Chapter Text
Being the heir of a noble family, Tsukasa has always been told by his parents that he must one day succeed in the family business and must have a suitable wife to bear children to one day take over after him. Despite this, Tsukasa has never developed any romantic attraction to any of the women he has met throughout his life and maintained a certain distance between himself and them, much like a knight that serves his princess. Even then, he simply thought that he hadn't met his true princess whom he would dedicate his entire being and soul to and will eventually meet her as he grows up. However, this belief began to slowly crumble for him during his time at Yumenosaki.
The first time he had met Knights's leader, he was distraught and disappointed to see that the King he envisioned to be charismatic and responsible turned out to be an eccentric composer who marched to the beat of his own drum without considering those around him; but after getting to know his King and having him rejoin Knights after his disappearance, they gradually became very reliant, dependent even, on each other, despite their daily bickering and arguments.
"There you are, Leo-san! Please stop composing on the walls and come to rehearsal!" Tsukasa demanded upon finding Leo in the room he often composes his music in.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there in a sec." Leo replied dismissively as he continued scribbling musical notes on the wall and papers.
"Oh no, you won't. You're coming with me. Now." Tsukasa said sternly as he approached Leo and grabbed him by his jacket hood to drag him to their rehearsal room.
"Wai-! Waaah! You're so heartless, Suo! You know I can't help it when inspiration strikes!" Leo whined while scrambling to hold on to as many of his papers as he can.
"And we both know you're never going to stop unless I bring you along with me."
This became their daily routine after classes, and even on the off chances Leo actually showed up on his own, he would always become distracted with one of his "inspirations" in the middle of practice, which irritated Tsukasa and Izumi in particular. Later on, when Tsukasa succeeded Leo as the new King of Knights, he often found himself struggling to figure out how to be a good leader for their unit and always confided in their former King for guidance.
"Suo~, is something wrong? You look kinda out of it." Leo asked after Knights's rehearsals that day and everyone else had already gone home.
"Oh, i-it's nothing, really." Tsukasa replied sheepishly.
"Come on, you know you can rely on me, Suo~! I'll always be here if you need some help!" Leo assured with a goofy, yet gentle smile.
Tsukasa was left stunned for a few seconds and couldn't help but stare at Leo and his smile until he realized he may have stared a little too long and turned away to hide the light blush that crept up to his ears and cheeks.
"U-um, I just...feel like I haven't been doing my part as leader very well. I'm not so sure what I can do to help push all of us forward." Tsukasa admitted in a low, shy voice.
"Aww, Suo~! The little King is trying to grow up to be a big King! How cute!" Leo teased.
"Leo-san, please stop making fun of me..." Tsukasa hid his face between his knees out of embarrassment.
"No, no, I'm not making fun of you, I swear! I'm just glad it's you who took after me as King. You're more responsible and considerate than you think, you know? I wouldn't want anyone else to have succeeded me because that's how much I believe in our little King!"
Hearing this, Tsukasa lifted his face to look at Leo, who by the look on his face, seemed to mean every word he had just said.
"R-really...?" Tsukasa once again started to blush slightly.
"Of course! You're only just starting, Suo~, there's no need to rush. Just take your time to figure out how YOU want to lead Knights, and as always, your former King will always be here if you call for help!" Leo beamed towards the end, which Tsukasa couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"Thank you, Leo-san." Tsukasa whispered barely loud enough for the other to hear.
"Anytime, Suo~!" Leo replied. "You know what, are you busy tomorrow?" he asked abruptly.
"Huh? N-no, I'm not."
"Great! The five of us should go out tomorrow! We all haven't spent time together outside of rehearsals and work for a while now, and I think you need it too!"
"W-wait, Leo-sa-"
"Hello, Sena? Yeah, are you free tomorrow?"
Tsukasa's plea had fallen on deaf ears as Leo was already making phone calls to their members, but the more he thought about it, the more he seemed to think it will be nice to spend more fun, quality time with all of Knights.
"Great! Everyone's good to go for tomorrow! I can't wait!" Leo exclaimed in excitement after a few minutes of calling the other three members.
"We better go home and rest then." Tsukasa smiled as he picked up his bag, ready to leave.
"Ah! Wait for me, Suo~!" Leo said while stuffing his phone and music sheets into his bag.
They shared some small talk on the way out of the school and when they saw Tsukasa's driver waiting for him by the car, Tsukasa offered to give Leo a ride to his house, but kept insisting he was fine taking his usual way home, much to Tsukasa's dismay.
"See you tomorrow, Suo~!" Leo waved as Tsukasa stepped into his car.
"See you tomorrow too, Leo-san!" Tsukasa smiled at him before closing the car door.
For a few seconds after Tsukasa's driver drove away from Yumenosaki, Tsukasa looked at the back window to see Leo watching him before finally walking the opposite direction. He didn't realize it at first, but he was becoming more and more excited about the following day, especially about getting to see Leo.
(Knights group chat, Tsukasa's phone)
Sena-senpai: So what exactly is the plan tomorrow?
Leo-san: how does a day at the amusement park sound?:3
Narukami-senpai: That sounds amazing! I'd love to go with you guys!
Ritsu-senpai: so hot.....
Narukami-senpai: Don't worry, Ritsu-chan! We'll take care of you ❤️
Me : Just please don't fall asleep on the ground...
Leo-san : how does meeting up at the park at 10:30 sound to you guys?
Me : Sounds good
Narukami-senpai : It's perfect! Does anyone need a ride?
Ritsu-senpai : me pls
Leo-san : i can also drive u guys if u want<3
Sena-senpai: hell no
Ritsu-senpai : no thx
Leo-san: u guys r so mean!! im not THAT bad of a driver 😔
Leo-san : how abt u, suo~? wanna come with me?
Me : Um..
Sena-senpai : Kasa-kun, please save yourself..."
Leo-san : SHUT
Narukami-senpai: Hahaha it's ok, Tsukasa-chan. Just do whatever you like ☺️
Me : Ahaha... Alright, I'll take you up on your offer then, Leo-san.
Sena-senpai : oh god...
Leo-san : YAY!!!! ill be there before 10!!!:DD
Me : Ok. Thanks, Leo-san:)
Sena-senpai : Don't say I didn't warn you, Kasa-kun....
Narukami-senpai : He'll be fine, Izumi-chan!
Narukami-senpai : Hopefully
Ritsu-senpai : see you in heaven suu-chan
Ritsu-senpai : or hell
Ritsu-senpai : whichever works lol
Leo-san : STOPP IM NOT THAT BAD SMH
Leo-san : ANYWAY!!! youll be safe with me suo~!! dont worry!!
Me : I'm looking forward to it I guess? Ahaha
Leo-san : YAAAAA:DDD
Leo-san : SEE U ALL TOM<33
Narukami-senpai: See you guys! ❤️
Sena-senpai : Yep. Gn guys
Ritsu-senpai : gngn
Me : Goodnight everyone
After the conversation, Tsukasa put his phone on the nightstand and turned off the lamp to try to go to sleep, but found himself a little too hyper. He was excited to spend the day with his friends; but more than that, he was also excited but nervous about the drive with Leo. He told himself it was because the others kept warning him about Leo's driving skills, since it will be his first time witnessing them, but deep down he didn't realize that the thought of spending time with only Leo made him giddy.
Tsukasa didn't know when he fell asleep, but he woke up to his alarm at 9:00 feeling refreshed and raring to go. After going to the bathroom to wash his face, change into his casual clothes, and fix his hair, he received a few texts from Leo.
Leo-san : morning suo~!!
Leo-san : gonna leave my house in a bit
Leo-san : lyk when im at ur door:3
Leo-san : ALSO dont eat breakfast ok
Leo-san : unless u already did but dont if u havent WAHAHA
Leo-san : anyway see ya soon<33
Me : Morning Leo-san:)
Me : I was just about to go eat but I guess I won't then hahaha
Me : Anyway, see you soon!
Now that Tsukasa was not going to eat breakfast, he had some free time before Leo would arrive, so he simply sat in bed and watched a video of Knights's recent TV interview to pass the time. While being in the actual interview, Tsukasa usually feels nervous and tense; however, watching himself and his unitmates through a screen, he feels a mix of entertainment and amusement, but also a little bit of cringe at himself sometimes when he's being too stiff or overly polite. He also finds himself smiling whenever two or more members start bickering or when someone cracks a joke, especially when Leo is part of it, though he had never realized that fact. He quickly lost track of time and only realized how long he had been sitting in bed when he received new text notifications from Leo.
Leo-san : im here!!
Leo-san : come out suo~:33
Leo-san : or ill help myself and go in WAHAHA
Me : Ok ok I'm going out!!
Tsukasa jumped out of bed, put his phone and wallet in his pockets, and quickly slipped his shoes on before letting his house servants know he was leaving and exiting his gate to see Leo waiting for him with his car window down.
"Hey, Suo~! Come in!" Leo beckoned him to his car.
"Hi, Leo-san." Tsukasa greeted his senior as he entered the front seat of the car.
"Before we go, I actually stopped by a bakery near my house and got you a bunch of breads!" Leo exclaimed as he reached for the tall paper bag from the back seat and put it in between them.
"Wha-?! You didn't need to, Leo-san! Is this why you told me not to eat breakfast?" Tsukasa yelped in a mix of shock, confusion, and shyness.
"Yep! Come on, I picked out a bunch of sweet ones, just what you like!"
Sure enough, there were plenty of choices in the bag such as milk bread, chocolate cornet, melon bread, chocolate croissant, red bean buns, and a few others.
"I....I-"
"Don't be shy, Suo~! I want you to be comfortable on our way to the park! Besides, who will eat these now if not you? Wahaha!"
"I...Well..Um..." Tsukasa wanted to protest further but no longer had the heart to turn down something Leo went out of his way for. "O-ok... Thank you, Leo-san..." he muttered just barely loud enough for Leo to hear and by now, his cheeks and ears were flushed quite red.
"You're welcome, my little King!" Leo smiled as he finally started to drive them to the amusement park.
For some reason Tsukasa couldn't fathom, his mind immediately hyperfixated on Leo calling him HIS little king and the blush that was slowly fading away came back much stronger, his face looking almost like a tomato at that point. It wasn't even the first time Leo had called him "little King", but he doesn't recall a time where he called him HIS King instead of, well, Knights's King, and he couldn't make sense of why Leo had said that or if he said it unintentionally.
"Suo~, look! A fluffy dog!" Leo gasped excitedly at a huskey walking by with its owner.
"Wow... It's really cute." Tsukasa tried to sound as natural as he could despite still being flustered. "Leo-san, watch out!" he yelled as he noticed Leo about to crash into a car parked by the sidewalk, which Leo quickly turned the wheel back into place before they could hit it.
"That was close! Wahaha!" Leo laughed as he continued driving like nothing happened.
The ride going to the park was rather...wild, Tsukasa might say; one minute he's either happily munching on one of the breads Leo bought or chatting with Leo, and the next minute, Leo is either about to hit a car or makes a violent swerve when changing lanes or making a turn. Nonetheless, they made it to their destination just in time unscathed.
"We're finally here! Looks like the other three have arrived already too!" Leo exclaimed as they walked towards the amusement park gates and pointed at the other three members sitting at a bench in the shade.
"Took you guys long enough." Izumi greeted sarcastically.
"You guys are just early!" Leo stuck his tongue out at him.
"Good to see you guys here in one piece, hehe." Arashi teased. "How was the ride, Tsukasa-chan?"
"It was...." Tsukasa wanted to say it was fine, but it really wasn't. "I see why you guys were worried about me last night."
"HEY! I brought us here safely, didn't I? That makes me a decent enough driver!" Leo retorted.
"Yes, yes. So you are capable of being a good driver. Ritsu-chan, wake up now." Arashi teased.
"Mmm.... Comfy..." Ritsu mumbled, refusing to get up yet.
"We could just leave him here." Izumi suggested.
"Hrmm... Secchan is cruel... Fine, I'm getting up..." Ritsu replied drowsily.
The five of them spent the rest of the morning going on different rides and games like the merry-go-round, bumper cars, and a roller coaster (which only Leo and Arashi rode) before getting lunch in one of the many restaurants and cafés.
"Suo~, let's share the turkey leg!" Leo exclaimed while gently shaking his arm.
"Oh, uh, sure." Tsukasa replied instinctively without even getting a look at the rest of the menu.
"Yay! Ok, hi! We'll have one turkey leg!" Leo told the waiter.
"I'll have one deep fried shrimp sandwich please." Izumi gave his order.
"One fish and chips and one fish taco please." Arashi ordered for her and Ritsu.
After enjoying their meals, they first took pictures with some of the park mascots they spotted near the restaurant they came from.
"Come on, Kuma-kun, smile." Izumi called out from behind his phone camera.
"Join me, Secchan." Ritsu beckoned to him.
"Yeah, go for it, Sena!" Leo cheered as he pushed him towards Ritsu.
"Hey! What the-?!" Izumi exclaimed, stumbling towards Ritsu.
"Smile, Secchan~" Ritsu teased.
"Shut it..." Izumi chided but complied nonetheless.
"Oh my gosh, is that Knights?" a girl nearby wondered aloud.
"It is! It's them! Oh my god!" one of her friends started squealing.
Other fans who initially didn't notice them also began approaching them asking for pictures, autographs, or just questions to them, and soon, a whole crowd began to surround the five of them.
"Wahaha! Thanks for coming to us, our wonderful fans, princesses if you will. We, Knights, are just spending the day together and having fun, so we would appreciate it if we could have time for ourselves." Leo kindly explained to the crowd after a few minutes of entertaining them.
Thankfully, the crowd was generally understanding of their need to have their private time and left calmly, most of them waving and saying goodbyes or "I love you"s to them. Once they were left alone again, they all let out a deep sigh at the same time.
"Thank you for that, Leo-kun." Arashi smiled in gratefulness.
"Mm... Good job, Tsukipi." Ritsu praised.
"Ahaha! Yes, yes, shower me with praise!" Leo joked. "It was no problem, though! You're welcome, guys." he followed up in a more mellow tone.
"So where should we go now?" Izumi asked.
"Haunted house!" Leo exclaimed.
"Ok!" Arashi agreed quickly.
"Noooo...." Ritsu whined.
"Too bad, Rittsu! We're going!"
Ever since the crowd left, Tsukasa found himself feeling a little melancholic; he's supposed to be the one leading and stepping up for Knights, yet he didn't have the courage to do what Leo did, the thought of it making him frustrated with himself. His mind wandered throughout the entire conversation and he subconsciously stayed at the back of the group while they walked to the haunted house.
"Suo~" Leo whispered teasingly right beside Tsukasa's ear.
"Gaah! Geez, Leo-san, what was that for...?!" Tsukasa jumped in surprise.
"Are you thinking negative stuff to yourself again?" Leo asked straight away.
"I- N-no, I'm not!"
"Suo~, I know you well enough to guess what you're thinking about, so don't even try lying to me."
"I-I just... I can tell you about it later, Leo-san. I don't want to bring the mood down just because of this..."
"Don't make it sound like it's not important, silly!" Leo flicked Tsukasa's forehead.
"Ow! Leo-san...!"
"You know what I always tell you, right? Don't rush yourself, and more importantly, don't be too hard on yourself, ok, my little King?" Leo ruffled Tsukasa's hair playfully and spoke in a very gentle and nurturing voice that was almost unlike him.
There it was again: 'my little King'. All the sadness and frustration Tsukasa was feeling prior had been instantly replaced with embarrassment, shyness, and a little bit of giddiness.
"R-right... Thanks, Leo-san..." Tsukasa muttered under his breath.
"Of course~ Anything for you, Suo~" Leo whispered.
At that, Tsukasa's face immediately turned tomato red and his heart rate felt like it had tripled in less than a second. Sometimes Leo can be cheesy like that, but just now he sounded somewhat...romantic? Tsukasa internally slapped himself at that thought and insisted to himself there's no way that was true.
"There it is!" Arashi pointed to the haunted house as it gradually came into view.
"Yay! Let's go!" Leo exclaimed as he grabbed Tsukasa's wrist and ran ahead with him.
"Leo-san?! Wait...!" Tsukasa yelped.
"Tsukipi's really enjoying himself today." Ritsu commented.
"Hehe. I think Tsukasa-chan is too, even though he keeps getting dragged around by Leo-kun." Arashi added.
"Guys, come oooon! Hurryyy!" Leo shouted to the other three from where he stood in the line.
"Are we going to go together or individually?" Tsukasa asked when the three finally arrived.
"I say we go together." Izumi suggested.
"Why? Too chicken to go alone, Sena~?" Leo teased.
"Of course not! I just think we shouldn't keep other people waiting too long." Izumi retorted.
"Hehe. I think it's fine if we go one by one, there aren't many people here anyway." Arashi tried to tone the bickering down.
"I'm fine with either." Ritsu voiced.
"Ok! Let's go one by one then! Dibs first!" Leo exclaimed.
After a ten-minute wait, it was Knights's turn to enter, and Leo basically threw himself in while laughing excitedly as soon as the staff gave him the go signal.
"Wow! It's so dark and creepy!" everyone could hear Leo's boisterous voice echo from inside.
Even when the staff dressed as ghosts and monsters would try to scare or chase Leo, he still laughed his way through and even complimented the haunted house or the performance and looks of the staff throughout his turn.
"Maybe we should leave him there." Izumi facepalmed.
"At least he's having fun." Ritsu commented.
"Well, that's what's most important, I guess..." Tsukasa added.
Next to go was Ritsu, and unsurprisingly, he didn't seem to react to all the jumpscares, given that it was eerily quiet inside other than the staff doing their job inside. However, at one point, they could vaguely hear a staff member speaking normally to whom they would assume to be Ritsu, but they couldn't make out anything they said.
"I swear, if he tried to nap or play with any of the monsters in there..." Izumi sighed in exasperation.
"Haha. Well, we could ask him what happened later." Arashi said.
After Ritsu was Izumi, and even though he shouldn't have been scared at all thanks to Leo and Ritsu, a particularly loud and long scream echoed inside and reached the ears of everyone outside.
"Ahaha! I bet he just got chased by a ghost in there." Arashi giggled.
"Sena-senpai would kill me if he saw me laugh at him for that." Tsukasa said despite letting out a small chuckle anyway.
Fourth to go was Arashi. Other than a few small gasps here and there, she basically breezed through it quickly, as expected of someone as graceful and composed as Arashi. Last but not least was Tsukasa, and although he had an idea of what to expect, he was the most scared among all of them; a scream would be heard about every ten seconds or so, and it was easy to tell when he was getting chased near the exit when the other four members at the exit heard a very loud cry for help that went on until he was near the exit.
"Wahaha! Our little King got scared in a haunted house!" Leo teased and laughed so hard he almost fell to his knees.
"Leo-san, please spare me..." Tsukasa begged, still trying to catch his breath.
"Hehe. It's ok, Tsukasa-chan, that's what's supposed to happen in haunted houses anyway." Arashi tried to mollify Tsukasa.
"Besides, Secchan got scared too, so you're not alone." Ritsu chimed in.
"Hey! I wasn't so bad in there, ok?!" Izumi rebutted. "Besides, how the hell do you actually find a napping spot in a HAUNTED HOUSE?"
"I don't know. I just saw a really big pile of cotton and cloth that looked soft and comfy..."
"You're unbelievable..." Izumi sighed.
"Thanks." Ritsu smiled proudly at him.
Afterwards, the five walked around trying lots of snacks and drinks like cotton candy, churros, caramel popcorn, milkshakes, fruit sodas, and a few more. They also watched a thirty-minute play about a group of magical girls who defeat the villain in order to protect the kingdom. After they left the theater, Leo saw a sign that led to the drop tower and dragged everyone to go with him, despite Izumi and Ritsu not wanting to go on the ride.
"Why am I here......" Izumi muttered to Ritsu in despair as the tower slowly rose to the top.
"It's ok, Secchan, I don't wanna be here either...." Ritsu pitied the both of them as he patted Izumi's shoulder.
"And right after we just a- AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Izumi screamed right as the tower abruptly descended for the first time.
"Ahaha! I love that ride!" Leo exclaimed after they exited from the drop tower.
"So....tired..." Ritsu wobbled, half collapsing onto Arashi's shoulder.
"I'm never doing that again..." Izumi groaned.
"Never say never, Sena~!" Leo teased.
"Well, whose fault is it that I don't wanna go back on that kind of ride?!" Izumi retorted.
They spent their last hour and a half in the park taking even more pictures and visiting almost every souvenir shop that everyone carried at least three bags of souvenirs each by the time they had to leave.
"Awww, I can't believe our day here is already over!" Leo whined.
"We can always do something like this again when we aren't too busy~!" Arashi suggested.
"Mhmm. It was tiring staying under the sun a lot, but I had fun." Ritsu admitted.
"Yes, I'd love to spend quality time with just the five of us, more often." Tsukasa added.
"Maybe we should do something less hectic next time, considering how much we ate and shopped today, though." Izumi said.
After a few more goodbyes, they all parted ways and for a split second, Tsukasa forgot he was going home with Leo and suddenly became both excited and nervous to be alone with him after a chaotic day.
"Did you have fun, Suo~?" Leo asked as he started up his car.
"Of course! I..um..." Tsukasa seemed to stumble on his words. "Thank you...for everything today. It means a lot to me..." he finished in a much softer voice.
"Awww, Suo~! You're so sweet! I super loved everything we did today, so I'm glad you guys did too!"
Tsukasa simply nodded and smiled at Leo's response as he felt his exhaustion gradually kick in now that they were going home. They chatted for a few more minutes before silence fell between them and Tsukasa felt himself dozing off. Though he tried to fight it at first, he eventually fell asleep. Leo quickly noticed this and smiled to himself before proceeding to drive slower, so that Tsukasa wouldn't wake up. On the next stoplight, Leo gazed at Tsukasa's sleeping face and gently brushed away a few strands of hair that covered his eyes; and after a few more seconds of watching his leader sleeping so peacefully, Leo slowly reached out for Tsukasa's hand that rested on his lap and gently kissed the back of it.
"Thanks for everything, Suo~. Just keep being yourself, ok?" Leo whispered to the sleeping boy before setting his hand back on his lap.
When they were a few blocks away from Tsukasa's home, the sleeping King finally awoke.
"Hm..? Where a-? Wait, did I fall asleep...?!" Tsukasa panicked.
"Ahaha! Yep! It's ok, Suo~, you were sleeping so peacefully that you looked so adorable!" Leo replied endearingly.
"Uugh... I'm so sorry, Leo-san. That was improper of me." Tsukasa was more embarrassed of the fact that he fell asleep on Leo rather than his playful teasing.
"I mean it, don't worry about it, Suo~! It doesn't bother me one bit! If anything, I'm actually happy to see that you're comfortable enough with me to fall asleep like that!" Leo assured. "Look, we're here!" he said as they pulled up by the sidewalk across Tsukasa's house.
"Still, I really feel bad. This was my first time hitching a ride with you after all." Tsukasa sighed.
"Then, if you do me a small favor, will you stop feeling guilty?" Leo asked.
"Y-yeah, I suppose so."
"Alright! First, look straight ahead for me!"
Tsukasa did as he was told, albeit he was confused with what Leo wanted to do. After a few seconds that felt longer than it should have, Tsukasa barely registered the sight of Leo's face growing nearer to him from his peripheral vision before he felt Leo place a quick and chaste kiss on his cheek. Tsukasa's eyes immediately widened in shock and he slowly turned his gaze towards Leo, whose cheeks seemed to be just a little bit pink.
"Ok! That's all!" Leo beamed, and Tsukasa could've sworn that accompanied with the very faint blush that adorned his former king's cheeks, Leo's smile looked a hundred times more beautiful than it usually did, which made his heartbeat rise incredibly fast and his face as red as his hair.
"Wh-wh-what...? Why-"
"You wanted to do me a favor, and so that was my favor for you!" Leo explained, his bashful smile not wavering in the slightest.
"I...I...Um...."
"Shhh... It's ok, you don't need to force yourself to say anything. If it helps, you can pretend I asked for something else, ok?" Leo said in a most gentle voice. "Good night, Suo~. See you soon~. Oh, and don't forget your breads from this morning too!"
"O-ok... Good night, Leo-san. Thanks again for today." Tsukasa replied shyly.
After Tsukasa gathered his bags and exited the car, he rang the doorbell of his house. While waiting, he turned around to see Leo watching him and waiting for him to enter before going home himself. Upon making eye contact with each other, Leo smiled at his leader and Tsukasa smiled back just a second before one of the house servants opened the door and only when Leo could no longer see his leader's figure did he finally drive home.