Rapid Fate Online Chapter 112: Practicing Lines

Back in his room at home, Tamaki took the rings out and held them up to look at them.

They were identical to the ones you wore in game as husband and wife.

“I need to practice what to say!” He thought, looking around for something in his room to make pretend that it was you so he could practice his lines.

Grabbing the nervegear headset and setting it up to balance on the chair backing, with one of his jumpers wrapped around it, he stepped back and nodded at his ‘practice Y/N’.

“Uhh,” he hummed at the tilted nervegear, “Y-Y/N?… I… these…” He held up the rings. “I… love you…” He held them out towards the nervegear headset, jumping with fright when it slowly toppled off the chair backing and clattered to the floor.

He looked down at the promise rings in his hands.

“I don’t know what to say. I just want her to know that these rings will keep us together until we can get married one day.”

He very gently picked up the nervegear set and sat it down on the chair then smiled and placed the rings safely on the desk before getting into bed.

………………………………………..

Sunday morning, you and Tamaki picked a time to meet and then you got ready to see him. Your heart was being pulled apart, half excited to see Takami and the other half watching the time and wondering how B/F was going. 

You knew what time she was due to leave the country and you kept thinking about where she could be at that point, wondering if she was upset or crying.

As you stood there spacing out, you heard your phone ding in your pocket and pulled it out.

“Just… chillin’ in the lounge area thing McDing, you know how it is,” B/F sent.

“Chillin’ like a villain?” you sent back to her.

“Is there any other way to chill?” she replied with a wink emoji.

You smiled to yourself. She seemed to be ok.

“You’re catching up with your boo, right?” she sent.

“Yeah, just casual chillin’ nothing intense.”

“Sure.”

You huffed with amusement out of your nose and replied with the smirk emoji. 

“Hey… thanks for everything,” she sent next.

You sat down on the bed so you could text her for a bit but her next message cut everything short.

“Umm, I gotta go now… I’ll try and get in touch with you once I’m on the other side… I won’t have international roaming on my phone so can’t send a message right away but the second I’m able to text you… I will.”

“Dont stress, I’ll always be here,” you sent back, “be safe, ok?” 

“Always,” she replied, signing off how she usually did and you smiled sadly as you closed the messages app and got up off the bed to go and see Tamaki.

You were excited to see him but a part of you was really sad that your best friend for … how many years … had gone.

“Hey,” you greeted him softly as you approached him at the meeting place.

He nodded at you, looking a little more shy and hesitant than usual but you were a little internally preoccupied with your own sadnesses that you didn’t notice.

“B/F left today,” you offered as a conversation starter as you fell in step and started walking together.

“Oh… is she ok?” Tamaki asked.

“I guess?” you replied, “it’s a huge change… it’s sad that I might not hear from her for a while and I can’t even play in RFO with her any more.”

Tamaki nodded as you walked to the closest cafe.

He pushed the door open for you and you entered idly, looking down as you walked in.

“W-Would you like to pick a seat?” he asked softly from behind you, hands fiddling with something small and cube-like, in his pocket.

You nodded and picked the closest table, mind still on your bestie who was probably preparing to take off right about now.

“Do you think she’ll come back?” you asked Tamaki, who was practicing his lines in his head as you both sat down.

“W-Who?” 

“B/F,” you sighed, “do you think she’ll come back?” 

“Umm, I’m not sure,” he replied gently, “but if she does… it will be to see you.”

You smiled a little at him and looked down at the menu.

“Ready?” you asked him after a while. He was again practicing his lines… and he thought you were asking if he was ready to deliver his lines.

“I, uh, umm, I was waiting for when we were outside again so I could pick a nice place,” he said with a panicked look on his face and you looked up at him, confused.

“Sorry?” you asked.

“I don’t want to say it wrong,” he replied softly. 

“Say what wrong?” You tilted your head to the side.

“Hi guys! Can I take your order?” The waitress asked, suddenly appearing beside the table.

“Oh! Yeah, sure!” you replied with a smile, “what’s the special today?”

The waitress very happily told you all the specials for that day and you listened intently while Tamaki panicked internally about what to order as he had been so wrapped up with the line he wanted to say to you, that he hadn’t been thinking about anything else.

While you placed your order his eyes scanned the menu.

“Thanks,” you said to the waitress as after giving her your order, then you turned to him, “you ready, Jiki?”

His hands were shaking and he had his head so low to the table you thought he was going to try and phase through it like Mirio, to try and escape the stressful situation.

Seeing his anxious state, you decided to order for him, figuring he would want something with clams, octopus, or beef in it. 

“Oh! I know! He’ll have your beef fry with mushrooms and shallots,” you said quickly, looking at him to see if he would react.

He just nodded and kept his eyes hidden behind his fringe and you smiled.

The waitress happily jotted the order down then turned and walked away to put it through to the kitchen.

“Are you ok, Jiki? You’re a little more jumpy than usual?” you commented, only now just feeling like he wasn’t his usual self.

“S-Sorry,” he whispered, still clutching the menu.

“It’s ok?” you replied gently, not understanding why he was acting the way he was acting, “it’s just me, you can relax now.”

He looked up over the menu at you, then looked around and relaxed slightly, putting the menu down and letting out a small sigh of relief.

“Where’s that Tamajiki and Butterfli3 confidence? I know Tamajiki has confidence, I watched him outrun a GIANT Pterodactyl! Poo-ma-pants sized giant. You know what… I’m naming it Pants. Because we both nearly poo’d our pants.”

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