Snapdragon - Ritshou

Chapter 1

The sun's orange rays withdraw from the floor of his room and off his curtains, back into the horizon. Taking back its light and leaving the world in spotted darkness. Twinkling stars and the city lights break the mass of the murky blanket that is soon to cover half of the Earth. Ritsu's laugh bubbles underneath his ribs, eyes losing focus on the homework he's yet to finish.

It's thanks to Shou that Ritsu couldn't finish his work earlier in the day, not that he is truly upset. On the contrary, Ritsu welcomes the distraction that comes in the form of bright red hair and light blue eyes that can pierce directly into your soul. It feels like being dissected right on the spot, skin pried open to reveal the grittiness sewn into his bones. The surgeon being the only person that can elicit irregular heartbeats and color in his cheeks.

It's nearing night time now and the homework isn't due until next week, anyway. He has time to laugh along with whatever joke Shou spouts at the moment.

Ritsu's attention returns to the assignment, continuing the flow of his writing. Shou's finger taps on Ritsu's paper, interrupting the movement of pencil scraping against the thin page.

Ritsu looks up, tearing his eyes off the pages. He raises a brow expectantly and is met with one of Shou's charming toothy grins. The other boy has his hands placed politely under his chin on Ritsu's work desk. He is kneeling down by the desk and looking up at him with those intense eyes that catches Ritsu off guard even now well into their college years.

"So," Shou begins, his voice coyly wrapping itself around Ritsu's heart, "Do you have a crush on anyone yet?"

Despite the innocence of the question, it violently grabs Ritsu into a chokehold. His spluttering turns into a coughing fit. Shou pats his back as he coughs into the crook of his arm. He could feel his face burn and he knows Shou can see it too, but mercifully doesn't say anything about it.

Ritsu manages to get himself together, coughing up the last of the spit that accidentally went down the wrong way at the pure shock that came from the question. "S-sorry." he says, his throat tight from the coughing fit.

Shou takes back his hand, "Relax, Ritsu. It's not something to die over." That grin of his returning to prevent Ritsu from fully composing himself.

Blue eyes continue to stare into Ritsu's own. He has to look away from that attention, focusing back on his homework, pencil frozen in his hand.

Shou tilts his head to the side, trying to force himself into Ritu's field of vision. "Are you going to answer?"

Ritsu can hear the smile that has not once left his best friend's lips. He briefly wonders what that smile tastes like. Ritsu shakes his head, dispelling those thoughts. He flips the page on to its back, more empty homework problems to solve. "I don't have one." he half mumbles, feigning to pay attention to the homework.

Shou lets out a sigh as he leans back, "With a reaction like that it makes it hard to believe."

Ritsu rolls his eyes, finally managing to read the first set of questions, "I'm far too busy to be crushing on anyone." he looks down at his friend, a fake play of contempt written in his dark eyes, "As are you. You can't possibly be done with all that math homework we've been assigned."

Shou raises his hands up in mock surrender, "You caught me, Rits. Red handed." Shou rocks himself, using the momentum to push himself up into standing. "I'll take that as a yes." he continues, earning a pointed glare.

"Take it however you want it." he replies. He moves on to the next question, already finishing the first one despite the distraction called Shou.

When there isn't a witty reply, Ritsu stops and looks up at his friend. Shou is looking in his direction, but not quite. He has this far away look in his eyes, dulling the color along with it. He isn't sure where Shou goes in moments like these, but he doesn't want his friend to go too far. He clears his throat, reeling in Shou's attention back on him.