Work Text:
winter is slowly approaching when the first time it happens rolls around.
or at least that has what the past few days’ weather felt like. more scarves, coats, and puffy jackets were seen, along with the harsh sting of winter air whenever one opened their eyes for too long.
rui’s breath almost fogs up the window from this weather, but it was mostly in awe and partially from curiosity. tsukasa was always early, indeed, but never this early that only two other students had arrived to class. it was still very early in the morning, with the sun barely risen above them, yet he was at his desk like it was the most ordinary thing.
rui peers at him from the classroom window, tsukasa concentrated and scribbling away, almost a whole stack’s worth of papers laid out in front of him. he’s slowly wilting on his chair like a plant would, his increasingly hunched shoulders bunching the blazer fabric around his neck. it was obvious that tsukasa was furiously in deep thought, muttering to himself as the rest of his fingers hovered over the words before him.
upon closer inspection, it seemed to be yesterday’s physics homework. now, the intensity of his concentration made sense. and with a further squint of rui’s eyes, he had already noticed tsukasa’s slight shivering from that far of a distance, with only a blazer as protection from the cold.
somewhere along the lines of having known one other for that long, rui knew that tsukasa isnʼt good with the cold. he never has been, and unfortunately for him, over the past few days, the autumn temperature has gradually began to drop as winter approached at an alarming rate.
however, there tsukasa was, still hard at work, flipping through countless examples combined with trying to understand the information with a deep frown. the cogs in rui’s brain spin, and he takes one last longing glance before he turns to walk away.
ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ
—nothing makes sense.
tsukasa doesn’t know what, doesn’t know why, doesn’t know how, but knows the words on his page are starting to blur. and it’s not that he didn’t do his homework on purpose, because he’s spent even longer trying to do it at home, but resolving to sleep it off in hopes that it’ll help him in the morning.
except it didn’t.
“good morning, tsukasa-kun!” rui strolls into the classroom, looking much more carefree than he was. unfortunately, he finds tsukasa still in the same position, like he barely moved a muscle the whole time he had left.
tsukasa doesn’t do the usual tilt of his head, with that smile that rui looked forward to every morning, and doesn’t even make a dissatisfied remark about his punctuality, much to rui’s dismay. bending down and handing him a cup of cafeteria tea, tsukasa mumbles a short ‘thanks’, without even acknowledging his friend, but immediately sinks his shoulders and melts into a puddle the second he takes his first sip.
“rui!” tsukasa exclaims, louder, finally looking at him. “you got hot tea for me?” he downs another huge gulp before turning the cup and looking at the faint steam rising from its contents, answering his question before rui even has a chance to. “i didn’t know you arrived earlier than usual, i must’ve not noticed you walking down the hallway,” he rambles, the caffeine seeming to perk him back up to be as energetic as he usually was.
“careful, it’s still hot,” rui cautions, although amused. tsukasa makes a face at him. “why have you suddenly bought me tea all the way from the cafeteria?” tsukasa pauses his drinking, so dubitant it should be insulting. “don’t tell me this is for a favour of sorts!”
rui frowns, feigning hurt. “can’t your own friend get you a cup of tea just from the kindness of his own heart?”
“..not without good reason,” tsukasa shoots back like it was the most logical thing to think of.
rui’s smile grows when he realises tsukasa’s no longer shivering. “since i don’t have one, shall i finish it for you? i do enjoy tea myself.”
“i never said i wouldn’t finish it!” tsukasa’s other hand flies to the cup protectively, keeping it away from rui. “but seriously, is there some shady stunt i have to take part in after this?”
"well, if you require a reason, i saw you struggling with your homework and wanted to help," rui finally gives in, walking and sitting down behind his desk after to avoid eye contact. tsukasa immediately whips his head around to look at him for a few seconds, his cheeks now tinted red. “..i see.”
rui writes it off as an effect of the cold weather. “tsukasa-kun, won’t you get in trouble if you don’t finish your work on time?"
and in tsukasa fashion, his face pales as he turns back around, arranging a few papers on his desk while getting started again on his work. tsukasa mutters something rui barely makes out, but he's content with just tsukasa warming up from the cold.
tsukasa speaks again with his back turned, softer this time. “thank you, rui.”
rui doesnʼt say anything to that, just takes the papers out of his bag and starts reading, ducking his chin closer to his chest to hide the smile tugging on his lips.
ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ
the second time it happens is a few days later, when the troupe has an unexpected show they have to perform, and it results in the regular deal of working just a couple of late nights, where they work for hours on end, making sure nothing slips past them.
after a few hours it’s like tsukasa’s become an addition to rui’s garage furniture, officially being a lump which can be found on the floor, relocating to a new spot every time he needs to stretch his legs. this afternoon, which has been a slow day for the pair, has tsukasa already looking like he’s on the brink of dosing off.
“rui? did you say something?” tsukasa breaks the silence, his words having a slightly noticeable drag.
“huh?” rui answers, not having heard the question because he was too busy worrying about his friend.
he raises his head and his eyebrows amiably, but his eyes are closed. “i heard you call my name.”
“ah.. i didn’t mean to,” rui replies after a pause, unsure if he had even committed such a mistake out loud. tsukasa lets out a loud yawn, then gets right back to work as a lump on rui’s floor.
“—tsukasa-kun, i think you should go home for today. get some rest,” rui tells him, his heart twisting at the sight. he opens his eyes at that, but they’re bleary. “no, no.. we have lots of work to do,” tsukasa waves a hand, yawning. “nothing a star like me can’t handle!” he rubs his eyes, blinking multiple times as if trying to wake himself up.
“no, tsukasa-kun. i’m telling you to go home.”
interrupted and forced to pull away from his script, he groans, drooping his head like it weighed heavily on him, landing with a soft thud on rui’s back. “we shouldn’t show up to a show unprepared, especially when we promised to do it,” he slurs, slowly falling asleep mid-sentence.
“..are you falling asleep?” rui stares, amused.
“huh? of course not! besides, we still should..” tsukasa manages to conjure a burst of energy, before it takes a hit on him and he dozes off in front of rui’s very eyes. tsukasa’s head lies limp against rui’s back, his mouth still open from his last syllable. he knows he’s truly tired when rui can see it in the way his chest rises and falls.
terrified of waking him up, rui is only able to stare, simply letting him rest over the next few minutes. supposing that tsukasa will wake up to find that he’s slept on his back after a while, rui can then maybe use that to convince him to go home.
however, when twenty minutes have already passed, although rui doesn’t quite mind just staring, and tsukasa still hasn’t shown any signs of stirring, he decides he’ll just let him stay in his room for as long as he wishes to.
rui holds his head as gently as he can — purposefully avoiding nene’s definitely raised eyebrow from her window if she were there, and carefully moves tsukasa’s onto his sofa, resting his head on the random pillow he retrieved within arm’s distance.
he’s fully prepared to have him jerk awake the moment he places his hand on the back of his neck, yet he barely moves and instead lets out a soft sigh once he’s completely laying down. rui looks at him for a good moment before getting up to grab a thick blanket from his closet, dusting it off before draping it over tsukasa, tucking him in. tsukasa does moves then, to sink deeper into the sofa, while rui’s breath hitches in the fear that he wakes, but he only settles into the blanket with a soft smile resting on his lips. rui unknowingly mirrors the action.
ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ
the sun has already set when tsukasa’s eyes open. a blanket rests warm and heavy on his chest, accompanied by a soft pillow cushioning the back of his head. he sits up in shock at the setting, not quite recalling how he fell asleep a room that wasn’t his own. he sits motionless as his eyes scan the premises, landing on the face being illuminated by a lamp before him.
at the mess of purple hair, tsukasa lies back down slowly, suddenly mortified by the memory of the situation. he groans internally in embarrassment. now he remembers the haze of how he fell asleep in the middle of their conversation, face pale at the notion.
it’s still cold in the room, he thinks as he covers more of himself with the blanket, the soft fabric keeping him warm. the fact that it’s rui’s makes him smile for reasons he cannot explain, and although that feeling wakes him up along with an unknown amount of sleep, he’s still too comfortable to get up from his position.
if he leans a little forward from his position, he’s able to make out soft humming. tsukasa is silently grateful that he can watch rui without worrying about him looking back, so it gives him all the more reason to stay where he is. he just admires him from afar, studying the back of his head and the multiple different lights he’s flashing around the room.
“tsukasa-kun, i heard you sit up,” rui calls out after a brief moment, his eyes not leaving his control panel. tsukasa freezes. “there’s warm water for you nearby.”
tsukasa doesn’t say a word, contemplating whether if he should just lay motionless and act as if he’s asleep to avoid another bout of embarrassment.
rui turns around after a minute of silence, probably checking if he fell asleep again.
“there’s also dinner for you outside,” he says lightly. “my mother prepared extra for you.”
tsukasa swallows, his face taking the brunt of heat from being caught staring. “well, did tsukasa-kun sleep well? it seems as though the blanket does help,” rui teases.
“..i did,” tsukasa coughs, subconsciously letting go of the blanket. he clears his throat. “rui, i didn’t mean to sleep when we were still talking, and—”
“tsukasa-kun,” rui stops him. “i don’t mind.”
their eyes finally meet, and from the single glance alone, tsukasa understands that he truly doesn’t.
he nods gratefully, picking up the the cup of warm water.
ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ
the third time occurs unknowingly, a week later on a saturday morning, when rui’s fingers scramble to dial tsukasa’s number. tsukasa answers almost instantaneously.
“tsukasa-kun, i’ve learnt to make rice puffs recently,” rui announces, the sense of satisfaction practically oozing over the phone.
“without any safety hazards?” tsukasa questions, voice incredulous.
rui doesn’t answer.
the popping of rice fills the silence for a while, tsukasa silently praying for his friend’s safety while the said friend stirs boiling water with a plastic spoon.
“i can assure you there’s nothing hazardous about my methods, tsukasa-kun,” rui continues to stir, switching on the camera setting to prove his point. “in fact, i’m inviting you to try the rice puffs yourself!”
there’s another beat of rice popping filled silence as tsukasa mulls the sight before his very eyes. “..are you using a plastic spoon to stir the rice?”
ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ
it’s a miracle that the spoon hasn’t melted when tsukasa practically flies to rui’s door. the moment he’s let in, he yanks the spoon from his hands and replaces it with a wooden one, the sound of chiding at him overpowering the sounds of popping rice.
eventually, he sits back down by the dining table and rolls up his sleeves, rui’s eyes dropping to tsukasa’s hand resting on the counter, and his own hand twitches with an impulsive urge. he directs his eyes to his apparent lack of any outerwear for the approaching winter, quieting his thoughts.
“tsukasa-kun, did you run here without a jacket?”
“i guess i have,” tsukasa blinks, suddenly realising so himself.
rui turns off the stove, already halfway out the kitchen. “i’ll get one for you from my closet, give me a moment.”
“—wait, it’s really okay!”
undeterred, he keeps going, because from the corner of his eye he sees tsukasa’s lips curving up to a smile, and at the sight he’s already brisk walking to his room for the jacket.
he soon returns back to the dining table with it in hand. “here,” he cautiously lifts the edge of the jacket and hands it to tsukasa, studying his mixed reaction.
tsukasa’s hesitant as he takes the jacket, but by the time he’s rolled larger sleeves over both his arms, his eyes have softened. there’s gratitude weaved into his tone as he speaks again. “..well, it’s much warmer now,” he comments, smiling up at rui. “thank you!”
“ah,” rui’s breath catches in his throat. “my pleasure.”
ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ
“rui, you know there are rice puffs you can just buy at any grocery store, right?” tsukasa says, lilting. he eyes the boiling pot after, the second batch of rice puffs are almost done by the time rui responds.
“i do, however it tastes much better when i’ve made it myself,” he leans against the countertop with a smile that can only be classified as irritating.
tsukasa scoffs. “because you’re such a good chef?”
“indeed!”
“there’s absolutely no way you can cook unsupervised,” tsukasa sighs, pointing at the plastic spoon from earlier. rui gapes at him, dramatically acting hurt. “you’ll just have to taste my cooking yourself to believe it,” he retorts quickly, feigning sorrow.
"..boiling and seasoning dried rice doesnʼt even count as cooking!”
the sound of rice popping serves as rui’s response.
ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ┈┈ㆍ
the pair are on the way back to home after a long session of practice, walking under the falling leaves. it’s cold enough by now for their breaths to be about the same colour visible in the atmosphere, and both are bundled up in thicker coats. they walk shoulder to shoulder, tsukasa with his hands in his pockets.
they’re a few blocks down when tsukasa takes them out, furiously rubbing them together. he still talks as he does so, the movement amazingly not affecting his voice whatsoever. when rui replies, it seems as though he’s barely affected by the cold, not even stopping to warm up his hands or to protect them from the cold.
“alright, how do you do that?” tsukasa stops in his tracks while rui moves his hands while speaking.
“do what?” rui mirrors his action, his hands slowing.
“it’s like it isn’t even cold!” tsukasa rubs his hands together again to prove a point, bewildered at his nonchalance. “are your hands not cold?”
“i’m sure they are,” he peers down at his hands.
“obviously,” tsukasa retorts, the poorly concealed worry written all over his face. “you’ll catch a cold if you let yourself freeze like that.”
rui blinks, not quite registering the gravity of frozen hands. “we’re almost reaching the train station, i’ll be fine, tsukasa-kun.” tsukasa opens his mouth to chide away again, but contemplates for a moment, then says, “fine, give me your hands,” he suddenly announces, reaching out his own hands expectantly. “..for inspection.”
“for inspection?” rui almost laughs, amused and in utter disbelief.
“just do it,” tsukasa grumbles, finally relaxing when rui complies. rui’s hands land in tsukasa’s palm, taken aback by the sudden warmth that envelopes them. in a swift motion, he pulls their hands and puts it in his undeniably warmer pocket.
“there,” he unknowingly smiles, eyes sparkling with excitement and nerves. tsukasa’s heart pounds against his chest, the blood it pumps already rushing to his cheeks, and not solely from the cold. “now you won’t fall sick.”
rui’s mouth is slightly open from surprise, his lips trying to form a smile. he practically gapes like a fish trying to find his voice.
“..my other hand is still cold,” he eventually says, enjoying the warmth blanketing his pocketed hand. his thumb runs across tsukasa’s hand, feeling his knuckles, as if he has to make sure that he’s actually holding his hand.
tsukasa catches him staring, raising his eyebrow in question. rui only looks at him for another moment before letting his lips stretch into the most subtle smile, suddenly interested in the pavement to hide his growing grin.
“it wasn’t a moment ago,” he scoffs. “find somewhere else to put it,” he shakes his hand, acting like he couldnʼt care less. “besides, it wouldn’t even be possible to hold two hands at the same time while walking!”
“indeed,” rui mumbles, in his own giddy world as tsukasa holds his hand even tighter.
and if he inches a little closer to tsukasa as they continue to walk, purely for warmth, of course, neither of them mention it.