Chapter Text
Tsukasa’s hands remained steady as he held the brush to the doll’s hat, filling in the lilies with an inky black shade. As many times as he had done this, it was of the utmost importance that he put every bit of his focus and care into these dolls. Once all of the lilies were impeccably colored in, Tsukasa blinked hard and peered closely at the rest of the doll’s outfit. Based on the plan that he and Rui had sketched out, the doll was supposed to have an intricate yellow pattern on the shoulders of his coat. No problem at all! He wouldn’t be Tenma Tsukasa if he couldn’t handle such detail-oriented work.
“Good morning, Tsukasa.”
“AUGH!!!” Tsukasa barely managed to reclaim his grasp on his brush before it smeared paint all over his lap. “Rui! How many times have I told you not to startle me while I’m working?!”
“Ah…Tsukasa is yelling at me on my birthday…” Rui sniffled, his eyes getting glossy. “So mean and no birthday wishes either…yoyoyoyo…”
“I said it midnight on the dot,” Tsukasa said flatly. Sighing, he set the doll down and pulled Rui’s face in for a kiss. “Happy birthday, Rui.”
“Thank you,” Rui said, all smiles and not a tear in sight. “I see you’re already hard at work. It’s still quite early.”
“I was feeling inspired! I want their world to start as soon as possible,” he said, gesturing at the doll he had been working on. Nearby sat the doll’s future partner, clad in noble attire and adorned with white lilies. When they finished Rui’s miniature lookalike, he and Rui would imbue their respective dolls with pieces of their souls. They would set this particular world in motion, the wheels of fate turning as another Tsukasa and Rui came together, their destinies as entwined as their own. The two of them had made countless universes like this at SMILE Workshop, parts of their souls running over and over through different scenarios with the same good friends.
Rui rolled up his sleeves and tied his hair back. “I suppose I’ll join you, then. I wanted to make some changes to their stage before their show began anyway.”
“You wanted them to live in the same kingdom, right?”
“Yes, I had an idea regarding their first meeting. We have already had several cases in which they’ve been from different kingdoms and fought. The one with the sorcerer and the knight comes to mind.”
Tsukasa smiled. He had enjoyed making those dolls, the brave chevalier’s shining armor and the waves of gold weaved into the “mad” sorcerer’s dark cape. From what he had witnessed, those two had been remarkably dramatic and intense every time they had encountered each other in a fight, which drew them even closer to each other despite their status as enemies.
“We can’t really guarantee that they won’t ever fight,” Tsukasa pointed out. They could design the stage and its actors and introduce basic elements of a plot, but ultimately, the events that played out would depend on the world’s residents.
“No, but that’s not the direction we’re going for, so it’s unlikely that they’ll end up as enemies like some of the others did. To keep things fresh, I would like them to first meet when they are both in disguise. They’ve sneaked away from their respective homes and recognized each other in town.”
“Mhm, mhm! The start of a tentative friendship!” Tsukasa picked up the doll again, reaching for a different brush this time. He could imagine it: the wary prince, whose gloomy aura trailed behind him like a heavy cloak. The eyes that were hidden under the hood lighting up as he found someone he could have fun with. Each of the leads would be guarded in his own way, but Tsukasa believed in their ability to bridge that gap.
It didn’t take him long to paint the pattern onto the doll’s coat. There was no need to hesitate when he’d already had such a clear image in his mind and on paper! Nodding to himself, he set the brush down and held up the doll. “Rui! The outfit is all done! I’ve truly outdone myself this time, haven’t I?! HAHAHA!”
Rui glanced up from his station, and the pleased smile that graced his lips stoked the fires of his pride even more. “Well done, Tsukasa. You’ve brought even the smallest details to life.”
What a perfect time for a pose. With the doll still carefully held up midair, Tsukasa widened his stance and held his hand to his chest. “As expected of the brightest and most powerful star!”
Rui walked over, picking up the matching Tsukasa doll on the way. “I look forward to seeing their stories play out. I do wonder if they’ll be able to stay in touch after that first meeting…”
“Hmph, have you known any version of me to hold back from reaching for what I want?”
Rui raised his brow, and Tsukasa immediately knew what he was going to say.
“The pianist. He was…drastically different from you, if you recall. Though, I suppose he did still pursue his dream in his own way.”
Torpe was an anomaly. To this day, Tsukasa had no idea what had happened with his creation. A different name, a completely different personality from Tsukasa’s…he and Rui had both been baffled by the form taken by that piece of Tsukasa’s soul. Generally, the similarities between him and his derivatives were more obvious.
“Circumstances may keep them apart, but things will work out,” Tsukasa said, looking at the dolls in their hands. “Even if that happy ending seems far away, I just know they won’t stop reaching for it!”
“That you won’t stop,” Rui said softly, and Tsukasa frowned.
“Rui—”
“I know. But there’s a pattern that happens first, hm? A guiding star sweeping onto the scene.” A glint of mirth appeared in Rui’s eyes, but the sincerity remained in his voice. “I firmly believe that even if we weren’t soulmates, you would simply take our strings and tie them together yourself. Or create that cosmic bond through sheer willpower.”
“And you’d cover the string with some super durable material to protect it from anything!”
“Yes, like fire…or electricity…” Rui held his hand up to his chin, a slow smile beginning to form. “Or if I could make it conduct electricity instead, it could shock Tsukasa.”
“Why would you do that?? And there’s no literal string between us!” Seeing Rui’s eyes widen in excitement, Tsukasa sighed. “We’re not tying an actual string to our fingers for you to test shocking me through it.”
“Aw, but Tsukasa, you love me…”
“I do, but no!!”