Chapter Text
"THAT WAS THE MOST WONDERHOY SHOW EVER!☆" Emu squealed, practically bouncing off the walls.
Wonderlands x Showtime had just stepped off stage from their most exciting performance yet. Tsukasa was celebrating loudly alongside Emu, while Nene played the calm one—though she still managed to crack a smile.
"WE DID IT!!" Tsukasa yelled, throwing his arms up.
Their celebration wouldn't last long, though. A sudden knock rattled the dressing room door.
"Sorry," a member of the cleaning crew called out, peeking in. "Are you guys ready to head out? We tried waiting as long as possible, but we have to clean the venue now."
Rui leaned heavily against the nearest table, his usual smug grin looking a bit frayed around the edges. "Yeah, we did... great... uhm, is there a chair I can..."
Before he could even finish the sentence, his knees gave out. He collapsed straight onto the floor.
"WAH! RUI?? RUIIII, ARE YOU OKKK??" Emu shouted, instantly worried.
"He's probably just asleep," Nene sighed, stepping closer. "He must have been awake all night practicing the songs and script. The tiredness finally caught up to him."
"Why don't we take him to his house?!" Emu suggested, hands clasped together.
"But didn't he say his parents are away for the night??" Tsukasa asked, his brow furrowing as he tried to recall their earlier conversation.
"Don't worry, I have a spare key," Nene replied smoothly. She glanced at the unconscious director, then shot Tsukasa a look. "Tsukasa, you carry him. We'll walk with you."
"WAH—ME?!" Tsukasa yelled.
He complained, but he did it anyway.
They hoisted Rui up, exiting the venue to walk down the quiet streets toward Rui's house. As they walked, Tsukasa’s thoughts started flooding in, frantic and chaotic.
Seriously?! They make ME carry him all by myself while they skip along happily?!
But as the steps clicked by, Tsukasa's complaints started to fade. Rui was surprisingly light. And being this close...
A sudden, strange fluttering bloomed in Tsukasa's chest. What is this feeling? Is it... a heart attack?! No, no, it's just exhaustion from the show! Yeah, that's it!
Before he knew it, they arrived. Nene fetched the key, unlocking the front door. The house was completely dark.
"Looks like you were right, Tsukasa!" Emu whispered loudly.
"His parents sure are gone," Nene added, leading the way upstairs.
They reached Rui's room, and Tsukasa carefully set him down on his bed, exhaling a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"And now we wait," Nene said, crossing her arms.
"For what?!" Tsukasa stammered.
"For him to wake up, obviously."
What felt like an eternity passed in the quiet bedroom. Tsukasa found his eyes drifting toward the bed. He watched the quiet rise and fall of Rui's chest, the way his purple hair fell messily across his face.
Suddenly, Rui’s eyes fluttered open.
Tsukasa froze, a wave of panic crashing over him as he realized he had been staring the entire time. Well, There wasn't anything else to do! And I put my phone all the way over on his desk! I just didn't want to disturb him by getting up! Yeah, that's exactly it!
"Oh? I didn't expect you guys to be here," Rui said, his voice thick and sleepily rough.
Emu bounced forward, getting right to the point. "Ruiiiii! You promised you would get some good sleep tonight! How much did you really sleep?!"
"Fufu, I suppose I didn't sleep much at all... Plus! Tsukasa and I were calling and discussing ideas because he couldn't sleep!"
"THAT CALL LASTED UNTIL 9:00 PM!" Tsukasa shouted back, pointing an accusatory finger. "Honestly, what were you doing for the rest of the night?!"
Rui averted his eyes, a faint, uncharacteristic blush rising on his cheeks. He couldn't exactly admit that he had spent the remaining hours thinking about Tsukasa, completely hyper-focused on how to make Tsukasa's specific ideas shine on stage.
Tsukasa stared at him, his exasperation softening. His dedication is admirable sometimes. Honestly... I have a feeling he stayed up way later working on the things we discussed.
The troupe talked it out for a little while longer, making sure their director wasn't actually dying of sleep deprivation, until Nene finally checked the time. "We should probably go home. It's getting kind of late."
The rest agreed. After sharing their goodbyes, Emu, Nene, and Tsukasa walked out of the house, leaving the room quiet once more.
Left alone in the dark, Rui buried his face into his pillow, letting out a long, heavy sigh.
Then he hears loud footsteps getting closer, it was Tsukasa.. his heart flutters. It would be just them, even for a second. Should he tell him..? No, that would be awkward.
Then suddenly Tsukasa's face appears in his doorway.
"Sorry, I left my phone on your desk and forgot to take it with me! I'll be out of your way now, have a good night!!"
"Tsukasa..?" Rui manages to say
"Hm?"
"Sorry for worrying you guys, I completely ruined the moment."
Tsukasa sits on Rui's bed. "It's completely fine. We just wanted to make sure you were okay. And after all, a true star can't perform without his director!" He strikes a pose, trying to lighten the mood.
Rui giggles, and they laugh together for a while.
"Seriously though, you're not mad?" Rui says, unsure.
"No hard feelings!" Tsukasa says, "Future stars like me would never tolerate their own directors being sad!" he wraps his arms around Rui. Woah. I can't believe i'm doing this.. We've never hugged before... His hair is so soft despite it being so messy.. is this too weird..? But friends hug all the time, right!? So it's fine!
After a minute, they let go of eachother. "Alright, I should definitely get home now, Saki will be worried." Tsukasa says quickly, and he walks out, waving goodbye.
That feeling in my chest came back.. why is it always with Rui..? Well, I'm probably just worried about him since he literally collapsed on the floor! Tsukasa dismisses his thoughts and walks home
Rui hugs his pillow, sighing and blushing. He wanted to stay hugging Tsukasa forever. His hair, his eyes, Everything about him was perfect..
He looks at his clock. 1:32AM. How long had he zoned out for? He wasn't tired, but tried to sleep anyways, The others made him promise, and he didn't want to fall asleep during class and fail the big test he had tomorrow.