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Tsukasa yawned, stretching his arms as he sank into his bed. Earlier that day, he and his troupe had a rather energetic show, which left him feeling exhausted. It was something they’d been working on for a good couple of weeks now, so he was happy it all went well; a feeling of accomplishment washed over him.
He let out an exasperated sigh and grabbed his phone, wincing at the bright screen as he turned it on. He had 2 notifications, one from Saki— ’I’m staying at my girlfriend's tonight, stay safe and remember to get to sleep early! xx’, and one from Rui. It was probably about their next show, he thought.
’I’m outside’
Tsukasa raised a brow, rereading Rui’s message to make sure he had it right.
’I didn’t invite you?’
A few seconds passed.
’... so anyway, I’m outside’
Tsukasa thought he was joking. Pulling his silly little jokes as he usually does. But curiosity got the best of him. I mean– what if he was outside? Tsukasa couldn’t just leave him out there.
Tsukasa carefully made his way down the stairs, switching the kitchen light on and unlocking the door. And to his surprise, Rui was actually here. “R-Rui!?” Tsukasa gasped.
“ I thought you were going to leave me out here in the cold..!” Rui sniffled, dramatically wiping his eyes.
“What are you doing here this late?” Tsukasa questioned, placing a hand on his hip.
Rui giggled in return. “Well… I missed my star.”
Tsukasa’s eyes blinked, caught off guard by Rui’s words. “You— you came all this way here because you missed me?”
Rui hummed. “Precisely.”
Tsukasa felt his face heat up. “You could’ve just called…” Rui just smiled.
Rui took off his shoes and neatly placed them next to the door. Tsukasa said goodbye to any chance of getting to sleep early, as per Saki’s request. “I’m assuming you're staying over?” Tsukasa asks, closing the door gently behind them. Rui tilted his head, feigning innocence. “If that’s not too much trouble for my star, of course.” Tsukasa crossed his arms. “Of course! What kind of person would I be if I turned away a guest at this hour?”.
“B-but don’t think you can just show up out of nowhere again!” Tsukasa scolded.
Rui smiled, softer this time. “Thank you, Tsukasa-kun.” Tsukasa huffed, ignoring the warmth in his heart at Rui’s smile. “It’s no problem!” He grinned.
Tsukasa led Rui down the hallway and into the living room, the faint sound of their footsteps echoing throughout the house. Rui was only walking a few steps behind him.
It was ridiculous, he told himself— absolutely ridiculous. How could his heart skip a beat at something as simple as Rui missing him? Tsukasa wasn’t used to this kind of feeling. He’d dealt with nerves, pride, excitement, and even stage fright at times, yet all those emotions were familiar. But this? The way his chest tightened and cheeks heated whenever Rui smiled or said his name, he didn't even have the words for it. He only ever thought of Rui as a friend. That was the truth, wasn’t it? So why did his thoughts keep lingering back to Rui and his stupidly handsome face, stupidly smooth, relaxing voice, and stupidly cute personality? (we get it)
Hell— he’d never even thought about love before. He’d seen it in plays before, of course, and he’d acted it out with all his knowledge, but that was just acting. This felt different. It felt real. And that terrified him more than anything.
Because Tsukasa couldn’t risk their friendship over a tiny little crush. No, of course not. If Rui found out his feelings… everything would be awkward, a forced tension between the two of them.
“I’ll take the floor, you can have the bed.” Tsukasa offered, grabbing an extra blanket and pillow out of his closet. Rui stood next to him, carefully holding the closet door open. He chuckled, leaning closer to Tsukasa. “How about we share?” Rui teased.
Tsukasa blinked, his face heating up. “Uhm.. I-I suppose we can! If you’d like.”
Before he could even process the words that had left his mouth, he felt Rui wrapping his arms around Tsukasa’s waist, catching Tsukasa by surprise.
“RUI!?” Tsukasa yelped, stiffening up. Rui giggled, flashing his usual cat-like grin, one Tsukasa was all too familiar with. Tsukasa wasn’t sure if he was going to survive tonight…
“Fufu~ Tsukasa-kun’s blushing.” Rui playfully poked Tsukasa's cheek.
“It’s just a little warm in here, is all!” Tsukasa sputtered, swatting his hand away.
“It’s winter.”
Tsukasa froze in embarrassment. “Well—”
Rui laughed, a light and genuine sound that left Tsukasa breathless. It was something so simple, yet something Tsukasa loved to the moon and back. He couldn’t help but join in, clutching his stomach to hold in his giggles. After a moment, Tsukasa stretched, letting out a quiet yawn. “We should probably get some sleep, huh?” he murmured.
Tsukasa slid into the bed next to Rui, trying not to think too hard about how close they were. The mattress dipped slightly as Rui shuffled closer, leaning his head on his shoulder. Tsukasa could feel his eyes getting heavy, his breathing becoming shallow.
Rui’s voice cut through the silence. “Tsukasa-kun… I really like you.” No response.
“Tsukasa-kun?”
Oh, he was asleep.
“Ah, goodnight, my star.”
Tsukasa squinted his eyes open, still half asleep; the sun was seeping through the crack in the curtain. He yawned quietly, shifting to sit up— only to be pulled back down. Rui’s arms were tightly wrapped around his waist, holding him close. For a moment, Tsukasa froze. His heart thudded in his chest.
Rui’s lips were slightly agape, letting out quiet snores. Tsukasa had to stop himself from indulging and cuddling into Rui’s chest. No— no, he couldn’t do that.
Carefully, he slipped out of Rui’s grasp. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, running a hand through his messy hair as he quietly stepped downstairs into the kitchen, deciding to make breakfast for the two of them.