Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tenma Tsukasa was a lot of things. A star should have many adjectives to describe themselves with, after all! He was charming, determined, hard-working, talented, passionate, dramatic, boastful, flamboyant, outstanding… Many, many words suited Tsukasa’s demeanor. However, he was also, occasionally, insecure, arrogant, demanding… These adjectives were less fitting for a star, so he tended to ignore them. He needed to be a star for his troupe - and for Saki - so he was going to do his best to become one!

So what if he constantly bit off more than he could chew, running himself into the ground for his shows and occasionally sacrificing his health for the betterment of his partners? So what if he was anxious nearly every day, always worrying if the show would succeed, or wondering what would happen once they were out of school, or panicking because Saki had a cold again and oh God what if she went back to the hospital? True stars didn’t let anything get to them! So, Tsukasa pushed his anxieties aside.

“Tsukasa!!!” Emu cried, tackling him in a hug as soon as he stepped foot onto the Wonder Stage. He nearly fell over from the force of it, feigning indignance as he said “Emu! I told you to cut that out!”

Emu giggled, a sheepish expression on her face even though Tsukasa knew she would tackle him again tomorrow. Honestly, the energy was one of the many things he loved about her, but he had a reputation to uphold!

“Sorry, Tsukasa-kun,” She said, before pulling back from him, jumping into a dramatic pose. “But guess what?! Rui-kun says this show is gonna have lots of Bzzts and Bang-Bangs! Oh! And Fwoosh-swooshes!” She was practically vibrating in place as she explained.

“I didn’t catch any of that,” Tsukasa said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Just pay attention then,” Nene muttered, walking up to them with a rather cocky-looking Rui at her heels.

Tsukasa gasped in offense, placing a hand over his heart. Rui laughed, before walking up and placing his hand on Tsukasa’s shoulder.

“Emu’s right. This show will be quite exciting. Nene helped me gather parts last night for a rather large cold sparkler I’m designing, along with several boom plates and a few fog machines. Those would typically be rather rudimentary machines, but with the modifications I plan on adding, they’ll really make the show come alive.”

Rui’s eyes were sparkling as he explained. Tsukasa always liked when his partners’ eyes sparkled, because they were all unique. Emu’s sparkle was one of excitement and childish wonder, never failing to light up a room. Rui’s sparkle, however, was one of mischief and entertainment, like he was in on a joke that you were oblivious to and he was trying not to laugh. Then there was Nene’s sparkle, which was rarer than a comet. Watching her eyes light up was astonishing, with the pure determination and confidence emanating from them when she was excited, completely contrasting her typical personality.

“Tsukasa-kun? Tsukasa-kuuuuun? Hey, are you okay?” Emu asked, poking his cheek, zoning him back in.

“Maybe he’s finally lost it…” Nene mused, and Emu turned around to pout at her.

“Has not! Right, Tsukasa?” She turned back around, poking his cheek again.

“I’m perfectly sane, thank you very much!” Tsukasa huffed, swatting her hands away. “I was merely enthralled by the idea of our new show, and was picturing what a glorious role would be provided to me,” he said with his usual air of confidence.

“Ah, so it’s just his normal brand of crazy…” Nene said, turning around to go grab something from Robo-Nene.

“Hey!” Tsukasa shouted, while Emu and Rui snickered.

Emu was on to something, however. Tsukasa had felt… off. He’d felt out of it for the past week, losing focus during classes and making more mistakes than usual during rehearsals. The SEKAI had been on his mind more than usual, too, almost like he was being drawn to it. It was like there was this warm, fuzzy feeling in the back of his mind that wouldn’t go away.

“Are we sure he’s not broken?” Nene said, jabbing Tsukasa’s arm and successfully breaking him out of his thoughts again. When had she walked back over to them?

“Absolutely not!” Tsukasa shouted. “Let’s start rehearsal, shall we?”

Rui and Nene shared a glance, while Emu looked outright worried, but Tsukasa ignored them, pushing forward to the stage, shouting “C’mon, slowpokes!” over his shoulder.

Practice was a disaster on Tsukasa’s part. Everyone else performed well, but his movements were sloppy, and he forgot his lines more than once. That fuzzy feeling was back and he just couldn’t seem to focus. He could tell they were frustrated with him, too, even if no one said anything. He fought back tears as he performed, trying his hardest to get back to normal.

It all came to a head during a tap duet that he and Emu were supposed to perform during the climax of the show. Tsukasa kept getting his steps wrong, slipping up more and more. Emu was encouraging, helping him right his footing, but he slipped again, making both him and Emu fall hard.

“Are you two alright?” Rui asked, rushing up to them.

“Mmhm! Just a little fall, I’ll be okay,” Emu said, rubbing the arm she landed on. “One time I fell all the way from the roof of the Phoenix Stage, so a little slip like this is nothing!”

“Tsukasa?” Rui asked, turning towards him and frowning.

Tsukasa was desperately trying not to cry. It wasn’t even that bad of a fall, but the pain wasn’t the point, it was just an add-on to his already bad performance. What was wrong with him today?

“Y’know, if you weren’t going to take this seriously, you should have skipped practice today,” Nene said, walking up to them. She didn’t look at Tsukasa, but he could picture her expression. It was an offhanded comment, but it was the last straw.

“I-I’m sorry…” Tsukasa stuttered, before Rui cut in.

“Nene’s right. You do need to take this more seriously, Tsukasa. I know you want to be a star, but that requires work and effort, not just loose ambitions.”

“Guys…” Emu started, before Tsukasa couldn’t take it anymore. He burst up from the stage, running as fast as he could away from his partners. Tears started rolling down his face as he sobbed, running in a random direction through the park simply to get away, ignoring the looks of regular park goers as he went.

Eventually, he made it to the Ferris wheel, getting into a car and curling into the corner of the seat, letting himself fully break down. The Ferris wheel started moving as he sobbed, subconsciously bringing his hand up to his mouth to chew on. The fuzzy feeling had fully taken over his head now, leaving him feeling confused and… small. He didn’t have a better word for it than small. His emotions were too much, rehearsal was too much, even talking to his partners was too much. He was supposed to love all of those things!

Nene was right. Rui was right. They were all right. What kind of star - no, what kind of person - was he, if he was acting like this? Why couldn’t he focus? Why couldn’t he perform properly?

The Ferris wheel paused at the top like it normally did, and through his tears, Tsukasa became aware of voices calling for him.

“Tsu-ka-sa-kun!” He heard Emu’s voice first, looking down to see her looking for him around the Wonder Stage.

“Tsukasa? Look, we just want to talk, we won’t make fun of you.” Rui’s voice was next. He was walking down the main road of the park, looking side to side.

“T-Tsukasa…” Even Nene was calling for him, and she was-

Nene was at the foot of the Ferris wheel. A sob escaped through his fingers and Nene looked up, eyes squinting against the sunlight.

She quickly pulled out her phone to text the others, and a bolt of panic shot through his chest. They couldn’t see him like this, whatever this was. Quickly, he pulled out his own phone, making a split-second decision. Light erupted from his phone as he played The World Hasn’t Even Started Yet, and suddenly he was in his SEKAI.

He showed up on the ground outside of the tent, still curled up in a ball. He should’ve walked into the tent, looking for KAITO. He should have called out for Miku. He should have done something, but he couldn’t seem to bring himself to move. So, he did the only thing he could think of; he sobbed.

Heart-wrenching wails filled the SEKAI. The colors of the world dimmed around Tsukasa, as if his sorrow was infecting the life of the place. It made sense, as the SEKAI was built from his emotions and dreams.

The stuffies showed up first, circling Tsukasa, trying their best to comfort him. Tsukasa barely recognized them, though, simply continuing to cry. He wanted to be held, to be pulled into someone’s embrace. He felt smaller than ever, and he needed someone else to tell him it was going to be okay.

“He looks so sad…” Usa-chan - Saki’s favorite rabbit plush - muttered, tears in her eyes as she floated closer to them.

“That can’t be comfy,” A cat stuffie tutted, lying down next to Tsukasa’s head. “You can use me as a pillow, hon.”

“Yeah!” A dog stuffie called, tail wagging as he tried to be comforting. “You can cuddle with me until Miku gets here!” He curled in close to Tsukasa’s arms, letting the boy wrap around him snugly. Tsukasa continued to cry, though it wasn’t as sorrowful as before.

Finally, Miku showed up, followed by Rin. They both seemed out of breath, worried looks in their eyes.

“Tsukasa?” Miku said, walking up to kneel in front of him. “What’s wrong?”

Rin came over, kneeling down as well. “Miku, do you think he’s realized?’

“I-” She started, before she was cut off by Tsukasa. His wailing had stopped when the Vocaloids had shown up, but he still had fat tears rolling down his cheeks. He whimpered, clutching at the bottom of Miku’s dress. He wanted her.

“Tsukasa,” Miku started, sitting down and shifting him into her lap in one deft movement, “Are you able to talk to us and explain what’s wrong?”

Tsukasa looked up at her with teary eyes. Could he talk? He opened his mouth, starting to make a noise before clamping it shut again. No, talking felt very wrong. He shook his head no, burying his face in her chest.

“That’s alright. You can tell us what caused this later. Do you know why you’re feeling this way?” She asked gently, and Tsukasa curled closer to her, sniffling.

“I think he means ‘no’,” Rin giggled, petting Tsukasa’s hair gently.

“Well, Tsukasa, what you’re going through is super duper normal. You have nothing to be upset about, alright?” Miku said, her voice gentler than he had ever heard it.

“Can I explain it, Miku?” Rin asked, excitement in her eyes.

“Of course!” Miku smiled at her.

“Do you know what age regression is?” Rin sat fully down as she spoke, meeting Tsukasa’s eyes.

Did he know what age regression was? Tsukasa had certainly heard the term before, and it wasn’t hard to guess what it meant, but he still shook his head no. The fluff in his brain was making it hard to think.

He was confused about some other things, too. First of all, the Vocaloids weren’t one to just explain things. They preferred dropping hints while letting the other person figure it out slowly, like Tsukasa had to with his reasons to be a star. For them to be outright explaining it meant that it was either more serious than usual, or he was being very oblivious - maybe both. Second of all, they were both being so nice! Not that they weren’t usually nice, but this was different. Tsukasa was acting weird and pathetic, and they were still being so kind. It was all extremely confusing, especially while he was like… whatever this was.

“Tsu-kun,” Rin said, grabbing Tsukasa’s attention. He liked the nickname. “Age regression is where your mind goes back to being a little kid. Some people do it because of stress and anxiety, while some people do it because it makes them happy. It’s super normal and healthy, too! Me and Len actually regress all the time, specifically in this SEKAI,” She beamed as she explained, and even though he was small, Tsukasa could tell she was keeping it simple for him. He appreciated it.

“That’s right!” Miku chimed in. “People who regress are called ‘littles,’ and like Rin said, it’s completely normal. We’ve actually known you were a little for a while, even if you hadn’t regressed yet,” She giggled and Tsukasa gaped at her.

“It’s not too hard to guess when your SEKAI is a child’s dream,” Rin laughed, and Tsukasa looked around, eyes wide. It did make sense! The stuffies, the flying train, the pillow-fort-esc stage, the overall amusement park theme… It was all very childish, but not in a bad way.

Soaking all of that information in, Tsukasa looked between Rin and Miku. They were so accepting, and it did feel amazing being comforted like this, but…

“Bu’… Bu’ made Rui-kun an Nene-chan mads! Wha’ if they don’ loves me anymore?” He asked. He felt a bit bigger now that he was calmed down, so talking was getting easier. Still, that didn’t stop tears from welling up in his eyes again as his hand found its place back in his mouth.

Miku shushed him, rocking them back and forth. She paused for a second, before she started singing.

“Even if you’re a child, or a full-grown adult.

Regardless of your cultural background.

Regardless of your age or gender.

Physical and mental conditions are totally OK!

Turn that frown into a smile

And leave it to us, to make your smile

Whether in times of ups or downs

We’ll stay smiling wide!

So, to both children and adults, we welcome you all!”

Tsukasa recognized the song, of course he did. It was a remix of lyrics from Niccori Survey Team Theme, a song that Wonderlands×Showtime had written shortly after their third successful show. They all decided, independently, to confess to each other at the same time, which led to a hilarious scene backstage. Once everything was figured out and they agreed to date, Emu suggested that they write a song to commemorate the occasion. He loved the song, it was honestly one of his favorites they’d ever recorded. They didn’t make just songs much - usually, their songs went with a show - but this was a rare instance where all of them got together just to sing. They’d recorded it in SEKAI, with Miku singing some backgrounds.

Now, however, the lyrics that he’d been so familiar with took on an entirely different meaning. It didn’t matter what was going on with Tsukasa, whether he was big or little. It wasn’t just his song, but his partners’ and troupe mates’ as well. They shared his feelings. They accepted everyone, no matter what.

He smiled up at Miku and Rin, newly renewed sparkles in his eyes. The SEKAI lit up around them, colors more vibrant than ever. As soon as the joy returned to the world, the stuffies from earlier came rushing to Tsukasa, throwing themselves onto the little, forming a Tsukasa-Miku-Stuffie pile.

“No~!” Tsukasa giggled, squirming happily under the stuffies’ weight. The stress of the past week was almost completely gone. He was happy, and his mind felt clearer. He was little, and that was okay.

Miku managed to wiggle out of the pile, watching Tsukasa with Rin. They had matching smiles on their faces, before a familiar flash of light interrupted them.

“Tsukasa-kun!!” Emu shouted, rushing towards them and throwing herself on top of the dog pile. Rui and Nene walked up at a normal pace, standing a bit away from them.

Tsukasa giggled again, a far more childish sound than he would normally make, returning Emu’s hug tightly. The earlier cat stuffie got trapped in the middle, meowing in annoyance, though there was no real malice in her voice.

“Oh! Sorry Kitty-chan,” Tsukasa said, pulling away from the hug to let the cat go, clumsily patting her on the head.

“Tsukasa!” Emu started, eyes wide with worry. “We couldn’t find you anywhere after you ran off, and then Nene thought she heard you at the Ferris wheel. We waited for a full spin but you weren’t there, so we searched the whole park again, and finally Rui said you’re probably in SEKAI. The song wouldn’t play for a while, though, like we were locked out. Then it finally did play, and I’m so sorry!” She cried, tears filling her eyes as she hugged him again.

“Emu-chan… ‘S okay, ‘m fine now.” Tsukasa assured, pouting as he hugged her back. He slowly untangled himself from her once she was done crying, and Miku helped him stand up, holding his hand reassuringly, like she knew he needed it. She probably did know.

Emu tilted her head in confusion, opening her mouth to say something, but Tsukasa beat her to it.

“‘M really sorry…” He said, looking up from his shoes to meet Rui and Nene’s eyes. The two still hadn’t said anything yet, though Nene looked guilty, and Rui had an unreadable expression on his face. When they didn’t say anything, he continued.

“I- I should’ve done better… ‘M s’posed to do better. ‘M your troupe leader! Should’ve… Should’ve practiced harder, o-or…” He trailed off. Tears were welling up in his eyes as he apologized, and Miku gave his hand a squeeze. “S’posed to be the star that makes you guys smile, but I didn’t do that well enough… Sorry,” He said, biting his lip and looking back down to his shoes.

“Tsukasa…” Emu muttered, still sitting on the ground, holding the cat stuffie. It was silent for a while after that, and Tsukasa grew increasingly worried. He felt tears start to fall, before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He immediately looked up, not knowing who he would see.

“We-We’re sorry, Tsukasa. You… You were pushing yourself, and we didn’t notice… I shouldn’t have snapped, either. I- I was just frustrated, but so were you… As your girlfriend, I should be more understanding.” Nene mumbled, meeting Tsukasa’s eyes despite the bright blush on her face. When they locked eyes, hers widened a bit, like she realized something. She just huffed, facing away from him.

“We’re even now, too. I yelled at you and you yelled at me. Just don’t do it again, okay?” She said snappily, though her usual snarkiness wasn’t fully there.

Tsukasa simply stared at her, leftover tears rolling down his cheeks before he threw himself into her arms, much to everyone’s surprise. Nene made a shocked noise, but didn’t pull back, simply hugging Tsukasa back, letting him get it out of his system. She did pull an annoyed face, however, looking at Emu in a “you taught him this,” way.

Once Nene seemed to genuinely grow uncomfortable, Tsukasa pulled back, reaching for Miku’s hand again. He glanced down at Emu shyly, and she seemed to understand, lighting up and holding his other hand, springing to her feet.

Then, everyone turned to look at Rui, the only one who hadn’t spoken yet.

“Rui-kun…?” Tsukasa muttered, “You- you’re not gonna quit ‘gain, right? O-or break up wit’ me?”

There was a beat of silence, before Rui started laughing. Tsukasa instantly smiled back at him. It wasn’t his stage laugh, or his “I’m way too into this project laugh,” - it was his genuine laugh.

“Now, why would I quit just because our troupe leader is a bit different? Robo-Nene is still a member of our troupe, as are Miku, Rin, and everyone else. We’re all a bit different, don’t you think?” He smiled, walking up and ruffling Tsukasa’s hair.

Tsukasa made a squeal of protest, batting at Rui’s hand. Emu and Nene giggled from behind him.

“So,” Rui clapped his hands together, “We’ve gone to school, had our rehearsal, and have now bonded more as a troupe. I think a movie is well deserved, don’t you all?”

Tsukasa looked at Emu and Miku for permission, and once they both smiled at him, he jumped in place, nodding feverishly.

“Tsu-kun, do you wanna help pick the movie? KAITO and MEIKO can help make some snacks, while Luka and Len help pick some comfier clothes. How does that sound?” Rin asked, speaking slowly so he could process the information.

"Soun's good!” He cried, and with one last look at Miku and Emu, let go of their hands to follow after Rin. He briefly heard Emu start to ask a question, but picking out the movie was just so much more exciting! Tonight was going to be amazing!

“So, I’m sure you’re all confu-” Miku started, only to get quickly cut off by Emu.

"Tsukasa-kun's an age regressor, right? He’s so cute right now that he has to be!”

“I believe I’ve heard that term in my psychology class,” Rui mused. “That’s where a person’s mind goes to a child-like state as a coping mechanism, yes?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty obvious. With a SEKAI like this, that dope had to have a childish side.” Nene quipped, though the soft smile on her face undermined her words a bit.

Miku’s giggles cut through the group. “I knew you all would understand! Now, let’s go watch a movie!”

Chapter Text

Unlike Tsukasa, for Otori Emu, her regression was the farthest thing from a secret. Emu was just little sometimes. If she wasn’t fully regressed then she was age-dreaming. Emu was practically always little, at least somewhat. It was built into her personality. Her childish nature lent itself perfectly to regression. She had been regressing unknowingly since she was twelve, but when her grandpa passed she dropped hard. Even an idiot could have realized that she was age regressing, so it didn’t take her long to put a name to the feelings she’d been having for a while. 

With all that said, Emu was pretty surprised that none of her partners had mentioned it when she was little, especially after the whole Tsukasa debacle. She figured it was too obvious that they didn’t need to say anything and they just didn’t mind, or maybe that they brushed it off as her normal child-like mannerisms. She wasn’t exactly subtle. 

Today wasn’t a show or a rehearsal - or even a school day. Today was Wonderlands×Showtime’s scheduled bonding day!! Emu and Rui had set them up as a twice-a-month fun day for the whole troupe to get them closer to each other. They were days free of the stress of work and school; days where they could just be dumb, love-struck teenagers. 

Emu was ecstatic when she woke up. This time it was her turn to pick the event, so she had them go to a trampoline park. It would be fun, and they could practice stretches and flips. It was a win-win! She was so excited that she ended up slipping while she was picking out clothes, which resulted in her struggling through her morning routine and eventually being late for the meet-up 

“Hi!!!” Emu shouted, running towards her partners as soon as she saw them. They were waiting outside of the building. Nene was playing some game on her phone, as per usual, but the other two were looking around, probably waiting for her. 

“Emu?” Rui questioned, walking toward her. “You’re usually the earliest out of all of us. What took so long?” 

“I couldn’t pick out an outfit, and then I lost track of time,” Emu pouted at him, before shifting into a bright smile. “But! We’re all here now!! So, Wonderhoy!!” She shouted, jumping up and pumping her fist. 

“Wonderhoy!” Rui and Nene repeated, though Tsukasa just frowned at her. 

“You should have texted us, at least. We were all worried. Well, Rui and Nene were more worried than I was. I had to console them,” Tsukasa elaborated, placing one hand on Rui’s shoulder and one on his own chest. 

“As if…” Nene muttered without missing a beat. Tsukasa shot her an overdramatic shocked look. He was acting a bit too flamboyant, which he tended to do when he was trying not to slip. Emu giggled a bit, realizing that there would be two littles today! 

“Sorry, Tsukasa-kun, Rui-kun, Nene-chan,” she said. When she was small, technology was… iffy, at best. “Honestly, it completely slipped my mind,” she admitted, giggling. 

“Well, we’re all here now!” Rui clapped his hands together. “Let’s go have some fun!” 

As soon as they had their wristbands, Emu was gone, tossing her shoes in a cubby and zipping toward the first trampoline she could see, front-flipping onto it and giggling as she bounced. 

Rui and Tsukasa walked to the trampolines, Nene trailing after them, still finishing a level of her game. 

“Someone’s energetic today,” Rui smirked. “Maybe we should use trampolines in one of our shows…?” 

Emu’s eyes lit up, shouting “Yes!” before her hand slapped over her mouth. “I mean, no! This is a no-no no-work day! All talk about the Wonder Stage or school is banned, remember?” Emu said, fixing Rui with a glare (that was never much more than a pout on her face). 

“You can’t expect to be taken seriously while still jumping on a trampoline,” Nene murmured, finally putting her phone away. 

“Then don’t take me seriously! Come jump!!” Emu shouted, casually doing a backflip in the middle of her sentence. “Grandpa used to bring me here all the time, it’s super fun!” 

It was a popular trampoline park. Even though they came pretty early to avoid the crowds, there was still a kid or two everywhere you looked. Emu’s eyes sparkled as she looked around. Everyone here was always so happy, with big smiles on their faces! 

Turning back to her partners, she watched as Tsukasa tugged at Rui’s sleeve, whispering something to him before looking shyly at Nene. 

Rui smiled at him, before announcing, “Tsukasa wants to know if he could slip today, but doesn’t want to make us watch over him, which I’m sure none of us would mind doing for our precious star. However, this is a group decision, so…?” 

“Of course! You never have to ask!” Emu giggled, talking between bounces. 

“Tsu, it’s a trampoline park. They’re made for little kids,” Nene smiled warmly at him. Despite all of their banter, Nene had taken on a somewhat motherly role for Tsukasa, doting over him when he was regressed. She grabbed his hand, leading them over to the bench so she could help him take his shoes off. 

Unlike Tsukasa, who tended to regress quite small as they’d found out (from toddler to kindergarten age), Emu was often around 8 or 9, maybe a year or two younger sometimes. She was big enough to do most things by herself, and when she regressed at school or around her family she was a bit older, too. Today was one of her younger days, though… 

She was interrupted from her thoughts by Tsukasa, who had walked up to her and was staring at his socked feet, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. 

“What is it, Tsu-chan?” She asked, stepping off of the trampoline for a second to talk to him. 

“Can we go to the… the foam pit?” He asked nervously. 

“Of course!” she responded, bouncing in place. She loved foam pits because flipping was her favorite thing to do at trampoline parks! Front flips, back flips, aerials, somersaults… She was actually a gymnast when she was younger, and though she didn’t do competitions anymore, she still loved keeping her skills up for shows and club. 

Grabbing Tsukasa’s hand, she dragged him toward the foam pit. She was skipping as she went, which was super fun, and technically not running, so she was allowed to do it. Tsukasa tried skipping, too, only stumbling a little bit. Emu giggled at the smile on his face, swinging their hands as they went. God, he was so cute!

Finally, they made it to the foam pit, and they were faced with two choices: a flipping trampoline and a rope swing. Emu’s eyes sparkled as she turned to Tsukasa. 

“Which one do you wanna do?” She asked, bouncing in place. Emu loved the rope swing, but Tsukasa was just a little kid! He probably wouldn’t like the height. 

His eyes flicked back and forth between the rope and the trampoline, biting his lip. Emu waited for him to answer - sometimes it took him a while to make decisions when he was small. She usually didn’t have that problem, doing whatever idea came to her mind first. 

“Rope!” He finally declared, eyes determined. 

Emu cheered, once again grabbing his hand and leading him up the stairs toward the platform. Tsukasa seemed to finally be getting excited now that he was confident it was okay to be small. He kept up with her this time, pushing past her once they reached the top. 

They both turned around, scanning the park for Rui and Nene. They were walking toward her and Tsukasa, but were taking their time, joking with each other. Emu watched as Rui said something, ruffling Nene’s hair. Nene shoved him in return, and Rui started laughing. Emu giggled at them, before jumping up, waving her arms. 

“Rui-kun!! Nene-chan!!” She shouted. “We’re gonna do the rope swing! Tsu-chan too!!” 

“Oh really?” Rui called back, at a more normal volume. Nene waved at them, a smile on her face. 

“Lookit!!” Tsukasa called, before grabbing the rope, flinging himself off of it with an excited scream.  

“You okay?” Emu called, watching as Tsukasa wiggled his way out of the pit. Rui and Nene had made it over to them by this point, and Rui helped Tsukasa out of the pit, using their momentum to swing Tsukasa around, leaving him a giggly mess. 

“Mmhm!!” He confirmed once he could talk again, beaming up at her. Emu smiled, though it was a bit forced this time. 

She grabbed the rope, jumping off and doing a flip as she went. She heard her troupe-mates clapping for her, but she couldn’t focus on them, her brain thinking of something else… 

As much as she loved Tsukasa, sometimes she wished that Nene and Rui would take the same kind of care with her that they did when he was little. She was little a lot more than he was, but they still never treated her any differently.  Tsukasa was younger than her, but still!

She didn’t want to be treated differently all the time, and she was little a lot of the time, but she was also a big kid most of the time! On days like today, though, when she felt smaller, she just wanted more. More attention, more care… Just more, as selfish as it sounded. 

And it did make her feel selfish. Tsukasa got more attention because he was so small, so why did she need anything? Besides, if she got more attention, maybe Tsukasa wouldn’t get the attention that he needed, or he would be jealous too. All of these thoughts lessened the smile on her face, and by the time Rui helped her out of the foam pit, she was pouting. 

“Emu-chan! That was so cool!!!” Tsukasa shouted, bouncing in place. He was still holding Rui’s hand, and Emu’s gaze lingered there for a second. 

“Very impressive! You’ve mentioned you used to do gymnastics, right?” Rui asked, shifting her attention from their hands to him. 

“Mmhm! Because I’ve always loved theater, but I hated dance as a kid, so Grandpa said I should do gymnastics since it’s kinda like dance, and the stretchy-stretches and flips help out with performing! I’m still in gym club, actually.” Emu said, a smile back on her face as she explained. Talking about Grandpa always made her happy! 

“Can I learn?!” Tsukasa asked, leaning in toward her. Emu giggled, matching his pose. They both turned toward Nene and Rui together. 

“As long as you try your best to be safe, okay you two?” Nene said, meeting their eyes. She was the shortest - aside from Emu - so she didn’t have to crouch, but the effect was still there. 

They both cheered, rushing off to the single trampoline section. 

“So, Tsu-chan, we’re gonna do a roll, mkay?” Emu started. A roll seemed easier than a front flip - which was the easiest flip she knew. Tsukasa nodded his head excitedly, determination on his face. 

Emu got lost in playing with Tsukasa, forgetting about her earlier thoughts. She taught him how to roll, then they chased each other around for a while. It was nice, getting to run around and play like she actually was a little kid. Emu could almost hear her Grandpa’s voice telling her to slow down. 

Before she knew it, Nene was waving at them from the food court area of the park, gesturing for them to come over. Emu grabbed Tsukasa’s hand, toting him along behind her. He stumbled a bit trying to keep up with her, but she didn’t let him trip. 

“Welcome back!” Rui clapped once, before gesturing to the bench he and Nene were sitting on. Emu sat next to Nene, while Tsukasa plopped next to Rui. 

“Did you have fun?” Nene asked, smiling at the two of them. 

“Yup!! It was so Wonderhoy! Tsukasa even got the roll right, right Tsu-chan?” Emu giggled, voice a bit too loud to be an inside voice, but she didn’t notice. 

“Mmhm…” Tsukasa mumbled, rubbing clumsily at his eye with a fisted hand. 

“Is someone getting tired?” Nene gently asked, shooting Rui a look before looking at Tsukasa, who just hummed in response, leaning into Rui’s side. Emu smiled at him. Tsukasa was always so cute! 

However, as Rui suggested pizza before they left, and Nene grabbed the order, automatically going to cut Tsukasa’s up for him, Emu felt those jealous feelings from earlier return. 

Then she burnt her mouth on her pizza, and that was the last straw. 

“Ack!” Emu cried, dropping her pizza back onto the plate, trying to chew as quickly as she could to get the pizza out of her mouth. 

Everyone else at the table giggled, which just made Emu pout as she drank her water. It probably would’ve been funny if she was big - maybe she would’ve even made a joke about being Emumu the dragon and being able to breathe fire - but she was little and it hurt, and everyone was laughing instead of doting on her like they would with Tsukasa… 

So, Emu found herself crying. She cried silently, a habit developed after years of her brothers berating her for being childish. 

“Emu-chan…?” Tsukasa’s voice made her look up with a sniff. He was looking at her wide-eyed, almost scared. He’d probably never seen her cry like this before over something so trivial. 

They made eye contact for a moment, before Rui and Nene noticed the scene and looked over at Emu, which made her start crying harder, biting her lip to muffle her sobs. Now they’d know she was upset! That she was being a bad kid!

While she cried, she was aware of shuffling and voices around her. She didn’t react, though, simply hugging her arms close to her. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder, and she jolted. 

“Emu, it’s okay. It’s just me,” Rui spoke softly. Emu looked up, meeting his eyes for a second before throwing herself into his chest. Rui laughed softly, and she could feel it through his chest. 

“Nene took Tsukasa outside, since he was sad that you’re upset. He’ll be okay though, you just worried us a bit. I don’t think any of us have seen you cry this hard before,” Rui spoke, rubbing her back as he talked. 

“Sorry…” She mumbled, sniffling. 

“No need to apologize, dear. Are you able to explain what happened?” Rui asked, and Emu whined, burying her face deeper into his jacket. 

“Do I have to?” She asked, her words coming out muffled. She didn’t want him to know how selfish she was… 

“Unfortunately, yes, you do.” Rui smiled down at her, and she looked up, meeting his gaze for a second before turning her head away. 

“I… I know it makes me selfish, but- but I’m jealous of Tsu-chan.” She managed, after a few seconds of silence. 

“That doesn’t make you selfish, Emu. Everyone gets jealous from time to time. It’s a perfectly normal emotion. Now, can you explain why you’re jealous?” 

“Because Tsukasa gets treated differently when he’s small and I don’t!” She looked up at him, huffing. “I’m small way more than he is, and- and even though I’m usually a big girl, sometimes I’m littler, like today, and I want you to hold my hand, and swing me around, and cut my food, and- and…” 

Emu trailed off as tears welled up again, shoving her face back into Rui’s jacket. When Rui didn’t move or talk, though, Emu looked back up at him. 

“You… regress, too?” He asked, and Emu could practically hear the gears in his brain sputtering. She tilted her head, confused. 

“Yeah? I’m little a lot, but you guys never mentioned it, so I thought you just didn’t care…” 

“Emu, sweetheart, we - or, at least I - had no idea,” Rui said slowly. 

Emu’s eyes widened as she stared at Rui, tears starting to well up in her eyes once again. Here she was, being jealous of Tsukasa, when she hadn’t even fully explained her situation to everyone. 
 
“It’s okay, kiddo,” Rui spoke up before Emu could work herself up more. “No one’s mad, and it’s as much our fault as it is yours, mkay? We could have asked, because we definitely noticed that you acted more childish sometimes.”

Emu nodded slowly, sniffling. “So… it’s okay?”“It’s okay,” Rui affirmed, ruffling her hair. That got her to smile again.

Padding outside, Nene was crouched in front of Tsukasa on a bench. He was chewing on his sleeve, looking anxious, but he perked up as he saw Emu. She was quick to rush up to him, giving him a hug.

“We’ll all have a big talk about this later, but for now- Everyone, Emu’s also a little, if we could treat her a little extra special today,” Rui announced. Nene seemed surprised, but softened quickly. Tsukasa just seemed happy that she wasn’t crying anymore.

“Let’s go home, then,” Nene said, offering both Tsukasa and Emu her hands. And Emu wasn’t all that jealous anymore.