Work Text:
In the hush of night, Rui found himself glued to his desk as he oftentimes did, foot idly tapping against the ground as he pondered the contents before him. Although he operated better at night, there was nothing he could've done differently to better combat the slump he currently found himself in, having spent far too much of his night staring at his plans for an upcoming production.
As yellow eyes bore holes into the blueprints on the desk, a hand absentmindedly reached for the water bottle tucked away in the corner, muscle memory making it easy to locate despite looking elsewhere. What finally drew his attention away was what happened when he picked up the bottle, its surprising weightlessness prompting him to do a double-take. Surely enough, the bottle was empty, not a singular drop of liquid to be found within.
Hydration was an issue for future him, he decided, as he put the water bottle back down and set his sights on the blueprints once more. However, focusing on the ideas floating around in his head proved to be quite a feat in the presence of a familiar tingling in the back of his throat. As the seconds blurred into minutes, and his thoughts faded into obscurity, the dryness in his throat only worsened, a not-so-gentle reminder that hydration wasn't something a person could just set aside for later. A drawn-out sigh served as Rui's admission of defeat as he finally relented, rolling away from his desk and peeling himself away from his work for the first time that night. He rose to his feet, making sure to swipe his bottle from its designated spot before leaving the garage.
The trek to the kitchen was uneventful, just like every other trek that preceded it. The hallway was dark and quiet, which only made sense given how late into the night it already was. Able to rely solely on muscle memory to guide him, he didn't bother to feel for a light switch until he actually stepped foot into the kitchen, rounding the corner and hitting the switch with a flick of his wrist.
It was only after the overhead bulbs bathed the kitchen in light did Rui become aware of the fact that he wasn't alone.
Being so used to the sight of an empty kitchen greeting him, the strangled yelp that forced its way out of his lungs at the realization that someone else was in the room with him was nothing short of justified. Before he had the chance to properly react, he caught sight of a familiar pair of pink eyes blinking up at him, relief flooding his senses upon meeting her gaze. Now that the momentary terror had subsided, and all of the tension previously in his body had vanished just as swiftly as it had appeared, all Rui could do was blink, very slowly, as he took his time to process the scene in front of him. A few questions ran through his mind— Why was she sitting on the floor in the dark? Why was she even awake at this hour? Was that a bag of (he had to squint for this one) shredded cheese she was holding?— but not a singular one made it out into the open.
Emu met his blank stare with one of her own, quietly munching away on her snack of choice. She swallowed, and then, "I was hungry," she answered all of his unspoken questions at once, voice soft and subdued as tiredness seeped out. "I wanted a snack."
The bluntness of her answer elicited a huff of amusement and a faint smile from Rui. Instead of meeting her words with some of his own, he merely nodded in response, content with basking in the comfortable silence that fell upon them as he refilled his bottle.
Instead of going back to agonizing over his work, he decided to capitalize on the opportunity that had so kindly presented itself to him. Emu was rarely ever awake at this hour; it'd be foolish of him not to indulge in her presence while he still could. He took a seat right next to her, slowly lowering himself to the floor while still clutching the bottle close against his chest. The kitchen tile felt cool against his skin, he mused silently, as he pressed his palm into the ground to steady himself during his descent.
Emu took another handful of cheese and tossed it into her mouth as she patiently waited for Rui to join her. When she was certain he was settled, she held out the bag toward him, extending a silent invitation to him.
Briefly, he glanced down to the offering before shaking his head gently, unscrewing the cap to his bottle and bringing it to his lips.
The cheese bag was promptly retracted from him, and Emu cuddled up against him as she happily munched away while he hydrated. Once his thirst was satiated, he held out the bottle to her, returning the kindness she had extended to him just moments prior and wordlessly extending an offer of his own. Unlike him, she accepted with eagerness, the bag she was previously holding now seated in her lap as she grabbed the bottle. All it took was a few seconds for her to chug the remainder of the bottle's contents, and almost immediately after she set it aside did she go back to snuggling him, resting her head against his shoulder and letting out a hum of content.
Mundane moments such as these were definitely Rui's favorite part about moving in with Emu. Being able to share everything with her, from the easy silence that engulfed them to the late night snacks, brought him great comfort. As he took the time to reflect on all of the little things he held so dear to himself, the passage of time, which had been slowly creeping up on Rui all night long, had finally caught up to him now that he was resting. Tiredness had started to take its toll on him, leaving him struggling to keep his eyes open and his head upright now that his entire body was suddenly feeling heavier.
Somewhere along the way, Emu and Rui switched places. While Rui was fighting not to doze off, Emu was wide awake, radiating with energy now that she was properly nourished. "We should do something!" she chirped, blissfully unaware of her partner's internal conflict.
Although the stark contrast in demeanor from the last time she spoke was attention-grabbing, it wasn't enough to deter Rui from drifting to dreamland. What truly snapped him back to reality was the warmth from his side being ripped away from him as Emu suddenly hopped up from her spot. A noise somewhere in between a whine of protest and a groan of confusion spilled from his lips as he stared up at her, watching as she moved to put the cheese away. "Did you have something in mind?" he asked, reaching for his water bottle and pressing it to his cheek in hopes the cold surface would help stave off any desire to doze back off.
He couldn't see her face with the fridge door open, but the intonation of her hum was all he needed to imagine the sort of expression that adorned her features. "Oh!" she perked right up, closing the fridge door with renewed vigor. "I've got it!" With a smile on her face, she hurried back over to Rui, extending both of her hands out to him and wriggling her fingers in anticipation. His hands practically engulfed hers as she peeled him off of the kitchen tile with ease. "Stay right there!" she ordered with a waggle of her finger, to which he happily obeyed.
From where he stood, Rui watched as Emu scuttled back and forth across the kitchen, turning on the range hood light and turning off the overhead light (a change which brought both of their tired eyes immense relief). The same yellow eyes that were once scrutinizing blueprints were now soft around the edges as he admired her, the way the dim light made her look even more beautiful than before as she leaned against the counter, the way she said please and thank you to the smart speaker when she asked it to play some music, the way she clapped her hands together as the sound of soft jazz breathed life into the once quiet room, the way her excitement was barely contained in her gait as she made her way back to him, and so on. Each and every little thing he noticed left him even more smitten with her than before, a feat which he was unaware was possible.
With how hopelessly enamored he was with her, it only made sense that when Emu held out her hand to him once more and asked him for a dance, he took it again. Of course, Rui would take her hand the next time she offered, and every single time that came after, too, because how could he ever say no to her (especially when she was smiling at him like that)? "It would be an honor, my love," he breathed, sincerity oozing from each and every word.
A hopeful smile morphed into a victorious grin as slender fingers curled around Rui's hand. Setting her free hand atop Rui's shoulder, Emu lead them along to the gentle sway of the music, her once wide grin now mellowing out into something softer as she looked into his eyes.
Rui followed her lead, meeting her gaze and reciprocating her smile with one of his own. As the two of them waltzed across the kitchen tile, Rui couldn't help the way his thoughts started to wander. Absentmindedly, his thumb brushed over her knuckles, lingering just a little too long on the barren base of her ring finger. He withdrew his thumb before Emu had the chance to realize what exactly was going through his mind, and then leaned his head down just enough to press their foreheads together, to which Emu responded by rubbing their noses together.
The longer they danced, the more awake Rui felt. By the time the music had reached a swell, Rui decided he wanted to take initiative, stepping away from Emu and lifting their arms up into the air. The role reversal was met without protest, Emu following his lead and effortlessly twirling underneath of him.
As she spun around, a few giggles escaped her lips, the rest of the music fading into obscurity as Rui's focus honed in on the melodic sound of her laughter. A flutter that had surfaced in his chest quickly turned into a chuckle that emerged past his lips, his laughter seamlessly blending together with hers.
For the rest of the song, they swayed and twirled and giggled together, slowly dancing themselves into a world of their own. Much too soon did the song reach its conclusion, as did their little waltz, Emu now resting her head squarely against Rui's chest. "Thank you for the dance," she hummed, nuzzling her cheek into the fabric of his shirt. "It was really fun!"
"It truly was," Rui mused in agreement. "We should do it again sometime."
Not bothering to move from her spot, she rubbed her face against him as she nodded along. "Maybe not tonight, though," she mumbled, almost dejectedly, "it is late after all."
"Oh," he blinked, "right." He had nearly forgotten it, but now that she brought attention to the fact, it was suddenly very hard to ignore the tiredness from earlier and the way it seeped back into his veins. "Shall we head to bed, then?" he asked—
—Only to suddenly suck in a sharp breath at a harrowing realization.
Feeling him tense up against her, Emu rotated her head, looking up at him without ever actually pulling away from him, hints of concern laced in her inquisitive hum.
"I left the light on in the garage…" moaned Rui. The garage was only a few paces away from the kitchen, yet the journey had never felt further than it did now. With how appealing the concept of falling asleep while cuddling Emu sounded to him, going in the opposite direction of the bedroom was the last thing he wanted to do.
"Oh!" With her exclamation, Emu pulled herself away from Rui. "Don't worry, honey, I'll turn it off for you!" she offered.
Rui's brow raised at the proposal. "Wait," he stepped forward, the guilt for making her do his dirty work on his behalf overriding any exhaustion, "You don't—"
"—Ah ah ah! Too late!" Emu hopped away from Rui the same second he reached his hand out to her, and then darted down the hall. "I'm already on it!!!" she called out.
His hand, previously reaching out for her, had slowly started to fall back down as he watched Emu vanish from his sight. Instead of letting it fall to his side, Rui brought his hand up to his chest, pressing his palm against his heart and feeling the way it beat inside his ribcage. Even when she was no longer pressed directly against him, he could still feel the warmth of her presence. Only this time, instead of coming from her, it came from somewhere deep within him, washing over his body and rendering him unable to do anything but stare longingly at the place she once stood, a love-struck smile on his face.