Chapter Text
He pries his eyes open eventually.
Last night was rather eventful and he has only Mizuki to blame. But really, he allowed them to take a picture of him, what else did he expect from the tailor?
Rui refrained from opening Twitter for as long as possible. Instead, he got himself some breakfast, the leftovers from what was left from last night.
Nene was out again this morning. Apparently something to do with work, Rui hadn't asked much. It's not that he didn't care, but it was too early for when Nene told him, he's glad he registered that there was someone talking to him.
He's not sure where Mizuki is, but in his half-asleep state, he really couldn't care less.
As he silently sips on the cup noodles that they hadn't eaten last night (and really, who eats ramen in the morning?) he scrolls through his Twitter feed. He tries his best to ignore, or just completely avoid, anyone talking about the photo from last night. However, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious. As far as he'd seen, the fans’ reaction was overwhelmingly positive and Rui would be lying if he said it didn't stroke his ego at all.
The circled ‘3’ above his Twitter DM section is also rather tempting, but Rui knows it's better to wait until he feels more awake before opening those up.
So it takes him a while before he gets to those. Meanwhile, he makes sure to do his morning hygiene especially long, as if that could make the messages disappear. He doesn't even know why he's stalling if anything, he should be more excited to open the messages now!
By the time Rui sits down on his bed, phone in hand, it's already almost noon. Having no excuse to hold back now, Rui clicks open the messages and is surprised to see three chats lightning up. Although that could have been expected, given the glowing ‘3’, Rui thought it was just one person (Tsukasa) sending him three texts.
’@AmiaNiiCord: Ruiiii! Sorry for the photo, but it's rlly funny >=< ! And I'm sure Tenma liked it ;);););) :*’
Okay, an apology from Mizuki was not something he'd expect. As out of character as it was, the teasing end of the message made Rui feel like it was really written by Mizuki, and not an imposter.
He didn't need to think much about his response, sending back a simple ‘:’(’ and calling it a day.
’@baddogskito: Hope you didn't forget about tonight’
An ominous message, but that's to be expected from Akito. The ginger has always been a dry texter, even if Rui hadn't talked to him much.
But… What was supposed to happen tonight? Ah, right, the show. Vivid BAD SQUAD’s debut liveshow after their recent hiatus. Rui can't believe he'd forgotten! Well, actually, he can. Quite a few things have happened, so even if he was often reminded about the show, he still managed to get distracted by other things. Most notably Mizuki's picture.
> ’Of course I didn't forget! It's at 9 pm, right?’
Rui replies, slightly surprised when the read receipts immediately light up blue.
> ’baddogskito: At 10 pm.’
Oops
> ’Of course! I was just counting on coming early to look around for a while.’
> ‘baddogskito: yeah. just don't be late.’
With that Akito does offline.
Rui immediately writes the time down in his calendar, so he doesn't forget.
Seeing that Akito most likely doesn't want to talk anymore, Rui's attention shifts to the last message.
’@tenmakasa: You didn't tell me about any photoshoots !!’
Rui can't help the smile on his face. He did expect a message from Tsukasa, after all.
’In my defense, it wasn't exactly planned’
Rui replies, before noting that Tsukasa isn't online and turning off his phone with a sigh. Well, the rest of his afternoon, up until the show, is free. He might as well get some brainstorming done for stream ideas.
And maybe he'll take a quick look at his archive tag while he's at it too… After all, the fans often have more ideas than Rui. Although he’d never admit ever opening the site.
Rui sighs, turning his phone off. Nene should be returning soon, it’s almost lunch after all. He himself should do something more productive too. Looking around his room, he realizes it has really gotten a bit dirty. Well, looks like now he has a plan for the rest of the morning.
With music blasting in his ears, Rui almost doesn’t notice that Nene has returned, carrying a bag with food. He probably wouldn’t have noticed anything at all, had the girl not snapped her fingers in front of his face. Blushing slightly in embarrassment, Rui had apologized for not greeting her, although Nene didn’t seem to care all that much. All she told him was that she bought some lunch and they should go eat.
Sitting at the dining table is a habit that neither of the two roommates honors. Nene usually prefers to eat in peace in her own room, while Rui likes sitting down on the couch instead. This time, however, they both sit in strained silence at the table. Nene keeps her gaze trained on her phone, only sometimes remembering that there’s food in front of her, while Rui is lost in thought about their evening plans and their third (unofficial) roommate’s whereabouts.
Seeing as Nene has taken her headphones off the director decides to seize the opportunity.
“Nene, do you know where Mizuki went?” He asks, tone nonchalant as he takes another bite of his lunch.
The girl raises her head to look at Rui. “I’m not sure. I think they said something about Shinonome-kun,” she mutters and goes back to her phone.
That would make sense. Mizuki probably wanted to (lovingly) tease Akito before the Vivids’ big return show. But speaking off…
“Do you know if there’s a dress code for the show tonight?” Rui throws out another question.
“Probably nothing. It’s just a livehouse, Rui. Not a fancy event.” Nene utters, not looking up this time.
Rui only hums in response. At least he doesn’t have to worry about picking out an outfit. But then again, there’s a chance he’d run into someone who’d recognize him. Plus, the Vivids’ Great Return has been the talk of the town for a while now, and there will probably be some important people in the livehouse. After all, Vivid BAD SQUAD is no small, indie group anymore. Not even a half-a-year hiatus could change that.
Important people… Rui imagines running into Tsukasa there. He knows the chances of that happening are almost nonexistent, but his lovesick mind cannot help the connection.
Ah, he should really do something about this. Rui’s heard of puppy love, but he didn’t expect it to catch him red-handed when he was already an adult. Well, it’ll pass. As much as it might hurt to admit, Rui knows, realistically, that the chances of him dating Tsukasa are incredibly small. Not to mention that he’ll probably be over the actor in a few days, maybe weeks.
They finish eating in silence but neither of them minds. Rui is still lost in his thoughts and Nene is frowning at her screen with discernible frustration.
Eventually they part ways, each one going back to their separate rooms. Before he even gets the chance to ponder about what he should do now, Rui gets a massage from Mizuki.
> ’Mizuki: I’ll wait for you and Nene at the live house! :D There will be a lot of people there but you two are VIPs, so I’ll lead you through’
Oh, well, at least he doesn’t have to worry about getting stuck outside anymore. He shoots back a quick thanks, before forwarding the text to Nene, who responds with a thumbs up reaction.
Rui boots up his computer. He should get some work done finally.
Time passes quickly when he’s focused on something. Soon, his calendar’s alarm goes off, reminding Rui to get ready for the show. He sighs, glancing at the desktop clock. Half 9 pm, he has an hour and a half until the start of the show. Rui finishes typing out the email he was in the middle of and turns off his computer. He stretches out his hands, relaxing as his back immediately feels marginally better than before.
Rui opens his closet, searching for anything that could fit the event. Nothing too formal, but nothing too homey either. He should look presentable enough, but also keep in mind that he’ll be standing for a good while, which means he should pick something comfortable too… Rui frowns. This is just impossible! He’s never been one through fashion, remembering the many times Mizuki has tried to teach him anything only for Rui to almost immediately forget everything they said.
His inner turmoil is interrupted when Nene opens his door, obviously expecting the streamer to have some trouble with picking out the right clothes. Wordlessly, Rui steps to the side to let Nene get a better look at what she has to work with.
Judging by the frown that quickly settles on her face, not even the diva expected the sight that greeted her.
After five minutes of silent staring, Nene finally grabs an outfit. A black turtleneck, a colorful shirt-vest with blue sleeves and green-purple middle, wide black pants with blue inside seams, and a long white belt. Nene leaves, to which Rui assumes she’s done and he’s supposed to get dressed now, but then the girl returns, holding a silver necklace.
“Return this to me after.” These are the only words she says, as the necklace lands on Rui’s bed, next to all the other clothing, before she leaves again, closing the door on her way out.
Rui stands stunned for a good moment, before shaking his head back to reality. In times like these he’s really grateful to live with Nene.
The doors of their cab open, and Rui has to shield his eyes from the bright neon lights assaulting his vision. They’re still on the street, but somehow it feels like they just entered a really busy shopping mall in the middle of a rave.
There are people everywhere. Rui can’t see a single familiar face.
He feels someone grab his hand, and looks over at Nene, who’s giving him a questioning look. Rui shakes his head, signaling to her that he’s alright. Nene just sighs and starts dragging the taller toward a bigger crowd of people. Rui quickly realizes it’s a queue, but Nene doesn’t stop at the end of it, instead, she beelines for the absolute front of the line, completely ignoring the annoyed looks from those who are standing by the side.
The confusion leaves Rui when he notices what made the diva skip the line. A head of pastel pink hair is standing next to the security guards. Ah, that’s right. Mizuki said they’ll wait for them to lead them in.
As they near the tailor, Rui breaks out of Nene’s hold and waves back at Mizuki, getting a happy grin from them in return.
“You two are just on time! Come in, come in!” Mizuki laughs when they get within talking distance, taking them each by the shoulder and leading them behind the security, who don’t bat an eye.
The moment Rui and Nene enter the house, all of their senses are assaulted at once.
There’s loud off-vocal music blasting from ceiling speakers. Bright lights flash a different color every second. People talking by a pretty big bar in front of a relatively empty dance floor. Looks like there are not many people here yet. Only VIPs must be allowed in for now.
Nene tugs on Rui’s hand and that’s when Rui realizes that Mizuki has not stopped moving and is now waiting for them a few steps ahead.
Rui scratches the back of his neck sheepishly, catching up to them.
“It’s pretty impressive, isn’t it?” the tailor says with a hint of amusement in their voice, as if reading Rui’s mind.
The streamer chuckles. “Indeed. Although I shouldn’t have underestimated Shinonome-kun and the others.”
Mizuki laughs and Nene just rolls her eyes. “Come on you two. We might as well go check in with them.”
Finally, Rui lets himself relax. This seems like it’s going to be a fun night.
Tsukasa wakes up to the sound of someone harshly tugging the curtains on his windows open.
He rubs his eyes, sitting up to take a look at the person who dared to wake him up.
“Saki? What’s going on? Did I sleep in on something?” Tsukasa immediately starts panicking. His sister never wakes him up, unless he accidentally sleeps in on something important. Seems like today’s another classic case of that.
Saki turns to him, a seemingly nonchalant smile on her face. “Nope!” She chirps, “Nothing important at aaaaall!”
Ah. Tsukasa has forgotten about something which was important to his sister specifically.
Swallowing the guilt that threatens to overflow, the actor frowns at his sister. “Saki… I’m really sorry for forgetting.” He tries.
“I already said there’s nothing important going on!” The girl continues with her passive-aggressive happiness, a habit she’s picked up in high school, but Tsukasa could never figure out from whom, perhaps it was from one of her girlfriends.
The blond looks around his room, trying to find anything, perhaps a post-it-note, that could help kickstart his memory.
His eyes land on an already prepared outfit on his desk. What was it he was preparing for- oh.
“Oh no!” Tsukasa springs up from bed, rushing to the bathroom, without even sparing another look towards his exasperated sister. Saki, expecting such a reaction, just sighs and shakes her head, leaving Tsukasa to do… whatever he does in the mornings.
Meanwhile, the young actor feverishly applies morning skin-care products to his face, while brushing his teeth simultaneously.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
It’s Toya’s group’s big return to the music scene(™) today! How could he have forgotten? Surely a random streamer is nowhere near Toya on Tsukasa’s list of priorities.
But despite telling himself that, Tsukasa does shoot a quick message to Rui, asking why he was kept in the dark about the, allegedly impromptu, photoshoot.
Tsukasa quickly gets himself dressed in the plain white shirt and brown overcoat and pulls on the dark green pants that Emu made him buy a while back. He figured this outfit could even go well with his hair, so he decided to not waste time straightening the curls. He grabs the fake glasses from his desk before quickly running down to the living room.
As expected, Saki is there waiting for him.
“Toya left already?!” Tsukasa asks, breathing as if he just ran the marathon.
“Yep! About ten minutes ago.” His sister informs him, already grabbing her shoulder bag. She picked out a black blazer, a white sports-style jacket, a pink skirt, and black thigh-high boots for herself.
“There's toast on the counter! Just grab some as your breakfast and let's go!” She urges him.
Tsukasa curses himself under his breath. He really should have set an alarm. Saki even had to- no, he promised himself a long time ago that he’d stop babying Saki. She’s more than capable of taking care of herself.
Tsukasa still remembers the day Saki announced to him and their family that Leo/Need will be going on their first world tour. Both he and Saki cried tears of happiness then. He remembers almost making Saki pack a toaster with her. Said girl had to stop him (and subsequently take out at least ten other useless things Tsukasa secretly packed for her), angrily explaining that she doesn’t need help with every single thing. And really, when the blond saw his sister live for the first time, watching a live stream from Germany, she looked just alright. No, she was glowing even. But that might have just been the pride Tsukasa felt at that moment tainting his memory, whatever. The point is, that Saki is very much independent and capable (and something even scary) and Tsukasa, as the good older brother he is, reminds himself to lay off.
What time is it anyway? The two siblings promised Toya that they'd attend his last practice before the show and the big preparations that needed to be done. That should also be around lunch and just about time for Tsukasa and Saki to go scout for a good restaurant or whatever. That also means they'll have to be in public, which means at least sunglasses and a cap.
During his impromptu internal monologue, Tsukasa grabbed a, slightly overdone, toast, his cap, tried to reach for his sunglass, only to realize that he was already wearing the fake glasses so he'd have to fordo those, and finally reached the exit of their apartment with Saki waiting by the door and checking her phone.
“Ready to go?” the girl asks, looking up from her phone with an easy smile.
Tsukasa, with a mouthful of toast, only nods, to which Saki gives a heartfelt laugh.
“Alright then! Let's set off!”
When the siblings arrive at the usual Vivids’ hangout spot, they breathe a sigh of relief, seeing as An is still yapping to Kohane about something and Akito is sending Tsukasa an apprehensive glare from a nearby bench, still in what looks like casual clothes. Toya is nowhere to be seen.
“Toya’s changing.” comes a curt sentence from Akito. Well, that answers that question. Saki shoots a thankful smile in return.
“Oh, Tsukasa-senpai, Saki! You've made it!” An finally notices the additional presence. “We're running a bit late because someone,”(she sends a glare in Shinonome’s direction) “got stopped on his way here by fans.”
Akito only gives a halfhearted grumble in return, before shedding his vest and leaving with a bag in hand to go change.
Tsukasa is just thankful that they're not too late.
The Vivids’ practice is a mesh of singing, sweaty dancing, Akito shooting a few light-hearted insults An’s way and then smiling proudly when he thinks no one's looking. Tsukasa watches attentively the entire time, eyes not leaving Toya and never forgetting to cheer. Saki leaves a few times to talk to her girlfriends on the phone, but then also joins in Tsukasa’s cheers.
Checking the time, Tsukasa briefly wonders just how long the four singers reserve for practice. He's heard they've been practicing relentlessly for the past few months, so he wouldn't really blame them for cutting practice short, but then again, as an actor, Tsukasa is familiar with some of the pre-performance nerves.
“Alright, let's take a breather now. We've got most of it down anyway.” The statement coming from Akito confirms Tsukasa's thoughts. As everyone starts chugging water as if their lives depended on it, Tsukasa makes his way over to Toya.
“How much longer do you think you're going to practice for?” he asks calmly, not wanting to seem like he's bored, even though he'd be lying if he said it was an enriching experience.
Thankfully, Toya only nods with an understanding smile. “Probably only a few more rounds, not too long. You and Saki-san can leave now, it's almost lunchtime anyway.”
Tsukasa nods, smiling back at Toya in silent thanks, before leaving to go grab Saki.
It doesn't take too long to find a good venue. It certainly helped that Saki seems to have done much more research than necessary, given they already knew most places around anyway.
They grabbed a corner table in some small yet nice restaurant, Saki texting Kohane to tell her where to find them once they decide to abandon the practice.
True to his word, Toya and co. arrive not long after.
From his phone screen, Tsukasa can see the digital clock of 9 pm glaring at him as he anxiously paces up and down the hallway in the live house’s changing rooms. He can feel Saki’s amused eyes trained on him, he's aware he's acting as if it was him going up there on the stage instead of Toya, but he can't help but be nervous for his brother. Toya has assured Tsukasa numerous times that he's confident in himself and their group, but Tsukasa still can't squash those worries down.
Soon, Toya exits his dressing room and after stopping by Tsukasa to, once again, assure him that he's not hungry or thirsty and no, his head doesn't hurt either, the Vivids’ make their way backstage, where Tsukasa opts to not go, least his unfounded anxiety gets even worse.
As time grows closer to the dreaded 10 pm, people start slowly filling in. As Saki explains, it's really only VIPs at first, but Tsukasa doesn't spot anyone recognizable given the lighting conditions. Whatever, he's here for Toya and their group anyway.
The more people that enter, the louder the noise gets. Tsukasa couldn't be more thankful to be in the VIP area so he doesn't have to squeeze against the numerous sweaty attendees. Glancing around a bit to look for Saki, Tsukasa relaxes upon seeing her in the company of her familiar bandmates.
Leaning back against the VIP sector’s bar, Tsukasa considers ordering something to keep him in high spirits throughout the night, knowing he'll most likely end up exhausted if he doesn't order anything, the blond remembers he's supposed to be the designated driver and therefore should not drink.
It's fine, he tells himself. The nerves will calm down once he sees the Vivids up on that stage. He's only ever been this anxious during the premiere of his first movie and this time it's not even him that'll have the eyes of hundreds of people watching his every move. Maybe that's what makes him so anxious, the fact that he can't be up there in case something goes wrong.
But then again, Toya's an adult. Just like Saki, Toya can take care of himself. And if something does happen, he's got Akito, An, and Kohane to turn to, so really, it's fine.
Tsukasa doesn't even notice that the VIP area starts becoming quite a bit packed as well.
Loud music blaring, Rui stands as far away from the stage as he can while still staying in the VIP rows. It's not that he doesn't want to watch the performance, quite the contrary actually. Being close to the stage just makes it more difficult to see anything, plus there are just too many people there.
He's lost sight of Mizuki almost immediately as they enter, but at least he's fairly certain that Nene's huddled somewhere near the bar, not much of a fan of sweaty live house-goers.
Nursing a glass of some cocktail in his hands, Rui feels only slightly tempted to contemplate his life. He's happy to be here, of course, he's just not quite sure what to do now.
The show has just started, but Rui's already feeling out of it. This entire day has been a sort of haze. As if he's just waiting for something. Like the entire day has been just needless exposition to the actual story which is the live house show. In which case it'd be a story more suited for someone like Shinonome, not Rui.
Noticing the glass in his hands is now empty, Rui relaxes at the opportunity to busy himself with getting another one.
Muttering ‘excuse me’s and ‘sorry’s as he makes his way through the sea of people the streamer finally gets to the bar and even that short walk feels like a journey across a stormy ocean.
Waiting for his drink as he gives the glass to the bartender to refill, Rui glances back at the stage.
He can see Akito’s group pretty well from here, which makes him consider staying here for the remainder of the time, but he shuns that idea away rather quickly. While it's definitely not a bad idea, Rui feels like staying by the bar would just be inviting people to start talking to him, if that's even how bars work.
With the refilled glass in hand, Rui slides the money over to the barman before deciding to bead back to the VIP row.
But as he's walking to his past spot, lost in thought, he feels himself collide with a figure, his drink presumably spilling all over the poor guy.
“Ah, I'm so sorry. I didn't pay-” Rui cuts himself off.
In front of him, wearing a white shirt with a brown coat draped over his shoulder is a figure Rui could recognize anywhere. The shock that must be on his own face is mirrored back at him in those familiar sunset eyes.
“R- Rui?!”
It's the sound of Tenma Tsukasa’s voice that finally snaps Rui out of his shock-induced zone-out, and likewise, it's also the sound of Tenma Tsukasa's voice that threatens to send him into another one.
It makes sense, in hindsight, that Tsukasa would be here. Aoyagi is the Tenmas’ close friend after all. That also means Tsukasa isn't here for Rui, but that's an insane thought to get upset about. How would Tsukasa even know Rui was there?
The ex-director realizes he's been staring in silence for maybe a bit too long now. “I- Yeah- Tsukasa-kun?”
And yeah, that's probably not the sentence Rui imagined himself saying to Tsukasa upon their first in-person meeting. But he didn't have much time to prepare now, did he?
Seeing the way those sunset eyes in front of him widen slightly at the mention of his name, Rui knows he's not alone in these swirling thoughts and feelings.
Tsukasa manages to recover much faster than Rui.
“Yeah, I- uhm, yeah… It's me.” He lets out a small nervous giggle, scratching his neck absentmindedly. Rui figures he should probably say something again, before his eyes fall down to the stain on Tsukasa's shirt, remembering what happened just a few seconds ago.
“Oh! The- I'm so sorry for spilling my drink on you, Tsukasa-kun.” Nervousness is rapidly forgotten in favor of embarrassment and guilt. This isn't how Rui imagined their first meeting would go. Definitely didn't involve any drink spilling.
Tsukasa seems to just remember what happened as well, as he looks down on his wet shirt. “It's alright, really. I'll just- I'll go borrow something from-”
“Actually! I've- I've got some spare clothes if you wouldn't mind..?” The words leave his mouth before Rui can even think about the implications. He did pack a spare hoodie, yes, but with the intention of changing out of his current clothes later on in favor of something more comfortable.
He sees Tsukasa's face, mouth still slightly open, reddened with blush which is partially obscured thanks to the harsh lighting of the live house. Rui's certain he's not any better off himself.
“I- uhm, if.. if you wouldn't mind…” Tsukasa trails off, seemingly happy to study the floor now. Rui's brain is still reeling from the words that left his mouth a moment ago to fully process that Tsukasa agreed to take Rui's spare hoodie. Rui reasons it's the least he can do after spilling the drink on him.
Taking the hoodie out of his bag after he puts the now empty glass away, Rui's about to give it to Tsukasa before the blonde stops him. “I'm not- I'm not going to change right here!” He gives Rui an incredulous look, before grabbing the streamer’s hand and dragging him over to the direction of the dressing rooms. No one should be there, maybe only some of the stage crew and thankfully Tsukasa knows the pin to Toya's room.
The actor shuts the door behind them, panting as if he just ran a marathon despite just walking a few meters. Rui can now finally see the aggressive blush (or is it flush?) clearly on Tsukasa's face.
Without another word, Rui holds out the hoodie to Tsukasa, who grabs him with a muttered thanks.
Rui's mind wanders to Nene. Did she see him spill a drink on his celebrity crush like an idiot? She must have, right? Nene's always unnaturally perceptive, which works in her favor but feeds into Rui's pain. He's definitely getting questioned after this, maybe he should have gone for a stronger drink then.
The sight of Tenma Tsukasa wearing Rui's teal and black hoodie certainly does something to the streamer’s heart. Scratch his previous thoughts, if one glass does this to his heart, maybe he should never drink any alcohol ever again.
The clothing itself isn't anything special, just a classic hoodie with a black and teal triangle pattern, but it seems that Tenma Tsukasa can wear anything and make it look like the most expensive designer piece. It's definitely a few sizes too big for Tsukasa, given their obvious height difference, but that only adds to the charm. Rui never thought himself particularly religious, but people can change.
Tsukasa clears his throat, noticing Rui's staring. “Does it look bad?” He asks, eyes nervously watching the taller’s expression.
“No! Not at all, I mean.” Rui stutters as he shakes his head. “It looks good, of course.”
The words seem to ease the blond’s nerves a tiny bit, his shoulders lowering.
“Let's go back then!” The actor discards the wet shirt in the dressing room, making a mental note to tell Toya afterward, before once again manhandling Rui back to the VIP rows.
The music has changed, but the Vivids are still undoubtedly in full spirits. Rui would applaud their constitution if one of his hands wasn't currently occupied.
And oh, isn't that a thought.
He's holding Tenma Tsukasa's hand. No. Tenma Tsukasa is holding his hand.
It's not like Rui never imagined this moment, but honestly, in his head, it was a little bit more romantic. Not in a live house while surrounded by sweaty and drunk guests.
Rui thinks he sees Nene's judgemental purple gaze from somewhere, but he probably just imagined that.
They've stopped now, he notes absentmindedly, but Tsukasa is still holding his hand. Looking over at the actor, he finds those orange eyes intent on hypnotizing the stage. Rui lets a small smile spread on his face.
“Oh! Your drink!” Tsukasa suddenly exclaims.
Rui completely forgot about that to be honest. He's about to say as much, but the blond stops him with a raised hand.
“I'll go get it for you. I have some free drink passes here!” He says excitedly, not giving Rui a moment to mourn the sudden loss of warmth against his hand before he disappears into the crowd again.
This time Rui's certain he catches Nene's incredulous expression.
Tsukasa returns not long after, two glasses in hand. He hands one of them to Rui. It looks a bit different than whatever drink Rui had before, but that's not something worth his attention.
What is worth his attention, however, is the uncertain smile on his actor’s face.
“I'm not really sure what you had before, so I got you something that looked similar… I hope you don't mind,” he mutters as Rui takes the drink from him. His eyes linger on whatever the yellowish liquid in Tsukasa's glass is.
“Oh, it's just orange juice. I can't drink tonight, heh.” The actor answers Rui's unspoken question.
They stand next to each other in silence, watching the show.
That's why they're both there, Rui reminds himself, to watch the Vivids’ first show after a big hiatus. No other reason. Tsukasa's here for his friends, and so is Rui.
But as the night progresses, Rui finds himself leaning more and more against the smaller figure next to him. He has half a mind to blame it on the two small drinks he's had that night, but that sounded stupid even in his head.
It's nice, he thinks. Despite that awkward start, he can't help the warmth that spreads in his chest the longer he stands there, shoulder-to-shoulder with his actor. They should do this more often. Being together in person is miles better than talking online.
At some point during the show, Rui's hand finds Tsukasa's. Neither of them pulls away.
People start leaving sometime past midnight, but Tsukasa really isn't thinking about the time.
He's not even thinking about Toya, despite watching his performance on the stage. No, Tsukasa is thinking about all the ways he could make sure Rui's hand stays in his for longer. He doesn't even care about being potentially spotted by someone who might recognize either of them, no.
Tsukasa was almost sure that had their height difference been inverted, Rui would have already rested his head on Tsukasa's shoulder. He curses the universe silently.
He doesn’t even notice that Vivid BAD SQUAD isn’t up on the stage anymore, too caught up in trying not to lean his head on Rui.
He fails horribly.
That’s how a green-haired girl, Nene- his mind helpfully supplies, finds them.
Rui doesn’t seem to notice her at first, but he springs up once Nene clears her throat, whipping around to look at her.
“Not to burst your bubble, but we need to get going, Rui.” Her gaze flickers over to Tsukasa once more, no doubt noticing he’s wearing Rui’s sweater.
Rui looks ready to argue, but Tsukasa speaks instead. “Yeah, I should get going too. I’ve got to drive us home.” He sends an apologetic smile to Rui.
The ex-director isn’t paying much attention to Tsukasa though, instead, he seems engrossed in a silent conversation with Nene. They seem to reach a conclusion as Nene hesitantly nods and turns to walk away. “I’ll go find Mizuki. Meet us by the entrance once you’re done.”
As Nene disappears, Rui quickly turns to Tsukasa. “Thank you for tonight.” He hurries out of himself and Tsukasa almost feels Rui’s hand slipping out of his before he strengthens his grip.
Rui’s eyes widen just a fraction before Tsuaksa exclaims. “Wait! We- uh, what about your hoodie?” He resists the urge to slap his hand over his mouth.
Rui blushes a little as he remembers that Tsukasa is still wearing his hoodie, before taking a deep breath and holding out his arm wordlessly. For a moment Tsukasa thinks that Rui wants him to strip right then and there, in front of tens of people, but then Rui speaks.
“Phone. Your phone, I mean. I’ll give you my number.”
Oh. That’s definitely a better option than stripping. Tsukasa pats his pockets before he fishes out his phone, handing it over to the streamer.
Rui enters his contact quickly and Tsukasa thinks that’ll be the end of it before Rui speaks again.
“How about tomorrow?”
“Huh?” Tsukasa lets out a slightly confused sound.
“Are you free tomorrow?” Rui asks again as if Tsukasa hadn’t heard him the first time.
“Tom- I mean yeah, sure, but why?”
Rui gives Tsukasa a confident smile, but his red cheeks betray his nerves. “So you can give me the hoodie back. How does 6 pm sound? My place.”
“I- I mean, yeah. Yes! That sounds great.”
“Great! I’ll be waiting!” And with that, Rui turns around, leaving Tsukasa standing bewildered in the almost empty VIP rows.
He’s found by Toya a few minutes later and questioned if he’s truly sober due to the furious blush adorning his cheeks as they walk backstage.
Only as he sits down in the car does Rui realize what just happened.
He groans and puts his head in his hands. The same hands that were holding Tsukasa’s just fifteen minutes ago.
He’s just invited Tenma Tsukasa to his apartment. The apartment that he shares with two other people. The apartment, which basically screams ‘a university student lives here!’.
His phone chimes.
> From: unknown- ’You didn’t tell me if you’ll send me your address or if you'll pick me up’
Saving the contact, Rui smiles to himself as he answers.
> ’I’ll pick you up. Send me your address?’
> From: Kasa ♡ - ’Will do!’
Rui makes it a point to ignore the suspicious glances Nene sends him the entire way back.
He’s got himself a date with Tenma Tsukasa.