Chapter Text
Life had always seemed incredibly dull—and it wasn't as if it wasn't. Clock hands raced by, calendars looked like they’d been scribbled on by mischievous children eager for their birthdays to arrive, and the seasons seemed out of sync with Earth’s orbit around the Sun; Kamishiro hated watching it all happen while his own monotonous life remained unchanged.
As he got ready for school, he wondered how much of his life he’d wasted inside that room. How often had he actually left the house for places other than that damned school? He could count the times on the long fingers that were now fumbling to zip up his jacket. Everything was always the same; every day felt like a fresh case of déjà vu. But there was nothing to be done about it, so he grabbed his bag and headed out the door. It was cold—bitterly cold. He should have grabbed a scarf, but he didn't want to go back upstairs.
"Come on, Nene, it’s freezing out here..." he typed, standing in front of his neighbor's house, his hands trembling in the icy wind. Nene wasn't just his neighbor; she was his childhood friend, too. Kamishiro didn't usually mind waiting for her to get ready so they could leave together, but today was freezing. She really ought to show a little compassion! After a few minutes that felt like decades, the green-haired girl stepped out of her house and ran toward Kamishiro, a scarf in hand.
"I knew you hadn't grabbed one, so I... brought this for you." Her cheeks were flushed, though he couldn't tell if it was from the cold or her slightly adorable gesture. "Thanks, Nene. I thought I was going to freeze!"
The walk to school was uneventful—just a little too empty. Perhaps people were far more interested in staying home on a cold morning like this? Rui wished he could do the same, but his mother never gave him that chance.
A few minutes later, they were both inside the school, wandering the hallways before classes began. Rui took out his phone and leaned against the wall, scrolling through social media during the brief time he had before a teacher might simply snatch the device from his hand.
Suddenly, someone actually did just that—but it wasn't a teacher. It was Mizuki Akiyama, a friend of Rui Kamishiro. The two of them were close—far closer than Nene could ever dream of being with the purple-haired boy.
“Did you think I was the teacher? Ohhh, I’m confiscating your phone right now—you can’t have access to that kind of content at school! It’s like brainwashing, a total lobotomy!” Mizuki said in a mock-deep voice, laughing as they dodged Rui’s hands as he tried to get his phone back.
“Mizuki! I’d really appreciate it if you could give my phone back. I think I might actually die if you don’t put it in my hand in the next few seconds.”
Rui turned his head slightly to look at Nene, who was being a bit quieter than usual around Mizuki. She was very shy, so he always tried to include her in their banter and inside jokes, but she just didn't seem to grasp that she was welcome there—and that hurt him a little.
Akiyama handed the phone back, Kusanagi remained silent, and Kamishiro put on his headphones just before class started so he wouldn't have to put them on inside the classroom and risk the teacher complaining about them.
———————
Time flew by as always, and classes soon came to an end. Nene had extracurricular activities, so Rui walked home alone every day; that walk marked the start of his favorite time of day: chatting with his online friend, Tsukasa Tenma.
As soon as he got home, the first thing he did was run to his room and lock the door. He always had to act so normal around other people, but he knew that wasn't really who he was. Only two people knew that: himself and his friend... his star.
Perhaps their relationship was a bit strange. Kamishiro had a sort of emotional dependency on Tsukasa that he couldn't quite explain, but it was mutual. Behind the phone screen was a boy just as needy as he was, and that was why they understood each other. They played games together, vented, shared funny stories from their lives, and even flirted now and then; yet, no matter how much Rui asked, Tsukasa never revealed his face or his voice. He had even wondered if the person eyeing him might be a pedophile—and it wasn't as if he would have minded that—but certain things suggested otherwise: the boy acted somewhat... childish. Perhaps even too childish.
Rui would be lying if he said that didn't pique his interest, occasionally crossing his mind during his masturbation sessions. The thought of the boy being like that made Kamishiro want to corrupt him right there behind the screen, and nothing could really hold him back.
Rui was quick to send a message to Tsukasa, just as the boy was always very quick to reply.
—“Tsukasa, hi! I just got home, okay? :3 If you want to talk, let me know! I miss you <3”
One minute.
two minutes..
three minutes.
That was how long it took for Tsukasa to reply to the purple-haired boy with a disappointing message. A message that made Rui narrow his eyes as he stared at the screen.
—“Good morning, Rui... I’m not feeling very well today. Today was the day I moved up a level in my theater classes, and my parents forgot about it because they had to take care of my sick little sister. So I was left there all alone, while all my friends had their parents there. Sorry I don't want to talk :(”
Kamishiro’s expression changed completely as he read this. He didn't know if he felt hatred toward Tsukasa for not wanting to talk to him, or anger at his parents for being so incompetent.
—“Ohhh! Tsu! Don't be sad; I like you so much! I would have gone if you’d invited me to see you move up a level. Even though I’ve never seen you, I’d be happy to see you grow in something you love as much as theater...” That was Rui’s reply. He had carefully composed himself to sound calm and kind, but Tenma still seemed nervous on the other end, frantically typing and deleting messages.
Finally, Rui’s phone vibrated in his hands. A somewhat unexpected message, coming from the purple-haired boy.
—“Can I... call you? If you promise not to stop being my friend, I’d like to video call you. I want to show you my theater piece—is that okay with you?”
Tenma’s phone immediately started vibrating with an incoming call from Rui. He was quick; he didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Before answering, he adjusted his face to look a bit more attractive for the camera. When he picked up…
He…
Wait.
Tsukasa Tenma was… really, absolutely, totally, unbelievably…
A kid?! For real?!