Chapter Text
How did things end up like this?
Tsukasa was on the rooftop of their school, hoping to enjoy a nice lunch with his best friend Rui. Fate had other plans. Or maybe the accurate way to say it would be that Rui had other plans. Tsukasa barely sat down before chills ran down his spine; that damn crazy grin sat on his director’s face! To say that he was doomed would be an understatement.
“Tsukasa-kun! You’re finally here. I have something to show you.” Rui shuffled his hands in his pockets to find something. Tsukasa immediately got up and walked as far away as possible, just in case the other took out a mini bomb.
It wasn’t.
Instead, his eccentric friend pulled out a strange remote with six different red buttons and a large antenna. Could it be a bomb remote? Red meant danger, so Tsukasa wasn’t risking his life for curiosity's sake.
“I made a remote that could change the background of our shows without me having to build props. Come closer! Let’s test it. You won’t be able to see anything from there.” Rui gave him an excited look.
Oh, his invention seemed innocent enough this time. No cannon, bombs, fire… Wow, a true miracle!
Tsukasa approached his friend and glanced over his shoulder. The buttons had little shapes encrypted on them, too strange for the star to decipher what they truly represented.
“What backgrounds does it create?” the young actor asked curiously.
“Um, well, I encoded the inside of a manor, a museum, a shrine, a fantasy village and its castle, and an alien planet. I can add more later,” Rui listed off pensively.
“Sounds good. Which one should we test first?” Tsukasa’s eyes fixed on a button with a pentagon.
“Mh? You seem to want to test the first one. Alright, let’s try this one.” His friend clicked on the button that the star was looking at.
The remote emitted a bright flash, temporarily blinding both of them. The second his vision came back, Tsukasa saw no trace of the rooftop. Instead of the familiar white tiles, creaking dark wooden planks covered the floor. Strangely, he was no longer outside; a dark ceiling covered him and large walls surrounded him. A large window let some sunlight enter the room and the troupe leader could see a large garden full of white flowers outside. He forced his eyes away from such a beautiful sight to observe the rest of his environment. A large, old-looking frame hung from the wall, a painting framed inside. It was dark, but Tsukasa could make out two people: Rui in an oddly fancy costume with a tall top hat and himself in a white costume and ponytail. They sat on a couch next to each other, with a white flower on his director’s left side and a black one next to himself. What a strange detail to add to Rui’s background.
The blonde actor thought his best friend’s invention would just be a 2D background, not unlike a screen. Not a full-on 3D mansion that seemed extremely realistic, so much so that he wondered if they were still on the rooftop. The future star turned around to ask Rui when he realized it was oddly quiet. Usually, his exited director would proudly ask for the other's opinion of his invention, but Tsukasa hadn’t heard a single sound since this background had appeared.
And yes, indeed, his friend had disappeared somehow. The troupe leader hadn’t even heard him leave, despite the floor being made of the creakiest wood he had ever seen. Was Rui going to prank him and come out of the closed piano in the room's corner?
“R-Rui?” The star cautiously approached the musical instrument. Creaks from someone else’s steps resonated from the room’s entrance. Tsukasa immediately flipped his head towards the sound, probably resembling a scared prey. The steps stopped.
Rui stood in the doorway, dressed in the same dark costume painted in the frame hung on the wall. Had he left Tsukasa to change into this strange outfit? His hair hid his right eye, yet the troupe leader saw the momentary surprise on his face. A relieved glint in his eye replaced his other emotion.
“My Lily! You’re back! I’m so glad!” Rui quickly walked towards him with a beautiful, enormous smile.
Li…ly?
Rui was talking to him. There was no doubt about it. The room was empty except for them. But usually, his director called him a star or, occasionally, ‘his star’.
“Eh…?” Perhaps his friend wanted to practice their improv. It would have been nice to know beforehand, but Tsukasa was a star! And a star could easily rise to the challenge and create a beautiful improv scene. He couldn’t tell the prompt of the scene, but he’d figure it out. The amazing actor cleared his throat and willed his confusion away.
“Glad to be back.” Tsukasa shot him a grin. Rui embraced him in a hug, far tighter than usual. The star awkwardly wrapped his arms around him, their embrace never ending.
“I missed you, my Lily. I received news of a monster attack near your route, so I thought you had been hurt. Or worse, killed. I was so scared.” The troupe leader heard a slight waver in his voice.
“Oh, um I’m fine. These monsters were no match for me,” Tsukasa proudly boasted, which made his director chuckle.
“I’m glad then. I don’t know what I’d do without you, my dear Lily.” Rui caressed his cheek tenderly, making them redden. His best friend admired him as if he was the world, which was to say, lovingly. When Tsukasa thought about it a little more, the look wasn't that different from how Rui usually looked at him. Or maybe he imagined it.
“U-um… I don’t know what I’d do without you either…” As embarrassing as these words sounded, the futur star supposed he needed to respond with corny stuff. His director would praise him for such a magnificent scene if he continued to give it his all.
Rui smiled tenderly and his cheeks turned a delicate pink shade. He took the blonde actor's left hand and brought it to his lips, giving it a small kiss. The area where his lips had touched burned pleasantly and Tsukasa stilled, his ears reddening and eyes widening. He hadn’t known they would... make any romantic gesture during the improv scene. Perhaps his eccentric director wanted to throw him a curveball, keep him on his toes guessing what move came next. The star couldn’t say he had much experience with romance scenes since WonderShow rarely included them. Was that why Rui had chosen such a… corny and embarrassing scene to act out?
As a future star, he would play the main roles in countless movies and shows, blowing away people’s minds and impressing them with his talent and hard work. Some of his characters would have love interests and he would need to act out their love and devotion. Unfortunately, as he was now, Tsukasa had… no experience whatsoever. His friends, specifically Nene, had even dared to call him dense and oblivious! Did Rui secretly think the same?
Well, they were absolutely, incredibly, very much wrong! Tsukasa Tenma was not dense or oblivious; he was very aware of his thousands of devoted fans and how some of them were likely head over heels for him. Actually, who wouldn’t be in love with someone as incredible, talented, and handsome as him?
Wel l…
Hush! No counterarguments!
The incredible, shining World Future Star would prove his haters, Nene, wrong. The scene would look so realistic, so natural and awe-inducing that Rui would tell everyone of his talent and they would all cheer him on!
Um… so he had no idea how to react- Tsukasa thought for a few seconds and totally not at least a silent minute about how to knock his director off of his heels. Ah, yes! He had the perfect plan. Now to act-
“You must be tired from the trip. How about we relax in the garden and I make us some tea?” Rui cut him off before he could react. Damn… Tsukasa had taken too long to put his plan into action. Well, he could always impress his director as the scene went on.
“Sure… Um, I mean yes, of course, darling!” the very in-character actor exclaimed, hiding his disorientation. Rui’s cheeks dusted pink.
“Would Jasmine tea be alright?” His best friend walked beside him, still holding his hand as if it were a precious jewel.
“Of course,” Tsukasa answered, not caring about the tea. An idea popped into his brain and he internally smirked. “I’ll drink any tea if it’s made by you since I know you’ll brew it with care and love.” Rui looked to the side to hide his pleased smile.
“Alright. Ah, but before I do that, um… I have to confess something…” His fancy-looking director bit his bottom lip and fiddled with his fingers. The talented actor mentally prepared himself for whatever this was and knew to not get taken aback.
“What is it, dear?” So embarrassing! How could actors act out such scenes, especially with their best friends?
“W-well… It’s better if you see it.” Rui dragged him through the dimly lit corridor. Tall glass windows occasionally illuminated the path, but they were few and far between. From time to time, large framed paintings hung on the wall depicting himself and his best friend in their strange fancy costumes, a garden with white and black lilies, and a kitchen with a vase sitting on a wooden table, a black and white lily intertwined.
Rui opened a large wooden door, and the outside light blinded the star. As his eyes opened, Tsukasa noticed an extensive field of wilted black lilies with a small dirt path leading to a fancy outside table with two chairs. Since when did Rui’s background remote have a garden?!? Did it have a whole world, too? Where would his background even end? The star felt his head swirl from the strange questions. His surprise and confusion must have shown on his face since his eccentric director stopped and faced him with guilt and tears in his eyes.
“I-I’m so sorry, my Lily! I tried taking care of the flowers while you were gone, but when I touched them, they turned black and wilted!” Seeing the dead flowers must be devastating for poor Rui. His director loved flowers and would dedicate a lot of his time to the greenery committee to take care of them. He loved bombs and delicate flowers; what a combo!
Rui clung to his arm and lightly trembled, silently begging for his forgiveness. In all honesty, Tsukasa couldn’t care less about the wilted flowers. They were bug breeder territory, hence he often avoided walking close to them. the star had only started appreciating their beauty and wonder because his purple-haired best friend liked them and talked about them often.
“It’s alright. We can just plant some more…” Tsukasa walked up to the garden, inspecting it. He had never seen black lilies in real life, only in books, so his curiosity peaked. Suddenly, the closer lilies sprung back up and changed their color to white. “Ah!” the poor actor screamed and fell on his behind.
Rui ran to his side and helped him up, frantically looking over him for injuries.
“Lily! Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
“A-ah, um, no. I’m fine, thank you. It just caught me by surprise,” Tsukasa stuttered, putting his hand to his chest to calm his racing heart. Perhaps he would never be totally ready for his director’s shenanigans.
“I’m glad. And the lilies, they are alright again. I thought you wouldn’t be able to reverse their wilting since it had been days. Your care and love must outweigh my curse.” Rui smiled gently, looking at him with a love so grand, it took Tsukasa’s breath away.
“Curse?” the bright actor accidentally questioned and Rui looked at him with worry. Shit! He must have accidentally made the scene feel less natural and hadn’t noticed a key detail.
“... Yes… my curse. Are you alright, my Lily?”
“A-ah! Um, yes, your curse. Sorry, I’m a little tired. I got confused…” Tsukasa stumbled for a plausible explanation with wide, panicked eyes. So much for making the scene ‘feel natural’ and getting praised by his director afterward. Rui frowned and scrutinized him, making him sweat. His best friend grabbed his left hand without warning.
“My Lily… I didn’t want to mention it before, but… why aren’t you wearing our wedding band?” Rui stared at his ring finger sadly. “Do you… want to leave me?” A tear slid down his director’s face. How the hell did the scene change so quickly? Tsukasa’s head ached from thinking so hard about his next move. How was he supposed to know he needed to have a costume change before starting their random improv scene?
“N-no! That’s not it at all! I simply lost it while fighting the monsters in the forest! I-I forgot to tell you, I’m sorry! I didn’t know how to tell you since it’s so important for us and… well, I accidentally lost it.” Tsukasa panicked and blabbered a plausible explanation. Unfortunately, Rui didn’t believe his act and grabbed his hands.
“Lily, please don’t leave me again. If you have to leave, take me with you,” his wet-cat of a director begged, sad yellow eyes looking straight at him. Why was he so good at making poignant, pitiful faces? The talented actor felt slightly jealous. “I know I’m cursed and ruin everything I touch. I’m a waste of space and-”
“Don’t say that about yourself.” Tsukasa squeezed his hands and brushed his thumb over his knuckles. “You’re not a waste of space or ‘cursed’. You certainly don’t ruin everything you touch. The house is still standing after all.” The star chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood.
“But it’s true! You’ve seen how the lilies have turned out when you were gone. It’s only a matter of time before everything else crumbles.” Rui took his hands away and held them close to himself, fearing they would accidentally hurt someone.
“Rui, the lilies are fine now and if they will again, I can just revive them somehow. Everything will be fine.” The star reached out for his director’s hand again and Rui’s eyes widened.
“Why do you stay with me when you know of my curse? Why do you stay, knowing I could ruin you?” His acting partner resisted his affection, trying to put a wall between them, yet pathetically looking straight into his eyes.
Okay, so Tsukasa reached the conclusion that their characters were married based on the clues he had gathered from the previous scenes and the ‘wedding band’ he was supposed to wear. This, coupled with the fact that Rui’s character was an insecure and caring person, meant that they must have gone through this conversation many times before. His next words would embarrass him but for a good show…
“Because I love you,” Tsukasa earnestly said, a blush dusting his cheeks. God, this felt so sappy. He brought their hands to his heart and smiled gently. “You could never ruin me. We’ve been together for a while and I’m still standing. I plan on standing by your side for many more years and this curse will not change that. You’ve never hurt me and never will.” Rui’s eyes shone and his lips wobbled in a strange, pleased smile.
“My Lily… I love you so much. You’re too kind, too precious for this world. What did I do to deserve someone as perfect as you?” His adorable director wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in his shoulder. Tsukasa hoped his racing heart didn’t betray his integrity as an actor.
Rui clung to him for probably far longer than appropriate for the scene, but the star said nothing. He awkwardly patted his back for a while until his pats devolved into soothing circles. As the seconds passed, Tsukasa felt himself relax and embrace the hug. It felt… natural, to say the least.
“Oh!” Rui lifted his head quickly, startling the peaceful atmosphere. “I promised you tea. I’ll go make it right now, so sit down and relax.” The costumed actor elegantly left, his black coat swishing with the wind.
Tsukasa awkwardly sat down and looked around the white lily garden. The birds chirped and a slight breeze passed through his hair, refreshing him from the slight heat. He drummed his fingers on the table and wondered when his director would come back. Was the scene finished? Would they explore another one of his backgrounds and create a new improv scene?
Rui announced his return with soft footsteps and gentle glass clanking. Tsukasa looked up and…
He still wore his fancy black attire and top hat and carried a cabaret with two teacups, a flower-patterned teapot, and biscuits. The purple-haired director settled them gently on the table, offered him a cup, and poured the fragrant tea. He settled in his chair and inquired Tsukasa about his trip. The amazing actor invented a story about going to the village to visit his parents and family. Rui bought it and the conversation kept going for far, far too long. Despite being a star actor, Tsukasa felt as if he lost his footing as the conversation went on.
He smiled, yapped about whatever nonsense seemed to make sense in the context of their talk, and thought about his next words a step ahead. Unfortunately, Rui distracted him with his dreamy smile and heart eyes. His look screamed ‘I’m in love with you and you are my whole world’. So annoying!
Tsukasa was a star. He had thousands of devoted fans (or would, but shush) and many people who looked up to him. Even so, how could any human, incredible as they were, remain perfectly calm when faced with a look of such devotion, pure adoration, and affection?
Damn Rui and his damn good acting! Wasn’t he a director? Why was he this amazing at acting out romance?
Tsukasa blushed and stumbled over some of his words, but his best friend seemed too absorbed in ogling him that he didn’t notice!
Rui eventually leaned across the table, careful not to knock anything off, and carefully cusped Tsukasa’s cheek. His orange eyes widened slightly and his blush intensified, yet he stayed still. The other's eye flicked to his lips with an intense, loving gaze. The star felt his warm breath and his lips ghost his own.
“My Lily, I love you.” Tsukasa barely heard his words over his drumming heart.
Eh...?
Rui closed the distance and kissed him gently. Tsukasa instinctually closed his eyes as did his best friend. The blonde actor expected his director’s lips to be chapped, for him to taste like soda candy and to feel repulsed, but…
How could he be wrong three times?!?
Rui’s lips felt soft and tasted of tea and peach, and Tsukasa’s heart yearned for more. He unconsciously reached out to grab the other’s coat, but stopped himself, realizing the oddity of his action.
Far too quickly, Rui pulled away, leaving the poor star confused and frozen. His face felt hotter than when he walked outside in a 40°C heat wave. Worse, his director didn’t look at him smugly after pulling that little trick on him, no! His soft eyes fixed on him and he smiled adoringly.
Tsukasa shakily touched his lips, breath coming in short bursts. His heart wanted to explode in his chest and heat enveloped his body.
Should he have expected a stage kiss? Was this a stage kiss?!?
Footsteps approached them, and Rui dropped his teacup. The shattering from the cup resounded in his ears, snapping him out of his crisis. The out-of-it star noticed his friend’s horrified eye looking to the side, his mouth slightly agape and his frozen hand lightly trembling.
“Li…ly?” Tsukasa turned towards whatever the other saw and…
?
Someone with long blond hair tied in a ponytail, sunset-colored eyes, and mostly white attire like the one in the portraits hanging in the mansion approached them calmly and stopped a meter away from the table. Next to him stood a wide-eyed Rui, wearing his Kamiyama uniform.
Tsukasa made a double take and caught the other Rui’s yellow eye. The other’s panic increased as the seconds passed.
“Oya? Was this a bad moment?” the Kamiyama uniform-wearing Rui lightly joked, sensing the taut silence.
“I-if you’re my Lily…” The hat-wearing Rui looked at the long-haired Tsukasa. “Then who… who are you?” The one-eyed director faced him, seeming angry and scared.
“I-I'm Tsukasa Tenma. Who are you?” the star returned the question feeling like his brain was about to turn to ashes from how hard the gears in them were working.
“Liar!” the fancily-dressed Rui yelled, quickly getting up from his chair and making Tsukasa’s teacup spill, the liquid dripping from the white table onto the grass. “Why are you pretending to be my Lily?” The on-edge actor got up from his chair, stepping away as the taller one approached him. The other grit his teeth and clenched his fist, dangerously getting in punching distance from him.
This… certainly wasn’t his Rui. And this hadn’t been a strange romantic improv scene where his director wanted to keep him on his toes. How did this even happen? Two Ruis, two hims, were they in some weird alternate universe?
Tsukasa's heart thundered and he got into a defensive stance. He eyed the other’s fists, getting ready for this to get slightly violent. How strong was this Rui? The fit actor could defend himself and throw some punches, but the original Rui's arm strenght was already slightly higher than his. How someone so slim, who didn’t eat his vegetables and rarely slept for more than 6 hours per night was so strong, only God knew. If this Rui ate his vegetable, would he be on par with a bodybuilder?
“I-I thought you were my director and we were doing some sort of improv scene that you hadn’t told me about! I don’t know! My Rui is weird like that!” Tsukasa quickly spat whatever nonsense came to his mind. The other Rui looked at him as if he were shit, so, unfortunately, it seemed he didn’t believe him. A dark aura surrounded him and the Earth shook. This was it! Whatever curse this guy had mentioned before was going to kill him!
They say some stars in the sky are already burnt out and dead when we see their light from Earth. Even before scientists have the chance to explore their solar system, they are already gone. Humans will never see their beauty, only their potential. The only thing left is their legacy; their light.
Someone grabbed his shoulder. Tsukasa screamed and flinched with his whole body, making him fall into the recipient’s arms. His savior pushed him back to his feet and whispered into his ears.
“You really have a knack for getting yourself into trouble, don’t you, Tsukasa-kun?” Rui's smooth and teasing voice told him.
“I-I don’t want to hear that coming from you!” the star quipped back with a lot less bite than usual. His legs trembled and his heart never relaxed.
“Rui. Stop this!” his own voice said and the long-haired version of himself grabbed the other Rui’s arm. “This is all just a misunderstanding.” The Earth stopped shaking and the dark aura around the other Rui disappeared once his lover held his hand.
“Yes, Tsukasa-kun is sometimes very oblivious, so he must have not realized that you weren’t me. We do look alike, don’t you think?” his director replied, never letting go of Tsukasa’s shoulder. His hold grounded him, even if slightly uncomfortable with how hard Rui was gripping. Despite his calm demeanor, his best friend must also be on edge.
The other Rui visibly relaxed as his lover whispered in his ear. Tears welled up in his eyes and he whirled around to hug the long-haired version of himself. He sobbed on his husband’s shoulder and the other gently wrapped his arms around him, whispering sweet nothings.
“I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry, my Lily!” the hat-wearing Rui cried. “I’m horrible! I didn’t recognize that this person wasn’t you! I cheated on you! I should be hanged for my offense!” The other version of himself chuckled.
“You’re so dramatic, dear. You didn’t cheat on me and you didn’t do anything wrong. He’s simply another version of myself from another world. It’s normal that you would mistake him for me.” The other Tsukasa smiled at them, silently telling them that they weren’t in danger anymore. “Like I said, it’s just a misunderstanding.”
“R-really?” The fancily dressed Rui looked at his lover with reddened eyes.
“Really. I forgive you, alright. So please don’t feel guilty anymore.” The Tsukasa dressed in white passed a hand through his husband’s hair and lightly kissed him. The one-eyed Rui sniffled for a few more moments before drying his tears and burying his face into the other’s shoulder.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too. Now, you should apologize to poor Tsukasa here for scaring him so much.”
“Y-you’re right.” The alternate Rui detached himself from his lover and turned toward him and his director. “I-I apologize for my behavior. I shouldn’t have let my anger get the better of me. And… I apologize for kissing you. I really thought you were my husband.” The Rui dressed in black slightly bowed.
“N-no, I’m sorry. I should have known that you weren’t my director. It’s a little ridiculous how I thought this was an improv scene.” To his credit, this was totally something his Rui would do.
“Well, your Rui has told me about how the two of you are in a theater troupe and you are an incredible actor, so I suppose it makes sense.” The alternate version of himself chuckled. An awkward silence fell around the four of them, sometimes broken by the alternate Rui’s sniffles.
“Well, the two of us should go back to our world. It was nice meeting you, Tsukasa-san,” his Rui said, letting go of his shoulders.
“It was nice meeting you too, Rui. I hope you have a safe trip back.” The other version of himself waved.
His director walked away from the white lily garden and Tsukasa followed him, dazed and confused by the situation.
“What… did you do with the alternate version of myself?” the star asked, fearing that the same thing had happened to him. Thinking about how he had been kissed by an alternate version of his best friend was already mind-bogglingly strange, but if Rui had kissed an alternate version of himself…
Tsukasa didn’t know how he would feel, but his heart didn’t like it, oddly enough.
“We just talked while we rode back here in his carriage. Unlike you two, we knew the other was an alternate version of you.” Rui chuckled. “Tsukasa-san figured it out because I called him Tsukasa-kun and I noticed his long ponytail. You couldn’t have grown your hair so drastically in a few seconds.”
Now he felt like an idiot. Tsukasa grumbled while his purple-haired friend took out his remote and looked over it.
“I hypothesized with Tsukasa-san about why we were separated and we think it’s because we weren’t seen as a singular individual,” Rui explained cryptically.
“What?”
“I mean to say that the machine saw us as two individuals, which we are, and just sent us to two different places. If we were to be seen as a singular object, it would send us to a specific location without separating us,” his genius director continued as if any of his words made sense.
“... So what do we do to be ‘seen as a singular object' or whatever?” Tsukasa deadpanned, tired of the strange cryptic scientific-looking talk. He was a star, not an engineer!
“Physical contact like hand holding or anything of the sort.”
“You could have just said that…” the star mumbled and offered his director his hand. Rui gladly took it and pressed the button right next to the pentagon one; a square one. Multicolored shapes blinded them.