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The sun was beginning to set, lighting the sky up with all sorts of warm hues. Rui thought it was quite beautiful, but as he knows, Emu isn't so fond of sunsets. The four of them were cleaning up from their practice and as expected, she let out a sad sigh. “I wish today was longer.”
“There truly is never enough time in the day.” Rui agreed. But as he looked up at the sunset once more, he couldn't help but prefer this over the bright blue sky during the day. “Though, I think this lighting is quite beautiful…”
There was something familiar, warm, even comforting about these colors. Rui wasn't sure exactly why he felt this way, but he liked it. He couldn't take his eyes off it. Red, orange, yellow…
“Rui!” Tsukasa stood directly in front of him, blocking his view of the sky. “Could you help me carry that?” He gestured to the side. The bench they were using for the last scene sat in the center of the stage, too heavy for either of them to lift on their own.
“Uh… yeah.” Rui answered, still distracted.
“You good?” Tsukasa asked, his eyes full of concern. Rui stared back into the other boy's eyes. Red, orange, yellow…
“I'm fine.” Rui smiled as he realized why he loved tonight's sky so much. Tsukasa's gaze always made him feel warm inside, and now even the sky is reminding him of those fuzzy feelings.
“Come on then!” Tsukasa hurried away to the bench.
…
As soon as the stage was cleaned, it was time for the four of them to each head home. Normally, Rui would go home with Nene right by his side, but tonight, she and Emu are having a sleepover game night with Akito and Toya. This caused Tsukasa to insist he walk Rui home.
There really was no point in arguing with him, and who was Rui to complain about spending a little extra time with his favorite shining star?
“Rui, are you sure you're okay? You seemed distracted earlier.” Tsukasa moved closer to him as they walked, their arms now brushing, and looked up into his eyes with a surprisingly gentle gaze.
“I'm alright, Tsukasa-kun, don't worry. I was simply distracted by the sunset.” Rui felt his cheeks heating up.
“I've never seen you look at a sunset like that. What made it so special?”
“I thought the colors looked familiar, and then I looked at your eyes and… well…” He felt embarrassed to be telling him this. Admitting he got so entranced by the sunset because it reminded him of his eyes sounded… really romantic. Or maybe he's overthinking. He didn't know anymore. It's hard to think clearly when he's alone with Tsukasa.
“It made you think of my eyes?” Tsukasa sounded surprised. “I guess, now that you mention it, they do look like sunsets, don't they?” He smiled softly at him.
“Indeed. They're very pretty.” Rui smiled back. The two of them gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments. Despite hardly being able to see the colors in Tsukasa's eyes through the darkness, Rui couldn't get enough of them, and it certainly didn't stop warm and fuzzy feelings from flowing throughout his body.
Tsukasa was the first to look away. “Of course, my eyes are gorgeous!” He struck a pose. Rui chuckled at how silly it was. “Yours are too, though.” He mumbled quietly after.
Rui's eyes widened at the unexpected compliment. “Oh, uh, thanks…” He stammered. His cheeks burned now and he was sure that once he got home and looked into the mirror, he'd find himself as red as a tomato. The fact that he and Tsukasa were pretty much leaning into each other as they walked didn't help either.
Despite his embarrassment and struggle just to say thanks to his compliment, Rui couldn't be enjoying himself more. He loved having Tsukasa by his side and he wouldn't want to be doing anything else. So when they finally made it to Rui's house, he felt a wave of disappointment.
But that disappointment didn't last too long when suddenly Tsukasa's arms were around him. Due to their height difference, he always had to tip toe to rest his head on Rui's shoulder whenever they hugged, which didn't happen too often; usually only if they're alone. Rui wondered if it was because Tsukasa was embarrassed to show such gentle affection.
But whenever the rare hug did happen, Rui would always long for more. He wants to be even closer, hold Tsukasa's waist tighter, and be able to fully breathe in the scent of whatever cologne he wears. He wasn't exactly sure what the smell was, but knowing Tsukasa, it probably has something to do with stars.
Rui loosened his hold around Tsukasa's waist expecting for him to also let go, but to Rui's surprise, he still didn't move. So Rui decided he'd actually do what he's always longed for. He shuffled forward to get closer, waiting to see how Tsukasa would react.
Tsukasa's hold on him tightened which gave Rui the confidence to do the same back. His nose was now right next to Tsukasa's neck and he couldn't help but drown in the familiar scent of his cologne. Their bodies have never been so close before, and Rui really liked how warm it felt. Any chill in the night air completely disappeared.
“You smell like candy.” Tsukasa mumbled into Rui's cardigan.
“You smell like… stars.”
Tsukasa laughed softly. “That's because I am one.”
“My favorite one.” Rui whispered into his ear.
The two of them slowly separated from their hug, and Rui wasn't sure if he'd ever seen Tsukasa look so flustered before. “Well, I… I'd better get going.”
“See you tomorrow, Tsukasa-kun.”
“See you!” Tsukasa waved in his usual energetic way as he hurried away in the direction of his house.
Rui closed the door, and made his way to the bathroom. He stared at his face in the mirror, and as expected, it was bright red and hot to the touch. Nobody but Tsukasa has ever made him feel this way. Rui wanted to pour his heart out to him, but he was scared of rejection.
Tsukasa is his favorite person in the whole world and it would hurt more than anything to lose him. But with the way Tsukasa looked at him tonight, the way they held each other closer than they ever had before, Tsukasa's flustered expression… Maybe they could be more than best friends.
…
A few days had passed since their hug, and much as Rui wished it would happen every day, he couldn't get greedy. This morning, he had woken up as usual to get ready for practice with the others, but today was going to be different. After much thought, he decided that he wanted to tell Tsukasa how he felt.
After practice, Rui would pull him aside, say how much he loves him, and Tsukasa would reciprocate. Then they'd hug again and maybe even kiss. Or at least that's the fantasy he had been imagining would happen in his head for the past couple days. There was no way to know for sure whether this would go well or not, but at this point, he feels these feelings are too strong to ignore any longer.
He loves Tsukasa.
As practice was now coming to an end and the sun was beginning to set, Rui could feel the nerves building in stomach. He looked up at the golden colored sky—not really looking like Tsukasa's eyes as it did the other day—trying to remain as calm as he could.
Hands placed onto Rui's shoulders jolted him right out of his thoughts. “Rui! What a beautiful sunset today, don't you think?” Tsukasa's eyes were sparkling.
“It is.”
“Exactly! So let's hurry before it disappears.” He started pushing Rui. “Bye, Emu! Bye, Nene!” He called out while Rui waved to them. He had no idea where Tsukasa was taking him, but he was intrigued nonetheless.
“Where are you taking me?” Rui asked after a while of following him.
“There's something I want to show you here.” Tsukasa explained as they approached Nonogi Park. A few moments later, in an area where no one else was around, he bent down to pick up a green leaf off the ground and showed it to Rui. “This is just like those little green spots in your eyes.”
Rui was too surprised to say anything. He wondered where Tsukasa was going with this. He shifted closer to Rui and put his arm around his shoulders while dangling the leaf in front of him.
“Look, if I hold this leaf up next to the sky, it's just like your eyes.” Tsukasa told him, and Rui could see exactly what he meant. The golden color of the sky really did match his eyes, and holding up that leaf to represent the little flecks of green was pretty creative.
“I see, it is very similar.” Rui smiled. He had no idea Tsukasa paid this much attention to his eyes, and he felt himself start to blush. Tsukasa was so cute sometimes and he probably didn't even know it. As Rui finally teared his eyes away from the sky, he saw Tsukasa already looking at him with a soft smile. His arm around Rui's shoulders slowly moved down to hold his waist.
Rui's blush deepened. Tsukasa was actually holding him, and so gently too. Then his mind reminded him of what he actually planned to do today. He's supposed to be confessing his feelings, and now seemed like a good time as they continued to watch the sun go down.
“Tsukasa-kun?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I tell you something?”
“Anything.”
“I like you.” Rui's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump right out his chest. He said it. He really said it.
“Well, I like you too.” Tsukasa answered, but then his eyes went wider than ever. “Or do you mean it like…?”
“Yes…” Rui nodded. “I love you.”
Tsukasa stared back at him in shock, completely lost for words while his face turned into a bright shade of red. Rui was about to get worried by the lack of response, but just then, the arm Tsukasa had around Rui's waist pulled him close.
With their chests pressed together, Rui could feel Tsukasa's fast heartbeat against his own. “I love you too.” Tsukasa mumbled against Rui's sweater in an uncharacteristically shy way. Happiness surged through Rui upon hearing Tsukasa's words. The words he'd always dreamed of hearing from him are finally a reality.
The two of them pulled away from the hug, but still stood close. Then Tsukasa glanced around. “Oh, it's almost dark out! Saki could get worried if I don't start heading back soon. But…” He gently took hold of Rui's hands. “I don't want to leave you yet.”
Rui stared down at their hands. Tsukasa's skin was soft. “I'll walk you home, if you'd like.”
“I would like that.”
The walk to Tsukasa's house was nice. Just the two of them side by side in a comfortable silence while their fingers occasionally brushed. Now, as they stood outside of Tsukasa's house, the sky had gone fully dark and they were lit only by the moonlight.
“See you tomor…” Tsukasa's words trailed off as Rui moved the blonde bangs off his forehead and planted a gentle kiss.
Rui chuckled softly. “See you tomorrow, Tsukasa-kun.” But just as he was about to turn around and head home, he was stopped by a tug on the sleeve of his sweater.
“Wait.” Tsukasa slowly rested his arms around Rui's neck. “Can I kiss your lips?” He glanced down at them.
Rui hasn't expected Tsukasa to be so bold and ask for that already, but of course, he won't be turning him down. “Yes.”
Both of them leaned in at the same time and despite the first kiss nerves, Rui couldn't help but smile at the feeling of Tsukasa's soft lips against his own. With shaky hands, he lightly held Tsukasa's waist, and now, he could feel his star smiling into the kiss too.
As soon as they both pulled away, Tsukasa hid his face in Rui's shoulder out of embarrassment. Rui moved one of his hands up to Tsukasa's hair and lightly brushed his fingers through the strands on the back of his neck. “Aww, Tsukasa-kun is flustered.” Rui teased.
“Shush.”