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> 🍬🌟 <
After classes are over, the members of Wonderlands x Showtime will always walk together to the Wonder Stage. Every Friday, they make it a point to not have any extracurricular activities as it's the schedule for their showing.
Emu quickly changes into more comfortable clothing, discarding her school uniform on the round table. She grabs the totebag Rui lent her once; the face of a unicorn with blue-pink hair and purple coat stares at her as she puts in a water bottle and a script of today's play. She hums a tune as she shoulders the bag and merrily skips out of her house with a smile.
Nearing the gates of Phoenix Wonderland, she could faintly see purple hair peeking from a crowd, no doubt belonging to the tallest member of their troupe. Looking closely, she can see the other two by his side, walking into the gates.
Emu immediately locks her gaze on Tsukasa, the boy walking slightly ahead of everyone else. When they're far enough into the park where the visitors don't crowd together as much, Emu enacts her plan.
She squeals and takes a running start, "TSUKAAAASSAAAAA-KUUUNNN!!~"
Her three friends snap their attention towards her, eyes lighting up with recognition—it takes a second before Tsukasa's quickly turns into dread.
(Emu can see Rui lightly tugging Nene to back up, the two watching with amusement.)
"WAIT!! WAIT, EMU DON'T DO THAT!!"
Not heeding Tsukasa's warning the pink-haired girl races towards the three, zoning in on a bracing Tsukasa who—despite looking panicked—holds out his arms to catch her and quickly shuffles into a sturdy stance.
Emu grins, not slowing down as she crashes into Tsukasa with a suffocating force, knocking the wind out of their troupe leader.
"AUGH!! WOULD YOU STOP DOING THAT!" Tsukasa yells, the sound echoing throughout the entire park, catching a few weird looks that none of them pay attention to. (Except for Nene, who Emu sees shuffling a little from the stares.)
"Hehe, but Tsukasa-kun always catches me when I do~!" Emu giggles, her arms still tightly squeezing the life out of Tsukasa.
"Hngh, of course I do, what if you get hurt?" Tsukasa grumbles at the implication that Emu would continue doing this in the future. "That's dangerous you know!"
Despite everything, Emu feels Tsukasa's hand rubbing her back idly, mumbling more incoherent complaints into her hair.
Emu loves Tsukasa’s hugs; they’re always so instantaneous, like a switch that Emu simply has to flick to get a prize just for her! He would instantly tighten his hold around her whenever she squeezed in for a hug, as if he's done it a thousand times—and maybe he has. She likes that whenever she pokes at Tsukasa for fun, he holds her hand to stop her, and then it stays there, the contact soft and warm.
Not everyone is willing to tolerate Emu's advances; she admits that sometimes she gets way too excited and underestimates her own strength. With her school friends and family, she finds herself hesitating or pulling back before showing them her affection, but Tsukasa is different.
Despite all his protests, Tsukasa never once denied Emu of her hugs. The fact that he doesn't push her away or feel obliged to return her affection fills her with joy and it leads her to be a little more aggressive with her touches. She was sure it was going to tire out Tsukasa at one point, but she finds that his sighs are always content, his small smile always followed by fond chuckles.
Emu gives him her all, and he accepts them as they are.
(The fact that Tsukasa would often reciprocate is an added bonus.)
"Best we get going then? I have yet to check the mechanical props and lighting," Rui cuts in with a fond smile.
"Didn't you check yesterday?" Tsukasa asks.
Emu feels Tsukasa tilt his head above her before slightly pulling away, settling into a side hug with his arm around her shoulders.
He doesn't let go, keeping Emu close to him.
Rui nods, "That I did. It doesn't hurt to be safe though."
"Right, okay then! We're losing daylight, come on," Tsukasa says.
"We'll lead the way! Come on everyone!!" Emu grins enthusiastically, wrapping her own arms around Tsukasa's shoulders, causing the troupe leader to yelp in surprise.
"Wait a second! Are you really going to cling to me the entire time?!" Tsukasa yells, straining his neck and shoulder as he leans down because of how much shorter Emu is.
"Hehe~ Yep!" Emu giggles.
The way Tsukasa adjusts his hold around Emu's arm to a more comfortable position gives him away, even as he grumbles, "Argh! You have to stop using me like this. It's insulting that you would take advantage of a future star this way!"
"Aww, but Tsukasa-kun is sooo warm!"
"That doesn't give you the right to cling to me, does it?!"
Tsukasa sighs, relenting. Emu catches the small smile that briefly passes his face, the girl grinning in return.
They must seem ridiculous walking all the way to the Wonder Stage like that. Some people glance their way in confusion; even Nene slows down to create as much space as possible between herself and the two to not be associated with them.
Tsukasa complains about neck pain the entire time, but he only lets go once they arrive.
> 🎈🌟 <
Stage makeup is very important to do before a show; it highlights their features better in stage lighting and adds more visual information to their character.
Wonderlands x Showtime always fall into this routine of taking turns doing each other’s makeup, at least until the show starts and they inevitably have to do their own touch-ups between scenes.
On the outside, Rui may seem somewhat well put together—despite the rising heat on his neck and the random intervals of shivers annoyingly plaguing his body—but in truth, Rui may have blacked out several times during the short period Tsukasa prepares his stage makeup.
"Stay still, will you?" Tsukasa clicks his tongue in mild frustration, using a hand free of a beauty blender to firmly cup the side of Rui's head in order to keep him still. "You keep leaning forward. It's making it harder for me to do this, you know?"
Oh, Rui would love to be normal and not have random tingles whenever Tsukasa's hand brushes against his skin, but no, of course the world would deny him that sense of normalcy. It doesn't help that Tsukasa's hand is so warm, and the light pressure on Rui brings a sense of comfort to him that he just can't help but yearn for more.
…And of course Tsukasa himself doesn't recognize the internal crisis Rui is in, the older boy blissfully applying foundation on his face.
How cruel of him, Rui distantly thinks.
"Ah, it's because Tsukasa-kun is so magnetic, I can't seem to resist the urge to get closer to you," Rui teases with a smirk—a false sense of confidence, perhaps a way to take charge of the situation once again in order to not feel so helpless under Tsukasa's touch.
Tsukasa stares at him with a deadpan look. "Don't make excuses."
"Aww, Tsukasa-kun is being so mean~" Rui complains, subtly trying to pull back from Tsukasa's hold. "Has Nene's judgemental nature finally rubbed off on you?"
"Maybe it has!" Tsukasa says, grabbing the brush next to add a little bit of color to Rui's cheeks.
(Nene's faint grumble of "I'm right here, you know?" goes unheard.)
Rui's attempt to evade Tsukasa's touch ends up fruitless as Tsukasa runs a hand through his hair, holding the bangs away from his face for better access. Rui may have stiffened at the contact, feeling his entire face burn. At this point, Tsukasa wouldn't even have to add any more red to his face; even the crowd at the furthest point from the stage would be able to see it.
It's not the fact that Tsukasa is the one touching him, God knows this happens all the time.
Whenever someone so much as brushes a hand on his skin, he finds the comfort it brings him too much, borderline overwhelming. He's then put in a limbo between pulling away like the touch burns him or pressing back desperately to keep the feeling against him.
It's the fact that Rui's reaction to the slightest touch is paired with Tsukasa's naturally affectionate personality. Rui sees how he interacts with his friends, his family. He always finds a way to wrap an arm around them or give friendly shoulder bumps or head pats. The act of touching is so ingrained in the star's everyday life that it becomes an automatic thing for him.
Rui, however, doesn’t know how to accept that affection.
"Hey, Tsukasa, where did you put my costume again?" Nene's voice cuts into Rui's mind, making him blink away… whatever it was he was feeling.
"It's in those boxes over there. It should have your name on it." Tsukasa points at a corner. Rui isn't really paying attention.
Tsukasa stops in the middle of brushing Rui's hair. (When did he finish doing his makeup?) Rui sucks in a breath at the idle way Tsukasa strokes the strands of purple and blue while making sure Nene gets the right boxes.
Rui may have squeaked when Tsukasa's hand brushed his ear. Just a little bit.
The rest of the time Tsukasa takes to do his hair, Rui spends it in a slight daze, relishing the soft touches through his hair.
"There!" Tsukasa leans back to admire his work, letting go of Rui's head.
Rui is ashamed at the fact that he finds himself leaning forward to chase the contact before hurriedly catching himself. Pull yourself together, Kamishiro Rui! Just breathe. Relax.
"Thank you, Tsukasa-kun."
"Right, now onto the costume! It’s a little complicated to wear so I can help you put it on." Tsukasa offers with that usual grin of his.
Rui stiffens, already imagining his friend poking and prodding his figure to secure his costume. He feels his palms begin to sweat. "Oh n- no, that won't be necessary, I'm sure I'll manage just fine, Tsu—"
"NONSENSE! I will help you, for it is the duty of a star!" Tsukasa declares with a confident pose before quickly adding, "And also as head of costume design. BESIDES! I'm pretty sure you don't actually know how to wear it."
Unfortunately, he doesn't.
Rui finds himself staring at Tsukasa as the older boy's hands fold a piece of fabric above his heart, pinning it with a rose-colored brooch and then smoothing it out on his chest. He gulps when Tsukasa circles Rui's waist from the front to put on his belt, practically hugging Rui with his cheek pressed just under Rui's neck and not even flinching.
Rui may have died a couple times over by the time Tsukasa's finished.
"Hm, what's wrong? You're looking at me funny." Tsukasa tilts his head questioningly, a proud smile on his face at a job well done.
"Oh, nothing." Rui clears his throat at the sudden crack in his voice. "Just admiring you."
Tsukasa raises an eyebrow suspiciously but shakes his head the next instant, grinning at the director, "HA HA HA! YES, OF COURSE! Admire me more, dear director! Get a taste of this wonderful star while you still can!"
Tsukasa reaches out a hand and not so softly begins patting Rui's back. Unfortunately, once he's done feeding himself with Rui's praise, he settles his arms around Rui, the gesture a little awkward with their height difference (though somehow Tsukasa makes it look natural).
Well shit, that's not at all what Rui wanted to get out of him. He was hoping his teasing would distract the blond enough to spare him from any more contact, not get more!
Rui's starting to question if Tsukasa's doing this on purpose.
(He hears Emu snickering behind him.)
< 🌟🤖 >
Pre-show jitters are not uncommon for the four troupe members, not even for their most confident star. Whenever Tsukasa invites Saki or Toya to watch his show, he finds himself shuddering with nerves before going up on stage—though literally shaking it off and doing breathing exercises usually fixes his problem—the thought of his family watching fills him with a sense of responsibility to deliver even more.
So he gets it.
He gets it when Nene turns quiet while backstage, anxiously waiting for Rui to finish his solo scene to signify her entrance with Tsukasa. The older boy is proud to say that Nene's getting better at managing herself, but she still has her days just like everyone else.
Tsukasa catches the nervous tapping of Nene's feet and is about to say something before noticing how she's biting into her finger with a look of worry. He can't help but reach out quickly, instinct taking over before stopping in midair, remembering something.
"I just— I just don't like it when people touch me out of nowhere… It feels uncomfortable."
He slows down his movement. "Nene," he calls out quietly, just to get her attention.
Nene looks at him.
Making sure his hand is fully in Nene's line of sight before slowly reaching out, he touches the hand she's biting. Lightly—so lightly to make sure she scarcely feels it on her, a gentle brush of skin just to let her know that he's there.
Carefully, Tsukasa guides her hand down to her sides, sliding a pinkie finger with her own. A small gesture to stop her from hurting herself while still making sure she isn't too overwhelmed by his touch.
"Nene touches on her own terms," Rui had described it once when Nene flinched away from Tsukasa during rehearsals. "Unfortunately, her discomfort is not something she can really control."
Tsukasa pursed his lips that time, grunting like he's met with a challenge. And it was a challenge; an actress who's uncomfortable initiating contact would limit how they interact and convey certain things while on stage. Some choreography would be hindered too, messing with the quality of the show.
Not that he'll ever blame Nene for it, but it does become a consideration. So they came to a compromise.
Through trial and error, they found that Nene is far better at handling touch when she can expect it, the main source of her anxiety being the unknown.
("Why don't you initiate it? That way I won't make you uncomfortable by touching you first," Tsukasa suggests while they both read the new script.
"But what about scenes where you have to touch me first?" Nene asks, fidgeting with the edges of the paper to soothe herself, "We can alter a lot of scenes to make it seem natural that I'm the one initiating touch, but there's bound to be some scenes where that's just not possible."
"Hmm… then…" Tsukasa hums in thought, then snaps his fingers at an idea. "We'll get you to be able to anticipate it! It'll be like rehearsing choreography or blocking, we'll make it part of the routine."
Tsukasa just has to be precise and memorize each point of contact they've already established during rehearsals. This way, Nene always knows it's coming, always ready and bracing for it. A repetitive movement that makes the action predictable.
It doesn’t take very long for Nene to nod. "Okay, let's try that.")
Tsukasa catches Nene staring at him with something he doesn't quite understand as he holds Nene's pinkie finger in his, a gentle sort of hand holding to ground Nene before the show.
"Is this okay?" Tsukasa asks.
"Yeah… thanks," Nene replies with a small, determined smile, breathing deeply to calm herself.
Tsukasa grins. "Next is the fighting scene. Are you ready?"
As if picking up a challenge from him, Nene nods with conviction. "Of course I am. I'm not losing to you."
The lights turn off to signify the end of a scene. Emu shuffles a couple of props in while Rui takes some out from the other wing. The lights turn back on.
It's showtime.
A fight scene on stage is no different than a practiced dance—a choreographed set of movements to draw the attention of a crowd. Unsurprisingly, it requires a lot of trust and a sense of synchronization, to anticipate the next movement and time each step in a way that seems natural.
They both worked on this scene slowly—meticulously—spending a few hours over time in Wonder Stage or even at Tsukasa's home afterwards to practice. Rui guided them every step of the way, and Emu gave them every piece of dance advice she knew.
"The warlock conquers the queen in battle, but before dying she pulls him down with her," Rui read the script on stage with them during blocking practice. "The act frees the kingdom from his patron's power; the spell broken without a vessel to channel it."
Conquering is often defined as successfully overcoming and taking control of an object or person. Without a single doubt in Tsukasa's mind, Nene is brilliant at it.
As they move, every touch, every grip, pull, and push is filled with determination. When Tsukasa manages to pin her down, she swiftly kicks at his chest, sending him reeling back and not hesitating to retaliate. Quick, nimble, precise.
It didn't use to be like that, Tsukasa knows from their rehearsals; Nene used to shake when Tsukasa's touch became too much, would flinch back mid-scene or push him away. Sometimes they had to take a break and practice other scenes to let Nene calm herself down enough for them to continue.
But every attempt to change the scene to accommodate Nene was always easily denied by her.
To be on stage, Nene's determined to conquer every hurdle that's thrown her way, and each time she succeeds.
When Tsukasa surges forward for a final blow—pulling Nene so close they're pressed up against each other—and pretends to stab her, the fierce look on her face stays firm. There is no flinching, no pulling away, only a girl embodying her character and communicating it clearly to the crowd.
Nene says her line, making sure the sound resonates across the seats. "If I must go down, you're going down with me."
The trap door behind Nene opens, leaving a gaping hole waiting for their exit. She breathes in sharply and pulls Tsukasa even closer, the two falling into a set of mattresses below the stage.
They both briefly see the special effect of the broken spell before the trap door seals shut, ending their performance.
Nene wins.
End scene, just as rehearsed.
"You did it!" Tsukasa quickly breaks character to cheerfully whisper in Nene’s ear, still holding onto her hips to make sure she's alright from the fall.
(Realizing his mistake, Tsukasa quickly lets Nene go, the diva relaxing in turn.)
Nene chuckles while carefully separating herself from Tsukasa, eyes glinting with something close to a gentle kind of ego. "Of course I did. We worked so hard together, didn't we?"
Tsukasa feels himself swell with pride.
< 🍬🤖 >
"Hehe~ that was suuuuper wonderhoi!!" Emu excitedly says while taking off her show costume. She does a little twirl before hanging up the clothing, humming the little tune they had on for her scenes.
She sees Nene glance at her with a soft smile from the makeup table. "You did great, Emu."
Emu giggles, putting on the jacket she placed on the table before the show, and approaches Nene. "Nene-chan did especially wonderhoi!! You were all sparkle sparkle on stage, and when you fought with Tsukasa, I felt my chest going—!"
She cuts off her sentence with a gesture of her hands, flapping her arms around and making vaguely excited noises to try and convey the feeling.
"—Like that, you know?! And now I really reeally want to squeeeeeze Nene-chan so tight like this!" Emu makes a big hugging motion, gathering nothing but air in her arms and pretending to hold them tightly for a few seconds before once again shaking off the excitement.
She has just realized she's been hopping around Nene like a curious fawn while Nene is trying to take her makeup off.
"I appreciate you not doing that," Nene chuckles, a small but fond thing. "Thank you, Emu. I think I'm a little worn from the show."
Emu notices a slight dip in her voice, as if guilty about something. Emu furrow her eyebrows in dismay. Nene has voiced her discomfort with touch when Emu notices how stiff she gets whenever Tsukasa slouches on her, the unpleasant squirm when Emu wraps a tight hand around her.
She huffs, trapping air in her mouth and pouting slightly, "Of course I would! If it makes Nene-chan feel ugh, then I won't do it!"
Emu knows Nene pushes herself when on stage. Even if she's gotten more comfortable with receiving physical touch during a show, Emu really really doesn't want to push it. If Nene can endure discomfort for the sake of a show, then Emu can absolutely hold back for the sake of her friend.
Nene sighs. "I'm just… I wish it didn't make me feel bad being touched by you guys."
"It's not Nene-chan's fault, you're just a little different!" Emu crosses her arms as if scolding someone.
"Of course I know that," Nene agrees with a frown, "I can still be upset about it, though."
Emu senses a dull sadness seeping into Nene, the diva slouching a little in her seat. She watches Nene continue to wipe her remaining makeup, the motion itself slow and tired.
"Well, squeezing someone, holding their hand and everything… I do it because I feel all fluttery and warm all the time around my friends and family," Emu explains with a big smile, her hands balled into fists as if containing every ounce of her energy in them. "I want to share that feeling with all of you, and I think that's just my way of doing it."
Emu doesn't give Nene the chance to feel even worse from that statement before she grins, "But there are so many other ways for me to do that! Like—!"
Emu quickly pulls out her phone and furiously begins typing on it. She looks up with a huge grin, proud of herself, when Nene's phone starts flooding with notifications on the dressing table.
Nene glances at it in surprise, looking at Emu suspiciously, who reveals nothing with her sly smile. She picks up her phone to look at what Emu just texted her.
Emu giggles, looking over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of her own work.
[Otori Emu (wxs)] I LOVE YOU NENE-CHAN YOU'RE SO NICE AND PRETTY!!11!!💐❤️✨💐❤️✨💐✨💐💐💐❤️✨✨❤️❤️❤️❤️💐💐✨
[Otori Emu (wxs)] YOUR SINGING TODAY WAS SUPER ULTRA WONDERHOI TOO!!1! 🕺🕺✨🎤🎤🎶
As quickly as she looks at it, Nene immediately pulls her phone to her chest to cover the wall of capital letters and emojis, a faint red dusting her cheeks. There's way more text that Emu didn't get to see, but she gets the desired effect.
"C-Couldn't you just say these things to me directly?" Nene mumbles, trying to cover her face in embarrassment.
"Hehe~ Well, yes! But now Nene-chan can always look at it forever and ever!" Emu cheers happily, the words making Nene noticeably flush even more.
"A-Ah, well, t-thanks then."
"You're super welcome!" Emu nods enthusiastically, hands on her hips like she's mimicking one of Tsukasa's confident poses.
Nene is quiet for a while, seemingly thinking of something. "I want to…"
Her words trail off with uncertainty, the diva playing with her loose hair to think her words through. She presses her lips together into a line before looking back up at Emu, a determined expression framed perfectly on her face.
It suits her, Emu thinks.
"Um… you also like receiving touch, right?" Nene's words are more of an educated deduction than a genuine question. She adds, "That's why you like to tackle Tsukasa. That dumbass wouldn't hesitate to hold you at any time."
"Hehe~ Maybe a little bit," Emu relents sheepishly as if caught red-handed doing something illegal. "Hmm… it's like… equal switcharoo or something like that!"
Nene chuckles, quickly trying to gather herself. "You mean exchange?"
"Yeah!" Emu nods enthusiastically. "Nene-chan is so smart."
Nene's face grows red again.
"Well… um, I want to do that equal exchange then…" Nene mumbles, gesturing for Emu to lean downwards to match her sitting height, "if that's okay."
Emu can feel her smile growing, her eyes widening in awe as she does exactly what she's told to. She places her hand on Nene's seat to balance herself, maybe a little too closely with how Emu sees her shuffling slightly.
A hand reaches up and settles on her head, moving up and down in a nearly patting motion, but not quite, the movement a little too shy for it. Emu doesn't mind that at all. It feels distinctly like Nene. She leans her head closer.
"You did really well today too," Nene says with a fondness in her voice, switching to stroking Emu's hair softly.
It feels nice like that, a comforting feeling of receiving her friend's care. The moment is soft and gentle, not the wild and excitable energy Emu's more used to. She loves it.
She feels warm at the thought that Nene feels care to do this for her, as if Emu's someone important for Nene to step out of her comfort zone like this. It's not like Nene is going out of her way, but it's enough effort for Emu to feel her friend's love.
"Right, does anyone know where the micellar water is? This makeup is starting to feel annoying—" Tsukasa's booming voice cuts into the nice moment, the star stepping out of the changing room before stopping at the sight in front of him.
Emu turns her head slightly at Tsukasa's direction, smirking smugly at him as if she just won a great prize.
Tsukasa fake gasps, a loud and dramatic sound, clutching his heart like it's painful and giving the two girls the most betrayed expression he could muster, "No fair, how come I don't get a Nene head pat? This is plain favoritism!"
Nene continues to idly pat Emu's head with a sly smile. "Sorry, this is my only quota of the day."
Tsukasa whines just for show, making the two girls laugh at his overdramatic antics, separating to tease their troupe leader. Rui later walks in with his tools—after supposedly checking and putting away the props—confused at what's going on.
Emu feels Nene's touch lingering in her hair and laughs.
< 🤖🎈 >
They're walking home to Emu's place for a sleepover, like they always do on Fridays.
It started off once a month before they decided to keep it a weekly tradition. Nene still remembers how it happened. It was after a big rain stopped them from going home following Project Wonder. They found shelter in Emu's home since hers is the closest out of the four.
Tsukasa was more than ready to run home in the rain just so he wouldn't intrude on the Otoris—as expected of a stubborn idiot—but thankfully Keisuke suggested they should just stay over. Nene swore she could almost see concern in his eyes when Tsukasa prepared for a running start at their doorstep.
Thankfully, today isn't much like that day. For one thing, it's not raining, which is a huge relief to Nene—she doesn't want to admit how long it takes her hair to dry even with Emu's super expensive looking hair dryer—and they walk more leisurely instead of scrambling quickly to find cover.
Still, even with the relaxed pace they set for themselves, Emu and Tsukasa are still walking up ahead, hands held together and swinging wildly like a couple of preschoolers. Nene smiles at the sight, chuckling lightly when Emu would occasionally skip a couple of steps to match Tsukasa's longer legs.
"They look so cute like that. I want to put them in a jar and shake it," Rui says next to Nene just to fill the silence.
"They're like koalas," Nene provides, trying to sound uninterested but unable to hold back the warmth seeping into her voice.
Rui nods sagely, humming in thought, "Emu is the koala, Tsukasa is the tree."
Just as Rui says that, Emu takes the liberty to climb onto Tsukasa's back, small but sturdy arms wrapping around his neck. Tsukasa yells in indignation but secures his hands under Emu's thighs to support her weight anyway.
"Fufu~ They always look so comfortable together."
Nene looks back at Rui, seeing him smile fondly at his two troupemates with a softness in his eyes. There's a crinkle in the corner of his eyes, content to watch.
There's a slight shake to his hands when he rubs his upper arm, fingers occasionally twitching uncomfortably.
It takes a while before she realizes Rui is staring at Emu and Tsukasa very intently.
It almost makes her laugh.
Rui has always been the brave one between the two—at least that's what Nene thinks. He was the one she would hide behind while talking to strangers when they were younger and ask for a napkin if she spilled something. He's the one to stand up for his friends without a single hesitation and spew out wild ideas regardless of how others will perceive them. Nene wishes she could be like that.
But when it comes to this? An action as innocent as asking, 'Can I join you?'
Rui hesitates. He hesitates as if he feels unworthy of it, as if the act of asking itself is a sin.
So, at times like these, Nene has to be the one to take action, no matter how small and shy she is.
"Rui," Nene calls out, snapping the older boy's eyes back towards her.
Pushing past the growing embarrassment in her stomach, Nene holds out a hand, arm hovering in the air awkwardly like an uncertain offering.
"Hm?" Rui looks down at her outstretched hand with a tilted head, confused.
Can't he see that she's trying to be nice here?! Nene grumbles sharply with a deadpan look, "Just take it, will you? You look miserable."
It takes a minute for realization to spark in Rui's eyes, scoffing out a small laugh at the still offered hand, "Ah, was I that obvious?"
"You were staring at those two like a touch starved fool. You know they'd be more than happy to give you what you want, right?" Nene says with exasperation seeping into her voice.
"I'm not touch starved." Rui easily denies with a wave of his hand, "I am simply observing their behavior. Emu and Tsukasa are two pleasantly unusual individuals."
Nene very specifically notes that he did not address the rest of her sentence.
"Well then, if you don't want it, I'll just take it back," Nene snaps, wiggling her fingers teasingly.
Rui quickly takes the offered hand.
(Nene chuckles at the realization that maybe it was a little too quickly.)
Rui's hand is clammy—almost unpleasantly so—but the hold is gentle. Almost fragile. As if he's afraid of hurting her somehow.
Nene is trying hard to relax her hand and make the entire thing feel casual and not an awkward gesture. How does Tsukasa do it so easily? She feels like someone poking a stick at a distance to help a beatle turn over out of pity. It doesn't help that—even with the gentleness of his hold—Rui somehow also feels as tense as her.
"Maybe you should just—" Nene tries to look at Rui to tell him to calm down, but stops when she notices the growing redness on his face and neck.
Rui tilts his head. "I should…?"
"W- What are you blushing for!?" Nene asks in surprise, completely forgetting her previous train of thought. She has to hold herself back from shrieking in embarrassment.
"It's just—" Rui looks away stiffly, refusing to look at Nene, "This is… it's nice."
Nene huffs in fake annoyance, gaze softening on the older, "God, you're so embarrassing."
"'M sorry," Rui mumbles into his free hand, attempting to cover the smile across his face.
He shouldn't even bother, Nene can still clearly see it.
If she was a little meaner, maybe she'd tease him too, but she holds her tongue.
Unlike Nene, Rui's minimal exposure to physical touch wasn't a choice he actively made—quite the opposite. Rui yearns for it, the feeling very easily noticeable to her from how he acts around the people closest to him.
Nene has seen him fidget around Tsukasa during lunch, flinching when the blonde inevitably brushes against him yet still making an effort to stay close. She sees it when he sets wires on Emu for a special effect, hands lingering on her but also scrambling to finish the preparation as soon as possible.
(To yearn but be afraid of the thing he's yearning for. Nene thinks she understands that very well.)
Nene lightly squeezes Rui's hand in hers, closing an invisible gap there. She sees Rui noticeably perking up, his face turning gentler, a content sigh escaping his lips.
"Thank you, Nene, what would I ever do without you?" Rui playfully teases, though it falls flat with his flushed face.
"Die probably."
Rui pouts dramatically, "So mean to me..."
He's such a loser, Nene can't help but smile.
< 🎈🍬 >
Emu has lots of games in her house. Unlike Nene's unhealthy obsession with online shooting games, the Otoris invest in plenty of board games to physically play with.
(Although, Emu mentions that at the time, the only people actually using them was her and her grandpa.)
The third time they stayed over, Rui suggested they play together. The idea met little resistance from the rest of the troupe, and so it became a lasting tradition to pick a game out of the pile and play a few rounds before passing out from exhaustion.
(Well, Tsukasa would pass out from exhaustion while the rest of them would fall asleep slowly like normal people.)
He thinks playing any one of those board games always ends up being the highlight of their stay. A fair competition between friends really does bring out the best in people.
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT! You can't combine your assets in Monopoly!" Tsukasa shrieks in frustration.
"Fufu~ Technically there aren't any rules that forbid collaborations between the players," Rui points out, yet again taking Tsukasa's money to share between him and Emu.
Okay, maybe Rui is lying, he doesn't exactly know that, but none of them really read the rules, so they might as well make things up.
"This is cheating! Nene, we should join forces to defeat them!" Tsukasa suggests, still determined to win with 5 mortgaged assets, an upcoming debt, and a dream.
Nene—looking absolutely defeated after landing in jail for the fifth time that session—stares at Tsukasa tiredly. "I hate this fucking game."
"Have you ever thought of getting good?" Rui teases, adding insult to injury by using one of Nene's favorite insults.
Now, all of this is good and fun and just so absolutely great. It would be even better if he could actually focus right now and not be hyperaware of Emu clinging to his back. The girl suggested playing Monopoly, left in the middle of it to get some blankets, then came back to suddenly wrap her arms around Rui's torso and just settle there for the rest of the game.
("Emu-kun, you should probably sit somewhere else so you can place all your money and assets in front of you…"
"Hmmm, no thanks!"
"Eh???"
"Oh, you can just take my cards and we'll be unstoppable together, Rui-kun!"
"WHAT?!" comes Tsukasa's response)
He's just hoping he’s doing a better job at looking like he's not as flustered as he actually feels. It's not even a terrible feeling. He just feels nice all over to the point where his head feels lightheaded. It's a miracle he hasn't passed out yet with how tight Emu is holding him.
At this point, he's absolutely sure Emu has found his particular weakness with physical touch and—unlike Nene's shy offer or Tsukasa's oblivious advances—very wisely decides to weaponize it against him.
(Always hand it to Emu to know which buttons to push in order to encourage a fellow performer.)
"I'm gonna strangle you in your sleep," Nene threatens, bringing Rui's mind back to the conversation.
Emu giggles from behind Rui before picking up a card and handing it to Nene, "Here, Nene-chan, you can use my get out of jail free card!"
Rui stiffens when Emu's breath tickles his neck. The quickly tightening arms around him tell him that Emu notices that. What did he do to deserve this?
"Emu is the only good thing in this world."
"Aww, thank you, Nene-chan!!"
"OKAY WELL! If I build a house here, I might be able to get my money back!"
"Tsukasa, none of your properties belong to you anymore, they belong to the bank."
"Considering switching to Marxism any moment now, this capitalism bullshit is—"
A loud knock interrupts their very important and positive group bonding, the door to Emu's room creaking open to reveal a tired face slightly covered by disheveled dark red hair.
Shousuke stares at the four teenagers huddled together in a circle surrounding a monopoly board, snacks littering the room, and more than a few pillows splayed around them. The man yawns, looking a little silly in his blue striped pajamas, "I know you don't have school tomorrow but I expect lights to be off in 20 minutes. You kids should probably be sleeping by now."
"Ookii doki~!" is Emu's short response.
Apparently satisfied by that answer, Shousuke moves to shut the door but stops for a second, looking at Emu hugging Rui tightly before saying, "Emu, stop torturing Kamishiro-san."
"No, he's fine," Emu cheerfully counters.
"I don't think so. He looks like he's on the brink of passing out," Shousuke points out with an unimpressed look, "I don't think he's used to your antics."
Now he's really in trouble, if even SHOUSUKE can tell. Rui wishes the floor would just swallow him whole, or a meteor would strike him into oblivion, whichever is faster.
"Then Rui-kun will just have to get used to it!" Emu cheers in delight, nuzzling the back of his neck, "and I will help with that!"
Rui's breath hitches, "I— I—"
Emu giggles into Rui's back, "See? He doesn't mind."
And she's right. He doesn't.
In fact, he's feeling very warm and content at the moment, so much so that he feels like he might burn alive from the inside.
(Did you know Japanese honeybees would clobber invading hornets, acting as a group to fully surround them to generate unbearable heat? This will then cook their far larger opponent alive and kill them.
Rui thinks that's an interesting fact and also very relatable.)
Rui deliriously catches Shousuke sighing in defeat, mumbling something about wishing him luck before shutting the door.
"Thank God," Nene sighs tiredly, already gathering up her cards to clean them up.
Tsukasa hums in discontent, helping Nene gather up the paper money, "At least Rui and Emu didn't win with their sly tactics…"
"Don't worry, Rui-kun, we'll win next time!" Emu hums a little too closely to his ear, a cheeky sound escaping her lips in what Rui could only interpret as mischief.
Rui feels his cheeks heat up, embarrassment and guilt mixing together at the pit of his stomach.
He doesn't know why he's like this—wanting something yet not—trapped in an endless cycle of contradictions. It bothers him more because he can't reciprocate Emu's affection, not right now when it's very hard to maintain a calm demeanor when every single time his skin so much as brushes against Emu's, he feels his soul leaving his body.
He wishes he was on the stage, performing or giving his friends directions, because then he'd focus far more on making the best production he could rather than being too aware of someone touching him. It never bothers him when he has to move his fellow troupemates around during blocking practice or get picked up bridal style during a scene.
(But here Rui sits, unable to do the basic task of hugging Emu back.)
Maybe Emu senses his dip in emotion, or maybe Rui is too obvious for his own good, because Emu lets go of him.
Rui involuntarily chases after her touch.
"I'm gonna get the extra mattresses now," Emu announces, standing up with a 'hup!'.
"Take Rui with you. He's not going to help us clean," Tsukasa says distractedly.
Rui slowly sits up, gathering himself. "Oh? Do you really have so little faith in me, Tsukasa-kun?"
"Yes," are both Nene and Tsukasa's cruel responses.
Rui pouts.
"Okay! Come on, Rui-kun!" Emu shuffles excitedly on her feet, beckoning him to follow her outside. Rui chuckles fondly at her never-ending energy.
Emu leads him around a few rooms and even a flight of stairs. The huge house still serves to confuse Rui even after all this time. She finally stops at a room, unlocks it, and ushers him in to get the mattresses leaning sideways on the wall.
Rui's still amazed that it's not those foldable ones, or even a small, thin one, but literal mattresses for an actual bed frame that the Otoris apparently keep in a room as spare ones. He doesn't understand rich people.
He goes to the wardrobe to retrieve some bedsheets and pillows.
"Rui-kun," Emu's tone suddenly has an uncharacteristically serious note to it, Rui snapping his attention to her in surprise. "Do you actually mind me hugging you like that?"
Rui stares. He opens his mouth to answer, but finds no words to explain himself. He presses his lips together.
"Because…" Emu blessedly continues, probably sensing Rui's struggle. "Sometimes I feel like you really want me to, but whenever I do you get all…" Emu mimics stiffening her body and frowning with those big eyes looking at him, "...you know?"
"Ah…" Rui says regretfully, forcing the words out through the lump in his throat, "I apologize, Emu-kun, I don't really know why I…
He stops to reconsider his words.
"Actually, maybe I do…" Rui rubs at the back of his neck nervously, "I'm just not very used to it, I think. Nene wasn't big on physical touch and I didn't really have anyone else to rely on for it so… I guess it just gets a little too much."
Emu stays silent as she pulls up a mattress much bigger than her with ease, her face scrunches up in thought as if considering something, "So it makes you uncomfortable?"
"Not really," Rui quickly admits, "I like it. It's just… a lot."
"Is it because…"
Emu doesn't have to end that sentence before Rui picks up the silent question she's about to ask. He immediately shakes his head, determined to not make his friend upset, "No, no, never! It's not because it's you. I feel the same way with Tsukasa— even Nene."
"Then… Do you… want me to?" Emu asks silently before clarifying, "Hug you and stuff?"
Rui doesn’t look at Emu, glancing anywhere but at the girl looking expectantly at him, but he slowly nods. Softly, almost a whisper, he adds, "I do."
Emu's eyes light up immediately, all previous tenseness washing away from her entire figure. She jumps up and down excitedly. "So can we cuddle tonight?"
"I— uh," Rui stutters, squirming a little at the thought, unable to imagine a scenario where he doesn’t black out if they do. So he replies with, "We can hold hands?"
"THAT'S OKAY TOO!" Emu agrees.
Rui chuckles fondly, "Right, we should bring these back first and then we can do sleeping arrangements."
"Hehe~ Alrighty!"
Emu pushes the mattress out of the doorframe, Rui helping her but feeling as if she's still doing most of the work. They brought it all the way to Emu's room, discarding it on the floor, which Nene and Tsukasa already cleared while the two were away.
"I wanna sleep next to Rui-kun today!" Emu declares, fixing the bed sheets on the mattress.
Nene nods, flicking the lights off to make way for the glowy stars to light up the room, "Ah, good, Tsukasa already passed out on the carpet. We left him to calm down for too long."
True to her words, Rui glances at a sleeping Tsukasa, face first on the carpet, arms awkwardly spread out around him.
Rui contemplates the comfortability of that position and wonders if he should ask Emu to move him. Before he can ask, however, Emu pulls him down next to her and covers the both of them in blankets, holding his hand tightly with a giggle.
Nene laughs, probably at Rui's shocked face, and settles on Emu's bed. "Night, guys."
"Goodnight, Nene-chan, Rui-kun, Tsukasa-kun!"
"Fufu~ Good night."
Rui relaxes into Emu's hold and feels warm.