Revitalized | Rui Kamishiro x F!Reader

When the Fever Dream Broke

Rui watched as you and your excuse left the rooftop, and he felt a knot form in his throat. It was for the best. That's what he kept telling himself. It's what he had to tell himself.

"Wha... what was that?" Nene whispered, almost sounding frantic.

"I-I just... told her I needed some space... All this closeness is making it hard to get over her, and if I let things go back to the way they were, I don't think I ever will. So I told her it was making me uncomfortable."

Nene froze, jaw dropped. God, why... why did she have to be the messenger between you two? This sucked.

"Rui, you... you idiot..."

"Hmn, I wonder what kind of work Y/n-san has to catch up on... She could've come to me for assistance!"

"Tsukasa, you need my help for most of your classes. What could she possibly gain from asking you to help?" Rui grumbled. Tsukasa froze.

"You...! Hmph... I understand most of my classes now, actually! With your help, yes, but now without it! I could easily help her with whatever is troubling her!"

"You give yourself too much credit, y'know that?" Rui mumbled under his breath.

"Oh, actually, maybe I can suggest she bring her work to the party! I can help her out there! Sure, that's not what parties are for, and to have the host disappear on everyone for the sake of one guest is particularly uncouth, but for Y/n-san, it's worth it!"

"And what exactly do you get out of doing anything and everything for Y/n? Why even do it in the first place?"

"Because she was the light of my life when I was younger! I loved her so dearly then, and even though such love has taken a turn to a different meaning recently, I love her stil-!"

Having enough of Tsukasa's idiotic speech, Rui tossed his fork down and stood up. "Tsukasa! You don't love Y/n! When will you get that through your dense, narcissistic skull?!"

"Wha... Since when can you read minds?!" Tsukasa stood as well, offended. "You don't have a clue what I feel for Y/n-san! Every time I'm around her my heart beats faster, and every time she compliments me my face heats up! Sounds exactly like every romance story to me!"

"Oh, that's what this is. You think you're living some silly little love story with your childhood celebrity crush, now that she's your friend, huh? Well, I hate to break it to you, Tsukasa, but you don't have a clue what actual love feels like! Because you don't love Y/n in that way."

"And what makes you so sure?"

"The fact that she's still 'Y/n-san' to you while we were all able to respect her as a friend. You still put her on this big, golden throne in your head! That's not love, because what part of you makes you think you can be yourself around her, without trying to constantly impress her? You're more tense around her than you are during a test! And that's why you don't feel even a little romantic attraction to her, Tsukasa. Because you don't want to be with her, you just want to be her."

When Rui was finally finished speaking, he found himself standing right in front of Tsukasa, who looked like his entire world had just crumbled around him. Rui paused at the sight, backing up, and... well, realizing something he had stupidly neglected. The knot that was once in his throat returned, and he tried to shove it away.

"But I guess it doesn't matter what I say, whether it's right or wrong, because somehow... your stupid little plays for attention actually worked on her." He shook his head as he grabbed his food and threw it away, not even wanting to think about eating.

"Rui..." Nene called as she watched her friend leave the rooftop silently. She stared at the closed door he left through for a moment, before she turned to a clearly distraught Tsukasa. Nene hated having to reassure people, but... who else was there on this roof?

"H-hey... don't take what he said personally... He's just... having a hard time, recently." She spoke, uncertainty laced in her voice.

"No, he..." Tsukasa breathed, "he... might be right..."