Originally from Tumblr to celebrate TakaRitsuWeek 2020. With the assigned prompts I decided to do a story revolving them, enjoy! The prompts are (in order for each assigned day): Past/High School, Clumsy/Date, Hands/Relaxing, AU/Free Prompt, Glasses/Close, Takaritsu Day/Confession, Future/Post-confession!


'Hmm… Senpai said he'd be around here.' A little anxious, the 18-year old brunet tried not to seem too out of place as he looked around for his older upperclassman. He fidgets with his scarf for a moment. 'Even after two months, I'm still getting lost…'

That's right! Ever since he came to this University, he, Onodera Ritsu, still gets lost! 'No matter how hard I try to memorize it, when I'm actually out here the map in my head no longer makes sense. Oh?'

He recognizes the building ahead of him- his upperclassman who was tutoring him for Math had told him he was meeting a friend for lunch at one of the tables outside so…

'Is that his friend?' An upperclassman he didn't recognize was sitting outward at the table while his tutor was… 'Is…' Ritsu was now hesitant to get closer. 'Is he scolding him?' The tutor in question seemed to be upset and gesturing while his friend simply stared down at the ground, stoic. 'He did say there was a friend he worries about a lot cause-'

Ritsu's eyes widened as a woman rushed up to the friend to dump her drink on him before angrily saying something to him.

'Ah, that's not good,' Ritsu panics for a moment before seeing that a table nearby him had a napkin dispenser.

By the time he reached the table with a handful of napkins the woman was gone. He couldn't help but fret seeing that the friend had his head against the outside of his senpai's jacket, rubbing like a friendly cat.

"OY! Masamune," Yokozawa Takafumi warns, stepping away from him. "I think it's tea this time-shit," He tries to shake the end of his jacket, displeased. "I'm wearing white underneath too…" Noticing Ritsu and his handful of napkins, he gestured for his underclassman to come closer to grab some. "Thanks."

"Tea this time, huh…" Mutters his friend named Masamune, shaking his wet head a bit before raising his brow as Ritsu began patting him lightly with a napkin. '...Who's he?' Dark brown eyes study the brunet before him.

"A-are you okay?" The younger asks, feeling oddly nervous as he met eyes with the other man. He could only compare the feeling to when approaching a stray cat and having it eye you to see if you were worthy of petting it.

"Well, it wasn't hot tea, if that's what you mean-ow!" He leans away as Takafumi rubs his cheek hard with a napkin. "What was that for?!" At his other side, Ritsu flinches before continuing to dry him with less pressure.

"Have you not learned your lesson from last time? At this rate, you might actually get stabbed next time."

'St-Stabbed?! Just how many people has he made upset?!' Ritsu wonders, growing increasingly worried for this man he has just met. 'Since he is Senpai's friend, surely there must be some good in him right?'

Masamune simply scoffs before turning away to press his head against Ritsu's stomach, staining his sweater lightly with tea. "Ack! Why me?!" The brunet in question whines, before frantically patting the dark head with napkins.

"Sorry about this, Onodera." Takafumi gives Masamune a small smack to the back of the head, earning a grunt from the other. "We didn't have lunch yet, so do you mind waiting for me? Have you eaten yet?"

"Ah, I haven't yet," Ritsu answers, "But it's ok-"

Takafumi cuts him off. "Then eat with us, we'll co-pay for you."

"Hah?!" Masamune starts to complain, before shutting his mouth at Takafumi's glare.

"What? Do you want to pay for his whole meal?"

"It's fine! I can pay for myself," Ritsu objects, before looking down at Masamune's hair that now seemed to be flattening in odd positions. "But I really think you should go to the bathroom…"

"When you said you were tutoring, I thought you meant for a kid." Masamune says before digging into his lunch tray of noodles. After being properly introduced to each other, the older man learned that the brunet had just started his first year here and was staying at the dorms.

"I did tutor some kids last term, but I don't have time to go to people's houses this term. With part-time work too, I'm only limiting tutoring to be on-campus while I'm here for classes," Takafumi explains.

"I see," Masamune replies, before remembering something. "Oh, after this, I'll be heading to work. Someone's out sick today I think."

"You just remembered now?" Takafumi frowns. "You're not late, are you?"

"No, I'm going back to my apartment to nap first. I'll be covering the night and morning shifts."

"Will you be okay?" Ritsu couldn't help but ask; within an hour of knowing him, the brunet already felt a need to care for the darker haired man.

"Tch. You've been spending time with Yokozawa too much. Let me show you something." Masamune clicks his tongue, before taking out something from his bag and handing it to Ritsu. "Do you work anywhere?"

"Ah, I'm working part-time for a publisher that translates some English materials to be sold here." Ritsu was still a newbie at it, but his older co-workers said his English was pretty good for someone fresh out of high school.

Masamune pauses for a moment, interested. However, he decided to continue with what he was getting at. "Ever work so late you're nodding off?"

"I guess so..?" Ritsu says, before reading the label of the drink he was given. "12-Hour Coffee Energy…Ultra Dark…" He grimaces, appalled at the thought of the taste. "T-that's… cool…" He tries to say as if he were impressed.

'Oh?' Masamune couldn't help but stoically examine the younger man. He can clearly see that the guy thought it wasn't good but didn't want to seem rude. 'His expressions… seems he can't hide what he's thinking.'

"I drink a whole case every week." He casually lies, the edges of his lips twitching at the horrified look he was given. 'What is this?' He wonders, a foreign feeling building up inside him. He was having fun, but it was different than usual.

"He doesn't." Takafumi glares, disapproving of his friend's growing, twisted interest in his kouhai. He noticed it the moment his friend lied for no reason. "And stop consuming that shit. Just drink actual coffee."

"I… like jelly energy packets better," Ritsu hesitantly adds to the conversation, offering his opinion.

"Oh, do you?" Masamune asks, continuing to ignore his friend's glaring at him.

"B-but you know, I understand that in the long run it's not good…" Ritsu begins, seeing that his Senpai was troubled and was hoping he'd stop glaring, "As they say, you become what you consume right?"

'What… is this guy saying?' Masamune swallows, holding back a smile seeing Takafumi's expression growing bewildered at the younger man's wording.

"Oh oh OH!" Ritsu realizes with wide eyes, slamming the drink upright on the table without meaning to, startling the both of them. "You. Are. What. You. Eat." He dictates in English, before speaking back to Japanese. "You are what you eat, that is what they say…" He trails off, seeing that Masamune had a hand over his mouth with his shoulders shaking. "W-what's wrong?"

Takafumi abruptly stood up with his tray to leave for a moment to take a break from them. "…You guys hurry up and eat, I'm going to the bathroom."

"Oh, okay Senpai," Ritsu replies, not noticing how sudden the departure was.

"So," Masamune starts, having resisted laughing aloud from the comedy act that came out of nowhere, "What you're saying is that you think I'm bitter?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, if I am what I eat-drink, then," He glances at what Ritsu brought to drink with his lunch. "That makes you sweet right? What kind of grown man drinks strawberry milk anyways?" Ritsu flushes at that, his ears reddening.

'Oh, this is new. Did I hit a nerve?' Masamune thought, amused. To rile him up further, he looks at the milk for a bit before making the effort of showing an obvious, disgusted expression.

"E-excuse me?! What's wrong with strawberry milk?" Ritsu glares at him for the first time, growing defensive.

"Well I mean, what are you, a kid?" He sneers, finding great pleasure in reddening Ritsu's face with his teasing. He was soooo glad Takafumi wasn't around right now.

"It tastes really good you know! It's fresh- not too sweet," Ritsu angrily huffs, "And it's not like I drink it all the time. Here!" He opens his drink and places it in front of Masamune. "Try it!"

"Don't wanna," Came the immediate answer. At that, Ritsu pouts before taking it back and pushing the coffee drink back to Masamune. "Giving up already? How naive."

"W-what?" Ritsu stammers, confused. 'It's not like I wanted to share my milk in the first place anyways…'

Masamune opens his drink and lifts it to Ritsu's nose. "You know what this smell is?"

"Dark coffee?" Ritsu answers in distaste, his brows furrowing before taking a sip of his milk.

"No. This is what it means to be an adult." He sets down the drink in front of Ritsu. "You have to at least handle the taste. Try it."

At this, Ritsu narrows his eyes at Masamune before mimicking his earlier statement. "Don't wanna."

'He seemed so shy earlier but,' The 20-year old thought, feeling excited for some reason, 'He's actually rather feisty isn't he?' After a few seconds of contemplation, he takes back his drink before gulping down about half of it.

"H-huh?! Wait no," Ritsu flusters, "You need to nap! You have to sleep for your shifts!" Like a panicked child, he looks around for Takafumi, but the man still seemed to be in the bathroom.

"Don't want me to drink the rest? Then drink it all." Masamune takes the strawberry milk from Ritsu to replace it with the energy drink. "And I'll drink a little of this." He sees Ritsu's longing for his milk. "You'll be upset if I drink it all right?" When Ritsu nods frantically, Masamune chuckles wickedly. "Then, maybe I should drink it all."

"…" At that, the brunet seemed to wilt sadly; he was honest when he said he doesn't drink it all the time. Strawberry milk tended to be on the more expensive side for a university student who was on a budget. Takafumi had actually bought it for him since he was staring at it too long while in line.

'Did I go too far?' Masamune frowns, feeling guilty for the first time in a while. His chest was aching as if it got punched. He'd rather the brunet blow up at him instead of looking so damn sad. "Hey…"

To his surprise, Ritsu shuts his eyes before gulping down the bitter drink. Setting it down with a shaky hand, the brunet's lips were pressed together tightly as he cringed due to the bitter taste. 'So bitter… Senpai's friend is a jerk! Huh?'

His strawberry drink was in front of him again, and he looks up at Masamune, who gazed at him with an unreadable expression.

"It's bitter now right? Have your drink back."

'Maybe, he felt bad?' Grateful, Ritsu took back his drink, happily drinking some of it to get rid of that bitterness left in his mouth. Licking his lips of the aftertaste, he was going to drink more until a warm hand covered his own. "Eh?"

Ritsu's hand holding his milk was pulled as Masamune leaned forward to take a drink of it, staring him straight in the eyes as he did so. Blushing now, all Ritsu could do was watch until Masamune was finished drinking some and let him go.

Thankfully, there was still milk left. All was quiet until the older smiled mischievously at him, which admittedly made him wary. "Do you realize it now?"

"W-What is it?"

When the younger man drowned the rest of that coffee drink like it was a shot of high grade liquor, Masamune realized something about himself. As someone who tended to keep to himself… As someone who rarely feels anything for anyone… He has never wanted to mess with someone so badly until now. 'It's not like I want to make him cry but…' "You didn't notice?"

"Notice what?" Ritsu asks hesitantly, afraid of hearing the answer. Nervous, he finishes the rest of his milk. He savors the sweet flavor for a few seconds, letting the- "Our Indirect kiss." He blinks as his final moments with his milk was interrupted, looking up at Masamune in confusion.

"Indirect kiss…?" Ritsu repeats slowly after the older, who was smirking at him.

"Ah, my mistake. I meant our indirect kisses," Masamune held up two fingers, "We drank from each other once, and then you drank your milk after I just took it so you kissed me twice."

'He's so slow, this idiot.' The darker haired of the two couldn't help but smile genuinely, before seeing the other's expression change in realization. Now, he simply stared in curiosity, feeling something he hasn't felt in a long time swell up inside him. 'Why am I feeling..?'

Feeling hopeful was something he rarely experienced throughout his life. Why? Because by the time he entered middle school, it was better not to hope for anything at all.

Hopeful that in his youth that his parents would stop fighting.

Hopeful that his parents would stop focusing on their career over him.

Hopeful that at least one of his parents would take an interest in his future.

So right now, what was he hoping for?

Ritsu had became shy again, blushing from the neck and up. Those green eyes were looking everywhere else but him. As if he wasn't pressured by a twisted upperclassman into taking an energy drink he didn't want to take by making fun of his drink preferences. Instead, he looked as if he were confessed to.

'Shit,' Masamune thought, feeling oddly nervous now for some reason. 'Is he contagious? Cause now I'm-.'

He was smacked in the back of the head. "Ow!"

"What did do to him?" Takafumi had returned, frowning at the two's awkward atmosphere. "I leave for just a few minutes…" He shakes his head before addressing Ritsu. "Are you done eating, Onodera? I have another hour before my next class so let's head to the library."

"O-okay, Senpai," Ritsu says, relieved at his presence.

"Where is he?" Masamune asks, almost two months later. Takafumi sighs, bothered due to the fact that this wasn't the first time he's asked that question.

After the first month, Masamune had gotten a grasp of their schedules. With that knowledge, he would specifically buy a cold drink and surprise Ritsu often by coming in from the side and nudging it against his cheek. He would then give Ritsu the drink under the guise of good will, only to have Ritsu visibly disappointed that it would always be a caffeinated energy drink. Afterwards the brunet would try to be vigilant despite falling for it every time.

It was like an itch that need to be scratched, and it didn't help that the brunet reacted so well to him. However, he didn't see the underclassman at all this past week and it annoyed the hell out of him.

"You know I can't tutor him forever right? Along with what he needed help for, I've been advising him how to study better so I won't be tutoring him anymore." Unless he asks for him of course, but Takafumi wasn't going to say that aloud.

"Oh." Disappointment hit him like a cold, passing wind. He knew it wouldn't last forever, but he at least would have liked for it to last until he graduated. The guy was refreshing to have around.

"If you see him again though," Takafumi begins, getting his attention, "Promise me you won't bully him. He's a good kid, and he doesn't need you playing childish tricks on him for the hell of it. The last thing I want is him becoming like you." Takafumi wasn't going to admit it, but he had a soft spot for his kouhai.

"Hah? What's wrong with-" He froze as something very warm hit his cheek, and his heart raced at the sudden contact. Swallowing, he looked to see Ritsu looking rather victorious. 'He got me.'

"Hehe, I got you good, didn't I, Takano-san?!" Ritsu grins, his playful. "Even Yokozawa-senpai didn't notice me!"

"Ritsu," Takafumi warns, and when Ritsu sheepishly smiles him in response, Masamune's brows furrow at how familiar they were with each other. 'When did he let Yokozawa call him by his given name?'

"Sorry Senpai, but I really wanted to get him back! Once is enough for me. Also," Ritsu hands Takafumi the warm can. "It's soup on the go! You wanted to try this the other day, right?"

"Oh, thank you," The 19-year old smiles, before frowning again when he heard his friend click his tongue in annoyance.

"And what about me?" Masamune complains, arms crossed. "You didn't get me anything?"

"Huh? Why do I have to get you something?" Ritsu asks in disbelief.

"Are you forgetting all those drinks I gave you?"

"But I didn't even want those drinks," Ritsu whines, before looking into his school bag. 'I warmed up another can for me, but I guess I can give it to him…'

"Hey, you don't have to do that." Takafumi stops him from checking his bag. "You don't have to keep giving in to him. He's just likes messing with you."

"No, I mean it," Masamune says firmly, much to their surprise. "I want something too- oh, I know." He stares at Ritsu sternly, "Let me call you by your name too."

"My name? Okay." Ritsu assents, not finding anything wrong with that; both men were older than him after all. 'Now that I think about it, they were heading somewhere weren't they? I should go.' "If that's all you want then-"

"You could do better." At that statement, Takafumi regarded his older friend suspiciously.

'You could have ignored me at any time.' Masamune thought towards the younger, staring at him. 'But in the end, you always hear me out.'

"Do what better?"

"I went through all that effort to surprise you multiple times, and you only got me back once. Are you truly satisfied?"

"…" Lips pressed shut, Ritsu knew he couldn't answer honestly. Troubling his Senpai was something he didn't want to do. He glances at Takafumi before he was flicked on the forehead. "Eck!"

"This is between you and I, so ignore him."

"Are you trying to piss me off?" Takafumi comments, unsure of the other's intention, before looking at the clock on his phone. "You're going to miss your seminar at this rate."

"What?" Masamune takes out his own cell phone to verify. "Shit." Recalling something, he takes out a key and hands it to Takafumi. "Sorata's check-up appointment is tomorrow right?"

"Yeah. And I'll leave the key in you-know-where." Takafumi redirects his attention to Ritsu. "Remember his cat I told you about that we share?" He shows Ritsu a photo through his phone. "Finally got a picture to show you. Familiar?"

"Familiar? Why?" Masamune asks, deciding that he'll leave after hearing the answer.

"Turns out you two attended the same high school. Ritsu remembered seeing a student pick up a kitten in the rain so," Takafumi shrugs, "I wondered if by chance it was you picking up Sorata."

"…" 'Shit, I don't want to leave now.' Masamune felt frozen in place. He wanted to stay and get involved with the said topic. However, the power of their glaring at him seeing that he wasn't leaving yet got him to go to class. 'So unfair.'


Hopefully, I'll put up Day 2 on time...