"Boys! I prepared some-"
Oh, crap.
Rui's mother cut herself off as she saw the position of the two boys, one of Tsukasa's hands on Rui's cheek and the other holding Rui's hand. Rui and Tsukasa were tense, staring back at Rui's mother and both blushing intensely. She glanced back and forth between the two.
"Are two you gonna kiss?" She asked.
"SERIOUSLY, WHAT?" Tsukasa cried, lowering his hand off of Rui's face.
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The woman sobbed into her forearms, her back jerking as she gasped for air.
It can't be that I lost him, too, can it...?
She heard keys clink as someone turned them, unlocking the front door. Her son entered and immediately saw her. She was crying again, her face buried in her arms.
"Tsukasa?" She asked, her head lifting up slowly and her teary eyes meeting Tsukasa's as the boy shut the door.
He seems like he's in a good mood.
It wasn't long before she got up and ran over, hugging her son. "I thought I lost you, too..."
She felt the boy's muscles tense up as she threw her arms around him.
Tsukasa gently wrapped his arms around her as well. "Sorry I'm home late. I was with a friend."
...He spoke to me. And he's hugging me. Oh, his voice has changed so much...!
The woman was frozen, unlike her swirling thoughts. She could feel the tears pricking her eyes once again, threatening to come pouring out like they had been moments before. She felt like her insides were melting away, and a lump formed at the back of her throat.
"A... A friend?" Ms. Tenma repeated in a barely audible whisper.
Judging by the expression on his face, they're—or, well, she's—clearly more than a friend to him...
"Please, do not do that again without letting me know, Tsukasa..." Ms. Tenma choked.
"I thought you wouldn't care..." Tsukasa muttered, burying his face into the crook of his mother's neck.
Tsukasa...
"Of course I care," The woman's breath hitched as she spoke. "If only you knew how much I cared..."
It was Tsukasa's turn to cry. "I—I'm sorry for not speaking to you for all these years," He said. "After we lost Saki... When you needed me most."
"Oh, Tsukasa..." Ms. Tenma sighed shakily. "And I'm sorry I didn't give you the attention you needed as a child."
"But you took care of me anyway," Tsukasa sobbed. "I didn't take care of you. I've... Been a shitty son."
The blonde's mother gasped softly and squeezed her son.
"No! No, you haven't!" She cried. "It was awkward after we lost your sister. We both didn't know what to do! And it was super awkward and tense! Please, don't blame yourself..."
The two stayed quiet, wrapped up in each others' arms in a peaceful, comfortable and wholesome atmosphere that had been missing from their home for years.
Looks like Tsukasa really did break out of his cocoon...
"Tsukasa," Ms. Tenma said. "You seemed like you were in a good mood when you came back home earlier. Can you tell me more about this friend of yours?"
...and I want to know more about the girl that has helped my son to do so... And the girl he fell for!
"Wait, what?" Tsukasa said excitedly, pulling away to look into the eyes of his mother. "You really mean it? I can tell you about my best friend?"
He's blushing! And he looks so enthusiastic about his friend! How adorable...
"Of course. I'd love to hear more about the girl that helped my baby break out of his cocoon." She smirked.
"Girl...?" Tsukasa repeated, his face falling as his hands on his mother's shoulders loosened and slid back down to his sides. "I—I mean! Yes, girl! The—The girl that... Yeah, a girl..."
Is it not a girl...? Could it be that...
"Is everything alright, Tsukasa?" Ms. Tenma frowned.
"Yeah," Tsukasa said, regaining his composure within an instant. "Can we talk about hi—her now?"
I swear Tsukasa almost said 'him'.
"Haha, you seem so eager to talk about her!" Ms. Tenma said, ignoring Tsukasa's (almost) slip-up. "How cute."
"H-She's really awesome, so of course I am!" Tsukasa grinned. "She's a great friend."
"What's she like?" Ms. Tenma asked, smiling warmly while taking Tsukasa's hands and caressing them.
"Oh! She's super smart," Tsukasa said dreamily, his eyes sparkling and his cheeks sprinkled with a light pink tint. "but she sometimes says the dumbest things. And her jokes aren't all that obvious, so she ends up giving me at least three minor heart attacks per day. She really is nice, though! She builds robots and stuff! Oh, did I say that I'm part of a band? Well, I'm part of a band, and my friend's the one that builds all the machines and stuff we use for our shows!"
Ms. Tenma watched her son fawn over a girl she didn't even know for several minutes. She suspected that Tsukasa either had an enormous crush on her or looked up to her, a lot.
"Tsukasa," Ms. Tenma began. "Do you... Have a crush on this girl?"
Tsukasa froze, his face flushing more than it already was just talking about the girl.
"I..." He paused, flustered and unable to speak. "I'm really starting to think that maybe—MAYBE—I do like her..."
Ms. Tenma chuckled and clapped her hands together as Tsukasa averted her gaze, turning his head towards the floor to hide the redness sneaking onto his face.
"That's wonderful, Tsukasa," Ms. Tenma smiled. "I'm sure she likes you back."
"Ah, I'm not so sure," Tsukasa admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Because, um... she... isn't a 'she'."
"Pardon me?" Tsukasa's mother's smile turned upside down into a shocked frown.
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"author, how are you uploading so much? three parts within two days? woah"
so normally i woulda been spending my entire afternoon drawing but i had to submit my sketchbook at school sooooo the only thing i can do now is write gay fanfiction yaaay >:D
(wish me luck i drew ruikasa for one of the assignments)
word count: 1012