[SURPRISE Leo is still incomprehensible, impossible, and unbelievable. But for once he called Tsukasa out for something? Could it be that he's finally taking his Knights duties more seriously? Or is it because Tsukasa fell short again in the last live?
It's a little uncertain when Tsukasa wanders into the practice room - yet despite that a little sigh escapes him, naturally.]
I'm home...
[ . . . a pause.
EMBARRASSMENT.
He's just gonna look around real quick to make sure that nO ONE SAW THAT]
[ fortunately for tsukasa, the one that made him a hollaback boy is currently incredibly absorbed with a large number of notebooks on the ground, spread out in an arc like a rainbow. "take these and stop making a mess of the walls" presents, present being used completely wrong, because they're all opened to the first page and each notebook is being used like it's the second page of the notebook beside it.
that's the good thing about doodling on the walls and any visible surface, see, when it's all spread out in front of him so obviously it makes it simple for things to connect and hey, isn't it like... ]
... The lyrics! Words straight out of thin air, those're the best kind of phrases, huh? For sure, I'm home, I'm home— ☆
[ fucking shamelessly parroting tsukasa's embarrassing words in a singsong matching his current composition's melody, nbd
and also going to ignore tsukasa for a little while longer despite being the one to call him here NBD NBD except he keeps writing and then his pen pauses, as if something's just occurred him. obviously it's the fact someone came in, the someone he TOLD TO COME, and ]
No way, no way, not like that. Hoooooome, or hoooome...
Tsukasa already feels himself aging a thousand years. A thousand years. And yet he'll be walking further anyway instead of turning around.... Admittedly he's looking for back-up - are any of his other senpai here? He remembered something about Izumi and Arashi having a modeling gig but listen... he could at least hope...
But no, it's just him and their nonsensical king.
At least Tsukasa can admit that if Leo's composing, he's at least doing work instead of fucking off to nowhere. So he'll pause, glancing at the notes that are being left spread out absolutely everywhere - lamenting about the inefficient use of the notebooks - and then settling for moving RIGHT ALONG AS IF LEO ISN'T PARROTING HIM AND EMBARRASSING HIM FURTHER]
Ah.... Leader? Are you working on a new song for Knights?
[why did you call him here, literally no one else is around
. . . . ]
And do you want a pillow if you're going to be laid out on the ground like that.... That's probably bad for your posture.
Hmmmm, a pillow? Switching positions now'll ruin the creativity! Between "bad for your posture" or "bad for your inspiration", I'd rather take the first hi— aah, I can already feel it leaving! Come back!
[ and yes, he's just focusing on that question and ignoring absolutely everything else tsukasa asked. as for the notes, there's no real indication of a title or anything, they're not even numbered, but there sure are doodles of tsukasa in the margins for when leo got particularly art-blocked and needed to keep his hand moving to try and force the music out of it.
here's where leo's attention finally snaps, however; it comes with the second time his pen pauses from his fervent attempts to keep things going, and his gaze rips from the paper up to tsukasa's face, his grin wide and crooked. ]
Ah, wait! It's...
[ ..... a small, half-second pause until leo continues onwards smoothly, his eyes going back to the paper from the corner of his eyes. the back of his pen taps against the notebook, and: ]
... You! What're you doing here, huh?
[ guess who forgot he called tsukasa here, and also forgot his name again? surprising
absolutely
no one.
but look, when there's just melodies and rhythms and words related to the song in the mind, there's not room for much else. ]
[Normally Tsukasa's parents don't leave him alone for trips - but given the fact that this time they did, he doesn't think that he could really be blamed for the fact that he wasn't comfortable staying in the manor alone.
Right?
So it was fine for him to invite Leo over to stay the night, right? And it was fine for him to ok Leo staying in his bed with him, right? And it was fine for - all of this, right?
Given the fact that now he's waking up in the morning, still curled up against his beloved leader and b.... boyfriend (oh he still struggles with it sometimes) he can't help but think that... Yes, yes it's fine.
If a little embarrassing.
Which is why he's going to turn and curl up some more instinctively to press his face against Leo's shoulder while he thinks the other is still asleep.
and knights is tsukasa being embarrassed and leo pulling some amusement and strands of happiness from everything. he's been awake on and off for a while — he's always been the type to put aside sleeping in favor of whatever rushes of notes come to him in the middle of the night, and looking at tsukasa means there's tons of that.
he's toeing the line between awake and asleep, eyes shut. he's mostly awake as he's never going to truly kill his inspiration with sleep, but he's also never going to just bounce up and ruin his boyfriend's slumbering because of it. he can remember the music (he'll at least try, given the source of it is always in front of him) and he loves the music, yes, but he loves tsukasa's sleeping face too.
still. with the person he loves pressed up close against him, he can't help the light humming that escapes him. the warmth in his chest is building up, and, because it's leo, he's lightly tracing notes with his hand onto tsukasa's shoulder.
[i can't believe that tsukasa's going to be murdered after the first night that he spent in the manor alone. i can't believe his cause of death is just going to be intense dokis.
this plan to try to calm his erratic heart tOTALLY BACKFIRED. IT'S WAY TOO EARLY IN THE MORNING FOR THIS, GOD.
But given the fact that he knows his face is way too red and the fact that he knows he's embarrassed beyond belief, he's actually not going to... move. His face will stay buried in Leo's shoulder right where it is, maybe burrowing further just a little bit even as his ears end up tinged with his blush. It's embarrassing but -
Not in a bad way? Is it bad to enjoy this sort of thing? This sort of sweet moment where he doesn't feel bad about asking to be spoiled?
So he'll at least manage a response as best as he can, sleepy half-mumbled English:]
Good morning...
[eventually his brain tunes in that the patterns that leo is tracing on his shoulder are music notes and that's endearing?? that's too endearing, he's trying to pick out the melody somewhere as if that'll be enough to calm his emotions
he might be trying so hard that he's half-humming out his guess at the melody without realizing]
[ sorry mr and mrs suo~ for murdering your sweet son, he did not mean to
except it's going to be a mutual murder because that sure is tsukasa humming along to the absent composition leo's writing, and his finger pauses at that slow realization. it's not totally on point, for obvious reasons (how accurately can one follow music written on their shoulder, really), but... honestly, leo might say it's better. so when he continues to craft on tsukasa's shoulder, and then down his arm, it's with adjustments to fit the half-humming he can catch.
he's so full of love and music it's almost driving him to burst, and his eyes slide shut as he takes that all in, as he speaks gently. ]
Wait, I changed my mind. It's a great morning. [ this is too much energy for the "just got up" part of the day. it probably helps that leo didn't really just get up, but. yeah. ] Know why? 'Cause I'm already bursting with inspiration because of you, Suo~! This is why I love you.
[ a pause.
no, no, that's not right. he shifts a little bit, bringing tsukasa closer completely, almost like a hug. ]
Hm... Nope, nope, I'm changing my mind again. It's for that and a lot of other reasons.
[ sorry if you wanted to live and stop being embarrassed, tsukasa ]
[How would you feel about continuing your education in America?
The Suou were a proud, dignified line. They would hold their heads up high through every adversity and do as their duty required of them. That was the noble, poised, and wonderfully loving family that Tsukasa had been brought up by.
It just so happened that his blood relatives might be separating him from his found family with this decision - it wasn't for certain yet, no. It was a proposal. One that he openly showed his distaste for, but he knew that if his mother and father decided to go through with it, he would follow. In the end, he was a Suou before he was an idol. Even so, he was hoping that he could be a Suou and an idol.
A Suou and a Knight, specifically.
When he walks into the Knights practice room, he does so sullenly. He knows it's likely empty - Makoto was a tennis club today so Izumi actually attended, Adonis had pulled Arashi away from track, Ritsu was hanging onto Mao. That would only leave Leo as the only possible person that Tsukasa could run into and -
It's not that Tsukasa wants to seek comfort from Leo. He's still too prideful for that - he doesn't want to cry in front of him but it's just - the thing is -
The thing is that Leo's arms managed to feel like home even when nothing else made sense and maybe that's what Tsukasa's looking for right now.
With an expression that can only be called stormy, he breathes in slowly - exhales slower, as if he can't trust himself not to sob now that the monotony of the school day is over - and tries to find his voice, tries to find his:]
[ and for once, he's found easily, in the middle of sheets of paper on the floor, leaning against the wall, ear buds tucked in and eyes shut peacefully as he listens. what he's listening to, well... it's probably not a surprise. to say that leo never listened to music while in the middle of composing is an understatement; everything mingles too much with each other, he'd exclaimed before, frustrated. taking inspiration from a piece you've already done while you're working on something else... the risk of rehashing what you've already done is too much, and it's definitely the worst!
there's only one exception to that. a quiet collaboration, and a song about home, which he'd managed to get vocals recorded and mixed with some minor nudging. he needed it, see, and it definitely helped. when he was alone and worried on his own, when inspiration ran dry — it just burst forth with this. he could call it a song spanning the universe, maybe...? that's a description theatrical enough for him. actually, maybe it'd be more accurate to say that suou—
—oh. speak of the devil, huh? there's a lull in the music when tsukasa speaks out, and it takes a moment to realize that the voice that manages to hit his ears isn't singing lyrics, even as they mesh together as one. he pulls out an earbud, his head tilted lightly in a way that says you've got my attention, smile soft, though his gaze is focused on his sheets...
... until he's noticed the way his name is said is wrong, somehow, that it's dissonant, and then he's pulling out the other earbud and pushing his full focus onto suou.
and the expression he finds isn't one of those that he's fallen in love with, no, though he loves him completely anyway—
—which is why he's quick to gather up the paper beside him, moving it aside in a way that isn't panicked but urgent all the same. a leader's request, no... command, almost; one of those rare moments when his instructions are clear, wordless until he says: ]
Hey. I'm right here.
[ he doesn't start the conversation off with what's wrong, won't ask even if his eyes might be making that concern of his clear... because he figures tsukasa knows that that's on his mind already, that he'll want to know, that even then he won't push any conversation until he's ready.
but that silent support he is offering and will always offer, prompting or not; he's here for tsukasa to collect himself first, as a pillar that won't be used sometimes, and that's fine. it's funny that the disappearing king can say that he's always going to try his best to be here, that someone who ran could be a pillar of anything again, but he'd promised, so... he'd always definitely be here for that, no matter what. ]
[is it bad that Tsukasa knows exactly what Leo's listening to?
is it bad that it makes the feeling in his chest, makes it squeeze his heart almost painfully? please welcome me home, my lord he'd asked that day and Leo hadn't let him down ever since. each and every passing day, the worries had disappeared. Even though Leo had a history of running, even though he would call himself a coward, he'd never been anything but reliable to Tsukasa.
he'd be so very, very good to Tsukasa.
which is probably why in this moment where he feels vulnerable - way too open, too raw, too exposed, too young - it's Leo that he's looking for. and even though Tsukasa had his moments of being a terrible upstart, of minor acts of questioning and defiance, he'd not the type to disobey a direct command from his leader. so he'll take the spot where the papers once were. He'll take his spot next to Leo.
Leo, who is right there, who is patient and kind and infuriating and sometimes makes Tsukasa want to yell and kiss him senseless all in the same annoying breath and -
this weak, confused Tsukasa who can only rest his forehead against Leo's shoulder once he's sitting next to him, hiding his face in an act that's far more childish than he wants to admit but- ]
I know.
[ - but right now he doesn't know left from right, doesn't know what he's supposed to do or what's expected of him.
What he does know is that Leo is Right Here and there's no place Tsukasa would rather be]
[ it's the middle of a break. it's been a carefully planned affair, which by leo's standards meant throwing out a text to ask and then urge that tsukasa keep a significant chunk of time free, because he wanted a lot of it. that was the only mention of whatever plan he had, the second mention being... actually, there wasn't even a second mention on the day of, just another text to add to the hundreds leo's left for tsukasa.
and this one's basically as sensical as the rest. ]
tsssuuuu theyve got me!!!!!
[ well that sure explains nothing. the reality of the situation is this: he was just leo being leo, attempting to surprise tsukasa with a spontaneous trip surprise!!! that he'd definitely been planning (he had, actually, in a burst of inspiration decided this--and he'd kept it close until the opportunity arose to actually go through with it.
anyway, in the middle of his skulking about, he may or may not have been caught by a member of the staff who was unfamiliar with him, on the basis of being "suspicious".
... not that anyone would blame them, of course. he was this weirdo kid with bright orange hair in a loose braid, wandering around with a boombox.
and maybe he got a little lost, but it was definitely worth it! ]
regardless this text manages to get Tsukasa to squint and. actually answer because it's not flowery nonsense, it actually is a little bit distressing? this apparently wasn't part of the plan when Leo had asked him to keep his days open?]
What did you do?
[he doesn't even doubt that whoever has Leo absolutely is in the right, but he's also considered enough to be sending more texts]
Where are you? How much is bail?
[UGHHHHH until he passes by some servants in the hallway, gossiping and then that is quickly followed with a]
Nevermind.
[before he actually goes to collect Leo, Tsukasa has to look to the ceiling. dear god, please give him strength to deal with Leo Tsukinaga on this day.
that's how Tsukasa ends up in the meeting room that Leo had been brought to for questioning, entering rather suddenly and waving off the people who are keeping an eye on him. No, Tsukasa insists, let me deal with him. Because that's apparently what he signed up for when he agreed to date Leo.
but it's only when they're the only ones left in the room that Tsukasa actually reaches out to pull at Leo's cheek, irritated]
Stop making trouble on my family's grounds...?! I told you - call if you're coming by! Or do you think you're invisible from security cameras?!
but sure, cheek-pulling is fair! the extent of leo's response to that are some slight sounds of indignation, and when he moves his hands one might think it's to get tsukasa's own away from his damn face, but instead it's to draw his jerk of a boyfriend closer. god doesn't have enough power to give tsukasa today, no, not when leo is in "it's been a while since i've seen you and i love you! ☆" mode.
what is happening again, was he supposed to be learning a lesson here, in his defence he wasn't really making trouble and it isn't like he was writing on any walls so maybe this is an improvement— ]
Ahh, that's not a greeting?! [ fUCK ] —Wait, wait, it's blooming! My inspi... I mean, my memory... Yeah! I was going to, then I realized if I call you, it's not much of a surprise. That's the spice of life, you know? So I definitely remembered I needed to call, I just didn't do it!
[ because that makes it better
surprise is the spice of life
and leo is a fucking carolina reaper ]
... But! Hey, everyone in your house is diligent and attentive as always, hahaha! That deserves some praise! I can really rest easy!
[ only leo tsukinaga could clap (behind tsukasa's waist, of course, because he's got his arms wrapped around there if he's allowed to) to congratulate the guys who detained him and sat him down in a chair to grill him about why the hell he's here.
and also say "i'm glad this is proof you're safe here in case someone suspicious ever comes in (like aliens) because i SURE GOT CAUGHT" ]
[ "onii-chan," ruka had called him in the morning, when she'd managed to catch him before he wandered off to who the hell knows where (probably to compose a morning song or call for morning aliens or maybe just to disappear for a bit). he'd hummed attentively through a bun stuffed in his mouth, and she'd said:
"good morning. is... um, is tsu... is tsukasa-san going to drop by today?"
which was really just fine, because she'd asked that before, and she'd asked that when sena dropped by often before, too... except it was different. there was something like a blush on her cheeks, and her voice pitched kinda higher when she said his name, and he could've sworn there was a bit of a sparkle in her eyes that was a little familiar, if only for the fact that he's pretty sure that that was what he'd see in his own if he ever ended up being able to look at tsukasa and a mirror at the same time.
he choked on his bun. leo tsukinaga almost died that morning.
fast forward to now: the world is peaceful in the knights practice room. the walls are clean, the floor is not full of unconscious vampires, and izumi isn't filling the air with complaining as he is wont to do. it's actually... really flippin' empty, save for his target, sitting there, focused. it's calm, and quiet. happy.
like leo's world before the bombshell that was dropped this morning, so he's ruining everything. which isn't really new, no, but usually when he walks in like a storm it's with more laughter and scattering music sheets and smiling. here he's quick, yeah, just—
—just both of his hands are going to end up on the table suou's working on with a THUMP. when he looks up, he'll be met with the sight of his leader, eyes serious, lips pressed into a frown. he looks about as serious as he did when he first burst into the scene, announcing judgement and duels and jesus cHRIST ]
[Tsukasa has absolutely no idea what this is about.
Honestly, he was working on his homework? They still have a lot of studies to take care of even though they're idols and he would really like to get this finished - which is why he didn't even look up when someone came in. They'd announce themselves eventually and he'd have to spare his attention toward them eventually.
Or they could interrupt him by slamming their hands on the table and making him jump, the lead of his mechanic pencil breaking as he looks up and - he doesn't like that look on Leo's face. There's a moment of hesitation because he really isn't sure what he'd managed to do to warrant that kind of look? Please don't scare him too much, Leo?!]
Leader?
What is it?
[whY DO YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'RE GONNA KILL HIM, HE DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING WRONG THIS TIME
he thinks
but that's because he's not counting the times that he brought elegantly wrapped, delicate gifts from expensive places to give to Ruka as 'wrong'. Rather, it's only natural to bring gifts when visiting a home and considering how much Leo loved Ruka, should Tsukasa not spoil her too? nor is he counting his tendency to compare Ruka to a cute princess (because it's so easy because just like her older brother she is most certainly royal) nor the times that he's given her a knightly bow and smile before he left her presence bc
listen the kid's got game and doesn't even know and it's best to keep it that way]
[ that moment when you're torn between "ahh that's my boyfriend" and "ahh that's my SISTER??" and honestly, he should've been more careful, what was he thinking. he let his guard down, and this is what happened... he only really has himself to blame.
"what is it," tsukasa asks.
how'd a spoiled brat like you nab ruka-tan's heart?! he wants to yell, like getting caught hook, line and sinker wasn't a crime he was guilty of too. after the first gift he should've stepped in, after the first bow he should've stapled tsukasa's shirt to the wall so he couldn't bend down, after the first princess he should've—
damnit. ]
Acting all innocent like that isn't gonna save you.
[ .......... ]
... We've got a problem. A really big problem. Big enough I'm starting to consider getting Anzu to organize another Judgement, you know...?
[you know, sometimes there’s just a time for romance
and eventual lewd apparently
But for now – romance. Romance and grand gestures of affection, much like the bouquet of roses that Tsukasa is bringing through the door with him, neatly tucked under his arm. A pleased and eager hum to be home, a hand fixing his hair as he gently closes the door behind him.]
Leader?
[It takes a little bit of investigating, past the initial living room, not in the kitchen, until he eventually finds Leo in the room that had been set aside as a study, working as feverishly as ever. Well. Probably. Tsukasa really still has no idea what Leo actually gets up to when left with his own devices but either way it seems like he’s busy?
With a conscious shift, Tsukasa moves to make his steps silent, sneaking up behind his boyfriend and leaning down. And because he honestly can’t really help himself—]
i can't believe that's a sentence i wrote and this is a tag im writing
but no, truly, it is fanfiction. see, leo had a tendency to settle into a daze when it came to whatever he was writing; here, it hadn't started as such, but there's the never-kicked habit of a song speaking through him through work that he should've been doing. he shoved the latter for the former and then, in drawing inspiration for that distracting song, he found tsukasa.
rather, images of tsukasa. all of them so quick but vibrant, and the sheer variety of them all leads him to jot them down as they come, remembering each and every single strand of inspiration and emotion that came bundled with every scenario. it's work turned to a musical score turned to dirty fanfiction. that's a very apt summary of what leo's working on on their desk, really.
tsukasa walking in on this isn't in the manuscript.
and, honestly, it does take a while for the boo to settle.
when it does, he straightens very suddenly, his pen creating a sudden, harsh line at the end of a sentence containing the words (when tsukasa kisses a certain spot: a jolt, a spark). ]
Woah—!
[ he gasps that out, and then cranes his head back slightly to see this friggin' intruder.
this is when the shame settles at having been caught writing some kind of lewd phrases of someone you're dating, right
nope. he's just moving a hand up to touch tsukasa's cheek softly. ]
—When'd you... You're getting way too sneaky, huh? [ wait, can't forget this one: ] Welcome home!
Honestly not the first time that Tsukasa's had the thought probably - living with Leo has certainly been an adventure? - but really the study is supposed to be for studying... for hard work... for being productive and getting things done, but that doesn't seem to be what's going on here?
Ah, but first.]
Mm, I'm glad to be home. [A pleased smile coupled with the followed impulse of leaning forward and leaving a brief kiss right at the corner of Leo's lips.] You're still hard at work?
[is what he hopes
until he actually takes a better glance over at what Leo's poring over. it starts as work apparently and Tsukasa can't help but smile a bit when it turns into a musical score but then it
turns to words
and from there he's skimming, blinking, confused as he finds his name on the page and
[ well, it's not like leo and tsukasa are perfect. they have arguments sometimes. everyone fights. big ones are rare, sure, but it's mostly the small, petty ones that rise up now and again - where leo gets too absorbed in whatever or teeny annoyances and eccentric habits build into something that gets someone slightly pouty.
they don't last long.
leo's quick to both forgive and apologize - he loves tsukasa too much to be either the source or target of any minor anger, and letting things fester was never part of his personality type.
so, it's been a whole twenty two point five minutes! leo lasts a whole twenty two point five minutes, giving tsukasa a little bit of time that he fills with working (finishing) on a piece commissioned from him... before he moves from the study to their room, where tsukasa's likely relaxing in bed.
was likely relaxing in bed, anyway, because the moment leo makes his way in carefully he's flopping forward to lay his upper half on the empty space in front of tsukasa, his legs dangling.
and, with his brow furrowed: ]
Tsssuuuu. Are you still mad?
[ he didn't mean to eat the fucking cake you were saving in the fridge or something just forGIVE HIM ]
it's nothing worthy of a Duel at least - or even one of them threatening a Duel, as they sometimes do - but it's worthy of Tsukasa growing rather irritated, he thinks. and he also thinks that he's entitled to time alone and away from Leo when he's annoyed with him?
don't get him wrong. he loves Leo.
he loves Leo so much that his heart aches with it, that given enough time away he'll end up coming back on his own probably, but he rarely (if ever) actually manages to reach that point because
well. because Leo is like this.
Tsukasa had been laying on his stomach reading (a script, a novel, a score - does it really matter?) and the sudden appearance of his beloved in front of him registers on his radar. it does. it's a little impossible not to notice Leo, that's sort of just the relationship that they've had since the very beginning. but also.
also that was his cake, you asshole.
which is why Tsukasa doesn't answer, doesn't even look up from his reading. he actually just sort of rolls over onto his side now, reading still in his hands. he doesn't even seem to acknowledge that Leo said a goddamn thing.
[ sheesh. that gets leo's frown to deepen, an unpleasant fluttering in his chest at being ignored (isn't he the one that used to do that all the time?), even if he's still aware that this isn't a big fight. but, you know, leo's just this way - and seeing tsukasa displeased is actually the absolute worst. that feeling doubles when tsukasa's displeased because of him.
see, he would've gone out to buy another cake but it was late enough that everywhere of note was closed, and if he was going to get a replacement he'd get an exact replacement anyway. what point was there to correcting his careless, inspiration-driven mistake if he wasn't going to completely correct it?
maybe he can m...ake it? but he'd also rather do that together with tsukasa, too, so that's also a bust.
he takes a moment, hesitates, then shifts a little closer. ]
Mmm... I should've definitely started with sorry, huh...? Look, I'm sorry - [ and then a hand, outstretched to poke lightly at tsukasa's side as a little call for attention. ] That was a totally selfish thing I did, but I'll definitely get you an exact copy of that cake...! Is that okay, Tsu?
[ what's the possibility of leo "human disaster" tsukinaga causing an unnecessary scene in a hospital with a broken arm? pretty high, probably -- high enough that honorary nagging mother izumi was trying his best to keep him confined and contained, but apparently not high enough that leo couldn't get away.
maybe he'll end up getting into another fist fight, breaking his other arm. maybe he'll end up throwing up music notes all over the walls.
... maybe he just ends up walking past the vending machine with a red-headed person in front of it, and he stops. leo's naturally curious about things that strike his interest, single-minded as he is at times, and somehow this does.
for a number of reasons.
hope you didn't mind the weirdo approaching suddenly, leaning over with a brow raised. ]
Heyyy, most people punch the thing when it goes munch with their money, you know? [ says the guy in an arm sling ] Burning holes in the glass with your eyes isn't doing anything, unless you're checking out your hairdo! Wahaha! ☆
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solo;
It's a little uncertain when Tsukasa wanders into the practice room - yet despite that a little sigh escapes him, naturally.]
I'm home...
[ . . . a pause.
EMBARRASSMENT.
He's just gonna look around real quick to make sure that nO ONE SAW THAT]
no subject
that's the good thing about doodling on the walls and any visible surface, see, when it's all spread out in front of him so obviously it makes it simple for things to connect and hey, isn't it like... ]
... The lyrics! Words straight out of thin air, those're the best kind of phrases, huh? For sure, I'm home, I'm home— ☆
[ fucking shamelessly parroting tsukasa's embarrassing words in a singsong matching his current composition's melody, nbd
and also going to ignore tsukasa for a little while longer despite being the one to call him here NBD NBD except he keeps writing and then his pen pauses, as if something's just occurred him. obviously it's the fact someone came in, the someone he TOLD TO COME, and ]
No way, no way, not like that. Hoooooome, or hoooome...
[ yeah haha just kidding
and then he keeps fucking writing ]
no subject
Tsukasa already feels himself aging a thousand years. A thousand years. And yet he'll be walking further anyway instead of turning around.... Admittedly he's looking for back-up - are any of his other senpai here? He remembered something about Izumi and Arashi having a modeling gig but listen... he could at least hope...
But no, it's just him and their nonsensical king.
At least Tsukasa can admit that if Leo's composing, he's at least doing work instead of fucking off to nowhere. So he'll pause, glancing at the notes that are being left spread out absolutely everywhere - lamenting about the inefficient use of the notebooks - and then settling for moving RIGHT ALONG AS IF LEO ISN'T PARROTING HIM AND EMBARRASSING HIM FURTHER]
Ah.... Leader? Are you working on a new song for Knights?
[why did you call him here, literally no one else is around
. . . . ]
And do you want a pillow if you're going to be laid out on the ground like that.... That's probably bad for your posture.
/2
[ and yes, he's just focusing on that question and ignoring absolutely everything else tsukasa asked. as for the notes, there's no real indication of a title or anything, they're not even numbered, but there sure are doodles of tsukasa in the margins for when leo got particularly art-blocked and needed to keep his hand moving to try and force the music out of it.
that may or may not be embarrassing as well. ]
no subject
here's where leo's attention finally snaps, however; it comes with the second time his pen pauses from his fervent attempts to keep things going, and his gaze rips from the paper up to tsukasa's face, his grin wide and crooked. ]
Ah, wait! It's...
[ ..... a small, half-second pause until leo continues onwards smoothly, his eyes going back to the paper from the corner of his eyes. the back of his pen taps against the notebook, and: ]
... You! What're you doing here, huh?
[ guess who forgot he called tsukasa here, and also forgot his name again? surprising
absolutely
no one.
but look, when there's just melodies and rhythms and words related to the song in the mind, there's not room for much else. ]
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mornings;
Right?
So it was fine for him to invite Leo over to stay the night, right? And it was fine for him to ok Leo staying in his bed with him, right? And it was fine for - all of this, right?
Given the fact that now he's waking up in the morning, still curled up against his beloved leader and b.... boyfriend (oh he still struggles with it sometimes) he can't help but think that... Yes, yes it's fine.
If a little embarrassing.
Which is why he's going to turn and curl up some more instinctively to press his face against Leo's shoulder while he thinks the other is still asleep.
This is!
Fine!!!!]
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and knights is tsukasa being embarrassed and leo pulling some amusement and strands of happiness from everything. he's been awake on and off for a while — he's always been the type to put aside sleeping in favor of whatever rushes of notes come to him in the middle of the night, and looking at tsukasa means there's tons of that.
he's toeing the line between awake and asleep, eyes shut. he's mostly awake as he's never going to truly kill his inspiration with sleep, but he's also never going to just bounce up and ruin his boyfriend's slumbering because of it. he can remember the music (he'll at least try, given the source of it is always in front of him) and he loves the music, yes, but he loves tsukasa's sleeping face too.
still. with the person he loves pressed up close against him, he can't help the light humming that escapes him. the warmth in his chest is building up, and, because it's leo, he's lightly tracing notes with his hand onto tsukasa's shoulder.
in a whisper: ]
Is it good morning time?
[ SURPRISE ]
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this plan to try to calm his erratic heart tOTALLY BACKFIRED. IT'S WAY TOO EARLY IN THE MORNING FOR THIS, GOD.
But given the fact that he knows his face is way too red and the fact that he knows he's embarrassed beyond belief, he's actually not going to... move. His face will stay buried in Leo's shoulder right where it is, maybe burrowing further just a little bit even as his ears end up tinged with his blush. It's embarrassing but -
Not in a bad way? Is it bad to enjoy this sort of thing? This sort of sweet moment where he doesn't feel bad about asking to be spoiled?
So he'll at least manage a response as best as he can, sleepy half-mumbled English:]
Good morning...
[eventually his brain tunes in that the patterns that leo is tracing on his shoulder are music notes and that's endearing?? that's too endearing, he's trying to pick out the melody somewhere as if that'll be enough to calm his emotions
he might be trying so hard that he's half-humming out his guess at the melody without realizing]
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except it's going to be a mutual murder because that sure is tsukasa humming along to the absent composition leo's writing, and his finger pauses at that slow realization. it's not totally on point, for obvious reasons (how accurately can one follow music written on their shoulder, really), but... honestly, leo might say it's better. so when he continues to craft on tsukasa's shoulder, and then down his arm, it's with adjustments to fit the half-humming he can catch.
he's so full of love and music it's almost driving him to burst, and his eyes slide shut as he takes that all in, as he speaks gently. ]
Wait, I changed my mind. It's a great morning. [ this is too much energy for the "just got up" part of the day. it probably helps that leo didn't really just get up, but. yeah. ] Know why? 'Cause I'm already bursting with inspiration because of you, Suo~! This is why I love you.
[ a pause.
no, no, that's not right. he shifts a little bit, bringing tsukasa closer completely, almost like a hug. ]
Hm... Nope, nope, I'm changing my mind again. It's for that and a lot of other reasons.
[ sorry if you wanted to live and stop being embarrassed, tsukasa ]
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leaving;
The Suou were a proud, dignified line. They would hold their heads up high through every adversity and do as their duty required of them. That was the noble, poised, and wonderfully loving family that Tsukasa had been brought up by.
It just so happened that his blood relatives might be separating him from his found family with this decision - it wasn't for certain yet, no. It was a proposal. One that he openly showed his distaste for, but he knew that if his mother and father decided to go through with it, he would follow. In the end, he was a Suou before he was an idol. Even so, he was hoping that he could be a Suou and an idol.
A Suou and a Knight, specifically.
When he walks into the Knights practice room, he does so sullenly. He knows it's likely empty - Makoto was a tennis club today so Izumi actually attended, Adonis had pulled Arashi away from track, Ritsu was hanging onto Mao. That would only leave Leo as the only possible person that Tsukasa could run into and -
It's not that Tsukasa wants to seek comfort from Leo. He's still too prideful for that - he doesn't want to cry in front of him but it's just - the thing is -
The thing is that Leo's arms managed to feel like home even when nothing else made sense and maybe that's what Tsukasa's looking for right now.
With an expression that can only be called stormy, he breathes in slowly - exhales slower, as if he can't trust himself not to sob now that the monotony of the school day is over - and tries to find his voice, tries to find his:]
Leader?
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there's only one exception to that. a quiet collaboration, and a song about home, which he'd managed to get vocals recorded and mixed with some minor nudging. he needed it, see, and it definitely helped. when he was alone and worried on his own, when inspiration ran dry — it just burst forth with this. he could call it a song spanning the universe, maybe...? that's a description theatrical enough for him. actually, maybe it'd be more accurate to say that suou—
—oh. speak of the devil, huh? there's a lull in the music when tsukasa speaks out, and it takes a moment to realize that the voice that manages to hit his ears isn't singing lyrics, even as they mesh together as one. he pulls out an earbud, his head tilted lightly in a way that says you've got my attention, smile soft, though his gaze is focused on his sheets...
... until he's noticed the way his name is said is wrong, somehow, that it's dissonant, and then he's pulling out the other earbud and pushing his full focus onto suou.
and the expression he finds isn't one of those that he's fallen in love with, no, though he loves him completely anyway—
—which is why he's quick to gather up the paper beside him, moving it aside in a way that isn't panicked but urgent all the same. a leader's request, no... command, almost; one of those rare moments when his instructions are clear, wordless until he says: ]
Hey. I'm right here.
[ he doesn't start the conversation off with what's wrong, won't ask even if his eyes might be making that concern of his clear... because he figures tsukasa knows that that's on his mind already, that he'll want to know, that even then he won't push any conversation until he's ready.
but that silent support he is offering and will always offer, prompting or not; he's here for tsukasa to collect himself first, as a pillar that won't be used sometimes, and that's fine. it's funny that the disappearing king can say that he's always going to try his best to be here, that someone who ran could be a pillar of anything again, but he'd promised, so... he'd always definitely be here for that, no matter what. ]
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is it bad that it makes the feeling in his chest, makes it squeeze his heart almost painfully? please welcome me home, my lord he'd asked that day and Leo hadn't let him down ever since. each and every passing day, the worries had disappeared. Even though Leo had a history of running, even though he would call himself a coward, he'd never been anything but reliable to Tsukasa.
he'd be so very, very good to Tsukasa.
which is probably why in this moment where he feels vulnerable - way too open, too raw, too exposed, too young - it's Leo that he's looking for. and even though Tsukasa had his moments of being a terrible upstart, of minor acts of questioning and defiance, he'd not the type to disobey a direct command from his leader. so he'll take the spot where the papers once were. He'll take his spot next to Leo.
Leo, who is right there, who is patient and kind and infuriating and sometimes makes Tsukasa want to yell and kiss him senseless all in the same annoying breath and -
this weak, confused Tsukasa who can only rest his forehead against Leo's shoulder once he's sitting next to him, hiding his face in an act that's far more childish than he wants to admit but- ]
I know.
[ - but right now he doesn't know left from right, doesn't know what he's supposed to do or what's expected of him.
What he does know is that Leo is Right Here and there's no place Tsukasa would rather be]
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roadtrip;
and this one's basically as sensical as the rest. ]
tsssuuuu
theyve got me!!!!!
[ well that sure explains nothing. the reality of the situation is this: he was just leo being leo, attempting to surprise tsukasa with a spontaneous trip surprise!!! that he'd definitely been planning (he had, actually, in a burst of inspiration decided this--and he'd kept it close until the opportunity arose to actually go through with it.
anyway, in the middle of his skulking about, he may or may not have been caught by a member of the staff who was unfamiliar with him, on the basis of being "suspicious".
... not that anyone would blame them, of course. he was this weirdo kid with bright orange hair in a loose braid, wandering around with a boombox.
and maybe he got a little lost, but it was definitely worth it! ]
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regardless this text manages to get Tsukasa to squint and. actually answer because it's not flowery nonsense, it actually is a little bit distressing? this apparently wasn't part of the plan when Leo had asked him to keep his days open?]
What did you do?
[he doesn't even doubt that whoever has Leo absolutely is in the right, but he's also considered enough to be sending more texts]
Where are you?
How much is bail?
[UGHHHHH until he passes by some servants in the hallway, gossiping and then that is quickly followed with a]
Nevermind.
[before he actually goes to collect Leo, Tsukasa has to look to the ceiling. dear god, please give him strength to deal with Leo Tsukinaga on this day.
that's how Tsukasa ends up in the meeting room that Leo had been brought to for questioning, entering rather suddenly and waving off the people who are keeping an eye on him. No, Tsukasa insists, let me deal with him. Because that's apparently what he signed up for when he agreed to date Leo.
but it's only when they're the only ones left in the room that Tsukasa actually reaches out to pull at Leo's cheek, irritated]
Stop making trouble on my family's grounds...?! I told you - call if you're coming by! Or do you think you're invisible from security cameras?!
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but sure, cheek-pulling is fair! the extent of leo's response to that are some slight sounds of indignation, and when he moves his hands one might think it's to get tsukasa's own away from his damn face, but instead it's to draw his jerk of a boyfriend closer. god doesn't have enough power to give tsukasa today, no, not when leo is in "it's been a while since i've seen you and i love you! ☆" mode.
what is happening again, was he supposed to be learning a lesson here, in his defence he wasn't really making trouble and it isn't like he was writing on any walls so maybe this is an improvement— ]
Ahh, that's not a greeting?! [ fUCK ] —Wait, wait, it's blooming! My inspi... I mean, my memory... Yeah! I was going to, then I realized if I call you, it's not much of a surprise. That's the spice of life, you know? So I definitely remembered I needed to call, I just didn't do it!
[ because that makes it better
surprise is the spice of life
and leo is a fucking carolina reaper ]
... But! Hey, everyone in your house is diligent and attentive as always, hahaha! That deserves some praise! I can really rest easy!
[ only leo tsukinaga could clap (behind tsukasa's waist, of course, because he's got his arms wrapped around there if he's allowed to) to congratulate the guys who detained him and sat him down in a chair to grill him about why the hell he's here.
and also say "i'm glad this is proof you're safe here in case someone suspicious ever comes in (like aliens) because i SURE GOT CAUGHT" ]
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tsukinaga magnet;
"good morning. is... um, is tsu... is tsukasa-san going to drop by today?"
which was really just fine, because she'd asked that before, and she'd asked that when sena dropped by often before, too... except it was different. there was something like a blush on her cheeks, and her voice pitched kinda higher when she said his name, and he could've sworn there was a bit of a sparkle in her eyes that was a little familiar, if only for the fact that he's pretty sure that that was what he'd see in his own if he ever ended up being able to look at tsukasa and a mirror at the same time.
he choked on his bun. leo tsukinaga almost died that morning.
fast forward to now: the world is peaceful in the knights practice room. the walls are clean, the floor is not full of unconscious vampires, and izumi isn't filling the air with complaining as he is wont to do. it's actually... really flippin' empty, save for his target, sitting there, focused. it's calm, and quiet. happy.
like leo's world before the bombshell that was dropped this morning, so he's ruining everything. which isn't really new, no, but usually when he walks in like a storm it's with more laughter and scattering music sheets and smiling. here he's quick, yeah, just—
—just both of his hands are going to end up on the table suou's working on with a THUMP. when he looks up, he'll be met with the sight of his leader, eyes serious, lips pressed into a frown. he looks about as serious as he did when he first burst into the scene, announcing judgement and duels and jesus cHRIST ]
I need to talk to you.
[ we're BREAKING UP ]
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Honestly, he was working on his homework? They still have a lot of studies to take care of even though they're idols and he would really like to get this finished - which is why he didn't even look up when someone came in. They'd announce themselves eventually and he'd have to spare his attention toward them eventually.
Or they could interrupt him by slamming their hands on the table and making him jump, the lead of his mechanic pencil breaking as he looks up and - he doesn't like that look on Leo's face. There's a moment of hesitation because he really isn't sure what he'd managed to do to warrant that kind of look? Please don't scare him too much, Leo?!]
Leader?
What is it?
[whY DO YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'RE GONNA KILL HIM, HE DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING WRONG THIS TIME
he thinks
but that's because he's not counting the times that he brought elegantly wrapped, delicate gifts from expensive places to give to Ruka as 'wrong'. Rather, it's only natural to bring gifts when visiting a home and considering how much Leo loved Ruka, should Tsukasa not spoil her too? nor is he counting his tendency to compare Ruka to a cute princess (because it's so easy because just like her older brother she is most certainly royal) nor the times that he's given her a knightly bow and smile before he left her presence bc
listen the kid's got game and doesn't even know and it's best to keep it that way]
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"what is it," tsukasa asks.
how'd a spoiled brat like you nab ruka-tan's heart?! he wants to yell, like getting caught hook, line and sinker wasn't a crime he was guilty of too. after the first gift he should've stepped in, after the first bow he should've stapled tsukasa's shirt to the wall so he couldn't bend down, after the first princess he should've—
damnit. ]
Acting all innocent like that isn't gonna save you.
[ .......... ]
... We've got a problem. A really big problem. Big enough I'm starting to consider getting Anzu to organize another Judgement, you know...?
[ okay not really except
yes really ]
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lewd......................
and eventual lewd apparentlyBut for now – romance. Romance and grand gestures of affection, much like the bouquet of roses that Tsukasa is bringing through the door with him, neatly tucked under his arm. A pleased and eager hum to be home, a hand fixing his hair as he gently closes the door behind him.]
Leader?
[It takes a little bit of investigating, past the initial living room, not in the kitchen, until he eventually finds Leo in the room that had been set aside as a study, working as feverishly as ever. Well. Probably. Tsukasa really still has no idea what Leo actually gets up to when left with his own devices but either way it seems like he’s busy?
With a conscious shift, Tsukasa moves to make his steps silent, sneaking up behind his boyfriend and leaning down. And because he honestly can’t really help himself—]
Boo!
god has abandoned.... us...........
i can't believe that's a sentence i wrote and this is a tag im writingbut no, truly, it is fanfiction. see, leo had a tendency to settle into a daze when it came to whatever he was writing; here, it hadn't started as such, but there's the never-kicked habit of a song speaking through him through work that he should've been doing. he shoved the latter for the former and then, in drawing inspiration for that distracting song, he found tsukasa.
rather, images of tsukasa. all of them so quick but vibrant, and the sheer variety of them all leads him to jot them down as they come, remembering each and every single strand of inspiration and emotion that came bundled with every scenario. it's work turned to a musical score turned to dirty fanfiction. that's a very apt summary of what leo's working on on their desk, really.
tsukasa walking in on this isn't in the manuscript.
and, honestly, it does take a while for the boo to settle.
when it does, he straightens very suddenly, his pen creating a sudden, harsh line at the end of a sentence containing the words (when tsukasa kisses a certain spot: a jolt, a spark). ]
Woah—!
[ he gasps that out, and then cranes his head back slightly to see this friggin' intruder.
this is when the shame settles at having been caught writing some kind of lewd phrases of someone you're dating, right
nope. he's just moving a hand up to touch tsukasa's cheek softly. ]
—When'd you... You're getting way too sneaky, huh? [ wait, can't forget this one: ] Welcome home!
i still can't believe this
Honestly not the first time that Tsukasa's had the thought probably - living with Leo has certainly been an adventure? - but really the study is supposed to be for studying... for hard work... for being productive and getting things done, but that doesn't seem to be what's going on here?
Ah, but first.]
Mm, I'm glad to be home. [A pleased smile coupled with the followed impulse of leaning forward and leaving a brief kiss right at the corner of Leo's lips.] You're still hard at work?
[is what he hopes
until he actually takes a better glance over at what Leo's poring over. it starts as work apparently and Tsukasa can't help but smile a bit when it turns into a musical score but then it
turns to words
and from there he's skimming, blinking, confused as he finds his name on the page and
. . . . ]
... What is this?
[thIS ISN'T WORK]
is thIS PORN OR A COMEDY ROUTINE
i. bOTH TBH
i tHOUGHT THIS WAS A FEVER DREAM
HONESTLY SAME
AAAHHH SAVE ME
HAHA NAH
uGH
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/3 here we flippin' go
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ok
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ill just put it here TICKLE TICKLE
they don't last long.
leo's quick to both forgive and apologize - he loves tsukasa too much to be either the source or target of any minor anger, and letting things fester was never part of his personality type.
so, it's been a whole twenty two point five minutes! leo lasts a whole twenty two point five minutes, giving tsukasa a little bit of time that he fills with working (finishing) on a piece commissioned from him... before he moves from the study to their room, where tsukasa's likely relaxing in bed.
was likely relaxing in bed, anyway, because the moment leo makes his way in carefully he's flopping forward to lay his upper half on the empty space in front of tsukasa, his legs dangling.
and, with his brow furrowed: ]
Tsssuuuu. Are you still mad?
[ he didn't mean to eat the fucking cake you were saving in the fridge or something just forGIVE HIM ]
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it's nothing worthy of a Duel at least - or even one of them threatening a Duel, as they sometimes do - but it's worthy of Tsukasa growing rather irritated, he thinks. and he also thinks that he's entitled to time alone and away from Leo when he's annoyed with him?
don't get him wrong. he loves Leo.
he loves Leo so much that his heart aches with it, that given enough time away he'll end up coming back on his own probably, but he rarely (if ever) actually manages to reach that point because
well. because Leo is like this.
Tsukasa had been laying on his stomach reading (a script, a novel, a score - does it really matter?) and the sudden appearance of his beloved in front of him registers on his radar. it does. it's a little impossible not to notice Leo, that's sort of just the relationship that they've had since the very beginning. but also.
also that was his cake, you asshole.
which is why Tsukasa doesn't answer, doesn't even look up from his reading. he actually just sort of rolls over onto his side now, reading still in his hands. he doesn't even seem to acknowledge that Leo said a goddamn thing.
so you know, there's that.]
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see, he would've gone out to buy another cake but it was late enough that everywhere of note was closed, and if he was going to get a replacement he'd get an exact replacement anyway. what point was there to correcting his careless, inspiration-driven mistake if he wasn't going to completely correct it?
maybe he can m...ake it? but he'd also rather do that together with tsukasa, too, so that's also a bust.
he takes a moment, hesitates, then shifts a little closer. ]
Mmm... I should've definitely started with sorry, huh...? Look, I'm sorry - [ and then a hand, outstretched to poke lightly at tsukasa's side as a little call for attention. ] That was a totally selfish thing I did, but I'll definitely get you an exact copy of that cake...! Is that okay, Tsu?
[ another soft poke. ]
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gummy worm hell.
maybe he'll end up getting into another fist fight, breaking his other arm. maybe he'll end up throwing up music notes all over the walls.
... maybe he just ends up walking past the vending machine with a red-headed person in front of it, and he stops. leo's naturally curious about things that strike his interest, single-minded as he is at times, and somehow this does.
for a number of reasons.
hope you didn't mind the weirdo approaching suddenly, leaning over with a brow raised. ]
Heyyy, most people punch the thing when it goes munch with their money, you know? [ says the guy in an arm sling ] Burning holes in the glass with your eyes isn't doing anything, unless you're checking out your hairdo! Wahaha! ☆