Chapter Text
The sun cast a warm, golden glow over some sketches scattered across the floor. Rui leaned back, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips as he watched Tsukasa suddenly strike a dramatic, albeit unnecessary, pose out of the blue.
"Fufu... Tsukasa-kun, whenever you approve of my ideas, I can't help but feel satisfied," Rui murmured, his voice trailing off with a hint of mischief in his tone.
Tsukasa crossed his arms, "Heh, like I said! I'd let you do whatever you want for our shows, regardless of the idea. I wouldn't want my director's ideas to go to waste, you know?"
Rui's expression looked... stunned to say the least. (Heh, "I'd let you do whatever you want." Oh, Tsukasa-kun... that's a dangerous thing to say.)
A few moments later, the surroundings fell into a comfortable silence, broken only by the scratching of Rui’s pencil. He doesn't normally draw outside of his workspace, but visibly, he was lost in his work until a specific, absurd vision took hold.
"Hmm... what if we tried a story where a married couple bicker and one of the partners just somehow sets the house on fire???" Rui chuckled to himself. "Pfft... Tsukasa-kun would be a perfect candidate for the wi-"
"What did you say about me?"
Rui jumped slightly, his pencil skidding across the paper as Tsukasa suddenly showed up. "Ah, Tsukasa-kun!!! I- well, I didn't realize you'd be back so early! Fufu..."
Tsukasa narrowed his eyes, suspicious of the sudden hiding of his sketchbook. "I heard that idea-"
"What idea?" Rui countered instantly, his expression innocent, but of course, Tsukasa could see right through him.
Tsukasa sighed, deciding not to press the issue, "Anyway, I've been looking everywhere for you, so I didn't realize you weren't going to eat yet."
That was until his gaze fell on the floor..! "Wait... is that a drawing of me on FIRE???"
"Oh, Tsukasa-kun, so observant!" Rui didn't even try to hide the drawing anymore. "Hypothetically speaking, of course... the audience would be intrigued by a scene of drama and tension between a married couple, don't you think so, Tsukasa-kun?"
"I, what?" Tsukasa stammered, his brain struggling to process why he was being cast as a spouse for a show similar to some grandma's daily soap opera.
"Though I'd never let you get hurt," Rui added smoothly, resting his chin on his palm. "Probably."
Tsukasa’s voice hit a high pitch. "PROBABLY??!?"
"Kidding!" Rui laughed, watching the indignant flush creep up Tsukasa's neck. (Pfft... he's so cute when he's shocked sometimes. More teasing and he'd probably be upset, I'll tone it down... for now.)
His expression softened, the playful edge giving way to something more grounded.
"...You know I'd stop the show the moment something went wrong."
The star’s posture relaxed, a rare moment of quiet vulnerability passing between them. "Well, I knew that."
"Of course you do. Your- a performer's safety matters more than any well-presented spectacle." Rui looked away for a split second, clearing his throat.
"...But your reaction a while ago was priceless. Certainly." Funnily enough, Tsukasa didn't hear that.
"As if I'd ever doubt you, Rui!" Tsukasa declared, though he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Though next time, maybe warn me about that idea next time...?"
"Fufu... will do."
Tsukasa paused, his mind lingering on Rui's words.
"...You'd really stop the whole show? Just for me?"
Rui froze for a heartbeat. (Did he hear that slip up..? No, I'm probably overthinking it.)
"Of course I would. You know me well enough to know how... strict I can be with these things. Though I'd prefer if you never gave me a reason to-"
"What was that?"
"Oh, just start eating your lunch before I reconsider the previous idea," Rui interrupted, pointing firmly at the bag Tsukasa was carrying.
"Pfft, fine..." Tsukasa let out a small, genuine chuckle. He felt a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the sun. (I- that chuckle was so unlike me. I mean... I'd never show this to anyone else! But Rui isn't... anyone else. Never has been.)
Rui tapped the floor expectantly. "Hypothetical idea aside... Speaking of lunch, you did promise me fried chicken today. Or was that another exaggeration you’d sa-"
"Of course I have it with me!" Tsukasa proclaimed, swinging the bag between them with a flourish. "Here, a future star never breaks his promises!"
Rui opened the container, looking more stunned than he should. "Woah, this looks... so good...!"
"No vegetables this time!" Tsukasa noted, though his tone turned concerned. "But you really should eat more food with nutrients. You know, being too heavy on protein isn't healthy, right?"
Rui popped a piece of chicken into his mouth, a look of pure bliss crossing his face. "Heh, I have my ways-"
"Eat up before I steal your portion," Tsukasa teased, reaching out as if to grab a piece.
"You're lucky I adore you," Rui murmured, the words slipping out before he could correct himself.
Tsukasa blinked, stunned. "Huh?"
Rui’s eyes widened, and he quickly corrected himself with a sharp, defensive grin. "I mean- you're lucky I abhor you!"
"Pfft, liar," Tsukasa laughed, seeing right through him once again.
Rui huffed, though there was no heat in it, of course. "I- you just want to hear more praise from me, don't you, Tenma?"
Tsukasa smirked, leaning in. "Aww, no honorific this time?"
"Fine, fine! My sincerest apologies, Tsukasa-kun."
"That's much better."
As they sat together sharing the meal, Rui watched Tsukasa, the loud, brilliant, and inexplicably kind star who had changed his world... a lot.
(...Though, I suppose that's why I want to keep you around more.)
They walk home together, deciding on which house to drop the other one off at. Since Rui dropped Tsukasa off at his house before, maybe it's time for Tsukasa to drop Rui off. In short, the other way around.
But first, they decided to stop over at a convenience store.
"Ah, after all this walking, I am quite famished." Rui exaggerated.
"Of course you're starving after eating chicken, not even thirty minutes before this." And yet, Tsukasa had rebutted that.
"Come on, like you can't stop by for a snack?"
"Fine, fine, I'll come with you."
"Fufu," Rui chuckled.
"Oh, Rui, look! There's a convenience store right there." And speak of the devil, they'd found a stop not even a second later.
"Pfft.. how convenient." Rui joked a little.
"Haha, real funny." Tsukasa rolled his eyes and chuckled anyway.
"Now come on!"
Tsukasa instinctively grabbed Rui's hand as soon as he'd seen it. It was sudden to say the least, who wouldn't be surprised? Tsukasa's grip was firm, but as they rushed towards the store, Rui couldn't deny that he wanted to hold Tsukasa's hand a little more.
As they both arrived, Tsukasa finally let go of Rui's hand to grab a bottle of candy, ramune candy in particular.
"Oh, look! It's one of those candies you like!"
"Uhm... how do you know that?"
"You eat it every time we practice. It's hard to say you don't like it when you practically eat it a lot around us." It's... really touching to know that Tsukasa knew that about Rui, despite being really obvious.
Yet, he'd never explicitly reveal that about himself.
"Observant, aren't you?" Rui teased.
"You're like that too, idiot," Tsukasa whispered to himself.
Rui walked up to the nearest shelf, seeing something really unusual, finds him curious. "Tsukasa-kun, look. "Super Spicy Wasabi-Chocolate Buns. A daring combination of flavors. Fufu... wonder how that'd taste like."
"What if that's just a play on words since it's green when it's just matcha and chocolate?" Tsukasa could be making a point here, but when there's a "play on words," that can't possibly be the case, ri-
Oh, he was RIGHT.
Rui looked back at Tsukasa with a somewhat shocked expression. "How did you figure that out so fast?"
"Oh, Saki bought the same thing last month, thinking it would taste exactly like the label. Looks can be deceiving, yet I was both shocked and relieved to realize it wasn't how it actually tasted. Pfft, if someone ACTUALLY made something like that, I wouldn't want to know what it could taste like!"
Ah, so it wasn't some silly prediction. "Oh, I thought you just guessed that on the spot."
"Matcha-chocolate buns aside, are you going to actually buy food? I thought you said you were famished, but it looks like you're already full from all that window shopping of yours!!"
"Okay, fine. Maybe the ramune bottle you're holding?"
"Oh, yeah, I was planning on buying this for you." (Buying... for me..?)
Rui's shock had returned, but it was more of.. touched and moved at the same time. He had been planning to get Tsukasa something as well, then they could walk home right after. But now, since they both had the same idea, how could he say no to an offer like that?
"...Thank you, Tsukasa-kun." Rui smiled, but of course, that wasn't the same smile he usually shows to Tsukasa when he teases him like usual.
"Don't mention it, really." Tsukasa smiled back.
That brief trip was over immediately, as Tsukasa ended up being bought the same candy, thinking about how much Rui eats it. If he liked it that much, Tsukasa figured he might as well see what he liked about it, too. It's not like he's never eaten it before anyway.
The pace in their walk was much slower now, as they were nearing the familiar streets of Rui's neighborhood. The atmosphere had definitely shifted. Tsukasa's laughter died down gradually, though, not because his mood had soured, but more like he was finally matching the calm of the scenery.
Meanwhile, Rui wandered silently, picking up small details around him, like the way a streetlamp flickered, or when the leaves suddenly rustled somewhere.
"You're unusually quiet, Rui," Tsukasa noted. "What's on your mind?"
"Well, I was just thinking... you're quite persistent today. Most people would've let me walk myself home after the third or even the second absurd idea I'd bring up."
"Hey, as if I'd ever leave you to wander the streets alone. Besides..." He looked away suddenly.
"A star must always look after those who make the stage possible. It's... only natural." The tips of his ears turned a shade of pink that matched the same peach-colored blend on his hair.
"...Huh."
They finally reached Rui's house. Ah, departure!
"Well, that trip was certainly productive." Rui teased.
His eyes were gentler than usual. "Thank you, Tsukasa-kun. For staying with me earlier, for also walking with me again like usual, and for this bottle of ramune, for sure."
"You held my hand so tightly earlier, even though it wasn't really that necessary," Rui said with confidence, until it wasn't so confident anymore. He realized then that pointing it out made the lingering warmth on his hand feel a lot more... permanent.
"I- I mean, of course it was necessa-"
"I just wanted to make sure we didn't miss the store! Don't look too deeply into it, Rui..." Tsukasa was just as shocked as Rui was. He hated to admit it, but he wanted to grab on to Rui a little longer, and a minute while holding it earlier, he certainly didn't want to let go.
"Fufu... of course, my apologies." Rui chuckled, though the look he gave Tsukasa suggested he knew exactly what he was thinking of.
The ramune candy was the only way he did let go without being direct with it, so it was a good excuse... somehow?
"Anyway!" Tsukasa shouted, regaining the same volume he usually uses. "Rest well, talk again tomorrow, good night, bye!" Tsukasa hurriedly walked off.
"...Good night, my star," Rui whispered to himself.