Lets go @sihjrweek my entries this year will be very short but as long as they exist I am happy LOL
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Onodera Ritsu knew that biting his nails was an unbecoming habit. His parents especially did not approve, but (despite his mother’s wishes) they could not monitor their son 24/7. It surely was a behavior that sprung from Ritsu’s underlying anxieties, though he couldn’t recall with very much clarity when exactly he’d started to channel that energy into shortening his nails and picking at the skin surrounding them.
Developing a crush on an upperclassman hadn’t helped the matter.
Whenever Ritsu almost got caught watching him or had unusual difficulty tracking what book Saga Masamune had read last, he almost immediately would start biting at whatever fingernail had managed a miniscule amount of growth.
It only got worse when Saga actually acknowledged Ritsu existed and started to hang out with him! His heart would race, palms would sweat, cheeks would turn red anytime Saga so much as looked in Ritsu’s direction, so it was only natural that his nail biting increased.
“Ow.” Ritsu absentmindedly complained as he accidentally bit his thumbnail too short while reading side by side with Saga in the library. He tried not to grimace at the now consistent stinging coming from the irritated appendage.
Saga looked toward Ritsu immediately, “What?” He questioned, giving Ritsu a quick once over to try to determine what was paining him.
Ritsu curled up his fingers into a fist instinctively to try to hide his bitten nails. “It’s nothing.”
Saga’s response was to raise a disbelieving eyebrow at him.
“R-Really, I just bit my nail a little too short, it’s not a big deal…” Ritsu insisted.
Saga clicked his tongue in disapproval, “You should really stop doing that, you know?”
Ritsu turned pink at the scolding, “I know, it’s a bad habit, but a lot of the time I don’t even realize I’m doing it.” He said, staring at the page in front of him to avoid making eye contact.
“How about whenever you feel the need to bite your nails, or whenever I notice you biting them, I hold your hand instead?” Saga offered.
Ritsu’s face turned an even darker shade of embarrassment, “N-No, you don’t have to do that-”
It was too late for Ritsu to try to protest, Saga already reaching out toward Ritsu’s hand to intertwine their fingers.
“Senpai, what if someone sees?” Ritsu whispered, scandalized as he quickly looked around the library for any potential witnesses.
“Putting your head on a swivel like that will just attract more attention to you, you know? It’s fine.” Saga assured, sounding almost bored with Ritsu’s protests.
Ritsu faltered slightly, glancing down at their clasped hands. “Well…I guess if you really don’t mind…”
“I don’t.” Saga confirmed quickly, eager to dispel Ritsu’s hesitations. To further emphasize his point, Saga gave Ritsu’s hand a gentle squeeze.
“Then…maybe it’s okay…” Ritsu conceded.
“I can’t be with you in class or at home, so you’ll be on your own then. Think you can handle it?”
“O-Of course I can, it’s no big deal, not biting my nails…” Ritsu responded, a hint of that fiery determination inside him that would only grow over the next several years peeking out.
Saga believed him, but he figured there also wasn’t any harm in providing a little bit of incentive just to keep Ritsu on track.
“For every week you can go without biting your nails, I’ll give you a reward.” The upperclassman offered.
“A reward?” Ritsu echoed, curiosity successfully piqued. “What kind of reward?”
“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” Saga said, though with the kind of positive reinforcement he was already brainstorming it would probably be a reward for Saga too…
Ritsu pouted, but didn’t argue, “Fine.”
Saga bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling. If Ritsu is already iffy on holding hands in public then he really shouldn’t pout. Otherwise, I’m gonna start kissing him in public, Saga thought, avoiding staring at Ritsu’s lips so he didn’t just give into the temptation.
With the promise of rewards from Senpai in sight, Ritsu was able to kick the habit pretty quickly.
