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Rui was home alone that day. His parents were out of town due to work, and he had been working in some props for the Wonder Stage. The garage shutters were down, since ths sun was already down, the only source of light was the lamp on his table. Suddenly, a loud noise startled him. He got up and opened the door, only to be welcomed by a lashing rainfall.
"My… For how long has it been raining?"
He decided to call the props work off for the day and go back to the house, as the heavy rain didn't seem like it was going to stop anytime soon. It didn't take much for the rain to be accompanied by thunder and lightning.
After checking that the doors and windows were closed, he felt something vibrate inside his jacket's pocket. It seemed like a call, which he picked up without checking who the caller was.
"Ah, Rui?"
He heard a familiar voice on the other side of the line.
"Tsukasa-kun?" He was startled; he didn't expect Tsukasa to call him out of the blue.
"Rui, sorry to ask you this, but can I go over to your house?"
"Huh? Right now? But it's raining."
"Yeah, uh… I'll explain there. Can I?"
Rui wasn't sure of what happened, but in the background of Tsukasa's voice, he could hear the downpour, which meant he was outside in the rain. He couldn't leave him there. Tsukasa hurriedly thanked him and hung up, and in a matter of minutes, the doorbell rang.
Rui rushed to open it and found Tsukasa, soaked from top to bottom.
"May I go in…?" Tsukasa asked, waiting for Rui to move out of the way.
"Yes, hurry!" Rui closed the door just as Tsukasa entered and told him he'd bring him a change of clothes. He was still wondering why Tsukasa was out in that rain and why he decided to come over, but what mattered to him at that moment was getting Tsukasa to put on dry clothes.
"Here." Rui handed him a long-sleeved white shirt along with long gray tracksuit pants. Rui showed Tsukasa the way to the bathroom right after that. "There's a big, red towel too. Use it."
"I'm sorry, I'm soaking your floor…"
"It's fine, it's just water. I'll clean up later."
With an expression that screamed "sorry", Tsukasa hurried to the bathroom. Rui took the opportunity to take out a rag and quickly wipe the wet floor, and just as he put the item back, his friend came out.
"What do I do with the clothes?"
"Leave them in the bidet."
Tsukasa did as Rui told him, and the latter asked why he wanted to come over again.
"Sorry, did I interrupt you…?"
Oh, shit. Rui was weak to— well, he was weak to Tsukasa in general. But the way he looked at him and the worried tone in his voice were a critical hit to his heart.
"No, no! It's nothing like that. I simply am curious."
Tsukasa sat down on the living room's sofa and began explaining. It turned out he had to do some shopping, but he got caught in the storm on his way to the store. He didn't get to buy anything, and trains were stopped due to the sudden rain, and the closest shelter was either Rui or Nene's home.
"Again, I'm sorry for appearing out of nowhere. Are your parents okay with it?"
"They're out of town for the weekend, so don't worry."
Just as they were talking, suddenly, the lights in the living room turned off, and so did the rest of the house.
"A blackout?"
Rui told Tsukasa to wait for him, as he was going to try and find something they could use as a light source. He knew his mother had candles somewhere. His phone was almost out of battery, but he used the lantern to look around the drawers. He was convinced that they had candles at home, but he wasn't quite sure where. In his search, he came across a small object. It was shaped like a candle, but not a real one. Rui noticed with his finger that the lower part had a button, and when he pressed it, it lit up.
Rui returned with the item.
"Is that...?"
"A lamp, if it's big enough to receive that designation. It's battery operated, so it should be fine for the moment." Rui put it on the table. "There's only one, though."
He finally sat down with Tsukasa. His eyes had not yet gotten used to the darkness, and the light from the lamp did not give him enough field of vision, but he noticed that Tsukasa was shivering. It was nothing unusual. He had come from a torrential rain, where he had only been able to dry himself with a towel. His hair was still clearly wet, and it was very likely that he had caught a cold.
"Tsukasa-kun, come closer."
Somewhat hesitantly, he approached.
"A little more."
He reached out for a blanket sitting on the arm of the sofa and threw it over them.
"It's not much, but it'll keep us warm."
Tsukasa didn't answer and stayed under the blankets. There was a weird silence. Tsukasa didn't feel like his usual self, and Rui wasn't saying a thing either.
"So." Rui tried to start. "You said you were buying. What exactly?"
"... Cookies"
"Cookies?"
"There's a supermarket around here that has a brand I like, so I came. But needless to say, I didn't get them."
Rui smiled softly. It was kind of cute; he came all the way only to get cookies. But still, there was something off. He was looking down, hugging his own legs - probably to keep himself warm -, and his voice sounded spiritless.
"Is everything okay, Tsu-"
"Achoo!" Tsukasa sneezed, interrupting Rui. Rui didn't repeat the question, and instead, he got closer. Earlier, there was a gap between their shoulders, but now it was gone. The closeness made Rui be able to hear Tsukasa's breathing; and for a second, he felt as if he could hear his heartbeat.
Tsukasa averted his gaze, and the purple-haired boy was starting to worry. He was the one who chose to come here, yet it felt like he was avoiding him. He could only stare at the back of his head.
"It's still cold…" Tsukasa faintly said
"Huh?"
"It's cold." He said, turning around.
By that time, Rui's eyes were used to darkness, so he could see Tsukasa's weak expression. Was he actually sick?
Rui knew the only source of warmth was his own body, so he reached for Tsukasa's hand.
"Woah! Your hands are usually warm, but now they're freezing… !"
"Yours are warm, though…" He said, intertwining his fingers with Rui's.
Rui's heart started racing. Tsukasa's soft hands were now touching his. Rui felt a wave of embarrassment wash over, and he let out a nervous stutter.
"Uhm, m-my hand might be a bit sweaty." Rui stammered, unable to meet Tsukasa's gaze directly. But the latter didn't answer. He glanced up at him, longing for the moment to go further, but it didn't seem that way.
"Rui, I want to tell you something."
Rui was far from cold now. His body was growing hot; his heart was racing, and his hands were full of sweat. Tsukasa's voice was soft. Like a whisper. And due to the closed space under the blanket, it almost felt like his voice was dancing in the air, with his ears as the stage.
Tsukasa squeezed Rui's hand and moved closer to him, but let himself fall on his chest.
"T-tsukasa-kun?!"
He quickly lifted him up by his shoulders, and put his forehead on his.
"You have a fever!"
Rui began to understand the situation and Tsukasa's strange behavior.
Rui threw off the blanket, and that's all Tsukasa could remember.
"H-huh...?" Tsukasa opened his eyes slowly. "Where...?"
He didn't remember much of what had happened, so he tried to piece together the events so far. First, he went to buy that brand of cookies he loves so much. Then, it started to pour, the trains were not operational, and it seemed that the rain was joined by lightning and thunder. He decided to call Rui and let him stay at his house, and then... Then he doesn't know anything else. He only remembers changing his clothes.
"Oh, you're awake!" Rui hurried from the door and sat on a chair placed next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Uh, well…" Tsukasa tried to sit, but was stopped by Rui's hands.
"Don't move too much. You had quite a temperature earlier, don't rush it." After saying that, he removed the wet cloth and changed it for a new one, carefully placing it on his forehead.
"Sorry, Rui. I've done nothing but cause you trouble."
"Don't apologize. It's no bother."
Rui gave him a reassuring smile, and Tsukasa could feel his face heating up. Was his fever back, or was there another reason?
"By the way, how did I get here?" Tsukasa felt like those times as a kid, when you fell asleep on the couch and woke up in bed. Pure magic, although he obviously found out it was just his parents carrying him. But isn't it funnier to think of it as magic?
"Well, I carried you."
"Y-you did what?!"
"Yes, bridal carry, if you wanna name it." Rui smiled teasingly. Back then, he got really flustered by Tsukasa's sudden hand-holding, but he was back to his usual teasing, thankful Tsukasa hadn't seemed to notice it. "You see, I operate heavy machinery all the time... Robots and such. I carry them by myself, so I think I can say I'm pretty strong."
Tsukasa felt really embarrassed. And was the "bridal carry" thing really necessary to say? He turned around, carefully, so the cloth on his forehead wouldn't fall.
"I'll let you rest then." Rui got up from the chair. "If you need something, I'll be in the living room."
"N-no, wait!" Tsukasa reached for Rui and grabbed the back of his shirt.
The tall boy gave him a perplexed expression. Tsukasa himself wasn't really sure why he had done that.
"Can't you stay?" He said, lowering his voice, and noticing his impulsive action.
A moment of profound silence enveloped the room, during which Rui locked gazes with Tsukasa, while the latter averted his eyes, showing a crimson-hued face and pressing his own lips, yet maintaining a firm grip on Rui's shirt. Carefully, the boy with purple hair delicately grabbed the sick boy's hand, interlacing their fingers together.
"If you wish so." He was back in the chair.
Tsukasa quietly breathed out a "thank you". There was no conversation. Tsukasa was lying down, still holding hands with Rui, as he smiled with tenderness. He desperately wanted to say something, but the silence wasn't that bad. Tsukasa noticed a clock on one of the shelves, and squinted his eyes to read it.
"W-wait, it's that p.m?! It's already 11 p.m.?!" He broke the silence, unintentionally.
"Don't worry. I called your sister, and your parents are fine with you spending the night here."
Tsukasa felt really ashamed, again. He felt like he was only causing problems. He tried to tell Rui that he could get a night bus, since the rain had stopped, but Rui refused.
"You have no say in this, Tsukasa-kun."
"Ugh…"
"By the way…" Rui tightened the grip he had on Tsukasa's hand. "What was that you wanted to tell me?"
"What?"
Rui told him about what had happened. Tsukasa remembered nothing beyond the change of clothes. His guess was, the fever got to him too badly and started speaking nonsense.
"Huh, such a shame. You looked like it was important."
"I don't remember, if I forgot, it probably wasn't anything worth worrying about. You can forget it."
"If you say so…"
After that, Tsukasa said he was a bit sleepy, and Rui agreed it would be best if he slept a bit.
"Are you okay if I stay here? I'll turn off the lights, I just need to finish some stuff, and well, this is my room and all."
"Ah, yeah, of course. Don't worry. You sure you don't want me to sleep in another room?"
Rui shook his head, and told him not to worry. Having said that, Tsukasa removed the cloth and left it in the bowl on the table, turned around, and wished him good night.
…
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
That was the sound of Rui's clock, which now read close to 2 a.m. He had had an idea for a new drone to use on the Wonder Stage, but hadn't been able to finish it, and once he picked up the pencil, the ideas flowed. He turned around and saw Tsukasa with his back turned to him.
"Are you asleep?"
There was no answer.
"Then, I guess I can talk now. I don't know what you wanted to tell me, but I have something to tell you."
Rui waited, but there was no answer; only Tsukasa's undisturbed breathing.
"You may say that this is the type of conversation we should have when we're both awake, but this is just a practice, okay? Just like a mock test."
Rui dropped the pencil, which he had been holding all this time, and cleared his throat.
"I like you."
The words felt really easy to say when he knew no one was listening.
"Hmm… Was that too blunt? Maybe I should do it like…" He kept talking to himself, as if he were playing a role, having trouble grasping the character's essence.
"That's fine…" He heard another voice.
"Tsu… kasa-kun?"
Tsukasa sat up in bed and looked at Rui. Actually, he had been awake all that time, but he had not been answering his questions.
"A-ah! It's not what it looks like..."
"It isn't...?" Tsukasa asked, with a tone that denoted sadness. Their roles were back to being reversed.
Rui started scratching the back of his neck, which was sweating, and started trying to make up an excuse, but his improvisation skills weren't working.
"Hypothetically speaking... I wouldn't mind if it were true." Tsukasa interrupted Rui's nervousness.
"What?!"
Tsukasa's confession floated in the air, leaving Rui momentarily speechless. He showed both relief and excitement. They had both been holding that for a long time, it turns out. Rui jumped excitedly toward Tsukasa, who quickly pushed him away.
"W-what are you doing?! Can't you see I'm sick?"
"What difference does it make? I've already taken care of you, haven't I?"
"Well, yes, but it's different if you come so close to me..." He was not only concerned, but also shy.
"Don't they say idiots don't catch colds?"
"Aren't I the token idiot? And look at me. You'll have to wait until I get better."
"How mean..."
"I'm just worried!"
Their silly conversation continued, until Tsukasa fell asleep on the bed, and Rui fell asleep leaning on Tsukasa's body, without having taken off from the chair. His back wasn't going to thank him, but every second had been worth it, Rui thought.