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Rui liked to have everything planned out for their shows.
He liked to ensure everyone knew their lines, that every stunt was pre-planned, and that all inventions were designed correctly to ensure success.
The only thing he couldn’t plan for was the audience at every show.
Of course, Rui loved Wonderlands x Showtime’s audience! Without them the troupe would have no reason to act!
But sometimes these audience members would disregard the rules set by the group and that were said before every performance.
These rules were the typical, ‘Don’t disrespect anyone’ and ‘Stay quiet unless directed otherwise’.
But there was one rule that was a must, ‘No smoking’.
The no smoking rule was mostly for the safety of others and the environment. The Wonder Stage was surrounded by beautiful green scenery, which happened to be flammable.
If someone were to throw their cigarette into the bushes or trees then there’s the possibility that a fire could break loose—and that would put everyone in danger.
So the troupe all agreed to ban smoking and any flammable substances (except Rui’s inventions) from the Wonder Stage altogether.
And so far in Rui’s career, no one has an issue with it. This is most likely because their target audience is children and they don’t smoke.
Which is what makes Rui so confused right now.
In front of him is a group of three teenager’s (they must be younger than him) who have cigarettes out.
The Wonder Stage has a performance later that day, but it’s not uncommon for people to stumble upon the stage when exploring the park.
Which is what Rui assumed happened because the trio were all on their phones and has cigarettes in hand.
Tsukasa noticed them first then tapped Rui’s shoulder before pointing in that direction. “Those three are smoking, I’m going to tell them the Wonder Stage policy and try to get them to leave.”
Whenever a situation like this would arise Tsukasa would almost always deal with it. Either he would loudly tell them off or he would just straight up ask them to leave. But he always told someone what he was planning on doing.
He didn’t want his actions to be interpreted wrongly by his troupe mates so it just became a habit whenever the blond needed to kick someone out.
Rui understood what the boy was doing and nodded, “Go ahead. If things get out of hand I’m stepping in though.”
Tsukasa giggled before ruffling Rui’s hair, “I wouldn’t expect anything less from my dear director.”
Without any further discussion Tsukasa walked off the stage and towards the group of teenagers.
“Hello! Welcome to the Wonder Stage!” Tsukasa bursted out gleefully, startling the trio who didn’t realize he was there.
“Uh- Hi?” One responded, it was a girl with an unlit cigarette in her mouth.
Tsukasa grimaced but didn’t let the girl see his displeasure. “Unfortunately this stage doesn’t allow smoking. If you do want to smoke though there are areas around the park dedicated to smoking!”
Another guy scoffed, his cigarette was lit though. The boy blew smoke right into Tsukasa’s face causing the blond to turn away and cough.
“Psh! We aren’t leaving! If we go to the smoking areas they’ll see we’re underaged.” The boy answered smirking as Tsukasa was still recovering from the sudden attack.
But the star quickly regained his composure and turned around, “Leave. I won’t hesitate to call Phenny over here.”
The group laughed at the threat, “Phenny!? The mascot!?” A different boy exclaimed before beginning to laugh hysterically.
Tsukasa gave them a blank stare before responding. “You’re all old enough to know that under the costume Phenny used to be a bodyguard. So if you want to see a strong bird kick you out, I’d stay.”
The trio shivered at the threat before getting up. “Fine. We’ll leave.” The girl responded coldly, “But we’ll be back.”
With those word they walked off without any other words and Tsukasa made his way back onstage to finish up some final preparations for the show later that evening.
Emu bounced onto stage in her costume running straight to the boy, “Tsukasa!!! I need help! The costume had a loose thread so I pulled it and now..” Emu turned around and there was a huge whole in the fabric on her back.
Tsukasa sighed before grabbing her shoulder and leading her backstage. “It’s nothing a star like me can’t fix! Give me the costume and I’ll start mending it up!”
Emu squealed and hugged Tsukasa as she ran off to prepare some last mintue props for the show.
Tsukasa grabbed his needle and thread before taking a seat on a nearby chair and beginning to sew the hole closed.
Rui was holding a bundle of fabric when he passed by Tsukasa, “Ah! My star, how did kicking the teenagers out go?”
Tsukasa, who was almost done sewing, groaned at that mention of the irritable trio. “They left but they were a hassle!”
Rui places the fabric by his feet and hummed in a way that told Tsukasa to continue.
“When I told them the smoking rule they laughed!” The blond exclaimed as he began to sew aggressively.
Rui gave Tsukasa a light peck on the top of his head to calm him down, “Don’t worry, they won’t be back.”
Tsukasa nodded before finally patching the hole in the costume. “I need to give this back to Emu, I’ll see you later?”
Rui, picking up the fabrics he placed down, began to walk away, “Of course you will.”
Tsukasa giggled at the boy’s response before hoisting himself up and grabbing the costume to find Emu.
It was easy to find the energetic girl and once Tsukasa did he found Emu in their joint dressing room putting on her makeup.
“Emu? The costume is all fixed up!” Tsukasa said, standing in the doorway.
The pink haired girl’s head whipped towards the blond and she jumped up to rush and grab the cape back.
“Woah! It’s like nothing was ever wrong!” Emu’s eyes gleamed with amazement as she tackled Tsukasa in a hug, “Thank you! Now I can truly be the antagonist! Gyahaha!”
Once Emu pulled away from the boy she began to walk around the room laughing in a malicious—yet in character— manner.
Tsukasa has nothing else to say so he simply left the scheming girl to her own devices.
As the boy left the dressing room he paced around backstage. He had nothing to do! His makeup was done previously in the day and his costume was in pristine condition. So he simply walked out onto the stage.
He saw Rui, with his back turned, putting up some banners for the play. Tsukasa had an idea seeing the unsuspecting boy.
Silently, Tsukasa crept up behind the boy before jumping onto his back, catching the director off guard.
“Gah!” Rui screamed immediately trying to regain his balance as Tsukasa clung to him. “Well.. If it isn’t Tsukasa!”
The blond jumped off his boyfriend’s back and gave a mock bow. “Hello Sir Kamishiro!”
Rui scoffed before jokingly pushing the boy, “Don’t call me that! If sounds weird coming from you.”
Tsukasa snickered, “Alright… Then what about my beloved? Dearest of all? The apple of my eye?”
Rui covered his blushing face as Nene trudged onstage holding a heavy-looking box, “Jeez, get a room.”
“Hahaha! You’re one to talk Nene, what is it that Emu calls you again?”
Nene’s eyes widened before she effortlessly continued walking forward to get the box backstage.
“That’s what I thought..” Tsukasa mumbled as the girl vanished from sight.
As Tsukasa was basking in his victory he didn’t realize that Rui had recovered from his blushing and that he was now leaning against a pillar in the stage.
“My, my, Tsukasa! It seems my star truly can fight his own battles!”
The blond spun around and saw Rui smirking. “Excuse you? I always fight my own battles! In fact, I’ll fight all of my battles at the same time!”
Rui huffed out a laugh before kissing Tsukasa quickly yet gently, “I know you will.”
This time it was Tsukasa’s turn to become a blushing, stuttering, mess. Since the boy didn’t know what to do he simply ran backstage to escape his boyfriend’s teasing.
Once safely backstage, Tsukasa could’ve sworn he heard Rui let out an amused laugh, which made him blush even more!
As he continued to make his way backstage he thought it would be good to touch up some of his makeup and hair—which is what led to his current situation.
Emu and Nene were talking backstage about an outfit switch during the show. It was quite a huge change and Nene was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to do it in the wings.
Tsukasa didn’t mean to eavesdrop but he heard Emu give her solution to the girl. “Why don’t you just rush back to the dressing room and change? It would be peasy easy!”
“Emu.. It’s ‘easy peasy’..” Nene sighed, “But I guess your plan is good. I mean I have a bunch of time before I need to be on stage again during the switch.”
Tsukasa heard the pink haired girl eagerly squeal, “Perfect! Welp.. What are we supposed to do now?”
“Maybe we could clean up some of the benches for the audience? I saw some trash on the ground.”
“Alrighty! Let’s get to it!”
Quickly, Tsukasa pretended that he wasn’t eavesdropping and instead that he was just walking into the dressing room.
Just as Tsukasa was ‘walking in’ the girls were walking out.
“Well, well, well… If it isn’t Tsukasa!” Emu shouted as she walked up hand in hand with Nene. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m fixing my hair and makeup before the show!” Tsukasa responded as if it was obvious.
Nene huffed out a laugh, “Should’ve started hours ago..”
Tsukasa let out an offended sound before walking into the dressing room, ignoring Emu’s laugh.
Once safely in the dressing room, the blond let out a sigh of relief and sat in a chair grabbing the communal makeup pallet.
The boy touched up his eyeshadow and he carefully combed through his hair before spraying it to make sure it stays in place.
He glanced over at his phone and he had about five minutes before the show would start. That was usually the time where Wonderlands x Showtime’s would all meet up together and go over some final preparations to pull off the perfect show.
Tsukasa stood up and quickly changed into his costume before walking out of the dressing room and to the right wing of the stage where he saw the rest of the troupe.
Taking a deep breath, Tsukasa put on a smile and walked over to the group. “Ahaha! The star has arrived!”
“Welcome ‘Kasa! No changes for tonight’s show.”
Tsukasa smiled at the familiarity. Rui never liked changing things up. So the unexpected news made Tsukasa feel better.
“Of course not! Our director ensures that everything is planned perfectly!” The blond responds, striking a familiar pose.
Everyone was already in costume and ready for the show. There were already people in the audience, but while Tsukasa glimpsed out he saw three familiar faces.
The three teenagers from before were back. And they brought more cigarettes with them.
Tsukasa was about to warn Rui when the entry song burst from the speakers, alerting that the show would begin and that Tsukasa should get into position.
Rui lightly pushed the boy onto the stage after he froze for a moment. But once in the spotlight any worries that were once there faded.
The story for this show was aimed towards children. It was about a mighty lion warrior (Tsukasa) having to venture out and defeat the evil snake (Rui) but he will find some companions (Nene) and enemies (Emu) along the way.
Altogether, it was a cute story where at the finale the lion and snake would become friends and realize that they were alike.
It was one of Wonderlands x Showtime’s lighter shows— which meant that the audience was mostly children; but this didn’t stop people of all ages from seeing their shows.
Which explains why the teenage trio was back.
“Welcome to performance of ‘A Lion’s Journey’! Before the show begins I’d like to remind everyone to stay quiet and not disturb others from enjoying the show!” Tsukasa smiles as he says the introduction that must be said before every show.
Tsukasa’s eyes flick towards the teenagers standing off towards the sides, “I would also like to say that smoking or anything that causes fire hazards are prohibited for your’s and everyone else’s safety.”
The group scoffed and pulled out a lighter. Almost to purposely mock Tsukasa.
The blond trusted that Rui understood his extra message and gave a slight bow. “Wonderlands x Showtime’s hopes you enjoy the production!”
With that, Tsukasa ran off the stage as Rui entered. Not only was he the evil snake, he was also the narrator.
“Once, long ago there was a mighty lion who lived in comfort as a warrior. He understood the world and environment and respected its nature.”
Tsukasa walked on stage, introducing himself as the lead through his movements as Rui continued on, “But not every creature was like this lion… Secretly an evil snake wanted to disrupt this world.”
As Rui said this, a cloak that he was wearing got tugged off (thanks to a micro-robot created by him) revealing that the narrator was also the villain.
The director heard a scoff as the teenagers began to smoke and mocked the reveal. This made Rui grimace mentally. Audience member’s like this weren’t found at the troupe’s show’s often but when they were, it was a pain.
Luckily, there was a moment where Rui had to go off stage for a moment. That would be when he told the teenager’s to knock it off or to leave altogether.
Rui quickly put on his performer’s façade and continued his monologue about the story of the lion.
Once finished he made his way backstage where he rushed off the stage to confront the group.
Tsukasa was performing wonderfully and Emu just entered the stage as the dazzling zebra her character was.
This scene enthralled the audience and this gave Rui the chance to walk up to the trio without interrupting anyone else’s attention.
One boy in the group nudged the other and pointed at Rui. “Yo, the snake wants to talk.”
The girl took a drag of the cigarette in her hand before coughing out the smoke. “Yeah? tell him he can slither away.”
The group laughed as Rui kept a deadpanned expression. “Smoking in prohibited. Either extinguish the cigarette or leave the Wonder Stage.”
“Leave? But I’m having a great time watching the lion talk to the zebra? An actor wouldn’t get rid of his audience would he?” A teen asked in a mocking tone.
Rui kept a still face. “We can make exceptions. Please stop smoking or leave.”
The girl opened her mouth, about to argue, but a boy put his arm in front of her; effectively shushing her.
“Hey, it’s the man’s stage. We just have to get rid of the cigarette’s.” As he said this the boy took out the cigarette out of his mouth and threw it into a bush.
“All gone, see?” The boy announced. The other two saw what the boy did and copied his actions, much to Rui’s horror.
The director was speechless as he saw the still lit cigarette’s get thrown into a dry bush. A second later a wisp of smoke rose from the bush.
The trio was busy laughing but Rui recognized this smoke as a tell-tale sign of a fire starting.
The director shoved the trio away from the bush before joining them at a safe distance.
“Hey!? What the hell was that-“ A teen tried to argue but Rui ignored him as he interrupted Tsukasa’s line as he rushed onto the stage.
“Hello everybody! A safety emergency will unfortunately cut this show short! Please evacuate the Wonder Stage area-“
Suddenly a bright flash of heat and brightness blinded everyone as a huge fire broke loose from the bush.
Many audience members screamed as they rushed to get away from the vicinity of the fire while others assumed it was apart of the show.
Rui was quick to hop down and lead others away from the scene while Emu ran off to help the director get people to safety.
Tsukasa was frozen but a single thought flashed through his mind.
Nene was in the dressing room. He remembered eavesdropping on her and Emu’s conversation.
“I’ve got to tell Nene!” Tsukasa mumbled as he ran backstage towards the dressing room.
In just a couple of seconds Tsukasa was knocking rapidly on the door. “Nene!? Nene, are you in there!?”
A groan was heard from inside, “Yes, I’m in here! What do you want? It’s not my cue yet..”
“There’s a fire! We have to leave now!” Tsukasa shouted, trying to open the door.
Nene laughed, “Fire? Are you kidding?”
Tsukasa began banging on the door. “C’mon! We have to go!”
The door slammed open, revealing Nene with wide eyes and a shocked expression. “You’re serious?”
Tsukasa didn’t say anything he just grabbed the girl’s arm and began to run to the main stage where a sudden flash of heat hit both actors.
“Oh my god! What the hell happened!?” Nene shouted as Tsukasa hopped off the stage.
The blond wanted to respond but as he was running towards the exit he saw something out of the corner of his eye.
A child. This child’s coat was stuck under a fallen bench.
Tsukasa froze in his tracks as Nene ran past him. “Tsukasa!? What are you doing?”
“I- There’s a kid! I’m going to help him!”
Nene reached for the blond’s arm, “No! You’ll end up getting hurt!”
Tsukasa looked over at Nene, a look of desperation in his eyes. “Trust me, I’ll make sure I don’t get injured. Promise.”
Nene looks conflicted. She didn’t want her friend to sacrifice himself over a kid but she also didn’t want the child to get injured.
“I..” Nene sighed but let go of his arm, “I’m going to get you if you aren’t back in five minutes!”
Tsukasa smiled, a sad smile, but he nodded his head. “Deal.”
Nene nodded and ran towards the exit and Tsukasa ran towards the kid.
It was a boy, he was sobbing as he tried to pull his coat out from under the weight of the bench.
Tsukasa grabbed the boy’s arms and slid the coat off of his shoulders before grabbing him and running towards the exit.
Suddenly reality hit. Tsukasa’s eye’s widened and his heart began to race as he realized.
The fire was closer than he thought.
He should’ve been more aware of the flames that were circling him. Or the sudden heat that he felt on his back.
He was so absorbed in saving the boy he hadn’t realized that the fire was spreading faster then ever.
And this is why Tsukasa put the boy down and uttered one word. “Run.”
He knew he wouldn’t escape, the flames surrounded both of them but there was a small gap in the ring of fire. And this gap would be enough for the little boy to make it out.
The boy looked up at Tsukasa with glassy eyes, “But.. What about you..?”
Tsukasa knew he couldn’t let the boy hesitate for his sake so he forced a smile on his face before answering, “Don’t worry! I’m a lion so I can make it out!” By playing as his character it might comfort the boy. “But.. Tell the snake that I’m stuck! He can help.”
Tsukasa told the boy to tell Rui about his situation. This way he just had to evade the flames until help arrived.
The boy nodded before running towards the path away from the burning stage.
Now that Tsukasa was alone, he let himself panic. The heat was unbearable and his anxiety was heightening. He could do nothing but remain in the ring of fire as it drew in closer.
Yet, he still hoped that the director would save him.
But deep down he knew, he could only rely on himself. He couldn’t guarantee that Rui would be there to save him.
Tsukasa saw the flames circle him, approaching closer by the second. So he made a decision.
He decided to run through the flames. He found the patch of fire that seemed dimmer then the rest before he took a deep breath and ran.
He felt a burning hot feeling envelope his whole body. Even though the initial moment he was in the flames was only a second the burning that he felt wouldn’t go away.
Tsukasa’s ear’s were ringing and he didn’t know if he screamed or not but he only had one goal in mind.
To make it back safely, just like he promised Nene.
So with this mission in mind he began to drag his body over towards the now-deserted pathway to the amusement park.
His vision was blurring with every step he took and before he realized it he was on the ground.
His legs failed him and his vision was fading to black but in a last ditch effort to escape he began to crawl using his burned arms to carry him.
He only got a couple steps in before his arms too, gave out. With everything hurting and a scattered brain, Tsukasa closed his eyes and hoped that Nene and Emu would forgive him.
And he hoped that Rui wouldn’t blame him. He hopes that his dear director wouldn’t hold Tsukasa accountable for this event.
The thought of Rui being disappointed was enough to make Tsukasa close his eyes and pass out.
…
Rui was doing a head count as he saw Nene run towards the group. He felt relieved that she was safe but a twinge of fear became rooted into his heart as he saw her expression.
Her face was morphed into one of fear. She was obviously scared from the sudden fire but she was also panicked.
Then she ran up to him, gasping for air. “Tsukasa..! He is still… back there!”
Rui’s eyes widened at this, he thought he accounted for the blond in the headcount but now that he was double checking the star wasn’t there.
Before Rui could say anything, the singer spoke again, “There was a boy! He was stuck and… Tsukasa went back for him! If he’s not here in five minutes I said that I would go back!”
Rui nodded, unable to form words but a look of terror was clear on his face.
Nene looked around for a second before raising an eyebrow, “Where’s Emu?”
“She’s… Over there.” Rui forced out pointing towards a group of three teens being guarded by the energetic girl.
Rui took a deep breath, “Those kids started the fire. Emu caught them trying to escape and we decided to supervise them until the police arrive.”
Nene looked at the trio, the girl was sobbing and the two boys were shaking. “I’ll join Emu over there.”
Rui nodded and she ran over to join Emu with a dangerous expression. It was clear she wanted to intimidate the perpetrators.
Suddenly, the sound of shoes against pavement got Rui’s attention as a little boy came running out of the passage to the Wonder Stage.
He was sobbing as he frantically looked around until he spotted Rui, and came running up to him.
“Mr. Snake! Lion needs you he’s stuck!” The boy yelled grabbing at Rui’s costume and dragging him towards the chaos.
The director blinked once, then twice before complete and total fear overwhelmed him.
“What do you mean Tsu-“ Rui caught himself, the boy didn’t know that the lion was an amazing boy with an unending amount of energy, and a smile that could brighten anyone’s day. The boy didn’t know Tsukasa Tenma.
Rui rephrased him sentence, “What do you mean the Lion needs my help?”
The boy kept tugging at Rui, “C’mon! The fire! He’s stuck in the fire!”
Those words made Rui’s heart drop. Tsukasa was stuck in the fire? This made him run towards the Wonder Stage— but not before telling the boy to find his mom.
Now, Rui wasn’t the most athletic person ever, but in that moment— all of the endurance training Wonderlands x Showtime did to prepare for shows was paying off.
Rui was expecting the worst but halfway along the trail he found a boy laying facedown on the ground.
The boy had blond hair, a dazzling costume on, and burns all over his body.
There was no doubt that this was Tsukasa.
Panic surges through Rui’s body as he ran to check on the boy while desperately calling to him for any reaction.
“Tsukasa!? Tsukasa? Please answer me!” Rui yelled, carefully flipping the boy onto his back.
That action made Tsukasa groan pitifully. But it was a sign that he was alive.
Originally, Rui’s plan was to flip Tsukasa over and check his pulse but that pained groan told the director that he was alive.
Again, Rui called for the boy, “Tsukasa? Please respond!”
Honestly, Rui knew it was hopeless but as much as he wanted to see Tsukasa awake, he knew that the burns on his legs, arms, and back were serious.
Rui places a light kiss on Tsukasa’s forehead before carefully picking the boy up.
A shriek of pain was enough to startle Rui— almost causing him to drop the blond— but he just muttered, “I’m so sorry, my star..”
There was no response. Tsukasa must’ve still been unconscious when he yelled.
With the unmoving boy, Rui raced back to where everyone else was gathered. But this time, the fire department and police officers flooded the area.
As soon as Rui emerged with Tsukasa in his trembling arms, the firemen and police rushed over to inspect the blond.
“Take him over here.” One firefighter directed Rui to a makeshift tent infirmary.
Once inside the tent, Rui spotted an open cot and placed Tsukasa down so the man could see how badly Tsukasa was injured.
After a couple seconds of silence and of the man meticulously checking Tsukasa’s body, Rui spoke up. “How is he?”
The firefighter sighed and brushed his hand through his hair, “Pretty messed up, the burns are first degree.”
Rui was alarmed by that information. And the shock was evident on his face. The only logical conclusion was to take him to a hospital right?
Before Rui could voice his concerns the man spoke once more, “Unfortunately, I’ve had experience with hospitals and this type of burn treatment and they don’t help much.”
“Then what am I supposed to do!?” Rui yelled. He was terrified! Tsukasa was burned severely and now he was being told that the hospital couldn’t help?
“Here, this is a firefighter official treatment plan for burns.” The man handed Rui a pamphlet that he kept in his pocket. “If you monitor him and do exactly as this paper says, then he will make a full recovery.”
Rui nodded. He was glad he could do something rather then nothing.
“Thank you.”
“No worries. But hey?” The man leaned in close, “What he did was impressive. Most people can’t even walk with burns on their legs but he managed to not only walk but crawl.”
Rui raised an eyebrow, “Crawl? How do you know if he crawled?”
“The scratches on his arm shows that he crawled. I assume that his legs gave out and as a result he was forced to crawl.”
If Rui wasn’t mortified before. He was now. Tsukasa not only did he escape the fire, but he crawled once his legs lost strength?
Even in this moment of despair, Rui couldn’t help but think that Tsukasa was truly and utterly incredible.
The way that he put his own life at risk and fought tooth and nail to make it back made Rui’s heart simultaneously drop and skip a beat with amazement.
The firefighter noticed Rui’s longing gaze at the unconscious boy and nudged his arm, “Hey, once he wakes you can take him back home,”
It was difficult to tear his gaze away from the blond but the news made Rui’s head snap to the man. “Really!?”
The man nodded before his expression turned serious. “Don’t forget about the treatment plan. If possible I would leave while the boy’s unconscious so the burns bother him less.”
“But I..” Rui was hesitating. He knew it would be best if he left but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the blond alone. “I don’t want to leave him..”
As if on cue, Emu ran into the tent yelling, “Where’s Tsukasa!?” Immediately after Nene trudged in and shushed Emu.
The girls spotted the boy laying on a makeshift observation table with dirt and burns covering his skin.
Emu squealed and jumped in shock when she saw it while Nene covered her mouth and turned away from the boy.
Rui saw an opportunity in this moment. With the two girls here he could get the medicine Tsukasa needed.
Acting quickly, Rui grabbed Nene’s shoulders and spun her around in his direction. “Nene, I need you and Emu to stay with Tsukasa while I run a couple errands.”
The girl’s eyes widened before the boy saw a glimpse of anger flash across her face. “Errands? Tsukasa is injured and you need to run errands!?”
Rui nodded and tried to leave but Nene grabbed his arm. “Emu and I only heard that Tsukasa was injured! Tell us what’s going on before you leave him!”
The firefighter cleared his throat to gain Nene’s attention. “I can explain the situation. The boy is just trying to grab some medication the victim will need.”
Nene nodded and let go of Rui’s arm and without hesitation the inventor ran out of the tent and into the park lot where he quickly found his car and drove to the nearest pharmacy.
The list that the firefighter gave him was simple to find with an attendant leading him to each and every isle.
The employee was a skittish girl who looked extremely concerned as Rui continued to read his list out loud.
“Uhm.. Excuse me but, what do you need all of this for?”
Rui responded without stopping to look her in the eyes. “A cooking accident.”
“This is some heavy duty medicine.. I don’t think a cooking burn would warrant all of this..”
“Better safe then sorry.” Rui responded, unflinching.
“Ah.. Of course! Sorry to ask..”
Rui found the last ointment he needed, paid, and left leaving a very concerned employee.
The drive back was uneventful. Rui couldn’t handle any music (it would remind the boy of the blond) so he settled for the news radio.
It was a bad decision. There were live reports from the fire— but not about Tsukasa thankfully, but about the culprits.
There were live statements and Rui even heard the voices of the teens.
The news castor’s voice was heard introducing the culprits and suddenly the teenage girl who was once so rebellious was heard sobbing.
Rui’s ear perked up as the girl gave her excuses. “We didn’t mean to do this! It was an accident!”
Suddenly the girl’s voice switched to hear a boy’s. “I wasn’t out fault! And now our lives are ruined because of something we didn’t do!”
Rui scoffed as he imagined the type of lawsuit that he would enforce on the group of teens but before he was finished envisioning their demise another voice was heard.
“All three teenagers will be going to trial for their crimes.”
A smile crept onto Rui’s face as he heard those words. But before he realized it, muscle memory brought him to the parking lot.
Realizing he was at his destination, Rui got out of the car and ran to the medical tent where Nene and Emu were chatting with a very awake Tsukasa.
Rui didn’t bother to bring the burn medication with him but he wished he did when the blond would flinch in pain when he made a small movement.
Tsukasa noticed Rui’s presence and smiled.
He smiled.
Through everything he’s been through he managed to smile at the director.
Tsukasa saved Rui once and now, he saved him again with a simple action that brought him to tears.
“Tsukasa..”
Nene noticed the sudden energy change and ushered Emu out of the tent to grab the previous firefighter.
“Hey Rui.. How are you?”
Rui almost laughed, how was he? He wasn’t the one who almost got burned alive. Nonetheless he cautiously approached Tsukasa.
“I’m doing great now that I know you’re awake.” The boy answered genuinely.
Tsukasa face broke out into a blush, which he tried to hide with his hands but any movement caused immense pain so he simply let his face turn red.
“How are you?” Rui asked. He already knew the answer based on the way Tsukasa grimaced.
“If I’m being honest.. I’m in a lot of pain. My back and legs and arms and.. everywhere burns!” Tsukasa shouted as Rui have him a sympathetic look.
“But! Since I am a future star, I have decided that this moment will not stop me! At our soonest convenience we will complete the show!” Tsukasa announced gleefully.
“Wait, wait.. We aren’t finishing the show until you’re back to full health. I don’t want to risk you hurting yourself more.”
Tsukasa made a noise of dismissal. “Pssh! This sort of thing should never affect a star!”
Rui gave the blond a concerned look. “Uhm, yes it should. Being burned is serious, this is why, as the director, I’m deciding to put Wonderland x Showtimes on a temporary break from performing.”
Tsukasa’s eyes widened as he attempted to prop himself up on his arms. “WHAT!? No! You.. You can’t do that!”
“I can if a performer is injured.” Rui replied.
“B-But-! We can’t!” Tsukasa weakly argued. He didn’t have anything to say that could convince Rui, and he knew that.
“Tsukasa, it’s for the best and you know it. Please just accept this decision. In fact this should be more of an incentive for you to work harder.”
Tsukasa was about to respond when Nene, Emu, and the previous fireman entered back in.
“See!? See!? He’s awake!” Emu yelled as she ran up to the very awake Tsukasa.
“I see that. Now that he’s up we can send him home” the firefighter said as he walked over to Tsukasa.
“Thank you for all the help you’ve given me today! Without you I’d probably be in an even worse state!” The blond smiled as he looked at the man.
“Ah.. Of course. It’s my job after all.”
“Still, thank you.”
The man nodded before clearing his throat and beginning to explain some final details about Tsukasa’s condition.
The first rule was that he should be monitored so he won’t move. The more he moved the more his recovery time increased.
The second rule was that he had to apply his medicine twice a today to ensure everything heals smoothly, if he has any lasting scars then he can find scar cream to clear it up.
The final rule was that he couldn’t act like he was fine if he wasn’t. The key to recovery is to be honest with yourself and to not push your limits.
Rui gave Tsukasa a knowing look at that. While the boy responded with a weak huff.
The firefighter left after that and Emu appeared with a wheelchair.
“This is the park’s wheelchair so you can bring ‘Kasa over to your car!”
“Why, thank you Emu!” Tsukasa cheerfully responded, already trying to get up before Rui simply picked the boy up, carefully to avoid any severe burned areas and placed him down.
“Nene, Emu, are you getting a different ride back?” Rui asked questionably.
“Yeah! We’re gonna sort out some issues with the whole fire and take legal action.” Nene responded back seriously. Emu enthusiastically nodded alongside her.
“I see… Well, get justice for the the Wonder Stage!” Rui said with fake enthusiasm.
‘And for Tsukasa’ Rui thought as the girl’s left, allowing him to wheel Tsukasa away.
As both parties turned their backs Tsukasa began to chat with Rui.
“Y’know? Those were the teens that blew smoke right into my face when I asked them to leave! I can’t believe that they’re just a few years younger then us!”
Rui’s eyes widened, “They.. Blew smoke into your face..?”
“Hm? Yeah! Did I not tell you before the show? Ah! Oh well, it’s in the past now! Anyway-“
Rui interrupted the boy, “Tsukasa, this isn’t an ‘In the past’ issue. This issue is serious! They could’ve killed you!”
Tsukasa thought for a moment before shrugging. “But they didn’t? Plus? They’re just kids, right? This should be a good lesson for them to learn not to smoke!”
Rui blinked once, then twice, before completely losing his mind. “A lesson!? This isn’t a ‘lesson’! You almost died because of their actions!”
Tsukasa sighed and let a smile out, “But… It was my choice to run into the fire, y’know? So technically I did this to myself.”
Rui was flabbergasted at Tsukasa’s attempt to blame himself instead of the perpetrators. “It’s not your fault! You saved a child! You wouldn’t have to had saved the kid if they didn’t set fire to the area!” Rui couldn’t see the expression Tsukasa had.
Tsukasa huffed out a frustrated sigh as they entered the parking lot. “Rui. Stop trying to blame others. In the end in was my decision, okay? I really don’t feel like arguing right now.”
“Fine.” Rui responded as he wheeled the boy up to his car. Then it dawned on him. While he was scolding Tsukasa the blond was probably in immense pain. After all, he had burns all over his body-and while he wasn’t moving, it must still hurt.
A twinge of pain burst in Rui’s heart as he imagined all of the emotions and feelings the other was going through while he had just been yelling at him.
His train of thought was broken by Tsukasa clearing his throat, alerting him that they were just waiting in front of the car.
“Oh! My apologies!” Rui rushed to open the door and turned towards the boy.
“Tsukasa, I need to get you out of the wheelchair, this is going to hurt.. Okay?”
Tsukasa, who was still upset with the director, just nodded his head.
Rui first put the wheelchair as close to the car as possible before Tsukasa stood up (if you could even call it that, he was supported by Rui).
The blond winced in pain as Rui fit him into the car and as he laid down to comfort himself.
Just as Rui was about to close the door, Tsukasa spoke. “Hey, could you take me to your place? I’m pretty sure today was the day Saki was having all of her friends over and I don’t want to ruin it for her..”
Rui knew that Saki would be distraught if she found out her brother didn’t wasn’t to burden her when he was like this, but he wanted to be selfish and let Tsukasa stay with him.
“Of course, I’m going to wheel the chair back up to the park entrance then I’ll be ready to drive us back.”
With those words Rui shut the door and sprinted with the wheelchair so he wouldn’t keep Tsukasa waiting. Once he was at the park gates he left the wheelchair and ran back to his car.
He was quick and when Tsukasa got back he heard quiet humming coming from the blond.
Rui chuckled before starting the car and beginning the short drive home.
The car ride was silent except for the occasional wince of pain from Tsukasa and the hushed apology from Rui. But before either could realize it they were both at the familiar, empty, house.
Rui parked in the driveway and opened Tsukasa door before the blond attempted to move by himself. This resulted in a loud cry and the blond huffing out breaths.
“Careful!” Rui shouted as Tsukasa tried to move again.
With a groan, the boy responded. “I am careful! Just because I’m a little burned doesn’t mean I’m immobilized!”
Rui blinked once, “It.. Kinda does..?”
Tsukasa shook his head in disbelief as he painfully scooted himself forwards, much to Rui’s dismay.
“Tsukasa! Don’t hurt yourself! Please!”
“Pssh! I’m fine! If I survived a whole fire then I can survive some pain-“ As if the universe was proving him wrong Tsukasa rubbed a particular sensitive burned area which forced a cry out of him.
This intense pain the boy felt gave Rui the time to fully get Tsukasa out of the car and allowed him to carry the boy inside.
Once inside, Rui carried Tsukasa to his room where he laid the boy onto the bed. He then went back to the car to grab the burn medication.
Although the director was quick, when he came back in the room Tsukasa was struggling to search for Rui. He was desperately grabbing around the sheets and tried to turn his neck.
“‘Kasa! I’m here, don’t worry..” Rui reassured as he ran to the bed and placed the medicine down.
“Rui! Oh thank goodness you’re here! I blacked out and when my eyes opened I saw your room!”
Rui nodded before opening the bag and grabbing random burn medication before opening them.
“Tsukasa? Your burns are very severe so I’m going to apply these medications in them, is that alright?” Rui asked gently.
It didn’t matter what Tsukasa’s response was, Rui was going to put this medication on anyways— He needed Tsukasa to heal.
“Yeah.. Just, please be patient? If it starts to hurt I think I’d want a break..”
Rui understood and replied quickly. “Of course.”
With those words Rui broke open the seals on the medication and began to gently apply it to the actors skin.
Rui didn’t realize how sensitive burns were until Tsukasa winced or flinched at every touch. Occasionally, he would ask Rui to put some medicine on his hand so he could apply it himself to speed up the process.
Rui would always mutter apologizes when Tsukasa recoiled from his touch. And after a painfully long process, the medicine was placed on all the burns.
With a final swipe of his finger, Rui sighed. “And… Done.”
It took a second for Tsukasa to process the words. But after a moment of silence he let out a smile. “Thank.. you.”
After that Tsukasa let out a yawn and his eyes began to droop.
Rui noticed this and began to run his fingers through the blond’s hair. “It’s been a long day, you can rest.”
Another yawn was heard. “But.. I’m so dirty.. and my clothes are all gross.”
Rui grinned before getting up. “Don’t worry. I have something that you can wear.”
Rui pulled out a familiar looking hoodie and a pair of sweatpants.
“Hey.. Aren’t those mine!?” Tsukasa yelled as Rui chuckled.
“Yeah, I borrowed them from you last time I was at your house.” Rui laughed at Tsukasa’s shocked expression.
“You haven’t been to my house in weeks!” Tsukasa exclaimed
“Oops.”
Tsukasa continued to freak out as Rui smiled at the boy being himself again. Then dark thoughts raced into his mind of how he almost lost him today.
The directors face suddenly turned serious as Tsukasa’s surprise died down.
“Uhm.. ‘Kasa? I know this was really recent and everything but I really need to talk to you about what happened today.” Rui said, refusing to make eye contact.
Tsukasa sighed but had a smile on his face. “I knew that you wouldn’t let me off that easily.. I’ll tell you everything that you want to know, alright?”
Rui nodded rapidly and Tsukasa began to speak. “When the fire started I knew Nene was backstage so I just went and got her and ran. But there was a kid.. He was stuck…”
Rui knew that Tsukasa wasn’t a bystander. He couldn’t let someone else suffer while he turned a blind eye and this quality of his almost got him killed.
“I-I didn’t think! I just ran to the boy and got him out, but then I got stuck.. After that It’s kinda all blurry? I was really panicked and I ran through the fire—which by the way, hurt! Like, who knew fire could actually burn!?”
Tsukasa was clearly trying to lighten the mood. But Rui was far from amused. He was horrified.
The blond tried to ignored the others expression and continued. “So after that I tried running back to the park area, but my legs were killing me! And eventually I just.. fell. I think I tried to crawl then? It kind of feels like a fever dream!”
When Tsukasa was done explaining he looked at Rui and saw that the boy was crying.
“Woah! Whats wrong? Are.. Are you okay!?”
“Of course I’m not okay! Are you seriously so selfish that you completely ignored my emotions!?” Rui sobbed. He wanted so desperately to hold onto Tsukasa but with the fragile state his body was in it would be impossible.
“Selfish..? I never thought of it that way.. In fact I thought I was being selfless.. Y’know? The whole risking my life thing doesn’t feel self absorbed to me..”
Tsukasa wasn’t shedding a single tear. Even through all the pain he had been subjected to, he wouldn’t cry.
Rui on the other hand was a mess, he had tears flooding from his eyes and he was beginning to choke on his cries.
“It.. may not seem selfish to you! But think about the people that care about you! Think about Saki, Toya, Emu, Nene..” Rui calmed his breathing down before uttering his last thoughts. “Me..”
The realization finally hit Tsukasa, he may believe that he was performing a selfless act but in truth, he was being selfish. He was hurting others because of his actions.
Rui stopped wiping his nonstop tears when a drawn out sigh was heard from the boy next to him.
“I’m.. so sorry, Rui.. I-I didn’t realize that I could’ve died and that you would be this upset.”
Rui shook his head. “Just promise me that you won’t do it again.”
Tsukasa gave a sad smile. “I can’t promise that.”
The inventor was taken aback by the boy’s words. “What? Why!?”
“We both know that it’s not in my nature to let others suffer while I’m there and know I can stop it.”
Tsukasa had a point. Deep down, Rui knew Tsukasa wouldn’t stop his self sacrificial habits and that realization alone made Rui want to sob even more.
But he kept it together as Tsukasa moved his hand over to Rui’s. The simple action was hard for the boy but the sentiment meant more than words could describe to the other.
“I can ensure you that I will try and be more mindful about my actions though.”
Rui knew that this would be the best solution so with wet eyes, he smiled and nodded.
“Thank you.. Tsukasa.”
Tsukasa smiled back at the boy and waved his hand, gesturing for the director to come down to him.
Rui obviously listened and once he was there Tsukasa gave him a kiss.
Both boys smiled through the kiss and after a minute they pulled away.
Tsukasa giggled at Rui’s red face before speaking, “I love you.”
Rui knew that the blond loved him but he couldn’t help a few stray tears leave his eyes as he lightly pressed their foreheads together.
“I love you more.”