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Rain poured outside, pattering against the roof of the Tenma family residence. The sun had long since set, the moon's light shining in through the windows.
Tsukasa sat on his bedroom floor, legs crossed, his concentration on his notebook as he added the finishing touches to his current costume design project. Rui sat somewhere to the blond's left, working on some blueprints of his newest invention for their troupe's next show. Papers, pencils, and the occasional scrap of fabric was strewn about around the two. Tsukasa would have to clean all that up when he had a chance- a star must always be sure to keep his space tidy, after all!
The house was dead quiet, save for the sounds of the rain outside, and of pencils scratching lightly against paper. Saki was having a sleepover with her girlfriends for the night, and the Tenma parents were both working late, leaving the two boys with the house all to themselves.
Tsukasa always appreciated any alone time he got to spend with his boyfriend. No matter what they were doing, even just working on their own separate tasks like this, being with Rui had a way of making even the most mundane of things feel like something worth treasuring. And as much as he cherished every moment with the people he loved (which was a lot, don't get it twisted), times like this- where he and Rui didn't even have to talk to each other, where they both could just exist together- were times that Tsukasa wouldn't trade for the world.
That wasn't a sentiment he'd ever spoken out loud before, but he was sure Rui understood nonetheless.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden weight on his shoulder. The blond yelped, jumping slightly as he turned his head to look at the source.
He met with the sight of messy purple hair. Rui's head had fallen onto his shoulder, the inventor nuzzling shamelessly into the future star's yellow cardigan. Tsukasa sighed softly, a fond smile finding its way on his lips.
"Are you getting tired, love?" the blond asked in a low voice, his free hand coming up to play with the long cyan lock of his darling's hair.
Rui mumbled something unintelligible, pressing his face further into Tsukasa's shoulder as he began clinging to his arm. Tsukasa looked over to his windows, eye widening slightly at the sight of the starry night sky.
"It's already dark out? We must've really lost track of time, huh?" he mused, his fingers moving to scratch lightly at Rui's scalp. Rui simply hummed in response, leaning into the touch- his latest all-nighter was probably coming back to bite him, judging by how much more tired he seemed compared to Tsukasa. The blond turned to press a quick kiss to the other boy's head, and his hand moved to caress his cheek tenderly. "C'mon, sleepy-head. Go change into your sleepwear."
"Mmm..." Rui whined tiredly, arms tightening around Tsukasa's as he buried his face into the back of his neck. "But I don't wanna move..."
Tsukasa rolled his eyes fondly at his boyfriend. "We have to change into our pajamas, and move to my bed to sleep!" he tried to reason, nestling his face into Rui's soft hair, breathing in the familiar, comforting scent. "Plus, we can't sleep with makeup on. It's bad for your skin!"
Rui huffed, making no effort to remove himself from Tsukasa, who sighed in slight exasperation.
"Please, Rui?"
Said boy grumbled quietly, hesitating before reluctantly unlatching himself from the blond. Tsukasa gave him a soft smile and reached for Rui's hand, holding it gently in his own.
"Thank you, darling," Tsukasa said, bringing Rui's up to his lips to kiss his knuckles. "Now, you go change while I grab some makeup wipes, alright?"
"M'kay..." the purple-haired boy mumbled with a yawn, pressing a chaste kiss to the blond's cheek before he lifted himself off the floor. Tsukasa watched for a moment as his boyfriend grabbed the overnight bag he had all but abandoned by the bed, digging through it for whatever he'd brought as sleepwear. He then stood up himself so he could get his own change of clothes.
Opening his pajama drawer, Tsukasa pulled out the nearest pair- a cozy set of sleepwear, with a pair of long pants, a buttoned shirt, and matching socks, all in his favorite shade of blue and patterned all over with a bunch of baby pink stars. Toya had gifted it to him for his birthday last year, and it remained one of Tsukasa's favorite sets.
He stole a quick glance at Rui (who had just found his own pajamas, from the looks of it) as he walked across his bedroom, before heading down the stairs for the bathroom where he kept his makeup supplies.
Once he was in the bathroom, Tsukasa set his clean clothes on the sink counter. He released his pink-and-blond hair from his usual ponytail and set the hair tie on the counter as well. He pulled his school uniform off, throwing his dirty clothes into the hamper to be washed later. He'd usually wash his uniform as soon as he could, so he could be sure it was clean for the next school day, but he hadn't gotten around to it before getting to work with Rui earlier that day, and now he was too tired to really care. It's not like they had school tomorrow, seeing as it was a Friday night, so it wouldn't hurt to leave that to Future Tsukasa.
He threw on his sleepwear as fast as he could, and grabbed his package of makeup wipes off the counter, pulling out two. He stood in front of the mirror, and made quick work of wiping all the product off his face (maybe more aggressively than he should've, seeing as his face was slightly red from all the rubbing). Tsukasa didn't really wear a lot of makeup, usually just a bit of concealer and blush before he left the house (and some eye makeup and lip gloss for special occasions), so it thankfully didn't take very long for him to wipe it off.
Once he was sure he got it all, he used some lotion on his face and hands, grabbed two more wipes for Rui, and stepped out of the bathroom.
Making his way back to his bedroom, Tsukasa found Rui sitting on his bed, swinging his legs lazily off the side. His baggy grey t-shirt partially exposed his collarbones, and his loose black shorts barely touched the top of his knees. How he would be able to fall asleep with so little coverage on a cold spring night, Tsukasa would never know.
The blond walked over to him, stopping right in front of the purple haired boy. Rui hummed, his head rising to look at Tsukasa, managing to make eye contact through his drowsiness. A soft smile slowly graced Rui's features, barely resembling his typical cat-like grin. Tsukasa felt his breath hitch in his throat ever so slightly at the sight.
How could he not? With his half-lidded eyes, and his beautifully unkempt hair, and his gorgeously smudged red eyeliner, and that impossibly endearing smile- how could anyone see Rui like this, looking so unbelievably adorable, and not be overcome with the desire to smother him in twelve thousand kisses?
Tsukasa blinked rapidly, trying to regain whatever composure he had left so he could remove Rui's makeup. The sooner he did that, the sooner they could get in bed, and the sooner his dearest could get some well deserved rest.
"Let's get your makeup cleaned off, alright?" He brought his hand up to cup his darling's warm cheek, and Rui leaned into his touch with a content purr as his eyes slipped fully shut. Tsukasa had to bite back an audible "aw" at the sight, and he gave into the urge to press a long, soft kiss to Rui's nose- otherwise, the pure adoration in his heart would surely kill him.
Tsukasa pulled away with an audible "mwah" sound, and Rui's nose scrunched slightly at the affection. With a chuckle at the reaction, the blond finally got to work wiping off his boyfriend's makeup.
"Is this good?" Tsukasa asked quietly after a moment. "Am I being gentle enough?"
"Mhm..." Rui hummed happily in response. "It feels cold..."
That made sense. Makeup wipes always felt so cold on the skin, and Tsukasa- in direct contrast to his sister- naturally ran a lot colder than most people (something Rui seemed to love an awful lot about him.)
The world seemed to stand still as the blond worked- it was as though everything else outside of this moment simply creased to exist. Tsukasa was meticulous as he worked, taking great care to press down just hard enough to remove the makeup, but not hard enough to cause any irritation. Rui was his dear director and boyfriend, after all- he deserved nothing less than the best Tsukasa could offer him.
Rui let out a few quiet purrs, and was not shy about nuzzling into his boyfriend's hand, but he was otherwise still. It was silent, but it was the comfortable kind of silence, so neither of them felt inclined to break it.
Before he knew it, Tsukasa was finished, throwing the makeup wipes into the small trashcan he had by his bed. Even so, he kept holding Rui's face in his hand, his thumb brushing tenderly across one of the now-exposed bags under the boy's eyes as he took in the rare sight of his boyfriend so... vulnerable.
Rui was, from Tsukasa's point of view, someone who tended to keep his cards close to his chest. Most people really only knew him as the weirdo prodigy- someone who didn't really have to try in class, and who was notorious for causing explosions on school property. And he was okay with that.
And while they weren't entirely wrong about that, there was so much more to Rui than first met the eye. He was intelligent and eccentric, but he was also passionate- especially about making shows and robots- and he was observant (sometimes annoyingly so), and he was caring and considerate, and he was even a bit of a dork sometimes.
But he was also so very insecure. His eccentrics had a tendency to scare people off, and his peers would often avoid him for the very things that made him so special, which left him with very few friends. And so, it was as if he was constantly waiting expectantly for the rug to be pulled out from under him- for him to be left alone all over again.
It saddened Tsukasa, how unaccustomed Rui was with being truly loved and accepted by the people in his life. But, it just served to motivate Tsukasa more, determined to shower his dearest director with all the love he held whenever he could.
Which was why he loved moments like this. Moments where he got to see a side of Rui that most would never. Moments where Rui clearly felt happy and safe, where he could relax and allow himself to be loved and cared for the way he truly deserved.
Well, as much as Tsukasa could love him, at least. Even if he loved Rui with everything he had, he was sure it would never truly be enough.
Still, it seemed to be enough to Rui himself, so it was more than worth it.
"...'Kasa?" Rui's voice snapped Tsukasa out of his thoughts, and he shook his head, trying to refocus himself on the now.
The rain had let up by this point, reduced to nothing but a light sprinkle. The moonlight glistened through the blond's windows, bathing the lovers in its brilliance.
In Tsukasa's opinion, the soft light illuminating him from behind made Rui look absolutely breathtaking- his pastel lilac hair, contrasting with the streaks of vibrant cyan, framed his face perfectly, and his pale golden eyes, splotched lovingly with the same bright aquamarine, almost seemed to glow faintly in the darkness of the room. Tsukasa couldn't help but admire him.
"...You're staring, starshine..." Rui muttered, his eyebrows furrowed slightly and a light flush on his cheeks.
Instead of responding verbally, Tsukasa leaned in close, leaving very little space between their faces. He could feel Rui's hot breath on his lips, and his face went even more red at the sudden proximity. The hand on Rui's cheek shifted to hold his face more comfortably, and the blond's free hand found its way to his side, slipping just under his shirt to caress the skin of his waist. He felt Rui shiver slightly at the touch, before the purple-haired boy leaned in to close the gap, eyes fluttering closed.
Kissing Rui was one of Tsukasa's favorite things in the whole world. He swore his heart melted into goo the second their lips met, butterflies exploding in his stomach as they both tilted their heads to fit together more easily. Rui's lips were slightly chapped, but if anything, the distinct feeling of cracked skin had become a comfort to Tsukasa, along with the sweet taste of candy on his tongue. He hummed into the kiss, his thumb kneading his boyfriend's waist gently as he felt Rui place his warm hand on top of Tsukasa's.
Tsukasa pulled away first, due to his unfortunate need for air, and Rui chased his lips for another, shorter kiss. The two opened their eyes as they pulled away, and the blond was greeted by the sight of Rui's flustered face.
"My apologies, my darling," Tsukasa whispered fondly, clearly not actually very sorry. "You just look so pretty, how could I ever hope to resist admiring you?"
Rui stared, taking a moment to process his words, before moving to hide his face in Tsukasa's chest as an embarrassed whine escaped from his throat. "You can't just say such things, Tsukasa! So mean..."
Tsukasa chuckled quietly at that. For all the teasing he did, Tsukasa was delighted to learn that Rui was actually remarkably easy to fluster. Plus, the slight slurring of his words and the way his voice was muffled by the blond's chest killed off what little heat his statement may have held.
He was just so cute, especially when he was like this. Tsukasa wanted to hold this boy just like this for the rest of forever.
"Oh, how cruel of me," Tsukasa teased as he ruffled Rui's hair, who grumbled in response.
For a moment, the two stayed in that position. Tsukasa had begun to play with Rui's hair, and despite his earlier "complaint", the boy relaxed into the touch as he sunk further into the future star's chest with a sigh. Tsukasa pressed a quick kiss to the top of Rui's head, before he began pulling away.
"Let's get into bed, alright love?" he asked, cupping Rui's cheeks as he grumbled about the loss of contact. "That way we can get some sleep."
Rui didn't respond to that, nor did he resist as Tsukasa moved to sit on the bed next to him. The blond pecked his director's forehead as his hands trailed down to Rui's forearms, and he fell backward onto the mattress, pulling Rui down with him. As soon as they landed, Tsukasa shifted so they were both laying on their sides. Rui wasted no time snuggling into the crook of Tsukasa's neck, pressing a quick kiss to the boy's skin as he scooped Rui up into his arms.
"Comfortable?" Tsukasa asked, receiving a content purr and another kiss to the neck as Rui curled into his chest. One of Tsukasa's hands came to trail up and down Rui's spine, the other pulling the blanket over them both before resting right below his neck. He once again kissed the top of his boyfriend's head, muttering into his hair. "I love you."
"Love you too, star..." Rui replied, nuzzling impossibly closer to the blond.
"Goodnight, dearest."
"G'night..."
And Rui was out, his quiet snores filling the room as he finally succumbed to his exhaustion. Tsukasa sighed happily, once again gently carding his fingers through Rui's purple locks.
He felt so, so lucky at this moment. Laying in his bed, his room being dimly illuminated by moonlight, listening to the sounds of the persistent light rain. His director, his partner, the love of his life asleep in his arms, hot breathing on his neck and the soothing smell of lavender and vanilla filling his nose.
If someone had told Tsukasa from just a year ago that he'd be enjoying something like this, he probably would've told them how funny they were, saying such things.
Yet here he was, feeling so very at peace, ready to fall asleep right next to his boyfriend, his love, another night.
He was so glad he invited Rui into his life. So glad he had convinced him to stay- that he convinced all of Wonderlands×Showtime to stay. He doesn't want to think about what his life would be like without them.
Tsukasa felt his eyes slipping shut, his own exhaustion finally catching up to him. He buried his face in Rui's hair, mumbling one last thing as he held his dearest close.
"Sleep well, my love..."
He finally drifted off to sleep, knowing he'd see his darling next to him when he woke up.
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