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Rui first sees Tsukasa’s freckles on a spring morning, waiting for him at the train station local to where they live. They’d made plans to go out the day before, since Rui needs to buy some more specific parts for his new invention, and Tsukasa had offered to come along, asking if Rui would tag along with his own errands. When the minutes start to tick from on-time to late, however, Rui grows concerned that his friend’s forgotten about him. He’s about to call him, but as he brings the phone to his ear, he hears his name called from the other direction. Startled, he glances over at a very frantic Tsukasa, barrelling towards him with frightening speed.
“RUI!” he begins, his hands on his knees as he attempts to catch his breath. “I’m so sorry! I slept in!”
Rui just smiles, hanging up the call and slipping the phone back into his pocket. After all, it isn’t unlike Tsukasa to be late for things, unintentionally. “Don’t worry about it-- are you alright, though?”
“Y-Yeah,” Tsukasa pants, finally standing upright. “It’s just so warm, lately, I keep sleeping through my alarms when I don’t mean to.”
“Mhm, I understand. It really is… warm…” Rui finds himself trailing off as he realises something about Tsukasa is… different, today. Not his hair, nor his clothes are particularly out of character, but…
“Rui?” Tsukasa waves a hand in front of him. “You there? You’re staring.”
Eyes wide with surprise, Rui’s gaze darts from Tsukasa’s cheeks to his eyes. “Nothing, just... Tsukasa-kun, you had freckles?”
A few emotions run across Tsukasa’s face, then-- confusion, quickly melting into shock and horror, with a rosy red blush to follow. “GAAHHHH!” he cries, his hands slapping over his cheeks -- whether in an effort to hide his features or his embarrassment, Rui isn’t sure -- and he crouches into a ball on the floor. In the middle of this fairly busy train station, at ten in the morning.
“T-Tsukasa-kun!?” Rui’s startled by the reaction, not at all expecting a public display like this. “I’m sorry, should I not have mentioned it?”
Tsukasa gives some more muffled whines in response. Rui drops to his knees next to him, and after a beat of hesitation, placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. “Tsukasa-kun…?”
He raises his head, and, with a sigh, drops his hands in defeat. Rui can see his face more clearly now, and yes, dusted high across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, were some visible freckles. Looking closer, actually, they’re all across his face, just darker in some areas. Oh, don’t stare, Rui, he chides himself.
“Sorry, I overreacted a bit there…” Tsukasa admits, averting his gaze shyly. “I just… didn’t mean for you to see…”
Rui hums. “So you were hiding them?”
With a nod, he sighs once more. “Yeah, I suppose so. I was in such a rush this morning, I forgot to do my makeup, so…”
He wants to ask why, but the overhead speakers remind them that their train is to arrive soon. Rui helps Tsukasa to his feet, and as they make their way over, Rui notices Tsukasa rubbing the back of his neck, partially blocking his face from view. Perhaps a subconscious attempt to hide again , he thinks to himself.
His curiosity and mild concern get the better of him, though, after they’ve taken their seats on the train. “Do you not like your freckles, Tsukasa-kun?” he asks, sitting across from his friend.
Tsukasa chews his lip. “It’s not that I dislike them, just…” He shrugs, not meeting Rui’s eye. “Stars should maintain a certain image, and I…”
Ahh . “I see… I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” he apologises, sincerely. After all, he knows how it feels to long to be seen a certain way. “If you want, I can forget I ever…?” he trails off, letting Tsukasa decide.
He looks up, quick to relieve his worries. “No, it’s okay! My fault, really. Don’t worry about it.” A sad smile comes to him. “I feel kind of bad, somehow.” he chuckles.
“Why would you? You’ve done nothing wrong.” Rui assures him. Then he smiles softly. “Besides, I think freckles are lovely. I find them quite charming, actually.”
Maybe because this was something more personal than what he usually praised Tsukasa for, but he does not get the reaction he expected. Instead, his eyes go wide, and his mouth opens to speak, but another warm blush takes over him before he can. Somehow, Rui feels himself becoming embarrassed, too, and it feels a lot warmer on this train than it did on the train platform.
Then the doors close, and their train starts moving, ending the awkward eye contact abruptly and filling the silence that had gathered. Tsukasa opts to stare out of the window, watching the scenery roll by. Rui, despite himself, can’t help but steal glimpses of his profile as he does.
-
When finally he’s able to show Tsukasa the love he truly feels for him, he makes sure not to leave out his freckles. If a day comes where he feels comfortable enough not to cover them up, Rui will always comment on how stunning he looks-- never to tease, only to share his honest, doting thoughts. And it seems to be working to build Tsukasa’s confidence, as days like this come with more and more frequency. It’s a special feeling for Rui, to watch him quietly grow like this.
Months later, on a sunny summer morning, Rui wakes up in a home that’s not his own. Having been working on a new show idea after school with Tsukasa, who invited him over, they both became so invested in their planning that they lost track of time completely, even deviating from show talk altogether to just enjoy each other’s company. Over dinner, so kindly offered by Tsukasa’s parents, he was also invited by them to stay overnight, which he accepted happily.
Tsukasa, of course, wouldn’t hear of Rui sleeping on a futon when he had plenty of room on his own bed. And after staying up far too late giggling into the night, that’s how they fell asleep, facing each other under shared covers.
Now awake, Rui blinks the sleep from his eyes, readjusting and remembering why he isn’t in his own room. He looks down; by his side, Tsukasa sleeps on. Not a very princely sight-- rather than how he saw him last, curled up on his side, he’s sprawled out on his back, one hand hanging off the bed. He’s actually drooling a little. Rui chuckles.
He leans down and brushes his fringe aside, delivering a gentle kiss to his forehead. His hair tickles him as he does, causing him to wrinkle his nose and turn away. Rui laughs again, this time less reserved, knowing he should wake his boyfriend up anyway. He tickles his nose carefully until Tsukasa eventually blinks awake, very confused until he sees Rui unable to hold back his mirth.
“Good morning to you too,” he smiles, fondly exasperated at Rui’s antics, as usual.
“Mm.” Rui lays back down beside him. “Do you all eat breakfast soon?”
“I don’t know what time it is, but… probably not. It’s a Saturday, so.” he answers. “Have you been awake long?”
“No, I’m just awake myself.” Rui replies. He then finds his attention caught by, well, Tsukasa. With his back to the window, the sunlight streams from outside to light up Tsukasa’s face, bathing him in a warm glow. Rui can’t help reaching a hand out to brush his thumb across his cheek, which Tsukasa leans into. “Your freckles have gotten darker.” he notes, admiring them.
It’s completely different, the reaction he gives, than the one he did all those months ago. There’s no trace of timidness in his face, just a smile and a quiet laugh. “Well, it’s summer now. They tend to do that in summertime.”
“I know.” Rui leans in close and kisses him, once on each cheek, and once on the tip of his nose. “You look beautiful.”
Tsukasa grins, and kisses Rui back -- a counterattack! -- this time directly, and when he pulls back, Rui’s heart could melt. “Of course. I’m a star, aren’t I?”
“Yes,” Rui agrees. “Yes you are.”