Skip Beat! Secret Santa, written with all my love xx
The devil comes to claim his prize; the lips of the fairy who had stolen his heart.
Anyone could see she was excited, the tell tale sign of childish glee in her eyes that she didn't even try to hide was obvious to everyone. Her debut movie, after working in LME for two years, had finally begun filming and she had not only been given the lead role, but she was to play a fairy. She couldn't have asked for more and even better she was a Fairy Princess. Her look comprised of long flowing dresses, complete with ribbons and lace and though she wore violet coloured contacts, she'd grown her hair out and dyed it blonde for the movie. It was an unusual genre of movie for a 20 year old to star in and even more unusual was the age of her two male co-stars, (23 and 24) but the director had refused to work with anyone else but Kyoko and since she had graduated from the Love Me section, the president had no reason to refuse. The cast was relatively small only 6 re-occurring characters, and with three of them being children under the age of five, time was tight, children, even those in the professional world, can only have their attention on one thing for small amounts of time.
Ren had been more than happy to accept a role co-starring with Kyoko. Though the role itself was relatively simple and he had few lines until the second half of the movie, it was worth the hours in makeup and longing sighs that came from both male and female crew to see her so happy. He'd been assigned the antagonist role of the movie, the devil out to steal the fairy's heart so he could live forever, and though he wasn't exactly pleased that he had to bully his love on screen and force her into uncomfortable situations and very compromising positions, he decided that it was definitely worth it to see her so radiant. It wasn't like she held it against him anyway; she was a professional after all.
He watched as she twirled happily around the studio with one of the child actors while they waited for the other actors to have their make-up retouched, she swung around in a circle and he smiled indulgently. The child actors had immediately taken to Kyoko even, to Maria's dissatisfaction, calling her "Onee-sama" or "Kyo-chi" whichever name struck their mood at the time. However, though he was pleased to be able to see her more often, there was one elephant in the room. A large, obnoxious elephant. Her on screen love interest was Hidehito Kijima. Well, until halfway through the movie when he died, a scene Ren looked forward to filming with a vindictive sort of pleasure. Despite Ren's previous thinly veiled declarations of war, Kijima had not backed down from his pursuit of Kyoko. He'd even managed to convince her to call him by his given name, and although she never addressed Kijima without an honorific, she still called Ren, Tsuruga-san.
"You're all done." The makeup artist chirped. He thanked her and rose from his seat, crossing the room to stand beside the director, completely oblivious to her swooning.
"Ah, Tsuruga-kun. Good. I was discussing the ending sequence with Yamaguchi-san and as our antagonist, and an acting veteran, I would certainly value your opinion." The director waved his clipboard in Ren's face with one hand and pushed his glasses up his nose with the other.
"Of course, I was under the impression that the final frame would be of Mogami-san and myself."
"Who?" The directors eyebrows knitted together.
Ren coughed lightly, he was one of the few people in the talent world who had known Mogami Kyoko before she became 'Kyoko' and as a result, her co-workers didn't recognize her family name. "Kyoko-chan."
"Ah. Right. Well it feels just slightly implausible doesn't it?" The corner of the directors mouth was pulled down in displeasure.
"Sir?" Ren asked questioningly.
"After all they go through, would they really just stand side-by-side unflinching? Surely she would show some emotion?" The director waved his hands at Ren for emphasis. "I'm trying to understand what would best suit my characters and unfortunately I'm not having much luck and it's too late to re-write the story to have the Princess end up with Kijima's character."
The Producer sighed and shrugged. "We have to start filming the dance sequence, Yui-chan has a school concert and has to leave at four."
"Right." The director's frown deepened as he walked over to his place behind the camera.
Ren took his place on set, and delved into his character, his eyes never leaving Kyoko face, as per his character of course.
"You did very well today Kyoko." Ren gritted his teeth. Piss off Kijima. He eyed the younger man with distaste as he stood beside Kyoko.
"Kyoko -san." Kyoko stressed the honorific and walked away before he could respond. But Kijima was nothing if not persistent; after all she'd been rebuffing his flirtations left and right since they started filming and yet here he was.
"Right, Kyoko-chan." He hurried after her.
The two reached their fellow co-star, Ren wordlessly handed her a water bottle, her eyebrow raised at him in annoyance, caused by the pest behind her. "You look very beautiful in that dress." Kijima continued.
She frowned at him and tapped a perfectly polished nail on the lid of her bottle before opening it. "I know." She took a drink from the water bottle, her tone suggesting that it was perfectly obvious that she looked beautiful and Ren had to suppress a snort at Kijima's flustered expression. Whatever response he had expected, it hadn't been that. It wasn't that Kyoko was vain, in fact, she was still the humble, respectful girl she had been when she'd first arrived at LME, but recently she'd learnt that flattery was Kijima's default method of flirting and she wasn't going to allow him the pleasure of believing he'd fluffed her ego.
"What are you doing after the shoot?" Kijima pressed.
"Not you." She hissed in English, Ren had to rely on his acting to maintain a carefully neutral expression. "Nothing that would interest you I'm sure." She said politely. Her back was to Kijima now and he couldn't see her raise a perfectly arched eyebrow at Ren meaningfully and mouth 'help me' in English.
"I'm always interested in you-"
"She's unavailable." Ren's quiet voice cut through whatever Kijima had been about to say.
Kijima turned to Ren with an angry stare that wouldn't have made a kitten quiver. "I wasn't talking to you." His tone was delicate, almost polite, but Kyouko was well versed in the subject of the quiet type of anger and she was sure, if further provoked, he would take a swing at Ren. "So it's none of your business."
He made to turn back to Kyoko but Ren reached out and took her arm, linking it with his, causing her to turn around and face Kijima. She tried not to flinch at the unexpected contact.
"She is my co-worker and my kouhai. Her business is my business." He patted her arm in an affectionate gesture and she was torn between wanting to push him away and wanting to pull herself closer so she compromised by doing neither. As the two men stared each other down, she ruminated on when Tsuruga-san had become so touchy-feely. She supposed that the Heel siblings had something to do with overcoming barriers in the first place and she hadn't been as strict as she used to be on the whole "NO CONTACT" policy. The six months she'd spent shooting a Japanese drama in the US with Kanae and several foreign co-stars (though they weren't Hollywood actors) and her feelings for Ren must have lowered her guard more than she realized. They rarely came into contact anyway, their respective jobs keeping them occupied, but occasionally he'd stroke her hair comfortingly-before pulling away as Yashiro entered the room-or tap her shoulder affectionately. More and more, too she'd found herself brushing past him purposely, lingering 'accidental' touches that really shouldn't have happened at all. And most worryingly of all she craved them. Not in the same way she needed to breathe but in the same way one might crave their vice after a long period of abstinence.
"-san?" She looked up at Ren's face, his eyes expectant. Crap. What did he say? "Right?" He pressed. Oh, I'm supposed to agree.
"Yes that's right." She smiled at him before registering the horrified look on Kijima's face. She fought to keep her smile in place. What did I just agree to? Kijima walked away dumbly and Ren's face betrayed nothing. She pulled her arm free and glared at him.
"What did you say to him?" She demanded, placing her hands on her hips.
He grinned impishly. "I knew you weren't listening."
"Tsuruga-san." Her voice conveyed a warning but before she could elaborate they were interrupted.
"Kyoko-chan can you come here please?" The director motioned at her to come over and she nodded and held up a finger. One second please.
Ren winked at her. "I'm finished for the day. I'll pick you up when you finish." He began to walk off, leaving Kyoko flustered and confused.
Her talk with the director did not go well. He'd asked her opinion about changing the script and she hadn't seen the problem until she had already left the studio for the day. They'd asked her not to mention anything to Ren so they could hopefully catch a realistic reaction but that request came with a lot of problems.
"I don't see what the big deal is honestly." Kanae stirred her drink with her straw before poking it in Kyoko's general direction. "It's just a kiss."
"With Tsuruga-san." Kyoko hissed through her teeth before taking a long drink.
"So? You like him don't you?" Kanae prompted.
It was poor timing on Kanae's behalf, Kyoko tried to swallow in a fit of panic, but ended up with watery eyes and iced tea squirting out her nose. "That's a good look for you." She said sardonically as her friend waved her hand in front of her face. "What are you getting so worked up for?" Kanae handed the distressed girl a handful of napkins to tidy herself with.
"It's-"
"Tsuruga yeah I know, that's like the fifth time you've mentioned it." Kanae resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her friend.
Kyoko bowed her head. "He's not going to know."
"That's the point isn't it?"
"Well yes, but… I've never initiated a kiss on someone before! And he's so much taller than me..." She trailed off and continued patting her face dry.
"So?" Kanae chewed her straw slightly in confusion. "Height differences are a selling point in romance movies and you are shorter than the average woman."
"How am I supposed to-?" Kyoko made a flurry of movement with her hands trying to illustrate her problem; there was nearly a 10-inch gap between their heights which would make it difficult for their faces to meet without assistance on his behalf.
"Grab his face." Kanae suggested humorlessly. "And you had to kiss that American guy."
"You know those are two entirely different situations." Kyoko mumbled.
"I know, I know. You respect Tsuruga and he's so admirable and you love him-" Horrified, Kyoko slapped her hand over her friend's mouth. They were alone in the Love Me room (from which Kanae had yet to graduate) but Kyoko was still petrified that someone would discover her feelings for Tsuruga and inform him before she could tell him herself. Not that she ever would, but the hypothetical situation wasn't ideal.
"Can you not?" She hissed.
Kanae pulled away from her hand in disgust. "For God's sake Kyoko, I've been telling you this for months. He's been pining after you since Dark Moon and that was two years ago."
"That's not… That's not true." Kyoko mumbled, twisting a napkin in her hands.
Barely resisting the urge to slap either herself or her friend, Kanae rolled her eyes before remembering it gave her wrinkles. "Look." She put her hands sternly on her friends' shoulders which had sagged slightly since the start of their conversation. "This has nothing to do with your feelings; it's in the script so you have to do it. It's that simple." Tough love was almost always the best approach when dealing with Kyoko and her feelings for Tsuruga. Almost always. When Kyoko didn't respond, Kanae tried a different approach. "Just detach yourself from the scene and it will be fine. I've seen you lose yourself in a role before so it shouldn't be a problem right?"
"Right. But…"
"What is it now?"
"The height difference…"
Kanae snorted and finished her drink. "Grab his face and stretch up to meet it. He's a big boy, he'll figure out the rest."
By the time Kyoko had finished her jobs for the day she was a nervous wreck. She had no idea what Tsuruga-san had asked her to do for the evening and she had to kiss him tomorrow and she had to kiss Tsuruga. And…
"Mogami-san?"
"AH!" She jumped and dropped her bag before apologizing for not noticing he was there. She hastened to put everything back into her bag before he noticed her copy of the script with handwritten changes.
"I called your name a few times are you not feeling well?"
"What? I- Ah- No. I'm, um… I'm okay." She fumbled her way through the answer before hanging her head. "Sorry."
"It's okay really. But you should be more aware of your surroundings, especially at night."
"I… Yes. Yes I know." She fidgeted with the strap on her bag and bit her lip.
"Mogami-san?"
"Yes?" She hoped he didn't notice the panic in her voice.
"I was only joking."
"Huh?"
"When I spoke to Kijima-san."
"What?"
He paused. Had she really not heard? He thought she was playing off her embarrassment by feigning ignorance but maybe she really hadn't been paying attention after all.
"Never mind." He smiled and reached for her bag. "Here, I'll take your bag."
"What? No!" She tugged it away from him. What if he looks at the script and thinks I asked for it? No! I'm not impure! Tsuruga-san!
"I insist." As he reached for her bag, their hands brushed together. A feeling of warmth spread up Kyoko's arm and across her chest. It felt like fire and she froze, unable to remember how to breathe. Ren too, felt something akin to a shock radiating up his arm, but he feigned innocence and took advantage of her momentary distraction to take her bag out of her possession.
"Come Mogami-san." He practically purred as he walked away.
She felt her feet move without command and she followed behind him wearily.
They had ended up in his apartment, with Kyoko's culinary skills on full display once again. The small coffee table practically groaned under the weight of all the food and she laughed when he mentioned how many people he could feed. She hadn't been paying full attention when she was in the kitchen, instead trying to calm herself as she felt Ren's eyes on her back from across the kitchen. As a result, she'd ended up with far more food than two people could eat, though they separately suspected that Kuu may be able to finish it off alone. The silence stretched into awkwardness as she tried to avoid making eye contact. Half-way through the meal, Ren put his fork down and propped his head up on his arm.
"Mogami-san." His voice demanded attention. She jumped in surprise and glanced up at his through her eyelashes, head bowed. "I really won't do anything to you." He studied her expression, which slowly turned to confusion.
"What?"
"When I was speaking with Kijima earlier today. I wasn't being serious."
Her expression cleared and she waved her hand. "I didn't actually hear what you said." Then her eyes widened and she bowed furiously over the table.
"Moga-"
"I'm sorry for being so disrespectful, I should listen when my senpai is speaking."
"Mogam-"
Then she froze. "Tsuruga-san." Her voice was tight with a soft anger.
"Yes?" He bit back his amusement as her emotions shifted. Hello Mio. Long time no see.
"What could you have said to Kijima-san that would make me think you would do something to me?"
…
"Mogami-san will be spending the evening with me." His lips curled into an animalistic grin. It was an expression you would expect to see on a hunter after long awaited prey had been captured and devoured. "And the morning I daresay."
…
"Nothing at all Mogami-san."
"Tsuruga-san. I have told you before to make sure that you don't make suggestive comments unintentionally!"" She scolded him with such severity that he wanted to laugh.
"Forgive me Mogami-san."
She huffed and returned to her meal, clearly miffed by his actions.
"People will get the wrong idea." She folded her arms across her chest, she had forgotten about the annotated script in her bag and her heart felt lighter when she was beside him.
"And what is the right idea Mogami-san?" He tilted his head to the side and rested his chin in his palm.
"I don't understand."
He suppressed the urge to slap his forehead. God her naivety frustrated him sometimes. Instead he smiled and shook his head.
"Nothing."
He always refused to let her clean up afterwards and so she sat on the couch, browsing the shows on television.
"Is there anything in particular you would like to watch?" She called to him.
"Not really."
"Tsuruga-san." She pleaded. "Give me something to work with here."
She could hear his laughter from the kitchen.
Kyoko's hands were shaking so badly that the woman had to flatten her hand on the table so they could press fake nails onto her hands for the next scene.
"I'm so sorry." She apologized to the woman again. The make-up artist looked up at the young actress through long, fake lashes and smiled.
"Don't worry about it love." She waved a hand dismissively. "Did you have a rough night?"
"I… No."
"Are you worried about the next scene?" The woman finished Kyoko's nails and stood behind the actress. Kyoko immediately bought her hands together and twisted her fingers together before the nail lady swooped on her, batting her fingers apart with a squawk. "Don't you dare young lady!"
She turned to him, her toes curling anxiously in the soft grass as she peered up at the man beside her. He looked down at her from the corner of his eye, clearly confused at what he thought to be divergence from the script, they were supposed to remain motionless, unmoving. But she took comfort in the knowledge that he trusted her enough to follow her character and therefore wouldn't call her out in front of the crew, at least, not in the middle of a take. She bit her lip nervously and reached up to place a hand on his shoulder, turning him around to face her. She only had once chance to get this right, after that it wouldn't be a real reaction anymore and the scene wouldn't be as emotionally charged. She placed a hand on his cheek wordlessly and lightly brushed her thumb against his cheekbone, a small smile tugged at her lips as he shifted his head almost imperceptibly to lean into her hand. His gaze was questioning, eyes roaming her face for an answer that she couldn't give just yet. His skin was warm and soft and she dropped her hand to rest at the junction of his neck and his shoulder, fingers lightly stroking the side of his neck. She laced the fingers of her free hand together with his and his eyes widened with surprise and recognition when she tugged at his hand, bringing his shoulder down, her other hand returning to his cheek as she leaned up on her toes to press her lips to his.
Ren curled his arm, their hands ended up between them, pressed against his chest. His lips moved against hers immediately and though she was clumsy in her return of passion, the intimacy of their first kiss was not lost on either of them. He released her hand and reached for her waist and as his long fingers wrapped around her middle, she found her body pressed flush against his. Her fingers unfurled from the fist and splayed out on his chest over his heart. She could feel the erratic beating and she tried to convince herself it was a coincidence because there was no way she was the reason his heart was racing. Her other hand slipped behind his neck and tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck. She could feel him dipping her, one arm supporting her across the shoulders, his fingertips against the exposed skin while the other gripped at her hip almost possessively, but that couldn't be it because this was Tsuruga Ren, Japan's sexiest man and even though she had been titled Japan's Sweetheart after her first romance drama, there was no reason for him to have this kind of reaction to her. She felt something warm and wet brush at her lower lip and her fingers tightened in his hair. She felt the sensation again and she nearly combusted when she realized what it was. A loud voice came from behind her and she suddenly snapped back to reality. She moved both her hands to his shoulders in confusion. The director had called cut so why was he still kissing her? Before she could complete the thought he had retreated and she was upright once again, her hands resting on his shoulders his still on her waist. She doubted anyone else had noticed that he'd kissed her for slightly longer than necessary and with more passion than perhaps was required of them. But she had. Oh she had noticed. And there he was, hair disheveled, lips swollen, looking perfectly kissed and absolutely devilish about it. She took her hands away from him, barely registering the praise that the director was showering on them. The producer explained the deception behind the kiss to Ren, who took it surprisingly well, while Kyoko stood beside him in shock, her lips were still tingling and she found herself craving to have her lips pressed against his again. White noise filled her ears as she stumbled off the set in a daze. Why did she want to kiss him again? Why did she crave his hands on her waist? Why? Her head was still reeling after she'd changed into her regular clothes and she didn't notice him calling her name until he grabbed her arm, warm fingers wrapping around her bicep. Ba-Dump.
"Mogami-san?" His head titled to the side questioningly.
"Sorry! I wasn't listening." She apologized, spinning to face him, nervously touching a hand to her hair.
His lips twisted upwards and he forced himself to release her arm. "I could tell." His eyes roamed her face before he smiled angelically at her. Ba-dump. "I asked if you would like me to drive you home."
"Oh." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, throwing a sideway glance at the door. "No, it's okay."
His eyes narrowed and he stepped closer to her. Ba-dump. "Mogami-san?" Ba-dump.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, hands covering her face in mortification.
Ren's mind blanked as he stared at the red girl in front of him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and took her wrists in his hands, tugging her hands down from her face. Ba-dump. Their eyes met and Kyoko's mouth felt dry. He was very close, if she leaned forward, she'd be able to feel his breath on her face. He hadn't moved away. In fact, had he moved closer? Ba-dump. His breath warmed her cheeks and his eyes were locked onto hers. Ba-dump. She shifted her weight onto her toes. Ba-dump. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. Ba-dump. Ren's gaze shifted for a fraction of a second, flitting down to her lips before returning to her eyes. It didn't go unnoticed.
"Tsuruga-san." She breathed, it came out like a question and in a way it was. She was asking for permission. She was asking for candor. She was asking about the line of professionalism that she was about to obliterate. He didn't move and neither did she, the second stretched into an eternity and reality kicked in when he felt her shift away. No. She'd taken his immobility as a no and now she was backing away. No. The gap between them widened and he began to panic. If it ended like this now, she wouldn't ask again. No. It had probably taken everything for her to take that first step. No. If she had been brave enough to take the first step then he would take a leap. He reached for her face and stepped into her, the space between them vanishing in less than a second. He saw her eyes flutter closed expectantly, and he refused to disappoint her a second time. The reaction was instantaneous, the spark they had shared on set was stoked into a flame as he captured her lips with his. Already the dance of her mouth felt so familiar and he slid his hands down her arms to grip her biceps, her hands were on his shoulders, and her lips felt so warm and right that he didn't stop to think of the consequences of making out with her in the hallway. Later, he would have thanked whatever God was listening that Kyoko had more common sense than him. She pulled away and between his lips and through her breathy laughter she communicated that she'd rather do this somewhere more private, lest they be caught out.
"I don't mind." He murmured against her skin. He pressed another kiss to her temple and her cheek. Years of emotional and sexual frustration had been alleviated in a matter of seconds and he wasn't about to let his prize escape him.
"I mind." She retorted, huffing as he kissed her again.
"Mhm." He hummed against her neck before straightening up. "If you insist." He offered his arm to her and she linked it with hers without hesitation.
Kanae was not pleased that all it had taken for the two of them to start dating was a kissing scene.
Tah-dah! Merry Christmas! I tried to put a little of everything that you asked for in here so I hope you like it ^_^