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“Tsukasa-kun, I think we’re meant to be together.”
As soon as the words were out, Tsukasa choked on the rice he was eating, leaning forward and gripping his cardigan harder the longer he was coughing. Rui instantly panicked, not sure whether to pat his back or to offer him water. By the time the purple haired boy decided on what to do, his friend straightened his back and let go of his cardigan, resting his hands on his lap before exhaling loudly.
☆彡
This day’s morning was as usual as it can be for the two friends. Tsukasa excitedly ran to the inventor’s house early in the morning to suggest they walk to school together, wanting to have more time to talk to Rui before having to go to class. The latter couldn't be more pleased at the idea and instantly agreed, putting on his shoes as fast as he could to not make the star wait.
The walk to Kamiyama was pleasant for both of them, they talked about shows ideas, Tsukasa talked about how he was going to meet up with Shizuku in a few days to go together to Leo/need's new concert and that they made a plan to not get kicked out again , Rui teased the blond, gasping and pointing at a rock or a bush near them, swearing he saw a centipede, secretly eager to enjoy his leader’s reactions. As much as Tsukasa hated bugs, especially centipedes, he couldn't keep his annoyed face very long when Rui fooled him once again and the duo always ended up laughing heartily together. They were truly enjoying each other's presence.
They continued to talk once they arrived at their highschool and were almost late to their respective class because they weren’t done with their conversation and didn’t want to part ways so soon. With a hug, and teary eyes from the cat-like boy who made a lot of things a big deal, they finally parted with a promise to eat lunch together.
The hours separating the morning to lunch break fortunately passed in a blink. Each oddball was kept busy, although for different reasons. Oddball 1 had an important test in english and it took everything to keep his brain from exploding. He got help from his friends and studied for the test but his memory was blocked due to stress, knowing he wasn't good in this subject. After some confusion, he took a deep breath and focused on the paper on his desk, recognizing words he read in his notes. With that, every question started to make sense in his head and Tsukasa was able to answer everything. Meanwhile, oddball 2 was upgrading one of his drones. The poor thing got splashed with water and, summer being here, this happening again was very likely. His dad was kind enough to give him advice to make his drones waterproof and build an example for him.
The start of their lunch together was in no way different from the previous ones, except that this time, Rui came with a vegetable-less lunch and didn't have to beg Tsukasa to share his food with him.
Everything was perfectly normal, and a comfortable silence had settled between the two boys, leaving them to enjoy the gentle breeze and the whistling of the birds that had built their nest on a nearby tree. That's why the future star didn't expect the other's statement.
☆彡
“We’re meant to be together ? Where does that even come from ?”
Tsukasa turned towards his director, putting his luncheon on the ground next to him in order to give him his undivided attention and having nothing interrupting him during his explanation. The blond knew that if Rui were to say something like that again, his “dramatic reactions” would send his food straight to the ground and that would be very unfortunate.
Rui, unlike what others assumed about him, Rui wasn't good with words. Having read many books since childhood, his vocabulary was vast, yet nothing seemed able to describe what he was feeling at the moment. He switched between staring at Tsukasa and staring at the scenery behind the latter. After a loud sigh, he fully rested his back on the fence and gave the star an apologetic look for making him wait.
“Take your time, lunch almost just started so we’re not in a hurry. I know talking about your feelings isn’t something easy to do but I won’t judge you at all, you already know that. You can use whatever words you want, I’m certain I’ll understand, with how much I know you !”
Rui wondered how Tsukasa’s smile could be so bright. He had no doubt it could rival the sun. His leader was genuine in his words, he was understanding and patient, that’s exactly why the purple haired boy was comfortable enough to say such a bold statement in the first place. His lips lifted in a smile, not as big as the other's but with as much affection in it.
“My life has been better ever since I met you Tsukasa-kun. You might not realize it, and that’s perfectly fine, but you inspired me to change. You took me out of the shell I locked myself in, you reached for my hand and made me believe in myself again. It might sound silly, I’m pretty sure it’s more than silly, but you are the star that saved me.”
As he was reminiscing about the past, the inventor closed his eyes. During his childhood, he was rejected by his classmates, he was given the title of an outcast. No matter what he did, nobody wanted anything to do with him anymore, leading him to have no friends. He technically had Nene, she did her best to help him and he was grateful to her for that but she had her own problems. It was just a matter of time before both of them started to drift away from the other and Rui was on his own again.
In middle school, Rui had lost any hope of performing with people. He stopped taking care of himself, letting his hair grow, without brushing it or washing it as much as he should. His uniform wasn’t any better : his tie was loose and he didn't bother to tuck his shirt in his pants. The only place where he felt some sort of peace was the rooftop. He liked looking at the students doing any sort of activity, be it talking with their friends, rushing to go home, doing a sport and more. He wanted to enjoy his youth like everyone else did but he wasn't allowed to, not when he was so weird. He didn’t deserve friends, those who talked to him always left him at some point when he began opening up to them. But that was okay. He convinced himself it was.
What changed in middle school was that he wasn’t alone on the rooftop, Mizuki was there with him. Two lonely misunderstood students befriended each other, glad to have someone that could understand what they were feeling. But sharing a pain doesn’t make it disappear. It might make the burden easier to carry when you have someone to talk to but neither of them had a solution, they could only offer a shoulder to cry on when it was too much. Mizuki’s presence kept Rui from drowning in his negative thoughts and Rui was the pinked haired person’s distraction from their classmates’ comments. It wasn't enough, they weren’t as happy as they once were but it was at least something.
The first year of highschool was probably the worst for the boy. With his astonishing grades, he was able to go to a prestigious school for geniuses like him but it only bored him. He wasn’t allowed to bring his robots to school, he got detention everytime he wore his uniform incorrectly and, although nobody shamed him for his interests, Rui could see the judgment in their eyes. He was tired. Tired of everyone, of everything. His parents, always supportive of their son, suggested him to transfer to his childhood friend’s highschool so he could at least have someone he knew there. Rui agreed and decided that it was his chance to have a fresh start. He cut his hair and cheered himself up, this year was going to be a good one.
A few months later, he met Tsukasa. Rui could never forget how he felt when the older invited him to join his troupe. He was overjoyed to see his ideas being accepted during the rehearsals of wonderlands x showtime first show, he even got Nene to join the troupe, letting her do theater again after her failure on stage. Sadly, the first show didn’t go well, the star’s outburst crushed his hopes of enjoying being in a troupe like Robo-Nene crushed Tsukasa.
Rui felt ready to give up. He tried too many times to get along with people and each time, it ended up with him being disappointed and alone. When the blond apologized and tried to get the director back, the latter didn't listen to his heart and turned the offer down. He was sure Tsukasa would give up and never talk to him again.
He never felt happier to be wrong. The show wonderlands x showtime and the virtual singers made for him touched him greatly. He felt special, he felt important, he felt wanted . Once more, Tsukasa reached his hands for the director to take, determination in his eyes. Rui would have been a fool not to take it.
The troupe put on shows again, incorporating as much of Rui’s ideas as they could. Seeing what he imagined come to life, the inventor felt so proud, warmth spreading in his body as stars shone in his eyes. Even when one of his robots malfunctioned and made Tsukasa unconscious for a few hours, said boy comforted the younger, assuring him that he was fine and that Rui should never hold back with him. Everything the director will throw at him, the bright actor will respond with 12000%.
The sun-kissed boy never left Rui’s side, meeting up with him in the morning, going to the other's class during break, sharing his luncheon, walking to Phoenix Wonderland together and so much more. He would even go as far as letting himself get in trouble because he tested one of his friend’s inventions. Tsukasa complained a lot about their reputation, saying that “a star in the making shouldn’t have a bad record” but he was always willing to do anything the purple haired male wanted, he just had to say the word and the actor was ready to exceed his friend’s expectations.
Even when things weren't so great and Rui had to deal with close-minded students, Tsukasa was there to remind him of everything he achieved so far, that he was loved and he will never be alone again. Rui reconnected with Mizuki and Nene, he made new friends and he was doing what he loved most, performing with a troupe and creating robots, wasn’t it amazing ?
“First of all, thank you Rui for thinking so highly of me. I’m more than happy to have helped you but I’m not the only one, am I ? Nene, Emu, even Kaito and the other virtual singers were there for you. They helped as much as I did.”
Rui opened his eyes to look at the boy next to him and was surprised to see such a fond gaze directed at him. It was now his turn to be speechless. Tsukasa took it as a sign to continue, lifting his head towards the sky as he thought of his words.
“You also helped me a lot, Rui. Without you, I might have never remembered why I wanted to be a star, or at least, not before a much longer time. You encouraged me to give the best of myself, allowed me to try harder roles like Torpe and you paid attention to me when I went through my ‘special training’ for the role of Rio.”
Tsukasa laughed. It was like music to Rui’s ears. It wasn’t a loud laugh like the star’s used to do, it was something softer but filled with tenderness and a bit of nostalgia. If Rui couldn’t mutter any words before, he couldn't even look away now. The sun shined on them, making the smaller boy's hair glow. He looked like an angel in Rui’s mind.
“You were right. Maybe we were meant to be together. We bring the best out of each other, don’t we ?”
It was more than that. It was always more than that. Tsukasa was the boy who knew Rui more than anyone else. He was the boy who accepted him, who believed in him when no else could or when no else would. They were stuck together no matter what. They were the weirdo wombo combo and nothing could ever break their bond.
“If I dare to say, I believe the right word to describe us is ‘soulmate’, Tsukasa-kun.”
The redness appearing on the latter’s cheeks didn’t go unnoticed by the inventor who smiled at the sight, feeling the heat rush to his own cheeks too. Tsukasa fully turned his body in Rui’s direction and grabbed his hands, entwining their fingers.
“I think so too. I’m truly glad my soulmate is you, Rui !”
Silence returned as they continued to eat their lunch. The bell rang again, forcing them to part for the rest of the school day. Unsaid words stayed on the rooftop but it didn’t matter, they had all the time they needed before them.