Chapter Text
“Ena…”
”I’m busy!”
”Go to slee~p…”
”You sleep.”
Mizuki groaned and turned to lie on her back. “C’mon, Ena! It’s gotta be like, half an hour since you’ve started on your skincare! The longest my night routine went was twenty minutes!”
Ena grumbled and washed her face. “Unlike your effortlessly easy-to-care skin, I need to do more than cleanser and moisturizer.”
”I do more than that!” they squawked. “I’m appalled that you think so less of me!”
The brunette marched out of the bathroom and splashed her with water. Mizuki sputtered and shot the most betrayed look at her, while Ena just smirked and disappeared back in the bathroom.
”Eh—Ena! How could you?!” They dramatically rested a hand on her chest, feigning disappointment. “My own girlfriend!”
“Oh, woe is you,” she deadpanned. “Maybe if you were a bit more patient then your ‘dear girlfriend’ would have a bit more grace.”
”I have patience!”
”As much patience as a hummingbird on sugar.”
Mizuki stuttered and sputtered random nonsense, then scoffed and proceeded to bury herself in a pillow.
Ena chuckled and turned off the sink. “I’m done, by the way.”
They immediately shot back up. “Oh, finally!”
The artist found herself nearly shoved on her bed by Mizuki, who climbed up into the top bunk.
”G’night, Ena!”
Ena stared at her, one eyebrow raised. “…Good night.”
Mizuki hummed contently and flew away to slumberland, which beckoned Ena to do the same.
“Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred! All done, Nene-chan!” Emu chirped, setting down her hairbrush.
Nene ran a hand through her hair, pleasantly surprised at how soft it felt.
“Turns out a hundred brushes do work wonders,” she hummed. Emu grinned, eyes sparkling with pride at Nene’s statement.
”Yep! My sister says it’s probably the even number being divided equally, but I think it depends on the person brushing, and my brothers say it’s a load of nothing.”
Nene shook her head. “Guess your brothers never bothered to comb anyone’s hair?”
”Nope!” Emu landed on the bed the songstress was sitting on, and proceeded to get knocked out almost immediately.
”G’night, Nene…chan…” A soft snore replaced what she was about to say.
Nene smiled fondly at the scene in front of her. She ran her fingers through her hair one more time before settling down for bed.
And at last, Kamiyama’s girls’ cabin fell into peaceful slumber.
“Sheesh, this water’s cold.”
Kohane took a sip from her glass as she looked into the darkness that was 2 AM in their cabin. The teachers and instructors were asleep anyways, no one’s gonna see her in the wrong cabin.
Right?
She glanced at the window near the cabin door just to be sure.
”…mm…—‘hane…?”
An? She looked over to see her dear partner talking in her sleep.
”…no…y’ can’t steal…”
”An-chan?”
”…don’t do that…rhino…”
“And why can’t that be done?” she whispered loud enough for An to hopefully hear, but not wake up to.
”…’cuz y’re gonna make her sad…”
”Make who sad?” she asked, mildly confused.
”…m’ girlfriend…silly…”
That made Kohane giggle. “No, you’re silly.”
”…’m not!…” An flailed an arm upwards.
”Sure you’re not.” The blonde lay down next to her, getting comfortable.
Said girl next to her started pulling her closer, hugging her like a pillow.
”Eh—An-chan!”
”…mmm…you’re really pillow-y, y’know that Kohane?”
“Ah, you’re awake?”
An hugged her tighter. “Not for long.”
Kohane giggled again. “Well, then. Go back to sleep, silly.”
“…You first.” she mumbled, drunk on sleep.
”Alright, then.” She snuggled closer into An’s clutches and closed her eyes.
…
”…Kohane?”
”Yeah?”
”I dreamt that a rhino tried to take your cap.”
So that’s what the sleeptalking was about.
”Did you let it?”
”Obviously not.”
She smiled softly, eyes still shut. ”Thanks.”
Tsukasa blinked blearily when he woke up from his rather odd dream of swimming birds and flying fish.
He haphazardly threw a hand around the bedside table until his phone was located at last.
A click at the side button, and he was greeted with screen light brighter than the heavens and the phone’s clock flashing a “3:04 am”.
The star’s eyes shuffled across the room, hoping he didn’t see any sleepyheads looking back at him.
Tsukasa looked left, and saw the tiny cabin kitchen and the front door.
When he looked to his right, he was greeted with Akito fast asleep, an empty top bunk, Toya’s blanket draped over the railing—
An empty top bunk?
The star attempted to get up quickly, though that turned into about at least three minutes of wake-up-and-look-sane stretching before he actually sat up.
Tsukasa scanned the cabin with more observant eyes this time. The front door was closed and unmoved. None of the beds had more than one person. The small kitchenette, which contained only a sink, a water heater, and a mini-fridge (surprisingly), was left untouched.
Mostly.
An empty packet of instant coffee was on the countertop.
Toya’s preferred brand.
Before Tsukasa could make sense of his surroundings, he was startled out of it by…sniffling?
He sat up groggily, squinting in the darkness.
”…Who’s that?”
Silence.
”…’s that you, Toya?”
“…Yes.”
Tsukasa let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you’re not someone else.” He rubbed his eyes. “Dunno what I would’ve done if I didn’t know who was there.”
He heard no reply from the boy, but if he listened closely enough he could hear erratic breathing attempting to be controlled.
”Are you okay, Toya?”
”I’m okay.”
Past Tsukasa would’ve believed that in a heartbeat, but present Tsukasa has hung around Rui and Emu enough to know when someone’s fine wasn’t actually fine.
He looked around to figure out what to do, when his eyes landed on the phone that blazed at pearly-gates levels of brightness. He snatched it and turned said brightness all the way up, then turned the screen to the kitchenette in front of his bed.
And there was Toya, eyes wide like deer in headlights, a coffee mug trembling in his hands.
What caught the actor’s attention the most were his bloodshot eyes. For as long as he’s known Toya, he could only recount about three times he so much as teared up.
Number one was when he thought he lost Saki’s bunny plushie, only to find it in her toy basket. She had to console Toya and tell him she wasn’t mad.
Number two was after his birthday show last year, when Wondershow attempted to adapt his favourite bedtime story into a play. The look on his face during the finale was one he’d always treasure.
Number three was the only time Tsukasa’s seen him actually cry.
”Why can’t I go out and play like you guys? All I’m allowed to do is practice!”
Nine-year-old Tsukasa tried his very best to provide some sort of comfort, but what could he have said to something like that? He was just supposed to help with piano practice.
“It’s not fair! I just—“ He remembers seeing him pull his knees closer in an effort to either shield himself from being seen, or as an attempt at comfort.
”I just wanna be a normal kid.”
Luckily for both of them, Tsukasa’s parents came out from the kitchen and saw what happened, and Tsukasa was brought into his parents’ bedroom, his dad saying his mom and Toya needed to talk.
“Tsukasa-san?”
”Huh?”
“You zoned out.”
”Oh.” They stared at each other.
”Are you sure you’re alright, though?” Tsukasa tilted his head.
”…Yes.” Toya didn’t look at him when he said that.
The musician sighed. “I…just had a bad dream.” He set the coffee mug on the countertop. “That’s all.”
Tsukasa’s eyebrows furrowed. “Is there anything I could do to help? Like, uh, comfort you?”
“No.” Toya climbed up the ladder to his bunk. “But thank you.”
The actor frowned, and softly sighed. “Okay, then. Good night, Toya.”
”Good night, Tsukasa-san.”
The both of them went back in their respective beds, Toya curled up asleep and Tsukasa sprawled out awake.
Tsukasa rested a hand on his chest, eyes open with worry.
There you go again, unable to comfort those you love most.
He sat up confused, wondering if he heard right. But there was no one speaking?
What kind of star doesn’t know how to make someone smile again?
He turned left, right, and behind, but the voice had no discernible source. All he could hear were snores and his rapid breathing.
Tsukasa ran a hand through his hair. Maybe he was just tired.
Even if his eyes were wide awake.