Skip Beat - Love Is…
Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat. But I do own three dozen stuffed cows.
Blacktohru: Inspired by Chapter 127. Warning: OOC with hints of lime.
Chapter 3: Love is Self-inflicted Torture
"To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore to love is to suffer, not to love is to suffer. To suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy then is to suffer. But suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be unhappy one must love, or love to suffer, or suffer from too much happiness. I hope you're getting this down."
-- Woody Allen
Ren walked to his guest bedroom and tapped on the door quietly. "Mogami-san?"
No answer.
"Mogami-san?" he called, raising his voice slightly.
He knocked on the door again and it slid open slowly. He pushed it open and spotted her. She was sitting on the floor, her head pillowed in her arms as she leaned against the bed. A small smile was playing at her lips and she seemed content and happy.
Ren leaned against the door frame, arrested by the sight. She was a picture of tranquility and peace, completely relaxed in his home. It was a strange feeling indeed and it evoked far too many emotions than he was willing to name.
He furrowed his brows as a thought hit him. Was her work so tiring that she hadn't even been able to lie down on the bed properly? For that matter, it was completely unlike her to just collapse of exhaustion, especially since she herself had insisted on going home and had requested to use the bathroom in his guest bedroom to freshen up.
His lips curved into a wry smile. There was nothing he could do about it now. But perhaps he could do something to make her more comfortable. From the looks of her position on the floor, she would definitely wake with a crick in her neck the following morning.
He walked into the room and bent down to lift his precious bundle, careful not to wake her. She stirred slightly and began to mumble incoherently. Ren stood stock still, hoping that he hadn't woken her up. She continued to wriggle slightly, adjusting herself into a more comfortable position.
"Tsuruga-san…" she mumbled.
He froze, just catching the quiet whisper. He glanced at her swiftly, unsure of whether he had heard her properly.
"Ren…" the young actress breathed.
The sound of his name on her lips sent a nervous tremor through him and he almost dropped her in shock. She was dreaming…of him?
"Ren!" the cry was plaintive this time, almost demanding, and he couldn't help the torrents of emotions that swept through him, tinting his cheeks a faint red.
He wished quite fervently that he could peek into her dreams. The thought startled him and he clamped down furiously on it. How could he even think of her that way! She was his kouhai for crying out loud! Four years younger than he was!
The tall actor bit back an annoyed sigh and bent to place his bundle carefully on the bed. But she wouldn't let go of her grip on his shirt. Instead, she began to nudge closer, seemingly attracted to his warmth on that freezing winter night.
"Mogami-san," he admonished softly as he sat on the bed with her on his lap. "You'll be more comfortable in between the covers."
She grunted in reply, choosing to burrow herself more closely to him.
"M-Mogami-san?" his voice was tinged with alarm.
She was rubbing…places which he definitely liked…but definitely inappropriate places…for such a young…he gasped. 'Young girl!' his mind screamed. She shouldn't be doing that!
He couldn't help it. A whimper escaped his throat. With shaking hands, he tried to still her movements and calm her, praying that she'd stop and praying that she'd never stop. He ran his fingers through her hair, hoping to soothe her dreams.
She relaxed and cuddled up to him, huffing a small moan of contentment as he stroked her hair.
Ren breathed a sigh of relief when she stopped moving. He turned the force of his glare upon her now-still form. "You really should be more careful, Mogami-san. What if…" he broke off. What if he didn't have enough self control? What if she'd been lucid when…he groaned aloud. No! He wouldn't think of such things. Couldn't think of such things of her. She was his…his…k-kouhai.
The lock he had used to chain the gates that kept her away from him was beginning to crumble into pieces. He'd stopped petting her head as he contemplated this disquieting thought and she began to grumble a little. Alarmed, he resumed combing her hair with his fingers gently.
There was nothing he could do about it. Somehow she'd worked her way into his heart, warming and brightening his life in her small ways and her cheery smile. He didn't know how or when it happened, but all he knew was that he wouldn't be able to let her go anymore.
As if mirroring his thoughts, she smiled in her sleep and said softly, "Yes, Ren…"
owari