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“Maa-kun!” Ritsu called out excitedly as he ran out the front door. He hated being cooped up in his house, and the boring piano lessons that his family forced him to endure, but the reward that followed always got him through the day. He’d undergo countless hours of piano lessons if he could spend time with his next-door neighbor Mao afterwards.
“Ritsu!” Mao grinned when Ritsu jumped him for a hug. Most adults and other children would call his friend quiet, stuffy or awkward, but Mao knew they were wrong. They just didn’t know him well, nor were they close with him. Ritsu got sleepy easily, but he was super fun to hang out with. His family, however, was snobby and kind of high and mighty besides for his older brother Rei, but he didn’t mind running around with Mao, getting dirty by playing kickball or swimming in the nearby river. Mao appreciated him hanging around even though his family didn’t like it that much.
“What do you want to do today, Maa-kun?” Ritsu asked when he pulled away, and grabbed Mao’s hand as they started walking. They did this a lot, held hands and whatnot. No one would expect it, but Ritsu was surprisingly clingy. Not that Mao minded, of course, he loved his friend and was used to it since his little sister was clingy too.
“Hm… I’m not sure… What about going to the playground?! They got a new slide, right?” Mao grinned, smile warm like the sun. Ritsu’s life before meeting Mao and being able to play with him was kind of dark and dreary, so he thinks he’s like the sun too.
“Yeah, that sounds cool!” Ritsu stopped in his tracks, and Mao stopped with him in curiosity, “Maa-kun… I really love playing around with you. I hope we can do this forever!”
“Me too!” Mao brightened, and then grabbed his hand again, holding it up with both of his, “Ritsu, I want to marry you some day! So we can do it forever!”
Ritsu gasped in excitement, his eyes sparkling at the thought. “You’re right! We should get married! And we should get Rei so he can marry us! I heard that in western countries, they get a priest to do it and he could be ours!”
“You’re a genius! And let’s do it on the playground too, so we can go on the new slide after!”
The two gleefully headed towards the Sakuma house in anticipation for their impromptu playground wedding.
“You really need to start heading to school by yourself. Or at least, you know, walking by yourself,” Mao complains as he supports the black-haired teenager on his back, each step more annoying than the last. Ritsu, not surprisingly, had refused to get out of bed and was only coerced out by Mao promising to come over and play video games later. He complained that Mao being on the student council and unit activities made him too busy and messed with his “Maa-kun time” too much, and that he really missed him. It would have been sweet if he hadn’t been clinging onto his waist and trying to suck the life out of him.
Nonetheless, he only begrudgingly got up from bed, and Mao later found him in the bathroom sleeping while standing up with his tooth brush still in mouth. After having to help him get ready, he remained stubborn so Mao somehow ended up carrying his childhood friend on his back, which was the only way Ritsu would get to school today.
“Nnn, but don’t you want to get married when we’re older?” the moocher replies, yawning into Mao’s ear, “I’m just giving you preparation for what it’ll be like. You taking care of me for the rest of our lives.”
At this, Mao flushes a bright red. Ritsu can feel his childhood friend’s skin get hotter, smirking in triumph. “For the last time, we were kids. We’re not actually getting married!”
“Didn’t my older brother marry us though? We had a ceremony and everything. On the playground, right?” Ritsu’s tone is very matter-of-fact, “So technically we’re already-”
“Ritsu,” Mao groans. Ritsu cuddles against Mao’s neck.
“My wife.”
“Shut up,” he snaps, but he doesn’t throw Ritsu off his back like he could. He knows this, that cheeky bastard, and only laughs at the redhead’s hollow threat in reply.
“My cute Maa-kun can never resist me~” Ritsu hums, and unexpectedly he affectionately pecks Mao’s cheek. The second year then goes back to dangling off his friend, closing his eyes and taking in the warmth of Mao’s increasingly flushed skin.
Mao grumbles but his heart skips a beat at Ritsu’s sleepy drawl and teasing kiss. He’s been called it many times before, “teased” by his childhood friend many times too; he’d always excuse it with Ritsu’s clinginess, though. He thinks he doesn’t mind, and wouldn’t mind for the rest of his life. Admittedly, he was used to taking care of Ritsu already, used to his lazy ways and the prospect of being his forever… didn’t seem too bad.
Not that he’d ever admit it, of course.
(He has a feeling that Ritsu already knows, anyway.)