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Rui's first instinct as he woke up in his own bed was to question if the day prior was just a dream. It wasn't as if he didn't have extravagant dreams in the past, he actually had them so often that he looked forward to them, always trying to note down whatever bits he remembered so he could recreate them for the stage. But as he shifted his body trying to get out of bed, two things stood out to him which proved that what happened during his birthday was, in fact, real.
The first thing was the soreness in his body which he had Tsukasa and Emu to thank for. Calling in for a few favors, Emu managed to get Phoenix Wonderland all for themselves for the duration of that day as a gift for Rui's birthday, which in turn helped Tsukasa with his own gift. He promised him that, just for that day, Rui could try on him any of his crazy ideas and he wouldn't complain at least once. So the entire day was spent running around, trying to get all the pieces and sets he needed to carry on his ideas.
The second thing was the confetti he could still see in Nene's hair as she slept peacefully in front of him, clutching his shirt. The day ended in an uncharacteristically peaceful party where they sat down at Wonder Stage and ate cake...that was of course after Emu and Tsukasa decided to use one of their older prop canon to shower the whole stage in confetti. Rui and Nene were so exhausted after the whole day that they didn't even bother to change clothes and get rid of the confetti before they both fell face first on Rui's bed, mustering up the little strength they had left to get closer to each other and hold each other before sleep immediately overtook them.
As the events of the previous days slowly started to replay in Rui's mind, he found himself feeling warm all over once again. It was a wonder, really, how he got so lucky to find people who loved and accepted him for who he was. He could only hope this was the first out of many future birthdays he could get to spend with these people, who gave a lonely performer's heart a bright place to call home.
"Why do you have to wake up so early?" Rui felt Nene's groan against his chest as she buried herself further in his arms, trying to shield her eyes from the sunlight that was peeking through the windows. He chuckled as he peeked over her head at the clock on his nightstand.
"It's almost 1 pm."
"...What?! We're late-" if it weren't for Rui's arms wrapped securely around her, he was sure Nene would have jumped out of the bed and fell in her worried rush.
"It's also Sunday today." he said as he rested his chin on the crown of her head, the smile evident in his voice. A smile which grew even wider as he felt Nene relax back in his arms before huffing.
"Start with that next time."
As many times as they've done this, in many different circumstances, as kids, as just friends, as lovers, Rui still felt like he would never quite get used to this feeling of having someone feel so safe in his arms. They've known each other for almost their entire lives, and yet he still felt like every day he could discover a new thing about Nene to fall in love with. So he treasured each and every day by her side, taking it as a new opportunity to show his gratitude for her love, and give her that same love in return through both small and big gestures. Holding hands, hugging each other, kissing each other, taking each other out on dates, or just...being the way they were now. Sitting in each other's arms and being the first thing the other sees as soon as they wake up. It was grounding.
"We should probably get up and eat something."
"...Mhm, we need to clean up too."
Despite their words, neither one of them made any move to actually follow on what they said, still clinging lazily to each other. In the end it was Nene who, after sighing almost as if in defeat, disentangled her hand from Rui's shirt and pushed slightly on his shoulder so she could stand up. Rui had half a mind to whine in protest, but he knew that if they didn't get up now, they might never do it.
So he reluctantly sat up as well, stretching his arms up above his head as he yawned. "Alright, you can go shower and I'll make us breakfas- lunch."
"Ah wait!" Nene was quick to grab him by the wrist, stopping him. For a moment she seemed flustered, her cheeks tinted red slightly as she looked anywhere but in his direction before she shook her head, seemingly making up her mind. "I still didn't give you your birthday gift yet."
That left him feeling slightly surprised. "Wasn't the party overall the gift?" he asked as he tilted his head in confusion.
"I mean there was that too, but..." she let go of his wrist as she made her way towards her bag that was discarded at the foot of Rui's bed. After rummaging through it, she pulled out a thick book which made his breath hitch. He knew that book. It wasn't actually a book, but a photo album. She sat back down on his bed, patting the place next to her for Rui to follow. "I also had this."
He carefully took the album from her hands as he sat down next to her, not say anything due to not having faith in his own voice not to waver. It was an album they both created as children where they promised each other they would put pictures of all their birthdays they spent together. 100 pages for what they, as kids, promised would be 100 years spent together.
"Open it." Nene's voice was small and gentle as she spoke up, almost as if afraid the moment would shatter if her voice was any louder.
Looking back on it, it felt a bit ridiculous that they thought they would live for over a century. They already had previous birthdays they didn't spend together due to not even knowing each other, so filling out all those pages would have been impossible either way. But a part of Rui still remembered feeling empty back in middle school when he spent his first birthday without Nene at his side, leaving two pages of the album empty, one for her birthday and one for his own. Part of him dreaded opening the album just to see them, but he knew Nene had a reason for why she wanted him to see it again, and he had no reason to doubt her.
An overwhelming feeling of nostalgia overtook him as he went through the first pages, seeing himself and Nene as kids in different places and costumes, either during one of his birthdays or one of hers. Each page he saw felt like relieving the memoires of those times. Once he got to the last page they filled together, he stopped his hand, unsure of what to do next. But Nene's hand was there to guide him as she rested it on his own, helping him turn the page.
Once his gaze met what he expected would be an empty page, he could feel a lump form in his throat when he noticed it was actually filled, four pictures standing big and brightly on it. Him and Tsukasa studying a canon he later planned to launch him out of, his own face sporting a prideful smile while Tsukasa's was filled with apprehension. Him and Emu trying to take out the mascot's costume off but to no avail, both smiling happily despite the effort they were going through. Him and Nene carefully overlooking some blueprints ideas Rui had to implement for NeneRobo, Nene clearly looking slightly concerned as Rui's eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement. And lastly, the biggest of them all, a picture with all 4 of them taken right when Tsukasa and Emu launched the confetti in the air, their faces both excited while Nene looked resigned and Rui surprised.
"When...did you even take all of these?" his voice held so much wonder, almost as if he was holding the world's greatest treasure in his arms.
"I didn't." Nene chuckled, making Rui turn in her direction. "NeneRobo did."
Taking the opportunity now that he was turned towards her, Nene raised her free hand towards Rui's bangs, getting them out of his face even as his hair was still messy from sleep, before resting her hand on his cheek.
"We missed a few birthdays together, so those pages remained empty. But now we can fill them with new memories...all four of us. Who knows, we might even be able to have all 100 pages full." she chuckled as she squeezed Rui's hand.
If there was one word Rui could describe the way he was feeling now, he couldn't find it. He felt like no word could do justice to the overwhelming feeling that suddenly filled his chest and threatened to escape through tears. So he didn't say anything, putting the album aside and settling on hugging Nene, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he kept her tight to his chest.
"I love you." his voice was muffled by her shirt, but he couldn't bring himself to lift his head up as he let her presence help him come to terms with the overwhelming feeling of it all. Nene herself didn't seem to mind it either as she wrapped her arms around him in return, being there to ground him. Turning her head slightly to press a kiss to his temple, she let out the words that always slid easily past her lips when it came to him.
"I love you too."