I do not own Skip Beat!
A/N: Alriiiight it took me a bit because I got caught up in life, but here it is! Hopefully the next one will come a bit sooner. Thank you for reading!
The days trickled by, after the initial meeting everyone seemed to welcome Kyoko without complaint. Small talk filled the kitchen, on breaks they all gathered at the bar where Amamiya tended during hours, and in the evenings they chorused their goodbyes and see you tomorrows.
Some of them went out to drink together, some went out alone, and some kept their plans to themselves. Kyoko had been invited out for drinks every evening since by Hidehito, every time she turned him down, and Hiromune would chuckle at the blatant rejection. It wasn't that she didn't want to go, she just didn't enjoy drinking on work nights.
The Nectarean was closed Sunday through Tuesday and by the end of Saturday everyone was excited for the evening off. Talking and laughing, bickering here and there. Sho suggested they all accompanied Hidehito to the Blue Velvet for once, not only for him, but to also celebrate their first week working with Kyoko. Because of this, she of course couldn't refuse going. Her previous reasons didn't check out, and she had already told Kanae and Amamiya that she was free when they asked if any day worked for a shopping trip and touring the area.
So here she was, stuffed in the back of a cab. The two girls on one side, Sho on the other side, and Hidehito in the front with the driver. Hiromune said he would meet them there, probably because he knew they wouldn't all fit in the back — not that they did. Kyoko was so squished against Sho that she was practically on his lap at this point.
"I'm sorry." She whispered to him, shifting around, and trying but failing to put some space between them.
He was tall, his long legs were crunched up tight against the drivers seat, and his wide shoulders were being pushed into the door. She couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable he looked, or how good he smelled. The spicy sweet smelling cologne he wore ticked her sinus, and she felt her cheeks heat up for noticing such a thing.
Pulling his arm out from where she was leaning against it he raised it up and behind her neck, wrapping it around her shoulders. Kyoko seemed to melt into his side further, "Mm, is this okay? My arm was falling asleep." He said.
"Oh, um, this is fine." she said. She heat off his arm encasing her, wrapping around the back of her neck, and her mind wanted to nights with Ren. Where they had cuddled together in a similar way as she was now.
They stayed like that the remaining twelve minutes of the drive, Kyoko silently hoping that nobody would see the red tinge of her cheeks whenever they passed a streetlight bright enough to enlighten the inside of the car, and Kanae and Amamiya chatting enthusiastically with Hidehito about whether they would be paying for their own drinks or if he would be covering the tab since he finally would have some "beautiful women" to drink with like he'd been asking for.
When they pulled up outside the club, Kyoko was taken aback. She didn't exactly know what she was expecting, but the flamboyant building wasn't it. Two concrete pillars lay flush against the face of the building, with pale blue backlight glowing out around them, there were no windows, a bouncer stood outside the navy door, letting in several people from the long line at a time. Something about it felt sinister, and another part gave off a heavenly aura, like deep inside you knew it was a dangerous place, but it beaconed you in with it's glowing lights; promising that sin wasn't really that bad at all. It was, after all, only human nature.
Hiromune was standing off to the side as they all exited the cab and waved them over. Once together, he led us over to the side entrance and knocked three times. A burly man opened the door. A black beanie was pulled low on his round head, and his face split into a wide grin as he took in Hiromune.
"Well if it isn't, Hiro Koga! You haven't shown your face around here in a while. How ya been, man?" He asked, leaning out the door and eyeing up the group accompanying his friend.
"Been good, B. Needed a break from all this, you know how it is," Hiromune smiled back. Kyoko felt in the moment that the man that usually seemed rather relaxed and quiet, was now an entirely different person. There was an unusual edge to his voice, and the sharpness of his teeth seemed more prominent when the light inside the doorway struck them.
"Yeah yeah, don't I know it. The boss would be happy to see you, ya know, but I don't think he's in tonight. I'll let him know you stopped by though. But enough chit chat, come in." B said, opening the door further and gesturing them all to hurry inside.
During the exchange, Hidehito was staring at "Hiro" with wide eyes, the confusion and curiosity lining his features and it was clear that at any moment the questions would begin flying from his mouth. Sensing this, Hiromune side glanced at him, his eyes squinted in a death glare, and mouthed "shut up".
The door opened to a dimly lit back room, shelving lined the walls stocked full of liquor, jars of maraschino cherries and green olives, cases of beer were stacked on the floor, and there were a few cases of bar snacks, like peanuts and assorted pub mixes. The storage room led into something like a break room or a lounge. Red leather sofas and chairs were situated around the eclectic room. A large fireplace was on one wall, and there was a small bar situated next to it, paired with three tall matching red leather barstools.
"I'd say the lounge was available for you, but the boss is sending over that guy Tsuruga," B said to Hiromune as he held the door open to the moody lounge, in the distance the tune of a popular pop song played from out on the dance floor. "I guess he messed up, and managing this place is his punishment. Though I don't really get it, not like the guy knows anything about running a business. Hell, with how I've set it up, the club basically runs itself. What's he gonna do? Sit around and look pretty? Scare some people off with that resting bitch face of his? Never seen the guy smile in my life." B sighed. "Fuck, I'm talking too much again. You guys go have fun. Hiro, stop by for a drink sometime, on me."
The group all glanced between one another, Kanae silently mouthing, "What the fuck is going on?!" as she met Amamiya and Hidehito's equally puzzled eyes.
"I'll come by tomorrow, take you up on that drink." Hiro flashed his teeth again in a friendly but stiff smile, clapping the burly man on the shoulder as they walked out into the hall.
Once they got further down the hallway, Kyoko swore she heard Hiromune cuss under his breath about how the man really did never learn to keep his mouth shut and that one day it would kill him. Before she could think more about what he could have meant, Hiromune had begun to quickly usher them down the hall and away from the owners lounge and B.
The club was large, several levels and bars on each one. The dance floors were packed and so were most of the public tables. Hiro led the group to one of the private booths that lined the back walls of each floor, where the cushions were upholstered with the same deep royal blue velvet as the privacy curtains. Kyoko felt like the corner booth was rather cozy, it was 'C' shaped and had a low round marble and gold table in the center, the music even seemed less loud here.
Sho followed Kyoko as she slid in next to Kanae and Amamiya, bracing one of his hands on the cushion behind her and the other on the table, he leaned down towards her, his breath hot on her cheek and asked, "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Oh! Uh…," she paused. "Umeshu soda?" It was more of a question than anything, but the handsome blonde didn't seem to notice her uncertainty. He just smiled, nodded, and sauntered towards the bar with Hidehito.
Kyoko, not one to frequent clubs or large parties, felt rather flustered in the new environment. She was fiddling with a small compact mirror and a tube of lipgloss as her three remaining coworkers spread themselves out comfortably within the booth. It wasn't that Sho was making her uncomfortable, but she wasn't exactly sure how to feel about the sudden attention either — besides that he was currently a welcome distraction from her constant worries about Ren. Sho had been professional during work hours, and while he took the bus to and from the apartment building they shared Kyoko had always opted to walk, meaning they didn't cross paths much besides infrequently sharing the elevator in the morning. And tonight he seemed to have the same teasing bad boy aura he had had the day she met him while moving in.
"Ugh. He's so unbearable," grumbled Kanae, as she eyed Sho ordering the two drinks. "It's like watching a dog play with a new toy."
The comment brought Kyoko out of her thoughts, and she glanced curiously between the blonde waiting at the bar and Kanae sitting across from her.
Hiromune laughed lightly from his spot next to the irritated woman. "He never ceases to get under her skin, it doesn't seem to matter what he's doing. We think she just detests blondes," he explained to a confused Kyoko.
Kanae's head whipped to the side as she shot the man an icy glare. "Or maybe I just detest that I work with a bunch of disappointing, incompetent, unremarkable, womanizers," she snapped back.
"Come on, let's go dance," Kanae said, grabbing the hands of both Kyoko and Amamiya and practically dragging them towards the throbbing dance floor.
Kyoko never thought she would be the type to go out to the club with friends, let alone enjoy it, but now she felt an overwhelming sense of fun as she danced with the two girls to their favorite songs. Losing herself in the moment was easy, and she was unsure about how much time had passed, so enthralled with the pulsing bodies around her. She was just about to go back to the booth for her drink, when a strange hand gripped her hip and pulled her back into a hard chest, she had just started pulling her hand free from the larger one when a familiar voice spoke into her ear, making her pause.
"Dance with me?" Sho asked, retangling his fingers with hers and gently spinning her around to face him.
He had her drink in one hand and continued to hold his with the other, an easy smile laid upon his handsome face, and as he cocked his head to the side his yellow gold hair charmingly fluttered over one blue eye. As if sensing her reserve, he lifted the drink towards her in offering, imagining that the liquid would bring her the courage she needed to accept his request.
The bubbling golden drink sloshed and the ice cubes caught the light reminding Kyoko how parched she was. Grateful for the seeming delivery service, she momentarily ignored his request to dance and reached for the glass, taking several long sips, enjoying the familiar sweet yet tangy flavor that accompanied the heat once it hit her stomach.
Rising to her tiptoes she leaned into his ear as he had done to her just moments ago. "Thank you for the drink," she replied, her voice raising to be heard over the music.
Something about how the dim lighting hit Sho's blonde hair seemed to startle her and for the first time that evening she was made to realize her troubles. The idea of his hands on her as they danced made butterflies flutter in her stomach and a blush to tinge her cheeks, but it mostly just felt wrong — knowing she was morally betraying the one person that truly meant the most to her. The bandaid of his affection couldn't cover the wound that Ren had caused in her chest. Kyoko knew Ren loved her, he told her all the time. And friends didn't cuddle, or hold hands, or kiss. She didn't know what was going on with him, but in the moment how much she missed him seemed to wash over her like an emotional tidal wave, everything she had sworn to herself about not wanting to dream, not wanting to see him, not thinking about him, was all crumbling in seconds and she was back to square one where all she wanted was to curl up in bed and pray that when she fell into the darkness of slumber he would be there to catch her.
Flustered and uneasy, she said no more to Sho. Turning on her heel she waved towards the two girls to let them know she was fine, and pushed her way through the bodies around her. Needing a moment to clear her head, Kyoko made her way across the dance floor towards the wall furthest from their booth, her drink sloshing as every strange person pushed up against her.
Sighing, she thought over the events of the evening. She had been having fun, especially dancing with Kanae and Amamiya. She had felt that feeling, the one she was always missing, the one she always searched for in every female classmate or coworker. Friendship. Now her mind had ruined it. The thoughts of Ren were flooding her senses. Just a moment alone was what she needed, she would feel it all, then pull herself together and maybe dance a bit more. God, maybe even drink a bit more too.
Pushing her way through the last of the gyrating bodies, Kyoko felt her chest thrum rapidly along with the heavy beat of the newest song playing, and right as she made her way out of the crowd she felt her heart sputter irregularly as her eyes locked onto an outrageously tall figure leaning against the wall about three meters from her. He seemed to be painted there, unmoving, the darkness of his clothes seeming to snuff out any light that was around him. Even the crowd had dissipated in his shadow, instinct telling them that it was safer to stay away.
He didn't seem to notice her, staring down uninterestedly at the room before him. And Kyoko took her time looking him up and down, she noticed that something about him felt off, his posture, dark hollow eyes surrounded in equally dark circles, and furrowed brows were all signs that he was obviously upset about something — angry even. The thought caused goosebumps to bloom up her arms to her shoulders. But despite that, she couldn't help but think that he was still incredibly handsome. Continuing to drink him in with her eyes, his hair was perfectly tousled, his lips beautifully curved and plush, the strong jawline, wide shoulders, long legs… her breath caught in her chest.
Unconsciously she took a step towards him, something inside her made up its mind — she had to get closer. Until his dark and piercing gaze shifted downwards, locking onto hers and pinning her to the spot. He shifted away from the wall, standing somehow even taller now, and slowly stepped towards her, his movements smooth and lethal like a panther languidly stalking a rabbit. Stunned, Kyoko felt her gut twist in anticipation and she went to take a step backwards only for her heel to slip under her, effectively rolling her ankle and throwing her centre of gravity backwards until she landed right onto her back and her drink came pouring down her chest, soaking the rosy satin of her dress, turning it an awful shade of grayish brown.
Dazed, Kyoko looked up at the ceiling, noticing the strobing lights, the piping they were fixed to, the fuzzy texture of the paint… glow in the dark stars? She blinked. No, the stars were in her head. Sitting up and rubbing the back of her skull she felt the beginnings of a bump forming and cringed. When she looked up again, she noticed that the man had paused and was staring at her with his mouth open in a small 'o' shape. He snapped his jaw shut, pulling his eyes away from hers he turned and strode around the edges of the dance floor until he blended into the crowded shadows and disappeared from her sight.