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The couch shifted next to Tsukasa, leaning him towards the now filled space next to him. He turned his gaze away from the script in his hand, glancing at Saki as she settled next to him, holding up a book. With a frown, he set the script down, shifting so he could face her.
“What is it?” he asked, resting his chin in his hand.
Saki let out a quiet grunt, turning so she could face him, setting the book between them.
“Do you remember this book?” she asked, tilting her head curiously.
With a hum, Tsukasa picked up the book, looking over the cover.
“ ‘A Guide to Soulmates…’ ” he mumbled.
He wouldn’t deny, it did seem somewhat familiar. He just wasn’t sure where he’d seen it before.
“This doesn’t look like a book I read to you before,” he said, flipping through the pages.
“Well, of course not!”
He flinched, closing the book to read the back. Saki sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. His hands slipped, and the book fell open to a random page in his lap.
“ ‘Signs to look for in your soulmate’ ... Saki, did I read this?”
“They go over it in your first year of high school! Do you really not remember?”
First year of high school…
He’d been focused on making sure Saki was comfortable through her recovery in the hospital. With any free time he had between that and school, he was working out how to start his first steps into Stardom and looking for a job in theater. Planning things out in preparation for when he finally did land the job. Once Saki was better, of course.
Plus, adding on the fact that Tsukasa wasn’t worried about finding his soulmate. He was sure he’d find them soon enough, when the time was right.
“No, I must not have been paying attention when they went over it. Besides, I have to focus on becoming a star and finishing school before I can worry about my soulmate!” he said while striking a pose.
Saki only sighed at him, leaning back on the couch cushion. She took the book from his hands, flipping to a random page.
“Don’t you want to find your person, though?”
“Of course! I’m just not focused on that right now. I have more important things to worry about.”
“What could be more important than your soulmate ?!”
“Well, if I want to support them, my career has to be solid! I want to be able to help them throughout our lives, and I can only do that with a stable job!”
“But it wouldn’t hurt to look for them now .”
Tsukasa paused, giving Saki a confused look.
“What’s all this about me finding my soulmate, hm? What about you ? Why aren’t you worried about finding your own?”
“Oh, I already found her. But you’ve said nothing about your person!”
“Eh…?”
“C’mon, we can go look for them!”
Saki pulled on his wrist, trying to pull him from the couch cushion. Tsukasa only sighed, effortlessly pulling her back down.
“You do realize my soulmate could be anyone ? Looking around the city isn’t guaranteed to find anything. For all we know, they could be on the other side of the world !”
A long, loud sigh escaped Saki as she fell back on the cushions. Tsukasa picked up his script, starting to read over it again.
“I thought you’d be more excited to find your soulmate,” she muttered, flipping through the soulmate book.
“I will find them when the time is right. Until then, I’m simply waiting. A star has to be patient, after all!”
He felt his sister shift next to him, and he spared her another glance. The unspoken worry was clear with her silence as she spared occasional glances at random pages in the book.
“Why are you so worried about it?”
She lifted her head to look at him, their eyes meeting briefly. She dropped her head back to the cushion, shrugging.
“No reason.”
“Come now, Saki. Something’s on your mind. What is it?”
“It’s just… What if you don’t find them soon enough? Y’know, all those stories of people whose soulmates died before they found them? Life is short, so why not spend it happy with your person?”
Ah… so that’s what she was worried about.
“Hmm… While a life without a soulmate doesn’t sound terrific, they’re not the only person you need to make you happy. I have you, and Toya, and all the other friends I’ve made. And I have the members of WonderShow, who are my best friends.”
Not to mention the virtual singers in his Sekai, but he couldn’t tell his sister about them.
“Well if you put it that way, it sounds like you don’t need a soulmate.”
Tsukasa shrugged, flicking through his script slowly.
“Like I said, you don’t need a soulmate to be happy .”
Another sigh escaped Saki, before she got up and walked away from him.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Back to my room.”
He spared Saki one more glance when he heard her dejected tone, growing confused.
Nothing he’d said was wrong, was it ? But then, why did Saki sound so upset? Did she want him to find his soulmate that badly?
Either way, he would find his person. It would just take a little longer. Not everyone finds them while still in high school. Some people don’t find them until they’re old. And Tsukasa was okay if that was the case with him. He was happy with his life now. There was no need to rush it!
With a hum, he turned on his phone, glancing at the clock on the screen. He jolted, rushing up to his room. He had a meeting at the Wonder Stage in half an hour. And if he didn’t hurry, he’d be late!
~ * ~
Tsukasa collapsed on the floor of the stage, out of breath.
“Don’t die,” Nene mumbled, kicking at his arm when she walked past with Robo-Nene.
“I have yet… to become… a star! I won’t die… yet!” he replied through heavy breaths. “Where’s the… the other two… anyway?”
“Rui said he’s running a little late, and Emu just hopped in Sekai for a moment. She said she’d be back shortly.”
“I see…”
He pushed up and scooted to the edge of the stage, swinging his legs over the side. He reached into his bag and pulled out the script to flip through.
“Do you want to get started before they get here?” he called back, listening as Nene shifted behind him.
“Emu actually wanted to talk over something before we started practice. Something about that new idea she mentioned in the group chat earlier.”
“Ah, for our next show?”
“Mhm. She got really excited about it when she came over at lunch. And she wants to hear what you guys have to say about it.”
“That’s fine! I’m sure Rui and I will have some input to add!”
Nene settled next to him on the stage, letting out a quiet grunt. Robo-Nene let out a mechanical hum behind them as she settled behind the two.
“Is that one of our old scripts?” she asked.
“Mhm! I’m reading over it again so I can be ready for its next showing. I just wanted a refresher.”
She nodded, reaching up to play with a strand of her hair.
Several minutes of silence passed between them, before Nene shifted nervously.
“What do you think is taking them so long?”
Tsukasa glanced up with a frown, before pulling his phone out to check the clock.
“Rui’s coming from his house, yes?”
“He should be. Unless he made any stops he didn’t mention, which is probable.”
“And Emu went into Sekai… Maybe she got distracted talking to one of the virtual singers, or started playing with the plushies?”
“Eh, you never know…”
Footsteps pounded on the path towards them, and they glanced over. Rui came into view, face flushed from running as he slowed down, out of breath.
“You took your time,” Nene mumbled.
A breathy laugh only escaped Rui, and he collapsed against the side of the stage between Tsukasa’s legs, burying his face in his stomach and hugging him tightly. Tsukasa’s stomach started tingling, but he ignored it and thought nothing of the strange feeling.
“Rui, no ,” he scolded, smacking his director’s head lightly with the script, earning another laugh from him. “What took you so long, anyway?”
“Grabbing props for… for later…”
“What do you plan on doing today, hm?”
“Not today. Later .”
Tsukasa rolled his eyes with a small smile, but didn’t push Rui away.
“We’re just waiting for Emu to get back from Sekai, or we’re going in after her if she takes too long.”
“She got distracted again?”
“Probably.”
Rui let out a hum, nuzzling his cheek against Tsukasa. A flash rose behind them, followed by a squeal.
“Won won… Wonderhoy☆!!!”
“Wonderhoy!”
“ Bzzt … Hi Emu!”
Tsukasa turned back to the girl, watching her move to settle between him and Nene.
“Sorry I took so long! I accidentally left my book in Sekai, and I needed Miku and Kaito’s help looking for it!” she said, setting the book in her lap.
“Book…?” Rui perked up, letting Tsukasa go.
They all turned to Emu as she flipped through the pages, her eyes shining with glee.
“Mhm! I got it in class today, and it gave me an idea for a show!”
“Oh, you got a book, too?” Nene asked, leaning against Emu’s shoulder.
“Yep! And I thought we could use it as inspiration! I got a couple ideas, but I wanted to hear what everyone thought!”
“What’s the idea?”
Tsukasa’s curiosity piqued, and he leaned forward with his elbow on his knee, eyes landing on the book.
“A story about soulmates!” Emu squealed.
“Oh.”
They frowned at his tone drop, his smile falling slightly.
“ You two got that book, too …” He mumbled.
“What’s wrong?” Emu asked.
“Saki was asking me about my soulmate earlier, since she got that book. I think she’s worried about me finding them, but I’m not worried about it. I still have plenty of time to find them!”
“So you’re not actively looking for them?” Rui asked.
“Nope! I don’t need a soulmate to be happy. Not saying I don’t ever want to find my person, but I want to be ready to support them when I do meet them!”
Tsukasa just barely caught Rui’s shoulders deflate as Emu started speaking, their attention returning to her.
“Well, I was thinking we could do a story about the main character and their journey to find their soulmate! Soulmates are such a romantic thing, but we could also make it funny for the kids☆!”
“Do you have a story for this idea yet?” Nene asked, taking the book to flip through.
“Just little ideas, but I figured we could work on it together!”
“Where’s your notebook? We should get started before you lose your inspiration!”
Emu let out a cheer, before slipping down and moving to her bag on a nearby bench. The three moved further on the stage, sitting in a circle with Emu joining to complete it.
“I also got to ask Kaito about it before lunch earlier, and he said he’d help with the idea and give some input when we all go for a meeting on Friday or today if he has time!”
“I’m excited to see what we come up with! I could get started working on my robots or the script tonight, depending on what we come up with!” Rui mused, nodding as he moved to lay on his stomach.
Emu followed, holding her sparkly pink pen over the paper, her eyes shining.
“Whenever you’re ready!!!”
They spent the rest of their meeting tossing ideas back and forth, Emu scribbling away while her eyes stayed lit with excitement.
Kaito joined them at some point, popping up from Tsukasa’s phone. He gave his own suggestions, his excitement growing with the progress they made.
Emu wrote the last word in her notebook, and Kaito disappeared back in Sekai. Nene sat up to stretch, reaching for her phone. She turned it on, glancing at the clock with a frown.
“It’s getting late, I should probably head home soon,” she muttered.
“I’ll go with you!” Emu volunteered, jumping to her feet. “And that leaves you two to clean your dressing room. Make sure you get your gadgets cleaned up, Rui! Keisuke’s not happy that you left your mess back there and wants it cleaned up!”
“Wait, why do I have to clean Rui’s mess?! It’s his!!!” Tsukasa protested, gesturing to their director.
“You won’t help me?” Rui pouted, rolling into Tsukasa’s side.
It started tingling, but he shrugged the feeling off again.
“ You ,” he jabbed, pushing Rui off him, “... need to clean your own messes and not make me do all the work!”
“Well, since it’s the guys dressing room, it’s your mess, too, Tsukasa. We don’t go in there,” Nene commented, getting to her feet with a quiet grunt.
“So you’re just abandoning us?!”
“Yep. See you two at school tomorrow.”
“W-wait-!”
Nene got up and grabbed her bag, signaling Robo-Nene to follow her. Emu jumped down from the stage again, grabbing her own bag, and heading off with Nene.
Tsukasa sighed, sprawling out on the floor as Rui sat up next to him.
“We’d best get started if you want to finish soon, then,” he said, eyeing Tsukasa.
The response he gave was a groan.
Tsukasa hadn’t been expecting to clean up the dressing room. He’d hoped Rui would’ve taken care of it like he asked not too long ago. But it couldn’t be helped. Rui hated cleaning, and even if he’d gotten started, he would’ve easily gotten distracted.
“Alright!”
Rui jumped when Tsukasa sat up, eyes widening as he watched him.
“Let’s get started so I still have time to get Saki dinner on the way home!”
His director’s eyes lit up, his gentle smile growing as they scrambled to their feet and to the back.
“You didn’t make the mess bigger after our last show, did you?” Tsukasa asked, sparing a glance at Rui.
“Mm, no, I shouldn’t have. I believe Nene helped me put everything from then in the storage room.”
“We should find a time to organize the storage, too. Maybe if we got drawers or cabinets for the smaller parts, that would help us?”
“It could work. It did for me when Mom bought me some for the workshop when I was younger. I just struggle to remember to put everything away,” Rui chuckled.
“Yes, your room and garage makes that very obvious. How do you find the parts you need, anyway?”
“Depends. Sometimes I find it right away, other times it takes hours. Or I find another project and start working on it instead.”
Tsukasa shook his head at Rui, but didn’t stop the laugh that followed. They stopped in front of the dressing room door, and he took the handle.
“Oh, hold on a moment!”
Rui headed back to the stage, disappearing around the corner.
“You better not be leaving me here!!!” Tsukasa called after him.
He didn’t hear a giggle from Rui, so he assumed his director didn’t ditch him. He dropped his grip on the door handle, instead crossing his arms while he waited.
Less time passed than he’d thought would have, and Rui came back with tubs in his arms.
“Emu let me know about cleaning up the dressing room yesterday, so I brought these tubs earlier before I went to go buy parts!”
“That’ll make it somewhat easier to sort through later. You’ll probably just stuff everything in the tubs haphazardly, though.”
“Maybe! It just depends on what we find!”
With a shrug, Tsukasa opened the door and flicked the light on, stepping into their dressing room.
The mess wasn’t as bad as Keisuke and Emu had made it out to be. Everything had been put into piles, and though there were quite a few, they weren’t big or anything. They could see the floor and had walking space, at least.
“Should take an hour or two, depending on how distracted you get,” he commented, taking one of the tubs from Rui’s arms.
“Oo, I already see a couple things I could work on!”
“Save it for later, Rui. We’re cleaning!”
Rui pouted behind him, but Tsukasa ignored the boy. Instead, he moved to the pile farthest from the door, kneeling by it to stuff what he could in the bucket.
Surprisingly, Rui joined him at a pile nearby, carefully picking up the pieces and examining them, before setting them down in the tub.
Tsukasa wasn’t careless in filling his tub, but he didn’t take the time to look over each piece he picked up. Aside from the memories of shows, there wasn’t much sentimental value to the pieces like there was for Rui.
Soon enough, he’d made his way through a couple piles. Before he could start on his third, Rui spoke up.
“Hey, Tsukasa?”
“Yeah?”
He paused, slowing his movements to turn his attention to Rui.
“Mind if I ask you something?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
He wasn’t sure what Rui had to ask, but he’d never hesitate to answer his friends' questions!
“Were you serious about what you said earlier?”
“Hm? About what?”
“About finding your soulmate?”
Rui glanced at him from the piece he held, fidgeting with it almost nervously. Tsukasa’s brows furrowed.
Why would Rui want to know about his soulmate? Saki wanting to know was one thing, but Rui ? Maybe he was just curious, letting his need for answers take over and making him speak…?
Well, whatever it was, he wouldn’t hesitate answering his friend’s question!
“Well, yeah. If they’re my partner for life, I want to be able to take care of them properly! I don’t know who they are, or what they’ve gone through, but I want to be the best partner I can!”
Rui hummed, setting his piece in the tub and picking up another.
“Do you remember what the clues are to find your soulmate? From the class last year?”
“No, I didn’t pay attention. I could borrow Saki’s book and read it over again to be prepared, though! The world’s future star should be prepared for anything-!”
Thunder rumbled outside, the lights of the dressing room flickering. Both boys jumped in response, glancing at the closed door with wide eyes.
“Did it say it would rain today…?” Tsukasa mumbled, frowning.
“Mhm. Did you grab your umbrella?”
“It should be in my bag… We should hurry up so we don’t get caught in the storm, though.”
“We should.”
The sound of thundering rose on the roof above them, signaling the rain had started. They both shrugged in response to it.
It wouldn’t be too big of a problem if they had to walk home in the rain. They had umbrellas, after all.
The two started cleaning up their pile again, but Tsukasa could tell there was more on Rui’s mind.
“Is there anything else you wanted to ask?”
“Ah, yes, um…”
His brow raised, but he kept his attention on the pile, carefully moving the gadgets into the tub.
“What if… say, you found your soulmate today? What would you do? Would you get together with them, or would you wait to approach them when you’re ready?”
Tsukasa slowed, humming in thought.
What would he do if he found his soulmate?
“I… I’m not sure. I never gave it much thought, to be honest. I just thought, if it happened, it happened. Maybe I’d stay in touch with them, try to stay close and get to know them better? But right now, I’m worried about getting through high school and becoming a star! Maybe going through college, too, to get more training from a professional!”
“I see…”
Tsukasa glanced at Rui, seeing his shoulders deflate again. He frowned, brows furrowing.
“What’s wrong?”
“Hm? Oh, nothing.”
“Come on, Rui. I know that’s a lie. I’ve known you long enough to be able to tell there’s more on your mind.”
Thunder rumbled outside, making the small stage seem to shake. Rui flinched at the loud noise, turning his face away from Tsukasa. With a sigh, he shifted away from his pile, crawling over to Rui.
“What are you thinking about?”
“It’s nothing, I promise.”
Tsukasa settled next to Rui, crossing his legs and leaning his elbow on his knee.
“You can tell me, I’ll listen.”
“I have no doubt about that. It’s just…”
He tilted his torso, trying to move back into Rui’s view. But his director only turned his head away again.
“If you don’t know yet, it doesn’t… feel right to just tell you, I guess? Not yet, anyway .”
“Tell me what?”
Their eyes met briefly. Tsukasa caught Rui’s frown as he turned his head away, yet again. With a sigh, he reached out to cup Rui’s face and make the boy look at him. But before he could, thunder rumbled again and the power of the stage went out.
Tsukasa yelped, jumping into Rui and knocking them both down as he clung to him in fear. Rui’s arms wrapped around him quickly, and they lay there for a moment, hearts beating rapidly.
He couldn’t help his trembles and quiet whimpers as he clung to Rui, squeezing his eyes shut so he wouldn’t have to face whatever he might see in the dark.
“Do you have your phone on you?”
Rui’s voice was quiet and calm, soothing even, as he pet Tsukasa’s back while they lay there.
Good thing Tsukasa had been honest about his fear of the dark at their sleepovers, despite the teasing that followed. He knew Rui would be confused at his reaction, otherwise.
He shook his head, burying his face in Rui’s neck. His face tingled, but he paid no mind to it. The tingling was nothing, compared to his heart racing in fear.
“I’m not sure when the power will come back on. The backup generator isn’t kicking on, either, so the Wonder Stage might be out for the rest of the day. But it should be fine if we end practice here, we made some good progress. Is your bag by the door?”
“It should be,” he whispered.
Rui hummed softly, before carefully sitting them up. He pet Tsukasa’s back gently, shifting the two of them.
“I’m gonna get us to the door, ‘kay? If I open it, we should have enough light to find our bags and get out of here.”
“Okay.”
The move towards the door was slow and painful. Tsukasa didn’t loosen his grip on Rui once as they scooted across the floor, keeping his eyes shut and face buried in Rui’s neck.
It took everything in him to not begin panicking, even when his eyes were closed as tight as he could get them. But Rui’s gentle touch on his back kept him grounded, kept him somewhat calm while they moved, the only noise around them the pounding of the rain and their bodies sliding on the floor.
A soft tap rose beside him, then something sliding on the wall. A squeak followed, and Rui let out a sigh of relief.
“There’s not a lot of light, but there’s enough to see, if you want to open your eyes.”
Rui’s hand rubbed his back comfortingly, and Tsukasa lifted his head, peeking at the area around them.
Like Rui had said, there really wasn’t a lot of light. But he could see once his eyes adjusted. There was enough light that he wouldn’t panic.
“Are you alright?”
He turned to Rui, who’d tilted his head curiously.
“I… I should be fine,” he stuttered.
Rui nodded slowly, reaching behind him. He handed Tsukasa his bag, pulling his own over his head.
“We should probably head out then. Before the storm gets a chance to get any worse.”
Tsukasa carefully climbed off Rui, getting to his feet. His legs shook, but he took a deep breath to shake it off. He didn’t have to stay in the dark for long, and he would be okay.
Rui followed, shutting the dressing room door and following him out to the stage.
The rain poured around them relentlessly.
“My, the storm’s heavy,” Rui mumbled.
They both hummed, then turned to reach in their bags. Tsukasa looked through his, shifting his belongings around. A frown grew, and he looked through everything again, then a third time. He felt Rui’s gaze on him as his director pulled out his own umbrella, and he looked through his bag for a fourth time.
“Did you… forget to bring it?”
“Probably,” Tsukasa sighed, zipping his bag shut in defeat.
“I can walk you home then.”
“But my house is out of the way for you!”
“It’s alright, I don’t mind.”
Tsukasa frowned, but didn’t try to fight it any further. He didn’t want to rush home in the rain, and he didn’t have anyone else to help him home. And it looked like he wouldn’t be getting Saki dinner.
“Let me just text Saki that I won’t be able to get food because of the storm.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket, quickly sending a text to his sister. When he looked up after putting it away, he found Rui waiting patiently by the stairs.
With a jolt, he moved over to his director, stopping under the umbrella. Rui entwined their arms, and Tsukasa’s skin began tingling again. He looked up at Rui inquisitively.
“So I don’t lose you! Plus, if we’re closer under the umbrella like this, then neither of us will get wet as much,” he said.
“ I guess …” Tsukasa mumbled.
“What, do you not trust me?”
Tsukasa rolled his eyes, huffing at Rui’s crocodile tears.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just… aren’t you… uncomfortable?”
“No, why would I be?”
Rui grew stiff as they took their first steps, frowning down at Tsukasa.
“Are… you uncomfortable?” he asked nervously, ready to move his arm from the star’s.
“No, but… this is a couple kind of thing to do,” Tsukasa replied, gesturing to their entwined arms.
“Well, we’re a couple of friends!”
“ You know what I mean, Rui .”
His director hummed, a quiet chuckle escaping, but no other response came from him. Tsukasa shrugged the silence off, instead listening to the rain patter on the umbrella as they left the park.
Despite the thunder making them jump occasionally, the walk to his house was peaceful, comforting , even. Especially cause he was with his best friend, who always had a comforting presence.
Though, Tsukasa could tell something was on Rui’s mind the closer they moved to his house, but he decided to wait for the boy to bring it up. It seemed like something he would speak up about when he was ready, anyway… Maybe.
The two eventually turned onto Tsukasa’s street, and he felt Rui’s arm tense. It seemed Rui couldn’t quite bring himself to say whatever was on his mind yet. Not without prompting, at least.
“What’s on your mind?” he finally asked, feeling Rui grow nervous next to him.
“Well, I’ve been thinking about when we were talking about soulmates earlier…” Rui started.
“Oh? Did you find yours?”
“Possibly. I’m not sure they’ve noticed, though. I’ll have to test it out.”
“You better be nice to them, Rui!”
“Oh, don’t worry, I will be! Although I may tease them a little bit~”
Rui chuckled, earning a soft smile from Tsukasa.
“Was it recent?”
“No, I’ve known for a while. Since shortly after I met them, I believe. But it seems they haven’t realized yet.”
“I see… are you gonna tell them?”
“I’m planning to. Soon, actually.”
“Well, I hope it goes well!”
“Me too…”
They stopped in front of the Tenma residence, Rui turning to face Tsukasa. As their arms separated, the tingles in Tsukasa’s skin stopped.
“The signs for finding your soulmate are really interesting. All these feelings that you can’t prove medically or scientifically, and yet, they happen to nearly everyone at some point in their life. But not everyone realizes the signs when they do happen to them. Do you know one of the most common ones?”
Tsukasa shook his head, brows furrowing.
He had no clue why Rui was rambling about this now , right before they would go their separate ways for the day. Unless he wanted to spend just a little longer with Tsukasa, which he wouldn’t blame him for. Rui would have to get his quality time with the world’s future star before he became famous!
“The most common sign that a person is your soulmate is a tingling feeling whenever you touch, whether it’s skin-on-skin contact or through clothes. It’s been confused for nerve damage or a pinched nerve many times, when in fact, it was just soulmates touching each other accidentally or on purpose.”
“Huh, that’s interesting…”
“It is!”
Rui carefully reached up, cupping Tsukasa’s cheek. He frowned, his confusion growing. His cheek began tingling .
“Do you wanna know another sign?”
“U-uh, s-sure?”
He could barely stutter a response as Rui stepped closer. Tsukasa’s brain started to short circuit with his confusion, and he was unable to react properly. Not to mention his face grew very warm.
Rui’s gaze bore into him, a hint of amusement shining in his eyes.
“Another common sign comes with the first kiss. They say it feels like fireworks or butterflies explode inside of you. It’s a little cheesy, but… I’ll admit, I’m excited to see how it feels whenever I get my first kiss with my soulmate. Has anyone kissed you before to see if you’re their soulmate, Tsukasa?”
He shook his head, eyes widening with uncertainty when Rui took another small step closer to him. A quiet hum rose from his director as his eyes scanned over his face.
“What would you do if you found your soulmate today?”
“I-I-I’m not sure, Rui. I don’t think I would, considering the weather and how late it is.”
“Is that so?”
“M-mhm…”
Rui hummed, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
“If you could, would you kiss your soulmate to confirm it’s them?”
“We-well based on the signs you sa-said, then probably? A-As long as they were okay with it! Why are you so curious about my soulmate, anyway?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Yeah!”
Rui hummed again, eyes traveling over Tsukasa’s face again. Tsukasa shifted nervously, his heart racing in his chest.
The expression on his friend’s face did nothing to tell him what the boy was thinking.
“R-Rui?” he whispered.
His uncertainty only grew more and more by the second. Rui made Tsukasa feel a lot of things from their time working together. But he’d never been this uncertain of what he would do next.
Lightning flashed, and Rui smiled softly.
“I guess I could show you, then.”
“Show me?”
Rain pelted Tsukasa’s skin, soaking him the instant the umbrella uncovered them and fell to the ground. Rui cupped Tsukasa’s other cheek, pulling their faces close.
In the next instant, Rui’s lips were pressed firmly, yet gently to Tsukasa’s, his entire face tingling, and his stomach exploding with a strange feeling. His heart raced away in his chest as he stared into Rui’s eyes in shock.
Rui’s lips were unbelievably soft, and also warm . His grip on Tsukasa’s face was gentle, his thumbs slowly running over Tsukasa’s cheeks, almost in a comforting manner.
Rui carefully adjusted his lips over Tsukasa’s, the strange feeling lasting longer. A confused hum escaped Tsukasa, but he couldn’t deny what he was… what he was feeling . These signs he was experiencing. Signs of a soulmate . If what Rui said was true.
Tsukasa found himself leaning into Rui’s touch, his eyes falling shut after a moment. His hand trailed up to the boy’s shirt, clinging tightly to his collar to bring him closer. Rui’s hand moved to the back of Tsukasa’s neck, holding him gently.
Thunder rumbled, but it didn’t phase them as they clung to each other, relishing in the feelings that overcame them as they held the other. As they kissed .
Several moments passed, and Rui slowly pulled away, letting out a shaky breath as he rested his forehead on the star’s. Tsukasa looked up at him with hazy eyes, his face flushed despite the cold around them.
His lips felt off, and he wasn’t quite sure why. Maybe it was from the kiss. Did the tingling from touching one’s soulmate happen when you kissed them?
“You… it’s you ,” he mumbled.
“Mhm.”
He opened his mouth to speak, when the front door slammed open.
“You two idiots get inside already before you make yourself sick!” Saki yelled at them over the rain.
The cold finally sank in, and Tsukasa jolted.
“A-Ah! Come in and dry off before you head home!”
He picked up Rui’s umbrella and took the boy’s hand, dragging him in.
“I don’t want to intrude-”
“And I don’t want you getting sick! You can’t direct the world’s future star if you’re sick!”
Rui giggled behind him, and Tsukasa’s heart picked up.
What is this feeling ?
Saki closed the door behind them, tossing a couple towels over their heads.
“What were you two even doing ? Never mind. Big brother! We need to talk!”
“About what ?”
Saki held the soulmate book up, shoving it in Tsukasa’s face.
“I’ve made the arrangements, and we’re gonna help you find your soulmate on Saturday!”
“We…?”
“Me and Hona!”
Tsukasa glanced to where Honami sat on the couch, waving nervously.
“Oh…”
Rui nudged him, and he turned to glance at the boy. His director’s eyes flicked between him and Saki, and he jumped.
“Ah, actually, that’s not necessary Saki-”
“You can’t tell me no! I can’t sleep peacefully knowing you haven’t found your soulmate yet!”
“Saki.”
“We will find your soulmate, if it’s the last thing I do!”
“Saki!”
“ What ?!”
“ He found me .”
“Hm?”
She turned back to them, and Tsukasa nudged Rui’s arm.
“He found me. I didn’t find him.”
“E- EH ?!”
Her eyes flicked between the two boys, wide with shock.
“Oh! Did you invite him for dinner?”
“No, I-”
“It’s almost done! And Honami made pie!”
“Saki-”
“Let me go check on it!”
Tsukasa’s shoulders deflated in defeat with his sigh as Saki ran into the kitchen, and he turned to Rui apologetically.
“Sorry, she’s not listening.”
“No, no. Don’t worry. My parents are out for work tonight, anyway.”
“Mhm.”
“Actually, since I’m here…”
Rui’s arms snaked around Tsukasa’s waist. Tsukasa glanced back at him curiously, brows furrowed.
“Could I stay the night? I have an extra uniform in my bag for school tomorrow.”
Tsukasa’s face burned, his waist tingling at Rui’s touch.
“We-well, I guess I don’t mi-mind, if you really want to…”
“Really?”
“Mhm…”
Rui pressed a wet, sloppy kiss to his cheek, and his nose scrunched in disgust.
“ Yuck ,” he whined while trying to wipe it off, and Rui giggled.
“Oh, you two should probably take a bath and get those clothes changed before you get sick!”
“Ah, r-right! Uh, I think your spare pajamas should still be here from last time.”
“Do you want the first bath, Kasa?”
“N-No, you can have it.”
Rui nodded, turning to head up the stairs to Tsukasa’s room to grab his clothes. They watched him go, before Saki narrowed her eyes at him.
“Details, now .”
Tsukasa chuckled nervously, and found himself being yanked to the table, forced into a seat to tell Saki and Honami everything. Literally everything . Including the kiss, which only amused Rui when he later joined in after his quick bath.
But, at least Saki was finally satisfied! And now, Tsukasa wouldn’t have to worry about finding his soulmate! Because he was right here with him!