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The first sign should have been the way his heart fluttered when he saw them all standing there, under the lights of the park, talking amongst themselves excitedly.
He was the last one there - probably because he almost overslept. The fact that he rolled off his couch in his sleep was his saving grace, hitting the ground with a dull thud and a grunt, before sitting up and looking at the time.
It was the last day of summer. They would start classes tomorrow - no more rehearsals all day, no more seeing each other every day, no more shows every single night with the lights shining on them. Those things would be reduced to only a couple of times a week, even though he had some kind of sneaking suspicion that they would try to find a way to see each other every day, regardless of their workload or schedule situations.
“You’re late.” She deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest. There was poorly concealed worry in her eyes, which warmed his heart and made him chuckle - even caused some butterflies to fly around in his stomach. Even if she denied it to the ends of the earth, he could tell she cared about him - about all of them.
“It’s okay!” She exclaimed, running forward, grabbing onto his arm. “Now we can have fun!” Her smile was almost as bright as the look in her eyes, and even though he had to crane his neck down to look at her, he would do it all day if she continued to look at him like that.
“Took you long enough!” He bolstered, hesitating before taking his unoccupied arm. “If we had to wait any longer, we would have all… blown up your phone!” He was loud. Really loud. But that’s what he loved about him. His ability to gather a crowd and be the center of it all.
“Sorry, sorry.” He would put his hands up in mock surrender, but his arms were occupied by two of his troupe members. “I’m here now, aren’t I? We’re here to have fun before we go back to school, so let’s have fun, shall we?”
The two on his arms cheered. The girl in front of him huffed out a laugh, a smile forming on her face and wow she was dazzling. “No time like the present, I guess.”
And off they went! Their first stop was the rollercoaster, which happened to be the loud boy’s favorite. He loved the thrill of the ride, holding onto the bar for dear life, screaming his lungs out as if he was scared, but he loved every second of it. He found himself sitting next to the boy on this ride, holding onto the bar casually as he watched the boy grin and bounce his leg, the excitement for the ride too much to hold.
“Hey! Come with me on the rollercoaster, why don’t you?”
He blinked. Now, of all times? “...now?”
“Of course now! When else? The other two have gone on some sort of journey. We need to pass the time, and breaks are essential for a star not to lose stamina!”
And with justification like that, how could he say no?
Even though they worked at the park, they still had to wait in line to ride. Even though it wasn’t long, there was something about standing there in their show clothes that was slightly embarrassing, but they both took it in stride.
“I would like to do a show like a rollercoaster!” He said when they were about to strap themselves in for the roller coaster.
He raised his eyebrow, kind of… perplexed. “How so?”
“Dramatic and fast ups and downs! Suddenness! Flare!” His eyes were twinkling just thinking about it. “Think about how we could dazzle the audience!”
He found himself chuckling, smiling warmly at the boy.
“I could make that work, Tsukasa. Anything for you.”
(Tsukasa would then claim that the redness in his face was caused by the anticipation of the ride, then blamed it on the fact that the ride was going faster than usual, but they both knew that rollercoaster hasn’t changed since they first went on it together.)
“That was amazing!” Tsukasa laughed after they got off the rollercoaster, putting his hands on his hips. “It gets better every time!”
“It’s the same every time.” The girl with the soft smile said, walking on shaky legs. “Never ceased to turn me into a pile of jelly, though.”
“That means you have to get stronger!” She pretended to flex, making a concentrated face as she stood on her tiptoes, trying to make herself seem taller. The girl rolled her eyes and sighed, but there was no bite or malice behind it. Just… tired fondness.
“I’ll… try my best. I guess.”
The next stop was the carousel, which was the girl with the soft smile’s favorite ride. She loved how mellow, yet fun it was, always watching the people around her and her troupe mates. She wasn’t subtle when looking, though, which always made him smile. She really seemed to love people watching, and preferred to keep to herself. She hadn’t changed in that aspect, but in other aspects?
Seeing her change and flourish so much almost brought him to tears.
Tsukasa and her immediately jumped on two ponies, pretending to race one another. Him and the girl with the soft smile ended up sitting on an unmoving bench, and he put an arm around her subtly as the ride started moving. She was swinging her legs, and it made him smile.
“Enjoying yourself?” He asked.
She huffed, looking annoyed, but there was an undoubtable spark in her eyes. “Just… looking around.”
It was her idea, actually. She wanted to ride the carousel after rehearsal, claiming that it would be fun. He would later find out that it was because she wasn’t ready to part ways for the day just yet.
It was just like this, too. Tsukasa and her were on ponies that moved up and down, and they were chattering about something. Him and the girl were sitting on two unmoving ponies, enjoying the motion of the carousel.
“Can I tell you a secret?” She said to him. He raised an eyebrow, hoping she would take his silence as a yes. She continued. She was always good at reading this. “I wish this moment would last forever.”
And it was such a powerful statement that it took his breath away.
“I’m happy. Like this.” She continued. “You guys make me… happy.”
“Seeing you smile…” He was talking before he could stop himself. “It makes me want to freeze this moment as well.”
She flushed, shooting him a glare. “Don’t you dare tell anyone else this happened.”
He chuckled. “Of course, Nene. Your secret is safe with me.”
(He didn’t miss the way Nene pressed closer to him as they walked to the exit of the park. He didn’t miss the way Nene squeezed the girl with the bright eyes a little tighter before they left. He didn’t miss the way Nene squeezed Tsukasa’s sleeve before they parted ways.)
“That was fun!” Tsukasa said. “I’m starting to see why this is Nene’s favorite ride.”
“It’s not crazy like your rollercoaster.” Nene side-eyed him. “It’s nice and mellow. I don’t have to worry about passing out on the top of any hill.”
The girl with the bright eyes giggled, clinging onto Nene’s arm. “You’re so cute, Nene! Don’t worry! I’ll protect you on any rollercoaster we ride!”
“...thanks.”
He chuckled, and they moved onto the next thing.
The ferris wheel.
The ferris wheel held so many precious moments and feelings. It probably held bittersweet memories for her, too, but the girl with the bright eyes said it was always her favorite. So they went on it, squishing into one pod, and he watched as the girl swung her legs excitedly as they went up.
She was sitting next to him, and their shoulders were pressed together. She caught him staring and shot him a grin, to which he responded with a smile of his own.
He’ll never forget the way her eyes - so full of sadness, yet so full of determination - sparkled despite her tears.
“I won’t give up! I’ll… I’ll save this park! I’ll keep grandpa’s dream alive!”
It was a declaration that was spoken so powerfully that it had him believing it wholeheartedly, no matter what. If there was anyone that could make that happen, it was her, and they all knew it.
“You’re brave.” He found himself saying, reaching out and pulling her into a hug. She sobbed in his hold. “You’re so brave. But you don’t need to do this alone. We’re here for you.”
Tsukasa and Nene joined the hug, surrounding the girl with the bright eyes in warmth and safety. No matter what happened, they would be there with her, every step of the way. Her dreams were their dreams. They were a troupe, after all. How could they not support one another?
She grinned up at them, through her tears and sorrow, her eyes full of… fire.
(With the eyes that captivated him from the beginning. With the eyes that said so much, yet so little. With the eyes that he would never get tired of looking at.)
“I won’t quit!”
“Of course you won’t, Emu.” He said, smoothing back her hair. “Keep dreaming. Keep going.”
“Look! It’s the nightly fireworks!” Emu exclaimed, pointing out the window. Sure enough, fireworks started to crack in the air, various colors lighting up the sky. “That was my idea! I’m so glad they started to do it!”
“It was a marvelous idea, Emu!” Tsukasa reached out to high five her, the (very satisfying, he might add) clap echoing in the pod. “Look at all the smiles on those people’s faces!”
“...those fireworks are going to put us out of a job.” Nene said, but she was smiling, looking down at the people on the ground.
“We’re irreplaceable.” He said, nudging her leg with his foot.
They got off the ferris wheel, talking amongst themselves and trying to decide on what to do next. It was then that he stopped walking, taking in the sight.
His friends. The people who turned his life upside down. The people who changed his life. The people who were always there for him, no matter his faults or flaws. They never gave up on him. They never left him alone.
Tsukasa, with his smile like the sun. His performing and singing like warmth on his skin. His determination and ambition shining so bright compared to everyone else.
Nene, with her tender smiles and gentle touches. Her beautiful voice that never failed to give him goosebumps. Her attitude that he remembers so vividly from his childhood.
Emu, with her shining eyes. Her smile, blinding him with how bright and happy it was. Her determination, and her ability to make him laugh.
“Hey! Are you coming?” Tsukasa called. They all stopped for him, looking back at him.
A feeling rose in Rui’s throat, trying to fight its way out. He looked up from the floor, seeing the eyes of his troupe mates on him.
Rui’s chest felt warm.
“I think I’m in love with all of you.”