Chapter Text
You were walking with your Corgi, or more like you were carrying it. He always got tired so fast and when he was he would just sit down, refusing to move, so you were forced to always pick the little bugger up. “You’re lucky you’re so cute when I hold you and that your eyes flop around and your cute tongue sticks it out,”you continued on. Okay, you were really weak towards your dog, but you couldn’t help it. Why did you have to choose a dog you’d give into so easily. Then again....you loved just about every dog.
You sighed and stopped to fix the dog the in your arms. While you did, you caught sight of a man who was bending down, offering some person, presumably homeless, a hot steamed bun. You smiled at his thoughtfulness and looked around, seeing the hot steamed bun stand nearby. Well, you hadn’t been too generous in a while. You could do something nice for someone today. Running over, as fast as you could with your dog in hand, you went towards the stand. It was a good thing the homeless man kept up a conversation, but you saw the guy walking away as soon as you had paid for the bun.
“Um hello! Mister!”,you said, chasing after him, only seeing his broad back and blonde hair. “Hello!!”, you said later, stopping as he stopped. You had finally caught his attention. The guy spoke,”do you need something from me?” You blinked as he turned around, his gaze a bit intimidating, but you put on a small smile,”actually, yes, this is for you!”,you said, having to fight your dog from eating it. You put him on the ground, leash on your wrist, then held it out for him to explain. “I saw what you did for that man, so I did this for you,”you said.
The man looked down and then back at you,”I only bought it for the man,not because I wanted it to myself,”he stated. This only made you think he was even more of an angel. Its something you rarely see these days, so it warmed your heart. He looked tough, but maybe the guy was just a big softie on the inside. But its not like you were going to eat and your corgi definitely didnt need the extra calories. “Please, I insist,”you said. The guy took it from you and you were happy....but then he walked right past you and gave it to the man!
You were in shock and your cheeks went warm as he pointed at you. The homeless man waved at you, and you waved back with a smile.He just gave it back to the man! Oh man...you couldnt help but smile. Just who was this mysterious and kind man? You swore you never saw him before, and you frequently took this route. “Um, I suppose that would have been the better option, thank you very much.”
“Im sure he needed it more than me.” he stated. You took the chance to ask the question,”so you live around here?”,you asked, but you didn’t expect his reaction. His eyes got a bit cold,”I dont think I should divulge any of that information to someone I barely met.” And then he walked off, leaving you in shock and confused. Maybe you were prying too much, but there was no doubt he was still a kind man on the inside, hopefully you’d see him again.
You didnt see him again for another week. This time, you were in your local grocery store. You had spotted him in the fruits section. Looking up, you smiled and waved,”hello again,”you said. He only offered a nod of his head and then went back to choosing fruits. Okay...so maybe he wasnt the best at communicating. You saw him picking some fruits out and spoke,”do you cook at home? you seem like you know what you’re doing?”, you asked. He looked at you and then pointed to himself. You smiled and nodded your head, of course you were talking to him.
“Apologies. To answer you question, I do cook frequently at home. Im used to it, and in order to keep my body in shape I need to make sure each meal is acceptable. The only person I can trust is myself. I have to get back home soon so please refrain from any further questions.” he stated all of this, then walked out into a different direction. You watched him go and thought to yourself. You had suspected it last time, but this time you confirmed that this man spoke way too formally for this day and age in japan. Perhaps it was the way he was raised. What if he was some rich prince? but no...why would he be here of all things. You speculated until you realized that you lost track of time.
The next time you saw him was the next day, to your surprise. You were out walking your dog and you got distracted for a bit by a sign. Before you knew it, the dog had pulled the leash right out of your hands. “D/N, no! get back here!”,you said and started to run after him. You werent the best at athletics and became worried when you lost track of him. As soon as you did though, you saw him laying on his belly, getting rubbed by the mysterious man. You sighed out of relief and walked,”Im sorry if he caused you any trouble...and you! you know better.”
The strange man stood up and spoke as you took the leash,”quite the opposite of trouble. although,”he pointed down at your leash,”the way youre holding the leash, on your wrist, although its supposed to be designed for it be the most effective way, the most effective way is actually if you hold this part,”he said, holding the part below where you slipped your hand through,”even if he pulls, if you have a strong grip, he’ll just be pulled back.”
“Ah...thank you for that. I didn’t know, haha. He usually never runs anyway though, only once since he was a pup, I dont see any food to be honest, so I dont quite know what caught his attention,”you said with a chuckle. Even if he led you to the man you were becoming more curious about, he still shouldnt have run off....but you werent entirely mad. He nodded and started to walk away. “A-ah wait sir. My name is L/N, F/N. just...so you know. you dont have to tell me yours though...I just figured since we-”
“Busujima Mason Riou. Have a good day.” And then he walked off. again.
“Riou, Riou, Riou,”you said outloud,”hes....kind of cute isnt he?”,you said, looking down at dog in your lap who was flipped over, demanding belly rubs. “Aaaaa D/N, I think Im catching feelings. not serious though! I mean, we’ve never even held a conversation but...he is cute...and hot..ahhh!”,you covered your face. No no, it was only proof that he was way out of your league if you continued to list the good things about him. When it came to love, you definitely had the least bit of experience in that area. Besides, your cute dog came into your life and you just sort of got into your own routine. Love had become the last thing on your mind. However, you couldn’t stop yourself from being curious about him.
“Well, we saw him yesterday. I say our chances might be low. I have to get ready for work anyway, I have the night shift,”you said towards your dog. You didnt mind the night shifts, but you would rather not have them. Your job was in a pinch though and you were simply too kind to say no. You were a waiter at a restaurant. The only thing that bothered you was coming home down the sketchy streets at night, but you always carried pepper spray with....and maybe a mini knife disguised as a pen.
You always made it home safe though....until today. Everything was cleaned up at work and the guests were gone. Your boss offered a ride but you declined, saying your place wasn’t too far. Also you were considering his exhaustion. He was sweet, but you knew the night had been pretty busy and you were understaffed. So, you walked home yourself. You always had your headphones on, looking down at your phone. 5 minutes into your walk, you felt like you heard something, so you stopped and turned around. Seeing a mysterious man, dressed in all black. It just smelled trouble.
You walked a bit faster, then faster, eventually you found yourself running as fast as you possibly could until you ran into another person, half afraid it was him, but your terrified eyes disappeared once you saw it was Riou. You bit your lips, trying not to cry and spoke,”t-theres a man chasing me and he-”,before you could finish, Riou walked forward, his hands clenched, waiting for the man to show up. Which, he did. “Sir, you should know not to pick on women or any helpless and innocent being at all,”he said firmly.
What happened next made your eyes almost pop out of their sockets. Riou had single-handily taken the guy down, like nothing! Was he a police officer or something? That was way too smooth. You saw him take out his phone, assuming he was calling the cops, then he walked back to you. You quickly bowed,”Thank you so much Busujima-san! really, you saved my life,”you looked up,”how can I repay you?” He shook his head in disagreement,”I used to be a naval officer, my whole job is based on protecting those who cannot protect themselves, so no payment is needed.but you should be more careful at night, do you not read or watch the news?”
You bit your lip and looked away,”maybe...not. I suppose I should though. I definitely would have let my boss drive me home,”you said. You now had a frown because you were a bit sad you were so careless. “Im sorry, I really will start doing that from now on but still, thank you again, I really appreciate,”you said, looking up with the small smile you could muster up.
“Come on, I’ll take you home. do not leave my side.”he stated firmly. You nodded and spoke,”u-uh, yea, thanks, sir yes sir,”you said and mentally hit yourself. Really? Sir yes sir? But you were surprised when you heard a chuckle. or...you think you heard a chuckle. It was gone too quickly. Did he laugh at you?
Once you arrived at your doorstep, you bowed your head,”sorry for making you go out of your way to take me back. Please get home safe.” You looked up and you couldn’t believe his next words.
“theres no need to worry, I live right there,”he said, pointing to the door next to yours. You were neighbors?! Since when! You could have sworn on your life that no one lived next to you, least of all him. Oh no…and you had screamed so many times. Did he hear that too? Before you could process it, he spoke,”have a goodnight then cherie-san,”and he left, opening the door to his apartment and shutting it. You quickly went into yours and slid down as you shut the door, your dog greeting you. “No fucking way….”,you said aloud, ignoring the consistent licks on your face.
This was all too much, thank god you had no work tomorrow.
Change of POV to Rio’s
He closed his door and took off his jacket. What an eventful day. And he did that person seemed so shock he lived next to her? He was already aware of the fact, so why weren’t they. and how could they be so careless? This L/N-san was an interesting person. and their paths seemed to cross a lot. He also needed to get some sleep. First, he had to take a shower though. For the rest of the night though, he couldn’t get L/N out of his head. A bit irritated as to why, he forced himself to sleep sooner than expected.
The next day, he woke up and figured it was cleaning duty. He took out the trash first, opening the door and seeing L/N standing there. Riou blinked as she got scared and dropped her keys. “sorry for the scare,”he said and went to take out his trash. As he went back up to the apartment, he saw L/N and their dog, who went towards Riou. “Hes fine, I dont dislike dogs,”Riou said, bending down and giving him a couple of rubs. “I never asked his name.” he said, while petting him.
“Ah, D/N, thats his name,”they responded. “I see, Im done with my pets,”he said as he stood up, looking as they laughed and said,”you dont really have to state that…but thanks, he loves them.” Riou nodded and headed back to his place. That person definitely made fun of him and his way of speaking, but he less upset, and more couldn’t stop thinking about their smile. Why was that? No…he should turn on some music, do his chores, workout, and forget about it.
A couple of hours later, he sat down on the couch. His shirt was off and sweat was dripping down his body. Suddenly, his phone rang and he furrowed his brows,”how much?”,he asked. Dice responded over the phone,”how rude! I just miss your cooking, say say can I come over today please??,”he asked. Riou answered,”by all means. so, how much?” Dice chuckled,”okay you win, I’ll message you the amount.”
Once Dice showed up, Riou let him in,”eat first, money second,”he said, blinking as Dice hugged him. “Ri-chan I missed you so muchhh”,he said, moving his head in Riou’s chest. Riou couldn’t take the physical display of affections and took Dice off of him,”thanks, the food is ready.” Dice pouted as he mumbled,”not even an I miss you back.”
They sat down at the table and Dice spoke,”soooo, whats going on with Doctor Isolation in these parts? anything new? give me something, you never have anything.” Riou sighed as he ate his food,”I rescued the person who lives next to me from the attacker on the news, will that suffice?”,he said. Dice’s eyes lit up,”Woah! How cool! were they cute?” Riou lowered his eyes,”why is that of any concern? you should just be glad theyre safe.” Dice smirked,”and…do you know their name?”
“Yes, why?”,he answered.
“do you think theyre cute?”
“no comment.”
“you need more friends you know…or even a partner,”Dice said. “I have you, why would I need more?”, Riou asked. Dice frowned,”I make you hang out with me. I want you to have someone you want to hangout with…even though you never make plans with me.” Riou rolled his eyes,”thats because thats you job.” Dice continued to question him about L/N that he eventually kicked the other out…but of course L/N had to be coming back from work.
“Dice n-”
“Hey hey! my names Dice! Im this loners friend,”he said as he pointed at Riou,”please take care of him, I’ll leave him in your care,”he turned around,”They are cute by the way, just like you said,”Dice said with a wink, knowing it would it make him mad. He held onto his bag of money and dipped before he was choked,”Buh-bye Ri-chan!~”
Riou sighed and looked towards L/N,”sorry…he’s a handful. have a good day.” and then he left. Its not like he could exactly deny what Dice said, then that would just put him in an even stickier situation! He sighed and flopped down on his couch, planning out Dice’s murder in his head.