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ryuji wondered why the footsteps behind him had suddenly quietened.
he knew that dragging yusuke around the expansive central street arcade would tire one out after a few rounds of its games, but yusuke didn’t seem to be running out of energy. yes, he might’ve lost every game to the frequent mario kart and crane game connoisseur, but ryuji didn’t go so wild that it would drain the life force out of his friend. he would help yusuke adjust, and give him frequent breaks by the prize booth as they cashed out their earnings on a singular lollipop.
so ryuji was incredibly surprised when he span around and saw yusuke entranced by one of the arcade consoles.
flashing neon lights painted yusuke’s face as he read the words on the metal over and over again — ‘dance rush stardom’ . the illuminated floor acted like some heavenly pathway, and ryuji could almost see yusuke’s heart reach out to run down that rainbow road, as if it was calling out to him. the music screaming from its speakers in a slightly rusty tone somehow felt nice to their ears, like an old friend begging you to come back, wanting your attention for just one more second — and it seemed like yusuke was wanting to donate all of his time to this machine, with the way it had him stretching his hand towards the gamepad and the oversaturated kaleidoscope on its screen.
“oh that one? me ‘nd renren play it sometimes when we’re waitin’ for alien invasion, it’s kinda hard though.” ryuji chuckled, scratching his head in the hopes of drawing yusuke’s attention away. the words that had fallen from his lips were more than just an understatement — it was probably the hardest game in the arcade, partly being the reason why it’s constantly abandoned in the back corner — but now ryuji found himself scrambling to pick up his words, as it only made yusuke’s pupils bloat.
“do you perhaps underestimate me, ryuji?” the taller boy raised his eyebrow, and the blond had to bite back a response to stop a smack to the head from arriving promptly his way. yusuke turned his attention back to the machine, and ryuji noticed the sparkle of the LEDs creating small fireworks in yusuke’s eyes. “it is merely a game to fill up spare time, yet it seems like the most intriguing piece of equipment in the entire establishment.”
ryuji stared down at his feet as he spoke up, “yeah… it’s a piece of equipment alright…”
“perhaps we could spare a couple of games then, don’t you agree?” yusuke smiled, hopping gently on one of the rainbow dancemats as ryuji gritted his teeth behind his lips.
usually, ryuji could hold his ground against the forces against him — it’s how he stood up to his abusers and scared them away by baring his fangs, it’s how he awoke to his persona and became the first mate of the phantom thieves, it’s how he grew out of his ex-track superstar slump and became his true self. but somehow, he still found that there was a singular energy that could continue to block his route, even when the fate of the gods was channelling power into his side. he could try thrashing against it all he liked, but the barrier was too strong for him to break, and he was left with no choice but to cave in.
but, he didn’t mind caving in.
since that barrier was yusuke’s unwavering smile.
when yusuke was determined, there was no use trying to shake that mindset from him. his bones were geared up, and his mind was solely focused on the goal, so ryuji already knew from that question that pulling him away was a lost cause. but, making yusuke happy was something ryuji liked to dabble in, considering how happy the former makes him feel. he could feel his cheeks light up and his heart flutter when yusuke flashed him that signature grin, and ryuji was addicted to the feeling. he would do anything to make yusuke happy if it meant he could keep chasing that high.
it’s what friends do anyways, right?
(ann would say otherwise, but what does she know? she’s a girl, and she doesn’t even like men!)
(not that ryuji liked men or anything…)
ryuji looked up once more, and was met once again with yusuke’s blinding smile. there was no way out of this. “you can give it a go if you want, i’ll stand ‘nd watch.” ryuji looked up and reciprocated the joy, which made yusuke’s face sparkle like a fantasy character in a movie ryuji now suddenly needed to watch.
although ryuji could see some hesitation in his eyes due to the rejection to a duet, yusuke hopped quickly into the dancemat, watching the floor beneath him create prismatic explosions under each step. his excitement was something ryuji wished he could frame, the small bounces on the balls of his feet as he swiped his game card and began looking for songs. there were some easier games on there, ryuji and ren had frequented the easy list multiple times in the hopes of getting a full combo and feeling accomplished for once. but ren had no sense of balance outside of the metaverse, and ryuji couldn’t keep up with the notes — why were they in such a rush to get to the front? where did they need to be so badly?
the blond was about to reach forward and provide his suggestions (caramelldansen was fairly simple on easy, to his discovery), until he heard a sudden beep jump out of the machine.
back 2 back — seventeen
level 9 EXPERT
ryuji’s eyes almost bulged out of his head.
who, in their right mind, goes for an expert song on their first attempt? that’s like going for the captain challenge without even trying a big bang burger! or going straight for the dumbbells when you can barely handle the treadmill! yusuke had never been the one with the smartest ideas, most people questioned how the phantom thieves actually got anything done before makoto made her presence known, but ryuji had to believe that this was his most ridiculous idea yet. a waste of money going towards what — an attempt at impressing him? getting back at him for not wanting to play together?
ryuji didn’t want to ruin his sparkling reputation at the end of the day, so he decided this would be the perfect opportunity to watch and laugh, maybe tell ren about it later. ‘ look at this fool. absolute idiot. i went on to beat his ass at kirby pinball. ’
but what ryuji least expected was for yusuke to be good at this game.
hell, good wasn’t even an accurate descriptor. yusuke was a god at this game.
‘dance rush stardom’ required precise movement, and encouraged expression and fun at the same time. you could spin, shuffle and strike a pose, as long as you kept an eye at the orange foot icons on the bar on screen. most wouldn’t dare try to step out of line, cautiously tapping the right areas so they could get a glimpse of a combo. it’s the reason why ryuji was averse to the game; he didn’t understand it, it was almost human in the way ryuji couldn’t get to grips with what its true desires were.
yet, yusuke could read what it wanted from him like it was another art textbook.
and, by the looks of it, he had studied that book from cover to cover.
yusuke’s feet moved across the rainbow road like it was made on ice, gliding across its width before ending off his skate with an elegant spin. each section of footwork was so precise that ryuji was convinced that the other boy was writing the music live in front of him, dancing across the keys and creating a perfect melody that only ryuji could hear. yusuke’s body took on a personality of its own, moving like every weight on his bones had been discarded by the freeing music, his elevated arms renovated into a set of wings as the music allowed him to soar across the dancepad.
the rest of the world began to blur as ryuji’s focus honed in on the figure in front of him, as he took the song and weaved himself into it, drawing a new picture across the crackling paint. ryuji had such negative views of this machine, but maybe that’s because he hadn’t seen someone give so much love to the game in so long. no one was brave enough to conquer its waves, or strong enough to handle its cannon fire; yet, yusuke dodged each bullet with a shuffle or spin, jumping excitedly in time with the song as ryuji could only stare. his energy seeped into the machine and embedded itself in the music, and such noise set shivers up ryuji’s spine, sending his bloodstream into overdrive as his body quickly turned red.
yusuke’s smile, which, at this point, he could only see through the busy game, seemed wider than the screen itself. the boy was overwhelmed with joy and it made itself present through each move of the tall boy’s limbs. his skin seemed to sparkle under the fluorescent lights, with blue, purple and pink hues painting his skin and showcasing his explosive delight. it’s as if it was trying to drill yusuke’s happiness into ryuji’s head, wanting him to delve into the addictive drug of dancing through yusuke’s expressive messages. the blond would be lying if he said it wasn’t working.
and then yusuke spun around to face him, and suddenly everything fell into place.
he was trying so hard not to freak out, because if somehow ren and ann got ahold of this knowledge, it would be written on his tombstone. ‘ryuji sakamoto. heart exploded because of some pretty artist.’ not exactly the way he wanted to go, but goddammit, it would be accurate. yusuke’s face could be painted, framed, hung in the centre of the louvre for all to see, and yet it wouldn’t be enough to showcase the impact it had on the blond’s heart and soul. the way the lights formed disco balls in his eyes, drawing ryuji closer and making his heart dance in his chest, and the way his hands framed his face as he posed on the beat, emphasising the sharpness of his jaw and the fullness of his lips. oh how ryuji wished the guns at alien invasion were real, someone needs to put the blond out of his misery.
he never thought that he liked boys. it was a stupid question, one of many that he failed to answer during his first year in high school. what did it matter? all he needed was track and beef bowls! yeah, girls are cute, he wouldn’t mind dating them, but any sort of thought about boys were pushed to the back of his brain. they were mean to him anyways, beating him up and calling him a bastard for betraying the track team.
but then, he met ren, who had fallen in love with another boy. and of course there was ann, who was infatuated with another girl. hearing their heartfelt soliloquies about their crushes and partners sometimes made ryuji feel ill (he wasn’t too good with all that lovey dovey stuff, okay?). but then, he started to think — what did he like? who did he like? and all too soon, thoughts about his own attraction started to flood his brain, making him question his every move. did he truly like boys? was it just his brain playing tricks on him? forcing him into some kind of labelled mould to push an answer into the brick wall he had created around him? it was all too much. too many terms, feelings, thoughts. he just wanted to be left alone, for the world to be silent for once.
yusuke made that world silent. he brought the world to a standstill with his dance, gave ryuji the time and place to think, to feel, to understand.
and after yusuke finished his dance, and the five sparkling stars appeared on the screen, ryuji had it all finally figured out.
maybe he didn’t have to pick an option.
maybe he just liked yusuke kitagawa.
the latter smiled fondly at the blond, folding his arms across his chest in pride from his score. “you must be wondering how i become aligned with such a game, judging by the look on your face.” yusuke couldn’t be more wrong with his interpretation of ryuji’s … emotions, in shorter terms. yet, he didn’t refute yusuke’s statement, he just wanted to listen to the taller boy talk for now; it felt comforting, like a warm cup of hot chocolate, and that sort of warmth is exactly what he craved right now. “sometimes i would have some spare time when returning to the atelier from kosei, or when i have to run errands for sensei. i noticed that you liked to frequent here, and noticed how lonely this machine was, how it cowered in the corner of the room whilst the other games were adored by other patrons. i knew that i wanted to play it, and suddenly i had been sucked into a fantastical world of dance that i never wanted to leave.”
ryuji blinked, so that’s how yusuke got so buff and agile for when he was in the metaverse. ryuji also mentally slapped himself in the face. how did he not notice himself prying at yusuke’s form in broad daylight? sighing softly, he returned his attention to the boy in front of him, still standing like a lion parading his catch of the day. “you’re… you’re incredible though…”
yusuke went on to interpret that comment purely towards his ability at ‘ dance rush stardom ’, and one day, ryuji hoped he would have the courage to tell yusuke that it meant so much more than a simple act of dancing.
“i have been practicing for a while. i have also been awaiting the day i would be able to show you what i’ve been working on.” yusuke’s eyes focused solely on ryuji, his voice sliding into a gentle tone as he took a step closer, rainbow, pixelated sparks bouncing beneath his feet. “you know that i paint, but i want to show you other sides of myself, what lays beneath my fox mask.”
ryuji definitely almost collapsed at those words. he could spend all day dissecting those words, examining what they meant; whether it was just one of yusuke’s elaborate forms of speech, or a confession of something more precious to the artist. however, ryuji didn’t linger too long on the topic, and instead kept the focus of his entire body on the bot in front of him. “i would love to, yusuke.”
“then would you like me to teach you how to play? maybe then, you can flaunt your new skills to amamiya.”
yusuke stretched his hand out to ryuji, like some god extending his power to his strongest disciple. the prismatic lights created a halo around yusuke’s head, and ryuji couldn’t hear anything except the rhythmic pounding of his heart against his ribs as he took yusuke’s hand, sliding perfectly into place, as if it was meant to be.
yeah, he definitely liked yusuke kitagawa.