Work Text:
It wasn't that often that Nene woke up feeling under the weather.
This morning, though, was tough to face.
Her whole body ached from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, and her ears burned to the touch. She heaved a sigh and rolled back over, knowing school wasn't an option. Not when she felt like this.
Nene slept on and off all throughout the day. Though, it only felt like she had just closed her eyes again when there was a knock at her bedroom door, followed by the all-too-familiar voice of her childhood best friend.
"Nene? Are you in there?"
She sat up a bit and answered. "Yeah. Come in."
Rui obliged. "Hey. I didn't see you at school today," he said. "Are you alright?"
Nene sneezed in response. "I've been better…"
"Ah, you're sick again, are you? Is there anything you want me to do?"
He's always concerned for me…I'm not that delicate… , Nene thought to herself. "Not really…," she answered eventually.
"Don't you have anything for class you need to do?" she wanted to ask. But she didn't.
She didn't want Rui to leave.
"Just…being here is enough. I was a little lonely…"
Rui raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Wow. You must really be sick then," he joked.
Nene pouted. "I-I was sleeping all day! You'd want to have a friend around too, if you were forced to stay home and sleep because you caught something…!"
Rui only laughed a little harder. "I'm just teasing you, Nene. You're right, though." He kicked off his shoes and sat criss-cross on the bed next to Nene. "I would be lonely. That's the reality of being an only child, is it not?"
Nene nodded. "But we have each other to keep company. right?"
"Yeah. That's what friends are for." Rui smiled.
They sat together for a bit, in a comfortable silence that only they could understand. Rui played with his hands, and Nene fidgeted with her hair.
“So…How have you been today? Since you’re not sick, I mean…”
Rui looked up. “Ah, the usual. WonderShow didn’t rehearse today since you weren’t feeling good, but Tsukasa and Emu told me to tell you they hope you’re well soon.”
“Aww…Well…That’s to be expected from them, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. They care about you a lot. I’m sure they’d come over if it were allowed.”
Nene giggled. “Like you do so often?”
“Mhm.”
Rui looked Nene up and down, taking in what he could see of her small, delicate figure. Even with her reddened face, and her green hair that looked like it had been hit with a tornado, his feelings deep inside screamed.
And louder still, did they scream with each passing second.
“Nene, I-” he started.
“I’m hungry…” she blurted right before Rui could say his piece.
“Ah--! Sorry, did you want to say something?”
“Aha, it’s nothing,” he chuckled, his eyes drifting back to his hands. “Let me get you some food.”
With that, Rui heaved himself off the bed and headed to Nene’s kitchen. He hadn’t even asked her what she wanted, but he went with the classic sick person food and grabbed a can of soup from her pantry. He figured he’d check with her before she turned her nose up at whatever was brought to her.
He poked his head back into her room and held up the can. “Is this alright?”
Nene squinted to read it and nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, Rui.”
“Of course. It would be improper for a sick lady such as yourself to do the work.” He bowed cheesily and grinned.
Nene blushed, pulling the blanket up to her chin. “Knock it off…”
Rui headed back to the kitchen laughing. He heated up the soup, and before long, found himself back in Nene’s bed, sitting criss-cross while she ate.
His mind wandered, from the moment they were sitting in right now, to the time they’d spend together when they were kids. As different as things were 10 years ago, they weren’t that different at all. They always hung out in the same areas, sat in the same places, and yet never got bored. Not of each other. Not of their houses. Not of their toys. The things that changed were nothing but they themselves.
Rui’s feelings never changed either.
“....Rui? Oi, earth to Rui?” Nene was waving her hand in his face.
He snapped back to reality. “Sorry. Are you finished?” He eyeballed her empty soup bowl. “Let me get that for you.”
“No, I’ll put it up later. What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting weird ever since you got here..”
Rui averted his eyes for a second. “Nothing, Nene. I’m fine. Are you sure you’re not just seeing things?”
Nene was indignant. “I’m sick, not stupid! Seriously, what’s wrong!?”
He inhaled deeply and took Nene by the hands. Her face, already red from being hot and stuffy, reddened further at this notion.
“I like you. I have for years, and it’s been eating at me recently to say anything.”
Nene’s eyes widened. “W…What?”
“Did you not hear me? I said that I l-”
“N-No, stupid! I heard you the first time, I just…,” she sighed. “This is so..sudden…”
“I’m not looking for a response. I just wanted to get it off my chest,” Rui shrugged. He let go of Nene’s hands and flopped backward across the foot of the bed.
“It’s probably not that good for you to overthink it, especially since you’re sick.”
Nene jumped. “Idiot! Then why did you tell me this now??”
“I don’t know if I’d find time to tell you anytime soon otherwise,” he replied. “With school, and show rehearsals and all.”
She pulled Rui up from his previous position and pouted in his face.
He raised his brows and smiled smugly. “What’s this, Nene? How bold of y-”
Rui was cut off in his place by Nene’s lips pressing to his.
It was over as fast as it started.
“...Nene?”
“Sorry, I…”
“Don’t be. I was going to ask if I could do that, anyway.”
The two fell asleep next to each other, fingers intertwined and foreheads pressed together. It was similar to how they’d nap when they were children, only being near-full-grown in high school meant there wasn’t as much personal space to be had.
They didn’t mind that, though. Rui, who was naturally cold most of the time, had Nene to warm him up. Even if the reason being that she was sick. But that wasn’t the issue to him.
Rui woke up early in the evening, long before Nene would open her eyes next. He slid carefully off of the mattress and quietly slipped out of her room. Though, not before uttering three small words to hang in the air and find their way into Nene’s dreams.
“I love you.”