Work Text:
Several people have made way for Ritsu in their routines.
The first one would be Rei.
Their parents were good parents, seeing as they gave them everything they needed. But that would be excluding something vital : A close bond. So, the responsibility of keeping Ritsu a cheerful child laid in the hands of his older brother – Rei.
They spent time together, doing things such as playing the piano, reading stories and doing practically everything else with each other. Not only did they make way for plans, but they also set in daily routines.
They made sure to eat breakfast with each other, Rei chose the clothes for Ritsu when they were to be at home and over all, they were nigh inseparable when Rei wasn’t studying or taking care of other people’s issues.
That was until being there for people Rei should have almost no reason to care about became his life. Even if he was simply being helpful, shouldn’t he have spent more time with his own little sibling, his own blood, rather than someone who Ritsu had never even heard of? Were these people so utterly pathetic that they couldn’t go on without some child’s advice?
And so, time passed by, slower than the numerous torturous hours Ritsu spent in class with the windows open as a gateway to the sun. But then there was Mao.
Mao was the second person to make room for Ritsu. It was a chance encounter, but a day that neither of them would ever dream of forgetting. After all, their lives had shifted from the moment they met.
Regardless of their ages, Ritsu was always taken care of by Mao. For almost as long as the pair can remember, it has always been Mao assisting Ritsu with his condition (Ritsu has to bite back the fact it was supposed to be Rei doing that), not that they have a problem with this.
Ritsu remembers the warm smile of Mao’s family, with them giving him some food whenever he visited, food that is so reminiscent of Mao’s predecessor when it comes to taking care of Ritsu yet still so different.
Then as they grew older, Mao was the one to wake up Ritsu when he slept in, the one to spoil him, the one to take care of Ritsu whenever he struggled with his animosity with the vicious being that is the sun.
Mao is like the sun, Ritsu muses occasionally. Mao is bright, no, radiant. Mao is caring, and unlike the sun, harmless. The sun was willing to pick everyone in the world over the Sakumas, yet Mao was willing to pick up and put the pieces Rei had left behind and become Ritsu’s sun. And if the sun truly was Mao, Ritsu would make sure to let Mao know just how much this new sun means to him.
But as they grew and grew, four more people entered Ritsu’s life and nestled their way into his heart. Those being his unit mates in Knights. Izumi, Leo, Arashi, and of course, their youngest and their leader – Tsukasa.
Sweet Tsukasa. He could also be described as sweet-liking Tsukasa, but that isnt important at the moment. Along with Izumi, he always forces Ritsu to participate in practice, but that shows he cares. Despite being younger than everyone else and having not known about Knights’ dark past until recently, no, because of that, he had a lot of motivation.
And that motivation was also funnelled into making his unit mates work harder, which includes Ritsu. Regardless of the difficulty that is the task of waking a sleeping Ritsu up, Tsukasa took it head on, like a knight in a manner that would be admirable if it wasn’t for the task itself. Tsukasa did that for Ritsu often, fitting waking up the sleeping ‘vampire’ into his routine ever so diligently.
Ritsu really is grateful that Tsukasa joined Knights of all units and stuck with them for so long.
Then there’s Izumi, who, just like Tsukasa, is a thorn in the side of Ritsu’s sleep. But the drowsy Ritsu wouldn’t have it any other way.
Everyone in Ritsu’s life was special, seeing as they were able to bear him, but they were special in their own ways. Izumi’s method was being a pain in the ass. From when Izumi woke him up and practically dragged him to a practice room, yet still called him by a nickname he’d treasure just as much as ‘Ricchan’, to the present, where they bicker and laugh as comrades, Izumi has been an annoyingly endearing person Ritsu never wants to get rid of.
They talked about anything and everything, just like Izumi had said during Requiem. Requiem, the live that had such an impact on Ritsu, no, all of Knights’ lives. But it solidified Izumi and Ritsu’s friendship as one closer than just an arm’s distance. Much closer.
But that’s not everything about Izumi. There was something ironic about him. November second, a day that Ritsu had despised with every fibre in his being and tried so hard to forget the specialty of, suddenly became a special day again. It was Izumi’s birthday now.
But enough about Izumi, Ritsu has more people he cares about than the sharp tongued brat. (Ritsu mentally giggles every time he calls Izumi a brat in his head, considering that Ritsu is the older one.) Next would be Narukami Arashi.
A cruel, cruel person who watched Izumi drag Ritsu away from his perfectly good nap spot, or so he’d like to say, but Arashi is kinder than that. She jokes around with Ritsu, something that would probably be close to worthless for most, but it gives Ritsu a sense of normalcy in the unit.
Even though in the beginning Arashi was closed off so far that everyone in the unit could tell, they slowly managed to break her shell and see her, the true Arashi, incredible, beautiful, powerful and most of all, loving. She made everyone feel comfortable and that includes Ritsu. And that feeling of getting along, no, actually getting along, was routine.
Finally, the former king of Knights – Leo Tsukinaga. A simple person with too much space in his heart at first glance but Ritsu knows better. He’s seen how much Leo went through. And he’s glad Leo is back with them.
He remembers the day Leo suddenly popped back into their lives like some sort of.. Squirrel that appears. Probably not the best analogy, and he knows that, but Leo would still appreciate it.
And that’s something Ritsu appreciates about Leo. How easy it is to be with him; to feel loved. And he’s almost jealous of the countless members of Backgammon, seeing as they received this blinding light, until he realises they took it for granted.
The fact that they’d never let Leo’s love be in vain is something all of Knights can agree on. The love he puts into his songs, the love he puts into the unit, and of course, the love he puts into his unit mates like it’s routine.
After his unit mates comes Mika, his now roommate. At first, they were a bit awkward. But once they realised they were pretty compatible, considering Mika’s urge to take care of someone and Ritsu’s urge to be taken care of, they meshed well.
Mika wakes Ritsu up, he spoils Ritsu and over all takes care of him. Yet another person who fits Ritsu into their routine.
But through all of this reflection, Ritsu realised something. Several people have made way for Ritsu in their routines.
They’ve also made way for him in their lives.