take liking to it. He liked how Ritsu's face will suddenly burst into different shades of red at a time and eyes will start to sparkle even when they reflected little panic of being a trouble to his senpai. A curve would form on his face handling the book he was pumped giving to Saga.
Saga could not control but stare at Ritsu's face without even realizing it.
Ritsu could just wonder when Saga stared at him like that. Whenever Saga would eventually realize that, it's been a while that he's being staring, he would just turn his head.
"Senpai, why do you always just stare at me?" One day, Ritsu asked Saga.
Saga could not answer that question out of the blue. Ritsu seemed all confused and Saga loved him like that more than anything. So he could not stop himself but make him even more stirred.
"Hmm? Let's see, because I love you?"
"What's with that absurd answer?" What Saga said worked on him making Ritsu fluster, infuriating him to try to hide that embarrassment with such a comment.
"Why? Isn't that right?"
"Well, that's…" Ritsu started to look down, his face turning pink. Saga seemed to be bothered at times like these when he can't actually see Ritsu's face.
"Ritsu… Look at me…" Before Ritsu can lock his eyes on floor and make himself at ease, Saga's finger touched his chin, startling him. He then slowly pulled it in grip.
"Se-Senpai…? We still are at school you know…" He tried to defense as much he could, but nothing seemed to be stopping Saga. Leaning in, he suddenly grabbed onto Ritsu's cheeks.
"Huh…?"
Saga pinched them, soft enough to not hurt Ritsu.
"Saga-senpai?!"
Saga continued to pinch them, blush forming on his own face. But Ritsu started to become more and more embarrassed of Saga's act, as he noticed Saga's weird-enough curious face. He would have never seen Saga like that, not even in past three years. Even through such a stupid act, Saga can feel waves flowing through the part their body's touched and triggered his heartbeat.
Suddenly, he pulled away his hands from his face and rested them on his own.
"Senpai…?" What was on Ritsu's face now, was expression of pure confusion. As he saw his lover's partially covered face, he noticed red color darkening his skin. As he caught glimpse of something like that, he felt something rising up in himself instead. His chest started tightening and face went red.
After a moment of silence, unable to come up with a decent sentence to say, Ritsu ran towards desk where they were sitting a while ago. Everything seemed to be escalating too quickly for him to catch up with.
"Anou… I have to go now Senpai… I promised my dad to go out with him to buy some books so…" He abruptly said it, obviously a lie to escape from such a situation. He almost dropped some things from his hands, which didn't seem like himself.
Ever since he had fallen for Saga, he had lost his pace, sleep and everything else they loose in love. But what he saw in Saga today was something similar to that. He felt like Saga had been also struggling through the symptoms and now, effects and side-effects of the love. Probably today he realized that he hadn't actually known all the sides and emotions of Saga, which made him, rather uneasy.
But Saga chased him to his seat, faster than Ritsu had expected.
Saga bent down to Ritsu's ear until he can feel Saga's rather rapid breathing on his neck. Ritsu's eyes widened as he heard next words.
"Will you come over to my house tomorrow?"
"I-If you say it l-like that, I won't be able to say no…"
"What's with that? You have your freedom to say no."
Saga suddenly, seemed to be furious as well as turned off. It felt like to him that Ritsu was only doing this for Saga's sake as he was lonely, even when he knew that it wasn't like that. But anxiety could not go away.
"Or is it like you don't really want to come?"
Ritsu seemed to be getting more and more uncomfortable of the situation. Something seemed to be on his mind but he couldn't come out and say it. Saga had already figured that out and wanted to provoke Ritsu to make him say, something more. Even if he had already confessed, even if he had been on verge of crying, even if he had already done everything a lover does, Saga's heart still yearned to hear more and get more from Ritsu. This was possibly because this was his first time to be loved.
When he thought Ritsu will give up and run with tail between his legs as he wasn't ready, something rather surprising happened.
"Well, Senpai… I have to say something…"
"What?" Saga tried to figure it out, but Ritsu's present face reminded him of the time when he had confessed to Saga.
Tha-dumb...
"Please listen… It isn't l-like I am doing this out of pity or anything… It is because… I-I really love you… I love you a lot and I want to be with you… Always… But I am sorry; there might be times I won't be able to stay by your side… But I'll try my best… I'll try and make you happier… Please just push me a bit more… Like today how you tried to be stubborn and give me a little confidence…"
Till finishing this, Ritsu had closed his eyes tight shut enough to hurt them and tears were falling down his red decorated chicks. He stood still, tightening his fist more and more. His heart was pounding loud enough for Saga to hear it.
Saga's calm gesture as well, went messy. His gaze went intense as soon as Ritsu looked at him.
Tha-dumb, tha-dumb, tha-dumb…
Wait a minute! No! What the hell is this?! My heart is beating crazily! …Hard enough for him to hear it…
"Should I consider this as another confession?"
Tha-dumb, tha-dumb, tha-dumb…
Why?! Why… am I… so nervous…?
"Se-Senpai…!" Ritsu stared in Saga's eyes, only to bear with his intense one and felling in doing so for long.
He is nervous as well…
Ritsu giving up and dropping his gaze, grabbed on to Saga's Shirt desperately.
"Yeah you should… And I'll come to your house tomorrow…"
Tha-dumb… Tha-dumb… Tha-dumb…
Why is love… like this…?
All Saga could think now was to pull Ritsu in his embrace.
"Ritsu…" Saga tightened his hands circling around Ritsu, giving him no space to move.
"S-Saga-senpai…"
Saga felt their hearts come together and beat in a one and the same rhythm.
"Call me by my name…" He closed his eyes and waited for his name to be said.
I want to hear it…
Masamune…
"Ma-Ma-Masa…"
"… san… no-san… kano-san… Takano-san!"
"Huh?" Takano's eyes popped open. He rubbed his eyes as hard as he could to figure out the surroundings.
"Masan?" Takano said, gazing at the face of the person standing before him.
"Geez! Are you half asleep?! Wake up or I am going to miss the last train because of you!"
That person was none another than the one whom Takano saw in his dream a while ago, Onodera.
"Well… If you call me by wrong name, then I would feel like staying here like this, sulking." Takano said, composing his cool and composed gesture again.
Actually, today was Emerald Department's last day of Hell week. It was already past 10 at night and everybody else had headed to their respective homes except for Onodera and Takano. Due to fatigue, 4 straight all-nighters and some running from Authors' homes' to Printer's office, Takano had fallen asleep, rather passed out as soon as he reached out for his desk to cool down. As this was unexpected of him, others decided not to disturb him and left him in care of Onodera, obviously by force. But Onodera had to wake him up selfishly, what the worse; he was still half-way through his lovely dream.
"What was that just now?!"
"Nothing, I just had a dream about you back when we were in High School." Takano said as calmly as he could, waking up from his chair.
"Ha?! And can I ask why you were seeing that?!"
Takano was anticipating a roar from Onodera. He glanced at him and took a good look of his gestures. Onodera was already flushed; his enraged eyes were fixed on Takano's face, waiting for an answer.
"I won't mind." Takano said, after a moment as he wore his overcoat.
"What?!"
"I wouldn't mind if you are not able to stay by my side all the time, but try your best… Try your best and make me happier. I will always give you a push whenever you need it."
Takano again gazed at Onodera, only to watch his expressions change from mad to muddle, which amused him even more than the once he had back then.
"I don't know how much you remember from that confession of yours, but, as I said before, I am here, waiting for your feelings to catch up with mine. So, try your best. I won't give up being stubborn as well."
Takano kept looking at Onodera until he could not bear it. His face was full of different emotions, embarrassment, rage and as Takano thought… Also "Love". Onodera was bad at lying and his eyes proved it from time to time. And at times like this, Takano was the worst about restraining himself.
It's all your fault and you blame it on me...
Takano advanced, touching Onodera's forehead. His hand embraced Onodera's hair softly, stroked them several times. He was able to feel those waves passing even now, just with increased intensity. He pulled out his hand, now waving at Onodera as he walked towards the exit. Takano thought of not forcing Onodera now and leaving him behind, as what he have said was already too much for him to boot with. But when he stopped and gazed back, he saw Onodera bent forward, shivering. Shivering, tightening his grips around his body like he was fighting with high fever, fever which Takano gave him each time he touched him. Takano himself now, probably didn't know how his own face was looking while gaping at Ritsu.
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