Work Text:
Day 2 Ring/Glitter (2023)
Ritsu knew that attempting to confess his feelings to Masamune face to face would more likely than not result in a disaster. Either he would mess up his words or forget to say something or someone would interrupt them - that someone being Masamune himself more likely than not. So ultimately he decided that a letter would be the best route to go.
Maybe it wasn't the most show-stopping, dazzling, over-the-top confession, but Ritsu thought that a letter detailing his sincere feelings was genuinely romantic. Plus, he could write as many drafts as he felt necessary until he felt it was absolutely perfect. And write drafts he did. None of them went in the garbage - even if some of them probably should have - but he couldn't part with any of them just in case something in there was salvageable and could be applied to a new draft. His home was usually already messy with work he brought home and now there were pages of unfinished love letters flying all around as well. He knew it was only a matter of time before Masamune ended up barging into his apartment, especially since Ritsu was limiting their time together outside of work to focus on his confession, so he'd have to finish a final draft as soon as possible.
The envelope the letter would be contained in would likely end up quite puffy as it seemed Ritsu's letters were just getting longer and longer - requiring multiple pages - but Ritsu felt there was no point if he didn't get it all out there. It was an extremely embarrassing process (that required multiple breaks so that Ritsu wouldn't scream in humiliation) but Ritsu hoped that this exercise in vulnerability would help him in actually being in a proper relationship with Masamune. Because becoming Masamune's boyfriend likely meant that things were only going to get more embarrassing, not less.
Still, once he was finally looking at the finished letter, it seemed to lack a certain...pizazz? At least, visually. Without delving into the contents of it, it just appeared to be a regular letter. Ritsu thought to the heart-pounding imagery of the shojo mangas he worked on daily: the cherry blossoms, the sparkles, the inexplicable feeling that things were pink even when the page is black and white. Ritsu wasn't the most crafty person on the planet, but surely he could do something to make it look a little fancier?
One hasty trip to the closest craft store later and Ritsu had glitter, glue, and some fake cherry blossoms that he hoped he could somehow press on to the page without compromising his ability to fold the letter. He sat down to get to work, deciding to start with the flowers. He carefully removed the artificial blossoms from the thin twig-like imitation branches before testing how flat he was able to press them. Ritsu decided the results were satisfactory and then contemplated how many he would need to press. His letter ended up being three pages - with hand written text being on both sides of each page. He thought it might look nice if there were little flowers on each corner of the pages, so he plucked and press twenty-four of the cherry blossoms to put four on the front and back of each page. If he wasn't so focused on the task at hand he would probably feel a little ridiculous, but he was too worried about properly gluing the fake flowers down.
Once he finished arranging the flowers to his liking and letting them dry, he then carefully laid out a nice border of glue around the letter to sprinkle some of the fine pink glitter he'd purchased. He thought having the glitter on the front and back might be a little too much, so he did it on the front of all three pages instead. When everything dried he kept his fingers crossed and carefully folded it up before somehow managing to make it fit in the envelope.
Ritsu took a deep breath when all was said and done and felt all of his previous embarrassment come rushing back. His face turned bright red and his hands instinctively came up to cover it up.
I can't believe I did this...and now I actually have to give it to him! Ritsu had already decided that there was no way he could be in the same room while Masamune read it, he would have to deliver it and run, and even that was mortifying to imagine. He considered slipping it through Masamune's mail slot, but that seemed too impersonal.
Are you home right now? Ritsu texted Masamune after a solid half hour of agonizing over whether or not he was actually going to go through with this. If he didn't do it tonight he probably wouldn't do it at all! He would instead pick apart the entire idea until he talked himself out of it.
Yes, Masamune responded so fast that it almost seemed like he had been waiting with his phone in hand for Ritsu to contact him. Do you want to come over?
No, but I have something to give to you, Ritsu texted back. I'll see you in a minute, Ritsu took several more deep breaths before he even made it to his entry way. He gripped the envelope a little tighter as he exited his apartment and reluctantly shuffled toward Masamune's door. He planted himself in front of Masamune's apartment, staring at the door for much longer than necessary without making a move before it suddenly opened.
"I figured you were just standing out here like a weirdo." Masamune said.
"I wasn't-" Ritsu instinctively went to argue, but remembered his mission. Get in, deliver the letter, and get out. He held out the envelope toward Masamune. "This is for you! Please contact me after you've read it!"
Masamune raised an eyebrow, but took the envelope. "Wha-"
Ritsu fled back into his own apartment before Masamune could fully form his question. He shut the door behind him and slid down it to sit on the floor with his head in his hands. Ritsu's heart was beating so hard he thought it would surely burst out of his chest and he'd die before he even got to hear Masamune's response to his letter. He figured that would be a fitting end to his life.
I've made a horrible mistake, Ritsu thought as he sat in the entry way, I can't believe I actually gave it to him, I can't believe I actually wrote something like that, why did I do that, I'm so stupid, this was such a terrible idea, I think I'm going to be sick, Ritsu silently spiraled with shame for at least five minutes until he heard a quiet ping from his phone.
Ritsu's hands shook, though he desperately tried to steady them so he could clearly read the text.
I read it, please come back over.
Ritsu blinked, surprise momentarily overtaking his mortification. Masamune had read his letter that fast? They were both very fast readers, so maybe it was possible Masamune had finished it. Plus, Ritsu preferred this whole exchange happen quickly anyway - like ripping off a Band-Aid. Then hopefully he could stop feeling like his legs were going to give out on him as he walked back over to Masamune's apartment.
This time, Ritsu actually managed to knock on Masamune's front door, though he was finding it increasingly difficult to swallow.
Masamune answered seconds later, the door once again swinging open.
"Come in." Was all Masamune said, reaching forward to grab Ritsu's hand and drag him inside so Ritsu could not possibly argue.
Ritsu nervously followed Masamune to his living room, his inability to read Masamune in this moment making him feel painfully unsure of himself. Ritsu saw a glimpse of the envelope he'd just delivered on the table as Masamune sat down on the couch and pulled Ritsu down to sit with him. When Masamune reached forward to grab the envelope, Ritsu realized the envelope wasn't open.
"You said you finished reading it!"
"I lied." Masamune said as he started to open it.
"Why would you lie?!" Ritsu exclaimed.
"Because I wanted you to be here when I read it." Masamune said, taking the letter out and starting to unfold it.
Before Ritsu could protest or make a run for it, something much, much worse happened right before his eyes.
As Masamune began unfolding the letter, a rain of pink glitter fell from the papers and on to his lap.
They both froze, processing the unexpected mishap.
How...HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?! Did the glue dry wrong?! Is the universe just working against me?! Ritsu thought with horror, I-I can't let him read it now! Not after this disaster! I'll never hear the end of it!
Masamune was shocked enough by the unintentional glitter bomb that he had yet to read any of the actual letter and Ritsu dove forward to try to grab it, unintentionally breaking Masamune out of his stupor.
"Hey, knock it off! You're just making the glitter go everywhere!"
"My deepest apologies, please give it back!" Ritsu shouted in a panic, not caring that he was getting glitter on himself - and on Masamune's couch and floor. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"
"No, it's mine!" Masamune refused, gripping the letter tighter as Ritsu made his way on top of him to grab at it. Normally he wouldn't mind this position so much, but not when he was fighting for what he could only assume was the love confession he'd been waiting so long for.
"Give it to me!"
"Hell no!"
"I'm not letting you read it!"
"Let go-"
Rip.
The sound of paper tearing stopped all motion. Ritsu was now holding one half of the pages while Masamune was still gripping the other. Ritsu could feel his throat getting tight and his eyes starting to burn with the urge to cry. How could this have all gone so wrong so fast?
"Ritsu-"
"Please forget this ever happened!" Ritsu reached out with his free hand to quickly snatch the other half of the letter from Masamune's grasp and ran out of the apartment. When in the safety of his own home he slammed and locked the door behind him, certain that Masamune would attempt to follow.
What a waste, Ritsu thought miserably, his vision blurring with tears as he stared down at the ruined letter. One of the cherry blossoms pathetically drifted off the paper and on to the floor. It was a stupid idea anyway, he told himself, tempted to throw out every draft he'd worked on.
Ritsu ignored the pounding on his door and the multiple texts and calls he was receiving from Masamune as he sat on his couch, not caring if he was spreading glitter to his own furniture.
Why can't I get out of my own way for just one day? He thought miserably as he continued to stare at the ripped letter in his hands. The hours he spent trying to decide if this was the right way to confess, all the rewrites that were piled up around him, and the stupid, stupid way he decided to try to decorate it, only for it all to accumulate in him embarrassing himself. Again.
Ritsu set the pieces down on the table with other drafts, trying to compose himself enough not to full on cry as Masamune continued to try to get him to open the door. Normally Ritsu would wait until Masamune gave up, but it seemed Ritsu was having no such luck tonight as the knocking went on for a ludicrous amount of time.
At least I'm too annoyed with him to cry right now, Ritsu thought with a huff as he finally went over to his door. He opened it just a crack.
"Would you knock it off before someone calls the police?" Ritsu hissed.
"You can either let me into your home willingly or get angry when I barge in, which one is it going to be?" Masamune asked.
Ritsu balked, "Excuse me?"
Masamune could only see this going one way, so he decided to speed up the process and forced the door open enough for him to go inside.
"Takano-san, you can't just-!"
"Where is it?"
"Where's what?"
"Don't play stupid, where's the letter?" Masamune huffed, brushing past Ritsu to go toward his living room.
"It's ruined, why even bother with it?!" Ritsu tried to slow him in his tracks, but Masamune was determined.
"I still want it." He insisted before he noticed the piles of papers in Ritsu's living room. "What the hell is all this? Are you overworking yourself?" The 'again' was silent.
"No-I-It's nothing!" Ritsu tried to insist as Masamune picked up a random page.
Dear Takano-san,
I'm sorry if this isn't what you were expecting-
Ritsu snatched the piece of paper out of his hands before he could read any further. "Don't stick your nose into other people's personal things!" He scolded. "Please get out!" He added, trying to position himself between Masamune and all the drafts he had scattered.
Masamune was not easily discouraged, snatching as many pieces of paper as he could to read as much as he could before Ritsu tore them away from him.
Dear Takano-san,
This past year has been difficult, but ultimately worth it-
Dear Takano,
I'm writing this to you in the hopes that I can fully detail how much you mean to me-
Dear Takano
I love you- Probably shouldn't open with confession right away, he might not read the rest.
Masamune paused in his efforts, Ritsu holding several pieces of paper close to his chest and haphazardly trying to collect the rest.
"These are all letters you wrote for me?"
Ritsu paused, the papers crinkling in his arms. "...Some of my work is mixed up in here...but...yes..." Ritsu reluctantly admitted.
Masamune felt his face start to warm up.
"I want all of them." Masamune said, once again springing into action to collect as many as he could.
"What?! No!" Ritsu protested as he did the same.
"Are there more in your room?" Masamune asked.
"N-No, don't go in there!"
Masamune sprinted toward Ritsu's room, arms full of letter drafts as he managed to shut and lock the door behind him. When he saw more papers in Ritsu's room he couldn't help but to smile brightly.
It seemed he had some reading to catch up on.