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Though Nene woke up at an alarmingly early hour, she wasn’t going to school. She had long awaited this day—the release of the new video game she’d been eyeing for weeks now. The tenth installment of her favorite RPG franchise. Today, she’s determined to be the first to play it. It’s rare for her to be this adamant about a game release. Most times, she plays games months to years after their initial release. And though she believed herself to be above peer pressure and hypetrains, this was something worth throwing out her ideology for. Plus, her parents were gone for the whole day.
As her set alarm blared, she raced out of bed, forgetting to turn it off. After a quick shower and slipping into a hoodie and sweatpants, she felt a renewed sense of will, despite the ungodly hour. That didn’t matter. She’s been awake for longer, slaving away at her TV screen for levels.
She grabbed a foldable chair and set off into the night, forgetting her still-ringing phone behind.
♫彡*:･ﾟ✧
Rui felt a deep twist in his stomach.
Though Nene did skip school at times, she’s never gone completely MIA. He sent another worried message to her number, but all one hundred and six texts remained on Delivered.
Tsukasa sighed, shaking his head. “Where in the world could she be?”
“I’m not sure…” Rui muttered. He hasn’t touched his lunch. “Home, most likely.”
Emu peeked from under the table, checking her surroundings. Once she’s finished scanning for threats, she pops out and says, “What if she’s sick?!”
Great. The twist in Rui’s stomach curled in further like a never-ending spiral, heading to the depths of hell.
“Well, we’re not gonna get anywhere with empty stomachs!” Tsukasa announced. “Maybe she woke up late and didn’t bother going! Wouldn’t be the first time.”
Rui sighed, pocketing his phone. “But if she were home, she’d answer.”
Nobody spoke after.
♫彡*:･ﾟ✧
The boredom had finally started to kick in. Her salvation, the entrance doors, were only a few steps away. Thankfully, Nene arrived earlier than most and secured a good place in line, but it wasn’t for a few hours until the store opened. Now she was to wait, wait, and wait some more.
…
Yeah, no, she wasn’t sitting around here to wait.
“I can’t take this...” She mumbled, feeling around her pockets for her phone. “What the?” She emptied them, checking everything, only to find nothing.
The crisp, cool approach of winter danced around the air. On top of her forgotten phone, she also left behind her coat. Great. How could she survive hours without any source of entertainment, plus the hellish cold?
Torture, that’s what it was. A punishment for skipping school, maybe, from the universe itself. The sun was peaking out its ugly head. Lunch time. She shifted her bag off, pulled out a sandwich she had made the day before, and munched on it, internally groaning. At least she didn’t forget that.
Despite the sandwich, she doubted that she’d survive the first minute.
♫彡*:･ﾟ✧
Class had passed in a slow stupor. Outside the gate, among the flood of students rushing out of the school, Rui and Tsukasa decided to split ways. The afternoon sky hung above them, casting hues of lavender across the area.
“I guess practice is rescheduled for tomorrow,” The blond said with a groan. “Could you check on Nene?”
“Already planning on it,” replied Rui with a grimace. “I only hope she’s home.” The other nodded, and so the two went. Passing by the busy street and into his quieter neighborhood road, Rui began to ruminate. Surely, if she woke up late or fell sick, she’d answer by now... right?
What if she really was injured? Or was that too pessimistic? Could she be in the hospital??? As he hurriedly strided through the street, Rui’s inner panic began to match the pace of his footsteps and bunny-fast heart, the twisting feeling like a wet rag being drained.
Soon enough, he reached the doorstep to the Kusanagis, catching his breath as he knocked. No answer. He riffled through his pockets and retrieved a spare key the Kusanagis gave him for emergencies. And in this case, Rui thought it was.
Inside, Rui could hear the whisper of wind and… a furious tapping?
He made a beeline for her bedroom with a certain familiarity. Before the door, he stopped. “Nene?” He asked with contemplation, then knocked. “Are you in there?”
There was a groan and a thud, as if something was thrown against the wall. “Come in!”
Without further hesitation, he entered. Nene was wrapped up in a blanket, her hair mussed and face pinched with frustration, almost sickly. Rui assessed the situation. The room was dim, and the curtains were drawn closed. Was she ill? “Is everything alright?” He switched the lights on and approached her, sitting by her side. Nene hissed like a cat in return.
“I died because of you.”
“I came to check on you. You weren’t answering.”
“Well, I was-” Before Nene could finish, Rui placed the back of his palm to her forehead. She went quiet, all her systems shutting down. What was he doing???
He retracted his hand with a click of his tongue. “Just as I thought. You have a cold.”
Nene opened her mouth to reply, No, dimwit, you didn’t let me finish , but another idea struck her. She still hasn’t checked her phone, but she can guess it’s full of messages from everyone checking up on her. They all probably think she skipped because she was sick or something. This was dumb, insane even, but after seeing Rui’s concern, she didn’t want to correct him. Not yet. Just for today, she wanted to be taken care of. Just once. “Yeah.” She coughed into her palm. “I could hardly get out of bed. Sorry I didn’t answer your messages. I completely forgot.”
Rui shook his head. “Don’t worry, at least I know you’re okay.” He looked at the TV. “Is that the new game you were talking about?”
Shoot. Nene forgot how much she had mentioned this to him. Rui was smart; a clear given from when they first met. He could connect the dots quick and know the real reason for her absence. “N-No,” she answered. “It’s the previous one in the series. I modded it.” Hopefully, his lack of video game knowledge made him believe her.
The gears in Rui’s head were turning. Very visibly, too, as if he were looking at an equation to be solved. “I… I see.” He nodded in false understanding. “Then, I shall go make some soup. Wait here.”
As Rui left the room, Nene let out a relieved sigh. Okay. Maybe this was more trouble than it was worth, but it was funny watching Rui fret over nothing. The princess treatment didn’t seem so bad either. It was… nice. Being treated like this by Rui was weirdly pleasing.
She’s never seen him like this before. Well, a few times, actually, but never had he been so doting. Never has she felt this strange, tender feeling either.
She shook her head, returning to the game and ridding herself of these thoughts.
Soon after, Rui returned with a steaming bowl of soup—chicken macaroni. He sat down beside her as she paused the game, reexamining her temperature before asking, “Do you need me to feed you?”
“No- cough , y-yes...” She feigned another sneeze and sniffled. “Please..”
Rui’s eyes tensed in concern. He took the spoon and slowly moved it to Nene’s lips. Wait, he was actually doing it?! W-Well, of course he is, but I didn’t… Maybe I should’ve thought this one over…! Her face exploded into a blooming red. She watched as the spoonful of soup made its way until it tapped lightly on her lips.
“Say ah,” instructed Rui. Nene hesitantly opened her mouth and sipped on the spoon. “Good job.” He smiled wanly.
She was in for more trouble than anticipated. What a great idea, idiot! Reflecting on things, Nene began to reconsider this whole plan of hers. She should stop while she was ahead. But then again… She also wanted to see how far he’d go for her. Was it bad? Possibly. Was it tempting? Most definitely.
She reapproached it and glanced at his eyes as if a damsel in distress. “I think I feel faint...” She muttered and fell into his lap, the bowl teetering and spilling a little on the floor.
Rui made a noise of panic. “Oh... L-Let’s get you to bed.” He put the bowl down and brought Nene into his arms without much effort. Damn, when did he get this strong???
He brought her to the bed and lay her down gently like he was handling glass. He brought the blanket over her frame and watched her tentatively, as if she would disappear into thin air if he looked away for a second. “Comfy?” He asked. Nene nodded.
If Nene were to admit one thing, it would be how cute Rui was currently. His usually witty, teasing nature was tossed aside and replaced by this nurturing prudence. She liked it. Probably too much.
“Let me know if you need anything. You stay put.” He stood to leave.
… That was all? Was he leaving already? Nene’s mind raced. She hated to even fathom it, but she wanted him to stay. She wanted to push this just a bit further, keep Rui in this new light she’s found him in. See every side of him that he keeps from her. She wanted him to care for her like his spouse, wanted him to be by her side for life.
She was desperate.
“W-Wait...!” She shouted, a bit louder than she should’ve. She corrected herself with another fake cough. “S-Stay, please.” Was she this down bad? This was a prank, though, right? At the end, she’ll stand, perfectly fine, and laugh at Rui for believing her sick. That was the plan.
But she found herself wanting. More.
Rui stopped and rejoined her. “If you say so.” Damn that smile of his to hell where it belonged. Never mind how badly Nene wanted to inch closer and closer to him until—hold on, what?
“Thanks.” She smiled back. “I feel cold.” Even Nene wondered where she was taking this.
Rui blinked, unsure what to do about that. “I could bring you the soup, or turn the heater on-”
“N-No,” Nene interjected. “Hold my hand…” Did… Did she seriously just ask him that? But she’s sick, so she gets a pass! Forget the fact that she wasn’t, but she needed this. Badly.
Rui stared, wide-eyed and red-cheeked. “Ah, i-if you say so.” He shakily took her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. Rui felt feverish. Was he getting sick too?
Nene, almost selfishly, clung to the warmth that was shared between them. She hid her traitorous face under the blanket. Should she say something now? Was the timing appropriate? Or could she push him a little further, see just exactly how far she can go till he breaks?
She indulged. “Rui.” Tugging on his sleeve, Nene gave another weak cough.
“Hm?” He faced her, redder than he was seconds ago.
“Could you please… come here?” Okay. She was going further than what she originally planned, but… but…
Nene was out of excuses.
Rui glanced around the room as if she had said something else. “Sorry, could you repeat-”
“Please, come here…”
Nene could feel his pulse race from his wrist. They had that in common, certainly.
Rui took a breath and obliged. He pulled the blanket over and made space for himself next to her. Silence. Rui was far enough that there were a few centimeters of air between them, but close enough to the point Nene could pull him in if she so desired.
And she did.
“Nene…!”
She whispered close to his ear, “I’m not actually sick.”
Flashes of conflicting emotions paraded on Rui’s face. “Y-You-!” He seemed as if he were about to scold her, but another idea came to mind. He smirked. What? “Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be? Fine, I’ll play along.”
“What are you talking a—” An overwhelming warmth pressed against her lips. Half a second later, she found herself kissing him back, craving and needing this. Him .
He pulled away first. “Liar.”
“Minx.” She smiled back. They’ve been this close before, but not in this context. Nene held herself back from grabbing his face and pulling for another, longer kiss. Have some self-control, woman!!!
Rui went back to speculation. “So, why weren’t you at school?”
“…I was in line to buy the new game and forgot my phone.” She giggled awkwardly.
Rui sighed but smiled. “I should’ve known.”
“Yeah, you really should’ve.”
…
He was the one to give in and kiss her again.
♫彡*:･ﾟ✧
When they woke up, Nene’s parents were knocking on the front door. They turned to one another. “Should I…?” Rui asked, raising a brow.
“Out the window. Now .” She ushered him out.
“Okay, okay, I’m going!” He fitted himself through, but paused for a moment, turning back to her. “So… same time to-”
“I said out!”
He left, but Nene knew he’d be back. She smiled and shut the window behind him. Idiot…