Work Text:
Rui sat at his messy workbench, but for once, his eyes weren't fixed on a blueprint or a sparkling circuit board. Instead, his long fingers were idly spinning a heavy brass pen over a clean piece of scrap paper.
He had done it. He had actually proposed to Tsukasa.
The happy, loud show that was their life had ultimately reached its most beautiful moment. Tsukasa, true to form, had accepted with a booming shout that practically shook the park benches, his face turning a brilliant shade of bright red while throwing his arms around Rui's neck. It was a perfect, chaotic curtain call.
But now that the initial excitement had settled, a very quiet, very logical question was running circles around Rui’s mind.
He leaned back, his golden eyes narrowing slightly as he looked down at the scrap paper. He had written their names side by side in his sharp, elegant handwriting.
Kamishiro Rui
Tenma Tsukasa
Rui tapped the pen against his chin, his mind dissecting the heavy history trapped inside the kanji of his own family name. Kamishiro (神代). “Kami” meant god, divine, or spirit. “Shiro” meant an era, a generation, or an exchange. It was an ancient, mythical surname, carrying the weight of a time when gods still governed the land. It was a name built on mystery, deep souls, and the highest level of achievement.
And then there was his first name. Rui (類). It meant category or type. It was a quiet nod to the old phrase “birds of a feather flock together." For a long time, Rui had been entirely isolated, a bird without a flock, an inventor whose plays were deemed too dangerous and messy for ordinary human categories. But then he had found his match. He had found a group of loud, wonderful performers who happily jumped into his world.
He had found Tsukasa.
Rui's gaze shifted to the other name on the paper. Tenma (天馬). “Ten” meant sky, and "ma" meant horse. It was meant to be read like "pegasus," the mythical winged horse. In the old Greek stories, a rider named Bellerophon grew too proud and tried to ride Pegasus all the way up to Mount Olympus before falling to his death.
Rui remembered how Tsukasa had been just like that at the very beginning. Tsukasa had been too self-centered, focused solely on his own fame while forgetting his real dream of putting on shows just to bring smiles to others.
But he had grown. He had learned to balance his wings.
And his first name, Tsukasa (司), meant to rule or to lead. It was the perfect match for a loud troupe leader and a fiercely protective older brother.
So, Rui thought, his fingers lightly tracing the letters. What happens to the marquee now?
In this world, choosing a marriage name wasn't just a legal checkbox; it was a major decision for the entire production. Rui began running through the choices in his head, weighing the options with the precision of an engineer.
If he kept his family name and made Tsukasa a Kamishiro, the show billing would read Kamishiro Rui and Kamishiro Tsukasa. There was a grand dignity to it. Tsukasa would carry the weight of the "divine era," a noble title for a boy who already carried himself like royalty. But as Rui pictured it, his smile faltered slightly. The name Kamishiro was heavy. It was tied to his own quiet, distant past. Tsukasa was a creature of light and sky. Trapping that flying pegasus inside a mythical, earth-bound era felt a bit like putting a gorgeous cage around a wild bird.
What if Rui took Tsukasa's family name instead? Tenma Rui.
The thought made his heart skip a sudden, sharp beat. To shed the name Kamishiro and become part of the Tenma lineage... it sounded incredibly sweet. It meant officially joining the warm, noisy world that Tsukasa and Saki shared. It meant the bird without a category was finally, permanently folding his wings inside the sky of the pegasus. But a small, stubborn part of his mind hesitated. The name Kamishiro was his resource, his material, the baseline of his eccentric identity. Erasing it felt like dropping a key prop before the final act.
Rui groaned, resting his forehead against his palm. "Fufufu... I can map out a multi-stage fireworks launch in my sleep, yet a simple name change is causing a total system crash."
He looked back at the paper. What if they combined them? A hyphenated production. Kamishiro-Tenma. Or perhaps Tenma-Kamishiro. It was long, chaotic, and ridiculous—which meant it perfectly matched the energy of Wonderlands×Showtime. It preserved the divine spirit and the flying horse in a single, balanced script.
But a true director never finalizes the blocking without his lead actor's input.
"Ruuuui!"
The backyard sliding door flew open with a familiar, loud clatter. Tsukasa marched out onto the grass, a plate of crispy, somewhat over-cooked cookies held high in his hand. He was wearing his usual proud grin, though his cheeks still flushed a faint pink whenever his eyes locked onto the simple silver band resting on Rui’s finger.
"A star must provide food for his director!" Tsukasa declared, setting the plate down onto the workbench with a proud slam. "You have been staring at that empty paper for forty-five minutes! Are you building a new layout for our stage lifts?!"
Rui chuckled as he reached out, his long fingers catching Tsukasa’s wrist to pull him closer. "Not quite, Tsukasa-kun. I was actually conducting a location scout for our new titles."
Tsukasa blinked, his golden-orange eyes wide with pure confusion. "Our titles?"
Rui slid the scrap paper forward, pointing the brass pen at their written names. "Now that the proposal script is complete, we have to decide on our billing for the marquee. I was wondering... do you want to become Kamishiro Tsukasa, or should I become Tenma Rui?"
Tsukasa froze. His jaw dropped, his entire face instantly turning a brilliant, spectacular shade of dark red as his brain stopped working under the pressure of the question. He stared at the paper, his fingers twitching against his frilly apron.
"WHA—?! OH!" Tsukasa barked automatically in a sudden shock, his voice cracking slightly before he tried to force his loud majesty back into line. He crossed his arms, puffing out his chest while his ears burned hot. "AS EXPECTED OF MY DIRECTOR! YOU ALWAYS BRING UP THE MOST HIGH-STAKES PLOT POINTS WITHOUT WARNING! BUT... BUT BOTH OPTIONS SOUND INCREDIBLY GRAND!"
"Fufufu, they do," Rui murmured, his voice dropping into a sweet, low tone as he watched Tsukasa's intense focus. "If you become a Kamishiro, you carry the divine era. You will be a ruler born from gods. But if I become a Tenma, I get to belong to the sky you fly in. Or... we could always combine them. Kamishiro-Tenma has a rather chaotic charm, don't you think, my star?"
Tsukasa stared at the locked names on the paper, his expression suddenly softening, losing its loud megaphone edge as a genuine, serene warmth took over his face. He knelt down right next to Rui's chair, his fingers reaching out to touch the edge of the paper, his eyes reflecting pure, unfiltered dedication.
"Rui," Tsukasa whispered, his voice rather gentle. "The name doesn't change the performance. Whether I am a Kamishiro or you are a Tenma... the audience is still going to see the exact same show. But... I like the idea of sharing the script fully. Let's look at the legal choices together. Whatever we choose, as long as our names are locked together on the billing, the curtain will never fall on us."
Rui smiled, a deep, undeniable warmth flooding his chest as he reached down, his long fingers gently sliding into Tsukasa’s palm. He pulled the older boy just a bit closer, untying the frilly pink apron for him so they could both just sit comfortably in the afternoon sun.
"You always say exactly what I need to hear, Tsukasa-kun," Rui said, his voice dropping into a soft, easy tone. He traced the lines on the scrap paper with his free hand. "I suppose I was overthinking the logic of it all. Trying to calculate a name like it's a structural equation."
"Because you are a director who cares deeply about the details," Tsukasa said softly. He didn't lift his voice, nor did he puff out his chest. He simply looked up at Rui, his golden-orange eyes clear and earnest. "But a name is just a title on a poster. What matters is that we are the ones putting on the play. Though... if I am being completely honest..."
Tsukasa paused, a tiny, genuine blush creeping back up to the tips of his ears. He looked down at their joined hands.
"I really like the sound of Tenma Rui," Tsukasa muttered, his voice trailing off into a shy, soft mumble. "It... it sounds like you are officially a part of our home. Like Saki and I finally get to keep you."
Rui’s heart skipped a sudden, sharp beat. He hadn't expected Tsukasa to say it so simply, without any grand theatrical metaphors. It was just a sweet, honest wish from a boy who loved his family and wanted Rui to be a permanent piece of it. The remaining resistance in Rui's mind—the part that held onto 'Kamishiro' as a protective shield—completely melted away.
"Fufufu... is that so?" Rui murmured, his eyes crinkling with absolute, ridiculous fondness. He leaned down, resting his forehead gently against Tsukasa's, his purple bangs brushing the star's orange hair. "Then I think the choice is already made, Tsukasa-kun. I would be honored to share your sky."
Tsukasa let out a small, relieved laugh, his fingers tightening around Rui's hand. "Then it's a done deal. We will tell Saki over dinner, and tomorrow we can go figure out the legal forms together. No more system crashes, alright?"
"No more system crashes, my star," Rui whispered back, his smile warm and full of content.