Chapter Text
Rui looked at his neck, making sure he’d covered all the dark spots with his makeup.
They’d turned out a lot darker than he thought they would. Maybe it was just because of how pale his skin was, or maybe Tsukasa had been more aggressive… Was aggressive even the right word…? Er, passionate -? Mm, that didn’t seem quite right either…
He’d been… very into it , and got a little, er… a bit carried away before Saki walked in on them.
And not that Rui hadn’t enjoyed it, but the soreness in his neck was more obvious than when he’d gone to bed the night before.
A soft knock on the bathroom door made Rui jump, pulling him from his thoughts as he stared at its reflection in the mirror.
“Hurry up, or I’m walking to school without you,” Nene called through the door.
“Awww, c’mon, Nene. You wouldn’t leave me, would you?” Rui teased with a grin while he closed everything and shoved it aside on the counter.
The other side of the door was quiet for a moment, then he heard Nene walking away.
“Bye.”
“Noo, Nene! Wait!” Rui called dramatically.
He opened the door and peeked out, finding Nene standing at the end of the hall near the front door with her hands on her hips.
“Two minutes.”
Rui grinned, then flicked the bathroom light off and headed back into his workshop. He fixed up his tie a little then pulled his cardigan on. He grabbed his bag and pulled it over his shoulder, then stuffed his phone in his pocket.
After checking to make sure he had everything, he stepped out and slipped his shoes on, then turned to Nene with a cheeky grin. She rolled her eyes at him and turned to the front door.
“C’mon, hurry up,” she grumbled.
“Alright, alright… Bye, Mom. I’m heading out!” Rui called.
“Bye, Rui! Bye, Nene! Make sure you eat the lunch I made for you and not just the candy in your bag!” His mom called from the kitchen.
Rui chuckled, then opened the door and stepped out.
“Bye, Mom,” Nene called in a quieter voice, then followed Rui out of the house and shut the door behind her.
They headed off down the street towards the school at a leisurely pace.
They had plenty of time before classes started, and they lived close enough to Kamiyama that there was no need to rush.
“So…”
He glanced down at his friend, her gaze ahead of them.
“Did you two end up working it out?” Nene asked.
“Mhm!” Rui hummed.
“You actually made up…? You didn’t just… I dunno , not talk to each other or whatever?”
“Well, I was over there for about, uhh… a little less than four hours, I believe?”
“You spent four hours making up…?”
“Oh, no , of course not. We did our homework, and worked on Tsukasa’s idea. Then we talked things over for a little bit, and… well , we ended up taking a nap together!”
Rui purposely left out how he and Tsukasa had made out for a decent amount of the time he’d spent at the Tenma’s house.
Nene slowly looked up at Rui, her brows furrowing.
“You’re not telling me everything…” She commented slowly.
“Based on our past conversations, I don’t think you want to know everything. I’m not sure Tsukasa would appreciate it if I told you, either,” Rui chuckled.
Nene’s face flushed, and she looked away, playing with the ends of her hair.
“Why are you like this?” She grumbled then picked up her pace.
Rui kept chuckling, and kept pace with Nene easily.
“And what about you? How was your date with Emu yesterday?” He asked.
“We went to Phoenix Wonderland and went on some of the rides. Then we got dinner and I took her home.”
“You ended up going to PXL? We could’ve still had practice, there was no need to cancel…”
“Would you two have made up if we did? Or would we have spent the whole time being awkward or trying to stop you from running away?”
“Hmph… fair enough .”
They both grew quiet, stopping at a crosswalk as a car passed.
The silence was comfortable, and neither of them felt the need to say another word on the walk to school. Though, Rui knew Nene could sense how antsy he was the closer they got.
He was very excited to see Tsukasa, even after they’d spent so long together the day before. His heart leapt in excitement at just the thought of seeing his boyfriend so soon.
Is this what it’s like to be in love with someone?
Nene glanced up at him after they passed the front gates of the school, watching him look over the walkway eagerly, before his shoulders drooped a little.
“ He didn’t get sick again, did he…? No, he’s healthy, so he won't get sick again so soon… But then where is he? He’s not avoiding me again, is he-? ”
“Rui.”
“Hm?”
Rui jolted out of his incessant mumbling and overthinking and glanced at Nene.
“Tsukasa might just be running late again. You don’t have to overthink it when he hasn’t texted or called yet. You haven’t tried contacting him to see what’s up, either,” Nene pointed out.
“Ah- but what if he’s asleep? I don’t want to wake him up if he slept in. But he doesn’t usually sleep in , unless it’s just one of those rare occasions, or he is still sick …”
Nene rolled her eyes and sighed, then reached over and stuffed her hand into Rui’s pocket. Her eyes narrowed when she pulled out a couple screws, a stray balloon and some candy wrappers, then she stuffed them back and went to his other pocket while he kept mumbling to himself about what possibly could’ve made Tsukasa late.
The moment she grabbed his phone and pulled it out, it started buzzing, Tsukasa’s name flashing on the screen. Rui grew silent, staring at it for a moment. His eyes lit up, then he snatched the phone from Nene’s hand and answered it.
“Hello?” He asked, immediately wondering if his voice was too shrill or excited for just answering a phone call.
A phone call from his Starshine.
“Rui, I’m running late, so wait for me before you go to class, ‘kay?” Tsukasa said through the line, sounding a little breathless.
“My, how late did you sleep this time?” Rui teased as he grinned.
“Only a little, but I got distracted.”
“By me, perhaps?”
The line grew silent aside from Tsukasa’s heavy breathing. Rui chuckled, and Nene just stared at him incredulously.
“If you try to keep teasing me, your kissing ban will grow to two months,” the blond said suddenly.
Rui’s eyes widened, and he frowned, his chuckles stopping immediately.
“T- two months ?! You can’t-!”
“Wait for me, I’ll be there soon!”
Rui grew quiet, a small smile growing again before he chuckled softly.
“Be careful, my Starshine! I love you!”
“Love you too!”
Tsukasa hung up, and Rui stared at the phone screen after the call ended. His smile grew a little, and he put his phone back in his pocket. He nearly jumped when he looked up and saw Nene’s unamused look, her brow raised as she just stared at him.
“U-um, yes, Nene…?” Rui asked with a nervous chuckle.
“You have some explaining to do,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I thought you didn’t want to know about these things between me and Tsukasa…?”
“ Ugh , stop being difficult and give me the simple version!”
Rui started laughing, stopping under the shade of a tree to wait for Tsukasa.
“So…?”
“Well, like I said, Tsukasa and I talked it all out…”
“ And …?”
“We… decided we’re gonna be a couple…”
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he blushed. Even though there was no reason to be nervous, since Nene would support them all the way.
It just… it felt strange to say it out loud now. Like he… well … he couldn’t believe that they’d made it official . That he and Tsukasa were together now. It seemed like a dream. An impossible , unachievable dream.
But… now that it was their reality… it made Rui happy.
“Oh… that clears that up.”
“Hm…?”
Rui blinked and glanced at Nene, tilting his head in question.
“Well, I was wondering why you’d tell him you love him so casually, and why he’d say something about a kissing ban or whatever you two got up to -”
“You didn’t believe that we made up, did you?”
Nene blinked slowly in response, and Rui chuckled again.
“My, Nene! I’d never think you’d be so distrustful of me!” He giggled while shaking his head dramatically.
“I can’t even tell if you’re serious or joking half the time with how dramatic you are…” She grumbled then looked away from Rui.
Though, as she looked away, Rui caught the relieved smile on her face.
He himself felt relieved, now that he knew Tsukasa was alright, and just running a little later than normal. And because Nene wouldn’t have to worry about them too much, now that they’d reconciled.
“Do you think he’ll make it on time?” Nene asked, playing with the ends of her hair, her gaze trained on the walkway.
“Hm… based on how late he is, he might just barely make it before the warning bell rings… Possibly just a few seconds earlier, if he pushes himself,” Rui mused.
“He shouldn’t be pushing himself. He’s just barely recovering and getting back on his feet.”
“You know how Kasa is. He has as much trouble caring for himself as I do.”
“Mhm…”
They fell into a comfortable silence again as they watched students walk towards the school building and head inside, waiting for Tsukasa to arrive.
Toya and Akito waved on their way in together, and Rui and Nene returned it. An came in after them at some point, heading off to join her group mates.
Mizuki didn’t show up, but they were either already somewhere in school, running late like Tsukasa, or skipping again.
Rui grew more antsy the more time passed, checking his phone for either the time, or for texts, or just for the sake of checking his phone to try to be busy.
Nene tried to distract him, asking about his plans for upcoming shows, or if he had anything he wanted to try out with Robo-Nene. But nothing seemed to keep him distracted for very long.
“M-maybe, um… Maybe we could ask Miku, or one of the others about Robo-Nene’s upgrades…? I’m sure they could give us some ideas… O-or maybe-” Nene stuttered as she grew desperate to keep Rui distracted from his anxious thoughts.
“RUUUIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!”
Rui perked up, his eyes lighting when he heard the voice of his Starshine.
Several students looked around, confused by the disturbance to the peaceful morning, others snickering when they recognized Tsukasa’s voice calling out as they assumed the two were off messing around again.
The blond ran towards them, slowing down the closer he got. Rui’s heart fluttered in his chest, and he couldn’t stop the silly grin that grew as he held his arms out.
Tsukasa ran into him, knocking them both back a little, and Rui wrapped his arms tightly around him. The both of them giggled, and Tsukasa hugged Rui back, his breath heavy from running.
Rui just barely caught Nene mumble ‘So loud’ as she scurried away, leaving them alone under the tree.
“You almost didn’t make it,” Rui mused, right before the school bell rang.
“I… I ran… as fast as I… as I could…” Tsukasa panted as he nuzzled against Rui’s chest and caught his breath.
Rui let out a hum, then started pressing kisses over his Star’s face. Tsukasa grunted in response, his face turning red with each kiss.
He kissed down his forehead, across his cheek, on the tip of his nose, all the while Tsukasa let out noises of embarrassment in an attempt to protest against the very public affection he was receiving.
Rui leaned in to press a peck to Tsukasa’s lips, but his boy stopped him before he could.
“I said no kisses for two months!” The blond said, putting his hand over Rui’s mouth to stop him.
“You said a week,” Rui retorted, his words muffled through Tsukasa’s hand.
“It was a week, and then you started picking on me-!”
“Picking on you…? I would never , darling! I was just trying to give you my pure love and affection!”
Tsukasa’s blush intensified. With a ‘hmph’ he squirmed out of Rui’s arms and quickly walked away, heading into the school.
“Tsukasa~” Rui called, his tone teasing as he jogged to catch up with the blond.
“We need to get to class so we’re not late!!!” His Starshine said after stopping at his locker to switch his shoes out.
Rui stopped at his own and switched his shoes quickly, then went back to Tsukasa’s side, wrapping his arms around his waist. He felt his boy jump in shock, then his ears turned red.
“R-Rui…” He whined in protest.
He only giggled in response, then pressed a kiss to the back of his Star’s head.
“You’re so cute , my love!”
“My lo-?!”
Tsukasa began choking, and Rui gently patted his back.
“It seems you’ll need some time to get used to this!” Rui chuckled, then nuzzled his cheek against the back of Tsukasa’s head.
“I already wasn’t used to you teasing me in the first place…” Tsukasa grumbled.
Rui hummed, then kissed the back of his neck, causing his Star to gasp in surprise.
“We should head to class now. Shall we?” He asked and took his boy’s hand.
The blond grumbled to himself in response, but took hold of Rui’s hand and walked with him towards the stairs.
“Oh, and as long as you don’t mind, I want to see them later.”
“See what?”
Tsukasa’s genuine confusion was amusing, and Rui chuckled. His Starshine blinked, his brows furrowing, before his face flushed a deep red when the realization hit him.
“Th-th-th-th-the-the hi-hi-hi- hickeys ?!?!” He hissed as quietly as he could so no one else would hear.
“Perhaps at lunch, when we have the time and can be alone.”
“Lunch… ah… hmm…”
“Hm?”
He glanced at his boy, and smirked.
Tsukasa stared at the ground while covering his mouth. Perhaps thinking to himself of what he wanted to do… what he was willing to do.
As long as Tsukasa was okay with it…
“I guess… lunch could work…” He finally mumbled shyly.
“Lunch it is, then!”
They reached the third floor and walked past Tsukasa’s class, stopping between the two classrooms.
Rui turned back to his Star, then cupped his cheeks and pulled him close, pressing a gentle peck to his lips.
“I-I said no kisses-!”
He interrupted his boy with another, longer kiss. Tsukasa let out noises of protest, before giving in. Their lips moved together a moment longer, until Rui broke the kiss with a cheeky grin. The late bell rang, and he grinned more at Tsukasa.
“I told you the kissing ban wouldn’t last long!” He chuckled.
“Sh-shut up…” Tsukasa mumbled.
Rui giggled more, then kissed Tsukasa’s cheek.
“I’ll see you at lunch!” He said, then reluctantly let his boy’s hand go and headed into his classroom, that silly grin still on his face as he took his seat.
~ * ~
The moment the bell rang, signaling the start of lunch, Rui was out of his chair and out the door. He went straight to Tsukasa’s classroom, but was shocked when his boy wasn’t there like he’d expected.
“He had to go to the bathroom for a moment. He left a bit before class ended,” one of his classmates said when they noticed him at the door.
“Ah, thank you.”
Rui nodded, then headed towards the closest bathroom. He kept an eye out, looking for his boy in the hall with each step he took.
After turning the corner, he found Tsukasa talking with Toya, the younger with a gentle smile as they talked. The blond laughed out loud and struck a pose, and Toya chuckled.
Rui watched and smiled fondly from where he stood, admiring his boyfriend.
Tsukasa is just… just so cute!
His smile quickly grew to a smirk, and he walked closer, moving as silently as possible.
Toya noticed him almost immediately, his brows furrowing the slightest in confusion. Rui held a finger to his lips, signaling for the younger boy to stay quiet. A look of understanding flashed across his face, before he turned his attention back to Tsukasa.
Tsukasa didn’t seem to suspect a thing, and didn’t even notice Rui when he was right behind him. He felt his smirk grow, and he slowly reached up, holding back his chuckles.
“There you are, Tsukasa!”
A muffled scream escaped his Starshine when he covered his mouth and pulled him back into his chest, hugging him tightly. Rui let his chuckles out, and he just held his boy tightly.
“Y-you could’ve made me have a heart attack!!!” Tsukasa yelled when he pulled Rui’s hand off his mouth, turning his head to glare at him.
Rui kept chuckling, then pressed a kiss to Tsukasa’s cheek.
“I missed you, too!” He replied, which his boy only grumbled to.
Akito called Toya’s name from down the hall as he looked for his boyfriend, before spotting him with Rui and Tsukasa. His nose scrunched a little, but he kept heading towards them.
“Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better. And congrats to the both of you,” Toya said.
“Ah, thanks, Toya.”
“Mhm.”
Akito joined Toya at his side, taking Toya’s hand.
“You don’t mind if I take Tsukasa off you, do you, Aoyagi?” Rui asked with a tilt of his head.
“Hm? No, I don’t mind. Akito and I are gonna go eat lunch now.”
“M’kay. We’ll get out of your hair, then.”
“Li’l Bro!”
“Ah- Dammit …”
Akito turned and dragged Toya off down the hall, leaving Rui and Tsukasa behind. Mizuki ran past them a moment later, heading off to bother Akito as they giggled quietly to themselves.
Rui chuckled as he watched them go, then he took Tsukasa’s hand and dragged him towards the roof.
“Wh-wha-what are you doing?!” Tsukasa asked as he stumbled to try and keep up with Rui.
“You promised to show me something, remember?” Rui teased as they started up the steps.
“Why are you so eager to see them?!”
“Why not ?”
His boy huffed as they reached the roof and stepped outside. Rui pulled Tsukasa over into the shade, where he pressed him against the wall and hugged him tightly.
“ Oomph ! Ru… i…! Too… tight !” Tsukasa squeaked out.
“Oh, sorry, love, hehe,” Rui murmured while loosening his grip on Tsukasa, before kissing him.
His Starshine sighed and leaned into the kiss, but broke it quickly after.
“I thought you wanted to see my hickeys, not make out with me…?”
“I wanna do both!”
“There’s not enough time for both-”
“Why not?”
“I’m not skipping class just to make out with you. I need to make sure I got all my classwork so I can do anything else I missed while I was out sick.”
“But it’s such a tempting offer, isn’t it?”
“Sh-shut up…”
Rui chuckled again, then moved his hands to his boy’s waist.
“Is it okay if I see them?” He asked.
Tsukasa hesitated a moment, then nodded slowly, before he shifted to unbutton his cardigan and shirt. Rui waited as patiently as he could. His Star flushed under his gaze, but didn’t protest.
Rui hummed, his brows rising a little once he saw the hickeys across Tsukasa’s chest and down his stomach.
“I didn’t think I’d left this many,” he murmured.
“I was shocked when I saw them too. I had to tell Saki I thought I saw a bug after I yelled out when I saw them…” Tsukasa mumbled.
Rui let out an amused chuckle, then leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to one of the hickeys under Tsukasa’s collarbone. His Starshine’s breath caught, and he shifted to look away.
“R-Rui…” He whined.
“Yes, darling?”
“Y-You… mm… hmph …”
Rui kissed up Tsukasa’s neck and lightly nibbled under his Star’s ear, before his boy quickly pushed him away.
“Nuh uh. I am not doing that at school!” Tsukasa protested.
“Are you sure you don’t want to…?”
“You are such a bad influence!”
He chuckled, then kissed his Starshine’s forehead gently.
“And what about your hickeys? I swear I gave you some, but they’re not there!” Tsukasa said as he poked directly onto one of the hickeys Rui had covered.
He winced, then reached up and pulled Tsukasa’s hand away from his neck, before pressing kisses to his wrist.
“They’re there, Kasa. I just covered them up with makeup so no one else would see them.”
“Oh…”
The blond’s shoulders drooped, and Rui pressed more kisses to his wrist, growing amused at his boy’s disappointment at not seeing his hickeys.
“They’re a lot darker than yours are, though,” he commented with a sly grin.
“ Eh ?!”
Tsukasa flushed again, and Rui giggled.
“ Really ?!”
“Mhm! I’d show you, but I didn’t bring anything to wipe off the makeup or cover them back up.”
“Isn’t that risky? Wouldn’t it just come off during the day?”
“I get waterproof makeup, and one that doesn’t smudge easily.”
“Mm, you are experienced with makeup and all that, so you’d know what to do for that…”
“Speaking of, are we gonna work on your makeup skills at practice tomorrow?”
“If you don’t get distracted kissing me!”
“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens then, won’t we?”
“ Whatever …”
Rui leaned forward and kissed Tsukasa’s cheek, smirking at his boy’s cute grumbling.
“Saki interrupted us, so I didn’t even get the chance to leave any where I could see them without worrying about others seeing them…”
“We’re alone again now. You could leave more and see them later.”
“Hm…?”
Tsukasa’s eyes widened, and he looked up at Rui.
“Really-? No! No, no, no ! You won’t tempt me!! I’m not gonna do something like that at school!!!”
“Why not?”
“We’ll get caught!”
“Hardly anyone comes up here. And if they were gonna be up here for lunch, they would’ve already come up. But we’re the only ones on the roof right now, Tsukasa.”
“Wh- ugh …”
His Star sighed in defeat, but shook his head rapidly.
“Even so! I won’t do it!”
“Even if I ask you really nicely…?”
“I refuse! Nothing you do will convince me to do that kinda thing with you in public!”
Rui’s smirk grew, and he chuckled.
That sounded like a challenge. One Rui was very willing to take.
Tsukasa shuddered, and his brows furrowed.
“Whatever you’re thinking about, stop it ,” he said.
“I’m afraid it’s a bit too late for that, love!”
“Oh no- AH!!!”
Rui pressed Tsukasa into the wall and pressed sloppy kisses over his neck.
“Rui!!!” Tsukasa whined again, his tone more embarrassed now.
Rui slowed down a little, loosening his grip on his boy to let him push him away if he wanted. But the push never came. So, with a hum, Rui just kept going.
The blond let out noises as he squirmed between Rui and the wall.
“R-Rui…” Tsukasa pouted, then lifted his hand and bit a knuckle to keep his noises down.
Tremors ran through Tsukasa’s body, and he let out a whiny moan. He breathed heavily, his other hand running through Rui’s hair.
He just kept going, pressing as many sloppy kisses as he could against his Star’s neck.
Rui’s heart raced in his chest, and he let out happy hums. He parted his lips to lick Tsukasa, when he was turned around and pressed into the wall.
He leaned back, his eyes wide as he stared at Tsukasa in shock.
“That’s it…” Tsukasa grumbled, his fingers moving quickly to unbutton Rui’s cardigan.
Rui smirked, knowing he’d won this little ‘challenge’ they’d started. He tilted his boy’s head up and kissed him. Tsukasa let out more needy noises, his fingers moving to the buttons of Rui’s shirt once his cardigan was unbuttoned.
Just as he started, the roof door slammed open. They both froze and looked over, eyes wide.
Akito ran into view, about to glance behind him, when his eyes fell on Rui and Tsukasa and he skidded to a stop. He blinked, then his nose scrunched as he stared at them in disbelief.
The blond squeaked, then moved away from Rui, turning his back to Akito while he scrambled to button up his shirt and cardigan. Rui covered his mouth, his face growing warm.
Akito quickly turned and went back inside, muttering to himself.
“Eh…? What’s wrong…?”
Mizuki came around the small building, their eyes widening when they saw the two boys. Rui’s body grew tense, and his face grew warmer at the sight of his friend.
They just blinked at him, before a sly, knowing smirk grew on their face.
“Akiyama? What’s wrong?” Toya asked from around the corner.
“Mm? Nothing much! C’mon, I feel like sitting in the garden to eat lunch instead! Let’s go get Li’l Bro!” Mizuki said, then turned and headed back inside.
The door shut, and the two boys were left in the silence of the roof.
Rui slid down to the ground, his hand over his mouth still. He glanced up at Tsukasa, who glanced back at him. A moment passed, and they both snorted, then started laughing quietly.
“I can’t believe you, Rui! How many more times are you gonna get us caught like this?” Tsukasa asked while chuckling.
He moved and sat down, leaning his back against Rui’s chest.
“I didn’t expect them to come up here. Usually Mizuki would already be up here if they were gonna hide away for lunch,” Rui chuckled, then wrapped his arms around his Star.
“They were chasing Shinonome before we came up here, so he probably ran up here to try and get away from them. Or they were just gonna hang out for lunch”
“Probably.”
Rui nuzzled his head against Tsukasa’s, and they both sighed, the last of their chuckles escaping them.
“We are never doing this at school again. Or my house.”
“Mm. I have a feeling others will just keep walking in on us if we do…”
He kissed the back of his Starshine’s neck gently, his arms tightening around him a little. Tsukasa shuddered, then turned to face him while leaning against him.
“Hey…” He pouted.
“Another time, then,” Rui chuckled.
He kissed Tsukasa, holding him gently. The blond sighed again, then leaned into the kiss. They stayed there for a moment, before pulling away and just looking at the other, their expressions soft and loving.
Rui leaned in to kiss Tsukasa again, before the blond gasped and shifted back.
“We didn’t bring our lunches with us!” He exclaimed.
“Hm…?”
“I’m not gonna let you get away with not eating your lunch again! Uh… er… Wait here, I’ll be right back!” His boy said while scrambling to his feet.
“Don’t take too long! I’ll get lonely without you!” Rui called playfully as he watched Tsukasa head to the door.
“Just gimme two minutes!”
“A minute and a half!”
“One minute!”
The door shut, and Tsukasa’s footsteps faded away down the stairs inside. Rui chuckled, then shifted and leaned his head back against the wall, a soft smile on his face.
He felt so… so happy. And this couldn’t have turned out any better for him. For both of them .
