Chapter Text
It was a rather typical Tuesday night for Rui; the impending stress of school the next day, the urge to keep working on his projects, and the thoughts of a certain someone swirling in the back of his brain.
Maybe, just maybe, he should consider getting sleep... but no, how could he possibly be what Tsukasa needed if he wasted precious hours sleeping?
Rui hums a tune from one of the troupe's more recent performances, a rather catchy one, which, only had his own and Tsukasa's vocals. It was impossible to get that man's face out of his mind; Tenma haunted his every moment.
His phone sat on his desk and he glances at it, half procrastinating, half hoping for a notification.
"Oh Tsukasa-kun... I feel so stupid waiting for... for anything from you," his world felt so empty when his star wasn't shining for him.
What time was it, even? He could certainly get to spot-welding the rest of the circuits on the current, although rather neglected, project sitting in front of him. Or, which he greatly preffered this option, he could...
Nevermind. Rui slumped forward, involuntarily falling asleep at his desk.
He couldn't resist the siren call of sleep any longer, it seems.
The clock had read 4:16.
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He slept heavily, what else would you expect when your dreams are filled with the man you love more than life? Although, Rui could never see the faces of those in his mental scape whilst he was slumbering. A trick of the mind, and a sick one at that.
"Rui! You're back! You almost missed your cue for the show, I was a little worried when you collapsed..." a, faceless, Tsukasa greeted Rui.
Oh right, his dreams were sometimes continuations of the previous one. In the one that this one carried on, Rui had passed out, although to him it was just waking up to his alarm which gave him a headache, right before the middway break was over.
He felt guilty for almost missing his cue; even if it was just a dream and waking was natural, he still couldn't allow himself to make a mistake.
Especially not in front of the great Tenma Tsukasa.
"Earth to Ruuui?" Tsukasa waves a hand infront of his face; right, he still managed to be in the clouds in his dreams. "Are you okay?"
If only the real Tsukasa would notice...
"I... well I..." go on, fes up, it's only a dream after all. "Not... not really," he laughs awkwardly.
Tsukasa's already blank face somehow gained a different tilt. He leans in closer, "You deserve to feel this way."
Aah- Rui felt his chest tighten.
"You're just an expendable dead weight, you don't deserve to direct this troupe."
Rui's mind was growing fuzzy. Tsukasa's words were... true? If they came from his star then he had to believe them.
"No one would care if you were gone. You just cause us more problems, something is wrong with that head of yours, you know?"
He stared up at Tsukasa, this was just a dream, right? Tsukasa would tell him if he... would he though? Would Tsukasa really risk his public image again by causing drama with his director again?
No.
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Rui? Rui wake up, you're going to be late for school.
Right, school. Looks like he had slept through his alarm again. This was starting to become a big problem..
"Sorry Okaa-san!" perfect, make sure to maintain the demeanor and don't make them worry.
That's one of the rules Kamishiro lived by.
1. Never make them worry about you, if you show needs then they won't like you
2. Always do whatever Tsukasa proposes, just make sure he likes you
3. Keep your mind off of what's in the closet
Rather basic instructions for a perfect enough life, if he would say so himself.
To start, Rui dresses himself in the Kamiyama High boy's uniform.
He made sure that his watch went over his right sleeve. Rule one, yeah?
Oh right, his phone. A notification was waiting for him, he felt his heart flutter when he noticed who sent it.
Kasa-Kun: A sticker of a cartoon character reading "おはよう！". how did you sleep last night? i can't wait to see you today ;)
His face flushed slightly, Tsukasa was so stupid like this in the mornings. He smiled to himself as he started typing out a reply... cancel that, last night felt too real. The joy of his morning was something to be questioned now; did Tsukasa mean it or not?
It's not like Rui would be keen on asking though, that would, once again, violate his rules.
But... he couldn't leave his lover unanswered, that would also make it seem like there was something wrong.
Rui: I slept well. I love you, Kasa.