Work Text:
Rui's hair is really nice.
Tsukasa found himself thinking about Rui's hair... often. These particular thoughts haunted his mind like a stupidly determined ghost—and he honestly, wholeheartedly, couldn't help it!
As soon as he thought the wave had passed and he was free of these... completely platonic observations... it would just start right back up again. These thoughts were getting awfully distracting at this point. The way Tsukasa's mind would wander during class or practice while thinking of that particular strand that curled up at Rui's cheek—it just wasn't productive! At all!
Even now, while he and Wonderlands x Showtime were grabbing a bite to eat after practicing late and missing dinner at their respective homes, he couldn't stop these incessant distractions! Tsukasa really wonders how Rui hasn't noticed his unconscious staring. Maybe he has noticed, and he's just ignoring him...? That's such embarrassing behavior from a future star like Tsukasa...
Tsukasa takes an expert precaution by distracting himself with speaking about their upcoming show. But this only leads to him thinking about how this strange fixation has taken precedence over the success of their troupe in his mind. Perhaps he's sick? He was feeling just the tiniest bit feverish earlier. Yes, that must be it...
"Tsukasa-kun?" Emu asks, seemingly worried, and that's when Tsukasa realized he stopped talking while in the middle of speaking!
"Oh, sorry, I got lost in thought for a moment there," Tsukasa says, trying to charmingly laugh it off. Emu seems to buy it well enough, her excited demeanor coming back again at the idea of their show.
Nene hadn't been paying attention, as she's caught up with a mission on her mobile game, and Rui—
Rui is watching him, with a perplexed look on his face.
Tsukasa is not a coward—far from it, actually! He's not one to turn away from or internalize his problems, as he's the future star of the japanese entertainment industry! How could he not face his problems head on?
And even as he thinks of his responsibilities in accordance to 'facing his problems', he still turns a blind eye to Rui's gaze.
And besides; the issue here was that he's sure he doesn't have a problem. It's just a weird habit of staring at his friend, it'll definitely go away eventually!
Everything is absolutely, unequivocally, under control.
Everything is not under control.
"Why do you keep staring at Rui like some sort of creepy stalker?" Nene says one day while they're cleaning up alone together before practice; effectively calling him out.
"Hwah?!" Tsukasa shouts, almost dropping a box of props on his foot in surprise. "I do not!"
"Yes, you totally do." Nene replies, as if she was saying facts like 'the sky is blue' or 'Rui has the hair quality of a really cool supermodel'.
"No, I do not! That statement could be considered slander, you know—"
Nene sighs loudly. "For real, Tsukasa, you don't have to hide things like that from me. I won't say anything to Rui. I just want to know why, for my own sanity's sake, of course."
All of a sudden, Tsukasa feels his face heat up; which likely means he's blushing like a tomato. Nene seems to notice this, but she does, sparingly, stay silent.
"You promise that you will not tell him?" Tsukasa murmurs, surprised at his own bashfulness. Nene nods in agreement. "...I think his hair is really nice... I just like looking at it."
Silence reigns between the two of them after Tsukasa's confession. The quiet is only broken when Nene's soft yet snarky giggles ring out around the stage area.
"Nene!" Tsukasa hisses, effectively scandalized, covering his red face with his hands. "Stop, it isn't funny!"
"You have the rest of us worried over a little crush?" Nene says, and Tsukasa knew he wasn't wrong when he called her a diva.
"It's not a crush!" He tries not to yell, but he's sure if anyone else were in the vicinity they would have been able to hear it. Nene gives him an unimpressed look. "It's not!"
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, buddy," Nene says, moving to greet a just-arriving Emu.
Throughout practice that day, Nene's accusation is one of the only things on his mind. A crush? On Rui? How preposterous.
If Tsukasa had been paying attention, he may have noticed Rui's worried gaze watching him during practice.
It's been a week.
A week after Nene's accusations, and Tsukasa still feels like he's gonna pass out every time he makes eye contact with Rui. Nene's words flash through his head each time—like some cursed omen!
Nene is just messing with you! Tsukasa told himself over and over in his head. She is definitely wrong about you having a 'crush' as that's a complete mislabel of your feelings! He nods to himself silently, his face breaking out into a sharp smile at his own mental approximations.
"Tsukasa-kunnnn!!!" Emu yells happily, running over to attach herself onto Tsukasa like she was some sort of leech. "Now that practice is over, me and Nene-chan are gonna go get food again. Will you come with us?"
"She told me to ask you," Nene says from where she stands a few feet away—her expression sour—almost like she would be caught dead wanting to hang out with Tsukasa!
Tsukasa huffs, waving off Emu (lightly!). "I should be able to catch dinner tonight, so I shall pass! Thank you for the invitation though, Emu."
Emu pouts and clings and squeals, but eventually she lets go of Tsukasa—lured away by promises of eating with Nene. Now that he was thinking about it... Nene seemed a little... too happy at the idea of having a one on one dinner with Emu. Hmm.
Well, it's nothing he has to worry about, so he ignores it wistfully, turning to the Wonder Stage to put away the rest of the equipment.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where Tenma Tsukasa made his most fatal mistake.
"Tsukasa-kun? Do you have a minute?"
He forgot about Rui.
Rui's leaning against the stage, stance somehow both rigid and calm. This feels awfully similar to a confrontation—and Tsukasa doesn't like it!
Would it be strange to mentally compare a forbidden fruit to Rui's hair? Perhaps it would, but Tsukasa is too far gone to care for formalities now. Rui's even twirling the longer parts of his bangs with his fingers—for real, this guy...!
"Ah ha ha," Tsukasa tries to scoot past Rui with expert finesse—thank you very much. "Sorry, Rui, but I have a lot of responsibilities waiting for me at home, I don't exactly have the time—"
"Tsukasa-kun." Rui says again, and this time... Tsukasa really does feel confronted. Rui's tone is serious and non-negotiable, and Tsukasa can't help but feel his resolve bend under it.
Tsukasa stops in his tracks, but he doesn't turn to meet Rui's eyes. What an awful situation he's got himself trapped in...
He has no idea what to say; so Tsukasa leaves the first part of this awkward conversation to Rui.
Rui's voice is quiet this time when he says, "...I just wanted you to know that I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable, and I am truly, truly sorry."
...huh?
"Huh?" Tsukasa says out loud, because he is not one for internalizing. He does turn around, then, only to see what sort of expression is on his friend's face.
Rui's hand is scratching the back of his head—a nervous gesture that Tsukasa doesn't see often—and he's...
He's blushing.
Rui Kamishiro is standing before him; blushing.
Tsukasa, for reasons unbeknownst to him, all of a sudden feels like he's struggling for air. Rui doesn't seem to notice this, as he's looking away. Was it due to his embarrassment? Was he so embarrassed he couldn't meet Tsukasa's eyes? While Tsukasa grapples with these feelings, Rui just continues his tirade.
"My feelings never should have impacted my performance," Rui honestly sounds as if he's reading off a script; like he's memorized and thought over these lines for a long time. Tsukasa feels dizzy. "But they did. If I could help it Tsukasa-kun, I promise I wouldn't have—"
"Feelings?" Tsukasa asks in a voice that betrays his shock. Rui finally looks up at the interruption, and Tsukasa flounders, heat rising to his cheeks unhelpfully! "What—" Tsukasa clears his throat, also unhelpfully, "What kind of feelings?!"
"...I am in love with you?" Rui says, his tone fraying like he himself was confused at the nature of his own confession.
If Tsukasa's life were a movie, this is probably where you would hear a record scratch and/or see a freeze frame.
Tsukasa doesn't know how long he stays there—staring at Rui like a little creep—before finally letting these events line up in his head. The conversation started with a confrontation Tsukasa didn't expect, and ended with a confession of love.
How did I get here? Tsukasa thinks hysterically, his cheeks heating up to a temperature he's sure must be unhealthy. Rui? In love with me?
Rui looks like someone had just scribbled over their show plans with sharpie right in front of him. "You didn't know. I thought you knew... I never would have..."
The two boys stand there, both freaking out internally for almost entirely different reasons.
"Well," Rui turns to leave, apparently trying to save face. "This conversation has been... enlightening, Tsukasa-kun, but I must be off now—"
Wait, No! This isn't how... this... should end! Tsukasa steels himself, allowing for the confidence which he's had all his life to flow through his body like adrenaline. He can do this!
"I can't stop staring at your hair!" Tsukasa blurts out, which was absolutely not what he meant to say. Damn it!
Rui stops anyways, Tsukasa's words causing him to flinch visibly. Tsukasa is actually happy Rui's facing away from him, because that may make the next few embarrassing things he's going to admit more bearable to say out loud.
"Your hair is a really nice color—it goes really well with your eyes, you know? And—and how it's styled! I'll be really jealous if you wake up looking how you do, because it's just so perfectly tousled and... uh... it's so you, I really lo—like it. And it's so... so—"
"Tsukasa," Rui interrupts, however he does once again turn to face Tsukasa. "Do you—What... what are you trying to say?"
"I love—" Tsukasa takes a deep breath of air in, trying to steady himself—but it's just so hard with Rui watching him like this. "I love your hair, your eyes, your passion for our troupe... hell, i even love your teasing, Rui!"
Rui looks frozen on the spot, and Tsukasa is sure, for as long as he lives, he'll never forget what Rui looks like when he speaks his next words.
"I love you!" Tsukasa claims proudly, like he didn't just figure this out himself a few moments ago.
Tsukasa took this long to acknowledge his own feelings, so... the least he could do is admit them. Even if it was incredibly embarrassing.
Rui's voice is so small when he finally speaks up, almost like he's in world-shattering disbelief. "Really...?"
"Really." Tsukasa nods, and only now does he realize that during his little speech, he had made his way to Rui; and Tsukasa takes this as an opportunity to move and hold Rui's shoulder lightly, turning the taller boy to face him more. Tsukasa only hopes he doesn't faint from the eye contact. "Please, believe me, Rui."
Tsukasa remembers the last time he had said that to Rui—after a show just for him—made so he would come back to Wonderlands x Showtime.
Tsukasa is reaching out to Rui just as he had before—and Tsukasa... really hopes Rui takes his hand again.
"Tsukasa..." Rui's lips curve into such a delicate smile, and Tsukasa feels breathless once again. "You really are such a ridiculously bright star, did you know?"
"I get that quite often," Tsukasa says like it wasn't the most amazing thing he's ever heard; before his breath truly is stolen from him in the form of a kiss pressed to his lips.
And if Tsukasa reaches up to finally run his fingers through Rui's hair, that's no one's business but his.