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When Tsukasa got dragged down by his robot unexpectedly Rui couldn’t move.
The girls ran to his aid immediately, announcing that he passed out due to hitting his head and tried their best to get him out from below the stage, but it was proving to be quite the task.
“Rui!” Nene called for the taller boy, finally snapping him out of his dazed state. “Help us!”
And although he still felt numb, processing the whole situation, Rui decided to push it all down until he was sure Tsukasa was safe.
With the robot finally turned off and Tsukasa safely laid down on the stage, Rui’s thoughts caught up to him finally. And he felt absolutely awful.
Averting his gaze he jumped off the stage and slid down to the ground against it.
Tsukasa got hurt because of him.
But what went wrong?
He was so sure the robot had the safety function so something exactly like that would never happen! So what-
“Rui.”
He jumped, snapping his head in the direction of the voice, which so happened to be Nene that sat next to him. He didn’t even realise she was there, too lost in his thoughts.
“Are you okay?” She asked, moving her head slightly to the side.
Rui hummed. “Yea, I was just… thinking about the robot.” He tried to make himself sound light hearted, but he wasn’t sure if it was working. Especially on Nene, who in fact, knew him for a long time already.
“You know he won’t hate you for that, right?”
Rui mindlessly fidgeted with the hem of the hoodie he was wearing.
Of course Tsukasa wouldn’t hate him… would he?
He was always ready to indulge in anything that Rui threw his way just to make the best possible performance possible. It was Tenma Tsukasa they were talking about after all.
But still… up until now nothing like that has ever happened.
Rui always made sure that no matter how crazy his ideas sounded, the safety precautions were taken so no one got hurt.
He wanted to make people smile with his shows after all.
“That sounds so cool!”
“But- isn’t it a bit dangerous?”
“Uh, my mom would get mad if I got hurt.”
“Same here…”
…no one ever trusted him with his ideas as much.
“TSUKASAAAAAA!”
Emu’s loud scream made both friends shoot up to their feet and look at her.
“Tsukasa you’re okayyyyy!” She cried with relief, hugging the poor boy who still seemed dazed after just regaining his consciousness.
“Wh- Emu! I can’t breathe! What- what happened?”
Nene jumped up on the stage and ran up to them. “You got dragged down by the robot and hit your head which made you faint.” She explained.
Rui flinched at the mention of his invention.
“I’m sorry Tsukasa, my robot seemed to malfunction… I was sure my safety functions were foolproof and yet…” He couldn’t look the other in the eyes. “It’s all my fault.”
“That could have ended badly for me, you know?”
“...” Rui felt the pit in his stomach grow every fleeing second.
“But!” Tsukasa exclaimed loudly. “Accidents happen. Next time I’ll make sure to be more careful. We don’t want to seriously scare our audience after all! Especially because the dramatism of this scene was spectacular Rui!”
“...yea.”
The other boy’s smile flattered. “Rui?”
“I told you to quit lying!” Tsukasa yelled. “We have a potential for an incredible show, but you’re holding back!”
Having the other yell in his face hurt Rui. “I’m not holding back! How many times do I have to repeat myself!?” Screaming back at him hurt just as bad.
Why was all of this happening?
“S-STOP!” Emu cried out, getting their attention. “Please don’t fight…”
“You two should really calm down…” Nene added in her quieter voice.
Both boys looked down, ashamed.
“...I’m sorry I raised my voice.” Tsukasa sighed sadly. “But Rui isn’t himself today.”
Rui opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t disagree. He knew he was anxious although for now he couldn’t pinpoint exactly the reason for it other than maybe yesterday’s incident. But he just hoped he wasn’t showing it too much.
Apparently he was though and it was hurting their performance.
“We both should cool our heads off…see you later.”
Before Rui could even react, Tsukasa was already gone, with Emu running right after him leaving just him and Nene by the stage.
“Rui?”
“Did I really act that much differently?” He asked quietly and if Nene wasn’t standing right besides him, she probably wouldn’t have heard him.
“Well… you never cut corners with our shows before…but today you seemed to do that a lot.”
Rui fell on the bench heavily, the script still in his hands. “Nene I…”
What was he even trying to say? He wasn’t even sure what he was feeling right now other than the uncomfortable tightness in his chest.
"Do you want to maybe… visit SEKAI?"
He thought about it, but the idea of talking about his problem with anyone at the moment was making him feel even worse so he just shook his head. "I think I'll just… sit here for a while." He tried smiling at her, but he wasn't sure it came out right.
"Rui…" Although she felt sad that she couldn't help him, she understood what he needed. "Text me later when you go back home, okay?"
He nodded.
"Rui, promise me."
"... okay."
And with that Nene bid her goodbye, reluctantly leaving him alone.
He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but it must have been at least an hour because the sky was slowly getting darker already.
Rui didn't notice it though, still staring down at his hands, the script pages were getting crumpled from his grip.
He felt… weird.
His thoughts were rushing through his head and there was a deep pit in his stomach.
Sitting here was making him realise how lonely he felt before he joined the Wonderland x Showtime and the fact that there was a possibility he might lose them now settled and nested itself deep into his brain.
Of course this couldn't last long.
He was bound to make a mistake at some point, he just didn't anticipate doing it so quickly.
He took a shaky breath.
"... Rui?"
The sound of his name being called nearly gave him a heart attack, his head snapping up to meet the person's gaze so fast it actually made his neck hurt a bit.
He was met with a pair of golden eyes.
"Sorry! Didn't mean to startle you…"
It was Tsukasa.
"Rui… what are you still doing here?" He asked in a voice much softer than his usual tone. Maybe a bit ashamed of their last interaction.
But his question fell on deaf ears because Rui couldn't really focus on what he was saying right now.
It seemed that Tsukasa showing up was what broke the dam of all the emotions he was sitting on for the past hour.
And yet, he didn't even realise he was crying before Tsukasa was right in front of him, worriedly grabbing his face in his hands.
"R-rui?! What's wrong? Did something happen? Was it because I yelled at you before? I'm so sorry about that! I swear I'm not mad at you!" His voice raised due to a slight panic upon seeing his director in tears.
"I'm sorry…" Rui whispered, biting down a soft sob.
Why was he crying?
Oh yea, he just didn't want to be alone again. Didn't want Tsukasa and others to leave him.
But he messed up, didn't he?
At that moment Tsukasa pulled him closer to his chest, one arm around his shoulders and the other resting on his head lightly.
And it felt so nice to be close to someone like that.
But because it was Tsukasa it reminded Rui of yesterday.
"I'm sorry Tsukasa-" He choked out. "You- you got hurt because of me." His hands reached for the boy, the scripts now forgotten on the ground as he clenched onto the other boy's hoodie.
"Hey-" Tsukasa's voice softened. "It's okay… accidents happen."
Rui could feel his hand move softly, brushing his fingers through his purple hair.
"But- but If only I were more careful-"
He was not so gently shushed as Tsukasa spoke with his more usual tone. "The same goes for me! I could have been more careful. What star will I be if I can't fulfil my director's vision?" But then he took a breath, softness returning to his voice. "I'm okay Rui. My head's fine. It wasn't your fault, nor anyone's. Those things just happen sometimes and no amount of preparation and precautions can save us from it."
And logistically Rui knew he was right. Of course sometimes life just throws shit at you and you have to deal with the feelings that come from the consequences of it all, but it still scares him.
"Huh, I didn't know you could say such wise words." He teased, although his voice still sounded quite weak.
"Wha- Oi! I'm very wise! I'm the greatest star that shines the brightest!" Tsukasa exclaimed and Rui smiled into his, now slightly wet, shirt.
Feeling like his director was better now, Tsukasa tried to step back just a little so he wasn't occupying his personal space anymore, but that seemed to set Rui back into a momentary panic mode as he squeezed the shorter male closer to himself.
"Ah! R-Rui…"
"Don't-" His voice died down in his throat.
Don't go.
Please don't leave me.
Rui was scared that if he let go the boy would simply disappear.
Of course it was unreasonable, but his brain wasn't particularly reasonable at the moment.
"Rui, it's okay! I'm not leaving, I promise!" Tsukasa tried to reassure him, petting his head to hopefully get Rui to calm down again.
And thankfully it seemed to work as his death grip on the shorter boy's clothes loosened, making him able to move away and for a change sit next to the director.
"See? I'm still here."
Rui looked at him finally, but it only made him realise that he must look terrible now so he turned away ashamed, trying to clean away the remaining tears in his eyes. "... sorry."
"Quit apologising already." Tsukasa groaned. "It's okay to cry, you know?"
Rui could feel his ears growing hot alongside his entire face.
God, he was so embarrassed.
It got quiet for a few moments before Rui could hear some shuffling next to him.
He wondered for a second if Tsukasa was actually going to leave him now to deal with his feelings alone.
It wouldn't be that bad anymore. Probably.
"FEAR NOT!"
For the second time this evening Rui got scared out of his skin.
Looking up he saw Tsukasa now standing up.
"FOR I, TENMA TSUKASA, WILL BRING THIS PLACE TO GREATNESS WITH MY AMAZING TALENT! AHAHA~!"
The taller one only stared at him with wide eyes, still processing what was even happening.
What was Tsukasa doing?
"But of course, I can't do it without my amazing companions and our great director!" He pointed at Rui. "A star like me requires the best of the best performances!"
The whole speech was said in Tsukasa's over the top voice and with a wide smile and sparkling eyes.
Finally his thoughts caught up to what was happening and Rui sighed, a slight troubled smile appearing on his face. "Tsukasa, what are you doing?"
Tsukasa's expression softened and he sat down again.
"When we were younger my sister cried a lot. I always tried my best to comfort her and make her smile again." He looked up at the sky. "The moment she finally smiled so brightly when we went to see a show together I decided I want to become someone like that. A true star who can make others smile with their performances!" He looked back at the other, eyes shining with excitement again. "I want you to help me with that dream Rui! Let's make the best shows together! With Emu and Nene too! The shows that will make everyone smile!"
Listening to Tsukasa and seeing just how much he cares about this dream filled Rui's chest with unbearable warmness.
This boy truly shined like the brightest star right next to him and it was almost overwhelming.
"E-eh?! Rui? Why are you crying again?!"
Director chuckled. "Sure, let's do this."
"Huh?"
"Let's make great shows together Tsukasa." Rui smiled through his teary eyes and he could just barely see Tsukasa smiling back.
Then he felt warm hands on his face, brushing the tears away.
"I'm glad I was able to make you smile too, Rui…"
It was quieter, closer, more personal than the statement before. Only for him to hear.
He could see that Tsukasa was embarrassed, redness spreading through his cheeks after he took his hands away and it made him smile again.
He really was able to be gentle if he tried. It was both bizarre but also incredibly nice .
He hoped to see more of that Tsukasa in the future.
"Thank you…" He murmured, head falling on the shoulder of the other boy.
All that emotional turmoil really drained his energy to the point where he thought he might fall asleep here and there.
"Come on Rui, let's get you home yea?"
One of Tsukasa's hands found its way back to his hair and he sighed happily.
"Rui, don't you dare to fall asleep like that."
He hummed.
"Rui-"
"Okay, okay~" Rui raised his head up, meeting a pouting Tsukasa.
But his sour face soon changed to a smile again.
And maybe…
Maybe they would be okay now.