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…This is not how a Friday was supposed to go, this could never be in our plans. I. HATE. RAINY DAYS. SO. SO INCREDIBLY MUCH.
“RUN!”
"I-I already am...!"
“WELL RUN MORE IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE!!”
Rui laughs beside me. Indeed… the water splashes up with every step I take, soaking my socks long before I even have the chance to complain about them.
Neither of us brought an umbrella, nor checked the forecast. Woah, we’re totally going to survive adulthood!
"I can't see!" I squint as cold water smacks my face.
"You look very heroic⁓!”
"I'M GOING TO DROWN, STOP FLIRTING!!”
He's soaked through already… but how is he allowed to look like that while I resemble a very distressed stray cat?
Rui catches my sleeve and yanks me sideways just before I barrel directly through a puddle the size of a small lake. Which, of course, is sadly too late: water basically explodes around us.
"...You did that on purpose!"
"I most certainly did not…”
"Liar!" I scoop up a handful of rainwater from another puddle and fling it toward him, causing him to gasp with mock offense.
“...are you declaring war on me, Tenma?”
"Oh, I absolutely have…”
He retaliates and cold droplets hit my cheek.
"HEY!" I lunge towards him, but he darts away with that infuriatingly graceful little laugh.
People walking by glance at us, the eldery are probably thinking ‘oh, if this is today’s youth, we’re doomed.’ AND THEY’RE CORRECT!
So, we’re barely recognizable by the moment we reach Rui’s house. Wish I couldn’t feel the unpleasant way water drips through my bangs...
He reaches for the doorknob, which doesn’t budge.
"...Oh."
"...Locked?" I ask.
"It would certainly appear so… and my parents are working right now.”
He pats his pockets, left, right, just in case the inside pocket too.
“Ah…” his golden eyes blnk. "My keys are in my bag."
"Of course they are…”
I swing his backpack around from his shoulder, noticing that the zipper is already damp. Yes, it’s waterproof… but that doesn’t mean I can just open it in the middle of a whole flood!
…his notes’ pages are already beginning to curl at the corners.
"Oh dear…” the single syllable that comes out of his mouth contains every stage of grief.
"No no no NO NO!" I panic.
He crouches, trying to shield the opening of the bag with his own body, but it's pointless. Rain is coming down from every possible angle known to man.
"I-I only need a second, the keys should be in one of the smaller compartments…”
"Your notes are getting soaked!”
“I’m aware…!”
Without thinking, I shrug my blazer off, not caring how much cold rain pelts my shirt, and throw it over Rui.
"...What?"
"Look for the keys!”
"You'll get soaked."
"I'm already soaked, more isn't going to kill me! The keys!”
…why are you staring at me like that, RUI. THE KEYS.
My hair is definitely sticking up in directions no human hair should… I probably look ridiculous.
He thankfully seems to remember what he's supposed to do a few seconds later, and his hands disappear back into the backpack beneath the makeshift shelter.
"...Not this pocket..." he opens another zipper, "...not this one either… ah, here!"
I exhale too dramatically. "Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
Rui lifts my blazer off his head once we both step inside and folds it carefully under one arm.
"...You know, this is the first time someone's used their school uniform to protect my homework."
Can’t help but snort. "That's because most people have the common sense to bring umbrellas!”
Rui looks down at the perfectly dry notebooks inside the backpack… phew, not a single page got any wetter than it already had! Victory!
His thumb brushes absentmindedly over one of the folder edges, and oh, there it is, that smile…
"...Thank you, star."
"I-It would've been tragic, I mean…” I scratch the back of my neck.
OH, RIGHT, we're still dripping all over the entryway… to the point that little puddles are already forming around our shoes.
"My mother would kill me if I tracked this much water into our house…”
"Fortunately, this is mine⁓!”
He reaches towards the wall. Click.
...Nothing.
Click. Click. Click.
"...Did the bulb die?"
"Perhaps…” after another click, his eyebrows raise. “Or maybe the electricity did.”
“OH YOU’RE JOKING!”
"I'll go check the kitchen…” he takes exactly two steps before I point at the trail he's leaving behind.
“NO SIR!”
Rui stops. "What?"
"You."
"...Me?"
"LOOK BEHIND YOU, KAMISHIRO!”
He turns for his eyes to meet a perfect trail of wet footprints stretched across the wooden floor.
"...Oh."
"You're a waterfall!"
"I wouldn't go that far…”
"Rui, your cardigan is dripping,” as if on cue, a bead of water falls from the sleeve onto the floor. "At least take off your socks and cardigan before you flood the entire first floor…!"
As far as we know, I am not negotiable. So, he slips out of his loafers first, neatly lining them up despite the circumstances.
Then comes the socks, he peels them off—OH MY GOD. What a disgusting wet sound that was.
Finally, he slides his cyan cardigan off, revealing the equally soaked white shirt underneath.
"You somehow have another wet layer underneath…”
"I was standing in the rain, I think that’s what usually happens⁓”
I swear he always gets funnier whenever I'm one inconvenience away from collapsing!
He drapes the cardigan carefully over the handrail beside the stairs. "I'll be right back…”
"Try not to discover another catastrophe…!”
I pull my own soaked socks off with a grimace… ugh, equally disgusting. Everything is extremely cold.
“So gross…”
A distant click echoes from deeper in the house, followed by two or three more in different places.
"Rui?"
"I'm alive!”
"Good…”
A few minutes later, his footsteps return. He stops in front of me, folds his hands behind his back, and smiles.
"...Well?"
"There is, in fact, no electricity.”
…I stare at him. "That's your report?"
"I checked the kitchen, the hallway, the bathroom… no power."
"This is the worst…!” a near-death experience, truly. "This day has conspired against me."
"I've had worse Fridays… do you need dry clothes?"
I look down… oh, yeah. My shirt is still clinging to my skin. Ew.
"That would probably be wise…”
“Let’s go, then⁓!” he starts walking and I follow.
His bedroom is only slightly brighter than the hallway… just a bit.
"Let's see..." Rui looks through his wardrobe and starts pulling out clothes with complete confidence. "This one?"
He holds up an oversized sweater.
"...Rui. Is that a blanket."
“Huh?” OH, NOT THE ‘:(‘ FACE!
"I'm saying you're built like a streetlamp!!”
He folds it over one arm and reaches for another one. Oh, you 1,82 man that somehow feels like he needs oversized clothes to exist...
"RUI, that is also enormous…! I-It’s not a blanket anymore, but it’s still like a tent!”
Every single one he shows me looks progressively more capable of housing an entire second person…
"...Do you own anything," I ask, "that isn't oversized?"
"I own several…”
“Where?!”
His golden eyes look thoughtfully into the wardrobe.
"...An excellent question."
I pinch the bridge of my nose. After another minute of digging, he suddenly brightens.
"Ah!”
He pulls out a plain long-sleeved shirt. Wow… a normal piece of clothing? In Kamishiro Rui’s wardrobe?
I grab it and hold it against myself. “...finally. I was beginning to think I'd have to wear your curtains."
Rui also finds a pair of gray sweatpants. Huh… I don’t seem to step on them when I walk. Nice, nice!
I clutch both pieces of clothing victoriously. "Perfect!”
"Then..." he gestures towards the hallway. "...Would you like to change in the bathroom?"
"...Rui. There's no electricity. I'm not changing clothes in a pitch-black bathroom!!”
"You could use your phone flashlight…”
“Rui, do you know me?”
“I think so…?”
“THEN WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN A PITCH BLACK ROOM?!”
“...you’d drop it into the sink.”
“YES!!”
“Then I shall wait outside…”
Can’t help but stare at him for five full seconds to see if he's being serious. “Rui… we’ve been together for how long?”
“I think… eight months?” he raises an eyebrow, seemingly unsure of what I mean.
"What exactly is LEFT to be embarrassed about?!”
“Ah…”
"If after all of THAT I went, 'Oh no, Rui, don't look! Please avert your eyes!' it'd be a little dumb, WOULDN’T IT?!”
"...very clever,” after a while of considering it, he smiles fondly once more.
I shake my head, unable to keep myself from grinning as well as I start unbuttoning my soaked school shirt behind him. Honestly, at this point, being around Rui feels as natural as breathing.
When I finish changing, I finally feel like a normal human being instead of Aquaman.
The borrowed shirt is a little loose around my shoulders and the sweatpants bunch a bit around my ankles, but compared to my soaked uniform… oh, you don’t get it, they're luxury.
Rui, on the other hand, changes into a loose blue sweater—predictably oversized—and comfortable pants. He’s kinda stepping on them… but who am I to stop him.
"...Better too?" I ask.
"Significantly⁓!”
"Good good! Now, come here.”
“What?”
“There’s no electricity, therefore no hair dryer. Come here,” I grab a towel.
Without questioning it anymore, he sits on the edge of the bed, backwards. I walk before stopping behind him.
The towel helps a little… not much, but at least it isn’t dripping anymore! His hair is ridiculously so—focus.
I finish drying what I can before letting the towel fall onto my shoulder. "Ugh, it’s still too wet… if you leave it like this, it'll stick to everything! Do you have a hair tie?"
"I should,” he opens the bedside drawer without even looking. "Second compartment."
I find three. "...Why do you own so many?"
"I lose approximately four a week⁓”
"H-How?!” I take one anyway. “Let’s see…”
My hands gentle gather his hair, clearly a bit longer than mine. I comb my fingers through it while separating a few stubborn tangles the rain left behind.
…it’s weird how quiet and still he is. He’s usually fidget or find a stupid comment to make.
"...You're good at this," Rui observes after a while.
"Saki used to ask me to help sometimes... I’m pretty good when it comes to hair."
Twist, loop, twist again, until the hair tie snaps neatly into place.
"There! I-I didn't pull too hard, did I?"
"Not at all…” he smiles without turning around. "Thank you."
Only when he starts to stand do I notice it. Oof, I’m still a bit cold. I rub my hands against my sleeves.
Rui glances over. "Still cold?"
"A little…”
He looks toward the window. "The rain hasn't let up, huh…”
Without really thinking (like always), I step forward, slip my arms over his shoulders from behind and let myself lean against him. Ahh, warm, better.
"...Hello?”
"Hi…”
"Oh? I appear to have acquired a Tsukasa-kun⁓!”
I tighten my arms a little. “Why are you warmer than me…?”
His hands find my forearms where they're resting over his shoulders, tracing a few patterns with his thumbs.
"...You're rather affectionate today."
"I'm cold and going to die," actually, it is a tradition I adquired. If I feel tired, I lean on Rui, if I feel frustrated, I complain to Rui, if I feel cold... well. The dumb alchemist managed to cast a spell.
"Fufu, you realize you could simply ask for a hug…”
I frown. "...I am. I am using my entire body to ask.”
Rui turns carefully in my arms, and a second later, my arms slide around his waist instead. Since his own wrap around my back.
"There⁓!”
If someone had told me a year ago that I'd willingly spend several minutes doing absolutely nothing… I would have gotten deeply, deeply offended. Me?! Unproductive?! NEVER.
Aaand, right now I'm perfectly content standing here with my face buried against Rui's shoulder, exactly… doing less than nothing.
I smile into his sweater. "You're fulfilling your duties, huh."
"As a boyfriend?"
“I meant as a portable heater but that also counts.”
He lets out that little laugh again. "I'm honored⁓!”
It's embarrassingly relaxing, how that hand rubs my back and his chin rests against the top of my head.
I don't know how to explain it, but being around Rui has always been easy. Even before we started dating.
How could I keep my guard up when it's about this person? When every time I let it down, he’s waiting there to catch me?
"...You're thinking very loudly," OH THERE YOU GO, WAY TO RUIN THE MOMENT.
“Oh, so you can hear thoughts now, magician?” I deadpan.
"A rather fond expression…”
I could probably stay here forever… and just as I think that, my stomach goes ‘oh, how could I be the second thing killing the mood?’.
"..."
"..."
"...That was extraordinarily dramatic for a stomach.”
“OH COME ON…! NOW?!”
“Well…”
"...I deserve food though, after all I did for you today,” I complete. "The cuddles may pause."
I look towards the hallway that leads to a very, very dark kitchen. Oh, yeah… no electricity means no stove, no microwave, no kettle…
"...This blackout is really attacking me personally."
I pull my phone from my pocket and OH MY GOD MY EYES. My fingers move to lower the brightness and quickly unlock it.
"Well, what are you in the mood for?"
"Anything edible… I’m not picky⁓”
“Good—WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! Bah, I’m not giving your dumb teases attention, just help me find somewhere that's still delivering in this weather!”
"With pleasure!”
He scoots closer until we're shoulder to shoulder, both peering down at the glow of my phone.
"...Pizza?"
Rui tilts his head. "I'm not particularly in the mood."
I keep scrolling. "Curry?"
"Look, it’s closed due to the weather."
“Oh, dear… noodles?”
"Delivery time: ninety minutes."
"I'll have starved by then…!”
I continue down the list while feeling my patience running out. Chinese is closed, donburi is temporarily unavailable, the café nearby only has desserts…
After nearly fifteen minutes, I groan and let my head fall against Rui's shoulder. "This is impossible…! I miss electricity.”
I scroll again to keep reading.
"...Burgers? They’re open, relatively close, and the delivery time isn’t that awful…”
"..."
"...I don't particularly want burgers,” I admit.
"Neither do I…”
We look at each other and then back at the phone. Do we have another option?
"...Good enough,” we agree.
"Okay then…” my finger taps the menu and starts reading. “Classic cheeseburger, double bacon, teriyaki burger, garden veget… I’m not going to finish that sentence.”
And, based on his expression of a damsel in distress, he seems to agree.
"You get the plain cheeseburger, then! Let me select… no lettuce, no tomato, no onion, no pickles… Rui. You’re ordering bread, cheese and beef.”
He smiles, clearly not regretful at all. "And you?"
“Uh, I don’t know… probably that one too, but with actually something.”
Thus, the order goes through. Estimated arrival: Thirty-eight minutes.
"..." I stare at the number. "...Thirty-eight?"
"The roads are likely rather busy due to the storm…”
"...That's still thirty-eight minutes."
Rui nods sympathetically, used to my melodramas. "Indeed..."
“Well… now what?”
"Hm…” Rui shifts in his place, thinking. “...hm.”
"...Why did you 'hm' like that?" I know that sound too well.
Without answering, he stands and walks towards one of his bookshelves, where he opens a drawer. He rummages around for a few seconds until he pulls out a small flashlight.
"...A flashlight?"
“Dad keeps one for emergencies⁓”
Rui clicks the flashlight on and points it to the wall.
"What if… we entertained ourselves with shadow puppets?" he lightly comments.
"...I was expecting you to say something far worse.”
His smile widens, a feline one again. "I knew you'd agree⁓”
We sit down on the floor, aiming the flashlight at the pale wall across the room. The circle of light appears maybe too bright… but I’m going to blame it on the lack of electricity.
He raises one hand, and rabbit pops onto the wall. Its little ears wiggle happily.
"You know how to make a rabbit…?”
"I practiced when I was younger."
I scoot closer and elbow him lightly until there’s room for both of us. "Move move!”
I put my hands together. Try to remember, it was… thumb, the index fingers… wait, no, start over. Ughhh, how was it?!
"...does that bunny have four ears?”
“I DON’T—AGH!”
Rui watches with remarkable patience as I repeatedly fail to create whatever abomination of nature I'm attempting.
"...What is it supposed to be?"
"A dog!”
"I'm afraid it's currently a remarkably confused octopus…”
"It's NOT AN OCTOPUS!!!”
“I-I mean, the number of limbs is accurate…”
“I’m breaking up with you.”
“...do you need assistanc—”
“NO.”
Five more attempts later...
"...I cannot do it."
He reaches over. "May I?"
"Fine..."
His fingers gently nudge mine into different positions. "This finger here… no, a little higher. That’s it… then the middle finger… there.”
…woah. It actually looks like a dog and not like a homunculus… I beam proudly at my canine masterpiece.
"Oh!” I turn the dog toward Rui's rabbit, a terrible idea that somehow occurred to me. "...Chomp."
The rabbit freezes. "...Did your dog just bite my rabbit?"
"It was hungry. Just like me.”
"What an alarming creature…”
Rui's rabbit retaliates by dramatically hopping onto my dog's head.
"I-It climbed him?!”
Within minutes… of course, damn right the wall has become a battlefield. I’m really not in the mood to elaborate on what led us here… just… no.
"So… my rabbit eats your flowers."
"My flowers are made of shadows, they have no nutritional value. You lose!!”
"Well, my rabbit is very determined⁓”
"...Fine,” I change the shape of my hands. "Then my wolf eats your rabbit!”
“D-Does it…?” Oh no, don’t come fake crying on me. “It’s like you’re murdering Usa-chan…”
“DON’T EVEN DARE TO GUILT TRIP YOUR WAY OUT!!”
His rabbit disappears, turning into a fox. "My fox avenges the rabbit…”
"A-Against a wolf?!”
“It’s even more determined than the little rabbit…!”
"Uh… uh… m-my wolf has children, then!”
"...Tsukasa-kun. Are you manipulating me?”
"I learned from the best!”
"You wound me…”
"My baby wolves eat your fox, then!”
"The entire fox…?"
"They do grow up fast!”
"I see…” without missing a beat, Rui changes animals again. "My hawk carries away one of the cubs."
“HEY?!”
"It has chicks!”
"Y-Y-YOU CAN'T JUST KIDNAP MY SON!!! W-WHY DID EVERYBODY SUDDENLY SPAWN KIDS?!"
Give us five more minutes, and now nothing resembles a functioning food chain anymore. There are three rabbits, two wolves, a bear, a rabid squirrel and whatever creature Rui has somehow invented with six fingers and impossible anatomy.
"...What is that. Rui, I’m going to have nightmares, WHAT IS THAT.”
"I haven't decided yet…”
"...Is it eating my bear?"
"It appears to be…”
“OH, ABSOLUTELY NOT,” I throw another shadow onto the wall. "My… uh… DRAGON, eats… whatever that thing is."
Rui gasps with grief. "M-My... my unnamed cryptid… you...!”
"It had it coming. Rui it was so ugly it definitely had it coming.”
His rabbit (apparently the rabbit came back from the dead…?) lunges towards my dragon. "My rabbit attacks, then!"
"W-With what?! IT’S A DRAGON, KAMISHIRO!!!”
"...Determination."
"Well, predictably, my dragon is unmoved!”
"The rabbit bites his tail."
"My dragon flicks him away because IT’S A DRAGON!!!”
"The rabbit returns."
"My dragon—"
"The rabbit—"
"My dragon—"
"The rabbit—"
When we realize, we’re trying to knock each other's hand-shadows out of the flashlight beam.
"Stop that!"
"You stop!"
“MY DRAGON WAS SPEAKING!!”
Our fingers keep colliding, blocking, pushing, whoever gets their shadow into the light first wins… whatever winning means anymore. Should I clarify that we're eighteen-year-old legal adults?
"Move!"
"Nope.”
"You're cheating, Rui!! You're using your elbow!"
He nudges my wrist, I swat his hand again and he doesn’t waste a second to come back.
"Oh, for the love of—" enough.
I grab his entire hand, close my fingers around it and just lower it into his lap.
“THERE! NO MORE CRYPTIDS!”
"...A bold strategy,” he blinks.
Rui tries to pull his hand free… no, I refuse to let go, no matter if he tugs again and again.
"Tsukasa-kun. Release me."
"No."
"This seems rather undemocratic."
"Well, you lost your voting rights, minority!”
The fourth or fifth time he tries to release himself, I lift his hand a few centimeters and press a quick kiss against the back of it. Then, lower it back.
"...Was that part of the victory conditions?" Rui says after two whole minutes of dissociating.
“...No.”
His gaze drops to the back of his hand, as if he had a way to still feel the warmth there. Then, that smile comes back.
"...I see."
"You are unbelievable!”
He turns his hand over in my grasp until, instead of trying to escape… his fingers simply lace with mine.
"...I believe," he gives my hand one tiny squeeze, "I'd much rather lose if this is the reward."
“Shut. your. mouth.”
"Your wish is my command⁓!"
I plan to drop a comeback, when suddenly—
Ding-dong.
...
My head snaps towards the front door so fast I believe I… might… have cracked something in my neck.
“FOOD.”
Rui nods solemnly. "Food indeed…”
“WE’VE BEEN SAVED!!”
I let go of his hand right away and spring to my feet, who cares about shadows when you’re dying from starvation?!
He catches up just as I unlock the front door. The delivery driver stands outside beneath a raincoat, looking… eeeeesh… you deserve a tip. Here, brave soldier.
"Thank you!" I accept the warm paper bags with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm. The heat seeps through the packaging into my hands. Oh my God, it’s so beautiful I could cry.
After thanking him and closing the door again, I lift one of the bags towards Rui like a sacred offering.
"It smells incredible!!”
"It certainly does⁓”
We carry everything into the dining room. The house is still dim, so Rui sets the flashlight upright in the middle of the table…
I open the paper bag and let the smell fill the room. "...Oh, thank goodness."
Rui quietly begins laying everything out. The napkins, drinks, dividing the fries, sauces… he even folds the tops of the paper bags so they stay open. I feel like royalty…?
I pull my burger out of its wrapper. Rui's burger, on the other hand… noticeably smaller.
"...There's barely anything in there, Rui.”
"There is exactly what I requested, it’s perfect…”
"It looks so lonely, like the chef sighed while making it."
"He may have…”
"...You're so hopeless." I pick up my burger with both hands, and we start eating.
There’s nothing much to say about this moment, we’re both just too hungry to even let a syllable out of our mouths.
A few minutes later, the wrappers are tied up to leave a clean table.
"I'll wash⁓"
"I'll dry, then!”
"...With what?"
I look around and blink, everything is already air-drying. "...Right. I’ll wash then, move.”
The kitchen sink is positioned beneath a window. I can see then, outside, that the rain is still as fierce as two hours ago.
Warm water runs over my hands as I begin washing the plates.
"...You know," Rui leans one hip against the counter, "this feels surprisingly domestic."
I nearly drop a plate. “Excuse me?! I'm washing two plates…!”
"You also helped me clean up your wet clothes, tied my hair, insisted on protecting my notes, and now you offered to do the dishes… that’s quite charming⁓!”
…The plate suddenly requires my full attention. haha. What. what an. uh. what an interesting plate this is, I wonder where he bought it from. It must be such… such an interesting fact to know. I'm dying to know.
"I am simply being helpful… there, it’s done!”
That last plate finds its place on the drying rack, and I stretch my arms over my head until my back gives a satisfying little crack.
I end up absentmindedly wiping a tiny drop of water from the countertop with the dishcloth. There's hardly anything left to clean, Tsukasa, why. Why are you inventing chores.
Rui reaches over and playfully nidges my arm with his knuckle.
"W-What?"
"Nothing… I was confirming you were still here.”
"...I'm literally standing next to you."
“Ah, right, so smart⁓”
I bump my shoulder against his as punishment for the sarcasm, hard enough to push him half a step sideways.
"Oh?” he bumps me back.
"...Did you just shove me?"
I nudge him again, however this time he rocks back on his heels with a quiet laugh.
“So we’re doing this…” he gently taps my forehead with one finger.
"HEY! This is domestic violence!!” I swat his hand away and it… in such an annoyingly graceful way, catches my wrist. For five seconds though, then he lets go again.
I poke his shoulder, which gets him to poke mine, which gets ME to poke him again.
At some point, the poking becomes little pushes, playful attempts to make the other lose balance.
Without thinking, I start stepping around him. Unfortunately for my attempt at seeming intimidating, he mirrors me.
"...Are we circling each other?"
"It would appear so…”
"...Why?"
"I have no idea."
We somehow avoid the chairs without either of us paying attention. Okay THIS IS RIDICULOUS.
Wonderlands×Showtime has drilled enough rehearsals into both of us as enemy roles that our feet naturally react to each other's… I step left, he steps right. I move forward, he effortlessly gives way.
"...Interesting," Rui suddenly murmurs.
"W-What is?"
"We're counting."
…Wait. He's right. I hadn't even realized it.
One-two-three-four, one-two-three-four… the same rhythm we've followed through countless rehearsals.
"Old habits…” I can’t help but smile.
I can’t even recall how did my right hand end up in his, or how my left one ended up resting against his shoulder. His free hand, meanwhile, settles at my side.
"...Are we dancing?"
The corners of his mouth lift. "...we seem to be. Up to take the lead?”
As we turn again, my hand slides a little lower almost without thinking. It seems to have a particular liking for Rui’s waist…
His golden eyes lift to mine. "Comfortable?"
“Very!”
My thumb brushes absentmindedly against the fabric of his sweater… it’s so warm. And so is he.
I pull my shoulders back and raised our joined hands a little, slipping into the posture of a prince… or at least, someone trying to make his partner feel like one.
I guide him carefully around one of the chairs, making sure he has room and slowing whenever the floor looks damp. Turning while making sure that the flashlight never shines directly into his eyes, too.
"Honestly..." I glance at our hands once I catch the teasing smile on his lips. "...I think you deserve to be treated properly."
His eyebrows lift ever so slightly. "...properly?"
"Yeah,” I shrug. “I mean… you’re my boyfriend. So… it’s only right.”
We take another careful step, rounding a damp zone.
"I like opening doors for you… walking on the side closer to traffic. Making sure you’re warm, I guess just… I like making you feel important.”
“...Tsukasa-kun.”
"Huh?"
"I've never once doubted that I am,” his hand squeezes mine. “Really… you have an extraordinary talent for making the people you love feel like they're the center of the world."
…Oh dear, my ears began to burn. "...I don't..."
"You always have⁓”
"...W-Well, partly because you make it too easy as well… how am I not supposed to lower my guard when it's… it's you? You’re… so kind. You make me laugh against my will, you trust me, and… every time I want to do something nice for you… you look at me like I just handed you the moon. How am I not supposed to treat you like a prince?"
What a pair of impossibly gentle eyes, those that meet mine once I look up again… he steps just a little closer.
"...May I tell you a secret, then?"
“Sure…?”
"So do you⁓"
"...What?" I squint.
"You treat me like a prince, and somehow..." his thumb strokes over my knuckles. "...you never notice that you've been acting like one all along."
…Pfft. He's wrong, isn’t he? I’m just… just being myself, doing what feels natural. Taking care of him because I want to…
…because I love him. Always.
Though, maybe that's exactly what he means. Who ever knows…
After a while the dance slows down, until we’re still holding each other but barely moving at all…
"...I think," I murmur, "our audience is getting sleepy, huh?”
Rui glances towards the rain-streaked window. "They've been remarkably attentive⁓!”
"I hope they enjoyed the performance!”
"I'm sure they did…”
I stretch again once our hands loosen. Ugh, it feels kinda ugly to let go after all that…
"M-My legs suddenly remembered we sprinted half the city…!”
Rui just chuckles… once again, used to the melodrama. "Come, bright star… the sofa appears considerably more inviting than the kitchen floor."
"I'm not arguing with that…”
I drop onto one end of the sofa with a satisfied sigh, letting myself be swallowed b y the cushions.
"This..." I sink another inch. “Is Heaven.”
Rui sits beside me, smiling. "I'm glad it meets your standards…”
"It exceeds them, actually,” I lift one arm. "come here too, alchemist.”
Without a word, he shifts closer and closer, until he’s leaning into me. First it’s his shoulder, then his head, aaaand finally, he settles against my chest the same way he's done a thousand times before.
My arm rests around him instinctively, and I AGAIN catch my hand gently gripping his waist. What’s your problem…?!
I let the ponytail slide over my hand, playing with the loose strands.
"...You're warm,” he notices.
"So are you, like a big blanket!”
I look down to see that his eyes are closed. He’s obviously not asleep, Rui-Insomnia-Kamishiro could NEVER, but… it makes something in my chest ache. In the nicest possible way, of course!
My fingers absentmindedly smooth a few loose strands of violet hair away from his forehead.
“...it’s funny,” I shake my head with a quiet chuckle. "I don't think… I don't think I ever imagined this."
Rui opens one eye. "...what do you mean?"
“...us."
His teasing expression softens. "...oh."
"I mean… I always knew what I liked, never really questioned my preferences for long, nor made a big deal about it. The thing is, I guess I never expected I'd actually end up… like this.”
"...In love?"
"...Yeah, that. In love,” I smile to myself. "It always felt secondary, my dream came first. Make people smile. And dating someone… I figured that maybe, if it happened, great then! If it didn’t… well, I’d still have my dream. I never thought much beyond that."
My sunset gaze glances down at him.
"Especially not… such a serious relationship. We’ve been dating for eight months! I know your coffee order, I know exactly how you organize your rehearsal notes, you’ve met my family, I’ve met yours… Rui, I have hair ties in a pocket of my rehearsal bag because you keep forgetting them, and then I keep forgetting to give them back to you! You have a toothbrush at my place!”
“Ah…”
"We're… ridiculously serious about this.”
A fond laugh escapes his dry lips. “I guess we are⁓”
"And the weird part is… I didn’t even notice when it happened. I just… sorry, I got sentimental!”
I cover my eyes dramatically with my free hand.
"This is embarrassing…"
"I rather enjoy listening to you, though..."
"...That's because you're biased, Rui,” I let my hand fall to his waist again. "...anyway, my point. I never imagined myself… this head over heels. A-And I've never been happier that I was wrong!!”
I… am going to need a week isolated to recover from what I just said. Out loud.
"...Tsukasa-kun. May I confess something as well?”
"O-Of course!!”
"I knew in a second that you had fallen deeply⁓!”
"Excuse me what.”
“Right away…” oh dear, he seems proud.
"H-How could you possibly know that?!"
"Because..." he reaches up, brushing a strand of my bangs away, "Whenever you love something, you never do it halfway. You let the world know."
"...Huh. Yeah." a small and helpless laugh escapes my lips. "I guess... I really do..."
I look into the window at what I was going to say next trails, upon noticing that it still hasn’t stopped raining. Wait, it looks heavier, actually…
"Heck, I'll have to walk home in that…!"
"You know… you could just stay for the night. I’m sure my parents won’t mind⁓”
My lips draw a playful grin. "I'm pretty sure they like me more than they like you at this point…”
"Well, mom does ask about you rather frequently…”
“Because your mom is an angel sent from Heaven!!”
"Dad, meanwhile..." Rui smiles fondly, "still insists on asking whether rehearsals are going well every single time you visit. He really loves to hear you yapping about them. They're both rather fond of you."
"I can tell…” I scratch the back of my neck. "...t-then I'll text my family!”
I pull out my phone, thankfully not getting blinded this time…
> Hey! Rain's still really bad, Rui said I can stay over tonight if that's okay.
Mom: Of course dear, stay safe ❤️
Dad: Tell Rui and his parents we said hello!
Mom: And don't stay up too late!
"...She absolutely thinks we're going to."
"Is she wrong?"
“Nope!” I declare. "We're totally not sleeping!"
Rui chuckles and sends his own message. Barely a minute later, his phone vibrates.
"...Well?"
"My mother says… 'Wonderful! I'll put extra rice in the cooker tonight.'"
“Pfft, see? They've already accepted my permanent residence. I'm slowly replacing you! Now you'll have to earn your position back!”
I slip my phone back into my pocket, not bothering to hide the way my gaze softened. Why bother, at this point? I’m vibrating with happiness and I want the world to know.
"...You know, this was supposed to be a terrible day."
“Hm?”
“We have a whole list, Rui. No umbrella, soaked uniforms, a blackout, cold, late delivery! And I’m probably forgetting more!”
“Mmm, yet I still consider it one of my favorite days,” he snuggles on my chest again.
…huh.
"...Hm. Maybe mine too."
I, Tenma Tsukasa, am a hypocrite on a dog leash.