Chapter Text
To put it simply, Tsukasa was exhausted.
Exercise in the morning, then school, then heading to a theatre camp that lasted too long for his liking, then heading home. He was exhausted, and the pounding headache he had wasn’t helping.
He tiredly walked on.The busy streets weren’t much help, they made the trip to the apartment complex even longer, draining away the little energy he had left.
The star barely managed to make it to the apartment building and enter the elevator. He pressed the designated floor level button, letting the elevator doors close, and start its ascent into the upper floors of the building. Tsukasa hoped someone was home, but even if it was empty, the photos they had saved and the atmosphere of the apartment never failed to make him smile.
Tsukasa opened the door, relieved at finally making it there. “I’m home, if anyone’s there!” he announced, weakly smiling when no one answered back. “Oh well,” he shrugged. He turned to look at a picture that hung on the wall, a photo of the four troupe members at their last show at Wonder Stage, before they went freelance. “Hope they come home soon,” he assured himself, going to his room.
Technically, the only thing that separated his room from Nene’s was a closet, which can be opened from both sides. Tsukasa had gone into his room, closing the door behind him. He sighed, wishing he could just rest for a while, but he needed to shower. No matter if it was raining or sunny, hot or cold, he didn’t want to get Saki, himself, or the rest of the troupe sick, he had been strict with that as a kid.
He opened the closet, sliding the door open and finding a pair of comfy clothes he could wear. He smiled, before hearing distinct sounds from the direction of the other room.
It was common for someone to be in Nene’s room, the troupe goes in there if they were feeling overwhelmed or sad, as she had plushies for everyone in the troupe there. It was the easiest way to calm down and escape life for a while. Probably all the tears shed in there made the salty Nene he knew. He chuckled at that.
Tsukasa looked closer, seeing a figure curled up in a ball, a blanket hiding who it was. He got worried, and went to check it out. He walked to Nene’s room, knocking on the door. “Hello?” He internally cringed. ‘Tsukasa, my god, someone’s probably down in the dumps right now and this is how you try to help?’ a voice in his head reasoned. ‘I’m tired, this isn’t the time for arguing. It’s written in history now,’ another voice told him.
He took a deep breath, focusing on his current situation. “I’m coming in, okay?”
“It’s fine, yeah.” a small, quiet voice that he recognized immediately as Nene’s.
Tsukasa reluctantly opened the door, finding the usually neat and bright room a bit messy. Pillows were thrown on the floor, some clothes, more notably, Rui’s plush was on the floor too. “Please leave me alone… I didn’t mean to ruin your show…please..” He found the songstress sobbing into her pillow, looking miserable.
He sat on her bed, bringing her into a hug and rubbing circles on her back. “Shh.. it’s okay.” Quite frankly, Tsukasa wasn’t the best comforter, but he was trying his best at the moment, he didn’t like to see anyone cry.
She was shaking in his arms, but tried to reciprocate the hug regardless. “Tsukasa?”
“Yeah, it’s me…what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry..I didn’t mean to make you worry..” was her response, laying her head on his shoulder.
“Hey, no, none of that, okay? You have nothing to apologize for.” The star used his thumb to wipe her tears. “Please, don’t cry..”
They sat like that for a while, the girl’s cries eventually slowing. Her voice was shaky, but she managed a response for him. “I’m sorry Tsukasa, I’ve just had a long day. I just burst into tears and I couldn’t…”
“I understand that, you and me both. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay, but just know I’ll be here for you no matter what.”
She silently nodded, taking a deep breath. “I’ve told you about what happened in middle school, right? So, today, I ran into one of my classmates from that theatre troupe. She was talking with someone else about what happened when I froze on stage, and it just… messed my whole day up.”
“Ah, I see. I know I wasn’t there when it happened, but, just know that you’ve grown a lot since then! You got over it, and now, you’re a beautiful and wonderful actress, our songstress, and someone me, Rui, and Emu deeply care about. As long as you remember that, you can take on the world!” He cleared his throat, continuing on. “My point is, that was in the past, Nene.”
“But what if it happens again?”
“You have me, Rui, and Emu to back you up if it happens!”
She smiled. “Yeah, thanks a lot Tsukasa.”
“Anything for you my dear. Do you need anything?” he asked her.
“Um..can I have some water? All that crying kinda made me thirsty..”
“I’m on it!”
The star left the room, retrieving a glass from a cabinet. He filled the glass with water, his mind in thought. ‘Is she a half-full cup person or a half-empty cup person?’ He wondered, before chuckling at himself. ‘NOT. THE TIME.’
The voices in his head were funny when he was tired. ‘I kinda wish it could be the same for Nene,’ he thought. A normal thought, great!
He returned to the songstress’ room with the glass, handing it to her. The numbing sensation in his head from the headache was starting to flare up once more, the pain coming in waves, or so it felt. Tsukasa winced, clutching his head, the discomfort was a bit too much for him.
“Tsukasa, take a shower.” the songstress said out of the blue.
“Wh- am I disgusting or something?! What did I do wrong?!” he dramatically replied, Nene giving him a deadpan look (meaning: are you serious right now?) in return. “No, I can just tell you have a headache. Rui told me that a hot shower helps a lot with that. Plus, you were about to shower before you came here, correct?”
‘Aren’t you back to being yourself..’ he thought sarcastically.
T: “You’re right, I was. I shall go bathe and rid the apartment of the germs-”
N: “You mean you?”
T: “I- seriously? I’m going.”
The star walked to the door frame before turning around, looking back at the songstress. “Will you be alright on your own for a while?” he asked in a caring tone, a tone Nene especially adored.
“I’ll be fine, I have the plushie with me. Take a shower, we can do something after,” she responded, Tsukasa leaving her room to go to his own. As soon as he was in the shower, Nene sent a voice message to Rui.
“the songstress!: please remind me to ask Tsukasa to get checked for migraines. he has a headache almost every day at this point.”
The only response from him was a saluting emoji. ‘Classic Rui…’ she thought, as she hugged the plushie closer.
~
After he took a shower and got into the clothes he picked earlier, Tsukasa checked the group chat, checking when Rui and Emu would be home so he could make dinner. He noticed Emu and Nene texting. Feeling too tired to read the multiple messages they sent, he sent a simple message.
~~
the star! ☆彡: hey guys! what did I walk into?
the dreamer! ☆彡: Kasa! we were just talking about me and Rui going to Yokohama to grab supplies! :D
the songstress! ☆彡: and you STILL haven’t explained why!
~~
He chuckled. Those two reminded him of a manzai comedy duo, though he could argue him and Rui were an even better example.
~~
the dreamer! ☆彡: the prop me and Rui were looking for wasn't available! we have to go to the store in Yokohama instead, it’s available there!
the songstress! ☆彡: Emu, be reasonable. It’s 6pm.
the dreamer! ☆彡: we’re almost there :( and Rui’s asleep! he’s adorable!!
Emu sent a photo, a selfie of her and a sleeping Rui beside her, their arms wrapped around each other amidst the sunset, to their left.
~~
Tsukasa smiled at the photo, glad to see them both happy. He heard a distinct “geh” from Nene’s room, laughing at the reaction.
~~
the star! ☆彡: okay, just make it home safe please~ tell Rui we said hi when he wakes up <3
the songstress! ☆彡: geh…
~~
He knew that was coming.
The star turned his phone off. Them being in Yokohama meant him and Nene had to deal with dinner by themselves. He sighed. Luckily, thanks to the shower he had taken, his headache has slightly subsided. He could still feel the numbing sensation though.
Just then, the aforementioned girl knocked on the door. “Can I come in?” He opened the door. “Ah, Nene, I was just about to ask you if you wanted to order something for dinner?”
They both walked to his bed, taking a seat. “What do you want to eat?”
He thought about it. “I don’t really know, maybe pizza or something healthier? I was asking you though.”
“Pizza sounds nice, let’s order some.”
“Pizza it is!”
They ordered the food, proceeding to lay down on the star’s bed in silence. Tsukasa let out a long sigh, finally feeling content. He enjoyed the warmth he had next to Nene, noticing she brought two of the plushies she had in her room, specifically his pegasus plushie and her own teddy bear plushie.
“Why did you bring the plushies here?” he questioned her, curious.
“You said you had a long day too, Tsukasa-kun~ We’re here to cheer you up!~” Nene said in a cute voice, impersonating the pegasus plushie.
He giggled before petting the plushie’s head. “Thank you, little ones. I don’t know what I would do without you.” He would’ve continued, but he didn’t know what else to say.
“Tsukasa-kun, do you need some rest?~ Nene-chan told us your head hurt~” asked the teddy bear, tilting its head ever so slightly.
He nodded. “Indeed. My friends, it has been a very long day. I had to go to school and to a theatre camp today, both of which have exhausted me beyond a doubt. But, you must always help someone before you help yourself. Nene was sad today, it was obvious that she had a worse day than I did. I stick to my word, help those in need, that is my lesson for you all today.”
“Wow Tsukasa-kun, you’re amazing!~” exclaimed the bear plushie.
“HAHAHAHA, of course! My wish is for you all to become wonderful future stars, like me, so you must learn the basics!”
“Thank you Tsukasa-kun! Get some rest!~”
“I will, farewell my friends!”
Nene finally revealed her face from behind the plushies, a beautiful smile. “Did you really mean all of that?”
“Of course my dear, I would never lie to you, or Hoshi and Kusa-chan. You know that better than anyone,” Tsukasa replied, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Did you mean it when you said get some rest?”
“Yeah, of course I did dummy. When wouldn’t it be true?” The songstress stated, planting a kiss on his own forehead. “Get some rest, for real this time.”
After some time, the only thing audible in the room was the sound of Tsukasa’s breathing, slow and steady, and a faint clicking sound.
~~
the alchemist! ☆彡: we’re gonna get dinner, what are you guys having?
the songstress! ☆彡: pizza, but it hasn’t arrived yet. Tsukasa is dead asleep though. he's been tired, long day.
Nene sent a photo, a picture of the star from her perspective, sleeping peacefully beside her, his hair still a little wet.
the alchemist! ☆彡: poor you :<
the songstress! ☆彡: why? he’s kinda cute like this.
the dreamer! ☆彡: he tends to snore Nene, remember?
~~
She was about to type a response saying he wasn’t, but just then, a loud snore could be heard in the room.
~~
the songstress! ☆彡: … why so loud? = ^ =’
the alchemist! ☆彡: must be having some energetic dreams!
the songstress! ☆彡: oh god, imagine if…
~~
Just then, she heard what she thought might happen.
~~
the songstress! ☆彡: OH. MY. MIKU. he just said one of our lines from the new play.
the dreamer! ☆彡: which one? :0
the songstress! ☆彡: “hanami, please don’t go.” OH MY GOD i’m going to explode (⌒ω⌒)
the alchemist! ☆彡: ara~ Tsukasa having a dream about his love interest in the play?
the dreamer! ☆彡: SO CUTE <3 <3 !!
the alchemist! ☆彡: we made it to the place, talk to you later!
the songstress! ☆彡: okay! see you later <3.
~~
Nene turned her phone off, hearing a doorbell. The food was there. She sat up, feeling a little guilty that she had to wake Tsukasa up. He was so peaceful like this, she kind of disliked the idea of waking him up.
“I mean, we sleep in adjacent rooms, I never expected he was like this. Oh, why are you so cute without the whole star persona?” She wondered. “Another thing, how the heck have I not known you snored?”
The way his consciousness worked, he woke up easily. He wasn’t a deep sleeper, she knew that well, as he always woke to his alarms, and ovens beeping, for example. Nene was a little surprised that he didn’t wake up from the doorbell ringing alone, nor from her mumbling. She whispered, “Tsukasa, the food’s here,” in his ear, and that was enough.
Tsukasa sat up slowly, stretching and yawning. “Morning, I guess?”
She chuckled. “It’s 6:40 pm. Morning to you I guess?”
The star rubbed his eyes, the world slowly coming back into focus. “Yeah…we should get the food.”
The songstress ended up grabbing the food from outside their door, as Tsukasa focused on waking himself up one way or another.
Nene went to check on him, finding him doing jumping jacks, albeit very sluggish in appearance. She chuckled once more. “Seriously?”
T: “It’s a good way to wake yourself up!”
N: “And how many have you done?”
T: “25.”
N: “How many are you planning to do?”
T: “50.”
N: “I’m out of here, get the pizza before it gets cold, please.”
He saluted her, continuing with his jumping jacks until he hit his goal. Tsukasa then walked over to her, the girl sitting on the sofa of their (small) living room. She was nibbling a piece of pepperoni pizza, turning around with a serious gaze at the star who had stood there, staring.
“What?”
“Nothing my dear. Nothing at all.”
He sat down beside Nene, the girl handing him the remote. “You choose the movie. I kind of chose what we were eating anyway.”
He reluctantly took the remote from her. “Thanks.” Tsukasa eventually found a movie he liked and played it, the movie beginning.
About halfway through the movie, they paused and cleaned up after themselves. The pizza box was thrown, the utensils were washed, everything was put up. After they did, they sat back down on the couch.
There was silence for a few minutes there, both staring at each other as if doing telepathy. Nothing good came out of it though.Tsukasa was hoping one of them could just pick up the remote already, but they sat at a standstill. Literally.
“Hey, can we sit closer together?” Tsukasa asked her, noticing they sat at two different ends of the sofa. Nene moved closer to him, to the point their legs were nearly touching. “This good?”
He chuckled embarrassingly. “Yeah, thanks.”
Someone pressed the remote to play the movie again, picking up where they left off. At some point, the star put his arm around the songstress, pulling them a little closer together.
Nene had been watching from afar since she was, in truth, watching Tsukasa. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, the way his eyes sparkled from the light of the TV, the way he smiled at the characterizations, his moping when he realizes they are missing something, it almost reminded her of herself as a kid, when she watched musicals with Rui.
And now, Tsukasa was asleep beside her, his arm still draped over her.
‘There’s just something about you, dear. Something that reminds me of myself, and also something different that I adore about you. I hope you realize someday.’ Nene thought. Before long, she also fell asleep, the movie still playing in the background.
~~
the dreamer! ☆彡: NENE HELP! I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO 😣
~~