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Even though none of them had stage fright - how could they, they went on stage all the time - the thirty minutes before the show started were always full of frantic warming up, stimming of hands to shake out the nerves, peeking out from behind the curtain to see the crowd accumulating, and intense stares at each other, telling them to ‘calm down!’
Nene grew quiet just before a show. She was usually quiet, but she was especially quiet before the curtains drew back. She didn't pace, she didn't move - she stood in one place, playing with her fingers and keeping her eyes on the curtains. She told her partners once that that was just her centering herself - drawing focus and keeping herself calm. Nene kept her eyes closed for most of the time, immune to the chaos occurring around her. Emu said once that Nene looked really calm while doing so, which was apparently the opposite of what Nene was feeling.
Rui would run around and tinker with the pieces he built for the show, making sure that they were sturdy and that nothing would go wrong. He made sure Nenerobo was charged all the way, just in case they encountered a problem like they did during their little mermaid play. He flitted around, never without a tool in hand. Tsukasa once thought that it was probably a way for him to keep his hands busy and his mind busy so it wouldn’t wander, as it had a tendency to.
Emu was surprisingly quiet, like Nene. She kept to herself, going over some of the dances and motions of her lines, but never speaking them out loud or singing along with the choreography. She was always moving - never still - always full of energy. Rui commented that she should probably save her energy for the show rather than burn it out, but Emu broke her silence, saying that no matter what, she would always have enough energy to perform, no matter what happened.
And Tsukasa? He busied himself with making sure all the props were in place, singing his parts and going over his lines as he did so. Unlike his partners, he was always talking and saying something, always making noise. He bounced on his feet, taking deep breaths, clearly trying to hype himself up for the show. He was a future world star, after all! There was no way he was going to mess up, and there was a 100% chance that he was going to put on an amazing show - a show better than the last one! Nene huffed at him, saying that he was too loud, but secretly found the bustling of their leader comforting.
About 10 minutes before the curtains opened, Tsukasa would gather everyone in a circle, and they would do ‘affirmations’, as he liked to call it. “Our show is going to go great,” “We’re going to put smiles on everyone’s faces,” “Remember to have fun, most of all, make people smile!”
And so, the curtains would open, and the show would begin.
Performing a show was indescribable - even though Tsukasa admittedly spoke a lot, there were never any words he could find that described the feeling that flooded him when he was standing on the stage, sweat beading on his forehead and the lights shining on him. No words for when the crowd cheered when they finished a number, or when they pulled off a stunt that was the most important part of the show.
Standing on stage was Tsukasa’s life.
It was what he was destined to do. It was what he’s always wanted to do - something that he found comfort, happiness, and people he could trust with his life.
There were no words Tsukasa could ever find to describe seeing all the smiles in the crowd - seeing the shiny eyes of children, the reluctant but genuine smiles of teenagers, and the fond smiles of adults all alike.
Standing on that stage, holding the hands of the people he loved as they bowed, hearing the roar of applause and cheers-
There was nothing Tsukasa had or could have that he would trade for this feeling. The warm, fuzzy feeling that settled in his stomach. The happy, giddy feeling that choked him. The warmth that flooded his cheeks and pricked at his eyes.
This was where he belonged.
Even though they had done shows millions and millions of times, the nerves before them were always as if it was their first.
And even though they had done shows millions and millions of times, the happiness and floaty feeling that came after finishing were as powerful as the first time they ever performed.
“Wan wan, too quick, three four, everybody showtime!”
With a final exclamation, WonderlandsxShowtime struck their final pose, grinning at the smiles and cheers of the crowd.
“Thank you!” Tsukasa exclaimed, throwing his hands up to wave at the crowd. “Thank you for coming! We’re WonderlandsxShowtime, and we hope you’ll come to another show!”
The curtains closed. They all scrambled to grab water bottles, chugging them as if their lives depended on it. Tsukasa, however, held onto his water bottle, looking at it. His mind went blank, and all the emotions he felt suddenly felt too much-
“Tsukasa?!” Emu exclaimed and oh , his cheeks were wet. “Are you okay?!”
But Tsukasa wasn’t upset, no - he was the happiest he had ever been.
He grinned at his troupe, laughing.
“I’ve never been better!”