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tsukasa was beyond exhausted as he walked in his room with rui trailing behind him. the first thing he did was taking off his jacket and flopping down on his bed and swinging his arms over it as the purple haired watched him. since it was saturday, wonderlands x showtime decided it would be a good idea to make today’s rehearsal last longer, which resulted in all of the troupe members being out of energy. but at least their hard work did pay off in the end, didn’t it?
“was today’s practice too rough for you, my dear star?” rui asked, coming to his bed and sitting at the end of it. tsukasa tried to ignore the pleasant shiver he got just from the nickname, and sighed as his breath made his pillow too hot for him to put his face on. he lifted his face, and turned around to look at his beloved director. he will never get enough of his yellow, shiny eyes, which remind him of yellow chrysanthemums.
“yeah, it was kind of exhausting... but at least we managed to finish the show without messing up on any part!” tsukasa grinned tiredly, knowing their hard work will eventually pay off. rui couldn’t help but smile at the sight. oh, how much he loved this boy in front of him. how much he wanted to hold him close in his arms, as time lost it’s meaning and it was just the two of them in the world. how much he wanted to kiss him forever. he can’t help but drown in his thoughts.
his thoughts were interrupted because of the shorter boy’s movements. rui darted his head towards to tsukasa, who was now laying on his stomach, head buried in his starry pillow. “tsukasa-kun,” rui started, “are you sure you won’t get suffocated by that pillow?” he doesn’t know why he asked that, really. he’s sure tsukasa won’t get suffocated, but he just wanted to start a conversation.
tsukasa answered, but his response was muffled by his pillow. he tried answering again, but got the same result. rui chuckled and slowly rose to his feet, making his way towards tsukasa, who was just a few steps away. he sat down in front of his friend’s waist, meanwhile reaching for tsukasa’s back with both of his hands to massage it. tsukasa turned his face to see what the other boy was trying to do and was taken aback by his arms reaching for... his back?
eventually, the hands reached their destination.
“rui, what are you doing?
a beat of silence.
“giving you a back massage. is it not to your liking?”
“no, not really. i was just curious about what you were going to do. plus, a back massage would be great for a star like me, considering i worked so hard today!”
he tried doing one of his poses, but ended up with accidentally hitting one of his arms to the side of his bed in the process. he winced in pain and let his arm swing freely at the edge of his bed again. “careful, now. we wouldn’t want our troupe leader to get any injuries, would we?” tsukasa nodded ever so lightly, his energy going lower by every minute. he doesn’t think he can stay awake any longer.
then, finally, rui slowly sinked his hands down on his back, careful to not hurt him. a tiny gasp escaped tsukasa because of how his back was so stiff from the rehearsal. he was the one who moved the most, he’s in the lead, after all. god knows how many hours they practiced today...
tsukasa shut his eyes and let rui’s hands roam freely over his back. he never thought rui’s feather like touch would get him so... sleepy all of a sudden. his mind drifted off to different things whilst rui did his thing. school, wonderlands x showtime, saki’s wellbeing, the thing rui said to him during their rehearsal...
oh.
tsukasa felt himself flushing lightly. he shut his eyes, and put his one arm under the pillow, and one on his face. why did rui say that even in the first place?! he couldn’t get it off of his mind during the rest of their rehearsal and spaced out during their breaks, thanks to his director. it wasn’t even that big, really, he was sure he was exaggerating it, but he couldn’t help it! his friend, and also his SECRET CRUSH had said,
“that was amazing, tsukasa-kun! your moves were wonderful! i’m truly lucky to have you as my actor.”
first of all, the one and only rui kamishiro had complimented him, and second of all, he said he was lucky to have him as his actor. tsukasa was his actor. the thought made him feel all fuzzy inside, him belonging to rui and rui belonging to him... he would give up everything, anything for them to belong to each other.
on the other hand, rui was still thinking about the compliment he had given tsukasa today. it had accidentally slipped out of his mouth, especially the “my actor” part. he didn’t mean to show any possessiveness and when he was going to apologize for it, tsukasa had cut him up with,
“thank you, rui! i’m lucky, too, to have you as my stage director!”
rui could only small slightly and nod at that before turning around to hide his cherry colored cheeks. god, how can a simple compliment affect him this much? he was used to getting compliments all the time from emu, nene, and other couple of people, but why does he get all flustered and embarrassed when it’s from tsukasa? he isn’t any different from the other two, then why?..
what was this feeling rui was experiencing? he never felt it before, until he met tsukasa. he has thought about his feelings for the ‘future star’ for quite a time now, and he has yet to come to a conclusion. he thought about asking nene for help, and that’s what he did a few days ago.
...
”what? you want me to help you with your... feelings? for tsukasa?”
“yes, indeed.”
nene stared at him like he was crazy for a moment, but closed her switch a few seconds later. after all, she was his childhood and only friend, helping him once in a while even if he was a smug idiot couldn’t hurt.
“alright, tell me what you think about him.”
rui paused.
“isn’t that a bit too... straight forward?”
“you’re the one who came for my help, so you have to answer my questions.”
“...fair point.”
rui rose his head up to look at the ceiling from the ground. he leaned his back against the wall, and started to think about what he thought about tsukasa. he always thought that the shorter boy was very pretty and gorgeous, but he doesn’t think he could say that out loud. especially in front of nene. he knows she will tease him to death if he does say it. he has to say it in a different way, in a way which nene won’t understand what he says.
“nene, have you ever thought about what we, the members of our troupe, are?”
now, it was nene’s turn to pause.
“what? well, i guess not. why do you ask? wasn’t our topic about your feeli-“
“i think we’re all like stars. you’re a star, i’m a star, emu is a star. tsukasa is a star, too, but he shines the brightest among all of us. how his hair shines in the light of the stage’s spotlight, how his eyes twinkle in excitement and proudness when he nails a move, how his lips form into a smile when we finish a show...”
he smiled. a genuine, happy smile you rarely get to see from him.
“he looks so captivating, so amazing, so confident... so sure of himself. that’s what i lo-“
rui clapped his hand over his mouth with wide eyes and lowered his head to look at his lap instead of nene, his bangs covering his face.
he was going to say the l word.
oh no.
was he ready for this?
was it the right word?
had he been in love with tsukasa this entire time?
love held a big meaning, so he couldn’t help but get scared. does he really, really love tsukasa?
“that’s what you...?”
he could feel the smirk in her voice. he has to continue, or else he will never know how he feels. alright rui, you can do this, his inner voice said, trying to boost his confidence. he pulled his knees to his chest and hid his face in his arms. he knew he was acting out of character right now, but nene did not have to see him blushing.
“that’s what i...”
he buried his face even deeper in his arms. he never thought this would be so embarrassing, nor hard.
“that’s what i love about him.”
an uncomfortable silence filled the room. rui knew he had more to say, but he had to admit he was kind of, no, fully embarrassed. still, he continued,
“that’s not the only thing i l-love about him, of course. how could i not love someone so lovable? i also love his hair, his eyes, his oh so kissable lips. i love the way he speaks, the way he acts, the way he talks with me during our lunch break. i just... love him? if that’s the right word for my feelings, of course.”
had he finally found the correct word for his feelings? was it ‘love’? it was kind of surprising for him, actually, he had never been in love before. this was a whole new experience to him. but he was willing to explore this feeling deeper, if it was with tsukasa.
“it sure is the right word, judging from your stuttering and the way you describe him.”
he heard nene getting up and making her way towards him. he wasn’t sure why, until he felt an arm on his shoulder.
“hey, i know all this... being in love thing is complicated, but i’ll try my best to help you. you can count on me.”
rui slowly rose his head to find nene smiling warmly at him. he was lucky to have her as his friend. he wouldn’t know what to do if she wasn’t there for him.
“thank you, nene.”
...
yes, he was in love. he was experiencing love for the one and only tsukasa tenma. he was hopelessly pining after him, waiting for the right day to make the first move, which will (probably) change his life. nene had tried to get him to confess multiple times, because she saw how tsukasa was acting around him, though, she failed, no matter what she tried to do.
she tried pushing rui onto tsukasa, but it resulted in rui covering it up with a hug. she could tell tsukasa was very dumb-founded but still accepted the hug while blushing. she tried to open the topic of love while they were talking, which resulted in rui getting uncharacteristically nervous and changing the topic successfully.
he pulled nene into a corner later and inquired why she did that, and when she explained why him and tsukasa are literally in love and should just get together, he pretended he had no idea what she was talking about and he accused nene of trying to ‘ruin his reputation’, nene had to buy him heart-shaped chocolates as an ‘apology’ gift. plus she saw him and tsukasa eating those chocolates while rui teased tsukasa about how they looked like a couple later on the rooftop, so that just proves nene’s point of them being in love.
he could tell she was starting to get annoyed with him getting all embarrassed and nervous when he was talking to tsukasa, so she told him to meet up with her at backstage, and she exactly told him these words:
“look, i’m tired of you and tsukasa‘s gay shit and all, so you better make the first move or i’m going to make sure you guys kiss on our next rehearsal, got it?”
rui could only nod in fear before she walked away. he had to make the first move, or nene was going to turn their first kiss into a nightmare. he’s %100 sure he doesn’t want that happening. so, after today’s practice ended and when tsukasa asked him if he wanted to come over, he said yes in hope of confessing. speaking of coming over, he didn’t even realize tsukasa had fallen asleep. he must’ve been thinking too hard.
rui quietly chuckled to himself and stopped massaging tsukasa’s back to turn him around on his back. he was surprised by how light he was. he made a mental note to ask about his eating habits later. then, he grabbed tsukasa’s star themed blanket, which was folded neatly at the end of his bed, and covered him with it. it was still afternoon, so he was sure he would wake up after an hour or two. the purple haired smiled to himself and took a few quiet steps away from his bed to not wake him up, but was stopped by a hand grasping his wrist weakly.
“rui... stay...”
the boy in question felt heat rushing to his cheeks. how can tsukasa be this adorable while he’s half asleep? “as you wish, my star,” rui softly murmured, then slowly lifted the blanket and got in his troupe leader’s bed. his bed was very comfortable, indeed. he now understands why tsukasa easily falls asleep when he comes over for a sleep over. he just laid down sideways, watching tsukasa stir in his sleep, like he was missing something. rui thought about cuddling with him, but that thought was quickly erased from his mind as he wouldn’t dare touch tsukasa without his content.
rui decided that it would be best to fall asleep, he’ll explain everything to tsukasa when he’s awake. he’s sure he’ll understand. he’s a thoughtful friend, after all.
before he could fall asleep, he felt the other wrap his arms around his waist, bury his face in his chest, and tangle his legs with rui’s, sighing happily afterwards.
rui froze in place. suddenly, his mind was blank. was he the ‘thing’ that tsukasa was missing? he didn’t know what to do. he was hesitant with coming to his bed in the first place, and now he has to cuddle with his crush? someone please save him.
the taller slowly and hesitantly embraced the shorter with his arms, and stretched his legs slightly to make their position more comfortable. he felt tsukasa putting his hands higher from his waist, and leaning against just where his heart was. it was like he could hear rui’s rapid heartbeat. this was all too much. getting to sleep in the bed of the person you’re in love with, as well as cuddling with them? he was so, so lucky. he felt like he had used up all of his luck in his entire life. he sheepishly smiled to himself, and slowly closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber, whilst secretly wishing for this to never end.
...
tsukasa felt like he was hugging something. it was something... soft, warm, and it had a steady rhythm. whatever it was, it was pretty comfortable, which is why he nuzzled his face onto it and tightened his embrace. after thinking about it in his half-asleep state, he didn’t have any plushies in his bed, and he was getting more and more curious about what it was the more he thought about it. so he slightly backed away and slowly opened his eyes to see what it was. he was not ready for what he saw.
rui was loosely hugging tsukasa, his cheeks slightly flushed, his hair disheveled, and his lips shaped into a delicate smile. the moon’s light was shining upon him, making his features even prettier. he smelled like a flower field, full of lavenders. he looked so relaxed, so at peace. the other stared at him in adoration, like he was the world’s prettiest boy. in fact, tsukasa has always thought he was the most stunning boy he has ever met, really.
normally, he would be flustered to find himself cuddling with rui, but right now, he couldn’t care less. all that mattered was the two of them. the yellow haired unconsciously reached for the purple haired and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. god, he looks so angelic tsukasa might just cry from how beautiful he is. he put a hand on his cheek, and watched how rui nuzzled it. he was convinced he had seen an angel right before him. lost in his thoughts, tsukasa didn’t notice rui opening his eyes.
“tsukasa-kun...”
he snapped back to reality. “ah, rui, you’re awake... hope i didn’t wake you up.” “no no, it’s fine,” rui reached for his eyes to rub them, but stopped when he registered tsukasa’s hand on his cheek. the boy in question realized he was still holding the other’s cheek, and let go rather quickly. “ah! sorry...” rui loosely gripped his wrist and brought his hand slowly back to his face, murmuring, “it’s fine, tsukasa-kun. no need to apologize.” tsukasa was about to apologize again, but his words died in his throat as rui wrapped his arms around the other’s, and held it close to his chest.
“i... like the warmth you give me, after all.”
a comfortable silence filled the room, as he kept quiet while watching his director holding onto his arm with closed eyes. he looked so gorgeous under the moonlight. he’ll never get this view out of his mind. then, a question he didn’t mean to ask slipped out of his mouth.
“rui, can i kiss you?”
rui’s eyes darted open, his cheeks flushing uncharacteristically. did tsukasa just- ask to kiss him?
“i mean- um- o-only if you want to...?”
“a-alright, then.”
rui loosened his grip on tsukasa’s arm and instead, wrapped his arms around his neck. they slowly got closer, and the troupe leader brought his free arm to the director’s waist, his occupied hand still holding the other’s cheek. they leaned in ever so slowly, cherishing every second of this moment. they both closed their eyes, and then, their lips finally touched.
fireworks were going off in tsukasa’s brain as they kissed. he couldn’t believe this was happening. he had longed for this since forever , to feel rui’s lips on his. and, to his surprise, rui had actually used the blueberry flavored chapstick tsukasa had given him a few weeks ago for his chapped lips. he hadn’t noticed it, until now. his lips tasted and smelled like blueberries, one of his favorite fruits. it just made it more delightful to kiss him.
on the other hand, rui felt like his heart was going to explode. he had been pining over tsukasa for quite some time, and now, finally, finally, he got to kiss the boy he loved. after all of those restless nights he spent on dreaming about tsukasa, this felt like a dream come true. he tightened his embrace around tsukasa’s neck and leaned in even closer to him to deepen their kiss, which resulted in the other doing the same. they both wished this to never end.
but then, since this thing called oxygen exists, they had to part. they were both breathless, and they just stared at each other’s eyes, both of their cheeks flushed, lips glossy.
“r-rui, i-“
rui didn’t give him a chance to speak and just dove right back in for another kiss. tsukasa removed his hands from their previous places and placed them in rui’s hair, whilst rui placed his on the other’s hips. this kiss was more passionate than the other, but still carried the same amount of love. then they had to part, once again.
“tsukasa-kun,” he breathed out, his cheeks painted a pretty shade of pink. he stared at the blonde haired boy, eyes half lidded. “rui,” one of tsukasa’s hand moved to rui’s cheek, caressing it softly. he watched how rui melted into the touch, like he was craving this forever. “would you like to be my- uh... b-boyfriend?...”
the purple haired flushed, and buried his head into tsukasa’s chest. he wrapped his arms around his waist, embracing him tightly, like he would disappear if he ever let go. nuzzling his face against the soft fabric, he mumbled a quiet ‘yes’, too embarrassed to look tsukasa in the face. tsukasa smiled to himself and put his head on top of rui’s, deciding that he loves this side of him being all shy and flustered.
rui was like a love spell, and tsukasa was under it. and he didn’t want to get rescued either, because it was rui who he had fallen in love with.
he doesn’t regret it.
falling for rui was the best choice he has ever made.
they fell asleep just like that, a soft smile resting on both of their faces. rui honestly couldn’t wait to brag about all of this to nene tomorrow.