DISCLAIMER: SKIP BEAT! and its associated characters are the creations of Yoshiki Nakamura. This author claims no ownership of Skip Beat or any of its characters. All other rights reserved.

Word: The word-prompt for this one-shot is 'Gaze.' This takes place after the elevator and after Eggs Benedict night, but before the Tokyo Crazy Paradise 'English practice' for Route. Let me know what you think! Reviews always appreciated XD

Afternoon at TBM

"Oh look who's here," Kijima said, motioning below. Momose and Ogata looked down at the wide TBM lobby, where a dapper Ren Tsuruga was walking next to Kyoko Mogami in her distinctive LoveMe pink jumper.

"It's a proper reunion!" Ogata said happily. He'd run into Kijima and Momose quite by accident. The other two actors were at TBM that morning to promote the start of their new drama. He was there to consult on a potential new project. "All we need is Iizuma-san and we'll have all the principals for Dark Moon present."

"Maybe we can ask them out to lunch with us," Momose said. "It's been a while since I've seen Kyoko-chan. I heard she's working on Kuresaki-san's new movie as a ninja…"

"Oooof, I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Kijima was shaking his head and smirking. "Looks like Ren's holding one of Kyoko-chan's bento boxes."

Kyoko's bento boxes were famous on the Dark Moon set. They always looked so good. The fact that Ren was the only actor who got them wasn't lost on the rest of the cast during shooting, but Kyoko always claimed it was because Tsuruga-san was her beloved senpai who couldn't be trusted to eat properly otherwise. "They're so cute together," Momose said. "I wonder if they even know how cute they look."

"I've always wondered about those two," Ogata said. "Even from the start. Tsuruga-san, especially—the way he looks at her—"

"YES!" Kijima and Momose exclaimed at the same time.

"You've seen it too?" Momose asked Kijima.

"Seen it?" Kijima responded. "How could I miss it?" They both nodded.

"I agree, it's hard to miss," Ogata said. "He looks…"

"Like a cow that's been hit over the head?" Kijima interjected.

Ogata smiled. "I wasn't going to put it quite like that, but…"

"Oh look!" Momose said. "He's looking at her like that right now." The three of them looked over the balcony as Ren Tsuruga smiled that smile at his kouhai. "Awww," she added. Kyoko kept talking animatedly, her smile lighting up her face as she gestured enthusiastically about something.

"You know I can't help but feel for him," Kijima said. "Especially with all this publicity about him and Kana-san."

"Well you know, but Kana—" Momose said.

"Yeah, I know," Kijima said. A look at Ogata confirmed that he knew, too. Some secrets were open secrets in the community, and the fact that Kana had a girlfriend was one of them.

Kijima sighed. "It's so obvious he's desperately into her. And you know it's just like she ignores him when he looks at her like that. Like she doesn't even notice it. And she's so old-fashioned. Every other woman in Japan would swoon—"

"Not every woman," Momose interjected.

"HA!" Kijima stuck his tongue out at her. "That's not what I heard. Rumor has it you blushed and tried to hide when he deployed it on you the first time."

"I was just surprised," Momose said. Ogata raised his eyebrow at them—could this be a new couple forming? But again, their eyes were drawn to the two actors on the floor below.

Kijima let out a soft whistle. "Could he have finally gotten through to her?"

"What—what?!" Momose almost pushed him aside to see the action below.

Three pairs of eyes looked down and saw Kyoko blushing as Ren affectionately brushed a piece of lint off of her jumpsuit.

"I don't believe it," Kijima whispered.

"Believe what?" Ogata said.

"You don't think—" Momose chimed in. She'd always thought that perhaps Kyoko liked Ren too, though the young actress had always insisted she would never fall in love again.

"...that he finally confessed?" Kijima finished.

Momose let out a soft, excited squeal. "It's just like a love drama! The handsome, famous actor falls in love with the newcomer…"

Ogata kept looking at the two actors below. "He must have confessed," he said.

"Bet you he hasn't," Kijima said.

"Bet you he has," Momose responded.

Just then, Ren spotted them and raised a hand upwards in greeting. Kyoko followed his gaze upwards, smiling once she saw them too.

"Oof, looks like we've been spotted," Kijima said.

Ogata was smiling at Kyoko. "I'll ask them to lunch anyway. Maybe we'll figure some things out."

"No, wait." Ogata and Momose stopped to look at Kijima. "I have a plan. Why don't I flirt with Kyoko-chan and you flirt with Tsuruga?"

"What? Why?" Momose raised an eyebrow at him. Ren Tsuruga was always a gentleman, but he'd always treated her with courteous reserve.

"Because if they're a couple, they'll rebuff our advances," Kijima said.

Momose scoffed. "I hardly think that'll prove anything," she said.

"Humor me. If YOU flirt with him, maybe we can at least figure out if Kyoko has feelings for Tsuruga-san."

A minute or so later, Momose was hanging off of Ren's arm, and he was ignoring her as he stared with murderous intent at Kijima, who was flirting loudly with Kyoko.

"Ah, sorry, Momose-san, what did you say?" he asked absentmindedly. His gaze hadn't left Kyoko for a second. He was trying to be courteous, at least, but Momose's presence was nowhere near compelling enough to distract him from watching Kyoko laugh at Kijima's jokes with dismay.

But true to form, Kijima's advances flew right over Kyoko's head. She looked over and smiled at Momose. "Momose-san," Kyoko said. The copper-haired girl bounced over to the long-haired actress, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Momose had her arm linked through Ren's. "I'm so excited to watch your new drama!" she said. "You'll be so beautiful as a detective. And so sophisticated—"

Momose tried to lean her head onto Ren's shoulder. Was Kyoko completely oblivious? But Ren foiled her plans, moving subtly away as Kyoko continued chattering. She looked over at Kijima, who just shrugged imperceptibly and grinned ruefully. She let go of Ren's arm and watched as the actor began to drift instinctively towards Kyoko.

"We were going to ask if you two wanted to join us for lunch," Ogata finally interjected.

"Oh—I'm sorry, Ogata-san," Ren said. "Kyoko made me one of her delicious bento boxes. We were going to eat together." He shot a look over at Kyoko that was so direct and so filled with longing that Kyoko took a sharp intake of breath and then blushed a bright tomato red.

"With—with Yashiro-san," Kyoko choked out. "We will be eating lunch with Yashiro-san!...too." Her voice squeaked, but all of them could see how her eyes met Tsuruga's. She blushed even redder as she said it.

Ogata, Kijima, and Momose exchanged a look.

When the two actor had gone off to their lunch meeting, Ogata said, "Something's happened."

"She definitely notices the way he looks at her now," Kijima nodded. "The old Kyoko would never have gotten Tsuruga's meaning like that."

"I agree," Momose said, smiling. "Something's happened."

The three of them started to walk towards the cafeteria.

"...so…" Kijima said. "...do you think they'd invite us to the wedding?"