Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Okay... I've never published anything before but I've been writing fan fictions for over a year now.. even if always ended up never finishing them and just leaving them in my drafts. So I challenged myself saying : "Okay, but maybe actually publishing some stories would help me finish them for once and maybe I'll learn how to PROPERLY write some stories"

And here I am... this idea came up into my mind maybe a month ago and I've started to post chapters every week on Wattpad, and I've decided to also publish it here cause why not afterall.. I just need to get used to this new kind of writing..ermm I kinda have never wrote or published something here in a03 so everything is weird...BUTT I'LL GET USED TO IT ( I hope)

Talking about the content...You have to know that last year i really was into JoJos and I wrote at least 2 or 3 fan fictions about it (after some time the Y/ns in the stories became my ocs ERMMMM) but, as I said before, I never published anything.

OKAY AND LOOK AT ME NOW, 1 YEAR OLDER, WRITING A SILLY FANFICTION ABOUT EVEN A SILLIER CHARACTER. And that character is Rui Kamishiro-

ENOUGH ABOUT ME,let me just say some last important things before going to the actual story:

- !! THE UPDATES WON'T BE EITHER REGULAR OR PLANNED !! -

I'm a very busy person, i follow a lot of things and going after them all at once it's impossible.. but i try to keep up with everything! School has a big impact on me and takes away from me a lot of time...I just gotta hope that motivation and ideas will stay with me during .

Also, I write from my (mom's) laptop and not with my phone because its keyboard is all messed up and my mispelling errors would be much more frequent than they already are..and yes english isn't my main language, so errors can be caused either from my inability to tap onto these ass keyboard's keys or because I forgot how to...english mid-sentence.

and so said, i'll let you dive into this story... don't know what will happend, how it will evolve,but hey, it's still something!

Bye bye 'w'

- A-N

Chapter Text

No, you weren't the kind of person to believe the "fall in love at first sight" thing, you always thought that it would happen only in some made up scenarios in films or books.

But yet, that kind of thing fascinated you. Imagine meeting someone without knowing that it would change your life forever..huh? Just like in those books, but life isn't a book.

That's what you believed, until you met a certain someone.

You met him by chance, during lunch break. That day you decided to spend it by yourself, not because you didn't have any friends to spend it with, but just because you felt like clearing your mind by yourself.

You peacefully walked through the hallways full of chit-chatting students, opened a specific door towards you and entered in the art lab. It was barely used from the students, but the school decided to keep it anyways. Yes, that was your place, you felt a strong connection with. The room wasn't very wide, but that's exactly what you liked about it. It had very big windows, it was filled with canvas of all sorts and through a door on the back of the room it was possible to access the informatics laboratory.

For that day, you decided to sit on a desk, right in front of a window and near the Informatics' lab door.
Today everything seemed to be calm...too much.

Until someone broke into the room right from the Informatics' lab door slamming the door in question and panting, realising too late there was someone else in the room.

"Ah..sorry! I didn't know someone used this laboratory during the lunch break" he bowed politely as a sign to apology.

"No need to excuse! I...actually don't know if I'm allowed to be here right now either" you chuckled

He smiled when suddenly he leaned over the door, almost as if he had to make sure no one was there. After five seconds of silence, he sighed in relief.

"I'm Rui Kamishiro by the way, nice to meet you...?"

"Y/n l/n, nice to meet you too!"

"Y/n? That's a pretty name..!"

You felt your cheeks suddenly getting warmer and as he sees your reaction he slightly smiles

"Well, it's not everyday that a random stranger compliments my name...but thank you!" You looked down while talking, you didn't want him to notice your now reddish cheeks (he already noticed them...but you just didn't know)

"fufu..~.do you come here often?"

"Well...yes, when I don't eat with someone I usually come here, it's just so comfortable..do you too?"

He nodded in agreement

"In fact I'm always in the other room, however I come here when I need some tools or..."
He peeks at the door

"Or when someone annoys me during my work" he sighed

You tilted your head slightly to meet his gaze. His deep yellow eyes were looking down and for a moment, a brief moment, you thought about what kind of thingsthose eyes have seen. He still was standing next to the door, now he was looking around.

"Wow, this room sure has some big windows, " he said to broke silence as he approached the window next to you. As he opened it to let some air enter the room, some breeze ruffled his purple hairs. You found yourself almost staring at him, constating that he truly was the prettiest man you've ever laid your eyes upon. Thankfully he was looking out the window and he couldn't catch you staring.

"I can see the Phoenix Wonderland from here.." he said quietly

"Phoenix...Wonderland..?" you asked as you got out of your momentary trance.

"Have you never heard of it? It's the amusement park where I perform part time with my troupe." he said, with that kind of entusiasm that made you smile

"Do you really perform there?? WHOAH it must be nice...I also like theatre but i suck at acting so some time ago i used to make costumes for some shows"

"Do you make costumes?? Now that's something cool. I think that someone like you who makes costumes for the actors is one of the most important person in the show " He was looking at you, while you where sitting on the desk next to him with your legs crossed.

"If you put it like that..." You let out a little chuckle

"Here, take this. You should totally stop by sometimes, It'd be nice to see you there!" He said as he handed you a ticket. As you take it and you turn it to the other side, you notice that it was a free entry for the park

"Ah! Thank you! Now I'm really curious to see you acting"

"We perform every sunday at 6 p.m, whenever you want feel free to come and watch" he smiled softly

"I'll definetly do and-"

You were cut off by the ringing bell, indicating that lunch break was over.

"Ah crap..I gotta go back to my class...It was nuce to meet you, Rui! I'll definetly come Sunday!" You smiled as you shoved all your things in your backpack. "Thank you again for the ticket!!"

He chuckled and he bowed like actors do at the end of a show.

"It was my pleasure meeting you too"

You smiled before leaving the art lab and rushing through the hallways to reach your classroom in time.

Chapter Text

You quickly opened the door of the classroom and luckily the teacher wasn't there yet.

"Thank god..at least I avoided being scolded one more time" you sighed as you sat down on your desk. Not even 5 seconds after you started to take your things out of your backpack, you heard the steps of someone running in the hallways.
Confused, you peeked out of the door:
There was this blonde-orange haired guy who was standing in front of a short pink haired girl who didn't seem to have the same uniform as you...

"Wait...is that girl even from our school??"
As the girl heard you, she immediately ran towards you.
Caught off by that without having the time to react, the girl shouted: "WONDERHOYYYY" and immediately after she dashed on you.
As you both now were on the ground, her laughing and you confused as hell, you caught the attention of some people in the hallways.

"EMU!! GET BACK HERE!!" Shouted the blonde guy as he reached the both of you.

"OKAYY!! SEE YOU AROUND H/C GIRL!!" She happily shouted back right before running back to the blonde guy and heading straight to the exit of the school.

You were still lying on the ground, trying to process what the heck you have just witnessed when you heard the voice of the teacher suddenly speaking right from behind you.

"Are you enjoying your break, miss L/N?"

As you realized what was going to happen, you immediately stood up, brushing the dust away from your uniform with your hands.

"If I said that I was knocked off by a girl who's half of me would you believe it sir?"

"Not really but..."

The teacher looked around twice.

"I must admit that there was some strange rumor of this girl from another school coming here and shouting something weird sometimes.." he sighed as you entered the classroom "what are teenagers on these days..." he said following you and starting the lesson as if nothing happened.

-

The time flew by and in the blink of an eye it was the end of the school day. You were walking around the hallways heading to your last class when as soon as you turned around the corner you saw the purple haired guy.

Could he be...Rui?

As you recognised him you immediately hid in the empty room that was next to you.

Meeting him again would have been slightly embarrassing...
"I mean, I'd just say hi and go straight on my way but-" you murmured to yourself. "I already told him goodbye and it would be odd randomly showing up again..."

You silently leaned out of the door, to check if he was gone or not.

He was standing next to the window that was right next to your classroom and he looked like he was working on something he had in his hands...was he... disassembling something? Something metallic, with a lot of parts...

"Hey Y/N!" As you felt a hand on your shoulder you jumped out of fear.

You turned around just to be facing Mizuki, your friend from middle school.

"MIZUKI! DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN"

"Eheh, you should've seen your face" they said chuckling

"I'll have my revenge one day" you smirked

"Yeah yeah, we'll see..."
As the both of you looked at eachother you bursted into a laugh.

"Okay okay, talking about the serious things...what brings you by?" You asked curious. They didn't show up often at school (almost never) so it was rare to spend some time together.

"Well...in fact I got bored and I didn't have anything great to do..so today I came here with the hope of rescuing you and hanging out. Fortunately, it just happened" They sighed happily

"You really have foreseen everything huh.."

"You know me" they smirked proudly
"Do you have any other classes?"

"Hmm..." You were well aware of the fact that you still had your last one for today but with the corner of your eye you saw Rui, who somehow haven't heard you and Mizuki chit chatting not so far from him, still messing around with tools and metallic stuff next to your classroom, so you decided to play it safe for today.

"Actually no, I'm free from now on"

"Yay! I knew I could count on you!" They said as they dragged you along the hallways of the school. Not a teacher has said anything to you and Mizuki since it was common for students going home earlier than usual during afternoon classes.

As soon as Mizuki dragged you out of school, you felt the warm sensation of the sun on your skin.

"Sooo..where are we heading to?" Mizuki was leading you through streets you've never seen before

"Heh I've already thought of this...You know, we really need to check out this new fancy shop that opened not so long ago..it has a lot of cute things, I know it's really not your style but..." Mizuki kept listing all the shops the both of you should've visited but you were lost in your thoughts thinking about the happenings of that day at school. Meeting a random guy who gives you a free entry for one of his shows, being jumped from a pink haired girl and sneaking out of school like that..definitely too many things for one day.

"Here we are!"

Without realizing, Mizuki led the both of you to the center of the town in the shortest way possible.

"But...how...weren't we at school like..7 minutes ago??"

"heheh I got my secrets!" They smirked, their usual

"And now..come with me!" They said taking you by your wrist and dragging you into some fancy shops you've never entered before. You weren't really into fashion and shopping, your casual clothes were usually a pair of black jeans and a sweater, nothing much. But it was fun trying on different types of clothes (that you'll never buy) with your friends.

-

After a time that seemed to be endless you and Mizuki sat down at a café, resting from all the visits to the shops.

"Ahh...some great shopping is all I needed, it's always the best! Right?"

"...speak for yourself" you were tiredly sipping your iced tea while Mizuki was eating a cupcake, plenty of shopping bags laying on the ground next to her seat.

"Aw come on Y/N...who doesn't like shopping?"

You slowly raised your finger

"Except you..who doesn't? It makes you feel free from worries and everything!" They said happily while eating their cupcake.

"It's tiring going from one shop to another for 2 hours non stop...also, the shopping assistants all knew you by your name and that doesn't surprise me"

"Hey! No offense, I'm a regular there~" they chuckled

"Mhm...hey, isn't that your friend...uhm I don't remember her name...E..Eva??" You pointed to a brown haired girl that was carrying a couple of new canvases and a bag with brushes and colours.

"Huh? ENA?? RIGHT HERE-WHERE??oh wait I see her- ΕΝΑAAAA!!! LOOK HEREEE!!"

They shouted, waving their hand hoping Ena would see them.

"MIZUKI DON' T SCREAM LIKE THAT!! You're gonna catch everyone's attention!!"

You whispered while covering your head with your arms in embarrassment.

Finally, Ena eventually heard Mizuki's screams

"Mizuki!! Don't scream like that jeez.."

"heheh..plaintive as usual I see~" she teased

" shut up. Oh, hi Y/N" she kindly waved her hand to greet and so you did in return.

"What brought you here, Ena? Weren't you recovering from that one assignment and sleeping all day?" Asked Mizuki

" ...I was planning to do that, but I've changed my mind. What are you up to?"

"Well, we were just taking a break from our shopping, would you like to join us?" Asked Mizuki. Their eyes were lightened up, almost as if someone gave them a shock of energy. You smiled, you know what that was.

"Actually for me it's getting late and my mother wants me early at home to help with some house chores. Plus, I live a little far away from here, so I think it's better if I go"

You stood up from your seat holding the can of the iced tea.

"Aw...don't worry Y/N, I'll come and pick you up from school soon again~ bye bye!" They waved as you walked away and greeted back, sipping your iced tea.

You sighed in relief, too much time between people was overwhelming sometimes, you just needed your time to "recharge your social batteries"

After finishing the tea and throwing it away, you put your now free hand into the pocket of your school uniform but you felt something paperish..

You took it out of the pocket, it was the ticket that Rui gave you this morning.

You observed it more carefully.

" PHOENIX WONDERLAND - ENTRY FOR 1 PERSON - "

" WONDER STAGE - SUNDAY - 6 P.M "

~Where the fun never ends!~

It said. It was a simple red ticket with the info written in black.

The sound of an incoming call broke your temporary zoning out.

"Hello?"

"Hi dear, where are you? It's getting late and you know that your dad doesn't want you to stay outside alone for too long at this hour." It was your mom.

" yeah yeah I'm heading home. I was just hanging out with a friend of mine"

"Who?"

"Mizuki...you know...the one with the side ponytail.."

"Mhh okay maybe I got it..anyways, come home soon"

"Sure, bye bye."

You hanged up.

Sighing, you walked away, on your way home.

Chapter Text

- the next day, 7:45 AM-

You woke up and all your body was aching because of the previous day. You stretched your arms a little and tiredly grabbed your phone to check the time.

"7-...."

"..."

"7:45?!!?!?!?"

Realising how late it was you threw away all the sheets of your bed and ran downstairs. You quickly grabbed your uniform and everything you needed to get ready and after dressing up and giving multiple nervous gazes at the time, you finally made it outside. After a quick walk to the underground station, you sat on a bench, waiting for the subway to arrive.
You checked the time once again:

"7:58...I'm never going to make it to 8.."

Finally the sound of the incoming subway filled the gallery but just after you stood up...it didn't stop.

Reassigned, you just sighed and waited for the next subway..if it'll ever come.

---

"Y/N!! I thought you would have never arrived today" greeted An as she saw you entering the classroom...2 hours later. She was a classmate and friend of yours.

"...let's just don't talk about it. "

"Lucky for you, none of the teachers showed up today. There must be some kind of strike between the school staff because there's only a few of them "

"Really? But I don't remember any of the teachers telling us about this..."

"Yes..anyways, I ABSOLUTELY GOTTA TELL YOU THIS!!" And suddenly she was shaking you with energy

"TELL ME BUT JUST DON'T SHAKE ME LIKE THAT" you complained

"OKAY BASICALLYY.. THERE WAS THIS GUY WALKING AROUND WITH SOME ROBOTS AND AND AND "

"AN! CALM DOWN OR I WON'T UNDERSTAND. SPEAK SLOWER" You cried out loud to let her hear well.

"OK..Basically there was this guy who showed up with small robots that could also fly...I think that he was heading to the Informatics' lab..."

"A guy... with robots... Informatics' lab-"
And you connected the dots.

"Oh, I think I've met him before"

"HAVE YOU?"

"He should be Kamishiro...If I remember well..was he purple haired?"

"Yes he was, he also had some strokes of light blue"

"He's definitely the one you're talking about"

An was giving you a mischievous gaze

"Let's go and see this friend of yours then!" She grabbed you from your uniform's sleeve and dragging you around the hallways

"WAIT WAIT AN"

"NO COMPLAINS! WE'RE GOING"

"BUT-"

"no but."

After a long way along the hallways and the stairs ( Saying that the both of you didn't explore a little would be lying ) you and An finally arrived at the informatics' lab. In fact, there was a group of people gathering around the door.

"Why are there so many people..?"

"Maybe there's some kind of competition..but I haven't seen any flyers anywhere..." An said as she was trying to see something between all the people.

"Nghh...I can't see a thing here..can you Y/N?"

Since you were taller, you stood on your tiptoes to catch something of the scene.

"I TOLD YOU THAT IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO DO THAT!"

"Man, just think about it-"

"Even if you were able to do so...nobody of us agrees on that."

"Listen, just think about it for a moment. Let's just-"

The voices of three boys and one girl discussing were coming from that room.

One in particular was more familiar than the others.

"Hey An, I don't think they're doing a competition-" You murmured to your friend.

"What is happening?? I only hear some shou-"

"I'm out of here, there's no solution this time." Suddenly one of the boys left the room, facing the small crowd that gathered around there, attracted by the voices.

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! SHOO! SHOO!" Shouted the boy, with a slight British accent.

The people immediately scattered around leaving just you and An on the corner of the hallway, near the room. Immediately after all the other people left the room, except one.

"You better think about your ambitions, Kamishiro." and so said, the boy with the British accent left, followed by the other two.

You and An were just standing there awkwardly, not really knowing what to do.

"Ah right! Today my girlfriend leaves early from school...I'll greet her for you!" Quickly said An as she went on the opposite part of the hallway"

"liar..." you sighed

There was only one thing left to do.

--------

You slowly approached the lab's door, which was slightly open. Rui was leaning over a desk with his hands ruffling his hairs, he seemed to be murmuring something to himself.

You quietly knocked two times.

"What do you want now? Did you come to-" He stopped as soon as he turned around and he saw who was standing behind it.

"Sorry..I know it's not a good time for you"

"Ah! My apologies Y/N..I didn't realise it was you...Do you need anything?" he smiled tiredly

"Actually-... My friend was dragging me around the school when we heard those loud voices..."

"Don't worry! It was...just another friendly discussion between me and my informatics' group mates..nothing serious" he reassured her

"Are you sure? Your look tells me another thing"

He looked at the table he was before leaning on. There were a lot of cables, metallic parts and plenty of sheets of paper all over the table.

"What are all those papers.l?"

"Oh, those are just the possible project that my group would like to present at this year's competition..but they don't want to listen to me at all" he sighed

"Yeah...you didn't seem to have had a very friendly discussion before"

"Definitely not...but they're gone now, so that's not a problem anymore"

You observed the room: it was bigger than the art's lab, but there was only one, small window. That caused the constant darkness in the room and the necessity to have some light lit on, indeed the cold light was coming from two lightbulbs, right above the table.

The silence filled the room.

"Would you like to go out?" he asked breaking the silence

"EH?" You felt your cheeks becoming warmer.

"I MEANT..out of here.."

"OH OKAY..that explains it all.."

"..But if you wanted to go out I wouldn't really mind~" He teased leaning over you.

At that moment, you noticed HOW TALL he was..maybe 10 cm ( 0,3' ft) taller than you?

He smiled slightly as you turned to hide your face.

"Not today..."

" Whenever you want I'm free~!"

As you sighed, he opened the door and chuckled a little.

Chapter Text

-messaging-

Mizuki:

"YOU HAVE...WHAT?!"

Y/N:

"His phone number."

Mizuki:

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO NORMAL ABOUT IT?!! A GUY JUST ASKED YOU YOUR PHONE NUMBER AND YOU CASUALLY AGREED?!!?"

Y/N:

"Mizuki he's just a friend of mine, in fact we just did it because he needed to send me some school stuff... Of course I wouldn't have given my phone number to a casual stranger."

Mizuki:

"As much as I know, he isn't even in your classroom..."

Y/N:

"He's the same year as me, that's enough to know."

Mizuki:

"C'mooon....spill some tea, maybe I could know him~! (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)

Y/N:

"I'll tell you...some other day.."

Mizuki:

"Y/NNN...it's not fair (TヮT)ﾟ"

That morning after leaving the classroom, you and Rui sneaked out of school since there was almost nobody there to check on the students. You both just walked around, exploring nearby. Eventually, he even accompanied you at the subway station.

The subway came in time and before getting on it, you heard his voice calling you beyond the crowd.

"WILL YOU BE THERE SUNDAY?" He almost yelled, to let you hear his words between all the chaos.

"I..I WILL! EXPECT ME TO BE THERE!"

As he heard the response, his eyes lit up and he smiled waving goodbye.

After waving back, you managed to squeeze between all the people and find a free seat.

You couldn't stop thinking about the way his eyes lit up just a moment before, his eyes..so yellow shaded...so pretty,just like-

"GET YOURSELF BACK TOGETHER Y/N! YOU CANNOT FANTASIZE LIKE THIS ON A MAN YOU MET JUST YESTERDAY!" Your subconscious self yelled.

And now you were rolling in your bed, looking at Rui's number on your phone. The very reason he asked for your number was to send you a full map of Phoenix Wonderland.

"If you have it you'll be able to find the Wonder Stage earlier, Phoenix Wonderland is very VERY big and I don't think that getting lost would be the best thing ever if you've never been there before.." he explained earlier that morning.

"What's this....weird feeling?"

Something in your chest...something...warm...

..and something in your stomach..

...well, that wasn't so pleasing..Indeed it was vomit. Not too long after dinner, you drank some iced tea because..yes why not? And those were the consequences.

Luckily you made it to the bathroom in time, avoiding spending a lot of time cleaning your whole bed from the leftovers of the sandwich and the tea you ate for dinner not too long ago. After three or four retching you groaned..maybe it was over.

You were laying on the bathroom's floor that for some reason always looked more comfortable than the bed during these kinds of situations. Staring at the ceiling, you just fell asleep there.

—

Some rays of sun were coming from a window up above the wall and as the sun touched your skin, you rubbed your eyes.

"Ugh..." you were slowly starting to wake up

"Did...did I just fall asleep on the ground..? Ugh I'm so emba-" you tried standing up on your own but that caused your head to go dizzy and fall again on the ground.

After many tries you managed to get up and hold onto the sink, you looked at yourself in the mirror. You had dark circles under your eyes and your skin colour didn't look too well too. Your hairs were messy, but that was something that occurred daily.

"9:30" said the clock

"... maybe...taking another day off school...wouldn't hurt" and with your head hurting and your stomach still messed up, you lied down on your bed and almost immediately you fell asleep.

—

"...n...."

"..y...n..

"Y/N!"

"AH!" You woke up sweaty and panicking

"Y/N! What are you doing sleeping on the ground at this time?" Your mother was standing on the door of your room wearing her usual coat, meaning that she must've been back from work... and that you slept till the late afternoon.

"On..the ground..? I swear I fell asleep on my bed just 5 minutes ago..." you looked around your room, confused about your current placement.

"Also..I didn't go to school today because I was sick last evening and I didn't wake up in time this morning.."

"Going to school..? Dear it's Saturday...let me check if you have got a fever, come here" she said as she was touching your forehead.

"Ah...I'm fine now, I just needed some rest, that's all.." but the look on your face said it all.

"You're burning! Go back to bed and rest more, I'll get you some pills" she sighed while putting her coat away and going downstairs to grab the right meds.

You were still in the same position as before, sitting on the ground with the same clothes you had the day before.

"Maybe I should take a shower..." you rubbed your head and felt like it was about to explode from the pain, but you were too tired to feel it.

--

"Y/N? Ah.." when your mom showed up on the door to hand you a glass of water and some pills, you were already drifting to sleep, still lying on the floor but this time with a pillow.

She smiled slightly and she left the room, after leaving the glass of water and the pills on your bedside table.

———

Chapter Text

-

After a long night of restless sleep, you were woken up by the sound of your phone ringing.

Who could it be at this time?

"Hello?" You tried your best to not sound sick

"Y/N! Finally huh?! You didn't respond to my messages both yesterday and today and I was getting worried.."

"Mizuki I'm ok, I just overslept.." you lied

"You're like Ena, you just sleep all day...so, what are you up to today?"

"Today? Uh let me check..." You got up from your bed to check the calendar hanging near your desk

You froze for a moment.
IT WAS SUNDAY.

"Y/N?? Y/N are you there??"
You stared at the calendar
"Sunday..? How long have I been sick...?"
"Y/N SPEAK LOUDER"
"SORRY MIZUKI I GOTTA PASS " and you hung up.

You sat on your bed
"Sunday...."

The last time you left your room was...on Friday

"Have I been sick and sleeping all this time..?" You touched your forehead to check your fever

"mh...it's not fully gone..maybe i should just rest more..."

You checked the time before putting your phone away

"10.00 am? I thought it was something around 12...well too bad, i have more time to sleep"

but something was bothering you...something that didn't let you fall asleep

"Did I have something planned for today?" you rolled once again in your bed

"There's nothing written on the calendar...."

"sigh..this fever is really driving me crazy.." but those words weren't convincing.

You felt like you were forgetting something...

You grabbed your phone to set the alarm

"At least like this I won't sleep all day"

---

"Ok everybody, that was perfect! I think that for today's performance we've rehearsed enough" said a purple haired boy standing on the stage.

"HURRAYY!! How many hours left until the show??!?" excitedly said a pink haired girl.

"mhmh... still 2:30...don't worry Emu, the time will soon come" her greenish haired friend answered

"YAYY THANK YOU NENEE!!☆~"

"E-Emu!! I can't breathe!" complained Nene as Emu hugged her tightly

" Mhmm...this will be a very good show, I feel it." said an orange haired boy, with an unusual light in his eyes.

"How can you tell?? " asked Emu curiously

"well..it's just the sixth sense of a future star~!!" he smiled proudly

"Or..." Emu approached Tsukasa

"OR MAYBE YOU'RE AN ALIEN AND YOU CAN SEE THE FUTUREE!!!!" She shouted as she jumped on Tsukasa

"AHH EMUU!! DON'T JUMP ON ME!! I'M NOT AN ALIEN"

The fight continued and Nene just kept observing, until she noticed something..

well..someone, someone was missing.

She quickly went to the backtage, where her friend was sitting on the stairs.

"Rui? What are you doing here?

"Ah! Nene, don't scare me like that..." He chuckled

"Nothing, I was just making sure all the stuff we will need for the show was in the right place" he lied

"Haven't you already checked 2 times?"

"Just to be sure..I wanted to check a third" he smiled with his usual "cat-smile"

"Okay..."

Her purple haired friend was strangely quiet that day.

"Hey Rui" She sat next to him

"hm?" he was looking at the phone on his hands, even if the screen was switched off

"Is it something the matter? You're oddly quiet today"

"Nothing..Maybe I'm just nervous for our show" He reassured her

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, and you should know more than me how bad pre-show anxiety can affect someone..."

She quietly nodded

"Let's go back to the others, shall we?" he stood up

"Okay..I think that Emu and Tsukasa should be done fighting now"

She lastly said before heading to the front of the stage,

--

Rui's POV

"Pre-show anxiety? I'm not really the kind of person to suffer from that...but today is different for some reasons.."

he checked his phone once more

"It's 4 pm, Y/N hasn't seen my messages yet"

He looked at his friends, Nene was still keeping away Emu from jumping on Tsukasa

"I wonder if she'll even come"

--

Once again, you were woken up by the sound of your phone ringing

"ugh..what a headache.. what time is it?"

4,30 pm.

"Already? sigh..i gotta take the pills"

After getting up (not without hesitation) and grabbing the pills from your bedside table, you opened the door to get some water...

..but something caught your attention

It was a piece of red paper that was hidden under the pills.

"A ticket?"

You grabbed it to take a closer look at it.

"Wh...Phoenix Wonderland..Wonder Stage...6 pm...."

and something in your head just snapped.

"WAIT...."

You ran to the opposite part of your room, where the calendar was hanging.

In fact, under the date of that day there was a purple write that said "Wonder Stage, 6pm"

"SHOOT- I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THE SHOW!!" you quickly grabbed your phone and checked the time:

4.45 P.M

"I gotta catch the train in less than 30 minutes..."

You looked at yourself in the mirror, you really needed to shower and to dress up properly to go out..

"sigh..Guess I'll have to break some records today.."

--

5.30 pm, Wonder Stage

"EMU!! PASS ME THAT CARDBOARD"

"YESSIR!"

"Has anyone seen my ribbon?' I cannot find it anywhere.."

"WHERE'S THE PROP OF THE SWORD.."

"RUI!! ROBO NENE MAKES A WEIRD SOUND"

"WHO MOVED THE EMERGENCY KIT FOR LAST MINUTE REPAIRS??"

There were still 30 minutes left, but the whole backstage was a mess like everytime, maybe that day even more. For some weird reasons, everything was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"RUI?? DIDN'T YOU CHECK ALL THE STUFF 3 TIMES!"

"I did...Indeed, I might've moved something in the wrong place.." He chuckled nervously

"RUI GET YOURSELF BACK TOGETHER! WE'RE PERFORMING IN 30. DAMN. MINUTES!!"

She shaked him violently.

"NENEE DON'T HARASS RUI!" Tsukasa Yelled while carrying a whole stack of cardboards

"NENEEE IS THAT THE RIBBON YOU WERE LOOKING FOR??" Suddenly Emu popped up behind her holding a lot of costumes with one hand, and handing to Nene her ribbon.

"Yes! Thank you Emu..You understood me Rui." and she went back to change into the costume for that show.

--

5.50 P.M

The train arrived late, but at least it arrived.

Eventually you managed to shower and to put on some decent clothes, but that caused you to arrive late at the station even though the train arrived even later than you did.

But your fever hadn't gone away, indeed you felt a wave of tiredness and a dizzy feeling weighing down your head but luckily you carried with you your beloved aspirines.

You checked your phone

"I'll be late for sure... at least I'll arrive.." But then you remembered about giving your number to Rui to let him send you the full map of Phoenix Wonderland..to avoid getting lost. Immediately you checked the chats between you and Rui...

Kamishiro Rui ?!

YESTERDAY

"Hi Y/N, here's the full map of Phoenix Wonderland!" 4.am.

*image attached* 4.am

"Don't get lost! See you tomorrow ^ ^~" 4.am

-

"And I see these messages NOW?! With what kind of dignity should I show up in front of him now..."

During your journey in the subway, your head was filled with embarrassment and questions...many nervous questions..

"Should I've bringed some flowers? I remember that some time ago during a show I took part in as a seamstress, many members of the audience were throwing flowers at the end of the show...but since we're in an amusement park.. I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO THAT.."

"Will he be upset with me? I mean, if someone didn't respond to me after 2 whole days..."

"Will I even manage to find my way around in that park..??"

Finally, after a long and stressful journey and a missed stop, you reached Phoenix Wonderland.

"It's...even bigger than I thought it would have been..."

Towards the main entrance there was a huge light blue and pink gate to welcome the visitors. Right under the gate, there were two stands with some big signs saying "Tickets here".

But..there was A LOT OF PEOPLE...and after a long queue, it was finally your turn.

"Hello, how can I help you?" a kind looking guy was the cashier for the tickets

" Hi uhm.. I already have a ticket my friend gave me, is that ok?

"Let's take a look..." The guy took the ticket you just handed him and observed it carefully.

"Does this friend of yours work here..?"

"Yes...I guess"

"Are you guessing or are you sure?"

"Uhm...he performs at the Wonder Stage.."

The guy was giving you a though look

the clock said 6.10 p.m

"Sir...if..."

he bursted into a laugh

"I'm joking!! Here. The ticket is valid, and then there's a map of the place. I assume that you're headed to the wonder stage, aren't you?"

You nodded energetically

"Well then, do you see this big street full of people? Avoid that. Go straight for only a little bit, then turn right, left and right. The it should be all straight.!"

"THANK YOU!!" You shouted as you ran between all the people

Chapter Text

The curtains rise

the show begins.

"Once upon a time, a princess lived alone in a big castle up the mountains. There once lived a big family, but as the time passed by, each of the family members decided to leave, intrigued by the way all the other people lived their lives outside. However, the girl was the only one determined to stay. She was frightened of the outside world, she was fine living by herself in that castle, up the mountains. But after her parents died, there was no one to watch after her but herself.

As the time passed, all the beauty the castle once had before became just a distant memory and every inhabitant of the villages down those mountains thought that the castle was abandoned and haunted.

But one rainy night, someone knocked at the big doorway of the castle, with the vague hope of finding some shelter for that night of thunderstorms.

To his surprise, someone answered.

"Whose is it, at this time of the night?" Asked the girl's voice.

"Good evening dear mrs, I'm very sorry to break into your house like this but I was asking if..."

"no"
"what..?"

"no, there aren't any ghosts here." You can't come here to haunt ghosts.."

"...what??That's not what I was going to ask..."

"As if someone at this time would ask something else...There are plenty of rotten houses down this mountain, just go and annoy someone else!" she replied angrily, shutting the door in front of his face.

"NO!! WAIT!! I was about to ask you if you could give me a shelter just for this night...You see..I'm a traveller and when there's such bad weather as this, i can't camp anywhere.."

"Was that everything you wanted to ask me..?"

--

You managed to arrive just as soon as the curtains were raised and the play was just about to start. You squeezed between all the people and found a good spot to watch the play undisturbed.

For that time, they decided to do a play of a very old tale. The girl who lives all alone in her castle and refuses to leave when one day an unknown knocks on her castle's door asking for a shelter during a rainy night. Of course the rain lasted more than one day and they secretly fell in love. Eventually he convinced her to leave the castle with him, with the promise of coming back together one day. Ah...love in fairy tales was always the same thing...the girl who waits for her charming prince to show up one day and to fall in love at the very first sight...and then what? Another happily ever after?

After 15 minutes into the play, you soon recognized the pink haired girl that jumped on you not too many days ago and the blonde-orange haired guy who was trying to hide her.

"The world is so tiny...eventually in a way or another you always end up meeting the same people.." that thought made you smile.

What really caught your attention were the costumes, the scenographies, how well everyone was into their characters...and Rui. When he was acting, he looked like someone else. He could've switched between many different characters in very few seconds but in each of them, you could've found those little characteristics that made those characters his very own.

But why him in a group full of other interesting people??

"Because he's the one I know the most of course.." you thought internally

Still, you weren't convinced of your own words. You felt something..but you quite didn't know how to explain it.

As the story went on and on, you soon realised how great they actually were. 1 hour and 30 of complete silence, where only the actors could've been heard. They even managed to catch the attention of the little kids and to let them be able to follow the story.

"Magical.." was the only word that came up in your mind to describe the scenery.

--

"HAH! I TOLD YOU THAT THIS WOULD'VE BEEN A GREAT ONE!" proudly said Tsukasa

" Indeed, everybody did an amazing job..the audience seemed to have liked the story, especially the end." Rui smiled amusingly. The end is usually the clue of the show, and it has to be the bestest of all. But despite the show, there was something missing...

..someone...

"she didn't come..."

"Huh? Did you say something Rui?" asked Tsukasa

Emu and Nene were waving off all the kids that came to meet them after the show.

"No, not a word. I think that that little kid would like to meet you though" and he pointed the other side of the stage, where a little kid was waving his arms to catch Tsukasa's attention

"AHH!! I MUSTN'T DISAPPOINT ANY LITTLE FUTURE STAR!! I'LL BE RIGHT BACK!!" And so said, he ran straight to that kid .

He smiled sadly until he heard a familiar voice.

-

"RUI!!" someone in the crowd was calling his name to catch his attention.

-

"I hope he'll see me..there sure are a lot of people here" you thought while waving your arm.

As soon as he spotted you his eyes widened, not expecting you to be actually there. Immediately he jumped off the stage and made his way between the crowd.

"Y/N! What a pleasant surprise!!" he smiled warmly

"I told you I would've come...your show was really amazing!"

"really? Did you like it?" his eyes lit up

"ABSOLUTELY! I liked everything, from the plot and the characters to the costumes. And..." you pointed a big robot on the stage who was similar to the greenish girl.

"..I bet that you built it" you smiled

"you're saying right~" he smiled amusingly, but surprised at the same time.

"This girl surprises me every second.." he thought

" Did you choose the plot?"

"Actually no, but-"

"H/C GIRL!!! HELLO AGAIN!!" The pink haired female jumped on you and hugged you tightly, once again.

"..Emu did~" he chuckled

"...nice to meet you Emu, I'm Y/N L/N" you smiled softly and she squeezed you tighter.

"DID YOU LIKE OUR SHOW??"

"I absolutely did!! and it was wonderful!"

"REALLY???? YAYAYAYYYY!!" she kept hugging you tighter and tighter

"...how can such a short person like her have that much strenght??" you internally cried as you felt your ribs being compressed.

"Emu get off her or you'll end up killing her" said the greenish girl approaching Emu.

"it's fine! I-" "OK NENE CHANNN!!~ " as Emu got off you, you took many breaths to recover from that strong hug.

"Okay...warn me the next time you'll jump on me so I'll bring some protections.." you said while massagging your ribcage.

"Rui, where's Tsukasa? He should've been on the stage.." asked Nene

"He went to a little boy near the seats not too long ago, were you looking for him?"

"Actually yes, I need to ask him some things about the props of the shows.."

You were standing next to Rui and Nene while they kept talking about practical things of the show.

"Maybe it's better to leave now.. I don't want to be in their way while they're still working. I wish I could've stayed a little longer though.." You thought while grabbing your jacket from your seat.

"aww Y/N, are you already going?? We've got to meet you just now.." frowned Emu.

"AHHH NOO EMU!! DON'T EXPOSE ME LIKE THIS!!" you internally panicked..now you had three pairs of eyes looking at you..

"I'll only stay for a while because my house is pretty far away from here..." you politely excused

"ah yes, if I'm not wrong you mentioned that it was quite far both from school and from here..ah there it is Tsukasa!" The blonde-orange one ran to the group,

"Sorry everyone, I was waving off another kid and- AH! I didn't see you before! Who might you be?" He said after noticing someone new between the usual 3 friends.

" I'm Y/N L/N, nice to meet you!" you smiled back.

" Nice to meet you too Y/N! Did you like our show??" he shaked your hand with energy

"yes! It was truly awesome!"

" AH AH AH! A TRUE FUTURE STAR SUCH AS MYSELF DID ANOTHER GREAT JOB WITH MY LOYAL SHOW-MATES! AND.."

"aaand there he goes again.." resignedly said Nene

Shaked off by Tsukasa's yelling, you desperately looked at Rui, who caught your ask for help and whispered something to Nene, who just nodded.

"Okay let's get you out of here~" he chuckled as he took your hand to sneak out from the Wonder Stage.

After a short way, he stopped near the popcorn shops where many kids were gathering around.

"Okay..here we should be far enough from the stage" he reassured you

"Thank you.. the situation was getting kinda.."

" uncomfortable? I get it. If you aren't used to have both Emu and Tsukasa around you can easily feel...overwhelmed~" he chuckled

"Nothing's funny, being jumped TWICE in a week and having your eardrums VIOLATED without any warning isn't that much pleasant you know.." you sighed desperately while Rui laughed softly

His laugh made something swirl up in your stomach... but you didn't feel like throwing up, what was that? It was a pleasant sensation after all...

..and that's when you realized you were HOLDING HANDS.

"WAIT...DID THIS HAPPEN WHEN HE WAS GUIDING ME HERE?? HOW DIDN'T I NOTICE??"

he soon noticed that you went silent

"Y/N? Is everything okay?"

"AH- YES, absolutely" you smiled nervously to reassure him, but you ended up being all red

"Are you sure? You look like you're about to catch fire.." he moved his hand on your forehead

"may I?"

"..sure"

As he checked your temperature you remembered of your fever that still wasn't gone..that must have been one of the reasons why you were literally burning.

"Your forehead is burning. Have you been sick these days by chance?" he looked a little worried

"I might've been..but I didn't want to miss your show" you admitted, you were starting to feel tired...maybe it was the right time to take an aspirin..but you felt nothing in your pocket.

As he heard those words, his gaze softened and his cheeks got reddish. "You could've called me and told me..we do a show every sunday, you know?" he smiled

"Ah..I might've missed this part" suddenly the dizziness came back and to avoid falling on the ground, you had to hold on Rui's arm.

"Y/n??" he held you, to prevent you falling on the ground.

After a while you were able to stand by yourself again.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hold on to your arm like that.." you excused, a little embarrassed. What was going on with you? Holding his hand and then his arm? You didn't even meet a week ago...

"I'll take you home"

"oka- wait what?"

"You can't go home by yourself like this, what if you faint in the middle of the road? I'd blame myself if I'd let you go and then something like this happened" he smiled but you could tell that he was worried.

"Rui, I'll be fine..I just need an aspirine" but that feeling of dizziness wasn't letting you go

"I just need to go to the Wonder Stage to grab my bag and then we'll be ready to go"

you just nodded, letting him guide you through the park.

Chapter Text

-

You had no clue of where Rui was leading you to, all you could've done in that moment was trusting in his knowledge of the place. After another quick visit to the Wonder Stage (where you hid behind some trees to avoid any contact with any of the members except Rui, who just needed to collect his things and wave off the others) he led you outside of the park on some roads where you've never put your feet on.

The fever you previously drove away with a "it's almost gone, I'm well enough to go out" worsened and the effects hit you like a wrecking ball. You barely spoke and followed your own thoughts...it was just you and your sickness..and Rui who tried his best to not let you collapse in the middle of the road.

"Okay, we shouldn't be that far from the subway, it's just another couple of turns and...y/n?" But as he turned around, you were kneeling down a few steps behind him trying to fight the dizziness once again.

You lifted your left hand: "Just...another minute...."

He slowly walked back and knelt down in front of you to check your forehead.

" Are you sure that your brain isn't melting inside your head? Cause if your fever keeps heating up like this you'll end up looking like a popsicle melting in the middle of a summer day.. "

"I think that I'll end up like that in no time" You replied smiling while he looked for something in his bag. After a little research, he pulled out a bottle of water which he wet a napkin with. After that he carefully laid it on your forehead and without giving you the time to say something, he picked you up and carried you on his back.

"There, now that we're all settled up we can go, I'm sure we'll be able to catch the subway in time~" He said reassuringly while you still had to process everything that happened in just five seconds. But, in all honesty, you didn't have the energy to realize it at that moment. It will eventually happen the next day...or even the day after...

You just decided to enjoy the moment and to apologize later. The feeling of the soft fabric of his coat, the monotone rhythm of his walk and the last rays of sun caressing you were a great mix to...drift you to sleep. The mental sharpness you had till that moment almost completely disappeared and led you to a nap that lasted until Rui woke you up to ask for information about the subway.

"Are we there already?..." you muttered while rubbing your eyes

" We just have to catch the right subway, unless you'd like to have a panoramic view of the whole city"

" No thanks, I think that I've had enough for today...my subway is the 4th, usually there's one every 15 minutes, so I don't think we'll have to wait too long. To reach the right railway you have to go all straight and then eventually up a staircase."

"Okay then, i'll be heading there" he smiled softly as he walked through the almost empty hallways of the station. Outside it was getting darker and darker but the shift of most of the workers wasn't over yet, as a result of the station being empty except for some old ladies that decided to go grocery shopping that afternoon.

Eventually he reached the railway and let you down to sit on a bench.

Now you were sitting next to each other,both thinking about the awkward situation you got in.

You decided to go first and to break the silence.

"Rui"

"yes?"

" Sorry for everything that happened today, I didn't mean to come just to get sick again and to force you to come here...but at least i enjoyed the show"

you looked down while your hands were holding the napkin Rui previously laid on your forehead.

" To force me? Darling you didn't force anyone. It's human to get sick and I couldn't leave you there and let you go home by yourself. Plus, I'm really glad you came to see our show, it really means a lot to me. I should be the one thanking you" he smiled softly and caressed your head

You looked up to thank him but you fell for his eyes instead. His beautiful yellow eyes were looking at you now, him falling into yours. You both immediately broke the eye contact and awkwardly apologized while both your cheeks were turning reddish.

"what has gotten with me these past days?? Has the fever driven me crazy?" was your last thought before the sound of the subway filled the silence.

"Well..It's time for me to go" You said carefully standing up to avoid the dizziness to come back.

" Are you sure that you'll be fine?" he asked, concerned.

" It's just a fever, it'll be gone by tomorrow or something...It's not like I'm going to die" still, you didn't drive off his concernings.

The subway arrived and the doors opened

" Call me if anything happens and when you're back home, okay?"

" Sure, my kidnappers will let you know, bye bye!" He chuckled as you waved him off and got on the subway.

-

He waited for the subway to leave and then he went on his way home. The sun was completely set now, and the only light was the one coming from the street lamps. A slightly cool breeze picked up and ruffled the boy's hair.

"The stars are so pretty tonight..." he observed the dark sky and its stars with a soft smile on his lips.

"...but not as pretty as her eyes."

Chapter Text

–

There we go again. Once again, rotting in your bed because of your now endless fever. It seemed like an eternity since the last time you put your feet outside of your house but it actually was three days, which you spent between sleeping and gulping on aspirines. Checking on your phone would be an optional...if it wasn't for something that kept your interest on it. Well, more "someone" rather than "something".

Rui

"how're you feeling?"

y/n

"dead"

Rui

"How can you be dead if you're texting me? Am...Am I talking with a living dead??"

y/n

"..no dumbass, It's just that even the thought of having to move even a single part of my body makes me faint"

Rui

"Still that fever??How long have you been having it?"

y/n

"uhm..almost a week I'd say"

Rui

"It's quite a few days...try drinking as much water as you can, that's all I

can advise"

y/n

"Do you want me to become a water plant?"

Rui

"..unless you aspire to be one~"

You smiled and suddenly put down your phone.

"Am I...really smiling at his texts??" You felt your cheeks getting warmer and warmer. You checked your fever: it didn't get any worse. Then why were your cheeks warmer all of a sudden?

You sighed and looked at your very interesting ceiling.

Just a blank white wall.

You lifted up your hands, almost as if you had to catch something.

Sighing you then caressed your face, full of thoughts.

A single "buzz" filled the room, accompanied with a gasp of yours.

" Did you actually become a living dead or did you just fall asleep??"

The soft smile of before reappeared on your face.

" I'm starting to think that maybe it's not the fever that's driving me crazy..."

–

Two days later, you were finally able to come back to school. You managed to sleep for 8 hours straight, in fact you slept almost as if you were passed out.

Still, you felt everything but well-rested. Missing almost a week of school meant having to catch up on every homework assignment that the teachers assigned...a pain in the ass. The mission for that day was just to survive till the lunch break, where you would've met Rui somewhere. That's what the two of you planned ( even the unknown "somewhere" was in the plan, because none of you remember to ask for the place to meet).

"Y/N! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEEN" Someone appeared from nowhere in front of you.

That someone was...

" An... I just caught a bad fever, that's all. It's not like I've been away for a month,"

" That's what it seemed to me. Do you know how hard it is to stay at school with someone like that??" She said pointing at a ginger that was behind her, next to another taller male with light blue and dark blue hairs.

" Don't you know that I'm next to you,do you ?" he responded, fed up.

" That's the reason I said it out loud." she smiled widely.

" You're no better subject than me tho" he sniggered

" EXCUSE ME? "

You just awkwardly looked at them discussing in the early morning, not really sure of what to do.

" Don't worry, they're like that all the time." The blue haired boy said.

" If that's what you call daily happenings... I'm y/n by the way, An's classmate."

"Toya Aoyagi, nice to meet you!" He smiled nicely, just before being dragged by his ginger friend along the hallway.

" sorry y/n, were we saying?" She smiled like nothing happened.

" I'm still not forgiving you for leaving me alone at the door of informatic's lab some days ago, you know?"

"not my fault if my girlfriend was leaving earlier from school..." she excused

"...liar..." but then you both bursted out laughing and headed to the next class.

-

" Sooo... how's that guy like?" An murmured, in order not to let the teacher hear her talking.

" Huh? who..." you looked away, fully knowing who she was talking about.

" C'mon, the guy in the lab...Kamishiro, right? I wanna know what happened after I left..." she smiled mischievously

" What do you think happened? we just talked a little and then I went home" You lied.

"mhmm...You're lying."

"...."

"...I did see you walk home..but with him" she giggled.

" Oh An stop it, since nobody was around we also left school earlier."

" together??"

" You're not the only friend I have.."

" Mhmm...friends don't look at each other the way you do.."

" AN!"

"Mrs Shiraishi, Mrs l/n, If there's something more interesting than my lesson to discuss about then I would be pleased to hear it." suddenly the teacher broke off your conversation, giving the both of you a cold stare.

" We...were just discussing what you just explained. I mean... there's so much to say about disequations.."

"psst An...This is history class..." you whispered

" OH RIGHT! I meant-"

" The next time I hear you talking, I'm sending both of you to the principal. I'm sure he knows a lot of interesting arguments you can talk about." And saying so, she went back to her lesson.

The absolute silence, till the ring of the bell.

Both you and An immediately stood up and made your way outside of that class as soon as you could.

"AN WHAT THE FUCK"

" I THOUGHT WE HAD MATH"

" I THOUGHT IT WAS GEOGRAPHY..."

After many hallways, you found one far enough from that class.

" Let's just never do that again, ok?" You said between your heavy breaths.

" Fair enough "

After that you waved her off, heading to a different class. All that was left to do was to wait for lunch. Simple, right?

" YOU OVER THERE !!" Someone shouted.

You immediately froze, vaguely recognizing the voice.

" Wait..."

__

EVERYONE I'M SO SORRY FOR THE SLOW UPDATES but these weeks have been particularly intense and busy, I really hope to write more often :(

very sorry if it's shorter than usual!!

THANKS A LOT FOR ALL THE SUPPORT KISSES FOR YOU ALL ♡ ♡

-a-n

Chapter Text

-

Yep, that voice wasn’t unfamiliar at all….

“YOU!” You froze and slowly turned around, just to face the loudest human being on earth.

“oh god, the day has just started…”

He approached you confidently and smiling.
“ what is it..?”
Suddenly he grabbed your shoulder and…zipped up your backpack.

“Here, your backpack was open..” he smiled nicely.

“Ah...really? Thank you..”

“Why so surprised? You look like you’ve just seen an alien”

“ You approached me almost as if you were about to meet some kind of president..”

“ HAHAH! THAT’S THE WALK OF A FUTURE STAR! Glad you noticed “ He loudly laughed and patted your shoulder.

Suddenly… he went silent.

“ Why so quiet all of a sudden?? “

He didn’t reply and he just kept staring, with the look of someone that was desperately trying to remember something.

“Do I have something on my fa-”

“ HA!” he shouted in victory

“AH!!” you jumped out of fear.
“ I RECOGNIZE YOU NOW!! YOU’RE RUI’S FRIEND HE BROUGHT THE LAST TIME WE PERFORMED!! “

“..goodmorning”

“It’s a future star’s duty to remember all of its fans, you know??” he laughed loudly.

something popped into your mind.

“ Now, the time to go has come and-”

“WAIT WAIT…Do you know which class is Rui in..?”

“You’re like to have in front of you his dearest actor!!” he shined with joy

“It’s the 2-B, but he spends most of his time in the informatics lab. Give him my greetings for me!!” and so said, you observed him walking away.

“that leaves me and me only….”

and sighing, you headed to your next class.

–

After what seemed like an eternity, the so awaited lunch break finally came. All that was left to do was…to look out for Rui. You could’ve easily called him…if only you didn’t leave your phone on your bedside table.

“ Everything that has never happened to me had to happen today huh..” but by a fortunate coincidence, you bumped into someone…that you already knew.

“oops sor- MIZUKI??”

“Y/N?? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THIS TIME?!!!?” and after the surprise they went for a hug.
“ I’VE BEEN GONE FOR JUST A WEEK”

“ IT FELT LIKE A MONTH”

“...you don’t even come to school everyday…”

“BY THE WAYY THERE’S SO MUCH I HAVE TO TELL YOU” your friend was pulling you by your arm so as to drag you along the hallways and who knows where. But you had something to do…someone to meet up with.

“Mizuki..”

“BASICALLY me and Ena were walking around the shops some days ago and we found something really cute…”

“...Mizuki”

“ and so she told me all about her friend but i just wanted to buy that dress…”

“..MIZUKI!”

“and then AS USUAL she started to complain…she’s so cute when she complains tho~...”

“MIZUKI I CAN’T TODAY”

“so-..what?”

“I…I was going somewhere else to meet with someone…” you flushed

“oh…ohh..OHHHH IS THAT BOY YOU GAVE YOUR NUMBER TO???” they yelled excited

“SHHH MIZUKI!! LOWER YOUR VOICE!!” some curious gaze of some students was catching your eye

“I DON’T CARE YOU GOTTA TELL ME EVERYTHING”

“ermm…tomorrow…if you’llevencomeermBYEEEE” you ran away, heading to his class…which was, to your mischance, empty.

“okay y/n, let's think straight: where could he be if not the informatics lab?”

But he wasn’t there either. Instead, you found someone rather interesting…

–
you opened the door of the art lab, empty, as usual. You opened the windows widely, to let some air in. After giving a satisfied look, you reached the informatics lab’s door , which was just next to one of those big windows.

You stopped for a moment. Not a single sound could’ve been heard. Then, you just went on and opened the door.

“AH!” a girl was working on the big table, illuminated by those cold lights.

“Ru- uh?” you looked at her with a questioning look.

“ehmm”

“my bad, I thought there was my friend in there” you were about to close the door, when she stopped you.

“wait”

“Do you need anything?”

You observed her. She was quite short, with shoulder length black hair. She had some tools in her hands. Her voice and her looks felt somehow familiar.

“ Are you y/n by chance..?”

you froze.

“how did you…”

“ I’ve already seen you around before, plus Rui recently keeps mentioning your name. “

your face turned from a pale white to red.

“ohh…oh..OH.”

As she noticed your dismay, she questioned if she was talking to the right person.

“...that’s me”

“..Ok, at least I'm talking to the right person. Are you his girlfriend?”

“yes I’ve- WHAT”

“I said, are you his girlfriend?” her eyes were cold.

You could’ve felt your heart pounding.

“I’d expected anything but not that…”

“...no..why do you ask?”

“Nothing, just personal business.” And she headed back to her work.

You were too shaken to answer something concrete and the sound of the silence was heard, until she dropped her tools once again.

“About Kamishiro…” you gulped from the sudden sound of her voice.
“ Stay with your eyes open, he’s a weird one.” and after that, she just shutted and kept working on the table.

You closed the door, incapable of processing everything that just happened.

“i…need some air..”

“girlfriend?? weird one?? What was that girl talking about? Why does she even know my name..ah crap, Rui told her..but I don’t even know hers…or do I? Have I already met her before?.. Am I missing something…?”

without even realizing it, you were making your way to the roof and soon enough you reached the door that gave access to it.

“ What a strange day..I just need some fresh air..” you sighed as the sun and the wind ruffled your hair.

“...y/n!” someone called your name.

“agh what’s with everyone tod-” but as soon as you turned around…

..it was Rui.

“...RUI?!”

a coincidence?

“Why so surprised?” He gave you his usual cat-like smile.

“I didn’t expect you to be there…“
“What a coincidence, huh? At least we got to meet up even if we didn’t know where~” he chuckled

You sighed “yeah, at least…After finding out that you weren’t in the informatics lab I really didn’t know where to look”

“ah , the lab..actually I spend most of my time here, on one hand it’s a quieter place and on the other…”

he looked at the now shut door.

“ it’s used by some people I really don’t get along with..”

“your group mates?”

“yes. Their image of myself it’s…rather questionable, I’d say. “

“ I think that I’ve just met someone that confirmed it..”

his eyes didn’t have that special light anymore

he sighed.

“ It has always been like that…but I don’t mind it anymore.”

he walked till the gate of the roof, where some of his tools were scattered around.

The wind increased, the clouds started to cover the sun.

“Rui..?”

he was murmuring something to himself, when someone threw open the door and walked in, gave you a quick look and then spoke to Rui:

“Kamishiro”

he didn’t reply.

“Face me when I’m talking.”

he chuckled.

“heh, why would I?”

“Because that’s what normal do when they’re talking to someone”

“again, then why would I? Aren’t I THE outcast?”

“...”

“..then?”

“...when will you keep your ideas to yourself, Kamishiro? Can’t you understand what it feels like for us to work with you?”

“ then why do you work with me?”

“ Because we HAVE to.”

“ Nonsense, you could’ve just left long ago!”

He then turned around, smiling. The wind kept increasing as the clouds were now fully covering the sun.

“what kind of version of myself do you want me to be then, huh? the guy who never speaks and just follows what he’s said? the kind guy that does everything for everybody? the one who gives up on everything? I’m a director after all, I can do anything, The choice is only yours~” he said bowing, almost as if he was thanking an audience for the show.

“you…you’re impossible..” and with a grin of disgust, the girl left the roof.
The rain started to fall and so tears did.

Chapter Text

The girl smashed the door behind her and left the roof.

Now it was just the two of you.

Rui was facing the wire mesh of the roof, observing the dark clouds that were now coloring the sky in black. The wind stopped, but it kept raining.

"Do you know why I like the rain?" he said, all of a sudden

you still couldn't find the proper words to answer

" Because as it slides off, it takes away everything from you, till you're left with nothing ."

you saw him observing the sky, not minding being in the pouring rain.

" but this time...not even the rain would be able to do something about it "

Then, he turned around

he slowly walked in front of you

" y/n"

you looked into his yellow eyes

his beautiful yellow eyes

that that day, didn't have the same special spark they usually do

then he smiled

softly

but not like the usual smile of his

he then caressed your left cheek

his hand was cold

" I wish you hadn't had to witness this misery, but that's what a regular conversation goes like with my laboratory mates "

It felt like you were being hypnotized by his eyes.

" what had those eyes seen..?"

" ..what have you been through, Rui?"

" why are people so arrogant towards those like you, whose mind is full of creations and ideas? "

you lost your endless train of thoughts, you had too much to say, still, too less ability to speak up in that moment.

" I don't people to mock you around for being my friend, and after this, I fear that this will be our last conversation"

he portrayed his hand, grabbed his stuff that was now wet, but still scattered all around, and opened the door.

" y/n? " he called your name one last time, before closing the door.

you didn't turn around.

"..thank you for coming to see my show. "

clack!

It was just you.

you.

in the middle of a thunderstorm

on a roof

you and your own thoughts

your own inability to something about it

your own indecision

your own guiltiness

your own unspoken thoughts

unspoken truths and lies

what about now?

what about you?

what about everything you could've been?

" are you seriously letting it happen?"

"..."

"will you let him go?"

". . ."

" will you accept it?"

how long has it been since he left?

2?

5?

10 minutes?

" NO ! "

You turned around, threw open the door and ran down all the stairs just to open another door and find yourself in the middle of the big crowded hallway.

" do you even have any idea of where could he be?"

You ran through the endless flow of students that kept coming from the classrooms, but not any of those were your destination.

right, straight, turn another corner and....

..the laboratory

"guess that a deviation is needed.."

the door was still half open and without hesitation, you opened it wide. That black haired girl from before jumped out of fear.

" Don't you know that before entering into another room-"

" SILENCE "

You quickly approached her

SLAP!

your hand was burning from the impact on her cheek, but sure your mind wasn't feeling any different .

" Learn the weight of your words, and then maybe you'll be able to judge someone "

After giving her one last look, you ran away, to your real destination.

-

class after class, hallway after hallway..he really wasn't anywhere.

After what seemed like a decade, you stopped for a second next to a window, to catch your breath and calm down for a moment.

" where could he possibly be?.."

something in the landscape caught your attention.

...

"..so he was right, you really can see it from here.."

Phoenix Wonderland, it felt like ages since the last (and first) time you went there...

" do you see it too, don't you?"

you turned around, Emu was right next to you and she was looking outside the window, mesmerized by the scene.

" Ah, The Wonder Stage...I hope my grandpa always watches our performances from above..."

"..I'm sure he does, and that he's proud of you all" you responded, smiling softly

Her eyes lit up and suddenly she hugged you tight ..VERY tight...

"I....can't breathe..." you complained in pain

"AA SORRY!!" she excused as she let you down

" YOU'RE Y/N, RIGHT?? I didn't get to talk to you after our performance, Rui really dragged you away eheh~" she smiled mischievously

Your cheeks turned red

"...i was just sick..."

"Don't worry, that's what every couple does~"

"We're not a couple......"

" not yet~"

"C'MONNN" you jokingly pushed her away as she laughed.

"BY THE WAYY...Today we're having a special practice on the stage, I won't tell you what it will be... would you like to come and watch us? PRETTY PLEASEEE I PROMISE THAT I'LL SHOW YOU ALL THE PARK!!"

An idea popped up in your mind...

If you couldn't find him at school, you will find him for sure on the stage, won't you?

"Today you say? I should be fr-"

"YAYY!! I KNEW I WOULD SAY YES!!" She jumped all around in joy

"BUT...don't tell Rui..ok?"

suddenly, she frowned

"d...did you two had a fight??"

"EHH...I don't know if I can call it so...but don't worry, we'll solve things soon...I hope.."

"THEN TODAY THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN'T COME!! I'LL PUT ON MY BEST PERFORMANCE TO CHEER YOU UP"

"eheh, I count on you!" You chuckled

"DON'T WORRY!! SEE YOU TODAY!!" She smiled widely and ran away

" she's not that loud after all..maybe just a little too affectionate..."

"wait....was her uniform different or am I going crazy??"

Chapter Text

“and another one is gone”

….

“It’s not quite like the other times..”

“I’ve gotten used to letting people go, but why then does this time feel different from the others?”

“I stopped caring about people and their judgments a very long time ago…then why, why…”

“RUI!”

“uh?”

The leader of the troupe, Tsukasa, was standing right next to his director who was sitting down on the stage, many pieces of metal and unfinished robots were all around him.

“Rui, are you ok? You’ve been staring at that piece of metal for 5 minutes now…Is something the matter?”

“Don’t worry, I’m just a little lost in my thoughts recently, nothing much”

Still, Tsukasa didn’t seem convinced at all.

“Tsukasa, I’m serious, If there was something goi-”

“Rui.”

“Tsukasa, ser–”

“Rui, look at me.”
He sat right next to Rui, examining him.

He had ruffled and slightly wet hair, he wasn’t wearing his performance suite yet and his school clothes were still damp. There was something missing in his usual self….

“Rui, has anything particular happened recently?”

“...”

“Just remember that we’re here for you, ok?” he said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“...right but why are you telling me this? I assure you that there isn’t anything wrong and if so, I would’ve already told you. “ he said as he gathered all of his things.

“...Rui..”

“ Start to prepare everything, we’re starting the rehearsal in a while.”

As Rui walked away, Tsukasa sighed, stood up, swiped away some dust from his performance suite, gave a last worried look at Rui and then walked away.

—-----------------------------------------------

“There I am.”

“Once again.”

You were on the way to Phoenix Wonderland, like the last time.

Same seat, same nervous feelings, same everything.

The sky was still full of clouds, a reflection of your fuzzy thoughts.

You nervously fidget your fingers…what will happen once at the Wonder Stage?

“What will I do there?

Should I act like the dumb one that randomly popped up at the park because I had to meet a friend and I found myself walking to the WonderStage by accident?

What am I even gonna tell him…should I apologize? For what, even?”

Silence in the metro.

Silence in the wagon.

But the most messed up chaos was dominating your head, full of thoughts, pieces of memories, happenings, fears…It wouldn’t stop for a moment.

“…I just need to talk to him..that’s all”

“and then?”

You nervously rubbed your head, almost as if you were trying to find a switch to turn it off.

“sigh..this is going to be harder than i expected..”

…
“what's wrong, young lady?” a voice spoke..

you lifted up your head from your hands to find the source of the voice:
it was an elderly lady, probably in her 70s, sitting on the seat right in front of you.

“ah..nothing much, I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

“I see…but you look quite troubled to me, my dear. Are you sure that that’s all tiredness?”

“....”

“what haunts your mind?” the lady asked. She spoke with a soft tone, almost as if she somehow knew about the mess that was going on in your head.

“..well, I kinda got in a fight with a dear friend of mine, but it’s not really a fight…ugh, how do I even explain it….” you rubbed shaked your head as if you wanted to drive away something from it.

She didn’t say a thing, she just kept smiling and silently encouraged you to go on, if you wanted to, how you wanted to, with your time. You felt a little reassured by that soft smile of hers.

“ok then…I can’t really call it a fight, because we didn’t discuss or anything, but…he just went away from me because he said that he didn’t want people to mock me for having him as a friend of mine after one of his groupmates accused him of a lot of things..”

“did you just let him go?”

“....”

“why?”

“...I was completely frozen. My mind couldn’t process anything else, I was confused and shaken. I didn’t have the right mental sharpness to go after him…I just stood in the middle of the pouring rain for 10 good minutes if not more..”

you kept your head down, shameful of your behavior.

“what a coward…. huh”

“ and what do you think about that?”

“I don’t care at all about the others, I never did, they can think whatever they want about me, but I just don’t get why he gets accused of being weird, an outcast, he gets described almost as the strangest creature living on this world just because he’s always full of brilliant ideas, he’s seriously the kindest man I’ve ever met in my entire life and he’s better than most of the people I’ve ever met out there. He knows a lot of things, he can literally build you anything with whatever he finds at the moment…I’ve never thought, even for a single moment, that he was weird…in fact..I also admire him for what he does for his troupe and for what he is…I don’t know what he thinks of me now and I really don’t know how to solve things…”

“just tell him what you’ve just told me.”

“...huh?”

“you’ve heard me: tell him how much you actually appreciate him, his work and tell him what he is like in your eyes. And if this won’t solve things, It will make it easier.” the lady gently responded.

“...I can try…what if it doesn’t work?”

“He will understand”

“THE NEXT STOP IS: ********* STREET, PHOENIX WONDERLAND’S MAIN ENTRANCE”

you stood up, fixed your clothes and bowed to the gentle lady who just smiled and nodded in return.

“ah…the young love…” she chuckled, right after you hopped down the metro.

—----

The entrance was right in front of you.

The more steps you made, the more your stomach felt insanely twisted.

You nervously bought the ticket and entered the park.

“has it always been that big..?”

It was late in the afternoon, but any signs of the sunset weren’t visible yet. As you made your way to the wonder stage (for as much as you remembered) you lifted your head up to the sky. The clouds were still as dark as they were before, maybe even worse.

“I hope it won’t start raining again..”
—----

“So..everyone’s ready? Have we got everything in the right place for today’s rehearsal?”

“ YES! We couldn’t be more ready sir~” Emu chuckled proudly

“ Tsukasa, are you in your assigned place? And you Nene and RoboNene?”

“we’re here, ready to go.” Confirmed Nene.

“ Tsukasa? “

“...ready to go.”

“Perfect then…..

…may the curtains rise and let the show begin~”

Chapter Text

The Wonder Stage was empty.

The curtains were closed.

Nothing was on the stage…nothing but a little dust.

“Emu told me that they would’ve had a “”special”” practice…maybe they haven’t started yet..”

Since nobody was there, you got to choose your own seat.

“hmm..I’m going for this one in the middle. I won’t be either too near or too far…perfect.”

And as you sat down, the curtains rose….

“Long time ago, very far away from here, upon the mountains, there was a village. In this village full of life, in a very tall tower lived a wizard. He wasn’t harmful and never had the intention of doing any harm, but since he was a wizard and he rarely left the tower, down in the village everyone thought that he was the pure reincarnation of evil, that he did experiments on whoever dared to knock at his door, that he fed poison to the birds that came to his window. The wizard, since every citizen hated on him, decided to lock himself into his tower and live his everyday life there for the rest of his life. Time passed, and nothing changed. The usual life in the village kept going, the wizard kept living by himself in his tower and the rumors and the fear kept spreading…until, one day, a girl decided to knock at his door, intrigued by the truth of the rumors..”

You couldn't take your eyes off of the show. Like the last time, their acting was so immaculate that they made you forget about the nervousness that you came with and all the confusing thoughts. The show was the only thing that occupied your mind.

“...Wizard! You can’t keep going like this!”

“why not? All of your people hate me, I have nothing to share with them.”

“ Not everyone hates you…at least, I don’t..”

“LIES! Why would you even like someone like me…”

“ Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because I’m a wizard”

“That’s the reason why I like you more than everyone else.”

—

After an hour or so, the show was over. Some of the staff that stopped by to watch happily cheered them as they bowed in greetings.

You know that it was time.

“Y/N!! I KNEW YOU’D COME!!~” As Emu spotted you, shehappily came to greet you.

“heh I promised…everyone did a fantastic job!!.” you smiled as you rubbed her hair.

“eheh~”

“ WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE! Y/N! I didn’t expect you here!!”

“Actually, Emu invited me at the very last…”

“ Don’t worry, company is always appreciated” he smiled

“By the way…where’s Rui? I…wanted to congratulate him as well..” you lied

“He should be backstage.you can find him there” he said while pointing at the curtains.

“ok then, see you later!” you happily waved them off as you made your way to the stage.

-

The backstage was pretty dark, dusty and messy. Props, tools, pieces of metal, costumes and parts of the scenario were everywhere and in order not to step on any of those you had better see where you put your feet. Then, something caught your attention…something, that wasn’t either a piece of metal, cardboard or plastic, a costume or a prop…something that was hidden under many sheets of paper.

“A..notebook?”

You carefully picked it up and flipped the pages filled with many sketches of what seemed to be…

“...robots?”

and under each sketch, there were many notes written in a handwriting particularly familiar..

“Don’t you know that it’s rude looking at other people's stuff, do you?” an even more familiar voice startled you from behind.

As you turned around Rui stood behind you, wearing his usual performance suite.

“I’ve just found it on the floor, I didn’t mean to take it with me or something like that” you said as you handed him the now closed notebook.

“..I know you wouldn’t do something like that” he sighed as he took it back.

Carefully, he opened it again and flipped all the pages, one by one.

“Why did you come here?” he said, without taking his eyes off the notebook.

“To talk to you, why would I have then?”

“ To see our show?”

“...also”

“ Spit it out then.”

“ why did you leave?”

“ I didn’t: I just protected you.”

“ From what?”

“ From a possible repetition of what happened today, but the victim would have been you.”

“ Rui.”

You took some steps towards him.

“What if I didn't care at all about the others?”

“You really should, you know?” he replied back

“ Have you ever wondered about what I really think of you?”

he stopped flipping the pages of the notebook

“ ..multiple times”

you stepped closer

“and?”

“ y/n…please, just listen to me, leaving me behind is the safest option for you, it’s just…” he closed his notebook and nervously rubbed his head .

“ you don’t understand-”

“IT’S YOU, WHO DOESN’T UNDERSTAND!” he suddenly shouted

you took one step behind, startled by the sudden scream.

“ YOU DON’T KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE HATED ON BY JUST THE WAY YOU ACT! JUST BECAUSE YOU DO THE THINGS YOU LIKE TO DO! YOU DON’T KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE THE LAST ONE TO BE CHOSEN! HOW IT FEELS TO HAVE EVERYONE’S EYES ON YOU WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE HALLWAYS AND PRETEND TO LIVE YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE, LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED! you don’t know how it feels….” he knelt down while angrily holding his head, almost as if he wanted to make it explode

” ….to be an outcast”.

The silence filled the room…the only audible thing were his silent sobs.

You silently reached him and sat behind him.

“ I have no reason to hate on you and just leave you behind.”

“ …”

“ Ever since we met, I’ve always thought you were one of the coolest people I’ve ever got to know.. “

“ you’re saying that out of pity, aren’t you?”

“ I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t care at all, don’t you think?”

“...I’m not saying that you don’t care at all, but you really should for your own good”

Suddenly you stood up and walked till you were in front of him.

He was looking down at his sketchbook that was laying in between his hands.

“ do you really want me to leave that bad?”

he looked away

“ if that’s the case then…”

you walked some steps towards the curtains that led to the main stage, but something….someone grabbed your hand from behind.

“I…didn’t mean to scream at you like that…sorry” and finally, he looked straight in your eyes.

You observed his usual features….his fair skin, that that day was paler than usual, his purple hair…messier than ever.

His yellowish eyes

that didn’t have that special light anymore

you sighed: “ I know, it was just the heat of the moment.”

He laid his eyes on the hand of yours that he was still holding…

“ After all of this, I’m the very last person here that has any right to even touch her….I want her to go but I need her to stay, what selfish of me” he silently thought in his fuzzy mind.

plick

plock

plick

plock

plick

plock

you both looked up, where the first raindrops of an oncoming thunderstorm were hitting the roof of the backstage.

"Then?"

--

Chapter Text

“ It’s raining, isn’it?” you said while the both of you were still looking up at the ceiling. The raindrops were getting heavier and heavier…nothing too promising for the way back home, even if in that moment it wasn’t really your top priority.

Nothing was over yet….or everything already was?

Was it getting just more and more confusing?

“At this point if my mind starts melting i wouldn’t be surprised…”

You looked at him, one more time ... let's be honest, it’ll never be “one last look”..because, somehow, that man had something special that had your stomach twirling and spinning.

“ y/n?”

“hm?”

“why don’t you just go and leave me behind? forget me and keep living your life like you always did before me?” His tone was much softer than before…almost as if he wanted an explanation of something he couldn’t quite catch yet.

“ Because since the day I met you, my life has been more colorful, you know?” you smiled slightly

“ How?? “ he looked at you..almost desperate to know…to understand

and suddenly you took his hands, closed your eyes....and said everything.

“ DO YOU KNOW WHY I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE? BECAUSE I CAN’T UNDERSTAND! I can’t understand how people despise someone as brilliant as you, someone so full of ideas that could literally be an “imagination machine”...someone so skilled that could build anything with some rocks and some sticks in under 10 minutes, someone so genuinely kind…. to carry my sick ass home on his back after a 2 hour long show and I don’t know how long rehearsals. I mean…who wouldn’t love someone like you?”

You felt your face burning and quickly looked down while almost squeezing his hands, but couldn’t really see due to your teary eyes.

“did I say..love? holy cow…”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to break out like that..” you rubbed your arm on your eyes, embarrassed to cry like that in front of him.

Gently, he lifted up your head and fixed your hair with his other hand.
His face, for its part, was a mix between tears and redness.

“ I’m the only one that should apologize here. “ he sighed

“ I selfishly ran away and tried it all to take you away from me, I yelled nonsense things right in your face…I really can’t understand…”
He gently rubbed his thumb on your hand.

“ I feel like I have no right to touch your hands either after all of this..”

“ …you have it more than anyone else” you smiled softly

“ How? “

“ Stop looking for an explanation for everything…just live the moment“ you murmured.

He stayed silent…

Then he sighed, and smiled
“ Maybe that’s right. I’m just stressing over something that I created and that I couldn’t explain…”

“Just live it and eventually the answers will come by themselves” you looked at him

He definitely looked calmer and with a weight off his back…almost at peace.

He threw a glance at the now wet curtains and at the pouring rain.

“ How will you go home?” he asked

" By metro, at least I should" you freed one hand from his to grab your phone....forgetting that it was still on your bedside table.

"crap...How long have we discussed for..?"

"1 hour and more, I'd say." He chuckled

"considering that I arrived here at 6.30 PM....2 hours and 30 of rehearsal or so....1 hour and something of dicussions...that should make......"

" 10.30 PM???"

"almost, 10.15" Rui said, checking his phone

"mhmm...my next metro should be around 11 PM...or something" you tried to remember as vividly as you could the timetableso of the metro. You didn't really hang out much in the kate evening so the times and stops of the metro were quite unfamiliar to you.

"Isn't it a little late?" he looked a little worried

" It is, but I've already done it quite a few times now." "I haven't...." you thought..."how dangerous could that even be...c'mon..."

" How long is the journey from here to your house? "

"from 30 to 45 minutes I'd say. "

" I'd blame myself if I let you go and something happened to you..."

" I'm going to be ok, really. If something happens I'll call you, ok?"

" I'm not convinced, you should know better than me what kind of place the station is at this hour of the evening" he looked more worried than before

" May I accompany you? " he asked

You looked at his worried face and chuckled it off.

" I'd say yes, but I fear it could be last train of the day..Really, don't worry about it, I can handle it..I mean, it's not the end of the world" you smiled, in order to reassure him

he stayed silent to think about it for a moment.

“ I know it’s kinda selfish of me, but I have an extra bed at home…I wouldn’t mind letting you stay for the night..”

“ Would you really?”

“ Indeed, it would make me feel much more relieved” he smiled

“Then, I’d gladly accept”

The sound of thunder broke the chit chat.

“ Don’t worry my house isn’t far away from here” He reassured

“ Do you have an umbrella?” you asked

“ Do you?”

“...crap. Guess we gotta run..” you sighed

“ I have a better idea…” he smiled mischievously..

—----

It was him in his civil clothes and you under his performance coat walking under the pouring rain.

“ I’ve never actually realized how big and heavy this thing was” You almost yelled in order not to let your voice be covered by the sound of the rain.

he chuckled. “ I’m pretty used to it….turn right here”
After a long travel and many laughs (and falls) the both of you eventually made it to his house.

“ There we are, please feel like you're at home.” he said once inside.

“hello…?” you greeted as you entered, but it was just really dark and cold.

“ My parents are at work. They won’t be back before the day after tomorrow…i don’t know” he said while putting his backpack on a sofa.

“ So you’re always here by yourself after school? “ you asked while hanging your jacket.

“ Yeah, mostly. I’ve learnt to enjoy my own company, but bringing the right friends is always nicer” he smiled

“ Did you get wet under the rain?”

“Mhm, I must've fallen twice or even three times..except for my back, I should be fine “

He laughed amused “ wait there, let me get you some new clothes “

“Nahh I don't mi-” but before you could finish the sentence he was already back with a pair of pants and a shirt.

“ You can shower if you wish, I also brought you a pair of clean towels” he said as he handed me the pile of things

“ Thanks, but you didn’t had to-”

“ don’t worry about it, that’s the minimum I can do “ he replied with a smile

-

The feeling of the hot water running through your hair after a long day in the rain was something so delightful that it felt like a one way journey to heaven. But as pleasant as the shower was, your mind was still a little fuzzy from all of the confused happening of that day.

“Only thinking about it makes my head ache….”

you stopped for a moment

“crap…I left my phone at home.”

so what now?

“I’ll ask Rui if I can borrow his to at least warn mom that I’m not dead…I did leave Mizuki on the edge tho, I told them that I would’ve called to catch up with everything that was going on but I’m a little unable to do that right now..sighhhh I don’t even want to think about the things they’re gonna tell me after they know about this” you let out a little chuckle at the thought. They don’t show up much at school but they sure are a great friend.

After showering you felt like a brand new person.

“Finally, clean, all washed up and…..”

you sniffed your hair

“smelling just like him”

your lips unconsciously curled into a little smile

“Maybe Mizuki won’t need my explanations after all…”