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One hot summer night, Trickstar, Knights, RYUSEITAI, and Switch were scheduled to have a joint live. Although the four units didn't plan to perform a song together, they were all busy with rehearsals, PR, and other idol work during the weeks leading up to their event.
"Hi, guys!" Mao greeted Knights upon entering their practice room to pick Ritsu up.
"Hi, Mao-chan! You're here for Ritsu-chan, right?" Arashi greeted back.
"Ahaha... Yeah, he texted me to come get him after I was finished with Trickstar's rehearsals today."
"Well, hurry and get him out of here. He's been passed out for almost thirty minutes now." Izumi groaned at the sight if Ritsu being babied by Mao, as usual.
"Yes, yes. We'll be going, Sena-senpai." Mao awkwardly laughed and bowed to him and the other members. "Come on, Ritsu~, wake up." he tried nudging him awake before he decided to carry him on his back with his, as well as his own, bag slung on his shoulders.
"Get home safely, Isara-senpai. I hope Ritsu-senpai doesn't tire you out too much..." Tsukasa expressed worry for Mao.
"Haha, don't worry, I'm used to this, though that doesn't mean it isn't kinda hassle sometimes..." Mao half joked. "Goodnight, everyone. Good work today!" he said to the four in goodbye.
"Good work!" they all responded back as Mao left the room.
"Mm... Maa-kun?" Ritsu finally woke up a few minutes after they left.
"Good morning, Ritsu." Mao greeted sarcastically. "Tiring day today?"
"Mhm... So much rehearsals and work lately... And it's so hot now too..." Ritsu replied sleepily.
"Well, we have our joint concert coming up, so that's to be expected."
"What about you..? Aren't you tired with all this happening at once?"
"Yeah, it's tiring, but more than that, I'm excited about the joint live, so I've been taking extra care to keep myself in good condition lately."
"Mm... Maa-kun is always so responsible...and so cute..like a puppy..." Ritsu smiled against the other boy's shoulder.
"Ahem. On the other hand, you should be taking care of yourself better. Don't think I don't notice how tired you seem to be nowadays."
"I'm trying, but believe me, we barely have time to rest... It also doesn't help that Knights is being overhyped for this live.."
"Really?" Mao began to look genuinely worried for his childhood friend. "Even so, I hope you don't push yourself too hard. We all want you to be well and happy for the live.."
"Ok, I'll try...for Maa-kun's sake."
"Hey, you should do it for everyone else too, ok?" Mao scolded but chuckled nonetheless.
"Yes, sir, Maa-kun, sir." Ritsu joked, earning another laugh from Mao.
The next two weeks flew by rather quickly with Ritsu and Mao barely getting to spend time together, but whenever they did, Ritsu always looked gloomy and drained.
"Ritsu, are you ok? You don't look so good..." Mao asked worriedly one day after class.
"Mm... I just need some sleep, that's all..." Ritsu replied dismissively, albeit it was also true given the increasingly dark and heavy bags under his eyes as the days went by.
"Yeah, no, you clearly need more than just sleep. Come on, I'll take you to the infirmary to rest until lunch break. I'm sure teacher will understand." Mao insisted.
"Carry me...?"
"*sigh* Yes, princess, I'll carry you wherever you need to go." Mao joked while rolling his eyes, though at the moment he was actually willing to do just that with how unwell he looked.
"Fufu, Maa-kun is the best. I don't know what I'd do without you." Ritsu giggled weakly as he got comfortable on Mao's back.
"Then you could at least do some stuff for me in return too."
"Mhm... When our live's over and I'm not as busy, I'll do whatever you ask of me."
"Really? Will you even be awake if I suddenly ask you for something?" Mao asked sarcastically.
"Mm.. I'll do anything for you, and you only. That's how much I love you, fufufu~. Ritsu teased with a soft giggle.
At that moment, the last thing Mao was expecting to feel was his heartbeat gradually going at a mile per minute and his face slowly heating up as well, causing him to question and scream at himself internally. Fortunately for him, Ritsu wouldn't be able to see his face well while being carried on his back.
When they arrived at the infirmary, there was no staff or other students around, so Mao wrote Ritsu's name into the logbook and placed him down on the bed by the corner.
"I'll go back to the classroom now. Next period will start soon, and I need to tell teacher about you resting." Mao explained to the already dozing Ritsu.
"Come back for me?" Ritsu shifted his body to face Mao.
"Yes, I will. Rest well." Mao smiled gently at him before taking his leave.
Although Ritsu wished he could have kept Mao with him, he knew asking him to bring him to the infirmary was already a lot, so even though he was a little sad for a few minutes, he soon drifted off into sleep.
"Hm? Mao-chan, did you bring Ritsu-chan to the infirmary?" Arashi asked upon Mao's return.
"Oh. Yeah, he doesn't look well, so I thought he needs to get some rest."
"Hehe, thanks for always looking after him. He's been really exerting himself a lot lately that the rest of us in Knights also keep telling him to not push himself too hard. We haven't been coming to school much too because of our work, so I can only imagine how stressed he feels..."
"Right... I hope he'll be ok for our joint live..."
When lunch break came, Mao first informed the rest of Trickstar that he would be looking after Ritsu for the day, then bought an egg sandwich, an onigiri, and a sports drink from the cafeteria for Ritsu. Thankfully, the infirmary was still empty, except there was now a sign saying the doctor was on lunch break.
"Ritsu~. Are you up?" Mao called out upon entering.
When he approached Ritsu, he found the boy still sleeping soundly, so he decided to wait a while longer and started with his own lunch in the meantime. Almost ten minutes later, Mao thought he had better wake Ritsu so that he would have ample time to eat, but instead found himself staring at his peaceful face and subconsciously reached out to stroke his hair, which slowly stirred the boy awake.
Ritsu didn't say anything or open his eyes for the first minute or two, opting to relish in this act of affection from his dearest childhood friend who often claimed that taking care of him is tiring. However, it eventually seemed as if Mao wasn't going to stop any time soon, so he finally opened his eyes and smiled up at Mao.
"R-Ritsu..?! How long have you been awake...?" Mao immediately withdrew his hand and his face grew red from embarrassment.
"A few minutes ago? Why did you stop, though? It felt so nice~"
"I-I thought you were still sleeping..." Mao muttered barely loud enough for the other boy to hear. "A-anyway, I got you lunch. Eat up."
"Fufu. Thanks. Maa-kun really is the best~" Ritsu giggled and took the food he was handed.
"So, I heard from Narukami you've been exerting yourself lately?"
"Mm... You could say that. I guess work has been overwhelming, but at the same time, I don't want to seem like I'm slacking compared to the others, which is partly why I tried coming to school today." Ritsu explained.
"I get you, but even your unitmates are worried for you. Please don't be reckless." Mao pleaded.
"Yes, yes. Whatever Maa-kun wants, he shall get." Ritsu teased.
"Y-you know I'm serious!" Mao protested with flushed cheeks.
"Fufu, I know. I'm thankful you're always looking after me."
Once again, Mao began to blush, much to his surprise, and as he was going to reply, the bell signifying the last few minutes of their break rang.
"Ah... Are you ready to go back for classes now?" he asked.
"I don't wanna, but I guess I should...and it's lonely here without you anyway."
In that moment, Mao couldn't help but wonder if Ritsu had always been this vocal with his affections or if he was just joking around and trying to make him embarrassed. Either way, he couldn't fathom why he suddenly kept finding himself feeling shy, yet giddy over Ritsu's words of affection that day.
Afterwards, the two once again hardly saw each other until the day of their joint live. Although the four units were brought to the venue simultaneously, they were all immediately ushered into their unit's respective dressing rooms to get changed and apply makeup.
After slightly more than an hour of preparation, Mao had finished everything he needed and noticed his other three unitmates were still busy, so he decided to text Ritsu and ask if he was free at the moment. He received a reply five minutes later saying they could get some drinks at the vending machine outside together, so Mao quickly told his unitmates before leaving that he would hang out with Ritsu for a bit.
"Hey, Ritsu!" Mao waved upon seeing his friend exit his dressing room as well.
"Maa-kun!" Ritsu smiled gleefully upon seeing him. "Fufu, look at you, all handsome and prettied up~"
"H-hey, you look better than me, you know..?" Mao blushed at the sudden compliment, his heart once again racing for reasons he can't understand.
"That's not true~ I'm so sleepy, yet here you are so full of life."
"Huh? Th-then, don't you want to take this chance to nap before we go on stage?" Mao asked worriedly.
"Nah, it's ok. I'd much rather spend time with you." Ritsu assured.
Strangely, the thought of Ritsu putting his sleep aside from him made Mao's heart want to explode into a million pieces, but he was still worried about his condition.
"O-ok... But let me know if you want to rest, alright? You honestly still don't look that great..."
"I will~. Anyway, let's get our drinks now, I'm thirsty." Ritsu giggled softly as he dragged Mao along by the wrist.
Upon browsing the selection of the vending machine, Ritsu chose a grape soda, while Mao chose a cold peach tea. After getting their respective drinks, they sat on a nearby bench and chatted until both their cans were empty.
"Ritsu, are you sure you don't want to rest? I'll even carry you back, if you want."
"Wow~, I'm surprised you're actually offering to carry me this time. But I'm fine, really. I'm pretty sure Suu-chan will come looking for me soon anyway." Ritsu assured as he got up to throw his soda can in the trash bin while Mao just stared at him with a pout and puffed cheeks.
"Aww, don't look at me like that~. You look too cute for me to take you seriously." he teased until Mao began to give him a deadpanned expression instead. "Ok, ok. I'll rest....but on your lap only."
"Wha-?! I'm sure the dressing room is more comfy, though...?" Mao protested.
"But Maa-kun is more comfortable than any kind of sofa or bed... Now if you'll excuse me~" Ritsu reasoned as he slid down to lay on Mao's lap and closed his eyes.
Mao simply sighed in defeat and began to stroke Ritsu's hair, causing him to smile and hum in satisfaction. For the next ten minutes or so, Mao mindlessly stared at the boy on his lap in adoration while continuously stroking his hair, and was about to lean down towards him when he heard a familiar voice nearby calling, "Ritsu-senpai! Where are you?!". Mao immediately snapped out of whatever trance he was in and shook Ritsu awake.
"Ritsu, wake up. Suou is looking for you." he gently shook Ritsu awake.
"Hrmm.... Fine, fine. I'll get up...even though I don't wanna..." Ritsu mumbled as he slowly pushed himself up.
"Ah! There you are, Ritsu-senpai! I've been looking for you for about five minutes now! Come on, Knights will have a meeting now before the live." Tsukasa exclaimed upon finding Ritsu and Mao. "Oh, hello again, Isara-senpai!"
"Hi, Suou! Ok, go with your leader now, Ritsu."
"Yes, yes. I'm coming... See you later, Maa-kun~" Ritsu smiled to him before walking towards Tsukasa.
"Wait, actually, I should probably head back too before Subaru starts looking for me, ahaha... Mind if I walk back with you guys?"
"Oh, no, of course you're welcome to come!" Tsukasa replied politely.
The three spent their short walk to their rooms having small talk about the live, and wished each other good luck when they were about to part ways. As Mao opened the door for Trickstar's dressing room, he was greeted with Subaru suddenly jumping out from behind the door and yelling "Boo!".
"Uwaah! Subaru?! What are you doing there?!" Mao jumped back in shock.
"I was about to go out and look for you, but I heard you, Ritsu-senpai, and Cathy coming back already, so I thought I'd scare you instead!"
"Well, you certainly got me there..." Mao sighed in defeat.
"Hey, we're gonna go out there soon. Let's get ready." Hokuto called their attention.
"Yes, Your Highness~!" Subaru teased, but complied nonetheless.
About thirty minutes later, all four units were called to go up on stage to introduce the event and their respective units, followed by Switch performing their first song, then RYUSEITAI, third Trickstar, and lastly, Knights. This rotation planned to go around three times before having an intermission where all four units talk amongst themselves and with the fans, then returning for one more song rotation to end the live.
However, during Knights's third song, Ritsu had a misstep while the five were shifting positions and fell to his side while clutching his right knee. The four other members immediately stopped their performance upon seeing their friend fall and checked on him worriedly. Mao, who, along with everyone else, was watching them from backstage saw what just happened to Ritsu and immediately tried running to him, but was held back and blocked by his three Trickstar friends.
"Ritsu!!!" Mao yelled with wide, panicked eyes and cold sweat trickling down his face. "Let me go!!" he then tried thrashing around, hoping to free himself from Hokuto and Subaru's grasp.
"Isara, please calm down..!" Hokuto pleaded.
"Ritsu-kun will be brought here, don't worry. You'll see him in a minute." Makoto assured.
Hearing that, Mao gradually calmed down enough for Hokuto and Subaru to let go of him and waited for the staff to carry Ritsu backstage and to the infirmary.
"I'm going with them." Mao said firmly without waiting for a reply and quickly followed Ritsu and the staff.
Once Ritsu was sat on the bed that laid beside the wall of the room, another staff member immediately came in with large ice packs to cover majority of his right leg.
"How are you feeling, Ritsu?" Mao asked worriedly after sitting on the chair beside the bed.
"It hurts, but shouldn't you be out there with the others, Maa-kun?" Ritsu still managed a giggle despite what had just happened to him.
"It's fine. I'd be too worried and panicked to do anything right out there anyway. I'd much rather stay with you..."
"Even if skipping out gets you in trouble later?"
"Yeah...you're my number one priority after all, right..?" Mao's voice gradually trailed off, almost not letting Ritsu hear what he had said.
"Fufu... Right... Just as you're my number one priority too~." Ritsu was shocked at first by Mao's affection, but quickly smiled and felt his heart fill with warmth.
At the same time, Mao felt his face flush and his chest ache at the sight of Ritsu's beautiful and gentle smile, and it was in that moment he finally realized why his heart always fluttered whenever the boy before him displayed even the smallest amount of affection: he was in love with him.
"I... Um... Ritsu...?" Mao stammered, suddenly feeling nervous and antsy.
"Yes?" Ritsu replied calmly.
"Can...I tell you something...?"
"Of course. What is it?"
"I..." Mao began to feel his palms sweat and clutched onto the fabric of his pants. "I th-think I'm...in love with you...." he finally managed to say, albeit he looked anywhere but at the other boy.
Ritsu was stunned speechless for three, five, ten seconds, and when Mao finally glanced up at him, he couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Pffft, you think?" Ritsu teased.
"I...! Yes..?! No, I-I mean..! *sigh* No, I'm definitely in love with you..." Mao initially panicked but managed to mostly calm himself and confess more properly.
"Really...?" Ritsu looked at Mao with wide puppy eyes at first then shook his head. "Wait, sorry. I mean to say that I'm in love with you too. Actually, I've been in love with you for quite some time now." he smiled upon admitting his feelings.
"Really?" Now it was Mao's turn to be shocked and wide-eyed.
"I mean, when have I ever been subtle about my feelings?"
"Well, I-I never thought you were actually serious..." Mao grew embarrassed at the thought that he was that oblivious to his friend's feelings.
"Of course I'm serious. I don't say such affectionate things to just anyone after all."
"Oh... I'm sorry... I should've known..."
"Fufu, it's ok. It's cute when you're dense~"
"No, but...I feel kinda bad now, especially since I, y-you know, like you too and all..." Mao muttered while avoiding eye contact with Ritsu.
Silence filled the room for the next ten seconds or so, and just as Mao was about to look up at Ritsu, he saw the other boy's hand reaching for his own before bringing it up to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on his knuckles.
"Wha-" Mao slightly jumped in his seat but didn't withdraw his hand from Ritsu's.
"Fufu~. Come sit here~" Ritsu beckoned, slowly lifting himself to make enough room for Mao to sit on the bed.
Mao hesitantly and shakily stood up from his chair and stiffly sat on the edge of the bed with his back facing the injured boy. Ritsu immediately pulled Mao down towards his chest and hugged him tightly while nuzzling his cheek on his hair.
"R-Ritsu...?!" Mao yelped in shock, but slowly relaxed into the embrace.
"Hey, can we.....kiss?" Ritsu asked tentatively after a brief moment of silence.
Mao abruptly leaned forward to look at Ritsu, who now had a not-so-subtle blush that spread across his cheeks, with a surprised expression as if asking if he was serious.
"I-I....Um...." Mao stammered while his eyes darted everywhere, but after a long pause, he gave a small nod.
Ritsu smiled at the younger boy affectionately and used his right index finger and thumb to lift Mao's chin. The two momentarily locked eyes with flushed faces before Ritsu closed his eyes and slowly leaned in to kiss him. Mao frantically shut his eyes tightly and wanted to reciprocate the soft, gentle kiss of Ritsu, but found himself feeling as stiff as a rock from head to toe.
"Fufufu, you're so tense, Maa-kun~" Ritsu teased after pulling away from the brief kiss.
Mao's face grew even redder as he puffed his cheeks out, but swiftly pulled Ritsu back in for another kiss-this time with no restraint and with more purpose. Ritsu gasped slightly at the sudden contact, but quickly relaxed and even let out a content, breathy sigh in between borderline heated kisses. Mao pulled away first and gazed up dazedly at Ritsu while catching his breath.
"Bet you liked that, right?" Mao teased with a crooked smile.
"Mhm~ You don't know how long I've been wanting this..."
Right after their intimate moment, the door slowly opened revealing the other members of Knights and Trickstar. The seven who came to check on Ritsu and Mao all froze in their place as they were met with the sight of the two practically cuddling on the bed.
"Are we....interrupting something?" Makoto hesitantly asked.
"N-nope!" Mao immediately scrambled to get off the bed.
"Hahaha! Sally, did you finally....ya know~?" Subaru asked suggestively.
"I d-don't know what you're talking about..!"
"He did." Ritsu interrupted with a mischievous smile.
"Ritsu!!" Mao turned back to Ritsu, who simply stuck his tongue out at him teasingly.
"Oh, oh? Is this what I think it is, Rittsu?" Leo asked.
Ritsu nodded happily in response, making Leo and Arashi jump with glee and Tsukasa and Izumi sigh with relief and smile proudly at their friend.
"Heehee, congrats, Ritsu-chan and Mao-chan~!" Arashi squealed.
"Wha- I- W-we-" Mao stuttered as his face instantly became as red as his Trickstar uniform's jacket. "Th-thank you..."
"Jeez, it's about time, Isara..." Hokuto shrugged.
"What do you mean?!"
"The three of us already knew you liked Ritsu-kun even before you yourself realized it..." Makoto explained.
"H-huh...?" Mao was bewildered at the statement, to say the least.
"Really? I thought Isara-senpai was just too shy to confess to Ritsu-senpai." Tsukasa admitted.
"And of course Kuma-kun wouldn't dare make the first move." Izumi added.
"Honestly, I was going to give up on Maa-kun reciprocating my feelings sooner or later." Ritsu pouted at the thought.
"Wha-?! But..."
"I know, I know. You've realized you love me now~" Ritsu teased with a small, cheeky grin.
"..." Mao had nothing to say in response to Ritsu's teasing and simply stared at the corner of the room, not daring to look at him or the others standing by the doorway.
"U-um... Not to ruin the moment, but we still need you to come with us for our last song, Isara. The fans were worried about your absence earlier." Hokuto interjected.
"R-right. Sorry for leaving earlier..."
"As for you, Ritsu-senpai, one of the staff told us they'll have your injury assessed before bringing you back to the dorms." Tsukasa explained.
"So hassle..." Ritsu whined.
"Hi, guys! Sorry to barge in, but Trickstar's gonna go out there soon!" Anzu joined the group in a hurry.
"Right. Come on, Isara." Hokuto called him over.
"Coming! See you later, Ritsu..." Mao turned back to him one last time with a melancholic grin and subconsciously reached his hand out to him.
"Mm. Come take care of me later~" Ritsu extended his hand out to Mao's as well and intertwined their fingers for a brief moment until Hokuto's rough, "Ahem!" snapped Mao back to his senses, making him withdraw his hand from Ritsu's immediately and practically dash towards the rest of Trickstar.
For the first time, Mao couldn't wait for their live to end.